| Скачать epub pdf Volume III – Church History Christ and the Apostles The first century of the Christian era begins with the birth of Jesus Christ from the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem. Christ lived, preached, did mighty acts, was crucified, rose again, and ascended into Heaven in the first several decades of the first century. After His Ascension into Heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit upon Christ’s disciples on the Feast of Pentecost (Acts.2), empowering them to take Christ’s Gospel to the ends of the known world. During His life on earth, Jesus selected disciples – first the Twelve ( Mt.10:2–4 ) and then the Seventy ( Lk.10:1 ). He trained them to be the leaders of His Church. After Pentecost, the Apostles preached the Gospel of Christ far and wide. We do not know exactly where all the Apostles traveled, but we know a good deal about the missionary journeys of Saint Paul, which are recorded in the Book of Acts (chs:13–28). In his extensive travels Saint Paul founded many churches in Asia Minor and Greece. All the Twelve Apostles (including Saint Matthias, who took Judas’s place – Acts.1:15–26) except Saint John, as well as many of the Seventy, died as martyrs for their faith in Christ. The Gospels and Epistles, and all of the 27 writings which the Church eventually selected to be the New Testament Scriptures, were written in the first century. Also in this time, Christian communities were established in the main cities of Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, and Egypt, and even as far as Armenia and India. Because the Church in Antioch was growing so much, Saints Paul and Barnabas went there to preach and teach. It was there that the followers of Christ were first called Christians (Acts.11:19–30). Also, this Church sent forth Saints Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts.13:1). Antioch probably surpassed Jerusalem as the leading Christian center by the time the Christians fled from Jerusalem shortly before the outbreak of the Jewish Revolt against the Romans in 66 A.D. |
| Tweet Нравится St. Basil the Great Celebrated January 1st (January 14th) Very few of us realize that the beginning of the Church calendar does not start on January 1st. Actually, our Church calendar begins on September 1st. In our daily living, however, with our friends and neighbors and our society, our year begins on January 1st. This is a very important date in our Church since it marks the Feast Day of one of our greatest saints, St. Basil the Great. St. Basil was born in the year 330 AD in the city of Caesarea, Asia Minor. He was one of six children who all became saints in our Church. His brothers and sister became priests, bishops, and nuns. His parents were very devoted to the faith and gave their children a great spiritual heritage which they cultivated in their lifetime. The family of St. Basil was the greatest Christian family of the 4th century. St. Basil studied in Constantinople and Athens. He studied with his best friend, St. Gregory, in the cultural centers of the world. St. Basil was one of the greatest writers and speakers of the Christian Church. Although his fame was spread over the entire Christian world of his day, he returned to his own home town and was ordained Bishop of Caesarea on June 14, 370 AD. St. Basil was an authority on the monastic life. He formulated the rules and regulations for the monks of his day, and these rules still prevail in most of the Christian monasteries of the world. St. Basil prepared the Divine Liturgy which we love and know so well. Although the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is used 42 Sundays a year in our Church, it is based on the slightly longer Divine Liturgy of St. Basil. St. John merely shortened the lengthy prayers and made minor alterations in other prayers. The Liturgy of St. Basil is celebrated ten times each year: during the Lenten period, Christmas Eve, and on January 1st, the anniversary of his death. St. Basil was indeed one of the greatest pillars of the Church. He loved children and always assisted the sick and the homeless. He was the first bishop to establish orphanages and hospitals and old age homes. He first directed the attention of the Church to these unfortunate victims of society. |
| Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna Commemorated on February 23 Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, who was “fruitful in every good work” (Col. 1:10), was born in the first century, and lived in Smyrna in Asia Minor. He was orphaned at an early age, but at the direction of an angel, he was raised by the pious widow Kallista. After the death of his adoptive mother, Polycarp gave away his possessions and began to lead a chaste life, caring for the sick and the infirm. He was very fond of and close to Saint Bucolus, Bishop of Smyrna (February 6). He ordained Polycarp as deacon, entrusting to him to preach the Word of God in church. He also ordained him to the holy priesthood. The holy Apostle John the Theologian was still alive at this time. Saint Polycarp was especially close to Saint John, and sometimes accompanied him on his apostolic journeys. Shortly before his death, Saint Bucolus expressed his wish that Polycarp be made Bishop of Smyrna. When Saint Polycarp was consecrated as a bishop, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him. Saint Polycarp guided his flock with apostolic zeal, and he was also greatly loved by the clergy. Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer of Antioch (December 20) also had a high regard for him. Setting out for Rome where execution awaited him, he wrote to Saint Polycarp, “This age is in need of you if it is to reach God, just as pilots need winds, and as a storm-tossed sailor needs a port.” The emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180) came to the Roman throne and started up a most fierce persecution against Christians. The pagans demanded that the judge search for Saint Polycarp, “the father of all the Christians” and “the seducer of all Asia.” During this time Saint Polycarp, at the persistent urging of his flock, stayed in a small village not far from Smyrna. When the soldiers came for him, he went out to them and invited them in to eat. He asked for time to pray, in order to prepare himself for martyrdom. His suffering and death are recorded in the “Epistle of the Christians of the Church of Smyrna to the Other Churches,” one of the most ancient memorials of Christian literature. |
| Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called Commemorated on November 30/December 13 The Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called was the first of the Apostles to follow Christ, and he later brought his own brother, the holy Apostle Peter, to Christ (John 1:35-42). The future apostle was from Bethsaida, and from his youth he turned with all his soul to God. He did not enter into marriage, and he worked with his brother as a fisherman. When the holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John began to preach, Saint Andrew became his closest disciple. Saint John the Baptist himself sent to Christ his own two disciples, the future Apostles Andrew and John the Theologian, declaring Christ to be the Lamb of God. After the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, Saint Andrew went to the Eastern lands preaching the Word of God. He went through Asia Minor, Thrace, Macedonia, he reached the River Danube, went along the coast of the Black Sea, through Crimea, the Black Sea region and along the River Dniepr he climbed to the place where the city of Kiev now stands. He stopped overnight on the hills of Kiev. Rising in the morning, he said to those disciples that were with him: “See these hills? Upon these hills shall shine forth the beneficence of God, and there will be a great city here, and God shall raise up many churches.” The apostle went up around the hills, blessed them and set up a cross. Having prayed, he went up even further along the Dniepr and reached a settlement of the Slavs, where Novgorod was built. From here the apostle went through the land of the Varangians towards Rome for preaching, and again he returned to Thrace, where in the small village of Byzantium, the future Constantinople, he founded the Church of Christ. The name of the holy Apostle Andrew links the mother, the Church of Constantinople, with her daughter, the Russian Church. On his journeys the First-Called Apostle endured many sufferings and torments from pagans: they cast him out of their cities and they beat him. In Sinope they pelted him with stones, but remaining unharmed, the persistant disciple of Christ continued to preach to people about the Savior. Through the prayers of the Apostle, the Lord worked miracles. By the labors of the holy Apostle Andrew, Christian Churches were established, for which he provided bishops and clergy. The final city to which the Apostle came was the city of Patra, where he was destined to suffer martyrdom. |
| Apostle and Evangelist Mark Commemorated on April 25/May 8 The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark, also known as John Mark (Acts 12:12), was one of the Seventy Apostles, and was also a nephew of Saint Barnabas (June 11). He was born at Jerusalem. The house of his mother Mary adjoined the Garden of Gethsemane. As Church Tradition relates, on the night that Christ was betrayed he followed after Him, wrapped only in a linen cloth. He was seized by soldiers, and fled away naked, leaving the cloth behind (Mark 14:51-52). After the Ascension of the Lord, the house of his mother Mary became a place where Christians gathered, and a place of lodging for some of the Apostles (Acts 12:12). Saint Mark was a very close companion of the Apostles Peter and Paul (June 29) and Barnabas. Saint Mark was at Seleucia with Paul and Barnabas, and from there he set off to the island of Cyprus, and he traversed the whole of it from east to west. In the city of Paphos, Saint Mark witnessed the blinding of the sorcerer Elymas by Saint Paul (Acts 13:6-12). After working with the Apostle Paul, Saint Mark returned to Jerusalem, and then went to Rome with the Apostle Peter. From there, he set out for Egypt, where he established a local Church. Saint Mark met Saint Paul in Antioch. From there he went with Saint Barnabas to Cyprus, and then he went to Egypt again, where he and Saint Peter founded many churches. Then he went to Babylon. From this city the Apostle Peter sent an Epistle to the Christians of Asia Minor, in which he calls Saint Mark his son (1 Pet 5:13). When the Apostle Paul came to Rome in chains, Saint Mark was at Ephesus, where Saint Timothy (January 4) was bishop. Saint Mark went with him to Rome. There he also wrote his holy Gospel (ca. 62-63). From Rome Saint Mark traveled to Egypt. In Alexandria he started a Christian school, which later produced such famous Fathers and teachers of the Church as Clement of Alexandria, Saint Dionysius of Alexandria (October 5), Saint Gregory Thaumatourgos (November 5), and others. Zealous for Church services, Saint Mark composed a Liturgy for the Christians of Alexandria. |
| Apostle Jason of the Seventy and those with him Commemorated on April 28/May 11 The Apostle Jason was from Tarsus (Asia Minor). He was the first Christian in the city. The Apostle Sosipater was a native of Patra, Achaia. He is thought to be the same Sosipater mentioned in Acts 20:4. They both became disciples of Saint Paul, who even called them his kinsmen (Rom 16:21). Saint John Chrysostom (Homily 32 on Romans) says that this is the same Jason who is mentioned in Acts 17:5-9. Saint Jason was made bishop in his native city of Tarsus, and Saint Sosipater in Iconium. They traveled west preaching the Gospel, and in 63 they reached the island of Kerkyra [Korfu] in the Ionian Sea near Greece. There they built a church in the name of the Protomartyr Stephen and they baptized many. The governor of the island learned of this and locked them up in prison, where they met seven thieves: Saturninus, Iakischolus, Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius and Mammius. The Apostles converted them to Christ. For their confession of Christ, the seven prisoners died as martyrs in a cauldron of molten tar, wax and sulfur. The prison guard, after witnessing their martyrdom, declared himself a Christian. For this they cut off his left hand, then both feet and finally his head. The governor ordered the Apostles Jason and Sosipater to be whipped and again locked up in prison. When the daughter of the governor of Kerkyra (Korfu), the maiden Kerkyra, learned how Christians were suffering for Christ, she declared herself a Christian and gave away all her finery to the poor. The infuriated governor attempted to persuade his daughter to deny Christ, but Saint Kerkyra stood firm against both persuasion and threats. Then the enraged father devised a terrible punishment for his daughter: he gave orders that she be placed in a prison cell with the robber and murderer Murinus, so that he might defile the betrothed of Christ But when the robber approached the door of the prison cell, a bear attacked him. Saint Kerkyra heard the noise and she drove off the beast in the name of Christ. Then, by her prayers, she healed the wounds of Murinus. Then Saint Kerkyra enlightened him with the faith of Christ, and Saint Murinus declared himself a Christian and was executed. |
| Apostles Peter and Paul, Pillars of the Faith In AD 258, the Christian Church established a feast honoring Saints Peter and Paul as the two leading saints of apostolic times. In recognition of their tremendous contributions in the spreading of the Gospel and in the growth of the early Church, the Church named them Chief and first among the Apostles, and celebrated their feastday on June 29th/July 12th. Peter and Paul became Apostles in different ways. Peter was chosen by Christ and was with Him throughout His earthly ministry. Paul, who was a Pharisee and an outright persecutor of Christians, converted to Christianity by revelation on the road to Damascus. This happened in the early days of the Church shortly after Saint Stephen was stoned to death, to which Paul approved and was a witness. Both apostles were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit: Peter, at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles in the form of fiery tongues, and Paul, by the laying on of hands by those already recognized as possessing the Holy Spirit. When St. Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, 3,000 people became Christians through baptism. Peter then continued his missionary activities in Asia Minor, Palestine, Italy and Illyria. A pillar of the Faith, he healed the sick and even raised the dead. Paul preached everywhere he went, founded numerous Christian communities, performed miracles and suffered greatly for the Faith. While not one of the Twelve Apostles, Paul, became the greatest of the Apostles in zeal and sacrifice for the Gospel. Paul became the most outstanding missionary for Christianity. Interestingly, the two giants of the early Church were unlike one another in many ways. Peter was a fisherman, Paul was a scholar. Peter was married, while Paul was single. Peter was a simple, impulsive person. Paul was a thinker, a philosopher of great erudition. Yet they had one thing in common: they were one in their love and devotion to Jesus Christ in their missionary zeal to propagate the Christian faith. And both died for their faith – Peter being crucified head downward and Paul beheaded on June 29th, in the year AD 67 during the persecution of the Roman Emperor Nero. |
| A reflection on the life of St. Theodore Stratelates, in honor of the patron of the newly baptized servant of God Theodore. On the last Sunday of Pascha, we were blessed to witness the Baptism, Chrismation, and First Communion with little Theodore, our newest warrior for Christ. It is a long standing and beautiful tradition to name our children after the heroes and heroines of our faith, as a reminder to them (and us) of the true heroism that is needed in order to conquer the devil. I believe that this is the first time since I have been here, that someone has chosen the name of Theodore, after St. Theodore Stratelates…a wonderful warrior saint who is the patron and protector of all those who are members of the armed forces. There is a wonderful quote from St. Herman of Alaska, who once said: “ A Christian is a true warrior…fighting his way through the regiments of the unseen enemy, towards a heavenly homeland.” This is not only a very striking picture of our own spiritual lives, but it is also a very good description of the life of St. Theodore. He was a very well-liked Orthodox Christian in the 2ndcentury, which if you know your Church history, was a time where being Orthodox was illegal! It was dangerous to even mention the name of Christ in Public! But Theodore was a man of great courage, and it was that courage that helped make him famous, and further his career as a military commander. In his hometown of Asia Minor, there were rumors going around town of a giant serpent who had been terrorizing the locals. It had killed several livestock and had even taken the life of some of the townspeople. In a very public display of courage, St. Theodore took up his sword, and began to hunt for the serpent. When he finally found it, while publicly glorifying Christ, he successfully rid the town of the threat! After Theodore was named a military commander, he continued to preach Christ and convert others to Holy Orthodoxy, just by the way that he lived his life. Hundreds of prominent pagans in the city of Heraclea began to convert, and this of course upset the emperor Licinius, who was doing his best to stamp out this new faith of Christianity. In an effort to rectify the situation, the emperor ordered that Theodore go into the local pagan temple and offer a sacrifice to the gods. But once again, showing his courage, Theodore instead went and smashed all of the gold and silver idols in the temple, and secretly distributed them to the poor. He was eventually arrested and sentenced to be tortured and executed. |
| Bishop Roman: “Manure for the Lord’s Heaven …” From childhood he prepared himself for it, waited three years, and then ... experienced a severe shock. He crawled down the aisle in a dark, candlelit church, wearing a white, ankle-length, shirt that was wet with tears. He crawled - under a different name - to a new life. The future Bishop ROMAN of Yakutsk and Lenskiy became a monk. On March 20, 1992, he was committed to his monastic vows in the temple at Stavropol Seminary. I asked Vladika to remember about the event that took place 20 years ago and talk about monasticism, but I began with a funny question. Stopped time – Your Grace, my friend recently asked, “Why can’t monks marry?” I laughed, “Why must ballerinas use the ballet bar?” Seriously, how would you answer? – There is earthly service, which requires a special concentration of all human forces —spiritual and physical. People of different professions have to give up familiar and seemingly natural things and limit themselves in some ways. The same ballerina doesn’t eat whatever she wants and must count calories, otherwise she would not be able to dance. Although she would like to! Also, there are even more restrictions for the special service performed by priests, nuns, and archpriests. Monks liberate the soul by taking the burden of ascetics upon themselves, and all free time, all strength, without reserve, is given to the calling and cause to which they devote themselves. Not accidentally, monasticism, as a phenomenon, experienced its first upsurge and was flourishing in the IV century. Then, when persecution of the Church ended, belonging to Christianity became a privilege. At the same time, there was a cooling of the spiritual life and a lack of spiritual discipline. Therefore, those guarding the purity of the Gospel began to give up domestic well-being and, among other things, self-concern, to go into the wilderness. Monastic communities and whole monastic cities began to appear in Palestine and Asia Minor. The desire to live by the Gospel and to live for God and for people, giving one’s self without reserve, moved and moves Christians to be monks. |
| Briefing held at DECR on bringing the relics of St. Nicholas to the Russian Orthodox Church Source: DECR For the first time in the 930 years of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker’s relics being kept in Bari, they will leave for a time this Italian city to stay in the Russian Orthodox Church from May 21 to July 28, 2017. An agreement on this unprecedented action was reached during the historic meeting between Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Pope Francis of Rome on February 12, 2016. This was reported to journalists by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations (DECR), during a briefing held at the DECR grand hall on April 28, 2017. ‘One of the themes discussed at the meeting held on February 12, 2016, at the airport of Havana, concerned an opportunity for bringing the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker to the Russian Orthodox Church for veneration’, Metropolitan Hilarion said, ‘And an agreement was reached on that occasion. During the last year, consultations have been held with the Archdiocese of Bari about bringing a considerable part of the relics to the Russian Church’. Since this shrine was brought to Bari in 1087, it has never left the city, Metropolitan Hilarion said. ‘The relics are kept under a bushel, that is, they are embedded underground. Nevertheless, especially for thus event, a part of the relics has been extracted and will be brought to Moscow on the eve of the Day of St. Nicholas on May 21. The celebration itself, devoted to the translation of the relics of St. Nicholas of Myra in Lycia to Bari, is observed by the Russian Church on May 22. It is one of the most venerated feasts of our Church’, His Eminence said. He also recalled the history of the brining to Bari of the relics of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia in Asia Minor. It was in this city, now located in the territory of today’s Turkey and called Demre that the relics were kept after the saint’s demise. |
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