| I repent all my sins and appeal for forgiveness. (Have not you made any other sin, which burdens the conscience and is shameful to be mentioned?). Moreover, I repent and ask for forgiveness of the sins that I did not confess because of my forgetfulness. Pardon and absolve me, reverent father, and bless to partake the Holy and Life-giving Christ Gifts, for the remission of sins and for eternal life. Amen.” The good means for help to the penitent is reading of the spiritual literature, like: “The Philocalia,” “The Ladder,” Abba Doropheus, “The Paterics” and other monuments of the ascetic writings. However, much of this must be recommended with precaution, since it is “to much hard food” for the novices, the people, who never lived the church life. Therefore a pastor must be very reasonable not to repel yet weak people with too severe requirements, given in the mentioned books. In the cloister custom “The Ladder” and “The Philocalia” are not given to any young monk, since they contain thoughts and requirements too strict for the unstable man. Such increased level can cause a feeling of hopelessness, immoderate severity, mercilessness, etc. in a young person, and it easily leads to loosing interest to this type of literature. Therefore it is very good to begin from the works of bishop Theophan the Recluse, St. Tikhon of Zadon, from the letters of Ambrose of Optina Hermitage. It is possible to advise to read St. Ignatius Bryanchaninov or Archbishop Plato of Costroma, or “The questions for the Repentant” of the exarches of Georgia Iona. These books are to a considerable degree useful for a confessor himself, since they teach him, on what he should be focused specially, while preparing for the accomplishment of the sacrament of confession. The only external deficiency of all these books can be the old-fashioned language and manner of writing. But this can be overcome, since the internal value of these works greatly exceeds this secondary drawback. Speaking about the similar kind of books we finally focus attention on the remarkable “Confession” of Metr. Anthony Krapovitsky, which presents this question to a degree, equally interesting for both the confessor and the repentant. It introduces the number of questions on the asceticism and explains by simple, literary and very lively language that, what any orthodox person should know about the preparation for confession (Published in Warsaw in 1928). |
| In the Old Testament books, several hundred prophecies about the Messiah and His blessed Kingdom can be found. They are scattered throughout almost all the books of the Old Testament, beginning with the Five Books of Moses and ending with the last prophets Zachariah and Malachi. The Prophet Moses, King David, the Prophets Isaiah, Daniel and Zachariah wrote the most about the Messiah. We will mention only the most important prophecies, and along the way will stress those main thoughts which are touched upon by them. Setting these prophecies, for the most part, in chronological order, we shall see how they gradually revealed to the Jews newer and newer facts about the coming Messiah: about His God-person nature, about His character and course of action, about many details of His life. Sometimes, the messianic prophecies consisted of symbols and allegories. We will discuss these during the examination of the prophecies. Often the prophets in their prophetic visions compound events that may be separated one from the other by many eras and even millennia into one picture. Those reading the prophets’ writings must become used to seeing these events in such a multi-era perspective, in which the beginning, middle and end of a long and complex spiritual process are shown simultaneously. The word “messiah” (meshiah) – is from the Hebrew and means “anointed,” i.e. anointed by the Holy Spirit. In the Greek translation it is written “Christos.” In ancient times, the anointed were called kings, prophets and High Priests, because during their ordination to these positions holy oil was poured on their heads, as the symbol of the grace of the Holy Spirit, which they received in order to successfully execute the responsibility placed on them. In the capacity of a proper name, the prophets always related the word “Messiah” to the certain Anointed of God, the Savior of the world. We will use the name Messiah, Christ and Savior alternately, having in view One and the same Being. The Prophecies in the Books of Moses |
| Justin (Popovich), Archimandrite, The Orthodox Philosophy of Truth: The Dogmatics of the Orthodox Church, vol. 3, Belgrade, 1978. “AFTER-DEATH” BOOKS; WRITINGS ON OCCULTISM AND SPIRITISM Apuleius, The Golden Ass, tr. by Robert Graves, Farrar, Straus and Young, New York, 1951. Barrett, Sir William, Death-Bed Visions, Methuen, London, 1926. Blackmore, Simon A., S.J., Spiritism: Facts and Frauds, Benziger Brothers, New York, 1924. Budge, E. A. Wallis, tr., The (Egyptian) Book of the Dead, Bell Publishing Co., New York, 1960. Crookall, Robert, Out-of-the-Body Experiences, The Citadel Press, Secaucus, N.J., 1970. Eliade, M., Shamanism, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1961. Evans-Wentz, W.Y., ed., The Tibetan Book of the Dead, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1960. Fiore, Charles and Landsburg, Alan, Death Encounters, Bantam Books, New York, 1979. Ford, Arthur, The Life Beyond Death, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1971. Fortune, Dion, Through the Gates of Death, Samuel Weiser Inc., New York, 1977. Green, Celia, Out-of-the-Body Experiences, Ballantine Books, New York, 1975. Greenhous, Herbert B., The Astral Journey, Avon Books, New York, 1976. Grof, Stanislav and Halifax, Joan, The Human Encounter with Death, E. P. Dutton, New York, 1977. Hill, J. Arthur, Spiritualism, Its History, Phenomena, and Doctrine, George H. Doran Co., New York, 1919. Holzer, Hans, Beyond This Life, Pinnacle Books, Los Angeles, 1977. Hynek, J. Allen and Vallee, Jacques, The Edge of Reality, Henry Regnery Co., Chicago, 1975. Jung, C. G., The Interpretation of Nature and the Psyche, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1955. Kubler-Ross, Elizabeth, “Death Does not Exist,” in The Co-Evolution Quarterly, Summer, 1977. – On Death and Dying, Macmillan Publishing Co., New York, 1969. – Articles on: Kemf, Elizabeth, in East-West Journal, March, 1978. Kronisch, Lennie, in Yoga Journal, September-October, 1976. Laughingbird, Gaea, in Berkeley Monthly, June, 1978. Pearre, James, in the San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle, Nov. 14, 1976. |
| 18 Lockyer, Herbert. The Gospel of the Life Beyond. Worthing: H. E. Walter, 1967. 19 Maltz, Carl Mrs. The Texas Herald. Austin, Septra 1977 20 Matson, Arohie. Afterlife: Reports from the Threshold of Death. New York: Harper and Row, 1975. 21 Monroe, Robert A. Journeys Out the Body. New York: Doubleday, 1973 22 Moody, Raymond. Life After Life. London: Corgi Books, 1977. 23 Moody, Raymond. Rcflectiorcs on Life After Life. San Francisco: Cameron and Co., Inc., 1977. 24 Myers, John. Voice from the Edgo of Eternity. Old Tappan, N.J.: Revell, 1976. 25 Myers F. W. H. Human Personality and Its Survival of Bodily Death. New Hyde Park, N.J. University Books, 1961. 26 Nietzke, Ann. «The Miracle of Kubler-Ross». Human Behavior. September 1977. 27 Noyes, Russel and Roy Kletti. «Depersanalisation in the Face of Life Threaning Danger: A Description». Psychiatry. Feb. 1976. 28 O’ Roark, M. A. «I’ve Never Again Been Afraid of Deatch». Mac Call’s August 1977 29 Osis, Karlis and Erlendur Haraldsson. „Deathbed Observations by Physicians and Nurses: A Cross — Cultural Survey». The Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research. July 1977. 30 Osis, Karlis and Erlendur Haraldsson. At the Hour of Death. New York: Avon Books, 1977. 31 Panati, Charles. „Is There Life After Death?» Family Circle. Nov., 1976. 32 Pollock.J. С «Moody». New York: MacMillan Co., 1963. 33 Rawlings, M. S. «Acute Myocardial Infarction». Current Therapy, Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co., 1976. 34 Raynes, S. H. «Post Humous Experience». St. Louis Medical and Surgical Juornal. Nov. 1889. 35 Read, Hadley. «Conversations with a Dying Son». Farm Journal. Mid — February 1976. 36 Ritchie, Georgy G. Return From Tomorrow, Waco, Texas: Chosen Books, 1978. 37 Rogo, D. Scott. Man Does Survive Death: The Welcoming Silence. Secaucus N.J.: The Citadel Press, 1977. 38 Ryrie, Charles С. «То be Absent From the Body». Kindred Spirit. Summer 1977. 39 Sabom, M.B. and S. Kreutziger. «Near Death Experiences». The Journal of the Florida Medical Association. Sept. 1977. |
| THE RECEIVED TEXT Although there is no clear conciliar statement on this topic, the Septuagint (LXX) remains the quasi-official form of the Old Testament for Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The popularity of this Greek text comes from its use by the New Testament writers and the Greek fathers. Accordingly, the Eastern Orthodox Church tends to rely on the Septuagint for its Old Testament teachings, and still uses it, at least in its Greek- language services. In recent times the wealth of Qumran findings and modern studies on the Dead Sea Scrolls has suggested the volatility of issues concerning the textual transmission of scripture in both Hebrew and Greek. Given this ethos of scholarly discovery, modern biblical scholars within the Eastern Orthodox tradition are now having to take a closer look at the long- neglected Hebrew text in conjunction with their traditional approach to the Greek LXX. Since the Eastern Orthodox tradition relies on the concept of the phronema or “mind” of the fathers in establishing a sense of interpretation of texts, rather than appealing to a fossilized patristic corpus of authorities (see Stylianopoulos 2006), it follows that Orthodox biblical scholars in this generation also have the noble duty of redeeming those Semitic nuances that may have been missed by those fathers who worked exclusively with the Greek text (see Pentiuc 2005). CANON According to the Roman Catholic Church following the Council of Trent (1545–6), the Old Testament contains forty-six canonical books (thirty-nine of the Jewish Bible and the seven “deuterocanonicals” of the Septuagint). Protestants, today, accept the same thirty-nine canonical books as the Jews. While accepting all thirty-nine books of the Jewish canon, the Orthodox have a peculiar view in relation to the Septuagin- tal additions. These are not considered “canonical” or “deuterocanonical” – to use the Roman Catholic terminology – but neither are they listed as “apocrypha” according to the Protestant terminology. On the contrary, since the time of St. Athanasius’ 39th Festal Letter (367) they have been designated as the Anaginoskomena, the books that are “readable” (for the purposes of piety). This intricate and more relaxed view on canonicity aligns Eastern Orthodoxy closely with the position of prerabbinic Judaism, while it also recalls the situation of the historical era when the emerging church first used these Septuagin- tal additions as important proof-text material for their preaching of the Messiahship of Jesus. |
| Скачать epub pdf The City of God (Book VI) Hitherto the argument has been conducted against those who believe that the gods are to be worshipped for the sake of temporal advantages, now it is directed against those who believe that they are to be worshipped for the sake of eternal life. Augustine devotes the five following books to the confutation of this latter belief, and first of all shows how mean an opinion of the gods was held by Varro himself, the most esteemed writer on heathen theology. Of this theology Augustine adopts Varro " s division into three kinds, mythical, natural, and civil; and at once demonstrates that neither the mythical nor the civil can contribute anything to the happiness of the future life. Preface. In the five former books, I think I have sufficiently disputed against those who believe that the many false gods, which the Christian truth shows to be useless images, or unclean spirits and pernicious demons, or certainly creatures, not the Creator, are to be worshipped for the advantage of this mortal life, and of terrestrial affairs, with that rite and service which the Greeks call λατρεα, and which is due to the one true God. And who does not know that, in the face of excessive stupidity and obstinacy, neither these five nor any other number of books whatsoever could be enough, when it is esteemed the glory of vanity to yield to no amount of strength on the side of truth – certainly to his destruction over whom so heinous a vice tyrannizes? For, notwithstanding all the assiduity of the physician who attempts to effect a cure, the disease remains unconquered, not through any fault of his, but because of the incurableness of the sick man. But those who thoroughly weigh the things which they read, having understood and considered them, without any, or with no great and excessive degree of that obstinacy which belongs to a long-cherished error, will more readily judge that, in the five books already finished, we have done more than the necessity of the question demanded, than that we have given it less discussion than it required. And they cannot have doubted but that all the hatred which the ignorant attempt to bring upon the Christian religion on account of the disasters of this life, and the destruction and change which befall terrestrial things, while the learned do not merely dissimulate, but encourage that hatred, contrary to their own consciences, being possessed by a mad impiety – they cannot have doubted, I say, but that this hatred is devoid of right reflection and reason, and full of most light temerity, and most pernicious animosity. Chapter 1.– Of Those Who Maintain that They Worship the Gods Not for the Sake of Temporal But Eternal Advantages. |
| Does one need any “special conditions” in order to read Holy Scripture and the Holy Fathers? Many people today read while taking public transport, since this is their only “free time.” Once one gets home after work and has taken care of all one’s household chores, it seems impossible to absorb anything serious… There is the practice, recommended by quite a few people with spiritual experience, of beginning one’s day with the reading of Holy Scripture – if only a few chapters of the Gospels. One should literally feed one’s soul with them, so that the Gospels might guide one in all the situations of life. Besides which, people do indeed feel tired in the evening – literally overloaded. The classical European tradition included reading the Bible as a family in the evening – which, incidentally, found expression in both literature and painting. Alas, this tradition belonged to other times, when life was more balanced. Their daily labor may have been physically difficult then, but their heads still remained in relative peace – unlike in today’s “information society,” when we hardly know who or where we are by the time we get home. In my opinion, therefore, it is best to read Holy Scripture at home in the morning. Sometimes people taking public transport read serious books. This depends more on whether someone is good at attentive reading. If one is, then one can read on the go – this is certainly better than just looking around. Spiritual literature: the word about God Which books, in your opinion, should every Christian read? One should certainly read Abba Dorotheos, the Russian ascetic strugglers Sts. Theophan the Recluse and Ignatius (Brianchaninov), and then The Philokalia . Properly speaking, The Philokalia is an anthology of patristic texts. I think it is impossible to tear oneself away from the first four volumes of The Philokalia . In St. Theophan the Recluse’s Russian translation, The Philokalia is suitable reading for all Christians, since St. Theophan attempted to adapt even the most difficult monastic and hesychastic texts for use by average people. Therefore, notwithstanding the misconception that The Philokalia is only for monks, it can and should be read by everyone. When becoming acquainted with spiritual literature one should start, as with regular literature, with the classics: first read the fundamental, essential works of the Holy Fathers, and only later read books by modern authors. There are, for instance, some very good books by Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain that have entered our life fairly recently. |
| Melito of Asia, bishop of Sardis, addressed a book to the emperor Marcus Antoninus Verus, a disciple of Fronto the orator, in behalf of the Christian doctrine. He wrote other things also, among which are the following: On the passover, two books, one book On the lives of the prophets, one book On the church, one book On the Lord " s day, one book On faith, one book On the psalms (?) one On the senses, one On the soul and body, one On baptism, one On truth, one On the generation of Christ, On His prophecy one On hospitality and another which is called the Key– one On the devil, one On the Apocalypse of John, one On the corporeality of God, and six books of Eclogues. Of his fine oratorical genius, Tertullian, in the seven books which he wrote against the church on behalf of Montanus, satirically says that he was considered a prophet by many of us. 25. Theophilus of Antioch Theophilus, sixth bishop of the church of Antioch, in the reign of the emperor Marcus Antoninus Verus composed a book Against Marcion, which is still extant, also three volumes To Autolycus and one Against the heresy of Hermogenes and other short and elegant treatises, well fitted for the edification of the church. I have read, under his name, commentaries On the Gospel and On the proverbs of Solomon which do not appear to me to correspond in style and language with the elegance and expressiveness of the above works. 26. Apollinaris Claudius Apollinaris, bishop of Hierapolis in Asia, flourished in the reign of Marcus Antoninus Verus, to whom he addressed a notable volume in behalf of the faith of the Christians. There are extant also five other books of his Against the Nations, two On truth and Against the Cataphrygians written at the time when Montanus was making a beginning with Prisca and Maximilla. 27. Dionysius of Corinth Dionysius, bishop of the church of Corinth, was of so great eloquence and industry that he taught not only the people of his own city and province but also those of other provinces and cities by his letters. Of these one is To the Lacedæmonians, another To the Athenians, a third To the Nicomedians, a fourth To the Cretans, a fifth To the church at Amastrina and to the other churches of Pontus, a sixth To the Gnosians and to Pinytus bishop of the same city, a seventh To the Romans, addressed to Soter their bishop, an eighth To Chrysophora a holy woman. He flourished in the reign of Marcus Antoninus Verus and Lucius Aurelius Commodus. 28. Pinytus |
| Proud words. How much of the professor’s pride and scorn in these words is felt towards this «plebeian» activity of «baptizing and bringing Good News,» which we, together with all the Apostles and holy bishops revere as the highest, single task in the universe, which all these proud «aristocratic heights of the theological bloom» can only serve as secondary or tertiary subsidiaries. And if they stop being such subsidiaries, but reach for an independent role that doesn’t belong to them, or turn onto the crooked paths of corporal wisdom, then the Divine hand mercilessly overthrows them: sometimes mercifully earlier than the indicated disgrace touches them, as it happened to Russian academic science, sometimes permitting them to agree to Herculean columns of unbelief and insanity, as it happened with the Protestant, for example, the Tubingen German so-called theological science. What are these «conclusions of Biblical criticism,» the lack of assimilation of which in Orthodox theological science grieves Prof. Kartashev? They are many. In the above-mentioned book, they are mentioned in brief. First of all, it turns out that the whole slew of books in the Old Testament is «pseudo-epigraphic,» i.e. these books do not belong to the authors to which they were assigned. But Prof. Kartashev hastens to qualify that «the faith-teaching authority of the holy books does not depend on definite authorship.» This thought is correct. The Church already gives authority to a holy book by including it in Its canon, by authorizing it, i.e. the given holy book is recognized as a book of the Church. That is why, for example, the authority of corresponding books does not lessen because their author was King Solomon, who from the «the lover of wisdom» turned into «the lover of loose women.» But this means, that the Church authorizes the given holy book completely. And for any unbiased believing person, not blinded by the proud presentation about the cultural superiority of his generation over the rest, the two thousand-year long testimony of the Church about this or that authorship, of this or that holy book, is more convincing, both because of the infallibility of its moral authority and as well as rational considerations, than the kaleidoscopically changing opinions on this question of various «scientific» authorities. |
| This kind of divination, says Varro, was introduced from the Persians, and was used by Numa himself, and at an after time by the philosopher Pythagoras. In this divination, he says, they also inquire at the inhabitants of the nether world, and make use of blood; and this the Greeks call νεκρομαντεαν . But whether it be called necromancy or hydromancy it is the same thing, for in either case the dead are supposed to foretell future things. But by what artifices these things are done, let themselves consider; for I am unwilling to say that these artifices were wont to be prohibited by the laws, and to be very severely punished even in the Gentile states, before the advent of our Saviour. I am unwilling, I say, to affirm this, for perhaps even such things were then allowed. However, it was by these arts that Pompilius learned those sacred rites which he gave forth as facts, while he concealed their causes; for even he himself was afraid of that which he had learned. The senate also caused the books in which those causes were recorded to be burned. What is it, then, to me, that Varro attempts to adduce all sorts of fanciful physical interpretations, which if these books had contained, they would certainly not have been burned? For otherwise the conscript fathers would also have burned those books which Varro published and dedicated to the high priest Cæsar. Now Numa is said to have married the nymph Egeria, because (as Varro explains it in the forementioned book) he carried forth water wherewith to perform his hydromancy. Thus facts are wont to be converted into fables through false colorings. It was by that hydromancy, then, that that over-curious Roman king learned both the sacred rites which were to be written in the books of the priests, and also the causes of those rites – which latter, however, he was unwilling that any one besides himself should know. Wherefore he made these causes, as it were, to die along with himself, taking care to have them written by themselves, and removed from the knowledge of men by being buried in the earth. |
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