| 1. The Early Chapters of the Capita 150 A. Introduction Gregory Palamas gave to the Capita 150 the full title: «One Hundred and Fifty Chapters on Topics of Natural and Theological Science, the Moral and the Ascetic Life, Intended as a Purge for the Barlaamite Corruption.» The title purports to provide two pieces of information regarding the content of the work. First, the work is divided topically according to the subjects of natural science, theology, the moral and the ascetic life. Second, it is, at least in part, a polemical work written against the Barlaamite heresy. In several manuscripts there is a note attached to chapter 34 telling the reader that the section on natural science has come to an end and that the following section will treat matters relating to theology. 9 However, there are no further such notes to signal the subsequent divisions treating the moral and ascetic life, nor does any note indicate a special group of chapters dedicated to a refutation of Barlaam " s heresy. The modern reader who comes to this work hoping to learn more about the nature of Barlaam " s heretical views and their refutation by Palamas will be disappointed. Barlaam’s name does not appear until more than one third of the way through the work. Both there and thereafter it appears only in conjunction with the name of Akindynos. 10 In fact, chapters 64–150 are directed almost exclusively against the " Barlaamite» teachings of Gregory Akindynos and his followers. The Capita 150 can be divided into two major sections: chapters 1–63, a general section which treats the divine economy of creation and salvation, and chapters 64–150 which constitute the anti-Akindynist section. The following schema presents an overview of the first section and its major divisions. The Divine Economy of Creation and Salvation I. The Non-Eternity of the Cosmos (1–2) That the world had a beginning. That the world will have an end: not a total annihilation but a transformation. II. The Celestial Sphere (3–7) |
| Over 60% of Russians Identify as Orthodox. 1 out of Every 6 is Atheist – Poll Photo: newizv.ru Two-thirds of Russian citizens (63%) identify as Orthodox, according to a poll done by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) obtained by Interfax on Wednesday. According to the sociological poll, an overwhelming majority of Orthodox Christians (86%) have been baptized and two-thirds of them (66%) were baptized because their parents or relatives had decided so. The study shows that 34% of the respondents believe people should decide whether they want to be baptized at an adult age. The percentage of the respondents who said that is the highest among young people aged between 18 and 24 (59%). According to the VCIOM, five percent of the respondents identify as Muslims, one percent identify as Catholic, one percent identify as protestant, six percent of the respondents say they believe, but do not belong to any of the confessions. The poll shows that six percent of the respondents are undecided whether they believe in God or are atheists. The poll shows that 15% of the respondents identify as atheists. The percentage of atheists among young people aged between 18 and 24 is 37%. “Analyzing the results of the study, one should seriously think about the increasing tendency towards the formation of a faith crisis in general and Orthodoxy in particular. Generation Z, which is also called the first fully digital generation, declares a considerable increase in the percentage of non-believers and an almost three times decrease in the percentage of Orthodox Christians,” said Kirill Rodin, VCIOM director for work with bodies of state authority, reported the VCIOM press service. “The new generation has many differences from its predecessors, but there is no doubt that one of the dominating ones is that these are people from a new communication reality, which has new laws and instruments of influence on the formation of people’s outlook on life. The slowing modernization of the old formats of interaction with young people may become a fatal landmark in the identification of a new place and role of the institution of faith in society,” Rodin said. |
| Almost Half of Surveyed Russians Would Support Their Close Relative’s Decision to Enter a Monastery Source: Pravmir.ru Most Russians (43%) would treat as quite favorable their close relative’s decision to enter a monastery. PRAVMIR. July 1, 2014. The All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) has reported what, according to Russians, motivates people to enter a monastery and how Russian citizens would react to the decision of their close relatives to become a monk or nun. Photo: http://portal-kultura.ru Reflecting on what motivates those who enter a monastery for good, one in five (19%) of those surveyed suggested that people become monks to escape problems and bustle, states VCIOM. According to the 8% of the respondents, people do so in accordance with their beliefs and faith, and 5% said they have probably found their calling. Others suggest that they wish to become closer to God (6%). Another 6% said that those who enter a monastery for good need to atone for their sins. Their goal is to find themselves and the meaning of life, suggested 4% of the surveyed. According to two-thirds of Russians (63%), monks – thanks to a desire for their soul’s salvation – are likewise able to help others. This view is shared more by Orthodox Christians (70%) than by other religions (49%) and non-believers (31%). In turn, 27% of those surveyed think that monks are unable to help others because of their isolated and reclusive lifestyle, and such is the opinion of low-income respondents (38%) and rural residents (33%). The desire of a close relative to enter a monastery, one part of Russians (43%) would treat quite favorably, while others (40%), in contrast, spoke about this negatively. This decision would most often be supported by the older generation (47% of those 45 to 59 years), Orthodox Christians (47%), whereas the opposite position would be taken by 18-24 year-olds (45%), Moscow and St. Petersburg citizens (46%), and atheists (55%). The opinion poll of Russia citizens was conducted by VCIOM on May 10-011, 2014. 1,600 people were interviewed in 130 villages of 42 Russian regions. The statistical error does not exceed 3.4%. |
| The number of Russians who identify as atheists has dropped by half in just three years, according to a recent study. Wikimedia Commons/Victorgrigas The study, conducted by the Levada Research Center in late June, revealed that the number of Russian atheists fell from 26 percent in 2014 to 13 percent in 2017. As many as 44 percent described themselves as “quite religious,” while 33 percent said they are “not too religious.” Nine percent of the respondents considered themselves “very religious.” Religious believers now make up 86 percent of the Russian population, with Orthodoxy remaining as the most popular religion. Over 92 percent of the respondents view the Orthodox church with “respect and benevolence.” Seventy-four percent said the same about the Catholic church, but 10 percent said they have “conflicted feelings” towards Catholics. Another five percent view Catholics with “dislike” or “fear.” As many as 59 percent of the respondents have a favorable view of Islam, while 17 percent have “conflicted feelings” toward Muslims, and 13 percent view them with “dislike” or “fear.” The same poll showed that 63 percent of Russians describe their attitude to atheists as “good and respectful,” with eight percent stating negative feelings towards the group. Regarding Jewish people, 55 percent of the respondents said they had a good attitude towards the group, with 17 percent reporting controversial feelings and 11 percent saying they had negative sentiments. The survey was conducted on a representative all-Russian sample of urban and rural population among 1,600 adults in 137 settlements in 48 regions of the country. Analysts from Levada noted in comments published on the group’s website that while the share of religious people had increased, the strength of their faith had apparently weakened. “The increase in the number of believers is not accompanied by sincere faith or understanding of importance of the religion for spiritual life,” the comments read, as reported by Russia Today . |
| Republicans more likely to understand, admit that Islam is violent Moscow, February 8, 2017 Photo: billionbibles.org A new CBS poll reveals that more than two-thirds of Democrats believe that Islam is no more violent than other religions around the world. Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of Republicans grasp and are willing to admit the violent nature of Islam, especially as compared to other religions. The poll was conducted on behalf of CBS News by SSRS of Media, PA, by telephone February 1-2, 2017 among a random sample of 1,019 adults nationwide. Among other political questions, participants were asked: “Generally speaking, do you think the Islamic religion encourages violence more than other religions around the world, less than other religions around the world, or about the same as other religions around the world?” Shockingly, only 33% of Americans of any political persuasion believe that Islam is more violent than other religions, with 50% responding that it is equally as violent as other religions, including Christianity, which is the most persecuted religion in the world. 63% of Democrats and 53% of Independents believe Islam is only equally as violent, while 9% and 5% respectively believe it is less violent. While 63% of Republicans responded that Islam is indeed more violent than other world religions, 25% did also side with the Democrats and Independents, believing Islam is only equally violent, although only 2% believe it is less violent. In 2016 , there were 2,477 Islamic attacks in sixty-one countries (or nearly seven a day), in which 21,240 people were killed and 26,682 injured. Already in 2017 there have been 229 Islamic attacks in thirty-two countries, in which 1,520 people were killed and 1,815 injured. The spread of Islam has been tied to violence since the days of its founder, Mohammed, who is the example all Muslims are called to emulate, who has left them such instructions: “Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not” (2:216). |
| Artifact found near Temple Mount bearing inscription from the time of Kings David & Solomon Jerusalem, July 15, 2013 Photo: courtesy of Dr. Eilat Mazar; photographed by Ouria Tadmor. Working near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Hebrew University of Jerusalem archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar has unearthed the earliest alphabetical written text ever uncovered in the city. The inscription is engraved on a large pithos, a neckless ceramic jar found with six others at the Ophel excavation site. According to Dr. Mazar, the inscription, in the Canaanite language, is the only one of its kind discovered in Jerusalem and an important addition to the city’s history. Dated to the tenth century BCE, the artifact predates by two hundred and fifty years the earliest known Hebrew inscription from Jerusalem, which is from the period of King Hezekiah at the end of the eighth century BCE. A third-generation archaeologist working at the Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology, Dr. Mazar directs archaeological excavations on the summit of the City of David and at the southern wall of the Temple Mount. The discovery will be announced in a paper by Dr. Mazar, Prof. Shmuel Ahituv of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and Dr. David Ben-Shlomo of the Hebrew University, following their extensive research on the artifact. Prof. Ahituv studied the inscription and Dr. Ben-Shlomo studied the composition of the ceramic materials. The paper, " An Inscribed Pithos From the Ophel, " appears in the Israel Exploration Journal 63/1 (2013). The inscription was engraved near the edge of the jar before it was fired, and only a fragment of it has been found, along with fragments of six large jars of the same type. The fragments were used to stabilize the earth fill under the second floor of the building they were discovered in, which dates to the Early Iron IIA period (10th century BCE). An analysis of the jars’ clay composition indicates that they are all of a similar make, and probably originate in the central hill country near Jerusalem. |
| Christianity Gives Way to Atheism in Britain, Survey Suggests Source: Premier There has been a " dramatic decline " in Britain " s Christian identity over the last 35 years - with a " substantial increase " in atheism, a state-of-the-nation survey has suggested. Press Association 11 July 2019 Slightly over one-third (38%) of the 3,879 people polled for the British Social Attitudes report described themselves as Christian, down from one-half (50%) in 2008, and nearly two-thirds (66%) in 1983. Conversely, those identifying as Muslim increased exponentially – up from 1% in 1983, rising to 3% in 2008, and 6% in 2018. The findings represent the first time the percentage of those describing themselves as Christian dropped below 40% since the survey began in 1983, although those identifying as no denomination Christian increased from 3% in 1983 to 13% in 2018. More than half of all people polled (52%) said they do not belong to any religion, up from nearly one-in-three (31%) in 1983. The report by the National Centre for Social Research, published on Thursday, said: “The past two decades have seen international conflict involving religion and domestic religious organisations, putting themselves at odds with mainstream values. “We find a dramatic decline in identification with Christian denominations, particularly the Church of England, a substantial increase in atheism and in self-description as ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ non-religious … but tolerance of religious difference.” The data shows 11% of those with a faith attended a religious service at least once a week, a rate which has remained stable since 1998. Half (50%) of those polled said they never pray, up from 41% in 2008 and 30% in 1998, although those who pray “several times a day” is up from 5% two decades ago to 8% in 2018, the data shows. Almost two-thirds (63%) or Britons polled agreed that religions bring more conflict than peace, while 13% disagreed. The data also showed 51% of those polled “feel positive” towards Christians, compared with 30% for Muslims. |
| Материал из Православной Энциклопедии под редакцией Патриарха Московского и всея Руси Кирилла Содержание «ИСАИИ ПРОРОКА ВОЗНЕСЕНИЕ» [греч. Αναβατικν Ησαου; лат. Ascensio Isaiae], раннехрист. апокриф о мученичестве и пророческих видениях прор. Исаии. Текстология Апокриф, составленный, вероятно, на греч. языке, сохранился в переводах на эфиоп., слав., лат. и копт. языки. Греческий оригинал. От греч. оригинала остался папирусный фрагмент P. Amherst. 1. 1, V-VI вв. (BHG, N 957; всего 7 листов; в наст. время хранятся в б-ке Пирпонта Моргана; 1-е изд.: Grenfell, Hunt, eds. 1900), включающий бóльшую часть текста Asc. Is. 2. 4 - 5. 16 (с нек-рыми пропусками и перестановками по сравнению с эфиоп. версией). Известна также основанная на «И. п. В.» греч. легенда (BHG, N 958; Paris. gr. 1534, XII в. Fol. 245-251; Vat. Palat. 27, XI в. Fol. 86-98v) (изд.: Gebhardt, von. 1878), в к-рой описываемые в апокрифе события выстроены более логично и последовательно в хронологическом отношении (см.: Verheyden. 2004). Последнее критическое издание греч. текста и всех версий - Norelli et al., eds. 1995. Vol. 1. Прор. Исаия. Миниатюра из Нового Завета и Псалтири. XII в. (ГИМ. Син. греч. 407. Л. 489 об.) Прор. Исаия. Миниатюра из Нового Завета и Псалтири. XII в. (ГИМ. Син. греч. 407. Л. 489 об.) Эфиопская версия. Полный текст памятника сохранился только в эфиопском переводе. Известны по крайней мере 10 рукописей XII-XIX вв. (Bodl. Aeth. d. 13. Fol. 95-115, XV в.; Lond. Brit. Lib. Orient. 501. Fol. 62-69v, XV в.; Ibid. 503. Fol. 57-62v, XVIII в.; Vat. Aeth. 263. Fol. 85v-104v, XIV-XV вв.; EMML (Hayq S. Stefano). 1768. Fol. 83-88, кон. XV в.; EMML (Abba Garima). 2. Fol. 307, XII-XIII вв.; EMML (Ankober). 3067. Fol. 99-117v, XV в.; Paris. Abbadie. 156. Fol. 46-52v, XVIII в.; Monac. Aeth. 63. Fol. 107v-115v, XVIII-XIX вв.; Paris. Abbadie. 195. Fol. 74-87, 1649 г.). Впервые текст был издан по одной рукописи Р. Лоренсом ( Laurence, ed. 1819), затем - по 3 рукописям А. Дилльманом ( Dillmann, ed. 1877) и Р. Г. Чарлзом ( Charles, ed. 1900). Максимальное количество рукописей учтено в изд.: Norelli et al., eds. 1995. Vol. 1. Хотя «И. п. В.» встречается в составе библейских рукописей, в канон Эфиопской Церкви это сочинение никогда не входило ( Brandt. 2000). |
| Public confidence to Church, Army and Police unrivalled in Georgia – survey March 16, 2013 Orthodox Church preserves its leadership in the rating of confidence to social institutions. According to the social research of the International Republican Institute (IRI), 95 percent of the respondents trust the Church. The next are the Army with 91 percent and the Police with 89 percent. Confidence rating in relation to other social institutions is as follows: Georgian media – 84 percent, the parliament – 82 percent (12 percent don’t trust at all), the government – 81 percent (12 per cent), attorney- 75 percent (12 percent), education system – 63 percent (25 percent), court – 62 percent (20 percent), the National Bank – 54 percent (21 percent), the Ombudsman – 49 percent (13 percent), political parties – 43 percent (41 percent), the Central Election Commission – 42 percent (23 percent), local authorities – 42 per cent (36 percent), the President’ administration – 39 percent (49 percent). The last position belongs to trade relations sphere with confidence of 21 percent of the respondents (no confidence – 31 percent). The sociological survey commissioned by IRI was held in Georgia from February 18 to February 27, 2013. 1,500 respondents over the age of 18 were interviewed. Margin of error constitutes 2.5 percent. The survey was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Source: Trend.az Code for blog Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life " s purpose, family and society. Related articles The urgent statement claims that the discrediting campaign is backed by certain forces, who find the… Many people in the U.S. have met the remarkable Georgian hierarch, Metropolitan Nikoloz. He has made… “Caricatures insulting the Muslims’ religious feelings have been released again in a large print run. We… Also by this author Today " s Articles Most viewed articles Functionality is temporarily unavailable. Most popular authors Functionality is temporarily unavailable. © 2008-2024 Pravmir.com |
| Ethiopia elects Patriarch of Orthodox Church The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has elected a new patriarch to replace the previous head who died in August, officials said Thursday. “Abune Matthias… arch-bishop of Jerusalem (for the Ethiopian church) was elected with a majority,” said Daniel Sefermikael, a church official. Abune Mathias, the newly elected Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church. He said Matthias got about 500 out of 806 votes cast by members of the church living in Ethiopia and elsewhere. Matthias, 71, has lived abroad for over 30 years, initially fleeing Ethiopia following a military coup by Hailemariam Mengistu in 1974. He has since travelled throughout Europe and North America, and will now settle in Ethiopia to serve as patriarch. About 63 percent of Ethiopia’s 83 million people are Christian, with the majority following the Orthodox faith, according to official figures. Matthias will be sworn in at an official ceremony in Addis Ababa on Sunday, which tens of thousands of people are expected to attend. The office of the patriarch has been vacant since August after Abune Paulos died of an undisclosed illness. He had served as head of the Orthodox Church in Ethiopia since 1992. Ethiopian patriarchs are referred to as Abune, which means “our father” in Ethiopia’s local language. Ethiopia is home to some of Africa’s oldest Orthodox churches, including a cluster of 11 ancient rock-hewn churches in Lalibela which are designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Source: Global Post Code for blog Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life " s purpose, family and society. Related articles On 1-4 March 2018, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All… March 12, 2013 His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia congratulated Patriarch-Catholicos of Ethiopia,… Also by this author Today " s Articles Most viewed articles Functionality is temporarily unavailable. Most popular authors Functionality is temporarily unavailable. © 2008-2024 Pravmir.com |
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