| Craig S. Keener Dying to live. 11:1–12:11 TO RAISE LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD, Jesus would have to go to Judea, the place of hostility, risking (and ultimately encountering) death (11:7–8, 14–16). 7534 Lazarus was the «friend» of Jesus and the disciples (11: ll), 7535 and therefore it was appropriate to die for him (15:13–15). Yet once Lazarus receives life, he must likewise share Jesus» death (12:10–11). Raising Lazarus (11:1–44) This climactic sign of Jesus» ministry joins the opening sign in framing Jesus» public ministry. The opening sign (2:1–11) recounts Jesus» benevolence at a wedding; the last involves it at a funera1. The joy of weddings and mourning of funerals could function as opposites in ancient literature. 7536 While few of Jesus» signs in John " s Gospel specifically parallel Moses» signs, his first and last signs may be exceptions. 7537 In both cases, the signs may suggest contrasts: whereas Moses» first sign was transforming water to blood, Jesus benevolently transforms it into wine. Likewise, whereas the final plague against Egypt was the death of the firstborn sons, the climax of Jesus» signs is raising a dead brother-provider. 1. John " s Account Many are skeptical of pre-Johannine tradition in the narrative about Lazarus " s raising, because the story seems too central to Jesus» ministry to have been unknown to the Synoptic writers and, if known, not mentioned by them. Some have even proposed that John composed the story by weaving together various elements of Lukan tradition. 7538 To be sure, the story has much symbolic significance for the author of the Fourth Gospel; 7539 proposed external corroborations for the story are weak. 7540 Other scholars have responded that Mark tends to omit much of Jesus» Judean ministry anyway, partly due to a theological emphasis on Galilee. 7541 Further, for the Synoptics Jesus» raisings of the dead were simply dramatic healings. Also, whereas John may emphasize Lazarus " s restoration to prefigure Jesus» resurrection, Mark may not wish to risk diminishing the appearance of the uniqueness of Jesus» resurrection as an eschatological event. |
| Craig S. Keener The fish sign. 21:1–14 OTHER SOURCES MAY SUGGEST that Jesus revealed himself on a regular basis to the disciples immediately after the resurrection; Luke seems most emphatic about this point (Acts 1:3), though he omits the Galilean appearances and may therefore refer to a state after the disciples had returned to Jerusalem (reading Luke, one would not know that they had left Jerusalem). In any case, John is emphatic that this is the disciples» third revelation (21:14); that Jesus manifested himself to them also frames this sign narrative (21:1, 14), underlining the significance of this appearance. When John counts, it may be primarily to tie events together (compare 2:1,19; 2:11 with 4:54); this event takes the previous resurrection appearances to a fuller level, though Thomas " s christological confession was climactic. What is John " s point? In the light of the rest of the Gospel, Jesus again provides food for his people (6:10–11; cf. Rev 7:16–17; 12:6); the emphasis here will be spiritual food (4:32–34; 6:35; 10:9; see 21:15–17). Given the following dialogue, the point of the narrative seems to be to define more specifically the character of Jesus» call in 20:21, especially for church leaders: loving Jesus requires Jesus» servants to love Jesus» followers. The Setting: Failing at Fishing (21:1–3) These verses provide examples of typical Johannine language in the nontheological vocabulary when one would least expect it from a later hand: for example, «after these things» (21:1; see 3:22; 5:1,14; 6:1; 7:1). Likewise, only this Gospel calls the lake «the sea of Tiberias» (6:1) or mentions Tiberias at all (6:23). In the very incomplete list of Jesus» followers here, 10853 the two named characters besides Peter (who is necessary to the following story) are distinctly Johannine: only in this Gospel does Thomas appear outside lists of names (11:16; 14:5; 20:24–28) and is he called Didymus, meaning «Twin» (11:16; 20:24) ; 10854 and only in this Gospel do Nathanael and Cana appear (1:45–49; 2:1,11; 4:46). 10855 The «sons of Zebedee» admittedly weigh against the thesis that this epilogue stems from the same author or source, since the rest of the Gospel reflects a studied, probably deliberate avoidance of mentioning them; but it is noteworthy that even here they are not individually named. The mention of Thomas (21:2) provides a connection with the previous narrative (20:24–29), 10856 demonstrating that he did persevere. |
| Impulsivity, Self-Control, and Relying on Christ Hieromonk Alexis (Trader) The 12th century Ladder of Divine Ascent icon (Saint Catherine " s Monastery, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt) showing monks, led by John Climacus, ascending the ladder to Jesus, at the top right. Resisting temptation , ignoring unwanted thoughts, and altering one’s emotional state when under the onslaught of impulsivity may seem to some as a fool’s errand. Yet, holy men and women have achieved success at just such endeavors for more than two thousand years. They have done so, not because they had iron wills, fewer thoughts, or a permanent smile, though in time their wills did become more conformed to the will of God, their thoughts became more centered on their Savior, and their joy in Christ could no longer be contained. The secret to their success was very simple: they were victorious through their day-to-day, moment-to-moment communion with God, the source of their strength, life, and love. With His help, human efforts at self-control are transformed into a collaboration or synergy between God and man, not to overcome a problem, but to become a child of light. As for the human side of the equation, psychologists have mapped out the areas in which self-control can be used to achieve goals and refrain from impulsivity. For example, Andrew A. Lubusko notes in his dissertation on the subject that there are four primary categories of self-control: “1) impulse control, resisting temptations and refraining from acting on undesirable impulses such as overeating, aggression, etc.; 2) thought control, concentrating, regulating one’s reasoning or inference process, or suppressing unwanted thoughts; 3) affect regulation, efforts aimed at altering one’s emotional and mood states (e.g., escaping negative mood or maintaining positive mood); and 4) achieving optimal performance and controlling performance through efforts such as persistence, optimal management of exertion, and balancing speed and accuracy (Baumeister & Exline, 2000).” Put simply, self-control is about how we react, how we think, how we feel, and how we focus. Our ability to shift the way we react, think, feel, and focus in turn translates into our ability to control our actions and hence deal with impulsivity. |
| Let us continue our talk about dreams. Abba Evagrius writes: “Sometimes demons concoct dreams out of arrogance and throw one’s soul into a quagmire of thoughts. For example, somebody can often see himself in a dream… either healing bodily sicknesses or worthily wearing a pastor’s vestments and tending his small spiritual flock.” Demons are prone to predict the things that are not edifying or eternal. The aim of these false prophecies is to lead a Christian into temptation (see 1 Cor. 10:13). In this state it is easier to tempt us and occasion our fall. If demons fail in this, they begin to bear malice towards us. Trust in dreams intensifies the state of self-delusion, convinces us that we are right, and often makes our spiritual healing impossible. There is a close link between trusting dreams and spiritual deception. Here is one example, described by Holy Hierarch Ignatius (Brianchaninov) in his Ascetic Experiences: “There lived an elder at the Ploschansk Hermitage (in the Orel Diocese) who was in spiritual delusion. He cut off his hand (thinking that by this he was keeping a commandment from the Gospel) and told everybody that it had supposedly become holy relics and was kept at Moscow Simonov Monastery with honor. Living 500 versts [an old Russian measure of length, about 1.1 kilometers or 0.66 miles] from Simonov Monastery, this elder ‘felt’ when its archimandrite and the brethren venerated his hand. It made the elder shudder and hiss very loudly. He regarded that phenomenon as a fruit of prayer, while everybody saw only a regrettable and laughable perversion in it. Orphaned children who lived at the monastery were amused by this phenomenon: they imitated the elder and thus enraged him, so he attacked them and pulled their hair. None of the venerable monastery’s brethren were able to convince the miserable man that he was in a deplorable state.” St. John Climacus , continuing Abba Evagrius’ thought, says that, “The demons of vainglory prophesy in dreams.” 1 Then The Ladder of Divine Ascent explains to us the mechanism of the so-called “prophetic dreams”: “Being unscrupulous, they (demons) guess the future from the circumstances and foretell it to us… A demon is often a prophet to those who believe him, but he is always a liar to those who despise him.” 2 This is an important remark: there is a direct relationship between the fulfilment of “prophetic dreams” and trusting them. |
| Born in Ibora on the Black Sea, Evagrios enjoyed a close connection with the Cappadocian fathers: a pupil of Gregory of Nazianzus, he was ordained reader by Basil. Later (380–1), he accompanied Gregory of Nazianzus to Constantinople as Gregory’s theological assistant in the time he composed the Five Theological Orations. There he enjoyed acclaim for his success in disputes against Eunomians. Around 383, when Nektarios was patriarch, he fled Constantinople on account of its spiritual perils and in search of a life of stillness (hesychia). At the monastery on the Mount of Olives (near Jerusalem) he was tonsured a monk by Rufinus and Melania, then traveled via Alexandria to settle in the Nitrian desert as a solitary. Having spent several years under the spiritual direction of St. Macarius of Egypt and standing within the tradition of the desert fathers, Evagrios himself became a spiritual guide of great renown. His Praktikos, Gnostikos, Chapters On Prayer, Antirrhetikos, On Evil Thoughts, and Commentary on the Psalms were celebrated throughout late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Styled as collections of mellifluous pithy maxims (apophthegmata), these expound the mind’s journey of purification from obstreperous thoughts, the acquisition of virtues, and ascent to divine knowledge: the praxis-contemplation-theology trilogy. Via Cassian, Evagrios’s ideas spread in the West at an early stage, while remaining ascetical classics in the Greekspeaking East. The late 5th century saw his writings translated into Syriac. He likewise authored other, more esoteric treatises (Gnostic Chapters, Letter to Melania) containing speculations about creation, Christ, and salvation, some of which were developed directly from Origen’s works. There he argued that bodies and matter were fashioned subsequently to the creation of souls, as remedy for the souls’ disobedience; Christ is not the divine Logos but is created; in the End of Things, all shall be saved (the Devil included, while bodies and material beings shall be destroyed). For these latter views, which first aroused the suspicions of Theophilus of Alexandria and Jerome (early 5th century), Evagrios was condemned as heterodox at the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Ecumenical Councils. Many of his Greek originals were destroyed, to remain only in Syriac translations. Other works survive under the names of persons of untainted reputation: notably, St. Nilus (Chapters on Prayer, in the Philokalia). Evagrios also appears in the Philokalia as Abba Evagrios the Monk (On Eight Thoughts). In later times Sts. John Climacus, Maximus the Confessor, and Symeon the New Theologian were deeply influenced by Evagrios’s spiritual teachings; and in the later part of the 20th century he once again emerged as a spiritual master as his works found English translations. |
| Patriarch Daniel: Children and young people need to discover the profoundly Christian meaning of life Source: Basilica.ro Photo: Patriarch Daniel blessing children at Putna Monastery. © Basilica.ro/Mircea Florescu The Patriarch of Romania has sent a message to all students and teachers at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, noting that prayer is a source of peace, joy and communion. His Beatitude stressed that today, when, under the influence of secularisation, spiritual values are neglected, and education is subject to paradigm shifts, children and young people “need to discover the profoundly Christian meaning of life, the importance of prayer, the joy of communion with God and with their neighbours.” Patriarch Daniel also pointed out that students need “to cultivate essential virtues such as respect for the dignity of the person, friendship, sincere love, solidarity and gratitude.” “Children and young people also need a thorough education for life, which includes personal experiences, lived within a concrete community, beginning in the family and continuing in school, in the life of the Church and society.” Prayer: a source of peace, joy and communion At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, with fatherly love, we congratulate and bless all Romanian students, parents, teachers and professors, carrying them in the prayers of the Church so that the Most Compassionate God may send them all “the spirit of wisdom and understanding, enlightening their minds and reason and opening their hearts to receive the good teachings.” The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church has proclaimed 2022 as a Solemn Year of prayer in the Church’s life and the Christian’s life . Prayer is the presence and work of the Holy Spirit in the believer, which brings comfort, peace and joy; it unites us with the Most Holy Trinity and the Church of Christ at all times and in all places. In this respect, Saint John Climacus notes that “prayer by reason of its nature is the converse and union of man with God, and by reason of its action upholds the world and brings about reconciliation with God; (…) work of angels, (…) the enlightening of the mind” ( The Ladder , 29, 1). |
| Fifth annual Climacus Conference to be held in Louisville, KY in mid-February Source: OCA Natalya Mihailova 13 January 2015 Saint Michael Antiochian Orthodox Church here will once again sponsor the annual Climacus Conference Friday and Saturday, February 13-14, 2015. This year’s theme will explore beautify and aesthetics. “In its fifth year, the conference is a pan-Orthodox intellectual and spiritual event featuring scholars and voices across the fields of theology, philosophy, patristics, classical education, literature, and culture and politics,” said David Write, the conference’s founder and director. “It is unique in that it provides an opportunity for people to be enriched by thinking well across disciplines through scholarly engagement with the classic liberal arts, while approaching such an endeavor through the spiritual ‘nous,’ the mind of the heart, enabling our ascension ‘of the ladder,’ as inspired by Saint John Climacus and his Ladder of Divine Ascent .” Detailed information, including a list of speakers and their topics, may be found on the Climacus Conference web site and Facebook page or by contacting Mr. Wright at 502-296-2095 or davidwright1@Hotmail.com . Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Fifth annual Climacus Conference to be held in Louisville, KY in mid-February Natalya Mihailova “In its fifth year, the conference is a pan-Orthodox intellectual and spiritual event featuring scholars and voices across the fields of theology, philosophy, patristics, classical education, literature, and culture and politics,” said David Write, the conference’s founder and director. “It is ... 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. |
| Archive Blessing of the cross installed at construction site of a church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God in Puerto-Rican San German 18 August 2021 year 14:31 In the evening of August 6, 2021, Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, vicar of the diocese of Eastern America of the Russian Church Outside of Russia, arrived on the Island of Puerto-Rico. The hierarch was met by Archpriest Gregory Justiniano, rector of the Mission of St. John Climacus in San German. His Eminence Nicholas brought to the island the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God. He was accompanied by Archpriest Peter Jackson, head of the Spanish-speaking mission, and Protodeacon Sergiy Arliyevsky, a cleric of the Convent of the Dormition “Novo-Diveevo”, Nanuet, New York. On August 8, Bishop Nicholas celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the mission’s Chapel of St. John Climacus. Archpriest Gregory Justiniano, Archpriest Peter Jackson, Protodeacon Sergiy and Deacon Seraphim Justiniano concelebrated. Among the worshippers was Archpriest George Eldar, who serves in Puerto-Rico, The liturgical hymns were sung by the parish choir conducted by Hierodeacon Daniel (Justiniano), a cleric of the mission. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated in Spanish, English and Church Slavonic. After the service, a procession with the cross proceeded to the construction site of the church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God. Bishop Nicholas blessed the foundation cross made by parishioners. Then a festive reception was given in the territory of the parish with traditional dishes of Puerto-Rican cuisine. The engineer and the architect employed by the parish presented various stages of the design of the future church. Archpriest Gregory Justiniano spoke about the history of the mission and plans for the future, noting in particular, ‘The first Divine Liturgy celebrated in San German, Puerto-Rico, took place on Sunday, August 9, 2009. The Orthodox Mission of John Climacus plans to carry out its missionary service not only in a particular city but, with God’s help, on the whole island’. |
| Mental Imagery in Eastern Orthodox Private Devotion Unlike Roman Catholicism, the Orthodox Tradition does not encourage the use of mental imagery. In fact, it almost appears to forbid sensory imagination during prayer altogether. In the words of one of the contemporary Orthodox elders, Abbot Nikon (Vorobyev), “that, which sternly, decisively, with threats and imploring is forbidden by the Eastern Fathers—Western ascetics strive to acquire through all efforts and means” Just as there can be a properly trained voice, there can be a properly trained soul. —Fr. Alexander Yelchaninov This presentation is based on the research that I undertook for a book titled Imagine That… : Mental Imagery in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Private Devotion, published in paperback in February of 2009 with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco. The work is an analytical comparison of Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox attitudes toward mental imagery. In this presentation, I wish to focus specifically on the Orthodox tradition of prayer. Eastern Orthodoxy displays a great degree of uniformity in following a path of stillness of thought and silence of mind to achieve the prayer of heart in private devotion. Saint John Climacus writes in The Ladder (28:19) that “the beginning of prayer consists in chasing away invading thoughts…” (285) The mind is to be freed from all thoughts and images and focused on the words of prayer. Further in the chapter on prayer (28), St. John instructs not to accept any sensual images during prayer, lest the mind falls into insanity (42; 289); and not to gaze upon even necessary and spiritual things (59; 292). Unlike Roman Catholicism, the Orthodox Tradition does not encourage the use of mental imagery. In fact, it almost appears to forbid sensory imagination during prayer altogether. In the words of one of the contemporary Orthodox elders, Abbot Nikon (Vorobyev) (1894-1963), “that, which sternly, decisively, with threats and imploring is forbidden by the Eastern Fathers—Western ascetics strive to acquire through all efforts and means” (424). |
| Tweet Нравится Is the Burning Bush Still Burning? Sr. Joanna Ascent to Holy Mount Sinai After the passage of fifteen centuries, does the Sinai brotherhood still feel the presence of Saint John Climacus , author of the renowned Ladder of Divine Ascent ? “As though he were here yesterday!” says Saint Catherine’s Geronta Pavlos, adding that the saint’s words continue to guide the monastery in modern times as of old. Hundreds attended John’s enthronement as abbot—not least, Prophet Moses, who appeared once more tending God’s people in Sinai, directing servers in the monastery refectory. And amidst the Arab conquests which roiled the region, pilgrims continued to arrive in large numbers to remove their shoes before kneeling on the holy ground where Moses met God at the Burning Bush. It was very early in the Byzantine age that its great theologians understood the Bush as a “type” of the Mother of God. Like the Bush which contained the non-consuming fire of the Pre-incarnate Logos, the Holy Virgin held the fire of divinity in her womb without being consumed by it. Thus, it was in honor of the Annunciation to the Theotokos that Sinai monks dedicated their first altar in the fourth century, on the roots of the Burning Bush, to the Mother of God. Priestmonk Arsenios, successor to long-time monastery “Dikaios” Geronta Pavlos as the spiritual father in charge of the monastery’s spiritual life, notes that Saint Catherine’s long history of unbroken peace doesn’t mean that the monastery was never under threat. Until today, many are the challenges it has faced through times of great upheaval, whose repercussions continue to be felt throughout the wider region. What then gives the words of Saint John their immunity to the passage of fifteen centuries? What inspires pilgrims to point their footsteps once more to the Holy Mountain in spite of a frustratingly slow resolution to the problems of the surrounding regions? What sustains a small brotherhood in its struggle to meet the economic needs of a monastery whose legacy of peace plays on the world stage before a global audience, yet has no steady means of support? |
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