| John Anthony McGuckin Theotokos, the Blessed Virgin ANTONIA ATANASSOVA The Blessed Virgin Mary has an indisputable place of honor in Orthodox Christianity. She is revered as “our all-holy immaculate, most blessed, and glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary,” for through her the Word of God becomes incarnate. In Scripture her special status is foretold in the words of the angel Gabriel for whom she is “blessed among women” and “full of grace” ( Lk. 1.26–38 ). Mary’s motherhood serves in restoring the relationship between God and the human race, in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of a virgin bearing a son who is “God with us” (Isa. 7.14). Her quiet acceptance of God’s will: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word,” her magnificent song of praise extolling God’s care for the lowly ( Lk. 1.46–55 ), and the blessing she receives from Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, mark the incarnation as a pivotal moment of history, and Mary as the ideal follower of God. Throughout the course of her son’s ministry, the Virgin plays a central role, from its inception at the wedding in Cana, where her intervention leads to the first sign of Jesus’ exalted destiny, to its bitter fulfillment at the foot of the cross where Jesus commits her into the beloved disciple’s care ( Jn. 2.1–11; 19.25–7 ). In sum, the evangelists’ account of Christ’s life and mission recognizes the presence ofhis mother as no less than indispensable to the unfolding of the divine economy. Scriptural references to Mary are further supplemented by a variety of beliefs widely held in Orthodoxy, many of which stem from devotional practices. In the popular apocryphon The Protoevangelium of James, Mary is described as a “creature of exceptional purity” set aside for a divine purpose from the moment of her conception. We meet her parents, Joachim and Anna, who surrender their only child in service to the Temple in Jerusalem and leave her there throughout her childhood, to converse with angels and weave a scarlet and purple veil for the Holy of Holies. |
| Church Reading: A Vital Ministry Liturgical Life Last Updated: Feb 8th, 2011 - 05:50:02 Church Reading: A Vital Ministry By Dn. Sergius Halvorsen Jan 16, 2010, 10:00 Discuss this article Printer friendly page Source: PSALM: Pan-Orthodox Society for the Advancement of Liturgical Music Orthodox Christian liturgy is an encounter with the incarnate Word of God, made possible through intelligible worship that touches us through every human sense: sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. Yet, when we consider all the elements that comprise Orthodox liturgy—including processions, icons, incensations, making the sign of the cross, prostrations—the balance of worship is conducted through language. It is through the God-given gift of human language that we hear the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ; that we sing the liturgical texts, the psalms, the troparia, and the Creed; and that we pray and encounter Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God. At the epiclesis (the calling down of the Holy Spirit upon God " s people and the gifts of bread and wine) in the anaphora of the Divine Liturgy, we pray along with the priest, " Again we offer unto Thee this reasonable and bloodless worship. " The Greek word here translated as " reasonable " or " rational " is logikein, which comes from the root logos, the same word used by the evangelist in referring to Jesus Christ as the Word of God (John 1:10). Logikein refers to the human ability to think, know, and understand—the rational ability that sets human beings, made in God " s image and likeness, apart from irrational creatures. In short, one of the most characteristic facets of humanity is our ability to think, understand, and communicate through language. Thus, the Liturgy is not magic; when we gather for worship, we are not casting a spell. Rather we offer our thanksgiving, our eucharistia, to God through intelligible words. The primary task of the church reader is to proclaim the Word of God, and thus help facilitate the celebration of the Good News of Jesus Christ. |
| Gay and Lesbian Ordination: An Eastern Orthodox View Contemporary Issues Last Updated: Feb 8th, 2011 - 05:50:02 Gay and Lesbian Ordination: An Eastern Orthodox View By Archpriest John W. Morris Nov 18, 2010, 10:00 Discuss this article Printer friendly page Source: The Word Magazine, Volume 54, No 9, November, 2010 It is obvious to anyone who studies the history of Christian moral teaching that the leadership of several American Protestant groups has taken a very serious step by ordaining openly practicing gays and lesbians and blessing same-sex relationships. For almost 2,000 years, all Christians – Orthodox, Roman Catholic or Protestant – have agreed on this important issue. The gay rights movement, which began at the Stonewall riots in 1969, has slowly spread from the secular society to the religious community. Using methods that grew out of the Civil Rights Movement, homosexuals and their supporters have successfully transformed the moral issue of gay and lesbian practices into one of civil rights. As early as 1980, the United Church of Christ, perhaps the most liberal of all American churches, approved the ordination of openly practicing gays and lesbians. More recently, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church and the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to eliminate the prohibition against the ordination of openly practicing homosexuals. Gays and lesbians and their supporters continue to struggle to gain approval within the United Methodist and Presbyterian Church (USA). Despite the strong disapproval of the Vatican, Roman Catholic homosexuals and their supporters organized Dignity to further their cause. The controversy over homosexuality and lesbianism has largely focused on questions involving the authority and interpretation of the moral teachings contained in the Holy Scriptures and followed by Christians since the apostolic era. Although there are some exceptions, such as John Boswell, the vast majority of biblical scholars agree that the Holy Scriptures consider gay and lesbian sexual acts sinful. |
| The Disclosure of the Divine Liturgy by Pseudo-Gregory of Nazianzus: Edition of the Text and Commentary 1. Introduction There can be no doubt that liturgical commentaries formed a prominent part in the Eucharistic thinking of the Byzantines and other Orthodox peoples, especially in the second millennium A.D. 1 . While some of these texts, including the Historia ecclesiastica by PseudoBasil the Great (attributed in some manuscripts to St. Germanus of Constantinople 2 ), the Protheoria by Nicholas and Theodore of Andida, and works by St. Nicholas Cabasilas and St. Symeon of Thessalonica, are well known to modern scholars, the other commentaries are known – and quoted – much less. This is partly due to excessive reliance on the results of a famous study of the history of Greek liturgical commentaries by René Bornert 3 , which, despite its scholarly value, is less comprehensive than it seems to be. In fact, it ignores a number of liturgical commentaries, either because Bornert considered them unimportant, or simply because he was unaware of them 4 . These include a specific family of visionary commentaries composed in the form of a dialogue, held between St. John (the Evangelist or Chrysostom) and the Lord 5 , or St. Basil and St. Gregory of Nazianzus 6 , or St. Gregory of Nazianzus and «the venerable fathers» 7 . The influence of these commentaries on popular Orthodox thinking and imagery, despite their being ignored by modern scholars of Byzantine liturgical theology and art history has, in the fullness of time, been comparable to that of the more «classical» commentaries mentioned above. This article contains an editio princeps of the original Greek text of the explanatory dialogue between Pseudo-Gregory of Nazianzus and «the venerable fathers», entitled The Disclosure of the Divine Liturgy 8 . The text tries to present itself as a dialogue, but is actually a monologue, since Gregory’s interlocutors are mentioned only twice, at the very beginning and the end. The overall plot of Gregory’s story is built around his vision of heavenly powers taking a direct part in the Eucharistic celebration. |
| The Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles was established by the Orthodox Church to indicate the equal honor of each of the Seventy. They were sent two by two by the Lord Jesus Christ to go before Him into the cities He would visit (Luke 10:1). Besides the celebration of the Synaxis of the Holy Disciples, the Church celebrates the memory of each of them during the course of the year: St. James the Brother of the Lord (October 23); Mark the Evangelist (April 25); Luke the Evangelist (October 18); Cleopas (October 30), brother of St. Joseph the Betrothed , and Simeon his son (April 27); Barnabas (June 11); Joses, or Joseph, named Barsabas or Justus (October 30); Thaddeus (August 21); Ananias (October 1); Protomartyr Stephen the Archdeacon (December 27); Philip the Deacon (October 11); Prochorus the Deacon (28 July); Nicanor the Deacon (July 28 and December 28); Timon the Deacon (July 28 and December 30); Parmenas the Deacon (July 28); Timothy (January 22); Titus (August 25); Philemon (November 22 and February 19); Onesimus (February 15); Epaphras and Archippus (November 22 and February 19); Silas, Silvanus, Crescens or Criscus (July 30); Crispus and Epaenetos (July 30); Andronicus (May 17 and July 30); Stachys, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus, Apelles (October 31); Aristobulus (October 31 and March 16); Herodion or Rodion (April 8 and November 10); Agabus, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon (April 8); Hermas (November 5, November 30 and May 31); Patrobas (November 5); Hermes (April 8); Linus, Gaius, Philologus (November 5); Lucius (September 10); Jason (April 28); Sosipater (April 28 and November 10); Olympas or Olympanus (November 10 ); Tertius (October 30 and November 10); Erastos (November 30), Quartus (November 10); Euodius (September 7); Onesiphorus (September 7 and December 8); Clement (November 25); Sosthenes (December 8); Apollos (March 30 and December 8); Tychicus, Epaphroditus (December 8); Carpus (May 26); Quadratus (September 21); Mark (September 27), called John, Zeno (September 27); Aristarchus (April 15 and September 27); Pudens and Trophimus (April 15); Mark nephew of Barnabas, Artemas (October 30); Aquila (July 14); Fortunatus (June 15) and Achaicus (January 4). |
| St Photini, The Samaritan Woman Commemorated February 26 The New Testament describes the familiar account of the " woman at the well " (John 4:5-42), who was a Samaritan. Up to that point she had led a sinful life, one which resulted in a rebuke from Jesus Christ. However, she responded to Christ's stern admonition with genuine repentance, was forgiven her sinful ways, and became a convert to the Christian Faith - taking the name 'Photini' at Baptism, which literally means " the enlightened one " . A significant figure in the Johannine community, the Samaritan Woman, like many other women, contributed to the spread of Christianity. She therefore occupies a place of honour among the apostles. In Greek sermons from the fourth to the fourteenth centuries she is called " apostle " and " evangelist. " In these sermons the Samaritan Woman is often compared to the male disciples and apostles and found to surpass them. Later, Byzantine hagiographers developed the story of the Samaritan Woman, beginning where Saint John left off. At Pentecost Saint Photini received baptism, along with her five sisters, Anatole, Photo, Photis, Paraskeve, Kyriake, and her two sons, Photeinos and Joseph. She then began a missionary career, traveling far and wide, preaching the good news of the Messiah's coming, His death and resurrection. When Nero, the emperor of Rome, began to persecute Christians, Photini and her son Joseph were in Carthage, in Africa, where she was preaching the Christian gospel. After Jesus appeared to Photini in a dream, she sailed to Rome. Her son and many Christians from Africa accompanied her. Photini's arrival and activity aroused curiosity in the capital city. Everyone talked about her, " Who is this woman? " they asked. " She came here with a crowd of followers and she preaches Christ with great boldness. " Soldiers were ordered to bring her to the emperor, but Photini anticipated them. Before they could arrest her, Photini, with her son Joseph and her Christian friends, went to Nero. |
| At the Last Judgment, so St. Symeon the New Theologian writes, Christ will produce exemplary saints from every station in life and so demonstrate that it is possible for every person, whatever one’s work or employment, to attain to salvation and sainthood, rendering all excuses for what they are. Let us meditate from time to time on this teaching. Among the disciples of Jesus there were mostly Galilean fishermen and ordinary farmers. Matthew the tax collector may have been well educated and a trained professional in the Roman bureaucracy to do his job. John, the brother of James, was intellectually gifted in order to compose the magnificent Gospel of St. John, if he is indeed its author as handed down in tradition. In films Judas is sometimes portrayed as a Hamlet-lite figure, an intellectual with burning conceptual questions, but we know nothing of this from the texts of the Gospels. We have an astonishing variety of persons in the constellation of the saints, including men and women and children: from farmers to teachers, from lawyers to doctors, from ascetics to missionaries, from cooks to theologians, from charismatics to philosophers, from soldiers to kings, from deacons to bishops. St. Luke the Evangelist was a doctor. St. Paul was a missionary. St. Ignatius was a Bishop. St. Justin Martyr was a philosopher. St. Basil was a great philanthropist. St. Gregory of Nanzianzus was a preeminent theologian. St. Macarius of Egypt and St. Symeon the New Theologians were charismatics. St. John of the Ladder was an ascetic. St. Demetrios was a teacher. St. Theodore the Recruit was a soldier. St. Constantine the Great was an emperor. Born in a pagan family (ca. 272 AD), St. Constantine established a career in the military proving to be an exceptional leader and skillful politician. His life was one of continuous struggle for power and dominance, far from a solitary and peaceful climate conducive to sainthood. His inner circle involved intrigues for succession, including members of the imperial family who were executed as real or imagined plotters, under the reign of Constantine. |
| A Convert to Orthodoxy Reconsiders Evangelicalism If it " s self-discipline you seek, Orthodoxy is definitely the tradition for you. The Orthodox Church has devised many ways to deny yourself and take up your cross-for example, by abstaining from meat and dairy products every Wednesday and Friday, as well as during long penitential seasons like Lent, Advent, and the Apostles " Fast. Married couples are encouraged to take it a step further, by abstaining from intercourse on these same fast days. 11 February 2009 Source: John Mark Ministries Twenty years ago, Thomas Howard, the brother of devotional writer Elisabeth Elliot, wrote a book titled Evangelical Is Not Enough. His basic argument was that rituals don’t necessarily lead to dead religiosity. Instead, sacramental rites and liturgical rhythms can bring us closer to Christ. Howard was an Anglican at the time, and later became Roman Catholic. I’ve been on a similar journey. I grew up Baptist, lost my fundamentalist faith, became interested in the ancient traditions of the church, attended a Lutheran parish for a time, and eventually wound up Eastern Orthodox. Like Howard, I now stand on the opposite side of the liturgical fence from most evangelicals. But I’ve come to a different conclusion than “evangelical is not enough.” Evangelical Principles What is evangelicalism, anyhow? Evangelical seems to be an adjective more than a noun. Evangelicals tend not to identify much with their particular churches, preferring to be known as “mere Christians.” There are both evangelical Baptists and evangelical Episcopalians, though the Baptist and Episcopal churches are about as far apart as country music is from classical. For all their diversity, evangelicals hold several principles in common. This list isn’t exhaustive, but here are some key emphases of evangelicals: (1) Salvation is by faith alone, not works. (2) The Bible is the standard for Christian doctrine and practice. (3) Everyone needs a personal relationship with Jesus. |
| Real beliefs actually produce real religion, like church attendance, prayer and charity. But " religious opinions " have no power to produce any real religion. On any given Sunday, what is the most likely reason for why a youth might not be in Liturgy (or Mass, or Morning Worship, or Praise/Celebration/Happening)? Because, statistically speaking, he or she is probably not. The present reality is very different from that moment of Pentecost, when thousands entered the new apostolic church and continued to do so at an obviously miraculous rate. Contrary to the nattering doctrines of church growth and evangelism consultants (and especiatlly the hysterical secret-agent folk of the New Apostolic Reformation), the “numbers added daily” was never a goal for the church, or even a “value.” It was a sign , rather, and the signification was obvious. The entirety of human nature, renewed and assumed into Christ, had become the Holy of Holies. The new eschatological Israel was now present and real. But nowadays, there is no such sign — at least, not phenomenonally here, not in the globalized West. The inescapable fact is that the Christian West is living in a patently “John 6.66” moment. If you do not know this verse, with its troubling numerical reference, permit me to refresh your memory: “After this many of His disciples drew back and no longer went about with Him.” It should be noted that the incarnate Second Person of the Trinity actually experienced a decline in His attendance figures. This was immediately after His troubling doctrinal teaching on the Trinity and the Eucharist. Across the board, “Christian participation” in religion is in sharp decline — even in the Orthodox community, much as we would rather not admit. And please do not bring up megachurch numbers as a counter-narrative: those numbers mostly represent people who have laterally migrated from one Christian community to another. (The megachurch is to more authentic neighboring parishes what a brandnew Super WalMart is to mom and pop stores downtown.) |
| Orthodoxy has always formed a close bond with society and culture so that the faith is connected with life, not just with Sunday morning. Actually the modern nation state, with its sharply defined boundaries, is a relatively new development. Things were more flexible in ancient times. But Orthodoxy has associated itself with modern nations too. That’s why we have the national Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the Romanian Orthodox Church and so on. However, patriotism can also be dangerous. Father Schmemann wrote in his Journal that one of the worst things that ever happened to Orthodoxy was its identification with modern nations, so that people cannot distinguish between the two – like those who think that to be really Orthodox you’ve got to be Greek or Russian or whatever, or like some evangelicals who can’t seem to separate their Christianity from Americanism (of a particular type). When my wife and I were first looking at Orthodoxy 30 years ago a Ukrainian Orthodox woman, a good friend (memory eternal, Helen+), asked me, “Why do you want to be Orthodox? You’re not Ukrainian.” Someone I know was interested in Orthodoxy and visited a Greek church, where the priest told him, “I’m glad you visited. Now go back to your own church where you belong.” This attitude is called Phyletism (“tribalism”): the odd notion that Orthodoxy is limited to a particular tribe or culture or nation. It was condemned at a pan-Orthodox council in Constantinople in 1872. The great danger of Phyletism is that it limits Orthodox people to one narrow national way of looking things. Orthodoxy is multi-cultural: for all the world, all peoples. Orthodoxy is super-cultural: wider, broader, deeper, higher, wiser than any one nation or culture. Our Lord Jesus made this clear regarding Jewish tribalism. How often he made foreigners the heroes: the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan leper who alone returned to give thanks, the Roman centurion of whom he said. “I tell you many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in kingdom of heaven, but the sons of Kingdom [the Jews, or us if we are unfaithful] will be cast out into the darkness”. John the Baptist warned,“If God needs sons of Abraham, he can raise them up out of these stones.” And so it is if God needs Americans… or if he needs Orthodox. Orthodoxy in America |
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