| Feeble women by nature, but not in your minds and hearts; for womanly weakness did not appear in you in any way, but all your feats surpassed the bravery of men. Upon you were truly fulfilled the words of Scripture, which say, My strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9), and again, God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty (1 Cor. 1:27; cf. Ps. 8:2, Mt. 21:16). The words of our Most Holy Savior were truly in your hearts, Who said, fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul (Mt. 10:28). And again the Holy Spirit says, Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord (Ps. 30:24). You completed the apostolic work before the apostles. You displayed the faith and courage of soul of the holy martyrs before them. Elias the great prophet, ablaze with Divine zeal, rebuked Ahab, and you confounded the guards of the Lord’s Tomb. Gideon once crushed a multitude of Midianites with three hundred soldiers (cf. Jdg. 7:25). You, along with the righteous men Joseph and Nikodemos, stronger than all of the Jews’ and Pilate’s fortifications became fearless ministers, ready even unto death to serve Him Who came to serve and lay down His soul for the redemption of the whole of mankind. You, O holy women, together with the Most Pure Virgin Mary, the mother of our eternal Savior, with great zeal and bravery of soul gathered to celebrate the very first service to the Savior. Therefore, you were blessed even before the apostles to preach the Resurrection of the Lord. Beloved faithful! Who are these holy Myrrhbearing Women who followed Christ together with the apostles and were accounted worthy to be witnesses to the Lord’s sufferings, and to anoint His holy Body with spices as it lay in the Tomb? The holy Gospel briefly provides us their names and deeds. The first and most full of spiritual zeal and courage is Mary Magdalene , from the city of Magdala in Galilee. The other holy Myrrhbearers are Maria, the mother of James (Mk. 16:1) and of Joses (Mk. 15:47), who is the cousin of the Mother of God; Mary, the wife of Cleopas (Jn. 19:25), and Salome, the mother of the Sons of Thunder (Mt. 27:56; 28:1; Mk. 16:1; Lk. 24:10). Then there is Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, Susanna, and many others serving Him out of their own means (Lk. 8:3). Among the Myrrhbearers were Martha and Mary, the two sisters of Lazarus from Bethany, where the Savior often stayed with the holy apostles on the way to Jerusalem or Galilee. |
| St. Ireneus of Lyons counsels: “There is no use seeking the truth from others, when it can be readily found in the Church . The apostles have fully placed in the Church as in a rich treasure trove all that belongs to the truth. Everyone who wishes to do so can drink the waters of life from it; it is the door to life” (Against Heresies, 3:4). A teaching from a God-revealed source is a special inheritance in the Church’s treasure trove. Whoever has systematically studied the dogmatic teaching of our Church cannot but marvel at the harmony and inner consistency of its parts. All of the necessary dogmas needed for our salvation are set forth with the utmost clarity and brevity in the Symbol of Faith [the Nicene Creed.—Trans.], which was elaborated at the first (325) and second (381) Ecumenical Councils. It is part of the Divine Liturgy. It is pronounced three times during the rite of catechization in the sacrament of Baptism. For those preparing to be baptized, Fr. Georgiy has composed his own “symbol of faith”: “I believe in the One Holy Living God—our Heavenly (Spiritual) Father and Creator of the entire material world, emotional and spiritual; and in His Pre-eternal Living Created All-wise and Only-Begotten Word (Logos), by the Spirit and Power of God (see Acts 10:38) manifest to the world and incarnate in the Son of Man—Born of a chaste Woman (see Gal. 4:4), the Virgin Mary (Mariam), and crucified out of envy and dislike, but Resurrected (raised) according to the Love of God and Unity with the Father—Jesus (Yeshua) of Nazareth, Who was a Prophet of God, strong in deed and word (see: Lk. 24:19), and the Son of God—the Anointed One (Mashiah, Messiah-Christ), foreseen by the ancient prophets, and Who became the Judge of all the living and the dead (see Acts 10:42) and our Only Lord-Liberator from slavery to this world, which lies in evil (see 1 Jn. 5:19), and to the weak and materially poor origins of this world (see Gal. 4:3, 9), and by our Savior, mercifully forgiving all sins to the faithful, repentant, and baptized in His name (see Acts 10:43; Mk. 16:16); and of the Life-creating and Prophesying Holy Spirit—the One Comforter (Paraclete), Whom the Lord sends in place of Himself from our Father to the world as a confirmation of the Fullness of our eternal Life in the Kingdom of the Heavenly God, as a Gift of His one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church; that is, to God’s world, and especially to all those who sincerely love Him and truly believe in Him, and through Him by God’s grace, to those who believe in a Personal God and the capability of every person to conform with God and become like unto God. (“In the beginning was the Word.” Catechism for those being illumined, [Moscow, 1999] 10–11). |
| The House of Zacchaeus the Publican The bought site is above all notable for the fact that it was here that the house of the repentant tax-collector Zacchaeus stood. This is what the Gospel tells us about him: And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who He was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him: for He was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received Him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That He was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost (Lk. 19:1-10) . The tomb of Venerable Cyriacus the Hermit As a result of excavations carried out on this site columns of a sixth-century Byzantine church along with the mosaic headstone of Venerable Cyriacus were discovered. A chapel in honor of St. John, the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptizer of the Lord, was erected in order to preserve the tomb. “The altar of our church stands on the grave of Venerable Cyriacus the Hermit—the greatest fifth-century saint,” Sister Anna (Garmider), the dependency’s senior nun, relates. “For 1,500 years the Lord has kept the mosaic above his head along with the Greek epitaph, reading that here rests the grave of the Venerable Presbyter Cyriacus, ‘who built this church’. And we discovered another mosaic when we planted trees. This place was marked on old maps as the Lavra of Cyriacus the Hermit.” |
| But why did the Holy Ghost come to them, not while Christ was present, nor even immediately after his departure, but, whereas Christ ascended on the fortieth day, the Spirit descended when the day of Pentecost , that is, the fiftieth, was fully come (Act. 2:1)? And how was it, if the Spirit had not yet come, that He said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost (Jn. 20:22)? In order to render them capable and meet for the reception of Him. For if Daniel fainted at the sight of an Angel (cf. Dan. 8:17), much more would these when about to receive so great a grace. Either this then is to be said, or else that Christ spoke of what was to come, as if come already; as when He said, Tread ye upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the devil (Lk. 10:19). But why had the Holy Ghost not yet come? It was fit that they should first be brought to have a longing desire for that event, and so receive the grace. For this reason Christ Himself departed, and then the Spirit descended. For had He Himself been there, they would not have expected the Spirit so earnestly as they did. On this account neither did He come immediately after Christ’s Ascension, but after eight or nine days. It is the same with us also; for our desires towards God are then most raised, when we stand in need. Accordingly, John chose that time to send his disciples to Christ when they were likely to feel their need of Jesus, during his own imprisonment. Besides, it was fit that our nature should be seen in heaven, and that the reconciliation should be perfected, and then the Spirit should come, and the joy should be unalloyed. For, if the Spirit being already come, Christ had then departed, and the Spirit remained; the consolation would not have been so great as it was. For in fact they clung to Him, and could not bear to part with Him; wherefore also to comfort them He said, It is expedient for you that I go away (Jn. 14:7). On this account He also waits during those intermediate days, that they might first despond for awhile, and be made, as I said, to feel their need of Him. And then reap a full and unalloyed delight. But if the Spirit were inferior to the Son, the consolation would not have been adequate; and how could He have said, It is expedient for you ? For this reason the greater matters of teaching were reserved for the Spirit, that the disciples might not imagine Him inferior. |
| To the same brother, who fell into a difficult illness and various stumbling-blocks. I ask you, my son, to endure and be thankful for the stumbling-blocks that occur in illness, according to the saying, whatsoever is brought upon thee take cheerfully (Sir. 2:4), that the intention of Providence might be fulfilled in you, my son, as it is pleasing to Him. Thus, be manful, be strong in the Lord and hope in His care for you. God be with you. To the same brother, undergoing temptations. Peace to you in Christ, brother! Force your heart to believe that you definitely gave yourself a cause for temptation, although now, under the present circumstances, you cannot find it. Despise yourself, endure, pray--and I hope in the mercy of the good Master Christ, that He will remove the temptation. The Apostle said, The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds (Phil. 4:7). Do not be amazed, my son, if while along the path that leads to the heights, you fall into thorns and mire; smooth places will again appear--for those who find themselves in struggles sometimes fall, and sometimes they themselves throw down their opponents. The great Job said, is not the life of man upon earth a state of trial? (Job 7:1). And another of the saints said, " A man who has not undergone temptations is not tested (experienced). " For we are tempted for instruction in faith, so that we would be become experienced and learn to battle. The Lord said, In patience possess ye your soul (Lk. 21:19). Thus, may hope in a good end help us in everything that happens to us. And the holy Apostle, teaching us patience, says, God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able (I Cor. 10:13). And our Lord--Truth Itself--consoles you, saying, In the world ye shall have tribulations, but fear not, for I have overcome the world (Jn. 16:33). Learn this, abide in this and remember the Lord and His goodness, my son! He will help you in everything, for He is merciful and knows our infirmities. He will again forbid the waves and bring a calm to your soul, by the prayers of His Saints. Amen. |
| Jean//Le Muséon. 1959. Vol. 72. P. 101-151, 277-299; Wiles M. F. The Spiritual Gospel: The Interpretation of the Forth Gospel in the Early Church. Camb., 1960; Pagels E. H. The Johannine Gospel in Gnostic Exegesis: Heracleon " s Commentary on John. Nashville, 1973. (SBL.MS; 17); Blanc C. Le Commentaire d " Héracléon sur Jean 4 et 8//Augustinianum. 1975. Vol. 15. N 1/2. P. 81-124; M ü hlenberg E. Wieviel Erlösungen kennt der Gnostiker Herakleon?//ZNW. 1975. Bd. 66. N 3/4. S. 170-193; Orbe A. Cristología gnóstica. Madrid, 1976. 2 vol.; Aland B. Erwählungstheologie und Menschenklassenlehre: Die Theologie des Herakleon als Schlüssel zum Verständnis der christlichen Gnosis?//Gnosis and Gnosticism/Ed. M. Krause. Leiden, 1977. P. 148-181. (NHS; 8); Devoti D. Remarques sur l " anthropologie d " Héracléon: Les psychiques//StPatr. 1985. Vol. 16/2. P. 143-151; Poffet J.-M. La méthode exégétique d " Héracléon et d " Origène: Соттепт. de Jn 4: Jésus, la Samaritaine et les Samaritains. Fribourg, 1985. (Paradosis; 28); Bammel C. Herakleon//TRE. 1986. Bd. 15. S. 54-57; Trumbower J. A. Origen " s Exegesis of John 8. 19-53: The Struggle with Heracleon over the Idea of Fixed Natures//VChr. 1989. Vol. 43. N 2. P. 138-154; Kaestli J.-D. L " exégèse valentinienne du quatrième évangile//La communauté johannique et son histoire: La trajectoire de l " Évangile de Jean aux deux premiers siècles/Ed. J.-D. Kaestli et al. Gen., 1990. P. 323-350; Ehrman B. D. Heracleon, Origen, and the Text of the Fourth Gospel//VChr. 1993. Vol. 47. N 2. P. 105-118; idem. Heracleon and the «Western» Textual Tradition//NTS. 1994. Vol. 40. N 2. P. 161-179; Castellano A. La exégesis de Orígenes y de Heracleón a los testimonios del Bautista. Santiago, 1998; Nagel T. Die Rezeption des Johannesevangeliums im 2. Jh. Lpz., 2000; Wucherpfennig A. Heracleon Philologus. Tüb., 2002. (WUNT; 142); L ö hr W. Valentinian Variations on Lk 12. 8-9/Mt 10.32//VChr. 2003. Vol. 57. N 4. P. 437-455; Il Commento a Giovanni di Origene: Il testo e i suoi contesti: Atti dell " VIII Convegno di Studi del Gruppo Italiano di Ricerca su Origene e la Tradizione Alessandrina (Roma, 28-30 settembre 2004)/Ed. |
| The New Testament presupposes the stream of Jewish worship and prayer. The Gospel of Luke records exquisite prayers by the Virgin Mary ( Lk. 1.46–55 ), the priest Zechariah ( Lk. 1.68–79 ), and the elder Simeon ( Lk. 2.29–32 ). Jesus himself, circumcised on the eighth day and presented at the Temple on the fortieth, grew up in the tradition of Jewish prayer and piety with frequent appearances at the Temple and the synagogue. He not only gave instructions on prayer but also practiced heartfelt prayer, seeking solitude in the hills where he could pray all night, not least before making important decisions ( Mk. 1.35 ; Lk. 6.12 ). The personal depth of Jesus’ prayers to God the Father breaks forth in dramatic moments of joyful confession ( Mt. 11.25 ), the giving of the Lord’s Prayer ( Mt. 6.5–13 ), the high priestly prayer to the Father ( Jn. 17 ), and the agony at Gethsemane ( Mk. 14.33–5 ), all of which exemplify the intimate relationship with God as a personal and loving Father which Jesus lived and taught. While the early church inherited much of the Jewish tradition of prayer, it gradually moved away from the Temple worship and cultic practices such as animal sacrifices, circumcision, and kosher foods, regarded as no longer compatible with the gospel. Instead, the church focused on its own rites of baptism, the Mystical Supper or Eucharist, and other rites that gradually developed into a whole tradition of worship continuously elaborated in content and structure. St. Paul, large sections of whose letters read like prayers, is a primary figure of the Christian renewal of prayer and worship in trinitarian forms based on the view that each baptized Christian is a living sacrifice to God ( Rom. 6.4, 13; 12.1 ) and the church is the body of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit ( 1Cor. 3.16–17; 12.12–27 ). Stirring echoes of early Christian prayers and aspects of worship, replete with Old Testament language, frequently occur in the Book of Revelation, where the eschatological drama of salvation itself is recounted from the perspective of the worship of God (Rev. 4.4–11; 5.8–14; 7.9–12; 11.15–18; 12.10–12; 15.3–4; 19.1–8). |
| Jesus did not live with his disciples after his resurrection as he had before his death. Filled with the glory of his divinity, he appeared at different times and places to his people, assuring them that it was he, truly alive in his risen and glorified body. To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). It should be noted that the time span of forty days is used many times in the Bible and signifies a temporal period of completeness and sufficiency ( Gen 7:17; Ex 16:35, 24:18; Judg 3:11; 1 Sam 17:16; 1 Kg 19:8; Jon 3:4; Mt 4:2 ). On the fortieth day after his passover, Jesus ascended into heaven to be glorified on the right hand of God ( Acts 1:9-11; Mk 16:19; Lk 24:51 ). The ascension of Christ is his final physical departure from this world after the resurrection. It is the formal completion of his mission in this world as the Messianic Saviour. It is his glorious return to the Father who had sent him into the world to accomplish the work that he had given him to do ( Jn 17:4-5 ). ... and lifting his hands he blessed them. While blessing them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. ... (Lk 24:51-52). The Church’s celebration of the ascension, as all such festal celebrations, is not merely the remembrance of an event in Christ’s life. Indeed, the ascension itself is not to be understood as though it were simply the supernatural event of a man floating up and away into the skies. The holy scripture stresses Christ’s physical departure and his glorification with God the Father, together with the great joy which his disciples had as they received the promise of the Holy Spirit who was to come to assure the Lord’s presence with them, enabling them to be his witnesses to the ends of earth ( Lk 24:48-53; Acts 1:8-11; Mt 28:20; Mk 16:16-14 ). In the Church the believers in Christ celebrate these very same realities with the conviction that it is for them and for all men that Christ’s departure from this world has taken place. The Lord leaves in order to be glorified with God the Father and to glorify us with himself. He goes in order to “prepare a place” for and to take us also into the blessedness of God s presence. He goes to open the way for all flesh into the “heavenly sanctuary ... the Holy Place not made by hands” ( see Hebrews 8-10 ). He goes in order send the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father to bear witness to him and his gospel in the world, making him powerfully present in the lives of disciples. |
| And no, I’m not referring to the Psalter of David, or even the later Odes of Solomon . I’m talking about the “Book of Odes” (δα), a collection of fourteen Scriptural hymns or canticles, which are still regularly sung in the liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church. The earliest known collection of these fourteen Odes is found in the Old Testament of Codex Alexandrinus. Codex Alexandrinus is a four-volume compilation of the Scriptures in the Greek language, and includes what the Orthodox Church calls Anaginoskomena , as well as some other pseudepigraphal and apostolic-era works. For example, a summary of the Psalms written by Eusebius of Caesarea, as well as St. Athanasius’ Epistle to Marcellinus are included before the traditional Psalter, with the 151st Psalm of David and the δα immediately following. The epistle of St. Clement to the Corinthians (1 Clement), as well as a sermon attributed to him (2 Clement) are also placed after the traditional twenty seven books of the New Testament. Given the inclusion of St. Athanasius’ letter, the earliest date for this codex can be A.D. 373, and most scholars today date it between the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth century. The Book of Odes aptly begins with the chorus, “Sing to the Lord! For he is eminently glorified” ( Odes 1:1 ). As already mentioned, most of these hymns are found in the canon of Matins—or “Orthros,” a morning prayer service—in the Orthodox Church. Of the fourteen, nine are included in the following order (versification according to Orthodox Psalter): 1. Ode of Moses ( Exo. 15:1-19 ) 2. Ode of Moses in Deuteronomy ( Deut. 32:1-43 ; sung during Great Lent) 3. Prayer of Anna ( 1 Sam. 2:1-10 ; 1 Kings/Reigns in LXX) 4. Prayer of Habakkuk ( Hab. 3:2-19 ) 5. Prayer of Isaiah ( Isa. 26:9-20 ) 6. Prayer of Jonah ( Jon. 2:3-10 ) 7. Prayer of the Three Holy Youths ( Dan. 3:26-56 ) 8. Hymn of the Three Holy Youths ( Dan. 3:57-88 ) 9a.Hymn of the Theotokos ( Lk. 1:46-55 ) 9b.Prayer of Zacharias ( Lk. 1:68-79 ) |
| The Publican and Pharisee “The publican, standing afar off, would not lift so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me a sinner!” (Lk. 18:13). And involuntarily one turns to last week’s Gospel. There it also told about a publican — Zacchaeus. We saw how the Lord overturned his whole soul. We saw how, after all his sinful life, he repented; and how he was ready to give half his possessions to the poor, and everyone he had defrauded, he would repay fourfold. And undoubtedly he did this. Involuntarily, Zacchaeus the Publican and the publican in today’s Gospel blend into one image, into one person. After all, both of them were publicans, sinful men, and both repented. If we accept that today’s Gospel is the continuation of last Sunday’s Gospel, that today’s publican, beating himself on the breast, is really Zacchaeus, at least psychologically, then a great science will be revealed to us, a great lesson in the life of one who repents. You see we must all repent. All the injustice which Zacchaeus did, he did for gain, to be dominant. And here, when this dominance came and he considered himself to be a man of power — at this very moment came the Truth of God. The Truth of God tells us that if a person is in his mother’s womb for nine months, then he abides in the womb of the earth if strong eighty years, and after this begin suffering and sickness (Psalm 89:10 (90:10 King James Version). And finally, through death man passes into the womb of eternal life for ever. Zacchaeus saw all this now: he understood all his foolishness, his wrong way of life. And then he began to search for a way out. He was in such a state of mind when he saw Christ walking by. For him this was a rabbi. He couldn’t just go up to Him, and he didn’t want to. First he wanted to find out what kind of rabbi He was. Here we see the fig tree, then we see him in the fig tree, this man who was virtually a dignitary of the Jewish people. And then the crowd. Imagine what this proud man was going through. But Christ approached and said: Today we will be together, I will be in your home. And when Christ was in his home, then He revealed to him that power which immediately filled his heart. Here Zacchaeus said: I will give away everything, and whomever I have cheated I will repay fourfold (Lk. 19:1-10). And so he did all this. |
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