| However, the prophets, in particular the prophet Jeremiah, have drawn the meanings of [niham] and bWv [shuv] closer (compare Jer 8. 6 and 31. 18–19) , as both of them implied movement to the side contrary to a certain point. Thus the affinity between the meaning of the verbs in religious use μετανοω and πιστρφω/ποστρφω is noted in LXX translation . The tendency to impart the meaning of the ancient bWv [shuv], i.e, «conversion» to the Greek verb μετανοω is found in the later Old Testament translations as well. Symmachus uses μετανοω 6 times in the cases when bWv [shuv] means a religious turn, repentance (Is 31. 6; 55. 7; Jer 18. 8; Ezek 33. 12; Hos 11. 5; Job 36. 10) . The extracanonical books in Greek, the Old Testament apocrypha, and works by Philo of Alexandria testify to this as well. In all the above mentioned works μετανοω and μετνοια have the main Old Testament meaning «turn (oneself) and «convert» . On the basis of the surviving linguistic material from the intertestamental period it can be said that at the beginning of the New Testament epoch, in the religious vocabulary of the Hellenistic Jews the verb μετανοω was a commonly used and even preferred equivalent to the main Hebrew term, repentance standing for «conversion» — bWv [shuv] . Hence we may conclude that although the New Testament doctrine of repentance is connected with the ancient Greek verb μετανοω and noun μετνοια terminologically, the sense is also related to that which goes back to the Old Testament conception of repentance as a whole conversion of the human being from sin to the Lord, a concept that has been added by the messianic context. 4. New Testament doctrine of repentance a) Repentance in the teaching of Saint John the Baptist The call to repent is pronounced for the first time in the New Testament by Saint John the Baptist. «In those days , says the evangelist Matthew, meaning the beginning of the messianic epoch, John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”» ( μετανοετε· γγικεν γρ βασιλεα τν ορανν . Mt 3. 1–2). Here the call to repent is heard in the context of the Old Testament bWv [shuv] — «turn to the Lord», «change your way of life». This is confirmed by the outward sign chosen by John the Baptist for people who have signified their desire to turn to the Lord; immersion in the water or baptism ( Mt. 3. 6). It should be remembered that to accept baptism was paradoxical for Jews, as this rite was used for proselytes, i.e., those who wished to turn to Judaism from idolatry ; but John the Baptist appeals to born Jews who have deviated from the Lord through their private sins and calls out: «turn to Him», «become Jews again»! |
| 218 Plato, Politicus, 259 a-b. 219 [Plato], Minos 314 c. 220 Minos 317 b-c. 221 Cf. Philo, Vita Mos. I 162, 2.4; Plato, Politicus 295 e, 311 b-c. 222 Скитала — деревянная дубинка, используемая стартанцами для передачи шифрованных сообщений. Применялся следующий способ: на палку наворачивался ремень, на котором в поперечном направлении писалось сообщение. Затем ремень снимался с палки и посылался по назначению. Получатель навертывал ремень на палку известной ему величины и таким образом читал сообщение. См.: Plutarch., Lysander 19. 223 Pindar. fr. 49 (ap. Plato, Gorgias 484 b). 224 Speusippus, fr. 193 SVF III 619. 225 [Plato] Minos 319 d; Homerus, Odyssea XIX 179. 226 Cf. Hebr. 7: 2. 227 Plato, Phaedrus 279 b-c. 228 Plato, Leg. V 742 e. 229 Prov. 17:6a. 230 Cf. Mt. 19:24. 231 Plato, Leg. V 736 e. 232 Plato, Alcibiades I, 135 c. 233 Cf. Mt. 11: 28—30. 234 Cf. Rom. 7: 14. 235 Plato, Leg. IX 859 d-e. 236 Cf. Is. 53: 3. 237 Plato, Politicus 259 a-b. 238 Вольная цитата из Plato, Leg. I 630 b-c. 239 Cf. Sir. 34: 8. 240 Xenocrates, fr. 9 (6 Heinze). 241 Epicharmus, fr. 249 Kaibel. 242 Heraclitus, fr. 1g Marcovich (19 DK). 243 О магнесийском камне см.: Plato, Ion 533 d-e. Климент использует два различных слова, обозначающих янтарь. 244 h(meUn pi sti» u(po lhyi» e(kou sio» kaiU pro lhyi» eu)gnw mwn proU katalh yew», prosdoki a deU [do ca] me llonto». 245 Cf. Rom. 4: 3. 246 Is. 54: 1; Gal. 4: 27. 247 Скорее пересказ, нежели цитата. Близкий по смыслу фрагмент см.: Is. 54: 2 sq. 248 Происхождение этого пассажа неизвестно. 249 Hab. 2: 4; Rom. 1: 17. 250 I Tim. 1: 18—19. 251 Barnabas, Epistula 1, 5, 2, 2—3. 252 Cf. Exod. 20: 13—16. 253 Термин стоический. См. SVF III 175, 431; Cicero, Tusculan. Disput. IV 6 13. 254 О трояком разделении благ см.: Aristotelis Ethica Nicom. I 8, 1098 b 12 sq. 255 Cf. Rom. 3: 20. 256 Cf. Gal. 3: 24. 257 Cf. Jes. 33: 11; 18: 23.32. 258 Cf. Prov. 10: 4; 5: 8. 259 Barnabas, Epistula 4, 11. 260 Cf. Excerpta ex Theotodo, 16, где Климент полагает, что речь здесь идет о Святом Духе, который валентиниане называют Духом Замысла Отца, а последователи Василида — Служителем. |
| Along with pan-Orthodox consent, the firm grounds for autocephaly should include a firm unanimity around this issue of the episcopate, clergy and church people of a particular country. There is no such unanimity today. A deep schism cannot be healed only through its legitimatization. And it means that the so-called autocephalous church in Ukraine – even if created by a tomos of Patriarch Bartholomew and supported by an edict of President Poroshenko and a decree of the Supreme Rada – will be a house built not on a solid foundation but on sand. And it will experience what the Saviour said, ‘And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it’ (Mt. 6:27). As for the canonical Ukrainian Church, we believe that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’ (Mt. 16:18). The Lord will reward its hierarchs, clergy and church people for their firm and courageous standing on the guard of canonical order. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church today is a confessor Church wrestling ‘not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places’ (Eph. 6:12). And from this struggle she will certainly come victorious DECR Communication Service /Patriarchia.ru Календарь ← 21 апреля 2024 г. (8 апреля ст.ст.) воскресенье Неделя 5-я Великого поста. Глас 5-й. Прп. Марии Египетской (переходящее празднование в 5-ю Неделю Великого поста). Апп. Иродиона, Агава, Асинкрита, Руфа, Флегонта, Ерма и иже с ними (I). Свт. Нифонта, еп. Новгородского (1156). Прп. Руфа, затворника Печерского, в Дальних пещерах (XIV). Мч. Павсилипа (117–138). Свт. Келестина, папы Римского (432). Сщмч. Сергия Родаковского пресвитера (1933). Литургия св. Василия Великого. Утр. – Ев. 2-е, Мк., 70 зач., XVI, 1–8 . Лит. – Евр., 321 зач. (от полу), IX, 11–14 . Мк., 47 зач., X, 32–45 . Прп.: Гал., 208 зач., III, 23–29 . Лк., 33 зач., VII, 36–50 . |
| They speak of freedom, but there are no free people, because they impose on human hearts and human consciences that which defaces man. They want a crowd, and an obedient one at that. They wish to flatten out every self-willed and disobedient person with their steam roller, and the name of that steam roller is, as you well know, NATO—that armed alliance, that brutal force, that “partnership for peace,” and yet wherever they appear, they bring disorder, war, bloodshed, and injustice. (The best example of this is Kosovo.) I remember how the martyred and tormented, both wrong and right, both guilty and innocent Radovan Karadzic used to talk. “That force,” he said, “seeks the reason for its existence. It is devising and imagining ways to find the reason for its existence.” That is why they invented that “partnership for peace,” while in actuality, wherever they show up they sow war. And they are preparing for a new war. As the Prophet said: They speak peace, peace, and they sow war, because war is in their heart (cf., Is. 59:8). Peace has never been spoken of more than today, and there have never been more wars. The Lord prophesied that, There will be wars and rumors of wars, there will be earthquakes, there will be disasters (cf., Mt. 24:6-8). But do not fool us, then, into thinking that this is the main thing. On the contrary, it suppresses that which is the main thing in man and in mankind, and that is God-likeness. This is why our Church, our faith, our tradition, our position and standing up for what we are, that is, our identity if you will, is man himself first and then the deeds of man, first the Image of God in man, and then business and organization around man. First the God-Man, and then everything else will be added. Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Mt. 6:33). Placing priority on the external relations, conditions, business, things, is actually a denying and despising of man and mankind as persons. |
| Arhiva Predica Preafericitului Patriarh Kiril inut în ajun de Marea Mare la mnstirea Ioan Boteztorul 9 aprilie 2012 20:33 Seara la 9 aprilie 2012 Preafericitul Patriarh al Moscovei i al întregii Rusii Kiril împreun cu clericii moscovii a oficiat utrenia din Marea Mare la mnstirea stavropighial de maici Ioan Boteztorul. Dup terminarea serviciului divin Preafericitul Patriarh Kiril s-a adresat ctre credincioi cu o predic. Înaltpreasfinia Voastr, maic Afanasia! Dragi prini, frai i surori! V salut pe toi cu ocazia zilei de Lunea Mare. Cu aceast zi începe Sptmâna Patimilor, o perioad cu totul deosebit în viaa cretinului. Este acel segment al timpului, care ne permite în mod mintal, duhovnicesc s ne atingem de tot ce a avut loc la Ierusalim, de tot ce a premers Învierii lui Hristos i tot ce a determinat prin Jertfa lui Hristos Mântuitorul mântuirea neamului omenesc. Ptrunzând cu vederea duhovniceasc în zilele pe care le trim, înelegând semnificaia lor, noi descoperim pentru sine ceva extrem de important. Citirile din ziua de azi sunt dedicate la dou teme – frnici i judecata, iar aceste teme sunt legate între ele. Frnicia este dedublarea sufletului, când omul triete pentru sine o via, are unele gânduri, iar în exterior arat un alt mod de via, alte cuvinte, alte gânduri. Cele spuse nu înseamn c fiecare din noi trebuie s-i deschid sufletul în faa primului necunoscut. Aceasta nu înseamn c omul trebuie s fie naiv. Uneori circumstanele vieii nu ne dau posibilitate s fim sinceri cu toii care sunt lâng noi. i Domnul niciodat i nicicând nu ne-a chemat la aceasta, ca noi s ne deschidem sufletul oricui. Mai mult ca atât, El ne-a prevenit despre faptul c s fim înelepi, prudeni, ca s nu aruncm mrgritare în faa porcilor, deoarece porcii se pot întoarce asupra noastr i ne pot sfâia (Mt. 7:6). Domnul ne cheam s fim înelepi ca erpii i nevinovai ca porumbeii (Mt. 10:16). Ce înseamn dar frnicia, pe care atât de mult o condamn Mântuitorul, mai ales în ajunul suferinelor Lui? Frnicia este o minciun, o minciun premeditat, când noi inducem în eroare pe alii, creând despre sine o imagine injust, un oarecare chip, care de fapt nu exist. Frnicia întotdeauna urmrete un scop concret – sau a face o carier, sau a obine bani, sau a deveni bogat, sau a ajunge la putere; anume un astfel de comportament Domnul condamn. |
| Como dice el Evangelista Juan, el Espíritu de Dios no solo descendió sobre Jesús sino que «permaneció sobre Él» ( Jn. 1:32–33 ). La voz de Dios Padre: »Este es,» según Mateo, o «Tú eres,» según Marcos y Lucas, «Mi Hijo muy amado en el que tengo puesta toda mi predilección,» es la indicación a Juan y al pueblo presente sobre la dignidad del Bautizado como Hijo de Dios en sentido personal, el Unigénito Hijo, en Quien la benevolencia de Dios Padre permanece eternamente. Con estas palabras el Padre Celestial responde a la plegaria de Su Divino Hijo dándole su bendición para el comienzo del enorme acto de servicio para la redención de la humanidad. Desde la antigüedad nuestra santa Iglesia celebra el Bautismo de Cristo el 6 de enero con el nombre de Teofania, porque con este acontecimiento la Santísima Trinidad fue revelada al mundo: Dios Padre, con la voz del cielo; Dios Hijo, a través del bautismo llevado a cabo por Juan en el Jordán; Dios Espíritu Santo, descendiendo sobre Jesucristo en forma de paloma. Los cuarenta días de ayuno y las tentaciones del demonio. ( Mt. 4:1–11 ; Mk. 1:12–13 ; Lk. 4:1–13 ). La narración sobre el ayuno de cuarenta días de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo y las posteriores tentaciones del demonio en el desierto está en los Evangelios sinópticos. San Mateo y san Lucas relatan esto en detalle, mientras que san Marcos solo hace una breve mención de ello. Después del bautismo «Jesús fue conducido por el Espíritu al desierto» situado entre Jericó y el Mar Muerto. Una de las montañas de este desierto todavía lleva el nombre de Cuarentena , pues el Señor ayunó allí durante cuarenta días. La primera acción del Espíritu Santo, que residía en Jesús por el bautismo, fue llevarlo al desierto, para que con ayuno y oración Él pudiera prepararse para el grandioso ministerio de salvar a la humanidad. Allí Jesucristo ayunó durante cuarenta días y cuarenta noches, es decir, transcurrió todo ese tiempo sin que Él ingiriese alimento alguno. Finalmente, «tuvo hambre» ( Mt. 4:2 ), esto es, el hambre llegó al extremo y también su debilitamiento. |
| Just as shadows follow a body, so do temptations follow the fulfillment of the commandments; for no one, as the Anthony the Great has said, will enter the Kingdom of heaven without temptations. Thus, do not be amazed, my son, that in caring for your salvation, you meet with temptations and sorrows. But endure them without disturbance and pray, thankful that for keeping the commandments you are vouchsafed to be in temptations for the instruction and testing of your soul. May the good God grant you attentiveness and patience during temptations. We are the creation and work of the good and man-loving God, Who said, As I live, I desire not the death of the ungodly, as that the ungodly should turn from his way and live (Ezek. 33:11). Likewise, I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance (Mt. 9:13). And thus, if this is true, and if we so believe, then Cast thy care upon the Lord and He will nourish thee (Ps. 54:25), that is, He will save you, for He cares for you. May He console your heart, my son, through the prayers of His saints. Amen. Well did Abba Poemen reason that the instruction not to take care for the morrow (Mt. 6:34) is given to a man who finds himself in temptations. And the saying, Cast thy care upon the Lord (Ps. 54:25) relates to the same thing. Thus, forsake, my son, human reasoning and have hope in God, which will accomplish much more than we suppose, and hope in God will comfort you. May the Lord help you, my son, through the prayers of the Saints. We should oppose such thoughts, for we dare not say that will shall live until tomorrow. To a certain very sick brother who had various bad thoughts as to who will take care of his needs. In the name of Jesus Christ, my brother, let us not have anything against our neighbor, for we should overcome and cover this with love. No one says to his neighbor, " Why don " t you love me? " But he himself, making himself worthy of love, attracts also his neighbor to love. And concerning the needs of the body, I will say that if someone is worthy of comfort, then God will instruct the heart of a Saracen to show him mercy according to his need; if he is not worthy, or if for his instruction it is not useful for him to be consoled, then even if he were to create an new heaven and a new earth, he would not find repose. And what you said about burdening your brother is apparently a self-justification; for no one, in helping his neighbor who desires salvation, in order to fulfill the commandment of God, will say to him, " I burden you. " He who hates those who upset him hates meekness, and he who flees from those who offend him, flees from repose in Christ. May the man-loving God cover us, my son, by His grace, through the prayers of all the saints. Amen. |
| Replacing Idol Worship with Worship of the True God: Ultimately, idolatry is what we do when we do not fully satisfy ourselves in God, instead seeking other sources of happiness and security. If we want to eliminate the idols from our hearts and leave no room for them to return, the cure is to pursue whole-heartedly an all-consuming worship of the living God. We must ask God to teach us how to love, fear, and have faith in Him above all else. Replacing idol worship with worship of the true God involves several steps: Repent before God. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” (Ps 50:19; Isaiah 66:2b) This is true worship. (1 Jn 1:8-10) Fear God. Stand in awe of the true God when we are tempted to fear another person or the loss of something precious. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom.” (Prov 1:7) “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mt 10:28) Love God. Desire the One who forgives us instead of looking to other things that cannot save: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind” and “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mt 22:37, 6:33) Have faith in God. “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” (Ps 118:8) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Prov 3:5) God has designed a wonderful cycle for those who want to worship Him above all things. As you love, praise, give thanks, and delight in God, you will look less to the things of this world for happiness, fulfillment, and security. By God’s grace, the influences of idolatry and conflict in your family will steadily diminish, and you and your family can enjoy the intimacy and security that come only from worshiping the one true God. Fr. John Mefrige has theological and psychological training, holding both a Master of Divinity from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and a Master of Science in Marital and Family Therapy from Fuller Theological Seminary. Presently he is pursuing a doctorate in Ethics and Christian Peacemaking. He is founding priest and Proistamenos at St. Ephraim the Syrian Antiochian Orthodox Church in San Antonio, Texas. He serves as chaplain to the San Antonio Police Department and is founder of the Coalition of Orthodox Peacemakers. For additional resources for those dealing with conflict, he recommends The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict by Ken Sande of Peacemaker Ministries. |
| Take a family, for example. I was born into a Serbian family in which the mother gave birth to ten children, six of whom are living. Imagine if Mother had treated everyone exactly the same way. There was equality for all in some ways, but not in all things. First of all, we were not given as equal by God: four sisters and two brothers, different sizes, different ages and compositions, different health, different appearances and gifts. For example, four sang nicely, and I and my youngest sister were poor singers, and we were all in the same family. Such a thing as imposed equality cannot exist, as Saint Nikolaj Velimirovic used to say, an equality of the kind that would cut off people’s heads. There is another kind of equality, true equality: we are all children of God, we are all brothers. But you cannot even make the fingers on your hands equal; you cannot trim them down to make them all the same size. Today’s steam roller of the world order wants to bring equality everywhere, but what is actually happening is that a group of tyrannical people, or rather inhuman creatures of their own interests and goals, are trying to submit all others to it. Do not tell me that those who have entered the European Union are free. Go there and try to live in Switzerland or Sweden. Ask our people who used to live there what their marriages are like, what their families are like, what are their children like. The trough is not for man, the gutter is not for man, even bread by itself is not for man, as precious as it is, for the Lord said: Man shall not live by bread alone (Mt. 5:4). I say all this not to deny the need for human organization, society, order, and business and things, but, as they say, “Do not put the carriage in front of the horse.” We know what needs to come first, what second, and what third in life. The Lord said: Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Mt. 6:33). In another place, Christ said: These things also ought to be done and not disregarded . |
| There are two ways to deal with this reality. First, reduce our mindfulness of things that are out of our control (internet, news, media, politics, Hollywood, fashion, marketing, etc.). And second, increase our awareness and practice of an all-encompassing and transcending Orthodox faithfulness. Here are some tips: 1. You are baptized, chrismated, go to confession, and partake regularly of the Holy Eucharist. Because of this, evil is held at bay. Unlike those outside the Church, you are not so susceptible to the influences of “the rulers, the authorities, the world rulers of this darkness, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” ” (Eph. 6:12). You are not of the world but called out of the world to wage victorious warfare against these powers. This assumes a position of strength, not weakness. 2. This is God’s world, and we better not forget it. He made it, it belongs to Him, and He is guiding history and events for the salvation of all. It is our song that rings, “Our God is in the heavens and on the earth, He does whatever He wills.” It is our God who said, “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer [take courage], I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33). It is our God who desires to gather us “as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings” (Mt. 23:37). It is our God who said, “I will build My church, and the gates of hades will not overpower it” (Mt. 16:18). That means hades is being attacked by us! 3. Cry out to God and the saints! Be bold! Take those desires for God’s help out of your head and get them going out of your mouth: “Lord help me, darn it! Strip away the fear and give me boldness. Empower me to see the grace of the Sacraments of which I partake. Drive the cloud of circular thinking off my head and teach me peace. O Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!” Don’t just think these things; shout them out. When under the threat of a barbarian invasion, the faithful of Constantinople gathered in church to call on God for help. As a result of this faithful action on their part, the Mother of God appeared over them, spreading her protecting veil over them (as she is always doing), and the danger was averted. |
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