| The book of the Acts of the Apostles narrates many miraculous healings and exorcism of evil spirits accomplished by invocation of the name of the Incarnate Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, one should use the name of God with awe and reverence as, for example, in pious prayer, in preaching, in serious religious conversations, and in similar well-intended activities. Using God’s name in an oath is permitted only in special circumstances such as judicial proceedings (Hebrews 6:16-17). The name of God invoked attentively and piously always draws to man Divine Grace. It brings to him enlightenment of mind and gladness of heart. The Fourth Commandment “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days thou shalt labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Here the Lord God directs us to labor during six days according to our vocation and the seventh day of the week to dedicate to Him, either in rest or in good activities. Activities that are pleasing to Him include concern about saving one’s soul, prayer in church and at home, study of the word of God, enlightenment of mind and heart with meditation on spiritual subjects, religious discussions, helping the needy, visiting the sick and the imprisoned, giving succor to the grieving and other similar acts of mercy. During Old Testament times the Sabbath (“Shabbash” in ancient Hebrew means “rest”) was celebrated in remembrance of God’s completion of the world in six “days,” after which God “rested,” blessing and sanctifying the seventh day (Genesis 2:3). Following the captivity in Babylon after 400 B.C., the Jewish scribes reinterpreted the commandment regarding the Sabbath in an overly rigorous way and forbade on that day any activity. The Gospels relate that the scribes accused even the Savior of transgressing the Sabbath when on that day He cured someone. Correcting their misinterpretation on the fourth commandment, the Lord explained to them that “the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27) i.e., the Sabbath rest was established for the benefit of man and not for his subjugation or deprivation of good works. |
| The Beginnings: Second and Third Centuries By the second century, the very ‘structure’ of initiation in the early Church included instruction in preparation for baptism. The length of this preparation varied and often spanned several years. Then, “As many as are persuaded and believe that these things which we teach are true, and undertake to live accordingly, are taught to pray and ask God, while fasting, for the forgiveness of their sins; and we pray and fast with them” for one or two days—Saturday only, or Friday and Saturday—a fast without any food or drink. By the mid-third century, in many but not all places, the fast had lengthened to six days. Few could have kept a week of total fast. In some places, bread and salt were eaten Monday through Thursday after the ninth hour, then, those who could, kept a total fast Friday and Saturday. On Holy Saturday, those who had been elected as being ready for illumination would meet together as catechumens for the last time. Here they are “catechized” by undergoing a final exorcism; they renounce Satan, are anointed with the “oil of exorcism” which has been blessed along with the chrism the preceding Holy Thursday, and recite the Creed which they have memorized since hearing it in the fourth scrutiny [on the preceding Sunday]. They kneel for prayer, and are then dismissed, being told to go home “and await the hour when the grace of God in baptism shall be able to enfold you.” Dionysius of Alexandria, in writing his Letter to Basiliades around 260, provides us the earliest source for an incipient ritual of Holy Week. Dionysius takes great pains to link each day and hour of Holy Week to events in Christ’s passion, sojourn in the tomb and resurrection. The Syriac Didascalia do the same. Hippolytus’ Apostolic Tradition (ca. 215) and Cyprian (d. 258) both link the hours of prayer—for Holy Week and throughout the year—with specific events during Christ’s final week. The Formative Age: Fourth Century Cyril of Jerusalem, in the Catechetical Homilies he delivered ca. 350, makes no mention of daily commemorations and ritual. The Cross and the Resurrection, for example, were part of a single, united celebration on Saturday night, for which the six days of fasting were simply preparation. Friday did not yet specifically commemorate the crucifixion. But the “current of the times” in the fourth century was a historicizing one: eschatological notions were giving way to historical commemoration. |
| (f) The liturgical vestments to be used on weekdays of Lent are dark, theoretically purple. The order for the weekday Lenten services is to be found in the Triodion ( " Monday of the first week of Lent " ). Of special importance are the regulations concerning the singing of the Canon. Lent is the only season of the liturgical year that has preserved the use of the nine biblical odes, which formed the original framework of the Canon. (3) Non-Liturgical Days The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts On weekdays of Lent (Monday through Friday) the celebration of the Divine Liturgy is strictly forbidden. They are non-liturgical days, with one possible exception – the Feast of Annunciation (then the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom is prescribed after Vespers). The reason for this rule is that the Eucharist is by its very nature a festal celebration, the joyful commemoration of Christ’s Resurrection and presence among His disciples. (For further elaboration of this point cf. my note " Eucharist and Communion " in St. Vladimir’s Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 2, April 1957, pp. 31-33.) But twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, the Church prescribes the celebration after Vespers, i.e., in the evening of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (cf. the order of this service in I. Hapgood, The Service Book, pp. 127-146.) It consists of solemn Great Vespers and communion with the Holy Gifts consecrated on the previous Sunday. These days being days of strict fasting (theoretically: complete abstinence) are " crowned " with the partaking of the Bread of Life, the ultimate fulfillment of all our efforts. One must acknowledge the tragical neglect of these rules in many American parishes. The celebration of the so called " requiem liturgies " on non-liturgical days constitutes a flagrant violation of the universal tradition of Orthodoxy and cannot be justified from either theological or pastoral points of view. They are remnants of " uniatism " in our Church and are in contradiction with both – the Orthodox doctrine of the commemoration of the dead and the Orthodox doctrine of Eucharist and its function in the Church. Everything must be done in order to restore the real liturgical principles of Lent. (4) Saturdays of Lent |
| (f) The liturgical vestments to be used on weekdays of Lent are dark, theoretically purple. The order for the weekday Lenten services is to be found in the Triodion (“Monday of the first week of Lent”). Of special importance are the regulations concerning the singing of the Canon. Lent is the only season of the liturgical year that has preserved the use of the nine biblical odes, which formed the original framework of the Canon. (3) Non-Liturgical Days The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts On weekdays of Lent (Monday through Friday) the celebration of the Divine Liturgy is strictly forbidden. They are non-liturgical days, with one possible exception – the Feast of Annunciation (then the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom is prescribed after Vespers). The reason for this rule is that the Eucharist is by its very nature a festal celebration, the joyful commemoration of Christ’s Resurrection and presence among His disciples. (For further elaboration of this point cf. my note “Eucharist and Communion” in St. Vladimir’s Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 2, April 1957, pp. 31-33.) But twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, the Church prescribes the celebration after Vespers, i.e., in the evening of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (cf. the order of this service in I. Hapgood, The Service Book, pp. 127-146.) It consists of solemn Great Vespers and communion with the Holy Gifts consecrated on the previous Sunday. These days being days of strict fasting (theoretically: complete abstinence) are “crowned” with the partaking of the Bread of Life, the ultimate fulfillment of all our efforts. One must acknowledge the tragical neglect of these rules in many American parishes. The celebration of the so called “requiem liturgies” on non-liturgical days constitutes a flagrant violation of the universal tradition of Orthodoxy and cannot be justified from either theological or pastoral points of view. They are remnants of “uniatism” in our Church and are in contradiction with both – the Orthodox doctrine of the commemoration of the dead and the Orthodox doctrine of Eucharist and its function in the Church. Everything must be done in order to restore the real liturgical principles of Lent. (4) Saturdays of Lent |
| The DECR chairman added that the Days of Russia in foreign countries with religious events is one of such instruments. “This project traces its origin to the Days of Russia in Latin America in 2008. Divine services, concerts, and meetings with our compatriots living in different countries of the region held by Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, the then chairman of the Department for External Church Relations (now His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus " ), were a momentous event and provided a powerful impetus for the promotion of Russian culture in the countries of Latin America " . Metropolitan Anthony noted that over time the Days of Russia’s Spiritual Culture have acquired a wider geographical scope and been implemented in a large number of countries on different continents. The format of these events is very diverse. It consists of performances by choral groups, including church ones, exhibitions of works by national artists featuring religious subjects, as well as international conferences and discussion platforms that are to develop and strengthen cultural and spiritual ties. The DECR chairman continued to say that the present difficult times have left their mark on the programme of the Days. Due to the reversal policy towards culture pursued by some Western states, the focus in making the list of countries for hosting the events has shifted to the near abroad countries, Africa and Asia. However, it would be erroneous to speak about a complete break of cultural relations with Western society, because, for instance, the Days of Russia were held in France in the autumn 2022 and in Serbia in September 2023. The archpastor is confident that “these events serve as a manifestation of cultural public diplomacy that is much in demand in the present challenging political situation. It is impossible not to note special importance of such events to our compatriots living abroad. Thanks to these events, they have an opportunity to keep so important spiritual ties with their Fatherland and its spiritual traditions in a foreign cultural environment.” |
| The text of lines 1 and 2: 1´ [Year 1 of Kand]alanu, ´month´ [..., day ..., last appearance.] 2´ [Year 1, mont]h 4, day 24, in fro[nt of ... the Crab, first appearance.] Comments: As is seen, the last and first visibility of Saturn is dated to year, month, and day in the lunar calendar of the Babylonians. As the Babylonian lunar months began in the evening of the first visibility of the moon after conjunction, there are two mutually independent cycles that can be combined to test the correctness of the chronology: the lunar first visibility cycle of 29.53 days, and the Saturn visibility cycle of 378.09 days. 57 Saturn cycles of 378.09 days make almost exactly 59 solar years. As explained by C. B. F. Walker, the translator of the tablet: “A complete cycle of Saturn phenomena in relation to the stars takes 59 years. But when that cycle has to be fitted to the lunar calendar of 29 or 30 days then identical cycles recur at intervals of rather more than 17 centuries.Thus there is no difficulty in determining the date of the present text.” – C. B. F. Walker, “Babylonian Observations of Saturn during the Reign of Kandalanu,” in N. M. Swerdlow (ed.), Ancient Astronomy and Celestial Divination(Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London: 1999), p. 63. Emphasis added. (Walker’s article, with picture, is available on the web: http://www.caeno.org/EponymZpdf/Walker Saturn%20in%20Kandalanu%20reign.pdf) The modern program used here for finding the last and first visibility of Saturn and the first visibility of the Moon (the latter is compared with the computations of Peter Huber used by C. B. F. Walker) is Planetary, Lunar, and Stellar Visibility 3, available at the following site: As explained in the introduction to the program, exact dating of ancient visibility phenomena is not possible. While the margin of uncertainty in the calculations of the first visibility of the moon is no more than one day, it can be several days for some planets due to uncertainties in the arcus visionis, variations in the planetary magnitude, atmospheric effects, weather and other observational circumstances. |
| Wherefore, if that city is rightly held as prophetically representing the Church of the Gentiles, to wit, as brought down by penitence, so as no longer to be what it had been, since this was done by Christ in the Church of the Gentiles, which Nineveh represented, Christ Himself was signified both by the forty and by the three days: by the forty, because He spent that number of days with His disciplesafter the resurrection, and then ascended into heaven, but by the three days, because He rose on the third day. So that, if the reader desires nothing else than to adhere to the history of events, he may be aroused from his sleep by the Septuagint interpreters, as well as the prophets, to search into the depth of the prophecy, as if they had said, In the forty days seek Him in whom you may also find the three days – the one you will find in His ascension, the other in His resurrection. Because that which could be most suitably signified by both numbers, of which one is used by Jonah the prophet, the other by the prophecy of the Septuagint version, the one and self-same Spirit has spoken. I dread prolixity, so that I must not demonstrate this by many instances in which the seventy interpreters may be thought to differ from the Hebrew, and yet, when well understood, are found to agree. For which reason I also, according to my capacity, following the footsteps of the apostles, who themselves have quoted prophetic testimonies from both, that is, from the Hebrew and the Septuagint, have thought that both should be used as authoritative, since both are one, and divine. But let us now follow out as we can what remains. Chapter 45.– That the Jews Ceased to Have Prophets After the Rebuilding of the Temple, and from that Time Until the Birth of Christ Were Afflicted with Continual Adversity, to Prove that the Building of Another Temple Had Been Promised by Prophetic Voices. The Jewish nation no doubt became worse after it ceased to have prophets, just at the very time when, on the rebuilding of the temple after the captivity in Babylon, it hoped to become better. |
| Continuing the series of diocesan presentations, videos depicting the life of the OCA’s Romanian Episcopate, the Diocese of the South and the Archdiocese of Washington DC were aired. Archpriest Eric G. Tosi and Priests David Rucker and John Parker described the first-ever OCA Mission School, held in Detroit in the spring of 2015. The highly successful week-long school was entirely supported by a bequest of nearly million received by the OCA. A second Mission School will be offered in a different region in 2016. Newly elected representatives for open Metropolitan Council and Pension Board positions were announced at the conclusion of the session. Archpriests Antonio Perdomo and Thomas Moore were elected Metropolitan Council clergy representatives for six-year and three-year terms respectively, while Priest Elijah Muller will serve as alternate. Elected as lay representatives for six-year and three-year terms respectively were Matushka Kitty Vitko and Larry Skvir. Michael Strelka will serve as alternate. Priest Gleb McFatter and Archpriest John Zdinak were elected Pension Board clergy representatives for six-year and three-year terms respectively, while Matushka Mary Buletza Breton and Barry Gluntz were elected as lay representatives for six-year and three-year terms respectively as lay representatives. Michael Mezmar will serve as alternate. In related news, delegates once again attended their choice of ten different workshops on topics ranging from Clergy Self Help and Parish Finances to Preaching on Campuses and the Use of the Web. The workshops were also offered on Wednesday afternoon to afford participants to attend multiple sessions. Protodeacon Peter Danilchick described the work of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America and the direction in which it is heading. Alexei Krindatch, the Assembly’s Research Coordinator, reported on his recent survey detailing giving trends in Orthodox Christian parishes throughout the US. At the outset, he noted that, of all the jurisdictions that participated in the survey, the OCA and its clergy were the most cooperative and responsive. From the data submitted, he concluded that there are two major factors that lead people to give more to the Church—greater Orthodox unity and cooperation and a greater emphasis on mission. [ Several selections of Mr. Krindatch’s various past survey results may be found here .] |
| 415 Hall. Theological outlines. Vol. III. Pg. 116–118. Сравн. Stone. Op. cit. Pg. 197. Сравн. Percival. Op. cit. Pg. 148–149. Последний признает вопрос о материи таинства покаяния спорным. „What is, пишет он, the matter of the sacrament is a point greatly disputed and upon wich even now there is no consensus of opinion among theologians; some holding that it is the absolution together with the laying on of the Priest’s hand, either physically or at least morally; others that it is the sin confessed; others more vaguely that it is the whole action. These are, broadly speaking, the main opinions, though each theologian has some special view of his own – Thomists and Scotists being on opposite sides».... 422 Stone. Op. cit. Pg. 198. Сравн. Hall. Op. cit. Vol. III. Pg. 119–120. Сравн. Percival. Op. cit. Pg. 150. 424 Percival. A digest of theology. Pg. 153. Сравн. Hall. Theological outlines. Vol.III. Pg. 122. Сравн. Stone. Outlines of christian dogma. Pg. 207–209. 435 Percival. А digest of theology. Pg. 161. Сравн. Stone. Op. cit. Pg. 212–213. Сравн. Percival. The inspiration of holy Scripture and six other essays. Ritchie. The Indissolubility of Marriage. Pg. 151. 436 Percival. A digest of theology. Pg. 158. Сравн. Stone. Op. cit. Pg. 211–212. Сравн. Percival. The inspiraton of holy Scripture and six other essays. Ritchie. The Indissolubility of Marriage. Pg. 143–144. 437 Percival. А digest of theology. Pg. 158. Сравн. Hall. Theological outlines. Vol. III. Pg. 128–129. 439 Percival. The inspiration of holy Scripture and six other essays. Ritchie. The Indissolubility of Marriage. Pg. 156–158. 440 Percival. The inspiration of holy Scripture and six other essays. Ritchie. The Indissolubility of Marriage. Pg. 164–202. Сравн. Stone. Outlines of christian dogma. Pg. 213–216. 441 Что англиканская церковь не дозволяет вторичного брака при жизни другой половины, по Персивалю, видно, во 1-х из того, что в форме совершения брака, употребляемой в этой церкви, умалчивается о том, чтобы какая-либо половина обрачившихся могла вступить во второй брак при жизни другой половины, во 2-х из того, что каноны 106–107 1603 г. утверждают, что развод супругов в случае прелюбодеяния какой-либо одной половины может состояться (pronounced) лишь в том случае, если ищущий развода даст твердое обязательство в том, что он не вступит в брак, пока его разведшаяся другая половина остается живою. |
| Свят. Амвросий говорит об этой работе первого дня как об «основании» мира: «Хороший архитектор кладет сперва основание, и затем, когда основание уже положено, задумывает различные части строения, одну за другой, и затем прибавляет к этому украшения... Почему же Бог не даровал стихиям в то же самое время, как они возникли, свойственные им украшения, как если бы Он, в самый момент творения был не способен заставить небо тотчас же мерцать усеивающими его звездами и землю быть одеянной цветами и плодами? Так вполне бы могло быть. Писание, однако, указывает, что вещи были сперва сотворены и лишь затем приведены в порядок, чтобы не думали, будто они не были в действительности сотворены и, будто они имели начала, как если бы природа вещей была, как бы то ни было произведена от начала и не представлялась чем-то привнесенным впоследствии» (Six Days, 1:7, p. 26, 28–29). Преп. Ефрем говорит: «(Он) сказал, желая показать, что пустота была прежде природ (вещей)... Была тогда одна земля и кроме нее ничего другого не было» (стр. 211–212). «И тма верх бездны» ( Быт. 1:2 ). Воды Бездны были созданы вместе с землей и полностью покрывали землю. В этом была причина ее незавершенного внешнего вида. Отцы допускают, что был некий свет, созданный с небесами, поскольку небеса суть область света; но если так, то облака, покрывающие землю, препятствовали его проникновению на землю. Преп. Ефрем пишет: «Если все сотворенное (хотя написано или не написано о сотворении того) сотворено в шесть дней; то облака сотворены в первый день... Ибо надлежало, чтобы все было сотворено в шесть дней» (гл. I, стр. 212). (Это, между прочим, еще одно указание, что делание шести дней отлично от продолжающейся после того творческой активности Бога, и что мы не можем понять его путем обратной проекции нашего настоящего опыта). Свят. Амвросий специально опровергает мнение, что тма здесь означает аллегорические силы зла (Six Days, 1:8). ( Быт. 1:2 ). «И дух Божий ношашеся верху воды». Здесь мы видим активность Третьего Лица Святой Троицы в деле творения. Свят. Амвросий пишет: |
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