| John Anthony McGuckin Alexandria, Patriarchate of MATTHEW J. PEREIRA The patriarchate of Alexandria flourished as one of the premier centers of Eastern Christian intellectual, ecclesial, and political life until the middle of the 7th century. Initially, the patriarchate of Alexandria was ranked second to Rome in ecclesial priority. In 381 the third canon of the Second Ecumenical Council declared that the patriarchate of Constantinople would henceforth rank higher than Alexandria and thus it assumed precedence in the whole East, a state of affairs initially resisted in Egypt. In 451 the 28th canon of the Fourth Ecumenical Council reaffirmed the priority of the patriarchate of Constantinople over that of Alexandria. Despite being overshadowed by the sees of Rome and Constantinople, the patriarchate of Alexandria undoubtedly set the foundational framework and trajectory for Christian theology. For example, the Logos theologians of Alexandria, most notably Clement (ca. 150–215) and Origen (ca. 185-ca. 251), significantly shaped future patristic reflections upon the person and nature of Jesus Christ. Also, Alexandrian hierarchs such as St. Athanasius of Alexandria (ca. 293–373) and St. Cyril of Alexandria (ca. 378–444) advanced what would become the classical Orthodox expression of the mystery of the incarnate Lord. Within the Roman Empire, theological and political allegiances often aligned together in ways that could either strengthen or weaken any given patriarchate, whether Rome, Constantinople, or another major see. In this volatile context, the patriarchate of Alexandria managed to grow into a significant political force. Further, in the 3rd century, Egyptian monasticism developed into a burgeoning movement that indelibly shaped Alexandrian Christianity (Chitty 1999). In brief, the convergence of the ecclesial, political, theological, and monastic streams into one dynamic confluence infused Alexandrian Christianity with long-lasting vitality. The following summary begins with a brief historical sketch of the city of Alexandria, followed by a list of the patriarchs of Alexandria from the 1st century up to the 8th. There then follows an overview of the most influential bishops, pivotal councils, and exceptional theological and spiritual movements that bear witness to the enduring significance of the patriarchate of Alexandria. |
| John Anthony McGuckin Antioch, Patriarchate of JOHN A. MCGUCKIN Antioch has a glorious Christian past. It was here that one of the most vibrant Christian communities in the apostolic age sprang up, and here that the first tentative workings out of the relation between Jewish and Gentile disciples of Jesus took place. The Apostle Peter was based here as a leader of the church community before he moved towards his martyrdom at Rome, and many scholars believe that it was in this church also that the Gospel of Matthew received its final editing and arrangement in the Greek text. It was one of the main cities of the international Christian world, third-ranking city of the Roman Empire (after Rome and Alexandria), site of great achievements and momentous struggles, with several martyrdoms during the time of the Roman persecutions, that made it feature high in the calendar of the saints. But the advances of Islam from the 7th century onwards left Antioch’s Christian civilization in a state of slow suffocation. It was also vulnerable to sociopolitical changes because of the way its ecclesiastical territories (those churches that looked to Antioch for guidance and which followed its traditions) were so widely scattered and into such impassable mountain territory, which made communication so hard to sustain but so easily disrupted. Several of Antioch’s greatest theologians have left their mark on the church’s universal patristic tradition: writers such as Mar Theodore the Interpreter (of Mopsuestia), St. John Chrysostom, Mar John of Antioch, Theodoret of Cyr, and numerous ascetics and saints such as Sadhona, or Isaac of Niniveh. The cultural and theological sphere of influence exercised by the Syrian Church in its time of glory was much greater than the (very large) extent of its ancient territories. The Syrian ritual gave the substructure to the Byzantine liturgical rite, for example. It was also the Syrians who perfected the art of setting poetic synopses of Scripture to sung melodies. The church’s greatest poets such as Ephrem and Romanos the Melodist were Syrians who taught this theological style to Byzantium and prepared the way for the glories of medieval Orthodox liturgical chant. The Syrian Church, especially in its Golden |
| Accept The site uses cookies to help show you the most up-to-date information. By continuing to use the site, you consent to the use of your Metadata and cookies. Cookie policy Metropolitan Hilarion: Patriarch Bartholomew is not free in his actions On October 27, during ‘The Church and the World’ program aired by Russia-24 TV channel on Saturdays and Sundays, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations, answered questions from its host Ekaterina Gracheva. E. Gracheva: Good afternoon! This is ‘The Church and the World’ program in which we talk with the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk. Good afternoon, Your Eminence! Metropolitan Hilarion: Good afternoon, Ekaterina! Good afternoon, dear brothers and sisters! E. Gracheva: A few days ago in the Vatican, you met with Pope Francis of Rome. At present, the dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church appears to be quite developed. What can explain the more frequent contacts with the Roman Catholic Church today? Are those right who say that Western Christians are now closer to us than our brothers from Constantinople? Metropolitan Hilarion: The relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church have received a new impetus for development after Patriarch Kirill met with Pope Francis in Havana two and a half years ago. I should say that before that meeting, the contacts were held on a regular basis as well. I would not say that they have become more frequent. During Pope Francis’ pontificate, I met with him 7 times, that is, on average I meet him once a year. Usually it takes place in autumn, also because in autumn the Synod of the Roman Catholic Church holds its meetings to which observers from several Orthodox Churches are invited. For many years now, I have come there as an observer from the Russian Orthodox Church. Usually, I come for one or two days. I am given 10 or 12 minutes to set forth the Russian Church’s point of view on a particular topic, as, indeed, we have a regular students exchange, groups of staffers or priests come to us from the Vatican and we send our staffers or priests to the Vatican. For a third year now, we have held two weeks-long Summer Institutes at the Church Institute for Post-Graduate and Doctorate Studies. On the sidelines of the Synod, I always meet with the Pope. Usually, it is an audience, which lasts for about an hour and allows of discussing issues on the agenda of our bilateral relations. |
| If we look at the lives or the works of Western Christians during the so-called " Dark Ages " , the period from about 450 to 1050, we are invariably struck by their intellectual and cultural weakness their unformed, immature, even crude, theological outlook. Whereas in the third and fourth centuries we are able to find great Fathers (Blessed Jerome, Blessed Augustine), making their theological contribution to the development of Orthodoxy in the West, and also those who were working to spread the influence of Eastern Orthodoxy in the West (St. Hilary of Poitiers, St. Martin of Tours, St. John Cassian), in the sixth to eleventh centuries, there is a breakdown in the intellectual and cultural growth of the West. There are few indeed at this time who can stand comparison with the great mystical theologians of the East, where the great Ecumenical Councils were held and where the Faith was being formulated. Rome itself fades as an intellectual centre at this time. The light of knowledge was kept in distant places, by St. Isidore in Spain, Bede the Venerable in Britain, Irish Christians, some of whom knew Greek. Their knowledge, however, was vastly inferior to that of the Eastern Fathers, and a man like John Scotus Erigena, who translated some of the 'Pseudo-Dionysius' into Latin in the ninth century, stands out like a beacon in the darkness of ignorance. The holy men and women of the West in the 'Dark Ages' are as different from the great Egyptian, Syrian and Greek mystics of the multi-cultural Orient as Carolingian or Anglo-Saxon iconography is from post-iconoclast Byzantine iconography. Yet, although there were social, political and economic divergences between East and West, the Church was One. There were local, cultural variations in the practice of the Faith, but at heart Christians were united in their confession of the Orthodox, Catholic Faith. The East was a new and flourishing foundation, intellectually and culturally climbing to its zenith, the West was a fallen Empire, isolated by the Mohammedans from the cultural riches of Constantinople. The West was politically crippled by pagan onslaughts and invasions, living without a great cultural or intellectual awareness of the Faith and searching anywhere for political and military support against its enemies. It was even willing to crown a Frankish king and set up a Western Empire for the sake of self-protection. Spiritual unity, however, remained. |
| John Anthony McGuckin Africa, Orthodoxy in JUSTIN M. LASSER Christianity on the African continent begins its story, primarily, in four separate locales: Alexandrine and Coptic Egypt, the North African region surrounding the city of Carthage, Nubia, and the steppes of Ethiopia. The present synopsis will primarily address the trajectories of the North African Church, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and the Nubian Orthodox Church. The affairs of Christian Alexandria and the Coptic regions have their own treatments elsewhere in the encyclopedia. ROMAN-COLONIAL NORTH AFRICA After the Romans sacked the city of Carthage in 146 during the Third Punic War, they began a sustained colonizing campaign that slowly transformed the region (modern Tunisia and Libya) into a partially “Romanized” society. In most instances, however, the cultural transformations were superficial, affecting predominantly the trade languages and local power structures. It was Julius Caesar who laid the plans for Carthage’s reemergence as Colonia Junonia in 44 bce. This strong colonial apparatus made North African Christians especially susceptible to persecution by the Roman authorities on the Italian Peninsula. Because the economic power of Carthage was an essential ingredient in the support of the citizens in the city of Rome, the Romans paid careful attention to the region. The earliest extant North African Christian text, the Passion of the Scillitan Martyrs (180 ce), reflects a particularly negative estimation of the Roman authorities. Saturninus, the Roman proconsul, made this appeal to the African Christians: “You can win the indulgence of our ruler the Emperor, if you return to a sensible mind.” The Holy Martyr Speratus responded by declaring: “The empire of this world I know not; but rather I serve that God, whom no one has seen, nor with these eyes can see. I have committed no theft; but if I have bought anything I pay the tax; because I know my Lord, the King of kings and Emperor of all nations.” This declaration was a manifestation of what the Roman authorities feared most about the Christians – their proclamation of a “rival” emperor, Jesus Christ, King of kings. The Holy Martyr Donata expressed that sentiment most clearly: “Honor to Caesar as Caesar: but fear to God.” Within the Roman imperial fold such declarations were not merely interpreted as “religious” expressions, but political challenges. As a result the Roman authorities executed the Scillitan Christians, the proto-martyrs of Africa. Other such persecutions formed the character and psyche of North African Christianity. It became and remained a “persecuted” church in mentality, even after the empire was converted to Christianity. |
| Н.М. Солнцева Н.М. Зернов родился 9 октября 1898 г. в семье московского врача. В 1917 г. он окончил Поливановскую гимназию, а затем поступил на медицинский факультет Московского университета. В 1921 г. Зернов покинул родину. На Западе он стал известным мыслителем, исследователем интеллектуальной и духовной жизни России. Слишком мало книг было издано им в эмиграции на русском языке. Среди них – труд о культуре Серебряного века «Русское религиозное возрождение» (1974) и историко-философские размышления «Вселенская Церковь и Русское Православие» (1952). Западному читателю известны труды Зернова «Moscow the Third Rome» (1937), “St. Sergius, Builder of Russia” (1939), “The Church of the Eastern Christians” (1942), “Three Russian Prophets Khomiakov, Dostoevsky, Soloviev” (1944, 1974), “The Russians and Their Church” (1945), “The Reintegration of the Church” (1952), “Ruslands Kirke of Nordens Kirker” (1954), “The Christian East” (1956), “Eastern Christendom” (1961), “Orthodox Encounter” (1961) и др. «Три русских пророка: Хомяков, Достоевский, Соловьев» одновременно филологический и богословский труд, который стоит в ряду таких гуманитарных исследований русских эмигрантов, как «О тьме и просветлении. Книга художественной критики. Бунин. Ремизов. Шмелев» И. Ильина , «О Достоевском» Н. Арсеньева, «Миросозерцание Достоевского», « Константин Леонтьев », «Хомяков» Н. Бердяева , «Русская стихия и Достоевский» Б. Вышеславцева , «Н. В. Гоголь» протоиерея Василия (Зеньковского), «Духовный путь Гоголя», «Владимир Соловьев», «Федор Достоевский» К. Мочульского, «Достоевский», «Достоевский и Толстой» Ф. Степуна, «Достоевский и Европа» протоиерея Георгия (Флоровского) и др. И историю, и литературу Зернов не отделял от религиозной мысли. Героями его книг были и пророки, и русские писатели. Задаваясь вопросом, в чем святыня и задача России, он высказывал глубокое убеждение в том, что в ХХ в. судьба человечества более чем когда-либо связана с судьбой России, а судьба России связана с русской интеллигенцией. Однако он полагал, что христианская цивилизация пребывает в опасности и ее будущее зависит от того, насколько общество и власть принимают Церковь . В своих работах он писал о кризисе самосознания русской интеллигенции в предреволюционные годы: даже религиозное возрождение России в начале ХХ в. не смягчило мировоззренческий конфликт между творческой элитой и Церковью . Он упрекнул русскую интеллигенцию начала века в приверженности атеизму, материализму и социализму. Он прямо говорил, что она уничтожила государственный строй. Лишь увидев дело своих рук, она обратилась к опыту русских пророков, среди которых – А. Хомяков, Ф. Достоевский, В. Соловьев. |
| Michael Prokurat, Alexander Golitzin, Michael D. Peterson Скачать epub pdf ANTIOCH ANTIOCH. This capital of the Seleucid Empire was founded in 300 B.C., and was the center of Hellenistic culture on the east Mediterranean seaboard from Palestine to Asia Minor (q.v.) and inland to Mesopotamia. Its incorporation into the Roman Empire (q.v.) in the 1st c. B.C. gave it a place as the third city of the realm and capital of the “East.” Site of a Christian church from the beginnings of the faith and the place where the followers of Christ were first called Christians (e.g., Acts 11:19 ff.), traditionally its first bishop was identified as the Apostle Peter. We know from the Pauline corpus that the church there supported Paul’s anti-Judaizing policy, and at least one of the Gospels was written there. The seven letter corpus of Ignatius (q.v.) is also associated with Antioch. Its bishop was ranked as third in importance, after Rome and Alexandria (qq.v.), and recognized as such by the First Ecumenical Council (q.v.) at Nicaea (325). Just as with Alexandria, Antioch had its own distinctive tradition of scriptural exegesis and theological approach, although unlike Alexandrians the Antiochenes tended to eschew allegory (q.v.) and favor a more literal, historical approach to the sacred texts. This had its consequences in Christology (q.v.). Antiochene writers and scholars preferred a greater emphasis on the humanity of Jesus than was generally characteristic of the Alexandrians, so much so that it sometimes appeared the unity of God and man in Christ was imperiled. Of the most notable Antiochene exegetes-Diodore of Tarsus, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret of Cyrrhus (qq.v.), for example-only the last narrowly escaped posthumous condemnation. Antiochene theology held great sway in Constantinople, and resultingly in the entire Empire, through the Cappadocian Fathers and the Antiochene bishop transferred there, Joh n Chrysostom (qq.v.). The Christological controversies in the aftermath of the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451) resulted in the loss of Antioch’s power. |
| Linking Christianity and Libya: The Emergence of a New Tolerance When Libya is mentioned, several connotations come to mind: the green flag, the eccentric Colonel Gaddafi, the vast desert, and probably oil. Since Libya’s revolution, we can add to this imagined picture of Libya those half-ton trucks that carry heavy gunners. However, there is much more to Libya than this. It would likely surprise many to learn that Christianity is much indebted to Libya and, moreover, that today it seems as though Libya is developing the potential to recognize this. Remains of Byzantine church at L " Atrun, Libya It is interesting to note that modern day Libya, and possibly Tunisia, contains what was known as Pentapolis, or the five cities. This was a vast Roman colony with a great number of Jews and later Christians. The Alexandrian tradition, as well as other fragmentary traditions from Rome and Antioch, holds that the Apostle Mark was from Cyrene, one of these cities. Taking into consideration various scholarly arguments, I am inclined to accept this tradition. If true, all of Christendom would then owe Libya its oldest Gospel, upon which the other synoptic Gospels (in addition to several other early writings) depended heavily in writing the life of Jesus. John Mark, who is reported by Acts and several Pauline epistles to have been Paul’s fellow (and later Peter’s according to Papias, writing around 130), was also the founder of the great See of Alexandria. Interestingly, we also know from the Gospels that Simon, who bore the cross for Jesus, was from Cyrene, today’s Benghazi. Furthermore, Libyan soil has been baptized by the blood of great Christian saints, such as St. Theodore, Bishop of Pentapolis, and his friends Irenaeus, Serapion, and Ammonius in the third century. Pentapolis came under the care of the Church of Alexandria. It is also interesting to note that one of our contemporary saints was a bishop of this Libyan area: St. Nectarius of Aegina (1846–1920), who was briefly the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, based in Cairo. |
| Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk begins his visit to Rome Source: DECR Natalya Mihailova 16 October 2014 In the evening of October 14, 2014, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations, arrived in Rome for an official visit, which will last till October 18. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the DECR chairman, acting as a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, will attend the plenary session of the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Catholic Bishops on Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization and address the meeting. During his visit, Metropolitan Hilarion will meet with Pope Francis, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity Cardinal Kurt Koch, and will deliver a lecture at the opening of academic year at the Southern Italy Faculty of Theology in Naples. Metropolitan Hilarion will be accompanied by Hieromonk Stephan (Igumnov), DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations, Rev. Alexiy Dikaev, staff member of the secretariat for inter-Christian relations, and Hierodeacon Nikolay (Ono), postgraduate of the Ss Cyril and Methodius Institute of Post-Graduate Studies. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk begins his visit to Rome Natalya Mihailova With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the DECR chairman, acting as a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, will attend the plenary session of the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Catholic Bishops on Pastoral Challenges of the ... 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. |
| Pope Francis: Catholics, Copts can offer joint witness to dignity of life, marriage, creation Source: Catholoc Culture Natalya Mihailova 10 May 2016 Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria with Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2013 (CNS) Recalling the third anniversary of their meeting in Rome, Pope Francis has sent a letter to Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The church, which has 9 million members, is among the Oriental Orthodox churches that ceased to be in full communion with the Holy See following the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451). “Though we are still journeying towards the day when we will gather as one at the same Eucharistic table, we are able even now to make visible the communion uniting us,” Pope Francis wrote on May 10. “Copts and Catholics can witness together to important values such as the holiness and dignity of every human life, the sanctity of marriage and family life, and respect for the creation entrusted to us by God.” Referring to the persecution of Christians, Pope Francis added: Your Holiness, every day my thoughts and prayers are with the Christian communities in Egypt and the Middle East, so many of whom are experiencing great hardship and tragic situations. I am well aware of your grave concern for the situation in the Middle East, especially in Iraq and Syria, where our Christian brothers and sisters and other religious communities are facing daily trials. May God our Father grant peace and consolation to all those who suffer, and inspire the international community to respond wisely and justly to such unprecedented violence. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Pope Francis: Catholics, Copts can offer joint witness to dignity of life, marriage, creation Natalya Mihailova Recalling the third anniversary of their meeting in Rome, Pope Francis has sent a letter to Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The church, which has 9 million members, is among the Oriental Orthodox churches that ceased to be in full communion with the Holy ... |
|
|
