| +912); and Kassiane (ninth century); and others such as Methodios the Patriarch, Byzantios, Theophanes, Sergios the Logothete, Symeon, George the Akropolites, and Mark the Bishop. Others remain anonymous. The hymns of Great Week and Pascha are probably the finest example of Orthodox hymnography, which in its totality, according to many, is among the very finest, if not the finest expression of Christian poetry.[ 26 ] The hymns of the divine services we are considering are richly ladened with theology and are replete with biblical language and imagery. They are superbly didactic and inspirational. They reach and touch all aspects of human experience at the deepest level. When properly executed, the nuances of the hymnography are especially enhanced by the traditional chant of the Church. It could be said of these hymns that they are a string of sermonettes in song, especially rich, inspiring and powerful both for their poetic beauty and melodic synthesis, as well as for their theological content and deep spirituality. We experience worship essentially as a confession of faith. Therefore, the hymns and prayers of the divine services are more doctrinal than lyrical in nature. Thus, the service books of the Church are counted among the " symbolic books, " and count as a source for doctrinal teachings. THE LITURGICAL TEXT ACCORDING TO PRESENT USAGE The liturgical books presently used by the Orthodox Church have either originated in the monasteries or have been greatly influenced by monastic practices. THE TYPIKON OF ST. SAVAS The services of the daily cycle of worship as we know them today, reflect monastic usages and traditions; especially of the two monastic centers that produced and developed them, i.e., the Holy Lavra of St. Savas of Jerusalem and the Monastery of Studios in Constantinople. The monastic liturgical tradition of the Orthodox East has come down to us through the " Typikon of the Church Service of the Holy Lavra at Jerusalem of our God-bearing Father St. |
| Using Liturgical Greek Divides Families: Statistics show that nearly 85% of marriages that take place in the Greek Orthodox Church involve one spouse who chooses not to be Orthodox. The Greek Orthodox family is undergoing a radical shift that will permanently change the make-up of the Church for decades to come. Greek Orthodoxy in America is quickly becoming less ethnic while the family that is united in its witness to the Orthodox Christian Faith is becoming increasingly rare. For many of today’s youth Orthodox is simply another cafeteria choice between one parent’s faith or another parent’s faith. It is certainly fair to ask how the Church can effectively minister to youth and mixed marriages when it insists on worshiping in a language that is neither spoken nor understood by its families at home. Despite over seventeen million dollars in combined spending over the past ten years on youth ministry, family care and religious education Greek Orthodoxy continues to hemorrhage young families. The most recent registry statistics show that baptisms are at a recorded lows in America. Using Liturgical Greek Discourages Evangelization: Evangelization is not an optional part of being an Orthodox Christian. It is an essential part of being an Orthodox Christian. Contrary to popular belief, the debate over language is not a modern issue. The Church settled this issue over one thousand years ago and now glorifies two men as Equal to the Apostles who taught that the Church has a responsibility to worship in a language people understand. Sts. Cyril and Methodius faced a popular culture in the ninth century that insisted the Church could only worship in Koine Greek or Latin. Both saints resisted this error and focused on evangelization rather than language preservation. Sts. Cyril and Methodius undertook missionary journeys to the Slavic lands and created a written language for people to embrace. The end result was the conversion of millions to the Christian faith. The Slavic world is Christian today because the Church knew people must worship in a language they both speak and understand. This is true not only in the ninth century but also in the twenty-first century. It is Tradition that the Church evangelize people by meeting them where they are at and worshiping in the language they speak. Today, much of Greek Orthodoxy has forgotten the lesson of Sts. Cyril and Methodius by its insistence on the use Koine Greek in the Liturgy. The result is increasing isolation at the expense of evangelization and growth. Registry Statistics show that Chrismations (conversions) are at recorded lows in America. |
| Photo: orthodoxcityhermit.com Every religious tradition in the United States is seeing its membership decline. But according to the most recent Pew Study , few Christian traditions are seeing their members head for the doors as quickly as the Orthodox—only 53% of adults who were raised in the Orthodox Church still identify as Orthodox. Professional statisticians will note that the sample size of Orthodox in the Pew study is small, but the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese’s own published statistics on marriages and baptisms over the past forty years suggests that the retention of its younger members is falling dramatically. Is our parochial use of Liturgical Greek part of the problem? As someone who has studied Ancient and Byzantine Greek for the past 25 years, I will be the first to affirm that Greek enables a level of theological nuance unmatched by other languages, especially English. But very few Orthodox in America have the training to navigate the complexity and sophistication of our Liturgical poetry in its original form. Across the United States, GOA parishes vary in their use of language: some are Greek only, some are English only, and most employ some combination of the two, often repeating key elements (biblical readings, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer) in both languages. But apart from the sermon, the Greek used is not Modern Greek, it is a form of medieval Greek, composed between the fourth and twelfth centuries.The vocabulary is similar to Modern Greek, but many words are obscure. The grammar and syntactical structure are completely different. To be sure, some aspects of the Divine Liturgy, like the Petitions, are repeated every week, which allows those who attend regularly to follow whether they know any medieval Greek or not. But many hymns and the scripture readings change daily, making them largely incomprehensible, even for fluent Greek speakers. In short, the vast majority of communicants in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese do not understand what is being said or sung at several points in the course of any given service. And it’s not because quality translations do not exist. They do. But for a variety of reasons, priests across the Archdiocese are not using the translations as often as they should. |
| The Western controversy naturally centred on the term «transubstantiation,» the shibboleth of the Roman party, and it was essential to determine the meaning attached by the Orthodox to this particular terminology. The inquiry was pursued along two lines. First, the testimonies of the Greek Fathers, including the early liturgical texts, were scrutinized; secondly, an authoritative statement and interpretation was sought from the contemporary Eastern Church. The Calvinists used regularly to invoke the Confession of Loukaris, while the Romans were anxious to discredit and to discard this document; but nothing would serve to discredit Loukaris, who after all had held for many years two great patriarchal sees in the East, except an official document of authority at least equal to his. The Roman Catholics were searching for witnesses everywhere, using the help of French diplomatic and consular officials in the various Orthodox centres. De Nointel was able to obtain a series of statements from individuals and from hierarchical groups; but the greatest reward of his zeal was that he succeeded in securing a «conciliar» statement, signed by all the Eastern Patriarchs and by other prelates, the famous Decree of the Council of Jerusalem of 1672. It is certain that a copy of the Decree was communicated to de Nointel officially and directly by the Patriarch Dionysius of Constantinople himself, and that the Ambassador was asked to produce an official acknowledgement of its receipt. It is difficult to say to what extent he had exercised any direct pressure. It seems, however, that he was urging the Orthodox to dissociate themselves, as clearly as possible, from the pro-Protestant tendency exhibited in the Confession of Loukaris. We must not identify the «Romanizing» tendency in the Orthodox theology of the 17th century with a leaning towards union with Rome. Strangely enough, on most cases these «Romanizing» theologians were openly «anti-Roman.» Peter Mogila himself, in spite of his close dependence upon Roman sources in his theological and liturgical publications, was the head of the Orthodox Church in Poland, whose very purpose and aim was to defy the Uniate Church of that country. Dositheos, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who was chiefly responsible for the Council of 1672, was also a staunch «anti-Roman» (or «anti-Latin,» as he would have been described in his own time), an ardent defender of tradition, a vigorous fighter against Roman propaganda and proselytism in the East. Later on, it was he who was persistently to dissuade Peter the Great from using in Russia any of the graduates of the Kiev college, or any «foreigners,» meaning probably Greeks educated in Italy, whom he suspected of a «Latinizing» tendency. |
| 14 Quoted by Eusebios, in his Ecclesiastical History, 5, 24, 12-17. According to ancient custom and practice, the faithful consumed only one frugal meal in the afternoon during fast days. The Great Week fast was observed by all with great solemnity. The length and the severity of the fast depended on local usage. In time, fasting practices would be influenced greatly by the monastic experience. For a discussion on the practice of fasting, see The Lenten Triodion, trans. Mother Mary and Kallistos Ware (London, 1978), pp. 28-37. C. Enisleides, Θεσμς τς Νηστεας (Athens, 1969). J. F. Wimmer, Fasting in the New Testament (New York, 1982). 15 See Dionysios of Alexandria, Letter to Basileiades, PG 10.1273-76. 16 The Great Fast with its rich liturgical material developed over a long period of time. Two practices in the early Church were especially significant in its development. The one pertained to the preparation of catechumens for baptism and the other to the reconcilliation of lapsed Christians to the Church Both practices were related to the Paschal feast. 17 The forty day fast developed along different lines in the East and the West. For most of the East the two fast periods, though related, were separate and distinct. In the Western tradition, however, the forty days include the six day fast of Holy Week. The Great Fast seeks to make the Christian mindful of his/her dependence on God. It prepares each person for the worthy celebration of Pascha by calling all to repentance and to a deeper conversion of the heart. The Great Fast finds its completion in the solemn celebrations of the Great Week. For an excellent study on the formation and development of the Great Fast see Evangelos Theodorou, H Μορφωτικ ξα το σχοντος Τριωδου (Athens, 1958). See also A. Schmemann, Great Lent (Crestwood, 1974); and Archimandrite Kallistos, “στορικ πισχπησις το Τριωδου,” Να Σιν 24 (1934). 18 Adolf Adam, The Liturgical Year (New York, 1981), English translation by M. J. O " Connell, p. 63. 19 The daily cycle of worship contains the following services: Midnight (Mesonyktikon), Orthros, Hours (First, Third, Sixth, Ninth), Vespers, and Compline (Apodeipnon). For a brief explanation of these services see A. Calivas, Come Before God (Brookline, 1986). For a comprehensive study on the development of the daily office, see Robert Taft, The Liturgy of the Hours in East and West (Collegeville, Paul F. Bradshaw, Daily Prayer in the Early Church (New York, 1982). Also see Ioannis Fountoules, Ketyeva AMoveytxk (Thessalonike, 1977). |
| Saint Vladimir’s Seminary and the International Society for Orthodox Church Music (ISOCM) are pleased to present, by God’s grace, the Summer Music Institute! Attend in person June 14–18, 2022 on the campus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary in Yonkers, NY audit option also available). The Summer Music Institute will bring together church musicians of all skill levels—from beginners to professionals—for hands-on workshops, lectures, and liturgical services. Singers, conductors, and composers will engage in sessions with internationally-recognized faculty. This Institute accommodates both Slavic and Byzantine liturgical musical traditions and will provide skills and resources for adapting four-part music to a small choir, as well as adapting chant for a large choir. The focus is on: The week will culminate with two Divine Liturgies which will integrate Slavic and Byzantine musical traditions and feature large and small choirs. For the first time since the pandemic, the Institute will offer in person attendance, singing together and in fellowship. We also offer a virtual audit option, with dedicated instruction for off-site participants. Full information for the Music Institute Code for blog 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. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life " s purpose, family and society. Also by this author Today " s Articles Most viewed articles Functionality is temporarily unavailable. Most popular authors Functionality is temporarily unavailable. © 2008-2024 Pravmir.com |
| What, then, is the truth of theology, which expresses in different ways our experience of God? The truth of theology is Christ himself. What we should understand, then, is the nature of our participation in the Christ-event as participation in a reality that, on the one hand, consists of our memory of the historical happening in Palestine two thousand years ago and, on the other hand, manifests the condescension of God to man, which we believe endures throughout the ages and places. Our constant participation in this event forms the communion with God that sustains our existence as Christians. This leads us to the understanding that the truth of theology, its acting ontology, is the proclamation of our existence – that is, that theological ontology is in its essence an existential ontology. Modern science could easily dismiss any arguments on the importance of the Christ-event, arguing that there is no necessity in this event, for the necessity, if it were present, would be rooted in natural laws. From a sheer scientific point of view, there is no underlying law for the Christ-event; it is seen as a contingent happening in history, representing the outcome of historical and social circumstances rather than anything fundamental and ontological. But the history of events fits with great difficulty into the general scheme of natural law. It is this inevitability of thinking of the Christ-event in both historical and transcendent rubrics that allows us to affirm that in order to understand the Christ-event, one should participate in it, that is, live with Christ and in Christ liturgically. The stability of the church’s experience or, in different words, the ontological references of her theologia are thus rooted in two inseparable modes of the church’s existence: her tradition and her worship, because it is in the liturgical reality that the church experiences the stable presence of Christ. 183 The liturgy and the communion make the church and her theology because as long as the eucharist exists, the church exists (and vice versa). 184 Christian worship is exactly that element of the visible, empirical practice of the church which is stable in time (worship does not cease at any time) and invariant in space (the church and its worship is everywhere in the world). It is because of this stability that we affirm that liturgy constitutes such a stable pattern in the church’s life, which can be treated as the church’s ontological reference, that is, the constitutive element of the reality, which the church experiences and treats as theological truth. Science and Theology “Compared” |
| Chris Thompson: Orthodox Christmas tradition burns brightly in Alaska Source: Alaska Dispatch Publishing Some of the most remarkable experiences I’ve had writing about religion in Alaska have been in connection with the Orthodox Christian faith. Last summer I addressed three flavors of Orthodox Christianity in Alaska in this column . In preparing for that column, I met many Orthodox Christians who are truly blessed by their beliefs. But I had never attended a Russian Orthodox Christmas service. Jan. 7, the traditional Russian Orthodox Christmas, I attended a wonderful service at Anchorage’s St. Innocent Russian Orthodox Cathedral. Beginning as Vespers, but ending with “Christ is born,” Bishop David Mahaffey continued by blessing elaborate stars congregants brought for the “starring” after the service. Starring — i.e., spinning them — proceeded to liturgical music and a selection of Christmas carols. The choir for this service was small in number but beautiful in tone. The church, packed with believers celebrating Christmas, will continue starring for days by going to the homes of congregants, wishing them merry Christmas and singing carols. That service was a wonderful departure from what I typically experience in many local churches. It really put Christ back in Christmas! A well-known local Orthodox priest, the Very Rev. Michael Oleksa, extensively shared his thoughts with me about Russian Orthodox Christmas and its cultural place in Alaska: “Most Orthodox Christians in the New World, following the lead of the Greek Orthodox Churches, use the ‘new’ Gregorian calendar and celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25, 13 days before those who follow the ‘old’ Julian Calendar, will celebrate Christmas this week, Jan. 7. Those who continue to calculate their religious holidays on an outmoded calendar that is clearly nearly two weeks behind the astronomical realities of the universe, however, do so for two rather simple reasons ... or maybe three! “The first is simply that the Julian calendar has been in use since the time of its namesake, Julius Caesar, and is still in use in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Serbia, Palestine, the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos, as well as Ethiopia. Immigrants whose ancestors came from these places tend to keep the old calendar in continuity and solidarity with their ethnic roots and traditions. The missions who inherited the Julian calculations, like in Alaska, keep the customs they inherited from their spiritual ancestors, the saints who first brought the Gospel to North America 220 years ago. |
| Beyond the necessary intellectual engagement, the Church Fathers, the liturgy, and the tradition of Christian asceticism (qq.v.) express broader and higher meanings for theology, among them: 1) prayer (q.v.), “he who prays is a theologian,” says Evagrius of Pontus (q.v.); 2) glorification or praise occur particularly in the celebration of the liturgy, both on earth among human beings and in heaven with the angels; 3) the vision of God (q.v.) is anticipatory in this life and unendingly unfolded in increasing perfection in the age to come; and finally 4) God himself who is the threefold unity of the Trinity. This rounded vision of theology as intellectual, scriptural, liturgical, and experiential was classically formulated in the Byzantine era, and exemplified with particular force in the writings of Gregory Palamas and Nicholas Cabasilas (qq.v.) in the 14th c. Under the impress of the West following the end of the Empire, Orthodox thought suffered a “pseudomorphosis”-borrowing once more from Florovsky-and its theology, at least the latter as printed in official church manuals, took on the shape and flavor of a third-rate Scholasticism (q.v.). The rediscovery of the patristic inheritance owes to two sources, the monastic revival stimulated by the Philokalia (q.v.) and the welcome assistance of Western historical scholarship, two streams that began to converge in Russia in the late 19th c. and early 20th c. Outside the frontiers of its fixed theological inheritance, Orthodoxy gives considerable play to theological expression and opinion, to “things said theologically,” theologoumena. For example, the application of the mystery of Christ to contemporary Christian life is traditionally Orthodox, but today is usually categorized under moral theology-a relatively new phrase in the Orthodox lexicon. During the era of the Fathers the Church had been content with the ascetic tradition, on the one hand, and insistence on the basic norms of Christian behavior, exemplified in homilies on the preparation of the catechumenate for Baptism (q.v.), on the other. |
| The Tradition of Worship includes the seven Sacraments: Baptism, Chrismation, Eucharist, Holy Orders, Matrimony, Unction and Pennance; the order of the daily, weekly and yearly cycles of prayers; the Fasts and Feasts; the commemoration and veneration of the Mother of God, the Saints and the Angels; the veneration of Holy Icons; the prayers for the departed members of Christ’s Body; the sanctification — through rites of blessing and intercession — of all human life as life in Christ. The Tradition of Piety is expressed primarily in the lives, achievements and teachings of the Saints who bear witness to the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the Church and are, therefore, our guides and helpers on the way to the Kingdom of God. All those — individuals, groups or churches — who reject the whole or any part of this Tradition, who deform it or deviate from it, are, according to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, alien to Orthodoxy and cannot be admitted to the Sacraments, for these are the signs and the fulfillment of the Church as unity of faith and love . 2. The Orthodox Churches The following Orthodox Churches exist at present: the four ancient Patriarchates of Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem; the national Churches of Russia, Greece, Serbia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Roumania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Albania, and the Churches of Cyprus and Sinai. Each of these is autocephalous, i.e., independent in its hierarchical and administrative structure and united to other Churches by the identity of Tradition and communion in Sacraments. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is recognized as the first bishop among equals and has the primacy of honor. Each autocephalous Church, in turn, has its Primate who assures its unity with all other Churches. 3. The Russian Church Russia became an Orthodox country in 988, when the Prince of Kiev, St. Vladimir, invited missionaries from Constantinople to baptize his people. Although at first the Russian Church was a Metropolia of the Patriarchate of Constantinople (she was granted autocephaly and became a Patriarchate in 1596), the Russians could, from the very beginning, worship God in their own language. They used the Slavonic translations of the Bible and the liturgical texts made in the 9th century by two Greek missionaries to the Western Slavs, SS Cyril and Methodius. Rich in Saints, beautiful churches, monasteries and icons, the Russian Church became, after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, and the loss of independence by nearly all Orthodox countries, the defender of Orthodox people living under Islam and a center of Orthodox culture and learning. It sent missionaries, not only to Siberia, but also to Japan, Korea and America. |
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