| But do we see this in actuality? How few of us read their epistles, and how few of us strive to understand them! How often and with what indifference do we abandon the word of God, which is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12), and turn to earthly wisdom, the rudiments of the world (Gal. 4:9; Col. 2:8), which does not in the least reveal to us the divine wisdom hidden throughout the world and in the life of mankind! Doesn't it also happen that these words of the Apostles are even laughed at amongst us, just as they were amongst the sophists and philosophers of Athens, from whom the Apostle Paul departed with a heavy spirit, to preach in other cities (Act. 17:18, 32–33; 18:1 1 Col. 3:1–7)? Aren't the preachers of these words of the Apostles also subjected even now to persecutions, even unto bonds, like the great Apostle of Christ, Paul (2 Tim. 2:9)? Isn't the reason why unbelief is increasing in our time: that we do not want to hear and know about that living, fiery faith, which comes not from opinion or the logic of flesh and blood, but from heavenly, divine revelation (Mt. 16:17), as did the rock, Simon Peter? Is the reason why Christian love is becoming more and more scarce among people that we have completely forgotten Paul, whose mouth was always opened unto the people, and whose heart was enlarged (cf. 2 Cor. 6:11), in order to embrace with tender love all those whom he begot in the Gospels through Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 4:15)? As long as the earth stands, it will stand only on twelve foundations, which are the Apostles of Christ (Rev. 21:14; Eph. 2:20). But if instead of approaching Christ, the Chief Cornerstone, and as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5), we build upon a foundation other than Jesus Christ, then each one's work will be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is (1 Cor. 3:11-13), and the fire from which the present world shall perish (cf. 2 Pet 3:7-12) will destroy it more and more, so that new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness (2 Pet. 3:13) might appear. |
| It is a sad fact of life that small sins are as unavoidable as dust in the air. Just as it is necessary to wash every day and to clean one's room, it is equally necessary to repent constantly for one's daily failings. Who would consider himself holier or more perfect than Christ's Apostles? Yet even they did not regard themselves as being sinless. " In many things we offend all, " wrote St. James the Apostle (Jas. 3:2). " If we say that we have not sinned, then we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us...If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, " wrote St. John the Apostle (1 John 1:10, 8-9). St. Paul the Apostle is painfully aware of his own unworthiness: " Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief " (1 Tim. 1:15). Note that he does not say " I was, " but " I am, " evidently because he continued to repent for having once persecuted believers. Tradition tells us that the Apostle Peter's eyes were always somewhat reddened, for, when he heard roosters crow at night, he would wake up, remember his denial of Christ and begin to weep. St. John the Apostle teaches Christians to look after their spiritual state in these words: " My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world....But if we walk in the light...the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin....And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure " (1 John 2:1-2; 1:7; 3:3). Similarly, St. Paul writes: " Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God " (2 Cor. 7:1; cf. Heb. 9:13-14). Clearly, in these passages the Apostles are not summoning pagans to repentance, but Christians, and the words they use, " cleanseth " and " let us cleanse, " suggest that moral purity has its gradations, as does sinfulness. For the same reason another scripture says: " He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still " (Rev. 22:11). |
| John is calling his audience to a full confession of resurrection faith: Jesus is God in the flesh, and therefore his claims cannot be compromised, for synagogue or for Caesar. John will settle for no faith less secure than this. Further, while Thomas " s faith by sight is accepted, the faith without sight expected of John " s audience is greater (20:29; cf. 2Cor 5:6–7 ; 1Pet 1:8 ). It is grounded in the beloved disciplés testimony sampled in the Gospel (20:30–31), confirmed to hearers by the Paraclete (15:26–16:15). 10778 E.g., Ellis, Genius, 297–98; Minear, «Functions.» The «signs» include the resurrection chapter (esp. 20:27, 29) but also the rest of the «signs» in this Gospel (with, e.g., Lightfoot, Gospel, 336). 10779 E.g., Aeschines Timarchus 196; Cicero Fin. 5.32.95–96; Or. Brut. 40.137; Polybius 39.8.3; Dionysius of Halicarnassus Demosth. 32; Thucyd. 55; Musonius Rufus 6, pp. 54.26–56.11 (esp. 54.26; 56.7–11); Aelius Aristides Fifth Leuctrian Oration 43–44; Rhet. Alex. 36,1443b.l5–16; 1444b.21–35; 37, 1445b.21–23; Hippolytus Haer. 10.1; Anderson, Rhetorical Theory, 181–82; less fully, cf. Matt 28:18–20; Rom 16:17–19 . Of course, open or abrupt endings also appear, as in Mark 16 (see our comments on Mark 16:9–20 above, on the resurrection tradition). 10780 E.g., Isaeus Estate of Cleonymus 48, out of fifty-one paragraphs. Often they come at the conclusion of the proofs, though this might be near the work " s end (Cicero Quinct. 28.85–29.90), possibly relevant here; they could also conclude a section (Xenophon Hel1. 3.5.25, ending book 3; 4.8.19, ending only some events; Polybius 2.71.7–10, esp. 2.71.7–8; Cicero Fin. 3.9.31; Quinct. 19.60). 10781 Aeschines Timarchus 111. After his closing summary (Polybius 39.8.4–6), Polybius adds only closing comments (39.8.7–8). 10782 Achtemeier, «Miracle Workers,» 176. Even if redactional, Homer " s claim that Aeneas would rule the Trojans (Il. 20.303–308) is pre-Virgil and virtually invited the sort of development one finds in Virgil Aeneid. 10783 E.g., Valerius Maximus 2.7.5; 3.8.ext.l; Musonius Rufus 10, p. 78.22. Epideictic bards might also complain that time provided the only limit on their praises (Pindar Nem. 4.33–34; O1. 2.95; Pyth. 4.247–248; cf. Heb 11:32). In many oral genres, one should limit onés examples (Menander Rhetor 2.4, 393.25–30). 10787 Dionysius of Halicarnassus Thucyd. 55; Isaeus 19–20; Demosth. 42,46, 58; Lit. Comp. 11. More detailed discussion might await another occasion, but he needed to use most wisely the space that he had (Demosthenes 32; Isaeus 14); he wanted to avoid wasting the reader " s time (Demosthenes 40). |
| If, as we have argued above, «the Father " s house» alludes to the temple, some might draw a connection between that house and the «place prepared.» The temple was sometimes spoken of as a place that had been prepared, as the building «which will be revealed, with me, that was already prepared from the moment I decided to create Paradise.» 8413 Whether or not we accept McNamarás contention that «preparing a resting place» for God was a regular expression for God " s sanctuary in this period, 8414 the idea of preparing a place for the disciples in God " s house might connote the places the priests would have in the eschatological temple ( Ezek 45:4–5 ; cf. 40:45–46; 42:13; 44:16); and in the Fourth Gospel, the eschatological temple is clearly in Jesus himself. 8415 Since the temple would naturally be viewed as a dwelling of the deity 8416 and the hope of Israel was God " s covenant-dwelling among them (Rev 21:3, 22), 8417 the point of the text would not have been difficult to grasp. In Scripture, God had promised to dwell among his covenant people ( Lev 26:12 ; Ezek 37:26–28 ); in the new covenant, God would put his laws in their hearts ( Jer 31:33 ). Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether John intends a deliberate allusion to the temple with «prepared.» Other texts speak of eschatological places God prepared for his people (Matt 20:23; 25:34; Heb 11:16), and most significantly, Revelation employs John " s language for the present period of suffering and divine protection between the first and second coming, without reference to the temple (Rev 12:6). 8418 The language of «preparing» was also appropriate for «preparing a house " –for instance, getting things there in order or meeting someone important (Tob 11:3); it so functions in the passion tradition familiar from Mark ( Mark 14:15 ). One may read 14:2, with many versions, as a question: «If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?» Reading the line as a question allows one to take the τι into account. 8419 Others read the line as a statement rather than a question because Jesus had nowhere promised to prepare a place for them earlier in this Gospel and John is too thorough in foreshadowing to have likely omitted the explicit source for a reference here. 8420 If Jesus» «going» to prepare a place for them (14:2–3) meant going to the Father by death (13:33,36; 14:12,28; 16:5,7,10,17, 28), then presumably the preparation was completed on the cross, probably when Jesus declared, «It is finished» (19:30). 2E. Future or Realized Eschatology? (14:2–3) |
| Archive His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia sent Paschal greetings to the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches 28 April 2019 year 15:18 His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia sent Paschal greetings to the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches: His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria; His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch; His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem; His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch Iliya II of All Georgia; His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia; His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania; His Holiness Patriarch Neofit of Bulgaria; His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus; His Beatitude Archbishop Hieronymos II of Athens and All Greece; His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania; His Beatitude Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland; His Beatitude Metropolitan Rastislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia; and His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada. The text reads as follows: CHRIST IS RISEN! By these life-asserting words I cordially greet you with the Triumph of Triumphs – the Feast of Holy Pascha. On this day let us embrace one other joyously and glorify God “which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet 1:3) and made us “heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Tit 3:7). “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb 12:2), let us “be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love and be of the same mind one toward another” (Rom 12:10,16), in order to do all those things which are commanded us by the Lord (cf. Lk 17:10) and to bear witness to the evangelic truth before the world. I prayerfully wish you radiant Paschal joy from the All-Generous God and good health for successfully continuing your lofty and responsible Primatial ministry. With brotherly love in Christ Risen, +KIRILL PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA Календарь ← 7 December 2023 year |
| On the Saints of the Old Testament St. Gregory Palamas Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. David indicates that our Lord Jesus Christ has no genealogy with regard to His divinity (Ps. 110:4), Isaiah says the same (Isa. 53:8), and later so does the apostle (Heb. 7:3). How can the descent be traced of Him “who is in the beginning, and is with God, and is God, and is the Word and Son of God” (cf. Jn. 1:1-2, 18)? He does not have a Father who was before Him, and shares with His Father “a name which is above every name” and all speech (Phil. 2:9). For the most part, genealogies are traced back through different surnames; but there is no surname for God (cf. Gen. 32:29), and whatever may be said of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, they are one and do not differ in any respect. Impossible to recount is Christ’s descent according to His divinity, but His ancestry according to His human nature can be traced, since He who deigned to become Son of Man in order to save mankind was the offspring of men. And it is this genealogy of His that two of the evangelists, Matthew and Luke, recorded. But although Matthew, in the passage from his Gospel read today, begins with those born first, he makes no mention of anyone born before Abraham He traces the line down from Abraham until he reaches Joseph to whom, by divine dispensation, the Virgin Mother of God was betrothed (Matt. 1:1-16), being of the same tribe and homeland as him, that her own stock may be shown from this to be in no way inferior. Luke, by contrast, begins not with the earliest forebears but the most recent, and working his way back from Joseph the Betrothed, does not stop at Abraham, nor, having included Abraham’s predecessors, does he end with Adam, but lists God among Christ’s human forebears (Lk. 3:23-38); wishing to show, in my opinion, that from the beginning man was not just a creation of God, but also a son in the Spirit, which was given to him at the same time as his soul, through God’s quickening breath (Gen. 2:7). It was granted to him as a pledge that, if, waiting patiently for it, he kept the commandment, he would be able to share through the same Spirit in a more perfect union with God, by which he would live forever with Him and obtain immortality. |
| Homily On The Birth Of Christ by St. Philaret of Moscow (Given by Archimandrite Philaret in the St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra) St. Philaret of Moscow Great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh (I Tim. 3:16) The New Adam comes forth from virgin earth. Woman, the source of the curse, bears the dew of blessing. The true Noah has appeared, Who shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed (Gen. 5:29). Melchizedek, without father, without mother, without descent (Heb. 7:3), comes to inherit the eternal Kingdom and Priesthood. The long night of fear and universal expectation finally passes, and the morning light penetrates the darkness of the Old Testament Sanctuary, opened not daily, but eternally to the East. The Heavenly Manna is poured forth from the vessel which contained it. The rod of Jesse blossoms forth in place of the fading rod of Aaron. Christ is born. Come, meek shepherds, and kiss the Lamb and Shepherd—the Lamb, tended by the shepherd, and the Shepherd, Who is able to gather into one peaceful fold the lambs with the wolves, and the calves with the lions. Come, wise men, and bow down before the mystery of the ancient Child; learn from the unspeaking Word, taste of the angelic bread at the table of the speechless animals and see that the Lord is good. Choirs of heavenly hosts who have praised the Lord since the creation of the stars, double and triple your doxology before your Sun, Who has risen for us. Christ is born. Christ is born in Bethlehem: is this the reason for all the present joy and all the glory to God in the highest? Glory to God: He is also born for us, unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given (Is. 9:6). Amid the celebration of His birth, the Church suffers pains of birth, until Christ be formed in us (cf. Gal. 4:19). Let us not disdain the joyful sorrow of our Mother: let us take at least a few traits from the image of the birth of Jesus and let us place them in our hearts. |
| 19 Amy Clampitt, Archaic Figure (London: Faber & Faber, 1988), 18. 20 For an exhaustive discussion of the reconciliation of these five divisions, see Thunberg (1965), 396–454. 21 For a much fuller discussion of the cosmic role of the humanity of Christ, see Heinzer (1980), 149–61. 22 See Riou (1973), 123–200. 23 This second part is sufficiently detailed for it to be possible to reconstruct the sequence of the liturgy of Maximus’ day, as has been done in Brightman (1896), 534–9. 24 For a brief account of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, see Louth (1989), 52–77. GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE TEXTS 1 I owe this information to the kindness of B.Markesinis, who is working on the critical edition of the Opuscula. 2 Psa. (LXX) 1–8=Psa. (Heb.) 1–8; Psa. (LXX) 9=Psa. (Heb.) 910; Psa. (LXX) 10–112=Psa. (Heb.) 11–113; Psa. (LXX) 113=Psa. (Heb.) 114 115; Psa. (LXX) 114=Psa. (Heb.) 116:1–9; Psa. (LXX) 115=Psa. (Heb.) 116:10–19; Psa. (LXX) 116–145=Psa. (Heb.) 117–146; Psa. 146 (LXX)=Psa. (Heb.) 147:1–11; Psa. 147 (LXX)=Psa. (Heb.) 147:12–20; Psa. (LXX) 148–150=Psa. (Heb.) 148–150. 3 I have often been content with Migne references, especially where (as with the modern critical edition of Denys the Areopagite) these references are given in the modern editions anyway. LETTER 2: ON LOVE 1 There is a French translation of this letter in Dalmais (1948), but I have not been able to consult it. 2 Cf. Rom. 13:10 and Matt. 22:40. 3 The incensive power. 4 ‘That which is within our power’ (to eph’imin): see Amb. 10, n. 122. 5 Gnomi. 6 Maximus was later, during the Monothelite controversy, to retract this way of putting the unity of will and inclination between God and the saints: see Opusc. 1:33A, where he retracts his reference to ‘one activity of God and those worthy of God’ (Amb. 7:1076C). 7 stoicheion: element or principle. 8 One of the ‘Chalcedonian’ adverbs. 9 Logos and tropos. 10 This paragraph seems to be based on the idea, found in Philo, that the name Abraham means ‘elect father of sound’, signifying the good man’s reasoning: see below Amb. 10.45 and n. 126. |
| 78 Cf. Gregory of Nyssa, Against Eunomius I.270, III.6.62 (Jaeger 1960 , 1. 105, 2.66) and frequently elsewhere in Gregory of Nyssa. 79 Cf. Luke 10:30–7. 80 Cf. Gen. 2:17 . 81 Eriugena distinguishes between speculatio and theoria–translated here ‘contemplation’ and ‘spiritual interpretation’. Theoria could well be translated ‘contemplation’, but it is the regular word in the Antiochene tradition for spiritual interpretation, and is used in that sense here. The eighteen spiritual interpretations seem to consist of ten numbered ones (in 31a), and the seven sections that follow (31b-h) plus the introduction to 31a. 82 Cf. 4 Kgd 2:11. 83 For time as number, see Aristotle, Physics 4.11. 84 Cf. Psa. 94:11; Heb. 3:16–4:1. 85 For this understanding of the relationship of time to eternity (derived from Plato’s metaphor of time as a ‘moving image of eternity’), see Plato, Timaeus 37D; Plotinus, Enneads III.7.2; Denys the Areopagite, Divine Names X.3. 86 Cf. Aristotle, On the Parts of Animals I.5. 87 This introduces the theme of the two modes of theology – apophatic and cataphatic – which continues through to section 31e (cf. above section 17, and also below Amb. 71) 88 Theourgiai: to be taken in the Christian sense, found in Denys the Areopagite, of ‘divine works’, rather than in its pagan meaning of ‘ritual ceremonies’. See Louth (1986). 89 The oneness and threeness of the Godhead: discussed below in section 43, and in Amb. 1. 90 Presumably the account of the Transfiguration. 91 Cf. Luke 9:31. 92 Cf. Luke 16:19–31. 93 This is borrowed, more or less word for word, from Nemesius, On human nature 43 (Morani 1987 , 129, ll. 6–14). 94 Omitting the two sections, 1173B-1176B, which are identical with Amb. 53 and Amb. 63. They are not found in this Difficulty in Eriugena nor are they found in Vat. gr. 1502 and other MSS: they are clearly out of place here. See Sherwood (1955a), 32. Sections 35–40 have many parallels with the early chapters of John Damascene’s Exposition of the Faith (chapters 3–5, 9, 11–13). |
| 4121 The arguments for this position are summarized in Marshall, «Son or Servant,» 327; Marshall argues (pp. 327–32) that υις is origina1. 4124 On Acts 13:32–33 (interpreting the psalm concerning Jesus» resurrection/enthronement), cf. Dahl, «Abraham,» 148; Goulder, Acts, 53; Hengel, Son, 23. Cf. Midr. Pss. 2, §9 (messianic, after the woes). 4125 See, e.g., Longenecker, Exegesis, 177. The emphasis of Lindars, Apologetic, 211, on the metaphysical as over against the resurrection interpretation of Heb 1:5, appears to me mistaken. Ps 2:7–8 and 110are also linked in 1 Clem. 36.3–5 (ANF 1:15), but Clement is probably dependent on Hebrews here, citing Heb 1:3–4 and also Ps 104 (Heb 1:7). 4126 E.g., Marshall, «Son or Servant,» 332–33; but this is also the view of nearly all the commentators below. 4127 See Bright, History, 225–26; Harrelson, Cult, 86–87; cf. De Vaux, Israel, 109, for comparison with ancient coronations. Later Judaism generally regarded the psalm as specifically messianic (e.g., b. Sukkah 52a; Longenecker, Christology, 113). 4130 Marshall, «Son or Servant,» 335; Jeremias, Theology, 53–54; Kingsbury, Christology, 40, 65; Bruce, History, 168; Hurtado, Mark, 6; Schweizer, Matthew, 37; Robinson, Studies, 162; Taylor, Mark, 162 (with Isa 44:2); Bürge, Community, 61. We do not here contest the possibility of influence by the language («echoes»; Robinson, Taylor), but doubt that the phrasing here is intended to evoke the picture of the Servant (in contrast to Matthew). 4137 Pace Rodd, «Spirit.» Matthew changes the more Semitic «finger» to fit his own context, perhaps as midrash on Isa 42 just cited; Luke includes the Spirit whenever he can, suggesting it was there missing from his source (cf. also Schweizer, Matthew, 287; Gundry, Matthew, 235). 4138 Best, Mark, 81. Others admit it as probable (e.g., Marshall, «Son or Servant,» 335; Kingsbury, Christology, 65) or find echoes (Taylor, Mark, 162). 4141 Matthew and Luke seem to have followed the standard biographical procedure of following one primary (Mark) and another secondary source (presumably Q) before weaving in material around it, whereas John goes his own way. See introduction. |
|
|
