| Признание (approbatio) Церкви, т. е. удостоверение святости и православия церковных писателей, совершается как в форме церковного прославления св. отцов, так и на основании ссылок на них как на св. отцов на Вселенских Соборах. Напр., на III Вселенском Соборе были прочитаны свидетельства из творений сщмч. Петра I , еп. Александрийского, святителей Афанасия Великого, Аттика К-польского, Василия Великого , Григория Богослова , Григория Нисского, Амфилохия Иконийского, Феофила I , архиеп. Александрийского, сщмч. Киприана Карфагенского, свт. Амвросия Медиоланского; на IV Вселенском Соборе к ним добавлены ссылки на творения святителей Иоанна Златоуста , Кирилла Александрийского, Илария Пиктавийского и блж. Августина. На Вселенском V Соборе в качестве величайших наставников были перечислены 8 греч. О. Ц. (Афанасий Великий, Василий Великий, Григорий Богослов, Григорий Нисский, Феофил Александрийский, Иоанн Златоуст, Кирилл Александрийский, Прокл К-польский) и 4 латинских (Иларий Пиктавийский, Амвросий Медиоланский, Августин Гиппонский, Лев Великий) (ACO. T. 4. Vol. 1. P. 13-14; ДВС. Т. 3. С. 302). На Западе одним из первых офиц. списков О. Ц., наиболее авторитетных в области раскрытия церковного вероучения, был перечень, содержащийся в приписываемом папе Римскому Геласию I «Декрете о принимаемых и не принимаемых [Церковью] книгах» (V-VI вв.). В качестве безусловно ортодоксальных авторов здесь названы Киприан Карфагенский, Григорий Богослов, Василий Великий, Афанасий Великий, Иоанн Златоуст, Феофил Александрийский, Кирилл Александрийский, Иларий Пиктавийский, Амвросий Медиоланский, Августин Гиппонский, пресв. Иероним Стридонский , «благочестивейший муж» Проспер Аквитанский и Лев Великий. Впосл. в католич. традиции сложился перечень «великих отцов Церкви», получивших за выдающуюся ученость (eruditio eminens) наименование «великие учители Церкви» (magni ecclesiae doctores). К ним были отнесены 4 лат. О. Ц.- Амвросий, Иероним, Августин, Григорий I Великий (Двоеслов) и 4 греческих - Афанасий Великий, Василий Великий, Григорий Богослов, Иоанн Златоуст; ряд др. восточных и западных церковных писателей получили титул «учитель Церкви» (подробнее см. в ст. Doctor Ecclesiae ). В правосл. традиции наименование «учитель Церкви» не имеет устойчивого и строго определенного значения. Иногда оно используется как почетный титул («великие Вселенские учители») для обозначения знаменитейших из О. Ц.- Василия Великого, Григория Богослова и Иоанна Златоуста; в большинстве случаев его применяют к наиболее выдающимся церковным писателям, не удостоенным звания О. Ц. (напр., Климент Александрийский, Ориген , Тертуллиан , Иероним, Августин, Феодорит , еп. Кирский). |
| — Bishop Basil (Essey) of Wichita and Mid-America, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Foreword to the Greek Edition: A basic presupposition for a serious theological dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the heterodox West is a thorough knowledge of Western theology. This knowledge is especially dependable when it arises from an exhaustive investigation of primary research material. Indeed, when it happens that this source material is not only important for academic research but also is the latest official text of its kind, as is the case with the Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis Redintegratio) of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), then the academic and ecclesiastical interest is piqued. As is well known, from the middle of the twentieth century, we have been engaged in an important theological dialogue with the Christian West. In particular, beginning in 1980, the Joint Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and Roman Catholicism commenced its work. This dialogue, from the perspective of the West, has focused especially upon the Second Vatican Council and, in particular, upon the Decree on Ecumenism. Scholarly recognition of this point decisively aids in understanding the character of this joint dialogue. The book which you hold in your hands by my beloved student and doctor of theology, Fr. Peter Heers, presents, in an unprecedented way, the new Roman Catholic ecclesiology from an Orthodox critical perspective. The study is academically both objective and convincing. For the first time the historical process by which Baptism was separated from the other mysteries and came to serve as a basis for the “broadening” and “extension” of the Church is exhaustively examined. In support of his academic findings, Fr. Heers provides lengthy excerpts from the conciliar decrees and documentation, as well as from the leading theologians who drafted and interpreted the documents. With a precise theological critique of the new ecclesiology the author also presents to the reader the main points of Orthodox ecclesiology, achieving a therapeutic result. Such spiritual healing of the discord engendered by the new ecclesiology is the ultimate goal of this present study. |
| Metropolitan Philip has a keen interest in Middle Eastern affairs and is recognized as an expert in this field. As a student at Wayne State University, he served as President of the Arab Student Federation and in Cleveland, he was a member of the Committee on American Policy in the Near East. He has met with United States Presidents, Eisenhower, Johnson, Ford, Carter and Reagan, as well as with Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul, II and many other world leaders on behalf of a just and durable peace in the Middle East. At present, he serves as chairman of the Standing Conference of American-Middle Eastern Christian and Moslem Leaders which represents the two million Americans of Arabic heritage. In 1968, he established a Trust Fund to provide scholarships to Arab refugees studying in the fields of science, medicine, economics and technology. In 1977, he established a endowment fund for the support of the Orthodox Theological Academy of St. John of Damascus at Balamand Lebanon, the sole remaining Orthodox Seminary in the Middle East. Since the Israeli-Arab conflict of 1967, Metropolitan Philip has inaugurated a number of fund-raising campaigns to provide food, shelter and medical assistance to Arab refugees and victims of war. Under his leadership, the Archdiocese has also undertaken numerous charitable campaigns to aid victims of disasters in the United States and throughout the world. For his many charitable deeds and renowned humanitarian concern, Metropolitan Philip has been commended and decorated by many governments. Some of these awards include the Commander’s Badge of the Lebanese Order of the Cedars and the First Class of the Order of Civil Merit of the Syrian Arab Republic. Awards presented to him by ecclesiastical authorities include the Order of the Bush Unburned from the Archbishopric of Mount Sinai, the Cross of Lebanon from the Archdiocese of Mount Lebanon and the Order of Saint Mark from the Patriarchate of Alexandria and all of Africa. In 1981, the Trustees and faculty of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary awarded Metropolitan Philip the degree of Doctor of Divinity, honoris causia. |
| Si autem non, quae audacia est dicere: hoc deus, hoc Christus est, hoc pater, hoc filius? Nos autem dicimus patrem ut patrem, filium ut filium. 2. Et primum, ut ille versiculis quinque quod adserebat docuisse se credidit filium factum esse, non natum, sic nos filium natum primum sacra omni lectione docebimus. Deinde id ipsum, hoc est substantialiter filium, permittente dei spiritu ut possumus adseremus. Atque ex hoc primum sumatur exordium. Paulus ad Ephesios: huius rei gratia flecto genua mea ad patrem domini nostri Iesu Christi, ex quo omnis paternitas in caelis et in terra nominatur, ut det vobis secundum divitias gloriae suae virtute confortari per spiritum suum in interiore homine, habitare Christum per fidem in cordibus vestris, in caritate radicati et fundati ut possitis conprehendere cum omnibus sanctis, quae sit latitudo et longitudo et altitudo et profundum, scire etiam supereminentem scientiae caritatem Christi, ut inpleamini in omnem plenitudinem dei. Ei autem, qui potest super omnia facere abundantius quam petimus aut intellegimus secundum virtutem, quae operatur in nobis, ipsi gloria in Christo Iesu et ecclesia in omnes generationes saeculorum. Quid ex his apparet? Possibile esse cognoscere deum et dei filium et quomodo pater, quomodo filius. Est autem et illud in evangelio secundum Iohannem: deum nullus vidit umquam nisi unigenitus filius, qui est in gremio patris, ille exposuit. Possibile igitur dicere de deo et idcirco et de filio. Quis enim de patre exposuit? Filius. Quis iste? Qui est in gremio. Non solum igitur processit, sed et in gremio semper est filius, sufficiens doctor de patre. Quid enarravit? Quoniam deus? Et Iudaei ante hoc et ethnici enarrarunt. Quid ergo enarravit? Patrem deum, se autem filium, et quod ex eadem substantia et quod a patre exierit. Dicit enim: neque me nostis neque patrem meum. Si enim me nossetis, nossetis et patrem meum. Hoc numquam diceret, nisi filius et filius substantialiter: si me nossetis, nossetis patrem. Figmentum enim si esset, non ex ipso pater nosceretur, sed potentia dei et divinitas, ut Paulus dixit: invisibilia enim eius a creatura mundi per ea quae facta sunt, intellecta noscuntur, aeterna quoque eius virtus ac divinitas. |
| The book is not always easy reading. It presupposes some awareness of contemporary theological trends. Zizioulas’ disciplined and critical mind finds itself in constant dialogue with others, either giving them credit, or criticizing them – mostly on grounds of onesidedness, i.e. on the ground that they lack an authentically “catholic” grasp of ecclesial reality. His thought is, in many ways, close to that of the late Father Nicholas Afanasiev – well known exponent of “eucharistic ecclesiology” – but how sharp (and in my opinion, how justified) is also Zizioulas’ criticism of Afanasiev! Was not Afanasiev somehow overlooking the trinitarian and anthropological dimension of ecclesiology, focusing his thought on the “local” nature of the eucharistic community and, somewhat, excluding the problems of truth and of the universal presuppositions of unity? I hope that readers will not be set back by the technical character of this book. John Zizioulas is actually dealing with the most contemporary, the most urgent, the most existential issues facing the Orthodox Church today. Unless the visible reality of our Church life becomes consistent with that communion which is revealed to us in the Eucharist, unless our ecclesiastical structures – especially here in the West – conform themselves to that which the Church truly is, unless the eucharistic nature of the Church is freed from under the facade of anachronism, and ethnic politics, which hide it today, no ecumenical witness, no authentic mission to the world is possible. Born in Greece in 1931, John Zizioulas is a graduate of the Theological Faculty of the University of Athens, where he also later received a degree of Doctor of Theology, with a thesis on The Unity of the Church in the Eucharist and the Bishop during the First Three Centuries (Athens, 1965). He also studied Patristics at Harvard and was a Fellow at Dumbarton Oaks Center for Byzantine Studies. For several years, he served on the staff of the Commission on Faith and Order, World Council of Churches, in Geneva and was gradually recognized as one of the most influential Orthodox theologians of the younger generation. As a representative of the ecumenical patriarchate, he is a member of the International Commission for dialogue with Roman Catholicism. His ecumenical involvement has led him to publish a number of articles and studies in various periodicals. Some of these articles appeared in the French volume L’Être ecclésial (Paris, Labor et Fides, 1981). These same articles, with important additions are included in this volume. |
| The success of your multi-faceted activity has been enabled by the education you received at Moscow State University, the Moscow Theological Seminary and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. For your theological works the degree of doctor of theology has been bestowed upon you. Your labours in the field of external church relations have been marked by numerous awards by the Russian Orthodox Church and other Local Orthodox Churches. For your contribution to the cause of preserving and developing spiritual and cultural traditions, for the strengthening of peace and accord among peoples there have been bestowed upon you state awards of the Russian Federation such as the Order of Friendship, the Order of Merit and the Order of Alexander Nevsky. It is with diligence and a sense of heightened responsibility that you regard the obediences placed upon you by the church hierarchy, and in so doing you show a good example to those who work with you, for which you enjoy the deserved authority of leaders, colleagues and those under you. You successfully combine your broad church and public activities with pastoral ministry in the Moscow Church of the Resurrection ‘na Uspenskom vrazhke’. The clergy and parishioners see in you a good pastor, a wise counsellor and sympathetic father confessor. I am pleased that as you approach this milestone in your life you are full of strength and energy. I hope there will be many years of prolific cooperation in the future too. May the Lord grant you bodily health, peace of the soul and constant joy in Christ Jesus. I call God’s blessing down upon you and your labours.” Addressing Father Nikolai personally, metropolitan Hilarion stated that “I often point you out as an example to our other workers, above all as an example of a conscientious and competent approach towards work. You never fulfill a single task carelessly. You treat every task and every document with the utmost seriousness.” The metropolitan noted that the area for which Father Nikolai is responsible for is not confined to the position of deputy chairman of the DECR as many people turn to him for answers to many different questions which require a scholarly reasoned opinion on topics concerning inter-Orthodox relations, canon law and many others, and it is for this reason that, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, he is the member of so many commissions and other ecclesiastical bodies. |
| Ученое прозвище А.- Doctor magnificus (Чудесный доктор). Ему принадлежат ок. 30 сочинений по богословским, философским, логическим вопросам. Условно можно выделить 3 периода лит. деятельности А.: 1) философско-богословский (1070-1090), 2) богословский (1090-1105), 3) философский (1105-1109). 1-й период К 1-му периоду относится первое большое соч. «Monologion» (или «Soliloquium» - Разговор с самим собой, 1078), к-рое представляет собой очерк догматического богословия. Следующее соч., «Proslogion» (или «Alloquium» - Разговор с собеседником, 1079), содержит онтологическое доказательство существования Бога. К «Proslogion» примыкает «Liber apologeticus contra insipientem» (Апология против безумца), где А. защищает свое доказательство от возражений мон. Гаунило, приора мон-ря в Мармутье, к-рый в своей кн. «Liber pro insipiente» (Книга в защиту безумца) высказывает возражения на онтологическое доказательство. В 1080-1085 гг. были написаны диалоги «De grammatico» (О грамотном); «De veritate» (Об истине), в к-ром дается определение истины, разбирается отношение различных видов истины к единой истине; «De libero arbitrio» (О свободе выбора), в к-ром А. ищет совершенное определение свободы выбора и приводит разновидности этой свободы. К 2 последним диалогам непосредственно примыкает «De casu diaboli» (О падении диавола, 1085-1090), где А. рассматривает вопрос о происхождении и сущности зла. Это последний диалог, написанный им в мон-ре Бек. 2-й период Перед посвящением в архиепископа Кентерберийского (1093) А. написал «De fide Trinitatis» (О вере в Св. Троицу) и «De incarnatione Verbi» (О воплощении Слова), в них излагается учение о Св. Троице с помощью рациональных аргументов и осуждается номинализм Росцеллина . В 1098 г. в Италии А. завершил свое главное христологическое соч. «Сиг Deus homo» (Почему Бог стал человеком), где развивается ставшая для католич. Церкви общепризнанной юридическая теория Искупления как удовлетворения (satisfactio) за оскорбление Божественного величия, а также разбираются христологические проблемы. В этот же период А. было написано соч. «De conceptu virginali» (О непорочном зачатии), с ним связано более позднее «De originali peccato» (О первородном грехе, 1107-1108), эти сочинения посвящены вопросам происхождения и природы зла, распространения первородного греха на все человечество, очищения от этого греха в Крещении, участь некрещеных младенцев, святость и приснодевство Богоматери и др. «De processione Spiritus Sancti» (Об исхождении Св. Духа) первоначально представляло собой речь А. на Соборе в Бари (1098), посвященном истолкованию веры против учения правосл. Церкви. 2 сочинения - «De sacrificio azymi et fermentati» (О пресном и квасном хлебе в евхаристическом приношении), или «De azymo et fermentato» (О пресном и квасном хлебе), и «De sacramentis ecclesiae» (О Таинствах Церкви) - представляют собой ответ А. на вопрос еп. Варлаама Наумбургского о Св. Дарах. 3-й период |
| A woman’s community, which was later transformed into a convent, was established at the Ulala encampment. The venerable one reposed on May 18 (old calendar), 1847, in the Bolkhov Monastery (Diocese of Oryol), where he had been superior since 1844, following his return from the Altai region. The Jubilee Council of the Russian Orthodox Church numbered him among the saints in 2000. His memory is celebrated on May 18/31. Translated from the Russian A Brief History of the Altai Ecclesiastical Mission By Peter Vasilyevich Znamensky The first properly organized mission in western Siberia was opened in 1828 by initiative of Archbishop Eugene (Kazantsev) of Tobolsk, under the leadership of Archimandrite Macarius (Glukharev), former Rector of the Kostroma Seminary and a man of deep religious faith and selfless devotion to missionary work. Altai was chosen as its place of operation, a country that had not yet been penetrated by Christianity. It was inhabited by Tartars, Kalmyks, and other indigenous people, the majority of whom were pagans. Macarius arrived here in 1830 and operated out of Ulala, although he annually conducted tireless journeys throughout the entire country. He quickly learned the Altai dialect of the Tartar language and created a dictionary and many translations necessary for the enlightenment of the indigenous people (the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, a short sacred history, the rite of questions of faith posed at baptism, several psalms, and the Gospel according to St. Matthew). Bishop Vladimir with members of the Altai Ecclesiastical Mission in 1880 A cordial and loving man, he was the teacher, doctor, educator of children, intercessor before the authorities, and general benefactor of his spiritual children. However, the mission’s funding was only 571 rubles, yet he was able to find wealthy donors in Tobolsk and Moscow. He likewise used all his own resources, including his own salary, to assist the new Christians. Over the course of fourteen years, he acquired up to 675 souls for the Church and constructed three missionary camps with two churches and one chapel, since in his missionary efforts he relied on the powerful effect of Orthodox divine services above all else. He opened a school in Ulala, a woman’s philanthropic community, a hospital, and several permanent settlements for the new converts. |
| Vladislav Petrushko, Doctor of Ecclesiastical History, Doctoral Candidate of Theology, Professor: Vladislav Petrushko – This decision is clearly a manifestation of the modernist movement that has been dominating in the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the last century. If it recognized our revolutionists as the legitimate government after the Revolution (who in turn introduced similar decisions on a second marriage), then, basically, this comes as no surprise. It is a deviation from the tradition of the Orthodox Church that was unambiguously spelled out in our Church canons. A Strange and Controversial Decision that Contradicts the Canons Archpriest Nikolay Danilevich, Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate has allowed a second marriage Archpriest Nikolay Danilevich, Photo: facebook for priests. It is reported by Greek religious news website Romfea.gr that considers this decision historic. However, the permission for a second marriage may be given only in the event of a priest’s widowhood, that is in case of wife’s death or her leaving her husband-priest. Furthermore, the permission for a second marriage is not granted if a priest is the one who leaves his wife and wants to marry another. It is noted that all these cases should be considered separately and with particular attention by a diocesan bishop. An official letter from the Patriarch with detailed explanations of how to act in such cases would be sent shortly. As for me, this is a strange decision or, at least, a controversial one that contradicts the Church canons. Of course, everything may happen in life, and there are exceptions to the rules. Sometimes bishops allow individual priests to remarry for the benefit of the Church (if a priest is the good and active one) or at the indulgence, but bringing exceptions to the rank of a rule is probably too much. According to church rules, a priest can marry only once. If something does not work out with his wife, a priest either remains celibate and continues to serve, or goes to the monastery, or leaves the priesthood and remarries a second time. As I noted before, there are exceptions. |
| After the Prayer of Fervent Supplication, His Eminence Hilarion lifted up a prayer for peace in Ukraine. After the liturgy, Metropolitan Hilarion greeted the Primate of the Malankara Church on behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and said in particular, ‘Your Holiness, you visited the Russian Orthodox Church in 1988 as a bishop of the Malankara Church who accompanied a delegation led by the Catholicos, and you had an opportunity to see the life of our Church at that time. Now you can see the life of the Russian Orthodox Church today. For the last 30 years, our Church has changed beyond recognition. While in the Soviet years we had a little more than 6000 parishes in the whole of the Russian Orthodox Church, today there are almost 40 thousand parishes. It means that during 30 years we opened one thousand churches a year. At that time, we had only 20 monasteries while today they are almost a thousand. And these monasteries are now filled with young monks and nuns. While in the Soviet time we had only three theological seminaries, today we have already opened over 50. At that time, it was impossible to imagine that theology would be taught in secular universities, while today it is taught and officially recognized by the state as an academic specialization. We have an opportunity for granting our graduates certificates that are recognized by the state. All this and many other things can be seen by you and your honourable delegation with their own eyes. ‘Today I welcome you to the Ss Cyril and Methodius Institute of Post-Graduate Studies, an educational institution that was established a little over ten years ago at an initiative and with a blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. His Holiness chairs our institute’s supervisory board. We educate post-graduates and seekers of doctor degree here and many of them then become clergymen, some become bishops while others take up secular jobs to bring the spirit of Christianity into the secular world, to those with whom they work. The task of our institute is to educate a new generation of clergy, church workers, church diplomats and workers in the field of ecclesial education’. |
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