| Plate 10 Contemporary icon of Christ Philanthropos. By Eileen McGuckin. The Icon Studio: www. sgtt.org appears resplendent on Thabor or the Mount of Ascension. For Orthodoxy, the Christ of St. Mark is the same as the Lord of St. John’s Gospel. The church follows the Evangelist John’s understanding that the Katabasis (the descent, or “coming down”) of the Word is not simply a Kenosis, but an epiphany of condescension. And the Anabasis, or exaltation of the Lord, is not merely a prophet’s reward of blessing (like Elijah in the Merkabah), but a return to the “bosom of the Father” which the Logos had left only “economically” to complete the incarnate ministry. The Exalted Lord is the Servant of God: the Humble Servant is the Lord of Glory. They are one and the same: “One Lord, One Christ” has been a motif of the church from the first generation ( 1Cor. 8.6 ; Eph. 4.5 ). The formal Christology of the Orthodox Church (as distinct from its liturgical, confessional, songs and canticles which have a great poetic beauty of their own) is a long story of elaborating a defense of the evangelical icon of the Lord against a series of alternative pictures proposed, but which have been rejected by Orthodoxy as heretical, that is, not conducive to salvation and not in harmony with the “truth” of Christ which the Lord and the apostles spiritually communicated. Accuracy, historical speculation, and good biblical concordances are, therefore, not at all enough to ensure an “accurate” synopsis of biblical or early Christian Christology: for what matters and what transpires in “seeing” Orthodox Christology is first and foremost a matter of spiritual discernment transmitted through the phronema of the church (what the Latins called mens ecclesiae – the “mind of the Church” – or the sensus fidelium – the “spiritual instinct” that governs the faithful across time as inspired in them by the Spirit of God who is the animator of the church’s confession of Jesus). The controversy surrounding each of these numerous christological debates in Antiquity, as they succeeded one another, has left behind a vast body of literature. |
| The first two orders [St John " s and St Basil " s] have an identical structure. The difference between them consists solely in the broader compass, in St Basil the Great " s Liturgy, of the Eucharistic prayer which effects the mystery. There exist innumerable expositions of the Liturgy, some from the holy Fathers and others from simple, pious Orthodox Christians. As an example of the latter, we have the «Meditations on the Divine Liturgy» by the Russian writer, Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (1809–1852). In these expositions those who so wish can gain a more detailed and deeper understanding of every moment of the sacred rites. In the present survey of the Orthodox divine services, it is only possible briefly to explain the course of the Liturgy and to mention the significance of its most important parts. The word, «Liturgy,» means «common/general service.» Following the Mystical Supper itself, which was celebrated by the Lord Jesus Christ with the disciples on the night in which He was betrayed, it is a sacramental act of the closest union with Christ for those who believe in Him, an expression of the unity between the body of the Church and her Head. The other services can be served privately, or even in private accommodation, and without any connection to other prayer services; the other services can even be read or chanted if the necessity arises without a priest, according to the special order which the typicon provides for such an occasion. The Liturgy can only be celebrated by a canonically ordained Bishop or Presbyter on a consecrated Holy Table in church, or, in exceptional cases, elsewhere on the specially consecrated antimension, or liturgical cloth. It also requires a special preparation in prayer. Three parts follow each other in the Liturgy: a) the proskomidi [prothesis], b) the Liturgy of the Catechumens and c) the Liturgy of the Faithful. The proskomidi is the liturgical «preparation» celebrated by the priest. It takes part without the participation of the faithful; their participation is expressed only by their offering the bread for the proskomidi, the prosphora. The proskomidi consists in the preparation of the Holy Lamb on the diskos [paten] and the wine in the Cup for their impending change of the elements. Around the bread, the Holy Lamb, other, smaller particles are placed in honour of the Mother of God and to commemorate all the assemblies of the saints, and for the propitiatory remembrance of living Orthodox Christians and of the departed,-«those that have offered it, and those for whom they have offered it» [From the Prayer of the Prothesis]. These particles are tipped into the Cup after the communion of the faithful, at the end of the Liturgy. |
| In the order of the books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew comes first. Palestine is said to be the place where the Gospel was written. St Matthew wrote in Aramaic, and then it was translated into Greek. The Aramaic text has not survived, but many of the linguistic and cultural-historical peculiarities of the Greek translation give indications of it. The Apostle Matthew preached among people who were awaiting the Messiah. His Gospel manifests itself as a vivid proof that Jesus Christ is the Messiah foretold by the prophets, and that there would not be another (Mt. 11:3). The preaching and deeds of the Savior are presented by the evangelist in three divisions, constituting three aspects of the service of the Messiah: as Prophet and Law-Giver (Ch. 5-7), Lord over the world both visible and invisible (Ch. 8-25), and finally as High Priest offered as Sacrifice for the sins of all mankind (Ch. 26-27). The theological content of the Gospel, besides the Christological themes, includes also the teaching about the Kingdom of God and about the Church, which the Lord sets forth in parables about the inner preparation for entering into the Kingdom (Ch. 5-7), about the worthiness of servers of the Church in the world (Ch. 10-11), about the signs of the Kingdom and its growth in the souls of mankind (Ch. 13), about the humility and simplicity of the inheritors of the Kingdom (Mt. 18:1-35; 19 13-30; 20:1-16; 25-27; 23:1-28), and about the eschatological revelations of the Kingdom in the Second Coming of Christ within the daily spiritual life of the Church (Ch. 24-25). The Kingdom of Heaven and the Church are closely interconnected in the spiritual experience of Christianity: the Church is the historical embodiment of the Kingdom of Heaven in the world, and the Kingdom of Heaven is the Church of Christ in its eschatological perfection (Mt. 16:18-19; 28:18-20). The holy Apostle brought the Gospel of Christ to Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia, and finishing his preaching in Ethiopia with a martyr’s death. This land was inhabited by tribes of cannibals with primitive customs and beliefs. The holy Apostle Matthew converted some of the idol-worshippers to faith in Christ. He founded the Church and built a temple in the city of Mirmena, establishing there his companion Platon as bishop. |
| Much of it is very complex, yet, even at its most rhetorically “precise,” the patristic language about the Lord Jesus retains the spirit of the gospels and letters, and in two strong senses. First, it is a literature that confesses the power of the Lord. That is, it is soteriological in concern. It does not speculate about Christ for the sake of intellectual curiosity. It only makes statements about the Lord to clarify aspects of how his saving power has been experienced. To that extent it is a christological language of action, and even when speaking what seems to be “very high” theory, the patristic theology is always one of praxis. From the beginning to the present we know Christ immediately in his energeia, and that energeia is communicated so as to be universally accessible even in the contemporary world by the presence of his Spirit. Doctrinally speaking, this is why the Orthodox Church holds strongly to the confession that the head of the church is the Lord himself. Christ has not abdicated his regnant power over the community. He remains among it, needing no earthly vicar. The Orthodox Church has always insisted that to know Christ, one begins from the salvific effect he has on his world and his church. The “what” he has done, reveals the “who” the Master is. For the Orthodox Church, therefore, Christ is first and foremost the Savior. The second way in which the patristic confession of Christ retains the evangelical spirit is the manner in which it constantly reverts to doxology. The confession of the great deeds of the Lord for the liberation and purification of his people, and their ultimate theosis (deification), is essentially about praise of the energy of the Trinity’s life-giving revelation among humans and their social history. This language of praxis, for all its complexity, therefore, retained the essential character of doxology. This is how it could so easily enter into the fabric of the Orthodox liturgy at an early stage and why the Eucharistic anaphoras are full of profound christological discourses. |
| The tie between struggle and consolation is most powerfully revealed in the liturgical experience of the Church. By joining in the liturgical life, the faithful learn to engage in the struggle of prayer, so distinctly unique in the Eastern Church by reason of its profundity and lengthiness, and they find true spiritual consolation according to the Savior’s testament: Verily I say unto you… where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:19, 21). The apotheosis of spiritual consolation in the life of the Church is the Divine Eucharist – the real and mystical union of man with God. But it is unthinkable to enter at once into the spirit of this most sublime consolation, without due preparation, without bridling the turbulent worldly spirit, without the development of spiritual compunction. Really, how can one take part in the Supper made in remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and in accordance with His promise, without due preparation: without clothing one’s soul in the proper garment, without reconciling the conscience, without a consciousness of one’s unworthiness, or a feeling of the great benefit of this saying mystery? Can a musical instrument make a beautiful and pure sound without prior tuning?! Remembering that, in the Biblical and New Testament Tradition, days are calculated from the evening. The holy Church enjoins the faithful to enter into the spirit of the Eucharistic sacrifice through a preparatory service in the evening, on the eve of the Liturgy. It is in this evening service that genuine life in God and with God is revealed in all its spiritual beauty, when those who are praying “become attuned,” with trembling anticipation, to union with the Lord through communion of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Even if a man does not commune at the Liturgy, this in no wise excuses him from joining in the Eucharistic spirit, from thankfully experiencing Jesus Christ’s whole saving exploit. After all, the Liturgy is the moving commemoration and the co-suffering experiencing of the life of the Lord and Savior – from the Bethlehem manger, through the death on the Cross on Golgotha, the resurrection from the dead and the ascension into heaven, to the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, and through them on all the faithful in the bosom of Christ’s Church. From Apostolic times, the faithful have been called to participation in the “little Pascha,” to the Eucharistic banquet each Sunday. |
| 2. It has become apparent that this crisis is not only a problem of bilateral relations between the Constantinopolitan and the Moscow Patriarchates, but it concerns the whole of World Orthodoxy, all the Local Orthodox Churches since it is harming the very foundations of the life and missiology of Christ’s Church. This problem is not administrative but ecclesiological. The new conception of the Patriarch of Constantinople as “the first without equals”(“Primus sine paribus”) has reared its head in world Orthodoxy, and is something which the Orthodox Church has never known previously , and which in actuality is a clear violation of the principle of the Church’s catholicity and a consequence of the misunderstanding of the nature of the Church in general and of the role of the individual Local Churches, in particular. In addition, the Patriarchate of Constantinople began to concelebrate services with persons who were not canonically ordained, which in itself is a blasphemy and sacrilege with regards to the Eucharist. 3. In view of this, the cessation of Eucharistic communion by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with the Patriarchate of Constantinople and with the Churches and hierarchs who have recognised the schismatics is not an abuse of the Eucharist, or blackmail of the Eucharist, as some people have alleged, but on the contrary it is a defense of the Eucharist and a safeguard of the canonical and spiritual purity as well as the integrity of the Church. After all, our Lord Jesus Christ, in the words of the Holy Apostle Paul, ”also loved the Church, and gave himself for it… That he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians. 5: 25-27). 4. For these reasons, it is false and manipulative to accuse the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of allegedly moving toward self-isolation, specifically by its suspension of Eucharistic communion with those who have themselves entered into communion with unrepentant schismatics. In fact, we uphold the purity of the canonical traditions of the Church and protect the Church from blasphemy. Otherwise, if persons who have no canonical ordination are admitted to the priesthood, and if the schism is recognised by the Church, but the true Church of Christ is ignored or falsely called the schism, then there is a danger that the true Church may be substituted. Moreover, such anti-Church actions blur the line between the Church and the schism. As a result, a so-called new “Church” structure is created, which is founded by men, in place of the true Church that was founded by our Lord Jesus Christ who “hath purchased [it] with His own blood“ (see Acts 20:28). |
| The Transfiguration of Christ In the Gospel we heard a moment ago, let us back up a little to note what preceded this account. Jesus has just told His disciples, “Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom” (Matt. 16:28). Then the Gospel passage which we read begins by saying, “And after six days…” Conclusion Though it is incredible to see how God has manifested Himself, as mentioned earlier, this was an exceptional circumstance and not the usual. The Fathers note that the Transfiguration happened forty days before Christ’s crucifixion and for the purpose of strengthening these disciples for this event: “that when they would see Thee crucified,” as we chant in the Kontakion for the feast, “they would comprehend that Thy suffering was voluntary, and proclaim to the world that Thou art in truth the Effulgence of the Father.” Yet may we not abandon this event as being irrelevant to us who are only at the beginning of the spiritual life not seeing it’s significance for us. For this we can see in the following four points: Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen. “The power of God shone out visibly as if through thin glass to people who had the eyes of their hearts purified.” St. Gregory Palamas, “Homily 34 – On the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ” in The Homilies of Saint Gregory Palamas, Christopher Veniamin, ed. (South Canaan: Saint Tikhon’s Seminary Press, 2004) 2:137. Cf. St. Gregory Palamas, Homily 34 , 2:137. “Topics of Natural and Theological Science” G. E. H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard and Kallistos Ware trans. and ed. (Faber and Faber: London, 1995) 4:415. “Oration on the Transfiguration” in Light on the Mountain: Greek Patristic and Byzantine Homilies on the Transfiguration of the Lord , Brian J. Daley, S.J. trans. (Yonkers: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2013), 221. Philokalia , “The Declaration of the Holy Mountain”, G. E. H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard and Kallistos Ware trans. and ed. (Faber and Faber: London, 1995) 4:422; Cf. Topics of Natural and Theological Science , 4:414. Quoted by St. Gregory Palamas in Topics of Natural and Theological Science , 4:377. (Cf. Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople, “Homily on the Transfiguration” in Light on the Mountain: Greek Patristic and Byzantine Homilies on the Transfiguration of the Lord , Brian J. Daley, S.J. trans. (Yonkers: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Pres, 2013), 93. “Ambigua to John” in On Difficulties in the Church Fathers: The Ambigua , Nicholas Constas, trans. and ed. (Cambridge: Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library, 2014) 1:191. The Kontakion , tone VII, of the Feast of the Transfiguration. Cf. St. Gregory Nazianzen, Oration XLV / The Second Oration on Easter , XI. Ascetical Homilies . (Boston: Holy Transfiguration Monastery, 2011), 148-149. |
| This philosopher wrote much about the free moral choice of the individual as a fundamental value proclaimed by Christianity . Since our childhood, we all have been able to tell right from wrong, the truth from a lie with regard to ourselves and those around us. An ability to make a conscious choice in favour of goodness and truth elevates the human being, making him/her moral. As Christians we are bearers of Christian morality—the Gospel truth commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ. On every occasion we strive to comply with the Gospel morality and fulfil the divine commandments related to the Lord and our neighbours. Such was the life of the European society for many centuries, starting from the moment when the peoples of the European continent were illumined by the light of Christ’s faith and ending with the Modern Era, the period of humanism, the dawn of a new liberal teaching. The Primate of the Russian Church rightly noted that this teaching had its genesis in the Age of Enlightenment: “As it is known, the liberal doctrine originated in Europe in the 18th century, at the very end of the Age of Enlightenment, and in the subsequent century it grew much stronger… An idea of the overarching liberation of the individual from the social, national, religious, legal and other constraints was what often nourished the revolutionary movements which were in opposition to the politics of the time in the Western European countries and in Russia” . By striving to exalt the value of human life and affirming the lawfulness of human interests and inalienability of rights and freedoms, humanism at the same time engendered an idea of anthropocentricity as opposed to the religious outlook. God’s place was taken by a human being. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill writes: “In the Modern Age a conviction arose that the main factor determining human life and therefore the life of society was man himself. Undoubtedly, it is a heresy, no less dangerous than Arianism. Before that, people used to believe that God ruled over the world by means of the laws created by Him, and over the human society based on the moral law that He had revealed in His word and mirrored in human conscience” . Gradually developing and becoming anti-religious, humanism gave rise to secularism—the tendency which ousts religious dimension from the life of the individual and society and leads to the propagation of atheism. In the public sphere, humanism produces nihilism and social apathy, and creates an atmosphere of discontent and revolt. The ideology of liberalism began to lay claim to universality and fight against the tradition. |
| The verbal icon of Christ is an inspired historical, theological, and literary achievement. Like a visual icon, this one too challenges and invites us to know the truth, that is, to know Him Who is truth, Who spoke and testified to truth. Both the visual and verbal icons answer in colors or words the question, “Who is Jesus?” Both of them owe their existence to the condescension of God, which makes allowance for human limitations by using the colors of daily life or by employing language that is culturally conditioned. The reality that these icons conveyed breaks through human colors and languages. Christ’s humiliation (kenosis) and His glorification make both icons possible. This is the content of the apostolic hymn that St. Paul included in Philippians 2:6-11: Christ Jesus, though He was in the form of God,did not count equality with God a thing to begrasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under theearth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. This hymn expressed the faith and confession of the Church that the crucified Jesus is one and the same person with the incarnate, resurrected, and ascended Lord. The icon of Christ, both in its visual and verbal form, comes as the fruit of this faith and becomes the enduring witness to the personal continuity of the 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. |
| If great saints, full of the Holy Spirit, saw themselves as pitted by sin and completely unworthy of approaching the Holy Mysteries, how then can we dare to receive them? What should we do? Here the Merciful Lord, Who desires the salvation of all who are perishing, replies: “Repent!” St. John the Forerunner, the greatest of all born of women, called for repentance by God’s command; the Lord also commanded His Apostles to preach repentance when sending them out to preach. Repentance is the first commandment of the New Testament, the first commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance is God’s great gift to people, the means of being cleansed from sin, and the door of salvation. Repentance is a manifestation of God’s ineffable love for fallen humanity. Repentance is God’s all-mighty power that heals all the sinful wounds of the sincerely repentant. By repentance the publican left the temple justified. By the repentance of the prodigal son, everything that had been squandered was restored to its former dignity. By repentance the repentant thief was the first to enter Paradise. By repentance the Apostle Peter regained his apostleship and St. Mary of Egypt was cleansed of her thousands of mortal sins. Indeed, everyone who attained holiness did so by repentance. Let us, too, offer our sincere repentance to the Lord, recognizing our unworthiness before God, weeping for our sins before Him. Let us confess them before a spiritual father, concealing nothing and justifying ourselves in nothing. Let us resolve henceforth to resist sin with all our might. Then the Merciful Lord will forgive, cleanse, and extend His unerring promise to us: though your sins be scarlet, they shall be as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). Then we will be vouchsafed to receive without condemnation the Holy, Dread, and Life-Giving Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Having been vouchsafed this great gift of God’s love, we should by all means guard against offending the Lord by some inadvertent sin, that He not depart from us. |
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