| Palm Sunday: Entrance of Our Lord into Jerusalem Today is the end of our Great Lent—our journey to God; this is all that we are capable of. But today is also the beginning of the Passion Week—God’s journey to us. The way of Christ is the way of the bearing of the Cross, the way of suffering for our sins. We cannot understand His ways; all of the Passion Week is a mystery, a Sacrament; a stumbling block to some, and foolishness to others. Source: Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov’s blog Our Great Lent has come to an end; tomorrow, we enter the Passion Week. Great Lent is our journey to God, and it ends at the gates of Jerusalem. Today, we greet the coming Lord with palm branches in our hands (John 12:13), sing to Him “Hosanna” (Matt. 21:9), carpet his path with our clothes—such a solemn and joyous occasion! It seems that if we become silent, then the very stones will shout out (Luke 19:40). But what a terrible solemnity this is! The tears in the Savior’s eyes have not yet dried up (Luke 19:41). He sees that we do not need Christ with His sacrifice, commandments of love, humility and kindness, with His salvation. We think that we do not need to be saved—we need to be rewarded, and we want our enemies to be punished. We are not interested in the kingdom “not of this world” (John 18:36); we need an earthly king who will today restore the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6)—not to God. But Christ “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life…” (Mark 10:45); the Lord willingly accepts suffering. Perhaps, it is because of this that the excited crowd that shouts “Hosanna to the Son of David” will be shouting just as loudly in a few days: “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” (Luke 23:21). And together with the crowd, we too will beat the Lord with our passions (John 19:1), spit at Him with our lack of self control (Mark 14:65), and pound the nails of our sins into His Most Pure Body. Today is the end of our Great Lent—our journey to God; this is all that we are capable of. But today is also the beginning of the Passion Week—God’s journey to us. The way of Christ is the way of the bearing of the Cross, the way of suffering for our sins. We cannot understand His ways; all of the Passion Week is a mystery, a Sacrament; a stumbling block to some, and foolishness to others (1 Cor. 1:23). Laws of time and space are suspended at the Last Supper; the King of all creation stands tied up and mocked before a Roman procurator; “hangs on a tree, He, Who hung the earth upon waters” (from a stichera of the 9th hour on Great Friday); the sun hides its light at midday (Luke 23:44-45); the temple curtain is torn in half (Luke 23:45); and “the eternal One is laid in a tomb” (kondakion in the 6th tone from Paschal midnight office)… Who can comprehend all of this with a human mind?! |
| Assuming human nature in the unity of His Hypostasis, the Son of God by taking flesh became the New Adam, the Progenitor of the new humanity. “Beholding him that was in God’s image and likeness fallen through the transgression, Jesus bowed the heavens and came down, and without changing He took up His dwelling in a Virgin womb: that thereby He might fashion corrupt Adam anew.” St. Irenaeus says that the Son of the Most High became the Son of man in order to make man a son of God. In the new humanity, built upon the foundation of the Incarnation of the Son of God, the unity of our human nature, broken by sin, is restored. Christ Himself named this new humanity the Church. In Chapter 16 of the Gospel of St. Matthew, we read how the Apostle Peter on behalf of all the Apostles confessed the truth of the Incarnation of the Only-begotten Son of God. And Christ responded to him: Upon this rock (obviously meaning, upon the Incarnation, upon the fact that He is the Son of the Living God) I will build My Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matt. 16:16–18). When Christ parted with and said farewell to His disciples, He promised to send them another Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Who would instruct them, would guide (δηγσει) them into all truth, and Who would abide with them forever (cf. John 14:16–17; 15:26; 16:13). This Holy Spirit is continually spoken about in Holy Scripture: that He gives life to the Church, which is the Body of Christ. The Spirit of God lives in the members of the Church (cf. Rom. 8:9, 11, 23, 26; II Tim. 1:14; I Pet. 4:14) and guides them (cf. Rom. 8:14). The Holy Spirit is the single source of all the spiritual gifts which are bestowed upon the membersof the Church (cf. I Cor. 12:4–11). The Church as a whole, as well asin her individual members, lives, thinks and progresses unto perfection through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is solely through each man’s bond with the Church that he receives all the means necessary for his moral regeneration. |
| Orthodox faithful in USA commemorate 9/11 victims September 12, 2011 On September 11, 2011, the day when the Church remembers the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, Archbishop Justinian of Naro-Fominsk, administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA , celebrated the Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas’s in New York. There were many worshippers including those who had lost their relatives and loved ones in the terrorist action on September 11, 2001. Present in the church were also A. Yumashev, Russian consul general in New York, and A. Ilichev of the UN secretariat’s political department, the press service of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA reported. After the liturgy, Archbishop Justinian, assisted by the local clergy, said the office for the dead. Addressing the congregation, he expressed condolences to all the victims of the 9/11 terrorist action, noting that ‘the understandable feelings of grief cannot be inconsolable, cannot grow into despair and depression, for we believe in Christ, the Conqueror of death and hell. Today we lift up our prayer for our lost brothers and sisters in faith, but the feelings of sorrow, compassion and love compel us to lift up our personal prayers for all those who died in that terrible tragedy’. He also reminded the congregation of the words of St. Paul: Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong (1 Cor. 16:13). He called the faithful to fulfill the commandment of the apostle to live without fear for their lives. He concluded his homily with the Paschal greeting: ‘Christ Is Risen!’. Then Mr. Yumashev spoke expressing the hope that ‘the common grief should unite all good people in the struggle with evil. And may this struggle result in one thing: may the good defeat the evil!’ DECR Communication Service 13 сентября 2011 г. ... Комментарии Мы в соцсетях Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку |
| «Urma lsat de pcatul trupesc rmâne în om i dup mrturisirea pcatului, i dup prsirea lui; urma lsat de erezie e nimicit îndat dup lepdarea ei. Fr aceast doctorie, otrava hulei împotriva lui Dumnezeu rmâne în duhul omenesc i nu înceteaz a-l cltina cu nedumeriri i îndoieli pricinuite de împreun-simirea netiat din rdcin fa de erezie; rmân gânduri ce se ridic împotriva înelegerii lui Hristos (II Cor. 9, 5), ce fac anevoioas mântuirea pentru cel inut în legturile lor, inut în legturile nesupunerii i împotrivirii fa de Hristos, pentru cel ce rmâne în împrtire cu satana». «Auzind astzi amenintoarea vestire a doctoriei duhovniceti, s o primim cu înelegere adevrat i, dând-o sufletelor noastre, s lepdm fr frnicie i în chip hotrâtor acele pierztoare învturi pe care Biserica le va lovi cu anatema spre mântuirea noastr. Chiar dac le-am lepdat întotdeauna, s întrim glasul prin care le leapd Biserica». «Libertatea, uurimea, puterea duhovniceasc pe care le vom simi negreit în noi ne mrturisesc dreptatea acestei lucrri bisericeti i adevrul învturii vestite în ea». 21 ω. 17. 22 Α’ Κορ. 13,12. 23 Α’ Κορ. 13,12. 24 Α’ Κορ. 12,26 κα Ρωμ. 8,30. 25 ω. 17. 26 π. ΙΩΑΝΝΗΣ ΡΩΜΑΝΙΔΗΣ, θρησκεα εναι νευροβιολογικ σθνεια δ ρθοδοξα θεραπεα της, § ΙΙ Α Σνοδοι ς ταιρεαι νευρολογικν κλινικν, ποπαργραφος 4) Νευρολογικ Κλινικ, Πρτη δημοσευση π τν ερ Μον Κουτλουμουσου γου ρους, στν τμο «ρθοδοξα, λληνισμς, πορεα στν 3η χιλιετηρδα» 1966, σσ. 67-87, http://www.greekorthodoxchurch.org/cure_gr.html 27 SF PAISIOS VELICIKOVSKI : anathema to the papists! «Are heretics the Roman Catholics with their pope? Well I know you’ll say they’re heretics. And since they are heretics as well as they are indeed, then our Holy Church anathematizated them. And the Holy Church is anathematizated them, along with the Church, her son being, I anathematizated them». Sf Paisios Velicikovski, Spiritual Words and Letters, vol. II, Chisinau, 1999, p. 49, |
| Демон исповеди пакость In A this poem immediately follows Демон ловит , and is taken from Meffreth, ibid.: «Ideo legitur, quod cuidam Eremitae quadam vice occurrerunt très daemones, qui interrogavit eos, quomodo vocarentur? Prim us dixit: Ego vocor claudens cor, vt quando aliquis audita praedicatione confiteri vellet, tunc ego claudo ei cor, quod pro peccatis suspirare non potest.. Alter dixit: ego vocor claudens os, & hoc facio, quando aliquis vult confiteri, & Dominum nostrum euadere, ego tunc claudo ei os, ne possit confiteri. Tertius inquit: ego vocor claudens bursam, quod homo iniustas res restituere non possit, nec de iustis bonis eleemosynas facere; & ita vniti sumus, quod vnus iuuat alterum, in quantum potest» (Pars hyem., p. 261). Демон в образе аггела служаше Taken from M SE (1653), «Daemon», No. 11 «Indiscretus pater diabolica suasione seductus filium interimere tentavit» The source is given as «Cassianus collât. 2. de discretione, cap. 9.» Демон в аггела светла претворися This poem has the same theme as the preceding poem, and is taken from M SE (1653), ibid. День и нощь Published in I.P. Eremin, «Poétieskij stil» Simeona Polockogo,» TODRL, VI (1948), pp. 134–5, in Eremin, in Drevnjaja russkaja literatura. Chresttmatija, sost. N.I. Prokofev, M., 1980, p. 313, and in PLDR. Десятина Although this story is to be found in M SE (1653) under the heading «Decimae», it appears from the context in A that the poem has been taken from Meffreth, Feria 4 quatuor temporum, where it is stated that tithing produces both abundance of fruits and bodily health: «De prima [i.e. abundance of fruits] refert Caesarius lib. 10. dialog, cap. 13. Miles quidam vineam habuit, de qua circa decern carratas, vulgariter Fuder, annuatim colligere solebat, de qua & decimam dare oportebat. Anno quodam vnam solam carratam colligens in ea, ait: Domine Deus, quod meum fuit tulisti, quod tuum est offeram tibi, deditque eandem carratam loco decimae. Eodem tempore germanus eius existens sacerdos adueniens, vineam repletam vidit botris. Et cum fratrem quasi de negligentia vindemiae argueret, mirantem & minus credentem introduxit, & ecce benedictione Domini est inuentum, nec vmquam aliquo anno vberiores fructus fecit, quam illo» (Pars hyem., p. 221). |
| Лит.: Bouriant U. Les Papyrus d " Akhmim. P., 1884. Vol. 1. P. 260-279; Steindorff G. Die Apokalypse des Elias: Eine unbekannte Apokalypse und Bruchstücke der Sophonias-Apokalypse. Lpz., 1899; Coptic Biblical Texts in the Dialect of Upper Egypt/Ed. E. A. Budge. L., 1912. P. LV-LVII, 270-271; Pistelli E. Papiri greci e latini della Società Italiana. Firenze, 1912. T. 1. P. 16. N 1; Wessely C. Les plus anciens monuments du christianisme écrits sur papyrus. P., 1924. P. 487-488. N 88. (PO; Vol. 18. Fasc. 3); Schmidt C. Der Kolophon des Ms. Orient. 1594 des Britischen Museums: Eine Untersuch. z. Elias-Apokalypse. B., 1925. S. 312-321; Ruwet J. Origène et l " Apocalypse d " Élie à propos de 1 Cor 2. 9//Biblica: Comment. periodici ad rem biblicam scientifice investigandam. R., 1949. Vol. 30. P. 517-519; Black M. The «Two Witnesses» of Rev. 11. 3f in Jewish and Christian Apocalyptic Tradition//Donum Gentilicium: NT Stud. in Honour of D. Daube/Ed. E. Bammel et al. Oxf., 1978. P. 227-237; Wiener A. A. The Prophet Elijah in the Development of Judaism. L., 1978; The Books of Elijah/Transl. M. Stone, J. Strugnell. Missoula, 1979; The Books of Elijah. Parts 1-2/Eds. M. Stone, J. Strugnell. Missoula, 1979; Schrage W. Die Elia-Apokalypse. Gütersloh., 1980. (JSHRZ; Bd. 5. N 3); The Apocalypse of Elijah: Based on Pap. Chester Beatty 2018/Ed. A. Pietersma, S. T. Comstock, H. W. Attridge. Chico, 1981; Wintermute O. S. Apocalypse of Elijah//Old Testament Pseudepigrapha/Ed. J. H. Charlesworth. L., 1983. Vol. 1. P. 721-753; idem. Elijah, Apocalypse of //ABD. 1992. Vol. 2. P. 466-469; Aranda P. G. Ideas escatológicas judías en el Apocalipsis copto de Elías//Simposio Biblico Español/Ed. N. Fernández Marcos et al. Madrid, 1984. P. 663-679; Bauckham R. J. Enoch and Elijah in the Coptic Apocalypse of Elijah//Papers presented to the 7th Intern. Conference on Patristic Studies held in Oxford, 1975/Ed. A. Livingstone. B., 1985. Bd. 2. P. 99-107. (StPatr; 16); Weinrich W. C. Antichrist in the Early Church//Concordia Theological Quarterly. 1985. Vol. 49. P. 135-147. N 2; Frankfurter D. Tabitha in the Apocalypse of Elijah//JThSt. N. S. 1990. Vol. 41. P. 13-25; idem. Elijah in Upper Egypt: The Apocalypse of Elijah and Early Egyptian Christianity. Minneapolis, 1993; idem. The Cult of the Martyrs in Egypt before Constantine: The Evidence of the Coptic Apocalypse of Elijah//VChr. 1994. Vol. 48. P. 25-47; Апокрифические апокалипсисы. СПб., 2001. |
| Дух Святый деет Taken from Faber, In Dominica Pentecostes, No. 3 «Quanta bona conferat Spiritus Sanctus per gratiam habitualem», sect. 2 «Facit ilium Dei hospitem, et quanta haec dignitas, quantum et hoc bonum»: «Denique cum intrat Spiritus Sanctus, mediante beneficio praedicto, in animam iustificatam, non sedet ibi otiosus, non sufficit llli animam sua praesentia condecorare, sed et virtute sua sanctificat illam operando in ilia et cum ilia, quidquid ad salutem conveniens est Sedet ibi tamquam paterfamilias in domo sua, illam gubemans; sedet ibi tamquam praeceptor in schola instruens illam, tamquam hortulanus in horto suo, colens illam, tamquam rex in regno suo, regens illam, tamquam sol in mundo, illuminans illam, denique tamquam anima in corpore suo, dans illi vitam, sensum et motum.» The image of the helsman and the ship (11. 15–16) appears to be Simeon " s own. Дух Святый ограждает Taken from Faber, ibid., No. 4 «Signa inhabitants Spiritus Sancti, seu gratiae in homine», sect. 3 «Fuga illecebrarum peccati et Timor Dei»: «Paradisum munivit Deus flammeo gladio, Genes. ne quis deinceps accedere ad lignum vitae posset. Spiritus Sanctus munit cor hominis, quod inhabitat, igne timoris Dei. Hie si fuerit custos cordis tui, ut mundo, cami, Diabolo aditum occludas, tunc dicam hospitem cordis tui esse Spiritum Sanctum.» Духа Святаго дари Taken from Faber, Feria 2 Pentecostes, No. 3 «De septem donis Spiritus Sancti», Headings: «1. Donum sapientiae, 2. Donum scientiae, 3. Donum consilii, 4. Donum intellectus, 5. Donum pietatis, 6. Donum fortitudinis, 7. Donum timoris.» Духа Святаго жилище Taken from Faber, In Dominica Pentecostes, No. 2 «Dispositiones ad Spiritus Sancti seu gratiae receptionem». The poem is a brief summary of the sermon, as can been seen from the section headings. 11. 1–4 cf sect. 1 «Mens a terrenis ad Deum et caelestia elevanda». 1. 5 cf sect. 2 «Opera misericordiae exercenda». 1. 6 cf sect. 3 «Reconciliatio et unio animorum». 11. 7–8 cf sect. 4 «Oratio perseverans». 11. 9–10 cf sect. 5 «Erant orantes cum Maria Matre». 11. 13–14 cf sect. 7 «Perfecta poenitentia». |
| Synaxis of the Primates of the Orthodox Churches-Message Synaxis of the Primates of the Orthodox Churches (Phanar, March 6-9, 2014) Message In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Through the grace of God, the Primates of the Most Holy Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, to the Orthodox faithful throughout the world, all of our Christian brothers and sisters as well as every person of goodwill: we extend God’s blessing and our greeting of love and peace. “We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 1.2-3) 1. Having convened by the grace of our compassionate God, at the invitation of the Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, at the Phanar, from March 6-9, 2014; having deliberated in fraternal love on matters concerning our Holy Church today; and concelebrating in the Patriarchal Church of St. George on the glorious occasion of the Sunday of Orthodoxy, we address you with these words of love, peace and consolation. Inasmuch as our One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Orthodox Church dwells in the world, it also experiences the challenges of every age. Faithful to Holy Tradition, the Church of Christ is in constant dialogue with every period of time, suffering with human beings and sharing their anguish. For “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and to the ages” (Heb. 13.8). The trials and challenges of history are especially acute in our days, and Orthodox Christians cannot remain uninvolved or indifferent to them. This is why we have assembled “together in one place” (Acts 2.1) in order to reflect on the problems and temptations facing humanity today. “There is fighting without and fear within.” (2 Cor. 7.5) These Apostolic words are also valid for the Church today. 2. In reflecting upon people’s suffering throughout the world, we express our support for the martyrdom and our admiration for the witness of Christians in the Middle East, Africa, and other parts of the world. We call to mind their dual martyrdom: for their faith as well as for the safeguarding of their historical relationship with people of other religious conviction. We denounce the lack of peace and stability, which is prompting Christians to abandon the land where our Lord Jesus Christ was born and whence the Good News spread to the entire world. |
| 19. Schaff, Philip, ed., rev. by David S. Schaff, The History of the Creeds. The Creeds of Christendom: With a History and Critical Notes.1 vol. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1983. 20. Schutze, B., “Grundfragen des theologischen Palamismus.” [The Fundamental Questions Concerning the Theology of Palamismus]. Ostkirchliche Studien 24 (1975): 105-135 21. Vanneste, J., Le mystère de Dieu [The Mystery of God]. Bruges. 1959. 22. Von Ivanka, E., Plato Christianus [The Plato-Christians]. Einsiedeln. 1964. 23.Williams, R. D., “The Philosophical Structures of Palamism.” Eastern Churches Review 9 (1977): 27-44. 24. Zizioulas, John D., Being as Communion. Studies in Personhood and the Church. London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1985. List of Abreviations: SC Sources Chrétiennes, Paris CCSL Corpus Christianorum Seria Latina, Turnhout GNO Gregorii Niceni Opera PTS Patristische Texte und Studien CChr.SG Corpus Christianorum Seria Graeca CPG Clavis Patrum Graecorum ‘Go therefore and disciple all thenations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’. ‘The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all’ (Matt 28: 19; 2 Cor. 13: 14). Also, Theological articles of Fr. George Florovsky, Article V-VI–The Idea of Creation in the Christian Philosophy Importantly, to bear in mind here is the distinction between the Unitarian doctrine of Paul of Samosata and the Sabelianism. The former believed that “God was simple and unitary, so that the Logos was a permanent and impersonal attribute of God and not a transient phase of the divine Person, as the Sabellians taught. For the latter, Christ in Himself was both Father and Son to Himself” (Prestige 205).Yet, ultimately both streams are termed as Unitarian, because of their abnegation of a united and equal Trinity. Gunton’s point here is that there is no Ousia but the Ousia of Father, Ousia of the Son, and Ousia of the Holy Spirit, which is qualitatively one divinity, but it is to be understood as a distinct threefoldness. |
| On 9 November 2015, the Primate of the Syriac Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, arrived in Russia on an official visit at the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. It is the first visit of His Holiness Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II to the Russian Orthodox Church since his election to the Patriarchal Throne in March 2014. Photo: http://mospat.ru The delegation accompanying the Primate of the Syriac Orthodox Church includes Mor Severius Hawa, Metropolitan of Baghdad and Basra; Metropolitan Mor Dionysius Jean Kawak, Patriarchal Assistant, Director of the Department of Ecumenical Relations of the Syriac Orthodox Church; Archbishop Mor Philoxenus Yusuf Cetin, Patriarchal Vicar in Istanbul and Ankara; Mor Nicodemus Daoud Sharaf, Archbishop of Mosul; Archimandrite Raban Roger-Youssef Akhrass, Director of the Syriac Studies Department; and Archimandrite Raban Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Secretary and Syriac Media Office Director. At the Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II was met by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, who greeted the high guest on behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church. Photo: http://mospat.ru/ Among those who took part in the meeting were also Archbishop Ezras Nersisyan, head of the Russian and Nor Nakhichevan diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church; Cor-bishop Samano Odisho, rector of the Assyrian church of St. Mary in Moscow; Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), DECR Secretary for Inter-Christian Relations; and DECR staff members, Mr. Yevgeny Novozhenin, Mr. Sergey Alferov, Mr. Denis Baturin, and Mr. Vladimir Kuznetsov. During the visit which will be completed on November 13, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II will meet with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and representatives of governmental authorities of the Russian Federation, and will visit theological institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church and churches and monasteries in Moscow and the Moscow Region. |
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