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Kollyva

2013-03-04T17:20:52Z

Basil: /* See also */

[[Image:Orthodoxer Gottesdienst.jpg|right|thumb|Postcard, undated (ca.1916), showing an Orthodox service with the blessing of Kollyva.]]
{{spirituality}}
'''Kollyva''' (Greek: ''' ''Κολλυβα,'' ''' (kólliva); Serbian: ''' ''кољиво,'' ''' (koljivo); Romanian: ''' ''colivă'' '''; Bulgarian: ''' ''коливо,''' '' (kolivo); Ukrainian and Russian: ''' ''Kutya'' ''' (or Kutia)) is an offering of boiled wheat that is blessed liturgically in connection with the '''[[Memorial Services]]''' in Church for the benefit of one's departed, thereby offering unto [[God]], as it were, a sacrifice of propitiation (atonement) for the dead person, and in honor of the Sovereign [[Lord]] over life and [[death]].<ref>[http://www.stlukeorthodox.com/html/parishinfo/commemorationofthedeparted.cfm Recipe For Kutya (Koliva)---Alaskan Tradition]. St. Luke the Evangelist Orthodox Church (Palos Hills, IL).</ref>

==Recipe==
While recipes may vary widely, the primary ingredient in today's Kollyva consists of wheat kernels which have been boiled until they are soft. These are usually mixed with a variety of ingredients which may include pomegranate seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, ground walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, raisins, anise and parsley.

The Kollyva mixture is then placed on a platter and shaped into a mound or cake, to resemble a grave. The whole is then decorated with a powdered sugar covering, often with Jordan almonds, raisins, or other sweets decoratively placed on the surface. A [[cross]] is traced or created with the sweets on the top, and on its sides are placed the initials of the departed for whom the memorial is held. A candle, often placed in the center of the Kollyva, is lit at the beginning of the [[Memorial Services|requiem service]] and extinguished at its end; the candle symbolizes the light wherewith the Christian is illumined in [[Baptism]], and also the light of the world to come, which knows no setting.

Some Orthodox parishes have a designated individual charged with making the Kollyva. This is in part due to the health risk of fermented wheat if the Kollyva is not prepared correctly.

Sometimes Kollyva is made with rice instead of wheat. This custom began as a practical response to a famine that occurred in Soviet Russia, when the faithful did not have wheat available for Kollyva, so they used rice instead. Some communities continue to use rice for their Kollyva to this day. In the [[Church of Japan|Japanese Orthodox Church]] where rice is mainly eaten, Kollyva is commonly made from rice sweetened with sugar and decorated with raisins, without reference to famine.

The size and decoration of the platter varies according to the time elapsed from the date of death. The '''fortieth day''' [[Memorial Services|memorial service]] is the most important which practically no Orthodox neglects to hold for the repose of the soul of their beloved. This ritual food is blessed after the memorial [[Divine Liturgy]], performed at various intervals after a death. The Kollyva are then distributed to the [[congregation]] after the service, who in return say ''"may God forgive his soul!"''.

It is also customary for the [[priest]] to pour wine, oil, and some of the Kollyva onto the grave site at the cemetery, following the [[Memorial Services|Memorial Service]] in church.<ref group="note">The Church uses bread, wine, wheat, oil, water, flowers and fruits as signs of God's love, mercy, goodness, life and the very presence given to man in creation and salvation. Indeed, all elements of creation find the "truth" of their very being and existence as expressions and manifestations of God, as "symbols" of his presence and action in the world for man. This is the reason for their use in this way in the Church. (''[http://www.oca.org/OCchapter.asp?SID=2&ID=49 Christian Symbols].'' The Orthodox Church in America.)</ref>

==Origins==
===Ancient World===
The origin of the religious use of Kollyva predates [[Introduction to Orthodox Christianity|Christianity]]. The word stems from the Ancient Greek word κόλλυβo (kollyvo), which originally meant cereal grain.

The Ancient Greek [[w:First Fruits|first fruits]] offerings (or dedications) known as ''panspermia,''<ref group="note">For this reason, in Greece, Kollyva is also called ''sperma'' (i.e., "seed"). The ancients also used the word ''pankarpia''.</ref> consisted of a mixture of cooked seeds and nuts ([[w:Pulse (legume)|Pulse]]) which were offered during the festival of the [[w:Anthesteria|Anthesteria]].

The [[w:Anthesteria|Anthesteria]]<ref group="note">The name Anthesteria (Ἀνθεστήρια) is usually connected etymologically with the Greek ''anthos'' (ἄνθος; plural: ἄνθη or ἄνθεα; root: ἀνθεσ-), "flower" or "bloom", cognate to the Sanskrit ''andhas'' ("[[w:Soma|Soma]] plant/juice").</ref> was one of the four Athenian festivals in honour of Dionysus (collectively the ''[[w:Dionysia|Dionysia]]''), held annually for three days, from the eleventh to the thirteenth of the month of [[w:Anthesterion#List_of_months|Anthesterion]] (February-March). The festival predates the Ionian colonisation of the early eleventh century B.C.,<ref group="note">"The traditional date of the [[w:Ionians|Ionian]] migration is the early eleventh century B.C. (1086/85 or 1076/75; Jacoby, ''Mar. Par.'' 27, pp. 151-52 and ''FGrH'' No. 239, Comm. on 27) or in its third quarter (1044/43 according to [[w:Eratosthenes|Eratosthenes]], who placed it four generations after [[w:Trojan War|the fall of Troy]]; 1045/44 for Ephesus and 1039/38 for the other cities according to [[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]] 1. 187. 36). These chronological indications have been accepted by most historians who regard the migration as a consequence of the [[w:Dorians|Dorian]] invasion of mainland Greece." (Carl Roebuck. ''The Early Ionian League.'' '''Classical Philology'''. Vol.50, No.1 (Jan.,1955), pp.26-40. p.37.)</ref> making it the oldest datable part of the [[w:Eleusinian Mysteries|Eleusinian Mysteries]]. Although its name indicates a Festival of Flowers (''anthos''), the festival focused primarily on opening the new wine and on placating the spirits of the dead.

Wheat, like barley, was also associated with the Egyptian cult of [[w:Osiris|Osiris]]. Grain was planted in the ground on the same day traditionally commemorating the death of the god,<ref group="note">The 17th of Athyr (November 13).</ref> while the germinating seed symbolized Osiris rising from the dead.

The association between [[death]] and life, between that which is planted in the ground and that which emerges, is deeply embedded in the making and eating of Kollyva. The ritual food passed from [[paganism]] to early Christianity in [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantium]] and later spread to the entire Orthodox world.

===St. Theodore Saturday===
The tradition of blessing and eating Kollyva at the end of the first week of [[Great Lent]] is connected with an event in the reign of [[Julian the Apostate]] in 362 AD. The tradition states that the Emperor knew that the Christians would be hungry after the first week of strict [[fasting]], and would go to the marketplaces of Constantinople on Saturday, to buy food. Therefore he ordered that [[Blood in the Bible|blood]] from pagan sacrifices be sprinkled over all the food that was sold there, making it ''"polluted sacrificial food"'' (food "polluted" with the blood of idolatry), in an attempt to force upon the people the [[paganism]] of which he was an ardent supporter.

However St. [[Theodore the Tyro]] appeared in a dream to the Patriarch of Constantinople [[Eudoxius of Antioch|Eudoxios]], ordering him to inform all the Christians that no one should buy anything at the market, but rather to boil the wheat (already called ''Kollyva'') that they had at home and eat it sweetened with honey.

As a result, this first Saturday of Great Lent has come to be known as Theodore Saturday. After the service, the Kollyva is distributed to all who are present and, after [[Holy Communion]] and the [[antidoron]], is the first food eaten after the strict fasting of the first week.

Since then Kollyva, having become connected with celebrating the memory of saints, are brought to church and are ordained by the priest during memorial prayers known today as [[Memorial Services]].

==Symbolism==
The Kollyva are symbolic of the [[resurrection]] of the dead on the day of the Second Coming of the Lord. St. [[Apostle Paul|Paul]] said, ''' ''"what you sow does not come to life unless it dies"'' ''' (I Corinthians 15:36), and St. [[Apostle John|John]], ''' ''"unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit"'' ''' (John 12:24).

Thus, as the wheat is buried in the soil and disintegrates without really dying but is later regenerated into a new plant that bears much more fruit than itself, so the Christian's body will be raised again from the very corruptible matter from which it is now made; however, it will be raised not in its previous fleshy substance but in an incorruptible essence which ''"will clad the mortal body with an immortal garment"'', in the words of St. Paul (I Corinthians 15:53).

The Kollyva then, symbolize the Apostolically rooted hope in the [[resurrection]] of the dead as the only eventuality that gives meaning and attains the longed perfection on the part of the individual who takes his life to be a divinely ordained meaningful living forever.<ref>Rev. Dr. Nicon D. Patrinacos (M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon)). ''A Dictionary of Greek Orthodoxy - Λεξικον Ελληνικης Ορθοδοξιας''. Light & Life Publishing, Minnesota, 1984. pp.225-226.</ref>

The 16th century Archbishop Gabriel of [[Philadelphia (Asia Minor)|Philadelphia]]<ref group="note">Consecrated by Patriarch [[Jeremias II (Tranos) of Constantinople|Jeremias II]].</ref> wrote that the Kollyva are symbols of the general resurrection, and the several ingredients added to the wheat signify so many different virtues.<ref>Chambers, Ephraim (1680-ca.1740). ''[http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/HistSciTech/HistSciTech-idx?type=turn&id=HistSciTech.Cyclopaedia01&entity=HistSciTech.Cyclopaedia01.p0420&q1=colyba COLYBA].'' In: Cyclopædia, or, An universal dictionary of arts and sciences. 1728. Pg. 266.)</ref>

==Occasions of Use==
===Memorial Services===
During [[Memorial Services|memorial services]] (requiem services), the family or friends of the departed will often prepare a Kollyva which is placed in front of the memorial table before which the service is chanted, while submitting a list of first names of the deceased loved ones to the [[priest]]. Memorial services are served on the '''third''', '''ninth''', and '''fortieth''' days after the repose of an Orthodox Christian, as well as on the '''one-year''' anniversary.

In addition, there are several [[Saturday of the Souls|Soul Saturdays]] (''Psychosabbaton'') during the church year, including the two Saturdays prior to [[Great Lent]], the first Saturday of [[Great Lent]], and the Saturday before [[Pentecost]], during which general commemorations are made for all the departed, as well as on [[Radonitsa]], the second Tuesday after [[Pascha]].

These prescribed times are still observed in most Orthodox places.

===Commemoration of Saints===
It is also customary in the Slavic practice on the feast of the Patron Saint of a church or of a family, or on the feast of saints of special significance to offer Kollyva. Instead of serving a [[Memorial Services|memorial service]], the Kollyva is set in front of an icon of the saint and a [[Molieben|Moleben]] is served to that saint.

There is also a practice on [[Mount Athos]] whereby the icons of saints are incorporated onto the surface of the Kollyva offerings made in their honour.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Κόλλυβα.jpg|Kollyva, with the initials of the deceased on the surface.

Image:Kollyva3.jpg|Kollyva.

Image:Koliva1.jpg|Kollyva offering at [[Vatopedi Monastery (Athos)]], for the Righteous Eudokimos of Cappadocia (feast day [[July 31]]).

Image:Koliva.jpg|Kollyva. (Vatopedi Monastery (Athos)).

Image:Koliva4.jpg|Kollyva.

Image:Sveti Jovan.jpg|[[Slava]], Serbian family feast in the name of Patron Saint St. John the Baptist.

Image:Kollyva-Saturday of Souls.jpg|Kollyva offerings during a Saturday of the Souls.

</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Memorial Services]] (''Mnemósynon; Pannikhida'')
* [[Prayer#Prayer_for_the_dead|Prayer for the Dead]]
* [[Saturday of the Souls]] (''Psychosabbaton'')
* [[Radonitsa]]
* [[Slava]]
* [[Birnstan of Winchester]]
* [[Prosphora]]
'''Wikipedia'''
* [[w:Koliva|Koliva]]
* [[w:Colyba|Colyba]]
* [[w:Kutia|Kutia]] (also: ''Kutya'', ''Kutja''; similar to Kollyva; a sweet grain pudding, traditionally served in Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Belarusian and Polish cultures. Kutia was also part of a common Eastern Orthodox tradition in the Russian Empire, and to this day Kutia is served at funerals across Russia as a dish of remembrance.)
* [[w:Cuccìa|Cuccìa]] (a traditional Sicilian dish containing boiled wheat berries, which is eaten on Saint [[Lucy of Syracuse|Lucy]]'s feast day (December 13).
* [[w:Saturday of Souls|Saturday of Souls]]
* [[w:All Souls' Day|All Souls' Day]]
* [[w:Requiem|Requiem]] (''funeral Mass in the Roman Catholic Church'')

==Notes==
<references group="note" />

==References==
<div><references/></div>

==Sources==
* Rev. Dr. Nicon D. Patrinacos (M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon)). ''A Dictionary of Greek Orthodoxy - Λεξικον Ελληνικης Ορθοδοξιας''. Light & Life Publishing, Minnesota, 1984.
* Chambers, Ephraim (1680-ca.1740). ''[http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/HistSciTech/HistSciTech-idx?type=turn&id=HistSciTech.Cyclopaedia01&entity=HistSciTech.Cyclopaedia01.p0420&q1=colyba COLYBA].'' In: Cyclopædia, or, An universal dictionary of arts and sciences. 1728. Pg. 266.
* ''[http://www.stlukeorthodox.com/html/parishinfo/commemorationofthedeparted.cfm Recipe For Kutya (Koliva)---Alaskan Tradition].'' St. Luke the Evangelist Orthodox Church (Palos Hills, IL).
* ''[http://www.oca.org/OCchapter.asp?SID=2&ID=49 Christian Symbols].'' The Orthodox Church in America.
* ''[http://www.religionfacts.com/greco-roman/festivals/anthesteria.htm Anthesteria]'' at Religion Facts.

==External Links==
* [http://www.holytrinitymaine.org/index_files/Page1050.htm KOLIVA: A SYMBOL OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD]. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (Lewiston, ME).
* [http://www.historyofpainters.com/wheat.htm The Symbolic Meaning of Wheat]. HistoryofPainters.com.
* [http://www.enotes.com/food-encyclopedia/bread-symbolism Bread, Symbolism of]. eNotes.com (Encyclopedia of Food and Culture).

[[Category:Church Life]]
[[Category:Spirituality]]

[[ro:Colivă]]

Kollyva

2013-03-04T17:19:01Z

Basil: /* Recipe */

[[Image:Orthodoxer Gottesdienst.jpg|right|thumb|Postcard, undated (ca.1916), showing an Orthodox service with the blessing of Kollyva.]]
{{spirituality}}
'''Kollyva''' (Greek: ''' ''Κολλυβα,'' ''' (kólliva); Serbian: ''' ''кољиво,'' ''' (koljivo); Romanian: ''' ''colivă'' '''; Bulgarian: ''' ''коливо,''' '' (kolivo); Ukrainian and Russian: ''' ''Kutya'' ''' (or Kutia)) is an offering of boiled wheat that is blessed liturgically in connection with the '''[[Memorial Services]]''' in Church for the benefit of one's departed, thereby offering unto [[God]], as it were, a sacrifice of propitiation (atonement) for the dead person, and in honor of the Sovereign [[Lord]] over life and [[death]].<ref>[http://www.stlukeorthodox.com/html/parishinfo/commemorationofthedeparted.cfm Recipe For Kutya (Koliva)---Alaskan Tradition]. St. Luke the Evangelist Orthodox Church (Palos Hills, IL).</ref>

==Recipe==
While recipes may vary widely, the primary ingredient in today's Kollyva consists of wheat kernels which have been boiled until they are soft. These are usually mixed with a variety of ingredients which may include pomegranate seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, ground walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, raisins, anise and parsley.

The Kollyva mixture is then placed on a platter and shaped into a mound or cake, to resemble a grave. The whole is then decorated with a powdered sugar covering, often with Jordan almonds, raisins, or other sweets decoratively placed on the surface. A [[cross]] is traced or created with the sweets on the top, and on its sides are placed the initials of the departed for whom the memorial is held. A candle, often placed in the center of the Kollyva, is lit at the beginning of the [[Memorial Services|requiem service]] and extinguished at its end; the candle symbolizes the light wherewith the Christian is illumined in [[Baptism]], and also the light of the world to come, which knows no setting.

Some Orthodox parishes have a designated individual charged with making the Kollyva. This is in part due to the health risk of fermented wheat if the Kollyva is not prepared correctly.

Sometimes Kollyva is made with rice instead of wheat. This custom began as a practical response to a famine that occurred in Soviet Russia, when the faithful did not have wheat available for Kollyva, so they used rice instead. Some communities continue to use rice for their Kollyva to this day. In the [[Church of Japan|Japanese Orthodox Church]] where rice is mainly eaten, Kollyva is commonly made from rice sweetened with sugar and decorated with raisins, without reference to famine.

The size and decoration of the platter varies according to the time elapsed from the date of death. The '''fortieth day''' [[Memorial Services|memorial service]] is the most important which practically no Orthodox neglects to hold for the repose of the soul of their beloved. This ritual food is blessed after the memorial [[Divine Liturgy]], performed at various intervals after a death. The Kollyva are then distributed to the [[congregation]] after the service, who in return say ''"may God forgive his soul!"''.

It is also customary for the [[priest]] to pour wine, oil, and some of the Kollyva onto the grave site at the cemetery, following the [[Memorial Services|Memorial Service]] in church.<ref group="note">The Church uses bread, wine, wheat, oil, water, flowers and fruits as signs of God's love, mercy, goodness, life and the very presence given to man in creation and salvation. Indeed, all elements of creation find the "truth" of their very being and existence as expressions and manifestations of God, as "symbols" of his presence and action in the world for man. This is the reason for their use in this way in the Church. (''[http://www.oca.org/OCchapter.asp?SID=2&ID=49 Christian Symbols].'' The Orthodox Church in America.)</ref>

==Origins==
===Ancient World===
The origin of the religious use of Kollyva predates [[Introduction to Orthodox Christianity|Christianity]]. The word stems from the Ancient Greek word κόλλυβo (kollyvo), which originally meant cereal grain.

The Ancient Greek [[w:First Fruits|first fruits]] offerings (or dedications) known as ''panspermia,''<ref group="note">For this reason, in Greece, Kollyva is also called ''sperma'' (i.e., "seed"). The ancients also used the word ''pankarpia''.</ref> consisted of a mixture of cooked seeds and nuts ([[w:Pulse (legume)|Pulse]]) which were offered during the festival of the [[w:Anthesteria|Anthesteria]].

The [[w:Anthesteria|Anthesteria]]<ref group="note">The name Anthesteria (Ἀνθεστήρια) is usually connected etymologically with the Greek ''anthos'' (ἄνθος; plural: ἄνθη or ἄνθεα; root: ἀνθεσ-), "flower" or "bloom", cognate to the Sanskrit ''andhas'' ("[[w:Soma|Soma]] plant/juice").</ref> was one of the four Athenian festivals in honour of Dionysus (collectively the ''[[w:Dionysia|Dionysia]]''), held annually for three days, from the eleventh to the thirteenth of the month of [[w:Anthesterion#List_of_months|Anthesterion]] (February-March). The festival predates the Ionian colonisation of the early eleventh century B.C.,<ref group="note">"The traditional date of the [[w:Ionians|Ionian]] migration is the early eleventh century B.C. (1086/85 or 1076/75; Jacoby, ''Mar. Par.'' 27, pp. 151-52 and ''FGrH'' No. 239, Comm. on 27) or in its third quarter (1044/43 according to [[w:Eratosthenes|Eratosthenes]], who placed it four generations after [[w:Trojan War|the fall of Troy]]; 1045/44 for Ephesus and 1039/38 for the other cities according to [[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]] 1. 187. 36). These chronological indications have been accepted by most historians who regard the migration as a consequence of the [[w:Dorians|Dorian]] invasion of mainland Greece." (Carl Roebuck. ''The Early Ionian League.'' '''Classical Philology'''. Vol.50, No.1 (Jan.,1955), pp.26-40. p.37.)</ref> making it the oldest datable part of the [[w:Eleusinian Mysteries|Eleusinian Mysteries]]. Although its name indicates a Festival of Flowers (''anthos''), the festival focused primarily on opening the new wine and on placating the spirits of the dead.

Wheat, like barley, was also associated with the Egyptian cult of [[w:Osiris|Osiris]]. Grain was planted in the ground on the same day traditionally commemorating the death of the god,<ref group="note">The 17th of Athyr (November 13).</ref> while the germinating seed symbolized Osiris rising from the dead.

The association between [[death]] and life, between that which is planted in the ground and that which emerges, is deeply embedded in the making and eating of Kollyva. The ritual food passed from [[paganism]] to early Christianity in [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantium]] and later spread to the entire Orthodox world.

===St. Theodore Saturday===
The tradition of blessing and eating Kollyva at the end of the first week of [[Great Lent]] is connected with an event in the reign of [[Julian the Apostate]] in 362 AD. The tradition states that the Emperor knew that the Christians would be hungry after the first week of strict [[fasting]], and would go to the marketplaces of Constantinople on Saturday, to buy food. Therefore he ordered that [[Blood in the Bible|blood]] from pagan sacrifices be sprinkled over all the food that was sold there, making it ''"polluted sacrificial food"'' (food "polluted" with the blood of idolatry), in an attempt to force upon the people the [[paganism]] of which he was an ardent supporter.

However St. [[Theodore the Tyro]] appeared in a dream to the Patriarch of Constantinople [[Eudoxius of Antioch|Eudoxios]], ordering him to inform all the Christians that no one should buy anything at the market, but rather to boil the wheat (already called ''Kollyva'') that they had at home and eat it sweetened with honey.

As a result, this first Saturday of Great Lent has come to be known as Theodore Saturday. After the service, the Kollyva is distributed to all who are present and, after [[Holy Communion]] and the [[antidoron]], is the first food eaten after the strict fasting of the first week.

Since then Kollyva, having become connected with celebrating the memory of saints, are brought to church and are ordained by the priest during memorial prayers known today as [[Memorial Services]].

==Symbolism==
The Kollyva are symbolic of the [[resurrection]] of the dead on the day of the Second Coming of the Lord. St. [[Apostle Paul|Paul]] said, ''' ''"what you sow does not come to life unless it dies"'' ''' (I Corinthians 15:36), and St. [[Apostle John|John]], ''' ''"unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit"'' ''' (John 12:24).

Thus, as the wheat is buried in the soil and disintegrates without really dying but is later regenerated into a new plant that bears much more fruit than itself, so the Christian's body will be raised again from the very corruptible matter from which it is now made; however, it will be raised not in its previous fleshy substance but in an incorruptible essence which ''"will clad the mortal body with an immortal garment"'', in the words of St. Paul (I Corinthians 15:53).

The Kollyva then, symbolize the Apostolically rooted hope in the [[resurrection]] of the dead as the only eventuality that gives meaning and attains the longed perfection on the part of the individual who takes his life to be a divinely ordained meaningful living forever.<ref>Rev. Dr. Nicon D. Patrinacos (M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon)). ''A Dictionary of Greek Orthodoxy - Λεξικον Ελληνικης Ορθοδοξιας''. Light & Life Publishing, Minnesota, 1984. pp.225-226.</ref>

The 16th century Archbishop Gabriel of [[Philadelphia (Asia Minor)|Philadelphia]]<ref group="note">Consecrated by Patriarch [[Jeremias II (Tranos) of Constantinople|Jeremias II]].</ref> wrote that the Kollyva are symbols of the general resurrection, and the several ingredients added to the wheat signify so many different virtues.<ref>Chambers, Ephraim (1680-ca.1740). ''[http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/HistSciTech/HistSciTech-idx?type=turn&id=HistSciTech.Cyclopaedia01&entity=HistSciTech.Cyclopaedia01.p0420&q1=colyba COLYBA].'' In: Cyclopædia, or, An universal dictionary of arts and sciences. 1728. Pg. 266.)</ref>

==Occasions of Use==
===Memorial Services===
During [[Memorial Services|memorial services]] (requiem services), the family or friends of the departed will often prepare a Kollyva which is placed in front of the memorial table before which the service is chanted, while submitting a list of first names of the deceased loved ones to the [[priest]]. Memorial services are served on the '''third''', '''ninth''', and '''fortieth''' days after the repose of an Orthodox Christian, as well as on the '''one-year''' anniversary.

In addition, there are several [[Saturday of the Souls|Soul Saturdays]] (''Psychosabbaton'') during the church year, including the two Saturdays prior to [[Great Lent]], the first Saturday of [[Great Lent]], and the Saturday before [[Pentecost]], during which general commemorations are made for all the departed, as well as on [[Radonitsa]], the second Tuesday after [[Pascha]].

These prescribed times are still observed in most Orthodox places.

===Commemoration of Saints===
It is also customary in the Slavic practice on the feast of the Patron Saint of a church or of a family, or on the feast of saints of special significance to offer Kollyva. Instead of serving a [[Memorial Services|memorial service]], the Kollyva is set in front of an icon of the saint and a [[Molieben|Moleben]] is served to that saint.

There is also a practice on [[Mount Athos]] whereby the icons of saints are incorporated onto the surface of the Kollyva offerings made in their honour.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Κόλλυβα.jpg|Kollyva, with the initials of the deceased on the surface.

Image:Kollyva3.jpg|Kollyva.

Image:Koliva1.jpg|Kollyva offering at [[Vatopedi Monastery (Athos)]], for the Righteous Eudokimos of Cappadocia (feast day [[July 31]]).

Image:Koliva.jpg|Kollyva. (Vatopedi Monastery (Athos)).

Image:Koliva4.jpg|Kollyva.

Image:Sveti Jovan.jpg|[[Slava]], Serbian family feast in the name of Patron Saint St. John the Baptist.

Image:Kollyva-Saturday of Souls.jpg|Kollyva offerings during a Saturday of the Souls.

</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Memorial Services]] (''Mnemósynon; Panikhida'')
* [[Prayer#Prayer_for_the_dead|Prayer for the Dead]]
* [[Saturday of the Souls]] (''Psychosabbaton'')
* [[Radonitsa]]
* [[Slava]]
* [[Birnstan of Winchester]]
* [[Prosphora]]
'''Wikipedia'''
* [[w:Koliva|Koliva]]
* [[w:Colyba|Colyba]]
* [[w:Kutia|Kutia]] (also: ''Kutya'', ''Kutja''; similar to Kollyva; a sweet grain pudding, traditionally served in Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Belarusian and Polish cultures. Kutia was also part of a common Eastern Orthodox tradition in the Russian Empire, and to this day Kutia is served at funerals across Russia as a dish of remembrance.)
* [[w:Cuccìa|Cuccìa]] (a traditional Sicilian dish containing boiled wheat berries, which is eaten on Saint [[Lucy of Syracuse|Lucy]]'s feast day (December 13).
* [[w:Saturday of Souls|Saturday of Souls]]
* [[w:All Souls' Day|All Souls' Day]]
* [[w:Requiem|Requiem]] (''funeral Mass in the Roman Catholic Church'')

==Notes==
<references group="note" />

==References==
<div><references/></div>

==Sources==
* Rev. Dr. Nicon D. Patrinacos (M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon)). ''A Dictionary of Greek Orthodoxy - Λεξικον Ελληνικης Ορθοδοξιας''. Light & Life Publishing, Minnesota, 1984.
* Chambers, Ephraim (1680-ca.1740). ''[http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/HistSciTech/HistSciTech-idx?type=turn&id=HistSciTech.Cyclopaedia01&entity=HistSciTech.Cyclopaedia01.p0420&q1=colyba COLYBA].'' In: Cyclopædia, or, An universal dictionary of arts and sciences. 1728. Pg. 266.
* ''[http://www.stlukeorthodox.com/html/parishinfo/commemorationofthedeparted.cfm Recipe For Kutya (Koliva)---Alaskan Tradition].'' St. Luke the Evangelist Orthodox Church (Palos Hills, IL).
* ''[http://www.oca.org/OCchapter.asp?SID=2&ID=49 Christian Symbols].'' The Orthodox Church in America.
* ''[http://www.religionfacts.com/greco-roman/festivals/anthesteria.htm Anthesteria]'' at Religion Facts.

==External Links==
* [http://www.holytrinitymaine.org/index_files/Page1050.htm KOLIVA: A SYMBOL OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD]. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (Lewiston, ME).
* [http://www.historyofpainters.com/wheat.htm The Symbolic Meaning of Wheat]. HistoryofPainters.com.
* [http://www.enotes.com/food-encyclopedia/bread-symbolism Bread, Symbolism of]. eNotes.com (Encyclopedia of Food and Culture).

[[Category:Church Life]]
[[Category:Spirituality]]

[[ro:Colivă]]

Memorial Services

2013-03-04T17:08:15Z

Basil:

{{spirituality}}
[[Memorial Services]] ({{el icon}}: '' '''Μνημόσυνα''' '' (mnemosyna, memorial) or ''' ''Παραστάς'' ''' (wake); {{cu icon}}: '''''Паннихида''''' (Latinized as ''Pannikhída'', ''Pannichida'', or ''Panikhída''; from the Greek for "all the dead") are special prayer services offered for the benefit of the departed.

==Prayers and Almsgiving==
Early Christians expressed their concern for the repose of the souls of their beloved by works of charity and love and by personal and communal prayers.<ref group="note">The non-canonical ''Acts of Paul and Thecla'' ([[Apocrypha#New_Testament|New Testament Apocrypha]]) speak of the efficacy of prayer for the dead, so that they might be "translated to a state of happiness." ([http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/thecla.html Acts of Paul and Thecla], 8:5)</ref>

The ''[[Apostolic Constitutions]]'' recommended that part of the possessions of a dead person be distributed to the poor in his "memory".

St. [[John Chrysostom]], [[Jerome]], [[Tertullian]], and others also recommended alms giving in memory of the dead although they believe that this and other good works for the repose of the soul of the dead also benefit the doers.

==Memorial Services with [[Kollyva]] Offerings==
In the Orthodox Church the various prayers for the departed have as their purpose to pray for the repose of the departed, to comfort the living, and to remind those who remain behind of their own mortality, and the brevity of this earthly life. For this reason, memorial services have an air of penitence about them<ref group="note">For instance, the Memorial Service does not have the chanting of "God is the Lord..." as the [[Molieben]] does; but instead, the "Alleluia" is chanted, reminiscent of the "Alleluia" that is chanted at Lenten services.</ref> and tend to be served more frequently during the four fasting seasons (Great Lent, Nativity Fast, Apostles' Fast and Dormition Fast).

According to the ''[[Apostolic Constitutions]]'', memorial services may be held on the '''3rd''', '''9th''', and '''40th day''', and on the completion of '''a year''' from the day of death.<ref group="note">They are also commonly held on the '''third year''' anniversary. Some faithful will request a memorial every year on the anniversary of death.</ref> These prescribed times are still observed in most Orthodox places.

The memorial service is most frequently served after the Divine Liturgy, however it may also be served after Vespers, Matins, or as a separate service by itself. For the memorial service, [[Kollyva]], a ritual food of boiled wheat, is often prepared and is placed in front of the "memorial table" or an icon of Christ and is blessed by the priest afterwards.<ref group="note">The memorial table is a small, free-standing table to which has been attached an upright crucifix, sometimes including also icons of the Theotokos (the Virgin Mary) and the Apostle John. The table will also have a place for the faithful to put lighted candles.</ref>

The service is composed of Psalms, Ektenias (litanies), hymns and prayers. In its outline it follows the general outline of Matins,<ref group="note">From this comes the Greek name ''parastas'' which refers to standing all night in vigil, which in the early days was what literally took place.</ref> and is in effect a truncated funeral service. Some of the most notable portions of the service are the Kontakion of the Departed,<ref group="note">Kontakion of the Departed: "With the saints give rest, O Christ, to the soul(s) of Thy servant(s), where there is neither sickness, nor sorrow, nor sighing, but life everlasting."</ref> and the final, slow and solemn singing of ''"Memory Eternal."''<ref group="note">''Deacon'': In blessed repose, O Lord, grant eternal rest unto Thy departed servant (Name) and make his/her memory to be eternal!<br>
''Choir'': Memory eternal! Memory eternal! Memory eternal!</ref>

The deacon (or, if there is no deacon the priest) will swing the censer throughout almost the entire service, and all will stand holding lighted candles. Near the end of the service, during the final Troparia, all will either put out their candles or will place them in candle holders on the memorial table. Each candle symbolizes the individual soul, which, as it were, each person holds in their own hand. The extinguishing (or giving up) of the candle at the end of the service symbolizes the fact that each person will have to surrender their soul at the end of their life.

Considering the fact that in the Orthodox Churches of the diaspora a memorial service with the participation of the congregation must be held on a [[Lord's Day|Sunday]], the 40th day memorial service is the one universally observed although by necessity, it may not be held exactly on the 40th day. Needless to say, the Orthodox people may give the names of their departed to be mentioned by the priest in the [[Eucharist]] at any time.

==At Gravesites and Commemorative meals==
Another kind of memorial was the gathering on the graves of the dead or in the church (funerals), and the serving of meals afterwards known as ''"makariai"'' (meals in memory of) that are still held by many in the church hall following burial.

In addition, it is also customary for the priest to pour wine, oil, and some of the Kollyva on the grave site, following memorial services in church.

==At the Eucharist==
Praying for the dead could include celebrating the [[Eucharist]] or could be a special service, as it is now, in which the names of the dead were mentioned, or it could be both.

St. [[Cyril of Jerusalem]] mentions the prayers offered for the benefit of all who have died in the faith of [[Jesus Christ|Christ]], stating that their souls greatly benefit by the prayers of the Church and by offering the [[Eucharist|Bloodless Sacrifice]] for the repose of their souls.

St. [[John Chrysostom]] believes that ''"to mention the names of the departed in the awesome mystery of the [[Eucharist]] results in much benefit for the souls of the beloved."''

Above all, praying for the dead is a deeply rooted practice in the [[One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church|Church]] on the belief that the [[One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church|Church of Christ]] is constituted not only of her living members but also of her departed ones. The [[Eucharist|Bloodless Sacrifice]] of the Orthodox Eucharist, as articulated in all the [[Divine Liturgy|Liturgies]] in use, is offered for the benefit of both dead and living faithful.

A Biblical basis for praying for the dead may be found in the Epistle of St. James, 5:16, by which the ''"prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects."''<ref>Rev. Dr. Nicon D. Patrinacos (M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon)). ''A Dictionary of Greek Orthodoxy - Λεξικόν Ελληνικής Ορθοδοξίας''. Light & Life Publishing, Minnesota, 1984. pp.249-250.</ref>

==See also==
{{services}}
* [[Kollyva]]
* [[Prayer#Prayer_for_the_dead|Prayer for the Dead]].
* [[Prayer]]
* [[Birnstan of Winchester]]
'''Wikipedia'''
* [[w:Memorial service (Orthodox)|Memorial service (Orthodox)]]

==Notes==
<references group="note" />

==References==
<div class="small"><references/></div>

==Sources==
* Rev. Dr. Nicon D. Patrinacos (M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon)). ''A Dictionary of Greek Orthodoxy - Λεξικον Ελληνικης Ορθοδοξιας''. Light & Life Publishing, Minnesota, 1984.
* [[Memorial service (Orthodox)]] at Wikipedia.

[[Category:Church Life]]
[[Category:Spirituality]]

[[el:Μνημόσυνο]]

Memorial Services

2013-03-04T17:07:37Z

Basil:

{{spirituality}}
[[Memorial Services]] ({{el icon}}: '' '''Μνημόσυνα''' '' (mnemosyna, memorial) or ''' ''Παραστάς'' ''' (wake); {{cu icon}}: '' '''Паннихида''' '', (Latinized as ''Pannikhída'', ''Pannichida'', or ''Panikhída''; from the Greek for "all the dead") are special prayer services offered for the benefit of the departed.

==Prayers and Almsgiving==
Early Christians expressed their concern for the repose of the souls of their beloved by works of charity and love and by personal and communal prayers.<ref group="note">The non-canonical ''Acts of Paul and Thecla'' ([[Apocrypha#New_Testament|New Testament Apocrypha]]) speak of the efficacy of prayer for the dead, so that they might be "translated to a state of happiness." ([http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/thecla.html Acts of Paul and Thecla], 8:5)</ref>

The ''[[Apostolic Constitutions]]'' recommended that part of the possessions of a dead person be distributed to the poor in his "memory".

St. [[John Chrysostom]], [[Jerome]], [[Tertullian]], and others also recommended alms giving in memory of the dead although they believe that this and other good works for the repose of the soul of the dead also benefit the doers.

==Memorial Services with [[Kollyva]] Offerings==
In the Orthodox Church the various prayers for the departed have as their purpose to pray for the repose of the departed, to comfort the living, and to remind those who remain behind of their own mortality, and the brevity of this earthly life. For this reason, memorial services have an air of penitence about them<ref group="note">For instance, the Memorial Service does not have the chanting of "God is the Lord..." as the [[Molieben]] does; but instead, the "Alleluia" is chanted, reminiscent of the "Alleluia" that is chanted at Lenten services.</ref> and tend to be served more frequently during the four fasting seasons (Great Lent, Nativity Fast, Apostles' Fast and Dormition Fast).

According to the ''[[Apostolic Constitutions]]'', memorial services may be held on the '''3rd''', '''9th''', and '''40th day''', and on the completion of '''a year''' from the day of death.<ref group="note">They are also commonly held on the '''third year''' anniversary. Some faithful will request a memorial every year on the anniversary of death.</ref> These prescribed times are still observed in most Orthodox places.

The memorial service is most frequently served after the Divine Liturgy, however it may also be served after Vespers, Matins, or as a separate service by itself. For the memorial service, [[Kollyva]], a ritual food of boiled wheat, is often prepared and is placed in front of the "memorial table" or an icon of Christ and is blessed by the priest afterwards.<ref group="note">The memorial table is a small, free-standing table to which has been attached an upright crucifix, sometimes including also icons of the Theotokos (the Virgin Mary) and the Apostle John. The table will also have a place for the faithful to put lighted candles.</ref>

The service is composed of Psalms, Ektenias (litanies), hymns and prayers. In its outline it follows the general outline of Matins,<ref group="note">From this comes the Greek name ''parastas'' which refers to standing all night in vigil, which in the early days was what literally took place.</ref> and is in effect a truncated funeral service. Some of the most notable portions of the service are the Kontakion of the Departed,<ref group="note">Kontakion of the Departed: "With the saints give rest, O Christ, to the soul(s) of Thy servant(s), where there is neither sickness, nor sorrow, nor sighing, but life everlasting."</ref> and the final, slow and solemn singing of ''"Memory Eternal."''<ref group="note">''Deacon'': In blessed repose, O Lord, grant eternal rest unto Thy departed servant (Name) and make his/her memory to be eternal!<br>
''Choir'': Memory eternal! Memory eternal! Memory eternal!</ref>

The deacon (or, if there is no deacon the priest) will swing the censer throughout almost the entire service, and all will stand holding lighted candles. Near the end of the service, during the final Troparia, all will either put out their candles or will place them in candle holders on the memorial table. Each candle symbolizes the individual soul, which, as it were, each person holds in their own hand. The extinguishing (or giving up) of the candle at the end of the service symbolizes the fact that each person will have to surrender their soul at the end of their life.

Considering the fact that in the Orthodox Churches of the diaspora a memorial service with the participation of the congregation must be held on a [[Lord's Day|Sunday]], the 40th day memorial service is the one universally observed although by necessity, it may not be held exactly on the 40th day. Needless to say, the Orthodox people may give the names of their departed to be mentioned by the priest in the [[Eucharist]] at any time.

==At Gravesites and Commemorative meals==
Another kind of memorial was the gathering on the graves of the dead or in the church (funerals), and the serving of meals afterwards known as ''"makariai"'' (meals in memory of) that are still held by many in the church hall following burial.

In addition, it is also customary for the priest to pour wine, oil, and some of the Kollyva on the grave site, following memorial services in church.

==At the Eucharist==
Praying for the dead could include celebrating the [[Eucharist]] or could be a special service, as it is now, in which the names of the dead were mentioned, or it could be both.

St. [[Cyril of Jerusalem]] mentions the prayers offered for the benefit of all who have died in the faith of [[Jesus Christ|Christ]], stating that their souls greatly benefit by the prayers of the Church and by offering the [[Eucharist|Bloodless Sacrifice]] for the repose of their souls.

St. [[John Chrysostom]] believes that ''"to mention the names of the departed in the awesome mystery of the [[Eucharist]] results in much benefit for the souls of the beloved."''

Above all, praying for the dead is a deeply rooted practice in the [[One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church|Church]] on the belief that the [[One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church|Church of Christ]] is constituted not only of her living members but also of her departed ones. The [[Eucharist|Bloodless Sacrifice]] of the Orthodox Eucharist, as articulated in all the [[Divine Liturgy|Liturgies]] in use, is offered for the benefit of both dead and living faithful.

A Biblical basis for praying for the dead may be found in the Epistle of St. James, 5:16, by which the ''"prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects."''<ref>Rev. Dr. Nicon D. Patrinacos (M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon)). ''A Dictionary of Greek Orthodoxy - Λεξικόν Ελληνικής Ορθοδοξίας''. Light & Life Publishing, Minnesota, 1984. pp.249-250.</ref>

==See also==
{{services}}
* [[Kollyva]]
* [[Prayer#Prayer_for_the_dead|Prayer for the Dead]].
* [[Prayer]]
* [[Birnstan of Winchester]]
'''Wikipedia'''
* [[w:Memorial service (Orthodox)|Memorial service (Orthodox)]]

==Notes==
<references group="note" />

==References==
<div class="small"><references/></div>

==Sources==
* Rev. Dr. Nicon D. Patrinacos (M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon)). ''A Dictionary of Greek Orthodoxy - Λεξικον Ελληνικης Ορθοδοξιας''. Light & Life Publishing, Minnesota, 1984.
* [[Memorial service (Orthodox)]] at Wikipedia.

[[Category:Church Life]]
[[Category:Spirituality]]

[[el:Μνημόσυνο]]

Memorial Services

2013-03-04T16:47:55Z

Basil: /* Memorial Services with Kollyva Offerings */

{{spirituality}}
[[Memorial Services]] ({{el icon}}: '' '''Μνημόσυνα''' '' (mnemosyna, memorial) or ''' ''Παραστάς'' ''' (wake); {{cu icon}}: '' '''паннихида, pannikhída, pannichida, panikhída''' '') are special prayer services offered for the benefit of the departed.

==Prayers and Almsgiving==
Early Christians expressed their concern for the repose of the souls of their beloved by works of charity and love and by personal and communal prayers.<ref group="note">The non-canonical ''Acts of Paul and Thecla'' ([[Apocrypha#New_Testament|New Testament Apocrypha]]) speak of the efficacy of prayer for the dead, so that they might be "translated to a state of happiness." ([http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/thecla.html Acts of Paul and Thecla], 8:5)</ref>

The ''[[Apostolic Constitutions]]'' recommended that part of the possessions of a dead person be distributed to the poor in his "memory".

St. [[John Chrysostom]], [[Jerome]], [[Tertullian]], and others also recommended alms giving in memory of the dead although they believe that this and other good works for the repose of the soul of the dead also benefit the doers.

==Memorial Services with [[Kollyva]] Offerings==
In the Orthodox Church the various prayers for the departed have as their purpose to pray for the repose of the departed, to comfort the living, and to remind those who remain behind of their own mortality, and the brevity of this earthly life. For this reason, memorial services have an air of penitence about them<ref group="note">For instance, the Memorial Service does not have the chanting of "God is the Lord..." as the [[Molieben]] does; but instead, the "Alleluia" is chanted, reminiscent of the "Alleluia" that is chanted at Lenten services.</ref> and tend to be served more frequently during the four fasting seasons (Great Lent, Nativity Fast, Apostles' Fast and Dormition Fast).

According to the ''[[Apostolic Constitutions]]'', memorial services may be held on the '''3rd''', '''9th''', and '''40th day''', and on the completion of '''a year''' from the day of death.<ref group="note">They are also commonly held on the '''third year''' anniversary. Some faithful will request a memorial every year on the anniversary of death.</ref> These prescribed times are still observed in most Orthodox places.

The memorial service is most frequently served after the Divine Liturgy, however it may also be served after Vespers, Matins, or as a separate service by itself. For the memorial service, [[Kollyva]], a ritual food of boiled wheat, is often prepared and is placed in front of the "memorial table" or an icon of Christ and is blessed by the priest afterwards.<ref group="note">The memorial table is a small, free-standing table to which has been attached an upright crucifix, sometimes including also icons of the Theotokos (the Virgin Mary) and the Apostle John. The table will also have a place for the faithful to put lighted candles.</ref>

The service is composed of Psalms, Ektenias (litanies), hymns and prayers. In its outline it follows the general outline of Matins,<ref group="note">From this comes the Greek name ''parastas'' which refers to standing all night in vigil, which in the early days was what literally took place.</ref> and is in effect a truncated funeral service. Some of the most notable portions of the service are the Kontakion of the Departed,<ref group="note">Kontakion of the Departed: "With the saints give rest, O Christ, to the soul(s) of Thy servant(s), where there is neither sickness, nor sorrow, nor sighing, but life everlasting."</ref> and the final, slow and solemn singing of ''"Memory Eternal."''<ref group="note">''Deacon'': In blessed repose, O Lord, grant eternal rest unto Thy departed servant (Name) and make his/her memory to be eternal!<br>
''Choir'': Memory eternal! Memory eternal! Memory eternal!</ref>

The deacon (or, if there is no deacon the priest) will swing the censer throughout almost the entire service, and all will stand holding lighted candles. Near the end of the service, during the final Troparia, all will either put out their candles or will place them in candle holders on the memorial table. Each candle symbolizes the individual soul, which, as it were, each person holds in their own hand. The extinguishing (or giving up) of the candle at the end of the service symbolizes the fact that each person will have to surrender their soul at the end of their life.

Considering the fact that in the Orthodox Churches of the diaspora a memorial service with the participation of the congregation must be held on a [[Lord's Day|Sunday]], the 40th day memorial service is the one universally observed although by necessity, it may not be held exactly on the 40th day. Needless to say, the Orthodox people may give the names of their departed to be mentioned by the priest in the [[Eucharist]] at any time.

==At Gravesites and Commemorative meals==
Another kind of memorial was the gathering on the graves of the dead or in the church (funerals), and the serving of meals afterwards known as ''"makariai"'' (meals in memory of) that are still held by many in the church hall following burial.

In addition, it is also customary for the priest to pour wine, oil, and some of the Kollyva on the grave site, following memorial services in church.

==At the Eucharist==
Praying for the dead could include celebrating the [[Eucharist]] or could be a special service, as it is now, in which the names of the dead were mentioned, or it could be both.

St. [[Cyril of Jerusalem]] mentions the prayers offered for the benefit of all who have died in the faith of [[Jesus Christ|Christ]], stating that their souls greatly benefit by the prayers of the Church and by offering the [[Eucharist|Bloodless Sacrifice]] for the repose of their souls.

St. [[John Chrysostom]] believes that ''"to mention the names of the departed in the awesome mystery of the [[Eucharist]] results in much benefit for the souls of the beloved."''

Above all, praying for the dead is a deeply rooted practice in the [[One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church|Church]] on the belief that the [[One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church|Church of Christ]] is constituted not only of her living members but also of her departed ones. The [[Eucharist|Bloodless Sacrifice]] of the Orthodox Eucharist, as articulated in all the [[Divine Liturgy|Liturgies]] in use, is offered for the benefit of both dead and living faithful.

A Biblical basis for praying for the dead may be found in the Epistle of St. James, 5:16, by which the ''"prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects."''<ref>Rev. Dr. Nicon D. Patrinacos (M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon)). ''A Dictionary of Greek Orthodoxy - Λεξικόν Ελληνικής Ορθοδοξίας''. Light & Life Publishing, Minnesota, 1984. pp.249-250.</ref>

==See also==
{{services}}
* [[Kollyva]]
* [[Prayer#Prayer_for_the_dead|Prayer for the Dead]].
* [[Prayer]]
* [[Birnstan of Winchester]]
'''Wikipedia'''
* [[w:Memorial service (Orthodox)|Memorial service (Orthodox)]]

==Notes==
<references group="note" />

==References==
<div class="small"><references/></div>

==Sources==
* Rev. Dr. Nicon D. Patrinacos (M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon)). ''A Dictionary of Greek Orthodoxy - Λεξικον Ελληνικης Ορθοδοξιας''. Light & Life Publishing, Minnesota, 1984.
* [[Memorial service (Orthodox)]] at Wikipedia.

[[Category:Church Life]]
[[Category:Spirituality]]

[[el:Μνημόσυνο]]

Memorial Services

2013-03-04T16:45:52Z

Basil:

{{spirituality}}
[[Memorial Services]] ({{el icon}}: '' '''Μνημόσυνα''' '' (mnemosyna, memorial) or ''' ''Παραστάς'' ''' (wake); {{cu icon}}: '' '''паннихида, pannikhída, pannichida, panikhída''' '') are special prayer services offered for the benefit of the departed.

==Prayers and Almsgiving==
Early Christians expressed their concern for the repose of the souls of their beloved by works of charity and love and by personal and communal prayers.<ref group="note">The non-canonical ''Acts of Paul and Thecla'' ([[Apocrypha#New_Testament|New Testament Apocrypha]]) speak of the efficacy of prayer for the dead, so that they might be "translated to a state of happiness." ([http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/thecla.html Acts of Paul and Thecla], 8:5)</ref>

The ''[[Apostolic Constitutions]]'' recommended that part of the possessions of a dead person be distributed to the poor in his "memory".

St. [[John Chrysostom]], [[Jerome]], [[Tertullian]], and others also recommended alms giving in memory of the dead although they believe that this and other good works for the repose of the soul of the dead also benefit the doers.

==Memorial Services with [[Kollyva]] Offerings==
In the Orthodox Church the various prayers for the departed have as their purpose to pray for the repose of the departed, to comfort the living, and to remind those who remain behind of their own mortality, and the brevity of this earthly life. For this reason, memorial services have an air of penitence about them<ref group="note">For instance, the Memorial Service does not have the chanting of "God is the Lord..." as the [[Molieben]] does; but instead, the "Alleluia" is chanted, reminiscent of the "Alleluia" that is chanted at Lenten services.</ref> and tend to be served more frequently during the four fasting seasons (Great Lent, Nativity Fast, Apostles' Fast and Dormition Fast).

According to the ''[[Apostolic Constitutions]]'', memorial services may be held on the '''3rd''', '''9th''', and '''40th day''', and on the completion of '''a year''' from the day of death.<ref group="note">They are also commonly held on the '''third year''' anniversary. Some faithful will request a memorial every year on the anniversary of death.</ref> These prescribed times are still observed in most Orthodox places.

The memorial service is most frequently served after the Divine Liturgy, however it may also be served after Vespers, Matins, or as a separate service by itself. For the memorial service, [[Kollyva]], a ritual food of boiled wheat, is often prepared and is placed in front of the "memorial table" or an icon of Christ and is blessed by the priest afterwards.<ref group="note">The memorial table is a small, free-standing table to which has been attached an upright crucifix, sometimes including also icons of the Theotokos (the Virgin Mary) and the Apostle John. The table will also have a place for the faithful to put lighted candles.</ref>

The service is composed of Psalms, Ektenias (litanies), hymns and prayers. In its outline it follows the general outline of Matins,<ref group="note">From this comes the Greek name ''parastas'' which refers to standing all night in vigil, which in the early days was what literally took place.</ref> and is in effect a truncated funeral service. Some of the most notable portions of the service are the Kontakion of the Departed,<ref group="note">Kontakion of the Departed: "With the saints give rest, O Christ, to the soul(s) of Thy servant(s), where there is neither sickness, nor sorrow, nor sighing, but life everlasting."</ref> and the final, slow and solemn singing of ''"Memory Eternal."''<ref group="note">''Deacon'': In a blessed falling asleep, grant, O Lord, eternal rest unto Thy departed servant (Name) and make his/her memory to be eternal!<br>
''Choir'': Memory eternal! Memory eternal! Memory eternal!</ref>

The deacon (or, if there is no deacon the priest) will swing the censer throughout almost the entire service, and all will stand holding lighted candles. Near the end of the service, during the final Troparia, all will either put out their candles or will place them in candle holders on the memorial table. Each candle symbolizes the individual soul, which, as it were, each person holds in their own hand. The extinguishing (or giving up) of the candle at the end of the service symbolizes the fact that each person will have to surrender their soul at the end of their life.

Considering the fact that in the Orthodox Churches of the diaspora a memorial service with the participation of the congregation must be held on a [[Lord's Day|Sunday]], the 40th day memorial service is the one universally observed although by necessity, it may not be held exactly on the 40th day. Needless to say, the Orthodox people may give the names of their departed to be mentioned by the priest in the [[Eucharist]] at any time.

==At Gravesites and Commemorative meals==
Another kind of memorial was the gathering on the graves of the dead or in the church (funerals), and the serving of meals afterwards known as ''"makariai"'' (meals in memory of) that are still held by many in the church hall following burial.

In addition, it is also customary for the priest to pour wine, oil, and some of the Kollyva on the grave site, following memorial services in church.

==At the Eucharist==
Praying for the dead could include celebrating the [[Eucharist]] or could be a special service, as it is now, in which the names of the dead were mentioned, or it could be both.

St. [[Cyril of Jerusalem]] mentions the prayers offered for the benefit of all who have died in the faith of [[Jesus Christ|Christ]], stating that their souls greatly benefit by the prayers of the Church and by offering the [[Eucharist|Bloodless Sacrifice]] for the repose of their souls.

St. [[John Chrysostom]] believes that ''"to mention the names of the departed in the awesome mystery of the [[Eucharist]] results in much benefit for the souls of the beloved."''

Above all, praying for the dead is a deeply rooted practice in the [[One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church|Church]] on the belief that the [[One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church|Church of Christ]] is constituted not only of her living members but also of her departed ones. The [[Eucharist|Bloodless Sacrifice]] of the Orthodox Eucharist, as articulated in all the [[Divine Liturgy|Liturgies]] in use, is offered for the benefit of both dead and living faithful.

A Biblical basis for praying for the dead may be found in the Epistle of St. James, 5:16, by which the ''"prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects."''<ref>Rev. Dr. Nicon D. Patrinacos (M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon)). ''A Dictionary of Greek Orthodoxy - Λεξικόν Ελληνικής Ορθοδοξίας''. Light & Life Publishing, Minnesota, 1984. pp.249-250.</ref>

==See also==
{{services}}
* [[Kollyva]]
* [[Prayer#Prayer_for_the_dead|Prayer for the Dead]].
* [[Prayer]]
* [[Birnstan of Winchester]]
'''Wikipedia'''
* [[w:Memorial service (Orthodox)|Memorial service (Orthodox)]]

==Notes==
<references group="note" />

==References==
<div class="small"><references/></div>

==Sources==
* Rev. Dr. Nicon D. Patrinacos (M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon)). ''A Dictionary of Greek Orthodoxy - Λεξικον Ελληνικης Ορθοδοξιας''. Light & Life Publishing, Minnesota, 1984.
* [[Memorial service (Orthodox)]] at Wikipedia.

[[Category:Church Life]]
[[Category:Spirituality]]

[[el:Μνημόσυνο]]

Talk:Old Church Slavonic

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Basil: /* Cleanup */ new section

This article was a direct import from Wikipedia that is oriented to secular academics, without much discussion of the theological impacts. Do we want such linguistic technical details in Orthodoxwiki?[[User:Wsk|Wsk]] 00:29, December 29, 2008 (UTC)

== Cleanup ==

As noted above, the technical linguistic details of Church Slavonic are "too much information" for the OrthodoxWiki project. Additionally, as noted in the cleanup tag, there are many inline templates from the Wikipedia article which are broken here. Removal (and/or replacement, as necessary) will help make this a useful page for OrthodoxWiki users. --[[User:Basil|Basil]] 17:32, January 8, 2013 (HST)

Old Church Slavonic

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Basil: Cleanup template: Reason: Article appears to use Wikipedia templates which have been broken upon addition to OrthodoxWiki (copy/paste error).

{{cleanup|This article appears to use Wikipedia inline templates which do not work on OrthodoxWiki. It requires edits to the copy of the article in order for it to display properly on OrthodoxWiki.}}
'''Old Church Slavonic''', also known as '''Old Bulgarian'''<ref>"On the relationship of old Church Slavonic to the written language of early Rus'" Horace G. Lunt; Russian Linguistics, Volume 11, Numbers 2-3 / January, 1987</ref><ref>{{cite book
|last=Schenker
|first=Alexander
|title=The Dawn of Slavic
|publisher=Yale University Press
|year=1995
|location=
|pages=185–186, 189–190
|url=
|doi=
|id=
|isbn=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
|last=Lunt
|first=Horace
|title=Old Church Slavonic Grammar
|publisher=Mouton de Gruyter
|pages=3–4
|isbn=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
|last=Wien
|first=Lysaght
|title=Old Church Slavonic (Old Bulgarian)-Middle Greek-Modern English dictionary
|publisher=Verlag Bruder Hollinek
|year=1983}}</ref><ref name=fortson>Benjamin W. Fortson. ''Indo-European Language and Culture: An Introduction'', p. 374</ref>, was the first literary Slavic language, based on the Slavic dialects of the [[Thessalonica]] region by the 9th century Byzantine Greek<ref>Dmitrij Cizevskij. ''Comparative History of Slavic Literatures'', Vanderbilt University Press (2000) p. 27</ref> missionaries, [[Cyril and Methodius|Ss Cyril and Methodius]], who used it for translation of the [[Bible]] and other Ancient Greek ecclesiastical texts, and for some of their own writings. It played a great role in the history of Slavic languages and served as a basis and a role-model for later Church Slavonic traditions, where Church Slavonic is used as a [[liturgical language]] to this day by some Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches of the Slavic peoples.

==History==
The language was standardized for the mission of the two apostles to Great Moravia in 863. For that purpose, Cyril and his brother [[Methodius of Moravia|Methodius]] first codified Old Church Slavonic from the Southern Slavic dialect spoken in the neighborhood (hinterland) of their city Thessalonica, in the region of Macedonia ({{Unicode|Ѳессалонїка}}; in Old Church Slavonic, {{Unicode|Словѣньскъ}}), in the [[Byzantine Empire]].

As part of the preparation for the mission, in 862/863, the [[Glagolitic alphabet]] was created and the most important prayers and liturgical books, including the Aprakos Evangeliar (a [[Gospel]] book [[lectionary]] containing only feast-day and Sunday readings), the [[Psalter]], and [[Acts of the Apostles]], were translated. (The Gospels were also translated early, but it is unclear whether Ss Cyril or Methodius had a hand in this). The language and the alphabet were taught at the Great Moravian Academy (Veľkomoravské učilište) and were used for government and religious documents and books between 863 and 885. The texts written during this phase contain characteristics of the Slavic vernaculars in Great Moravia.

In 885, the use of the Old Church Slavonic in Great Moravia was prohibited by the [[Pope]] in favor of Latin. Students of the two apostles, who were expelled from Great Moravia in 886, brought the Glagolitic alphabet and the Old Church Slavonic language to the Bulgarian Empire. It was taught at two Bulgarian academies in Preslav (capital 893–972) and Ohrid (capital 991/997–1015). The Cyrillic alphabet was developed shortly afterwards in the Preslav Literary School and replaced the Glagolitic one. The texts written during this era contain characteristics of the vernacular of Bulgaria. There are some linguistic differences between texts written in the two academies.

Thereupon the language, in its Bulgarian recensions, spread to other South-Eastern and Eastern European Slavic territories, most notably to Croatia, Serbia, Bohemia, Lesser Poland, and the Russian principalities. The texts written in each country contain characteristics of the local Slavic vernacular.

Much later, local redactions of Old Church Slavonic were created for ecclesiastical and administrative use, and are collectively known as Church Slavonic but these terms are often confused.

Church Slavonic maintained a prestige status, particularly in Russia, for many centuries among Slavs in the East it had a status analogous to that of the Latin language in western Europe, but had the advantage of being substantially less divergent from the vernacular tongues of average parishioners. Some Orthodox churches, such as the [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]], [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church]] and [[Serbian Orthodox Church]], as well as several Greek Catholic churches, still use Church Slavonic in their services and chants today.

==Script==

Initially Old Church Slavonic was written with the Glagolitic alphabet, but later Glagolitic was replaced by the Cyrillic alphabet.<ref>Horace Gray Lunt, ''Old Church Slavonic Grammar'', Berlin-New York (2001) p.15</ref> Only in Croatia was the local variant of the Glagolitic alphabet preserved.

==Grammar==
As an ancient Indo-European language, OCS has highly inflective morphology. Nominals can be declined in three grammatical genders (masculine, feminine, neuter), three numbers (singular, plural, dual) and seven cases: nominative, vocative, accusative, instrumental, dative, genitive, and locative. Synthetic verbal conjugation is expressed in present, aorist and imperfect tenses, while perfect, pluperfect, future and conditional tenses/moods are made by combining auxiliary verbs with participles or synthetic tense forms.

==Basis and local influences==

Old Church Slavonic is evidenced by a relatively small body of manuscripts, most of which were written in Bulgaria during the late 10th and the early 11th centuries. The language has a Southern Slavic basis with an admixture of Western Slavic features inherited during the mission of Ss Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia (863 - 885). The only well-preserved manuscript of Moravian recension, the Kiev Folia, is characterised by the replacement of some Southern Slavic phonetic and lexical features with Western Slavic ones. Manuscripts written in the medieval Bulgarian tsardom have, on the other hand, few Western Slavic features.

Old Church Slavonic is valuable to historical linguists since it preserves archaic features believed to have once been common to all Slavic languages. Some of these features are:

*The nasal vowels {{IPA|/ɛ̃/}} and {{IPA|/ɔ̃/}}
*Supershort {{IPA|/i/}} and {{IPA|/u/}}.
*Open articulation of the yat vowel.
*{{IPA|[ɲ]}} and {{IPA|[ʎ]}} from Proto-Slavic *nj and *lj
*Proto-Slavic declension system based on stem-endings (so-called o-stems, jo-stems, a-stems and ja-stems)
*aorists, the imperfect, Proto-Slavic paradigms for participles etc. were still used

The Southern Slavic nature of the language is evident from the following variations:

* Phonetic:
**{{IPA|/ra/}}, {{IPA|la/}} by means of [[liquid metathesis]] of Proto-Slavic *or, *ol clusters
**{{IPA|/s/}} from the Proto-Slavic *x before *ąi
**{{IPA|/tsv/}} and {{IPA|/dzv/}} from the Proto-Slavic *kv', *gv'

* morphosyntactic
** use of the dative possessive case in personal pronouns and nouns: {{Unicode|rǫka ti; otъpuštenьe grěxomъ}}; descriptive future tense using the verb {{Unicode|xotěti}} ("to want"); use of the comparative form {{Unicode|mьnii}} (smaller) to denote "younger".
**use of suffixed demonstrative pronouns (tъ, ta, to). In Bulgarian and Macedonian these developed into suffixed definite articles.

Old Church Slavonic has some extra features in common with Bulgarian:
* Open articulation of the ''Yat'' vowel ({{Unicode|ě}}); still preserved in the Bulgarian dialects of the Rhodope mountains;
* The existence of {{IPA|/ʃt/}} and {{IPA|/ʒd/}} as reflexes of Proto-Slavic *tj and *dj or *gt and *kt before [[front vowel]]s.
* Use of possessive dative for personal pronouns and nouns, as in {{Unicode|bratъ mi, rǫka ti, otъpuštenьe grěxomъ, xramъ molitvě}}, etc
*Descriptive future tense with the auxiliary verb {{Unicode|xotěti}}, for example {{Unicode|xoštǫ pisati}}

====Eastern Bulgarian recension====
The Eastern Bulgarian recension is the oldest recension of the Old Church Slavonic language<ref> Jos. Dobrovský, Institutiones linguae slavicae dialecti veteris quae quum apud Russos, Serbos, aliosque ritus graeci tum apud Dalmatas glagolitas ritus latini Slavos in libris sacris obtinet, Vindobonae 1822. ''Initium translatorum in linguam slavicam ab eo'' (i. e. Cyril) ''et fratre Methodio librorum sacrorum, ad officia Missae celebranda maximae necessariorum, in '''Bulgaria''' factum fuisse, testatur biographus Clementis Archiepiscopi Bulgariae.''</ref>, which flourished with the rise of the First Bulgarian Empire under Tsar Simeon I. The main literary center of this recension was the Preslav Literary School, one of the two main literary schools of the First Bulgarian Empire along with the Ohrid Literary School. The existence of two major literary centers in the Empire led to the development of two recensions in the period from the ninth to the eleventh centuries. Thus:
* The Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets were used concurrently
* In some documents the original super short vowels ъ and ь merged with one letter taking the place of the other
* In Western Bulgarian recensions ъ was sometimes substituted with о
* In Eastern Bulgarian recensions the original ascending reflex (рь, ль) of syllabic {{IPA|/r/}} and {{IPA|/l/}} was sometimes metathesized to ьр, ьл; or a combination of the ordering was used
* The central vowel ы merged with ъi
* Sometimes the use of letter <Ѕ> ({{IPA|/dz/}}) was merged with that of <З> ({{IPA|/z/}})
* verb forms ''{{Unicode|naricajǫ}}, naricaješi'' were substituted or alternated with ''{{Unicode|naričǫ}}, naričeši''
* Use of words with proto-Bulgar origin, such as ''кумиръ, капище, чрьтогъ, блъванъ'', etc.

====Western Bulgarian (Macedonian) recension====
The Western Bulgarian<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~pancheva/ParsedCorpusList.html
|title=USC Parsed Corpus of Old South Slavic
|publisher=www-rcf.usc.edu
|accessdate=2008-06-12
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://kodeks.uni-bamberg.de/AKSL/Quellen/AKSL.CdxZographensis.htm
|title=Kodeks — Codex Zographensis {{de icon}}
|publisher=kodeks.uni-bamberg.de
|accessdate=2008-06-12
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref>(Macedonian)<ref>Henry R. Cooper. ''Slavic Scriptures: The Formation of the Church Slavonic Version of the Holy Bible'', pg. 86</ref><ref>Roomsch-Katholieke
Universiteit, et al. ''Polata Knigopisnaja: An Information Bulletin Devoted to the Study of Early Slavic Books, Texts and Literatures'', pg. 70</ref><ref>Roman Jakobson, P Weinrich. ''Slavic languages: Distribution of Slavic languages in present day Europe'', pg. 7</ref><ref>Yuriy Sherekh, George Y. Shevekov. ''A prehistory of Slavic: the historical phonology of common Slavic''</ref> recension is one of the oldest recensions of Old Church Slavonic and thrived in the period between the 10th and 14th centuries. The main literary center of this recension was the Ohrid Literary School, one of the two main literary centers of the First Bulgarian Empire whose most prominent member, and most likely founder, was St [[Clement of Ochrid]]. This recension is represented by the Codex Zographensis and Codex Marianus, among others. As this recension grew and thrived, several other literary centers emerged, among which most notable is the Lesnovo Literary School of the Lesnovo Monastery. The main features of this recension are the following:
* Continuous usage of the Glagolithic alphabet instead of the Cyrillic alphabet;
* A feature called "mixing (confusion) of the nasals" so that {{IPA|/ɔ̃/}} became {{IPA|[ɛ̃]}} after {{IPA|/rʲ lʲ nʲ/}}, and in a cluster of a labial consonant and {{IPA|/lʲ/}}. {{IPA|/ɛ̃/}} became {{IPA|[ɔ̃]}} after sibilant consonants and {{IPA|/j/}}.
* Wide use of the soft consonant clusters {{IPA|/ʃt/}} and {{IPA|/ʒd/}}; in the later stages, these developed into the modern Macedonian phonems {{IPA|/c/}} {{IPA|/ɟ/}}
* Strict distinction in the articulation of the yers and their vocalisation in strong position (ъ → {{IPA|/o/}} and ь → {{IPA|/o/}}) or deletion in weak position;
* Confusion of {{IPA|/ɛ̃/}} with yat and yat with {{IPA|/e/}};
* Denasalization in the latter stages: {{IPA|/ɛ̃/}} → {{IPA|/e/}} and {{IPA|/ɔ̃/}} → {{IPA|/a/}}, оу, ъ;
* Wider usage and retainment of the phoneme {{IPA|/dz/}} (which in all Slavic languages but Macedonian has daffricated to {{IPA|/z/}});

====Moravian recension====
While in the ''Prague fragments'' the only Moravian influence is replacing {{IPA|/ʃt/}} with {{IPA|/ts/}} and {{IPA|/ʒd/}} with {{IPA|/z/}}, the recension evidenced by the Kiev Folia is characterised by the following features:
*Confusion between the letters ''Big yus'' ({{Unicode|Ѫ}}) and ''Uk'' (оу) occurs once in the Kiev Folia, when the expected form {{Unicode|въсоудъ}} is spelled {{Unicode|въсѫдъ}}
* {{IPA|/ts/}} from Proto-Slavic *tj, use of {{IPA|/dz/}} from *dj, {{IPA|/ʃtʃ/}} *skj
*use of the words ''mьša'', ''cirky'', ''papežь'', ''prěfacija'', ''klepati'', ''piskati'' etc.
*preservation of the consonant cluster {{IPA|/dl/}} (e.g. ''modlitvami'')
*use of the ending –ъmь instead of –omь in the masculine singular instrumental, use of the pronoun čьso

===Later recensions (Church Slavonic)===
Later use of the language in a number of medieval Slavic states resulted in the adjustment of Old Church Slavonic to the local vernacular, though a number of Southern Slavic, Moravian or Bulgarian features were also preserved. Some of the significant later recensions of Old Church Slavonic (referred to as Church Slavonic) in the present time are: Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, Russian.

====Croatian recension====
The Croatian recension of Old Church Slavonic is one of the earliest known today. It only used the Glagolitic alphabet of angular Croatian type. It is characterized by the following developments:
* de-nasalisation of [[Proto-Slavic|PSl.]] *ę > e, PSl. *ǫ > u, e.g. Cr. ''ruka'' : OCS ''rǫka'' ("hand"), Cr. ''jezik'' : OCS ''językъ'' ("tongue, language")
* PSl. *y > i, e.g. Cr. ''biti'' : OCS ''byti'' ("to be")
* PSl. [[Havlík's law|weak-positioned]] [[yers]] *ъ and *ь in merged, probably representing some schwa-like sound, and only one of the letters was used (usually 'ъ'). Evident in earliest documents like [[Baška tablet]].
* PSl. Strong-positioned [[yers]] *ъ and *ь were vocalized into a in most Štokavian and Čakavian speeches, e.g. Cr. ''pas'' : OCS ''pьsъ'' ("dog")
* PSl. hard and soft syllabic liquids *r and r′ retained syllabicity and were written as simply r, as opposed to OCS sequences of mostly rь and rъ, e.g. ''krstъ'' and ''trgъ'' as opposed to OCS ''krьstъ'' and ''trъgъ'' ("cross", "market")
* PSl. #vьC and #vъC > #uC, e.g Cr. ''udova'' : OCS. ''vъdova'' ("widow")

====Russian recension====
The Russian recension was developed after the 10th century on the basis of the earlier Bulgarian recensions, from which it differed slightly. Its main features are:
* substitution of the nasal sound {{IPA|/õ/}} with [u]
* merging of letters ''ě'' and ''ja''<ref>Paul Cubberley ''Russian: A Linguistic Introduction''Cambridge University Press (2002), p.44 </ref>

====Serbian recension====
The Serbian recension was at first written in the Glagolitic alphabet, but later switched to the Cyrillic alphabet. It appeared in the mid-12th century. Characteristics are as follows:

* nasal vowels were denasalised and in one case closed: *ę > e, *ǫ > u, e.g. OCS rǫka -> Sr. ruka ("hand"), OCS językъ -> Sr. jezik ("tongue, language")
* extensive use of diacritical signs by the Resava recension
* use of letters ''i, y, ě'' for the sound {{IPA|/i/}} by the Bosnian variant, and ''i, y'' for the sound {{IPA|/i/}} by other variants of the Serbian recension.

Due to Turkey taking possession of Bulgaria while a semi-autonomous vassal status of Serbia was preserved, in late 15th century Serbian recension was influenced by an influx of educated refugee-scribes trained in the East-Bulgarian recension, which re-introduced a more classical form.

==The canon of Old Church Slavonic==
The core corpus of Old Church Slavonic manuscripts is usually referred to as ''canon''. Manuscripts must satisfy certain linguistic, chronological and cultural criteria to be incorporated into the canon, i.e. it must not significantly depart from the language and tradition of Constantine and Methodius, usually known as the ''Cyrillo-Methodian tradition''.

For example, the Freising Fragments, dating from the tenth century do show some linguistic and cultural traits of Old Church Slavonic, but are usually not included in the canon as some of the phonological features of the writings appear to belong to some Pannonian Slavic dialect of the time. Similarly, the Ostromir Gospels exhibits dialectal features that classify it as East Slavic, rather than South Slavic, so it's not included in the canon either. On the other hand, the Kiev Missal is included in the canon, even though it manifests some West Slavic features and contains Western liturgy, due to the Bulgarian linguistic layer and connection to the Moravian mission.

Manuscripts are usually classified in two groups, depending on the used alphabet, of Cyrillic and Glagolitic. With the exception of Kiev Missal and Glagolita Clozianus which exhibit West-Slavic and Croatian features respectively, all Glagolitic texts are assumed to be of Macedonian (Western Bulgarian) provenience:

* Kiev Missal (Ki, KM), seven folios, late tenth century
* Codex Zographensis, (Zo), 288 folios, tenth or eleventh century
* Codex Marianus (Mar), 173 folios, early eleventh century
* Codex Assemanius (Ass), 158 folios, early eleventh century
* Psalterium Sinaiticum (Pas, Ps. sin.), 177 folios, eleventh century
* Euchologium Sinaiticum (Eu, Euch), 109 folios, eleventh century
* Glagolita Clozianus (Clo, Cloz), 14 folios, eleventh century
* Ohrid Folios (Ohr), 2 folios, eleventh century
* Rila Folios (Ri, Ril), 2 folios and 5 fragments, eleventh century

All Cyrillic manuscripts are of Bulgarian provenience and date from the eleventh century, except for ''Zographos Fragments'' which are Macedonian (Western Bulgarian):

* Sava's book (Sa, Sav), 126 folios
* Codex Suprasliensis, (Supr), 284 folios
* Enina Apostol (En, Enin), 39 folios
* Hilandar Folios (Hds, Hil), 2 folios
* Undol'skij's Fragments (Und), 2 folios
* Macedonian Folio (Mac), 1 folio
* Zographos Fragments (Zogr. Fr.), 2 folios
* Sluck Psalter (Ps. Sl., Sl), 5 folios

==Authors==
The history of Old Church Slavonic writing includes a northern tradition begun by the mission to Great Moravia, including a short mission in the Balaton principality, and a Bulgarian tradition begun by some of the missionaries who relocated to Bulgaria after the expulsion from Great Moravia.

Old Church Slavonic's first writings, translations of Christian liturgical and Biblical texts, were produced by Byzantine missionaries Ss Cyril and Methodius, mostly during their mission to Great Moravia.

The most important authors in Old Church Slavonic after the death of Methodius and the dissolution of the Great Moravian academy were Clement of Ohrid (active also in Great Moravia), Constantine of Preslav, Chernorizetz Hrabar and John Exarch, all of whom worked in medieval Bulgaria at the end of the 9th and the beginning of the 10th century. The Second Book of Enoch was only preserved in Old Church Slavonic, although the original most certainly had been Greek or even Hebrew or Aramaic.

==Nomenclature==

The original name of the language in the Old Church Slavonic texts was simply ''Slavic'' (словѣньскыи ѩзыкъ, ''slověnĭskyj językŭ''),<ref name=nandris>Nandris, Grigore (1959). ''Old Church Slavonic Grammar'', p. 2 (London: University of London Athlone Press).</ref> derived from the word for ''Slavs'' (словѣне, ''slověne''), the self-designation of the compilers of the texts. This name is preserved in the modern names of the Slovak and Slovene languages. The language is sometimes called ''Old Slavic,'' which may be confused with the distinct Proto-Slavic language. The commonly accepted terms in modern English-language Slavic studies are ''Old Church Slavonic'' and ''Old Church Slavic''.

''Old Bulgarian'' (ѩӡыкъ блъгарьскъ) is also widely used<ref>[http://www.centerslo.net/files/File/simpozij/sim20/ziffer.pdf Ziffer, Giorgio - On the Historicity of Old Church Slavonic UDK 811.163.1(091)]</ref> and is the only designation used by Bulgarian linguistics, as it corresponds to the earliest form of written Bulgarian, followed by Middle Bulgarian (Church Slavonic language) and New Bulgarian (the modern Bulgarian language). The designation ''Old Bulgarian'' ({{lang-de|Altbulgarisch}}) was introduced in the 19th century by August Schleicher, Martin Hattala, Leopold Geitler, and August Leskien<ref>A. Leskien, Handbuch der altbulgarischen (altkirchenslavischen) Sprache, 6. Aufl., Heidelberg 1922.</ref><ref>A. Leskien, Grammatik der altbulgarischen (altkirchenslavischen) Sprache, 2.-3. Aufl., Heidelberg 1919.</ref>, who noted the similarities between the first literary Slavic works and the modern Bulgarian language. For similar reasons Russian linguist Aleksandr Vostokov used the term ''Slav-Bulgarian''.

Similarly, ''Old Macedonian'' is used occasionally in Western scholarship<ref>R. E. Asher, J. M. Y. Simpson. ''The Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics'', pg. 429</ref><ref>Dmitrij Cizevskij. ''Comparative History of Slavic Literatures'', pg. 26</ref><ref>Benjamin W. Fortson. ''Indo-European Language and Culture: An Introduction'', pg. 374</ref> for many of the same reasons, but in a regional context.

==References==
<references/>
==Source==
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Church_Slavonic Wikipedia - Old Church Slavonic]

[[Category:Liturgics]]

Theophylactus of Ohrid

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#REDIRECT [[Theophylact of Ochrid]]

Template:December 31

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<div style="float:right;margin-left:1em">
[[Image:Nativity.jpg|100px|The Nativity of Christ]]
</div>[[Leavetaking]] of the [[Nativity]] of our [[Christ|Lord]]; [[Venerable]] [[Melania the Younger]], [[nun]] of Rome; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania; [[Saint]] [[Dositej of Zagreb|Dositheus]], [[Bishop]] and [[Confessor]] of Serbia; Saint Gelasius, [[monk]] of Palestine; Saint Gaius, monk; Saint [[Theophylact of Ochrid]]; ten [[virgin-martyr]]s of Nicomedia; [[Martyr]]s Busiris, Gaudentius, and Nemo; Saint Zoticus, feeder of orphans (see also [[December 30]]); Martyr Olympiodora; finding of the body of [[Hieromartyr]] [[Nestor (Savchuk)]]. '''Other events:''' repose of [[Metropolitan]] [[Peter Mogila|Peter Moghila]] of Kiev
<noinclude>[[Category:Calendar day templates|December 31]]</noinclude>

Clement of Ochrid

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Our father among the [[saint]]s '''Clement of Ochrid''' was a ninth century [[missionary]] to Moravia and [[disciple]] of Ss. [[Cyril and Methodius]] who became Bishop of Ochrid (sometimes rendered "Ohrid"). His [[feast day]] is [[July 27]]. He is also commemorated on [[November 25]].

==Life==
The early life of St. Clement is largely unknown. According to his hagiography by [[Theophylact of Ochrid]], Clement was born in southwestern part of the [[w:Bulgarian_Empire|Bulgarian Empire]], in the region then known as [[w:Kutmichevitsa
|Kutmichevitsa]]<ref>The entry of the Slavs into Christendom: an introduction to the medieval history of the Slavs, A. P. Vlasto, CUP Archive, 1970, ISBN 0-521-07459-2, p. 169.</ref>. He was a member of the group of missionary [[priest]]s that included [[Naum of Preslav|Naum]], Sava, Gorazd, and Angelar who supported the [[Cyril and Methodius|Apostles to the Slavs]] evangelizing in middle Europe. Having rejected German missionaries from the Western Church who required the use of Latin as the liturgical language, Prince [[Rastislav of Moravia|Rastislav of Great Moravia]] requested Constantinople to send missionaries who could preach the Word of [[God]] in the Slavonic language. Arriving in Moravia as [[asceticism|ascetics]] led by Cyril and Methodius, Clement and his fellow missionaries evangelized the Slavic tribes in the Slavonic language, using the Glagolitic alphabet devised by Cyril.

Thus, language became the center of the conflict with the Frankish and German rulers and [[clergy]] as the Germans used Latin. With their liturgy denigrated as a "heretical Slavic Liturgy", Cyril and Methodius, accompanied by Clement, twice had to defend their liturgy before the Pope of Rome, first before Pope [[Adrian II of Rome|Adrian II]] and, again, before Pope [[John VIII of Rome|John VIII]] in 880, both who authorized its use.

During these years, the missionaries enjoyed the support of Prince Rastislav until 870. But, after Rastislav lost his realm to his nephew, prince Svyatopolk, who supported the German missionaries, the evangelization environment of the Slavic missionaries began to change as the Germans increasingly pressed the language issue. After the death of Methodius in 885 Pope [[Stephen V of Rome|Stephen V]] forced all the Slavonic speaking [[Disciple|disciples]] of St. Methodius to leave Moravia, that is now part of the Czech Republic, after having subjecting them to trial and then dispersement.

Clement was among the disciples who were welcomed by the Bulgarian prince [[Boris I of Bulgaria|Boris]] to preach to his people in their language. As Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Clement received an appointment, in 886, to teach at Kutmichivitsa, a region in southwest Macedonia where he created separate schools for adults and for children. He organized a school at the princely court, which attained high esteem during the reign of Boris' son Simeon. St. Clement worked as a teacher until 893. In 893, St. Clement was named Bishop of Dremvitsa, or Velitsa.

St. Clement was the first hierarch of Bulgaria to serve, preach, and write in the Slavonic language. To this end he systematically prepared [[clergy]] from among the Slavic people. He labored for the glory of God into his old age. When his strength began to fail, and he was unable to fulfill his responsibilities in the [[cathedral]], he asked Tsar Simeon to let him retire. But, Simeon urged him to continue his episcopal duties, to which Clement agreed.

Later, Clement left for Ochrid in Macedonia where he founded a [[monastery]]. There, he continued his translation activities and translated important parts of the [[Pentecostarion]] into Slavic. During 916, St. Clement became seriously ill and departed to the Lord. His body was placed in a coffin that he made with his own hands and was buried in the Monastery of St. Panteleimon which he founded at Ohrid.

Of the other members of his missionary group, the [[relics]] of Ss. Gorazd and Angelar rest near Berat in Albania, while the relics St. Naum are in the monastery bearing his name, near Lake Ochrid.

==Works==
St. Clement is considered the first author in the Slavonic language. In addition to his continuation of the translation work begun by Ss. Cyril and Methodius, he also left behind works of his own composition, the first samples of Slavonic spiritual literature. Many of the lessons and [[Homily|sermons]] of St. Clement were brought to Russia, where they were read and copied by pious Russian Christians. He wrote a biography of Ss. Cyril and Methodius.

==Reference==
<references/>

==Sources==
*[http://oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=102103 OCA: Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia]
*[[Wikipedia: Clement_of_Ohrid]]
*[http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-clement-of-ohrid/ Saint Clement of Ohrid]

[[Category: Saints]]
[[Category: Bulgarian Saints]]
[[Category: 10th-century saints]]
[[Category: Missionaries]]

Theophylact of Ochrid

2013-01-09T03:15:51Z

Basil: Translation/transliteration updates

Blessed '''Theophylactus of Ochrid''' (ca. 1050/60-ca. 1108) was one of the most famous Byzantine biblical scholars and exegetes; he was born on the Greek island of Euboia, close to Athens, some time between 1050 and 1060. He pursued an education in Constantinople to be study under the finest teachers of literature and rhetoric of his time and became one of the [[clergy]] of the Great Church there. He was appointed professor of rhetoric at the patriarchal academy and tutor to the emperor's children. As a relatively young man, he was consecrated as [[bishop]] and sent, against his will, to Ochrid, where he was the Metropolitan of the Church in Bulgaria for twenty-five years.

An inspired theologian and orator, he has left many homilies and, most important, a commentary on the whole [[New Testament]] (''Theophylactus completed extensive biblical commentaries on the four [[Gospel]]s, the Acts of the Apostles, and the New testament Epistles. There is also supposed to be a commentary on the Greek text of the Psalms and on the Prophets''), which has been has been treasured by Orthodox Christians ever since. The ''Patrologia Graeca'' has a long sermon on the cross, another on[[John the Forerunner| John the Baptist]], and a third on the feast of the presentation.

The first English translation (and the first in any modern Western European language) of Theophylact's commentaries on the New Testament, The Explanation of the Gospels, is available from [http://www.chrysostompress.org Chrysostom Press]. Work is underway to complete the English translation of his commentaries on the Book of Acts and the Epistles.

In his last years he moved to [[Thessalonica]], where he reposed in peace; the exact year of Blessed Theophylact’s repose is not known, but the latest date that can be ascertained from his letters is 1108.

The Serbian Orthodox Church, whose [[jurisdiction]] in later years came to include Ochrid and Macedonia, and other Orthodox Churches, commemorates Theophylactus as a saint, on [[December 31]].

==External links==
*[http://www.chrysostompress.org/theophylact-of-ochrid Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Ochrid and Bulgaria], download Theophylact's [http://www.chrysostompress.org/media/cms/Theophylact-on-I-Cor-13.pdf Commentary on I Corinthians, Chapter 13] for free.
*[[w:Theophylact_of_Bulgaria|Theophylact of Bulgaria on Wikipedia]]



[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category:11th-century saints]]
[[Category:Greek Saints]]

Theophylact of Ohrid

2013-01-09T03:14:19Z

Basil: moved Theophylact of Ohrid to Theophylact of Ochrid: Typical transliteration for Cyrillic Х is "ch" (or sometimes "kh" to differentiate it from ч). Cf OCA.org and POMOG.org, inter alia.

#REDIRECT [[Theophylact of Ochrid]]

Theophylact of Ochrid

2013-01-09T03:14:19Z

Basil: moved Theophylact of Ohrid to Theophylact of Ochrid: Typical transliteration for Cyrillic Х is "ch" (or sometimes "kh" to differentiate it from ч). Cf OCA.org and POMOG.org, inter alia.

Blessed '''Theophylactus of Ohrid''' (ca. 1050/60-ca. 1108) was one of the most famous Byzantine biblical scholards and exegetes; he was born on the Greek island of Euboia, close to Athens, some time between 1050 and 1060. He pursued an education in Constantinople to be study under the finest teachers of literature and rhetoric of his time and became one of the [[clergy]] of the Great Church there. He was appointed professor of rhetoric at the patriarchal academy and tutor to the emperor's children. As a relatively young man, he was consecrated as [[bishop]] and sent, against his will, to Ochrid, where he was the Metropolitan of the Church in Bulgaria for twenty-five years.

An inspired theologian and orator, he has left many homilies and, most important, a commentary on the whole [[New Testament]] (''Theophylactus completed extensive biblical commentaries on the four [[Gospel]]s, the Acts of the Apostles, and the New testament Epistles. There is also supposed to be a commentary on the Greek text of the Psalms and on the Prophets''), which has been has been treasured by Orthodox Christians ever since. The ''Patrologia Graeca'' has a long sermon on the cross, another on[[John the Forerunner| John the Baptist]], and a third on the feast of the presentation.

The first English translation (and the first in any modern Western European language) of Theophylact's commentaries on the New Testament, The Explanation of the Gospels, is available from [http://www.chrysostompress.org Chrysostom Press]. Work is underway to complete the English translation of his commentaries on the Book of Acts and the Epistles.

In his last years he moved to [[Thessalonica]], where he reposed in peace; the exact year of Blessed Theophylact’s repose is not known, but the latest date that can be ascertained from his letters is 1108.

The Serbian Orthodox Church, whose [[jurisdiction]] in later years came to include Ochrid and Macedonia, and other Orthodox Churches, commemorates Theophylactus as a saint, on [[December 31]].

==External links==
*[http://www.chrysostompress.org/theophylact-of-ochrid Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Ochrid and Bulgaria], download Theophylact's [http://www.chrysostompress.org/media/cms/Theophylact-on-I-Cor-13.pdf Commentary on I Corinthians, Chapter 13] for free.
*[[w:Theophylact_of_Bulgaria|Theophylact of Bulgaria on Wikipedia]]



[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category:11th-century saints]]
[[Category:Greek Saints]]

Peter (Karevski) of Prespa

2013-01-09T03:10:14Z

Basil: /* Return to Macedonia and episcopacy */ Updating link to Clement of Ochrid

His Eminence [[Metropolitan]] '''Peter (Karevski) of Prespa and Pelagonia''' is a [[bishop|hierarch]] of the non-canonical [[Macedonian Orthodox Church]] serving as ruling bishop of the Church's Eparchy of Prespa and Pelagonia and as administrator of the [[Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand|Eparchy of Australia and New Zealand]].

==Early life==
The future metropolitan was born Jovan Karevski on [[May 29]], 1946 in the town of Bogomila, now part of the Republic of Macedonia. After completing his secondary studies Jovan entered the Serbian Orthodox theological seminary in Prizren. After completing his studies there in 1966 he went on to study at the faculty of theology in Belgrade, from which he graduated in 1970.

==Return to Macedonia and episcopacy==
After his return to Macedonia Fr. Jovan became a professor at St. [[Clement of Ochrid]] Theological Seminary in Skopje, later also holding various pastorates in Macedonia. In June 1980 Fr. Jovan was [[tonsure]]d a [[monk]] with the name Petar (a variation of Peter), and in 1981 was elected Metropolitan of Prespa and Bitola. On [[June 14]], 1981 Fr. Petar was [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] to the episcopacy and [[enthronement|enthroned]] the next day in Bitola's Cathedral of St. Demetrius. In 1995 Metropolitan Peter was appointed administrator of the Eparchy of Australia and New Zealand.

==Sources==
*[http://www.mpceanz.org.au/arhierej/ Metropolitan Peter of Prespa and Pelagonia, Administrator of Australia and New Zealand] (Macedonian)

[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:Bishops of Prespa]]
[[Category:21st-century bishops]]
[[Category:Orthodoxy in Macedonia]]

Methodius (Zlatanov) of Toronto

2013-01-09T03:09:29Z

Basil: /* Episcopacy */ Updating link to Clement of Ochrid

His Eminence [[Metropolitan]] '''Methodius (Zlatanov) of Toronto''' is a [[bishop|hierarch]] of the [[Macedonian Orthodox Church]] serving the [[Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of America and Canada]].

==Life==
Born Metodij Zlatanov in Berovo, Macedonia (then part of Yugoslavia), on [[August 24]], 1963, the future metropolitan spent most of his childhood in Skopje, where he completed his primary and secondary studies as well as his theological studies. As a seminarian Metodij began exploring [[monasticism]], and in 1996 he was [[tonsure]]d a [[monk]], eventually becoming [[abbot]] of St. Elijah's Monastery in Strumica, Macedonia.

==Episcopacy==
In 2004 Igumen Metodij was elevated to the rank of [[archimandrite]], and in 2005 he was [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] as Bishop Methodius of Velika. In April 2006 the [[Holy Synod]] of the Macedonian Orthodox Church assigned Bishop Methodius as administrator of the Diocese of America and Canada, later electing him as diocesan metropolitan. Metropolitan Methodius was formally [[enthronement|enthroned]] in the diocesan [[Cathedral]] of St. [[Clement of Ochrid]] in Toronto, Ontario, on [[September 2]], 2006.

==Sources==
*[http://www.svetiklimentohridski.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=148&lang=mk Metropolitan Methodius of America and Canada] (Macedonian)

[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:Bishops of Toronto]]
[[Category:21st-century bishops]]
[[Category:Orthodoxy in America]]
[[Category:Orthodoxy in Canada]]

Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of America and Canada

2013-01-09T03:08:38Z

Basil: /* History */ Updating link to Clement of Ochrid, transliteration issues relating to Охрид

{{diocese|
name=Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of America and Canada|
jurisdiction=[[Macedonian Orthodox Church]]|
type=Diocese|
founded=1967|
bishop=[[Methodius (Zlatanov) of Toronto|Metr. Metodij]]|
see=Toronto, ON|
hq=Toronto, ON|
territory=North America|
language=Macedonian, Slavonic|
music=[[Byzantine Chant]]|
calendar=[[Julian Calendar|Julian]]|
population=''unknown''|
website=''[http://www.akmpe.org/index.php Eparchy of America and Canada]''
}}
The '''Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of America and Canada''' is a [[diocese]] of the [[autocephalous]] [[Macedonian Orthodox Church]]. It is currently led by [[Metropolitan]] [[Methodius (Zlatanov) of Toronto]] and has [[jurisdiction]] over the [[parish]]es and monastic communities of the Macedonian Orthodox Church in the United States and Canada.

==History==
Macedonians have been immigrating to North America for over a century, but distinctly Macedonian Orthodox parishes were not founded outside the jurisdiction of the Church of Bulgaria until the 1960s, when the establishment in Yugoslavia of the Macedonian Orthodox Church prompted Macedonians in the United States and Canada to begin organizing parishes under the jurisdiction of the newly independent church. The Diocese of America and Canada was founded at the third All-Macedonian Council held in Ochrid, Yugoslavia, in 1967, after which the Macedonian Orthodox [[Holy Synod]] elected Metropolitan Cyril of Toronto as ruling [[bishop|hierarch]] of the new diocese.<ref group="note">In 1967 the Church in Macedonia unilaterally declared its [[autocephaly]] from the [[Church of Serbia|Serbian Orthodox Church]], a move which is not recognised by any of the churches of the Eastern Orthodox Communion, and since then, the Macedonian Orthodox Church is not in communion with any Orthodox Church.</ref>

After 1987 the Diocese passed back and forth between various administrators and the oversight of Archbishop Stephen of Ochrid, first hierarch of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. In April 2006 Bishop Methodius of Velika was appointed diocesan administrator, later in the year being elected Metropolitan of America and Canada and enthroned on [[September 2]], 2006 in Toronto's Cathedral of St. [[Clement of Ochrid]].

==Diocese today==
The Diocese of America and Canada today consists of 19 parishes and two monastic communities in the United States as well as nine parishes and one monastic community in Canada. Its diocesan seat is in Toronto, Ontario.

==Notes==
<references group="note" />

==External links==
*[http://www.akmpe.org/index.php Macedonian Orthodox Eparchy of America and Canada] (Macedonian)

[[Category:Dioceses]]
[[Category:Jurisdictions]]
[[Category:Macedonian Dioceses]]

Old Church Slavonic

2013-01-09T03:06:44Z

Basil: /* Western Bulgarian (Macedonian) recension */ Updating link to Clement of Ochrid

'''Old Church Slavonic''', also known as '''Old Bulgarian'''<ref>"On the relationship of old Church Slavonic to the written language of early Rus'" Horace G. Lunt; Russian Linguistics, Volume 11, Numbers 2-3 / January, 1987</ref><ref>{{cite book
|last=Schenker
|first=Alexander
|title=The Dawn of Slavic
|publisher=Yale University Press
|year=1995
|location=
|pages=185–186, 189–190
|url=
|doi=
|id=
|isbn=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
|last=Lunt
|first=Horace
|title=Old Church Slavonic Grammar
|publisher=Mouton de Gruyter
|pages=3–4
|isbn=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
|last=Wien
|first=Lysaght
|title=Old Church Slavonic (Old Bulgarian)-Middle Greek-Modern English dictionary
|publisher=Verlag Bruder Hollinek
|year=1983}}</ref><ref name=fortson>Benjamin W. Fortson. ''Indo-European Language and Culture: An Introduction'', p. 374</ref>, was the first literary Slavic language, based on the Slavic dialects of the [[Thessalonica]] region by the 9th century Byzantine Greek<ref>Dmitrij Cizevskij. ''Comparative History of Slavic Literatures'', Vanderbilt University Press (2000) p. 27</ref> missionaries, [[Cyril and Methodius|Ss Cyril and Methodius]], who used it for translation of the [[Bible]] and other Ancient Greek ecclesiastical texts, and for some of their own writings. It played a great role in the history of Slavic languages and served as a basis and a role-model for later Church Slavonic traditions, where Church Slavonic is used as a [[liturgical language]] to this day by some Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches of the Slavic peoples.

==History==
The language was standardized for the mission of the two apostles to Great Moravia in 863. For that purpose, Cyril and his brother [[Methodius of Moravia|Methodius]] first codified Old Church Slavonic from the Southern Slavic dialect spoken in the neighborhood (hinterland) of their city Thessalonica, in the region of Macedonia ({{Unicode|Ѳессалонїка}}; in Old Church Slavonic, {{Unicode|Словѣньскъ}}), in the [[Byzantine Empire]].

As part of the preparation for the mission, in 862/863, the [[Glagolitic alphabet]] was created and the most important prayers and liturgical books, including the Aprakos Evangeliar (a [[Gospel]] book [[lectionary]] containing only feast-day and Sunday readings), the [[Psalter]], and [[Acts of the Apostles]], were translated. (The Gospels were also translated early, but it is unclear whether Ss Cyril or Methodius had a hand in this). The language and the alphabet were taught at the Great Moravian Academy (Veľkomoravské učilište) and were used for government and religious documents and books between 863 and 885. The texts written during this phase contain characteristics of the Slavic vernaculars in Great Moravia.

In 885, the use of the Old Church Slavonic in Great Moravia was prohibited by the [[Pope]] in favor of Latin. Students of the two apostles, who were expelled from Great Moravia in 886, brought the Glagolitic alphabet and the Old Church Slavonic language to the Bulgarian Empire. It was taught at two Bulgarian academies in Preslav (capital 893–972) and Ohrid (capital 991/997–1015). The Cyrillic alphabet was developed shortly afterwards in the Preslav Literary School and replaced the Glagolitic one. The texts written during this era contain characteristics of the vernacular of Bulgaria. There are some linguistic differences between texts written in the two academies.

Thereupon the language, in its Bulgarian recensions, spread to other South-Eastern and Eastern European Slavic territories, most notably to Croatia, Serbia, Bohemia, Lesser Poland, and the Russian principalities. The texts written in each country contain characteristics of the local Slavic vernacular.

Much later, local redactions of Old Church Slavonic were created for ecclesiastical and administrative use, and are collectively known as Church Slavonic but these terms are often confused.

Church Slavonic maintained a prestige status, particularly in Russia, for many centuries among Slavs in the East it had a status analogous to that of the Latin language in western Europe, but had the advantage of being substantially less divergent from the vernacular tongues of average parishioners. Some Orthodox churches, such as the [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]], [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church]] and [[Serbian Orthodox Church]], as well as several Greek Catholic churches, still use Church Slavonic in their services and chants today.

==Script==

Initially Old Church Slavonic was written with the Glagolitic alphabet, but later Glagolitic was replaced by the Cyrillic alphabet.<ref>Horace Gray Lunt, ''Old Church Slavonic Grammar'', Berlin-New York (2001) p.15</ref> Only in Croatia was the local variant of the Glagolitic alphabet preserved.

==Grammar==
As an ancient Indo-European language, OCS has highly inflective morphology. Nominals can be declined in three grammatical genders (masculine, feminine, neuter), three numbers (singular, plural, dual) and seven cases: nominative, vocative, accusative, instrumental, dative, genitive, and locative. Synthetic verbal conjugation is expressed in present, aorist and imperfect tenses, while perfect, pluperfect, future and conditional tenses/moods are made by combining auxiliary verbs with participles or synthetic tense forms.

==Basis and local influences==

Old Church Slavonic is evidenced by a relatively small body of manuscripts, most of which were written in Bulgaria during the late 10th and the early 11th centuries. The language has a Southern Slavic basis with an admixture of Western Slavic features inherited during the mission of Ss Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia (863 - 885). The only well-preserved manuscript of Moravian recension, the Kiev Folia, is characterised by the replacement of some Southern Slavic phonetic and lexical features with Western Slavic ones. Manuscripts written in the medieval Bulgarian tsardom have, on the other hand, few Western Slavic features.

Old Church Slavonic is valuable to historical linguists since it preserves archaic features believed to have once been common to all Slavic languages. Some of these features are:

*The nasal vowels {{IPA|/ɛ̃/}} and {{IPA|/ɔ̃/}}
*Supershort {{IPA|/i/}} and {{IPA|/u/}}.
*Open articulation of the yat vowel.
*{{IPA|[ɲ]}} and {{IPA|[ʎ]}} from Proto-Slavic *nj and *lj
*Proto-Slavic declension system based on stem-endings (so-called o-stems, jo-stems, a-stems and ja-stems)
*aorists, the imperfect, Proto-Slavic paradigms for participles etc. were still used

The Southern Slavic nature of the language is evident from the following variations:

* Phonetic:
**{{IPA|/ra/}}, {{IPA|la/}} by means of [[liquid metathesis]] of Proto-Slavic *or, *ol clusters
**{{IPA|/s/}} from the Proto-Slavic *x before *ąi
**{{IPA|/tsv/}} and {{IPA|/dzv/}} from the Proto-Slavic *kv', *gv'

* morphosyntactic
** use of the dative possessive case in personal pronouns and nouns: {{Unicode|rǫka ti; otъpuštenьe grěxomъ}}; descriptive future tense using the verb {{Unicode|xotěti}} ("to want"); use of the comparative form {{Unicode|mьnii}} (smaller) to denote "younger".
**use of suffixed demonstrative pronouns (tъ, ta, to). In Bulgarian and Macedonian these developed into suffixed definite articles.

Old Church Slavonic has some extra features in common with Bulgarian:
* Open articulation of the ''Yat'' vowel ({{Unicode|ě}}); still preserved in the Bulgarian dialects of the Rhodope mountains;
* The existence of {{IPA|/ʃt/}} and {{IPA|/ʒd/}} as reflexes of Proto-Slavic *tj and *dj or *gt and *kt before [[front vowel]]s.
* Use of possessive dative for personal pronouns and nouns, as in {{Unicode|bratъ mi, rǫka ti, otъpuštenьe grěxomъ, xramъ molitvě}}, etc
*Descriptive future tense with the auxiliary verb {{Unicode|xotěti}}, for example {{Unicode|xoštǫ pisati}}

====Eastern Bulgarian recension====
The Eastern Bulgarian recension is the oldest recension of the Old Church Slavonic language<ref> Jos. Dobrovský, Institutiones linguae slavicae dialecti veteris quae quum apud Russos, Serbos, aliosque ritus graeci tum apud Dalmatas glagolitas ritus latini Slavos in libris sacris obtinet, Vindobonae 1822. ''Initium translatorum in linguam slavicam ab eo'' (i. e. Cyril) ''et fratre Methodio librorum sacrorum, ad officia Missae celebranda maximae necessariorum, in '''Bulgaria''' factum fuisse, testatur biographus Clementis Archiepiscopi Bulgariae.''</ref>, which flourished with the rise of the First Bulgarian Empire under Tsar Simeon I. The main literary center of this recension was the Preslav Literary School, one of the two main literary schools of the First Bulgarian Empire along with the Ohrid Literary School. The existence of two major literary centers in the Empire led to the development of two recensions in the period from the ninth to the eleventh centuries. Thus:
* The Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets were used concurrently
* In some documents the original super short vowels ъ and ь merged with one letter taking the place of the other
* In Western Bulgarian recensions ъ was sometimes substituted with о
* In Eastern Bulgarian recensions the original ascending reflex (рь, ль) of syllabic {{IPA|/r/}} and {{IPA|/l/}} was sometimes metathesized to ьр, ьл; or a combination of the ordering was used
* The central vowel ы merged with ъi
* Sometimes the use of letter <Ѕ> ({{IPA|/dz/}}) was merged with that of <З> ({{IPA|/z/}})
* verb forms ''{{Unicode|naricajǫ}}, naricaješi'' were substituted or alternated with ''{{Unicode|naričǫ}}, naričeši''
* Use of words with proto-Bulgar origin, such as ''кумиръ, капище, чрьтогъ, блъванъ'', etc.

====Western Bulgarian (Macedonian) recension====
The Western Bulgarian<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~pancheva/ParsedCorpusList.html
|title=USC Parsed Corpus of Old South Slavic
|publisher=www-rcf.usc.edu
|accessdate=2008-06-12
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://kodeks.uni-bamberg.de/AKSL/Quellen/AKSL.CdxZographensis.htm
|title=Kodeks — Codex Zographensis {{de icon}}
|publisher=kodeks.uni-bamberg.de
|accessdate=2008-06-12
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref>(Macedonian)<ref>Henry R. Cooper. ''Slavic Scriptures: The Formation of the Church Slavonic Version of the Holy Bible'', pg. 86</ref><ref>Roomsch-Katholieke
Universiteit, et al. ''Polata Knigopisnaja: An Information Bulletin Devoted to the Study of Early Slavic Books, Texts and Literatures'', pg. 70</ref><ref>Roman Jakobson, P Weinrich. ''Slavic languages: Distribution of Slavic languages in present day Europe'', pg. 7</ref><ref>Yuriy Sherekh, George Y. Shevekov. ''A prehistory of Slavic: the historical phonology of common Slavic''</ref> recension is one of the oldest recensions of Old Church Slavonic and thrived in the period between the 10th and 14th centuries. The main literary center of this recension was the Ohrid Literary School, one of the two main literary centers of the First Bulgarian Empire whose most prominent member, and most likely founder, was St [[Clement of Ochrid]]. This recension is represented by the Codex Zographensis and Codex Marianus, among others. As this recension grew and thrived, several other literary centers emerged, among which most notable is the Lesnovo Literary School of the Lesnovo Monastery. The main features of this recension are the following:
* Continuous usage of the Glagolithic alphabet instead of the Cyrillic alphabet;
* A feature called "mixing (confusion) of the nasals" so that {{IPA|/ɔ̃/}} became {{IPA|[ɛ̃]}} after {{IPA|/rʲ lʲ nʲ/}}, and in a cluster of a labial consonant and {{IPA|/lʲ/}}. {{IPA|/ɛ̃/}} became {{IPA|[ɔ̃]}} after sibilant consonants and {{IPA|/j/}}.
* Wide use of the soft consonant clusters {{IPA|/ʃt/}} and {{IPA|/ʒd/}}; in the later stages, these developed into the modern Macedonian phonems {{IPA|/c/}} {{IPA|/ɟ/}}
* Strict distinction in the articulation of the yers and their vocalisation in strong position (ъ → {{IPA|/o/}} and ь → {{IPA|/o/}}) or deletion in weak position;
* Confusion of {{IPA|/ɛ̃/}} with yat and yat with {{IPA|/e/}};
* Denasalization in the latter stages: {{IPA|/ɛ̃/}} → {{IPA|/e/}} and {{IPA|/ɔ̃/}} → {{IPA|/a/}}, оу, ъ;
* Wider usage and retainment of the phoneme {{IPA|/dz/}} (which in all Slavic languages but Macedonian has daffricated to {{IPA|/z/}});

====Moravian recension====
While in the ''Prague fragments'' the only Moravian influence is replacing {{IPA|/ʃt/}} with {{IPA|/ts/}} and {{IPA|/ʒd/}} with {{IPA|/z/}}, the recension evidenced by the Kiev Folia is characterised by the following features:
*Confusion between the letters ''Big yus'' ({{Unicode|Ѫ}}) and ''Uk'' (оу) occurs once in the Kiev Folia, when the expected form {{Unicode|въсоудъ}} is spelled {{Unicode|въсѫдъ}}
* {{IPA|/ts/}} from Proto-Slavic *tj, use of {{IPA|/dz/}} from *dj, {{IPA|/ʃtʃ/}} *skj
*use of the words ''mьša'', ''cirky'', ''papežь'', ''prěfacija'', ''klepati'', ''piskati'' etc.
*preservation of the consonant cluster {{IPA|/dl/}} (e.g. ''modlitvami'')
*use of the ending –ъmь instead of –omь in the masculine singular instrumental, use of the pronoun čьso

===Later recensions (Church Slavonic)===
Later use of the language in a number of medieval Slavic states resulted in the adjustment of Old Church Slavonic to the local vernacular, though a number of Southern Slavic, Moravian or Bulgarian features were also preserved. Some of the significant later recensions of Old Church Slavonic (referred to as Church Slavonic) in the present time are: Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, Russian.

====Croatian recension====
The Croatian recension of Old Church Slavonic is one of the earliest known today. It only used the Glagolitic alphabet of angular Croatian type. It is characterized by the following developments:
* de-nasalisation of [[Proto-Slavic|PSl.]] *ę > e, PSl. *ǫ > u, e.g. Cr. ''ruka'' : OCS ''rǫka'' ("hand"), Cr. ''jezik'' : OCS ''językъ'' ("tongue, language")
* PSl. *y > i, e.g. Cr. ''biti'' : OCS ''byti'' ("to be")
* PSl. [[Havlík's law|weak-positioned]] [[yers]] *ъ and *ь in merged, probably representing some schwa-like sound, and only one of the letters was used (usually 'ъ'). Evident in earliest documents like [[Baška tablet]].
* PSl. Strong-positioned [[yers]] *ъ and *ь were vocalized into a in most Štokavian and Čakavian speeches, e.g. Cr. ''pas'' : OCS ''pьsъ'' ("dog")
* PSl. hard and soft syllabic liquids *r and r′ retained syllabicity and were written as simply r, as opposed to OCS sequences of mostly rь and rъ, e.g. ''krstъ'' and ''trgъ'' as opposed to OCS ''krьstъ'' and ''trъgъ'' ("cross", "market")
* PSl. #vьC and #vъC > #uC, e.g Cr. ''udova'' : OCS. ''vъdova'' ("widow")

====Russian recension====
The Russian recension was developed after the 10th century on the basis of the earlier Bulgarian recensions, from which it differed slightly. Its main features are:
* substitution of the nasal sound {{IPA|/õ/}} with [u]
* merging of letters ''ě'' and ''ja''<ref>Paul Cubberley ''Russian: A Linguistic Introduction''Cambridge University Press (2002), p.44 </ref>

====Serbian recension====
The Serbian recension was at first written in the Glagolitic alphabet, but later switched to the Cyrillic alphabet. It appeared in the mid-12th century. Characteristics are as follows:

* nasal vowels were denasalised and in one case closed: *ę > e, *ǫ > u, e.g. OCS rǫka -> Sr. ruka ("hand"), OCS językъ -> Sr. jezik ("tongue, language")
* extensive use of diacritical signs by the Resava recension
* use of letters ''i, y, ě'' for the sound {{IPA|/i/}} by the Bosnian variant, and ''i, y'' for the sound {{IPA|/i/}} by other variants of the Serbian recension.

Due to Turkey taking possession of Bulgaria while a semi-autonomous vassal status of Serbia was preserved, in late 15th century Serbian recension was influenced by an influx of educated refugee-scribes trained in the East-Bulgarian recension, which re-introduced a more classical form.

==The canon of Old Church Slavonic==
The core corpus of Old Church Slavonic manuscripts is usually referred to as ''canon''. Manuscripts must satisfy certain linguistic, chronological and cultural criteria to be incorporated into the canon, i.e. it must not significantly depart from the language and tradition of Constantine and Methodius, usually known as the ''Cyrillo-Methodian tradition''.

For example, the Freising Fragments, dating from the tenth century do show some linguistic and cultural traits of Old Church Slavonic, but are usually not included in the canon as some of the phonological features of the writings appear to belong to some Pannonian Slavic dialect of the time. Similarly, the Ostromir Gospels exhibits dialectal features that classify it as East Slavic, rather than South Slavic, so it's not included in the canon either. On the other hand, the Kiev Missal is included in the canon, even though it manifests some West Slavic features and contains Western liturgy, due to the Bulgarian linguistic layer and connection to the Moravian mission.

Manuscripts are usually classified in two groups, depending on the used alphabet, of Cyrillic and Glagolitic. With the exception of Kiev Missal and Glagolita Clozianus which exhibit West-Slavic and Croatian features respectively, all Glagolitic texts are assumed to be of Macedonian (Western Bulgarian) provenience:

* Kiev Missal (Ki, KM), seven folios, late tenth century
* Codex Zographensis, (Zo), 288 folios, tenth or eleventh century
* Codex Marianus (Mar), 173 folios, early eleventh century
* Codex Assemanius (Ass), 158 folios, early eleventh century
* Psalterium Sinaiticum (Pas, Ps. sin.), 177 folios, eleventh century
* Euchologium Sinaiticum (Eu, Euch), 109 folios, eleventh century
* Glagolita Clozianus (Clo, Cloz), 14 folios, eleventh century
* Ohrid Folios (Ohr), 2 folios, eleventh century
* Rila Folios (Ri, Ril), 2 folios and 5 fragments, eleventh century

All Cyrillic manuscripts are of Bulgarian provenience and date from the eleventh century, except for ''Zographos Fragments'' which are Macedonian (Western Bulgarian):

* Sava's book (Sa, Sav), 126 folios
* Codex Suprasliensis, (Supr), 284 folios
* Enina Apostol (En, Enin), 39 folios
* Hilandar Folios (Hds, Hil), 2 folios
* Undol'skij's Fragments (Und), 2 folios
* Macedonian Folio (Mac), 1 folio
* Zographos Fragments (Zogr. Fr.), 2 folios
* Sluck Psalter (Ps. Sl., Sl), 5 folios

==Authors==
The history of Old Church Slavonic writing includes a northern tradition begun by the mission to Great Moravia, including a short mission in the Balaton principality, and a Bulgarian tradition begun by some of the missionaries who relocated to Bulgaria after the expulsion from Great Moravia.

Old Church Slavonic's first writings, translations of Christian liturgical and Biblical texts, were produced by Byzantine missionaries Ss Cyril and Methodius, mostly during their mission to Great Moravia.

The most important authors in Old Church Slavonic after the death of Methodius and the dissolution of the Great Moravian academy were Clement of Ohrid (active also in Great Moravia), Constantine of Preslav, Chernorizetz Hrabar and John Exarch, all of whom worked in medieval Bulgaria at the end of the 9th and the beginning of the 10th century. The Second Book of Enoch was only preserved in Old Church Slavonic, although the original most certainly had been Greek or even Hebrew or Aramaic.

==Nomenclature==

The original name of the language in the Old Church Slavonic texts was simply ''Slavic'' (словѣньскыи ѩзыкъ, ''slověnĭskyj językŭ''),<ref name=nandris>Nandris, Grigore (1959). ''Old Church Slavonic Grammar'', p. 2 (London: University of London Athlone Press).</ref> derived from the word for ''Slavs'' (словѣне, ''slověne''), the self-designation of the compilers of the texts. This name is preserved in the modern names of the Slovak and Slovene languages. The language is sometimes called ''Old Slavic,'' which may be confused with the distinct Proto-Slavic language. The commonly accepted terms in modern English-language Slavic studies are ''Old Church Slavonic'' and ''Old Church Slavic''.

''Old Bulgarian'' (ѩӡыкъ блъгарьскъ) is also widely used<ref>[http://www.centerslo.net/files/File/simpozij/sim20/ziffer.pdf Ziffer, Giorgio - On the Historicity of Old Church Slavonic UDK 811.163.1(091)]</ref> and is the only designation used by Bulgarian linguistics, as it corresponds to the earliest form of written Bulgarian, followed by Middle Bulgarian (Church Slavonic language) and New Bulgarian (the modern Bulgarian language). The designation ''Old Bulgarian'' ({{lang-de|Altbulgarisch}}) was introduced in the 19th century by August Schleicher, Martin Hattala, Leopold Geitler, and August Leskien<ref>A. Leskien, Handbuch der altbulgarischen (altkirchenslavischen) Sprache, 6. Aufl., Heidelberg 1922.</ref><ref>A. Leskien, Grammatik der altbulgarischen (altkirchenslavischen) Sprache, 2.-3. Aufl., Heidelberg 1919.</ref>, who noted the similarities between the first literary Slavic works and the modern Bulgarian language. For similar reasons Russian linguist Aleksandr Vostokov used the term ''Slav-Bulgarian''.

Similarly, ''Old Macedonian'' is used occasionally in Western scholarship<ref>R. E. Asher, J. M. Y. Simpson. ''The Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics'', pg. 429</ref><ref>Dmitrij Cizevskij. ''Comparative History of Slavic Literatures'', pg. 26</ref><ref>Benjamin W. Fortson. ''Indo-European Language and Culture: An Introduction'', pg. 374</ref> for many of the same reasons, but in a regional context.

==References==
<references/>
==Source==
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Church_Slavonic Wikipedia - Old Church Slavonic]

[[Category:Liturgics]]

Naum of Preslav

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Basil: /* Life */ Updating link to Clement of Ochrid

[[Image:SaintNaum.jpg|thumb|right|Icon of Saint Naum]] Our holy and [[God-bearer|God-bearing]] father '''Naum of Preslav''' (or Naum the Miracle-worker of Ohrid) was a preacher who enlightened [[Bulgaria]] with the faith of [[Christ]]. His [[feastday]] is celebrated on [[December 23]].

==Life==
[[Saint]] Naum flourished during the reign of Michael the king of the Romans, son of Theophilos the [[Iconoclasm|iconoclast]], in 842. At this time Sts. [[Cyril and Methodius]] and Clement lived in Bulgaria, where they struggled to enlighten the deceived nation of the Bulgarians with the faith of Christ and [[Orthodox Church|orthodoxy]]. Naum followed his illustrious predecessors in everything. He preached the faith while being beaten, mocked, and suffering persecutions and scourges from the unbelievers and enemies of Christ.

Because the aforementioned fathers, i.e. holy Cyril and Methodius and Clement the [[Equal-to-the-Apostles|equals of the apostles]], wanted to translate the [[Scripture]]s from Greek to Bulgarian using the letters and words which they had devised to be understood by Bulgarians, they thought it reasonable to submit this work to [[Pope]] Hadrian of Rome so that it might receive authority and approval from him as well.

Thus Naum went to Rome with them, and Pope Hadrian accepted them with honour and courtesy. God produced many [[miracle]]s in Rome through His servants. Sick men that hastened to them were cured in a wonderful way: as soon as they looked the saints in the eyes they were freed from their diseases. Due to these miracles (and from other revelations) the Pope came to know that this work of translation was from God. Indeed, he compared the Greek text of the Scriptures with the Bulgarian one and found that they agreed in everything. So, he approved of and authorized the translation.

Afterwards, St. Cyril, the initiator of the translation stayed in Rome, where he eventually reposed in the Lord, while holy Methodius took his disciples with him. Naum was one of these who decided to return again to Bulgaria. On his return he went to the land of Allamans (i.e. Germans), where various [[Heresy|heresies]] were widespread, including [[Apollinarism]], [[Arianism]], and the [[filioque]]. There holy Methodius, together with Naum, struggled to bring the heretics back to Orthodoxy. In return the barbarians punished the saints with beatings and other tortures and finally put them in prison.

While the saints were praying in prison, there was a great earthquake which shook the whole area. Many houses belonging to the impious men collapsed, the saints' bonds fell loose, and the doors of the prison opened. Thus, the saints came out and started walking on the street joyfully, as the holy [[Apostles]] had done, because they were deemed worthy to be disgraced for the sake of the Holy Spirit. When they returned to Bulgaria, they were received by Michael, the leader of the Bulgarians, who sent them to neighbouring countries to preach the name of Christ and distribute the Bulgarian translation of the Holy Scriptures. Naum went along with St. [[Clement of Ochrid|Clement]], walking with him all over Bulgaria, especially to Diabya, Moesia and Panonia (Hungary), all the while preaching the message of piety. St. Naum did not part from his company till he breathed his last, helping him as Aaron had helped [[Moses]]. So, after St. Naum had moved around the aforementioned Diabya and lived for some time in a holy and God-pleasing way, he departed to the Lord, leaving his holy [[relics]] as an endless treasure of miracles for those who would hasten to him in faith.

==Sources and further reading==
*''Lives of the Saints for the Whole Year'' by St. [[Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain]] (18th century)
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naum_of_Preslav Saint Naum (Wikipedia entry)]

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Bulgarian Saints]]
[[Category:Wonderworkers]]
[[Category:9th-century saints]]

List of Bulgarian saints

2013-01-09T03:05:11Z

Basil: /* Bulgarian saints */ Updating link to Clement of Ochrid

The following is a list of saints from Bulgaria (Списък на Българските светии):

==Bulgarian [[saint]]s==
*Acacius of Mount Athos (Акакий Сярски, преподобномъченик) - [[May 1]]
*[[New Martyrs|New-Martyr]] Anastasius of Bulgaria (Анастасий (Спас) Струмишки, мъченик) - [[August 29]]
*[[Hieromonk]] Anthymus, the Athonite Fool-for-Christ (Антим) - [[December 9]]
*Astion, [[monk]], in Scythia (Астион, преподобномъченик) - [[July 7]]
*[[Boris I of Bulgaria|Boris-Michael]], Equal-to-the-Apostles, prince and baptizer of Bulgaria (Борис-Михаил, свети) - [[May 2]]
*Prince Boyan, [[Martyr]]s of Bulgaria (Боян, княз Български) - [[March 28]]
*[[Martyr]] Bessarion, [[Bishop]] of Smolyan (Висарион смоленски, свещеномъченик) - [[July 29]]
*[[Gabriel of Lesnovo|Gabriel]], founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria (Гаврил Лесновски, преподобни) - [[January 15]]
*Great-martyr George the New at Sofia, Bulgaria (Георги Най-нови, мъченик) - [[May 26]]
*Martyr [[George the Serbian|George of Sofia]] (Георги Софийски (Стари), мъченик) - [[March 26]]
*New-Martyr George of Sofia (Георги Софийски Нови, мъченик) - [[February 11]]
*New-Martyr Damaskinos of Gabrovo, Bulgaria (Дамаскин Габровски, свещеномъченик) - [[January 16]]
*26 martyrs of Zographou Monastery on Mount Athos (Двадесет и шест Зографски мъченици, свети) - [[October 10]]
*Demetrius of Basarbovo (Димитрий Бесарбовски, свети) - [[October 27]]
*New-Martyr Demetrius of Sliven, Bulgaria (Димитър Сливенски, свети) - [[January 30]]
*Dionysius the Hagiorite (Дионисий Атонски, преподобни) - [[June 25]]
*Dionysios the monk of Prodromou Skete on Athos (Дионисий, преподобномъченик) - [[November 1]]
*Saint Euthymius, Patriarch of Tаrnovo and Bulgaria (Евтимий, патриарх Търновски) - [[January 20]]
*Martyr Epictetus, [[presbyter]] (Епиктет, преподобномъченик) - [[July 7]]
*Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia (Ефрем, патриарх Белградски, българин) - [[June 15]]
*New-Martyr Chryse (Zlata) of Meglena, Bulgaria (Злата Мъгленска, великомъченица) - [[October 13]]
*Martyr [[Zosimus the Soldier|Zosimas the Soldier]] at Antioch in Pisidia (Зосима Созополски, свети) - [[June 19]]
*[[John of Rila|John]], Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria (Иван Рилски, чудотворец) - [[October 19]]
*Joachim I, Patriarch of Tarnovo and Bulgaria (Иоаким I, патриарх Търновски) - [[January 18]]
*Joachim, monk of Osogov (Иоаким Осоговски, преподобни) - [[August 16]]
*New-martyr John the Bulgarian (Иоан Български, мъченик) - [[March 5]]
*John-Vladimir, Prince of Bulgaria, ruler of Serbia, Great-martyr and Miracle-worker (Иоан Владимир, княз) - [[May 22]]
*John Koukouzelis the Hymnographer of the Great Lavra on Mount Athos (Иоан Кукузел, преподобни) - [[October 1]]
*New-Martyr John of Tarnovo (Иоан Търновски, мъченик) - [[July 16]]
*Saint Cyprian of Serbia (Киприан, свети) - [[September 16]]
*Martyr Kyriaki of [[Nicomedia]] (Кириакия-Неделя, великомъченица) - [[July 7]]
*Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril, Enlightener of the Slavs (Кирил, свети) - [[May 11]]
*Saint [[Clement of Ochrid]], Enlightener of the Bulgarians (Климент, архиепископ Охридски) - [[November 25]]
*Saint Cosmas the Bulgarian of Zographou Monastery (Козма Зографски, преподобни) - [[September 22]]
*New-Martyr Lazarus of Bulgaria who suffered at Pergamus (Лазар Български, мъченик) - [[April 23]]
*Martyr Luke the New of Mytilene (St. Anne Skete) on Mount Athos (Лука Одрински, преподобномъченик) - [[March 23]]
*Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles [[Methodius of Moravia|Methodius]], Enlightener of the Slavs (Методий, архиепископ Моравски) - [[May 11]]
*Saint Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles, Archbishop of Moravia, and Enlightener of the Slavs (Методий, Учител и Просветител славянобългарски) - [[April 6]]
*Righteous Michael the soldier of Bulgaria(Михаил Воин, праведни) - [[November 22]]
*Saint Michael, first Metropolitan of Kiev (Михаил, свети) - [[September 30]]
*Saint [[Naum of Preslav|Nahum]] of Ochrid, Enlightener of the Bulgarians, disciple of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles and Wonder-worker (Наум Охридски, чудотворец) - [[December 23]]
*Saint Nectarios the Bulgarian of Bitol (Bulgaria) and his elder Saint Philotheos the Righteous, of Karyes Skete on Mount Athos (Нектарий Битолски, преподобни) - [[December 5]]
*Nicetas the Hieromartyr, struggler of Serrai (Никита Сярски, свещеномъченик) - [[April 4]]
*Saint [[Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain|Nicodemus the Righteous]] of [[Mount Athos]] (Никодим Албански, преподобномъченик) - [[July 14]]
*Great-martyr Nicholas of Sofia (Николай Софийски, великомъченик) - [[May 17]]
*New-Martyr Onuphrius Manassias of Chilandar Monastery on Mount Athos (Онуфрий Габровски, преподобномъченик) - [[January 4]]
*Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria (Паисий Хилендарски, преподонни) - [[June 19]]
*Saint [[Paraskeve the New|Paraskeve of Serbia]] (Параскева-Петка Епиватска) - [[October 14]]
*Martyrs at Tiberiopolis: Bishops Timothy and Theodore, Priests Peter, John, Sergius, Theodore and Nicephorus, Deacons Basil and Thomas, Monks Hierotheus, Daniel, Chariton, Socrates, Comasius and Eusebius, and Etymasius (Петнадесет Тивериополски свещеномъченици) - [[November 28]]
*Saint Peter, king of Bulgaria (Петър Български, свети) - [[January 30]]
*Venerable Pimen the Bulgarian of the Zographou Monastery on Mount Athos (Пимен Зографски, преподобни) - [[November 3]]
*New-Martyr Procopius of Varna (Прокопий Варненски, преподономъченик) - [[June 25]]
*Saint Prochorus, abbot in Vranski desert on the river Pshina in Bulgaria (Прохор Пшински, преподобни) - [[January 15]]
*New-Martyr Raiko (John) of Bulgaria (Райко-Иоан Български, мъченик) - [[May 14]]
*Saint Romanus of Tarnovo (Роман Търновски) - [[February 17]]
*Saint Romilus the Hesychast of Ravenica, monk of Mount Athos, disciple of St. Gregory of Sinai, and with him Saints Nestor, Martinius, Daniel, Sisoes, Zosimas, and Gregory (Ромил Бдински (Видински), преподобни) - [[January 16]]
*New-Martyr Simeon of Samokov (Симеон Самоковски, свещеномъченик) - [[August 21]]
*Saint Sophronius, monk of Bulgaria (Софроний Български (Софийски), преподобни) - [[May 28]]
*Saint Sophronius of Vratsa (Софроний, епископ Врачански) - [[March 11]]
*Saint Theodosius of Tarnovo (Теодосий Търновски, преподобни) - [[November 27]]
*Saint Theophilus the Confessor of Bulgaria (Теофил, преподобни) - [[October 10]]
*Hieromartyr Therapont, Bishop of Sardis (Терапонт, свещеномъченик) - [[May 27]]
*New-Martyrs Triandaphyllus (Triantaphillos) of Zagoras (or of Thessaly) and Anastasios of Thessaloniki (or of Thessaly) (Триандафил Старозагорски, мъченик) - [[August 8]]
*Saint [[Philothea of Arges|Philoftheia (Philothea) of Thrace]], the Protectress of Romania (Филотея Търновска, преподобна) - [[December 7]]
*Venerable-martyr James of Mount Athos and his disciples James the deacon and Dionysios the monk of Prodromou Skete on Athos (Яков Кустурски, преподобномъченик) - [[November 1]]
*Venerable-martyr James of Mount Athos and his disciples James the deacon and Dionysios the monk of Prodromou Skete on Athos (Яков, преподобномъченик) - [[November 1]]

==Sources and External links==
"Жития на Българските светии", първо издание, Славянобългарски манастир "Св. Вмчк Георги Зограф", Света Гора, Атон, 2002 г.

[http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=9dg97sujlrpdt5sm6296s8uhb8%40group.calendar.google.com Bulgarian Orthodox Calendar (in Bulgarian language)]

[[Category:Bulgarian Saints|*]]
[[Category:Saints|Bulgarian Saints]]

[[ro:Lista sfinţilor bulgari]]

Macedonian Orthodox Church

2013-01-09T03:03:15Z

Basil: /* History */ Updating link to Clement of Ochrid

[[Image:MOC logo.png|right]]
The '''Macedonian Orthodox Church''' or '''MOC''' (in Macedonian:
'''Македонска Православна Црква''' or '''МПЦ''') is a [[jurisdiction]] in the Republic of Macedonia which declares itself to be [[autocephaly|autocephalous]]. It separated from the [[Church of Serbia]] in 1967. Its self-proclaimed autocephaly is not officially recognized by other Orthodox churches, nor is it in communion with any of them.

==History==
Formerly known as [[w:Vardar Banovina|Vardarska Banovina]] (Province of the river Vardar), in March 1945, the People's Republic of Macedonia was created, as one of republics of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, governed by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. In Skopje, a Resolution to create the Macedonian Orthodox Church was submitted to the Serbian patriarchate which had since 1919 exercised sole jurisdiction in the area. This resolution was rejected. During World War II there was also an initiative to create an Armenian-Macedonian Church in the territory of occupied Greece, but this plan was supported only by few ethnic Armenians and Aegean Macedonians in the zone of Kastoria. After the war another resolution, submitted in 1958, proposing the Ohrid Archdiocese of St. [[Clement of Ochrid|Clement]] as a Macedonian Orthodox Church, was accepted ([[June 17]], 1959) under strong pressure from the Communist authorities. Dositej Stojković, auxiliary bishop of the Serbian patriarch, left Belgrade and was proclaimed the first Metropolitan of Skoplje. In order to prevent schism, the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church granted autonomy to three Dioceses in Macedonia. A Macedonian was consecrated bishop. But two of them soon consecrated new bishops who were without the proper qualifications. Soon Macedonians started to organize churches in diaspora without approval of the Patriarch and bishops who were responsible for the dioceses in diaspora. During the so-called Third Clergy and Laity Assembly on [[July 19]], 1967, in Ohrid, the Macedonian Orthodox Church was proclaimed as autocephalous with strong public support.

Since the breakup of Yugoslavia and the end of Communist repression of the Church, the Serbian patriarchate has been in conflict with the Macedonian Orthodox Church, which has yet to gain recognition from the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate]] or any other autocephalous church. The issue of dispute is the allegedly anti-[[canonical]] method used to gain autocephaly, the issue of the Serbian Orthodox minority (at least some 40,000 strong) and the question of some hundreds of Serbian Orthodox [[shrine]]s from the medieval Nemanjić period. It is also presumed that the name ''Macedonian'' is a matter of dispute regarding the [[Church of Greece]].

===Relations with the Autonomous Archdiocese of Ohrid===
The two churches had been negotiating the details of a compromise agreement reached in Niš, Serbia in 2002, which would have given the Macedonians ''de facto'' independent status just short of canonical autocephaly. However, the agreement, signed by Metr. [[Jovan (Vraniskovski) of Ohrid|Jovan (Vraniskovski)]] from the Macedonian side, was rejected by the Macedonian government and the MOC's holy synod. In turn, the Serbian Orthodox Church granted full autonomy to the [[Autonomous Archdiocese of Ohrid|Archdiocese of Ohrid]], its embattled branch in the Republic of Macedonia, in late May 2005 and appointed Jovan as its archbishop.

The later chain of events turned into a vicious circle of mutual accusations and incidents involving the patriarchate and, partly, the Serbian government on one side, and the MOC, backed by the Macedonian government on the other. The Macedonian side regarded Jovan as a traitor and Serbian puppet. Jovan complained of a new state-backed media campaign against his church. "They are creating an unstable, explosive atmosphere among the population and are virtually inviting people to lynch us," he told Forum 18 News Service.<ref>[http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=579 MACEDONIA: Why is state interfering in Orthodox dispute?]</ref> The government has denied registration of his church<ref>[http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=418 MACEDONIA: Serbian Orthodox "will never get registration"]</ref>, attacked its places of worship and launched a criminal case against him. He was arrested, removed from his bishopric and then expelled from the country. He returned in 2005 and, after attempting to perform a [[baptism]], he was arrested, sentenced to 18 months in prison<ref>[http://www.iwpr.net/?p=bcr&s=f&o=257037&apc_state=henibcr200508 Church Rivalry Threatens to Brim Over]</ref> and jailed with "extremely limited visitation rights."<ref>[http://www.southeasteurope.org/subpage.php?sub_site=2&id=14827&head=hl&site=5 The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Macedonia was put in Jail]</ref>

In September 2005 he was also accused of embezzlement of church funds at the time when he still was MOC clergyman. In turn, the patriarchate denied a Macedonian delegation access to the monastery of Prohor Pćinjski, which was the usual site of Macedonian celebration of the national holiday of Ilinden (St. [[Elijah]]) on [[August 2]]).<ref>[http://www.lobi.com.mk/default-en.asp?ItemID=A24A3FEA12A7AF4795442CFA3295E658 Macedonian delegation is not going to Prohor Pcinjski]</ref> Macedonian border police often deny Serbian priests entry into the country in clerical garb.<ref>[http://www.hrw.org/wr2k/Eca-14.htm MACEDONIA: Human Rights Developments]</ref>

On [[March 19]], 2006, following a successful court appeal, Abp Jovan was released after spending 220 days in prison.<ref>[http://freearchbishop.com/?p=46 Archbishop kyr kyr Jovan (John) VI is released from prison]</ref>

In August 2006, Abp Jovan was again convicted of embezzlement of MOC church funds and voluntarily surrendered himself to imprisonment after a short period in hiding. An appeal has been lodged on his behalf with the International Court of Justice at The Hague.

Despite public appeals from both churches for "Christian brotherhood and unity," both sides have failed to settle the dispute.

==Organization==
Since 1999, the Macedonian Orthodox Church has been headed by Archbishop [[Stephen (Veljanovski) of Ohrid|Stefan of Ohrid]] and Macedonia. He presides over the Holy Synod of Hierarchs of the MOC, consisting of himself, and nine [[metropolitan]]s and assistant [[bishop]]s.

The 10 dioceses of the MOC are governed by ten bishops, with around 500 active priests in about 500 [[parish]]es with over 2000 churches and [[monastery|monasteries]]. The church claims jurisdiction over about 20 active monasteries, with more than 100 [[monk]]s.

===[[Diocese|Dioceses]] on the territory of Republic of Macedonia===
#Diocese of Skopje, headed by His Beatitude Archbishop Stefan of Ohrid and Macedonia
#Diocese of Polog and Kumanovo, headed by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Kyril
#Diocese of Debar and Kičevo, headed by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Timotej
#Diocese of Prespa and Pelagonia, headed by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Petar
#Diocese of Strumica, headed by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Naum
#Diocese of Bregalnica, headed by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Agathangel
#Diocese of Povardarie, administered by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Timotej

===Dioceses abroad===
#[[Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of America and Canada|Diocese of America and Canada]], headed by His Eminence Metropolitan [[Methodius (Zlatanov) of Toronto|Metodij]]
#[[Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand|Diocese of Australia and New Zealand]], administered by His Eminence Metropolitan [[Peter (Karevski) of Prespa|Petar]]
#[[Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Europe|Diocese of Europe]], headed by His Eminence Metropolitan Pimen of Europe

==References==
<references />

==Source==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Macedonian_Orthodox_Church&oldid=55478105 Wikipedia:Macedonian Orthodox Church]

==See also==
*[[:mk:Главна_страница|Православна-енциклопедија Главна страница]]
*[[w:Macedonia naming dispute]]

==External links==
*[http://www.mpc.org.mk Macedonian Orthodox Church], official site
*[http://www.svpetaripavle.org Macedonian Orthodox Cathedral Sts Peter and Paul-Crown Point, IN, USA]
*[http://www.stclementofohrid.com/ St. Clement of Ohrid Cathedral in Toronto]
*[http://www.macedonianchurch.org/HistoryofMacedonianOrthodoxChurch.htm History of Macedonian Orthodox Church from MOC's point of view]
*[http://www.macedonianchurch.org Macedonian Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary ("St. Mary") - Greater Columbus, Ohio, USA]
*[http://www.poa-info.org/frameset.php?l=en&r=history Failed agreemment between SOC and MOC]

[[Category:Jurisdictions]]

[[fr:Église orthodoxe macédonienne]]

Clement of Ochrid

2013-01-09T03:00:16Z

Basil: Translation/transliteration updates

Our father among the [[saint]]s '''Clement of Ochrid''' was a ninth century [[missionary]] to Moravia and [[disciple]] of Ss. [[Cyril and Methodius]] who became Bishop of Ochrid (sometimes rendered "Ohrid"). His [[feast day]] is [[July 27]]. He is also commemorated on [[November 25]].

==Life==
The early life of St. Clement is largely unknown. According to his hagiography by [[Theophylact of Ohrid]], Clement was born in southwestern part of the [[w:Bulgarian_Empire|Bulgarian Empire]], in the region then known as [[w:Kutmichevitsa
|Kutmichevitsa]]<ref>The entry of the Slavs into Christendom: an introduction to the medieval history of the Slavs, A. P. Vlasto, CUP Archive, 1970, ISBN 0-521-07459-2, p. 169.</ref>. He was a member of the group of missionary [[priest]]s that included [[Naum of Preslav|Naum]], Sava, Gorazd, and Angelar who supported the [[Cyril and Methodius|Apostles to the Slavs]] evangelizing in middle Europe. Having rejected German missionaries from the Western Church who required the use of Latin as the liturgical language, Prince [[Rastislav of Moravia|Rastislav of Great Moravia]] requested Constantinople to send missionaries who could preach the Word of [[God]] in the Slavonic language. Arriving in Moravia as [[asceticism|ascetics]] led by Cyril and Methodius, Clement and his fellow missionaries evangelized the Slavic tribes in the Slavonic language, using the Glagolitic alphabet devised by Cyril.

Thus, language became the center of the conflict with the Frankish and German rulers and [[clergy]] as the Germans used Latin. With their liturgy denigrated as a "heretical Slavic Liturgy", Cyril and Methodius, accompanied by Clement, twice had to defend their liturgy before the Pope of Rome, first before Pope [[Adrian II of Rome|Adrian II]] and, again, before Pope [[John VIII of Rome|John VIII]] in 880, both who authorized its use.

During these years, the missionaries enjoyed the support of Prince Rastislav until 870. But, after Rastislav lost his realm to his nephew, prince Svyatopolk, who supported the German missionaries, the evangelization environment of the Slavic missionaries began to change as the Germans increasingly pressed the language issue. After the death of Methodius in 885 Pope [[Stephen V of Rome|Stephen V]] forced all the Slavonic speaking [[Disciple|disciples]] of St. Methodius to leave Moravia, that is now part of the Czech Republic, after having subjecting them to trial and then dispersement.

Clement was among the disciples who were welcomed by the Bulgarian prince [[Boris I of Bulgaria|Boris]] to preach to his people in their language. As Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Clement received an appointment, in 886, to teach at Kutmichivitsa, a region in southwest Macedonia where he created separate schools for adults and for children. He organized a school at the princely court, which attained high esteem during the reign of Boris' son Simeon. St. Clement worked as a teacher until 893. In 893, St. Clement was named Bishop of Dremvitsa, or Velitsa.

St. Clement was the first hierarch of Bulgaria to serve, preach, and write in the Slavonic language. To this end he systematically prepared [[clergy]] from among the Slavic people. He labored for the glory of God into his old age. When his strength began to fail, and he was unable to fulfill his responsibilities in the [[cathedral]], he asked Tsar Simeon to let him retire. But, Simeon urged him to continue his episcopal duties, to which Clement agreed.

Later, Clement left for Ochrid in Macedonia where he founded a [[monastery]]. There, he continued his translation activities and translated important parts of the [[Pentecostarion]] into Slavic. During 916, St. Clement became seriously ill and departed to the Lord. His body was placed in a coffin that he made with his own hands and was buried in the Monastery of St. Panteleimon which he founded at Ohrid.

Of the other members of his missionary group, the [[relics]] of Ss. Gorazd and Angelar rest near Berat in Albania, while the relics St. Naum are in the monastery bearing his name, near Lake Ochrid.

==Works==
St. Clement is considered the first author in the Slavonic language. In addition to his continuation of the translation work begun by Ss. Cyril and Methodius, he also left behind works of his own composition, the first samples of Slavonic spiritual literature. Many of the lessons and [[Homily|sermons]] of St. Clement were brought to Russia, where they were read and copied by pious Russian Christians. He wrote a biography of Ss. Cyril and Methodius.

==Reference==
<references/>

==Sources==
*[http://oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=102103 OCA: Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia]
*[[Wikipedia: Clement_of_Ohrid]]
*[http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-clement-of-ohrid/ Saint Clement of Ohrid]

[[Category: Saints]]
[[Category: Bulgarian Saints]]
[[Category: 10th-century saints]]
[[Category: Missionaries]]

Clement of Ohrid

2013-01-09T02:57:27Z

Basil: moved Clement of Ohrid to Clement of Ochrid: Wikipedia page notwithstanding, most English sources render the letter х as "ch" rather than "h"; cf inter alia OCA.org and POMOG.org.

#REDIRECT [[Clement of Ochrid]]

Clement of Ochrid

2013-01-09T02:57:27Z

Basil: moved Clement of Ohrid to Clement of Ochrid: Wikipedia page notwithstanding, most English sources render the letter х as "ch" rather than "h"; cf inter alia OCA.org and POMOG.org.

Our father among the [[saint]]s '''Clement of Ohrid''' was a ninth century [[missionary]] to Moravia and [[disciple]] of Ss. [[Cyril and Methodius]] who became Bishop of Ohrid. His [[feast day]] is [[July 27]]. He is also commemorated on [[November 25]].

==Life==
The early life of St. Clement is largely unknown. According to his hagiography by [[Theophylact of Ohrid]], Clement was born in southwestern part of the [[w:Bulgarian_Empire|Bulgarian Empire]], in the region then known as [[w:Kutmichevitsa
|Kutmichevitsa]]<ref>The entry of the Slavs into Christendom: an introduction to the medieval history of the Slavs, A. P. Vlasto, CUP Archive, 1970, ISBN 0-521-07459-2, p. 169.</ref>. He was a member of the group of missionary [[priest]]s that included [[Naum of Preslav|Naum]], Sava, Gorazd, and Angelar who supported the [[Cyril and Methodius|Apostles to the Slavs]] evangelizing in middle Europe. Having rejected German missionaries from the Western Church who required the use of Latin as the liturgical language, Prince [[Rastislav of Moravia|Rastislav of Great Moravia]] requested Constantinople to send missionaries who could preach the Word of [[God]] in the Slavonic language. Arriving in Moravia as [[asceticism|ascetics]] led by Cyril and Methodius, Clement and his fellow missionaries evangelized the Slavic tribes in the Slavonic language, using the Glagolitic alphabet devised by Cyril.

Thus, language became the center of the conflict with the Frankish and German rulers and [[clergy]] as the Germans used Latin. With their liturgy denigrated as a "heretical Slavic Liturgy", Cyril and Methodius, accompanied by Clement, twice had to defend their liturgy before the Pope of Rome, first before Pope [[Adrian II of Rome|Adrian II]] and, again, before Pope [[John VIII of Rome|John VIII]] in 880, both who authorized its use.

During these years, the missionaries enjoyed the support of Prince Rastislav until 870. But, after Rastislav lost his realm to his nephew, prince Svyatopolk, who supported the German missionaries, the evangelization environment of the Slavic missionaries began to change as the Germans increasingly pressed the language issue. After the death of Methodius in 885 Pope [[Stephen V of Rome|Stephen V]] forced all the Slavonic speaking [[Disciple|disciples]] of St. Methodius to leave Moravia, that is now part of the Czech Republic, after having subjecting them to trial and then dispersement.

Clement was among the disciples who were welcomed by the Bulgarian prince [[Boris I of Bulgaria|Boris]] to preach to his people in their language. As Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Clement received an appointment, in 886, to teach at Kutmichivitsa, a region in southwest Macedonia where he created separate schools for adults and for children. He organized a school at the princely court, which attained high esteem during the reign of Boris' son Simeon. St. Clement worked as a teacher until 893. In 893, St. Clement was named Bishop of Dremvitsa, or Velitsa.

St. Clement was the first hierarch of Bulgaria to serve, preach, and write in the Slavonic language. To this end he systematically prepared [[clergy]] from among the Slavic people. He labored for the glory of God into his old age. When his strength began to fail, and he was unable to fulfill his responsibilities in the [[cathedral]], he asked Tsar Simeon to let him retire. But, Simeon urged him to continue his episcopal duties, to which Clement agreed.

Later, Clement left for Ohrid in Macedonia where he founded a [[monastery]]. There, he continued his translation activities and translated important parts of the [[Pentecostarion]] into Slavic. During 916, St. Clement became seriously ill and departed to the Lord. His body was placed in a coffin that he made with his own hands and was buried in the Monastery of St. Panteleimon which he founded at Ohrid.

Of the other members of his missionary group, the [[relics]] of Ss. Gorazd and Angelar rest near Berat in Albania, while the relics St. Naum are in the monastery bearing his name, near Lake Ohrid.

==Works==
St. Clement is considered the first author in the Slavonic language. In addition to his continuation of the translation work begun by Ss. Cyril and Methodius, he also left behind works of his own composition, the first samples of Slavonic spiritual literature. Many of the lessons and [[Homily|sermons]] of St. Clement were brought to Russia, where they were read and copied by pious Russian Christians. He wrote a biography of Ss. Cyril and Methodius.

==Reference==
<references/>

==Sources==
*[http://oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=102103 OCA: Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia]
*[[Wikipedia: Clement_of_Ohrid]]
*[http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-clement-of-ohrid/ Saint Clement of Ohrid]

[[Category: Saints]]
[[Category: Bulgarian Saints]]
[[Category: 10th-century saints]]
[[Category: Missionaries]]

Nicephorus the Leper

2012-12-21T21:56:30Z

Basil: /* Life */ Anglicizing names.

Our venerable father '''Nicephorus the Leper''' who lived in the twentieth century as a [[monk]] in the leper colony of Chios. He was a [[disciple]] of St. [[Anthimus of Chios]]. His [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[January 4]].

==Life==
Father Nicephorus was born Nicholas Tzanakakis in 1890 in a village of Serikari of Chania, Crete. His parents, who were simple and pious villagers, died while he was a small child, leaving him an orphan, under the care of his grandfather. When he was thirteen he moved to Chania and began to work in a barbershop. Soon after he began to show signs of Hansen's disease (i.e. leprosy). When he was sixteen years old his disease became more visible. As leprosy was a transmissible disease that was treated with fear, Nicholas fled to Egypt to escape an exile to Spinaloga, an island leper colony. The disease continued to advance as he worked in a barbershop in Alexandria, Egypt. At the suggestion of a [[clergy|cleric]] who told him of ''Lovokomeio'', the home for lepers on the island of Chios, Nicholas fled again.

In 1914 at the age of 24, Nicholas arrived at the home for lepers in Chios that was administered by the [[priest]] Anthimus Vagianos, later remembered as St. [[Anthimus of Chios]]. The [[chapel]] of St. Lazarus at the leper home, with its wonder-working icon of the Panagia of Ypakoe (Obedience), provided an atmosphere that opened for Nicholas his spirituality and faith. Within two years Fr. Anthimus saw that Nicholas was ready for the [[Monastic Ranks|schema]] and [[tonsure]]d him a [[monk]] with the name Nicephorus (Νικηφóρος).

His illness continued, as it would be until 1947 before a treatment is found for stopping leprosy. Yet, Nicephorus continued his obedience, fasting and working in the gardens, as a unique spiritual relationship grew between the monk Nikephorus and his mentor Fr, Anthimus. From this he compiled a catalogue of the miracles of St. Anthimus that he had seen with his own eyes. Nicephorus would pray for hours at night, performing countless prostrations, yet not offering a word to anyone nor spoiling his heart on anyone. He became the head chanter of the church. However, as he slowly lost his eyesight because of his illness, most of the hymns were chanted by others.

In 1957, Lovokomeio was closed and Nicephorus, along with the remaining patients, was moved to the Anti-Leper Station of St. Barbara in Aigaleo, west of Athens. At that time Nicephorus was about 67 years old, and his body and eyes had been totally transformed by his illness. At the Anti-Leper station lived a priest, Fr. Eumenius, who had been cured of the disease through the recent medical advances and decided to remain in the station near his fellow patients. Fr. Eumenius soon became a spiritual child of the monk Nicephorus, to whom as a reward for his patience, the Lord had granted many gifts.

Many people began to visit the leper monk Nicephorus, to receive his blessing. Confined to his bed, racked with pains and barely able to see, he would call on his visitors saying, "My children, do you pray? And how do you pray? …with the prayer of Jesus you should pray, with the "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me". Thus you should pray."

On January 4, 1964, Fr. Nicephorus reposed in the Lord, at the age of 74. His holy [[relics]] were fragrant when they were later uncovered.

On [[December 1]], 2012, the [[Holy Synod]] of the [[Ecumenical Patriarch]]ate in Constantinople [[glorification|glorified]] St. Nicephorus and added his name to the calendar of commemorations.

== Hymns ==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 3)
:O venerable father Nicephorus the Leper,
:your struggles and courageous asceticism dumbfounded heaven's angels.
:Like another Job in pain,
:you endured and gave glory to God.
:And so, he arranged for you a resplendent crown of miracles.
:Rejoice, O guide of monastics!
:Rejoice, O prism of light!
:Rejoice, O delightful fragrance radiating from your relics!

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)
:O venerable father Nicephorus,
:shunning pain and bodily corruption,
:like a horse you gallop towards the heavens,
:the steadfast support of lepers.
:A brilliantly lit temple of God,
:your body shone in its illness.

==Sources==
*[http://www.imks.gr/en/saints/local-saints/126-nikiforos.html The Righteous Nikephoros the Leper]
*[http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/01/righteous-nikephoros-leper-hymns-and.html Mystagogy (John Sanidopoulos): Righteous Nikephoros the Leper: Hymns and Photos]
*[http://www.agios.nikolaos.plomariou.gr/arthra/oleprosnikolaospouglitosetonesitesspinalonkas Ο ΛΕΠΡΟΣ ΝΙΚΟΛΑΟΣ ΠΟΥ ΓΛΙΤΩΣΕ..ΤΟ ΝΗΣΙ ΤΗΣ ΣΠΙΝΑΛΟΓΚΑΣ]

==External links==
*Announcement (in Greek): [http://fanarion.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_3.html Φος Φαναριου].
[http://full-of-grace-and-truth.blogspot.com/2010/01/righteous-nikephoros-leper-1890-1964.html St. Nikephoros the Leper (+1964)]

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Greek Saints]]
[[Category:Modern Saints]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:20th-century saints]]

[[ro:Nichifor Leprosul]]

Nicephorus the Leper

2012-12-21T21:54:35Z

Basil: /* Life */ Anglicizing names.

Our venerable father '''Nicephorus the Leper''' who lived in the twentieth century as a [[monk]] in the leper colony of Chios. He was a [[disciple]] of St. [[Anthimus of Chios]]. His [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[January 4]].

==Life==
Father Nicephorus was born Nicholas Tzanakakis in 1890 in a village of Serikari of Chania, Crete. His parents, who were simple and pious villagers, died while he was a small child, leaving him an orphan, under the care of his grandfather. When he was thirteen he moved to Chania and began to work in a barbershop. Soon after he began to show signs of Hansen's disease (i.e. leprosy). When he was sixteen years old his disease became more visible. As leprosy was a transmissible disease that was treated with fear, Nicholas fled to Egypt to escape an exile to Spinaloga, an island leper colony. The disease continued to advance as he worked in a barbershop in Alexandria, Egypt. At the suggestion of a [[clergy|cleric]] who told him of ''Lovokomeio'', the home for lepers on the island of Chios, Nicholas fled again.

In 1914 at the age of 24, Nicholas arrived at the home for lepers in Chios that was administered by the [[priest]] Anthimus Vagianos, later remembered as St. [[Anthimus of Chios]]. The [[chapel]] of St. Lazarus at the leper home, with its wonder-working icon of the Panagia of Ypakoe (Obedience), provided an atmosphere that opened for Nicholas his spirituality and faith. Within two years Fr. Anthimus saw that Nicholas was ready for the [[Monastic Ranks|schema]] and [[tonsure]]d him a [[monk]] with the name Nicephorus (Νικηφóρος).

His illness continued, as it would be until 1947 before a treatment is found for stopping leprosy. Yet, Nicephorus continued his obedience, fasting and working in the gardens, as a unique spiritual relationship grew between the monk Nikephorus and his mentor Fr, Anthimus. From this he compiled a catalogue of the miracles of St. Anthimus that he had seen with his own eyes. Nicephorus would pray for hours at night, performing countless prostrations, yet not offering a word to anyone nor spoiling his heart on anyone. He became the head chanter of the church. However, as he slowly lost his eyesight because of his illness, most of the hymns were chanted by others.

In 1957, Lovokomeio was closed and Nicephorus, along with the remaining patients, was moved to the Anti-Leper Station of St. Barbara in Aigaleo, west of Athens. At that time Nicephorus was about 67 years old, and his body and eyes had been totally transformed by his illness. At the Anti-Leper station lived a priest, Fr. Eumenios, who had been cured of the disease through the recent medical advances and decided to remain in the station near his fellow patients. Fr. Eumenios soon became a spiritual child of the monk Nicephorus, to whom as a reward for his patience, the Lord had granted many gifts.

Many people began to visit the leper monk Nicephorus, to receive his blessing. Confined to his bed, racked with pains and barely able to see, he would call on his visitors saying, "My children, do you pray? And how do you pray? …with the prayer of Jesus you should pray, with the "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me". Thus you should pray."

On January 4, 1964, Fr. Nicephorus reposed in the Lord, at the age of 74. His holy [[relics]] were fragrant when they were later uncovered.

On [[December 1]], 2012, the [[Holy Synod]] of the [[Ecumenical Patriarch]]ate in Constantinople [[glorification|glorified]] St. Nicephorus and added his name to the calendar of commemorations.

== Hymns ==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 3)
:O venerable father Nicephorus the Leper,
:your struggles and courageous asceticism dumbfounded heaven's angels.
:Like another Job in pain,
:you endured and gave glory to God.
:And so, he arranged for you a resplendent crown of miracles.
:Rejoice, O guide of monastics!
:Rejoice, O prism of light!
:Rejoice, O delightful fragrance radiating from your relics!

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)
:O venerable father Nicephorus,
:shunning pain and bodily corruption,
:like a horse you gallop towards the heavens,
:the steadfast support of lepers.
:A brilliantly lit temple of God,
:your body shone in its illness.

==Sources==
*[http://www.imks.gr/en/saints/local-saints/126-nikiforos.html The Righteous Nikephoros the Leper]
*[http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/01/righteous-nikephoros-leper-hymns-and.html Mystagogy (John Sanidopoulos): Righteous Nikephoros the Leper: Hymns and Photos]
*[http://www.agios.nikolaos.plomariou.gr/arthra/oleprosnikolaospouglitosetonesitesspinalonkas Ο ΛΕΠΡΟΣ ΝΙΚΟΛΑΟΣ ΠΟΥ ΓΛΙΤΩΣΕ..ΤΟ ΝΗΣΙ ΤΗΣ ΣΠΙΝΑΛΟΓΚΑΣ]

==External links==
*Announcement (in Greek): [http://fanarion.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_3.html Φος Φαναριου].
[http://full-of-grace-and-truth.blogspot.com/2010/01/righteous-nikephoros-leper-1890-1964.html St. Nikephoros the Leper (+1964)]

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Greek Saints]]
[[Category:Modern Saints]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:20th-century saints]]

[[ro:Nichifor Leprosul]]

Nicephorus the Leper

2012-12-21T21:51:55Z

Basil: /* Life */ Anglicizing names.

Our venerable father '''Nicephorus the Leper''' who lived in the twentieth century as a [[monk]] in the leper colony of Chios. He was a [[disciple]] of St. [[Anthimus of Chios]]. His [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[January 4]].

==Life==
Father Nicephorus was born Nicholas Tzanakakis in 1890 in a village of Serikari of Chania, Crete. His parents, who were simple and pious villagers, died while he was a small child, leaving him an orphan, under the care of his grandfather. When he was thirteen he moved to Chania and began to work in a barbershop. Soon after he began to show signs of Hansen's disease (i.e. leprosy). When he was sixteen years old his disease became more visible. As leprosy was a transmissible disease that was treated with fear, Nicholas fled to Egypt to escape an exile to Spinaloga, an island leper colony. The disease continued to advance as he worked in a barbershop in Alexandria, Egypt. At the suggestion of a [[clergy|cleric]] who told him of ''Lovokomeio'', the home for lepers on the island of Chios, Nicholas fled again.

In 1914 at the age of 24, Nicholas arrived at the home for lepers in Chios that was administered by the [[priest]] Anthimus Vagianos, later remembered as St. [[Anthimus of Chios]]. The [[chapel]] of St. Lazarus at the leper home, with its wonder-working icon of the Panagia of Ypakoe (Obedience), provided an atmosphere that opened for Nicholas his spirituality and faith. Within two years Fr. Anthimus saw that Nicholas was ready for the [[Monastic Ranks|schema]] and [[tonsure]]d him a [[monk]] with the name Nicephorus (Νικηφóρος).

His illness continued, as it would be until 1947 before a treatment is found for stopping leprosy. Yet, Nicephorus continued his obedience, fasting and working in the gardens, as a unique spiritual relationship grew between the monk Nikephorus and his mentor Fr, Anthimus. From this he compiled a catalogue of the miracles of St. Anthimus that he had seen with his own eyes. Nikephoros would pray for hours at night, performing countless prostrations, yet not offering a word to anyone nor spoiling his heart on anyone. He became the head chanter of the church. However, as he slowly lost his eyesight because of his illness, most of the hymns were chanted by others.

In 1957, Lovokomeio was closed and Nikephoros, along with the remaining patients, was moved to the Anti-Leper Station of St. Barbara in Aigaleo, west of Athens. At that time Nikephoros was about 67 years old, and his body and eyes had been totally transformed by his illness. At the Anti-Leper station lived a priest, Fr. Eumenios, who had been cured of the disease through the recent medical advances and decided to remain in the station near his fellow patients. Fr. Eumenios soon became a spiritual child of the monk Nikephoros, to whom as a reward for his patience, the Lord had granted many gifts.

Many people began to visit the leper monk Nikephoros, to receive his blessing. Confined to his bed, racked with pains and barely able to see, he would call on his visitors saying, "My children, do you pray? And how do you pray? …with the prayer of Jesus you should pray, with the "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me". Thus you should pray."

On January 4, 1964, Fr. Nikephoros reposed in the Lord, at the age of 74. His holy [[relics]] were fragrant when they were later uncovered.

On [[December 1]], 2012, the [[Holy Synod]] of the [[Ecumenical Patriarch]]ate in Constantinople [[glorification|glorified]] St. Nicephorus and added his name to the calendar of commemorations.

== Hymns ==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 3)
:O venerable father Nicephorus the Leper,
:your struggles and courageous asceticism dumbfounded heaven's angels.
:Like another Job in pain,
:you endured and gave glory to God.
:And so, he arranged for you a resplendent crown of miracles.
:Rejoice, O guide of monastics!
:Rejoice, O prism of light!
:Rejoice, O delightful fragrance radiating from your relics!

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)
:O venerable father Nicephorus,
:shunning pain and bodily corruption,
:like a horse you gallop towards the heavens,
:the steadfast support of lepers.
:A brilliantly lit temple of God,
:your body shone in its illness.

==Sources==
*[http://www.imks.gr/en/saints/local-saints/126-nikiforos.html The Righteous Nikephoros the Leper]
*[http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/01/righteous-nikephoros-leper-hymns-and.html Mystagogy (John Sanidopoulos): Righteous Nikephoros the Leper: Hymns and Photos]
*[http://www.agios.nikolaos.plomariou.gr/arthra/oleprosnikolaospouglitosetonesitesspinalonkas Ο ΛΕΠΡΟΣ ΝΙΚΟΛΑΟΣ ΠΟΥ ΓΛΙΤΩΣΕ..ΤΟ ΝΗΣΙ ΤΗΣ ΣΠΙΝΑΛΟΓΚΑΣ]

==External links==
*Announcement (in Greek): [http://fanarion.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_3.html Φος Φαναριου].
[http://full-of-grace-and-truth.blogspot.com/2010/01/righteous-nikephoros-leper-1890-1964.html St. Nikephoros the Leper (+1964)]

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Greek Saints]]
[[Category:Modern Saints]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:20th-century saints]]

[[ro:Nichifor Leprosul]]

Nicephorus the Leper

2012-12-21T21:50:55Z

Basil: /* Life */ Anglicizing names.

Our venerable father '''Nicephorus the Leper''' who lived in the twentieth century as a [[monk]] in the leper colony of Chios. He was a [[disciple]] of St. [[Anthimus of Chios]]. His [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[January 4]].

==Life==
Father Nicephorus was born Nicholas Tzanakakis in 1890 in a village of Serikari of Chania, Crete. His parents, who were simple and pious villagers, died while he was a small child, leaving him an orphan, under the care of his grandfather. When he was thirteen he moved to Chania and began to work in a barbershop. Soon after he began to show signs of Hansen's disease (i.e. leprosy). When he was sixteen years old his disease became more visible. As leprosy was a transmissible disease that was treated with fear, Nicholas fled to Egypt to escape an exile to Spinaloga, an island leper colony. The disease continued to advance as he worked in a barbershop in Alexandria, Egypt. At the suggestion of a [[clergy|cleric]] who told him of ''Lovokomeio'', the home for lepers on the island of Chios, Nicholas fled again.

In 1914 at the age of 24, Nicholas arrived at the home for lepers in Chios that was administered by the [[priest]] Anthimus Vagianos, later remembered as St. [[Anthimus of Chios]]. The [[chapel]] of St. Lazaros at the leper home, with its wonder-working icon of the Panagia of Ypakoe (Obedience), provided an atmosphere that opened for Nicholas his spirituality and faith. Within two years Fr. Anthimus saw that Nicholas was ready for the [[Monastic Ranks|schema]] and [[tonsure]]d him a [[monk]] with the name Nicephorus (Νικηφóρος).

His illness continued, as it would be until 1947 before a treatment is found for stopping leprosy. Yet, Nicephorus continued his obedience, fasting and working in the gardens, as a unique spiritual relationship grew between the monk Nikephorus and his mentor Fr, Anthimus. From this he compiled a catalogue of the miracles of St. Anthimus that he had seen with his own eyes. Nikephoros would pray for hours at night, performing countless prostrations, yet not offering a word to anyone nor spoiling his heart on anyone. He became the head chanter of the church. However, as he slowly lost his eyesight because of his illness, most of the hymns were chanted by others.

In 1957, Lovokomeio was closed and Nikephoros, along with the remaining patients, was moved to the Anti-Leper Station of St. Barbara in Aigaleo, west of Athens. At that time Nikephoros was about 67 years old, and his body and eyes had been totally transformed by his illness. At the Anti-Leper station lived a priest, Fr. Eumenios, who had been cured of the disease through the recent medical advances and decided to remain in the station near his fellow patients. Fr. Eumenios soon became a spiritual child of the monk Nikephoros, to whom as a reward for his patience, the Lord had granted many gifts.

Many people began to visit the leper monk Nikephoros, to receive his blessing. Confined to his bed, racked with pains and barely able to see, he would call on his visitors saying, "My children, do you pray? And how do you pray? …with the prayer of Jesus you should pray, with the "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me". Thus you should pray."

On January 4, 1964, Fr. Nikephoros reposed in the Lord, at the age of 74. His holy [[relics]] were fragrant when they were later uncovered.

On [[December 1]], 2012, the [[Holy Synod]] of the [[Ecumenical Patriarch]]ate in Constantinople [[glorification|glorified]] St. Nicephorus and added his name to the calendar of commemorations.

== Hymns ==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 3)
:O venerable father Nicephorus the Leper,
:your struggles and courageous asceticism dumbfounded heaven's angels.
:Like another Job in pain,
:you endured and gave glory to God.
:And so, he arranged for you a resplendent crown of miracles.
:Rejoice, O guide of monastics!
:Rejoice, O prism of light!
:Rejoice, O delightful fragrance radiating from your relics!

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)
:O venerable father Nicephorus,
:shunning pain and bodily corruption,
:like a horse you gallop towards the heavens,
:the steadfast support of lepers.
:A brilliantly lit temple of God,
:your body shone in its illness.

==Sources==
*[http://www.imks.gr/en/saints/local-saints/126-nikiforos.html The Righteous Nikephoros the Leper]
*[http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/01/righteous-nikephoros-leper-hymns-and.html Mystagogy (John Sanidopoulos): Righteous Nikephoros the Leper: Hymns and Photos]
*[http://www.agios.nikolaos.plomariou.gr/arthra/oleprosnikolaospouglitosetonesitesspinalonkas Ο ΛΕΠΡΟΣ ΝΙΚΟΛΑΟΣ ΠΟΥ ΓΛΙΤΩΣΕ..ΤΟ ΝΗΣΙ ΤΗΣ ΣΠΙΝΑΛΟΓΚΑΣ]

==External links==
*Announcement (in Greek): [http://fanarion.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_3.html Φος Φαναριου].
[http://full-of-grace-and-truth.blogspot.com/2010/01/righteous-nikephoros-leper-1890-1964.html St. Nikephoros the Leper (+1964)]

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Greek Saints]]
[[Category:Modern Saints]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:20th-century saints]]

[[ro:Nichifor Leprosul]]

Nicephorus the Leper

2012-12-03T17:31:29Z

Basil: linkification

Our venerable father '''Nicephorus the Leper''' lived in the twentieth century as a [[monk]] in the leper colony of Chios. He was a [[disciple]] of St. [[Anthimus of Chios]]. The [[holy Synod of Constantinople]] of the [[Ecumenical Patriarch]]ate in Constantinople glorified St. Nicephorus and added him to the calendar of commemorations on December 1, 2012.

== Hymns ==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 3)
:O venerable father Nicephorus the Leper,
:your struggles and courageous asceticism dumbfounded heaven's angels.
:Like another Job in pain,
:you endured and gave glory to God.
:And so, he arranged for you a resplendent crown of miracles.
:Rejoice, O guide of monastics!
:Rejoice, O prism of light!
:Rejoice, O delightful fragrance radiating from your relics!

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)
:O venerable father Nicephorus,
:shunning pain and bodily corruption,
:like a horse you gallop towards the heavens,
:the steadfast support of lepers.
:A brilliantly lit temple of God,
:your body shone in its illness.

== External resources ==
*Hymns and photos: [http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/01/righteous-nikephoros-leper-hymns-and.html Mystagogy (John Sanidopoulos)].
*Announcement (in Greek): [http://fanarion.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_3.html Φος Φαναριου].

{{stub}}

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:20th-century saints]]

Nicephorus the Leper

2012-12-03T17:28:45Z

Basil: dated added to calendar

Our venerable father '''Nicephorus the Leper''' lived in the twentieth century as a [[monk]] in the leper colony of Chios. He was a [[disciple]] of St. [[Anthimus of Chios]]. The Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople glorified St. Nicephorus and added him to the calendar of commemorations on December 1, 2012.

== Hymns ==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 3)
:O venerable father Nicephorus the Leper,
:your struggles and courageous asceticism dumbfounded heaven's angels.
:Like another Job in pain,
:you endured and gave glory to God.
:And so, he arranged for you a resplendent crown of miracles.
:Rejoice, O guide of monastics!
:Rejoice, O prism of light!
:Rejoice, O delightful fragrance radiating from your relics!

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)
:O venerable father Nicephorus,
:shunning pain and bodily corruption,
:like a horse you gallop towards the heavens,
:the steadfast support of lepers.
:A brilliantly lit temple of God,
:your body shone in its illness.

== External resources ==
*Hymns and photos: [http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/01/righteous-nikephoros-leper-hymns-and.html Mystagogy (John Sanidopoulos)].
*Announcement (in Greek): [http://fanarion.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_3.html Φος Φαναριου].

{{stub}}

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:20th-century saints]]

User:Basil

2012-12-03T17:07:19Z

Basil: /* Articles */ added Nicephorus the Leper

{| align="right"
| {{user orthodox US}}
|-
| {{user OCA}}
|-
| {{user seminarian}}
|-
| {{user laity}}
|-
| {{userbox admin}}
|-
| {{user en}}
|}
'''Kevin Basil Fritts''', editor since the Sunday after Theophany and Priest-martyr Philip, metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia ([[January 9|9 January]]) 2005. Sysop since the feast of St. Xenia of Rome ([[January 24|24 January]]) 2005.

== Background & External Links ==
My blog is [http://blog.kevinbasil.com/ Decimation & Reconstruction], an ecclectic mishmash of opinions on nearly everything.

[[Image:Basil_bio_pic.jpg|250px|right|Self-portrait of User:basil]]
I am a seminarian in the [http://oca.org/ Orthodox Church in America]. I was a founding member of [http://athanasiusoca.org St Athanasius Orthodox Church], Nicholasville, KY. I am also a veteran. While in the service of the US Navy, I attended services at Dormition of the Theotokos (Orthodox Church in America) and Annunciation Cathedral (Greek Archdiocese) in Norfolk, Virginia, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (Greek Archdiocese) in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, [http://holytrinityorthodox.org/ Holy Trinity Orthodox Church], cathedral of the [http://www.dneoca.org New England diocese] (OCA), St. Nicholas (OCA) in Norwich, Connecticut, and St. Sophia (Greek) in New London, Connecticut.

I graduated with a degree in Philosophy from [http://asbury.edu Asbury University] (then Asbury College) in Wilmore, KY. I am currently studying at [http://svots.edu/ St Vladimir's Seminary]. Please keep me in your prayers.

== Resources for OrthodoxWiki Editors ==
*[http://pomog.org/ Protection of the Mother of God Russian Orthodox Church (ROCOR)]: An excellent site. Their list of saints is exemplary for correctly translating most names into English. Also, online version of [[Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Boston, Massachusetts)|Holy Transfiguration Monastery's]] [[Septuagint]] [[Psalter]].
*''Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity'' ISBN 0631232036

== Contributions ==

Articles and pages which I've created or imported, or to which I feel I've contributed significant content:

=== Articles ===

{| width="100%" align="center" cellpadding="2" border=0
| align="left" valign="top"|
*[[Aposticha]]
*Saint [[Basil the Great]]
*Saint [[Emily]], mother of Saint Basil the Great
*[[Divine Liturgy]]
*Saint [[Mary Skobtsova]]
*[[October 1]]
*[[Pascha]]
*[[Kontakion]]
*[[OrthodoxWiki:Style Manual]]
*[[Troparion]]
*[[Traditionalist]]
*[[Tithe]]
*[[Passion]]

|align="left" valign="top"|
*[[New Skete (Cambridge, New York)]]
*[[St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York)]]
*Emperor St. [[Constantine the Great]]
*Empress St. [[Helen]], mother of St. Constantine
*[[May 21]]
*[[Iconostasis|Icon screen]]
*[[Roman Catholic Church]] — intro paragraphs
*[[January 24]]
*[[OrthodoxWiki:Protected page guidelines]]
*[[One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church|One, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church]]
*[[Evolution]]
*[[Nicephorus the Leper]]
|}

=== Images ===
{| width="100%" align="left" cellpadding="2" border=0
|+Most of these have been released under the CC/Non-commercial license (except where noted with ©): {{cc by-nc-sa}}

|align="left" valign="top"|
*[[Image:Orthodox us.gif|thumb|90px|left]]

|align="left" valign="top"|
*[[Image:Basil self portrait.jpg|thumb|90px|left|©]]
|}

[[Category:User Pages]]

Nicephorus the Leper

2012-12-03T16:58:22Z

Basil: /* Hymns */ Formatting

Our venerable father '''Nicephorus the Leper''' lived in the twentieth century as a [[monk]] in the leper colony of Chios. He was a [[disciple]] of St. [[Anthimus of Chios]].

== Hymns ==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 3)
:O venerable father Nicephorus the Leper,
:your struggles and courageous asceticism dumbfounded heaven's angels.
:Like another Job in pain,
:you endured and gave glory to God.
:And so, he arranged for you a resplendent crown of miracles.
:Rejoice, O guide of monastics!
:Rejoice, O prism of light!
:Rejoice, O delightful fragrance radiating from your relics!

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)
:O venerable father Nicephorus,
:shunning pain and bodily corruption,
:like a horse you gallop towards the heavens,
:the steadfast support of lepers.
:A brilliantly lit temple of God,
:your body shone in its illness.

== External resources ==
*Hymns and photos: [http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/01/righteous-nikephoros-leper-hymns-and.html Mystagogy (John Sanidopoulos)].
*Announcement (in Greek): [http://fanarion.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_3.html Φος Φαναριου].

{{stub}}

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:20th-century saints]]

Nicephorus the Leper

2012-12-03T16:55:32Z

Basil: /* Hymns */

Our venerable father '''Nicephorus the Leper''' lived in the twentieth century as a [[monk]] in the leper colony of Chios. He was a [[disciple]] of St. [[Anthimus of Chios]].

== Hymns ==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 3)
O venerable father Nicephorus the Leper, your struggles and courageous asceticism dumbfounded heaven's angels. Like another Job in pain, you endured and gave glory to God. And so, he arranged for you a resplendent crown of miracles. Rejoice, O guide of monastics! Rejoice, O prism of light! Rejoice, O delightful fragrance radiating from your relics!

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)
O venerable father Nicephorus, shunning pain and bodily corruption, like a horse you gallop towards the heavens, the steadfast support of lepers. A brilliantly lit temple of God, your body shone in its illness.

== External resources ==
*Hymns and photos: [http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/01/righteous-nikephoros-leper-hymns-and.html Mystagogy (John Sanidopoulos)].
*Announcement (in Greek): [http://fanarion.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_3.html Φος Φαναριου].

{{stub}}

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:20th-century saints]]

Nicephorus the Leper

2012-12-03T16:55:11Z

Basil: /* Hymns */

Our venerable father '''Nicephorus the Leper''' lived in the twentieth century as a [[monk]] in the leper colony of Chios. He was a [[disciple]] of St. [[Anthimus of Chios]].

== Hymns ==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 3)
O venerable father Nicephorus the Leper, your struggles and courageous asceticism dumbfounded the heaven's angels. Like another Job in pain, you endured and gave glory to God. And so, he arranged for you a resplendent crown of miracles. Rejoice, O guide of monastics! Rejoice, O prism of light! Rejoice, O delightful fragrance radiating from your relics!

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)
O venerable father Nicephorus, shunning pain and bodily corruption, like a horse you gallop towards the heavens, the steadfast support of lepers. A brilliantly lit temple of God, your body shone in its illness.

== External resources ==
*Hymns and photos: [http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/01/righteous-nikephoros-leper-hymns-and.html Mystagogy (John Sanidopoulos)].
*Announcement (in Greek): [http://fanarion.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_3.html Φος Φαναριου].

{{stub}}

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:20th-century saints]]

Nicephorus the Leper

2012-12-03T16:53:45Z

Basil: added external links

Our venerable father '''Nicephorus the Leper''' lived in the twentieth century as a [[monk]] in the leper colony of Chios. He was a [[disciple]] of St. [[Anthimus of Chios]].

== Hymns ==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 3)
O venerable father Nicephorus the Leper, your struggles and courageous asceticism dumbfounded the angels on high. Like another Job in pain, you endured and gave glory to God. And so, he arranged for you a resplendent crown of miracles. Rejoice, O guide of monastics! Rejoice, O prism of light! Rejoice, O delightful fragrance radiating from your relics!

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)
O venerable father Nicephorus, shunning pain and bodily corruption, like a horse you gallop towards the heavens, the steadfast support of lepers. A brilliantly lit temple of God, your body shone in its illness.

== External resources ==
*Hymns and photos: [http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/01/righteous-nikephoros-leper-hymns-and.html Mystagogy (John Sanidopoulos)].
*Announcement (in Greek): [http://fanarion.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_3.html Φος Φαναριου].

{{stub}}

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:20th-century saints]]

Nicephorus the Leper

2012-12-03T16:46:15Z

Basil: Correcting acclamation

Our venerable father '''Nicephorus the Leper''' lived in the twentieth century as a [[monk]] in the leper colony of Chios. He was a [[disciple]] of St. [[Anthimus of Chios]].

== Hymns ==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 3)
O venerable father Nicephorus the Leper, your struggles and courageous asceticism dumbfounded the angels on high. Like another Job in pain, you endured and gave glory to God. And so, he arranged for you a resplendent crown of miracles. Rejoice, O guide of monastics! Rejoice, O prism of light! Rejoice, O delightful fragrance radiating from your relics!

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)
O venerable father Nicephorus, shunning pain and bodily corruption, like a horse you gallop towards the heavens, the steadfast support of lepers. A brilliantly lit temple of God, your body shone in its illness.

{{stub}}

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:20th-century saints]]

Nicephorus the Leper

2012-12-03T16:44:52Z

Basil: /* Hymns */ sp

The venerable '''Nicephorus the Leper''' lived in the twentieth century as a [[monk]] in the leper colony of Chios. He was a [[disciple]] of St. [[Anthimus of Chios]].

== Hymns ==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 3)
O venerable father Nicephorus the Leper, your struggles and courageous asceticism dumbfounded the angels on high. Like another Job in pain, you endured and gave glory to God. And so, he arranged for you a resplendent crown of miracles. Rejoice, O guide of monastics! Rejoice, O prism of light! Rejoice, O delightful fragrance radiating from your relics!

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)
O venerable father Nicephorus, shunning pain and bodily corruption, like a horse you gallop towards the heavens, the steadfast support of lepers. A brilliantly lit temple of God, your body shone in its illness.

{{stub}}

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:20th-century saints]]

Nicephorus the Leper

2012-12-03T16:44:30Z

Basil: Added hymns

The venerable '''Nicephorus the Leper''' lived in the twentieth century as a [[monk]] in the leper colony of Chios. He was a [[disciple]] of St. [[Anthimus of Chios]].

== Hymns ==
[[Troprion]] (Tone 3)
O venerable father Nicephorus the Leper, your struggles and courageous asceticism dumbfounded the angels on high. Like another Job in pain, you endured and gave glory to God. And so, he arranged for you a resplendent crown of miracles. Rejoice, O guide of monastics! Rejoice, O prism of light! Rejoice, O delightful fragrance radiating from your relics!

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)
O venerable father Nicephorus, shunning pain and bodily corruption, like a horse you gallop towards the heavens, the steadfast support of lepers. A brilliantly lit temple of God, your body shone in its illness.

{{stub}}

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:20th-century saints]]

Nicephorus the Leper

2012-12-03T16:03:22Z

Basil: Created page with "The venerable '''Nicephorus the Leper''' lived in the twentieth century as a monk in the leper colony of Chios. He was a disciple of St Anthimus of Chios. {{stub}} [[Cat..."

The venerable '''Nicephorus the Leper''' lived in the twentieth century as a monk in the leper colony of Chios. He was a disciple of St [[Anthimus of Chios]].

{{stub}}

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:20th-century saints]]

H. Tristram Engelhardt

2012-05-03T11:21:26Z

Basil: /* External links */

[[Image:Engelhardt_photo.jpg|frame|right]]Professor '''Hugo Tristram Engelhardt, Jr.''', M.D., Ph.D., was born in Texas in 1941. Upon his [[conversion]] to Orthodoxy, he took the name Herman, after [[Herman of Alaska]]. Holding doctorates in medicine (Tulane University, 1972) and philosophy (University of Texas, 1969), his principal research has been in the area of [[bioethics]]. His major contribution to Orthodox [[ethics]] is his book, ''The Foundations of Christian Bioethics''. He is presently Professor of Philosophy at Rice University and Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, both in Houston, Texas.

==Books==
*''The Foundations of Christian Bioethics''. Lisse: Swets & Zeitlinger, 2000. (ISBN 902651557X)
*''The Foundations of Bioethics'', 2nd edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. (ISBN 0195057368)
*''Bioethics and Secular Humanism: The Search for a Common Morality''. Trinity Press, 1991. (ISBN 1563380005)
*''Mind-Body: A Categorical Relation''. Nijhoff: Springer, 1973. (ISBN 9024715504)

==Videos==
A number of video presentations are available from the [http://ethicscenter.nd.edu/archives/videos.shtml Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture]:
* Healthcare Reform (with Charles Dougherty)
* Civic Virtue and Public Discourse: Pursuing the Good in a Postmodern Age
* After Christendom: The Moralization of Religion and the Culture of Death
* Hegel, Nietzsche, Vattimo, and John Rawls: Religious Discussion in the Public Forum after the Death of God

==External links==
* [http://philosophy.rice.edu/faculty.cfm?doc_id=837 Dr. Engelhardt's Faculty page at Rice University]
* Extended [http://cohesion.rice.edu/administration/fis/report/FacultyDetail.cfm?DivID=1&DeptID=59&RiceID=362 bibliography of works by Engelhardt].

[[Category:Modern Writers]]
[[Category:Bioethics]]
[[Category:Converts to Orthodox Christianity|Engelhardt]]
[[Category:Converts to Orthodox Christianity from Roman Catholicism|Engelhardt]]

H. Tristram Engelhardt

2012-05-03T11:20:21Z

Basil: /* External links */

[[Image:Engelhardt_photo.jpg|frame|right]]Professor '''Hugo Tristram Engelhardt, Jr.''', M.D., Ph.D., was born in Texas in 1941. Upon his [[conversion]] to Orthodoxy, he took the name Herman, after [[Herman of Alaska]]. Holding doctorates in medicine (Tulane University, 1972) and philosophy (University of Texas, 1969), his principal research has been in the area of [[bioethics]]. His major contribution to Orthodox [[ethics]] is his book, ''The Foundations of Christian Bioethics''. He is presently Professor of Philosophy at Rice University and Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, both in Houston, Texas.

==Books==
*''The Foundations of Christian Bioethics''. Lisse: Swets & Zeitlinger, 2000. (ISBN 902651557X)
*''The Foundations of Bioethics'', 2nd edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. (ISBN 0195057368)
*''Bioethics and Secular Humanism: The Search for a Common Morality''. Trinity Press, 1991. (ISBN 1563380005)
*''Mind-Body: A Categorical Relation''. Nijhoff: Springer, 1973. (ISBN 9024715504)

==Videos==
A number of video presentations are available from the [http://ethicscenter.nd.edu/archives/videos.shtml Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture]:
* Healthcare Reform (with Charles Dougherty)
* Civic Virtue and Public Discourse: Pursuing the Good in a Postmodern Age
* After Christendom: The Moralization of Religion and the Culture of Death
* Hegel, Nietzsche, Vattimo, and John Rawls: Religious Discussion in the Public Forum after the Death of God

==External links==
* [http://philosophy.rice.edu/faculty.cfm?doc_id=837 Dr. Engelhardt's Faculty page at Rice University]
* Extended [http://cohesion.rice.edu/administration/fis/report/FacultyDetail.cfm?DivID=1&DeptID=59&RiceID=362 bibliography of works by Englehardt].

[[Category:Modern Writers]]
[[Category:Bioethics]]
[[Category:Converts to Orthodox Christianity|Engelhardt]]
[[Category:Converts to Orthodox Christianity from Roman Catholicism|Engelhardt]]

Talk:Abortion

2012-05-03T11:14:57Z

Basil:

This article needs a rewrite to conform to a more encyclopedic style. It seems more like a homily as it stands now. {{User:ASDamick/sig}} 22:43, December 12, 2005 (CST)

I've made it more encyclopedic. Let me know what you think. Good luck with finals. {{unsigned|Thomasep}}

I have an essay I once submitted which could be beneficial for this article. I am happy to post it here. Let me know. {{unsigned|Petermav}}

:If it's an essay, particularly if you'd like to keep the integrity of the essay, it would be very welcome on orthodoxsource.com - on OWiki, it will need to be formatted to be encyclopaedic. — by [[User:Pistevo|<font color="green">Pιs</font><font color="gold">τévο</font>]] <sup>''[[User talk:Pistevo|<font color="blue">talk</font>]]'' ''[[User talk:Pistevo/dev/null|<font color="red">complaints</font>]]''</sup> at 18:30, March 24, 2008 (PDT)

This article remains problematic. Please edit to establish and maintain a descriptive tone and remove evaluations, such as "Too often we have seen…." --[[User:Basil|Basil]] 01:14, May 3, 2012 (HST)

Nicholas II of Russia

2012-04-25T14:08:45Z

Basil: "saint" and "holy" are redundant; it is only an accident of English linguistic history that there are two words

[[Image:TsStNich.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Icon of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II of Russia (Courtesy Ivanovo Monastery)]]

The right-believing Emperor [[Saint]] '''Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov''' was the last reigning emperor (''tsar'', цар) of Russia at the time of the Bolshevik Revolution. Together with his wife, [[Alexandra Romanov|Alexandra Fyodoronova]], formerly Alexandra of Hesse-Darmstad, and their children Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Alexey, and their servants Doctor [[Evgeni Botkin]], cook [[Ivan Kharitonov]], attendant [[Aleksey Trupp]] and attendant [[Anna Demidova]], they are recognized as [[Passion-bearer]]s by the [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]]. His feast day is on [[July 4]].

==Life and death==
Born on 6 [17] May 1868, the day of the Holy [[Job the Long-suffering|Job]] the Long-Suffering, St Nicholas was the eldest son of Crown Prince Alexander Alexandrovich (the future Emperor Alexander III) and Grand Duchess Maria Feodorvna (the future Empress). He received an excellent education under the supervision of his father, speaking fluently Russian, English, French, German, and Italian, and learning Russian and world history, Russian literature, and the art of warfare.

In 1884, St Nicholas met the future Empress St. [[Alexandra Romanov|Alexandra]], then Princess Alice Victoria Helen Louise Beatrix von Hessen-Darmstadt, at the wedding of the latter's sister, Grand Duches-Martyr St [[Elizabeth the New Martyr|Elizabeth Fyodorovna]] with the Emperor's uncle, Grand Duke Sergey Alexandrovich. Princess Alice was a daughter of Prince Ludwig von Hessen-Darmstadt and Princess Alice and a grand-daughter of Queen Victoria of England. The two became good friends, a friendship that later grew into love. In 1894, St Nicholas received a blessing from his father to wed Princess Alice on the condition that she become Orthodox. On October 20, 1894, Emperor Alexander III died at the imperial palace in Livadia, Crimea. On the next day, Princess Alice was received into the Orthodox faith and given the name Alexandra Feodorovna. The two were married in a low-key ceremony on November 14, 1894.

In February 1917, during the February Revolution, Nicholas reluctantly abdicated the throne, hoping that doing so might save the nation some violence. After the Bolshevik (October) revolution, he and his family were exiled to Siberia, where they were detained under house-arrest. On [[July 16]], 1918, the family was lined up in the basement and shot. The bodies were buried in an unmarked grave.
[[Image:P-PCathNIIRM.JPG|right|thumb|200px|The remains of Emperor Nicholas II and his family in the Catherine Side Chapel of the [[Ss Peter and Paul Cathedral (St. Petersburg, Russia)|Ss Peter and Paul Cathedral]] in St. Petersburg, Russia.]]
In 1991, in Yekaterinburg, Sibera, their bodies were exhumed. DNA testing confirmed that they were indeed the Romanovs.

In 1998, with Boris Yeltsin in attendance, most of the Royal Family was finally laid to rest with proper ceremony. However, neither the Russian Orthodox Church nor the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia formally recognized that the remains found near Yekaterinburg were those of the Royal Family.
[[Image:Tsar-Martyr.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Photograph of St. Nicholas the Tsar-Martyr.]]

==Glorification==
Nicholas and his family were [[Glorification|glorified]] by the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]] in 1981 but this was a hotly debated decision. Both within and outside of Russia there were those who claimed that Nicholas' reign was weak and prone to extravagence and indifference to the plight of Russia's needy. On the other hand, there was widespread popular devotion to Tsar Nicholas among those who claimed that he was called of God to lead his people at a difficult time in history and did so to the best of his abilities. The religious devotion and piety of the family is well documented and not seriously contested.

In 2000, after some 8 years of study, the council of Bishops of the [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]] voted unanimously to recognize Nicholas, Alexandra and their five children as saints.

==Hymns==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 1)
:Most noble and sublime was your life and death, O Sovereigns;<br>
:Wise Nicholas and blest Alexandra, we praise you,<br>
:Acclaiming your piety, meekness, faith, and humility,<br>
:Whereby ye attained to crowns of glory in Christ our God,<br>
:With your five renowned and godly children of blessed fame.<br>
:O passion–bearers decked in purple, intercede for us.
[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)
:Royalty and martyrdom were joined together, O blessed ones,
:In your death for righteousness and right belief, O wise Sovereigns,
:Nicholas and Alexandra, with your five children.
:Hence, Christ our God counted you worthy of thrones in Heaven;
:And with twofold crowns of glory,
:You reign forever, adorned with grace divine.

==External links==
*[http://www.serfes.org/royal/index.htm The Royal Martyrs of Russia]
*[http://www.tzar.orthodoxy.ru/ Russian site on the Tsar-Martyr]
*[http://www.roca.org/OA/14/14c.htm God's Anointed Sufferer: Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II]
*[http://www.orthodox.net/russiannm/nicholas-ii-tsar-martyr-and-his-family.html Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II and his Family]

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=[[Alexander III]]|
title=Emperor of Russia|
years=1894-1917|
after=''monarchy abolished''}}
{{end box}}

[[Category:Rulers]]
[[Category:Russian Saints]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Modern Saints]]

User talk:Alexander99

2012-03-10T00:56:32Z

Basil: Welcome!

==Welcome to OrthodoxWiki!==
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User:Alexander99

2012-03-10T00:56:32Z

Basil: Creating user page with biography of new user.

User talk:Kugland

2012-03-10T00:55:34Z

Basil: Welcome!

User:Kugland

2012-03-10T00:55:34Z

Basil: Creating user page with biography of new user.

User talk:Maybin

2012-03-10T00:55:22Z

Basil: Welcome!

User:Maybin

2012-03-10T00:55:22Z

Basil: Creating user page with biography of new user.

User talk:Ryanplatte

2012-03-10T00:32:27Z

Basil: Welcome!

User:Ryanplatte

2012-03-10T00:32:27Z

Basil: Creating user page with biography of new user.

I'm currently Technical Manager for the Orthodox Church in America.