OrthodoxWiki - User contributions [en]

Protection of the Theotokos Monastery (Weaverville, North Carolina)

2009-05-23T18:57:42Z

Dcndavid: Old info -- article referenced Met. Herman; swapped for Met. Jonah

{{monastery|
name=Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos Monastery|
jurisdiction=[[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]] Primatial|
type=Male Monastery|
founded=1982|
superior=Archimandrite Gregory (Wendt)|
size=6 monks|
hq=Weaverville, North Carolina|
language=English|
music=[[Russian Chant]]|
calendar=[[Revised Julian Calendar|Revised Julian]]|
feasts=[[February 2|2 Feb]]|
website=[http://www.orthodoxmonastery.com/ Official website]
}}
'''Protection of the Theotokos Monastery''' is a [[monastic]] community for men under the [[omophorion]] of the Primate of the [[Orthodox Church in America]], presently [[Metropolitan]] [[Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington and New York|Jonah]] of Washington and New York. It is located in the rural mountains of Weaverville in western North Carolina.

The community was founded in 1982 in Miami, Florida, and was received into the Orthodox Church in America in October 2003. Currently, the community has two [[hieromonk]]s (including the [[abbot]]), one [[hierodeacon]], two [[monk]]s and one [[novice]] in residence.


The community consists of men living the monastic tradition of a [[Christ]]-centered [[prayer]] life.




==External links==
*[http://www.orthodoxmonastery.com/ Official Website]
*[http://www.pokrov.org/display.asp?ds=Group&id=12 Unofficial Monastery Background]
*[http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Holy-Cross-Berkley-Crime/dp/0425217922/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197161829&sr=8-3 Murder at Holy Cross by Peter Davidson - Amazon book listing]

[[Category:American Monasteries]]
[[Category:Monasteries]]
[[Category:OCA Monasteries]]

Victor Pokrovsky

2008-08-18T14:20:29Z

Dcndavid: /* Musical Work */ correcting misspelling

{{orthodoxyinjapan}}
'''Victor Alexandrovich Pokrovsky''' was choir director, translator, and music arranger for Metropolitan [[Sergius (Tikhomirov) of Japan]], serving in that position at the [[Holy Resurrection Cathedral (Tokyo, Japan)]] from 1924 until 1962, except for the World War II years and some of the decade following the war. He followed in the tradition of Russian [[missionary|missionaries]] of bringing the [[Gospel]] to new people in their language. In Japan, he followed in the tradition of Ss. [[Innocent of Moscow]] and [[Nicholas of Japan]] and of Nicholas's successor Sergius. In regard to liturgical music of the Japanese Orthodox Church, Victor Pokrovsky was to Sergius as [[Yakov Tikhai]] was to St. Nicholas. Victor's success was bringing the Russian liturgical music masters to the Japanese in their own language. Metr. Sergius invited Victor, an emigré of the Russian civil war, to Tokyo to introduce to the [[Church of Japan|Japanese Church]] the [[Russian Chant|Russian liturgical masterpieces]] of 19th and 20th century, in Japanese. Their association and close collaboration continued until events associated with World War II brought it to an end.

== Life ==
[[Image:VPokrovsky_c1925.jpg|thumb|left|Victor A. Pokrovsky]]Victor was born on [[February 13]], 1897, the first son of Fr. Alexander Andreevich and Nadezhda Petrovna (''née'' Ismailov). His father was the [[priest]] at a [[church]] in the Suhaya Rika district near Kazan, Russia. The Pokrovskys were a priestly family. Their family name was Gremyashkin, but during the time of Tsar Paul I of Russia, Victor's [[priest]]ly ancestor was given the family name of Pokrovsky by his [[bishop]] who visited his [[parish]] on the day of the Protection of the Theotokos (Pokrov).

Victor studied for four years at the [[Kazan Ecclesiastical Seminary]] before entering Kazan University in 1914. As a university student he sang with the Morreff Choir, which Mr. Koltchin (later choir director of Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco) also joined, and attended the conductor class at Kazan Hummert Music School. After three years of student life, he was called into the Army as an officer, but was released after the February Revolution. He then returned to the Kazan University for his fourth year.

After the Bolshevik coup of 1917, he was recalled to army service in 1918 into the White Army, to advance eventually to the rank of Captain. As the Red Army advanced, he was forced to leave Kazan and retreat with the White Army across Siberia. With the end of the Civil War, he ended up in Manchuria and was discharged on [[May 12]], 1923. Having lost everything, including his family, he set to organizing a [[choir]] to earn a living. As Manchuria included a large Russian population prior to the war that supported and operated the Trans-Siberian Railway short cuts to Vladivostok, a Russian-based lifestyle was available for his choir to work in. Indeed, the Harbin [[diocese|Archdiocese]] was active, as the situation in Russia deteriorated, including supporting the [[Church of Japan]].

After the Great Kanto Earthquake of [[September 1]], 1923, severely damaged the Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Tokyo, the then Archbishop Sergius often visited Harbin to obtain support for restoring the Cathedral. Amongst his activities, Sergius was looking for a capable leader for the choir at the cathedral. Among the candidates that the [[archbishop]] interviewed he liked the music of Victor Pokrovsky who was directing the choir at the Holy Theotokos Church in Harbin. Invited by the archbishop, Victor moved to Japan in 1924 to form a full-scale choir at the Holy Resurrection Cathedral and to introduce the new Russian masterpieces, such as those by Arkhangelsky and Kastalsky.

For the next sixteen years Victor was deeply engaged in developing a first-class choir and learning Japanese so as to translate and arrange the new masterpieces for the choir. During this time he found time to marry a Russian young lady, but suffered tragedy when she died in childbirth, leaving him a son to raise. A couple of years later he married again, to a young lady from Harbin with whom he had two daughters.

He and the archbishop, later named Metropolitan of All Japan, worked closely as the choir developed and the Cathedral was restored, until in 1940 the militaristic government, championing extreme nationalism, forced the non-Japanese leaders in the Church of Japan to "retire." Now, Victor searched for a new position. He was invited to a position in San Francisco, but the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred before their ship could leave Japan. Thus, he and his family spent the war in Japan, first living in Yokohoma and then later during and after the war in Karuizawa in the Japanese Alps. The last time they saw Metr. Sergius was when he came to Yokohoma during the summer of 1943 to [[baptism|baptize]] their second daughter. But, in the chaos of the war Victor was able to travel from Karuizawa to attend Sergius' funeral.

The war years proved to be very difficult, often living a starvation diet and, for Victor, an arrest on spying charges. It was many years before the family could return to Tokyo, but after returning Victor was invited by the new ruling [[bishop]], Bishop Ireney, to resume his position directing the Holy Resurrection Cathedral choir. He restored the choir and again continued the work that was interrupted in 1940. Then in 1962, Victor, with his wife and younger daughter, immigrated to the United States where he led choirs in a number of parishes before retiring in 1972 in Vienna, Virginia. He died on [[February 12]], 1990, and is buried at [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)]], a place that he said reminded him of the Russia he left so many years before.

== Musical Work ==
Much of the following is based upon a study of Pokrovsky's musical work by Maria Junko Matsushima, of the Holy Annunciation Church in Nagoya, Japan.

Victor Pokrovsky was 27 years old when he assumed his duties under Metropolitan Sergius. As with the earlier Russian missionaries, St. Nicholas of Japan and Metr. Sergius himself, he began his work first learning the Japanese language as the grammatical and syllablical differences between Japanese and Slavonic made it difficult to translate and fit words to the musical notes. This was hard work, and in accomplishing this task he was assisted for many years by Father Job Hibi and a seminary student Jacob who later was [[ordination|ordained]] Father Jacob. He would frequently work until two or three o'clock in the morning.

He worked hard developing the [[cathedral]] choir, and in this work he also had the full support of Sergius. He was very strict in his rehearsals, sometimes bringing some of the young women singers to tears, but he did this for the love of the music and a loving integrity of the choir and choir members as a superior singing group. Rehearsals were held twice a week, Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Often Sergius would sit in back listening to their singing, and even chide some lazy choir members.

In time the choir recognized this discipline and personally came to Victor to acknowledge their understanding of his intent. Victor worked carefully on the timing and the flow of the services. He would coordinate tones with the [[clergy]] so that they and the choir would be in harmony. Yet, during the service he would quickly adjust the choir's pitch to fit the intonation of the clergy when necessary. For Victor, the services were a whole, not a bunch of pieces. In this even Metropolitan Sergius was careful, often heard coordinating on which Cherubic hymn version Victor would be singing that day so that he could decide his pitch.

The choir's repertory expanded quickly. They sang the music of Tchaikovsky, Smolensky, Strokin, Chesnokov, Arkhangelsky, and Kastalsky. Some years later, thanks to his pupil Tito Kato, Victor's music was published in Osaka. There were some 75 titles, and many of them, for example, Smolensky�?'s ''Paschal Stichera'', and Makarov�?'s ''The Angel Cried'', are still sung in many churches in Japan.

[[Image: NicolaidoConse-Choir.jpg|thumb|right|250pxl|Nicolai-do Reconsecration, 15 Dec 1929 - Cathedral Choir in procession under Victor Pokrovsky - director]]
The hard work of these early years came together in the singing at the re-[[consecration]] ceremony for the rebuilt Holy Resurrection Cathedral on [[December 15]], 1929. Afterwards Metropolitan Sergius praised him: "Victor Alexandrovich Pokrovsky, a great choir director who has done hard work since 1924. His name will be kept in the history of music in Japan. Our choir[s] are not only good singers but artistic and full of spirit." (''Tokyo Holy Resurrection Cathedral and the Earthquake'', by Metr. Sergius.)

==External link==
Orthodox Church Singing in Japan [http://www.orthodox-jp.com/maria/English-index.htm]

== Source ==
Maria Junko Matsushima: ''An Russian Emigre Church Musician - Victor Pokrovsky, his Life and Music: Kazan, Manchuria, Tokyo, America'', PSALM Notes, March 2005.

[[Category:Featured Articles]]
[[Category:Hymnographers]]
[[Category:Missionaries]]

Victor Pokrovsky

2008-08-18T14:19:52Z

Dcndavid: /* Life */ correcting misspelling

{{orthodoxyinjapan}}
'''Victor Alexandrovich Pokrovsky''' was choir director, translator, and music arranger for Metropolitan [[Sergius (Tikhomirov) of Japan]], serving in that position at the [[Holy Resurrection Cathedral (Tokyo, Japan)]] from 1924 until 1962, except for the World War II years and some of the decade following the war. He followed in the tradition of Russian [[missionary|missionaries]] of bringing the [[Gospel]] to new people in their language. In Japan, he followed in the tradition of Ss. [[Innocent of Moscow]] and [[Nicholas of Japan]] and of Nicholas's successor Sergius. In regard to liturgical music of the Japanese Orthodox Church, Victor Pokrovsky was to Sergius as [[Yakov Tikhai]] was to St. Nicholas. Victor's success was bringing the Russian liturgical music masters to the Japanese in their own language. Metr. Sergius invited Victor, an emigré of the Russian civil war, to Tokyo to introduce to the [[Church of Japan|Japanese Church]] the [[Russian Chant|Russian liturgical masterpieces]] of 19th and 20th century, in Japanese. Their association and close collaboration continued until events associated with World War II brought it to an end.

== Life ==
[[Image:VPokrovsky_c1925.jpg|thumb|left|Victor A. Pokrovsky]]Victor was born on [[February 13]], 1897, the first son of Fr. Alexander Andreevich and Nadezhda Petrovna (''née'' Ismailov). His father was the [[priest]] at a [[church]] in the Suhaya Rika district near Kazan, Russia. The Pokrovskys were a priestly family. Their family name was Gremyashkin, but during the time of Tsar Paul I of Russia, Victor's [[priest]]ly ancestor was given the family name of Pokrovsky by his [[bishop]] who visited his [[parish]] on the day of the Protection of the Theotokos (Pokrov).

Victor studied for four years at the [[Kazan Ecclesiastical Seminary]] before entering Kazan University in 1914. As a university student he sang with the Morreff Choir, which Mr. Koltchin (later choir director of Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco) also joined, and attended the conductor class at Kazan Hummert Music School. After three years of student life, he was called into the Army as an officer, but was released after the February Revolution. He then returned to the Kazan University for his fourth year.

After the Bolshevik coup of 1917, he was recalled to army service in 1918 into the White Army, to advance eventually to the rank of Captain. As the Red Army advanced, he was forced to leave Kazan and retreat with the White Army across Siberia. With the end of the Civil War, he ended up in Manchuria and was discharged on [[May 12]], 1923. Having lost everything, including his family, he set to organizing a [[choir]] to earn a living. As Manchuria included a large Russian population prior to the war that supported and operated the Trans-Siberian Railway short cuts to Vladivostok, a Russian-based lifestyle was available for his choir to work in. Indeed, the Harbin [[diocese|Archdiocese]] was active, as the situation in Russia deteriorated, including supporting the [[Church of Japan]].

After the Great Kanto Earthquake of [[September 1]], 1923, severely damaged the Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Tokyo, the then Archbishop Sergius often visited Harbin to obtain support for restoring the Cathedral. Amongst his activities, Sergius was looking for a capable leader for the choir at the cathedral. Among the candidates that the [[archbishop]] interviewed he liked the music of Victor Pokrovsky who was directing the choir at the Holy Theotokos Church in Harbin. Invited by the archbishop, Victor moved to Japan in 1924 to form a full-scale choir at the Holy Resurrection Cathedral and to introduce the new Russian masterpieces, such as those by Arkhangelsky and Kastalsky.

For the next sixteen years Victor was deeply engaged in developing a first-class choir and learning Japanese so as to translate and arrange the new masterpieces for the choir. During this time he found time to marry a Russian young lady, but suffered tragedy when she died in childbirth, leaving him a son to raise. A couple of years later he married again, to a young lady from Harbin with whom he had two daughters.

He and the archbishop, later named Metropolitan of All Japan, worked closely as the choir developed and the Cathedral was restored, until in 1940 the militaristic government, championing extreme nationalism, forced the non-Japanese leaders in the Church of Japan to "retire." Now, Victor searched for a new position. He was invited to a position in San Francisco, but the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred before their ship could leave Japan. Thus, he and his family spent the war in Japan, first living in Yokohoma and then later during and after the war in Karuizawa in the Japanese Alps. The last time they saw Metr. Sergius was when he came to Yokohoma during the summer of 1943 to [[baptism|baptize]] their second daughter. But, in the chaos of the war Victor was able to travel from Karuizawa to attend Sergius' funeral.

The war years proved to be very difficult, often living a starvation diet and, for Victor, an arrest on spying charges. It was many years before the family could return to Tokyo, but after returning Victor was invited by the new ruling [[bishop]], Bishop Ireney, to resume his position directing the Holy Resurrection Cathedral choir. He restored the choir and again continued the work that was interrupted in 1940. Then in 1962, Victor, with his wife and younger daughter, immigrated to the United States where he led choirs in a number of parishes before retiring in 1972 in Vienna, Virginia. He died on [[February 12]], 1990, and is buried at [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)]], a place that he said reminded him of the Russia he left so many years before.

== Musical Work ==
Much of the following is based upon a study of Pokrovsky's musical work by Maria Junko Matsushima, of the Holy Annunciation Church in Nagoya, Japan.

Victor Pokrovsky was 27 years old when he assumed his duties under Metropolitan Sergius. As with the earlier Russian missionaries, St. Nicholas of Japan and Metr. Sergius himself, he began his work first learning the Japanese language as the grammatical and syllablical differences between Japanese and Slavonic made it difficult to translate and fit words to the musical notes. This was hard work, and in accomplishing this task he was assisted for many years by Father Job Hibi and a seminary student Jacob who later was [[ordination|ordained]] Father Jacob. He would frequently work until two or three o'clock in the morning.

He worked hard developing the [[cathedral]] choir, and in this work he also had the full support of Sergius. He was very strict in his rehearsals, sometimes bringing some of the young women singers to tears, but he did this for the love of the music and a loving integrity of the choir and choir members as a superior singing group. Rehearsals were held twice a week, Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Often Sergius would sit in back listening to their singing, and even chide some lazy choir members.

In time the choir recognized this discipline and personally came to Victor to acknowledge their understanding of his intent. Victor worked carefully on the timing and the flow of the services. He would coordinate tones with the [[clergy]] so that they and the choir would be in harmony. Yet, during the service he would quickly adjust the choir's pitch to fit the intonation of the clergy when necessary. For Victor, the services were a whole, not a bunch of pieces. In this even Metropolitan Sergius was careful, often heard coordinating on which Cherubic hymn version Victor would be singing that day so that he could decide his pitch.

The choir's repertory expanded quickly. They sang the music of Tchaikovsky, Smolensky, Strokin, Chesnokov, Arkhangelsky, and Kastolsky. Some years later, thanks to his pupil Tito Kato, Victor's music was published in Osaka. There were some 75 titles, and many of them, for example, Smolensky�?'s ''Paschal Stichera'', and Makarov�?'s ''The Angel Cried'', are still sung in many churches in Japan.

[[Image: NicolaidoConse-Choir.jpg|thumb|right|250pxl|Nicolai-do Reconsecration, 15 Dec 1929 - Cathedral Choir in procession under Victor Pokrovsky - director]]
The hard work of these early years came together in the singing at the re-[[consecration]] ceremony for the rebuilt Holy Resurrection Cathedral on [[December 15]], 1929. Afterwards Metropolitan Sergius praised him: "Victor Alexandrovich Pokrovsky, a great choir director who has done hard work since 1924. His name will be kept in the history of music in Japan. Our choir[s] are not only good singers but artistic and full of spirit." (''Tokyo Holy Resurrection Cathedral and the Earthquake'', by Metr. Sergius.)

==External link==
Orthodox Church Singing in Japan [http://www.orthodox-jp.com/maria/English-index.htm]

== Source ==
Maria Junko Matsushima: ''An Russian Emigre Church Musician - Victor Pokrovsky, his Life and Music: Kazan, Manchuria, Tokyo, America'', PSALM Notes, March 2005.

[[Category:Featured Articles]]
[[Category:Hymnographers]]
[[Category:Missionaries]]

User talk:Frjohnwhiteford

2007-03-17T16:28:02Z

Dcndavid: New page: {{welcome}} ~~~~

{{welcome}}

—[[User:Dcndavid|Dcn. David]] [[User_talk:Dcndavid|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Dcndavid|contribs]] 09:28, March 17, 2007 (PDT)

User talk:Maria Ivanov

2006-09-30T01:18:58Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Pussycat

2006-09-30T01:18:48Z

Dcndavid:

Talk:St. Catherine's Monastery (Sinai)

2006-09-29T00:04:35Z

Dcndavid: Burning Bush

I doubt that this is the oldest Christian monastery. Bulgarian researchers have claimed that the oldest monastery in [[Bulgaria]] and possibly in Europe is the [[St. Athanasius Monastery]] in the village of Zlatna Livada, near the town of Chirpan. It was reportedly established by St. [[Athanasius the Great]] himself in AD 344. You may read the following article (in Bulgarian): [http://liternet.bg/publish10/eshopova/manastiryt.htm]. --[[User:Vladko|Vladko]] 09:37, 26 Apr 2005 (CDT)

:How wonderful! I found another mention of it [http://www.balkanmediaacademy.bg/activity_en.htm here] (about half-way down the page, with pictures). --[[User:Magda|magda]] 09:58, 26 Apr 2005 (CDT)

== Burning Bush ==

I deleted what seemed to be stray, nonsensical words in the second paragraph. However, the entire quoted section is odd. The whole thing cannot be attributed to Egeria (as it refers to a mosaic dating from the 10th century). Plainly, the final two paragraphs are from other commentary included in the work cited. As it is, the quote is confusing. I don't have the resource at hand to correct it or to make more sense of it. Hopefully, whoever contributed it, or someone else with a copy of it, can help.

—[[User:Dcndavid|Dcn. David]] [[User_talk:Dcndavid|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Dcndavid|contribs]] 19:04, September 28, 2006 (CDT)

St. Catherine's Monastery (Sinai)

2006-09-29T00:00:54Z

Dcndavid: /* The Burning Bush */ stray words -- see talk page

[[Image:Sinai Monastery.jpg|right|thumb|300px|St. Catherine's Monastery, Sinai, Egypt]]
'''[[Catherine_of_Alexandria|St. Catherine]]'s Monastery''' is a [[monastery]] on the Sinai peninsula, at the foot of Mount Sinai, in Egypt. It was built at the site where [[Moses]] is believed to have seen the [[Burning Bush]], which is alive and on the grounds. Though it is commonly known as ''Saint Catherine's'', the actual name of the monastery is the '''''Monastery of the Transfiguration'''''. It is sometimes also known as the '''''Monastery of the Burning Bush'''''. It is one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world.

==History==
Originally founded by the Emperor St. [[Justinian the Great]] in 527, the monastery has weathered numerous changes in the history of the region, including the invasion of [[Islam]], whose founder Mohammed himself guaranteed protection for the monastery. (The monastery still has possession of a written document from Mohammed to prove it.)

[[Image:Pantokrator of Sinai.jpg|left|frame|The [[Pantokrator]] of Sinai (7th c.)]]
In the 9th century, the site was associated with St. [[Catherine of Alexandria]] (whose [[relics]] were miraculously transported there) and it became a favourite site for [[pilgrimage]]s. Numerous ancient manuscripts have been preserved in the library, which is second only to the manuscript library of the Vatican. The collection consists of some 3,500 volumes in Greek, Coptic, Arabic, Armenian, Hebrew, Slavic, Syriac, Georgian and other languages.

A number of ancient [[icon]]s are also on the grounds, including the famous '''Pantokrator of Sinai''' (7th c.), pictured at left, and '''[[The Ladder of Divine Ascent]]''' (12th c.), an iconic representation of the [[The Ladder of Divine Ascent|book]] by that name by St. [[John Climacus]].

==Architecture==
The monastic church dates from the reign of St. [[Justinian]]. Its architect, Stephen of Aila, built a three-aisled, wood-roofed, basalt [[basilica]], with carved capitals on the nave columns which are derived from the Corinthian order. The variation in the capitals there seem to be a deliberate choice, rather than the result of using columns from other buildings (which can be seen in other structures). The basilica has five side chapels, and towers flank the west end of the church. The sacred [[Burning Bush|bush]] is left growing in the open beyond the east end of the building.

The monastery church has seen little essential change since the time of its imperial founder. Its great western portal is still closed by the original 1400 year old wooden door, which still functions perfectly on its first pins and hinges. The wood roof of the nave, also of 6th century construction, rests on beams that bear inscriptions honoring Justinian and his famous wife [[Theodora (wife of Justinian)|Theodora]]. These inscriptions had been reported by travelers as far back as the 18th century, but not until a 1958 expedition was a careful study made of them in relation to the church structure. The inscriptions mention "our most pious Emperor" Justinian and his "late Empress" Theodora. Theodora died in 548 and Justinian in 565, so that the church was completed between those years.

There are the remnants of a 10th or 11th century Fatimid mosque within the walls of the monastery, probably built to appease Muslim authorities of the time. Recent excavations within the mosque's walls have yielded evidence that the building predates its use as a mosque, however, as architectural and ornamental crosses and other Christian symbols have been found within.

There is also a small chapel called the Chapel of St. Tryphon which serves as an ossuary for the skulls of deceased monastics.

==The Church of Sinai==
The monastery, the nearby monastery at Raithu, and a handful of dependencies comprise the entire [[Church of Sinai]], an [[autonomy|autonomous]] Orthodox church headed by an [[archbishop]], who is also the [[abbot]] of St. Catherine's. The archbishop is traditionally consecrated by the Patriarch of the [[Church of Jerusalem]], though he is not the patriarch's subject.

==The Burning Bush==
[[Image:BurningBush.jpg|right|thumb|The Burning Bush]]In the Book of Exodus, Moses was forced to flee Egypt and came to live with Jethro. Moses, who shepherded Jethro's flocks, discovered the burning bush while tending the sheep.

Moses approached the bush, and discovered that the bush was on fire, but the flames did not consume it. [Exodus 3:2] God's spirit, in the bush, then declared "I am your father's God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." [Exodus 3:4, ''NIV''] God then commanded Moses to remove his sandals, as the land was considered holy.

God then ordered Moses to speak to Pharaoh, because He had "heard the people's cries". [Exodus 3:7] God promised that the Israelites, then enslaved by Pharaoh, would live in a land "flowing with milk and honey". [Exodus 3:9] When Moses expressed doubt that he would be believed, God gave Moses three "signs": his staff turned to a snake, his hand turned leprous (and was cured) and Moses was told that if they did not work, he would be able to turn water into blood. God then added that "He would be with him" (Moses), which finally encouraged him to demand the release of the Israelites.

[[Egeria]], a 4th century pilgrim from Spain, had this to say about the site:

:"We had to advance deep into the valley for there are many hermit cells and a shrine at the site of the Bush. The Bush is verdant to this day. This is the Bush of which I have spoken earlier, the one from which God in a flame of fire spoke to Moses. The Bush is in a very beautiful garden in front of the Church"

:The Chapel of the Burning Bush honors the Annunciation to the Holy Virgin. This is conveyed by "the Virgin of the Burning Bush", an icon that represents the Mother of God seated within the Burning Bush and holding her Son, with Moses worshipping barefooted on the left. A mosaic cross of the 10th century decorates the apse of the chapel.

:The holy alter of the chapel stands not upon the sacred remains of martyrs, which is usual, but above the roots of the Burning Bush. The Bush flourishes several yards farther from he chapel where it was transplanted in order to build the Altar upon its roots. It is said that this is the only bush of its kind growing in the entire Sinai Peninsula, and that every attempt to transplant a branch of it to another place has been unsuccessful.

:Pilgrims enter the chapel without shoes, in remembrance of the commandment of God to Moses, "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." (see ''Egeria's Travels'', ed. John Wilkinson (ISBN 0856687103)]]

==Sources==
* ''The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity'', p. 451
* [http://www.umich.edu/~kelseydb/Excavation/St_Catherine.html Monastery of St. Catherine at Mount Sinai]
* [[Wikipedia:Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai]]
* [[Wikipedia:Burning Bush]]

==More Images of St. Catherine's==
<gallery>
Image:Sinai lithograph.jpg
Image:Santa_Catarina_Sinai_2003.JPG
Image:BurningBush2.jpg|Another picture of the Burning Bush
Image:FireExtinguisher.jpg|Burning Bush showing Fire Extinguisher
</gallery>

==External links==
* [http://www.sinaimonastery.com/ Official Website of the Holy Monastery of St. Catherine at Mount Sinai]
* [http://interoz.com/egypt/Catherines.htm Egypt Travel: St. Catherine's Monastery]
* [http://orlapubs.com/AR/R22.html Links to St. Catherine's Monastery]
* [http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2002/567/tr3.htm A lily in the wilderness] - an article about the 1700th year anniversary celebration by Iason Athanasiadis
* [http://flickr.com/photos/piddysplace/tags/stcatherinesmonastery/ Gallery of Photos of St. Catherines (CC licensed)]

[[Category:Featured Articles]]
[[Category:Monasteries]]

User talk:Jswiz01

2006-09-28T23:43:11Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Xiaopo

2006-09-28T23:42:59Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Elfriede

2006-09-28T23:42:47Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Chyro

2006-09-28T23:42:37Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Estera

2006-09-28T23:42:22Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:MacFriar

2006-09-27T00:39:02Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Bramabull201

2006-09-27T00:38:40Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Aalexandros

2006-09-27T00:37:52Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:GrecoRussianOrthodox

2006-09-25T17:59:41Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Chris

2006-09-25T15:10:03Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Urielt

2006-09-25T15:09:51Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Srpski Pop

2006-09-25T03:29:33Z

Dcndavid:

Old Believers

2006-09-25T03:29:11Z

Dcndavid: Reverted edits by Xc0455 (Talk); changed back to last version by Fatman2021

The '''Old Believers''' (''старове́ры'' or ''старообря́дцы'') are a group of Orthodox Christians who broke from the [[Church of Russia]] after it fell into [[heresy]]. They are more properly known as '''Old Ritualists'''.

The [[schism]] itself is known as ''staroobryadchestvo'' (''старообрядчество'').

==History==

Although Russia dates its conversion to Christianity from the year 988 A.D., the Orthodoxy did not begin to establish itself as a church in its own right until a few centuries had passed. Up until about 1440, Russia received much of the impetus for its faith and the operation of its church from the Byzantine Orthodoxy in Constantinople. In 1443 the Tsar declared the Russian metropolitanate independent of the Byzantines, and shortly thereafter a long era of reform among the clergy was initiated. Several councils were held to set matters straight among the clergy and laity, the most influential of these being the [[Stoglav]] (One hundred Chapters) of 1551, in which some 100 chapters of reformation were laid down with the provision that disobedience would result in transgressors being forever accursed. By 1589, the [[patriarch]] in [[Constaninople]] acknowledged the fact of Russian separation by himself declaring the Russian patriarch as separate and the See for that patriarch as being located in Moscow.

Despite these efforts and the recognition of the Russians as a third center of Christianity, by the beginning of the seventeeth century there was still a widely felt problem with the clergy. (Moscow as the third Rome was a popular theory at the time.) In the reign of Patriarch Joseph (1642-1652) there arose a reformist group of clergy whose aims included the restoration of the purity of the service books and stricter observance of various matters of spiritual discipline among the clergy generally. This movement was headed by the priest and confessor to the Tsar [[Stephan Vonifatiev]], and the [[Archbishop]] of Novgorod Nikon. Even though the Russian metropolitanate had nominally been independent of the Byzantines for two centuries, many of the clergy had been educated in [[Greece]], and [[Nikon of Moscow|Nikon]] was one of these. One of the splits which developed among the reformists concerned the extent to which the older Greek customs and rites should be adhered to in the new reforms.

Upon the death of Patriarch Joseph in 1652, Vonifatiev was lawfully elected Patriarch, but refused the position. The Tsar Alexei then put [[Nikon of Moscow|Nikon]] in his place, contrary to the Church Canons, which forbade the Tsar to have such influence over the appointment. Apparently no one actively contested the appointment and Nikon commenced his reign with several reformatory measures. No sooner did [[Nikon of Moscow|Nikon]] become Patriarch in Moscow than he began to enforce the reforms vigorously, quite different from what the "Guardians of Piety" had expected. He took Greek texts, recently printed in Italy (in Roman Catholic publishing houses), as the pattern for his reforms. The Greek Orthodox Church, by now under Muslim rule and deprived of its privileges and power, had began to seek union with the Pope at Rome-the very symbol of heresy for Eastern Christians during previous centuries. Then, with the long arm of Russian law he tried to force everyone to accept them. In 1653, he sent a memorandum to the churches in the land which instructed them in various revisions of the services and the books. These reforms met with opposition from many of the clergy. Among the major points which were contested were: (1) how many fingers would be used to make the sign of the cross; (2) the spelling of Jesus' name; (3) whether "Alleluia" should be sung two or three times; (4) the retention of certain words and phrases in the Creed; (5) the number of hosts to be used in the liturgy; and (6) whether the priests should walk around the altar with or against the passage of the sun. These matters of ritual, seemingly unimportant in themselves, nevertheless were the embodiment of certain theological precepts and ideological alliances, and hence stirred considerable controversy upon their arrival. For example, the conservatives maintained that the sign of the cross with two fingers rather than three (the latter being the proposed reform) signified the dual nature of Christ, with the first finger representing the divine nature and the bent second being a symbol of Christ's descent to Earth for the salvation of humankind. They cited many old icons to support their position on this matter, in which some of the saints and Christ could be seen using the two-fingered sign. The three-fingered sign, on the other hand, was intended as an acknowledgment of the Trinity. But this was considered by the conservative dissenters to represent Greek heresy. To make matters worse, many of the clergy felt that strict observance of the most minute details of the dogmas and disciplines of the church were necessary to salvation. This was a direct result of the reformatory efforts of the group in Moscow.

Even so, the disputes might have been settled in the course of a few councils, had not Nikon pressed his hand too early and forcefully. He had his opponents flogged, exiled and even burned at the stake. Among the exiles was the arch-priest Avvakum, who had been one of the more prominent among the younger members of the reformatory circle in pre-Nikonian days and had spearheaded the conservative opposition to Nikon's edicts. He was eventually burned at the stake in 1682 and until then continued to serve as a spiritual leader for many of the dissenters. The result of these measures was such a storm of protest, that Nikon was himself forced to resign his office by 1658.

However, his compatriots continued to wield official power, and the persecutions went on in his absence. The Tsar was on the side of the would-be reformers and began to openly wage campaigns against the conservatives. After the Council of 1666, in which the Stoglav of 1551 was declared a forgery and heretical, the Solovetski Monks of the White Sea formed a bastion against the new tide of reform, and were promptly excommunicated and eventually replaced with monks from Moscow.

Because of actions like the above, some of the dissenters believed that the age of the Anti-Christ had come and that the end of the world was near. In the years 1666-1668 numerous fields throughout Western Russia were neglected while the faithful adorned themselves in burial clothes and awaited the end of the world in their cemeteries at night, singing hymns and sitting in wooden coffins. Others set buildings afire where they waited inside to be cleansed and to perish in the flames so that they might join Christ before the Judgment Day. Between these and the others who were burned to death by persecutors, it has been estimated that more than 20,000 Old Believers died between 1672 and 1691 alone.

Partly because most of the prominent conservative clergy perished early in the movement, and partly because there were not many others who were courageous enough to risk stepping into their places, the conservatives began to run out of higher-level clergy, particularly bishops. This posed a problem because without bishops, there could be no ordained priesthood. Without priests, most of the sacraments could not be administered and believers were faced with the prospect of not being able to marry or receive communion. There were two kinds of solutions to this problem. One was to accept fugitive priests from the ranks of the Nikonians, and groups which did this became known as the "Beglopopovtsy." Some of these groups in various regions even eventually obtained bishops of their own in the nineteenth century. The other solution was to reject the notion of a true priesthood and to form the community around a lay-priest. Perhaps the most famous example of such a community was the monastic order at Lake Vyg, headed by the Denisov Brothers. The Denisovs were responsible for several influential writings on the dissenting movement, and their community became an example for many others throughout Western Russia. These groups became known as the "Bezpopovtsy" (priestless).

From those days on to the Revolution of 1917, the Old Believer sects suffered varying amounts of persecution at the hands of henchmen either of the Orthodoxy or various Tsars. Under Catherine II, Paul and Alexander I, they were tolerated and thrived in some areas, but under Peter the Great and Nicholas I, they often had to flee to outer regions of Russia or to other countries to avoid death or imprisonment. During the last half of the nineteenth century, the position of the Orthodox Church softened with regard to the Old Believer question, and the 1909 Council made the first official conciliations by restoring a few of the decanonized saints which were among the Old Believer favorites and by 1929 the old anathemas had been officially removed. However, another potent socio-political force came in the Revolution of 1919 and, later, in Stalin's measures against religious adherents of all stripes.

Some of Nikon's reforms no longer seem important to us-singing three hallelujahs instead of two or spelling Jesus' name with an extra vowel-but the reason many Russians opposed them was real, and resistance to them quickly grew as large as Russia itself.

Those who defied Nikon and kept to the old way believed his reforms were an accommodation to Roman Catholicism (that is, to the "world"). They saw his enforcement of them as just another example of the state church corrupting itself through political affairs.

In the new era in Russia of enlightenment the church reforms became the policy of the Tsar, such that after Nikon was deposed in 1658 for usurping the prerogatives of Tsar Alexis, the pogrom against those fighting the reforms continued.

Across Russia, millions of impoverished and poorly educated farm workers, celibates in remote communities, and local [[church]] leaders with little responsibility, dared to rise up and declare that what they believed and how they believed was no one's matter but their own -- that belief was a matter of conviction, not legislation. They dared, at the price of their lives, to challenge Moscow, Constantinople, and whatever civil authorities or means of repression would fall upon them.

==Early Old Believers==

Early Old Belief was characterized by rejecting "the World" where anti-Christ reigned; they preached about the imminent end of the world, [[asceticism]], adhering to the old rituals and the old faith. Given a lack of [[bishop]]s and [[priest]]s, the laity were predominant. One group, the [[Popovtsy]], sought to attract [[ordination|ordained]] priests and were able to set up an [[episcopate]] in the 19th century. The [[Bespopovtsy]], on the other hand, renounced priests and all sacraments, except [[Baptism]].

Old Belief became associated with a strict [[asceticism]] that could sometimes be taken to extremes. In the 17th century some groups in Karelia that belonged to the sect committed suicide through self-immolation. Other groups that broke off from the Old Believers practiced castration of men and removal of breasts from women in order to enforce sexual abstinence.

The Old Believers had no official toleration until 1905. In 1971 the [[Church of Russia]] lifted the [[anathema]]s placed on the Old Believers in the 17th century, but most Old Believer communities have not returned to [[full communion]] with other Orthodox Christians.

==The Old Believers Today==
In the modern day, differences between most Old Believer communities and mainstream Orthodox Christians are in details of ritual practice alone. However, centuries of persecution and the nature of their foundation has made them culturally very conservative and mistrustful of anything they see as insufficiently Russian. Some Old Believers go so far as to consider any pre-Nikonian Orthodox Russian practice or artifact to be exclusively theirs, denying that the Russian Orthodox Church has any claims upon a history before Patriarch Nikon.

Approximately one million Old Believers remain today, some living in extremely isolated communities in areas of Russia to which they fled centuries ago to avoid persecution. Their life there has been compared by some to America's Amish communities.

A few Old Believer [[parish]]es in the United States have entered communion with the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]], such as the [http://www.churchofthenativity.net/ Church of the Nativity] in Erie, Pennsylvania. Another was received into the [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]] by Metropolitan [[Maximos (Aghiorgoussis) of Pittsburgh|Maximos of Pittsburgh]].

Many other Old Believer groups exist, some with teachings and practices that have even less in common with those of the [[Orthodox Church]], even straying into heresy.

==The Price of Conviction==
At the very meeting where Nikon announced his plans for reform, Pavel the presbyter of Kolomna calmly said he could not comply. Nikon removed him from office and had him beaten before the council. He sent Pavel into the far north, where he died after repeated tortures. Then Nikon pronounced the anathema on all others who refused to obey his orders to change, and by 1666, the year of the beast, several hundred thousand "Old Believers" found themselves outside the Orthodox church. In great suffering and weakness they learned that one can walk with Christ and survive persecution only in nonconformity

Almost hidden under great roofs of straw, mud plastered houses of Russian muzhiks huddled like chicks with their mother hen around rickety wooden churches topped by onion domes. Far from Moscow and Kiev, but within easy reach of heaven, those who lived under bunches of dried pears hanging in semidarkness from their beams called on the name of Christ. And as they did so, what Christ wanted became more and more important to them -- while the demands of Russia's church and state took second place.

As far back as they could remember, the muzhiks had lived in distrust of what happened at Moscow. "Live, live, until Moscow gets a hold of you!" their parents and grandparents had said. So now, when many of them got separated from Moscow's state church, they felt no remorse. Called Raskolniki (separatists) or "nonconformists" by other Russians, they began at once to live like they thought Christians should. That, in every place, was not the same. But in every place it drew the wrath of Moscow's authorities upon them, and by the mid-1660s, the "year of the beast," the tsar's men were torturing and publicly flogging Old Believers from Kiev and Smolensk to Ryazan, Kazan, Yaroslavl, Saratov, Novgorod, Pskov, and Tver. Everywhere, they tore up homes and villages and drove families to Siberia. But such persecution only confirmed what many believed: The state church had become an institution of the Antichrist.

Many, but not all, Old Believers were uneducated country people. An outstanding exception was [[Avvakum]] Petrovich, an ordained leader in the Orthodox church, who had been Nikon's companion and fellow-worker. Avvakum grew up in the village of Grigorovo, near Nizhny Novgorod (Nikon's home area), and with Nikon, he became a member of the Guardians of Piety. But whereas Nikon sought earthly power and prestige, Avvakum sought to please Christ no matter what it cost.

Before his first [[ordination]] as a dyachok when he was twenty-one years old, Avvakum chose Nastasya Markovna, a poor orphan, to be his wife. She became his faithful and patient companion, supporting him no matter how badly his non-conformity to the world brought him into conflict with it.

An early occasion for conflict arose when Vasily Sheremetev, a high-ranking boyar, came down the Volga. The people of Grigorovo, including Avvakum, went on board his ship to greet him. Seeing that he was a religious man, Vasily ordered Avvakum to bless his son Matvey. But Avvakum could not obey. "How can I pronounce a blessing on a man who has shaved off his beard, deliberately changing the way God made him?" he asked.

Vasily Sheremetov was stunned. "You take it upon yourself to disobey me?" he thundered. "For this you shall be thrown into the river!"

Fortunately, no one carried out the boyar's orders. But within a few years Avvakum found himself imprisoned, then exiled with his family to Tobolsk in Siberia for withstanding Nikon's reforms. When they detected his influence even from there, Russian authorities sent him as far away as they could-to Dauria, on the border with Mongolia. There, the district governor, Afanasy Pashkov, did what he could to make the lives of Avvakum and his family miserable. He tortured Avvakum, often keeping him in chains in the prison and severely beating him. Two of Avvakum's children died from hunger, but he did not give up in his struggle to walk the narrow way. Everywhere, he warned the faithful not to have anything to do with Nikon's fallen church.

"When the priest comes to sprinkle your house with holy water," he told them, just follow him around and sweep it out with a broom. And if they drag you into church, keep right on whispering your prayer to Jesus!"

=== Old Believer Churches ===

* [[Russian Orthodox Oldritualist Church]] ([[Belokrinitskaya hierarchy]])
* [[Lipovan Orthodox Oldritualist Church]] ([[Belokrinitskaya hierarchy]])
* [[Russian Old-Orthodox Church]] ([[Novozybkovskaya hierarchy]])
* [[Pomorian Old-Orthodox Church]] ([[Pomory]])

== External links ==
*[http://www.geocities.com/fatman2021/Avvakum.htm The Life of Archpriest Avvakum by Himself]
*[http://members.tripod.com/old_rite_orthodox/ Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Kellion of the Holy Trinity and St Sergius]
*[http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-bodypg.aspx?eccpageID=48&IndexView=toc The Eastern Christian Churches: The Old Believers] (by Ronald Roberson, CSP, a Roman Catholic priest and scholar)
*[http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/2827/collection.html Collection of Old Believer History and Tradition] compiled by Paul J. Wigowsky
*[http://www.oldbelievers.org/ Russian Orthodox Old Believers] (Old Rite)
*[http://home.onego.ru/~alkonost/old-berievers.html Old believers in Karelia in the 17th century]
*[http://www.samstar.ru/ General information (in Russian)]
*[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/old-rite/ Old-Rite Russian Orthodox Christians Yahoo Group]
*[http://www.oldbelieverskete.com/ Holy Nativity of the Theotokos Old Believer Skete]
*[http://oldbeliever.blogspot.com/ Blog of the North Dakota Old Ritualist Monks] (Holy Nativity of the Theotokos Old Believer Skete)
*[http://stmaterne.blogspot.com/2006/07/vieux-croyants-traditionalistes-de-la.html Vieux-Croyants, mgr Daniel (Erie), Pimen M. Sofronov], articles translated to French and illustrated with some P.M. Sofronov Icons

[[Category:Heresies]]
[[Category:Jurisdictions]]
[[Category:Old Believer Jurisdictions|*]]

User talk:MichaelD

2006-09-24T21:26:23Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Sotiric

2006-09-23T17:39:35Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:IgnatiusEJ

2006-09-23T03:13:50Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Xc0455

2006-09-22T14:45:21Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Kgigor

2006-09-22T12:16:07Z

Dcndavid:

Old Calendarists

2006-09-22T05:11:55Z

Dcndavid: Reverted edits by HSAD (Talk); changed back to last version by Dcndavid

'''Old Calendarists''' are groups of Orthodox Christians who are in various levels of "resistance" against the mainstream Orthodox churches, identified mainly by their insistence on the use of the Julian Calendar. They are to be distinguished from the mainstream churches which simply follow the [[Julian Calendar]] yet remain in [[full communion]] with most or all of world Orthodoxy. Many Old Calendarists today say that their concerns about [[ecumenism]] are more significant than calendar issues.

The mainstream churches have varying positions on different Old Calendarist churches, ranging from an active desire to restore unity to a denial of the Old Calendarists' Orthodoxy.

Some Old Calendarist groups are styled as '''True Orthodox''' or '''Genuine Orthodox''', and both terms are used in this article. Some may also style themselves '''Traditionalist Orthodox'''.
{{TOCright}}

==History==
===Greece===
In 1924, the [[bishop]]s of the [[Church of Greece]] implemented the calendar change discussed at the pan-Orthodox congress. Afterwards, the former [[Primate]] of the Church of Greece, [[Germanos of Demetrias]], retired in protest. Lay groups and [[brotherhoods]] formed to keep the use of the [[Julian calendar]] (or the "Orthodox calendar," as they prefer it to be called) alive, despite state persecution (Greece was an Orthodox country, and the Church enjoyed certain privileges from the state) and finally, in 1935, three bishops, certain that waiting for a reversal of the calendar change was irresponsible to their flocks, immediately declared their separation from the official Church and declared that the calendar change was a schismatic act.

====The Florinite/Matthewite Schism====
By the 1940s, two parties had formed within the Church of Greece: the [[Florinites]] (under Metropolitan [[Chrysostom of Florina]]) and the [[Matthewites]] (under Bp. [[Matthew of Bresthena]]). The issue had been the former's vacillation on whether the mysteries of the State Church were still grace-filled. Both sides had their respective justifications for their positions, and both were violently persecuted by the state. The Matthewites were holding a more consistently applied position. That they labelled the Florinites as a whole as opportunists who were trying to ingratiate themselves with the state was unfortunate, and not altogether true for the followers of Metropolitan Chrysostom, and so the parties became psychologically distinct.

In the end, a real physical division was formed, whereas a real doctrinal division ended: Bishop Matthew singlehandedly consecrated another bishop, and together they made more new bishops. After the death of Bishop Matthew, however, Chrysostom of Florina reaffirmed the decision of 1935 declaring the New Calendar State Church as [[schism]]atic. (The reasons for this are unclear, and speculations give various answers.) In any case, the Matthewites proceeded to elect Archbishop Agathagelos to the rank of Primate of Athens in 1958.

We will deal first with the major divisions of the Florinites, since their divisions have generally been larger and more permanent in nature, and then the Matthewites.

====Divisions within the Florinites====
After the death of Metropolitan Chrysostom, the Florinites had no bishops, and Metropolitan Chrysostom advised his flock to go under the protection of the Matthewite bishops. Fearing the repercussions, however, the Florinites opted to seek a new hierarchy and appealed to Bishops of the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]] to help them. In 1960, Archimandrite Akakios Pappas was made a bishop with the title of Bishop of Talantion for these communities without the official blessing of the ROCOR Synod by Archbishop Seraphim of Chicago and Bp. Theophilos Ionescu, a Romanian New Calendar Bishop under the ROCOR. The following year, the ROCOR elected and ordained Archimandrite Petros Astyfides as Bishop of Astoria in order to serve as archpastor of the Greek Old Calendarist immigrant communities in the United States and Canada. Later Bp. Akakios of Talantion and Archbishop Leonty of Chile (ROCOR) ordained five more bishops in Greece. Thus in 1961, Akakios of Talantion became the new First-Hierarch of the restored Florinite Synod. He died, however, in 1963. The Synod thus proceeded to elect Auxentios Pastras, Bishop of Gardikion, to be their new leader as Archbishop of Athens. The ROCOR under Metropolitan Philaret eventually recognized the validity of the secret consecrations in 1969.

All of the current divisions of the Florinites come from one of the groups below:

'''The Auxentios Synod''': The First Florinite Synod of the True Orthodox Church of Greece was fraught with problems by the 1970s, and two major separations occurred during the lifetime of Archbishop Auxentios. However, few doubt that Archbishop Auxentios himself was of a saintly character, albeit a poor bishop. Recently there have been attempts to rehabilitate his memory (Archbishop Auxentios died in 1994); most of his synod, barely held together by the 1980s, dissolved after his death into the three jurisdictions listed below. In 1986, Auxentios was removed from the Archdiocese of Athens and the leadership of the Old Calendar Church of Greece by a majority the Florinite bishops on account of a series of controversial episcopal ordinations conducted in the early 1980s with his apparent censent. Having the support of the dissenting minority of bishops, Auxentios proceeded to re-form his Synod. He died in 1994, having failed to reconcile with the rest of the Florinite Synod, under Chrysostom Kiousis. The remaining parishes of the Auxentios Synod, however, elected Archbishop Maximos of Kephalonia to the throne of Athens on January 7, 1995. In North America and Europe, the parishes loyal to Auxentios under the American Bishops organized around Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Boston (see HOCNA), left the Synod, and elected Makarios of Toronto as locum tenens of the see of Athens.

'''[[Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece (Florinite)|The Chrysostomite Synod]]''': Amidst charges of maladministration, the majority of the Florinite synod chose in 1986 a new leader in Archbishop Chrysostom (Kiousis), who demonstrated rather effectively that the True Orthodox in Greece were a force to be reckoned with. Choosing to take on the Greek legal system, court cases were held where it was demonstrated that the Old Calendarists of Greece were not schismatics. Though their public reputation had been tarnished over nearly two decades of divisions, their legal existence was, and is presently, safe. The synod of Chrysostom of Athens is today the largest synod of the True Orthodox Church of Greece.

'''The [[Holy Synod in Resistance|Synod-in-Resistance]] of Metropolitan Cyprian of Fili''': While this church's official [[ecclesiology]] is peculiar, the amount of work that Metropolitan Cyprian of Fili and his synod have done to assist True Orthodox throughout the world is impressive, and must be noted. The church itself is rather small, but has been very effective in presenting intellectual arguments against the New Calendar State Church. It is headed by another defector from the Auxentios Synod, Cyprian (Koutsoumbas) of Fili, and holds a unique ecclesiology of “sick

User talk:Johnbeloved

2006-09-21T19:59:42Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:ThomasWim

2006-09-21T19:59:23Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Petertheodore

2006-09-21T19:59:06Z

Dcndavid:

Islam

2006-09-21T03:51:04Z

Dcndavid: cleanup

'''Islam''' is one of the major world religions with an estimated 1.3 billion followers worldwide [http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html]. The name ''Islam'' comes from an Arabic term meaning ''submission'', a reference to the central belief that the goal of religion, or of a true believer, is submission to God's will. Adherents of Islam are referred to as ''Muslims''.

Islam teaches that [[God]] (in Arabic, ''All

User talk:Vitaly

2006-09-21T03:23:28Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Israel

2006-09-21T03:23:15Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Jester57

2006-09-21T03:23:00Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Skrypnyk

2006-09-21T03:22:49Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Teofilos

2006-09-21T03:22:26Z

Dcndavid:

Old Calendarists

2006-09-21T03:21:34Z

Dcndavid: Reverted edits by HSAD (Talk); changed back to last version by Leonidas

Talk:Old Calendarists

2006-09-21T03:19:20Z

Dcndavid: Reverted edits by HSAD (Talk); changed back to last version by FrJohn

Is it really right to classify [[ROCOR]] as "Old Calendarist"? Their separation didn't have anything to do with the calendar change, and they're apparently on the verge of reunion with Moscow, anyhow. --[[User:ASDamick|Rdr. Andrew]] 13:00, 28 Feb 2005 (CST)

== '''Archbishop Gregory (Dormition Skete / Colorado)''' ==

How should his eminence be classified? As a separate jurisdiction? [[User:Eddieuny|Eddieuny]] 21:18, 7 Jul 2005 (EDT)

: Good question. What does he call his jurisdiction? Are there any other bishops in it with him? [http://www.buenavistaco.com/GOC/ds-history.html Their website] describes them as "temporarily independent." I'd hate to make up a name for them if they didn't have their own, but they are probably worth a mention. —[[User:ASDamick|Dcn. Andrew]] [[User_talk:ASDamick|talk]] [[Special:Randompage|random]] [[Special:Contributions/ASDamick|contribs]] 21:48, 7 Jul 2005 (EDT)

: Oh, here we go: http://www.roacamerica.org/

: It seems they're the "Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church in America." —[[User:ASDamick|Dcn. Andrew]] [[User_talk:ASDamick|talk]] [[Special:Randompage|random]] [[Special:Contributions/ASDamick|contribs]] 22:15, 7 Jul 2005 (EDT)

: It appears that Archbishop Gregory has changed his church's name to the "Genuine Orthodox Church of America." [http://www.gocamerica.org link title]. However, this may be ambiguous as the Metropolis of the GOC-Chrysostomite under Metropolitan Pavlos is called GOC as is the Makarian Synod's presence in America. --[[User:Anastasios|Anastasios]] 14:07, February 20, 2006 (CST)

==Article bias?==
I received this feedback today from someone. Any comments? Thanks, [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]]

:Interesting. I think this article illustrates some of the problems with a publicly edited encyclopedia. Just a couple examples...

::Headed by Metropolitan Valentine of Suzdal, the synod has twelve bishops and is enjoying a period of relative stability amidst intermittent persecution on the part of the state church. One bishop, Gregory (George) of Colorado, recently went into schism, but took no parishes with him save four, calling themselves the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church in America.

:This seems very biased in favor of Valentine and against Gregory (note that I am not the least bit fond of either of them).

::In 2001, after the ROCOR made a clear commitment to union with the Moscow Patriarchate, the head of the ROCOR synod, Metropolitan Vitaly, retired in clear disgust from the proceedings.

::Almost immediately afterwards, Metropolitan Vitaly, Archbishop Varnava of Cannes, and the two of the Russian bishops of ROCOR, separated from the ROCOR and made new bishops. The proceedings that led up to these events are well documented on the Internet and the treatment of the retired head of the ROCOR was painful to watch, for even the most casual observer.

:Again, obvious bias in favor of the Mansonville schismatics (yes, I have a personal interest here).

I don't see why it couldn't be worded a bit more neutrally. The original bulk of the article was taken by permission from a text written by a scholar in the field (who is himself, I believe, in one of these groups), [[User:JosephSuaiden|JosephSuaiden]]. In any event, it's curious that the person who wrote to you didn't see instead the inherent ''strengths'' of a publicly editable encyclopedia and come contribute.

I'll work with those passages to see if I can "neutralize" them a bit. —[[User:ASDamick|Dcn. Andrew]] [[User_talk:ASDamick|talk]] [[Special:Randompage|random]] [[Special:Contributions/ASDamick|contribs]] 15:15, 22 Jul 2005 (EDT)

== "Kiousis Synod" ==

I changed the eponym for the "Kiousis" Synod to "Chrysostomite". This is how it is known and referred to in Greece. The alternative "Kiousis Synod" is used in polemical contexts by its detractors. "Chrysostomite" is commonly used to refer to both Chrysostom of Florina (as opposed to Matthewite) and Chrysostom (Kiousis) of Athens (as opposed to Auxentite). I also corrected the timeline of the Florenite ordinations and the removal of Auxentios in 1986.

Leonidas

:Thanks Leonidas! Good to see you here - [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]]

== Walling off vs In Resistance ==

It seems that these terms are used more by the Exarchate of the Synod in Resistance in their literature interchangeably. I have not seen this terminology used in any of my church's (GOC-Chrysostomite under Metropolitan Pavlos of Astoria) publications in English (although we don't have a large publishing arm!), but I am not sure how these matters are discussed in Greek. From our POV, we are not "in resistance" as we are the local Church of Greece and its American Metropolis (sorry if this offends anyone in the New Calendar Church, but I am just stating the official view) so there is nothing to "resist." Walling off implies that we hold the State Church of Greece to be on equal footing, but just a separate part. I don't see any difference between walling off and being in resistance.

To break the discussion down to "Synods condemning New Calendarists as Graceless" and "those not" would be futile as well, as all the Greek Synods except the Synod in Resistance have done so, yet there have been vocal critics of this policy even within these synods (i.e. Metropolitan Petros of Astoria).

In other words, I don't quite have the answer (although I will think about it some more) but I hope I have pointed out some potential ambiguities.

[[User:Anastasios|Anastasios]] 14:53, February 20, 2006 (CST)

== Changes ==

Some changes that needed to be made:

a) Clarification of the 1995 split in Kiousis Synod: Only Euthymios of Thessaloniki was charged with moral infractions.
b) Cyprianite Ecclesiology is not widely considered heretical among Greek Old Calendarists, regardless of a 1987 Synodal Decision by the Kiousis Synod. "Cyprianite Eccelsiology" is generally found objectionable because it is seen to blurr the distinction (the boundary created by the act of breaking communion and "walling-off") between World Orthodoxy and the Old Calendar Church and mostly because it is percieved to have been articulted in order to justify divisions within the Old Calendar Church: namely the existance of the Synod in Resistance.
c) The reference to a Cyprianite priest in Georgia erased: this isn't the place for invective against individuals.

Leonidas

== Egyptian "Old Calendarists" ==

The jurisdictions, affiliations, and ordinations mentioned in this entry--and the "Holy Synod of bishops headed by Max Michel"--are all highly questionable, if not completely bogus. This jurisidiciton is not a mainstream Old Calendar jurisdiction and it is not recognized by anyone. It really doesn't have a place here, at least in this article.

In general, the Old Calendar movement is Greek as it came as a reaction to the Calendar Reforms of the 1920's in the Greek-speaking churches of Constantinople and Greece.

The Russian Church Abroad came to be associated with this movement in the 1960's as its hierarchs restored the Florenite hiearchy in 1960 after the death of Metropolitan Chrysostom of Florina. Especially under Metropolitan Philaret, the ROCA took an interest in the Greek Old Calendarists, involving itself even in the efforts for reconciliation between Florinites and Matthewites in 1972.

The ROCA and its splinter groups thus come to be included in discussions on the Old Calendar only a) in view of the above described involvement in the ecclesiastic life of the Greek Old Calendar Church and b) in regards to the movment to resist Ecumenism by abstaining from communion with the "World Orthodox" jurisdictions.

A working definition, then, of who and what should be included in this article would be those jurisdicitions which fall into the category of Greek Old Calendarist-ROCA: all those jurisdictions which trace their origins from the ROCA or from the Greek Florenites or Matthewites.

[[User:Leonidas|Leonidas]]

:Thanks for the explanation and clarifying comments, Leonidas. It's helpful for making sense of the situation. Maybe the material on Max Michel should be moved to [[Episcopi vagantes]]? — [[User:FrJohn|FrJohn]] ([http://www.orthodoxwiki.org/User_talk:FrJohn&action=edit&section=new talk])
:P. S. Just noticed we don't have a listing there - maybe that's just as well.

::Thanks very much for the note. As far as I know, Max Michel has been "ordained" by an Old Calendarist group in the States (see http://www.oldorthodox.org/synodcommunion.html ), so please advise. Does this group belong to mainstream Old Calendarists? Max has recently published on his Web site his alleged "Apostolic succession", which, as he claims, goes back to Sts Andrew and Peter through those Old Calendarist "bishops" who "ordained" him in the States ( http://www.bishopmaximus.com/articles_body.php?id=129 ). --[[User:Arbible|Arbible]] 04:44, September 18, 2006 (CDT)

:I expect that Leonidas would know if they had any regard among the mainstream Greek-American Old-Calendarists. (I don't know many Old-Claendarists, but Leonides, a personal friend, knows more about the movement as anyone I've ever met.) The claim to "apostolic succession" is a familiar trope which, in an Orthodox context, I think is almost meaningless. As I see it, we understand that apostolic succession must mean much more than a mere linear succession; it requires communion with the body of the Church. The ancient dictum "unus Christianus, nullus Christianus" (one Christian is no Christian) certainly applies to bishops, conveniently located far off and bolstered with self-aggrandizing claims to their own succession. — [[User:FrJohn|FrJohn]] ([http://www.orthodoxwiki.org/User_talk:FrJohn&action=edit&section=new talk])

User talk:HSAD

2006-09-21T03:18:16Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Olivia

2006-09-10T22:45:43Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Djuka

2006-09-04T13:43:53Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Pistevo

2006-09-03T20:02:15Z

Dcndavid: /* Copyrights */

* [[User_talk:Pistevo/Archive_05|Archive 2005]]
* [[User_talk:Pistevo/Archive_06|Archive 2006]] - contains up to May (incl.), 2006.

== G.O. N.Z. ==

Nope. Haven't heard anything about it. —[[User:ASDamick|Dcn. Andrew]] [[User_talk:ASDamick|talk]] [[Special:Randompage|random]] [[Special:Contributions/ASDamick|contribs]] 20:07, June 6, 2006 (CDT)

: I got the email now. (My email was down yesterday.) It doesn't make much sense to me, though. —[[User:ASDamick|Dcn. Andrew]] [[User_talk:ASDamick|talk]] [[Special:Randompage|random]] [[Special:Contributions/ASDamick|contribs]] 07:47, June 7, 2006 (CDT)

== Serbian Bishops in Australia ==

I'm not quite sure what needs to be changed in these succession boxes. Would you mind?
*[[Sava (Juric) of Slavonia]]
*[[Luka of Western Europe]]
—[[User:Magda|magda]] ([[User_talk:Magda|talk]]) 11:52, June 9, 2006 (CDT)

== Pelikan ==

Yes, I am almost positive that the history books were written before he became Orthodox. I believe the last book was published in 1989 and he converted in 1998. [[User:Joe Rodgers|Joe]] 2006-06-14

: Yep, this is right. The vast majority of his works were written before he came into the Church. —[[User:ASDamick|Dcn. Andrew]] [[User_talk:ASDamick|talk]] [[Special:Randompage|random]] [[Special:Contributions/ASDamick|contribs]] 20:20, June 14, 2006 (CDT)

== featured article template ==

Good subject for the featured article, but the ''featured article template'' article should link to the genuine article. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent). I'd do it but I can't. [[User:Andrew|Andrew]] 09:09, July 7, 2006 (CDT)

: I got it! —[[User:ASDamick|Dcn. Andrew]] [[User_talk:ASDamick|talk]] [[Special:Randompage|random]] [[Special:Contributions/ASDamick|contribs]] 09:16, July 7, 2006 (CDT)

== Vandalism ==

Thanks for your recent cleanup work, Pistevo! {{User:FrJohn/sig}}

== Lossky ==

Your additions to the Lossky article seemed to suggest you had a source -- would you tell me what that source is? Thanks! --[[User:Fr Lev|Fr Lev]] 14:13, August 3, 2006 (CDT)

No complaint -- just curious.--[[User:Fr Lev|Fr Lev]] 20:51, August 3, 2006 (CDT)

==Bp Thomas==
The page for the Right Reverend Bishop Thomas of Oakland and the East was edited by SBambakidis at the direct request of the Bishop. Could you please revert that page to the one preferred by the Bisop. Thank you—The preceding unsigned comment was added by [[User:Brianpartridge|Brianpartridge]] ([[User talk:Brianpartridge|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Brianpartridge|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}.
:''This issue was adequately addressed by [[User talk:ASDamick|Dcn Andrew]] on [[User talk:Brianpartridge|Talk:Brianpartridge]]. — edited by [[User:Pistevo|Pιsτévο]] ''[[User talk:Pistevo|talk]]'' ''[[User talk:Pistevo/dev/null|complaints]]'' at 07:15, August 14, 2006 (CDT)
== Lossky ==
Hey where's the sources of the criticisms on the Lossky page. The contridict his writings which state specifically that the Roman Catholic church was the one who confused essence, hypostasis and person. Where's your sources?
[[User:LoveMonkey|LoveMonkey]] 13:23, August 28, 2006 (CDT)
:This question has [[User_talk:Pistevo#Lossky|already been put forward]] by [[User:Fr_Lev|Fr Lev]], and answered on [[User_talk:Fr_Lev|his talk page]]. — edited by [[User:Pistevo|Pιsτévο]] ''[[User talk:Pistevo|talk]]'' ''[[User talk:Pistevo/dev/null|complaints]]'' at 06:40, August 29, 2006 (CDT)

You have not answered anything. Your comments amount to stating that someone else posted the comments you provided no source. I have looked into the article history and you added the criticisms section and content. You are a sysop please source your content. I would like to know where these inaccurate comments are coming from. Lossky very clear did not confuse anything and very clearly stated in the book that his comments WHERE that the word persona and Ousia where misunderstood and misused.
[[User:LoveMonkey|LoveMonkey]] 15:05, August 29, 2006 (CDT)
:''answered on [[User_talk:LoveMonkey]].'' — edited by [[User:Pistevo|Pιsτévο]] ''[[User talk:Pistevo|talk]]'' ''[[User talk:Pistevo/dev/null|complaints]]''

== Copyrights ==

Oh, I see. He copied the model copyright notice -- complete with name. These are the things that make intellectual property lawyers (like me) chuckle.

Thanks for reinstating and fixing.

—[[User:Dcndavid|Dcn. David]] [[User_talk:Dcndavid|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Dcndavid|contribs]] 13:06, September 3, 2006 (CDT)

User talk:Slymberis

2006-09-03T18:17:40Z

Dcndavid:

Pope

2006-09-03T18:17:22Z

Dcndavid: italicizing

'''Pope''' is a title of honor, meaning ''papa'' or ''father'' in Greek, given to the [[primate|primatial bishop]] of the [[Church of Alexandria]].

The title was also used historically by the pre-[[Great Schism|schism]] [[Church of Rome]] (and its modern descendent, the [[Roman Catholic Church]]) and continues to be used by the [[Oriental Orthodox]] [[Church of Alexandria (Coptic)|Coptic Orthodox Church]]. The Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria holds the title of Pope, but usually uses [[Patriarch]].

==Current popes==
*The current Orthodox Pope of Alexandria is [[Theodoros II (Choreftakis) of Alexandria|Theodoros II]].

*The current [[Church of Alexandria (Coptic)|Coptic Orthodox]] Pope of Alexandria is [[Shenouda III (Gayyid) of Alexandria|Shenouda III]].

*The current [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] Pope of Rome is [[Benedict XVI of Rome|Benedict XVI]].

[[Category:Bishops]]

User talk:Fatman2021

2006-09-03T18:16:13Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:John Bockman

2006-09-03T18:14:17Z

Dcndavid: /* Deletion of Gen. 6:1-4 */

{{welcome}}

[[User:Gabriela|Gabriela]] 22:26, August 30, 2006 (CDT)

== Deletion of Gen. 6:1-4 ==

Dear John,

Thanks for your recent contribution. I wanted to explain why I deleted it. First, the article you wrote included a copyright tag at the end attributing it to "John Johnson" and reserving all rights. If you are not "John Johnson" then you cannot reproduce his copyrighted work on OrthodoxWiki without his explicit permission.

In any event, all material submitted to OrthodoxWiki is by default made available under the GFDL and Creative Commons (Attribution-ShareAlike). This means that it can be used, edited, copied, etc.—in short, not all rights are reserved. For more information on this, please see the [[OrthodoxWiki:Copyrights|Copyright policy page]]. If material is released to the Wiki under other restrictions a suitable copyright template should be attached.

You may also want to take a look at [[Help:How_to_write_a_great_article|this page]] for a good primer on what a great OrthodoxWiki article will look like.

—[[User:Dcndavid|Dcn. David]] [[User_talk:Dcndavid|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Dcndavid|contribs]] 10:26, September 2, 2006 (CDT)
:John, I noticed your conversation with DcnDavid on his talk page. I know that he hasn't had a chance to respond yet and so I apologize for butting in. I'm not sure why he deleted your article (I noticed it recently and based on the length I figured it took you a long time). We all appreciate your contributions here. Please consider staying on and contributing more. As you probably know, much of the information we post here is subject to change and editing, I know that can be frustrating. [[User:Joe Rodgers|Joe]] 2006-09-03
::A recent conversation with [[User_talk:FrJohn#Contributed articles|Fr John]] has yielded the information that a copyright-ed article can be placed on OW. This is currently a temporary measure - these articles will be moved to OrthodoxSource (dedicated to primary source material, and material with hosting permission given - such as your Genesis article) when that site is fully launched. As such, this article has been reinstated, with a transfer template placed on it.
::I will ask, however, that you change the copyright information ASAP - it is best that I do not, particularly since it is your article; but it does need to be changed so that you have copyright (rather than a fictitious John Johnson). — edited by [[User:Pistevo|Pιsτévο]] ''[[User talk:Pistevo|talk]]'' ''[[User talk:Pistevo/dev/null|complaints]]'' at 01:48, September 3, 2006 (CDT)

:::John, I'm sorry for the miscue on your article. It appeared to me that it had been cut and pasted wholesale; I wasn't familiar enough with our own copyright policies to note that "John Johnson" was the name on the form. Please forgive me. The beauty of the Wiki is that nothing is really ever lost. All edits (even overzealous deletions) can be undone.

:::I agree with Pistevo that this your article is more appropriate for OrthodoxSource than OW.

:::I hope you'll stay and continue to contribute to OW.

::::—[[User:Dcndavid|Dcn. David]] [[User_talk:Dcndavid|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Dcndavid|contribs]] 13:14, September 3, 2006 (CDT)

User talk:Boekarest

2006-09-03T18:06:54Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Pistevo

2006-09-03T18:06:16Z

Dcndavid: Copyrights

* [[User_talk:Pistevo/Archive_05|Archive 2005]]
* [[User_talk:Pistevo/Archive_06|Archive 2006]] - contains up to May (incl.), 2006.

== G.O. N.Z. ==

Nope. Haven't heard anything about it. —[[User:ASDamick|Dcn. Andrew]] [[User_talk:ASDamick|talk]] [[Special:Randompage|random]] [[Special:Contributions/ASDamick|contribs]] 20:07, June 6, 2006 (CDT)

: I got the email now. (My email was down yesterday.) It doesn't make much sense to me, though. —[[User:ASDamick|Dcn. Andrew]] [[User_talk:ASDamick|talk]] [[Special:Randompage|random]] [[Special:Contributions/ASDamick|contribs]] 07:47, June 7, 2006 (CDT)

== Serbian Bishops in Australia ==

I'm not quite sure what needs to be changed in these succession boxes. Would you mind?
*[[Sava (Juric) of Slavonia]]
*[[Luka of Western Europe]]
—[[User:Magda|magda]] ([[User_talk:Magda|talk]]) 11:52, June 9, 2006 (CDT)

== Pelikan ==

Yes, I am almost positive that the history books were written before he became Orthodox. I believe the last book was published in 1989 and he converted in 1998. [[User:Joe Rodgers|Joe]] 2006-06-14

: Yep, this is right. The vast majority of his works were written before he came into the Church. —[[User:ASDamick|Dcn. Andrew]] [[User_talk:ASDamick|talk]] [[Special:Randompage|random]] [[Special:Contributions/ASDamick|contribs]] 20:20, June 14, 2006 (CDT)

== featured article template ==

Good subject for the featured article, but the ''featured article template'' article should link to the genuine article. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent). I'd do it but I can't. [[User:Andrew|Andrew]] 09:09, July 7, 2006 (CDT)

: I got it! —[[User:ASDamick|Dcn. Andrew]] [[User_talk:ASDamick|talk]] [[Special:Randompage|random]] [[Special:Contributions/ASDamick|contribs]] 09:16, July 7, 2006 (CDT)

== Vandalism ==

Thanks for your recent cleanup work, Pistevo! {{User:FrJohn/sig}}

== Lossky ==

Your additions to the Lossky article seemed to suggest you had a source -- would you tell me what that source is? Thanks! --[[User:Fr Lev|Fr Lev]] 14:13, August 3, 2006 (CDT)

No complaint -- just curious.--[[User:Fr Lev|Fr Lev]] 20:51, August 3, 2006 (CDT)

==Bp Thomas==
The page for the Right Reverend Bishop Thomas of Oakland and the East was edited by SBambakidis at the direct request of the Bishop. Could you please revert that page to the one preferred by the Bisop. Thank you—The preceding unsigned comment was added by [[User:Brianpartridge|Brianpartridge]] ([[User talk:Brianpartridge|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Brianpartridge|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}.
:''This issue was adequately addressed by [[User talk:ASDamick|Dcn Andrew]] on [[User talk:Brianpartridge|Talk:Brianpartridge]]. — edited by [[User:Pistevo|Pιsτévο]] ''[[User talk:Pistevo|talk]]'' ''[[User talk:Pistevo/dev/null|complaints]]'' at 07:15, August 14, 2006 (CDT)
== Lossky ==
Hey where's the sources of the criticisms on the Lossky page. The contridict his writings which state specifically that the Roman Catholic church was the one who confused essence, hypostasis and person. Where's your sources?
[[User:LoveMonkey|LoveMonkey]] 13:23, August 28, 2006 (CDT)
:This question has [[User_talk:Pistevo#Lossky|already been put forward]] by [[User:Fr_Lev|Fr Lev]], and answered on [[User_talk:Fr_Lev|his talk page]]. — edited by [[User:Pistevo|Pιsτévο]] ''[[User talk:Pistevo|talk]]'' ''[[User talk:Pistevo/dev/null|complaints]]'' at 06:40, August 29, 2006 (CDT)

You have not answered anything. Your comments amount to stating that someone else posted the comments you provided no source. I have looked into the article history and you added the criticisms section and content. You are a sysop please source your content. I would like to know where these inaccurate comments are coming from. Lossky very clear did not confuse anything and very clearly stated in the book that his comments WHERE that the word persona and Ousia where misunderstood and misused.
[[User:LoveMonkey|LoveMonkey]] 15:05, August 29, 2006 (CDT)
:''answered on [[User_talk:LoveMonkey]].'' — edited by [[User:Pistevo|Pιsτévο]] ''[[User talk:Pistevo|talk]]'' ''[[User talk:Pistevo/dev/null|complaints]]''

== Copyrights ==

HAHAHAHA! That's hilarious! He copied the model copyright notice -- complete with name. These are the things that make intellectual property lawyers (like me) chuckle.

Thanks for reinstating and fixing.

—[[User:Dcndavid|Dcn. David]] [[User_talk:Dcndavid|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Dcndavid|contribs]] 13:06, September 3, 2006 (CDT)

User talk:John Bockman

2006-09-02T15:26:05Z

Dcndavid: Deletion of Gen. 6:1-4

User talk:Lolhi

2006-08-31T01:27:29Z

Dcndavid:

User talk:Wsk

2006-08-12T04:03:46Z

Dcndavid: Royal/Holy Doors

{{welcome}} --[[User:ASDamick|{{User:ASDamick/sig}}]] 11:25, 28 May 2005 (CDT)

== Photos from Japan ==

Judging by the age you give the photos, it is likely that their copyright has long expired and they are now in the public domain. You should feel free to scan them in and upload them to the site. Thanks for your work! --[[User:ASDamick|{{User:ASDamick/sig}}]] 07:09, 6 Jun 2005 (CDT)

== Various ==

I deleted the duplicate article as you requested.

One other note is that when you did a "move" on the Sandbox, it turned the Sandbox into a redirect to the new article. Additionally, it imported the entire editing history from the Sandbox into your new article. I thought you might like to know that for future reference. In the future, you may wish to create new article projects in the userspace instead, e.g., [[User:Wsk/Article Name]], or just copy and paste the code into the new article, so that redirects and shifted editing histories don't get thrown about. --[[User:ASDamick|{{User:ASDamick/sig}}]] 19:54, 7 Jun 2005 (CDT)

== Nikolai-do pics ==

Those photos are fantastic! Thanks for procuring them. Please be sure to add an [[Help:Image licenses|image license]] for each one as is appropriate. —[[User:ASDamick|{{User:ASDamick/sig}}]] 15:49, 17 Jun 2005 (EDT)

== Bishops and links ==

You're most welcome for the help—it's the standard wiki-protocol! :)

There are a couple things to note:

*Links and article names for bishops are in the format '''Firstname (Surname) of See'''. The birthname can be noted in the article, but it's not included in the article name. Making links to as-yet-absent articles is also included here, since clicking on those links will lead a user to create an article with that name.

*Creating wiki-links which link to an article with name A yet display name B are done in the following fashion: '''<nowiki>[[Name A|Name B]]</nowiki>''' Thus, if I wanted to link to your userpage without displaying its full name, I would use '''<nowiki>[[User:Wsk|Wsk]]</nowiki>''', yielding this: [[User:Wsk|Wsk]].

Please take the time to read through the [[Help:Contents]] and the [[OrthodoxWiki:Style Manual]] for lots of tips on style and technical details. —[[User:ASDamick|{{User:ASDamick/sig}}]] 13:36, 25 Jun 2005 (EDT)

== Orthodoxy in America template ==

Great job on making all the "American Saints" on the template blue. You have some very well-researched articles. —[[User:Magda|magda]] 16:26, 30 Jul 2005 (EDT)

== Sp: Archimandrite/Archmandrite ==

I've noticed that there seems to be a consistent spelling error in a number of your articles. Just so you know, the word is spelled '''[[archimandrite]]''', not '''archmandrite'''. (This is not a personal criticism; just trying to let you know!) —[[User:ASDamick|{{User:ASDamick/sig}}]] 09:18, 8 Aug 2005 (EDT)

== St. Herman's Seminary ==

I moved the [[St. Herman's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Kodiak, Alaska)|St. Herman's]] page because the apostrophe was one of those "smart quotes" and the [[Template:Orthodoxyinamerica|Orthodoxy in America template]] (among other pages) wasn't picking up on it. Just something to look out for. [[User:Magda|{{User:Magda/sig}}]] 16:24, 13 Aug 2005 (EDT)

== Cult/occult ==

I have no idea how OrthodoxWiki got classified as being "cult/occult" by this particular web-service you mention. It may well be that the word "cult" appears in a number of articles, and so some automatic classification occurred. In any event, if you'd like to contact these folks to let them know the real state of things, feel free. —[[User:ASDamick|{{User:ASDamick/sig}}]] 08:10, 16 Aug 2005 (EDT)

::Far out wsk! Any follow-up? [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]]

:Thansk Bill for all your notes. I'm glad you're excited about OrthodoxWiki! I've been very happy about all the Japanese Orthodox stuff. I've got a friend who's moving to Japan soon (she's now Orthodox and married to a Japanese Orthodox man), and it's been a blessing to see so much about the Japanese Orthodox Church! - [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]]

==An Overdue Response==

:Hi again, I wanted to respond to your comments below. Sorry for the delay! Thanks for your support and encouragement for this project, and for talking it up. Please greet Fr. Constantine for me. He probably won't remember, but we met awhile ago. Keep up the good work, and keep thinking big for the site. We need vision! [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]] 14:11, 8 Sep 2005 (EDT)

By the way, I glad you all have started the OrthodoxWiki site, it's among the things we need to do to 'advertize' Orthodoxy. Now we need to get the word out to our people. I attend St Nicholas in Washington and have mentioned the site to a number of 'outward looking' people, but I need to do more. Bill Kosar

== Japanese Orthodox ==

Wow, great work Bill. Where do you find this stuff? [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]]
 P.S. I had the pleasure of serving with Fr. Dennis in Chicago yesterday.

== Canadian OCA Hierarchs ==

Here are a couple of links for succession boxes: [http://www.archdiocese.ca/archivesbishops.htm list of Canadian bishops] and [http://www.archdiocese.ca/archivesHistory.htm a history of the Archdiocese of Canada (OCA)]. {{User:Magda/sig}} 09:10, November 12, 2005 (CST)

== Bringing together the pages... ==

Hi Bill,

I've put [[Template:Orthodoxyinjapan]] on all the pages about Japanese Orthodoxy I could find, and also put everything together into [[:Category:Orthodoxy in Japan]]. I would be grateful if you could write a brief introduction on the category page, then I would like to submit the whole category as a featured article to showcase some of the unique information we have here on OrthodoxWiki. How does all that sound? Thanks! [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]]

P.S. It would also be wonderful, if you have a chance, if you could work on [[Timeline of Orthodoxy in Japan]]. It doesn't have to be extensive, but it would be nice to have something up. Thanks!

== Category link ==

Hi Bill, thanks for bringing this up -- I've added the category to the image. This can be done by going to the image page, clicking edit and adding <nowiki>[[Category:Japanese Orthodox Images]]</nowiki> anywhere in the text of the page. By the way, signatures use a tilde rather than a "`". Hope that helps, and thanks for your work! [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]] 12:18, December 5, 2005 (CST)

== [[:Category:Orthodoxy in Japan]] ==

Just so you know, when you add the '''<nowiki>{{orthodoxyinjapan}}</nowiki>''' template to an article, [[:Category:Orthodoxy in Japan]] automatically gets added, so there's no need to include it separately. {{User:ASDamick/sig}} 09:57, January 5, 2006 (CST)

== Uninhabited islands ==

I would propose that we take uninhabited islands off the [[:Template:Parishes of the USA|template]] altogether, and delete those pages... Sorry this comes after your work. {{User:Magda/sig}} 20:25, January 7, 2006 (CST)

Thanks for your help. {{User:Magda/sig}} 10:18, January 12, 2006 (CST)

== Parish Directory (USA) ==

Invitation to join discussion at [[Category talk:Parish Directory (USA)]]. {{User:Magda/sig}} 11:00, January 31, 2006 (CST)

== Ordain / [[Ordination]] ==

When making links, please try to link to the actual article title and not to a redirect. Articles are usually titled as nouns (ordination), rather than verbs (ordain). Some can be tricky, of course, like [[tonsure]], in which the noun and verb form are the same. {{User:ASDamick/sig}} 17:22, April 22, 2006 (CDT)

== Photos from St. Nicholas in DC ==

The photos you've uploaded recently of liturgical hardware you note as being "courtesy" of the catehdral in DC, yet you also have them listed as being copyrighted by you (that is, you own the photos). If they're yours, then the "courtesy" should probably be worded some other way (e.g. "Thanks to so-and-so for allowing this photo to be taken" or something like that). "Courtesy" in this context usually means that someone else owns the photo and is letting you use it, so if the cathedral owns those photos, then to put your own name on them for the copyright would be inaccurate. {{User:ASDamick/sig}} 15:15, May 7, 2006 (CDT)

== Edward of England ==

There are, AFAIK, only two sainted Edwards in English history, and only one was a martyr. (Edward the Confessor died peacefully.) The Sept. 3 feast is of the translation of the relics of [[Edward the Martyr]]. —[[User:ASDamick|Dcn. Andrew]] [[User_talk:ASDamick|talk]] [[Special:Randompage|random]] [[Special:Contributions/ASDamick|contribs]] 15:41, May 28, 2006 (CDT)

== 1917-18 Council article ==

Why not mention this on the article's talk page? I'm sure a collaboration is possible. —[[User:ASDamick|Dcn. Andrew]] [[User_talk:ASDamick|talk]] [[Special:Randompage|random]] [[Special:Contributions/ASDamick|contribs]] 16:48, June 11, 2006 (CDT)

I read the sandbox article, I have not problem if you replace the stub I posted with an actual article. [[User:Andrew|Andrew]] 10:20, June 12, 2006 (CDT)

== Sysop Invite ==

Dear Bill,

I'd like to invite you to become an OrthodoxWiki sysop. This doesn't require much more time or commitment than you've already demonstrated. You'd be part of our ultra-secret OrthodoxWiki Sysop email list, where we work together to battle wiki-evil and talk about various issues affecting the life of OrthodoxWiki, and once in awhile bounce around ideas about its future. Also, you'd have superpowers on the wiki, allowing you to intervene in edit wars, and otherwise better manage articles. Finally, you'd be a reference point for other users - welcoming them in the name of OrthodoxWiki, and helping folks get the hang of the OrthodoxWiki style. Let me know if you'd like to accept this mission by leaving a note on my talk page or emailing me directly. Thanks, {{User:FrJohn/sig}}

== Royal/Holy Doors ==

Hey, sorry about the rude reversion of your change to the [[Classification of Feasts]] article. I should have edited it and provided an explanation rather than just using the rollback feature. I wasn't thinking.

The proper name for the doors leading from the nave to the altar is "holy doors". The "royal doors" are actually the doors leading from the narthex to the nave. It is a popular misnomer to call the "holy doors" royal. —[[User:Dcndavid|Dcn. David]] [[User_talk:Dcndavid|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Dcndavid|contribs]] 23:03, August 11, 2006 (CDT)