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Apocatastasis

2013-05-06T23:22:34Z

Inistea: ro

{{cleanup}}

==Definition==

'''Apocatastasis''' or apokatastasis (from Greek: ἀποκατάστασις; literally, "restoration" or "return") is the teaching that everyone will, in the end, be saved. It looks toward the ultimate reconciliation of good and evil; all creatures endowed with reason, [[angel]]s and humans, will eventually come to a harmony in God's kingdom. It is based on, among other things, St. Peter's speech in Acts 3.21 ("[[Jesus Christ|Christ Jesus]] who must remain in heaven until the time of the final restoration of all things χρόνων ἀποκαταστάσεως πάντων") and St. Paul's letter to Timothy in which he says that it is God's will that all men should be saved (1 Timothy 2.4).

For [[Origen]], this explicitly included the [[devil]]. In effect, apocatastasis denies the final reality of [[hell]], and interprets all Biblical references to the "fires of hell" not as an eternal punishment, but a tool of divine teaching and correction, akin to [[purgatory]]. The implication is that hell exists to separate good from evil in the soul.

Among Catholics in the twentieth-century, this doctrine was reinvigorated especially by Hans Urs von Balthasar, who, in his book ''Dare We Hope 'That All Men Be Saved?'' (1988), expressed a qualified version of apocatastasis in which we may "hope" that all will be saved. Keeping in mind the conciliar condemnation of Origen, Orthodox theologians who tend towards universalism (the belief that all will be saved) usually argue that all may be saved.

==History==
===Origen===
St. [[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine]] wrote the following about Origen:

:"I am aware that I now have to engage in a debate, devoid of rancor, those compassionate Christians who refuse to believe that the punishment of hell will be everlasting either in the case of all those men whom the completely just Judge accounts deserving of that chastisement, or at least in the case of some of them; they hold that they are to be set free after fixed limits of time have been passed, the periods being longer or shorter in proportion to the magnitude offences. On this subject the most compassionate of all was ''Origen'' who believed that the Devil himself and his angels will be rescued from their torments and brought into the company of the holy angels, after the more severe and more lasting chastisements appropriate to their deserts. But the Church has rejected Origen's teaching, and not without good reason, on account of this opinion and a number of others...

:"Very different, however, is the error, promoted by tenderness of heart and human compassion, of those who suppose that the miseries of those condemned by that judgement will be temporal, whereas the felicity of all men, who are released after a shorter or longer period, will be everlasting. Now if this opinion is good and true, just because it is compassionate, then it will be the better and the truer the more compassionate it is. Then let the fountain of compassion be deepened and enlarged until it extends as far as the evil angels, who must be set free, although, of course, after many ages, and ages of any length that can be imagined! ...For all that, his error would manifestly surpass all errors in its perversity, its wrong-headed contradiction of the express words of God, by the same margin as, in his own estimation, his belief surpasses all other opinions in its clemency."

: — St. Augustine of Hippo, ''City of God'' 21.17 (trans. Bettenson)

===[[Clement of Alexandria]]===
===Gregory of Nyssa===
St. [[Gregory of Nyssa]] accepted the idea of apocatastasis from Origen. However, this part of St. Gregory's writings has been unequivocally rejected by the subsequent [[Church Fathers]]:

* St. Varsanofios the Great, criticizing the doctrine of apocatastasis, when asked about St. Gregory's opinion, has answered: "do not think that people, though also [[saint]]s, could completely understand all depths of God... Even if a saint speaks about such opinions, you will not find that he confirmed the words as though had the statement from above, but that they resulted from the doctrine of his former teachers, and he, trusting their knowledge of them, did not inquire of God whether it was true."{{citation}}

* St. Herman of Constantinople has also expressed a negative opinion of the doctrine, but he supposes that the works of St. Gregory have been damaged by Origenists: "those who liked that absurd idea, as if for demons and for people who will be subjected to eternal punishment, is possible to expect the discontinuance... they have taken his clean and sensible works and have added the dark and disastrous poison of Origen's nonsense."{{citation}}

* St. [[Mark of Ephesus]], after citing St. Gregory, exclaims: "Are we wrong when we do not believe those words of St. Gregory of Nyssa, considering them forgeries, or, even if they are original, to not accept as contradictory to Scripture and to the general [[dogma]]?"{{citation}}

* St. [[Maximus the Confessor]], rejecting an Origenistic interpretation of apocatastasis, considered that St. Gregory used this term "in sense of restoration of cognitive forces of the man in that condition of the correct relation to truth."{{citation}}

* St. [[Photius the Great]] has expressed the Church's general interpretation in one phrase: "that in works of St. Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, where restoration is mentioned, it is not accepted by the Church."{{citation}}

===[[Evagrius Ponticus]]===

===[[Isaac of Syria]]===

===The Church reaction to Origenism===
The anathemas of the local Council of Constantinople in 453, which is understood by most commentators to be confirmed by the [[Fifth Ecumenical Council]] in 553, posthumously [[excommunication|excommunicated]] Origen and anyone following specific points of his teachings. These anathemas condemned his protology of pre-existent souls and his eschatology of universal restoration of all things "which follows from" his protology{{ref|1}}:
*''If anyone asserts the fabulous pre-existence of souls, and shall assert the monstrous restoration which follows from it: let him be [[anathema]].'' (First anathema against Origen)
*''If anyone shall say that all reasonable beings will one day be united in one, when the hypostases as well as the numbers and the bodies shall have disappeared, and that the knowledge of the world to come will carry with it the ruin of the worlds, and the rejection of bodies as also the abolition of [all] names, and that there shall be finally an identity of the γνῶσις and of the hypostasis; moreover, that in this pretended apocatastasis, spirits only will continue to exist, as it was in the feigned pre-existence: let him be anathema.'' (Fourteenth anathema against Origen){{ref|2}}
The decisions of [[ecumenical council]]s have universal authority in the Orthodox Church. Only doctrinal definitions have the force of dogma. Local councils only have authority within specific geographic limits.

==Modern Advocates==
Known proponents of a qualified doctrine of apocatastasis within the Orthodox Church include:
*[[Nikolai Berdyaev]]
*Archpriest [[Sergius Bulgakov]]
*Pavel Evdokimov
*St [[Sophrony (Sakharov)]]
*Archimandrite [[Lazarus (Moore)]]
*Metropolitan [[Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia]]

Some prominent twentieth century non-Orthodox theologians who advocated this include:
*[http://www.ratzingerfanclub.com/Balthasar/ Hans Urs von Balthasar]
*[http://www.firstthings.com Richard John Neuhaus] - Fr. Neuhaus follows von Balthasar's position which ''rejects'' any explicit doctrine that damnation is not a possibility. For his explanation, see [http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0108/public.html FT0108].
*[http://www.cimmay.com/pdf/farrar.pdf F. W. Farrar]
*[[C. S. Lewis]] - at least, this claim is asserted in a dissertation entitled [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05292002-153921/unrestricted/etd.pdf "All Will Be Well"]

==Sources and External links==
*{{note|1}} [[Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia]], "Dare we hope for the salvation of all?" in ''The Inner Kingdom: The Collected Works,'' vol. I, (Crestwood, NY: SVS Press, 2000).
*{{note|2}} ''The Anathemas against Origen,'' Anathema I, XIV. Online at [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf214.xii.ix.html CCEL]. Access date: Dec 9, 2010.
*[[w:apocatastasis|Wikipedia article]]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01599a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia article]

==Other articles of interest==
*[http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0305/articles/dulles.html The Population of Hell] by Avery Cardinal Dulles, First Things133 (May 2003): 36-41
*[http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0108/public.html#will Will all be saved?] - Richard J. Neuhaus, ''First Things'' 115 (August/September 2001): 77-104.
*[http://www.catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=3344 The Inflated Reputation of Hans Urs von Balthasar] ''New Oxford Review'', March 2000.
*[http://www.catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=969 Is Hell Closed Up & Boarded Over?] - by David Watt, ''New Oxford Review'', Feb. 1999.
*[http://www.theuniversityconcourse.com/II,9,5-6-1997/Healy.htm On Hope, Heaven and Hell] - by Nick Jr. Healy, ''The University Concourse'', Volume II, Issue 9. May 6, 1997.
*[http://www.catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=565 Von Balthasar and Salvation] - by James T. O'Connor, ''Homiletic & Pastoral Review'', July 1989.
*[http://www.spiritualityhealth.com/newsh/items/article/item_3987.html Adventures in New Testament Greek: ''Apocatastasis''] - a poem by [[Scott Cairns]], ''Philokalia: New and Selected Poems'', Zoo Press, March 1, 2002.

[[Category:Theology]]

[[ro:Apocatastază]]

Deposition

2013-05-06T22:27:56Z

Inistea: ro

'''Deposition''' is the removal of a man from [[clergy|clerical]] office and return to the rank of [[laity|layman]]. When a cleric is deposed, he is no longer a member of the [[clergy]] and may not function in that role. Deposition is performed only by the [[bishop|episcopacy]], and it is often the [[canon law|canonical penalty]] for committing acts of immorality or disobedience.

Clerics may be deposed by means of a formal, canonical process via a [[Ecclesiastical court|spiritual court]], but they may also be deposed by more "existential" means, e.g., by [[apostasy|leaving the Church]]. In either case, any action on the part of the episcopacy is really just a recognition of the self-deposition that a man has taken upon himself by means of his actions.

Orthodox theology of [[ordination]] does not teach that an "indelible mark" is conferred as in [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]]. Rather, because the function of the clergy is only within the context of the Church community and as an extension of the authority of the [[bishop]] (or in the case of a bishop, of the whole episcopacy), when a cleric is deposed, he is really no longer a clergyman.

Deposition is distinct from [[laicization]] in that the latter is usually the result of a request by the cleric to be returned to the ranks of the laity. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably, however. In addition, ''defrocking'' is sometimes used to refer to deposition, but this is less correct, as it reflects the Roman Catholic "indelible mark" theology (and thus, since a man is always a clergyman, he may only be "defrocked," i.e., no longer permitted to serve as a priest).

Being deposed is also distinct from [[suspension]] in that it is a permanent revocation of the clerical office, while suspension means only that a cleric cannot serve for a temporary period.

[[Category:Canon Law]]
[[Category:Clergy]]

[[ro:Depunere]]

Excommunication

2013-05-06T22:13:05Z

Inistea: ro

'''Excommunication''' is the exclusion of an Orthodox Christian from the [[Eucharist]], that is from [[Communion]]. It is a form of church discipline. The act of excommunication is considered a transient action concerning a member who has done something that separates him from the church community as attempts are made of restoring the member to full communion.

The word excommunication is from the Latin, ''ex'' meaning out of, and ''communio'' or ''communicatio'' meaning communion, thus ‘exclusion from the communion’.

For serious acts, such as unrepentant [[heresy]], the church pronounces an [[anathema]] as a means of expulsion that leaves the person outside of the Church and to his own devices.

==Source==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excommunication Wikipedia: Excommunication]

==External link==
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05678a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Excommunication]

[[Category:Liturgics]]

[[ro:Excomunicare]]

Pentecostarion

2013-05-02T23:15:38Z

Inistea: interwiki

The '''Pentecostarion''' (also known as the ''Flowery Triodion'' or ''Festal Triodion'') is the service book of the Orthodox Church that provides the texts for the moveable portions of the divine services from [[Pascha]] through the feast of [[All Saints]] (the Sunday following [[Pentecost]]).

==Pascha: The Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ==
The [[Pascha]]l Troparion is sung at each of the daily services until [[Ascension]] Day. At each of the Sunday services the Easter [[canon]] and [[hymn]]s are repeated. The [[epistle]] readings are taken from the [[Acts of the Apostles]], telling of the first Christians who lived in communion with the Risen Lord, and all of the [[gospel]] readings are taken from the [[Gospel of John]].

Every day during the week of Easter, called [[Bright Week]] , the paschal services are celebrated in all their splendor. The procession is repeated daily. The doors of the sanctuary remain open. A day without end.

==Second Sunday of Pascha: St. Thomas==
The Sunday after Easter is called the [[Sunday of St. Thomas|Second Sunday]]. It is the eighth day of the Paschal celebration and the last day of Bright Week. It is called the '''Antipascha'''. This Sunday is celebrated in remembrance of the appearance of Christ to the Apostle Thomas "after eight days".

The Church reminds the faithful who have not seen Christ with their physical eyes nor touched his risen body with their physical hands, yet in the Holy Spirit have seen and touched and tasted the Word of Life, and so they believe.

==Third Sunday of Pascha: The Holy Myrrhbearing Women==
[[Image:Myrrhbearing Women.jpg|thumbnail|The Holy Myrrhbearing Women]]
The [[Sunday of Myrrh-bearing Women|third Sunday of Pascha]] is dedicated to the [[myrrhbearing women]] who cared for the body of Christ at his death and who were the first witnesses of his [[Resurrection]].

==Fourth Sunday of Pascha: The Paralytic ==
[[Image:Paralytic .jpg|thumbnail|left|The Paralytic]]
The fourth Sunday is dedicated to Christ's healing of the paralytic, from the Gospel of St John (5). The man is healed by Christ while waiting to be put down into the pool of water.

The Church reminds the faithful that through baptism in the church we, too, are healed and saved by Christ for eternal life. Thus, in the church, we are told, together with the paralytic, to sin no more that nothing worse befall you" (John 5:14).

===Wednesday of the Fourth Week after Pascha: Mid-feast of Pentecost===
Wednesday of the Fourth Week, thus the 25th day of Pascha, is called the feast of Mid-Pentecost, at which Christ, "in the middle of the feast" teaches men of his saving mission and offers to all "the waters of immortality", from the Gospel of St. John (7:14).

Again the faithful are reminded of the Master's presence and his saving promise: "If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink" (John 7:37).

There are three [[Old Testament]] readings appointed for [[Vespers]]; but, uniquely, no [[Matins]] Gospel. In some places an [[All-Night Vigil]] is celebrated for this feast, though a Vigil is not called for in the [[Typicon]]. At the [[Divine Liturgy]], the reading from the [[Epistle|Apostle]] is Acts 14:6-18, from the Gospel, John 7:14-30.

The [[icon]] of the feast depicts the young Jesus in the [[Temple]] in Jerusalem speaking with the Elders (Luke 2:46-47), the first biblical example of Jesus as teacher (rabbi). In traditional Orthodox icons of this subject, the figure of Jesus is depicted larger than those of the Elders, showing his superior spiritual status.

Mid-Pentecost has an [[Afterfeast]] of seven days with its [[apodosis]]. Throughout these eight days (including the day of the feast) [[hymn]]s of Mid-Pentecost are joined to those of the Paschal season.

==Fifth Sunday of Pascha: The Samaritan Woman ==
[[Image:Samaritan Woman.JPG|thumbnail|right|The Samaritan Woman]]
The fifth Sunday of Easter deals with the [[Photine of Samaria|woman of Samaria]] with whom Christ spoke at Jacob's Well from the Gospel of St John (4). Again the theme is the "living water" and the recognition of Jesus as God's Messiah (John 4:10-11; 25-26).

This is a reminded of new life in Christ, of drinking of the "living water," of true worship of God in the Christian messianic age "in Spirit and in Truth" (John 4:23-24). Salvation is offered to all: Jews and Gentiles, men and women, saints and sinners.

==Sixth Sunday of Pascha: The Blind Man==
[[Image:Blind Man.jpg|thumbnail|left|Healing the man blind from birth]]
The sixth Sunday commemorates the healing of the man blind from birth. The Gospel of St John(9) tells how Jesus used clay of spittle and told the man to wash in the waters of Siloam. He did so because it was the Sabbath day on which spitting, clay-making and washing were strictly forbidden. By breaking these ritual laws of the Jews, Jesus showed that he is indeed the Lord of the Sabbath, and, as such, that he is equal to God the Father Who alone, according to Jewish tradition, works on the Sabbath day in running his world.

A reminder that the Lord has anointed our eyes with his own divine hands and washed them with the waters of our baptism.
===Leavetaking of Pascha===
Pascha has its [[Leavetaking]] on the thirty-ninth day, Wednesday of the sixth week of Pascha. In some traditions, the services of the day are celebrated as on the day of Pascha itself, although the daily readings from Holy [[Scripture]] differ. After the [[Dismissal]] at the Liturgy, the paschal hymns are no longer sung, while the prayer "O Heavenly King" is not said or sung until [[Pentecost]]. The Winding Sheet ([[Epitaphios|Plaschanitsa]]) is taken from the [[altar]] and is put in its proper place.
===Ascension of Our Lord===
On the fortieth day after his passover, Jesus ascended into heaven to be glorified on the right hand of God. The [[Ascension]] of Christ is his final physical departure from this world after the resurrection. It is the formal completion of his mission in this world as the Messianic Saviour. It is his glorious return to the Father who had sent him into the world to accomplish the work that he had given him to do (John 17:4-5).

==Seventh Sunday of Pascha: Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council==
On the seventh Sunday of Pascha, we commemorate the holy God-bearing [[First_Ecumenical_Council#Commemoration|Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council]].

==Holy Pentecost==
[[Pentecost]] is the fulfillment of the Christ's mission and the beginning of the messianic age of the Kingdom of God mystically present in this world in the Church of the Messiah. The fiftieth day stands as the beginning of the era which is beyond the limitations of this world, fifty being that number which stands for eternal and heavenly fulfillment in Jewish and Christian mystical piety: seven times seven, plus one.

==Sunday of All Saints==
[[Image:All saints.jpg|thumbnail|right|All Saints]]
The Sunday following Pentecost is dedicated to All Saints, both those who are known to us, and those who are known only to God. There have been saints at all times, and they have come from every corner of the earth. They were [[Apostles]], [[Martyrs]], [[Prophet]]s, [[Hierarch]]s, [[Monastics]], and [[Righteous]], yet all were perfected by the same [[Holy Spirit]].

The descent of the Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to rise above our fallen state and to attain sainthood, thereby fulfilling God's directive to "be holy, for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44, 1 Peter 1:16, etc.). Therefore, it is fitting to commemorate All Saints on the first Sunday after Pentecost.

==Sunday of the (local church) saints==
On the second Sunday after Pentecost, churches of Slavic tradition commemorate all the saints, known and unknown, who have shone forth in their territory.

Saints of all times, and in every country are seen as the fulfillment of God's promise to redeem fallen humanity. Their example encourages us to "lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily besets us" and to "run with patience the race that is set before us" ([[Book of Hebrews|Hebrews]] 12:1).

== External links ==
*[http://www.anastasis.org.uk/pentecos.htm Portions of the Pentecostarion (Archim. Ephrem (Lash))]
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/library.htm Practical Tips on How To Build a Liturgical Library]

[[Category:Feasts]]
[[Category:Liturgics]]

[[el:Πεντηκοστάριο]]
[[fr:Pentecostaire]]
[[ro:Penticostar]]

Midnight Office

2013-05-02T23:12:42Z

Inistea: interwiki

The '''Midnight Office''' (Greek, ''Mesonyktikon''; [[Church Slavonic|Slavonic]], ''Polúnoschnitsa'') is part of the [[Daily Cycle]] of services in the Orthodox Church. The office originated as a purely [[monasticism|monastic]] devotion inspired by [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20119:62;&version=9; Psalm 118:62 (119:62 KJV)], "At midnight I arose to give thanks unto Thee for the judgments of Thy righteousness," and also by the Gospel [[parable]] of the Wise and Foolish Virgins [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025:1-13%20;&version=9; (Matthew 25:1-13)].<ref>Throughout this article, the Septuagint numbering of the Psalms is used.</ref>

The name of the Midnight Office is sometimes translated as "Nocturns," a term borrowed from the Western liturgical tradition; but it should be noted that in the West "Nocturn" refers to a division within the completely different office of Matins.

Originally, monks would rise in the middle of the night to sing praises to God. St. [[Symeon the New Theologian]] mentions Psalm 118, a significant component of the Midnight Office on weekdays, being said privately in the cells before Matins.<ref>Bishop [[Hilarion Alfeyev]], ''St. Symeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition'' (Oxford University Press, 2000), p. 79.</ref> In most places where the Daily Cycle is observed at the present time, the Midnight Office is combined with [[Matins]] and the First Hour into one of the three daily aggregates called for in the [[Typikon]].<ref>Kovalchuk, Feodor S., ''Abridged Typicon'', 2nd ed., pp 17-19, St. Tikhon's Seminary Press, South Canaan, 1985."</ref>

Concerning the Midnight Office, [[Mark of Ephesus|Saint Mark of Ephesus]] says: "The beginning of all the hymns and prayers to God is the time (''[[kairos]]'') of the midnight prayer. For, rising from sleep for it, we signify the transportation from the life of the deceit of darkness to the life which is, according to Christ, free and bright, with which we begin to worship God. For it is written, ''The people who sat in darkness saw a great light'' [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%209:2;&version=50; (Isaiah 9:2 KJV}]."<ref> ''[[Patrologia Graeca]]'' 160, 1165D [Tr. Protopresbyter [[George Dragas|George Dion. Dragas]], ''On the Priesthood and the Holy Eucharist'' (Orthodox Research Institute, Rollinsford, NH, 2004) p. 48].</ref> The general tone of the office is one of penitence, tempered by an attitude of hopeful expectation.

In the Russian tradition the Midnight Office is often preceded by Morning Prayers, or the Morning Prayers are incorporated in them, which otherwise would be said privately by the brethren in their cells. At the conclusion of the Midnight Office, just as at the end of Compline, it is traditional in many places for everyone present to venerate the [[icon]]s and [[relics]] of the saints that are present in the [[temple]] (church building).

In Greek [[Prayer Book|prayer books]], a modified form of the Midnight Office is used for [[morning prayers]] for laymen, while a modified form of [[Small Compline]] is used for [[evening prayers]].

At the present time, the Midnight Office will take one of four forms, depending upon the particular day: (a) weekdays; (b) Saturday; (c) Sunday; or (d) a unique form which is observed only on Holy Saturday as part of the Paschal Vigil. Holy Saturday is often the only time that the Midnight Office will be read in parishes.
{{Services}}
==Structure of the service==
The Midnight Office can be divided into four parts:<ref>''The Festal Menaion'' (Tr. Mother Mary and Archimandrite [[Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia|Kallistos Ware]], Faber and Faber, London, 1984), p. 74.</ref>
# '''Opening'''—The usual beginning prayers that open most Orthodox offices: a blessing by the priest and prayers by the reader, including the [[Trisagion]] and the [[Lord's Prayer]], ending with the call to worship, "O come, let us worship God our King...."
# '''First Part'''—Psalm 50 and a [[Kathisma|kathisma]] from the [[Psalter]] (see below), [[Nicene Creed]], Trisagion and Lord's Prayer followed by the [[Troparion|Troparia]] and prayers, concluding with a blessing by the Priest. During Lenten services there follows the [[Prayer of Saint Ephrem]].<ref>Normally, the Prayer of Saint Ephrem is said once, with three prostrations; but on the first day of Great Lent ([[Clean Monday]]) it is said twice, with four prostrations and twelve bows.</ref>).
# '''Second Part'''—"O come, let us worship..." and Psalms 120 and 133, followed by the Trisagion, Troparia of Repentance, an intercession and a blessing by the priest.
# '''Conclusion'''—Next follows a mutual asking of forgiveness between the priest and all of the brethren. Then the priest says a litany during which everyone slowly and quietly chants "Lord, have mercy," concluding with a final blessing by the Priest.

==Weekdays==
The distinguishing feature of the Midnight Office on weekdays is the reading of the Seventeenth Kathisma comprising Psalm 118, the longest Psalm in the Bible, in the First Part of the office. The troparia chanted in the First Part are the Troparia of the Bridegroom: "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh at midnight...", recalling the [[Parable of the Ten Virgins|Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins]] (Matthew 25:1-13). The first of these troparia is also solemnly chanted at Matins during Holy Week, from which the Matins service on these days derives its name of "Bridegroom Prayer."

==Saturday==
On Saturday, Psalm 118 is always read at Matins,<ref>Except during [[Bright Week]], when no psalms at all are read. During Bright Week the Midnight Office is replaced entirely by singing the special Paschal Hours.</ref> so here it is replaced by the Ninth Kathisma, comprising Psalms 64-69. The troparia in the First Part are different than those used on weekdays. Before the Second Part, a special Prayer of St. [[Eustratius]] is read.

==Sunday==
On Sunday, Psalm 118 is often (though not always) read at Matins, so it is not read at the Midnight Office. The psalm is normally replaced by a [[Canon]] to the [[Holy Trinity]], composed by [http://web.ukonline.co.uk/ephrem/theophan.htm St. Theophanes], according to the tone of the week in the [[Octoechos]]. Since the Sunday services, which celebrate the [[Resurrection|Resurrection of Christ]], are normally longer than the weekday services, the Midnight Office is shortened. The Nicene Creed, Troparia and prayers from the First Part, as well as the entire Second Part of the service are omitted. Instead, after the canon, special hymns to the Trinity by Saint [[Gregory of Sinai]] are chanted, followed by the Trisagion, the Lord's Prayer and the Ypakoë in the tone of the week. The Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity by Mark the Monk is read and then the mutual asking of forgiveness, Litany and dismissal.

In the Russian tradition, an [[All-Night Vigil]] is celebrated every Sunday (commencing in the evening on Saturday), and so the Midnight Office and Compline are usually omitted. In some places the Midnight Office is read on Sunday morning before the Hours and Liturgy. The Greeks do not normally celebrate an All-Night Vigil on Sunday, so they read the Midnight Office in its usual place before Matins on Sunday morning.

==Holy Saturday==
On Great and [[Holy Saturday]], the Midnight Office takes a very particular form in which it is celebrated on only this one night of the year. It is the last office found in the liturgical book that contains the services of [[Great Lent]], the Lenten [[Triodion]]. In the Russian tradition, the office is read around the [[epitaphios]], a shroud embroidered with the image of Christ prepared for burial in the [[tomb]], which has been placed on a [[catafalque]] in the center of the church. After the Opening and Psalm 50, the Canon of Great Saturday is chanted (repeated from the Matins service the night before) as a reflection upon the meaning of Christ's death and His [[Harrowing of Hell]]. During the last Ode of the Canon, the priest and deacon carry the epitaphios into the sanctuary and lay it upon the Altar, where it will remain throughout the Paschal season as a reminder of the burial cloth left in the empty Tomb (John 20:5). Then a brief litany is read and the priest says the dismissal. All lights in the church are extinguished, and everyone waits in silence and darkness for the stroke of midnight, when the [[Resurrection]] of Christ is to be proclaimed.

The practice in the [[Byzantine tradition]] is similar. The epitaphios has already been taken into the sanctuary at the Matins of Holy Saturday, so the office is sung without the movement of the body of Christ from the tomb. In contemporary practice, the litany and dismissal are replaced by the Resurrectional [[apolytikion]] in the [[second tone]], ''When Thou didst descend unto Death''.

==Notes==
<div class="references-small">
<references />
</div>

== Source ==
*[[Wikipedia:Midnight Office]]

== External links ==
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/midnightdoc.doc The Midnight Office in Word Format]
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/midnight.htm The Midnight Office for Weekdays (Reader Service)]
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/midnight2.htm The Midnight Office for Saturdays (Reader Service)]
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/midnight3.htm The Midnight Office for Sundays (Reader Service)]
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/paschal_midnightoffice.doc The Midnight Office on Pascha]

[[Category:Liturgics]]

[[el:Μεσονυκτικό]]
[[fr:Office de minuit]]
[[ro:Miezonoptica]]

Hours

2013-05-02T23:08:09Z

Inistea: interwiki

[[Image:Horologion.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Horologion, Venice 1535]]The '''Hours''' are four relatively brief prayer services of the [[Daily Cycle]] that mark the various principal hours of the day.

* '''''First Hour''''' corresponds to daybreak (6:00 a.m.).
* '''''Third Hour''''' corresponds to mid-morning (9:00 a.m.)
* '''''Sixth Hour''''' corresponds to mid-day (12:00 noon)
* '''''Ninth Hour''''' corresponds to mid-afternoon (3:00 p.m.)

These services, together with the other services of the Daily Cycle, are usually contained in a bound collection called the '''Book of Hours''', also known as the Horologion (Greek) or Chasoslov (Slavonic).

== General Structure of the Hours ==
Each of the services of the Hours shares the same general structure.
{{Services}}
*The service opens with the [[priest]]'s exclamation ''Blessed is our God ...'' and the [[Trisagion Prayers]]. (Note: this opening sequence is omitted if the service immediately follows another service.)
*Three chapters from the Psalter appointed for the particular Hour are read (First Hour: [[Psalms]] 5, 89, 100; Third Hour: Psalms 16, 24, 50; Sixth Hour: Psalms 53, 54, 90; Ninth Hour: Psalms 83, 84, 85)
*The [[troparion]] of the day is chanted.
*The [[theotokion]] and Psalm verses of the Hour are chanted.
*The Trisagion Prayers are prayed.
*The [[kontakion]] appointed for the Hour is chanted.
*The Prayer of the Hours ''Thou Who at all times and at every hour ...'' is prayed.
*The final prayer appointed for the Hour is prayed.
*The priest gives the final blessing and offers the [[Little Dismissal]]. (Note: this is omitted if another service will immediately follow.)

== Variations ==
=== Great Lent ===
*During [[Great Lent]]:
**the prayer of St. [[Ephraim the Syrian]] is prayed, followed by the Trisagion Prayers. These are inserted immediately before the final prayer.
**the Sixth Hour includes an [[Old Testament]] prophecy reading, which is included during the chanting of the theotokion and its Psalm verses.

=== Alleluia Seasons ===
*During an [[Alleluia Season]]:
**a [[Psalter#Kathismata|kathisma]] may be appointed. If so, it is read following the usual reading from the Psalter.
**the troparion of the day is replaced with troparia and [[stichera]] particular to the Hour.

=== Mesoria ===
During the [[Nativity#Nativity_fast|Nativity Fast]] and the [[Apostles' Fast]], each of the First, Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours is followed by an additional service called a [[Mesorion]] (inter-hour). The Mesorion starts immediately after the final prayer.

=== Royal Hours ===
On the eves of the feasts of [[Nativity]] and [[Theophany]] and on [[Holy_Week|Holy Friday]], the usual services of the Hours are combined and replaced by the more solemn [[Royal Hours]]. The Royal Hours include hymnography, prayers, and scripture readings related to the feasts they anticipate.

=== Paschal Hours ===
During [[Bright Week]] the Hours (as well as certain other services of the Daily Cycle) are replaced by the festive Paschal Hours. The Paschal Hours are intended to reflect the joy and celebration of Pascha. The hymnography and prayers center on Christ's victory over sin and death and our hope for salvation.

== Theological Meaning of the Hours ==

== Online Texts ==
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/1sthour.doc The First Hour]
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/3rd&6th.doc The Third & Sixth Hours]
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/9th_hour.doc The Ninth Hour]
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/paschal_hours.doc Paschal Hours]
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/paschalhours.htm Paschal Hours, for Lay use]
*[http://www.liturgica.com/html/growO4.jsp The Hours], modified for personal use, Liturgica.com
*From the [http://www.saintjonah.org/services/horologion.htm Online Reader Service Horologion] compiled by Priest John Whiteford ([[ROCOR]])
**[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/firsthour.htm First Hour]
**[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/third&sixth.htm Third and Sixth Hours]
**[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/ninthhour.htm Ninth Hour]
*[http://www.anastasis.org.uk/lesser_hours.htm The Lesser Hours], from [http://www.anastasis.org.uk/ Anastasis], the website of the Monastery of St. Andrew the First Called, Manchester, England

== Sources ==
* ''The Liturgikon: The Book of Divine Services for the Priest and Deacon'', Bishop [[Basil (Essey) of Wichita]] (ISBN 0962419001)
* [http://www.networks-now.net/litresswraoc/Services.htm Website of the St. Raphael Clergy Brotherhood of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America]
* ''The Festal Menaion'', tr. by Mother Mary and Archimandrite (now Bishop) Kallistos (St. Tikhon's Seminary Press) (ISBN 1878997009)
* ''The Pentecostarion'', tr. Holy Transfiguration Monastery (ISBN 0943405025)
* ''The Great Horologion'', Holy Transfiguration Monastery (ISBN 0943405084)

{{stub}}
[[category:Liturgics]]

[[el:Ώρες]]
[[fr:Heures]]
[[ro:Ceasurile]]

Canon

2013-05-02T23:02:04Z

Inistea: interwiki

'''''Canon[s]''''' may refer to:

*The body of '''[[canon law|canonical legislation]]''' of the Church, including those canons promulgated at the [[Ecumenical Councils]]
*The '''[[Biblical canon]]''' as an official collection of Scriptural texts
*The '''[[canon (hymn)|hymn]]''' typically found in [[Orthros]] of the [[Byzantine Rite]]
*The '''[[canon (mass)|anaphora]]''' of the [[Western Rite]] [[mass]]
*A '''[[canon (clerical title)|clerical title]]''' used in the Western Rite

{{disambig}}

[[el:Ιεροί Κανόνες]]
[[fr:Canon]]
[[ro:Canon]]

Logismoi

2013-05-02T22:59:49Z

Inistea: interwiki

'''''Logismoi''''' ({{lang-el|λογίσμοι lo-yeez-mee}}, {{lang-ru|помыслы}}) is a term used to describe assaultive or tempting thoughts.

==Logismoi in the Writing of the Fathers==
===Evagrius Ponticus===
[[Evagrius Ponticus]] (c.346-399), originally from Pontus, on the southern coast of the Black sea in what is modern-day Turkey. He served as a [[Reader|lector]] under St. [[Basil the Great]] and was made [[deacon]] and [[archdeacon]] under St. [[Gregory the Theologian]]. In order to deal with his sin, Evagrius retreated to the Egyptian desert and joined a cenobitic community. As a classically-trained scholar, Evagrius recorded the sayings of the desert monks and developed his own theological writings.

Evagrius developed a comprehensive list in 375 AD of eight evil thoughts (λογισμοι), or eight terrible temptations, from which all sinful behavior springs. This list was intended to serve a diagnostic purpose: to help readers identify the process of temptation, their own strengths and weaknesses, and the remedies available for overcoming temptation.

The eight patterns of evil thought are:
*gluttony
*fornication
*avarice
*sorrow
*discouragement
*anger
*vainglory
*and pride.

While Evagrius did not create the list from scratch, he certainly refined it. Some two centuries later in 590 AD, [[Gregory the Dialogist]] would revise this list to form the more commonly known Seven Deadly Sins, where St. Gregory the Great rolled acedia (discouragement) & tristitia (sorrow) into a newly defined sin of Sloth; Vainglory a part of Pride; and added Envy to the newly defined "Seven Deadly Sins".
===St. Hesychios the Priest ===
St. [[Hesychios the Priest]] writes the following in the [[Philokalia]]:
'If we have not attained prayer that is free from thoughts [logismoi], we have no weapon to fight with. By this prayer I mean the prayer which is ever active in the inner shrine of the soul, and which by invoking Christ scourges and sears our secret enemy'

== Logismoi in Modern Teaching ==
===Fr. Maximos of Mount Athos===
Fr. Maximos (Moschos?) of Mount Athos is quoted extensively on the subject of logismoi in Kyriakos Markides' book, Mountain of Silence. Fr. Maximos describes five stages of logismoi as detailed in the teachings of the Fathers of the Church:
* Assault - the logismoi first attacks a person's mind
* Interaction - a person opens up a dialogue with the logismoi
* Consent - a person consents to do what the logismoi urges him to do
* Defeat - a person becomes hostage to the logismoi and finds it more difficult to resist
* Passion or Obsession - the logismoi becomes an entrenched reality within the [[nous]] of a person

Fr. Maximos explains that no sin is committed until the stage of Consent, though he warns that if a person is of weak temperment, they are unlikely to be able to resist the logismoi at the Interaction stage.

Fr. Maximos teaches that the best way to combat logismoi is to be indifferent, to ignore them. He suggests that a person should pray to combat logismoi, but only when not overcome by fear.

===Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos===
[[Hierotheos (Vlachos) of Nafpaktos]] writing in Orthodox Psychotherapy says:
'When the Fathers speak of `thoughts'(logismoi), they do not mean simple thoughts, but the images and representations behind which there are always appropriate thoughts.'

Referring to an impressive list of patristic writers--including [[Hesychios the Priest]], [[Gregory of Sinai]], [[Maximus the Confessor]], [[Evagrius Ponticus]], [[Isaac the Syrian]], [[Diadochos of Photiki]], St. Thalassios, [[John Climacus]], and [[Barsanuphius of Optina]]--explains the concept of logismoi, the difference between simple thoughts and "images with thoughts," that logismoi are caused by warfare with the devil, consequences of evil thoughts, and the cure for evil thoughts.

Met. Hierotheos' project in Orthodox Psychotherapy is bound up with battling and curing evil thoughts. He outlines a preventative plan that includes "watchfulness, attentiveness, hesychia, and cutting off evil thoughts." For a person already ill with evil thoughts Met. Hierotheos outlines a program of avoiding agitation, cutting off evil thoughts, not letting thoughts persist, chasing them away by prayer, the reading of Scripture and lives of the saints, and creating good thoughts.

==Sources==
* Markides, Kyriacos C. Mountain of Silence. New York: Image, 2002.
*[[Wikipedia:Evagrius_Ponticus]]
*[http://logismoitouaaron.blogspot.com/2008/12/on-title-of-new-blog.html Logismoi], Aaron Taylor
*[[Wikipedia:Pontus]]
*'On Watchfulness and Holiness' 21, The Philokalia, Vol. I, trans. G.E.H. Palmer, et al. London: Faber, 1979, p. 165.
* [http://www.pelagia.org/htm/b02.en.orthodox_psychotherapy.03.htm#th Orthodox Psychotherapy - Logismoi], Met. Hierotheos Nafpaktos

==External Links==
* [[http://orthodoxcounselor.com/logismoi.htm]] Includes an excerpt from Markides' Mountain of Silence

[[Category:Desert Fathers]]
[[Category:Theology]]

[[fr:Logismoi]]
[[ro:Gândurile rele]]

Matins

2013-05-02T22:52:55Z

Inistea: interwiki

'''Matins''' (also spelled ''Mattins'', from the Latin, ''matutinae'', "morning"), also called '''Orthros''' (from Greek, meaning "morning", "dawn" or "day break"), is the longest and most complex of the [[Daily Cycle|daily cycle]] services. Matins is celebrated in the morning, unless it is celebrated as part of a [[All-Night Vigil|vigil]] in the evening.
{{Services}}
==General structure of Sunday Matins==
While some sections of Matins follow the eight-[[tone]] cycle, others follow the eleven-part cycle of the Resurrectional Gospels (the [[eothinon|eothina]]).

*Sunday Matins, when served apart from a [[All-Night Vigil|vigil]] opens with the Priest's exclamation "Blessed is our God..."
*The choir responds "[[Amen]]." and the Priest reads "Glory to Thee..." & the prayer "Heavenly King..."
*The [[Reader]] reads the Trisayion Prayers.
*The [[Priest]] exclaims "For Thine is"...
*The Reader reads "Lord have mercy" twelve times, "Glory. Both now." and [[Psalms]] 19 & 20.
*The Priest censes the whole Temple during the readings of Psalms 19 & 20.
*After Psalms 19 & 20 the Reader reads the [[Trisagion]] prayers.
*The Priest exclaims "For Thine is..."
*The Reader reads the Royal [[Troparia]].
*The Priest exclaims the first three petitions of the [[Litany of Fervent Supplication|Fervent Supplication]] (Have mercy upon us O God..." and then exclaims "For Thou art a Good God..." The choir responds "Amen. In the name of the Lord, Father bless." The Priest exclaims "Glory to the Holy..."
*The Reader with the fear of God exclaims "Glory to God in the highest.." (thrice), "Lord Thou shalt open my lips..." (twice) and then reads the Six Psalms (Three, Thirty-Seven, Sixty Two, Eighty Seven, Hundred and Two, and Hundred and Fourty Two.)Selected verses from each Psalm is read at the end of each Psalm. "Glory. Both now." "[[Alleluia|Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia]], Glory to Thee O God" "Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy." "Glory. Both now." is read in the middle of the Six Psalms.
*The [[Deacon]] intones the [[Great Litany]], at the end of which the Priest exclaims "For unto Thee..."
*The Choir, in the [[Tone]] of the week, chants "God is the Lord" with its appointed verses. The Resurrectional [[Troparion|Apolytikion]] follow (always twice) "Glory" that of the Saint, "Both now" the [[Theotokion]] in the Tone of the Saint's Apolyikion.
*The Deacon intones the [[Litany#Small_Litany|Small Litany]], at the end of which the Priest exclaims "For Thine is the dominion..."
*The Choir chants the [[Kathismata]] of the Tone of the week after the 1st and 2nd readings of the Psalter (the Psalter readings are not read in common practice).
*The Choir straightaway after chanting the Kathismata chants the Evlogytaria.
*The Deacon intones the Small Litany, at the end of which the Priest exclaims "For blessed is Thy name..."
*The Reader reads the Ypakoi of the Tone of the week.
*The Choir sings the Songs of Ascent of the Tone of the week, which is followed by the [[Prokeimenon]] and its verse.
*The order of the [[Gospel]] is followed: the Deacon intones "Let us pray to the Lord...", the Choir responds "Lord have mercy." The Priest exclaims "For Holy art Thou our God..." The Choir responds "Amen" and then chants "Let everything that has breath..." (thrcie). The Deacon exclaims "That we may be vouchsafed to listen..." The Choir responds "Lord have mercy." (thrice). The Deacon then exclaims "Wisdom. Arise let us listen..." and the Priest exclaims "Peace be unto all." The Priest exclaims "From the Gospel according to..." The Choir responds "Glory to Thee O Lord..." and the Deacon exclaims "Let us attend!" The Priest now reads the appointed Resurrectional Gospel (Eothinon) for the Sunday. He reads it from the right side of the Holy Alter Table. After the Gospel reading the Choir chants "Glory to Thee O Lord.."
*The Reader reads "Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ..."
*The 50th Psalm is chanted, always in the 2nd Tone.
*Then the following hymns are usually sung:
"Glory..." "Through the intercessions of the Apostles..." "Both now.." "Through the intercessions of the Theotokos..." "Have mercy on me, O God..." "Jesus having risen..."
* On Sundays of the [[Triodion]] (excluding Palm Sunday, or a Sunday on which Annunciation might fall), the following hymns are sung:
"Glory..." "The doors of repentance..." "Both now..." "Guide me in the paths of salvation..." "Have mercy on me, O God..." "When I think of the multitude of evil things I have done..."
* The Priest exclaims "O God, save thy people and bless thine inheritance..."
*The [[Canon (hymn)|Canon]] is now chanted in the following order: The Choir chants the 1st Ode of the Resurrectional Canon (Tone of the week), the Canon to the Theotokos (Tone of the week), and the Canon of the Saint of the day. They then chant the 1st [[Biblical Odes|Ode]]'s sesonal [[Katavasia]]. The 3rd Ode is chanted in the exact same manner.
*After the Katavsia of the 3rd Ode the Deacon intones the Little Litany, at the end of which the Priest exclaims "For Thou art our God..."
*The Reader reads the Saint's [[Kontakion]] and Oikos, if there is one. The Choir then chants the Kathisma "After the 3rd Ode."
*The Reader reads the following Odes of the Canon as follows: Ode 4 to Ode 8 (Resurrectional, Theotokos, Saint of day).
*The Choir immediatly begins to chant the sesonal Katavasia of Odes 4 to 6.
*The Deacon intones the Little Litany, at the end of which the Priest exclaims "For Thou art the King of Peace..."
*The Reader reads the Resurrectional Kontakion & Oikos of the Tone of the week, followed by the [[Synaxarion]] of the Day from the [[Menaion]] (see after 6th Ode of Saint's canon).
*The Choir chants the Katavasies of the 7th and 8th Odes.
*The Deacon exclaims "The Theotokos and Mother of Light..."
*The Choir sings "Higher in honour then the Cherubim..." with its verses. The 9th Ode of the Canon immediatly follows, in the exact way the 1st Ode was chanted. During the 9th Ode, the Deacon censes the Temple.
*The Deacon intones the Little Litany, at the end of which the Priest exclaims "All the choirs of angels bless Thee, and to Thee do we send up glory..."
*The Choir chants "Holy is the Lord our God". After, they chant the corresponding Exaposteilarion to the Matins Gospel.
*The Choir chants the Praises in the Tone of the week: "Let everything that has breath" and "Praise Him all His angels..."
*The Reader reads the rest of the Psalm's verses up until the verse "To do in them..."
*The Choir chants the [[Stichera]] of the Praises.
*The Choir chants "Glory" and the corresponding [[Doxasticon]] to the Matins Gospel.
*The Choir chants "Both now... Most blessed art thou, Virgin Theotokos..."
*The Choir chants the Great [[Doxology]] in the Tone of the week.
*The Choir chants if Tones 1 - 4 "Today is salvation..." and if Tones Pl. 1st - Pl. 4th "Having risen..."
*The Deacon intones the Litany of Fervent Supplication, at the end of which the Priest exclaims "For a merciful..."
*The Deacon intones the [[Litany of Completion]], at the end of which the Priest exclaims "For Thou art a good God..."
*The Priest exclaims "Peace be unto all..." and the Deacon intones "Let us bow our heads..."
*The Priest reads silently the "Prayer at the Bowing of the Heads..." and then exclaims "Thine it is to have mercy..."
*The Deacon intones "Wisdom", the Choir "Bless", the Priest "Blessed is the existing One..."
*The Reader reads the prayer "Establish Lord God..."
*The Priest exclaims "Most Holy Theotokos save us!"
*The Reader reads "More honourable..." and "Glory. Both now" "Lord have mercy" (thrice) "Holy Father bless!"
*The Priest reads the [[Dismissal]] "Glory to Thee our God... May He who has Risen from the dead, Christ our true God..."
*The Reader reads "Come let us worship..." and the 1st Hour.
*The [[Divine Liturgy]] is served.

==Matins services==

There are seven types of Matins:

===Basic forms===

*'''''Sunday Matins:''''' the longest of the regular matins services. If this service is celebrated in its entirety it can last up to three hours. It usually contains a combination of [[canon]]s taken from the [[Octoechos]], [[Menaion]], [[Triodion]], and/or [[Pentecostarion]]. As a result, in parishes, abbreviations are often made. Often, this matins is part of a vigil (particularly in Slavic practice).

*'''''Daily Matins:''''' there is no [[Gospel]].

*'''''Feast-day Matins''''' with Gospel.

===Special forms===

*'''''Lenten Matins:''''' penitential material added (hymns and prayers).

Matins services related to the [[Pascha]]l feast:

*'''''[[Christ The Bridegroom (O Nymphios)|Bridegroom Matins]]:''''' served on Great and Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday).

*'''''Great and Holy Friday Matins:''''' there are twelve Gospel lessons; [[Antiphon]]s are used (originating in a different office). The [[troparion]] sung at the 15th antiphon: ''Today is hung upon the cross...'' (Simeron krematai).

*'''''Great and Holy Saturday Matins'''''. This contains some elements of the old cathedral office: procession with [[epitaphios]], reading of three [[pericope]]s ([[Old Testament|OT]], [[epistle]], Gospel) at the end.

*'''''Paschal Matins'''''. This is celebrated from Pascha Sunday until Thomas Sunday. The six [[psalms]] and the [[Ainoi|praises]] are not part of this service.

==Sources==
*A handout given to seminarians participating in the 2004-2005 altar groups at the [[Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (Brookline, Massachusetts)|Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology]]
*''Orthros for Sunday: Resurrectional Hymns'' in the original Greek, with a new English translation by Spencer T. Kezios, [[Protopresbyter]], published by Narthex Press, 2nd edition, 1998.

==External links==
*[http://sgpm.goarch.org/ematins/matins.htm ''e''Matins Page] (PDF files) of the [[St. Gregory Palamas Monastery (Hayesville, Ohio)]]. Greek/English or English-only versions available. English translations by Fr. Seraphim Dedes.
*[http://www.goarch.org/chapel/liturgical_texts/sundayorthros/ Service of the Sunday Orthros] from the website of the [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]]
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/matins.htm Matins as a Reader Service]
*[http://pages.prodigy.net/frjohnwhiteford/dailymatins.htm Daily Matins as a Reader Service]

[[Category:Liturgics]]

[[el:Όρθρος]]
[[fr:Matines]]
[[ro:Utrenia]]

Compline

2013-05-02T22:46:43Z

Inistea: interwiki

{{cleanup|needs OrthodoxWiki formatting, not Wikipedia}}

'''Compline''' (Greek: ''Apodeipnon''; [[Church Slavonic|Slavonic]]: ''Povocherniya''; literally, "after-supper" prayer) is a service of [[prayer]]s and [[psalm]]s read after dinner and following [[Vespers]].
{{Services}}
== Origin of the English Term ==
'''Compline''' is the final church service of the day in the daily liturgical cycle, prior to going to sleep. The English word ''Compline'' is derived from the Latin ''completorium'', as Compline is the completion of the working day. The word was first used in this sense about the beginning of the 6th century by [[Benedict of Nursia|St. Benedict]] in his ''Rule'' (''Regula Benedicti''; hereafter, RB), in Chapters [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/benedict/rule2/files/rule2.html#ch16 16], [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/benedict/rule2/files/rule2.html#ch17 17], [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/benedict/rule2/files/rule2.html#ch18 18], and [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/benedict/rule2/files/rule2.html#ch42 42], and he even uses the verb ''complere'' to signify Compline: "''Omnes ergo in unum positi compleant''" ("All having assembled in one place, let them say Compline"); "''et exuentes a completorio''" ("and, after going out from Compline...") (RB, Chap. 42).

== Historical development ==
:''This section incorporates information from the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1917. References to [[psalms]] follow the numbering system of the [[Septuagint]].

The origin of Compline has given rise to considerable discussion among liturgists. In the past, general opinion (including Bäumer and Batiffol) ascribed the origin of this Hour to [[Benedict of Nursia|St. Benedict]], in the beginning of the 6th century. But Father Pargoire and, later still, A. Vandepitte oppose this opinion and seek a more ancient origin for this Hour.

A text in Callinicus (between 447 and 450), first introduced in Father Pargoire's argument, informs us that between [[Vespers]] and the [[Midnight Office]] there was celebrated in the East a canonical Hour called in this text ''prothypnia'', because it preceded the first sleep, being nothing other than what the Greeks today call ''apodeipnon'', on account of the meal it follows. However, in the thirty-seventh question of his ''Great Asketikon'' (''Long Rules''), St. [[Basil the Great]], also, speaks of an intermediate Hour between Vespers and the [[Midnight Office]]. Father Pargoire therefore disputes the assertion that St. Benedict was the originator of Compline, being rather disposed to trace its source to St. Basil.

In the article mentioned above, Father Vandepitte confirms these conclusions; nevertheless he states, in the clearest terms, that it was not in Cæsarea in 375, but in his retreat in Pontus (358-362), that Basil established Compline, which Hour did not exist prior to his time, that is, until shortly after the middle of the 4th century. Dom Plaine also traced the source of Compline back to the 4th century, finding mention of it in a passage in [[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]] and in another in [[Ambrose of Milan|St. Ambrose]], and also in [[John Cassian]]. These passages have been critically examined, and Fathers Pargoire and Vandepitte have proved that before St. Basil's time the custom of reciting Compline was unknown.

At any rate, even if these texts do not express all that Dom Plaine says they do, at least they bear witness to the private custom of saying a prayer before retiring to rest. If this was not the canonical Hour of Compline, it was certainly a preliminary step towards it.

The same writers reject the opinion of Ladeuze and Dom Besse, both of whom believe that Compline had a place in the Rule of [[Pachomius the Great|St. Pachomius]], which would mean that it originated still earlier in the 4th century.

It is not necessary to enter into this discussion, but it might be possible to conciliate these different sentiments by stating that, if it be an established fact that St. Basil instituted and organized the Hour of Compline for the East, as [[Benedict of Nursia|St. Benedict]] did for the West, there existed as early as the days of [[Cyprian|St. Cyprian]] and [[Clement of Alexandria]] the custom of reciting a prayer before sleep, in which practice we find the most remote origin of our Compline.

==Contemporary Orthodox Practice==
Compline takes two distinct forms: Small Compline and Great Compline. The two versions are quite different in length.

At Compline (whether Small or Great), a [[Canon]] to the [[Theotokos]] in the Tone of the Week will normally be read (these Canons will be found in the [[Octoechos]]). Services to [[saints]] in the [[Menaion]] that, for one reason or another, cannot be celebrated on the day assigned to them, may be chanted on the nearest convenient day at Compline. In such cases, the Canon for the Saint would be read together with the Canon to the [[Theotokos]], followed by the [[Stichera]] to the saint from [[Vespers]]. There are also particular days (such as certain [[Afterfeast|Forefeasts]], Afterfeasts, and days during the [[Pentecostarion]]) that have special Canons for Compline composed for them.

The Office always ends with a mutual asking of forgiveness. In some traditions, most notably among the Russians, Evening Prayers (i.e., Prayers Before Sleep) will be read near the end of Compline. It is an ancient custom, practiced to this day on the [[Mount Athos|Holy Mountain]] and in other monasteries, for everyone present at the end of Compline to venerate the [[Relics]] and [[Icons]] in the church, and receive the priest's blessing.

===Small Compline===
Small Compline is served on most nights of the year (i.e., those nights on which Great Compline is not served). On the eves of Sundays and feasts with [[All-Night Vigil]], Compline may be either read privately or suppressed altogether. Among the Greeks, who do not normally hold an All-Night Vigil on Saturday evenings, Compline is said as normal.

The service is composed of three Psalms (50, 69, 142), the [[Small Doxology]], the [[Nicene Creed]], the Canon followed by ''It is Truly Meet'',<ref>Certain canons will call for ''It is Truly Meet'' to be replaced by the [[Irmos]] of the Ninth [[Ode]].</ref> the [[Trisagion]], [[Troparia]] for the day, ''Lord, have mercy'' (40 times), the Prayer of the Hours, the Supplicatory Prayer of Paul the Monk, and the Prayer to Jesus Christ of Antiochus the Monk.<ref name="NtPray">Here follow the Evening Prayers in places where they are said at Compline.</ref> Then the mutual forgiveness and final blessing by the Priest. After this, there is a [[Litany]] and the veneration of Icons and Relics.

===Great Compline===
Great Compline is a penitential office which is served on the following occasions:
*Tuesday and Thursday nights of Cheesefare Week (the week before [[Great Lent]])
*Monday through Thursday nights of Great Lent <ref>Except for Wednesday of the Fifth Week. The Great Canon of Saint [[Andrew of Crete]] will have been read the evening before, and so Small Compline is appointed for that Wednesday night.</ref>
*Friday nights of Great Lent <ref>Among the Greeks, Small Compline is served on every Friday evening of Great Lent; the Russians, however, serve Great Compline on Fridays, with some modifications (see n. 7, below). On Friday night of the Fifth Week of Great Lent, the [[Akathist]] to the Theotokos is solemnly chanted, so Small Compline on that night will be either read privately or suppressed.</ref>
*Monday and Tuesday of [[Holy Week]]
*Monday through Friday during the lesser Lenten seasons: the [[Fasting|Nativity Fast]], the [[Fasting|Apostles' Fast]], and the [[Fasting|Dormition Fast]] <ref>In some places, Great Compline will only be served on the first night of each of the Lesser Fasts.</ref>
*The Eves of certain [[Great Feasts]], as a part of the All-Night Vigil:
**[[Christmas|Nativity]]
**[[Theophany]]
**[[Annunciation]]

Unlike Small Compline, Great Compline has portions of the service which are chanted by the Choir <ref>Except on Friday night, when most of these parts are read. There are also fewer prostrations on Friday night.</ref> and during Lent the [[Prayer of Saint Ephraim]] is said with prostrations. During the First Week of Great Lent, the Great Canon of Saint [[Andrew of Crete]] is divided into four portions and read on Monday through Thursday nights.

In Greek Prayer Books, a modified form of the Midnight Office is used for morning prayers for laymen, while a modified form of Small Compline is used for evening prayers.

Great Compline is composed of three sections, each beginning with the call to prayer, "O come, let us worship...":

'''First Part'''
:Psalms<ref>On Monday through Thursday of the First Week of Great Lent, we begin first with Psalm 69, followed by the appropriate section of the Great Canon (in which case, Psalm 69 will be omitted in the Third Part).</ref> 4, 6, and 12; Glory..., etc.; Psalms 24, 30, 90; then the hymn "God is With Us" and troparia, the Creed, the hymn "O Most holy Lady Theotokos", the Trisagion and Troparia of the Day, ''Lord, have mercy'' (40 times), "More honorable than the cherubim..." and the Prayer of St. [[Basil the Great]].

'''Second Part'''
:Psalms 50, 101, and the [[Prayer of Manasseh]]; the Trisagion, and Troparia of Repentance,<ref>Or, if it is the eve of a Great Feast, the [[Kontakion]] of the day.</ref> ''Lord, have mercy'' (40 times), "More honorable than the cherubim..." and the Prayer of St. Mardarius.

'''Third Part'''
:Psalms 69, 142, and the Small Doxology;<ref>On Great Feasts, the order of Great Compline ends here, and we continue the All-Night Vigil with the [[Litia]].</ref> then the Canon followed by ''It is Truly Meet'', the [[Trisagion]], the hymn "O Lord of Hosts, be with us...", ''Kyrie eleison'' (40 times), the Prayer of the Hours, "More honorable than the cherubim....", the [[Prayer of Saint Ephraim]], Trisagion, the Supplicatory Prayer of Paul the Monk, and the Prayer to Jesus Christ of Antiochus the Monk.<ref name="NtPray"/> Then the mutual forgiveness. Instead of the normal final blessing by the Priest, all prostrate themseles while the priest reads a special prayer intercessory prayer. Then the Litany and the veneration of Icons and Relics.

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

==Source==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Compline&oldid=115708041 ''Compline'' at Wikipedia]

==See also==
*[[Daily Cycle]]
*[[Horologion]]

==External links==
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/smallcompline.htm Small Compline]
*[http://www.orthodox.net/services/small-compline.html With the Evening Prayers included]
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/compline.htm Small Compline]
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/great_compline.htm Great Compline]
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/greatcompline.htm Great Compline as a reader Service]
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/greatcompline_festal.doc Great Compline when part of a Festal Vigil (Word format)]
*[http://files.oca.org/PDF/liturgicaltexts/01.January/01-06ctexts.doc Liturgical text] of Great Compline for [[Great Feasts|Great Feast]] of [[Theophany]] (Word format)

[[Category:Liturgics]]

[[el:Απόδειπνον]]
[[fr:Complies]]
[[ro:Pavecernița]]

Vespers

2013-05-02T22:17:06Z

Inistea: fr

'''Vespers''' (''εσπερινός'') is first service of the [[Daily Cycle]] of divine services celebrated in the [[Orthodox Church]]. Because the liturgical day begins at sunset, Vespers is traditionally served in the early evening. For many [[parish]]es, Vespers is the principal evening service.
{{Services}}
== General Structure of Great Vespers ==
*Immediately before Great Vespers, the Ninth Hour is read, as it is found in the Horologion, with the Apolytikia and Kontakia of the day read in their proper place. Ninth Hour's duration is 10 to 15 minutes.
*Great Vespers opens with the [[Priest]]'s exclamation ''Blessed is our God ...''
* The Reader reads "Come let us worship..." and the Proemial Psalm 103 ''Bless the Lord, O my soul ...'' is read, during which the priest quietly prays the seven prayers at the "Lighting of the Lamps."
*The [[Deacon]] intones the Great Litany, at the end of which the [[Priest]] exclaims "For unto Thee..."
*The Psalter Kathisma appointed for the day is read. On Saturday afternoon, the 1st Kathisma of the Psalter is read. Following the Kathisma, the Deacon intones the Small Litany, at the end of which the Priest exclaims "For Thine is the Dominion..."
*The Choir chants "Lord I have Cried...", in the Tone of the week if it be Saturday afternoon's Great Vespers, or in the Tone of the first Stikheron of the celebrated Saint if it be another day of the week. "Let my prayer by set forth as incense..." is chanted after, and then the verses "Set O Lord..." are chanted alternately by the right and left Choirs. On Saturday afternoon they insert the Resurrectional Stikhera beginning from the tenth to last verse "Bring my soul out of prison...". On a Saint's memory that falls on a weekday, they begin usually from the sixth to last verse, "If Thou, O Lord shouldst mark...", and sometimes from the eight to last verse, "Out of the depth have I cried unto Thee...". On Saturdays, as mentioned, 10 Stikhera are chanted, six to the Lord's [[Resurrection]] in the Tone of the week from the Octoechos, and then four to the Saint of the day from the Menaion. During the chanting of "Let my prayer be set forth...", at the point when the Choir chants "As incense..." the Deacon performs the great censing of the whole church.
*"Glory..." is chanted, followed by the Saint's Idiomelon. This is called "Doxasticon." On Saturday afternoon, there *may* be one appointed, for Saints that have a festal service there is always one appointed.
*"Both now..." is chanted, followed by the "Dogmaticon Theotokion" of the Tone of the Week, (on Saturday afternoon). For Saints that are celebrated during the weekdays, the "Dogmaticon Theotokion" in the Tone of the Saint's Doxasticon is chanted. However, on Friday afternoons *always* the "Dogmaticon Theotokion" of the previous Saturday is chanted, whether it is Daily or Great Vespers.
*During the "Dogmaticon Theotokion" the Priest blesses the [[censer]] and hands it to the Deacon. The Deacon censes the [[Altar]], and is followed by the Priest out the north door to the middle of the Temple. The Priest as he goes silently reads the prayer, "In the evening, in the morning, and at noontime...", and when the reach the point of the great chandelier, the Deacon asks the Priest to bless the entrance saying, "Bless Master the Holy Entrance...". The Priest responds by "Blessed is the Entrance of Thy Holies...". The Deacon censes from under the great chandelier the [[iconostasis]], choirs, laity, and again the iconostasis. When the Choir has finished the Dogmaticon Theotokion he faces the Royal Doors and lifts up the censer exclaiming "Wisdom! Upright!"
*The hymn "O Gladsome Light..." is read (or chanted). During the part "we praise Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, God..." the Deacon and Priest make the Entrance.
*Once "O Gladsome Light..." has been read or chanted, the Deacon immediately exclaims "The Evening Prokeimenon!" The Evening Prokeimenonis chanted. On Saturday afternoon the Prokeimenon is "The Lord is King...", chanted thrice with two verses. On weekdays it is the daily prokeimenon which can be found in the [[Horologion]]. It is chanted twice without verses, and then once with its appointed verse. For festal Saints, three [[Old Testament]] readings follow. These are read under the great chandelier by the Reader. He exclaims the title, for example "Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon..." The Deacon exclaims "Wisdom! Let us attend!"
*The Deacon intones the Litany of Fervent Supplication, at the end of which the Priest exclaims "For a merciful..."
*The evening prayer ''Vouchsafe, O Lord'' is read by the Reader.
*The Deacon intones the Litany of Completion, at the end of which the Priest exclaims, "For Thou art a good God..."
*The Priest exclaims, "Peace be unto all...", and the Deacon intones, "Let us bow our heads...".
*The Priest reads silently the "Prayer at the Bowing of the Heads..." and then exclaims "For blessed is Thy Name, and glorified is Thy Kingdom...".
*If the Saint's service is festal, the [[litia|Litya]] follows here. If no Idiomela are prescribed, (in which case, the service is not festal, and there are no readings, and at Matins, no Polyeleos, and no Gospel for the Saint), then we proceed to the Aposticha immediately. The Idiomela of the Litya are chanted with the "Glory. Both now." The Priest and Deacon exit the Sanctuary, and make a reverence to the Saint's icon. The Priest takes it in his hands, and the Deacon censes the Icon, as they make their way to the [[Narthex]]. There, when the chanting of the Idiomela has been completed, the Deacon exclaims the prayer "Save O God Thy people..." The Choir responds with "Lord have mercy..." three, forty, and three times. The usual petitions "Have mercy upon us O God..." are exclaimed, to which the Choir responds with "Lord have mercy..." three times to each. Then, the petitions, "Let us again pray for every suffering Christian soul..." and "Let us again pray that the Lord God may deliver..." are intoned. The Choir responds to each of these with "Lord have mercy..." three, forty, and three times. The Deacon exclaims "Let us again pray that He may...", to which the Choir responds with "Lord have mercy...", once. The Priest exclaims the prayer "Hearken to us O God our Saviour the hope of all..." and then exclaims "For Thou art..." The Choir responds with "Amen." The Priest "Peace be unto all...". The Choir "And with Thy spirit..." The Priest "Let us bow our heads unto the Lord..." The Choir "To Thee, O Lord..." The Priest exclaims the prayer "Master rich in mercy..." after which the Choir responds with "Amen." The Litya with its festal Idiomela, and prayers for the salvation of the world now is finished. The Deacon and Priest now process with the festal Icon back into the main church. The Choir begins to chant the "Aposticha..."
*The Aposticha are now chanted. If it be Saturday afternoon's Great Vespers, the Aposticha of the [[Resurrection]] are always chanted. If the [[Saint]] also has Aposticha (Festal Service), these are abandoned.
*"Glory" is chanted, followed by the Saint's Doxasticon, if there be one.
*"Both now" is chanted, followed by the Theotokion in the Tone of the Saint's Doxasticon. The Saint does not have a Doxasticon, then "Glory. Both now." is chanted followed by the Theotokion in the Tone of the week.
*The prayer "Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, O Master..." is read by the Reader.
*The Reader reads the Trisagion prayers.
*The Priest exclaims "For Thine is..."
The Apolytikion of the Resurrection (Tone of the week) is chanted. "Glory. Both now." and the Resurrectional Theotokion, if it be a Saturday afternoon. If it be a weekday, then the feasted Saint's Apolytikion is chanted, "Glory. Both now." and the Resurrectional Theotokion in the Tone of the Saint's Apolytikion. If a feasted Saint's memory should fall on a Sunday, then the Resurrection Apolytikion is chanted, "Glory" that of the Saint, "Both now" the Resurrectional Theotokion in the Tone of the Saint's Apolytikion.
*The Deacon intones "Wisdom", the Choir "Bless", the Priest "Blessed is the One Who Is..."
*The Reader reads the prayer "Establish Lord God..."
*The Priest exclaims "Most Holy [[Theotokos]] save us!"
*The Reader reads "More honourable..." and "Glory. Both now" "Lord have mercy" (thrice) "Holy Father bless!"
*The Priest reads the Dismissal "Glory to Thee our God... May He who has Risen from the dead, Christ our true God..."
*The Priest exclaims "Through the prayers..." and Great Vespers comes to and end.
*Small Compline is read immediately, if not, then it is read by ourselves before sleep.

== Vesperal Services ==
=== Basic Forms ===
Vespers is celebrated in three basic forms: '''Great Vespers''', '''Daily Vespers''', and '''Small Vespers'''.
*'''''Great Vespers''''' follows the order described above and is appointed to be served on Saturday nights and on the eves of all feasts ranked higher than [[Fourth Class Feasts|Fourth Class]].
*'''''Daily Vespers''''' is an abbreviated form of Great Vespers and is served on any day that Great Vespers is not appointed. Generally, Daily Vespers is served by a priest alone without the assistance of a deacon, although there is some variation in this practice. In such a case, the deacon's parts are completed by the priest. At Daily Vespers, the Small Entrance is usually omitted; there are fewer stikhera inserted in ''Lord, I have cried unto Thee''; and the Litany following the prokeimenon is abbreviated and moved to follow the apolytikion. The service ends with the [[Little Dismissal]].
*'''''Small Vespers''''' is appointed to be served only on days when there is to be an [[All-Night Vigil]]. Small Vespers is identical in form to Daily Vespers, but omits the Litany of Peace, the kathisma and the Small Litany that follows it, the Litany of Fervent Supplication, and the Prayer at the Bowing of the Heads. The litany that follows the apolytikion is also further abbreviated. It also has no more than 4 stichera at ''"Lord, I have cried"'', and unlike Great Vespers or Daily Vespers, the variable portions of Small Vespers are never combined from multiple sources (such as a double commemoration of the menaion, or a combination of the menaion with the octoechos).

=== Special Forms ===
*'''''Lenten Daily Vespers''''' is served on the weekdays of Great Lent, unless the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated. For Monday through Thursday evenings, the general Daily Vespers form is altered by the inclusion of special lenten apolytikia, prostrations, special lenten prayers, (including the prayer of St [[Ephraim the Syrian]]), and an additional Psalter reading. The final litany is omitted. On Friday nights, the lenten apolytikia are not included and the final Ektenia is retained.
*'''''Lenten Sunday Vespers''''' is served on the Sunday evenings of Great Lent. The service begins as Great Vespers. After the Small Entrance, one of two lenten Great Prokeimena is chanted and the prayer ''Vouchsafe, O Lord'' is said. The remainder of the service follows the order of Lenten Daily Vespers, with slight changes.
*'''''Forgiveness Vespers''''' is served on the evening of [[Forgiveness Sunday]] and is the first service of Great Lent. Forgiveness Vespers follows the order of Lenten Sunday Vespers but after the Great Prokeimenon the clergy exchange their bright vestments for dark and the choir begins to use distinctive lenten tones. Following the dismissal, the community celebrates the moving and beautiful rite of mutual forgiveness. See also [[Great Lent]].
*'''''Vespers of the Sunday of Orthodoxy''''' is served on the evening of the first Sunday of Great Lent ([[Sunday of Orthodoxy]]). Traditionally, this should follow the order of Sunday Lenten Vespers; however, it has become a popular custom in North America for all Orthodox parishes and missions in a particular locale to observe the Sunday of Orthodoxy at a special, joint pan-Orthodox Vespers service, concelebrated by the clergy of the various jurisdictions represented. Although the form of this joint service varies from place to place, it often includes a procession with holy icons and repeat an abbreviated form of the [[Synodicon of Orthodoxy]] adopted by the [[Seventh Ecumenical Council]]. Often a lenten fellowship meal is shared after the service.
*'''''Vespers of Holy Friday''''' (sometimes called the ''Unnailing Vespers'') follows the usual order of Great Vespers, but omits the kathisma and includes both an Epistle and Gospel reading after the Old Testament readings. During this service the clergy remove the [[corpus]] (soma) [[icon]] of Christ from the cross in the middle of the nave, wrapping it with a white cloth. The [[epitaphios]] is then placed in the tomb and venerated by the faithful.
*'''''Agape Vespers''''' is served on the evening of [[Pascha]]. It follows the order of Great Vespers. After the prokeimenon the Gospel account of the empty tomb ([[Gospel of John|John]] 20:19-25) is read. It is customary to read this [[pericope]] in many different languages, demonstrating the universal nature of the Good News of Christ's victory over sin and death. It is also customary for the [[clergy]] and the people to make a procession around the Church during the chanting of the aposticha.
*'''''Kneeling Vespers''''' is served on the evening of [[Pentecost]]. In this service the posture of kneeling—a posture of penitence that is avoided during the glorious, joyful celebration of Pascha—is reintroduced to the liturgical life of the Church. Several "kneeling prayers" are prayed by the priest while the faithful kneel.

=== All-Night Vigil ===
On the eves of [[First Class Feasts]], [[Second Class Feasts]], and certain [[Third Class Feasts]], Great Vespers may be combined with other services in an [[All-Night Vigil]].

=== Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts ===
On Wednesdays and Fridays of [[Great Lent]] and on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of [[Holy Week]], Vespers is combined with a eucharistic distribution and certain elements of the [[Divine Liturgy]] to form the [[Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts]].

=== Vesperal Divine Liturgy ===
Great Vespers is combined with the [[Divine Liturgy]] of St Basil the Great on [[Holy Week|Holy Thursday]] and [[Holy Saturday]]. This combination is also appointed to be served on the eves of the [[Nativity]] of Christ and [[Theophany]] when those feasts fall on any day other than Sunday or Monday.

According to some traditions, when the feast of the [[Annunciation]] falls on a weekday of Great Lent or during the first three days of Holy Week, the festal Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom is combined with Great Vespers on the day of the feast itself.

=== Evening Divine Liturgy ===
Since 1975 the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America|Antiochian Archdiocese]] has permitted parishes in its [[jurisdiction]] to commemorate certain important feasts that fall on days other than Sunday and Monday at an Evening [[Divine Liturgy]] served on the eve of (i.e., the night before) the feast. The Evening Divine Liturgy combines Great Vespers and the festal Divine Liturgy in a slightly different way than the traditional Vesperal Divine Liturgy. The form of the service was developed by the Archdiocese's Department of Liturgics and Translations.

The introduction of Evening Divine Liturgies has been viewed by some as a reasonable pastoral accommodation to the reality of American life—due to work and school commitments most families cannot order their schedules in such a way that readily permits attendance at weekday morning services. Others argue that the practice is an innovation that disrupts the liturgical cycle and continues a negative trend of shortening the divine services.

Some [[diocese]]s of the [[OCA]] also permit the celebration of Evening Divine Liturgies.

== Theological Meaning of Vespers ==
The Vespers service (the first service of the liturgical day) is meant to remind us of the Old Testament period, the creation of the world, the first human beings fall into sin, of their expulsion from Paradise, their repentance and prayer for salvation, the hope of mankind in accordance with the promise of God for a Saviour and ending with the fulfillment of that promise.

The service begins with the opening of the Royal Doors and the silent censing of the Altar Table and the entire sanctuary so that clouds of incense fill the depths of the sanctuary. The silent censing represents the beginning of the creation of the world. Without form and void, and the Spirit of God hovered over the original material earth, breathing upon it a life-creating power, but the creating word of God had not yet begun to resound.

The 103rd Psalm describes the creation of the world and glorifies the wisdom of God. As it is chanted, the priest goes forth from the sanctuary and completes the censing of the entire church and the faithful therein. This sacred action not only remembers the creation of the world, but of the blessed life in Paradise of the first human beings, when the Lord God Himself walked among them. The open Royal Gates signify that at that time the gates of Paradise were open for all people.

To symbolize how man was deceived by the devil and transgressed against the will of God and fell into sin, the Royal Doors are closed. Because of their fall, mankind was deprived of blessed life in Paradise. They were driven out of Paradise and the gates were closed to them. The deacon comes out from the sanctuary and stands before the closed Royal Gates, as Adam did before the sealed entrance into Paradise, and intones the Great Litany asking for peace from above, and to send down upon us "from on high" the peace of Heaven and that He save our souls.

During the chanting of these verses the deacon censes the church once more. This entire period of the divine service, beginning with the opening of the Royal Gates, through the petitions of the Great Ectenia and the chanting of the psalms, represents the miserable state of mankind to which it was subjected by the fall of our forefathers into sin. With the fall all the deprivations, pains and sufferings we experience came into our lives. We cry out to God, ''"Lord, have mercy"'' and request peace and salvation for our souls. We feel contrition that we heeded the ungodly counsel of the Devil. God is asked for the forgiveness of our sins and deliverance from troubles, and all hope in his mercy is placed in God. The censing at this time signifies the sacrifices of the Old Testament and the people's own prayers as well, which are offer to God.

The Old Testament verses of these psalms of ''"Lord, I have cried"'' are alternated with New testament hymns composed in honor of the saint or feast of the day. The last verse is called the Theotokion, or Dogmatikon, since it is sung in honor of the Mother of God, and in it is set forth the dogma on the [[incarnation]] of the Son of God from the Virgin Mary.

During the chanting of the Theotokion the Royal Gates are opened, and the Vespers Entry is made. At this time the choir chants a hymn to the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ: ''"O Gladsome Light"''. In the hymn, the Son of God is called the ''Gentle Light that comes from the Heavenly Father'', because He came to this earth not in the fullness of divine glory but in the gentle radiance of this glory. This hymn also says that only with reverent voices, and not with sinful mouths, can He be worthily exalted and the necessary glorification be accomplished. The entry reminds the faithful how the Old Testament righteous, in harmony with the promise of God that was manifest in prototypes and prophecies, expected the coming of the Saviour, and how He appeared in the world for the salvation of the human race. The censer at the entry signifies that our prayers, by the intercession of our Lord the Saviour, are offered to God like incense. It also signifies the presence of the Holy Spirit in the church. The blessing with the sign of the Cross shows that by means of the [[Cross]] of the Lord the doors into Paradise are opened again.

Christ is praised as the Light which illumines man's darkness, the Light of the world and of the Kingdom of God which shall have no evening.

At this time, the prokeimenon is chanted, and on the more important feasts there are readings selections from the Scriptures in which there is a prophecy or a prototype which relates to the event being celebrated, or in which edifying teachings are set forth, which relate to the saint commemorated that day.

Vespers ends with the reading of the prayer of St. Simeon the God-Receiver, ''"Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace''" This prayer is followed by the reading of the Trisagion and the Lord's Prayer, and the singing of the salutation of the Theotokos, ''"O Theotokos and Virgin, Rejoice!...,"'' or the troparion of the feast, and finally the thrice-chanted prayer of the Psalmist: "''Blessed be the name of the Lord from henceforth and for evermore."'' The 33rd Psalm is then chanted until the verse, ''"But they that seek the Lord shall not be deprived of any good thing."'' Then follows the priestly blessing,'' "The blessing of the Lord be upon you, through His grace and love for mankind, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages."''

The service leads to the meditation of God's word and the glorification of his love for men. It instructs and allows us to praise God for the particular events or persons whose memory is celebrated and made present to us in the Church. It prepares us for the sleep of the night and the dawn of the new day to come. On the eves of the Divine Liturgy, it begins the movement into the most perfect communion with God in the sacramental mysteries.

== Selected Online Texts ==
*[http://www.stanthonysmonastery.org/music/Index.html The Divine Music Project] 1000 pages of Byzantine Music for Vespers in English
*[http://biserica.org/Publicatii/ServiceBook/Gvespers.htm Great Vespers]—from the ''Priest's Service Book'' translated and compiled by [[Dmitri (Royster) of Dallas|Archbishop Dmitri]] ([[OCA]]).
*[http://networks-now.net/litresswraoc/SVCDaily_Vespers.htm Daily Vespers]—from the St. Raphael Clergy Brotherhood website ([[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America|Antiochian Archdiocese]])
*[http://www.spokaneorthodox.com/vespers.htm Western Rite order of Vespers]—from St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Spokane, WA ([[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America|Antiochian Archdiocese]])
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/vespers.htm Vespers as a Reader Service]

==Sources==
* ''The Liturgikon: The Book of Divine Services for the Priest and Deacon'', Bishop [[Basil (Essey) of Wichita]] (ISBN 0962419001)
* [http://www.networks-now.net/litresswraoc/Services.htm Website of the St. Raphael Clergy Brotherhood of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America]

[[Category:Liturgics]]

[[el:Εσπερινός]]
[[fr:Vêpres]]
[[ro:Vecernia]]

Book of Revelation

2013-04-30T21:21:56Z

Inistea: ro

{{cleanup}}

[[Image:PatmosV.JPG|thumb|right|Cave of the Apocalypse - View of [[Patmos]]]]
[[Image:Patmos.JPG|thumb|right|Inside the Cave of the Apocalypse]]
[[Image:JohnTheologian.JPG|thumb|right|[[John the Theologian]]]]

The '''Apocalypse of St. John''', or the '''Book of Revelation''', is the last book of the Bible, and in most traditions is believed to cover those events which surround the end of the world, and the ''Last Judgement''.

"We must have humility when approaching [[Scripture]]. Even some of the Church's greatest and most philosophically sophisticated [[saint]]s stated that some passages were difficult for them. We must therefore be prepared to admit that our interpretations may be wrong, submitting them to the judgment of the Church." —from the article on [[Hermeneutics]]
{{stub}}
==History==
According to Tradition, the Apocalypse was written by [[Saint|St.]] [[John the Theologian]], one of the Twelve [[Apostles]], while he was in exile on the island of Patmos towards the end of his life.

The book finally was accepted into the [[Canon]] after much dispute.

==Methods of interpretation==
There are a variety of ways to interpret the book of Revelation, and many of these methods overlap.

Some read the book of Revelation as entirely symbolic. This type of interpretation is often called Idealism, and "translates" the symbols found in the book as universal symbols depicting the clash between good and evil.

Others read Revelation as a book containing symbolism regarding events entirely contained in the past--in this school of interpretation, Revelation is about what has already happened, and not what will happen in the future. This is often called the Preterist (from Latin, meaning "Past") school of interpretation. In this school of thought, Revelation uses preexisting Jewish symbolism the depict and explain the immediate and pressing concerns of the author.

Still others read the book as a book of speculative prophecy, literally portraying the apocalyptic end of time in which the glorified Christ will come to earth and usher in Judgment Day. While not all people who adopt this Futurist method insist on interpreting every symbol as literally as possible, this is by far the most common interpretation in fundamentalist camps. Another method, similar in methodology, is the Historicist school, which identifies some of Revelation as occurring in the past and some as occurring in the future—often, this method applies the imagery of Revelation to major historical events, i.e., equating the plague of locusts with the spread of Islam throughout medieval Europe.

Another fairly recent and somewhat theologically liberal school of thought pays special attention to Revelation 19.10, in which an angel tells the author, "The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus Christ." In this light, some argue, Revelation is a depiction of the story of Jesus, using symbols related to Jesus and the Jewish traditions which he both followed and fulfilled. Typically, this school borrows heavily from the Preterist and Idealist schools, but sometimes from the Futurist and Historicist schools of interpretation as well.

==Literary devices==
Symbolism plays a key role in the book of Revelation, and is modeled after similar works, particularly the Book of Daniel, which seems to portray concrete events with highly-developed symbols. Portions of other Old Testament works follow this pattern, such as Ezekiel and Jeremiah. As much as 90% of Revelation's text is borrowed from previous Jewish texts, the Talmud, and is often reframed. Accordingly, most of the scenes and symbols used in Revelation utilize preexisting Jewish imagery, and often seem to represent Christian events from a Jewish perspective.

Parallel structure also plays a large part in Revelation as a work of literature. For example, the story of two witnesses in chapter 11, raised to life by the Spirit of God, strongly parallels the following story in chapter 12, in which symbols opposite the witnesses—the Dragon, specifically, and others by extension—are raised to life by an anti-spirit opposing God.

There are a number of possible explanations for both of these devices. Orthodox tradition identifies 85 AD as the time of Revelation's final creation, placing the author and his audience in a time of intense persecution under the Roman Emperor Domitian. Other scholars alternatively suggest the Neronian persecutions as the time of Revelation's creation. In either case, it appears as though Revelation was written during a historical period hostile to the message and methods of Christianity as a whole. It may be that Revelation's author both adopted his symbolic style and utilized a tightly-knit parallel structure to obscure the Christianity story enough to save it from destruction yet still communicate its central message. Only those already familiar with the Jewish symbolism from which he borrows so heavily will understand the original meanings of those symbols and comprehend the new message which he is trying to communicate.

Another alternative or additional possibility is that Revelation forces would-be Christian scholars to tackle its very intricate and complicated imagery, forcing them to delve into the Jewish history, tradition, and texts from which Christianity springs. This, too, fits the historical situation of the early Church, which moved further and further from its Jewish roots as Christianity became more and more Hellenized; no matter what school of thought one favors, a mastery of the orthodox Jewish texts is critical to a full understanding of the Revelator's message.

==Common question: ''Pre- or post-millennialism''==
The view of the Orthodox Church can best be described as "amillenialist"; that is, holding to the teaching that the thousand years mentioned in the Apocalypse refers to the current age of the Church.

==The Last Judgment==
''The Soul after Death'' by Fr. [[Seraphim Rose]] is an excellent reference for this.

==Sources==
*''Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future'', Fr. Seraphim Rose
*''The Soul after Death'', Fr. Seraphim Rose

==Additional notes on the ''Apocalypse'' from the ''American Tract Society Bible Dictionary''==
''Apocalypse'' signifies revelation, but is particularly referred to the revelations which John had in the isle of Patmos, whither he was banished by Domitian. Hence it is another name for the book of Revelation. This book belongs, in its character, to the prophetical writings, and stands in intimate relation with the prophecies of the [[Old Testament]], and more especially with the writings of the later prophets, as Ezekiel, Zechariah, and particularly Daniel, inasmuch as it is almost entirely symbolical. This circumstance has surrounded the interpretation of this book with difficulties, which no interpreter has yet been able fully to overcome. As to the author, the weight of testimony throughout all the history of the church is in favor of John, the beloved apostle. As to the time of its composition, most commentators suppose it to have been written after the destruction of Jerusalem, about A.D. 96; while others assign it an earlier date.

It is an expanded illustration of the first great promise, "The seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent." Its figures and symbols are august and impressive. It is full of prophetic grandeur, and awful in its hieroglyphics and mystic symbols: seven seals opened, seven trumpets sounded, seven vials poured out; mighty antagonists and hostile powers, full of malignity against Christianity, and for a season oppressing it, but at length defeated and annihilated; the darkened heaven, tempestuous sea, and convulsed earth fighting against them, while the issue of the long combat is the universal reign of peace and truth and righteousness-the whole scene being relieved at intervals by a choral burst of praise to God the Creator, and Christ the Redeemer and Governor. Thus its general scope is intelligible to all readers, or it could not yield either hope or comfort. It is also full of Christ. It exhibits his glory as Redeemer and Governor, and describes that deep and universal homage and praise which the "Lamb that was slain" is forever receiving before the throne. Either Christ is God, or the saints and angels are guilty of idolatry.

"To explain this book perfectly," says Bishop Newton, "is not the work of one man, or of one age; probably it never will be clearly understood till it is all fulfilled."

(The ''American Tract Society Bible Dictionary'' is a dictionary of the Holy Bible, for general use in the study of the scriptures; with engravings, maps, and tables. ''Its copyrights have expired''. Previously published in New York by the American Tract society [c1859]. Rand, W. W. (William Wilberforce), 1816-1909, ed.)

==External links==
*[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/index.php?Version=31&search=Revelation ''Revelation'' at Bible Gateway of Gospel Communications (various translations)]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Revelation Wikipedia: Book of Revelation]

[[Category:New Testament]]

[[el:Αποκάλυψις Ιωάννου]]
[[ro:Apocalipsa Sfântului Ioan Teologul]]

Galatians

2013-04-30T15:13:57Z

Inistea: ro

The '''Epistle to the Galatians''' or '''Galatians''' is the ninth book of the [[New Testament]] traditionally credited to St. [[Apostle Paul|Paul]].
{{stub}}
The letter, from the Apostle Paul, is to a number of early Christian communities in the Roman province of Galatia in central Anatolia. In the letter, Paul is mainly concerned with the controversy surrounding Gentile Christians and the application of the Mosaic Law in the very earliest days of the Christian Church.


==External links==
*[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf113.iii.iii.i.html Commentary of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, on the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Galatians] (Christian Classics Ethereal Library)
*[http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/patrology/johndamascus_galatians.htm St. John Damascene's Commentary on St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians] translated by Rev. Dr. [[George Dragas|George Dion. Dragas]]
*[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%201%20;&version=9; Galatians] at biblegateway.com
*[[w:Epistle to the Galatians|''Epistle to the Galatians'' at Wikipedia]]

[[Category:New Testament]]

[[el:Προς Γαλάτας]]
[[ro:Epistola către Galateni a Sfântului Apostol Pavel]]

Lazarus

2013-04-30T00:20:41Z

Inistea: ro

[[Image:raisingoflazarus.jpg|right|frame|The Raising of Lazarus]]
The [[righteous]] saint '''Lazarus''', also '''Lazarus the Four Days Dead''',<ref group="note">{{el icon}}: Ὁ Ἅγιος Λάζαρος ο Τετραήμερος, Επίσκοπος Κιτίου Κύπρου.</ref> or '''Lazarus of Bethany''' (latinized from the Hebrew: אלעזר, Elʿāzār, [[w:Eleazar|Eleazar]] - ''"God is my help"''<ref>William Barclay. ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=s-vdxaBmtTsC&pg=PA92 The Parables of Jesus].'' Westminster John Knox Press, 1999. pp. 92-98. ISBN 0-664-25828-X</ref>) was a friend and one of the first disciples of [[Jesus Christ]], and the first Bishop of [[Metropolis of Kition|Kition]] in [[Church of Cyprus|Cyprus]].<ref group="note">'''[[w:Kition|Kition]]''' (Ancient Greek: Κίτιον), also known by its Latin name '''Citium''', was a city-kingdom on the southern coast of Cyprus (in present-day Larnaca). It was established in the 13th century BC. On this basis, the whole island became known as '''"[[w:Kittim|Kittim]]"''' in Hebrew, including the [[Septuagint|Hebrew Bible]]. The expression ''"isles of Kittim"'', found in the Book of Jeremiah 2:10 and Ezekiel 27:6, indicates that, some centuries prior to Josephus, this designation had already become a general descriptor for the Mediterranean islands.</ref> He was [[Resurrection|resurrected]] by Jesus shortly before His [[Palm Sunday|triumphal entry]] into the city of [[Jerusalem]].

The [[Church]] commemorates his feast on [[Lazarus Saturday]],<ref name=ANASTASIS>Great Synaxaristes: {{el icon}} ''[http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3027/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ἀνάστασις τοῦ Λαζάρου].'' ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.</ref> which together with [[Palm Sunday]], hold a unique position in the church year as days of joy and triumph between the penitence of [[Great Lent]] and the mourning of [[Holy Week]].<ref>Archimandrite [[Kallistos Ware]] and Mother Mary, (Transl.). ''The Lenten Triodion.'' St. Tikhon's Seminary Press, South Canaan, Pennsylvania, 2002. p. 57. ISBN 1-878997-51-3</ref>

Lazarus is also commemorated on the fixed feast day of [[March 17]],<ref>Great Synaxaristes: {{el icon}} ''[http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/2957/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ἅγιος Λάζαρος ὁ Δίκαιος, ὁ φίλος τοῦ Χριστοῦ].'' 17 Μαρτίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.</ref><ref group="note">In the [[Synaxarion]] of Constantinople and in the Lavreotic Codex, reference is made to the "Raising of Lazarus" - the Holy and Just Lazarus, the friend of Christ. This is confirmed in the entry for [[October 17]] in the ''' ''Prologue from Ohrid'' ''', which also mentions that: ''"Lazarus's principle feasts are on '''[[March 17]]''' and '''Lazarus Saturday''' during [[Great Lent]]."'' 
:* Bishop [[Nikolai Velimirovic]]. ''[http://www.westsrbdio.org/prolog/my.html?month=October&day=17&Go.x=10&Go.y=20 October 17 - The Prologue from Ohrid].'' (Serbian Orthodox Church Diocese of Western America). Retrieved 2013-04-15.</ref> while the [[Translation (relics)|translation]] of his [[relics]] from [[Church of Cyprus|Cyprus]] to Constantinople in the year 898 AD<ref>''[http://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/10/17/102991-translation-of-the-relics-of-st-lazarus-ldquoof-the-four-days-in Translation of the relics of St Lazarus “of the Four Days in the Tomb” the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus].'' OCA - Lives of the Saints. Retrieved: 2013-04-17.</ref> is commemorated on [[October 17]].<ref>Great Synaxaristes: {{el icon}} ''[http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/903/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ἀνακομιδὴ καὶ Κατάθεσις τοῦ Λειψάνου τοῦ Ἁγίου καὶ Δικαίου Λαζάρου].'' 17 Οκτωβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.</ref><ref>Bishop [[Nikolai Velimirovic]]. ''[http://www.westsrbdio.org/prolog/my.html?month=October&day=17&Go.x=10&Go.y=20 October 17 - The Prologue from Ohrid].'' (Serbian Orthodox Church Diocese of Western America). Retrieved 2013-04-15.</ref><ref group="note">"...Under today's date is commemorated the translation of his relics from the island of Cyprus to Constantinople. This occurred when Emperor [[Leo VI the Wise|Leo the Wise]] built the Church of St. Lazarus in [[Constantinople]], and translated Lazarus's relics there in the year 890. When, after almost a thousand years, Lazarus's grave in the town of Kition on Cyprus was unearthed, a marble tablet was found with the inscription: ''"Lazarus of the Four Days, the friend of Christ."''" 
:* Bishop [[Nikolai Velimirovic]]. ''[http://www.westsrbdio.org/prolog/my.html?month=October&day=17&Go.x=10&Go.y=20 October 17 - The Prologue from Ohrid].'' (Serbian Orthodox Church Diocese of Western America). Retrieved 2013-04-15.</ref>

==The Lazarene Miracle==
According to the [[Gospel of John]], Lazarus lived in the town of Bethany (approximately two miles outside of Jerusalem in the present day West Bank) with his two sisters, [[Mary of Bethany|Mary]] and [[Martha]]. On His way to Jerusalem before the Passover, the sisters had sent word to Jesus and His [[Apostles]] that Lazarus was ill. The Lord tarried where He was, later perceiving Lazarus' death. When He arrived, Lazarus had already been in his tomb for four days. When Martha reproached Our Lord for not arriving sooner, Christ assured her that Lazarus would rise. Martha mistook this for the universal [[resurrection]] on [[Book of Revelation|Judgment Day]], to which He replied, ''"I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever believeth in me shall never die"'' (John 11:25-26, KJV).

In the presence of the mourners, the Lord ordered the stone rolled away from Lazarus' tomb and bade him to come forth. Lazarus did so, still in his grave wrappings. Jesus then called for the crowd to remove the wrappings and free him. St. John goes on to explain that even more Jews were convinced of Jesus' divinity. This event struck fear into the hearts of the Jewish leaders, so much so that they even considered putting Lazarus to death (John 12:9-11). The religious hierarchy of the Jews at this time was dominated by Sadducees, who denied the [[resurrection]]. The Raising of Lazarus represents a testimony to the resurrection - both Christ's and the universal resurrection, as well as Our Lord as victor over death.

According to the V. Rev. [[Presbyter|Fr.]] [[Thomas Hopko]], the Lazarene Miracle is the "climactic high point" of [[Gospel of John|St. John's Gospel]] and the proof of Christ's divinity. It is also the act which serves as the catalyst of the events leading to Our Lord's arrest and [[Passion]].<ref>[http://audio.ancientfaith.com/hopko/stt022lazarus_saturday_pc.mp3/ Lazarus Saturday.] ''Speaking the Truth in Love'' Podcast by Fr. [[Thomas Hopko]]. Ancient Faith Radio. 18 April 2008.</ref>

==Later Life==
===Bishop of Kition===
According to Scripture and the tradition of the Cypriot church, Lazarus was compelled to seek refuge away from Jerusalem to avoid the anger of the high priests and the pharisees, who wanted to kill him, ''...the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed in Jesus'' (John 12:10-11). Many Christians too ''... were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about. Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, and Cyprus, and Antioch ...''; just like Stephen, Lazarus would have had to leave Judea to seek refuge in another country. This location was [[Metropolis of Kition|Kition]] in [[Church of Cyprus|Cyprus]].

When [[Apostle Paul]] and [[Apostle Barnabas]] travelled to Cyprus, they ordained Lazarus as the first Bishop of Kition. This is why all episcopal thrones in Larnaca have the icon of St. Lazarus instead of Christ, which is the standard custom of the church.

Another famous tradition related to Lazarus, is the discovery of [[Mount Athos]] in 52 AD by the Theotokos. Lazarus was very close to the [[Theotokos|Virgin Mary]] and he was very grieved that he could not return to Jerusalem to visit her (he was still in fear of the Jews). The Theotokos learned of his sorrow and sent him a letter to comfort him. She asked that he might send a ship to her that she might visit him in Cyprus. With great joy, Lazarus sent a ship to the [[Holy Land]] to bring the Virgin Mary and [[John the Theologian|John]], the beloved disciple to Cyprus for a visit. However on their journey, a great storm blew them off course and carried them to the shores of Ephesus and then the ship to the shores of [[Athos]], Greece. Unaware that divine providence had brought her to this area, the Virgin Mary completely taken by the beauty of the area, prayed to her son that this could be her garden devoted to prayer to "fight the good fight of faith". Having converted, blessed and established a new Christian community from the local idolaters they set sail for Cyprus and met with Lazarus.

[[File:Lazarus Bethany.JPG|right|thumb|Tomb of Saint Lazarus in Bethany.]]
Further establishing the apostolic nature of Lazarus' appointment, was the tradition that the bishop's [[omophorion]] and [[epimanikia]] were presented to Lazarus by the Virgin Mary, who had woven it herself.<ref group="note">Such apostolic connections were central to the claims to [[autocephaly]] made by the bishops of Kition — subject to the Patriarch of Jerusalem — during the period 325–431.</ref>

Little more is known about Lazarus after Our Lord's [[Pascha|Resurrection]] and [[Ascension]], except that during his thirty years after his resurrection, he never smiled or joked except on one occasion, recorded in the [[Synaxarion]]. One day, he saw someone stealing a clay pot and he smiled saying, ''"the clay steals the clay"''.<ref name=ANASTASIS/><ref name ="Michaelides">Michaelides, M.G. ''"Saint Lazarus, The Friend Of Christ And First Bishop Of Kition."'' Larnaca, Cyprus, 1984. 
:Reprinted by Fr. Demetrios Serfes (Comp.): ''"[http://www.serfes.org/lives/stlazarus.htm St. Lazarus The Friend Of Christ And First Bishop Of Kition, Cyprus]."''</ref>

The first [[w:Tomb of Lazarus (al-Eizariya)|tomb of Lazarus in Bethany]] remains as a site for [[pilgrimage|pilgrims]] to this very day.

The second tomb on the island of Cyprus, was found in Kition sometime in 890 AD, with his relics inside, and bearing the inscription: ''"Lazarus, the Friend of Christ."''

===Church of Saint Lazarus in Larnaca and Relics===
[[File:Cyprus--Lazarus-Church.jpg|thumb|left|240px|[[w:Church of Saint Lazarus, Larnaca|Church of Saint Lazarus, Larnaca]].]]
After St. Lazarus' tomb was found in Larnaca in 890 AD, [[Leo VI the Wise|Emperor Leo VI]] of [[Byzantium]] had Lazarus' [[relics|remains]] [[translation (relics)|transferred]] to [[Constantinople]] in 898. The transfer was apostrophized by Arethas, [[w:Caesarea Maritima|Bishop of Caesarea]] (Caesarea Palestinae), and is commemorated by the [[Orthodox Church]] each year on [[October 17]].

In recompense to Larnaca, Emperor Leo had the [[w:Church of Ayios Lazaros, Larnaca|Church of St. Lazarus]] erected over Lazarus' tomb, which still exists today. The marble sarcophagus can be seen inside the church under the Holy of Holies.

[[File:St Lazarus Relics Brought to Moscow.jpg|right|thumb|St Lazarus' relics are [[Translation (relics)|translated]] to Moscow from Cyprus ([[June 11]], 2012).]]
After the [[w:Siege of Constantinople (1204)|sacking of Constantinople]] by the Franks during the [[Fourth Crusade]] in 1204, the Crusaders carried the saint's relics to Marseilles, France as part of the booty of war. From there, "later on, they disappeared and up to the present day they have not been traced."<ref name ="Michaelides"/>

In the 16th century, a Russian monk from the [[Pskov-Caves Monastery|Monastery of Pskov]] visited St. Lazarus’s tomb in Larnaca and took with him a small piece of the [[relics]]. Perhaps that piece led to the erection of the St. Lazarus chapel at the Pskov Monastery ([[w:Yelizarov Convent|Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov]]),<ref group="note">{{ru icon}} [http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BE-%D0%95%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D1%8B%D1%80%D1%8C Спасо-Елеазаровский монастырь]. Russian Wikipedia.</ref> where it is kept today.<ref>''[http://www.visitcyprus.com/media/Audio/written_form/St_Lazarus_afigisi_en.pdf St. Lazarus Church & Ecclesiastical Museum, Larnaca].'' Cyprus Tourism Organisation. p. 4. Retrieved: 2013-04-17.</ref>

On November 23, 1972, human remains in a marble sarcophagus were discovered under the altar, during renovation works in the church of [[w:Church of Ayios Lazaros, Larnaca|Church of St. Lazarus]] at Larnaka, and were identified as part of the saint's [[relics]].<ref>''[http://www.visitcyprus.com/media/Audio/written_form/St_Lazarus_afigisi_en.pdf St. Lazarus Church & Ecclesiastical Museum, Larnaca].'' Cyprus Tourism Organisation. p. 14. Retrieved: 2013-04-17.</ref><ref group="note">In 1970 a fire that broke out in [[w:Church of Ayios Lazaros, Larnaca|Church of St. Lazarus]] at Larnaka destroyed almost all of the internal furnishings of the church. Subsequent archaeological excavations and renovations led to the discovery of a portion of the saint's relics.</ref>

In June 2012 the [[Church of Cyprus]] gave a part of the [[relics|holy relics]] of St. Lazarus to a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church, led by Patriarch [[Kyrill (Gundyayev) of Moscow|Kirill of Moscow and All Russia]], after a four-day visit to Cyprus. The relics were [[Translation (relics)|translated]] to Moscow on [[June 11]], 2012, and were given to Archbishop Arseniy of Istra, who took them to the [[w:Conception Convent|Zachatievsky monastery]] (Conception Convent), where they were put up for [[veneration]].<ref>''[http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/54338.htm ST. LAZARUS' RELICS BROUGHT TO MOSCOW FROM CYPRUS].'' Pravoslavie.ru. Moscow, June 13, 2012.</ref>

==See Also==
* [[Church of Cyprus]]
* [[Lazarus Saturday]]
* [[Resurrection]]
'''Wikipedia'''
* [[w:Lazarus of Bethany|Lazarus of Bethany]]
* [[w:Tomb of Lazarus (al-Eizariya)|Tomb of Lazarus (al-Eizariya)]]
* [[w:Church of Saint Lazarus, Larnaca|Church of Saint Lazarus, Larnaca]]
* [[w:Yelizarov Convent|Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov]]
* [[w:Conception Convent|Zachatievsky monastery (Conception Convent)]]

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

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

[[Category:1st-century bishops]]
[[Category:1st-century saints]]
[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Biblical Saints]]

[[ro:Lazăr din Betania]]

Heraklas of Alexandria

2013-04-26T14:15:17Z

Inistea: ro

'''Heraklas of Alexandria''' was the thirteenth [[Bishop]] of Alexandria, serving from 232 to 248. He was the first bishop of Alexandria to be referred to as “Pope”.

==Life==
Heraklas was born about the year 180. He was a convert to Christianity with his brother Plutarch by Origen while they attended the [[Catechetical School of Alexandria]] as students. Heraklas and his brother Plutarch were among the first students of the young Origen. As the increasing number of students began to weigh on Origen’s time, he appointed Heraklas his assistant as a teacher of new students. After Origen left Alexandria for [[Caesarea]], Heraklas served as Origen’s successor as head of the Catechetical School. Heraklas was [[ordination|ordained]] a [[priest]] by the Bishop Demetrius of Alexandria. In 231, Origen, while in Caesarea, was condemned by Demetrius.

Soon, with the death of Demetrius, Heraklas succeeded as bishop of Alexandria. When Origen returned to Alexandria, Heraklas deposed and banished him. [[Dionysius of Alexandria|Dionysius]], who had succeeded Heraklas as head of the Catechetical School, noted the custom used by Heraklas who received repentant [[heretic]]s back into the Church without re[[baptism]], but only after a public examination of their conduct.

==Pope==
Historically, the title [[Pope]] has been associated with the [[see]] of Alexandria since the time of Pope Heraklas. The first known record noting the use of the title of Pope as associated with Heraklas was in a letter written by Pope Dionysius to Philemon, in which he said: ''I received this rule and ordinance from our blessed pope, Heraklas.'' This use was some three centuries before the title “Pope” was first used by John I, Bishop of Rome, who reigned from 523 to 526.

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=[[Demetrius of Alexandria|Demetrius]]|
title=[[List of Patriarchs of Alexandria|Bishop of Alexandria]]|
years=232-248|
after=[[Dionysius of Alexandria|Dionysius]]}}
{{end box}}

==Sources==
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07242a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Heraclas]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Heraclas_of_Alexandria Wikipedia: Pope Heraclas of Alexandria]

[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category:3rd-century bishops]]
[[Category: Patriarchs of Alexandria]]

[[ro:Heraclas al Alexandriei]]

Dionysius of Alexandria

2013-04-26T13:51:35Z

Inistea: ro

Our father among the [[saint]]s '''Dionysius of Alexandria''' was the Bishop of Alexandria during the middle of the third century. A [[conversion|convert]] to Christianity at a mature age, he led the [[Catechetical School of Alexandria|Alexandrian Catechetical School]] before becoming the [[bishop]] of Alexandria. He was called '''Dionysius the Great''' by [[Eusebius of Caesarea]], St. [[Basil the Great]], and others. His [[feast day]] is [[October 5]].

==Life==
Much of the information about his life comes from the extensive correspondence he maintained during his life that survived in the works of Eusebius. Dionysius was born about the year 190 in Alexandria. He was born into [[paganism|pagan]] family of wealth. He was well read. He studied indepth the traditions of the [[heretic]] before becoming a Christian at a mature age. Dionysius joined the Catechetical School of Alexandria where he became a student of [[Origen]] and [[Heraklas of Alexandria|Heraklas]]. In 232, as Heraklas became the Bishop of Alexandria, Dionysius, now a [[priest]], succeeded him as leader of the school.

In 248, Dionysius succeeded Heraklas as Bishop of Alexandria, apparently also keeping his position as head the Catechetical School. In 249, a riot against Christians arose in Alexandria, nurtured by a popular pagan prophet and poet, during which Christians were at risk from mobs. Soon, the riots became legal persecutions instituted by the new Emperor Decius. The Christians were subjected to all kinds of cruelty, tortures of all sorts, all aimed to drive the victim Christians to sacrifice to the gods. Many [[martyr]]s were made. Many also fled to the deserts. Dionysius joined those who fled, but was identified and made prisoner. News of Dionysius' capture soon became known to a party of Christians who descended on the soldiers, holding him, who took flight. Dionysius remained in the desert until the persecutions stopped in 251.

As the persecutions ended Dionysius was confronted by a request for support by Novation in his attempt to obtain the [[see]] of Rome over the newly elected Cornelius. Dionysius did not give him any support, and, indeed, asked for Novation retirement. In regard the controversies of the time concerning readmission of Christians to communion who had lapsed during the persecutions, Dionysius took the side that they should not be permanently excluded but should be remitted after due penitence and without re-[[baptism]].

Another controversy in which Dionysius took part was that concerning the issue raised by the [[Chiliasm|Millenarians]] who believed that Jesus Christ would return and establish a kingdom on Earth for 1,000 years. The belief in Chiliasm, as the belief was called, was denounced strongly by Dionysius. During the heretical debates Dionysius used language that made Jesus not as divine as the father, a position about which he quickly corrected himself. About the year 250 he further affirmed his position of the essence of [[Christ]] with the use of the title "[[Theotokos]]" for the Virgin Mary in correspondence to [[Paul of Samosata]], a title first used by Origen in 230.

Dionysius reposed on [[November 17]], 265.

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=[[Heraklas of Alexandria|Heraklas]]|
title=[[List of Patriarchs of Alexandria|Bishop of Alexandria]]|
years=248-265|
after=[[Maximus of Alexandria|Maximus]]}}
{{end box}}

==Sources==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=102880 OCA: Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria]
*[[wikipedia: Pope_Dionysius_of_Alexandria]]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05011a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Dionysius of Alexandria]
*[http://stdionysius.sca.org.nz/dionysius.html Saint Dionysius]

[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category:3rd-century bishops]]
[[Category: Saints]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]
[[Category: Patriarchs of Alexandria]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Fathers]]
[[Category:3rd-century saints]]

[[ro:Dionisie al Alexandriei]]

Octoechos

2013-04-25T21:29:15Z

Inistea: fr

'''''Octoechos''''' (from Greek '''οκτοηχο&sigmaf;''') can refer either to the eight-[[tone]] (or mode) system of Church music or to the [[liturgical books|liturgical book]] containing the weekly variable texts in each of the eight tones. St. [[John of Damascus]] is credited with the systemization of the musical forms of the Church.

In Greek usage, the ''Octoechos'' book is only the Resurrectional material for [[Sunday]] services which varies in the eight-week cycle, and thus is also called the '''''[[Anastasimatarion]]'''''. The Greek book for all seven days of the weekly material is the '''''Parakletiki'''''. In Slavic usage, the ''Octoechos'' (or ''Oktoich'') book includes the material for every day of the week, and thus is equivalent to the Greek ''Parakletiki''.

The final form of the ''Parakletiki'' was significantly influenced by the 9th century St. [[Joseph the Hymnographer]].

==See also==
* [[Church Music]]

==External links==
*[http://www.anastasis.org.uk/oktoich.htm Paraklitiki (Arch. Ephrem (Lash))]
*[http://www.st-sergius.org/services/services2.html Sunday Octoechos (Traditional English)]
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20070607205309/http://www.bright.net/~palamas/CyberPsaltiri/Contents.htm The Weekday Octoechos (St. Gregory Palamas Monastery) ]
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/library.htm Practical Tips on How To Build a Liturgical Library]
* [http://www.ourlifeinchrist.com/audio/mp3/tones_060306.mp3 The Eight Tones], a podcast from [http://www.ourlifeinchrist.com Our Life in Christ] from June 3, 2006

[[Category:Liturgics]]
[[Category:Texts]]
[[Category:Church Music]]

[[ro:Octoih]]
[[fr:Octoèque]]

Sticheron

2013-04-25T18:17:23Z

Inistea: fr

A '''sticheron''' (plural: stichera) is a type of hymn used mainly in [[Vespers]] and [[Matins]]. A ''sticherarion'' is a book containing the stichera for the morning and evening services throughout the year. Stichera are also found in the ''[[Menaion]]'' and ''[[Octoechos]]''. (This should not be confused with the [[sticharion]], which is a kind of [[vestment]].)

{{incomplete}}
==Usage==
Stichera are commonly written in cycles on particular themes or for use in particular liturgical contexts. Examples of such themes include:

*The Beatitudes
*Particular [[saint]]s ("stichera aposticha")
*The [[Resurrection]]

Examples of liturgical contexts where stichera are commonly used include:

*[[Vespers]] (the evening office)
*The [[Litia]]
*The Praises (at the end of [[Orthros]], the morning office)

Stichera are usually sung in alternation with verses from the [[Psalter|Psalms]] or other [[Holy Scripture|scriptural]] sources. In liturgical books, they are designated as having a particular tone.

Settings of stichera are frequently found in recordings of Orthodox liturgical music, some by well known composers.

[[Category:Hymnography]]

[[fr:Stichère]]
[[ro:Stihiră]]

Confession

2013-04-25T18:03:34Z

Inistea: fr

{{cleanup}}

{{spirituality}}
'''Confession''' (or '''repentance''') is one of the [[holy mysteries]] (or sacraments) in the Orthodox Church, as well as many other Christian traditions. Through it, the penitent receives the divine forgiveness of Christ for any [[sin|sins]] that are confessed. Confession is typically given to a Spiritual Father (usually a parish priest or monastic). Confession can be individual or general. The frequency of required confession (as well as whether or not general confession is permissible) can vary from [[parish]] to parish, and from [[jurisdiction]] to jurisdiction.
==Historical Development==
{{stub}}

===Confession In the Bible===

====Old Testament====

"he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong." Num. 5:7

"Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the guilt of their fathers. While they stood in their places, they read from the book of the law of the LORD their God for a fourth of the day and spent another fourth of the day in confession and worship of the LORD their God." Nehemiah 9:2-3

"And read out publicly this scroll which we send you, in the house of the LORD, on the feast day and during the days of assembly: 'Justice is with the LORD, our God; and we today are flushed with shame, we men of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem, that we, with our kings and rulers and priests and prophets, and with our fathers, have sinned in the LORD'S sight and disobeyed him. We have neither heeded the voice of the LORD, our God, nor followed the precepts which the LORD set before us.'" Baruch 1:14-18

====John the baptist====

John the baptist practiced confession

"Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River." Matthew 3:6

"And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins." Mark 1:5

====The Church====

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." James 5:16

"Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices." Acts 19:18

"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." 1 Timothy 6:12

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

==Preparing for Confession==

Reflection on the [[Ten Commandments]] is often recommended as part of an examination of conscience.

===See also:===

*[http://www.orthodox.net/articles/confession-and-communion.html The relationship between Confession and Communion]

==Frequency of Confession==

==Confidentiality==
:''The secrecy of the Mystery of [[Penance]] is considered an unquestionable rule in the entire Orthodox Church. Theologically, the need to maintain the secrecy of confession comes from the fact that the priest is only a witness before God. One could not expect a sincere and complete confession if the penitent has doubts regarding the practice of confidentiality. Betrayal of the secrecy of confession will lead to canonical punishment of the priest.''

:''St. [[Nicodemus the Hagiorite]] exhorts the Spiritual Father to keep confessions confidential, even under strong constraining influence. The author of the Pedalion (the Rudder), states that a priest who betrays the secrecy of confession is to be deposed. The Metropolitan of Kos, Emanuel, mentions in his handbook (Exomologeteke) for confessors that the secrecy of confession is a principle without exception.''
::From the [http://aggreen.net/guidelines/guide03.html ''Guidelines for Clergy'' (Orthodox Church in America)]

==General Confession==

===Sources===
* [http://www.schmemann.org/byhim/confessionandcommunion.html Confession and Communion] - by Protopresbyter [[Alexander Schmemann]](Accepted and Approved by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, February 17, 1972)
* [http://www.schmemann.org/byhim/reflectionsonconfession.html Some reflections on Confession] - by Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann (Paper discussed at the Alumni Retreat, St. Andrew’s Camp, June 20-22, 1961)

==Jurisdictional Resources==

===Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese===
*[http://www.antiochian.org/1101907399 Parish Handbook for Confession] - Fr. Isaac Henke

===Greek Orthodox Resources===
*[http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8493.asp Repentance and Confession] - An introduction by John Chryssavgis
*[http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8476.asp Preparation for Holy Confession] - from the Greek Orthodox Department of Religious Education
*[http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article7074.asp Young People and Confession] by Fr. Milton Efthimiou
*[http://www.goarch.org/en/multimedia/video/ GOARCH Multimedia - Sacraments Series - The Sacrament of Penance] - in RealMedia format

*[http://home.it.net.au/~jgrapsas/pages/Communion.htm Preparing to Receive Holy Communion] - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia

===Orthodox Church in America===
*[http://www.oca.org/OCchapter.asp?SID=2&ID=54 Penance] - in ''The Orthodox Faith'' by Fr. [[Thomas Hopko]]

===Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCOR)===
*[http://www.roca.org/OA/151/151m.htm Church Rules for Confession and Holy Communion] - by Priest Gregory Naumenko, in ''Orthodox America''
*[http://www.roca.org/OA/87/87b.htm How to Make a Confession] in ''Orthodox America''
*[http://www.orthodox.net/confess/index.html The Sacrament Of Confession] - from St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Dallas Texas (ROCOR)

==Other Resources==
*''Confession with Examination of Conscience and Common Prayers'' compiled and annotated by Paul N. Harrilchak (Reston, VA: Holy Trinity Church (OCA), 1996) ISBN 0930055012 (cloth) / ISBN 0930055020 (pbk.)

*[http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/pr_confession.aspx Articles on Confession] from OrthodoxInfo.com
*[http://tmatt.gospelcom.net/tmatt/freelance/mercy.html The Mercy Of Confession] by Terry Mattingly. publised in ''Again Magazine'' (2000)
*[http://southern-orthodoxy.blogspot.com/2007/02/confession-time-space-age.html Confession: Time, Space & Age] by Fr. Joseph Huneycutt

==In Literature==
*[http://www.eldritchpress.org/ac/inpassionwk.htm In Passion Week] - by Anton Chekhov
*[http://www.fomacenter.ru/english/index.php?issue=5&section=48&article=586 A Siberian Grandmother on Confession] in ''FOMA: An Orthodox Christian Journal for Doubting Thomases''

==External Links==
*[http://web.ukonline.co.uk/ephrem/canon_for_confession.htm CANON OF SUPPLICATION TO THE MOST HOLY MOTHER OF GOD AT THE CONFESSION OF A SINNER]. (Canon in preparation for Confession is to be found in the Greek ''Great Euchologion'')

[[Category:Sacraments]]

[[el:Μυστήριο της Μετανοίας]]
[[fr:Confession]]
[[ro:Spovedania]]
[[ru:Исповедь]]

Prosphora

2013-04-25T17:50:19Z

Inistea: fr

[[Image:Prosphora.jpg|thumb|Slavic-style prosphora]]
'''Prosphora''' (Greek for "offering") is bread prepared for use in the [[Divine Liturgy]]. A portion of it, known as the ''lamb'' (or ''amnon'') is cut out during the [[proskomedia]] which is consecrated during the Divine Liturgy to be the [[Eucharist]], while the rest is cut up for the [[antidoron]], the blessed bread distributed at the end of the liturgy.

During its preparation, prosphora is stamped with an image usually including '''IC XC NIKA''' ("Jesus Christ conquers"), which is maintained during baking and then serves as a guide for cutting out the lamb during the proskomedia. Prosphora can vary in size and stamp in different traditions. Generally, the Slavic traditions use smaller prosphora with a simpler stamp, while the Byzantine ones use larger ones with a more complex stamp.

==See also==
*[[Eucharist]]

==External links==
*[http://www.prosphora.org Prosphora.org], a useful site full of recipes and lore, maintained by Fr. George Aquaro of the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America|Antiochian Archdiocese]]: "The only place on the World Wide Web devoted exclusively to Orthodox Christian Holy Bread."
*[http://oca.org/QA.asp?ID=108&SID=3 Leavened Bread vs. Unleavened] from the [[OCA]] website

[[Category:Liturgical objects]]

[[el:Πρόσφορο]]
[[fr:Prosphore]]
[[ro:Prescură]]

Martin the Confessor

2013-04-14T17:02:28Z

Inistea: ro

Our father among the [[saint]]s '''Martin the [[Confessor]]''', [[Pope]] of Rome, was a valiant defender of the [[Church of Rome|Roman Church]] who suffered greatly in order to preserve the divinity of [[Christ]] against the [[Monothelitism|Monothelite]] [[heresy]] during the seventh century. He was the last Pope of Rome to be [[martyr]]ed. He is [[veneration|venerated]] in the East on [[April 13]] ([[GOARCH]]) or [[April 14]] ([[OCA]]) (November 12 in the West).

==Life==
Born in Tuscany, St. Martin was educated with Church doctrine and joined the [[clergy]] of the Church of Rome. As a [[priest]] Fr. Martin represented the [[See]] of Rome in Constantinople. After the death of Pope Theodore I in 649, Martin was chosen to succeed him. He appointed John, [[bishop]] of Philadelphia (Amman) to be Administrator of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem after the death of Patriarch Sophronius, who had died in 638. Martin, as Pope, justified this appointment "by the apostolic power which came to him from Jesus Christ through St. Peter."

During his papacy, the [[Monothelitism|Monothelite]] [[heresy]] began to question Church doctrine. The heresy advanced the teaching that Christ had two natures but one will, contrary to the Orthodox position that he had two wills - human and divine. The heretics were able to find adherents in high levels of society, such as Emperor [[Constans II|Constans]] (641–668) and [[Patriarch]] [[Paul II of Constantinople|Paul of Constantinople]] (641–654). Emperor Constans even published a book entitled "Pattern of Faith" that all people were forced to read. The book supported the heresy. When St. Martin read the book, he staunchly supported Orthodoxy and even convened the [[Lateran Council]] at Rome in order to condemn the Monothelite heresy.

When the emperor learned this, he sent a military commander to kill the pope. Since the commander was too scared to assassinate the pope himself, he hired someone to perform the deed. The hired assassin became blinded upon approaching St. Martin and was unable to kill him. The military commander fled from Rome in fear and soon died in battle.

The emperor continued his pursuit to eliminate the saint by hiring another military commander to accuse him of heresy. Unable to dethrone the pope on these claims, the commander resorted to capturing St. Martin at night and bringing him to the island of Naxos in the Aegean Sea in the year 654. During the course of a year on this small, scarcely populated island, St. Martin was starved and abused by prison guards.

The saint was brought to trial, weak and ill from the abuses he endured in prison, and stood against false witnesses who claimed he was treasonous to another group of peoples. The judge condemned the saint without hearing his defense. Unable to bare the tortures anymore, the saint said, "The Lord knows what a great kindness you would show me if you would deliver me quickly over to death." Many believed the false witnesses and jeered him as he was brought to prison, while those who believed the saint were not able to bear seeing him so humiliated and fled in tears. The saint was to be deposed from his rank and executed.

When Emperor Constans reported this to Patriarch Paul, the patriarch realized the faults of his ways and ordered for the torments to stop. St. Martin boldly declined the patriarch's request, not wanting to adhere to the [[Church of Constantinople]] since it was still under heretical doctrine. His death sentence to exile was carried out at Cherson in the Crimea. Saint Martin died due to hunger and sickness on [[September 16]], 655.

==Hymns==
[[Troparion]] ([[Tone]] 3) [http://www.oca.org/FSTropars.asp?ID=101075]

:You strengthened the Church with true doctrine,
:Wise hierarch Martin.
:You declared the two natures of Christ,
:Putting heresy to shame.
:Entreat the Lord to grant us His great mercy.

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 8)

:High Priest and teacher of the mysteries,
:You poured forth streams of [[doctrine]].
:You expounded the true doctrine of the two natures and wills of Christ.
:[[intercession|Intercede]] for those who cry: "Rejoice, blessed Father Martin."

==Sources==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=101075 St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome] ([[OCA]])
*[http://goarch.org/chapel/saints_view?contentid=17 Martin the Confessor, Pope of Rome] ([[GOARCH]])
*[http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/sbf/escurs/wwc/m.html Martin I, Pope of Rome (649-655)]

==External link==
*[http://www.comeandseeicons.com/m/inp136.htm Icon and Troparion of St. Martin, Pope of Rome]

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=[[Theodore I of Rome|Theodore I]]|
title=[[List of the Popes of the Church of Rome|Pope of Rome]]|
years=649-655|
after=St. Eugene I|}}
{{end box}}

[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:7th-century bishops]]
[[Category:Popes of Rome]]
[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Pre-Schism Western Saints]]
[[Category:7th-century saints]]

[[ro:Martin Mărturisitorul]]

Thomais of Alexandria

2013-04-13T15:32:12Z

Inistea: ro

[[Image:Thomais.jpg|right|frame|St. Thomais]]
The holy and glorious [[Martyr]] '''Thomais of Alexandria''' was killed by her father-in-law for refusing to give way to earthly passions with him. She is called upon today in order to be set free from lusts and other impurities. Her [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[April 13]] or [[April 14|14]].

==Life==
[[Saint]] Thomais had a pious upbringing in the city of Alexandria. At the age of fifteen, she married a Christian fisherman and lived with him in the house of his family.

===Martyrdom===
One night, when St. Thomais' husband went out fishing, the saint's father-in-law was engulfed by her beauty and tried to lead her into temptation. After trying to fend him off with teachings from the [[Bible]], the man threatened to cut off her head if she refused to enter with him into sin. Refusing to stray away from the [[Lord]]'s teachings, she accepted the crown of martyrdom after the old man cut off her head with a sword in the year 476.

After committing his sin, the man was blinded and was unable to escape from the house. He was later found near the saint's body covered in blood and taken to a judge, where he was beheaded for his crime.

===Burial===
St. [[Daniel of Skete]] was in the city of Alexandria at the time of her death. He instructed the [[monk]]s of the Oktodekadian [[monastery]] to bury the saint's body in the monastery's cemetery. After some of the monks questioned the decision to bury her with the monks, St. Daniel responded, "She is a mother to me and to you, because she died for her [[chastity]]."

When one of the monks at the monastery became tempted with lust, he prayed before St. Thomais' grave and was relieved of his torments. Many others also received the great joy of being eased of their earthly passions by the fallen saint. Still today, she is prayed to for deliverance from sexual impurity.

==Quotation==
"Even if you cut me to pieces, I shall not stray from the commandments of the Lord."

==External links==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=101074 Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria] ([[OCA]])
*[http://www.westsrbdio.org/prolog/my.html?month=April&day=13 The Holy Martyr Thomais] (''[[Prologue of Ohrid]]'')
*[http://subdeaconchristianjohn.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!D39B32AEA6869A7F!1013.entry Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria]

[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category:5th-century saints]]

[[ro:Tomaida din Alexandria]]

Zosima

2013-04-12T15:03:02Z

Inistea: ro

[[Image:Zosimas and Mary of Egypt.jpg|right|frame|Ss. Zosima and Mary of Egypt]]
Our venerable and God-bearing father '''Zosima''' (also variously ''Zosimus'', ''Zosimos'' or ''Zosimas'') was a holy [[monastic]] who encountered St. [[Mary of Egypt]] in the desert during the sixth century. He brought the story of her life back to the brothers at his [[monastery]]. He is commemorated on [[April 4]], and with St. Mary of Egypt on [[April 1]].
{{stub}}

== Hymns ==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 1) [http://www.comeandseeicons.com/mgo02.htm]
:Let us the faithful praise Zosimas the offspring of the wilderness,
:the [[angel]] in the flesh and boast of [[monk]]s.
:And with him let us also acclaim holy [[Mary of Egypt]]
:whose life transcended the limits of nature;
:and let us cry to them:
:"Glory to [[Jesus|Him]] Who strengthened you;
:glory to Him Who made you holy;
:glory to Him Who through you works healings for all."
[[Kontakion]] (Tone 3)
:Let us all praise the righteous Zosimas, the boast of monastics,
:And with him, Mary who in the desert lived the angelic life.
:Let us cry to them in faith:
:Deliver from harm and corrupting passions,
:Those who celebrate your radiant memory!

==See also==
*[[Asceticism]]

==External Link==
*[http://www.comeandseeicons.com/groups/udn03.htm Icon of St. Mary of Egypt & St. Zosimas]

[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category:Egyptian Saints]]
[[Category:6th-century saints]]

[[ro:Zosima (cuvios)]]

Porphyrios (disambiguation)

2013-04-11T11:37:20Z

Inistea: ro

'''Porphyrios''', also ''' ''Porphyrius'' ''' or ''' ''Porfiriy'' ''' may refer to the following:

==Saints==
* Porphyrius, martyr, in Thessaly († 202), [[February 10]]<ref>Great Synaxaristes: {{el icon}} ''[http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/2080/sxsaintinfo.aspx Οἱ Ἅγιοι Βάπτος καὶ Πορφύριος οἱ Μάρτυρες καὶ οἱ τρεῖς πιστεύσαντες γυναῖκες].'' 10 Φεβρουαρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.</ref><ref>''[http://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/02/10/100476-martyr-porphyrius-in-thessaly Martyr Porphyrius in Thessaly].'' OCA - Lives of the Saints.</ref>
* Porphyrius the General and 200 Soldiers with him, martyrs († ca.305), [[November 25]] (''Greek use'');<ref>Great Synaxaristes: {{el icon}} ''[http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/1277/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ἅγιος Πορφυρίων (ἢ Πορφύριος) ὁ Στρατηλάτης καὶ οἱ 200 Στρατιῶτες του].'' 25 Νοεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.</ref> [[November 24]] (''Slavonic use'')<ref>''[http://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/11/24/103387-martyr-porphyrius-the-general-martyred-at-alexandria-with-greatm Martyr Porphyrius the General martyred at Alexandria, with Greatmartyr Catherine].'' OCA - Lives of the Saints.</ref>
* Porphyrius of Ephesus, martyr († ca.305), [[November 9]]<ref>Great Synaxaristes: {{el icon}} ''[http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/1125/sxsaintinfo.aspx Οἱ Ἅγιοι Ὀνησιφόρος καὶ Πορφύριος οἱ Μάρτυρες].'' 9 Νοεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.</ref><ref>''[http://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/11/09/103253-martyr-porphyrius-of-ephesus Martyr Porphyrius of Ephesus].'' OCA - Lives of the Saints.</ref>
* Porphyrius, martyr, at Caesarea, in Palestine († ca.308-309)<ref>Great Synaxaristes: {{el icon}} ''[http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/2152/sxsaintinfo.aspx Οἱ Ἅγιοι Πάμφιλος, Δανιήλ, Ἠλίας, Ἡσαΐας, Θεόδουλος, Ἱερεμίας, Ἰουλιανός, Οὐάλης, Παῦλος, Πορφύριος, Σαμουὴλ καὶ Σέλευκος οἱ Μάρτυρες].'' 16 Φεβρουαρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.</ref><ref>''[http://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/02/16/100537-martyr-porphyrius-at-caesarea-in-palestine Martyr Porphyrius at Caesarea, in Palestine].'' OCA - Lives of the Saints.</ref>
* Porphyrius the Actor (''Porphyrius the Mime''), martyr († 361), [[September 15]]<ref>Great Synaxaristes: {{el icon}} ''[http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/651/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ἅγιος Πορφύριος ὁ μίμος].'' 15 Σεπτεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.</ref><ref>''[http://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/09/15/102620-martyr-porphyrius-the-actor Martyr Porphyrius the Actor].'' OCA - Lives of the Saints.</ref>
* [[Porphyrios of Gaza]] († 420), Bishop of Gaza, [[February 26]]<ref>Great Synaxaristes: {{el icon}} ''[http://synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/2244/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ἅγιος Πορφύριος Ἐπίσκοπος Γάζης].'' 26 Φεβρουαρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.</ref><ref>''[http://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/02/26/100606-st-porphyrius-the-bishop-of-gaza St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza].'' OCA - Lives of the Saints.</ref>

==Deceased Bishops==
* Porphyrios of [[Metropolis of Serres and Nigrita|Serres]] (1824-1829)
* [[Porphyrius (Uspensky) of Chigirin]] († 1885), Bishop of Chigirin, Vicar of the Eparchy of Kiev.

==Current Bishops==
* [[Porfyrios of Neapolis]].

==Other==
* [[Porphyrios (Bairaktaris) the Kapsokalivite]] († 1991), Athonite hieromonk.

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

 
{{disambig}}

[[ro:Porfirie]]

Celestine of Rome

2013-04-08T19:38:58Z

Inistea: ro

[[Image:0408celestine-rome.jpg|thumb|right|Saint Celestine, Pope of Rome]]
Our father among the saints '''Celestine of Rome''' held [[Pope|papal]] authority from 422 - 432. During his papacy, the [[saint]] strongly defended the [[Church]] and denounced the Nestorian [[heresy]]. He is remembered on [[April 8]] in the east and [[April 6]] in the west.

==Life==
Saint Celestine, a zealous champion of Orthodoxy, lived during the reign of the holy Emperor [[Theodosius II|Theodosius the Younger]] (408-450). He received an excellent education, and he was known for his extensive knowledge of the [[Holy Scripture]] and his theological ponderings.

The virtuous life of the saint and his authority as a [[theologian]] won him the general esteem and love of the [[clergy]] and people. After the death of St Boniface I, St Celestine was chosen to be the [[Bishop]] of [[Church of Rome|Rome]].

A strong character, Saint Celestine was active against [[pelagianism]], he sent St. Germanus of Auxerre to Britain and St. Palladius to Ireland.

During this time, the heresy of [[Nestorius]] emerged. At a local Council in Rome in 430, St Celestine denounced this heresy and condemned Nestorius as a [[heretic]]. After the Council, St Celestine wrote a letter to St [[Cyril of Alexandria|Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria]] ([[January 18]]), stating that if Nestorius did not renounce his false teachings after ten days, then he should be [[deposition|deposed]] and [[excommunication|excommunicated]].

St Celestine also sent a series of letters to other churches, [[Constantinople]] and [[Antioch]], in which he unmasked and denounced the [[Nestorianism|Nestorian]] heresy.

For two years after the Council, St Celestine proclaimed the true teaching about [[Christ]] the God-Man, and he died in peace on April 6, 432.

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=St Boniface I|
title=[[List of the Popes of the Church of Rome|Pope of Rome]]|
years=422-432|
after=St Sixtus III|}}
{{end box}}

[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:5th-century bishops]]
[[Category:Popes of Rome]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Italian Saints]]
[[Category:Pre-Schism Western Saints]]
[[Category:5th-century saints]]

[[ro:Celestin al Romei]]

George the Confessor

2013-04-08T15:59:22Z

Inistea: ro

Saint '''George the Confessor''', Bishop of Mitylene, lived during the [[iconoclasm|iconoclastic]] period. His memory is celebrated on [[April 7]].

==Life==
The righteous George was born into a faithful family. From a young age, he was distinguished by his piety, humility, and charity. These virtues were recognised by the faithful, and he was [[ordination|ordained]] and eventually elected to the [[episcopate|episcopacy]] and appointed as [[Bishop]] of Mitylene.

As a bishop he was well regarded by the faithful for his virtuous life, his charity and his enlightening teaching. He dedicated himself to supporting his flock and winning back those who had been led astray by the iconoclasts. His efforts were crowned with success, and when he gave up his spirit in 821, his flock mourned him deeply.

During the reign of [[Patriarch]] Methodius, the translation of many [[relics]] of [[saint]]s who died in exile was undertaken. These saints included [[Theophylactus of Nicomedia]], [[Theodore the Studite]] and [[Nicephorus I of Constantinople]].

The place of Saint George’s burial was at “Tria Kyparissia” (Three Cypresses, or Sari Baba) near the [[chapel]] of St. [[John the Forerunner]]. Between 846 and 847, the holy relics of the saint were translated in Mitylene with honours befitting the humble and saintly hierarch.

The memory of St. George the Confessor is honoured again on [[February 1]] together with his brothers, Ss. Symeon the New Stylite and David the Monk.

[[Category: Saints]]
[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category: Bishops of Mitylene]]

[[ro:Gheorghe al Mitilenei]]

Category:Hesychasm

2013-04-06T09:40:52Z

Inistea: ro

'''Hesychasm''' ({{el icon}}: ἡσυχασμός, ''hesychasmos,'' from ἡσυχία, ''hesychia,'' "stillness, rest, quiet, silence") is an eremitic and mystical tradition of experiential prayer in the Orthodox Church, practised by the Hesychast (Gr. Ἡσυχαστής, ''hesychastes'').

[[Category:Orthodox spirituality series]]
[[Category:Asceticism]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:Prayers]]
[[Category:Theology]]

[[ro:Categorie:Isihasm]]

Gregory of Sinai

2013-04-06T09:10:56Z

Inistea: ro

Our father among the [[saint]]s '''Gregory of Sinai''', also '''Gregory the Sinaite''', was a [[monasticism|monastic]] of the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries who advanced the practice of [[hesychasm]] and the [[Jesus Prayer]] and, with St. [[Gregory Palamas]] established [[Mount Athos]] as a center of Hesychasm. He is commemorated on [[August 8]] as well as on [[November 27]], the date of his repose, [[February 11]], and [[April 6]].

==Life==
Gregory was born around 1265 in the village of Clazomenia near the city of Smyrna in western Asia Minor. About the year 1290, he was captured by the Hagarenes and carried off to Laodicea. After he was ransomed, Gregory traveled to Cyprus where he was [[tonsure]]d a rasophore [[monk]]. Afterward Gregory journeyed to [[St. Catherine's Monastery (Sinai)|St. Catherine's Monastery]] at Mount Sinai where he assumed the [[Monastic Ranks|great schema]].

After a period at Sinai in which he fulfilled a number of obediences, including cook, baker, and copyist, Gregory left the monastery for Jerusalem. From Jerusalem he traveled to Crete where he learned the practice of the Jesus prayer and hesychasm from the monk Arsenios. After the turn of the century, Gregory moved on to Mount Athos, to the Magoula skete near [[Philotheou Monastery (Athos)|Philotheou Monastery]]. Thus, having gained the experience of many centuries of the monastic life from the ancient monasteries, Gregory settled himself down in a solitary place for "hesychia" (stillness doing the Jesus Prayer), in a [[cell]] for silence and the unhindered pursuit of mental prayer combined with hard work. With his contemporary [[Gregory Palamas]], he helped to establish Mount Athos as a center of hesychasm.

Concerned with spreading of [[monasticism]], Gregory founded several cells on Mount Athos, as well as four monasteries in Thrace.

The last years of the life of Gregory are uncertain. On one hand his is found to have reposed in 1310 at Mount Athos. On the other hand, Gregory remained at Mount Athos until Ottoman Turks began to raid the monasteries of Mount Athos during the third decade of the fourteenth century. Then, it is said he took refuge in Bulgaria where he established a [[monastery]] in the wilderness at Paroria in the Strandzka mountains on the west coast of the Black Sea. There he reposed on [[November 27]], 1346.

==Works==
The Philokalia includes five of his works, in Greek.
*137 Texts: On Commandments and Doctrines, Warnings and Promises; on Thoughts, Passions and Virtues, and also on Stillness and Prayer, where he says that "trying to comprehend the commandments through study and reading without fulfilling them is like mistaking a shadow of something for its reality" ("On Commandments and Doctrines," section 22).
*Further Texts
*Ten Texts: On the Signs of Grace and Delusion, written for the Confessor Longinos.
*Fifteen Texts: On Stillness.
*Seven Texts: On Prayer.

Gregory was also a remarkable hymnographer. The hymns ascribed to him include: The [[Troparion|theotokion]] "It is Truly Meet", a canon to the Most Holy Trinity which is read at Sunday Vigil, and a canon to the Holy Cross. In the book of canons of St. [[Cyril of White Lake]] (from the year 1407) is found the "Canon of Supplication to the Lord Jesus Christ, a work also ascribed to Gregory the Sinaite."

==Sources==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=102237 OCA: Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos]
*[http://www2.evansville.edu/ecoleweb/glossary/sinaite.html Gregory the Sinaite]
*[http://www.gsinai.com/rw/articles/articles_home_files/050821StGregoryofSinai.php The Second Feast of the Monastery]
*[[Wikipedia:Gregory_of_Sinai]]

[[Category: Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category: Greek Saints]]
[[Category: Athonite Fathers]]
[[Category: Monastics]]
[[Category:Hesychasm]]
[[Category:14th-century saints]]

[[ro:Grigorie Sinaitul]]

Eustathius of Antioch

2013-04-05T14:52:32Z

Inistea: ro

Our father among the [[saint]]s '''Eustathius''' was the [[Archbishop]] of Antioch during the [[Arianism|Arian]] conflicts of the first half of the fourth century. He was a firm defender of the Orthodox faith. His [[feast day]] is [[February 21]].

==Life==
Eustathius was born in Side, Pamphylia about the year 270. Little is known of his early life. He became [[Bishop]] of Beroea (modern Aleppo), in Syria, about 320. In 325, he was elevated to [[Bishop]] of Antioch by the fathers of the [[First Ecumenical Council]]. St. Eustathius was a learned [[Theologian |theologian]] who also had a broad knowledge of secular sciences.

He participated in the First Ecumenical Council in Nicea in 325 and was among the first to preside during the council. He was prominent among the opponents of [[Arius]] and [[Arianism]] and zealously fought for the purity of of the Orthodox faith. He continued his battle against the Arians after the council. He refused to welcome any Arian [[priest]]s into his [[diocese]] and conducted a continuous literary attack on them, thus, incurring the hated of the Arians, including [[Eusebius of Caesarea]] and [[Eusebius of Nicomedia]].

In 331, his Arian opponents convinced him to convene a council in Antioch where his enemies, through use of suborned witnesses, accused Eustathius of [[Sabellianism]] and adultery <ref>Philostorgoius, in Photius, "Epitome of the Ecclesiastical History of Philostorgoius". book 2, chapter 7.</ref>. Immediately the Arians [[deposition|deposed]] him without trial, in violation of the Apostolic Rule that accusations against the [[clergy]] must be substantiated by two witnesses. He was exiled to Trajanopolis in Thrace, even though the woman who accused him of adultery came forward and confessed her sin before the clergy and the people.

Although the people of Antioch, who loved and revered him, were indignant over his treatment, Eustathius restrained them and called on them to remain true to the Orthodox faith, as he was accompanied into exile by a large group of his loyal clergy.

St. Eustathius continued his struggle against the Arians with the same zeal while in exile. He reposed in Thrace in 337. In 482, his [[relics]] were translated from Thrace to Antioch, to the great joy of the people of Antioch.

==Reference==
<references/>

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=?|
title=Bishop of Beroea|
years= 320-325|
after=?}}
{{succession|
before=[[Paulinus]]|
title=[[List of Patriarchs of Antioch|Archbishop of Antioch]]|
years=325-332|
after=Eulalius}}
{{end box}}

==Sources==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=100576 OCA: St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05627b.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Eustathius]

==External links==
*[[w:Eustathius_of_Antioch]]
*[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/196674/Saint-Eustathius-of-Antioch Britannia: Saint Eustathius of Antioch]

[[Category: Saints|Eustathius]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category: Bishops|Eustathius]]
[[Category:4th-century bishops|Eustathius]]
[[Category: Patriarchs of Antioch|Eustathius]]
[[Category:4th-century saints]]

[[ro:Eustatie al Antiohiei]]

Flavian I of Antioch

2013-04-04T13:51:09Z

Inistea: ro

Our father among the saints '''Flavian I of Antioch''' was a Bishop of Antioch during the last two decades of the fourth century. Elected [[bishop]] during the era of the Meletian [[schism]] of concurrent sitting bishops in Antioch, Flavian became the sole legitimate bishop of Antioch although the schism was not healed until after his repose. His feast day is [[September 27]].

==Life==
Flavian was born about the year 320, probably in Antioch. Although he had inherited wealth, Flavian resolved to devote his wealth, in addition to his talents, to the service of Christ's church. He was a defender of the orthodox faith against [[Arianism]]. In 361, Flavian was [[ordination|ordained]] a [[priest]] by [[Meletius of Antioch|Meletius]], a [[Semi-Arianism|Semi-Arian]] who later had accepted the [[Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed|Nicene creed]] and attended the [[Second Ecumenical Council]] in Constantinople. After the repose of Meletius in 381, Flavian was chosen to succeed him.

A schism of the Nicene creed party developed between the followers of [[Eustathius of Antioch|Eustathius]] and those of Meletius after Meletius was appointed the successor to Eustathius after his death. Meletius' election was not recognized by the bishops of [[Church of Rome|Rome]] and [[Church of Alexandria|Alexandria]] while Paulinus and, subsequently, Evagrius were recognized by them as the successors to Eustathius. After Evagrius died in 393, Flavian was able to forestall the election of a successor to Evagrius. The Eustathians, however, continued to hold their services separately. After [[John Chrysostom]] was named Bishop of Constantinople in 398, he, with the influence of emperor [[Theodosius I]], was able to obtain acknowledgment of Flavian as the legitimate bishop of Antioch. The schism, however, was not healed until 415, over ten years after Flavian's death in February 404.

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=[[Meletius of Antioch|Meletius]]|
title=[[List of Patriarchs of Antioch|Bishop of Antioch]]|
years=381-404|
after=Porphyrus}}
{{end box}}

==Sources==
*[[Wikipedia:Flavian I of Antioch]]
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=108947 OCA: St. Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch]
*[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/209777/Flavian-I-of-Antioch Brit: Flavian of Antioch]

[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category:4th-5th-century bishops]]
[[Category: Patriarchs of Antioch]]

[[ro:Flavian I al Antiohiei]]

List of Patriarchs of Antioch

2013-04-04T13:48:33Z

Inistea:

The '''Patriarch of [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]]''' is one of the [[Eastern Orthodox]] [[patriarch]]s, sometimes called the ''Greek Patriarch of Antioch'' to distinguish from the primate of the [[Oriental Orthodox]] [[Church of Antioch (Jacobite)|Syriac Orthodox Church]].

==List of Primates of Antioch==
#St. [[Apostle Peter|Peter]] the [[Apostle]] (c.45-c.53)
#St. [[Euodios of Antioch|Euodios]] (c.53-c.68)
#St. [[Ignatius of Antioch|Ignatius I]] (c.68-100) 
#[[Eros I of Antioch|Eros I]] (100-c.127)
#[[Cornelius of Antioch|Cornelius]] (c.127-c.151)
#[[Eros II of Antioch|Eros II]] (c.151-c.169)
#[[Theophilus of Antioch|Theophilus]] (c.169-182)
#[[Maximinos I of Antioch|Maximinos I]] (182-191)
#[[Serapion of Antioch|Serapion]] (191-211)
#[[Ascelpiades of Antioch|Ascelpiades]] 211-220)
#[[Philetos of Antioch|Philetos]] (220-231)
#[[Zebinnus of Antioch|Zebinnus Ozniophios]] (231-237)
#St. [[Babylas of Antioch|Babylas]] (237-253) 
#[[Fabios of Antioch|Fabios]] (253-256)
#[[Demetrianos of Antioch|Demetrianos]] (256-262)
#[[Amphilokhos of Antioch|Amphilokhos]] (262-267)
#[[Paul of Samosata]] (267-270)
#[[Domnus I of Antioch|Domnus I]] (270-273)
#[[Timaeos of Antioch|Timaeos]] (273-277)
#[[Cyril of Antioch|Cyril]] (277-299)
#[[Tyrannos of Antioch|Tyrannos]] (299-308)
#[[Vitalius I of Antioch|Vitalius I]] (308-314)
#St. [[Philogonius of Antioch|Philogonius]] (314-324) 
#[[Paulinus of Tyre]] (324-325)
#St. [[Eustathius of Antioch|Eustathius]] (325-332) 
#[[Eulalios of Antioch|Eulalios]] (332)
#[[Euphronios of Antioch|Euphronios]] (333-334)
#[[Philaclus of Antioch|Philaclus]] (334-341)
#[[Stephen I of Antioch|Stephen I]] (341-345)
#[[Leontius of Antioch|Leontius]] (345-350)
#[[Eudoxius of Antioch|Eudoxius]] (350-354, 354-357)
#St. [[Meletius of Antioch|Meletius]] (354) 
#[[Annias of Antioch|Annias]] or ''Ammianus'' (357-360)
#[[Euzoius of Antioch|Euzoius]] (360-370)
#[[Dorotheus of Antioch|Dorotheus]] (370-371)
#[[Paulinus of Antioch|Paulinus]] (371-376)
#[[Vitalius II of Antioch|Vitalius II]] (376-384)
#St. [[Flavian I of Antioch|Flavian I]] (384-404) 
#[[Porphyrius of Antioch|Porphyrius]] (404-408)
#[[Alexander I of Antioch|Alexander I]] (408-418)
#[[Theodotus of Antioch|Theodotus]] (418-428)
#[[John I of Antioch|John I]] (427-443)
#[[Domnus II of Antioch|Domnus II]] (443-450)
#[[Maximus II of Antioch|Maximus II]] (450-455) '''The episcopacy of Antioch was raised to a Patriarchate by the [[Council of Chalcedon]] in 451.'''
#[[Basil of Antioch|Basil]] (455-459)
#[[Acacius of Antioch|Acacius]] (459-461)
#[[Martyrius of Antioch|Martyrius]] (461-469)
#[[Peter Fullo of Antioch|Peter the Fuller]] (469-471, 476-476, 485-488)
#[[Julian of Antioch|Julian]] (471-476)
#[[John II of Antioch|John II]] (476-477)
#[[Stephen II of Antioch|Stephen II]] (477-479)
#[[Callandion of Antioch|Callandion]] (479-485)
#[[Palladius of Antioch|Palladius]] (488-498)
#[[Flavian II of Antioch|Flavian II]] (498-512)
#[[Severus of Antioch|Severus]] (512-518) In 518, Severus, a non-Chalcedonian, was [[deposition|deposed]] by the [[Church of Antioch]]. While in exile in Egypt, he was recognized by many Syriac Christians as the lawful Patriarch until his death in 538. In 544, Jacob Baradeus, a non-Chalcedonian, consecrated Sergius of Tella as Patriarch of what became called the [[Church of Antioch (Syriac)|Syrian Orthodox Church]]. To the year 544, both those who became the Syrian Orthodox Church and the Church of Antioch recognized the same bishops as legitimate patriarchs, afterwards, they trace different lineages. From 1100 to 1268, a Latin Patriarch of Antioch also existed.
#[[Paul II of Antioch|Paul II]] (518-521)
#[[Euphrasius of Antioch|Euphrasius]] (521-526)
#St. [[Ephraim of Antioch|Ephraim]] (526-546) 
#[[Domnus III of Antioch|Domnus III]] (546-561)
#St. [[Anastasius I of Antioch|Anastasius the Sinaite]] (561-571)
#[[Gregory of Antioch|Gregory]] (571-594) St. Anastasius the Sinaite (594-599)
#St. [[Anastasius II of Antioch|Anastasius II]] (599-610) 
#[[Gregory II of Antioch|Gregory II]] (610-620)
#[[Anastasius III of Antioch|Anastasius III]] (620-628)
#[[Macedonius of Antioch|Macedonius]] (628-640)
#[[George I of Antioch|George I]] (640-656)
#[[Macarius of Antioch|Macarius]] (656-681)
#[[Theophanes of Antioch|Theophanes]] (681-687)
#[[Sebastian of Antioch|Sebastian]] (687-690)
#[[George II of Antioch|George II]] (690-695)
#[[Alexander II of Antioch|Alexander II]] (695-702) ''vacancy'' 702-742
#[[Stephen IV of Antioch|Stephen IV]] (742-748)
#[[Theophylact of Antioch|Theophylact]] (748-767)
#[[Theodore I of Antioch|Theodore I]] (767-797)
#[[John IV of Antioch|John IV]] (797-810)
#[[Job I of Antioch|Job I]] (810-826)
#[[Nicholas of Antioch|Nicholas]] (826-834)
#[[Simeon of Antioch|Simeon]] (834-840)
#[[Elias of Antioch|Elias]] (840-852)
#[[Theodosius I of Antioch|Theodosius I]] (852-860)
#[[Nicholas II of Antioch|Nicholas II]] (860-879)
#[[Michae of Antioch|Michael]] (879-890)
#[[Zacharias of Antioch|Zacharias]] (890-902)
#[[George III of Antioch|George III]] (902-917)
#[[Job II of Antioch|Job II]] (917-939)
#[[Eustratius of Antioch|Eustratius]] (939-960)
#[[Christopher of Antioch|Christopher]] (960-966)
#[[Theodorus II of Antioch|Theodorus II]] (966-977)
#[[Agapius of Antioch|Agapius]] (977-995)
#[[John IV of Antioch|John IV]] (995-1000)
#[[Nicholas III of Antioch|Nicholas III]] (1000-1003)
#[[Elias II of Antioch|Elias II]] (1003-1010)
#[[George Lascaris]] (1010-1015)
#[[Macarius the Virtuous]] (1015-1023)
#[[Eleutherius of Antioch|Eleutherius]] (1023-1028)
#[[Peter III of Antioch|Peter III]] (1028-1051)
#[[John VI of Antioch|John VI]], also known as ''Dionysus'' (1051-1062)
#[[Aemilian of Antioch|Aemilian]] (1062-1075)
#[[Theodosius II of Antioch|Theodosius II]] (1075-1084)
#[[Nicephorus of Antioch|Nicephorus]] (1084-1090)
#[[John VII the Oxite|John VII]] ''the Oxite'' (1090-1155)
#[[John IX of Antioch|John IX]] (1155-1159)
#[[Euthymius of Antioch|Euthymius]] (1159-1164)
#[[Macarius II of Antioch|Macarius II]] (1164-1166)
#[[Athanasius I of Antioch|Athanasius I]] (1166-1180)
#[[Theodosius III I of Antioch|Theodosius III]] (1180-1182)
#[[Elias III of Antioch|Elias III]] (1182-1184)
#[[Christopher II of Antioch|Christopher II]] (1184-1185)
#[[Theodore IV of Antioch|Theodore IV (Balsamon)]] (1185-1199) The Patriarchate was in exile at Constantinople.
#[[Joachim of Antioch|Joachim]] (1199-1219)
#[[Dorotheus of Antioch|Dorotheus]] (1219-1245)
#[[Simeon II of Antioch|Simeon II]] (1245-1268)
#[[Euthymius II of Antioch|Euthymius II]] (1268-1269)
#[[Theodosius IV of Antioch|Theodosius IV]] (1269-1276) With Theodosius, the Patriachate returned to Antioch.
#[[Theodosius V of Antioch|Theodosius V]] (1276-1285)
#[[Arsenius of Antioch|Arsenius]] (1285-1293)
#[[Dionysius of Antioch|Dionysius]] (1293-1308)
#[[Mark of Antioch|Mark]] (1308-1342)
#[[Ignatius II of Antioch|Ignatius II]] (1342-1386) With Ignatius, the Patriachate transferred to Damascus.
#[[Pachomius of Antioch|Pachomius]] (1386-1393)
#[[Nilus of Antioch|Nilus]] (1393-1401)
#[[Michael III of Antioch|Michael III]] (1401-1410)
#[[Pachomius II of Antioch|Pachomius II]] (1410-1411)
#[[Joachim II of Antioch|Joachim II]] (1411-1426)
#[[Mark III of Antioch|Mark III]] (1426-1436)
#[[Dorotheus II of Antioch|Dorotheus II]] (1436-1454)
#[[Michael IV of Antioch|Michael IV]] (1454-1476)
#[[Mark IV of Antioch|Mark IV]] (1476)
#[[Joachim III of Antioch|Joachim III]] (1476-1483)
#[[Gregory III of Antioch|Gregory III]] (1483-1497)
#[[Dorotheus III of Antioch|Dorotheus III]] (1497-1523)
#[[Michael V of Antioch|Michael V]] (1523-1541)
#[[Dorotheus IV of Antioch|Dorotheus IV]] (1541-1543)
#[[Joachim IV (Ibn Juma) of Antioch|Joachim IV (Ibn Juma)]] (1543-1576)
#[[Michael VI (Sabbagh) of Antioch|Michael VI (Sabbagh)]] (1577-1581)
#[[Joachim V of Antioch|Joachim V]] (1581-1592)
#[[Joachim VI of Antioch|Joachim VI]] (1593-1604)
#[[Dorotheus V of Antioch|Dorotheus V]] (1604-1611)
#[[Athanasius II Dabbas of Antioch|Athanasius II (Dabbas)]] (1611-1619)
#[[Ignatius III Atiyah of Antioch|Ignatius III (Attiyah)]] (1619-1634)
#[[Euthymius III Karmah|Euthymius III]] (1634-1635)
#[[Euthymius IV of Chios|Euthymius IV]] (1635-1647)
#[[Macarius III (Zaim) of Antioch|Macarius III (Zaim)]] (1647-1672)
#[[Neophytos of Chios|Neophytos]] (1673-1682)
#[[Athanasius III Dabbas of Antioch|Athanasius III (Dabbas)]] (1686-1694, 1720-1724)
#[[Cyril III Zaim of Antioch|Cyril III (Zaim)]] (1694-1720)
#[[Sylvester of Antioch|Sylvester]] (1724-1766)
#[[Philemon of Antioch|Philemon]] (1766-1767)
#[[Daniel of Antioch|Daniel]] (1767-1791)
#[[Euthymius V of Antioch|Euthymius V]] (1792-1813)
#[[Seraphim of Antioch|Seraphim]] (1813-1823)
#[[Methodius of Antioch|Methodius]] (1843-1859)
#[[Hierotheos of Antioch|Hierotheos]] (1850-1885)
#[[Gerasimus of Jerusalem|Gerasimus]] (1885-1891)
#[[Spyridon of Antioch|Spyridon]] (1892-1898)
#[[Meletius II (Doumani) of Antioch|Meletius II (Doumani)]] (1899-1906)
#[[Gregory IV (Haddad) of Antioch|Gregory IV (Haddad)]] (1906-1928)
#[[Alexander III (Tahan) of Antioch|Alexander III (Tahan)]] (1928-1958)
#[[Theodosius VI (Abourjaily) of Antioch|Theodosius VI (Abourjaily)]] (1958-1970)
#[[Elias IV (Muawad) of Antioch|Elias IV (Muawad)]] (1970-1979)
#[[Ignatius IV (Hazim) of Antioch|Ignatius IV (Hazim)]] (1979-2012)
#[[John X (Yazigi) of Antioch|John X (Yazigi)]] (2012-present)

==See also==
*[[List of Patriarchs]]
*[[List of Patriarchs of Constantinople]]

==External links==
*[http://antiochpat.org/english/sitefiles/viewcontent.php?content=%241%24Fqww80sV%24LJtl/mpIsne5lz0mZ5kCy0_%241%24cY2fEC.3%242X4rjsf3DqIjEbC53bz6R/_%241%24Fqww80sV%24LJtl/mpIsne5lz0mZ5kCy0b56a92baa0ee987eb7f7e4a179b60efb&id=1&cat=%241%24DdKoSQCb%24FO96gT8jCFwnHPxW4LNZj1_%241%24pCxQHS8F%24GHaBW0fpsqpxYoSn4BE0M/_%241%24DdKoSQCb%24FO96gT8jCFwnHPxW4LNZj150102e124822220aaa78a8e3b2ccba34&catid=3&contentname=Historical%20Overview&catname=Other%20Contents Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East: Historical Overview] ([[Church of Antioch]])
*[http://www.balamand.edu.lb/theology/ignpatriarchs.htm Primates of the Apostolic See of Antioch] from the site of St. John of Damascus Faculty of Theology, University of Balamand
*[http://www.antiochian.org/667 Primates of the Apostolic See of Antioch (Orthodox Succession)] ([[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America]])
*[[:Wikipedia:List of Patriarchs of Antioch|List of Patriarchs of Antioch (Wikipedia)]] (37-546)
*[[:Wikipedia:List of Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch|List of Patriarchs of Antioch (Wikipedia)]] (518-present)

[[Category:Bishops|Antioch]]
[[Category:Patriarchs of Antioch|*]]

[[fr:Liste des primats de l'Église d'Antioche]]
[[ro:Listă a patriarhilor Antiohiei]]

Olympia the Deaconess

2013-03-29T15:18:32Z

Inistea: ro

Saint '''Olympia the Deaconess''' (also ''Olympias'') lived in Constantinople during the fourth century. Her [[feast day]] is commemorated by the Church on [[July 25]].

==Life==
Olympia was born 361 AD into a wealthy family of high ranking. Her father was the senator Anicius Secundus and through her mother, Alexandra, she was the granddaughter of the noted eparch Eulalios (see St. [[Nicholas of Myra|Nicholas]]). After the death of her parents, Olympia inherited great wealth. She distributed this to the poor and needy, the orphaned and the widowed. She was also very generous with her donations to the churches, [[monastery|monasteries]], hospices, and shelters for the homeless. She was appointed as a [[deaconess]] by the holy Patriarch [[Nectarius of Constantinople|Nectarius]] (381-397) and provided great assistance to the hierarchs of Constantinople, including Amphilochius, the Bishop of Iconium, Onesimus of Pontum, [[Gregory of Nazianzus]] (the Theologian), Peter of Sebaste, Ephiphanius of Cyprus. She was great friends with all of these holy great fathers of the church. She was especially close to St. [[John Chrysostom]] ([[November 13]]). He had high regard for Olympia and he showed her goodwill and spiritual love. When the [[hierarch]] was unjustly banished, Olympia and the other deaconesses (Pentadia, Proklia, and Salbina) were deeply upset. Her generosity also greatly benefited the Patriarch [[Theophilus of Alexandria|Theophilus]] of Alexandria (385-412). He, however, turned against her for her devotion to St. John Chrysostom and other [[monk]]s whom he had him banished into the Egyptian desert. Olympia would provide food and shelter whenever they were in Constantinople so he began to campaign unjust accusations against her to cast doubt on her holy life.

After the repose of St. John Chrysostom on [[September 14]], 407, Olympia passed away in exile somewhere in [[Nicomedia]] on July 25, 408. Shortly before her death, Olympia gave instructions that she wanted her remains to be placed in a coffin and tossed into the sea, leaving her final resting place to divine providence.

==Relics==
Upon her repose, her memory was celebrated by many since she was very charitable due to her considerable wealth. Olympia appeared in a dream to the Bishop of Nicomedia and commanded that her body be placed in a wooden coffin and cast into the sea. ''"Wherever the waves carry the coffin, there let my body be buried,"'' said the [[saint]]. As requested, the coffin was tossed into the sea and was brought by the waves to a place named Brokthoi (Vrocthee), a suburban shore near Constantinople. The inhabitants, informed of this by God, took the holy [[relics]] of Olympia and placed them in the monastery and church of the holy [[Apostle Thomas]] (see the ''Prologue from Ochrid'', Bishop Nikolai Velimorovic). Afterwards, somewhere between 616-620 AD, the church was burned during an invasion of the Persians, but the relics were preserved. Under the Patriarch [[Sergius I of Constantinople|Sergius]] (610-638), the relics were translated to the convent of 'the house of Olympia' in Constantinople, founded by Olympia. Many miracles and healings were recorded by this monastery attributed to her relics.

==See also==

* St. [[John Chrysostom]], Patriarch of Constantinople

* St. [[Amphilochios]], St. [[Epiphanios]], St. [[Peter of Sabaste]] and St. [[Gregory of Nyssa]].

==Source==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=102087 Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople] ([[OCA]])

==External link==
*[http://www.westsrbdio.org/prolog/my.html?month=July&day=25 Saint Olympias, the Deaconess] (''[[Prologue of Ohrid]]'')

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category:4th-century saints]]

[[ro:Olimpiada diaconiţa]]

Evagrius of Constantinople

2013-03-29T14:31:42Z

Inistea: ro

'''Evagrius of Constantinople''' was [[bishop]] of [[Constantinople]] for a brief period in 370, and then possibly again in 379/380.

Little is known about Evagrius other than he was a follower of the Nicene doctrines. In 370, after the death of [[Eudoxius of Antioch|Eudoxius]], an arian, who had been bishop of Constantinople for eleven years, the [[Arianism|Arians]] immediately elected [[Demophilus of Constantinople|Demophilus]] to fill the vacancy at Constantinople. The Nicenes elected Evagrius for that [[see]]; but a few months later he was banished by emperor Valens, and remained in exile until his death in about the year 380.

Some sources claim that he was elected a second time in 379 or 380, after the expulsion of Demophilus by emperor [[Theodosius I]].

{{Start box}}
{{Succession|
before=[[Eudoxius of Antioch|Eudoxius]]|
title=[[List of Patriarchs of Constantinople|Bishop of Constantinople]] Disputed by [[Demophilus of Constantinople|Demophilus]]|
years=370 - 379?|
after=[[Gregory the Theologian]]}}
{{End box}}

==Sources==
*[[Wikipedia: Evagrius of Constantinople]]
*[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf202.iii.xi.xiii.html Socrates and Sozomenus Ecclesiastical Histories]

[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category:4th-century bishops]]
[[Category: Patriarchs of Constantinople]]

[[ro:Evagrie al Constantinopolului]]

Nectarius of Constantinople

2013-03-29T14:08:08Z

Inistea: ro

Our father among the [[saint]]s '''Nectarius''' was the [[Archbishop]] of Constantinople from 381 to 397. Although an unbaptized layman, Nectarius was elected by the people, the [[clergy]], and emperor [[Theodosius the Great (emperor)|Theodosius]] to succeed [[Gregory the Theologian|Gregory]] as the bishop of Constantinople. His [[feast day]] is [[October 11]].

==Life==
Little is known about the early life of Nectarius. He was born in Tarsus, into a senatorial family. He was praetor of Constantinople. His brother, [[Arsacius of Tarsus|Arsacius]], was also Archbishop of Constantinople from 404 to 405. Yet, while only a [[catechumen]], he had lived a divine and holy life. In preparation for a trip to Tarsus, Nectarius asked that Diodorus, the [[bishop]] of Tarsus, who was in Constantinople for the [[Second Ecumenical Council]], to deliver a letter for him. Bp. Diodorus was so impressed with Nectarius' demeanor and appearance that he became determined that Nectarius should be advanced as a candidate for [[bishop]]. Bp. Diodorus asked Nectarius to delay his return to Tarsus and took him to meet Bishop [[Meletius of Antioch]].

With the resignation of Archbishop [[Gregory the Theologian|Gregory]] as Archbishop of Constantinople during the time of the Council, emperor [[Theodosius the Great|Theodosius]] asked the bishops attending the Council to suggest candidates for the [[see]] of Constantinople from which he could make a selection. Bp. Meletius placed the name of Nectarius at the bottom of his list. From the submitted lists, emperor Theodosius selected Nectarius to be his choice for Archbishop of Constantinople. The emperor's choice of Nectarius took everyone by surprise, as Nectarius had not yet been baptized. The people of Constantinople were delighted at the news as was the council. After he had been baptized and admitted to the [[Holy Orders]], Nectarius was duly [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] and installed as Archbishop of Constantinople and became at once president of the Second Ecumenical Council.

Initially, a number of Bishops of the West who opposed the election attempted to initiate a council for reconsideration. But, the election of Abp. Nectarius stood, other than a council in Rome from which no formal account remains of its proceedings, nor of how its members treated the question of Nectarius. On the other hand a letter from Nectarius to the bishops of Illyria noted that the church in Rome had finally agreed to recognize him as well as Abp. [[Flavian I of Antioch]], who also was elected during the period.

During Nectarius' episcopate at Constantinople, the disputes continued with the [[Arianism|Arians]] in its variations. In spite of the decrees of bishops and the emperor, the Arians continued to spread their doctrines. Emperor Theodosius summoned all parties to Constantinople for a great discussion in June 383, hoping to reconcile all differences. Before this he had sent for Nectarius and told him that all questions should be fully debated. Returning home, Nectarius, full of anxiety, consulted the [[Novatian|Novationist]] Bishop Agelis, who felt himself unsuited to arbitrate on such a controversy. However, he did have a reader, Sisinnius, a philosopher and theologian, to whom he referred the argument with the Arians. Sisinnius suggested that they should produce the testimonies of the old Fathers of the Church on the doctrine of the Son, and ask the leaders of the several parties whether they accepted these authorities or desired to anathematize them. Both Abp. Nectarius and emperor Theodosius agreed to his suggestion. When the Bishops met, Theodosius asked whether they respected "...the teachers who lived before the Arian division?" The assembled bishops confirmed that they did. He then asked if they acknowledged, "...them sound and trustworthy witnesses of the true Christian doctrine?". This question, however, produced divisions among the bishops and so the emperor ordered each party to draw up a written confession of his doctrine. When this was done, the Bishops were summoned to the Imperial palace where the emperor received them with kindness and then he retired to his study with their written confessions. After considering them Theodosius rejected and destroyed all except that of the orthodox, because he felt that the others introduced a division into the [[Holy Trinity]].

Theodosius, then, forbade all sectaries, except the Novatianists, to hold divine services or to publish their doctrines or to [[ordination|ordain]] [[clergy]], under threat of severe civil penalties.

Towards the close of his episcopate, Nectarius abolished the office of presbyter penitentiary, whose duty was to receive confessions before communion. His example was followed by nearly all other bishops.

Nectarius reposed in 397 or 398 and was succeeded by [[John Chrysostom]].

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=[[Gregory the Theologian|Gregory]]|
title=[[List of Patriarchs of Constantinople|Patriarch of Constantinople]]|
years=381 - 397|
after=[[John Chrysostom]]}}
{{end box}}

==Sources==
*[http://www.patriarchate.org/patriarchate/former-patriarchs/nectarius Nectarius]
*[[Wikipedia:Nectarius_of_Constantinople]]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10737a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Nectorius]

[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:4th-century bishops]]
[[Category:Patriarchs of Constantinople]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category:4th-century saints]]

[[ro:Nectarie al Constantinopolului]]

Anthimus of Nicomedia

2013-03-28T00:04:31Z

Inistea: ro

The Hieromartyr '''Anthimus of Nicomedia''' was the Bishop of Nicomedia in the early fourth century during the reigns of emperors Diocletian and Maximian. He was [[martyr]]ed during the intense persecutions of that time. His [[feast day]] is [[September 3]].

The early life of Anthimus is unknown. He was the [[bishop]] of Nicomedia at a time in which it had large Christian population. The city was also the chief residence of emperor Diocletian. The persecutions re-instituted by Diocletian became particularly intense in Nicomedia after a fire at the imperial court. The pagans accused the Christians of setting the fire and reacted against them with terrible ferocity throughout the communities of Bithynia.

Massacres transpired in the Christian communities after pagan altars were set up in the marketplaces, in which no transactions were permitted until a sacrifice to the gods and the spirit of the Augustus had been made. Bishop Anthimus hid himself in the village of Omana not far from Nicomedia at the request of his flock. From there he sent letters to the Christians, urging them to keep firmly the holy Faith and not to fear tortures.

One of his letters, that was sent with [[Deacon]] Theophilus, was intercepted and turned over to emperor Maximian. Dn. Theophilus was cruelly questioned and died under torture, without revealing the whereabouts of Bishop Anthimus to his torturers. Maximian soon managed to learn whereabouts of Bp. Anthimus. A detachment of soldiers was sent after him. Bp. Anthimus met them along the way, but the soldiers did not recognize him. The bishop invited them to join him for a repast that he provided. After the meal, Bp. Anthimus revealed that he was the one they sought. The surprised soldiers did not know what to do. They were ready to leave him and lie to the emperor that they had not found him. However, Bp. Anthimus was not one to tolerate a lie. So, he would not consent to their plan.

The soldiers came to believe in Christ and received holy [[Baptism]]. The bishop ordered them to carry out the emperor's instructions. After Bp. Anthimus was brought before the emperor, Maximian ordered that the instruments of execution be brought out and placed before him. "Do you think, emperor, to frighten me with these tools of execution?" asked Anthimus. "No indeed, you cannot frighten one who wishes to die for Christ! Execution is frightening only for the cowardly, for whom the present life is most precious." The emperor then directed that Bp. Anthimus be fiercely tortured and beheaded by the sword. Bp. Anthimus joyfully glorified God with his last breath and received the crown of [[martyr]]dom.

==Dating==
The date of St. Anthimus' martyrdom is uncertain. Traditionally, it is placed under Diocletion, in 303 (following [[Eusebius of Caesarea]]), when "rivers of blood" flowed.

A fragmentary letter preserved in the Chronicon Paschale, written in prison by the [[Priest]] Lucian of Antioch, who was awaiting death, mentions Anthimus, bishop of Nicomedia, as having just suffered martyrdom. Schaff and Wace note that Lucian was imprisoned and put to death during the persecution of emperor Maximinus Daia, in 311 or 312, and therefore conclude that, if the fragment is genuine, Anthimus suffered martyrdom not under Diocletian but under Maximinus.

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=?|
title=Bishop of Nicomedia|
years=xxx-311|
after=?}}
{{end box}}

==References==
*[http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/NPNF2-01/Npnf2-01-13.htm#P4859_2227406 Eusebius, ''Historia Eccles.'' VIII, chs. 5–6] Persecutions in Nicomedia, mentioning Anthimus.
*[http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/NPNF2-01/footnote/fn49.htm Schaff and Wace, ''Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers,'' Series II, Vol. I:] footnote 32

==Sources==
*[[Wikipedia: Anthimus of Nicomedia]]
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=102467 OCA: Hieromartyr Anthimus the Bishop of Nicomedia]
*[http://www.orthodox.net/menaion-september/01-hieromartyr-anthimus.html The Hieromartyr Anthimus]

[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category:4th-century bishops]]
[[Category: Bishops of Nicomedia]]
[[Category: Saints]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category: Martyrs]]
[[Category:4th-century saints]]

[[ro:Antim de Nicomidia]]

Church of Rome

2013-03-25T17:03:11Z

Inistea: ro

: ''This article is regarding the pre-[[Great Schism|Schism]] Orthodox Church of Rome. For the post-Schism body, see [[Roman Catholic Church]].''

The '''Church of Rome''' was part of the ancient [[Pentarchy]] and the only apostolic [[see]] founded in the West. Until roughly 1054, the usual center-point for the [[Great Schism]], the Church of Rome was in [[full communion]] with the rest of the [[Orthodox Church]].

{{stub}}

==External links==
*[http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/ortpopes.htm The Holy Orthodox Popes of Rome]

[[Category:Church History]]
[[Category:Jurisdictions|Rome]]

[[es:Iglesia de Roma]]
[[ro:Biserica Romei]]

Celibacy

2013-03-25T16:57:11Z

Inistea: ro

{{incomplete}}Clerical '''celibacy''' is the practice in which [[clergy]] and [[monasticism|monastics]], male or female, refrain from marriage and from all sexual relationships and activities.

The first documented case of mandatory clerical celibacy was the Council or Synod of Elvira, held in Spain sometime towards the beginning of the fourth century. From there it spread gradually east until celibacy was required for all western clerics. This practice never took hold in the East.

In Eastern Orthodoxy, [[bishop]]s and [[monastic]]s are celibate. However, candidates for the [[priest]]hood and [[deacon|diaconate]] are allowed to marry if they do so before ordination. A married priesthood is technically allowed in the [[Eastern Rite Catholic]] churches. However, in some jurisdictions, [[Latin Rite]] [[Roman Catholic|Catholic]] bishops have not recognized married [[Eastern Rite Catholic|Uniate]] priests as being valid, which has been a contributing factor to the return of several Eastern Rite groups to Orthodoxy.

==Sources and External links==
*[[w:Synod of Elvira|Wikipedia's Council of Elvira]]

[[Category:Church Life]]

[[ro:Celibat]]

Immaculate Conception

2013-03-25T16:50:48Z

Inistea: ro

{{cleanup}}

The '''Immaculate Conception''' is a [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] [[dogma]] which asserts that [[Theotokos|Mary, the mother of Jesus]], was preserved by [[God]] from the transmission of [[original sin]] at the time of her own conception. Specifically the doctrine says she was not afflicted by the privation of sanctifying [[grace]] which afflicts mankind, but was instead filled with grace by God, and furthermore lived a life completely free from [[sin]]. It is commonly confused with the doctrine of the virginal conception of Christ, though the two doctrines deal with separate subjects.

==The Orthodox Church and the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception==
{{stub}}

Most Orthodox reject the dogma of the Immaculate Conception as unnecessary and wrong. Because Orthodoxy does not see ancestral sin as an inheritance of guilt or a stain, there is no reason for the miraculous removal of either. Nonetheless, Orthodox tradition does hold that the Theotokos remained free of personal sin, a belief shared with some reformers such as Martin Luther.

*[http://www.oca.org/QA.asp?ID=4 St. Augustine & Original Sin] - a typical Orthodox perspective, by Fr. John Matusiak
*[http://www.ukrainian-orthodoxy.org/articles/catholic/holymother.htm The Immaculate Conception: The Holiness of the Mother of God in East and West] - Dr. Alexander Roman ([[Ukrainian Orthodox Church]])
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20080502065005/http://www.unicorne.org/orthodoxy/articles/alex_roman/theimmaculateconception.htm The Immaculate Conception: A Question] - response by Dr. Roman
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20070728015648/http://www.philthompson.net/pages/faq/12.html What do the Orthodox believe about the "Immaculate Conception"?]
*[http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/blog/index.php?p=713 On the Immaculate Conception], by Patriarch [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople]]
* [http://www.stmaryofegypt.org/library/st_john_maximovich/on_veneration_of_the_theotokos.htm#immaculate_conception Zeal Not According to Knowledge] - The view of St. [[John Maximovitch|John of Shanghai]] on the issue.
*[http://djproject.livejournal.com/96024.html On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the dogma's proclamation], a general objection by Derek Power ([[User:Fedya911]])

===From modern Orthodox theologians===
*"Like other human beings, such as St John the Baptist, whose conception and birth are festivals of the Church, the Holy Virgin was born under the law of original sin, sharing with all other human beings their common responsibility for the fall." [[Vladimir Lossky]], "Panagia," in E. L. Mascall, ed., ''The Mother of God: A Symposium by Members of the [[Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius]]''. Westminster: Dacre Press, 1959. Page 31.
*"The Orthodox church does not accept the Catholic dogma of 1854 -- the dogma of the immaculate conception of the Virgin, in the sense that she was exempt at birth from original sin. This would separate her from the human race, and she would then have been unable to transmit to her Son humanity. But Orthodoxy does not admit in the all-pure Virgin any individual sin, for that would be unworthy of the dignity of the Mother of God." Sergius Bulgakov, ''The Orthodox Church''. Crestwood: St Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1997.
*"I do not see any irresoluble conflict between the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception and the full humanity and freedom of Mary as of the same race as [[Eve]]." - alleged to [[Vladimir Lossky]] but not verified.

===Relevant quotations from the Fathers===
*"...being Himself at once God and man, His flesh and soul were and are holy - and beyond holy. God is holy, just as He was and is and shall be, and the Virgin is immaculate, without spot or stain, and so, too, was that rib which was taken from Adam. However the rest of humanity, even though they are His brothers and kin according to the flesh, yet remained even as they were, of dust, and did not immediately become holy and sons of God."
::- St. [[Symeon the New Theologian]], Discourse XIII in ''On the Mystical Life'', vol. 2, trans. [[Alexander Golitzin]] (SVS Press, 1996)

One of the most evident Orthodox statements against the Immaculate conception was written by St. [[Ephraim the Syrian]]: "As lightning illuminates what is hidden, so also Christ purifies what is hidden in the nature of things. He purified the Virgin also and then was born, so as to show that where Christ is, there is manifest purity in all its power. He purified the Virgin, having prepared Her by the Holy Spirit... having been born, He left Her virgin. I do not say that Mary became immortal, but that being illuminated by grace, She was not disturbed by sinful desires" ([http://ortodoks.dk/ortodoks-tro-og-praksis/de-hellige/the-orthodox-veneration-of-mary-the-birthgiver-of-god Homily Against Heretics, 41]).

==History and background==
The Immaculate Conception was solemnly defined as a dogma by Pope Pius IX in his constitution ''Ineffabilis Deus'', published [[December 8]], 1854 (the Latins' Feast of the Immaculate Conception). From 1483, Pope Sixtus IV had left Roman Catholics free to believe that Mary was subject to original sin or not, after having introduced the celebration; this freedom had been reiterated by the [[Wikipedia:Council of Trent|Council of Trent]].

The Roman Catholic Church believes the dogma is supported by scripture and by the writings of many of the [[Church Fathers]], either directly or indirectly. Roman Catholic theology maintains that since Jesus became [[incarnation|incarnate]] of the Virgin Mary, she needed to be completely free of sin to bear the Son of God, and that Mary is "redeemed 'by the grace of [[Jesus Christ|Christ]]' but in a more perfect manner than other human beings" (Ott, ''Fund.'', Bk 3, Pt. 3, Ch. 2, §3.1.e).

The doctrine is generally not shared by either Eastern Orthodoxy or by [[Protestantism]]. Protestantism rejects the doctrine because it is not explicitly spelled out in the [[Bible]]. Protestants and Eastern Orthodox often say that the immaculate conception of the [[Theotokos]] would contradict the doctrine of the [[salvation|redemption]] of humanity, as the Virgin Mary would have been cleansed before Christ's own incarnation, making his function superfluous. Orthodox Christians say that St. [[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine]] (d. 430), whose works were not well known in Eastern Christianity until perhaps the 17th and 18th centuries, has influenced the theology of sin that has generally taken root in the West. Many Orthodox consider unnecessary the doctrine that Mary would require purification prior to the Incarnation. Eastern Orthodox [[theologian]]s believe that the references among the Greek and Syrian Fathers to Mary's purity and sinlessness may refer not to an ''a priori'' state but to her conduct after birth.

Roman Catholics counter with Scripture (e.g., [[Romans]] 5, [[Wisdom of Solomon]] 2:24, [[I Corinthians]] 15:21, the experience of St. [[John the Forerunner|John the Baptizer]] in his mother's womb, etc.) and the writings of Church Fathers prior to St. [[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine]].

==History of the doctrine==
Aside from the acceptability of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, and its necessity or lack thereof, is the history of its development within the Roman Catholic Church. The Conception of Mary was celebrated in England from the ninth century. Eadmer was influential in its spread. The Normans suppressed the celebration but it lived on in the popular mind. It was rejected by Bernard of Clairvaux, Alexander of Hales, and Bonaventure (who, teaching at Paris, called it "this foreign doctrine," indicating its association with England). Thomas Aquinas expressed questions about the subject but said that he would accept the determination of the Church (his difficulty was in seeing how Mary could be redeemed if she had not sinned).

The Oxford Franciscans William of Ware and especially John Duns Scotus defended the doctrine despite the opposition of most scholarly opinion at the time. Scotus proposed a solution to the theological problems involved with reconciling the doctrine with the doctrine of universal redemption in Christ by arguing that Mary's immaculate conception did not remove her from redemption by Christ but rather was the result of a more perfect redemption given to her on account of her special role in salvation history. Scotus' defence of the immaculist thesis was summed up by one of his followers ''potuit, decuit ergo fecit'' (God could do it, it was fitting that he did it, and so he did it). Following his defence of the thesis, students at Paris swore to defend the thesis and the tradition grew of swearing to defend the doctrine with one's blood. Arguments ensued between the immaculist Scotists and the maculist Thomists, and the former tried to link this doctrine with that of the primacy of Christ (which says that Christ would have become man even if [[Adam and Eve|Adam]] had not sinned) since both groups reject the idea that God's plans were determined by human sin.

Popular opinion was firmly behind accepting this privilege for Mary, but such was the sensitivity of the issue and the authority of Aquinas that it was not until 1854 that Pius IX, with the support of the overwhelming majority of Catholic bishops, felt safe enough to pronounce the doctrine infallible.

The contemporary statement of the teaching can be found [http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p122a3p2.htm#490 here] in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The actual text of the doctrinal declaration is: ''"We declare . . . that the most Blessed Virgin Mary in the first moment of her conception was, by the unique grace and privilege of God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ the Saviour of the human race, preserved intact from all stain of original sin."''

==Roman Catholic statements==
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07674d.htm Catholic Encyclopedia entry on the Immaculate Conception]
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11312a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia entry on Original Sin]
* [http://fisheaters.com/mary.html Summary of Roman Catholic doctrines about Mary]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20070206171111/mafg.home.isp-direct.com/mary03.htm The Immaculate Conception] - A [[Lutheran]] Perspective

==Roman Catholic Polemical Articles==
*[http://home.earthlink.net/~mysticalrose/barton1.html My Belief in the Immaculate Conception Doctrine] - by Daniel Joseph Barton ([[Byzantine Catholic]]--non-Orthodox)
*[http://www.cin.org/imconcep.html Orthodoxy and the the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Theotokos - Unique to the modern Roman Church or ancient Eastern tradition?] - by Dave Brown (Catholic Information Network--non-Orthodox)
*[http://maryimmaculate.tripod.com/marian4.html Immaculate Conception] - background, explanation, and answers to 25 objections (non-Orthodox)

==See also==
* [[Original Sin]]

[[Category:Heresies]]
[[Category:Non-Orthodox]]

[[ro:Imaculata Concepţie]]

Purgatory

2013-03-25T16:42:12Z

Inistea: ro

'''Purgatory''' refers to a doctrine in the [[Roman Catholic Church]] which posits that those who die in a state of grace undergo a purification in order to achieve the holiness necessary to enter heaven (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1030).[http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p123a12.htm#III]

The [[Orthodox Church]] has neither explicitly recognized the term "purgatory" nor officially accepted such a state, which is distinct from the more general being "asleep in the Lord." In his book entitled ''Why Do We Reject Purgatory?'', [[Coptic]] [[Pope]] [[Shenouda III (Gayyid) of Alexandria|Shenouda III]] presents many theological and biblical arguments against Purgatory. For example, he refers to 1 Thess 4:16,17, "And the dead in [[Christ]] will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord", in which [[Apostle Paul|Paul]] describes the Last Day saying that those faithful who are still alive will meet the Lord with those who rise from the dead and then remain with Him always, and wonders, "Are these faithful (alive on the Last Day) exempt from Purgatory? Or is God showing partiality towards them?"[http://www.suscopts.org/messages/lectures/eschlecture7.pdf]

However, a response to this objection from the Catholics is perhaps found in the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas, in the discussion of the Final Conflagration. The Final Conflagration is the fiery apocalyptic transformation, accepted by the Fathers, of the Old Heaven and Old Earth into the New Heaven and New Earth on the Last Day, immediately preceding the General Resurrection and General Judgment. It is said that for those still living at the time of the Conflagration, it will transform their bodies; thus technically, in Catholic thought, those found living may also die for a brief moment (ie, the "twinkling of an eye" mentioned in 1 Corinthians).

According to the Summa, the Final Conflagration will act as "purgatory" for those found living who still need cleansing/healing: "There are three reasons why those who will be found living will be able to be cleansed suddenly. One is because there will be few things in them to be cleansed, since they will be already cleansed by the previous fears and persecutions. The second is because they will suffer pain both while living and of their own will: and pain suffered in this life voluntarily cleanses much more than pain inflicted after death, as in the case of the martyrs, because "if anything needing to be cleansed be found in them, it is cut off by the sickle of suffering," as Augustine says (De Unic. Bap. xiii), although the pain of martyrdom is of short duration in comparison with the pain endured in purgatory. The third is because the heat will gain in intensity what it loses in shortness of time."[http://www.newadvent.org/summa/5074.htm#article8]

That said, Greek Orthodox [[Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia|Metropolitan Kallistos Ware]] acknowledges several schools of thought among the Orthodox on the topic of purification after death. This divergence indicates that the Catholic interpretation of purgatory, more than the concept itself, is what is universally rejected. Also, there are Orthodox sources that indicate some sins can be forgiven after death[http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/death/stmark_purg.aspx];(Mt 12:32) but which also reject the notion of purgatory because of the indulgences and idea of purgatorial fire that are tied to it.

Some Eastern Orthodox sources, including the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate]], consider Purgatory to be among "inter-correlated theories, unwitnessed in the Bible or in the Ancient Church" that are not acceptable within Orthodox doctrine,[http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article7076.asp] and hold to a "condition of waiting"[http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/reading/ortho_cath.html] as a more apt description of the period after death for those not borne directly to heaven. This waiting condition does not imply purification, which they see as being linked to the idea "there is no hope of repentance or betterment after death." Prayers for the dead, then, are simply to comfort those in the waiting place.

Other Orthodox believe in the "[[Aerial Toll-Houses|toll gate]]" theory by which the dead go to successive "toll gates" where they meet up with demons who test them to determine whether they have been guilty of various sins during life and/or tempt them to further sin.[http://www.orthodoxwiki.org/Seraphim_Rose#Criticism_.26_debate] If they have not repented and been absolved of those sins, or if they give in to sin after death, they will be taken to Hell.

Some Church Fathers, such as St. Cyprian and St. [[Augustine of Hippo]], seemed to believe in a purification after death. However, the character of this purification is never clarified, and especially (as St. [[Mark of Ephesus]] underlined at the [[Council of Florence]]) it seems there is no true distinction between heaven, hell and the so-called purgatory: all souls partake differently in the same mystical fire (which, according to St. [[Isaac of Syria]], is God's Love) but because of their spiritual change they are bound to different reactions: bliss for those who are in communion with him; purification for those in the process of being deified; and remorse for those who hated God during their earthly lives. Because of this confusion and inability of the human language to understand these realities, the Church refrains from theological speculation. Instead, she affirms the unbroken Tradition of prayers for the dead, the certainty of eternal life, the rejection of reincarnation, and the communion of the Saints (those living and those who have fallen asleep in the Lord) in the same Body of Christ which is the Church. Private speculation is thus still possible as it was in the time of the Church Fathers.
{{incomplete}}

==Sources and further reading==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purgatory Purgatory (Wikipedia)]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12575a.htm CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Purgatory]
*[http://www.suscopts.org/literature/literature.php?subaction=showfull&id=1084916893&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3& Coptic Orthodox lecture about Purgatory, adapted from ‘''Why Do We Reject Purgatory?''’ by H.H. Pope Shenouda III]
*[http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/death/stmark_purg.aspx The Orthodox Response to the Latin Doctrine of Purgatory]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/summa/5074.htm#article8 Summa Theologica Supp.74.8]

[[Category:Heresies]]
[[Category:Non-Orthodox]]

[[ro:Purgatoriu]]

Cyril (Markov) of Bulgaria

2013-03-24T19:47:35Z

Inistea: ro

His Holiness '''Cyril (Markov)''', [[Patriarch]] of Bulgaria, was the [[primate]] of the [[Church of Bulgaria]] from 1953 until 1971. He was the first Patriarch after the restoration of the [[Church of Bulgaria|Bulgarian Patriarchate]] in 1953.

==Life==
Constantine Markov, (Bulgarian: Константин Марков), was born on [[January 3]], 1901 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Entering a theological career in the Orthodox Christian Church, Constantine received the name Cyril as he was [[tonsure]]d into a [[monasticism|monastic]] life on [[December 30]], 1923 at St. Nedelya Church in Sofia.

He advanced through the [[Holy Orders]] and was [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] the [[Metropolitan]] of Plovdiv in 1938. During World War II., Metr. Cyril participated in the Bulgarian popular resistance to the Holocaust. In 1943, he confronted the captors of Bulgarian Jews slated to be deported. While he initially pledged to join in solidarity with the deportees, Metr. Cyril then told the guards he would block the train with his own body. After which the guards reply that they have just received new orders to release the Jews. This episode was recounted in the oratorio "A Melancholy Beauty," composed by Georgi Andreev with libretto by [[Scott Cairns]] and Aryeh Finklestein, that was first performed in June 2011 in Washington, D.C.

In 1945, after many decades of negotiations, Patriarch of Constantinople recognized the restoration of [[autocephaly]] of the Church of Bulgaria whose last patriarch was Patriarch [[Evtimiy of Tamovo|Evtimiy]] in the late fourteenth century. On [[May 10]], 1953, Metr. Cyril was elected Patriarch of Bulgaria.

Patr. Cyril reposed on [[March 7]], 1971 and was buried in the main church of the Bachkovo Monastery in south central Bulgaria.

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=?|
title=Metropolitan of Plovdiv|
years=1938 - 1953|
after=?}}
{{succession|
before=[[Evtimiy of Tamovo|Evtimiy]]|
title=Patriarch of Bulgaria|
years=1953 - 1971|
after=[[Maxim (Minkov) of Bulgaria|Maxim (Minkov)]]}}
{{end box}}

==Source==
*[[Wikipedia: Cyril_of_Bulgaria]]

[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:20th-century bishops]]
[[Category:Bishops of Plovdiv]]
[[Category:Patriarchs of Bulgaria]]

[[ro:Chiril (Markov) al Bulgariei]]

Category:Bulgarian Saints

2013-03-24T19:11:08Z

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[[Category:Saints]]

[[ro:Categorie:Sfinţi bulgari]]

Category:Bishops of Tarnovo

2013-03-24T19:09:58Z

Inistea: ro

[[Category: Bishops by city|Tarnovo]]

[[ro:Categorie:Episcopi de Târnovo]]

Evtimiy of Tamovo

2013-03-24T18:45:49Z

Inistea: ro

[[File:Evtimiy patr bulgaria.png|right|thumb|300px|Evtimiy of Tamovo Patriarch of Bulgaria 1375 to 1393]]
Our father among the [[saint]]s '''Evtimiy of Tamovo''', also '''Euthymius of Tamovo''' was the last [[Patriarch]] of the [[Church of Bulgaria]] as [[Ottoman empire|Ottoman]] forces defeated Tsar Ivan Shishman and captured the Bulgarian capital Tamovo during the late fourteenth century, thus ending the Tamovo based Bulgarian patriarchate. He was the Patriarch of Bulgaria from 1375 to 1393. His [[feast day]] is [[January 20]].

==Life==
A member of the boyar family of the Tsamblaks, Evtimiy was born about 1325 in Turnovo. He received his education at the [[monastery]] schools in the vicinity of Turnovo. In 1350, he became a [[monk]] and entered the Kilifarevo Monastery that was founded by Theodosius of Turnovo. After Theodosius appointed him his assistant, they traveled in 1363 to Constantinople and spent some time at the [[Studion Monastery]], known for its center of learning and rich library. There, Evtimiy became well-known among the educated [[clergy]] of the area as he was influenced by many outstanding thinkers, scholars, and reformers of the spiritual life and beliefs in Southeastern Europe. However, soon after their arrival Theodosius died. Evtimiy then joined the [[Great Lavra (Athos)|Great Lavra]] of Athanasius the Anchorite on [[Mount Athos]].

In 1365, Evtimiy went to Aton in what is now Greece, then a center for the Orthodox Church, where earlier that century many scholars and thinkers had lived, among them [[Gregory of Sinai|Gregory the Sinaite]], [[Gregory Palamas]], and John Kukuzelis. It was later, after he had moved to Zograph Monastery, that Evtimiy began to reflect on the spelling reforms and planned corrections to the translations of the sacred books.

In 1371, Evtimiy returned to Bulgaria and founded a [[monastery]] near Turnovo called “Holy Trinity” that became the center of the famous “Turnovo Literary School”. Here, he established his legacy. Evtimiy led the reform in the Old Bulgarian language, a reform that widely influenced the written language form in principalities the Serbia, Walachia, Moldova, and Russia. He discarded old translations of the sacred books, full of mistakes, and supplied the peoples of the Orthodox faith with new translations, in Old Bulgarian, that destroyed all reasons for disputes among Christians and their [[heresy|heresies]].

In 1375, Patriarch Joanicius (Ioanikiy) died and Evtimiy was elected Patriarch of Bulgaria, with his [[see]] in Turnovo. An [[asceticism|ascetic]], Evtimiy persecuted the heresies and the moral decay. He became famous throughout the Orthodox world and a number of metropolitans and [[Igumen|hegumens]] addressed him to interpret theological matters.

In the spring of 1393, the [[Ottoman empire|Ottoman Turks]] laid siege to Turnovo while Tsar Ivan Shishman was defending Nikopol. Left to defend Turnovo, Patr. Evtimiy and his forces held out for three months before the city was over whelmed. Patr. Evtimiy was sent in exile to the Bachkovo Monastery, now in south central Bulgaria. With his [[deposition]] and exile, the Tarnovo Patriarchate ceased to exist. The Bulgarian church having lost its independence became subordinate to the [[Church of Constantinople|Patriarchate of Constantinople]] until the establishment of the Bulgarian Exarchate 1870.

The date of his repose is unknown, but it is believed to have been between 1402 to 1204. Patr. Evtimiy was subsequently [[glorification|glorified]]. His memory is honored on January 20, the same day as that of his namesake [[Euthymius the Great]].

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=Joanicius II|
title=Patriarch of Bulgaria|
years=1375 - 1393|
after=Cyril (Markov) of Bulgaria|Cyril (Markov)]] 1953}}
{{end box}}

==Sources==
*[http://www.plovdivguide.com/Current-News/Remembering-a-great-Bulgarian---Patriarch-Evtimii-of-Turnovo-1603/_p59/ Remembering a great Bulgarian - Patriarch Evtimii of Turnovo]
*[[Wikipedia: Evtimiy_of_Tarnovo]]
*[http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/hierarchs/bulgaria/bios/kaimakamova_patriarch_evtimiy.htm Patriarch Evtimii of Bulgaria]

[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category:14th-15th-century bishops]]
[[Category: Bishops of Tarnovo]]
[[Category: Patriarchs of Bulgaria]]
[[Category: Saints]]
[[Category: Bulgarian Saints]]

[[ro:Eftimie de Târnovo]]

Lev Gillet

2013-03-22T14:26:01Z

Inistea: ro

__NOTOC__
'''Louis Gillet''', also '''Lev Gillet''', was a [[conversion|convert]] to the Orthodox faith between the World Wars through the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and was received into the Orthodox Church in Paris. He organized the first French language Orthodox parish in France.

==Life==
Born in 1893 in Saint-Marcellin (Isère, France), after studies of philosophy in Paris, Louis Gillet (Lev Gillet - [http://www.sobornost.org/images/photos/lev_gillet.jpg Photo]) is mobilized during the First World War, held prisoner in 1914 and spends three years in captivity, where he is attracted by the spirit and the spirituality of the [[Church of Russia|Russian]] prisoners. He studies mathematics and psychology in Geneva and joins the Benedictines in Clairvaux in 1919. Attracted by the Eastern Christian world, he becomes acquainted with [[Metropolitan]] Andreas Szeptycki of the [[Uniates|Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]] in Galicia, and pronounces his final vows at the Studite [[Monastery]] of Ouniov in Galicia.

Disappointed by the attitude of the [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic Church]] towards [[What is Orthodoxy|Orthodoxy]], Father Lev is received in the [[Orthodox Church]] in Paris in May 1928, and in November 1928 he becomes the [[rector]] of the [[parish]] of [[Genevieve of Paris|Sainte-Geneviève-de-Paris]], the first [[Orthodox Church of France|French-speaking Orthodox parish]]. In 1938 he leaves Paris to settle in London, within the framework of the [[Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius|Fellowship of Saint Alban and Saint Sergius]] [http://www.sobornost.org/], an [[ecumenism|ecumenical]] organization dedicated to the bringing together of the [[Anglican Communion|Anglican Church]] and the Orthodox Church. He remains in England until his death in 1980, going on many journeys abroad, in particular to France, Switzerland and Lebanon, where he takes part in the spiritual revival of [[Church of Antioch|Antiochian Orthodoxy]].

Principal publications in French (under the pseudonym "a [[monk]] of the Eastern Church" - [http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search/202-2912394-4503029?search-alias=stripbooks&field-author=Gillet,%20Lev English translations also available]) include ''The Jesus Prayer'', ''Introduction to Orthodox Spirituality'', ''The year of grace of the Lord: A commentary on the Byzantine liturgical year'', and ''Jesus, simple gazes to the Saviour''.

==Quote==
:''O strange Orthodox Church, so poor and weak, with neither the organization nor the culture of the West, staying afloat as if by a [[miracle]] in the face of so many trials, tribulations and struggles; a Church of contrasts, both so traditional and so free, so archaic and so alive, so ritualist and so personally involved, a Church where the priceless pearl of the [[Gospel]] is assiduously preserved, sometimes under a layer of dust; a Church which in shadows and silence maintains above all the eternal values of purity, poverty, [[asceticism]], [[humility]] and forgiveness; a Church which has often not known how to act, but which can sing of the joy of [[Pascha]] like no other.'' -- from Fr Lev's 1937 funeral homily for Archimandrite [[Irénée (Winnaert)|Irénée (Louis-Charles) Winnaert]], the founder of the [[Orthodox Church of France]]

==Source==
Translated from [http://www.pagesorthodoxes.net/coeur/biograph.htm#lev],[http://www.editionsducerf.fr/html/fiche/ficheauteur.asp?n_aut=3681] (French)

==Further reading==
====Writings by Fr. Lev Gillet====

=====Books=====
*''The Jesus Prayer''
*''On the Invocation of the Name of Jesus''
*''The Burning Bush''
*''In Thy Presence''
*''Communion in the Messiah''
*''Jesus: A Dialogue with the Saviour''
*''Orthodox Spirituality: An Outline of the Orthodox Ascetical and Mystical Tradition''
*''The Year of Grace of the Lord: A Commentary on the Byzantine Liturgical Year''

=====Articles=====
* [http://www.syndesmos.org/en/texts/files/Text_85%20The%20Vision,%20editorial,%20Lev%20Gillet,%201972.pdf Father Lev Gillet. The Vision. ''Syndesmos News'' 1972 Dec, No 8 (PDF)] ([http://www.coptichymns.net/module-pagesetter-viewpub-tid-1-pid-309.html mirror (HTML)])
* [http://www.coptichymns.net/module-pagesetter-viewpub-tid-1-pid-155.html Father Lev Gillet. The Jesus Prayer]
* [http://www.coptichymns.net/index.php?module=pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=1&pid=412 Father Lev Gillet. Finding Peace Despite the Suffering]

====Other material====
* [http://www.jacwell.org/spring_summer2000/father_lev_gillet.htm Father Michael Plekon. Father Lev Gillet: The Monk in the City, a Pilgrim in many worlds]
* [http://www.pagesorthodoxes.net/foi-orthodoxe/temoignage-lev-gillet.htm Élisabeth Behr-Sigel. Père Lev Gillet : La crise et le dénouement (French)]
* [http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/2204048860/ Élisabeth Behr-Sigel. ''Lev Gillet, "un moine de l'Eglise d'Orient": Un libre croyant universaliste, évangélique et mystique (L'Histoire à vif)'' (English translation: ''Lev Gillet: A Monk of the Eastern Church'', Fellowship of St Alban & St Sergius, 1999)]

[[Category:Modern Writers]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:Converts to Orthodox Christianity|Gillet]]
[[Category:Converts to Orthodox Christianity from Roman Catholicism|Gillet]]

[[ro:Lev Gillet]]

Amphilochios (Makris) of Patmos

2013-03-22T14:10:49Z

Inistea: ro

[[Image:Father-elias-father-amphilochios.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Father Elias (Annunciation Monastery in Patmos) is watching the portrait of Father Amphilochios, the founder of the monastery.]]
'''Elder Amphilochios of Patmos''' (Makris) was a priestmonk who lived on Patmos (Greece).

==Biography==
The future elder was born on [[December 13]], 1889 to Emmanuel and Irene Makris and named Athanasios. He was born into a large family of simple, country folk. Even as an infant, Athanasios was devout, even observing the fasting rules regarding milk products while still an infant. When Athanasios was five, he convinced his newly-engaged godmother to spend the rest of her days in virginity. Athanasios, having preserved himself from worldly temptations, decided to enter a [[monastery]] at the age of seventeen. He asked his parents' blessing, which they were happy to give.

In March, 1906, he entered the [[Monastery of St. John the Theologian (Patmos, Greece)|Monastery of St. John the Theologian]], Patmos; in August, having earned the love of the aging brotherhood, he was made a [[Monastic Ranks|rassophore]] and given the name Amphilochios. To fight the passions and temptations, Amphilochios would employ strict fasting - ten mouthfuls of food at each meal on standard days, with seven or eight olives on fast days.

In 1911, the [[abbot]] of the Monastery of St. John the Theologian sent Amphilochios to [[Mount Athos]] in order to learn wood-carving; in March 1913, he was tonsured to the Great Schema by Elder Antoniadis. Two months later, the abbot had the agreement of the brethren of the monastery to ordain Amphilochios; but, because of a self-perception of inadequacy, he asked his traveling companion (and ordinand) to continue while Amphilochios went to Egypt and the Holy Lands. Amphilochios asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem to receive him as one of the caretakers of the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem)|Holy Sepulchre]]. While the Patriarch was willing to do this, the Monastery insisted that he return, where they "punished" him by sending him to the hermitage of Apollo, alongside Elder Makarios, which made Amphilochios very happy as he was better able to pray.

However, in 1919, Fr Amphilochios was [[ordination|ordained]] to the [[diaconate]] and, soon after, to the [[priest]]hood. He was assigned to the monastery's dependency on the island of Kos, also serving as confessor throughout the Dodecanese. In 1926, he was sent to the [[Cave of the Apocalypse]], Patmos. He spent much time with students of the Ecclesiastical Academy, which produced numerous elders and abbots.

In 1935, the occupying powers of the Dodecanese were the Italians, who influenced the Church by forcing a system of governance that made it easy to manipulate the Church. However, the Patriarch of Constantinople demanded that this situation be rectified for the new abbot. In response, the brotherhood elected Elder Amphilochios as abbot. Soon after, the seeds of the future female Monastery of the Annunciation began to be planted: the first building housed a training workshop for knitting and weaving, a guise under which to teach children Greek. In response, in 1937, the Italians exiled Elder Amphilochios to mainland Greece, where the Elder received hospitality from the [[Brotherhood of Theologians Zoe|Zoe brotherhood]] in Athens, from whence he traveled throughout Greece; after which he traveled to Crete, where he became spiritual father of the island.

His exile ended in 1939, and Elder Amphilochios returned to Patmos, being received with great joy. He did not, however, reassume his abbacy, but rather, focused on dependencies and the female Monastery of the Annunciation. The changeover of power in 1942, from the Italians to the Germans, did not greatly impact on the Elder's life. In 1947, Elder Amphilochios organised a small group of [[nun]]s to assist the orphans of Rhodes (at that time, extremely poor) by establishing an orphanage, along with a unit for pregnant women.

At Easter, 1968, Elder Amphilochios received a forewarning of his coming repose, and was given two years to prepare himself and his children for his repose. Anxious for his spiritual children, he asked God with tears for more time to develop his children, after which the Mother of God and St. [[John the Theologian]] appeared to him and informed him that his request was denied. Soon after this, he received a bout of flu. Having made his final preparations, he reposed on [[April 16]], 1970.

==Monastery Associations==
* The Holy [[Monastery of St. John the Theologian (Patmos, Greece)]]
* The Holy [[Monastery of Panagia Eleousa (Kalymnos, Greece)]]
* The Holy [[Monastery of Annunciation (Patmos, Greece)]]

==Special Relationships==
* St. '''[[Nektarios of Aegina]]''' - he always had a great desire to meet this holy Metropolitan. When His excellency asked him, "What the greatest and most singular desire of his soul was", the elder responded in simplicity, ''"I wish that everybody would become monastics"''. The elder is the only person who was invited by the Saint to stay overnight in his private quarters.
* Gerontissa '''[[Gabrielia (Papayannis)]]''' - was [[tonsure]]d by him into the Great Schema by the elder on Patmos in the "Cave of St. Anthony", of the Monastery of the Evangelismos, just before she and the nun Tomasina left for India.

==Quotes==
"Do not be afraid because of your Orthodoxy; do not be afraid because, as an Orthodox in the West, you will be often isolated and always in a small minority. Do not make compromises but do not attack other Christians; do not be either defensive or aggressive; simply be yourself." — related by Bishop [[Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia|Kallistos (Ware)]], 2000, "The Spiritual Guide in Orthodox Christianity", in ''The Inner Kingdom: Volume One of the Collected Works'', [[St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York)|St. Vladimir's]] Press, Crestwood, New York, p. 150.

==Bibliography==
*Middleton, Herman A., 2004,"Elder Amphilochios of Patmos: Life", in ''Precious Vessels of the Holy Spirit: The Lives & Counsels of Contemporary Elders of Greece'', 2nd edn., Protecting Veil Press, Thessalonica, Greece. [http://www.protectingveil.com/available]

[[Category:Athonite Fathers]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:Elders]]

[[ro:Amfilohie (Makris) din Patmos]]

Protection of the Mother of God

2013-03-22T13:47:51Z

Inistea: ro

[[Image:Protection.jpg|right|frame|Protection of the Theotokos]]
The '''Protection of the Mother of God''' is one of the most beloved [[feast]] days on the [[Church calendar|Orthodox calendar]] among the Slavic peoples, commemorated on [[October 1]]. The feast is celebrated additionally on [[October 28]] in the Greek tradition. It is also known as the feast of the '''Virgin Mary's Cerement'''.

In most Slavic languages the word "cerement" has a dual meaning of "veil" and "protection." The Russian word ''Pokrov'' (Покров), like the Greek ''Skepi'' (Σκέπη), has a complex meaning. First of all, it refers to a cloak or shroud, but it also means protection or intercession. For this reason, the name of the feast is variously translated as the '''Veil of Our Lady''', the '''Protecting Veil of the Theotokos''', the '''Protection of the Theotokos''', or the '''Intercession of the Theotokos'''.

==The feast==
The feast day celebrates the appearance of the [[Mother of God]] at Blachernae (Vlaherna) in the tenth century. At the end of St. [[Andrew the Fool-for-Christ|Andrei]] (Andrew of Constantinople) [[Fool-for-Christ|Yurodivyi]]'s life, he, with his [[disciple]] St. Epiphanius, and a group of people, saw the Mother of God, St. [[John the Baptist]], and several other [[saints]] and [[angels]] during a vigil in the Church of Blachernae, nearby the city gates. The Blachernae Palace church was where several of her [[relics]] were kept. The relics were her robe, veil, and part of her belt that had been transferred from Palestine during the fifth century.

The Theotokos approached the center of the church, knelt down and remained in [[prayer]] for a long time. Her face was drowned in tears. Then she took her veil (cerement) off and spread it over the people as a sign of protection. During the time, the people in the city were threatened by a barbarian invasion. After the appearance of the Mother of God, the danger was averted and the city was spared from bloodshed and suffering.

==Celebration of the feast==
The Protection is commemorated most fervently in Slavic churches, probably because St. Andrei was a Slav. The first celebration of the Theotokos's cerement in the [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]] dates back from the 12th century and today is celebrated throughout the Orthodox Church.

The feast day commemorating the [[miracle]] is celebrated with an [[All-Night Vigil]], with many of the same elements as occur on [[Great Feast]]s of the Theotokos. However, this feast has no [[afterfeast]].

==Russian usage==
The Russian ''[[Primary Chronicle]]'' noted that the intercession of the Theotokos was needed for the protection of the people of Constantinople when a large fleet of the pagan Rus, led by Askole and Dir, was threatening Constantinople. The invading fleet was defeated and the event remembered. Strangely, the feast came to be considered a very important feast by the Slavic Orthodox Churches but not by the Greeks.

A twelfth century Russian chronicle describes the establishment of the intercession as a special feast day honoring the event. Within a few centuries churches began being named in honor of the Protection of the Mother of God.
[[Image:St Basil Cathedral.jpg|thumb|right|200pxl|Pokrovsky Sobor (St Basil Cathedral) Moscow]]

Among these churches two that are world famous are: in Moscow, the ''Cathedral of Intercession upon a Moat'' (Russian: Храм Покрова "на рву," ''Cathedral of the Pokrov upon a moat''), which is popularly known as the [[St. Basil's Cathedral (Moscow)|St. Basil's Cathedral]] and in Bogolyubovo near Vladimir, the ''Church of Intercession upon the Nerl River'' (Russian: Церковь Покрова на Нерли, ''Tserkov Pokrova na Nerli'').

The Moscow cathedral was built in the mid 1500s by Tsar Ivan IV and the Bogolyubovo church was built in 1165 by Prince Andrew Bogoliusky. In [[Novgorod]], the [[Monastery]] of the Intercession of Our Lady (Zverin Monastery) was also built during the twelfth century.

==Greek usage==
In recent years, the Feast of the Protection has become associated with thanksgiving for the deliverance of the Greek nation from the Italian invasion of 1940. These events are commemorated in Greece in a national holiday known as "Ochi Day" or "No Day," referring to the response of the Greek leader Metaxas to Mussolini's ultimatum.

In recognition of this, and because of the many miracles of the Holy Virgin which were reported by Greek soldiers during the [[w:Greco-Italian War|Greco-Italian War]] of 1940-1941, the [[Holy Synod]] of the [[Church of Greece]] elected in 1952 to transfer the Feast from October 1 to [[October 28]].<ref>Great Synaxaristes: {{el icon}} ''[http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/1007/sxsaintinfo.aspx Μνήμη Ἁγίας Σκέπης τῆς Ὑπεραγίας Θεοτόκου].'' 28 Οκτωβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.</ref>

The [[Ecumenical Patriarchate]] also provides for this usage in its parishes in Greece and in the Greek diaspora, and it is generally observed now throughout the Greek-speaking world. The observance includes the chanting of a [[Doxology]] incorporating hymns recognizing the Protection of the Theotokos over the Greek nation, as well as the [[kontakion]] "[[O Champion Leader]]."

==About the icon==
Two different events that took place four hundred years apart are combined in this one icon. Both events took place in the former Church of Blachernae in Constantinople.

The [[icon]] of the feast, Protection of the Mother of God, shows the [[Theotokos]] standing above the faithful with her arms outstretched in prayer and draped with a veil. On both sides of her are [[angels]]. On the lower right of most icons of this feast, are saints Andrew and his disciple Epiphanius who saw this vision of the Mother of God, with the twelve apostles, bishops, holy women, monks and martyrs, spreading her veil in protection over the [[congregation]]. St. Epiphanius is wearing a tunic under his cloak and gestures in astonishment at the miraculous appearance, while St. Andrew, [[Fool-for-Christ]], is dressed only in a cloak.

Below the Theotokos, in the center of the icon, stands a young man with a [[halo]], he is clothed in a [[deacon]]'s [[sticharion]]. In his left hand, he is holding an open scroll with the text of the [[Kontakion]] for [[Nativity of the Theotokos|Nativity in honor of the Mother of God]]. This is St. [[Roman the Melodist|Romanus the Melodist]], the famous [[hymnographer]] whose feast is also celebrated on the same day, [[October 1]]. He is with his choir attended by the [[Leo VI|Emperor Leo the Wise]] together with the Empress and the Patriarch of Constantinople.

==Hymns==
[[Troparion]] ([[Tone]] 4) [http://oca.org/FStropars.asp?ID=102824]
:Today the faithful celebrate the feast with joy
:illumined by your coming, O Mother of God.
:Beholding your pure image we fervently cry to you:
:"Encompass us beneath the precious veil of your protection;
:deliver us from every form of evil by entreating [[Christ]],
:your Son and our God that He may save our souls."

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 3) [http://oca.org/FStropars.asp?ID=102824]
:Today the Virgin stands in the midst of the Church
:and with choirs of saints she invisibly prays to God for us.
:Angels and [[bishop]]s worship,
:apostles and prophets rejoice together,
:since for our sake she prays to the pre-eternal God.

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

==Sources==
*[http://www.mgr.org/TheVeil.html The Miracle of the Virgin Mary at the Church of Blachernae in Constantinople in 911 A.D.]
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=102824 The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary] ([[OCA]])
*Makarios, ''The Synaxarion: The Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church (Volume 1)'', Ormylia: 1998, pp. 249-250 [ISBN 9608560373]

==External links==
* [http://www.ec-patr.org/afieroma/churches/show.php?lang=en&id=02 The Church of Panagia of Blachernæ]
* [http://www.angelfire.com/nv2/carthusian/Akathist/protection.html Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos of All Protection]
* ''[[w:The Protection of the Mother of God|The Protection of the Mother of God]].'' Wikipedia.

[[Category:Feasts]]
[[Category:About Icons]]

[[ro:Acoperământul Maicii Domnului]]

Drosis of Antioch

2013-03-22T13:39:51Z

Inistea: ro

[[Image:St Drosis Saco - 2009.JPG|right|thumb|250px|St. Drosis, the daughter of the Roman Emperor Trajan]]
St. '''Drosis''', the daughter of the Roman Emperor Trajan is commemorated on [[March 22]].

According to Orthodox Christian ecclesiastical traditions St. Drosis was the daughter of the Emperor Trajan (98-117 AD). In 99 AD Trajan revived a decree prohibiting secret gatherings which was in truth a ruse to prohibit Christian rituals. In 104, a special law was issued against those who believed in Christ and who denied obedience to imperial idols.

Many Christians were [[martyr]]ed for disobeying this law. As a visible deterrent for other Christians these martyrs were kept unburied. Five [[nun]]s, Aglaida, Apolliniaria, Daria, Mamthusa and Thais, assumed the task of burying these holy persons. They secretly gathered their bodies, anointed them with spices, wrapped them in shrouds, and buried them in their nunnery. When Drosis learned about the nuns she secretly left the palace to assist them in collecting the martyred Christians.

Adrian, one of Trajan’s advisors, was engaged to Drosis. In order to advance himself Adrian obtained Trajan’s permission to set guard over those who had been killed and arrest anyone who tried to bury them. St. Drosis and the five nuns were eventually apprehended.

Trajan sentenced the five nuns to death by throwing them into a furnace used for preparing copper fixtures for a public bath project. Trajan excluded his daughter from this punishment ordering she be held separately within the palace. He hoped her feelings about Christianity would change.

Many Roman non-Christian citizens were invited for the opening ceremonies of the baths. The first idol worshiper who entered the facility immediately died as did the subsequent idol worshiper until it was impossible for any unbeliever to enter the facility. The priests suspected a magical spell so Adrian recommended that the copper fixtures be removed and melted. In order to disgrace the nuns the copper was used to create five naked statues in their likeness which were placed at the entrance to the baths. After their installation Trajan dreamt of five pure lambs in Paradise while an Awesome Shepherd said to him “Irreverent Caesar! Those whose images you placed there to be dishonored have been taken away from you by the Good Shephard [[Jesus Christ|Christ]] and brought to this fine paradise where in time your daughter, the pure lamb Drosis, shall also be.”

Awakening and enraged that these holy women could mock Trajan after their deaths he ordered two huge furnaces be placed at each corner of the city. An imperial edict was posted which said: “Galileans who worship the Crucified, rid yourselves many tortures and spare us also from these labors and let each of you voluntarily cast himself into this furnace.” Many Christians willingly went to their martyrdom. St. Drosis was one of them.

In her seclusion St. Drosis prayed for her release. Her prayers were heard. While the guards fell asleep, St. Drosis, dressed in her royal attire left the palace and heading to the ovens. Since St. Drosis was not yet [[baptism|baptized]] she wondered, “How can I go to God without a wedding garment that is without being baptized for I am impure. But, O King of Kings, Lord Jesus Christ, for Your sake I give up my imperial position, so that you can make me gatekeeper of Your Kingdom. Baptize me Yourself with your Holy Spirit.”

After praying in this manner, St. Drosis anointed herself with [[chrism]] she had taken along with her and after immersing herself in water three times, she said: “the servant of God Drosis is baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” For seven days the [[saint]] hid, fasting and praying. Christians found her and she told them her story. On the eighth day, the holy Martyr Drosis went to the scorching ovens and cast herself into the fire.

==References==

* Patrologia Orientalis Tome XXII Fascicule 2, No. 108. Les Homiiae Cathedrales De Severe D’Antoche, Homolie C, pages 230 – 248

* The prologue from Orchid. Lives of the Saints and Homilies by Bishop Nicolai Velimirovic (Translated by Mother Maria). Part one January, February, March, Lazarica Press 1985

* [http://www.antiochian.org/node/17559 St. Drosis, the Daughter of Emperor Trajan]. The Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.

* George Poulos. ''March 22: Saint Drosis.'' In: '''Orthodox Saints: Spirtual Profiles for Modern Man January 1 to March 31'''. Vol. 1. Holy Cross Orthodox Press, Brookline, 1990. pp.255-256.

'''In Greek''' 
* CΥΝΑΞΑΡΙCΤΗC ΤΩΝ ΔΩΔΕΚΑ ΜΗΝΩΝ ΤΟΥ ΕΝΙΑΥΤΟΥ. ''ΤΟΜΟC ΤΕΤΑΡΤΟC ΜΑΡΤΙΟC-ΑΠΡΙΛΙΟC.'' ΕΚΔΟCΕΙC ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΟΥ ΚΥΨCΕΛΗC.

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]
[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:2nd-century saints]]

[[ro:Drosida din Antiohia]]

Maxim (Minkov) of Bulgaria

2013-03-20T23:48:01Z

Inistea: ro

His Holiness '''Maxim (Minkov)''', [[Patriarch]] of Bulgaria and Bishop of Sofia, was the [[primate]] of the [[Church of Bulgaria]] from 1971 until his death on [[November 6]], 2012.

==Life==
His Holiness Maxim was born Marin Naydenov Minkov on [[October 29]], 1914 in the village of Oreshak, near the town of Troyan. Marin received his theological education at the Sofia Seminary of St. John of Rila and the Orthodox Theological Department of Sofia University.

In 1941, he was [[tonsure]]d and received the name Maxim and then entered the [[Holy Orders]]. In 1955, he was named secretary general of the [[Holy Synod]]. In 1956, he was [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] with the titular Bishop of Branit. In 1960, he was elected [[Metropolitan]] of Lovech, and then on [[July 4]], 1971, he was elected Patriarch of Bulgaria.

Patr. Maxim led the Church of Bulgaria during much of the period of the communist dictatorship and the transition of Bulgaria to a non-communist state. During much of this period the Church of Bulgaria was split into to warring Synods.

Patriarch Maxim passed away [[November 6]], 2012, a few days after his 98th birthday.

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=?|
title=Bishop of Branit|
years=1956-1960|
after=?}}
{{succession|
before=?|
title=Metropolitan of Lovech|
years=1960-1971|
after=?}}
{{succession|
before=[[Cyril (Markov) of Bulgaria|Cyril (Markov)]]|
title=Patriarch of Bulgaria and Metropolitan of Sofia|
years=1971-2012|
after=[[Neofit (Dimitrov) of Bulgaria|Neofit (Dimitrov)]]}}
{{end box}}

==External links==
*[http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=98346 Head of Bulgarian Orthodox Church Patriarch Maksim]
*[http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=144829 Bulgarian Orthodox Patriarch Maxim Dies at 98]
*[http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/hierarchs/bulgaria/bios/bio_maxim_patr_bulgaria.html Listing] at the Orthodox Research Institute
*[[w:Patriarch Maxim of Bulgaria|''Patriarch Maxim of Bulgaria'' at Wikipedia]]

[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:20th-21st-century bishops]]
[[Category:Bishops of Branit]]
[[Category:Bishops of Lovech]]
[[Category:Bishops of Sofia]]
[[Category:Patriarchs of Bulgaria]]

[[ro:Maxim (Minkov) al Bulgariei]]

Cuthbert of Lindisfarne

2013-03-20T23:13:20Z

Inistea: ro

[[Image:Cuthbert.jpg|right|frame|St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne]]
Our father among the [[saint]]s '''Cuthbert of Lindisfarne''', [[Wonder-worker]] of Britain, was a [[monastic]] [[missionary]] and [[bishop]] during the seventh century, in Scotland and the north of England. He is a widely [[veneration|venerated]] saint in England. His [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[March 20]]. [[September 4]] is the commemoration of the [[Translation (relics)|translation]] of his [[relics]] to Durham.

==Life==
Not much is known for certain of Cuthbert's youth. Variously, he has been thought to have been of Irish origin, named "Mulloche" and descended from Irish royalty, or of Northumbrian birth of well-to-do English stock, with either warrior or sheep-herding training. He was raised in the Scottish lowlands by a poor widow named Kenswith. His date of birth is given as 634 or 635. His course in life seems to have turned on an experience when he was tending sheep one night. Cuthbert saw lights in the sky that he interpreted to be an [[angel]] descending to earth and returning to [[heaven]] with the [[soul]] of St. [[Aidan of Lindisfarne]], whom he found later to have died that evening, [[August 31]], 651. Through this event he decided to go to the Melrose [[Abbey]] on the Tweed River and become a [[monk]].

Cuthbert was a monk at Melrose under St. Eata from 651 to 661 where he was taught the [[Holy Scripture|scriptures]] by the [[prior]], St. Boisil. In 661, he joined a new [[monastery]] at Ripon, with St. Eata, where he was the guestmaster. Cuthbert returned to Melrose, after King Alcfrid placed Ripon under St. Wilfrid's leadership, and there he became the prior after the death St. Boisil. It was while at Melrose that Cuthbert began his missionary efforts throughout Northumbria. He became ill with the plague that was endemic in the area, and which had been the cause of the death of Boisil. While Cuthbert recovered his health henceforth was undermined.
[[Image:Whitby Abbey.jpg|thumb|right|200pxl|[[Whitby Abbey]]]]

At the [[Synod of Whitby]] in 664, a decision was made to follow the Roman liturgical customs introduced by [[Augustine of Canterbury]] in place of the Celtic practices that were formerly followed. While St. Colman, the local [[bishop]], and his monks refused to accept the decision of the Synod of Whitby and left for Ireland, Cuthbert seemed to have accepted the introduction of the Roman practices and remained. Cuthbert, then, followed his [[abbot]], St. Eata, from Melrose to [[Lindisfarne]], where he became prior and later abbot.

[[Image:Lindisfarne Priory.jpg|thumb|left|250pxl|Lindisfarne Priory]]
From Lindisfarne, Cuthbert continued his missionary work southward to Northumberland and Durham. Cuthbert had become entranced with the sea and rocky lands of Lindisfarne and yearned for a solitary life there. In 676, he actively turned to such a life by retiring to a cave and shortly thereafter he moved to a cell he built on the isolated island of Inner Farne that was south of Lindisfarne. Yet he was still sought after. After being implored strongly by the king of Northumberland, Cuthbert, in tears, agreed to accept election as a bishop in 684. While initially destined for the see of Hexham, Cuthbert exchanged sees with St. Eata and was [[Consecration of a bishop|consecrated bishop]] of Lindisfarne in [[March 26]], 685, on the [[Pascha|Sunday of the Resurrection]], by St. [[Theodore of Tarsus|Theodore]], [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], and by six bishops in York.

For the next two years, Cuthbert, while maintaining an [[ascetic]] life, led his [[diocese]] by caring for the sick, distributing [[alms]], working the many [[miracle]]s that earned him the title of ''Wonder-worker of Britain''. Then, during the [[Christmas]] season of 686 in declining health he resigned his office and retired to his cell on the Inner Farne Island where he reposed on [[March 20]], 687.

==External links==
*[http://www.goarch.org/en/chapel/saints.asp?contentid=2366 Cuthbert of Lindisfarne] ([[GOARCH]])
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=109071 St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain] ([[OCA]])
*[[w:Cuthbert of Lindisfarne|Cuthbert of Lindisfarne]] on Wikipedia
*[http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/jchiaromonte/cuthbert5.htm Cuthbert]
* [http://stmaterne.blogspot.com/2008/03/saint-cuthbert-de-lindisfarne-le-saint.html Icons of St. Cuthbert]

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Saints of the British Isles]]
[[Category:Pre-Schism Western Saints]]
[[Category:Wonderworkers]]
[[Category:7th-century saints]]

[[fr:Cuthbert de Lindisfarne]]
[[ro:Cuthbert de Lindisfarne]]

Prayer of Saint Ephrem

2013-03-19T15:41:43Z

Inistea: ro

'''The Prayer of St. Ephrem''' (Greek: Εὐχή τοῦ Ὁσίου Ἐφραίμ, ''Euchē tou Hosiou Ephraim''), is a [[prayer]] attributed to [[Saint]] [[Ephrem the Syrian]] used with emphasis during the [[Great Lent]]. This prayer is considered to be the most succinct summation of the spirit of Great Lent and is hence the Lenten prayer 'par excellence', prayed during all Lenten weekday services, such as the [[Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts]], and many more times in private. There are historically two variant versions of the prayer—the Greek and the Slavonic—with modern English translations taken either from the Greek, the Slavonic, or attempting to combine the two.<ref>[http://www.sv-luka.org/misionar/lentenpr_n2.htm The Lenten Prayer of St Ephrem the Syrian] by Fr. Alexander Schmemann</ref>

==Greek version==
:''Κύριε καὶ Δέσποτα τῆς ζωῆς μου, πνεῦμα ἀργίας, περιεργίας, φιλαρχίας, καὶ ἀργολογίας μή μοι δῷς.''
:''Πνεῦμα δὲ σωφροσύνης,<ref>The Greek word "σωφρόσυνη/sōphrosunē" is usually translated as "chastity," however, the word carries the meaning of "whole mindedness." Therefore the prayer here asks for the restoration of wholeness. (See [[Alexander Schmemann]]'s article [http://www.sv-luka.org/misionar/lentenpr_n2.htm The Lenten Prayer of St Ephrem the Syrian] and his book ''Great Lent'')</ref> ταπεινοφροσύνης, ὑπομονῆς, καὶ ἀγάπης χάρισαί μοι τῷ σῷ δούλῳ.''
:''Ναί, Κύριε Βασιλεῦ, δώρησαι μοι τοῦ ὁρᾶν τὰ ἐμὰ πταίσματα, καὶ μὴ κατακρίνειν τὸν ἀδελφόν μου, ὅτι εὐλογητὸς εἶ, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.''

An English translation of this is:
:''O Lord and Master of my life, give me not the spirit of sloth, idle curiosity/meddling, lust for power and idle talk.''
:''But grant unto me, Thy servant, a spirit of chastity/integrity, humility, patience and love.''
:''Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see mine own faults and not to condemn my brother. For blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.''

This Greek version is the standard form of the prayer, to be found in the Greek Orthodox Church and all those churches that utilize Greek or Arabic in their services. Minor variations from this text have been found in very early manuscripts.

==Church Slavonic versions==
===Pre-Nikonian===
In the earliest Church Slavonic translations, this is:
:''Господи и владико животѹ моемѹ, духъ оунынїѧ, небре жεнїѧ, срεбролюбїѧ и празднословїѧ ѿжεни ѿ мεнε.''
:''Духъ же цѣломѹдрїѧ, смиренїѧ, терпѣнїѧ и любве дарѹй ми рабѹ твоемѹ.''
:''Ей Господи Царю, даждь ми зрѣти моѧ согрѣшенїѧ, и еже не ωсуждати брата моегω, якω благословенъ еси во вѣки. Аминь''

An English translation of this is:
:''O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despondency, lust for power and idle talk.''
:''But grant unto me, Thy servant, a spirit of chastity/integrity, humility, patience and love.''
:''Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see mine own faults and not to condemn my brother. For blessed art Thou unto the ages. Amen.''

There are two intriguing differences between the Greek and Slavonic texts of the first line of the prayer.

First, regarding the ''spirit of sloth...'', the Greek has ''μή μοι δῷς'' meaning ''give me not'', but the Slavonic has ''ωтжεни ωт мεнε'' meaning ''take away from me''. Next, where the Greek has 'περιέργια/periergia' meaning 'idle curiosity' or 'meddling.' the Slavonic has 'небрежεнїѧ/nebrezheniya' meaning 'faint-heartedness' or 'despondency,' which in Greek is 'ακηδία/akêdia,' the classic monastic sin. Whether these differences are attributable to a different original or a reflection of differing national temperaments is, as yet, unclear.

This version was superseded in Russia in 1656 by the liturgical reforms of [[Patriarch]] [[Nikon of Moscow|Nikon]], but remains in use among the [[Old Believers]] today.

===Kievan version of 1639===
:''Господи и владыко живота моегω, духъ оунынїѧ, небрежεнїѧ, любоначалїѧ и празднословїѧ ѿжεни ѿ мεнε.''
:''Духъ же цѣломѹдрїѧ, смиреномѹдрїѧ, терпѣнїѧ и любве, дарѹй ми рабѹ твоемѹ.''
:''Ей Господи Царю, даждь ми зрѣти моѧ согрѣшенїѧ, и не ωсуждати брата моегω, якω благословенъ еси во вѣки вѣковъ. Аминь''

This version is to be found in the [[Liturgikon]] (Sluzhebnik) or ''Priest's Service Book'', published in Kiev in 1639 by St. [[Peter Mogila]]. Substantially it is similar to the earlier version, but with some of the case-endings updated, as by that time, the use of the dative case (животѹ моемѹ) to mark possession was considered distinctively archaic, and the use of the genitive case (живота моегω) felt to be more correct. It retains the distinctive differences that the earlier version has from the Greek, with none of the more drastic changes that may be found in the next version.

This version was once used throughout the Kievan metropolia, as well as the Orthodox churches of central Europe (Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and so on), but later dropped out of use, and the next version adopted. It is currently only used (either in the original Slavonic or in vernacular translations by those churches that use the Ruthenian recension—the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Ruthenian Catholic Church, the Belarusian Greek Catholic Church, the Hungarian Greek Catholic Church, and the Slovak Greek Catholic Church.

===Nikonian version of 1656===
:''Господи и владыко живота моегω, духъ праздности, оунынїѧ, любоначалїѧ и празднословїѧ не даждь ми.
:''Духъ же цѣломѹдрїѧ, смиренномѹдрїѧ, терпѣнїѧ и любве, дарѹй ми рабѹ твоемѹ.
:''Ей Господи Царю, даруй ми зрѣти моѧ прегрѣшенїѧ, и не ωсуждати брата моегω, якω благословенъ еси во вѣки вѣковъ. Аминь''

This is the version found in the editions of the liturgical books published in 1656 by Patriarch Nikon of Moscow, and given his wish that every difference in usage between Muscovite and Greek books be eliminated, it is no surprise that this corresponds word-for-word with the Greek version. This is the version currently in use by the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] (both the [[Moscow Patriarchate]] and the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]]), the [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church]], the [[Belarusian Orthodox Church]], the [[Serbian Orthodox Church]], the [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church]], and all other Slavic Orthodox churches.

==Bows and prostrations==
The prayer is accompanied by [[prostration]]s. The most common practice has one after each line of the prayer, a number of bows/prostrations either in silence or accompanied by short ejaculatory prayers then follows (the exact number of which varies between ethnic traditions), followed by one at the end of a repeat of the entire prayer, with a final prostration.

The current Russian Orthodox practice, such as in [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia|ROCOR]] and the Moscow Patriarchate, is to perform twelve bows between the repeats of the prayer, saying at each bow, 'Боже, ѡчисти мѧ грѣшнаго (грѣшнѹю if one is female)—O God, cleanse me a sinner.' When the prayer is prayed in the course of a church service, the priest alone says 'O God, cleanse me a sinner' as everyone makes bows. In the common usage of ROCOR, the last (twelfth time) he adds, "...и помилѹй мѧ—and have mercy on me." Though this last addition is not written in the service books, it does help all of those present to know that it was the last bow.

The tradition of the [[Old Believers]] is similar, but instead of twelve bows in silence, they have thirteen prostrations, each time reciting the [[Jesus Prayer]] or the following prayers:
:Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. ('Господи Ісусе Христе Сыне Божїй помилѹй мѧ грѣшнаго/грѣшнѹю.')
:God be merciful to me a sinner. ('Боже милостивъ буди мнѣ грѣшномѹ.')
:God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me. ('Боже ѡчисти грѣхи моѧ и помилѹй мѧ.')
:Thou has created me; Lord, have mercy on me. ('Создавый мѧ Господи, помилѹй.')
:I have sinned immeasurably; Lord, forgive me. ('Безъ числа согрѣшихъ, Господи прости мѧ.')
:Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
:God be merciful to me a sinner.
:God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me.
:Thou has created me; Lord, have mercy on me.
:I have sinned immeasurably; Lord, forgive me.
:God be merciful to me a sinner.
:Thou has created me; Lord, have mercy on me.
:I have sinned immeasurably; Lord, forgive me.

The Ruthenian tradition, again, differs slightly, retaining some aspects closely related to Old Believer usage. The 1639 Liturgikon (Sluzhebnik) of St. [[Peter Mogila]] prescribes twelve waist-bows, repeating the following three lines to make twelve:
:God be merciful to me a sinner. ('Боже милостивъ буди мнѣ грѣшномѹ.')
:God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me. ('Боже ѡчисти грѣхи моѧ и помилѹй мѧ.')
:I have sinned immeasurably; Lord, forgive me. ('Безъ числа согрѣшихъ, Господи прости мѧ.')

==Other languages==
===Romanian===
:''Doamne şi Stăpânul vieţii mele, duhul trândăviei, al grijii de multe, al iubirii de stăpânire şi al grăirii în deşert nu mi-l da mie.
:''Iar duhul curăţiei, al gândului smerit, al răbdării şi al dragostei, dăruieşte-l mie, robului Tău.
:''Aşa Doamne, Împărate, dăruieşte-mi ca să-mi văd greşalele mele şi să nu osândesc pe fratele meu, că binecuvântat eşti în vecii vecilor. Amin.

The Romanian text follows the Greek version.

===Ukrainian===
:''Господи і Владико життя мого, дух млявости, недбайливости, владолюбства й пустослів’я віджени від мене.
:''Дух же доброчесности і смиренномудрія, терпіння й любови даруй мені, недостойному рабові Твоєму.
:''Так, Господи Царю, дай мені зріти мої прогрішення і не осуджувати брата мого, бо Ти благословен єси на віки віків. Амінь.

The Ukrainian version appears to follow the Mogila version closely.

==Source==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prayer_of_Saint_Ephrem&oldid=193052173 Wikipedia: Prayer of Saint Ephrem]

==Notes==
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[[Category:Prayers]]

[[ro:Rugăciunea Sfântului Efrem Sirul]]

Simeon the God-receiver

2013-02-22T01:35:45Z

Inistea: ro

[[Image:Simeon.jpg|right|frame||St. Simeon the God-receiver]]
The glorious [[Prophet]] '''Simeon the God-receiver''' (also ''Symeon'') was present when [[Jesus]] was brought into the temple as an infant (celebrated as the feast of the [[Presentation]]). His [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[February 3]], with that of St. [[Anna the Prophetess]].
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==Prayer of Saint Simeon==
St. Simeon is described in [[Scripture]] ([[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 2:25-32) as a [[righteous]] man who was waiting to behold the [[Christ]] before he died. Holding Him in his arms, he uttered the prayer of praise which is known as the ''Prayer of Saint Simeon'' or by the first two words in Latin, ''Nunc dimittis''.

:''Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace,
:''according to Your word,
:''for my eyes have seen Your salvation,
:''a Light to lighten the Gentiles,
:''the Glory of Your people Israel.

This prayer is used in many liturgical services.

==Septuagint==
The Righteous Simeon was one of the seventy scholars who came to Alexandria to translate the Holy [[Scripture]]s into Greek. The completed work was called "The [[Septuagint]]," and is the version of the [[Old Testament]] used by the Orthodox Church.

St Simeon was translating a book of the Prophet [[Isaiah]], and read the words: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a Son" (Is 7:14). He thought that "virgin" was inaccurate, and he wanted to correct the text to read "woman." At that moment an [[angel]] appeared to him and held back his hand saying, "You shall see these words fulfilled. You shall not die until you behold [[Christ]] the Lord born of a pure and spotless Virgin." Tradition says he died at the great age of 360.
==Hymn==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 4)

:Simeon the Elder is filled with joy today,
:receiving into his arms the Eternal God as an infant.
:Begging to be released from the bonds of the flesh he cries:
:"My eyes have seen the salvation,
:which You have prepared for all the nations to see!"

==External links==
*[http://goarch.org/en/chapel/saints.asp?contentid=411 Symeon the God-Receiver, Anna the Prophetess] ([[GOARCH]])
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=100409 Holy and Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver] ([[OCA]])
*[http://www.comeandseeicons.com/s/phn78.htm Icon of St. Simeon the Host of God]
*[http://www.comeandseeicons.com/festal/lkg04.htm Icon of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple]

[[Category:Biblical Saints]]
[[Category:Saints]]

[[ro:Simeon, primitorul de Dumnezeu]]