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Neophyte (Dimitrov) of Bulgaria

2013-03-20T19:35:26Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

His Holiness '''Neophyte''' or '''Neofit (Dimitrov)''' is the [[Patriarch]] of Bulgaria, Metropolitan of Sofia, and [[primate]] of the [[Church of Bulgaria]]. He was [[enthronement|enthroned]] on [[February 24]], 2013.

==Life==
Simeon Nikolov Dimitrov (Симеон Николов Димитров) was born in Sofia, Bulgaria on [[October 15]], 1945. After completing his secondary education, Simeon began his theological studies at the Sofia [[Seminary]] in Cherepish Station, graduating in 1965. Then, in September 1967, he entered the St. [[Clement of Ochrid]] Theological Academy in Sofia, graduating in 1971. He then continued his post-graduate theological education at the [[Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary|Moscow Theological Academy]] for two years, where he specialized in liturgical music and earned a doctoral degree.

Returning to Sofia, he was appointed lecturer of liturgical music and conductor of the Theological Seminary Choir on [[September 1]], 1973. On [[August 3]], 1975, Simeon was [[tonsure]]d a [[monk]], with the name Neofit, at the Troyan Monastery by Patr. [[Maxim (Minkov) of Bulgaria|Maxim]]. On [[August 15]], 1975, he was [[ordination|ordained]] to the [[deacon|diaconate]] followed by his ordination to the [[priest]]hood on [[March 23]], 1976, both by Patr. Maxim at the Cathedral of "Sveta Nedelya" (St. Kyriaki) in Sofia.

On [[September 30]], 1975, Father Neofit was appointed the conductor of the Sofia Priests' Choir, serving until [[March 17]], 1986. On [[July 15]], 1977, he was appointed senior lecturer in Eastern church chant and liturgical practice at the Theological Academy in Sofia, a position he retained until January 1980. On [[November 21]], 1977, Fr. Neofit was raised to the dignity of [[archimandrite]]. On [[January 1]], 1981, Archim. Neofit was named [[chancellor]] of the Sofia Eparchy.

While remaining chancellor, Archim. Neofit was [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] the [[titular bishop]] of Levkas on [[December 8]], 1985 and served as the second [[vicar]] of the Sofia [[diocese|eparchy]]. On [[December 1]], 1989, Bp. Neofit was appointed rector of the St. Clement of Ochrid Theological Academy in Sofia. On [[July 26]], 1991, he was chosen the first dean of the reestablished Theological Faculty at Sofia University. On [[January 27]], 1992, he was named Secretary of the [[Holy Synod]] of the Church of Bulgaria and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the St. Alexander Nevsky Patriarchal Cathedral.

On [[March 27]], 1994, Bp. Neofit was elected Metropolitan of the Eparchy of Dorostol and Cherven and in 2001, after the eparchy had been divided into two eparchies, he was appointed Metropolitan of the Eparchy of Rousse on [[December 17]], 2001. Following the death of Patr. Maxim on [[November 6]], 2012, Metr. Neofit was elected Patriarch of Bulgaria on [[February 24]], 2013 and enthroned later that day.

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=?|
title=Bishop of Levkas Vicar of Sofia Eparchy|
years=1985-1994|
after=?}}
{{succession|
before=Sophronius (Stoychev)|
title=Metropolitan of Dorostol and Cherven|
years=1994-2001|
after= Hilarion (Tsonev)}}
{{succession|
before=—|
title=Metropolitan of Rousse|
years=2001-2013|
after=?}}
{{succession|
before=[[Maxim (Minkov) of Bulgaria|Maxim (Minkov)]]|
title=Patriarch of Bulgaria|
years=2013-Present|
after=—}}
{{end box}}

==Sources==
*[http://www.collegiummusicum.org/collegium/?cat=38 Neofit, Metropolitan of Rousse]
*[http://oca.org/news/headline-news/bulgarian-church-elects-successor-to-late-patriarch-maxim Bulgarian Church elects successor to late Patriarch Maxim]
*http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=148158]
*[http://www.dvemogili.bg/index.php?option=com_content&id=13&Itemid=21&lang=en Metropolitan Neophit]

[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category: Bishops of Levkas]]
[[Category: Bishops of Dorostol]]
[[Category: Bishops of Rousse]]
[[Category: Patriarchs of Bulgaria]]
[[Category: 20th-21st-century bishops]]

[[ro:Neofit (Dimitrov) al Bulgariei]]

Cuthbert of Lindisfarne

2013-03-20T15:39:31Z

Kamasarye: interwiki 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 of Lindisfarne]]

Porphyrios of Gaza

2013-03-20T15:22:55Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

Our father among the saints '''Porphyrios of Gaza''' ({{el icon}}: ''' ''Πορφύριος'' '''; {{la icon}}: ''' ''Porphyrius'' '''; {{cu icon}}: ''' ''Порфирий, Porfiriy'' ''') was the Bishop of Gaza from 395 to 420 AD, known from the account in his ''Life'' for [[Missionary|Christianizing]] the recalcitrant [[pagan]] city of Gaza, and having its temples demolished. His [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[February 26]] / March 11 (March 10).<ref name=SYNAX>Great Synaxaristes: {{el icon}} ''[http://synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/2244/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ἅγιος Πορφύριος Ἐπίσκοπος Γάζης].'' 26 Φεβρουαρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.</ref>

Saint Porphyrios of Gaza is known to us from the ''Vita Porphyrii'', the vivid biography by Mark the Deacon,<ref group="note">Mark the Deacon was a monk in the Egyptian desert of Scetis (Wadi El Natrun) who became the biographer of Saint Porphyrius in the 5th century. He was, at a later date, made [[deacon]] of his church. To effect the sale of the property still owned by Porphyrius in his native city, Mark set out for [[Thessalonica]] and, upon his return, the proceeds were distributed among the monasteries of Egypt and among the necessitous in and around Jerusalem. His masterpiece, the ''"Vita S. Porphyrii"'' ("Life of St. Porphyrius"), formerly known only in a Latin translation, was published in 1874 by M. Haupt in its original Greek text. A new edition was issued in 1895 by the Bonn Philological Society.</ref> which is a contemporary account that chronicles in some detail the end of [[paganism]] in Gaza in the early fifth century.<ref group="note">The text has come down to us in a Greek and a Georgian recension. [[w:Henri Grégoire (historian)|Grégoire]] and Kugener (1930), the editors of the ''Vita Porphyrii'', reviewed the challenges to the integrity of the work and summarized the previous scholarship. These included the lack of other attestation to major figures, including Porphyry himself, in an otherwise well-documented period of history. But they concluded that the text had a historical basis and ''"that the solution of most problems is to be found in the fact that the text of the Vita transmitted to us represents a revision of the sixth century, which borrowed from the church history of [[Theodoret of Cyrrhus]] of 444..."'' In addition, Paul Peeters (1941) published the Georgian texts, and showed that they depended on a lost Syriac original that must have been written in the later fifth or sixth century.</ref>

==Life==
Saint Porphyrius was born of wealthy and pious parents about the year 347 in [[Thessalonica]]. From his youth until age twenty-five Porphyrius remained in Thessalonica, the town of his birth.

===Monk at Scetes===
Having the inclination for [[Monasticism|monastic life]], he left his native region at twenty-five years of age, and set off for Egypt where he lived in the [[w:Wadi El Natrun|Nitrian desert]] (Scetes), a great monastic center at that time, and went under the guidance of St [[Macarius the Great]]. Under the guidance of this experienced spiritual father, the young Porphyrius was [[tonsure]]d a [[monk]], and remained there for five years. Here, he also met St [[Jerome]], who was then visiting the Egyptian monasteries.

===Ascetic in the Jordan===
He then went on [[pilgrimage]] to [[Jerusalem]], preaching the [[Gospel]] of [[Christ]] to the Jews and the Greeks.<ref name=SYNAX/><ref group="note">{{el icon}} "Μετὰ πενταετὴ διαμονὴ ἦλθε στὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα καὶ κήρυσσε στοὺς Ἰουδαίους καὶ τοὺς Ἕλληνες τὸ Εὐαγγέλιο τοῦ Χριστοῦ."</ref>

In the proximity of Jerusalem, he lived an [[Asceticism|ascetical]] life in a cave in the Jordanian wilderness for five more years. There he became seriously ill from [[w:Cirrhosis|liver cirrhosis]],<ref name=SYNAX/> but in spite of his impaired health, he frequently visited the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem)|Church of the Resurrection]] and the other sacred shrines. Here he met the Asiatic Mark, who later became a [[deacon]] of his church and his biographer.<ref name=SYNAX/>

Mark proved a loyal companion and agreed to look after an unresolved matter for Porphyrios in his native city Thessaloniki, regarding the sale of the estate that was still owned by him. When Mark returned he brought with him 4,400 coins from the sale of the assets, as well as many silver vessels and precious garments, all of which were distributed to the poor and donated for the adornment of the monasteries of Jerusalem and Egypt.<ref name=SYNAX/>

During Mark's absence in Thessaloniki, Saint Porphyrius health was [[Miracle|miraculously]] restored, after he received a vision of the Crucifixion of the Lord and of the [[Dismas the thief|Good Thief]].<ref name=SYNAX/>

===Ordination===
In 392 AD, when Porphyrius was 45 years old, he was [[Ordination|ordained]] to the [[Presbyter|priesthood]] by Patriarch [[John II of Jerusalem]] (386-417), and was appointed as the custodian of the Venerable Wood of the [[Cross]] of the Lord.

===Bishop of Gaza===
In 395 AD the bishop of the city of Gaza (in Palestine) died. The local Christians went to Caesarea to ask Metropolitan John of [[w:Caesarea Palaestina|Caesarea Palaestina]] to send them a new bishop who would be able to contend against the pagans, which were predominant in their city and were harassing the Christians there. The Lord inspired the Metropolitan to summon the priest Porphyrios. With fear and trembling the ascetic accepted the office of bishop, and with tears he prostrated himself before the Life-Creating Wood and went to fulfill his new obedience.

====Persecution of Christians in Gaza====
Gaza had a history as a place that was hostile to the early Christians. Several people had suffered [[martyr]]dom there in the persecution of [[Diocletian]] (303-313), as well as under the brief [[pagan]] revival under [[Julian the Apostate]] (362-363) which saw the burning of the Christian basilica and various Christians put to death. The people of Gaza were so hostile to the Christians that the Christian church had been built outside the walls, at a safe distance, and the Christian bishops of the 4th century were specifically termed ''"bishops of the churches about Gaza".''

The Christian community then scarcely numbered 280 individuals in Gaza, according to the ''Vita'' of St. Porphyry, and the community-at-large, who were very fanatical idolaters, resisted the closing of temples and destruction of [[pagan]] images which had already started in more Christianized regions.<ref group="note">Compare the contemporary treatment of the [[w:Serapion of Alexandria|Serapion of Alexandria]] in 391, followed soon after by the destruction of the temples of [[w:Heliopolis (ancient)|Heliopolis (Egypt)]] and [[w:Apamea, Syria|Apameia (Syria)]].</ref>

Only by his great faith and patience did Porphyrios succeed in converting the inhabitants of Gaza to the Faith of Christ. By performing many [[miracle]]s there, he guided many idolaters and heretics to the true knowledge of God. At one time, there had been a long spell without rain, causing a severe drought. The pagan priests brought offerings to their idols, but the woes did not cease. St Porphyrius imposed a [[fast]] for all the Christians, and he then served an [[All-Night Vigil]], followed by a church procession around the city. Immediately the sky covered over with storm clouds, thunder boomed, and abundant rains poured down. Seeing this miracle, many pagans cried out, ''“Christ is indeed the only true God!”'' As a result of this, 127 men, thirty-five women and fourteen children were united to the Church through [[Baptism|Holy Baptism]], and another 110 men soon after this.

Overall however, the pagans continued to harass the Christians, passing them over for public office, and burdening them with taxes.

====Appeals to Constantinople====
Therefore in order to protect his flock from the injustices of the pagans and archons of Gaza, he twice appealed to the court to close and destroy the heathen temples of Gaza.

In 398 AD Bishop Porphyrios sent his [[deacon]] and chronicler Mark to Constantinople, to obtain aid. An official named Hilarius duly arrived with soldiers to close the temples, but the Marneion (a great cult center of paganism, founded by Emperor Hadrian in 129 AD)<ref group="note" name="Marneion">The ''Vita'' of Porphyry of Gaza, mentions the great god of Gaza, known as Marnas (Aramaic: Marnā the "Lord"), who was regarded as the god of rain and grain and invoked against famine. Marna of Gaza appears on coinage of the time of Hadrian. He was identified at Gaza with [[w:Zeus|Cretan Zeus, ''Zeus Krētagenēs'']]. It is likely that Marnas was the Hellenistic expression of [[w:Dagon|Dagon]]. His temple, the ''Marneion'' — the last surviving great cult center of paganism — was burned by order of the Roman emperor in 402. Treading upon the sanctuary's paving-stones had been forbidden. Christians later used these same to pave the public marketplace.</ref> remained open, because Hilarius was bribed with a large sum of money (''Vita 27''). There was no great change, however, in the attitude of the people, who refused to allow Christians "to hold any civil office, but entreated them as naughty slaves" (''Vita 32'').

Then during the winter of 401-402 Bishop Porphyrios personally traveled to [[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]], accompanied by Bishop John of [[w:Caesarea Palaestina|Caesarea Palaestina]], to see Emperor [[Arcadius]] and Patriarch [[John Chrysostom]] to seek their support in this unequal struggle with the idolaters.

Saints John and Porphyrius were presented to the Empress [[w:Aelia Eudoxia|Eudoxia]] who was expecting a child at that time. ''“Intercede for us,”'' said the Bishops to the Empress, ''“and the Lord will send you a son, who shall reign during your lifetime”''. Eudoxia very much wanted a son, since she had given birth only to daughters. Through the prayer of the saints an heir was born to the imperial family ([[Theodosius II]]).

As a result of this, the Emperor issued an edict in 401 that restricted the activities of the Pagans and the other heretics, restored privileges to Christians, and provided for a royal grant whereby churches were erected on sites which had previously been pagan temples.

====Destruction of Pagan Temples====
Cynegius, a special imperial envoy, executed the decree in May, 402. Eight temples — those of Aphrodite, Hecate, the Sun, Apollo, Kore (Persephone), Tyche (Tychaion), the shrine of a hero (Heroeion), and even the great Marneion,<ref group="note" name="Marneion"/> — were either pulled down or burnt. Simultaneously soldiers, who were billeted in the vacated houses visited every house, seizing and burning the idols and private libraries as "books of magic".

The Marneion, the temple sacred to [[w:Zeus|Zeus Marnas]], who was the local Hellenistic incarnation of [[w:Dagon|Dagon]], the patron of agriculture, a god who had been worshipped in the Levant since the third millennium BC, was set afire with pitch, sulfur and fat; it continued to burn for many days; stones of the Marneion were triumphantly reused for paving the streets.

Directly upon the ruins of the Marneion was erected, at the expense of Empress [[w:Aelia Eudoxia|Eudoxia]], a large beautiful church with thirty-two large marble columns, called the ''' ''Eudoxiana'' ''' in her honor, which was [[Consecration of a church|dedicated]] on April 14 ([[Pascha]]), 407 AD.<ref name=SYNAX/><ref group="note">{{el icon}} Κατάφερε δὲ ὁ Ἅγιος τὰ κατεδαφιστεῖ τὸ Μαρνεῖον, ὁ περίφημος ναὸς τῶν Ἐθνικῶν Γαζαίων, ποὺ εἶχε ἱδρυθεῖ ἀπὸ τὸν αὐτοκράτορα Ἀδριανὸ τὸ ἔτος 129 μ.Χ. Στὴν θέση του ἀνοικοδομήθηκε περικαλλὴς ναὸς μὲ χορηγία τῆς αὐτοκράτειρας Εὐδοξίας, ἡ ὁποία ἀπέστειλε γιὰ τὸν σκοπὸ αὐτὸ στὴν Γάζα τὸν Ἀντιοχέα ἀρχιτέκτονα Ρουφίνο. Ὁ ναὸς αὐτός, ποὺ ὀνομάστηκε Εὐδοξιανός, εἶχε 32 μεγάλους κίονες ἀπὸ καρυστινὸ μάρμαρο καὶ τὰ ἐγκαίνιά του ἔγιναν τὸ Πάσχα τοῦ 407 μ.Χ.</ref> Thus paganism officially ceased to exist in Gaza.

====Later Life and Departure====
In subsequent years Saint Porphyrius worked for the establishment of his diocese, and his biographer Mark records in vibrant tones his charitable and missionary activity.

In 415 AD Saint Porphyrius took part in the [[Council of Diospolis]] (Lydda, Lod), which was chaired by Patriarch [[John II of Jerusalem]]. This synod dealt with [[w:Pelagius|Pelagius]], who had fled to Jerusalem after the conflict he had in Africa with Blessed [[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine]], Bishop of Hippo, on the themes of [[Original Sin]] and [[Grace|Divine Grace]]. At this synod Pelagius condemned the theses that were attributed to him, and was restored to communion.

Saint Porphyrius continued to uphold the Christian Faith in Gaza to the very end of his life and guarded his flock from the vexatious pagans, but only after his many efforts, sufferings and prayerful tears to God. Through the [[prayer]]s of the saint numerous [[miracle]]s and healings occurred. The holy arch-shepherd guided his flock for twenty-five years, and reposed peacefully in 420 AD at an advanced age, having fought the good fight against the idolaters until the day of his repose. He was a miracle-worker both during his life and after his death. Even today, his [[relics]] repose in Gaza.

==Church of Saint Porphyrius==
After the Muslim conquest in the 7th century, the Church of St. Porphyrios (''Eudoxiana'') in Gaza City, founded as a Byzantine Church in 407 AD, was transformed into the [[w:Great Mosque of Gaza|Great Mosque of Gaza]].

The existing structure of the Church of Saint Porphyrius today dates from the twelfth century. It is located in the [[w:Zeitoun, Gaza|Zaytun Quarter]] of the Old City, and is the oldest active church in the city. The [[relics|tomb]] of St. Porphyrios is situated in the northeastern corner of the church.<ref>Michael Dumper, Abu-Lughod, Janet L.. ''[http://books.google.ca/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Cities+of+the+Middle+East&hl=en#v=onepage&q=Cities%20of%20the%20Middle%20East&f=false Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia].'' ABC-CLIO, 2007. p.156. ISBN 9781576079195</ref>

On March 11th, 2013 (N.S.), the feast of St. Porphyrios, the Orthodox community in Gaza City with Archbishop [[Alexios (Moschonas) of Tiberias]] celebrated the 1,606th anniversary of the founding of the Church of St. Porphyrios.<ref>Asmaa al-Ghoul. ''[http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/03/gaza-orthodox-church.html Gaza's Orthodox Church Celebrates 1,606 Years].'' Al-Monitor. March 11, 2013.</ref> Saint Porphyrius is also Gaza’s [[patron saint]].

==Hymns==
'''Apolytikion - Tone 4'''<ref name=HOROLOGION>''The Great Horologion or Book of Hours.'' Transl. from the Greek by [[Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Brookline, Massachusetts)|Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Boston, Massachusetts]], 1997. p.430.</ref> 
The truth of things hath revealed thee to thy flock as a rule of faith, 
an icon of meekness, and a teacher of temperance; 
for this cause, thou hast achieved the heights by humility, riches by poverty. 
O Father and Hierarch Porphyrius, intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.

'''Kontakion — Tone 2'''<ref name=HOROLOGION/> 
Arrayed with a most sacred life, 
thou wast adorned with the priestly vestment, 
O all-blessed and godly-minded Porphyrius; 
and thou art conspicuous for miracles of healing, 
interceding unceasingly for us all.

==See also==
'''Wikipedia'''
* [[w:Church of Saint Porphyrius|Church of Saint Porphyrius]].
* [[w:Great Mosque of Gaza|Great Mosque of Gaza]].

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

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

==Sources==
* G.F. Hill (Transl.). ''[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/porphyry.asp Medieval Sourcebook: Mark the Deacon: Life of Porphyry, Bishop of Gaza].'' Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913.
:(A now out-of-copyright translation of this fascinating ''Life''.)
* Great Synaxaristes: {{el icon}} ''[http://synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/2244/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ἅγιος Πορφύριος Ἐπίσκοπος Γάζης].'' 26 Φεβρουαρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
* Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich. ''[http://www.westsrbdio.org/prolog/my.html?month=February&day=26&Go.x=8&Go.y=12 SAINT PORPHYRIUS, BISHOP OF GAZA].'' The Prologue from Ohrid.
* ''[http://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/02/26/100606-st-porphyrius-the-bishop-of-gaza St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza].'' OCA - The Lives of the Saints.
* Alexander P. Kazhdan. ''[http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195046526.001.0001/acref-9780195046526-e-4423 Porphyrios of Gaza].'' In: The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford University Press, 1991. Current Online Version: 2012. eISBN: 9780195187922
* Philip Schaff (Ed.). ''[http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/encyc/encyc09/htm/iv.iii.xxxviii.htm PORPHYRY].'' The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge. (Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL)). Retrieved: 2013-03-19.
* Weber, Nicholas. ''"[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12282c.htm St. Porphyrius]."'' The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. (New Advent. Retrieved: 2013-03-19)
* ''[[w:Porphyry of Gaza|Porphyry of Gaza]].'' Wikipedia. Retrieved: 2013-03-19.
* H. Grégoire and M.-A. Kugener. ''Marc le Diacre, Vie de Porphyre.'' Paris. 1930.
* Paul Peeters. "La vie géorgienne de Porphyre de Gaza". ''Analecta Bollandiana'' '''59''' (1941), 65-216.

==External Links==
* {{de icon}} Karl-Heinz Uthemann (1994). ''[http://www.bautz.de/bbkl/p/porphyrius_b_v_g.shtml PORPHYRIUS, Bischof von Gaza].'' In: Bautz, Traugott. Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). 7. Herzberg: Bautz. cols. 848–854. ISBN 3-88309-048-4.
* Asmaa al-Ghoul. ''[http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/03/gaza-orthodox-church.html Gaza's Orthodox Church Celebrates 1,606 Years].'' Al-Monitor. March 11, 2013.

[[Category:4th-5th-century bishops]]
[[Category:5th-century saints]]
[[Category:Bishops of Gaza]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category:Greek Saints]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:Missionaries]]
[[Category:Wonderworkers]]

[[ro:Porfirie din Gaza]]

Savanon

2013-03-15T16:22:58Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

'''Savanon''', also '''sratchitza''', is a white linen garment worn by the [[bishop]] during the washing of the [[altar]] table during the [[consecration of a church]]. It is also a burial shroud that cover the casket of a deceased believer during the services for the departed.

During the service for a consecration of a church, the celebrant bishop is vested in the savanon over his vestments prior to the washing/[[baptism]] of the altar table. As the consecration service concludes the bishop removes the savanon that he wore and may offer it to be cut up into small pieces that are given to each person attending the service.

Also, after the body of a deceased believer has been placed in the casket a savanon/burial shroud, bearing a depiction of the Burial of Christ, is used to cover it.

==Sources==
*[http://goarch.org/chapel/liturgical_texts/consecrate_church Service of the Consecration of a Church - Glossary]
*[http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/guidech3.pdf The Orthodox Cycle of Life]

[[Category: Liturgics]]
[[Category: Vestments]]
[[ro:Savanon]]

Clean Monday

2013-03-15T15:21:00Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

'''Clean Monday''' ({{lang-el|Καθαρή Δευτέρα}}), also known as '''Pure Monday''', or (in [[Cyprus]] only) '''Green Monday''', is the first day of the Orthodox Christian [[Great Lent]]. It is a movable feast that occurs at the beginning of the 7th week before [[Pascha]].

The common term for this day, "Clean Monday", refers to the leaving behind of sinful attitudes and non-fasting foods.

Liturgically, Clean Monday—and thus Great Lent itself—begins on the preceding (Sunday) night,<ref>Orthodox Christians, following the Old Testament practice, count the day as beginning at sunset (Genesis 1:5).</ref> at a special service called [[Forgiveness Sunday|Forgiveness Vespers]], which culminates with the Ceremony of Mutual Forgiveness, at which all present will bow down before one another and ask forgiveness. In this way, the faithful begin Great Lent with a clean conscience, with forgiveness, and with renewed Christian love. The entire first week of Great Lent is often referred to as "Clean Week," and it is customary to go to [[Confession]] during this week, and to clean the house thoroughly (or to have it clean before the beginning of the Fast).

The theme of Clean Monday is set by the [[Old Testament]] reading appointed to be read at the [[Sixth Hour]] on this day (Isaiah 1:1-20), which says in part: <blockquote>''Wash yourselves and ye shall be clean; put away the wicked ways from your souls before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well. Seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, consider the fatherless, and plead for the widow. Come then, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow; and though they be red like crimson, I will make them white as wool'' (v. 16-18).</blockquote>

Clean Monday is a public holiday in [[Greece]] and [[Cyprus]], where it is celebrated with outdoor excursions, the consumption of shellfish and other [[Eastern Orthodoxy#Fasting|fasting]] food<ref>Strictly observant Orthodox hold this day (and also Clean Tuesday and Wednesday) as a strict fast day, on which no solid food at all is eaten. Others will eat only in the evening, and then only [[xerophagy]] (lit. "dry eating"; i.e. eating uncooked foodstuffs such as fruit, nuts, halva, bread and honey, etc).</ref>, a special kind of [[azymes|azyme]] (unleavened) bread, baked only on that day, named "lagana" ({{lang-el|λαγάνα}}) and the widespread custom of flying kites. Eating meat, eggs and dairy products is traditionally forbidden to Christians throughout Lent, with fish being eaten only on major feast days, but shellfish is permitted. This has created the tradition of eating elaborate dishes based on seafood (shellfish, molluscs, fish roe etc). Traditionally, it is considered to mark the beginning of the spring season, as evidenced by the sticheron fro the [[Lenten Triodion]], "The Lenten Spring has come...".<ref name="ap"/><ref>This is also a notion which was used symbolically in Ivan Bunin's critically acclaimed story, "Pure Monday."</ref>

The happy, springtime atmosphere of Clean Monday may seem at odds with the Lenten spirit of repentance and self-control, but this seeming contradiction is a marked aspect of the Orthodox approach to fasting, in accordance with the [[Gospel]] lesson (Matthew 6:14-21) read on the morning before, which admonishes: <blockquote>''When ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face, that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret...'' (v. 16-18).</blockquote> In this manner, the Orthodox celebrate the fact that "The springtime of the Fast has dawned, the flower of repentance has begun to open..."<ref name="ap">Aposticha, [[Vespers#Eastern.2FOriental Catholic .26 Orthodox|Vespers]] on Wednesday of [[Cheesefare Week]]. ''The Lenten Triodion: Supplementary Texts.'' Tr. Mother Mary and Archimandrite Kallistos Ware (Monastery of the Veil, Bussy-en-Othe, France, 1979), p.25.</ref>

==Notes==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/cgi-bin/photo.pl?path=Various_Photos/Various&file=1.jpg Monks on Mount Athos performing the Ceremony of Forgiveness]
*[http://dioceseofalaska.org/html/forg_sun_2006.html Forgiveness Vespers] St. Innocent Cathedral, Anchorage, Alaska
*[http://www.holidayyear.com/holidays/clean-monday.html Clean Monday Celebration]

[[Category:Asceticism]]
[[Category:Church Life]]
[[Category:Liturgics]]
[[Category:Lent]]

[[de:Kathara Deftera]]
[[el:Καθαρά Δευτέρα]]
[[he:יום שני הנקי]]
[[ro:Lunea curată]]
[[ru:Чистый понедельник]]

Euchologion

2013-03-15T15:06:26Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

The Greek word ευχολογιον literally means "book of prayers." The Slavonic word ''Trebnik'' literally means "book of needs." This type of service book varies widely in contents and arrangements. The most comprehensive edition is the ευχολογιον το μεγα or '''Great Euchologion''' contains the prayers of the [[priest]], [[deacon]], and [[reader]] for [[Vespers]], [[Orthros]], and the Divine Liturgy; the six remaining sacraments, and other services of blessings (which in the west are often referred to as ''sacramentals'').

The Slavonic Great Book of Needs consists of two parts:

# The sacraments and other sacred rites, which accompany a man from birth and counsels him at his departure into eternity.
# Short prayers for various needs. There is also a calendar and the "Alphabetic Classification of Names," the latter being a list of Christian names.

There are also a variety of more concise editions, that contain only the most commonly done of these services. These texts are often called the '''Small Euchologion''' (''mikron euchologion''), and usually contains the forms for the mysteries ([[sacraments]]) other than the [[Eucharist]] and [[ordination]], and other common services.

The Small Book of Needs is excerpted from the Great Book of Needs for the purpose of convenience, in order to have a small book for the performance of needs, especially those needs which must be served outside the temple.

There is also a Supplemental Book of Needs in Slavonic, which contains within services such as the orders for the consecration of a temple and the consecration of things pertaining to the temple, such as the [[liturgical objects|church utensils]], [[vestments]], [[icons]], and so forth. This Supplemental Book of Needs is often combined into one book with the Small Book of Needs.

What distinguishes the services found in the Euchologion is that they are generally services that are not appointed to be done at any given time according to the Church calendar, but are done as the need arises (e.g., funerals, weddings, baptisms, the consecration of a new church, etc.). Some services are associated with the liturgical calendar, however, such as the blessing of candles on the Feast of the [[Presentation]], the blessing of Palms on [[Palm Sunday]], etc.

The ''Ieresky Molitvoslov'' contains some services that are considered Trebnik services, however, this is more of a devotional book for priests than a service book for public services.

In English, there are various editions of the Small Euchologion, but only one (4 volume) edition of the entire Euchologion, [http://www.stspress.com/Searchresult.aspx?CategoryID=4 published by St. Tikhon's Seminary Press] under the title ''The Great Book of Needs''. This collection of the Trebnik services attempts to organize these services in a more logical sequence than the Slavonic Trebnik has been historically published in.

Volume One contains the services associated with the 7 sacraments.

Volume Two contains services for the sanctification of Ecclesiastical items, [[icon]]s, crosses, etc; and services associated with the [[liturgical year]].

Volume Three contains prayers for various needs, general blessings, and services connected with [[death]], [[funeral]]s, [[burial]]s, and commemorations of the departed.

Volume Four contains [[Molieben|Moliebens]], services of supplication, and other services of blessing.

Br. [[Isaac Lambertsen]] has also done a translation of the entire Slavonic Trebnik, as well as services that are unique to the Greek Euchologion, but due to the publication of the Book of Needs by St. Tikhon, the publication of his translation has been put on hold indefinitely.

== Source ==
*[http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/liturgics_averky_e.htm#_Toc104768025 Liturgics, by Archbishop Averky]

== External links==
*[http://www.orthodox.net/trebnic/index.html Portions of the Trebnik]
*[http://www.anastasis.org.uk/eucholog.htm Portions of the Euchologion]
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/library.htm Practical Tips on how to Build a Liturgical Library]
*[http://www.voskrese.info/spl/Xtrebnik.html The Book of Needs (an older tranlation of portions of the text, and the Slavonic text)]
*[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/shann/needs Book of Needs], translated by G. V. Shann
[[Category:Liturgics]]
[[Category:Texts]]

[[ro:Molitfelnic]]

Churching

2013-03-15T15:02:10Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

'''Churching''' is a service of thanksgiving and blessing of the mother and her child when they return to the church after childbirth. It is reminiscent of the [[Old Testament]] ceremony of purification (Lev. 12: 2-8) and the presentation of Jesus at the Temple (Luke 2: 22-29). There are separate services of churching for the mother and for the child.

In some traditions, it is customary to [[baptism|baptize]] the child on the eighth day, following the example of the [[Old Testament]] rite of ''bris'' or [[circumcision]] of boys with the naming of the child taking place in the [[temple]]. When this occurs, the mother does not attend and the child is presented by its [[godparent]]s.

===Churching of the mother===
The mother traditionally comes to church on the fortieth day after childbirth for special blessings. After the birth of her child a mother remains at home for forty days to recuperate and to care for her child. However, if the child has not survived, the woman still remains at home to heal physically and emotionally. During the time of her confinement, the mother does not normally receive Holy [[Communion]], unless she is in danger of death. As the service is practiced in some traditions, churching involves both the blessing of the mother and the presentation of the child to God.

In contemporary practice, it is rarely medically necessary and sometimes not even possible for the mother to remain confined in the home for forty days. Pastors must determine whether it is more important pastorally that the churching be the first thing the woman does upon leaving the home or that the churching happen on the symbolic fortieth day. Not all pastors make the same determination.

On the day of her churching, the mother comes to the temple to receive a blessing as she begins attending church and receiving the [[Holy Mysteries]] once again. The child, that has already been cleansed and washed, is brought by the mother accompanied by the intended godparents who will stand at the child's baptism. They all stand together in the [[narthex]] of the [[church]] before the doors of the [[nave]] of the temple, facing east toward the [[altar]]. The [[priest]] blesses them and says prayers for the woman and the child, gives thanks for their wellbeing and asks God's grace and blessings upon them.

===Churching of the Child===
If the infant has already been baptized, the priest performs the churching of the child. If not, he does the churching immediately after the child's baptism.

Taking up the child, the priest lifts it up, making the [[Sign of the Cross]] with the child before the doors of the temple, saying: "The servant of God (''Name'') is churched, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

The priest then carries the child into the center of the nave, as he says, "I will go into Thy House. I will worship toward Thy Holy Temple in fear of Thee." Stopping in the center, he says, "The servant of God (''Name'') is churched, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In the midst of the congregation I will sing praises unto Thee."

He then walks up to the [[iconostasis]], and stopping in front of the [[Holy Doors]], he says, "The servant of God (''Name'') is churched, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

If the child is a girl, the priest places her on the ''[[solea]]'' in front of the [[icon]] of the [[Theotokos]]. If the child is a boy, he carries him through the south deacon's door into the altar and around the back of the Holy Table exiting the altar through the north deacon's door and again places the baby boy onto the solea.

He then chants the Song of Simeon and says a special apolysis ([[dismissal]]), after which he blesses the child with the Sign of the Cross on its forehead, mouth and heart, and returns it to its mother.

==Sources==
*[[Wikipedia:Churching of women]]
*[http://www.apostle1.com/a_dictionary_of_orthodox_terminology.htm Churching]

==External link==
*[http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/OT/view/wehr-the-churching-of-women The Churching of Women]

[[Category: Liturgics]]
[[Category: Services]]

[[ro:Îmbisericire]]

Anastasius of Sinai

2013-03-15T14:35:38Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

Our venerable and God-bearing Father '''Anastasius of Sinai''' (also ''Anastasios'' or ''Anastasius Sinaita'') is a 7th century [[saint]] who left the world and everything in it. He is considered one of the Greek [[Church Fathers|Fathers of the Church]]. St. Anastasius is commemorated on [[April 20]] and along with his fellow ascetics each [[Bright Week|Bright Wednesday]], the [[Synaxis]] of the Monastic Fathers of [[Sinai]]. Another saint called "Anastasius of Sinai" was Patriarch Anastasius I of Antioch who is also commemorated on April 20.

He took up his [[cross]] according to the Lord's commandment, was [[tonsure]]d, and became a [[monk]], following the Lord willingly. He became a lover of the greatest struggles for virtue. He went to [[Jerusalem]] and, after he had venerated the saints and the [[venerable]] places, he came to Mount Sinai. There Anastasius found a group of monks who led a strict [[ascetic]] life, so he stayed and submitted himself to them as a servant. Thus he became very [[Humility|humble]] and received from God gifts of knowledge and great wisdom, through which he wrote the lives of [[Church Fathers|holy fathers]] and composed edifying [[sermon]]s. Anastasius eventually became [[abbot]] of the whole ascetic community at Sinai. He departed to the Lord full of years.

==Quotation==
:''We have the following understanding and opinion concerning those who receive the holy Mysteries of the Body and Blood of the Lord, that if persons have some small human sins that are readily forgiven, such as: being robbed [committing a sin] by the tongue or hearing or eyes or by vainglory or by sorrow or anger or such things as these, that once they rebuke themselves and make confession to God let them thus receive the holy Mysteries. We believe that the reception of the holy Mysteries for such persons is unto the cleansing of sins.''<ref>[http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/hesychios.aspx Introduction to the Philokalic Writings of the Blessed Hesychios] from ''Elder Basil of Poiana Marului: Spiritual Father of St. Paisy Velichkovsky''</ref>

==Reference==
<references />

==Sources==
*''Lives of the Saints for the Whole Year'' by St. [[Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain]] (18th century)
*[http://www.voskrese.info/spl/Xnewmoses.html St. Anastasius the New Moses, Abbot of Sinai] (St. Pachomius Library)
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01455d.htm St. Anastasius Sinaita] (1912 ''[[Roman Catholic|Catholic]] Encyclopedia'')

==External links==
*[http://www.anastasiosofsinai.org Life and Works of Anastasius] at Anastasios of Sinai
*[http://www.newmoses.org The Hexaemeron by Anastasius of Sinai] at The Creation Project
*[http://www.reference-global.com/toc/byzs/101/2 Review of Patrology: The Eastern Fathers] updated information about Anastasius in Byzantinische Zeitschrift
*[[Wikipedia:Anastasius Sinaita|Wikipedia article]]
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=101161 Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai] ([[OCA]])
*[http://www.westsrbdio.org/prolog/my.html?month=April&day=20 The Venerable Anastasius of Mount Sinai] (''[[Prologue of Ohrid]]'')
*[http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/goudenhoorn/62dirk.html Angels in the guise of saints in the Refutatio of Eustratius of Constantinople and in the writings of Anastasius of Sinai] by Dirk Krausmüller (Gouden Horn 6,2)
*[http://www.doaks.org/DOP55/DP55ch02.pdf The Predetermination of Death: The Contribution of Anastasios of Sinai and Nikephoros Blemmydes to a Perennial Byzantine Problem] by Joseph A. Munitz (Dumbarton Oaks Papers 55)

===Writings===
*[http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/mark_true.aspx What is the Mark of the True Christian?] by St. Anastasius of Sinai
*[http://www.monachos.net/library/Anastasius_of_Sinai,_Concerning_the_Holy_Fathers_in_Sinai Concerning the Holy Fathers in Sinai] by St. Anastasius of Sinai
*[http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/library_article/175/Transfiguration_____St._Anastasius.html Sermon on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord] by St. Anastasius of Sinai

===Published editions===
*[http://worldcat.org/wcpa/oclc/191746554?tab=details Hexaemeron] by St. Anastasius of Sinai
*[http://worldcat.org/oclc/70275122?tab=holdings#tabs Quaestiones et Responsiones] by St. Anastasius of Sinai
*[http://worldcat.org/oclc/7865968?tab=holdings#tabs Viae Dux] by St. Anastasius of Sinai
*[http://worldcat.org/oclc/12542788&referer=brief_results Sermones duo in constitutionem hominis secundum imaginem Dei] by St. Anastasius of Sinai

[[Category:Church Fathers]]
[[Category:Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category:7th-century saints]]

[[es:Anastasio Sinaíta]]
[[ro:Anastasie din Sinai]]

Hexapsalmos

2013-03-10T15:46:57Z

Kamasarye: interwikiro

The '''Hexapsalmos''' (or '''Six Psalms''') are a group of six [[psalm]]s composed of two triads, beginning with Psalm 3, 37, 52 and ending with Psalm 87, 102, 142, read during the [[Matins]] service. These are read after the dismissal of the [[Midnight Office]] at the beginning of the [[Matins]] service. Traditionally, they are read by the [[bishop]] or [[superior]] of the community, who may elect to delegate them to a reader.

There is a tradition that the duration it takes to read the Hexapsalmos is the time will take for [[Christ]] to judge all of humanity at the [[Last Judgment]]. If a monk walks into church as the Hexapsalmos is read, he is expected to stop where he is and not move until the entire reading has been completed.

If Matins is aggregated with other services, the beginning of Matins may be performed quietly by the [[clergy]] during the Hexapsalmos.

The Hexapsalmos are never omitted except during [[Bright Week]] and on the [[apodosis|leave-taking]] of [[Pascha]].

[[Category:Scripture]]
[[Category:Liturgics]]
[[ro:Psalmii Utreniei]]

Brotherhood of Theologians Zoe

2013-01-24T20:14:29Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

The '''Brotherhood of Theologians Zoe''', more commonly as the '''Zoe Brotherhood''', is a semi-monastic Orthodox organization in Greece similar to religious orders in the West. Since its founding early in the twentieth century the Zoe Brotherhood has been engaged in various activities in Greece including teaching, preaching, leading school and youth groups, and publishing. Zoe is the Greek word for 'life'.

The Zoe Brotherhood was founded by Fr. [[Eusebios (Matthopoulos)]] in 1907. Fr. Eusebius was greatly influenced by the extremely controversial and excommunicated nineteenth century personality [[Apostolos Makrakis]]. However, Fr. Eusebios ceased relations with Makrakis in 1887 <ref>Stavros Bozovitis, Associations and Brotherhoods in the Body of the living Christ, Athens 2006</ref>. Later, he was attributed the title of the "general preacher of the Nation" and spent more than ten years touring Greek regions and preaching the gospel, under the blessing of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece<ref>Eustace Bastas, "Eusebios Matthopoulos", Soter Publications</ref>. Fr. Eusebios brought together groups of unmarried and highly disciplined men consisting of both [[ordination|ordained]] [[priest]]s and [[laity|laymen]], but who were not necessarily [[monk|monks]]. The members of the Brotherhood were bound by [[monasticism|monastic]]-like vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and they met annually in a common retreat. Some contend that brotherhoods in Greece, like Zoe, tend to ignore theological doctrines and replace them with an emphasis on puritanical ethics. <ref> [[http://www.theandros.com/pietism.html]] Nick Trakakis, ''Piety and Pietism'', Department of Philosophy, Monash University.</ref>. However, this is not true, since both Zoe and its successor, the Brotherhood of Theologians Soter, have published many dogmatic books. The most well-known is the "Orthodox Dogmatics" by Panagiotis Trempelas. Moreover, these brotherhoods have been adamantly anti-ecumenical in their views.

Founded at the time that parts of Greece continued to gain their independence from the Ottoman Turks, the Zoe Brotherhood has been credited by some with revitalizing the Orthodox [[Church of Greece|Church in Greece]] through the establishment of many schools and other organizations. The concept of their popular youth organization came to be copied in other Orthodox countries. Following World War II, the Brotherhood expanded their publishing program with distribution of hundred of thousands of Zoe sponsored publications.

In the late 1950s and into the 1960s, the Brotherhood began to have serious internal conflicts. These conflicts centered over charges of "Westernizing" and "Pietisticism" by a number of younger theologians. The theologian [[Panagiotes N. Trembelas|Panagiotes Trembelas]] charged that Zoe was deviating away from the principles originally outlined by Fr. Eusebios. The conflict resulted in a split that saw the formation, in 1960, of a rival organization called ''Soter'' (Gr. Σωτηρ, meaning 'Savior'). <ref> [[http://www.theandros.com/pietism.html]] Nick Trakakis.</ref> Also, the development of close ties by the Brotherhood with the governing "Colonels" in the 1960s also damaged the Brotherhood's reputation, when the dictatorship of the Colonels fell in 1974.

The Zoe Brotherhood publishing house makes available many Greek liturgical books and periodicals including holy scriptures in Greek that are used in Church.

==References==
<references/>

==Sources==
*[http://voskrese.info/spl/Xzoe-bros.html Zoe Brotherhood]
*[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/657712/Zoe Britannica: Zoe]
'''Greek Wikipedia'''
*[http://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%91%CE%B4%CE%B5%CE%BB%CF%86%CF%8C%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82_%CE%98%CE%B5%CE%BF%CE%BB%CF%8C%CE%B3%CF%89%CE%BD_%C2%AB%CE%97_%CE%96%CF%89%CE%AE%C2%BB Αδελφότης Θεολόγων «Η Ζωή»]

[[Category: Organizations]]

[[ro:Frăția Zoi]]

Eleutherios of Illyria

2012-12-15T18:32:26Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

[[Image:Eleutherios.JPG|frame|right|Hieromartyr Eleutherios bishop of Illyria]]
Our father among the [[saint]]s, [[Hieromartyr]] '''Eleutherios of Illyria''', was an early [[bishop]] of the Church who was [[martyr]]ed during the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. He is remembered with his mother, Martyr '''Anthia (Evanthia)''', on [[December 15]].

==Life==
Eleutherios was born in Rome in the latter years of the first century. His father was in the imperial service of the Roman Emperor, but his mother Anthia was a Christian. Anthia became a widow at an early age. She then sent her son to of Anicetus, the Bishop of Rome for his care. The bishop recognized the special spiritual gifts that the young boy possessed and [[ordination|ordained]] him a [[deacon]] at the age of 15, a [[priest]] at 18 and Bishop of Illyricum at 20.

During the reign of the Emperor Hadrian, Eleutherios was soon responsible for winning many converts to Christianity, which caused him to be branded as an "enemy of the state". The commander Felix was sent to arrest the youthful bishop and bring him back to Rome for trial. Instead, the heart of Felix was touched by the words of Eleutherios and he, too, became a Christian.

The Eleutherios nonetheless returned to Rome, where he was arrested, tortured, and beheaded on [[December 15]] in the year 120 A.D., along with his new convert Felix. His blessed mother Anthia fearlessly came to grieve over the body of her martyred son, and she too suffered the same fate. These executions took place in 120 A.D.
==Hymns==
[[Troparion]] ([[Tone]] 5)
:Adorned with the robe of priest
:Stained with the streams of your blood,
:O wise and blessed Eleutherius, over-thrower of Satan
:You hastened to Christ your Master. Pray unceasingly for those who faithfully honor your contest!

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)
:We all praise and entreat you, O Hieromartyr Eleutherius,
:Adornment of priests and encouragement of martyrs:
:Free from danger those who lovingly celebrate your memory,
:And pray unceasingly for us all!

==External links==
*[http://www.goarch.org/en/chapel/saints.asp?contentid=337 Eleutherios the Holy Martyr, Bishop Illyria and his mother Anthia] - [[GOARCH]] website
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=103548 Hieromartyr Eleutherius the Bishop of Illyria, and His Mother] - [[OCA]] website

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

[[el:Ελευθέριος ιερομάρτυρας]]
[[ro:Elefterie al Iliriei]]

John VII of Rome

2012-12-13T15:30:09Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

'''John VII of Rome''' was the Archbishop and [[Pope]] of the [[Church of Rome]] from 705 to 707. He returned the [[canon]]s from the [[Quinisext Council]] of 692 without reviewing let alone ratifying them.

==Life==
John was born about the year 650, probably in Rossano, Calabria, to Blatta and Plato. He was of Greek origin. His father was the curator of the Palatine Hill in Rome. His paternal grandfather was Theodorus Chilas, a senator. John was known as a learned and eloquent man.

John was elected pope on [[March 1]], 705 as John VII. As pope he maintained good relations with the Lombards who ruled most of the Italian peninsula at the time, but his relations with Constantinople became soured over his handling of the canons from the Quinisext Council of 692. The council, also called the Council of Trullo after the name of the hall where the Sixth Ecumenical council had met, was convened to draw up disciplinary canons that were omitted during the [[Fifth Ecumenical Council|Fifth]] and [[Sixth Ecumenical Council]]s. No official legate from the West was present at the council sessions.

After the council ended, emperor [[Justinian II]] sent the canons of the council to John VII by the hand of two [[metropolitan]] [[bishop]]s requesting that Pope John confirm what he approved and reject that which he disapproved, as many of the articles affected the [[see]] of Rome. Upon receipt of the canons, Pope John rejected them without review because the council was held without the presence of any papal legates. Since then, commentators have debated his actions, noting that many of the canons were good and that John could well have approved them while taking exception to those that were not.

While he was pope, John was involved in the construction of a number of ecclesiastical structures in Rome, including the Church of St. Maria Antiqua and the oratory to the [[Theotokos]] in the old [[basilica]] of St. Peter. He also had rebuilt the [[Monastery]] of Subiaco that had been destroyed by the Lombards in 601.

During his papacy of just under three years, John VII conducted many [[ordination]]s and [[consecration of a bishop|consecrations]]. In one case he consecrated fifteen bishops and ordained nine [[priest]]s and two [[deacons]].

Pope John VII died on [[October 17]], 707. He was interred in the oratory that he built in old St. Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican.

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=John VI|
title=[[List of Popes of Rome|Pope of Rome]]|
years=705—707|
after=Sisinnius}}
{{end box}}

==Sources==
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08423b.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Pope John VII]
*[[Wikipedia:Pope_John_VII]]
*[http://www.mlahanas.de/Greece/Religion/Pope/JohnVII.html Pope John VII]

[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category:8th-century bishops]]
[[Category: Popes of Rome]]

[[ro:Ioan al VII-lea al Romei]]

Stephen IV of Rome

2012-12-10T15:59:42Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

Pope '''Stephen IV of Rome''' was the [[Pope]] of the [[Church of Rome]] from 768 to 772. Pope Stephen was elected to the papal [[see]] after a previously elected successor to Pope [[Zacharias of Rome|Zacharias]], also Stephen, died before his [[consecration]]. This has resulted in confused regnal numbering when the Annuario Pontificio de-listed Stephen II and listed Stephen III as Stephen II (III). As a consequence, Pope Stephen IV may also be listed as Stephen III.

==Life==
Stephen was born in Sicily about the year 720, the son of Olivus in Sicily.<ref>Mann, pg. 369</ref> He came to Rome during the pontificate of [[Pope Gregory III]] and entered the Monastery of St. Chrysogonus. There, he was [[tonsure]]d a Benedictine [[monk]].<ref>Mann, pg. 369</ref> During the pontificate of Pope Zacharias, Stephen was [[ordination|ordained]] a [[priest]], after which he was assigned to the Lateran Palace. Stephen gradually rose to high office in the service of a succession of popes. He was at the bedside of the dying [[Pope Paul I]] as in late June 767 the powerful factions in Rome began maneuvering to ensure the election of their own candidate. During the following year, antipope claimants Constantine II (installed by a faction of Tuscan nobles) and Philip (the candidate of the Lombards) were forced out of office the Primicerius of notaries Christophorus and his son Sergius before Christophorus organized a canonical election in August 768 for which he called the Roman [[clergy]], army, and people to assemble before the Church of St. Adrian. The assembly then elected Stephen as pope.<ref>Mann, pg. 368</ref> He was then consecrated on [[August 7]], 768.<ref>Mann, pg. 371</ref>

The election of Stephen spurred an angry reaction against members of the regime of the antipope Constantine. The reaction of the crowd became brutal as Constantine’s Vice-dominus Bishop Theodore and his brother, Passivus were blinded, and retribution was made on the members of the town of Alati that had supported Constantine. The brutality included even Constantine as he was also blinded.

The role of Stephen III in these events is obscure, with assessments varying from his being an impotent observer to that of being complicit by issuing orders and taking delight in destroying his rival and his supporters. What is clear, however, is that the recent creation of the Papal States saw the traditional rivalries of the ruling families of Rome transformed into a murderous desire to control this new temporal power in Italy, dragging Stephen's papacy with it. <ref>Duffy, Eamon, ''Saints & Sinners: A History of the Popes'' (1997), pg. 72</ref>

After the situation settled down, Stephen notified the Frankish kings, now Charlemagne and his brother Carloman I of his election and convened a council that, after a final condemnation of Constantine and his appointees, established strict rules for papal elections that also restricted the involvement of the nobility in subsequent elections. The Lateran Council of 769 also rejected the [[Iconoclasm|iconoclast]] Council of Hiera and confirmed the practice of veneration of [[icon]]s.<ref>Mann, pgs. 373-375</ref>

Stephen remained apprehensive of the aggressive plans of the Lombards, a concern that led to his firming his relations with the Frankish kings Charlemagne and Carloman, particularly getting their support for the new Papal States. Their intervention with the Lombards did obtain the restoration of parts of Benevento to the papacy, however much to Stephen's consternation, the marriages of the Lombard king Desiderius' daughter, Desiderata, and son, Adalgis, to Charlemagne's mother's son and his sister were arranged.<ref>Mann, pg. 378-379</ref> While Stephen objected, noting that both men were already married, his pleas fell on deaf ears as Charlemagne himself married Desiderata in 770, temporarily cementing a familial alliance with the Lombards.

During the first years of his pontificate, Christophorus and Sergius continued in their support and counsel of Pope Stephen with a pro-Frankish bias and antipathy towards the Lombards. This, King Desiderius resented, which led to his engineering their downfall.<ref>Mann, pg. 383</ref> Using bribes, Desiderius got Paul Afiarta, Stephen's Chamberlain, and other members of the papal court to spread rumors about them to Stephen. When Desiderius tried to enter Rome in 771 with an army, claiming to be on a pilgrimage to pray at the [[shrine]] of St. Peter, Christophorus and Sergius shut the gates of the city against them. Arriving at the gates and seeing armed troops manning the walls, Desiderius asked to speak to the Pope, who came out to him. Then during Stephen’s absence, Afiarta and his supporters sought to stir up a mob to overthrow Christophorus and Sergius. However the two gained the upper hand and forced Afiarta and his colleagues to flee to the Lateran Palace.

Christophorus became suspicious when Stephen returned to the Lateran believing that Stephen had entered into an agreement with Desiderius and forced Stephen to swear that he would not surrender Christophorus or his son to the Lombards. When the next day Stephen appealed to the Lombard king for help, Desiderius demanded that Stephen surrender Christophorus and Sergius.<ref>Mann, pgs. 384-385</ref> After the two surrendered, they were blinded. Three days later Christophorus died and Sergius was held captive in the Lateran.<ref>Mann, pg. 386</ref>

Stephen remained subject to King Desiderius as in early 772 Afiarta took advantage of Pope Stephen's illness. After it became clear that Stephen was dying, Afiarta began to exile a number of influential clergy and nobles from Rome, while others he put into prison. Then on [[January 24]], before Stephen’s death, Afiarta dragged the blinded Sergius from his cell in the Lateran and had him strangled. On [[February 1]], 772, Pope Stephen died.<ref>Mann, pg. 392</ref>

==Notes==
<references/>

==Reference==
* Mann, Horace K., ''The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, Vol. I: The Popes Under the Lombard Rule, Part 2, 657-795'' (1903)

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=Paul I|
title=[[List of Popes of Rome|Pope of Rome]]|
years=768 - 772|
after=[[Adrian I of Rome|Adrian I]]}}
{{end box}}

==Sources==
*[[Wikipedia: Pope_Stephen_III]]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14289a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Pope Stephen (III) IV]

[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category: 8th-century bishops]]
[[Category: Popes of Rome]]

[[ro:Ştefan IV al Romei]]

Adrian I of Rome

2012-12-10T15:51:24Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

Pope '''Adrian I of Rome''', also '''Hadrian''', was the [[Pope]] of the [[Church of Rome]] from 772 to 795. Backed by Charlemagne, Pope Adrian ended the threat by the Lombards to the Papal States and signified papal independence from the Eastern Empire by dating his documents by the reign of Charles, king of the Franks instead of by that of the Emperor in the east. His pontificate of over twenty three years was the longest until that of Pope Pius VI in the late eighteenth century.

==Life==
The date of Adrian's birth is unknown, but is believed to be about the year 700. He was the son of Theodore, a Roman nobleman, but little else is known of his youth. He served under Popes Paul I and [[Stephen IV of Rome|Stephen IV]]. He ascended to the papal [[cathedra]] on [[February 1]], 772 with the support of the Frankish party in Rome. Adrian's policies thereafter were determined generally by the Frankish alliance rather than by his relations with emperors of Constantinople.

Shortly after having become the Pope of Rome, the Byzantine territories of the Exarchate of Ravenna and the Duchy of Rome were invaded by the king of the Lombards, Desiderius. Answering Adrian's call for help, Charlemagne attacked the Lombard capital, Pavia. After taking Pavia, Charlemagne defeated Desiderius and took the title of King of the Lombards himself. Under the protection of the Frankish king, Adrian was able to add to the Duchy of Rome the territories and cities along the Adriatic Sea that came under his temporal control as the Papal States. With these successes, Pope Adrian celebrated by striking the earliest papal coin.

An [[iconodule]], Pope Adrian faithfully upheld the veneration of images in the face of the position of Charlemagne and the bishops of France and yet still remained faithful to his alliance with Charlemagne and the Franks. Favoring the position of the eastern [[bishop]]s, he approved the decree of the [[Seventh Ecumenical Council]] of [[Nicea]] held in 787 defending the veneration of images. To Charlemagne's objections set forth in his ''Libri Carolini'', Adrian replied with a dignified and wordy letter (''grandis et verbosa epistola'').<ref>Gibbon, Edward. ''History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Vol. 5''. Kessinger Publishing. 2004. ISBN 1-4191-2419-6. p 37.</ref> Pope Adrian also vigorously opposed the [[heresy]] of Spanish Adoptionism, which proclaimed a doctrine of the dual sonship of Christ which was one of the few Christological errors that began in the West.

Pope Adrian reposed on [[December 25]], 795 at the age of ninety five. He was buried in St. Peter's [[Basilica]].

==Reference==
<references/>

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=[[Stephen IV of Rome|Stephen IV]]|
title=[[List of Popes of Rome|Pope of Rome]]|
years=772-795|
after=Leo III}}
{{end box}}

==Sources==
*[[Wikipedia: Pope_Adrian_I]]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01155b.htm Pope Adrian I]
*[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/6493/Adrian-I Britannica: Adrian I]

[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category: 8th-century bishops]]
[[Category: Popes of Rome]]

[[ro:Adrian I al Romei]]

Nicephorus the Leper

2012-12-10T15:16:52Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[[ro:Nichifor Leprosul]]

Anthimus of Chios

2012-12-10T14:49:58Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

Our father among the [[saint]]s '''Anthimus of Chios''' was a [[monasticism|monastic]] of the twentieth century. He founded the Monastery of Panagia Voithia on the Island of Chios. His [[feast day]] is [[February 15]].

==Life==
Argyrios K. Vagianos was born on [[July 1]], 1869 in Chios in the region of St. Luke Leivadion. His parents were devout peasants Konstantinos and Argyra Vagianos. Argyrios left elementary school early to become a shoe mender. In 1888 when he was nineteen years old, Argyrios visited the Monastery of the Holy Fathers founded by the St. [[Pachomios of Chios]], who had been the spiritual counselor of St. [[Nectarios of Pentapolis|Nektarios]]. Having received a blessing from the Elder Pachomios, Argyrios was so inspired by the monk's angelic life that on returning home he built himself a small hut, as a [[hermitage]], and dwelt in it. The only 'help' Argyrios received in his spiritual contests was an [[icon]] of the Mother of God (Panagia Voithitria), which soon began to work miracles. These miracles began drawing many visitors to his hermitage.

After a time he returned to the Monastery of the Holy Fathers where he was [[tonsure]]d a [[monk]] by Elder Pachomios and given the name Anthimus. However, he fell ill at the [[monastery]] and the Elder sent him home to his parents for the sake of his health. At home in his hermitage, Anthimus continued to live as a monk, spending nights on end in prayer and sometimes living only on bread and water for extended periods of time. This, despite the fact that he also was caring for his aged parents and practicing his shoe mender's trade. In addition, an increasing numbers of visitors came to his hermitage and its wonder-working icon of the Theotokos. In 1909, he received the [[Monastic Ranks|Great Schema]] from [[Hieromonk]] Andronikos, the successor of Elder Pachomios.

Popular with the people of Chios, they wanted him to be [[ordination|ordained]] to the [[priest]]hood. However, his [[bishop]] refused to ordain him because Anthimus lacked the necessary education. However, at the insistence of Anthimus' godfather, the Bishop of Smyrna did ordain him. Following a [[pilgrimage]] to [[Mount Athos]], Father Anthimus returned to Chios where he was appointed the [[chaplain]] at a leper hospital that had fallen into disarray. Under his guidance the hospital soon became a spiritual center, as much like a monastery as a hospital. Fr. Anthimus tended many of the sickest with his own hands and worked many miracles of healing. Some of his recovered patients became monks or [[nun]]s.

Following the [[w:Treaty_of_Lausanne|Treaty of Lausanne]] of [[January 30]], 1923 that resulted in the exchange of Greek and Turkish populations in Asia Minor and Greece, refugees poured into Chios, many of them destitute nuns and girls. During the turmoil, Fr. Anthimus had a vision of the Mother of God to build a monastery to receive the refugee nuns. Fr. Anthimus established a monastery on Chios that became, in 1930, the Monastery of Panaghia Voethia (The Virgin of Assistance), having deflected the opposition of many who said that setting up such a community was out of date. The monastery soon grew to eighty nuns and was known throughout Greece as a model of monastic life. Fr. Anthimos served as priest to the nuns. He also received many visiting faithful, as many as sixty or seventy persons each day, who came to him for [[prayer]] or counsel. Fr. Anthimus carried on this ministry for more than thirty years, working many miracles of healing. When he was too old to work with his hands, he retired to his [[cell]] and prayed that he be enabled to serve his neighbor until his last breath.

Fr. Anthimus celebrated his final [[Divine Liturgy]] on [[January 27]], 1960. He reposed in peace at the age of ninety-one on [[February 15]], 1960 and was buried inside the [[church]] of the monastery he founded where his presence still works miracles along with the holy icon Panagia Voithia. He was [[glorification|glorified]] by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on [[August 13]], 1992.

==Sources==
*[http://www.holytrinityorthodox.com/calendar/los/February/15-07.htm St. Anthimus of Chios (1960)]
*[http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010/02/saint-anthimos-of-chios-1960.html Saint Anthimos of Chios (+1960)]
*[http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010/10/spiritual-counsels-of-saint-pachomios.html Spiritual Counsels of Saint Pachomios of Chios (+1905)]
*[http://www.chiosonline.gr/voethiamonastery.asp Panaghia Voethia Nunnery (The Virgin of Assistance)]

[[Category: Priests]]
[[Category: Monastics]]
[[Category: Saints]]
[[Category: Greek Saints]]

[[ro:Antim din Chios]]

Hilary of Poitiers

2012-12-06T01:33:15Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

Our father among the [[saint]]s '''Hilary of Poitiers''' was a leader in the West in the fight against [[Arianism]] in the fourth century. In this fight he was joined in the West by Ss. [[Ambrose of Milan]] and [[Martin of Tours]]. His popularity among the people of Poitiers was so great that he was elected [[bishop]] of Poitiers even though he was still married. During the course of the fight against Arianism his successes were mixed with setbacks, including being banished by the emperor for four years. He presented his position with many writings as he supported the "Homoiousians." His [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[January 13]].

==Life==
Hilary was born into a family of pagans of distinction. Only approximate dates of both his birth and death are known. He was born near the turn of the third to fourth century in Poitiers. He received a good education which included—a rarity for his day in the West—knowledge of Greek. He studied the [[scripture]]s of the [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament]] which led to his leaving Neoplatonism for Christianity. With his wife and daughter, Apra, he was [[baptize]]d in mid-life and received into the Church. His fame in Poitiers was such that the Christians unanimously elected him as their bishop at about 353.

These were the times when the Arian controversy was becoming intense in the Western Church. In his efforts against Arianism he fought to secure the [[excommunication]] of the Arian Saturtuinius as bishop of Arles as well as his two supporters, Uracius and Valens. He also wrote to Emperor Constantius II about the persecutions that the Arians were using against their opponents. His efforts received a setback when the Arian-dominated synod of 356 in Beziers, convened by Constantius, banished Hilary to Phrygia for almost four years for his strong defense of St. [[Athanasius of Alexandria]]. Hilary has often been referred to as "Athanasius of the West."

From exile he continued to lead his [[diocese]]. Also, he used this time to study the writing of the Eastern fathers and to write a number of dogmatic and polemical treatises presenting the [[First Council of Nicea|Nicene]] position to the Arians, one of which, ''On the Trinity'', was one of the first successful attempts to express the theological subtleties of the original Greek into the Latin. Hilary's agitation against the Arians while in exile resulted in the emperor ordering him back to Poitiers. He took his time returning, speaking along the way about the errors of the Arians. After his return from exile he continued actively challenging the Arians. In 359, Hilary attended a meeting of bishops at Seleucia in Isauria where he joined with Athanasius of Alexandria and the Homoiousians in a majority against the Arian party. Leaving Seleucia he continued to Constantinople to present the emperor with a petition setting out the arguments of the [[Trinitarian]]s. His constant requests for public discussion with the Arian party, especially Ursacius and Valens, resulted in his being sent back to his diocese.

He spent the later years of his life writing. He was also noted for composing many hymns. He died in 367 at a date not known. He was held in highest regard, even during his time, as a Latin writer of the highest rank. [[Augustine of Hippo]] already was referring to him as "the illustrious doctor of the churches."

==External links==
*[http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/NPNF2-09/Npnf2-09-03.htm The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers] from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library
*[http://home.iprimus.com.au/xenos/hilary.html Holy Martyrs Hermylos and Stratonikos. Our Father Among the Saints Hilary of Poitiers] ([[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia]], Fifth Archdiocesan District of Western Australia)
*[[:Wikipedia:Hilary of Poitiers|''Hilary of Poitiers'' at Wikipedia]]

[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:4th-century bishops]]
[[Category:Church Fathers]]
[[Category:Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers]]
[[Category:French Saints]]
[[Category:Pre-Schism Western Saints]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:4th-century saints]]

[[ro:Ilarie de Poitiers]]

Iconodule

2012-12-05T16:47:32Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

An '''iconodule''' (also '''iconophile''') is one who supports or is in favor of using religious images, specifically [[icon]]s. Those who oppose the use of icons are called [[iconoclasm|iconoclasts]]. The word iconodule comes from the Greek ''eikonodoulus'', meaning "one who serves images."

The word was applied to those Orthodox Christians during the eighth and ninth centuries who defended the use of icons in opposition to the iconoclasts, who were against their use. This dispute arose generally over the literal interpretation of the [[Ten Commandments]], one of which forbids the making and worshipping of "graven images," and during the rise of the teachings of [[Islam|Muhammad]].
[[Image:Theodore_the_Studite.jpg|right|thumb|100px|St. Theodore the Studite - Iconodule]]
During the icon disputes of the eighth and ninth centuries, the principal institutions of iconodule support and icon veneration were the [[monastery|monasteries]]. A network of [[monk]]s who supported icon veneration came into being, including [[John of Damascus]] and [[Theodore the Studite]]. Other iconodules within the Church included [[Germanus I of Constantinople]] and Pope [[Gregory III of Rome]]. Within the Byzantine nobility, the principal iconodule was the [[Irene of Athens|Empress Irene]], the mother and regent for her son [[Constantine VI]], who ended the first iconoclastic period and convened the [[Seventh Ecumenical Council]] that confirmed icon veneration.
[[Image:Theodora the Iconodule.jpg|thumb|100px|left|St. Theodora the Iconodule]]
Finally, in 843, the [[Theodora (9th century empress)|Empress Theodora]], who was regent for her son Michael III, ended the second iconoclastic period begun by Emperor Leo V the Armenian, in 813. With Theodora's success, the iconodules maintained their position under the leadership of Patriarch [[Ignatius of Constantinople]], who was [[patriarch]] from 847 to 858 and from 867 to 877. Since the time of the Proclamation of 843 restoring veneration of icons, the Orthodox Church has celebrated the [[feast]] of the [[Triumph of Orthodoxy]] on the first Sunday of [[Lent]].

==External links==
*[http://www.tulane.edu/~august/h303/readings/iconoclasm.htm Documents of the Iconoclastic Controversy]
*[[Wikipedia:Iconoclasm]]

[[Category:Liturgics]]
[[Category:Church History]]

[[ro:Iconodul]]

Hieratikon

2012-12-05T16:43:32Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

The '''Hieratikon''' (also spelled ''Ieratikon'', also known as the ''Hierotelestikon'' and the ''Liturgikon''; Slavonic: '''''Sluzhebnik'''''), the "book of the priest," is the Book of Rites of the [[Orthodox Church]] that contains the priest's prayers for [[Vespers]], [[Orthros]], and [[Divine Liturgy|Divine Liturgies]] of St. [[John Chrysostom]], St. [[Basil the Great]], and the [[Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts]]. These texts usually also include additional sections, such as a the [[Dismissal]]s for various days of the week and for [[Great Feasts]], [[Prokeimenon|Prokeimena]], the [[Menologion]], [[Megalynarion|Magnifications]] (Slavonic: ''Velichaniye'') for feast days, and instructional material which explains what clergy should do in the case of various unexpected occurrences in the services.

== Sources ==
*[http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/liturgics_averky_e.htm#_Toc104768016 Liturgics, by Archbishop Averky]

== External links==
*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/sluzhebniks.htm Priest's Service Books for the Liturgy]
*[http://www.sspeterpaul.org/priest.html Archbishop Dimitri's Priests Service Book]
*[http://www.orthlib.info/Sluzhebnik/Sluzhebnik.html Slavonic Sluzhebnik]

[[Category:Liturgics]]

[[ro:Liturghier]]

Myrrh

2012-12-05T16:41:05Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

'''Myrrh''' is a red-brown resinous material, the dried sap of the tree ''Commiphora myrrha''. It is native to Somalia and the eastern parts of Ethiopia. The sap of a number of other ''Commiphora'' and ''Balsamodendron'' species are also known as myrrh, including that from ''C. erythaeca'' (sometimes called East Indian myrrh), ''C. opobalsamum'' and ''Balsamodendron kua''. Its name entered English through the Ancient Greek, μύρρα, which is probably of Semitic origin.

Myrrh is a constituent of perfumes and incense that was highly prized in ancient times. It was used as an embalming ointment and, up until about the 15th century, as a penitential [[incense]] in funerals and cremations. Myrrh was widely used in the ancient world as an incense, in cosmetics, in medicine, and as an agent during embalming and funerals. In ancient Roman funerals it was burned to mask the smell from charring corpses. It was expensive, often worth more than its weight in gold.

In the [[Old Testament]], myrrh is depicted as a valuable commodity in trade and in the religious setting as an ingredient in oil for anointing: [[Exodus]] 30:23. Its use as a perfume and as an agent for purification of women is mentioned in a number of books: [[Book of Esther|Esther]] 2:12, [[Psalms]] 45:8, and [[Proverbs]] 7:17.

In the [[New Testament]], [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 2:11 mentions myrrh as one of the gifts presented by the [[Magi]] to the infant Jesus at his [[nativity|birth]]. In [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 15:23, myrrh is mentioned a an ingredient in the mixture of "wine mingled with myrrh" as a drug to produce insensibility for those condemned to death.

The title "Myrrh-bearer" is given to those who were present at [[Christ]]'s passion and went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. [[Gospel of John|John]] 19:39 describes [[Nicodemus]] bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloe for embalming when St. [[Joseph of Arimathea]] laid Jesus in the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem)|sepulchre]]. They are celebrated with the myrrh-bearing women on the [[Sunday of Myrrh-bearing Women]].

Some [[saint]]s and [[icon]]s are called "Myrrh-flowing," "Myrrh-streaming," "Myrrh-gushing" or "Myroblete" which indicates that the [[relics]] or icon exudes the holy and sweet-smelling oil. The oil is often miraculous. "This wonder of myrrh has been given to the holy relics in order to indicate that Christians are truly 'a sweet-savour of Christ unto God' ([[II Corinthians]] 2:15), sweet-smelling to God and to heaven. The truth of the Gospel is that the sin of man is a foul odor before God and every sin pleases the devil. Through the holy mysteries and holy virtues, Christians become 'a sweet-savour of Christ unto God.' For this reason, then, the holy relics of the Saints pour forth myrrh."{{ref|1}}

==Source==
*[[w:Myrrh]]

==Reference==
* {{note|1}} [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/general/relics_place.aspx The Place of Holy Relics in the Orthodox Church] by St. [[Justin Popovich]], From ''Orthodox Tradition'', Vol. VII, No. 1, p. 9. Translated from the Serbian by the Reverend Gregory Telepneff.

==See also==
*[[Incorruptibility]]

[[Category:Liturgics]]

[[ro:Smirnă]]

Archieratikon

2012-12-04T19:24:32Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

The '''Archieratikon''' (Slavonic: '''''Chinovnik''''') is the Book of Rites for hierarchical services of the [[Orthodox Church]] that has the same function as the [[Hieratikon]], but is intended for use by [[bishop]]s performing the services and contains directions for all the peculiarities of hierarchical services. Besides the order of the Vigil and the three liturgies, it contains the orders for the [[ordination]] or [[tonsure|tonsuring]] to various ecclesiastical ranks and the order of the consecration of the [[antimins]].

There is no complete text in English that has yet been published of this type, though the material in this text can be found in a variety of other sources.

== Sources ==
*[http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/liturgics_averky_e.htm#_Toc104768017 Liturgics, by Archbishop Averky]

[[Category:Liturgics]]

[[ro:Arhieraticon]]

Euphemia the Great Martyr

2012-09-12T14:17:38Z

Kamasarye: /* Relics */ +img

The Holy Glorious Great-[[Martyr]] '''Euphemia''' (Greek: Ευφημία), known as the All-praised in the Orthodox Church was martyred for her faith at Chalcedon in 304AD.

==Life==
[[Saint]] Euphemia lived in the 3rd century AD. She was the daughter of pious parents. Her father was a senator named Philophronos and her mother was Theodosia. She was born in [[Chalcedon]], located across the Bosporus from the city of [[Byzantium]] (modern-day Istanbul). From her youth she dedicated her life to Christ and practiced the virtues of prayer, fasting and chastity.

The governor of [[Chalcedon]], Priscus, had made a decree that all of the inhabitants of the city take part in sacrifices to the pagan god Ares. Euphemia was discovered with other Christians who were hiding in a house and worshiping the Christian God, in defiance of the governor's orders. Because of their refusal to sacrifice, they were tortured for a number of days, and then handed over to the Emperor for further torture. Euphemia, the youngest among them, was separated from her companions in the hope that she betray Christ if she was on her own. She was promised worldy riches but refused to deny Christ. She was subjected to particularly harsh torments, including the wheel, in hopes of breaking her spirit but the wheel miraculously stopped and an Angel of the Lord ministered to her wounds.

The govenor then ordered that the saint be cast into a fiery furnace. Two soldiers, Victor and Sosthenes, led her to the furnace, but seeing to fearsome [[angels]] in the flames, refused to carry out the order of the governor and became believers in the God Whom Euphemia worshipped. Boldly confessing that they too were Christians, Victor and Sosthenes bravely went to suffering. They were cast into the arena to be eaten by wild beasts. During their martyrdom, they cried out for mercy to God, asking Him to receive them into the Heavenly Kingdom. A heavenly Voice answered their cries, and they entered into eternal life. The beasts, however, did not even touch their bodies.

Saint Euphemia, cast into the fire by other soldiers, remained unharmed. Ascribing this to sorcery, the governor gave orders to dig out a new pit, and filling it with knives, he had it covered over with earth and grass, so that the martyr would not notice the preparation for her execution but here too she remained unhurt.

Finally, they sentenced her to be devoured by wild beasts at the circus. Before her martyrdom, Saint Euphemia implored God to deem her worthy to suffer terribly for His Name but when she was cast into the arena, none of the wild beasts attacked her. Finally, one of the she-bears gave her a small wound on the leg, from which flowed the pure blood of the martyr, and immediately the holy Great Martyr Euphemia gave her spirit to the Lord. During this time there was an earthquake, and both the guards and the spectators ran in terror, so that the parents of the saint were able to take up her body and reverently bury it not far from Chalcedon.

A majestic church was afterwards built over the grave of the Great Martyr Euphemia.

==Miracle during the [[Council of Chalcedon]]==

The [[Fourth Ecumenical Council]] convened in the city of Chalcedon in the year 451. The 630 delegates gathered in the church of Saint Euphemia whre her holy [[relics]] were housed. The council repudiated the Eutychian doctrine of [[monophysitism]], and set forth the Chalcedonian Creed, which describes the "full humanity and full divinity" of [[Jesus Christ]], the Second Person of the [[Holy Trinity]].

Both the Monophysite and Orthodox parties were well-represented at the council, so the meetings were quite contentious, and no decisive consensus could be reached. The holy [[Patriarch]] [[Anatolius of Constantinople]] proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the [[Holy Spirit]], through His undoubted bearer St. Euphemia the All-Praised. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the saint and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict [[fasting]] and [[prayer]]. After three days the patriarch and the emperor, in the presence of the Council, opened the tomb and found the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by St Euphemia in her right hand, while the scroll of the [[heretic]]s lay at her feet. St. Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. As a result of this [[miracle]], many of the heretics accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in their heresy were consigned to the Council's condemnation and excommunication.

This miracle is attested by a letter sent by the council to Pope [[Leo the Great|Leo I]]:

"For it was God who worked, and the triumphant Euphemia who crowned the meeting as for a bridal, and who, taking our definition of the Faith as her own confession, presented it to her Bridegroom by our most religious Emperor and Christ-loving Empress, appeasing all the tumult of opponents and establishing our confession of the Truth as acceptable to Him, and with hand and tongue setting her seal to the votes of us all in proclamation thereof."

==Relics==
[[Image:StEuphimia-reliquary.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Relics of St. Euphemia, Patriarchal Church of St. George, Istanbul]]
Around the year 620, in the wake of the conquest of Chalcedon by the Persians under Khosrau I in the year 617, the relics of Saint Euphemia were transferred to a new church in Constantinople. There, during the persecutions of the [[Iconoclasm |Iconoclasts]], her reliquary was said to have been thrown into the sea, from which it was recovered by the ship-owning brothers Sergius and Sergonos, who belonged to the Orthodox party, and who gave it over to the local [[bishop]] who hid them in a secret [[crypt]]. The relics were afterwards taken to the Island of Lemnos, and in 796 they were returned to Constantinople. The majority of her relics are kept in the [[Patriarchal Church of Saint George (Phanar)|Patriarchal Church of St. George]], in Constantinople.

==Feast Days==

The [[feast day]] of Saint Euphemia is [[September 16]] in commemoration of her martyrdom. Her miracle at the Council of Chalcedon is commemorated on [[July 11]].

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category:Martyrs]]

[[ro:Eufimia din Calcedon]]

Refectory

2012-09-11T14:39:02Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

'''''Refectory''''' in Orthodox Church usage generally refers to the dining room in a [[monastery]]. This dining facility is also called a '''trapeza''' (Greek: literally "table," also "refectory").

Some refectories may be free-standing buildings. Alternately, a refectory is joined to an extension of the building in which the [[altar]] is placed, as in regular [[church]] buildings. An example is the trapeza at the [[Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra]] north of Moscow, Russia.

==External links==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refectory Wikipedia: Refectory]
*[http://www.musobl.divo.ru/refect_e.html The Refectory with the Church of St. Sergius (1686-1692)]

[[Category:Monasteries]]

[[ro:Trapeză]]

Pelagia of Tarsus

2012-08-31T15:01:59Z

Kamasarye: clarification: Tarsus is the capital of Cilicia

The holy and glorious [[Virgin-Martyr]] [[Saint]] '''Pelagia of Tarsus''' was a resident of the city of Tarsus <ref>In the time of the Romans, Tarsus competed with Athens and Alexandria as the centre of the world. It was the birth place of the Apostle Paul [Acts 21:39 and 22:3], and the chief city of the province of Cilicia, which by modern day terms, is situated on the banks of the Cydnus River.</ref> in Asia Minor during the reign of the Emperor [[Diocletian]] (284-305). She is commemorated [[May 4]].

According to the tradition of the [[Church]], the son of Diocletian fell in love with the holy maiden, wishing to seek her as his own. When he made advances towards her, Pelagia replied that she could not love him, having sworn herself to [[Jesus Christ|Christ]], the [[Bridegroom]]. In passion, anger, and sorrow, Diocletian's son killed himself. Pelagia was then sent to Rome by her pagan mother, where Diocletian himself asked her to become his wife. She refused, and seeing the cruelty of the tyrannical emperor, she called him insane. The emperor had her burned at the stake, and as her flesh melted like wax, the incense of [[myrrh]] emitted from her holy flesh, perfuming the city.

The pagans sent four lions to surround her bones, but instead of consuming them, they protected her remains from vultures until Bishop Linus recovered them. After the [[Edict of Milan|legalization of Christianity]], [[Constantine the Great]] built a church on the site of those [[relics|remains]] in her honor.

==Notes==
<references/>

==External Links==
*[[w:Pelagia of Tarsus|Pelagia on Wikipedia]]

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Myrrh-Streamers]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]

[[ro:Pelaghia din Tars]]

Lavra

2012-08-22T18:23:42Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

The term '''''lavra''''' is a name given to large, rich [[monastery|monasteries]] of importance that enjoy special privileges and are cultural centers in the regions they occupy.
{{stub}}

Among the noted lavras is the [[Great Lavra (Athos)|Monastery of the Great Lavra]] on the [[Mount Athos|Athos Peninsula]]. This monastery, founded by the [[monk]] St. Athanasius the Athonite in 963, is the earliest and the mother monastery of the Athonite communities.

In the Slavic world (under the Moscow Patriarchate: [[Church of Russia]] and [[Church of Ukraine]]) there are five lavras of particular note:
*[[Kiev Pechersk Lavra]] in Kiev, Ukraine. This monastery, often called the [[Monastery of the Kiev Caves]], was founded in 1051 by [[Anthony of the Caves]] and [[Theodosius of the Kiev Caves|Theodosius]].
*[[Pochaev Lavra of the Dormition of the Theotokos|Pochayiv Lavra]] (''Pochaev'') has for centuries been the foremost spiritual and ideological centre of various Orthodox denominations in Western Ukraine. The monastery tops a 60-metre hill in the town of Pochayiv, Ternopil Oblast, 18 km southwest of Kremenets and 50 km north of Ternopil. It was established a lavra in 1833.
*[[Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra|Trinity Lavra of St Sergius]] at Sergiyev Posad, Russia, was founded in 1345 by [[Sergius of Radonezh]], the most venerated of Russian [[saint]]s. Tsarina Elizabeth elevated the monastery to the dignity of a lavra in 1744.
*Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St Petersburg, Russia, was founded as a monastery in 1710 and was not finished until 1790. The monastery was elevated to the status of a lavra in 1797.
*Uspensko-Svyatogorskaya Lavra has been a Lavra since 2004

==External links==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavra Wikipedia]
*[http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/Athos/Monastery/great_lavra.html Monastery of the Great Lavra]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Kiev Pechersk Lavra:Wikipedia]
*[http://www.lavra.kiev.ua/en/main.php?id=90 KPL Official Site]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pochayevsko-Uspenskaya_Lavra Pochayiv Lavra]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troitse-Sergiyeva_Lavra Wikipedia: Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius]
*[http://www.saint-petersburg-hotels.com/alexandernevskiylavra.htm Alexander Nevsky Lavra]

[[Category:Monasteries]]

[[el:Λαύρα]]
[[ro:Lavră]]

Sophronius I of Jerusalem

2012-08-12T18:41:10Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

Our father among the [[saint]]s '''Sophronius I of Jerusalem''' was the Patriarch of Jerusalem from 634 to 638. He was [[patriarch]] during the time that Jerusalem fell to Umar I and his Saracens in 637. He was a staunch opponent of the [[heresy]] of [[monothelitism]]. He is [[feast day]] on [[March 11]].

==Life==
Sophronius (Greek: Σωφρόνιος) was born in Damascus, Syria in the year 560. He was of Arab descent. Nothing is known of his early life. He was a [[monk]] and [[theologian]]. A teacher of rhetoric, he became an [[Asceticism|ascetic]] in Egypt about 580 and then joined the Monastery of St. Theodosius near Bethlehem.

During the times of the Christological controversies, Sophronius was a strong defender of the orthodox position. In his late teens and early twenties, he traveled throughout the [[monastic |monastic]] centers in Asia Minor, Egypt, and Rome, in company with his friend the Byzantine chronicler John Moschus. In 605, Sophronius fled to Alexandria before the Persians invading Palestine. Then in 616, again he fled from Alexandria to Rome ahead of the Persian invasion of Egypt. After Moschus' death in Rome in 619, Sophronius accompanied his body to Jerusalem for a monastic burial. There he lived in St. Theodosius' Monastery until the heresy of monothelitism arose with the [[patriarch]]s of Alexandria and Constantinople.

When Patr. Cyrus of Alexandria began to preach monothelitism, he traveled to Alexandria, Egypt to convince Cyrus against his acceptance of the heresy. Then in 633, he journeyed to Constantinople to press Patr. Sergius of Constantinople on the same issue, both times without success. In 634, he was elected [[patriarch]] of Jerusalem. He continued his stand against monothelitism in Jerusalem, dedicating his sermon on the day of the [[Nativity]] of Our Lord to strengthen the [[clergy]] to maintain the Chalcedonian view of God.

In those times the Arab [[Islam|Muslims]] were gaining control of Palestine. In 637, he was said to have negotiated recognition, in the Umaru Treaty, of civil liberties for the Christian population in exchange for tribute ([[jizya]]).

Apparently, disheartened over the fall of Jerusalem, Patr. Sophronius died on [[March 11]], 638 in Jerusalem shortly after its fall.

==Writings==
A prolific writer, much of his work is no longer extant. His writings include an encomium on the Alexandrian [[martyr]]s Cyrus, a [[Melkite]], and John done in gratitude for the cure of his failing sight. He also composed 23 anacreontic odes on the feasts of the [[church]]. He is remembered most as the author of the Life of St. Mary of Egypt as well as a life of St. John the Almsgiver, a martyred [[priest]] of Rome. He composed an anthology, that is lost, of some 600 texts from the Greek Fathers stating the orthodox tenet on Dyothelitism. His ''Anacreontica 19 and 20'' consists of two poems that described a complete circuit through the most important sanctuaries of Jerusalem at the end of the sixth century, a time that has been described as the golden age of Christianity in the [[Holy Land]].

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=Modestus|
title=[[List of Patriarchs of Jerusalem|Patriarch of Jerusalem]]|
years=634-638|
after=Anastasius II}}
{{end box}}

==Sources==
*[[Wikipedia: Sophronius]]
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=100777 St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem]
*[http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/sbf/escurs/wwc/s.html Sophronius I, St., patriarch of Jerusalem]

==External link==
*[[Wikipedia: The_Umariyya_Covenant]] Covenant of Umar I

[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category: Patriarchs of Jerusalem]]
[[Category:7th-century bishops]]

[[ro:Sofronie I al Ierusalimului]]

Susanna the Virgin

2012-08-02T18:00:33Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

The holy and glorious [[Martyr]] '''Susanna the Virgin''' was the daughter of [[Presbyter]] Gavinius and a niece of the Holy [[Bishop]] Caius of Rome (283-296). She was raised in strict Christian piety and in her youthful years dedicated herself to God. The family of the [[saint]] was related to the emperor [[Diocletian]] (284-305), who heard reports of her virtue and beauty. The Church celebrates her [[feast day]] on [[August 11]].

Having decided to give St. Susanna in marriage to his co-ruling emperor [[w:Maximian|Maximian Hercules]] (286-305), Diocletian sent his own kinsman, the dignitary Claudius, to the priest Gavinius, and then his own brother Maximus. Both of them, together with the wife of Claudius Prepedigna and her sons Alexander and Cythius, accepted [[Baptism]] after conversation with the pious family. Having learned that the entire family of his relatives had been converted to Christianity, Diocletian sent them into exile.

Soon they burned the martyrs at Ostia, not far from Rome, and threw the ashes into the sea. They took the holy virgin Susanna to the palace, and the empress tried to persuade her to submit. But the empress, secretly a Christian, supported the martyr in her intention to preserve her virginity for the sake of the Lord. She explained to the emperor about the virgin's unwillingness to enter into [[marriage]] with a pagan. Diocletian gave permission to his co-ruler to defile the holy virgin, but an angel defended her.

Macedonius began to urge the martyr to offer sacrifice to the idols. "I offer myself in sacrifice to my Lord," she answered. Then Macedonius cut off the martyr's head. The empress secretly buried the [[relics|body]] of the saint. The room where the murder occurred was consecrated into a church by the holy Bishop Caius. Soon the father of St. Susanna, Presbyter Gavinius, accepted a martyr's end, as did St. Caius in the year 296.

==Source==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=102268 Virginmartyr Susanna] ([[OCA]])

==External link==
*[http://www.westsrbdio.org/prolog/prolog.cgi August 11: The Holy Female Martyr Susanna the Virgin, and others with her] from the [[Prologue from Ohrid]]

[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]

[[ro:Suzana Romana]]

Charitina of Rome

2012-08-02T17:51:57Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

The holy [[martyr]] '''Charitina of Amisus''' (also known as '''Charitina of Rome''') was born during the persecutions of emperor Diocletian (284-305) and martyred in the year 304. Her [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[October 5]].

==Life==
The holy martyr Charitina was orphaned in childhood and raised like a daughter by the Christian, Claudius the Pious. The young woman was humble, very pretty and sensible, kind, and fervent in faith. She studied the law of God day and night and vowed to live in perpetual virginity as a true bride of Christ. She imparted to other people her love for Christ, and she [[conversion|converted]] many to the way of salvation.

In 302, during the persecutions under the Diocletian, the emperor's governor, Dometius, arrested her and subjected her to trials of horrible torments as she proclaimed her strong faith and confession of the Lord [[Jesus Christ]]. She prayed to God to receive her soul when the judge finally ordered her rape by dissolute youths. While kneeling in prayer her soul departed from her body to life internal. She died in the year 304.

==Sources==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=102870 Martyr Charitina of Amisus]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charitina Charitina of Amisus]

==External reference==
*[http://www.stjohnthebaptist.org.au/saints/day.php?month=2&day=5&mode=xhtml Commemorations for 5/18 October]

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]
[[Category:Martyrs]]

[[ro:Haritina Romana]]

Euphemia the Great Martyr

2012-08-02T17:40:46Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

The Holy Glorious Great-[[Martyr]] '''Euphemia''' (Greek: Ευφημία), known as the All-praised in the Orthodox Church was martyred for her faith at Chalcedon in 304AD.

==Life==
[[Saint]] Euphemia lived in the 3rd century AD. She was the daughter of pious parents. Her father was a senator named Philophronos and her mother was Theodosia. She was born in [[Chalcedon]], located across the Bosporus from the city of [[Byzantium]] (modern-day Istanbul). From her youth she dedicated her life to Christ and practiced the virtues of prayer, fasting and chastity.

The governor of [[Chalcedon]], Priscus, had made a decree that all of the inhabitants of the city take part in sacrifices to the pagan god Ares. Euphemia was discovered with other Christians who were hiding in a house and worshiping the Christian God, in defiance of the governor's orders. Because of their refusal to sacrifice, they were tortured for a number of days, and then handed over to the Emperor for further torture. Euphemia, the youngest among them, was separated from her companions in the hope that she betray Christ if she was on her own. She was promised worldy riches but refused to deny Christ. She was subjected to particularly harsh torments, including the wheel, in hopes of breaking her spirit but the wheel miraculously stopped and an Angel of the Lord ministered to her wounds.

The govenor then ordered that the saint be cast into a fiery furnace. Two soldiers, Victor and Sosthenes, led her to the furnace, but seeing to fearsome [[angels]] in the flames, refused to carry out the order of the governor and became believers in the God Whom Euphemia worshipped. Boldly confessing that they too were Christians, Victor and Sosthenes bravely went to suffering. They were cast into the arena to be eaten by wild beasts. During their martyrdom, they cried out for mercy to God, asking Him to receive them into the Heavenly Kingdom. A heavenly Voice answered their cries, and they entered into eternal life. The beasts, however, did not even touch their bodies.

Saint Euphemia, cast into the fire by other soldiers, remained unharmed. Ascribing this to sorcery, the governor gave orders to dig out a new pit, and filling it with knives, he had it covered over with earth and grass, so that the martyr would not notice the preparation for her execution but here too she remained unhurt.

Finally, they sentenced her to be devoured by wild beasts at the circus. Before her martyrdom, Saint Euphemia implored God to deem her worthy to suffer terribly for His Name but when she was cast into the arena, none of the wild beasts attacked her. Finally, one of the she-bears gave her a small wound on the leg, from which flowed the pure blood of the martyr, and immediately the holy Great Martyr Euphemia gave her spirit to the Lord. During this time there was an earthquake, and both the guards and the spectators ran in terror, so that the parents of the saint were able to take up her body and reverently bury it not far from Chalcedon.

A majestic church was afterwards built over the grave of the Great Martyr Euphemia.

==Miracle during the [[Council of Chalcedon]]==

The [[Fourth Ecumenical Council]] convened in the city of Chalcedon in the year 451. The 630 delegates gathered in the church of Saint Euphemia whre her holy [[relics]] were housed. The council repudiated the Eutychian doctrine of [[monophysitism]], and set forth the Chalcedonian Creed, which describes the "full humanity and full divinity" of [[Jesus Christ]], the Second Person of the [[Holy Trinity]].

Both the Monophysite and Orthodox parties were well-represented at the council, so the meetings were quite contentious, and no decisive consensus could be reached. The holy [[Patriarch]] [[Anatolius of Constantinople]] proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the [[Holy Spirit]], through His undoubted bearer St. Euphemia the All-Praised. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the saint and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict [[fasting]] and [[prayer]]. After three days the patriarch and the emperor, in the presence of the Council, opened the tomb and found the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by St Euphemia in her right hand, while the scroll of the [[heretic]]s lay at her feet. St. Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. As a result of this [[miracle]], many of the heretics accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in their heresy were consigned to the Council's condemnation and excommunication.

This miracle is attested by a letter sent by the council to Pope [[Leo the Great|Leo I]]:

"For it was God who worked, and the triumphant Euphemia who crowned the meeting as for a bridal, and who, taking our definition of the Faith as her own confession, presented it to her Bridegroom by our most religious Emperor and Christ-loving Empress, appeasing all the tumult of opponents and establishing our confession of the Truth as acceptable to Him, and with hand and tongue setting her seal to the votes of us all in proclamation thereof."

==Relics==

Around the year 620, in the wake of the conquest of Chalcedon by the Persians under Khosrau I in the year 617, the relics of Saint Euphemia were transferred to a new church in Constantinople. There, during the persecutions of the [[Iconoclasm |Iconoclasts]], her reliquary was said to have been thrown into the sea, from which it was recovered by the ship-owning brothers Sergius and Sergonos, who belonged to the Orthodox party, and who gave it over to the local [[bishop]] who hid them in a secret [[crypt]]. The relics were afterwards taken to the Island of Lemnos, and in 796 they were returned to Constantinople. The majority of her relics are kept in the [[Patriarchal Church of Saint George (Phanar)|Patriarchal Church of St. George]], in Constantinople.

==Feast Days==

The [[feast day]] of Saint Euphemia is [[September 16]] in commemoration of her martyrdom. Her miracle at the Council of Chalcedon is commemorated on [[July 11]].

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category:Martyrs]]

[[ro:Eufimia din Calcedon]]

Bassa of Edessa

2012-08-02T17:33:28Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

The Holy [[martyr]] '''Bassa of Edessa''', with her sons Theognis, Agapius and Pistus, were martyred during the reign of emperor Maximian Galerius in the early fourth century for refusing to offer sacrifice to idols. They are commemorated of [[August 21]].

==Life==
St. Bassa lived in the city of Edessa in Macedonia with her sons Theognis, Agapius and Pistus,. Although she was married to a pagan priest, she had raised her sons from childhood in the Christian faith and had passed it on to her sons.

During the reign of Emperor Maximian Galerius in the first decade of the fourth century, her husband, their father, denounced St. Bassa and her sons to the governor. The sons, inspite of threats, refused to offer sacrifice to idols. For their refusals they were tortured and eventually martyred.

For her part, St. Bassa was thrown into prison and starved. Becoming weakened by hunger, she was visited by an [[angel]] who strengthened her with heavenly food. She was placed under torture of various sorts, yet remained unharmed by fire, water, and beasts that were used in her torture. Brought to a pagan temple, she shattered the statue of Zeus. Taken to a stormy sea, she was thrown into a whirlpool to be drowned. However, to surprise of those who had thrown her into the sea, a ship sailed up to her, and three radiant young men pulled her out of the water. (St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain suggests that these were her children, martyred earlier).

Eight days later St. Bassa was delivered by ship to the governor of the island of Alona, not far from Cyzicus, in the Propontis, or Sea of Marmora, where she was once again tortured. There, she was beaten with rods before she was beheaded.

By the year 450, a church had been dedicated in the honor of the holy martyr Bassa at [[Chalcedon]].

==Sources==
*[http://www.antiochian.org/node/19286 AOCA: St. Bassa, Martyr, And Her Sons]
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=102356 OCA: Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons]

[[Category: Saints]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category: Martyrs]]

[[ro:Vasa din Edesa]]

Basilissa of Nicomedia

2012-08-02T17:19:57Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

The [[Martyr]] '''Basilissa of Nicomedia''', also '''Vasilissa''', was a young maiden, of the early fourth century, who showed unshakable firmness in her faithfulness to Jesus Christ when she was being forced to renounce him. Her [[feast day]] is [[September 3]].

In [[Nicomedia]], Basilissa suffered for her faith under the emperor Diocletian when the governor of Nicomedia Alexander ordered the arrest of the nine year old Basilissa and attempted to force her to renounce Christ. She was subjected to protracted and intense torture as the torturers covered her whole body with wounds. Through the grace of God, the holy martyr remained alive, unharmed, and faithful to Christ.

Her survival was evidence to all those present as a manifestation of the power of God. Her torturer, Alexander, seeing these wonders, repented and confessed himself a Christian. Basilissa went out into a field, fell on her knees and prayed to God, thanking Him for her endurance under torture.

Alexander was [[baptism|baptized]] later by Bishop [[Anthimus of Nicomedia]]. Living in deep repentance, Alexander died a short time later, departing peacefully to the Lord. Some while after Alexander's repose St. Basilissa died peacefully and accompanied by miraculous signs of God's mercy.

==Sources==
*[http://www.antiochian.org/node/16698 St. Basilissa of Nicomedia]
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=102482 Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia]
*[http://www.orthodox.net/menaion-september/03-holy-martyr-vasilissa.html The Holy Martyr Vasilissa]

[[Category: Saints]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category: Martyrs]]

[[ro:Vasilisa din Nicomidia]]

Pelagia of Tarsus

2012-08-02T17:16:30Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

The holy and glorious [[Virgin-Martyr]] [[Saint]] '''Pelagia of Tarsus''' was a resident of Cilicia <ref>Tarsus, is the birth place of the Apostle Paul [Acts 21:39 and 22:3]. The chief city was the province of Cilicia, which by modern day terms, is situated on the banks of the Cydnus River.</ref> of Tarsus <ref>In the time of the Romans, Tarsus competed with Athens and Alexandria as the centre of the world.</ref> in Asia Minor during the reign of the Emperor [[Diocletian]] (284-305). She is commemorated [[May 4]].

According to the tradition of the [[Church]], the son of Diocletian fell in love with the holy maiden, wishing to seek her as his own. When he made advances towards her, Pelagia replied that she could not love him, having sworn herself to [[Jesus Christ|Christ]], the [[Bridegroom]]. In passion, anger, and sorrow, Diocletian's son killed himself. Pelagia was then sent to Rome by her pagan mother, where Diocletian himself asked her to become his wife. She refused, and seeing the cruelty of the tyrannical emperor, she called him insane. The emperor had her burned at the stake, and as her flesh melted like wax, the incense of [[myrrh]] emitted from her holy flesh, perfuming the city.

The pagans sent four lions to surround her bones, but instead of consuming them, they protected her remains from vultures until Bishop Linus recovered them. After the [[Edict of Milan|legalization of Christianity]], [[Constantine the Great]] built a church on the site of those [[relics|remains]] in her honor.

==Notes==
<references/>

==External Links==
*[[w:Pelagia of Tarsus|Pelagia on Wikipedia]]

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Myrrh-Streamers]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]

[[ro:Pelaghia din Tars]]

Paraskevi

2012-08-02T17:12:28Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

:''For other saints named "Paraskevi," see the [[Paraskevi (disambiguation)|disambiguation page]].''

[[image:Paraskevi.jpg|right|thumb|Holy Virgin-Martyr St. Paraskevi]]The holy and glorious [[Martyr|Virgin-Martyr]] [[Saint]] '''Paraskevi''' (also ''Paraskeva'') was arrested during the reign of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius (r. A.D. 138-161) under the penalty of refusing to worship idols and adhering to the state pagan religion. After enduring many tortures, she was eventually released by the emperor, continuing to profess [[Christ]]. She was eventually tortured and beheaded by the Roman governor Tarasius in the year 180. The Church commemorates her on [[July 26]].

== Life ==
Saint Paraskevi, The Parthenomartyr, (July 26th), was born in a village near Rome during the reign of Hadrian (117-138 AD). Her parents were the pious [[Christians]] Agathonikos (Agathon) and Politea. Her parents prayed fervently for a child, and [[God]] finally blessed their piety. They gave great honor to Friday, the day of Our Lord's suffering. Being born on this day, her parents named her Paraskevi ("Friday" in Greek, but literally "preparation").

St Paraskevi obtained an excellent education from both secular and Scriptural instructors. She was also very knowledgeable in the field of philosophy. Bolstered by her Christian upbringing, she often conversed with other women about Christianity, trying to strengthen their faith in this new religion.
Many distinguished families wanted this beautiful, educated and rich woman to marry their sons. Her understanding and kindness made her even more desirable. However having a higher goal in life, St Paraskevi rejected any marriage proposals.

When she was 20 years old, both her parents died 1eaving her as the sole heir to the family fortune. St Paraskevi did not use her fortune for herself. Filled with the spirit of Christ and Christian ideals, she sold all her worldly possessions using the money to relieve human suffering. There was a portion retained to a community treasury that supported a home for reverent virgins who stayed in a kenobion, a type of commune like a contemporary monastery. These women prayed and fasted doing charitable works. They preached primarily to Hebrew and idol worshiping women giving them an opportunity to learn about Christian salvation.

She left Rome at the age of 30 and began her holy mission, passing through many cities and villages. St Paraskevi’s activities occurred during a period that the Jews and Romans persecuted the Christian religion with the greatest intensity. Antoninus Pius (138-161) ruled Rome at this time, and he did not execute Christians without a trial. She was not caught immediately or put to death. Instead, Antoninus protected Christians against the blind mania of the Jewish and Roman inhabitants. Christians could only be brought to trial if another citizen lodged a formal complaint against them. Antoninus however had to repeal this law because of the many disasters which had befallen Rome and which were blamed on the Christians.

Strong in faith, learning, and eloquence, Paraskevi spoke persuasively to her fellow Roman citizens, leading them from idolatry to faith in Christ. Eventually, Antoninus heard of St. Paraskevi's holy mission. Upon her return to Rome, several Jews filed complaints about her and Antoninus summoned her to his palace to question her. Attracted by her beauty and humility he tried with kind words to make her denounce her faith, even promising to marry her and make her an empress. Angered by her refusal he had a steel helmet, lined with nails and compressed on her head with a vice. It had no effect on the Saint and many who witnessed this miracle converted to Christianity. Thrown into prison, Paraskevi asked God to give her the strength to face the terror that awaited her. Antoninus again continued her torture by having her hung by her hair and at the same time burning her hands and arms with torches. The Saint suffered greatly, but had the will not to submit to the pain. Antoninus then prepared a large cauldron of oil and tar, boiled the mixture and then had Paraskevi immersed in it. Miraculously she stood in it as if she being refreshed rather than burned. Angered, Antoninus thought that she was using witchery to keep the contents cooled. Antoninus then approached the cauldron only to be blinded by the hot steam and searing emissions coming from the area. At this moment the mighty emperor asked for the intervention of St Paraskevi to heal him from this affliction to which she responded:

“Emperor, the Christian God is healing you from the blindness that was given to you as a punishment”.

Immediately, he regained his sight. Humbled by the miracle he freed the Saint, allowing her to continue her missionary activity and ended all persecutions against the Christians throughout the Roman Empire.

From this episode it is clear to the Christians that St Paraskevi has the intercessional ability to help people with visual ailments.

Astonished by the miracle, Antoninus released Paraskevi. He also ceased persecuting Christians throughout the Roman Empire.

This period was brief. After Antoninus' death in 161, a plague broke out throughout the empire. Romans took it as a sign from their gods that that they were angered by the tolerance of Christianity. Under Antoninus' successor, Marcus Aurelius (161-180), the laws dealing with "non-believers" were cahnged and the persecutions against the Christians resumed.

Despite these dangers, Paraskevi persevered in her missionary endeavors, spreading the [[Gospel]] wherever she traveled. By authority of emperor Aurelius the provincial eparchs Asclepius and Tarasios captured St Paraskevi. Having refused Asclepius’ demands to sacrifice to pagan gods, she was thrown into a snake pit. The Saint made the [[Sign of the Cross]] over the serpent and the serpent perished. Asclepius had heard of the Saint’s previous miracles, realized that a great and mighty power guarded Paraskevi and decided to set her free while Asclepius and his court were all converted.

Tarasios however was less tolerant. St Paraskevi was tied and beaten and afterwards imprisoned and a huge rock placed on her chest. She prayed to Christ to help her be strong.
The next morning Paraskevi was taken willingly to the Temple of Apollo. Everyone praised Tarasios, thinking that he had succeeded in breaking St Paraskevi's faith. However, upon entering the temple, the Saint raised her hand and made the sign of the cross. Suddenly, a loud noise was heard and all the idols in the temple were destroyed. The priests and idolaters dragged her from the altar, beat her, and pushed her out of the temple. The priests demanded that Tarasios kill Paraskevi. She was convicted and condemned to death by beheading.

It was customary to give the condemned their last wish. She asked to be left alone for a few moments so that she might pray for the last time. Afterwards, the roman soldiers returned and executed the Saint.

Many healing miracles occurred as a result of St Paraskevi’s divine intervention. It is said that that merely coming in contact with he dirt of her grave faithful, crippled could walk, demonized would return to health and that the infertile would bear children. Most importantly St Paraskevi healed the blindness of the roman emperor Antoninus Pius while she was in a heated cauldron. Her merciful disposition to her tormentor has made her an intercessor Saint for the healing of eye ailments.

Her remains were eventually taken to [[Constantinople]], where they are venerated by the faithful to this very day.

Appropriate to your calling, O Champion Paraskevi, you worshipped with the readiness your name bears. For an abode you obtained faith, which is your namesake. Wherefore, you pour forth healing and intercede for our souls.

O most majestic One, we have discovered your temple to be a spiritual clinic wherein all the faithful resoundingly honor you, O famed and venerable martyr Paraskevi.

==Tomb in Pounta, Greece==
According to the tradition of the people of Epirus, Paraskevi was not martyred in Rome as mentioned in her traditional hagiography, but in Thesprotia where the Monastery of Saint Paraskevi of Pounta stands today. According to this tradition, strongly held by the locals, the headless body of the saint was entombed here and her tomb is still venerated today.

It is said that the persecutors of St. Paraskevi dragged her to the edge of the river Acheron to behead her. As the sword was raised over her head, she grabbed a stone pillar that she held so tightly that the print of her hands melted into it leaving an indelible mark. A church was eventually erected here by the faithful in her honor and housed her holy relics. Her skull was eventually placed in the walls of the church, though today it is kept in Moni Petraki in Athens.

According to the author and novelist Spyros Mouselimis, in his article "The Monastery of Pountas and the Feast of Saint Paraskevi" (Ηπειρωτική Εστία, 10, pp. 638-641, 1961), Pountas Monastery was known for its healing waters and numerous miracles. The pilgrims would cut off portions of the stone pillar of St. Paraskevi as a talisman, to the point that in 1960 the size of the stone was half its original size.

The property of the Monastery at one time was very great. According to Lambridis, at the end of the 19th century the annual revenue of the Monastery was 20,000 piastres, from which a boarding school was supported on its premises until 1913. After the population exchange of 1923 the Monastery was abandoned and did not operate again until 1975. Only the eastern side of the original Holy Altar area of the Katholikon survives today, while the rest of the church was restored in 1989 together with the inscription for the tomb of St. Paraskevi.

Today the Monastery operates as a female convent.

== External links ==
*[http://www.goarch.org/en/chapel/saints.asp?contentid=496 Saint Paraskevi] ([[GOARCH]])
*[http://www.antiochian.org/martyr_paraskeva Martyr Paraskevi] ([[AOCA|Antiochian]])
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=102096 Saint Paraskevi] ([[OCA]])
*[http://www.comeandseeicons.com/p/phn61.htm Icon and Troparion of St. Paraskevi]
*[http://www.comeandseeicons.com/peace.htm Prayer for Peace] St. Paraskevi practiced peacemaking by making an enemy her brother.

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Wonderworkers]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]

[[el:Αγία Παρασκευή]]
[[ro:Parascheva Romana]]

Peter (Polyansky) of Krutitsy

2012-08-02T17:05:04Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

Hieromartyr, '''St. Hieromartyr Peter of Krutitsy''' (Священномученик Петр Крутицкий), born '''Pyotr Fyodorovich Polyansky''', Пётр Фёдорович Полянский; [[June 28]], 1862 – [[September 27]], 1937), was a Russian Orthodox [[bishop]] and [[martyr]]. From [[April 12]] till [[December 9]], 1925 he was the head of the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], serving as the Patriarchal [[locum tenens]]. Despite his imprisonment, he remained technically locum tenens until his death in 1937.

==Early life==
Peter was born in the village of Storozhevoye of the Korotoyaksk district of Voronezh region, to the family of a parish [[priest]]. In 1885 he completed the course of the [[Voronezh Theological Seminary]] and in 1892 graduated from the [[Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary|Moscow Theological Academy]]. He remained in the Academy in the position of Assistant Dean of Students ("Inspector") and in 1897 he defended his Master’s thesis. Upon graduation, Polyansky did not seek an ordained ministry, but rather for the most of his life, he served as a layman in various official ecclesiastical establishments. From 1906 to 1918, Polyansky worked at the Education Committee of the Most [[Holy Synod]] of the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], by 1915 becoming Secretary, with the rank of "Actual Civil Counsellor" (''deistvitelniy statskiy sovietnik'', Class IV on the Russian Table of Ranks), equivalent to a Major General in the Russian Imperial Army), serving as Inspector of all theological schools in the Russian Empire. His duties required him to travel extensively, and during this time, he developed a close acquiaintance with the future Patriarchs [[Tikhon of Moscow|Tikhon (Bellavin)]] and [[Sergius I (Stragorodsky) of Moscow|Sergius]] (Stragorodsky).

==After the Bolshevik Revolution==
When the Education Committee was closed down in 1918, in the aftermath of the Bolshevik Russian Revolution, Polyansky worked in the apparatus of the [[All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918]] in Moscow. In 1920, when the tide of anti-religious policies of Soviet government was rising rapidly, he was asked by Patriarch Tikhon to do another important service to the Church – to accept monastic [[tonsure]] and the episcopacy, in order to assist Tikhon in the administration of the Church. After the request was made, he was reported as saying: "If I refuse, I will be a traitor of the Church; but I am aware that by accepting this offer, I am signing my own death sentence."<ref>http://kuz1.pstbi.ccas.ru/bin/code.exe/frames/mcanonf.html?/ans/</ref>

Peter was tonsured a [[monk]] by Metropolitan [[Sergius I (Stragorodsky) of Moscow|Sergius (Stragorodsky)]] and quickly advanced through the clerical ranks to be [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] as Bishop of Podolsk by Patriarch Tikhon on [[October 8]], 1920. Almost immediately, he was arrested and spent 1920-1923 in exile in Veliky Ustiug . Upon his return from exile in 1923, Bishop Peter became one of the prominent members of church government and a close ally of Patriarch Tikhon. In 1923 he was elevated to the rank of [[archbishop]] and in 1924 became a [[Metropolitan]] of Krutitsy – a [[titular bishop|titular]] [[see]] in the vicinity of Moscow.

On [[December 25]], 1924, Patriarch Tikhon made a “will” where he designated three possible successors to the Patriarchal Throne upon his death. This step was clearly unforeseen either by the [[canon law|church canons]] or the Statutes of the Russian Church, but was dictated by the circumstances under which a proper Patriarchal election by an independent church council was impossible. In his will, Tikhon named three candidates: Metropolitan [[Kirill (Smirnov) of Kazan]], Metropolitan [[Agathangel (Preobrazhensky) of Yaroslavl]] and Metropolitan Peter (Polyansky) of Krutitsy. Since Peter was the only candidate who was not in prison or exile at the time, on [[April 12]], 1925 (the day of Tikhon’s funeral), he was confirmed as the [[Patriarchal locum tenens]].

==Locum tenens==
Upon assuming the duties of [[locum tenens]], Metropolitan Peter came under intense pressure from the Soviet government and secret services, trying to persuade him to reconcile with the pro-Soviet Renovationist [[schism]] calling itself the [[Living Church|"Living Church"]] and to express unconditional loyalty to the Soviet state. While Peter agreed with the need for Orthodox Soviet citizens to be politically loyal, he regarded any reconciliation with the Living Church to be possible only on the condition of the schismatics' repentance. On [[July 28]], 1925, Peter issued a “Letter” to his flock where he confirmed the Church’s position with respect to Renovationists. In response, Renovationists (Living Church) accused Peter of conspiring with the Russian emigres in the West and thus contributed to Peter’s arrest.

Foreseeing his imminent imprisonment, Peter followed Tikhon’s example in selecting three candidates, one of whom would assume the responsibilities of Patriarchal locum tenens in the event of Peter’s arrest. The latter followed on [[December 10]], 1925, and his duties passed onto Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) who became ''Deputy'' ''locum tenens'', with Peter as a nominal head of the Church. Peter would spend the rest of his life in exile and prisons, weakened by the harsh conditions and harassed by Soviet authorities.

==Imprisonment and death==
In November 1926, Peter was sentenced to three year exile to the Ural region, which in May 1928 was extended to two more years. His exile by no means implied his lack of involvement in the church affairs – thus, in December 1929, he sent a letter to Metropolitan Sergius, reprimanding him for exceeding his powers as a "deputy", and reminding him that he, Peter, is still technically the head of the Church.

In 1930, Peter was arrested again. After rejecting the offers to resign his position and to become a Gosudarstvennoye Politicheskoye Upravlenie (GPU) agent, he was sentenced to five years of hard labor. Some time before the sentencing, Peter suffered a partial paralysis caused by the harsh prison conditions. He spent the years 1931 to 1937 in solitary confinement in the Verkhneuralsk prison. In July 1936, his confinement was extended to three more years, while Metropolitan Sergius was given a false report of Peter’s death and therefore assumed the full leadership of the [[Russian Orthodox Church]].

On [[October 2]], 1937, the NKVD troika for Chelyabinsk Oblast sentenced Metropolitan Peter to death. He was executed by shooting at 4 p.m. on [[September 27]], 1937, and buried in the city of Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk region.

Metropolitan Peter of Krutitsy was [[Glorification|canonized]] as [[Hieromartyr]] and [[Confessor]] by the decision of Hierarchical Council of the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] on [[February 23]], 1997. His [[feast day]] is celebrated on the anniversary of his death, September 27. He is also remembered, by the Church, on [[October 5]] with the [[Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Moscow]] since 2005.

==Notes==
<references />

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=-|
title=Bishop of Podolsk|
years=1920—1924|
after=Seraphim (Silichev)}}
{{succession|
before=Nicander (Fenomenov)|
title = Metropolitan of Krutitsy|
years = 1924-1937|
after = [[Nicholas (Yarushevich) of Krutitsy|Nicholas (Yarushevich)]]}}
{{succession|
before = [[Stephen (Yavorsky) of Ryazan|Stephen Yavorsky]] |
title = Patriarchal locus tenens|
years = 1925-1937|
after = [[Sergius (Stragorodsky) of Moscow|Sergius (Stragorodsky)]]}}
{{end box}}

==External links==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=102741 Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter (Polyansky]
*[http://www.krotov.info/history/20/tsypin/tsyp03.html Vladislav Tsypin. ''History of the Russian Orthodox Church 1917-1997''] (in Russian)
*[http://www.days.ru/Life/life353.html ''The Life of St. Hieromartyr Peter of Krutitsy''] (in Russian)

[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category: Bishops of Podolsk]]
[[Category: Bishops of Krutitsy]]
[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Russian Saints]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Modern Saints]]
[[Category: Moscow Academy and Seminary Graduates|Peter]]

[[ro:Petru (Polianski) al Krutițelor]]

Markella of Chios

2012-08-02T16:39:22Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

[[Image:MarkellaChios01.JPG|thumbnail|right|Markella of Chios [[icon]] found in the Church of St. Markella, Chios island - the place of her martyrdom]]
The holy and glorious [[Virgin-martyr]] '''Markella of Chios''' (also ''Marcella'') is the [[patron saint]] of Chios and was born and lived in the village of Volissos of Chios. Her [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[July 22]].

== History ==
Markella was born and lived in the village of Volissos of Chios and lived during the fourteenth century. Her mother was a devout christian but her father, who was mayor of the village, was an idolater. At a young age, her mother passed away, but not before she had taught Markella the ways of the Lord. While her father saw to her education, she continued to live in faith and virtue, dedicating herself to [[Jesus Christ]]. She studied the [[Bible|Holy Bible]] and spent many hours in [[prayer]]. She practiced the virtues of [[fast|fasting]], love, hospitality and chastity. She avoided idle interactions so that she would not come to spiritual harm. Her goal was to attain the Kingdom of Heaven, and to become a bride of Christ.

St Markella increased in virtue as she grew older, fasting, praying, and attending church services. She tried to keep the commandments and to lead others to God. She loved and respected her father, and comforted him in his sorrow. She told him she would take care of him in his old age, and would not abandon him.

As an adult, St Markella was loved by everyone for her beauty and for her spiritual gifts. Her father, moved by the [[devil|evil one]] began to have sinful desires for Markella. By the time she had reached her eighteenth birthday, her father's desires had begun to show and so Markella decided to leave from her father's house in order to preserve her purity. She went to a nearby mountain and hid in a bush. Her father found her, with the help of a local shepherd, and then set fire to the bush to force her to show. It is said that the shepherd's hand with which he pointed out Markella's hiding spot immediately began to tremble.

<gallery>
Image:MarkellaChios05.JPG
Image:MarkellaChios06.JPG
Image:MarkellaChios07.JPG
</gallery>

[[Image:MarkellaChios02.JPG|thumbnail|left|Location where the blood of the [[martyr]] appears annually marking the spot on which she was wounded]].

Markella ran to the sea to escape but her father aimed an arrow at her and wounded her. The blood of the [[saint]] dyed the rocks and to this very day, during the festivities for her feast day, at a specific time, her blood becomes visible on these rocks for all the faithful who bear witness to this miracle.

Her final moments were spent in prayer to Christ with a request that the rocks would open for her to hide from her father. She was enclosed in the rock, with only her chest and head visible. Upon finding her, filled with evil frenzy, her father butchered her body and then cut off her head and threw it into the sea. Her head floated to the nearby beach of Komi. For many years, the locals could not locate the head until one day an Italian Naval ship was in the area. In the evening, they could see a bright light coming from the distance and when they got closer they witnessed a head, floating in the water, lit by upright floating candles. Immediately, they realised that this was a sacred miracle they were witness to and they took the head of the Saint back to their homeland.

[[Image:Image-MarkellaChios03.JPG|thumbnail|right|Final resting place of St. Markella]]
[[Image:MarkellaChios04.JPG|thumbnail|right|Shrine opposite the tomb]].

Holy water is said to spring from the rocks that mark her martyrdom. Many pilgrims visit this location and every year on the [[July 22|22nd of July]], during the commemoration services for the Saint, the holy sea water in the rock pool boils during the entire Paraklisis Service; this phenomenon only occurs in the presence of a [[priest]]. If a pilgrim's faith is strong, a local tradition is that the water in the rock-pool will feel extremely warm to touch.

== Hymns ==
'''[[Apolytikion]]'''
:Rose of piety and sprout of Chios, we honour with canticles Saint Markella who was beheaded by her father's hand, as she guarded the commands of Christ, give strength and save from danger, us who cry unto you. Glory to Him who gave you strength, glory to Him who crowned you. Glory to Him who works through you, healings for all the faithful.

==See also==
*[[Metropolis of Chios]]

==External links==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=102073 Martyr Marcella of Chios] ([[OCA]])
*[http://www.goarch.org/en/Chapel/saints.asp?contentid=494 Markella, the Virgin-martyr of Chios] ([[GOARCH]])
*[http://www.westsrbdio.org/prolog/my.html?month=July&day=22 The Holy-Female Martyr Marcella] (''[[Prologue of Ohrid]]'')
*[http://www.stdgocunion.org/saintmarkella.html The Life of Saint Markella, The Patron Saint of Chios]
*[http://www.chiosonline.gr/aghiamarcella.asp The Holy Shrine of St. Marcella]
*[http://www.chioshistory.gr/en/mxx/volissosam.html Volissos - Saint Markella]
*[http://www.e-xios.gr/chios/5/53.html Chios - Saint Markella]

[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category:Greek Saints]]

[[el:Μαρκέλλα Χίου]]
[[ro:Marcela din Chios]]

Ephraim of Nea Makri

2012-08-02T16:36:53Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

[[Image:Ephraim_Nea_Makri.jpg|right|200px|thumb|St Ephraim of Nea Makri]]

'''St. Ephraim of Nea Makri''' or '''St. Ephraim of Mount Amomon''' (Greek: Άγιος Εφραίμ Νέας Μάκρης / του Όρους των Αμωμών), believed to have lived from 1384 to 1426, is venerated as a [[martyr]] and [[miracle]]-working [[saint]] by many [[Church of Greece|Orthodox]] Christians of Greece and abroad. His status as a saint is controversial to the secular West, as there are no sources testifying to his existence as a historical person. Believers regard him as a "newly revealed" ("νεοφανείς") saint, whose existence is a matter of divine revelation rather than historical proof. He has become one of the most beloved saints in the last thirty years and is a center of pilgrimage for the entire country of Greece. His martyric death is commemorated by the church [[May 5]] and the discovery of his [[relics]] [[January 3]]. The relics were discovered through divine intervention in 1950; 524 years after his death. He was formally glorified by Constantinople March 2011.

==History==
St. Ephraim's name and biography, complete with exact dates and details, is said to have been revealed to a hermit [[nun]], Sister [[Makaria Desypri]] (1911-1999), in a series of divinely inspired dreams in 1950. Following these dreams, she believed she was led by God to restore the Monastery of the Annunciation in Nea Makri which had been destroyed by pirates in the fifteenth century.

With the permission of the local [[bishop]], she took possession of the partially built [[chapel]] and as she worked she eventually cleared away the rubble and prayed to find out more about the [[monk]] who had once lived there. This prayer was answered with a strong thought to "Dig up the earth here and you will find what you are looking for". With the assistance of a young worker they uncovered a fireplace, three small windows, and a partially ruined wall, indications that this had been a [[cell]].

A body believed to be that of the saint was found in the ground near the nun's hermitage, on the site of an abandoned medieval [[monastery]] on the slopes of Mount Amomon, near the town of Nea Makri, in Attica. The saint, whose body was kept as a holy relic, quickly became the object of popular veneration, as he came to be known as a worker of miraculous healing. On the site of his supposed life and martyrdom a Monastery of the Annunciation of Our Lady (Ιερά Μονή Ευαγγελισμού της Θεοτόκου) was later re-founded. In 1998, Ephraim was officially glorified a saint by the Synod of the [[Church of Greece|Orthodox Church in Greece]], pending approval by the [[Patriarch of Constantinople]].

==Biography==
According to the dreams revealed to Makaria Desipri, St. Ephraim was born on [[September 14]] 1384 in Trikala, Thessalia. His civil name was Konstantinos Morphes. He became a monk, took the [[monasticism|monastic]] name of Ephraim and moved to Attica to live in what was then the Monastery of the Annunciation of Our Lady on Mount Amomon. In 1424 the monastery was destroyed by marauding Ottoman Empire troops. Ephraim escaped and lived for another year as a [[hermit]] among the ruins of the monastery. In September 1425 he was captured in another Turkish raid. He was held captive and tormented for more than eight months, until he was finally tortured to death on [[May 5]] 1426. A mulberry tree, believed to be that on which the saint was hanged, is today shown as an object of veneration inside the re-erected monastery.

==Veneration==
St. Ephraim is portrayed in [[iconography]] as a slim, ascetic figure with black hair and beard, clad in the black robes of a monk. His feast days are [[January 3]] (the anniversary of the discovery of his body), and [[May 5]] (the anniversary of his martyrdom).

The monastery in Nea Makri, the centre of the saint's veneration and his miracle-working, is now a much-frequented place of [[pilgrimage]] attracting thousands of visitors, especially people praying for the healing of illnesses.

== Glorification ==
The Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate inducted St Ephraim of Nea Makri to its List of Saints of the Church of Greece '''March 4, 2011'''.<ref>Aimilios Polygenis, March 4, 2011, Romfea.gr http://romfea.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8049:-l-r&catid=13</ref>

An epistle was sent out by the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew requesting the recognition of Saint Ephraim, who was martyred in 1436 and whose miraculous relics were divinely revealed in 195o, within the membership of the List of Saints of the Orthodox Church. Sixty years after the discovery of the relics of the Saint, the Standing Holy Synod of Greece, in a letter sent - as required - to the Ecumenical Patriarch as the sole power to promote the request, requested that his memory be celebrated on May 5th as well as January 3rd, since on the latter date his holy relics were discovered.

The Holy Synod wrote to the Patriarch that Saint Ephraim is widely acknowledged by Orthodox throughout the world as a saint. They further stated that
:'' "the influx of pilgrims is massive, almost daily, and on Sundays and holidays the monastery is flooded with pilgrims from all of Greece.... The honor towards Saint Ephraim the New is clearly widespread throught Greece and outside of it.... There are churches dedicated to the Saint in Sitia and Tinos.... Icons of the Saint are venerated throughout the Orthodox world." ''

Previous attempts to induct Ephraim were attempted during the course of the Archbishopric of the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos in 1997 prompted then by Metropolitan Panteleimon (Bezeniti) of Attica. The Metropolitan wrote in a letter that

:'' "according to Orthodox tradition and order, the Orthodox Church proclaims and establishes saints according to the conscience of the ecclesiastical world, and the administrative authority of the Church simply confirms the faith of the pious people, and that such a decision is declaratory in nature." ''

The Metropolitan Panteleimon was referring to the miracles of the Saint and the thousands of pilgrims who annually flood the monastery. A year later, while the Holy Synod of Greece called upon the Ecumenical Patriarchate to induct the Saint in the Hagiology, a conflict arose between the Metropolitan of Attica and the Monastery where St. Ephraim's relics lie and the issue became "frozen".

<gallery>
Image:EphraimMakri01.JPG|Photo of the Saint (with permission)
Image:EphraimMakri02.JPG|Holy feet and slippers of the saint
Image:EphraimMakri03.JPG
Image:EphraimMakri04.JPG
Image:EphraimMakri05.JPG
</gallery>

== References ==
<references/>

==External links==
*[[w:Ephraim_of_Nea_Makri|St. Ephraim of Nea Makri on Wikipedia]]
*[http://clubs.pathfinder.gr/pavmaria/506807/ Ι.Μ. Αγίου Εφραίμ Νέας Μάκρης on "Pathfinder club"] (in Greek)
*[http://flickr.com/photos/53111231@N00/464276234/ New Martyr Ephraim on "flickr"] uploaded on April 18, 2007 by ''chadzimarko''.
*[http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/Icons_and_Frescoes/Icons/Various_Saints/31.shtml/ Icon of Holy New Martyr Ephraim of Nea Makri on "OrthodoxPhotos.com"]
*[http://www.stinnocent.com/seraphim/dtw/dtw4/overdose.htm/ Story of healing] {{citation|can someone verify this story with name and date?}}

[[Category: Saints|Ephraim of Nea Makri]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category: Greek Saints|Ephraim of Nea Makri]]
[[Category:Orthodoxy and Islam|Ephraim of Nea Makri]]

[[ro:Efrem din Nea Makri]]

Dionysius of Corinth

2012-08-02T16:17:51Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

Our father among the [[saint]]s '''Dionysius of Corinth''' was the Bishop of Corinth during the last half of the second century. The dates of his tenure as Bishop of Corinth is not known, but part of it overlapped that of [[Soter of Rome]]. His [[feast day]] is [[April 8]].

==Life==
Little is known of the life of Dionysius, and what is known is from [[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius Pamphilius]] and text fragments from his letters. It is clear Dionysius was held in high esteem as a writer of letters by the second century churches, not only from Eusebius’ statement, but also from the fact that [[heretic]]s thought it worthwhile to circulate interpolated and mutilated copies of his letters. That he wrote epistles to churches so widely scattered shows that he possessed a widely held reputation. Most of these letter are no longer extant.

Dionysius can be dated to the second half of the second century from the dating of his letters to noted Christians of the time, such as to the Bishop of Rome [[Soter of Rome|Soter]] who served from about 167 to 175, a period of service overlapping that of Dionysius.

Eusebius knew of a collection of seven Catholic Epistles by Dionysius, a letter to him from Bishop [[Pinytus of Knossus]], a private letter of spiritual advice to a lady named Chrysophora, who had written to him, and his letter to Bp. Soter. In his letter to Bp. Soter, Dionysius lauds the practice of the [[Church of Rome]] for its practice of sending alms and gifts for the needy to churches in many cities.

In a letter to [[Nicomedia]], Bp. Dionysius praises the Nicomedians for their standing fast in the truth and condemnation of the [[heresy]] of Maricion of Sinope that was active in his day.

The date and cause of Dionysius' death is unknown. He reposed before the year 199. While traditionally Dionysius has been held by some in the Eastern Church to be a [[martyr]], there is no historical foundation for his martyrdom.

==Sources==
*[[Wikipedia: Dionysius_of_Corinth]]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05010a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Dionysius]
*[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.ix.xxiii.html Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, and the Epistles which he wrote]

[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category:2nd-century bishops]]
[[Category: Bishops of Corinth]]
[[Category: Saints]]
[[Category: Greek Saints]]

[[ro:Dionisie al Corintului]]

Callistus I of Rome

2012-08-02T16:12:06Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

The hieromartyr '''Callistus I of Rome''' was the ruling [[bishop]] of the [[Church of Rome]] from 217 to 222. Although there is no record of his being martyred, he may have died a [[martyr]] and has been so recognized. His [[feast day]] is [[October 14]].

==Life==
Callistus, Kallistos in Greek, had the misfortune of being known mainly through the writings of his most bitter enemies, [[Tertullian]] and [[Hippolytus of Rome|Hippolytus]]. Of Greek origin, Callistus was born in Rome during the middle part of the second century. While he was born into the noble Domizii family, his early life was tumultuous and saw him imprisoned and exiled for common crimes.

According to Hippolytus, in his ''Philosophumena'', Callistus was in the employ of the household of Carpophorus, a Christian, entrusted with running a bank with funds from fellow Christians. After losing these funds Callistus took flight but was captured and was consigned first, with slaves, to a hand mill and later to mines in Sardinia. Released while [[Victor I of Rome|Victor]] was [[bishop]] of Rome, Callistus was sent to Antium, present day Anzio. When Zephyrius became bishop of Rome, Callistus was placed in charge of a cemetery that later took on his name as the Catacomb of St. Callistus. Callistus was able to gain great influence over Zephyrius and soon became [[archdeacon]] and then, on the death of Zephyrius, the ruling bishop of Rome.

Regardless of the veracity of many of the details in Hippolytus' narration of the life of Callistus, Callistus was valuable to Bp. Zephyrius as he guided the bishop through the formative theology of the day to what he saw as orthodox, as Zephyrius floundered through the many heretical beliefs that sprang up during that era.

The lives of Callistus and both his adversaries, Tertullian and Hippolytus, is shrouded in controversy as some of the policies of each have been termed [[heresy|heretical]]. Hippolytus and Tertullian were especially upset by Callistus' admitting to communion those who had done public penance for murder, adultery, and fornication, as well as by his alleged belief in [[Sabellianism]], a charge from which he attempted to distance himself. Hippolytus was a follower of the Novation [[schism]], from which he later reconciled with the Church, and was elected as an anti-pope by his supporters, while Tertullian became a supporter of [[Montanism]].

He is believed to have died about the year 223, a time not noted for any persecutions. That he was a martyr, perhaps through a popular uprising, is legendary. He was buried in the cemetery of Calepodius on the Aurelian Way. The anniversary of his death is given by the "Depositio Martirum" (''Callisti in viâ Aureliâ miliario III'') and subsequent martyrologies as October 14, the day on which he is still commemorated. His [[relics]] were translated in the ninth century to Santa Maria in Trastevere.

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before= Zephyrius|
title=[[List of Popes of Rome|Bishop of Rome]]|
years=217-222|
after=[[Urban I of Rome|Urban I]]}}
{{end box}}

==Sources==
*[[Wikipedia:Pope_Callixtus_I]]
*[http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/ortpopes.htm St. Callistus I (+ 222)]
*[http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=31 St. Callistus I]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03183d.htm Pope Callistus I]

==External link==
*[http://www.cogwriter.com/callistus.htm Callistus of Rome]

[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category:3rd-century bishops]]
[[Category: Popes of Rome]]
[[Category: Saints]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]
[[Category:Greek Saints]]
[[Category:Italian Saints]]
[[Category: Pre-Schism Western Saints]]

[[ro:Calist I al Romei]]

John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon

2012-06-02T21:23:16Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

[[Image:Zizioulas1.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Metropolitan John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon]]
His Eminence, the Most Reverend '''John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon''' (b. 1931) is a modern [[theologian]] and [[titular bishop|titular]] [[Metropolitan]] of Pergamon, under the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate]] of Constantinople.

==Life==
The future metropolitan was born [[January 10]], 1931. He began his studies at the University of Thessaloniki but took his first theology degree from the University of Athens in 1955. He studied patristics under Father Georges Florovsky at Harvard Divinity School, receiving his M.T.S. in 1956, and his doctorate in theology from the University of Athens in 1965. He was professor of theology for 14 years at the University of Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh, and has been a visiting professor at the University of Geneva, Gregorian University, and King's College, London. He was consecrated as a bishop on [[June 22]], 1986 and named Metropolitan of Pergamon.

==Theology and significance==
Metropolitan John's influence is widely felt, both among Protestant and Roman Catholic theologians, as well as within the Orthodox Church. Some have suggested that his 1985 book, ''Being as Communion'', is perhaps the most significant theological book of the late 20th century.

The principle themes in Metropolitan John’s theology are freedom and otherness, both human and divine. Grounding his work in the Cappadocian Fathers and St Maximus Confessor in particular, he articulates a relational ontology in which neither unity nor plurality have priority. His ''Being as Communion'' (1985) addressed the theme from the importance of communion for unity, while his later ''Communion and Otherness'' (2007) is a complementary analysis of the importance of otherness for communion. He thus takes up the ancient philosophical problem of reconciling the One and the Many, which he examines with respect to divinity (the three Persons of the Trinity and the ''monarchia'' of the Father), humanity (theological anthropology), and the Church (ecclesiology). The philosophical implications of the book extend to the human and social sciences. A further theme of the two studies is the eschatological ontology he derives from St Maximus the Confessor, in which the truly real is that which is real at the ''eschaton''. This is the subject of a new book by the Metropolitan to be released in summer 2008, ''Remembering the Future: An Eschatological Ontology''.

His first book was his doctoral dissertation in 1965, only recently published in English as ''Eucharist, Bishop, Church: The Unity of the Church in the Divine Eucharist and the Bishop During the First Three Centuries'' (2001). It was an early and significant contribution to the development of ‘eucharistic ecclesiology’, associated with [[Nicholas Afanasiev]], that focused on the essential role of the bishop as the presider of the Church’s Divine Liturgy.

Metropolitan John has become a significant figure in major ecumenical dialogues between the Orthodox Church and other Christian traditions, and in 2006 succeeded Archbishop [[Stylianos (Harkianakis) of Australia|Stylianos of Australia]] as president of the Commission of Orthodox in the Dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church. Metropolitan John is also well-known for his work on the environment, particularly for his lecture series, ‘Preserving God’s Creation.’

==Criticisms==
Like many theologians, particularly those involved in theological dialogues, Metropolitan John has undergone criticism for his theological works, particularly in the areas of the patristic roots of his theology of personhood, and his ecclesiology and perspective on ecumenical relations.

===Theology of Personhood===
* Lucian Turcescu argues in [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1468-0025.00202 "'Person' versus 'Individual' and Other Modern Misreadings of Gregory of Nyssa"] that "Zizioulas is ... in error when he contends that the Cappadocians did not understand a person as an individual or when he credits them with having had the same concerns we moderns have when combating individualism today" 2 (Turcescu, 537). These criticisms have been answered by Aristotle Papanikolaou in the same journal3 ("Is John Zizioulas an Existentialist in Disguise? Response to Lucian Turcescu," Modern Theology 20:4, October 2004, pp. 601-607), and by Metropolitan John himself in ''Communion and Otherness'', pp. 171-177 4

* Rodoljub Lazic, in his book, ''Innovatory Theology of Metropolitan Zizioulas'' ([http://www.pravoslavlje.net/texts/InovatorskoBogoslovlje.html In Serbian], ATOS - Missionary Center, Belgrade 2002), explains why he believes the work of Zizioulas differs from traditional Orthodoxy and argues that there is a connection between Zizioulas' [[Ecumenism|ecumenical]] orientation and his theology.

* In [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/her_saints.aspx a letter], Archbishop [http://www.synodinresistance.org/Administration_en/ChrysostomosEtna.html Chrysostomos of Etna] (Exarch of the [[Holy Synod in Resistance]] in America, an [[Old Calendarist]] group) states that Zizioulas (along with Fr [[John Meyendorff]]) is a Westernized theologian, in contrast with Fr [[Georges Florovsky]] (a teacher of Zizioulas).

===Ecclesiology and Ecumenical Relations===
*Rodoljub Lazić's booklet, "Innovatory Theology of Metropolitan Zizioulas" ([http://www.pravoslavlje.net/index.php?title=%D0%9D%D0%BE%D0%B2%28%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%81%D0%BA%29%D0%BE_%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%99%D0%B5_%D0%9C%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0_%D0%97%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B8%D1%98%D1%83%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B0 in Serbian]), argues that the Metropolitan's work differs from "traditional" Orthodoxy and that there is a connection between the Metropolitan's [[Ecumenism|ecumenical]] orientation and his theology.
:*However, a former student and supporter of Metropolitan John is [[Ignatije (Midic) of Pozarevac and Branicevo|Bishop Ignjatije Midić]], Bishop of Branicevo and professor in dogmatics and ethics at the Serbian-Orthodox Theological Faculty in Belgrade.

* In an [http://www.greekorthodox.org.au/downloads/files/english/vema/2006/10bVEMA06E.doc interview with Maria Antoniadou], Archbishop [[Stylianos (Harkianakis) of Australia|Stylianos of Australia]] criticizes John Zizioulas for his stance on [[Uniatism]], questioning his status as a systematic theologian.6

* Hieromonk Patapios (an [[Old Calendarist]]), in his article, [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/phronema/review_toc.aspx ''A Traditionalist Critique of The Orthodox Church''], criticized ecumenistic [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/methierotheos_baptism.aspx Baptismal theology] as espoused by Metr. John.

*The 1971 article, ''[http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/mono_2.aspx Concerning the Approaching Orthodox – Monophysite Union]'', gives Metr. John as an example of a "muddled theologian" in his views on Severus of Antioch.

*Some are concerned by his reliance of non-Orthodox sources on his thought in both areas, pointing out the influence of French Catholic theologians [[w:Henri de Lubac|Henri de Lubac]] and [[w:Yves Congar|Yves Congar]], as well as [[w:Martin Buber|Martin Buber]] and [[w:John Macmurray|John Macmurray]]. 3

==Books==
*''L'Être ecclésial'' (Paris: Labor et Fides, 1981). ISBN 978-2830901801.
*''E Ktise os eucharistia'' (Athens: Akritas, 1992). ISBN 978-9607006981. This would be rendered in English as ''Creation as Eucharist''.
*''Being as Communion: Studies in Personhood and the Church'' (Crestwood, NY: St Vladimirs Seminary Press, 1997). ISBN 978-0881410297.
*''Eucharist, Bishop, Church: The Unity of the Church in the Divine Eucharist and the Bishop During the First Three Centuries'' (Brookline, MA: Holy Cross, 2001). ISBN 978-1885652515.
*''Ellenismos kai Christianismos: H Synantese ton duo Kosmon'' (Athens: ApostolikeDiakonia, 2003). This would be renderd in English as ''Hellenism and Christianity: The Meeting of Two Worlds''.
*''Communion & Otherness: Further Studies in Personhood and the Church'' (London: T & T Clark, 2007). ISBN 978-0567031488.
*''Remembering the Future: An Eschatological Ontology'' (London: T&T Clark, 2008). ISBN 978-0567032355.
*''Lectures in Christian Dogmatics'' (London: T&T Clark, 2009). ISBN 978-0567033154.

==Studies==
*Fox, Patricia A. ''God as Communion: John Zizioulas, Elizabeth Johnson, and the Retrieval of the Symbol of the Triune God'' (Michael Glazer, 2001). ISBN 978-0814650820.
*Knight, Douglas, ed. ''The Theology of John Zizioulas: Personhood and the Church'' (Ashgate, 2007). ISBN 978-0754654308.
*McPartlan, Paul. ''The Eucharist Makes the Church: Henri du Lubac and John Zizioulas in Dialogue''. Eastern Christian Publications, 2006. ISBN 978-1892278616.
*Papanikolaou, Aristotle. ''Being with God: Trinity, Apophaticism, and Divine-Human Communion'' (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2006). ISBN 978-0268038304.
* Peter J. Leithart's article, [http://www.leithart.com/archives/002006.php ''Divine Energies and Orthodox Soteriology''], contrasts [[Vladimir Lossky]]'s and Metropolitan John's understanding of the [[divine energies]].

== Notes ==
1 ''Modern Theology'' 18:4, October 2002, 527-539.

2 ''Ibid'', p.537.

3 "Is John Zizioulas an Existentialist in Disguise? Response to Lucian Turcescu," ''Modern Theology'' 20:4, October 2004, pp. 601-607).

4 In ''Communion and Otherness'', pp. 171-177.

5 ATOS Missionary Center, Belgrade, 2002.

6 In an [http://www.greekorthodox.org.au/downloads/files/english/vema/2006/10bVEMA06E.doc interview with Maria Antoniadou].

==External links==
*[http://www.google.com/notebook/public/12711690312044536402/BDQpBQwoQsNvyxpsi List of Works by John of Pergamon]
*[http://orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/resources/hierarchs/constantinople/currenta.htm#john_metr_pergamon His Eminence John, Metropolitan of Pergamon] from the Orthodox Research Institute
*[http://www.oodegr.com/english/dogmatiki1/perieh.htm Dogmatics notes] - "These are the notes that were taken from the lessons of Professor I. Zizioulas (current Metropolitan of Pergamus and Chairman of the Athens Academy) at the Poemantic Division of the Thessaloniki University's School of Theology, during the academic year 1984-1985. They are published with the blessing and the permission of the reverend Metropolitan."
*[[:Wikipedia:John Zizioulas|John Zizioulas (Wikipedia)]]
*[http://www.resourcesforchristiantheology.org/?cat=11 Resources for Christian Theology: John Zizioulas]

{{Start box}}
{{succession|
before=?|
title=Metropolitan of Pergamon|
years=1986 - present|
after=—}}
{{End box}}

[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:20th-21st-century bishops]]
[[Category:Modern Writers]]

[[ro:Ioan (Zizioulas) de Pergam]]

John James the Chozebite

2012-06-02T18:52:07Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro, cat.

[[Image:John of Neamt.jpg|thumb|left|Ioan Iacob Hozevitul]]
'''Fr. John James the Chozebite''' (Ioan Iacov Hozevitul) is one of the most recent Romanian saints glorified by the Romanian Orthodox Church. He became a monk at Neamt Monastery and soon after his conversion he moved to the Holy Land where he lived near the downstream of the Jordan river and, toward the end of his life, in the wilderness of Hozeva. His devotion sets an example of a true life in Christ, especially for present-day Christians. The Church celebrates his feast day on the 5th of August.

== Life ==

John was born on the 23d of July 1913 in Crainiceni—a village in Botosani county—as an only child to two ''very'' faithful peasants, '''Maxim''' and '''Katherine''' (Ecaterina). His baptism name was '''Elias''' (Ilie) but he would often be addressed as little Elliot by his close ones. His mother died six months after giving birth and two years after this sad event his father was killed in the war in the autumn of 1916. The child was placed into the care of his paternal grandmother, '''Mary''' (Maria) who taught him how to fast, pray and live in accordance with the teachings of the Church. Following the death of his grandmother in 1923, the child was entrusted to his uncle '''Alec''' (Alecu), a father of six, who became his guardian.

Elias attended primary school in his home village and from 1926 to 1932 he continued his schooling at the Mihail Kogalniceanu secondary school in Hotin county and at the Dimitrie Cantemir highschool in Cernauti, where he distinguished himself as the most studious pupil.

The Kingdom of God and the reclusion of the Desert Fathers had had an appeal to Elias since early childhood and in the summer of 1932 when his relatives suggested that he should study theology and become a priest, he declined their suggestion, convinced that God had higher expectations of him: ''”No, I shall become a monk”'', he told them. One year later, as he was doing field work, he prayed that God should show him what path to choose in life and he suddenly heard a voice from above that told him the answer to his inquiry, ”''Monachism!''”. In the summer of that same year, on a Sunday, having received the blessing of his confessor, he packed his religious booklets and the icon of the Theotokos from his parental home and, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, went to Neamt Monastery whose congregation professed him and alloted him chores in the library and in the sickroom of the establishment.

In 1934 he was conscripted in the 9th Infantry Regimen in Dorohoi county and one year later, after he had fuflilled his military obligations, he returned to Neamt and continued his noviciate.

In 1936, on the Great and Holy Wednesday, rasophore Elias received the monastic tonsure from archimandrite and the future archbishop of Iasi, '''Valerius''' (Valerie) '''Moglan''', and a new name—John—as is customary for newly ordained monks. His godfather and spiritual advisor was the hieromonk '''Joachim''' (Ioachim) '''Spatarul''', the abbot of the Pocrov skete and a most renown Moldavian monk.

Yearning for reclusion in the land where the Savior was born, suffered and rose from the dead, John set off for the Holy Land together with two other fellow-monks, '''Damascene''' (Damaschin) and '''Claudius''' (Claudie) in November of that same year. Having reverenced the holy sites, the Cross and the Holy Sepulchre, the three monks took shelter for the winter at St. Sabbas, a monastery situated in the wilderness of the Jordan valley near Bethleem. This is where John would spend the next ten years of his life, enduring many temptations, illnesses and troubles caused by men and demons. His first task at St. Sabbas was that of a paracliser. John had a great respect for the church building and the correct performance of sermons. He would make wafers, clean the precincts and ring the bell during sermons. He cultivated a feeling of love, mercy and humbleness toward everyone. He was also tasked with nursing the ill in the monastery’s sickroom, and he attended to all of their needs regardless of whether they were monks, beduins, Arabs or whether they had fallen ill or been injured in the war.

His confessor was '''Sabbas''' (Sava), a Macedonian who looked up to the Romanian monks who were abiding in the Holy Land. During the daytime John would go about his chores in the skete and the sickroom and at night he would shut himself in his cell and pray or read the Gospel and the wirtings of the Holy Fathers. Having learnt Greek, he translated many patristic writings which then he used to edify himself spiritually and those who sought him out for advice. He also had the gift of writing spiritual lyrics which he offered to the Romanian monks and pilgrims who came to the Holy Land to rever the Holy Sepulchre.

Between 1939 and 1940 he lived in a cave in the wilderness of Quran, near the dead sea. This is where he met his most faithful apprentice, '''Joanichios''' (Ioanichie) '''Paraiala'''. John’s daily meal consisted of biscuits and a few fruits. At night he would pray in secret, enduring many temptations. In 1940 he was sent to a concentration camp on Mount Olive and a year later after his release he returned to the monastery.

On the 13th of May 1947, at the recommendation of Archimandrite '''Victorin Ursache''', the abbot of the Romanian Settlement in Jerusalem, and with the permission of the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, John was appointed deacon in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and later that year he would be ordained priest by Archbishop '''Irinarch'''. He was also charged with watching over the Romanian skete of St. John the Baptist, which had recently been established by the Romanian Patriarchate in the vicinity of the valley of the Jordan river.

During the five years of his abbotship John performed every sermon in Romanian on a daily basis. He also translated numerous teachings of the Holy Fathers and made them available for many Romanian monks and pilgrims. He wrote a considerable volume of religious lyrics, renovated the skete’s church building and the cells of the monks and reinforced the spirituality of the settlement by confessing and giving communion to as many Romanian pilgrims as he could. At night he would pray secretly in his cell or outdoors in the Jordan valley, trying to follow in the steps of St Mary of Egypt. He wouldn’t eat anything during the daytime, preferring to work in the garden and at the improvement of the skete or to attend to the needs of the pilgrims, but whatever he did he would constantly pray in his mind and heart. In the evening he would perform the necessary sermons and receive pilgrims for confession and then withdraw for a few hours in a cave near the Jordan river wherein he would rest for a few hours before returning to the skete.

His most faithful apprentices were Joanichios and a few elder Romanian nuns, '''Melania''', '''Nathalia''', '''Galinia''', '''Cassiane''' and '''Magdalene''', his spiritual daughters who were under his supervision. Due to his love for Christ, silence and prayer, John resigned from the abbotship of the skete at the end of 1952 and moved with his apprentice to the monastery of St George the Chozebite and in the summer of the following year they settled in a cave near by called The Cell of St Hannah, wherein tradition has it that St Hannah would withdraw to pray to God to enable her to conceive a child. This is where John and Joanichios would dwell for the next seven years, praying endlessly day and night, fasting, weeping in secret and contemplating God while enduring all sorts of temptations, insufficiencies, torments, struggles against demons and complete mutiny, all for the sake of Christ. He wouldn’t receive anyone into his cell, whose access was only by means of a ladder, preferring to communicate with his visitors through prayer, written letters and his apprentice.

On the most important feast and fast days, John and Joanichios would perform the Divine Liturghy in the paraclise of Saint Hannah’s Cell and receive communion, and then gratefully give thanks to God . In his free time he would sit in the light, at the entrance of his cave, where he would write spiritual lyrics and translate patristic teachings from Greek. His daily meal consisted of biscuits, olives and figs and a few cups of water. At night he would sleep a few hours on a plank with a stone for a pillow.

In 1960 his health deteriorated but he endured it bravely. Knowing that his end was near, he received communion for the last time on the 4th of August. The next day at five in the morning he gave his soul to God. He was only 47 years old. Three days later he was entombed in the cave by the abbot of St George, Archmandrite '''Amphilochios''' (Amfilofie). John had known the date of his death, as evident by the fact that he had engraved it in the walls of the cavern. At one point during the funeral sermon, many small birds that John would throw bread to daily swarmed into the cave and flew over the heads of the attendants throughout the entire ceremony.

== Canonization ==

Twenty years later, on the 8th of August 1980, his remains were found incorrupt and emanating a pleasant scent, an indication that God had magnified him and numbered him among His saints as reward for his holy life. On the 15th of August the abbot of St George fashioned a cypress casket for his remains and processed it together with other archbishops of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and thousands of pilgrims who were attending the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, and placed the casket in St. Stepehen’s church, next to the casket containing the relics of '''St. George the Chozebite'''.

Since then, many Orthodox and even catholic pilgrims have come to venerate his relics and seek his help, and the requests of those of true genuine faith have always been honored.

John is reverenced by all Orthodox Christians, but even more so in Romania, Greece, Cyprus and the Holy Land. The Holy Synod of the Orhodox Church of Romania, after carefully examining John’s holy life and relics, decided, in June, 1992, to list him among the rest of the saints as '''his holy eminence John James the Chozebite''' and put his feast day on the 5th of August, the day of his death.

For his holy prayers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on our souls.

[[Category:Romanian Saints]]
[[ro:Ioan Iacob Hozevitul]]

Theodore (disambiguation)

2012-05-17T19:58:21Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

'''''Theodore''''' may refer to any of the following saints:

* Great Martyrs and Warrior saints:
**[[Theodore the Stratelates|Theodore Stratelates]] ("the General"), "of Heraclea", ("the General"); [[February 8]] (d. 319)
**[[Theodore the Tyro]] ("the Recruit"), Amasea of Turkey [[February 17]] (d. 306)
*[[Theodore Trichinas]], "Hair-Shirt Wearer", [[April 20]]. (d. 4th-5th C)
*[[Theodore the Sykeote]], Bp. of Anastasiopolis, [[April 22]] (d. 613)
*[[Theodore the Sanctified]], of Egypt, disciple of [[Pachomius the Great]], [[May 16]] (d. 5th C).
*[[Theodore of Pavia|Theodore]], Bp. of Pavia, [[May 20]] (d. 778).
*[[Theodore of Tarsus]], ABp. of Canterbury, [[September 19]] (d. 690)
*[[Theodore the Studite]], monk, opponent of iconoclasm, and hymnographer [[November 11]] (d. 826).
*Patr. [[Theodore I of Rome]], [[November 24]] (d. 642)
*[[Theodore the Branded|Theodore Graptus "the Branded"]], confessor, brother of St. [[Theophanes the Confessor|Theophanes the Hymnographer and Confessor]] (see [[October 11]]), [[December 27]] (d. ''c,'' 840).
*Theodore of Smolensk, Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslavl', 13th century
*Theodore Kvelteli, Theodore Priest († 1609), Georgian hero.
*Theodore of Komogovo
*Theodore, Philippa, and Companions for Theodore of Perge, 3rd century martyr and saint
*Patr. [[Theodore IV of Antioch]], "Balsamon" (d. 1199)
*[[Theodore of Grammont]], 1st Bp. of Octodurum

[[ro:Teodor]]

It may refer to the Fool-for-Christs:
* Blessed [[Theodore of Novgorod]], Fool-for-Christ ([[January 19]])
* Theodore, Fool-for-Christ ([[February 25]])

It may also refer to the [[Mother of God of St. Theodore]] ([[August 16]]), an icon named after Theodore Stratelates.

{{disambig}}

Alexander (Golitzin) of Toledo

2012-05-11T13:44:06Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

[[Image:Fr.-Golitzin-1.jpg|thumb|Igumen Alexander Golitzin|200px]]
The Right Reverend '''Alexander (Golitzin)''' is '''[[Bishop]] of Toledo''' and the [[Bulgarian Diocese (OCA)|Bulgarian Diocese]]. Bishop Alexander is the second Bishop of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese ([[OCA]]). He succeeded His Eminence, the late Archbishop Kirill [Yonchev]. Archbishop Kirill had overseen the diocese from 1964 to 2007; in 1976, Archbishop Kirill brought the diocese under the omophorion of the Orthodox Church in America.

== Life ==
Alexander Golitzin was born in 1948, a native of St Innocent Orthodox Church, Tarzana, California. He went on to study at University of California Berkeley, receiving a BA in English, before earning his M.Div. at [[St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York)|St. Vladimir's Seminary]] in Crestwood, New York. He later went on to earn the D.Phil. in Theology at Oxford University in 1980, writing his dissertation on [[Dionysius the Areopagite]] under the direction of Bishop [[Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia]].

Fr Alexander is presently a noted [[Patristics]] scholar, and is Professor of Theology at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Father Alexander's research concerns the beginnings of Christian mystical and ascetical traditions, and their subsequent developments in the Greek- and Syriac-speaking East, with a particular interest in continuities and parallels with, respectively, Second Temple Judaism and Rabbinic Judaism.

On October 4, 2011, the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America elected Archimandrite Alexander to the vacant See of Toledo and the [[Bulgarian Diocese (OCA)|Bulgarian Diocese]]. Archimandrite Alexander was nominated for the vacant see at the diocese’s Fifth Congress-Sobor held in Toledo, OH on Saturday, [[June 9]], 2011. On Saturday, [[May 5]], 2012 he was consecrated Bishop of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese during a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at Saint George Orthodox Cathedral in Rossford, OH.

== Writings ==
'''Books:'''
* ''Mistagogia: Experienta lui Dumnezeu in Ortodoxie'' (Sibiu, 1998) [in Romanian]
* ''New Light From the Holy Mountain'' (South Canaan, 1996)
* ''St Symeon the New Theologian on the Mystical Life: The Ethical Discourses'', 3. vol (Crestwood, 1995-1997)
* ''The Historical Dictionary of the Orthodox Church'', with Michael Prokurat and Michael Peterson (Lanham, 1996)
* Et introibo ad altare dei: ''The Mystagogy of Dionysius Areopagita'' (Thessalonika, 1994)

'''Articles:'''
*"The Mysticism of Dionysius Areopagita: Platonist or Christian?" Mystics Quarterly 19 (1993): 98-114.
*“Hierarchy Versus Anarchy: Dionysius Areopagita, Symeon the New Theologian, Nicetas Stethatos, and Their Common Roots in the Ascetical Tradition,” St Vladimir's Theological Quarterly 38 (1994): 131-179.
*“Anathema! Some Historical Perspectives on the Athonite Statement of May 1995,” St. Nersess Theological Review 3 (1998): 103-117
*"’A Contemplative and a Liturgist’ : Father Georges Florovsky on the Corpus Dionysiacum,” St Vladimir's Theological Quarterly 43 (1999): 131-161.
*“Revisiting the 'Sudden': Epistle III in the Corpus Dionysiacum,” Studia Patristica 37 (2001): 482-491.
*"Many Lamps Are Lightened From the One": Paradigms of the Transformational Vision in the Macarian Homilies,” Vigiliae christianae 55 (2001): 281-298 [with Andrei Orlov]
*“Earthly Angels and Heavenly Men: The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Nicetas Stethatos, and the Tradition of Interiorized Apocalyptic in Eastern Christian Ascetical and Mystical Literature,” Dumbarton Oaks Papers 55 (2001): 125-153.
*“Adam, Eve, and Seth: Pneumatological Reflections On An Unusual Image in Gregory of Nanzianus's Fifth Theological Oration," Anglican Theological Review 83 (2001): 537-546.
*“Dionysius Areopagites in the Works of Saint Gregory Palams: On the Question of a ‘Christological Corrective’ and Related Matters,” Saint Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly 46 (2002): 163-90.
*“The Demons Suggest an Illusion of God’s Glory in a Form: Controversy Over the Divine Body and Vision of Glory in Some Late Fourth, Early Fifth Century Monastic Literature,” Studia Monastica 44 (2002): 13-44.
*“A Testimony to Christianity as Transfiguration: The Macarian Homilies and Orthodox Spirituality,” Orthodox and Wesleyan Spirituality (ed. S. T. Kimbrough; Crestwood, N.Y.: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2002), 129–156
*“Dionysius Areopagita: A Christian Mysticism?” Pro Ecclesia 12 (2003): 161-212.
*“The Place of the Presence of God: Aphrahat of Persia’s Portrait of the Christian Holy Man,” ΣΥΝΑΞΙΣ ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΙΑΣ: Studies in Honor of Archimandrite Aimilianos of Simonos Petras, Mount Athos (Athens: Indiktos, 2003), 391-447.
*“The Image and Glory of God in Jacob of Serug’s Homily, On That Chariot That Ezekiel the Prophet Saw,” Saint Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly 46 (2003): 323-364.
*“‘Suddenly, Christ’: The Place of Negative Theology in the Mystagogy of Dionysius Areopagites,” Mystics: Presence and Aporia (ed. Michael Kessler and Christian Shepherd; Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003), 8-37.
*"Christian Mysticism over Two Millennia," The Theophaneia School: Jewish Roots of Christian Mysticism (ed. Andrei Orlov and Basil Lurie; St. Petersburg: Byzantino-rossica, 2007), 17–33.
*“The Vision of God and the Form of Glory: More Reflections on the Anthropomorphite Controversy of AD 399,” Abba: The Tradition of Orthodoxy in the West: FS Kallistos Ware (SVS Press, 2007): 273-297.
*“Il corpo di Cristo: Simeone il Nuovo Teologo sulla vita spirituale e la chiesa gerarchica,” Simeone il Nuovo Teologo e il monachesimo a Costantinopoli (Qiqajon: Monastero di Bose, 2003), 255-288. (ENGLISH: “The Body of Christ: Saint Symeon the New Theologian on Spiritual Life and the Hierarchical Church,” The Theophaneia School: Jewish Roots of Eastern Christian Mysticism (Saint Petersburg: Byzantinorossica, 2007), 106-127)
*“Theophaneia: Forum on the Jewish Roots of Orthodox Spirituality,” The Theophaneia School: Jewish Roots of Eastern Christian Mysticism (Saint Petersburg: Byzantinorossica, 2007), xvii-xx.
*“Heavenly Mysteries: Themes from Apocalyptic Literature in the Macarian Homilies and Selected Other Fourth Century Ascetical Writers,” Apocalyptic Themes in Early Christianity (ed. Robert Daly; Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009), 174–192
*“Making the Inside like the Outside: Toward a Monastic Sitz im Leben for the Syriac Apocalypse of Daniel,” To Train His Soul in Books: Syriac Asceticism in Early Christianity (ed. Robin Darling Young and Monica J. Blanchard; CUA Press, 2011).

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=[[Kyrill (Yonchev) of Pittsburgh|Kyrill (Yonchev)]]|
title=Bishop of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese (OCA)|
years=2012-present|
after= —}}
{{end box}}

== External links ==
*[http://oca.org/holy-synod/bishops/the-right-reverend-alexander OCA --The Holy Synod]
*[http://oca.org/news/headline-news/archimandrite-alexander-golitzin-consecrated-bishop-of-toledo-and-the-bulga Consecrated - (OCA)]
*[http://oca.org/news/headline-news/holy-synod-elects-archimandrite-alexander-golitzin-as-bishop-of-the-bulgari Holy Synod elects Archimandrite Alexander as Bishop of the Bulgarian Diocese]
*[http://www.marquette.edu/theology/golitzin.shtml Father Alexander's faculty web page at Marquette University.]
*[http://www.marquette.edu/maqom Father Alexander's website on "The Jewish Origins of Christian Mysticism."]

[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:21st-century bishops]]
[[Category:Bishops of Toledo]]
[[Category:Modern Writers]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category: St. Vladimir's Seminary Graduates]]

[[ro:Alexander (Golitzin) de Toledo]]

H. Tristram Engelhardt

2012-05-11T11:38:24Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

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

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

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

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

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

[[ro:H. Tristram Engelhardt]]

Talk:Polycarp (Moruşca) of Detroit

2012-04-23T17:18:37Z

Kamasarye: ş, sh, s

Please, this is a an English language site. Moruşca is not in the English language. I assume it is Romanian, which is another Orthodoxwiki site. [[User:Wsk|Wsk]] 10:11, April 21, 2012 (HST)

:I can confirm that it is the standard Romanian writing. Strictly speaking, the sound corresponding to the Romanian "ş" would be "sh" in English. But in my opinion it would be ok to revert to the original name of the article, too, as we do not (yet) use a coherent rule of transliteration, and sometimes just drop the comma under the letter. [[User:Kamasarye|Iuliana ]] 07:18, April 23, 2012 (HST)

Life-Giving Spring

2012-04-20T14:25:13Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

[[Image:Theotokos the Life-Giving Font.jpg|thumb|right|Icon of the Theotokos the Life-Giving Font. 17th c.]]
:''This article is about the [[feast day]] of the Life-Giving Spring. For the historic monastery see [[Church of the Life-Giving Font of the Theotokos (Istanbul)]].''
The '''Life-Giving Spring''' or '''Life-Giving [[Font]]''' of the [[Theotokos|Mother of God]] (Greek: Ζωοδόχος Πηγή; Russian: Живоносный Источник) is a [[feast day]] in the Orthodox Church that is associated with [[Church of the Life-Giving Font of the Theotokos (Istanbul)|a historic church]] just west of Constantinople in [[w:Balıklı, Istanbul|Valoukli]], as well as an icon of the [[Theotokos]].

The [[feast day]] of the Life-Giving Spring is commemorated on [[w:Easter Friday|Bright Friday]] of each year (the Friday following [[Pascha]]), being the only feast day which may be celebrated during [[Bright Week]], while the commemoration of the Life-Giving Spring ''[[Icon]]'' of the Most Holy [[Theotokos]] is observed on [[April 4]].

==Revelation of the Life-Giving Spring==
[[Image:Saint Mary Of The Spring.jpg|right|thumb|The [[w:Holy well|Holy well]] (Hagiasma) of the Church of the Life Giving Font (Istanbul).]]
[[Image:Procession-Feast of Zoodohos Pigi-Arcadia,Greece-1950s.jpg|thumb|right|Procession on the [[feast day]] of the Life-giving Spring, [[w:Bright Friday|Bright Friday]] 1959, [[w:Arcadia|Arcadia]], Greece.]]
There are two accounts extant concerning the revelation of the Life-Giving Font just outside the City of Constantinople. It is likely that in either case, before the 5th-6th century monastery was erected, a shrine was already in existence with a [[w:Spring (hydrosphere)|spring of water]], near a grove of trees, and was dedicated to the [[Theotokos]] from early times. Over time, the grove had become overgrown and the spring became fetid.<ref>Archpriest Feodor S. Kovalchuk. ''Wonder-Working Icons of the Theotokos.'' Youngstown OH: Central Satates Deanery, 1985. pp.67–70.</ref> 

'''Nicephorus Callistus''' 

The traditional account is recorded by [[w:Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos|Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos]], the last of the Greek ecclesiastical historians, who flourished around 1320. This tradition begins with a miracle that occurred involving a soldier named Leo Marcellus, who would later become the Byzantine Emperor [[Leo I (emperor)|Leo I the Thracian]] (457-474). While Leo was on his way to Constantinople he encountered a blind man near the [[w:Walls_of_Constantinople#Golden_Gate_and_the_Yedikule_Fortress|Golden Gate]] who was thirsty. Though he agreed to search for water, he was unable to find any. A female voice was then heard who told the future Emperor that there was water nearby. Looking about, he could see no one, and neither could he see any water. Then he heard the voice again:
:"Emperor Leo, go into the deepest part of the woods, and you will find water there. Take some of the cloudy water in your hands and give it to the blind man to drink. Then take the clay and put it on his eyes. Then you shall know who I am."<ref name="OCA">OCA - Feasts and Saints. ''[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=32 Bright Friday. The Life Giving Spring of the Mother of God].''</ref>
The same voice added that she had chosen that very place to be worshiped and prophesied that he would one day receive the crown to the empire. Leo followed her order and at once the blind man recovered his eyesight. After his accession to the throne, the Emperor erected a magnificent church on this place, and the water continued to work miraculous cures. Therefore, it was called "The Life-Giving Spring."

'''Procopius''' 

A second account is given by the prominent Byzantine scholar [[w:Procopius|Procopius of Caesarea]] (flourishing ca.500-565).<ref group="note">The 11th century Byzantine historian [[w:George Kedrenos|George Cedrenus]] also mentions this version.</ref> In this version, the Emperor [[Justinian]] was out hunting when he came upon a small [[chapel]] in a beautiful wooded area, surrounded by a large crowd of people and a priest in front of a spring. Inquiring about this site, he was told that this was the “source of miracles”. He at once ordered that a magnificent church be built there, utilizing materials that had remained after the erection of the [[Hagia Sophia (Constantinople)|Hagia Sophia]].<ref name="JANIN">Raymond Janin (in French). ''La Géographie ecclésiastique de l'Empire byzantin. 1. Part: Le Siège de Constantinople et le Patriarcat Oecuménique. 3rd Vol.: Les Églises et les Monastères.'' Paris: Institut Français d'Etudes Byzantines. 1953. p.232-37.</ref> The church was erected in the last years of his reign, ca.559-560, near the holy spring.<ref group="note">In this context, "Holy Spring/Holy Font/Holy Source" becomes synonymous with the Greek: ἁγίασμα, ''hagiasma''; Lit.: 'sanctuary'.</ref> After the erection of the sanctuary, the Gate that was situated outside the [[w:Walls_of_Constantinople#Theodosian_Walls|walls of Theodosius II]] was named by the Byzantines ''Gate of the Spring'' (Greek: Πύλη τῆς Πηγῆς).<ref>Wolfgang Müller-Wiener (in German). ''Bildlexikon zur Topographie Istanbuls: Byzantion, Konstantinupolis, Istanbul bis zum Beginn d. 17 Jh..'' Tübingen: Wasmuth, 1977. pp.416.</ref>

==The Icon==
[[Image:Panagia Argokiliotissa.JPG|thumb|right|Greek icon of the Theotokos the Life-giving Spring ("Panagia Argokiliotissa", Naxos).]]
The icon representing the Virgin of the Spring shows the Virgin blessing and embracing the Child. She is surrounded by two angels, and is sitting on the more elevated of two basins, presumably representing the "living water" which is [[Christ]].<ref group="note">This living water is contained in the [[Cross]] which must be born by all those who follow Him, just as He did.</ref> The living water from the more elevated basin flows into a larger marble basin below, which is in the shape of a [[cross]].<ref group="note">In the early Church, the baptismal font was actually in the form of a cross, just like the cross depicted in this icon. Christians would enter from the base of the cross and come out at the top, and then re-enter from the left of the cross and come out on the right of the cross; then the priest, who would be standing in the middle of the cross/baptismal font, would commune them.</ref>

In one version of the icon that was found on Naxos island, Greece,<ref group="note">Icon of "Panagia Argokiliotissa", from Naxos island, Greece (Greek: Παναγία η Αργοκοιλιώτισσα - Νάξος).</ref> some differences are shown with respect to the ancient type. Around the cross-shaped basin stands the Emperor with his guard, while on the right is the Patriarch with his bishops. In the background, is represented Leo I with the blind man, and the walls of the City. Under the basin a paralytic and a madman are healed with the spring’s water.


==Hymn==
In Orthodox hymnography, the ''Theotokos'' is frequently compared with a ''Holy Fountain''. The hymns and prayers of the feast are combined with the Paschal hymns, and there is often a Lesser [[Holy water|Blessing of Waters]] performed after the [[Divine Liturgy]] on [[w:Easter Friday|Bright Friday]]. In old [[Church of Russia|Russia]], continuing Greek traditions, there was a custom to sanctify springs that were located near churches, dedicate them to the [[Theotokos|Holy Mother]], and paint icons of her under [[Theotokonymia|the title]] ''The Life Giving Spring''.<ref>Kristina Kondratieva (Global Art Communications project). ''[http://www.iconkuznetsov.com/index.php?sid=341&did=264&lang=eng Panagia The Life Giving Spring].'' Yuriy Kuznetsov: Icons of the XXI Century. Accessed: 2011-05-19.</ref>

[[Troparion|Apolytikion]] (Tone 3)<ref name="OMHKSEA">[[Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia]]. ''[http://www.omhksea.org/2011/05/bright-friday/ Bright Friday].'' Accessed: 2011-09-28.</ref>

:As a life-giving fount, thou didst conceive the Dew that is transcendent in essence,
:O Virgin Maid, and thou hast welled forth for our sakes the nectar of joy eternal,
:which doth pour forth from thy fount with the water that springeth up
:unto everlasting life in unending and mighty streams;
:wherein, taking delight, we all cry out:
:Rejoice, O thou Spring of life for all men.

[[Kontakion]] (Plagal of Tone 4)<ref name="OMHKSEA"/>
:O Lady graced by God,
:you reward me by letting gush forth, beyond reason,
:the ever-flowing waters of your grace from your perpetual Spring.
:I entreat you, who bore the Logos, in a manner beyond comprehension,
:to refresh me in your grace that I may cry out,
:“Hail redemptive waters.”

==See also==
*[[Church of the Life-Giving Font of the Theotokos (Istanbul)]]
*[[Holy water]]
*[[Panagia Blachernitissa]]

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

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

==External links==
'''Wikipedia'''
*[[w:Life-giving Spring|Life-giving Spring]].
*[[w:Church of St. Mary of the Spring (Istanbul)|Church of St. Mary of the Spring (Istanbul)]].
*[[w:Holy well|Holy well]]
'''Other'''
*[http://iconreader.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/theotokos-of-the-life-giving-spring/ Gallery of Life-Giving Spring Icons]
*[http://www.mgr.org/TheVeil.html The Miracle of The Veil] in Constantinople 911 AD.
*[http://www.orthodox.net/questions/bright_week_1.html#a5 Question 5. "What feast is celebrated Bright Friday?"], St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Dallas Texas.
'''Greek Wikipedia'''
*[http://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%96%CF%89%CE%BF%CE%B4%CF%8C%CF%87%CE%BF%CF%82_%CE%A0%CE%B7%CE%B3%CE%AE_%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85_%CE%9C%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%BF%CF%85%CE%BA%CE%BB%CE%AE Ζωοδόχος Πηγή του Μπαλουκλή]
'''Russian Orthodox Encyclopedia'''
*[http://www.pravenc.ru/text/182259.html «ЖИВОНОСНЫЙ ИСТОЧНИК»]. Православная Энциклопедия.

[[Category:Feasts]]
[[Category:About Icons]]
[[Category:Icons of the Theotokos]]
[[Category:Theotokonymia]]

[[ro:Izvorul Tămăduirii]]

Orthodox Media

2012-04-17T20:51:45Z

Kamasarye: interwiki ro

==Television and video==
''"It would be a crime not to use television to spread the word of God.'' - Archpriest Dimitriy Sarnov, "[http://smallscreen.monstersandcritics.com/article_1037635.php/Russian_Orthodox_Church_goes_on_TV Russian Orthodox Church goes on TV]" (More details at "[http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/07/27/012.html Orthodox Believers Get Own Channel]")

* [http://www.aghapy.tv/ Aghapy TV - The First Coptic Orthodox Satellite TV Channel]
* [http://copticmedia.org/ Coptic Media Productions]
* [http://www.kosovo.net/news/archive/2005/July_28/3.html The Glory of High Decani] - Among the video presentations of life in Kosovo and Metohija, this video on the recent experience of the monks of the "High Decani" monastery is particularly recommended (it's the third from top).
* [http://goarch.org/en/multimedia/video/ GOARCH Multimedia - Video]
* [http://www.holypimoly.com/ Holy Pimoly (Cartoon - Coptic)]
* [http://orthodox.tv Orthodox.TV]
* [http://www.orthodoxynowtv.com/ Orthodoxy Now TV]
* [http://orthotracts.org/new/orthodox-video-of-the-day Orthodox Video of the Day]

==Radio and podcasts==

===Internet Radio===
*[http://www.pe912fm.com/listen_media.html Peiraiki Ekklisia] 24-hour Greek Orthodox Radio Station
*[[Ancient Faith Radio]], 24-hour Orthodox radio station providing Internet-based Orthodox programming including an extensive list of podcasts.
*[http://www.prudencetrue.com/truewisdomradio/homiliesfrjonbraun.html True Wisdom Radio]- Features a collection of Homilies by Fr. Jon Braun, and Orthodox music of liturgy and worship by the Archangel Voices.
*[http://iconnewmedianetwork.com Icon New Media Network] - The Icon New Media Network where Orthodox Christianity is the future of American spirituality.
*[http://inbn.net INBN.net] - The Incarnation Broadcasting Network offers 24-hour Orthodox radio broadcasting on the internet.
*[[Orthodoxiya|Orthodoxiya Radio]] ([http://s5.viastreaming.com:7040/listen.pls Listen direct]): Arabic Greek Eastern Orthodox Radio.
*[http://radiosion.bg Sion Radio] ([http://193.108.24.21:8000/sion.m3u Live stream]) Bulgarian Orthodox radio
*[http://www.ecclesia.gr/greek/ecclesiaradio/index.htm Ecclesia Radio] (Greek)
*[http://www.imka.gr/martyria/ Radio Martyria] (Crete)
*[http://www.svetigora.com/ Radio Svetigora] (Serbian)
*[http://media.wanex.ge:8000/listen.pls Radio Iveria] (Georgian)
*[http://radio.trinitas.ro/ Radio Trinitas<] (Romanian)
*[http://www.radiolumina.ro/ Radio Lumina] (Romanian)
*[http://live.reintregirea.ro:8000/live128.m3u Radio Reintregirea](Romanian)
*[http://www.myocn.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=73&Itemid=183 The Ark] (from [[Orthodox Christian Network|OCN]]) - 24-hour Orthodox radio station featuring contemporary music and talk
*[http://www.myocn.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=207&Itemid=195 The Rudder] (from OCN) - 24-hour Orthodox radio station featuring liturgical music and talk
*[http://orthotracts.org/new/church-history/about-acorn ACORN: Antiochian Christian Orthodox Radio Network] (English)

===Individual shows===

'''Orthodox'''
*[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/holyfathers A Word From the Holy Fathers] by Dn. Matthew Steenberg. Offering weekly reflection on the writings of the Church Fathers.
*[http://www.orthodoxvancouver.org/Audio_Library.htm All Saints Monastery Sermons by Archbishop Lazar (Puhalo)]
* [http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=allsaintsmonastery All Saints Monastery YouTube Broadcasts]

*[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/history American Orthodox History] by Matthew Namee. Matthew explores our early American Orthodox past.
*[http://christinthemountains.blogspot.com/ Christ in the Mountains] (weblog and podcast) from a priest in Charleston, West Virginia.

*[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/closetohome Close to Home] by Molly Sabourin. Molly Sabourin is a freelance writer focusing on issues of family, faith, and community.

*[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/coffeecup Coffee Cup Commentaries] by Fr. Lawrence Farley. The Coffee Cup Commentary series provides daily (Mon-Fri) studies in the New Testament

*[http://www.myocn.net/index.php/CRTL/ Come Receive the Light], the national Orthodox Christian radio program, broadcast on 17 radio stations throughout the U.S. & Bahamas. Archives available online.

*[http://www.holycrossonline.org/our_parish/media/ Holy Cross Church in Linthicum, MD] hosts numerous audio files available for download.

*[http://www.stmichaelorth.org/facingeast.htm Facing East], two Orthodox priests in central Massachusetts chatting

*[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/carlton Faith and Philosophy] by Dr. Clark Carlton. Commenting on matters of faith, philosophy and Orthodoxy.

*[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/frederica Frederica Here and Now] by Frederica Mathewes-Green. This podcast features fresh reflections on Frederica’s travel and experiences.

*[http://iconnewmedianetwork.com/Channel/generation-orthodox/ Generation Orthodox], Hosted by Jacob Lee, Show Targets People interested in Orthodoxy under the age of 40

*[http://www.orthodoxyouth.org/radio/ Get Wisdom!] is a weekly Bible study program for Orthodox Christian teens. In addition to the weekly podcast, which is also streamed weekends on [http://www.myocn.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=73&Itemid=183 The Ark], the program offers free downloadable study guides for individual and group study.

*[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/freeman Glory to God] by Fr. Stephen Freeman. Thoughts and reflections on Orthodox theology and life.

*[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/morelli Healing] by Fr. George Morelli. Orthodox Spirituality and Psychology.

*[http://www.orthodox.net/audio/ Homilies of a Russian Orthodox Priest on the Sunday Gospels and other scriptural topics], from St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Dallas Texas

*[http://www.myocn.net/index.php/Icons-in-Sound/ Icons in Sound] - Beautiful Orthodox sacred music and liturgical singing with Dr. Vlad Morosan.

*[http://www.myocn.net/index.php/Icons-in-Sound/ Just Thinking] - Current events, social trends and moral issues from an Orthodox point of view with Rod Dreher of the ''Dallas Morning News''.

*[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/orthodixie Orthodixie] by Fr. Joseph Huneycutt. Humor and insight into life and spirituality.

*[http://www.annunciationakron.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=27/ Orthodox Word Podcast] - A source for the daily scriptural readings of the Orthodox Church. Each daily podcast also includes the hymns and readings from the [[Synaxarion|Synaxarion]] for the Saints or Feast Day.

*[http://www.ourlifeinchrist.com/ Our Life in Christ] is an internet radio show based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Originally, they were doing live radio broadcasts on 1360 AM ([http://www.kpxq1360.com/ KPXQ]), a Protestant radio station of the [http://www.salem.cc/aboutRadioNetwork.htm Salem Network]. Through this ministry they began to offer Orthodox apologetics to Protestants.

*[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/pilgrims Pilgrims from Paradise] by Matthew Gallatin. Practical insight into life and theology from a popular author and speaker.

*[http://www.orthodoxyouth.org/recall/ re/CALL], a podcast for Orthodox Christian teens that looks at how your relationship with God and His Church can help you in every aspect of your life. The program also offers free inspirational graphics for each episode.

*[http://www.stcatherinechurch.org/audio/ Saint Catherine Greek Orthodox Church], in Greenwood Village, Colorado, records all the sermons, educational lectures, retreats and special events and puts them in a podcast for listeners. Individual records are also available for download.

*[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/saintoftheday Saint of the Day] by Dn. Jerome Atherholt. The Saint of the Day briefly tells the story of one of our venerable Saints we are commemorating for each day.

*[http://www.westsrbdio.org/audio/index.html Serbian Orthodox Church, Diocese of Western America] Weekly Podcast & Lectures from Serbian Orthodox Church of America

*[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/searchthescriptures Search the Scriptures] by Dr. Jeannie Constantinou. Bible study, with early church history, theology, and patristics.

*[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/hopko/ Speaking the Truth in Love] by Fr. [[Thomas Hopko]].

*[http://shepherdofsouls.blogspot.com/ Shepherd of Souls] An insightful look at spiritual themes from an Eastern Christian perspective by Fr. Peter Preble

*[http://www.myfreethought.com St Nikolaj's Prologue], a daily Serbian podcast of the Lives of the Saints, as written by St Nikolaj of Ochrid and Zica

*[http://www.sv-dimitrije.org/podcast St Nikolaj's Missionary Letters], by St Nikolaj of Ochrid and Zica, on many topics. In Serbian.

*[http://saintsilouan.org/homilies/ St. Silouan Orthodox Church] Homilies from St. Silouan Orthodox Church based in Walla Walla, WA.

*[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/illuminedheart The Illumined Heart] with Kevin Allen. Featuring insightful interviews on subjects of faith, theology, history, comparative religion and personal faith journeys with Eastern Orthodox Christians.

*[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/namesofjesus The Names of Jesus] with Fr. Thomas Hopko. Fr. Thomas Hopko identifies the names bestowed on Christ by the Holy Scriptures and the Church Fathers and explains their significance.

*[http://iconnewmedianetwork.com/Channel/the-man-in-black/ The Man In Black], with Father Andrew Welzig, Show features, conversations with an Orthodox Priest and different individuals.

*[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/thepath The Path] by Fr. Tom Soroka. Listen to the daily scripture readings and thoughtful commentary with quotes from the Fathers.

*[http://www.myocn.net/index.php/Turning-to-the-Fathers/ Turning to the Fathers], where noted scholar Fr. [[John Anthony McGuckin|John McGuckin]] helps listeners understand and apply the spiritual teachings of the Early Church Fathers to modern-day life.

*[http://www.orthodoxradio.ca/ Welcome Home], an Orthodox radio program by the Archdiocese of Canada of the [[Orthodox Church in America]]

==Lectures and Audio Books==

*[http://arxontarikion.gr/ Arxontarikion] Selected eastern orthodox christian material
*[http://pantokrator.info Pantokrator]
*[http://www.philokalia.org Philokalia]

==Non-Orthodox==

The following podcasts discuss topics common to Orthodox and other eastern forms of Christianity.

*[http://tcmfm.blogspot.com/ The Christian Message From Moscow] by the Voice of Russia radio network - Produces "[http://www.vor.ru/English/Christian_Message/ The Christian Message from Moscow]" in English. Learn about Russian Orthodox Christians, their rich history, music, composers, performers, writers, sermons, and Saints' lives and works.

*[http://psalmcast.blogspot.com psalmcast] - A Presbyterian ministry which presents a musical rendition of a Psalm each day. They often feature music from Orthodox traditions. (Available through iTunes 4.9+.)

* [http://www.isidorescorner.org/theosis/ Theosis]: A Journey from Lent to Pentecost. [http://www.isidorescorner.com/theosis/2006/01/about_this_podc.html This podcast series] is designed to help promote a deeper appreciation for Lenten and Eastern spirituality through the meditation on scripture and the writings of the Early Church Fathers.

==See also==
* [[Online Orthodox Communities]]

[[Category:Links]]
[[Category:Organizations]]
[[Category:Media]]

[[es:Medios de comunicación ortodoxos]]
[[ro:Mass-media ortodoxe]]

Teoctist (Arapasu) of Romania

2012-04-10T16:16:44Z

Kamasarye: succession

His Beatitude '''Teoctist (Arăpaşu)''' ([[February 12]], 1915 – [[July 30]], 2007) was the fifth [[Archbishop]] of Bucharest and [[Patriarch]] of all [[Church of Romania|Romania]]. He was born in the village of Tocileni, Botoşani county, Moldova, to Dumitru and Marghioala Arăpaşu on [[February 7]], 1915. He was [[baptism|baptised]] with the name ''Toader''.

In 1928 he became a novice at Sihastria Voronei [[hermitage]] and later at Vorona Monastery, both in Botoşani county. In 1930 he entered the [[monastic]] [[seminary]] at [[Neamts Monastery|Neamţ Monastery]] and in 1935 took monastic vows at Bistriţa-Neamţ Monastery, receiving the name ''Teoctist''. In 1937 he was [[ordain]]ed as [[Deacon|hierodeacon]] and in 1945 as [[Presbyter|hieromonk]]. On [[March 5]], 1950, he was ordained [[bishop]] by Patriarch [[Iustinian (Marina) of Romania|Iustinian]].

On [[September 25]], 1977, he was elected [[Archbishop]] of Iaşi and [[Archbishop|Metropolitan]] of Moldova and Bucovina, and on [[November 19]], 1986, he was enthroned as Archbishop of Bucharest and Patriarch of all Romania.

After the December Revolution of 1989, Patriarch Teoctist offered his resignation to the [[Holy Synod]] in penitence for the Church compliance with some of the abuses of the previous communist regime. The Holy Synod chose to ask him to return to the position to which he had been elected in 1986 after receiving requests that he do so from faithful across Romania.

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=Nicolae (Corneanu)|
title=Bishop of Arad|
years=1962-1973|
after=Visarion (Aştileanu)}}
{{succession|
before=Firmilian (Marin)|
title=Archbishop of Craiova and Metropolitan of Oltenia|
years=1973-1977|
after=Nestor (Vornicescu)}}
{{succession|
before=[[Iustin (Moisescu) of Romania|Iustin (Moisescu)]]|
title=Archbishop of Iaşi and Metropolitan of Moldova and Suceava|
years=1977-1986|
after=[[Daniel (Ciobotea) of Romania|Daniel (Ciobotea)]]}}
{{succession|
before=[[Iustin (Moisescu) of Romania|Iustin (Moisescu)]]
|title=Patriarch of Romania|
years=1986-2007|
after=[[Daniel (Ciobotea) of Romania|Daniel (Ciobotea)]]}}
{{end box}}

==External links==
*[http://orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/resources/hierarchs/romania/former.htm#teoctist_patr Listing] at the Orthodox Research Institute
*[[w:Teoctist Arăpaşu|''Teoctist Arăpaşu'' at Wikipedia]]

[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:Patriarchs of Romania]]
[[Category:20th-21st-century bishops]]

[[es:Teoctist (Arapasu) de Rumania]]
[[ro:Teoctist (Arăpaşu) al României]]

Philotheos (Zervakos) of Paros

2012-04-10T16:05:41Z

Kamasarye: link

[[image:Philotheos_Zervakos.jpg|thumb|Philotheos Zervakos]]Blessed Elder [[Archimandrite]] '''Philotheos Zervakos''' of Longovarda (1884-1980) is a well-known 20th-century [[Church of Greece|Greek Orthodox]] elder, from Paros island, and spiritual son of St. [[Nektarios of Aegina]]. He was imprisoned twice by the Turks during the final years of the Ottoman occupation of Thessaloniki and many have witnessed the saint to "float/walk on air". Although he has not been [[glorification|glorified]] he is considered a [[saint]] in Greece.

==Life==
Blessed Elder Archimandrite Philotheos (Zervakos) was born in the small and remote village of Pakia in Sparti, Peloponesse, Greece, in the year 1884 and was given the name of Constantine at his [[baptism]]. From childhood he demonstrated an exceptional love for God.

He was 18 years old, when he was inspired by the 54th Psalm to follow the monastic life. He departed from his paternal home with neither shoes or any possessions; he only had his tunic and a small gospel. In 1912, [[April 22]], Father Philotheos was [[ordination|ordained]] to the [[presbyter|priesthood]] by [[Metropolitan]] Gabriel of Trifilia and Olympia. In 1924, he made an extensive [[pilgrimage]] to the [[Holy Land]] and Egypt. This is all described in his book published in 1925, ''Great and Wondrous Pilgrimages to Palestine and Sinai''.

In 1930, Elder Ierotheos reposed, and Fr. Philotheos succeeded him as [[abbot]] of Longovarda. By this stage, Fr. Philotheos had the reputation of a saint. In 1934, he made another pilgrimage, this time to Constantinople. He returned to Greece and founded the [[convent]] of [[Panagia Myrtidiotissa]] ''Thapsanon'' (The Virgin of the Myrtle Tree), 4 km from Lefkes on the island of Paros, Greece.

Throughout his life, the Elder preaches the word of God and heard confessions for 68 years (1912 to 1978). During this time, he visited the islands of Paros, Antiparos, Naxos, Amorgos, Thera, Syros, Tinos, Andros, Sifnos, Patmos, Rhodes, Chios, Mytilene, Aegina, Hydra, Cyprus, Kefallinia, Zakynthos, Evoia, Skiathos, Prigippos. He also visited over 54 cities and towns throughout Greece, including Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Thessaloniki etc. and internationally including Alexandria, Cairo, Constantinople, Suez etc

During his life, he built 12 churches, two monasteries, three cemeteries and two schools. The money he would receive from the faithful he would distribute to the poor, the widows and the orphans.

On the morning of [[May 8]], 1980, the blessed Elder Philotheos died in his cell at Thapsana, Paros. His funeral was conducted by Archimandrite Dionysios of [[Simonopetra Monastery (Athos)|Simonopetra Monastery]] of [[Mount Athos|Mt Athos]]. His [[relics]] were laid to rest at the convent in Paros, in a place that he chose beside the chapel dedicated to his spiritual mentor, St. [[Nectarios of Aegina]] ([[November 9]]).


==Relationships==
* St. [[Nectarios of Aegina]], 1846-1920. ([[November 9]])
* St. 'Papa' [[Nicholas (Planas)]] of Athens, 1851-1932. ([[March 2]])
* Blessed Papa-[[Dimitri (Gagastathis)]], 1902-1975.

==Quotes==
#''"I am proud of the cassock I wear and consider it more valuable and seemly than every other kind of garment, even than the royal purple robes of kings. I consider myself unworthy to dress in such a modest, honorable and holy garb, which was honored by numberless monastic saints, hieromartryrs, confessors and holy ones. I am saddened by and pity those clerics who reject the cassock and who shave their beards."''
#''"In this present evil generation, the spiritual father must use oeconomy, for, is he implements exactness (akrívia), none, or only a few, of those coming to confession would be found worthy of receiving Holy Communion. The greatest care and discernment is necessary, however, and the spiritual father must pray fervently to the heavenly God and Father to enlighten him as to how to implement oeconomy."''

==Sources==
*''The Blessed Elder Philotheos Zervakos'' by S. Kementzentzidis, trans. by Palis and Chalice, Thessaloniki: 1986.
*''Blessed Elder Philotheos Zervakos'' by C. Cavarnos, Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, Belmont, MA: 1993.
*''A Great and Wondrous Pilgrimages to Palestine and Sinai, the Wayferer'' by P. Zervakos, 1925.

===Writings===
* From the Holy Monastery of Panagia Myrtidiotissa, Elder Philotheos wrote a well-known [[apologetics|apologetic]] in 1976 addressed to Archimandrite Cyprian.<ref>The most reverend Cyprian, Dr. Theol., is the Metropolitan of Oropos and Fili and President of the [[Holy Synod in Resistance]], Orthodox Church of Greece. He is the spiritual son of Elder Philotheos.</ref> This letter (cf. External links) is considered of extreme historical importance in the Orthodox Church since it is written in defense of his spiritual father, St. Nectarios of Aegina.
* Sacred War Against Blasphemy.
* The Errors of [[Apostolos Makrakis]].

===References===
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.synodinresistance.org/Theology_en/E3f2003aGerFilotheos-Biograf.pdf Biography of the Venerable Elder of Paros, Archimandrite Philotheos (Zervakos)]
*[http://www.synodinresistance.org/Theology_en/E3a3b004AgNektariosAK323.pdf Elder Philotheos (Zervakos) Defends His Spiritual Father, St. Nectarios of Aegina: A Momentous Letter of Historic Importance (PDF)] Άγιος Κυπριανός, No. 323 (November-December 2004), pp. 114-116.
*[http://www.roca.org/OA/147-148/147e.htm Orthodox America - Elder Philotheos Zervakos]
*[http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/desperate.aspx A Desperate Appeal by the Elder Philotheos] by St. Philotheos Zervakos
*[http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/paternalcounsels.aspx Excerpts from Paternal Counsels, Vol. I and II] by St. Philotheos Zervakos
*[http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/zervakos_repose.aspx Not on the New Calendar!: The Repose of the Blessed Elder Philotheos Zervakos]

[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:Elders]]

Andronik of Moscow

2012-04-10T15:54:07Z

Kamasarye: link

The Venerable '''Andronik of Moscow''' was the first [[abbot]] of the Spaso-[[Andronikov Monastery (Moscow)|Andronikov Monastery]] of Moscow and a [[disciple]] of St [[Sergius of Radonezh]]. He is feast day is [[June 13]].

==Life==
[[Saint]] Andronik was born early in the fourteenth century in Rostov. Having entered a [[monasticism|monastic]] life, he became a disciple of the venerable [[Sergius of Radonezh]] at the [[Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra|Holy Trinity Monastery]] north of Moscow. Andronik lived at the [[monastery]] for many years before he was called by Metropolitan [[Alexis of Moscow]].

Metr. Alexis came to Holy Trinity to meet with St. Sergius concerning fulfilling his vow to build a monastery in Moscow after God had saved him from being shipwrecked during a storm on his journey from Constantinople back to Moscow. Wanting to establish a [[cenobitic]] monastery dedicated to Our Savior, Alexis asked that he wanted Sergius’ disciple Andronik to lead the construction effort and be the first igumen of the new monastery. With St. Sergius’ agreement, Andronik led the construction of the new monastery that took from 1358 to 1361. He, then, became the first abbot of the monastery that while dedicated to Christ also took on his name a well, becoming known as the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery.

Andronik led the monastery for many years as it attracted monks and grew. Among the monks of the monastery was the [[iconographer]] [[Andrei Rublev]] who participated in painting the frescos of the main, Cathedral of Our Savior, of the monastery, in addition to other frescos and [[icon]]s that he painted.

St. Andronik reposed in 1395 and was succeeded as [[igumen]] by his disciple Sava of Moscow who also has been glorified.

==Source==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=101714 OCA: Venerable Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow]

[[Category: Saints]]
[[Category: Russian Saints]]
[[Category: Monastics]]

Monasticism

2012-04-09T22:48:47Z

Kamasarye: interwiki it

[[Image:Panteleimon_Monastery.jpg|right|thumb|350px|[[St. Panteleimon's Monastery (Athos)|St. Panteleimon's Monastery]] on [[Mount Athos]]]]
{{spirituality}}
'''Monasticism''' (from Greek: μοναχός, a solitary person) is the ancient Christian practice of withdrawal from the world in order to dedicate oneself fully and intensely to the life of the [[Gospel]], seeking union with [[Jesus Christ]].

The focus of monasticism is on [[theosis]], the process of perfection to which every Christian is called. This ideal is expressed everywhere that the things of God are sought above all other things, as seen for example in the ''[[Philokalia]]'', a book of monastic writings. In other words, a [[monk]] or nun is a person who has vowed to follow not only the commandments of the Church, but also the counsels (i.e., vows of poverty, chastity, stability, and obedience). The words of Jesus which are the cornerstone for this ideal are "be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Thus, monks practice [[hesychasm]], the spiritual struggle of [[catharsis|purification]] (κάθαρσις), [[theoria|illumination]] (θεωρία) and [[theosis|divinization]] (θέωσις) in [[prayer]], the [[sacrament]]s and obedience.

==Precursors of the Christian monastic ideal==
The ancient models of the modern Christian monastic ideal are the [[Nazarite]]s and the [[prophet]]s of Israel. A Nazarite was a person voluntarily separated to the Lord, under a special vow.

: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk. All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body. He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head. ([[Numbers]] 6:2-8)

[[Image:Wadi Qelt.jpg|left|thumb|350px|Monastery of St. [[George the Chozebite]], Wadi Qelt (On the road from Jerusalem to Jericho)]]
The prophets of [[Israel]] were set apart to the Lord for the sake of a message of [[repentance]]. Some of them lived under extreme conditions, voluntarily separated or forced into seclusion because of the burden of their message. Other prophets were members of communities, schools mentioned occasionally in the Scriptures but about which there is much speculation and little known. The pre-Abrahamic prophets, [[Enoch]] and [[Melchizedek]], and especially the Jewish prophets [[Elijah]] and his disciple [[Elisha]] are important to Christian monastic tradition. The most frequently cited "role-model" for the life of a hermit separated to the Lord, in whom the Nazarite and the prophet are believed to be combined in one person, is [[John the Baptist]]. John also had disciples who stayed with him and, as may be supposed, were taught by him and lived in a manner similar to his own:

: In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 3:1-6)

The female role models for monasticism are the [[Theotokos]] and the four virgin daughters of the [[Apostle Philip (of the Twelve)]]:

: And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day. And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto [[Caesarea]]: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy. ([[Acts of the Apostles|Acts]] 21:7-9)

[[Image:Romanian_hieromonk.jpg|right|thumb|250px|This image from a monastery in Rumania shows the [[abbot]] (or [[igumen]]) seated in the chair reserved for his status. He is holding the staff of his office and wearing the [[epitrachelion]] that symbolizes his priesthood as a [[hieromonk]].]]
The monastic ideal is also modeled upon the [[Apostle Paul]], who is believed to have been [[celibacy|celibate]], and a tentmaker:

:For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I. ([[I Corinthians]] 7:7-8)

But the consummate prototype of all Christian monasticism, communal and solitary, is [[Jesus Christ]]:

:Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ([[Philippians]] 2:5-8)

Additionally, the earliest Church was a model for monasticism. The first Christian communities lived in common, sharing everything, according to [[Acts of the Apostles]].

==Origins of Christian monasticism==
The institution of Christian monasticism began in the deserts in 4th century Egypt as a kind of living [[martyr]]dom. Some scholars attribute the rise of monasticism at this time to the changes in Roman society that had been brought about subsequent to the Emperor St. [[Constantine the Great|Constantine]]'s [[conversion]] and the legal tolerance of Christianity in the Roman Empire. This ended the position of Christians as a small, persecuted group, leading to the rise of nominal Christianity within the Church. In response, many who wished to maintain the intensity of the earliest years of Christian life fled to the desert to [[fasting|fast]] and pray, free from the fragmenting influence of the world. The end of persecution also meant that [[martyr]]dom was no longer as common, and so [[asceticism]] as a form of living martyrdom came to be pursued.

[[Image:Sinai_Monastery.jpg|left|thumb|350px|[[St. Catherine's Monastery (Sinai)|St. Catherine's Monastery]], Sinai, Egypt]]
Ss. [[Anthony the Great|Anthony]] and [[Pachomius the Great|Pachomius]] were early monastic founders in Egypt, although [[Paul of Thebes]] is the very first Christian historically known to have been living as a monk. Orthodoxy also looks to [[Basil the Great]] as a founding monastic legislator, as well as the example of the [[Desert Fathers]]. St. [[Benedict of Nursia]], who based his own ''Rule'' on that of St. Basil, is often credited with being the father of Western monasticism.

From a very early time there were probably individuals who lived a life in isolation—hermits—in imitation of Jesus' 40 days in the desert. They have left no confirmed archaeological traces and only hints in the written record. St. Anthony of Egypt lived as a [[hermit]] and developed a following of other hermits who lived nearby but not in community with him. On the other hand, [[Paul of Thebes]] lived not very far from Anthony in absolute solitude, and was looked upon even by Anthony as a perfect monk. (When St. Anthony first encountered him, he came away from the experience saying, "Woe is me, my children, a sinful and false monk, who am a monk in name only. I have seen Elijah, I have seen John the Baptist in the desert, and I have seen Paul—in Paradise!") This variety of monasticism is called ''eremitic'' ("hermit-like").

St. [[Pachomius the Great]], a follower of Anthony, also acquired a following; he chose to mould them into a community in which the monks lived in individual huts or rooms—cells (from Greek κελλια)—but worked, ate, and worshipped in shared space. This method of monastic organization is called ''cenobitic'' ("community-based"). Most monastic life is [[cenobitic]] in nature. The head of a monastery came to be known by the word for "Father" in Syriac, ''Abba''—in English, ''[[Abbot]]''.

Eventually, a pattern came to be established for some rare monks, having been formed in the communal life, to leave the cenobitic context and undertake the eremetic life. To attempt it without this prior formation is often considered to be spiritual suicide, frequently leading one to fall into [[prelest]], spiritual delusion.

==The place of monasticism in society==
Beginning in Egypt (with such saints as [[Anthony the Great]] and [[Paul of Thebes]]) and spreading to the Middle East and then Europe, monasticism became a central aspect of life during the western Middle Ages and the high period of the Roman ("Byzantine") Empire in the East. The first non-Roman area to adopt the system was Ireland, which developed a unique form closely linked to traditional clan relations, a system that later spread to other parts of Europe, especially France.

The golden age of Christian monasticism lasted from about the eighth to the twelfth centuries. The monasteries became an essential part of society, often acting to unify liturgical practice and clarify doctrinal disputes. The monasteries also attracted many of the best people in society and during this period the monasteries were the central storehouses and producers of knowledge.

[[Image:Whitby_Abbey.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The ruins of [[Whitby Abbey]], Northumbria, England]]
In the West, the system broke down in the eleventh and twelfth centuries as religion began to change. Religion became far less a preserve of the religious elite. This was closely linked to the rise of mendicant orders such as the Franciscan friars, who were dedicated to spreading the word in public, not in closed monasteries. Religious behavior changed as common people began to take communion and actively participate in religion. The growing pressure of the nation states and monarchies also threatened the wealth and power of the orders. Finally, after Vatican II in Rome, "religious" orders saw a massive exodus of members, and many monastics left off wearing the traditional garb of their orders. On the whole, monasticism is in severe decline in the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. Nevertheless, monasticism is still reflected strongly in western culture. Modern universities have attempted to ape Christian monasticism in a number of ways. Even in the New World where monasticism has never been a standard part of societal life, universities are built in the Gothic style of twelfth century monasteries. Communal meals, dormitory residences, elaborate rituals and dress all borrow heavily from the monastic tradition.

In the East, monasticism continued to thrive even after the [[Great Schism]] of the eleventh century, becoming a touchstone and unifying center for Christians in the declining Roman Empire, even after the [[Fall of Constantinople]].

==Orthodox monasticism today==
[[Image:St_Tikhons_Monastery.jpg|left|thumb|350px|[[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)|St. Tikhon's Monastery]] church, South Canaan, Pennsylvania]]
Today monasticism remains an important and vital part of the Orthodox Christian faith, and major monastic centers such as [[Mount Athos]] and [[St. Catherine's Monastery (Sinai)]] are seeing a revival both in terms of the numbers of monks coming to take up the life and in terms of the intensity of the life being led. Pilgrims are also becoming more and more frequent, and rebuilding of many ancient centers of monasticism is moving forward at a high rate.

==Monastic clergy==
Christian monasticism is in itself a lay order, originally not having clergy as a standard part of the community (thus, monks relied on local parishes for sacramental life). However, if the monastery were isolated in the desert, as were many of the Egyptian communities, that inconvenience compelled monasteries either to take in priest members, to have their abbot ordained, or to have other members ordained. A priest-monk is called a ''[[hieromonk]]'', and is now generally considered a standard part of cenobitic monastic life. Monastic deacons are also fairly common, and they are referred to as ''[[hierodeacon]]s''.

In many cases in Orthodoxy, when a [[bishop]]ric needs to be filled, suitable candidates are found from nearby monasteries. Since many priests are married (before being ordained to the priesthood), but bishops are required to be celibate, monasteries are a good source of celibate men who are also spiritually mature and generally possessing the other qualities desired in a bishop. Numerous saints from the Church's tradition are examples of this practice.

==[[Monastic Ranks|Monastic grades]]==
When one desiring the monastic life enters a monastery, he or she normally passes through three steps or stages:

#Probationer - Novice, Riasaphor
#Monk of the Lesser Schema - Cross-bearer, Stavrophore
#Monk of the Great Schema - Russian Skhimnik

==See also==
[[Image:Glendalough.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Monastic church at [[Glendalough]], Ireland]]
*[[Hesychasm]]
*[[Mount Athos]]
*[[Monasteries and Monasticism]]
*[[Monastic Ranks]]

==External links==
*[http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article7103.asp Monasticism in the Orthodox Church] by Metropolitan [[Maximos (Aghiorgoussis) of Pittsburgh]]
*[http://www.kosovo.net/monasticism.html Orthodox Monasticism] (Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raska and Prizren)
*[http://www.romanity.org/htm/flo.01.en.the_ascetic_ideal_and_the_new_testament.01.htm The Ascetic Ideal and the New Testament] by Fr. [[Georges Florovsky]]
*[http://www.orthodox-monasteries.com/ Orthodox Monasteries Worldwide Directory]

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

[[el:Μοναχισμός]]
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[[mk:Манастир]]
[[ro:Monahism]]

John of Damascus

2012-04-09T22:44:52Z

Kamasarye: interwiki it

Our venerable and God-bearing Father '''John of Damascus''' (c. 676 - [[December 5]], 749) was also known as ''John Damascene, Chrysorrhoas,'' "streaming with gold," (i.e., the golden speaker). He was born and raised in Damascus, in all probability at the [[Holy Lavra of St. Savas (Jerusalem)|Monastery of Saint Sabbas]] (''Mar Saba''), South East of Jerusalem. His [[feast day]] in the [[Orthodox Church]] is [[December 4]]. He is also recognized as a [[saint]] in the [[Roman Catholic Church]].
[[Image:John of Damascus.jpg|right|frame|St. John of Damascus]]

==Biography==
Practically all the information concerning the life of John of Damascus available to us today has been through the records of [[John V of Jerusalem|John]], [[Patriarch of Jerusalem]]. Though these notes have served as the single source of biographical information, dating back to the tenth century, these writings have been noted by scholars as having an exuberant lack of detail from a historical point of view and a bloated writing style.

===Childhood===
Although he was brought up under the [[Muslim]] rule of Damascus, this was not to affect his or his family's Christian faith or cause any grievances with the Muslim countrymen who held him in high esteem. To the extent that his father held a high hereditary public office with duties of chief financial officer for the caliph, Abdul Malekunder, apparently as head of the tax department for Syria.

When John reached the age of twenty-three, his father sought out to find a Christian tutor who could provide the best education for his children available at the time. Records show that while spending some time in the market place John's father came across several captives, imprisoned as a result of a raid for prisoners of war that had taken place in the coasts of Italy. This man, a Sicilian [[monk]] by the name of Cosmas, turned out to be an erudite of great knowledge and wisdom. John's father arranged for the release of this man and appointed him tutor to his son. Under the instruction of Cosmas, John made great advances in fields of study such as music, astronomy and theology. According to his biographer, he soon equaled Diophantus in algebra and Euclid in geometry.

===Succession to "Chief Councilor"===
In spite of his Christian background, his family held a high hereditary public office with the Moslem rulers of Damascus, led by caliph Abd al-Malik. He succeeded his father in his position upon his death; ''John de Damascene'' was made ''protosymbullus'', or chief councilor of Damascus.

It was around his term in office that burst of insurgence by the [[iconoclasm|iconoclasts]] began to appear in the form of [[heresy]], actions which disturbed the Church of the East. In 726, in disregard of the protests of [[Germanus I of Constantinople|Germanus]], Patriarch of Constantinople, Emperor [[Leo the Isaurian]] issued his first edict against the veneration of images and their exhibition in public places. A talented writer and in the secure surroundings of the caliph's court, ''John de Damascene'' initiated his literary defense against the monarch in three ''Apologetic Treatises against those Decrying the Holy Images.'' This was the earliest of his works and the one which earned him a reputation. Not only did he attack the monarch, but his use of a simpler writing style brought the controversy to the common people, inciting revolt among those of Christian faith.

Unable to punish the writer openly, Leo the Isaurian managed to get possession of a manuscript written and signed by ''John de Damascene'', which he used to forge a letter from John to the Isaurian monarch offering to betray into his hands the city of Damascus. Despite John's earnest advocation to his innocence, the caliph dismissed his plea and discharged him from his post, ordering his right hand, which he used for writing, to be severed at the wrist.

According to the tenth-century biography, his hand was miraculously restored after fervent prayer before an [[icon]] of the [[Theotokos|Virgin Mary]]. At this point the caliph is said to have been convinced of his innocence and inclined to reinstate him to his former office. However, John then retired to the Monastery of [[Sabbas the Sanctified|Saint Sabbas]] near Jerusalem, where he continued to produce a stream of commentaries, hymns and apologetic writings, including the ''[[Oktoechos]]'' (the Church's service book of eight tones) and ''An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith'', a summary of the dogmatic writings of the Early [[Church Fathers]].

=== Last days ===
He died in 749 as a revered Father of the Church and is now universally recognized as a saint.

== List of works ==
===The Precious Pearl: The Lives of Saints Barlaam and Ioasaph===
[http://sites.google.com/site/preciouspearlfan ''The Precious Pearl: The Lives of Saints Barlaam and Ioasaph'']

===Early work===
* Three ''"Apologetic Treatises against those Decrying the Holy Images"''[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/johndamascus-images.html] - These treatises where among his earliest expositions in response to the edict by Leo the Isaurian of Constantinople, which banned the worship or exhibition of [[icons|holy images]].

===Teachings and dogmatic work===
* [http://www.archive.org/details/fathersofthechur009511mbp ''The Fount of Knowledge''], also ''The Fount of Wisdom'', this book is divided in three parts:
*# "Philosophical Chapters" ''(Kephalaia philosophika)'' - Commonly called 'Dialectic', deals mostly with logic, its primary purpose being to prepare the reader for a better understanding of the rest of the book.
*# "Concerning Heresy" ''(peri aipeseon)'' - In this book, in the section ''On Heresies'', he dedicates a portion to the [http://orthodoxinfo.com/general/stjohn_islam.aspx ''Heresy of the Ishmaelites''], being the first apologetic work against [[Islam]] by a Christian.
*# [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf209.iii.iv.i.i.html "An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith"] ''(Ikdosis akribes tes orthodoxou pisteos)'' - This third section of the book is known to be the most important work of ''John de Damascene'', and a treasured antiquity of [[Christianity]].
* ''"Sacred Parallels"''

===Hymns and minor writings===
* ''[[Oktoechos]]'' - Known as the "hymn-book for the daily service," for which he may be only responsible improving and revising.
*''Canons'' - 8 or 9 highly complicated structure of hymns, composed of 3 or 4 strophes, each with its own individual composition and melody.
*''"Tract on Right Thinking"'' - Minor writing consisting on an apology for the residents of Damascus.
*''"Dialogue against Manicheans"'' - A form of dialogue aimed at answering questions proposed by his disciples.
*''"Conversation between a Saracen and a Christian"'' - Similar form as previous work.
*''"Introduction to Elementary Dogmatics"'' - As the name says, also aimed at his disciples.

==Hymns==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 8)

:Champion of Orthodoxy, teacher of purity and of true worship,
:the enlightener of the universe and the adornment of hierarchs:
:all-wise father John, your teachings have gleamed with light upon all things.
:Intercede before Christ God to save our souls.

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 4)

:Let us sing praises to John, worthy of great honor,
:the composer of hymns, the star and teacher of the Church, the defender of her doctrines:
:through the might of the Lord¹s Cross he overcame heretical error
:and as a fervent intercessor before God
:he entreats that forgiveness of sins may be granted to all.

== References ==
# ''"St. John Damascene on Holy Images, Followed by Three Sermons on the Assumption"'' - Eng. transl. by Mary H. Allies, London, 1899.

==External links==
*[http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/encyc/encyc06/htm/iii.lvii.lxii.htm Details of his work]
*[http://www.comeandseeicons.com/j/mdg03.htm Icon of St. John of Damascus]
*[http://www.comeandseeicons.com/j/phn76.htm Another Icon of St. John of Damascus]
*[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/johndam-icons.html John of Damascus: In Defense of Icons, c. 730]
*[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/johndamascus-images.html John of Damascus: Apologia Against Those Who Decry Holy Images]
*[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/johndamascus-komesis.html John of Damascus: Three Sermons on the Dormition of the Virgin]

==Icons of St. John==
<gallery>
Image:John of Damascus.jpg
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Image:John of Damascus3.jpg
Image:John of Damascus4.jpg
</gallery>

[[Category:Church Fathers]]
[[Category:Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers]]
[[Category:Featured Articles]]
[[Category:Hymnographers]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]

[[ar:يوحنا الدمشقي]]
[[bg:Йоан Дамаскин]]
[[el:Ιωάννης Δαμασκηνός]]
[[es:Juan Damasceno]]
[[fr:Jean Damascène]]
[[it:Giovanni di Damasco]]
[[mk:Свети Јован Дамаскин]]
[[ro:Ioan Damaschin]]
[[ru:Иоанн Дамаскин]]