OrthodoxWiki - User contributions [en]

Filioque

2005-06-29T13:10:07Z

Tizzidale: /* External links */

'''''Filioque''''' is a Latin word meaning "and the Son" which was added to the [[Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed]] by the [[Church of Rome]] in the 11th century, one of the major factors leading to the [[Great Schism]] between East and West. This inclusion in the Creedal article regarding the [[Holy Spirit]] thus states that the Spirit "proceeds from the Father '''''and the Son'''''."

Its inclusion in the Creed is a violation of the [[canons]] of the [[Third Ecumenical Council]] in 431, which forbade and [[anathema]]tized any additions to the Creed, a prohibition which was reiterated at the [[Eighth Ecumenical Council]] in 879-880. This word was not included by the [[First Ecumenical Council|Council of Nicea]] nor of [[Second Ecumenical Council|Constantinople]], and most in the [[Orthodox Church]] consider this inclusion to be a [[heresy]].

The description of the ''filioque'' as a heresy was iterated most clearly and definitively by the great [[Church Fathers|Father]] and [[Pillars of Orthodoxy|Pillar]] of the Church, St. [[Photius the Great]], in his ''On the Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit''. He describes it as a heresy of [[Triadology]], striking at the very heart of what the Church believes about God.

== History ==
===Early use of the ''Filioque''===
It is useful to note that a regional council in Persia in 410 introduced one of the earliest forms of the ''filioque'' in the Creed; the council specified that the Spirit proceeds from the Father "and from the Son." Coming from the rich theology of early East Syrian Christianity, this expression in this context is authentically Eastern. Therefore, the ''filioque'' cannot be attacked as a solely Western innovation, nor as something created by the Pope.

In the West, St. [[Augustine of Hippo]] taught that the Spirit came from the Father ''and'' the Son, though subordinate to neither. His theology was dominant in the West until the Middle Ages, including his [[Triadology|theology of the Trinity]]. Other Latin fathers also spoke of the Spirit proceeding from both the Father and the Son. While familiar in the West, this way of speaking was virtually unknown in the Greek-speaking, Eastern Roman Empire.

Although the [[Second Ecumenical Council]] in 381 had expanded and completed the [[Nicene Creed]] begun at the [[First Ecumenical Council]], the [[Third Ecumenical Council]] (Ephesus, 431) had forbidden any further changes to it, except for by another [[Ecumenical Council]]. By this time, then, the text of the [[Nicene Creed]] had acquired a certain definitive authority, of ecumenical value and importance.

Rome received the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council]], which referred to preceding councils, citing the authority of the text of the Creed. However, at this time, central Italy was in a state of collapse. In 410 and 455, Rome was vandalized and sacked by barbarian invasions. In 476, the Western Roman Empire fell, with the exile of Romulus Augustulus, the last emperor. Chaos followed.

The ''filioque'' was first used in Toledo, Spain in 587 without the consultation or agreement of the [[Pentarchy|five patriarchs]] of the [[Church]] at that time and in direct violation of [[canons]] of the [[Third Ecumenical Council]] that prohibited unilateral alteration of the Creed by anything short of another [[Ecumenical Council]]. The purpose of its addition in Spain was to counter a [[heresy]] that was local to that region, probably some form of [[Arianism]] brought there by the Goths (who had been missionized by the Arian bishop [[Wulfila]]). The practice spread then to France where it was repudiated at the Gentilly Council in 767.

After generations of social upheaval, strong leadership appeared in the person of Pepin the Short, king of the Franks, and his son, [[Charlemagne]], crowned as emperor in 800. Charlemagne intended to restore the Roman Empire in the West, with himself in charge, to the chagrin of the leaders of the Eastern Roman Empire, whom he referred to as "Greeks" (and thus not Romans), despite the Roman capital being in the East and the continued use by Easterners of ''Roman'' to describe themselves. Charlemagne called for a council at Aix-la-Chapelle in 809 at which Pope [[Leo III of Rome|Leo III]] forbade the use of the ''filioque'' clause and ordered that the original version of the [[Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed]] be engraved on silver tablets displayed at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome so that his conclusion would not be overturned in the future.

Some historians have suggested that the Franks in the 9th century pressured the Pope to adopt the ''filioque'' in order to drive a wedge between the Roman Church and the other patriarchates. It is true that the ''filioque'' had come into wide use in the West and was widely thought to be an integral part of the Creed, while Rome, renowned for its stability in Orthodoxy, resisted. Similarly, unleavened bread had come to be thought of as normative for the [[Eucharist]]; diocesan priests were expected to be unmarried. In such cases, in the West, ancient tradition was forgotten. Contemporary usage was thought to be normative and authentic. In these matters of discipline, the influence of the Franks is certain. They intended to exalt Charlemagne, as the new Roman Emperor. The Catholic religion, as they knew it, was to be part of the package. Meanwhile, from ca. 726 to 843, the Eastern Roman Empire, under the thumb of successive emperors, was dominated by the heresy of [[iconoclasm]]. Both Franks and Greeks, in their own way, departed from ancient tradition. Unlike the East, however, where iconoclasm was repudiated at the [[Seventh Ecumenical Council]] and the use of icons later confirmed by the [[Theodora (the Iconodule)|Empress Theodora]], the West to date never recovered from its departure.

===The "Photian" Schism===
Within a couple of generations, in 858, a new situation came to pass. The Eastern Emperor Michael III removed [[Ignatius I of Constantinople|Ignatius I]] as patriarch of Constantinople. The emperor replaced him with a layman, St. [[Photius the Great]], who was the first Imperial Secretary and Imperial Ambassador to Baghdad. However, Ignatius refused to abdicate. Michael and Photius invited Pope [[Nicholas I of Rome]] to send legates to preside over a synod in Constantinople to settle the matter. With the council, the legates confirmed the patriarchate of Photius, much to Nicholas's chagrin, who then declared that they had "exceeded their authority."

In opposition to this removal of Ignatius, the bishop of Rome supported Ignatius as legitimate patriarch. Moreover, contrary to existing canons, Photius had been ordained to the office of bishop very quickly. Some scholarship suggests that violation of these canons was the main reason the bishop of Rome rejected the appointment of Photius, though other major actions by Nicholas to bolster his power and position as pope puts his intervention in Eastern ecclesiastical matters more firmly in the context of his general programme of the growth of papal monarchy.

Therefore, after the arrival of an embassy from Ignatius, in 862, Nicholas said that Photius was deposed, as well as the bishop who ordained him and all the clergy Photius had appointed. The sheer temerity of this action did not even generate a response from Constantinople. However, several years later in 867, Photius finally rejected the Pope's assertion, particularly because of the activities of Latin missionaries in Bulgaria, who were, as St. Photius says, turning the Orthodox Christians there away from their pure Orthodox faith and leading them into [[heresy]]—most notably, the ''filioque''. Photius' response cited the ''filioque'' as proof that Rome had a habit of overstepping its proper limits.

In 867 and 869-70, synods in Rome and Constantinople (the [[Robber Council of 869-870]]) restored Ignatius to his position as patriarch and deposed Photius. In 877, after the death of Ignatius, Photius again resumed office, by order of the emperor and by the request of Ignatius himself, to whom Photius had been reconciled. In 879-880, he was officially restored to his see and the ''filioque'' effectively condemned by the [[Eighth Ecumenical Council]], a council at which papal legates participated and which the current pope, [[John VIII of Rome|John VIII]], eventually confirmed. He was deposed in 886 when Leo VI took over as emperor, who had had a dispute with his father and turned his animosity for his father toward one of his father's friends, Photius. Photius spent the rest of his life as a monk in exile in Armenia; he is revered by the Orthodox today as a [[saint]], one of the great [[Pillars of Orthodoxy]]. He was the first important theologian to accuse Rome of [[heresy]] in the matter of the ''filioque''.

===Rome capitulates to Filioquist pressure===
In the ninth century, Pope [[Leo III of Rome]] agreed with the ''filioque'' phrase theologically but was opposed to adopting it in Rome, in part because of his loyalty to the received [[tradition]]. (He also knew that the Greeks resented the new Roman Empire in the West and Charlemagne in particular; the Pope wanted to preserve Church unity.) In fact, Leo had the traditional text of the Creed, without the ''filioque'', displayed publicly, having the original text engraved on two silver tablets, at the tomb of St. [[Apostle Peter|Peter]]. In any case, during the time of Pope Leo's leadership, 795-816, there was no Creed at all in the Roman Mass.

Later, in 1014, the German Emperor Henry II of the Holy Roman Empire visited Rome for his coronation and found that the Creed was not used during the Mass. At his request, the bishop of Rome added the Creed, as it was known in the West with the ''filioque'', after the Gospel. At this time, the papacy was very weak and very much under the influence of the Germans. For the sake of survival, the Pope needed the military support of the Emperor. This was the first time the phrase was used in the Mass at Rome.

Thus, over nearly six centuries, dispute over the ''filioque'' had not divided the Church definitively; for the most part, in spite of cultural and linguistic conflicts, the Eastern and Western Churches remained in [[full communion]].

In 1054, however, the argument contributed to the [[Great Schism]] of the East and West, and the West went so far as to accuse the East of heresy for not including the ''filioque'' in the Creed. There were many other issues involved, in large part based on misunderstandings between Greek and Latin traditions, as well as the irascible temperament of the antagonists. These were Cardinal [[Humbert]] from Rome and Patriarch [[Michael Cerularius]] of Constantinople. In addition to the actual difference in wording and doctrine in the ''filioque'', a related issue was the right of the Pope to make a change in the [[Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed]] on his own, apart from an [[Ecumenical Council]].

===Attempted reunions and the ''Filioque'' after the Schism===
In the thirteenth century, Thomas Aquinas was one of the dominant Scholastic theologians. He dealt explicitly with the processions of the divine Persons in his ''Summa Theologica''. While the theology of Aquinas and other Scholastics was dominant in the Western Middle Ages, for all its apparent clarity and brilliance, it remains theology, not official [[Roman Catholic Church]] teaching.

In 1274, the Second [[Council of Lyons]] said that the [[Holy Spirit]] proceeds from the [[Father]] and the [[Son]], in accord with the ''filioque'' in the contemporary Latin version of the [[Nicene Creed]]. Reconciliation with the East, through this council, did not last. Remembering the Crusaders' sack of Constantinople in 1204, Orthodox Christians did not want to be reconciled with the West in terms of capitulation to Latin [[Triadology]] and [[ecclesiology]]. In 1283, Patriarch [[John Beccus]], who supported reconciliation with the Latin Church, was forced to abdicate; reunion failed.

The Crusaders in question were the Venetians of the [[Fourth Crusade]], who had earlier been excommunicated for attacking other Christians. In 1204, they were getting even for a slaughter of Venetian merchants, in rioting, that took place in 1182. Pope Innocent III had sent them a letter, asking them not to attack Constantinople; after hearing of the [[Sack of Constantinople|sack of the city]], he lamented their action and disowned them. Nevertheless, the people of Constantinople had a deep hatred for the people they called the "Latins" or the "Franks," and of course the Western church's major "endowment" from the spoils carried away now still largely rests in the hands of the Vatican.

For much of the 14th century, there were two bishops, each claiming to be Pope, each excommunicating the followers of the other. The Great Western Schism concluded with yet a third individual claiming to be Pope and the Council of Constance. The East could hardly seek reconciliation with a Western Church divided among itself. (In the middle of the century, about a third of Western Europe died of the Black Death. People were more concerned about the plague than about Church unity.)

At the [[Council of Florence]] in 1439, Emperor [[John VIII Palaeologus]], Patriarch Joseph of Constantinople, and other bishops from the East travelled to northern Italy in hope of reconciliation with the West, mainly in order to solicit military assistance to fend off the encroaching Turkish invaders. After extensive discussion, in Ferrara, then in Florence, they acknowledged that some Latin Fathers spoke of the procession of the Spirit differently from the Greek Fathers. Since the general consensus of the Fathers was held to be reliable, as a witness to common faith, the Western usage was held not to be a heresy and not a barrier to restoration of full communion. All but one of the Orthodox bishops present agreed and signed a decree of union between East and West, ''Laetentur Coeli'' in 1439. The one bishop who refused to sign and was later heralded as a Pillar of Orthodoxy by the Church was St. [[Mark of Ephesus]], who followed in the footsteps of the previous Pillar of Orthodoxy, St. [[Photius the Great]].

Officially and publicly, Rome and the Orthodox Church were back in communion. However, the reconciliation achieved at Florence was soon destroyed, founded as it was on a compromise of faith. Numerous Orthodox faithful and bishops rejected the union. Moreover, after the Turks [[Fall of Constantinople|conquered Constantinople in 1453]], they fostered separation from the West, which remained an adversary to Islamic political and military dominance. Furthermore, the patriarch, Gennadius, was also one of the bishops who had repudiated the reunion of Florence on his own initiative.

Finally, the theology of rationalistic Western Scholasticism predominated among the Latin theologians and bishops and so obscured the biblical, patristic perspective long advocated by the East, in which the Spirit is said to proceed "from the Father" (as in [[Gospel of John|John]] 15:26) or, more rarely, "from the Father ''through'' the Son" (as in some of the Fathers). The Eastern bishops had not imbibed the rationalist intellectualism of the West, and so were unconvinced by the highly abstract and convoluted arguments of the Scholastics. Hence, the agreement of Florence, intellectually, represented in many respects an imposition of Scholastic theology.

Undeniably, the ''filioque'' controversy was at least officially resolved, for both Orthodox and Catholic. However, because of the historical situation and because of the different ecclesiologies of the East and West—in the East, the whole Church is seen as the guardian of faith, while for the West, the Magisterium maintains the faith—this resolution was neither fully received nor permanently sustained.

Though there had been a reunion [[Divine Liturgy|liturgy]] held in December of 1452 at [[Hagia Sophia (Constantinople)|Hagia Sophia]] in Constantinople at which the Pope's name was commemorated and the ''filioque'' used in the Creed, that had been largely boycotted by most of the clergy and laity in the city. On the evening of [[May 28]], 1453, however, another liturgy was held which also commemorated the Pope and used the ''filioque'', but which was not boycotted by the majority of the city. The next day, Constantinople fell to the Muslim invaders.

===Recent discussions and statements===
Dialogue on this and other subjects is continuing. The ''filioque'' clause was the main subject discussed at the 62nd meeting of the [[North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation]], which met at [[Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (Brookline, Massachusetts)]] from [[June 3]] through [[June 5]], 2002, for their spring session. As a result of these modern discussions, it has been suggested that the Orthodox could accept an "economic" ''filioque'' that states that the Holy Spirit, who originates in the Father alone, was sent to the Church "through the Son" (as the [[Paraclete]]), but this is not official Orthodox doctrine. It is what the Fathers call a ''[[theologoumenon]]'', a theological opinion. (Similarly, the late Edward Kilmartin, S.J., proposed as a ''theologoumenon'' a "mission" of the Holy Spirit to the Church.)

Recently, an important, agreed statement has been made by the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation, on [[October 25]], 2003. This document ''The Filioque: A Church-Dividing Issue?'', provides an extensive review of [[Scripture]], history, and [[theology]]. Especially critical are the recommendations of this consultation, for example:

#That all involved in such dialogue expressly recognize the limitations of our ability to make definitive assertions about the inner life of God.
#That, in the future, because of the progress in mutual understanding that has come about in recent decades, Orthodox and Catholics refrain from labeling as heretical the traditions of the other side on the subject of the procession of the Holy Spirit.
#That Orthodox and Catholic theologians distinguish more clearly between the divinity and hypostatic identity of the Holy Spirit (which is a received dogma of our Churches) and the manner of the Spirit's origin, which still awaits full and final ecumenical resolution.
#That those engaged in dialogue on this issue distinguish, as far as possible, the theological issues of the origin of the Holy Spirit from the ecclesiological issues of primacy and doctrinal authority in the Church, even as we pursue both questions seriously, together.
#That the theological dialogue between our Churches also give careful consideration to the status of later councils held in both our Churches after those seven generally received as ecumenical.
#That the Catholic Church, as a consequence of the normative and irrevocable dogmatic value of the Creed of 381, use the original Greek text alone in making translations of that Creed for catechetical and liturgical use.
#That the Catholic Church, following a growing theological consensus, and in particular the statements made by Pope Paul VI, declare that the condemnation made at the Second Council of Lyons (1274) of those "who presume to deny that the Holy Spirit proceeds eternally from the Father and the Son" is no longer applicable.

In the judgment of the consultation, the question of the ''filioque'' is no longer a "Church-dividing" issue, one which would impede full reconciliation and full communion, once again. It still stands for the bishops and faithful of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches to review this work and to make whatever decisions would be appropriate.

==The ''Filioque'' as heresy==
There has never been a specific conciliar statement in the [[Orthodox Church]] which defined the ''filioque'' as [[heresy]]. That being said, however, it has been regarded as heretical by multiple Orthodox saints, including Ss. [[Photius the Great]], [[Mark of Ephesus]], and [[Gregory Palamas]] (the three Pillars of Orthodoxy). At the [[Third Ecumenical Council]] and the [[Eighth Ecumenical Council|"Photian" council of 879-880]] (both councils Rome signed onto), all changes to the Creed are anathematized. Further, it is explicitly denounced as heretical by the 1848 ''[[Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs]]''.

There are a number of reasons traditionally cited for the definition of the ''filioque'' as heretical, including the following:

===Objections on doctrinal grounds===
*It is contrary to Scripture, particularly in [[Gospel of John|John]] 15:26: "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me." Thus, Christ never describes the Holy Spirit as proceeding from himself, but only mentions the Spirit's procession in terms of the Father.

*The justifications for including the ''filioque'' in the Creed—bolstering the divinity of the Son and emphasizing the unity of the Trinity—are redundant, given the original wording of the Creed. That is, the Son already is described as "light of light, very God of very God," and so forth. The Spirit also "with the Father and Son together is worshiped and glorified." Additionally, the Creed itself begins with a statement of belief in "one God."

*The ''filioque'' distorts Orthodox [[Triadology]] by making the Spirit a subordinate member of the Trinity. Traditional Triadology consists in the notion that for any given trait, it must be either common to all Persons of the Trinity or unique to one of them. Thus, Fatherhood is unique to the Father, while begottenness is unique to the Son, and procession unique to the Spirit. Godhood, however, is common to all, as is eternality, uncreatedness, and so forth. Positing that something can be shared by two Persons (i.e., being the source of the Spirit's procession) but not the other is to elevate those two Persons at the expense of the other. Thus, the balance of unity and diversity is destroyed.

*Given the previous objection, the repercussions to the acceptance of the ''filioque'' into church life are potentially massive. Because how we relate to God is significantly affected by what we believe about him, false beliefs lead to damaging spirituality. One objection often raised about Filioquist theology is that it undermines the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church. Thus, with his role being denigrated, his traditional ministries are effaced or replaced. The Church's unity becomes dependent on an office, spirituality becomes adherence to the letter of the law rather than its spirit, sacraments come to be understood in terms of validity, and a spirit of legalism prevails.

===Objections on canonical and historical grounds===
*Though not really a question of heresy, a common objection is to the means of inserting the ''filioque'' into the Creed. That is, unlike the original adoption of the Creed at [[First Ecumenical Council|Nicea]] and its subsequent revision at [[Second Ecumenical Council|Constantinople]], the decision to include the ''filioque'' in the Creed was not done by an [[Ecumenical Council]]. Rather, it was initially inserted by the Third Synod of Toledo, Spain (589).

*Rome resisted the inclusion of the ''filioque'' for centuries. Leo III, the Pope of Rome at the time the ''filioque'' began its history in Western theology, strongly advised against its inclusion, even though he agreed with the soundness and validity of the doctrine contained in ''filioque''. Later, however, Rome contradicted its previous more Orthodox stance by the promulgation of the ''filioque'', thus anathematizing its own spiritual forebears.

==External links==
*[[Wikipedia:Filioque External Links: an Online Bibliography]]
*[http://agrino.org/cyberdesert/Valentine.htm History of the Filioque], by Thomas Ross Valentine
*[http://www.romanity.org/htm/rom.17.en.the_filioque_in_the_dublin_agreed_statement_1984.01.htm The Filioque in the Dublin Agreed Statement 1984], by Fr. [[John S. Romanides]]
*[http://agrino.org/cyberdesert/Pelikan.htm The Filioque], by Prof. [[Jaroslav Pelikan]]
*[http://agrino.org/cyberdesert/meyendorf.htm On the Question of the Filioque], by Fr. [[John Meyendorff]]
*[http://agrino.org/cyberdesert/zizioulas.htm One Single Source], by Metr. [[John Zizioulas]]
*[http://www.energeticprocession.com/archives/Azkoul_filioque.pdf The Filioque: A Reply to the Agreed Statement of the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation], by Fr. Michael Azkoul

[[Category:Church History]]
[[Category:Councils]]
[[Category:Creeds]]
[[Category:Ecumenical Councils]]
[[Category:Heresies]]

Peter the Aleut

2005-05-13T20:33:19Z

Tizzidale:

'''Cungagnaq''', presumably a native of Kodiak Island (Aleutian Islands). He is said to have received the Christian name of Peter when he was baptized into the [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] faith by the [[monk]]s of [[Herman of Alaska|St. Herman]]'s - missionaries operating in the north. In 1815 a group of Aleut seal and otter hunters, including Peter, was captured by Spanish sailors, who took them to San Francisco for interrogation. With threats of torture, the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] priests in California attempted to force the Aleuts to deny their [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] faith and to convert to [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]].

When the Aleuts refused, the priest had a toe severed from each of Peter's feet. Peter still refused to renounce his faith and the Spanish priest ordered a group of California Indians to cut off each finger of Peter's hands, one joint at a time, finally removing both his hands. They eventually disemboweled him, crowning his life with [[martyr]]dom. They were about to torture the next Aleut when orders were received to release them.

Upon receiving the report of Peter's death, [[Herman of Alaska|St. Herman]] back on Kodiak Island was moved to cry out, "Holy new-martyr Peter, pray to God for us!" Peter the Aleut was formally declared a [[Saint]] as the "Martyr of San Francisco" in 1980. His feast day is commemorated in the Orthodox faith on [[September 24]].

[[Category:American Saints]]
[[Category:Saints]]

Peter the Aleut

2005-05-13T20:31:12Z

Tizzidale:

'''Cungagnaq''', presumably a native of Kodiak Island (Aleutian Islands). He is said to have received the Christian name of Peter when he was baptized into the [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] faith by the [[monk]]s of [[Herman of Alaska|St. Herman]]'s - missionaries operating in the north. In 1815 a group of Aleut seal and otter hunters, including Peter, was captured by Spanish sailors, who took them to San Francisco for interrogation. With threats of torture, the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] priests in California attempted to force the Aleuts to deny their [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] faith and to convert to [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]].

When the Aleuts refused, the priest had a toe severed from each of Peter's feet. Peter still refused to renounce his faith and the Spanish priest ordered a group of California Indians to cut off each finger of Peter's hands, one joint at a time, finally removing both his hands. They eventually disemboweled him, crowning his life with [[martyr]]dom. They were about to torture the next Aleut when orders were received to release them.

Upon receiving the report of Peter's death, [[Herman of Alaska|St. Herman]] back on Kodiak Island was moved to cry out, "Holy new-martyr Peter, pray to God for us!" Peter the Aleut was formally declared a [[Saint]] as the "Martyr of San Francisco" in [[1980]]. His feast day is commemorated in the Orthodox faith on [[September 24]].

[[Category:American Saints]]
[[Category:Saints]]

User talk:ASDamick

2005-05-05T02:29:50Z

Tizzidale: OCA Images

How did you do the sidebar edit? I've been looking through the docs at meta.mediawiki and can't find anything on this (except hacking the php files). Thanks, [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]]

---------
Hey, thanks. That does help anyway -- I'd forgotten about that page ;-). [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]]

===Good morning Andrew===
Thanks for cleaning up my spelling and some of the entries from last night. One question though - I noticed you made the Categories aplhabetical. My idea was to put the larger category "Ethics" first with the subcat "bioethics" second. Is this bad practice on Wikipedia? It makes more sense to me.

Thanks, [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]] 10:14, 29 Jan 2005 (CST)

== New Look ==

I like the new look on the main page. Very slick!

I wonder if there's any possible way to include another page without using templates. I don't think so, but that would work... I'll have to investigate this later. [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]] 09:18, 3 Feb 2005 (CST)

== Calendar Update Project ==

Rdr. Andrew -- which menaion is the authoritative one for OrthodoxWiki? [[User:Dcndavid|DcnDavid]]

== Menaion Follow up ==

Thanks! Glad to be here. :) [[User:Dcndavid|DcnDavid]] 11:09, 3 Feb 2005 (CST)

== Question on Images ==

I haven't tried yet, but I want to add some images. Do these have to be uploaded from a file on my computer, or can they be imported (provided they're in public domain) from another website? - [[User:Joffridus|Joffridus]]

:Okay, now I'm even more confused than I was before. What if it's, say, a photo that was sent out as part of a news release? (I am thinking particularly of a photograph of the Archbishop of Canterbury with the Ecumenical Patriarch that was sent out by the Anglican Communion News Service.)

::The best thing would be to write to ACN and ask permission for posting their photo with credit given, and include our URL. Generally speaking, it's considered rude to "hotlink" to photos on other sites since it eats up other folks precious bandwidth. Practically, this wouldn't really be a problem on a low-traffic site like this one, but nevertheless it's not best practice. (I can also make the pages load more slowly). [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]] 11:36, 7 Feb 2005 (CST)

== OCA Site ==

Should Bishop Seraphim (Sigrist) be added to the list of retired OCA bishops in the OCA entry? I ask because he is in the OCA and is a retired bishop, although he was bishop in Japan. - [[User:Joffridus|Joffridus]]

== Good morning dear Reader! ==

Just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be out of town for the next four days so you won't be hearing much from me. I'll check in as soon as I get back! [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]]

==Lenten Triodion==
Thanks for noticing my errors! I'm still rather new to all of this, and it can be difficult to find information at all, let alone accurate. Please change the descriptions. Otherwise, my husband--who works at the Department of Religious Education on campus--will look into their new publication ''The Triodion'' tomorrow afternoon and get back to me. Also, do you have any advice on getting him to sign up for an account? --[[User:Magda|magda]] 18:20, 22 Feb 2005 (CST)

== Triodion Follow up ==
By the way, ''The Lenten Triodion'' translated by Bishop Kallistos and Mother Maria is not a complete translation of the Triodion. It includes only the core services -- some Saturdays, all Sundays, and Holy Week. There is a supplemental text that looks like it was published on a mimeograph machine (texts also translated by Bishop Kallistos and Mother Maria) containing all the services for every day of the pre-Lent, Lent, and Holy Week periods that are not included in the work cited above. It is available but hard to find. [http://www.iconbook.org/Resources%20LentPascha%20Books.html This source] says they have it (follow the link and search on ''triodion'').

== Triodion Supplement ==
You are right: it is vital stuff. Last year I made it a point to read at least the canons for every day of Lent. It lends a beautiful continuity to the fast.[[User:Dcndavid|DcnDavid]] 09:23, 23 Feb 2005 (CST)

==Church Calendar Project==
On [[January 19]] and [[January 30]] (at least), there are not only Feasts, but '''Events'''. How should this work in with the templates? --[[User:Magda|magda]] 15:42, 25 Feb 2005 (CST)

== Categories ==
[[User:ASDamick|Rdr. Andrew]] and [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]] -- can we add a category of "Monastics" to the "People" heading on the main page? I've added a (brief) article on [[Matthew Blastares|Hieromonk Matthew (Blastares)]] and created a category of "Monastics" for him (I hope that is okay). He has not been glorified. I imagine there may be other monastics, not glorified, that might warrant an article or two. --[[User:Dcndavid|DcnDavid]] 14:16, 26 Feb 2005 (CST)

Thank you for correcting another of my many mistakes and teaching me along the way. Would you mind adding a description to the Church Fathers Category page? I noticed that you added descriptions to some of the other categories (Hymnographers, Modern Writers, Asceticism) and I have found that quite helpful. Also, how do you link to these categories without making the page you're using a member? --[[User:Magda|magda]] 13:35, 27 Feb 2005 (CST)

==Titles==
It would be nice to have each title or commemoration redirect to the Saint commemoration page so that each could be explained by someone with that expertise. I haven't the slightest idea '''why''' some saints merit the titles of "Equal of the Apostles" or "righteous" or "God-bearing" or "venerable," and I am hoping someone will (ahem) explain them to me. The first time I saw "God-bearing" I thought it was a typo for "God-fearing." I see OrthodoxWiki as a long-term, long-standing project which could benefit from extensive cross-referencing. So in this regard, and as there is nothing (yet) against it in the Style Manual, I stand behind my links. Additionally, I would like some clarification in how the names in the Church Calendar entries should be listed: the "Saint commemoration" page way, or simply names, or based on a particular synaxarion? --[[User:Magda|magda]] 20:17, 26 Feb 2005 (CST)

==Disambiguation pages==
Reader Andrew, what do you think the best way is to start implementing these? I keep stumping myself on what and how to name pages; with so many saints, maybe there should be a "Basil" page, for instance, and all the Basil saints link back to that--would that linking be automatic? Is this at all a good idea or did the research for all the Fools-for-Christ, emphasis on the first part, get to me? --Tired [[User:Magda|magda]] 21:40, 28 Feb 2005 (CST)

== Alphabeticization ==

Thanks for the cleanup. I was ordering according to the Greek alphabet. ;-0 --[[User:Dcndavid|DcnDavid]] 08:54, 1 Mar 2005 (CST)

== Category Deletion ==

Rdr. A: When I created the category ''Distance Education Programs'' I tried to find ''Distance Education'' in order to delete it, but it didn't show up in the Categories listing. Was I looking in the wrong place, or am I just blind? --[[User:Dcndavid|DcnDavid]] 12:39, 1 Mar 2005 (CST)

== Church of Romania article ==

Rdr. Andrew,

Sorry about not logging in earlier - I'd forgotten my password. I've sorted that out now, though. I've had a look through the Church of Romania article and made a few minor corrections and small additions. It looks pretty reasonable to me now, so I think you can use it as a featured article without worry. I've also addded a couple of brief articles on Romanian saints which I've linked to that article. I hope to improve them significantly over time, but I can't manage it at the moment as I'm fairly busy. I also hope to add articles on Putna, Voronet and Sucevita monasteries soon as well as one on St. John the New of Suceava. Thanks for the advice about the tildes, too. [[User:James|James]]

== Book Sources ==

Is there a way to link to the Book Sources page directly (i.e. other than inserting an ISBN). On the Domestic Church article, under the sub-heading of "Education in the Domestic Church" I would like to link there instead of the marketplace. -- [[User:Joffridus|Joffridus]]

== Redirects ==

Thanks for picking up the arch-, proto-, hiero-deacon redirects. I meant to do that when I deleted the internal links.[[User:Dcndavid|DcnDavid]] 12:28, 23 Mar 2005 (CST)

== Yellow Subs ==

HA! The beauty of editing in a MS Word doc (with its auto correct feature) and cutting and pasting. Thanks for the catch.[[User:Dcndavid|DcnDavid]] 21:06, 23 Mar 2005 (CST)

== Templates ==

Hello! I'm wondering if there's a list of templates anywhere on the board - maybe you know about something I don't? I've gotten rather lost in figuring out which template to use when. If there is no special page, would you mind putting a list together at some point? (I think you have the most exact knowledge of this.) We've already got a link to [[OrthodoxWiki:Templates]] from the Community portal. Thanks! [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]]
::Thanks! Check out the new stats at [[OrthodoxWiki:Buzz]] when you get a chance. More referrers coming soon... [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]]

== Opinion Pieces ==
Hi dear Reader,

I remember reading somewhere in a talk page recently that you were thinking of posting some opinion pieces. I'm not sure where it was or if I responded, but since I'm thinking about it now I wanted to say please do feel free to post these kinds of things on your personal page. You can even create a whole subsite like this, moving down the directory tree like this: [[User:ASDamick/personal essays]] or even just [[/essays]] (from your user page). Please feel free to make ample use of this if you'd like. [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]] 23:42, 6 Apr 2005 (EDT)

== Archbishop Iakovos ==

HC/HC named their [http://holycross.hchc.edu/pages/library/ library] after him, but I'm not sure where that should go in the article. Additionally, there are many useful pictures and history from that link. Here is a [http://www.life.com/Life/covers/1965/cv032665.html cover from Life magazine] which is mentioned in the article, and a [http://library.hchc.edu/ portrait] from the library. --[[User:Magda|magda]] 10:45, 12 Apr 2005 (EDT)

== I sent you an e-mail... ==

...at the address on your St John Chrysostom site. I was wondering if you got it. My email is Photios@bellsouth.net

: Yes, I got it and am replying. I'm in my final week of class here at seminary and have had many projects to work on. --[[User:ASDamick|Rdr. Andrew]] 06:19, 20 Apr 2005 (CDT)

== Re: Ahem ==

:::-)>+ I wouldn't reckon it a total waste of time - like child's place, of course it serves some function. You're honing your wiki skills for greater things! [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]]

== Images from OCA ==

I emailed the OCA and received permission to use them. I can forward you the emails from Fr. John Matusiak granting the use of them.

== OCA Images ==

I in no way received permission to use '''all''' images. I specifically asked to use the icons of Sts. Joseph the Betrothed and James the Just. I'm sure that such permission ''may'' be given, but it was not given to me.

User talk:ASDamick

2005-05-05T01:53:01Z

Tizzidale: Images from OCA

Apostle James the Just

2005-05-04T19:33:57Z

Tizzidale:

[[Image:jamesbrotherlord.jpg|right|frame|Courtesy of the [http://www.oca.org Orthodox Church in America]]]Saint '''James the Just''', also called '''James Adelphos''' and '''James the Brother of Our Lord''' (died AD 62), was the first [[Bishop]] or [[Patriarch]] of [[Church of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]]. According to the [[Protoevangelion of James]], James was the son of [[Joseph the Betrothed|Joseph]] - along with the other 'brethren of the Lord' mentioned in the scripture - from a marriage prior to his betrothal to [[Theotokos|Mary]].

==Name==
[[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]], quoting from [[Hegesippus]], writes that James was "called the Just by all from the time of our Savior to the present day; for there were many that bore the name of James."

He is called '''Adelphos''' (Greek "brother"). Jesus's '[[Brethren of the Lord|brothers]]' — James as well as [[Jude Thomas|Jude]], Simon, and Joses — are mentioned in [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 13:55, [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 6:3, [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 6:14 and by [[Apostle Paul|Paul]] in [[Galatians]] 1:19.

==Life==
[[Jerome]], ''De Viris Illustribus,'' quotes Hegesippus' account of James from the fifth book of his lost ''Commentaries'':

:"After the apostles, James the brother of the Lord surnamed the Just was made head of the Church at Jerusalem. Many indeed are called James. This one was holy from his mother's womb. He drank neither wine nor strong drink, ate no flesh, never shaved or anointed himself with ointment or bathed. He alone had the privilege of entering the Holy of Holies, since indeed he did not use woolen vestments but linen and went alone into the temple and prayed in behalf of the people, insomuch that his knees were reputed to have acquired the hardness of camels' knees."

Paul further describes James as being one of the persons the risen Christ showed himself to ([[I Corinthians]] 15:3-8); then later in I Corinthians, mentions James in a way that suggests James had been married (9:5); and in [[Galatians]], Paul lists James with ''Cephas'' (better known as [[Apostle Peter|Peter]]) and [[Apostle John|John]], as the three "pillars" of the Church, and who will minister to "the circumcised" (that is the [[Jew]]s) in Jerusalem, while Paul and his fellows will minister to the Gentiles (2:9, 2:12).

[[Acts of the Apostles|Acts]] provides clear evidence that James was an important figure in the Christian community of Jerusalem. When Peter, having miraculously escaped from prison, must flee Jerusalem, he asks that James be informed (12:17). When the Christians of [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]] are concerned over whether Gentile Christians need be circumcised to be saved, they send Paul and [[Apostle Barnabas|Barnabas]] to confer with the church there, and it is James who utters the definitive judgement (15:13ff). And when Paul arrives in Jerusalem to deliver the money he raised for the faithful there, it is to James that he speaks, and who insists that Paul ritually cleanse himself (21:18).

A debated passage, often characterized as a Christian interpolation, in [[Josephus]]'s ''Jewish Antiquities'' records his death in Jerusalem as having occurred after the death of the procurator Porcius Festus, yet before Clodius Albinus took office (''Antiquities'' 20,9)— which has thus been dated to AD 62. The high priest Ananus took advantage of this lack of imperial oversight to assemble a council of judges who condemned James "on the charge of breaking the law," then had him executed by stoning. Josephus reports that Ananus' act was widely viewed as little more than judicial murder, and offended a number of "those who were considered the most fair-minded people in the City, and strict in their observance of the Law," who went as far as meeting Albinus as he entered the province to petition him about the matter. Their agitations led to Ananus being deposed as high priest.

Eusebius, while quoting Josephus' account, also records otherwise lost passages from [[Hegesippus]] (see links below), and [[Clement of Alexandria]] (''Historia Ecclesiae'', 2.23). Hegesippus' account apparently varied from what Josephus reports: the [[Pharisees]], upset at his teachings, first threw him from the summit of the Temple in Jerusalem, then stoned him, and at last broke his skull with a fuller's club.

The ''[[Gospel of James|Protevangelion of James]]'' (or ''Infancy Gospel of James''), a work of the 2nd century, also presents itself as written by James.

Saint James is commemorated on [[December 26]], along with David the King and [[Joseph the Betrothed|Saint Joseph]].

==External links==
* [http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/hegesippus.html "The martyrdom of James, the brother of the Lord"] Quotes from lost writings of [[Hegesippus]] in [[Eusebius]].
* [http://www.studylight.org/his/bc/wfj/antiquities/view.cgi?book=20&chapter=9 Flavius Josephus ''Antiquities of the Jews'' Book 20, Chapter 9]

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

File:Jamesbrotherlord.jpg

2005-05-04T19:31:24Z

Tizzidale: Courtesy of the [http://www.oca.org Orthodox Church in America]

Courtesy of the [http://www.oca.org Orthodox Church in America]

Joseph the Betrothed

2005-05-04T19:25:39Z

Tizzidale:

[[Image:stjosephthebetrothed.jpg|right|frame|Courtesy of the [http://www.oca.org Orthodox Church in America]]]'''St. Joseph the Betrothed''', also referred to as '''Joseph of Nazareth''', was the foster-father of [[Jesus Christ]], according to the [[New Testament]] ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 1:16; [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 3:23). Not much is known of Joseph except that he was "of the House of David" and lived in the town of Nazareth. His date of death is unknown, though he was still living when Jesus was 12 years old.

He was betrothed to the [[Theotokos|Virgin Mary]] at the time that Mary conceived Jesus. Luke says that he lived at Nazareth in Galilee (Luke 2:4); however, according to Matthew, it was only after the return from Egypt that he settled in [[Nazareth]] (Matthew 2:23). He is called a "just man". He was by trade a carpenter (Matthew 13:55). He is last mentioned in connection with the journey to Jerusalem, when Jesus was twelve years old. It is probable that Joseph died before Jesus entered on his public ministry because only Mary was present at the marriage feast in Cana of [[Galilee]], and he is not described at the [[crucifixion]] along with Mary ([[Gospel of John|John]] 19:25). In addition [[Joseph of Arimathea]] asked for the body of Jesus, a duty that would have fallen to Saint Joseph had he been alive.

[[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] is described as being the brother of [[James the Just|James]], [[Joses|Joses]], [[Jude Thomas|Jude]], and Simon, and several sisters ([[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 6:3; Matthew 13:55). A tradition at least as early as the second century, still adopted by [[Eastern Orthodoxy]], explains that these "brothers and sisters" were from Joseph's marriage to an unnamed woman, before Joseph married Mary and so making them step-brothers and step-sisters.

That Jesus commended Mary to the care of [[Apostle John|John the Evangelist]] while he was hanging on the cross has been interpreted to also suggest that Joseph had died by that time, and that Joseph and Mary did not have any other children who might care for Mary.

In many [[icon]]s of the [[Nativity]], Joseph is shown being tempted by the [[Devil]] (depicted as an old man with furled wings) to break off his betrothal, and resisting that temptation.

Also in the imagery of the Christian church, statues of Joseph depict his staff topped with flowers, recalling the [[Gospel of James|Protevangelion]]'s account of how Mary's spouse was chosen. Among the collected walking sticks of widowers in Israel, Joseph was distinguished when his staff burst into flower.

Saint Joseph is commemorated on [[December 26]], along with David the King and [[James the Just|James the Brother of our Lord]].

==External links==
*[http://www.oca.org/QA.asp?ID=115&SID=3 Q&A about St. Joseph] from the [http://www.oca.org Orthodox Church in America]

*[http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/infancyjames.html Translations of the Protevangelium of James] from [http://www.earlychristianwritings.com Early Christian Writings]

[[Category:Saints]]

Joseph the Betrothed

2005-05-04T19:25:22Z

Tizzidale:

[[Image:stjosephthebetrothed.jpg|right|frame|Couresty of the [http://www.oca.org Orthodox Church in America]]]'''St. Joseph the Betrothed''', also referred to as '''Joseph of Nazareth''', was the foster-father of [[Jesus Christ]], according to the [[New Testament]] ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 1:16; [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 3:23). Not much is known of Joseph except that he was "of the House of David" and lived in the town of Nazareth. His date of death is unknown, though he was still living when Jesus was 12 years old.

He was betrothed to the [[Theotokos|Virgin Mary]] at the time that Mary conceived Jesus. Luke says that he lived at Nazareth in Galilee (Luke 2:4); however, according to Matthew, it was only after the return from Egypt that he settled in [[Nazareth]] (Matthew 2:23). He is called a "just man". He was by trade a carpenter (Matthew 13:55). He is last mentioned in connection with the journey to Jerusalem, when Jesus was twelve years old. It is probable that Joseph died before Jesus entered on his public ministry because only Mary was present at the marriage feast in Cana of [[Galilee]], and he is not described at the [[crucifixion]] along with Mary ([[Gospel of John|John]] 19:25). In addition [[Joseph of Arimathea]] asked for the body of Jesus, a duty that would have fallen to Saint Joseph had he been alive.

[[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] is described as being the brother of [[James the Just|James]], [[Joses|Joses]], [[Jude Thomas|Jude]], and Simon, and several sisters ([[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 6:3; Matthew 13:55). A tradition at least as early as the second century, still adopted by [[Eastern Orthodoxy]], explains that these "brothers and sisters" were from Joseph's marriage to an unnamed woman, before Joseph married Mary and so making them step-brothers and step-sisters.

That Jesus commended Mary to the care of [[Apostle John|John the Evangelist]] while he was hanging on the cross has been interpreted to also suggest that Joseph had died by that time, and that Joseph and Mary did not have any other children who might care for Mary.

In many [[icon]]s of the [[Nativity]], Joseph is shown being tempted by the [[Devil]] (depicted as an old man with furled wings) to break off his betrothal, and resisting that temptation.

Also in the imagery of the Christian church, statues of Joseph depict his staff topped with flowers, recalling the [[Gospel of James|Protevangelion]]'s account of how Mary's spouse was chosen. Among the collected walking sticks of widowers in Israel, Joseph was distinguished when his staff burst into flower.

Saint Joseph is commemorated on [[December 26]], along with David the King and [[James the Just|James the Brother of our Lord]].

==External links==
*[http://www.oca.org/QA.asp?ID=115&SID=3 Q&A about St. Joseph] from the [http://www.oca.org Orthodox Church in America]

*[http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/infancyjames.html Translations of the Protevangelium of James] from [http://www.earlychristianwritings.com Early Christian Writings]

[[Category:Saints]]

File:Stjosephthebetrothed.jpg

2005-05-04T19:23:01Z

Tizzidale:

Courtesy of the [http://www.oca.org Orthodox Church in America]

File:Stjosephthebetrothed.jpg

2005-05-04T19:21:45Z

Tizzidale: Courtesy of the Orthodox Church in America www.oca.org

Courtesy of the Orthodox Church in America www.oca.org

Hesychasm

2005-04-30T02:38:06Z

Tizzidale: /* External links */

'''Hesychasm''' is a [[mystical]] tradition of experiential [[prayer]] in the [[Orthodox Church]]. It is described in great detail in the [[Philokalia]], a compilation of what various [[saints]] wrote about prayer and the spiritual life.

==The Hesychastic prayer==

In practice, the Hesychastic prayer bears some superficial resemblance to mystical prayer or meditation in Eastern religions (e.g., Buddhism and Hinduism, especially Yoga), although this similarity is often overly emphasized in popular accounts.

For example, it may involve specific body postures and be accompanied by very deliberate breathing patterns. It involves acquiring an inner stillness, ignoring the physical senses. The hesychasts interpreted [[Jesus Christ|Christ]]'s injunction in the [[Gospel of Matthew]] to "go into your closet to pray" to mean that they should ignore sensory input and withdraw inwards to pray. It often includes many repetitions of the [[Jesus Prayer]], ''"Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me[, a sinner]."''. While some might compare it with a mantra, to use the Jesus Prayer in such a fashion is to violate its purpose. One is never to treat it as a string of syllables for which the "surface" meaning is secondary. Likewise, hollow repetition is considered to be worthless (or even spiritually damaging) in the hesychast tradition.

Saint [[Theophan the Recluse]] once related that body postures and breathing techniques were virtually forbidden in his youth, since, instead of gaining the [[Holy Spirit|Spirit of God]], people succeeded only "in ruining their lungs."

===Gregory Palamas: Defender of Hesychasm===

Hesychasm was defended theologically by [[Gregory Palamas]] at about [[Ninth Ecumenical Council|three separate Hesychast Synods in Constantinople]] from 1341 to 1351; he was asked to by his fellow monks on [[Mount Athos|Mt. Athos]] to defend it from the attacks of [[Barlaam of Calabria]], who advocated a more intellectualist approach to prayer.

==See also==

* [[Mysticism]]
* [[Philokalia]]
* [[The Way of a Pilgrim]]
* [[Meditation]]
* [[Prayer]]
* [[Theosis]]

== External links ==

*[http://www.hesychasm.ru/en/index.htm Hesychasm]
*[http://www.oca.org/OCchapter.asp?SID=2&ID=195 The Jesus Prayer], a very straightforward exposition.
*[http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/ignaty_jesus.htm On Practicing the Jesus Prayer]
*[http://www.monachos.net/patristics/palamas_theology.shtml Three foundational aspects of the Theology of St Gregory Palamas]

==References==
* ''The [[Philokalia]]'' (four volumes)
* ''[[The Way of a Pilgrim]]''

[[Category:Asceticism]]

Orthodox Prayers

2005-04-29T18:50:03Z

Tizzidale:

{{stub}}

==External Links==
[http://www.antiochian.org/orthodox-prayers Antiochian Prayer Guide] at the website of the [http://www.antiochian.org/ Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America]

[http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/prayerbook/main.htm Jordanville Prayer Book] at the [http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/index_en.html Myriobiblos Library]

User talk:Monk Justin

2005-04-29T17:01:23Z

Tizzidale: If only. . .

{{welcome}} --[[User:ASDamick|Rdr. Andrew]] 18:26, 8 Feb 2005 (CST)

== If only. . . ==

When I first became interested in Orthodoxy I was clueless that your monastery was only around 30-40 minutes away. We then moved to Mississippi. One of these days I will come to visit, God willing. Thanks for being at this site.

User talk:Tizzidale

2005-04-29T16:44:29Z

Tizzidale: Thanks for the Welcome

{{welcome}} --[[User:ASDamick|{{User:ASDamick/sig}}]] 04:41, 27 Apr 2005 (CDT)

== Another Welcome ==

Good to have you here Tizzidale! [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]]

== Thanks for the Welcome ==

Man, I love OrthodoxWiki. I've gotta get my sponsor involved. He is great!

Protoevangelion of James

2005-04-29T04:49:34Z

Tizzidale:

The '''''Protevangelion of James''''' also sometimes known as the '''''Gospel of James''''' or the '''''Infancy Gospel of James''''' is generally ascribed to the 2nd century AD. It is an [[apocrypha|apocryphal gospel]], that was widely read but never accepted into the New Testament canon.

The document presents itself as written by James: "I, James, wrote this history in Jerusalem." Thus the purported author is [[James the Just]], the brother of [[Jesus Christ|Jesus]]. Over one hundred and forty Greek manuscripts containing the Gospel of James have been discovered. The echoes and parallels of the Old Testament appear to derive from its use of phraseology from the [[Septuagint]]. In content, it dedicates a significant portion, not to the circumstances of Jesus’ birth, but to the birth and life of [Theotokos|Mary]. This is the earliest text that explicitly claims that [[Joseph the Betrothed|Joseph]] was a widower, with children, at the time that Mary is entrusted to his care. The first mention of it is by [[Origen]], who refers to the work as the Book of James. Many critics feel that the work is a composite of other works or existing traditions.

The ''Gospel of James'' was translated into Syriac, Ethiopic, Coptic, Georgian, Old Slavonic, Armenian, Arabic, Irish and Latin. No early Latin versions are known, but it is relegated to the apocrypha in the Gelasian decretal. As with the canonical gospels, the vast majority of the manuscripts come from the tenth century or later. The earliest known manuscript of the text, a papyrus dating to the 3rd or early 4th century, was found in 1958; it is kept in the Bodmer Library, Geneva]] (Papyrus Bodmer 5). Of the surviving Greek manuscripts, the fullest surviving text is a 10th century codex in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris (Paris 1454).

==Contents==
The contents of this gospel describe the birth and childhood of Mary, the mother of Jesus, her coming of age and betrothal to Joseph, and the birth and early childhood of Jesus. One of the work's high points is the Lament of [[Joachim and Anna|Anna]]. A primary theme is the work and grace of God in Mary's life, Mary's personal purity, and her perpetual virginity before, during and after the birth of Jesus, as confirmed by the midwife after she gave birth, and tested by "Salome" who is perhaps intended for [[Salome]], later the disciple of Jesus mentioned at the [[Crucifixion]] by the author of the ''[[Gospel of Mark]]''. Though the book is not an official part of Christian canon and hence "apocryphal", the ''Gospel of James'' may be the earliest surviving document attesting the veneration of Mary and her continuing virginity (possible earlier ones being known only as quotes in later works.)

It is in three equal parts, the first eight chapters containing the story of Mary's own unique birth and childhood, the second eight chapters concerning the crisis posed by Mary's becoming a woman and thus her imminent pollution of the temple, her assignment to Joseph as guardian, and the tests of her virginity, and the last eight chapters relating the Nativity, with the visit of midwives, the hiding of Jesus from Herod in a feeding trough, and even the parallel hiding of John the Baptist from Herod in the hills with his mother [[Elizabeth]]. These legends appear to be embellishments upon the stories given in the gospels of Matthew and Luke.

Among extracanonical traditions recorded in this protevangelion are the introduction of Joseph as a widower with several children who is merely Mary's guardian, the birth of Jesus in a cave, and the martyrdom of [[John the Baptist]]'s father [[Zechariah]] during the slaughter of the infants.

== External links ==

*[http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/infancyjames.html Text of the ''Infancy Gospel of James'']

[[Category:Texts]]

Protoevangelium

2005-04-28T21:12:47Z

Tizzidale:

#REDIRECT [[Protoevangelion of James]]

Protoevangelion of James

2005-04-28T21:08:41Z

Tizzidale:

The '''''Protevangelion of James''''' also sometimes known as the '''''Gospel of James''''' or the '''''Infancy Gospel of James''''' is generally ascribed to the 2nd century AD. It is an [[apocrypha|apocryphal gospel]], that was widely read but never accepted into the New Testament canon.

The document presents itself as written by James: "I, James, wrote this history in Jerusalem." Thus the purported author is [[James the Just]], the brother of [[Jesus Christ|Jesus]]. Over one hundred and forty Greek manuscripts containing the Gospel of James have been discovered. The echoes and parallels of the Old Testament appear to derive from its use of phraseology from the [[Septuagint]]. In content, it dedicates a significant portion, not to the circumstances of Jesus’ birth, but to the birth and life of [Theotokos|Mary]. This is the earliest text that explicitly claims that [[Joseph the Betrothed|Joseph]] was a widower, with children, at the time that Mary is entrusted to his care. The first mention of it is by [[Origen]], who refers to the work as the Book of James. Many critics feel that the work is a composite of other works or existing traditions.

The ''Gospel of James'' was translated into Syriac, Ethiopic, Coptic, Georgian, Old Slavonic, Armenian, Arabic, Irish and Latin. No early Latin versions are known, but it is relegated to the apocrypha in the Gelasian decretal. As with the canonical gospels, the vast majority of the manuscripts come from the tenth century or later. The earliest known manuscript of the text, a papyrus dating to the 3rd or early 4th century, was found in 1958; it is kept in the Bodmer Library, Geneva]] (Papyrus Bodmer 5). Of the surviving Greek manuscripts, the fullest surviving text is a 10th century codex in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris (Paris 1454).

==Contents==
The contents of this gospel describe the birth and childhood of Mary, the mother of Jesus, her coming of age and betrothal to Joseph, and the birth and early childhood of Jesus. One of the work's high points is the Lament of [[Joachim and Anna|Anna]. A primary theme is the work and grace of God in Mary's life, Mary's personal purity, and her perpetual virginity before, during and after the birth of Jesus, as confirmed by the midwife after she gave birth, and tested by "Salome" who is perhaps intended for [[Salome]], later the disciple of Jesus mentioned at the [[Crucifixion]] by the author of the ''[[Gospel of Mark]]''. Though the book is not an official part of Christian canon and hence "apocryphal", the ''Gospel of James'' may be the earliest surviving document attesting the veneration of Mary and her continuing virginity (possible earlier ones being known only as quotes in later works.)

It is in three equal parts, the first eight chapters containing the story of Mary's own unique birth and childhood, the second eight chapters concerning the crisis posed by Mary's becoming a woman and thus her imminent pollution of the temple, her assignment to Joseph as guardian, and the tests of her virginity, and the last eight chapters relating the Nativity, with the visit of midwives, the hiding of Jesus from Herod in a feeding trough, and even the parallel hiding of John the Baptist from Herod in the hills with his mother [[Elizabeth]]. These legends appear to be embellishments upon the stories given in the gospels of Matthew and Luke.

Among extracanonical traditions recorded in this protevangelion are the introduction of Joseph as a widower with several children who is merely Mary's guardian, the birth of Jesus in a cave, and the martyrdom of [[John the Baptist]]'s father [[Zechariah]] during the slaughter of the infants.

== External links ==

*[http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/infancyjames.html Text of the ''Infancy Gospel of James'']

[[Category:Texts]]

Apostle James the Just

2005-04-28T21:08:18Z

Tizzidale:

Saint '''James the Just''', also called '''James Adelphos''' and '''James the Brother of Our Lord''' (died AD 62), was the first [[Bishop]] or [[Patriarch]] of [[Church of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]]. According to the [[Protoevangelion of James]], James was the son of [[Joseph the Betrothed|Joseph]] - along with the other 'brethren of the Lord' mentioned in the scripture - from a marriage prior to his betrothal to [[Theotokos|Mary]].

==Name==
[[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]], quoting from [[Hegesippus]], writes that James was "called the Just by all from the time of our Savior to the present day; for there were many that bore the name of James."

He is called '''Adelphos''' (Greek "brother"). Jesus's '[[Brethren of the Lord|brothers]]' — James as well as [[Jude Thomas|Jude]], Simon, and Joses — are mentioned in [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 13:55, [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 6:3, [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 6:14 and by [[Apostle Paul|Paul]] in [[Galatians]] 1:19.

==Life==
[[Jerome]], ''De Viris Illustribus,'' quotes Hegesippus' account of James from the fifth book of his lost ''Commentaries'':

:"After the apostles, James the brother of the Lord surnamed the Just was made head of the Church at Jerusalem. Many indeed are called James. This one was holy from his mother's womb. He drank neither wine nor strong drink, ate no flesh, never shaved or anointed himself with ointment or bathed. He alone had the privilege of entering the Holy of Holies, since indeed he did not use woolen vestments but linen and went alone into the temple and prayed in behalf of the people, insomuch that his knees were reputed to have acquired the hardness of camels' knees."

Paul further describes James as being one of the persons the risen Christ showed himself to ([[I Corinthians]] 15:3-8); then later in I Corinthians, mentions James in a way that suggests James had been married (9:5); and in [[Galatians]], Paul lists James with ''Cephas'' (better known as [[Apostle Peter|Peter]]) and [[Apostle John|John]], as the three "pillars" of the Church, and who will minister to "the circumcised" (that is the [[Jew]]s) in Jerusalem, while Paul and his fellows will minister to the Gentiles (2:9, 2:12).

[[Acts of the Apostles|Acts]] provides clear evidence that James was an important figure in the Christian community of Jerusalem. When Peter, having miraculously escaped from prison, must flee Jerusalem, he asks that James be informed (12:17). When the Christians of [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]] are concerned over whether Gentile Christians need be circumcised to be saved, they send Paul and [[Apostle Barnabas|Barnabas]] to confer with the church there, and it is James who utters the definitive judgement (15:13ff). And when Paul arrives in Jerusalem to deliver the money he raised for the faithful there, it is to James that he speaks, and who insists that Paul ritually cleanse himself (21:18).

A debated passage, often characterized as a Christian interpolation, in [[Josephus]]'s ''Jewish Antiquities'' records his death in Jerusalem as having occurred after the death of the procurator Porcius Festus, yet before Clodius Albinus took office (''Antiquities'' 20,9)— which has thus been dated to AD 62. The high priest Ananus took advantage of this lack of imperial oversight to assemble a council of judges who condemned James "on the charge of breaking the law," then had him executed by stoning. Josephus reports that Ananus' act was widely viewed as little more than judicial murder, and offended a number of "those who were considered the most fair-minded people in the City, and strict in their observance of the Law," who went as far as meeting Albinus as he entered the province to petition him about the matter. Their agitations led to Ananus being deposed as high priest.

Eusebius, while quoting Josephus' account, also records otherwise lost passages from [[Hegesippus]] (see links below), and [[Clement of Alexandria]] (''Historia Ecclesiae'', 2.23). Hegesippus' account apparently varied from what Josephus reports: the [[Pharisees]], upset at his teachings, first threw him from the summit of the Temple in Jerusalem, then stoned him, and at last broke his skull with a fuller's club.

The ''[[Gospel of James|Protevangelion of James]]'' (or ''Infancy Gospel of James''), a work of the 2nd century, also presents itself as written by James.

Saint James is commemorated on [[December 26]], along with David the King and [[Joseph the Betrothed|Saint Joseph]].

==External links==
* [http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/hegesippus.html "The martyrdom of James, the brother of the Lord"] Quotes from lost writings of [[Hegesippus]] in [[Eusebius]].
* [http://www.studylight.org/his/bc/wfj/antiquities/view.cgi?book=20&chapter=9 Flavius Josephus ''Antiquities of the Jews'' Book 20, Chapter 9]

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

Gospel of James

2005-04-28T21:05:42Z

Tizzidale:

#REDIRECT [[Protoevangelion of James]]

Protoevangelion of James

2005-04-28T21:03:24Z

Tizzidale:

The '''''Protevangelium of James''''' also sometimes known as the '''''Gospel of James''''' or the '''''Infancy Gospel of James''''' is generally ascribed to the 2nd century AD. It is an [[apocrypha|apocryphal gospel]], that was widely read but never accepted into the New Testament canon.

The document presents itself as written by James: "I, James, wrote this history in Jerusalem." Thus the purported author is [[James the Just]], the brother of [[Jesus Christ|Jesus]]. Over one hundred and forty Greek manuscripts containing the Gospel of James have been discovered. The echoes and parallels of the Old Testament appear to derive from its use of phraseology from the [[Septuagint]]. In content, it dedicates a significant portion, not to the circumstances of Jesus’ birth, but to the birth and life of [Theotokos|Mary]. This is the earliest text that explicitly claims that [[Joseph the Betrothed|Joseph]] was a widower, with children, at the time that Mary is entrusted to his care. The first mention of it is by [[Origen]], who refers to the work as the Book of James. Many critics feel that the work is a composite of other works or existing traditions.

The ''Gospel of James'' was translated into Syriac, Ethiopic, Coptic, Georgian, Old Slavonic, Armenian, Arabic, Irish and Latin. No early Latin versions are known, but it is relegated to the apocrypha in the Gelasian decretal. As with the canonical gospels, the vast majority of the manuscripts come from the tenth century or later. The earliest known manuscript of the text, a papyrus dating to the 3rd or early 4th century, was found in 1958; it is kept in the Bodmer Library, Geneva]] (Papyrus Bodmer 5). Of the surviving Greek manuscripts, the fullest surviving text is a 10th century codex in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris (Paris 1454).

==Contents==
The contents of this gospel describe the birth and childhood of Mary, the mother of Jesus, her coming of age and betrothal to Joseph, and the birth and early childhood of Jesus. One of the work's high points is the Lament of [[Joachim and Anna|Anna]. A primary theme is the work and grace of God in Mary's life, Mary's personal purity, and her perpetual virginity before, during and after the birth of Jesus, as confirmed by the midwife after she gave birth, and tested by "Salome" who is perhaps intended for [[Salome]], later the disciple of Jesus mentioned at the [[Crucifixion]] by the author of the ''[[Gospel of Mark]]''. Though the book is not an official part of Christian canon and hence "apocryphal", the ''Gospel of James'' may be the earliest surviving document attesting the veneration of Mary and her continuing virginity (possible earlier ones being known only as quotes in later works.)

It is in three equal parts, the first eight chapters containing the story of Mary's own unique birth and childhood, the second eight chapters concerning the crisis posed by Mary's becoming a woman and thus her imminent pollution of the temple, her assignment to Joseph as guardian, and the tests of her virginity, and the last eight chapters relating the Nativity, with the visit of midwives, the hiding of Jesus from Herod in a feeding trough, and even the parallel hiding of John the Baptist from Herod in the hills with his mother [[Elizabeth]]. These legends appear to be embellishments upon the stories given in the gospels of Matthew and Luke.

Among extracanonical traditions recorded in this protevangelion are the introduction of Joseph as a widower with several children who is merely Mary's guardian, the birth of Jesus in a cave, and the martyrdom of [[John the Baptist]]'s father [[Zechariah]] during the slaughter of the infants.

== External links ==

*[http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/infancyjames.html Text of the ''Infancy Gospel of James'']

[[Category:Texts]]

List of Orthodox Internet communities

2005-04-28T19:40:17Z

Tizzidale: /* Orthodox Blogs */

==Orthodox Blogs==
You might enjoy sifting through these sites which offer very personal takes on Orthodoxy. This isn't a comprehensive list, but these bloggers have formed something of an intertextual community, and you are likely to find on them links to every other Orthodox blog in the Universe, and many interesting non-Orthodox ones as well. A more comprehensive and up-to-date list can probably be found at the webring for Orthodox Bloggers.

* Chris J. Davis .org
* [http://www.chrysostom.org/andrew/ Andrew Stephen Damick] Antiochian Seminarian
* [http://www.doxos.com Doxos] by Huw Raphael
* [http://glenrosefarm.blogspot.com/ Glen Rose Farm] - “Notes from a Hillside Farm; being Musings and Observations on Life, Letters, and our Most Holy Faith, by a Lawyer, Sheep-farmer, and Communicant of the Orthodox Church

List of Orthodox Internet communities

2005-04-28T19:39:38Z

Tizzidale: /* Orthodox Blogs */

User:Tizzidale

2005-04-28T19:35:12Z

Tizzidale:

==About Me==
[[Image:rusty.jpg|right|frame|My ugly mug]]I am a mere [[catechumen]] at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Clinton, MS. I am a convert from Pentecostalism - specifically the Assemblies of God. I have a blog, My Journey to Orthodoxy, and I love OrthodoxWiki. I appreciate having such a great resource.

==Outside Links==
*[http://www.holyres.net Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecostalism Pentecostalism]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assemblies_of_God Assemblies of God]
*[http://www.orthodox-journey.blogspot.com My Journey to Orthodoxy]

User:Tizzidale

2005-04-28T17:31:12Z

Tizzidale:

==About Me==
[[Image:rusty.jpg|right|frame|My ugly mug]]I am a mere catechumen at [http://www.holyres.net Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church] in Clinton, MS. I am a convert from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecostalism Pentecostalism] - specifically the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assemblies_of_God Assemblies of God]. I have a blog, [http://www.orthodox-journey.blogspot.com My Journey to Orthodoxy], and I love OrthodoxWiki. I appreciate having such a great resource.

File:Rusty.jpg

2005-04-28T17:28:52Z

Tizzidale: Picture of tizzidale

Picture of tizzidale

User:Tizzidale

2005-04-28T17:02:03Z

Tizzidale:

==About Me==
I am a mere catechumen at [http://www.holyres.net Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church] in Clinton, MS. I am a convert from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecostalism Pentecostalism] - specifically the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assemblies_of_God Assemblies of God]. I have a blog, [http://www.orthodox-journey.blogspot.com My Journey to Orthodoxy], and I love OrthodoxWiki. I appreciate having such a great resource.

Apostle James the Just

2005-04-28T03:53:51Z

Tizzidale:

Saint '''James the Just''' also called '''James Adelphos''' and '''James the Brother of Our Lord'''(died AD 62) was the first [[Bishop]] or [[Patriarch]] of the [[Church of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]]. According to the [[Gospel of James|Protevangelium]], James was the son of [[Joseph the Betrothed|Joseph]] - along with the other 'brethren of the Lord' mentioned in the scripture - from a marriage prior to his betrothment to [[Theotokos|Mary]].

==Name==
[[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]], quoting from [[Hegesippus]] writes that James was “called the Just by all from the time of our Savior to the present day; for there were many that bore the name of James.

Apostle James the Just

2005-04-28T03:50:52Z

Tizzidale:

Saint '''James the Just''' also called '''James Adelphos''' and '''James the Brother of Our Lord'''(died AD 62) was the first [[bishop]] or [[patriarch]] of the [[Church of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]. According to the [[Gospel of James|Protevangelium], James was the son of [[Joseph the Betrothed|Joseph]] - along with the other 'brethren of the Lord' mentioned in the scripture - from a marriage prior to his betrothment to [[Theotokos|Mary]].

==Name==
[[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]], quoting from [[Hegesippus]] writes that James was “called the Just by all from the time of our Savior to the present day; for there were many that bore the name of James.

Apostle James the Just

2005-04-28T03:49:29Z

Tizzidale:

Apostle James the Just

2005-04-28T03:48:48Z

Tizzidale:

Joseph the Betrothed

2005-04-28T02:11:25Z

Tizzidale:

'''St. Joseph the Betrothed''', also referred to as '''Joseph of Nazareth''', was the foster-father of [[Jesus Christ]], according to the [[New Testament]] ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 1:16; [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 3:23). Not much is known of Joseph except that he was "of the House of David" and lived in the town of Nazareth. His date of death is unknown, though he was still living when Jesus was 12 years old.

He was betrothed to the [[Theotokos|Virgin Mary]] at the time that Mary conceived Jesus. Luke says that he lived at Nazareth in Galilee (Luke 2:4); however, according to Matthew, it was only after the return from Egypt that he settled in [[Nazareth]] (Matthew 2:23). He is called a "just man". He was by trade a carpenter (Matthew 13:55). He is last mentioned in connection with the journey to Jerusalem, when Jesus was twelve years old. It is probable that Joseph died before Jesus entered on his public ministry because only Mary was present at the marriage feast in Cana of [[Galilee]], and he is not described at the [[crucifixion]] along with Mary ([[Gospel of John|John]] 19:25). In addition [[Joseph of Arimathea]] asked for the body of Jesus, a duty that would have fallen to Saint Joseph had he been alive.

[[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] is described as being the brother of [[James the Just|James]], [[Joses|Joses]], [[Jude Thomas|Jude]], and Simon, and several sisters ([[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 6:3; Matthew 13:55). A tradition at least as early as the second century, still adopted by [[Eastern Orthodoxy]], explains that these "brothers and sisters" were from Joseph's marriage to an unnamed woman, before Joseph married Mary and so making them step-brothers and step-sisters.

That Jesus commended Mary to the care of [[Apostle John|John the Evangelist]] while he was hanging on the cross has been interpreted to also suggest that Joseph had died by that time, and that Joseph and Mary did not have any other children who might care for Mary.

In many [[icon]]s of the [[Nativity]], Joseph is shown being tempted by the [[Devil]] (depicted as an old man with furled wings) to break off his betrothal, and resisting that temptation.

Also in the imagery of the Christian church, statues of Joseph depict his staff topped with flowers, recalling the [[Gospel of James|Protevangelion]]'s account of how Mary's spouse was chosen. Among the collected walking sticks of widowers in Israel, Joseph was distinguished when his staff burst into flower.

Saint Joseph is commemorated on [[December 26]], along with David the King and [[James the Just|James the Brother of our Lord]].

==External links==
*[http://www.oca.org/QA.asp?ID=115&SID=3 Q&A about St. Joseph] from the [http://www.oca.org Orthodox Church in America]

*[http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/infancyjames.html Translations of the Protevangelium of James] from [http://www.earlychristianwritings.com Early Christian Writings]

[[Category:Saints]]

Joseph the Betrothed

2005-04-27T05:31:21Z

Tizzidale:

'''St. Joseph the Betrothed''', also referred to as '''Joseph of Nazareth''', was the foster-father of [[Jesus Christ]], according to the [[New Testament]] ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 1:16; [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 3:23). Not much is known of Joseph except that he was "of the House of David" and lived in the town of Nazareth. His date of death is unknown, though he was still living when Jesus was 12 years old.

He was betrothed to the [[Theotokos|Virgin Mary]] at the time that Mary conceived Jesus. Luke says that he lived at Nazareth in Galilee (Luke 2:4); however, according to Matthew, it was only after the return from Egypt that he settled in [[Nazareth]] (Matthew 2:23). He is called a "just man". He was by trade a carpenter (Matthew 13:55). He is last mentioned in connection with the journey to Jerusalem, when Jesus was twelve years old. It is probable that Joseph died before Jesus entered on his public ministry because only Mary was present at the marriage feast in Cana of [[Galilee]], and he is not described at the [[crucifixion]] along with Mary ([[Gospel of John|John]] 19:25). In addition [[Joseph of Arimathea]] asked for the body of Jesus, a duty that would have fallen to Saint Joseph had he been alive.

[[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] is described as being the brother of [[James the Just|James]], [[Joses|Joses]], [[Jude Thomas|Jude]], and Simon, and several sisters ([[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 6:3; Matthew 13:55). A tradition at least as early as the second century, still adopted by [[Eastern Orthodoxy]], explains that these "brothers and sisters" were from Joseph's marriage to an unnamed woman, before Joseph married Mary and so making them step-brothers and step-sisters.

That Jesus commended Mary to the care of [[Apostle John|John the Evangelist]] while he was hanging on the cross has been interpreted to also suggest that Joseph had died by that time, and that Joseph and Mary did not have any other children who might care for Mary.

In many [[icon]]s of the [[Nativity]], Joseph is shown being tempted by the [[Devil]] (depicted as an old man with furled wings) to break off his betrothal, and resisting that temptation.

Also in the imagery of the Christian church, statues of Joseph depict his staff topped with flowers, recalling the [[Gospel of James|Protevangelion]]'s account of how Mary's spouse was chosen. Among the collected walking sticks of widowers in Israel, Joseph was distinguished when his staff burst into flower.

Saint Joseph is commemorated on [[December 26]], along with David the King and [[James the Brother of our Lord]].

==External links==
*[http://www.oca.org/QA.asp?ID=115&SID=3 Q&A about St. Joseph] from the [http://www.oca.org Orthodox Church in America]

*[http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/infancyjames.html Translations of the Protevangelium of James] from [http://www.earlychristianwritings.com Early Christian Writings]

[[Category:Saints]]

Joseph the Betrothed

2005-04-27T05:23:55Z

Tizzidale:

'''St. Joseph the Betrothed''', also referred to '''Joseph of Nazareth''', was the foster-father of [[Jesus Christ]], according to the [[New Testament]] ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 1:16; [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 3:23). Not much is known of Joseph except that he was "of the House of David" and lived in the town of Nazareth. His date of death is unknown, though he was still living when Jesus was 12 years old.

He was betrothed to the [[Theotokos|Virgin Mary]] at the time that Mary conceived Jesus. Luke says that he lived at Nazareth in Galilee (Luke 2:4); however, according to Matthew, it was only after the return from Egypt that he settled in [[Nazareth]] (Matthew 2:23). He is called a "just man". He was by trade a carpenter (Matthew 13:55). He is last mentioned in connection with the journey to Jerusalem, when Jesus was twelve years old. It is probable that Joseph died before Jesus entered on his public ministry because only Mary was present at the marriage feast in Cana of [[Galilee]], and he is not described at the [[crucifixion]] along with Mary ([[Gospel of John|John]] 19:25). In addition [[Joseph of Arimathea]] asked for the body of Jesus, a duty that would have fallen to Saint Joseph had he been alive.

[[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] is described as being the brother of [[James the Just|James]], [[Joses|Joses]], [[Jude Thomas|Jude]], and Simon, and several sisters ([[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 6:3; Matthew 13:55). A tradition at least as early as the second century, still adopted by [[Eastern Orthodoxy]], explains that these "brothers and sisters" were from Joseph's marriage to an unnamed woman, before Joseph married Mary and so making them step-brothers and step-sisters.

That Jesus commended Mary to the care of [[Apostle John|John the Evangelist]] while he was hanging on the cross has been interpreted to also suggest that Joseph had died by that time, and that Joseph and Mary did not have any other children who might care for Mary.

In many [[icon]]s of the [[Nativity]], Joseph is shown being tempted by the [[Devil]] (depicted as an old man with furled wings) to break off his betrothal, and resisting that temptation.

Also in the imagery of the Christian church, statues of Joseph depict his staff topped with flowers, recalling the [[Gospel of James|Protevangelion]]'s account of how Mary's spouse was chosen. Among the collected walking sticks of widowers in Israel, Joseph was distinguished when his staff burst into flower.

Saint Joseph is commemorated on [[December 26]], along with David the King and [[James the Brother of our Lord]].

==External links==
*[http://www.oca.org/QA.asp?ID=115&SID=3 Q&A about St. Joseph] from the [http://www.oca.org Orthodox Church in America]

*[http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/infancyjames.html Translations of the Protevangelium of James] from [http://www.earlychristianwritings.com Early Christian Writings]

[[Category:Saints]]

Joseph the Betrothed

2005-04-27T05:20:36Z

Tizzidale:

'''St. Joseph the betrothed''', also referred to '''Joseph of Nazareth''', was the foster-father of [[Jesus Christ]], according to the [[New Testament]] ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 1:16; [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 3:23). Not much is known of Joseph except that he was "of the House of David" and lived in the town of Nazareth. His date of death is unknown, though he was still living when Jesus was 12 years old.

He was betrothed to the [[Theotokos|Virgin Mary]] at the time that Mary conceived Jesus. Luke says that he lived at Nazareth in Galilee (Luke 2:4); however, according to Matthew, it was only after the return from Egypt that he settled in [[Nazareth]] (Matthew 2:23). He is called a "just man". He was by trade a carpenter (Matthew 13:55). He is last mentioned in connection with the journey to Jerusalem, when Jesus was twelve years old. It is probable that Joseph died before Jesus entered on his public ministry because only Mary was present at the marriage feast in Cana of [[Galilee]], and he is not described at the [[crucifixion]] along with Mary ([[Gospel of John|John]] 19:25). In addition [[Joseph of Arimathea]] asked for the body of Jesus, a duty that would have fallen to Saint Joseph had he been alive.

[[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] is described as being the brother of [[James the Just|James]], [[Joses|Joses]], [[Jude Thomas|Jude]], and Simon, and several sisters ([[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 6:3; Matthew 13:55). A tradition at least as early as the second century, still adopted by [[Eastern Orthodoxy]], explains that these "brothers and sisters" were from Joseph's marriage to an unnamed woman, before Joseph married Mary and so making them step-brothers and step-sisters.

That Jesus commended Mary to the care of [[Apostle John|John the Evangelist]] while he was hanging on the cross has been interpreted to also suggest that Joseph had died by that time, and that Joseph and Mary did not have any other children who might care for Mary.

In many [[icon]]s of the [[Nativity]], Joseph is shown being tempted by the [[Devil]] (depicted as an old man with furled wings) to break off his betrothal, and resisting that temptation.

Also in the imagery of the Christian church, statues of Joseph depict his staff topped with flowers, recalling the [[Gospel of James|Protevangelion]]'s account of how Mary's spouse was chosen. Among the collected walking sticks of widowers in Israel, Joseph was distinguished when his staff burst into flower.

Saint Joseph is commemorated on [[December 26]], along with David the King and [[James the Brother of our Lord]].

==External links==
*[http://www.oca.org/QA.asp?ID=115&SID=3 Q&A about St. Joseph] from the [http://www.oca.org Orthodox Church in America]

[[Category:Saints]]

Environmental ethics

2005-04-27T04:40:52Z

Tizzidale: /* Other helpful articles */

There is a myth that Christianity is responsible for ecological destruction: by placing Man at the center of creation, by claiming dominion for him over the rest of the visible world, the Church has opened the door to widespread devastation of the environment.

But Christianity does not say that man can do whatever he wants to the environment, to other creatures. He is only a steward, and will be held accountable to God for his works. The world was not given for us to abuse or destroy, but to tend and nurture. The cosmos is alive with the glory of God, and the Christian teaching is that we should regard it with awe and wonder, and show reverence for all of life.

The view that we may treat the world as a machine, to exploit to our own ends, is a product of the "Enlightenment" and the Industrial age, not of Christianity, and is ultimately self-destructive.

==Orthodox Books==
{{stub}}

==Other helpful articles==
*[http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/misc/miscellaneous.htm#environment Articles on the Environment] from the [http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org Orthodox Research Institute]

*[http://www.ec-patr.gr/docdisplay.php?lang=en&cat=10 Ecological Activities of the Ecumenical Patriarchate] from the [http://www.ec-patr.gr/default.php?lang=en Official Ecumenical Patriarchate Website]

[[Category:Ethics]]