On The Nativity Of The Theotokos - By St. Dimitri of Rostov

Homily On The Nativity Of The Most Pure Theotokos

Which is Celebrated in the Orthodox Church on September 8

By St. Dimitri, Metropolitan of Rostov

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

The Lord, Who lives in the heavens, wishing to appear on earth and abide with men, first prepared a dwelling place of His glory: His Most Pure Mother. For it is the custom of kings that in whatsoever city they desire to live, a place of residence be prepared for them beforehand. And as the palaces of earthly kings are constructed by the most skilled craftsmen, of the most costly materials, and on the most elevated sights, which are more beautiful and spacious than all the other dwellings of men, in the same manner the palace of the King of Glory must be erected [3 Kings 6]. In the Old Testament, when God desired to dwell in Jerusalem, Solomon built a temple for Him, employing Hiram, a most wise master, who possessed full knowledge of every art and science, and was skilled in every enterprise. He constructed the temple with materials of great value: with costly stone, with aromatic woods of cedar and cypress brought from Lebanon, with pure gold, and upon a high place: that is, upon Mount Moriah [2 Chr. 3]. The temple was of great beauty. On its walls were portrayed the likeness of cherubims, and of various trees and flowers. The temple was so spacious that the whole Israelite people could be accommodated without crowding, and the glory of the Lord would descend in fire and a cloud [2 Chr. 7]. Nevertheless, that temple did not suffice to contain within itself the Uncontainable God, for even though Solomon built Him a temple, "The Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands. 'What house will ye build me', saith the Lord: 'or what is the place of my rest?'" [Acts 7]

At the beginning of the new era of grace, the Lord was pleased to create a temple not made by hands: the Most Pure, Most Blessed Virgin Mary. By what builder was this temple erected? In truth, by One most wise; by the very Wisdom of God, as the Scripture says, "Wisdom hath built itself a temple" [Prov. 9]. All things created by the Wisdom of God are good and perfect, therefore, as it was the Wisdom of God that created the living temple of the Word (as she saith of herself through the words of the Holy Spirit, "The Lord established me in the beginning of His way") it was not possible that in her there could be any sort of imperfection or sin. The Perfect God created a perfect temple; the Most Radiant King, a most radiant palace; for the Most Pure and Undefiled Bridegroom, a bridal chamber most pure and undefiled; for the Spotless Lamb, an unsullied dwelling place. A Faithful Witness abiding in the heavens said to her, "You are most fair, my love; there is no spot in you" [Song of Songs 4]. And Saint John the Damascene says, "She is wholly the bridal chamber of the Spirit, wholly the city of God, a sea of Grace, wholly good, close to God."1

With what materials was this palace built? In truth, with the most costly, for she, being like precious stone, was of royal lineage, descended from David, who placed a stone in his sling, and with it killed Goliath. The stone foreshadowed the Stone that is Christ, fashioned, as it were, from aromatic woods, of cedar and cypress. The Virgin Theotokos was born of priestly ancestors as well, who offered God sweet smelling sacrifices. Her father, the Holy Righteous Joachim, was the son of Barpather, who traced his ancestry to Nathan, the son of David. Her mother, the Holy Righteous Anna, was the daughter of Matthan the priest, who was of the line of Aaron. Thus, the Most Pure Virgin was by her father of royal descent, and by her mother, of high priestly lineage. Of what precious materials, from what an ancestry was the most illustrious, animate palace of the King of Glory fashioned! As structures built of stone and wood in Solomon's palace were esteemed all the more for the pure gold with which they were covered, so in the case of the Nativity of the Most Pure Theotokos, the nobility of her royal and high-priestly lineage is rendered yet more honorable by the chastity of her holy parents, which is more to be valued "than thousands of gold and silver. She is more precious than costly stones, and nothing that is dear is to be compared to her" [Prov. 3], for the Most Pure Virgin was born of parents possessed of chastity, which is loftier than all nobility, as the Holy Damascene testifies, writing of the Righteous Ancestors of God thus, "O blessed couple Joachim and Anna! Truly, by the fruit of your loins are you known to be blameless, according to the words of the Lord, 'You shall know them by their fruits' [Matt. 7]. You ordered your lives in a manner pleasing to God, and worthy of her who was born of you. Having lived in chastity and righteousness, you brought forth the treasury of virginity, the Virgin, who was a virgin before giving birth, as she gave birth, and even after she gave birth. She alone, being in mind and soul and body ever a virgin, abides always in virginity. It was fitting that this virginity, be born of chastity. Like a pair of doves, Joachim and Anna! You, having chastely observed the laws of nature, have been granted by God that which is above nature, and have brought into the world the Virgin Mother of God. While in the flesh, you have piously and virtuously borne a daughter who is higher than the angels and reigns over them. Most fair and sweet Daughter! Lily, sprung up in the midst of tares from a root most noble and august! By you the royal priesthood has been enriched!" With words such as these does the Holy Damascene clearly indicate the manner of parents who bore the Mother of God, and of what costly materials the palace of the Heavenly King was erected.

Where was this living palace built? In a most exalted place, as the Church testifies, saying,"Truly you are higher than all things, O Pure Virgin."2 Nevertheless, it was not so in respect to locality, but rather her virtues and God's benefactions. The place where the Most Blessed Virgin was born was a little town in the land of Galilee called Nazareth, which was subject to the city of Capernaum. It was inglorious and obscure, and its inhabitants were held in disdain, even as it was once said of Christ, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth" [Jn. 1]? But the Lord, "Who dwells on high and looks down on things that are lowly" [Ps. 112], was well pleased that His Most Pure Mother be born not in Capernaum, which in its pride was lifted up to heaven, but rather in humble Nazareth, indicating that that "which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God" [Lk. 16], while that which is despised and disdained by them is regarded by Him as lofty and honorable. Moreover, by its very name Nazareth hints the height of the virtues of the Most Pure Virgin. For as by His nativity in Bethlehem, which name means "House of Bread", the Lord mystically signified that He is the Bread come down from heaven for the life and strength of men. So by the birth of His Most Pure Mother in Nazareth He denotes sublime things. For the name "Nazareth" means a blossoming place, sacred, removed from the things of this world, adorned as it were, with a crown, and guarded. All these epithets are clearly applicable to the Most Pure Virgin, for she is the flower sprung up from the withered tree of a barren and aged womb, which has renewed our nature which has shriveled with age. She is the flower which does not wilt, but ever blossoms with virginity. She is the most fragrant flower, giving birth to the fragrance of the only King. She is the flower which bears the Fruit which is Christ the Lord, the flower which alone has borne the fragrant Apple. She is sanctified by the grace of the Holy Spirit which has descended upon her and has overshadowed her. She is the holiest of all the saints, as she has borne the Word, Who Himself is more holy than all the Saints. She is excluded from the ranks of the sinners of this world, for throughout her life not even once did she know sin. All of us must say with David, "I know mine iniquity and my sin is ever before me" [Ps. 50], but she alone can say, "Without iniquity I ran, and directed my steps" [Ps. 58]. She is the guide of all men, who hath not only committed no sin herself, but also turns sinners from wicked deeds, even as the Church cries out to her, "Rejoice, you who dost rescues us from the works of mire."3 She is crowned with glory and honor; crowned with glory, because she has blossomed from a royal root; crowned with honor, because she has sprung from a high-priestly line. She is crowned with glory, having come forth from glorious, chaste and righteous parents. She is crowned with honor, for she was esteemed worthy of the Angel's glad tidings and his attendance. She is crowned with glory, as the Mother of God, for what could be more glorious than to bear God? She is crowned with honor as the Ever-Virgin, for what could be more honorable than to remain a virgin even after giving birth? She is crowned with glory, more glorious than the Seraphim, possessed of love for God like that of the Seraphim. She is crowned with honor, more honorable than the Cherubim, having surpassed the Seraphim in wisdom and knowledge of the Divinity. "Glory, honor and peace to every man who works good" [Rom. 2], says the Apostle, and who among the earthborn surpasses the Most Pure Virgin in deeds of virtue? Having fulfilled all the commandments of the Lord, having done all His will, observed all His injunctions, kept all His sayings in her heart, and performed every sort of good deed to her neighbors, she is worthy to be crowned, as one who works all manner of good. She is likewise a repository, in which the treasure of her virginal chastity is guarded so carefully, that not even unto the Angel did she wish to entrust it. Upon seeing the Angel, she was troubled at his words, and considered in her mind what manner of salutation this might be. All these things concerning the Most Pure Virgin are signified by the Name "Nazareth."

Who would not affirm that lofty palace of Christ has been greatly exalted through her virtues and God's blessings? She is exalted, for she has been bestowed on us from heaven, albeit she was born on earth of earthly parents. She was bestowed from heaven, for as certain theologians say, the Archangel Gabriel, who brought glad tidings to Zacharias concerning John, and who likewise announced to Joachim and Anna the conception of the Theotokos, conveyed from heaven her most blessed name, saying unto her barren mother, "Anna, Anna, you shall bear a most blessed daughter, and her name shall be Mary." Undoubtedly, she can be called the holy city; the new Jerusalem, descended from God out of heaven, and the tabernacle of God in men's midst [Rev. 21]. Lofty is this divine tabernacle, for having borne Christ the King, it is exalted above the Seraphim. O "height hard to climb for the thoughts of men!"4

With what sort of beauty is this noetic palace of Christ adorned? Listen to the sweet words John of Damascus, who speaks of her thus, "She was offered to God, the King of All, clad in the splendor of virtues, as it were, in a vesture of gold, and adorned in the grace of the Holy Spirit. All her glory is within, for while every wife derives glory from without, from her husband, the glory of the Theotokos is from within, that is to say, the Fruit of her womb. And again he says, "O Virgin, full of God's grace, O holy temple of God, which Solomon who created the world has erected and in which He has dwelt! Not with gold, nor with inanimate stones are you adorned. In stead of gold, the Spirit shines in you; in place of precious stones, you have Christ within you, the Pearl of great price. Such is the adornment of this palace, the beauty of which far exceeds that of Solomon's temple, in which were depicted the Cherubim, trees, and flowers. Likewise, in this animate temple, in the Most Pure Virgin, a semblance to the Cherubim may be seen; for by her manner of life, which was like that of the Cherubim, she was not only the equal of the Cherubim, but surpassed them. If the Church frequently refers to other Saints as Cherubim, singing, "What shall we call you, O Saints? Cherubim, for Christ has rested upon you,"5 how much more is the Virgin Theotokos like a Cherub? For within her Christ abode in the flesh, and in her most immaculate hands God sat as though upon a throne: Therefore is she called a Cherubic throne. Moreover, in her person the likeness of fertile trees is depicted, for spiritually she is like a fruitful olive tree or a blooming date-palm in the house of the Lord [Ps. 51]. Therefore, she is now called the life-giving garden, as the Church sings , "From a barren root the God of wonders has made a life-bearing garden to spring up for us: His Mother."6 All this is said in respect to her spiritual beauty, but she was not lacking in physical beauty. Many of the teachers of the Church testify that there has never been, nor shall ever be a virgin as fair as the Virgin Theotokos. When Saint Dionysius the Areopagite saw her, he would have called her God, had he not known that God was born of her. Divine grace, with which she was filled, shone forth brilliantly from her face. Such was the palace which the Heavenly King prepared beforehand on earth! She was beautiful in both soul and body, "as a bride adorned for her husband" [Rev. 21], and, what is more, exceeding spacious: "Your womb He made more spacious than the heavens", and therein Christ, God uncontainable, has been contained.

Palaces are usually constructed in such a manner that not only the King, but a multitude of his attendant servants and those who come to him from throughout the world may by amply accommodated. The spacious abode of the Word, the Most Pure Virgin, accommodates not only God the Word as King, but also us His servants, who draw close to God, Who dwells in her. She contains both God and us in her womb, in her compassionate bosom. The chosen and holy vessel, the Apostle Paul, moved by compassion, said to his beloved, spiritual children, "Our heart is enlarged; ye are not straitened in us" [2 Cor. 6]. In which of the Saints may be found such all-embracing, Divine compassion as in the Virgin Mary? Here the chaste are accommodated, and the sinner is not excluded. Here the penitent has his place, while he who is despairing and unrepentant has a refuge like a new ark which shelters not only clean, but unclean animals as well; its entrance is not barred. Her compassion easily accommodates all those who sorrow, who are offended, who hunger, who are strangers, who are troubled, and who are sick. For it is not possible for her to be lacking in mercy, whose womb bore for us the Gracious God.

The palaces of earthly kings are guarded by armed guards, who do not allow everyone desirous to enter therein to do so, but rather stop and carefully question everyone as to why they have come. But as for the living palace of Christ, although she is surrounded by Cherubim and Seraphim, by the innumerable choirs of Angels, and by all the Saints, at the doors of her compassionate mercy no one hinders anyone who is desirous of entering, neither do the guards expel anyone, nor do soldiers drive anyone away after having questioned him as to why he has come, but having prayerfully entered, he receives a gift which profits him according to his petition. Thus, let us hasten to the compassionate bosom of her who was born of a barren womb, hailing her thus, "Rejoice, O immaculate palace of the King of All! Rejoice, dwelling place of God and of the Word! To Him, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and to you, O Daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son, and Bride of the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory from us mortals unto the ages, Amen.

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1. All quotes by St. John the Damascene are taken from his Homily on the Nativity of the Most Pure Theotokos.

2. Canon for the Feast of the Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos, Ode 9.

3. Akathist to the Theotokos, Oikos 5.

4. Ibid, Oikos 1.

5. Sticheron to the Martyrs from the Octoechos, Aposticha in Tone 8 for Friday.

6. From the Sticheron of Vespers for the feast.

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On Temptations, Sorrow and Despair

From the Writings of St. Isaace the Syrian

*Just as the eyebrows approach each other, so are the temptations close to men. It was the economy of God to be so, with wisdom that we may receive benefit: namely, through knocking persistently, because of the sorrows, on the door of God's mercy and to enter into your mind, due to the fear of grievous events, the seed of the memory of God, so that you may approach Him with supplications and your heart be sanctified through the continuous remembrance of Him. And while you ask Him, He will listen.

* The person walking the road of God must thank Him for all the sorrows that he faces, and to accuse and dishonor his negligent self, and know that the Lord who loves and looks after him, would not have allowed the grievous things to happen to wake his mind up, if he had somehow not been negligent. God may have allowed some sorrow because man has become proud and consequently he should understand and let him not become disturbed but find the cause within himself, so that the affliction may not double up, namely to suffer and not wish to be treated. "In God who is the source of justice there is no injustice". May we not think otherwise.

* Do not avoid the sorrows, because being helped by them you learn the truth and love of God well. And do not fear the temptations (negative experiences) for through them you discover treasures. Pray that you may not enter into spiritual temptations, while for the bodily ones, prepare to face them with all your strength, for without them you cannot approach God. Through them comes the divine rest. Whoever avoids the bodily temptations avoids virtue.

* Without temptations the providence of God for man does not manifest itself, and it is impossible without them to receive the boldness in God and learn the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and moreover, it will not be possible to anchor the divine love in your soul. Before the arrival of temptations, man prays to God as a stranger. From the moment however he enters into temptations for the love of God and does not change opinion, let's say, he has God duty bound towards him and God considers him a genuine friend. For he fought and conquered the enemy, to fulfill the will of God.

* God does not grant any big grace without a big temptation preceding it. For according to the severity of the temptations the graces were ordained by the wisdom of God, which men normally do not understand. By the measure of the great sorrows that the providence of God sends you, you understand the great value that His magnanimity grants you. For according to the sorrow you experience is the consolation you will receive.

* If you ask me what is the reason for all these (temptations), I will answer you: your negligence, for you did not bother to find the cure. The cure of all of them is one, and with it man's soul finds immediately the consolation it longs for. But what is the cure? "It is the humility of the heart". Without it, it is impossible to destroy the fence of temptations. In the contrary you will discover that the temptations become stronger and weaken you.

* According to the level of humility, God gives you the strength to endure calamities. And according to the measure of your patience, the weight of your sorrows becomes light and so you are consoled. And as you are consoled so does your love for God increases. And as much as you love God that much greater the joy of the Holy Spirit bestows on you. Our compassionate God wishing to bring the temptation of His true children to a good end, does not take but instead gives them the strength to endure. "All these gifts (consolation, love, joy) the strugglers acquire as fruit of their patience" for their souls to arrive at perfection. I wish our Christ and God to make us worthy through His grace to endure the bitterness of temptations for His love and with gratitude of our heart. Amen.

* The saints show their love to God indeed, by their suffering in His name. When for example He sends them sorrows, without however distancing Himself from them, for He loves them. Through this suffering love their heart obtains boldness, so that they may approach Him freely and with conviction that their supplications will be heard and realized. The power of prayer that has boldness is great. That is why He allows His saints to experience every sorrow and acquire experience and be assured of His help and how much He provides and cares for them. This way they acquire wisdom and good sense from temptations, that they may not become negligent, that they may not lack spiritual asceticism on both good and bad, and thus receive through their trials the knowledge of all things they would need. For otherwise they will be swept away by ignorance and will become the mockery of demons. For if they exercised only in the good things and had no experience of struggles with the evil, they would have gone to war totally unprepared.

* Man cannot taste and value the good, if previously he did not experience the bitterness of the temptations.

* Men come to the true knowledge, when God deprives them of His power and makes them to co-experience the human weakness and the difficulty that temptations cause, the cunningness of the enemy, and what adversary they have to fight and how much they have advanced and progressed in virtue, and that without the power of God they are weak towards any passion. God does this, that they may receive from all these negative experiences true humility, and to approach close to Him and wait for His certain help and to pray with patience. So where could they learn all these but through the experience of many sorrows which He allows for them to experience? For this way one acquires stable faith through these sorrows while he is assured of the divine help that he many times receives during his struggles.

* The strugglers, therefore, are tempted that they may increase their spiritual wealth; the negligent though to protect themselves from whatever hurts them; the slumberous that they may be awakened; the distant ones that they may approach God; and the friends of God that they may enter His holy abode with boldness. A son inexperienced in life cannot manage the wealth of his father and help him. For this, in the beginning God sends difficulties and hardships to His children and then He reveals His gifts. Like little children become frightened of scary sights and run, grabbing at the dress of their parents and asking for their help, so does the soul; the more upset and saddened by the fear of temptation the more it runs and clings to God and begs Him with unceasing supplications. And as temptations fall on it, one after the other, that much more it prays. However, when they stop and it recovers its comforts, normally it loses touch with reality and distances from God.

* The sorrows and dangers kill sensuality, while good times and indifference feed it. For this both God and the holy angels are joyful in our sorrows, while the devil and his accomplices are joyful when we are lazy and have a good time.

* Leave your cares to God and in all your difficulties judge yourself, for you, yourself, are the cause for all.

* All the sad occasions and sorrows will torment us doubly if we have no patience. For with patience man turns away the bitterness of afflictions, while pusillanimity gives birth to the despair of hell. Patience is the mother of consolation; it is spiritual power that is born of a broad heart. It is difficult for man to find this power during sorrows, if he does not have the divine grace, which he acquires through persistent prayers and with tears.


From the Writings of St. Mark the Ascetic

* Sorrows bring good returns to man, while vanity and pleasures bring evil things.

* The accusations of people cause sadness in the heart, but they become the reason for determination to him who persists.

* If by chance you were harmed, accused and persecuted by someone, do not think of the present but look toward the future. You will then perceive that these have brought forth good, not only in this life but also in the future one and without end.

* As bitter medicines are beneficial to sick men, so too they are for the bad people of whom some are led to a healthy soul; and for others, sickness prepares them for repentance.

* All sorrows that happen in this temporary life, compare them with the goods of eternal life and you shall not be found negligent in the struggle of this life.

* He who consciously avoids sorrows for the truth, whether willingly or unwillingly, will suffer greatly by Divine Providence.

* Patience is a great virtue during the various trials that will come to us, and in parallel our love to those that hate us.

* Virtue without sorrow is untested because it is born of no sorrows.

* In sorrows God rests, in comforts the devil who is the cause of all evil. Temptations are always beneficial, suffice we endure them with fortitude and praises to God.

* Avoid temptations with patience and prayer. If you wish to confront a temptation without these, it will come back at you much stronger.


From the Writings of Elder Epiphanios Theodoropoulos

* Events that now appear as calamities, later prove God's blessings.

* If there were no sorrows we would not seek paradise.

* We should accept sorrows like we accept the suffering of a surgery in order to regain our health. Hardship humbles man and the more he becomes humble, the closer he approaches God.

* In the great sorrows only God can console us. For this, the best thing is prayer and not so much words of consolation.

* Question: Elder, why does God allow just and virtuous men to suffer horrible sicknesses?
Answer: That they may be cleansed from even the slightest traces of passions and that they may receive a greater crown in heaven. Besides, since He allowed His beloved Son to suffer and die upon the Cross, what can we say about people, who, no matter how saintly they may be, they bear filth and stains from sin?

* The greatest asceticism is to bear without groaning whatever comes our way in this valley of tears. He who persists to the end is saved.

* If you suffer sorrows with forbearance, you testify of your loyalty to Christ, your devotion to the Saviour and your love for Him, who was resurrected from the dead and calls us to approach Him.

* Under no circumstances allow any sorrow to overwhelm you. Depression is the executioner that deadens the spiritual effort which is necessary for the acquisition of the Holy Spirit in the heart. A depressed man loses the capacity to pray and is dead for the spiritual struggles.

* With complete trust let us cry out and live the [call of the Divine Liturgy]: "We commit ourselves and each other and all our lives to Christ our God".


From the Writings of Elder Ieronymos of Aegina

* Let is entrust our life to God, and may it be done as He wishes. Whatever the outcome may be for us, that's the one that is for our good. For God does not want the perdition of man, but his salvation. There is no need for despair, rather we should have courage and hope in God. Despair is disbelief. He who sincerely believes in God never despairs. You despair because you don't believe in the power of God, Who governs all things.

* Without God, we cannot do anything. Excessive sorrow, and despair, are of the tempter.... Always say, 'May Thy will be done.' Have joy and sorrow as guests, but not despair. No matter how much sorrow the evil one brings, say, 'I have my Christ. He was crucified for me and loves me.'

* When you have a difficult case, you hand it over to the lawyer; and you don't speak, he speaks for you. And so it is now. Entrust what bothers you to God, and He will take it over. Run to our Christ, implore Him to give you strength, do not despair. You are the work of His hands. He will help you.

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Saint John of Novgorod Receives Miraculous Aid from the Theotokos

Saint John of Novgorod with his brother Gabriel praying to the Theotokos (Feast Day - September 7)

From the Life of Saint John of Novgorod (12th cent.) written by Saint Dimitri Rostov (18th cent.):

As John loved a life of silence and quiet, he wished to be clothed in the monastic schema and decided to found a monastery with the inheritance he had received from his parents. Upon the advice of his brother Gabriel, he first built a wooden church dedicated to the most pure Mother of God, in memory of the honorable Annunciation. Having surrounded the monastery with a wall and provided all things necessary for the monastic life, he now hastened to build a stone church. But after he began this good work by laying the foundation of the stone church and erecting the lower half of the building, he was left with insufficient funds to complete its construction. The blessed John and his brother Gabriel were deeply grieved. Since they had ardent faith in the most pure Theotokos, they looked to her in their sorrow as a helper and comforter. They hastened to her in tears, praying and saying, "Thou knowest, O Lady, our faith and our love for thy Son and our God. We labour with all fervour and faith to build a temple to thy glory, and in thy succour, O Mother of God, do we place our hope. Help us to complete thy temple, and send down thine aid; and do not permit us, thy servants, to be put to shame, for we have begun to build and are not able to complete our task without thine assistance."

As they prayed and lamented, the most pure Mother of God, the heavenly Queen, appeared in a night vision to them as they slept and said, "Why do you sorrow and weep thus over the building of my temple, O beloved servants of God? I will not disdain your supplications nor your faith and love but will soon provide you with what is needful and with more than what is needful for the completion of the church. Return quickly to your task, and do not allow your faith to weaken."

Both brothers saw the vision, and they rose quickly, filled with joy. After Matins, they related to one another what they had seen and were strengthened in hope. Early in the morning of that same day, having, by God's providence, gone outside the monastery, they saw a most wondrous steed in gold-covered bridle standing before the gates of the monastery. Its saddle was also covered with gold, but he carried no rider. The horse stood quietly, and they marvelled at his beauty and majesty. They waited a long time, but the rider of the horse did not appear. When they realized that no one was coming and yet the horse stood in the same place without moving, they approached it and saw two heavy-laden bags suspended from either side of the saddle, and immediately the horse disappeared from before their eyes. The brothers untied the bags and found one filled with gold and the other filled with silver. Marvelling at God's care for them and that of the most pure Mother of God, they sent up great thanksgiving. Soon the church was completed and magnificently adorned, and the monastery was able to purchase numerous villages. The remainder of the gold and silver they gave to the abbot and the brethren. They were then clothed in the monastic schema, John receiving the name Elias, and Gabriel, Gregory. They lived in that monastery in a manner pleasing to God in fasting, prayer, and every monastic struggle and labor.

(From The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints by St. Dimitri Rostov (Vol. 1, Sept. 7).

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An Illustrated Synaxarion For Children - "My Warrior Saints"

[This book looks interesting and I thought I would share it as we approach the holiday season and contemplate on gifts for the children in our lives. This book is of particular interest to me because when I was a child I still recall the stories my pious grandmother from Greece would tell me of various "warrior" Saints. I was fascinated and inspired by the stories of Sts. George, Demetrios, Eustathios, etc. They are the perfect stories for children. - J.S.]

An Illustrated Synaxarion for Children - MY WARRIOR SAINTS by Potamitis Publishing.

Our newest book contains miracles, short lives, dismissal hymns and facts of 12 soldier Saints, among them St. George, St. Constantine, St. Theodore Tyro, St. Procopius, St. Niketas, etc.

Vividly illustrated in byzantine-inspired style.

"This book will surely delight all with its action and courageous Faith in Christ." Nina Seco, St. Nektarios Press.

Large Format A4
Hard cover
72 pages
No age limitation
ISBN:978-960-98021-8-5
2009, September

Available: Directly from the publisher, from the U.S. call 410-7342 771 email: orders@OrthodoxChildrensBooks.com, or dionysiospotamitis@yahoo.com

You can also order it from the Orthodox Book Centre Nikolas Karellos, or from Stamoulis in Athens, Greece.

In the U.S. you can find it at St. Nektarios Press, Seattle, WA; St. Nektarios Monastery, Roscoe, NY; Life Giving Spring Monastery, Dunlap CA; more places to be anounced soon.

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The Apostolic Testimony of Evodus Concerning the Theotokos

Holy Apostle Evodus of the Seventy (Feast Day - September 7) [In this icon of the Seventy Apostles, St. Evodus is on the third row from the top towards the middle and looks like traditional icons of Jesus]

The Apostle Evodus is numbered among the Seventy Apostles and was consecrated by the Apostle Peter as the first bishop of Antioch. It is said that it was under his bishopric that the followers of Christ in Antioch first became known as "Christians" instead of Nazareans or Galileans. Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, disciple of the holy Apostle John the Theologian, mentions him in his Letter to the Antiochians: "Remember your blessed father Evodius, who was made your first pastor by the Apostles."

Tradition holds that St. Evodus was a fairly prolific author among first century christian writers. Unfortunately, as with many writings from the early Church, none of his writings have survived, which his biographers say was due to persecutions. Fortunately we do have information from the fourteenth century historian Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopoulos regarding a book authored by the Apostle Evodus titled The Luminary (or The Star or The Beacon).

The passage that has survived is an amazing apostolic testimony confirming later Patristic teachings regarding the early life of the Virgin Mary passed over in silence in the New Testament and only revisited a century or so later in the Protoevangelium of James. He wrote:

"At the age of three she [Mary] was brought into the Temple of the Lord where she lived for eleven years. She was entrusted to Joseph by the priests, and when she had lived in his home for four months, she received the joyous annunciation from the angel. She then bore Christ, the Light of the World, in the fifteenth year of her life."

Such traditions are usually thrown out by scholars and not considered, but as Orthodox Christians we know that our teachings are of apostolic origin and regarding these aspects of the life of the Theotokos we see here a clear testimony. It only leaves one wondering what treasures all the lost writings of the Apostles and early Fathers held within them.

The historian Josephus (The Jewish War, Book 7, Ch. 3) writes concerning the martyrdom of Evodus when he records the visit of Emperor Vespasian to Antioch. Many Jews were put to death because they would not adore the idols; among them were many Christians. Saint Evodus, as their leader, suffered execution in the year 71.

The feast of St. Evodus is celebrated with his fellow apostle and martyr Onesiphorus on September 7th.

Apolytikion (Third Tone)
O Holy Apostles, intercede to our merciful God, that He may grant our souls forgiveness of sins.

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Miracle at Chonai by Archangel Michael, Chief Commander of the Heavenly Hosts

Miracle of Archangel Michael at Chonai (Feast Day - September 6)

Michael, the great and chief commander of God's bodiless hosts, both before the incarnation and after, showed compassion and solicitude toward the race of man [Josh. 5:13-15; Dan. 10: 13, 12: 1; Jude 1:9; Rev. 12:71]. He bestowed many benefits on earth before the coming of Christ, and afterward he showed even greater care and love toward the Christians.

Colossae was an ancient city of southern Phrygia, the extensive western part of Anatolia, overhanging the Lykos (a tributary of the Meander) on the upper part of its course. The city was some ten miles from Laodikeia and thirteen from Hieropolis [Col. 2:1, 4:13, 15,16; Rev. 1: 11]. The three cities formed a single sphere of missionary labor for Epaphras, an inhabitant of Colossae [Col. 1:7, 4:12, 13]. The city originally lay on the main trade route from Ephesus to the Euphrates and the East, at the junction of the highways to Sardis and Pergamon. Colossae was catastrophically weakened in the 7th and 8th centuries with the gradual breakdown of Byzantine power in Asia Minor, leaving the Colossians exposed to Saraceen raiders. The remaining population moved to Chonai (the modern Chonas), a fortress about three miles further south, with an impregnable castle upon the steep slope of Mount Cadmus (summit 8,013 ft.). Final destruction came in the 12th century with the Turkish invasion. The site is presently unoccupied.

When the Evangelist John the Theologian went to a city of Asia named Ephesus, between the borders of Ionia and Lydia, he found many people deceived by the error of idolatry. They especially reverenced Artemis, who in ancient myth was a courageous woman who was a hunter. The Greek pagans of that time named her a goddess and worshipped her with great sacrifices. While the Evangelist John was in the city with Saint Prochoros, he raised his hands to heaven and silently besought God at length with sighs. Behold! The idol of Artemis in her temple toppled, but no one was injured. Then the rest of the temple collapsed. Saint John worked many signs and wonders in that place.

In one of the villages of Lydia, Saint John the Theologian met with the Apostle Philip and his sister, Saint Mariamne. They departed with him into the land of Phrygia. There they entered into a city, also known as Hieropolis (Pamukkale), on the borders between Phrygia and Lydia, and they preached Christ. This city, famous for its hot spring and deposits of calcium, was the home of countless idols, which were worshipped by all the people; and besides these false gods they also had a viper for which they had constructed a special temple. They brought food to this viper and offered up manifold and divers sacrifices thereto. And the foolish people also worshipped other vipers and serpents. Saint Philip and his sister first armed themselves against the viper with prayer, wherein they were aided by Saint John the Theologian, who was with them at the time. And together they slew the viper with prayer, as with a spear, putting it to death through the power of Christ. At length, the pagans crucified Saint Philip, and he received the crown of martyrdom. Christ shook Hieropolis to its foundations with a devastating quake. The profane people of Hieropolis, seized with great terror, repented of their impiety. Falling before the feet of the Apostle John, they begged mercy. He baptized them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and taught them the truth. The substantial ruins of the Church of Saint Philip, on the site of his martyrdom, may still be seen today in Hieropolis.

Thereafter, Saint John determined to go away. He came to a place called Herotopon, which lies nearby Hieropolis, where he brought the pagan Greeks to the knowledge of the true God. In that place, the divine Elder John prophesied that at a later time there would spring forth there a great abundance of holy water in honor of the Archangel Michael, who would perform awesome wonders and miracles.

Saint John then left that place and continued preaching the Gospel. Not many days passed before water gushed up out of the earth. Whosoever partook of the water with faith received deliverance from every sickness. In fact, not only the Christians enjoyed this divine favor, but also even unbelieving Greeks, who went and drank from the waters found healing. Hearken to the following account.

There was a certain rich Greek pagan in the city of Laodikeia. He had an only daughter who suffered with speechlessness and was dumb from her mother's womb. The father experienced great sorrow concerning this, and would gladly have given her his soul just to behold her speak. One day, he beheld a favorable vision. In his sleep he observed a certain man telling him to go to the holy waters (Agiasma) of the Archangel Michael; for he would not return embittered. Indeed, he was told that his daughter would receive healing, and that he himself would gain the salvation of his soul. Now he beheld this vision not because he was found worthy (since he was benighted utterly with the impiety of idolatry), but rather because God, Who wishes to save all men and have them come to a full knowledge of the truth, dispensed in His economy this vision, so that through the working of the miracle the Greek pagan would be converted and others, too, would be strengthened in godliness. When that Greek pagan awoke, with fear and trembling, he took along his daughter and went to the holy waters of the archangel. Having arrived, he found many people had gathered who were afflicted with various illnesses. Straightway, only by drinking the water or pouring it over their afflicted bodies, they were delivered from whatever ailment possessed them.

The Greek father, observing all these wonders, asked certain of the people what name they were invoking while drinking or pouring the water over themselves that they should find healing. They said to him, "We utter the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one in essence, and the chief commander Michael, the slave of the Trinity." As he heard this, without hesitation, he believed with all his heart. Thus, entreating the God Who is praised in the Holy Trinity and His Archangel Michael, he took up that holy water with faith and gave it to his daughter to drink. Immediately, O the wonder! not only was the girl delivered from the bond of speechlessness, but both father and daughter were loosed from the bond of disbelief. They began in uplifted voices to offer thanksgiving and praise to the true God and to magnify His servant Michael. What happened after this? The Greek nobleman and his daughter, and all those with them, were baptized and became Christians; in addition, the nobleman built a costly temple. He also erected at the site of the sanctified waters a beautiful building with vaulted roof, so that he might say with the Prophet David, "0 Lord, I have loved the beauty of Thy house [Ps. 25:7]." Hence, after showing much faith and gratitude for the benefaction he received from the archangel, he returned to his own house, glorifying God not only for the wonderworking which he beheld in his daughter, but more so for his own conversion.

After the passage of ninety years, a certain child of Hierapolis, the offshoot of good Orthodox parentage, at ten years old, left for the Church of the Archangel, so as to be directed by divine providence from above. His name was Archippos, after the apostle [Col. 4:17; Phile. 1:2]. He became the church's sexton. Possessed of much self-mastery and other virtues, he was vouchsafed divine gifts. He not only controlled those bodily desires that injure the soul, but also disciplined his body and brought it into bondage by neither partaking of bread nor ever bathing, nor did he give his flesh rest in sleep. He performed all this before arriving at man's estate. He took nourishment once a week, faring on wild herbs without salt. His sole drink was from the holy waters. His only two garments were of a coarse cloth of hair: he wore one, and covered himself with the other at night. Every year he alternated the garments, wearing one and covering himself with the other. This was always the dress of Archippos. He filled his bedding with cut stone. As for where he laid his head, he had another haircloth filled with thorny and prickly plants. This afforded him little sleep, but just enough to sustain him. He maintained this regimen even into manhood and until the day of his repose. When a soul is possessed of such fear of God and love for those future good things, what we deem a harsh conduct of life, requiring strength beyond nature, is sweetness and repose to such a person. We have as further examples the martyrs and righteous one who underwent all forms of torture, affliction, and straits, enduring all that they might gain the kingdom of the heavens. Let us now return to our account.

Archippos, now ecclesiarch, with such a mode of life, never ceased to have before his eyes the working out of his salvation, having a heart that is broken and humbled [Ps. 50:171. He ever strove that God might create in him a clean heart and that the meditation of his heart might be pleasing before the Lord, for the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart. He entreated God, "May my eyes never behold the dainties of this world, nor may my mind be confounded with temporal vanities. Only Thou, 0 Lord, most compassionate, fill my eyes with spiritual tears; make humble my heart and make straight my steps in Thy law. For what gain have I from this clay body which, on the one hand, today is, but, on the other hand, tomorrow perishes, even as the grass withers with the coming evening? 0 Lord Almighty, grant me to be striving for the everlasting good and the salvation of the soul."

Such were the daily thoughts and meditations of Archippos, and God hearkened readily to his entreaty. Living at that time in the neighborhood of the holy waters was a multitude of unbelievers who daily witnessed the wonderworkings. Envy and malice mounted in them on account of the miracles and the virtuous manner of life of righteous Archippos. Maddened by the holy man's asceticism and struggles, they were speaking evilly of him. Then, one day, those pagans, of one accord, gathered together and, in a maniacal rage, charged against the righteous man. They intended to put him to death and utterly destroy the holy waters. While some were dragging Archippos by force, by the hairs of his head and beard, and beating him with rods and pieces of wood, others were attempting to cover up and choke the course of the holy waters. But, 0 Thine indescribable judgments, 0 Christ! A flame emitted therefrom and frightened all of them so that they left running; thus, they departed unsuccessful.

After this, they devised something worse: a plan to destroy the church to its foundation and usher in death for the righteous man. What did they contrive? Nearby the Church of the Archangel, where the holy waters were located, from the left side, there ran a river named Chryssos. The unbelievers wished to divert the river, so that the deluge might come down upon the holy waters and the church. They believed that by mixing the waters of the river with the holy water they could dissolve its therapeutic powers utterly, so that the Christians might not drink and find healing. Having considered how this might be engineered, they cut off the first current of the river that it might flow into the holy waters. But, "Who shall tell of the mighty acts of the Lord? Who shall make all His praises to be heard [Ps. 105:2]?" The river, as though it were animate, fearing the grace of the archangel, straightway turned far over toward the right part of the Church; and there the course of the river remains to this day, thus certifying the miracle. When those most profane ones beheld their unjust enterprise taking the opposite course from that intended, the words of the Prophet David applied: "The Lord scattereth the plans of the heathens, He setteth aside the devices of the peoples [Ps. 32: 10]. " The unrelenting pagans, nonetheless, conspired a second time; indeed, something more terrible than before, which we shall explain to you from the beginning.

Two great rivers gush forth from out of the east: one is called the Lykokastros River, and the other is called the Kouphos. They run separately in the direction of the church and then encircle it from afar, as an island. Then they converge and travel a long distance, as one river, until they separate in Lycia and pour out into the sea against the island of Rhodes. The devil, envious of all good, plotted to let loose the waters of these two rivers. He sowed in the minds of his minions that the rivers could be made to flood the church and the holy waters of the archangel, so that not even a trace might remain. This seemed very plausible to the pagans, because the land where the church stood sloped downward. Thus, by employing the downward tendency of water, they could fulfil their aim. Now, at a distance from the church, there was a massive and high rock. The impious hewed the stone and dug down deep in one place, so that the waters would divert and collect with great force. Then, after they dug huge irrigation ditches and fortified collecting basins, they closed off the area. They dammed the waters that collected by the rock, until they were ready to break the seals of the gates. With malignant glee they anxiously awaited for the water level to rise that they might discharge its mighty power against the church, the sanctified healing waters, and Archippos.

Night and day, men, women, and children labored to accomplish their murderous desire. The slave of God, Archippos, beheld the madness of the impious. Mindful of how great the peril was that awaited him, he fell prostrate on the bare earth, entreating God and the Archangel Michael that the counsel of the ungodly might prove vain and unworkable against the strength and power of God. Thus, Archippos supplicated night and day.

After the passage of ten days, the waters collected in abundance. It was about midnight when the godless broke the gates of the blocked-up waters. They chose that late hour to loose the turbulent waters, so as to surprise Archippos and plunge him into despair when both he and that holy place would be swept away and submerged in the destruction. The impious stood to the left of the church awaiting the outcome. Archippos heard theclamor of the people and the roaring of the approaching waters. With greater fervency, he gave himself over to prayer, reciting the words of the Prophet David, "The rivers have lifted up, 0 Lord, the rivers have lifted up their voices. The rivers will lift up their waves, at the voices of many waters. Wonderful are the surgings of the sea, wonderful on high is the Lord. Holiness becometh Thy house, 0 Lord, unto length of days [Ps. 92:4-7]."

Thus did the saint pray, and a divine vision was made manifest. He heard a voice descending from out of the heavens and calling him by name, "Archippos." He was unable to gaze long at the vision of the archangel, and fell on his face to the ground. Then the one speaking said, "Rise and stand on thy feet and come here outside in order to behold the invincible might of God." Regaining courage then from the voice, he exited and beheld a fiery column which went from earth to heaven. He heard a voice from thence telling him to stand to the left side and not to fear. Then the archangel raised his right hand and made the sign of the Cross upon the rock, the one above the church, saying, "Up to this point is thy flux." Then, with what appeared as a javelin in his hand, he struck the place mightily and sundered the rock from the top to the bottom. 0 Thy power, Christ God! We cry with the Prophet David, "The waters saw Thee, 0 God, the waters saw Thee and were afraid; the abysses were troubled. Great was the resounding sound of the waters" [Ps. 76:15, 16]. The waters then halted and stood still as a wall. The archangel, again, made the sign of the Cross, and said, "Funnel the waters here." A great earthquake occurred and instilled fear. The waters of the rivers forthwith poured down into that deep ravine. Thus, the archangel subdued the raging flow and the thundering of the river. This phenomenon may be seen to this day. The rivers pour into the funnel in the rock which lies above the church, toward the bema (pulpit). Thus this place, formerly called Colossae, from then was named "Chonai", a Greek word signifying the funneling of the rivers in that place.

Archippos, through the assistance of the Archangel Michael, was delivered from a bitter death. With a loud and clear voice he praised and glorified God, and also greatly magnified His minister, the Archangel Michael. Archippos continued living a God-pleasing life in that sacred precinct for seventy years. He was then laid to rest from the labor of his virtues and hastened to his beloved Christ rejoicing, even as the good cultivator sows with godly tears that he might reap the fruits of his toils in the joy of everlasting life.

To the glory of the Trinity and the chief commander, Michael, a boundless number of wonders took place daily at the place of the holy waters; which wonders, if we were to describe in detail, should make us appear like him who wishes to count the stars or the sands of the sea. 0 supreme commander of the armies of heaven, we, the unworthy ones, entreat thee, that by thy prayers thou dost ever surround us with the protection of the wings of thine immaterial glory!

Note: There is an encomium in Greek, "In Colossae of Phrygia, there took place a wonderous event by the all-glorius chief commander Michael...," which is extant in the Athonite monasteries of Great Lavra and Iveron. Having been translated into simpler Greek, it is contained in New Treasure, by Hierodeacon George Sougdoures which was taken and used in the Greek account found in the The Great Synaxaristes.

(Above is taken from The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church - Sept, pp 219-226, Trans. from Greek by Holy Apostles Convent, Buena Vista, Co.)

About the Shrine of the Archangel Michael

The shrine was a domed building lavishly decorated with marble and gold mosaics. It was renowned throughout the late medieval world and attracted pilgrims from all over Europe and the Middle East. Unfortunately, sharing the fate of all of the churches of Asia Minor, it was looted and destroyed by Islamic armies in the 12th century. Today thousands of glass tesserai are scattered across the field that marks the site of the church.

In the 12th century there was a popular revivial of veneration of the Archangel Michael that reached the Imperial Court. The Emperor Issac Comnenos poured enormous sums of gold into embellishing a shrine of the Archangel Michael which stood north of Constantinople on the Bosphorus. Rare marble and bronze fittings were taken from other buildings for the church. New splendid jewelled and enamelled icons were commissioned by Issac from Byzantine goldsmiths. Rare ancient images were moved to the church by Imperial decree. All this was lost just a few years later in the sack of the Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade. Perhaps two of Issac's icons of the Archangel survive today in the Treasury of St. Mark's in Venice - loot from the Imperial City.

For more information on this shrine and other churches of Chonai, see here.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
O Commanders of the Heavenly Host, we the unworthy beseech you, that through your entreaties you will fortify us, guarding us in the shelter of the wings of your ethereal glory, even as we fervently bow before you crying: "Deliver us from all danger, as Commanders of the Powers on high! "

Kontakion in the Second Tone
O Michael, who standest altogether radiant before the Trinity together with all the heavenly Hosts, and with them dost cry aloud the song inspired of God: As thou dost pass throughout the earth by God's command and art made wondrous with exceedingly great marvels, cease not to intercede for us all.

HYMN OF PRAISE
The Holy Archangel Michael

Archangel of God
Michael the Commander,
The sword-bearing servant
Of the Lord Most-high.

He stands before the Lord
With the heavenly hosts,
With the mighty angels
And the holy souls.

The greatest commander
Of the Greatest King,
Wherever he goes, he conquers
And works miracles.

He is the one whom Satan
Fears like flame,
For the commander of God
Stands for truth.

He stands for truth,
And upholds justice;
Fast as sight
He can be anywhere swiftly.

The commander of light,
He drives the impure away,
And with his wings
Protects the faithful

- St. Nikolai Velimirovich (Prologue)

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So-Called "Expert" Congressman Can't Take the Heat

Congressman Pete Stark is an MIT and Berkeley graduate as well as a former banker. He regards himself as an expert on economics and is one of the main guiding forces behind ObamaCare. This interview demonstrates the perverse effect on one’s thinking of residing too long in a fevered swamp, in this case, Washington DC. His unbridled contempt for Jan Helfeld reminds me of an "experts" contempt for lay people when they ask simple probing questions about their theories (and this applies to all fields including theology, history and science). Being the first openly atheist member of congress is kind of revealing in his method of communication. So much for the 2008 Humanist of the Year.

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Advice From Metropolitan of Rhodes Shows How Ecumenism Can Go Too Far

[My title refers to the highlighted part in the article below. I believe the advice goes too far and is misleading, especially on an island that is predominantly Orthodox. More can be read about the Latin Churches on Rhodes here. - J.S.]

Franciscan Helps Catholics Find Niche on Orthodox Rhodes

By Jonathan Luxmoore
Catholic News Service
Sunday, September 06, 2009

RHODES, Greece (CNS)—On a side street of this bustling island town, a gaunt priest in a brown robe quietly inspects the renovation work being done on his church.

Beyond the outer wall, boutiques and taverns run uphill to an ancient Crusader fortress. In the distance, beyond the harbor, the blue Aegean Sea shimmers in the sunlight.

When Father John Luke, an English Franciscan, was sent to Rhodes in 2004 as Catholic vicar general of the archdiocese, religious practices were in decline at the Church of Our Lady of Victory, known locally as Santa Maria.

Since then, he has boosted the number of parishioners to around 4,000 and helped revive Catholic devotions on a dozen neighboring islands. While minority churches in this predominantly Orthodox country frequently complain of discrimination, Father Luke insists he enjoys excellent ties with the local government and Orthodox metropolitan.

"Having spent 20 years at a monastery in Jerusalem, it was a big challenge for me," the Sheffield-born priest said in a Catholic News Service interview.

"Although Greeks are easygoing, islands like this are still deeply Christian, with icons and crucifixes everywhere," he said. "What's most important is to find a place for small communities like ours by showing we're a normal, creative part of everyday life."

The church's image on Rhodes was badly damaged under a 1912-48 Italian protectorate, when Catholic culture was officially encouraged at the expense of Orthodox traditions. Recently, however, ecumenical links have relaxed and improved. For instance, in 2007, when Greece's Catholic bishops met on the island with the Vatican's nuncio, the bishops were invited to dinner by Metropolitan Kyrillos of Rhodes, exarch of the Cyclades.

Several factors have made Rhodes something of an ecumenical oasis, said Father Luke.

He said the Orthodox Church in Rhodes falls under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, based in Istanbul, Turkey, rather than the Greek Holy Synod in Athens. Since Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is more open to relations with Catholics than Orthodox leaders in mainland Greece, this has given Metropolitan Kyrillos greater leeway with other churches.

With no resident Catholic bishop, hierarchical rivalries are also absent. The Franciscans remained on the island when Rhodes was captured by the Turks from the Knights of St John in 1522, and Father Luke thinks the Franciscans are appreciated as a historical part of the island's Christian life.

The priest said he keeps Metropolitan Kyrillos notified of Catholic activities and always acknowledges the Orthodox pre-eminence on the island.

"Our ecumenical efforts go through the right channels, and no one accuses us of poaching Orthodox church members," the Franciscan said.

"The metropolitan says he has no problem with Orthodox Christians attending Catholic liturgies here, provided they receive holy Communion at Orthodox churches — and with one on every street corner, no one could argue with that," the priest said.

"The local media are positive toward us, and the mayor and municipality have done a lot to help," said the 51-year-old Franciscan. "While some Orthodox clergy are less than enthusiastic about ecumenical unity, I think we've opened a new chapter with them and are moving forward together."

At his parish on Kathopouli Street, Father Luke is full of plans.

He has restored his parish library, some of it dating from the 15th century, and hopes to find artists and decorators to continue renovation work on the rest of the church.

Although readings are done in various languages at Santa Maria, the language of the Mass is Greek and the church flies a Greek flag. It also offers Greek-language lessons and runs an extensive charity network.

With a Greek organist, German treasurer, Italian archivist, Philippine catechist and Polish assistant priest, Father Luke is proud of Santa Maria's multiethnic character and hopes to go on playing a useful, respected role in local church life.

"It's important for us, as foreigners, to be open about who we are, show our love for Greece and give a positive impression," he told CNS. "If Catholics don't like this, they can always go elsewhere."

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Muslim Terrorists Use Remains of Byzantine Churches to Build Training Camps

Hamas Training Camps in the Judean Desert

by Hana Levi Julian
September 6, 2009
Israel National News

A complex network of caves embedded in the hills of the Judean Desert have become the latest venue for individualized Hamas terrorist training programs.

Evidence that Hamas terrorists have been training operatives right under the noses of the Palestinian Authority was found by IDF soldiers in a complex network of tunnels and caves during a raid earlier this summer. Etzion Brigade Col. Eran Makov led the raid, which was carried out after military officials received a tip from the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).

Empty bullet casings and cartridges were found in some of the caves, as well as other bits of evidence of military activity, according to a senior military official quoted in a report published Sunday by The Jerusalem Post.

This is not the first time that terrorist tunnels have been found in Judea and Samaria.


Eleven months ago, IDF soldiers uncovered a 150-meter-long tunnel packed with explosives under the southern Judean city of Hevron. The tunnel had not been completed, and was angled towards Route 35, near Tarkumiya, according to the report.

An entire network of tunnels used by terrorists to launch attacks against IDF soldiers was also discovered in 2007 in the Casbah, the inner part of the open air market in the Samarian city of Shechem.

Both the IDF and the PA have been working to crack down on the Hamas terrorist infrastructure in Judea and Samaria. As a result, it is believed that only a few terrorists were trained together in the Judean Desert at any given time.

Much of Judea is honeycombed with caves, many of which provided shelter for Arabs who lived in the region even as recently as a generation ago.

Just below the southern Hevron Hills, in fact, allegedly lie the ruins of most of the village of Iscariot, known in Hebrew as the "Kraiyot" -- an area marked by an entire complex of caves.

Many of the entrances have even been decorated by local Bedouin whose families lived in the caves, with stones taken from the remains of Byzantine churches, the descendant of one Bedouin tribe told Israel National News.

The same caves served in earlier centuries as living quarters for the ancient Jews during the Roman occupation and the Byzantine era.


"It is like the Tora Bora of the West Bank," said a senior Central Command officer. The appellation is a reference to the network of caves allegedly used by Al Qaeda terrorists and Taliban fighters in eastern Afghanistan.

Tour guide Younis Abu Hamad explains how the ancient residents of Judea "decorated" the homes they built from caves hidden in the desert hills.


See also:
IDF uncovers Hamas 'Tora Bora' cave system

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Turkish Film Takes Serious Look at Anti-Greek Riots in Istanbul on Sept. 6-7, 1955

Turkish Film Guz Sancisi Sheds Light on 1955 Istanbul Pogrom

John Couretas
April 3, 2009
AOI

For the first time, a Turkish film has taken a serious look at the anti-Greek riots in Istanbul on Sept. 6-7, 1955, a horrific mob attack that triggered the rapid decline of the Greek Christian community — at the time numbering some 120,000 to 135,000 people. Widespread destruction was wreaked on homes, businesses and Greek Orthodox Church property. Businesses and homes owned by Armenians and Jews were also targeted.

An article in Today’s Zaman, a Turkish paper, describes the film Güz Sancısı, or The Pain of Autumn, as a love story of Behçet and Elena, a Turkish man and a Greek woman, set against the tension that culminated in the real-life destruction of 5,300 businesses and houses owned by Greeks, Armenians and Jews. The paper, citing distributor Özen Film, said that more than 500,000 people have seen the film since its release in March. Visit the official site here.

The producers of The Pain of Autumn say the film about the 1955 pogrom "is a result of an easing of curbs on freedom of expression accompanying Turkey’s drive to meet European Union membership standards. 'This film couldn’t have been made 10 years ago,' said Etyen Mahçupyan, who wrote the screenplay and is editor of the Armenian community newspaper Agos. 'Though the laws on the books still limit free speech, the reality is there’s less and less that can’t be criticized.'”

Today’s Zaman article quotes a historian who asserts that the Turkish “Deep State” was behind the attacks:

"On the night in question, thousands of protesters converged on central İstanbul, incited by news reports that Greeks in Thessaloniki had bombed the childhood home of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey. It emerged later that the reports were false. Tension between Turkey and its historical rival Greece was high at the time over Cyprus. Police and soldiers stood by when the protest turned violent. Cemeteries were desecrated, churches were looted and about a dozen people died, said Dilek Güven, a historian and author of a 2005 book on the subject, The September 6-7 Events. Hundreds of women were raped, she said. Damage was estimated at $50 million, or about $400 million in today’s terms. Most of the attacks were against Greek-owned targets, but almost a third were aimed at property owned by Armenians and Jews. More than 5,000 people were arrested and most were later acquitted. Prime Minister Adnan Menderes and two members of his government, deposed in a 1960 military coup, were found guilty the following year of violating the constitution and executed. During the trial, one of the principal charges the judges heard was that the Menderes government was behind the 1955 events. Research by Güven and others has shown the conspiracy ran deeper, involving the military and the intelligence service, and was aimed at pressuring minorities to abandon their property and leave the country."

Today’s Zaman interviewed the Rev. Dositheos Anagnostopulous, a spokesman for the Greek Orthodox Church, who estimated that 60 percent of Greeks still living in Istanbul are over the age of 55. “September 6-7 was our Kristallnacht,” Anagnostopulous said, referring to the Nazi pogrom of 1938. “The chances of something like this happening again are slim, because Turkish youth today are more critical in their thinking. But to be sure, they need to learn that this catastrophe occurred, that’s why the film is important.”

In a 2005 article in the newspaper Hurriyet, one Turkish witness, then a 14-year-old school boy, remembered the riots as “a disgusting, belittling and tragic affair.” He struggled to come to terms with what happened as he grew into adulthood, still seared by the memories:

"As I was seeking answers to these questions, the Greek families in our neighborhood started to move to other places or go to Greece. After 1963 none of them were left. They left Istanbul. They took with them an important culture, a color and a different lifestyle. They left us alone in Istanbul to live our colorless lives. Later on we were full of regret, but by then it was too late."

Go here to read an excerpt from Speros Vryonis, Jr.’s The Mechanism of Catastrophe: The Turkish Pogrom of September 6-7, 1955, and the Destruction of the Greek Community of Istanbul. Vryonis dedicated his book to photographer Demetrios Kaloumenos who, at great risk to his life, recorded the scenes of destruction following the anti-Greek riots, including the destruction and desecration of Orthodox churches, monasteries, cemeteries and businesses.

Watch the trailer for The Pain of Autumn:


You can watch the whole movie on Youtube with English captions beginning here.

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Discovering the Greek Side of İstanbul

Maiden Tower

September 3, 2009
Istanbul, Turkey
Today's Zaman

That İstanbul is a real treasure chest for history, art and architecture freaks is no secret. Its colorful mosaic of historical city structures -- mosques, churches, synagogues, palaces, castles and towers -- reflects the many, many social and cultural influences of a number of foreign communities that have left their indelible footprints across the city throughout its long history.

The oldest settlement on the land that is now İstanbul was, however, Greek.

Already, in 685 B.C., settlers from the ancient Greek town of Megara chose to colonize the town of Chalcedon, in today's Kadıköy district, thus aiming to secure the Bosporus as a channel of trade between the Greek polities and the Black Sea region. Some years later, in 667 B.C., famous Greek King Byzas went on colonizing the European side of the Bosporus further, thus founding the city of Byzantion.

Two prominent examples of ancient Greek architecture are the Serpentine Column and Leander's Tower.

Being approximately 2,500 years old, the Serpentine Column is said to be İstanbul's oldest remaining Greek monument. Erected to honor the triumph of the Greeks over the Persians at Plataea, it originally stood at Delphi (both ancient cities on Greek ground) and was moved to İstanbul in 324 AD by Constantine the Great to mark the declaration of the new capital city of the then-founded Roman Empire under the name of Constantinople. The originally eight-meter-high piece was made up of three intertwined serpents which supported a golden bowl. The bowl is believed to have been lost or stolen when the city was sacked during the Fourth Crusade. Some say the heads were hit and cut off by a drunken nobleman in the 17th century but one of them can still be seen in the İstanbul Archaeology Museum. The rest of the column can be found today at the Hippodrome in the Sultanahmet quarter.

Surrounded by no fewer stories is Leander's Tower, often referred to as Maiden's Tower and located offshore in the Bosporus in the Üsküdar district. It was actually built in 408 B.C. by an Athenian general to control Persian ships sailing along the Bosporus. Another more well-known story is that of a sultan who erected the tower to protect his daughter from a snake bite, predicted by an oracle. But, as the story goes, there was no way to escape destiny: On the day of her 18th birthday, the sultan brought his daughter a basket of fruit as a gift and hiding within it, of course, was the predicted snake. The tower, which also contains a small, romantic restaurant, can be visited today by taking one of the small boats that sail from the nearby shore.

However, with the fall of Rome in 476, all that remained of the Roman Empire was its eastern part, which then came to be known as the Byzantine Empire. Distinctly Greek in culture and the center of Greek Orthodox Christianity, its capital, Constantinople, was adorned with many magnificent churches, including probably the most well known, Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia), once the world's largest Christian cathedral.

Other important churches that were built later on under Byzantine rule include the Pammakaristos Church, which is now Fethiye Mosque in the Çarşamba neighborhood of today's Fatih district, and the Church of St. Savior in Chora, situated in the western Edirnekapı district of İstanbul and especially famous for its beautiful mosaics and paintings.

After the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of Sultan Mehmed II (Mehmet the Conqueror) in 1453, naturally many city structures were destroyed. Mehmed's main concern with İstanbul had to do with rebuilding the city's defenses and re-population, and he soon devoted much energy to bringing prosperity to İstanbul. In 1459, he sent out orders that any Greeks -- as well as Slavs, Jews and Armenians -- who had left İstanbul as slaves or refugees and whose diverse skills were needed now to transform the city into a flourishing capital of the empire were allowed to return to the city.

Every third inhabitant in İstanbul was Greek

According to a census of 1477, there were 9,486 houses occupied by Muslims, 3,743 by Greeks, 1,647 by Jews, 267 by Christians from Crimea and 31 by Gypsies. Nearly every third inhabitant of the city was Greek at that time, so the Greek population played a significant role in the social, political and economic life of the city and the multiethnic, multi-religious Ottoman Empire in general. The leader of the Greek community within the empire officially became the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church, which was moved to the Church of St. George in İstanbul's Fanar district in 1586. The patriarchate complex includes the authorization offices, the patriarchate library, the financial offices and the public enterprises of the patriarchate and the Cathedral Church of St. George. The church is definitely worth visiting. It is especially famous for its priceless artifacts and relics, which include the patriarchal throne, believed to date from the fifth century; three rare mosaic icons; a fragment of the Pillar of the Flagellation to which Jesus was tied and whipped; and the coffins of three saints.

Further on, the Greek High School for boys on the top of Fanar hill became an important educational institution to educate young Greeks for Ottoman bureaucracy and Orthodox clergy as well. The Yoakimyon High School for girls and Marasli Greek Elementary School next to the patriarchate are other schools that can still be found in the district.

As you see, the list of Greek footprints in İstanbul seems endless. To start tracing them back, just take a small tour of Fanar -- you will come across an incredible number of smaller, more or less well-preserved churches, and you can still find a few of the typical, small Greek single-family houses, recognizable by their finely decorated facades.

Just take a look -- it's well worth it!

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Russian Seminary Students Required to Reveal All Information on Social Networking Sites

At the entrance exams of St. Petersburg Theological Seminary, applicants were forced to open their data in their social networks to the selection committee.

All personal data was reviewed by members of the selection committee. Information was gathered on which "groups" the prospective student participated, whether there are [undesirable] "friends", etc. Personal correspondence and comments to groups were opened as well.

It is possible that the actions of the students of theological schools in the social networks [are] already being monitored by the Inspectorate and relevant authorities.

Information:

St. Petersburg Theological Academy and Seminary is known for its free-thinking among students. Not long ago a group of seminary school students tried to prevent the ordination of one of their classmates. They sang "Anaxios" (Unworthy) instead of «Axios» (Worthy). By canonical rules [the ordaining] bishop had to halt the rite. But he did not!

All who participated in the "conspiracy" were expelled from the seminary.

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Bulgaria Recreates Orpheus’s Lyre

BalkanTravellers.com
28 August 2009

The lyre of Orpheus, the string instrument which the Thracian and ancient Greek mythological musician played with mastery, was recreated and will be displayed in the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv as part of a project of the Municipal Institute Ancient Plovdiv, its representatives recently announced.

The instrument, which is 40 centimetres long, was made from cycamore tree and a turtle’s hollow. According to national media, although the original idea was to make the instrument from materials that were as close as possible to the authentic ones, it turned out that no animal species existed from which to get 45-centimetre-long horns.

The lyre was recreated as part of a 150,000-euro project between Bulgaria, Spain and Italy.

The model of the instrument will be officially presented on September 12 in Plovdiv’s Ancient Theatre. According to national media, a film which tells the story of the ancient lyre’s recreation is also in the works.

The legendary figure of Orpheus was venerated by the Thracians and ancient Greeks as the most gifted poet and musician and the perfector of the lyre invented by Hermes. According to legend, with his music and singing, Orpheus could charm birds, fish and wild beasts, coax the trees and rocks into dance, and even divert the course of rivers.

Perhaps the best-known myth about Orpheus is his descent into the Underworld and with his music softened the hearts of Hades and Persephone, who agreed to allow his dead wife Eurydice to return with him to earth on one condition: he should walk in front of her and not look back until they both had reached the upper world. But his anxiety made him look back as soon as he reached the upper world and she vanished forever. Orpheus nevertheless remains one of the handful of Greek heroes to visit the Underworld and return.

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NIV Bible Changes on the Way

Best-Selling Bible Gets a Remake

ERIC GORSKI, AP

(Sept. 2, 2009) - The top-selling Bible in North America will undergo its first revision in 25 years, modernizing the language in some sections and promising to reopen a contentious debate about changing gender terms in the sacred text. The New International Version, the Bible of choice for conservative evangelicals, will be revised to reflect changes in English usage and advances in Biblical scholarship, it was announced Tuesday. The revision is scheduled to be completed late next year and published in 2011.

"We want to reach English speakers across the globe with a Bible that is accurate, accessible and that speaks to its readers in a language they can understand," said Keith Danby, global president and CEO of Biblica, a Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Christian ministry that holds the NIV copyright.

But past attempts to remake the NIV for contemporary audiences in different editions have been plagued by controversies about gender language that have pitted theological conservatives against each other.

The changes did not make all men "people" or remove male references to God, but instead involved dropping gender-specific terms when translators judged that the original text didn't intend it. So in some verses, references to "sons of God" became "children of God," for example.

Supporters say gender-inclusive changes are more accurate and make the Bible more accessible, but critics contend they twist meaning or smack of political correctness.
Acknowledging past missteps, the NIV's overseers are promising that this time, the revision process will be more transparent and that they will actively promote what they describe as a long-held practice of inviting input from scholars and readers.

The NIV was first published in 1978 and more than 300 million NIV Bibles are in print worldwide; its publishers and distributors say the translation accounts for 30 percent of Bibles sold in North America.

The Committee on Bible Translation, an independent group of conservative scholars and translators formed in 1965 to create and revise the NIV, will oversee the new revision.

An effort earlier this decade to create a separate version of the NIV that used more gender-inclusive language in an attempt to reach a younger audience fell flat with groups that felt it crossed the line.

That edition, Today's New International Version, will cease publication once the new-look NIV is released, said Moe Girkins, president of Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Zondervan, its North American publisher.

"Whatever its strengths, the TNIV has become an emblem of division in the evangelical Christian world," Girkins said.

It was the TNIV that ushered in changes from "sons of God" to "children of God," or "brothers" to "brothers and sisters." In Genesis I, God created "human beings" in his own image instead of "man."

Many prominent pastors and scholars endorsed the changes. But critics said masculine terms in the original should not be tampered with. Some warned that changing singular gender references to plural ones alters what the Bible says about God's relationships with individuals.

The Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution saying the edition "has gone beyond acceptable translation standards."

"We fell short of the trust that has been placed in us," said Danby, of Biblica. "We failed to make a clear case for the revisions."

Danby said that freezing the NIV in its 1984 state was also a mistake, however. He emphasized that in the revision, about 90 percent of the NIV will be unchanged.
Douglas Moo, a professor at Wheaton College and chairman of the Committee on Bible Translation, said the group is committed to "a complete review of every gender related change."

"I am not sure how it's going to come out," Moo said. "We have a genuine, authentic review process ... Everything is on the table."

One of the most vocal critics of gender-inclusive translations, Randy Stinson of the Louisville, Ky.-based Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, said the group supports updating the NIV. He credited organizers for their openness.

"We're still probably going to differ on the way they handle some of the gender language," Stinson said. "But we're open and anxious to see what they come up with and we're really going to be reserving judgment."

Most changes will have nothing to do with gender inclusivity, Moo said. And the TNIV provides a glimpse of likely changes: In the '84 NIV, Mary is "with child," but in the TNIV she is "pregnant." In the NIV version of Psalm 146:9, "The Lord watches over the alien." The TNIV used "foreigner" instead of "alien."

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XVII International Ecumenical Conference on Orthodox Spirituality

XVII International Ecumenical Conference
on Orthodox Spirituality

THE SPIRITUAL STRUGGLE IN THE ORTHODOX TRADITION

Bose Monastery, Wednesday 9 – Saturday 12 September 2009

In collaboration with the Orthodox Churches

Bose, 2 September 2009

The 17th annual International Ecumenical Conference on Orthodox Spirituality will be held at the Bose Monastery on 9–12 September 2009. Organized in collaboration with the Orthodox Churches, the conference is an important occasion of discussion on fundamental themes of the spiritual life, those where the traditions of Christian East and Christian West intersect the deepest expectation of contemporary man.

This year’s theme, The spiritual struggle in the Orthodox tradition, touches the very center of a problem that is extremely relevant today: what prevents the human heart to love in freedom? How can the phantasms that inhabit it and condition the will be overcome? This is the art of the struggle against “evil thoughts”, as tradition defines those negative images, impulses, inclinations that disturb the “mind” by distracting it from the memory of God and pushing it into sin. To reread today the wisdom of the fathers means also to ask oneself a question still more radical, always present at the bottom of the transformation of modernity: What at its root is sin? What truly renders free or slave man’s conscience?

These questions will from the basis of the dialogue among theologians, scholars, and representatives, at the highest level, of the Orthodox Churches, the Catholic Church, and the Churches of the Reform.

The sessions will begin with an inaugural discourse by the prior of Bose, Enzo Bianchi, and a lecture by metropolitan Filaret of Minsk, patriarchal exarch of Belarus and president of the theological commission of the Patriarchate of Moscow, who will treat of the Biblical and theological foundations of the spiritual struggle. The final day will bring out its ecumenical importance and significance of modern man, in the talks of metropolitans Georges of Mount Lebanon of the Patriarchate of Antioch and Kallistos of Dioklea, delegate of the patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomeos I.

The four days of the conference, thus, hope to rediscover and render eloquent the practice of the spiritual struggle as it is interpreted in the tradition of the fathers and is lived today in the Orthodox Churches. It will thus be an occasion for examining the subject more closely and exchanging views in a fraternal spirit.

On the ecumenical plane especially significant is the presence of official delegations of the Churches of East and West.

As regard the Catholic Church, it is expected that cardinal Roger Etchegaray, vice-dean of the Sacred College, will be present; also archbishop Antonio Mennini, apostolic nuncio to the Russian Federation; mgr. Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the promotion of Christian unity; fr. Milan Žust, S.J., of same Vatican department. Several bishops of the Bishops’ conference of Piedmont, among them its secretary, Arrigo Miglio, bishop of Ivrea, and Gabriele Mana, bishop of Biella and local ordinary, will speak during the sessions.

The Patriarchate of Moscow will be represented by bishop Amvrosij of Gatčina, rector of the Theological Academy of St Petersburg, who will head the official delegation, fr. Dimitrij Ageev and Aleksej Dikarev of the Department of external relations. Archbishop Zosima of Elista and Kalmykija and fr. Pavel Velikanov, representative of the rector of the Theological Academy of Moscow, will participate in the proceedings of the conference.

Among others who will take part there will be: bishop Evlogij of Sumy, archimandrite Kirill (Hovorun), and professor V. Bagrana (Ukrainian Orthodox Church); bishops Porfirije of Jegar (Serbian Orthodox Church) and Mark of Neamț (Romanian Orthodox Church), metropolitan Grigorij of Tărnovo and bishop Kiprian of Traianopol (Bulgarian Orthodox Church), archimandrite Iakovos (Bizaourtis), igumen of the Petraki monastery (Church of Greece), fr. Adam Makaryan (Armenian Apostolic Church), representing the Catholikos of All Armenians, Karekin II, fr. Zaccheus Ohanian (Armenian patriarchate of Constantinople), canon Jonathan Goodall (Church of England), representing the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, Michael Nseir, delegate of the World Council of Churches in Geneva.

Among the numerous participants from twenty-one countries, we may note especially fr. Michel Van Parys, fr. Hervé Legrand, and Antonio Rigo of the Scientific Committee, fr. André Louf, fr. Vassilije Grolimund, fr. John Chryssavgis, fr. Andrew Louth; fr. Georgij Kočetkov, Anatolij Krasikov, and Alexej Bodrov from Moscow; Petros Vassiliadis, dean of the theology faculty of the University of Thessalonica; Spyridon Kontoyannis of the University of Athens, Nikitas Aliprandis of the University of Komotini, Gelian Proxorov of the Academy of Sciences in St Petersburg, Kostantin Sigov of Kiev, Vassilis Saroglu of Louvain-le-Neuve, Hugh Wybew of Oxford.

As the presence of numerous monks and nuns of Orthodox monasteries (Greece, Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, Mount Sinai, Georgia, Armenia), as well as from Catholic and Reformed (Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary) testifies, and as the scientific project of the conference intended, the Ecumenical Conferences on Orthodox spirituality wish to offer a space of brotherly encounter among the various Christian Churches, a space of communion and sharing of their multiform spiritual traditions.

All the items about the
XVII International Ecumenical Conference

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