The Historicity of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus

By John Sanidopoulos

When I first read the tale of the Seven Sleepers, I became absolutely fascinated. The tale spoke of seven young men known as Maximilian, Iamblicus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus (Constantine) and Antoninus, who lived in the mid-third century. During the reign of Emperor Decius (249-251) and upon his visit to Ephesus an order went out for all its citizens to offer sacrifice to the gods on penalty of death for anyone that refused. Having been accused for their Christian faith, the seven youths fled from the city and hid in a cave on Mount Ochlon, where they passed their time in prayer, preparing for martyrdom. Learning where the young men were hidden, the emperor ordered that the entrance of the cave be sealed with stones so that the Saints would perish from hunger and thirst. The tale then transports us nearly two centuries to the reign of Emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450) when all persecutions against Christians had ceased and in fact Christianity now was the official Faith of the Empire. It is said that a dispute concerning the resurrection of the dead arose in the city at that time. Meanwhile the owner of the land on which Mount Ochlon was situated, discovered the stone construction, and his workers opened up the entrance to the cave. It was discovered then that the Lord had kept the youths alive, and they awoke from their sleep, unaware that almost two hundred years had passed. Their bodies and clothing were completely undecayed. They discovered they were preserved when Iamblicus went into the city to buy bread and heard the name of Jesus spoken about freely and presented an outdated coin with the image of Decius to buy bread. Bewildered he was taken to the Bishop of Ephesus who eventually spoke to all seven youths and discovered that God allowed this miracle to end the dispute concerning the resurrection of the dead. The Emperor also went to Ephesus to examine this miracle and after speaking with them they were allowed to go back into their cave without the royal honors the Emperor wanted to lavish on them, and there they fell asleep permanently. Overall it has been determined that the holy youths fell asleep in the cave in 250 and awoke in 434, which means that they slept for 184 years.

Though the story reads like a myth or some fanciful tale for someone who does not accept miracles, what is fascinating about it is the historical context it is set in. It mentions specific historical emperors and a historical controversy taking place in a historical city (which gained even greater fame three years prior in 431 during the Third Ecumenical Synod which took place in Ephesus) during two historical epochs: one of persecution under Decius and the other of peace under Theodosius. It even tells us the specific place these Saints died. The historicity of these Saints was never officially doubted until the 16th century, mainly because of the verifiability of this tale and its immediate popularity throughout the known world.

Many have honored these seven holy youths. The Orthodox Church commemorates these Saints twice a year, on August 4th and October 22nd (the former being the date of their first sleep and the latter the date of their death), and has never doubted the veracity of this tale. The Latin Martyrology likewise honors them on July 7th. They are also regarded as pious in Islam, and are known as "People of the Cave" (Ashab Al-Kahf) with an entire section dedicated to them in the Koran (Surah 18, verse 9-26).

The rise of Protestantism and the period of the Enlightenment in the West gave rise to doubts about this tale, as John Donne noted in one of his poems in the 16th century. Caesar Baronius (1538-1607), not only a Renaissance scholar but a cardinal in the Latin Church, was the first to treat the story as "apocryphal". It was never taken seriously in the West again. The Latin Church still refers to the tradition as a "purely imaginative romance". The tale became very popular in the literature of the Romantics in a twisted form, inspiring a poem by Goethe, a cautionary tale by the Grimm brothers, and even the Washington Irving tale of Rip van Winkle as well as H.G. Wells's The Sleeper Awakes and Mark Twain's Innocence Abroad, among others.

In 2001 I had the opportunity to visit Ephesus, and along with the famous Church of Saint John the Theologian as well as the church in which the Third Ecumenical Synod took place in ancient Ephesus, one of my primary destinations was to visit the cave of the Seven Sleepers. Though a bit off the beaten track and fenced off, a hole in the fence provided me full access to the cave over which a church was built and now run down. Fully visible was the resting place of the Seven Sleepers, in which the Russian pilgrim Daniel reported in the twelfth century that he saw the actual relics of the holy youths. This pilgrimage, though short spent, made me consider more and more the veracity of this tale.

Literary Sources

If the story of the Seven Sleepers was to have a firm basis in fact, we would expect that such a marvelous revelation would have been disseminated throughout the world in a relatively brief time. Historical facts clearly demonstrate that this indeed is precisely what happened. By the close of the sixth century the tradition can be demonstrated to have been known from Ireland to Persia, from Ethiopia to the Scandinavian countries. Because of all these early widespread beliefs in the tradition, scholars concede that the first written version of the tradition must have been composed within a single generation of the event itself, to explain its early widespread circulation.

The miracle of the Seven Sleepers was apparently first described by Bishop Stephen of Ephesus (448-51).[1] It seems the miracle occurred during the bishopric of Basil (+ 443), who was preceded by Memnon and succeeded by Bassian (444-448), though it may have occurred during the bishopric of Memnon who also was bishop of Ephesus during the Third Ecumenical Synod. Anyone familiar with the christological controversy during this time period, as well as the administrative conflicts taking place in Ephesus among the four bishops mentioned above,[2] will understand why it took approximately fourteen years for the story of the Seven Sleepers to be recorded. However, fourteen years in antiquity for a story to be recorded is a very short time period, especially when one considers that it was never disputed by anyone. Furthermore, the memory of Bishop Stephen was condemned at the Fourth Ecumenical Synod, and since Ephesus was in bad repute due to the Robber Synod of 449, the circumstances seemed to have been changed due to the offending name and date in later versions of the tale.[3]

The miracle is reported to be timely because it answered a dispute going on concerning the resurrection of the dead. The Origenist controversy began in the late fourth century and by 434 had spread into Asia Minor from Egypt. Origenists denied the resurrection of the flesh, and when Bishop Stephen records that the bishop of the time regarded this miracle of the Seven Sleepers as an answer to the controversy, it seems to have prevented Origenism from being established in Ephesus. Since theological debates of various sorts were common during this time period, it is little doubted that this part of the tale could be true.

In written form, the earliest purported source which survives today is by a Syrian bishop named Jacob of Sarugh (452-521). He had begun composing poetic homilies around 474, and one of them was specifically on the subject of the Sleepers. When exactly this specific homily was composed however is hard to determine. This being the case, it is difficult to determine if he indeed is our earliest source.

Bishop Zachariah of Mitylene was a Monophysite who some time between 491 and 518 wrote his Ecclesiastical History in Syriac while residing in Constantinople and mentions the Seven Sleepers. In Book 2, chapter 1 he states: "I was able to discover from records and Acts or from letters, — truth that was carefully examined, — I shall set down here the truth of the resurrection, which took place in the days of Theodosius the king, of the bodies of the seven youths who were in a cave in the district of Ephesus, and the Syriac records; both to keep them in the memory of the saints and for the glory of God, Who is able to do all things." What these references he refers to are is not exactly known, but his intention to carefully examine the truth should be noted. It seems that there were many written records of the Seven Sleepers before him that no longer exist. However it could be that Jacob of Serugh first heard of the Seven Sleepers through Zachariah.

Theodosius the Pilgrim, in his De situ terrae sanctae, records sometime between 518 and 538 of visiting the tomb of the Seven Sleepers. He refers to it as the "Shrine of the Seven Sleepers".

Bishop John of Ephesus (c. 507 - c. 586) recorded the tale of the Seven Sleepers in his Ecclesiastical History as a historical fact that happened in his own city a century earlier. He wrote his history in Syriac, having been born in Amid north of Mesopotamia, and is considered to be very accurate in his historical approach as well as attention to details.

The earliest extant version in the Latin West dates from about 525 by a deacon named Theodosius. St. Gregory of Tours gave a complete Latin account in his Gloria Martyrum a few years later. Gregory is said to have received this tale from a Syrian, though his Latin account seems to be of Greek origin.

Interestingly the Koran, written in the early seventh century, includes the story of the Seven Sleepers in a chapter titled "The Cave" (al-Kahf). It adds important details that they were accompanied by a dog and they were asleep for 309 years. However the Muslims did not acknowledge Ephesus to be the site of the cave of the Seven Sleepers, which they called Afsis in Arabic, but the similar sounding Afsus near Elbistan in southeastern Asia Minor. They obviously chose Afsus because it was well within reach of Arab territory, whereas Ephesus was under their enemy the Romans.

Pilgrimage

A brick church was built above the seven original tombs, with mosaic floors and marble revetments by Emperor Theodosius. A large, domed mausoleum was added to the cave in the 6th century. Frescoes on the walls and vaults are mainly vegetal decorations.

As we might expect, pilgrimages to the site of the cave were extremely popular through the end of the fifteenth century, as is evidenced from the graffiti on the walls in both Latin and Greek. It also became a favored spot of burial in Late Antiquity. Theodosius on his pilgrimage in the sixth century saw the tombs of the Seven Sleepers, and according to a ninth century writer, visitors to the cave were shown seven incorrupt bodies. The 12th century Russian pilgrim Daniel saw the same. Daniel also says that many were buried there.

Although pilgrimages can be shown throughout the medieval centuries, the most famous was probably one sponsored by the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, Edward the Confessor, in response to a vision. The story of this particular pilgrimage to Ephesus was to be forever immortalized in a stone frieze in the chapel dedicated to Edward the Confessor at Westminster Abbey.

Archaeology

At the archaeological site of Ephesus, a well-paved road heading east of the Vedius Gymnasium leads to the Cave of the Seven Sleepers, about .8km (1/2 mile) away. The grotto associated with the Seven Sleepers, is located on the eastern slope of Panayirdag hill.

In 1926, research by the Austrian Archaeological Institute uncovered the ruins of the Basilica of the Seven Sleepers (built above the cave) which permitted them to specify the date. It dates back to the middle of the fifth century. Archeology was able to confirm implicitly the literary date for this tale.

Excavations were carried out in the Cave of the Seven Sleepers between 1927 and 1930. One of the most interesting features of the archaeological site is the treasure trove of over 2000 terracotta lamps that was discovered inside which were offerings to the church. They date primarily to the fourth and fifth centuries. Most of the lamps are decorated with a cross; others bear scenes from the Old Testament popular with Christians, such as Adam and Eve, Abraham and Isaac, and Daniel in the lions’ den. There are also a wide variety of secular scenes, such as fishermen and theatre performances. But alongside these are pagan religious scenes such as Hercules and the lion, Zeus and Aphrodite, pictures of temple facades, and the head of the god Attis. Were these lamps made and used by Ephesians who considered themselves Christians but retained pagan traditions, or did pagans join Christians in devotions at the Cave of the Seven Sleepers? The answer is not clear. Though we do know that Emperor Justinian did send Bishop John of Ephesus to remote areas of Asia Minor to stamp out paganism, during which he is said to have converted thousands.[4]

The main part of the complex is the cave church in which the Seven Sleepers slept and were buried. The large cave, with a ceiling as high as many regular churches, has been lined with brick masonry to form a church. There are arch niches on the sides and a rounded apse in the back. The burial places of the sleepers in the floor are now open, empty holes.

Modern Scholarship

For modern scholars, one of the most important debates deals with the origins of this tale, whether it is Greek or Syriac. According to A. Allgeier, I. Guidi, B. Heller, Th. Nöldeke, V. Ryssel, A. Krymski, etc. the hagiographical work was first written in Syriac, while M. Huber, P. Peeters and E. Honigmann insisted on the priority of certain Greek texts. What seems evident at this point and time is that the origin of this tale on the literary level is indeed Greek, as all the early authors (except Jacob of Serugh) gathered their information for this tale while living in or near the vicinity of Ephesus. Bishop Stephen of Ephesus almost certainly wrote the first history in Greek. However, some of these authors did write in Syriac, therefore, their histories, though of Greek origin, ventured east where they quickly became popular having been written in their own language. Though originally considered an Orthodox miracle, it was quickly acquired by the Syriac Monophysites.

In 1953 Ernest Honigmann defended the possible historicity of the account of the Seven Sleepers with considerable ingenuity following the archaeological and literary evidence. Honigmann established that this tradition was common to Melkite, Monophysite, Nestorian, and Jacobite Christians, and therefore precedes their division (5th and 6th centuries). Having examined all the historical records available as well as the archaeological evidence, Honigmann was able to form the final conclusion:

"From the time of Cardinal Baronius to this day no creedance has been given to this strange story; some critics spoke of 'deception and forgery'. Nevertheless there can be no doubt that, as we stated above, the report on the awakening of the seven youths must be based upon some historical fact. In the light of the archaeological evidence it now seems incontestable that about the middle of the fifth century seven young Ephesians really believed or tried to make others believe that they had been persecuted at the time of Decius, and that a high ecclesiastical dignitary, in a kind of enthusiastic self-deception, took their strange affirmation for granted, all the more providing him with the weapons which he needed for refuting certain heretics and making orthodoxy triumph."[5]

Conclusion

Nowadays it is proved, as Honigmann stated, that the basis for the story is a well attested historical fact. Indeed, F. Miltner, who was in charge of excavations undertaken at Ephesus in 1926 by the Austrian Archaeological Institute found reason to believe that the church he uncovered was built at about the middle of the fifth century. This church was found at the traditional site ascribed to it in ancient Ephesus. Textual criticism also led scholars to certain conclusions which seem to confirm the results attained by the archaeological discoveries. Though archaeology and textual criticism cannot verify the miracle behind the tale, they do verify that the tale does describe an actual historical event of seven young men appearing in the midst of the Ephesians and believed to be the source of a great miracle which confirmed for all the resurrection of the dead.

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1. Clive Foss, Ephesus after Antiquity: A Late Antique, Byzantine and Turkish City (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979) p. 43.

2. Peter L'Huillier, The Church of the Ancient Councils (Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1996) pp. 199-201. Richard Price and Michael Gaddis, The Acts of the Council of Chalcedon vol. 3 (Liverpool University Press, 2007) pp. 1-3.

3. Clive Foss, Ephesus after Antiquity: A Late Antique, Byzantine and Turkish City (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979) p. 43.

4. Full catalogue: FiE IV/2, 96-200. Jewish lamps: p. 45, n.48; pagan tombstones: p. 211.

5. Ernest Honigmann, "Stephen of Ephesus (April 15, 448 - October 29, 451) and the Legend of the Seven Sleepers" Patristic Studies. Studi e testi, 173 (1953) pp. 125-168.

A modern rendering of the entire church complex.

The excavation of the south side of the complex in the 1920's.

A portion of over 2000 lamps discovered at the site which were offerings of pilgrims.

The excavated grotto with church

The seven tombs of the Seven Sleepers

Interior of church

Interior of the church

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Movie: "The Making of a Saint" Focuses on the Canonization of Elder Philotheos Zervakos

Due for release in Spring 2010 is the two-hour documentary titled The Making of a Saint which features the canonization process of Elder Philotheos Zervakos (1884-1980). The trailer also focuses on various miracles performed by the Elder as well as that of his spiritual father, St. Nektarios of Aegina (+1920). For more information on this intriguing documentary, visit the official site here.

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"Weeping" Icon of St. Kyriaki is in Fact Defiled

Romfea.gr reported a few days ago about a possible weeping icon of St. Kyriaki in the abandoned Monastery of the Transfiguration in Nauplion (see Icon of St. Kyriaki Wept in Nauplion). It was also reported that Metropolitan Iakovos of Argolidas requested the icon be set aside in a protected area for specialists to examine the tears to determine whether or not it was a miracle. These specialists have determined in fact that the icon is not weeping, but was defiled. The Metropolitan has said that local Satanists have perpetrated this defilement by attempting to burn the icon of St. Kyriaki in the area of the eyes, which caused the paint to bubble out. This was reported as a possible explanation a few days ago, hence the need to confirm this supposed "miracle" by scientists.

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Himalayan Ascent to Christ

By Ryassophore Monk Adrian

Originally published in Orthodox Word magazine No. 190

When we come to know God as Person, we begin to see His hand at work not only in the circumstances of our daily lives, but also in the events of our past which have led us to the present moment. We see how from partial truths He has led us to the fullness of Truth, and how He continues to lead us into a more profound realization of that Truth. As Fr. Seraphim Rose wrote, when we come to Christ “no real truth we have ever known will ever be lost.”

Surrounded by five of the highest peaks in the Himalayas, I was standing at 14,000 feet gazing at the Annapurna mountains as the sun rose. My trek in Nepal had begun a few weeks previously and this was its culmination. As I stood staring at the pristine beauty soaring above me, a thought entered my mind and refused to budge: “What’s the point?” My ego immediately retorted to this random thought, “What’s the point? What do you mean, ‘What’s the point?' The point is you hiked all this distance to see these mountains, now enjoy it!” Still the thought plagued my mind. Yes, it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen, and I was joyful at the moment, but where would those feelings be tomorrow when I was no longer so greatly inspired? The happiness of this world could never bring me satisfaction. It should have been apparent throughout my life, but it took my climbing to the top of the world for me to finally accept it. And that was my first step toward Christ and Orthodoxy.

Until that point my entire adult life had been a secular one devoted to satisfying sundry passions. I had finished University at the age of 21 with plans of going into business while at the same time pursuing a career in art. Within a year I seemed well on the way to reaching my goal. I was then living in London, employed by IBM. My position was secure and a promotion was imminent. My private life was similar to that of many of my generation: casual relationships, pursuit of comfort, and constant diversions to preserve myself from any self-reflection.

At about the same time my older sister became an Orthodox nun in Alaska. Whether it’s a coincidence or not I’m not sure, but from that time on my passion for worldly pursuits began to wane. Surveying my co-workers, no one seemed to be truly happy or content. That elusive quality of satisfaction was never present but always tantalizingly just around the corner. Travelling, sports, drinking with the “lads” all became more and more mundane. Every Monday the same question: “How was your weekend?” Every Friday again: “Any plans this weekend?” London became greyer and greyer and the steady drizzle never managed to wash away the grime.

Instead of looking deeper into the causes of my boredom, I placed the blame firmly on the shoulders of corporate culture. I assumed that my disdain for the world was due to the pursuit of monetary gain. So I quit IBM, packed my bags and returned to America. Cherishing my disdain for prosperity and social acceptance, I began my descent into Bohemia. Oddly enough, I failed to notice that the same rules that govern acceptability in corporate life were applicable to the alternative scene. Substitute a leather jacket for a suit, a tatoo for a rolex, and a pierced eyebrow for cufflink and you still have the same man.

I began the pursuit of a Masters degree in art and found a job at the Museum of Modern Art. My artwork consisted of large custom-made canvases covered in thick layers of tar. Tar had not been used as an artistic medium before, so my work was instantly popular. I strove to be passionate about obscure modern philosophers, post-punk shows and late-night parting, but it all wearied me. I assumed that something was wrong with me. Why did I find it impossible to seriously discuss a gallery exhibit featuring a basket of crushed aluminum cans and underwear stretched on pieces of wire? Why did I find no joy in watching a performance artist squawk like a chicken for fifteen minutes? Fortunately, I quickly wearied of my “alternative life-style,” and right then a friend phoned me asking if I wanted to go to Japan. I had always had an interest in Asian cultures, and I esteemed myself a floater par excellence, so within a month I found myself in Kyoto, Japan.

I quickly acclimated to my new surroundings. Within two weeks I was enrolled in a language course and had found a position teaching English. It was peculiar to be in a country where one could leave their car running while they went into a store and not worry about it being stolen. Honesty was the norm and it initiated a change in me. My conscience began to return to life. I felt an immense relief, when I began to do simple things like paying the proper toll on the subway. It was a mere adherence to the law without any deeper understanding, but it was the catalyst for subtle changes, and I began to breathe more easily.

Living in the ancient capital of Japan exposed me to two thousand years of tradition on a daily basis. I had grown up in the suburbs of southern California (the oldest building in my neighborhood being ten years old); here I was living next to a thousand year-old temple which had served countless emperors. The temples, gardens, and customs began to feed a soul that had consumed far too much tar. Naturally attracted to the beauty of the traditions, I commenced upon a phase of dabbling in Zen Buddhism. For my easily distracted and impatient mind it was too much. In a Zen temple there is only one correct way of performing any action and it must be done precisely. My bows were too violent, my posture never erect, and my socks never clean enough. The priest shuddered at my appearance. Perfection was demanded and I came up far short. I finally stopped not because of my inadequacy, but because of the utter lack of joy I felt there. It was all too mechanical: push the right buttons and attain enlightenment. There was a calmness I felt after meditating, but did this really help anyone else? I supposed I could attain this state with much less effort through a tranquilizer.

Three years passed, my Japanese was adequate, and I felt I had gleaned everything useful from the culture. The challenge of surviving in a foreign culture had disappeared, my salary was high, my job easy, I could see myself becoming complacent. It would be very easy to pass the next forty years in this very warm niche that I had carved out. I quit my job, gave up my house and began my slow journey back to America.

I travelled all over Asia from Vietnam down to Singapore with no clear destination in mind. The excitement of new places and travelling companions kept me distracted most of the time, but before bed the dull pain of emptiness would return. I was still desperately searching for that element that was missing in my life. I travelled to the remote sacred places of the Buddhists and the Hindus; by the time I reached them I was already planning the next stage in my trip. During my travels through Burma, I visited a temple on the edge of Mandalay. Thousands of steps led up the side of a mountain to the temple which overlooked the entire city. As I made my ascent, I perceived a Buddhist monk next to me matching my stride. He was in his fifties, short, slightly plump, with a ruddy cheerful countenance. He introduced himself and we continued our climb. Arriving at the summit we sat on a wall of the temple talking as the sun set over Mandalay. After some introductory pleasantries, I turned the subject to the political situation in Burma (Burma is presently under a harsh military dictatorship which murdered a large segment of the population after riots against corrupt policies in the late eighties). He sighed and looked upon me with a disappointed gaze, “Why do you want to talk about that?” I mumbled an excuse to cover the true reason, which was to display my knowledge of serious subjects. He steered the conversation in a completely different direction. “Last week I saw a movie called ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ What a wonderful life!” For the next ten minutes he extolled the virtues of Christ. I was being proselytized by a Buddhist monk, not to convert me to his religion but to Christianity. I was dumbfounded. I had thought myself far above Christianity since I was in high school, and here was a pagan giving me back what I had rejected. Because of the words of a simple Burmese monk, I was awakened to the fact that perhaps there was something more to Christianity than the veneer I had rejected. I still was not compelled at that point to make a serious investigation into Christianity, but the seed-bed was being prepared.

A short time passed and I travelled on to Nepal, where I was to meet some friends for a trek in the Himalayas. I arrived some time before them, and decided to spend the interim in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery. I found one a short distance from Katmandu, which offered courses in English. I went as a cultural tourist, sampling the next dish at the smorgasbord of world religions.

I arrived skeptical of everything, expecting to find lots of spaced out new-agers. After the first few days my opinions were completely altered. This wasn’t a feel-good chiliastic religion; these were people honestly struggling to attain the truth. I was astonished to learn that they believed in hell. Who in this modern age believes in hell? But for them it was the natural outcome of a wasted life. I was intrigued. I began to listen more carefully as further doctrines were disseminated. The core of the religion is the idea that all beings live in a transitory realm of desire and suffering. All suffering is created by chasing after that which is impermanent; instead one must look toward that which is permanent: the truth. The only way to attain this is to cease clinging to ones ego, and instead to live for others. Only when we put others’ happiness above our own can we have happiness ourselves. I was stunned: after 27 years of being told, “Do whatever feels good,” the Tibetans were telling me that whatever feels good will probably make you miserable in this life or the next. This was a revolutionary idea to me, but at the same time I had a vague feeling I had heard it somewhere before.

After a few weeks at the monastery, I left to go trekking with my friends who had now arrived in Nepal. We took a bus across country and began our trek into the Annapurna mountain range. With full packs we ascended to 14,000 feet over the next two weeks. The scenery was stunning, the terrain changing from fertile valleys to dense forests, to snow covered summits. The hiking was drudgery at times, as we would ascend 1,000 feet and then enter a valley where we would descend the same amount. The beauty of creation was astonishing, but every night as I lay down to sleep that old feeling of missing something reappeared; I assumed this would vanish once I arrived at the base of the Annapurnas.

We reached our destination one afternoon, breathless and more than a bit disappointed. The entire area was swallowed by a huge cloud bank which we were inside. We explored the glaciers and spent time huddled next to a stove in a small tea hut. By night there was no sign of a cloud break. We went to sleep and were awakened just before dawn with the news that the weather had cleared. I came outside and one of the most astonishing sights in the world greeted my eyes. The sun slowly rose over the top of the world, which I felt I could reach out and touch. Then that dastardly thought arose in my mind, “What’s the point?” Then it dawned on me: this whole trip had been done for my own gratification. As soon as the momentary high was gone, I would be back in my own normal state. I had struggled with blisters, bad knees and giardia, and for what? To see an exalted, but in the end just another pretty view. Had this improved me as a person or helped anyone else? No, it had merely fed my ego; I had acquired excellent fodder for conversation at parties. Where had all my high Buddhist ideals gone? At that moment I realized my life had to be dedicated to some higher principle than earthly pleasure. I decided to return to the monastery.

I spent the next few months studying Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and meditation techniques. Still there were certain elements I had trouble accepting. The doctrine of Karma seemed to allow for no free will in man; ones decisions to do good or evil were always controlled by previous actions. How would it be possible to break free, if every decision was predetermined? If one had sinned since beginningless time as they believed, how could one ever purify oneself in such a short life? In some ways, what was so difficult was that it was so logical; it seemed devised by a human mind. Still the philosophy of self-sacrifice had rooted itself in me, even if I had failed to act upon it; I knew I could no longer live the life I had.

While at the Tibetan Buddhist monastery, I began reading The Way of a Pilgrim. I saw in the pilgrim the manifestation of self-abnegation and compassion that I had found in Tibetan Buddhism, yet it came from the Christian tradition I had been raised with. Why had I never heard about this in my Catholic church growing up? Stranger still was the fact that my sister was a Russian Orthodox nun and yet I knew nothing of the religions mystical qualities. I decided that perhaps I was not ready to become a Buddhist and that I should inquire further into my own heritage.

After being hit on the head enough times, I finally came to the conclusion that all of my travels were rather pointless and that I needed to return home and anchor myself. I had plans to meet friends in Egypt for Christmas, but I found a cheaper flight to Istanbul and thought that would be a good departure point for Western Europe and the U.S. The carrier was Aeroflot. A few days later it registered in my mind that Aeroflot was the Russian airline and my sister was living in Moscow. I thought perhaps they might have a stop-over in Moscow. It turned out they did. Within a few days I had a three-week stopover and a visa for Russia. I flew into Moscow on St. Herman’s day.

My sister greeted me at the airport and thus began my three-week crash course in Orthodoxy. A new world began to open to me. I was in a land where people died for Christ, and the intercession of the saints was a normal event. This was not an empty Christianity viewed as a social obligation. These were people who had endured incredible hardships in suffering for the truth.

I began reading volumes on Orthodoxy, visiting churches, and civilly discussing with my sister the differences in Orthodox and Buddhist tenets. She kept on coming back to the same point: Christianity has the truth in the form of a person. I failed to understand the importance. Force or person, I could not see the difference.

Then I met Fr. Artemy, a well-known Moscow priest with a huge congregation. He is a self-sacrificing man, whose entire life is dedicated to Christ and the spreading of the Gospel. We arrived at his church during the Saturday-night vigil. We found him hearing confessions surrounded by a crowd of fifty to a hundred people waiting to confess. I stood at the edge of the circle and before much time had passed I was pulled into its center by Fr. Artemy. With eyes closed, hands on my shoulders he began speaking to me. When he wished to emphasize a point, he would ram his forehead into mine. As he spoke to me in a highly florid English, I had the overwhelming impression that this priest, whom I had never met, knew much more about me than he should. What truly shook me was the feeling that he was urgently concerned with my soul, as though he had a personal stake in it. He spoke to me for ten minutes while the babushkas impatiently began tightening in on us. He continued talking, telling me that my experience in Nepal had been given me by God to pull me out of materialism. Then he told me why Christianity was the true faith: only it had a personal God. I still failed to understand the importance of this fact, but I left feeling lighter, although I had said almost nothing.

In the barren sepulchre of Moscow a new world began to open to me. The oppression of the city weighed little on me, as I realized that the heavenly realm of God and His saints was actually closer than the gray slab buildings dominating the city. I visited the St. Sergius Lavra and for the first time was able to venerate the relics of a saint. In those “dead bones” there seemed to be more life than in all of southern California. My stay culminated with Nativity at the Valaam Metochion. I felt as though I was surrounded by what appeared to be ordinary people, yet they remained with one foot in heaven. Christianity may be a religion of intangible faith, but I seemed to be receiving tangible verification everywhere I turned.

A few days later I left Moscow. Before my departure, my sister chastised me, saying, “My dear, if you can spend three months sitting with the Buddhists, you can at least spend one standing with the Orthodox.” Which is exactly what I did. Increasing the pace of my return, I arrived in California two months later. On the eve of Annunciation I travelled up the rough dirt road to the St. Herman of Alaska Monastery. The first thing that struck me, having just come up from San Diego, was the fact that these monks were anachronisms in the twentieth century. Who heard of giving up comfort and possessions in these times? It was the middle of Lent and it was clearly visible that these men were in the midst of spiritual warfare. Sobriety permeated the monastery. They seemed ready to die for the truth, and that was not something I had seen at IBM, Art School or in Japan. There was suffering in those places, but were they willing to give everything for the one thing needful? After all I had seen, I still did not have a firm belief in God, but I knew these monks saw something and I wanted it.

Lazarus Saturday arrived. On this day the Church commemorates Christ raising Lazarus from the dead after four days. I was awakened early to attend Liturgy at a nearby convent, followed by a meal there. After I awoke, I immediately fell back asleep. When I finally did rise from my bed, I found the entire monastery empty. Not a soul remained. As I wandered through the monastery, the verse, “Behold the Bridegroom cometh at midnight, and blessed is that servant whom he shall find watching,” ran through my head. And that was exactly what had occurred both physically and spiritually. God had knocked and offered me a feast, but I had remained reticent. Had God finally closed the door on me? I began the descent down the mountain, hoping to hitch-hike to the convent. As I walked I contemplated the events of the morning, and it seemed obvious that God had allowed me to be left behind to rouse me from my indecision. Then it finally hit me, what was meant by a personal God. Why would an impersonal force send me such a clear message for the salvation of my soul? If it was impersonal, why should it care what happened to me? Love cannot exist except between people. A force cannot love (and I challenge you to try to love an impersonal force). Therefore I came to the conclusion that God had to be a Person. As I arrived at this deduction, I heard a car approaching me from behind: it was our only neighbor on the mountain. I flagged him down and by a strange “coincidence” it happened that he was making his once-a-week trip to the store which neighbored the convent. I arrived in time for Liturgy.

Two years have passed and I am now a ryassophore monk, an anachronism if you will. My struggles have not ceased, but my days of wandering are at an end. I sometimes mourn over my wasted past, but when I look more closely I see God’s hand guiding me through even the most barren of times. Now He has brought me here for a reason, but that must still be revealed.

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On the Possible Whereabouts of the Shroud in Post-Resurrection Times (1 of 3)

by Vlad Protopopescu – Sydney

Part 1 - The Shroud in the Liturgy

From the very beginning the linen wrappings in which the Christ had been laid down in the tomb have been viewed as material evidence of the Resurrection. The Gospel of Saint John (20, 3-9) tells us that “the other disciple, whom Jesus loved” reached the empty tomb ahead of Peter, “bent over and saw the linen wrappings, but he did not go in”. Peter saw that the linen wrappings lying there and the cloth which had been round Jesus’ head lying apart were rolled up by itself. “Then when the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, he saw and believed. They still did not understand the scripture which said that he must rise from the dead.” There cannot be any doubt that the Shroud has been surrounded instantly with awe and veneration, becoming the most precious relic of the New Dispensation. The cult of the new religion was to be organized around it.

A number of cult objects of prime importance symbolize the Shroud. These are the coverings of the altar table (hagia trapeza, the holy table) which usually number three, both in the Orthodox and Roman rites. The inner one called the katasarkion (literally "over the corpse") in the Orthodox Church symbolizes the clean linen cloth with which Joseph of Arimathea wrapped the Body of our Lord when it was unnailed from the Cross. The other two coverings remind us of the linen cloths in which the dead Body was shrouded and with which it was buried (i.e. the Shroud and the “cloth which was round Jesus’ head”). They are usually white to symbolize purity, the external one being adorned with gold to symbolize the Light of the Resurrection, obviously the Holy Fire which appears miraculously and without fail over the Holy Sepulcher every Easter. There is also the corporal, in the Roman-Catholic Church and its correspondent in the Orthodox Church, the antimension (or antimensium, antimins).

The earliest mention of a linen cloth covering “the wood” when celebrating the Sacred Mysteries goes back to the fourth century in the writings of St. Optatus of Mileve (ipsa ligna liteamine coperiri). According to the Liber Pontificalis the Pope Sylvester “decreed that the Sacrifice should not be celebrated upon a silken or dyed cloth, but only on linen, sprung from the earth, as the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ was buried in a clean linen shroud”. The corporal was not to remain on the altar after the Mass, but had to be folded in four and put in the Missal or shut up with the chalice and the paten in some clean receptacle, and when washed it had to be first washed by a priest, deacon or sub deacon in the church itself in a place or a vessel specially reserved for the purpose “because it was impregnated with the Body and the Blood of our Lord”.(1)

The equivalent of the corporal in the Orthodox Church is the antimension. It consists of a strip of fine linen printed with images of the burial of the Christ, of the Last Supper, of the Cross and of the Resurrection, and the four evangelists. It is enclosed in another piece of linen called the eiliton which represents, according to Isidore of Pelusium, the sudarium that enveloped the head of the Christ. The antimension is kept folded in four under the Gospel on the altar table and is unfolded at the moment of the Offertory in the same manner as the Latin corporal, to receive the Holy Gifts. The antimension contains sewn particles of the relics of a martyr and therefore it represents an altar in itself. The name itself indicates that it was used instead of a table, an altar table. The antimension is consecrated by the bishop and distributed to all parish priests in his eparchy. The Liturgy can be performed on the antimension in any place.

The Orthodox Church uses the symbolism of the Shroud in some other moments. Most significant is the rite of the Proskomide, the preparation of the Holy Gifts. It is a separate rite, which is performed before the Liturgy, during the Orthros service, the morning prayers which include the Matins and the Hours. The priest receives the bread and the wine offered by the faithful from which he will prepare the gifts (dora, oblata) that will be transformed into the Body and Blood of the Lord during the Liturgy. He pierces the sides of a prosphoron (the small bread marked with the letters IS.XR.NI.KA. prepared and brought in by the faithful) with a knife shaped in the form of a lance, the lance that pierced the side of the Lord. Then he cuts from the central part of the prosphoron a piece called the Lamb (amnos, agnets) which would become after consecration, during the Liturgy through the Epiklesis- the prayer in which the priest invokes the Holy Spirit to perform the metamorphosis of the bread and wine - into the Body and Blood of the Lord. He places it on the paten along with other cuts from the same and other prosphoras. The “lamb” will be dipped in the wine contained in the chalice during the Liturgy. After the preparation is completed, the paten and the chalice are covered each by a veil and both with a third larger one called the Aer. They symbolize the cloths and the shrouds which were used for Christ’s burial. When the Great Entrance takes place the priest or the deacon carries in his hands the paten and the chalice covered with the small veils, wearing on his shoulders the large one. The same ceremony is preserved in the Roman Rite where the deacon at High Mass brings the chalice and the paten to the altar and places a special veil over his shoulders. After deposing them on the Altar (on the antimension which was unfolded during the intonation of the Cherubimic Hymn) he covers them both with the aer. The explanation given is that the aer represents in this case the stone with which the entrance of Christ’s tomb was closed. For that reason the aer is called also epitaphion (over the tomb). It should not be confused with the epitaphion, or plaschenitsa in slavonic (which means plainly shroud), which is a large piece of silk richly embroidered and adorned with gold, depicting the burial of Christ, exposed for veneration and taken in processions around all Orthodox churches in the world on Good Friday, in strict imitation of the rituals performed in Jerusalem at the same time. In the Roman rite the practice to use two corporals date from the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Pope Innocent III stated: ‘there are two kinds of palls or corporals, as they are called, one which the deacon spreads out upon the altar, the other which he places folded upon the mouth of the chalice (De Sacrif. Miss, II, 56). They are specially blessed before use. They are designated as: “linteamen ad tegendum involvendumque Corpus et Sanguinem D.N.J.C.” This special blessing is alluded to even in the Celtic liturgical documents of the seventh century and in the Spanish “Liber Ordinum” of about the same date.(2) The Gallican Rite (which is in many respects closer to the Byzantine one) knows of three veils, the “palla linostima”, “corporalis palla” of pure linen, and “super quam oblatio ponitur” a veil of silk adorned with gold and gems with which the oblation was covered.(3)

Historians debated at length the origin of the antimension, most of them agreeing that it came into existence only during the iconoclast persecution.(4) Its very function of a portable altar used in any circumstance precludes such a conclusion. It shows its very ancient origin. Persecutions were a feature of Christianity from the start. The simplicity of a cult requesting only an ordinary table, covered with a piece of fabric reminding one of the central tenets of the Faith, in an ordinary house, or in plain air, is an indication of antiquity. The first Christians had not yet temples, churches, stable buildings. They were meeting anywhere to perform the “breaking of the bread”, to eat the Body that was broken for the remission of our sins and drink the Blood of the New Testament which was shed for us and for many, for the remission of our sins. But that was not a simple commemoration but a sacred act, a sacrifice, to be performed only on consecrated grounds.

What could have consecrated anything more simply, more directly, than the piece of fabric that touched that very Body, being impressed with the majestic image of our Lord and penetrated with the very Blood that was imparted to the participants? We believe that copies of the Shroud were made almost immediately and consecrated by touching them to the Shroud. These cloths were used as altars. The Shroud might have been taken in processions around the Holy Sepulcher from the very beginning. What happened to the Shroud after the Resurrection?

To be continued...part 2

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Ecumenist Bishops Seek to Silence the Faithful

[Some bishops are really showing their true colors these days and revealing their ultra-despotic characters. The faithful have every right to protect their churches and protest peacefully wherever and whenever they want. These churches do not belong to the bishop or even the Holy Synod alone. If it scandalizes the faithful, they should be wise enough to avoid it. But unfortunately they think they are the voice of the people, when obviously they are not in these situations. In fact, they are more and more revealing that they don't want to be the voice of the people to fulfill their own agendas. This article is obviously a bit biased, judging from the title alone, but it is still revealing. Latin weddings should not be performed in Orthodox churches under any circumstance, especially on an island that has plenty of Catholic churches to perform their weddings. There was absolutely no good reason for Archbishop Chrysostomos to allow this, even though there is evidence this is being done in Cyprus quite frequently. - J.S.]

Holy Protestors Force Cancellation of Catholic Wedding

By Charles Charalambous
Cyprus Mail
October 20, 2009

BANNER-WAVING Orthodox protestors yesterday put a stop to a Catholic wedding ceremony at Ayios Yiorgios church in Chlorakas after shouting a string of abuse at the priest and others in the church.

The protestors had gathered for the second day outside a conference of the Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.

The small church is opposite the venue.

Protestors were incensed when the Catholic priest, who has permission from the Church of Cyprus to hold ceremonies, asked them to leave. Instead they heckled him to leave. “We peacefully call on you to leave and to have the wedding in a Catholic Church,” said one of the protestors.

When the priest told them he had permission, another said: “We are Orthodox Christians. It’s our church and you have no place here.”

The incident was caught on camera by Antenna television.

Another protestor outside the church said the Catholic priest had shown up with a key, entered the church and began moving things around “as if he was in a warehouse”.

“Some heretic....a Latin heretic...came and told us to go outside because there was a wedding, a papal wedding,” said the protestor.

He claimed it was all a plot to distort the history of Cyprus because the church in question was historically important in terms of the EOKA struggle when it was used as a drop-off point for weapons.

“They (Catholics) are not allowed to enter our church,” said the first protestor. “Aren’t you ashamed. You came to throw us out,” he said to the priest.

The Catholic priest then walked away, saying the wedding was cancelled.

The protestors who began demonstrating on Saturday oppose dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, and claim that the aim of the dialogue between the two churches is the submission of the Orthodox Church to the Pope.

Archbishop Chrysostomos expressed his displeasure about the Saturday protest in scathing terms.

“The Church is certainly a place for healing, and people turn to it in order to be healed. But it is not an asylum, nor shall we allow it to become a home for the mentally-ill. The Church cannot be turned into a lunatic asylum” he said.

“For someone – whether a lay or clerical person – to place his opinion above the opinion and decisions of the local synods of the whole of the Orthodox faith amounts to vanity, and indeed satanic vanity.”

Inviting the protestors to “get their feet back on the ground and gain some redemptive humility”, he declared that all clerics and monks who took part in the protest would be punished, and told the participants to visit him in his office yesterday.

The Archbishop said that the clerics would face suspension and loss of pay, and the monks would be deprived of Holy Communion “for several weeks”.

“If they don’t like it, they should take off their robes and leave the formal Church. Let them go and set up their own church. This is why I will be very strict.”

The protestors responded by saying that instead of “convincing with theological arguments as a pastor”, the Archbishop was “using the powers of his office to issue threats” of disciplinary action against clerics involved in the protest.

Lavrentios de Giorgio, President of the Saint Kosmas Aitolos Orthodox Union, speaking for the protestors argued yesterday that the Archbishop did not have the authority to impose punishments on clergy belonging to the Kitium diocese, describing such actions as “a coup” by the Church leader.

In response, Paphos Bishop Georgios – who is in charge of the inter-faith dialogue – said that the protestors were “ultra-orthodox” people.

“Neither I nor the Synod nor anyone else is less Orthodox than them,” he said.

“People need to understand that we are all in dialogue with our fellow-man and we will not betray our faith or our values.”

The conference takes place every two years, and will end on Friday.

St. George Church

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St. Gerasimos of Kefallonia and the Demon Possessed

St. Gerasimos of Kefallonia (Feast Day - August 16 and October 20)

St. Gerasimos the New Ascetic of Kefallonia (+1579) is known as a renowned healer of the demon possessed. The demon possessed and the mentally ill flock to his holy shrine which contain his incorrupt relics on a daily basis to receive healing. He became a grace-filled exorcist because of his great discipline for fasting and prayer.

The Saint lived as an ascetic on Mount Athos for five years in the Cell of St. Vasilios in the desolate place known as Kapsala. Throughout this time he survived only on boiled zucchini with no oil. It was here that he gained many spiritual experiences and received the monastic tonsure. The demons had no power over him, but rather he acquired the power to cast them out. His nickname became "Kapsalis" ("the burning one"), after the desolate place of Kapsala. The demons would cry out: "Kapsalis, you have burned us."

He acquired such power over the demons that later when he travelled to the Holy Land he desired to imitate the forty day fast of the Lord in the same wilderness that He faced the trials of the devil. For forty days he ate nothing in the wilderness and gave the devil his final blow. He would later go to Kefallonia and establish the monastery which today bears his name and has become a refuge for those battling and possessed by demons.

"The insane are the Saint's expertise" according to Father Ioannis Mesoloras, "which is why there are special quarters for them to do their 'forties' (40 days of fasting and prayer) in order to be absolved of the demons that had conquered them." The possessed and the mentally challenged are all called to imitate St. Gerasimos as much as possible during these forty days to receive their freedom from demonic power and find favor with the Lord to bestow His mercy and grace upon them. On the two major feasts of St. Gerasimos (August 16 and October 20) there is a procession with his incorrupt relics, during which time many of these seek to secure a position to lay down anywhere along the procession's way so that the Saint may pass over them - some cooperate, others resist and require help from family or even the police if they get unruly.

Many reported miracles of healing have taken place over the years at the Monastery of St. Gerasimos in Kefallonia. Below are some famous ones that relate specifically to demon possession:

1. A few years after the death of the Saint, a nun in the monastery where he was enshrined, became possessed and during the night had fallen into the well. The other nuns heard the voice of Saint Gerasimos telling them, "Go quickly, the possessed one is in danger and needs your help." They all went forth with torches and found their sister in the well, not sinking, but floating on the surface of the water as if someone was holding her up. She called to them, "Throw me a rope reverend mothers, so that I may be saved." When she was lifted out of the well, she was cleansed of her possession. Together, the sisters went into the shrine and thanked God and Saint Gerasimos for the miracle.

2. In 1923, two girls (ten year old Elaine Stephanatou, from the village Kalavathi, and twelve year old Elpiniki Vaslatou, from the village Razaton) became possessed. They were brought to the monastery by their parents hoping that their children would be cured. All the nuns pitied them and helped pray for the children. On August 16, 1923, during the Liturgy, both girls were cured.

3. Once, there was a monk from the Monastery of Saint Paul on Mount Athos who had gone to the Church of Saint Gerasimos on the island of Kefallonia. During the Divine Liturgy, he stood in the Altar and was praying with his komboskini the Prayer of the Heart - "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon us" - while outside they were chanting. They had also brought a possessed person into the church to be cured by Saint Gerasimos.

While the monk was saying the Prayer in the altar, the demon was being seared outside and was shouting: "Stop working that string, will you, monk, it is burning me."

The priest heard it, too, and said to the monk: "Pray with our komboskini as much as you can, my brother, so that God's creature can be freed of the demon."

The demon then shouted in great anger: "You, rotten priest, you. What are you telling him to pull that string for? It is burning me!"

The monk then prayed with his komboskini with even greater effort and the possessed man was delivered from the demon.

4. This is from an eye-witness: "A woman had a demon and the demons tremble at only hearing of the name of the Saint [Gerasimos]. The woman remained at the monastery for a period of time, given hospitality by the nuns and at a Divine Liturgy the demon could not bear it, and later she herself recounted that she felt something with power leave her body. I must say that a few days before I arrived and when the priest was performing the Holy Unction, and when the time came for the priest to anoint this woman with the demon, she got up and said a phrase that I remembered characteristically, 'Is it not enough that the old priest that stays here doesn’t leave me in peace day or night, and today you with the oil, the two of you will burn me?' and as soon as she was anointed, the demon was so shaken that the woman fell down unconscious and after a few days by the grace of the Saint she was freed."

5. One young man relates how he happened to be traveling in Kefallonia during the feast of St. Gerasimos. When he arrived at the monastery he says that loud screams were coming from the demon possessed in the church, saying: "You are burning me, Gerasimos. You are burning me Kapsali." Everyone understood in the church that there was a spiritual battle going on around them at that moment that they could hear but not see.

6. Recently a young fashionable woman who was possessed and seeking healing from St. Gerasimos was in the monastery and for about an hour was screaming. She then ran over to a young man and grabbed his jacket viciously (this man, it was later discovered, had just come from Australia two days prior). She said to him:

"Hey John, you left your fiance in Kambera and have now come to Kapsali...and you had that other married woman...why? What have you found better here? And on the way your aeroplane almost fell over Singapore...that was me who would have dropped the plane, but the Nazarene and Gerasimos would not let me, so you were saved...."

She then began to say names of people unknown to her that lived thousands of miles away that he knew and would talk about instances of doing things to them but prevented from going further by "the Nazarene and Gerasimos".

The priest then told some in the crowd: "The things you heard are nothing compared to what really happens. This girl was brought here from Xanthi. With some fellow students she had gone to two men named Christos and Gazoro to be told about their future. After this she became possessed and now her family takes her from one monastery to another. For hours on end she tells people the secrets of their lives as she told the young man in the jacket. You must beware however. The Holy Fathers say to not put our trust in the demon possessed. Sometimes they say secrets, but only as much as Christ allows them to say, and other times they say lies. If they tell you five truths and see you believe them, the sixth time they will lie to get you to enter into a dispute with a neighbor. Only those who have gone to Confession are prevented from being called out by the demon possessed...they are blocked. They reveal the sins of the unconfessed, even from among the priests."

7. Reported in the newspaper Peloponnisos on October 16, 1949 titled "The Healing of a Demonically Possessed At St. Gerasimos":

A 17 year old boy from last May has been troubled by an unclean spirit. He attends High School in Leukada and is from the village of Vathy. In the last days of September, during the time in the Liturgy when Fr. Spyridon Linardatos was chanting in the monastery, the young boy was in the church and suddenly began to scream in a frightened manner: "Gerasimos you burned me, where will you drop me? What will your Lord do? Where will he put me? I am Legion who the Lord ordered to go into the wild swine." During this time the priest was trying to exorcize the unclean spirits with the Precious Cross. The unfortunate young man was continuously biting on the Precious Cross saying that it was a great weapon that cuts like a knife. The following day during the Divine Liturgy the young man fell before the larnax which holds the relics of the Saint screaming: "Gerasimos you have silenced me. I am the demon of demons. You silenced me, you beat me up. Open the window that I may leave." After a little while the young boy got up and was healthy.

This young boy eventually grew up to become a priest and always prayed to St. Gerasimos.

[I also wanted to refer the reader to two previous posts I made during my travels to the Monastery of St. Gerasimos when I was 15 years old. The first involves a few words about a woman that showed some signs of demon possession that sat next to me during the Divine Liturgy, and the second concerns some angry dogs I encountered one late night at the monastery. - J.S.]

Apolytikion in the First Tone
O believers, let us praise the protector of the Orthodox, the God-bearing miracle-worker lately appearing to us, the incarnate angel, divine Gerasimos. For he has rightly received from God the ever-flowing grace of performing healing. He strengthens those with diseases and he heals those with demons. And therefore he pours out healings to those who honor him.

(The video below is in Greek, but shows excellent footage of the procession with the relics of the Saint along with the demon possessed screaming and lining up under the holy relics. It also goes down briefly into the cave where St. Gerasimos lived in asceticism underneath the katholikon of the monastery. The priest also speaks of the many miracles St. Gerasimos has performed for the demon possessed. For example, the priest speaks of a woman from Patras who five years prior was possessed and came to the feast of the Saint on October 20. Through the power of the Saint she became like dead when the demon left her and when she awoke she was healed and completely well. At the end it shows the faithful singing in the newly built church the epitaphios (funerary) hymns to St. Gerasimos.)


There is also a video in English about St. Gerasimos here.

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Icon of St. Kyriaki Wept in Nauplion

An icon of St. Kyriaki at the Monastery of the Transfiguration of our Savior located in Nauplion, Greece has wept. It wept five millimeters.

The icon of St. Kyriaki is a portable icon offered by the faithful of the village of Tselou, where also the monastery is located and stopped operating in 1835 except on the feast of Saint Kyriaki annually (July 7).

Metropolitan Iakovos of Argolida was informed immediately of this event and ordered the icon be placed in a protected area to be studied by specialists to find out what substance is emitting from the eyes of St. Kyriaki.

It should be noted that this monastery is frequently damaged by local Satanists and they have also burned icons in the past.



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Metropolitan Zizoulas Takes Stance Against Critics of Ecumenism

10/19/2009
by NAT da Polis

A call to all from John Zizoulas, Metropolitan of Pergamon, tenacious advocate of the value of dialogue. The second meeting for dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox, taking place in Cyprus, sees strong protest and progress at a standstill for fear of "subjugating the Orthodox to the Pope in Rome." Even among Catholics there is dogmatic resistance.

Paphos, Cyprus (AsiaNews) - The 2nd round of dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox is being held in Paphos (Cyprus) from October 16 to 23. Progress, however, appears a distant goal. Two days ago, groups of traditionalist Orthodox monks and Orthodox priests from Larnaca interrupted the meeting of the Joint Commission, asking Archbishop Chrisostomos to stop it. They believe that dialogue between the two Churches is designed to "subjugate the Orthodox to the pope in Rome". Yet it is to this very island, a martyred land of ancient Christian traditions, divided by the last wall in Europe, the one between Greece and Turkey, that Benedict XVI will come on a papal visit in June 2010.

The dialogue of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches began in Ravenna in 2007 where a road map for process towards full unity was signed. The Ravenna document, of great importance, is based on the ecclesiology of the first millennium, when the two churches were in full communion, although even then differences arose from time to time.

The Ravenna document was not signed by the Russian Orthodox Church, which withdrew over differences with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople on the question of the Church in Estonia. But these days it was involved in the work. Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople confirmed two days ago that "engaging in dialogue is our duty and obligation. Dialogue is a road of no return".

The issue of dialogue is the theme of an in depth interview that the Metropolitan of Pergamon, John Zizoulas, gave to Cypriot journalist Aris Viketos. Zizoulas is co-chairman - along with the Cardinal Walter Kasper - of the Joint Commission, an eminent theologian and a charismatic figure, as well as a strong supporter of dialogue.

In ecumenical circles it is said that with this interview Zizoulas is sending an important signal to certain areas of the Orthodox world. They, although a minority, are loudly contesting the dialogue, because they themselves are victims of a traditionalist narcissism bordering on infallibility. The interview also criticizes certain sectors of the Catholic Church who impose a disproportionate dogmatic rationalism, and who want nothing to change.

With acuity, the same Zizoulas, commenting to AsiaNews on the situation of the "Christian world" of today, said: "The Christian world today has many bishops, a few theologians and even less ecclesiological knowledge".

Dialogue and the Ecumenical Patriarchate

Returning to the interview, Zizoulas immediately clarifies that "the decision to participate in dialogue with the Catholic Church was unanimously made by all Orthodox churches. Therefore inveighing against dialogue, the Ecumenical Patriarchate and my person is unfair. All Orthodox churches were in agreement on the importance of dialogue and the fact that it must continue".

"The Ecumenical Patriarchate", he continues, "as in all other Orthodox matters, has only a coordinating role and we, like the other members of the Commission, are the engaged executors, according to our own conscience, of the mandate that was assigned to us. We are open to criticism because we are not infallible, just as our critics are not infallible. Those who do not want dialogue, are opposed to the common will of all Orthodox churches. "

Regarding the positions of the monks of Mount Athos - staunchly opposed to dialogue - the Metropolitan of Pergamon is explicit: "I respect their opinion and their feelings on matters of faith. But why should they have the monopoly of truth on matters of faith? Are the other leaders of the churches perhaps lacking this sensitivity? All the faithful of the Church have the right to express their thoughts. But all opinions should be subject to scrutiny of the synods. If the great Father of the Church St. Basil put his opinion to the judgement of synods, we can do no less!".

Petrine primacy

The monks of Mount Athos and some conservative sectors of the Orthodox world accuse the Ecumenical Patriarchate of yielding to Rome on the question of Petrine primacy. Called upon to answer this question, Zizoulas says, "To the monks, whom I consider no less infallible than my own modest self, I would like to reply that the question of primacy is an ecclesiological one. And ecclesiology as we know, is part of dogma, part of faith. When we dialogue on this issue, we look at our own dogmatic divergence. There is no intention of neglecting other matters of dogma ... Quite simply, our experience has shown us that we must first agree on basic issues of ecclesiology, because the question of primacy has been fatal and tragic in relations between the Catholic and Orthodox world. "

"The Ravenna text", continues Zizoulas, "is very important, but unfortunately it has not received due attention and disclosure. It was agreed that the primacy at any level it is exercised, should be understood in its synodal character. This is what the Orthodox Church maintains and applies and it has its roots in the 34th Apostolic Canon ... The Orthodox Church also has its primus, but they can not decide without the synod, nor the synod without them. This focal point was accepted at the Ravenna meeting, although it does not agree with [the concept of] the primate, as monarch. The second point of the Ravenna document is that the primate is linked to the concept of the pentarchy of the patriarchates [1]. This was true during the first millennium, and this should apply even if the remaining assumptions of the first millennium will retain their validity. Which is why their [the monks of Mount Athos] opposition to dialogue is incomprehensible. We all have to accept [these findings] and where the pope accepts the canonical structure of the Church as it was configured in the first millennium, we should all be happy ... The Ravenna text adopts the basic principles of the Church of the first millennium".

The Uniates

Regarding the Uniate question and the resulting differences that emerged with the Catholic Church, the Metropolitan of Pergamon responds that the Uniate question "has never ceased to be a serious issue for us Orthodox. There has been much discussion in the context of dialogue and we agree with the Catholic Church not to take uniatism as a model towards unity and not to use it as a model of proselytism. The Uniate issue will be taken into account when the issue of the primacy in the 2nd millennium is addressed, when in fact the phenomenon was born".

Ecumenism: Heresy?

Asked whether ecumenism is a heresy, Zizoulas replied: "In defining someone as a heretic, one must consider if that person rejects the principles endorsed by Ecumenical Synods. Among those Orthodox participating in the ecumenical dialogue I have not found any deviation from the principles of faith. Moreover knowing how to dialogue with those who oppose your beliefs does not make you a heretic. Ecumenical dialogue has nothing to hide and our journey is still a long one".

On the prospects of dialogue, Zizoulas concludes by saying: "History is guided by God. Those who proclaim that the Church's unity is impossible, are trying to take the place of God. Who are we to predetermine the future? We are called to tirelessly work so we all may be one. If we do not enact this, or we do so at the expense of the faith of our fathers, then we will be called to answer to God. The final outcome is in His hands. He will find a way to see His will is done, so we may all be one. We simply have to work for unity".

[1] The Church of the first millennium was administered by 5 Patriarchs: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch. Rome held primacy.

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Quran Inscriptions Appear on Little Boy's Body

[I found this a bit odd, as most claimed Islamic miracles tend to be. There are possible natural explanations for this, but on the supernatural level usually body writing is associated with demonic possession or influence. - J.S.]

Quran Inscriptions Appear on Little Boy's Body - New Show for the Masses?

October 19, 2009
Pravda

Inscriptions of the Prophet Muhammed regarded with the same reverence as the Quran appear and then disappear on the body of a nine-month-old child born in a small village of Krasno-Oktyabrskoye, the Republic of Dagestan, RIA Novosti news agency reports.

According to a representative of a local mosque, the signs in Arab first appeared on the body of the new-born Ali Yakubov a few days after his birth.

The child’s mother, Madina Yakubova, said that the boy was born with a hematoma on his chin, and when the bruise healed, the word 'Allah' written in Arab appeared.

“The inscriptions appear on Mondays and Fridays, the boy runs very high temperature and cries. The inscriptions gradually disappear after three days and then new ones appear,” the mother said.

The parents did not tell anyone about this until they saw the inscription saying 'Show these signs to people.' The woman added that Ali was her second child, and this never happened to her daughter.

A representative of Dagestan Spiritual Governance for Muslims did not provide any comments. He said he was surprised like everyone else.

The imam of the village mosque believes that these signs are “God’s signs.”

Medics do not believe in religious miracles, of course. Ludmila Luss, a local doctor, believes that the story with the inscriptions is masterminded by the boy’s parents, Utro.ru website wrote.

“They might have treated his skin with irritants, such as pepper and salt, or medications, which trigger skin inflammation and leave red traces in the shape of Arabic characters,” she said.


The parents may not have used any substances or medications, if the child suffers from urticarial dermographism, also known as skin writing, – a skin disorder that occurs with five percent of the nation’s population. It is one of the most common types of urticaria, in which the skin becomes raised and inflamed when stroked or rubbed with a dull object. Therefore, if the child has such a disorder, writing anything on his skin is a piece of cake.

“Some people suffering from gastric pathologies have extremely sensitive skin. If you draw something on their skin with a little stick, for example, the drawing will later appear,” Ludmila Luss said.

In the meantime, the clergy of the Northern Caucasus do not doubt that the boy is a divine phenomenon.

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Yulia Tymoshenko Receives the Highest Award of Jerusalem Orthodox Church

Sunday, October 18, 2009
Offial Site

Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilus III presented the Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko the highest award of Jerusalem Orthodox Church - The Order of the Svyatohrobskoho Brotherhood. This award is given to chapters of churches and for outstanding services to the Orthodox Church.

"We know your a positive role in the political and ecclesiastical spheres, so we celebrate your achievements in the unification of churches and prominent role in combating anti-Semitism" - said His Holiness Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilus III Presenting Yulia Tymoshenko order.

Gratefully accepting the award, Yulia Tymoshenko said that this is an extremely high award for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, believers who desire peace and tranquility.

Yulia Tymoshenko told the patriarch Teófilo III, that with a difficult challenge, which is the presidential election, she decided to visit the holy places and pray that God give Ukraine and the Ukrainian people peace, and association of churches so that Ukraine will feel like a united nation.

Besides, Yulia Tymoshenko has invited the Patriarch of Jerusalem to soon visit Ukraine. "This will be an historic event for our country", she said. The invitation of the Ukrainian Prime Minister was graciously accepted by Theophilus III .

During the meeting the Patriarch of Jerusalem, at the request of Yulia Tymoshenko, blessed Ukraine and the Ukrainian people for happiness and prosperity. In turn, the chairman of the Ukrainian government has expressed hope that all trials of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people will proceed with dignity.

- See my earlier posting: Ukrainian Prime Minister on Orthodox Pilgrimage

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Take Me Back to Constantinople

[An interesting article, though I do have a couple of problems. First, the "Byzantines" were in fact Romans and this article seems to seperate the two. When Rome fell in the 5th century, it was only a segment of a much larger Roman Empire that fell whose capital was in Constantinople. It would be a little more historically accurate maybe to distinguish between the Pagan Roman Empire and the Christian Roman Empire, the latter being the "Byzantines" he writes of. Second, the Roman (or Byzantine) strategy he speaks of is only a small part of the survival of the Roman Empire. An honest Roman of the time would have ascribed the success and longevity of the Empire to God who they believed preserved the Empire to bring nations to the Orthodox faith. Therefore, the main strategy of the Romans was their preservation of Orthodoxy. If it was not for countless miraculous interventions of the Mother of God, who was the patroness of the Empire, the Roman Empire would not have survived. - J.S.]

How Byzantium, not Rome, can help preserve Pax Americana.

BY EDWARD LUTTWAK NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
Foreign Policy

Economic crisis, mounting national debt, excessive foreign commitments -- this is no way to run an empire. America needs serious strategic counseling. And fast. It has never been Rome, and to adopt its strategies no -- its ruthless expansion of empire, domination of foreign peoples, and bone-crushing brand of total war -- would only hasten America's decline. Better instead to look to the empire's eastern incarnation: Byzantium, which outlasted its Roman predecessor by eight centuries. It is the lessons of Byzantine grand strategy that America must rediscover today.

Fortunately, the Byzantines are far easier to learn from than the Romans, who left virtually no written legacy of their strategy and tactics, just textual fragments and one bookish compilation by Vegetius, who knew little about statecraft or war. The Byzantines, however, wrote it all down -- their techniques of persuasion, intelligence gathering, strategic thinking, tactical doctrines, and operational methods. All of this is laid out clearly in a series of surviving Byzantine military manuals and a major guidebook on statecraft.

I've spent the past two decades poring over these texts to compile a study of Byzantine grand strategy. The United States would do well to heed the following seven lessons if it wishes to remain a great power:

I. Avoid war by every possible means, in all possible circumstances, but always act as if war might start at any time. Train intensively and be ready for battle at all times -- but do not be eager to fight. The highest purpose of combat readiness is to reduce the probability of having to fight.

II. Gather intelligence on the enemy and his mentality, and monitor his actions continuously. Efforts to do so by all possible means might not be very productive, but they are seldom wasted.

III. Campaign vigorously, both offensively and defensively, but avoid battles, especially large-scale battles, except in very favorable circumstances. Don't think like the Romans, who viewed persuasion as just an adjunct to force. Instead, employ force in the smallest possible doses to help persuade the persuadable and harm those not yet amenable to persuasion.

IV. Replace the battle of attrition and occupation of countries with maneuver warfare -- lightning strikes and offensive raids to disrupt enemies, followed by rapid withdrawals. The object is not to destroy your enemies, because they can become tomorrow's allies. A multiplicity of enemies can be less of a threat than just one, so long as they can be persuaded to attack one another.

V. Strive to end wars successfully by recruiting allies to change the balance of power. Diplomacy is even more important during war than peace. Reject, as the Byzantines did, the foolish aphorism that when the guns speak, diplomats fall silent. The most useful allies are those nearest to the enemy, for they know how best to fight his forces.

VI. Subversion is the cheapest path to victory. So cheap, in fact, as compared with the costs and risks of battle, that it must always be attempted, even with the most seemingly irreconcilable enemies. Remember: Even religious fanatics can be bribed, as the Byzantines were some of the first to discover, because zealots can be quite creative in inventing religious justifications for betraying their own cause ("since the ultimate victory of Islam is inevitable anyway …").

VII. When diplomacy and subversion are not enough and fighting is unavoidable, use methods and tactics that exploit enemy weaknesses, avoid consuming combat forces, and patiently whittle down the enemy's strength. This might require much time. But there is no urgency because as soon as one enemy is no more, another will surely take his place. All is constantly changing as rulers and nations rise and fall. Only the empire is eternal -- if, that is, it does not exhaust itself.

Edward Luttwak is a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and author of The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire.

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Did the Kosovan Army Harvest Serbian Organs?

Former War Crimes Prosecutor Alleges Kosovan Army Harvested Organs From Serb Prisoners

Ian Traynor, Europe editor
The Guardian
Saturday 12 April 2008

Carla Del Ponte, the ex-chief prosecutor for war crimes in former Yugoslavia, has unleashed a storm of recrimination with allegations of a trade in human body parts in Kosovo and Albania after Nato bombed Serbia in 1999.

Del Ponte claims, based on what she describes as credible reports and witnesses, that Kosovan Albanian guerrillas transported hundreds of Serbian prisoners into northern Albania where they were killed, and their organs "harvested" and trafficked out of Tirana airport.

The Kosovan government, now headed by the former guerrilla leader Hashim Thaci, dismisses the claims as untrue, while Serbia and Russia are demanding a war crimes investigation into the allegations. Del Ponte, now a Swiss ambassador, has been ordered to keep silent by the Swiss government.

The allegations are aired in Del Ponte's just published memoirs of her eight years as chief prosecutor for the international war crimes tribunal for former Yugoslavia, based in The Hague.

The Hunt: Me and War Criminals, which is published in Italian and was launched last week, has triggered controversy and added to the tensions between Kosovo and Serbia two months after the Albanian-majority province declared independence from Serbia.

In the book, Del Ponte writes that her investigators visited a house in the remote mountainous region outside Burrel, Albania, which was allegedly being used as an impromptu clinic for the butchering of 300 young Serbs captured by the Kosovo Liberation Army and transported in lorries across the border from Kosovo to Albania.

According to witnesses - including one who said he had driven some of the organs to Tirana airport, and a team of unnamed journalists who investigated the allegations - the victims had their kidneys removed before being killed later and having other organs taken.

"Prisoners were aware of the fate that awaited them, and according to the source pleaded, terrified, to be killed immediately," Del Ponte writes.

The "house-clinic" was visited by UN officials from Kosovo and tribunal investigators. "The team was shocked by what they saw," said Chuck Sudetic, a former tribunal official who is joint author of the book. "They found gauze and vials of medicines, including a muscle relaxer used during surgery."

Witness accounts, indirectly provided to Del Ponte, indicated that some of the victims were buried near the house and at a nearby cemetery. Forensic tests in the house revealed traces of blood, but investigators were unable to establish whether it was human blood. The victims were said to include Albanians and trafficked women from Russia and eastern Europe forced to work as prostitutes.

Del Ponte has long complained that the UN authorities in Kosovo blocked her attempts to investigate war crimes by Kosovan Albanians and she says that the authorities in Albania were also unhelpful. The most senior Kosovan Albanian to be tried for war crimes in The Hague, Ramush Haradinaj, a former prime minister of Kosovo and ex-guerrilla commander, was acquitted last week, sparking bitter protests in Serbia.

According to Del Ponte, a local Albanian prosecutor, who visited the house with the UN team, told her: "No Serbs are buried here. But if they did bring Serbs over the border from Kosovo and killed them, they did a good thing."

The alleged organ harvesting is said to have been uncovered by journalists who called in the UN in Kosovo and provided information to the tribunal.

"There were credible accounts of abductions and an organ harvesting operation provided to reputable journalists who have had many years of experience in the region," said Sudetic.

The journalists refused to identify their witnesses. Other sources claim the body parts were flown to Istanbul where they were transplanted into wealthy Arab patients.

Del Ponte's account is the first time such allegations have come from such an authoritative source. But officials and analysts are surprised that she should choose to air them now, five years after her investigators went to the alleged scene of the crime. Del Ponte writes that it proved impossible at the time to pursue a full investigation of the claims.

"I am surprised at the extraordinary serious allegations," said one senior tribunal official. "These allegations have formed no part of any investigation by the prosecution at the tribunal."

Mirko Klarin, an authority on the tribunal and Balkan war crimes at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, described Del Ponte's allegations as "irresponsible and appalling ... This is more journalistic than prosecutorial. She shouldn't put rumours in her book."

The Swiss foreign ministry barred Del Ponte, now its ambassador to Argentina, from attending her book launch and ordered her to keep quiet. Senior Swiss figures are calling for her resignation.

"All I know is that she was eager to talk about the book after its publication," said Sudetic.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which mediates confidential talks between Serbia and Kosovo to try to locate and identify those who vanished in the 1998-99 war, there are still 1,967 people missing. The majority are believed to be Kosovan Albanians. The 300 Serbs said to have been transported to Burrel would constitute a large part of the missing Serbs.

While there is widespread scepticism about the veracity of the claims, Human Rights Watch said Del Ponte had supplied "sufficiently grave evidence" to warrant an investigation by the Kosovo and Albanian authorities.

"Perhaps by bringing this story out now, the witnesses will step forward," said Sudetic. "Perhaps the persons who are responsible for the abductions will worry about the law catching up with them. Any persons who may have taken part in the alleged organ harvesting will sleep a little less soundly."

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