Finding of the Panagia Evangelistria Icon in Tinos

The Finding of the Miraculous Icon of the Megalohari Panagia Evangelistria (Feast Day - January 30)

The Discovery of the Miraculous Icon of Panagia Evangelistria

This highly-venerated icon of the Annunciation was discovered in the ruins of the ancient church of St John the Baptist on January 30, 1823.

An elderly man, Michael Polyzoes, had a dream shortly before the Feast of the Annunciation in 1821, in which the Mother of God appeared to him in shining white garments. She instructed him to dig in the field of Anthony Doxaras outside the city, where he would find her icon. She also told him to build a church on the site, since there had once been one there. The Queen of Heaven also promised to help him accomplish these tasks.

Upon awakening, he crossed himself and tried to go back to sleep, believing that his dream had been a temptation from the devil. Before falling asleep, Michael saw the Theotokos once again, and noticed that the room was flooded by a gentle white light. Her head was surrounded by divine light, and her face displayed ineffable grace and sweetness. Speaking to the old man she said, "Why are you afraid? Your fear comes from unbelief. Listen! I am Panagia (the all-holy one). I want you to dig in the field of Anthony Doxaras where my icon is buried. I ask you to do this as a favor, old man. You will build a church there and I will help you." Then she disappeared.

The next morning, Michael went into the village and told the priest what had happened to him during the night. The priest also thought the dream was a temptation, so he urged Michael to come for Confession and Communion. The old man, however, was not convinced that his visions were mere dreams or demonic temptations. He told the inhabitants of the village of his experience. Some laughed at him, but only two believed his words.

The two men went with him to the field one night and dug in many places, but they found nothing. Then they dug in another place and found the remains of an old wall. Finding nothing but bricks, they had to give up their search in the morning so the Turks would not find out what they were doing.

Anthony Doxaras, the owner of the field, found the bricks and tried to use them to build an oven. The mortar would not adhere to the bricks, so whenever they tried to build one section of the oven, it collapsed. The workers were convinced that God was showing them that the bricks from the ancient church were not to be used for an oven.

St Pelagia (July 23), an eighty-year-old nun, had several dreams in June of 1822 in which the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to her. St Pelagia was living in the women's monastery of the Dormition on Mt. Kechrovounios, about an hour's journey from the village. She had lived in the monastery from a young age, and was known for her great virtue and piety.

The Theotokos appeared to her in a dream and ordered her to go to Stamatelos Kangades (a prominent man of the village), and tell him to uncover the church of St John the Baptist in the field of Anthony Doxaras.

Terrified by the vision, Pelagia attributed the dream to her imagination, and she began to pray. She was afraid to tell anyone about her dream, but the following week, the Theotokos appeared to her again, reminding her of her instructions. Still, the nun remained silent and told no one of her vision. The Theotokos appeared a third time, this time with a severe manner. She chastised the nun for her unbelief, saying, "Go and do as I told you. Be obedient."

St Pelagia woke up in fear and trembling. As she opened her eyes, she saw the same mysterious Woman she had seen while asleep. With a great effort she asked, "Who are you, Lady? Why are you angry with me, and why do you order me to do these things?" The Woman raised her hand and said, "Proclaim, O earth, glad tidings of great joy" (Megalynarion of the Ninth Ode of the Canon for Matins of the Annunciation).

Understanding at last, the aged nun joyfully exclaimed, "Praise, O heavens, the glory of God" (The next line of the Megalynarion).

At once, she informed the Abbess of her visions, and she also told Stamatelos Kangades. Mr. Kangades, who had been designated by the Theotokos to carry out the excavation of the church, informed Bishop Gabriel of these events. The bishop had already heard of the dream of Michael Polyzoes, and realized that the account of the nun Pelagia agreed with his vision. Bishop Gabriel wrote to all the churches on the island of Tinos, urging them to cooperate in finding the church and the icon.

Excavations began in September of 1822 under the supervision of Mr. Kangades. The foundations of the church of St John, destroyed by Arabs in 1200, were uncovered. An old well was found near the church, but not the holy icon. The money ran out, and so the effort was abandoned.

Once again the Mother of God appeared to St Pelagia, urging that the excavations continue. Bishop Gabriel sent out an appeal for donations to build a new church on the foundations of the old church of St John the Baptist. The new church was built, and was dedicated to St John and to the Life-Giving Fountain.

On January 30, 1823 workers were leveling the ground inside the church in preparation for laying a new stone floor. About noon one of the workers, Emmanuel Matsos, struck a piece of wood with his pickaxe, splitting it down the middle. He looked at one piece of the board and saw that it was burned on one side, while the other side showed traces of paint. As he brushed off the dirt with his hand, he saw that it was an icon. Joining the two pieces of wood together, he crossed himself and venerated the icon.

He called the other workers, who also came and venerated the icon. When the icon was cleaned, it was shown to be an icon of the Annunciation. The split was in the middle of the icon, between the Theotokos and the Archangel Gabriel. Neither figure was damaged, and this was regarded as a miracle.

That same day, the icon was given to Bishop Gabriel, who kissed it and cried out, "Great art Thou, O Lord, and wondrous are Thy works."

After the finding of the icon, the inabitants of Tinos were filled with zeal to build a magnificent church in honor of the Theotokos. People offered their money and their own labor to help build the church of the Evangelistria (She who received the Good News).

The new church was completed in 1823, and was consecrated by Bishop Gabriel. St Pelagia of Tinos fell asleep in the Lord on April 28, 1834. Her Feast Day, however, is on July 23.

The Tinos Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos continues to be venerated as one of Greece's holiest treasures. Innumerable miracles of healing and deliverance from danger have not ceased since the time the icon was found.

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The Annual Celebration

On this day the religious feelings of the believers find strongest expression. The whole population of the island and many visitors, who disregard the winder storms of the Aegean offer their thanks to the Great Mother and Proctress of the Christians, Who deigned to reveal Her Holy Icon for the salvation of all those who really believe.

In the afternoon on the eve the Holy Icon is transferred with great honours to the Lower Church and its placed near the point where is lay buried for centuries. This is followed by a special service dedicated to the finding of the Icon.

The next day, an official episcopical [presided over by Bishops] [Divine Liturgy] is celebrated and by 2 p.m. unde the continuous ringing of the bells of all churches, the Holy Icon is carried through the decorated streets of the town in its gold and silver canopy supported by the church wardens, the local authorities and the representatives of the population. After a short prayer at the quai the Holy Icon is returned to Her marble palace, where a prayer is said in memorial of the builders of the Church, whose tombs are situated at the East side of the Church, and of all those who have sacrificed their fortunes and themselves for the construction of the Church.

After vespers the President of the Church Committee pronounces the panegyric of the day, which refers mainly to the activity of the Holy Foundation during the past year and the planned activity of the new year.

In the evening the school-children lead by the orchestra of the Church march through the streets holding lighted multi-colour lamps and singing various hymns referring to the finding of the Holy Icon.

Apolytikion in Tone One
O people of Tinos and all faithful, come and acclaim with hymns our Protectress; the all-venerable icon of the pure Mother of God is found to be a source of healing for us. Let us cry to her: Rejoice, O our glory and boast. Rejoice, thou who hast delivered mankind from the ancient curse.

Kontakion in Tone Plagal of the Fourth
O Lady, we joyfully celebrate the finding of thine icon and we praise thy boundless blessings; for thou dost pour forth abundant grace on all and grant healing to all who cry to thee: Rejoice, unwedded Bride.

For more information on this holy icon, the holy church, as well as Tinos, see here.

At this link are photographs taken from the Great Vespers celebration on the island of Tinos on January 29, 2010. And here are photos from the Divine Liturgy on January 30, 2010.

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Turkey Is Worst Human Rights Violator

Turkey Is Worst Human Rights Violator, ECtHR says

29 January 2010
Today's Zaman

In an annual report released on Thursday, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the top judicial body to rule on human rights violations in Europe, found that Turkey is by far the worst violator of human rights among the 47 signatory states of the European Convention on Human Rights.

In statistical data on violation judgments by country for the period between 1959 and 2009, Turkey topped the chart with 18.81 percent of all violation judgments, followed by Italy with 16.57 percent and Russia 6.34 percent. Within this timeframe, 2,295 judgments were entered for Turkey and only in 46 cases did the court find no violations. The most common human rights violation committed by Turkey was the denial of the right to a fair trial. Italy scored second with 2,021 judgments against it.

In 2009 alone, Turkey again topped the list in terms of violations of articles of the European Convention on Human Rights. In a tally of the number of judgments entered for Turkey, 356 cases out of a total of 1,625 put the country in the worst violator class. In only nine cases out of the 356 did the court find there was no violation, while stating that at least one violation occurred in the rest of the cases. Russia followed Turkey in 2009 with 210 judgments against it.

In terms of pending applications as of Jan. 1, 2010, the report found that Turkey has the second highest number of complaints lodged against it with 11 percent of the total 119,300 applications. Russia led the pack in this category with 28.1 percent of the applications. In its report, the court described Turkey as a “high case-count state.”

More than half of the judgments in which the court found a violation included a violation of Article 6 of the convention, the right to a fair trial within a reasonable time. In recent rulings, the court found that in most cases Turkey was in breach of this article and noted lengthy trials as a violation the convention. There have been excessive delays, in violation of the "reasonable time" requirement, in civil and criminal proceedings taking place in Turkish courts.

Furthermore, 62 percent of Turkey’s violations concerned Article 6 which is right to a fair trial and lengthy proceedings. This article was often raised as the reason for rulings against Turkey. The data shows that in 2009, the court found Turkey guilty of violating fair trial principle in 126 cases out of the total 356 cases. The second most common violation Turkey committed was in relation to the length of legal proceedings with 95 cases settled in 2009.

The report unequivocally finds that in recent years there has an upward trend for Turkey in terms of applications allocated to signatıry states. In 2009, Turkey had 4,474 applications in the court while the number was 3,706 for 2008 and 2,828 for 2007. Only Russia, Romania, Poland and Ukraine surpassed Turkey in recent years in terms of applications to the court.

Turkey seems to be the country adding to the court's caseload the second most. Out of a total caseload of 132,115, 4,725 cases regarding Turkey are waiting in the Committee of Judges, 6,207 are awaiting first examination while 1,896 cases are communicated, meaning that they were referred to Turkey for ??implementation??? observations.

Since 1959, the court has found 16,106 applications lodged against Turkey to be inadmissible or has struck them out.

The European Convention on Human Rights drafted in 1950 places Turkey under the jurisdiction of the ECtHR. In 1987, Turkey accepted the right of individuals to make applications to the ECtHR to apply individually to the ECtHR and in 1990 recognized the compulsory jurisdiction of the court. However Turkey has still not ratified some of the protocols of the Convention despite signed them.

In October 2009 the European Commission on Enlargement to the European Union attested that Turkey had made some progress on the observance of international human rights law. However, the implementation of some ECtHR judgments requiring legislative amendments has been an outstanding issue for several years. Further efforts are needed to strengthening the institutional framework on human rights, in particular with regards to the establishment of an independent human rights institution and of an ombudsman.

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Spiritual Advancement Leads to Greater Humility

by St. Nikolai Velimirovich

The more a man advances in spiritual knowledge and in purification of the heart, the more it appears to him that the depth in which he finds himself is even lower and that the height to which he strives is even higher. When one spiritual giant on his death bed heard that his companions were praising him because of his great asceticism, he began to weep and said, "My children, I have not even begun my spiritual life." When St. Ignatius, that God-bearer, lay chained in the dungeon, he wrote to the Ephesians: "I do not command you as though I stand for something. Even though I am in chains for the Name of Jesus Christ; nevertheless, I still have not perfected myself in Him. Now I am beginning to be His disciple, and I speak to you as a collegium of my teachers."

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Transfer of the Relics of St. Ignatius the God-Bearer

The Transfer of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer (Feast Day - January 29)

After the holy hierarch Ignatius was thrown to the lions in the year 107 (or 108) on the orders of the emperor Trajan in the Flavian Amphitheatre, Christians gathered up his bones and preserved them at Rome.

Later, in the year 108 (or 109), the saint's relics were collected and buried by the deacon Philo of Cilicia, and Rheus Agathopus, a Syrian, and were interred outside the gates not far from the beautiful suburb of Daphne near Antioch. A second transfer, to the city of Antioch itself, took place in the year 438 by the Emperor Theodosius II to the Tychaeum, or Temple of Tyche which was converted into a church dedicated to Ignatius. After the capture of Antioch by the Persians, the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius were returned to Rome and placed in the Church of the Holy Hieromartyr Clement (San Clemente) in the year 540 (in 637, according to other sources).

St Ignatius introduced antiphonal singing into Church services. He has left us seven archpastoral epistles in which he provided instructions on faith, love and good works. He also urged his flock to preserve the unity of the faith and to beware of heretics. He encouraged people to honor and obey their bishops, "we should regard the bishop as we would the Lord Himself" (To the Ephesians 6).

In his Letter to Polycarp, St Ignatius writes: "Listen to the bishop, if you want God to listen to you... let your baptism be your shield, your faith a helmet, your charity a spear, your patience, like full armor." (Compare Eph. 6:14-17 and the Wisdom of Solomon 5:17-20. Also The Ladder of Divine Ascent 4:2)

Ignatius stressed the value of the Eucharist, calling it a "medicine of immortality" (To the Ephesians 20:2). The very strong desire for bloody martyrdom in the arena, which Ignatius expresses rather graphically in places, may seem quite odd to the modern reader. An examination of his theology of soteriology shows that he regarded salvation as one being free from the powerful fear of death and thus to bravely face martyrdom.

Saint Ignatius's most famous quotation, however, comes from his letter to the Romans:

"I am writing to all the Churches and I enjoin all, that I am dying willingly for God's sake, if only you do not prevent it. I beg you, do not do me an untimely kindness. Allow me to be eaten by the beasts, which are my way of reaching to God. I am God's wheat, and I am to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts, so that I may become the pure bread of Christ. (Letter to the Romans)

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
As a sharer of the ways and a successor to the throne of the Apostles, O inspired of God, thou foundest discipline to be a means of ascent to divine vision. Wherefore, having rightly divided the word of truth, thou didst also contest for the Faith even unto blood, O Hieromartyr Ignatios. Intercede with Christ our God that our souls be saved.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
Dawning from the East this day, divine Ignatius, that God-bearer praised of all, hath made the whole creation bright with his wise teachings of piety and is adorned with the beauty of martyrdom.

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Churches Becoming Too Feminine

Real Men Find Church Too Girly

Ruth Gledhill
Times Online
January 27, 2010

Real men don't like going to church because they don't want to "sing love songs to a man", because the "vicar wears a dress", because they feel like "mongrels on parade at Crufts" and because they want to be waited on by women rather than queue for coffee after the service.

A number of distinctly non-pc ways to get men back into church are among those being advocated by a charity, Christian Vision for Men, which has discovered that the Church has lost nearly half of its men aged under 30 because it has become too feminine.

The charity admits some of its ideas might not be seen as politically correct.

But on a questionnaire on its website aimed at finding out why so many men have left church, they suggest a number of ways of making men want to return to church again.

These include redesigning the interiors of church buildings to make men feel more at home.

Instead of the usual flowers and statues of the Virgin Mary, they suggest, "How would it go down to decorate with swords, or pictures of knights, or flaming torches?"

The charity continues: "Maybe it's not 'politically correct', but men quite like the attention of women! They also like to be waited on - so long as they are not made to feel guilty. Instead of having to queue for coffee, why not ask some of the women to go round with trays of coffee and biscuits or chocky bars? Coupled with a charming smile, many men would find that very attractive!"

Then there are the hymns, or modern worship songs, themselves.

Quite apart from the sheer embarrassment of having to sing out loud when the tune might go too high or be in an unfamiliar key, the charity advises clergy just to look at the words.

"Jesus, I am so in love with you," or "Beautiful one I love, beautiful one I adore," - many men wouldn't sing that to their wives, let alone another man, the charity advises.

It continues: "The image of church is 'women and children' - action songs or kid's plays just emphasise this. The decoration is often very feminine - flowers, embroidered banners. The vicar often wears a dress... It can be embarrassing to be next to someone in uninhibited delight of worship, or in tears."

Men don't want to feel brainwashed by reciting words that they don't believe: "The language can be offputting, even the word 'love' has undertones of the love of a man for his woman - they'd rather 'admire' or 'respect' another man. Think how they will respond if called to be Jesus's lover, or to be 'intimate' with him. Don't play into Satan's hands by using language that he has corrupted."

Among the changes recommended by Christian Vision for Men, a member of the Evangelical Alliance, is to use the World Cup to boost falling congregations. The charity wants vicars to erect big screens above the pulpit during this summer’s World Cup in South Africa and even serve beer during games.

Carl Beech, General Director of the CVM and Baptist Minister, said: “The World Cup is when pretty much every bloke in the country bonds over a common goal.

“Why can that not be done in a church? The decline has been steady for a while but has accelerated over recent years.

“The problem has become male culture versus church culture. Too many sermons talk about Jesus’ love, compassion and grace which are great but not male concepts. Men want to know about his great decision making and leadership. That is what they recognise. Churches are very pastorally driven whereas blokes are looking for decisions not discussions. The breakdown in most churches is now 70 per cent women to 30 per cent men.”

The charity, which also recommends subjects as "pornography" are discussed in church men's groups, has also launched two Christian-themed men’s magazines in a further bid to lock into male culture.

Bishop of Lewes Wallace Benn admitted there was a problem. “The relatively small number of men in our congregations is one of the pressing issues facing the church today.

“Within our Christian concern for all ages, both sexes and every ethnic group, we need to address reaching men with the good news of the Gospel as a key concern.”

The Church of England have tried to address the slump in the last five years by encouraging services to be held in alternative venues such as skate parks, coffee shops and pubs under their "Fresh Expressions" scheme.

A spokesman said: “It is of concern. We do know there appears to be a higher proportion of women to men in church."

See here for more.

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Tarkovsky's "Andrei Rublev"

In 1932, the year of Andrei Tarkovsky's birth, Stalin declared that the Russian Orthodox Church would be wiped out within five years. Through forced closure of churches, seizure of Church property, imprisonment and execution of bishops, priests, and lay people coupled with anti-religious propaganda, the Soviet regime, since the revolution, had expended vast amounts of energy combating the “opiate of the masses”. Despite a 1927 decree in which the acting head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Sergius, declared the Church's allegiance to the Soviet Regime in an effort to mitigate persecutions, the Orthodox Church remained one of communism's main ideological adversaries. Spiritual life was seen as antithetical to materialistic communist dogma.

By 1966, the year in which Tarkovsky's epic Andrei Rublev was released, the Soviet regime had somewhat altered its position towards the Church. In 1943, after a Russian victory at Stalingrad, Stalin sanctioned the recreation of the Moscow Patriarchate, utilizing the Church as a unifying agent to bolster patriotism and national identity after a devastating war. Although persecution of the Church waxed and waned over the course of the next two decades, at the time of the release of Andrei Rublev, the Soviet regime was still willing to accept some aspects of religious life which could be used to build nationalist sentiment.

The Soviet position on art was likewise utilitarian, being summed up in this Communist Party declaration which came less than a decade after the revolution: "Cinema can and must occupy an important place in the process of cultural revolution as a medium for broad educational work and communist propaganda, the organization and education of the masses around the slogans and tasks of the Party." With the death of Stalin in 1953 came the Khrushchev “thaw”. Artists began to stray somewhat from the parameters of Socialist Realism and art created for party purposes. Still, art which did not conform to Soviet standards was not sanctioned by the state sponsored Artist's Union. Even as late as 1974 non-conformist artists faced harassment by the authorities when they had their exhibit bulldozed by the KGB for not conforming to Socialist Realism's norms. This is the climate in which Andrei Rublev was produced. A film about an Orthodox Christian saint considered the greatest of Russian iconographers for the glimpses which his artwork provides into spiritual realities.

Andrei Tarkovsky was born in Yurievets on the Volga April 4, 1932 and died in Paris on December 8, 1986. Born to the poet Arseni Tarkovsky and actress Maria Tarkovskaya. From 1951 to 1954 Tarkovsky studied Arabic at Moscow's Institute of Oriental Languages, after which he studied geology in Siberia for a short period. In 1956 Tarkovsky entered the Soviet State Film School where he studied under director Mikhail Romm. Romm became famous for his depictions of Lenin in a three part serious entitled Leniniana. For this and his other works, Romm had been awarded a total of five Stalin Prizes. Although a concept running entirely contrary to the style of Andrei Rublev, Tarkovsky's teacher believed that cinema should be a “direct observation of life”.

Not much is known about the specifics of Tarkovsky's religious life. However, Tarkovsky's friend Michal Leszczylowski, has said that, “Religion played an important part in Tarkovsky's life and he was always eager to meet religious people, to discuss with them problems of faith.” It is through Tarkovsky's art that we come to understand the nature of his faith more fully.

Tarkovsky understood there to be a bond between art and spirituality. "Art is born and takes hold wherever there is a timeless and insatiable longing for the spiritual." This bond between art and spirituality is typified in Tarkovsy's depiction of Andrei Rublev. Completed in 1966 yet not released in the Soviet Union until 1971 due to censorship, Andrei Rublev won the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes in 1970. It is hailed by film critics as one of, if not the, greatest films of all time. Just six years before the completion of the film, the 600th birthday of Andre Rublev was celebrated in the Soviet Union with the official backing of the authorities. Included in the celebrations was the opening of the Andrei Rublev Museum of Old Russian Art. The widespread attention given to the memory of Rublev at this time provided an opportunity for Tarkovsky to, “engage spiritual concerns under the guise of patriotic myth-making”. Despite what seemed a ripe time, religious persecution continued, still making the production of Andre Rublev something of a risk. The year 1962 saw the reiteration of a law denying parents the right to raise their children as believers, backed up by ideological justification. Between 1958 and 1966, the number of registered Orthodox communities in the Vladimir diocese, where much of the film was shot, decreased by 17 percent, leaving only 54 churches and monasteries. Moscow saw a decline of 19 percent during these years. Still, Tarkovsky pushed on with production.

Andre Rublev, simply speaking, is the biographical account of the renowned iconographer of the same name. Rublev was a monk of the Trinity St. Sergius Lavra and a disciple of the monastery's founder, St. Sergius of Radonezh. Rublev is accredited with, amongst other works, the iconography of the Annunciation Cathedral in Moscow and the Cathedral of the Dormition in Vladimir, and most famously the icon of the Holy Trinity. Rublev's style of icon painting is a departure from the more angular Byzantine style. Forms with less sharpness are used to create a softer image. The icon of the Holy Trinity is highly praised for its pure representation of Orthodox trinitarian theology. Rublev's genius comes in his presentation of the one Christian God in three hypostases, or persons. The three hypostases of the Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - are depicted as equal, yet unique. Rublev's perfect placement of the three persons allows for a feeling of union between the three, all acknowledging each other, while a symbol of the eucharist, the life they have given the world, rests on a table between them. Between them also exists space in which the viewer of the icon almost seems called to enter by the position of the three persons. This space can be understood as the creative energies and love which flows between the three. It is here, in this seemingly blank yet utterly full and unified space that we can begin to penetrate the meaning of Andrei Rublev.

Robert Bird points out that the Trinity icon inspired Tarkovsky “in the film's thematic structure, in its visual composition, and also in his aspiration to give voice to a silenced culture”. It is through this inspiration of the icon that Tarkovsky comes to present the story of Andrei Rublev, living under the oppressive Mongol yoke of the first quarter of the fifteenth century. A yoke, of course, in many respects not much different from the Soviet one under which Tarkovsky lived. In this respect the film draws a parallel between Tarkovsky and Rublev in its treatment of the adversity an artist must endure while at the same time maintaining artistic integrity and producing quality art.

Tarkovsky's film lacks “clear linear narrative”, and is presented primarily through means of aesthetic impressions which the viewer must take and interpret to gain a sense of the film's overarching meaning. Tarkovsky utilizes these impressions, or images, as if they were pieces of a mosaic. When one stands too close to a mosaic the entire piece cannot be properly understood. One must stand back and view the mosaic in its entirety to see its true beauty and give it meaning. Tarkovsky's scenes present an aesthetic or feeling, not strict storyline or narrative. It is this style which enables the absence of Rublev, the protagonist, for large segments of the film. Through his impressions Tarkovsky thought it possible to capture the essence of Rublev's character and life even without his presence, just as the “emptiness” between the three persons in Rublev's Trinity icon is able to capture the essence of the Trinity.

This lack of participation from Rublev in the film is best seen in the episode entitled "The Raid". Here Tarkovsky places Rublev as, “A spectator alongside us”. It is in this segment of the film that Rublev meets with the spirit of the reposed Theophanes after the destruction of a church by the Tatars in which Rublev had completed an iconostasis. Theophanes, now dwelling with God, has no need for physical forms to lift his mind to the divine. Theophanes explains that images and words fall short of the glory of the truth and direct experience of God. These images exist to imprint men with godly impressions as a means of contact with the divine, yet they never fully succeed. It is at this point that Rublev, shaken by Theophanes' words, renounces both speech and icon painting as essentially futile endeavors.

The next episode, "Love", lacks any speech from Rublev as Tarkovsky presents us with dry, mundane, and sometimes incomprehensible characters such as the Mongols who do not speak Russian. "Love" is followed by "The Bell" in which Rublev regains his will to speak and create. The seemingly hopeless endeavor of the casting of a bell under the leadership of Boriska, a young man with little skill, comes to represent the hopes of an entire village. The bell, in fact, is cast and rings. At the ringing of the bell Rublev is found comforting Boriska who feared the bell would not ring. Boriska here serves as a representation of Rublev coming to terms with his own God inspired talents. Boriska was fearful that his bell would not ring in the same manner Rublev feared for his failure in his depiction of divine things. We see Rublev holding Boriska near the same spot where the crucifixion scene was shot in episode two. Only now, the cross has been replaced by the resurrection which the bell serves to represent.

Andrei Rublev's lack of clear linear motion unbound by time and space can create a dizzying effect for a viewer. Yet it is the aesthetic impressions which Tarkovsky creates that bind the seemingly disjointed parts to create a truth more mysterious, and existing deeper than the parts themselves. It is this focus on beauty rather than a clear philosophical and ordered construct which I consider to be the films defining characteristic. A characteristic which, in my view, is decidedly Russian. It is a love for beauty which surpasses understanding that helped Rublev create his icon of the Holy Trinity, a true “window into heaven”, at a time when Tatar domination would seem to hinder such creativity. It is this same understanding and love of beauty which allowed Tarkovsky to create Andre Rublev, in a period of Russian history which was dominated by those who sought to eradicate this love and replace it with cold realism and materialism. In this film Tarkovsky joins these two worlds together to present the timelessness of the creative impulse and man's yearning for truth. By not confining Rublev to iconic historical status, which linear narrative and archaic speech would have helped to do, Tarkovsky is able to create a more universal Rublev. Tarkovsky wanted, “The viewer to see Rublev with 'today's eyes',” in order to show that the human spirit can triumph under the most trying circumstances.

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The Spirituality of Andrei Rublev's Icon of the Holy Trinity

St. Andrei Rublev (Feast Day - January 29)

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on the work of Andrei Rublev who is considered to be the greatest medieval Russian Orthodox painter of icons and frescoes and whose work has influenced gene­rations of Russian artists, theologians, writers and philosophers. It examines Rublev’s spirituality, both historically and theologically, with specific attention to the Icon of the Holy Trinity which is considered to be his most important work.

Read artice here: THE SPIRITUALITY OF ANDREI RUBLEV’S ICON OF THE HOLY TRINITY

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Misery and Happiness in Middle Age: A Debate

The perrenial gender debate of our days. Sort of funny, sort of pathetic.

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St. James the Ascetic: Who Murdered Yet Did Not Despair

St. James the Ascetic (Feast Day - January 28)

Our venerable father James the Ascetic (also known as Jacob or Iakovos the Ascetic or the Righteous), a fourth century saint, left all worldly things to settle for fifteen years in a cave near a village called Porphyrianos (now Haifa) in Palestine. There he led an ascetic's life. Zealous in prayer and the mortification of the flesh, God granted him the gift to work miracles.

Never leaving his cave, he received many visitors, including many Samaritans among whom he lead to the Christian faith. Once there was a prostitute who, moved by certain jealous Samaritans, came to see the saint dressed as a nun. She incited him to sin by pretending to be suffering from an ache in her bosom which needed a rubbing. He consented to her wishes, but in order to resist carnal temptation, he kept his left hand all the while plunged in a fire at his side. Seeing this, the woman repented of her shameful behavior, entered a convent, and made rapid progress in the virtues.

The many miracles James wrought, and the fame spreading rapidly, drawing visitors to his hermitage, made him desire peace and quiet. He thus moved forty miles away to a riverside cave. It eventually came to the point where he began to think he had been established in the virtues, and this made him fall into pride. This is just what the Devil was waiting for to go on the attack.

At this time, a distraught nobleman who had a daughter possessed by demons offered her to the saint for healing. The saint prayed and immediately freed her from the demon. The girl's father, though, was afraid that the demon would disturb her again, and so he left her and her young brother in a nearby cave to the ascetic of many years. Unfortunately, James was overcome by desire and he violated the girl. He then became afraid that his abhorrent sin would be revealed, so he killed the woman and her brother and threw their dead bodies in the nearby river. Thus, he despaired completely of his salvation and made haste to return to the world. But on his way he met a holy elder who exhorted him to have confidence in the mercy of God.

Leaving the elder, James went on his way and came upon an old, desolate tomb. He went inside, moved the bones to a corner, and began to send up humble prayer to God. With his heart warmed by tears of repentance, the holy ascetic spent ten years in this dark tomb, unknown to mankind and venturing forth only at night to feed on some of the plants that grew nearby.

Some time later, when the land suffered from drought and lack of rain, God ordered the bishop of the city that unless James who was shut in the grave prayed, the dry spell would not end. Then the bishop together with all the people went to the saint, begged and finally convinced him to pray for them. As soon as he prayed there came a heavy rain. From this sign the saint received good hope about the forgiveness of his sin, for God "desires not the death of the sinner but that he should turn from his way and live" (Ezek. 33:11). The days passed and he added tears to his tears so that he advanced continuously in humility. In this way he commended his soul into the hands of God in peace at the age of seventy-five.

A church was later built on the site of the tomb where he found the grace of repentance.

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J.D. Salinger and the Jesus Prayer

One of my favorite American novelists of the 20th century, J.D. Salinger, died yesterday here in New England (Cornish, NH). He is most famous for one of my all-time favorites, The Catcher In The Rye, which gave us one of the great icons of teenage angst in the 1950's. Less known is a book he wrote a few years later and published after he retired into seclusion in Cornish, which is titled Franny and Zooey. Franny and Zooey is a book many credit with first introducing them to both the Jesus Prayer and the Russian tale The Way of a Pilgrim, which is essentially an introduction to The Philokalia. It is a modern American tale that explores the path from existential depression to spiritual illumination, and in this way serves as a conclusion (or remedy) to The Catcher In The Rye, whose main character's teenage existential angst lands him in a mental hospital (which could be why it has been so loved by the insane of our time such as Mark David Chapman, for whom Holden Caulfield was a hero, and John Hinckely Jr). Franny and Zooey is not an Orthodox book, as it more corresponds to a Zen Buddhist form of philosophy, but it does have some worthwhile moments. Its significance for English speaking Orthodox is that it may be the first time the method of the Jesus Prayer and the book The Way of a Pilgrim was exposed to millions throughout the world.

Below is an excerpt in which Franny explains the method of the Jesus Prayer:

"... if you keep saying that prayer over and over again, you only have to just do it with your lips at first - then eventually what happens, the prayer becomes self- active. Something happens after a while. I don't know what but something happens, the words get synchronized with the person's heart-beats, and then you're actually praying without ceasing. The prayer has one aim, and one aim only. To endow the person who says it with Christ -Consciousness."

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Russia May Restrict Destructive Cults

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St. Isaac the Syrian on the Harm of Foolish Zeal

A ZEALOUS MAN never achieves peace of mind. But he who is a stranger to peace is a stranger to joy. If, as it is said, peace of mind is perfect health, and zeal is opposed to peace, then the man who has a wrong zeal is ill with a grievous disease. Though you presume, a man, to send forth your zeal against the infirmities of other men, you have expelled the health of your own soul; be assiduous, rather, in labouring for your own soul’s health.

If you wish to heal the infirm, know that the sick are in greater need of loving care than of rebuke. Therefore, although you do not help others, you expend labour to bring grievous illness upon yourself.

Zeal is not reckoned among men to be a form of wisdom, but as one of the illnesses of the soul, namely narrow-mindedness and deep ignorance.

The beginning of divine wisdom is clemency and gentleness, which arise from greatness of soul and the bearing of the infirmities of men. For, he says, ‘Let the strong bear the infirmities of the weak’, and ‘Restore him that has fallen in the spirit of meekness.’ The Apostle numbers peace and patience among the fruits of the Spirit.

Homily 51

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The Absence of Envy Among the Saints

by St. Nicholas Velimirovich

The absence of envy among the saints is a startling and wonderful phenomenon. Not only did the saints not allow envy to seize their hearts but, with all their might, labored to uplift their companions and to diminish themselves. On one occasion when St. Hilarion of Palestine visited St. Anthony in Egypt, St. Anthony exclaimed: "Welcome Venus, the morning star!" To that St. Hilarion replied: "Greetings and health be to you, the shining pillar who sustains the universe!" When they praised St. Macarius as a monk, the saint replied: "Brethren, forgive me, I am not a monk but, I have seen monks!" When some people told St. Sisoes that he attained the same level of perfection as St. Anthony, Sisoes replied: "If only I had but a single thought as does Anthony, I would be all aflame."

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King David's Tomb Renovated

Renovating David's Tomb

King David's Tomb complex and Last Supper Room on Mount Zion are important religious, historical sites, which draw hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Despite this, site was neglected for many years, but has recently been restored.

Shachar Poni
01.25.10
Israel Antiquities Authority

Ever since the Six Day War, a number of bodies have been active at the site of King David's Tomb in Jerusalem – the Diaspora Yeshiva is in charge of most of the structures around the main building, the Ministry of Religious Services manages the room of Zion – the tomb and the entrance rooms, and the Interior Ministry maintains the Last Supper Room and the adjacent rooms.

Smaller bodies such as the Sephardic Yeshiva and private citizens and associations, as well as Christian bodies including Vatican representatives in Israel, also show interest in the site.

The complex fell under many different rulers throughout the years, including the Christians, Muslims and Ottomans. The site was captured by the Palmach's Harel Brigade in the War of Independence, and became an important base on the front line that cut the city in two until the Six Day War.

Archaeological bodies (now known as the Israel Antiquities Authority) began operating at the site immediately after the establishment of the State of Israel, as a solution to the problem of damage caused to the antiquities.

The authority would mainly carry out specific archaeological works for infrastructure purposes, but did not aim to carry out overall renovations or maintenance.

In 2007, the authority learned that the Diaspora Yeshiva was performing construction works south of the tomb's courtyard, which could have led to the collapse of the structure's southern wing.

Construction was halted, and the yeshiva was ordered to submit blueprints offering a solution to the problem before resuming construction. This move was the first step in creating a pattern of planning and coordination to maintain the site together with the Antiquities Authority.

The two-story complex contains a series of small rooms arranged around an open courtyard.

Works being carried out on the walls of the structures were also halted. Work was only resumed after the property holders submitted the required blueprints. The works were performed by a contractor with experience in preservation and infrastructure, who renovated and installed toilets in the rooms. The rooms are now used as guest rooms.

Following the success of these two projects, the Jerusalem Development Authority decided to merge the development and preservation of the complex with the government's Old City project.

This enabled the complex to be viewed as a single unit for the first time, both with regards to the study of the site from a historical and archaeological aspect, and with regards to the physical and practical aspect of maintaining and preserving the site.

Pilot plans were then drawn up for the renovation and preservation of the compound's main courtyard, including the corridor at the northern entrance.

Before the project was launched, the 1,290 square foot courtyard was in a dire condition – poor infrastructure under the flooring, lack of an upper drainage system, poor electric and telephone infrastructure, improvised stone benches and more.

The site was completely renovated. Reinforcements were placed, the walls were cleaned painted and plastered, banisters were installed, the site was made accessible for the handicapped, stone benches were built, and more.

Further renovation, which was not included in the original pilot, was done ahead of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI last year, initiated by the Jerusalem Development Authority. These works focused on the large hall east of the main courtyard and the public toilet that was installed near the hall several years ago.

Comprehensive work was also carried out on the Last Supper Room ahead of the pope's visit. Due to drainage problems on the roof of the structure, rainwater seeped into the building and the interior plaster began to peal. Lacking proper maintenance, some of the engraved texts on the walls disappeared, and the pillars in the area were covered with layers of dirt. Therefore, a great chunk of the work was dedicated to sealing off the northwestern part of the structure's roof.

The Jerusalem Development Authority also plans to reinstall signposts all over the complex to make getting around easier.

After the completion of the pilot works, plans were launched to preserve and restore the rest of the areas in the complex, including the room of Zion, the tomb and the rooms leading up to David's Tomb, the walkway and the room east of the walkway used as a space to light candles in. Plans to renovate the hall toilets and roof are also in motion.

King David Compund in 1880

One of the rooms before renovation

Room after renovation

Hall before renovation

Hall after renovation

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Mathematician Says Darwinism Doesn't Add Up

A Mathematician Looks at Darwin’s Theory and Discovers It Doesn’t Add Up

Anika Smith
January 26, 2010
Evolution News and Views

SEATTLE – "Darwin’s attempt to explain the origins of all the magnificent species in the living world in terms of the struggle for survival is easily the dumbest idea ever taken seriously by science," writes Dr. Granville Sewell in his new book In the Beginning and Other Essays on Intelligent Design published by Discovery Institute Press.

What do you get when you add together the big bang, the fine-tuning of the laws of physics and the evolution of life? Definitely not a materialistic theory of origins, answers Sewell, a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Texas El Paso.

In this wide-ranging collection of essays, Sewell concludes that while there is much in the history of life that seems to suggest natural causes, there is little evidence to support Charles Darwin’s idea that natural selection of random variations can explain major evolutionary advances.

In the book, he explains why evolution is a fundamentally different and much more difficult problem than others solved by science and why increasing numbers of scientists are now recognizing what has long been obvious to the layman: there is no explanation possible without design. This book summarizes many of the traditional arguments for intelligent design and presents some powerful and unique arguments as well.

“In The Beginning provides delightful and wide-ranging commentary on the origins debate and intelligent design,” says biophysicist Dr. Cornelius Hunter. “Sewell provides much needed clarity on topics that are too often misunderstood, like his discussion of the commonly confused problem of entropy, which is a must read.”

Granville Sewell is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Texas El Paso. He completed his PhD in Mathematics at Purdue University in 1972 and has worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Purdue University, the University of Texas Center for High Performance Computing (Austin), and Texas A&M University. He also spent one semester teaching at Universidad Nacional de Tucuman in Argentina on a Fullbright grant. Dr. Sewell has written three books on numerical analysis and is the author of a widely-used finite element computer program.

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Saint Ephraim the Syrian

St. Ephraim the Syrian (Feast Day - January 28)

Saint Ephraim the Syrian, the great poet saint of the Syriac Church, was born in c. A.D. 306 in Nisibis of Mesopotamia (northwest of Mosul, Iraq). While some late sources claim that his father was a heathen priest who worshiped an idol called Abnil, his own writings affirm that he was raised in a Christian family. He writes: "I was born in the way of truth: though my boyhood understood not the greatness of the benefit, I knew it when trial came" (Adv. Haereses, XXVI). Again more explicitly, if we may trust a Confession which is extant only in Greek: "I had been early taught about Christ by my parents; they who begat me after the flesh had trained me in the fear of the Lord... My parents were confessors before the judge: yea, I am the kindred of martyrs."

He was ordained deacon in c. A.D. 338, some say by Saint Basil the Great whom Sozomen said "was a great admirer of Ephraim and was astonished at his erudition," and served the Bishop of Nisibis, Mor Ya`qub (St. James), who participated in the Synod of Nicaea (AD 325) as one of the 318 Holy Fathers. He lived as a solitary and apparently never entered into priesthood. After the cession of Nisibis to Persia in AD 363, Ephraim withdrew into the Roman Empire and settled at Edessa where he composed the hymns that survive to this day. Though in the ecclesiastical hirearchy he was just a deacon, he is remembered as a great doctor of the universal Church.

Ephraim wrote exclusively in Syriac, the Edessene dialect of Aramaic, but his works were translated into Armenian and Greek, and via the latter into Latin and Slavonic. Many works in these languages attributed to him are, however, not genuine. Of the multitude of sermons, commentaries, and hymns that Saint Ephraim wrote, many were translated into Greek in his own lifetime. Sozomen says that Ephraim "Surpassed the most approved writers of Greece," observing that the Greek writings, when translated into other tongues, lose most of their original beauty, but Ephraim's works "are no less admired when read in Greek than when read in Syriac" (Eccl. Hist., Book 111, 16). Much of Ephraim's exegetical, dogmatic and ascetic works are in verse form. He wrote several polemical works refuting the heresies of Marcion, Bardaisan, Mani, the Arians and the Anomoeans. He wrote widely regarded biblical commentaries on Genesis and the Diatesseron. His writings extensively employ typology and symbolism. Over 500 genuine hymns survive, of great beauty and insight. His poetry is in two genres: madrãshe (hymns) and memre (verse homilies). After his death, the hymns were arranged into hymn cycles, the most famous of which are those On Faith (including the five 'On the Pearl'), On Paradise and On Nisibis (the second half of which is on the 'Descent of Christ into Hell'). His liturgical poetry had a great influence on Syriac and Greek hymnography. Saint Ephraim was the first to make the poetic expression of hymnody and song a vehicle of Orthodox theological teachings, constituting it an integral part of the Church's worship; he may rightly be called the first and greatest hymnographer of the Church, who set the pattern for those who followed him, especially Saint Romanos the Melodist. Orthodox churches honor him as 'the Harp of the Holy Spirit'. Jerome says that his writings were read in some churches after the reading of the Scriptures, and adds that once he read a Greek translation of one of Ephraim's works, "and recognized, even in translation, the incisive power of his lofty genius" (De vir. ill., ch. CXV).

Shortly before the end of his life, a famine broke out in Edessa, and Saint Ephraim left his cell to rebuke the rich for not sharing their goods with the poor. The rich answered that they knew no one to whom they could entrust their goods. Ephraim asked them, "What do you think of me?" When they confessed their reverence for him, he offered to distribute their alms, to which they agreed. He himself cared with his own hands for many of the sick from the famine, and so crowned his life with mercy and love for neighbor.

St. Ephraim departed to his heavenly abode on 9th of June, A.D. 373, according to others, 379.


Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
With the rivers of your tears, you have made the barren desert fertile. Through sighs of sorrow from deep within you, your labors have borne fruit a hundred-fold. By your miracles you have become a light, shining upon the world. O Ephraim, our Holy Father, pray to Christ our God, to save our souls.

Kontakion in the Second Tone
At all times didst thou foresee the hour of reckoning, and pricked in thy heart, thou ever didst lament with tears; and, O righteous Ephraim, thou wast a mighty teacher in works and deeds. Hence, O Father for all the world, thou didst rouse the slothful unto change of heart.

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St. Ephraim on the Enemy of our Salvation

Knowing, then, brethren, [the Enemy’s] weakness,
let us attend to ourselves, imitating the Fathers.

If we walk in the way that they walked in,
we shall find in it that the Lord Jesus
has become for us guide and fellow-worker.

When then Enemy sees that Christ, the true Light,
is with us, he will not dare
to look at us at all, for the light that is in us
blinds his eyes. So, as I said before,
brethren, lovers of Christ, let us be determined
to purify our hearts, so as to draw upon us
the grace of the Spirit for our assistance;
and no longer does the evil one have power against us.

But we idiots give him power
by distancing ourselves from God
by setting aside his holy commandments.

Finding us stripped naked of grace, the Enemy
guides us himself into his own way.

Therefore I implore you, and beg you always:
Let us flee the evil one; let us keep away from him;
let us untie the bonds with which he has bound us
by our own choice. Let us take refuge in Christ,
bearing the good and light yoke
of his compassion, so that, walking
in the good way of Christ’s commandments,
we may reach the city which God has prepared
for those who love him. To him belong honour
and majesty, to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever,
and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Source

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The Testament of Saint Ephraim the Syrian

I Ephraim am dying and writing my Testament,
To be a witness for the pupils who come after me:
Be constantly praying, day and night;
As a ploughman who ploughs again and again,
Whose work is admirable.
Do not be like the lazy ones in whose fields thorns grow.
Be constantly praying, for he who adores prayer
Will find help in both worlds.

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Rood of Grace: The Mechanical Crucifix Hoax of the 16th Century

[Below is an account of the Rood of Grace, which was housed in the Cistercian Abbey of Boxley in England. It was a place which supposedly contained a crucifix with an image of Jesus that moved its eyes, its lips, its body, and caused great wonder among the pious. Eventually certain Reformers exposed the hoax when they discovered it was operated by the monks through a mechanism it was connected with. I post this to show one example of the depravity of the Catholic Church at this time and why so many turned from the Papacy and its superstitions, feeling justified to become Protestants. - J.S.]

Boxley is best known through its celebrated Rood of Grace, a cross with an image supposed to be miraculously gifted with movement and speech.

More than a century before the dissolution, the abbey is spoken of as "called the abbey of the Holy Cross of Grace." Archbishop Warham, writing to Wolsey in connexion with claims against the abbey, says that it was much sought after by visitors to the Rood from all parts of the realm, and so he would be sorry to put it under an interdict. He calls it "so holy a place where so many miracles be showed." But the image proved to be a gross imposture.

Geoffrey Chamber, employed in defacing the monastery and plucking it down, wrote to Cromwell on 7 February, 1538, that he found in it certain engines and old wire, with old rotten sticks in the back, which caused the eyes to move and stir in the head thereof, "like unto a lively thing," and also, "the nether lip likewise to move as though it should speak, which was not a little strange to him and others present." He examined the abbot and old monks, who declared themselves ignorant of it; and considering that the people of Kent had in time past a great devotion to the image and used continual pilgrimages there, he conveyed it to Maidstone that day, a market day, and showed it to the people, "who had the matter in wondrous detestation and hatred so that if the monastery had to be defaced again they would pluck it down or burn it."

The image was afterwards taken to London and exhibited during a sermon by the bishop of Rochester at St. Paul's Cross, arid then cut to pieces and burnt. The news of the exposure appears to have been widely spread, and probably nothing was more damaging to the case for the monasteries.

Source


Many churches in Britain were dedicated to the Holy Rood or Cross. One at Edinburgh became the nucleus of the palace of the Scottish kings. Holyrood Day was one of much sacred observance all through the middle ages. The same feeling led to a custom of framing, between the nave and choir of churches, what was called a rood-screen or rood-loft, presenting centrally a large crucifix, with images of the Holy Virgin and St. John on each side. A winding stair led up to it, and the epistle and gospel were often read from it. Some of these screens still remain, models of architectural beauty; but numbers were destroyed with reckless fanaticism at the Reformation, the people not distinguishing between the objects which had caused what they deemed idolatry and the beautifully carved work which was free from such a charge.

One of the most famous of these roods or crucifixes was that at the abbey of Boxley, in Kent, which was entitled the Rood of Grace. The legend is, that an English carpenter, having been taken prisoner in the French wars, and wishing to employ his leisure as well as obtain his ransom, made a very skilful piece of workmanship of wood, wire, paste, and paper, in the form of a cross of exquisite proportion, on which hung the figure of our Saviour, which, by means of springs, could bow down, lift itself up, shake its hands and feet, nod the head, roll its eyes, and smile or frown. The carpenter, getting permission to return and sell his work, put it on a horse, and drove it before him; but stopping near Rochester at an alehouse for refreshment, the animal passed on, and missing the straight road, galloped south to Boxley, and being driven by some 'divine furie', never stopped until it reached the church-door, when it kicked so loudly with its heels, that the monks ran out to see the wonder. No sooner was the door opened, than the horse rushed in, and stood still by a pillar. The monks were proceeding to unload, when the owner appeared, and claimed his property; but in vain did he try to lead the horse from the sanctuary; it seemed nailed to the spot. He next attempted to remove the rood, but was equally unsuccessful; so that in the end, through sheer weariness and the entreaties of the monks to have the image left with them, he consented to sell it to them for a piece of money.

The accounts transmitted to us by the Reformers — although to be taken as one-sided — leave us little room to doubt that, in the corrupt age preceding the great change in the sixteenth century, many deceptive practices had come to be connected with the images on the rood-galleries.

"If you were to benefit by the Rood of Grace, the first visit to be paid was to one of the priests, who would hear your confession and give you shrift, in return for a piece of money. You must next do honour to another image of St. Rumwald or Grunnbald, a little picture of a boy-saint, which, by means of a pin of wood put through a pillar behind, made certain contortions, by which the monks could tell whether all sins had been atoned for in the previous confession. Those who stretched their purse-strings, and made liberal offerings, gained St. Rumwald to their side, and were pronounced to he living a pure life. If the poor pilgrim had done all this with sufficient honour to himself and the saints, he was prepared to go to the holy rood and gain plenary absolution."

At the dissolution of the abbeys, Cromwell and his associates laid their ruthless hands on Boxley; and Nicholas Partridge, suspecting some cheat in the Rood of Grace, made an examination, and soon discovered the spring which turned the mechanism. It was taken to Maidstone, and there exposed to the people; from thence to London, where the king and his court laughed at the object they had once deemed holy; and, finally, it was brought before an immense multitude at St. Paul's Cross, by Hilsey, bishop of Rochester, on Sunday, the 24th of February 1538, when it was broken to pieces and buried, the bishop preaching a sermon on the subject.

Source

Read the letter of Geoffrey Chamber which exposes the hoax here.

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Interest, Usury, Capitalism

By the Rev. Hierotheos Vlachos,
Metropolitan of Nafpaktos and Saint Vlassios

Deification of money, hedonism and easy living are the things that prevail in the age we are living in.

The utilization and exploitation of money came to be developed within Protestant circles, within a morality that presumed money to be God’s blessing and the rich as those blessed by God. This topic has been expounded in detail by Max Weber in his widely-known classic, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. In it, he maintains that Capitalism, the rationalized utilization of money and life, are the result of all the principles that were developed by the various Protestant groups in Europe.

Specifically on the worth of money, Max Weber quotes the guidelines given by Benjamin Franklin, which we find in his books, Necessary Hints To Those That Would Be Rich and Advice to a Young Tradesman. In these books, Franklin advises:

"Remember that TIME is Money…Remember that CREDIT is Money…Remember that Money is of a prolific generating nature. Money can beget Money, and its Offspring can beget more, and so on... Remember this saying, that 'the good paymaster is lord of another man's purse'. He that is known to pay punctually and exactly to the time he promises, may at any time, and on any occasion, raise all the Money his friends can spare...."

This is the basic principle of the financial market that is nowadays undergoing a crisis.

Max Weber comments that man is governed by his thirst to acquire money - an acquisition that is expressed as a life objective. When asking himself why people must make money, Max Weber comments on the advice given to Benjamin Franklin by his strict Calvinist father and his reference to the Book of Proverbs: “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings.” (Prov. 22:29). According to Weber, “The acquisition of money within the contemporary financial order is – if done legitimately – the result and the expression of virtue and progress in a profession, and this virtue and progress are – as can be easily surmised – the true alpha and omega of Franklin’s morality.”

This mentality of modern-day man is clearly capitalistic. It is observed in the West and it has influenced many, all over the planet. This is what contemporary, foreign theologians have observed, who have analyzed the respective teachings of the Holy Fathers of the Church.

* * *

Professor of the Pacific Lutheran University of Tacoma, Mrs.Brenda Ihssen, wrote two essays in which she analyzed this matter. The first is titled Usury, Hellenic Patrology and Overall Social Teaching, in which she touches on topics such as: “What do the patristic authors say about social morality?”, “Who are considered usurers?”, “What are the significant questions that should be posed that the researcher should be aware of when approaching a patristic, social-moral text?”, “Under what prerequisites or up to what point can patristic sources be regarded as contributing towards the overall social teaching?”. Within these central chapters we can we find many subdivisions, such as “The Prohibition of Usury in the Bible”, “the usurer as a threat to the community (mean, wild beast, liar, even murderer)”, “the spiritual indigence of the usurer”, usurers as “members of the community”, “if there are exceptions to lending”. She furthermore responds to three basic questions, such as:

“Do the texts of the Hellenic Fathers have any bearing on reality?”

“Are they interested in the texts having a bearing?”

“Is the presence of Hellenic-Roman matters incontestable?”

Her second essay is titled Basil and Gregory’s Sermons on Usury: Credit Where Credit Is Due. In it, she examines their motives for preoccupying themselves with the matter of usury; the influences they were subjected to by philosophers; the use of the Holy Bible with regard to the demand for interest, to usury as a form of stealing, to the turmoil caused by usury; to the images that are used to describe the usurer, and to the celestial “interest”.

At this point, I would like to present Brenda Ihssen’s Introduction, the Conclusion to her first study, and a basic excerpt from the central theme. And I regard this to be a good thing, inasmuch as she was born, raised and teaches in a University in America, where the exploitation of money is a science on its own.

In her Introduction, she writes:

“It is an undeniable ascertainment that the discussion of the moral repercussions of interest and usury no longer provokes the interest of the average citizen. Interest is not regarded as a problem, but a natural element of life. ‘We are happy to pay 4%, as long as we can buy the holiday pillows that the specialists insist we are in need of’. Unfortunately, millions of people on the planet are suffering at the hands of others, who are happy to keep them in poverty, through exorbitant and exhaustive compound interest.

"In my class, students wonder where the problem is if someone borrows money and pays it back with interest, if they are adults and are aware of what they are doing. It is my conviction that the problem lies in the fact that the 21st century holds grievous poverty, hunger, homelessness and deaths, for both debtors and their families. A further issue is the salvation of the usurer, whose acts cut him off from the sight of God.

"In antiquity, interest on loans was condemned in Jewish society, whereas it was considered a normal part of transactions in the Hellenic and Roman system (although it had not become fully accepted in the Hellenic system). Thus, although condemned by Plato (who considered it a “vulgar” thing), interest was regarded as fair compensation for the time and the risk that was undertaken by the lender. Inasmuch as the lender was unable to use the money he had loaned, interest is seen as a form of 'gratitude' for the time required for its return. 'Risk' meant that the lender may never see his money again, consequently, the larger the risk, the larger the compound interest would be.

"Nevertheless, for Hellenic Patrology, time and risk did not count. Any guarantee whatsoever against money loaned was regarded as dishonesty; any percentage above the principal loaned constituted usury. Even a one percent desire for profit placed one’s salvation in jeopardy.”

In a certain point of her text she mentions what bearing the Church Fathers’ teaching against usury had on reality. She writes:

“The excerpts that show our theologians as addressing acquaintances in their own community lead us to the conclusion that they are referring to a problem closely linked to the reality around them.

"As far as our age is concerned, I have to admit that they continue to have a bearing on reality, for the following reason: because each community continues to contain people who are willing to profit at anothers expense. Consequently, I believe that we can learn what these authors had to say about the results of greed within a community. Their writings also comprise a reflection of the ascetic ideal of theologians, for whom the chief importance of the text was the extraction of a moral meaning for implementation in current situations.

"Finally, all these theologians believe that money – whether someone possesses it or not, or whether someone loans it or not – constitutes an obstacle for one’s effective relationship with God" (page 5).

In her Conclusion, she writes:

“The virtue of offering is a continuous course that never reaches perfection. According to our theologians, he who gives instead of lending is distancing the obstacles that sin created; obstacles that do not allow people to have wholesome and maintainable relations between each other. True love desires to share whatever is its own, while true greed desires only whatever is to its own advantage. Usury represents the exact opposite of love, and in fact with a benevolent façade. A self-serving Christian can assert that he has a right to lend money with interest – even with an exorbitant compound interest – firstly because it is legal, and secondly because a Christian is freed of the law. This is the same logic that the Apostle Paul had encountered in Corinth, where his response was 'everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial'.

"To summarize, the Hellenic Fathers regarded usury as something that is not moral, cannot be justified and is not beneficial. Contemporary authors maintain that the matter of usury is dead in our age, given that everyone lends and borrows with interest, without giving it a thought. I hope they are mistaken. Universal poverty is such that the matter of usury is significant to all those who contemplate on contemporary financial catastrophes that are brought about by unfair loan practices. Capitalism has subjugated human health and dignity to financial ends for far too long. As a topic, usury does not provoke discussions; poverty provokes them. We need to be deeply concerned about the evil that interest on loans inflicts on people, on families, on communities, on countries and – if our theologians are correct – even on the salvation of each and every one of us” (page 8).

* * *

We are living in an age where loaning – the official and legal one through banks – prevails and is somehow also regarded as moral. Many seek loans to acquire a house, to put their children through school, to afford a vacation, etc. In certain cases, like acquiring a house, one can say that loans are beneficial. In these cases, a fair society can be of help to those in need – without of course causing damage to those who aren’t. The science of political economics can balance out things, so that banks will benefit with measure, legitimately, but at the same time, those in need can be helped to solve the problems in their life without losing their freedom. If this is put into effect in a legal and fair manner, then it can function along the principle of brotherly love.

However, when lending is linked to hedonism, easy living, bliss, the quest for wealth, etc., then it cannot be acceptable. We need to address the issue and the passions that it cultivates, along with the overall mentality that it develops when our mind is fixed only on money and possessions and is not allowed to attend to other, more important matters.

We must stigmatize and cauterize usurers who exploit the anguish of their fellow-man and who remain unemotional in the presence of their misfortune.

The characterizations of the Fathers for these people are extremely weighty ones. In such cases, those who have money should practice philanthropy and provide interest-free loans to those who are in need of money for coping with the hardships of their life. Furthermore, according to contemporary reality, the hoarding of money in banks is considered a necessity and interest is something fair and legitimate. No one can deny such a logical possibility, especially for householders. However the crucial matter is that when bank savings are seen in the context of the passion of acquisition and avarice, and more so when charity and philanthropy are withheld and man’s hopes now hinge on money, and his faith in God’s Providence is cast out, then this cannot be justified by ecclesiastical morality.

Generally speaking, we should not increase our “needs”. We should not strive to live opulently; that way, we will not be forced to borrow money, because that is the way we will lose our freedom. A frugal life is a respectable life. Besides, “poor” is not the one who does not possess money, but mainly the one who generates the need for many “needs” and is obliged to borrow from banks and from people, and as a result, lose his freedom. The Holy Metropolis is frequently visited by people who have lost their fortunes and their homes on account of such loans.

The ascetic lifestyle, which also involves avoiding luxury and bliss, can benefit us in the present area also, so that we can preserve our spiritual freedom and our non-dependence on situations that literally subjugate us. In a capitalist society where everyone lives with the dream of money and reality shows, which is also what the various lotteries aspire to, we have a duty to live ascetically and to labour honestly and thus adhere to the word of the Gospel. And our mind should always be turned in the direction of the pre-fallen life of Man and to the eschatological life; in other words, in the words of Saint Gregory the Theologian, "to look not towards the pursuant division, but to the initial isonomy-equality".

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Contemporary Miracles of St. John Chrysostom

Between November 10-19 in 2007 the skull of St. John Chrysostom was brought from Vatopaidi Monastery on Mount Athos to Cyprus to be venerated by the faithful. When the pious faithful came to venerate his relics in the church, it was noticed by all that an aromatic scent came from the relic like a wave filling the church, and the incorrupt flesh was warm as if alive. People with all sorts of diseases and disorders came seeking healing, and many did not leave disappointed.

Two miracles in particular were reported at that time throughout the world. One such report can be found here.

The following comes from the website Full of Grace and Truth which has translated some of these miracles:

A) Healing of a woman with a right foot break. After the vespers on Saturday November 10th, the woman rushed from the Church and banged her foot, which was later found to be broken near the ankle. In the hospital where she was transferred, her foot was placed in a cast and she was ordered to keep it immobile and to use crutches to get around only where necessary. She was in great pain when she returned being supported to the Church for the Saint's feast to venerate the Skull. After venerating the pains left, the break in her foot healed, and she left her crutches and removed the cast.

B) The healing of a ten-year-old of hemiplagia. Following a head injury, a ten-year-old student from Archangelo was left with hemiplagia, numbness and paralysis of his whole left side. For a period of at least two weeks before the Skull arriving in Cyprus, he was being cared for in the General Hospital of Leukosia. After venerating the precious Skull, according to his own and his family's confession, his condition, to the surprise of everyone, disappeared. This event and the previous one, were carried by the media.


C) Disappearance of a large tumor in the neck and the healing of a man with neurological problems, problems with the vertebrae and dyskinesia. There was a couple in which the woman had a large tumor on her neck, and her husband suffered from the aforementioned sicknesses. With great effort they entered the line to venerate. One instant the husband thought that two fingers were pushing his lower back. The pains became stronger and their agony more apparent as they wondered whether they would be able to venerate. When it was their turn to venerate, with wonder they noted that from the wife the tumor disappeared, and the husband was left totally healthy.

D) Healing of a man with back dyskinesia. According his own confession, he had a most severe problem, which was localized in his back, and during the veneration of the Skull and after intense vibrations he felt when he bent over to venerate, his problems disappeared.

E) The healing of a child ready to die from Sri Lanka. Formerly a Buddist, a woman later embraced Orthodoxy in Cyprus and was baptized. With fervent faith she prayed at the Skull of the Saint and when she venerated it, she prayed for her niece in Sri Lanka that was near death. After this she received a call from her homeland, which she made known as there was no reason to keep silent, that the child escaped from danger. She, knowing what had taken place, attributed this to the wonderworking power of the Saint, and informed her family of this in Sri Lanka. The result of this was an intense anxiety of that family and those around about what was the true faith and their position in the search for truth.

Finally, the greatest wonder, greater than these and other healings, were the resurrections of the souls of people, the soul and spiritual healing, the turn towards repentance and correction of life. A wonder, which the eye can't behold and the hear is unable to hear. It is felt however in the heart of every man and is experienced in the depth of his existence.

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Translation of the Relics of St. John Chrysostom

Translation From Comana to Constantinople of the Honored Relics of Our Father Among the Saints John Chrysostom (Feast Day - January 27)

by St. Dimitri of Rostov

More than thirty years after John Chrysostom, Patriarch of Constantinople, reposed in the town of Comana, the Most Holy Proclus (the saint's disciple and successor as archbishop) was presiding over the annual service in honor of the great universal teacher. In his homily, delivered in the cathedral of the Imperial City, Proclus extolled the Lord's favorite, saying, "Only if another John were to appear could John fittingly be praised! When the faithful recall his labors, struggles, and discourses, their thirst is slaked, as though by a mighty river overflowing its banks. From John shine rays of God's grace in which one man clearly discerns the sun of the Godhead, another beholds the cleansing of Orthodoxy from heresy, another perceives the deceptiveness of idolatry, another distinguishes truth from error, another is confirmed in faith and virtue, and another observes gleaming heavenly crowns. Oh, hierarch whose memory is like a fragrant breeze! Oh, namesake of grace, whose deeds were truly divine! Oh, golden mouth declaring the word of God! Oh, tongue which spoke of mysteries loftier than the heavens! Oh, teacher proclaiming the gospel more loudly than thunder! Verily like unto John the Forerunner, the preacher of repentance, was this John. One was a herald, the other a trumpet. One was unshakeable, the other invincible. One was a virgin, the other a champion of purity. One baptized in the wilderness, the other lowered his nets in cities. One denounced adultery, the other reproved the avaricious. One was cast into prison, the other was exiled. One was beheaded, the other desired beheading for the truth. Many were John Chrysostom's struggles on earth, many are his crowns in heaven. He now cries out with the Apostle Paul, 'I am a sweet savour of Christ, having cleansed the whole world of the stench of error. In Ephesus I expunged the delusion of Midas, in Phrygia I rendered childless the mother of false gods, in Caesarea I did away with the houses of ill fame, in Syria I abolished the assemblies of the godless, and in Persia I sowed the seed of the word of God. Everywhere I have planted the Orthodox faith. By my teaching I have disseminated the knowledge of God throughout the earth; by my books I have spread the nets of salvation far and wide. With John the Theologian I theologized concerning the Word of the Father; with Peter I laid the foundation of an Orthodox confession; with the fishermen I cast the net of piety into the world.' O John, your life was truly sorrowful, but your death is precious, your sepulcher glorious, and your reward great!"

Their hearts afire with love for Saint John Chrysostom, the people could not wait for Saint Proclus to complete the eulogy, but with a single voice cried to the Patriarch to bring his predecessor's remains from Comana to the Imperial City. The shouts continued for so long that the Most Holy Proclus abandoned all thought of concluding the encomium. Straightway after the dismissal he went to the Emperor Theodosius, son of Arcadius and grandson of Theodosius the Great, and begged him to permit the translation of the honored relics of the holy Chrysostom, saying, "Return, O Emperor, him who by Holy Baptism gave birth to you in the gospel, and who received you in the temple as the Elder Symeon did the Lord. The Church cries to you, 'My beauty has faded, my lips are sealed, my splendor is dimmed! A wild boar has scattered the sheep under the care of Chrysostom's shepherds, and carnivorous beasts have devoured the spiritual offspring of him who served as my tongue. Moved by envy, the foes of my servant have defiled the holy places of his see. As in a forest of trees, with axes they cut down the saint and took him away from me, silencing him in the grave. The heretics said, We will stop the mouth that contradicted us at every turn; we will discredit his arguments, for no longer does anyone dare object to our teachings. How long, Your Majesty, will the foe belittle me, on account of what was done to Chrysostom? Return to me him who clearly reflected my Bridegroom Christ. Return your spiritual father to me, your mother. Do not emulate her who bore you in the flesh: her heart was merciless and her will inclined to evil. Rather, follow holiness of spirit, without which no man shall see the Lord. Eudoxia is no more, but the Church abides forever. I am your eternal mother. Return Chrysostom and make me rejoice, and you will have me as your mediatrix before God. Gain Chrysostom as your intercessor, and prove yourself to be a son of righteousness, made steadfast by the prayers of your father.' "

Proclus won the Emperor's consent, and a large delegation of high-ranking noblemen were sent to Comana with a silver coffer to translate Saint Chrysostom's holy relics. Arriving at the town, they presented to the local Bishop and his flock an imperial decree requiring the surrender of the great spiritual treasure. The townsfolk lamented bitterly, not wishing to relinquish the sacred remains, but did not dare resist Theodosius' command. When, however, the Emperor's men attempted to remove the relics from the grave, they became heavier than a massive rock, and despite all efforts, could not be drawn up. Supposing that the saint wish to remain there, the nobles sent a letter to Theodosius explaining what had happened. After taking counsel with the Most Holy Patriarch Proclus and other godly men, the Emperor realized his mistake in having ordered the transferal without prayer. He decided to write a letter to Saint John as though he were alive, begging forgiveness for his audacity and beseeching him to comfort the flock by returning to his see. The text of the letter, written in the ruler's own hand, was as follows:

"Theodosius the Emperor to my spiritual father Saint John Chrysostom, the teacher of the whole world: Most honored father, considering thy precious body to be lifeless, like the bodies of other dead men, I commanded that it be brought here immediately; but on account of mine unworthiness, matters did not turn out as I had intended. Therefore, I am sending to thee, as to one truly alive, this letter, which I myself have penned, asking with faith that thou fulfill my request and thy people's. Bury mine impudent offense in the abyss of thy wisdom, and forgive me, the penitent, O thou who teachest all men repentance. Return to thy devoted children, bringing us joy. I do not order thee to come, but humbly entreat thee, lest I be put to shame a second time. O most honored father, come of thine own will, that we may lovingly greet thee."

The ruler gave the letter to couriers with instructions that it be placed on Saint John's chest and an All-night Vigil be celebrated. After the service, the nobles easily removed from the tomb the precious relics, which were much lighter than before, and joyfully placed them in the coffer. Covering the grave was a scarf which was taken by a homeless beggar who slept outside churches and whose leg had withered after it was bitten by a snake. When the beggar wrapped the cloth around his shrivelled leg, it became as strong as the other, and he leaped about, praising God.

With candles in hand, the people assembled to venerate the relics one last time, and weeping and lamenting, escorted them as they were taken away. At the docks in Chalcedon the Emperor's men were met by Theodosius, the Senate, the Patriarch and his clergy, and an innumerable multitude of people in boats. The coffer was put on an imperial galley. While the flotilla was returning to Constantinople, God commanded a tempest to arise, and all the vessels were scattered, except the one carrying the honored relics. Although its rudder was lost, the ship sailed directly to the opposite shore, guided not by a human hand, but by the power of God. It reached land at the vineyard of the widow whose defense had cost the holy Chrysostom much grief and resulted in his banishment; thus, even after his death the saint confirmed his zeal for righteousness and denounced injustice. As the galley approached the beach, the sea grew calm, and soon all the boats landed without having sustained the least damage. The relics were unloaded, and the entire population of the Imperial City came out to meet them, chanting hymns, holding candles, and burning incense. First the sacred corpse was taken to the Church of the Holy Apostle Thomas, then to the Church of Holy Peace. The Emperor and Patriarch opened the coffer and found the remains of the blessed one completely incorrupt, unspoiled as a cluster of beautiful, ripe grapes, and emitting a wondrous fragrance. Theodosius removed his purple robe, spread it over the relics, lay his head on the saint's breast, and with tears in his eyes, groaned, "Holy father, forgive the sin committed against thee, and suffer me not to be punished for my mother's hatred and envy. Although the son of thy persecutress, I have done thee no evil. Forgive her offense, that I may escape blame for my kinship with her. I cast the imperial dignity at thy feet and lie helpless, awaiting thine intercession. Pardon the reckless violence of her who wronged thee, for she hath repented of her sin and asketh forgiveness through my lips, saying, 'Remember, father, thine instructive discourses against rancour, and consign my malice to oblivion. I wish to rise from my fall, so extend a helping hand. Thou didst say, If anyone hath slipped, let him rise and be saved. I cannot bear thy displeasure: even my tomb quaketh, giving my bones no rest. I fear consignment to Christ's left hand at the Dread Judgment and tremble, knowing that everlasting punishment awaiteth me. By thy teachings thou hast saved many: let me not remain alone without salvation. Reject me not who crieth unto thee, but avenge thyself on mine enemy the devil, who instructed me to sin against thee as Eve against God. Be not wroth with me, O compassionate one! In thy lifetime thou didst not remember evils done thee; do not remember them now that thou dwellest in heaven. I transgressed against thee in the temporal realm; do thou have mercy on me beyond the grave. My glory hath passed away and is useless to me; wherefore, I beg thy help, O father, for thou abidest in divine light. Before I am condemned at Christ's tribunal, forgive me, who am bereft of any answer for myself.'"

As he spoke these words on behalf of his mother, the Emperor drenched the relics with tears and kissed them reverently. The Most Holy Proclus also kissed the saint tenderly, crying, "Rejoice, O Christ-loving teacher most sweet! I am thy child, nurtured on thy spiritual milk. As I am also thy successor, my sheep are thine. They are still nourished by the pasturage thou hast provided and will follow no shepherd other than thee. Reveal thy presence and speak to us!"

The crowd pressed forward to touch the honored coffer and kept vigil through the night. In the morning the saint's remains were placed on the Emperor's chariot and taken with much ceremony to the great Church of the Holy Apostles. When the reliquary was placed on the bishop's throne, the people exclaimed as with a single voice, "Mount thy cathedra, O father!" Patriarch Proclus and others who were worthy saw Saint John move his lips and heard him pronounce the archpastoral blessing, "Peace be unto all!"

During the celebration of the holy Liturgy, many sick folk were miraculously healed through the relics, and the grave of the Empress Eudoxia ceased quaking. Afterwards, the clergy deposited the saint's body beneath the table of preparation in the sanctuary of the cathedral, glorifying Christ God, Who, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, is praised unto the ages. Amen.

Apolytikion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
The grace of your words illuminated the universe like a shining beacon. It amassed treasures of munificence in the world. It demonstrated the greatness of humility, teaching us by your own words; therefore, O Father John Chrysostom, intercede to Christ the Logos for the salvation of our souls.

Kontakion in the First Tone
The holy and august Church is mystically gladdened today on the translation of thy holy relics. And though she had kept them hid in concealment like precious gold, by thine intercessions she unceasingly granteth, unto them that praise thee, the divine grace of healing, O Father John Chrysostom.

Concerning the recent return of the relics of St. John Chrysostom to Constantinople from the Vatican, see here.

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