A Scientific Examination of the Relics of Sts. Chrysanthos and Daria

Scientific Examination in Italy Is First of Its Kind Allowed by Catholic Church.

National Geographic Channel World Premiere Documentary Chronicles the Scientific Study of Martyrs Said to Have Been Buried Alive.

April 14, 2011
Christian Newswire

A scientific investigation of human bones locked in a crypt in the northern Italian cathedral of Reggio Emilia since the 10th century supports an ancient tradition that the remains belong to a husband and wife said to have been martyred almost two millennia ago.

The investigation is the first comprehensive battery of scientific tests ever conducted on the remains of a pair of Catholic saints -- in this case, two virtually complete skeletons -- along with a burial cloth and reliquary box. The team of scientists used a variety of advanced methods, including DNA analysis and carbon dating, to investigate the question, Are these the remains of the martyred Roman husband and wife Chrysanthus and Daria? Legend says the two were buried alive in the third century A.D. after becoming Christians and converting thousands of Romans to their fledgling religion. And can science work alongside religion to support the story of these iconic martyrs?

Now, in the week leading up to Easter, the National Geographic Channel world premiere documentary EXPLORER: Mystery of the Murdered Saints, premiering Tuesday, April 19, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, follows the investigation of the mystery surrounding the bones and the scientific studies.

"All of the evidence we have gathered points toward the relics having belonged to Chrysanthus and Daria," said investigation leader Ezio Fulcheri of the University of Genoa, who received funding from the National Geographic Society for the work. "This has been a very rare opportunity to be able to study bones and other relics that relate directly back to a legend that has been passed on for almost 2,000 years. The completeness of the skeletons is also rare for martyrs of this era, implying that these relics were protected and venerated in their entirety at a very early point in history."

Fulcheri led a team of scientists that included anthropologists Alessandra Cinti and Dr. Rosa Boano, both of the University of Turin, Italy, and Dr. Fabrizio Ambrosetti of Santa Maria Nuova Hospital in Reggio Emilia.

The box purportedly containing the two saints' remains was opened for the first time in centuries in 2008 and, to the surprise of scientists and church leaders, was found to contain nearly 150 bones, a rare assemblage to be associated with an ancient legend about saints. The bones made up two nearly complete skeletons.

Scientific testing began soon after. Among the first tests, conducted at the University of Salento, Italy, was carbon-14 dating to determine the age of the bones. The result was a range of A.D. 80 to A.D. 340, which coincides with historical recording of the martyrdom of Chrysanthus and Daria around A.D. 283.

The project came about as a result of a 2008 renovation at the Reggio Emilia cathedral, causing dismantling of the altar that had been undisturbed since its last recorded opening in 1651.

According to tradition, Chrysanthus was born the only son of a Roman senator from Alexandria, grew up in Rome and eventually converted to Christianity. His father disapproved of his conversion and, to bring him back to the Roman faith, arranged a marriage between his son and a high priestess of Rome named Daria. However, the plan backfired, as Daria embraced her new husband's religion and, according to the story, worked with Chrysanthus to convert thousands more to Christianity.

Ultimately the two were arrested by the Roman Empire for proselytizing, and around A.D. 283 the young adults were buried alive in a sand mine in Rome. A wall was eventually erected around the grave for protection. Historical sources record that the bones were moved numerous times between 757 and 914, when Pope John X conceded the relics to Italian King Berengario. Finally, in 946 the king donated them back to the church, transferring their custody to the diocese of Reggio Emilia, where, according to the diocese, they have since been kept beneath the church's altar.

Upon completion of the study, the relics were preserved and secured in a new reliquary, to be placed once again under the altar at Reggio Emilia.

Read also: Legendary Saints Were Real, Buried Alive, Study Hints

Human Remains Linked to Saints Martyred Nearly 2 Millennia Ago

April 14, 2011

National Geographic

A scientific investigation of human bones locked in a crypt in the northern Italian cathedral of Reggio Emilia since the 10th century supports an ancient tradition that the remains belong to a pair of lovers said to have been martyred almost two millennia ago.

The investigation is the first comprehensive battery of scientific tests ever conducted on the remains of a pair of Catholic saints — in this case, two virtually complete skeletons — along with a burial cloth and reliquary box. The team of scientists used a variety of advanced methods including DNA analysis and carbon dating to answer the question: Are these the remains of the martyred Roman husband and wife Chrysanthus and Daria? Legend says the two were buried alive in the third century A.D. after becoming Christians and converting thousands of Romans to their fledgling religion.

“All of the evidence we have gathered points toward the relics having belonged to Chrysanthus and Daria,” said investigation leader Ezio Fulcheri of the University of Genoa, who received funding from the National Geographic Society for the work. “This has been a very rare opportunity to be able to study bones and other relics that relate directly back to a legend that has been passed on for almost 2,000 years. The completeness of the skeletons is also rare for martyrs of this era, implying that these relics were protected and venerated in their entirety at a very early point in history.”

The investigation of the mystery surrounding the bones is the subject of a documentary, “EXPLORER: Mystery of the Murdered Saints,” to premiere at 10 p.m. ET/PT Tuesday, April 19, on the National Geographic Channel.

Fulcheri led a team of scientists that included anthropologists Alessandra Cinti and Dr. Rosa Boano, both of the University of Turin, Italy, and Dr. Fabrizio Ambrosetti of Santa Maria Nuova Hospital in Reggio Emilia.

The box purportedly containing the two saints’ remains was opened for the first time in centuries in 2008 and, to the surprise of scientists and church leaders, was found to contain nearly 150 bones, a rare assemblage to be associated with an ancient legend about saints. The bones made up two nearly complete skeletons.

Scientific testing began soon after. Among the first tests, conducted at the University of Salento, Italy, was carbon-14 dating to determine the age of the bones. The result was a range of A.D. 80 to A.D. 340, which coincides with historical recording of the martyrdom of Chrysanthus and Daria around the year A.D. 283.

Other results:

* Anthropological studies confirmed the presence of only two individuals among the remains. That study also found that one of the individuals was male and one female, and later DNA analysis, conducted at the University of Florence, Italy, confirmed this.

* Anthropological studies and CT scanning established the age of the male to be 17 to 20 years and the female to be 20 to 25 years. These ages conform to the details of the legend of Chrysanthus and Daria.

* Pathological studies showed that the individuals had not engaged in significant physical labor; osteological studies showed evidence of lead poisoning. Both of these findings point to privileged lifestyles, thought to correspond to the two saints. Lead tended to accumulate in the bodies of upper-class individuals of that era because, among other causes, lead was present in plumbing systems, systems that were only found in the homes of wealthier families.

* Pathological studies showed no evidence of physical trauma or disease. This finding is consistent with what is known about the cause of death of the two individuals.

* Studies of pollen residue found with the bone relics found ancient, now-extinct pollen from the Reggio Emilia area. This may trace back to 1522, the time the bones were last exposed to open air.

Fulcheri said the bones definitely did not come from the Reggio Emilia area, which eliminates the possibility of a local forgery. Legend says that the couple was killed in Rome and the remains moved several times.

The project came about as a result of a 2008 renovation at the Reggio Emilia cathedral, causing dismantling of the altar that had been undisturbed since its last recorded opening in 1651.

According to tradition, Chrysanthus was born the only son of a Roman senator from Alexandria, grew up in Rome and eventually converted to Christianity. His father disapproved of his conversion and, to bring him back to the Roman faith, arranged a marriage between his son and a high priestess of Rome named Daria. However, the plan backfired, as Daria embraced her new husband’s religion and, according to the story, worked with Chrysanthus to convert thousands more to Christianity.

Ultimately the two were arrested by the Roman Empire for proselytizing, and around A.D. 283 the young adults were buried alive in a sand mine in Rome. A wall was eventually erected around the grave for protection. Historical sources record that the bones were moved numerous times between 757 and 914, when Pope John X conceded the relics to Italian King Berengario. Finally, in 946 the king donated them back to the church, transferring their custody to the diocese of Reggio Emilia, where, according to the diocese, they have since been kept beneath the church’s altar.

Upon completion of the study, the relics were preserved and secured in a new reliquary, to be placed once again under the altar at Reggio Emilia.

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Patriarch Bartholomew: Religion Not A Cause of Conflicts Among People

April 15, 2011

Hurriyet Daily News

Religion is not the primary source of the current problems and increasing tensions in the world, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew said Thursday.

“We believe that religious differences do not cause conflicts among people and this fact needs to be understood,” he said, speaking at the 14th Eurasian Economic Summit held by the Marmara Group Strategic and Social Research Foundation.

“We believe Turkey to have a great role and responsibility in the future of the globalizing world,” the patriarch said. “In this perspective, religion is also an important dynamic in the world’s transformation.”

As global problems and conflicts have grown, the role of religion in international relations has increasingly begun to be perceived as a negative element, Bartholomew said. “Western and secular people have depicted religion as the sole factor responsible for the problems of the world,” he said. “But religion is not the factor that should be accused.”

Also speaking at the summit, Archbishop Antonio Lucibello, the Vatican ambassador to Ankara, said governments and administrations must respect the freedom of religion and conscience to maintain peace, security and democracy.

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Having Completed the Forty Days That Profit Our Souls

By Sergei V. Bulgakov

Friday of the Sixth Week ends the Holy Forty Day Fast. In the services for this day we sing:

Having completed the forty days that profit our souls, we ask You, O Lover of man: Grant us also to behold the Holy Week of Your Passion, that we may glorify Your mighty acts and Your ineffable plan for our sakes.

Together with these in the service for this day the Holy Church prepares her children to worthily commemorate Lazarus raised from the dead and especially the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, appealing:

Having completed the Forty Day Fast that is pleasing to our soul, let us cry out: Rejoice, O City of Bethany, the home of Lazarus, rejoice Martha and Mary, his sisters. For tomorrow Christ will come, by His word to give life to your dead brother.

Those who are in the deserts and on the mountains, and in the caves, let us gather together carrying palms, to meet the King and the Master: for He comes to save our souls.

For this meeting we carefully go, offering branches of virtue to Him.

Those who carried out the Holy Forty Day Fast as taught by the Holy Church, with fasting and reverence, in prayer and fervent compunction who have cleansed the soul and heart with tears of repentance, who with fervent love for the Lord have sincerely united themselves to Him by partaking of His body, who created fruits worthy of repentance, and was strengthened, as much as possible, for the way of the Lord's precepts. For these the Holy Forty Day Fast was truly "pleasing to the soul".

Deprivation of the more pleasant, fattening food has brought forth, certainly, the perceived ease and vigor of the body, the freshness of ideas, the vivacity and activity of all the powers of the soul, the pleasant sensation of internal calm and inner peace. Prayerful vigils, seeming so difficult for the distracted mind, have become not only easy, but also sweetness for the heart, bearing fruit for the spirit, pouring into the soul truly lenten joy full of grace and comfort, light and life. Everything external has lost power and authority over him through the soul which has become more concentrated within itself, has grown fonder of conversation alone with God and with his own conscience; that before he was occupied, carried away with the imaginary and deceptive pleasure, which now has become worthless, having lost its allure, became unworthy of attention, finally, unpleasant and boring. The carnal passions themselves, not finding food any more in a body tamed by fasting, neither in the soul concentrated in thinking about God and prayer, have become weakened and have stopped. The very apparently untamable passions of the soul: anger and rage, ambition and envy, spite and hatred, having met with the spirit of repentance and sorrow before God, with thoughts about death and the judgment of God, with reflection about the suffering of Christ and about the truth of God punishing all kinds of sins, are pacified and suppressed. The conscience, having been delivered from the violence of the passions, having woken from the sleepiness of the vanity and sweetness of everyday life, clarified by the light of the Word of God, touched by the prayers and hymns of the Church, itself became impressionable by the power of its accusations, explanations and inclinations from the depth of sin on the mountain of the law of God and from the allure of temptations to the beauty of virtue and spiritual perfection. The entire soul fervently fasting and praying is illuminated by the grace of light: it knows itself and all the surroundings more clearly, it begins to understand through faith and hope the spiritual world more clearly, it rules more freely over its flesh, above its needs, propensities and strivings, it more deeply feels the need for the highest treasure, the righteousness in Christ, the easing of conscience, the grace of coexistence.

He who has felt in himself these spiritual fruits of fasting that awaits him coming on the eve of the higher holy days, has comfort without compare with anything earthly; therefore everything that is truly joyful and comforting for us in the present life, is enclosed for us in the death of the Savior on the Cross and His Resurrection, remembered by the Holy Church in the holy days of Passion Week and Pascha. And the true faster, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, will enter into the living, sincere partnership of His passion, in order to be glad later by the unutterable joy of His Resurrection which makes usual the more unusual joy of the Lord of pure spirits which no one and nothing on earth can take away from the soul, the loving Lord.

But, according to the unutterable mercy and longsuffering of God, those who carried out the Holy Forty Day Fast not as if it would demand holiness of its days and the true benefit of the soul, who even during these days of universal repentance and salvation did not begin, as it should, the work of his salvation, to them is still the opening of the door of the mercy of God, Who opens the entrance to the holy place of repentance for the reception of mercy and the remission of sins, life and salvation.

And each sinner should primarily take advantage of the coming saving days of the Passion of Christ for his sanctification and salvation, and not remain a cold and unfeeling spectator of the suffering of Christ undertaken for our salvation, and not be indifferent and for his own self to partake of the share which awaits him in eternity. Vividly thinking about the "intolerable anger of the Lord against sinners", he with special fervent compunction, according to the management of the Holy Church, must be moved to appeal:

Despising the divine commands, my soul, you have been embraced by the snares of the enemy, and by your own choice you have betrayed yourself to corruption. Sunk in slumber through your many sins, you have profaned the divinely woven garment and made yourself unfit for the royal marriage; but you shall be dragged away because of your sin. For if you sit at the wedding feast clad in the clothing of the passions, He will ask you how you came in, and you will be cast out from the bridal chamber. But call out to the Savior: O Dreadful Eye, You have become what I am, without ceasing to be who You were. Before Your Cross, for my sake You have worn a mantle of mockery, tear off my sackcloth, and clothe me with the robe of gladness; and deliver me from the outer darkness and eternal weeping, and have mercy on me.

And who will carry out the saving days of the Passion of Christ with the sincere confession of one's sins, with the resolute intention not to return to one's former sinful life, with the firm desire to please the Lord by fulfilling His sacred commandments, that one will not lose the reward of life-creating joy of the resurrection of Christ: "for He is the Master who loves mankind, who accepts the last, as He also accepts the first, who gives rest even at the eleventh hour as He does at the first hour". (See details in The Complete Sermons of Demetrius, Archbishop of Chersonese, vol.4, pp. 355).

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Mysteries We Should Not Contemplate Without the Grace of Illumination

St. Gregory of Sinai writes:

We confirm that there are eight principle subjects for contemplation:

First, God, invisible and unseen; without beginning and uncreated; the First Cause of everything that exists; Triune; the one and only pre-existing Divinity;

Second, the order and rank of rational powers [the bodiless powers of heaven; the angelic world];

Third, the composition of visible things;

Fourth, the plan of the Incarnation of the Word;

Fifth, the general resurrection;

Sixth, the awesome Second Coming of Christ;

Seventh, eternal torment;

Eighth, the Kingdom of Heaven.

The first four have already been revealed and belong to the past. The last four have not yet been revealed and belong to the future, even though these four are clearly contemplated by those who, with the help of acquired Grace, attained complete purity of mind. Whosoever approaches this task of contemplation without the illumination of Grace, let him know that he is building fantasies and does not possess the art of contemplation.

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The Incorrupt Relics of Monk Gregory Skevofylax of Zakynthos

Present day El-Tor is not much visited by foreign tourists, but this is ancient Raitho where, during the time of the Roman emperor Diocletian, the Holy Fathers of the Sinai were massacred by the Blemmyes of Africa. Not much is left here, but a letter addressed by the Abbot John Hegoumenos of Raitho to "John the most worthy Hegoumenos of Mount Sinai" has survived. From this we learn that at the time of the Abbot John there was a lavra (a group of hermit dwellings) at Raitho. Today, one can still see the ruins of a monastery built by Justinian, and there is also a more recent monastery with a splendid church dedicated to St. George and a guest house. The Greek Orthodox Monastery with Church of St. George, is a medieval rebuilding of an earlier church located near the sea on adjacent land now part of the El-Kelany archaeological site.

Within the Church of St. George are the incorrupt relics of "the second founder of the monastery", Monk Gregory Skevofylax of Zakynthos. Monk Gregory helped re-establish the Monastery at Raithou with Monk Prophyrios in 1827. Recently his relics were discovered to be incorrupt. The Church of St. George was founded by Monk Gregory in 1885.

Below is a Codex from the Monastery of St. Katherines with the signature of Monk Gregory from 1869:

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Moscow Patriarchate Encourages Scientists To Study the Church Fathers On Human Psychology

April 15, 2011

Interfax

The Moscow Patriarchate urged scientists to study discoveries of the Orthodox holy fathers in human psychology.

"Modern science has not absorbed or insufficiently absorbed the wealth of a heritage left by the Early Christian spiritual and intellectual tradition," the head of the Synodal Information Department Vladimir Legoyda writes in an article published by Izvestia newspaper.

According to him, one reason is that "the language of today's science was formed in Europe primarily by Christian believers; however, a large corpus of texts written by the holy fathers has not been translated into this scientific language."

"Christian ascetics made such great discoveries in human nature that Freud couldn't even dream of, if I may say so. Of course, not strictly scientific in form, they contain quite detailed descriptions of many psychological laws of personal development," the article says.

Legoyda states that Western culture went past the works of the Church Fathers and Christian ascetics "who have been studying the secret laws of the human soul for centuries"; so "this situation may be and needs to be changed."

"The ecclesiastical pastoral experience is well aware of such maladies inherent to the modern world and treated by psychiatrists as stress, passions, tension and loneliness. Christianity has gathered unparalleled experience analyzing the human soul which is undoubtedly indispensable to modern science," Legoyda added.

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The Exorcism of a Greek-American Immigrant

Elder Ignatios the Confessor (+ 1927)

By Archimandrite Cherubim Karambelas

It is a sad thing that many Greeks outside their country fall victim through carelessness to anti-Christian ideas and heresies, losing the priceless treasure of the Orthodox faith. This happened to a man named Angelis Kioussis.

He had set out from the Lion of Thebes, his fatherland, for distant America, hoping for a good career. As he was clever and enterprising, he not only managed to succeed professionally but he even became very rich.

At the age of forty he wanted something novel to play with. Blinded by his wealth and darkened by arrogance, he became entangled in the nets of a satanic sect. His soul was so poisoned that he forswore Christianity in a solemn ceremony, and defiled the icons of Christ and the Theotokos. Others had performed this wicked deed, and nothing had happened to them.

But God, Who forbears and is silent, sometimes judges it right to break His silence. This happened in the case of Angelis - the scourge fell as he was leaving the room where the abominable deed was performed. God delivered him to the power of the devil. Outwardly it appeared that he had been stricken with sudden madness.

"Angelis, the wealthy one, is ill!" The rumor spread among the emigrant Greeks. "He doesn't know what he is saying or doing - he has a serious mental illness!"

His brothers now had the thankless responsibility of going around from doctor to doctor and from psychiatrist to psychiatrist. They were fortunate they had so much money to spend. He was examined by the most eminent psychiatrists, given the best medicines, and nursed in the most modern sanatoriums, but there was no result. Several doctors said to themselves: "This is a strange illness! It doesn't seem normal. A peculiar case! What shall we do?"

His relatives began to understand that Angelis' illness lay outside the jurisdiction of medical science. They remembered he despised the Faith and brought him back to their fatherland, having recourse to the Church and the help of priests. Now in place of drugs he received the exorcism of St. Basil the Great. Their new course of action finally led the possessed man to the Holy Mountain.

"Shouldn't you take him to the Holy Mountain, so that some holy hieromonk can pray for him?" several people recommended.

This suggestion was immediately adopted, and Angelis with his brothers came to New Skete, where they had some friends.

Some time ago in New Skete we met the monk who had received them in his Kalyva, Fr. Eustratios the hagiographer. When we questioned him, he told us the story in detail. He also described the madness of the possessed man. He would carry around four or five round balls like oranges and amuse himself by throwing them one by one into the air with great speed. He would catch them and throw them again, without any falling down. The most skillful jugglers would have envied him!

Various kinds of demons torment demoniacs. Some work at midday, others at night, others once a month. Some are deaf or mute, others shameless babblers, etc. Angelis' demon was characterized as "harmful and distorting the mind" and "voluble". Under his influence the unfortunate man ceaselessly chatted and talked to himself, rambling on about all kinds of subjects. His tongue never stopped.

The Fathers of New Skete worked hard to drive it out, but were not successful. This demon was very difficult: "His neck was made of iron nerves". They bethought themselves to find some elder "mighty in battle". Such a one was Fr. Ignatios the Confessor, who had healed many demoniacs.

Thus Angelis was led to Katounakia, where they met Fr. Ignatios and the battle was planned. Fr. Ignatios perceived that much labor would be needed to expel this spirit. His disciple of the same name would assist him in the struggle, in the Liturgies and exorcisms. For forty days they would fast, perform the Divine Liturgy daily, read the exorcisms, and beg God's mercy. Angelis, by Fr. Ignatios' command, had to go to confession every day and tell his most secret thoughts, and everything that the devil said to him.

For thirty-nine days they waged this hard battle, and on the fortieth day the sufferer breathed the air of freedom. The chains which had bound him for so many years were broken. His relief was indescribable. Rejoicing, he returned to his fatherland, and then to America, where, "clothed in his right mind" he continued his life. And never did he forget the Holy Mountain and the venerable Elder Ignatios who had freed him from the devil's tyranny.

From Contemporary Ascetics of Mount Athos (vol. 2), pp. 510-512.

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Saint Demetrios the New Martyr of Peloponnesos (+ 1803)

St. Demetrios of Peloponnesos (Feast Day - April 14)

The Saint was from the town of Ligouditsa of Arkadia. When he was still a child he was orphaned with another brother, and his father, Elias, married a second woman. Their step mother treated the two brothers poorly, and therefore as soon as they were older they left home. The older brother went to Tripolitsa and became a servant in a Turkish house, the younger brother, Demetrios, became affiliated with some builders who took him from place to place to build things.

One time they went to Tripoli and there Demetrios consorted with a Turkish boy. One day, because of a disagreement over money, he left the builders and went to be a servant in a Turkish house. Slowly, however, childhood attachments convinced him to abandon his people and to embrace Islam. When his older brother learned this, he went to meet with him, and tried to convince him of the great evil which he suffered, for he had also converted to Islam.

As soon as their father learned this, he came to Tripoli to find them. What happened to the older brother, we do not know. The younger boy, Demetrios, as soon as he heard that his father was coming, did not dare appear before him, either from shame or fear. Thus the father left without seeing his son. However, his presence had an effect, because Demetrios began to think how he saddened his father and what a great evil he committed, that his father would go to such an effort to come from his town to meet him. He began to regret his decision, and to berate himself, and within him was born words of repentance to return to Christ.

At the first opportunity, he left the Turk's house with the goal of returning to his home. However, he did not know the way, so he managed to reach Stemnitsa. There a Christian woman housed him, who told him that he took the wrong road and that he would have to return and set-off with a guide. He returned and waited for a chance to leave. In the meantime, he tried learning the skill of hair-cutting, as the master of his house was a barber, but he was not content in his efforts.

One day he met some Christians, who were going to Smyrna. Thus he decided to change plans and to follow them. From Smyrna he headed to Magnesia of Asia Minor, where he knew some people. There he confessed to a spiritual father. However, because of the presence of many Turks, his spiritual father wanted to send him to a safer place. There was also a plague in that region, so he decided to leave.

With God's illumination and the help of some Christians, he traveled to the Monastery of the Precious Forerunner, which was on a small island of the gulf between Aivali and Moschonisia. There in the safe environment of the Monastery, he confessed to the Abbot and returned to the Church by ecclesiastical order through the Mystery of Holy Chrismation.

Because his conscience calmed, he left the Monastery and worked in Moschonisia for a year in a coffee shop and then in Kydonies as a barber, and made a lot of money. He also donated a beautiful vigil lamp to the icon of the Precious Forerunner in the Monastery.

With the passage of time, however, the love of Christ and the desire for martyrdom was lit within his heart. Then he of course heard of the New Martyrology by St. Nikodemos, and learned about the Neomartyrs, and the desire for confession and martyrdom grew within him. He went therefore to the Abbot of the Precious Forerunner and confessed his desire, and asked him to guide him, that his desire might come to pass.

The Abbot sent him with a letter to Chios, where St. Makarios Notaras, the former Metropolitan of Corinth (and trainer of other Neomartyrs, Sts. Polydoros and Theodore of Byzantium, was living). The Saint received him with much love, consoled him, and praised his love for Christ and his desire for confession. He stressed to him, however, that with repentance man can be saved from whatever great sins he had committed. He urged him to abandon the idea of martyrdom, because of his young age in case he would not be able to bear the tortures and fall into the same serious sin and deny Christ a second time. With many arguments he tried to dissuade him from martyrdom. The Saint listened to what St. Makarios told him without responding, however within his heart the love for Christ was like a fire. Thus he began to struggle spiritually with unceasing prayer, vigil roughly the whole night, countless prostrations, Supplications to the Most-Holy Theotokos and continuous tears. He cried bitterly as another Apostle Peter for his denial, as if all of these did very little to redeem him. For further ascesis, he went to a narrow cave, despite the cold of winter, where there was a spring, and continued his ascesis, as much as he could.

As he prepared spiritually according to the judgment of his trainer, St. Makarios, and having confessed cleanly all of his sins that he could remember, his spiritual father again counseled him to abandon his goal of martyrdom. Though he was silent externally, his heart however skipped at the idea of confessing his Faith. Thus, not being able to restrain it any longer, he sought permission of his Elder to go to the place where he had denied Christ, to find his brother, to teach him about his fall and also to confess and suffer for Christ. St. Makarios, seeing his steadfastness, having admonished him, prayed and let him go with his blessing, giving him a letter to give to a certain learned spiritual father in Argos, to support him. Traveling to Argos, he did not find this spiritual father, for he was absent. He stayed therefore near a virtuous Christian, waiting the return of the teacher, continuing his spiritual struggle with prayer, vigil, fasting and tears. As the days passed and the teacher was delayed, Demetrios, unable to hold back the flame in his heart, left for Tripoli with a God-fearing Christian. The priests who had learned of the reason of his traveling to Tripoli, because of fear of reprisals by the Turks, tried to convince him to return. The Saint, however, with great humility, calmed their fears.

Having communed the Immaculate Mysteries, he went to the agora of Tripolitsa to see if anyone recognized him, but no one did. In the end, with the blessing of the most-pious priest Anthony he went to his former master's barber shop, and greeted him with: “Christ is risen!”. It was the week after the Sunday of St. Thomas. When he asked him who he was, he answered:

“I am the Demetrios, who in this wretched work-place denied Christ, and I have come now to shed my blood for Him.”

The Christians, as soon as they heard this, left immediately.

A helper of the master who was a Turk, told him:

“What's this, Mehmet, come to your senses, don't you pity your life? The Turks will kill you.”

“I've come because of this” the Saint said.

“Eh, come in the yard, I'll cut your throat with the razor.”

Immediately the Saint ran and put forth his neck, but the Turk, however, went outside, telling him to find someone else.

In the meantime, his former master began to try to get him to return with threats and flatteries, but to no avail. He offered him money to go far away and live as a Christian. But he did not even give in to this.

He only said: “I am a Christian, I'm not leaving. I have come to confess my Faith and to shed my blood for my Christ.”

In the meantime, these events were becoming known, and the Christians, wherever they were, prayed for the grace of God to strengthen him, that he complete his struggle in a God-pleasing way, while the Turks seized him and took him initially to the commissioner of the pasha. He asked him who he was and why he left his faith.

The Saint responded in Greek: “I was and am a Christian and I worship my Christ as true God.”

Because the judge didn't speak Greek, he asked what he was saying, and some Turk told him: “I was and am a Turk” in order for the Saint to avoid martyrdom.

Then the Saint responded in Turkish with his correct confession. The judge ordered him to be imprisoned until he could be seen by the pasha. When he later appeared before the pasha and many high-profile Turks, the pasha tempted him with flatteries, the others with positions, and then terrible threats of tortures.

The Saint again confessed his faith in Christ, at which point the pasha ordered him to be beheaded. The saint was led joyfully bound to the center of the agora. There having stood and prayed, thanking God Who made him worthy of martyrdom, he knelt willingly, however the executioner got him up and led him to his master's barber shop, where he did the same to scare him.

He lifted him up again and hit him and led him to the fish market, where he beheaded him with three strokes, while the Saint said: "Remember me, O Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom".

And though he was turned towards the west, his body turned towards the east after it was beheaded. After a short time later, the martyrs eyes opened and the separated head appeared as if it were alive, to the amazement of the faithful and the shame of the faithless.

The Christians hastened with gladness to take from his blood, his clothes, or from his martyred relics which bore an incredible fragrance.

After three days the decision was made to burn the holy relic. However, in the end, with a lot of money, they threw it outside of the walls, from it was gathered by the Christians and buried with reverence. Many miracles followed and many miraculous cures were worked with the grace which was granted to the blessed Demetrios by the Lord Who grants struggles.

The precious relic is today found in the Holy Monastery of Saint Nicholas Varson, and his holy skull in the Holy Church of Saint Basil in Tripoli.

St. Demetrios is honored along with St. Paul the New Martyr as a Patron Saint of the city of Tripoli in the Peloponnese. On May 22nd (the day of St. Paul's martyrdom), both of their Holy Relics are processed through the city and are honored in various Church services. St. Demetrios is celebrated on April 14th.

Apolytikion in the First Tone

The glory and fervent protectors of Tripoli, you were shone to be Neomartyrs by struggling in her, Demetrios O brave champion and Paul the imitator of the Martyrs. Because of this we honor your holy memory, crying out: Glory to Him Who strengthened you, glory to Him Who crowned you, glory to Him Who grants healings to all through you.

Source

Litany in Tripoli on May 22, 2010

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On Cremation of the Dead

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich (Written in 1956)

You ask me, why is the Orthodox Church against cremation. First of all, because it considers it violent. The Serbs still shudder with the crime of Sinan Pasha, who burned the dead body of St. Sava in Vratsa.*

Do people burn dead horses, dogs, cats and monkeys? I have not heard of this. I have heard of and seen them buried. Why should the dead bodies of people who are the lords of all animals on earth endure violence? Would it not be in all respects much more reasonable to incinerate dead animals, especially in big cities, than people?

Second, because this pagan and barbaric habit disappeared from Europe thanks to Christian civilization two thousand years ago. Anyone who wants to reinstate it doesn't do anything else, neither civilized nor modern nor new, but something ancient which has long expired.

In England, which one can hardly call uncivilized, this form of Neopaganism is very much hated by the people. To tell you a case: during the years of World War II a famous Yugoslav lost his mind. When asked before he died, he said his only desire was to have his body burned.

In our day, our little Yugoslavian community was reduced in the incinerator of Golders Green. When the dead bodies entered the burning furnace we began to tremble with horror. Then they shouted to us on the opposite side of the furnace, "wait a quarter of an hour to see your compatriot in the form of ashes". We waited over an hour and were mystified why the fire struggled with the dead body, and we asked the stoker about this. He apologized saying the furnace was cold, "it is not heated every day, since rarely do volunteers get handed over to the fire". Listening to this we were dissolved, unable to wait at the edge for our compatriot. And we know that in London over a thousand human beings die every day.

I am in America, I saw the graves of the great Presidents Wilson, Roosevelt, Lincoln and many other important persons. None of them are cremated. Now this surprised me, that among the descendants of Saint Sava there could be found those who are like-minded with Sinan Pasha!

But why create an issue that has already been solved? If we want to be loaded with unnecessary worries, then someday we could be troubled by the question on whether to kill our decrepit men and women as do some primitive tribes? And we will create clubs to propagate this "idea"!

Finally, what sense is there in fighting the cemeteries, particularly in this country where the cemetery serves as a national pride, as a source of inspiration, and if you will as the book of the state?

Peace to you and health from God.

* Sinan Pasha of Belgrade, wanting to avenge the Serbs who had rebelled, burned in the year 1595 the incorrupt relics of St. Sava, first archbishop of Serbia, on Vratsa hill in the center of the city of Belgrade.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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New Conflict Between Australian Archdiocese & Genuine Orthodox Church

Marianna Kourti

April 9, 2011

Greek Reporter

A new ecclesiastic quarrel burst out in Australia, where Athens and the Phanar were also involved, between the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and the Genuine Orthodox Church (GOC) of the nation. The new conflict was inflamed by an attack initiated by the Bishop of the GOC of Trimythus Mr. Christodoulos, against the Orthodox Church, which he considers to be “a sinner daughter of a sinner mother”. The Archdiocese of Australia brought Mr. Christodoulos to its Primary Spiritual Court, charging him for several “illegal” actions aiming at the manipulation of the pilgrims. Bishop of Dorileou Mr. Nikandros informed Mr. Christodoulos about the charges, while his “trial” was scheduled for the 6th of April, at the offices of the Holy Authority of Adelaide, Australia. The Bishop of Trimythus denies his presence in the Court and answered by characterizing the Orthodox Church as a “sinner”. He also supported that those who are members of the Orthodox Church should be charged and not him. He is not going to pay any attention to the threats regarding the Spiritual Court.

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Honest Statements By Atheists In Science

We’ve been told by more than one of our colleagues that, even if Darwin was substantially wrong to claim that natural selection is the mechanism of evolution, nonetheless we shouldn’t say so. Not, anyhow, in public. To do that is, however inadvertently, to align oneself with the Forces of Darkness, whose goal it is to bring Science into disrepute. Well, we don’t agree. We think the way to discomfort the Forces of Darkness is to follow the arguments wherever they may lead, spreading such light as one can in the course of doing so. What makes the Forces of Darkness dark is that they aren’t willing to do that. What makes Science scientific is that it is.

Who said that? Phillip Johnson? Mike Behe? Nope.

Materialist atheists Jerry Fodor and Massimo Piatelli-Palmarini, in What Darwin Got Wrong (London: Profile Books, 2010), p. xxii.

The same go on to say on page xvi:

You might reasonably wonder whether writing a critique of the classical Darwinist programme is worth the effort at this late date. Good friends in ‘wet’ biology tell us that none of them is ‘that kind” of Darwinist any more; no one in structural biology is a bona fide adaptationist. …

We are pleased to hear of these realignments, but we doubt that they are typical of biology at large (consider, for example, ongoing research on mathematical models of optimal natural selection). They are certainly not typical of informed opinion in fields that either of us has worked in including the philosophy o mind, natural language semantics, the theory of syntax, judgement and decision-making, pragmatics and psycholinguistics. In all of these, neo-Darwinism is taken as axiomatic; it goes literally unquestioned …

A view that looks to contradict it, either directly or by implication, is ipso facto rejected, however plausible it may otherwise seem. Entire departments, journals and research centres now wok on this principle. In consequence, social Darwinism thrives, as do epistemological Darwinism, psychological Darwinism, evolutionary ethics – and even, heaven help us, evolutionary aesthetics. If you seek their monuments, look in the science section of your daily paper. We have both spent effort and ink rebutting some o the mot egregious of these neo-Darwinist spin-offs, but we think that what is needed is to cut the tree at its roots: To show that Darwin’s theory of natural selection is fatally flawed. That’s what this book is about.

Bradley Monton, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder, offers:

So does intelligent design count as science? I maintain that it is a mistake to put too much weight on that question. Larry Laudan got the answer right:

"If we would stand up and be counted on the side of reason, we ought to drop terms like 'pseudo-science' and 'unscientific' from our vocabulary; they are just hollow phrases which do only emotive work for us."

If our goal is to believe truth and avoid falsehood, and if we are rational people who take into account evidence in deciding what to believe, then we need to focus on the question of what evidence there is for and against intelligent design. The issue of whether intelligent design counts as 'science' according to some contentious answer to the demarcation question is unimportant. Of course, on this approach it would be much harder to get a federal judge to rule that intelligent design can’t be taught in public school. But sometimes it is more important to be intellectually honest than to o what it takes to stop people from doing something you don’t like.

- Bradley Monton, Seeking God in Science: An Atheist Defends Intelligent Design (Broadview Press, 2009), p. 49.

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Saint Thomais the Martyr of Alexandria

St. Thomais of Alexandria (Feast Day - April 14)

The Holy martyr Thomais was born into a Christian family in the city of Alexandria. She was raised in piety, and loved to read spiritual books.

When she was fifteen, the girl married a fisherman, who was also a Christian. The young couple lived in the house of her husband's family, where St Thomais was loved for her mild and gentle disposition, and for other good traits.

St Thomais' father-in-law, at the prompting of the devil, was captivated by her beauty. One night, when his son went out fishing, he attempted to lead his daughter-in-law into sin. Horrified, St Thomais admonished the senseless old man, reminding him of the Last Judgment and the penalty for sin. Infuriated by her steadfastness, he seized a sword and threatened to cut off her head. St Thomais answered resolutely, "Even if you cut me to pieces, I shall not stray from the commandments of the Lord." Overcome with passion, the old man cut St Thomais in two with the sword. The saint received the crown of martyrdom in the year 476.

Divine punishment overtook the murderer. He became blind and could not find the door in order to escape. In the morning, the companions of the saint's husband came to the door. They saw the body of the saint, and the blind old man covered with blood. The murderer confessed his evil deed and asked to be taken to the judge for punishment. He was beheaded for his crime.

At this time, St Daniel of Skete (June 7) happened to be in Alexandria. He told the monks of the Oktodekadian monastery (at the eighteenth mile on the road leading west from Alexandria) to bring the body of the martyr to the monastery and bury her in the cemetery with the departed fathers. Some of the monks were scandalized because he wanted to bury a woman's body with the monks. St Daniel replied, "She is a mother to me and to you, because she died for her chastity."

After the funeral St Daniel returned to his own skete. Soon one of the young monks began to complain to him that he was tormented by fleshly passions. St Daniel ordered him to go and pray at the grave of the holy martyr Thomais. The monk did the bidding of the Elder. While he prayed at the grave, he fell into a light sleep. St Thomais appeared to him and said, "Father, accept my blessing and go in peace."

When he awakened, the monk felt joy and peace in his soul. After this, he told St Daniel that he was no longer bothered by the temptations of the flesh. Abba Daniel exclaimed, "Great is the boldness of those who have struggled for chastity."

Many found both spiritual joy and release from their passions at the grave of St Thomais. Her holy relics were transferred to Constantinople to one of the women's monasteries. The Russian pilgrim Archdeacon Zosimas venerated them in 1420.

St Thomais is invoked by those seeking deliverance from sexual impurity. Other saints whose intercession we seek for this purpose are: St John the Much-Suffering (July 18) and St Moses the Hungarian (July 26).

Source

HYMN OF PRAISE: SAINT THOMAIS

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

Whoever suffers because of his evil deeds

Does not have a share with the angels:

Whoever suffers for the will of God,

And for the sake of Christ, misfortunes endures,

Either from the faithful or from the unfaithful,

That one, will gaze upon the face of God.

Thomais, handmaiden of God,

According to her heart, was, a true, devoutly-praying person.

But, for the sake of God's law, she suffered

From her father-in-law, arrogant.

Leave, O father-in-law, my poor body alone!

Of the Most High God are you not afraid?

The human body, even though it is plain mud

Because of the soul, by God, to us, it is given.

If, with sin, the body we defile,

Of our soul, we are breaking the wings,

From the Living God, we are separating it,

And to the unclean one, we give it as a booty.

From passion blind, the father-in-law axed her to pieces;

May God forgive! The righteous one uttered.

But to the murderer, blindness befell -

The two-fold blindman, around Hades crawls.

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The Validity of Episcopal Translations from One See to Another

By Socrates Scholasticus

After this there was another debate concerning the election of a bishop of Constantinople. Many were in favor of Philip, of whom we have already made mention; but a still greater number advocated the claims of Proclus. And the candidacy of Proclus would have succeeded, had not some of the most influential persons interfered, on the ground of its being forbidden by the ecclesiastical canon that a person nominated to one bishopric should be translated to that of another city. The people believing this assertion, were thereby restrained; and about four months after the deposition of Nestorius, a man named Maximian was promoted to the bishopric, who had lived an ascetic life, and was also ranked as a presbyter. He had acquired a high reputation for sanctity, on account of having at his own expense constructed sepulchral depositaries for the reception of the pious after their decease, but was 'rude in speech' (2 Corinthians 11:6) and inclined to live a quiet life.

But since some parties by appealing to a prohibition in the ecclesiastical canon, prevented the election of Proclus, because of his previous appointment to the see of Cyzicus, I wish to make a few remarks on this subject.

Those who then presumed to interpose such a cause of exclusion do not appear to me to have stated the truth; but they were either influenced by prejudice against Proclus, or at least have been themselves completely ignorant both of the canons, and of the frequent and often advantageous precedents that had been established in the churches.

Eusebius Pamphilus relates in the sixth book of his Ecclesiastical History, that Alexander bishop of a certain city in Cappadocia, coming to Jerusalem for devotional purposes, was detained by the inhabitants of that city, and constituted bishop, as the successor of Narcissus; and that he continued to preside over the churches there during the remainder of his life.

So indifferent a thing was it among our ancestors, to transfer a bishop from one city to another as often as it was deemed expedient. But if it is necessary to place beyond a doubt the falsehood of the statement of those who prevented the ordination of Proclus, I shall annex to this treatise the canon bearing on the subject. It runs thus:

"If any one after having been ordained a bishop should not proceed to the church unto which he has been appointed, from no fault on his part, but either because the people are unwilling to receive him, or for some other reason arising from necessity, let him be partaker of the honor and functions of the rank with which he has been invested, provided he intermeddles not with the affairs of the church wherein he may minister. It is his duty however to submit to whatever the Synod of the province may see fit to determine, after it shall have taken cognizance of the matter" [Canon 21 of the Council of Antioch; see also Canon 15 of the First Ecumenical Council and Apostolic Canon 14 and 15].

Such is the language of the canon. That many bishops have been transferred from one city to another to meet the exigencies of peculiar cases, I shall now prove by giving the names of those bishops who have been so translated.

Perigenes was ordained bishop of Patras: but inasmuch as the inhabitants of that city refused to admit him, the bishop of Rome directed that he should be assigned to the metropolitan see of Corinth, which had become vacant by the decease of its former bishop; here he presided during the rest of his days.

Gregory was first made bishop of Sasima, one of the cities of Cappadocia, but was afterwards transferred to Nazianzus.

Melitius after having presided over the church at Sebastia, subsequently governed that of Antioch.

Alexander bishop of Antioch transferred Dositheus bishop of Seleucia, to Tarsus in Cilicia.

Reverentius was removed from Arca in Phoenicia, and afterwards to Tyre.

John was transferred from Gordum a city of Lydia, to Proconnesus, and presided over the church there.

Palladius was transferred from Helenopolis to Aspuna; and Alexander from the same city to Adriani.

Theophilus was removed from Apamea in Asia, to Eudoxiopolis anciently called Salambria.

Polycarp was transferred from Sexantaprista a city of Mysia, to Nicopolis in Thrace.

Hierophilus from Trapezopolis in Phrygia to Plotinopolis in Thrace.

Optimus from Agdamia in Phrygia to Antioch in Pisidia; and Silvanus from Philippopolis in Thrace to Troas.

This enumeration of bishops who have passed from one see to another is sufficient for the present; concerning Silvanus who was removed from Philippopolis in Thrace to Troas I deem it desirable here to give a concise account....

Maximian, having peacefully governed the church during two years and five months, died on the 12th of April, in the consulate of Areobindus and Aspar. This happened to be on the fifth day of the week of fasts which immediately precedes Easter. The day of the week was Thursday. Then the Emperor Theodosius wishing to prevent the disturbances in the church which usually attend the election of a bishop, made a wise provision for this affair; for in order that there might be no dispute again about the choice of a bishop and tumult thus arise, without delaying, before the body of Maximian was interred, he directed the bishops who were then in the city to place Proclus in the episcopal chair. For he had received already letters from Cælestinus bishop of Rome approving of this election, which he had forwarded to Cyril of Alexandria, John of Antioch, and Rufus of Thessalonica; in which he assured them that there was no impediment to the translation to another see, of a person who had been nominated and really was the bishop of some one church. Proclus, being thus invested with the bishopric, performed the funeral obsequies of Maximian: but it is now time briefly to give some account of him also.

Source: Church History (Book 7, Chapters 35, 36, 40)

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The Latest Scam: Nails from Jesus’ Cross

There are a few things to be learned from the story yesterday that the nails from Jesus’ cross have been found. First, Simcha Jacobovici is a scam artist. He will say anything to make a buck. Second, the media will carry any story about Jesus the week before Easter. If you ignore all of these for the rest of your life, there is little chance you will miss anything of value.

Robert Cargill does a good job of evaluating Simcha’s “logic” when he says the following:

Because Caiaphas is mentioned in the story of Jesus, and the nails “disappeared” for a time, they must be the nails of Jesus’ crucifixion?????

Jim West makes a good observation that the “sad thing about idiotic archaeological claims

Is that – because Simcha Jacobovici and others have so often presented unsubstantiated and unfounded claims about stirring and important ‘discoveries’ - if anything real is ever discovered very few people will believe it.

Source

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The Hidden Church of Panagia Sergena in Santorini

There is a church carved in the rock, which Vothonas in Santorini is famous for. It is called Panagia Sergena, or more popularly Panagia tis Trypas (of the Hole). The Church of Panagia Sergena was a shelter for the locals during pirate invasions (Sergena means "the Patroller" because from the mountain they would look out and patrol for pirate ships). The church was dug in the rock 20 m above the ground and hidden from site. The entrance to it originally was by a ladder, which was pulled up after the people climbed it. The church celebrates annually on February 2nd, which is the feast of the Presentation of Christ.

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An Athonite Paschal Miracle in 1935

On the day of Pascha in 1935 the abbot of Saint Paul's Monastery [Mount Athos], Archimandrite Seraphim, and all sixty fathers of the cenobium came out into the courtyard to celebrate the Liturgy of the Resurrection.

In a joyful mood and full of enthusiasm after the "Christ is risen!" was proclaimed, the abbot said to one of the simple fathers, "Elder Thomas, go where the relics of the fathers are kept and tell them that Christ is risen."

"Let it be blessed, Geronda," he replied, and without a second thought quickly went to the crypt where the bones were kept.

"Fathers, I was sent by the abbot to say to you 'Christ is risen!'" he cried out in a loud voice.

Then something awesome happened. The bones creaked and jumped. One skull rose up a metre high and answered Father Thomas' proclamation:

"Indeed He is risen!"

There was dead silence after that. The elder rushed back to tell all that he had seen and heard. For the fathers of the monastery that was truly a unique Pascha, and praising the risen Lord and Master of life, they chanted with joy:

"Angels are praising your Resurrection in heaven, O Lord! Make us who live on earth to praise you with cleansed hearts!"

The ever memorable elder Theodosios, the monastery's late librarian, would often tell the story of this event.

From the Athonite Gerontikon.

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Divorce and Selfish Egotism

St. Paul says in Ephesians 4:26:

"The sun should not go down on your anger, and you should not give room to the devil."

----------

Elder Paisios on Divorce:

- Why, Elder, are couples divorcing?

- People divorce, my child, because they are selfish and egotistical; from nothing else. Any other reason comes from the Evil One in order to justify oneself.

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Monk Moses the Athonite on Marriage:

Marriage is an arena for exercising humility, mutual leeway and mutual respect, and not the parallel journey of two egotisms despite a lifelong coupling and coexistence. The devil dances for joy whenever there is no forgiveness in human weaknesses and in everyday mistakes.

----------

Elder Dionysios the Athonite on Divorce:

Many families suffer because there is selfish egotism within, which stifles love and throws it away! Couples do not practice patience. The husband does not honor the wife, nor the wife the husband, and they suffer and torture themselves and make their children unhappy. But he/she that you took [in marriage], are they not from the Church? Why do you constantly forget this?

Why? Because they reach the point of divorce. This is the worst. What can I say? People with two and three and four kids dissolve the great Mystery of Marriage. My, my, my! Fearful, fearful! What pain in those poor children, what sorrow, what grief! ... We ensure them with a dark life. Be careful! A mother is one thing, but a second wife or relatives to help them is another. Within each family there must be a Divine Liturgy, since it is a "house church". How can you father, how can you mother, ruin this Mystery? As good and beautiful is another woman, as good and beautiful is another man, she is the wife the Church gave you, he is the husband God gave you in "glory and honor". Forget about everything else. We must have patience. That is our cross. Patience! Ah, Satan constantly works.

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Saint Neophytos the Recluse of Cyprus (+ 1219)

St. Neophytos of Cyprus (Feast Day - April 12 and September 28)

By Father Panagiotes Carras

St. Neophytos was born in the year 1134 of pious Orthodox parents who had eight children. His parents, Athanasios and Evdoxia, strove to impart to their children a love for our Lord. Evdoxia upon the death of her husband entered a convent. The family was extremely poor and the Saint had to till the fields with his father and was not able to attend school even for one day. When Saint Neophytos became eighteen years old, his parents, according to the custom of the time, undertook to arrange a marriage for him.

The blessed one, even at that young age, had come to understand the vanity of this world and his soul desired to give itself completely to our Saviour. He secretly departed from his paternal home and sought to find a monastery where his parents would not find him. He reached Mount Koutsoventes where he found a monastery dedicated to Saint John Chrysostom. When the Saint arrived at the monastery, the Fathers were in church and so Saint Neophytos entered. The Fathers were reading the first verse of the Book of Genesis, "In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth". These words filled the Saint’s soul with a joy that he had never felt before. In his heart there was kindled the love of the knowledge of the Mysteries of God. He asked God to give him the Grace to understand the words of the Divine Books, for as we said earlier, he was illiterate.

The Holy Neophytos struggled devoutly in the monastery. He was obedient to the rule that he was given and supplemented it with trying to teach himself to read the Service Books of the Church. Cyprus, however, does not cover a great expanse and his parents soon discovered where he was concealed. His parents pleaded with him for many hours to return to their home and Neophytos as an obedient son agreed to follow them. Upon returning he immediately began to speak to them of his fervent desire to follow the angelic life. He appealed to them to grant him their blessing and when his parents saw the fervour of his faith, they acceded to his request. Once again he set out for the Monastery of Saint John Chrysostom.

On arriving, he sought out the abbot and begged him to put upon him the holy Schema of the monks. Wherefore, the righteous one was tonsured and was clothed in monastic garments. As soon as the service was completed the blessed one began to weep with joy and to kiss his new robes, all the while fervently praying that the Lord would give him the Grace to keep his garment pure. Saint Neophytos describes the joy that he felt at that moment in the following words: "Never has anyone been so captivated by their wedding clothing as much as I have by the wearing of the monastic garment."

In the monastery, the Saint was given the obedience to work in the vineyards. He remained in this service for five years, praying and studying the word of God night and day. Although unlettered, through the Grace of God he was soon not only able to read, but could recite by heart the Psalms of Prophet David. Here we see a great wonder. We know that Saint Neophytos had never attended a school even for one day and yet our Lord gave him such understanding that his writings can be compared with the works of the great Fathers of the Church. It is estimated that he was the author of many works totaling as much as five thousand pages. Currently scholars at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland are preparing to publish the surviving writings of Saint Neophytos. They expect that the publication will contain about one thousand pages. This great Father wrote interpretations to the Psalms, Song of Songs and the Six-day Creation. Included in his works are many Homilies, Hymns and Odes along with many letters written to the faithful. This is an accomplishment which can only be brought about by the Grace of God.

There are many events in the Saints life that witness to the fact that his gift was God-sent. On one occasion the righteous one was visited by a priest who had a great veneration for Saint Diomedes and requested that the Saint compose a homily on Saint Diomedes so that those who would hear it would be encouraged to emulate the Saint. The man of God, however, did not heed the priest’s request. Earlier he had decided not to write any more because some people inspired by Satan were scandalized by the abundance of the Saints writings. The priest would not leave the site of the cave. After twenty-four hours, Saint Neophytos, not wishing to be unbending, acceded to the priest’s pleas. That very night, Saint Diomedes appeared to the great ascetic and asked him to put his life in writing. When Saint Neophytos awoke he realized that this day was the feast day of Saint Diomedes.

After working obediently in the monastery’s vineyard for five years, he was given a blessing by the abbot to become the monastery’s ecclesiarch in which capacity he served for two years. At this time he asked for a blessing to become a hermit, but the abbot would not give this blessing. Obediently he continued in his position as ecclesiarch and then a year later the abbot approached him and told him that he was free to go and become a desert dweller. His desire was to go to the Holy Lands to live as an ascetic under the guidance of a desert father. Upon reaching the Holy Land he venerated all the holy places around Jerusalem. He then set forth northwards to the mountains of Magdala, Tabor and Jordan. During his six-month stay in the Holy Lands he sought out every cave and crevice in search of one to whom he could place himself under obedience. The fathers of the Palestinian deserts, however, had been driven away by the incursions of the Arabs and later by those of the Crusaders. In vain did the righteous one search for a spiritual guide. One day as he was asking for Gods direction our Lord appeared to him and spoke to him in the following words: "Not in this desert but go to another place where the king will descend and grant you a morsel."

Saint Neophytos returned to the Monastery of Saint John Chrysostom until he could determine to which desert our Lord was directing him. He learned that many desert fathers had fled from Palestine and Egypt to Mount Latros in Asia Minor. Once more with the blessing of the abbot he set out in search of the desert which his soul longed for. The Lord God in His wisdom and out of love for the Orthodox people of Cyprus did not allow the blessed one to leave the Island. When the Saint reached the port city of Paphos, he was arrested by the guards of that city who suspected that he was a fugitive. He was bound and cast into prison where he remained for a sufficient length of time. Certain Christians of the city learned of his situation and arranged for his release. Seeing this as a sign from God, he determined not to leave Cyprus.

Not having any particular place in mind he left the city and directed himself toward the highlands. North of Paphos, high on a mountain, he found a desert place with a steep precipice. On closer examination he was able to discern a small cave and immediately the Saint knew that this was the desert which the Lord selected for him. This cave was found on the Feast of Saint John the Baptist, June 24th, 1159. He began cleaning and leveling it out, using his own hands or stakes that he found nearby. The site was extremely rugged and it took him about fifteen months to complete his task. On the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross [September 14th] his cave was ready. He dedicated it to the Feast not only because on that day his labours ceased, but more so in order to have the Cross of our Lord always before him. For the Saint, a monk had to be above all a Cross-bearer. He had a great love for the Holy Cross and this can be seen in the many hymns he wrote glorifying the Precious Cross.

Along with preparing a place to sit and lie down he also prepared his tomb inside the cave. Once the tomb was completed he inscribed underneath it the following: "You will gain no more than this, even if you should acquire the whole world." Truly the King descended here and granted His Saint much Grace. One may imagine the suffering and hard­ships of the flesh that Saint Neophytos must have endured in that desert place. These the man of God countered with readings from the Holy Fathers, prayers, prostrations, vigils and standing all night with his hands extended towards our Heavenly Father begging for a morsel of His Grace. Here he would remember that Paradise was lost because of sin and that man was a prince who had lost his inheritance. He would weep and lament for hours, pleading to regain Divine Sonship. He was no longer the Kings son but a stranger in a strange land, a captive in a foreign land. How could he not weep?

Within this cave he vowed to enclose himself giving it the name Enkleistra or Enclosure. He confined himself to physical darkness so that he may receive the Heavenly and Uncreated Light of the Most Holy Trinity. In a vision our Lord revealed to the Saint the time of his departure from this life. Our Lord first told him that he would be taken up to worship the Heavenly Cross in fifty years and then said that it would take place in sixty years. This extension was given so that Saint Neophytos would be able to make the faith of the Cypriot people firmer. The holy one then increased his ascetic struggles vowing not to eat cooked food and to wear chains on his body. Later he com­manded his disciples to bury him with these chains.

His fame spread everywhere and many flocked to him for his prayers and blessing. Those who loved this God-loving man came nearly every day and besought him fervently to become his disciples. After much pleading he consented to accept a few disciples, later commanding that his monastery never exceed eighteen fathers. The holy one avoided the esteem of men, but the all-merciful God, Who cares for the salvation of our souls, ordained that the Saint’s Grace become known to all. In a divine vision Basil, the Bishop of Paphos, was commanded by our Lord to ordain His Saint to the Priesthood. For four years the bishop, who had great love and veneration for Saint Neophytos, pleaded with him to accept ordination from his hands. Finally, in obedience the man of God received the Grace of the Priesthood. He was thirty-six years of age when through Gods Providence he entered the final stage of preparation which would make him the spiritual father of all Cyprus when the Latin cloud would descend upon it.

Every day during the Divine Liturgy he would receive the Sacred Mysteries which would restore the lost sonship. With his few disciples he started the construction of a monastery not too far from his cave. For thirteen years they worked unceasingly to build this future spiritual centre of Cyprus, as if the man of God knew what the Lord had ordained for him. The people of Cyprus were about to go through great temptations, but the Lord would provide them with the means to withstand. The funds for the construction of the monastery were provided by the Emperor of Constantinople himself and many other Byzantine nobles, as a Patriarchal document which survives to this day attests to.

The Saint called the fathers of the monastery the Enkleistoi or the Enclosed Ones. He diligently instructed them not only in the ways of ascetic struggle but also gave much attention to teaching them the Orthodox Faith. Not only did he insure that the monastery had as many writings of the great Fathers as possible, but he zealously endeavoured to acquire the Holy Relics of many Saints for the fathers to venerate and from which they would receive enlightenment.

The monastery was filled with many Holy Icons. Especially noteworthy are the frescoes depicting scenes from the Holy Gospels. It is at this point where we notice how concerned Saint Neophytos was to lead not only his monks but all Christ-loving people closer to our Lord. We observe that the Saint commanded the iconographer to include him in many of the icons. In the icon of the Mystical Supper he places himself next to Judas, in the Washing of the Disciples feet, near Saint Peter, and in the Descent from the Cross he puts himself in the place of Saint Joseph of Arimathea. This was done to set an example of how we should fervently desire to be inseparably united to our Lord.

On May 6th 1191, Richard the Lion-Heart invaded and captured Cyprus on his way to Jerusalem to take part in the Third Crusade. From this day on the people of Cyprus were ruled by non-Orthodox foreigners until 1958. Richard the Lion-Heart sold Cyprus to the monastic order of the Knights Templars, who in turn sold it to the deposed King of Jerusalem, Guy de Lusignan, in 1192. The Franks introduced the Feudal system and all Cypriots became serfs. The Orthodox Church was persecuted and all educated people and most bishops were forced to leave. Using similar methods in Southern Italy and in Sicily, the Papacy forced the people to become Roman Catholics.

Saint Neophytos, at fifty-eight years of age, was called on by God to undertake a new struggle as the spiritual guide of all Cyprus. In 1196, under the direction of Pope Celestine III, a Latin Metropolitan along with suffragan bishops were given the spiritual leadership of the people of Cyprus. This was the Papal policy in all the conquered lands where there were Orthodox. Saint Neophytos led the resistance against the latinization of Cyprus without going against his vow to remain in his cave. When it was necessary, he would write general epistles which were sent to the various parishes throughout Cyprus. On Sunday or a Feast day the priest would read the epistle to the people who had come to partake in the Divine Liturgy. The Orthodox Christians would heed the words of the Saint just as if they were coming directly from the mouth of God. The righteous one would instruct the faithful in all the matters that were needed for one to remain in the Faith. His letters would include admonitions against laxity regarding the holy fasts, the significance of the Great Feasts, and exhortations to stand firm in the current struggle against the Latins. On occasion he would also stipulate that an epitimion (penance) should be given for violating the Holy Canons. In one letter when he referred to the Crusaders coming to save Jerusalem, he wrote that it is similar to the wolves coming to chase away the dogs. In another letter he wrote: "Our country now is no better than that of a raging sea, under a great storm and tempest. Nay it is worse than a wild sea. For a calm succeeds the wildness of the sea, but here day by day the tempest increases and its fury knows no end."

Saint Neophytos observed that the growing numbers of the faithful and those who desired to attend to his teaching were depriving him of his cherished solitude. He decided that after forty years in his beloved cave of the Holy Cross he would have to leave and go higher up on the precipice. Placing a ladder on the ledge outside his cave he stood on top of the ladder and excavated a small opening which with time he enlarged so that it would become his new place of habitation. Once the new cave was complete he wished to make a ledge upon which he could walk. As the ledge was nearing completion, Satan, the hater of good, caused a boulder to dislodge and, as it rolled, it took with it the man of God. The Lord, however, wished to glorify His Saint even more and just as the Saint was about to roll off the ledge and fall to his death, the boulder was held back by the hand of God. Underneath the boulder the Saints right hand and part of his robe were caught whereas the rest of him was already over the ledge. The Fathers who were watching helplessly from down below glorified God for His mercy and rushed to dislodge the Saint from the boulder.

This new cave was named New Zion. There, he accustomed himself to living in total silence not even attending the Divine Services except on the Lords Day, on which day he would also instruct his disciples. At other times he would listen to the Divine Services and prayers of the fathers through a hole which was his only contact with the cave below. The Saint struggled in this way for a long time. He foreknew the day of his departure from this world, which he did not hide from his disciples; rather he summoned them and instructed them both verbally and in writing on how they were to continue after his departure. He also ordered that, after the funeral service, they bury him in the tomb which he had prepared and that it should be walled up and an icon painted on the wall because he wished his tomb to remain unknown. He also expressed his desire to be buried in the burial garments which he himself had prepared and with the chains which he always wore. He bade them live in peace and harmony and in a God-pleasing manner to obey the abbot they would elect. After he uttered these things, he prayed for them, gave them his blessing, and gave up his blessed soul into the hands of God.

The man of God reposed on April 12th, 1219 after having given the people of Cyprus the guidance which would assist them in resisting the efforts of the Papists to separate them from the Kingdom of Heaven. He had become a spring of living water that did not dry up after his departure from this world. The sixty years of his struggle in the Enkleistra, just as the Lord had foretold him, had come to an end. The Grace that flowed from that holy cave, however, would not cease. His presence was something the people of Cyprus always felt although for hundreds of years no one knew where his Holy Relic was.

Through the Grace of God its presence was revealed in the following manner. On September 27th, 1750, a certain monk who had thought that he found a hollow space in the wall of the Enkleistra was overcome by temptation and imagined that there was a treasure to be found behind the wall. That night he waited for the fathers to sleep and he went to the Cave of the Holy Cross with a pickaxe and made an opening in the wall. He was then struck down by a Divine hand. When he came to himself, he ran to the abbot to confess his sin. The abbot, realizing the true nature of the treasure that was found, summoned the other fathers and lifted the marble cover and immediately the cave was filled with indescribable fragrance. Since then the 28th of September is also kept as a feast day by our Holy Church.

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