My New Book Has Been Published

The Rise of Bogomilism and Its Penetration into Constantinople

With a Complete Translation of Euthymios Zygabenos' Concerning Bogomilism

by John Sanidopoulos

This study examines the penetration and dissolution of Bogomilism within the Late Eastern Roman Empire. It begins by examining the origins of Bogomilism through the various dualistic sects of the Middle East, Armenia and the Balkans, including those of Zoroastrianism, Manicheism, Gnosticism, Messalianism and Paulicianism, and moves forward in the examination of how Bogomilism emigrated from Bulgaria and Macedonia into the borders of the Roman Empire. Particular attention is paid to Basil the Bogomil, who together with his twelve disciples entered the capital of the Empire, Constantinople, during the reign of Emperor Alexios Komnenos (1056-1118 AD), and had great influence over both the rich and the poor. After the Emperor failed to persuade Basil to deny his heresy and accept Orthodoxy, he had him burned to death in front of numerous spectators in the Hippodrome. This eventually led to the official condemnation of Bogomilism by the Orthodox Church and the fleeing of adherents of Bogomilism to the West where they reestablished themselves. Some attention is given also to how Bogomilism has influenced contemporary trends and theology. After this complete examination, the book focuses on the first complete translation into English of Euthymios Zygabenos' Concerning Bogomilism contained in his Panoplia Dogmatiki (Dogmatic Panoply). This very important text was commissioned by Emperor Alexios, and consists of a complete doctrinal statement of the Bogomilism taught by Basil the Bogomil in Constantinople. This information was obtained by Zygabenos in an interview he conducted with Basil while he was imprisoned. This transcript is a valuable addition in the field of history, patrology, heresiology and church dogma.

Price: $19.95 + S&H (USD)

ORDER HERE

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The Near-Death Experience of St. Athanasius the Recluse

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

"Who has ever returned from the other world to inform us of it?" Thus the unbelievers ask. One should reply to them: "Repent of your sins if you wish to find out; make yourselves worthy and you will see." St. Habakkuk (Dec. 2) traveled with an angel. St. Myrope (Dec. 2) saw a host of angels and among them the martyr, St. Isidore. St. Athanasius of the Kiev Caves (Dec. 2) was dead to this world for two days and alive only in the other world. Upon the return of his soul to his body, they gathered around him and asked him: "How did you return to life? What did you see? What did you hear?" He would say nothing about it, being totally in horror at that which he had seen in the other world, and would only say: "Save yourselves!" When they pressured him to tell a little more of what he had seen in the other world after death, he replied: "Even if I should tell you, you would not believe me or listen to me." When they urged him yet further, however, he said among other things: "Repent every moment and pray to the Lord Jesus Christ and to His Most-pure Mother." Even in our own time, there are cases of those who have temporarily died, and the visions and accounts of those who have returned to life in the body do not contradict but rather complement one another. For example, every person who dies sees one part of that other world that is vast and incomparably larger than this world. Many people, at death, see their long-dead relatives and speak with them. This is almost a common occurrence. In 1926, in the village of Vevèani, Meletije P. was on his deathbed. He spoke with his children, who had died twenty years earlier. When his living relatives said to him, "You're rambling!" he replied, "I am not rambling, but rather I am speaking with them as I am speaking with you, and I see them as I see you."

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The Cave of the Apostle Andrew in Romania

Saint Andrew the Apostle is credited with bringing Christianity to the Dacian (ancestors of modern Romanians) pagans and is considered the nations patron saint. His cave is located in Constanta, the oldest diocese of Romania.

Few things are known about the cave of Saint Andrew the Apostle. One of those things that can be said with certainty is that it was discovered in 1918 by Jean Dinu, a lawyer. After being revealed in his dreamed the location of this lost cave, he came to this area to find the cave in an advanced state of degradation. After cleaning it of the vegetation inside, he built a couple of cells and the first monks came in a short time.

It was sanctified in 1943 by Bishop Chesarie Paunescu, but during the communist period it was destroyed and turned into a shelter for animals.

Only in 1990, with the blessing of IPS Lucian, Father Nicodim Dinca, the abbot of Sihastria Monastery, along with the Hieromonk Father Victorin Ghindaoanu, started to restore the cave and to build the monastery.


The cave shelters the icon of Saint Andrew, known as the apostle who christianized the lands to the North of the Danube. There is a bed carved in stone in a niche of the pronaos. It is said that it was used as a resting place by Andrew the Apostle. In the course of time this has been a place to light candles, and now it is used by those in need of comfort from disease. Here, the priests also read prayers for sick people and the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great.

Today the monastery has a smaller church built during the years of 1994 – 1995, dedicated to the Holy Virgin’s Protection (October 1), and the third biggest church was built during the years of 1998 – 2002.

In the small church are kept the relics of Saint Andrew. A cross in the shape of “X” can be found, on the left, in front of the altar of the smaller church. In the center of this cross is placed a part of the finger belonging to Saint Andrew. The finger was brought from the Trifiliei Metropolitan Church of Greece. On the four extremities of the cross there are the relics of the martyr saints of Niculitel from Dobrogea: Zoticos, Attalos, Kamasis and Philippos, Epictet the priest and Astion the monk.


Near the cave there is a spring about which the legend tells that it appeared after Saint Andrew struck the rock with his staff in search of water.

Tens of thousands of pilgrims come each year to the Cave of Saint Andrew and this made this place to be rightfully named the Bethlehem of the Romanian people.

To get here, the pilgrims must first reach Cernavoda, afterwards head south to Ostrov. In the locality Ion Corvin, an indicator points them to a side road that takes them to the monastery in a forest, after 3 – 4 km.

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Elder Ephraim of Vatopaidi On Russia, the Antichrist and the Belt of the Theotokos

November 29, 2011
Interfax

Abbot of the Vatopaidi Monastery, Archimandrite Ephraim, who accompanied the Belt of the Mother of God from the Monastery to Russian cities, believes in Russia's special spiritual mission.

"Russia won't collapse. On the contrary, it will strengthen and play the leading part in saving Orthodoxy on Earth," the Bulletin of St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation quoted Father Ephraim as saying.

As was reported, a week after the Belt of the Mother of God departed from Russia, belts blessed on the reliquary with the shrine will be distributed in one of Moscow churches.

Father Ephraim advised to wear them as a usual belt.

"You can wash it, but it's better not to pour the first water in canalization, but rather to water a tree as the belt is blessed," he said.

Addressing some Orthodox believers who are expecting the apocalypse soon, the priest recommended to study "Christ, rather than Antichrist."

"You know, it's an unhealthy spiritual condition when people talk much of the Antichrist, the end of the world and so on. Some people are too much involved in the topic," he said.

After visiting St. Petersburg the relic was taken to other Russian cities. The last destination was Moscow. The belt returned to Athos on November 28.

The shrine has left Greece for the first time in the history of its stay in the Vatopaidi Monastery.

For many years Vatopaidi monks have made small belts, blessed them on the belt of the Mother of God and distributed them among believers. As usual they take a bobbin with 300 meters of ribbon, which is blessed on the reliquary with a special prayer. Then the bobbin is handed over to the monks: they divide the fabric for a meter and a half belts, twist them and put them into plastic bags together with a text telling them about the shrine and instructions how to pray and observe a fast.

Orthodox believe that thanks to the intercession of the Holy Virgin these belts help cure female infertility, and bear and give birth to a healthy child. As the belt of the Mother of God is kept on Athos where women are not allowed, Russian women have a rare chance to kneel down before the shrine, pray for granting children, health for relatives and friends, and bring prosperity to Russia.

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Video: Fr. Justin, Successor of St. Philoumenos, Speaks From Jacob's Well

In this video, Fr. Justin, the successor of the martyred priest Saint Philoumenos (+ 11/29/1979), speaks about the meeting of Christ with the Samaritan woman (St. Photine).

Fr. Justin built the new church dedicated to the names of Saint Philoumenos and Saint Justin where the incorrupt and fragrant relics of St. Philoumenos currently rest. He receives frequent visions of St. Philoumenos, who has protected him from threats by local fanatical Jews.

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A Message From Saint Olga of Alaska

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Video: Pilgrims To Mount Athos

The above video reports on the approximately 400 visitors to Mount Athos a day. Visitors in 2011 increased by 20%.

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Eldress Sophia, the Ascetic of Kleisoura, Canonized A Saint

The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate approved on October 4th the canonization of Eldress Sophia, the holy ascetic of Panagia Kleisoura Monastery which is dedicated to the Nativity of the Theotokos. The official Act of Canonization by the Ecumenical Patriarchate is still awaited.

In honor of this wonderful news, the Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Kleisoura on Sunday 27 November 2011 celebrated by processing the holy relics and sacred icon of Saint Sophia during the Orthros Service and before the Divine Liturgy, where thousands were in attendance who came to venerate the newly-glorified Saint.

Her feast day will be on May 6th annually, the day of her repose in 1974.

Read more about Saint Sophia of Kleisoura at the following link I translated:

Eldress Sophia, the Ascetic of the Panagia

More will be translated in the coming days.

Apolytikion in the Third Tone
O blessed mother Sophia, you became wise, and the adornment of the Mother of God, and you lived your life in the Monastery ascetically, from which have spread the praise of your struggles, striking the ranks of the demons. And as you stand as an intercessor before Christ, do not neglect those who honor you with fervor.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
You became a treasury of Divine wisdom and all-consuming fear [of God], O mother Sophia; through your motherly intercessions, O blessed one, you offer to all the richness of grace.

Megalynarion
Being made spiritually wise, O Mother, you passed the whole of your life in utter patience, and now you are made to dwell in the beauty of your Bridegroom, in His bridal chamber.

Source

Below are included photos from the celebration on November 27th.

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Better To Be A Faithful Christian Than A Social Butterfly

“It is essential in these days to be able to protect ourselves from the influence of those with whom we come in contact. Otherwise we risk losing both faith and prayer. Let the whole world dismiss us as unworthy of attention, trust or respect – it will not matter provided that the Lord accepts us. And vice versa: it will profit us nothing if the whole world thinks well of us and sings our praises, if the Lord declines to abide with us.” - Elder Sophrony Sakharov of Essex

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"A time is coming when people will go mad and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying 'You are mad, you are not like us.'" - St. Anthony the Great

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"He who walks with wise men becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." - Proverbs

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‎"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." — Friedrich Nietzsche

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Top 10 Myths About Thanksgiving

By Rick Shenkman

MYTH # 1
The Pilgrims Held the First Thanksgiving

To see what the first Thanksgiving was like you have to go to: Texas. Texans claim the first Thanksgiving in America actually took place in little San Elizario, a community near El Paso, in 1598 -- twenty-three years before the Pilgrims' festival. For several years they have staged a reenactment of the event that culminated in the Thanksgiving celebration: the arrival of Spanish explorer Juan de Onate on the banks of the Rio Grande. De Onate is said to have held a big Thanksgiving festival after leading hundreds of settlers on a grueling 350-mile long trek across the Mexican desert.

Then again, you may want to go to Virginia.. At the Berkeley Plantation on the James River they claim the first Thanksgiving in America was held there on December 4th, 1619....two years before the Pilgrims' festival....and every year since 1958 they have reenacted the event. In their view it's not the Mayflower we should remember, it's the Margaret, the little ship which brought 38 English settlers to the plantation in 1619. The story is that the settlers had been ordered by the London company that sponsored them to commemorate the ship's arrival with an annual day of Thanksgiving. Hardly anybody outside Virginia has ever heard of this Thanksgiving, but in 1963 President Kennedy officially recognized the plantation's claim.

MYTH # 2
Thanksgiving Was About Family

If by Thanksgiving, you have in mind the Pilgrim festival, forget about it being a family holiday. Put away your Norman Rockwell paintings. Turn off Bing Crosby. Thanksgiving was a multicultural community event. If it had been about family, the Pilgrims never would have invited the Indians to join them.

MYTH # 3
Thanksgiving Was About Religion

No it wasn't. Paraphrasing the answer provided above, if Thanksgiving had been about religion, the Pilgrims never would have invited the Indians to join them. Besides, the Pilgrims would never have tolerated festivities at a true religious event. Indeed, what we think of as Thanksgiving was really a harvest festival. Actual"Thanksgivings" were religious affairs; everybody spent the day praying. Incidentally, these Pilgrim Thanksgivings occurred at different times of the year, not just in November.

MYTH # 4
The Pilgrims Ate Turkey

What did the Pilgrims eat at their Thanksgiving festival? They didn't have corn on the cob, apples, pears, potatoes or even cranberries. No one knows if they had turkey, although they were used to eating turkey. The only food we know they had for sure was deer. 11(And they didn't eat with a fork; they didn't have forks back then.)

So how did we get the idea that you have turkey and cranberry and such on Thanksgiving? It was because the Victorians prepared Thanksgiving that way. And they're the ones who made Thanksgiving a national holiday, beginning in 1863, when Abe Lincoln issued his presidential Thanksgiving proclamations...two of them: one to celebrate Thanksgiving in August, a second one in November. Before Lincoln Americans outside New England did not usually celebrate the holiday. (The Pilgrims, incidentally, didn't become part of the holiday until late in the nineteenth century. Until then, Thanksgiving was simply a day of thanks, not a day to remember the Pilgrims.)

MYTH # 5
The Pilgrims Landed on Plymouth Rock

According to historian George Willison, who devoted his life to the subject, the story about the rock is all malarkey, a public relations stunt pulled off by townsfolk to attract attention. What Willison found out is that the Plymouth Rock legend rests entirely on the dubious testimony of Thomas Faunce, a ninety-five year old man, who told the story more than a century after the Mayflower landed. Unfortunately, not too many people ever heard how we came by the story of Plymouth Rock. Willison's book came out at the end of World War II and Americans had more on their minds than Pilgrims then. So we've all just gone merrily along repeating the same old story as if it's true when it's not. And anyway, the Pilgrims didn't land in Plymouth first. They first made landfall at Provincetown. Of course, the people of Plymouth stick by hoary tradition. Tour guides insist that Plymouth Rock is THE rock.

MYTH # 6
Pilgrims Lived in Log Cabins

No Pilgrim ever lived in a log cabin. The log cabin did not appear in America until late in the seventeenth century, when it was introduced by Germans and Swedes. The very term"log cabin" cannot be found in print until the 1770s. Log cabins were virtually unknown in England at the time the Pilgrims arrived in America. So what kind of dwellings did the Pilgrims inhabit? As you can see if you visit Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts, the Pilgrims lived in wood clapboard houses made from sawed lumber.

MYTH # 7
Pilgrims Dressed in Black

Not only did they not dress in black, they did not wear those funny buckles, weird shoes, or black steeple hats. So how did we get the idea of the buckles? Plimoth Plantation historian James W. Baker explains that in the nineteenth century, when the popular image of the Pilgrims was formed, buckles served as a kind of emblem of quaintness. That's the reason illustrators gave Santa buckles. Even the blunderbuss, with which Pilgrims are identified, was a symbol of quaintness. The blunderbuss was mainly used to control crowds. It wasn't a hunting rifle. But it looks out of date and fits the Pilgrim stereotype.

MYTH # 8
Pilgrims, Puritans -- Same Thing

Though even presidents get this wrong -- Ronald Reagan once referred to Puritan John Winthrop as a Pilgrim -- Pilgrims and Puritans were two different groups. The Pilgrims came over on the Mayflower and lived in Plymouth. The Puritans, arriving a decade later, settled in Boston. The Pilgrims welcomed heterogeneousness. Some (so-called"strangers") came to America in search of riches, others (so-called"saints") came for religious reasons. The Puritans, in contrast, came over to America strictly in search of religious freedom. Or, to be technically correct, they came over in order to be able to practice their religion freely. They did not welcome dissent. That we confuse Pilgrims and Puritans would have horrified both. Puritans considered the Pilgrims incurable utopians. While both shared the belief that the Church of England had become corrupt, only the Pilgrims believed it was beyond redemption. They therefore chose the path of Separatism. Puritans held out the hope the church would reform.

MYTH # 9
Puritans Hated Sex

Actually, they welcomed sex as a God-given responsibility. When one member of the First Church of Boston refused to have conjugal relations with his wife two years running, he was expelled. Cotton Mather, the celebrated Puritan minister, condemned a married couple who had abstained from sex in order to achieve a higher spirituality. They were the victims, he wrote, of a"blind zeal."

MYTH # 10
Puritans Hated Fun

H.L. Mencken defined Puritanism as "the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy!" Actually, the Puritans welcomed laughter and dressed in bright colors (or, to be precise, the middle and upper classes dressed in bright colors; members of the lower classes were not permitted to indulge themselves -- they dressed in dark clothes). As Carl Degler long ago observed,"The Sabbatarian, antiliquor, and antisex attitudes usually attributed to the Puritans are a nineteenth-century addition to the much more moderate and wholesome view of life's evils held by the early settlers of New England."

Source

Read also: Orthodox Christians and Thanksgiving

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Facts Prove The Existence Of St. Nicholas Of Myra

In The Footsteps Of St. Nicholas by Andreas George, Seaburn, 164 pp., $16.95.

Catherine Tsounis
The Queens Gazette

The detailed investigation of the existence of St. Nicholas of Myra by international scientist Andreas George is the final word on the subject. His scientific examination of sources and historical sites disproves the 1970’s action of the Vatican, demoting St. Nicholas as a major saint or characterization as a mythological figure. Mr. George’s says his goal is to “present reasonably, accurate historical information about his life. During my search for St. Nicholas, the bishop of Myra, who lived in the 3rd-4th centuries A.D., I tried to establish credibility in the face of conflicting information, distortion and exaggeration.”

The author visited places that influenced St. Nicholas’ character. His search through Greek documents in Byzantine Bari, Italy, Greece, Asia Minor and Cyprus reflects his scientific background for accuracy. He describes the evolution of St. Nicholas of Myra as Santa Claus, in its evolution in America, primarily in New York. His miracles are explained in detail. Relics of St. Nicholas were in several churches in New York. The customs, traditions, social and religious life of St. Nicholas Shrine Church in Flushing, New York are described in detail. I personally was touched to see some of the famous political figures of Queens such as Mark Weprin and Sheldon Leffler mentioned.

The life of St. Nicholas in Myra, modern Demre in Asia Minor, Turkey is not widely known. Mr. George describes his life in detail referring to many sources. His major source is Michael the Archimandrite of 842 A.D., Symeon the Translator, written five centuries after St. Nicholas’s death in 335 A.D. and others. The problem with his research, he admits is that it is not based on primary sources. There are no primary sources describing his personal life, only secondary sources centuries after St. Nicholas’ death. Alexander the Great’s life is based on the same secondary sources.

St. Nicholas’ ancestors were Greeks, descendants of Alexander the Great’s colonists or of Cretans. The author believes St. Nicholas’ ancestors were most likely from Crete, because of similar customs and traditions with the Greek island. Modern Greek sources on the Greek Cities of Asia Minor show that the Greek communities along the Asia Minor coast had up to 50 percent Cretans until the 1922 Catastrophe. Their dialect and customs were also similar to the Cretan culture. Mr. George’s research added information that St. Nicholas spent time in Cyprus through his visits to monasteries and study of Greek sources. His translations into English of these facts are invaluable to a serious reader.

The author explains that the lack of written information on St. Nicholas comes from the following historical events: suppression of information by Julius the Apostate; destruction of church documents by the 9th century Iconoclastic movement, the Crusaders, Moslems, Arab pirates and the Protestant Reformation. The 11th and 12th chapters provide facts that will open the reader’s eyes on the real St. Nicholas of Myra. The author’s pilgrimage to Demre in Turkey (Ancient Myra) shows the rediscovery of the Christian homeland.

I personally was fascinated by his portrayal of Bari, Italy as a Byzantine stronghold. In Modern Greek history books, the fall of Byzantine Bari to the Normans was a major catastrophe listed on every timeline. The relics of St. Nicholas were sent to Bari in the 11th century to save them from the Moslem invaders of Myra, Asia Minor. The history and the building of the Basilica of St. Nicholas of Bari give one a total view of this center of Byzantium in the west. The glory of Bari, unknown to many makes chapter 6 and 7 of major interest to all whose ancestors were from this major trade center. What did St. Nicholas look like? Unknown to many, the author describes the reconstruction of the saint’s bones in the 1950’s by Anatomy Professor L. Martino of the University of Bari and two doctors. Their scientific investigation showed the bones were of a man 1.67 meters (about 5 feet and six inches) tall with a broad forehead and large sunken eyes. This description is similar to the facial characteristics in Byzantine icons. Professor Martino explained the bones belonged to a Mediterranean, more likely a Greek from Asia Minor. Mr. Andreas George is a scholar, having written scientific papers on radioactivity and radiation exposure. His background as a scientific investigator and author makes this one of the finest books written on St. Nicholas of Myra. The book is available at Seaburn, 3318 Broadway
Astoria, NY 11106, (718) 784-2224, www.seaburn.com.

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7 Stolen Icons Returned In Eordaia After 31 Years

Last Friday, November 18th, residents in Eordaia (Greek: Εορδαία), a municipality of Kozani, celebrated the return of seven icons which were stolen 31 years ago in 1982 from the Folklore Museum of the Community.

These icons were brought by exiles from Pontus in 1922 and had adorned the iconostasis of the Church of Saint George in Argiroupoleos of Pontus.

The trial of the thieves took place in 1987 after being arrested in Germany, but the icons had been lost. But thanks to the effort of various presidents and the mayor, they were found in a warehouse of Larissa. Greek police in cooperation with Interpol in Germany and other countries in Europe were in search for years.

They are now in the Tower of Saint Minas which was built in honor of Patriarch Bartholomew's visit in 2005. The oldest icon dates to 1818 and the newest to 1908.

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Jewish Public Figures Apologize To Jerusalem Patriarch For Spitting Incidents

Oz Rosenberg
November 23, 2011
Haaretz

Last Friday, a group of Jewish public figures and intellectuals paid a visit to the leadership of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem with one simple goal in mind, asking for forgiveness. The group took the step following a report in Haaretz about two weeks ago describing the practice of some ultra-Orthodox Jewish young people of spitting when passing church clergy on the street.

One member of the delegation, Rabbi Arik Ascherman, who is general secretary of Rabbis for Human Rights, noted that on Yom Kippur, Jews traditionally atone for transgressions between themselves and God, but wrongs committed between people cannot be atoned for, even by God, until the wrongdoer asks forgiveness. Ascherman added that in contacts with Christian and Muslim clergy, his group of rabbis condemns the acts of spitting.

The delegation met in the Old City of Jerusalem with the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church, Theophilos III, who spoke of the spitting phenomenon that he and his church colleagues have been confronting, but said in Christianity, it was considered a good deed to show restraint under such circumstances. In that spirit, he added, he also directed his colleagues to exercise restraint. He said the spitting was a reflection of ignorance on the part of people who don't really understand the significance of religion and faith.

Among the members of the Jewish delegation were Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Yosef ("Pepe" ) Alalu of the Meretz faction and Meretz city council members Laura Wharton and Meir Margalit. "Since we love this city, we felt that anything that happens here affects us," Margalit said. "We came to apologize despite the fact that we had no part in the spitting, because we believe in mutual responsibility."

Margalit noted that almost all of the members of the delegation who visited the Greek Orthodox Patriarch were born abroad. "We fervently believe that what the ultra-Orthodox Jews are doing to Christians here, Christians do to Jews in the Diaspora. We know what they are feeling and we have vowed that in the Jewish state such things will not reoccur."

Next week, a similar delegation is due to visit with representatives of the Armenian Orthodox Church, whose clergy have also experienced the spitting phenomenon.

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St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral In Sofia

November 23, 2011
Novinite

The world-famous St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which is the landmark not only of Sofia but of all of Bulgaria, is marking Wednesday the day of its patron – the Pious Prince St. Alexander Nevsky.

The temple is the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedral on the Balkan peninsula. It holds, according to estimates, anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 people and was built on the idea of Petko Karavelov.

The construction of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral started in February 1882, when the foundation stone was laid, but most of it was built between 1904 and 1912. Saint Alexander Nevsky was a Russian prince – knyaz, a national hero and Saint. The cathedral was created in honor to the Russian soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, as a result of which Bulgaria was liberated from Ottoman rule.

In July 1240, the Knyaz, heading a small group of soldiers, defeated on the banks of Neva River the Swedish army advancing towards Moscow. The legend says that after the epic battle he was given the name Nevsky.

Built in Neo-Byzantine style, since 1951 the cathedral serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria. It is also one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world, as well as one of Bulgaria's and Sofia's symbols and primary tourist attractions.

The mural, the mosaics, and the icons are the work of some of the most famous Bulgarian and Russian artists at the time. The cathedral has 12 bells, including the tallest bell on the Balkans – 53 meters.

Inside the cathedral, to the left of the altar, is a case displaying relics of Alexander Nevsky, given by the Russian Orthodox Church in March 2010.

Just days ago, the Bulgarian National TV, BNT, reported that the temple has no owner to take care of it.

The top Bulgarian landmark is without a title deed, and at the same time is in a desperate need of repairs, the BNT investigation has indicated. According to the report, the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is not owned by the Bulgarian state, nor is it owned by the Sofia Municipality, or the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

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Thousands Wait Hours To Venerate Holy Belt of the Virgin Mary in Moscow

November 23, 2011
Associated Press

Braving freezing cold temperatures and ice-covered sidewalks, tens of thousands of Russians stood in line Wednesday to see and kiss a newly arrived relic of the Virgin Mary in Russia’s largest Orthodox cathedral.

The Virgin Mary’s Cincture, a belt that Christians believe was worn by Jesus’ mother, was brought to Russia last month from Mount Athos, a monastic community in Greece.

Kissing the relic, which is encased in an ornamental box, is believed to help barren women conceive and heal other ailments.

The line of people, mostly women, waiting to enter the golden-domed Christ the Savior Cathedral stretched for 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) along the Moscow River despite temperatures that dropped to below minus 5 Celsius (23 Fahrenheit).

Police officers announced through bullhorns that it will take worshippers 24 hours to get to the relic as the line swelled to tens of thousands.

Hundreds of buses brought pilgrims from other Russian cities. Some 150 buses were parked along the embankment with their engines running so the faithful could get warm as they waited. The city provided free tea and food and put up portable toilets.

Some 1,500 police officers were deployed to prevent people from cutting in line.

Traffic in central Moscow has been snarled since the relic first went on display Saturday. By Wednesday afternoon, as many as 300,000 people had seen the relic, which will remain on display through Sunday.

The St. Andrew’s Foundation, which brought the relic to Russia, said it was viewed by 2 million people in 14 other cities before arriving in Moscow.

The Russian Orthodox Church withered under eight decades of Soviet rule, but has enjoyed a resurgence over the past two decades. Russians adopted Christianity in 989 from Byzantine Greeks, and the Russian Orthodox Church has maintained close ties with Greek clergy and monasteries.

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Rev. George Papadeas Reposes At 93

Mark Harper
November 22, 2011
The Daytona Beach News Journal

The Rev. George Papadeas, the first Greek Orthodox man to become ordained in the United States, died Friday at Halifax Health Medical Center, Port Orange, at age 93.

Papadeas, who served his church in a varied and colorful career lasting nearly 70 years, was pastor of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Daytona Beach from 1975 to 1983. From his home in South Daytona in "retirement," he established two more Greek Orthodox churches, in the Inverness and Ocala areas.

He was born on June 5, 1918, in Altoona, Pa.

The year 1942 was momentous for Papadeas. He married Bess Matthews and graduated from the Greek Orthodox Seminary in Pomfret Center, Conn. He was ordained a priest in 1945.

Because of his background, he helped bridge the gap between the Greece-based church and its American-born attendees, many of whom were children who didn't learn the Greek language, said his son Tim, a family spokesman.

"He was like a Steve Jobs of religion," Tim Papadeas said Monday. "What Steve Jobs did for Apple, (Papadeas) did for our Greek Orthodox church."

When he was pastor of St. Paul's Parish in Hempstead, N.Y., Papadeas presided over the three Weeping Icons in the early 1960s. He later wrote a book about the experience, which brought much attention and thousands of people through the church to see the Weeping Madonna.

In the 1960s, he translated the Beautiful Orthodox Holy Week Services into English, as well as later completing other important translations. He helped establish a summer camp for American-born Greek Orthodox children in Greece, which in 1970 became the Ionian Village Camp, helping hundreds of people learn about their roots and their faith.

It was at St. Demetrios where he and parishioner Irene Koutouzis started the church's popular Greek Festival, held every November.

In 2004, Bess, his wife of 62 years, died. Together, the Papadeases had five children, nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Papadeas was a man who served his church in eight decades but felt he was the one who was blessed.

"If we believe in divine grace," he said in a 2010 interview, "God comes to people with open hearts."

His family is planning his services, expected to be held Nov. 29.

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St. Basil the Great: On the Operations of the Nous

St. Basil writes to St. Amphilochius of Iconium (Letter CCXXXIII) about the operations of the nous, which many falsely translate here as "mind" or as the reasoning faculty. Rather, the nous is a higher faculty within man than the mind, and is best described as the center, heart or spirit of the person referred to by Jesus in Matt. 5:8 and Matt. 15:19.

1. I know that I have myself heard of this, and I am aware of the constitution of mankind. What shall I say? The nous is a wonderful thing, and therein we possess that which is after the image of the Creator. And the operation of the nous is wonderful; in that, in its perpetual motion, it frequently forms imaginations about things non-existent as though they were existent, and is frequently carried straight to the truth. But there are in it two faculties; in accordance with the view of us who believe in God, the one evil, that of the demons which draws us on to their own apostasy; and the divine and the good, which brings us to the likeness of God. When, therefore, the nous remains alone and unaided, it contemplates small things, commensurate with itself. When it yields to those who deceive it, it nullifies its proper judgment, and is concerned with monstrous fancies. Then it considers wood to be no longer wood, but a god; then it looks on gold no longer as money, but as an object of worship. If on the other hand it assents to its diviner part, and accepts the boons of the Spirit, then, so far as its nature admits, it becomes perceptive of the divine. There are, as it were, three conditions of life, and three operations of the nous. Our ways may be wicked, and the movements of our nous wicked; such as adulteries, thefts, idolatries, slanders, strife, passion, sedition, vainglory, and all that the apostle Paul enumerates among the works of the flesh. Or the soul's operation is, as it were, in a mean, and has nothing about it either damnable or laudable, as the perception of such mechanical crafts as we commonly speak of as indifferent, and, of their own character, inclining neither towards virtue nor towards vice. For what vice is there in the craft of the helmsman or the physician? Neither are these operations in themselves virtues, but they incline in one direction or the other in accordance with the will of those who use them. But the nous which is impregnated with the Godhead of the Spirit is at once capable of viewing great objects; it beholds the divine beauty, though only so far as grace imparts and its nature receives.

2. Let them dismiss, therefore, these questions of dialectics and examine the truth, not with mischievous exactness but with reverence. The judgment of our nous is given us for the understanding of the truth. Now our God is the very truth. So the primary function of our nous is to know one God, but to know Him so far as the infinitely great can be known by the very small. When our eyes are first brought to the perception of visible objects, all visible objects are not at once brought into sight. The hemisphere of heaven is not beheld with one glance, but we are surrounded by a certain appearance, though in reality many things, not to say all things, in it are unperceived; — the nature of the stars, their greatness, their distances, their movements, their conjunctions, their intervals, their other conditions, the actual essence of the firmament, the distance of depth from the concave circumference to the convex surface. Nevertheless, no one would allege the heaven to be invisible because of what is unknown; it would be said to be visible on account of our limited perception of it. It is just the same in the case of God. If the nous has been injured by devils it will be guilty of idolatry, or will be perverted to some other form of impiety. But if it has yielded to the aid of the Spirit, it will have understanding of the truth, and will know God. But it will know Him, as the Apostle says, in part; and in the life to come more perfectly. For "when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." The judgment of the nous is, therefore, good and given us for a good end — the perception of God; but it operates only so far as it can.

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The Monastery of Panagia of Machairas in Cyprus

The Monastery of the Panagia of Machairas is built on the Troodos mountains beneath the foot of Machairas Hill where Pedaios River runs. This river is the most important on the island of Cyprus. Machairas Monastery is in second position in terms of prestige in Cyprus, after the Monastery of Kykkos.

Tradition says that the icon of the Panagia of Machairas is one of the seventy icons painted by the evangelist Luke. The icon of Panagia of Machairas is miraculous, and is known in Cyprus for producing many miracles. The Panagia of Machairas is especially known for healing wounds.

According to local tradition, the Monastery was visited in 1337 by Alix d'Ibelin, wife of the Lusignan King Henry IV in 1337. She did not show any respect towards the monks nor the Orthodox Faith and ignored their pleas not to enter the Monastery which was avaton and therefore inaccessible to women. Once she entered the Holy Sanctuary, she was hit by the Panagia of Machairas and remained mute for three years.


Tradition links the founding of the Monastery with Iconoclasm. According to an oral tradition during the time of iconoclasm (716-843 AD), a hermit brought the icon of the Panagia Agiosoritissa or Machairiotissa to Cyprus from Constantinople, and settled in a cave at the site where the Monastery is now. After the death of the ascetic, the icon was forgotten and bushes covered the entrance of the cave until the 12th century, when the Virgin Mary miraculously gave a knife to the ascetic Saints Neophytos and Ignatius, to cut the bush in order to find the icon (hence the name Machairas, which is translated as "of the knife"). After Saint Neophytos reposed, another monk came to live with Ignatius, an old monk by the name of Prokopios. When the brotherhood became too crowded, these two fathers decided to build a monastery, which would operate under the coenobitic model followed by the great monastic centers of the period. The two monks, were subsidized by the then emperor of Constantinople, Manuel Komnenos (1143-1180) and initially they built a small chapel and a few cells. The Monasteries of Machairas, Kykkos, and Saint Neophytos had acquired special privileges from the time of the Byzantine Emperors. For this reason, they are Imperial and Stavropegial Monasteries, which means that they have a Cross lying under their foundation stone, and that makes them autonomous from the Archbishopric of Cyprus.

The Monastery of the the Panagia of Machairas played an important role in the struggles of the Greek Nation. This Monastery is from where important figures such as the Archbishop and ethnomartyr Kyprianos and the revolutionary monk Ioannikios came from, while during the years of the armed struggle between 1955-59 against the British, the Monastery became a refuge for the hero Gregorios Afxentiou, and there is a small museum with the hero's belongings there.


In 1530, a large fire completely destroyed the Monastery, and only the icon was saved. During British rule, in 1892, the Monastery was burned again completely, but again, the icon of Panagia Machairiotissa survived. The icons of the iconostasis and the most important historical relics that were in the library of the Monastery were also saved. In 1905, the Monastery was rebuilt again.

Today the Monastery has 25 extremely active and modest monks. They mainly live from agriculture and the donations from Christians. It celebrates on the feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple on November 21st.

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Native Athonite Monk To Establish Monastery In New England

Theodore Kalmoukos
November 16, 2011
Romfea.gr

Vasilis Bakos, born in a suburb of Boston by Winthrop by a pious family, was a diligent student at the Theological School of the Holy Cross in the 1980's, of a courteous nature and devoted to the Orthodox Faith. He followed and assisted the then Bishop Anthimos Drakonaki of Boston, who is now assistant Bishop with the title of Olympus.

When Vasilis finished the School in 1985 he fell off the radar for some time, until it became known that he had gone to Mount Athos and had become a monk at the Monastery of Simonopetra.

Today he is a monk, has been renamed Iakovos, is the dentist of the Monastery of Simonopetra and the rest of Mount Athos, and these days, after 26 years, is found in Boston invited by Metropolitan Methodios with the permission of the abbot, Fr. Elisha. He is exploring the possibilities of establishing a Monastery in New England.

To the questions of the "National Herald" as to when, how and why from the beautiful and scholarly Boston he became a monk on Mount Athos, he said that "immediately after graduating from the Theological School in June 1985 I went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, then I spent three months in Greece and went to the Monastery of Simonopetra to the vigil for the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. I stayed five days and I decided to become a monk there."

When asked if he decided this suddenly, he replied: "No, I always desired to become a monk especially after I read the life of St. Anthony the Great, when I was at the Theological School." He added, "and I was in a search where I can find this monastic life, this relationship with God where I wanted to give more of myself."

Regarding Dentistry, Fr. Iakovos said that "this was a necessity that existed in the Monastery and because I had some practical knowledge from my childhood. When I became a Novice in the Monastery I went to a dentist with whom we started talking, so eventually I said 'it's a shame because the fathers need to leave the Mountain for simple procedures, for a cleaning, a filling.' And so we started in 1993, and there was professor at the University who came to the Monastery. I was an assistant for two years after which he sat in his chair and left me to do work on his own teeth, so slowly slowly I started, actually I was self-taught since I was now a monk, and it would not be appropriate to go to University."

For being here today, Father Iakovos said, "His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston for a long time wanted to establish a monastery in the Metropolis of Boston to equate with Simonopetra. In the summer he visited the Monastery, he asked the Elder for me to come here to investigate what can be done."

On whether it will be a male or female monastery, Fr. Iakovos replied: "At the moment it is male, but if there is demand from females we will be able to think for a female as well."

Regarding whether it is a Metochion (dependency) of the Monastery of Simonopetra on Mount Athos, he said, "It is too early to discuss this, for now we live according to the desire of His Eminence and respond positively to help him in this way; it is still too early."

When asked where the Monastery would be established, he said: "As you know, we have a large area of ​​land of 200 hectares at the Camp and it can be done in a more remote place to avoid hindering the life of the Monastery by the Camp, nor the Monastery to prevent the life of the Camp."

About a Roman Catholic Monastery sold near Worcester, he said that "I went and saw it and I think that it is feasible to do there."

Father Iakovos sees as the most likely place the land in Camp Contoocook of New Hampshire because, he said, "there is space," while to the question of how to populate the staffing of the Monastery he said that "this is God's work" and added "because God needs to speak in the hearts of men."

To the question of how they will maintain the Monastery financially from the Metropolis, by literally the people, Father Iakovos said: "Everything is a synergy by which the people will certainly give, and yet God will put his hand and there will be a blessing of the Lord."

Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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Video: A Miracle of the True Cross

The video above shows a monk from Mount Athos displaying a miracle of the True Cross. He places the splinter of the Holy Wood in a glass of water, which naturally floats, and following some prayers he places it in the water again and it sinks to the bottom.

He also displays a fragrant relic of St. Haralambos towards the end for veneration.

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60% of Serbs Vote For the Canonization of Patriarch Pavle

Amilios Polygenis
November 17, 2011
Romfea.gr

A poll for the canonization of the late Patriarch Pavle of Serbia was conducted by the Serbian News Agency on the occasion of two years since his repose.

According to the poll which was submitted to the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Church, 60% of Serbs said he should be declared a saint, 20% said no, and 20% said indifferent.

The Serbian Church stated that there should be no rush, even though according to the canons of the Serbian Church there is no time limit to begin the process of canonization.

Bishop Lawrence of Sabac in his response to the survey, responded saying: "Patriarch Pavle was one of the brightest personalities of contemporary times."

"None of us contemporaries can compete with his spirituality. We believe that some day the Church will rank him among the saints. Patriarch Pavle still lives in our hearts as a living member of the Church", added Bishop Lawrence.

It should be indicated that the late Patriarch of Serbia was Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church for 19 years.

Translated by John Sanidopoulos

Read also: Serbian Church Mulls Making Patriarch Pavle A Saint

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