MYSTAGOGY: July 2012

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Russian Olympians Place Their Hopes in Their Orthodox Faith

Ksenia Dmitrievna Afanasyeva (b. September 13, 1991) is a Russian artistic gymnast. She is the 2011 World Champion on the floor exercise, and represented Russia at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.

In the photo above, Ksenia Afanasyeva holds an icon of her patron Saint Xenia of St. Petersburg after her performance during the artistic gymnastics women's floor exercise final at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Tuesday Aug. 7, 2012, in London. Afanasyeva placed the icon near the mat prior to her performance.

Prior to the Olympics, Ksenia Afanasyeva and her teammates Viktoria Komova and Aliya Mustafina, lit candles at a Russian Orthodox Church on media day.

Meteorologists Cannot Explain the Miraculous Cloud of Mt. Tabor

January 12, 2011

Interfax

Science cannot explain a mystery of the cloud that descends on Mount Tabor each year. Mt. Tabor is where, according to the Bible, the Transfiguration of the Lord took place.

Komsomolskaya Pravda daily writes:

"Sergey Mirov, a participant in the research organized this summer by the working group on miraculous signs at the Synodal Theological Commission, said the investigation was conducted by Russian and Israeli meteorologists. According to him, summing up the results, the experts concluded that fog cannot be generated in such dry air and temperature."

Mirov stressed that the "descending of the blessed cloud" takes place only in a territory of the Orthodox monastery. He said that during a festival service a glaring sphere rushes over believers, then the cloud appears above the cross of the Transfiguration Church; it grows in dimensions and descends on believers, covering them and pouring life-giving moisture over them.

Interfax reports: "In his turn Pavel Florensky, Russian Academy of Natural Sciences academician and head of the working group on miraculous signs, said that his team examined the appearance of the Holy Fire at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Easter eve with the help of modern highly accurate equipment."

"The conclusion is simple: the appearance of fire is accompanied with powerful piezoelectrical phenomenon in the church and adjacent territories similar to those that take place during thunderstorms, but there was no thunderstorm... Thus, it means that this event can be considered miraculous," he believes.

The Monastery of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor

Already in the 4th century the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena built a temple in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. At the end of the 11th century the Crusaders, having seized Palestine, have found a few temples and monasteries on Tabor and converted them to Roman Catholic. During the victory of the Saracens over Palestine at the end of the 12th century, the Taborite holy places were destroyed. For a long time the holy mount remained uninhabited and only on the day of Transfiguration the Orthodox and Catholics performed church services on the ruins of the former temples. In 1849 the Patriarch of Jerusalem Cyril II started to strive for permission from the Turkish government to construct a temple on Tabor. The decision was implemented only in 1860 when a temple was built on the ruins of an ancient Greek church. Above the door of the temple is an inscription in Greek: "On the ancient ruins on Mount Tabor a sacred temple of our Divine Lord and Savior of the Transfiguration is providentially constructed under the auspices of the Most Blessed Patriarch of Jerusalem Cyril II at the expense of the Brotherhood of the All-Holy Sepulcher".

In Russia there is also a memorial of the glorious Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. In the Moscow All Sorrows Church and in the church in the village of Novospassky (Dedenevo, Moscow Province) where stones from Mount Tabor brought there a very long time ago are kept. There is a basis for thinking that these memorials on the sacred mount for Christians are not unique in our temples.

Church Used As A Toilet in Occupied Famagusta!

August 7, 2012

Romfea

A historic monument of the medieval period, the Church of St. George, in the walled area of occupied Famagusta in Cyprus, is used as a receptor of uncleanness, according to a report in the Turkish Cypriot newspaper Havantis.

The newspaper writes that there are many historical monuments in the walled city that are crumbling from disrepair, and so do not attract visitors.

Apart from wild grasses in the courtyards of many churches, during the night, some people consume alcohol within the church, leaving their garbage and cause environmental pollution.

The Havantis writes that neglected are also the churches of St. Simeon, Holy Zoni and St. Nicholas.

Islamic Martyrdom Site Actually a Byzantine Cemetery

August 8, 2012

Hurriyet Daily News

A place known as a place of martyrdom in the northwestern province of Balıkesir’s Erdek district and visited on Victory Day each Aug. 30 for the last 30 years has been revealed to actually be a Byzantine cemetery thanks to an inspection by the district governorship and Garrison Command. The location has since been removed from this year’s Victory Day program.

A 10-person committee inspected the region and announced that it contained many Byzantine graves, Erdek District Governor İsmail Kaygısız said. The same region was found to also contain the graves of locals and foreigners, he said.

“When graves of martyrs were not found in the region in documents, the Garrison Command determined that the place was not one of martyrdom. This is why we have cancelled the visit to the place and removed it from the Victory Day program,” Kaygısız said.

Erdek Mayor Hüseyin Aysan said the Erdek Mufti had wanted to build in the region after developments but the demand was rejected by the High Council of Monuments because of the Byzantine graves.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

The Monastery of Panagia Trooditissa in Cyprus

The Monastery of the Panagia of Trooditissa is established in a pine covered area of Troodos, between the villages of Platres and Prodromos. The Monastery is built higher than any other Monastery in Cyprus, as it is situated 1,380 metres above sea level.

The Panagia of Troodos has also been named Panagia the Olympian, a name given due to Mount Olympus, which is the highest mountain in Cyprus, and for this reason she is considered to be the Queen of the Cypriot Olympus. However, the Monastery of Panagia Trooditissa is also called the Μonastery of the Panagia Aphroditissa, since the Virgin Mary has succeeded Aphrodite Akraia (Aphrodite of the High Mountain), who was worshiped on top of Troodos, on Mount Olympus, in antiquity. Like Aphrodite Akraia in earlier times, the Panagia of Trooditissa is today known to bring fertility to sterile women.

The history of the Monastery goes back to the 8th century A.D. During the iconoclastic period an iconophile monk brought to Cyprus from Asia Minor one of the 70 icons of the Virgin attributed to the Evangelist Luke. After living for 25 years at the Monastery of St. Nicholas of the Cats in the area of Lemasol, the monk left for the interior of the island and took the historic icon with him to the "Cave of Trooditissa" where he took refuge along with another monk. There, at this cave, the two anonymous hermits lived their lives, and there, they were also buried.

About 200 years later, in 990, the Holy Cave was revealed to the Christians along with the beautiful icon of the Virgin Mary. According to tradition, a shepherd lost his goat during the night, and he was surprised when he saw a light appearing among the rocks high on the mountain, and with awe he told about his discovery to the other villagers. For some time the mysterious light was to be seen shining in the night, but nobody dared to attempt to find out what it was. One day, they decided to inform the authorities of the Cypriot Church, where it was decided that a priest should accompany the team that was to investigate this mystery. When they arrived near the light high on the mountain, they discovered the cave with the icon of the Virgin Mary, but there was no human presence there. The inexplicable mystery had caused great enthusiasm and excitement in the minds of the Ecclesiastical Authority, which came to the conclusion that as the phenomenon of light was a miracle, it was people's responsibility to build a Monastery on the spot where the light had appeared in order to honor the Holy Cave. However, an invisible power prevented the transfer of water needed for the construction of the monastery. The clay pots slid from the shoulders of workers and broke on the rocks. Meanwhile what was built during the day, fell into ruins during the night. One morning, a pot full of water was discovered to the west of the cave which was at a lower and a leveled place. It was certain that an Angel of God had placed the pot there in order to reveal the place where a hidden spring was situated, also indicating a much more suitable place for the Monastery to be built. And so it was, the spring was discovered and the Monastery was built nearby without any more obstacles. When the building of the Monastery was finished, the icon of the Panagia Trooditissa which was found in the cave was enthroned in the church accompanied by a brilliant ceremony.

The original church of the Monastery was burned by the Turks in 1585, and the second church was again burned down due to a lit candle left in the church in 1842.

The years passed and the reputation of the Monastery grew with the arrival of a childless man of a high position, a Minister by the name of John, who came from Beirut along with his wife in order to venerate the icon and plea to the Virgin Mary to help them have a child and in exchange they promised to devote that child to the Monastery. After these heartbreaking pleas, his wife conceived a baby and gave birth to a son who was baptized at the church of Trooditissa. When the boy came of age his parents offered him to the Monastery as was their promise. However, after ten years had passed they returned to the Monastery to buy him back. The Fathers of the Monastery did not allow the negation of the given promise, but the parents insisted. Then the following miracle happened: while they were in church, a huge rock fell from the wall of the building which was going to kill the young man who was standing beneath it during that time. The miraculous icon of the Virgin moved from its position and covered the boy right away. This way he was saved from sure death and the Virgin accepted to be hit by the stone instead. This stone remains from that time to the present day stuck at the back side of the icon. When the boy saw this miracle he stayed at the Monastery and he became a monk where he lived the rest of his life until his death. From then on, the stone which is stuck at the back side of the icon of the Panagia Trooditissa cures young children who suffer from teeth grinding. but they must be brought there and kiss it first.

Another miracle by the Panagia Trooditissa associated with fertility in sterile women is as follows: One day during the year 1864, a lady who had grown too old and could no longer conceive children, visited the Monastery and asked the Panagia of Trooditissa to give her the happiness of becoming a mother. The desire of the woman was heeded by the Virgin Mary who fulfilled the desired result. As a token of thanks, the woman gave to the Virgin Mary the beautiful silver belt with the large buckles which she was wearing during her pregnancy as a present. Today, this belt is suspensed around the icon of the Panagia Trooditissa, and any woman who cannot conceive children comes to the Monastery and the hieromonk (monk-priest) fastens it round her waist. In doing so, it is believed that she will become a mother.

Apart from giving fertility to sterile women, the Panagia Trooditissa performs many other miracles. For example, she prevents the disaster of hail and stops droughts.

Panagia Trooditissa celebrates on the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos on August 15th.

Video: Caves of Mount Athos

In July of 2011 a team of speliologists studied 26 caves on Mount Athos. Photos from their study were compiled in the video above.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

The Blessing of Fruits on August 6th

By Sergei V. Bulgakov

In the first centuries of Christianity, the faithful brought forth to the temple the fruit and crops of the new harvest: bread, wine, oil, incense, wax, honey, etc. Of all these offerings, only bread, wine, incense, oil and wax were taken to the altar, while the rest was used for the needs of the clergy and the poor whom the church was caring for. These offerings were to express gratitude to God for all goods, but at the same time help the servants of God and people in need.

On the feast of Transfiguration grapes are blessed, and in those places in Russia where grapes do not grow apples are blessed. The custom to offer fruit at an appropriate time is undoubtedly ancient, and in the Christian Church is partly the continuation of a similar custom in the Old Testament Church (Gen. 4:2-4; Ex. 13:23; Num. 15:19-21; Deut.8:14) and partly an apostolic establishment (1 Cor. 16:27). Writing concerning this custom is already mentioned in canon 3 of the Apostolic Canons (compare canon 46 of Carthage and canon 28 of the 6th Ecumenical Council).

The simple establishment of the custom to offer fruit (grapes) on August 6 is that in Greece fruit are ripe by this time, most of which are new ears of grain and grapes, which are offered for blessing as a sign of thanksgiving for the acceptance of these fruits in the livelihood of man. St. John Chrysostom teaches: "The farmer receives fruits from the earth not so much from his labor and diligence, but as much from the grace of God returning these; for 'it is neither the planting nor the watering, but God Who nurtures'."

Besides grapes are brought to the church for blessing because it is directly connected to the Mystery of the Eucharist. According to the Rudder [Book of Canons], "clusters of grapes more than any other vegetable are more tolerably brought into church; inasmuch as wine is made from them, the fulfillment of the bloodless sacrifice is understandable". Similarly in the prayer "In the Partaking of Clusters of Grapes" the priest prays: "Bless, O Lord, this new fruit of the vine, through the healthfulness of the air, by rain showers and temperate weather, Thou art well pleased to attain ripeness at this time. May our partaking of this birth of the vine be for gladness and for offering Thee a gift for the cleansing of sins through the sacred and holy Body of Thy Christ."

Apples, itself substituting for grapes, are blessed with another prayer as only the first fruits of vegetables. A more special meaning of the sanctification of fruit on the 6th day of August can be deduced by the general reasoning of the Church that the event of the transfiguration pleasing to the Lord was to show the new situation in which human flesh enters into the resurrection of the Lord and enters into the general resurrection of all believers. But as all nature became subject to God together with man for the last sin, so together with him she also waits for her renewal from the blessing of God. From here the church blessing of fruit makes man worthy of faith in this hope.

Source

Monday, August 6, 2012

Why the Transfiguration is Celebrated on August 6

The Transfiguration of the Lord happened in February and not in August as it is now celebrated in our Orthodox Church. The Church of Christ transferred this feast from February to August because, without transferring it to the other month, the majestic feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord would occur during the days of the Holy Forty Day Fast. That would not be congruent with the Great Lenten services, the sadness of the fast and of repentance which represents in itself the present multi-calamitous life; whereas the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord will presage the future age in itself. The Transfiguration of the Lord is celebrated on the sixth of August instead of another time because the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord is celebrated on September 14 in which the commemoration and memory of the Passion of Christ is again made. And as the Transfiguration was 40 days prior to the crucifixion of the Savior, the Holy Fathers, having counted forty days back from the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, established that Transfiguration would be celebrated on August 6, because from August 6 to September 14 is exactly 40 days.

Source: Rukovodstvo dlia Selskikh Pastyrei [Manual for Rural Pastors] 1893.

The Transfiguration Unites the Old and New Testaments

By St. Ephraim the Syrian

The Prophets and the Apostles gathered on the mount were filled with joy; the Prophets rejoiced for they have beheld here His humanity which they did not see before; the Apostles rejoiced for they beheld here the glory of His Divinity which before they had not understood. They stood before the Lord as ministers, and looked at one another, Prophets at Apostles and Apostles at Prophets. There they mutually extended to themselves the sights of the prototypes of the Old and New Covenants. Thus, the mount represents the Church itself because Jesus united in it the two covenants accepted by the Church and has shown that He is the Giver of both.

Why Peter, James and John Were Chosen Witnesses of the Transfiguration

According to the explanation of St. John of Damascus, "the Lord took Peter in order to show that His testimony truly given to him will be affirmed by the testimony of the Father and that one should believe him in His words, that the heavenly Father revealed this testimony to him (Mt. 16:17). He took James as the one who before all the Apostles would die for Christ, to drink His cup and be baptized with His baptism (Acts 12:2). Finally, He took John, as the virgin and purest organ of Theology so that he, after having beheld the eternal glory of the Son of God, has thundered these words: 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God' (Jn. 1:1). Besides this on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter who hadn't yet spread the ideas about the suffering and death of his Teacher and Lord (Mt. 16:22), might mature in the truth of His glory, which forever remains inviolable despite all hostile efforts; James and John, awaiting the opening of the earthly kingdom of the Messiah and pursued the first places in this kingdom (Mk. 10:37), might behold the true majesty of Christ the Savior, surpassing every terrestrial power. The three disciples were under the law (Deut. 19:15) sufficient witnesses of the revelation of the glory of God and, according to the expression of St. Proclus, 'in spirit personally represented all the others'."

The Feast of Transfiguration in Bulgaria

On August 6 the Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ (Sveto Preobrazhenie Gospodne).

According to the Church, this is the day that Christ strengthened the belief of his disciples in his holy origin by transfiguring himself in front of the eyes of Peter, James and John. On this day people pick the first grapes and give them out to relatives and neighbors. According to folklore beliefs, on Preobrazhenie the "summer turns" and starts approaching the autumn and, respectively, the cold weather.

Orthodox Bulgarians also take grapes to church to sanctify it and give them out for health and fertility during the next year. People believe that when God created the grapes, the Devil made the blackberry, called by the people "devil's grapes". The Devil did so that it ripened earlier than the grapes. That is why it is unlucky to eat blackberries on Preobrazhenie. The good Christian tastes first the fruit of God and only after that he can eat blackberries without fear.

According to folk belief, on this day the sky opens up and if you are to see this, all your wishes will come true. And if anyone is to fall ill, he would soak some dried fruit and drink the water - the illness will be cured.

The colorful rituals connected with Preobrazhenie are still alive in hamlets and villages across Bulgaria. On this day, fairs are held and livestock and goods exchanged. In the past unmarried girls and men would arrange betrothals and weddings. According to tradition going back to antiquity, weddings would take place in September, so that the child may be born in June and the bride could get down to work during the summer period.

Preobrazhenie is also an important day in Bulgarian history as it is when the Adrianople vilayet joined the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising of 1903.

The uprising occurred when Bulgarians in Macedonia and Thrace rebelled trying to unify the country as large swaths of territories populated by Bulgarians were left in the Ottoman Empire at the Berlin Congress of 1878.

The Uprising was an organized revolt against the Ottoman Empire prepared and carried out by the Bulgarian Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Committee

The Adrianople vilayet joined the uprising on 19 August 1903 in the Gregorian Calendar, which corresponds to 6 August of the Julian Calendar.

Although the rebellion in both regions was initially successful, the intervention of the Ottoman Turkish regular army led to the dissolution of the rebels' detachments. Some 25,000 badly armed rebels faced 300,000 Ottoman troops.

By the time the rebellion had started, many of its most promising potential leaders, including Gotse Delchev, had already been killed, and the effort was quashed within eleven days. The survivors managed to maintain a semi-successful guerilla campaign against the Turks for the next few years, but its greater effect was that it persuaded the European powers to attempt to convince the Ottoman sultan that he must take a more conciliatory note towards his Christian subjects in Europe.

Source

Video: The Monastery of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor

The traditional site of our Saviour's Transfiguration, Mount Tabor, is an isolated dome-shaped mountain in eastern lower Galilee. It has been a site of Christian worship from the earliest times, following the example of our Lord Who "went up the mountain to pray" (Luke 9:28). A web of catacombs recently discovered under the courtyard and church of the Orthodox contains a chapel with a 3rd-century Holy Table and other important artifacts. Archaeologists surmise that these caves also served as a hiding place during persecutions. In the 4th century a church was built on Mount Tabor, and two more were built in the 5th century. Pilgrims and monastics flocked to the hallowed mountain, and over the centuries several small monasteries existed at the summit. When the Muslims recaptured the area in the 13th century, they destroyed all the Christian buildings and built a fortress over some of the ruins. In the mid-19th century Christians were permitted to rebuild. On the northern section of the summit the Roman Catholics built a monastery, and later, a hostel and Byzantine-style basilica. In 1862, on the southern portion of the summit, the Orthodox built a monastery, a large church dedicated to the Transfiguration, and a chapel dedicated to Melchizedek, the king of Salem (Melchizedek is the priest whom Abraham meets in the Book of Genesis who gives Abraham bread and wine).

Early pilgrims hiked up 4,300 steps carved into the rock to get to the summit, but now access to the summit is via a very steep and winding road which is only accessible to small vehicles. A taxi service is available at the parking lot at the foot of the mountain.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

An Interpretation of the Icon of the Transfiguration of the Lord

The icon of the Transfiguration constitutes the key to Orthodox theology on the vision of God. The light which appeared to the Apostles was the expression of the Divine brilliance, of the timeless and uncreated glory, the recognition of the two natures of Christ, the divine and the human. At the same time, it was a prototype, an icon of the transfigured human nature and of the theosis (deification) which is granted by the redemptive work of Christ. The Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor is the corresponding event in the New Testament of the event in the Old Testament in which God is revealed to Moses on Mount Horeb.

Already from the first Christian centuries we have indications that the Transfiguration of Christ was celebrated in the Church, while from the end of the 6th century of the Christian era the date of this celebration was fixed to be the 6th of August. It is from the same period that we derive the first examples of the iconographic art.

The Light of the transfigured Christ constitutes the main expression of the Hesychastic movement through the theology of the “Hesychastic Fathers” which was recorded in the 14th century. Their leader, St. Gregory Palamas, declared that God is called “Light” not according to his being (ousia), but according to his “energy”, and that this “uncreated” light can be sensed by our senses through prayer and as long as certain presuppositions apply (purity of heart, ceaseless memory of God… etc.). This dogma of the Church resulted in certain iconographic changes in the composition of the icon of the Transfiguration, especially in the rendering of the Glory of Christ. So the icon of the Transfiguration is depicted not only in accordance with the Gospel accounts – it is recorded by all the Evangelists (Matthew 17-1-9, Mark 9: 2-13, and Luke 9:28-36) with the exception of John, – but also in accordance with its spirit. It is because of the dogmatic significance of this event, that the iconographic theme has undergone the least of changes in the course of centuries. This depiction was not only for the theologians but also for the iconographers the pretext for producing extended scholia (commentaries) concerning the way in which that uncreated light had to be depicted with transient material means. This is the point where the theology of the icon meets with hesychastic theology and the vision of the divine and uncreated light.

In the icon of the Transfiguration we have the projection of a deliberate antithesis, which is truly amazing to a very high degree. The composition contrasts the motionless Christ who lies above and is engulfed in superb peace and glory, which are derived from him, and bathe with divine splendor the figures of Moses and Elijah, who stand bending towards the Lord and form a perfect circle of what lies beyond the veil, and the vivid dynamism of the Apostles who lie below – being still completely human – and are overthrown and utterly toppled by the impact of the Revelation.

The transfigured Christ appears high up in the middle of the icon, above the middle peak of Mount Tabor of Galilee. He blesses with one of his hands, while the other holds a folded scroll, where his Law is written. He is dressed with a white garment and he is flooded with light inside his hanging Glory – since the light is the first property of God (Ps. 27:1, Is. 60:19-20 and 42:6) – as the miracle of his revelatory epiphany proclaims. Mark describes the scene as follows: “and he was transfigured before them, and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them” (9:2-3).

The uncreated light is depicted in the icon by symbolic schematizations and colors with which Christ is vested. The two homocentric circles symbolize the presence of the other two persons of the Holy Trinity, a wholeness of the spheres of the created universe. The circle is iconographically the most perfect shape and symbolizes perpetual endurance, the divine. Christ – the second person of the Holy Trinity – at the moment of His Transfiguration is circumscribed by the following three symbols of light: the rays which form a ellipsoid square, the golden lines (chrysography), the luminous crown (halo) around his head and the white vestments. The rays which escape from his body indicate the sun, the golden lines the transmission of the divine life, the halo recalls the sun’s sphere, a symbol of the sacred and of the spiritual energy which radiates, and the whiteness of the vestments purity and incorruptibility. Theologically, this light of Tabor makes the icon an iconographic proof of divine existence.

The brilliance which characterizes Christ and his garments which “white like the light” (Matth. 17: 2) which were glistening, sparkled and reflected flashes of divine splendor is what is stressed in all the descriptions of the Apostles. The white as symbol of light has the attribute of spreading as it drives through space. As such it represents what is timeless. It denotes the innocence of the soul, purity and sanctity of life, joy, virginity, faith and glory. Related references are also made in the Holy Scripture: ”wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Ps. 50:9). White garments are put on by the newly baptized as an indication of their birth into the true life. The white becomes the color of Revelation, of Epiphany, of Grace. As St. John says, “God is Light ” (I John, 1:5).

Christ is depicted with a luminous crown that bears the cross and on its antennas the letters «Ο ΩΝ» which means “He who Is, or He who is Present.” This is a reminder that He is the authentic “icon” and co-existing (homoousios) with the Father. God is revealed to Moses on Mount Horeb, saying “I am He who Is” (Εxod. 3:14). It is exactly this that is stamped upon the halo of Christ, indicating that He is co-existing with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The shape of the cross within the halo indicates the event of redemption through the Cross.

Being in His divine Glory, Christ offers a blessing having His face turned towards the observer – to whom it is addressed anyway. The gesture of blessing with the two fingers raised (the index and the medial) and the three others united refer to his two natures, the divine and the human, and respectively to the three persons of the Holy Trinity. In his descent from mount Tabor Christ blesses in a different way. He touches the thumb with the ring finger and he has the other three fingers raised. In this way he indicates again the two natures and the three hypostases (persons), while at the same time the fingers form in their present position the Greek monogram IC XC (=Jesus Christ), which is inscribed as a title on all the Orthodox icons of Christ, even in Russia.

In the “three peaks composition,” as the scene is described by Dionysios of Fourna, Christ is paneled together with the two standing figures of the Prophet Elijah on the left and of Moses holding the tablets of the Law of God on the right. These two figures are presented as prototypes of the Apostles, because God has appeared to both of them; to Elijah on Mount Carmel and to Moses on Mount Sinai. Moreover, in the Christian tradition, the mountain is a place where heaven meets the earth, and ascent to a mountain has a metaphorical meaning, which refers to an ascent of the stages of sanctity. The two Prophets – from among the greatest figures of the Old Testament – appear to have a conversation with Christ: “and behold two men talked with Him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His exodus which He was going to accomplish in Jerusalem” (Luke, 9:30-31).

Christ appears with the brilliance of His divine glory in order to prepare and strengthen his disciples spiritually as they were going to be drawn into the temptation of the hard ordeal of the cross. Moses and Elijah are presented in a more human form than the Savior, and they symbolize respectively the Law of the Old Testament and the Prophets. They also symbolize the dead (Moses) and the living (Elijah, who was transposed to heaven from the earth on a fiery chariot). Christ reminds them that He is the one who brought together the Law of Moses with the Old Testament Oracles of the Prophets – which are represented here by Elijah – and denotes His superiority over these Scriptures through the witness of the Father, “This is my Son…”

In contrast to the two Prophets who stand motionless, the three Apostles below the feet of Christ, being terrified by what happens, are depicted fallen. Blinded by the divine appearance, the divine energy, they are depicted in positions of intense astonishment and being possessed by great agitation and disturbance, as Matthew reports in his account: “When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were filled with fear” (17:6). In the Holy Scripture we have one more example where man is unable to behold at the divine presence: this is the face of Moses which radiated with divine light after he came down from Sinai, so that the people could not look at him (Exodus, 34, 27-37).

The energy of light of the divine nature of Christ transforms into light the Apostles who have lost every possible human balance. Indeed, the Apostles Peter, James and John are chosen for their liveliness as “eyewitnesses of His majesty … being with Him on the holy mountain” (II Pet. 1:16-18). The masterly way in which the positions of the Apostles are depicted with their terrified expressions, creates a dramatic impression compared to the calm majesty of the “timeless” stance of the figures which are depicted on the upper part of the scene. If motionlessness expresses the peace of God and the supernatural life, mobility by contrast bears witness to imperfection of spiritual life, i.e., to humanity’s sinful condition. Besides, the same sense of mobility and agitation belongs to the earthly world, the lower realm and not the heavenly state of affairs.

The hymns which are sung on the 6th of August, the day of the celebration of the Transfiguration, stress the divine glory manifested to the Apostles in accordance with the ability and the degree of receptivity which each of them exhibits. Their postures symbolize the different ways of response to divine revelation that human beings exhibit. So, John, the youngest of them, in the middle, and James on the right with the green vesture are thrown down on the ground, holding their face as they are unable to gaze at the divine radiance, while Peter on the left, being older, holds his face with his left hand, but it is turned upwards. At the same time this depiction preserves the respect of the symbolism of the ages.

The “vision of God” was regarded by the faithful Jews and Christians as the highest experience and virtue that a human being might acquire: “Show Yourself”, said Moses to God (Exod. 33:18). This experience, however, appears to be something unachievable: “No one has ever seen God,” John writes in his Gospel (John, 1:18). Here at Tabor the three disciples become the irrefutable witnesses of a momentary manifestation of the divine glory: “We have seen his glory” (John 1:14). The word was not accidental: they were present (according to the idiomelon of the Vespers of the Feast) at that brilliant event, “so that by seeing the wonders of Jesus “they might not be dismayed by his passions” later on at the crucifixion. Moreover, another purpose of the Transfiguration of Christ was to serve as the foretelling of the Resurrection.

St. Gregory Palamas says this about the three disciples who were witnesses to the scene: “So, neither that light was sensible (created), nor was it simply seen by sensible (created) eyes, but they were transformed by the power of the divine Spirit” (Migne P.G. 151, 433Β). And further on, he says again: He who encounters the divine light, encounters the mystery of God. This is the crossing of the threshold, the “hypostatic beauty”, the divine Initiator (Mystagogue), the Holy Spirit. This is why St. Basil the Great said that the light which radiated at the Transfiguration of Christ was the prelude of His glory which will appear at His Second Coming.

When Peter saw Christ in full glory and the two Prophets standing beside him, he proposed: “Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, and one for Moses and one for Elijah,” and as he said this, “a cloud came and overshadowed them…and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him” (Luke 9:33-35). This reveals that the Father is “in the voice” and the Holy Spirit “in the cloud.” The Father bears witness to the genealogy of Jesus, so that his disciples may later understand that his suffering was willful. “Now is the Son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified” (John 13:31). At the same time the Transfiguration of the Savior who “wears the light as a garment” reveals the person of Christ, the beloved and transcendent Son, who possesses the same glory with the Father. It is also a reminder of the fact that man is made “according to the image of God.”

The icon of the iconographer of the Dodekaortion (the icons of the twelve major Feasts) of the Monastery of Dionysiou (on the Holy Mountain) is a unique iconographic variation of the theme of the Transfiguration of the Savior. Following exactly the Gospel accounts, the iconographer includes in his composition, besides the central theme, the scenes of the ascent and descent to Mount Tabor. On the left side we see Christ having his head turned towards the three disciples and his left hand raised in a gesture of addressing them, while on his right hand he holds the divine Law. It seems that he is preparing his disciples for the experience which they will acquire. His purpose is not to astonish them with his Transfiguration, but to reveal to them his divine glory. After the heavenly vision they are depicted descending from the other side of the mount. The unsettled disciples turn their glance to their Lord who reassures them by blessing them. At the same time he tells them: “Tell no one of the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead” (Matt. 17:9).

This variation is employed especially on murals, but it also appears on portable icons. This tradition of adding several secondary incidents around the central theme is purely Byzantine and goes back to the iconography of Byzantium. Its deeper meaning is connected with the thought that on every “divine” manifestation (theophany) – “icon” – the abiding eternal present is revealed, and this allows the possibility of presenting on an “iconographic” surface – an icon – a sequence of related events.

In the past, every iconographer began his “divine art” with the icon of the Transfiguration. Here the tradition believed that the scene is depicted not with the colors of the artist, but with the very light of Tabor. The guiding presence of the Holy Spirit is expressed in the dazzling luminosity of the whole composition, and removes any other possible source of light being involved.

The message that this icon communicates to the faithful is that, since through baptism they have become participants in the mystery of the Resurrection (which is prefigured in the Transfiguration), they are called now to be constantly transfigured more and more by the grace of the Lord (II Cor. 3:18).

Source: Translated from the Greek original by Fr. George Dion. Dragas

Saturday, August 4, 2012

St. John Chrysostom: On Schismatics Over Calendar Issues

In his third homily Against the Judaizers, Saint John Chrysostom specifically addresses a schismatic group of his day which sought to try to appropriate the feasts and practices of the Jews into Christian practice. One of these practices was the attempt of some Judaizing Christians to celebrate Pascha according to the Jewish reckoning, despite the fact that the First Ecumenical Council established a moveable date of Pascha on which all Christians could celebrate in unison. Judaizers looked upon the First Ecumenical Council as an innovation of the Church that did not coincide with the early practices of the Christians. Despite the historical context of this homily, a close reading reveals a critique of schismatics in general, especially of schismatics who have separated from the church over issues dealing with the ecclesiastical calendar. When one reads this homily today, much of it could very well have been written today against Old Calendarist schismatics. Below are some excerpts from this homily:

ONCE AGAIN A NECESSARY and pressing need has interrupted the sequence of my recent discourses. I must put aside my struggles with the heretics for today and turn my attention to this necessary business. For I was ready to address your loving assembly again on the glory of the only-begotten Son of God. But the untimely obstinacy of those who wish to keep the first paschal fast forces me to devote my entire instruction to their cure. For the good shepherd does more than drive away the wolves; he also is most diligent in caring for his sheep who are sick. What does he gain if the flocks escape the jaws of the wild beasts but are then devoured by disease?

(2) The best general is the one who not only repels the siege engines of the enemy but first puts down rebellion within his own city. He knows well that there will be no victory over an outside foe as long as there is civil war within. Do you not know that there is no more destructive force than rebellion and obstinacy? Listen to the words of Christ: "A kingdom divided against itself shall not stand." And yet, what is more powerful than a kingdom which possesses revenues of money, weapons, walls, fortresses, so large a number of soldiers, horses, and ten thousand other sources of strength?

(3) But even power as great as that is destroyed when it revolts against itself. Nothing produces weakness so effectively as contentiousness and strife; and nothing produces power and strength so effectively as love and concord. When Solomon grasped this truth he said: "A brother that is helped by his brother is like a strong city and kingdom bolted and barred." Do you see the great strength which comes from concord? And do you see the great harm caused by contentiousness? A kingdom in revolt destroys itself. When two brothers are bound together and united into one, they are more unbreakable than any wall.

(4) I know that, by God's grace, most members of my flock are free from this disease and that the sickness involves only a few. But this is no reason for me to relax my care. If only ten, or five, or two, or even one were sick, he must not be neglected. If there is only one worthless outcast. still he is a brother, and Christ died for him. And Christ made great account of the weak ones. He said: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it were better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the sea." And again: "As long as you did not do it for one of these little ones, you did not do it for me." And again: "It is not the will of your Father in heaven that a single one of these little ones should perish."

(5) Is it not absurd, when Christ shows such care for his little ones, that we should refuse to care for them? Do not say: "He is one person." Rather, you must say: "He is one, yes, but if we do not take care of him, he will spread the disease to the rest." Paul said: "A little leaven ferments the whole mass." And our neglect of the little ones is what overturns and destroys everything. Neglected wounds become serious, just as the serious wounds would easily become minor if they receive the proper care.

(6) Moreover, the first thing I have to say to the Judaizers is that nothing is worse than contentiousness and fighting, than tearing the Church asunder and rending into many parts the robe which the robbers did not dare to rip. Are not all the other heresies enough without our tearing each other apart? You must listen to Paul when he says: "But if you bite and devour one another, take heed or you will be consumed by one another."

(7) Tell me this. Do you stray outside the flock and have you no fear of the lion that prowls about outside the fold? "For your enemy, like a lion, goes about seeking whom he may seize." Here you see a shepherd's wisdom. He does not let the lion in among the sheep for fear the lion may terrify the flock. Nor does he drive the lion away from outside the fold. Why? So that he may gather all the sheep together inside the fold, because they are afraid of the wild beast outside. Do you have no reverence and respect for your father? Then fear your foe. If you separate yourself from the flock, your enemy will surely catch you.

(8) Christ, too, could have driven the enemy away from the outside of the fold. But to make you sober and watchful, to make you constantly run to your Mother for refuge, he permitted him to roar outside the fold. Why did he do this? So that when those within the fold hear his roar, they may take refuge together and be more closely bound to one another. Mothers who love their children also do this: when their children cry, they often threaten to throw them to the jaws of the wolves. Of course, they would not throw them to the wolves but they say they will to stop the children from bothering them. Everything Christ did was done to keep us bound together and living at peace with one another.

And so it was that Paul could have accused the Corinthians of many great crimes but he accused them of contentiousness before any other. He could have accused them of fornication, of pride, of taking their quarrels to the pagan courts, of banquets in the shrines of idols. He could have charged that the women did not veil their heads and that the men did. Over and above all tiffs, he could have accused them of neglecting the poor, of the pride they took in their charismatic gifts, and in the matter of the resurrection of the body. But since, along with these, he could also find fault with them because of their dissensions and quarrels with one another, he passed over all the other crimes, and corrected their contentiousness first....

(3) Although he could make so many accusations, his first charge against the Corinthians was dissension and contentiousness. At the very beginning of his letter he said: "I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all say the same thing, and that there be no dissensions among you." For he knew, he knew clearly, that this problem was more urgent than the others. If the fornicator, or the braggart. or a man in the grip of any other vice comes frequently to the church, he will quickly draw profit from the instruction, thrust aside his sin, and return to health.

(4) But when a man has broken away from this assembly, when he has withdrawn from the instruction of the fathers, when he has fled from the physician's clinic, even if he appears to be in good health, lie will soon fall sick? The best physicians first quench the fires of fever and then cure the wounds and fractures. That is what Paul did. He first removed the dissension and then cured their wounds limb by limb. And so lie spoke of dissension before the other sins, so that the Corinthians would not stand apart in strife, so that they would not choose the leaders whom they should follow, so that they would not divide up the body of Christ into many parts?

(5) But he was talking not only to the Corinthians; he was also speaking to those who would come after them and suffer from the same Corinthian disease. I would be glad to ask those of us who are sick with this illness: What is the Pasch; what is Lent? What belongs to the Jews: what belongs to us? Why does their Pasch come once each year; why do we celebrate ours each time we gather to celebrate the mysteries? What does the feast of unleavened bread mean? And I would like to ask them many more questions which contribute to understanding this subject.

(6) If I were to ask them, you would then clearly know how untimely the contentiousness of these men is. They cannot explain what they do. But they refuse to ask anybody, just as if they were wiser than anybody else. They deserve the strongest condemnation because they do not have the answers themselves, but they refuse to follow those who have been appointed to lead them. They have simply risked all they have on this silly practice and are throwing themselves head first down into the depths of danger.

III

When I have this to say against them, what argument of theirs will seem clever? They ask: "Did you not observe this fast before?" It is not your place to say this to me, but I would be justified in telling you that we, too, fasted at this time in earlier days, but still we put more importance on peace than on the observance of dates. And I say to you what Paul said to the Galatians: "Become like me, because I also have become like you." What does this mean? He was urging them to renounce circumcision, to scorn the Sabbath, the feast days, and all the other observances of the Law. When he saw they were frightened and afraid that they might be subjected to chastisement and punishment for their transgression, he gave them courage by the example of his own actions when he said: "Become like me, because I also have become like you."

(2) For, he said, I did not come from the Gentiles, did I? I was not without experience of the Jewish way of life under the Law and the punishment set for those who transgress it, was I? "I am a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as regards the Law, a Pharisee; as regards zeal, a persecutor of the Church. But the things that were gain to me, these, for the sake of Christ, l counted loss." That is, once and for all I stood aloof from them. Therefore, become like me, for I, too, was as you are....

(3) Therefore you must safeguard this exactness and vigor of spirit, not in the observance of the proper times but in your approach to the altar. Now you would elect to endure all things rather than change this practice. So, too, you must disdain it and choose to do or suffer anything so as not to approach the mysteries when you are burdened with sins.

(4) Be sure that God takes no account of such observance of special seasons. Hear him as he passes judgment on those at his right hand: "You saw me hungry and gave me to eat; you saw me thirsty and gave me to drink; you saw me naked and you covered me." But he charged with quite different conduct those on his left hand. At another time he brought forward another man in a parable and castigated him because He remembered the evil the man had done. For he said: "You wicked servant, I forgave you all the debt. Should not you then have had compassion also on your fellow servant, even as I had compassion on you?" Again, when the virgins had no oil in their lamps, he locked them out of the bride chamber. And he cast out another man who came into the feast without a wedding garment because this man was garbed in filthy clothes and was wearing the cloak of his fornication and uncleanness, But no one was ever punished or accused because he observed the Pasch in this or that month.

(5) But why speak of ourselves since we have been set free from all such necessity? We are citizens of a city above in heaven, where there are no months, no sun, no moon, no circle of seasons. If you wish to give exact attention to the matter, you will see that, even among the Jews, little account was made of the season of the Pasch, but they cared greatly about the place for it, namely, Jerusalem....

(6) And so is not the observance of the time annulled among the Jews so that the Pascha may be observed in Jerusalem? Will you not show greater concern for the harmony of the Church than for the season? So that you may seem to be observing the proper days, will you outrage the common Mother of us all and will you cut asunder the Holy Synod? How could you deserve pardon when you choose to commit sins so enormous for no good reason ?

(7) But why must I speak of the Jews? No matter how eagerly and earnestly we wish it, it is not altogether possible for us to observe that day on which He was crucified....

Let us not quarrel, let us not say: "After fasting these many years, am I to change now?" Change for that very reason. Since you have been so long severed from the Church, come back now to your Mother. No one says: "After I lived as her enemy so long a time, I am ashamed to be reconciled now." You have grounds for shame if you do not change for the better but persist in your untimely contentiousness. That is what destroyed the Jews. While they always kept looking for the old customs and life, these were stripped from them and they turned to impiety.

(2) But why do I speak of fasting and the observance of special days? Paul continued to observe the Law and to endure many a toil; he patiently put up with many journeys and hardships; he surpassed all his contemporaries in the exact observance of that way of life. But after he achieved the heights of that life and came to realize that he was doing all this for his own hurt and destruction, he immediately changed. He did not say to himself: "What is this? Am I to lose the reward for this great zeal of mine? Am I to waste all this work?" Rather he was the quicker to change for the very reason that he might continue to suffer that loss. He scorned justification by the Law so that he might receive the justification of faith. And so he loudly proclaimed: "The things that were gain to me I have counted as loss for Christ. And Christ said: "If you offer your gift at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has anything against you, go first and be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift."...

(8) Why, then, do you sit beside a lamp after the sun has appeared? Why do you wish to nourish yourself on milk when solid food is being given to you? You were nourished with milk so that you might not remain satisfied with milk: the lamp shone for you that it might guide you and lead you by the hand into the light of the sun. Now that the era of more perfect things has come, let us not run back to the former times, let us not observe the days and seasons and years: rather, let us everywhere be careful to follow the Church by paying heed to charity and peace before all things.

(9) Suppose the Church were to be tripped up and fall. The accurate computation of dates would not succeed in making her slip as much as this division and schism would deserve the blame. But I make no account of the exact date, since God makes no account of it, as I proved when I devoted many discourses to this subject. But the one thing I seek is that we do all things in peace and concord. If we do so, you will not stay home and get drunk while we are fasting with the rest of the people, and the priests are praying together for the whole world.

(10) Note well that this is of the devil's doing and that it is not a single sin, nor two, nor three, but far more than three. It cuts you off from the flock, it makes you ready to hold so many Fathers in scorn, it hurls you into contentiousness....

(12) The Church does not recognize the exact observance of dates. In the beginning the Fathers decided to come together from widely separated places and to flux the Easter date; the Church paid respect to the harmony of their thinking. loved their oneness of mind, and accepted the date they enjoined. My earlier remarks have proved adequately that it is impossible for us or you or any other man to arrive at the exact date of the Lord's day. So let us stop fighting with shadows, let us stop hurting ourselves in the big things while we are indulging our rivalry over the small....

(14) I could have said much more than this. What I have said is enough for those who heed me; those who fail to heed my words will not be helped even if I should have much more to say. So let me finish my discourse at this point. and let us all pray together that our brothers come back to us. Let us pray that they cling fondly to peace and stand apart from untimely rivalry. Let us pray that they scorn this sluggish spirit of theirs and find a great and lofty understanding. Let us pray that they be set free from this observance of days so that all of us, with one heart and with one voice, may give glory to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power now and forever, world without end. Amen.

Two Chapels to the Seven Sleepers in Santorini

On the beautiful and picturesque island of Santorini, in the town of Oia, there exists two chapels dedicated to the Holy Seven Sleepers of Ephesus.

One chapel can be found in a cave of the beach Mouzakia near the port of Armeni in a caldera which is only accessible by boat. Essentially it is a very small chapel and it is one of the oldest in Oia, having been established over 200 years ago. It is not by coincidence that this chapel is dedicated to the Seven Youth, since the cave in which it was built reminded believers of the Holy Seven Children of Ephesus. Here is celebrated one of the biggest feasts of Oia on the feastday of the Saints on August 4th, which commemorates their repose. On this day the faithful arrive at the chapel with a flag-bearing boat, and because of the small space of land many remain on their boats during the Divine Liturgy, and are even served the food of the feast by another boat onto their boats. In the old days the faithful kept vigil near the cave on the feast. Till this day fisherman stop at this chapel and light a candle to the Holy Seven Sleepers, and cense the icon of the Saints with reverence. The chapel is maintained by the family of Michael Balopita.

The second chapel is found within the town of Oia and celebrates its feast day on October 22, which commemorates the awakening of the Saints from their long sleep. This chapel was built by Kadio Sigala and is maintained by her family.

A Statement of Nadia Tolokonnikova (Pussy Riot)

Members of the punk band Pussy Riot have found themselves in a Kafkaesque situation, to say the least. An interesting and important essay by Pussy Riot member Nadia Tolokonikovoy has appeared on the Free Pussy Riot website. Though most would find the incident at Christ the Savior Cathedral disagreeable based on its shocking appearance, it is still important to examine the reasons that drove such behavior in the first place with a level headed mind and a discerning heart. Extreme events or situations usually are a reaction to opposing extreme events or situations. Art that appears grotesque, often serves as a means to provoke deeper thought on an issue that indeed requires deeper thought. Denial sometimes needs to be provoked into acceptance. Anyone who follows the numerous attempts of government censorship in Russia will understand that an implosion was inevitable.

Art and the Human Manifesto of Nadia Tolokonnikova

The punk band Pussy Riot, which I belong to, is a musical group that conducts unexpected performances in different urban spaces. Pussy Riot’s songs address topical political issues. The interests of the group members are: political activism, ecology, and the elimination of authoritarian tendencies in the Russian state system through the creation of the civil society.

Since its origin in October 2011, the band played concerts in the subway, on the roof of a trolleybus, on the roof of the detention center for administrative detainees, in clothing stores, at fashion shows, and on the Lobnoe Mesto on Red Square. We believe that the art should be accessible to everyone; therefore we perform in diverse public spaces. Pussy Riot never means to show any disrespect to any viewers or witnesses of our punk concerts. This was the case on the roof of the trolleybus and on the Lobnoe Mesto, and this was the case at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

On 21 February 2012 Pussy Riot band performed its punk prayer “Hail Mary, Expel Putin” at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. In the early March 2012 three members of the group were imprisoned because of the music and political activism. The themes of our songs and performances are dictated by the present moment. We simply react to what is happening in our country, and our punk performances express the opinion of a sufficiently large number of people. In our song “Hail Mary, Expel Putin” we reflected the reaction of many Russian citizens to the patriarch’s calls for votes for Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin during the presidential election of 4 March 2012.

We, like many of our fellow citizens, wrestle against treachery, deceit, bribery, hypocrisy, greed, and lawlessness, peculiar to the current authorities and rulers. This is why we were upset by this political initiative of the patriarch and could not fail to express that. The performance at Cathedral of Christ the Savior was committed not on the grounds of religious enmity and hatred. Equally, we harbor no hatred towards Orthodox Christians. Orthodox Christianity worships the same as we do: mercy, forgiveness, justification, love, and freedom. We are not enemies of Christianity. We care about the opinion of Orthodox Christians. We want all of them to be on our side - on the side of anti-authoritarian civil society activists. That is why we came to the Cathedral.

We came with what we have and can: with our musical performance. During this performance we intended to express our concern: the rector of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church - the patriarch - supports a politician who forcefully suppresses the civil society, which is dear to us.

I would like to emphasize the fact that, while at the Cathedral, we did not utter any insulting words towards the Church, the Christians, and God. The words we spoke and our entire punk performance aimed to express our disapproval of a specific political event: the patriarch’s support of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, who took an authoritarian and antifeminist course. Our performance contained no aggression towards the audience, but only a desperate desire to change the political situation in Russia for the better. Our emotions and expressiveness came from that desire. If our passion appeared offensive to any spectators, we are sorry for that. We had no intentions to offend anyone. We wish that those, who cannot understand us, would forgive us. Most of all, we want people to hold no grudges against us.

We very much wish that people would not see our denial of guilt under the Article 213 (Part 2) of the Russian Criminal Code as audacity, insolence, or our unwillingness or inability to admit our mistakes. It seems to me that those who were distressed by our songs tend to take our denial of guilt that way. I believe that we are all victims of the most perfect misunderstanding and confusion of words and legal terms.

My key point is that I separate the legal and ethical assessments of our performance “Hail Mary, Expel Putin”. This is a very important, probably the most important, thing in this proceeding. I insist that the criminal side of this story must not be confused with the ethical one. The fact is that our denial of guilt does not mean our unwillingness to explain our actions and apologize for the distress brought by our performance, and I would like everyone, especially the victims, to try to understand that.

My assessment of the ethics of the Pussy Riot punk prayer is this: our ethical mistake was that we allowed bringing our newly developed genre — the unexpected political punk performance — to the cathedral. We did not think that our actions might offend some. In fact, we performed in various places in Moscow since October 2011, and everywhere — in the subway, in stores, on the roof of the detention center, on the Lobnoe Mesto – people perceived our actions with humor, cheerfulness, or, at the very least, with irony. Similarly, based on our experience of the previous performances, we had no idea that the punk performance could hurt or offend someone. If anyone was offended by our performance at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, then I am ready to admit that we made an ethical mistake. This is, indeed, a mistake because we had no conscious intention to offend anyone. Our ethical - I emphasize, ethical, and not the criminal — fault lies in the fact that we allowed ourselves to respond to the patriarch’s call to vote for Vladimir Putin by our performance at the Cathedral, and, therefore, by sharing our political position with the audience. This is our ethical lapse, and I emphasize and acknowledge it, and I apologies for it.

However, our ethical slip matches no article of the Criminal Code.

We have been in prison for five months now, but our actions do not constitute a crime. The violation of rules of church conduct substantially differs from the accusations of hate and enmity towards the entire Orthodox religion and all believers that we now face. One does not follow from the other. I shudder every time I read the indictment that we have come to the cathedral out of contempt and hatred towards Christians. These are terrible, very bad words and incredibly strong, terrible accusations. Our motivation was purely political and artistic. I agree, perhaps, we did not have an ethical right to bring them to the cathedral’s ritual space. But we do not hate anyone.

Think about it: what are hatred and enmity? None of them is a joke. No one may label people with them just like that. Perjury is happening here. For five months we have been suffering from slander. It is not easy for me to withstand the cynical and cruel labeling with the feelings that I have not experienced to any living being on earth. The prosecution accuses us of hiding our true motives (which supposedly are religious hatred and enmity) to avoid punishment. However, we do not lie because we have principles, and one of which is: always telling the truth. We did not betray our principles, even though the investigators detained us, forcing us to admit our guilt under the Article 231 (Part 2). Such admittance would label us with the false motive — hatred and enmity — and crush and destroy us as honest people. The investigators repeatedly told us, if we plea guilty, we would be released. We refused.

If we admit our guilt under the Article 231 (Part 2), we will defame ourselves. The truth is precious to us more than anything, even more than the freedom. Thus, I think there is no reason not to trust our words. We will not lie, for sure. The content of our laptops and hard drives is presented in the criminal case, and it refutes the version of the prosecution. These materials prove that we did not have religious hatred or enmity as our motive. Anyone who reads the content of our laptops and hard drives will clearly see that our motivation was purely political. The Volumes 3 and 4 of our criminal case contain our criticism of Putin’s authoritarian policies and our reflections about the benefits of peaceful civil protests. The Volumes 3 and 4 contain the texts about feminism and interviews with the Pussy Riot band. Not a single word is about religious hatred or enmity.

In all those laptops and hard drives, the prosecution has found not a single piece of evidence confirming this motive, and now it is trying to get out of their predicament by magically making illogical conclusions. In our interviews after our performance on 21 February 2012, we repeatedly said that we treated Christianity with great consideration and respect. The prosecution, realizing their lack of evidence of our religious hatred, has resorted to the next move. They now claim that our statements of loyalty towards Christianity cover up our true attitude towards the religion, thus attempting to minimize the backlash against the illegal act committed at the Cathedral. These statements are illogical because we have publicly stated our positive attitude towards the religion on 21 February 2012 and on other dates – way before the news that a criminal case has been initiated.

The conclusion that we “revenge for Hypatia’s death”* is so absurd that even the ones who still doubted our motives, now realized: the prosecution has absolutely no evidence of the motive of hatred. Therefore neither the motive nor elements of crime exist.

Two expert reports, ordered by the investigation, found no motive of hatred or enmity in our actions. However, for some unfortunate reason, the indictment fails to mention these reports. The experts concluded that the song text, our activities, or the video do not contain any linguistic features of dishonor or insults towards Orthodox Christians, the Orthodox Church officials, or other groups. Neither do they contain any linguistic evidence of hostile attitudes towards the Orthodox religion, Orthodox believers, or people of other groups. Moreover, the experts noted that the behavior of our group had no psychological signs of hostility: the girls did not commit aggressive and violent acts against anyone.

In summary, we had no motive of religious hatred or enmity, neither did we conduct a crime under Article 213 (Part 2) of the Criminal Code of Russian Federation.

__________________________________________________________

* Translator’s note: Hypatia of Alexandria (born ca. AD 351-370, died AD 415) was an ancient Greek philosopher in Roman Egypt who was the fist historically noted woman in mathematics. She has taught philosophy and astronomy in Alexandria at the time when science was predominantly occupied by men. Hypatia was highly regarded for her knowledge, extraordinary dignity, and virtue. She died in an incident when Christian monks seized her on the street, beat her, and dragged her body to a church, where they mutilated her flesh and burned her remains. Please see Wikipedia for more details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypatia.

Original Source: echo.msk.ru

Friday, August 3, 2012

The Fervent Orthodox Faith of Greek Olympians

By John Sanidopoulos

Good news came to the Greek people when the Men’s Four Sculls Coxless rowing team qualified for the finals this Saturday. They ended second in their category with the time 6:02.61 after USA (6:01.72) and before Germany (6:04.61). These four men are Stergios Papachristou, Yiannis Tsillis, Giorgos Tsialas, and Yiannis Christou.

After their victory, Stergios Papachristou said: "This is the first time in a heavy category that Greece enters the finals at the Olympic Games. I want to mention Father Joseph of Mount Athos. He sent a letter with wise words, which we had with us today and it helped us a lot. We believe in God, we believe in people who are near us. We will give it all now in the finals."

Below is the letter which Fr. Joseph wrote the athletes:

Fr. Joseph, an ascetic from Mount Athos of the Hermitage of Saint Minas, is the spiritual father of the female Olympic rower Christina Giazitzidou. His letter is full of encouragement for the Greek athletes. It ends with the following words: "Children of Greece, immortal for both your victories and ethos, Olympic rowers who will become songs, examples and myths!!!"

Ilias Iliadis put aside his disappointment at missing out on a judo gold medal at the London Olympics and said he hoped the bronze he won on Wednesday will bring some joy to those suffering in crisis-hit Greece.

"Really I am happy for this medal because Greece needs this medal at this time. Greek people need this medal," he told Reuters. "Everybody knows about the hard times in Greece. I want to say thanks to everybody in Greece who was watching my fight. It would have been good if it was gold but no bad thing that it's bronze."

When Iliadies was asked by Greek reporters to whom he dedicated his metal, he said: "I dedicate it first to God, then to all the Greeks." Iliadis went on to say: "I thank God! This metal will go to Mount Athos."

Two months before winning the bronze medal in London, Ilias visited the Holy Monastery of Vatopaidi on Mount Athos, in order to "receive strength from the Panagia". He told Pemptousia in an interview that he would give his medal if he won to the Monastery as an offering to the Panagia. In the interview he also speaks of judo, athleticism, his love for Greece, his deep Orthodox faith, and his time living in Georgia. (see video here)

Fr. Victor Potapov On the Pussy Riot Case

Natalya Rostov

August 2, 2012

Slon

Father Victor Potapov, rector of St. John the Baptist in Washington, was born in Germany and since 1951 he has been living in America. The church, in which he serves, belongs to the Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. At the request of Slon, he expressed his opinion about what is going on in Moscow regarding the Pussy Riot case.

- I am an observer from the outside, and maybe I was not all that affected like people within the country. Of course, I am a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church, but I was born in the West, in Germany, raised in America, and the situation is cultural, social, all around me - of the other. So I apologize in advance if someone is offended or grieve, in their own words.

Of course, what these girls did was deeply immoral. This is not an ethical mistake, it's immoral. They came into the holy place in the temple, the main temple of Russia, and in that which has been desecrated by the Bolsheviks and then restored (and we know that in a financial sense, maybe not the best). Nevertheless, it has been restored and is again a monument to the heroes, a monument of victory over Napoleon's invasion of Russia. And what, they get up in front of the altar. It's not Putin, Putin is not here (the temple is no place for political demonstrations), and they spoke so many blasphemous things. Very little attention is paid to these words, saying only that they have insulted Putin, the Patriarch, but in fact they upset very many people. I want to say this first of all.

However, the noise which was raised around them is also upsetting. Before Russia there now faces great problems of moral character, and they deserve as much attention. But it seems the Church stuck to Pussy Riot (sorry, I pronounce this word, it is also offensive), stuck to this punk band, and I'm very sorry about this. On the other hand, the crisis caused by the group reveals huge flaws in modern society, as a believer and unbeliever.

- The girls just exposed the conflict between state, society and the Church, right?

- Yes. On the one hand, ensured are the democratic rights of such actions - it is deeply immoral. On the other hand, to punish them with long imprisonment - an obscurantist demand, almost dictatorial - it is immoral, too. I do not understand. I believe that the Church, we pastors, must appeal to the conscience. They sit there for a long time, some of them built up as martyrs, as often happens in such high-profile cases.

I am afraid that the time is lost, but of course it would be better to have a conversation with them, try to act on their conscience, tell the girls that what they've done is deeply offensive, immoral. To be punished, of course, would be necessary, but not so long sitting in a prison or jail, and even more so, not for a seven-year period, as many suggest. We should get them to work in any establishment: a shelter or a hospice.

- There is much attention focused on the court, and many go on calling it the Inquisition, and this creates bitterness all the more. What do we do with it, with the exasperation, which is reproduced?

- I hope that thinking people can see it. I hope that they will write, discuss this problem - the lack of mercy, the heating of cruelty which people are calling for. This should be discussed, but not how it was done so far - either-or. We must come to some compromise. Mindful people and the Church should think again, it is necessary to make the congregation settled down, and not contribute to the bitterness.

Frankly, I'm disappointed in the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, shown on television. (Or, as they were before, because now I notice it less. Before the election, there often were programs on Russian television of interest - round tables, discussions - and now they have ceased to transmit). Their responses are inadequate in this case, and they have deeply disappointed me, unfortunately. I will not name names.

- They are known for these things. And it is clear who you mean. In 2007, the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and the ROC came together and now it is a Church. Is there some way to bring this issue up to the Patriarch to his environment? Is there any way to influence them?

- We have to work? I think that we will not publicly call on the Patriarch to pardon or appeal to his conscience. I think it needs to be a man on his level. And I hope that our Metropolitan Hilarion, who was recently in Moscow, spoke on the topic. I do not know, but I hope so.

In any case, I as a priest of the capital of a parish, I tell you that I am deeply confused by the representatives of the Church in this matter, although, again, the act of the girls is deeply immoral. I have subscribed to Google - on my computer comes up to everything about Russian Orthodoxy, and I see that both the media and bloggers only talk about it. And what is the theme? The apartment of the patriarch, the patriarch consecrated the church of the FSB, that's all. At the same time I know that in Russia there is spiritual life, there are many dedicated pastors, priests, believers across the country, but nobody is paying attention, because all are eclipsed by the scandals. I do not want to say that the Church came up with these scandals, but somehow it has lost control of the situation. How to explain this, I do not know. But in the end, after eighty years of atheism, maybe it is all growing pains? Maybe we should expect that the bishops and pastors will make mistakes in the way of development? But I hope that we recognize this error and correct them.

- I wanted to ask this question to you, as someone who has lived in the West all your life. Now many people think about what would happen if the same did not happen in Russia. What the punishment should have been in America?

- I heard that California has a law that punishes such an act with a year in prison. They may make a conditional sentence, to force people to go clean up in the church or to care for homeless people.

- A year?

- Yes. It would be good to find a law to quote it, but here it is, in California, a progressive state, as well as in other states - I do not know.

- You are not faced with such?

- Thank God, no.

If a teenager is guilty of something, drove a car without a license, disorderly conduct, the judge usually sentences up to 48 hours of community ministries. And, if it is a child of my parishioners, I suggest to them that he work with us in the church. They help to clean, and I am writing a letter that they had worked with us in the church, and it is accepted.

- Accepted by the state, you mean?

- Yes, and it is good. The child benefits society, and returns him to his duty in the temple, the holy place, which has a definite impact.

The Bolsheviks after the Revolution, every day, destroyed, desecrated churches. And what could the Russian Church do about it?...

It seems to me that the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is now safe to go to, but became the focus of some extremists. Honest! After the antics of these girls, as in any big city, it attracts strange people - again, to emulate.

- In Sevastopol yesterday already they tried.

- Well, you see. It's like during the mass murders in America, when people are afraid that someone wants to copy the murder.

- I found the quote. The Bishop of the Diocese of Ishim and Siberia Nikon called the current trial, "the result of merging the hierarchy of the Moscow Patriarchate and the State." You may also comment on this?

- I can not say so categorically, as he did.

I was born in the West, and I really like our system. I feel good, the government is no pressure on me. In this time as a member of "Voices of America" I could be with the protesters near the White House to protest against the bombing of Yugoslavia in America, and did not fear that I would be dismissed.

We pray here, many American Orthodox, and it is - the best. And when the church was too close to the state, there is always a lot of temptations. The Church must be the conscience of the people, it should have the right to speak freely, without looking around, not depending on the bureaucrats. I am afraid that in Russia, unfortunately, there is the opposite. I do not like it.

- It seems that Orthodoxy becomes an instrument of policy.

- Maybe. I hope they come to their senses and will not allow it.

One reason for this - that the Church believes that the state must return what it lost. The current government considers itself the successor to the Soviet, which destroyed everything, and the Church wants the state to restore the loss. And then what? I do not know. Again, I do not live there, but I'm certainly interested in and root for Russia, even for the Russian athletes who are sick, no matter how strange....

- But perhaps such a separation of Church and state in America can not be there?

- Probably not. I hope that the system will be at least similar to that which exists in some European countries, at least at this formal level, such as in Finland. There it is the official religion - Lutheranism and Orthodoxy - and the state does not intervene, but give some privileges. Where to go? The Russian Church after all, is a church with thousands of years of history in Russian life, it certainly plays a role. The Church created the Russian culture and statehood. It should have some privileges.

- You've met with government officials in their lifetime. As these contacts were formed with you? How did you apply yourself?

- With great deference, with respect. When Reagan was president, I was invited as an informal adviser on religious affairs in the Soviet Union, it was a purely honorary title. The fact that they paid attention to the Orthodox Church, speaks of the deep esteem in which the American state has for the Church.

Of course, we also have problems, many social issues - the issue of gay marriage, homosexuality is being discussed. But I can not get to perform such marriages, it is an internal church matter. If I refuse to make such a marriage, my parish does not take away the special tax status (we are exempted from income tax), I will speak out, and no one will chase me for it. In America, the office is genuine, constitutional, and it is firmly secured.

- And you had to deny the commission of such marriages?

- No. Thank God, no.

- If they will come to you, you refuse, that's what you mean by that?

- If Orthodox come to me of the same sex, I will explain that this is totally unacceptable from our point of view, and they may not consider themselves Orthodox Christians and to enter into such a marriage. Plain and simple.

- But then there will be extensive discussion on this topic.

- My job as a priest is to have a heart to heart talk with people. If someone comes, I'm not going to raise a stink, I'll just explain our point of view.

- Last question. What's next for the Girls?

- I, like the church people, think that the Church should stand up for them, the Church should be merciful, but do not need to justify, of course, their actions. My opinion is that the Church must demand their release, or give another punishment. Other priests may disagree, but I think that most priests will tell you they can not be punished so severely, and it is completely inadequate. We must be merciful, and not to forget the teaching of Christ, and Christ from the cross saying to His torturers, "Lord, forgive them, they do not know what they do". Otherwise, what are we - heathen?

Translation by John Sanidopoulos

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