The Simplicity of God According to Saint Gregory Palamas

Simplicity of God According... by tensous12113

A Second Triumph of Orthodoxy Over Heresy (George Mantzarides)

 

By George Mantzarides,
Professor Emeritus of the Theological School of the 

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

On the first Sunday of the Fast of Great Lent, the Church celebrates the triumph of Orthodoxy over the heresies. The specific historical event which was the basis and starting-point for this celebration was the victory of the Church against the iconoclasts. The latter proclaimed that the use of icons is anti-Christian. They would not accept the veneration of the icon of Christ, nor the honor paid to the other icons or to the relics of saints. This attitude of theirs was not superficial, but came from a more profound denial of the depiction of Christ, which, in the end, led to a denial of his incarnation and his presence in the world as a real human being. The way the conflict over the icons ended shows its heretical nature. It really was a true heresy.

The Reception of the Lord as the Feast of Freedom (George Mantzarides)

By Prof. George Mantzarides

In one of the hymns at the Vespers of the Reception of the Lord, the words ‘Now, Lord, let your servant depart in peace’ which were addressed to God by the righteous Symeon when he took Christ into his arms, are rendered as ‘Now I am released, for I have seen my savior’[1]. In the person of the infant he was holding, Symeon saw his peace and release.

The feeling of peace is the sense of God’s proximity. Peace brings people closer to God and to each other. This is clear from the etymology of the word which goes back, through Latin, to a Primitive Indo-European root, 'pag', meaning ‘to bind together’, as in the related word ‘pact’. In particular, God-given peace, the peace of Christ was given to the disciples as a parting gift, at the completion of Christ’s incarnate ministry, through his words: ‘I give you my peace’[2].

Meeting with the Samaritan Woman

By Prof. George Mantzaridis

Any encounter with Christ astonishes people. If you’re not astonished, you should ask yourself whether you actually encountered Christ, if you really felt His presence. This astonishment isn’t inexplicable, nor absurd, but rather it’s understandable and rational. It’s something that occurs when the natural meets the supernatural, the relative meets the absolute and the transitory meets the eternal.

When people who are overcome with the fear of death meet the Lord of Life, when the creature gazes upon its Creator, the relationship is incommensurate, unexpected surprises occur. And these surprises become all the more moving when the Lord humbles Himself before His creation, in order to serve it. Indeed, the surprises here aren’t restricted to the general nature of things, but also extend to their particular details.

Extreme Positions in Theology and Life

Emeritus Professor of Theology George Mantzaridis offers profound insights on extremist positions in Life as well as in Theology.

The Transfiguration of the Savior and the Mystery of the Cross (Prof. George Mantzaridis)

By George Mantzaridis

The Transfiguration of the Savior occupies a central position in the Orthodox Church and theology. It is the event that reveals the glory of the Church and of the faithful. It is the evidence of the new situation that entered history through the advent of Christ.

At the Transfiguration, Christ manifested through His human nature the uncreated glory of His Divinity. At the same time, He caught up the men with Him in the uncreated divine glory.

Moses and Elijah share the same brightness as the Lord. The only difference is that Christ is the source, whereas they are the recipients of divine brightness. The reason why Christ was transfigured before His disciples was the approach of the day when He would be crucified: “So that when they see you crucified, they will understand your voluntary passion.”

The Globalized and the Universal Person: On the Sacred Memory of Saint Paisios

St. Paisios with George Mantzarides and his sons

By George Mantzarides,

Professor Emeritus of the Theological School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

People weren’t made to stay where they are. They were made to become what they aren’t. Our majesty isn’t to be found in the present or the past, but in our future. Stagnation in the present, as immobility, is the equivalent of death. And any movement towards the past is motion towards the non-being from which we were called by the Creator’s command. It’s only movement towards the future that denotes vitality and the chance of prospering.

The Transfiguration of Christ as Preparation for the Cross

By Professor George Mantzarides

The Transfiguration of Our Savior has a central place in the Orthodox Church and in Orthodox theology.

It is the event that reveals the glory of the Church and of the faithful. It is a witness to the new reality introduced by the coming of Christ in history.

During His Transfiguration, Christ revealed the Uncreated Glory of His Divinity within His human nature. At the same time, He took up those surrounding Him into His Uncreated Divine Glory. Moses and Elias participated in the same radiance as Christ. The only difference is that Christ is the Source of Divine radiance, whereas the others are recipients thereof.

The reason why Christ was transfigured before His Disciples was that the day of His Crucifixion was approaching: “That when they should see Thee crucified, they might know Thy Passion to be voluntary....”1