Homily on the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Origen)

 

 

Saint Theotimos, Bishop of Tomi in Scythia (+ 410)

St. Theotimos of Tomi (Feast Day - April 20)

Saint Theotimos was a native of Dacia Pontica, and was part Roman. He is believed to have been the teacher of Saint John Cassian (Feb. 29) and Saint Germanos, because he was once living in the same monastery as they were.

Some time between 385-390, Theotimos succeeded Saint Germanos as Bishop of Tomis. Saint Jerome mentions him in his book On Illustrious Men (164), where he writes: "Theotimos, Bishop of Tomi, in Scythia, has published brief and epigrammatical treatises, in the form of dialogues, and in olden style. I hear that he is now writing other works."

In his writings, Saint Theotimos speaks of the role of the nous and the heart in prayer. Perhaps because of this he is considered to be the Father of the Romanian Philokalia.

Saint John II, Patriarch of Jerusalem (+ 417)

St. John of Jerusalem (Feast Day - March 30);
Greek miniature depicts the Church of Holy Zion

Verses

The president of the perceptible throne of Zion,
Departed for the Zion which is invisible.

Our Holy Father John was born around 356 and succeeded Saint Cyril as Patriarch of Jerusalem in 387. Many scholars today ascribe to him the five Mystagogical Catecheses traditionally ascribed to his predecessor Cyril.

On September 15, 394 Patriarch John officiated in the Consecration of the Church of Holy Zion: the homily pronounced by John was preserved in Armenian and not published until 1973.

In 415, he took part in the translation of the relics of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr from his tomb in the village of Kafargamala to Jerusalem in cooperation with Bishops Eusthonos of Sebaste and Eleutheros of Jericho.

Holy Martyr Potamiana the Virgin

St. Potamiana the Martyr (Feast Day - June 7)

Verses

Praise is not sufficient for Potamiana,
Even if the river imitates the stream.

Saint Potamiana suffered martyrdom in Alexandria during the reign of Septimius Severus (193-211). She, along with her mother Marcella, were arrested and Potamiana was threatened with being handed over to gladiators to be abused, if she refused to renounce her Christianity. The judge regarded her response as impious and ordered their immediate death by being burned in a cauldron of pitch. She was subsequently dipped little by little in boiling pitch till she died, according to Palladius, or the pitch was dripped all over her body, according to Eusebius.

Saint Anastasius I, Pope of Rome (+ 401)

St. Anastasius I of Rome (Feast Day - December 19)

Anastasius was born in Rome, the son of Maximus, and served as Pope from 27 November 399 to his death on 19 December 401. He condemned the writings of the Alexandrian theologian Origen, whose blasphemies were brought under his notice by Archbishop Theophilus of Alexandria and Presbyter Eusebius of Cremona (he had shown Anastasius a copy of the version by Rufinus of the treatise On First Principles), shortly after their translation into Latin. He fought against these writings throughout his papacy, and in 400 he called a synod to discuss them. The synod agreed that Origen was not faithful to the Orthodox Catholic Church.

Gospel Commentary for the Ninth Sunday of Luke (St. Theophylact of Ochrid)

Ninth Sunday of Luke

The Parable of the Foolish Rich Man

Luke 12:16-21

From The Explanation of the Gospel of St. Luke

By Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Ochrid and Bulgaria

16-21. And He spake a parable unto them, saying, "The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully, and he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, because I have no room where to gather my crops?' And he said, 'This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I gather all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." But God said unto him, 'Thou fool, this night they shall require thy soul of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast prepared?' So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

Gospel Commentary for the Eighth Sunday of Luke (St. Theophylact of Ochrid)

Eighth Sunday of Luke

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

From The Explanation of the Gospel of St. Luke

By Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Ochrid and Bulgaria

25-28. And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted Him, saying, "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said unto him, "What is written in the law? How readest thou?" And he answering said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself." And He said unto him, "Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live."

Holy Martyr Athenodoros, Brother of Saint Gregory the Wonderworker

St. Athenodoros the Martyr (Feast Day - November 7);
Icon above depicts St. Gregory the Wonderworker

Verses to Athenodoros the Brother of Gregory the Wonderworker

Noetic beings call for Athenodoros on earth,
To the noetic gifts of the Lord.

Verses to Gregory the Brother of Gregory the Wonderworker

Gregory the brother of the Wonderworker,
With the same name they lived twice the fame.

What we know of Saint Athenodoros comes primarily from the life of his more famous brother, Saint Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea. They were both born in the early third century to a wealthy pagan family in Neocaesarea (modern Niksar, then the capital of the area of Pontus in Asia Minor). Due to their status, they were afforded an excellent education.

Gospel Commentary for the Fifth Sunday of Luke (St. Theophylact of Ochrid)

Fifth Sunday of Luke

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31

From The Explanation of the Gospel of St. Luke

By Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Ochrid and Bulgaria

19-22. "And there was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain poor man named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the poor man died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried.

The Monk Who Searched for the True Faith

By St. John Moschos

(The Spiritual Meadow, Chapt. 26)

The Life of brother Theophanes and his Marvellous Vision, and of Communicating with Heretics

There was an old man of great merit in God’s eyes called Kyriakos, who belonged to the Lavra of Calamon near the River Jordan. A pilgrim brother called Theophanes from the region of Dora came to him for counsel about his thoughts of fornication. The old man encouraged and instructed him with advice about modesty and chastity, which greatly edified the brother.

Saint Photios the Great on the Blasphemies of Origen

By St. Photios the Great

Bibliotheca (or Myriobiblon)

8. [Origen, On First Principles]

Read Origen's four books On First Principles.1 The first deals with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In this his statements are often blasphemous; thus, he asserts that the Son was created by the Father, the Holy Spirit by the Son; that the Father pervades all existing things, the Son only those that are endowed with reason, the Holy Spirit only those that are saved. He also makes other strange and impious statements, indulging in frivolous talk about the migration of souls, the stars being alive, and the like. This first book is full of fables about the Father, Christ (as he calls the Son), the Holy Spirit, and creatures endowed with reason. In the second book he treats of the world and created things. He asserts that the God of the Law and the Prophets, of the Old and the New Testament, is one and the same; that there was the same Holy Spirit in Moses, the rest of the prophets, and the Holy Apostles. He further discusses the Incarnation of the Savior, the soul, resurrection, punishment, and promises. The third book deals with free will; how the devil and hostile powers, according to the Scriptures, wage war against mankind; that the world was created and is perishable, having had a beginning in time. The fourth book treats of the final end, the divine inspiration of the Scriptures, and the proper manner of reading and understanding them.

Holy Hieromartyr Methodios, Bishop of Patara (+ 311)

St. Methodios of Patara (Feast Day - June 20)

Verses

Methodios in life pursued life,
Set free he travels, not pursuing or going.
On the twentieth the arch-sacrificer Methodios was slain by the sword.

Saint Methodios at first was a Bishop of Olympus then a Bishop of Patara, both in the Lycia region of Asia Minor. Saint Jerome adds that he also became the Bishop of Tyre, though this may not be likely. As a learned and eloquent hierarch, Methodios was the first who wrote against the heresies of Origen. He left behind him a rich literary legacy: works in defense of Christianity against paganism, explications of Orthodox dogmas against the heresy of Origen, moral discourses, and explanations of Holy Scripture. The pagans rose up against him, tortured him and beheaded him in Chalcis in Syria around the year 311.

Saint Antipater, Bishop of Bostra

St. Antipater of Bostra (Feast Day - June 13)

Verses

Antipater received the Savior richly,

Adorned greatly with the virtues as an offering.

Little is known about this fifth century Bishop of Bostra in Arabia, who flourished during the time of the Fourth Ecumenical Synod (451). Antipater was held in high esteem by his contemporaries, civil and ecclesiastical. He is rated among the authoritative ecclesiastical writers by the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod (787).

Christ and the Binding of the Strong Man (Origen of Alexandria)

By Origen of Alexandria

Christ has presented each Christian with the death of sin itself, a gift of faith, as it were, deriving from His own death. Sin can have no more freedom of action in people who believe themselves to be dead, crucified and buried with Christ, than in those who have suffered bodily death. They are therefore said to be dead to sin. This is why the Apostle says, "If we have died with Him, we believe we shall also live with Him." It is important to note the difference of expression: Paul does not say "we have lived" as he said "we have died," but "we shall live." This is his way of showing that death is at work in the present world, but not in the life to come, "when Christ is revealed. He is our life, hidden away in God." For the time being, therefore, as Paul himself teaches, "death is at work in us."

Saint Kyriakos the Anchorite

Venerable Kyriakos (Cyriacus) the Anchorite (Feast Day - September 29)

Verses

The bitterness of the onions you warded off Kyriakos,

Giving them a sweet taste, or you would be condemned to die.

Onion-eating Kyriakos made his end on the twenty-ninth.

Saint Kyriakos was from Corinth and born in 448 during the reign of Emperor Theodosius II. He was the son of a priest of Corinth named John with his pious wife Eudoxia. When he was eighteen he was ordained Reader by Peter, the Bishop of Corinth, who was his father's uncle. With an ardent longing for God he departed for Jerusalem without telling his family. When he arrived he heard of the ascetic feats of Saint Euthymios the Great (Jan. 20), and became one of his disciples. Saint Euthymios thus tonsured him a Monk, but due to the fact that he was young and lacked a beard, he was sent to Saint Gerasimos (Mar. 4), who dwelt near the Jordan River, since Saint Theoktistos (Sept. 3) had already reposed. Kyriakos diligently served the godly Gerasimos and was obedient to him in all things, to the point where Gerasimos praised him for his strict way of life, and took him with him to the desert of Rouba every year from Theophany to Palm Sunday to spend the time in strict fasting and prayer. It was during their time in Rouba that Kyriakos and Gerasimos beheld the departed soul of Saint Euthymios ascending to heaven, prompting them to go and bury him.

The Sayings of Abba Lot

"If you will, you can become all flame." - Abba Joseph spoken to Abba Lot

Abba Lot was an early desert father who reposed in peace. He is commemorated by the Orthodox Church on October 22nd. The following sayings are attributed to him in the Paradise of the Fathers:

Lot was a simple Coptic monk, a disciple of Joseph of Panephysis and a friend of Arsenius. He lived as a solitary at Arsinoe near Abba Anthony. Like the majority of the Copts he was opposed to the teaching of Origen.

1. One of the old men came to Abba Lot's dwelling, near to the little marsh of Arsinoe and he asked for a cell, which Abba Lot gave him. Now the old man was ill and Abba Lot took care of him. When anyone came to see Abba Lot, he made him visit the sick old man also. But the sick man began to quote the words of Origen to the visitors. This made Abba Lot anxious and he said to himself, 'The Fathers must not think that we are like that too.' However, he was afraid to drive him away because of the commandment. So Abba Lot got up and went to Abba Arsenius and told him about the old man. Abba Arsenius said to him, 'Do not drive him away, but say to him: look, eat that which comes from God and drink as much as you like, only do not make such remarks any more. If he wants to, he will correct himself. If he does not want to change his ways, he will ask to leave this place of his own accord. Thus his departure will not come from you.' Abba Lot went away and did this. When the old man heard these word he did not want to change, but he began to ask him, 'For the Lord's sake, send me away from here, for I can no longer bear the desert.' So he got up and left, accompanied to the door with love.

Abba Isaac the Syrian, the "Unjustly Accused" Saint (6 of 7)

...continued from part five.

6. Abba Isaac on Eternal Life and Eternal Hell

All of the above cacodoxies of the Pseudo-Isaac writings have nothing to do with Abba Isaac and his all around Orthodox teachings.

A) Regarding the Nestorian cacodoxies, despite the best efforts of Alfeyev and those with him, they cannot prove that such delusions exist in the authentic works of the Saint.

B) Regarding the apokatastasis of all, the following must be said:

Abba Isaac the Syrian, the "Unjustly Accused" Saint (5 of 7)

Metropolitan Kallistos Ware

...continued from part four.

5. The Appalling Intervention of Bishop Kallistos Ware

In 1998 Bishop Kallistos Ware of Diokleia wrote an article for the journal Theology Digest (1998) titled: "Dare We Hope for the Salvation of All?" He concludes by writing: "Our faith in God’s love makes us dare to hope that all will be saved."

With this article the foundation of Orthodox Eschatology is debated, in fact the very words of Christ. Bishop Kallistos asks if an eternal hell will exist. He places the reader before the philosophical dilemma: ultimate dualism or ultimate restoration and reconciliation. Here's his reasoning:

The 165 Holy Fathers of the Fifth Ecumenical Synod

165 Holy Fathers of the Fifth Ecumenical Synod (Feast Day - July 25)

By St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite

On the 25th of July we commemorate the 165 Holy Fathers of the Fifth Synod gathered in Constantinople, and the destruction of Origenist doctrines.

The words of Beliar are the words of the Origenists, 

Having been destroyed by the worshipers of the Word.

The Holy Myriad Venerable Martyrs of Nitria

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The Holy Myriad Martyrs of Nitria (Feast Day - July 10);
Icon depicts St. Isidore the Presbyter

Verses

The myriad were slain in caves by fire,
They dwelt in a cave those in whom the Logos dwelt.

On July 10th the Orthodox Church commemorates the Holy Myriad (10,000) Martyrs of Nitria, who were venerable ascetic monks killed by burning at the order of Theophilos, Archbishop of Alexandria, due to his enmity against Isidore the Presbyter and the Four Tall Brothers. These holy ascetics lived in caves and huts in Nitria of Egypt and their chief job was to keep the commandments of God. They lived a life of fasting, vigils and prayers and they numbered around 10,000. Because Saint Isidore rebuked Theophilos regarding certain ecclesiastical and theological issues, and the monks of Nitria supported him, Theophilos came out against them with armed soldiers to bring them to justice and burned the Holy Fathers alive in their caves, with few that escaped and lived to tell the tale.

During the early years of his episcopate in Alexandria, Theophilos maintained good relations with his fellow clergy. In 394, when he was in Constantinople for the first time for a synod, he sat with Nektarios of Constantinople, Gregory of Nyssa, and Theodore of Mopsuestia. He got along well with the four monks of Nitria, known as the “Tall Brothers”. He included as members of ecclesiastical offices a number of the clergy of Alexandria. Among these was Isidore, whom he made an archpriest and patriarchal economos. He supported the teachings of Origen in a number of disputes. He banished an opponent of Origen, Bishop Paulus, and reproached Saint Jerome for showing hospitality to Paulus.

In 395, however, Theophilos abruptly changed his attitude, a change that apparently grew out of a quarrel and falling out with archpriest Isidore who was a friend of the Nitria monks. At the request of Archbishop John of Jerusalem, Theophilos sent his friend Isidore to Palestine to mediate a dispute between Archbishop John and Jerome. The mediation did not go well from which Theophilos developed an irritation toward Jerome. In the end Theophilos urged Jerome to respect the authority of Archbishop John, a request he again made in 399.

By 399, Theophilos’ attitude toward Isidore seemed to have changed, apparently over the handling of money. Immediately Theophilos attacked Isidore both with slanders and violence. When Isidore turned for protection to the monks of Nitria, Theophilus also turned against them and also against Origen’s teachings and his followers. In 401, at a synod in Alexandria, Theophilos had Origenism condemned. Leading a group of soldiers and armed servants, Theophilos then attacked the residence of the Nitria monks, who he accused of being Origenists, burned their buildings and monastic cells, and treated poorly those monks he captured. Certain monks of Nitria escaped to Palestine, from where the four Tall Brothers proceeded to Constantinople to seek protection from Emperor Arcadius and Archbishop John Chrysostom.

Though Theophilos himself did not order for the death of the monks, this was something the unruly soldiers did on their own, and therefore because Theophilos dispatched these soldiers, the death of the monks is blamed on him.