The Seventh Ecumenical Synod as a Landmark for the Unity of the Church

 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The Sunday of Orthodoxy celebrates the restoration of the sacred icons that took place in the year 843 AD, and in fact it is the implementation of the decision of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod, which took place in the year 787 AD in Nicaea of Bithynia. An iconoclastic period preceded it, during which an intense debate about icons took place, people were divided into iconoclasts and iconophiles and many arguments were heard from each side.

The important thing about this case is that the politicians of that time were heavily involved in this debate. This was not unprecedented since, unfortunately, theology is always connected with politics, to be more precise I would say that politics used and still uses theology to implement its plans. This will also be made evident in today's speech.

Sunday of the Commemoration of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod (Fr. George Metallinos)

 

 By Protopresbyter Fr. George Metallinos

(Homily Delivered in c. 1980)

1. Today our Church celebrates the memory of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod (787). As in the past, a heresy also caused this synod, the Iconoclast heresy. Apart from its undeniable Christological content, Iconoclasm had a clear ecclesiastical character. It was an overt attack by the State, which was no longer acting as "God's minister for good" (Rom. 13:3), against the Church. The two ministries of the citizens, the "Priesthood" and the "Kingdom", the priestly and the state ministry, stood opposite each other. The State sought to subjugate the Church, in an unprecedented explosion of politicism. Heresy was the spiritual background of the problem.

Reflection on the Fourth Sunday of Luke (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 

Sunday of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod

Gospel Reading - Luke 8:5-15

By St. Theophan the Recluse

The thorns and thistles which choke the word of Divine truth, in addition to being riches, pleasures and cares of this life, at the current time must also be understood to be various false teachings, spread by scholars who have lost the truth and have been knocked off the path to it. Among us such theories differ much: some publicly and openly go against the truth; others do so by oblique hints that are nevertheless understood by those toward whom they are directed. In essence they act like carbon monoxide poisoning — they enter unnoticeably, and cloud the head, leading to a loss of clear consciousness of everything around. He who gets this carbon monoxide poisoning begins to rave like one who is asleep, for everything already appears to him entirely not as it is, not as it appears to one who is in his right mind. When you meet such a person you see that not only is all truth is suppressed in him, but any feeling for the truth is also stifled, and a lie has penetrated all the components of his mind. How should one be? Do not listen to these ravings or read them; and when they are unwillingly heard or read, throw them out of your head. When they are not thrown out — submit them to reason, and they all will scatter like smoke. 

Homilies on the Ecumenical Synods - The Seventh Ecumenical Synod (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 Homilies on the Ecumenical Synods

The Seventh Ecumenical Synod (787 A.D.)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou 

The Apostle Paul, beloved brethren, once speaking to the Presbyters of the Church of Ephesus, told them that he knew well that after his departure the wild wolves would invade among them, who will show no pity to the flock, and from among the members of the Church people will emerge who will speak perversions to distract the disciples and have them with them (cf. Acts 20:29-30).

This was seen throughout the history and life of the Church, as various heretics appeared, who ended up in non-orthodox teachings and created problems in the Church of Christ.

The devil always fights the Church, hates the person of Christ and wants to alter His teachings. From this perspective one must view heresies.

Synaxis of the Pisidia Icon of the Mother of God

Synaxis of the Pisidia Icon of the Mother of God
(Feast Day - September 3)

The Pisidia Icon of the Mother of God was glorified by miracles in the city of Sozopolis, but its origin is unknown. Saint Germanos, the Patriarch of Constantinople (+ 730), mentions “the icon of the All-Immaculate Theotokos, located at Pisidian Sozopolis” in his letters on the veneration of icons which were read at the Seventh Ecumenical Synod. He said that “myrrh flowed from the hands,” and described the icon as “ancient.” He thus said: "The most remarkable thing is that no objection or doubt is encountered against the fact that the icon of the All-Immaculate Theotokos, located in Pisidian Sozopolis, was pouring out a stream of myrrh from her hand. Many testify to this miracle."

Sunday of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod: Epistle and Gospel Reading

Sunday of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod

Prokeimenon. Mode 4.
Daniel 3:26,27
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers.
Verse: For you are just in all you have done.

St. Paul's Letter to Titus 3:8-15

English

Titus, my son, the saying is sure. I desire you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to apply themselves to good deeds; these are excellent and profitable to men. But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned. When I send Artemas or Tychicos to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to apply themselves to good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not to be unfruitful. All who are with me send greeting to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.

Venerable Demetrios the Skeuophylax

St. Demetrios the Skeuophylax (Feast Day - January 25)

Verses

Demetrios was not of things earthly,
Looking towards the delights of the immaterial abode.

On this day we commemorate Venerable Demetrios the Skeuophylax, which means he was probably a deacon who was a keeper of the sacred vessels of the church, perhaps the one mentioned under Patrairch Tarasios in the late eighth century. It is thought that at the Seventh Ecumenical Synod he read from the works of the Holy Fathers on icons.

Gospel Commentary for the Sunday of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod (St. Theophylact of Ochrid)

Sunday of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod 
(Sunday Between October 11 and 17)

The Parable of the Sower

Luke 8:5-15

From The Explanation of the Gospel of St. Luke

By Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Ochrid and Bulgaria

4-10. And when many people were gathered together, and were come to Him out of every city, He spake by a parable: "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the way; and it was trodden down, and the winged creatures of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold." And when He had said these things, He cried, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." And His disciples asked Him, saying, "What might this parable be?" And He said, "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand."

Saint Michael the Confessor, Bishop of Synnada (+ 818)

St. Michael of Synnada (Feast Day - May 23)

Verses

Your billowy short life was fitting,
Releasing Michael like an empty bubble.
On the twenty-third Michael ascended from the earth.

Our Venerable Father Michael was from Synnada in Phrygia of Asia Minor. He was consecrated to God from his childhood, and he purified himself with a life of perfection. To further his education, he went to Constantinople, and there he met Saint Theophylaktos (Mar. 8), the future Bishop of Nicomedia. Desiring to become monks, Saint Tarasios the Patriarch of Constantinople sent them to a monastery near the Black Sea.

Synaxarion of Saint Euthymios the Confessor, Bishop of Sardis

St. Euthymios of Sardis (Feast Day - December 26)

On this day we commemorate our Holy Father Euthymios the Bishop of Sardis and Confessor, or we should rather say, the Hieromartyr.

Verses

You stand before Christ, thrice-blessed Euthymios,
You have attained the fullness of unceasing cheerfulness.

This Saint lived during the reign of Constantine and Irene (780-797). At first he shined as a star in his solitary conduct. Later when he became a Bishop, he refuted by his authority the heretical Iconomachs at the Second Synod of Nicaea, namely the Seventh Ecumenical Synod (787). Seeing that he held his ground, the emperors sent him as an ambassador to various embassies. Because Nikephoros Staurakios took imperial authority in 802, and he lived his life lawlessly, the Saint rebuked him. Therefore he was exiled to Pantelleria in the West, together with other Orthodox Bishops. From then till the time of his confession, it was a period of twenty-nine years, during which the thrice-blessed one was unable to receive his Metropolis and sit in his see. When the emperors who held power were removed from within, and the beastly-named Leo became emperor, namely the Armenian, in 813, the Saint was brought back from exile, and he was questioned by him if he venerated the holy icons. Because the Saint applied his habitual boldness, and anathematized the emperor while standing before him, the tyrant became enraged, and exiled the Saint to Assos, which is also called Apollonia, and is located near Adramyttion.

Saints and Feasts of the Sunday Between October 11 and 17

Commemoration of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod

 

Commemoration of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod 

 

Sunday of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod: Epistle and Gospel Reading 

 

Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod of Nicaea in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church 

 

Gospel Commentary for the Sunday of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod (St. Theophylact of Ochrid)

 

Sermon on the Parable of the Sower (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

 

Second Teaching of Saint Kosmas the Aitolos

 

Reflection for the Fourth Sunday of Luke (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 

Homily One on the Fourth Sunday of Luke (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Two on the Fourth Sunday of Luke (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Sunday of the Commemoration of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod (Fr. George Metallinos)

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Luke - Ecclesiastical Teaching (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

Homilies on the Ecumenical Synods - The Seventh Ecumenical Synod (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

The Seventh Ecumenical Synod as a Landmark for the Unity of the Church

 

Synaxis of All Saints of Kios

Synaxis of All Saints of Kios

Commemoration of the Miracle of the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Beirut

At the fourth session of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod in 787, Saint Peter, Bishop of Nicomedia, in defending the necessity of icon veneration, presented an account attributed to Saint Athanasius the Great about a miracle which occurred in the city of Beirut (Berytus) of Phoenicia.

In this city, near the Jewish synagogue, lived a certain Christian. When he moved to another place, he left behind an icon of our Lord Jesus Christ. A Jew, who moved into the house, paid no attention to the icon. Once, his friend noticed the image of Jesus Christ on the wall, and said to the homeowner, “Why do you, a Jew, have an icon in your house?” He then went to the synagogue and reported this transgression of Jewish law.

Saint Nikephoros the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople (+ 828)

St. Nikephoros the Confessor of Constantinople (Feast Days - June 2 and March 13)

Verses

As Patriarch you stand next to the Patriarch,
The divine elder Abraham O Nikephoros.
On the second Nikephoros found a share in Eden.

This Saint was born during the reign of the iconoclast emperor Constantine V Copronymos (741-775) in the year 758. He was well educated. His father, Theodore, was secretary to the emperor Constantine. Theodore, however, was an iconodule and came into conflict with the emperor who removed him from his position and then had him scourged and tortured before banishing him. Thus, Nikephoros grew up with his father's example of defending the veneration of the icons before his eyes.

Saint Tarasios Resource Page

St. Tarasios of Constantinople (Feast Day - February 25)

Verses

The people received salvation from the tumult of the storm,
From Tarasios who was anchored and unwashed by the waves.
On the twenty-fifth Tarasios flew away from commotion.

 

Synaxarion of Saint Tarasios, Patriarch of Constantinople

  

Saint Tarasios, Patriarch of Constantinople (+ 806)

 

February: Day 25: Saint Tarasios, Patriarch of Constantinople   

 

Saint Tarasios of Constantinople in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church 

 

A Witch Trial in Eighth-Century Constantinople

 

Saint Tarasios and the Asylum Seeker at Hagia Sophia

 

Saint Tarasios and the Importance of Depicting the Martyrs in Churches

 

Saint Tarasios and Women Who Suffered With Hemorrhaging

 

Saint Tarasios and the Death of Emperor Leo V

 

Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod

 

Panegyric for the Entrance of our Most Holy Theotokos (St. Tarasios of Constantinople)

 

The Canonical Epistle of Saint Tarasios of Constantinople to Pope Adrian of Rome

Synaxarion of Saint Tarasios, Patriarch of Constantinople

On the twenty-fifth of this month [February], we commemorate our Holy Father Tarasios, Archbishop of Constantinople.

Verses

The people received salvation from the tumult of the storm,
From Tarasios who was anchored and unwashed by the waves.
On the twenty-fifth Tarasios flew away from commotion.

Our Holy Father Tarasios dogmatized the veneration of the holy icons, which were in danger of being completely done away with and be lifted from the Church of Christ. With his cooperation the Holy and Seventh Ecumenical Synod gathered in the year 787, during the reign of Constantine and his mother Irene. Through this Synod, the Roman Emperors were turned once again to the revered traditions of the Holy and All-Praised Apostles, and the Saints of the former Ecumenical Synods, and the Holy Church of Christ was united with the Patriarchates.

The Translation of the Relics of the Holy Martyr Anastasios the Persian

Verses

You are crowned Anastasios with the grace of your contest,

Granting us grace through your relics.

While Saint Anastasios was undergoing cruel tortures in Caesarea of Palestine at the orders of the Persian governor there, the Abbot of the Monastery of Saint Anastasios near Jerusalem and spiritual father of the Holy Martyr, Justin, learned of his desire to suffer for Christ, therefore he requested that the entire brotherhood entreat the Lord on his behalf, in order that he faithfully and courageously complete the path of martyrdom. He himself wrote a letter to Saint Anastasios, which he sent through two monks of the brotherhood, where he encouraged the Holy Martyr in his contest, and this made him more eager to fulfill his desire. One of these monks, by order of the Abbot, even followed the Saint when he was sent from Caesarea to Persia, in order to serve his needs and comfort his soul, which suffered due to his ill-treatment. Furthermore, by witnessing the sufferings and martyrdom of the Saint, he could provide eye-witness testimony to the events as they transpired, in order to inform the Abbot and the brotherhood. After the blessed Anastasios completed his great martyric contest by being strangled to death with seventy other Christians and beheaded, then the brother monk went with other God-loving Christians of the area in order to acquire back his sacred and venerable body. They then beheld an astonishing wonder, for while the other bodies were being eaten by dogs, the relic of the Holy Martyr they refused to approach, rather they reverently protected it. Wherefore the brother monk took the body and gave it the appropriate honors in the little time he had, and buried it in the nearby Monastery of the Holy Martyr Sergios. This took place in the tenth year of the reign of Heraclius, on the 22nd of January. The monk stayed in Persia for a short while, trying to figure out how to return to his Monastery in Jerusalem without falling into danger.

A Description of the Martyrdom of St. Euphemia Based on a Fourth Century Icon

Fragment of a 13th or 14th cent. icon of St. Euphemia found during an excavation of her Martyrion in 1942 and now in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.

In the late fourth century Asterios, Bishop of Amasea, wrote an ekphrasis (a verbally artistic description of a work of art) in which he describes in a lively manner a large painting of the martyrdom of St. Euphemia in a church near her tomb (probably in Chalcedon). This description was read into the official record of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod in Nicaea during its sixth session in 787 to confirm the early use and veneration of icons prior to Iconoclasm.

The entire text of the Ekphrasis on the Holy Martyr Euphemia by Asterios of Amasea can be read here. Below is his introduction to the description of the painting, as quoted at the Seventh Ecumenical Synod, in which he explains who St. Euphemia is and how even in the fourth century this painting was used by clergy as a means to teach the faithful, alongside a sermon, about the martyrdom of St. Euphemia (translated text edited by me  (J.S.) based on the original Greek text).

Saint Tarasios, Patriarch of Constantinople (+ 806)

St. Tarasios of Constantinople (Feast Day - February 25)

By Hieromonk Makarios of Simonopetra

This great luminary of Orthodoxy was born at Constantinople into a prominent family of patrician rank. In his uprightness and concern for the defense of the weak and innocent he followed his father, an eminent member of the judiciary, and he shared the great piety of his mother. He completed an extended education during the reigns of Irene and her son Constantine VI. In 780, he was raised to the consular dignity and appointed secretary of state (protosecretis), an office in which he combined outstanding talents with a strong sense of the eternal dimension in human affairs.

In 784, Patriarch Paul IV, who had returned to Orthodoxy after supporting the iconoclasts, resigned and retired to the Monastery of Floros, discouraged by the inextricable problems that affected the Church. To the bitter criticisms of the Empress-Regent and of her son at his resignation, he responded that he could struggle no longer, and he recommended Tarasios as the one capable of restoring the true Faith, and of bringing the Church of Constantinople back to communion with the other Patriarchates.

Commemoration of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod

Verses

Your champions O Word with words as weapons,
Trounced the enemies of the revered icons.

The Sunday after the eleventh of October, we commemorate the Holy Fathers of the Holy and Ecumenical Seventh Synod.

The Seventh Ecumenical Synod was held in Nicaea of Bithynia from 24 September until 13 October 787, at the initiative of Empress Irene, who was acting as regent. Under the presidency of the Patriarch of Constantinople Saint Tarasios (Feb. 25), three hundred and fifty Orthodox bishops gathered, and to them were added seventeen other hierarchs who denounced the heresy of the iconoclasts.

The Icon In East and West

By His Eminence Metropolitan Hierotheos

of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The established feast of Orthodoxy in the beginning of Great Lent, in which the theology of icons and the theology of asceticism are connected, while also partaking in the mysteries of the Cross and Resurrection of Christ, shows the exterior brilliance of the Orthodox Church, but especially and above all Her depth, for which "you must be like a swimmer from Delos so that you do not drown".

Below we will highlight four points, in which we will show the place of the Orthodox icon, as well as its difference with other Christian traditions.