The Truths We Hold
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Atlas of American Orthodox Christian Monasteries
Atlas of American Orthodox Christian Monasteries Atlas of Whether used as a scholarly introduction into Eastern Christian monasticism or researcher’s directory or a travel guide, Alexei Krindatch brings together a fascinating collection of articles, facts, and statistics to comprehensively describe Orthodox Christian Monasteries in the United States. The careful examina- Atlas of American Orthodox tion of the key features of Orthodox monasteries provides solid academic frame for this book. With enticing verbal and photographic renderings, twenty-three Orthodox monastic communities scattered throughout the United States are brought to life for the reader. This is an essential book for anyone seeking to sample, explore or just better understand Orthodox Christian monastic life. Christian Monasteries Scott Thumma, Ph.D. Director Hartford Institute for Religion Research A truly delightful insight into Orthodox monasticism in the United States. The chapters on the history and tradition of Orthodox monasticism are carefully written to provide the reader with a solid theological understanding. They are then followed by a very human and personal description of the individual US Orthodox monasteries. A good resource for scholars, but also an excellent ‘tour guide’ for those seeking a more personal and intimate experience of monasticism. Thomas Gaunt, S.J., Ph.D. Executive Director Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) This is a fascinating and comprehensive guide to a small but important sector of American religious life. Whether you want to know about the history and theology of Orthodox monasticism or you just want to know what to expect if you visit, the stories, maps, and directories here are invaluable. -
UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Byzantine Liturgy and The
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Byzantine Liturgy and the Primary Chronicle A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Slavic Languages and Literatures by Sean Delaine Griffin 2014 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Byzantine Liturgy and the Primary Chronicle by Sean Delaine Griffin Doctor of Philosophy in Slavic Languages and Literatures University of California, Los Angeles, 2014 Professor Gail Lenhoff, Chair The monastic chroniclers of medieval Rus’ lived in a liturgical world. Morning, evening and night they prayed the “divine services” of the Byzantine Church, and this study is the first to examine how these rituals shaped the way they wrote and compiled the Povest’ vremennykh let (Primary Chronicle, ca. 12th century), the earliest surviving East Slavic historical record. My principal argument is that several foundational accounts of East Slavic history—including the tales of the baptism of Princess Ol’ga and her burial, Prince Vladimir’s conversion, the mass baptism of Rus’, and the martyrdom of Princes Boris and Gleb—have their source in the feasts of the liturgical year. The liturgy of the Eastern Church proclaimed a distinctively Byzantine myth of Christian origins: a sacred narrative about the conversion of the Roman Empire, the glorification of the emperor Constantine and empress Helen, and the victory of Christianity over paganism. In the decades following the conversion of Rus’, the chroniclers in Kiev learned these narratives from the church services and patterned their own tales of Christianization after them. The ii result was a myth of Christian origins for Rus’—a myth promulgated even today by the Russian Orthodox Church—that reproduced the myth of Christian origins for the Eastern Roman Empire articulated in the Byzantine rite. -
Investigation of the Idea of Nestorian Crosses— Based on Fa Nixon's
QUEST: Studies on Religion & Culture in Asia, Vol. 2, 2017 INVESTIGATION OF THE IDEA OF NESTORIAN CROSSES— BASED ON F. A. NIXON’S COLLECTION Chen, Jian Andrea Published online: 1 January 2017 ABSTRACT It is generally agreed that the study of the Nestorian Cross (a kind of bronze piece believed to be an early Chinese Christian relic), has great significance both for the developing study of Jingjiao and for ethnographic studies of the Nestorian Mongol people. The most important question that we should ask, however, is, “Are these so-called Nestorian Crosses part of the Mongolian Nestorian heritage?“ In other words, before starting to interpret the pieces in question, we need to ask if the identification, made at the first step of examination, is convincing enough as a basis upon which to build the interpretation. This paper focuses on issues concerning all aspects of the concept of Nestorian Crosses, looking first into the history of such an idea, then investigating its inner logic, and finally challenging its hard evidence. It is hoped that the conclusions of this paper will initiate a paradigm shift in the current study of this topic. Introduction to the Study The Jingjiao and the Yelikewen The name “Nestorian Crosses” clearly reveals that the religious dimension has been the primary consideration in the existing identification of these items, an identification which subsumes them as relics of Chinese Nestorianism, or more accurately, of the Jingjiao and the Yelikewen. Although controversies surround the identity of Nestorianism, the most commonly accepted description is as follows: At the Ephesus Council of 431 A.D., the Patriarch Nestorius was deemed heretical and his teaching anathematized due to his insistence that Mary should be called “Christotokos (Christ-bearer)” instead of “Theotokos (God-bearer).” This insistence is thought to emphasize a distinction between Christ’s divine and human natures instead of their unity. -
1 a Place to Call Home Part 1: Home Is a Journey Countryside
A Place To Call Home Part 1: Home Is A Journey Countryside Community Church Rev. Eric Elnes, Ph.D. April 3, 2016 I. Hagia Sophia It has been observed that “we are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spirit beings having a human experience.” (Teilhard de Chardin) If this is true, then our origin is beyond this world and our home here is a temporary one. We are “in but not of this world.” I always find it sad when someone decides that our time spent in this material, temporal realm doesn’t really matter since we come from someplace else and presumably are headed elsewhere once we leave this earth. I find it sad because, even if our true home may lie elsewhere, Jesus tells us that we are here for a reason. Namely, we have been sent here. In the Gospel of John Jesus prays, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world … Just as you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they may also be sanctified in truth.” (John 17:15) We are in this world for a reason. According to Jesus, God sent us here in order to be “sanctified in truth.” So, what exactly does “sanctify” mean? It sounds rather important if that is the purpose of our being sent here. In Greek the word is hagiazo, which means “to make holy.” Does hagiazo sound like any word you’ve heard before? Perhaps you've heard, for instance, of the Hagia Sophia? The Hagia Sophia is that great basilica in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) that served as Christianity’s most famous worship space for centuries before it was eclipsed by St. -
Journeys of Faith Evangelicalism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Anglicanism 1St Edition Pdf, Epub, Ebook
JOURNEYS OF FAITH EVANGELICALISM, EASTERN ORTHODOXY, CATHOLICISM, AND ANGLICANISM 1ST EDITION PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Robert L Plummer | 9780310331209 | | | | | Journeys of Faith Evangelicalism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Anglicanism 1st edition PDF Book But where was that church? In the Orthodox Church, the interpretation of a verse must be supported by all of the verses around it or it is simply taken out of context. In passing he refers to "many americanized [sic] Roman Catholic parishes," to generally "secularized American Roman Catholics," to "protestantized Roman Catholics," to "the increasingly chaotic Roman Church," to "modernized Roman Catholics," to "the post- Vatican II, modernized reductionism of today's Roman Catholics. James presided and made the decision because he was bishop of Jerusalem and therefore the authority in his "diocese" my term. Author Francis J. The current territory of the Greek Orthodox Churches more or less covers the areas in the Balkans , Anatolia , and the Eastern Mediterranean that used to be a part of the Byzantine Empire. Liturgical worship, as opposed to informal worship? In Rome I was intrigued by the ancient ruins and the Christian catacombs. I could put on intellectual blinders and approach the Scriptures like a "fundamentalist", with lots of emotion and doing my best to ignore the world of the mind, I could try to adopt the barren "post- modern" and "de-mythologized" faith of many of my peers, or I could abandon Christianity altogether. The reality of family is another thing we lived. I knew that something was missing from my life but I was not even sure what I was looking for. -
An Old Believer ―Holy Moscow‖ in Imperial Russia: Community and Identity in the History of the Rogozhskoe Cemetery Old Believers, 1771 - 1917
An Old Believer ―Holy Moscow‖ in Imperial Russia: Community and Identity in the History of the Rogozhskoe Cemetery Old Believers, 1771 - 1917 Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Doctoral Degree of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Peter Thomas De Simone, B.A., M.A Graduate Program in History The Ohio State University 2012 Dissertation Committee: Nicholas Breyfogle, Advisor David Hoffmann Robin Judd Predrag Matejic Copyright by Peter T. De Simone 2012 Abstract In the mid-seventeenth century Nikon, Patriarch of Moscow, introduced a number of reforms to bring the Russian Orthodox Church into ritualistic and liturgical conformity with the Greek Orthodox Church. However, Nikon‘s reforms met staunch resistance from a number of clergy, led by figures such as the archpriest Avvakum and Bishop Pavel of Kolomna, as well as large portions of the general Russian population. Nikon‘s critics rejected the reforms on two key principles: that conformity with the Greek Church corrupted Russian Orthodoxy‘s spiritual purity and negated Russia‘s historical and Christian destiny as the Third Rome – the final capital of all Christendom before the End Times. Developed in the early sixteenth century, what became the Third Rome Doctrine proclaimed that Muscovite Russia inherited the political and spiritual legacy of the Roman Empire as passed from Constantinople. In the mind of Nikon‘s critics, the Doctrine proclaimed that Constantinople fell in 1453 due to God‘s displeasure with the Greeks. Therefore, to Nikon‘s critics introducing Greek rituals and liturgical reform was to invite the same heresies that led to the Greeks‘ downfall. -
G. R Majeska NOTES on the SKEUOPHYLAKION of ST
Византийский временник, т. 55 G. R Majeska NOTES ON THE SKEUOPHYLAKION OF ST. SOPHIA* The removal of the accumulated material that, in modern times, has filled the lower level of the round Byzantine structure at the northeast corner of the Church of St. Sophia in Istanbul1 should reanimate discussion of the uses of that building during the Byzantine era and allow sur- mises and assumptions to be checked against the physical evidence. Although the still impressive older theoretical studies of what is generally recognized as the σκβυοφυλάκιον, or treasury, of the Great Church remain fundamental to any understanding of the building's architecture, his- tory and use2, in recent years considerable light has been thrown on the nature of this building by scholars considering its liturgical role. The monographic studies of Thomas Mathews and Robert Taft leave no doubt that, at least in the pre-iconoclastic period, and quite possibly also later, this building was not only used to store liturgical vessels and church plate but also served as the starting point of the "Great Entrance," the procession that brought the eucharistic elements to the high altar of St. Sophia during the Divine liturgy. Indeed, it has become clear that it was in the skeuophylakion of the Great Church that the bread and wine for the liturgy were prepared in a rite that came to be called the προσκομηδή, or liturgy of preparation3. Although how late the tradition of perfor- ming the liturgy of preparation in the skeuopkylakion continued is unclear, as late as A.D. 1200 a Russian traveler still describes the building as the "πρόθβσις" (малый олтарь) that is, the place where the eucharistic elements are prepared4. -
Christian Apocalyptic Extremism: a Study of Two Cases
CHRISTIAN APOCALYPTIC EXTREMISM: A STUDY OF TWO CASES Alar Laats Ph.D. in Systematic Theology, Professor of Religious Studies, Tallinn University, Estonia, [email protected] ABSTRACT. The article treats two cases of large scale Christian extremism: the estaBlishment of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in China in the middle of the 19th century and the Russian Old Believers movement that started in the second half of the 17th century. In Both cases there were intense expectations of the end of the world. In Both cases their extreme actions were provoked By the violent activity of the state authorities. The extremism of the Chinese Christians was directed outside whereas the extreme Behaviour of the Russian Old Believers was directed first of all inside, towards themselves. One of the reasons of the difference in their actions was the difference in their respective theological thinking. Key words: Christian extremism, Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Russian Old Believers, eschatological figures, utopias and dystopias. There are various ways to classify the phenomena of extremism. One possiBility is to divide these phenomena into external and internal ones. In the first case the extremism is directed towards others. Its aim is to change the other, usually to reBuild the whole world. It can easily Become aggression. In the case of the internal extremism it is directed towards the extremists them- selves. Its aim can Be a withdrawal or a change of themselves. Sometimes it Becomes self-denial. The last one hundred years have mainly Been an era of the atheistic extremism. Tens of millions of people have perished in the concentration camps created By national socialist or communist extremists. -
SOUROZH MESSENGER No. 10
RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH DIOCESE OF SOUROZH CATHEDRAL OF THE DORMITION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD 67 ENNISMORE GARDENS, LONDON SW7 1NH Sourozh Messenger No 10 April 2018 £2 3rd Sunday of Pascha The Myrrh-Bearing Women Troparion, Kontakion, Tone 2 Tone 2 When Thou didst stoop to death, O Thou hast risen from the tomb, O Life immortal, and by the lightning All-powerful Saviour, and at this flash of Thy divinity didst harrow wondrous sight, hell was struck hell; when from the nethermost with fear and the dead rose. The parts Thou didst raise up the dead creation also rejoiceth in Thee, all the powers of heaven cried: and Adam is exceeding glad; and Giver of Life, O Christ our God, theworld, O my Saviour, sings Thy glory be to Thee! praises forever. April 2018 List of contents In this issue: Paschal celebration at the parish of St Silouan of Mt Athos, Paschal message of His Holiness Southampton .......................................20 Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia ................................................3 NOTES ON THE CHURCH CALENDAR The Myrrh-Bearing Women: On the relationshop of the Orthodox Women’s Day................22 Russian Orthodox Church to current events.........................................5 BRITISH AND IRISH SAINTS Venerable Enda, Holy Fire was brought from Abbot of Inishmore ..........................24 Jerualem to the British Isles for Paschal celebrations..............6 LEGACY OF METROPOLITAN ANTHONY OF SOUROZH DIOCESAN NEWS......................................7 Meeting a non-Orthodox Society. CATHEDRAL NEWS..................................9 -
The Importance of Koliva
24 THURSDAY 16 APRIL 2009 NEWS IN ENGLISH Ï Êüóìïò Pilgrimage tourism initiative by Russia, Greece Promotion of pilgrimage tourism between Markopoulos underlined the nomic crisis. Russia and Greece through the establish- Russian Patriarch's positive response In statements he made after the meeting at the ment of a joint coordinating committee was to the initiative and stated that the Patriarchal residence, Markopoulos stated that the decided here during a meeting between Greek side's intention is to make Patriarch referred to his "warm relation" with Patriarch Kyrill of Moscow and All Russia Russia an attractive tourist destination Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, adding that "all and visiting Greek Tourism Development for the Greeks adding, at the same indications show that we are entering a new phase in Minister Costas Markopoulos. time, that more Russians are expected the history of the two Churches and Patriarchates," Markopoulos, the first Greek government to visit Greece this year. characterizing it as a positive development. minister to be received by the new Patriarch Welcoming Markopoulos, the Markopoulos had meetings with the local govern- of Russia, stated that the committee will be Russian Patriarch stated that the num- ment in the Russian capital to discuss the promotion of comprised of three Russian Church members, Church ber of Russian tourists visiting Greece is smaller than Greece's tourist campaign in the greater Moscow of Greece representatives as well as a Greek tourism desired and pointed out that Greece offers countless region and attended the first screening of the film "El ministry official. He also stated that the initiative reaf- attractive destinations expressing the wish that bilater- Greco" in Russian cinemas. -
Weekly Bulletin
WEEKLY BULLETIN SAINT ELIA THE PROPHET ORTHODOX CHURCH A Parish of the Orthodox Church in America 64 West Wilbeth Road, Akron, Ohio 44301 Church Hall: 330-724-7129 Office: 330-724-7009 www.saintelia.com www.facebook.com/sainteliaakron His Eminence Alexander, Archbishop of Toledo, Bulgarian Diocese, OCA Very Rev. Mitred Archpriest Father Don Anthony Freude, Parish Rector Rev. Protodeacon James M. Gresh, Attached March 10, 2019 Vol. 36 No. 10 SCHEDULE OF DIVINE SERVICES 4th Pre-Lenten Sunday CHEESEFARE SUNDAY-Tone 8 - FORGIVENESS SUNDAY. The Expulsion of Adam from Paradise Saturday, March 9 - 5:00 pm Great Vespers and Confessions Sunday, March 10 9:45 am Hours: Reader Aaron Gray 10:00 am Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom Vespers and Mutual Forgiveness Service Epistle Reader: Reader Aaron Gray EPISTLE: Romans 13:11-14:4 GOSPEL: Matt. 6:14-21 BEGINNING OF GREAT LENT Let us set out with joy upon the season of the Fast…and with prayers and tears let us seek our Lord and Savior. FIRST WEEk of GREAT LENT Monday, March 11 – 6:00 pm- Great Canon of Repentance of St. Andrew of Crete – 1st Section Tuesday, March 12 – 6:00 pm Great Canon of Repentance of St. Andrew of Crete –2nd Section REMEMBER THOSE SERVING IN THE ARMED FORCES Subdeacon Anthony Freude, son of Fr, Don and Popadia Donna Freude Egor Cravcenco, son of Serghei and Ludmila Cravcenco REMEMBER OUR SICK AND SHUT-INS Mickey Stokich Leonora Evancho Larissa Freude Anastasia Haymon Joseph Boyle, (Kathy Gray’s brother) Phyllis George, (Rose Marie Vronick’s sister) Connie Pysell Lisa Nastoff Elaine Pedder Sandra Dodovich, (mother of Tony Dodovich) Angelo and Florence Lambo Carl Palcheff Gary Turner (father of Joseph Turner) Infant Child Aria COFFEE HOUR: Church School Fundraiser PROSPHORA: Veronica Bilas OUR STEWARDSHIP: March 3, 2019 Sunday Offering: $706.78 PARKING LOT Candles: 25.50 To Date: $17,450.00 Improvement Fund: 70.00 Bookstore: 8.00 FURNACE/AC TOTAL $810.28 To Date: $8,150.00 QUARTER AUCTION: $1,700.00 AMAZON SMILE – Support St. -
El Rocío: a Case Study of Music and Ritual in Andalucía
ABSTRACT Title of Document: EL ROCÍO: A CASE STUDY OF MUSIC AND RITUAL IN ANDALUCÍA W. Gerard Poole, Ph.D., 2007 Dissertation directed by: Dr. Carolina Robertson, Department of Ethnomusicology Music is central to the processional pilgrimage of El Rocío, which attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Andalusia, Spain, late each spring. The pilgrimage affords a unique view, in microcosm, of the relationships between music and ritual from both ritual-studies and ethnomusicological perspectives. Based on extensive fieldwork and other research, this dissertation explores the nexus of the Catholic ritual system in Andalusia, flamenco, and the specific music of El Rocío: the Sevillanas Rocieras. That nexus becomes clear through exploration of three particular features of the pilgrimage: (1) the devotional processions that generate a single, focused, collective emotion; (2) the Andalusian musical form called the palo; and (3) the informal musical gatherings called juergas, which take place nightly along the route. Analysis of structural and morphological relationships between ritual, music, and emotion yields surprising realizations about how these three elements come together as embodied aesthetics within a communitas to generate popular culture. Another important finding of this work is the necessity of placing, at the center of the inquiry, the religious experience—including the curious Andalusian phenomenon of the “chaotic” emotional procession and its role within the overall pilgrimage and ritual system. The dissertation concludes with two theoretical positions. The first addresses the process of “emotional structuring” and its role within the musical rituals of El Rocío and, by extension, Andalusia. The second advances a theory of ritual relations with potential application to ritual systems beyond Andalusia.