Jacob's posts with tag: -
"… no matter what spiritual sufferings you may have to endure, never despair and never think that the Lord has
abandoned you. No! He will be with you always, strengthening you."
St. Innocent, Enlightener of North America
First Saturday of the Great Fast
St. Theodore of Tyro March 15, 2008
To the Esteemed Reverend Clergy, Beloved Matushki, and all your precious children of the Diocese of Alaska,
Christ is in our midst! I greet you with love and affection in the name of Our Lord, and Savior Jesus Christ! "I Corinthians 13:1-13
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three: but the greatest of these is LOVE. ' For thirty two years, from 1967 to 1999, I stood, knelt, prayed and sometimes cried and laughed with you when I was the founding pastor of St. Innocent Orthodox Cathedral, the Dean of the Anchorage Deanery, and for a period of four years serving as Chancellor of our Alaskan Diocese. Our Lord blessed me to serve our Alaskan Faithful as the Orthodox Chaplain at the Alaska Native Medical Center, the prisons, rehabilitation/nursing homes, hospitals and other institutions in South Central Alaska. It was at these places and especially at ANMC, where I had the privilege to meet many of you who are now spiritual leaders of our Alaskan people. There, at the Alaska Native Hospital we celebrated Divine Liturgy together; many of you embraced our Lord in Confession; and you were embraced by Him in receiving the Holy Eucharist. Remember the Solarium Chapel on the sixth floor of the old original hospital, where as many as seventy patients in wheelchairs, crutches, walkers etc. would come for Divine Liturgy. Our Lord was especially kind to me in permitting me to celebrate some three thousand Baptisms and Chrismations, many weddings and when our dear ones fell asleep in the Lord, their funerals in Anchorage and all throughout the State of Alaska. Looking back on those years when I was the only resident priest in our Diocese in Anchorage brings me much great joy. Because of the “Outreach” of St. Innocent’s Cathedral in being benevolent to all of our Alaskan Faithful, it was known as “A Parish for all Alaska”. I want you to know that Matushka Anastasia and I and our family totally identify ourselves with all of you. We are shakened by the tragic crisis affecting our Holy Church in Alaska. We want you to know that we are with you, and stand by you as brother and sister in Christ because of our love for you. You have given much to us in exemplifying your love and devotion to God, to each other and even your love for strangers and those who have wronged you. You have enhanced for us the meaning of humility, forgiveness and generosity. This is a love that cannot be destroyed! His Eminence, Archbishop Gregory speaks fondly of his twenty three years of service in Alaska. During his tenure there was unity, joy and a real manifestation of love among our people. During this time the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael that was destroyed by fire was consecrated, St. Herman’s Seminary in Kodiak was founded, St. Innocent Cathedral was built and many other churches were built and consecrated throughout Alaska. Many gatherings of clergy and lay faithful took place in the far out reaching Deaneries in “key” villages where hundreds of our Orthodox Faithful would assemble in Regional Conferences. These conferences would be held in the late summer and fall, after the harvest of fish and berries. Our people are people of the land and sea which provides them with their basic needs. You, my dear family in Christ, are not wealthy people in the ways of the modern world, but you are rich in the resources that God has provided for you.
Your joy has been to accept God’s gifts with thanksgiving and purpose.
So many of our priests receive little and sometimes no compensation for their spiritual labors. Thanks be to God that you have been educated at St. Herman’s Seminary and other Counseling Programs. You were gifted by God to fish and to perform other labors of the land to provide a home for your families. Your sacrifice to serve Christ and his Holy Church go far beyond the understanding of those who do not know you and almost know nothing about Alaska. It is a sacrifice that few of us in the “lower 48” can comprehend. This sacrifice you have made is deep; it is total and in many ways likened to the widow’s mite of Holy Scripture. These are truths that cannot be destroyed!
One of the most significant events was the Canonization of St. Herman of Alaska on August 9, 1970, at which time many Bishops, Clergy and hundreds of faithful from the Orthodox Church of America as well as abroad took part. In the years to follow were the
Glorification of the Holy Martyrs Hieromonk Juvenaly and Peter the Aleut in Kodiak and the Glorification of St. Yakov, the Enlightener and Baptizer of the Alaskan Native People that was celebrated in Anchorage. The Inauguration of the Bicentennial of Orthodoxy in the Western Hemisphere began in Anchorage at St. Innocent Cathedral in 1993. There His Holiness, Patriarch Aleksy II and his entourage joined with His Beatitude Metropolitan Theodosius and the Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America in the Blessing of St. Innocent Orthodox Cathedral. His Holiness also traveled to Sitka and Kodiak to lead our Diocesan Faithful in prayer and Divine Services. Every one of you has sacrificed worldly acquisitions to come with your family and parishioners to worship, pray and sing at these divine services and celebrations. This was not a loosely run Diocese of Priests who shut their churches for personal gain. These are memories that cannot be destroyed! What other Diocese has had the visitation of Patriarch Aleksy II, 9 Metropolitans, 10 Archbishops, 4 Bishops and our beloved Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann of blessed memory? We have all shared together the joy of countless Divine Services. I know you all have wonderful memories of all of the Hierarchs who have blessed us with their presence during this era. You are the very same people that generously helped in the building of St. Innocent Cathedral. I will never forget Father Zachary Guest who helped build some 12 to 14 churches; He was known as the “cupola builder”. He built the first cupola for our basement chapel in Anchorage – freehand, just using his sight and ingenuity to construct the dome and a three bar cross. I was blessed to be with our native priests in health, sickness and when some of them departed from this earth. In remembering them, one was Father Vasily Sifsof, who was so excited that we were endeavoring to build a church in Anchorage. After being invited to serve in his church in Dillingham and the parishes of the Nushagak Deanery, he would send envelopes filled with cash through the mail to help us with our building fund. Sometimes the envelopes would contain as much as $600. Father Chariton Kaiakokonok invited me to fish with him at Chignik Lagoon for three consecutive summers in order to help us survive and feed our family of eight. We had services for the people of that area whenever we could and wherever we could, be it in someone’s house or at a cannery until we were able to build St. Herman’s Chapel. I remember during one of the fishing seasons, one afternoon baptizing 13 children and adults and having a memorial service for a young boy who was mauled to death by a bear. I know dear Brothers in Christ, that you continually face these same situations day in and day out with adverse weather and difficult forms of transportation. These priests were an inspiration to me. I consider myself so blessed and fortunate that they truly accepted me as their brother in the Lord. I even have my Yupik name “Apanupuk” which identifies me with all of you.
These are kind and generous deeds that cannot be destroyed! Now, dear ones , a tragic crisis in our Diocese has come about .You, in many letters have humbly reported to His Beatitude Metropolitan Herman and the Holy Synod of Bishops that many have been treated harshly, verbally humiliated, and unjustly punished by the Diocesan Bishop of Alaska. In response, the Hierarchs have initiated an investigation. You all have recognized that something precious, something that money can’t purchase, something which should be above everything else has been missing in this Episcopal Administration. The Holy Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians stresses that it is Love. Love is the greatest virtue, when love is not manifested, everything else is in vain. Some of you may remember when Archbishop Gregory was making preparations to retire from Alaska, the Alaska Diocesan Assembly unanimously voted to award him with a small pension of $250 a month. This sum was intended to be given to him for the remaining years of his life. This gift was a gesture of our love for him. This small pension was terminated over two years ago by the present administration. Please keep Vladyka Gregory in your prayers especially during his recent hospitalization! Our clergy and faithful have always had great respect and love for their Bishop. As we all know when the Bishop would arrive in the villages, multitudes of joyful faithful would meet him at the airfields or docks. They would sing hymns, receive his blessing and escort him in procession to the church. This spiritual joy radiates on the faces of everyone from the smallest child to the venerable chiefs and elders. The arrival of a Bishop to be with his flock was a manifestation of love, joy and peace. Do not allow your love to be destroyed! His Beatitude Metropolitan Herman and the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America unanimously in one voice have requested Bishop Nikolai to immediately begin a mandatory leave of absence in order for an investigation to commence. As you all know, His Grace, Bishop Nikolai has refused and even instructed you all to disobey the mandate of our Metropolitan and the Holy Synod of Bishops. As your friend and Brother in Christ, I urge you dear ones to stand together in unity with Christ our Lord, and the Hierarchs of the Orthodox Church in America.
Do not allow your faith to be destroyed! Do not Fear! Remember that the love of God that He has for each one of you will free you from the hardships you have endured. In prayer, I humbly ask for the Holy Intercessions of our Blessed St. Herman, St. Innocent, St.Yakov, St. Juvenaly and St. Peter the Aleut to strengthen and encourage all of us during these difficult times. Remember the words of our Lord that your sorrow will be transformed into joy. I bow before you all! Please forgive me if I have offended you! May our Lord Bless you all with the fruits of a Great Fast, the fast which will fortify and enlighten you that you may be Blessed with a Holy Pascha! With Much Love in Jesus Christ, Father Nicholas
Introduction
------------
In the year 412, after the departure of Abba Theophilus, his nephew,
Abba Cyril the First, the 24th Pope of the See of Saint Mark, succeeded
him. He received various descriptive titles of honor such as ``the
Daring Lion,'' ``the Burnished Lamp,'' ``the Second Athanasius,'' and
more specifically ``the Pillar of the Faith.'' He was 36 years old when
he was unanimously elected to take the helm of his Church. Throughout
his life he made it a rule never to advance any doctrine which he had
not learnt from the ancient fathers.
His Enthronement
----------------
As a lad, Cyril was sent to the monastery of Saint Macari, where he
assimilated the wisdom of the desert Fathers. After having acquired all
the education the desert could give, he returned to Alexandria where he
was ordained a priest and then a Pope.
He began to exert his authority by causing the churches of the Novatians
to be closed and their sacred vessels to be seized. He next drove out
the Jews, who were numerous and who had enjoyed privileges in the city
since the time of Alexander the Great. Their generally seditious
attitude and the several acts of violence committed by them decided him
to take this step, which incensed Orestes the governor, although it was
approved by the Emperor. During this period, Hypatia, a pagan woman of
noble character, was the most influential teacher of philosophy at that
time in Alexandria, and her reputation was so great that disciples
flocked to her from all parts. Among these was the great Bishop
Synesius, who submitted his works to her criticism. She was much
respected by the governor, who used to consult her even on matters of
civil administration. Acting upon a suspicion that Hypatia had incensed
the governor against their bishop, the crowd in 417 attacked her in the
streets, pulled her out of her chariot, and killed her.
His Christian Zeal
------------------
As soon as he was consecrated Pope of Alexandria, he dedicated all his
power to defend the Church against the apostasies of Emperor Julian and
the rise of the Nestorian heresy. Abba Cyril directly set himself to
refute them in terms that were clear, strong and convincing.
In the year 428 Nestorius, a priest-monk of Antioch, was made archbishop
of Constantinople; and he there taught with some of his clergy that
there were two distinct persons in Christ. According to the Nestorian
concept, Christ was two separate persons, the one divine and beyond the
reach of human frailty, and the other human and susceptible to all the
fragility of the flesh. The divine Christ could neither suffer or die,
and therefore, on the Cross it was the human Christ alone who suffered
and died apart from the divine Christ. Nestorius had spoken out against
calling the blessed Virgin Mary the ``Theotokos'' or ``Mother-of-God.''
Abba Cyril strongly contested these views expounding the Orthodox
doctrine of the indivisible union of the divine and human natures of
Christ, and arguing that if Jesus Christ is God, it follows that his
mother is the ``Mother-of-God'' who bore Him forever. This is what the
Apostles taught us and the doctrine of our Fathers. And just as the
human mother, has no share in creating the soul of her child, yet is
considered the mother of the whole person, and not merely the mother of
his physical nature; so it is with Mary who is the Mother of Christ in
His entirety.
Saint Cyril wrote letters to Nestorius urging him to stop promoting an
idea which is equivalent to blasphemy, but the later obstinately refused
to be convinced that he had fallen into a heretic way of thinking. A
situation developed that was somewhat similar to that which had
developed between Saint Athanasius and Arius. Saint Cyril was as full of
faith and fiery zeal in his tenacious stand against Nestorius as Saint
Athanasius had been against Arius. Just as Saint Athanasius had saved
the Faith concerning the Logos in the Nicene Creed, so did Saint Cyril
in defending the Theotokos maintaining the Orthodox Doctrine concerning
the incarnation of the Logos in the Introduction to the Creed which he
wrote in this regard.
Saint Cyril sent Nestorius a mild expostulation, but was answered with
haughtiness and contempt. He also sent a number of letters to the Heads
of other Churches (Antioch, Jerusalem, Rome and Aleppo), and to the
imperial family. He received several replies lauding his efforts and
siding with him. Saint Cyril also wrote another letter to Nestorius with
an exposition of the Nicene Creed and a second part, an affirmation of
the true faith, followed by 12 anathemas. Nestorius, however, showed
himself more obstinate than ever, refused to sign, and exerted every
effort to antagonize Emperor Theodosius against Saint Cyril.
Calling a General Council in Ephesus
------------------------------------
The people of Constantinople themselves urged the Emperor to call a
Council of all the bishops to deal with this subject. This occasioned
the summoning of the third general Council which was held at Ephesus in
June 431, attended by 200 bishops who elected Saint Cyril to preside
over them on the authority of his own dignity. The attitudes of the
Emperor and of Nestorius towards him had not been changed; they called
him ``the proud pharaoh.'' Nestorius was present in the town, but
refused to appear; so after his sermons had been read and other evidence
received against him, his doctrines were condemned, and a sentence of
excommunication and deposition was pronounced by the 200 who proved
themselves to be indeed the worthy successors of the Nicene Fathers. The
people of Ephesus who had gradually gathered outside the Church, and on
hearing the verdict of the Council, they shouted for joy, lit torches,
brought their incense-burners, and formed a long procession for the
bishops escorting them to their abodes.
Six days later there arrived at Ephesus Archbishop John of Antioch, with
several of his bishops who had not been able to reach Ephesus in time.
They were in favor of Nestorius, although they did not share his errors,
of which indeed they deemed him innocent. Instead of associating
themselves with the council, they assembled by themselves and presumed
to depose Saint Cyril, accusing him in turn of heresy. Both sides
appealed to the Emperor, by whose order Saint Cyril and Nestorius were
both arrested and kept in confinement and the verdict of the Council
annulled. When three legates arrived from the Roman Church, the matter
took another turn. After a careful consideration of what had been done,
the legates condemned Nestorius, approved Saint Cyril's conduct, and
declared the sentence pronounced against him void.
With the obstinacy of the Emperor in this regard, anger and
consternation seized the people of Ephesus who supported the Ephesian
Council. At their head was the hermit Dalmatius who had never gone out
of his cell for 48 years, and whom Emperor Theodosius venerated highly.
Dalmatius broke his habit and lead the people to the imperial palace
chanting the psalms in the streets. The Emperor afterwards was
completely changed and vindicated Saint Cyril with honor and ratified
the sentence passed on Nestorius and ordered his exile. Though the
bishops of the Antiochene province continued their schism for a while,
they made peace with Saint Cyril in 433, when they condemned Nestorius
and gave a clear and orthodox declaration of their own faith.
His Great Devotion
------------------
We have to thank Saint Cyril for the firm and uncompromising stand he
took with regard to the dogma of the Incarnation - an attitude which led
to the clear statements of the great council over which he presided. We
ought indeed to be grateful that we, in our generation, are left in no
doubt as to what we should believe with regard to that holy mystery upon
which we base our faith as Christians. He was declared a doctor of the
Universal Church in 1882.
The great devotion of this Saint to the Blessed Sacrament is manifest
from the frequency with which he emphasizes the effects it produces upon
those who receive it worthily. Indeed, he says that by Holy Communion we
are made concorporeal with Christ. And it must surely be difficult for
those who profess to hold the same faith as that defined in the first
six general councils to shut their eyes to the vigour and conviction
with which Saint Cyril before the year 431 affirmed his eucharistic
doctrine. In a letter to Nestorius, which received the general and
formal assent of the fathers at Ephesus, he had written:
``Proclaiming the death according to the flesh of the only
begotten Son of God, that is, Jesus Christ, and confessing
His resurrection from the dead and ascent into Heaven, we
celebrate the bloodless sacrifice in our churches; and
thus approach the mystic blessings, and are sanctified
by partaking of the holy flesh and the precious blood
of Christ the Savior of us all. And we receive it, not
as common flesh (God forbid), nor as the flesh of a
man sanctified and associated with the Word according to
the unity of merit, or as having a divine indwelling, but
as a really the life-giving and very flesh of the Word
Himself.''
His Later Works
---------------
One of the noblest legacies bequeathed by Saint Cyril to the Church is
the Liturgy which bears his name. According to tradition, it had been
given orally by Saint Mark himself, but Saint Cyril completed it and
wrote it. This Liturgy overflows with deep spiritual insight and
reverberates the inmost yearnings towards God. It is an ancient custom
in the Coptic Church to chant it during Lent and during the month of
Koyahk.
His ceaseless activity took heavy toll of his health. Worn out by labors
rather than by years, he entered into the joy of his Lord after steering
the Church through storm and calm for 31 years.
The Table of Contents of the Oko Tserkovnoe ("The Eye of the Church", The Pre-Nikonian Russian version of the Typikon) and a comparison between the Old and New Rite versions (draft translation) PRELIMINARY NOTES: The titles of the chapters in the Table of Contents and within the book sometimes have different text; words or complete titles in [brackets] indicate the text within the book.  CHAPTERS 1-60 of the Slavonic text is available as a PDF (9.7 mb).
Oko Tserkovnoe - Old Rite
draft translation by Nikita Simmons | Tipikon (Ustav) - New Rite
draft translation by Isaac Lambertsen | Comments | | Preface/Introduction | - | (11 pages) - not included in the post-Nikonian Typicon | | Chapter 1 - The Jerusalem Rule regarding Small Vespers | 1. The Rite of Little Vespers. | | Chapter 2 - The Decree concerning Great Vespers, which is the All-night Vigil, and concerning Sunday Matins
- elaborate on the contents | 2. The Rite of Great Vespers, i.e., of the All-night Vigil and Matins of the Resurrection, wherein is also the Rite of the Panaghia. | | Chapter 3 - The Decree concerning Small and Great Vespers, which is the All-night Vigil, and Sunday Matins, and on Feasts of the Lord and of the Great Saints, as performed in Great Russia.
[But here in Great Russia we have adopted the practice of singing a Vigil on Sundays and Feasts of the Lord and of the Great Saints, in the following manner:]
- elaborate on the contents | - | | | Chapter 4 - Concerning a Saint of Vigil rank, if it occurs on a Sunday | 3. For a Saint of Vigil-rank, when his service falleth on a Sunday, wherein is also the Rite for the Blessing of Koliva. | | | Chapter 5 - Concerning a [Celebrated] Saint of Polieleos rank, if it occurs on a Sunday | 4. For a Saint with Polyeleos-rank, when his service falleth on a Sunday. | | | Chapter 6 - Concerning a Saint celebrated "on 6", if it occurs on a Sunday no having a Polieleos | 5. For a Saint of Six-stichera-rank, when his service falleth on a Sunday. | | | Chapter 7 - Concerning the All-night Vigils throughout the entire year, on whatever date they may occur | 6. Concerning when Vigil services fall throughout the year. | | | - | 7. Concerning Great Vespers, Nocturns, and Matins of the Resurrection, when there is no Vigil.
| | | Chapter 8 - Concerning the Liturgies: It should also be known concerning the Holy Divine Service, and regarding the Refectory | 8. Concerning Liturgies. | | Chapter 9 - Concerning when the priest should cense
[It should be known: when the priest is to cense] | 22. On censing. | | Chapter 10 - Concerning how a priest or deacon should cense
[It should be known: how the priest or deacon is to cense] | - | | | Chapter 11 - Concerning the Curtain of the Holy Altar: when it is opened and when it is closed | 23. On the veil of the sanctuary and the opening of the royal doors. | | | Chapter 12 - It should be known, how to light the candles in the church on Feasts of the Lord, of the Theotokos and of the Saints, and on other days, and at the Moleben; and concerning Small Vespers | 24. On the lighting of candles on feasts of the Lord and the Theotokos. 25. On the daily lighting of candles. | | | Chapter 13 - It should be known, concerning which times the brethren are not to stand with staves in the church | 26. On what times the brethren ought not to stand with their staffs. | | | Chapter 14 - Concerning the Canonarch: it is necessary to know [that is there is a Canonarch] ... | 27. On the canonarch. | | | Chapter 15 - Likewise concerning the Canonarch: it should be known ... | - | | Chapter 16 - Concerning when we are to uncover our heads
[Concerning the uncovering of heads] | 29. On when to uncover one's head. | | | Chapter 17 - Concerning clothing, footwear and all bodily needs | 39. On clothing and footwear. | | Chapter 18 - Concerning not having conversations while standing in church
[Concerning not having conversations in church] | 30. On the prohibition of holding conversations in church. | | Chapter 19 - Concerning how the bells should be rung every day: Here are the instructions for Vespers, and for Matins on the days of the week on which we chant "Alleluia", and for the First Hour
| - | NOTE: This is a lengthy chapter which gives a detailed description of various services, seldom mentioning rubrics for bell-ringing and encompassing more than "Alleluia rank" services. This chapter needs to be examined carefully. | | Chapter 20 - Concerning all the days of the week: How the canons from the Octoechoes are sung together with those from the Menaion | 11. On the Canons at Matins throughout the week. | | | Chapter 21 - Concerning Saturday services: Regarding Vespers, Matins and the Liturgy, when we chant "God is the Lord" | 12. On Saturday services, when "God is the Lord" is sung. | | | - | 9. Concerning Vespers and Matins on weekdays, whereon there is a Litia for the Departed. | | | Chapter 22 - Concerning (a Feast of) a Saint having a Polieleos and celebrated "on 8", if it occurs on a Saturday | 15. On when the feast of a great saint, of vigil- or polyeleos-rank, falleth on a Saturday. | | | Chapter 23 - It should be known: If an Alleluia rank service occurs on a Saturday | 13. On Saturday services, when "Alleluia" is sung. | | Chapter 24 - Concerning how it should be known that "Alleluia" is not sung on Saturdays
[It should be known concerning Saturday services, that "Alleluia" is not sung on Saturdays, but all the services are sung to the appointed saint] | - | | Chapter 25 - Concerning how it should be known regarding the Exaposteilaria
[Concerning the Exaposteilaria at Matins: After the Ninth Ode, after "It is truly meet", how they are sung during the week, except on Sunday] | 16. On the Exapostilaria for the whole week. | | | Chapter 26 - Concerning how the Psalter should be chanted throughout the entire year | 17. On the Kathismata for the whole year. | | | Chapter 27 - Concerning how the Gospel is read, and its recitation/declamation <i togo skazaniia> | 10. On how the Gospels and their interpretations are read. | | | - | 18. On when to use the Odes "Let us sing unto the Lord" and "Unto the Lord let us sing." | | | - | 19. On the Katavasiae for the whole year. | | | - | 20. On when the Magnificat is sung, and when it is not sung. | | | - | 21. On when the Typical Psalms are sung, and when the Antiphons are sung. | | Chapter 28 - Concerning how <the monastery> should have a Waker
- check this translation <o ezhe kako podobaet imeti budil'nika> | 31. On the one who waketh the others for prayer. | | | Chapter 29 - It should be known, that we always chant a Canon of Supplication to the Most Holy Theotokos at Compline | - | | | Chapter 30 - Concerning how it is done on Friday evenings for the departed, and at the refectory in honour* of the dead
[Concerning how the order of services is performed on Friday evenings for the departed, as transcribed by Nicephoros of Zanthopoul]
| 14. On the Pannychida for the Departed. | *Note: "Za prilivok" is an expression of "toasting" or drinking from a goblet or bowl in honour of someone's health or memory; the "prilivok" is an early Slavic (possibly pre-Christian) word designating a ceremonial "flowing bowl" which was used in banquets for offering libations. It is possible, in the case of services for the departed, that the "koliva" (or "kutiia") is the implied food substance that is consumed in honour of the memorial of the departed. A better title for this chapter would be: "The Order of the Panykhida on Friday evenings following Vespers, and the Refectory Prayers over the Koliva in honour of the Departed." | Chapter 31 - It should be known, how to chant a Moleben for all occasions. The Order and Rule at the refectory in honour of the health of the pious tsar or prince.
[It should be known, how to chant a Moleben for all occasions]
| - | Note: Moleben (Slavonic) = Paraclesis (Greek) = Service of Supplication | | Chapter 32 - Concerning daily life: particularly regarding fasting and allowances | 33. On what is abstained from and what it permitted throughout the year, including the legitimate fasting periods, from the canons. | | Chapter 33 - The Rule concerning fasting on the (commemoration of the) Beheading of the Honourable <Precious?> Head (of St. John the Forerunner), on the Elevation of the Honourable <Precious?> Cross, and during St. Phillip's Fast (i.e. the Nativity Fast)
[Note: This is the Fasting Rule for the (commemoration of the) Beheading of the Honourable <Precious?> Head of the Honourable <Precious?> and Glorious Prophet, Foreunner and Baptist of the Lord John. - Concerning the Elevation. - Concerning St. Phillip's Fast.] | - | | Chapter 34 - Concerning the Great Fast and the lawfully appointed Fasts, and regarding disorderly howls/screeches/screams
[Concerning the Great Fast. - Likewise concerning the lawfully appointed Fasts which the Universal Church has given to Orthodox Christians. - From the Rules of the Holy Fathers regarding disorderly howls/screeches/screams] | 32. From the canons of the holy apostles concerning the holy forty-day fast, and on communing of the Holy Mysteries, on what one is permitted to eat on the Sunday of Pascha and throughout Bright Week. 49. Concerning the Forty-day Fast (from the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee to Great Saturday). 28. On disorderly wailing. | | | Chapter 35 - Concerning the manner of the Common <Cenobitic> Life | 34. On the coenobitic life. | | | Chapter 36 - Concerning the quantity and quality of food and drink <eating and drinking?> | 35. Disquisition on what is eaten on Saturday and Sunday, and the rest of the days of the week, when there is a second, evening meal. | | | Chapter 37 - Concerning Silence in the Refectory | 36. On keeping silent during meals. | | | - | 37. Concerning chanting, that one ought not to sing privately, outside the assembly. | | | Chapter 38 - Concerning those who are under a ban of penance | - | | | Chapter 39 - Concerning the distribution of food and drink, and the common-life needs of all the brethren | - | | | Chapter 40 - Concerning the Fast of the Nativity of Christ, and regarding the Twelve Days | - | | | Chapter 41 - Concerning those things which should not be done in the common life, particularly how each person should observe a Rule in his cell, either chanting Psalms or another service, except those under a ban of penance*
[Behold, one should also know this:] The complete text of this brief chapter (which contains no title) is as follows:
Достоитъ и се ведати. Зане якоже предрекохомъ о пеніи, яко по преданію оубо, не подобаетъ имети во общемъ житіи оуставъ, кроме общины пети псалмы особне, или ину службу. но вся посреди быти. разве аще что по праведному слову наползу и спасеніе души есть, покоемуждо предписахомъ образу, и снастоящаго советомъ. | - | *I can't understand how to translate this; the word NOT throws me off, as does the work "krome"/except> | | Chapter 42 - Concernng how one should not take meals apart from the Common Refectory, except to eat in one's cell if one is currently under a ban of penence | 38. That one ought not to eat except at the common meals. | | | Chapter 43 - Concerning rinsing the mouth, for a priest and for the rest of the brethren | - | | | Chapter 44 - Concerning those living with illnesses <infirmities> The complete text of this brief chapter is as follows:
Осущыхъ иже въ болезнехъ. Иеще же и о старцехъ, и немощныхъ. подобаетъ бывати яко лепо есть, якоже рече великіе Василіе, во своихъ постныхъ завещевая. | 46. On the infirmary, the hostel, and on the elderly and sick. | | | Chapter 45 - Concerning those who wish to depart from the monastery and separate themselves from the brotherhood [When one wishes to leave the brotherhood] | 40. When one desires to leave the brotherhood. | | | Chapter 46 - Concerning the servants and the other functionaries among the brethren | 41. Concerning the servers [clergy] and other functionaries among the brethren. | | | Chapter 47 - Concerning heavy labour(?), [it should be known...] | 42. Concerning heavy labor. | | Chapter 48 - Concerning a special house within the monastery where all the labourers should gather
[Concerning a special house] | 43. Concerning the building of special purpose. | | Chapter 49 - Concerning how all the brethren should be engaged in labour (handiwork)
[It should be know...] (The chapter begins with no title.) | 44. On work in the garden. | | | Chapter 50 - Concerning taking the works of others* | 45. On hiring outside labor. | *(this is unclear; should it be "Concerning taking credit for the works of others"?) | Chapter 51 - Concerning the Fast of the Most Holy Theotokos, and the types of food
[Concerning the Fast of the Most Holy Theotokos, it should be known...] | - | | Chapter 52 - Concerning the eve of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, and the types of food
[Concerning the eve of the Dormition] | - | | | Chapter 53 - The Order of the Panagia, which is performed in monasteries on all days: how the priest should enter the refectory with the Panagia. [It is performed in this manner:] | - | | Chapter 54 - The Rule of the Holy Mountain, if it happens that one of the monks should depart from the monastery, either for service or on his own account, (he should) take the Panagia bread with him on his journey
[The Rule of the Holy Mountain, if it happens that one of the monks should depart from the monastery, either for service or on his own account] | - | | Chapter 55 - Concerning the installation of the Oeconomos or the Cellarer
[The Order of the installation of the Oeconomos or the Cellarer, and of every servant*]
| - | *sluzhebnik - I would tend to translate this as an office holder, but I am not entirely certain. | | Chapter 56 - Concerning the hospital, the reception of travelers (pilgrims), the aged and the infirm | - | | | Chapter 57 - From our holy monastic father Stephan: concerning the All-night Vigils which are on the holy Sundays and on Feasts of the Lord | - | | | Chapter 58 - Concerning brethren who have reposed | - | | | Chapter 59 - The Decree concerning how the Troparion and Kontakion are said after the Liturgy on Feasts of the Lord and of the Theotokos, in the church with a canon*, or with the koliva for health**, and for another great saint; or in the temple of a saint. | - | (*during a Moleben? **during a Litya? -- This chapter title is a bit ambiguous, and the chapter needs to be looked at to determine what is actually meant.) | | Chapter 60 - Concerning the Feasts on which "God is the Lord" is sung | - | | | Chapter 61 - The Saints for the entire year, with the Troparia and Kontakia, and the Marcian (?) Chapters | 47. On the symbols used to designate Great Feasts, feasts of middle rank, and lesser feasts. 48. Menology for the entire year, with Troparia, Kontakia, and the Chapters of Mark. - September
- October
- November
- December
- January
- February
- March
- April
- May
- June
- July
- August
50. Concerning the Pentecost Period. | | | - | 51. Concerning the fast of the Holy Apostles Peter & Paul. | | | Chapter 62 - The Decree concerning Troparia and Kontakia for the entire year | 52. Concerning the Dismissal Troparia and Kontakia, how to say them on weekdays. | | | Chapter 63 - The Resurrectional Kontakia and Oikoi in the Eight Tones | 53. Dismissal Troparia of the Resurrection, in the Eight Tones, with their Theotokia, Hypacois, Kontakia, and the Matins Prokimena for before the Gospel, and the Liturgy Prokimena and Alleluia verses. | | | - | 54. Tables of Gospel readings, the Sunday Exapostilaria and Evangelical Stichera. | | | - | 55. Dismissal Troparia, Kontakia and Daily Exapostilaria; and for Liturgies, the Prokimena, Epistles, Alleluia verses, Gospels and Communion verses for the whole week. | | | - | 56. General Kontakia for the saints. | | | - | 57. Dismissal Theotokia and Stavrotheotokia in the Eight Tones. | | | - | 58. Trinitarian Hymns in the Eight Tones. | | | - | 59. General Prokimena, Epistles, Alleluia verses, Gospels and Communion verses for the saints. | | | - | 60. Prokimena, Epistles, Alleluia verses, Gospels and Communion verses for various occasions. | | | - | On patronal feasts of a saint or saints. | | | - | Refrains chanted on feasts of the Lord and the Theotokos, at the Ninth Ode. | | | - | Paschalion. | | NOTES: Chin = Order
Nachalo (depends on context) = beginning prayers; order
Posledovanie = Order
Pravilo = Rule
Ukaz = Decree
Ustav = Rule
| | The End of the Icon Debate
Following the council of 787 at which the veneration of the holy icons was formally defended in the Church, new imperial rulers emerged who once again attacked both the veneration and the venerators of the holy images. When the Empress Irene died in 802, Leo the Armenian became the emperor. In 815 he ordered the icons in the churches to be placed beyond the reach of the faithful so that they could not be honored and kissed. On Palm Sunday in 815, Saint Theodore, the abbot of the great Studion Monastery in Constantinople, led a public procession with the holy icons. This procession was met by imperial attacks, tortures, and murders. Only in 842, with the ascendancy of the Empress Theodora, under the leadership of the Patriarch Methodius, were the holy icons returned once and for all to the Church. This formal return of the icons on the First Sunday of Lent in that year marked the beginning of the annual celebration of the Feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy still observed today. Cyril and Methodius - The Mission to the Slavs
In the middle of the ninth century the patriarch of Constantinople, Saint Photius, sent missionaries into Moravia to bring the Christian faith to the Slavic people. The Greek brothers, Cyril and Methodius, arrived in Moravia in 863. Cyril had already created the Slavic alphabet - now called the Old Slavonic or Old Bulgarian - which the brothers used to translate church books into the Slavic language. Their work consisted of teaching the alphabet, introducing the liturgical books and ritual, and training men for the priesthood. The mission of Cyril and Methodius created hostilities with the Frankish missionaries from the Latin Church who had come to Moravia earlier. They believed that the official languages of the Church should be Hebrew, Latin, and Greek only. They did not believe that the Slavic language should be used in the Church services. Thus Cyril and Methodius went to Rome in 869 to justify their work, particularly the use of the native language in the liturgy. Pope Hadrian II blessed the Greek missionaries for their work. Cyril died in 869. Just before his death he became a monk, taking the name of Cyril by which he is known as a saint of the Church, and from which his alphabet received the name Cyrillic. Methodius was consecrated as the archbishop of Pannonia. When he returned to his missionary work, he was arrested by the Frankish-Germanic clergy with the help of Louis the German. In 873 when Pope John discovered what had happened to Methodius, he demanded his release. But, the Roman Church was unwilling to press too hard on this issue for fear of offending the rapidly growing Frankish and Germanic powers. Methodius died in 885 with his work all but totally ruined, as a result. Most of his disciples were arrested, exiled, or sold into slavery. Some escaped into Bulgaria where Saints Clement and Naum did great missionary work among the people there. The Bulgarians by this time were receiving the Christian faith. They had been attached to the Church of Constantinople in 870. The work of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the "evangelizers of the Slavs," continued on from Bulgaria through the Serbian lands, and ultimately into Kiev and Northern Russia in subsequent centuries. The Filioque Issue
The clash between the East and the West was not only over the mission to the Slavs. It had deeper roots in the role which the new Frankish and Germanic rulers were to play in Western Europe and in the Western Church. In the year 800, on Christmas Day, Charlemagne was crowned emperor by the Pope of Rome. In 792 this new ruler had already sent his Carolingian Books (Libri Carolini) to Pope Hadrian I. The reason for Charlemagne's attack against the Eastern Church was that this was the only way in which he could discredit the Eastern emperor so that he himself could be recognized as the sole ruler in Christendom. In his vision of the new Holy Roman Empire Charlemagne wanted to include all of the East together with all of the West. In 808 Pope Leo III of Rome reacted against the charges of Charlemagne against the East. He had the creed without the filioque enshrined in golden tablets on the doors of St. Peter's. The Papacy
Although Charlemagne's attempts to establish rule over all Christendom did not succeed, the Roman popes began to extend their churchly governance over the, whole of the West. By the middle of the ninth century, Pope Nicholas 1 (858-867) succeeded in gaining direct control over the entire Western Church by suppressing the local metropolitans and making all bishops in the West directly subject to the Roman see. He also referred to the False Decretals, documents later proved to be forgeries, which claimed that the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century had given certain powers and privileges to the Roman bishops. It was claimed that the powers included secular control over territories around Rome which later came to be called the papal states. This was the so-called Donation of Constantine. Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople
From 861-886 the first open clash took place between the Eastern and Western Churches. In Constantinople there were two political parties struggling for power. To settle a dispute between these two parties and to provide a church leader which both groups could respect and would accept, a layman named Photius was elevated to the partriarchal office. Although Photius was the one candidate upon whom both parties could agree, the extremists of the so-called conservative party were not satisfied. They appealed to Rome, using the good name of the former patriarch Ignatius - who had peaceably retired for the good of the Church - against Photius and the imperial government which confirmed his election. Pope Nicholas seized the opportunity of this extremist appeal to interfere in the affairs of the Constantinopolitan Church, calling a council in that city in 861 to settle the dispute. When the papal legates came to the council they saw that Photius was the rightful patriarch, and all was happily settled. However, when the legates returned to Rome, Pope Nicholas rejected their decision, and held another council, this time in Rome in 863, at which he proclaimed Ignatius as the bishop of Constantinople, thus deposing Photius. His actions were ignored. In 866 and 867 the Bulgarian Church was fluctuating between Constantinople and Rome. In 867 Photius and a council of five hundred bishops in Constantinople condemned Pope Nicholas for interfering in the affairs of the Bulgarian Church. In this same year there was another internal political conflict in Constantinople. When Basil I became emperor, Photius resigned as bishop for the sake of unity. For political reasons Ignatius was reinstated. In 869 Pope Hadrian II, the successor of Nicholas, excommunicated Photius again for his role in the Bulgarian affair. In 877 Photius, who was not in disfavor with the new emperor, again became patriarch when the venerable Ignatius died. In 879 a huge council took place in Constantinople, once again with papal legates in attendance. At this council, presided over by Photius, the traditional privileges of the Pope of Rome in the East were clarified by Photius and accepted by John VIII who was the new pope. The councils of 863 and 869 which condemned Photius were declared null and void. The council of 787 was accepted as the seventh ecumenical council. The creed was affirmed without the filioque. Photius was officially canonized a saint by the Orthodox Church in the tenth century. He was a man of many talents. He was a great theologian who wrote extensively, particularly on the question of the filioque by defending the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father alone. He was a compiler of classical and patristic writings. He sponsored the mission to the Slavs. He defended the authentic Church Tradition in confrontation with the Roman claims invented by Nicholas, while ultimately preserving unity with the Roman Church and Pope John VIII. He was an excellent diplomat in political affairs, with personal humility and wisdom which earned him the respect of good-willed persons of all parties in East and West. Saint Photius was one of the truly great bishops in Christian Church history. Liturgical Developments
In the ninth century another great saint, Saint Theodore of Studion was responsible for liturgical development. Saint Theodore was the abbot of the Studion monastery in Constantinople who had, during his lifetime, about a hundred thousand monks in his charge. He is known for his defense of the holy icons, and for his role in the development of Orthodox liturgical worship. The liturgical typikon, the order public worship in the Studion monastery, has become the normative order of worship for the entire Orthodox Church since the ninth century. The service books for Great Lent and Easter, the Lenten Triodion and the Flower Triodion (also called the Pentecostarion) are almost totally the work of the Studite monks, among the most famous of whom is Saint Joseph the Hymnographer. | |
Link: http://www.hotca.org/The Orthodox Church is the original Christian Church established by Jesus Christ in 33 AD. From that time on, the successors to the Apostles, the bishops, have maintained incorrupt this holy faith.
The Holy Metropolis of North and South America is an autonomous diocese of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece, under His Beatitude, Archbishop Chrysostomos II. Founded in 1954 by His Eminence, Metropolitan Petros of Astoria, the Metropolis now consists of some ten parishes and missions and several monasteries. Our bishop is His Eminence, Metropolitan Pavlos, and his assistant bishop is His Grace, Bishop Christodoulos.
We invite you to visit one of our parishes or to get in contact with us if you have any questions about our Church.
This video shows us why the Nikonite way of makeing the of sign of the cross is heresy, in that it puts the Holy Trinity on the cross, instead of the two natures of Christ. Video.avi (1.5 MB)
By Anthony M. Coniaris
As I was driving one day I encountered a bumper sticker admonishing me: “WARNING! In the event of Rapture, this car will be driverless.”
The strange belief in the Rapture teaches that some day (sooner rather than later), without warning, born-again Christians will begin to float up from the freeway, abandoned vehicles careening wildly. There will be airliners in the sky suddenly with no one at the controls! Presumably, God is removing these favored ones from earth to spare them the tribulation of the Anti-Christ which the rest of us will have to endure.
Unfortunately the Rapture has been promoted widely by the Left Behind series of books that have sold over 70 million copies.
The Rapture represents a radical misinterpretation of Scripture. I remember watching “Sixty Minutes”a year ago and was appalled to hear the announcer say that “the Rapture is an unmistakenly Christian doctrine”. It is not!
It is a serious distortion of Scripture. It is astonishing that a belief so contrary to Scripture and the tradition of the Church could be propagated by so-called “Christians”.
According to the Bible and according to the belief not only of Orthodox Christians but also of the Roman Catholic and most Protestant mainline churches, the true Rapture will not be secret; it will be the great and very visible Second Coming of Jesus at the end of the world. That is the one and only “Rapture”. It will not be a separate, secret event but one that every eye shall see (1 Thess. 4:16-17).
The word rapture is not found in Scripture but hearkens to 1 Thess. 4:17 where St. Paul says that when the Lord comes again “we who are alive…shall be caught up…in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” This “being caught up…in the clouds”—arpagisometha in Greek, is translated by some as “raptured”. The word itself is not found in Orthodox theology.
The notion of a rapture in which Christ comes unseen to take believers away secretly, and only later comes back again for everyone else publicly—this whole teaching is quite novel. It was almost unheard of until John Nelson Darby formulated it in the 1800s as part of a new approach to the Bible, sometimes called “dispensationalism”.
The purpose of the “Rapture” is to protect the elect from the tribulations of the end times. Yet Jesus said nothing about sparing anyone from tribulation. In fact, He said, “In the world you have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” Nowhere did Jesus ever say that He would return secretly to rapture the elect. Rather, He promised to be with His elect in all tribulations. “Lo, I am with you always. I will never leave you or forsake you.” He even had something good to say about being persecuted: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:10).
Those who espouse the Rapture claim that Matthew 24:40-41 refers clearly to the rapture of the just, “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” The entire passage, however, refers to Christ’s second coming where He will judge the living and the dead and separate the just from the unjust.
Darby taught as dogma that when the Scriptures reveal that the Lord will reign on earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:4), this figure is to be taken literally, rather than as a symbol for eternity as we believe. The Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431 condemned as heresy this teaching which is called chialiasmos (millenianism or 1000 years). In fact, the Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787 A.D.) in which the essential truths of the Christian faith were defined never mention a rapture. Yet evangelical Christians and Pentecostals keep using obscure passages of the book of Revelation which purport to give a detailed timetable of what will happen at the end of the world, despite the fact that Jesus Himself warned that no man knows either the day or the hour when the Son of Man shall return.
A major problem with the Rapture is that it ends up teaching not two but three comings of Jesus—first His birth in Bethlehem; second, His secret coming to snatch away (rapture) the “born-again”; and third, His coming at the end of the world to judge the living and the dead and to reign in glory. Yet only two not three comings of Christ are mentioned in the Bible. We have the clearest definition of this in the Nicene Creed when we confess that “the Lord Jesus Christ…will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. His Kingdom will have no end…. I expect the resurrection of the dead. And the life of the ages to come.” There is no mention of a “Rapture”.
As already stated, most Christians, Orthodox, Roman Catholics and Protestants do not believe in the Rapture. In fact, one Protestant pastor, John L. Gray, summarized magnificently what we Orthodox and most other Christians believe about the Rapture when he wrote these remarkable words,
Though many believe and teach this “Pre-Tribulation Rapture” theory, they erroneously do so, because neither Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, nor any of the other writers of the Bible taught this. Nor did the early church fathers, nor any others for many hundreds of years…. Did you know that NONE of this was ever taught prior to 1812, and that all forms of Pre-Tribulation Rapture teaching were developed since that date? …. If I were to preach something, or believe something, supposedly from the Bible, but cannot find that ANYONE ELSE before 1812 ever believed it or taught it, I would seriously question that it is based on the Bible.
Thus the Rapture is foreign to the Bible and to the living tradition of the Church. It is what we call a heresy, a false teaching. False teachings, such as this, happen when people—like John Darby—believe that they have the right to interpret the Scriptures individually apart from the Living Body of Christ—the Church—where the Spirit of Truth abides and leads us to all truth.
I can think of no better words to conclude than those of Jesus when He speaks of the one and only “Rapture”, the Second Coming: “Be on guard. Be alert! You do not know when that time will come…keep watch…if he comes suddenly, do not let Him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!” (Mark 13:32-37).
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