On The Chosen Exiles

chosen

by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon Just as the word describing Peter---"apostle"---has no article in First Peter 1:1, the article is also missing in Peter's reference to those who received that epistle. They are, literally, "chosen exiles of the Diaspora." The absence of the article, here too, makes the reference a theological description of Peter's audience. Moreover, an analysis of these three ... More...

The Joy of Creating a Preaching Calendar

Calendar

by John Anderson There is great value to organizing a preaching calendar, but it is often not considered by Orthodox clergy. Our calendar of readings actually lends itself well to organizing one and keeping our preaching timely and relevant to our congregations. I ask every Orthodox preacher to consider one for the coming year. The Calendar can be prepared during the summer months! One last ... More...

One’s Speech is Revelatory

Symeon_the_New_Theologian2

by St. Symeon the New Theologian Just as we recognize the different nations by their clothing and most people by their voice and speech, just so then do we recognize the saints by, on the one hand, their decency and attractive behavior and other outward sign; but it is their speech, on the other hand, which truly and accurately reveals their identity. What the heart does not have, the mouth is ... More...

The Eighth Day

The Eighth Day

To the early Christians, Sunday was not only the first day of the week but was also symbolically the Eighth Day — the Day of Christ’s Resurrection after the “old sabbath”, when a “new creation” was made to replace the original seven day creation as described in Genesis. The concept of a new “Eighth Day” appears in the writings of many early Christian writers, such as: Epistle of ... More...

What’s In A Name?

Peter

by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon Peter's name, which is the first word in the longer of his two epistles, is immediately qualified by the noun "apostle." The absence of the definite article with this noun prompts most English translations to insert the indefinite article, "an Apostle," indicating that Peter was one of a group. While this is grammatically correct---nor, given the difficulty of ... More...