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by Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos Pleasure and Pain According to St. Maximus the Confessor In his Centuries on Theology St. Maximus the Confessor refers to the nexus of the dualism of pleasure and pain, which, by any standard, is an important subject. This means that we cannot discuss Orthodox Theology if we fail to face this crucial point, because the transcendence of pleasure and pain is, precisely, a prerequisite for correct Orthodox … [Read more...]
by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon One of the major ideas---and perhaps the culminating idea---in the second chapter of Ephesians is the unity of gentiles with Jews to form a single people for God. These two, formerly estranged, have been united, Paul says, through the blood of Christ: “He himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation . . . that He might reconcile them both to God in one body … [Read more...]
by Archbishop Dmitri (Royster) From an article which appeared in the Dallas Morning News. Because of recent discussions about the Catholic Church's considering defining a new dogma concerning the Virgin Mary it might be of interest to Christians of other Churches to have some explanation of the Orthodox Church's position concerning her. The Orthodox Church honors and venerates the Virgin Mary as "more honourable than the Cherubim and more … [Read more...]
By George Mantzarides Professor at the School of Theology, University of Thessaloniki Are you aware that counting 40 days from today, on the 40th day we celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross? It's not a mistake. The Transfiguration of Our Savior has a central place in the Orthodox Church and in Orthodox theology. It is the event that reveals the glory of the Church and of the faithful. It is a witness to the new reality introduced by the … [Read more...]
by Fr. John A. Peck Dormition is one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Christian faith. Of course, this is a great preaching opportunity, so we here at Preachers Institute, are offering an article on Dormition and a few things which we hope you will find valuable as you prepare this festal sermon. 1. Preach the Gospel … [Read more...]
by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon Docetism, one of the earliest Christological heresies, derived its name from the Greek verb dokein---to "seem." This name was descriptive: It indicated the teaching that God's Son only "seemed" to be a human being. His presence on the earth, though real in itself, was conveyed by way of a revelatory appearance, not connected with His being. His humanity was a kindly illusion. According to this opinion, the Son of God … [Read more...]
By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos After all that has been reported we must end with a few conclusions, without, of course, having exhausted this great theme. a) Only in Christ is there salvation. Since the saints of the Old Testament saw the unincarnate Word and the saints of the New Testament saw and see the incarnate Word and have close communion with Him, this means that man's salvation takes place only … [Read more...]
By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos By his incarnation Christ assumed human nature, and indeed human nature was united with the divine nature immutably, without confusion, inseparably, unchangeably and indivisibly. They are never separated. They remain united forever. Thus the Church will exist also after the Second Coming of Christ and we shall be able to speak of the perfect manifestation of the Church. … [Read more...]
By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos With the incarnation of Christ we have the manifestation of the Church. The Church becomes the Body of Christ and acquires its Head, Who is Christ. Let us recall the passage in Clement of Rome which we mentioned before, according to which the Church was "first created spiritual from above, before the sun and moon, and being spiritual, was manifested in the flesh of … [Read more...]
by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon The permanence of the soul, its continued life after death, was not in contention among the early Christians. Indeed, thanks in part to Plato, some form of belief in a spiritual afterlife was quite in fashion in the Greco-Roman culture where the Apostles proclaimed the Gospel. The Apostle Paul, for his part, certainly anticipated an afterlife immediately following death. This persuasion prompted him to "desire to … [Read more...]
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