This weekend, because of the way the feast of Easter is calculated, we celebrate the feast of the Presentation or the Encounter of the Lord with Simeon and Anna and also begin our preparation for the Great Fast. This feast … Continue reading
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After Constantine established the New Rome – Constantinople – the Great Church of the capital, Holy Wisdom, became the center of ecclesiastical and liturgical influence. The rite of the Great Church gradually spread further afield to become, by the end … Continue reading
Four incidents are of particular importance when we think about the causes of the Great Schism: (1) the quarrel between Photius and Pope Nicolas I; (2) the incident of the Diptychs in 1009 (the name of the pope was dropped … Continue reading
In the last issue of this article it was my desire to encourage my readers to make the reading of the New Testament an essential part of their lives. I suggest, in particular, the New Testament and, the Psalms from … Continue reading
In the canon, that is the actual writings that are accepted as inspired and a part of the New Testament, the thirteen letters attributed to Paul are basically organized according to two principles: (1) the letters addressed to communities, whether … Continue reading
As I shared in the last issue of this article, there is a great difference between the East and West with regards to the “Fall” of mankind that is recorded in Genesis. Indeed, according to one Eastern Christian author, the … Continue reading
The theme of the imitation of Christ occupies an important place in the history of spirituality, even though in their reaction to medieval piety, the Reformers in the West replaced the concept of imitation, which they viewed as an arrogant … Continue reading
This weekend we finish our post-Pentecost sequence of readings. Next week we actually begin the five week sequence of pre-Lent commemorations and readings that deliver a clear message. The message of these pre-Lent weeks pertain to the meaning of metanoia, … Continue reading
In the fourth century, while Arians rallied around appropriate slogans such as ‘There was a time when he (the Son) was not’, the defenders of what was to be defined as true doctrine were led by Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, … Continue reading
Around 850 east and west were still in full communion with one another and still formed one Church. Cultural and political divisions had combined to bring about an increasing estrangement, but there was no open schism. The two sides … Continue reading