The Catalog of Good Deeds

“Christ is the icon of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Col 1:15)

It is only fitting that the first icon explored here is of Jesus Christ – Who is Himself the image of the invisible God. Because God took on human flesh and became visible, we can depict Him; indeed, to portray Christ is to strongly affirm that God did really become a man, and that Jesus Christ is not mere allegory or myth.

The icon here is very typical of those found in Orthodox churches and homes, and is called Pantokrator (Gr: meaning “Almighty”). Jesus Christ “the Almighty” is a powerful title attesting to Jesus’ divinity and so it is unsurprising that Christ’s face is often found to be stern on such Icons.

Around Christ’s head is a halo, an almost universal symbol of holiness. But Christ’s halo is not the same as the halos shown around other saints, nor even in the angels of this icon. Inside of Christ’s halo is the Cross – the Cross of Salvation – although only three arms are visible: the three arms make up a Holy Trinity. Upon the three arms are the Greek letters ώ Ό Ν (omega, omicron, nu) which literally means “the being” or more precisely “He who is”. This is a reference to Christ’s divinity, as the Old Testament reveals “He who is” to be the name God revealed to Moses (Ex. 3:14 – in the Septuagint text this is ἐγώ εἰμί ὁ ὢν: “I am He Who is”). The Revelation of St. John uses the phrase: “Who is (ὁ ὢν), Who was, and Who is coming” throughout to refer to Jesus Christ. These revelations of Jesus Christ’s nature and the Holy Trinity are preserved in Christ’s Halo.

About Christ’s Head are the letters “IC” and “XC”, a widely used four letter abbreviation of the Greek for Jesus (IHCOYC) Christ (XPICTOC).

Jesus is here shown wearing a red robe covered in a green cloak (or sometimes blue). The red symbolises divinity, whilst the green/blue symbolises humanity. Thus Jesus Christ is by nature divine, yet is fully clothed in humanity. The green cloak is distinct from the red, as Christ’s humanity and divinity are distinct and not “inter-mingled”. Yet the green cloak is also girded firmy around His waist, showing the Son of God to have taken on human nature forevermore; Christ’s humanity has not be casually cast off after 33 short years on earth.

To any Orthodox or Catholic Christian, Jesus’ right hand is unmistakably shown as being raised to give a blessing. The arrangement of the hand, repeated by clergy when blessing others, is also rich in meaning. The fingers spell out the four-letter Christogram “IC XC”, as it is by the name of Jesus that we are saved and receive blessings. “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;” (Phil 2:10). Not only that, but the three fingers of Christ – as well as spelling out “I” and “X” – confess the Tri-unity of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The touching finger and thumb of Jesus not only spell out “C”, but attest to the Incarnation: to the joining of divine and human natures found in the body of Jesus Christ.

Though not clear in this icon, the book held in Christ’s left hand is adorned with the cross, identifying it as the Gospels. In some icons, the book is shown open with words from the Gospels visible. In those instances, the icon may also be called “Christ the Teacher”, for obvious reasons.

Finally, on this icon but not on all, are shown two angels to the right and left of Christ. Angels are heralds of God, which is why they are shown holding scrolls of Scripture: the angel on the left representing the Old Testament Law, the angel on the right carrying a cross representing the New Testament.

And in the centre is Jesus Christ, the fulfilment and embodiment of both the Law and Grace. It is to Him that the angels look, and to Whom we look.

Source: https://iconreader.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/jesus-christ-the-icon-of-the-father/

Question

Can you tell me how many Orthodox Christians there are in North America and throughout the world?

Answer

While it is somewhat difficult to give an exact figure—in North America there are a variety of numbers which circulate while on the world scene it is also difficult since many Orthodox churches, especially those in the former Soviet-bloc countries, are only now in a position to ascertain a clear picture of their status—I am happy to offer the following information.

North America:

One will find estimates ranging between 1 and 6 million members.

There is a certain variable in how one defines “membership”—for example, is membership based on the number of individuals baptized in the Orthodox Church, some of whom may no longer be Orthodox, or on other criteria such as financial support, registration with a local parish, etc?

It would be safe to say that there are somewhere between 2 and 3 million Orthodox Christians in North America in roughly 2,000 parishes.

World:

While some media report upwards of 300 million Orthodox throughout the world, others estimate 200 million. To give you an idea, it is estimated that there are somewhere between 80 and 100 million Orthodox in the Russian Republic alone. Since the fall of communism the churches in Central and Eastern Europe are in a period of transition, a part of which is coming to grips with actual membership statistics, which were impossible to maintain during the communist era. Another difficulty in estimating the international numbers is found in the mobility of many individuals from traditionally Orthodox areas, such as the former Yugoslavia, the Middle East, etc.

In my own opinion, the 200 million number is probably more accurate than 300 million, but this again depends on how one defines “member”—as a baptized individual, a registered individual, or a practicing individual who regularly participates in the life of the Church, her sacraments and worship, etc.

Source: https://oca.org/questions/namerica/how-many-orthodox

A former Wall Street banker has swapped the world of finance for religion and become a monk.

Brother Nikanor advises former colleagues to put a jar with soil on their desks to remind them where we are all heading and what matters in life. As western banks fold into each other like crumpled tickets and commentators portray the current crisis as the last gasp of modern capitalism, Hristo Mishkov, 32, shares the pain - and offers home truths. His story partly resembles that of Brother Ty, the monk-tycoon protagonist of the 1998 satire 'God is my Broker' by U.S. writers Christopher Buckley and John Tierney - he failed on Wall Street and became a monk.

But 10 years later, the similarities are superficial: the Bulgarian had a successful broking career, does not write self-help manuals and aims to get happy, not rich. His interest in financial markets began under communism in the 1980s when he and other children created their own play stock exchange in their apartment block's basement in Sofia.

Five years ago, after failing to find happiness in the life he lived, the Christian Orthodox who hadn't practiced as a child quit the New York-based market for a dilapidated Bulgarian monastery that once served as a communist labor camp. Retaining one luxury - a mobile phone, which connects him with both potential donors and former trading colleagues - he has brought the rigour of his broking experience to his faith. He has helped to raise hundreds of thousands of levs (dollars) to rebuild the monastery - a hard task in a country where charity is not part of the mentality and building shopping malls and golf courses is a priority.

'Many people... in the world do not realize that they have not earned the food they eat, that they take without giving,' Mishkov said. 'But if someone consumes more than they have earned, it means someone else is starving.

'It is right to see people who consume more than they deserve shattered by a financial crisis from time to time, to suffer so that they can become more reasonable.'

Being a trader has seldom been more traumatic: placing bets on political decisions about billion-dollar bank bailouts which, if they fail, could mean much more than a bad day for yourself or colleagues, but also jeopardize livelihoods. Some have found solace in religion, others in humor, but a few fall. Surveys show traders reporting more stress and every news report of a trader suicide is accompanied by suggestions the pressure may have been too much.

'We always search for happiness in the outside world, in material things, which makes us constantly unsatisfied, angry with ourselves and the world,' said Mishkov, who exudes a sense of tranquility, intelligence, and humor.

Greed and the marketization of our lives have reached the point where people have been turned into a commodity - even their health can be traded like a stock, he said. 'We have so quickly lost our human appearance, we have become beasts ... There's no-one to count on and say "hey neighbor come help me". He will come but demand a payment.' His monastery, tucked among hills 31 miles west of Sofia, was founded in the 12th century. The communist regime which banned religion turned it into a labor camp, then a children's pioneer camp and a livestock farm.

Now Mishkov works hard every day milking buffalo cows and building stone walls. He says he is not against rich people but can only respect those who contribute to the good of society - pointing to Microsoft founder Bill Gates as an example.

As a younger man working for more than two years for Karoll, one of Bulgaria's leading brokerages, Mishkov was good at his job, former colleagues say. 'He was a religious person and that annoyed me sometimes,' said Alexander Nikolov, head of international capital markets at Karoll.

'There were occasions when he would not show up at work because of some religious holiday.'

His colleagues were stunned when he decided to become a monk, but Mishkov felt the time had come to look after people's souls. 'Everybody can be a good broker but this does not bring much benefit for the world,' he said. 'Religion can help people cope in today's stressful times and find answers,' Mishkov added. Churches in New York's financial district reported last month increased attendance at lunchtime meetings, with many more people in business attire than usual, when some of the world's biggest investment banks collapsed.

Steven Bell, chief economist of London hedge fund GLC, said keeping a sense of reality is what traders needed. 'It is very important to just remind yourself that there is a real world out there. In any job but particularly in financial markets, you need to try and keep your feet on the ground,' Bell added.

Mishkov says the crash should also help correct a dangerous global trend of an excessive outflow of labour to the service sectors, by people attracted by high pay and an easy life. 'Milk is not produced by computers, bread doesn't come from a good company PR. It is necessary to plough, sow and harvest before that,' says the monk.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1067224/Wall-Street-banker-swapped-finance-monk-remote-Bulgarian-village.html

QUESTION:

What is the Orthodox policy on marriage to a Jewish individual? If there is a problem, can there be an exception in certain cases? If so, with whom would I need to discuss this?

ANSWER:

In the Orthodox Church it is not permitted for an Orthodox Christian to be married to an individual who has not been baptized, regardless of whether they are of the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or other faith.

While there is generally no exception to this rule, especially in the USA, you may wish to discuss your particular circumstance with your parish priest, who can offer specific guidance tailored to your individual situation.

QUESTION:

I understand the rules, but in coming upon the year 2000 isn’t it a bit discriminatory for the Orthodox Church to be so selective to the point of being borderline prejudicial against those of other faith’s. Especially against the Jewish people from whom all Christianity is derived.

ANSWER:

The practice of the Church is not a matter of discrimination any more than the practice of the Jewish faith, which only permits practicing Jews to celebrate their bar mitzvah, or the practice of the Buddhist faith, which allows only practicing Buddhists to enter Buddhist monastic orders, are cases of discrimination.

Bottom line: if you’re not an observant Jew, why would you want to be bar mitzvahed; if you do not practice Buddhism, why would you want to be a Buddhist monk? It is a matter of sacramentology, as well as common sense.

Simply put, one who has not entered the life of the Church through Baptism, Chrismation, and the Eucharist—and who as such does not acknowledge Jesus Christ as his or her Lord, God and Savior—would reduce the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony to pure external form or ritual since he or she, by not acknowledging Jesus Christ, cannot properly seal his or her marriage in Him.

In other words, marriage in Jesus Christ presumes that one accepts Him and believes in Him. Why would an individual who does not accept Christ want to seal his or her marriage in Christ? A non-baptized individual who truly desires to partake of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony in the Orthodox Church should do so out of a desire to seal all he or she does in Jesus Christ. It is inconceivable that one would pledge their love to another person in the name and presence of a God he or she does not believe in.

QUESTION:

If the Orthodox Church forces its members to marry outside the church, will it recognize the marriage? This question is most intriguing because the Orthodox Church recognizes civil divorces.

ANSWER:

The Orthodox Church never forces its members to marry outside the Church. It is the decision of the person who is planning to enter a marriage which cannot be sacramentalized in Church to marry outside the Church. How can the Church recognize a non-sacramental marriage as a sacrament when the individual performing the non-sacramental marriage does not recognize what he is doing to be a sacrament?

With regard to divorce, the Church recognizes civil divorce precisely because the Church does not grant divorces! In general, divorce is a civil matter with no corresponding state or ceremony in the life of the Church. One cannot compare the recognition of a civil divorce and the recognition of a civil marriage; it is a matter of apples and oranges. The Church does not deny that those involved in a civil marriage are married civilly; it would make no sense for the Church to accept a civil marriage as a sacrament since the person who performs civil marriages would deny that they are sacraments in the first place.

QUESTION:

Lastly, if the rules are the rules what good is speaking with a Parish Priest going to do?

ANSWER:

You never know until you try! In my years as a priest I have had several situations similar to the one you describe. The couples came and spoke with me. In most cases the non-baptized individual decided to explore Orthodoxy—casually at first, more intensely as time went on, embracing it zealously in the end—and they were eventually baptized and subsequently married in the very Church they had initially shunned. All are very active members of the Church to this day! Had they not spoken with the priest, had they allowed their anger or assumptions or prejudices to keep them from speaking with the priest, the outcome of these situations would have been very, very different.

Speaking with one’s pastor, especially in the presence of the non-baptized fiance, might open other options, as I myself have seen and experienced. But in so doing it is best for all involved—the priest, the parishioner, and the non-baptized fiance—to work together without anger, without prejudice, without assuming that things will never work out.

Frankly, I would dare say that most people feel the Church is hurting them, even though they all too often fail to seek guidance from the Church—in which case the Church can hardly be blamed for causing harm when it was never given the opportunity to try to find options and solutions.

QUESTION:

Here is yet another instance of another religion maintaining its stronghold over its constituents. I realize that these rules are made to prevent the eventual decline of the faith, but if the rules continue to make being an Orthodox more and more restrictive in our ever-changing modern times, then the policy will accomplish exactly what it was envisioned to prevent.

ANSWER:

The fact that an Orthodox Christian may not be married in an Orthodox ceremony to a non-baptized person has nothing whatsoever to do with maintaining a stronghold over the faithful or preventing the eventual decline of the faith. It has everything to do with faithfulness to that in which we were baptized: Jesus Christ. And if one is truly committed to Jesus Christ and believes that He came into the world to save all mankind, then one would do his or her utmost to ensure that those they love would make a commitment to Jesus Christ as well. The Church is not placing restrictions on its people; rather, people’s actions can result in a self-imposed restriction, not an “institutional” one. The Church in general has followed this practice for some 2000 years and it continues to exist and in many places to flourish.

Again, in my own experience, I would say that most of the marriages I have had the honor of celebrating have been between Orthodox Christians and non-Orthodox Christians—and yet in almost every instance the non-Orthodox party has converted to Orthodoxy and remains active in the life of the Church. Surely this would not be the case if the couples had not spoken with me and allowed me to work together with them.

QUESTION:

With all of this in mind, is there a possible exception to this rule. I am certain that there are many cases of where accommodations were made to individuals with special needs such as mine.

ANSWER:

I cannot give you a definitive answer because I do not know all of the circumstances. The first question I would ask is whether or not the non-baptized fiance actively practices his or her own religion. If not, are they open to learning more about the Gospel and the message of Jesus Christ?

But no exceptions are made simply to accommodate a notion of “modernity” which has nothing whatsoever to do with this. It is a matter of honesty, and the Church would find it highly dishonest for someone to demand to have their marriage sealed in the name of Jesus Christ when he or she does not believe in Jesus Christ.

Again, I urge you to seek the guidance of your priest or another Orthodox priest in your area with whom you have a relationship. As you say, it may not help—but then again, it may not hurt!

Source: https://oca.org/questions/sacramentmarriage/marriage-to-a-non-christian

By the laying on of their hands on those chosen from among the faithful, the Apostles consecrated bishops, priests and deacons. It is evident from this that the Christian faith is not merely dogma but spiritual power. (Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich)

The consecration of a bishop is comprised of three separate rites: the rite of election, of confession and the actual consecration.

Election: Before the Vigil on the eve of the consecration, the hierarchs who are to perform the rite take their places at a table in the middle of the church. From the altar two senior priests lead the candidate to the table. All stand as the protodeacon reads the nomination, to which the candidate responds: "I return thanks, and accept, and say nothing contrary thereto." The hierarchs chant some brief prayers, invoking the Holy Spirit Who was sent down upon the Apostles and empowered them to "catch the universe" with the preaching of the Gospel. After a short litany, the nominee delivers his acceptance speech. He then retires to the altar and the Vigil begins.

Confession: The next morning, after the reading of the Hours, the hierarchs again take their places behind the table, in front of which is a large eagle rug. The senior priest and protodeacon lead the bishop-elect onto the tail of the eagle. He is asked, "How believest thou?" and responds by reciting the Creed. Advancing to the middle of the rug, he expounds on the Creed by reciting a second "confession of faith". Finally, at the top of the rug, he is asked to explain his attitude towards the canons and traditions of the Church. The candidate promises to observe these and likewise "to preserve the peace of the Church and firmly to hold and zealously to teach the people entrusted to me, and not to devise any thing whatsoever which is contrary to the Orthodox Catholic Christian faith of the East all the days of my life....I promise also to do nothing through constraint, whether coerced by powerful persons, or by a multitude of the people....I promise to visit and watch over the flock now confided to me, after the manner of the Apostles...and to inspect with diligence, and to exhort and inhibit, that there be no schisms, superstitions and impious veneration, and that no customs contrary to Christian piety and good morals may injure Christian conduct....And may our God, Who seeth the heart, be the witness to my vow." The bishop-elect then bows down before the assembled hierarchs and kisses their hands as a sign that he is entering their ranks and as a pledge of love and peace with them in Christ. The choir sings "Many years", and the bishop-elect goes into the altar, where he stands at the side on an eagle rug, waiting like a bride-to-be, as the Liturgy begins.

Consecration: After the Small Entrance (which represents the coming to earth of the Lord incarnate) and the singing of the Trisagion, the senior priest and protodeacon lead the bishop-elect through the south door onto the ambo to the Royal Doors where he is received by two hierarchs. While the candidate kneels with his head touching the altar table, an open Gospel is placed face down upon his head, as a sign that although he is given authority over all, he himself is under the law and his head is Christ. Holding the Gospel in this way, the bishops pray: " O Lord our God...do Thou make this man...to be an imitator of Thee, the true Shepherd, Who didst lay down Thy life for Thy sheep; to be a leader of the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a reprover of the unwise, a teacher of the young, a lamp to the world..."

The new bishop is then vested as a hierarch, and when the omophorion-an article unique to the episcopal office- is placed upon his shoulders, the clergy followed by the people shout thrice, "Axios!" ("worthy"), indicating their assent to the implied question: "Is he, in truth, worthy of this ministry?"

At the end of the Liturgy, the Chief Bishop gives a word of instruction to the new bishop and hands him his pastoral staff. The new bishop blesses the congregation with both hands as the choir sings, "Eis pollá éti Déspota" (Many years, O Master).

Source: http://www.roca.org/OA/115-116/115q.htm

“We refuse to take on the idea that any of the Church’ canons are obsolete or subject to review…

To think otherwise, it means to place yourself above the Church and to oppose with your own limited experience, the eternal and infallible experience of the Church guided by the Holy Spirit. Never had any Holy Ecumenical Council claimed that the previous canons of the Church were obsolete!

Some are seeking to substitute the tradition of the Church to their personal experience, instead of submitting their experience to the Church’ teachings, thus placing themselves outside it, they ceased to participate in the life of the Church.” (by Blessed Titus Smedrea)

(The First Ecumenical Council was held in 325 A. D. in the city of Nicaea. This Council condemned the heresy of Arius, who denied the divinity of Jesus Christ and was teaching that our Lord was a God’s creature. This heresy provoked much unrest in the Church. Besides proclaiming true teaching concerning God Father and God Son, Jesus Christ, as it is presented in the first seven articles of the Creed, the Council made some canons, regulating the life of the Church).

„We believe in one God, the Father Almighty (all powerful), Maker of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten begotten from the Father, that is from the substance [Gr. ousias, Lat. substantia] of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten [Gr. gennethenta, Lat. natum] not made [Gr. poethenta, Lat. factum], CONSUBSTANTIAL [Gr. homoousion, Lat. unius substantiae (quod Graeci dicunt homousion)] with the Father, through Whom all things came to be, both those in heaven and those in earth; for us humans and for our salvation he came down and became incarnate, became man, suffered and rose up on the third day, went up (ascended) into the heavens, is coming to judge the living and the dead. And in the Holy Spirit.

And those who say that: “there once was (a time) when He was not”, and “before He was begotten He was not”, and that: He came to be from things that were not, or from another hypostasis [Gr. hypostaseos] or substance [Gr. ousias, Lat. substantia], affirming that the Son of God is subject to change or alteration; these the Catholic and Apostolic church anathematises”.

During the time of the Ecumenical Councils many pious Bishops were recognized as great teachers and defenders of the faith and were glorified by the Church as saints.

St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Licea, was known for his zeal, wisdom, humbleness and charity. He assisted the poor, quickly protected unjustly condemned or any one suffering from abuses of the rulers of those days. His noblest act, the conviction of Arius at the first Ecumenical Council, brought him an eternal glory and was marked by special acknowledgement of the fathers of the Council. He died December 6, 343 A. D. When the Saratzins were threatening the city of Myra, his relics were removed to Italy, where they repose to the present time in the city of Bahr.

St. Athanasius the Great, of Alexandria, belongs to the school of the Apologets of the Church. When a deacon on the First Ecumenical Council, St. Athanasius was superior in his defence of the true faith against Arius’ heresy and as Archbishop of Alexandria during 46 years, proved to be steadfast pillar of the Church. He was accused by the heretics then in all kinds of crimes, including a treason, was exiled five times from Alexandria and only the last six years of his life he spent in the Cathedral city, arduously working for the peace and glory of the Church. He wrote many apologetics on behalf of the Church and died peacefully in 373 A. D., being 75 years old, and was given by the Church the title of “The Great.”

In the fourth century a most trying time for the Church, lived and worked the other three Ecumenical hierarchs and teachers – Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom.

St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Cesaria of Capadocia (330-379 A. D.) was a native of that city. He was brought up in a very pious Christian family, his mother, grandmother; sisters and brother are among the saints of the Church. His father was a very prominent attorney and teacher of rhetoric. He received the best education of his time, finishing it in Athens. He was high in theology, philosophy and history, but highest in the faith and charity. As Church orator he gave to the Church the glorious “homilies on six days” of the creation where he appears to be a great scientist also. St. Basil is almost glorified for his defence of the Church against Arians. Heavy labor and religious disturbances of the time, many deprivations and ascetic life broke his health and he died in the fiftieth year of his life. He wrote Divine Liturgy that bears his name.

St. Gregory the Theologian, (326-389 A. D.) is known by this name in the Church as the greatest interpreter of the Holy Scriptures, especially on the personality of God, and his five sermons on God the Word, brought him this glorious title. He received his instructions from his mother, St. Nonna, and considered her instructions as the most valuable he had for his future.

St. Gregory was a friend of St. Basil; was in schools together with him, after in the monastery, and was consecrated as Bishop by his friend. He was elected archbishop of Constantinople when practically all Churches were taken there by the Arians, but he accepted the call and started the services in a little room and succeeded so much that the Arians were expelled from all the churches and the Orthodox Christians were admitted to the use of them. He took very prominent part at the Second Ecumenical Council against the heresy of Macedonius. After accomplishing this work St. Gregory retired to his native city of Nazians, where he spent his last years in ascetic life.

St. John Chrysostom (the Golden Mouth) is the most eloquent teacher of the Christian Church and at the same time most ardent defender of the rights and privileges of the Church. He lost his father when a child and was brought up by his pious mother Anfusa. He was a brilliant student and when his teacher, philosopher Licineus, was asked as to whom he would like to succeed him, he answered “of course John, if the Christians will not steal him from us.” About Anfusa, St. John’s mother, Licineus said: “What dignified women there are among the Christians.” After his mother’s death, St. John spent six years in seclusion and then came to the city of Antioch where he served for twelve years as a priest. Against his wish and under some pretense he was taken from Antioch and was consecrated as the Archbishop of Constantinople. First year of the service there was of much success and benefit to the Church. Nevertheless, his zeal and endeavors to correct the evils of the life among high officials and in the palace brought upon St. John displeasure and wrath of the Empress Evdoksia, and his enemies from the clergy succeeded in depriving him of his See and he was exiled.

When he left the capital city, the earthquake of that night made the Empress to repent and to ask St. John to return, but her repentance were not sincere; in about two months St. John was exiled again for preaching to correct morals.

“The Church of Christ did not begin with me and will not end without me,” said the great teacher before going to his exile, which was a very severe one. On his way from Armenian city of Kukuza to Abkhazian city of Pitziunt on the north-eastern shores of the Black Sea, St. John stopped in a little village of Komani, being very weak and sick. Here in a dream appeared to him St. Vasilisk, whose relics were in this place reposing, and told him “Do not be discouraged, Brother John, tomorrow we will be together.” St. John in the morning took Holy Communion and peacefully died with the words as his last: “Glory be to God for everything.” St. John wrote Divine Liturgy that retains his name, and was anxious to bring to Christianity the people who lived then in Skiphia or present Southern Russia. He lived from 347 to 407 A.D. and is always looked upon as one of the famous fathers of our Orthodox Church_ His writings have even now a high value to the Church and serve to prove its dogmatical and historical truth.

We should be mindful of many equally saintly fathers, who rendered most useful service to the defence and expansion of the Church like Irineus of Lyon, Cyprian of Carthage, Blessed Augustin, Ambrose of Mediolan, Heronimus, Cyril of Alexandria, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory of Nissa, Gregory of Neocesaria and others, whose names even if we wished only to list would take many chapters of this brief historical account. But their lives, their work, their writings are most helpful for Christians to form their conceptions on different subjects related to the faith and teaching of the Church and we wish we could present them to our readers more fully but as it is, we desire very much that they study “the Fathers of the Church” with every possible opportunity.

Source: http://www.sthermansoca.org/page/christian-persecution

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How Many Orthodox Christians are There in North America and the World?

Personal Stories: From Wall Street to Monasticism

Questions and Answers about Marriage to a Non-Christian

The Rite of Consecration of a New Bishop

Who were the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council?

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The Iconography of Christ

How Many Orthodox Christians are There in North America and the World?

Personal Stories: From Wall Street to Monasticism

Questions and Answers about Marriage to a Non-Christian

The Rite of Consecration of a New Bishop

Who were the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council?

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