The world lost one of its finest, most original, and most independent thinkers with the repose of Sir Roger Scruton last weekend. Sir Roger was also a friend of "Another City;" we featured several of his articles, and we were proud to have him as an early subscriber to this journal. In his memory, we offer a video presentation in which he discusses what was perhaps his most … [Read more...] about Why Beauty Matters
Topics in Orthodox Theology
Theophany and River Gods: What Are the Strange Figures on the Theophany Icon?
Pagan antiquity, writes Fr. Stephen De Young, often portrayed a world in chaos. Ancient gods were viewed as fighting monstrous creatures of chaos, a kind of primordial being represented by natural forces — the "elemental spirits of the world" as St. Paul put it — against which the battle for order had to be won. Contrast this with the writings of the Old … [Read more...] about Theophany and River Gods: What Are the Strange Figures on the Theophany Icon?
We Have Come from Afar: A Christmas Oration
We have come from afar to venerate the infant Christ — not from the land of the wise men but out of the darkness of our own souls, out of the murk of sinfulness. We have been guided by the miraculous star that has risen within us, obeying its mysterious and powerful call. We have seen from afar the radiant manger and the heavenly glow above it, but we have found the … [Read more...] about We Have Come from Afar: A Christmas Oration
Theologies as Alternative Histories: John Romanides and Chrestos Yannaras
During the twentieth century, the self-understanding of Greek identity, especially in relation to Western Christendom, became focused on finding a cultural continuity between Ancient Greece, Byzantium, and the modern Greek nation. Nicolas Prevelakis argues that this issue was successfully resolved through an interweaving of history and theology in the writings of Fr John … [Read more...] about Theologies as Alternative Histories: John Romanides and Chrestos Yannaras
Hidden Fire: Orthodox Perspectives on Yoga
The practice of yoga is becoming normalized in our society as a religiously-neutral, “holistic” exercise program that will promote mental and physical health. But this article, written by an Orthodox author who had once pursued yogic practices extensively in India, shows how yoga is inseparable not only from Hindu and Buddhist doctrines, but from dark and demonic … [Read more...] about Hidden Fire: Orthodox Perspectives on Yoga
