Until relatively recently writes Jacob Fareed Imam, what we call Islam today was most often called "Mohammedanism." Islam was understood for centuries as a Christian heresy, a definition that began with St. John of Damascus (d.749) in his work "Heresies" and continued well into modernity. "All great heresies are known by their founders (e.g., Marcionism, Arianism, Nestorianism, … [Read more...] about Not Merely Islam: C.S. Lewis Assesses the Religion of Mohammed
Church History
Calculating the Date of Christmas: Why We Celebrate the Nativity Feast on December 25
It is sometimes believed that we celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25th because the Church Fathers appropriated the date of a pagan festival. But in fact, just the opposite is true. The choice of December 25th was based not on pagan festivities, but on a careful chronology of sacred events concerning the Incarnation of our Lord. Ironically, it was the pagan festival … [Read more...] about Calculating the Date of Christmas: Why We Celebrate the Nativity Feast on December 25
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
An American Experience of Romanian Hesychasm [VIDEO]
In this insightful short video Dr. John Farina, Professor of Religious Studies at George Mason University, opens to us the rich spirituality of Orthodox Romania through the simple but profoundly authentic lives of ordinary people. Farina speaks of Hesychasm, the practice of acquiring inner stillness primarily through the practice of the Jesus Prayer. "Be still and know that … [Read more...] about An American Experience of Romanian Hesychasm [VIDEO]
Literature, Culture and the Western Soul
In his his splendid biography of Fr Seraphim Rose, Fr Damascene Christensen tells the story of a young monastic aspirant seeking the esoteric spirituality of Orthodox Christianity on Mt Athos. But once he finally arrives at his destination, the Abbot hands him a copy of Dickens’ novel, “David Copperfield” to read. When the young man protests in dismay that … [Read more...] about Literature, Culture and the Western Soul