"The Bible is a biography of God in this world. In it the Indescribable One has described Himself." So declares St Justin Popovich, not only a saint of the Orthodox Church, but one of its greatest theologians of the twentieth century. St Justin’s rapturous love for the Bible emanates from every line of these reflections in a way that sparks a contagious excitement and … [Read more...] about How to Read the Bible and Why
Liturgy, Scripture & The Seasons of the Church
Fr Georges Massouh on the Myrrh-Bearing Women
The true disciple of Jesus, whether a man or a woman, is not the one who carries a Christian identity on account of having been baptized, but the one who imitates the courageousness of Joseph of Aramathea, the Myrrh-Bearing Women, and the martyrs who offered themselves up in order to hold fast to their faith... only the courageous deserve to be beloved of Jesus. By Fr … [Read more...] about Fr Georges Massouh on the Myrrh-Bearing Women
The Stubborn Apostle
The Apostle Thomas, writes Fr. Daniel Sisoyev, was by nature skeptical and stubborn. He demanded to see Christ in his body after the resurrection before he would believe the apostolic testimony that Christ rose from the dead. "The other disciples said unto Thomas, 'We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my … [Read more...] about The Stubborn Apostle
St. Porphyrios Elucidates the Meaning of Pascha
Unlike the English term Easter, which evokes the Teutonic spring-goddess Ostara or Eastra, the Greek word Pascha is a direct transliteration of the Aramaic pascha, which in turn renders the Hebrew pesach, meaning Passover. St Porphyrios explains here in simple, but compelling language how Christ Himself has become our true Passover from darkness into light, from sin and death … [Read more...] about St. Porphyrios Elucidates the Meaning of Pascha
First Discourse on the Annunciation by St. Gregory the Wonderworker (Part I)
Truth first enters the world through a word and the more sublime a truth, the more sublime is the language that expresses it. In the essay below written in the third century, St. Gregory the Wonder Worker writes of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, where the angel Gabriel converses with the Virgin Mary in preparation of the coming of the Son of God as man. The Incarnation … [Read more...] about First Discourse on the Annunciation by St. Gregory the Wonderworker (Part I)
