Fr. Stephen Siniari A man came to the parish. He remained in the back. Candles were burning. Vesperal prayers were rising with the incense. People had baked the Holy Bread. Three loaves were sitting on a table near the iconostasis in the front. The faithful were following the priest, making the Trisagion prostrations and kneeling for the Lord’s Prayer. Together they … [Read more...] about On Fasting: A Stranger’s Tale
Topics in Orthodox Theology
Time, Eternity, and Redemption
By Georges Florovsky This philosophical and theological reflection by Fr George Florovsky is part of a larger essay called “Redemption.” It was published in Volume Three of his Collected Works: Creation and Redemption. The version presented here breaks up some of the long paragraphs for the sake of readability. Greek philosophy did not know and was in no … [Read more...] about Time, Eternity, and Redemption
Why Orthodox Men Love Church
By Frederica Mathewes-Green Source: The Word Magazine, December 2007 In a time when churches of every description are faced with Vanishing Male Syndrome, men are showing up at Eastern Orthodox churches in numbers that, if not numerically impressive, are proportionately intriguing. This may be the only church which attracts and holds men in numbers equal to women. As Leon … [Read more...] about Why Orthodox Men Love Church
How to Read and Study Dostoevsky
I. Difficulties in Reading Dostoevsky Dostoevsky's novels are relatively accessible, and they are usually quite engaging, so most readers are able to plunge right in without preliminaries.1 Two obstacles, however, should be noted at the outset. The first is an obvious one: between the many diminutives and nicknames, as well as the "patronyms" (derived from the father's first … [Read more...] about How to Read and Study Dostoevsky
Original Sin According to St. Paul
Fr John Romanides was one of the last century’s most important Orthodox theologians, and this essay anticipates many of his later formulations. He argues here that we cannot understand the remedy for sin unless we correctly understand sin itself, and to do this we must abandon the narrowly “moral” understanding of sin that has been predominant in the West, … [Read more...] about Original Sin According to St. Paul