In English

‘Thou hast brought us into being out of nothing’ (The Liturgy of St John Chrysostom). How are we to understand God’s relation to the world he has created? What is meant by this phrase ‘out of nothing’, ex nihilo? Why, indeed did God create at all? The words ‘out of nothing’ signify, first and foremost, that God created the universe by an act of his free will. Nothing compelled him to create; he chose to do so. The world was not created unintentionally or out of necessity; it is not an automatic emanation or overflowing from God, but the consequence of divine choice. If nothing compelled God to create, why then did he choose to do so? In so far as such ...

The fact that the Gospels are written in Greek presents us with heightened responsibilities. Any outstanding scholar abroad who wishes to deal with the New Testament has to learn Greek. All of them, be they German, French, English or American know Greek well. If other people respect the language of the Gospels, how much more should we preserve the Greek language?

“One day a tiny tear appeared on a cocoon. One man was watching the butterfly trying to push her body through the opening. The struggle lasted for hours. Then it looked as though every activity had ceased. It looked as though the butterfly had done all it could and could not move any further. The man took a pair of scissors and opened up the cocoon. The butterfly moved out easily yet her body and her wings looked withered. The man continued watching. He was waiting for her to flap her wings, hoping they would slowly grow, strengthen and become able to lift the butterfly to the air. Yet, the butterfly went through her entire life moving painfully and slowly, harboring a ...

This article is among the first written for the blog. There is something to be said for the blog itself  having "stayed put." The internet is an ephemeral creation. I hope to be providing a stable platform for learning, for questioning, for conversation. With a few emendations, I offer this reprint. That the article is still useful after an entire 6 years is astonishing! In monastic tradition, a monk makes four vows: poverty, chastity, obedience and stability. Most people are familiar with the first three but not with the fourth. In classical monastic practice it meant that a monk stayed put: he did not move from monastery to monastery. It was not a new idea. Before this vow was formalized in ...

(Written exclusively for Pemptousia.com) Whether watching television, reading a newspaper, walking around town, driving on the interstate, surfing the net, or visiting stores, we are constantly inundated by mass advertising. All day long, our minds are bombarded with images that tell us what to buy, how to look, even how to think. Not only do these images tell us what we should buy, they also fill us with feelings of insecurity, inadequacy and yearning, subliminally suggesting that if we don't own a certain item, look a certain way, even shop or eat at a certain place, we are unsuccessful and unimportant. Let's multiply that by a thousand during the Advent and Christmas season. These advertisements are carefully designed to not only manipulate, ...

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me. Be the light for my darkened soul.

Until then, Orthodoxy in Cappadocia seemed very much like an islet in the East.  Valens let loose the evils of heresy everywhere. The combination of his brutality and cunning brought shocking results. He swept through Orthodoxy and then dug his claws into Caesarea. It’s true to say that the Cappadocians hadn’t really experienced Valens’ savage cruelty yet. When they heard what had happened elsewhere their blood curdled.   The various centres of the empire were subject in reality to the policy of the Arian emperor.  This came about because the Orthodox were persecuted; their assets were confiscated; they were harassed and violently constrained. Anyone resisting was removed. The hate and ferocity knew no bounds. It reached the point where, in Nikomedia, they burnt ...

­­­­­­­ The festal nature of this time of year makes it difficult for us to recollect an impressive act which is an integral part of the history of the Church. This act was one that brought to an end a cruel custom, which, in the Roman world, had for centuries been regarded as an entertaining diversion. This was none other than the tradition of the gladiators, in accordance with which some men (usually slaves) fought each other – to the death, in most instances – accompanied by the yelling of those thrilled and ecstatic at the sight of so much blood. Thanks to one particular man, all this was about to stop. The monk, Telemakhos, who hailed from Asia, could no longer ...

NEW YEAR’S ENCYCLICAL Certain followers of another religion — that is very much in the news today — are fond of ridiculing Christianity and Christians. They say such things as: “Are you dumb? Are you a masochist? Don’t you know any better?” They go so far as to ridicule the teachings and sayings of Christ Himself, when they say: “Christians are stupid. You can slap them on the cheek, and they will tell you to keep on hitting them.” Of course, you know better. They misinterpret what Jesus said. “If someone strikes you on the one cheek, then turn to them the other.” With this teaching, Christ preached tolerance; love; cooperation; and humility, while other religions preach supremacy; hate; revenge; and oppression. Listen to me. ...

Christ’s advent brought the kingdom of God into the world. And the realm where the kingdom of God is made manifest is the Church. This retains eternity within history and provides history with the perspective of eternity. The Church is the body of Christ, which transcends time and space, joining people together in a transcendent community outside time, where everything is present in the Holy Spirit. In the Church, time and the whole world are saved. Whatever God provides for the world is in the Church and is then given to people for their salvation and renewal. The kingdom is God is not merely awaited in the future, but is perceptible also in the present. And Christ’s resurrection and people’s renewal ...

The monastic life is nothing other than one soul bringing respite to another, without thought for itself. This is also pleasing to God. In the monastery, a nun should efface herself. Her life should be her cross, she shouldn’t consider herself at all. She should die so that she will live eternally.

The Expulsion of Adam and Eve You’ve got to get out of your head and into your heart. Right now your thoughts are in your head, and God seems to be outside you. Your prayer and all your spiritual exercises also remain exterior. As long as you are in your head, you will never master your thoughts, which continue to whirl around your head like snow in a winter’s storm or like mosquitoes in the summer’s heat. If you descend into your heart, you will have no more difficulty. Your mind will empty out and your thoughts will dissipate. Thoughts are always in your mind chasing one another about, and you will never manage to get them under control. But if ...

In the Western world there’s a continuing tradition of making resolutions at the turn of each year. In a sense, people want to commit to resolutions that’ll help them become ‘better’. We can see two aspects to this attractive custom: 1) the intention and the opportunity for people to keep their resolutions; and 2) the content of the resolutions and commitments. Both of these factors are of great importance. If you can’t keep to what you’ve promised yourself, then setting even the most noble ideal as a goal is pointless. And if the resolution’s something that, in the end, doesn’t make you any better, then committing to it might actually work against you rather than for you. But there’s also ...

Do Christians really disobey Christ’s command to “turn the other cheek” and “resist not evil” when they participate in or watch fistfights and returning blow for blow with a consenting partner for the purposes of play or show?  What come first to mind are “extreme” or “ultimate” fighting, and brawls in the course of an ice hockey game.  All Christians abide by moral standards when interacting with family, co-workers, friends, and the general public.  Does God permit us to suspend interpersonal ethics for sports? The actions remain sinful, according to three Christian sources close in time, culture, and spirit to Jesus.  What is a sin when done against a person’s will remains a sin when done for the amusement of an ...

Since everybody has some faith, even if it’s not always right, we have to accept that it’s a natural characteristic in people. People who haven’t got faith aren’t whole, and so they’re unbelievers.

My recent post on the One God has shown me that there is much more to say on the subject. "We believe in One God..." but do we? In a recent conversation, someone said to me that they had difficulty believing in "one supreme being who created everything...etc." Christians don't actually believe in one supreme being. If this startles you, then read further. Christians do not believe in "one supreme being," first because we do not believe in one of anything (or one of something). There is not a class called "supreme beings" to which the God who created everything belongs. There is no class of anything to which He belongs. The God of the Christians is in no way similar to ...

The Arab Conquest According to tradition, the brotherhood of the monastery sent a delegation to Medina in 625 A.D. to ask Mohammad for political protection. Mohammad approved the request and wrote the famous achtiname, which bears a representation of his palm, in which he declared that Muslims should protect monks. A copy of the achtiname is on display today in the monastery’s gallery. It is reported that Mohammad visited the monastery in the course of his commercial activities, which is probably why the Koran mentions the sacred sites of Sinai. So when the Sinai peninsula came under Arab rule in 641 A.D., the monastery continued its normal life without disturbance, though the number of monks began to drop and, at ...

When you walk the path of Christ, many people- perhaps even your closest relatives- will mock you. Don’t let it bother you. Don’t let it worry you. Remember they mocked Christ as well. But he didn’t make enemies of them. He held his tongue. You do the same.

To a person who had to choose between suicide and begging You write that all your worldly goods were sold off to a third party. When you found yourself out on the street with nothing and nobody, you headed to the cemetery, bent on killing yourself. You had no doubts or second thoughts about this. Exhausted by the vexations, you lay down on your parents’ grave and fell asleep. Your mother appeared to you in your sleep and berated you, saying that in the Kingdom of God there were plenty of people who had been beggars, but not a single one of those who had done away with themselves. That dream saved you from suicide. Your beloved mother really did save ...