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Biblical Numerology in Patristic Thought

Biblical numerology is a topic discussed in theological literature, where several opinions exist regarding the symbolic use of numbers.

The “Low Level” Ascetic Saint: Characteristics and Misconceptions

The “low level” saint is a theological term (not accepted by all scholars) aiming to describe a category of saints who lived with ordinary people and who were not usually members of the Church hierarchy (with some exceptions, like St. Nectarios of Pentapolis). There are many well-known “low level” ascetic saints of the ancient Church (for example the various Sts. Anargyroi) and many “low level” ascetics who lived in modern times (e.g. Paisios the Hagiorite, the Elder Porfyrios and Fr. Iakovos Tsalikis) who are considered holy people by the faith community.

Saint Nathaniel in John’s Gospel

St. Nathanael is an apostle of Christ, one whom little is known of. He is referred to only in St. John’s gospel (1:45 and 21:2), the last of the four gospels of the New Testament. Although the ecclesial tradition wishes to identify him with the apostle Bartholomew [possibly, in order to justify the absence of his name in the synoptic gospels], it remains worth noting that St. John calls him Nathanael [despite the fact that John was familiar with the synoptic gospels and the particular references to Bartholomew: Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19 and Luke 6:12-16].

Sermon on 9th Sunday of Matthew

Today’s Gospel passage, my dear brethren, continues the narrative of St. Matthew’s Gospel from where we left it on last Sunday. After the miracle of the multiplication of the five loaves, the evangelist is about to record another wondrous event, only this time, the miracle is restricted within the close circle of the Lord’s disciples. For whereas the multitudes were given bread, that is, that which appealed most immediately to their desires and needs, the disciples were given a sign of a different kind: to them Christ’s reveals the miracle by which miracles are made, that is, the miracle of faith.

The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, used by the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, and its missing elements

The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is the most celebrated Eucharistic service in the Byzantine liturgical rite, used mainly by the Orthodox Christians. It is attributed to St. John Chrysostom, Patriarch of Constantinople in the 5th century A.D. It is composed of two parts. The first part is the Liturgy of the Word and […]

A Book Review from an Orthodox Christian Perspective: Carter Heyward:”Touching our Strength; The erotic as Power and the Love of God”

The aim of this book review is to explore the message of the book about the interaction of people with each other and with the divine and to make a critical evaluation of this message based on Orthodox Christian theological criteria.

Friendship in Late Antiquity: the Case of Gregory Nazianzen and Basil the Great

I.Introduction: Classical and Christian Friendship One thing we should expect to find unchanged when we look at the new world that emerges during the Christianization of the Greco-Roman Empire is the fact that people continue to form friendships and, as friendship often leads to, continue to consider and reflect on the nature of friendship as […]

An Orthodox Christian Response to Ecofeminist Theological Claims

The term “ecofeminism” was coined in 1984 by Francoise d’ Euabonne to describe women’s ability to work towards the purposes and goals of the ecological movement. Since then, it has been adopted by many intellectuals who aim to connect, historically and philosophically, the phenomena of women’s oppression and nature’s exploitation. Ecofeminist theology serves the goals […]

The Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms in Three Patristic Texts

The doctrine of the two kingdoms, analyzed in the works of the reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin, is a doctrine that also appears in the patristic thought. The doctrine teaches that God’s heavenly Kingdom is superior to any earthly kingdom; that is why Christians must “obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29). This […]

Sermon on 13th Sunday of Matthew (21:33-42)

Today’s passage of the Holy Gospel, my dear brothers and sisters, is a parable that illustrates Christ’s own mission and the spreading of His Gospel to the nations. The language of this parable is borrowed from the beginning of the fifth chapter of the Prophet Isaiah: I will sing for the one I love […]