ἀνθρώποισι πᾶσι μέτεστι γινώσκειν ἑωυτοὺς καὶ σωφρονεῖν.
The Incarnation of God: The Cause of Man’s Theosis
The Church Fathers say that God became man in order to make man a god. If God had not taken flesh, man would not be able to achieve Theosis. Continue reading “Theosis; the true purpose of human life – Part 2”
by Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi
Βlessed and favoured people who are humble are meek, calm, serene, attached to virtue, opposed to evil, untroubled by any circumstance or threat. They live in the bosom of the faith, like infants in the maternal embrace of grace. They never live for themselves, because they’ve forgotten what that is. They’ve become one with the others; they become all things to everyone, in order to bring solace to them. They cry with those who are weeping and rejoice with those who are glad. Continue reading “On Humility and the Humble Outlook”
by Ioannis Karavidopoulos, Professor of the School of Theology of the University of Thessaloniki
Saint Paul’s 1st Epistle to the Corinthians is the richest in terms of the number of issues he addresses. Among the many subjects the Corinthians asked him about was that of eating or not eating food offered to idols, that is the meat remaining after an animal had been sacrificed to the gods. Because there was usually so much of this meat, it was given to the butchers or distributed as food at the ‘idoleum’, the temple and its surrounding area. There were opportunities for this every day (festivals, fairs, weddings, funerals and so on), and the obvious social commitments on the part of Christians towards their fellow-citizens would have meant that they had to take part in such events. Continue reading “Respect for Others as a Restriction of Freedom”
by Vasileios Touloumtsis
It’s an unshakeable and irrefutable truth that every day of our earthly life is- apart from anything else- another step that brings us ever closer to our biological death. Despite the fact that this is the most certain event which will occur to each and every one of us, rich and poor, powerful and weak, in everyday practice we nevertheless are forgetful of it. We underestimate it, so it no longer functions for us as a compass showing the bearings to our destination, which is its advent. Continue reading “Love as a Feeling and as an Uncreated Gift of the Holy Trinity (Meat-fare Sunday)”
by Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae
The question of evil has been addressed hardly at all in the Orthodox Church. In comparison with other Christian dogmas, the answer is still expressed in a form that, of course, reveals the truth, but rather nebulously developed. Evil has its origins and draws its strength from the free will of created spirits, be they a part of the ranks of angels or human persons. This is the Orthodox position. But it’s a long way from being fully comprehensible. Continue reading “The Question of Evil”
When the same Abba Anthony thought about the depth of the judgements of God, he asked, ‘Lord, how is it that some die when they are young, while others drag on to extreme old age? Why are there those who are poor and those who are rich? Why do wicked men prosper and why are the just in need?’ He heard a voice answering him, ‘Anthony, keep your attention on yourself; these things are according to the judgement of God, and it is not to your advantage to know anything about them.’ Continue reading “Sayings of St. Anthony the Great”
Novo Scriptorium 