Κυριακή 26 Φεβρουαρίου 2023

Forgiveness Sunday, also called Cheesefare Sunday, the final day of pre-Lent in the Orthodox Church

 


Orthodoxwiki.org

Forgiveness Sunday, also called Cheesefare Sunday, is the final day of pre-Lent. It is the Sunday after Meatfare Sunday and the Sunday before the Sunday of Orthodoxy.

Significance of the day

On this last Sunday before Great Lent, the last day that traditionally Orthodox Christians eat dairy products until Easter, the Church remembers the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise. God commanded them to fast from the fruit of a tree (Gen. 2:16), but they did not obey. In this way Adam and Eve and their descendants became heirs of death and corruption.

On Forgiveness Sunday many attend Forgiveness Vespers on the eve of Great Lent. They hear on the Lord's teaching about fasting and forgiveness and enter the season of the fast forgiving one another so that God will forgive them. If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses (Matthew 6:14).

The Gospel reading of the day also gives advice on fasting. Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (Matthew 6:16-18).

The Rite of Forgiveness

After the dismissal at Vespers, the priest stands beside the analogion, or before the ambon, and the faithful come up one by one and venerate the icon, after which each makes a prostration before the priest, saying, "Forgive me, a sinner." The priest also makes a prostration before each, saying, "God forgives. Forgive me." The person responds, "God forgives," and receives a blessing from the priest. Meanwhile the choir sings quietly the irmoi of the Paschal Canon, or else the Paschal Stichera. After receiving the priest's blessing, the faithful also ask forgiveness of each other. 

Sunday of Cheesefare: Expulsion of Adam from Paradise

 

Orthodox Church in America

As we begin the Great Fast, the Church reminds us of Adam’s expulsion from Paradise. God commanded Adam to fast (Gen. 2:16), but he did not obey. Because of their disobedience, Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden and lost the life of blessedness, knowledge of God, and communion with Him, for which they were created. Both they and their descendents became heirs of death and corruption.

Let us consider the benefits of fasting, the consequences of disobedience, and recall our fallen state. Today we are invited to cleanse ourselves of evil through fasting and obedience to God. Our fasting should not be a negative thing, a mere abstention from certain foods. It is an opportunity to free ourselves from the sinful desires and urges of our fallen nature, and to nourish our souls with prayer, repentance, to participate in church services, and partake of the life-giving Mysteries of Christ.

At Forgiveness Vespers we sing: “Let us begin the time of fasting in light, preparing ourselves for spiritual efforts. Let us purify our soul, let us purify our body. As we abstain from food, let us abstain from all passion and enjoy the virtues of the spirit....” 

O Master, Guide to wisdom, / Bestower of prudence, / Instructor of the foolish, and Defender of the poor: / make firm my heart and grant it understanding. / O Word of the Father, / give me speech, for behold, I shall not restrain my lips from crying out to Thee: / "Have mercy, have mercy on me who have fallen."

Please read more about the meaning of this storytelling below.

1.  The dogma regarding Creation  

2.  Creation from nil  

3.  Existential consequences of the dogma on Creation  

4.  The consequences of man’s downfall  

5.  Christology 

6.  Salvation

7.  Ecclesiology

Δευτέρα 6 Φεβρουαρίου 2023

Professor Metropolitan of Pergamus & Chairman of the Athens Academy John (Ioannis) Zizioulas (1931 - 2023), Lessons on Christian Dogmatics

 

Contents

Α. ON DOGMATICS AND DOGMAS

1. Definition – Sources – Content and Method of Dogmatics:

1a. Form and character of Dogmatics

1b. Dogmatics as Hermeneutics (Interpretational)

1c. The Dogmatics method

2. The term: «Dogma» and its significance

3. The affiliation of dogmas to the Holy Scriptures

4. The work of the Holy Spirit in the phrasing of the dogmas

5. The work of the Church in the phrasing of the dogmas

6. The prestige and the authority of the dogmas

 

 Β. ON COGNIZANCE AND FAITH

I. On cognizance:

 

          1a.    Cognizance of things

          1b.   Cognizance of God

          1c.    Cognizance through the Son and Logos 

          1d1. Cognizance in person  part 1: The element of Freedom

          1d2. Cognizance in person  part 2: The element of Love

II. On faith

 

C. ON GOD 

1. The biblical premises

2. Basic principles of Patristic teaching:

 

          2a. Up to the Cappadocian Fathers

          2b. The contribution of the Cappadocians

          2c. Augustine’s views

          2d. Discerning between "Theology" and "Providence"

          2e. Existential interpretation

  

D. SUPPLEMENT

 

1. Discernments of the Cappadocians on the “being” of God:

 

          1a.  The “whatever”, the “what” and the “how” of God

          1b.  “Essence”, “energy” and “person”

 

2. The transferral of the terms “essence”, “Energy” and “Person” into Theology (The problem of freedom)

 

          2a.   The prerequisites of the Patristic Synthesis

          2b.   The contribution of the Cappadocian Fathers – The patristic notion of the person

          2c.    Augustin’s theology and the problem of the Filioque

          2d.   The theological problem of the Filioque

          2e.   The Filioque in Theology and in Providence

          2f.    The dogma of creation - the problem of Gnosticism

          2f2.  The correction of Platonic ideas by the Christian faith

 

Ε. ON CREATION, SALVATION, CHRISTOLOGY AND ECCLESIOLOGY

1.  The dogma regarding Creation  

2.  Creation from nil  

3.  Existential consequences of the dogma on Creation  

4.  The consequences of man’s downfall  

5.  Christology 

6.  Salvation

7.  Ecclesiology

 

F. ECCLESIOLOGICAL TOPICS

Introduction

Questions

2.  Orthodox Ecclesiology topics:

 

      2a.   The eschatological identity of the Church

      2b.  “Therapeutic” or “Liturgical”  Ecclesiology: the synthesis of Saint Maximus the Confessor - Questions

      2c.   The Trinitarian basis of Ecclesiology

      2d.   Imagery in ontology - Questions

      2e.   Formation and structure of the Church

      2f.    The Local and worldwide Church – The Synodic institution  

      2g.   The functions of the Church Questions

         3.   Commentary on Western Ecclesiology

 

                3a.  The dialectics of “the one” and “the many”. The priority of a universal Church

                3b.  The problem of priority between Christology and Pneumatology (of the Spirit)

                        Ecclesiological consequences

                3c.   History and Eschatology Questions

           

G. ORTHODOXY AND WESTERN THEOLOGY

Texts by Rev. John Zizioulas (Addendum)

(Dogmatics – Therapy - Theology – Filioque – Ecclesiology – Christology – Pneumatology)

1    Introductory, basic characteristics of Western thought
1b. Western Ethicism and Dostoevsky
2.   Theology and Providence (Oekonomia) in Western thought
2b. Sickness and healing in Orthodox Theology
3.   The problem of the Filioque
4.   The existential repercussions of the Filioque  -  Questions  
5.   Ecclesiology, Christology, Pneumatology  

 

END

Lessons on Christian Dogmatics

These are the notes that were taken from the lectures of Professor I. Zizioulas (current Metropolitan of Pergamus and Chairman of the Athens Academy) at the Poemantic Division of the Thessaloniki University’s School of Theology, during the academic year 1984-1985.

They are published with the blessing and the permission of the reverend Metropolitan.

The notes were published with the caring and the responsibility of the students, for use during their examinations.

Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki

Published by :  Publication Services

Because of its size, this series of Dogmatics will be presented by us in segments, in the hope that the entire text that we have in hand will be made available very soon.

It is with immense joy, that we are hosts to this significant piece of work in our website.

We consider this presentation an honor, and acknowledge the extremely significant opus of the reverend Metropolitan of Pergamus.

 

We are referring to the hand-typed notes of the reverend Metropolitan’s lessons at the University of Thessaloniki, which benefited us so much, that we wished to make them more broadly accessible.

 

It is our fervent desire that you study these notes, which exude the fragrance of the Orthodox faith and are delivered with scientific precision, in a simple and comprehensible manner.

 

We wish to thank with all our heart those who toiled and participated in the acquisition of these notes for us.

 

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