What do we mean by “Fathers of the Church”?

 

Orthodox Outlet for Dogmatic Enquiries 

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ: Τι είναι οι Πατέρες της Εκκλησίας

“Fathers” and “Patricity” in Christian theology

“Fathers and Teachers of the Church” (or, in brief, simply “Fathers of the Church”) is the title used to denote Christian priests of all ranks¹ (but also some who were not priests), who have been acknowledged as spiritual teachers and have also been acknowledged as authors for their formulation, their definition of the boundaries of, and the defending of, the Christian dogma.²

According to Western scholasticism (i.e., the philosophical theology that developed in western Europe following the Schism of 1054 and up until its apex during the Medieval era), the Patristic era ended in the 6^th century A.D. for the Western Church (with the last Western Father being Saint Isidore of Seville) and in the 8^th century for the Eastern Church (with the last Eastern Father being Saint John of Damascus). More recent historical and literary research, which has developed in the West and has adopted the criteria of scholasticism, has likewise adopted the idea of separating “Patristic literature” (=the works of the Fathers up until the 8^th century) from “Byzantine literature” (=the works of Byzantine authors after the 8^th century).

The Orthodox Church however regards Her theology as being always Patristic and only to the extent that it continues to be Patristic, can it also be considered valid and true. Thus, the Church discerns carriers of Her Patristic spirit in every Christian era, from the 2^nd century (=the first century after the generation of Apostles, with Saints like Clement of Rome, Polycarp of Smyrna, Ignatius of Antioch the “God-bearer”, e.a..), through to the late Byzantine era (for example, Saints Gregory Palamas 14^th century, Mark of Ephesus 15^th century), but also after the Byzantine era (Saint Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain 18^th – 19^th century, the Russian Saints of the 19^th century: Ignatius Branchianinov and Theophanes the Recluse, Innocent Beniaminov, e.a.), while even in our times there also appear to be several authentic carriers of the Patristic spirit of ecclesiastic theology – some of whom have been recognized officially as Saints (for example Saint Nectarios of Pentapolis, Luke the Physician of Symferoupolis, John of Shanghai (Maximovitch), Nicholas of Ohrid (Velimirovitch), e.a.), while others, albeit not “officially” recognized through an ecclesiastic “decision” of any kind, are nevertheless recognized in practice; for example holy teachers such as Justin Popovic, Sophrony Sacharov, Filotheos Zervakos, e.a..

The Church’s persistence with Patricity in Her theology is attributed to the fact that She regards the Fathers as saints; that is to say, as individuals with an authentic (in the Christian sense) association with uncreated (=divine) reality, and as such, reliable expressers of Her dogmatic teachings, whose validity also includes the element of being “divinely inspired”. The Christian dogma is expressed by means of the “enlightenment of the Holy Spirit” (in other words, through God Himself), and not by means of intellectual cogitations. And this is the determinant difference between philosophy and theology.

Of course, for the Church this difference does not lie in “appealing to a Holy-Spiritual enlightenment” – that is, to a “religious authority” – but to the actual existence of this transcendental element; otherwise, if in both cases we were to have ontological and soteriological systems, fashioned by human intellectual processes that merely invoked a certain contact with the divine Beyond for reasons of prestige, then in essence, there would be no objective difference between philosophy and theology³.

Fathers and philosophy

It should be noted that the Patristic opus does not end with the definition of boundaries of the Christian dogma; it also extends into a multitude of issues that involve the examination of human nature - and especially the soul - as well as Man’s relationship with himself, his fellow-man, the world and God – in other words, it deals with the healing of the consequences of Man’s Fall, for each individual, for mankind, and for Creation overall. The Patristic opus also continues its ceaseless dialogue with Philosophy and Science as they appear in every era. In this context, it makes sense to examine Patristic essays from the philosophical aspect also, inasmuch as they comprise one of the most fruitful chapters of worldwide thought. Unfortunately, the science of Philosophy’s History is ignorant of their contribution, although in recent times, with the endeavours of Greek researchers such as K.D.Georgoulis, Vasilios Tatakis, Bishop John Zizioulas of Pergamon, Christos Yannaras, fr. Nicholas Loudovikos e.a., their contribution is now being brought to light.

«An orthodox mind will stand at the point where all roads meet. He will carefully examine each road and, from his uniquely advantageous position, he will observe the conditions, the dangers, the uses and finally, the destination of each road. He will examine each road from the Patristic point of view, given that his personal convictions will come into a real, not hypothetical, contact with the culture around him» (Ivan Kiriyevski, Orthodox Russian author; quoted from the book by fr. Seraphim Rose "Orthodoxy and the religion of the future).

The Fathers of the ancient Church possess in their arsenal the entirety of Hellenic philosophy; after all, they too are philosophers. The only difference is that they are not concerned with “interpreting the world” or describing the laws of nature and their functions (alas, for our contemporary, materialistic sciences), but instead, they focus on theosis (deification), which they consider an imperative prerequisite for a complete knowledge of the world – in other words, our association with the world. (Of course, to modern science this seems meaningless, because it is a conquering, not a loving science. How can you love that which you seek to conquer? Our entire civilization – the western kind, which has now been imposed worldwide – is a conquering kind. Even the major navigators-“explorers” were followed by invading conquistadors, while the exploration of space is commonly referred to as “the conquest of outer space”).

It should be noted that Basil the Great’s “Hexaemeron” for example, as well as Saint Gregory of Nyssa’s “On the making of Man”, which is the continuation of the “Hexaemeron”, also summarize the scientific knowledge of their time. Saint Gregory specifically uses references to physiology, medicine, psychology, and also makes mention of dreams etc. And yet they all interpret in the most rational manner, rejecting astrology and any other irrational forms of religiosity.

Let us keep in mind that prior to its illicit Medieval distortion Christianity represented logic and progress, whereas idolatry represented irrationalism. Immediately upon its founding, the Church had openly opposed the superstition of the roman world, regarding it to be something irrational: astrology, star-worship, angel-worship, sorcery, divination, submission to fate…

Are the Fathers infallible?

We need to mention here that the Fathers of the Church, albeit saints, are not considered infallible. However, it is in them that the words of the Lord are realized: “blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (John 6:45), therefore their opinion is far more valid than any “scientist” theologian’s (mine, for example) who is not pure in heart. A valid interpreter of this kind (a saint) can quite easily be a humble and illiterate person (man or woman or even child), if their heart is pure enough. The “grand mystery of piety” (1 Tim.3:16) becomes palpable through catharsis of the heart, and not through logic. The heart is not the place of sentiments; it is where the Holy Spirit comes to reside (if the heart is pure), or the evil spirit (God forbid!) if the heart is filled with passions (Gal 4:6, Luke 22:3).

Even though I may not possess a perfect knowledge of Patristic literature and what is more, I am by no means a saint (so that I can speak validly about the saints), I do venture to say the following: There have been certain Fathers who, within the sum of their important writings, have also supported certain teachings that according to Orthodox theology were wrong. The most characteristic example is saint Augustine, however there are other examples also, such as the Syrian Fathers Aphrates and Isaac, who had maintained that Hell is only temporary (this is because they had perceived it as a punishment by God and they were confident that the God of Love would not punish eternally), and others. Thus, it is advisable to read the holy Fathers within the context of the overall teaching of the Church and to not absolutize the viewpoints of one or two of them. We accept something as valid, when it is supported by the sum of the saints of the Church, even if one or two Fathers happen to have another viewpoint. [For an analysis of this problem, see the book by fr. Seraphim Rose (whom I dare to call an American contemporary Father of the Church), “The soul after death – Posthumous experiences in the light of Orthodox teaching”, Myriobiblos Publications]
 

Some of the Fathers

We could briefly list here a number of Fathers of the Church who come to mind:

Apostolic Fathers (1^st century) : Clement of Rome, Ignatius the God-bearer, Polycarp of Smyrna.

Apologetes (2^nd century) : Saint Justin the philosopher and martyr, Athenagoras the Athenian philosopher, Kodratus Bishop of Athens, Theophilos of Antioch e.a..

Pursuant Fathers: 2^nd century: Irenaeus of Lyon, 3^rd century: Dionysios or Rome, Dionysios of Alexandria, Cyprian of Carthage e.a., 4^th century: Athanasius the Great, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Gregory of Nyssa, Ambrose of Milan, Martin of Tours, 4^th-5^th centuries: John the Chrysostom, the blessed Augustine, Cyril of Alexandria; 6^th century: Dionysus the Areopagite, Leontius the Byzantine; 7^th century: Maximus the Confessor, Isaac of Syria, 8^th century: John of Damascus, Boniface of Germany; 9^th century: Theodore the Studite, Photios the Great… 15^th century: Gregory Palamas, 16^th century: Mark of Ephesus, e.a…..

Particular groups of Fathers

A particular group of Fathers of the Church is one that pertains to those who did not leave any written works behind them, but had contributed towards the formulation of Orthodox theology, through their participation in local Synods, and especially in Ecumenical ones; such were the major saints of the 1^st Ecumenical Synod, Spyridon and Nicholas. The Fathers of Ecumenical Synods are generally honoured “en masse” as saints, given that it was NOT on the basis of political interests and imperial directions that they formulated the terms and the teachings of the Synods, but through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.

Then there are the Neptic Fathers (that is, the teachers of “nepsis” – the Orthodox “science of ascetic living” – although all the Fathers are also neptic): Makarius the Egyptian (4^th century, Cassian the Roman, Benedict of Noursia, Diadochus of Fotiki, John of Sinai (author of the ‘Ladder’, 6^th century), Simeon the New Theologian (10^th – 11^th centuries), Gregory of Sinai, Niketas Stethatos (11^th century, Nicholas Kavasilas, Nicephoros the Recluse, etc… (refer to the monumental works “Philokalia of the sacred Neptics”, which the holy Fathers Makarius Notaras and Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain had composed during the Turkish occupation and the Russian Father Paisius Velitkovsky had translated into Russian).

Another particular group of Fathers of the Church are the Hymnography Fathers: for example, saints Romanos the Melodist (the Salutations to the Theotokos e.a. and especially numerous other kontakia), Ephraim the Syrian (in Syrian), Andrew of Crete (the “Major Canon”), John of Damascus (the canon for the night of Easter e.a.), Kosmas the Melodist (the Canon for Christmas e.a.), Joseph the Hymnographer (innumerable canons), Theophanes and Theodore the Branded (they are called thus, because their foreheads were branded with a red-hot iron during the Iconomachy period), Theodore the Studite, Cassiane the Hymnographer (the “troparion of Cassiane” – glorification hymn chanted on Tuesday of Easter Week, also a section of the canon of Good Friday, e.a.) and many others. A contemporary hymnographer-Father was the blessed elder Gerasimos of the Holy Mountain, from the Minor Scete of Saint Anne).

There are also the Fathers of the Desert, who are hermits and monks. Some of them we have already mentioned. Let us note a few more. It should be noted that most of them were simple monks, without any ecclesiastic “rank” – not even priests. Furthermore, many of them did not leave any written texts; however, their verbal teachings as well as their way of life (which was quite possibly even more important than their words) have been recorded by other Fathers in collective works such as the “Lausaikon” by saint Palladius of Helenoupolis, the “Leimonarion” by saint John Moschou, the “Patristic Maxims”, etc…

Older Fathers: Anthony the Great ( the «professor of the desert»), Pachum the Great, Sisoe the Great, Poemen the Great, Arsenius the Great, Pafnut the Great, Nilus, Daniel of the Scete, Pitirum, Zosimas, John the Persian, Ammonius, John Kolovos, Theodore of Ferme, Abraham the Iberian, Moses the Ethiopian «of the robbers» (=a former robber), Sarmatas, Pambo, Biare, Onupher the Egyptian, Pior, Apfy, Mark the Athenian, Theodosios, Head of the Coenobium, and many others.

Recent Fathers:

Russian: Serge of Radonez, Seraphim of Sarov («find peace, and thousands of people will find peace alongside you»), Agapetos the Healer, Alexander of Svir, Cyril of the White Lake, Nicodemus of Lake Koza, John “of many feats”, Job of Potsaev, Nilus of Sorsky, the Elders of Optina (Anatolios, Joseph, Ambrose, Moses, Varsanuf, Nectarios, e.a.), Seraphim of Viritsa and many others (for these, see works such as the “Paterikon of the Caves of Kiev”, “The Thebais of the North” e.a.)

Holy Mountain: Siluan and fr.Tichon (Russians), Paisios, Anthimos of Saint Anna, Porphyry the “Hut-burner”, Joseph the Hesychast or Spilaiotes (the cave-dweller), Ephraim of Katounakia e.a.

Drama (Nth.Greece): George Karslides

Crete: Evmenios and Parthenios Koudouma (from Heraclion), Joachimaki Koudouma (from Roupes, Mylopotamos), Gennadios of Rethymnon, Evmenios of Roustika and many others

Romania: Cleopas Elie, Arsenios Bokas, Paisios Olaru, John of Hozeva, Enoch the Simple (Holy Mountain) etc…

Mothers of the Church

Icon from here

Aside from the Fathers, there are also the holy Mothers of the Church, who belong mainly to the last mentioned group, i.e. of the teachers who did not write anything themselves but whose way of life and words were recorded and handed down to us by others. Among the hundreds of major women-teachers of Orthodoxy were the following:

• The holy, great martyr Saint Ekaterina who, despite having been imprisoned for her faith, brought 150 idolatrous philosophers to Christianity, as well as 500 soldiers along with their commander (all of them were executed and are saints of our Church).

• Saint Makrina, grandmother of Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory of Nyssa,

• Her grand-daughter, also Makrina the Saint, the “theologian, teacher and philosopher” (according to Saint Gregory of Nyssa), who had convinced her mother saint Emmelia, to give equal rights to her maids and servants and to eventually give them their freedom.

• Saint Maria the Egyptian. A rich young woman who lived her life as a prostitute, for the pleasure and not for the money. On a pilgrimage trip to Jerusalem, she seduced the men who were travelling on the same ship. But when she arrived there, an invisible force obstructed her from going near the Precious Cross to worship. Crushed with the realization of her sins, she immediately departed for the depths of the desert taking only some bread with her and she remained there, until she was revealed in a divine vision to saint Zosimas, who found her in the desert, brought Holy Communion to her on his next visit to the desert, and a year later, he returned to find her lifeless body in the desert (still intact) and with the help of a lion, dug a grave and buried her there.

• Saint Melane, who, together with her husband, distributed her fortune in order to free captives, and ended up being the spiritual mother to the monastic sisterhood that the first Saint Melane – her grandmother - had founded in Jerusalem

• Saint Irene “Chrysovalantou”, who was seen to hover above the ground whenever she was in prayer and cypress trees would also lower their branches whenever she passed by them.

• Saint Matrona of Chiopolis, who lived on the island of Chios in the 15^th century and performed innumerable miracles, both while alive as well as after her repose

• The equally important ascetic saints, Syncletiki, Anastasia the former patrician (she lived inside a cave that only Saint Daniel of the Scete knew, in the 6^th century), Theoktiste of Lesvos island, Sarrah and Theodora, Genevieve of Paris, Ursula of Germany, Gulinduch the Persian (Maria when baptized)

• The great saints of philanthropy, Filothei the Athenian (1589) and Elizabeth the Grand Duchess of Russia (1918), who spent all their fortune to build hospitals and philanthropic institutions and finally gave their very life-blood (the former was put to death by Turks and the latter by Communists)

• The saints of Russia Dorothea and Anna of Kasin, Paraskeve of Pinega, Athanasia Logacheva, the “fools for Christ” saints Pelagia Ivanovna, Xeni of Petroupolis, and many others

• Contemporary saints, the holy Mothers Methodia of Kimolos island (1908), Pelagia of Kimolos island, Sophia the “Holy Mother’s ascetic” (1974, Kastoria), Tarso, the “fool for Christ” (Keratea, Attica 1989), Gabriela Papayanni (1993) and many more…

Notes

1 The ‘ranks’ of Christian priesthood are three: Deacon, Presbyter and Bishop. Albeit most of the Fathers of the Church bore the rank of Bishop, there have been Fathers with only the rank of Deacon (e.g. Ephraim the Syrian –he wrote in Syrian- and of Presbyter (e.g. John of Damascus) or even ordinary monks.

2 The definition is by professor G.Zografides, “Byzantine Philosophy” and “Hellenic Philosophy”. For more detail see “Patrologia A” by Stylianos Papadopoulos - Introduction – 2^nd and 3^rd centuries, Athens 1977, Introduction.

3 As above mentioned work by Styl. Papadopoulos, Introduction.

Translation by A.N.

 

Actress Juliette Binoche Acclaims Saint Paisios the Athonite and Byzantine Iconography In Award Speech

 

The 65th Thessaloniki Film Festival welcomed two of the most prolific stars of contemporary cinema, Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes, on Friday, November 1st 2024, at the Olympion theater. The two renowned actors received the Festival’s honorary Golden Alexander award prior to the screening of the monumental film *The English Patient* (1996), which marked their second collaboration (their first was in 1992's *Wuthering Heights*) and garnered Juliette Binoche an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and Ralph Fiennes a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. ...

 

read more (Honey and Hemlock)

 

See also

Saint Paisios the Athonite

Greek Television Series on the Life of Saint Paisios (Episodes 1 - 3)

 

‘When they kill the priests, I will tell them not to kill Papa-Nicholas. And not only will I say it, but I will defend him...’: a short story form Athens about a simple priest, who spoke with saints, animals, and children...

'The Simple Shepherd'—St Nicholas Planas

Three photos of st Nicholas Planas, from here

Logismoi

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ: «Όταν θα σκοτώσουν τους παπάδες, εγώ θα πω για τον παπα-Νικόλα να μην τον σκοτώσουν. Και όχι μόνο θα πω, αλλά θα τον περιφρουρήσω!»

 

  Today, 17 February on the Church’s calendar (March 2nd), we commemorate St Nicholas Planas, the simple priest of Athens who served the Divine Liturgy daily for 50 years. Although his parish began with only eight families, he inspired and attracted others to him with his childlike simplicity and faith and his zeal for the liturgical cycle of the Church, for as the publisher, Alexander Papademetriou, has written, ‘sanctity has never ceased to attract, to captivate, and to guide the Church’s faithful children in Her true path’ (‘Prologue of the Publishers of the Greek Edition’, Papa-Nicholas Planas (1851-1932): The Simple Shepherd of the Simple Sheep, by Nun Martha, trans. Holy Transfiguration Monastery [Boston: Holy Transfiguration Monastery, 1981], p. xix). Indeed, in the case of St Nicholas, Papademetriou continues on the same page:

It can be said that, in our cold and ungrateful times, the service-loving synodia of vigil-keepers of Papa-Nicholas Planas—from Alexander Papadiamantis, Alexander Moraitides, and Father Philotheos Zervakos, to the women, who though little-educated, were yet pious and zealously dedicated to the traditions of the Church—were by the good will and blessing of God, a continuation of the Kollyvades.

In his ‘Foreword’ to the book, the ever-memorable Photios Kontoglou also refers to the beautiful relationship between St Nicholas and this synodia (p. xxviii):

He considered his synodia as his children, the sons and daughters of Christ, a blessed fellowship which had in its midst the innocent Elder as guide—the good shepherd, who guided his flock to the good and refreshing pastures of the Orthodox Faith. The entire care and concern of the Elder was the salvation of the flock. He felt pain for them, since he was not the hireling who abandons the flock and leaves (cf. John 10:13).

Anyway, I thought that rather than trying to give an overview of St Nicholas’s life, which would be rather an imposition upon the material in this book by Sr Martha, I would simply give my own favourite episode, which is number 42, ‘The tamed beast’, on p. 48:

At the family’s where Father often went, their space inside the courtyard had been rented by a certain cobbler who was a mainstay of the Communist party. The hatred which he felt toward all, and especially toward priests, knew no bounds. There, while he worked, he would talk to himself, raving about where his comrades would begin slaughtering the priests. And he would say, ‘First of all, we’ll slaughter the priests of the Life-giving Spring.’ And he would go on dealing in turn with the others also. As I said, he worked inside the court. Father, in his kindness went up to him and said, ‘Good evening, my child.’ Without lifting his head from his work, he mumbled something.

The next Saturday Father went again, ‘Good evening, my Luke.’ He answered, ‘Good evening,’ again without lifting his head.

On the third visit, Father said to him again, ‘Good evening, my Luke; how are you doing, my child?’ He deigned to say, ‘Well, Father.’

Father would visit him continuously there where he worked, until the ice was broken. He got up from his work, he kisssed his hand with reverence, and he told us, ‘When they kill the priests, I will tell them not to kill Papa-Nicholas. And not only will I say it, but I will defend him.’ Afterwards, whenever Father used to come, he would hasten to meet him and kiss his hand. Father neither knew his inclinations, nor did he have any conception of communism, nor did he notice his transformation—we supposed. Who knows how he saw with the clairvoyance of his soul? Well, no matter how many sermons that Communist might have heard, no matter how many admonitions they might have given him, none of these would have been able to have any influence on his hardened soul as the goodness of this white-haired little old man, who used to pay him a standing visit each time—indifferent as to whether he had been scorned at the beginning. With Father’s little greetings and good wishes he repented. And when a short time afterwards he fell ill from a disease (paralysis of the lower extremities of his legs) and died at the age of thirty years, he reposed as a good Christian and . . . without having killed anyone. Such was the influence that the personality of Father had on all who knew him. Because of this, he had no one as his enemy. Only Satan, but even him he would bring to nought with the grace of the Holy Spirit, who had come to dwell in his soul.

Icons from the life of St Nicholas Planas, from here

There was a good article on St Nicholas in "Orthodox America"; it is available here. But one really ought to read Sr Martha's book, for as Kontoglou writes, 'this book also is restful and peaceful, because it was written by a soul who, though simple, yet is full of that humble wisdom which is granted by God to those who love Him above all things' (p. xxii).

 
Adout St Nicholas Planas in Google

6 facts about St Evmenios Saridakis (1999, May 23)

 

From here

“A saint like Elder Evmenios comes along only once every two hundred years.”
- St Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia

Want to find peace and quiet in a forest? Don't bring technology with yo

By : Fr. Eusebios Vittis

Orthodox Outlet for Dogmatic Enquiries (photo from here)

In Greek: here & here

Translated by:  K. N.

Today's man is afraid of loneliness; he cannot be alone. He is afraid, even in overpopulated cities, in villages and in the countryside.  A strange fact: if you are going to head for the forest, my brother, why don’t you “forsake” your cell phone, radio or TV?  Go there, to savour solitude! Focus on the sounds of rustling leaves, the songs of birds, the babbling brook... you will hear the sounds of the wind whistling through the trees, cleansing and refreshing them, and making them sing as it passes through their branches (provided it is not a storm or a hurricane, but a gentle breeze that reminds us of God).

Man is afraid of remaining alone, because he doesn’t have Christ with him.  Even the greatest hermit is not literally alone. Many people ask: “How do you get along, without any TV?”  Well, I ask them: “How do you get along, without any solitude? Without any peace and quiet?”

Let's take a moment to ponder isolation, stillness, calm, and silence, where there is a huge lesson to be learnt…

We simply cannot remain calm In the world, without a river of utterances beginning to gush forth. Even in places of (respectful) quiet such as Churches, we cannot stay silent; one will inevitably hear a steady droning of churchgoers’ voices, as if they are in a public square (naturally before the commencement of the Liturgy and not during!)

Silence is the opposite of utterance. Man is a rational being; inner utterances can also form articulated utterances, that is, speech. But oftentimes, speaking becomes an unstoppable flow of utterances - sheer chatter that can be very tiring. It is a vacuous utterance, not constructive, lacking in content, and not an enriched utterance “irrigated” by the divine Spirit.

Utterance is a gift. But at times it becomes a torment, making others say: “Doesn’t that person ever stop?  There is a time for speaking and a time to remain silent.”  What time would that be?  Difficult to determine. Let’s see how the holy Fathers describe this in their homilies – themselves having lived in noiselessness, in silence – and let’s learn from them. Let’s find ways to learn in silence the things that the Lord wants from us.

However, we don’t imply the cases where some people become silent when they are offended, when they quarrel, when they’re angry, when they’re jealous and bitter, when they’re in a lot of pain, when they’re afraid, when they dislike, when they secretly prepare malevolent intentions and do not speak. These cases of silence (“silent treatment”) are not representative of virtue.

We... “don’t have time” to focus on our deeper self, which is why, during confession when we prostrate ourselves before the Lord with our Spiritual Father as witness, our confession is sadly deficient; it doesn’t bear fruit, because we have never learnt how to practice inner silence.

“Virtue is silence in words”, as the fathers say. Silence is spiritual; it is that which begins from within, then moves outwards.  If the inside is not silent - the inner man, the inner world - if there is dizziness on account of passions such as self indulgence, avarice, envy, greed etc – then you can’t remain calm. Your inside will gnaw at you…

When there is revengefulness, when you believe that you have been misunderstood, that you have been slandered by others, then you are inclined to talk continuously, to get involved in everything around you and eventually become boisterous. Spiritual silence is a virtue that helps us in the balanced use of articulated utterances and in non-spoken quietude.

Silence is an opportunity to talk with oneself. We are not given this opportunity, my brethren, and we also do not seek the opportunity to discover who we are: “this is me... this is how I am...”. But this can only be done in quietude and not hurriedly. 

Silence presupposes ascesis. Ascesis presupposes insulation. But where can we find insulation, when in the cities that we live in, noise never ceases?  Well, even if we are unable to have uninterrupted silence like a hermit, we can establish zones of silence: we can dedicate 15 to 20 minutes in our daily schedule, telling ourselves: “Now, I can remain silent”. When our children are away we should also seek silence by switching off the TVs that are nothing more than invaders in our homes - which also display a lack of respect for man.  So, let's establish zones of silence, as much as we possibly can, at least an elementary degree thereof.

Let's now see what the Holy Fathers say on this matter:

The blessed Nikitas Stethatos writes:

“Non-preoccupation with human events and things is spiritual quietude”.

This quietude frees the soul from the shackles of the senses and the passions; by converting the powers of the soul, it recalls it to its natural state - that is, we return to the way the Lord had made us.

We are currently living unnaturally; we are inclined towards the natural, in order to reach the supra-natural by the grace of God, which transcends what we currently are.

Another saint says:

“Quietude is a state of mind; it is the peace of inner freedom, a rejoicing soul, a soul that is not perturbed by anything. It is the deeper knowledge of the mystery of God, it is companionship with God, it is conversing with God - the union and the close bond with God '.

If this doesn’t exist, then we are doing nothing; in other words, quietude is not merely an external display, it is also an internal function. Lacking that, we will have a vacant space in us that will need to be filled. When there is no internal bond with the Lord, quietude probably sounds like something foolish to many.

Saint Thalassios says:

“Enclose your senses inside the fortress of quietude, so that they don’t create distractions because of your desires”, in other words, a cessation of our unceasing desires.

Saint Basil says:

“In life, I abandoned my relations with the world because they were an occasion for myriad evils; but, it was not possible to abandon myself.”   

Indeed, when we find ourselves in a marketplace that is very noisy, even when we return home, the noise still resonates in our ears, which is why the effort for quietude must be an ongoing one.

Saint John Chrysostom says:

“There are cases when silence benefits more than words – and vice-versa. That is, there will be an instance when you will speak: for example, when you are about to save someone, you will break the silence”.

“Proper silence produces proper offspring: temperance, love, clean prayer.”

What is a “clean prayer”?  It is a prayer without any musings, without distractions. For example, when I begin to say the Lord’s Prayer...  'Our Father...' and my thought drifts to the rent I must pay; then, 'Who are in heaven...”  and my thought goes to the electricity bill... or, what the neighbour said the other day, making me tremble in anger etc…. well, my prayer is demolished! Gone is “Our Father”!  Quietude is gone!  One must not pray after being upset about something; one must first calm down.  When entering a house, we do not burst into its private quarters (i.e. the bedroom) directly;  we normally pass through an entrance hall first, then a corridor... Everything presupposes some preparation - especially in prayer. If I am not calm and prepared, I should read from a spiritual book, prepare myself, and then talk to God.

“Quietude and prayer, love and temperance comprise the four-wheeled chariot that leads to the heavens”, that is, a chariot with four wheels that lifts the mind heavenward.

Says St. John Chrysostom, “Many were the things that could have held back Pilate and the Jews: miracles, Christ’s tolerance; but above all, it was His ineffable silence.”

If only we could be silent like the Lord!  “Jesus remained silent” – even during the most difficult moments!    Thus, the long-suffering, the forgiving, and those who know how to be silent will be safe when walking steadily on their path, and also be pleasant to everyone.

 

Greek Television Series on the Life of Saint Paisios (Episodes 1 - 3)

 

The life of Saint Paisios the Athonite has become a television series (as reported in September 2020) and has enjoyed high ratings and much acclaim in Greece. It aspires to bring to the screens of... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

 

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Saint Ephraim of Katounakia, Athos († 1998, February 27)

 

Elder Ephraim of Katounakia (+1998) (source)

Full of Grace & Truth  

Fr. Ephraim of Katounakia was born in 1912 in Ambelochori, Thiva (Greece). His father was named Ioannis Papanikitas and his mother was Victoria. The Elder's worldly name was Evangelos. He completed high school, but the Grace of God closed off to Evangelos the worldly paths of waywardness.

In Thiva, where his family moved to, Evangelos came to know his later Elders, Ephraim and Nikephoros.

The life of Evangelos was monastic. He struggled spiritually with the Jesus prayer, with prostrations, with fasting, but especially with obedience.

Elder Ephraim as a layman (source)

 
His mother was made worthy to receive from St. Ephraim the Syrian the knowledge that it was his desire that his son become a monk and that Evangelos would keep the monastic life.

On September 14th 1933, Evangelos left the world and came to the desert of the Holy Mountain at Katounakia, to the hesychasterion of St. Ephraim the Syrian, and made his prostration to the synodeia of the Elders Ephraim and Nikephoros. After the trial period, he was tonsured a monk of the small schema with the name Longinos. In 1935 he became a great schema monk from his Elder Nikephoros and received the name Ephraim. The next year he was ordained a Priest.
 

Elder Ephraim of Katounakia with his Elders (source)

   

Papa Ephraim was made worthy to know the great rector of the hesychastic life, the discerning and foreseeing  and holy Elder Joseph the Hesychast (1898-1959), and became united with him spiritually together with the blessing of his Elder Nikephoros. Elder Joseph, over time, taught him the un-deluded spiritual life from the famous hesychasts, monk Kallinikos and Hieromonk Daniel. Later, Papa Ephraim taught us the persistent search for the spiritual life and finding an un-deluded and simple spiritual guide, who would be an act of the proper Orthodox faith. The un-deluded spiritual father sees the demonic traps and with corresponding medicine leads the spiritual children to Paradise.
 
Blessed Papa Ephraim distinguished true from sick obedience when he counseled a monk of a cenobium to show obedience to his Elder not like an animal, but from love and zeal for God.

The holy Elder Joseph the Hesychast gave a program of the hesychastic life to Papa Ephraim, in order to cultivate the prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me", to keep watch over his senses and to lead him towards purification of the heart and divine illumination.

Papa Ephraim, with the blessing of Elder Joseph, was nourished by the "Philokalia of the Holy Neptics", and received the counsels of the Neptic Fathers regarding his struggle. He did not read psychiatric books, nor cultural books on the spiritual life that people keep in the living rooms, nor did he have the fear that he would be included in the circle of "fundamentalism" by worldly people.
 

Elder Ephraim of Katounakia before a picture of Elder Joseph the Hesychast, his great spiritual guide (source)

 
In 1973, Hieromonk Nikephoros, his Elder reposed. After 1980 the Elder had gathered a synodeia around him and kept the commandment of Elder Joseph to keep a synodeia after the death of Papa Nikephoros. Later,  Papa Ephraim reached purification and became that very Elder. Papa Ephraim fought the great enemy of the spiritual life, kenodoxia (vainglory). His sacrifices were for Christ, and not to seek the praise from men.

The Divine Liturgy for Papa Ephraim was astounding and experiential event. He secretly related to a Hieromonk spiritual friend of his that from the first Divine Liturgy that he celebrated, he saw sensibly the Grace of God transform the divine Gifts. Of course, after the sanctification of the Precious Gifts, he saw Christ Himself on the Holy Paten, and it was impossible for him to hold back his tears, when he broke apart the Body of Christ. His tears watered the antimension, and to the right and left he saw Angels serving with him.
  

Elder Ephraim of Katounakia (source)

  
However, Papa Ephraim never sought "liturgical renewal", and in fact, he asked those in cenobiums in the outside world who were at outside diakonemas to not abandon the Psalter.

Papa Ephraim was adorned with the gift of discernment, and saw the spiritual state of every cleric or monk and granted the corresponding medicine for their progress in the spiritual life.

The Grace of God had granted Papa Ephraim the gift of foreknowledge, and because of this, he saw situations that would occur beforehand (such as the earthquake of 1977 in Thessaloniki), and also many times he had called lay people, even from their childhood years, by the name that they would later receive in their monastic tonsure. For example, a student sent a general letter to the blessed Elder without details, and he received a response from Papa Ephraim which related details of his spiritual state and the situation of his village without the student having told him anything beforehand.

Once, some clerics who did not know each other met on the road to Katounakia, and when they reached Papa Ephraim, the blessed holy Elder began to berate one of the clerics, saying that he was not a priest but a mason, who took off his raso, in order to spy on the Holy Mountain. The mason acknowledged his plan.

Papa Ephraim lived experiences which only Orthodox Christians could experience, far away from papist or protestant delusions.

Once, an Abbot, two theologians and a student asked Papa Ephraim to describe the fragrance of holy relics.

The Elder bent his head to the side of his heart and prayed. The place was filled with fragrance and Papa Ephraim told them that because he could not explain it, he entreated God to respond to those he was speaking with.

Papa Ephraim sensed sins as stench. Once, a bishop through a third party asked the blessed holy Elder about ecumenism. The Elder prayed for God to inform him, and then he sensed a stench with a sour, salty and bitter taste, which filled him with dismay.

The Depository of the blessed Papa Ephraim on the unity of the Orthodox was clear: "Schism occurs easily, but unity with difficulty."

So, how much do the words of a modern-day God-bearing Father resonate today?
  

Elder Ephraim of Katounakia (center), depicted with Elder Joseph of Vatopedi (right) and Elder Ephraim of Arizona (left)-- all spiritual children of Elder Joseph the Hesychast (source)

  
Papa Ephraim was highlighted by the Grace of God as a practical guide in the pastoral care of marriage and family, because he helped many young people to embrace marriage without forcing them, and because of this, his letters which have survived comprise a spiritual depository of "parental education", without psychological or philosophical theories for struggling spiritual families.

In 1996 Papa Ephraim suffered a stroke and remained paralyzed. He did not complain at all but glorified God.
 

Elder Ephraim with his synodeia later in life (source)

 
He leaves us his holy paradigm on how to face afflictions.

On February 14 / 27th 1998 Papa Ephraim of Katounakia and Mount Athos delivered his holy soul to the hands of his Creator, Whom he served from his youth.

It was said of a very old man who lived in the 19th century, that he was asked what was the most astonishing moment of his life. He responded that when he was small, he saw and heard St. Kosmas Aitolos.

And our generation was made worthy to know the fragrant flowers of Athonite Monasticism, St. Paisios and Papa Ephraim of Katounakia, who call us to follow their life's example.
(source)
 
Elder Ephraim of Katounakia was officially canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on March 9th, 2020, together with Elders Joseph the Hesychast and Daniel of Katounakia.
  

Elders Ephraim of Katounakia and Aimilianos of Simonopetra (source)

 
The Relationship between Elders Ephraim of Katounakia and Aimilianos of Simonopetra
Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra was two years younger than Papa Ephraim, but the Most-holy Theotokos had judged that that hieromonk was in a state to understand the experiences of that venerable Athonite monk, as Papa Ephraim later related:

"Our hearts became one, and met like two flames rising up to heaven!"

At his first impression, Papa Ephraim misunderstood the later Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra. He saw him dressed well, appeared with clothes well-ironed, amorphous, like a little prince, and he said within him:
"Yeah sure, a priest like the others came to talk about prayer! With ironed raso and shirt! Come on, I'll give him a loukoumi so he'll leave!"

Elder Aimilianos, as he was good natured, pleasant and radiant, out of reverence took off his skoufo (hat), and sat respectfully in front of Elder Ephraim. "I am an Abbot in Meteora", he said. He appeared to come with longing to speak with Papa Ephraim on noetic prayer, the monastic life, and its fruits, in general.

"At Meteora you have a lot of people" replied the Elder, perhaps still having some doubt regarding that unexpected visitor. "You should come to the Holy Mountain",  he preferred to say.

Something, however, warned Papa Ephraim within him that he somehow misjudged the young Abbot from Meteora, who, after all, had worked hard, together with two others, to come meet with him.

"Maybe I am being unjust to the man?" He said within himself. He went to bring him a loukoumi for a treat, while within he was pressured and had very serious doubt. "Why don't I get information" in order to be sure. His "Information" [from God], was for the Elder a way and path of life.
 

Elders Ephraim of Katounakia and Aimilianos of Simonopetra (source)

 
Papa Ephraim went into his chapel, to the icon of Panagia in order to get "information" on Fr. Aimilianos, the "selfish muse fire outside, the amorphous one from Meteora".

Papa Ephraim made two, then three prostrations, and said straightaway with honor to the Theotokos: "My Panagia, should I speak with him, or will I waste my words?"

Then, the Blessed Elder Ephraim of Katounakia heard the Most-holy Theotokos herself reply from within Her Icon:

"You have found a second Elder Joseph [the Hesychast]. Speak with him!!" She said.

Papa Ephraim arose, sweating and astonished! "O! I'm crying within myself!!" He said with astonishment. He ran outside, took Fr. Aimilianos and led him into the chapel. They talked for hours between them, and from then on, they were never separated.

Papa Ephraim continuously said of that man planted by God at Meteora: "I found my departed Elder, another Elder Joseph, the golden-tonged and honorable Elder Aimilianos!"

Elsewhere, he said of Elder Aimilianos: "He, my child, is fragrance."
(source)
 

The Blessed Skull of Elder Ephraim of Katounakia, bearing the shape of the Cross and the golden color of the Holy Relics of the Saints (source)

 

Selected quotes from Elder Ephraim of Katounakia
Everyone has a cross to carry. Why? Since the leader of our faith endured the cross, we will also endure it. On one hand, the cross is sweet and light, but, on the other, it can also be bitter and heavy. It depends on our will. If you bear Christ’s cross with love then it will be very light; like a sponge or a cork. But if you have a negative attitude, it becomes heavy; too heavy to lift.

Taken from the book: Elder Ephraim of Katounakia

(source)

 
Prayer is a struggle. It strengthens the fight of the faithful against the devil but it is itself also a painful and bloody struggle. All our effort is to concentrate our nous on the words of the "Jesus Prayer."

   
We should make our nous deaf and mute to any other thought, either good or bad, that evil brings us. We should not listen to the thoughts that come from outside or answer them. We need to despise them completely and not converse with them. Thus we should seek in every way the complete muteness of our nous because only with this action can we keep our soul in calmness so that the Jesus Prayer can act effectively.
   

Elder Ephraim of Katounakia (source)

  
It is known that the thoughts are led from the mind into the heart and disturb it. The troubled mind also troubles the heart. Just as the wind raises the waves of the sea, so the wind of thoughts raises waves in the soul. Attentiveness is necessary for prayer. That is why the Fathers talk about prayer in combination with watchfulness. Watchfulness keeps the nous in constant alertness and readiness and prayer brings the divine grace...
   
The Holy Fathers teach that even if man is not always under the dominion of the demons he is, however, under their influence and persistent hostility. They continually turn around the soul and try, by all means, to make the faithful sin, either through the senses (when the object is near) or through the imagination (when the person or object is far away) or through the movements of the flesh. For the whole of man, who consists of soul and body, receives the influence of Satan and gets captured by him.
   
The hostile tactics of the evil, however, are more apparent during prayer. Those who fight in this inner struggle see evil making war against them furiously at every step. They see the devil clearly using all means to distract their nous from God. They see all the cunning devices of the evil demon, who hates the good and kills man.
   

(source)

   
According to St. Mark the Ascetic: "When the devil sees that the nous is praying in the heart, then he incurs great and malicious temptations". He hates men exceedingly, and his hatred increases when he sees that they tend to become angels through prayer, and occupy the place the demons had before their fall. St. Gregory of Nyssa describes this malicious envy of the devil, caused by the theosis of man: "The demons are consumed by envy and jealousy when men are ready to acquire kinship with God, whereas they (the demons) have fallen from their relationship with the good"...
   
Imagination is the most cunning weapon of Satan; imagining the past and imagining the future; imagining good works, imagining bad ones. Various thoughts come and preoccupy the nous, so that it ceases to meditate on the name of Jesus. He tries to make man not to show interest in God and express his love. Primarily he coaxes him to call to mind the various faults he has committed in his former and recent life.
   
The Holy Fathers say that the war is usually as fierce as the passions were before. For every pleasure he must pay the proportionate pain. There is a close connection between pleasure and pain in the ascetic life of the Fathers. Pleasure brought about both the Fall and pain; and it is precisely this pain which restores man to his original state and cures him. Thus, man suffers a lot. He pays for each thought and evil pleasure the proportionate amount of suffering, so that an equilibrium may be restored.
   
Events that happened many years ago which he felt pleasure for, being forgotten in the meantime, appear now in all their intensity and range. He may even reach the point of disgust and despair.

Blasphemous thoughts come upon the athlete of prayer...incredulity about the great matters of faith, like the divinity of Christ and the purity of the Most Holy Mother of God and the Saints, etc. Many times these thoughts are expressed and verbalized during prayer, without the wrestler of this struggle knowing it or wanting it...
   

An icon of Elder Ephraim of Katounakia (source)

  
Blasphemous thoughts must be opposed with contempt. Only in this way do they disappear. Blasphemous thoughts are inspired by the devil they are not ours. Here we can affirm that the Lord's word has validity: "You cannot serve God and mammon", (Matt. 6:24) that is, the nous cannot do two things simultaneously. It cannot be enchanted by the sweetest nectar of the Jesus prayer on the one hand and on the other hand, while it is praying, doubt the power of prayer or dogmatic truths. The latter is the attack of the devil. Contempt then is needed and if the blasphemous thought continually attacks us, it needs confession to the spiritual father. Then it disappears immediately. Moreover, the same happens with persistent thoughts. A thought that persists, especially during prayer, needs to be confessed. Thus the devil who hides under it immediately disappears, like the snake when we lift up the stone...
   
The athlete of prayer must not let himself be shaken. He must oppose imagination with the continuous invocation of the name of Jesus, and he must be concentrated within the words of the Jesus prayer. He must stand bravely in the conciseness of the Jesus prayer. He must not think of anything during prayer, either of wrong or even good works...
   

Elder Ephraim of Katounakia (source)

  
Many times the devil, he continued, appears and talks to the athlete of prayer. He challenges him and tries to open a dialogue with him. Sometimes he blames the athlete, sometimes he praises him, sometimes he scoffs at him, sometimes he interprets certain acts wrongly. The inexperienced in this spiritual contest start talking with the devil and answer his questions and his assaults. However, this is an error, especially for the beginners, because the inexperienced in these situations are defeated even if it seems that the devil was put to flight by their replies. Confusion and fear remain. And later, when they recall this scene and all that was said, they will be shaken and troubled. The Fathers recommend that those who do not have the experience and the necessary strength should not answer. They must be indifferent to the devil and despise him. They must do the same in the war against their thoughts. Thus contempt against the devil and perseverance in the Jesus prayer are needed... 
(source)

   

The best prayer is the one you say with your own words. Reading a prayer is not enough. For example, before receiving Holy Communion we read the Service of Preparation for Holy Communion, ‘From lips tainted and defiled, from heart unclean and loathsome…’, sometimes without even understanding the words. You yourself should pray with your own words. Then you will understand what you are saying to God. This prayer has great power; great power indeed!

(source)

   

Elder Ephraim placed great importance on the Mystery of Confession
and on obedience to the confessor, even for laymen.
Particularly we remember that he told us, '' For whoever kneels even just once
under the stole of the priest, divine Providence will arrange things in such
a way that Christ will finally gain him. ''
Obedience is Life - Elder Ephraim  of Katounakia

(source)

Icon of the Blessed Elder Ephraim of Katounakia (source)

  

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!