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.

 

The Romeoi (Rum) of the Levant: Identity and a Concise Historical Overview

الجمعية الثقافية الرومية Romaian Cultural Society

يشرفني أن أرسلَ إليكم هذه الصورة، أعلاه، والمقالة التي كتبها الدكتور يوانيس نيوناكيس المسؤؤل عن قسم العلاقات مع الروم خارج اليونان في حزب النصر NIKH اليوناني، معتمداً في هذه المقالة على المعلومات التي حصل عليها من مختلف المقالات والفيديوهات التي أصدرتها جمعيتنا خلال السنوات المنصرمة. المقالة هامة جداً، وقد كُتبت باليونانية والإنكليزية، وتوزع داخل اليونان وخارجه.

حزب النصر اليوناني، يؤمن، كما الجمعية الثقافية الرومية، بأممية الروم العابرة للقوميات والدول، ويسعى لمزيدٍ من التضامن والتكامل بين الروم في جميع البلدان.

نشكر الدكتور نيوناكيس وحزب النصر على إهتمامهم بقضايا الروم في بلدان المشرق، ونأمل مزيداً من التعاون يؤدي الى نهضةٍ روميةٍ حقيقية وعميقة تحافظ على وجودنا في وجه التحديات الكثيرة التي نتعرض إليها.

المسيح قام!

 

 

The Romeoi (Rum) of the Levant: Identity and a Concise Historical Overview 

 

Ioannis K. Neonakis
Head of the Romeosyne Policy Department, NIKI 

Democratic Patriotic Popular Movement NIKI 

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, we wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to the members of the Romaian Cultural Society, based in Beirut, and in particular to its President, Professor Negib Elias Geahchan, as well as to Mr Nicolas Saba and Mr Gabriel Andrea, for their invaluable assistance.

Introduction

In modern European terminology, the term Levant denotes the geographical area of the Eastern Mediterranean, and more specifically its eastern shores, that is, the region comprising chiefly Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan. The term derives from the French word levant (“east,” “the place where the sun rises”).
The name Romeoi / Romaioi (Rum) is not merely a historical designation, but a declaration of identity and continuity. It derives from Rome, initially the city in Italy, and thereafter from New Rome, Constantinople, which was founded in 330 AD by Saint Constantine the Great and served as the capital of the Roman Empire, that is, of our homeland Romanía (wrongly and deceitfully termed “Byzantium”).
Greek cities in the region of the Levant are already attested from the seventh century BC onward. Phoenicians (Canaanites) and Arameans, in continual contact and intermixture with the Greek world (populations from Cyprus, the islands of the Aegean, and Asia Minor), gradually formed a unified cultural body. During the age of Alexander the Great and the subsequent Seleucid period, Hellenization was profound and complete, with the Greek language becoming the common tongue of daily life, administration, and education, especially in the western provinces (present-day Lebanon, Palestine, and Western Syria).

Seleucus I Nicator, Alexander’s general, founded Antioch the Great, whose first settlers were chiefly Athenians and Macedonians. Antioch would become a cradle of Greek civilization, and later of Christianity, while the whole region would for hundreds of years constitute a central pillar of Romanía. To this day, Antioch remains the seat of the Orthodox Romeic Patriarchate, bearing witness to an unbroken ecclesiastical and historical continuity.
Nearly all the major cities of the Levant bore Greek names already from antiquity. Some have survived to this day, others were partially Arabized, while some were replaced by Arabic names: Ptolemais (Akko / Acre), Tyre, Sarepta (Sarafand), Sidon (Saida), Porphyreon (Jiyeh), Berytus (Beirut), Byblos (Jbeil), Botrys (Batroun), Tripolis (Tripoli), Arcadia (Arqa), Antaradus (Tartus), Aradus (Arwad), Heliopolis (Baalbek), Seleuceia (al-Suqaylabiyah), Paneas (Banias), Caesarea, and others.
When the Levant was incorporated into the Roman Empire, its inhabitants became Roman citizens, yet without losing their linguistic and cultural substratum. Greek remained the living language both of the people and of the state. This is clearly reflected in the New Testament, which was written there in the Greek language.

Christianization

Before 313 AD, Christianity remained chiefly an urban reality, embraced by a relatively small part of the population (10–20%). Yet with the appearance of Saint Constantine the Great and the historic turning point he brought about, a new era began for Romanía. The transfer of the capital to New Rome / Constantinople was not a mere administrative act, but a profound rupture that redefined the course of the Empire. This city emerged as the center of Orthodoxy, and from that point onward Romanía was no longer simply an empire, but a Christian polity, in which the faith largely shaped the identity, society, and very mode of existence of the Romeoi. From the fourth century onward, the population of the Levant, like that of the entire Empire, became almost wholly Christian.

Christian Schisms

Antioch, a metropolis of Romanía with a population that reached 500,000, was a center of theology and intellectual life, but at the same time also a field of multiple tensions. Within this environment arose major heresies, which were not merely doctrinal disagreements, but ruptures that deeply affected the unity of the Romeic body:
• 325: Arianism
• 430: Nestorianism (Church of the East)
• 451: Monophysitism / Miaphysitism (Syriacs – Syriac Orthodox Church; Copts – Coptic Church)
• 685: Monothelitism (Maronites – Maronite Church)
After the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451), the Levant was divided not only theologically, but also culturally and linguistically. In the western regions, the majority remained within the Romeic tradition—Orthodox and Greek-speaking. Yet in the east, communities developed that moved away doctrinally (Monophysitism, Syriacs or Jacobites – Syriac Orthodox Church), while also preserving their Aramaic linguistic identity.
The Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon was in truth a deep rupture that split the Levant. From that point onward, two distinct worlds took shape: in the west, the Romeic, Chalcedonian, and Orthodox world; in the east, another sphere, marked by an ethnic and linguistic character, expressed through the Syriac Monophysite tradition.
Two centuries later, the Sixth Ecumenical Council (685) brought about yet another division, this time within the western regions of the Levant, where a local ecclesiastical reality arose in the mountains of Lebanon that would eventually culminate in the Maronite Patriarchate.
Thus, the region that had once constituted a single Romeic and ecclesiastical body was fragmented. These schisms shaped new identities and established boundaries between the Romeic world and the seceded communities, with consequences that reach down to the present day.

The great emperors of Romanía—from Constantine and the Theodosians to Justinian, Maurice, and Heraclius—not only organized an immensely powerful state, but fashioned an entire world. In the Levant they gave form to a distinctly Christian polity: they restored and elevated cities (Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Damascus, as well as the so-called “forgotten cities” of Apamea), they built monastic centers that became great spiritual hearths (Saint Sabbas, Saint Catherine, Our Lady of Saidnaya), and they raised churches that expressed the faith as a public and collective reality [the Church of the Nativity, the Church of the Resurrection, the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Damascus (now the Umayyad Mosque), and others]. These were not isolated works, but a conscious transformation of space: the entire region was integrated into a unified Romeic and Orthodox civilization, in which city, church, and monastery together formed a single way of life.
Beirut was not merely a city of the Levant, but one of the most important intellectual and institutional centers of Romanía. Its School of Law, equal in stature to that of Constantinople, shaped Roman law and contributed decisively to the formation of Justinian’s Code.
At the same time, the Levant emerged as a womb of sanctity and theology. From it came forth great figures of our Church, such as Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Romanos the Melodist, Saint John of Damascus, Saint Sabbas, Saint Barbara, Saint Thekla, Saint Cosmas the Melodist, Bishop of Maiuma, Saint Isaac the Syrian, and many others—saints who left their seal upon the faith, theology, and worship of the Church.
Here it becomes abundantly clear that the Levant was not a mere periphery, but a living core of our homeland, producing law, discourse, and sanctity—in other words, civilization in its fullness.

Islam in the Levant

In the seventh century, the Levant underwent a radical rupture: the Arab Islamic invasion. This new power, emerging from the Arabian Peninsula, appeared precisely at the borders of Romanía and soon conquered the provinces of the Levant.
Islam did not arise in a vacuum, but within an environment already marked by various Christian and Jewish currents. It was influenced, among other things, by movements denying the divinity of Christ, such as Arianism, as well as by Judaeo-Christian communities such as the Nazarenes, who regarded Christ as one sent by God, but not as God.
The arrival of the Muslims was not received uniformly: the Monophysites, already estranged from Romanía, often viewed them favorably, whereas the Orthodox perceived them as a new heresy, as Saint John of Damascus characteristically formulates it in his writings. Thus, the Islamic conquest was not merely a political change, but a profound alteration of the religious and cultural map of the Levant.
The Treatment of Christians by the Muslims – The Status of the Dhimmi
Dhimmi were the non-Muslims who were permitted to live under Muslim rule, but in a condition of inferiority. The status of the dhimmi did not constitute civic equality, but rather an institutionalized form of tolerated subordination. Non-Muslim populations, and especially the Romeoi, were allowed to retain their faith, but only on condition that they would not display it publicly and would not challenge the supremacy of Islam.

The dhimmi had:
• the right to perform religious services, provided they did not disturb Muslims,
• the right to own property and work, with the exception of professions reserved exclusively for Muslims (politics, the judiciary, teaching),
• the obligation to pay the jizya (poll tax) in exchange for protection, along with a prohibition on participating in military action against Muslims,
• a prohibition on displaying religious symbols (crosses, icons), on wearing distinctively Christian dress, and on publicly exhibiting places of worship,
• a prohibition on audible prayer outside churches,
• a prohibition on bell-ringing,
• a prohibition on building or repairing churches without Muslim permission,
• a prohibition on the “proselytizing” of Muslims (that is, evangelization),
• a prohibition on marrying a Muslim woman,
• a prohibition on inheriting from Muslims,
• and, in certain historical periods, an obligation to wear distinguishing Christian clothing, a ban on riding horses and camels, and an obligation to walk to the left of a Muslim in public spaces.
The so-called “protected” communities possessed rights only within predetermined limits, and their position always depended on the will of the authorities and on historical circumstances. Thus, the system’s “tolerance” was not equality, but a regulated and revocable concession.

What Happened after the Arab-Muslim Occupation of the Levant?

• 630–640: Arab Islamic invasion of the Levant.
• 640–1920: A succession of invasions and manifold alienation through foreign cultural influences:
o Intense Arabization and Islamization (Umayyads, Abbasids, Fatimids, Mamluks): the Greek language was replaced by Arabic; the dhimmi system was enforced.
o Crusades: Latinization.
o Ottomans (after 1516): the Millet system.
After the Arab conquest of the seventh century, the Levant entered a long period of transformations and successive impositions, which deeply altered its original Romeic identity.
Gradually, Arabization and Islamization prevailed: Greek, which had been the language of civilization and faith, gave way to Arabic, and the Romeoi were reduced to the status of dhimmi. This was not merely political domination, but a profound cultural mutation.
Subsequently, the Crusades brought about a new external intervention with strongly Latin characteristics, seeking to redefine the region in Western terms foreign to the Romeic tradition.
Finally, under Ottoman rule, an administrative system was consolidated which did recognize the Romeoi as a religious community, but definitively incorporated them into a framework of subordination and separation (Rum milleti).
During the Ottoman occupation, the condition of the Romeoi of the Levant improved in part:
• they re-established contact with the other Romeoi of Asia Minor and the Balkans,
• they were integrated into the millet system under the guarantee of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and
• they were allowed to repair or erect new churches, maintain certain schools, and so forth.

The Major Consequences of Long Muslim Rule (13 Centuries)

The age-long occupation of the Levant led to a deep and gradual alteration of identity.
Arabization distanced the Romeoi from their natural body. Their living bond with Constantinople weakened, the Greek language receded from daily life and was largely confined to worship, while even personal names were gradually replaced by Arabic ones, marking a deeper cultural displacement.
At the same time, Islamization was extensive. Through the social and institutional pressures of the dhimmi system, many were driven en masse to change their faith, especially in urban centers. Churches were converted into mosques, public Christian presence was curtailed, and education was weakened, since Christians generally had no schools of their own.

Western Intervention and the Russian Role

During the Ottoman period, the Levant became a field of rivalry among foreign powers. The state alliances of Ottomans and Franks gave the Papal Church a privileged position, and it undertook systematic penetration through its notorious instrument, the Propaganda Fide (Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide). This was a mechanism of Rome for the worldwide expansion of Papism, coordinating missionaries, schools, printing presses, and every possible means.
Thus, the Holy Places were placed under French “protection” (for roughly one hundred years); the Maronites became Catholic (1580); and, tragically, fractures appeared even within the Romeic body itself, as happened in the schism of 1724. At that point the Romeic body was divided between those who remained Orthodox Romeoi and the Unionists (Melkite Catholics, also called Uniates, from Unia, “Union”), who entered into communion with Rome.
From the beginning of the nineteenth century onward, a strong Protestant factor was also added, with missions from Prussia, England, and America seeking to reshape the identity of the local populations, through agencies such as the Church Missionary Society (London) and the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (New England).
In addition, nationalism was imported from the West as a tool for weakening and fragmenting the Ottoman Empire (many Romeoi adopted Arab or Syrian nationalism).
Within this framework, Russia also appeared many times as a counterweight. From the seventeenth century onward, it developed relations with the Patriarchates and intervened in pursuit of the protection of the Orthodox. Although its policy did not avoid mistakes—indeed, serious ones—Russia, through its wars with the Ottoman Empire, its diplomatic activity, and its broader involvement, contributed to ending French protection over the Holy Places, to the relaxation of the restrictions of the dhimmi system, and in large measure supported the reconstruction of the ecclesiastical and educational life of the Romeoi of the Levant.
Thus, the region was transformed into a field of conflict between West and East, with the Romeoi standing at the center of this geopolitical and spiritual confrontation.
Today, after the schism of 1724, the Romeoi are divided into two religious communities: the Orthodox and the Catholics (Papists). Correspondingly, there are two Orthodox Patriarchates (Antioch and Jerusalem) and one Catholic Patriarchate, whose jurisdiction covers the territories of the Patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem.
After all this, it is a great historical wonder that the hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Romeoi of the Levant endured and continue to this day proudly and luminously to declare and defend their identity. We all owe them much, and above all our undivided respect and support.
We shall, however, return to the Romeoi of the Levant.

See also

The Pious Genos of the Romeoi 

Book: My Sun Shall Not Fade – A Journey in the Romaian Legacy 

New Massacre of Romeoi in Damascus

Greek Orthodox (Romeoi/Rum) continue to be murdered in Syria! NIKI denounces the killing of two Romeoi in the Valley of the Christians and demands justice and protection for the Romeoi.  

When the Romeoi (Rum) are persecuted, does Greece merely “follow the situation”?

Greek MEP Aims to Break EU Silence Regarding Christian Persecution in Syria

Post-Liberalism: The West in Search of Romeosyne

THE ORTHODOX ROOTS OF THE WEST: A FACTOR FOR PAN-EUROPEAN UNITY

“The targeting of Christian liberty stems from a desire to erase distinct identities”—Christodoulos Molyvas, Greek NIKI Party

From Ancient Hellenic to Romeiko Civilization

 

When the Romeoi (Rum) are persecuted, does Greece merely “follow the situation”?

 

Aγγλική μετάφραση του άρθρου Συρία: Ὅταν καταδιώκονται οἱ Ρωμηοί, ἡ Ἑλλάδα ἁπλῶς «παρακολουθεῖ»;, που δημοσιεύθηκε στην ιστοσελίδα της ΝΙΚΗΣ.

The violent events of the past days in Syria (27 March 2026), and especially in the city of al-Suqaylabiyah (Seleucia), where the Romeiko indigenous population predominates, leave absolutely no room for misinterpretation. Orthodox Romeoi (Rum) are being targeted by religiously motivated violence from fanatic elements, with barbaric and ruthless attacks against homes, property, and human lives.

Beyond the personal appeals for help voiced by many Romeoi—even addressed directly to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis—which were posted on social media as cries of anguish, the harsh truth is also recorded by the very voice of the Church. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, in a firm and unequivocal statement, does not speak of mere “incidents,” but of the incitement of religious tensions and calls for the protection of its faithful. This alone should suffice.

And yet, the Greek Government chose to respond with a weak, brief, and “formal” statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—issued, notably, in English, so that the Greek people themselves might remain unaware—stating that it is following with concern the situation and takes into account the announcement of the Syrian Government regarding the investigation of the incidents, calling for its swift implementation.

A typical “following the situation”?

What exactly is it following? The gradual disappearance of the Orthodox presence in the East? The repetition of historical persecutions? The silent genocide of a living part of our Genos?

This stance is neither “composure” nor “diplomacy.” It is political absence, national indifference, and complete historical irresponsibility.

For the Romeoi of Syria are not “a foreign population” that it is merely desirable to protect. They are flesh of the flesh of our Genos. They are Seleucia. They are Antioch. They are the Romeiko Middle East. They are our historical heart. They are the living continuation of our homeland, Romanía (misleadingly and deceitfully termed “Byzantium”).

And there, today, severe violence is being inflicted.

Greece does not have the luxury to “follow the situation.” It has the duty to act.

It has the duty:
– to condemn clearly and unequivocally these attacks
– to bring to the forefront internationally the issue of the persecution of Orthodox Christians
– to demand security guarantees for these communities from the Syrian Government, even by attaching conditions to its funding by the European Union
– to actively support the Patriarchate of Antioch

And above all: to remember—and to re-examine—its identity.

For if Greece does not defend Romeosyne and the Romeoi throughout the world, and especially in the, in every respect, “sensitive” region of the Middle East, then it ceases to have any reason for existence as the historical and spiritual center of our Genos.

NIKI has consistently supported the Romeoi of the Middle East by bringing their problems to light in international forums, through Greek and foreign-language texts, through multiple parliamentary interventions, and through substantive proposals such as the granting of expatriate (homogeneis) status. We once again call upon the Government to truly support and protect our Romeoi brothers in Syria. We also call upon every Greek who feels a sense of responsibility toward our history, our culture, our heritage, and toward our afflicted brothers—with whom we share not only a common past but also a common future—to bring their endless martyrdom to light in every possible direction.

We will not abandon the Romeoi of the Middle East.
We will not grow accustomed to persecution.
We will not remain silent.

Romeosyne does not “follow the situation.”
Romeosyne resists.

Romeosyne Policy Department of NIKI

Democratic Patriotic Popular Movement NIKI 

Our forgotten brothers: the Rum Orthodox Christians (Romeoi) of the Middle East

 

Democratic Patriotic Popular Movement NIKI

These last few days, we have been watching what is brewing in the Middle East with awe. With awe and possibly a secret anxiousness, hoping the conflict does not expand, that the problems do not spill to our own lands. However, while the conflict is confined there, we consider it something foreign; we believe it does not concern us, that it does not involve us. And yet, we are deeply wrong. Not only does it concern us greatly, but we are in the midst of these events. Because there live our forgotten brothers, the two million Rum Orthodox Christians (Romeoi) of the Middle East.

Indeed. Two million Orthodox Romeoi in the Middle East, and many more millions in the diaspora. What are all of them? They are the very same as us, they have the same history, they belong to the same civilization, they have the same historic capital, the same faith, the same customs, the same ancestors, the same heroes, the same saints, the same present and the same future, and they have been revealed the same luminous, soteriological, eschatological path. We are the same collective, the same Genos (sic). All of us, we are the Pious Genos of the Romeoi.

Greek cities in Syria and the general area are already mentioned in the 7th century B.C. However, the real spread of the Greek language in the area, and especially of the Greek civilization, will happen after the years of Alexander the Great and the Seleucid dynasty, when tens of Greek cities are being built. Under Seleucus I Nicator the city of Antioch on the Orontes will be established, with the first settlers being mainly Athenians and Macedonians. Antioch will be a cradle for the Greek civilization, and later for Christianity, while the whole area will be a central pylon of Romanía (the misnamed Byzantine Empire) for hundreds of years. Many scholars and great intellectuals and artists, as well as a multitude of saints, will arise here. We will mention Luke the Evangelist, Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Ephrem the Syrian, Abba Isaac the Syrian, and many others.

In 636, the Muslims, under the second Caliph Umar, will conquer the area. Throughout the centuries, and under continuous Muslim occupation, a part of the Romeoi will convert to Islam and another part will convert to Catholicism, under the pressure of an incredibly strong Vatican penetration into the area. However, another part, despite the hardships the centuries brought, will remain steadfast in its traditions and will reach the current age, proudly declaring that they’re Romeoi Orthodox (Rum Orthodox). And this part of the population today counts two million citizens of Syria, Lebanon, and the general area. That is amazing and the fact that these people endured 14 centuries, while also producing great people like Saint John of Damascus, highlights the strength of faith these people possess.

The Pious Genos of the Romans of New Rome/Constantinople, the Pious Genos of the Romeoi was progressively formed in the context of the Roman Empire as a mixing of three traditions: the Greek cultural foundation, the Roman state framework and perception, and the Jewish Old-Testament historical course and perspective. A unifying catalyst and creative reformer of these was the light of the historical presence of Jesus Christ in the world, the freedom of the “relationship of the persons” and the inauguration of the theanthropic ontology by him. Mankind, finally free from the shackles of death, reexamines and gives a new meaning to its existence as the ecumenical People of God in its historic course from the memory of ages past to the eschatological, ever bright, experienced, and seen Grace. The past, current, and future friends of the initially incorporeal and then incarnated Christ have the perception and self-consciousness of the creation of a historical, unified body, of the People of God, with a common political and spiritual guidance, which is heading towards its eschatological perspective. The giving of meaning and the enlightenment of the personal and the collective existence under this future was and is sanctifying and total/catholic, offering hope, en-thu-siasm, joy, and support even in the hardest personal, social, and state circumstances.

However, on the 19th century, ethnocentrism, as an axis of the then blooming modernity will be deceitfully imposed on the things of our East as well, creating a fracturing of the Genos, firstly spiritual, and then in the sense of the state. A collective alienation of the ethnic groups and the creation of small states, guided chess pieces on the international geopolitical chess board, and often acting against each other. The externally imposed ethnocentrism and its accompanying value system led and still leads us to internal conflicts, conflicts with our own traditional system of values, creating a complete disorientation, lack of direction, unsteadiness, and annihilation.

In a social and state level in our country, especially after our repeated defeats (Asia Minor Catastrophe, Cyprus, bankruptcy, framework of serfdom), the state of dissolution keeps getting worse, with a lack of social coherency, the inability to form strategy and objectives meaningfully. Our collective on the edge of historical annihilation. A simple satellite of the West, and specifically a West that’s teetering under the weight of its own internal cultural degeneration and erosion. Instead of us Romeoi, as a unified collective, offering suggestions and a soteriological model and paradigm to the whole world, we were led to the fracturing, deletion, and our ante portas spiritual and historical annihilation.

In order to be able to not only stand on our two feet but also to fulfil our historical duty to ourselves and humanity, we first need to become conscious of our identity, of our uniqueness as a Romeoi collective, and the objective of our contribution to the history of humanity, the objective that our tradition predicted and for which it prepares us. And a fundamental condition for our march, for our path, is the unity of all the Romeoi people, with the starting point being our country. All of the Romeoi people. All the Romeiko. And the Romeoi of the Middle East is an integral part of the Romee world.

Our brothers, our distinguished brothers, we do not forget you, you are in our hearts, a part of our identities and our very selves, and we will do everything we can to stand at your side. You are very important to us. Your very existence opens up new possibilities for us, an opening and a widening in our ecumenical perspective. Not only because your existence reinforces the historical continuity and cohesiveness of our Genos and our self-recognition as a single, unified historical body; not only because your existence modifies and transforms our relationships as a collective with multiple other collectives and peoples; not only because your existence clearly highlights our multiple historical rights that de facto come into the forefront; but above all because your existence also changes our total way of understanding and perceiving the things of the ecumene, giving meaning to a luminous historical perspective and direction towards the eschaton.

Have courage, then, have courage, People of God! We are many. And not only are we many, but above all, we know that we are on the side of the final victor. As real Romeike hearts in the joy of giving meaning and of our fighting, let us all together sing and chant like Saint John of Damascus centuries ago, of the ever-bright feast of “Everything has been flooded by light, the sky and the earth and the dark depths; all of Creation celebrates the Resurrection of Christ, in which it is affixed.”

Ioannis K. Neonakis

Head of Romeosyne Section

romiosynh@nikh.gr

St Pachomius the Great of Egypt, the founder of the cenobitic monastic life (May 15)

A Great African Saint, who celebrated by the Orthodox Church across the Earth

Please, click here!

Equals of the Apostles and Teachers of the Slavs, saints Cyril and Methodius

 

Commemorated on May 11

Troparion & Kontakion

Orthodox Church in America

Saints Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, and Enlighteners of the Slavs came from an illustrious and pious family living in the Greek city of Thessalonica. Saint Methodius was the oldest of seven brothers, Saint Constantine [Cyril was his monastic name] was the youngest. At first Saint Methodius was in the military and was governor in one of the Slavic principalities dependent on the Byzantine Empire, probably Bulgaria, which made it possible for him to learn the Slavic language. After living there for about ten years, Saint Methodius later received monastic tonsure at one of the monasteries on Mount Olympus (Asia Minor).

Saint Constantine distinguished himself by his great aptitude, and he studied with the emperor Michael under the finest teachers in Constantinople, including Saint Photius, the future Patriarch of Constantinople (February 6).

Saint Constantine studied all the sciences of his time, and also knew several languages. He also studied the works of Saint Gregory the Theologian. Because of his keen mind and penetrating intellect, Saint Constantine was called “Philosopher” (wise). Upon the completion of his education, Saint Constantine was ordained to the holy priesthood and was appointed curator of the patriarchal library at the church of Hagia Sophia. He soon left the capital and went secretly to a monastery.

Discovered there, he returned to Constantinople, where he was appointed as instructor in philosophy. The young Constantine’s wisdom and faith were so great that he won a debate with Ananias, the leader of the heretical iconclasts. After this victory Constantine was sent by the emperor to discuss the Holy Trinity with the Saracens, and again he gained the victory. When he returned, Saint Constantine went to his brother Saint Methodius on Olympus, spending his time in unceasing prayer and reading the works of the holy Fathers.

The emperor soon summoned both of the holy brothers from the monastery and sent them to preach the Gospel to the Khazars. Along the way they stayed in the city of Korsun, making preparations for their missionary activity. There the holy brothers miraculously discovered the relics of the hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome (November 25).

There in Korsun Saint Constantine found a Gospel and Psalter written in Russian letters [i.e. Slavonic], and a man speaking the Slavic tongue, and he learned from this man how to read and speak this language. After this, the holy brothers went to the Khazars, where they won a debate with Jews and Moslems by preaching the Gospel. On the way home, the brothers again visited Korsun and, taking up the relics of Saint Clement, they returned to Constantinople. Saint Constantine remained in the capital, but Saint Methodius was made igumen of the small Polychronion monastery near Mount Olympus, where he lived a life of asceticism as before. 

 

Saints Cyril & Methodius, from here

Soon messengers came to the emperor from the Moravian prince Rostislav, who was under pressure from German bishops, with a request to send teachers to Moravia who would be able to preach in the Slavic tongue. The emperor summoned Saint Constantine and said to him, “You must go there, but it would be better if no one knows about this.”

Saint Constantine prepared for the new task with fasting and prayer. With the help of his brother Saint Methodius and the disciples Gorazd, Clement, Savva, Naum and Angelyar, he devised a Slavonic alphabet and translated the books which were necessary for the celebration of the divine services: the Gospel, Epistles, Psalter, and collected services, into the Slavic tongue. This occurred in the year 863.

After completing the translation, the holy brothers went to Moravia, where they were received with great honor, and they began to teach the services in the Slavic language. This aroused the malice of the German bishops, who celebrated divine services in the Moravian churches in Latin. They rose up against the holy brothers, convinced that divine services must be done in one of three languages: Hebrew, Greek or Latin.

Saint Constantine said, “You only recognize three languages in which God may be glorified. But David sang, ‘Praise the Lord, all nations, praise the Lord all peoples (Ps 116/117:1).’ And the Gospel of Saint Matthew (28:18) says, ‘Go and teach all nations....’” The German bishops were humiliated, but they became bitter and complained to Rome.

The holy brothers were summoned to Rome for a decision on this matter. Taking with them the relics of Saint Clement, Saints Constantine and Methodius set off to Rome. Knowing that the holy brothers were bringing these relics with them, Pope Adrian met them along the way with his clergy. The holy brothers were greeted with honor, the Pope gave permission to have divine services in the Slavonic language, and he ordered the books translated by the brothers to be placed in the Latin churches, and to serve the Liturgy in the Slavonic language.

At Rome Saint Constantine fell ill, and the Lord revealed to him his approaching death. He was tonsured into the monastic schema with the name of Cyril. On February 14, 869, fifty days after receiving the schema, Saint Cyril died at the age of forty-two.

Saint Cyril commanded his brother Saint Methodius to continue with their task of enlightening the Slavic peoples with the light of the true Faith. Saint Methodius entreated the Pope to send the body of his brother for burial in their native land, but the Pope ordered the relics of Saint Cyril to be placed in the church of Saint Clement, where miracles began to occur from them.

After the death of Saint Cyril, the Pope sent Saint Methodius to Pannonia, after consecrating him as Archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia, on the ancient throne of Saint Andronicus (July 30). In Pannonia Saint Methodius and his disciples continued to distribute services books written in the Slavonic language. This again aroused the wrath of the German bishops. They arrested and tried Saint Methodius, who was sent in chains to Swabia, where he endured many sufferings for two and a half years.

After being set free by order of Pope John VIII of Rome, and restored to his archdiocese, Saint Methodius continued to preach the Gospel among the Slavs. He baptized the Czech prince Borivoi and his wife Ludmilla (September 16), and also one of the Polish princes. The German bishops began to persecute the saint for a third time, because he did not accept the erroneous teaching about the procession of the Holy Spirit from both the Father and the Son. Saint Methodius was summoned to Rome, but he justified himself before the Pope, and preserved the Orthodox teaching in its purity, and was sent again to the capital of Moravia, Velehrad.

Here in the remaining years of his life Saint Methodius, assisted by two of his former pupils, translated the entire Old Testament into Slavonic, except for the Book of Maccabbees, and even the Nomocanon (Rule of the Holy Fathers) and Paterikon (book of the Holy Fathers).

Sensing the nearness of death, Saint Methodius designated one of his students, Gorazd, as a worthy successor to himself. The holy bishop predicted the day of his death and died on April 6, 885 when he was about sixty years old. The saint’s burial service was chanted in three languages, Slavonic, Greek, and Latin. He was buried in the cathedral church of Velehrad. 

"Cyril & Methodius, the Apostles of Slavs", full movie with English subtitles (2013)!  

Honey and Hemlock
Suraj Sebastian

Hollywood doesn’t make many big-budget films of holy people, and when they do, it’s usually a dog’s breakfast. However, an exciting docudrama project from the Czech Republic in 2013 has resulted in an excellent series on the lives and historical importance of the two brothers, Saints Cyril and Methodius.
Saints Cyril and Methodius were two Byzantine brothers born in the 9th century who became prominent Christian missionaries. Their mission influenced the cultural development of all Slavic nations, for which they are called the Apostles of the Slavs. In order to commemorate the 1150th anniversary of their legacy, a 4-part docudrama was created tracing their lives and work.
This project, established in the Czech Republic, involved cooperation between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, as these saints established what would be the foundation and future development of Czech and Slavic culture and education.
The series follows Cyril and Methodius, two Byzantine Greek brothers born in the 9th century. They became missionaries of Christianity and influenced the cultural development of the Great Moravian territory. 
Original title: Cyril and Methodius – The Apostles of the Slavs. Audio: German. Subtitles: English. Format: HD. Director: Petr Nikolaev. Writers: Petr Hudský, Miroslav Oscatka. Stars: Josef Abrhám, Milan Bahúl, Jirí Bohm. 
Cast: Methodius - Roman Zach, Cyril - Ondřej Novák, Fotios - Josef Abrhám, Hermanrich - Marian Roden, Rostislav - Milan Bahul, Svatopluk - Jan Jankovský, Živena - Radka Fidlerová.

See also

Mad Max & Orthodox Christianity!
Orthodox Christianity In Czech and Slovakia Is Growing
Basic Points of Difference between the Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church
The Way - An introduction to the Orthodox Faith
Protestants ask: Why be Orthodox?
The Road to Rome? Why Orthodoxy Deserves a Look
The ancient Christian Church - About Orthodox Church in the West World...
I love the Pope & the Roman Catholic faithful, but...

During the time that Luther and Calvin were formulating the Reformation... 
"True freedom is to choose the better in the light of truth..."
Miley Cyrus, or: why Orthodox Mission in the West is an urgent need...  
LIVE, BEYOND THE LIMITS! 
Theosis (deification): The True Purpose of Human Life
Theosis, St. Silouan and Elder Sophrony
Orthodoxy's Worship: The Sanctification of the Entire World