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1. What is an Icon? An Icon is an image (usually two dimensional) of Christ, the Saints, Angels, important Biblical events, parables, or events in the history of the Church. St. Gregory the Dialogist (Pope of Rome ca. 590-604), spoke of Icons as being Scripture to the illiterate: "For what writing presents to readers, this a picture presents to the unlearned who behold, since in it even the ignorant see what they ought to follow; in it the illiterate read" (Epistle to Bishop Serenus of Marseilles, NPNF 2, Vol. XIII, p. 53). To those who would suggest that this is...

An Iconoclast removing an icon of Christ Question: "Isn't the fact that there were controversies over icons well into the 9th century proof that the early Church did not venerate icons?" There were indeed controversies at various times, most notably the Iconoclastic controversies of the 8th and 9th centuries, but these controversies were primarily focused on the question of whether one could have icons at all. Even the iconoclasts did not object to the veneration of the Cross, or other holy objects. Their problem with icons was that they considered them inherently objectionable, regardless of whether they were being venerated...

Commemorated on January 1 Troparion & KontakionSaint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, "belongs not to the Church of Caesarea alone, nor merely to his own time, nor was he of benefit only to his own kinsmen, but rather to all lands and cities worldwide, and to all people he brought and still brings benefit, and for Christians he always was and will be a most salvific teacher." Thus spoke St Basil's contemporary, St Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium. St Basil was born in the year 330 at Caesarea, the administrative center of Cappadocia. He was of illustrious lineage,...

Troparion & KontakionOn the eighth day after His Nativity, our Lord Jesus Christ was circumcised in accordance with the Old Testament Law. All male infants underwent circumcision as a sign of God's Covenant with the holy Forefather Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 17:10-14, Lev. 12:3). After this ritual the Divine Infant was given the name Jesus, as the Archangel Gabriel declared on the day of the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos (Luke 1:31-33, 2:21). The Fathers of the Church explain that the Lord, the Creator of the Law, underwent circumcision in order to give people an example of...

A dissenting voice from the Church of Greece has emerged amongst the harsh criticism leveled against the government's passing of a law that grants some rights to same-sex partnerships in Greece. Chrysostomos, the Metropolitan of Messinia, whose diocese covers southern Greece, said in an interview with a local news site TharrosNews.gr, that homosexuals, like all humans, are a creation of God and they deserve the same respect and honor-- and not violence and rejection. Chrysostomos' statements came after another bishop of the Church, from nearby Kalavryta, Metropolitan Ambrosios issued a caustic call to his faithful to spit on and beat...

Contemporary icon of Sts. Athanasios, Nicholas and Anthony the Venerable Founders of Vatopedi Monastery, painted by Fathers of Vatopedi December 17/30 the holy Orthodox Church commemorates Sts. Athanasius, Nicholas, and Anthony, the tenth century founders of Vatopaidi Monastery, one of the twenty great monasteries on the holy mountain of Athos. As with all of the monasteries on the mountain it has a deep and rich history, with a number of saints, and today it houses several miraculous icon and relics. The Vatopaidi Monastery is regarded as the largest group of buildings in area and volume on Mount Athos. For...

In Genesis chapter 2 the order of creation seems to be different to that in chapter 1 with the animals being created (2:19) after Adam (2:7). Doesn't the Bible contradict itself here? Between the creation of Adam and the creation of Eve, the KJV/AV Bible says (Genesis 2:19) 'out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air'. On the surface, this seems to say that the land beasts and birds were created between Adam and Eve. However, Jewish scholars apparently did not recognize any such conflict with the account...

A high-ranking Orthodox priest has shocked Russian religious circles with sharp criticism of the church's highest authority. Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin was sacked with little explanation on Thursday from his job as head of the church's department for cooperation for church and society. The Orthodox Holy Synod announced that Chaplin had been relieved of his duties, and that his department was disbanded. The statement said only that the step was taken to increase efficiency. It was a job that had given the 47-year-old religious conservative a national platform, from which he often made controversial statements about politics and public morals. Chaplin...

Moscow, December 28, Interfax - The chairman of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk has been cautious about prospects for convening a Pan-Orthodox Council. "There are doubts about the very possibility of a Pan-Orthodox Council being held at a time when some of the Orthodox Churches are in a state of unsettled conflict, and the leader of the Orthodox Church of the Czech lands and Slovakia has still not had his status recognized by a number of Orthodox Churches, to say nothing of the extremely unstable general political situation worldwide," the metropolitan said in a...

BEHOLD a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd’s song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised. Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in place...

The Islamic State has begun fresh attacks on Christian communities in northern Iraq, the AsiaNews service reports. As Christmas approaches, Islamic extremists have warned Christians in the city of Mosul that they will not be allowed to celebrate Christmas because "they are heretics." In Kirkuk, Muslim militants attacked two Christian graveyards, desecrating tombs. Iraqi Christians have vowed to celebrate Christmas, disregarding the warnings, AsiaNews reports. Islamic State brand Christmas festivities "heretical". In Kirkuk two Christian cemeteries desecrated (AsiaNews)

Moscow, December 23, Interfax - It has been decided that the remains of Tsesarevich Alexey and Grand Duchess Maria Romanovs be handed over by the Russian State Archive into protective custody of the Russian Orthodox Church, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday. "The inter-agency working group on issues relating to the inquiry and burial of the remains of Tsesarevich Alexey and Grand Duchess Maria Romanovs, which are kept at the Russian Federation State Archive, jointly with the Russian Orthodox Church have decided to pass the remains of Tsesarevich Alexey and Grand Duchess Maria Romanovs into protective custody of the Russian...

As we enter into December, approximately 2 billion people will prepare to celebrate Christmas, a holiday dedicated to the birth of Jesus. We will also enter into a time of internet debate over the origins of Christmas. Many will stake their claim on its alleged pagan roots, claiming that the story of Christmas and its celebration on December 25th is simply a copy of paganism. Indeed, a quick look at YouTube will demonstrate just how popular it is to make videos pontificating on this subject. For many, it is an attempt to discredit a major world religion. On the other...

Troparion & KontakionSaint Sava the Sanctified was born in the fifth century at Cappadocia of pious Christian parents, John and Sophia. His father was a military commander. Journeying to Alexandria on military matters, his wife went with him, but they left their five-year-old son in the care of an uncle. When the boy reached eight years of age, he entered the monastery of St Flavian located nearby. The gifted child quickly learned to read and became an expert on the Holy Scriptures. In vain did his parents urge St Sava to return to the world and enter into marriage.When...

On 27 November 2015, Orthodox Vesper service was celebrated for the first time in history at the Cologne Cathedral during the autumn session of the Orthodox Episcopal Conference in Germany. Over one thousand worshippers from the Orthodox communities of Cologne and the neighboring cities attended. The Cologne Cathedral is unique church; its main sanctuary was consecrated in September 1322 on the site on which the believers used to gather for prayers even in the first centuries of Christianity. The celebration of an Orthodox service became possible thanks to friendly support by Dompropst Gerd Bachner and Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, Archbishop...

Not so long ago, a 53-year-old engineer named George Shenekji Chankji was, by Syrian standards, living the dream. He was part of a thriving Christian middle class in Syria, where Christians traditionally counted for about 10 percent of the national population and tended to be over-represented among professional elites. Along with his wife, Rima, and their son Fadi, Chankji owned a large home in Aleppo, an apartment in the capital city of Damascus, and a country home in a village called Kafrun. The family's nest egg was supplemented by income from a chain of three thriving department stores owned by...

Last Sunday, faithful in the Coptic Orthodox Church celebrated with great joy the Feast of the Entry of the Holy Theotokos Mary into the temple. Although this event is not mentioned in the Holy Scripture, it is firmly rooted in the Holy Tradition of the Church, especially from a book known as the Protoevangelium of James, which offers details concerning the early life of the Holy Theotokos.When the Holy Theotokos was only three-years-old, her parents fulfilled the vow they made to the Lord and presented her in the temple adorned with fine, embroidered clothing as they chanted sacred songs, reflecting...

Photo: G.Balayants / Expo.Pravoslavie.Ru Introduction For well over fifty years now, and in virtually every country in Western Europe, that is in countries with a millennium of Catholic-Protestant culture, small numbers of Western Europeans have been joining one or other of the local dioceses of the Orthodox Church. In general it can be said that the numbers joining have been higher in the less traditional and more Protestant countries and lower in traditional Catholic countries like Italy, Spain and Portugal. And numbers have been much higher among more uprooted and cosmopolitan city-dwellers than among more traditional country-dwellers. Here there...

Note: While I disagree with Fr. Gregory Hallam on the issues I will address in this article, I appreciate the fact that he produces the podcasts that he does, which are generally very informative. Is it correct that St. Mark "blundered" in the writing of his Gospel? There is no reason why we should conclude that he did, and you will never find any Father of the Church making any such suggestion. However, this is what Fr. Gregory Hallam stated recently in his E-Quip lecture series, in a lecture about St. Mark's Gospel [beginning at about the 16 minute mark...

In the Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos and Saint Nicholas in Churkin, in the Astrakhan region, which is located on one of the small islands of the Volodarsky District, 59 icons exuded myrrh. The miracle happened last year in 2014, when the first icon - that of the Imperial Family of Tsar Nicholas II Romanov - exuded myrrh on June 22nd, specifically from the images of the Tsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra. On the day of the murder of the Imperial Family - July 17 - the other five martyrs of the family represented on the icon...