Holy Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

 

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. This glorious martyr of Christ, Basil (or Basileus) of Amasea, was Bishop of the Metropolis of Amasea (which is situated on the Black Sea), in the time of Licinius, who, as the brother-in-law of Constantine the Great through his sister Constantina, was sent by Constantine against Maximinus Daia, who had rebelled and had held as a tyrant certain parts of the East.

Licinius, therefore, was found in Nicomedia, since the revolt had ended, and he offered sacrifices to the idols. He even ordered that Saint Basil be brought to him from Amasea together with a young woman named Glaphyra. This Glaphyra was a servant of Licinius’s wife Constantina, and she had perceived that Licinius was raging with passion for her, something which she reported to her mistress Constantina. Then Constantina gave her money and sent her to the East, until, going from place to place, she arrived in Amasea.

Licinius, however, learned where she had gone and that the money his wife had given her had been given to the Bishop of Amasea in order to build a church; therefore he ordered that both be seized and brought before him. But Glaphyra had already departed from this life, while the blessed bishop Basil was led to Nicomedia to the emperor and received death by the sword, after confessing his faith in Christ and spitting upon the delusion of the so-called gods and their vanity.

Prologue in Sermons: April 26

Against Laziness

April 26

(Commemoration of our Holy Father Stephen, Bishop of Perm, the New Wonderworker)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

No one boasts of his imaginary labors as much as the lazy. “Is it not I,” such people usually say, “who labor? Is it not I who work? And yet no one pays attention to my labors, and people toward me prove altogether ungrateful.” Thus the lazy usually speak, and instead of working, they only trouble others. What is to be said to such people, and by what can they be stirred to labor?

On the Newly-Illumined and on the Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ (St. Amphilochios of Iconium)

On the Newly-Illumined and on the Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ 

By St. Amphilochios of Iconium

Whenever the gloomy aspect of winter is succeeded by the season of spring, various birds, flying through the air, by honey-voiced songs make known to men the sweetness of the season; then also the sweet-voiced swallows, cleaving the air with swift flight and darting past the heads of men, like a blossom cast their own cry into the ears of men. Then it is possible to see the air clear and calm, and the faces of men brightened, being transformed into an imitation of serenity; for indeed the sounds of birds delight the hearing, and the clear air brightens the eye, and the radiance of various flowers sweetens the sight, and the mingled breath of the plants refreshes the sense of smell.

And this delight the earthly and transient spring provides for men, beloved; but our divine and undefiled spring, Christ, having thickly adorned the meadow of the Church with spiritual violets and roses and lilies, brightens the sight by faith and fills the receptacle of our heart with the fragrance of divine things. For who among the faithful does not now rejoice? And who does not now exult, when he sees the newly-illumined, in the image of lilies, shining with the blossoms of their garments and having in the midst of their heart the golden-radiant faith?

Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Three are the basic points of the Service of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark, which most likely constitutes a poem of the Holy Hymnographer Theophanes the Branded: his relationship with the apostles Peter and Paul, the writing of his Gospel, and his activity in the region of Alexandria together with the martyrdom that followed it. Already from the beginning it emphasizes that he became a fellow-traveler of the Apostle Paul and passed through all Macedonia with him, but in Rome he was shown to be the sweet interpreter of Peter’s preaching, while in Egypt, where he chiefly preached, he gave his life in a martyric manner (“Having become a fellow-traveler of the chosen vessel, and having passed through all Macedonia with him; and having gone to Rome, you were shown to be the sweet interpreter of Peter; and you found rest after having struggled in a God-befitting manner in Egypt, O all-wise Mark” - Sticheron at Vespers).

His relationship, of course, with the apostles Paul and Peter is not equal. The Hymnographer, while making mention of the following of the Apostle Paul by Saint Mark in the above troparion, nowhere else mentions anything of their relationship, and this because, as is known, the Apostle Paul did not wish to continue to have as his co-worker the then young John Mark, indeed his nephew, on account, evidently, of his inability to keep up with the feverish pace of Paul’s own missionary activity. On the contrary, Saint Theophanes repeatedly refers to the particular relationship which the Apostle Peter developed with Mark, considering the foremost apostle as his principal teacher, so much so that the Holy Gospel of Mark is in the end a recording of the teaching of Peter. From the roughly eleven troparia that describe Mark’s discipleship under Peter, we note quite selectively the following:

The Authorship of the Gospel of Mark According to Early Christian Sources

 

The earliest references to the authorship of the Gospel of Mark come from late 1st–2nd century Christian writers. They consistently associate the Gospel with Mark, understood as a companion and interpreter of the apostle Peter. Here are the key sources in roughly chronological order:

1. Papias of Hierapolis (c. 100–130 AD)

Papias is the earliest known source to explicitly discuss Mark’s authorship. His work is preserved later by Eusebius of Caesarea.

“Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatever he remembered… though not in order, the things said or done by the Lord.”

Key points:

- Mark is Peter’s interpreter (ἑρμηνευτής).
- He wrote from Peter’s preaching.
- The Gospel is accurate but not arranged in strict order.

Prologue in Sermons: April 25

The Reasons for Spiritual Laziness in Us

April 25

(A Word from the Paterikon)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Once a hermit was conversing with a brother about spiritual benefit. During the conversation, the listener grew heavily drowsy, so much so that he could not even raise his eyes. But when the speaker changed the subject and began to speak idle things, the drowsy one immediately came to himself, rejoiced, and began to listen attentively to the idle talk (Prol. Apr. 25).

We have related this brief story to you, brethren, because, in our opinion, it applies more closely than to anyone else to Christians of today — and not only to some, but to very many. Indeed, let us look at ourselves impartially. Here comes the Lord’s Feast; the church bells summon to church; conscience also commands us to go there; but how difficult it is, for example, to rise for Matins! All your infirmities will rise up here, and despondency and a certain kind of discontent will weigh you down.

Encomium to the Holy Great Martyr of Christ George the Trophy-Bearer (St. Andrew of Crete)

Introduction

The present encomiastic discourse to Saint George has a particular characteristic. Saint Andrew, astonished before the martyrdom of Saint George, praises him with wondrous words, making an effort to bring forth the greatness of the Saint’s soul. Yet, unintentionally, he also allows his own spiritual wealth to be revealed. Then follows Saint Nikodemos who, out of love for his neighbor, in order to offer pure evangelical nourishment, renders into the language of his time the discourse of Saint Andrew. This rendering, however, is also imbued with his own holiness. He gives to the text a new pulse, a new vitality, without setting aside either the Saint being praised, or Saint Andrew who composed the encomium. Thus, we have three persons gathered together around one axis: the person of Christ. And the word of the Lord, that “for where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in their midst” (Matt. 18:20), demonstrates the particular grace of this text. It is a marvelous introduction into the communion of the Saints, where all things tend and move around Christ, where every sanctified mind, animated by the spirited tone and inflamed by the highest desire, becomes wholly an eye, delighting in the glory of the person of Christ. All the words of this encomium both lead to, and are guided by, the host of the communion of love, this “most singular” Word. Christ, attended by the Great Martyr George, Saint Andrew, and Saint Nikodemos, calls us to the banquet of His Kingdom. The present edition of the text aims at imparting the taste of this communion of the Saints.

The Icon of the Resurrection of Christ (Photios Kontoglou)

The Icon of the Resurrection of Christ 

By Photios Kontoglou

In Orthodox iconography, the type of the icon of the Resurrection is the one upon which the image of this book cover was made, and it bears the title “Resurrection” or “The Descent into Hades.” In the center is depicted Christ, of greater stature than the other figures, within a radiant “glory.” With forceful movement He steps upon the shattered gates of Hades, which opens beneath His feet like a dark cave, strewn with locks, keys, and broken bars. With His right hand He pulls Adam, and with His left Eve, drawing them out of the tombs. On His hands and feet are visible the marks of the nails.

On the right and left surrounding their Redeemer and standing in amazement are the “righteous,” that is, those who were pleasing to God from the foundation of the world until the Incarnation of Christ: Enoch, Noah, Moses, Elijah, David, Solomon, and the others. First on the right appears Saint John the Forerunner, because, after he proclaimed beforehand to the world the coming of the Lord, he was beheaded and descended into Hades in order to announce also to “those bound from ages past” that the Redeemer would descend to free them from the bonds of Hades, “and as a forerunner to the faithful in Hades.”

Venerable Elizabeth the Wonderworker in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

The Venerable Elizabeth the Wonderworker becomes especially relevant in our time, chiefly because her entire life was — and continues by grace to be — an extraordinary presence of compassion toward the world. Especially today, when a large number of our fellow human beings live in sorrow and distress due to the many problems of daily life, the Venerable one comes as a foremost protector of those in affliction, to grant that grace which helps overcome sorrow and attain true joy. The Holy Hymnographer of our Church records this clearly from the very beginning of the hymns dedicated to her: “You received the grace to drive away the illnesses of souls and bodies, Venerable Mother, to expel evil spirits by the Holy Spirit, and to be the protector of all those in afflictions” (Vespers Sticheron).

Her entire life was a conscious effort to share in the suffering of her fellow human beings — that is, to live the true and genuine love brought by the Lord Jesus Christ. And this means, of course, that she struggled to remain firmly upon the rock of the Orthodox faith, since true love toward God and neighbor is known to be the most excellent flower of the right Orthodox faith. Faith and love are two sides of the same coin, and whoever thinks he can have one without the other is gravely mistaken. “You practiced compassion, Orthodox faith, and love toward the Lord and your neighbor, O Venerable one blessed by God, therefore the divine grace of the Spirit rested in you, Mother Elizabeth” (Vespers Sticheron).