By Fr. George Dorbarakis
Saint Theophanes, the hymnographer of Saint Nikephoros, with a verse that is at once bold and realistic, reveals to us the spiritual stature of the Saint whose feast is being celebrated:
“As Patriarch you stand next to the Patriarch, the divine elder Abraham O Nikephoros. On the second, Nikephoros found his allotted portion in Eden.” (Verses from the Synaxarion)
And he does not stop there. Not only Abraham, but all the great Patriarchs of the Old Testament, such as Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, honor Saint Nikephoros with odes and hymns, considering that he has been added to their own heavenly choir.
“The choirs of the Patriarchs honor your holy memory, O Nikephoros, with hymns and songs; for they have received your glorious soul as an addition to their ranks.” (Kathisma at Matins)
Why is this so? We might have expected the Holy Hymnographer to tell us first of all that he was the child of a martyr — his father Theodore was a martyr. And yet, not a single reference is made to the saintly father. The Hymnographer, one might say, is dazzled by the holy life of Saint Nikephoros, and it is upon this that he focuses both his own attention and ours.
And indeed, it seems that there is hardly a word that Theophanes did not employ in order to present to us the life of Nikephoros, founded upon the Lord from the very moment of his birth until the hour of his departure from this world. He is “the divine imprint” — in his person we behold God Himself (Sticheron at Vespers). He is “the one who made the practice of asceticism a stairway by which he ascended to the vision of God” (Ode One). He is “the one whose speech was adorned by his virtuous deeds, and whose life in turn was filled with the beauty of the word of God” (Ode One).
In other words, according to the Holy hymnographer, his entire life was a struggle sustained by the martyrdom of conscience: how to keep unfailingly the commandments of the Lord Jesus. “For you endured the martyrdom of conscience” (Ode Eight). For this reason he was illumined by the Spirit of God, so that not only his life but also his words and his preaching truly manifested what the Spirit reveals to the Church.
“Radiant with the rays of the Spirit, shining forth among the Churches, O God-minded one, you were revealed as a pillar stretching to heaven.” (Ode Six)
And it should be noted that Theophanes devotes a large part of his Canon for the Saint to the proclamation of the word of God, because in his own time the Orthodox faith was being persecuted by Emperor Leo, who regarded the veneration of icons as an act of idolatry. Saint Nikephoros, therefore, was among those Fathers who demonstrated that the icon is a practical expression of faith in Jesus Christ as both God and man. To refuse to honor the icons means to deny the reality of God's Incarnation, to distort faith in Him, and therefore constitutes a Christological heresy that diverts a person from a living relationship with God.
“By your love of wisdom you searched out the depth of Wisdom, and with the woven strands of your dogmas you clearly utterly defeated those who reject the image of Christ.” (Ode Three)
As is always the case when speaking of a Saint, Saint Theophanes also “opens” the heart of Saint Nikephoros in order to reveal to us the meaning of his entire course of life. His words move us deeply:
“Possessing your heart as a paradise, with the Tree of Life planted in its midst, you revealed to all the word of the Faith, O divinely-inspired Father Nikephoros.” (Ode Four)
In order for someone to speak about the faith, and for his words and preaching concerning Christ and His holy Church to be convincing, he must be inspired by the Spirit of God. Yet such inspiration presupposes the struggle to keep Christ at the center of one’s heart — to activate and live out one’s holy baptism. And this is accomplished in only one way, according to the word of the Lord Himself: by keeping His holy commandments.
“Abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love.”
The Holy Hymnographer places before us with complete clarity the Saint himself and his journey in Christ. Through Saint Nikephoros we see that true theology is not merely a matter of learning or eloquence, but of a heart transformed into a paradise in which Christ dwells as the Tree of Life. From such a heart proceed both right faith and authentic witness. Illuminated by the Holy Spirit, steadfast in the martyrdom of conscience, unwavering in his defense of the holy icons and of the truth of the Incarnation, Saint Nikephoros became a living pillar of the Church. For this reason, Theophanes presents him not simply as a distinguished patriarch, but as one worthy to stand among Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and all the righteous Patriarchs in the Heavenly Kingdom.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
“Radiant with the rays of the Spirit, shining forth among the Churches, O God-minded one, you were revealed as a pillar stretching to heaven.” (Ode Six)
And it should be noted that Theophanes devotes a large part of his Canon for the Saint to the proclamation of the word of God, because in his own time the Orthodox faith was being persecuted by Emperor Leo, who regarded the veneration of icons as an act of idolatry. Saint Nikephoros, therefore, was among those Fathers who demonstrated that the icon is a practical expression of faith in Jesus Christ as both God and man. To refuse to honor the icons means to deny the reality of God's Incarnation, to distort faith in Him, and therefore constitutes a Christological heresy that diverts a person from a living relationship with God.
“By your love of wisdom you searched out the depth of Wisdom, and with the woven strands of your dogmas you clearly utterly defeated those who reject the image of Christ.” (Ode Three)
As is always the case when speaking of a Saint, Saint Theophanes also “opens” the heart of Saint Nikephoros in order to reveal to us the meaning of his entire course of life. His words move us deeply:
“Possessing your heart as a paradise, with the Tree of Life planted in its midst, you revealed to all the word of the Faith, O divinely-inspired Father Nikephoros.” (Ode Four)
In order for someone to speak about the faith, and for his words and preaching concerning Christ and His holy Church to be convincing, he must be inspired by the Spirit of God. Yet such inspiration presupposes the struggle to keep Christ at the center of one’s heart — to activate and live out one’s holy baptism. And this is accomplished in only one way, according to the word of the Lord Himself: by keeping His holy commandments.
“Abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love.”
The Holy Hymnographer places before us with complete clarity the Saint himself and his journey in Christ. Through Saint Nikephoros we see that true theology is not merely a matter of learning or eloquence, but of a heart transformed into a paradise in which Christ dwells as the Tree of Life. From such a heart proceed both right faith and authentic witness. Illuminated by the Holy Spirit, steadfast in the martyrdom of conscience, unwavering in his defense of the holy icons and of the truth of the Incarnation, Saint Nikephoros became a living pillar of the Church. For this reason, Theophanes presents him not simply as a distinguished patriarch, but as one worthy to stand among Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and all the righteous Patriarchs in the Heavenly Kingdom.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
