Saint James the Persian in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint James was a Christian of Christian parents, living in the city of Beth Lapat, in the land of the Persians, of an honorable and illustrious lineage, and greatly honored by King Yazdegerd. For this reason, namely, because the king of the Persians loved him very much, he distanced himself from the Christian faith and followed the king, thus leading to perdition by denying Christ. But when his mother and wife broke off their communion with him, because he preferred the love of the king to the love of Christ, and for temporary glory he chose eternal shame and condemnation – something they accused him of in letters they sent him – he was wounded in soul and distanced himself from the vain religion of the king, whereupon he began to weep for all the sins he had committed, as he had apostatized from Christ. For this reason, he was brought to trial, while the king was very unhappy with the event. The result was that he suffered a bitter death, with the division of the harmony of the body: the hands and feet and arms, little by little, so that only the head and the torso remained. Then they also removed his head with a knife.

Saint Damaskinos the Studite: Teacher of the Enslaved Nation

 

By Konstantinos Holevas, 
Political Scientist

To the Hellenism that was wintering from the Turkish conquest, Divine Providence sent a great figure in the 16th century. He is Saint Damaskinos the Studite, whom our Church honors on November 27. A cleric, scholar, militant Orthodox, author of wonderful books, wise, modest and ascetic, Damaskinos was an excellent Shepherd in the two Diocese where the Ecumenical Patriarchate sent him. First to the Diocese of Liti and Rentini (today's Metropolis of Lagada) and then to the Metropolis of Nafpaktos and Arta, as it was then called.

Damaskinos was born in Thessaloniki probably in 1520. He studied in Constantinople and had as his teacher the famous Theophanes Eleavoulkos Notaras. He was associated with the historic Monastery of Stoudios, which is why he was called a Studite. He collaborated closely with important Patriarchs such as Metrophanes, Joasaph II the Magnificent and Jeremias the Tranos. He was elected Bishop of Liti and Rentini in 1560 and his ordination took place in Thessaloniki and in particular in the well-known Church of the Rotunda, today the Church of Saint George. Due to the Turkish occupation, the Metropolitan Church of Hagia Sophia of Thessaloniki had been converted into a mosque and for a time the Rotunda, known as the Church of the Archangels, served as the Metropolitan Church.

November: Day 27: Teaching 2: Feast of the Sign of the Mother of God

November: Day 27: Teaching 2:
Feast of the Sign of the Mother of God
 
(Whom Should We Seek Help From Against Enemies Visible and Invisible?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On this day, a great national celebration once took place in ancient Novgorod. It was a great celebration, but a great miracle also occurred.

One day, numerous and fearsome enemies approached this ancient city, besieged it from all sides with their army, and threatened to destroy it with fire and sword. The poor Novgorodians were dismayed and terrified; their military forces were small, they had no means of defense, and there was no one to expect help from. What should they do in such a situation? What should they decide? After long and varied consultations and deliberations, they finally decided to resort to the merciful Lord God, to turn with fervent prayer to the heavenly Intercessor, the revered Leader — the Mother of God. And so the entire nation rose to prayer; young and old flocked to the churches of God; prayerful cries and lamentations resounded from the streets and crossroads; fervent tears and fervent prayers flowed to the heavens; – and consider how important, how significant before God is a united, communal prayer founded on heartfelt faith, hastened by love, and nurtured by hope! – One night, following such a communal and ardent prayer, the Archbishop of Novgorod received in a dream a command to place the next morning on the city wall an icon depicting the Mother of God with her hands raised in sorrow. Upon awakening, the Archbishop received this command with unwavering faith and, the next morning, indeed, with due reverence, he placed the sacred icon on the city wall, positioning it so that it faced the praying people. As the service of supplication to the Most Holy Theotokos began, the enemies, who had intended to launch a decisive assault on the city at that moment, were suddenly thrown into confusion, disoriented, faltered, and, struck by an invisible force, scattered and fled! The weak Novgorodian army could only strike at the fleeing and gather the treasures of the enemy camp; – and now in Novgorod, on the day before this gloomy and sorrowful one, – there was universal joy, delight, and the greatest triumph! The enemies before them had seemed invincible – and they were scattered, there had been hunger and need – now there was abundance in everything; there had been despair and fear – suddenly, there was indescribable joy and merriment! Thus, the Mother of God saved the ancient Novgorodians from numerous and terrible foes; thus, She revealed to them the Sign of Her miraculous help and power; and thus, time and again, She has saved our homeland in times of internal strife and in the grave invasions of foreign enemies. In the same way, She now saves all of us, Christians, from all the hardships and misfortunes of life and from all our enemies, both visible and invisible.

Prologue in Sermons: November 27

 

Against Slander

November 27

(A Sermon on Not Condemning Monks)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

In a church sermon on the 27th of November, the following is written, among other things, about slander: "Many of the foolish," it says there, "recklessly slander the monks. When they see one of them sinning, they say that this is not what the Lord commanded, yet they themselves sin in abundance, oppress others, and steal. And if they see any partaking of a sweet dish, they begin to slander even more; yet they themselves drink daily, thereby storing up eternal fire for themselves." Having heard this, many may very well ask: why have you brought us this sermon, and what does it signify?

The 11th Century Athonite Monastery of Alypios (Today's Cell of the Holy Apostles Under Koutloumousiou Monastery)

The Sacred Monastery of Alypios was located on the outskirts of Karyes, adjacent to the old Sacred Monastery of Anapausa. Its original name was "Monastery of Alopos". The name was probably given by its founder, who would have been called Alopos. In the eleventh century, the Alopos family flourished in Byzantium.

The Monastery was dedicated to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and is referred to either by their name or by the name of the Holy Apostles.

The oldest written testimony of the Monastery of Alopos is the signature of the Hieromonk of Hierotheos in a document of 1021. The first proper document of the Monastery of Alopos, which is preserved to this day in the Monastery of Koutloumousiou, is by Abbot Theophanes of the year 1257.