Holy Hierarch Hierotheos of Athens in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. Saint Hierotheos was one of the nine members of the Council of the Areopagus. He was instructed in the Christian faith by the Apostle Paul and was ordained Bishop of Athens, while he in turn instructed the Great Dionysios in the same faith. He also presided at the funeral of the Most Holy Theotokos, when the Holy Apostles had gathered, and from all that was heard and seen, he appeared as though he were in rapture and ecstasy. He seemed to have been seized by God, hymning Him. He lived in a good and God-pleasing manner, and after gladdening God by his life in Christ and his accomplishments, he departed to the Lord.

2. Yesterday and today present to us two of the great Saints of our faith, disciples of the Apostle Paul, Saint Dionysios the Areopagite and Saint Hierotheos. For although, according to the Synaxarion, Saint Hierotheos instructed Saint Dionysios in the faith of Christ, the first person who sowed the seed of this faith in Dionysios was the Apostle Paul. We remember from the Acts of the Apostles that, after the “unsuccessful” preaching of the Apostle to the Nations at the Areopagus, when most of them mockingly told him, “We will hear you again,” and got up and left, some approached the Apostle and were initiated by him into the things of the faith, “among whom were Dionysios the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” With these Saints, then, Dionysios and Hierotheos, we find ourselves before the sources of our faith; we breathe the air of the presence of the sanctified Paul, and we feel his heart throbbing with the love of Christ.

Prologue in Sermons: February 14

One of the Best Means of Making Unbelievers Believers

February 14

(Commemoration of our Venerable Father Abraham)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Why is it, brethren, that so few pagans are converted to our faith, and why do so few from the schism enter Orthodoxy? It is because we often forget that evil cannot be stopped or overcome by evil, and that evil can be halted — and cut off — only by good.

Venerable Abraham lived among pagans. Some mocked him and forced him to leave them; others constantly troubled him with requests for help. Abraham shared with them what he received from the Orthodox, and by this, it is said, he was delivered from abusive torment. And how did it end? The pagans, struck by the Venerable one’s love for mankind, built a Christian church and themselves all became Christians, and they entreated Abraham to be their priest.

Thus meekness and freedom from malice conquered evil and hatred and increased the flock of Christ!

Homily for the Sunday After the Baptism of the Lord (St. Cleopa of Sihastria)

Homily for the Sunday After the Baptism of the Lord

(On the Preaching of the Word of God)

By Saint Cleopa of Sihastria

“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).

Beloved faithful,

One of the teachings of today’s Holy Gospel says: “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). The same words were spoken by Saint John the Baptist when he began to preach in the wilderness of the Jordan: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). The same message was also given to the Holy Apostles when they were sent to preach the gospel, for He said to them: “As you go, preach, saying: The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:7).

Today’s divine Gospel says: “From that time Jesus began to preach…” (Matthew 4:17). But what does “from that time” mean? It means from the time when the holy and great Prophet John the Baptist was arrested and thrown into prison. This truth is shown by today’s Holy Gospel, which says: “Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee” (Matthew 4:12). But did the Savior depart to Galilee out of fear? By no means. Rather, He went to Galilee in order to begin preaching the gospel from there, according to the prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah, who says: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:15–16).

December: Day 4: Teaching 4: Holy Great Martyr Barbara

December: Day 4: Teaching 4:
Holy Great Martyr Barbara
 
(Nature is the Great Book of God, Understandable Even to the Illiterate)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On the feast of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara, who came to know the one true God from the study of nature and as a result rejected idols and accepted the Christian faith, for which she suffered as a martyr, it would be appropriate, my beloved brethren, to talk with you about how nature is truly a great book of God, understandable even to the illiterate, clearly and loudly speaking about God.

Was God Harsh in the Old Testament?

By Archimandrite Vassilios Bakoyiannis

Some non-Christians resort to the Old Testament to prove that the Christian God is harsh. This view, however, is only half the truth. The whole truth is that God was equally merciful in the Old Testament as well. Here is an overview.

God in the Old Testament had to deal with a fallen world unlike any before, a world with its own psychology and nature. Accordingly, it required a special approach, one that aligned with this reality.

Its defining trait was hardness of heart. Parents burned their children alive, offering them as sacrifices to their gods (2 Kings 23:10).

In such a world, murder was an easy matter. With what ease Cain killed Abel; with what ease the meek Moses slew an Egyptian who was mistreating a fellow Israelite (Exodus 2:12).

Saint Athenagoras and His Writings

 

By Vladimir Lovyagin 

In the inscription to the Apology, which scholars believe belongs to Athenagoras himself, he identifies himself as an Athenian and a Christian philosopher. Unfortunately, history has preserved no further details about the life of this apologist. Only two writers mention Athenagoras: Saint Methodios of Olympus (+ 311) and Philip of Side (+ 431). The former cites a passage from Athenagoras' Apology;* the latter said only a few words, which are highly questionable; Eusebius and Jerome remain silent about this writer.** Philip of Side remarks: "The head of the Alexandrian school was Athenagoras. He lived during the times of Hadrian and Antoninus, and presented his Apology in defense of Christians. He professed the Christian faith even at a time when he still donned the philosopher's toga and was a leader in the academy."

Intending to write against Christianity, in order to more surely achieve his goal, he commenced reading the holy books, and, captivated by the grace of the Holy Spirit, became a preacher of the very doctrine against which he had risen. His pupil was Clement of Alexandria, from whom Pantaenus learned. (See Dodvel. Dissertation on Irenaeus, at the end.) However, this is almost the only evidence, and much of it is contested, because in its private testimonies, it directly contradicts the account of the Church historian Eusebius, who lived before Philip and whose historical writings far surpass the meager compilation of Philip, which is poorly regarded according to the opinions of Socrates (Ecclesiastical History, Book 17, Chapter 27) and Patriarch Photios (Codex XXXV), and is grandly titled the History of Christianity. For instance, Philip incorrectly asserts that Athenagoras was the head of the Alexandrian school; for in that case, it is incomprehensible how the works of such a renowned figure could remain unknown even to Eusebius. Furthermore, Clement of Alexandria was not a teacher, but a student of Pantaenus, as clearly indicated by Eusebius (Ecclesiastical History, Book 5, Chapter 10) and Photios (Codex CIX).

Paschal Pastoral Encyclical 2017 (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 The Confirmation of the Resurrection

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Every year on the day of Pascha we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, this great event in the history of humanity and ecclesiastical life. We celebrate it brilliantly, we celebrate it solemnly, we rejoice heartily. The Resurrection of Christ, together with His Cross, is the center of ecclesiastical life.

The Resurrection of Christ is not simply an fact of the faith of the Apostles, it is not a fact of a simple tradition that we received and preserve, it is not only a central point of our culture and our customs, which we accept without being able to prove it.

It is mainly a fact which is confirmed in every era.