Saint Lydia of Philippi: The First European and Greek Christian

By Lambros Skontzos

One of the most beloved female figures mentioned in the New Testament is Saint Lydia of Philippi in Macedonia, who is in fact regarded as the first Christian woman of Europe and, of course, the first Greek Christian woman.

We receive information about her exclusively from the sacred book of the Acts of the Apostles (chapter 16). The Apostle Paul, together with his co-workers Timothy, Silas, and Luke, during his second missionary journey in the spring of 50 A.D., while he was in Troas, saw an important vision: a Macedonian man who said to him: “Come over into Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9). The great Apostle considered this vision as a command from God to cross into Europe in order to preach the gospel of salvation.

Without wasting time, he boarded a ship together with his co-workers and arrived at the harbor of Neapolis, present-day Kavala. By way of the Via Egnatia they reached Philippi, a very important Roman city which enjoyed special privileges from imperial Rome. It was built in a strategic location in the midst of a rich region. After the Battle of Philippi (42 B.C.) it was transformed into a Roman colony and populated by Roman veteran soldiers; it bore the privileged name “Colonia Iulia Augusta Philippensis” and was governed by magistrates, possessing administrative and economic autonomy.

Holy Hieromartyr Isidore of Estonia

 

By Lampros K. Skontzos

The Church of Christ is founded upon the confession of Her Saints and watered with the blood of the millions of Martyrs who did not submit to the godless powers of the world, but offered their lives for the saving truth of the Orthodox Faith.

Among them are also Martyrs who were not put to death by pagans, but by the hands of heretics who bore the name of Christ.

To this host belongs the Holy Hieromartyr Isidore of Estonia together with the seventy-two fellow Martyrs who suffered with him, victims of the murderous frenzy of the papal Uniates.

Saint Isidore lived in the fifteenth century and was from Estonia. He was a devout Orthodox presbyter of the parish of Yuryev in Livonia (in today’s Latvia–Estonia region) and was deeply devoted to the one saving Orthodox Faith.

His ministry, however, coincided with particularly grievous times, when the papal Uniates unleashed harsh persecutions against the Orthodox who refused to submit to Papal authority.

The Social Role of the Seven Deacons of the Early Church

 

By Lambros Skontzos

The Sunday of the Myrrhbearers is dedicated, in addition to the Holy Myrrhbearers, who took care of the divine body of our Lord and his burial, to the Seven Deacons of the Early Church.

According to the Book of Acts of the Apostles, the young Church of Jerusalem grew by leaps and bounds. A multitude of people, both Jews and Hellenists, that is, Jews who had adopted the Greek language and the Greek way of life, or former Gentiles who had converted to Judaism, believed in the preaching of the apostles, were baptized and joined the Church. Within the Church their lives changed, because they were part of the Christian brotherhood, where all members considered each other brothers in Christ, adopted by God in Christ (Gal. 4:7). The Church was not another religion different from Judaism or pagan nationalism, but something incomparably superior to the concept of religion. The Church is the “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17), the new world of God, His kingdom on earth, which came to replace the old fallen world aged by sin and corruption.

The Sacred Couple Aquila and Priscilla: The Protectors of Loving Spouses

By Lambros Skontzos

On February 13, our Church celebrates the holy memory of two important saints of the apostolic era, Aquila and Priscilla. These two sacred spouses constitute for our Orthodox Church the true version of what the commercialized “Saint Valentine” is said to offer on February 14. The late Archbishop Christodoulos had proposed to replace Valentine's Day as a “festival of lovers” brought from the cacodox “Christian” West with the feast of Saints Aquila and Priscilla.

This sacred couple is mentioned many times in the epistles of the Apostle Paul, who contributed greatly to the missionary work of the Apostle to the Gentiles. They were of Jewish origin and initially lived in Rome. They practiced the profession of tentmaker, manufacturing special fabrics for tents. However, in 49 AD Emperor Claudius (41-54 AD) expelled the Jews from Rome on the grounds that they were arguing about a certain “Christ.” This testimony, which is important for the early Church, clearly shows the persecution that the Jews had proclaimed against the Christians. It also seems that Aquila and Priscilla had heard about the new faith, which they liked. From Rome they found themselves in Corinth, the great multinational city of Achaia, which rivaled Rome in moral corruption, practicing the lucrative profession of tentmaker.

Saint Clement of Rome: the Great Apostolic Father

By Lambros Skontzos

 

One category of Fathers of our Church are called the "Apostolic Fathers". These are the disciples and successors of the Holy Apostles, who received our holy faith from them. One of them was Saint Clement, the Hieromartyr and third Bishop of Rome.

He came from Rome and lived at the end of the 1st century AD and was active during the reigns of the emperors Dometian (81-96), Nero (96-98) and Trajan (98-117). According to tradition, he was of royal descent.

His parents were called Faustus and Matthidia. Thanks to his noble origin and the financial comfort of his family, he had a brilliant education.

Saint Panagis Basias: A Contemporary Fool for Christ

By Lambros Skontzos, Theologian

The Ionian Islands are the birthplace of many Saints of our Church. One of them was the newly-appeared Saint Panagis Basias from Lixouri in Kefallonia.

He was born in Lixouri in 1801. His pious and wealthy parents were Michael Typaldos Basias and Regina Dellaporta. He received a strict education, and besides Greek he knew Italian, French and Latin.

Initially, he was appointed a grammar teacher, but soon he was inspired by the radical sermons of Kosmas Flamiatos and Eusebios Panas, great ecclesiastical figures of the time, who defended Greece and Orthodoxy, and joined them. The English (rulers of the Ionian Islands), who were supposed to be protectors, instead tyrannized the people and manipulated their Orthodox phronema. For this reason he left the public school, which propagated English supremacy, and started teaching at home.