An Eastern Orthodox Blog
When I first studied Orthodoxy, I had long been studying contemporary Biblical scholarship. The history of the Church was foreign to me, and the revelation that the canon of Scripture emerged out of the history of that same Church (thus making Sola Scriptura self-contradictory)—along with the revelation that Patristic theology resembled Catholic and Orthodox theology […]
One of my favorite books of scripture is the book of Tobit. This fondness and familiarity came from spending nearly a year at a previous parish both reading and teaching through it. Originally written in either Hebrew or Aramaic, Tobit was later translated into Greek (in two extant versions) as part of the Septuagint, the […]
Years before Jesus was ever born, the Holy Spirit inspired one of His prophets to tell the future, and to write down some things which had not happened yet. In this prophecy, we hear about someone who claims to be the Son of God, and who is tortured, and is condemned to a shameful death. […]
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. —John 1:1,3 Well, with all this commotion on the phrase “to write an icon” on the Orthodox Arts Journal, it is hard […]
This month, Oxford University Press is releasing The Old Testament in Eastern Orthodox Tradition, the latest publication by Fr. Eugen J. Pentiuc. Fr. Eugen was born and raised in Romania, where he began his theological education despite the shadow of communist oppression. He has since received graduate degrees from both Harvard University (M.A., Ph.D.) and the […]
Earlier this year, I completed not only a lengthy article but also a 5-part podcast series for Ancient Faith Radio on the history of icons in the Christian Church. These were done in response to an article called ‘The Patristic Critique of Icons,’ which essentially repeats portions of John Calvin’s 16th century arguments against the […]
In the Orthodox Church, the Scriptures—and especially the four Gospels—have a place of central importance. Our daily and weekly services are overflowing with references, quotations, and allusions. If a person avails themselves of the opportunities for both prayer and reflection throughout the week, they will read the entire Psalter every week (twice during Lent), not […]
John’s Gospel is the most “mystical” and symbolic of all the canonical Gospels. In fact, John’s Gospel is so filled with spiritual insight that the Church almost exclusively reads from it during the Paschal (post-Easter) season. This is done because all catechumens are baptized on Great and Holy Saturday, leaving no un-initiated among the laity. […]
In the Apostolic Church of the first century and even within the first four decades after the Church began on Pentecost, St Paul had to contend with personality factions devoted to various ecclesiastical leaders – “I am of Paul; I am of Apollos” (1 Cor 3:4). His constant epistolary admonitions to the people of God […]
Between the writings of the fathers and our liturgical hymnography, there are a number of different analogies or explanations for the purpose behind the death of Christ. For example, some have spoken of it as a ransom for the devil, while the majority of Orthodox hymns and liturgical references point to the death of Christ […]