Search results for ""St Vladimir's Seminary Press,U.S.""

What happens to us after death? How do we reconcile our religious beliefs and our scientific world view? These questions faced St Paul in his dealings with the Church at Corinth and also St Gregory of Nyssa, who was educated in the prevailing Greek philosophical systems. He refused to keep religion and science in separarate compartments of his mind, and yearned to synthesize his faith and his philosophy. St Gregory dramatizes his thoughts in dialogue form and deals with the the implications of faith for our personal lives.

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Popular Patristics Series Volume 9 This is the second edition of this Popular Patristics volume, enhanced with freshly edited text, an updated cover, and a new foreword by Hank Hanegraaff. The sermons of St John Chrysostom are some of the richest classical commentaries on the Christian life. Knowing well the realities of life in the world, the temptation of rich and poor alike, this great orator—"the golden-mouthed"—addresses the questions of wealth and poverty in the lives of the people of his day. And yet, as the modern reader is confronted with his words, it becomes apparent that he, too, is being addressed; Chrysostom's words are words proclaiming the truth of the Gospel to all people of all times. The message of the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) is brought home to every person in these six sermons of Chrysostom with clarity, insight into the human dilemma, compassion, and judgment. Related texts in the Popular Patristics Series include St Basil the Great's on Social Justice (PPS 38) and several other works by St John Chrysostom: Six Books on the Priesthood (PPS 1), On Marriage and Family Life (PPS 7), The Cult of the Saints (PPS 31), and Letters to Olympia (PPS 56).

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This Festschrift celebrates the joyful heart and retirement from thirty-five years of university teaching of Bishop Kallistos Ware, a person who has found his monastic "desert" among the "dreaming spires" of academia, and his "cell" in the lecture room. The Festschrift contains articles by renowned academics, which are based on historical, theological, and spiritual themes.

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Of the many themes that classical Antiquity and early Christianity had in common, for all their profound diffrerences, none was more influential than their love of language. It was the Greek asnd Roman rhetorical theorists who called the attention of later generations to the importance of speech and language. Likewise, when the author of the Fourth Gospel needed a comprehensive metaphor to describe the eternal significance of Jesus Christ, he turned to speech, calling him the Logos, the Word And Reason Of God, through whom the universe was made and by whom it was upheld. What would happen when these two systems of interpreting persuasive language collided - and yet in some sense converged? To answer that question, this book examines three interpretations of the most universally acknowledged piece of rhetoric in the history of the west, the Sermon on The Mount, from the latin and Catholic tradition (St.Augustine), and the Reformation and Protestant tradition (Martin Luther). Each is acknowledged in his tradition as a prince of the pulpit. Togethor and yet seperately, they illuminate both the sermon and the speaker for anyone who still takes the challenge of the faith - and of language - seriously.

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Reflections on the theological aspect of the liturgy was the focus of Alexander Schmemann's intellectual life. He intuitively grasped and insisted upon the essentially theological character of all liturgical renewal. He recognized that the renewal of the church requires a rediscovery of the liturgy's own inherent theology, that same theology which once informed the whole of the church's life as well as the teachings and writings of the leaders of the Patristic age. This theological content which is inherent in the liturgy itself is designed by Schmemann as "liturgical theology". This collection of essays by the pre-eminent 20th-century Orthodox liturgical theologian is intended as a companion volume to his "Introduction to Liturgical Theology". Here can be traced the development of his thought, and particularly his increasingly precise articulation of the nature and method of liturgical theologyy. Here too can be found Schmemann's constant stress on liturgy as an eschatological and ecclesial event and he repeatedly challenges the liturgical movement in both East and West to rediscover these elements, which were so central in the life of the early Church.

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A systematic and contemporary presentation of Orthodox ecclesiology, including chapters on Eucharist and catholicity, apostolic continuity and succession, ministry and communion, and the local church.

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A book of sermons by 7th and 8th century Fathers including St John of Damascus and St Andrew of Crete. This volume brings together the earliest attempts to interpret Mary's dormition, or falling asleep in the Lord, in the light of the whole Paschal Mystery.

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A Silent Patriarch: Kyrillos VI (1902-1971) is the first scholarly biography of the desert hermit who became a most unlikely patriarch. Until now the details of his life have remained hidden. As patriarch, Kyrillos inherited a bleeding church, one confronted by political Islamism, an indifferent Muslim president, and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood. Silent in the face of persecution, mockery, and criticism, Kyrillos stood at the head of a nearly impossible spiritual revolution. But by the time he reposed, everything had changed. In this lucid biography, Daniel Fanous traces Kyrillos' life from childhood, drawing upon hundreds of letters and sources never before seen, detailing Kyrillos' unusual method of ecclesial reform, which speaks enduringly to the uncertainties of the present age. This is the story of Kyrillos VI, a most unlikely patriarch, and a silent urban recluse.

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Orthodox Christians today have no lack of resources on monastic spirituality. And yet startlingly little has been done to critically engage the monastic tradition and adapt its ancient wisdom for the Orthodox faithful living in today's complex society. A Layman in the Desert aims to bridge this crucial gap. Working with the Conferences of St John Cassian, Opperwall constructs a kind of relationship handbook that shows us how the desert saints of old can help us build healthy, Christ-centered relationships with our spouses, children, friends, and coworkers.

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The "Filioque" ("and the Son") controversy, about the words of the creed - that the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father ("and the Son") led to the final split between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Of the early attempts to heal the schism between the Byzantine and Western churches, none is as famous as the Council of Lyons, 1274. Less familiar is the Byzantine reaction that followed in the patriachate of Gregory of Cyprus, when the settlement of 1274 was formally repudiated by imperial decree and the solemn decision of the Byzantine Church at the Council of Blachernae, 1285. This work is a study of Gregory II and the Council of 1285

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The authors search for explanations and reasons why the Orthodox Church has never in its history ordained women to serve as bishops and priests. All agree that the Church had women deacons, and that careful consideration must be given to this office as it existed in the past and as it may once again in the Orthodox Church. No author in this present volume calls for the ordination of women as bishops and priests. All authors agree however that the greatest care must be exercised in dealing with this delicate issue. The Orthodox Church has no infallible magisterium. Church leaders and theologians may be wrong. The Holy Spirit acts within the whole body of believers bringing to remembrance what Christ teaches and guiding the faithful into all truth. If but one member of the Church is inspired to argue from the Bible and church tradition that certain women may be qualified to serve as bishops and priests, he or she must be heard with dignity and respect. Those who believe that only certain believing men are qualified for these ordained ministries must be heard in the same manner and spirit.

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Fr Tarazi explains how the very concept of a New Testament 'scripture' came into being, beginning with Paul's letters. Paul's death then left a void in the leadership of Gentile Christianity, which was still under attack by Jewish Christianity. In order to defend the faith as it was preached by Paul, some of his followers created what is now the Gospel of Mark. Their purpose was not to make a historical chronicle of Jesus' life or a systematic presentation of Christian doctrine, but rather to defend Paul's conception of Christianity from the remaining (Jewish) apostles. In writing the story of Jesus, they interpreted Jesus himself and the events of his life according to what they knew of the teaching s and life story of their own leader Paul.

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