Category: EOC

  • Archaeologists Discover Notable 1,500-Year-Old Monastery With Mosaic Floor

    Newsweek 2025-01-15 Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a significant Christian monastery dating back to roughly 1,500 years ago at a site in Israel. The remains include a remarkable colorful mosaic floor with an inscription written in Greek—taken from the Book of Deuteronomy—that translates roughly to: “Blessed are you when you come in and blessed…

  • The Jesus Prayer

    Lord Jesus Christ,Son of God.Have mercy on me,A sinner. 1920×1080 screen background. Minimize windows. Pull out prayer rope. Pray. From Wikipedia.

  • Ancient Faith Prayer Book

    Excellent Resource — Prayers. On Amazon (Large Print edition – good for old eyes or reading in the dark). Edited by Vassilios Papavassiliou, the Ancient Faith Prayer Book brings together the most ancient and popular prayers of Orthodox Christians with some additions that address issues of contemporary life, all rendered in elegant contemporary English.

  • Frequency of Communion

    This is an old post. Read with caution… I have been asked in the past how often I think that a church should take the Lord’s Supper (Communion). This is a tough question to answer for a couple of reasons. The Bible seems to indicate that we should celebrate it every time we meet together.…

  • Towards a Theory of the Church

    One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church The Nicene Creed declares the Church to be One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. These are often called the four marks of the church. Can a Protestant affirm these words from the Nicene Creed or does he/she redefine the words from their traditional meaning when using the words? I don’t…

  • Epistle of the Day 2025-01-14

    The reading ST. PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIANS 3:23-29; 4:1-5Brethren, before faith came, we were confined under the law, kept under restraint until faith should be revealed. So that the law was our custodian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under…

  • On Hating the “Institution” of the Church

    Gospel reading for today. ST. PAUL’S LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS 4:7-13 BRETHREN, grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” (in saying, “He ascended, ” what does it…

  • Taking a Social Media Break

    If Jesus needed to get away and pray, so much more I need to do the same. Luke 5:15-16 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and…

  • The Cappadocian Fathers

    From Grok. The Cappadocian Fathers—St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory of Nazianzus (also known as Gregory the Theologian), and St. Gregory of Nyssa—made profound contributions to the Eastern Orthodox Church, particularly in the realms of theology, liturgy, and monasticism. Here’s a summary of their major contributions: Theological Contributions: Liturgical and Ecclesiological Contributions: Philosophical and Ethical…

  • “Mysteries” in the Orthodox Church

    One word that I found difficult to understand when I studied Orthodoxy is the word “mystery”. In particular, the Orthodox Church refers to “The Mysteries” often in terms of the Seven Sacraments. One page puts it well. Unlike some other Christian denominations, which may view sacraments primarily as symbolic rituals, Orthodox Christians believe that the…

  • Reading the Nativity Psalms

    These are notes from a lecture by Dr. Justin Gohl, Lecturer in Old Testament at St Tikhon’s Seminary, (Here are some of his numerous publications). Any errors in the following are all mine and not Dr. Gohl’s. I wrote it up here to preserve it for my own future reference and application and anyone who…

  • Gospel Reading 2024-12-07

    LUKE 13:19-29The Lord said this parable, “The kingdom of God is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom…

  • It is the Nativity Fast

  • Pedigree of the Patriarchs of Antioch

    Antioch is where the disciples of Christ were first called Christians. Acts 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. There is an…

  • Angels and Prayer

    When I was an Evangelical Protestant I missed quite a few things in the Bible. I read it often enough and could quote it back well. But there were a lot of passages which I didn’t really see certain details in. One of these was the role of angels in prayer. In Scripture, Angels play…

  • Hidden History of Early Christian Art

     

  • Orthodox Demographics

    Orthodox Demographics

     How many Orthodox are there?

  • Orthodoxy in the News

    Orthodoxy in the News

    Orthodoxy tends to stay out of the news. Recent growth in converts to Orthodox have got some notice this week in the NY Post article Young men leaving traditional churches for ‘masculine’ Orthodox Christianity in droves. In Droves? It is true that there is an uptick in the number of people being received into the Orthodox…

  • Apologetics – Substance and Style

     There are some apologists for the faith who have great content but fail the test of a real apologist. 2 Timothy 2:25-26 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil,…

  • Epistle Reading for 2024-11-23

    2 Cor 5:1-10 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being…

  • Gospel Reading for 2024-11-23

    Luke 10:19-20 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. This is set…

  • Tradition in Scripture

    The Greek word παραδόσεις (paradosis) is translated in various ways in the KJV and NIV Bibles. This obscures the fact that it’s the same word in Greek G3862 in Strong’s. In this verse, it’s translated as “ordinances” and is a command to keep the traditions that Paul himself delivered to the Church. 1 Cor 11:1-2 Be ye followers…

  • Assurance of Salvation

    Protestant Notion of the Assurance of Salvation is Unbiblical To a Protestant in the Reformed tradition, these words of Paul can be nothing but a theoretical impossibility. 1 Cor 9:27 But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should…

  • The Seven Great Ecumenical Councils

    It’s really the beauty of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. They took the Fathers and the Scriptures and reached the conclusions we have today in the Church. The Trinity, the Deity of Christ, the selection of the canon, rejection of iconoclasts, and many others. It was all based on the pattern from the first council in…