#syrian orthodox church

[dramoor]

"The Church is not the assembly of saints, it is the mass of sinners who repent, who, sinners though they are, have turned towards God and are oriented towards Him." ~St. Ephraim the Syrian

[thepatristictradition]

Orthodoxy is Catholic

Orthodox people (converts especially) often hear, see, and read; even think, say, and believe, that to be Orthodox, you must adopt the clothing, practices, and language of some culture that is foreign to your own.

This is not something a priest will ever tell you, Thanks be to God, but it is an overall impression that people can gather online, at coffee hour, or at Bible study. It always happens the coolest guy there is studying koine Greek.

Evangelists online, with only the best of intentions (probably a recent seminary student) will recommend converts brush up on their Greek or Church Slavonic. Female ortho-personalities will recommend women not just veil, but wear a pavlovo posad. Be sure to use the liturgical calendar to plan all events, religious or otherwise! The more niche evangelists (Antiochians) will make you learn classical Arabic and grow a beard.

All of these things are well and Good. It is good to learn the liturgical languages. Women should veil and the pavlovo posad is as fine a way as any, and I love the Julian calendar as much as the next girl. I too am studying classical Arabic and beards have my stamp of approval. But none of these are necessary to be Orthodox.

No one needs to make themselves into a Russian, Syrian, or Greek to be Orthodox. I find the accusation that you do to be particularly gross because our whole Liturgical theology goes against this-- our whole evangelistic history goes against this. We have our liturgy in the vernacular for a reason! Saint Herman of Alaska evangelized the way he did for a reason!

Our Church is Catholic. It is Universal. You ought to love the people that God allowed you to be born into.

[seekingtheosis]

St. Ephrem the Syrian's Teachings on the Transfiguration of Christ

Join us as we delve into the profound teachings of St. Ephrem on the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ. Learn how this pivotal event reveals Christ's divine nature, bridges the Covenants, and offers a glimpse of the eschatological glory awaiting believers.

In the name of God the Father, Christ Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit, One True God. Amen Transfiguration of Jesus Christ: Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus In the month of August, the Orthodox Church celebrates 2 feasts which are celebrated within a 15 day fasting period. The feasts are: The Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ Feast of the Dormition of the Mother…

[liberty1776]

Here's why the Russian Orthodox Church is deeply connected to the Syrian...

[totallyhussein-blog]

Church relief builds for immediate and long term needs in Syria

Given the many years of war and the economic collapse of Syria, Aid to the Church in Need already had projects in place and partners on the ground in cities such as Aleppo and Lattakia, which have considerable Christian communities, and which were badly affected by the quake, the organization said.

Several of the relief projects already approved are small in scale and aimed at addressing immediate and short-term needs. Xavier Stephen Bisits, head of ACN’s Lebanon and Syria section, traveled to Aleppo, the second-largest city in Syria, immediately after the quake.

“We are working with the Franciscans in Lattakia, who are providing blankets and food for displaced families; the Armenian Orthodox in Aleppo have prepared a project to supply medicine to displaced families; the Institute of the Incarnate Word wants to work with us on a project for the affected families,” he said in a report released by ACN.

The organization also has a project with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to provide personal hygiene care for the elderly, “many of whom have chosen not to leave their homes and are living alone,” Bisits said. The most important project, however, has to do with helping people get back to their homes as quickly as possible. For this, however, it is necessary for the houses to be surveyed by engineers to make sure there is no risk of collapse.

[orthodoxadventure]

The Orthodox attitude towards the Last Judgement and Hell is clearly expressed in the choice of Gospel readings at the Liturgy on three successive Sundays shortly before Lent. On the first Sunday is read the parable of the Publican and Pharisee, on the second the parable of the Prodigal Son, stories which illustrate the immense forgiveness and mercy of God towards all sinners who repent. But in the Gospel for the third Sunday -- the parable of the Sheep and the Goats -- we are reminded of the other truth: that it is possible to reject God and to turn away from Him to Hell. 'Then shall He say to those on the left hand, 'The Curse of God is upon you, go from my sight into everlasting fire' (Matthew xxv, 41).

There is no terrorism in the Orthodox doctrine of God. Orthodox Christians do not cringe before Him in abject fear, but think of Him as philanthropos, the 'lover of men'. Yet they keep in mind that Christ at His Second Coming will come as judge.

Hell is not so much a place where God imprisons man, as a place where man, by misusing his free will, chooses to imprison himself. And even in Hell the wicked are not deprived of the love of God, but by their own choice they experience as suffering what the saints experience as joy. 'The love of God will be an intolerable torment for those who have not acquired it within themselves.'

Hell exists as a logical possibility, but several of the Fathers have none the less believed that in the end all will be reconciled to God. It is heretical to say that all must be saved, for this is to deny free will; but it is legitimate to hope that all may be saved. Until the Last Day comes, we must not despair of anyone's salvation, but must long and pray for the reconciliation of all without exception. No one must be excluded from our loving intercession. 'What is a merciful heart?' asked Saint Isaac the Syrian. 'It is a heart that burns with love for the whole of creation, for men, for the birds, for the beasts, for the demons, for all creatures.' Saint Gregory of Nyssa said that Christians should pray even for the redemption of the Devil.

-- Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Church

[ektenia]

A delegation of priests from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church visit the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, Sergiev Posad, Russia (photographer unknown, source)

[alatismeni-theitsa]

This video made me homesick ?? 😢💓 As a Greek, my culture includes Orthodoxy since it's our ethnoreligion, and suddenly I feel that I have so much in common with so many people around the world!

I was also excited because some of the Christian communities shown here are ancient, and have persisted despite centuries-long prosecutions and pressures! (When talking about the "first" and the "ancient" Christianity we're talking about Orthodoxy or dogmas linked to Orthodoxy.)

I'm referring to the era before the Western European colonization. It was when people came to it freely and what we today call "Catholicism" wasn't what they came into. The Christians in these areas were culturally linked more to the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) and to the Orthodox creed.

Christianity's home is the Middle East. Starting from Jerusalem, it spread to the whole Levant region. Assyrian, Lebanese, Syrian, Jordanian, and Armenian people came to Christianity in large numbers from the 1st century already. Antioch has been a stronghold of Christianity, and a producer of the brightest Orthodox minds.

The West Arabian Peninsula (Hejaz region) held the majority of Christian Arabs. Christians lived around Mecca and Yathrib before the advent of Islam. One of the earliest Christian church buildings ever, known as Jubail Church, is located in Saudi Arabia and it was built around the 4th century.

Christianity in Africa first arrived in Egypt in approximately 50 AD. By the end of the 2nd century it had reached the region around Carthage. In the 4th century, it arrived to modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea (the Aksumite empire), and the region was one of the first in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion. The Nubian kingdoms of Nobatia, Makuria and Alodia followed two centuries later. From the late 5th and early 6th century, the region included several Christian Berber kingdoms.

This is the chant, in Arabic (with subs in many languages). There's a Greek version too but on youtube I only found the singing version (lit. "ψαλτοτράγουδο"):

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint John Damascene or  Saint John of Damascus 

Doctor of the Church

c. 676-749

Feast Day:  December 4 (New), March 27 (Trad)

Patronage: Pharmacists, icon painters, theology students

Saint John of Damascus or Saint John Damascene, a Syrian monk and priest, was the last of the Greek Fathers. He became a trusted magistrate under Arab rule and a monk at Mar Saba monastery near Jerusalem where he died. His defense of the veneration of icons procured him the title of “The Doctor of Christian Art.” He is known for his poems, hymns or “canons,” and his treatise “Exposition of the Orthodox Faith.”  He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1890. 

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase here: (website)

[dashalbrundezimmer]

sankt petrus und paulus // köln lindenthal

architect: fritz schaller

completion: 1965

window design by franz pauli

sankt peter und paulus is surrounded by green spaces in the otherwise rather densely built-up lindenthal. the building is kept simple, the structural accents are formed by the triangular roof shape which is divided into smaller and smaller triangles and the surrounding glass window bands. the windows are considered the main work of franz pauli. originally, the church was part of a nunnery and was called klosterkirche vom guten hirten. after it was sold, it was used by the syrian orthodox community until 2021. unfortunately, the building is now scheduled for demolition. it would be desirable to find a use that could prevent the demolition.

[monasteryicons]

The Feast of the Assumption The Story of the Virgin Mary's Parting Gift

While preaching the Gospel in India, Saint Thomas the Apostle received the inner call to return to the West for the impending departure of the Virgin Mary from this earthly life. Just as he had been separated from his brother apostles for a special mission, so he was in the final hour of the Virgin’s life. For he did not reach Gethsemane in time to be present at her going forth from the body, but only came there on foot the third day after her burial. As he was approaching her tomb unawares, he was astounded to see her radiant living body emerge from the stone sepulchre and ascend. Realizing that she had finished her span of life without his being present, and fearing that he would never see her divine form again, he cried out to her in anguish of heart, imploring her not to leave him desolate. Looking upon him with loving tenderness, the Virgin took from her waist the belt she habitually wore and threw it down to him with words of blessing. Carrying the precious relic of her belt, Saint Thomas hastened and announced to the grieving apostles and all those gathered in the Mother’s house that she, too, was risen from the dead. Whereas he had doubted the good news of Jesus’ resurrection and had received proof of its reality by touching the resurrected body of his Lord, now it was Thomas who gave physical evidence that Mary, too, was “alive for evermore” (Revelation 1:18). Lost... Saint Thomas took the Virgin Mother’s belt with him to India, and there it became the most valued treasure of his disciples, whose descendants in time came to be known as Saint Thomas Christians. A few centuries ago, in times of upheaval in India, it was taken into Syria, where during subsequent troubles in that country it disappeared. ...and Found! About thirty years ago the head of the Syrian Jacobite Church, Patriarch Zachariah, felt an intense urge to find the belt, and began studying the ancient records concerning it. Noticing that one of the handwritten books he consulted had an unusually thick binding, he was inspired with the thought that the belt might be hidden there. Cutting it open, he found the prize, whose simple touch began to work great miracles. Most of the belt has been returned to India and enshrined in a great church where every Saturday thousands of Christians, Hindus, and Moslems gather for the sacred Eucharist (Qurbana) and prayers to the Virgin – a testimony to the Holy Mother’s capacity to unite her children in love and harmony. The miracles granted are beyond number. The Feast of the Virgin Mary's Assumption into Heaven is celebrated August 15 in the Western Church, and celebrated as the Feast of the Dormition ("falling asleep") on August 28 in the Orthodox Church.

See the Monastery Icons icon of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary here:

[leroibobo]

during his evangelistic activity in india in the first century, thomas the apostle is said to have founded "seven and a half" churches. three currently claim the status of having been the "half church". they are:

st mary's orthodox church, also known as the 'royal church', in thiruvithamkode, tamil nadu. it claims to be the world's oldest functioning church that hasn't been reconstructed, though the 'main' parts of the structure were built between the 17th-20th centuries. today, it's under the jurisdiction of the malankara orthodox syrian church. former church primate baselios marthoma didymos I proclaimed the site as an international st. thomas pilgrim center.

the hilltop church in malayattoor, kerala. local tradition goes that, facing hostile natives in the area, st. thomas fled to a hilltop, where he remained in prayer. there, he left a cross and a footprint on a nearby rock. these were later found and a shrine was built in their place. today, it's under the jurisdiction of the syro-malabar catholic church, and a part of the larger shrine on the hilltop dedicated to st. thomas. (a much larger church is located nearby). the vatican declared it an international shrine and a pilgrimage up the hill takes place annually after lent.

st george's church in aruvithura, kerala. the first edifice of the church was made in the manner of a hindu temple. when one of the seven churches was destroyed, several of its congregants migrated to aruvithura with a statue of st. george, hence this church's dedication. it's since been rebuilt, including a larger expansion in the 16th century. today, it's a parish of the syro-malabar catholic church.

[orthodoxydaily]

SAINTS&READING: MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2024

october 15_october 28

MARTYR LUCIAN, PRESBYTER OF GREATER ANTIOCH (312)

The Hieromartyr Lucian, the Presbyter of Antioch, was born in the Syrian city of Samosata. At twelve years of age, he was left orphaned. Lucian distributed his possessions to the poor and went to Edessa to the confessor Macarius, under whom he diligently read Holy Scripture and learned the ascetic life. For his pious and zealous spreading of Christianity among Jews and pagans, Lucian was made a presbyter.

In Antioch Saint Lucian opened a school where many students gathered. He taught them how to understand the Holy Scriptures, and how to live a virtuous life. Saint Lucian occupied himself with teaching, and he corrected the Greek text of the Septuagint, which had been corrupted in many places by copyists and by heretics who deliberately distorted it in order to support their false teachings. The entire Greek text of the Bible which he corrected was hidden in a wall at the time of his confession of Christ, and it was found during the lifetime of Saint Constantine the Great.

During the persecution of Diocletian, Saint Lucian was arrested and was sent to prison in Nicomedia, where for nine years he encouraged other Christians with him to remain steadfast in their confession of Christ, urging them not to fear tortures or death.

Saint Lucian died in prison from many terrible tortures and from hunger. Before his death, he wished to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ on the Feast of Theophany. Certain Christians who visited him brought bread and wine for the Eucharist. The hieromartyr, bound by chains and lying on a bed of sharp potsherds, was compelled to offer the Bloodless Sacrifice upon his chest, and all the Christians there in prison received Communion. The next day the emperor sent people to see if the saint was still alive. Saint Lucian said three times, “I am a Christian,” then surrendered his soul to God. The body of the holy martyr was thrown into the sea, but after thirty days dolphins brought it to shore. Believers reverently buried the body of the much-suffering Saint Lucian.

Saint Lucian was originally commemorated on January 7, the day of his death. Later, when the celebration of the Synaxis of Saint John the Baptist was appointed for this day, the feast of Saint Lucian was transferred to October 15.

Although he was only a priest, sometimes Saint Lucian is depicted in the vestments of a bishop. The Stroganov Guide for Iconographers was published in Russia in 1869, based on a 1606 manuscript. There Saint Lucian is depicted wearing a phelonion and holding a Gospel. He does not wear the omophorion of a bishop, however. Another handbook, the Litsevoy Podlinnik, states that Saint Lucian is to be depicted with the omophorion.

It may be that the Russians thought of Saint Lucian as a bishop because of his importance to the Church, and so they depicted him that way. Similarly, Saint Charalampus (February 10) is depicted as a priest in Greek icons and as a bishop in Russian icons.

Source: Orthodox Church in America_OCA

St AURELIA OF STRASBOURG (Alsace-Gaul 383)

Saint Aurelia of Strasbourg was a 4th-century saint whose tomb in Strasbourg became the center of a popular cult in the Middle Ages. According to the legend, Aurelia accompanied Saint Ursula and the eleven thousand virgins from Roman Britain to Cologne, where they were favorably received by Aquilin, bishop of the place. From Cologne, they traveled to Basel. From Basel, the travelers descended the Rhine to Strasbourg, where St Aurelia succumbed to a violent fever, dying after a few days. Three virgins were left to care for her. She was particularly invoked against fevers in the church that bears her name.  Her three companions lived many years in the same place and were buried there. Some centuries later, their tomb was opened, and their bodies were found completely intact, marked with titles bearing their names. This legend is reproduced in the current breviary of the Diocese of Strasbourg.

Grandidier, who questions the legend's authenticity, observed that the cult of Saint Aurelia was already very popular in Strasbourg by the 9th century. 

The church of Sainte Aurélie in Strasbourg is supposed to have been built over the crypt where the tomb of Saint Aurelia was situated. [3]

In 1524, Martin Bucer (a Protestant), soon after he was appointed pastor of the church, instigated members of the gardeners' guild to open the tomb and remove the bones, justifying this because the tomb had become an object of idolatry.

Philippians 1:1-7

1 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; 7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.

Luke 9:18-22

18 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" 19 So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again." 20 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God." 21 And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."

[thesynaxarium]

Today we also celebrate our Venerable Father Raphael of Brooklyn. Saint Raphael was born Rafla Hawaweeny in Beirut, Lebanon, to Damascene Syrian refugee parents. He was educated at the Patriarchal School in Damascus, the School of Orthodox Theology in Halki Island, Turkey, and at the Theological Academy in Kiev, Russia. In 1904 he became the first Orthodox bishop to be consecrated in North America; the consecration was done by Archbishop St. Tikhon of Moscow and Bishop Innocent in New York City. He served as bishop of Brooklyn, New York until his death. During the course of his ministry as an auxiliary bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church in America, St. Raphael founded the present-day primatial cathedral of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, established thirty parishes, and assisted in the founding of St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania. May he intercede for us always + Source: https://orthodoxwiki.org/Raphael_of_Brooklyn (at Brooklyn, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpJATNDLd1x/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[divinum-pacis]

2017: Damascus, Syria Christian Orthodox worshippers take part in a parade at the Church of Saint Elias in the Syrian capital

Photograph: Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images

[lauralot89]

How many books are in your Bible?

Somehow I ended up on the Wikipedia page for Biblical canon and now my head hurts so I'm throwing all of you into the rabbit hole with me.

All Christian denominations share the same twenty-seven books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessolonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1 2 and 3 John, Jude, and Revelation. (The Orthodox Tewahedo Church has an additional eight books, but they are not considered part of the Bible itself, just the broader religious canon.)

However, the Old Testament is where it gets complicated.

The Tanakh contains twenty four books divided into three sections: The Torah, the Nevi'im, and the Ketuvim. The Torah contains Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Nevi'im contains Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuh, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The Ketuvim contains Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah, and Chronicles.

The Protestant Old Testament took the canon of the Tanakh, divided some books into two and added another book, making a total of 39 books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicle, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon (also called Song of Songs), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuh, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Combing the Old and New Testaments, Protestant Bibles have 66 books.

The Catholic Bible includes the same 39 books as the Protestant Bible, with an additional seven books called the Deuterocanon: Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Sirach, 1 and 2 Maccabees, and Wisdom. Additionally, the books Esther and Daniel in the Catholic Bible contain more text than their Protestant counterparts. In total, the Catholic Bible has 73 books, 46 of those being the Old Testament.

The Greek Orthodox Bible includes the 46 books of the Catholic Old Testament, with an additional three: Prayer of Manasseh, 1 Esdras, and 3 Maccabees. Also, while the Protestant and Catholic Bibles contain 150 Psalms, the Greek Orthodox has 151. In total, the Greek Orthodox Bible contains 76 books.

The Slavonic Orthodox and Georgian Orthodox Bibles contain the same books as the Greek Orthodox.

The Armenian Apostolic Bible contains 50 Old Testament books: The 49 books in the Greek Orthodox Bible, and one other: 2 Esdras. This Bible contains Psalm 151. The Armenian Apostolic Bible contains 77 total books.

The Syrian Orthodox Old Testament has 48 books: All the books of the Catholic Old Testament with the additions of Prayer of Manasseh and 3 Maccabees. This Bible contains Psalm 151. The Syrian Orthodox Bible contains 75 total books.

The Coptic Orthodox Bible has 47 Old Testament books: All the books of the Catholic Old Testament with Prayer of Manasseh added. This Bible contains Psalm 151. The Coptic Orthodox Bible contains 74 books.

The Orthodox Tewahedo Bible is the canon for both the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. This Bible has the 39 Protestant Old Testament Books, and the additional books Jubilees, Enoch, Meqabyan, Ezra Sutuel, Tobith, and Judith. This Bible contains Psalm 151, and the books 2 Chronicles and Jeremiah are extended. The Orthodox Tewahedo Bible contains 73 books.

The Assyrian Church of the East has the 46 books of the Catholic Old Testament, plus two: Prayer of Manasseh and 3 Macabees. This Bible contains Psalm 151, and Baruch is extended. The Assyrian Church of the East Bible contains 75 books.

I hope this information serves you well if you ever end up on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire or something one day