THE MOTHER OF GOD

 

Twenty centuries have passed since the day when the Virgin Mary, carried in the hands of Her Son, was elevated to the Throne of God. And throughout these twenty centuries the glorification of the Mother of God has not lessened, nor has the wonderment of humanity before Her quiet holiness.

Before Her Dormition the Mother of God promised to visit the earth constantly and to take care of it. And how wondrously has this promise been kept! The blessed fool-for-Christ Andrew, while praying in a church full of people, raised his eyes to heaven and saw the Holy Theotokos, standing in the air over the multitude, cover all the people with Her veil and pray for everyone.

The same blessed Andrew was taken all over paradise by an angel, who showed him the different saints and their shining dwellings, yet Andrew did not see the Mother of God. Then he asked his guide: where is the Holy Virgin? “She is not here, – replied the angel. – She has departed for the tormented earth, in order to help those who suffer and comfort those who sorrow.”

Time has only increased the veneration of the Holy Virgin. To previous charities and miracles there are added ever-new charities and miracles. Each generation carefully transmits to the next generation the realization that in difficult moments there is Someone Who can be called upon in the high and faraway heaven, in order to bring it close and make it accessible to us.

Sometimes we do not dare appeal to God. Our sinfulness appears to us as a terrible barrier between Him and us. And it also happens at times that our soul is torn with inconsolable suffering, is close to blasphemy, our faith becomes shaken, and we feel that we cannot even pray to God. And in such moments of doubt, anguish, and grief, we find a wondrous Comforter in the Mother of God. We are definitely not afraid of Her! We know that She will never reject us, no matter how shameful the sins with which we come to Her. Even if we have never seen Her, we have this inner feeling that She always looks after us, always takes care of us.

An Orthodox Christian has complex feelings towards the Mother of God: there is fierce compassion for that humble Maiden, Who from the moment of Christ’s birth lived under the terrible prophecy of the torment that awaited Her: Yea, a sword shall pierce through Thy own soul; and there is awe before the depth of suffering which Her soul attained at Golgotha; there is joy at the remembrance of the words with which Christ, from the height of the cross, affiliated Her to us in the person of the apostle John: Woman, behold Thy son!... and to John: Behold thy Mother; and, finally, there is tender rapture at the thought of the power and the shining eternal glory of the Queen of Heaven and earth.

She was a human being, born as we are, in a state of earthly limitations; yet how high was She raised through divine grace! Moslems and pagans have always known of the love for and the faith the Christians have in the divine Maiden, and when the Heavenly Queen arose in defense of Her faithful children, they did not attempt to battle with Her, knowing that Mary’s power is invincible. Throughout the entire twenty centuries that have passed, there has not been a single moment on earth that a human soul did not cry out to the Mother of God.

Not through fear, nor by means of threats, but through love, only through love does the Mother of God lead men to Christ. She pities mankind with an all-forgiving compassion. She takes into Her hands even those to whom there is apparently no return to a life of virtue. Through Her miraculous icons the Holy Virgin manifests love and infinite mercy for the mankind that has been affiliated to Her from the cross. For us She is “the Joy of all who sorrow,” “the Mollifier of evil hearts,” “the Quick-to-hear,” “the Healer,” “the Seeker-out of the lost,” “the Comforter,” “the Surety of sinners,” and the many other names of Her holy icons, which indicate to us the great love and charity She has for us.

In accordance with the words of church prayers, and commemorating the great feast of Her Protection, let us appeal “to the ready and warm harbor, the quiet and quick Protection of the Holy Virgin.”

 

O Holy Theotokos, save us!

 

(From the book “Miraculous Icons of the Mother of God in Russian History”)

 

 

 

THE HOLY FATHERS OF THE SEVENTH ECUMENICAL COUNCIL

 

Today, dear brethren, the Church commemorates the Holy Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council. At different times throughout the year, the Holy Fathers of the other six councils are likewise commemorated. The Church has decreed that the ecumenical councils be remembered, first of all, in order to honor the great Church Fathers, who, guided by the Holy Spirit, have labored so earnestly to cleanse the Church of iniquitous heresies and to restore the truth of Church dogmas. But that is not the only reason. It is also very important for us not to forget the work of the ecumenical councils because, although all the heresies that were examined at the councils were absolutely condemned by the Holy Fathers, these heresies have not disappeared from church life.

These heresies exist among us even today, the sole difference being that, on a par with the microbes and viruses which have so proliferated in the surrounding environment, these heresies have mutated, have adapted themselves to current times, have taken on contemporary forms. It is, therefore, very important for us, while appreciating the fact that we are within the true Church, and remembering the efforts of the Holy Fathers in this matter, to acquaint ourselves with the heresies which the Fathers have condemned, and to try to discern them in our contemporary life, in order to avoid being ensnared by them.

The Holy Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council, whom we commemorate today, condemned the heresy of iconoclasm. This heresy originated in the early 8th century, when the Greek Emperor Leo III decreed that all holy icons be taken out of churches and homes, and burned in the city squares. The decree was motivated by a false belief that the veneration of icons was a form of idolatry. When the people began to resist this decree, to the persecution of icons Emperor Leo added the persecution of their venerators, and many of the faithful were tortured and killed at that time. Nevertheless, the people continued to revolt against the Emperor’s decree, and prominent theologians of those times wrote from all sides, denouncing Emperor Leo: as, for example, St. John Damascene from Syria and Pope Gregory II from Rome.

After the death of Emperor Leo, his son and successor, Constantine Copronimus, continued the iconoclastic efforts of his father, but decided to try a different approach. He convoked a false council, at which the clergy that he had set up condemned the veneration of icons. As a result of this false council, not only did icons continue to be destroyed, but also priceless frescoes on the walls of famous cathedrals were plastered over. From persecution of icons Constantine turned to a persecution of holy relics, and then to a persecution of monasteries, which were all either destroyed or turned into barracks, while all the monks were brutally martyred.

The heresy of iconoclasm continued practically throughout the entire 8th century, and only towards the end of it, during the reign of the pious Empress Irene, the veneration of icons was restored. Through the efforts of the Empress, backed by the Patriarch of Constantinople Tarasius, the 7th Ecumenical Council, attended by more than 300 bishops, was convoked in A.D. 787. The council fully condemned the heresy of iconoclasm, condemned the false council that had been convoked by Copronimus, and triumphantly restored the veneration of icons by establishing the principle that in honoring icons we honor and venerate those who are depicted on them.

Centuries passed, dear brethren, and iconoclasm seemed to be a thing of the past, but in the 20th century it raged anew with great force in the Christian countries that had been subjugated by godless Communism. And once again one could see icons being burned, churches and monasteries being destroyed and defiled, the clergy and the faithful being martyred.

But now everything appears to be quiet again, and it seems that this heresy has finally disappeared for good, since nowhere apparently are holy icons being destroyed, nor is anyone being martyred for venerating them. And yet, dear brethren, iconoclasm continues to live on, it has not disappeared, it is alive and active, it has simply changed its form. For the devil is quite cunning: he has seen that open persecution of icons simply engenders martyrdom, which does not suit his plans at all. And so he has decided upon a different approach. Instead of suppressing the veneration of icons, he has decided to replace this veneration with another kind of worship.

This is in accordance with the same principle on which the Antichrist will operate. In Greek the word “anti” not only means “against,” but also “in place of.” Thus, after appearing in the world, the Antichrist will not only act against Christ, but also instead of Christ, i.e. he will set himself up in Christ’s place. The devil has applied the same method to iconoclasm: instead of struggling against icons, he has put forth other objects of worship in place of icons.

What are these anti-icons which we see around us, dear brethren? Regard: in the majority of contemporary homes you will rarely see true icons – icons of the Saviour, of the Theotokos, of the saints. At best, and only in the homes of the faithful, somewhere in the corner, in accordance with ancient custom, you will see one small icon, which often, moreover, embarrasses us in front of visitors of different faiths. But in the majority of homes, particularly in the rooms of young people, you will surely find pictures of rock singers, actors, and other contemporary idols. Even in modern technology computer images are called “icons.” It is these anti-icons which the devil slips to us in the place of true icons. And the same principle applies in this case: in honoring these images we honor those who are depicted on them. Thus it turns out that instead of God we worship idols. So cunningly has the devil ensnared us!

Dear brethren! Let us reject these anti-icons of the anti-religion of the coming Antichrist. And, in commemorating today the Holy Fathers of the 7th council, those great fighters for the true veneration of icons, let us follow their example: let us restore the veneration of icons in our hearts, in our lives, in our homes. Let us come to church, where the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, the saints – all look upon us so tenderly, where we can communicate with them directly by venerating their images. And in our homes let us, without any embarrassment, hang up in the most prominent places icons of the Saviour, the Theotokos, various saints – who protect us from evil, guard our homes, look after us; with whom we can always “converse” by means of prayer, share our joys and our sorrows, ask for help; so that even when we are alone at home, we are never lonely. Thus, through the veneration of icons, let us communicate with the heavenly dwellers, so that we, too, may some day become denizens of the heavenly realm. Amen.

    Father Rostislav Sheniloff

 

 

CHRISTIAN TEACHING

 

Homily on the ecclesiastical New Year

 

(September 1/14)

 

Today, dear brethren, we celebrate the ecclesiastical New Year. This holiday is totally different from its civil counterpart. In celebrating the civil New Year, we mark the passage of a certain period of time. There, new year after new year carries us inexorably forward, as though along a horizontal line.

Along this line, life constantly changes, people are born, grow old and die; the same happens with entire nations and even civilizations. Everything moves ahead – both time and life on earth; everything proceeds towards its end – the life of each individual and the existence of humanity in general. In accordance with one of the basic principles of nature, life on earth consists of a constant and inexorable decay of everything and everybody, until the time when, according to God’s prophecy, “the earth and all the deeds thereon shall be burned… and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth.”

The ecclesiastical New Year is quite different. There we see not a horizontal line, but a circle. This circle is continuously renewed and never changes, and with its constancy and immutability it gives us – in our earthly life, which is so severely bound up with time, with the movement of time, – this circle gives us stability, gives us a chance to experience eternity, where everything is constant and immutable.

Let us look at the essence of this circle and why the Church commemorates its constant renewal. The celebration of the ecclesiastical New Year was established by the Holy Fathers at the first ecumenical council in A.D. 325. At that time, under the rule of Emperor Constantine the Great, Christianity became the dominant religion in the Roman Empire. Thus, in celebrating its New Year, the Church commemorates the beginning of freedom for Christianity, and also the advent of a new period of grace and of “the favorable year of the Lord.”

The words “favorable year of the Lord” are taken from the following event, described by St. Luke the Evangelist: during His life on earth, the Lord Jesus Christ once entered a synagogue and stood among the teachers. It was customary among Jews to have one of the teachers read a certain passage from the Old Testament books and then to explain that which had been read.

On that day Christ was given the book of the prophet Isaiah, and opening the book, He found and read the following passage: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; to give joy to the sorrowful and to preach the favorable year of the Lord.” Closing the book and giving it back to the minister, Jesus then began to say to them that the prophecy which He had read has been fulfilled in Him, that He is the true Messiah, Who has been sent by God the Father for the salvation of man and the renewal of life on earth.

Today, as every year, dear brethren, that is what we celebrate: the advent of the favorable year of the Lord, i.e. a period of time, a year during which we commemorate all the events of Christ’s life on earth and the establishment of His Church, beginning in chronological order with the Nativity of the Holy Virgin Mary and ending with Her Dormition, which have the purpose – as Christ Himself said – of saving mankind and renewing life on earth.

The new ecclesiastical year begins anew that constant and immutable circle in which we spiritually live and find salvation. This circle comprises God’s entire plan of creation, i.e. the blueprint of how the Lord God has achieved the salvation of man after his Fall, and has not only reinstated man’s former dignity, but more than that – through His Son’s incarnation as man, God has made man a part of Himself.

Beginning the new ecclesiastical year today, the new circle of salvation, let us look, dear brethren, at the life around us. We have mentioned many times already that the forces of evil are attempting to destroy our planet and all of humanity. Even here we see evidence of their efforts. What is our life today? It is a whirlpool in which we twist and turn in a constant rush, under constant pressure, and we hurry and hurry… where? Towards eternal life? Not at all! We never even think about eternal life. No, we are whirling and turning and hurrying… nowhere. We are locked into a vicious circle of a constant and completely fruitless rush. The devil is robbing us of time and is locking us into this futile circle, so that we would have no time to stop and think: to think about God, about eternal life, about the salvation of our souls.

As we begin the new ecclesiastical year, let us renew ourselves, dear brethren; let us try to reject Satan’s wiles and leave the vicious circle of busyness; let us try to enter the quiet, dependable, and joyful circle of church life, which will lead us to eternal life. Amen.

 

    Father Rostislav Sheniloff

 

 

LIVES OF THE SAINTS

 

On October 19^th (the 6^th by the old calendar) the Church commemorates the holy Apostle Thomas.

Apostle Thomas was one of the 12 apostles and was called Didymus (the twin). Little is known to us of his life. He was apparently distinguished by several character traits, among which stood out a penchant for doubt in matters of faith, which was particularly exhibited after the Saviour’s resurrection. The majestically moving description in the Gospel of John (20:20-29) tells us of how the resurrected Saviour appeared to His disciples, gathered behind closed doors together with Thomas, who was doubting His resurrection, and allowed him to thrust his hand into His side and to feel His wounds. “Be not faithless, but believing,” – the Lord then said to Him. “My Lord and my God!” – was Thomas’s exultant reply. But earlier, in the Gospel of John, the holy Apostle Thomas is singled out twice among the other disciples, namely: when Jesus Christ declared His intention to go to Judea together with His disciples, in order to resurrect Lazarus, Thomas said to the others: “Let us also go, that we may die with Him” (11:16). Another time, when the Lord said to His disciples during His farewell talk with them before His suffering: “And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know,” Thomas said to Him: “Lord, we know not whither Thou goest, and how can we know the way?” (14:4-5). According to tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas preached the Gospel in India and was martyred there. On the shores of Malabar in India there still remains a considerable number of Christians who call themselves St. Thomas’s Christians. Apostle Thomas is also commemorated on the first Sunday after Pascha, which is consequently called the Sunday of Thomas.

 

***

 

“Thomas’s good disbelief” 

 

In our life we often hear the common expression, “Well, I am a doubting Thomas,” meaning ‘I am not very quick to believe’. The person who uses this expression usually never imagines what in reality this disbelief of the apostle Thomas consisted of, the disbelief which the Church in its prayers has named “Thomas’s good disbelief.” When we read those passages in the Gospels in which there is mention of the holy apostle Thomas, we see that in the person of this apostle we have a skeptic. For instance, when our Lord Jesus Christ said to His disciples before the resurrection of Lazarus, “Let us go into Judea,” the apostle Thomas said to his fellow apostles, “Let us also go that we may die with Him.”  These words are the combination, on the one hand, of the unconditional love of the apostle’s heart, which is ready for anything, even unto death with his beloved Teacher and, on the other hand, of a sort of skeptical mistrust — could anything come of this journey? Could one expect any other result from it than the death of a beloved Teacher and his disciples? And then at the Mystical Supper our Lord, while conversing with the apostles, tells them that they know where He must go—“And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.” Then followed Thomas’s answer, “Lord we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way?”  In other words, ‘we do not know where you are going, and how could we know?’ And finally the account of Thomas’s need to feel Christ’s pierced side. We know what the apostle Thomas, who had not yet seen the resurrected Teacher, said to his fellow disciples when he heard them tell of His resurrection. “Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe.”  A week went by. The apostle still could not believe. How dark, how difficult this week must have been for him. The other apostles were exulting and rejoicing, and still he did not believe. Seven days later the Lord appeared to His disciples, and Thomas was among them. After saying “Peace be unto you,” Christ said to Thomas, paraphrasing the very words with which Thomas had renounced his faith: “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.” Then from the lips of the apostle Thomas burst forth that magnificent heartfelt confession to which he remained faithful even until his death. “My Lord and my God,” he exclaimed. The last vestige of doubt had fled from his soul.

Why does the Church call Thomas’s disbelief good? Because, brethren, Thomas loved his Teacher just as much as all the other apostles did, and they loved Him so much that we can only pray to God to grant us one-hundredth part of the love that was in their hearts. When the Lord died on the cross, the apostles felt that the sun, as they say, had been extinguished in the world. The world became terrible for them, dark and cold. They knew Whom they had lost. Thomas could not believe it. Without faith, without his Teacher, the world became empty for him. Because his Teacher was so exceedingly dear to him, his heart yearned too much for the kind of faith in which there was not a shadow of doubt. And the truth of Christ’s teaching about the resurrection was similarly too precious for the apostle. And thus the Church calls his disbelief good, because it showed to what extent his heart and his soul remained faithful to his Teacher even while his mind could not believe.

Is that how things are in our times? Are those who say ‘I am a doubting Thomas’ really like the apostle Thomas? Usually their disbelief is as far removed from the disbelief of the apostle Thomas as east is from west, as heaven is from earth.

See, my brothers, how precious to the apostle Thomas was the truth of the Resurrection, the truth of the Holy Gospel! But the characteristic of our times lies precisely in the fact that people are becoming increasingly indifferent to the Divine Truth. They speak many beautiful words, but actually, in reality, people are completely indifferent. They are as indifferent as was Pontius Pilate when the Lord stood before him for judgment. Before Pilate stood Truth itself, but he, nevertheless, skeptically declared, “What is truth?”  In other words, ‘Is there truth? And even if there is, it is too far from us. And maybe there is no truth.’ And with complete indifference, Pilate turned away from Him Who brought him truth, Who was Truth itself. That is how indifferent people are today. You have no doubt heard, and heard often, beautiful, grandiloquent speeches, Christian-sounding speeches, about uniting mankind in one faith, one religion. But remember that what underlies all this talk is indifference to the truth. If truth were precious to man, no man would be fooled by this talk. It is precisely because people are not really interested in truth but just want to live more simply, more comfortably, even in the matter of religion, that they say, “We should all be united.” In other words, each one of us must admit that his faith is not the true faith, and only when all these untrue faiths are melded into one, then somehow, from somewhere, true faith will appear.

Let us, brethren, fear such indifference to truth. Our Lord Jesus Christ clearly shows us in the book of Revelation how dreadful is indifference to truth. Addressing the angel who was the head of the Church of the Laodiceans, He says, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot. So, then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,” (warm is neither one nor the other, i.e. truth is not dear to you) “I will spew thee out of my mouth.”  In the Slavonic text it is said even more harshly, more forcefully: “I will vomit you forth from my mouth,” just as any organism expels what is decidedly noxious and harmful to it.

Let us remember that this indifference to truth is one of the principle disasters of our age of apostasy. O man, cherish the truth! Be a champion of the truth. Remember how fervently the apostle Thomas loved the truth of Christ’s resurrection, the divine truth of the Gospel. This apostle’s love of truth, his love for the Teacher of truth, is an example of how precious truth must be to man, how man must love Him Who is ‘the Way, the Truth, and the Life,’ our Lord Jesus Christ. O man, place truth above all things in life and never stray from the way of truth. Of course, we are all sinners, in our infirmity we all fall. But it is one thing to fall because one is infirm, and quite another to fall because one is indifferent to the truth, because one consciously departs from the truth. Let that not happen to us! Let each one of our parishes, as a united spiritual family, stand firm in the truth and be like a faithful nucleus of our Holy Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. You have no doubt noticed how frequent attacks on the Church Abroad have recently become. No other church is so reviled these days as is ours. No clerics of other churches are so reviled, as are the clerics of the Russian Church Abroad. What does this mean? It is the surest sign of all that our Church is built on truth, and that is why a war of lies and untruths is now being waged against It. If our Church were not built on truth, It would not be attacked. Everything would be quiet and peaceful. But because It is built on truth, because It preaches the truth, proclaims it and defends it, It is now under attack.

Let us understand this, and let us together treasure the fact that together we belong to the holy Church which has not in any way transgressed against the truth, but maintains it just as was commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ and the holy apostles. Amen.

 

Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky)

 

 

 

SCIENCE AND RELIGION

 

The day the sun stood still (Discourse on Joshua’s miracle)

 

The holy Bible’s narrative about Joshua’s “stopping the sun” is one of the most favorite places for attacks and arguments on the part of the godless. However, the latest research and scientific discoveries, as well as archaeological excavations being conducted in Mesopotamia, confirm without any doubt the historical veracity of all biblical events.  

The well-known English scientist and archaeologist Arthur Hook (died in 1952) says in regard to the issue of Joshua’s miracle: “We must understand first of all that the question is not whether God could perform such a miracle, but whether He did perform it… If someone tells me that such miracles are impossible, he wants me to accept the theory that the One Who created the universe does not have the power to subsequently adapt part of His creation for His own purposes; in other words – that the One Who created the whole cannot alter part of it.

But that is totally absurd!

If we meticulously examine the text, we discover that it contains several important ideas which can be used as data from the astronomical point of view. The matter is as follows. At the time when a man who stood on the road leading to Mount Beth-horon could see the sun over Gibeon and the moon over the valley of Ajalon, a hail of “great stones” fell from heaven between the Beth-horon road and Azekah, and the 24-hour day was extended for almost another 24 hours.

Now let us note the words Joshua uses in his prayer; in it we find that his request was literally as follows: “Sun, stand thou still (quiet, calm) upon Gibeon.” Here is used the Hebrew word “damam,” which means “to be still, to be inactive.” It is precisely this word which is used in the Jewish original in all the three instances mentioned in the Book of Joshua, where we read: “stand,” “stopped,” and “stood.”

Science has proven that light has a vocal attribute; in other words, the quick fluctuation or vibration of airwaves, which represents light, causes a special sound, although our ears are not sensitive enough to hear it. Many scientists believe that the action of the sun upon Earth makes the latter revolve around its axis.

In order for the day to be extended upon Joshua’s command, Earth’s revolution around its axis – if this theory is accepted as being correct – should have been delayed to some degree. Moreover, this manifestation could have taken place as a result of a neutralization of, a decrease in, or, to some extent, a counteraction to the process of the sun’s influence on Earth.

From this it is evident that Joshua’s words are in exact accord with the discoveries of modern science: “Sun, stand thou still, or inactive.” If, therefore, the influence of the sun was temporarily decreased, Earth should have revolved much more slowly, and the day should have been longer.

The great astronomer Newton proved how easily Earth’s revolution could have been slowed down totally unnoticed by its inhabitants.”

Arthur Hook then reports that an experienced scientist in Copenhagen told him that he had a supposition concerning the “great stones” falling from heaven that threw the Amorites into confusion. For the stones he posited the tail or part of a large comet, which had reached an appropriate proximity to Earth. This scientist expressed his certainty that if a search were made at the indicated spot, stones of meteoric origin would be discovered.

We have here, apparently, the explanation for the miraculous event.

It is known that heavenly bodies exhibit the attribute of mutual magnetic gravity, and it would not be unfounded to suppose that the arrival of a large comet within the sphere of Earth’s influence could be a significant impediment to the sun’s influence on Earth. Could anti-gravity have taken place here? – I think, – says Arthur Hook, – not a single scientist could tell us that. But, in any case, it is extraordinary that this shower of meteoric stones, – which could very well have been the tail of a comet, – coincided with a disturbance in the process of Earth’s revolution around its axis.”

The scientist Immanuel Velikovsky also asserts with due cause that the comet which passed near Earth became the planet Venus. He confirms that ancient Hindu documents and Egyptian writings from the 4th millennium B.C., which knew about the existence of planets, do not mention Venus. On the other hand, Babylonian records from the year 1,000 B.C. speak of the appearance of a new planet, “a bright star which joined the other stars.” From that time on, the planet Venus begins to be mentioned in astronomical works.

Nevertheless, for such events as are described in the Book of Joshua, astronomy demands facts, and history confirms that these facts truly took place.

Professor Totten in America researched this subject very meticulously from the astronomical point of view and published the results in terms of mathematical calculations. It turns out that only once were the sun, the moon, and the earth in the positions described in the Book of Joshua. In working over his calculations, which encompass the time from our days all the way back to Joshua’s time, the professor finds that it is impossible not to conclude that a whole 24 hours were added to world history.

E. Mander, a scientist at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, – this wonderful center of astronomical science and research, – also published a work on this subject. He determined the day on which this miraculous event took place and discovered the exact spot on which Joshua should have been standing at that time.

But that is not all! One should note the content of the biblical text: “So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hastened not to go down for about a whole day.” Professor Totten’s calculations establish that, although exactly twenty-four hours had somehow been added to world history, Joshua’s times, however, account for only twenty-three hours and twenty minutes, just as it is written in the Scriptures – “about a whole day.”

Consequently, the twenty-four hours demanded by astronomical calculations lack another 40 minutes. Here we can once again observe the exact precision of the Bible. In the second Book of Kings, 20:8-11, we read of how at the request of King Hezekiah the Lord gave a sign through the prophet Isaiah – the shadow on the sundial returned backward ten degrees. “Ten degrees” equal precisely 40 minutes. These forty minutes fill to a minute the twenty-four hours mentioned by Professor Totten, that have mysteriously accrued in the history of our planet.

Let us see what history tells us of Joshua’s extended hours, – says the scientist Arthur Hook.

There are three ancient peoples who have retained their historical data: the Greeks, the Egyptians, and the Chinese. All of them have legends about a single extraordinarily prolonged day. The Greek Herodotus, who is called “the father of history,” told in 480 B.C. of how several Egyptian priests showed him records of the extension of a certain day beyond twenty-four hours. In ancient Chinese records it is asserted that this event occurred in the reign of Emperor Io, while Chinese genealogical tables indicate that this emperor reigned in China in Joshua’s times.

Lord Kingsborough, who embarked upon a special exploration of primitive Indians in America, determined that the Mexicans, who had reached a high degree of civilization way before America was discovered by the Europeans, had a legend of how the sun “stood still” for a whole day, and this was in the year which they call “the seven hares.” The “year of the seven hares” corresponds exactly to the time when Joshua and the Israelis were conquering Palestine. Thus we have independent corroborations of the veracity of the biblical narrative that cannot be doubted – from the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Chinese, and the Mexicans. The same is confirmed by Finnish, Japanese, Peruvian, and other legends – says scientist Immanuel Velikovsky.

“Once, – reports Arthur Hook, – a certain individual said to me, after I had given a lecture on this subject: ‘In regard to the phenomenon I must submit to the verdict of science, but I just cannot allow that all of this happened only because of the prayer of one person’.

This could confuse others too, perhaps. I therefore make use of this opportunity to note that this miracle sheds amazing light on the mystery of active prayer.

God knew from the very beginning, of course, that this event would occur, but He also knew that Joshua would pray. Joshua, being in communion with God, was stimulated to pray in such a way that his plans turned out to be in agreement with God’s pre-determination. Prayer was the link between Joshua and the majestic event which God was about to unfurl. If Joshua had not been in communion with God, he would possibly have prepared his troops for a night attack, and in this case the prolonged day would have been disastrous for him.

God’s work is taking place all around us, and He can always adapt even a single one of his countless resources to our any need. God does it not by altering His wise plans, but by inciting us to adapt our egos and change our plans in accordance with the Creator’s pre-determined and divinely perfect objectives. In such a case we receive answers to our prayers. Experience has shown that people who give themselves over to God most fully and who eagerly reject their own plans for the sake of God’s plans, – always receive answers to their prayers, and these answers border on the miraculous.” Thus speaks the great scientist and archaeologist, Professor Arthur Hook.

 

(From Protopriest Seraphim Slobodskoy’s book “The Law of God”)

 

 

 

 

ORTHODOX VENERATION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD

 

(Continuation)

 

VI. “Zeal not in accordance with knowledge”

The Roman Catholics’ distortion of the true veneration of the Most-holy Theotokos Virgin Mary by means of the newly-invented dogma of the “immaculate conception.”

 

When all those who denigrated the Holy Virgin’s chaste life, disallowed Her eternal virginity, rejected Her merit as the Mother of God, and disdained Her icons were denounced, – at a time when the glory of the Theotokos shone throughout the entire world, – there appeared a teaching which supposedly elevated the Virgin Mary, yet in reality rejected all Her virtues.

This teaching is called the teaching on the Virgin Mary’s immaculate conception, which was accepted by successors of the Roman papal throne. It comprises the belief that “from the first moment of Her conception, by the special grace of the Almighty God and by special privilege, and for the sake of the future merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind, the Most-blessed Virgin Mary was preserved free of all the iniquity of original sin” (papal bull of Pope Pius IX on the new dogma). In other words, the Mother of God was preserved from original sin at Her very conception, and by the grace of God it was made impossible for Her to have personal sins as well.

Christians did not hear of this until the 9th century, when for the first time Abbot Paschasius Radbert expressed the opinion that the Holy Virgin was conceived without original sin. Beginning with the 12th century, this idea began to spread among the clergy and flock of the Western Church, which had already fallen away from the Universal Christian Church, becoming thus deprived of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Nevertheless, by far not all members of the Catholic Church were in agreement with the new teaching. Even the most famous Western theologians, pillars of the Catholic Church so-to-speak, were divided in their opinion. Thomas of Aquinas and Bernard of Clervaux rejected it decisively, while Duns Scotus defended it. The division spread from the teachers to their disciples: the Dominican monks followed their teacher Thomas of Aquinas and preached against the teaching on immaculate conception, while the followers of Duns Scotus – the Franciscan monks – tried to disseminate it everywhere. The battle between these two movements continued over the course of several centuries. On both sides stood individuals who were regarded by the Catholics as the greatest authorities.

The issue was not brought any nearer to resolution by the fact that some people reported receiving revelations from above. The well-known among 14th century Catholics nun Brigitte spoke in her notes about visions of the Holy Theotokos, Who purportedly told her Herself that She was conceived immaculately, without original sin; while the even more famous contemporary saint, Catherine of Sienna, asserted that the Holy Virgin was conceived in original sin, which revelation she supposedly received from Christ Himself.

Thus, neither on the basis of theological theses, nor on the basis of mutually-contradictory miraculous visions was the Catholic flock able to decide for a long time wherein lay the truth. The Roman popes up to Sixtus IV (end of the 15th century) stayed away from these arguments, and only this Pope approved in 1475 a service wherein the teaching on immaculate conception was expressed fairly clearly, while several years later he forbade the condemnation of those who believed in immaculate conception. However, even Sixtus IV was not yet resolved to affirm that such is the immovable teaching of the Church, and thus, while forbidding the condemnation of those who believed in immaculate conception, he also did not judge those who believed otherwise.

Meanwhile, the teaching on immaculate conception gained more and more adepts among members of the Roman Papist Church. The reason for this was that it seemed quite pious and pleasing to the Theotokos to glorify Her as much as possible. The people’s desire to glorify the Heavenly Intercessor on the one hand, and the digression of Western theologians into abstract discussions leading to seeming truth (scholasticism) on the other hand, and, finally, the patronage of the Roman popes who succeeded Sixtus IV, – all of this led to a situation whereby the idea of immaculate conception, postulated by Paschasius Radbert in the 9th century, became a universal belief of the Catholic Church in the 19th century. It only remained to conclusively proclaim it as Church teaching, which was done by Pope Pius IX, who announced during a ceremonious service on December 8, 1854 that the Holy Virgin’s immaculate conception was a dogma of the Catholic Church.

Thus the Roman Church added yet another digression from the teaching which it had confessed while it was a member of the Holy Apostolic Church, and which belief the Orthodox Church continues to hold inviolate and unchanged to this day. The declaration of the new dogma satisfied the wide circles of people who belonged to the Catholic Church, who in the simplicity of their hearts believed that the declaration of the new teaching would serve to the greater glory of the Theotokos, Whom they were supposedly presenting with a gift; the vanity of the Western theologians who had defended and developed this teaching was also satisfied; but most of all the declaration of the new dogma brought benefit to the papal throne itself, because by proclaiming a new dogma through his own power, the Catholic pope thus openly ascribed to himself the right to change the teaching of the Roman Church and placed himself above the testimony of the Holy Scriptures and Tradition. This led to the direct conclusion that the Roman popes are infallible in matters of faith, which the same Pope Pius IX also declared to be a dogma of the Catholic Church in 1870.

Thus was altered the teaching of the Western Church, which fell away from communion with the True Church. It continues to introduce new and new precepts, thinking in this manner to glorify Truth the more, while actually distorting it. While the Orthodox Church humbly confesses the teaching it had received from Christ and the Apostles, the Roman Church dares to supplement it, either from “zeal not in accordance with knowledge” (Romans 10:2) or digressing into the vain babblings and oppositions of false reason (1 Tim. 4:20). It could not be otherwise, for only to the true and universal Church has it been promised that “the gates of hell would not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18), while the following words apply to those who have fallen away: “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in Me” (John 15:4).

It is true that in defining the new dogma it was stated that it is not a new teaching that is being established, but only an existing one that is being formalized in the Church; moreover, one which had been professed by many Holy Fathers, excerpts from whose writing were set forth. However, all the cited references speak only of the Virgin Mary’s great honor and chastity, give Her many appellations defining Her purity and spiritual strength, but nowhere do they mention an immaculate conception. Meanwhile, the same Holy Fathers elsewhere speak of the fact that only Jesus Christ was entirely free of sin; all people, being born of Adam, had a body that was subject to the law of sin.

None of the Holy Fathers say that God miraculously purified the Virgin Mary while She was still in the womb, while many of them indicate directly that the Virgin Mary, like all other people, underwent a struggle against sinfulness, but was victorious over all temptations and was thus saved by Her Divine Son.

Roman Catholic theologians also say that the Virgin Mary was saved by Christ, but they understand it to mean that Mary was preserved from the impurity of original sin on the basis of Christ’s future merit (papal bull on the dogma of immaculate conception). According to their teaching, the Virgin Mary supposedly received in advance the gift which Christ brought to mankind by His suffering and death on the cross. Even more than that, speaking of the anguish experienced by the Theotokos as She stood at the cross of Her beloved Son, and of the sorrows which filled the life of the Mother of God in general, they regard them as a supplement to Christ’s suffering and Mary as our co-redeemer. According to the Roman Catholic theologians, in the matter of our redemption the Virgin Mary stands next to Christ Himself and is elevated almost to an equal status with God. One cannot go any further. Even if this has not yet been officially formulated as a dogma of the Catholic Church, nevertheless Pope Pius IX, having taken the first step, has indicated the direction towards further development of this universally-acknowledged belief of his Church.

Thus, in its attempt to glorify the Most-holy Virgin, the Roman Catholic Church goes along the path of Her full deification, and if at present the Catholic authorities regard Mary as an adjunct to the Holy Trinity, then we may soon see a time when the Virgin will be worshipped as God.

This same path was chosen by a group of religious thinkers, who thus far belong to the Orthodox Church, but who are constructing a new theological system based upon the philosophical teaching on Wisdom – Sophia – as a special force which unites Divinity and creation. In likewise developing a teaching on the dignity of the Mother of God, they wish to see in Her a being that is somewhere between God and man. On some issues they are more moderate than the Roman Catholic theologians, while on others they have, perhaps, even exceeded them. While rejecting the teaching on immaculate conception and freedom from original sin, they nevertheless teach of Her complete freedom from all personal sin, seeing Her as an intermediary between men and God, comparable to Christ. This striving to deify the Mother of God can be observed primarily in the west, where at the same time, on the other hand, great success is enjoyed by various Protestant sects, together with the main branches of Protestantism – Lutheranism and Calvinism, which completely reject any veneration of the Mother of God and prayerful appeals to Her.

But in the words of St. Epiphanius of Cyprus: “There is equal harm in both these heresies, the one that denigrates the Virgin and the one that, on the contrary, glorifies Her beyond measure.” The holy father denounces those who glorify Her as divinity: “Mary should be honored, while the Lord should be worshipped.” “It is not meet to venerate saints beyond measure, but one should worship their Master. Mary is not God and did not receive a body from heaven, but according to God’s promise has been elected to take part in God’s universal design. On the other hand, however, no one should dare to denigrate the Holy Virgin either.”

The Orthodox Church, while lauding the Theotokos highly in its hymns, does not dare ascribe to Her that which has not been reported of Her in the Holy Writ or Tradition. “Truth is far from any exaggeration or understatement: to all things it allots an appropriate measure and an appropriate place” (St. Ignaty Bryanchaninov). In glorifying the purity of the Virgin Mary and Her courageous endurance of sorrows in Her earthly life, the Holy Fathers nevertheless reject the idea that She was an intermediary between God and men in terms of a joint redemption of mankind. Speaking of Her readiness to die together with Her Son and to suffer with Him for universal salvation, the famous father of the western Church, St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, adds: “But Christ’s suffering was not in need of any aid, as the Lord Himself had forecast it way in advance.” The same holy father teaches of the universality of original sin, whose only exception is Christ. “Of all those born of women there is not a single absolutely perfect person safe the Lord Jesus Christ, Who, by the special new means of immaculate birth, did not undergo any earthly corruption.” “God alone is without sin. All those who are born of wife and husband, i.e. from a physical union, are subject to sin. Consequently, whoever has no sin was not conceived in the regular manner.” “Only one person, the Mediator between God and men, is free of the fetters of sinful birth, because He was born of a Virgin, and because, while being born, He did not receive any adjunct of sinfulness.”

The above-cited words of ancient Church teachers confirm that even in the West the teaching that is now being spread there was previously rejected. Even after the falling away of the western Church, one of its greatest authorities, Bernard, wrote:

“I am horrified to see that some of you have now desired to change the state of extremely important things, introducing a new celebration that is not known to the Church, not approved by reason, and not justified by ancient tradition. Are we really more knowledgeable and more pious than our fathers?… You will say that we must glorify the Mother of God to the fullest extent possible. That is true. However, the glorification accorded to the Queen of Heaven requires some differentiation. This regal Virgin does not need false glorification, since She possesses a true crown of glory and a scepter of dignity. Glorify rather the purity of Her flesh and the sanctity of Her life; be amazed at the multitude of gifts in this Virgin; worship Her Divine Son; laud the One Who conceived without lust and gave birth without pain. What else should be added to these merits? It is said that we should venerate the conception which preceded the glorious nativity; for if the conception did not come first, then the nativity would not have been glorified. But what could be said if someone demanded that the father and mother of the holy Mary be honored for the same reason? The same could equally be demanded for all the forefathers ad infinitum. Let it not be said that the Holy Virgin was conceived of the Holy Spirit and not of man; I firmly assert that the Holy Spirit descended upon Her, but did not come into the world with Her.”

“I am telling you that the Virgin Mary could not have been sanctified before Her conception because She did not yet exist; and since neither could She have been sanctified at the moment of Her conception due to original sin that is inseparably connected with all conception, one is left to believe that She was sanctified after being conceived in Her mother’s womb. This sanctification, by destroying sin, makes holy Her nativity and not Her conception. No one has been given the right to be conceived in holiness. Only the Lord Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit, and He alone was sanctified from His very conception. Except for Him, to all other descendants of Adam apply the words that one of them has said of himself, in all humility and awareness of truth: ‘Behold, I was conceived in iniquity’ (Psalms 51:5). How can one expect this conception to be holy, when it did not come from the Holy Spirit, not to mention the fact that it came from lust? The Holy Virgin will obviously reject the glory that, apparently, glorifies sin; She will never justify an innovation established counter to the teaching of the Church, an innovation that is the mother of imprudence, the sister of disbelief, and the daughter of levity.”

The above-mentioned words clearly reveal both the novelty and the absurdity of the Roman Catholic Church’s new dogma.

 

Saint John of San Francisco

 

 

TO THEE!

 

 

To Thee the seas give sounding glory, Before Thee the abyss stands mute, The constellations burn and quiver, The stars’ chorale hums like a lute. To Thee the streams do sweetly sing And redden in the flaming dawns, The mountains to Thy heights ascend, All shining with eternal snows. Of wisdom do the forests murmur, And flowers do their fragrance cense, Of Thee do testify the dews, The dark of nights, the light of days, The midnight dawn of Arctic ice, The cliffs, the crags, the misty fogs, The fading and the bloom of things, And caravans of springtime clouds. And even reptiles fall before Thee, When seeing Thy thrice-radiant light, And all the oceans hymn hosannah To the Creator of all worlds bright. I am a lowly worm before Thee, But from my heart, O Lord and God, Does issue forth my sacred hymn, So unlike any earthly ode.   V. N. Utrenev - Translated by Natalia Sheniloff