The feast of Epiphany in the western churches celebrates the visit of the Magi to the new-born Jesus. Hence, it is celebrated as the revelation of Jesus to the nations. In the Orthodox Church it’s celebrated as the Baptism of Jesus Christ. Theophany = the revelation of God. The revelation of God as Trinity. Baptism …
God in a Cave
As I mentioned in a post yesterday, Orthodox icons show the birth of Christ taking place in a cave. I was surprised to come upon a fascinating passage G. K. Chesterton wrote about 100 years ago. Here it is in an abridged version published on the Plough website, one of my favorite places on the Internet …
The Mystery Revealed
The icon is by the very excellent modern Greek iconographer Georgios Kordis, which I downloaded from his website, https://kordis.gallery. It paints the traditional Orthodox iconographic representation of the Nativity: angels giving glory from heaven and announcing to the shepherds on the right, a midwife washing the infant Jesus on the bottom right, a young shepherd …
Life-Giving Fountain
It is blessed to anticipate the celebration of our Lord's Nativity. We all are making sacrifices in how we will celebrate this great holy day, but even a deadly virus cannot stop the holiness that flows from this feast into our lives. Holy, Holy, Holy - the only word that is adequate to expressing the …
As darkness and sorrow grow
We are living in a time of sorrow. Italy and several other countries are being ravaged by the Coronavirus and people are living in fear. Many parts of the United States are only now taking strong measures, and there still persist much denial and irresponsible behavior. I pray that the actions being taken now will …
The Khora of Salvation
Landscapes were important in defining God's interactions with the people of ancient Israel. And landscapes were important in Jesus' own ministry. Desert, mountain, sea, city and village - places, topoi, where the drama of salvation was played out in the Gospels. Those same landscapes became important in Orthodox tradition, in the writings and meditations of …
The Language of Blessing
Water is a prime symbol in all religions. No surprise, since water covers over 70% of the earth’s surface. In Genesis, the earth is all water at the beginning. Then we have the Flood, the crossing of the Red Sea, the Jordan, etc. In the New Testament, water is again prime symbol. John baptizes …
It’s always a birth
On August 15th the Orthodox Church observes the feast of the Dormition of Mary (Assumption in the Roman Catholic Church). The simple event of our Lady's earthly death became adorned with all sorts of legendary additions which have never interested me. It's the theological and mystical dimensions of this wonderful feast that interest me. Dormition comes …
Ancient Answers 