Religion is a neurobiological sickness with a specific cure which has been handed down by the prophets and apostles of the Old and New Testaments and preserved by the Fathers of Church..
Dogmatic and Symbolic Theology of the Orthodox Catholic Church (in Greek; Thessaloniki: Pournaras, 1973).
Many articles in Greek and English of Fr. John Romanides can be found on his website: WWW.ROMANITY.ORG .
Heroes
The Prophets, Apostles, Saints and Fathers of the Orthodox Church.
The Lord of Glory
"The holy virtues are like Jacob’s Ladder. For the virtues, leading from one to another, bear him who chooses them to Heaven." - St. John Climakos
"An Orthodox dogmatician must go to the saints for all dogmatic truths and learn from them, not forgetting that communication with them is only achieved by means of prayer, fasting, and vigil." - Saint Justin Popovich
"Man must be cured, and of course this is the basic work of the Church." -St. Gregory Palamas
The Three Hierarchs: Basil the Great, John Chrysostom and Gregory the Theologian
"Not to every one, my friends, does it belong to philosophize about God; not to every one; the Subject is not so cheap and low; and I will add, not before every audience, nor at all times, nor on all points; but on certain occasions, and before certain persons, and within certain limits. Not to all men, because it is permitted only to those who have been examined, and are passed masters in meditation, and who have been previously purified in soul and body, or at the very least are being purified. For the impure to touch the pure is, we may safely say, not safe, just as it is unsafe to fix weak eyes upon the sun's rays." -St. Gregory the Theologian
Athanasios and Cyril of Alexandria
"Our nature, then, became diseased by sin through the disobedience of one, that is, of Adam. Thus, all were made sinners, not by being co-transgressors with Adam, something which they never were, but by being of his nature and falling under the law of sin...Human nature fell ill in Adam and subject to corruptibility through disobedience, and, therefore, the passions entered in."
-St. Cyril of Alexandria
"Repentance is the returning from the unnatural to the natural state, from the Devil to God, through discipline and effort." -St. John the Damascene
"Do not say that it is impossible to receive the Spirit of God. Do not say that it is possible to be made whole without Him. Do not say that one can possess Him without knowing it. Do not say that God does not manifest Himself to man. Do not say that men cannot perceive the divine light, or that it is impossible in this age! Never is it found to be impossible, my friends. On the contrary, it is entirely possible when one desires it". -St. Symeon the New Theologian
"Prayer, fasting, vigil and all other Christian activities, however good they may be in themselves, do not constitute the aim of our Christian life, although they serve as the indispensable means of reaching this end. The true aim of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God."
"When a person accepts anything Godly, then he rejoices in his heart, but when he has accepted anything devilish, then he becomes tormented." -St. Seraphim of Sarov
"When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come." -John 16:13
New Choir of Athonite Fathers (Joseph the Hesychast, Ephraim of Katounakia, Porphyrios of Athens, Paisios the Athonite)
"Theology is the word of God that is comprehended by pure, humble and spiritually reborn souls. It is not the beautiful words of the mind which are formed with philological artistry and which are expressed with the juridical or worldly spirit. Created words can't speak to man's soul, just as a beautiful statue is not able to speak, unless the audience is very worldly and is satisfied simply by beautiful words. Theology that is taught as a [worldly] science usually examines things historically and consequently understands things externally. Because patristic asceticism and inner experience are absent, this theology is full of doubts and questions. With his mind man is not able to comprehend the divine energies unless he first struggles ascetically to live these energies, so that the grace of God might work within him." -Elder Paisios of Mount Athos
Martyrdom of Monks on Mount Athos at the hands of the Latins in 1282
“Naive are those who think it is possible to keep only good thoughts in the brain by getting rid of bad thoughts (logismon). Not only is this impossible but one is obliged to know exactly how the devil manipulates human thoughts (even supposed “good” thoughts) from the environment in order to defeat him at his own game.“ - Fr. John Romanides
Elder Cleopa of Romania (English subtitles)
Elder Cleopa of Romania (English subtitles)
Father Sofian Boghiu (English subtitles)
Fr. Dumitru Staniloae (English subtitles)
Elder Arsenie Papacioc - On Ecumenism (English subtitles)
Romanian Orthodox Elder Adrian on the Apostasy of Our Times
Romanian Elder Justin on the Apostasy of Our Times
Father Ioanichie Balan - Orthodox Vigilance (English subtitles)
"I shall say nothing of my own, but I shall set down summarily things which have been said in various places by wise and godly men." -St. John the Damascene
"Give blood, receive the Spirit." -- St. Peter the Damascene
"Independence from the West must not degenerate into an alienation which simply becomes opposed to the West...Orthodoxy must encounter the West creatively and spiritually...We must precisely recognize, experience, and penetrate Western questions, we must familiarize ourselves with the entire dramatic problematic of Western religious thought." --Fr. Georges Florovsky
"Romanides succeeded in summarizing the whole of Orthodox dogma, emphasizing the deep gulf separating it from the intellectualist and juridical expressions of Western dogma". - Dr. Christos Yannaras
Mystras
Meteora
Incorrupt Relics of Saint Gerasimos of Kefalonia
"Therapy is not transferred to the afterlife; it takes place during man’s lifetime, here, in this world. This can be seen in the undeteriorated relics of the Saints that have overcome biological deterioration, such as the relics of the Eptanisos Saints: Spiridon, Gerasimos, Dionysios and Theodora Augusta. Undeteriorated relics are, in our tradition, the indisputable evidence of theosis, or in other words the fulfilment of the Church’s ascetic therapy." -Fr. John Romanides
St. Sava's Orthodox Monastery in Israel
"Do not be afraid because of your Orthodoxy; do not be afraid because, as an Orthodox in the West, you will be often isolated and always in a small minority. Do not make compromises and do not attack other Christians; do not be either defensive or aggressive; simply be yourself." - Elder Amphilochios Makris
Makedonomachos (trans. A freedom-fighter from Macedonia), by Photios Kontoglou
Father John S. Romanides (1927 - 2001) was a prominent 20th century Orthodox Christian priest, theologian, and writer.
Fr. Romanides was ordained in 1951 while studying at Yale University Divinity School, and served at Holy Trinity Church in Waterbury, Connecticut, from 1951 till 1954. After finishing his studies at Yale he was transferred for the summer of 1954 to Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City until he left for studies at St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris (1954-55). He did his doctoral work at the University of Athens from 1956 to 1957. He was appointed professor at Holy Cross, Brookline, Massachusetts, where he taught between 1957 and 1965 while continuing his studies and research at the Harvard Divinity School and then at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. All this time, between 1957 to 1968, he was also a parish priest. He was appointed to the parish of Newport, New Hampshire, in 1958. Then in 1959 he was appointed the first priest of St. Athanasius The Great Orthodox Church in Arlington, Massachusetts, which he helped found and organize. He resigned from Holy Cross in 1965 in protest over the removal of Father Georges Florovsky from the faculty by Archbishop Iakovos. Between 1965 and 1968 Father Romanides served as the pastor of Holy Apostles' Parish in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He was professor of dogmatics at the University of Thessalonike from 1970 until his retirement in 1984. From 1970 on, he also taught at the University of Balamand in Lebanon. He continued to teach even after his retirement.
He also represented the Church of Greece as member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches and in the dialogues with the Lutherans and the Oriental Orthodox.
His legacy lives on through his more then 2,000 students, including many priests, monks, and at least 10 bishops.
Among other things, he has contributed many insights, some controversial, into the cultural and religious differences between Eastern and Western Christianity, and how these divergences have impacted the ways in which Christianity has developed and been lived out in the Christian cultures of East and West. Romanides argued for the existence of "national, cultural and even linguistic unity between East and West Romans" until the intrusion and takeover of the West Romans (the Roman Catholics) by the Franks (German tribes).
Several of his articles can be found at the www.romanity.org website. Among his books are: 1) The Ancestral Sin,trans. George S. Gabriel (Ridgwood, New Jersey: Zephyr Publications, 2002), 2) Dogmatic and Symbolic Theology of the Orthodox Catholic Church (in Greek; Thessaloniki: Pournaras, 1973), 3) Rominosini, Romania, Roumeli (in Greek; Thessaloniki: Pournaras, 1975), 4) An Outline of Orthodox Patristic Dogmatics, trans. Protopresbyter George Dragas; Orthodox Theological Library, Vol. 1 (Rollinsford, New Hampshire: Orthodox Research Institute, 2004).
His theological works emphasize the empirical (as opposed to intellectual-contemplative) essence of Orthodox Theology. He identified Hesychasm as the core of Christian practice and studied extensively the works of 14th century hesychast and theologian St. Gregory Palamas.
His research on Dogmatic Theology led him to the conclusion of a close link between doctrinal differences and historical developments. Thus, in his later years, he concentrated on historical research, mostly of the Middle Ages but also of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Father Romanides died in Athens, Greece, in 2001.
A survey of his work is available: Andrew J. Sopko, "Prophet of Roman Orthodoxy: The Theology of John Romanides"(Synaxis Press, 1998).
Obituary For Protopresbyter John Romanides (+ 11/1/2001)
By Protopresbyter George Metallinos
Dean of the Athens University School of Theology
One of the most significant Orthodox theologians of the 20th century and a revivalist of our theology who strived to restore it to the genuineness of Patristic tradition, the Protopresbyter Father John Romanides was escorted by all of us - his friends, his colleagues and his students - to our eternal and true Homeland.
On behalf of the Department of Theology of the Athens University School of Theology and its President Mr. Demetrios Gonis, I was given the honor of offering a few words of love, respect and honor to the Great Colleague, who was en route to the “higher realms”.
The deceased himself had revealed in one of his rare self-introductions the following:
"My parents came from the Roman city of Kastropolis of Arabessus of Cappadocia, birthplace of the Roman Emperor Mauritios (582-602), who had appointed Saint Gregory the Great (590-604) as Pope of Rome, who in turn appointed Augustine as the first Archbishop of Canterbury (597-604).
"I was born in Piraeus on 02.03.1927. I left Greece and migrated to America on the 15th of May 1927 (just 72 days old) with my parents and was raised in the city of New York, in Manhattan, on 46th Street, between Second and Third Avenue.
"I am a graduate of the Greek College of Brookline, Massachusetts, the School of Theology of Yale University, a Doctor of the School of Theology of the National Capodistrian University of Athens, the School of Philosophy of Harvard University (School of Arts and Sciences); Professor Emeritus of the School of Theology of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki and Visiting Professor of the Theological School of Saint John the Damascene of the Balamand University of Lebanon since 1970."
To these we will add that he also studied at the Russian Seminary of Saint Vladimir in New York; the Russian Institute of Saint Sergius in Paris and Munich, Germany. He was ordained a presbyter in 1951 and from then on, was ministering in various dioceses of the United States of America. Between the years 1958 and 1965 he served as a professor in the Theological School of the Holy Cross, but resigned in 1965, protesting against the removal of Father George Florovsky from the School.
His appointment to the Seat of Dogmatics in the Theological School of the University of Thessaloniki took place on June 12th 1968, but he was not finally assigned there, because he was accused of being a “communist”! His assignment finally took place in 1970. In 1984 he resigned for personal reasons, was given full pension, but it was not deemed appropriate to award him the title of Professor Emeritus - something that comes to reveal the dysfunctions of our theological comrades.
HIS WORK
He had written a plethora of studies, many of which are still unpublished and should be published altogether, in a series of volumes. These relics must be safeguarded, because they have much to offer and reveal.
His doctorate dissertation on the "Ancestral Sin" which was a literary revolutionary treatise, opened new paths in our theology, followed by his equally significant books on Romanity in the area of History. Father John revived both these areas - of research and of understanding.
His work and his contribution to science have been systematically scrutinized in the doctorate dissertation of Andrew Sopko, “Prophet of Roman Orthodoxy – The Theology of John Romanides”, Canada, 1998.
Equally important was his participation and contribution in our Church, with his participation in the Theological Dialogues with heterodox participants, especially Anglicans, but with other religious representatives also (Judaism, Islam). The fact that his native tongue was American (English) provided him the ease that he needed to expound with precision the positions of our Church. In the Dialogue with the Worldwide Lutheran Federation (1978), I had the opportunity to become better acquainted with him, and become close friends with him, and, more importantly for me, to truly become his student, beyond the extensive and continuous study of his works. In those Dialogues, his broad knowledge of the Patristic tradition became very apparent – along with the forgeries it had suffered both in the East and the West - and especially his knowledge of the theology of Saint Gregory Palamas – the cornerstone of Orthodox tradition.
Father John was a supporter of the association between theology and experience in the Holy Spirit, and the stages of the Saints’ spiritual course of purification, illumination and theosis as prerequisites of the Ecumenical Synods and the wholehearted acceptance of them –something that has been discarded in the West - but also in our own, westernizing theological thought. This turn toward patristic mentality as a form of ecclesiastical genuineness was the continuation and the supplementing of the respective movement by Father George Florovsky, whose course he pursued in ecumenical dialogue, himself likewise becoming an annoyance and not easy to converse with. Some day, all of this will be put in writing, so that the outstanding character of the deceased will become apparent, along with his true contribution towards the international and ecumenical presence of Orthodoxy, even though he often kept to himself….
THE PERIOD BEFORE AND AFTER ROMANIDES
When reviewing his theological opus – educative, literary and militant – we are naturally compelled to refer to a pre-Romanides and post-Romanides era. Because he introduced a real section and a rift in our scholastic past, which resembled a Babylonian captivity for our theology. His dissertation decisively sealed this revivalist course, to the degree that even those who for various reasons criticized or ideologically opposed him, betrayed in their writings the influence of Father John in their theological thought. Specifically, Father John:
a) Reinstated the priority of patristic empirical theologizing in the academic theological arena, pushing aside the intellectual-meditative-metaphysical way of theologizing.
b) He linked academic theology to worship and the patristic tradition of the "Philokalia", proving the inter-embracing of theology and spiritual living, and the poemantic-therapeutic character of dogmatic theology.
c) He discerned and adopted in his theological method the close link between dogma and history, thanks to which, he was able to comprehend -as few could- the estrangement and the demise of theology in Western Europe, which came about with the Frankish occupation and imposition. Besides, his capable knowledge of history, Frankish and Roman (he was destined to be a History professor at Yale), helped him determine and analyze the diametric difference between the Frankish and the Roman civilizations with the introduction of Roman criteria for examining our history and civilization.
d) He thus assisted in the comprehensive research of Hellenism as well, beyond the manufactured western scenarios, with his upright-to-absolutely-justified use of our historical names, their significance and their potential in the course of our history.
THE HETERODOX
It is a fact, that the heterodox acknowledged – more than we did - the personality of Father John and his significance to Orthodoxy. He was considered the blessed Augustine’s finest Orthodox researcher, who even assisted western theology in comprehending him, and was characterized as "most assuredly the greatest of the living Orthodox theologians, whose works comprise a critical study of Augustine’s work in the light of Patristic Theology". And it must be said, that we are indebted to Father John for his weighty assertion that the teachings of Barlaam of Calabria on the prophets’ god-perceiving experiences being "natural phenomena, that can be done and undone" are derived from the blessed Augustine’s treatise "On the Trinity".
Respected and beloved Father John, your friends, your colleagues and co-spokesmen all express our gratitude, for everything that by the grace of God you gave us. As do the thousands of direct or indirect students also. We hold on to the theological trust that you left us, to be our rod in the darkness that calculation, ignorance, indifference and profit have spawned. You have united us with the patristic element within the realm of academic theology, by constantly urging us towards worship and ascetic exercise, where true theology is cultivated. We thank you!
May your remembrance be everlasting, until we meet again at the celestial altar, my beloved Colleague and Co-Minister.
Translation by A. N.
Επικnδειος Λoγος για τον π. Ιwaννη Ρωμανiδη
Του Πρωτ. Γεωργίου Μεταλληνou
Ένας από τους μεγαλύτερους ορθόδοξους θεολόγους του 20ου αιώνα και ανακαινιστής της θεολογίας μας, με την επιστροφή της στην γνησιότητα της αγιοπατερικής παραδόσεως, ο Πρωτοπρεσβύτερος π. Ιωάννης Ρωμανίδης, προπέμφθηκε από όλους μας, φίλους, συνεργάτες και μαθητές του, στην αιώνια και αληθινή Πατρίδα μας. (…)
Ο ίδιος ο εκλιπών έχει σημειώσει σε μία από τις σπάνιες αυτοπαρουσιάσεις του τα εξής:
«Οι γονείς μου ήσαν από την Ρωμαϊκή Καστρόπολιν της Αραβησσού της Καππαδοκίας, οπού γεννήθηκε ο Ρωμαίος αυτοκράτωρ Μαυρίκιος (582 - 602), ο οποίος διόρισε ως Πάπα της Ρώμης τον Άγιον Γρηγόριο τον Μέγα (590-604) και ο οποίος με την σειράν του διόρισε ως πρώτον αρχιεπίσκοπο του Καντέρπουρι τον Αυγουστίνο (597-604). Γεννήθηκα εις τον Πειραιά, τας 2.3.1927. Έφυγα από την Ελλάδα και μετανάστευσα στην Αμερική, στις 15 Μαΐου 1927 (σε ηλικία 72 ήμερων), με τους γονείς μου και μεγάλωσα εις την πόλιν της Νέας Υόρκης στο Μανχάταν στην 46ην οδόν μεταξύ της 2ας και της 3ης Λεωφόρου.
Είμαι απόφοιτος του Ελληνικού Κολεγίου Μπρούκλαϊν, Μασαχουσέτης, της Θεολογικής Σχολής του Πανεπιστημίου Γέηλ, Διδάκτωρ της Θεολογικής Σχολής του Εθνικού Καποδιστριακού Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών, της Φιλοσοφικής Σχολής του Πανεπιστημίου του Χάρβαρντ (School of Arts and Sciences). Ομότιμος Καθηγητής της Θεολογικής Σχολής του Αριστοτέλειου Πανεπιστήμιου στην Θεσσαλονίκη και Επισκέπτης Καθηγητής της Θεολογικής Σχολής του Αγίου Ιωάννου Δαμασκηνού του Πανεπιστημίου Μπαλαμάντ, του Λιβάνου από το 1970.»
Θα προσθέσουμε σ' αυτά ότι σπούδασε ακόμη στο Ρωσικό Σεμινάριο του Αγίου Βλαδίμηρου της Νέας Υόρκης, στο επίσης Ρωσικό Ινστιτούτο του Αγίου Σεργίου στο Παρίσι και στο Μόναχο της Γερμανίας. Χειροτονήθηκε πρεσβύτερος το 1951 και έκτοτε διακόνησε ως εφημέριος σε διάφορες ενορίες των ΗΠΑ. Μεταξύ των ετών 1958 και 1965 υπηρέτησε ως καθηγητής στην Θεολογική Σχολή του Τιμίου Σταυρού, παραιτήθηκε όμως το 1965, διαμαρτυρόμενος δια την απομάκρυνση του π. Γεωργίου Φλορόφσκι από την Σχολή.
Η εκλογή του για την Έδρα της Δογματικής στην Θεολογική Σχολή του Πανεπιστημίου Θεσσαλονίκης έγινε στις 12 Ιουνίου 1968, αλλά δεν διωρίζετο, διότι κατηγορείτο ως «κομμουνιστής»! Τελικά ο διορισμός του έγινε το 1970. Το 1984, δια προσωπικούς λόγους παραιτήθη με πλήρη σύνταξη, αλλά δεν εθεωρήθη καλό να του απονεμηθεί ο τίτλος του Ομότιμου, κάτι που έρχεται να αποκαλύψει και τις δυσλειτουργίες της θεολογικής συντροφιάς μας.
ΤΟ ΕΡΓΟ ΤΟΥ
Έχει συγγράψει πλήθος μελετών, πολλές από τις όποιες είναι ακόμη ανέκδοτες και πρέπει να συνεκδοθούν εις σειράν τόμων. Τα κατάλοιπά του είναι ανάγκη να ασφαλισθούν διότι έχουν πολλά να προσφέρουν και αποκαλύψουν. Η διδακτορική του διατριβή περί του Προπατορικού Αμαρτήματος κυριολεκτικά επαναστατική, άνοιξε νέους δρόμους στη θεολογία μας, ακολούθησαν δε τα βιβλία του για την Ρωμιοσύνη, που είχαν την ίδια σημασία, για τον χώρο της Ιστορίας. Και των δύο αυτών χώρων, την έρευνα και κατανόηση, ανανέωσε ο π. Ιωάννης.
Το έργο και η προσφορά του στην επιστήμη έχουν διερευνηθεί συστηματικά στη διδακτορική διατριβή του Andrew Sopko, Prophet of Roman Orthodoxy – The Theology of John Romanides Canada 1998.
Εξ ίσου όμως μεγάλη υπήρξε η συμβολή και η προσφορά του στην Εκκλησία μας με την συμμετοχή του στους Θεολογικούς Διάλογους με Ετερόδοξους, ιδιαίτερα με τον Αγγλικανισμό, αλλά και αλλόδοξους (Ιουδαϊσμό και Ισλάμ). Το γεγονός δε, ότι μητρική του γλώσσα ήταν η αμερικανική (αγγλική), του εξασφάλιζε την άνεση που χρειαζόταν, για να αναπτύσσει με κάθε ακρίβεια τις θέσεις της Εκκλησίας μας. Στο Διάλογο με την Παγκόσμια Λουθηρανική Ομοσπονδία (1978 κ.ε.) είχα την ευκαιρία να τον γνωρίσω βαθύτερα, να συνδεθώ μαζί του με ισχυρά φιλία και το κυριότερο δι' εμέ, να γίνω πραγματικά μαθητής του, πέρα από την πολυετή και συνεχή μελέτη των έργων του. Στους Διάλογους αυτούς εφαίνετο η ευρεία γνώση του στην πατερική παράδοση, αλλά και των παραχαράξεών της, στην Ανατολή και τη Δύση, κατ' εξοχήν δε η γνώση της Θεολογίας του Αγίου Γρηγορίου του Παλαμά, ακρογωνιαίου λίθου της ορθοδόξου παραδόσεως
Ο π. Ιωάννης υποστήριζε την σχέση θεολογίας και αγιοπνευματικής εμπειρίας και τους σταθμούς της πνευματικής πορείας των Αγίων: κάθαρσις - φωτισμός - θέωσις, ως προϋπόθεση των Οικουμενικών Συνόδων και της αυθεντικής αποδοχής των, κάτι που έχει χαθεί στη Δύση, αλλά και στη δυτικίζουσα δική μας θεολογική σκέψη. Η στροφή αυτή στην πατερικότητα, ως εκκλησιαστική γνησιότητα, συνέχισε και συνεπλήρωσε την ανάλογη κίνηση του π. Γεωργίου Φλορόφσκι, την πορεία του οποίου ακολούθησε στον οικουμενικό Διάλογο, θεωρούμενος και αυτός συχνά ενοχλητικός και όχι εύκολος συνομιλητής. Κάποτε θα γράφουν αυτά όλα, για να φανεί η υπεροχικότητα του εκλιπόντος, αλλά και η αληθινή συμβολή του στην διεθνή και οικουμενική παρουσία της Ορθοδοξίας, έστω και αν συχνά έμενε μόνος...
ΕΠΟΧΗ ΠΡΟ ΚΑΙ ΜΕΤΑ ΡΩΜΑΝΙΔΗ
Θεωρώντας το θεολογικό του έργο, διδακτικό, συγγραφικό, και αγωνιστικό, αναγκαζόμεθα εκ των πραγμάτων να κάνουμε λόγο, για εποχή προ και μετά τον π. Ρωμανίδη. Διότι έφερε αληθινή τομή και ρήξη με το σχολαστικό παρελθόν μας, που λειτουργούσε ως βαβυλώνιος αιχμαλωσία στη θεολογία μας. Η διατριβή του σφράγισε αποφασιστικά αυτή την αναγεννητική πορεία, σε σημείο, που και αυτοί οι για διαφόρους λόγους επικριτές ή ιδεολογικά αντίπαλοι του να προδίδουν στα γραπτά τους την επιρροή του π. Ιωάννου στη θεολογική τους σκέψη. Συγκεκριμένα, ο π. Ιωάννης:
α) Επανέφερε στον ακαδημαϊκό θεολογικό χώρο την προτεραιότητα της πατερικής εμπειρικής θεολογήσεως, παραμερίζοντας τον διανοητικό - στοχαστικό - μεταφυσικό τρόπο θεολογήσεως,
β) Συνέδεσε την ακαδημαϊκή θεολογία με την λατρεία και την φιλοκαλική παράδοση, καταδεικνύοντας την αλληλοπεριχώρηση θεολογίας και πνευματικής ζωής και τον ποιμαντικό - θεραπευτικό χαρακτήρα της δογματικής θεολογίας.
γ) Διείδε και υιοθέτησε στη θεολογική μέθοδο τον στενό σύνδεσμο δόγματος και ιστορίας και γι' αυτό μπόρεσε να κατανοήσει όσο λίγοι την αλλοτρίωση και πτώση της θεολογίας στη Δυτική Ευρώπη, που επήλθε με την φραγκική κατάκτηση και επιβολή. Η καλή γνώση της ιστορίας, εξ αλλού, Φραγκοσύνης και Ρωμιοσύνης (προοριζόταν για καθηγητής της Ιστορίας στο Γέηλ) τον βοήθησε να διαπιστώσει και αναλύσει τη διαμετρική διαφορά Φράγκικου και Ρωμαίικου πολιτισμού, εισάγοντας ρωμαίικα κλειδιά στη διερεύνηση της ιστορίας και του πολιτισμού μας.
δ) Βοήθησε, έτσι, την πληρέστερη έρευνα και του Ελληνισμού, έξω από τις κατασκευασμένες δυτικές θέσεις, με την ορθή - ως απόλυτα τεκμηριωμένη - χρήση των ιστορικών μας ονομάτων, της σημασίας και δυναμικής τους στην Ιστορική μας πορεία.
ΟΙ ΕΤΕΡΟΔΟΞΟΙ
Είναι γεγονός, ότι οι ετερόδοξοι ανεγνώριζαν περισσότερο από μας την προσωπικότητα του π. Ιωάννου και τη σημασία του για την Ορθοδοξία Εθεωρείτο ο καλύτερος ορθόδοξος ερευνητής του ιερού Αυγουστίνου, που βοηθούσε και τη δυτική θεολογία στην κατανόηση του, χαρακτηρίσθηκε δε «ο μεγαλύτερος σίγουρα των εν ζωή Ορθοδόξων θεολόγων, του οποίου τα συγγράμματα αποτελούν κριτική μελέτη του έργου του Αυγουστίνου υπό το φως της πατερικής Θεολογίας». Πρέπει δε να λεχθεί, ότι στον π. Ιωάννη οφείλεται η σπουδαία επισήμανση, ότι η διδασκαλία του Βαρλαάμ του Καλαβρού, για τις θεοπτικές εμπειρίες των προφητών ως «φαινομένων φυσικών, γινομένων και απογινομένων» ανάγεται στο Περί Τριάδος έργο του ι. Αυγουστίνου.
Σεβαστέ και αγαπημένε π. Ιωάννη, οι φίλοι, συνεργάτες και συνόμιλοί σου, σου εκφράζουμε την ευγνωμοσύνη μας, για όσα με την χάρη του Θεού μας έδωσες. Οι χιλιάδες των αμέσων η έμμεσων μαθητών σου επίσης. Κρατούμε την θεολογική παρακαταθήκη σου ως βακτηρία στο σκοτάδι, που εξαπλώνει παντού ο υπολογισμός, η αγνοία, η αδιαφορία και το συμφέρον. Μας συνέδεσες με την πατερικότητα στο χώρο της ακαδημαϊκής θεολογίας, παραπέμποντας συνεχώς στη λατρεία και την άσκηση, όπου καλλιεργείται η αληθινή θεολογία. Σε ευχαριστούμε!
Αιωνία σου η μνήμη και καλή αντάμωση στο ουράνιο θυσιαστήριο, Συνάδελφε και Συλλειτουργέ, πεφιλημένε.
Father John with Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlahos
ΕΠΙΚΗΔΕΙΟΣ ΛΟΓΟΣ για τον π. ΙΩΑΝΝΗ ΡΩΜΑΝΙΔΗ Σεβ. τοu Μητροπολίτου Ναυπάκτου και Αγίου Βλασίου k. Ιεροθέου
Στήν παρούσα εξόδιο ακολουθία εκπροσωπώ τον Μακαριώτατο Αρχιεπίσκοπο Αθηνών και Πάσης Ελλάδος κ. Χριστόδουλο, ο οποίος, παρά την επιθυμία του, δεν κατέστη δυνατόν να παρευρίσκεται ανάμεσά μας, και μεταφέρω τις ευχές του για την ανάπαυση της ψυχής του αειμνήστου π. Ιωάννη Ρωμανίδη, ο οποίος προσέφερε μεγάλες υπηρεσίες στην Εκκλησία της Ελλάδος με την συμμετοχή του σε διορθοδόξους και διαχριστιανικούς διαλόγους και συναντήσεις.
Συγχρόνως παρευρίσκομαι και ως Μητροπολίτης Ναυπάκτου και Αγίου Βλασίου, διότι τα τελευταία χρόνια ο αείμνηστος π. Ιωάννης είχε λάβει απολυτήριο από την Ιερά Αρχιεπισκοπή Αμερικής, όπου υπηρετούσε, και συγκαταλεγόταν στο ιερατικό δυναμικό της Ιεράς Μητροπόλεώς μου.
Μέ τις δύο αυτές ιδιότητες αισθάνομαι πολύ έντονα το βαρύτατο έργο να αποχαιρετήσω κατά την εξόδιο ακολουθία τον αείμνηστο Καθηγητή των Θεολογικών Σχολών, δάσκαλο της πνευματικής ζωής, εκφραστή της ορθοδόξου ησυχαστικής παραδόσεως, αγαπητό μου Κληρικό, πατέρα Ιωάννη Ρωμανίδη. Όμως θα κάνω κουράγιο να ολοκληρώσω τον αποχαιρετισμό μου.
Ο αείμνηστος πατήρ Ιωάννης Ρωμανίδης δεν ήταν συνηθισμένη προσωπικότητα. Συνάδελφοί του θα σκιαγραφήσουν το συγγραφικό και διδασκαλικό του έργο. Όμως εκείνο που μπορώ να υπογραμμίσω είναι ότι ήταν σοβαρός ερευνητής και επιστήμων, γνώστης και διδάσκαλος της Ορθοδόξου Παραδόσεως, που συνετέλεσε πολύ στην αναγέννηση των θεολογικών γραμμάτων, αλλά κυρίως και προπαντός ήταν ευαίσθητος άνθρωπος. Είχε αφιερωθή ψυχή τε και σώματι στο βάθος της Ρωμηοσύνης, που γι’ αυτόν ήταν η ουσία της γνησίας πνευματικότητος που απαλλάσσει τον άνθρωπο από την φιλαυτία, την ευδαιμονία και τις εκδηλώσεις του πεπτωκότος ανθρώπου. Πραγματοποίησε ένα μεγάλο εκκλησιαστικό, θεολογικό και εθνικό έργο. Εκπροσώπησε την Ορθόδοξη Θεολογία στην Αμερική, στις Θεολογικές Σχολές στον Λίβανο, την Δαμασκό, την Ευρώπη, σε Συνέδρια, σε Διαλόγους, ως εκπρόσωπος του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου και της Εκκλησίας της Ελλάδος, σε αίθουσες κλπ. Όλοι άκουγαν έναν πρωτότυπο και συγχρόνως παραδοσιακό θεολόγο. Ελπίζω το μεγάλο του έργο, το οποίο παραγνωριζόταν από μερικούς όσο ζούσε, να εκτιμηθή τώρα μετά την κοίμησή του.
Θά ήθελα αυτήν την στιγμή να υπογραμμίσω δύο σημεία τα οποία κατά την γνώμη μου είναι ενδιαφέροντα.
Τό πρώτο είναι μιά επιστολή που απέστειλε το έτος 1958, πρίν 43 χρόνια, νεαρός τότε θεολόγος, στον μοναχό π. Θεόκλητο Διονυσιάτη, στην οποία μεταξύ των άλλων του έγραφε:
«Λυπούμαι πολύ που δεν θα εορτάσωμεν εφέτος το Πάσχα μαζί. Ο νούς μου ευρίσκεται πάντοτε εις το Άγιον Όρος και με κάθε ευκαιρίαν προσπαθώ να διαφωτίσω τούς γνωστούς μου περί αυτού... Θά ήθελα πολύ να αλληλογραφώμεν. Νομίζω ότι θα λυπηθή ο διάβολος που δεν μάς αρέσει ο χριστιανισμός που προωθεί, αλλά τί να γίνη; Δέν ημπορεί κανείς να αρέση εις αυτόν όταν θέλη να αρέση εις τον Θεόν».
Καί ο π. Θεόκλητος Διονυσιάτης, σχολιάζοντας την επιστολή του αυτή έγραψε: «Ο καλός μου φίλος και ευλαβέστατος Πρεσβύτερος Ι. Ρωμανίδης, δεν είναι θεολόγος της σειράς. Τήν Ορθοδοξίαν την έμαθε σε δύο-τρία Πανεπιστήμια και με την βοήθειαν της ασκήσεως που φωτίζει την ψυχήν. Κάτοχος 4 γλωσσών με βαθυτάτην επιστημονικήν αρτίωσιν... Είναι κυριολεκτικώς καλόγηρος, τρεφόμενος από τούς αγίους Πατέρας και με την αγίαν λειτουργικήν ζωήν της Ορθοδόξου Εκκλησίας, υμνών τον Θεόν "επτάκις της ημέρας"» (Αθωνικά Άνθη).
Ο αείμνηστος π. Ιωάννης Ρωμανίδης, εκπονώντας την διδακτορική του διατριβή, ήλθε σε επαφή με μοναχούς που ζούσαν την νοερά προσευχή και μάθαινε τα μυστικά της, την σχέση του νοός με την καρδιά. Επισκεπτόταν το Άγιον Όρος, και απέκτησε την βεβαιότητα των θεμελίων της πνευματικής ζωής, γι’ αυτό και στα κείμενά του μιλούσε συνεχώς για τα κλειδιά της Ορθοδόξου Παραδόσεως που είναι η κάθαρση, ο φωτισμός και η θέωση. Τό βιβλίο της δογματικής του είναι πρότυπο ορθοδόξου θεολογίας, ώστε ένας αγιορείτης να πή ότι είναι το καλύτερο εγχειρίδιο ορθοδόξου δογματικής, επειδή συνέδεε την θεολογία με την ορθόδοξη ησυχία.
Τό δεύτερο σημείο που θα ήθελα να υπογραμμίσω είναι τα όσα έχει γράψει στην διδακτορική του διατριβή περί του θανάτου. Ο θάνατος είναι αποτέλεσμα της αμαρτίας και η υπέρβαση του θανάτου γίνεται με την εν Χριστώ αναγέννηση του ανθρώπου. Γράφει χαρακτηριστικά:
«Επειδή οι Έλληνες Πατέρες ανέκαθεν εδίδασκον ότι ο Θεός δεν εποίησεν τον θάνατον, συνέδεον δέ στενώς τάς εννοίας θάνατος, σατανάς και αμαρτία, η ευσέβεια της Ορθοδοξίας είχε πάντοτε ηρωϊκόν και αγωνιστικόν χαρακτήρα, επομένη τοίς ίχνεσιν των Μαρτύρων και Ομολογητών, παρά τοίς οποίοις ο φόβος και η οπισθοχώρησις πρό του θανάτου εσήμαινεν πτώσιν εις χείρας του σατανά και αποκοπήν από της πίστεως. Οι Ορθόδοξοι Χριστιανοί αείποτε προσεπάθησαν να καταπατήσουν το κέντρον του θανάτου και να αποκτήσουν την αμέριμνον ελευθερίαν. Χαρακτηριστικόν της Ελληνικής Πατερικής Παραδόσεως είναι ο συνεχής αγών κατά της τυραννίδος του θανάτου, του διαβόλου και της αμαρτίας διά της εν Χριστώ ζωής της ανιδιοτελούς αγάπης» (Προπατορικόν αμάρτημα, σελ. 158).
Αυτά δίδασκε ο αείμνηστος π. Ιωάννης Ρωμανίδης. Καί έτσι έζησε, ιδιαιτέρως τον τελευταίο καιρό που τον πλησίασα περισσότερο. Τόν επισκέφθηκα πρίν λίγους μήνες στην εντατική του Νοσοκομείου, που έπασχε από σοβαρό καρδιακό πρόβλημα και ήταν ήρεμος, διακατεχόταν από την αφοβία του θανάτου. Τό μόνο που τον απασχολούσε ήταν η θεολογική και εκκλησιαστική ζωή στον τόπο μας. Τόν επισκέφθηκα στο μικρό και απέριττο σπιτάκι του. Είχε απομακρυνθή τελείως από την όλην εκκλησιαστική δραστηριότητα και ζούσε ήρεμα, ήσυχα, όπως ακριβώς άρχισε την θεολογική του ζωή. Τό μόνο που έκανε ήταν να γράφη διάφορα κείμενα στον ηλεκτρονικό υπολογιστή και να τα βάζη στην ιστοσελίδα του (Romanity.org). Τά βράδυα ξυπνούσε, άναβε τα κεράκια σε ένα μικρό μανουάλι και προσευχόταν με το κομποσχοίνι. Ένας μεγάλος θεολόγος από ακαδημαϊκής πλευράς που προσευχόταν ως μοναχός. Ο τρόπος αυτός της ζωής του μού θύμιζε λίγο τον κοσμοκαλόγερο Παπαδιαμάντη. Απέφευγε συστηματικά την δημοσιότητα και ζούσε απλά, ταπεινά, ησυχαστικά!
Προσεύχομαι στον Θεό να τον αναπαύση για τούς κόπους που κατέβαλε να μεταδώση την Ορθοδοξία και να ζήση τα μυστικά της. Δέν είναι δυνατόν ο Θεός να παρίδη πρόσωπα σάν τον αείμνηστο π. Ιωάννη, που φλεγόταν μέχρι τέλους της ζωής του από τον ζήλο και την αγάπη για την ορθόδοξη ησυχαστική θεολογία και παράδοση.
Εύχομαι ο Θεός να παρηγορή τούς συγγενείς του κατά σάρκα (την αδελφή του, τις θυγατέρες του, τον ανηψιό του κ.ά.) και τούς συγγενείς του από πλευράς θεολογίας. Γιατί ο αείμνηστος είχε πολλούς οικείους εν τή πίστει.
Σεβαστέ π. Ιωάννη,
Τόν τελευταίο καιρό εξέφραζες το παράπονο ότι ο κόπος σου πήγε χαμένος, επειδή έβλεπες τα πράγματα να εξελίσσονται έξω από τα κριτήρια της Ορθοδόξου Πατερικής Παραδόσεως που δίδασκες. Όμως τώρα θα γνωρίζης πολύ καλύτερα ότι η δύναμη της πίστεως και ο αυθεντικός θεολογικός λόγος είναι ισχυρότερος από τα πυρηνικά και χημικά όπλα και ότι ο σπόρος της αυθεντικής διδασκαλίας σου θα καρπίση. Τό υποσχόμαστε και εμείς οι μαθητές σου, Επίσκοποι και Κληρικοί, λαϊκοί και μοναχοί, όλος ο λαός του Θεού.
Σέ αποχαιρετούμε στην πορεία σου από τον κτιστό ναό στον άκτιστο ναό, από την χειροποίητη σκηνή, στην αχειροποίητη σκηνή, όπως σού άρεσε να λέγης, με την ελπίδα της αναστάσεως και της εκ νέου συναντήσεώς μας.
"The happiness-seeking sickness of humanity is cured only through the purification and illumination of the heart and culminated in the perfection of glorification. This results not only in proper preparation for life after death but also in the transformation of society here and now from that of selfish and self-centered individuals to that of individuals with selfless love which does not seek its own." -- John Romanides
Christianity in Cappadocia (birthplace and ancestral home of Father John Romanides)
Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome
The Roman Empire
Map of Constantinople
Emperor Constantine, Founder of New Rome (Constantinople), and his mother Helen
Emperor Basil II the Bulgar-Slayer
John VI Kantakouzenos
Saint Constantine XI the Ethnomartyr, Last Emperor of the Romans (reigned from 1449 - May 29, 1453 AD)
"To deliver the city it is not my own right nor any other person of her residents, because it is our common decision to die all of us and not to spare our life."
-- Emperor Constantine's reply to Sultan Mehmet
"Breaking down the doors with axes, the Turks entered the Church and dragged the fugitives off to slavery. Two by two, the men were tied together with cords, the women with belts, without consideration for age or station. Scenes of indescribable horror ensued. The icons of Saints were shorn of their jewels and smashed. The gold and silver Church vessels were seized, the altar cloths used for caparisons. Topped with a Janissary's cap, the crucifix was paraded in mockery. The conquerors used the altars as tables; when they themselves had finished eating on them, they turned them over to the horses for feed troughs or used them as beds on which to assault boys and girls".
-- The Fall of the Byzantine Empire, A Chronicle by George Sphrantzes (translated by Marios Phillipides)
Who I'd like to meet: ......
1453 AD The Siege of Constantinople (27-minute documentary courtesy of The History Channel)
Revolution of 1821
An example of Hellenic propaganda. What Athanasios Diakos really said before he died was: "I was born a Roman. I will die a Roman."
Elder Joseph of Mount Athos, "The Heavy Burden of the Greeks"(in Greek)
Are There Saints Alive In Romania?
The Five Keys to the Bible
What is missing in the work of such Biblical scholars and especially of those who work within and under the weight of the Franco-Latin Augustinian tradition, are the following five keys:
1) That the very core of the Biblical tradition is that religion is a specific sickness with a specific cure. This is what the claim "there is no God except Yahweh" means. Not knowing this fundamental first key one cannot know the second key:
2) That there is a clear distinction between Biblical terms which denote that which is "uncreated" and that which is "created." Not knowing this context one cannot know the third key to Biblical terms:
3) That "it is impossible to express God and even more impossible to conceive Him." In other words there is no similarity whatsoever "between the created and the uncreated." Anyone who thinks that Biblical expressions convey concepts about God is sadly mistaken. When used correctly Biblical words and concepts lead one to purification and illumination of the heart which lead to glorification but are not themselves glorification. An integral and essential part of knowing these foregoing three keys is the fourth key:
4) That the cure of the sickness of religion involves at all stages "the transformation of selfish happiness-seeking love" into "the selfless love of one's own crucifixion which is glorification." This glorification, therefore, is not only that of the Lord of Glory Incarnate, "but also that of all prophets and apostles (sent ones) before and after the Incarnation of the Lord of Glory." These four keys become the fifth contextual key of cure.
5) That "the expressions about God in the Bible are not intended to convey concepts about God. They act only as means to guide one to the purification and illumination of the heart and finally to glorification by the Pre-Incarnate and Incarnate Lord (Yahweh) of Glory which is to see Him by means of His uncreated glory or rule" and "not by means of ephemeral created symbols and concepts about Him" as is the case in the Augustinian tradition.
In John 17, Christ prays for the cure of the glorification of His disciples and their disciples, not for divided Churches — indeed not for traditions which have not the slightest idea what the cure of glorification is.
Oldest Icon of Blessed Augustine of Hippo (6th cent.)in the Church of Saint John Lateran in Rome.
"Augustine did not have the slightest idea of the keys by which Jews and the Orthodox Fathers were interpreting the Bible. He simply knew not one Father of an Ecumenical Council. This is exactly why Vaticanists and Protestants still do not understand the theology of the Ecumenical Councils. When the Franco-Latins finally became familiar with the texts of the Ecumenical Councils they simply enslaved them to Augustinian categories."
"Charlemagne condemned the Roman Empire as heretical and Greek in 794 and 809. His so-called Greek Empire was made over into a Byzantine Empire by the British, French and Russian Empires as part of their plans for Balkanization of the European part of the Ottoman Empire still being called 'The Land of the Romans' i.e. Roumeli."
Tzar Peter the Great
"There is no way of dealing with the reality of the Orthodox Church today except in terms of the Franco-Latin falsification of the history of the Roman Empire. That this is the only route to follow is clear from the fact that the dogmas and canons of the Nine Roman Ecumenical Councils were, from 325 AD to 1341 A.D., incorporated into Roman Law. To get at this reality we are obliged to deal with the falsification of this historical reality by the Franco-Latins since the time of Charlemagne on the one hand and by the Russians since Peter the Great on the other hand. These turns of historical events are simply the transformation of entire segments of the Church from being centers of the cure of the sickness of religion into missions for the spread of the sickness of religion."
Hieronymus Wolf
Hieronymus Wolf was a German historian of the 16th century who invented the term "Byzantine" to describe the Greek-speaking segment of the Roman Empire, and preserved the title "Holy Roman Empire" for Charlemagne's Franks. This was done through his work titled Corpus Historiae Byzantinae.
Adamantios Korais
"The man who started the war against Romanism was Adamantios Koraes. He argued that our national name should be either Greek or Hellene. He writes: 'One of these two, therefore, is the true name of the nation. I chose the name Greek, because all the enlightened nations of Europe also name us thus.' Further he says: 'Not only should we be deemed inhuman, but also foolish in this matter, if we were to prefer the name of the Romans instead of the name Greeks.’ And he concludes: 'Whomsoever calls me a Roman from now on, I will look upon him as my enemy. From this day on, I am a Greek'(Dialogue Between Two Greeks, 1805)."
The storming of the Bastille, 14 July 1789
Bishop Germanos of Patras and the Beginning of the Greek Revolution on March 25th, 1821. (It should be noted that even this event depicted is held suspect by historians.)
"The atmosphere for dialogue between Old and New Rome may be cleared by the realization that the so-called "French" Revolution was essentially not much different from the so-called "Greek' Revolution. One was a revolt of Romans against their Frankish conquerors, and the other, a revolt of Romans against their Turkish conquerors."
"We are Hellenes in order to hoodwink the world, but in reality Romans." --Kostis Palamas
"Έλληνες, για να ρίχνουμε στάχτη στα μάτια του κόσμου, πραγματικά, Ρωμιοί". - Κωστής Παλαμάς
Saints Gregory Palamas, Photios the Great and Mark of Ephesus - the great defenders of Roman Orthodoxy who repelled Frankish influences in Orthodox theology.
Saint Kosmas Aitolos travelled throughout the Greek speaking lands teaching the illiterates of their Roman Orthodox roots during the Turkish occupation. He said: “And I too, my brethren, who have been so fortunate as to stand here, in this holy, apostolic place by the mercy of our Christ, had first of all asked about you and had learned that by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ you are not Hellenes; that is, you are not impious, or heretics, or atheists, but devout Orthodox Christians.” Even in his prophecies he referred to the Greek people and land as "Romaik".
The Choir of Holy Kollyvades Fathers
Sts. Nikodemos the Hagiorite, Makarios Notaras, and Athanasios of Paros are the typical representatives of the renaissance on the Holy Mountain whose spirit prevailed and were known as Kollyvades. They were the authors of widely circulating books which had their effect on the souls of the enslaved Greeks, and their works continue to be re-issued even today. The seal was set on the Athonite theological spirit of the time by the publication of the 'Philokalia of the Ascetic Fathers' (1785), a publication which was a landmark in theological literature.
I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me & causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. . . . corporations have been enthroned & an era of corruption in high places will follow, & the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands & the Republic is destroyed." Nov. 21, 1864 (letter to Col. William F. Elkins) Ref: The Lincoln Encyclopedia, Archer H. Shaw (Macmillan, 1950, NY)
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"If we can't think for ourselves, if we're unwilling to question authority, then we're just putty in the hands of those in power. But if the citizens are EDUCATED & form their own opinions, then those in power wWORK FOR US. In every country, we should be teaching our children the scientific method & the reasons for a Bill of Rights. With it comes a certain decency, humility & community spirit. In the demon-haunted world that we inhabit by virtue of being human, this may be all that stands between us & the enveloping DARKNESS."
The idea prevails with some -- indeed, it found expression in arguments at the bar -- that we have in this country substantially and practically two national governments; one, to be maintained under the Constitution, with all of its restrictions; the other to be maintained by Congress outside and independently of that instrument, by exercising such powers as other nations of the earth are accustomed to exercise.
"I take leave to say that if the principles thus announced should ever receive the sanction of a majority of this court, a radical and mischievous change in our system of government will be the result. We will, in that event, pass from the era of constitutional liberty guarded and protected by a written constitution into an era of legislative absolutism.
"It will be an evil day for American liberty if the theory of a government outside of the supreme law of the land finds lodgment in our constitutional jurisprudence. No higher duty rests upon this court than to exert its full authority to prevent all violation of the principles of the Constitution." See Downes v. Bidwell, 182 U.S. 244 (1901), Harlan dissenting.
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the Government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law: it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. To declare that in the administation of the criminal law the end justifies the means - to declare that the Government may commit crimes in order to secure the conviction of a private criminal - would bring terrible retribution. Against that pernicious doctrine this Court should resolutely set its face." Justice Louis Brandeis in Olmstead v. U.S., 277 US at 485.
...Nα πού βρίσκεται η αληθινή μαγεία του Παπαδιαμάντη. Δε ζητά να τεντώσει τα νεύρα μας, να σείσει πύργους και να επικαλεστεί τέρατα. Οι νύχτες του, ελαφρές σαν το γιασεμί, ακόμη κι όταν περιέχουν τρικυμίες, πέφτουν επάνω στην ψυχή μας σαν μεγάλες πεταλούδες που αλλάζουν ολοένα θέση, αφήνοντας μια στιγμή να δούμε στα διάκενα τη χρυσή παραλία όπου θα μπορούσαμε να 'χαμε περπατήσει χωρίς βάρος, χωρίς αμαρτία. Είναι εκεί που βρίσκεται το μεγάλο μυστικό, αυτό το "θα μπορούσαμε" είναι ο οίακας που δε γίνεται να γυρίσει, μόνο μας αφήνει με το χέρι μετέωρο ανάμεσα πίκρα και γοητεία, προσδοκώμενο και άφταστο. "Σα να 'χανε ποτέ τελειωμό τα πάθια και οι καημοί του κόσμου"...
Απόσπασμα από το βιβλίο του Οδυσσέα Ελύτη "Η Μαγεία του Παπαδιαμάντη"
The Lord of Glory
"Man must be cured, and of course this is the basic work of the Church." -St. Gregory Palamas
The Three Hierarchs: Basil the Great, John Chrysostom and Gregory the Theologian
"Not to every one, my friends, does it belong to philosophize about God; not to every one; the Subject is not so cheap and low; and I will add, not before every audience, nor at all times, nor on all points; but on certain occasions, and before certain persons, and within certain limits. Not to all men, because it is permitted only to those who have been examined, and are passed masters in meditation, and who have been previously purified in soul and body, or at the very least are being purified. For the impure to touch the pure is, we may safely say, not safe, just as it is unsafe to fix weak eyes upon the sun's rays." -St. Gregory the Theologian
Athanasios and Cyril of Alexandria
"Do not say that it is impossible to receive the Spirit of God. Do not say that it is possible to be made whole without Him. Do not say that one can possess Him without knowing it. Do not say that God does not manifest Himself to man. Do not say that men cannot perceive the divine light, or that it is impossible in this age! Never is it found to be impossible, my friends. On the contrary, it is entirely possible when one desires it". -St. Symeon the New Theologian
"Prayer, fasting, vigil and all other Christian activities, however good they may be in themselves, do not constitute the aim of our Christian life, although they serve as the indispensable means of reaching this end. The true aim of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God."
"When a person accepts anything Godly, then he rejoices in his heart, but when he has accepted anything devilish, then he becomes tormented." -St. Seraphim of Sarov
"When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come." -John 16:13
New Choir of Athonite Fathers (Joseph the Hesychast, Ephraim of Katounakia, Porphyrios of Athens, Paisios the Athonite)
Martyrdom of Monks on Mount Athos at the hands of the Latins in 1282
Elder Cleopa of Romania (English subtitles)
Elder Cleopa of Romania (English subtitles)
Father Sofian Boghiu (English subtitles)
Fr. Dumitru Staniloae (English subtitles)
Elder Arsenie Papacioc - On Ecumenism (English subtitles)
Romanian Orthodox Elder Adrian on the Apostasy of Our Times
Romanian Elder Justin on the Apostasy of Our Times
Father Ioanichie Balan - Orthodox Vigilance (English subtitles)
Incorrupt Relics of Saint Gerasimos of Kefalonia
Father John with Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlahos
Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome
The Roman Empire
Map of Constantinople
Emperor Constantine, Founder of New Rome (Constantinople), and his mother Helen
Emperor Basil II the Bulgar-Slayer
John VI Kantakouzenos
Tzar Peter the Great
Hieronymus Wolf
Adamantios Korais
The Choir of Holy Kollyvades Fathers
Sts. Nikodemos the Hagiorite, Makarios Notaras, and Athanasios of Paros are the typical representatives of the renaissance on the Holy Mountain whose spirit prevailed and were known as Kollyvades. They were the authors of widely circulating books which had their effect on the souls of the enslaved Greeks, and their works continue to be re-issued even today. The seal was set on the Athonite theological spirit of the time by the publication of the 'Philokalia of the Ascetic Fathers' (1785), a publication which was a landmark in theological literature.
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