DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ST. JOHN, ARCHBISHOP OF SHANGHAI AND SAN
FRANCISCO
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN WITNESS (USPS 412-260)
is published monthly by St. Nectarios American Orthodox Cathedral,
10300 Ashworth Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98133-9410.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
OCW, 10300 Ashworth Ave. N., Seattle, WA. 98133-9410
Fr. Neketas S. Palassis, Editor Email: frneketas@stnectariospress.com
Telephone (206) 522-4471; (800) 643-4233 U.S. & Canada;
Fax: 206-523-0550
FEBRUARY, 2006, Vol. XL, No. 2, (1557)
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. A TRANSLATOR'S NOTES ON ORTHODOX SERVICES
2. A WORD FROM THE SAINTS
3. ON OUR TEMPTATIONS
4. ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM ON MARRIAGE
5. MEAT-FARE SUNDAY: The Sunday of the Last Judgmenet
6. NEW ITEMS FROM THE BOOK CENTER
You must never regard any spiritual work as firmly established, and
this is especially true of prayer; but always pray as if beginning for
the first time. When we do a thing for the first time, we come to it
fresh and with a new-born enthusiasm. If, when starting to pray, you
always approach it as though you had never yet prayed properly, and
only now for the first time wished to do so, you will always pray with
a fresh and lively zeal. And all will go well. If you are not
successful in your prayer, do not expect success in anything. It is the
root of all.
The Art of Prayer, Bishop Theophan the Recluse, page 74.
1. A TRANSLATOR'S NOTES ON ORTHODOX SERVICES
(From Orthodox Christian Witness, May 1, 1988)
Some people complain that we use too many strange words in
explaining Orthodox Services. Is the complaint reasonable? Let us
examine the question.
You can't talk about something unless you have a name for it. And if
you are to talk clearly, you should try to have names which will
designate as clearly as possible, and as economically as possible, the
separate things you want to talk about. For example, instead of saying,
"door, you might say, "hole in the wall," if you are sure that your
hearer knows the words, "hole" and "wall." But the expression is not
exact, because it fits "doorway" better than it fits "door;" and it
could also refer, with equal exactness, to "window." Furthermore, it is
not economical, because the combination of four words does not serve as
well or as easily as the single word, "door."
So, in our explanation of Orthodox Services, we could use the word,
"hymn," to mean anything that is sung. But then we should be saying
that Troparia, Antiphons, and Canons are all the same. By following the
same plan we could assume that dogs, horses, people, fish, and flies
are all the same, and use the same word, "animal," to mean each and all
of them.
Orthodox Services are not simple. The numerous words used to explain
them are not inventions to make the student's job hard or even to make
the job seem hard. The words are needed to make the explanation clear.
The study of Orthodox Services is not the easiest of easy subjects. It
is quite complicated. But people who learn the technical terms learn at
the same time the uses and connections of the things which the terms
designate. A good part of the truth is that to learn the technical
terms is the easiest as well as the most efficient way to learn the
services.
To learn the services is very valuable and very important. Such
knowledge, of course, is of great value and importance to the person
who acquires it -- and he finds it to be a very precious possession,
too. But that is not all. Every religious organization is judged by
outsiders according to the average enlightenment of its members. Some
organizations are held in very low esteem because their members are, on
the average, uneducated and ignorant people. Outsiders assume that the
people are members because they are ignorant, and that only ignorant
and uneducated people would ever consent to belong to such
organizations. The members of some other organizations are, on the
average, educated and enlightened people; and anybody who belongs to
such an organization profits by the reputation for enlightenment which
his group has gained. In these matters, the kind of ignorance which is
not excused is ignorance of the organization to which one belongs, and
ignorance of its customs and practices. It is very important for the
reputation of Orthodoxy in America that the level of Orthodox
enlightenment should be raised very considerably. If you are distressed
by the thought that we are despised by other Americans as an
organization of ignorant people -- an organization to which only
ignorant and uninformed people could willingly belong -- the best thing
to do is raise our average level by becoming enlightened yourself.
Settle down seriously and resolutely to learn our services, and don't
let new words scare you. The new words are tools for you to use in your
studies; they are not your masters, but your willing slaves.
The study of Orthodox Services is new to the English Language. Each of
the older languages has a full vocabulary of the technical words which
are needed, so that the older generation has a clearer understanding of
the subject thafl our young people have acquired. For only now are we
developing a complete vocabulary in English, so that until now our
young people have been at a real disadvantage.
The Orthodox Church is of the Greek Tradition. But English is a
language belonging to the Latin West, and, therefore, has a church
vocabulary which fits the Latin Tradition. Until very recently, the
only books in English written about Orthodoxy were produced by people
who were not themselves Orthodox. More or less naturally they called
Greek things by the names which in English designated the nearest
equivalent in the Latin Tradition. But it often happens that Greek and
Latin things resemble each other only in a general way, and differ from
each other in important particulars. Then the use of the English word
makes trouble, because the English word calls up a Latin image and
hides from us certain details which are essentials of the Greek image.
A few examples will help to make this situation clear. One of the
vessels used at Liturgy is a sort of round metal plate on which the
Lamb rests. It is needed for the Latin Mass as well as for the Greek
Liturgy. The English word for the Latin one is paten, and the same word
has often been used to refer to the Greek one. But the Greek vessel
differs from the Latin one in the important particular that the Greek
"paten" has a pedestal by which it is carried, while the Latin paten
has none.
A Latin priest wears a stole, a long strip which hangs down on each
side in front. The corresponding vestment worn by an Orthodox priest
shows the two parts of the strip joined together, with an opening left
for passing it over his head when it is put on.
To speak of an "Orthodox paten" or an 'Orthodox stole," is to say that
we have Orthodox forms of Latin things, Orthodox forms derived from
Latin things. The outcome of that sort of business is to encourage the
assumption that all of Orthodoxy is derived from Latin originals. That
assumption would not only be untrue, but would amount to a complete
inversion of the truth. Greek is in fact the original, and Latin is the
derivative. Since no words in English exist for our purpose, we borrow
the Greek words which apply. Biologists, chemists, and even economists
follow that course, constantly borrowing and constructing words from
Greek as new words are needed. So instead of "Orthodox paten," we say,
"Diskarion;" instead of "Orthodox stole," we say "Epitrakhelion;" and
our words fit exactly the objects we want to designate. Thereafter, as
far as we are concerned, a "Latin Diskarion" is a "paten" and a "Latin
Epitrakhelion" is a "stole" -- which is certainly more nearly in accord
with the truth than if we go at it the other way around!
For our English vocabulary we are bringing the Greek vocabulary into
English. We could translate the words, of course, but we better not.
Who would want such clumsy expressions as "The Thing That Is On The
Neck,""The Hymn Written On The Little Scroll," or "The
In-front-of-lying-Thing?" That sort of business is too much like "hole
in the wall" for door. So we borrow without translating them, the
really convenient and altogether satisfactory Greek words
Epiirakhelion, Kontakion, and Prokeimenon.
Even Orthodox writers and editors of books in English have been
careless about this matter of vocabulary, in spite of the fact that
certainly in service books there can be no argument about the
indispensable necessity for close and exact translation. Useful
examples relating to this point turn up in connection with the terms
which relate to the Mother of God.
In the Greek texts of the services we find both the expression "Mother
of God" and the word, "Theotokos" ("She-that-gave-birth-to-God"). In a
service book published by a Russian translator both are translated
"Mother of God" -_ a carelessness which makes trouble when the Greek
text says "Mother of God and Theotokos." The right course, naturally,
is to accept the word "Theotokos" into English, as many have already
done.
Of wider interest, because some complaints about the matter have
already been heard, are words which identify the particular kinds of
things sung in honor of the Theotokos. For example, why not call the
Megalynarion the "Hymn to the Mother of God?"
People who expect to study and learn Orthodox Services can't afford to
call the Megalynarion the "Hymn to the Mother of God," and just let it
go at that. Since the song in question belongs to a large general class
of songs called Troparia, let us state our objections in this way:
First, a Troparion is never a Hymn, for hymn is a word which in
Orthodoxy has a much more limited meaning than in English; second,
there is more than one kind of Troparion for the Mother of God, and
each kind has its own name for a good reason.
There are hymns in Orthodox Services, but the name is limited. The best
example of Hymn in the Orthodox sense is the "Thrice-holy Hymn" (Holy,
Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth). Not everybody would call it a hymn in
English, but we do, because that is what it is called in our Service
books. As for a hymn for the Mother of God, the nearest thing to it is
"My soul dóth magnify the Lord" -- which is sometimes called a
hymn, but more properly and more usually is called an Ode. So whatever
else we do about this Troparion in the Liturgy we can't call it a hymn.
Troparia are classified according to their subjects, or according to
their place in a service. The general name which applies to all
Troparia which have the Mother of God as their subject, is Theotokion.
Of the several varieties of Theotokia, the two commonest kinds are the
Stavrotheotokion, the theme of which always is the Mother of God at the
Cross;+ and the Megalynarion. The Megalynaria form a separate group
because they all end in the same way: They end with the Greek words, se
megalynomen, which mean, "we magnify thee."
So it follows that Megalynarion is the necessary and only possible name
for this Troparion. The little dears in Sunday School can learn to say
it if Teacher knows how to say it; and if Teacher knows what it means,
he (or she) can also teach them what it means. If Teacher can't say it,
or doesn't like to say it, or is too lazy to learn and teach its
meaning, let us quit worrying about the little dears and say a prayer
for Teacher.
The truth is that all the fussing about technical terms and strange
words is silly nonsense. Anybody who learns a new subject must learn
new words in order to make any progress in it. Oxygen, planet, square
root -- there are no substitutes for such names easier than the words
themselves. One translator who also writhed in silly agony at the
thought of calling this Megalynarion a Megalynarion, wound up by
calling it the "Anaphoral Virgin Hymn" -- and thus distracted attention
from the wrong use of the word Hymn by making people wonder what an
Anaphoral Virgin is. His example should be a warning.
The Greek books which discuss our services are none too careful about
finer distinctions. The Greek list of technical words would serve
better if it were larger, inasmuch as some distinctions that would be
useful and convenient must be expressed in a round-about way for lack
of specific terms. (There is, for example, the confusingly double
application of the word Kathisma.) Anybody who is familiar with this
subject will tell you that the Greek set of technical words is only
just barely sufficient for teachers, learners, and users of the service
books. We certainly cannot get along in English with a smaller list of
terms than Greek has.
As was said before, the study of Orthodox Services is difficult and
complicated. But it is necessary. Considering the fact that through all
the centuries thousands upon thousands of very ignorant people have
mastered the subject, why should you, a beneficiary of the American
Public School System -- why should you even consider the possibility of
failure in it? All you need is the will and the desire to learn, with
some ability to subdue the laziness of mind which is natural to all
people. Conquer that instinctive laziness of mind. Study, and learn --
not only for your own sake, but also for the sake of the Church.
+Today "Stavrotheookion" is usually translated "Theotokion of the
Cross." ED.
_______________________________________________________________________
*This article, which is reprinted here slightly edited, first
appeared in the church bulletin, "Orthodox American" (May, 1945). With
his gift of wit, its editor, Fr. Michael Gelsinger (in the schema,
Theodore, monk) offers much food for thought. Fr. Theodore was a
pioneer in the translation of Orthodox Christian services into English,
and to this day, his voluminous work continues to edify and inspire the
Orthodox faithful. He reposed in September of 1980 at Holy
Transfiguration Monastery at the age of 90.
2. A WORD FROM THE SAINTS
A brother came to see Abba Macarius the Egyptian, and said to him,
"Abba, give me a word, that I may be saved." So the old man said,
"Go to the cemetery and abuse the dead." The brother went there, abused
them and threw stones at them; then he returned and told the old man
about it. The latter said to him, "Didn't they say anything to you?" He
replied, "No." The old man said, "Go back tomorrow and praise them." So
the brother went away and praised them, calling them, "Apostles,saints,
and righteous men." He returned to the old man and said to him, "I have
complimented them." And the old man said to them, "Did they not answer
you?" The brother said no. The old man said to him, "You know how you
insulted them and they did not reply; and how you praised them and they
did not speak; so you too, if you wish to be saved, must do the same
and become a dead man. Like the dead, take no account of either the
scorn of men or their praises, and you can be saved."
The Desert Christian, page 132
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3. ON OUR TEMPTATIONS
No matter how much the waves of temptation rise up against your
soul, always hasten to Christ. The Saviour will always come to your aid
and will calm the waves. Believe that the Lord has providentially
arranged such experiences for your soul's
healing and do not reject them, seeking bodily peace and imaginary
tranquility, for it is better to be shaken and yet to endure. If you
will gain an insight from this, it will greatly lighten your struggle
and you will gain more peace than if you do not.
Living Without Hypocrisy
Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina,
Saint Leo, page 12
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This book is available from St. Nectarios Press
4. ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM ON MARRIAGE
from Orthodox America "Spiritual Life" Articles
A certain wise man, when enumerating which blessings are the most
important included a wife and husband who live in harmony (Sir. 25:1).
In another place he emphasized this: A friend or a companion never
meets one amiss, but a wife with her husband is better than both (Sir.
40:23). From the beginning God in His providence has planned this union
of man and woman, and has spoken of the two as one: male and female He
created them (Gen. 1:27), and there is neither male nor female, for you
are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28).
There is no relationship between human beings so close as that of
husband and wife, if they are united as they ought to be. When blessed
David was mourning for Jonathan, who was of one soul with him, what
comparison did he use to describe the loftiness of their love? Your
love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women (II Sam. 1:26). The
power of this love is truly stronger than any passion; other desires
may be strong, but this one alone never fades. This love (eros) is
deeply planted within our innermost being. Unnoticed by us, it attracts
the bodies of men and women to each other, because in the beginning
woman came forth from man, and from man and woman other men and women
proceed. Can you see now how close this union is, and how God
providentially created it from a single nature? He permitted Adam to
marry Eve, who was more than sister or daughter; she was his own flesh!
God caused the entire human race to proceed from this one point of
origin. He did not, on the one hand, fashion woman independently from
man, otherwise man would think of her as essentially different from
himself. Nor did He enable woman to bear children without man; if this
were the case she would be self-sufficient. Instead, just as the
branches of a tree proceed from a single trunk, He made the one man
Adam to be the origin of all mankind, both male and female, and made it
impossible for men and women to be self-sufficient. Later, He forbade
men to marry their sisters or daughters, so that our love would not be
limited to members of our families, and withdrawn from the rest of the
human race. All of this is implied in Christ's words: He who made them
from the beginning made them male and female (Matt. 19:4).
The love of husband and wife is the force that welds society together.
Men will take up arms and even sacrifice their lives for the sake of
this love. St. Paul would not speak so earnestly about this subject
without serious reason; why else would he say, Wives, be subject to
your husbands, as to the Lord? Because when harmony prevails, the
children are raised well, the household is kept in order, and
neighbors, friends and relatives praise the result. Great benefits,
both for families and states, are thus produced. When it is otherwise,
however, everything is thrown into confusion and turned upside down.
When the generals of an army are at peace with each other, everything
proceeds in an orderly fashion, and when they are not, everything is in
disarray. It is the same here. For the sake of harmony, then, he said,
Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the Lord...
Let us assume, then, that the husband is to occupy the place of the
head, and the wife that of the body, and listen to what headship means:
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of
the Church: and He is the Saviour of the Body. Therefore, as the Church
is subject unto Christ, so let wives be subject to their own husbands
in everything. Notice that after saying the husband is the head of the
wife as Christ is the head of the Church, he immediately says that the
Church is His Body, and He is Himself its Saviour. It is the head that
upholds the well-being of the body. In his other epistles, Paul has
already laid the foundations of marital love, and has assigned to
husband and wife each his proper place: to the husband one of leader
and provider, and to the wife one of submission. Therefore as the
Church is subject to Christ -- and the Church, remember, consists of
both husbands and wives -- so let wives also be subject in everything
to their husbands, as to God.
You have heard how important obedience is; you have praised and
marveled at Paul, how he welds our whole life together, as we would
expect from an admirable and spiritual man. You have done well. But now
listen to what else he requires from you; he has not finished with his
example. Husbands, he says, love your wives, as Christ loves the
Church. You have seen the amount of obedience necessary; now hear about
the amount of love necessary. Do you want your wife to be obedient to
you, as the Church is to Christ? Then be responsible for the same
providential care of her, as Christ is for the Church. And even if it
becomes necessary for you to give your life for her, yes, and even to
endure and undergo suffering of any kind, do not refuse. Even though
you undergo all this, you will never have done anything equal to what
Christ has done. You are sacrificing yourself for someone to whom you
are already joined, but He offered Himself up for one who turned her
back on Him and hated Him.
In the same way, then, as He honored her by putting at His feet one who
turned her back on Him, who hated, rejected, and disdained Him, as He
accomplished this not with threats, or violence, or terror, or anything
else like that, but through His untiring love; so also you should
behave toward your wife. Even if you see her belittling you, or
despising and mocking you, still you will be able to subject her to
yourself, through affection, kindness, and your great regard for her.
There is no influence more powerful than the bond of love, especially
for husband and wife. A servant can be taught submission through fear;
but even he, if provoked too much, will soon seek his escape. But one's
partner for life, the mother of one's children, the source of one's
every joy, should never be fettered with fear and threats, but with
love and patience. What kind of marriage can there be when the wife is
afraid of her husband? What sort of satisfaction could a husband
himself have, if he lives with his wife as if she were a slave, and not
with a woman by her own free will? Suffer anything for her sake, but
never disgrace her, for Christ never did this with the Church.
Paul has precisely described for husband and wife what is fitting
behavior for each: she should reverence him as the head and he should
love her as his body. But how is this behavior achieved? That it must
be is clear; now I will tell you how. It will be achieved if we are
detached from money, if we strive above everything for virtue, if we
keep the fear of God before our eyes. What Paul says to servants in the
next chapter applies to us as well, ...knowing that whatever good
anyone does, he will receive the same again from the Lord (Eph. 6:8).
Love her not so much for her own sake, but for Christ's sake. That is
why he says, be subject ... as to the Lord. Do everything for the
Lord's sake, in a spirit of obedience to Him. These words should be
enough to convince us to avoid quarrels and disagreements. No husband
should believe any accusation he hears from a third party about his
wife, and vice versa; nor should a wife unreasonably monitor her
husband's comings and going, provided that he has always shown himself
to be above suspicion. And what if you devote the day to your work and
your friends and the evening to your wife and she is still not
satisfied, but is jealous for more of your time? Don't be annoyed by
her complaints; she loves you, she is not behaving absurdly -- her
complaints come from her fervent affection for you, and from fear. Yes,
she is afraid that her marriage bed will be stolen, that someone will
deprive her of her greatest blessing, that someone will take from her
him who is her head.
A wife should never nag her husband: "You lazy coward, you have no
ambition! Look at our relatives and neighbors; they have plenty of
money. Their wives have far more than I do." Let no wife say any such
thing; she is her husband's body, and it is not for her to dictate to
her head, but to submit and obey. "But why should she endure poverty?"
some will ask. If she is poor, let her console herself by thinking of
those who are much poorer still. If she really loved her husband, she
would never speak to him like that, but would value having him close to
her more than all the gold in the world. Furnish your house neatly and
soberly. If the bridegroom shows his wife that he takes no pleasure in
worldly excess, and will not stand for it, their marriage will remain
free from the evil influences that are so popular these days. Let them
shun the immodest music and dancing that are currently so fashionable.
I am aware that many people think me ridiculous for giving such advice;
but if you listen to me, you will understand the advantages of a sober
lifestyle more and more as time goes on. You will no longer laugh at
me, but will laugh instead at the way people live now, like silly
children or drunken men.
What is our duty, then? Remove from your lives shameful, immodest, and
Satanic music, and don't associate with people who enjoy such
profligate entertainment. When your bride sees your manner of life, she
will say to herself, "Wonderful! What a wise man my husband is! He
regards this passing life as nothing; he has married me to be a good
mother for his children and a prudent manager of his household." Will
this sort of life be distasteful for a young bride? Only perhaps for
the shortest time, and soon she will discover how delightful it is to
live this way. She will retain her modesty if you retain yours. Don't
engage in idle conversations; it never profits anyone to talk too much.
Whenever you give your wife advice, always begin by telling her how
much you love her. Nothing will persuade her so well to admit the
wisdom of your words as her assurance that you are speaking to her with
sincere affection. Tell her that you are convinced that money is not
important, that only thieves thirst for it constantly, that you love
her more than gold; and indeed an intelligent, discreet and pious young
woman is worth more than all the money in the world. Show her that you
value her company, and prefer being at home to being out. Esteem her in
the presence of your friends and children.
Pray together at home and go to Church; when you come back home, let
each ask the other the meaning of the readings and the prayers. If you
are overtaken by poverty, remember Peter and Paul, who were more
honored than kings or rich men, though they spent their lives in hunger
and thirst. Remind one another that nothing in life is to be feared,
except offending God. If your marriage is like this, your perfection
will rival the holiest of monks.
If we seek the things that are perfect, the secondary things will
follow. The Lord says, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you (Matt.
6:33). What sort of person do you think the children of such parents
will be? What kind of person are all the others who associate with
them? Will they not eventually be the recipients of countless blessings
as well? For generally the children acquire the character of their
parents, are formed in the mold of their parents' temperament, love the
same things their parents love, talk in the same fashion, and work for
the same ends. If we order our lives in this way and diligently study
the Scriptures, we will find lessons to guide us in everything we need!
______________________________________________________________________________
5. MEAT-FARE SUNDAY: The Sunday of the Last Judgment.
The foregoing two parables - especially that of the Prodigal Son -
have presented to us God's extreme goodness and love for man. But lest
certain persons, putting their confidence in this alone, live
carelessly, squandering upon sin the time given them to work out their
salvation, and death suddenly snatch them away, the most divine Fathers
have appointed this day's feast commemorating Christ's impartial Second
Coming, through which we bring to mind that God is not only the Friend
of man, but also the most righteous Judge, who recompenses to each
according to his deeds.
It is the aim of the Holy Fathers, through bringing to mind that
fearful day, to rouse us from the slumber of carelessness unto the work
of virtue, and to move us to love and compassion for our brethren.
Besides this, even as on the coming Sunday of Cheese Fare we
commemorate Adam's exile from the Paradise of delight - which exile is
the beginning of life as we know it now - it is clear that today's is
reckoned the last of all feasts, because on the last day of Judgment,
truly, everything of this world will come to an end.
From the Synaxarion in The Great Holorolgion, Holy Transfiguraiton
Monastery, 1997.
________________________________________________________________________
6. NEW ITEMS FROM THE BOOK CENTER
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(TM74) BYZANTINE PROSOMIA: The Chanter's Companion by Holy
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