Patriarchs of the Syrian Orthodox Church in the Nineteenth Century

"Nineteenth century Syrian Orthodox history marks a period of strife as the Church struggles to survive amid oppressive regimes from the Ottoman Empire and their corrupt local magistrates. At the same time Catholic missionaries from Europe arrive on Syrian soil in hopes of converting Orthodox believers. The combination tolls devastation for the Syrian Orthodox Church as its population dwindles and begins to shift geographically. Such is the predicament of the internal and external conflicts to which the Syrian patriarchs of the time must respond. Keeping this in mind, Metropolitan Ephrem Barsoum begins his chronicling of the nineteenth century Syrian patriarchs as they persevere to keep their Christian faith intact against foreign and domestic opposition."

See Gorgias Press

Spiritual Elders: Charisma and Tradition in Russian Orthodoxy

[Author] "Irina Paert’s manuscript promises to be a seminal book in Russian history, especially the history of Russian Orthodoxy. Paert has done a prodigious amount of work tracking down manuscripts in both central and provincial archives stretching from Helsinki to Kazan to Tatarstan. The insights that she provides into the workings and evolving nature of Russian monasticism are invaluable.” —Christine Worobec, author of Possessed: Women, Witches, and Demons in Imperial Russia


Spiritual elders (startsy) are a quintessential part of Russian Orthodox spirituality, yet scholars have given relatively little focus to them. Elders whose authority came not from their position within the institutional church but from their reputation for personal holiness were mediating agents between official and popular Orthodoxy. Acting as teachers, spiritual directors, counselors, and prophets, elders represented a particular form of ministry within the Church. The informal source of elders’ authority meant that their position was often in conflict with the bureaucratized Synod.

While eldership re-emerged in the late eighteenth century as a relatively marginal phenomenon that had limited meaning within the monastic context, by the turn of the nineteenth century elders had developed into a symbol of Russian national spirituality. In Paert’s highly readable book, she looks at both Imperial and Soviet Russia and examines the social and cultural contexts in which startsy operated, demonstrating how eldership was appropriated by both the elites and the lower classes.

A significant contribution to the debate about the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in modernizing Russian society, Paert’s study shows that elders represented both the weaknesses and the strengths of Russian Orthodoxy’s response to the challenges of modernity. Spiritual Elders promises to stimulate further discussion on the problems of spiritual authority, popular belief, the impact of a religious identity on a national one, and the interactions between church and society in the modern world.

Irina Paert has published extensively on the history of Old Believers and the Russian Orthodox Church. She is a researcher and a lecturer at Tallinn University in Estonia.


See Northern Illinois Univeristy Press

Greece’s Dostoevsky: The Theological Vision of Alexandros Papadiamandis

"Alexandros Papadiamandis (Papadiamantis) (1851-1911) was the most important literary figure of nineteenth-century Greece and arguably of modern Greek literature more generally. Through his lively, tender, and profound short stories of the simple lives of the Orthodox faithful of his native island of Skiathos, Papadiamandis reveals a world of organically lived Orthodoxy, a world largely lost in the disintegrating order of modern life. As with Dostoevsky, Papadiamantis enjoyed close friendships with holy men of his age, such as St. Nicholas Planas. Likewise, as with Dostoevsky, he does not portray a romantic, ideal world but rather a profoundly human world of struggle that always has the possibility of transfiguration through life in Christ and His Church. ..."

The author, Anestis Keselopoulos, is Professor of Christian Ethics and Pastoral Theology at the Theological School of Aristotle University of Thessalonica. His theological works include Man and the Environment: A Study of Saint Symeon the New Theologian, published by St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press and Passions and Virtues According to Saint Gregory Palamas, published by St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press.

See Protecting Veil Press

New Monograph on the History of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad Published

As reported by the official website of Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY, a monograph entitled The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, 1925 - 1938. Jurisdictional Conflicts and Relations with the Moscow Church Authority has been published by St Tikhon's Orthodox University.

See Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary

Father Gabriel Bunge Receives Tonsure to Great Schema

"Father Gabriel Bunge, renowned patristics scholar, contemplative monk, and author, who also has published with St.Vladimir's Seminary Press, recently was received into the highest level of monastic life: the Great Schema. He made his profession of vows and received his tonsure by the hand of His Grace Nestor, bishop the Diocese of Korsun of the Moscow Patriarchate, at the Skete of the Elevation of the Cross in the Swiss Province of Lugano, Switzerland. At his tonsure, he was given once more the name "Gabriel" in honor of St. Gabriel of Constantinople, a martyr of the 17th century."




See St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary  
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See Renowned Benedictine Monk and SVS Press Author Joins Orthodox Church

Hermitage of the Holy Cross: 25th Anniversary Commemorative Book

"This new commemorative album, printed in honor of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Hermitage of the Holy Cross, presents the history and life of the monastery from its founding up to the present day. Throughout the book’s 132 richly composed glossy pages, vibrant full-color photographs accompany a wide variety of articles that describe the spiritual meaning of various aspects of the monastery’s life and mission. If you have never visited the Hermitage before, you will become familiar with the life of the brotherhood through the pages of this book. If you have visited the monastery, this album will bring back memories of your prayerful experience and perhaps give you insight to aspects of the life of the monastics which you missed during your stay."


See Hermitage of the Holy Cross Kiosk Online Catalog

Archimandrite Alexander Golitzin Elected... !

At their opening session at Saint Sergius of Radonezh Chapel here on Tuesday morning, October 4, 2011, the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America elected Archimandrite Alexander [Golitzin] to the vacant See of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese.

See Orthodox Church in America

Recommended Daily Readings Mobile App for smart phones!

The Daily Readings App on your mobile device is the easiest way to access the day's Bible readings prescribed by the Lectionary of the Greek Orthodox Church. The Daily Readings App also lets you read the lives of the saints or lookup fasting guidelines for each day right on your device.

Developed by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Internet Ministries, there is no better way to carry the Church's prescribed Scripture and devotional reading with you at all times. The Daily Readings App follows the typicon and lectionary of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Available Devices:

•iPhone and iPod Touch

•Android

•Nokia

More devices coming soon!

See Daily Readings Mobile App

The Orthodox Church and Russian Politics

"This in-depth case study examines the Russian Orthodox Church's influence on federal-level policy in the Russian Federation since the fall of communism. By far more comprehensive than competing works, The Orthodox Church and Russian Politics is based on interviews, close readings of documents--including official state and ecclesiastical publications--and survey work conducted by the author. The analysis balances the Church as an institutional political actor with the government's response to Church demands. Papkova ultimately concludes that the reciprocal relationship between the Church and state is far weaker and less politically important than Western analysts usually believe.


Papkova traces the Church's relative failure in mobilizing parishioners, influencing political parties, and lobbying the state, citing the 1997 law limiting religious freedoms as its only significant political win. She attributes much of this weakness to the informal division of the Church into liberal, traditionalist, and fundamentalist factions, which prevents it from presenting a unified front. Providing a fresh insight into the role of the Church in Post-Soviet Russia, the book speaks across disciplines to political science, sociology, anthropology, history, and religious studies. "

The author Irina Papkova is Professor of International Relations and European Studies at the Central European University in Budapest.

See Oxford University Press