Articles

Archimandrite Vassilios looks at the growth of popular interest in Gnostic writings, arguing that the Gnosticism of today is far removed from the tendency the early Church fought for so long, particularly in its view of the material world. In support of this view he examines the formation of the New Testament Canon and some of the most prominent Gnostic texts from the first few centuries AD.

Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia examines the teachings of St Gregory of Sinai (1255-1346) on the Jesus Prayer. Describing both the form of the Prayer and the inward and outward techniques of prayer of the heart, Metropolitan Kallistos also touches upon the question of possible parallels or influences from other religions on the Jesus Prayer in Eastern Christianity. We are left with a clear impression of the extraordinary saint who, with St Gregory Palamas, initiated the renaissance of hesychasm.

Father Oleg Mumrikov (Doctor of Theology, lecturer at St Tikhon’s Orthodox Humanities University, teacher at the Moscow Theological Academy), asks a rather important question for the field of theology in a report presented during the session "On the Origin of the World and of Man" at the Moscow Theological Academy 20th International Educational Christmas Readings on 24 January 2012: how should one understand the array of facts, supporting evolutionary anthropogenesis, which have been gathered in anthropology?

Interview with the General Secretary of the Fellowship of St Alban and St Sergius, on the impossibility of close ecumenical contacts between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion, and on the need for close friendship between members of the Churches.

Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou examines the nature of preparation for Holy Communion, both before the Divine Liturgy and during it. Are too many obstacles placed in front of ordinary believers that discourage them from receiving the Holy Gifts more frequently?

Paschal Message of His Holiness KIRILL Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Archpastors, Pastors, Deacons, Monastics and All the Faithful Children of the Russian Orthodox Church

In the third and final part of the life of Elder Ilarion (Udodov) we read of his life through the eyes of his spiritual children, from those who lived and worshipped with him in his church in Vinogradovo, to those who later became priests and hierarchs of the Church under his guidance and with his prayers. We end by looking at his spiritual successors, in particular his brother, Protopriest Piotr, and Protopriest Vladimir Zhavoronkov, who became the parish priest of the Vinogradovo church.

A lecture given by John Milbank, the head of the Centre of Theology and Philosophy at the University of Nottingham (England) and the founder and leader of "Radical Orthodoxy": on contemporary developments in the world of western theology and the reasons determining its turn towards the Eastern Orthodox tradition.

In the second part of the life of Elder Ilarion we follow him back to Russia, which was soon to be overtaken by the darkest times in its history. We see him giving spiritual guidance to a dispersed convent of nuns before and after their exile in Kazakhstan, and then learn of  the elder’s part in the extraordinary story of the hiding of the head of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, ending with a moving account of the first Divine Liturgy at the Trinity St Sergius Monastery, which had been closed for 26 years.

How to build a community in conditions of persecution – an interview with John Tanveer, the only Orthodox priest from Pakistan: on martyrdom, holding servicesat home, and on the need for Orthodox Christians to be active members of Muslim society.

In this talk, originally given at the Parish of Saint John of Kronstadt in Bath, England, Fr Yves Dubois examines the teachings of Saint John of Kronstadt, in the context of his own life and of 19th century Russia, looking at their application to the lives of Christians today.

An interview with Archimandrite Ephrem (Lash), the well-known translator of church services into English – on the significance of the liturgy, the unacceptability of the symbolic interpretation of church services, and on the work of Saints Cyril and Methodius.

Today being the 61st anniversary of the blessed repose of Schema-Archimandrite Ilarion (Udodov; 1862-1951), Bogoslov.Ru is publishing his life, compiled by Fr Vladislav Michin, a priest of the Church of the Deposition of the Venerable Robe of the Theotokos at Blachernae in Leonovo, and translated from the Russian by Yana Larionova. The account of his life will continue in two further parts.

Gerry Armstrong, Ron Hubbard’s former personal secretary, talks about his twelve years in Scientology, his reasons for leaving the organization, and Scientologists’ attack on his speeches denouncing Scientology.

A series of books by Cardinal Aloys Grillmeier, “Christ in Christian Tradition” is a classic of patrology without which work on sources from the 2nd - 6th centuries would be inconceivable today.The tasks of the research project are discussed by its current head, Theresia Hainthaler, Honorary Professor at the Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology (Frankfurt am Main, Germany).

In this revised article, the original of which was given at the International Symposium “The Monotheistic Religions and Human Liberties” at the University of Constanta, Romania, Hieromonks Methody and Kirill Zinkovsky examine the various concepts of personal freedom, arguing that a full definition of freedom is impossible without the revelation of God as a unity of three Persons.

Professor Archimandrite Job Getcha traces the origins and development of Russian monasticism, showing how both its roots and its spirituality are firmly based in the Byzantine Hesychast tradition, and highlighting the particular importance of the Athonite influence. Rather than being a poor cousin of the Byzantine monastic tradition, the Russian monastic tradition has, from the very beginning, been a part of it, bringing forth its own great scholars and ascetics.

Priest Andrew Louth, Professor at Durham University (UK), shares his thoughts on the use of the same religious terms in Christian theology and by the Neoplatonists.

Interviews with Sebastian Brock,  the foremost authority in the field of Syriac language , on:
– features of the Syriac tradition;
– Syriac Christology;
– the best Syriac authors;
– the leading centres for the study of Christian Syria.