Orthodox Church

Alexandria was famous for its many schools long before Christianity became established in the city. By far the largest school was the "Museum," founded by Ptolemy and destined to become the most renowned school in the East. Other celebrated institutions were the "Serapeum" and the "Sebastion." Each of these three schools possessed its own enormous library. St. Jerome records that St. Mark himself founded the Christian School of Alexandria . The Holy Spirit inspired him to establish the school in order to teach Christianity since this was the only way to provide the new religion a solid ...

Dogmas are the interpretation of our experience of God, in the Crucified and Risen Jesus Christ. This experience through the ages does not alter, for Jesus Christ remains the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). The disciples and apostles (and bishops afterwards) did not sit around a table and agree to teach new dogmas, but rather they preached their Christian experience. As St. John says, "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you" (1 John 1:3). Thus, all Christian dogmas produced are the church's experience of the Crucified and Risen Christ. "Truth" and "Love" at the...

Most discussions on the subject of the Roman Catholic - Eastern Orthodox schism are written by apologists, typically with the agenda to prove that one side is ‘exclusively right.’ Often, these books focus on specific topics such as ‘Peter’s primacy’ and never tackle the underlying issues, such as ecclesiology, or the meaning of words, such as “church” or “primacy.” In this comprehensive, scholarly, yet easy-to-read study, the author cuts through the fog of popular apologetics and lays bare all the facts with unprecedented objectivity. Writing from an Orthodox perspective ...

Volume 1 - Book 3 of the Catechism of the Coptic Orthodox Church The Church: The Kingdom of God The book addresses questions about the following topics: 1. The Church: The Kingdom of God 2. The Heavenly High Priest and the Church 3. The Church as a Heavenly Wedding Feast 4. The Unique Work of the Church 5. The Church: House of Salvation 6. The Eminence of the Church 7. The Church and Daily Renewal 8. The Church and Society 9. The Role of Women in Society and Church 10. The Person of the Church 11. The Mystery of the House of God 12. The Iconostasis 13. Coptic Art and Symbolism 14. The Holy ...

Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity, Third Edition traces Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity from their roots in early Christian churches to the way these religions are observed today. Recounted here is the historical passage of the Catholic and Orthodox faiths, from the original teachings of Jesus Christ to the early separation of the Eastern and Western Churches to recent attempts at reconciliation.

Volume 2 - Book 4 of the Catechism of the Coptic Orthodox Church Church Worship as a journey to Heaven The book addresses questions about the following topics: 1. Church worship 2. The life of prayer 3. The Agpeya Prayers (the Canonical Hours) 4. The Model Prayer 5. Prayer of the mind and contemplation 6. The Jesus prayer or the Arrow Prayer 7. Metanoias and Prostrations 8. Holy worship and the Full Life 9. Worship and the Fear of the Lord 10. Holy Fasting 11. Worship and "Dying with Christ" 12. Tears in worship 13. Praise and the Heavenly Mindset 14. Church Hymns and the Heavenly Mindset ...

Volume 2 - Book 6 of the Catechism of the Coptic Orthodox Church Christian Concepts and Everyday Life The book addresses questions about the following topics: Christian Virtues The Virtue of Discernment and Illumination The Virtue of Obedience The Virtue of Chastity and Purity Vices or Evils Christian Faith and Human Culture The Relationship between Church and State Christian Faith and Military Service Christian Faith and Social and Familial Relationships Social Cohesion Christian Faith and Social Class Christian Faith and Liberty Wealth and the Wealthy in the Christian Faith Science and Faith

Volume 2 - Book 5 of the Catechism of the Coptic Orthodox Church The Believer and the Heavenly Hosts The book addresses questions about the following topics: 1. The creation of the Spiritual World 2. Our Companionship with the Heavenly Hosts 3. The order of the Heavenly Hosts 4. The devil has no authority over us

Repentance is an opening up of the heart so it can accept the joyful Kingdom of God; it is the exercise of a son or a daughter who longs to enter inside the new depths of his/her heavenly Father’s bosom; it is a renewal of the inner man as he/she longs to reach the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Epistle to Ephesians 4:13). Indeed, repentance is a renouncing of sins that prevail in the darkness, and the bonding to the divine Light, the Grantor of victory. As for confession, it cannot be separated from true inner repentance. They both work together to fulfill the ...

For more than a millennium, the Russian Orthodox Church has shown astonishing survival skills—from the Mongol yoke, to tsarist demagoguery and enlightenment, Soviet atheism, the chaotic 1990s and now two decades of Vladimir Putin. In this provocative new book, Lucy Ash reveals how, under Putin, religion is being stripped of its spiritual content and used as a weapon to control the population in a way never seen before. Orthodox clerics and their acolytes are trying to drag Russia backwards into a new Middle Ages.

This is a book about a new beginning. After 20 years of teaching and preaching with the churches of Christ in West Virginia, Andrew Burns left the tradition and found a new home in the Orthodox Church. In these pages, you will read about the issues with which he struggled, the solutions he found, and the reasoning he went through that eventually led him away from the churches of Christ. This is neither is a condemnation of the churches of Christ nor an apology for Orthodox Christianity. Instead, it is Burns' offering to those struggling with their faith that and they who suspect there may ...

How do we, as orthodox parents, keep our children in the church throughout their lives? It all begins with involving them in the life of the church from birth onward - in the parish and also at home. Blueprints for the Little Church provides practical ideas and encouragement - without judgment - for incorporating the primary practices of orthodox spirituality into your family life at every stage of its growth and throughout the church year.

The child Mark brimmed with excitement as he and his family made their way to Kennedy Airport in New York to board their flight departing for Cairo. It would be the first time he would travel by jet and his first visit to Egypt. Mark sat next to the window; on the other side sat his older brother, Andrew. Mark was deep in thought while the aeroplane ascended through the clouds going toward Egypt. After a while, Andrew asked his younger brother, "O Mark, what are you thinking?" Mark answered him: "Andrew, as we jet our way above the clouds toward Egypt, I remember what Tasony (Sister) ...

The Family and Friends The Book of Ben Sirach may be considered a book of wisdom based on God's precepts and intended for practicing a life that is pleasing to Him. The book carefully examines the relationships between men and women, especially those between the couple, the family members, and connections between friends. Amazingly, it deals with some issues that date back to about 2200 years, yet these writings continue to be helpful and applicable up to the present day. Marriage or family life is the basis upon which society is founded. If it is dissolved, the corporation is dissolved ...

On Saturday 17th of March 2012, the long trip of pain, which the holiness Pope Shenouda the third has lived, had ended and the trip of the glories, the manifest and the hidden from the human eyes, has begun. Those days on which Egypt has been lived with his departure to the paradise were called “Meeting of millions”. That meeting included the majority of Egyptian categories; if not all of them. It included Christians with all the denominations and Muslims, leaders and people. He had been the messenger of peace struggling in a difficult era, and a peaceful man even in his departure from ...

God created man in His image as the most perfect of His creation on earth. He did not plan to leave the man in Paradise alone, but to embrace him as His beloved, and to grant mankind unity with Him. God used to speak with Adam for it was written, "... and they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden." (Gen. 3:8). Similarly, God started a dialogue with the first patriarch, Abraham, to declare to him His divine plan, saying, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?" (Gen. 18:17). God, who is incomprehensible, reveals Himself, His nature, His mysteries, and His will to His ...

Origen believes that our Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind. Christ who loved humanity, even when they were sinners and enemies, and sacrificed Himself on their behalf, is asking to have a personal relationship with every soul. Therefore, Origen attributes Christ to himself as his own, savior calling Him “my Christ.” The Apostle (St. Paul) declares what is written about Adam and Eve thus: “This is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Eph. 5:32); He has loved her so that He gave Himself up for her, while she was yet disobedient, even as he says: “...

The Church's primary task is ensuring the practical encounter of humanity with the Holy Trinity. This task aims for the Church to regain God's lost image in her because of sin; this, in turn, enables the Church to live through Him, on earth, and to embark on a pleasurable trip, during which she delights in heaven's deposit, through the work of the divine grace. This is the purpose of the Word's incarnation, His crucifixion, His resurrection, His ascension, and His second coming. He is the unique Divine Tutor - the philanthropic Saviour of humanity. Let the Lord grant us now the ...

Inspired from Sirach- Chapter 23: HAVE MERCY O, MY FATHER, FROM MY WISDOM! - To You, I complain of myself, O Lord, the Father of my life, and my Master. May Your will be fulfilled in my life, and may my careless judgments be crucified. Who else can correct my careless thoughts and scourge them with a whip? I trust no one other than You to correct me. For You are my heavenly and merciful Father, You are Almighty, and You know all my depths! Your firm yet loving lashes demolish the pride of my haughty eyes, To You alone belongs the power to root out my evil lusts and greed, as well as all ...

Rediscover Timeless Wisdom: A Patristic Commentary on The First Epistle of Paul to Timothy Delve into the ancient yet ever-relevant teachings of St. Paul's commentary on The First Epistle to Timothy. This work is for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of pastoral teachings and their enduring significance in our daily lives. This commentary invites readers to consider the practical applications of St. Paul's words. Whether you are a church leader, a seeker of spiritual truths, or simply someone interested in the historical foundations of Christian doctrine, this book offers a rich source ...