In Greece in 1901, the publication of a translation of the New Testament in contemporary Greek led to the downfall of the government and to student demonstrations in which eight people were killed.
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According to the Synaxrium the only way to make sure a saint stayed dead was to cut off their head apparently burning crucifying, stretching out, sawing, breaking on a wheel and boiling in oil is not enough. Kind of like the iimmortals from “Highlander”
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+ ONE who had betrothed a maiden, corrupted her sister, so that she conceived. After that he married his betrothed, but she who had been corrupted hanged herself. The parties to this affair were ordered to be received among the co-standers after ten years [of penance] according to the prescribed degrees. – Canon 25 Council of Ancyra
How many times did this happen that they needed to come up with an actual canon?
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+ THEY who have been made deacons, declaring when they were ordained that they must marry, because they were not able to abide so, and who afterwards have married, shall continue in their ministry, because it was conceded to them by the bishop. But if any were silent on this matter, undertaking at their ordination to abide as they were, and afterwards proceeded to marriage, these shall cease from the diaconate. -Canon 10 Council of Ancyra
Interesting loophole
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- You don’t care that it does not explicitly say soy lecithin when you check the ingredients during the fast.
- People clapping in church does not send you in a holy righteous anger.
- Calling someone protestant does not seem as big an insult as it used to.
- You no longer feel cheated when abouna prayers the three litanies inaudible during the Gospel reading.
- You suddenly realize, we fast alot. Seriously alot. More than 2/3 the year alot.
- No longer pushing to make the metonia the newest exercise fad.
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As is traditional in many churches on the last of St. Mary’s Fast there is a procession with the icon of the blessed Virgin around the church. What was supposed to be a joyous blessed occasion turn to shock and horror for one young deacon in St. Theodorus Church. Pishoy Andrawis, 18, thought he managed to score a great coup in carrying the icon in the procession, little did he know he was truly being offered as a sacrificial lamb to zealous congregants by the more experienced deacons. The church was packed to the rafters with people after a week long revival services that had increasing attendance each day. As Andrew began the procession, he stated everything went well and that he felt he was taking part in a great blessing greater than himself. But that all abruptly ended as he entered the womens side of the church. “It was like running the gaunlet.” He said. At first it was just the sheer number of hands reaching for the icon. Many missing the icon and hitting him, some grabbed at him to slow his progress. It became less of being part of a blessing and more a matter of survival. Though he made the first pass a little bruised and battered but none the wors4e for the wear.
It is as he approached the womens side for the second time, did thing reach a fevered pitch. The women realized this will be the last time the icon will pass by them and redoubled there efforts to obtain a blessing. As Andrew passed, the women not content to just touch the icon grabbed at it. It was all he could to hold on to the icon to keep it from being ripped from his hands. And those who missed the icon grabbed at him to pull him back or hold him till the go to the icon. “It was horrible. Hundreds of hands reaching and grabbing. The hands all over. I was being pulled in a dozen different directions. They tore at my my colthes, they tore at me. My glasses disappeared. Even my shoes. They stripped me of my shoes. I don’t know how but they were gone. My shoes! Why in God’s name were they grabbing at my shoes.” Pishoy sobbed. “I even think an aunt went away with a handful of my hair.” By the time he reached the front of the church, he was stripped of most of his clothes, bloodied, missing clumps of hair and most of his dignity. The icon was hand off to another deacon since the worst was over and they threw a tonia over him to preserve what little dignity he had. “All I want is a shower and a long stay at a monastery somewhere, far far away from women.” Pishoy stated as he curled into a fetal position.
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Your Holiness,
We know that Christ’s body is incorruptible and that His Divinity never parts from His humanity. So what happened to Jesus Christ’s foreskin, baby teeth and assorrted hairs that he has lost through out the years. They will not decay as Christ is incorruptible, so they will exist until the end of time. Also since His Divinity is irrevocably united to His humanity not even separating from His body as it lain dead in the the tomb; so these items would still have the essence of the Divine. Would random miracles occur if a person stumbled across on one of His stray hairs or other part?
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The new bishop was received with open distrust, since he was suspected of secret paganism. On his arrival at a Christmas feast between the years 440 and 450, the people demanded of him a speech by which they wanted to test his orthodoxy. Undisconcerted, Cyrus gave what is probably the shortest Christmas sermon in recorded tradition:
“Brethren, let the birth of God our Savior Jesus Christ be honored with silence, since the Word was conceived in the holy Virgin by hearing alone. To Him be glory forever! Amen.”
The people were won.
-From Christ in Christian Tradition vol. 2 pt. 4
(Now if some bishops (and priests) would follow that example.)
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On this day also, the great father Abba Hedra, Bishop of Aswan, departed. His parents, who were Christians, raised him and taught him the fear of God since an early age. When he was 18 years old, his parents wanted him to marry one of his relatives, but he refused with the excuse that he was ill.
– Synaxarium 12th Kiyahk
thanx to m.f. for the submission
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Why in God’s name do women take forever to confess? Are they inherently more sinful then men? I can’t believe that (then again I am woefully ignorant on what goes on in their minds). What in Gods name would take 2.5 hours to confess. If I confess every sin I committed ever in the most painful detail, I don’t think it would take that long. Have they reach such a high spiritual state that they have entered a state of ultra-repentance? One shouldn’t wait for confession having thoughts of bloody murder going through his head. It does not help the repenting mindset. Its not like these women only confess once a year. They are there almost weekly yet take more time than it takes to pray the entire liturgy ever single time. Why?! Not only do they take forever, they don’t wait in line. Adding insult to injury. They walk right by as if I don’t exist and I’m not the most inconspicuous person in a Coptic church. They expect me to be chivalrous and gentlemanly and let them just go in unhindered, which I am and do (curse my proper upbringing). Maybe next time I should just tackle on of these women as they try to breeze by. Then I could just go in and just confess it, might give abouna something interesting to hear. Or I should go in before them and take 3 hours to confess and she how they like waiting. Then again with my luck after 5 minutes abouna will be called out for something and his way back in will be ambushed by one these “ultra-repentant” matrons and I’ll be trapped sitting there in confession interuptus. Argh. May be Martin Luther came up with the whole protestant confess directly to God thing after waiting in line to confess behind a bunch of women?
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Not So Spiritual Words 