FEASTDAYS IN THE ORTHODOX YEAR

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich When our Lord reached thirty years from His physical birth, He began His teaching and salvific work. He Himself signified this “beginning of the beginning” by His baptism in the Jordan river. St. Cyril of Jerusalem says, “The beginning of the world – water; the beginning of the Good News – Jordan.” At the time of …

By Professor Ioannis Foundoulis On January 6th our Church celebrates the great despotic feast of “Theophany” or “Epiphany” or “Holy Lights”. The forefeast begins the day after New Years, January 2nd. In this preparatory period is found the “Sunday Before the Lights”. This fits into the functional forefeast preparation. In the Gospel reading from the Divine Liturgy on this Sunday …

By Sergei V. Bulgakov Theophany is understood as a feast in which the event of the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan[1] is commemorated and glorified (Mt. 3:13-17. Mk. 1:9-11. Lk. 3:21-22). This feast is called Theophany because during the baptism of the Lord the Divine All-Holy Trinity was revealed: God the Father spoke from heaven about the Son, the Son of …

DAY ONE – THE FOREFEAST OF HOLY THEOPHANY The first day of the Forefeast of Theophany falls on January 2. Like the hymns for the Nativity, many of the Church’s hymns of this period are slightly modified versions of the hymns of Holy Week. One of the hymns at Matins today says that the coming Feast of Theophany will be …

After the feast of the Circumcision (Jan. 1), the Church turns its gaze from our Lord’s infancy and childhood to his public ministry, which will begin with His baptism (Matthew 3:13-17). The feast of our Lord’s baptism is called the Theophany, meaning “the manifestation” or “appearance of God”, and is celebrated on January 6. During the days leading up to …

With Special Reference to the oration of Andrew, Archbishop of Crete, the Jerusalemite, On the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ (PG 97, 913-929) By Fr. George Dion Dragas, PhD, DD, DTh., Protopresbyter “And when the eight days were fulfilled for His circumcision, He was given the name JESUS, as He had been already named by the angels, before He …

By Bishop Theophilos of Campania[1] Translated and annotated from the original Greek[2] By Fr GEORGE DION DRAGAS PhD, DD Protopresbyter *1. The Mystery of the Incarnation. God who is All-Powerful could have liberated the human race from the hands of the Devil by a single command. Had he done that, however, we would have known only his All-Powerfulness, which we …

Hymn 1 This is the day that gladdened them, the Prophets, Kings, and Priests, for in it were their words fulfilled, and thus were the whole of them indeed performed! For the Virgin this day brought forth Immanuel in Bethlehem. The voice that of old Isaiah spoke,[1] today became reality. He was born there who in writing should tell the Gentiles’ number! The Psalm that David once sang, by its fulfilment came today! The word that Micah once spoke,[2]  today had …

Where God Wills The Order Of Nature Is Overruled “And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered” (Lk. 2:6). Concerning the birth of Christ, the Prophet Isaiah spoke thus: “Behold she that travailed brought forth, before the travail-pain came on, she escaped it and brought forth a male” (Is. 66:7). …

By Professor Ioannis Foundoulis Preamble: In a few days we will celebrate the great Feast of the Christian world, the Feast of Christmas. The Church will bring once again before the eyes of our soul the event of the birth of the Lord and will summon us to venerate together with the shepherds and the magi the newly-born King and …