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Topic: The Christian Saint series Posted: 06-May-2012 at 15:52
If by way of origination in the ancient Catholic church...yes. If by way of the Orthodox and or Protestantism yes and no. That all depends on their respective schisms and seperations and the conventions preceding and subsequently followed in the determination of an individual's status in becoming or that which was required to become a saint. Much as their doctrinal dogma difference was developed.
If you mean in the sense catholic and or universal... then any who are referred to as a 'spiritually saved' person are a saint.
"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"
S. T. Friedman
Pilger's law: 'If it's been officially denied, then it's probably true'
"...Saint Irene was the daughter of a princelet called Licinius; named
Penelope by her parents, through a divine revelation she was brought to
faith in Christ and at Baptism was renamed Irene. In her zeal for piety
she broke in pieces all the idols of her father, who commanded that she
be trampled underfoot by horses. But while she remained unharmed, one of
the horses rose up and cast down her father, killing him. By her prayer
she raised him to life again, and he believed and was baptized.
Afterwards, in many journeyings, Saint Irene suffered torments and
punishments for her faith, but was preserved by the power of God, while
working dread miracles and converting many thousands of souls. At last
she came to Ephesus, where she fell asleep in peace, in the first half
of the fourth century. Two days after her death, her gravestone was
found lifted off, and her grave empty. At least two churches were
dedicated to Saint Irene in Constantinople, and she is also the
patroness of the Aegean island of Thera, which is commonly called
Santorin (or Santorini), a corruption of "Saint Irene."..." http://www.iconograms.org/sig.php?eid=41
2 hymns dedicated to her: "...
Troparion - Tone 4
Your lamb Irene calls out to You, O Jesus, in a loud voice:
"I love You, my Bridegroom, and in seeking You I endure suffering.
In baptism I was crucified so that I might reign in You,
and I died so that I might live with You.
Accept me as a pure sacrifice,
for I have offered myself in love."
Through her prayers save our souls, since You are merciful.
Kontakion - Tone 4
Podoben: "Today You have shown forth..."
Adorned with the beauty of virginity,
you became more beautiful in your struggle, virgin martyr Irene.
You were empurpled by the flow of your blood,
having destroyed the temptation of godlessness.
Therefore you received the prize of victory from the hand of your Creator...." http://oca.org/FSTropars.asp?SID=13&ID=101297
May 4th - in the Orthodox tradition, the feast of St. Pelagia of Tarsus:
"...Saint Pelagia of Tarsus in Cilicia (southeastern Asia Minor) lived in
the third century, during the reign of Diocletian (284-305), and was the
daughter of illustrious pagans. When she heard about Jesus Christ from
her Christian friends, she believed in Him and desired to preserve her
virginity, dedicating her whole life to the Lord.
Emperor Diocletian's heir (a boy he adopted), saw the maiden Pelagia,
was captivated by her beauty and wanted her to be his wife. The holy
virgin told the youth that she was betrothed to Christ the Immortal
Bridegroom, and had renounced earthly marriage.
Pelagia's reply greatly angered the young man, but he decided to leave
her in peace for awhile, hoping that she would change her mind. At the
same time, Pelagia convinced her mother to let her visit the nurse who
had raised her in childhood. She secretly hoped to find Bishop Linus of
Tarsus, who had fled to a mountain during a persecution against
Christians, and to be baptized by him. She had seen the face of Bishop
Linus in a dream, which made a profound impression upon her. The holy
bishop told her to be baptized. St Pelagia traveled in a chariot to
visit her nurse, dressed in rich clothes and accompanied by a whole
retinue of servants, as her mother wished.
Along the way St Pelagia, by the grace of God, met Bishop Linus. Pelagia
immediately recognized the bishop who had appeared to her in the dream.
She fell at his feet, requesting Baptism. At the bishop's prayer a
spring of water flowed from the ground.
Bishop Linus made the Sign of the Cross over St Pelagia, and during the
Mystery of Baptism, angels appeared and covered the chosen one of God
with a bright mantle. After giving the pious virgin Holy Communion,
Bishop Linus offered a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord with her, and
then sent her to continue her journey. She then exchanged her expensive
clothing for a simple white garment, and distributed her possessions to
the poor. Returning to her servants, St Pelagia told them about Christ,
and many of them were converted and believed.
She tried to convert her own mother to Christ, but the obdurate woman
sent a message to Diocletian's son that Pelagia was a Christian and did
not wish to be his wife. The youth realized that Pelagia was lost to
him, and he fell upon his sword in his despair. Pelagia's mother feared
the emperor's wrath, so she tied her daughter up and led her to
Diocletian's court as a Christian who was also responsible for the death
of the heir to the throne. The emperor was captivated by the unusual
beauty of the virgin and tried to turn her from her faith in Christ,
promising her every earthly blessing if she would become his wife.
The holy virgin refused the emperor's offer with contempt and said, "You
are insane, Emperor, saying such things to me. I will not do your
bidding, and I loathe your vile marriage, since I have Christ, the King
of Heaven, as my Bridegroom. I do not desire your worldly crowns which
last only a short while. The Lord in His heavenly Kingdom has prepared
three imperishable crowns for me. The first is for faith, since I have
believed in the true God with all my heart; the second is for purity,
because I have dedicated my virginity to Him; the third is for
martyrdom, since I want to accept every suffering for Him and offer up
my soul because of my love for Him."
Diocletian sentenced Pelagia to be burned in a red-hot bronze bull. Not
permitting the executioners to touch her body, the holy martyr signed
herself with the Sign of the Cross, and went into the brazen bull and
her flesh melted like myrrh, filling the whole city with fragrance. St
Pelagia's bones remained unharmed and were removed by the pagans to a
place outside the city. Four lions then came out of the wilderness and
sat around the bones letting neither bird nor wild beast get at them.
The lions protected the relics of the saint until Bishop Linus came to
that place. He gathered them up and buried them with honor. Later, a
church was built over her holy relics.
The Service to the holy Virgin Martyr Pelagia of Tarsus says that she
was "deemed worthy of most strange and divine visions." She is also
commemorated on October 7.
During the reign of Emperor Constantine (306-337), when the persecutions
against Christians had stopped, a church was built at St Pelagia's
burial place...."http://oca.org/FSLivesAllSaints.asp?M=5&D=4 St. Pelagia with St. Nicephorus of Athens
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Posted: 27-Apr-2012 at 06:06
Saint David or Dewi sant.
The patron of Wales...a great bit of information is known of him courtesy of the records of the church and the Annales Cambriae....and the writings of Rhygyfarch. But for some reason no one knows the actual date of his birth.
Famous for his pilgrimages and his efforts at seeing the presence of the church in Wales..Dumonia present Devon) and Brittany. A preacher and scholar he was rather strict in his monastic rule. His is a colorful history, rising eventually to the position of Arch Bishop and founder of the abbey, now the site of Saint David's cathedral in Pembrokeshire...which was an early competitor of Canterbury... that has laps with the Arthurian legends and the fights against Saxon invaders.
His philosophy was simple and yet elegantly succinct: 'Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed. Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us.'
Another Catholic saint, St. Zita, has a feast today, April 27th. Her life as told by Butler can be found here http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/zita.htm "...Zita came from a poor, but deeply devotional family. The lack of social
standing is probably the reason Zita's last name has not been recorded
in history. To help support the family, she became a maid of a wealthy
family, Fatinelli, in the Tuscan city of Lucca, serving them loyally for
48 years.
From and early age, Zita expressed concern for the poor and helpless of
Lucca. As her reputation spread, the needy began to seek her out. This
did not sit well with the Fatinelli family, as time spent with the poor
was not time spent in her maid servant duties. As the story goes, the
Lord intervened as necessary. On one such event, Zita left her chore of
baking bread to tend to someone in need. Some of the other servants made
sure the Fatinelli family was aware of what happened. When they went to
investigate, they found angels in the Fatinelli kitchen, picking up
Zita's slack. From that point on, the Fatinelli family and even the
other servants were a little more understanding toward her mission. On
another event, Zita had given away the family's supply of beans to the
townsfolk during a severe famine. Upon suspecting this, the Fatinelli
family went to the cupboard to find it full - the beans hand been
miracuously replaced. Another recorded event was as dramatic, if not
more so. On Christmas Eve, Zita had given away a prized and treasured
family cloak to a shivering man at the doorway of St. Fredaino, the
local church. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. While the
elder Fatinelli was in the midst of a fit of fury, an elderly man came
to the door and returned the heirloom. When townsfolk heard of the
event, they decided that the man must have been an angel. From that
point on, the doorway of the St. Fredaino church in Lucca has been
called the "Angel Portal".
"...St. Vincent was born in Pouy, Landes, Gascony, France, to a family of peasant farmers. He had four brothers and two sisters.[2]He studied humanities in Dax, France, with the Cordeliers and he graduated in theology at Toulouse. He was ordained in 1600, remaining in Toulouse until he went to Marseille for an inheritance. In 1605, on his way back from Marseille, he was taken captive by Turkishpirates, who brought him to Tunis and sold him into slavery.[3] After converting his owner to Christianity, Vincent de Paul escaped in 1607.After returning to France, de Paul went to Rome. There he continued
his studies until 1609, when he was sent back to France on a mission to Henry IV of France; he served as chaplain to Marguerite de Valois. For a while he was parish priest at Clichy, but from 1612 he began to serve the Gondi,
an illustrious family. He was confessor and spiritual director to
Madame de Gondi, and he began giving preaching missions to the peasants
on the estate with her aid.[3]
In 1622 de Paul was appointed chaplain to the galleys, and in this capacity he gave missions for the galley-slaves.[2]
April 24th- Martyr Sava Stratelates: "...Martyr Sava Stratelates "the General" of Rome
Saint Sabbas Stratelates came from a Gothic tribe. For
his bravery he attained the high rank of military commander or
"stratelates," and he served under the Roman emperor Aurelian (270-275).
From his youth, Sabbas was a Christian and he fervently followed the
commands of Christ. He helped the needy, and visited Christians in
prison. Because of his pure and virtuous life the saint received from
the Lord the gift of wonderworking, healing the sick and casting out
demons in the name of Christ.
When the emperor learned that St Sabbas was a Christian, he demanded
that he apostasize. The martyr threw down his military belt and declared
that he would not forsake his faith. They beat him, burned him with
torches, and threw him into a cauldron with tar, but the martyr remained
unharmed.
Looking on at his torments, seventy soldiers came to believe in Christ.
They were beheaded by the sword. St Sabbas was thrown in prison. At
midnight, while he was praying, Christ appeared to the martyr and shone
on him the light of His Glory. The Savior bade him not to fear, but to
stand firm. Encouraged, the Martyr Sabbas underwent new torture in the
morning, and was drowned in a river in 272...." http://oca.org/FSLivesAllSaints.asp?SID=4&M=4&D=24
April 23rd - St. George, according to the Orthodox calendar. Much had been said here about him, but I found a little bit more. "...St George is one of those saints about whom little is known
historically, yet he seems to be popular all over the world. After the
Virgin Mary and the Apostles, there are probably more churches dedicated
to Saint George than to almost any other saint.He’s the patron saint of Georgia, Germany and Greece, if we just
stick to countries whose names begin with the letter G. Then Canada,
England, Lithuania, Russia, Palestine and Portugal.Even though the population of Palestine is mainly Muslim today, Saint George was a Palestinian.
He is also the patron saint of several regions and cities, including
Moscow, which is why there are so many Russian ikons of Saint George.It is said that his cult was taken to England by crusaders returning
from Palestine, and he became the patron saint of England. The English
called on him for help in the battle of Agincourt, which was actually
fought on Saint Crispin’s Day, but Saint George got the starring role,
and in Shakespeare’s play Henry V the battlecry was “Cry God
for Harry, England and St. George!” Shakespeare himself was born and
died on Saint George’s Day, but he didn’t just make it up. After the
battle Saint George’s Day, 23 April, was as important as Christmas in
England....
Anyway, today is also the feast of St. Ibar, who seem to be a strictly Catholic saint: "...A pre-Patrician Irish saint, who laboured in the present County Wexford from 425 to 450, recognized the jurisdiction of St. Patrick, and was confirmed in his episcopacy. Thus, though a missionary before the arrival of the great national apostle, St. Ibar was a contemporary of St. Patrick, and is regarded as the patron of Begerin, in Wexford harbour. Although at first not disposed to yield to St. Patrick he afterwards submitted and became his disciple. Much obscurity attaches to his early training, but about the year 480 he settled at Begerin, where he built an oratory and cell. In the "Life of St. Abban" it is stated that St. Ibar's retreat was soon peopled with numerous disciples from all parts of Ireland, and the "Litany of Aengus" invokes the three thousand confessors who placed themselves under St. Ibar's direction. His nephew, St. Abban, as a boy of twelve came to Begerin in St. Ibar's old age and accompanied him to Rome.
His name is variously written Ibar, Iberius, and Ivor, and his death is
chronicled in the year 500 on 23 April, on which day his feast is observed. Although Begerin was formerly an island in the north of Wexford harbour, it has long since been one of the reclaimed Sloblands...." http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07613b.htm
Thanks DQ. He seems one of those genuine caring individuals. I'm pleased that the Alexandrian Church also supported him. A lot of interesting saints are connected to Egypt.
esApril 22 - St. Vitalis of Gaza: "...Died c. 625. Vitalis was a monk of Gaza, of unknown origin, who in his
monk's dress, at the age of 60, arrived in the gay and dazzling city of
Alexandria, Egypt, like a ghost of the desert. In his lonely cell he had
read the story of the woman taken in adultery and had felt impelled to
travel to the city and work among the prostitutes. He obtained the name
and address of every harlot, hired himself our as a day laborer, and
every night took his wage to one of these unfortunate women.
It was a very strange and unconventional procedure. He would sup with
the woman, then, giving her the money, would say: "I pay thee this, that
thou mayest spend one night without sin." Afterwards he would pray with
her, often passing the night in reciting the Psalms, and, on leaving,
would extract a solemn promise that she would tell no one of the nature
of his visit.
It led to great scandal and he was gravely misunderstood, but the Church
refused to intervene and he continued his mission. Thus he visited in
turn every harlot in Alexandria, and many, moved by his purity and
sincerity as well as by his earnest appeal, abandoned their shameful
calling. Many, indeed, afterwards married and became good wives and
mothers.
But his story ends in tragedy. One day, when leaving a house of ill
fame, he was struck on the head by a man who misunderstood his motive.
Vitalis made his way back with difficulty to the wretched hovel where he
lived, and the crowd that followed, when they entered, found him dead
upon his knees. In his hand was a fragment of parchment bearing the
words: "Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both
will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make
manifest the counsels of the heart."
Then all whom he had helped revealed the secret of his redemptive work,
and the whole city gathered to do him honor, the women following him to
his grave bearing lamps and candles (Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Gill).
..." http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0111.shtml#vita
I really like his story - he understood what the main message of Christ was - mercy to everyone, and made it his way of serving to pay attention and show patience and love to women that were forced by one or another of the realities of life to sell themselves, hence be hold on a low step of the social structure and be despised by everyone, undoubtedly even those who used them. This was a truly noble call, that can be a perfect example for every time and place, since there are always people left out of the society they live on, and who need care and emotional support.
Here a quote from him: "...Judge nothing before the time,
until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of
darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart...."
April 21st - St. Alexandra the Empress: "...Saint Alexandra of Rome (Αλεξάνδρα) — Christian saint, known from "Martyrdom of Saint George" as Emperor Diocletian's wife. She is also sometimes called Priscilla or Prisca
Alexandra was the wife of the wicked Emperor Diocletian and was a Christian, but secretly. While Diocletian was having Saint George
tortured, the Empress went to the arena and bowed before St. George and
professed her faith openly. Her husband was so outraged by this and by
so many people being converted by witnessing George's miracles and
patient endurance, that he ordered both of them to be beheaded.
Alexandra quietly accepted her sentence and prayed as the guards walked
her to the place of execution. She asked if she could rest for a moment.
The guards allowed this. While resting by the wall of a building, she
quietly gave her soul to God. She reposed on April 21, 303. Two days
later, St. George was beheaded. They are commemorated at the same time
along with Anatolios, Protoleon and the 630 others who were martyred for
professing faith while witnessing George's martyrdom...." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Alexandra
This was one version of her legend, here another one:
"...The Holy
Empress Alexandra was the wife of Diocletian (284-305). Her supposed
death was described in the Martyrdom of Saint George, which was written
immediately after his death. The empress, however, received the crown
of martyrdom several years later, in 314. Many events occurred during
these years. In 305 the emperor Diocletian resigned the throne and
power passed to his co-ruler Maximian Galerius (305-311), a fanatic
pagan, as well as a coarse and fierce soldier. His wife was St Valeria,
the daughter of the holy Empress Alexandra, whom Diocletian had given
in marriage against her will. St Alexandra raised her daughter in
Christian piety. When Galerius died, the emperor Maximinus sought her
hand in marriage. When he was refused, he banished St Valeria to Syria,
where she lived with her mother.
After the death of Maximinus in 311 the mother and daughter arrived in
Nicomedia, trusting in the mercy of the emperor Licinius (311-324).
Together with St Constantine, he had subscribed to the Edict of Milan,
which gave Christians the freedom of religion, but secretly he remained
an enemy of Christianity. Licinius gave orders to execute the holy
Empress Alexandra and her daughter Valeria. They were beheaded, and
their bodies thrown into the sea...."
http://www.allmercifulsavior.com/icons/Icons-Alexandra.htm
A representation of her by Alexey Bugarevski, 19th cent
An Orthodox icon - St. Alexandra between St. Januarius of Neapolis and St. Anastasius Sinaita
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Posted: 21-Apr-2012 at 21:29
A very tough lady...... as committed to her new found faith as any who receive veneration for the same.
As a patron of philosophers, she has only a few challengers if we measure her philosophy viz her acts.....tho she perse did not have an opportunity to put it in the written word...nlt she remains intensely remembered ...for as the great St. James once said:
King James
Bible (Cambridge Ed.) Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I
have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith
by my works.
Catherine's works, especially during her suffering, were and remain an exemplary identification of her faith.
Cavalrymen love her as a warrior (at heart) lady that demonstrated just that.
"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"
S. T. Friedman
Pilger's law: 'If it's been officially denied, then it's probably true'
Since St. Anastatius of Sinai was abbot of St.Catherine's Monastery -
St.Catherine (c.288–307 AD) was the beautiful daughter of King Costus and Queen Sabinella, pagan monarchs of Cyprus and Alexandria. Legend also claims that her father was the son of Constantius and an elder half-brother of the Emperor Constantine I. She was raised a pagan and was educated in all the philosophical and scientific arts, and when she was fourteen her father died and she became queen.
On being asked to choose a spouse, she was reluctant to curtail her freedoms, and declared she would only marry a man who was greater than her in beauty, wealth, intelligence and nobility. Thinking such conditions impossible to fill, her court was in despair, but shortly thereafter Catherine received a vision of the Virgin Mary who presented Jesus to her as a suitable husband. Catherine immediately fell in love, was baptized a Christian, and espoused Christ in a mystical marriage.
She converted many in her kingdom to Christianity, but four years later the Emperor Maxentius came to Alexandria and started enforcing worship of the Roman gods, executing those Christians who refused his edict. Catherine visited him and tried to convince him of his error, and finding himself unable to answer her arguments he called together his best pagan philosophers and rhetoricians to argue against her instead. Catherine proved too clever for them, and confounded them so well that they all converted to Christianity. Maxentius was so enraged that he had them all executed, and had Catherine beaten and imprisoned. For twelve days she survived in prison, without food or water, and was visited by two hundred noble persons who were converted by her, but immediatly martyred by the Emperor.
Maxentius, despairing of using argument or torture against her, but admiring her beauty, tried to entice Catherine to paganism by offering her marriage. Catherine replied that she was already the bride of Christ, and so Maxentius, angered, condemned her to death on the spiked wheel. Through her prayer the wheel was broken, and she was unharmed. Then the emperor ordered her to be beheaded, and when her head was struck off milk issued from her neck instead of blood. Angels then carried her corpse to the future site of St.Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, where her body was discovered in 800 AD, still with hair on her head, and her bones exuding oil with miraculous healing qualities.
The monastery at Sinai was built between 548 and 565 by order of Emperor Justinian I, enclosing the pre-existing Chapel of the Burning Bush that had been ordered to be built by Helena, the mother of Constantine I, at the site where Moses was supposed to have seen the burning bush. It was known as The Monastery of the God-trodden Mount Sinai, and only much later became known as St.Catherine’s.
Her feast day is 25th November. She is the patron saint of theologians, philosophers and female royalty. She also has a fire-works names after her – the Catherine wheel.
Modern commentaters believe her whole hagiography was a romantic fiction, invented to counter balance the murder of the philosopher and pagan Hypatia by Christians in Alexandria, a hundred years after St.Catherine's own supposed demise.
St.Catherine arguing with the pagan philosophers, before the Emperor Maxentius.
I read couple of years ago a book from Gabriel Marcel, a Christian Existentialist, pretty good stuff I thought; but it doesn't have the intellectual power of, say, Aquinas. The times are different, so are the writings. Of course Aquinas was Aristotelian, and now very few read Aristotel, so who is to write like him.
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Posted: 20-Apr-2012 at 23:44
Yep..Aquinas, Augustine of Hippo, Thomas More. Brilliant Intellectualists and scholars. Outstanding defenders and theologians....We have not seen their like in centuries.
"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"
S. T. Friedman
Pilger's law: 'If it's been officially denied, then it's probably true'
I love Aquinas, he is one of my most long-read and frequently-opened philosophers. But I have to admit that I never read anything from Anasthatios Sinaita, even though I have him in mind - one day when I have time I'll get on the link I posted and read him to abandon.
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Posted: 20-Apr-2012 at 22:58
And he, like Aquinas, is often regarded as a 'thinking man's/woman's saint'. Solidly in his faith, yet unafraid to examine it's tenets and or it's accomplishments and oppurtunities for developement; be it individual or collective.
April 20th - St. Anastaius of Sinai, a Christian philosopher and thinker /my favorite type/. "...Saint Anastasius Sinaïta or Anastasius of Sinai, also called Anastasios of Sinai, was a prolific and important seventh century Greekecclesiastical writer, priest, monk, and abbot of Saint Catherine's Monastery at Mt. Sinai.The little that is known about the life of Anastasius of Sinai is gathered from his own works.[1]... His writings concern questions and answers about issues of Christian dogma, ritual, and lifestyle (catechism); sermons; and exegesis. He was fond of tracing the etymologies of key Christian terms; he was erudite in the Bible and early Patristic literature; and he had a pervasive interest in the nature of God and man, especially in the Person of Christ (Christology).[4]
He was not reluctant to develop and express his own theories about key
ecclesiastical issues, which led to later commentaries, emendations, and
perhaps even censorship of parts of his works.[5]...."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastasius_of_Sinai
"...His principal works include the Viae Dux, Qaestiones et Responsiones, Hexaemeron, Homilia i, ii, iii de creatione hominis, and the Narrationes. The Viae Dux - also called the Hodegos (Greek transliteration) and "Guide Along the Right Path" (English translation) - was written in defense of the Chalcedonian Creed. A collection of works by Anastasus, the Viae Dux served to support the true faith and to counter the attacks of heretics, in particular the Monophysites.[6]
His Qaestiones et Responsiones ("Questions and Responses") was a popular genre[7]
and falls under the category of pastoral theology. It offers advice,
largely to the lay community, on spiritual and sacramental matters,
charitable donations, marriage, among other subjects. Here Anastasius
reveals a distinctly personal tone and offers a window into the
day-to-day existence of ordinary people.[8]
It is especially significant because it is an eyewitness account of the
expansion of Islam into Sinai and Egypt, which were predominantly
Christian, and of the effect that Moslem domination had on Christian
life and beliefs.[9]. Anastasius was probably the author of the Hexaemeron, a commentary in 12 books about the Genesis creation narrative. (Hexaemeron, sometimes spelled Hexameron, means “six-days”.)..."/Ibid/
"...It says the following: In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth. It uses the name heaven
collectively for all the heavenly and spiritual arrangements: both of
the holy forces and of the spiritual order. Thus, you must consider
first the cosmos above. This was created—as the theologian says—in the
following way: ‘First he takes thought of the angelic and heavenly
forces; and the thought was a done feat.’ Then it uses the name earth
for this perceptible and visible world, collectively with its own
heaven, and all the things upon the earth along with man that have come
into being and exist, both animate and inanimate. So by saying In the beginning God made the heaven, it raised your mind up to the creation of the whole arrangement above. Then by introducing and the earth,
it brought your mind down to the establishment of the fulfillment
below. And through a part—I mean the earth—it presented to you the whole
compass. It used synecdoche, so that you recognize not only the earth,
but also its surrounding heaven. Thus in two phrases, in one definition,
it encompassed the act of creating and the creation itself of both the
spiritual world and the visible world. And God did his creating in the
beginning: that is, in his paternal beginning, which is the Word. For
all things came into being through him and in him...." http://logismoitouaaron.blogspot.com/2009/05/hexaemeron-of-st-anastasius-of-sinai.html
"...St Anastasius taught that God gives each Christian an angel to care for
him throughout his life. However, we can drive our Guardian Angel away
by our sins, just as bees are driven away by smoke. While the demons
work to deprive us of the heavenly Kingdom, the holy angels guide us to
do good. Therefore, only the most foolish individuals would drive away
their Guardian Angel from themselves.
..." http://oca.org/FSLivesAllSaints.asp?SID=4&M=4&D=20
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