Recently, someone shared this on X again: https://greekorthodox.org.au/archbishop-makarios-of-australia-the-services-should-be-conducted-in-greek-we-do-not-forget-our-identity/, and it reminded me of this video: https://youtu.be/XZftxmS3h3A?si=3D8inaAA3CKSEFzx .
The question isn’t whether or not the laity understands Greek; the question is whether Modern Greek speakers born in countries that aren’t Greece understand Koine Greek and Atticized Koine Greek. Especially when, as the second link reveals, even in Greece, translations need to be made in order for the laity to understand Koine Greek and Atticized Koine Greek.
This is an issue that, at least in North America (I’m not sure about Australia), goes as far back as at least the 1940s. When I have more time, I’ll update this post with further reading material on this issue. But for now, I don’t know what the solution is, and I say this as someone who loves the old form of the language, as readers of this blog surely know.
Bright Monday
Christ Is Risen!
I woke up this morning to two things. First, upon waking I imediately learned of the passing of Pope Francis. Requiescat in pace.
Second, a parishoner who has a Spiritual Father on Mount Athos sent me a PDF that was sent to him from the Holy Mountain, so I found a version of it online, which I’ll link at the end.
I truly believe St. Symeon the New Theologian is extremely relevant for our modern stuation we all find ourselves living in, his insights are poignant for both our society as well as our ecclesiastical life.
Concerning the Resurrection of Christ by St. Symeon the New Theologian
Pascha 2025
Christ Is Risen!
I can’t sleep (SSDD (Dreamcatcher, The Kingdom will know)). I guess it’s to be expected, as by nature, I’m a night person, and the last nine-ish days have been quite busy, and I’ve been staying up way late(r).
But every Lent, even before I was a priest, has had its difficulties. And this Lent continued the trend. But the journey we take with Lent, culminating with Holy Week and Pascha, contributes to our growth, and I feel I grew in the past 40+ days.
I remember last year’s Holy Saturday when I found out after the Vesperal Liturgy of the Protoanastasi that my old friend Teebs had died the day before. I called a friend of mine in BC – Teebs’ cousin – and got confirmation of the worst. I’ve had more than a few old friends pass, and I often wonder why the rest of us from my old friend group are still here. I like to think that the good die young, that those of us still here need more time to repent. God knows that I, a horrible sinner, still do.
Time moves fast. I was lost, but then I found Christ in the Orthodox Church, and now I’m blessed with the responsibility for my daughter, to teach her who Christ is, to lead her to the Light, and to show her The Way. It’s truly a weird feeling to look back at everything, the brutal absurdity of the journey from darkness to Christ, to look back and say, “I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Weird also still to think I and my Presvytera are converts, but our daughter is a cradle Greek Orthodox Christian. We make plans, but God laughs – it is for us to humble ourselves and follow His plan no matter where it takes us, and no matter what it costs us.
I was baptized on Holy Saturday, 2011, and every year, I think back to that night, knowing how different life could be and how lost I could be.
Yet here we are.
Christ Is Risen!
I wish I could reach everyone I’ve encountered along the way – those born Orthodox, those searching, and those who couldn’t care less – and tell them all: there is Light at the end of the tunnel. The Light shines in the darkness and the darknes does not understand. καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν. Do we understand? There is a choice we must make, to keep going the wrong way, or to humble ourselves and correct course. Never easy, but then again, anything easy is never actually worth doing.
I remember the visceral feeling when I read Teebs’ obituary, but one line stood out to me like a bout of retrocognition: “Tyler’s formative years were spent on his Grandmother Betty Wiebe’s farm, where he and many of his friends forged cherished memories that would last a lifetime.” I know who wrote that obituary, and God bless you, as that is an amazing, beautiful and PG way of saying what needed to be said.
God bless you, Betty, and forgive us for all the worry we put you through.
Reflecting back on the Lent, Holy Week and Pascha of 2024 and 2025, what I know is that life is a strange and odd journey up the mountain, and although many of us – baptized Orthodox or not – waste our time in sensory pursuits and choose instead to sit still and make no progress, or worse yet to get off the mountain and enter the swamp – God’s mercy is greater than our ignorance and our indifference. And thank God because, for me, that is far too often far too true.
It’s too late to go and get rest
So I’m gonna live in my head” -Hazlett
Recommended Reading for Orthodox Christians (Updated, Καθαρά Δευτέρα 2026)
Lately, I find myself being asked, “What should I read?” and so here is my attempt at what I think Eastern Orthodox Christians living in Canada should read. This list is not exhaustive; if anyone reading this thinks anything should be added, please let me know.
Άλήθεια Έλληνική: The Authority of the Greek Old Testament by Catherine Brown Tkacz
Angels & Demons: A Patristic Perspective by Harry Boosalis
A Night in the Desert of the Holy Mountain by Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos
An Altar in the Wilderness by Fr. Kaleeg Hainsworth
As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl: by John Colapinto
Becoming Orthodox: A Journey to the Ancient Christian Faith by Fr. Peter E. Gilquist
Beginning to Pray by Metropolitan Anthony Bloom
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Catholics by Brian Moore
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution by Michael J. Behe
Disputations With Pyrrhus of our Father Among the Saints Maximus the Confessor translated by Joseph P. Farrell
Early Christian Writers: The Apostolic Fathers trans. by Maxwell Staniforth
(Faith Series Book 2 of 4) The Way: What Every Protestant Should Know About the Orthodox Church by Clark Carlton
(Faith Series Book 3 of 4) Truth: What Every Roman Catholic Should Know About the Orthodox Church by Clark Carlton
Free Choice in St. Maximus the Confessor by Joseph P. Farrell
God’s Revelation to the Human Heart by Fr. Seraphim Rose
Great Lent: Journey to Pascha by Fr. Alexander Schmemann
Great Week and Pascha in the Greek Orthodox Church by Fr. Alkiviadis C. Calivas
His Life is Mine by St. Sophrony of Essex
Marriage: An Orthodox Perspective by Fr. John Meyendorff
Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age by Fr. Seraphim Rose
1984 by George Orwell
Of Water and Spirit: A Liturgical Study of Baptism by Fr. Alexander Schmemann
On Marriage and Family Life by St. John Chrysostom
On the Cosmic Mystery of Jesus Christ by St. Maximus the Confessor
On the Ecclesiastical Mystagogy by St. Maximus the Confessor
On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius of Alexandria
On the Soul and the Resurrection by St. Gregory of Nyssa
On the Unity of Christ by St. Cyril of Alexandria
Origen and the History of Justification: The Legacy of Origen’s Commentary on Romans by Thomas P. Scheck
Orthodox Theology: An Introduction by Vladimir Lossky
Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future by Fr. Seraphim Rose
Prophet of Roman Orthodoxy: The Theology of John Romanides by Andrew J. Sopko
Russia, Ritual, and Reform: The Liturgucal Reforms of Nikon in the 17th Century by Paul Meyendorff
Six Books on the Priesthood by St. John Chrysostom
The Book of Enoch the Prophet by R.H. Charles
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christuian Monks trans by Benedicta Ward
The Epistle of St. James: A Commentary by Archbishop Dimitri Royster
The First-Created Man by St. Symeon the New Theologian
The Gurus, the Young Man, and Elder Paisios by Dionysios Farasiotis
The Missionary Origins of Modern Ecumenism: Milestones Leading Up to 1920 by Fr. Peter Heers
The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality by Kyriacos C. Markides
The Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit by St. Photios, trans. by Joseph P. Farrell
The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church by Vladimir Lossky
The New Testament: A Translation by David Bentley Hart (paperback, 1st Edition)
The Orthodox Church by Metropoltan Kalistos Ware
The Orthodox Veneration of Mary the Birthgiver of God by St. John Maximovitch
The Place of Blessed Augustine in the Orthodox Church by Fr. Seraphim Rose
The Prologue to the Philokalia by St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain trans. by V. Rev. Archimandrite Maximos Constas
The Soul After Death by Fr. Seraphim Rose
The Triads by St. Gregory Palamas trans. by Nicholas Gendle
The Winter Pascha: Readings for the Christmas-Epiphany Season by Fr. Thomas Hopko
Theosis: The True Purpose of Human Life by Archimandrite Geogre
Two Hundred Chapters on Theology by St. Maximus the Confessor
Unseen Warfare as edited by St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain and revised by St. Theophan the Recluse
CBC & Gender 2017
One summer, as we drove back to Manitoba from beautiful Waterton Lakes National Park, the first of these two podcasts played on the radio on our Toyota Rav 4. It is rather interesting to think how different Canadian society is now in June 2023. As we begin what is known as Pride Month to some, as National Indigenous History Month to others, and to the rest as June, I figured I’d share the links below.
12 August 2017 – Guys and Dolls: Gender Marketing
17 August 2017 – Guys and Dolls: Gender Marketing, Part II
On Spiritual Fathers
This is a topic that many Orthodox Christians, cradle and convert, bring up alot. So here are two articles on the topic that recently found their way to me.
The second can be found here: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/spiritualfather.aspx
Be Bear Aware
What a crazy moment we’re living through. And here in Manitoba, it was even more difficult for me as we had to close down all the trails below the 53rd parallel due to extreme fire hazard. But glory be to God, we got rain! So, my Presbytera and I were able to hike in Whiteshell Provincial Park – and we even had an up-close black bear encounter.
Of course, I had my bear spray; thankfully, I didn’t need to use it. On that trail, I saw no one else with bear spray and considering the time of year it is, that’s just going out unprepared.
These lockdowns and violations of our Charter Rights and Freedoms have made getting out and into nature so much more therapeutic for me. Last October, we camped and hiked in Riding Mountain National Park, and we went there again in February and stayed in some accommodations in the extreme cold. Tomorrow we head back to camp at Lake Audy – much needed.
The trees, wildlife, lakes, and trails touch me deep within. The wilderness – and especially Canada’s National Parks – are beautiful beyond accurate description. Nature is a great teacher that reveals the artificiality of our modern life. The smells awaken the soul and, feeling the wind on your skin – whether atop a mountain in BC or Alberta, or just a high hill in Manitoba, energizes and uplifts the human spirit.
In high school English class, I remember being taught about three literary conflicts, man vs man, man vs himself, and man vs nature. I think there is a fourth, man vs society. Heading out into nature, depending on the activity, is one or more of those. But still, no matter what the adventure, when I’m out there, I look around and think of Psalm 103. I can’t hardly wait to be out in Riding Mountain National Park this weekend, and if you’ve never been, I suggest you go – but don’t forget your bear spray.
The Attire of Priests: Thoughts and Comments on a Contemporary Issue by Fr. Panayiotis Papageorgiou, Ph.D.
Matthew 1-14: A Handbook on the Greek Text by Wesley G. Olmstead
Matthew 1-14: A Handbook on the Greek Text by Wesley G. Olmstead
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I was really looking forward to this book when I pre-ordered it. At first, I liked it, but it proves to have a few negatives as you go on with it. Obviously, this review contains my subjective opinion based upon my own needs as a reader of the GNT. It is not intended to reflect upon Olmstead, who had his own reasons for writing as he did and interacting with his own choice of reference works.
-I’m not sure if Olmstead is following NA28 or the SBLGNT. It appears at times to be one or the other but not one exclusively, and the SBLGNT is not of much value other than to quote a GNT that is free to distribute.
-It is difficult to use as a “handbook” because it points back to previous pages rather than explaining it for that particular verse (p. 344).
-The first volume even points the reader to the second volume at least three times (these turn out to be not a big deal, and Olmstead could have omitted them with no loss of knowledge).
-Points back to parts that point you back to another part, i.e., p. 313 points you to p. 27, which points you to p. 12, and after all that page-flipping still doesn’t address what he originally sent you searching for: “on ὁ δέ followed by a participle, see 2:9 on ἀκούσαντες.”
-Multiple times per page, Olmstead does this. On p. 313 alone, 10 times he tells the reader to look elsewhere
-Brutally maximalist grammar with far too much reliance on the work of Steven Runge and the Lexham Discourse Greek New Testament. See p. 8 on transformational grammar and hypothetical sentences; this is referenced throughout the first volume after this mention
It will be a long time until I sit myself down to read through the second volume, and to be fair, this is the first complete volume in the Baylor Handbook on the GNT that I’ve read cover-to-cover. I have referenced the volumes on Mark, the Epistles of John, and the Apocalypse, so perhaps much of my dislike is due to editorial activity and not Olmstead’s choices. Either way, to end on a positive note, I must commend Olmstead on his treatment of the so-called historical present, and I saw that David Bentley Hart’s translation of the New Testament is in the bibliography, which was nice to see; the way Hart addressed the historical present in his translation is the same so far as I can tell. And in the end, this book is worth buying; there is still a lot here, even if it’s not the most accessible.
View all my reviews
Spit & Touch
I try to read one page from the Greek New Testament in the mornings, and the last bit of my reading stood out to me today. Mark 7:31-37:
Καὶ πάλιν ἐξελθὼν ἐκ τῶν ὁρίων Τύρου ἦλθεν διὰ Σιδῶνος εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ὁρίων Δεκαπόλεως. 32 καὶ φέρουσιν αὐτῷ κωφὸν καὶ μογιλάλον καὶ παρακαλοῦσιν αὐτὸν ἵνα ἐπιθῇ αὐτῷ τὴν χεῖρα. 33 καὶ ἀπολαβόμενος αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄχλου κατ̓ ἰδίαν ἔβαλεν τοὺς δακτύλους αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰ ὦτα αὐτοῦ, καὶ πτύσας ἥψατο τῆς γλώσσης αὐτοῦ, 34 καὶ ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐστέναξεν καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· ἐφφαθά, ὅ ἐστιν διανοίχθητι. 35 καὶ ἠνοίγησαν αὐτοῦ αἱ ἀκοαί, καὶ ἐλύθη ὁ δεσμὸς τῆς γλώσσης αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐλάλει ὀρθῶς. 36 καὶ διεστείλατο αὐτοῖς ἵνα μηδενὶ λέγωσιν· ὅσον δὲ αὐτοῖς διεστέλλετο, αὐτοὶ μᾶλλον περισσότερον ἐκήρυσσον. 37 καὶ ὑπερπερισσῶς ἐξεπλήσσοντο λέγοντες· καλῶς πάντα πεποίηκεν καὶ τοὺς κωφοὺς ποιεῖ ἀκούειν καὶ ἀλάλους λαλεῖν.
Imagine how appalled most of us Christians would be if they saw Christ healing in such a manner in 2020? And before you interject to defend yourself, the situation is not different and I urge you to grab your New Testament and read how many of Christ’s healings came through physical touch and what kinds of ill people he was touching.
ὦ γενεὰ ἄπιστος…
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