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The writings Sulayman al-Ghazzi (or Solomon of Gaza) are one of the great hidden gems of Arab Orthodoxy, though not a word of them is yet available in a western language. I'm doing a little work on them for a different venue, but would like share something about him on this blog. I'll do another post soon about his life in more detail, but he was an Orthodox bishop in Palestine in the 11th century, during the persecution of Christians under the Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amrillah. He is the first Arabic-language poet whose poetry was entirely dedicated to Christian religious...

The boy accused of stabbing a bishop as he delivered a sermon had been mentally 'poisoned' in the lead-up to the alleged attack, Muslims who prayed with him have claimed. The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, allegedly lunged at Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, 53, and stabbed him in the head at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, in Sydney's west, at about 7pm on Monday. Father Isaac Royel, who serves in the Assyrian ministry at St Shimun Bar Sabbae and St Mary Cathedral, was among many parishioners who attempted to intervene - and as a result...

An Assyrian Orthodox Church bishop who was stabbed during a livestreamed church service in Sydney had spoken critically about Islam in a video recorded four months ago. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in Sydney's west just after 7pm on Monday when a 16-year-old boy walked up to the altar and allegedly stabbed him multiple times. On a separate video of the aftermath of the alleged terror attack, the boy said in Arabic 'If they didn't insult my prophet, I wouldn't have come here. If he didn't involve himself in my religion,...

Sydney has been shaken by another stabbing attack with a priest and worshippers assailed by a knife-wielding man Monday in a suburban church. Bishop Mari Emmanuel was preaching a live-streamed sermon at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in the city’s west when a man dressed in black approached the altar and allegedly stabbed the Christian Orthodox priest multiple times. Horrifying footage of the incident, which was being broadcast live on the church’s YouTube page, shows Bishop Emmanuel look up in astonishment as the attacker suddenly rains down blows on his face and head, news.com.au reports. The local Sydney-based outlet goes...

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Two men accused of fatally stabbing three Egyptian monks belonging to the Coptic Orthodox Church this week appeared in a South African court Thursday and will remain in custody until their next court appearance. Saeed Basanda, dressed in a blue T-shirt and with a white bandage wrapped around his left hand, has been identified as a 37 -year-old Egyptian national. His co-accused, Samuel Avamarkos, is identified in the charge sheet as a 47 year-old South African citizen. They both registered their addresses as the same plot in the town of Cullinan, east of the capital, Pretoria, where...

Statement of the Holy Synod of Antioch Balamand, 14 March 2024 The Holy Antiochian Synod, presided by His Beatitude Patriarch JOHN X (Yazigi), held its eighteenth extraordinary session in Balamand from March 13 to March 14, 2024, in the presence of Their Eminences: Elias (Archdiocese of Beirut and dependencies); Elias (Archdiocese of Tyre, Sidon and dependencies); Saba (Archdiocese of New York and All North America); Silouan (Archdiocese of Byblos, Botrys and dependencies); Basilios (Archdiocese of Akkar and dependencies); Ephrem (Archdiocese of Tripoli, Koura and dependencies); Ignatius (Archdiocese of France, Western and Southern Europe); Isaac (Archdiocese of Germany and Central Europe);...

SAINT EPHRAEM, MONK AND DEACON, the contemporary of St. Athanasius, St. Basil, St. Gregory of Nazianzen and St. Gregory of Nyssa, was with them one of the glories of the Christian East so rich in testimonies to faith and sanctity during the first centuries. He takes his place in the liturgical cycle among the doctors of the Universal Church. It is only fitting that the ancient piety of Edessa and Nisibis should be represented in the Roman calendar by him who was always held to be tht most illustrious of her sons. St. Ehpraem was honored by the whole Church...

The Coptic Orthodox Church has reportedly suspended its dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church over the Catholic Church's decision to allow priests to bless same-sex couples. Coptic leadership held a Holy Synod last week in Wadi El-Natrun, Egypt. The church hierarchy recommended various issues, including recognizing assorted monasteries, adding mental health topics to marital counseling and praying for unity within the Orthodox Church.Coptic Orthodox spokesman Father Moussa Ibrahim explained in a video that "the most notable" action from the annual Holy Synod was "to suspend theological dialogue with the Catholic Church after its change of position on the issue of...

While Pontius Pilate's wife, Claudia, has been glorified as a saint, what happened to Pontius Pilate himself? There are three writers from the Early Church who say he became a Christian. There is a similar tradition in Ethiopia, and sometimes there one can find icons of Pontius Pilate, together with his wife Claudia. The fate of Pontius Pilate after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is disputed among historians. According to some, Pilate killed himself while in exile to Gallia. Others suggest that he was executed during the reign of Emperor Nero. According to legend, the bad omens accompanying...

The well-used quote: "The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops," may be found in a variety of forms. Perhaps the most colorful version of it is: "The road to Hell is paved with the bones of priests and monks, and the skulls of bishops are the lamp posts that light the path." This saying has been attributed to one of several Fathers of the ancient Church and to Protestant revolutionaries from more recent times. Most often, it is claimed to be taken from the writings of St. Athanasius or St. John Chrysostom. After a thorough search,...

The Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople weighed in today on the gay marriage and adoption controversy currently raging in Greece. Constantinople has dozens of dioceses in Greece, including those on the island of Crete, whose Eparchial Synod also issued a statement last week. The hierarchs of the Church of Greece also unanimously voted against gay marriage and adoption on Tuesday. And yesterday, the Synod of Constantinople reiterated the Church’s stance against gay marriage. Its communiqué reads: The Holy and Sacred Synod, convening under the presidency of His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch in its regular session today, Wednesday, January...

...Chapter 3. Christ was possessed of a body after His resurrection For I know that after His resurrection also He was still possessed of flesh, and I believe that He is so now. When, for instance, He came to those who were with Peter, He said to them, Lay hold, handle Me, and see that I am not an incorporeal spirit. And immediately they touched Him, and believed, being convinced both by His flesh and spirit. For this cause also they despised death, and were found its conquerors. And after his resurrection He ate and drank with them, as being...

The Scriptural recounting in the Gospel of Saint Matthew of the mysterious wise men who visited the baby Jesus bearing gifts is one of the most enduring and compelling scenes in Sacred Scripture. The rudimentary nature of St. Matthew’s description of the Magi’s arrival has encouraged a flowering of apocryphal literature across the centuries which has added depth and detail to the occasion of the Epiphany. There are numerous references to the Magi in early post-Scriptural literature. Saint Justin Martyr mentions them prominently in his debate with Trypho (Chapter 78) in the mid-second century AD. Magi were of the priestly...

In the story of Christ’s birth there are many familiar characters: Joseph, Mary, Herod, the Jewish leaders, and shepherds. But there are also several (at least three) strange foreigners called “Magi” who unexpectedly come out of nowhere. Even more shocking is that they are more alert, more knowledgeable, and have deeper spiritual understanding of the meaning of the birth of Jesus than most of Jesus’s ethnic relations. Hossein-Behzah-Birth of Jesus-Magi But who are these Magi who mysteriously appear around the time of Jesus’s birth and who are prepared to worship him and give him gifts? Where are they from? How...

Archepiscopal Encyclical on the Feast of Christmas December 25, 2023 Unto the Most Reverend and Right Reverend Hierarchs, Pious Priests and Deacons, Monks and Nuns, Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils, Honorable Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Members of Leadership 100, Day and Afternoon Schools, Philoptochos Societies, Youth, Greek Orthodox Organizations, and entirety of the Christ-loving Plenitude of the Sacred Archdiocese of America: Thus says the Lord: a rod shall come forth out of the root of Jesse, and a blossom shall rise from that root. (Prophecy of Isaiah 11:1) Beloved sisters and brothers in Christ, Christ is Born!...

Tiny human here on one-of-a-kind earth, seeking comment on the birth of Jesus, and goodwill towards men. Fah la la la la, la la, la la...

(RNS) — Amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, another battle is playing out in Jerusalem among its small but storied Armenian Christian community, their own patriarch and an Australian-Israeli businessman who is said to be set on taking over the Armenian Quarter of the Old City. Last month, things escalated as Jewish settlers aided by dogs and bulldozers disrupted a long-running sit-in in a site known as the Cow’s Garden, currently a parking lot, where businessman Danny Rothman plans to build his latest hotel. Rothman’s company, Xana Capital Group, made a secret deal in...

December 6 is the feast of Saint Nicholas of Myra, later of Bari. Though known more commonly in modern times for his connection with “Santa Claus”, Saint Nicholas was considered a great saint in his day and numerous anecdotes relating to his acts of holiness, courage and generosity have come down to us from antiquity. Here is an excerpt from an anonymous history from the 4th century AD entitled, Praxis de Stratelatis (Act of the Generals). In it, we see Saint Nicholas doing what he does best: using his authority as bishop to rescue the innocent and speak the truth...

SAINT NICHOLAS DAY On December 6th, Saint Nicholas Day recognizes the third-century saint who became an inspiration for the modern-day Santa Claus. #StNicholasDay St. Nicholas is known for selling all his possessions and giving his money to the poor. Raised as a devout Christian, St. Nicholas dedicated his whole life to serving the sick and suffering. Legendary stories about St. Nicholas later become part of the inspiration for the modern-day Santa Claus. For example, during the third century, a daughter's chances of marriage increased when her father offered a large dowry to prospective husbands. One story tells of a poor...

CNEWA EN | ESSearch DONATE Home ONE Magazine Fall 1977 The Martyrs of Najran ONE Magazine God • World • Human Family • Church The Martyrs of Najran A group of Coptic Christians in the sixth century are remembered for their faith. Every year on the 24th of October the Roman Catholic Church commemorates “the Martyrs of Najran.” Unless he has stumbled across the entry in some such books as Butler’s Lives of the Saints, the average person is not likely to have heard of either the martyrs or of Najran. The valley of Najran is in southwestern Saudi Arabia,...