Tracts
The Great Schism
As a result of historical, theological, cultural, linguistic and other factors, the relations between the Church in the eastern and western parts of the Roman Empire became strained over time. This resulted in the Great Schism which is usually dated to 1054 A.D., but this date is not firm.
Irenaeus as a Contemporary Theologian
Dr Damien Casey teaches theology in the School of Theology at the Brisbane campus of the Australian Catholic University, and aspires to be a catholic theologian since if everything is to be brought together under Christ (Eph 1.10), everything should be worthy of the theologian's attention.
I come to this conference as a theologian rather than a Patristics scholar, although I am convinced that at some level a theologian must also be a student of the Church Fathers and Mothers, even if that is not their area of specialisation.
When I learnt that the conference theme was to be “Patristic Exegesis and Hermeneutics”, this immediately raised for me the question of how theologians approach and appropriate the work of the Fathers and Mothers of the Church.
This paper will describe patristic hermeneutics and contemporary hermeneutics as parallel approaches. I will argue that there is a basic consistency between how Irenaeus understands the unity and plurality of Christian faith and the contemporary Catholic theological hermeneutics of tradition.
One might ask whether this a function of the relative amorphousness and indeterminacy of second century Christianity or does the similarity between the two periods of the church lie in the fact that we also find ourselves needing to re-imagine and rearticulate the Christian kerygma in the response to the experience of a burgeoning pluralism?
Either way, the work of Irenaeus provides plenty of opportunities and resources for contemporary theology. But lest I be guilty of Irenaeus’ contention against the Gnostics of adapting “the good words of revelation to [my] own wicked inventions”1 I will look at Irenaeus and his own hermeneutics as a guide for the contemporary theologian.r. Damien Casey. Bassam M. Madany. These lectures were compiled prior to two significant world events: 1) The attacks on 9/11, and 2) The war in Iraq. This is important to remember for two reasons: 1) The material cannot be seen as a “reaction” to 9/11, and 2) The deteriorating situation of Iraqi Christians as a result of the invasion is not taken here into account.
The Plight of Eastern Christianity Under Islam
Bassam M. Madany. These lectures were compiled prior to two significant world events: 1) The attacks on 9/11, and 2) The war in Iraq. This is important to remember for two reasons: 1) The material cannot be seen as a “reaction” to 9/11, and 2) The deteriorating situation of Iraqi Christians as a result of the invasion is not taken here into account.
The UGCC in Canada
The history of our Church in Canada began with the arrival of Wasyl Elyniak and Ivan Pylypiw in Montreal on September 7, 1891. They had both come from the village of Nebyliv in the district of Kalush. They left Montreal and traveled by train to Winnipeg, Manitoba, a journey of approximately 2300 km. They fortunately were able to find work in Gretna , Manitoba. Western Canada had a lot of land, but needed people to settle there. Elyniak and Pylypiw made arrangements for their families to join them and then went west to Alberta (approximately 1500km west of Winnipeg); Elyniak to near Chipman and Pylypiw to near Edna-Star. The two families were able to homestead (Вони дістали діяньку землю із уряду) and to begin building their new lives in Canada.
Orthodox Ecclesiastical Calendar
A site on the history of the calculation of Pascha. Provides an opportunity to ascertain the date of Pascha and the algorithm behind the calculation.
Comparison of the two translations of the Ordo Celebrationis
A brief comparison on some noted paragraphs of the Ordo Celebrationis. Compiled by Fr. Robert Anderson. PDF file.
Summary and Synthesis of the Encounter of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada
24-26 May 2005, Winnipeg
Mission and Future of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada. A summary documents of the Encounter discussions and deliberations.
Theandros
An Online Journal of Orthodox Christian Theology and Philosophy
The purpose of Theandros is to publish articles on a wide variety of topics relevant to the Orthodox Christian faith. This includes articles on Biblical exegesis, Church history, the Fathers of the Church, Canon Law, Ethics, Ecology, and much more. Ecumenical in scope and attitude, Theandros will publish articles of widely differing theological viewpoints.
The Church - Her Nature and Task
Georges Florovsky. "In our time, it seems, one has to get beyond the modern theological disputes, to regain a wider historical perspective, to recover the true “catholic mind,” which would embrace the whole of the historical experience of the Church in its pilgrimage through the ages. One has to return from the school-room to the worshipping Church and perhaps to change the school-dialect of theology for the pictorial and metaphorical language of Scripture. The very nature of the Church can be rather depicted and described than properly defined. And surely this can be done only from within the Church. Probably even this description will be convincing only for those of the Church. The Mystery is apprehended only by faith."
The Ever-Virgin Mother of God
Georges Florovsky. The writer is fully aware of the inadequacy of his exposition. This is not a theological essay in the strict sense. It is only an occasional address written down in haste some time after it had been improvised. The only contention of the author was to suggest the way in which the subject should be approached and to open the discussion. The main concern in the paper was to prove that Mariology belongs to the very body of Christian doctrine or, if we allow the phrase, to that essential minimum of doctrinal agreement outside which no true unity of faith could even be claimed.
The Catholicity of the Church
Georges Florovsky. Content: The theanthropic union and the Church, The inner quality of catholicity, The transfiguration of personality, The sacred and the historical, The inadequacy of the Vincentian canon, Freedom and Authority, The catholic mind, The new reality, The new creation.
Revelation and Interpretation
Georges Florovsky. "What is the Bible? Is it a book like any other intended for any occasional reader, who is expected to grasp at once its proper meaning? Rather, it is a sacred book addressed primarily to believers. Of course, a sacred book can be read by anyone as well, just ‘as literature.’ But this is rather irrelevant to our immediate purpose. We are concerned now not with the letter but with the message. St. Hilary put it emphatically: Scriptura est non in legendo, sed in intelligendo. [Scripture is not in the reading, but in the understanding.] Is there any definite message in the Bible, taken as a whole, as one book? And again, to whom is this message, if any, properly addressed? To individuals, who would be, as such, entitled to understand the book and to expound its message? Or to the community, and to individuals only in so far as they are members of that community?"
Decree on the Catholic Churches of the Eastern Rite (Orientalium Ecclesiarum)
Vatican II Document
The Catholic Church holds in high esteem the institutions, liturgical rites, ecclesiastical traditions and the established standards of the Christian life of the Eastern Churches, for in them, distinguished as they are for their venerable antiquity, there remains conspicuous the tradition that has been handed down from the Apostles through the Fathers1 and that forms part of the divinely revealed and undivided heritage of the universal Church. This Sacred Ecumenical Council, therefore, in its care for the Eastern Churches which bear living witness to this tradition, in order that they may flourish and with new apostolic vigor execute the task entrusted to them, has determined to lay down a number of principles, in addition to those which refer to the universal Church; all else is remitted to the care of the Eastern synods and of the Holy See.
The Other Catholics: A Short Guide to the Eastern Catholic Churches
Kevin R. Yurkus - Crisis Website. As millions watched the funeral for Pope John Paul II, many were confused by the concluding Panakhyda celebrated not in Latin, but in Greek and Arabic by hierarchs in black hoods, turbans, crowns, and unusual vestments. Was this not the responsibility of the cardinals? And were those clerics even Catholic? The answer may surprise you.
Creation
Andrew Louth. A small sampling of Andrew Louth's work on St. John Damascene explaining the saga of translating έις τους αιόνας των αιόνων.
The Two Important Things
Very Rev. Archpriest Robert Anderson. When people are attracted to an ecclesial community and they are proud to call it their own, there are two fundamental components which are absolutely necessary: a sense of divine presence and the experience of an authentic, welcoming, loving Christian community.
Food and Sex, Fasting and Chastity
Adam DeVille. The ancient and venerable practice of fasting as a means of achieving theosis and of manifesting the holiness of the Church to the world.
Eastern Catholics 101
An introductory essay to the Eastern Churches written by Adam Deville.
If you ask Americans how many states there are in the Union, they will tell you “fifty.” If you ask a Canadian how many provinces there are in Canada, few of us would hesitate before answering “ten.” But if someone asked you how many churches make up the Catholic Church, what would you say? Most of us would regard it as a non-sensical question; most of us view the Catholic Church as a singular entity, and therefore we would answer “one.” But we would be wrong! Just as there are not seventeen provinces or forty-two states, there is not one church in the Catholic Church but 23-yes, twenty-three!
The Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Church
An introduction to the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the Eucharistic celebration of Byzantine Christians.
Reflection on Irenaeus by Hans Urs von Balthasar
This short article by an unknown author summarizes the points of Hans Urs von Balthasar in his book, The Glory of the Lord (Vol. II).