St Andrew's Blog - Theology & Life

By Associate Professor Philip Kariatlis (Sub-Dean)

Without doubt in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, “our glorious Lady Theotokos”, has a pre-eminent place in the life of the Orthodox Church. The month of August, for example, is dedicated to the Virgin Mother, not to mention other great feasts that are celebrated throughout the entire liturgical year. Not only do we celebrate the Dormition (or Falling Asleep) of the Theotokos [1] in August, but there are Supplication Services which are held every day in the first two weeks of this month leading to the great feast, as well as the designated period of fasting which the Church has prescribed. This betrays both the great devotion attributed to the blessed Mother personally by the faithful of the Church throughout the ages—and rightly so, since we read in the Gospel according to St Luke: “Surely, from now on, all generations will call me blessed” (Lk 1:48)—and the extent to which her person has infused Orthodox spirituality...

By Associate Professor Philip Kariatlis (Sub-Dean)

In a profoundly simple manner, the concise greeting, “Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!” contains within it the entire message of the Christian faith. The Apostle Paul of course had insightfully declared this when he wrote: “if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain [εἰ δὲ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἐγήγερται, κενὸν ἄρα [καὶ] τὸ κήρυγμα ἡμῶν, κενὴ καὶ ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν·]” (1Cor 15: 14). Not only is this joy-filled Feast of all Feasts, as it is known in the Orthodox Church, a celebration of Christ’s “trampling down death by death” and rising again to live and reign eternally, but it is also...