In today’s modern age, it has become a habit to use the terms ‘person’ and ‘individual’ as though they were synonyms, often using them indifferently to express the same thing, however, these two terms have opposite meaning. What this session will explore is the difference between these two terms, and how the goal of our life is a mode of existence and a reflection of the inner life of the Trinity. A relationship and communion, not only with God, but also with our neighbour, that calls us to t...
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In today’s modern age, it has become a habit to use the terms ‘person’ and ‘individual’ as though they were synonyms, often using them indifferently to express the same thing, however, these two terms have opposite meaning. What this session will explore is the difference between these two terms, and how the goal of our life is a mode of existence and a reflection of the inner life of the Trinity. A relationship and communion, not only with God, but also with our neighbour, that calls us to t...
Christ is very clear about the connection of His Cross to our personal cross as an acceptance of the journey up the mountain of Transfiguration. Christian asceticism is not about one’s efforts to become a ‘better person’, but about the synergy of transformation of our humanity with Christ in the life of the Church. The holy fathers emphasise the labours necessary to achieve some measure of humility to learn from the meekness and humility of Christ. By striving to live in that spirit we become...
In today’s modern age, it has become a habit to use the terms ‘person’ and ‘individual’ as though they were synonyms, often using them indifferently to express the same thing, however, these two terms have opposite meaning. What this session will explore is the difference between these two terms, and how the goal of our life is a mode of existence and a reflection of the inner life of the Trinity. A relationship and communion, not only with God, but also with our neighbour, that calls us to t...
One of the greatest struggles facing Orthodox Christians today is in understanding how the Church and the World relate, and how we are meant to live as Orthodox Christians in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to (especially traditional) Christianity. In this session, we will be looking at how the Church has related to the world both when society at large has been Christian, as well as in societies hostile to Christianity. We will especially seek to understand how science and faith...
The life of the Church is not confined to the ‘academic’ realm of dogmatic theology. Orthodoxy translated means “right worship” – which ultimately means that Orthodoxy is a way of life focused on worshipping God in a manner pleasing to Him, as opposed to having the most advanced understanding of dogmatic theology. This right worship takes place in the services of the Church which have ancient roots back to the earliest Christians and the cycle of services that would take place in the Temple a...
Orthodox theology regards the sacraments as sacred actions through which the encounter between God and the human person takes place. In them our union with God, in so far as it is possible in this earthly life, is realised. What this session will focus on is a brief overview of the main sacraments of the Orthodox church, also known as mysteries, with particular focus on Baptism and the Eucharist. We will delve into how the sacraments are not only spiritual, but also a bodily communion, as the...
The Church is a divine and human organism, the Body of Christ. The words at the beginning of the Creed apply to the Church: “I believe in ... Church’. Because we embrace the Church with our faith it is misunderstood by those who rely entirely on their reason. In this session we look at every word of this article of the Creed to come to some understanding of what the Church is and how we live the life of the Church. The accent in the Church is on life, an existential experience, not an intelle...
This session will focus on the last things to come – The end of history, what happens to the soul after death, judgment, and an Orthodox understanding of heaven and hell. We will explore the NT and patristic understanding of eschatology, which is one of hope and assurance, Christ-centred rather than Antichrist-centred. We will delve into judgement and the second coming of Christ, and how there is no person who will be deprived of God’s love; heaven and hell a reflection of the state of ...
The Holy Spirit can easily be overlooked in discussions about God. The role of God the Son – Christ – is so central that it cannot be missed, and His discussions about His relationship with His Heavenly Father throughout the Gospels means that we do not overlook the Father. However, while the presence of the Holy Spirit as described explicitly in the Bible is smaller, we can see the work of the Spirit more clearly both by exegeting certain texts deeper, as well as by examining the theol...
The Resurrection of Christ is central in Christianity. We assemble every week on the day of the Resurrection. Yet the Resurrection cannot be understood without the whole story of our salvation, especially from the time that the Word becomes flesh. We look at our relationship with God based on the gift of free will and see how this makes it possible for us to fall away, then reconnect with God and Christ’s Redemption. This opens to us eternal life and great mercy of His Ascension in our life –...
From an Orthodox perspective, it is essential that we have the correct understanding of Mary, the Mother of God, in order for us to have a correct understanding of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. If the Mother of God’s image is distorted, so too is the image of her Son. What this session will focus on is the Orthodox veneration of the Mother of God as the Theotokos, the God bearer, and how it was necessary for Christ to be born of a virgin for the salvation of humanity. We will also e...
Christ is central to our Christian faith, yet throughout the history of the Church, there have been massive disputes over Who exactly Christ is. In order to truly understand and therefore assimilate the saving work of Christ, the understanding of Who He is becomes tantamount. What is termed a Christological error, no matter how small, can cause huge repercussion in theology and praxis further down the line. Arianism is one such Christological error, which posited that Christ the Word was not ...
What will be explored in this session is God as creator, which is fundamentally different to that of the Hellenistic perspective. God creates out of nothing, and it is an act that involves all three Persons of the Holy Trinity. Creating two worlds - one invisible, spiritual and intelligible, and the other visible and material. We will be delving into the spiritual world of angels and the origin of evil before reaching the crown of creation. That is, human beings, created in God’s image and li...
In this first talk on the Nicene Creed used by the whole Church since 325 AD we first look at the phenomenon of faith. Life is impossible without faith. Even empirical science and mathematics cannot operate without faith. Faith in God is not abstract but an expression of our relationship with Him. Christ God reveals that while God is One He lives an inner life in three Persons. We will discuss the terms ‘essence’ and ‘hypostasis’. Support the show
In this session we will be exploring what are termed the prophetic books of the Bible. Again, the majority of these are in the Old Testament, with 12 minor prophets and 4 major prophets who all foresaw Christ’s coming and the life of His New Covenant Church in different ways. In the New Testament, The Revelation (Apocalypse) written by St. John the Evangelist is the only prophetic book, which tells of the life of the Church on earth and in heaven, culminating in the second coming of Christ in...
What are the Historical Books in:The Old TestamentThe New TestamentWhy are they relevant to us today?Synopsis Here we will explore what may be called the “historical books” of the Bible. The largest body of literature in this genre is in the Old Testament, containing books ranging from Joshua to Judges to the four Books of Kings and the small but highly important books such as Ruth and Esther. In the New Testament, the historical book is the book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles. We will brie...
PsalmsEpistlesJobWisdom Synopsis These books of the Bible are of enormous importance in developing the revealed teaching of the foundational books, Pentateuch and Gospels. For this reason, they have always been popular wit the people of God to the present day. We look at the moral teachings, religious philosophy and the Liturgical use of these books. Support the show
PsalmsEpistlesJobWisdom Synopsis These books of the Bible are of enormous importance in developing the revealed teaching of the foundational books, Pentateuch and Gospels. For this reason, they have always been popular wit the people of God to the present day. We look at the moral teachings, religious philosophy and the Liturgical use of these books. Support the show
The foundational books of the BibleThe connection between the Old and New Testaments Synopsis The first five books of the Old Testament authored by Moses, and the first four books of the New Testament – the Gospels were accepted by the Church as God-inspired Scriptures. We will look at the meaning of the word ‘Testament’ in the context of Scripture and analyse the connections that exist between the two sections of Scripture. Making Pentateuch come alive from the vantage point of the Gosp...
Cultural and historical background of Jerusalem during Christ’s time.Spread of the NT Church and development of the church of the gentiles.Ecumenical Councils as well as key historical events. Synopsis What will be explored is a brief history of the NT church, starting with a cultural and historical insight of Jerusalem during Christ’s time, which was under Roman occupation at the time, and was heavily influenced by Greco-Roman culture. We will further delve into how the early church mai...
In today’s modern age, it has become a habit to use the terms ‘person’ and ‘individual’ as though they were synonyms, often using them indifferently to express the same thing, however, these two terms have opposite meaning. What this session will explore is the difference between these two terms, and how the goal of our life is a mode of existence and a reflection of the inner life of the Trinity. A relationship and communion, not only with God, but also with our neighbour, that calls us to t...
