THE MAIN POINTS IN THEODORE II DOUKAS LASKARIS (13TH CENTURY BYZANTINE EMPEROR, CLASSICIST AND TH... more THE MAIN POINTS IN THEODORE II DOUKAS LASKARIS (13TH CENTURY BYZANTINE EMPEROR, CLASSICIST AND THEOLOGIAN) REGARDING THE MEANING OF HIS LIST OF THE NAMES OF GOD
Είναι παράξενο που απ' αυτό τον κόσμο τελικά θα φύγω δίχως να'χω για όλα αυτά μιλήσει: Της ευτυχί... more Είναι παράξενο που απ' αυτό τον κόσμο τελικά θα φύγω δίχως να'χω για όλα αυτά μιλήσει: Της ευτυχίας τις στιγμές, τα μεσημέρια που σε πυρπολούν, τη μαύρη νύχτα την ατέλειωτη με τα ξανθωπά ξέφωτα… Τίποτε ίσως να μην είναι τόσο πολύτιμο όσο το λογαριάζαμε. Έρχονται κι άλλοι που'χουνε καρδιά σαν τη δική μου, που ξέρουνε ν' αγγίζουνε τη χλόη λέγοντας «σ' αγαπώ» και να ονειρεύονται το σούρουπο που σβήνουν οι φωνές.
A strange thing this world: one day I will exit without having said it all, those moments of happ... more A strange thing this world: one day I will exit without having said it all, those moments of happiness, those incendiary high noons, the endless black night with its blonde tearings… Maybe nothing is as precious as we think. Others will come-their heart just like my own; others who know how to touch the grass and say I love you, dream in the evening when voices die down.
By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered and confidently waiting, come what may, we know that ... more By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered and confidently waiting, come what may, we know that God is with us night and morning, and never fails to meet us each new day. Yet are our hearts by their old foe tormented; still evil days bring burdens hard to bear; O give our frightened souls the sure salvation for which, O Lord, you taught us to prepare. And when the cup you give is filled to brimming with bitter suffering, hard to understand, we take it gladly, trusting though with trembling, out of so good and so beloved a hand. If once again, in this mixed world, you give us the joy we had, the brightness of your sun, we shall recall what we have learned through sorrow, and dedicate our lives to you alone.
True as it is that, like Augustine, I am a latecomer to the Christian faith, it is equally true t... more True as it is that, like Augustine, I am a latecomer to the Christian faith, it is equally true that my introduction to the Ligonier Ministries happened even later-most recently in fact. Born in a Greek Orthodox country and culture I only knew of God via some church attendance and a list of do's and don'ts that would enhance my standing in society, already marked as 'excellent' by reason of academic performance. Only once during mass at the moment of the Greek Orthodox 'mysterious' and concealed from everyone's eyes ceremony of the Lord's Supper I remember having been deeply moved when imagining that a fine red rope would materialize and carry me like a hammock to the arms of a most loving God who was there but I had no access to Him… In the United States I moved further away from even the Greek Orthodox religion and ended up worshipping only the self and its accomplishments. But unlikely as that might seem, in view of my beginnings, I had a most unconventional awakening to faith at a time when my childhood desire to know that hidden God burnt my heart anew. Unaware not only of the Reformation-let alone denominations-but also of Western Christianity as a whole, I casually looked for a church where 'they would read the Bible', a book I had never actually seen in my life before a Gideon's Hotel copy came to my hands just for the asking. It made me extremely happy when, opening it at random the first time, I came across the verse in Exodus 'I AM THAT I AM'. What power! What substance! What a perspective to my human existence! To study this previously unknown to me book I went to BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) in my city which I attended for 7 years. In parallel I also sought the wisdom of some European Christian "old birds" driven by my own penchant for things 'old'. So Spurgeon's, the Puritans' and American Revivalists' sermons and texts got gradually added to my repertoire which I began consuming with encyclopedic voracity. But when a pastor took from his library 15 volumes of Spurgeon's sermons and gifted them to me I realized I might need to change the pace of my reading as it might require different skills. One thing remained a mystery to me however: who was Christ par rapport to God whom we all know in our heart to be One? Especially who was He for people in America who, most commendably, declared having an intimate personal relationship with Him but always talked of Jesus in nearly 'Super Star' terms which, to say the least, was scary to me? I carried those concerns with me, though somewhat attenuated after I did some further reading that seemed to be other than what I had first come to know about Christ in America. And then, after 30 years, I had to move back to Greece following unforeseen changes in my life. There (or rather here!) I easily managed not only to spot the less than 2% protestant believers in the country but also the few of those who were more like … the 'old birds' I had grown so fond of in the USA. One of them was the 95 yr old pastor of the church I attended and a neighbor, a most gracious Christian, to whom nevertheless I never dared confess my persisting Big Question as to 'who is who' in the Great I Am. It was in this pastor's house that just few years ago I met the British Jackman's: David and Heather; after church. The couple was shining with a light other than the one I had seen in the faces of many well-liked American Christians. Probably like the 'old birds'? A different kind of air filled the sunny Athenian living room when we began talking-maybe like the wind in John's Gospel that you don't know where it comes from and where it goes. At some point, and I forget the occasion, David Jackman (of the Proclamation Trust) quoted the verse from First Corinthians 15 "that God may be all in all" which reached me as the long awaited answer to the question I had never dared ask of anyone. At the time however I didn't fully realize its importance. For sure
THE MAIN POINTS IN THEODORE II DOUKAS LASKARIS (13TH CENTURY BYZANTINE EMPEROR, CLASSICIST AND TH... more THE MAIN POINTS IN THEODORE II DOUKAS LASKARIS (13TH CENTURY BYZANTINE EMPEROR, CLASSICIST AND THEOLOGIAN) REGARDING THE MEANING OF HIS LIST OF THE NAMES OF GOD
Είναι παράξενο που απ' αυτό τον κόσμο τελικά θα φύγω δίχως να'χω για όλα αυτά μιλήσει: Της ευτυχί... more Είναι παράξενο που απ' αυτό τον κόσμο τελικά θα φύγω δίχως να'χω για όλα αυτά μιλήσει: Της ευτυχίας τις στιγμές, τα μεσημέρια που σε πυρπολούν, τη μαύρη νύχτα την ατέλειωτη με τα ξανθωπά ξέφωτα… Τίποτε ίσως να μην είναι τόσο πολύτιμο όσο το λογαριάζαμε. Έρχονται κι άλλοι που'χουνε καρδιά σαν τη δική μου, που ξέρουνε ν' αγγίζουνε τη χλόη λέγοντας «σ' αγαπώ» και να ονειρεύονται το σούρουπο που σβήνουν οι φωνές.
A strange thing this world: one day I will exit without having said it all, those moments of happ... more A strange thing this world: one day I will exit without having said it all, those moments of happiness, those incendiary high noons, the endless black night with its blonde tearings… Maybe nothing is as precious as we think. Others will come-their heart just like my own; others who know how to touch the grass and say I love you, dream in the evening when voices die down.
By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered and confidently waiting, come what may, we know that ... more By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered and confidently waiting, come what may, we know that God is with us night and morning, and never fails to meet us each new day. Yet are our hearts by their old foe tormented; still evil days bring burdens hard to bear; O give our frightened souls the sure salvation for which, O Lord, you taught us to prepare. And when the cup you give is filled to brimming with bitter suffering, hard to understand, we take it gladly, trusting though with trembling, out of so good and so beloved a hand. If once again, in this mixed world, you give us the joy we had, the brightness of your sun, we shall recall what we have learned through sorrow, and dedicate our lives to you alone.
True as it is that, like Augustine, I am a latecomer to the Christian faith, it is equally true t... more True as it is that, like Augustine, I am a latecomer to the Christian faith, it is equally true that my introduction to the Ligonier Ministries happened even later-most recently in fact. Born in a Greek Orthodox country and culture I only knew of God via some church attendance and a list of do's and don'ts that would enhance my standing in society, already marked as 'excellent' by reason of academic performance. Only once during mass at the moment of the Greek Orthodox 'mysterious' and concealed from everyone's eyes ceremony of the Lord's Supper I remember having been deeply moved when imagining that a fine red rope would materialize and carry me like a hammock to the arms of a most loving God who was there but I had no access to Him… In the United States I moved further away from even the Greek Orthodox religion and ended up worshipping only the self and its accomplishments. But unlikely as that might seem, in view of my beginnings, I had a most unconventional awakening to faith at a time when my childhood desire to know that hidden God burnt my heart anew. Unaware not only of the Reformation-let alone denominations-but also of Western Christianity as a whole, I casually looked for a church where 'they would read the Bible', a book I had never actually seen in my life before a Gideon's Hotel copy came to my hands just for the asking. It made me extremely happy when, opening it at random the first time, I came across the verse in Exodus 'I AM THAT I AM'. What power! What substance! What a perspective to my human existence! To study this previously unknown to me book I went to BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) in my city which I attended for 7 years. In parallel I also sought the wisdom of some European Christian "old birds" driven by my own penchant for things 'old'. So Spurgeon's, the Puritans' and American Revivalists' sermons and texts got gradually added to my repertoire which I began consuming with encyclopedic voracity. But when a pastor took from his library 15 volumes of Spurgeon's sermons and gifted them to me I realized I might need to change the pace of my reading as it might require different skills. One thing remained a mystery to me however: who was Christ par rapport to God whom we all know in our heart to be One? Especially who was He for people in America who, most commendably, declared having an intimate personal relationship with Him but always talked of Jesus in nearly 'Super Star' terms which, to say the least, was scary to me? I carried those concerns with me, though somewhat attenuated after I did some further reading that seemed to be other than what I had first come to know about Christ in America. And then, after 30 years, I had to move back to Greece following unforeseen changes in my life. There (or rather here!) I easily managed not only to spot the less than 2% protestant believers in the country but also the few of those who were more like … the 'old birds' I had grown so fond of in the USA. One of them was the 95 yr old pastor of the church I attended and a neighbor, a most gracious Christian, to whom nevertheless I never dared confess my persisting Big Question as to 'who is who' in the Great I Am. It was in this pastor's house that just few years ago I met the British Jackman's: David and Heather; after church. The couple was shining with a light other than the one I had seen in the faces of many well-liked American Christians. Probably like the 'old birds'? A different kind of air filled the sunny Athenian living room when we began talking-maybe like the wind in John's Gospel that you don't know where it comes from and where it goes. At some point, and I forget the occasion, David Jackman (of the Proclamation Trust) quoted the verse from First Corinthians 15 "that God may be all in all" which reached me as the long awaited answer to the question I had never dared ask of anyone. At the time however I didn't fully realize its importance. For sure
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