St Andrew's Blog - Theology & Life

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The Canaanite Women in the Gospels: An Extraordinary Story of Faith and Humility

By Associate Professor Philip Kariatlis (Sub-Dean)

At the cusp of a special and spiritually uplifting period within the liturgical cycle of the Church year—namely, that of the Triodion and Holy and Great Lent, a distinct time of preparation, prayer, repentance and of spiritual struggle so that we may encounter our risen Lord on the day of the Resurrection—the Church, in all her wisdom, puts before us the story of the Canaanite woman. And as we shall see, the reason for this is so that we may be reminded of the importance of faith and humility for this journey that we are about to embark upon, so that we may be found ‘worthy’ to enter into the mystery of God’s Love...

The Unfolding of the Divine Drama of Salvation: Scripture, Hymnody and Iconography in the Orthodox Liturgical Celebration of Theophany

By Dr Lydia Gore-Jones (Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies)

In the season of Theophany, the worshipper in church sees with her own eyes and hears with her own ears the unfolding of the divine drama of our salvation, and is invited to take part in it. Yes, I am speaking about the sacred, sublime and utterly amazing liturgical acts of the Orthodox Church celebrating the manifestation of God in the flesh and His triumphal rescue of the human race, as Jesus Christ comes to the Jordan River to be baptised by John the Forerunner...

Your Birth, O Christ our God has shone upon the world the light of wisdom?...

Dear friends of St Andrew’s Theological College,

The whole world, indeed, all of us, strive for meaning and wisdom, especially in the face of so much futile conflict and combat that we are witnessing today; we all grapple for meaningfulness, to see things clearly and simply, in a world riddled with so many fretful anxieties and concerns. In response, many, today, turn to the knowledge of this world, to universities and to governments; many especially believe that answers lie within the realm of economics, in the strong and sustainable growth of respective nations. And yet, deep down, and beyond these worldly realties...

December 25th or January 7th? Why Do Orthodox Christians Celebrate Christmas on Different Days?

by Very Revd Fr Anastasios Bozikis (Associate Lecturer in Church History)

As we approach the end of the year and the great Feast of Christmas, Orthodox Christians in Australia will be celebrating the birth of our common Saviour on different days. Along with Christians of other traditions, Orthodox of Greek, Lebanese or Romanian extraction will be commemorating the Nativity on December 25 but those of North Macedonian, Russian or Serbian descent will be marking the Feast on January 7, thirteen days later. Quite apart from differences in language, customs and administrative structures amongst the Orthodox in this country, the disparity between our liturgical calendars...

Icons: Windows into Eternity

By Associate Professor Philip Kariatlis (Sub-Dean)

During the month of October, and more specifically on the Sunday that falls between the 11th and 17th of this month, the Church celebrates the memory of the Holy Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council (787AD)—those luminary witnesses to our faith in Jesus Christ our risen Lord—who triumphantly proclaimed the propriety of venerating icons. Far from simply being illustrative and historical representations of Christ and his ministry, or portraits of saintly men and women who lived a Christ-centred life all those years or centuries ago, icons bring us before—namely they make present—those who are depicted...

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