Orthodox Wisdom

An interview with Elder Justin Parvu of Petru Vodă Monastery (Romania) given on October 7th, 2009. Elder Justin spent 16 years in prison under the communists and tirelessly served the Romanian people until his repose on June 16th, 2013. Read a brief account of his life with the text of this interview below.The vaccine Elder Justin is referring to is likely the mandated vaccine for the 2009 swine flu outbreak.📖 The Pinnacle of Nihilism: An Interview With Elder Justin Parvuhttps://www.nepsisblog.com/2025/03/the-pinnacle-of-nihilism-interview-with.html🎧 On Our Times - St. Paisios the Athonitehttps://youtu.be/0KIEmH-qt2Q🎧 Sermon on the 1910 Cholera Pandemic - St. Peter Zverevhttps://youtu.be/gBYKptqJ-pI🎧 How to Understand the Jews as Being a Chosen People: An Orthodox Analysishttps://youtu.be/Zwtcox3ivCs⛪ FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodox-world.org/https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/_______Elder Justin teaches:I urge you not to seek solutions anymore. There are no human solutions, my dear ones! The solution is death for Christ. That is why I tell you, have trust that the Lord will give you the strength to confess Him. We live in an anarchic world; the entire political class is hostile to Christ and serves evil. Therefore, simply living without renouncing our Christian principles is a daily testimony and martyrdom.So, do not accept this vaccine and anything new brought by today's political powers. The Jews rule the world, and the Americans work for them, believing they have come to dominate it because they have no more shame.Our only weapons are spiritual: prayer, humility, love, and also confession. There cannot be love without confession [of faith]. Love is sacrificial, and if we are afraid to confess the truth, what sacrifice do we have? Or if we do not care about our neighbor who is ignorant and do not inform him, letting him fall prey to this system, what love do we have? Those who still fight today to awaken their brother, who have not remained indifferent to the future of their nation and their Church, are children of God's love, who lay down their lives for their brothers.If [political rule] opposes Christ, the voice of that ruling should no longer be obeyed. What kind of rulership is this that gives us poisoned bread to eat? That kills our children?Man comes to be formed in the Church, and what formation do we give if we preach the same teachings as the anti-Christian state? The Church is not indifferent to this entire political and social conjuncture and is obliged to be involved both in society and politics, as long as political laws hinder God's commandment. The priest, at ordination, swears to submit to God and His commandments, but also to state authority. To whom do we swear? Presidents and parliamentarians who legalize prostitution and [the micro]chip?It is not enough to confess a truth only to those under your epitrachelion; it must be proclaimed to everyone. We have a duty to bring the truth to light. You can withdraw out of strategy, but how long does this strategy last? The people suffer from so much strategy, and [to the point that] we do nothing. Let us not confuse strategy with laying down arms.Our greatest problem now is that we find ourselves in the darkness of ignorance and consider the sin of ignorance a great privilege. This generation has reached the pinnacle of nihilism. And what if they do this? Ah! It's nothing! You take the chip: Ah, it's nothing! You serve with the Catholics: Ah, it's nothing, and so on… everything is nothing. Nihilism has given birth to this libertinism, and this state somehow entitles you to do anything, whatever you want; to mix light with darkness, to go with both God and Mammon. In this case, we are no longer disciples of Christ._______Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

St. Tikhon’s pointed advice to monk suffering from apathy and despondency. “If you follow these four instructions, believe me, little by little you will attain both zeal and inclination.”📖 Read St Tikhon’s letter here:https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/a8455a5a/files/uploaded/Moot%201.1.pdf🎧 On Love for God - St. Tikhon of Zadonskhttps://youtu.be/-OTb5r9wHlA🎧 Duties of Husbands & Wives in Marriage - St. Tikhon of Zadonskhttps://youtu.be/noirUMn89ac⛪ FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodox-world.org/https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/_______St. Tikhon writes:I see from your letter that you have been assailed by the spirit of dejection. This is a grievous passion, against which Christians seeking salvation must struggle fiercely.As a lazy horse, driven by a whip, is compelled by man to walk and to trot, even so must we coerce ourselves into performing every kind of labor, and how the more to pray. God, beholding your efforts and your labor will grant you zeal and inclination.Zeal is acquired by variety in our occupations- that is, by turning from one task to another. And so you must do as follows: pray, then perform some manual task, then read a book, then meditate on your spiritual condition, on eternal salvation, and so on. And do these things alternately. If dejection grips you fiercely, leave your room, and walking up and down, meditate on Christ; lift your mind to God and pray. Thus dejection will leave you.If you follow these four instructions, believe me, little by little you will attain both zeal and inclination._______Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

A homily to stir up our hard hearts to sincerely repent, both now, wherever we are, and before our priest where we receive reconciliation with Christ and the Church.Reading from: Season of Repentance: Lenten Homilies of Saint John of Kronstadt, p. 76-81📖 Season of Repentance: Lenten Homilies of Saint John of Kronstadthttps://bookstore.jordanville.org/9780884653844📖 My Life in Christ by St. John of Kronstadthttps://bookstore.jordanville.org/my-life-in-christ-Hardcover📖 The Life of Saint John of Kronstadthttps://www.bostonmonks.com/product_info.php/products_id/986?srsltid=AfmBOooRVQ-AviJsWWeLqIOZ2qhT6w-7YTpOEEjKKMnVb_k_wRxJ4x2M🎧 Difficulties in Prayer - St. John of Kronstadthttps://youtu.be/9b6nz3ZfJCs🎧 What Has the Feast of Pascha Left In Our Souls? - St. John of Kronstadthttps://youtu.be/uWCkPqxuBt8⛪ FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodox-world.org/https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/_______St. John teaches:What is required of a repentant person is compunction for his sins, the intention to correct his life, faith in Christ, and hope in His mercy.A great number of people come to confession with complete indifference in their souls, and, if they were not asked anything, they would either say nothing, or would speak very generally about how they "are sinful, spiritual father, having committed every sin." If only they said that in sincere recognition of their guilt, but no, what is worse, they say that without any conscience of their sins, and often they do it so that confession will be over quickly. Beloved! Let us not turn God's deed of extreme mercy toward us sinners into an occasion for God's wrath. Why are we so insensitive?! Have we nothing to regret during confession?!Can you not see your sins? Pray to God, so that He will grant you to see them; it is not in vain that you have often repeated after the priest in Church: Lord! Grant me to see my failings!The intention to correct his life is also required of the repentant person; pay attention to this. On your way to confession, tell yourself: after confession I will try with all my strength to correct my life from all the sins of which I wish to repent. I will deceive myself no more;I will not lie to God, nor will I insult again the mystery of repentance. Help me, Lord; strengthen the powers of my soul, Lord!Finally, a repentant person also must have faith in Christ and hope in His mercy. Every person who approaches confession must believe that during the Mystery Christ Himself stands invisibly and receives his confession; he must believe that only Christ can forgive sins, as He, through His suffering, through His Most-Pure Blood, and through His death, obtained for Himself from the Heavenly Father the right to forgive us all our transgressions without insulting the divine justice, and that He, according to His mercy, is always ready to forgive our every sin, if only we confess them with heartfelt compunction and have the intention to be better from now on, and to have faith in Him in our hearts. “Your faith has made you well. Go in peace” (Mark 5:34). He speaks within each person who repents as he should, after receiving absolution from the priest.Let us all repent with pure hearts; let us all take care to correct our lives; let us bring to God the fruits of repentance. Amen._______Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

Abba Pambo, a 4th century Egyptian desert father, speaks prophetically about the state of the Church and the world in the last times.📖 Text is from the Gerondikon (Sayings of the Desert Fathers). The translation I read can be found here:https://orthodoxheritage.org/2003%20Issues.pdf🎧 The 38 Sayings of St. Anthony the Greathttps://youtu.be/YNh81oWWJUc⛪ FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery: https://orthodox-world.org/https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/_______And I’ll tell you this, my child, that the days will come when the Christians will add to and will take away from, and will alter the books of the Holy Evangelists, and of the Holy Apostles, and of the Divine Prophets, and of the Holy Fathers. They’ll tone down the Holy Scriptures and will compose troparia, hymns, and writings technologically.The church leaders will consider useless anything concerned with salvation, as much for their own souls as for the souls of their flocks, and they will despise any such concern. All will show eagerness and energy for every matter regarding their dining table and their appetites. They’ll be lazy in their prayers and casual in their criticisms.As for the lives and teachings of the Holy Fathers, they’ll not have any interest to imitate them, nor even to hear them. But rather they will complain and say that “if we had lived in those times, then we’d have behaved like that”.And the bishops shall give way to the powerful of the world, giving answers on different matters only after taking gifts from everywhere and consulting the rational logic of the academics. The poorman’s rights will not be defended, they’ll afflict widows, and harass orphans. Debauchery will permeate these people. Most won’t believe in God, they’ll hate each other and devour oneanother like beasts. The one will steal from the other, they’ll be drunk and will walk about as blind.The disciple again asked: What can we do, in such a state?And Abba Pambo answered: My child, in these times whoever will save his soul and prompt others to be saved will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven._______Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

St. John Maximovitch describes the usual journey of the soul after death and how those still on earth can best help departed souls to be uplifted by the grace of God.Text here: http://livingorthodoxfaith.blogspot.com/2009/11/life-after-death-by-st-john-maximovitch.html?m=1📖 Man of God: St. John of Shanghai and San Franciscohttps://hvcbookstore.com/St-John-of-SF/Man-of-God📖 The Soul After Death by Fr. Seraphim Rosehttps://www.sainthermanmonastery.com/product-p/sad.htm📖 The Orthodox Veneration of the Mother of God by St. John Maximovitchhttps://www.sainthermanmonastery.com/product-p/ven.htm🎧 An Exorcism In Our Own Days by St. John Maximovitchhttps://youtu.be/HA7_5npF2Oc⛪ FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodox-world.org/https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/_______But when it leaves the body, the soul finds itself among other spirits, good and evil. Usually it inclines toward those which are more akin to it in spirit, and if while in the body it was under the influence of certain ones, it will remain in dependence upon them when it leaves the body, however unpleasant they may turn out to be upon encountering them.At this time (the third day), it passes through legions of evil spirits which obstruct its path and accuse it of various sins, to which they themselves had tempted it. According to various revelations there are twenty such obstacles, the so-called “toll-houses,” at each of which one or another form of sin is tested; after passing through one the soul comes upon the next one, and only after successfully passing through all of them can the soul continue its path without being immediately cast into gehenna. Some souls find themselves (after the forty days) in a condition of foretasting eternal joy and blessedness, and others in fear of the eternal tortures which will come in full after the Last Judgment. Until then changes are still possible in the condition of souls, especially through offering for them the Bloodless Sacrifice (commemoration at the Liturgy), and likewise by other prayers.O relatives and close ones of the dead! Do for them what is needful for them and what is within your power. Use your money not for outward adornment of the coffin and grave, but in order to help those in need, in memory of your close ones who have died, for churches, where prayers for them are offered. Show mercy to the dead, take care for their souls. Before us all stands that same path, and how we shall then wish that we would be remembered in prayer! Let us therefore be ourselves merciful to the dead._______Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

So many in the West today are learning about Orthodoxy but may not yet have a concrete answer to the fundamental question: What is Orthodoxy? Archbishop Averky offers us the answer. 📖 What is Orthodoxy? (Orthodox Life, May-June, 1976) https://orthodoxlifemagazines.blogspot.com/2015/10/v41-1.html 🎧 Archbishop Averky: His Significance for the Ecumenical Orthodox Church - by Fr. Seraphim Rose https://youtu.be/04DCg8rZsDg 🎧 I Have Not Come To Bring Peace, But A Sword - Archbishop Averky of Jordanville https://youtu.be/e3FiL7CCN9M ⛪ FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodox-world.org/ https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ _______ Alas! How few people there are in our times, even among the educated, and at times even among contemporary "theologians" and those in the ranks of the clergy, who understand correctly what Orthodoxy is and wherein its essence lies. They approach this question in an utterly external, formal manner and resolve it too primitively, even naively, overlooking its depths completely and not at all seeing the fullness of its spiritual contents. The superficial opinion of the majority notwithstanding, Orthodoxy is not merely another of the many "Christian confessions" now in existence, or as it is expressed here in America "denominations." Orthodoxy is the true, undistorted, unperverted by any human sophistry or invention, genuine teaching of Christ in all its purity and fullness — the teaching of faith and piety which is life according to the Faith. Orthodoxy is not only the sum total of dogmas accepted as true in a purely formal manner. It is not only theory, but practice; it is not only right Faith, but a life which agrees in everything with this Faith. The true Orthodox Christian is not only he who thinks in an Orthodox manner, but who feels according to Orthodoxy and lives Orthodoxy, who strives to embody the true Orthodox teaching of Christ in his life. At the same tire one must realize and remember that Orthodoxy is not only and always that which is officially called "Orthodox," for in our false and evil times the appearance everywhere of pseudo-Orthodoxy which raises its head and is established in the world is an extremely grievous but, regrettably, an already unquestionable fact. This false Orthodoxy strives fiercely to substitute itself for true Orthodoxy, as in his time Antichrist will strive to supplant and, replace Christ with himself. Orthodoxy is not merely some type of purely earthly organization which is headed by patriarchs, bishops and priests who hold the ministry in the Church which offically is called "Orthodox." Orthodoxy is the mystical "Body of Christ," the Head of which is Christ Himself (see Eph. 1:22-23 and Col. 1:18, 24 et seq.), and its composition includes not only priests but all who truly believe in Christ, who have entered in a lawful way through Holy Baptism into the Church He founded, those living upon the earth and those who have died in the Faith and in piety. _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

The full passage of St. Paisios’ famous saying: Be the Bee Reading from “Spiritual Counsels, Vol. III: Spiritual Struggle”, p. 29-31 📖 “Spiritual Counsels, Vol. III”: https://www.holycross.org/products/spiritual-struggle-elder-paisios?srsltid=AfmBOooXR9CN7PYCrw_LtAPzstMv45LrxH5kcB9DeLsMIOd7zKxBD9gj 🎧 Spiritual Laws - St. Paisios the Athonite https://youtu.be/8E9PIINma_Q 🎧 The Fragrance of Reverence - St. Paisios the Athonite https://youtu.be/RVEI8v6IXqU ⛪ FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery: https://orthodox-world.org/ https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ _______ Some people tell me that they are scandalized because they see many things wrong in the Church. I tell them that if you ask a fly, "Are there any flowers in this area?" it will say, "I don't know about flowers, but over there in that heap of rubbish you can find all the filth you want." And it will go on to list all the unclean things it has been to. Now, if you ask a honeybee, "Have you seen any unclean things in this area?", it will reply, "Unclean things? No, I have not seen any; the place here is full of the most fragrant flowers." And it will go on to name all the flowers of the garden or the meadow. You see, the fly only knows where the unclean things are, while the honeybee knows where the beautiful iris or the hyacinth is… As I have come to understand, some people resemble the honeybee and some resemble the fly. Those who resemble the fly seek to find evil in every circumstance and are preoccupied with it; they see no good anywhere. But those who resemble the honeybee only see the good in everything they see. The stupid person thinks stupidly and takes everything in the wrong way, whereas the person who has good thoughts, no matter what he see, no matter what you tell him, maintains a positive and good thought. _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

"The striking phrase, 'God is dead,' is the poetical expression of modern unbelief", writes Eugene (Fr. Seraphim) Rose in his short but piercing analysis of the modern world and its apostasy. Christianity in the West fell long ago and its departure from the True Church, Holy Orthodoxy, is more and more evident. See the links below for more from Fr. Seraphim on this issue. 📖 The Orthodox Word, Jul-Aug 1966, Issue #9 https://deathtotheworld.com/articles/the-self-liquidation-of-christianity/ https://archive.org/details/100101V17N05061981SepOctNovDec/009%20V02N03%201966%20Jul%20Aug/page/n1/mode/2up 📖 Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age by Eugene (Fr. Seraphim) Rose https://www.sainthermanmonastery.com/product-p/nihil.htm 📖🎧 Orthodox Survival Course by Fr. Seraphim Rose https://saintkosmas.org/orthodox-survival-course 🎧 Worldly Idealism, Social Mission, and the Kingdom Not of This World - Eugene (Fr. Seraphim) Rose https://youtu.be/vPlxSlHoDTs 🎧 The Holy Fathers of Orthodox Spirituality, Pt. I - Fr. Seraphim Rose https://youtu.be/ZEDGphNMUw0 ⛪ FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery: https://orthodox-world.org/ https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ _______ Fr. Seraphim writes: The striking phrase, "God is dead," is the poetical expression of modern unbelief. Much is expressed in this phrase that is not to be found in the more prosaic expressions of modern atheism and agnosticism. A vivid contrast is established between a previous age when men believed in God and based their life and institutions upon Him, and a new age for whose inhabitants, supposedly, this once all-illuminating sun has been blotted out, and life and society must be given a new orientation. The contemporary controversy, however, centers about a new and unusual phenomenon: it is now "Christians" who are the unbelievers. Yet in a sense this too is the logical culmination of an historical process that began in the West with the schism of the Church of Rome. Separated for over nine centuries from the Church of Christ, Western Christendom has possessed only a steadily-evaporating residue of the genuine Christianity preserved by Holy Orthodoxy. For Western Christendom God is indeed dead, and its leaders only prepare for the advent of the enemy of God, Antichrist. But Orthodox Christians know the living God and dwell within the saving enclosure of His True Church. It is here, in faithful and fervent following of the unchanging Orthodox path - and not in the dazzling "ecumenical" union with the new infidels that is pursued by Orthodox modernists that our salvation is to be found. _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

Elder Aimilianos the Athonite discusses the post-industrial and digital information era, its blessings and dangers, and how Orthodox Christians can preserve a true life in Christ. As he says, "In post-industrial society, [people] are also becoming consumers and slaves to images and information, which fill their lives. Restraint and spiritual vigilance are... a weapon... which abolishes the servitude of humanity and preserves our health and sovereignty as children of God." 📖 Orthodox Spirituality and the Technological Revolution https://deathtotheworld.com/articles/orthodox-spirituality-and-the-technological-revolution/ 📖 The Life and Teachings of Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra, "The Orthodox Word", St. Herman of Alaska Press https://www.scribd.com/document/412122487/Orthodox-Word-296-2014-G-Aimilianos 🎧 On Reception into the Orthodox Church - Elder Aimilianos Receives Roman Catholic Fr. Placide https://youtu.be/OnRLdIWrfaE 🎧 Marriage: The Great Sacrament - Elder Aimilianos of Mount Athos https://youtu.be/V7dnuDo48zQ 🎧 The Divine Liturgy: The Window of Heaven - Elder Aimilianos https://youtu.be/DafPBuGokEE ⛪ FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery: https://orthodox-world.org/ https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ Text is from “The Authentic Seal: Spiritual Instruction and Discourses” by Archimandrite Aimilianos. These talks were given between 1968 and 1994. I am not certain when this present talk was given. _______ Elder Aimilianos teaches: Through the blessings of God and wearisome toil, the gradual appearance of technology from agriculture through to industrialization thus provides Man with the opportunity to retain his position as lord over nature, despite the ancestral Fall. Technology is occasioned by Man’s powers of reason and is a way of compensating for his weakness, as against animals, which have sufficient strength to survive, as against the forces of nature, the necessities of life (Gregory of Nyssa, PG 44, 140D-144AB) and so on. It is natural that the rapid progress in nuclear physics and in genetics should open up new scientific horizons, but also create problems and dangers for the human race, so it is obvious that there is an imperative need for moral intervention in the field of technology. What is worrying is the absurd and “carefree” optimism of many scientists and political agencies. According to them, technological development contains within itself the solution to the problems which it causes, and hence it ought not to be trammelled, so that “technical solutions” to the various problems can arise. For example, who can exercise control in an ideological regime, when they are deliberately seeking to create a type of technological man? The saying of Saint Paul applies here: “Let do us do evil, that good may come” (Rom. 3:8). In general terms, our watchword should be: “Let the common aim be the meeting of a need” (PG 31, 968B). And Saint Peter the Damascene adds: “For everything which does not serve a pressing need, becomes an obstacle to those who would be saved; everything, that is. which does not contribute to the salvation of the soul or to the life of the body” (Philokalia, vol. III, p. 69, 11. 32-34). These principles are certainly not for monasteries alone. They could be guidelines for control over technology, unless we want to be exterminated. In the industrial era, people became consumers and slaves to things produced. In post-industrial society, they are also becoming consumers and slaves to images and information, which fill their lives. Restraint and spiritual vigilance are, for all those who come into the world, a weapon made ready from the experience of the monastic life and Orthodox Tradition in general, one which abolishes the servitude of humanity and preserves our health and sovereignty as children of God. _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

A thorough examination of Fr. Alexander Schmemann's views on the historical development and meaning of the Orthodox Church's prayer and worship. Fr. Michael Pomazansky, author of the popular book Orthodox Dogmatic Theology, provides an antidote to the poisonous stance of Fr. Alexander, which Fr. Seraphim Rose warns of, describing it as "the inevitable iconoclastic conclusions from Fr. Schmemann's already Protestant views". 0:00 Beginning 0:11 Introduction by Fr. Seraphim "Renovated Orthodoxy": The Liturgical Theology of Father A. Schmemann 2:10 Article Begins 3:50 The Orthodox Liturgical Order 9:51 The Constantinian Era 13:37 The Sacraments and the Sanctifying Element In Sacred Rites 21:53 The Hierarchy and the Sacrament of Priesthood 28:13 The Invocation and Glorification of Saints 41:43 Church Feasts 48:30 Conclusion Letters 51:13 "If Fr. Schmemann is their 'theologian'..." -Fr. Seraphim, Apr 26/May 9, 1970 52:31 “Who are not Orthodox” -Fr. Seraphim, June 8/21, 1970 📖 "Renovated Orthodoxy": The Liturgical Theology of Father A. Schmemann (published both by Holy Trinity Publications and St. Herman Press) http://orthodoxinfo.com/phronema/pom_lit.aspx https://archive.org/details/100101V17N05061981SepOctNovDec/035%20V06N06%201970%20Nov%20Dec/ 📖 Selected Essays of Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky https://bookstore.jordanville.org/9780884651451 📖 Unpublished Letters of Fr. Seraphim https://thoughtsintrusive.wordpress.com/letters-of-fr-seraphim-rose-1961-1982/ ⛪ FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery: https://orthodox-world.org/ https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ _______ In this article the work on liturgical theology of one well known and widely respected contemporary Russian theologian is carefully criticized and its "reformist" tendency pointed out. In all fairness it should be noted that Fr. Schmemann probably does not see himself as a 'reformer," and it will doubtless be left to other less sensitive souls, another generation removed from the life of genuine Orthodoxy, to draw the inevitable iconoclastic conclusions from Fr. Schmemann's already Protestant views. -Fr. Seraphim Rose, Introduction The author is convinced that he has succeeded, as he expresses it, in "escaping Western captivity" while using non-Orthodox sources. He avoids the extreme affirmations of Protestant historians. He writes: "We categorically reject the understanding of the Peace of Constantine (i.e., the era of Constantine the Great) as a 'pseudo-victory' of Christianity — victory bought at the price of compromise." But such affirmations are not enough in themselves, and we consider it our obligation to focus attention on the book's contents in one respect: has the author indeed escaped Western captivity? As many facts testify, he has in fact not escaped it. -Fr. Michael Pomazansky Basing himself on the ready conclusions of Western researchers in his judgements on the ancient Church, the author pays no attention to the direct evidence of the apostolic writings, even though they have the primary significance as memorials in the life of the early Christian Church. -Fr. Michael Pomazansky And which for us is more necessary and important: to strive for ecumenical communion and union with those who think differently and who remain in their different opinion, or to preserve catholic communion of spirit with those teachers of faith, luminaries of faith, who by their life and by their death showed faithfulness to Christ and His Church and entered into yet fuller union with Her Head? -Fr. Michael Pomazansky _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!