1/20: Righteous Euthymios the Great (G.O.)

I was unable to find any other sources for the biography of the Greek Orthodox Saint Euthymios apart from the Greek Orthodox calendar I use as my main reference.  Here is the full quotation of his biography, which is rather long, which comes from here:

"This Saint, who was from Melitene in Armenia, was the son of pious parents named Paul and Dionysia. He was born about 377. Since his mother had been barren, he was named Euthymius-which means "good cheer" or "joy"-for this is what his parents experienced at his birth. He studied under Eutroius, the Bishop of Melitene, by whom he was ordained and entrusted with the care of the monasteries of Melitene. Then, after he had come to Palestine about the year 406, he became the leader of a multitude of monks. Through him, a great tribe of Arabs was turned to piety, when he healed the ailing son of their leader Aspebetos. Aspebetos was baptized with all his people; he took the Christian name of Peter, and was later consecrated Bishop for his tribe, being called "Bishop of the Tents." Saint Euthymius also fought against the Nestorians, Eutychians, and Manichaeans. When Eudocia, the widow of Saint Theodosius the Younger, had made her dwelling in Palestine, and had fallen into the heresy of the Monophysites which was championed in Palestine by a certain Theodosius, she sent envoys to Saint Symeon the Stylite in Syria (see Sept. 1), asking him his opinion of Eutyches and the Council of Chalcedon which had condemned him; Saint Symeon, praising the holiness and Orthodoxy of Saint Euthymius near whom she dwelt, sent her to him to be delivered from her error (the holy Empress Eudocia is commemorated Aug. 13). He became the divine oracle of the Church, or rather, "the vessel of divine utterance," as a certain historian writes. He was the instructor and elder of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified. Having lived for ninety-six years, he reposed in 473, on January 20."

Euthymios' Catholic counterpart, St. Sebastian, is a patron saint of archers, physicians, soliders, and several police associations.  He is known for his martyrdom under Diocletian, and is widely represented in artistic iconography.  Not much is solidly known about St. Sebastian, but his story of martyrdom was very popular and influential even immediately following the time of his death.  Sebastian reportedly enrolled in the Roman army in an effort to relieve the persecution of believers in secret.  However, he was found out, and this is what led to him being tied up and shot with arrows.

(Recognize him?)  It is believed he survived this attempt on his life, and reportedly after recovering made it into the presence of the emperor, whom he chided for his persecution of Christianity.  The emperor was annoyed that Sebastian had survived his first attempted execution, and had Sebastian stoned.

1/19: St. Fabian (Catholic)

The information about today's saints is pretty sparse.

St. Fabian was one of the early popes of Rome.  He was a Roman layman that came into Rome as people and clergy were trying to decide on a new pope.  A dove landed on Fabian, and the church historian Eusebius and others noticed this, and he was elected unanimously to the papal station.  According to his Wikipedia page, he sent out several bishops into Gaul to spread the gospel, and was martyred under the persecution of the Roman emperor Decius on January 20, 250 A.D.  His feast day is celebrated tomorrow.

I was unable to find any biographical information on the Greek Orthodox saint that is remembered today, Makarios the Great of Egypt.  Here is the liturgy assigned for his remembrance:

1/18: Athanasios & Cyril, Patriarchs of Alexandria (G.O.)

There are two people remembered today in the Greek Orthodox tradition, listed below:

Athanasios (or Athanasius), c. 293-373.

Cyril of Alexandria, c. 376-444.

Athanasisus of Alexandria is one of the most influential early church fathers. He was the Bishop of Alexandria, and played a major role in disputing the teachings of Arius, after whom Arianism is named.  He was present at the First Council of Nicaea, where the first version of the Nicene Creed was agreed upon.  These councils played a major part in the development of the theology of the Trinity.  Athanasius is also credited with being the first person to identify the 27 books that are included in the New Testament.

Cyril of Alexandria was the Pope of Alexandria and was involved in his own theological controversy.  Throughout the history of the early church, there were competing philosophies developed in Antioch and Alexandria, and Cyril came into conflict with Nestorius, who although he was Archbishop of Constantinople, was from Antioch.  Their conflict spanned both Christology and Mariology, and I will include this lengthy quote from Wikipedia, which summarizes it better than I could.

Conflict with Nestorius

Another major conflict was between the Alexandrian and Antiochian schools of ecclesiastical reflection, piety, and discourse. This long running conflict widened with the third canon of theFirst Council of Constantinople which granted the see of Constantinople primacy over the older sees of Alexandria and Antioch. Thus, the struggle between the sees of Alexandria and Antioch now included Constantinople. The conflict came to a head in 428 after Nestorius, who originated in Antioch, was made Archbishop of Constantinople.^[9]

Cyril gained an opportunity to restore Alexandria's pre-eminance over both Antioch and Constantinople when an Antiochine priest who was in Constantinople at Nestorius' behest began to preach against calling Mary the "Mother of God". As the term "Mother of God" had long been attached to Mary, the laity in Constantinople complained against the priest. Rather than repudiating the priest, Nestorius intervened on his behalf. Nestorius argued that Mary was neither a "Mother of Man" nor "Mother of God" as these refered to Christ's two natures. Rather, Mary was the "Mother of Christ" which refered the the unified person of Christ. This however only stoked the fires. Eusebius of Dorylaeum went so far as to accuse Nestorius ofadoptionism. By this time, news of the controversy in the capital had reached Alexandria. At Easter 429 A.D., Cyril wrote a letter to the Egyptian monks warning them of Nestorius' views. A copy of this letter reached Constantinople where Nestorius preached a sermon against it. This began a series of letters between Cyril and Nestorius which gradually became more strident in tone. In retrospect it is obvious that both Patriarchs were as much interested in ecclesiastical politics as in the theology of the matter.^[10] Finally, Emperor Theodosius II convoked acouncil in Ephesus to solve the dispute. Ephesus was friendly to Cyril^{[citation needed]}, Cyril and his supporters started and concluded the Council of Ephesus (in 431) before Nestorius and his supporters had even got there; predictably, the Council ordered the deposition and exile of Nestorius.

However, when John of Antioch and the other pro-Nestorius bishops finally reached Ephesus, they assembled their own Council, condemned Cyril for heresy, deposed him from his see, and labelled him as a monster, born and educated for the destruction of the church^[11]. Theodosius, by now old enough to hold power by himself, annulled the verdict of the Council and arrested Cyril, but Cyril eventually escaped. Having fled to Egypt, Cyril bribed Theodosius' courtiers, and sent a mob lead by Dalmatius, a hermit, to besiege Theodosius' palace, and shout abuse; the Emperor eventually gave in, sending Nestorius into minor exile (Upper Egypt)^[11]. The events created a major schism, forming the Assyrian Church of the East.

Cyril died about 444, but the controversies were to continue for decades, from the "Robber Synod" of Ephesus (449) to the Council of Chalcedon (451) and beyond.

(Editorial note: if there is anyone reading this who knows of a better or more authoritative online source for this information than Wikipedia, please let me know!  I'd be happy to consult it instead if it exists.)

Alexandria, in retrospect, was the home of some very controversial figures and events!

In the Catholic church, today's saint is St. Charles of Sezze, who lived from 1613-1670.  St. Charles was a lay Franciscan, and lived a quiet and faithful life of service.  He did not hold any high stations, and yet was known well enough in his time to be sought out by the then-dying Pope Clement IX for a blessing.  Perhaps more than any other saint that I have written about here, his lifestyle is the most attainable and the most desired.  To live a life of simple service is an honor.

01/15: Day of St. Paul the Hermit, 233-345. (Catholic)

Today is a day that belongs to hermits and cave dwellers.  

In the Catholic church, the saint remembered on 1/15 is St. Paul the Hermit (aka Paul of Thebes), depicted above.  He is also called "the first hermit."  St. Paul the Hermit was reportedly born in Egypt, orphaned at 15, and was considered devout at a young age.  According to American Catholic's website, his seclusion began out of fear, and he stayed much longer than intended: 

 During the persecution of Decius in Egypt in the year 250, Paul was forced to hide in the home of a friend. Fearing a brother-in-law would betray him, he fled in a cave in the desert. His plan was to return once the persecution ended, but the sweetness of solitude and heavenly contemplation convinced him to stay.

He went on to live in that cave for the next 90 years. A nearby spring gave him drink, a palm tree furnished him clothing and nourishment. After 21 years of solitude a bird began bringing him half of a loaf of bread each day. Without knowing what was happening in the world, Paul prayed that the world would become a better place.

American Catholic's biography of St. Paul the Hermit also admits that we do not know how much of this story is true, and how much is fabled.  His story is, however, entwined with and upheld by St. Anthony the Great, the far more famous hermit.

In the Greek Orthodox church, the saint celebrated today is St. John the Cave Dweller.  I wasn't able to find as much about this saint, but I've included a portion of  the reading from the the goarch.org site.  Go here to find the rest of the reading.

01/13: Afterfeast of the Theophany of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (G.O)

Today marks the seventh and final day since the Theophany in the Greek Orthodox tradition. It is also called the Epiphany, and is observed on the same day in the Catholic church as well.  This holiday celebrates the incarnation of Christ, and is also intended to mark the manifestation of Christ to the Magi, at his baptism, and at the wedding in Cana.

Below is the liturgy provided by goarch.org, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America's website for today:

At this point, I don't know what Apolytikion or Kontakion means, nor do I know the significance of the icon represented here. As the year progresses, I hope to learn more about this. 

The Greek Orthodox Church also remembers Hermylos and Stratonikos today. Below is a part of the liturgy available regarding these saints:

In the Catholic tradition, today's saint is the French St. Hilary of Poitiers, who lived from c.315-368 and was involved in defending the church against the orthodox heresy of Arianism.  A couple interesting facts about St. Hilary: he did not convert to Christianity until he was in his 30s, and was forced to become Bishop of Poitiers against his will.  He was exiled for not supporting Arianism and for refusing to denounce Athanasius, another early church leader.  His works were read and affirmed by other scholars, including St. Augustine. Below is a representation of St. Hilary's ordination. 

(A quick editorial note: I apologize for not having a post up yesterday; my alarm didn't wake me, and I wasn't able to post later in the day.  I hope to remain on schedule moving forward.)

Having grown up as a Protestant in the Methodist tradition, I had very little contact with either Catholic or Greek Orthodox churches. I consider that a detriment, since these two institutions contain two millennia of tradition, ritual, and thought.

For various reasons, many Protestant traditions have discarded things that could be beneficial to understanding the history of the faith. The traditions of these two great institutions are very different than the many Protestant traditions, and I believe have much to offer me personally.

I intend for this blog to be an extended writing exercise. By following both the Catholic and Greek Orthodox religious calendars, I intend to learn more about the many religious holidays that Protestants either do not observe or do not emphasize to the same degree that Catholic and Greek Orthodox congregations do. I will also write about the different saints that are remembered each day in both faiths, and either provide or link to a biography of these saints. (Do not be surprised if I explore larger themes as well, i.e. differences between G.O., "Protestant," & Catholic beliefs, varying views on sainthood, etc.)

Obviously, I do not write anything here as a member of either the Greek Orthodox or Catholic faith. I do adhere to the Nicene Creed, however, and in that respect have similar foundational beliefs. I do not mean any offense by exploring these things here, and have only the utmost respect for Greek Orthodox and Catholic traditions.

This is also a very web-friendly blog. I will state here that this blog is largely informal, and I will be referring to information made available online for everything I post. For the time being, the sources I will use for the Catholic saints is here, the Greek saints and holidays here, and the Catholic religious holidays here. If I update these sources, I will make a note of it.

New entries will begin tomorrow, and should be updated daily in the morning.