Terms, the Resources of the Church, and the Understanding of the Bible Fr. Dr. Andria Saria In the history of Christian literature, one of the main terms that we must examine in order to continue our discussion is the meaning of dogma and doxa. Earlier, we spoke about dogma and economia. The word dogma has often been misunderstood because it has received many different interpretations. This is especially true among people who think that the Orthodox Church is simply a system

photo by Valentin Balan In the history of Christian literature, one of the main terms that we must examine in order to continue our discussion is the meaning of dogma and doxa. Earlier we spoke about dogma and economia. The word dogma has often been misunderstood because it has received many different interpretations. This is especially true among people who think that the Orthodox Church is simply a system made up of rigid dogmas and rules. Such a misunderstanding has also b

Fr. Dr. Andria Saria Today’s meeting is dedicated to a very painful topic and question that we often hear, and about which we almost never have a sufficient or convincing answer. Why is it that we are told that Christians have one God and one Bible, yet we have so many differences and divisions among us? A person who does not seriously study Christian history and its modern life may list five or six different Christian denominations that he knows. For those who know more, the

I could begin this lecture with many topics: with the first lines of the Nicene Creed or with any catechism textbook. However, before touching on these matters, I want to start with the meaning of the Church itself. This may sound simple, even childlike, but everything important begins with something simple. “I believe… (The Nicene Creed)… in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” As we see, this is a matter of faith, because the words begin with “I believe.” It is not

Fr. Dr. Andria Saria This section gives a general overview of Georgian ecclesiastical–historical literature and its main character. It also discusses the beginning of complex Georgian hagiographical writing, especially translations. Hagiography developed in Georgia both before the tenth century and after it.Hagiography comes from the Greek words “hagios” (holy) and “grapho” (to write). It is a part of Christian religious literature that describes the lives, works, and sometim

Fr. Dr. Andria Saria After the resurrection of Christ, the first appearance of the risen Christ was to Mary Magdalene. This is because this period, when the body of Christ was gloriously raised from the dead, was a time of mourning and sadness. So the first witness is a woman. The Gospel says: “Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb” (John 20:1–3). She went to see and understand what happened. Mary Magdalene is

Fr. Andria Saria From a distance, church life seems to be made up of many rules and prohibitions. Modern thinking does not like this very much, because we see ourselves as free people. We are especially afraid that someone might limit our ability to think. Church dogmas often appear to us as laws that restrict our thinking. For this reason, this topic has been chosen for today’s discussion. I will begin from a broader perspective and then move step by step to explain the key