Synaxis Study Group: Saint Nicholas Kavasilas concerning Martyrdom and the Altar

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Saint Nicholas Kavasilas concerning Martyrdom and the Altar

(24.) Ὅτι δ᾿ ἡ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου δύναμις τὸ μύρον ἐστίν,ἐχρῆν τῇ δυνάμει ταύτῃ καὶ τὴν ὑποκειμένην ὕλην οἰκείωςἔχειν· δρᾶσαι γὰρ ἂν οὕτω βέλτιον, ὥσπερ καὶ πῦρ καὶ
φῶς διὰ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων, οἶμαι, σωμάτων· ἐπεὶ καὶ τοὔνομα
αὐτὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ὃ πάντα ἐδύνατο καλούμενον, οὐκ ἐν (5)
τοῖς ἁπάντων στόμασι τὴν ἰσχὺν ὁμοίως ἐπεδείκνυ τὴν
αὑτοῦ. Καὶ τοίνυν ζητήσας ὅ τι ἂν τῶν σωμάτων
κατάλληλον ὁ τελεστὴς ὑποθείη τῷ μύρῳ, τῶν μαρτυρικῶνὀστέων ὃ προσήκει μᾶλλον εὗρεν οὐδέν, καὶ ταῦτα μυρίσας
καὶ ἀληλιμμένα τῇ τραπέζῃ προσθείς, τὸ θυσιαστήριον (10)ἀπαρτίζει.
(25.) Μαρτύρων γὰρ τοῖς τοῦ Χριστοῦ μυστηρίοις οὐδὲν
συγγενέστερον, οἷς πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ σῶμα καὶ
πνεῦμα καὶ θανάτου σχῆμα καὶ πάντα κοινά· ὃς καὶ ζῶσι
συνῆν καὶ τελευτώντων τοὺς νεκροὺς οὐκ ἀπολιμπάνει, ἀλλὰ
ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡνωμένος ἐστὶν ὅπως καὶ τῇ κωφῇ ταύτῃ (5)
σύνεστι καὶ ἀναμέμικται κόνει· καὶ εἴ που τῶν ὁρωμένων
τούτων ἔστιν εὑρεῖν τὸν Σωτῆρα καὶ κατασχεῖν, ἐπὶ τῶνὀστέων ἔξεστι τούτων.

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Synaxis Manifesto

4 Pillars of Synaxis
1) We gather because the Spirit of God brings the Word of God to us.
2) We gather because we are authentically human when in relationship with each other.
3) We gather to discuss the words of the Holy Fathers and Mothers because our relationship with them transcends time, space, and death itself.
4) We gather to celebrate the greatest gift that God has given us- the Other: God, neighbor, and our ancestors.

4 Canons of Synaxis
1) Synaxis is for everyone.
2) Synaxis has the text as teacher and the group as moderator.
3) Synaxis reads texts that are Orthodox Christian Classics which are any text that is written by an Orthodox Christian and is both loved by the Church and doctrinally formative.
4) Synaxis is organized by its elder members whose sole responsibility is to arrange a convenient time and place and to select and distribute the readings.

4 Foundations of Synaxis
1) Works of the Apostolic Fathers and Apologists (Particularly St. Iraneaos’ Against Heresies for its dogmatic, anthropological, and soterlogical significance).
2) The Works of St. Athanasios (Particularly On the Incarnation and the Life of St. Antony).
3) The Works of the Cappadocians (Particularly the Orations of the Theologian which were considered by the Church as Second Scriptures, the Letters of St. Basil together with his defense of the Holy Spirit, and St. Gregory Nyssa’s Catechism).
4) St. Maximos the Confessor.

Thy Kingdom Come...

The Messiah, this King, this new David, Himself, the expected Royalty, came and founded His kingdom, the Church, inaugurating it on the day of Pentecost through the descent of the Holy Spirit… At that moment the Church was born, the new Israel of God, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people”, a people dedicated to God. The event of Pentecost is not limited in time, however, but is an eschatological experience of the believer, daily living the life of Christ in the Church. So when we speak of the Church, we refer to an eschatological event, a permanent Pentecost.
-Archimandrite Aimilianos