Synaxis Study Group: Saint Nicholas Kavasilas: The Mysteries and the Age to Come

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Saint Nicholas Kavasilas: The Mysteries and the Age to Come

Ἡ ἐν Χριστῷ ζωὴ φύεται μὲν ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ καὶ τὰς
ἀρχὰς ἐντεῦθεν λαμβάνει· τελειοῦται δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος,
ἐπειδὰν εἰς ἐκείνην ἀφικώμεθα τὴν ἡμέραν. Καὶ οὔτε ὁ βίος
οὗτος τελείως δύναται ταύτην ἐνθεῖναι ταῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων
ψυχαῖς, οὔτε ὁ μέλλων μὴ τὰς ἀρχὰς ἐντεῦθεν λαβών. Ἐπὶ
μὲν γὰρ τοῦ παρόντος, τὸ σαρκίον ἐπισκοτεῖ, καὶ ἡ ἐκεῖθεν
νεφέλη καὶ φθορά, «μὴ δυναμένη τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν κληρονο-
μεῖν»· ὅθεν ὁ Παῦλος τὸ ἀναλῦσαι πρὸς τὸ συνεῖναι
Χριστῷ καὶ μάλα ἐνόμισε φέρειν· «ἀναλῦσαι γάρ, φησί, καὶ
σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον κρεῖσσον.» Ὅ τε μέλλων
οὓς ἂν μὴ τὰς δυνάμεις καὶ τὰς αἰσθήσεις ὧν ἂν δέοι πρὸς
τὸν βίον ἐκεῖνον ἔχοντας λάβοι, τούτοις οὐδὲν ἔσται πλέον
εἰς εὐδαιμονίαν, ἀλλὰ νεκροὶ καὶ ἄθλιοι τὸν μακάριον
ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἀθάνατον οἰκήσουσι κόσμον. Ὁ δὲ λόγος ὅτι τὸ
μὲν φῶς ἀνατέλλει, καὶ ὁ ἥλιος καθαρὰν τὴν ἀκτῖνα παρέχει,
ὀφθαλμὸν δὲ οὐκ ἔνι τηνικαῦτα πλασθῆναι· καὶ ἡ μὲν τοῦ
Πνεύματος εὐωδία δαψιλῶς ἐκχεῖται καὶ τὰ πάντα κατέχει,
ὄσφρησιν δὲ οὐκ ἄν τις λάβοι μὴ ἔχων.

Καὶ τῶν μὲν μυστηρίων ἔξεστι κοινωνῆσαι τῷ Υἱῷ
τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὺς «φίλους» κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην, καὶ «ἃ
ἤκουσε παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς» ἐκεῖνος παρ᾿ ἐκείνου μαθεῖν
αὐτούς, ἀνάγκη δὲ φίλους ὄντας αὐτοῦ καὶ «ὦτα ἔχοντας»
ἀφικέσθαι. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἐνταῦθα φιλίαν συστῆναι καὶ οὖς
ἀνοιγῆναι καὶ ἱμάτιον νυμφικὸν κατασκευασθῆναι καὶ τἄλλα
ἑτοιμασθῆναι ὧν ἐκείνῳ δεῖ τῷ νυμφῶνι, ἀλλὰ τούτων
ἁπάντων ἐργαστήριον οὗτος ὁ βίος· καὶ οἷς οὐκ ἐγένετο
ἁπάντων ἐργαστήριον οὗτος ὁ βίος· καὶ οἷς οὐκ ἐγένετο
ταῦτα πρὶν ἀπελθεῖν, κοινὸν οὐδὲν εἰς ἐκείνην ἐστὶ τὴν ζωήν.
Καὶ μάρτυρες αἱ πέντε παρθένοι καὶ ὁ εἰς τὸν γάμον
κληθείς, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἔχοντες ἦλθον, μὴ κτήσασθαι δυνηθέντες
μήτε ἔλαιον μήτε ἱμάτιον.

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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