A slightly belated Easter greetings to the Monomakhos family! (But it’s still Bright Week so it’s all good.)
The icon was sent to me as a Paschal greeting by Fr A James Bernstein, the proud father of Heather Sommer (the iconographer). Khouria Heather (who is also the wife of Fr David Sommer) is a an accomplished iconographer. May the Lord bless her hands!
Indeed He is risen!
I am a bit perplexed that there has been no mention here of Archbishop Paul’s (OCA Diocese of the Midwest) falling asleep in the Lord on Pascha day.
I only found out about it yesterday. May his memory be eternal.
That’s the second Chicago hierarch to repose on Pascha in the past few years. ROCOR’s Archbishop Alypy also died on Pascha in, I think, 2019.
Who knew that the Windy City was so blessed?
Αληθώς Ανέστη ~ Truly He Has Risen
Now THIS, is fascinating:
https://russian-faith.com/history/scientific-evidence-jesus-offered-priestly-blessing-moment-resurrection-n2418
Long story short: if the Shroud of Turin is the burial cloth of Christ and the image on it was produced at the moment of His resurrection, it was not a still photograph but one that showed some movement. In this particular case, the first gesture His right hand made was the traditional priestly blessing.
Truly He is Risen!
Indeed He has risen!!!
Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti! Two things to consider about this very nice icon. First notice that Christ has grabbed Adam by the wrist, not grasping his hand as in a handshake. This emphasizes the action is all Christ’s, not a joint venture. The second is that Christ holds only Adam’s wrist and not both his and Eve’s, thus the first to be created is the first to be resurrected. Many icons show Christ grasping both of their wrists and, athough this depiction is not “wrong”, the icon with only Adam being held by Christ is considered more theologically correct. Interestingly, I was told by a priestmonk from Mt. Athos that there are fathers on the Holy Mountain who will not venerate an icon of the Resurrection if Christ holds both Adam’s and Eve’s wrists.
Very interesting.
Interesting indeed, especially since the ‘classic’ icon of the Anastasis – the one at Chora Church in Constantinople – has the Lord holding both wrists.
I’ve seen it done both ways. – What makes something “classic”?
It best represents that particular ‘class’ of whatever…
so we split hairs as to whose hand is held, while we kill each other in a contrived, jnnecessary, unchrisitan war,, what makes the least sense?
Is God punishing us for our inane stupdity? it is like we are abbott and costello bantering as to who is on first. On the otherhand why haven’t the leaders of all the autocephalous orthodox christian churches not gone to Kiev, together ( not Lvov the Roman Catholic stronghold) and demamded that all hostilites cease, and Eastern OrthodoxChristians stop killing Eastern Orthodox Christians. We need to be the soul of Europe not its whipping boy. or sacrificial lamb.
rj klancko, I assume you are aware that Christ is Risen!
I also assume you are an American. If you aren’t, forgive me.
But if you are, and since you identify yourself as an Orthodox Christian as well, then you should immediately cover your hand with your mouth.
Especially if the moral outrage you are expressing was what motivated you to vote for our current president.
You ask if God is punishing us for our stupidity.
Probably. That, and our laziness and apathy.
After all, this is only the most recent of many such wars that the United States government has wrought in many countries all over the world.
Yes, our government. The government of the United States is directly responsible for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the aid of Bartholomew, as you will be able to read in the other post from this blog today. Bartholomew has been in the pocket of the State Department for a very long time.
So. It is We the People — who supposedly govern ourselves through our elected officials — led by you, as an architect of this outrage, should go together, not to Kiev, but to Washington D.C. and demand that our pretend President and all of our elected officials in Congress cease fueling this war by their direct support of the President of Ukraine, who is currently using Nazi organizations at the front lines of this war — the same battalions that have been exterminating Russian speaking Ukrainians in the Donbas region for the last 8 years, courtesy of President Obama and his vice president.
We’ll have to leave Bartholomew to God.
https://orthodoxreflections.com/the-weaponization-of-moral-outrage-to-support-the-war-in-ukraine/
Truly He is Risen!
So,? Why are our church leaders apparently hiding and a roman catholic cardinal from n y is visiting Ukraine, where is our Christian courage, we appear to be wimping out,,,,or am I reading the signs wrong? Why aren’t we vocal about this travesty?
Without an invitation they cannot go.
I guess they will not accept an invitation from Dumenko
and the Ukie government will not allow one from Onuphrey.
Interesting dilemma. LOL
so who invited the u s a roman catholic cardinal of ny? who invited franklin graham and samaritans purse? time to show some courage, time to show leadership,,, we are our own worst enemy,, why should our youth remain with us? we love to find reasons why it cannot be done, instead of just biting the bullet and making it happen. why do we always keep our talents hidden under a rock? no one invited Jesus into the temple to overthrow the money lender’s carts! we do not need an invite to go there in the name of christianity and peace. our saints, who gave their lives for right, are spinning in their graves! aren’t they?
Rhonda,
Your contributions here are amazing.
Christ is risen!
Look, the present war in the Ukraine as well as the war in the Balkans are Catholic v. Orthodox tribal wars. It’s just that the Catholic side included Muslims (along with Catholic Croats) in the Balkans and in the Ukraine the Catholic side includes actual Uniates as well as wannabe Uniates (the OCU), NZ’s and the Jewish head of state. In these wars Catholic = Western (RCC, Protestant sects, liberals, etc.) as well as their allies.
This is just the latest Crusade. When Muslims do it they call it “jihad”.
Well, the one at Chora is probably the most famous version of the icon.
No doubt that it is the most famous version. And it is even more spectacular in person than a photo icon reproduction. The icon is in the apse of the chapel which is next to the main church. It is in the apse because the chapel was used for funerals. Interestingly, there are rare instances of using other than the Platytera in the apse. There is the example of the Transfiguration in the apse of the main church of St. Catherine’s monastery at Mt. Sinai. (Again stunning in person) The mosaic was almost lost when it was discovered in the 1950s, during work there by Kurt Weitzman from Princeton, that parts had separated from the wall. Epoxy glue was carefully injected behind the tiles and the mosaic was saved. There are 12 columns in the church and each is dedicated to a month with relics of saints from that particular month sealed in the columns.
I got to see it when I took my family to Turkland in pre-COVID beforetimes. It’s a truly stunning work to see in person, but don’t be tempted to sing Christos Anesti, or the security guards will come at you.
I always wanted to take a trip to Sinai, but it’s looking pretty bleak on the foreign travel front these days.
Is there any way to bring the Holy Fire to the United States? That’s something I’d like to experience.
They would probably shoot it down,
such is their faith…
A few years ago it did come to America, there was a movement to take it to parishes all across the U.S. People would drive from parish to parish passing it on.
I was able to see it when it was given to a parish in Gulf Shores, Alabama when I was there on vacation, it was really cool.
I’d love to see that happen again.
I got it a few years ago. My sister in NY got it when it was brought over by, I believe, ROCOR. I haven’t heard recently if it has been brought over.
Quite a number of homes and parishes in the U.S. receive the Holy Fire and try to maintain it throughout the year. If you ask around, there’s probably a local parish that has it.
How would one go about acquiring it for next year?
I was in the Holy Land in 1980 and a nun who went with a few of us to the Dome of the Rock told us to chant very softly, otherwise…..