Turkey Archives - Saint Sophia

St. Theodore the General and Great Martyr

02/08/2025

St. Theodore the General and Great Martyr St. Theodore lived during the reign of emperor Licinius (c. 320 AD). He was born in Euphraita of Galatia (central Turkey), but spent most of his life in the city of Heraklia, near the Black Sea. He surpassed most of his contemporaries in spiritual matters, bodily beauty, and eloquence of speech. Consequently, he won the admiration of many, including that of emperor Licinius, who appointed St. Theodore the

FEAST DAY OF ST. HARALAMBOS, FEBRUARY 10

02/10/2024

Published by Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis on February 10, 2022 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him. An athlete is

The Eighth Day of Christmas. The Feast Day of Saint Basil the Great

01/01/2023

To the pen of St. Basil the Great belong commentaries on Sacred Scripture, a treatise on the Holy Spirit, epistles, sermons and rules for monastic life. He did much for the establishment of the order of the Liturgy, and wrote numerous prayers. The Church reveres him as a fighter for the purity of the faith, a great hierarch and theologian, calling him a “universal teacher.” Only on two other saints – John Chrysostom and Gregory

The Sixteenth Day of Christmas Advent: St. Andrew—The First Called of the Apostles

11/30/2022

By Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis, November 30, 2021 He Was the First to Be Called—We are Called as Well The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; and he looked at Jesus as he walked and said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to him,

The Twenty-Second Day of Christmas Advent. The Life of St. Nicholas.

12/06/2020

More than 1,600 years ago, in the year 270 AD, St. Nicholas was born not far from Myra, in what is now modern day Turkey. At that time, Orthodox Christians were persecuted for their faith. Many of them were tortured and executed because of their belief in Jesus Christ. Nicholas was taught by his parents to love the Lord with his whole mind, heart, soul, and with all his strength. When they died he inherited

Eastern Christianity: The Patristic Period

11/03/2020

As I [have] shared …the desert fathers and mothers focused more on the how than the what. Their spirituality was very practical: virtue and prayer-based. Now we turn to its parallel, the Patristic Period, which emphasized the what—the rational, philosophical, and theological foundations for the young Christian religion. This period stretches from around 100 CE (the end of the Apostolic Age) to either 451 CE (with the Council of Chalcedon) or as late as the eighth century (Second Council of Nicaea

St. Theodore the General and Great Martyr

02/08/2019

St. Theodore lived during the reign of emperor Licinius (c. 320 AD). He was born in Euphraita of Galatia (central Turkey), but spent most of his life in the city of Heraklia, near the Black Sea. He surpassed most of his contemporaries in spiritual matters, bodily beauty, and eloquence of speech. Consequently, he won the admiration of many, including that of emperor Licinius, who appointed St. Theodore the chief commander of the area. St. Theodore

Saint Gregory Nazianzus

01/25/2019

Gregory, known as “the Theologian” in Byzantine Christianity, was a very wealthy man, the son of a bishop, and a close associate of the leading theologians of Cappadocia (Turkey) in the fourth century. He was the most educated Christian leader of his generation and wrote extensive treatises, letters, poems, and sermons. He was copied almost as many times after his lifetime as was the Bible, and so became the most influential of all the

The World as Sacrament: The Theological and Spiritual Vision of Creation: His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (Part I)

08/31/2017

Introduction: Creation and the Virtue of Silence In the Philokalia, St. Anthony of Egypt describes nature as a book that reveals the beauty of God’s creation: “Creation [he says] declares in a loud voice its Maker and master.” Or, as St. Maximus the Confessor claims in the 7th century, the whole world is a “cosmic liturgy.” What, then, is the Orthodox theological and spiritual vision of the world? As a young child, accompanying the priest

The Twenty-Second Day of Christmas Advent. The Life of St. Nicholas

12/06/2016

Archive

St. Theodore the General and Great Martyr

FEAST DAY OF ST. HARALAMBOS, FEBRUARY 10

The Eighth Day of Christmas. The Feast Day of Saint Basil the Great

The Sixteenth Day of Christmas Advent: St. Andrew—The First Called of the Apostles

The Twenty-Second Day of Christmas Advent. The Life of St. Nicholas.

Eastern Christianity: The Patristic Period

St. Theodore the General and Great Martyr

Saint Gregory Nazianzus

The World as Sacrament: The Theological and Spiritual Vision of Creation: His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (Part I)

The Twenty-Second Day of Christmas Advent. The Life of St. Nicholas

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Text-to-Give in 2 easy steps! 1) Text 202-899-7801 to include your donation amount 2) Follow the link to complete the one-time registration

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