ST. MARK’S: A THEOLOGICAL ACADEMY WITH A DIFFERENCE (in South Africa)

by Metropolitan Petros of Accra
Orthodoxy in dialogue

 

The Venerable and Ancient Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa has surprised us with its courage and initiative in the past. We need only recall the appointment of deaconesses by His Beatitude, Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II. While there was debate whether it constituted a true “ordination” (cheirotonia), rather than a blessing (cheirothesia), the fact remains that the Patriarchate took an initiative in such matters. The same can be said regarding the establishment of St. Mark’s Academy, offering theological education through distance learning. Other such Academies exist, but St. Mark’s promises a quality, contemporary, and challenging curriculum. Situated in Johannesburg, South Africa, by making use of electronic media it makes learning available to all, regardless of distance and location. In addition, due to favourable exchange rates for foreign students, tuition is affordable to many.
The faculty presently consists of a group of five highly qualified academics and an external independent moderator. Between them, there are five with doctorates and one with a master’s degree. More academics will be sourced as the need arises. The staff also consists of persons responsible for administration and financial issues.
St. Mark’s pilot course is the three-year Programme in Orthodox Christian Studies. It is not yet an accredited diploma, but is recognized by the Church. The Academy has been working together with the South African Department for Higher Education for accreditation. Presently, they require that students be present in Johannesburg for a formal written examination. This would greatly add to the cost. The Academy is exploring other possibilities.
The Programme covers the necessary subjects of Scripture, doctrine, liturgics, and church history, but also brings the faith to life as “theory becomes practice” in personal and social ethics, spiritual life, and pastoral care. Students are challenged to consider the relationship between the Church and the churches, their differences in beliefs and outlook, and the dialogues and meetings aiming at mutual understanding and greater unity. Contemporary theologies—liberation, feminist, African, alternative, etc.—are explored, as well as the Church’s response to these.  
Finally, a concise view of World Religions is offered, together with modules in missiology—the mission of the Church to the world and proclaiming the Gospel to all nations, something very dear to the heart of this Patriarchate.
It is possible that students may want to take single modules from the Programme, but St Mark’s cannot guarantee that, should the student be registered elsewhere, the credits would be recognised.
Each module includes an intensive reading programme. The Academy is presently developing an online library that contains the required and recommended set works. This is a substantial savings in costs of books that would otherwise need to be ordered. Students receive the syllabus, bibliography, and course objectives. They are guided in their reading and are given a series of questions and an essay topic to work on and submit within the allocated time. The final semester requires a longer assignment or research project on a topic of the student’s choice. After a successful three years, the student receives a Certificate in Orthodox Christian Theology.
Short courses on various topics are offered at various times, but tend, for the moment, to require physical presence.
Exciting prospects are open in the field of post-graduate studies (master’s and doctorates) as the Academy explores the prospect of “twinning” with a local, accredited college that would offer the degrees the recognition that students deserve. St. Mark’s will keep students and prospective students informed of developments.  
Under the auspices of the Patriarchate and the direction of Metropolitan Petros (Parginos) of Accra, who recently attained his doctorate, the Academy already has numerous students from such diverse places all over the world as Egypt, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, Zambia, and South Africa.
Registration may take place on one of two occasions, in time for the semester beginning in January or the one beginning in July.
Additional information can be found on the website of St. Mark’s Academy under Academic Programmes and Student Information, or by writing directly to info@stmarksacademy.co.za. 

Follow St. Mark’s Academy on Facebook.

Metropolitan Petros (Parginos) of Accra was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. After matriculating from SAHETI School he studied English and Greek Literature at the Universities of the Witwatersrand and of Johannesburg. He taught Greek language and culture at Saheti and was appointed head of the Greek Department for the high school.
In 1998 he was ordained to the diaconate and to the priesthood, and later obtained an MA in theology from Balamand, focusing on ecclesiology, and a second MA from the Catholic College of St Augustine in Johannesburg, focusing on spirituality and the Orthodox neptic tradition. He attended courses in Christian ethics, education, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, pastoral care, and psychology. He holds a Licentiate in Logotherapy (existential psychology).
In 2019 he completed a Doctorate through the University of the North West, focusing on the dialogue of the Orthodox Church with the Roman Catholic Church.
In 2017, with the blessings of His Beatitude, the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, Theodoros II and of the Holy Synod, he founded, organised, and administers St. Mark’s Academy, which offers theological education by means of distance learning, using electronic and online means of communication.
His Eminence was ordained to the episcopate as Metropolitan of Accra on December 6, 2019. In his episcopal ordination speech (full text here), he called for a Church “that is not afraid to debate, not only with other churches, confessions, and religions, but with the contemporary world and the sciences,” a Church “that is the voice and the harbour of the underprivileged, the persecuted, the forgotten, the marginalized, those that have need of compassion and humanity.”

 

See also

Orthodox South Africa
The Orthodox Church in the Republic of South Africa
St Nicholas of Japan, a multi-ethnic orthodox parish in Johannesburg
Afrikaans Ortodoks   

Orthodox Mission in Tropical Africa (& the Decolonization of Africa)
How “White” is the Orthodox Church?

Orthodoxy and culture

 

Saint David of Thessaloniki

Commemorated on June 26

Troparion & Kontakion

Orthodox Church in America
 
Saint David of Thessalonica pursued asceticism at the monastery of the holy Martyrs Theodore and Mercurius. Inspired by the example of the holy stylites, he lived in an almond tree in constant prayer, keeping strict fast, and enduring heat and cold. He remained there for three years until an angel told him to come down.
St David received from God the gift of wonderworking, and he healed many from sickness. The holy ascetic gave spiritual counsel to all who came to him. Having attained to passionlessness, he was like an angel in the flesh, and he was able to take hot coals into his hands without harm. He died the year 540.

"Solemn Divine Liturgy to be aired Live on MTN TV Kenya on Sunday, 28 June 2020"

Iakovos Mwaura
  
"Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 2nd Timothy 4:2
And it is for this reason that we Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene Orthodox church Thogoto, Our Parish Priest Rev Fr-Innocentios Stephen G-Njenga & through the Blessings of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, Invites you to join Us for the Holy and Solemn Divine Liturgy to be aired Live on MTN TV Kenya on Sunday 28 June 2020 from 1-2pm,
Presiding Priest ; Rev Fr-Innocentios Stephen G-Njenga ; You are all welcome"

here
In the Orthodox Vineyard of Africa

Rigas Feraios, the great Greek writer and revolutionary († 24 June 1798)

En.wikipedia
  
Rigas Feraios (Greek: Ρήγας Φεραίος, or Rhegas Pheraeos, pronounced [ˈriɣas fɛˈrɛɔs]) or Velestinlis (Βελεστινλής, or Velestinles, pronounced [vɛlɛstinˈlis])) ; 1757 – 24 June 1798) was a Greek writer, political thinker and revolutionary, active in the Modern Greek Enlightenment, remembered as a Greek national hero, a victim of the Balkan uprising against the Ottoman Empire and a pioneer of the Greek War of Independence.

Early life

Antonios Rigas Velestinlis (Αντώνιος Ρήγας Βελεστινλής)^[1] was born in 1757 into a wealthy family in the village of Velestino in the Sanjak of Tirhala, Ottoman Empire (modern Thessaly, Greece). He later was at some point nicknamed Pheraeos or Feraios, by future scholars, after the nearby ancient Greek city of Pherae, but he does not seem ever to have used this name himself; he is also sometimes known as Konstantinos or Constantine Rhigas (Κωνσταντίνος Ρήγας).^{[citation needed]} He is often described as being of Aromanian ancestry,^[2][3][4][5] with his native village of Velestino being Aromanian.^[6][7][8] Rigas' family had its roots in Perivoli, another Aromanian village,^[9] but it usually overwintered in Velestino.^[10] Some scholars question whether there is good evidence for this.^[11]
According to his partner Christoforos Perraivos, Rigas was educated at the school of Ampelakia, Larissa. Later he became a teacher in the village of Kissos, and he fought the local Ottoman presence. At the age of twenty he killed an important Ottoman figure, and fled to the uplands of Mount Olympus, where he enlisted in a band of soldiers led by Spiros Zeras. 

Rigas, by Peter von Hess.

He later went to the monastic community of Mount Athos, where he was received by Cosmas, hegumen of the Vatopedi monastery; from there to Constantinople (Istanbul), where he became a secretary to the Phanariote Alexander Ypsilantis (1725-1805).
Arriving in Bucharest, the capital of Ottoman Wallachia, Rigas returned to school, learned several languages and eventually became a clerk for the Wallachian Prince Nicholas Mavrogenes. When the Russo-Turkish War (1787-1792) broke out, he was charged with the inspection of the troops in the city of Craiova.
Here he entered into friendly relations with an Ottoman officer named Osman Pazvantoğlu, afterwards the rebellious Pasha of Vidin, whose life he saved from the vengeance of Mavrogenes. ^[12] He learned about the French Revolution, and came to believe something similar could occur in the Balkans, resulting in self-determination for the Christian subjects of the Ottomans; he developed support for an uprising by meeting Greek bishops and guerrilla leaders.
After the death of his patron Rigas returned to Bucharest to serve for some time as dragoman at the French consulate. At this time he wrote his famous Greek version of La Marseillaise, the anthem of French revolutionaries, a version familiar through Lord Byron's paraphrase as "sons of the Greeks, arise".^[12]

In Vienna

Portrait of Alexander the Great, published by Rigas in his Pamphlet

Around 1793, Rigas went to Vienna, the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and home to a large Greek community, as part of an effort to ask the French general Napoleon Bonaparte for assistance and support. While in the city, he edited a Greek-language newspaper, Efimeris (i.e. Daily), and published a proposed political map of Great Greece which included Constantinople and many other places, including a large number of places where Greeks were minority.
He printed pamphlets based on the principles of the French Revolution, including Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and New Political Constitution of the Inhabitants of Rumeli, Asia Minor, the Islands of the Aegean, and the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia — these he intended to distribute in an effort to stimulate a Pan-Balkan uprising against the Ottomans.^[12]
He also published Greek translations of three stories by Retif de la Bretonne, and many other foreign works, and he collected his poems in a manuscript (posthumously printed in Iaşi, 1814).

Death

The Nebojša Tower, where Rigas was executed.

 

Memorial plaque in front of Nebojša Tower in Belgrade, where Rigas Feraios was strangled.

 

Flag proposed by Rigas for his envisioned pan-Balkan Federation.

 

He entered into communication with general Napoleon Bonaparte, to whom he sent a snuff-box made of the root of a Bay Laurel taken from a ruined temple of Apollo, and eventually he set out with a view to meeting the general of the Army of Italy in Venice. While traveling there, he was betrayed by Demetrios Oikonomos Kozanites, a Greek businessman, had his papers confiscated, and was arrested at Trieste by the Austrian authorities (an ally of the Ottoman Empire, Austria was concerned the French Revolution might provoke similar upheavals in its realm and later formed the Holy Alliance).
He was handed over with his accomplices to the Ottoman governor of Belgrade, where he was imprisoned and tortured. From Belgrade, he was to be sent to Constantinople to be sentenced by Sultan Selim III. While in transit, he and his five collaborators were strangled to prevent their being rescued by Rigas's friend Osman Pazvantoğlu. Their bodies were thrown into the Danube River.
His last words are reported as being: "I have sown a rich seed; the hour is coming when my country will reap its glorious fruits".

Ideas and legacy

Rigas, using demotikì (Demotic Greek) rather than puristic (Katharevousa) Greek, aroused the patriotic fervor of his Greek contemporaries. His republicanism was given an aura of heroism by his martyrdom, and set liberation of Greece in a context of political reform. As social contradictions in Ottoman Empire grew sharper in the tumultuous Napoleonic era the most important theoretical monument of Greek republicanism, the anonymous Hellenic Nomarchy, was written, its author dedicating the work to Rigas Ferraios, who had been sacrificed for the salvation of Hellas.^[13]
His grievances against the Ottoman occupation of Greece regarded its cruelty, the drafting of children between the ages of five and fifteen into military service (Devshirmeh or Paedomazoma), the administrative chaos and systematic oppression (including prohibitions on teaching Greek history or language, or even riding on horseback), the confiscation of churches and their conversion to mosques.
Rigas wrote enthusiastic poems and books about Greek history and many became popular. One of the most famous (which he often sang in public) was the Thourios or battle-hymn (1797), in which he wrote, "It's finer to live one hour as a free man than forty years as a slave and prisoner" («Ως πότε παλικάρια να ζούμε στα στενά…. Καλύτερα μίας ώρας ελεύθερη ζωή παρά σαράντα χρόνια σκλαβιά και φυλακή»).
In "Thourios" he urged the Greeks (Romioi) and other Orthodox Christian peoples living at the time in the area of Greece (Arvanites, Bulgarians, etc.^[14][15]) and generally in the Balkans, to leave the Ottoman-occupied towns for the mountains, where they could find freedom, organize and fight against the Ottoman tyranny. His call included also the Muslims of the empire, who disagreed and reacted against the Sultan's governance.
It is noteworthy that the word "Greek" or "Hellene" is not mentioned in "Thourios"; instead, Greek-speaking populations in the area of Greece are still referred to as "Romioi" (i.e. Romans, citizens of the Christian or Eastern Roman Empire), which is the name that they proudly used for themselves at that time.^[16]
Statues of Rigas Feraios stand at the entrance to the University of Athens and in Belgrade at the beginning of the street that bears his name (Ulica Rige od Fere).
Rigas Feraios was also the name taken by the youth wing of the Communist Party of Greece (Interior), and a branch of this youth wing was Rigas Feraios - Second Panhellenic. But there is nothing in Rigas's own writings that supports Communism, as his political vision was influenced by the French Constitution (i.e. democratic liberalism) ^[17][18][19]
Feraios' portrait was printed on the obverse of the Greek 200-drachmas banknote of 1996-2001.^[20] A 50-drachmas commemorative coin was issued in 1998 for the 200th anniversary of his death.^[21] His image is stamped on the 0.10 Euro Greek coin.

In popular culture

Nikos Xydakis and Manolis Rasoulis wrote a song called Etsi pou les, Riga Feraio (That's how it is, Rigas Feraios, Greek: Έτσι που λες, Ρήγα Φεραίο), which was sung by Rasoulis himself. Also, composer Christos Leontis wrote music based upon the lyrics of "Thourio" and Cretan Nikos Xylouris performed the song in the 1970s.

Works

• Anthology of Physics (Vienna, 1790)
• School for Delicate Lovers (Vienna, 1790; repr. 1971)
• Pamphlet, New Map of Wallachia and General Map of Moldavia (Vienna, 1797)
• Charta (Map) of Greece (Vienna, 1797)
• New Political Constitution of the Inhabitants of Roumeli, Asia Minor, the Islands of the Aegean and the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, Vienna, 1797, included:
  • Thourios or Patriotic hymn (poem)
  • Man's Rights (35 articles)
  • Revolutionary Declaration for Laws and Fatherland
  • Constitution of Hellenic Republic (124 articles)
• New Anacharsis, Vienna, 1797

Gallery

• 

  Rigas by Peter von Hess
• 

  Commemorative plaque for Rigas in Wien
• 

  Statue of Rigas Feraios, Belgrade
• 

  Statue of Rigas outside the University of Athens (by Ioannis Kossos)
• 

  Icon from the Charta of Rigas (Map of Greece)
• 

  "Thourios" manuscript
• 

  Rigas and Adamantios Korais helping Greece to stand up. Work by Theophilos Hatzimihail

Notes

1. 
   

21. Bank of Greece Archived March 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Drachma Banknotes & Coins: 50 drachmas Archived January 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. – Retrieved on 27 March 2009.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Rhigas, Constantine". Encyclopædia Britannica. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.; In turn, it cites as references:
  • I. C. Bolanachi, Hommes illustres de la Gréce moderne (Paris, 1875).
  • E. M. Edmonds, Rhigas Pheraios (London, 1890).
  • Rizos Neroulos, Histoire de la révolution grecque (Paris, 1829).
• Gianni A. Papadrianou, Ο Ρήγας Βελεστινλής και οι Βαλκανικοί λαοί ("Rigas Velestinlis and the Balkan peoples").
• Woodhouse, C. M. (1995). Rhigas Velestinlis: The Proto-martyr of the Greek Revolution. Denise Harvey. ISBN 960-7120-09-4. ISBN 960-7120-08-6

External links

Greek Wikisource has original text related to this article: Original works of Rigas Feraios

• Scanned original draft of the New Political Constitution from the collection of the Hellenic Parliament
• Collection of papers dedicated to Rigas Charta, e-Perimetron, Vol. 3, No.3, 2008
• Nebojša Tower will become a historical monument
• Chalcography of Alexander the Great by Rigas Feraios,Vienna 1797
• History of Modern Greek Literature by C. T. Dimaras

Ρήγας Βελεστινλής

Our Blessed and God-bearing Fathers of the Holy Mountain

 

Click here please.

 

መሠረታዊ ኦርቶዶክስ አስተምህሮ - ኦርቶዶክሳዊ ነገረ ሰብእ

 

ዝግጅት በ: ሮ. ኢ.፣ ኤ. ገ.

 

OODE - ኦርቶዶክሳዊ ትምህርተ ዶግማ መድረክ 

 

**በዚህ ጽሑፍ ላይ የተጠቀሱት የቅዱስ ጎርጎርዮስ ዘኑሲስና የእኅቱ የቅድስት ማቅሪና በግሪክ የተጻፉ ትምህርቶች ከተለመዱት የግሪክ ጽሑፎች በጥቂቱ ውስብስብ ስለሆኑ ወደ አማርኛ መተርጎሙን በተወሰነ ፈታኝ አድርገውታል። በትርጉሙ ሥራ ላይ የተቻለንን ያደረግን ሲሆን ለማጣቀሻ ይሆን ዘንድ ዋናውን ግሪክና የእንግሊዝኛ ትርጉማችንን አያይዘናል።

 

ከኦርቶዶክሳዊ ትውፊት እንደምንረዳው ኦርቶዶክሳዊ ነገረ መለኮት ቅዱሳት መጻሕፍትን በቀጥታ ንባብ ወይም በትርጓሜ ብቻ ከመረዳት ሳይሆን በመንፈስ ቅዱስ እገዛ እንደ እግዚአብሔር ሕግ ከመኖር የሕይወት ልምምድ[1]፣ ሰው ተኮር ከሆነ የአብርሆት ሂደት እና ከሱታፌ አምላክ (‘θέωσις’; theosis)[2] የመነጨ ነው፡፡ የእውነት መንፈስ የመራቸው የቤተክርስቲያን ቅዱሳን አባቶች ትምህርት እና ሕይወትም እንደ ቅዱሳት መጻሕፍት ሁሉ ቅቡል የሆኑበት ይሄ የሕይወት ልምምድ አብዛኛውን የቤተክርስቲያኗን ትውፊት ቅርጽ ያስያዘ ነው፡፡ ይሄም አማኞችን ስለ ኦርቶዶክሳዊ ንቃተ ሕሊና (‘φρόνημα’; phronema)[3] ያም ማለት ከጥንት ጀምሮ በቅዱሳን የሕይወት ልምምድ ላይ ስለተመሠረተ ኦርቶዶክሳዊ አስተሳሰብ እንዲናገሩ ያስችላቸዋል፡፡ ቅዱሳን ምንም ስንኳ በተለያዩ ዘመናት ላይ የነበሩ ቢሆኑም የነገረ መለኮት ግንዛቤ በጸሎት እና ከእግዚአብሔር ጋር በሚኖር ኅብረት ላይ የተመሠረተ ስለሆነ ሁሉም ተመሳሳይ የሆነ ነገረ መለኮታዊ ግንዛቤ ነበራቸው፡፡ ስለዚህ ቅዱሳን በስብእናቸውም ሆነ በአኗኗር ሁኔታቸው ቢለያዩም ተመሳሳይ የሆነ ኦርቶዶክሳዊ ንቃተ ሕሊና ነበራቸው፡፡ ይሄን ስንል ግን ቅዱሳን ሰዎች ፈጽመው አይሳሳቱም ማለታችን አይደለም፤ ሰው እንደመሆናቸውም ሰዋዊ ጠባያቸው ተጽእኖ ሊያደርግባቸው የሚችልበት ዕድል ይኖራል፡፡ 

አንዳንድ ሃይማኖታዊ ርእሰ ጉዳዮች በአባቶች እና እናቶች በጥልቀትና በብዛት የተዳሰሱ ቢሆንም ብዙም ያልተነገረባቸው ርእሰ ጉዳዮችም አሉ፤ ነፍስ ወደ መኖር እንዴት ነው የምትመጣው የሚለውንና ባሕርየ ልቡና እንዴት ያለ ነው[4] የሚለውን እንደምሳሌ መውሰድ ይቻላል፡፡ ይሄ የሚሆነው አምላካዊ አሠራር (ኦይኮኖሚኣ)[5] ምክንያት ሊሆን ይችላል ያም ማለት አንዳንድ ጉዳዮች መለኮታዊ ምሥጢርን በአግባቡ መግለጽ በማይችለው በሰው ቋንቋ ቢገለጡ ከጥቅማቸው ይልቅ ጉዳታቸው ሊያመዝን ስለሚችል ማለት ነው፡፡ አንዳንዴ ደግሞ ቅዱሳኑ የነገረ መለኮት ሊቃውንት አንዳንድ ርእሶችን ሳያነሡአቸው የቀሩት በወቅቱ ከነበረው ማኅበረሰብ አንጻር አስፈላጊ ስላልመሰላቸው ሊሆን ይችላል፡፡ ወይም ደግሞ አንዳንድ ቅዱሳን ብቻ ሌሎች ቅዱሳን ዝምታን የመረጡባቸውን አንዳንድ ርእሰ ጉዳዮች እጅግ በጥልቀት በመመልከታቸው ምክንያት  ሊሆን ይችላል፡፡ በአንጻሩ እንደ የሥጋና ነፍስ አብሮ መኖር እና ይሄ ከሱታፌ አምላክ ጋር ያለውን ቁርኝትን የሚያወሱ እና ሌሎች አያሌ ጉዳዮች ደግሞ በብዛትና በግልጽ የተዳሰሱ ናቸው፡፡ ከዚህ በመቀጠል ኦርቶዶክሳዊት ቤተክርስቲያን ከሐዋርያት ትምህርትና ከአባቶች ትርጓሜ በመነሣት ስለ ሥነ ሰብእ የምታስተምረውን ትምህርት እናቀርባለን፡፡ 

        

የኦርቶዶክሳዊ ሥነ ሰብእ ማብራርያ

ኦርቶዶክሳዊው ትውፊት እግዚአብሔር ሰውን (ወንድና ሴትን) በመልኩና በአምሳሉ እንደፈጠረው ያስተምራል፡፡[6] ‹መልክ› ለሁሉ የተሰጠ መለኮታዊ ስጦታ ሲሆን ‹አምሳል› ግን ነጻ ፍጥረት የሆነውን የሰውን ልጅ ሱታፌ የሚፈልግ ነው፡፡ የመጀመርያዎቹ ጥንዶች የእግዚአብሔርን ትእዛዝ በመተላለፋቸውና ሰው በመውደቁ ምክንያት የሰው ልጅ እግዚአብሔርን የመምሰል ሂደት እንዳይፈጸምለት መሆኑ ይታወቃል፡፡ በውድቀቱ ምክንያትም ከእግዚአብሔር ጋር የነበረው ኅብረት ተቋረጠ የሰውም እውቀት የተዳፈነ ሆነ፡፡ ከዛ ጊዜ ጀምሮ የሰው ልጅ ለሞት ብቻ ሳይሆን ለሥጋ ፍትወታት ሁሉ የተገዛ ሆነ።

የኒሳው ጳጳስ ቅዱስ ጎርጎርዮስ ‹ስለ ሰው አፈጣጠር› (ΠΕΡΙ ΚΑΤΑΣΚΕΥΗΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥ) ባስተማረው ትምህርቱ የሰው በእግዚአብሔር መልክ መፈጠር ሰው ከእግዚአብሔር ጋር የሚመሳሰልባቸው (በጸጋ ከእግዚአብሔር ያገኛቸው) ባሕርያት እንዲኖሩት መሆን ማለት ሲሆን እግዚአብሔርን የመምስል ሂደት ሳይፈጸምለት መቅረት ደግሞ በሌላ በኩል ሰው ከእግዚአብሔር መራቁንና መለየቱን የሚናገር ነው ይላል፡፡[7] እንደ ቅዱስ ጎርጎርዮስ ከሆነ ከሰው ውስጥ ለመለኮታዊ ባሕርይ ቅርብ የሆነችው የማትሞተውና የማትጠፋው ሰው ሁሉ በተፈጥሮ ገንዘብ የሚያደርጋት ለባዊት የሆነችው ነፍስ ናት፡፡ ምንም ስንኳ ነፍሳችን ካልተፈጠረውና ውላጤ ከማይስማማው ከመለኮት ባሕርይ በተቃራኒ የተፈጠረችና ውላጤ የሚስማማት ብትሆንም ኢ-ቁሳዊነትን፣ ኢ-መዋቲነትን እና ለባዊነትን በጸጋ ገንዘብ አድርጋለች፡፡ ይህም ነፍስን ለባዊ ካልሆነው ይልቅስ ሟችና ጠፊ ከሆነው ከግዙፉ ሥጋ የበላይ ያደርጋታል፡፡ ነገር ግን ይህች ማእከሏን ልብን ያደረገች ረቂቅ የሆነች ነፍሳችን ያለ ሥጋ ነገሮችን ለመረዳት (በስሜት ሕዋሳት) እና ምላሽ ለመስጠት (በእንቅስቃሴ ወይም በድርጊት) አይቻላትም፡፡ የሥጋ አካላት በደንብ ካልጠነከሩ ወይም ጉዳት ከደረሰባቸው የነፍስ ግብረ ባሕርይዋ የሆኑ ነገሮች ሁሉ በምልአት መገለጥ አይችሉም፡፡ ይህ በልቡና እና በአካል መካከል ያለ ተዋሕዶ[8] እንደ ቅዱስ ጎርጎርዮስ ከሆነ በቃላት የማይገለጽ ነው፡

ነገር ግን በልቡና[9] እና በአካል መካከል ያለው ተዋሕዶ ልንናገረውና ልንረዳው የማንችለው ነው ፤ በውስጡ በመሆን ያይደለ (ግዙፍ ያልሆነ ነገር ግዙፍ በሆነ ነገር አይያዝምና) ከውጪ ሆኖ በመክበብም ያይደለ (ግዙፍ ያልሆነ ነገር ማቀፍ [መጠቅለል] አይችልምና) ነገር ግን ለመረዳትና ለመግለጽ በማይቻል መንገድ ልቡናችን ባሕርይአችንን ስለሚዋሐድ በመተከል (ጠብቆ ይነበብ) ወይም በመጠቅለል ሳይሆን ልናስበውና ልንናገረው በማንችለው መንገድ ከውስጥም አለ ደግሞም በውጭ ይከባል ተብሎ ሊወሰድ ይችላል፡፡ ተፈጥሮ በራሷ መንገድ ስትጓዝ ልቡናም እንዲሁ እንደሚያደርግ፤ ነገር ግን ተፈጥሮ በአጋጣሚ ከአነዋወሯ ብትናጠብ የአእምሮ እንቅስቃሴም እንዲሁ እንደሚደናቀፍ ከማወቃችን በቀር እንዴት እንደሚሆን አናውቅም፡፡[10]   

ነፍስና ሥጋ የተዋሐዱ ብቻ ሳይሆኑ ያለመቀዳደም በአንድ ጊዜ የሚገኙ ጭምር ናቸው፡፡ ይሄ ዐሳብ ቅዱስ ጎርጎርዮስ ዘኑሲስ ለዕረፍተ ሥጋ ከተቃረበችው እኅቱ ከቅድስት ማቅሪና ጋር ባደረገውና እርሷ በፍልስፍናው ዓለም በዘመኑ ነፍስ ከሥጋ ጋር ያለውን ግኙነት በተመለከተ እውነት ተብለው የሚወሰዱ አያሌ እሳቤዎችን ሐሰተኝነት በቀላሉ ባጋለጠችበት ውይይት ላይ ግልጽ በሆነ ሁኔታ አጽንኦት ተሰጥቶታል፡፡ ቅድስት ማቅሪና ርቱዕ በሆነ አንደበት ይህንን ስታብራራ፡

እንደገናም በሌላ በኩል ማገናዘብ የሚችል ማንኛውም ሰው ነፍስ ከሥጋ ዘግይታ ተገኝታለች ያም ማለት የሥጋ ቅርጽ መያዝ ይቀድማታል ብሎ አያስብም ምክንያቱም ሁሉም ሰው በራሱ ማየት እንደሚችለው ግዑዝ የሆነ ወይም ነፍስ የሌለው ነገር ሊንቀሳቀስ ወይም አካላዊ ዕድገት ሊኖረው አይችልም፤ በማኅጸን ያለ ፅንስ ደግሞ እንደሚያድግም በማኅጸን ውስጥም እንደሚንቀሳቀስም ጥርጥር የለውም፡፡ ከዚህ በመነሣት የነፍስና የሥጋ የህልውናቸው መጀመሪያ ተመሳሳይ ቅጽበት መሆኑን ልንገነዘብ ይገባል፡፡ ልክ መሬት ከገበሬ ችግኝን ተቀብሎ ለችግኙ ዕድገት የሚያስፈልገውን ሁኔታ አመቻችቶ ዛፍ እንደሚያበቅል፤ ነገር ግን ችግኙ የማደግ ኃይልን ከመሬቱ ሳይሆን ከተፈጥሮ እንዲያገኘው ሁሉ በተመሳሳይ ሁኔታ ያ ሰውን ለማስገኝት በሰው ውስጥ የሚተከለውም ሕይወት ካለው በመገኘቱ ሕይወት ያለው ሲሆን በተመቻቸለት ሁኔታ በተፈጥሮ ባገኘው ኃይል በራሱ የሚያድግ ነው፡፡[11] ትላለች፡፡

ይህ ምላሽ እንደሚያረጋግጠው ስለ ነፍስና ሥጋ ሊኖረን የሚገባው መረዳት ሁለቱም እኩል በተመሳሳይ ቅጽበት እንደሚገኙ ነው፡፡ በተጨማሪም በሕይወት ያለ የሰው አካል የማደግ ተፈጥሮአዊ ጸጋ ተሰጥቶታል ይሄም ነፍስ ባሕሪዋን ሙሉ በሙሉ ትገልጽ ዘንድ አስፈላጊ ነው፡፡ በተያያዥም የልዮኑ ጳጳስ ቅዱስ ሄሬኔዎስ ምንም ስንኳ ሥጋ ራሱ ዝግ ብሎ ነፍስንም የሚያዘገያት ቢሆንም ለግብረ ባሕርይዋ መሣርያ የሚሆናት ግን እርሱ ነው ይላል፡፡[12]

ኦርቶዶክሳዊ ነገረ መለኮት በእግዚአብሔር መልክና አምሳል መፈጠር ለእያንዳንዱ ሰብአዊ ፍጥረት በእግዚአብሔር ጸጋና ከመለኮታዊ ባሕርይ ተካፋይ (ሱታፌ አምላክ) በመሆን ከወደቀው ሰዋዊ ባሕርይ ሊሻገር የሚችልበትን ችሎታ እንደሚያጎናጽፈው ይረዳል፡፡ ይህ ጸጋ የሚገኘውም ራሷ ክርስቶስ በሆነላት በቤተክርስቲያን አካል ኅብረት ማድረግ በሚገኝባቸው ምሥጢራተ ቤተክርስቲያን በመካፈል እና ራስን በዕለት ተዕለት ሕይወት ውስጥ በነፍስም በሥጋም በኦርቶዶክሳዊ ሥነ ምግባራት በማነጽ ነው፡፡ አንድ ሰው በዚህ መንገድ (ሂደት) ውስት ሲያልፍ በነፍሱ ያለ (በተፈጥሮ በጸጋ የተገኘ) መለኮታዊ ባሕርይ ይጠነክራል፣ ሥጋውም ከፍትወታት ይነጻል፡፡ በተጨማሪም ልቡና ከእግዚአብሔር ጋር በሚያደርገው ኅብረት አብርሆትን ገንዘብ እያደረገ ሲመጣ አእምሮውም (‘διάνοια’; dianoia) ብሩህ ይሆናል ይሄም ተፈጥሮአዊ ከሆነው የመረዳት ዐቅም በመሻገር መለኮታዊ የሆነውን ጥበብ መረዳት የሚችልበትን ጸጋ ያጎናጽፈዋል፡፡          

---

[1] ዮሐ 14፡15-21

[2] ይህም በአንጽሆተ ልብ፣ በአብርሆተ ልቡና እና ከመለኮት ባሕርይ ተካፋይ በመሆን ደረጃዎች ወደ ቅድስና ሕይወት የሚደረግ ጉዞን ያመለክታል፡፡ ነገረ ልቡናዊ ነገረ መለኮትም ከዚሁ የሚመነጭ ነው፡፡

[3] ፍሮኒማ የሚለው ቃል ‹ንቃተ ሕሊና› የሚል ትርጉምን ሊይዝ ይችላል፡፡ የግሪኩ ቃል እንደሚገልጸው ከሆነ ፍሮኒማ ኦርቶዶክሳዊ እምነትን በተግባር ከመኖር የሚመነጭ እይታ ነው፡፡

[4] ΠΕΡΙ ΚΑΤΑΣΚΕΥΗΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥ, Γρηγορίου Νύσσης, Άπαντα τόμος 5, σειρά: “Έλληνες Πατέρες της Εκκλησίας” αρ. 91 (Θεσσαλονίκη, 1987), σελ. 70.

[5] አንዳንድ ነገሮች ከኦርቶዶክሳዊ እሳቤዋች አንጻር ልክ ባይመስሉም የማይታይ መንፈሳዊ ጥቅም እንድናገኝባቸውና በዋናነትም ለድኅነታችን ሲባል ለጊዜው ሊፈቀዱ ይችላሉ፡፡ ይሄም አምላካዊ አሠራር (ኦይኮኖሚያ) በመባል ይታወቃል፡፡

[6] ዘፍ 1፡26-27, https://www.wordproject.org/bibles/am/01/1.htm.

[7] ΠΕΡΙ ΚΑΤΑΣΚΕΥΗΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥ, Γρηγορίου Νύσσης, Άπαντα τόμος 5, σειρά: “Έλληνες Πατέρες της

Εκκλησίας” αρ. 91 (Θεσσαλονίκη, 1987), σελ. 113-127.

[8] ቅዱስ ጎርጎርዮስ የተጠቀመው ቃል ኪኖኒያ (‘κοινωνία’) ሲሆን ያም የሥጋና የነፍስ ተዋሕዶን የሚገልጽ ቃል ነው። ተዋሕዶ ኤኖሲስም ኪኖኒያም የሚሉትን ቃላት የሚተረጉም ሲሆን እዚህ ጋ የተጠቀምነው የሥጋና የነፍስ ተዋሕዶን ለመግለጽ የገባ ነው።

[9] ልቡና የነፍስ ግብረ ባሕርይዋ፣ የነፍስ ዓይኗ ነው፡፡

[10] « Ή  δε  τού νου  πρoς τo  σωματικόν  κοινωνία  άφραστόν τε  και  άνεπινόητον  την  συνάφειαν  έχει,  ούτε  έντoς  ουσα  (ούτε γάρ  έγκρατεΐται  σώματι  τδο  άσώματον),  ούτε έκτος περιέχουσα (ού γάρ περιλαμβάνει  τι  τά  άσώματα) άλλα  κατά  τινα  τρόπον άμήχανόν  τε  και  άκατανόητον  έγγίζων  ό  νους  τη  φύσει  και προσαπτόμενος,  και  έν  αύτή  και  περί  αύτήν  θεωρείται,  ούτε έγκαθήμενος  ούτε  περιπτυσσόμενος.  ’Αλλά  πώς,  ούκ  έστιν  είπεΐν  ή νοήσαι,  πλήν οτι  κατά τδν ίδιον αύτής είρμον εύοδουμέ-νης τής φύσεως, και ό νους ένεργος γίνεται' εί δέ τι πλημμέλημαπερί ταύτην συμπέσοι,  σκάζει κατ’ έκεϊνο και τής διανοίας ή κίνησις.» ΠΕΡΙ ΚΑΤΑΣΚΕΥΗΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥ, Γρηγορίου Νύσσης, Άπαντα τόμος 5, σειρά: “Έλληνες Πατέρες της Εκκλησίας” αρ. 91 (Θεσσαλονίκη, 1987), σελ. 110. በእንግሊዝኛ አንድ ተርጉም: “However, the communion of the nous with the bodily has an ineffable and inconceivable coherence by neither being within it (because the incorporeal cannot be held within a body), nor by containing it externally (because the incorporeal cannot contain anything), but the nous, when approaching and attaching to it (the bodily) by nature in a certain undevised and incomprehensible way, is regarded as both within it and around it –neither seated within it nor wrapped around it. But how (this is so), cannot be expressed or comprehended, except that when nature advances according to its own rhythm, the nous is also activated; and if a certain fault coincides with it,  then the movement of the intellect falters respectively.”

[11] «Ἀλλὰ μὴν ἐφυστερίζειν τὰς ψυχὰς τὴν γένεσιν, καὶ νεωτέρας τῆς τῶν σωμάτων εἶναι συμπλάσεως, οὐδεὶς ἂν τῶν εὖ φρονούντων ὑπονοήσειεν, φανεροῦ πᾶσιν ὄντος ὅτι οὐδὲν τῶν ἀψύχων κινητικήν τε καὶ αὐξητικὴν ἐν ἑαυτῷ δύναμιν ἔχει. Τῶν δ᾿ ἐν νηδύϊ ἐντρεφομένων, οὔτε ἡ αὔξησις, οὔτε ἡ τοπικὴ κίνησίς ἐστινἀμφίβολος. Λείπεται οὖν μίαν καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ψυχῆς τε καὶ σώματος ἀρχὴν τῆς  συστάσεως οἴεσθαι. Καὶ ὥσπερ τῆς ῥίζης τὴν ἀποσπάδα λαβοῦσα παρὰ τῶν γεηπόνων ἡ γῆ δένδρον ἐποίησεν, οὐκ αὐτὴ τὴν αὐξητικὴν ἐνθεῖσα τῷ τρεφομένῳ δύναμιν, ἀλλὰ μόνον τὰς πρὸς τὴν αὔξησιν  ἀφορμὰς ἐνιεῖσα τῷ ἐκκειμένῳ, οὕτω φαμὲν, καὶ τὸ ἐκ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀποσπώμενον πρὸς ἀνθρώπου φυτείαν, καὶ αὐτὸ τρόπον τινὰ ζῶον εἶναι ἐξ ἐμψύχου ἔμψυχον, ἐκ τρεφομένου τρεφόμενον.» ΠΕΡΙ ΨΥΧΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΕΩΣ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ Ο ΛΕΓΟΜΕΝΟΣ ΤΑ  ΜΑΚΡΙΝΙΑ, Γρηγορίου Νύσσης, Άπαντα τόμος 5, σειρά: “Έλληνες Πατέρες της Εκκλησίας” αρ. 91 (Θεσσαλονίκη, 1987), σελ. 342-344. በእንግሊዝኛ አንድ ትርጉም: “But no-one who is right-minded would suggest/propose a subsequent genesis of souls and consider that it is more recent than the co-fashioning of bodies, given that it is obvious to everyone that none of the soul-less things has kinetic and incremental power within itself. As for those nurtured within the womb, neither the increment nor the local movement is doubted. It remains therefore that we must think that the point of commencement of existence is one and the same for body and soul. And just as the earth receives from the agriculturist an offshoot from the root and creates a tree but does not insert that incremental power within the offshoot being nurtured, except only the causes for increment residing within that segment, thus we say that likewise what is extracted from a human for planting a human, it too is human/animate, and is a living thing from a living thing, nurtured by that which was nurtured.”

[12]  Αγίου Ειρηναίου (Β Αιώνας), Έλεγχος και ανατροπή τής ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως, Βιβλίο 2^ο, λγ: 4 - λδ: 1.