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Recent content by Iacobus

  1. Iacobus

    OSTROV (The Island) in English?

    Actually, I ordered one of those and it came last week. It is what it claims to be. The DVD plays on our player, and the English subtitles are nicely done. At times, reading the subtitles is like reading your prayers. :)
  2. Iacobus

    Glorified 20th Century Saints

    Papa Nicholas Planas
  3. Iacobus

    Sirius/XM and EO

    Hi Clement About a year ago I wrote AFR and asked about the possibility of them getting on one of the satellite radio providers. My recollection is that the answer was that they had looked into it, but had not been met with much interest. On the other hand, now that Sirius and XM radio...
  4. Iacobus

    Looking for an EO perspective on call to the ministry

    Hi Tall I grew up as a Seventh Day Adventist, was later a Methodist lay pastor and I'm now a Deacon in the Orthodox Church. I thought your OP posed an interesting question, because the notion of a call in the Orthodox Church is somewhat more complex than in many Protestant denominations...
  5. Iacobus

    The Septuagint by L. C. L., Sir Brenton

    Hi Renton: Brenton's translation is the only widely available English version of the Septuagint that is around, at least as far as I know. It is not a bad translation, but the language is a little stilted, as so many 19th century translations are. Think about some of the old translations of...
  6. Iacobus

    1 Corinthians 11:24 and Real Presence

    The use of the English word "remembrance" does not capture the full meaning of what is happening. The Greek word is anamnesis, and it means more than a mental calling to mind. Rather, it is to bring the past to the present. I usually illustrate this with an analogy that everyone can relate...
  7. Iacobus

    New to Orthodox

    Hi DIR I read your post, and immediately thought of an essay by Frederica Mathewes-Green. I don't think it will answer all your questions, but I suspect it might speak to you: http://www.frederica.com/writings/from-episcopalian-to-orthodox.html Keep asking questions, and welcome to...
  8. Iacobus

    Free EO Chants?

    Wow, I'm glad I saw this. Thanks, Oblio! I didn't realize the blog was down -- which is an odd thing to say. I've been woefully neglecting it lately. I've been trying to figure out how to be a deacon. :P Anyway, I think the problem is in my web host. They have been doing a lot of...
  9. Iacobus

    The State of Orthodoxy in Greece

    For whatever its worth, we were in Greece several years ago for about three weeks. We were on what we jokingly called the churches 'n monasteries tour -- we just wandered around, and every time we saw a church or a shrine we stopped in. Since there is a church or shrine every few feet, we...
  10. Iacobus

    Loukas' 1st Birthday

    Holy cow, Chris! A year old -- was it only a year ago that we got to keep Theodora's god-daughter? We noticed the other day that the feast day for Ven. Loukas is next week, and both of us were speechless. Many years to both of your beautiful kids, and their parental units! Dcn. James
  11. Iacobus

    Need some clarification please...

    If you don't mind a late entry into this, I can see where you would be skeptical of 'corporate infallibility'. Heaven knows every other group I belong to is prone to error great and small. Our common experience with human organizations tells us clearly that while two heads may be better than...
  12. Iacobus

    On Origen

    Origen was a very complex character. To simply dismiss him based on his condemnation is too simple. In his time, he was one of the Church's greatest thinkers. To truly understand the depth of Origen's spirituality, I would suggest reading two short pieces: "Exhortation to Martyrdom" and...
  13. Iacobus

    Do your own divorce and save

    Speaking as a lawyer who does the kind of work which has been the subject of discussion, just a couple of practical warnings. I have seen a great number of DIY divorces in my cases, usually because the divorce was botched or prejudicial in some way. For example, in many states the entry of the...
  14. Iacobus

    my experience so far, questions for TAW

    I can only speak for myself in that regard, but my experience was this: My strongest doubt or resistance was in the veneration of the Theotokos. That was foreign to my previous experience, and in fact for years I had taught in Sunday School and from the pulpit that she was just an ordinary...
  15. Iacobus

    my experience so far, questions for TAW

    Absolutely true. I agree with forgivensinner001 that each of us had issues when we came to the Church. My advice: resolve to lay aside doubts for a period of time, and simply immerse yourself in the life of the Church. When, perhaps several months later, you revisit those doubts you will...