Undusted Texts

St. Gregory of Narek (951-1003) was a great Armenian saint and spiritual writer, a monk of the Narek Monastery, who wrote the Matean Voghbergutyan ( Book of Lamentations ), the greatest spiritual work of the Armenian tradition (at least according to popular acclaim).  It is, in some ways, a new book of psalms written by a sorrowful, repentant heart.  This holy book is often put near the bedside of sick Armenians to assist in their healing.  I have begun reading this work, and I am already falling in love with it.  Below is just one section of Gregory's work (often called just "the Narek"), a litany that I find somewhat reminiscent of the famous Anima Christi , although without the Eucharistic theme found in St. Ignatius' prayer. "Grant me life, compassionate Lord. Hear me, merciful Lord. Be charitable to me, forgiving Lord. Save me, long-suffering Lord. Protect me, defender Lord. Be generous, all-giving Lord. Free me, all-powerful Lord. Revive me, restoring...

My wife and I were praying the Hours recently, and the reading of Psalm 109 (110) was proscribed.  "The Lord says to my lord: 'Sit at my right hand...'"  The light of grace has made it abundantly clear to Christians of all times, beginning with the Apostles and Evangelists themselves, that this psalm relates to Christ's "Divine Begetting from the Father and His coming in the flesh" (St. Athanasius).  Thus its announcement of Jesus the Messiah is quoted frequently in the New Testament.  With the light of the Spirit, the key message of most of the verses of this psalm are clearly evident, yet the last line is still "deeply enigmatic," as Pope Benedict XVI admitted.  My wife encountered this enigma and asked me for clarification on this text. "He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head."  These words come following the description of Jesus' victorious kingship, how He executes judgment and shatters...

I am a lover of languages, and so reading about saints famous for translating (particularly translating Scripture) is incredibly interesting for me.  For those few who are like me, I decided to collect, in quick, summary forms, stories of some famous saints renowned for their translation efforts.  These are only some of the many, but they are important even in their incompleteness.  If you know of any other saints famous for translating Scripture, please let me know, either via e-mail or in the comments. *** The Seventy Scholars of Alexandria (2nd century BC): I have never actually heard of these considered to be saints, but their importance is incomparable.  These are the seventy Jewish scholars gathered into Alexandria by Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Egypt to translate the Scriptures into Greek, leading to the Septuagint (often referred to as the LXX, the Roman numerals for seventy).  This Greek translation of the Old Testament was the version of Scriptu...

A vice that was oft-discussed in olden times seems to have become eradicated today...at least in the popular mind.  I have heard and read very little in contemporary Christianity that discusses the vice of curiosity .  Yes, it is a vice when taken to an extreme (which it easily tends to): it is an excessive love of novelty that includes a disdain for what is older, more common, more traditional.  (Another meaning would be the curiosity of a busybody who is eager for gossip, but that form of curiosity seems more commonly condemned than this one.)  It may manifest as simply an overwhelming preference for living spiritual writers than sainted ones or for modern ideas over ancient ones; it may also manifest in an obsessive drive to be always learning more by learning broadly.  This latter form, I fear, is the least recognized and least condemned, and it is incredibly easy to fall into, especially with our current "Information Age."  In addition to the disdain ...

The Filioque is a phrase added to the Nicene Creed in Western Christianity. The original text of the Nicene Creed (really, the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed) states that the Holy Spirit is “τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορευόμενον,” “the One out of the Father proceeding.” In the currently-used Latin text, it is stated that the Holy Spirit is “Qui ex Patre Filioque procedit,” “Who out of the Father and the Son proceeds.” Originally, the Latin did not have the “and the Son” ( Filioque ); the phrase appeared in other creeds beginning around the 5th century, and it began to be added to the Nicene Creed in the 8th century. It was added to combat a heresy related to Arianism that had sprung up in the West, especially among the Goths, a heresy that denied the consubstantiality of all three Persons of the Trinity. The phrase also fit in with the Latin theological tradition and the way it discussed the Holy Spirit’s relation to the Father and the Son. In the East, however, the theological trad...