The ancient dispute of the emerging Christian tradition against the dying greco-roman-meditaranean paganisms very much remained confined to the externals. The fight against the neo-platonist school, for instance, as well as against much of the Hellenistic doctrines was, in the end, completely surpassed. The Church Fathers, on the one hand, … Continue reading
Category Archives: Civilization
Sola Scriptura in the Middle Ages
The doctrine of Sola Scriptura was once understood in a total sense: that is, as a call to assimilate one’s self to the Logos of God through meditation (often on the Psalms), & to preach this Gospel to every aspect of Life. The faith was not a matter of private … Continue reading
The Bible of Amiens
Romanides argues that the Franks decimated Roman urbanization & established feudalism in an effort to maintain a precarious grip on overextended power from their home bases: “In the time of Pippin of Herestal (697-715) and Charles Martel (715-741), many of the Franks who replaced Roman bishops were military leaders who, … Continue reading
Liturgy and the Logos
A popular refrain I hear from fellow Protestants is that “meaningless rituals”, gestures, “smells and bells”, or vain repetitions (a Scriptural phrase) won’t help find favor with God. While I am certain that ritual can (and does) degenerate into “those of darkness” who are fascinated with the dead (Rene Guenon) … Continue reading
The Orthodox Word (continued)
Speaking of the “Dark Ages”, the Orthodox Word tract (Forming the Soul, by Sisters of St. Xenia’s Skete): “He treasured hierarchy because it was for him a reminder of God. His whole world was an endlessly unfolding, interlocking allegory of the majesty and love of God. He rejoiced in the … Continue reading
The Path of Blue Flowers
Cologero has drawn attention to the Path of Flowers as the way of the ancestors; during my time at the “Spengler Forum”, D. Goldman remarked that Novalis had something of an obsession with the Blue Flower. I came back to this remark after hearing Gornahoor’s explication of the Path of … Continue reading
The Nachtenschein of Classic Liberalism
Having come across a remark in AKC‘s letters that the really cultured and spiritual European does not have a peer in their Eastern counterparts, I returned to a volume of Wilhelm Humboldt‘s collected letters and essays, excerpted by subject. Although one can tell that the writing was not in … Continue reading
Excerpt from Forming the Soul
The following is an excerpt from a tract circulated within the Orthodox Word; it was written by the Sisters of St. Xenia’s Skete. A good friend of mine gave it to me a long while ago. There is food for thought here, as the writer(s) argue that old Western culture … Continue reading