Persons

Persons mentioned in this book, with short notes and back-links to every occurrence.

St Alexis Toth of Wilkes-Barre

Carpatho-Rusyn priest (1854–1909) who converted from Greek Catholicism to Russian Orthodoxy and led tens of thousands of Uniates into the Orthodox Church in America. Church Censor for the Russian Orthodox Mission. Glorified by the OCA in 1994. Feast day 7 May.

Mentioned in: Imprimatur (2).

St Augustine of Hippo

Bishop of Hippo (354–430 AD) and the most influential theologian of the Latin West. Nektarios cites him repeatedly on sin, grace, free will, and moral theology. Feast day 28 August.

Mentioned in: 13. THE SACRAMENTS. BAPTISM (13.3.1).

St Basil the Great

Cappadocian Father (c. 330–379), Archbishop of Caesarea, monastic legislator and theologian; one of the Three Hierarchs. Author of the Longer and Shorter Rules and the Liturgy bearing his name. Feast day 1 January.

Mentioned in: 3. THE TEMPLE AND ITS DIVISION IN PARTS (3.5.3); 8. THE SERVICES OF THE CHURCH—DIVINE LITURGY (8.5.2); 13. THE SACRAMENTS. BAPTISM (13.2.12); 20. SAINTS (20.7.8).

David

King of Israel (c. 1010–970 BC), traditional author of the Psalms; a central figure of Old Testament typology in patristic exegesis.

Mentioned in: 4. THE TABLE OF OBLATIONS, THE VESSELS, INCENSE, ETC (4.1.11); 11. MATINS (11.4.2); 12. SYMBOLICAL BOOKS (12.3.3); 15. THE SACRAMENT OF REPENTANCE (15.6.11).

Dionysius the Areopagite

Author of the Dionysian corpus (fl. c. 500 AD), a body of mystical theology that profoundly influenced both Eastern and Western Christian thought. Identity debated; traditionally identified with Dionysius of Acts 17:34.

Mentioned in: 7. SOME REQUIREMENTS OF THE CHURCH SERVICE WHEN A BISHOP OFFICIATES. SOMETHING ABOUT THE ANGELS, AND THE HEAVENLY HIERARCHY (7.6.5).

Holy Prophet Elias

Holy Prophet Elias (Elijah), of the tribe of Levi, from Tishba of Gilead (9th century BC, reign of King Ahab of Israel). One of the greatest of the Old Testament prophets; called by the OCA ‘the first dedicated to virginity in the Old Testament.’ Taken up into heaven in a fiery chariot without tasting death (2 Kings 2:11); appeared with Moses at the Transfiguration of Christ (Matt. 17:3). In Orthodox liturgical usage, the standard English form is ‘Elias’ (reflecting Greek Ἠλίας); ‘Elijah’ is the standard Hebrew-derived form common in English Bibles and also used in Orthodox texts. Feast day 20 July.

Mentioned in: 15. THE SACRAMENT OF REPENTANCE (15.6.11); 20. SAINTS (20.7.4, 20.7.5); 21. HOLY VIRGINITY (21.3.4).

St Ephrem the Syrian

Syriac deacon, hymnographer, and theologian (born c. 306 in Nisibis; died c. 373 in Edessa — some sources give 379). Over four hundred hymns survive; he wrote exclusively in Syriac. His most famous titles are ‘Harp of the Spirit’ (Syriac: Kenārā d-Rūhā; also rendered ‘Harp of the Holy Spirit’ in later tradition), ‘Deacon of Edessa’, ‘Sun of the Syrians’, and ‘Pillar of the Church’. His Prayer of Saint Ephrem is used throughout the Eastern church on weekdays of Great Lent. Feast day 28 January in the Eastern Orthodox calendar (9 June in the Western/Roman calendar).

Mentioned in: 20. SAINTS (20.7.8).

St Gregory the Theologian

One of the Three Hierarchs (c. 329–390), Archbishop of Constantinople, author of the Five Theological Orations and the Invectives Against Julian. Feast day 25 January.

Mentioned in: 17. THE SACRAMENT OF ORDERS (17.15.2).

St Jerome

Latin biblical scholar and translator (c. 347–420 AD), produced the Latin Vulgate. Cited by Nektarios on virginity. Feast day 30 September.

Mentioned in: 5. THE LIGHTS (5.2.6); 13. THE SACRAMENTS. BAPTISM (13.3.1).

St John the Forerunner and Baptist

Holy Prophet and Forerunner of Christ, son of Zacharias the priest and Elizabeth; last of the Old Testament prophets and the one who baptized Jesus in the Jordan. Beheaded by Herod Antipas at the instigation of Herodias. The Orthodox Church commemorates him on seven separate feast days: 23 September (Conception), 7 January (Synaxis, immediately after Theophany — the principal feast), 24 February (First and Second Finding of his Head), 25 May (Third Finding of his Head), 24 June (Nativity), 29 August (Beheading), and 12 October (Transfer of his right hand, Russian Orthodox). In Orthodox liturgical usage the primary title is ‘Forerunner’ (Πρόδρομος, Предтеча), with ‘Baptist’ (Βαπτιστής, Креститель) as a second appellation.

Mentioned in: 3. THE TEMPLE AND ITS DIVISION IN PARTS (3.5.4); 5. THE LIGHTS (5.3.2); 8. THE SERVICES OF THE CHURCH—DIVINE LITURGY (8.11.6); 11. MATINS (11.6.5); 12. SYMBOLICAL BOOKS (12.3.8); 15. THE SACRAMENT OF REPENTANCE (15.7.1); 20. SAINTS (20.7.4); 21. HOLY VIRGINITY (21.3.4); 22. THE FASTS OF THE CHURCH (22.3.3, 22.3.5, 22.9.2).

St John Chrysostom

Archbishop of Constantinople (c. 347–407), one of the most prolific homilists of the early Church; one of the Three Hierarchs. Exiled twice for challenging imperial corruption; died in exile. Feast day 13 November.

Mentioned in: Note (4); 8. THE SERVICES OF THE CHURCH—DIVINE LITURGY (8.5.1); 17. THE SACRAMENT OF ORDERS (17.15.4).

St John of Damascus

Eighth-century Syrian theologian (c. 675–749), monk of Mar Saba. Author of the Exposition of the Orthodox Faith and the chief Iconodule theologian of the iconoclast controversy. Feast day 4 December.

Mentioned in: 7. SOME REQUIREMENTS OF THE CHURCH SERVICE WHEN A BISHOP OFFICIATES. SOMETHING ABOUT THE ANGELS, AND THE HEAVENLY HIERARCHY (7.3.2); 11. MATINS (11.6.4).

St Macarius of Moscow

Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia (born c. 1482 near Moscow, secular name probably Mikhail; died 12 January 1563 in Moscow). Archbishop of Novgorod 1526–1542; Metropolitan of Moscow 1542–1563. Iconographer, theologian, and organizer of the Russian church; oversaw the glorification of 39 Russian saints at the Stoglav Council (1551) and earlier councils. Compiler of the Great Menaion Reader (Velikiye Minei-Chetii, Russian: Великие Минеи-Четьи), a twelve-volume collection of saints’ lives arranged by month — the most comprehensive hagiographical compilation of 16th-century Russia. Glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1988. Feast day 30 December.

Mentioned in: Note (7).

Metropolitan Michael of Serbia

Metropolitan Michael Jovanović (1826–1898), Metropolitan of Serbia 1859–1881 and 1889–1898. Patron to whom Dabović dedicated The Holy Orthodox Church (1898).

Mentioned in: Dedication (1).

St Nicholas of Myra, the Wonderworker

Archbishop of Myra in Lycia (birth date unknown; died in Myra between 342 and 352 AD — the commonly cited ‘c. 270–343’ is traditional but not historically verified). Noted for care of the poor, defense of Orthodoxy against Arianism, and reputed attendance at the First Ecumenical Council (Nicaea, 325), though his name does not appear in documented lists. Patron saint of Greece, Russia, sailors, travelers, and children. His relics were taken from Myra to Bari, Italy in 1087. Feast days: 6 December (repose), 9 May (translation of relics to Bari), 29 July (nativity, Russian Orthodox). Venerated as a Wonderworker (Θαυματουργός).

Mentioned in: 3. THE TEMPLE AND ITS DIVISION IN PARTS (3.5.3); 12. SYMBOLICAL BOOKS (12.3.8).

St Paul the Apostle

Holy, Glorious, and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles; Apostle to the Gentiles (c. 5 – c. 67 AD). Born Saul of Tarsus of the tribe of Benjamin; converted on the road to Damascus. Author of fourteen epistles in the New Testament canon (thirteen attributed, including Hebrews in the Eastern lectionary). Martyred by beheading in Rome under the emperor Nero, with the Apostle Peter. The Peter and Paul Fast precedes their joint feast day. Feast day 29 June (with St Peter).

Mentioned in: 16. THE SACRAMENT OF COMMUNION (16.1.2); 17. THE SACRAMENT OF ORDERS (17.1.4, 17.6.1); 18. MATRIMONY (18.1.2); 20. SAINTS (20.3.3, 20.7.5); 22. THE FASTS OF THE CHURCH (22.8.1).

St Philaret of Moscow

Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna (born Vassily Mikhailovich Drozdov, 26 December 1782 in Kolomna; died 19 November 1867 in Moscow). Tonsured a monk and took the name Philaret in 1808; appointed Metropolitan of Moscow in 1826, a see he held until his death. Theologian, preacher, and churchman; author of the influential Christian Catechism (1823); oversaw and contributed decisively to the Russian Synodal Bible translation. Glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church at the Bishops’ Council of 1994. Feast day 19 November.

Mentioned in: Note (6); 21. HOLY VIRGINITY (21.4.4).

St Symeon of Thessalonica

Archbishop of Thessalonica 1416/17–1429 (born c. 1381–1387 in Constantinople; died probably September 1429, shortly before the Ottoman capture of the city in March 1430). A Palamite theologian and great liturgist; his chief works include the Liturgical Commentaries (a comprehensive treatise on Orthodox worship and sacraments), the ‘Sacred Rituals and Sacraments of the Church’, and the Logos Historikos (a political-historical account of Thessalonica’s final years). Glorified by the Ecumenical Patriarchate (Church of Constantinople) in 1981. Feast day 15 September.

Mentioned in: Note (5); 9. THE HOURS (9.1.6).

Tertullian

Latin Christian writer of Carthage (c. 155–c. 240), author of the De corona militis cited here. The earliest substantial Latin Christian author and an important witness to early-third-century Christian practice.

Mentioned in: 13. THE SACRAMENTS. BAPTISM (13.3.1).