The Nativity Sermon of Saint John Chrysostom

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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THE NATIVITY SERMON
By Saint John Chrysostom

Behold a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd's song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His Glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by Divine mercy raised.

Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of Angelic voices; and in place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Sun of Justice. And ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed; He had the power; He descended; He redeemed; all things yielded in obedience to God. This day He Who Is, is Born; and He Who Is, becomes what He was not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His. Nor yet by any loss of Divinity became He man, nor through increase became He God from man; but being the Logos/Word He became flesh, His nature, because of impassability, remaining unchanged.

And so the kings have come, and they have seen the Heavenly King that has come upon the earth, not bringing with Him Angels, nor Archangels, nor Thrones, Nor Dominions, nor Powers, nor Principalities, but, treading a new and solitary path, He has come forth from a spotless womb.

Since this Heavenly Birth cannot be described, neither does His coming amongst us in these days permit of too curious scrutiny. Though I know that a Virgin this day gave birth, and I believe that God was begotten before all time, yet the manner of this generation I have learned to venerate in silence and I accept that this is not to be probed too curiously with wordy speech.

For with God we look not for the order of nature, but rest our faith in the power of Him Who works.

What shall I say to you; what shall I tell you? I behold a Mother who has brought forth; I see a Child come to this light by birth. The manner of His conception I cannot comprehend.

Nature here rested, while the Will of God labored. O ineffable grace! The Only Begotten, Who Is before all ages. Who cannot be touched or be perceived, Who is simple, without body, has now put on my body, that is visible and liable to corruption. For what reason? That coming amongst us He may teach us, and teaching, lead us by hand to the things that men cannot see. For since men believe that the eyes are more trustworthy than the ears, they doubt of that which they do not see, andso He has deigned to show Himself in bodily presence, that He may remove all doubt. (Source: Orthodox Heritage)

(To be continued)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!"-- Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

The Gifts of the Wise Men

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE. Ο ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΕΝ ΤΩ ΜΕΣΩ ΗΜΩΝ! ΚΑΙ ΗΝ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΙ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΑΙ.

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THE GIFTS OF THE WISE MEN

The Wise Men's Gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, according to the Sacred Tradition of the Orthodox Church, were kept by Jesus' Mother, the Most Holy Theotokos. They were her most priceless possessions. Just before her falling asleep (koimisis) and, after blessing them she gave them, for safekeeping, to two of Christ's faithful virgins, who cared for her. Together with the holy gifts, she gave them also her holy gown, her sacred belt, and Jesus' holy swaddling clothes.

The Ever-Virgin Mary's belt is now at Holy Mountain Athos, in Greece, in the Monastery of Vatopedy. From time to time it is brought to the Mainland of Greece to be venerated by the Orthodox Christian faithful. Her sacred gown is now in the city of Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey); the priceless treasure of the Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The first three hundred years, the Wise Men's sacred gifts were kept by faithful virgins in Jerusalem and were venerated by the faithful Christians. Those who venerated them with faith received healing for their bodies and souls. The fame of the divine gifts performing miracles reached the city of Constantinople in (400 A.D.). The Christians of Constantinople beseeched Emperor Arcadius to command that the holy gifts be brought to the Queen City, for the blessing of the people and the protection of the city.

A Royal ship and a company of pious Priests, Monks and laymen traveled to Jerusalem, where they received from the faithful virgins the precious treasure.

They brought the gifts to the Emperor in an atmosphere of Christian celebration and joy. The God-fearing Emperor knelt before the gifts, venerated them, then took them in his hands and kissed them reverently. His Cabinet members and all the people did the same.

Everyone, chanting the psalms and hymns and burning incense, formed a parade and carried the holy gifts to the church's treasury in Agia Sophia, the Church of the Holy Wisdom.

The gifts were encased in gold and silver cases, and remained in the treasury until the Fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Latin Crusaders in 1204 A.D. Just before the Fall, a nobleman of the city gathered the priceless treasures and took refuge in Nicene, Bythenia. During the reign of the Emperor Michael Paleologos, the sacred gifts were returned to Constantinople and kept there until the fall of the city to the Ottoman Muslem Empire in 1453 A.D.

After the fall of Constantinople, the holy gifts also fell into the hands of the Turks. By God's will the gifts were received by a pious Orthodox woman named Maro, who was the mother of Sultan Mohammet B,' the Conqueror.

Queen Maro was the daughter of the Orthodox Serbian King George, and who had been raised in the Orthodox Christian faith. She remained Orthodox even after she married the Turkish Sultan. When the holy gifts fell into Maro's possessions, she recognized the spiritual value them by burning incense and bestowed upon them great honors.

Toward the end of her life and according to her wishes, her son, the Sultan, set aside for her a large area in Serras, by Strymona for her to live comfortably.

With a royal ship, a crew, her royal treasure, and the Wise Men's sacred gifts, she sailed near the coast of Holy Mountain Athos. At that time, it occurred to her that her memorable father, King George of Serbia, George Vraggovits, was the donor and builder of Saint Paul's Monastery on Mount Athos. Next to the Monastery, he had erected a small chapel in honor of Saint George. Queen Maro decided to give the holy gifts to this Monastery in her father's memory.

After notifying the monks of the Monastery, hundreds of them and a multitude of people carrying lighted candles, burning incense, and chanting hymns came to welcome the sacred gifts and their great benefactor, Queen Maro. As the parade came near a rocky shore next to a single branched olive tree (which still exists today), directly across from the chapel, a loud voice was heard from heaven saying, "Maro, do not go any farther, because in the Monastery live many monks. As a woman you are not allowed to go any closer."

(It was Virgin Mary who spoke to Maro from heaven, because the Monks of Mount Athos are the Virgin Mary's precious children and her desire is to keep them safe and holy. Therefore, no women are allowed, even today, to enter the Holy Mount Athos.)

Astonished, the queen stopped, she opened the case, picked up the holy gifts, kissed them reverently and prayed aloud.

"O holy gifts, which were brought by Persian's Wise Kings, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, to Christ God, our Savior, for the Christians' ultimate fulfillment and protection from all influence and temptations of the visible and invisible enemies; keep the faithful unharmed and preserve them in abundant health and drive away from them all the wicked spirits. Amen."

She kissed the gifts reverently for the last time and then turned them over to the monks together with other gifts of gold, silver, and cloth woven with silver and golden threads. These were gifts of enormous value given to Saint Paul's monastery by Queen Maro, the mother of Sultan B.'

With the holy father's blessings and good wishes Queen Maro boarded her ship and sailed from the coast of Mount Athos.

In the spot where the invisible voice was heard, the fathers of the monastery erected a cross with the inscriptions: "The Queen's Cross." Later in the same area, an arch was raised with a shrine and a gate, that is inscribed" 1470." (In 1470 the monks received the precious gifts from Queen Maro.)

Description of the Gifts

The Gold is in the shape of square coins the size of a quarter decorated with gold wire. The frankincense and myrrh are of sweet-smelling resinous essence, which were kneaded together to form 70 spheres each the size of an olive. The priceless Wise Men's gifts are still there today in the Holy Mount Athos, in Saint Paul's Monastery. They are kept in golden cases, and according to Queen Maro's instructions the holy gifts are to remain in Saint Paul's Monastery forever.

(Men only are allowed to visit the Holy Mount Athos, and those who are fortunate enough to make the trip can see and venerate the holy gifts in Saint Paul's Monastery. They are kept in golden cases concealed in a secret room.)

[Translated from a handwritten ancient Greek manuscript into Modern Greek by the monks of Saint Paul's Monastery. Holy Mount Athos dated 1440 A.D. Translated into English from the Modern Greek in the year 2000, by Georgia Hronas.] (Source: The History and Miracles of the Miraculous Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos. Translated from the Orthodox Synaxaristes by George Hronas and Dr. Nectarios Hronas)

Saint Spyridon the Wonderworker, Bishop of Tremithus

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE. Ο ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΕΝ ΤΩ ΜΕΣΩ ΗΜΩΝ! ΚΑΙ ΗΝ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΙ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΑΙ.

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ON DECEMBER 12TH OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE FEAST OF SAINT SPYRIDON THE WONDERWORKER, BISHOP OF TREMITHUS.

The island of Cyprus was both the birthplace of this famous Saint and the place in which he spent his life in the service of the Church to the end of his days. He married young and had children, but when his wife died, he devoted himself entirely to the service of God. He was chosen for his devotion as Bishop of Tremithus, and even as a bishop did not change his simple lifestyle of life, taking charge of his cattle himself and tilling his own land. He consumed very little of his own produce, giving the greater part to the poor. He performed great wonders (miracles) by God's power, making rain fall in a drought, stopping the course of a river, raising several of the dead, healing the Emperor Constans of a grave sickness, seeing and hearing Angels, foreseeing future events and penetrating the secrets of the human heart. He turned many to the True Faith and did much else. He was present at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325 A.D., and by his simple and clear exposition of the Faith, as well as by convincing miracles, brought back many heretics to Orthodox Christianity. He dressed so simply that once when he was invited by the Emperor to the imperial court, a soldier took him for a beggar and struck him a blow. The meek and guileless Spyridon turned him the other cheek. He glorified God with many miracles and was of great aid both to individuals and to the whole Church of God. He entered into rest in the Lord in 348 A.D., and his miracle-working holy relics now lie on the Greek island of Kerkyra (Corfu) and continue to glorify God with many miracles ('wonders'. In Greek 'Thavmata').

FOR CONSIDERATION

Nothing will help us if we are not generous and forgiving towards human weakness in others. If we do not forgive others, how can we hope that God will forgive us? Saint Spyridon once sold a merchant a hundred goats at a given price and told the buyer to produce the money. Knowing that Spyridon himself would never count it, he put down enough for ninety-nine goats and secreted the money for the hundredth. Spyridon then counted out a hundred goats for him, but, when the merchant and his servant started driving them away, one of them returned bleating. It was driven off again and again returned. It kept returning to the flock, and would not go with the other goats. The Saint then whispered into the merchant's ear: 'You know, my son, that animal is not acting like this without a reason. Have you, perhaps, withheld the price?' The merchant was ashamed and acknowledged his sin, and, as soon as he had paid the full amount, the goat immediately went off and joined the rest of the flock.

On another occasion, some thieves went into Saint Spyridon's pasture. When they had seized as many rams as they wanted, they tried to leave the field, but an invisible force riveted them to the earth and they could not move from the spot. At dawn, the bishop came to the pasture, and, seeing the thieves, reproached them mildly and told them to try, in future, to live by their own labor and not by thieving. He then caught a ram and gave it to them, saying: "Take this, so that your trouble and night vigil should not have been in vain', and he sent them away in peace. (The Prologue from Ochrid)

SCRIPTURAL READINGS FOR THE FEAST OF SAINT SPYRIDON

Epistle Lesson: (Ephesians 5:8-19)

"For you were once darkness, but now your are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: 'Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.' See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit."

Gospel Lesson: (Saint John 10:9-16)

"I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."

Apolytikion Hymn in the First Tone

O Father, God-bearer, Spyridon, you were proven a champion and Wonder-Worker of the First Ecumenical Council. You spoke to the girl in the grave and turned the serpent to gold. And, when chanting your prayers, most sacred One, Angels ministered with you. Glory to Him who glorified you; glory to Him who crowned you; glory to Him who, through you, works healing for all.

Kontakion Hymn in the Second Tone

Wounded by your love for Christ, O holy One, your mind given wings by the radiance of the Spirit, you put the practice of theory into deeds, becoming a sacred altar, O Chosen by God, and praying for the Divine illumination of all.

DIVINE SERVICES FOR DECEMBER 12TH

Orthros at 9:00 a.m.
Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.

Place of worship: Chapel of Saint Nektarios

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!' - Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

The Value of the Old Testament (Part III)

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE. Ο ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΕΝ ΤΩ ΜΕΣΩ ΗΜΩΝ! ΚΑΙ ΗΝ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΙ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΑΙ.

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THE VALUE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT (Part III)
By His Eminence Metropolitan of Nafpaktos HIEROTHEOS

Hannah's Despondency

We should also look a little more closely at Hannah's despondency. Holy Scripture says that Hannah "was broken-hearted and wept and did not eat" ((1 Kings/1 Samuel 1:7).

Hannah's despondency and weeping were linked with fasting. Anyone who is sad about something does not want, and does not need, food. We could conclude from this that godly sadness is linked with fasting. One who lives in the atmosphere of repentance has no appetite to eat, and in many case keeps the fast of our Church. There has been some discussion recently about reducing fasting. We know, however, that, whenever people become aware of sin within them, the first thing they do is to love fasting. What is more, they associate fasting with prayer. This clearly shows that fasting ought to be part of the atmosphere of godly sadness, which is true repentance, and that it is inspired by God's grace.

Why was Hannah so despondent about her physical inability to bear children? There are a number of reasons. The main ones are as follows:

Some people may assert that her despondency was the result of her rivalry with Peninnah, Elkanah's other wife, who had children, and was perhaps due to the contempt that she sensed Peninnah had for her. This does not, however, seem to be true, at least in Hannah's case, as proved by the prayer that she made to God, which we shall consider later. In it she says nothing at all against Peninnah. All the same, we ought to note how awful polygamy is from this point of view as well, and to respect monogamy, which Christianity introduced, even more highly.

Her pain came from the reproach of childlessness. In those days being childless was regarded as a curse. Barrenness in particular was seen as a kind of punishment from God. The reproach of childlessness did not operate on a humanistic or moral level, but on a purely theological one. Every Israelite woman, since she read the Holy Scripture that spoke of the coming of the Messiah, wanted to contribute to this coming. If she did not have children, she regarded it as a punishment from God that she would not be included among the forebears of the Messiah. The problem, therefore, was theological rather than ethical.

Hannah's despondency was also connected with the awareness of mortality, as well as with the desire for immortality. We are familiar with the fact that Adam and Eve lost immortality through their fall. Having distanced themselves from God, they lost the true life and fell into this valley of weeping. The birth of children remained as a consolation in this state, because they saw in children the extension and development of the human race. Saint John Chrysostom says in his analysis of this viewpoint that, if childlessness is still unbearable now, that is to say, in the period of the New Covenant, in spite of the fact that we have been called to another life and are on our way to heaven and virginity is highly praised, it was considered a much greater evil then. Indeed, in those days people did everything for the present, for the things of this life, so "being barren and childless was a condemnation". Childlessness cannot be regarded nowadays as a reproach and a curse in that sense, because there is the possibility now of another life to a greater degree.

In addition, Hannah did not want a child in order to satisfy her selfishness, but to dedicate it to God. As Saint John Chrysostom again comments, Hannah did not simply long for a child, "but to offer up fruit to God". She did not even want a child to satisfy Elkanah and to attract his attention, "but so that she might display some fruit for God". It is obvious here that her purpose was holy. Her aim was the glory of God.

The conclusion from all this is that Hannah's sorrow and grief were not psychological and unhealthy but purely theological. For that reason they were blessed by God, because the intention behind what we do plays an important role and has great significance. If we weep and are distressed on account of our passions, particularly on account of pride and self-centeredness, that is not blessed by God. Not only is it not blessed, but it has terrible consequences for our psychosomatic (soul and body) constitution. Dealing in an unhealthy way with various problems that arise in our life wears out our body and deadens our soul, because when there is bitterness in us, the All-Holy Spirit cannot act. It is a fact that, when we are embittered for psychological reasons, the Holy Spirit is unable to act and consequently spiritual life cannot develop within us. (Source: The Seer. The Life of the Prophet Samuel and its Relevance Today)

(To be continued. Next: Hannah's Prayer)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostomos 

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

The Value of the Old Testament (Part II)

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE. Ο ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΕΝ ΤΩ ΜΕΣΩ ΗΜΩΝ! ΚΑΙ ΗΝ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΙ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΑΙ.

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THE VALUE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT (Part II)
By His Eminence Metropolitan of Nafpaktos HIEROTHEOS

God's Providence

The Old Testament says literally, "The Lord had closed her womb" (1 Kings/1 Samuel 1:5) and a little further on, "The Lord had closed her womb and did not give her a child" (1 Kg./1 Sam. 1:6).

These excerpts show the Uncreated Providence of God, Who personally directs the world. There exist within the creation, not simply 'natural laws', but what are called 'inner spiritual princples (logoi)'. Saint Maximus the Confessor speaks about "the inner principles (logoi) of things". The inner principles of things are the same as the Uncreated energy of God.

It should be stated that in Patristic Theology there are two basic doctrines concerning the creation and preservation of the world. One is that the world was created from nothing. This teaching is contrary to the Platonic view, that the world that we see is the result of the fall from the real world, which is the world of ideas. The Holy Fathers of the Church teach that the world came from nothing, from non-existent matter. Their other doctrine is that the world, which was created from nothing, is personally directed by God, without the intervention of created things and laws. When something is repeated in creation, this is not due to the existence of a created law, but is the result of the reliability of the Uncreated Providence of God, Who wills always to act in this way.

We clearly see here that God "closed her womb", so this is not simply a natural occurrence, something physical. God closes the womb and God opens the womb. This is not just a natural law but the governing and providential energy of God.

In Saint John Chrysostom's commentary on this passage he refers to something that happened in his era: husbands used to blame their wives if they did not conceive. He says that many people "are so unreasonable as to accuse the women". It is characteristic that he uses the word "unreasonable" here, because in reality this is not the work of nature but the work of God. Those who blame women when they do not conceive are unaware that "bearing children has its origin above, in God's providence, and neither woman's nature, nor living together, nor anything else is sufficient to bring it about". A woman's ability to conceive is an act of providence. This has to be said from two points of view. On the one hand, when God allows the conception of a child, it is a sin for people to do everything to prevent its conception. The problem is not ethical but purely theological. No one can oppose when God permits and blesses the birth of children.

An objection could be raised to this passage from Saint John Chrysostom. It could be said that there are some cases of childlessness that are due to physical causes, such as damage to bodily organs. We do not deny this and we do not forbid science to work towards curing these physical ailments, as far as this is possible and within limits, so as not to violate the human being's personality. However, we should believe, firstly that if there happens to be an infirmity, God permits it and, secondly, God also acts through medical science when it keeps within certain limits and fulfills certain conditions. Saint John Chrysostom, however, emphasizes this viewpoint for purely pastoral reasons. In his pastoral role as a bishop, he knew that many people attributed childlessness to a woman's physical state. They regarded the childless and barren woman as a second class human being, so she was undervalued and despised. Such people "reproached and often avoided these women and did not behave well towards them".

Another point that needs to be stressed is that children are a blessing and gift from God to mankind. This is how parents should deal with them. When someone gives us a present, we do not make it into an absolute. We remember the one who gave it to us -- our memory refers back to the giver. The same should happen in this case. We should not make gods of children or idolize them, but should regard them as God's gift to us. This will free us from many forms of unhealthy psychological dependence, which torment parents no less than children themselves. We should stand before them with awe and respect, as gifts of God.

God has a particular plan and a saving purpose. He wanted to make Hannah an example for many people. He wanted to manifest her faith and her patience, and to show the result and fruit of faith in god and prayer. The result is that she did not bear an ordinary human being but the great and gentle (as we shall see) Prophet Samuel. Instead of being childless, God made her the mother of a Prophet. Had she had children like Peninnah, she and her children would have remained unknown. However, as she gave birth to Samuel, after such a severe trial, she is known throughout the world.

This shows that we ought to submit to God's providence. If we suffer various trials in our life we ought not to be overwhelmed by despair. We should turn to God with great faith and, as Saint John Chrysostom says, "wait for God's providence". (Source: The Seer. The Life of the Prophet Samuel and its Relevance Today)

(To be continued. Next: Hannah's Despondency)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" -- Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

The Description of Jesus

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE. Ο ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΕΝ ΤΩ ΜΕΣΩ ΗΜΩΝ! ΚΑΙ ΗΝ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΙ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΑΙ.

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THE DESCRIPTION OF JESUS
[A letter by Publius Lentulus, Governor of Judea,  To Tiberius Caeasar, Emperor of the Romans.]

This letter first appeared in the writings of Saint Anselm of Canterbury in the 11th century.

Many times during the duration of the centuries that have passed since the Birth of Christ, thousands of theories and points of view were heard about Jesus, so much so that many people reached the point of denying His very existence.

In the Library of Lazariton in Rome, one very important document exists that speaks about Christ. It is a letter describing Jesus written by Publius Lentulus, who was the governor of Judea before Pontius Pilate. The letter was addressed to Caesar, Emperor of Rome.

With this letter--reference, Lentulus informs the Roman Emperor about Jesus Christ, because he has heard that Caesar wished to know about Him.

The Emperor's curiosity appears to be great, because of the amazing things of great wonder, which were occurring in Judea that had reached his ears.

This letter exists in Rome today, and the fact that it was preserved for two thousand years, proves that it definitely a very important and significant document.

The Roman governor of Judea, Publius Lentulus was certainly objective about Jesus activities and gave significant information about the accusations, which were fabricated by the Jews against Christ, showing Him as an "enemy of Caesar."

This is the Letter

"I heard O Caesar, that you wish to know these things which I'm writing to you at present, about a certain Man of great virtue--Whose name is Jesus Christ, Whom the people esteem as a Prophet of the Truth. His Disciples say that He is the Son of God, the Creator of everything in Heaven and on Earth, and in these things He is found and exists.

Truly, Caesar, every day amazing things of great wonder are heard about Him. He raises the dead and heals the sick with only one word. He is of average height, well shaped, and of an amiable and reverent aspect, especially in His face, that all who gaze upon Him are compelled to love and fear Him.

His hair is the color of a ripe pecan which comes to His ears, and from there it falls into graceful waving curls that cover His shoulders, turning into a brilliant reddish earth color.

It is parted in the center from His crown accordingly to the fashion of the Nazarenes. His forehead is smooth and serene; His face is without wrinkles or spots. His nose and His mouth are formed in exquisite symmetry. His beard is thick; the same color as His hair, not long, and it is separated in the center. His eyes are exceptionally sweet and calm; they are serious and inspire fear; they have the power of the sun's rays. No one can stare straight into His eyes. When He reprimands, He creates fear; when He preaches He pleases everyone, and He is loved by everyone. He is exceedingly pleasant but in a serious way.

The people say that He has never been seen smiling, but frequently crying. His arms and hands are delectable to behold. In His conversations, He satisfies everyone. He has the most perfect body in the entire world. He is a man of extraordinary beauty and Divine perfection and exceeds in beauty of all the sons of men, as does His mother, who is the most beautiful woman ever seen in these parts.

If however, Your Majesty, O Caesar, wishes to see Him, as you have written to me before, inform me of this and I will send Him to you immediately.

Everyone in Jerusalem marvels at His wisdom, although He never studied anything, He possesses knowledge of all the sciences. He walks barefoot and wears no cover on His head. Seeing Him, many people laugh, but when they are before Him they tremble with fear and respect. The people say that never a man so eloquent, wise and modest as He has ever appeared n these parts. The truth is, as the Jewish people inform me, that never anyone gave advice or taught as this man's teachings. Many of the Judeans believe Him to be God. Others again tell me that He is an enemy of Your Majesty, O Caesar, and in various ways the perverse Jews annoy me. Many people say that He never offended anyone, but He has been fair and just to all.

All those who have become acquainted with Him say that they have been helped by Him. Consequently, O Caesar, I am willing to obey in Your Majesty and whatever you order me, it will be carried out."

In Jerusalem Indiction 7

Moon 11

To Your Majesty faithfully and respectfully
Publius Lentulus, Governor of Judea.

[Translated from Latin into Ancient Greek, by Saint Nicodimus, the Agiorite in his first book the Unseen Warfare published in 1899. G. Hronas translated this letter from the Ancient Greek into English in the year 2000.]

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" -- Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George