The Theotokos and the Saints · Lecture 009
Saint Athanasius the Great
A lecture by Dimitrios Panagopoulos · Δείτε στα Ελληνικά
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Summary
Opening the Triodion, Dimitrios Panagopoulos turns to Christ’s Sermon on the Mount and insists that orthodox belief remains barren without corresponding practice. The first beatitude in Matthew 5 does not commend dullness of mind: the poor in spirit may possess learning, rank, and virtue, yet acknowledge that everything has been received from God, as 1 Corinthians 4 reminds the boastful. Following John Chrysostom, Panagopoulos holds that fasting, prayer, almsgiving, and chastity all lose their fruit when humility is absent. Isaiah 66:2 identifies the one upon whom God looks—the humble and quiet person who trembles at His word. Empress Theophano, Ephrem the Syrian, Lazarus, and Arsenios exemplify this self-knowledge. The kingdom belongs to those who recognize their poverty before God and, despite long ascetic labor, still regard repentance as scarcely begun.
English audio is a digitally generated narration of the translated transcript. Disclosed as such on every lecture.
The Greek original audio is preserved unchanged. It is the authoritative recording for this lecture.
Transcript coming soon.