I don't think I'll ever understand why Orthodox Christians in the modern world are so attached to a pagan calendar that is astronomically incorrect.

A short thread on the dating of Easter. Contrary to popular belief--the formula for dating Easter is the same for all Christians. According to the Council of Nicaea, Easter is to be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon, after the first day of Spring.

To be sure, the rise of anti-Semitic discourse & violence within some pockets of American Orthodoxy mirrors broader US and global trends. Nevertheless, I’d propose that our Holy Week hymns play an unnecessary contributing factor. It was not always this way. A thread: (1) The oldest surviving Christian hymns (there are approximately 1000) focus almost exclusively on the death and resurrection of Christ. Those hymns consistently position either the whole of humanity or the singers themselves as the party guilty of Christ’s crucifixion.

We've been asked why Public Orthodoxy posts pieces on racism in American Orthodoxy--the presumption being that it isn't really a problem (or that it is only a small problem among a few converts in certain parts of the country) and that we should focus on things that matter more. I agree that it is not a dominant trait of American Orthodoxy, but I would argue that it is on the rise and in more places than one might realize.

It is generally well known that the hymnography of the modern Orthodox Church is a fusion of hymns composed largely at two monasteries Mar Saba in Palestine and Studios in Constantinople, with other sources like cathedrals of the Anastasi and Hagia Sophia, and Mt. Athos. I've been researching the development of the hymns for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (Sept. 14) and, I must say, it is really interesting how different the Constantinopolitan hymns are from the Palestinian ones.

I've just completed teaching my "Byzantine Christianity" course, which fulfills an undergraduate core requirement @FordhamNYC. I've probably taught this course more than 30 times and I've learned a number of things along the way. A few recommendations for others: 1. Whatever themes/events you select, you can easily identify themes and issues that are directly relevant to our current world and this will always surprise students who had no idea that these issues originate in context of early Christianity/Byzantium.

Today is the feast of St. Gregory the Theologian (Nazianzen) in the Orthodox Church. A short thread on one of my favorite Church Fathers. Perhaps, the reason that I appreciate Gregory so much is because there are so many aspects of his life and work that remain relevant for contemporary society.

Today is the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. I have a few thoughts about the shifting ways in which he was viewed by the New Testament community, the early Roman Church, and the Byzantines. 1a. There is little doubt that the earliest Christian communities viewed Peter as the leader of the Apostles in the early years after Jesus’ resurrection.

Today is the Feast of St. Augustine in the Orthodox Church. I have a few thoughts: 1. There is little doubt that Augustine is one of the most influential Christians in history. In part this is because of his genius. In part it is because of the extraordinary size of his surviving corpus.

Tonight, the Orthodox Church performs the first of the five Lenten “Salutations” services to the Virgin Mary. These include a recitation of the famous “Akathist” hymn. The following is an explanation of what makes this hymn so unique and special. There are different genres of hymns in the Orthodox Church. The Akathist is a “kontakion.” In the early Byzantine period, kontakia were very popular. St. Romanos the Melodist (who lived and wrote during the sixth century) made this form of hymn very popular.

Tomorrow is the Feast of St. Gregory the Theologian (Gregory Nazianzen). He is probably my favorite figure in the early Church, not only because is one of the most influential figures in the history of Christianity but because his story is so unique and unexpected. In many ways, St. Gregory fits a hagiographic pattern we expect from early Christian theologians—aristocratic family, very well educated, abandons successful career to pursue ascetic life, and eventually becomes major figure in doctrinal debate, rescuing the Church from heretics.

For nearly 20 years, I've been teaching the history of pre-modern Christianity. I've changed my approach considerably in that time, and I have a few recommendations for younger scholars: 1. I've learned that I can't cover everything so I've stopped trying. Instead, I offer snapshots of different aspects of Christian thought and practice.

The following is a summary of @FrJohnBehr's excellent keynote address at #OxPats19, entitled "The Gospel of John in the Second Century". @FrJohnBehr 1. He began by identifying a series of key historical notes about the development of Christianity, especially with respect to annual commemoration of Pascha vs. the Sunday commemoration of the Eucharist via John's Gospel.

Today is the 965th anniversary of the so-called "Great Schism" of 1054. For history buffs and informed Christians, it stands out a momentous, if sad, anniversary. While a convenient point of reference, I'd argue that its significance is largely overblown. It is on this date that a papal delegation that was in Constantinople issued a bull of excommunication. A few days later, a synod of Constantinopolitan bishops issued their own excommunication of the bishop of Rome.

As a general rule, I don't employ psychological analysis when attempting to explain things (I'm too much a historian), but I have to say that the more I observe the bad behavior of self-defined Christians online, the more I am convinced that fear is a powerful motivator. To my mind, the desert ascetics who reflected on such things were right to situate fear as the opposite of love. Whereas action motivated by fear obstructs our path to God, action motivated by love enables it.

While historians of Orthodox Christianity have, for generations, chronicled & analyzed the escalation of hostility b/w Greek and Latin Xians in the wake of 1204, there has been little effort to situate or analyze this anti-Latin polemic as de-colonial or postcolonial discourse. But doing so not only helps us to contextualize and understand the erosion of East/West Christian unity after 1204, it also enables us to interpret with more clarity the corresponding chasm within Byzantine ecclesiastical literature between the pro-union/anti-union camps.

I’ve been teaching Medieval and/or Byzantine Christianity at @fordhamnyc for more than 15 years and I have a few thoughts about what you should and should not do when teaching it, regardless of whether you do so in a History, Religious Studies, or Theology department: 1. Do not attempt to cover everything as though you are going to give your students “all the information.” You will never achieve this, so you should instead focus on 3 or 4 themes you want them to engage from different perspectives.

I have a few (likely unpopular) thoughts and (likely wrong) predictions about how the #Ukrainian crisis is going to unfold. 1. Like everyone else who has been following this of late, I do suspect that the Ecumenical Patriarch will issue a Tomos of Autocephaly for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and I suspect that will happen before Christmas.