733 South Ashland Ave Chicago, Illinois 60607 Rev. Fr. Dimitri Tobias, Proistamenos stbasilchicago@comcast.net Saints and Feasts: Saint Basil Greek Orthodox Church Leavetaking of the Theophany of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Sabbas (Sava), Archbishop of Serbia Sunday, January 14, 2018 Telephone: (312) 243-3738 Office Fax: Fax (312) 243-7691 www.stbasilchicago.org Parish Council President: Ms. Jayme Schenk Agnes the Virgin-martyr The Holy Fathers slain at Sinai and Raitho Nina of Georgia Take heed, then, often to come together to give thanks to God, and show forth His praise. For when ye assemble frequently in the same place, the powers of Satan are destroyed, and the destruction at which he aims is prevented by the unity of your faith. St. Ignatius of Antioch Epistle to the Ephesians Ch. 13, 2nd century For as persons not even knowing where to put a step forward, so they sat, overtaken by the darkness. St. John Chrysostom Homily 14 on Matthew 4, 4th Century Narthex Duty: Nick Georgopoulos & Christine Rousakis Welcoming Ministry: Melita Green Orthros Reader: Aris Kapsopoulos Coffee Hour: Philoptochos 5 Year Memorial: Nicholas Frangias - May His Memory Be Eternal PHILOPTOCHOS MEETING TODAY PRISON MINISTRY LETTERS TODAY Before The Creed When the Priest says: The Congregation responds: Christ is in our midst. He is and always will be, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Communion Guidelines: As a reminder, only Baptized and Chrismated Orthodox Christians who are in good standing may receive Holy Communion. Follow the Ushers row by row and please exit towards the outside aisles.
SS. Athanasios and Cyril, Patriarchs of Alexandria In the half-century after the First Ecumenical Council held in Nicea in 325, if there was one man whom the Arians feared and hated more intensely than any other, as being able to lay bare the whole error of their teaching, and to marshal, even from exile or hiding, the beleaguered forces of the Orthodox, it was Saint Athanasios the Great. This blazing lamp of Orthodoxy, which imperial power and heretics' plots could not quench when he shone upon the lampstand, nor find when he was hid by the people and monks of Egypt, was born in Alexandria about the year 296. He received an excellent training in Greek letters and especially in the sacred Scriptures, of which he shows an exceptional knowledge in his writings. Even as a young man he had a remarkable depth of theological understanding; he was only about twenty years old when he wrote his treatise "On the Incarnation." Saint Alexander, the Archbishop of Alexandria, brought him up in piety, ordained him his deacon, and after deposing Arius for his blasphemy against the Divinity of the Son of God, took Athanasios to the First Council in Nicea in 325. Saint Athanasios was to spend the remainder of his life laboring in defense of this Holy Council. In 326, before his death, Alexander appointed Athanasios his successor. In 325, Arius had been condemned by the Council of Nicea; yet through his hypocritical confession of Orthodox belief, Saint Constantine the Great was persuaded by Arius's supporters that he should be received back into the communion of the Church. But Athanasios, knowing well the perverseness of his mind, and the disease of heresy lurking in his heart, refused communion with Arius. The heresiarch's followers then began framing false charges against Athanasios. Finally Saint Constantine the Great, misled by grave charges of the Saint's misconduct (which were completely false), had him exiled to Tiberius (Treves) in Gaul in 336. When Saint Constantine was succeeded by his three sons Constantine II, Constans, and Constantius, in 337, Saint Athanasios returned to Alexandria in triumph. But his enemies found an ally in Constantius, Emperor of the East, and he spent a second exile in Rome. It was ended when Constans prevailed with threats upon his brother Constantius to restore Athanasios (see also Nov. 6). For ten years Saint Athanasios strengthened Orthodoxy throughout Egypt, visiting the whole country and encouraging all: clergy, monastics, and lay folk, being loved by all as a father. After Constans's death in 350, Constantius became sole Emperor, and Athanasios was again in danger. On the evening of February 8, 356, General Syrianus with more than five thousand soldiers surrounded the church in which Athanasios was serving, and broke open the doors. Athanasios's clergy begged him to leave, but the good shepherd commanded that all the flock should withdraw first; and only when he was assured of their safety, he also, protected by divine grace, passed through the midst of the soldiers and disappeared into the deserts of Egypt, where for some six years he eluded the soldiers and spies sent after him. When Julian the Apostate succeeded Constantius in 361, Athanasios returned again, but only for a few months. Because Athanasios had converted many pagans, and the priests of the idols in Egypt wrote to Julian that if Athanasios remained, idolatry would perish in Egypt, the heathen Emperor ordered not Athanasios's exile, but his death. Athanasios took a ship up the Nile. When he learned that his imperial pursuers were following him, he had his men turn back, and as his boat passed that of his pursuers, they asked him if he had seen Athanasios. "He is not far," he answered. After returning to Alexandria for a while, he fled again to the Thebaid until Julian's death in 363. Saint Athanasios suffered his fifth and last exile under Valens in 365, which only lasted four months because Valens, fearing a sedition among the Egyptians for their beloved Archbishop, revoked his edict in February, 366. The great Athanasios passed the remaining seven years of his life in peace. Of his fifty-seven years as Patriarch, he had spent some seventeen in exiles. Shining from the height of his throne like a radiant evening star, and enlightening the Orthodox with the brilliance of his words for yet a little while, this much-suffering champion inclined toward the sunset of his life, and in the year 373 took his rest from his lengthy sufferings, but not before another luminary of the truth -- Basil the Great -- had risen in the East, being consecrated Archbishop of Caesarea in 370. Besides all of his other achievements, Saint Athanasios wrote the life of Saint Anthony the Great, with whom he spent time in his youth; ordained Saint Frumentius first Bishop of Ethiopia; and in his Paschal Encyclical for the year 367 set forth the books of the Old and New Testaments accepted by the Church as canonical. Saint Gregory the Theologian, in his "Oration On the Great Athanasios", said that he was "Angelic in appearance, more angelic in mind;... rebuking with the tenderness of a father, praising with the dignity of a ruler... Everything was harmonious, as an air upon a single lyre, and in the same key; his life, his teaching, his struggles, his dangers, his return, and his conduct after his return... he treated so mildly and gently those who had injured him, that even they themselves, if I may say so, did not find his restoration distasteful." Saint Cyril was also from Alexandria, born about the year 376. He was the nephew of Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, who also instructed the Saint in his youth. Having first spent much time with the monks in Nitria, he later became the successor to his uncle's throne in 412. In 429, when Cyril heard tidings of the teachings of the new Patriarch
of Constantinople, Nestorius, he began attempting through private letters to bring Nestorius to renounce his heretical teaching about the Incarnation. When the heresiarch did not repent, Saint Cyril, together with Pope Celestine of Rome, led the Orthodox opposition to his error. Saint Cyril presided over the Third Ecumenical Council of the 200 Holy Fathers in the year 431, who gathered in Ephesus under Saint Theodosius the Younger. At this Council, by his most wise words, he put to shame and convicted the impious doctrine of Nestorius, who, although he was in town, refused to appear before Cyril. Saint Cyril, besides overthrowing the error of Nestorius, has left to the Church full commentaries on the Gospels of Luke and John. Having shepherded the Church of Christ for thirty-two years, he reposed in 444. Hymns of the Day After the Small Entrance Resurrectional Apolytikion Grave Tone By death on the cross, O Lord, You shattered death. You opened up paradise to the lowly thief. You turned the sorrow of the myrrhbearers into joy. You sent Your apostles to preach the glad tidings: that You, O Christ our God, had risen from the dead and granted to the world Your great mercy. Ἀπολυτίκιον Ἀναστάσιμον Ήχος βαρύς Κατέλυσας τῷ Σταυρῷ σου τὸν θάνατον, ἠνέῳξας τῷ Λῃστῇ τὸν Παράδεισον, τῶν Μυροφόρων τὸν θρῆνον μετέβαλες, καὶ τοῖς σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις κηρύττειν ἐπέταξας, ὅτι ἀνέστης Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, παρέχων τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος. Apolytikion for Afterfeast of the Theophany 1 st Tone When You were baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest; for the voice of the Father bare witness unto You, by calling You His beloved Son. And the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the verity of the word. O Christ our God, Who hast appeared and hast enlightened the world, glory be to You. Απολυτίκιον Ήχος α' Ἐν Ἰορδάνῃ βαπτιζομένου σου Κύριε, ἡ τῆς Τριάδος ἐφανερώθη προσκύνησις, τοῦ γὰρ Γεννήτορος ἡ φωνὴ προσεμαρτύρει σοί, ἀγαπητὸν σὲ Υἱὸν ὀνομάζουσα, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐν εἴδει περιστεράς, ἐβεβαίου τοῦ λόγου τὸ ἀσφαλές. Ὁ ἐπιφανεῖς Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, καὶ τὸν κόσμον φωτίσας δόξα σοί. Apolytikion for the Church 1 st Tone Your proclamation went forth into all the earth, for it accepted your word, through which you taught the dogmas befitting God, you expounded on the nature of all that is, and you arranged the morals of society. A royal priesthood! Devout father Basil, intercede with Christ our God, to grant us His great mercy. Kontakion 4 th Tone You appeared to the world today, and Your light, O Lord, has left its mark upon us. With fuller understanding we sing to You: "You came, You were made manifest, the unapproachable light." Απολυτίκιον τοῦ Ναοῦ Ήχος α' Εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος σου, ὡς δεξαμένην τὸν λόγον σου, δι' οὗ θεοπρεπῶς ἐδογμάτισας, τὴν φύσιν τῶν ὄντων ἐτράνωσας, τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἤθη κατεκόσμησας, Βασίλειον Ἱεράτευμα, Πάτερ Ὅσιε, Χριστὸν τὸν Θεὸν ἱκέτευε, δωρήσασθαι ἡμῖν τὸ μέγα ἔλεος. Κοντάκιον Ήχος δ ' Ἐπεφάνης σήμερον τὴ οἰκουμένη, καὶ τὸ φῶς σου Κύριε, ἐσημειώθη ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, ἓν ἐπιγνώσει ὑμνούντάς σε. Ἦλθες ἐφάνης τὸ Φῶς τὸ ἀπρόσιτον.
Thank you to everyone who braved the cold to participate in the Inaugural Blessing of the Chicago River! METROPOLIS OF CHICAGO EVENTS BELOW
THE EPISTLE / Ο ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΣ Prokeimenon. Mode 1. Psalm 32.22,1 Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us. Verse: Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous. The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 4:7-13 BRETHREN, grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." (in saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Προκείμενον. Ήχος α'. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 32.22,1 Κύριε, τὸ ἔλεός σου ἐφ' ἡμᾶς. Στίχ. Ἀγαλλιᾶσθε δίκαιοι ἐν Κυρίῳ Πρὸς Ἐφεσίους 4:7-13 Ἀδελφοί, ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ ἡμῶν ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς δωρεᾶς τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Διὸ λέγει, Ἀναβὰς εἰς ὕψος ᾐχμαλώτευσεν αἰχμαλωσίαν, καὶ ἔδωκεν δόματα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Τὸ δέ, Ἀνέβη, τί ἐστιν εἰ μὴ ὅτι καὶ κατέβη πρῶτον εἰς τὰ κατώτερα μέρη τῆς γῆς; Ὁ καταβάς, αὐτός ἐστιν καὶ ὁ ἀναβὰς ὑπεράνω πάντων τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἵνα πληρώσῃ τὰ πάντα. Καὶ αὐτὸς ἔδωκεν τοὺς μὲν ἀποστόλους, τοὺς δὲ προφήτας, τοὺς δὲ εὐαγγελιστάς, τοὺς δὲ ποιμένας καὶ διδασκάλους, πρὸς τὸν καταρτισμὸν τῶν ἁγίων, εἰς ἔργον διακονίας, εἰς οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ μέχρι καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ.
THE HOLY GOSPEL / ΤΟ ΘΕΙΟΝ ΕΥΑΓ- ΓΕΛΙΟΝ The Gospel According to Matthew 4:12-17 At that time, when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Ἐκ τοῦ Κατὰ Ματθαῖον 4:12-17 Εὐαγγελίου τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ Ιησοῦς ὅτι Ιωάννης παρεδόθη, ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, καὶ καταλιπὼν τὴν Ναζαρὲτ ἐλθὼν κατῴκησεν εἰς Καπερναοὺμ τὴν παραθαλασσίαν ἐν ὁρίοις Ζαβουλὼν καὶ Νεφθαλείμ, ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ Ησαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος γῆ Ζαβουλὼν καὶ γῆ Νεφθαλείμ, ὁδὸν θαλάσσης, πέραν τοῦ Ιορδάνου, Γαλιλαία τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὁ λαὸς ὁ καθήμενος ἐν σκότειεἶδε φῶς μέγα, καὶ τοῖς καθημένοις ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτουφῶς ἀνέτειλεν αὐτοῖς. Απὸ τότε ἤρξατο ὁ Ιησοῦς κηρύσσειν καὶ λέγειν μετανοεῖτε ἤγγικε γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Download the APP DIGITAL CHANT STAND by AGES Initiatives To follow along during Orthros, Liturgy, Vespers, and Holy Week Services right on your smart device
He Was Just Bones Emmanuel Before FMSC Meal Packs - Emmanuel After One Year of FMSC In a remote Ugandan village, their mother died in childbirth. Their alcoholic father was often gone for weeks. At 11, Brian became the primary caretaker of his siblings: Joseph (7), Joan (5) and Emmanuel (2). Desperate to provide for them, he begged for food in a nearby village. When Brian s pleading resulted in no food, none of them ate. They slept on the dirt floor with empty stomachs. Every day was a struggle to survive. Little Emmanuel, called Emma, weighed barely nine pounds. His tummy was so swollen from malnutrition that his tiny legs struggled to support him. He didn t have strength to move. One day a woman, Madrine, noticed the children. She asked an FMSC food partner, Rakai Orphans Development Initiative (RODI),for help. There is a family where a child is about to die, she told RODI. When we found him, Emmanuel couldn t walk and wouldn t even talk, said Richard Mutaawe, Co-Founder of RODI. He literally didn t have any energy. He was just bones. RODI immediately gave the kids MannaPack Rice. We knew only FMSC food could save this family, they said. After one year of eating nutritious food every day, Emmanuel weighs 22 pounds. He smiles joyfully and is walking! Now we can all see hope, says RODI. Before we came here, Emma was dying. He would spend days without eating. FMSC food was truly manna from heaven. It totally changed their lives. Eleven-year-old Brian cooks the MannaPack for his young siblings over an open fire. He makes sure they wash their hands and leads a prayer before they eat. Brian says, Thank you so much for bringing us this food. Through RODI s support, the oldest children now attend school. Before this food, they couldn t find a way out of their situation. Now they have hope for tomorrow, said Johnson Lwondo, Co-Founder of RODI
Feed My Starving Children Meal Packing Event You can save starving children by attending St. Basil Church s Feed My Starving Children meal packing event. These meals are specially formulated for malnourished children and sent to FMSC s partner around the world to be used in orphanages, schools, clinics and feeding programs to break the cycle of poverty. FMSC is a Christian non-profit organization whose food has reached more than 70 countries such as Uganda, El Salvador and Haiti. The World Health Organization reports that 6,200 children worldwide die each day from hunger related issues. But you can help. Each volunteer packs 216 meals at a packing session. St. Basil parishioners and supporters have packed a total of 14,472 meals at our three previous sessions! Sit down jobs are available. Make it a family event. Minimum age to participate is five. Date: Saturday, January 27 Time: 11:30 am 1:30 pm Place: Feed My Starving Children This is where we meet 1072 National Parkway, Schaumburg, IL Please RSVP by one of the following ways by Wednesday, January 24. Contact the Church office 312-243-3738 or Use the sign-up sheet in Philoptochos Hall or Send an email to StBasilFMSC@yahoo.com
Calendar for the Week Ahead - Sunday, January 14, 10:30am - Sunday School Meets - Sunday, January 14, 11:45am - Philoptochos Meeting - Tuesday, January 16, 7:00pm - Great Vespers for St. Anthony the Great at Metropolis Chapel - Wednesday, January 17, 8:30am - Orthros and Divine Liturgy for St. Anthony the Great at Metropolis Chapel - Wednesday, January 17, 6:00pm - Paraklesis (Supplication Service) to the Virgin Mary - Wednesday, January 17, 7:00pm - Great Vespers for Ss. Athanasios and Cyril (at Aurora parish) - Thursday, January 18, 8:30am - Orthros and Divine Liturgy for Ss. Athanasios & Cyril - Sunday, January 21, 8:15am - Orthros and Divine Liturgy St. Basil Super Bash - Sunday, February 4, 2018 SAVE THE DATE: We are pleased to announce the return of the St. Basil Super Bash! Stay tuned for details! We need your help - You Might be Missing Out We have started a new weekly St. Basil E-Bulletin - which goes out early each week - and, for some of you, this email is going into "spam" or "trash". Please take a look at your spam and trash files and if you see it there, with most servers there's a button you can push to stop it's going into trash/spam. Or you can enter stbasilchicago@comcast.net into your email contacts list. Thanks! Greek man looking for stem cell donor match For more information visit - https://bethematch.org/ support-the-cause/donate-bone-marrow/ Parish News and Events A Year End Charitable Giving Tip - If you have benefited from the significant gains in the stock market this year, you can do well as you do good. Consider making a gift of appreciated stock to St. Basil, the Church you love. Consult your financial advisor and ask about the potential tax benefits of a gift of stock to St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church. You may be surprised how generous you can be thanks to a bull market. Hellenic Letters Celebration - Sunday, January 28th, I pray that you can join us at this annual event in fellowship as we celebrate Hellenism and Excellence. Though we do not currently possess a Greek School, we are still Phil- Hellenes and can support the enrichment and enhancement of Hellenic Education within our Metropolis for future generations. Please contact the Church office if you would like to attend or if you would like to donate. Tickets are $60 a person. Stewardship - Have You Become A Steward For 2018? If not, know that everything we have is God's and we are just managers during this brief life. Become a steward today. "He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for great generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God" (2 Cor. 9:10-11). House/Business Blessings - It is customary to bless homes and businesses right after the feast of Epiphany. Please contact Fr. Dimitri Tobias if you would like to have your home or business blessed (312-243-3738). Prison Ministry New Years Cards to Inmates Please join prison ministry volunteers in sending out New Year s cards to inmates in the Angel Tree program. We will reassure them that we purchased and delivered Christmas gifts to their families. We will get together after liturgy in the Philoptochos hall on Sunday, January 14. The whole process should take about a half hour or less. Any help you can give will be appreciated. 5 year memorial Nicholas Frangias - May His Memory Be Eternal
St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church January 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 NO BAPTISMS OR WEDDINGS PERMIT- TED TODAY No Fasting NO FASTING 8:30 am Orthros and Divine Liturgy for St. Basil, followed by Doxology for the New Year" 2 NO BAPTISMS OR WEDDINGS PERMIT- TED TODAY NO FASTING No Fasting 3 NO BAPTISMS OR WEDDINGS PERMIT- TED TODAY NO FASTING No Fasting 4 NO BAPTISMS OR NO FASTING No Fasting 5 Fasting Day 6 Memorials Not Permitted 6:00 pm Vesperal Divine Liturgy and Lesser Blessing of the Waters Liturgy and Great 8:00 am Orthros & Divine Blessing of the Waters of Theophany 7:00 pm Great Vespers for St. John the Baptist (at Des Plaines Parish) 7 8:15 am Orthros and Divine Liturgy 10:30 am "Sunday School meets" 11:30 am Parish Vasilopita 11:30 am Prison Ministry New Year's card writing to inmates 8 9 OCF FIELD TRIP TO WEEPING ICON 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 8:15 am Orthros and Divine Liturgy 10:30 am "Sunday School meets" 11:45 am Philoptochos Meeting 7:00 pm Great Vespers for St. Anthony the Great at Metropolis Chapel 17 18 8:30 am Orthros and Divine Liturgy for St. Anthony at Metropolis Chapel 7:00 pm Great Vespers for Ss. Athanasios and Cyril (at Aurora parish) 8:30 am Orthros and Divine Liturgy for Ss. Athanasios & Cyril 19 20 21 8:15 am Orthros and Divine Liturgy 10:30 am "Sunday School meets" 28 No Fasting 8:15 am Orthros and Divine Liturgy 10:30 am "Sunday School meets" 22 23 24 25 26 27 11:30 am St. Basil Parish Trip to Feed my Starving Children 29 No Fasting 7:00 pm Great Vespers for Three Hierarchs 30 No Fasting 8:30 am Orthros and Divine Liturgy for Synaxis of the Three Hierarch: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom 31 No Fasting
Matthew 25:35-36 - The Last Judgement For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: Please donate food for the needy. I was a stranger, and you took me in: Please welcome our Catechumens and Guests Naked, and you clothed me: Please consider donating clothes to the local shelter. I was sick, and you visited me: Please pray for the speedy recovery of: Nicholas, Cindy I was in prison, and you came unto me: Please pray for and consider visiting our shut-ins. Please also see Pat Cole to see about writing Letters to those Incarcerated through our prison ministry. It means the world to them to receive love. VISITATION POLICY If you would like Fr. Dimitri to visit you in the hospital, please call him or have a family member call. Fr. Dimitri will not go unless he is asked by the family. This is in compliance with both HIPAA and patient privacy. Reflection If You are not receiving the Observer, please contact the Church Office. If, at times, the dogmas of the Faith seem to be like solid food, first endeavor to fulfill the moral dogmas of Christianity, then the understanding of the dogmas of the Faith will be revealed to you. Inquisitive questioning of higher things without effort regarding the improvement of your life does not bring any benefit. At one time, the monks of Egypt reflected about Melchisedek and not being able to come to a clear understanding about the mysterious personality of this ancient king and high priest, invited Abba Copres to their assembly and asked him about Melchisedek. Upon hearing this, Copres struck himself three times on the mouth and said, "Woe to you Copres! You left that which God commanded you to do and you question that which God does not require of you." Hearing him, the monks were ashamed and dispersed. St. John Chrysostom writes, "And, if we adhere to the true dogmas and are not concerned about our behavior, we will not have any kind of benefit; and in the same way, if we concern ourselves about our behavior and neglect true dogmas, we will receive no benefit for our salvation. If we want to be delivered from Gehenna and to gain the kingdom, we need to be adorned on both sides: correctness of dogmas and honorable living."