The Ladder of Divine Ascent, Part 1: Historical and Religious Context

Metropolitan Jonah starts his new series on The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Part 1: Historical and Religious Context
St. Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church, Stafford, Va. 4 September 2019
The Essenes; monasticism; Origen; early heresies; NT canon; Gnosticism; dualism; St. Macarios; St. Basil; St Gregory; St Cyril; St. Augustine; St John Cassia; St Benedict; St. John Climacus; Koinbion; cenobium; Anchorites; Star Wars; social services; Antioch and Alexandria; fall of Rome; aristocracies; Jerusalem; St Katherine’s Monastery; Saint Patrick...

[@know_not_wickedness]

You are a wonderful man and teacher - Thank You for all you share. God is with Us, except for the people that downvoted this amazing lecture.

[@BookofAkathists]

Love Met. Jonah!

[@stheo8651]

Most Excellent! Very insightful. God Bless you for this! Glory be to God!

[@maaikekamstra7353]

This is really a blessing for me today. Glory to God.

[@sacrecur7352]

🙏

[@thattimestampguy]

1:07 This a text On Monasticism
1:47 Published in The Americas 🌎, translated into many languages.
2:50 33 AD - Persecution and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. ☦️
6:12 Constantly Willing to give up everything, during Martyrdom.
7:31 The Persecution of 306 AD, 20,000 people burned alive.
*Purity*
8:57 Old Testament Community of Asceans, core male community.
11:26
Sadducees - No afterlife
Pharisees - Afterlife, Strict adherence to law.
13:08 Asceans were strict too.
All of Jerusalem is sacred and should have law applied throughout all of her space.
15:53 Asceans are MEMBERS-ONLY Community.
19:17
20:11 Open and Evangelical Christianity vs Closed Ascean Community.
22:10 Tsar -> Rebellion -> Persecution.
*Early Monastic Communities*
24:38 381 AD: Christianity becomes the official religion of The Roman Empire.
Egypt: Ascetics go out to live in The Desert 🐪 🏜 28:40 St. Clement of Alexandria -> Origen.
30:07 397 AD: The New Testament is Canonized 📕
33:23 Gnosticism was categorically dual good and evil. It created radical purity, because it believed the human body was evil. [similar to the Greeks]
36:02 Gnostics who become Hedonists, who do whatever they please with their bodies.
*Non-Canonical Books*
37:55 Proto-Evangelion of James. Gives Mary’s upbringing.
Book of Enoch.
39:25 Jesus as a Little boy making clay birds 🐦. Comes from the Quran ☪️
*Egyptian Desert Fathers: Preservation + Asceticism*
42:02 St. Anthony’s Asceticism
46:51 St.
*Heresies*
51:40 Arianism. Anthropomorphism.
53:27 Simple peasants mixed in with Brilliant Aristocrats.
54:18 Monk Bastion of Orthodoxy. Origen formed “God is beyond conception, invisible, inconceivable.”
57:30 St. Basil, Archbishop of Cesaria. 1:01:50 Wrote The Core Rule of Monasticism. Champion of Nicenan Monasticism.
1:14:27 Coptic Christianity Icon. The Deified Christ.
Antioch: Christ The Teacher
1:15:14 Latin Rome West. Greek Rome East.

[@justrubio3121]

Wow the encolpion

[@drdexter33]

Thanks for these talks. I've heard that the Toll House doctrine is gnostic and heretical by some, but have also heard that Fr Seraphim Rose supported this doctrine as well as Father Thomas Hopko.
Is it your opinion that the doctrine of Toll Houses is heretical?

[@SkullOfTheAbyss]

I believe it’s in Part 2 of his 2020 Apologetics lecture, but he goes over this with the class. I don’t want to paraphrase and misrepresent what he says. It’s a great series though. Hope this is helpful.

[@mariorizkallah5383]

how can it be gnostic when its in scripture and in the fathers? Its in the prayers of the Orthodox church and the services lol

[@MrSofuskroghlarsen]

​@@mariorizkallah5383Where in the scriptures are the toll houses?

[@justint.kennerly5780]

​@@mariorizkallah5383they copied it

[@greatnationnow]

Is St Hermon church with the Greek Orthodox?

[@Sainthermanofalaskastaffordva]

Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia