The Mount Thabor Academy Videos

“Sts Silouan and Sophrony the Athonites: Principles of the Christian Life”, with Prof. Christopher Veniamin

More Episodes in this Unit:

Episode 2: "On the Knowledge of God", Part 2

Episode 3: "On the Knowledge of God", Part 3, and "Concerning Obedience", Part 3

Episode 4: “Discovering the Will of God”, Part 1

Episode 5: "Discovering the Will of God", Part 2

Episode 6: "Discovering the Will of God", Part 3

Based on the reading of excerpts from Silouan’s chapter, “On the Knowledge of God”, from the masterpiece, Saint Silouan the Athonite, by St. Sophrony the Athonite, this first episode will focus on such fundamental questions as “What is theology?”, “Who is a theologian?”, and “How does one theologize?”.

Themes covered include our creation in the image of God, the Commandments of Christ, how to attract the grace of God, and then how to preserve it; the role of the Holy Spirit; and the place of Christlike humility in the life of the Christian. And most especially, how does one live a fully Christian life in the world today?

It is hoped that these presentations will help the enquirer discern the interwoven character of Orthodox theology and the Orthodox Christian life, and to identify the ascetic and pastoral significance of the Orthodox ethos. 

Q&As related to Episode 1 available in The Professor’s Blog

Recommended background reading: Saint Silouan the Athonite, by St. Sophrony the Athonite; and The Enlargement of the Heart, by Archimandrite Zacharias.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I wish to express my indebtedness to the spoken and written traditions of Sts Silouan and Sophrony the Athonites, Fr. Zacharias Zacharou, Fr. Kyrill Akon, Fr. Raphael Noica, Fr. Symeon Brüschweiler; Fr. John Romanides, Fr. Pavlos Englezakis, Fr. Georges Florovsky, Prof. Constantine Scouteris, Prof. George Mantzarides, Prof. John Fountoulis, Mtp Kallistos Ware, and Prof. Panayiotes Chrestou. My presentations have been enriched by all of the above sources. Responsibility however for the content of my presentations is of course mine alone. ©Christopher Veniamin 2023

“St Gregory Palamas: An Introduction”, with Prof. Christopher Veniamin

Introducing the theology and spiritual life of the Orthodox Church, with particular reference to the Holy Bible and the witness of the Church Fathers, past and present. 

This unit, “St Gregory Palamas: An Introduction”, itself part of a wider series on Mystical Theology, is an overview of the teachings of one of the greatest Fathers of the Orthodox Church. Presentations cover St Gregory’s defense of the Orthodox Faith against his three main theological opponents; and focus on the main themes raised by his debates with them, including the nature of revelation and the knowledge of God, direct personal experience of God from this life, the Jesus Prayer, the Vision of God, and the sanctification of the body and its final place in the life to come.

More Episodes in this Unit:

Episode 2: The Emperor's 6 Questions

Episode 3: The Jesus Prayer and Yoga

Episode 4: Iconography & Knowledge of God through Prayer

Episode 5: Epistemological Presuppositions

Episode 6: Triumph of Ascetic Theology Over Intellectualism

Episode 7: Conclusions

It is hoped that these presentations will help the enquirer discern the profound interrelationship between Orthodox theology and the Orthodox Christian life, and to identify the ascetic and pastoral significance of the Orthodox ethos contained therein. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I wish to express my indebtedness to the spoken and written traditions of Sts Silouan and Sophrony the Athonites, Fr. Zacharias Zacharou, Fr. Kyrill Akon, Fr. Raphael Noica, Fr. Symeon Brüschweiler; Fr. John Romanides, Fr. Pavlos Englezakis, Fr. Georges Florovsky, Prof. Constantine Scouteris, Prof. George Mantzarides, Prof. John Fountoulis, and particularly to Mtp Kallistos Ware and Panayiotes Chrestou: certain sentences and phrases utilized in these presentations are taken directly from my notes of some of their lectures. My presentations have been enriched by all of the above sources, owing to the adoption of certain structures, lists, schemata, and the paraphrasing of themes taken from them. Responsibility for the content of my presentations is of course mine alone. ©Christopher Veniamin 2023

 

“Mystical Theology: Holy Scripture & Greek Philosophy”, with Prof. Christopher Veniamin

This first Episode of the Introduction to "Mystical Theology", "Holy Scripture & Greek Philosophy", consists of a presentation of select passages from Holy Scripture and a discussion of the language of the Bible, in both Old and New Testaments. Followed by a brief presentation of (chiefly) Platonic philosophy, we endeavour to underline the key features of these fundamentally different worlds. 

More Episodes in this Unit:

Episode 2: Philo of Alexandria, Part 1

Episode 3: Philo of Alexandria, Part 2

Episode 4: Irenaeus of Lyons, Part 1

Episode 5: Irenaeus of Lyons, Part 2

Inspired by the spiritual lineage and ascetico-theological vision of Sts. Silouan and Sophrony the Athonites, a wide range of themes pertaining to the mystical theology of the Christian Church will be discussed.

It is hoped that these presentations will help the enquirer discern the interwoven character of theology and Christian living, and to identify the ascetic and pastoral significance of the Orthodox ethos.  

Recommended background reading: Christopher Veniamin, ed., Saint Gregory Palamas: The Homilies (Dalton PA: 2022).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I wish to express my indebtedness to the spoken and written traditions of Sts Silouan and Sophrony the Athonites, Fr. Zacharias Zacharou, Fr. Kyrill Akon, Fr. Raphael Noica, Fr. Symeon Brüschweiler; Fr. John Romanides, Fr. Pavlos Englezakis, Fr. Georges Florovsky, Prof. Constantine Scouteris, Prof. George Mantzarides, Prof. John Fountoulis, Fr. Andrew Louth, and particularly to Mtp Kallistos Ware and Prof. Panayiotes Chrestou: certain sentences and phrases utilized in these presentations are taken directly from my notes of some of their lectures. My presentations have been enriched by all of the above sources, owing to the adoption of certain structures, lists, schemata, and the paraphrasing of themes taken from them. Responsibility for the content of my presentations is of course mine alone. ©Christopher Veniamin 2023

 

The Mount Thabor Academy Bookclub, Saint Silouan the Athonite, by Sophrony the Athonite: Principles of the Christian Life”, with Prof. Christopher Veniamin 

MT Academy Bookclub, Saint Silouan the Athonite, with Dr. C Veniamin, Pt 1 (Sep 27, 2023)

Recording of the first session of our Bookclub, which took place on Wednesday, September 27, 2023 (at 9 PM Eastern Time), available to the public.

We started our spiritual itinerary with Sts. Silouan and Sophrony, the Athonites, by reading the first few paragraphs from St. Silouan's own writings, specifically Chapter XVI, "Concerning Spiritual Warfare" - getting right into the nitty-gritty of "applied theology", one might say.

For your convenience, the page numbering is from 423 to 425 in the older edition of Saint Silouan the Athonite; and pp. 373-374 in the more recent SVS edition.

It is hoped that these presentations will help the enquirer discern the interwoven character of Orthodox theology and the Orthodox Christian life, and to identify the ascetic and pastoral significance of the Orthodox ethos.

Q&As available in The Professor’s Blog

Recommended background reading: Saint Silouan the Athonite, by St. Sophrony the Athonite; and The Enlargement of the Heart, by Archimandrite Zacharias.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I wish to express my indebtedness to the spoken and written traditions of Sts Silouan and Sophrony the Athonites, Fr. Zacharias Zacharou, Fr. Kyrill Akon, Fr. Raphael Noica, Fr. Symeon Brüschweiler; Fr. John Romanides, Fr. Pavlos Englezakis, Fr. Georges Florovsky, Prof. Constantine Scouteris, Prof. George Mantzarides, Prof. John Fountoulis, Mtp Kallistos Ware, and Prof. Panayiotes Chrestou. My presentations have been enriched by all of the above sources. Responsibility however for the content of my presentations is of course mine alone. ©Christopher Veniamin 2023

With every good wish in Christ,
Dr. Christopher Veniamin
President
The Mount Thabor Academy