The following was a letter to the Roman Emperor Hadrian (d.138AD) from the Athenian Orator Aristides in which he depicts how the Early Christians lived.

 

The following was a letter to the Roman Emperor Hadrian (d.138AD) from the Athenian Orator Aristides in which he depicts how the Early Christians lived.

THE FIRST CHRISTIANS 

"The Christians know and trust God. They placate those who oppress them and make them their friends; they do good to their enemies. Their wives are absolutely pure, and their daughters modest. Their men abstain from unlawful marriage and are free from all impurity: If any of them have bondwomen or children, they persuade them to become Christians for the love they have toward them; and when they become so, they call them without distinction brothers. They love one another. They do not refuse to help the widows. They rescue the orphan from him who does him violence. He who has, gives ungrudgingly to him who has not.

The virtues are in the middle

The cardinal virtues are four: courage, prudence, discreetness, and fairness. There are eight other moral states that either go beyond or fall short of these virtues. Spiritual people consider them as vices, but non-spiritual people consider them many times as virtues. For courage going beyond is audacity while falling short is timidity.

«Ἐκεῖνος πού ἐγνώρισε τήν ἀσθένειαν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως, αὐτός ἐδοκίμασε τήν θείαν δύναμιν»

Ἐκεῖνος πού ἐγνώρισε τήν ἀσθένειαν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως, αὐτός ἐδοκίμασε τήν θείαν δύναμιν. Καί ἐπειδή ἄλλα ἔχει κατορθώσει καί ἄλλα ἐπιδιώκει νά κατορθώσῃ μέ τήν θείαν δύναμιν, δέν ἐξευτελίζει ποτέ κανένα ἄνθρωπον. Διότι γνωρίζει ὅτι ὅπως ἐβοήθησε ὁ Θεός τόν ἴδιον καί τόν ἐλευθέρωσε ἀπό πολλά καί φοβερά πάθη, ἔτσι εἶναι εἰς θέσιν νά βοηθήσῃ καί ὅλους, ὅταν θέλῃ καί μάλιστα ἐκείνους πού ἀγωνίζονται δι᾿ Αὐτόν· ἄν καί γιά λόγους πού μόνος Ἐκεῖνος ἐγνωρίζει, δέ τούς ἐλευθερώνει ὅλους μαζί ἀπό τά πάθη, ἀλλά ξεχωριστά, ὡς ἀγαθός καί φιλάνθρωπος ἰατρός, ἐλευθερώνει τόν καθένα πού προσπαθεῖ.

«Γεννηθήτω τό θέλημά Σου ἐν ἐμοί»

Μή προσεύχεσαι νά γίνουν τά θελήματά σου, ἀλλά μᾶλλον καθώς ἐδιδάχθης λέγε εἰς τήν προσευχήν σου: «Γεννηθήτω τό θέλημά Σου ἐν ἐμοί». Καί κάθε πρᾶγμα ἔτσι νά ζητῇς ἀπό Αὐτόν, νά γίνῃ τό θέλημά Του, διότι ὁ Θεός θέλει τό ἀγαθόν καί συμφέρον τῆς ψυχῆς σου.

«Ἄς κοπιάσωμεν σάν τόν Δαβίδ, κράζοντας τό «Κύριε Ίησοῦ Χριστέ..»

Ἄς κοπιάσωμεν σάν τόν Δαβίδ, κράζοντας τό «Κύριε Ίησοῦ Χριστέ».

Ἄς βραχνιάσῃ ὁ λάρυγγάς μας καί ἄς μή κουράζωνται τά μάτια τοῦ νοός μας ἀπό τό νά ἐλπίζωμέν εἰς τόν Κύριον καί Θεόν μας...

Ἐκ τῆς Φιλοκαλίας.

Let us struggle like David, crying out “ Lord Jesus Christ” until our throats are sore; and let our spiritual eyes never cease to hope in the Lord our God...

The Philokalia.

«Ταπεινοφροσύνη εἶναι ἀκατάπαυστος προσευχή μέ δάκρυα καί κακοπάθειαν...»

Ταπεινοφροσύνη εἶναι ἀκατάπαυστος προσευχή μέ δάκρυα καί κακοπάθειαν. Αὐτή ἐπικαλεῖται πάντοτε τόν Θεόν εἰς βοήθειαν καί δέν ἀφήνει νά θαῤῥεύεται κανείς εἰς τήν ἰδικήν του δύναμιν καί σοφίαν ἀνόητα, οὔτε νά ὑπερηφανεύεται ἔναντι κανενός. Αὐτά εἶναι φοβερές ἀῤῥώστιες τοῦ πάθους τῆς ὑπερηφάνειας.

Ἐκ τῆς Φιλοκαλίας.

Humility consists in constant prayer combined with tears and suffering. For this ceaseless calling upon God for help prevents us from foolishly growing confident in our own strength and wisdom, and from putting ourselves above others. These are dangerous diseases of the passion of pride.

The Philokalia.

«Ἡ ψυχή ἄς ἔχει τό θάῤῥος της εἰς τόν Χριστόν...»

Ἡ ψυχή ἄς ἔχει τό θάῤῥος της εἰς τόν Χριστόν καί ἄς τόν παρακαλῇ καί καθόλου ἄς μή δειλιάζῃ, διότι δέν πολεμεῖ μόνη της, ἀλλά μαζί μέ τόν φοβερόν βασιλέα Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, πού εἶναι ὁ Κτίστης ὅλων τῶν ὄντων, ἀσωμάτων καί σωματικῶν, δηλαδή ὁρατῶν καί ἀοράτων.

Ἐκ τῆς Φιλοκαλίας.

Let your soul trust in Christ, let in call on Him and never fear; for it fights, not alone, bur with the aid of a mighty King, Jesus Christ, Creator of all that is, both bodiless and visible and invisible.

The Philokalia.
 ΑΓΓΛΙΚΑ ΘΕΜΑΤΑ ΚΑΙ ΕΤΙΚΕΤΤΕΣ-ENGLISH

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3. Miraculous icons 
4. Orthodox Christianity In Czech and Slovakia Is Growing 
5. St. Nikolai Velimirovic – About the World Crisis 
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14. Assumption of our Lady (1)
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18. BIG BROTHER (3)
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26. Codex Alimentarious: Ο σχεδιασμένος εκφυλισμός του ανθρώπινου είδους(1)
27. demonic possession (1)
28. des hymnes (1)
29. DIANETIK (1)
30. divine liturgy (1)
31. Dormition (1)
32. e-mail (1)
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49. Georgia Guidestones: Οι ταφόπλακες της ανθρωπότητας (1)
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124.  A Word From Saint Nektarios to Future Priests
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127.  The vision of Daniel and Zachariah — I am the Alpha and the Omega...
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130.  St. Nikolai Velimirovic - How God can be inside man
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135.  Miracles of Saint (Archimandrite) Justin of Chelije 
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142.  On Practicing the Jesus Prayer
143.  Elder Paisios ‘confession vis- à-vis Ecumenism as stated in a letter to Fr. Charalambos
144.  No man is humble if he is not peaceful
145.  A Wondrous Vision
146.  Science analyzes the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Christ
147.  The Salvific Truth
148.  Cognizance of the Truth
149.  The Divine Energies
150.  Who is the God of Revelation?
151.  The opus of the Trinitarian God
152.  The image of the Trinitarian God
153.  The Fall
154.  The rectification
155.  The Person of the Godman
156.  The Person of the Holy Spirit
157.  The All-Holy Mother of all the world
158.  The Church : the Body of Christ 
159.  The sacred trust of the Church 
160.  Man's incorporation in the Church
161.  The place of the laity in the the Church 
162.  The special charisma of Priesthood
163.  Congregating the scattered ones
164.  Orthodox catechism topics.The Church
165.  Ἀποφθεγματικοί διδαχτικοί λόγοι τοῦ Ἁγίου Ραφαήλ-Didactic Sayings of St. Raphael of Lesvos

«Σέ παρακαλῶ, ἐφόσον εὑρίσκεσαι εἰς τήν ζωήν...»

Σέ παρακαλῶ, ἐφόσον εὑρίσκεσαι εἰς τήν ζωήν, μήν ἀφήσεις ἐλευθέραν τήν καρδίαν σου. Διότι ὅπως ὁ γεωργός δέν μπορεῖ νά εἶναι σίγουρος διά τούς καρπούς του, ἐπειδή δέν γνωρίζει τί μπορεῖ νά συμβῇ μέχρις ὅτου τούς μαζέψῃ, ἔτσι καί ὁ ἄνθρωπος δέν ἐπιτρέπεται νά ἀφήσῃ ἀφύλακτον τήν καρδίαν του ὅσο ἀναπνέει, ἀλλά πρέπει πάντοτε νά φωνάζῃ πρός τόν Θεόν νά τόν βοηθήσῃ καί νά τόν ἐλεήσῃ.

Ἐκ τῆς Φιλοκαλίας.

I entreat you not to leave your heart unguarded, so long as you are in the body. Just as a farmer cannot feel confident about the crop growing in his fields, because he does not know what will happen to it before it is stored away in his granary, so a man should not leave his heart unguarded so long as he still has breath in his nostrils, but should at every moment pray to God for His help and mercy.

The Philokalia.

«Μή φοβᾶσαι, παιδί μου Ἰακώβ, ὀλιγάριθμε Ἰσραήλ...»

 Ἄν ὁ Θεός ἴδῃ ὅτι ὑπετάχθη εἰς Αὐτόν ὁ νοῦς μέ ὅλας του τας δυνάμεις καί δέν ἔχει ἄλλην βοήθειαν παρά Αὐτόν μόνον, τότε τόν ἐνδυναμώνει καί λέγει·

«Μή φοβᾶσαι, παιδί μου Ἰακώβ, ὀλιγάριθμε Ἰσραήλ».

Καί πάλιν λέγει·

«Ὅταν συμβαίνῃ νά πληθύνωνται εἰς τόν νοῦν μας οἱ πονηροί λογισμοί...»

Ὅταν συμβαίνῃ νά πληθύνωνται εἰς τόν νοῦν μας οἱ πονηροί λογισμοί, νά βάζωμε ἀνάμεσά τους τήν ἐπίκλησιν τοῦ Κυρίου μας Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καί ἀμέσως θά τούς ἴδωμεν νά διαλύωνται σάν καπνός εἰς τόν ἀέρα, ὅπως μᾶς ἐδίδαξε ἡ πείρα.

Ἐκ τῆς Φιλοκαλίας.

Whenever we are filled with evil thoughts, we should throw the invocation of our Lord Jesus Christ into their midst. Then as experience haw taught us, we shall see them instantly dispersed like smoke in the air.

The Philokalia.

ΔΕΙΤΕ ΕΠΙΣΗΣ: 

Ἀδικίας ἀντιμέτώπιση (Ἁγίου Μάρκου τοῦ Ἀσκητοῦ)

«Ἄν ἔχῃς πόθον νά προσευχηθῇς...»

Ἄν ἔχῃς πόθον νά προσευχηθῇς, μή κάμνῃς τίποτε ἀπό ἐκεῖνα πού εἶναι ἀντίθετα εἰς τήν προσευχήν, διά νά σέ πλησιάσῃ ὁ Θεός καί νά βαδίσῃ μαζί σου.

Ἐκ τῆς Φιλοκαλίας.

If you long to pray, do nothing that is opposed to prayer, so that God may draw near draw near and journey with you.

The Philokalia.

«Τό πνεῦμα φωτίζει τούς θεοφόρους Πατέρας...»

Τό πνεῦμα φωτίζει τούς θεοφόρος Πατέρας καί μαζί μέ τήν γενικῆν νῆψιν καί τήν προσευχήν εἰς ὅλα καί τήν φυλακήν τοῦ νοός τούς ἀποκαλύπτει τρόπον διά νά ξαναβροῦν τήν χάριν, τρόπον ἀληθινά θαυμαστόν καί ἐπιστημονικώτατον. Αὐτή ἦταν ἡ ἀδιάκοπος προσευχή εἰς τόν Κύριόν μας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν. Ὄχι ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ᾿ εἰς τά ἴδια τά βάθη τῆς καρδιᾶς νά ἐπικαλοῦνται τό πανάγιον ὄνομά του Κυρίου, νά ζητοῦν μ᾿ ἐμπιστοσύνην τό ἔλεος Του.