The Place of the Apocalypse in the Canon of St. Gregory Nazianzen

 By Frank Thielman

After explicitly naming every other New Testament book but the Apocalypse, St. Gregory Nazianzen closes his poetical list of ‘the genuine books of the inspired scripture’ with the statement, ‘You have all. And if there be any outside these, it is not among the genuine books’ (Πάσας ἔχεις. εἴ τι δὲ τούτων ἐκτός, οὐκ ἐν γνησίαις).1 Studies of the New Testament canon commonly understand the omission of any clear reference to the Apocalypse in the list and these definitive closing statements to mean that Gregory did not view the Apocalypse as canonical.2 If so, then Gregory, whose list comes from sometime in the 380s, did not agree with Athanasius’ judgement in his famous Easter letter of 367 but took the position of many in the fourth-century eastern church that the Apocalypse stands among the excluded books. Three pieces of evidence, however, should caution against coming to this conclusion too hastily.

A Gift Greater Than Clairvoyance, Foresight and Prophecy

By Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi

When I was a young monk, I was impressed by clairvoyance, foresight and the prophetic gift. Wherever I heard that there was an elder with such gifts I ran with enthusiasm to meet him.

Now that I'm old, I'm not impressed by these gifts.

For me it is more valuable to meet a man who has patience without complaining during long-term and painful sicknesses. This moves me and teaches me. 

 

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.