| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| UNMERCENARY | UNMERCENARY – One of the various customary saint titles used in commemoration at divine services when remembering saints on the Church Calendar. saint who refused to take payment for healin. |
| RIGHTEOUS | RIGHTEOUS – One of the various customary saint titles used in commemoration at divine services when remembering saints on the Church Calendar. A holy person under the Old Covenant (Old Testament Israel) but also sometimes used for married saints of the New Covenant (the Church); righteous may also used as a translation for the Greek… Read More |
| RIGHT-BELIEVING | RIGHT-BELIEVING – One of the various customary saint titles used in commemoration at divine services when remembering saints on the Church Calendar. An epithet used for sainted secular rulers. |
| MYRRH-STREAMING | MYRRH-STREAMING – One of the various customary saint titles used in commemoration at divine services when remembering saints on the Church Calendar. Myrrh-streaming, Myrrh-gusher, or Myroblete: the relics of the saint exude holy and sweet-smelling (and often miraculous) oil. |
| MYRRH-BEARER | MYRRH-BEARER – (1)One of the various customary saint titles used in commemoration at divine services when remembering saints on the Church Calendar. (2) One of the women who were present at Christ’s passion and went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. |
| MERCIFUL | MERCIFUL – One of the various customary saint titles used in commemoration at divine services when remembering saints on the Church Calendar. One known for charitable work, especially toward the poor. |
| HIEROMARTYR | HIEROMARTYR – One of the various customary saint titles used in commemoration at divine services when remembering saints on the Church Calendar. A martyr who is also a clergyman. |
| GREAT-MARTYR | GREAT-MARTYR – One of the various customary saint titles used in commemoration at divine services when remembering saints on the Church Calendar. One who was martyred for the faith and suffered torture |
| GOD-BEARER | GOD-BEARER – One of the various customary saint titles used in commemoration at divine services when remembering saints on the Church Calendar. One who bears God within himself and is aflame in heart with love for Him. |
| FOOL-FOR-CHRIST | FOOL-FOR-CHRIST – One of the various customary saint titles used in commemoration at divine services when remembering saints on the Church Calendar. A saint known for his apparent, yet holy insanity. |
| EQUAL-TO-THE-APOSTLES | EQUAL-TO-THE-APOSTLES – (or “Equal of the Apostles“) One of the various customary saint titles used in commemoration at divine services when remembering saints on the Church Calendar. One whose work greatly built up the Church, whether through direct missionary work or through assisting the Church’s place in society. Such as: St Nino (Nina), Equal of… Read More |
| ENLIGHTENER OF | ENLIGHTENER OF – One of the various customary saint titles used in commemoration at divine services when remembering saints on the Church Calendar. Enlightener of N. or Illuminator of N. The saint who first brought the faith to a people or region, or who did major work of evangelization there. Such as: St Nino (Nina),… Read More |
| CONFESSOR | CONFESSOR – One of the various customary saint titles used in commemoration at divine services when remembering saints on the Church Calendar. One who has suffered for the faith but not martyred outright. |
| MANDORLA | MANDORLA – The mandorla or the nimbus is an iconographic symbol in the shape of a circle or an almond-shaped oval signifying heaven, Divine Glory, or Light. Mandorla is Italian for “almond.” The mandorla is simply the iconographic way of representing heavenly glory, mystery, and majesty. The mandorla is one of the clearest and most… Read More |
| HOROLOGION | HOROLOGION – The Horologion ( Chasoslov, ), or Book of Hours, provides the Acolouthia of the Daily Cycle of services as used by the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. Into this fixed framework, numerous moveable parts of the services are inserted. The Horologion is primarily a book for the use of the Reader and Cantor… Read More |
| HAGIA SOPHIA | HAGIA SOPHIA – The Church of the Holy Wisdom at Constantinople. Architecturally one of the greatest and most important churches in Christendom. Built under the Emperor Justinian in 532. After the capture of the city by the Turks in 1453 it was turned into a mosque, and since 1934 a museum. |
| HAGIOGRAPHY | HAGIOGRAPHY -. (Gr. Hagiologia) The lives of Saints. The writings of the Church Fathers and the study of the lives of the saints. The Orthodox Church is a reservoir of such writings, which the faithful are urged to read for their spiritual growth and development. |
| HALO | HALO – (nimbus, type of mandorla) A circle of light pictured around the head of a saint to show holiness. The halo represents the light of divine grace suffusing the soul, which is perfectly united and in harmony with the physical body. In the theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church, an icon is a “window… Read More |
| HEAVEN | HEAVEN – The place and state of perfect blessedness where those who are saved shall be in the full light of God’s presence forever. |
| HEGUMENOS | HEGUMENOS – (Gr. leader, Sl. Egumen) A rank given to a hieromonk. The common name for the head of a monastery. |
| HELL | HELL – Place and state of condemnation in which the fallen angels and lost souls are tormented eternally. Hell, unpopular as it is to modern people, is real. The Orthodox Church understands hell as a place of eternal torment for those who willfully reject the grace of God. Our Lord once said, “If your hand… Read More |
| HERMIT | HERMIT – One who, from religious motives, retires into a solitary life, and practices works of prayer and fasting in close union with God. |
| HIERARCHY | HIERARCHY – The higher clergy, rulers in spiritual things. |
| HOLINESS, HIS | HOLINESS, HIS – Title of respect given to a Patriarch. |