Welcome to Anastasis
the Home Page
of the Monastery of Saint Andrew the First Called
Manchester, England

On the Icon of Christ above the Bronze Gate

Seeing, O Christ, your most pure Icon
And your Cross inscribed in image,
In reverence I worship your true flesh.
For being by nature the Father’s timeless Word,
From a mother you appeared in time, by nature mortal.
Therefore, when I circumscribe you and depict in types,
I do not circumscribe your immaterial nature,
For it is higher than depiction and than passions.
Depicting then, O Word, your flesh that’s passible 
I say that you are God uncircumscribable.
But the disciples of Manes’ doctrines,
Who mindlessly babbling their opinion
Ingloriously declare the incarnate nature you assumed,
Becoming one with humankind, to be mere phantasy,
Not bearing to behold it shown in image,
With frenzied rage and Leonine rash folly
Tore down your all-revered appearance,
Depicted here of old in honoured form.
Whose lawless error utterly refuting
Queen Theodora, guardian of the faith,
With her golden-purple offspring,
Imitating the Orthodox Sovereigns,
And declared Orthodox beyond them all,
With mind devout erected it again
Above the palace Gate this present day,
Unto her glory, praise and high renown,
And to the majesty of the whole Church,
The whole fair guidance of the human race,
The fall of foes ill-willed and barbarous.

Poem of the Patriarch Saint Methodios
on the restoration of the Icon of Christ
above the Bronze Gate of the palace
by the Empress Theodora in 843

On these pages you will find, in the main, translations of our Orthodox liturgical and patristic texts. Most of the latter are of texts which have not been previously translated into English, or which are only available in rare or outdated versions.

As the texts on these pages change frequently, I would ask visitors to link to this opening page only. In this way you will find what is available more easily. I have tried deliberately to keep things simple, by not using frames and other elegant refinements.

Click on the book icon to be taken to the Table of Contents for the whole site The Search facility near the bottom of this page is also a way of finding your way around quickly and easily.

The date on which each page was last updated appears at the bottom of each page, but if any page has been updated or added this first page and the Table of contents will also be updated.

As there is now a great deal on these pages, I have decided to draw attention to recently added material by listing them here and adding the necessary hyperlinks, and reminders, with hyperlinks, to appropriate pages from earlier years.

Canon for the Synodikon of Orthodoxy

Synodikon of Orthodoxy, from one of the oldest manuscripts, dated 1110 A.D.

Dates of Sunday celebrations of the Divine Liturgy in English at St Chrysostom's Church between now and Holy Week, are on the Manchester page.

The next Liturgy will be on Sunday, 11 March, the 2nd Sunday of Lent, at 10.30 a.m.

Special Notice

On Sunday 11 March, the 2nd Sunday of Great Lent, there will be a celebration of Vespers in English at St Chrysostom's Church, Victoria Park, Manchester at 6.00 p.m.

Further details will be posted on the Manchester page nearer the date.

REMINDER

Readings for the Second Week of Great Lent

Sunday of Orthodoxy: Vespers

Lenten Matins

Lenten Vespers without the Presanctified

Lenten Vespers with the Presanctified

Lenten Offices

St Theodore the Studite: Catecheses 57-59

The majority of St Theodore's Catecheses have no indication in the manuscripts as to the day on which they were given. Sometimes, as in this instance, it is possible to conjecture when from the text itself. It is therefore not possible to provide translations for every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday of Lent, as some visitors to these pages have requested.

Unless stated otherwise, all texts and translations on these pages are (c) by Archimandrite Ephrem.

You will find a great treasure house of Orthodox material and good sense at Arimathea, David Melling's home page. He has now launched a new web page devoted to Orthodox church music. The address is: http://www.church-music.co.uk/EOChant.htm It includes his manual of Psalmodia in PDF format.

If you have any personal comments or suggestions please send us an
ephrem@chorlton.com

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