The Society for Orthodox Christian History in the Americas
SOCHA
Fr. Oliver Herbel interviewed at Eastern Christian Books
01 year ago
Last Friday, the excellent Eastern Christian Books blog posted an interview with Fr. Oliver Herbel, Executive Director of SOCHA. While Fr. Oliver touches on his work in American Orthodox history, the focus of the interview is on his recent book on St. Sarapion of Thmuis. Here’s a snippet:
I first learned of St. Sarapion in a liturgical theology class at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. His euchologion, or collection of prayers, has been studied and I was intrigued by them. For example, in the Eucharist and at Baptism, rather than praying for the Holy Spirit’s descent, the Word of God was asked to descend. I looked into him a little more and learned that St. Antony the Great willed one of his two cloaks to Sarapion. The other he had willed to St. Athanasios the Great. St. Athanasios’ letters to a “Sarapion” were, in fact, written to this same Sarapion and this led me to research whether any of Sarapion’s own writings were still extant. Some are: two complete letters, a treatise against Manichaeans, and a letter partially preserved, written to Antony’s disciples.
The whole interview is really well done, and anyone interested in early Christianity and the Church Fathers should take a few minutes to check it out. CLICK HERE to read it.
New book on St. Sarapion of Thmuis by SOCHA Director
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Fr. Oliver Herbel, Executive Director of SOCHA
Fr. Oliver Herbel, Executive Director of the Society for Orthodox Christian History in the Americas, has a newly published work, Sarapion of Thmuis: Against the Manicheans and Pastoral Letters. The book is published by St. Paul’s Publications in conjunction with the Centre for Early Christian Studies in Australia. Here’s the official blurb:
Although St. Anthony the Great, St. Athanasius of Alexandria, and the Desert Fathers have received considerable attention in early Christian studies, St. Sarapion of Thmuis has remained in relative obscurity. This book introduces the thought of this early Egyptian monastic bishop, highlighting the importance of both Sarapion’s biblical hermeneutics and his utilization of Stoic philosophy. It includes an argument for Sarapion’s authorship of the Letter to the Monks as well as translations of Sarapion’s three extant writings: Letter to Bishop Eudoxios, Letter to the Monks, and Against the Manichaeans.
To order a copy directly from the Centre, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page. The book will also be available through the incomparable Eighth Day Books of Wichita, Kansas, and SOCHA readers are encouraged to order a copy from that fine bookseller.
SOCHA Newsletter, Issue #3 (October 27, 2011)
01 year ago
- The directors of SOCHA: Fr. Oliver Herbel, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, Matthew Namee, and Aram Sarkisian
I haven’t put together a SOCHA newsletter in a while, and this one is kind of sparse, but I didn’t want to wait any longer. If you know of anything we should include in the next issue, or to offer any other feedback about the newsletter, please email me at mfnamee [at] gmail [dot] com.
WHAT’S NEW AT SOCHA?
- On September 30-October 1, SOCHA held its first symposium at Princeton Theological Seminary. Many thanks to Princeton’s Florovsky Society (and especially Seraphim Danckaert), which organized the event, and to all who participated. It was a major moment for SOCHA, and we can’t wait to do it again.
- Immediately after the symposium, SOCHA added a fourth director, Aram G. Sarkisian. For more on Aram, click here.
- Don’t forget to pick up a digital copy of the inaugural issue of our journal, the Journal of American Orthodox Church History. Copies are available for $10 from the Prairie Parish Press website. To learn more about the contents of the journal, click here.
- One of our authors here at OH.org, Nicholas Chapman, was recently featured in a fantastic interview with the journal Road to Emmaus. He discusses his latest discoveries about the origins of Orthodoxy in America. This is a must-read for anyone interested in American Orthodox history. We’ll be publishing an excerpt, along with ordering information, very soon.
- The ongoing research projects here at SOCHA include investigations into Fr. Raphael Morgan (the first black Orthodox priest in America) and the martyrdom of St. Peter the Aleut. In recent articles, we’ve published new information on both of those stories. Click here to read the latest discovery involving Morgan, and click here to read a preliminary translation of the original martyrdom account of St. Peter.
IN THE NEWS:
- At long last, the Greek Archdiocese has succeded in getting permission from the government to rebuild St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, which was destroyed when the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11, 2001
- The OCA’s All-American Council will take place in Seattle from October 31 to November 4, and they’ve planned two excursions to historic Seattle Orthodox churches on October 30. The first trip will go to Holy Trinity in Wilkeson, WA (one of the oldest Orthodox buildings in America, built in 1896). The second will visit St. Spiridon Cathedral (OCA, founded 1895) and St. Nicholas Cathedral (ROCOR, founded 1932). At St. Nicholas, visitors will visit the upstairs room where St. John Maximovitch died in 1966. Each excursion costs $50 per person. If any of our readers attend and take photos, we’d love to publish them here at OH.org. For details on these excursions, click here.
- Parish anniversaries: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Augusta, GA (100th anniversary). St. George Romanian Orthodox Church in Canton, OH (100th anniversary). Protection of the Holy Virgin Orthodox Church (OCA) in Merrillville (formerly Gary), IN (100th anniversary). St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in East Chicago, IL (100th anniversary). Ss. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church (OCA) in Meriden, CT (100th anniversary). St. Seraphim Orthodox Church (OCA) in Santa Rosa, CA (75th anniversary).
Matthew Namee, Editor
SOCHA adds Aram Sarkisian as fourth director
11 year ago
by Matthew Namee
in SOCHA
We’ll have more on our recent Princeton symposium soon, but before that, a special announcement: Immediately following the symposium, SOCHA added a fourth director to its executive board — Aram Sarkisian, whose work has already been featured on OrthodoxHistory.org. Aram is a member of the Armenian Church, and his grandfather was a longtime priest in the OCA. Here is Aram’s bio, which appears on our “Administration” page:
Aram G. Sarkisian is an independent researcher based in the Detroit area. He is a 2008 graduate of the University of Michigan, holding a BA from the Center for Russian and East European Studies, and a 2011 graduate of the University of Chicago, holding an MA in Social Sciences. He hopes to begin his doctoral work in 2012.
Aram’s primary research interest is Russian Orthodox Christianity in early 20th century America, focusing on issues of language, immigration, the intersection of ethnic and religious identity, and the impact of secular political and social movements on religious institutions.
He has also conducted research and written on topics concerning the Armenian Orthodox Church, including “And Always in Their Church: A Survey of English Translations of the Divine Liturgy in the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church,” published in Orientalia et Occidentalia, Vol. 8, published by the Michael Lacko Centre for East-West Spirituality (Kosice, Slovakia, 2010).
We’re very pleased to welcome Aram on board, and we look forward to his future contributions.
2011 Symposium Begins this Weekend
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This evening begins “Pilgrims and Pioneers: The Growth of Orthodox Christianity in 20th Century America,” a conference taking place at Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary from September 30 to October 1, 2011. Tonight’s event, a panel discussion, is free and open to the public.
Some of the figures whose lives and ministries will be discussed during the conference include St Tikhon Bellavin, St Raphael Hawaweeny, St Nikolai Velimirovich, St Alexis Toth, Fr Theoclitos Triantafilides, Archbishop Iakovos Koukouzis, Fr Georges Florovsky, Fr Alexander Schmemann, and Fr John Meyendorff.
More information is available on the conference website.
If you have any questions, please contact the Fr Georges Florovsky Orthodox Christian Theological Society of Princeton University at florov@princeton.edu.
See you there!
