Hymn of Entry: Liturgy and Life in the Orthodox Church

Contemporary Greek Theologians #1

by Archimandrite Vasileios, Kallistos of Diokleia (Foreword), Elizabeth Briere (Translator)

Theology, as seen by Archimandrite Vasileios, is by its very essence liturgical; it is not a philosophy or a system but the expression of the church's mystical The first Christians lived their theology totally and with the whole of their bodies, just as they are baptized with the whole of their body and soul into the new life...Thus their liturgical gatherings were an initiation into the mystery of theology...The mystery of theology was celebrated in their lives, and they attained to the knowledge which is eternal life. Bishop Kallistos (Ware) states in his [Hymn of Entry] offers nothing less than a fresh vision of theology, the church and the world a vision that is both original and yet genuinely traditional. The quality that characterizes this remarkable book is above all a sense of wholeness. The unity of the divine and human in the incarnate Christ, the unity of heaven and earth in the Divine Liturgy, the unity between theology and spirituality, between theology and life - such are the author's master-themes. Hymn of Entry is part of the CONTEMPORARY GREEK THEOLOGIANS SERIES.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity

144 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1997

Reviews

[Devin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible introduction to the ethos behind the core practices of Orthodoxy. Some key takeaways:

Theology is embodied. Whereas the Western approach to theology requires the division between the 'mind' and the 'life' of the Christian, where true spiritual knowledge begins in the mind and follows through into one's life, the Eastern approach begins with the 'life' (namely, through obedience) and the mind will be well informed afterwards as a gift of the Holy Spirit. All of the church's practices focus on aiding us in this task.

Icons are images of eternal truth. The light of the icon is not from the sun or the moon. Scenes that took place in the night have just the same light as those that took place in the day. Icons are images of the heavenly reality, where the saints and events are lit with the uncreated light of God, the light that will remain after the sun and moon have passed away.

Apophatic theology & humility. I'm still not sure how to exactly articulate it (which might be the point), but the Orthodox approach to apophatic theology is less a philosophical/intellectual commitment and more a disposition of the heart towards God (i.e. humility) that manifests in one's theological process.

Will likely have to revisit this a year from now to more fully comprehend the nuance. This is not a book full of propositions. This is a book that *sings.* And like any good song it's worth listening to a few times over.

[Saint Katherine BookstoreVA]

Hymn of Entry is the lofty and poetic work of a priest-monk who helped lead the renaissance on Mount Athos in the mid-20th century. Mount Athos is a rarified atmosphere; Fr. Vasileios has produced a rarified reflection on the life of an Orthodox Christian being transformed through living out the liturgy:

The light of his countenance does not dazzle but illumines. The Majesty of his glory does not annihilate our smallness but relieves and saves us: it is divine. … So everyone who knows the Lord liturgically, as he really is, and believes in him, everyone who entrusts his life to him has life eternal, indestructible. Everything changes for the believer from this point on. He is not troubled by any disturbance. Calmly he walks with Christ upon the waves. The elements of the world and its threats go up as high as the heavens and down to the abyss and he remains unmoved in his calm, though at the same time being sensitive to everything (p. 58)

The grace that flows from this eucharistic experience penetrates one’s life. It opens a middle way, one that knows neither despair over one’s sins nor smug assurance of one’s salvation. Balance and wholeness arise from grace and this ascetical effort. One does not grow in Christ through vainglorious “spiritual advancement,” but through a struggle to reduce oneself and internalize Christ’s own self-emptying humility.

The author states early on the book is intended as a reflection on the unity of the Church, the unity that manifests itself within the Orthodox faith and our life in Christ. Shared Truth within the body of the Church and among its members is a requirement:

Truth saves man; it saves all people and things. When it is forceful, it is also peaceful. When it comes quietly, it has the power of omnipotence. When it blesses, it cleanses. When it throws to the ground those who come against it, it does them good; this is their blessing and healing (p. 92)

Throughout the book, his reflections on unity and ecumenism are woven in with his broader themes on Christian life. For me, hitting one of these reflections is jarring, like a speed bump on an otherwise smooth-as-glass highway:

All other systems and heresies [the Western churches] are the consequences and result of one sickness: human pride. Thus, in the eyes of Orthodox theologians, Roman Catholicism is not radically different from its various Protestant offshoots. It is basically made of the same stuff (p. 99).

On this issue, Patriarch Athenagoras I is my touchstone. It’s difficult for me to process how the transforming truths that shine from Fr. Vasileios’ words seem to end in such a different spirit. I found to be a roller coaster ride: plenty of thrills and heights, but with a few kicks in the side.

[DúviAurvandil Ericsson e Pereira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very difficult book to review. I found it very difficult to follow, very hard to remember what the paragraph I just read said, and very easily lulled to sleep while reading it. There’s a certain randomness, and excessive repetition of the same idea in different words that leave the reader entranced by some kind of sleepy hypnotism, and no clear structure to the author’s main point to anchor the mind. There are some really wonderful passages in the book, and I almost rated this higher on account of those, but being honest with the bulk of the book, I’d have to say it was more a blessed collection of ramblings than a piece of prose. The last chapter, which is really a separate speech given at a different time by the author, is quite good, and it’s because there is a reduction of the subjects talked about at once, a focus to the discussion, and a clearer point at which any further discussion would bore its hearers.

This was originally going to be a book for weekly discussion at my home parish, and I have no doubt that imbibing in this draught would have been much sweeter when shared.

[Dionysi Krinas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not an easy book to read. The author, Archimandrite Vasilios has the ability to put you into a spiritual trance with his words. This makes the book difficult to follow as there are times when the words on the page seem to really lift you into what appears to be almost a spiritual cloud.

Sometimes it can be difficult to follow because the message the author is portraying he’s not so easy to comprehend, after all this is very deep spiritual and liturgical theology. My advice would be for a group of like-minded people to read this book together and to regularly get together in a kind of book club fashion to discuss matters that appear in the book. It takes time to really die jest the depth of the ology within the pages.

Having said that, there are some true spiritual gems in here that can only do the reader good after reading.

[Whitney Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve ever read. Beautiful, thought provoking and so moving.

[Christian Proano · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Orthodox monks at Mount Athos has always been against union with Roman Christianity, when asked why they decided to put a reply no only to Roman Christianity, but to the whole of Western Christianity in general.

The result of that reply is this book in which the reader will find a rich reflection on Trinitarian Ecclesiology rooted in Scripture and Tradition, the reader will be blessed by pondering on the content of this book.

[Connie Backus-yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Difficult to understand at times.