OrthodoxChristianity.net
May 24, 2013, 05:51:51 AM *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: If you don't like the Lent theme or it's hard for you to read posts with it, feel free to revert back to the old theme in your profile on the left menu "Look and Layout Preferences."
 
   Home   Help Calendar Contact Treasury Tags Login Register  
OrthodoxChristianity.net > Moderated Forums > Convert Issues (Moderator: Thomas) > Topic: Legendary Saints
Pages: 1   Go Down
« previous next »
  Print  
Author Topic: Legendary Saints  (Read 269 times) Average Rating: 0
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
ironchapman
A bull of truth in the china shop of falsehoods.
Sr. Member
****
Offline Offline

Faith: Inquirer into Orthodoxy.
Posts: 680
« on: September 23, 2012, 06:07:32 AM »
This is something that I've been turning over in my head for a while.

I'm not really quite sure how to put this, but how do we handle Saints whose lives seem more legendary than real? The ones whose historicity is doubtful? Perhaps the most famous of these are Sts. Christopher and Barbara--the latter of whom doesn't even show up in near-contemporary martyrologies (like that by St. Jerome). I know the Roman Catholics have "demoted" both of them.

What's the Orthodox stance on this? Has a Saint venerated in Orthodoxy ever been conclusively proven by Orthodox Christians to not exist?
Logged
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." --Bertrand Russell
LBK
Merarches
***********
Offline Offline

Faith: Orthodox
Posts: 5,817


Holy Father Patrick, pray for us!
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2012, 06:30:11 AM »
Both St Christopher and St Barbara are Orthodox saints. The western St Christopher, the strong man who ferried people on his back over a river, is not found in Orthodox tradition. Christopher of Lycia suffered under the emperor Decius in about AD 250, and St Ambrose of Milan (340-397) wrote of the many thousands of pagans who were converted to Christianity by St Christopher.

Great-martyr Barbara is commemorated not only at her feastday, but also at the Prayer of Intercession at Vespers and Matins, in which a large number of important and prominent saints are invoked. The particular saints commemorated in this prayer varies between Orthodox jurisdictions, but, in my observation, St Barbara is always in the list, along with Sts George the Great Martyr and Panteleimon the Unmercenary.
« Last Edit: September 23, 2012, 06:49:01 AM by LBK » Logged
mabsoota
High Elder
*
Offline Offline

Faith: Orthodox Christian
Jurisdiction: Coptic
Posts: 1,723


Kyrie eleison
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2012, 04:41:06 PM »
are you discussing this saint barabara?
http://www.copticchurch.net/synaxarium/4_8.html#2
Logged
Achronos
What's so good about Cincinnati? You like it? You think Cincinnati is cool? I've never heard anyone say, 'I'm going to Cincinnati on vacation.'
Site Supporter
Warned
Hoplitarches
*****
Offline Offline

Faith: Building Steam with a Grain of Salt
Jurisdiction: Just as little is seen in pure light as in pure darkness.
Posts: 9,367


And we gave him the Rolling Stone cover?!

slxyness
WWW
« Reply #3 on: September 23, 2012, 05:00:16 PM »
There are plenty of saints that have legendary elements surrounding them.
Logged
“Without music, life would be a mistake.”
“The last capitalist we hang shall be the one who sold us the rope.”
"Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are."
"We see at once that the words absolute, divine, eternal, and so on do not express what is implied in them.
Shanghaiski
Merarches
***********
Offline Offline

Faith: Orthodox Christian
Jurisdiction: Antiochian
Posts: 5,522


Holy Trinity Church of Gergeti, Georgia
« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2012, 08:37:42 PM »
"Lack of historical evidence" for the Orthodox has never been a hang-up.

Consider what historical evidence we have for anything happening. It is only what has managed to survive--something written down or an artifact. Consider that, for most things, there is no hisotrical record. So, nothing has managed to survive for most of what has happened in history. Does that mean it never happened? You're here, even if you have no idea who your ancestors were because there were no historical records kept.
Logged
O Master Lord our God...who are wondrous in glory; who keeps his covenant and his mercy to them who love him with all their heart; who has given us redemption...through his only-begotten son, Jesus Christ...the life of everyone, the help of those who flee to him, the hope of those who cry to him.
NicholasMyra
Christos Anesti!
Warned
Taxiarches
**********
Offline Offline

Faith: Orthodox
Jurisdiction: Antiochian
Posts: 4,936


Stiff-neck'ed man
« Reply #5 on: September 24, 2012, 12:59:24 AM »
A saint is venerated for the way God works through the saint.

If a saint turned out not to have lived the particular earthly life we thought they had, this would not be much affected.
Logged
Tags:
Pages: 1   Go Up
  Print  
OrthodoxChristianity.net > Moderated Forums > Convert Issues (Moderator: Thomas) > Topic: Legendary Saints
 « previous next »
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.18 | SMF © 2013, Simple Machines Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
Page created in 0.041 seconds with 32 queries.