Brookline, MA - The Department of Religious Education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America announces the Fall 2000 schedule of Religious Education classes for adults. According to the Rev. Dr. Frank Marangos, Director of the Department of Religious Education and founder of the Internet School of Orthodox Studies (ISOS) distance learning program, the theme of the Fall Semester classes is: "Meeting the Holy Fathers". According to Fr. Marangos, "the series of ten 60-minute educational classes are based on the 5-Year Strategic Plan of the Department of Religious Education. The goal of the third year is to assist Orthodox Christians to more fully understand the theology of the Holy Fathers in Orthodox Tradition. The class will explore particular scriptural, theological and ethical themes by concentrating and discussing a text from each Father." The program will take place each Tuesday evening from September 19th to November 21st. The ten sessions will be broadcast on the following dates:
Sept 19th: Introduction: The Mind of the Fathers - and Overview
Sept 26th: Ignatius of Antioch - Incarnation, Eucharist and Church
Oct 3rd: Irenaios: The Reality of the Incarnation/Mary as the 2nd Eve
Oct 10th: Basil the Great: Theologian and Monk
Oct 17th: Basil the Great: Theologian and Monk (continued)
Oct 24th: John Chrysostom: Preacher and Priest
Oct 31st: John Chrysostom: Preacher and Priest (continued)
Nov 7th: Maximus the Confessor: Humanity and the Incarnation
Nov 14th: John of Damascus: Icons / Creation and the Incarnation
Nov 21st: Symeon the New Theologian: The Incarnation and the Eucharist
The Fall Semester ten-week program, which is scheduled to take place on each Tuesday evening (Sept. 19th Nov 21st, 7:30 P.M. - 8:30 P.M.) on the campus of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology will be primarily taught by the Rev. Dr. Constantine Newman, pastor of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Lexington, MA. Fr. Constantine received his B.A. and M.A. in Classics from Catholic University, Washington, D.C., and his Ph.D. in Classics from the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. He graduated from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 1993. At present he is also an Adjunct Professor of Classics at Hellenic College.
Apart from those who can physically attend, the classes can also be heard by anyone with a computer and Internet access. According to Marangos, "the Director of the Department of Internet Ministries, Mr. Theo Nikolakis, has been collaborating with the Department of Religious Education to develop its Distance Learning program" The classes will be broadcast in Real-Time through the Archdiocese Web Server. The syllabus, bibliography and class notes can be downloaded from the ISOS site. The ISOS web site address is: www.goarch.org/webcasts/religioused.html. The presentation will also be archived so that students can listen to the classes when their schedule permits.
Numerous previously broadcast theological classes have been archived on the ISOS web page of the Department of Religious education. Examples include: An Examination of the Triodion; An Examination of the Christmas Fast; A Theological Examination of the Hymns of the Eight Tones (Parakleteke), and A Study of the Theotokos taught by Rev. Dr. Thomas Hopko, Dean of Saint Vladmirs Seminary. Interested adults may access the page and listen to these presentations at their leisure.
The classes are offered free of charge to all Orthodox faithful. The faculty of the Holy Cross School of Theology has voted to give a certificate of educational recognition to students who participate in the classes and meet the Certification Requirements of the Department of Religious Education. The first class will convene on Tuesday, at 7:30 p.m. The ISOS web site address is: www.goarch.org/webcasts/religioused.html.
For More Information:
Department of Religious Education
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
50 Goddard Avenue
Brookline, MA 022445-7415
(617) 850-1218