“Biblical studies occupies a pivotal position in the Seminary’s curriculum with core and elective courses on the Scripture and New Testament, Greek and Hebrew languages,” said Fr. Chad. “This immensely generous donation will go a long way as St. Vladimir’s looks to attract more world-class Orthodox scholars and make important contributions to the Church in the field of Orthodox biblical scholarship.”
The endowment will be used to fund faculty, support efforts to promote scholarship in the field through student exchanges with Russia, and make possible more conferences and seminars that promote the Orthodox approach to the study of Holy Scripture. The investment of $250,000 by the donor will be the first installment in building the endowment to the level that will fund a chair in biblical studies.
It is hoped this first significant gift will help attract additional support from other individuals, family trusts, and bequests for growth of the endowment. For further information about ways to contribute to the endowment please contact:
In celebration of his landmark, multi-volume Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching(SVS Press), St. Vladimir’s Seminary hosted the author, His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev), and several noted biblical scholars at the two-day event, Searching the Scriptures. The event was held on campus Thursday and Friday, November 11 and 12, 2021, and drew nearly 600 people from twenty-four countries around the world who either attended in person or signed up to watch online.
Searching the Scriptures’ lectures and discussions surrounding Metropolitan Hilarion’s six-volume work and New Testament scholarship more broadly led to fascinating exchanges between guest scholars—some of whom are Protestant Christians—and the author. The lively sessions invited the promise of further discussions to be hosted by the Seminary in the future, particularly surrounding attempts to find the “historical Jesus” and other aspects of New Testament scholarship in dialogue with the Orthodox tradition. The Seminary also plans to publish the papers presented at the academic conference in a forthcoming volume from St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press.
A recording of Metropolitan Hilarion’s keynote and all lectures and discussions from the event will be made available on the Seminary’s YouTube page.
KEYNOTE & ACADEMIC CONFERENCE
Searching the Scriptures began Thursday with Vespers at Three Hierarchs Chapel, immediately followed by a panikhida, presided over by Metropolitan Hilarion, on the occasion of the two hundredth birth anniversary of famous Russian writer and devout Orthodox Christian Fyodor Dostoevsky (Nov. 11, 1821–Feb. 9, 1881).
Metropolitan Hilarion discussed his monumental work, Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching, and his desire to see a stronger Orthodox voice in modern biblical scholarship. In writing Jesus Christ, His Eminence explained he hoped to enrich his own understanding of the discipline in the process.
“I realized that I wanted to write a biographical study .... I wanted to approach Jesus precisely from the historical perspective, to show what kind of man he was, what his character was, how he reacted to other people, what his background was,” His Eminence explained. “The task that I set myself was not to expound Orthodox Christology, but rather to reproduce the living image of Jesus on the basis of the sources available and to present his teaching as it is reflected in the Gospels.”
His Eminence relied on patristic as well as modern New Testament scholarship in writing his volumes on Jesus. At the conclusion of his keynote, Metropolitan Hilarion offered an insight from Jesus Christ’s first volume:
The gospel story of Jesus Christ...may be compared, I argue, to a collection of treasures amassed over two thousand years in a safe with two locks...two keys are required. One key is the belief that Jesus was fully human, with all the aspects of a real, flesh-and-blood person. However, we need a second key also: belief that Jesus was God incarnate. Without this key, the safe will not open, and the treasures will not radiate with their original brilliance. The gospel image of Christ will not come to the reader in all its resplendent beauty. In modern New Testament scholarship, the [second] key is very often simply not used at all. In the Orthodox tradition, sometimes the [first] key is put aside, and we tend to concentrate more on the divine dimension of Jesus' life and teaching than on the human side of his story. This is one of the reasons why a dialogue between the Orthodox tradition and the rich and multi-layered tradition of modern New Testament scholarship can be mutually enriching for both sides.
Friday’s lectures and discussions offered an enticing glimpse into the possibilities of such dialogue, as some guest scholars offered both praise and thoughtful critique of the Jesus Christ volumes. His Eminence took time to express his appreciation of the scholars’ points and directly addressed some of the points raised, among them his criticism of the Q-Source Hypothesis proposed by many biblical scholars to explain similarities in the so-called “synoptic Gospels” of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Members of the audience watching online and in person were delighted by that and other discussions offered throughout the day by His Eminence and the other lecturers, of Orthodox and non-Orthodox faiths, who were invited to speak at Searching the Scriptures: Garwood P. Anderson, Ph.D., dean and professor of New Testament at Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Nashotah, WI; John Barnet, Ph.D., associate professor of New Testament at St. Vladimir’s Seminary; Bruce Beck, Th.D., assistant professor of New Testament at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA and director of the Religious Studies program at Hellenic College; Carl R. Holladay, Ph.D., professor emeritus of New Testament at Candler School of Theology (Emory University) in Atlanta, GA; Edith Mary Humphrey, Ph.D., William F. Orr Professor Emerita of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary; Craig S. Keener, Ph.D., the F.M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY; Gregory E. Sterling, Ph.D., the Rev. Henry L. Slack Dean of Yale Divinity School and its Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament; and James Buchanan Wallace, Ph.D., chair and professor of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, TN. One of the scheduled speakers, The Rev. George Parsenios, Ph.D., dean and professor of New Testament at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, was unfortunately unable to attend the conference due to illness.
Divine Liturgy
Although the academic conference of Searching the Scriptures came to an end Friday evening with final remarks from Metropolitan Hilarion, the celebration of Divine Liturgy the following morning brought the previous days of prayer, fellowship, and discussion to its perfect and fitting culmination. On Saturday, November 13, His Eminence presided over the Liturgy at Three Hierarchs Chapel on the Feast of St. John Chrysostom, one of the Three Ecumenical Teachers along with Ss. Basil and Gregory who are the Chapel’s patrons.
The Seminary community gives thanks to God for these edifying days. Beautiful concluding remarks offered by His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion point to the inspiration behind this and all the efforts of St. Vladimir’s—of her seminarians, faculty, staff:
“Jesus belongs to the entire world and to every person. He has something to say to every human being, both to those who are already in the Church and to those who are on the path to it—and even to those who are far from it and from any religious affiliation at all.”
This November, St. Vladimir’s Seminary welcomes Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev and top biblical scholars to campus for a free, public event centered on Holy Scripture. Join us for the event, Searching the Scriptures, in celebration of Metropolitan Hilarion’s monumental series Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching(SVS Press).
Attendance is free, but you must register beforehand if you plan on joining whether in person or online. In-person attendance will be limited due to pandemic-related restrictions. *NOTE: Met. Hilarion's Keynote Lecture on November 11 is online-only. All talks scheduled November 12 may be attended online or in person.
**A hotel option near campus is the Hampton Inn & Suites, 559 Tuckahoe Road, Yonkers, NY.
This unique event brings together noted scholars from theological schools such as St. Vladimir’s, Hellenic College-Holy Cross, Yale Divinity School, Asbury Theological Seminary, and others to present their latest research (learn more below). The event will kick off with a keynote lecture by His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion. (Three volumes of his six-volume Jesus Christ series are available for purchase through SVS Press, with the fourth volume expected to release later this year.)
Schedule
Thursday, November 11
7:30 p.m. EST -Keynote Lecture by His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev (Online Only)
Friday, November 12
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST – Academic Conference Lectures, Panel Discussions, Q&A, and Concluding Reception (Attend In Person or Online)
*Meals will be served throughout the day. **A detailed schedule will be made available to registrants.
SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES IS MADE POSSIBLE
BY OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS:
HIS EMINENCE, MELCHISEDEK (PLESKA) ,
ARCHBISHOP OF PITTSBURGH AND
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA (OCA)
This six-volume series of books on the life and message of Jesus, in ongoing publication by St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press, has been lauded by well-known scholars including Pope Benedict XVI, Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, Craig S. Keener, and many others. It is not so much for those Christians who are rooted in holy tradition as it is for non-believers, those who doubt and who are hesitant. In the first instance, it may give some answers to those who believe that Jesus never even existed. Secondly, it is for those who believe that Jesus existed but do not believe that he is God. Thirdly, it is for those who perhaps consider themselves Christians but relate to the Gospel narratives skeptically or view the Gospels through the prism of the criticism to which it was subjected in the works of Western specialists in the New Testament in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Ultimately, it attempts to answer the main question of what Jesus has brought to people and why he is necessary for people today.
ABOUT METROPOLITAN HILARION ALFEYEV
Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev is the chairman of the Department of External Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. He has authored numerous works on theology and church history, and is an internationally recognized composer of liturgical music. Several of his works are available through SVS Press, including his landmark Orthodox Christianity series and Christ the Conqueror of Hell.
ABOUT THE ACADEMIC CONFERENCE SCHOLARS
Garwood P. Anderson, Ph.D., is dean and professor of New Testament at Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Nashotah, WI. He has also taught as a visiting professor at Bethel Theological Seminary, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Reformed Theological Seminary, and the West African Theological Seminary in Lagos, Nigeria. A committed teacher and frequent retreat speaker, Anderson was recognized with Asbury Theological Seminary’s 2006-2007 Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award. His research interests center especially on narrative approaches to reading the Gospels, the parables of Jesus, Pauline soteriology, and the theological appropriation of the New Testament.
John Barnet, Ph.D., is associate professor of New Testament at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, NY, where he also teaches courses in biblical Greek. He completed his doctoral studies at Duke University under the direction of Professor Dan O. Via. Barnet’s published writings include "Paul's Reception of the Gift from Philippi" (St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly, 2006); Not the Righteous but Sinners: M. M. Bakhtin's Theory of Aesthetics and the Problem of Reader-Character Interaction in Matthew's Gospel (2003); and "Stewardship and the New Testament" (Good and Faithful Servant: Stewardship in the Orthodox Tradition, 2003).
Bruce Beck, Th.D., is assistant professor of New Testament at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA and director of the Religious Studies program at Hellenic College. Beck received both his M.Div. and Th.D. at Harvard Divinity School, where his area of specialization was New Testament and early Christianity, and the history of the interpretation of Scripture. His teaching in the area of New Testament bridges the academic study of the Bible with the practical arts of interpreting it in useful ways for the life of the Church today. His written work has highlighted the ways in which liturgical hymnology and patristic homilies can be potent sources for the history of interpretation of Scripture.
Carl R. Holladay, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of New Testament at Candler School of Theology (Emory University) in Atlanta, GA. He taught at Candler and in Emory's Graduate Division of Religion from 1980 to 2019, and is a popular lecturer at colleges and universities around the world. Holladay’s research joins classical academic scholarship and professional application, focusing on Luke-Acts, Hellenistic Judaism (Judaism in the Greco-Roman world), and Christology. His scholarly contributions have focused on the ways in which the culture of the Hellenistic world shaped Jewish traditions of the Second Temple period, and through them the development of early Christianity.
Edith Mary Humphrey, Ph.D., is the William F. Orr Professor Emerita of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and a member of St. Nicholas Parish, McKees Rocks, Pittsburgh. She earned her doctorate from McGill University, Montréal, for which she received the Governor General’s Gold Medal. Before taking her position in Pittsburgh, she lectured at several Canadian universities, serving as dean for Augustine College, Ottawa, while also serving as music director and organist for St. George Anglican Church, Ottawa. Since her retirement in January 2021, she has continued to teach in various milieux, write, and speak frequently in Christian and academic contexts. She is the author of numerous articles and nine books on topics as diverse as apocalypses, worship, Christian spirituality, human sexuality, and C. S. Lewis.
Craig S. Keener, Ph.D., is the F.M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY. He has authored 28 books, six of which have won book awards in Christianity Today, of which altogether more than one million copies are in circulation. The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, for which Keener authored most of the New Testament notes (and which he co-edited), won Bible of the Year in the 2017 Christian Book Awards, and also won Book of the Year in the Religion: Christianity category of the International Book Awards. He has also written for various journals, including theJournal for the Study of the New Testament and Christianity Today.
Rev. George Parsenios, Ph.D., is dean and professor of New Testament at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, MA. Before he became dean at Holy Cross, Fr. George taught for many years at Princeton Theological Seminary, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, and the St. Athanasius Theological College in the University of Melbourne (Australia). His teaching and research explore the interaction of early Christianity with classical literature as well as the interpretation of the New Testament in the early church. He is the author of three books and several articles on New Testament themes, with a specialization in the Gospel and Letters of John.
Gregory E. Sterling, Ph.D., is Rev. Henry L. Slack Dean of Yale Divinity School and its Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament. He assumed the deanship in 2012 after more than two decades at the University of Notre Dame. Concentrating his scholarship in Hellenistic Judaism and early Christianity, Sterling is the author or editor/co-editor of eight books and more than 100 scholarly articles and essays. He has held numerous leadership positions in the Society of Biblical Literature, the Studiorum Novi Societas, and the Catholic Biblical Association.
James Buchanan Wallace, Ph.D., is chair and professor of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, TN. He has also taught at Candler School of Theology (Emory University) and the St. Nicholas Orthodox Academy in Atlanta, GA. Wallace’s research interests include patristic interpretations of Scripture and the Greco-Roman and Jewish religious contexts of early Christianity. He is also fascinated by heavenly ascent traditions of the ancient world. Wallace is a subdeacon in the Orthodox Church in America and occasionally serves as a guest speaker on Eastern Orthodox Christian theology and spirituality.
With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of Archpriest Peter Tutko, an alumnus of both St. Vladimir's and St. Tikhon's seminaries. Father Peter, 80, fell asleep in the Lord on November 5, 2021 at his home in Tarpon Springs, FL.
The Very Rev. Peter Tutko was born on March 18, 1941, to Peter and Anastasia (Talalay) in Brooklyn, NY, and from his youth was raised in service to the Orthodox Church starting at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Brooklyn. He served in the altar, sang in the choir, taught in the church school and directed the choir.
He entered the Pre-Theological Program at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary when it was still located at Union Theological Seminary on West 121st Street in Manhattan. In the summer of 1962, Fr. Peter became a member of the first St. Vladimir’s Seminary Octet, which travelled to eighty parishes throughout the United States that summer. He completed his theological studies at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, South Canaan, PA and was ordained to the holy priesthood in 1973 by His Beatitude, Ireney.
Father Peter went on to serve in a number of parishes of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and founded several of them in the dioceses of both New England and of the South.
Father Peter’s health began to decline shortly after the repose of his wife of fifty-three years, Matushka Sonja, in March of this year. Despite his failing health, Fr. Peter maintained his missionary spirit, offering his encouragement and inspiration to the newest mission of the Diocese of the South, Ss. Joachim & Anna in The Villages, FL. He was present for the first Divine Liturgy in June and sang with the choir as he was able up until his repose.
Father Peter will be remembered for his humor, his love of church music, his family, love of Christ, and service to His Holy Church. He and Matushka Sonja are survived by their son, Mark, and grandchild, Jayson.
With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of Alexander Popoff, Jr., trustee emeritus of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary. Popoff, who had been living in the Seattle area, fell asleep in the Lord October 30, 2021 at the age of 88.
Popoff served as the committed chairman of the Seminary Building and Grounds Committee during the planning and construction of the most significant capital campaign in St. Vladimir's history. He is remembered as a consummate gentleman with a wonderful, warm demeanor. His professional background and wise counsel were invaluable to the success of the expansion of the campus facilities.
Alexander Popoff, Jr. was born in Lyon, France on January 18, 1933 to Russian parents. His father was a priest in the Orthodox Church. He attended primary grades in France during WWII; after WWII, Popoff and his family lived in Germany from 1945 to 1949 while his father was ministering to Russian and other Orthodox refugees there.
The Popoff family arrived in the United States in 1949. After a brief stay in New York, Alexander went to Kodiak, AK, where his father was assigned a parish. Alexander later attended the University of Washington in Seattle, where he majored in civil engineering and joined the U.S. Navy the same day he was granted U.S. citizenship.
While attending the University of Washington, Popoff met his future wife, Marie, a fellow UW student, at St. Spiridon Cathedral in Seattle. The cathedral would play a central role in their family's spiritual life for years to come: they were married at St. Spiridon; their three children were married at St. Spiridon; their eight grandchildren were baptized at St. Spiridon; and their oldest granddaughter was married at St. Spiridon. Popoff served on the parish council many terms, including as treasurer and vice president of the council.
Alex's career after the Navy started at Puget Power, but by 1962 he joined a startup, ABAM Engineers, to focus on structural engineering with concrete, designing many unique concrete structures such as the monorail at Disneyworld, Space Mountain at Disneyland, and many other large-scale projects around the world. He remained at ABAM until his final retirement in 2012, serving as CEO and chairman of the board.
In November 2009, upon Popoff's retirement from the St. Vladimir's Seminary Board of Trustees, the Seminary and the Board of Trustees bestowed on him the title of trustee emeritus to honor his eleven years of outstanding service to St. Vladimir's.
Alexander Popoff is survived by his wife, Marie; his children, Anna Lee (Terry), Alex Popoff III (Kim), and Cathy Salmon (Jim); his eight grandchildren, Tania (Steve), Michael (Renee), Alexandria, Zoya, Natasha, Dimitri, Samantha (Jackson), and Ian; and six great grand children.
The funeral service for Popoff will be held at St. Spiridon Orthodox Cathedral in Seattle at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, November 3. Burial service will begin at 1 p.m. at Washelli Cemetery with a reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Spiridon or a charity of your choice.
May the memory of Alexander Popoff, Jr. be eternal!
His Eminence, Metropolitan Joseph, archbishop of New York and metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA), presided over the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy and ordination service. Saint Vladimir's Seminary President Archpriest Chad Hatfield and Dn. Joseph's fellow Antiochian seminarians from St. Vladimir's were also present.
The Rev. Dn. Joseph Thornburg is in his second year at St. Vladimir's, studying in the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program. He and his wife, Marina, are parents to Isaac and Ella. Their home parish is St. Andrew Orthodox Church in Riverside, CA.
May God grant the newly ordained Dn. Joseph and his family many years! AXIOS!
Pictured: (Back, left to right) Dr. Ionut-Alexandru Tudorie and Dr. John Barnet; (Front, left to right) Mr. Alexandru Popovici, Fr. Aetios (Nikiforos), Fr. Chad Hatfield, Dr. Konstantinos Delikostantis, and Dr. Peter Bouteneff
On Friday, St. Vladimir's Seminary warmly welcomed to campus Very Rev. Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios (Nikiforos) and University of Athens Professor of Religion Emeritus Dr. Konstantinos Delikostantis. The two guests are in the country traveling with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on His All-Holiness's apostolic visit to the United States.
The distinguished guests met with seminary faculty and staff and toured the chapel and library. Father Aetios and Dr. Delikostantis were particularly impressed by the work happening in the Fr. Georges Florovsky Library. They also discussed the possibility of more seminarians from the Ecumenical Patriarchate studying at St. Vladimir's in the future.
Dr. Delikostantis taught comparative religion and philosophy of religion at the University of Florina from 1990–2001. That year, he took up a position at the University of Athens to teach systematic theology. Dr. Delikostantis is the author of many articles and books on theology, philosophy, education, and culture. He currently serves as director of the First Patriarchal Office of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The St. Vladimir's Seminary community bids a fond farewell to Ramon Contreras, a member of the Seminary's Plant Maintenance team. Ramon entered retirement on Friday, October 29, 2021.
For sixteen years, Ramon has been a wonderful member of the Seminary team, working to help maintain and beautify campus daily.
"He is a man of many talents and an incredible work ethic, but we will above all miss his warm friendship we've enjoyed for so many years at St. Vladimir's," said Seminary President Fr. Chad Hatfield. "We offer our prayers and best wishes as he enters his well-deserved retirement."
Seminary staff gathered for a farewell party on Ramon's final day.
Becoming a Priest was shot and directed in 2021 by Sarah Werner, SVOTS' chief marketing officer, and edited by Caleb Rexford. It features Alumnus Priest Peter Runyon, who was completing his degree at St. Vladimir's at the time, offering a powerful reflection on his journey to Orthodox Christianity and the priesthood.
"This film was created to help inspire those who are discerning their call to service in the Church, whether through priesthood or lay leadership," said Werner. "We hope Fr. Peter's words touch everyone's hearts as they did ours while we were filming it.
"Thank you, Byzanfest, for including Becoming a Priest in this year's film festival! We are so honored to be a part of it."
From October 30 to November 8, Byzanfest will stream Becoming a Priest and other short and feature-length films inspired and produced by Eastern Orthodox Christians around the world on YouTube. You can also access the stream through the Byzanfest website.
Established in 2014, Byzanfest is an international film festival dedicated exclusively to Orthodox Christian cinema. Byzanfest organizers aim to stream and screen the very best Orthodox stories each year with the world.
Fr James Parnell baptizes a soldier in the Gulf of Aden June 28, 2021.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Amanda Stock)
The Rev. James Parnell graduated cum laude from St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program in 2013. The title of his M.Div. thesis could serve as an abstract of the story of his life and ministry before and after seminary: Growing from Dragon to Man: A Parish Resource for Reintegrating Orthodox Soldiers and Veterans Returning from War.
Today, Fr. James is rector of All Saints Orthodox Church, Hartford, CT, where he was assigned shortly after graduation. He is also a chaplain in the Connecticut Army National Guard, assigned to the 1-102nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain) headquartered in New Haven, CT, and chief of chaplains for the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, focusing on the spiritual care of those suffering from Moral Injury, Post-Traumatic Stress, Substance Abuse, Acute/Chronic Pain, and Long-term Mental Illness.
Father James was born and raised in Little Rock, AR, in a devout Southern Baptist home. He joined the Army shortly after the attacks on September 11, 2001 and began training as an Arabic linguist. He met his wife, Holly (also an Army veteran), while studying at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. Father James and Mat. Holly were married in 2007 and have five children: Samuel, Ariane, Eleanor, Sean, and Ingrid.
In June of 2021, inspiring U.S. Army photos made the rounds on social media showing Fr. James baptizing a soldier in the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and the Horn of Africa. We caught up with Fr. James to ask him about the story behind the images and his devotion to serving those who serve.
