ΠΑΝΑΓΙΑ ΠΡΟΥΣΙΩΤΗΣΑ

 

ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟΣ

 

Ηλίας Προβόπουλος,

23/8/2024 - 09:10

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Ηλίας Προβόπουλος: Της Παναγίας της Προυσιώτισσας!

Στην καρδιά της Ευρυτανίας και της Ρούμελης φωλιασμένη ανάμεσα σε κάθετους βράχους που αιωρούνται πάνω από τα δυνατά ποτάμια, είναι χτισμένη η Ιερά Μονή του Προύσου. Είναι σταυροπηγιακό και ιστορικό μοναστήρι, με μεγαλόπρεπα τριώροφα κτίρια. Ανάμεσα τους υπάρχει σπήλαιο λαξευμένο, που φιλοξενεί στο εσωτερικό του τον πρώτο και παλαιό ναό της μονής.

Μέσα σ' αυτόν φυλάσσεται η θαυματουργή εικόνα της Παναγίας ,που επονομάζεται Προυσιώτισσα και εορτάζει με κάθε εκκλησιαστική και βυζαντινή μεγαλοπρέπεια στις 22-23 Αυγούστου.

Τη θαυματουργή αυτή εικόνα της Θεοτόκου λέγεται ότι την ζωγράφισε ο Ευαγγελιστής Λουκάς και ήλθε από την Προύσα της Μικράς Ασίας (σύμφωνα με το χειρόγραφο 3 του κώδικα της Ιεράς Μονής Προυσιωτίσσης).

Την έφερε από την Προύσα κάποιος ευγενής νέος στα χρόνια της εικονομαχίας (829 μ.Χ.) επί εικονομάχου βασιλέως Θεοφίλου. Στο δρόμο όμως για την Ελλάδα, στην Καλλίπολη της Θράκης, την έχασε και η εικόνα αποκαλύφθηκε θαυματουργικά σ' ένα τσοπανόπουλο, με μια στήλη φωτός σαν πυρσός - γι' αυτό πήρε και την επωνυμία Πυρσός - στο μέρος όπου ήταν κρυμμένη. Ο νέος, που είχε εγκατασταθεί στην Πάτρα, όταν το έμαθε θέλησε να την πάρει. Αλλά η εικόνα θαυματουργικά γύρισε και πάλι στο άγριο μέρος της Ευρυτανίας, όπου αποκαλύφθηκε στους ντόπιους βοσκούς τη νύχτα από 22 προς 23 Αυγούστου.

Τότε ο νέος, μαζί μ' έναν υπηρέτη του, πήγαν και αυτοί εκεί, όπου έγιναν μοναχοί μετανομασθέντες Διονύσιος και Τιμόθεος αντίστοιχα. Η εικόνα της Παναγίας είναι τύπου Οδηγήτριας και είναι επιχρυσωμένη με αργυροεπίχρυση ένδυση, δώρο του στρατηγού Γεωργίου Καραϊσκάκη που φιλοξενούνταν στη Μονή την περίοδο της επανάστασης του 1821 μ.Χ. Την ένδυση, την κατασκεύασε ο χρυσοχόος Γεωργίος Καρανίκας το 1824 μ.Χ., όπως μας αποκαλύπτει η ανάγλυφη επιγραφή πάνω από τον δεξιό ώμο της Παναγίας: «Η Παντάνασσα. Δι εξόδων του γενναιοτάτου στρατηγού Γεωργίου Καραϊσκάκη, χειρί Γεωργίου Καρανίκα, 1824».

Στο ιστορικό της μονής αναφέρεται ότι επί τουρκοκρατίας καταστράφηκε πολλές φορές. Η τελευταία όμως καταστροφή, που μετέβαλε τα κτίρια σε σωρούς ερειπίων, έγινε το 1944 μ.Χ. από τους Γερμανούς. Μετά την καταστροφή των κτισμάτων, ένας αξιωματικός θέλησε να κάψει και την εκκλησία. Προσπάθησε πολλές φορές, αλλά χωρίς αποτέλεσμα. Ενώ λοιπόν στεκόταν άπ' έξω κι έδινε διαταγές, τιμωρήθηκε παραδειγματικά από το χέρι της Παναγίας. Μια αόρατη δύναμη τον έριξε με ορμή πάνω στο πλακόστρωτο. Το χτύπημα ήταν δυνατό, και ο Γερμανός ανίκανος να σηκωθεί. Τον σήκωσαν οι στρατιώτες και τον έβαλαν πάνω σε ζώο για να τον μεταφέρουν στο Αγρίνιο. Έτσι ο ναός παρέμεινε αβλαβής, όπως διαφυλάχθηκε ακέραιος δια μέσου των αιώνων.

Πέρασαν τέσσερα χρόνια. Ο εμφύλιος πόλεμος τώρα μαίνεται στην ελληνική ύπαιθρο. Οι κάτοικοι της Ευρυτανίας και ορεινής Ναυπακτίας εγκαταλείπουν τα χωριά τους και προσφευγουν για ασφάλεια σε άλλα μέρη της Ελλάδος.

Μαζί τους προσφεύγει και η θαυματουργή εικόνα της Παναγίας. Ακολουθεί κι αυτή την τύχη των παιδιών της και μεταφέρεται από τους μοναχούς του Προύσου στη ακρόπολη της Ναυπάκτου. Το μοναστήρι παραμένει τελείως έρημο.

Ύστερα από καιρό αρχίζουν οι επιχειρήσεις του στρατού. Η ενάτη μεραρχία αναλαμβάνει εκκαθαριστικές επιχειρήσεις στην Ευρυτανία. Μερικά τμήματα περνούν από τον Προυσό. Ορισμένοι αξιωματικοί και στρατιώτες πλησιάζουν στη σκοτεινή εκκλησούλα της σπηλιάς και μπαίνουν για να προσκυνήσουν.

Εκεί μέσα αντικρίζουν ένα παράδοξο θέαμα: Μπροστά το τέμπλο, στ' αριστερά της ωραίας πύλης, να αναμμένο καντήλι και μια καλόγρια γονατιστή. Οι στρατιώτες απορούν. Πως ζει αυτή η μοναχή εδώ,τι στιγμή που η Ευρυτανία είναι τελείως έρημη από κατοίκους;

Πως συντηρείται, τι τρώει, που βρίσκει λάδι για το καντήλι; Την ερωτούν λοιπόν, κι εκείνη σεμνά και πονεμένα τους απαντά: «Παιδιά μου, ζω εδώ μοναχή μου δυόμισι τώρα χρόνια. Για τη δική μου ζωή δεν χρειάζονται φαγητό και ψωμί. Μου αρκεί ότι έχω το καντήλι μου αναμμένο». Οι στρατιώτες, κουρασμένοι από τις επιχειρήσεις και βιαστικοί να φύγουν, δεν έδωσαν προσοχή στα λόγια της.

Την επομένη όμως, όταν τα έφεραν πάλι στη μνήμη τους, κατάλαβαν πως επρόκειτο νια κάτι θαυμαστό. Κι όταν αργότερα περνούσαν από τη Ναύπακτο, ζήτησαν με επιμονή άδεια από τον διοικητή τους να να επισκεφθούν τον μητροπολίτη.

Ο επίσκοπος Ναυπακτίας και Ευρυτανίας Χριστόφορος τους υποδέχθηκε με αγάπη, κι αφού τους άκουσε συγκινημένος, έριξε φως στο μυστήριο. «Ο ναός, τους είπε, που επισκεφθήκατε, ανήκει στην έρημη τώρα ιερά μονή Προυσιώτισσας, της οποίας η θαυματουργή εικόνα βρίσκεται πάνω από δύο χρόνια εδώ, στο παρεκκλήσι της μητροπόλεως μας, στον άγιο Διονύσιο. Πηγαίνετε να την προσκυνήσετε, και θα καταλάβετε».

Πήγαν πράγματι και προσκύνησαν. Τότε αυθόρμητα στον καθένα δόθηκε η εξήγηση στην απορία του: Στην εικόνα της Θεομήτορος αναγνώρισαν τη μοναχή εκείνη που συνάντησαν στο εκκλησάκι της σπηλιάς, ψηλά στον Προυσό!

ΥΓ. Το κείμενο από την σελίδα του Κώστα Βλάχου. Τον ευχαριστούμε…

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 What Was the Origin of the Greeks According to the Bible?

ByCaleb Howells

August 20, 2024

What does the Bible say about the origin of the Greeks? Credit: NYC Wanderer (Kevin Eng) / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

The Bible extensively discusses the origins of nations. For example, it contains the story of the Tower of Babel, in which God caused various languages to appear. However, does the Bible specifically reveal anything about the origin of the Greeks?

The answer is that it does. Let’s take a look at what this origin was and how it relates to the Greeks’ own traditions.

Table of Nations

In Chapter 10 of the Book of Genesis, we find a detailed description of the numerous descendants of Noah after the Flood. According to the Bible, Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. All nations were descended from one of these three sons.

This detailed Table of Nations provides the names of the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons of these three forefathers. However, it does not explicitly say where each of them settled.

Nonetheless, the names of these individuals are, in many cases, similar or even identical to the names that the ancient Hebrews used for various nations. Therefore, the logical conclusion is that a given nation was believed to be descended from the person bearing its name in the Table of Nations.

For example, one of Japheth’s sons was Asshur. Since this was also the name that the Hebrews used for the Assyrians, we can logically understand that Asshur was considered to be the eponymous forefather of that nation.

The forefather of the Greeks in the Bible

With these basic facts out of the way, what does the Bible claim regarding the descent of the Greeks? By looking at the Table of Nations in the Bible, it immediately becomes clear that the origin of the European nations, including the Greeks, lies with Japheth.

Japheth is described as having seven sons. One of them is particularly closely associated with the European nations of the Mediterranean. His name is Javan.

Scholars almost universally agree that Javan is the Hebrew name for the Greeks. A version of this same term appears in Assyrian records as “Jawanu.” This is used as a designation for the Greeks.

Therefore, this is the origin of the Greeks according to the Bible. They were descendants of Javan, son of Japheth, who was the son of Noah.

Javan to the Greeks

Homer and Hesiod, both of the seventh century BC, also used this as a name for the Greeks. Homer, for example, used the form “Iaones.” Since this is practically at the very beginnings of Greek literature, it shows that it was an early term for the Greeks.

Even prior to this, there is evidence this ethnonym existed in the Bronze Age. A tablet from Mycenaean Crete appears to bear this name. Hence, this may well be the earliest attested ethnonym for the Greeks, although this remains uncertain.

Interestingly, the Greeks themselves considered one of their most significant forefathers to have been a figure named Ion. The earlier form of this name was “Iaon.” Scholars believe that the even earlier form was “Iawon,” almost identical to the Hebrew spelling of Javan, which is “Yawan.”

The origin of the Greeks among Javan’s sons in the Bible

The situation is nonetheless slightly more complicated than this. The Bible also provides the names of Javan’s four sons. One of them was Tarshish. This was the name that the Hebrews used for Iberia, implying that he was the forefather of those who lived in that area.

Therefore, according to the Bible, Javan was not simply the forefather of the Greeks. Other nations, as well as the Greeks, were descended from him. Hence, which son of Javan was actually the ancestor of the Greeks?

The answer may well be that three out of the four sons of Javan were viewed as being the collective ancestors of the Greeks. However, the primary ancestor may have been the son named Elishah. Many commentators have suggested a connection between this name and “Hellas,” the historical Greek name for Greece itself.

Other commentators, including the ancient historian Josephus, have suggested a connection between Elishah and Aeolus. He was the eponymous forefather of the Aeolian Greeks in Greek mythology.

Another common theory is that the name of Elishah is connected to “Alashiya,” an ancient name for Cyprus.

The other Greek ancestors

Although Elishah appears to have been the primary origin of the Greeks in the Bible, he was not the only one. Javan’s two remaining sons were Kittim and Rodanim. The former was the Hebrew name for Cyprus. Similar forms were used by other nations for this same island.

The earliest notable inhabitants of the settlement of Kition on Cyprus were the Mycenaean Greeks. Therefore, the connection between Javan’s son Kittim and the island of Cyprus makes logical sense.

Finally, what about Rodanim? Many scholars believe his name should be connected to the island of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea. This has led to the view that, by extension, the descendants of Rodanim settled the islands of the Aegean Sea in general rather than just Rhodes.

See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!

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 How Was Greece Christianized?

ByCaleb Howells

August 20, 2024

Church of Saint Lydia, the first woman to convert to Christianity. Credit: wallygrom. CC BY 2.0/flickr

Today, Greece is full of churches, crosses, and biblical iconography. Of course, it was not always like this. Throughout most of antiquity, the people of Greece worshipped their pantheon of pagan gods. How did this change? How did Christianity become so prevalent in Greece?

First century evangelism

The story of how Greece was Christianized begins in the first century, which is when Christianity itself also first began. Jesus of Nazareth started preaching in 30 AD and died in 33 AD. Shortly after this, Saul of Tarsus became a Christian. He was a zealous and enthusiastic preacher of the Christian message. For most of his career, he was known as Paul.

Although Paul did preach to Jews, he focused his preaching efforts on regions which were mainly populated by Greeks and other non-Jewish nations. Christianity may well have spread to some Greek territories before Paul’s missionary work, but it was Paul who was primarily responsible for the spread of Christianity in Greece. His travels and ministry in Greece are documented in detail in the book of Acts in the Bible.

Paul’s first stop on his first ever missionary trip was Cyprus. In Paphos, where the governor’s palace was, Paul even converted the governor of the island, Sergius Paulus.

Paul’s preaching in Greece

After leaving Cyprus, Paul next went to Greek cities in Asia Minor. It was not until his second preaching tour that he went to Greece itself. He traveled through Asia Minor and crossed over by sea into Macedonia.

Paul then continued on, spreading Christianity as he journeyed down through Macedonia, preaching at various major Greek cities. It was during this time that he converted many people in the cities of Thessalonica and Berea.

The Christian gospel then spread to the Roman province of Achaia, or southern Greece. Arriving in Athens, Paul went head-to-head with the philosophers he met there in the Areopagus, convincing some that the God he was preaching was the ‘Unknown God’ they were worshipping. And so Christianity took hold in Athens, one of the most prominent cities of Greece.

A third preaching tour took Paul on a similar route, helping Christianity to gain an even further hold on some of the major cities of Greece. It was at this time that many people in Corinth were converted.

Obstacles to the spread of Christianity in Greece

Converting to Christianity was not something that was necessarily easy among the Greeks. There were various obstacles to its spread and acceptance. For one thing, the Greeks had numerous impressive temples, such as the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Wonders of the Ancient World.

On the other hand, temples did not play a part in Christianity. The Christians of the first century did not even build churches since they usually met in private homes. This may well have been an obstacle for some, as it may have led to a perception of inferiority.

A similar thing could be said about the lack of festivals. The only festival (if it may even be called that) celebrated by the first century Christians was the commemoration of Jesus’ death. This was a simple ceremony involving bread and wine, which would have seemed trivial to many of the ancient Greeks.

Paul’s letter to the Corinthians

Paul wrote two letters to the Christians in Corinth. The first one in particular can tell us a lot about what life was like for the Christians in Greece. Famously, the ancient Greeks loved knowledge in general. For this reason, many of the most prominent ancient philosophers were from Greece.

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he immediately starts talking about wisdom. He argues that the wisdom of “the world” (that is, the world of non-Christians, those alienated from the Christian God) is inferior to the wisdom of God and the gospel of Christ.

The fact that Paul made a point of this confirms that this posed a challenge for the spread of Christianity in Greece. It was a country full of people who loved learning and who viewed themselves as intelligent. Thus, the introduction of new ideas that went contrary to their philosophies was always going to be a difficult process.

Yet, despite this challenge (and the previous ones mentioned), Christianity was able to thrive in Greece in the first century. Paul’s letters undoubtedly helped in this regard since they were spread around among the congregations.

See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!

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