General
Who is able to/can become a saint?
Any Christian who dedicates themselves to Christ/God
Where is St Ephrem from?
(is he syriac, Egyptian, Armenian, Greek?)
Syriac. He is St. Ephrem the Syrian.
Born in Nisibis and later moved to Edessa
Where is St Ephrem from?
(is he syriac, Egyptian, Armenian, Greek?)
Coptic / Egyptian
He was from Alexandria
What was St. Stephen's rank?
(priest, bishop, deacon, patriarch, teacher, archbishop, judge?)
Deacon
Who is the patron saint of our church?
Saint Athanasius
Why do we have icons of saints and why do we honor them?
- We have icons of saints so we can remember them and their good Christian examples they set for us
What was St. Ephrem's rank?
(priest, bishop, deacon, patriarch, teacher, archbishop?)
Deacon. He remained a deacon his whole life, refusing to be promoted/ordained
Was St. Athanasius exiled for his faith/strong defending of the Christian faith?
Yes, multiple times
- St. Stephen was part of the original group of the first ever what? And how many of them were there, counting himself
- Part of the first ever group of deacons
- 7
(bonus what was the job of the deacons at the time, the orginal job of the deacon?)
What is Intercession?
- Asking someone else to pray for you on your behalf. We commonly ask the Saints for their prayers/intercessions
Name 5 Saints:
- St Mary, Mother of God
- St. Athanasius
- St. Ephrem
- St. Stephen
- St. Paul
- St. Peter
- St. JAcob of Serugh
- St. Severus
- St. Asho
-St. Assia
- St. Ignatius
- St. George
- St. Febronia
- St. Matthew the Hermit
- St. Shmouni
- St. Gabriel
- St. Barsawmo
- St. Jacob of Urhoy
- St. John the Baptist
What was St. Ephrem famously known for/known for doing?
He was a poet who made many many hymns, biblical commentaries, and defended the true Christian faith.
He made hymns we still use to this day to praise God and express our spirituality.
What was St. Athanasius' rank?
(priest, bishop, deacon, patriarch, teacher?)
Bishop
of Alexandria
St. Stephen was the first ever what?
- Martyr
What does the term Martyr mean?
Someone who dies for Christ/his faith.
- They are witnesses, aka they don't reject God and witness him in front of others regardless of the circumstances or dangers they face.
- Translates directly to "Witness" in greek
What is a saint?
- Holy people who lived extraordinary lives and God worked through them
- Devout, faithful followers of Christ who become very close to God and through their closeness leave a positive impact on earth
What is is moniker/nick name?
The Harp of the Holy Spirit
What is is moniker/nick name?
Father of Orthodoxy
- How was St. Stephen killed?
- Stoned to death
(Bonus: Why was he stoned to death)
What major Chrisitan event/gathering were both St. Ephrem & St. Athanasius both at (at the same time)?
The First Ecumenical Council of Nicea in 325 AD
Name 5 things saints do and or 5 common characteristics saints have:
- Faith in Christ
- Pray and worship God
- Love
- Serve others
- Perseverance
- Repentance (trying to reject sin and stay close to God)
- Choose God over the world/worldly things
Why did St. Ephrem make so many spirtual hymns that expressed the correct, true Christian faith? What was he fighting against?
What theological Harassy did St. Athanasius strongly fight against and defend the true Christian faith against?
- Arianism (saying Jesus was simply made by God and not God himself or part of the Holy Trinity
What was the last thing St. Stephen said before dying?
Book of Acts, Chapter 7 Verse 60:
Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
(who was he imitating or saying the same thing as when he said this final prayer?)
What famous Christian person was there/present to witness the death of St. Stephen? This person at the time was actually one of the people calling/demanding for St/ Stephen's death.