Брат Иосиф - Избранник Божией Матери (with English subtitles)
At the end of October 1997, a terrible event occurred, one that shook the entire Orthodox world. In Greece, a young Romanian brutally murdered Joseph, Jose, Muñoz-Cortes, guardian of the renowned Miracle-working, Myrrh-streaming Iveron Icon of the Mother of God: The Keeper of the Portal.
An obituary compiled by the members of the Icon's House Society in Montreal stated: We live in a time of the flowering of spirituality, but only of satanic spirituality -- a time when all that is of Christ, of Jesus, of God, evokes a tormenting irritation in carnal man and a rabid malice in the deluded. One of those deluded men brutally murdered Jose Munoz-Cortes, the guardian of the Miracle-working, Myrrh-streaming Icon of the Mother of God, the Keeper of the Portal.
In the fall of 1982, through ways unfathomable to the mind, an Orthodox Spaniard, an instructor of art history at the University of Montreal, was called by the Lord to a special service, which he was allowed to bring to its conclusion with a martyric death. In the face of his death, questions far from those contained in the police inquiry involuntarily arise.
What did he feel when he first visited the Nativity Skete on Holy Mount Athos, where, as if accidentally, he noticed the Iveron Mother of God Icon? How did he understand the words of the Abbot of the Skete, Fr. Clement, when he unexpectedly yielded to the requests of the visiting young iconographer, saying, The Most-Holy Virgin will leave with you?
In what way was the gradual realization of the miracle expressed for him -- from that very day, November 24, 1982, when Jose woke up in his Montreal apartment around three o'clock in the morning and noticed a blessed scent of unknown origin wafting over to him?
The Lord lead him with His mighty hand and His lofty design, and under these circumstances everything in the life of the future guardian of the Miracle-working Icon developed without artifice, and if it is possible to say so, naturally.
An offspring of an ancient race, Jose was born in 1948 (1950) to a pious Catholic family in Chile. In 1962 while living in Santiago the 14-year-old boy was struck by the Orthodox divine services in the local Holy Trinity and Kazan Mother of God Church. He found himself in the church accidentally, as it were, while on the way to the Catholic cathedral. Two years later Archbishop Leonty of Chile baptized him into Orthodoxy. He studied theology in college for three years. Later, he wanted to accept monasticism, but there was not a men's community where he had moved in Canada. Therefore, he continuously turned with prayers to the Most-Pure Theotokos that she show him his path, praying: There I will go.
He was certainly granted the possibility to stand before a miracle in this world, the kind of miracle that is impossible to comprehend. And the Holy miracle-working Icon, the Hope of those without Hope has healed not only the bodies but also the souls of those who turn to it, taming cruel hearts, bestowing the gift of tears, helping to find hope.
Whoever saw the faces of the people, Orthodox and heterodox alike, in the many parish churches and monasteries to which Brother Jose brought the grace-filled myrrh-streaming Icon entrusted to him, the Icon of the Keeper of the Portal which opened the gates of heaven to the faithful, that person could not but comprehend, to the extent possible, how awesome and difficult to bear was the obedience given to this man, and how intolerable it must have been for the ancient serpent, the enemy of the Church of Christ.
In the sixth kontakion of the wonderful akathist to the Montreal Myrrh-Streaming Icon it is correctly noted: You chose as the proclaimer of your miracles and the keeper of your icon in the Russian Diaspora not a bishop, not a prince, nor a monastic instructor, but an ordinary man from a foreign people, that no one might boast before God of his earthly origin. Rather that we may praise the praiseworthy, to know the Lord and in an Orthodox manner to call to Him: Alleluia.
The more blinding the uncreated light of Christ's miracles, the darker it is in the kingdom of this age. The murder of Jose Munoz-Cortes, guardian of the Miracle-working Icon of the Mother of God, is, we trust, still one more sign of the depletion of the branches of our time that have lived out their usefulness and a sign of the impending (rapid) approach of the victory that overcometh the world. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)
USSR anti-religious campaign (1928–1941) | Wikipedia audio article
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USSR anti-religious campaign (1928–1941)
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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
The USSR anti-religious campaign of 1928–1941 was a new phase of anti-religious persecution in the Soviet Union following the anti-religious campaign of 1921–1928. The campaign began in 1929, with the drafting of new legislation that severely prohibited religious activities and called for a heightened attack on religion in order to further disseminate atheism. This had been preceded in 1928 at the fifteenth party congress, where Joseph Stalin criticized the party for failure to produce more active and persuasive anti-religious propaganda. This new phase coincided with the beginning of the forced mass collectivization of agriculture and the nationalization of the few remaining private enterprises.
Many of those who had been arrested in the 1920s would continue to remain in prison throughout the 1930s and beyond.
The main target of the anti-religious campaign in the 1920s and 1930s was the Russian Orthodox Church, which had the largest number of faithful. Nearly all of its clergy, and many of its believers, were shot or sent to labour camps. Theological schools were closed, and church publications were prohibited. More than 85,000 Orthodox priests were shot in 1937 alone. Only a twelfth of the Russian Orthodox Church's priests were left functioning in their parishes by 1941.In the period between 1927 and 1940, the number of Orthodox Churches in the Russian Republic fell from 29,584 to less than 500.The campaign slowed down in the late 1930s and early 1940s, and came to an abrupt end after the commencement of Operation Barbarossa. The challenge produced by the German invasion would ultimately prevent the public withering away of religion in Soviet society.This campaign, like the campaigns of other periods that formed the basis of the USSR's efforts to eliminate religion and replace it with atheism supported with a materialist world view, was accompanied with official claims that there was no religious persecution in the USSR, and that believers who were being targeted were for other reasons. Believers were in fact being widely targeted and persecuted for their belief or promotion of religion, as part of the state's campaign to disseminate atheism, but officially the state claimed that no such persecution existed and that the people being targeted - when they admitted that people were being targeted - were only being attacked for resistance to the state or breaking the law. This guise served Soviet propaganda abroad, where it tried to promote a better image of itself especially in light of the great criticism against it from foreign religious influences.
On the Eve by Ivan Turgenev | Audiobook with subtitles
On the Eve appeared in 1860, two years before Fathers and Sons, Turgenev's most famous novel. It is set in the prior decade (by the end of the novel, the Crimean War (1853-56) has already broken out. It centers on the young Elena Nikolaevna Stakhov, daughter of Nikolai Arteyemvitch and Anna Vassilyevna Stahov. Misunderstood by both her parents (Nikolai Artemyevitch is at least as interested in his German mistress as in members of her family) she is on friendly terms with both the would-be professor Andrei Petrovitch Bersenyev and the rising young sculptor Pavel Yakovitch Shubin, both of whom might be -- or might not be -- in love with her. The appearance of Dmitri Nikanorovitch Insarov, a young Bulgarian revolutionary who seeks independence for his nation,, alters the balance of her relationships however. The book is praised, among other things, for the way in which Turgenev manages to describe the varying emotions of a girl on the verge of womanhood. But it is also a portrayal of a kind of youthful Russian society striving towards a modern cosmopolitanism, that will shake off the parochialism and narrowness of its elders.
A geopolitical note: Bulgaria was, at the time, still part of the decaying Ottoman empire in the Balkans, but already the vultures were circling -- Russia, Britain, and France -- hoping to get what they could when the collapse came. Hence, in large part, the coming of the Crimean War, hence the Balkan conflicts of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, hence in part World War I, and ultimately the Balkan wars of the late twentieth century (Kosovo, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, etc. etc.). (Summary by Nicholas Clifford)
On the Eve
Ivan TURGENEV
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Table of contents:
0:18 | Chapter I
19:59 | Chapters II-V
54:12 | Chapters VI-VIII
1:24:49 | Chapters IX-XI
1:53:35 | Chapters XII and XIV
2:17:59 | Chapter XV
2:43:56 | Chapter XVI & XVII
3:09:17 | Chapters XVIII-XX
3:35:20 | Chapters XXI-XXIII
4:05:14 | Chapters XXIV-XXVII
4:33:03 | Chapters XXVIII-XXX
5:09:19 | Chapters XXXI-XXXIII
5:47:36 | Chapters XXIV-XXV Audio Book Audiobooks All Rights Reserved. This is a Librivox recording. All Librivox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer visit librivox.org.
Turkic peoples | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Turkic peoples
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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
The Turkic peoples are a collection of ethno-linguistic groups of Central, Eastern, Northern and Western Asia as well as parts of Europe and North Africa. They speak related languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits, common ancestry and historical backgrounds. In time, different Turkic groups came in contact with other ethnicities, absorbing them, leaving some Turkic groups more diverse than the others. Many vastly differing ethnic groups have throughout history become part of the Turkic peoples through language shift, acculturation, intermixing, adoption and religious conversion. In their genetic compositions, therefore, most Turkic groups differ significantly in origins from one group to the next. Despite this, many do share, to varying degrees, non-linguistic characteristics, including certain cultural traits, some ancestry from a common gene pool, and historical experiences. The most notable modern Turkic-speaking ethnic groups include Turkish people, Azerbaijanis, Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Turkmen and Kyrgyz people.
Turkic peoples | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Turkic peoples
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
The Turkic peoples are a collection of ethno-linguistic groups of Central, Eastern, Northern and Western Asia as well as parts of Europe and North Africa. They speak related languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits, common ancestry and historical backgrounds. In time, different Turkic groups came in contact with other ethnicities, absorbing them, leaving some Turkic groups more diverse than the others. Many vastly differing ethnic groups have throughout history become part of the Turkic peoples through language shift, acculturation, intermixing, adoption and religious conversion. In their genetic compositions, therefore, most Turkic groups differ significantly in origins from one group to the next. Despite this, many do share, to varying degrees, non-linguistic characteristics, including certain cultural traits, some ancestry from a common gene pool, and historical experiences. The most notable modern Turkic-speaking ethnic groups include Turkish people, Azerbaijanis, Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Turkmen and Kyrgyz people.
Second Bulgarian Empire | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Second Bulgarian Empire
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
The Second Bulgarian Empire (Bulgarian: Второ българско царство, Vtorо Bălgarskо Tsarstvo) was a medieval Bulgarian state that existed between 1185 and 1396. A successor to the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. It was succeeded by the Principality and later Kingdom of Bulgaria in 1878.Until 1256, the Second Bulgarian Empire was the dominant power in the Balkans, defeating the Byzantine Empire in several major battles. In 1205 Emperor Kaloyan defeated the newly established Latin Empire in the Battle of Adrianople. His nephew Ivan Asen II defeated the Despotate of Epiros and made Bulgaria a regional power again. During his reign, Bulgaria spread from the Adriatic to the Black Sea and the economy flourished. In the late 13th century, however, the Empire declined under constant invasions by Mongols, Byzantines, Hungarians, and Serbs, as well as internal unrest and revolts. The 14th century saw a temporary recovery and stability, but also the peak of Balkan feudalism as central authorities gradually lost power in many regions. Bulgaria was divided into three parts on the eve of the Ottoman invasion.
Despite strong Byzantine influence, Bulgarian artists and architects created their own distinctive style. In the 14th century, during the period known as the Second Golden Age of Bulgarian culture, literature and art flourished. The capital city Tarnovo, which was considered a New Constantinople, became the country's main cultural hub and the centre of the Eastern Orthodox world for contemporary Bulgarians. After the Ottoman conquest, many Bulgarian clerics and scholars emigrated to Serbia, Wallachia, Moldavia, and Russian principalities, where they introduced Bulgarian culture, books, and hesychastic ideas.