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1. What is "the Great Canon of St. Andrew" and what’s so great about it?

... written in the early 700’s, and it picked up the adjective "Great" for two reasons: it’s extra-long (about 250 verses), and it’s majestic. The Great Canon was written by St. Andrew of Crete, a bishop who was initially a monk in Jerusalem. My new book, "First Fruits of Prayer," divides the Great Canon into 40 readings; this way readers can explore it as a spiritual retreat, during Lent or at any time.

The whole Canon is a kind of "Walk Through the Bible." St. Andrew begins with Adam and Eve and goes all the way through, exhorting himself by applying the stories and characters of the Bible. Because it is so densely packed I provide a commentary each day on the facing page, which supplies the Scripture references, explains unfamiliar ideas, and suggests questions for reflection.

Reading the Canon helps us see how Christians in the Holy Land, 1300 years ago, understood the Scriptures. It’s a way to time-travel, and actually join them in these ancient Christian devotions.

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3. Who was St. Andrew?

... born in Damascus about 660

... His intelligence and holiness were evident, and he soon became secretary to the patriarch of Jerusalem. 

... manager of ministries to the poor, elderly, and orphans in Constantinople, and by the end of his life was Bishop of Crete.

 

... But what he was most known for was inventing a new form of hymn, a Canon. It’s composed of 9 sections, or "Canticles." Each canticle begins by referencing one of the songs in the Bible — for example, the song of Moses when the Hebrews crossed the Red Sea (Exodus 15:1-18), or the Song of the Virgin Mary when the angel announced the conception of Jesus (Luke 1:46-55). Each canticle starts with a verse based on the biblical canticle and then takes off from it, almost like a jazz riff, developing the overall theme of the canon.

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5. Who is your book written for?

"First Fruits of Prayer" is for anyone who wants to be stretched and challenged spiritually.  

... go back 1000 or 1500 years, to a work like the Great Canon, and you don’t get that at all. There is a sense of awe and mystery here —a sense of *seriousness* — that you won’t find in a so-called "praise chorus."

The Great Canon is demanding, no doubt about it. But maybe what we’re dealing with — life, death, evil, forgiveness, God’s compassion, our joy and gratitude — is serious, too.

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10. For folks who aren’t into Lent, they might know it as the time when some of their friends don’t drink. Something along those lines. Do you "give up" stuff during Lent? How do you look at the forty days? How do you tend to describe it to the uninitiated?

 For Eastern Orthodox, all spiritual exercises are designed to heighten our perception of basic reality: sin is much more serious than we think, and God’s forgiveness is much more vast than we think. 

...  The fast is not self-punishment or payment for sin. It’s an exercise like weightlifting, designed to strengthen the willpower muscle. If you can resist a slice of pizza, you can resist the urge to yell at someone in traffic.

Post Edited (JEE) : 3/4/2006 11:47:52 PM (GMT-6)