Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Fr. Gabriel Bunge Tonsured To Great Schema

Fr. Gabriel (Bunge) is a world renowned scholar of patristics and the author of many works.  He has lived most of his life as a hermit-monk in the mountains of Switzerland and is a recent convert to Holy Orthodoxy.

HT: ByzantineTexas
News Source

May he find salvation in the angelic habit!

5 comments:

Ingemar said...

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but doesn't it take a lot of time to receive the greater schema?

John (Ad Orientem) said...

Fr. Gabriel has spent most of his life as a hermit monk mainly following an Eastern Christian spiritual life. It is only his formal entrance into the Orthodox Church that is recent.

Anonymous said...

The Great Schema used to be the only Schema. In Greek use, it represents full monastic initiation; in Slav use it is usually only conferred on those with long experience of monastic life and solitude. Fr Gabriel, who is associated with Slav customs, has that long experience and, having entered into Orthodoxy, it is quite appropriate that his previous solemn profession (the highest rank in the Western use) be confirmed and fulfilled through the Orthodox Mystery of Tonsure to the Great Schema. May he be saved in the Angelic Estate!

Schema-monk Theodore

Fr. Yousuf said...

btw,just a note. Axios is not used at tonsure. at the tonsure itself, the words sung are simply "Lord, have mercy." After the tonsure you ask the new monk, "What is thy name, brother?" and the new monk answers his new name, making his first obedience by accepting the name given him. Upon hearing the new name one says, "Mayest thou find salvation in the angelic habit", as Fr Theodore echoed above.

John (Ad Orientem) said...

Father bless!

Fr. Yousuf,
Thanks for the correction. A day where you don't learn something new is a day wasted.

In ICXC
John