®Monomakhos

Making Sense of Syria

by 7 Comments

Not possible.  Way too many moving parts (as it were). Sorry to break it to you all but that country is not going to be united any time soon.  Or peaceful.  Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall and as they say “all the king’s men and all the king’s horses couldn’t put him back together […]

An Orthodox Lingua Franca? Or a Neo-Papalist Stalking Horse?

by 29 Comments

Thanks to Petros (one of our readers), we came across this interesting essay by Fr Georgios Lekkas, a priest in the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s Belgium diocese.  It’s well-written and erudite.  Unfortunately, it proceeds from some faulty premises, which ultimately invalidate, or at the very least, call into question, its arguments.  I will critique the most […]

Did the West Walk into a Trap?

by 20 Comments

Maybe.  Possibly.  Probably (see the video below).  Anyway, this is going to be a long one, lots of twists and turns, with lots of pictures. Full confession:  Gail and I have been having a back-and-forth regarding the fall of Damascus.  She is of the opinion that this was orchestrated.  I took the opposite tack, that […]

Damascus Has Fallen

by 33 Comments

Ordinarily, Gail and I try not to post any stories on Sundays, especially before Church.  Today is an exception. As you may know by now, Islamic rebels have overrun Damascus and forced President Bashir al-Assad to flee.  As this post is being written in real time, we still can’t be sure about the situation on […]

The Destruction of Jezebel and Her Minions

by

30 Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window. 31 Then, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, “Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?” 32 And he looked up at the window, and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” So two or three […]

The True Pastor of His Flock

by

I’m speaking of the man pictured to the left, Bishop Ephraim Maalouli of Aleppo. According to Fr Emmanuel Lemelson’s Twitter feed, Syrian jihadists (re:  CIA/Mossad cutouts) are threatening to behead His Grace.  https://x.com/Lemelson/status/1863722356213973173 “He reportedly responded by courageously saying he was not afraid and would not leave Aleppo or abandon the city’s Christians.” I anxiously […]

The Most Important Election Ever

by

For months now, both sides have told us that this was most important election in history.  I myself have uttered this refrain as well on more than one occasion. Today however, I am going to surprise you by reconsidering my opinion.  In other words, I don’t believe that the ’24 election (which was incredibly momentous) […]

A Cautionary Word about the Broligarchy

by

The “Broligarchy” is a cheeky term that I came across last week.  Basically, it describes a particular group of alpha males that has ascended to the apex of American politics and culture. The top Broligarchs are Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Joe Rogan and J D Vance.  Others in the running for this title, […]

Happy Thanksgiving!

by

Gail and I wish to with you all a happy Thanksgiving.  We appreciate each and every one of you –your readership, kind words, the give-and-take, as well as your support. We also appreciate your patience, it was touch-and-go there for several months earlier this year and you stood by us as we wrestled with our […]