Phil Dorroll
@phildorroll.bsky.social
Religious Studies professor in South Carolina; research on Islamic and Orthodox Christian theology in Turkish and Arabic; supports 🇺🇦
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Phil Dorroll
@phildorroll.bsky.social
· Dec 16
I made a starter pack for specialists in Eastern Christian Studies- check it out, share with others, and let me know who else to add!
go.bsky.app/8a9jSuF
go.bsky.app/8a9jSuF
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
My mom died in 2019. It took me 6 years to have a good Christmas again. All to say that if you've lost a loved one & are earlier on your grief path, be patient & kind with yourself. Grieving is a life-long process; next year may be a bad Christmas for me again. But happiness does come.
December 26, 2025 at 3:40 AM
My mom died in 2019. It took me 6 years to have a good Christmas again. All to say that if you've lost a loved one & are earlier on your grief path, be patient & kind with yourself. Grieving is a life-long process; next year may be a bad Christmas for me again. But happiness does come.
Very beautifully said
When my dad was dying the main consolation my faith offered was that God had gone through the same thing he was, which meant somehow God was present. I thought about a Grunwald crucifixion painting a lot when he was dying. This one.
www.nga.gov/artworks/461...
www.nga.gov/artworks/461...
The Small Crucifixion by Matthias Grünewald
Matthias Grünewald's The Small Crucifixion is a masterful example of the artist's ability to translate his deep spiritual faith into pictorial form. Each individual, according to Grünewald, must reexp...
www.nga.gov
December 25, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Very beautifully said
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
Merry Christmas! Michelle and I hope you have a wonderful holiday filled with light and joy.
December 25, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Merry Christmas! Michelle and I hope you have a wonderful holiday filled with light and joy.
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
The Soviets tried to steal Christmas for 70 years. They failed.
Grandmothers sang forbidden hymns in locked churches. One teacher secretly taught carols to kids who'd never heard of Christmas.
"New Year had no meaning except to eat well. But Christmas was magic."
Grandmothers sang forbidden hymns in locked churches. One teacher secretly taught carols to kids who'd never heard of Christmas.
"New Year had no meaning except to eat well. But Christmas was magic."
December 25, 2025 at 6:08 PM
The Soviets tried to steal Christmas for 70 years. They failed.
Grandmothers sang forbidden hymns in locked churches. One teacher secretly taught carols to kids who'd never heard of Christmas.
"New Year had no meaning except to eat well. But Christmas was magic."
Grandmothers sang forbidden hymns in locked churches. One teacher secretly taught carols to kids who'd never heard of Christmas.
"New Year had no meaning except to eat well. But Christmas was magic."
Christ is Born! Merry Christmas!
Icon of the Nativity, Ukrainian, mid. 16th century (National Museum in Krakow); via:
www.icon.org.ua
Icon of the Nativity, Ukrainian, mid. 16th century (National Museum in Krakow); via:
www.icon.org.ua
December 25, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Christ is Born! Merry Christmas!
Icon of the Nativity, Ukrainian, mid. 16th century (National Museum in Krakow); via:
www.icon.org.ua
Icon of the Nativity, Ukrainian, mid. 16th century (National Museum in Krakow); via:
www.icon.org.ua
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
Christmas, a woodcut by Emma Schlangenhausen, 1933.
December 24, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Christmas, a woodcut by Emma Schlangenhausen, 1933.
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
Pope Leo: “While a distorted economy leads us to treat human beings as mere merchandise, God becomes like us, revealing the infinite dignity of every person. While humanity seeks to become “god” in order to dominate others, God chooses to become man in order to free us.”
Full homily:
Full homily:
Holy Mass on the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (24 December 2025)
HOLY MASS ON THE SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD PAPAL MASS HOMILY OF POPE LEO XIV St Peter's Basilica Wednesday, 24 December 2025 [ Multimedia ] _________________________________________
www.vatican.va
December 25, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Pope Leo: “While a distorted economy leads us to treat human beings as mere merchandise, God becomes like us, revealing the infinite dignity of every person. While humanity seeks to become “god” in order to dominate others, God chooses to become man in order to free us.”
Full homily:
Full homily:
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
Merry Christmas from Damascus 🇸🇾🎄
December 24, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Merry Christmas from Damascus 🇸🇾🎄
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
Merry Christmas Eve. I don’t know what I believe in when it comes to faith. I may never know. But I do believe in the intrinsic good nature of people. Even this year. The loudest voices drown out the melody underneath.
We are the melody. Never forget that. You just have to listen.
We are the melody. Never forget that. You just have to listen.
December 24, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Merry Christmas Eve. I don’t know what I believe in when it comes to faith. I may never know. But I do believe in the intrinsic good nature of people. Even this year. The loudest voices drown out the melody underneath.
We are the melody. Never forget that. You just have to listen.
We are the melody. Never forget that. You just have to listen.
By far my favorite icons of the Nativity are by Greta Lesko, a contemporary iconographer from the Carpathian region of southeastern Poland:
gretalesko.com/en/
gretalesko.com/en/
December 24, 2025 at 7:24 PM
By far my favorite icons of the Nativity are by Greta Lesko, a contemporary iconographer from the Carpathian region of southeastern Poland:
gretalesko.com/en/
gretalesko.com/en/
On the same theme: a beautiful Christmas message from His Eminence @elpidophoros.goarch.org calling attention to those “on the margins,” and emphasizing that the love extended to them “extends throughout space and time and reaches the cave of Bethlehem.”
orthodoxobserver.org/watch-archbi...
orthodoxobserver.org/watch-archbi...
December 24, 2025 at 6:23 PM
On the same theme: a beautiful Christmas message from His Eminence @elpidophoros.goarch.org calling attention to those “on the margins,” and emphasizing that the love extended to them “extends throughout space and time and reaches the cave of Bethlehem.”
orthodoxobserver.org/watch-archbi...
orthodoxobserver.org/watch-archbi...
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
For Christmas Eve the absolute beauty of the interior of Watts Chapel, Compton, Surrey.
#ArtAdventCalendar
#ColorADay
#Photography
#HistoricBuildings
#ArtAdventCalendar
#ColorADay
#Photography
#HistoricBuildings
December 24, 2025 at 2:58 PM
For Christmas Eve the absolute beauty of the interior of Watts Chapel, Compton, Surrey.
#ArtAdventCalendar
#ColorADay
#Photography
#HistoricBuildings
#ArtAdventCalendar
#ColorADay
#Photography
#HistoricBuildings
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
Edward Hopper, Christmas card, 1928 whitney.org/collection/w...
December 24, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Edward Hopper, Christmas card, 1928 whitney.org/collection/w...
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
There are many messages in Christmas but one of the central ones is that we must always welcome refugees and provide them with a room in the inn, our nation. We will be judged by what we did for the least of these. The least of these is the greatest of these.
December 24, 2025 at 3:38 AM
There are many messages in Christmas but one of the central ones is that we must always welcome refugees and provide them with a room in the inn, our nation. We will be judged by what we did for the least of these. The least of these is the greatest of these.
For those interested in Christianity and human rights: a recent major Orthodox contribution to this question is currently available open access:
brill.com/view/journal...
brill.com/view/journal...
December 24, 2025 at 3:13 AM
For those interested in Christianity and human rights: a recent major Orthodox contribution to this question is currently available open access:
brill.com/view/journal...
brill.com/view/journal...
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
22 Dec: Isaiah 11:6
A vision of peace - Christmas powerfully symbolises that not the rich, strong and mighty, but the poor, weak and insignificant must be leaders on the path to peace. This vision is also formulated in Isaiah 11:6. Here's an Arabic version from MS Paris, BnF, Ar. 1 (16th c.), f. 272v: 1/3
December 22, 2025 at 8:26 AM
22 Dec: Isaiah 11:6
Great thread
As a little treat for you, here's an #ArabicBible Advent calendar 🧵. Every day I'll post a verse from the Christmas story from one of the oldest Arabic Gospel lectionaries, Sinai ar. 72, dated 897 CE (and a few other texts in between). [2nd attempt, I won't be offended if you point out my nonsense.]
December 24, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Great thread
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
As a little treat for you, here's an #ArabicBible Advent calendar 🧵. Every day I'll post a verse from the Christmas story from one of the oldest Arabic Gospel lectionaries, Sinai ar. 72, dated 897 CE (and a few other texts in between). [2nd attempt, I won't be offended if you point out my nonsense.]
December 2, 2025 at 2:20 PM
As a little treat for you, here's an #ArabicBible Advent calendar 🧵. Every day I'll post a verse from the Christmas story from one of the oldest Arabic Gospel lectionaries, Sinai ar. 72, dated 897 CE (and a few other texts in between). [2nd attempt, I won't be offended if you point out my nonsense.]
Something else I learned about for the first time today is the work of iconographer Anna Poloz, including her extraordinary icon of the Nativity
www.annapolozicons.com/traditional-...
www.annapolozicons.com/traditional-...
Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ | TRADITIONAL ICONS
16 x 21 x 0.75 inches (40.6 x 53 x 2cm), acrylic paint and golden metal leaf on wood panel, 2022.
Sold.
In this icon, as with all traditional Nativity icons, we see foreshadowed symbols of our salva...
www.annapolozicons.com
December 23, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Something else I learned about for the first time today is the work of iconographer Anna Poloz, including her extraordinary icon of the Nativity
www.annapolozicons.com/traditional-...
www.annapolozicons.com/traditional-...
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
Sad for so many reasons. Cancer sucks. I feel for Ben Sasse and his family. And I wish we as a nation would invest more resources in cancer research.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
Ben Sasse Says He Has Terminal Pancreatic Cancer
www.nytimes.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Sad for so many reasons. Cancer sucks. I feel for Ben Sasse and his family. And I wish we as a nation would invest more resources in cancer research.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
TIL about the extremely cool St. Thomas Cross from India, which includes a lotus flower
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_T...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_T...
December 23, 2025 at 5:13 PM
TIL about the extremely cool St. Thomas Cross from India, which includes a lotus flower
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_T...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_T...
Yes; and in fact the defining principle of the Humanities- that all human beings posses the same human nature- argues against vilifying STEM or valorizing HUM, bc all human beings are liable to the same temptations and vices.
No membership in any other category rescues you from being human.
No membership in any other category rescues you from being human.
Ernst Röhm, Heinrich Himmler, and Josef Goebbels were all Gymnasium graduates who spoke Latin and Greek. Goebbels had a PhD in literature and wrote novels. Many extremely popular modern novelists are also massive nazis, including one who titled one of his books "my struggle".
I am beginning to develop a suspicion of national decline based in elevating STEM nerds to dangerously high social positions, because their tendency to believe that "anything that cannot be properly measured should not be argued for" is being more revealed by the day as an inherently reactionary one
December 23, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Yes; and in fact the defining principle of the Humanities- that all human beings posses the same human nature- argues against vilifying STEM or valorizing HUM, bc all human beings are liable to the same temptations and vices.
No membership in any other category rescues you from being human.
No membership in any other category rescues you from being human.
A cool thing about being Orthodox is that we venerate St. Nicholas with great seriousness because of “his countless miracles on behalf of the poor, the abandoned, of those suffering injustice and of all who call upon his fatherly protection”
For example…
For example…
December 23, 2025 at 1:39 AM
A cool thing about being Orthodox is that we venerate St. Nicholas with great seriousness because of “his countless miracles on behalf of the poor, the abandoned, of those suffering injustice and of all who call upon his fatherly protection”
For example…
For example…
Reposted by Phil Dorroll
We continue to stand in solidarity with Denmark and Greenland.
Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. Any changes to that status are for Greenlanders and Danes alone to decide. (1/2)
Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. Any changes to that status are for Greenlanders and Danes alone to decide. (1/2)
December 22, 2025 at 5:21 PM
We continue to stand in solidarity with Denmark and Greenland.
Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. Any changes to that status are for Greenlanders and Danes alone to decide. (1/2)
Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. Any changes to that status are for Greenlanders and Danes alone to decide. (1/2)