Did the Acts of Chalcedon deny the authority of the Papacy?

The following is taken from a Russian Orthodox priest named Fr Ambrose M.: 

Chalcedon and the Rejection of Rome's Authority.

At the commencement of the Council the Roman legates conveyed to the Council Fathers the Pope of Rome's orders that Dioscorus must be expelled from the Council: 

"Paschasinus, the most reverend bishop and legate of the Apostolic See, stood up in the midst with his most reverend colleagues and said: We received directions at the hands of the most blessed and apostolic bishop of the Roman city [Pope Leo I], which is the head of all the churches, which directions say that Dioscorus is not to be allowed a seat in this assembly, but that if he should attempt to take his seat he is to be cast out. This instruction we must carry out; if now your holiness so commands let him be expelled or else we leave." 

So what did the Council Fathers do? 

They rejected the authority of the Pope. They most certainly did not accept him as their head or the head of "all the churches." 

How did they show this rejection of the Pope's claims? They ignored the Pope's instructions not to allow Discorus to have a seat at the Council. 

The Council Fathers gave Dioscorus a seat and allowed him to speak. They refused to follow the Pope's instructions that he should be cast out if he attempted to speak. Even the papal legates acted in a dishonest fashion. After threatening to leave if Dioscorus was allowed to be there and to speak, they did not leave. 

The whole incident is NOT proof of papal authority. It is just the opposite. It is proof that the Council Fathers did *not* see the Pope as having authority over them or over the activities of the Council. 

A resounding and very public defeat for any claims of the Pope, and at an Ecumenical Council.

Read it all here, at the beginning of the webpage http://www1000.newadvent.org/fathers/3811.htm 

First let's read the standard address as presented in the link Father provided (an older translation):  

Paschasinus, the most reverend bishop and legate of the Apostolic See, stood up in the midst with his most reverend colleagues and said: We received directions at the hands of the most blessed and apostolic bishop of the Roman city, which is the head of all the churches, which directions say that Dioscorus is not to be allowed a seat in this assembly, but that if he should attempt to take his seat he is to be cast out. This instruction we must carry out; if now your holiness so commands let him be expelled or else we leave.  

The most glorious judges and the full senate said: What special charge do you prefer against the most reverend bishop Dioscorus? 

Paschasinus, the most reverend bishop and legate of the Apostolic See, said: Since he has come, it is necessary that objection be made to him.  

The most glorious judges and the whole senate said: In accordance with what has been said, let the charge under which he lies, be specifically made.  

Lucentius, the most reverend bishop having the place of the Apostolic See, said: Let him give a reason for his judgment. For he undertook to give sentence against one over whom he had no jurisdiction. And he dared to hold a synod without the authority of the Apostolic See, a thing which had never taken place nor can take place.  

Paschasinus the most reverend bishop, holding the place of the Apostolic See, said: We cannot go counter to the decrees of the most blessed and apostolic bishop ["Pope" for "bishop" in the Latin], who governs the Apostolic See, nor against the ecclesiastical canons nor the patristic traditions.  

The most glorious judges and the full senate, said: It is proper that you should set forth specifically in what he has gone astray.  

Lucentius, the venerable bishop and holding the place of the Apostolic See, said: We will not suffer so great a wrong to be done us and you, as that he who has come to be judged should sit down [as one to give judgment].  

The glorious judges and the whole senate said: If you hold the office of judge, you ought not to defend yourself as if you were to be judged.  

And when Dioscorus the most religious bishop of Alexandria at the bidding of the most glorious judges and of the sacred assembly (τῆς ἱερᾶς συγκλήτου ) had sat down in the midst, and the most reverend Roman bishops also had sat down in their proper places, and kept silence, Eusebius, the most reverend bishop of the city of Dorylæum, stepping into the midst, said...--Extracts of the Acts of Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451): Session I

Without understanding the context, on its face it appears like the senate is ignoring the Papal legates and letting Dioscorus sit down "in the midst." However, they are not ignoring the legates. The "midst" or "center" is where the trial happens.

Richard Price's comments about the positioning of the council as follows:

The council convened in the martyrium of St Euphemia in Chalcedon. The imperial commissioners sat in the middle, in front of the rails of the sanctuary. To their left sat the pope’s envoys, the archbishops Anatolius and Maximus, Thalassius of Caesarea, and the bishops of Syria and Asia Minor. To their right were seated the supporters of Dioscorus, initially including Juvenal and the bishops of Palestine and Illyricum as well as those of Egypt. As was customary at such gatherings, a copy of the Gospels was displayed in the centre, to signify the true presidency over the council held by Christ. The centre space was also reserved for those speaking, for those presenting accusations or those present as defendants.--The Acts of the Council of Chalcedon, translated by Richard Price, Introduction, p.42-43

The center was where the action happened, where debate happened, accusations made, and where defendants sat.

Concerning the specific incident of Dioscorus' seat, Price comments:

This remark has generally been taken as a rebuke to Lucentius for acting as prosecutor when seated as a judge. But surely it is addressed to Dioscorus, and expresses agreement with the view Lucentius has just expressed, that Dioscorus as defendant cannot sit among the judges. Accordingly he now takes a place in the centre of the church.--The Acts of the Council of Chalcedon, translated by Richard Price, The First Session. Page 130, note 55.

As you see, he said the instructions were given to Dioscorus, the Papal Legates were not being rebuked.

Evagrius' Church History gives a more complete account of what happened:

This was, then, the place of meeting of the beforementioned synod; at which the bishops Paschasinus  and Lucentius, and the presbyter Boniface, were the representatives of Leo, archpriest of the elder Rome;  there being present Anatolius president of Constantinople, Dioscorus, bishop of Alexandria, Maximus of  Antioch, and Juvenalis of Jerusalem: on whom attended  both their associate priests, and those who held the places  of highest rank in the most excellent senate. To the latter the representatives of Leo alleged, that Dioscorus  ought not to be seated with themselves; for such, they said, were their instructions from their bishop: as also that they would withdraw from the church, if they should be unable to maintain this point. In reply to the question of the senators, what were the charges against Dioscorus, they stated, that he ought himself to render an account of his own decision, since he had unduly assumed the character of a judge. After this statement had been made, and Dioscorus, according to a resolution of the senate, had taken his seat in the centre, Eusebius demanded, in the following words, that the petition should be read which he had presented to the sovereign power: “ I have been wronged by Dioscorus; the faith has been wronged: the bishop Flavian was murdered, and, together with myself, unjustly deposed by him. Give directions that my petition be read.” When the matter had been discussed, the petition was allowed to be read: it was couched in the following terms. Eusebius, the very humble bishop of Doryleum, who now pleads on behalf of himself and the orthodox faith,  and the sainted Flavian, formerly bishop of Constantinople. It is the aim of your majesty to exercise a providential care of all your subjects, and stretch forth a protecting hand to all who are suffering wrong, and to those especially who are invested with the priesthood...--Evagrius, Ecclesiatical History: Book II: Chapter IV: Council of Chalcedon, page 51-53

The description of the account describes Dioscorus taking a seat in the center, and immediately accusations are made against him.  Then eventually Dioscorus asks for Ephesus II (his attempt at an ecumenical council) to be read. He is accused of suppressing the letter of Pope Leo. Eventually he is condemned and ordered to be exiled (though he left before the final verdict).

Price translates the following, after the council's turmoil of yelling bishops:

The most glorious officials and the exalted senate said: ‘Bishop Theodoret has been admitted as an accuser, as you have heard from his own mouth.’ 

195. Dioscorus the most devout bishop of Alexandria said: ‘Why is he seated among the bishops?’ 

196. The most glorious officials and the exalted senate said: ‘Bishop Eusebius and Bishop Theodoret are seated as accusers, just as you are seated among the accused. Let the rest be read.’--The Acts of the Council of Chalcedon, translated by Richard Price, The First Session. Page 165.

 The officials outright say that Dioscorus sat in the chair of the accused. 

Going back to Father's claim:

The whole incident is NOT proof of papal authority.

No one said it should be. 

It is just the opposite.

 As demonstrated above, it's not proof of the opposite. Fr Ambrose got the whole incident wrong. 

It is proof that the Council Fathers did *not* see the Pope as having authority over them or over the activities of the Council. 

The council proceeded with the Papal Legate's directions. The Legates were the Presidents of the council formally, they were only ignored over canon 28, though in function the steps were done by laymen, not even clergy:

Since the peace of the church was clearly too important to be trusted to the bishops, effective presidency of the council was given to a committee of prestigious laymen who held either high-ranking posts in the imperial government or membership in the Constantinopolitan senate... 

Pope Leo...was represented by bishops Paschasinus of Lilybaeum, Lucentius of Asculanum, and Julian of Cos, and the presbyter Boniface. They were recognized as holding formal presidency over the council, although the imperial commissioners more typically directed the agenda in practice. The papal legates pronounced sentence on Dioscorus during the third session, and were able to dictate the terms of the Definition of Faith. But at the council’s final session, the twenty-eighth canon ratifying Constantinople’s ecclesiastical primacy in the east was adopted over their strenuous objections.--The Acts of the Council of Chalcedon, translated by Richard Price, Introduction, p 41-42

Canon 28 is another issue, but Patriarch Anatolius later told the Pope that the ignored the legates on this matter since they were sure the Pope would agree with them over his own legates (which he soon found out that the Pope would not). 

But going back to the issue of Papal authority that the Council recognized. The Council involved several letters, including Conciliar letters to the Pope which includes the following:

and besides all this he stretched forth his fury even against him who had been charged with the custody of the vine by the Saviour, we mean of course your holiness, and purposed excommunication against one who had at heart the unifying of the Church. And instead of showing penitence for this, instead of begging mercy with tears, he exulted as if over virtuous actions, rejecting your holiness' letter and resisting all the dogmas of the Truth. --Council of Chalcedon, Letter to Pope Leo the Great

Lateran Council AD 649 Eastern delegates on the Papacy

The following are excerpts taken from Fr Richard Price's translation of the Acts of the Lateran Council of 649 that reflect a high view of the papacy:

The Council quotes a letter to the former Pope by the Archbishop of Cyprus

Christ our God founded your apostolic see, O sacred head, as a divinely fixed and immovable support and conspicuous inscription of the faith. For you, as the divine Word truly declared without deceit, are Peter, and on your foundation the pillars of the church are fixed; to you he committed the keys of the heavens and decreed that you are to bind and loose with authority on earth and in heaven. You have been made the destroyer of profane heresies, as the leader and teacher of the orthodox and unimpeachable faith.--Archbishop Sergius of Cyprus, AD 643, Letter to Pope Theodore, as read at Lateran AD 649.

Archbishop Sergius eventually would compromise with the heretical Emperor rather than keep strict orthodoxy of duothelitism. Yet, this doesn't change the fact he said this words.

Now we have monks from the East at the council:

we who are now present beg, entreat and beseech all you  most holy fathers and the apostolic and sovereign see not to overlook the petitions of Christians over so many years and from all quarters addressed  equally to God and to your most holy selves, nor the pleas presented with  tears on this matter by our humble selves, whether present or absent,  but canonically and in council to vindicate the most holy faith that is  under attack from the aforesaid men, and (after God) to keep it safe for  all, uncontaminated by innovation and resplendent as before with pious teaching for the benefit of orthodox priests, laymen and monks throughout the world, since the hearts of all rely on you (after God), knowing that under Christ you are the supreme head of the churches.--Greek Hegumens and Monks to the Lateran Council AD 649 and the Pope

Patriarch Paul of Constantinople, though not touching directly on the issue of the papacy, does state Peter is the pre-eminent, head apostle:

We, therefore, accepted the  conscientious proposal of the said God-beloved men: knowing what the  pre-eminent head of the apostles teaches, that we should be ‘ready to give  an answer to everyone who requests a word from us concerning the hope  that is in us’, and combining in ‘good conscience’ courtesy and the fear of  God, we shall set out our view of this single question in this letter, shunning  and eschewing verbosity and repetition as tedious and inappropriate for the present time.  

Bishop Stephen of Dora:

this authoritatively from the first and from of old, on the basis of its  apostolic and canonical authority, for the reason, evidently, that the truly  great Peter, the head of the apostles, was deemed worthy not only to be entrusted, alone out of all, with ‘the keys of the kingdom of heaven’ for both opening them deservedly to those who believe and shutting them  justly to those who do not believe in the gospel of grace, but also because  he was the first to be entrusted with shepherding the sheep of the whole  catholic church. As the text runs, ‘Peter, do you love me? Shepherd my sheep.’ And again, because he possessed more than all others, in an exceptional and unique way, firm and unshakeable faith in our Lord, [he was deemed worthy] to turn and strengthen his comrades and spiritual brethren when they were wavering, since providentially he had been adorned by the God who became incarnate for our sake with power and priestly authority over them all.

Christ Our Savior Cathedral, Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow

Some Orthodox traditionalists mock western iconography as simply "art" or "secular art" and deny they are icons. Some mock Eastern Rite Catholic churches for including Western icons and decry it as Latinization! This article points out an example of Latinization in an Orthodox Cathedral despite no compulsion from Rome!

Years ago, before Russia's formal entry into Ukraine's then civil war, I visited Moscow and her famous Orthodox churches. Among them was the Cathedral of Christ Our Savior. It was built in pre-Soviet times, the Communists demolished the church and built a huge swimming pool, Moscow Pool, in its place.  After the collapse of the USSR, the city raised funds, and it was rebuilt (supposedly) to the exact specifications of the former Cathedral.

I was not able to take photos of the interior despite the church being a recent rebuild and the icons being recent (perhaps to retain a sense of the sacred).

There are a number of oddities to the Cathedral, a lot of Latinizations, despite its holding in prominence in the Russian Patriarchate.

The iconostasis has the first two bottom rows with western icons:

The icon behind the altar is in the tradition of Da Vinci's Last Supper:

If Latin iconography were so reprehensible as some ultra traditionalist Orthodox claim, why has not this prominent cathedral been corrected?

In addition, the Dome's iconography is particularly "non-canonical" with a unique depiction of the Trinity that differs from the famous depiction by Rublev.

Contrary to Orthodox canon, the Father is depicted, not just that, as an old man, rather than appearing the same as Christ! Christ is depicted as a Child! The Spirit as a dove.

Also, an aside, the Dome has a funny mistaken in the picture above with 3 angels above the Father:

The three words on top are Old Church Slavonic of свѧтъ svyat (holy) abbreviated. There is a tilda, or titlo above the T, just as in Greek for commonly used words showing the word is abbreviated. Though you would think they could simply make space and spell it out, this is common even in icons with plenty of space. This is not the interesting part though, this is an abbreviated trisagion (thrice holy), "Holy, Holy, Holy God...". 

Beneath it are Hebrew letters, or at least they should be. Presumably, and what appears to be attempted is the Hebrew spelling for God--אלֹהִים Elohim. The most embarrassing is the second letter (from the right) is nonsense. The top starts off as the correct letter--a lammed "L" but finishes at the bottom like the letter veit/beit. Correction the lammed looks likes somewhat similar to the number 7-- לֹ. The second most embarassing mistake is the next letters, presumably a heh--הִ. It is drawn instead as a ר -- resh with a dot or comma under the left end, rather than a line that extends to the bottom, or perhaps the dot is the 'i' diacritical. The diacritics are inconsistently used with nothing below the aleph, the failed lammed has the mark for the o sound, if the dot below the failed heh is a diacritical, its misplaced and should be under the yod. An attempt was made. I say this not to mock necessarily, I have seen a Church in France with questionable Hebrew!

Perhaps the poor Hebrew reflect the painstaking eye for detail to make an exact replica of the former Cathedral?

In addition, to western icon used for the iconostasis, there are scattered examples of western art:

The left of the altar is a very western nativity scene:

Going back to the art used, the exterior of the church also has reliefs, if not statues, which generally are not that common in Byzantine Christian churches.

to be continued

Tikkun Olam--Sikhun Olam? Funny dialectical result

Years ago I was given an example of the difference of Hebrew "dialects" ie Sefardic and Ashkenazi Hebrew. In many languages "th" sounds as in theta devolves into an s sound as in "saith" (said like faith) in middle English became "says" (after another shift where s becomes z). This happened in Ashkenazi Hebrew too with the phrase תִּקּוּן עוֹלָם --tikkun olam in modern Hebrew. The Hebrew alphabet has two t sounds: tet and tav. The tav in old Hebrew is generally believed to be a "th" sound as in sabbath or savvat, Ashkenazi pronunciation is shabbos, where the last "s" is a raphated tav. Another example of letters that sound alike in Hebrew are the k/q sounds: כ and ק, which are said mostly interchangeably.

The consequence of this is the Hebrew conception of repairing the world 'תִּקּוּן עוֹלָם' tikkun olam in modern Hebrew is changed to סִכּוּן עוֹלָם sikun olam which can be interpreted as "endangering the world," the opposite of the intention! 

"She is the subject of preaching and worship" Mary worship?

This meme has been circulating among some Protestant polemicists who go after Catholicism.

"Having entered deeply into the history of salvation, Mary, in a way, unites in her person and re-echoes the most important doctrines of the faith: and when she is the subject of preaching and worship she prompts the faithful to come to her Son, to his sacrifice and to the love of the Father."--Vatical Council II, Official Teachings of Roman Catholicism Vol. 1, pg. 420 and 421 

This article will deal with the first quote.

Like all good social media polemics, its fully of typos and poor references. Obviously, it is supposed to read "Vatican II." The citation is nonsense, probably is supposed to be a book on Vatican II. Regardless, it is taken from Lumen Gentium 65 of Vatican II. The translation I have only found on the Legion of Mary's website, retaining the archaic usage of worship. As I mentioned elsewhere, even Protestants in older English used the word worship in a broader sense which could be titles of justices, mayors etc, eg the Worshipful Smith.

The translation the Vatican's website has reads:

But while in the most holy Virgin the Church has already reached that perfection whereby she is without spot or wrinkle, the followers of Christ still strive to increase in holiness by conquering sin.(Cf. Eph 5, 27.) And so they turn their eyes to Mary who shines forth to the whole community of the elect as the model of virtues. Piously meditating on her and contemplating her in the light of the Word made man, the Church with reverence enters more intimately into the great mystery of the Incarnation and becomes more and more like her Spouse. For Mary, who since her entry into salvation history unites in herself and re-echoes the greatest teachings of the faith as she is proclaimed and venerated, calls the faithful to her Son and His sacrifice and to the love of the Father. Seeking after the glory of Christ, the Church becomes more like her exalted Type, and continually progresses in faith, hope and charity, seeking and doing the will of God in all things. Hence the Church, in her apostolic work also, justly looks to her, who, conceived of the Holy Spirit, brought forth Christ, who was born of the Virgin that through the Church He may be born and may increase in the hearts of the faithful also. The Virgin in her own life lived an example of that maternal love, by which it behooves that all should be animated who cooperate in the apostolic mission of the Church for the regeneration of men.--Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 65. (translation per the Vatican website)

The official Latin text is :

Dum autem Ecclesia in Beatissima Virgine ad perfectionem iam pertingit, qua sine macula et ruga existit (cf. Eph 5,27), christifideles adhuc nituntur, ut devincentes peccatum in sanctitate crescant; ideoque oculos suos ad Mariam attollunt, quae toti electorum communitati tamquam exemplar virtutum praefulget. Ecclesia de Ea pie recogitans Eamque in lumine Verbi hominis facti contemplans, in summum incarnationis mysterium venerabunda penitius intrat, Sponsoque suo magis magisque conformatur. Maria enim, quae, in historiam salutis intime ingressa, maxima fidei placita in se quodammodo unit et reverberat, dum praedicatur et colitur, ad Filium suum Eiusque sacrificium atque ad amorem Patris credentes advocat. Ecclesia vero, gloriam Christi prosequens, praecelso suo Typo similior efficitur, continuo progrediens in fide, spe et caritate, ac divinam voluntatem in omnibus quaerens et obsequens. Unde etiam in opere suo apostolico Ecclesia ad Eam merito respicit, quae genuit Christum, ideo de Spiritu Sancto conceptum et de Virgine natum, ut per Ecclesiam in cordibus quoque fidelium nascatur et crescat. Quae Virgo in sua vita exemplum exstitit materni illius affectus, quo cuncti in missione apostolica Ecclesiae cooperantes ad regenerandos homines animentur oportet.--Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 65

The Latin word in question is "colitur" which the Vatican's site reads as "venerated." 

This is not the ordinary word for worship, the word used literally means to cultivate (a field).

It sometimes is used for worship of God, or giving honor to someone else.

Wiktionary defines it as:

colō (present infinitive colere, perfect active coluī, supine cultum); third conjugation 

to cultivate the land, till, tend, take care of a field or garden (literal)

Synonyms: incolō, subigō 

to inhabit

Synonyms: habitō, obsideō, resideō, possideō, cōnsīdō, iaceō, subsīdō, stabulō, incolō, vīvō, versor 

to frequent, be the guardian of, cherish, care for, protect, nurture

Synonyms: cūrō, accūrō, prōcūrō, videō, respiciō, cōnsultō, cōnsulō, caveō, serviō 

(figuratively) to worship, honor, revere, reverence --https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/colo#Latin

The same entry provides the declensions which includes the nominative, masculine which is cultus, the word used for devotions to saints. 

A more formal dictionary, provide a very broad definition, it reads:

COL-, to till, tend, care for, cultivate: agrum, T.: agros, Cs.: colendi causā in agro esse: agri qui coluntur: hortos, V.: arbores, H.: fructūs, V.: fruges, O.: Pater ipse colendi, V.—To frequent, dwell in, stay in, inhabit, abide, live, dwell: colitur ea pars (urbis): urbem, V.: regnum, O.: arva gelidumque Anienem, and the banks of, V.: Rheni ripam, Ta.: anguis Stagna colit, haunts, V.: proximi Cattis Usipii colunt, Ta.: circa ripam Rhodani, L.—Fig., of the gods, to frequent, cherish, care for, protect, guard, watch over: quas condidit arces, Ipsa colat, V.: nymphis colentibus undas, O.: Iuno, quae Veios colis, L.: urbem, L.: terras hominumque genus, H. — To honor, revere, reverence, worship: Mercurium, Cs.: deos patrios: Musarum delubra: sacra: o colendi Semper et culti, H.: colebantur religiones pie, L.: numina, V.: caerimonias sepulcrorum: sacrarium summā caerimoniā, N. — To honor, esteem, love, adhere to, cherish: nos coluit maxime, T.: a quibus diligenter videmur coli: hunc virum, S.: poëtarum nomen: in amicis colendis: plebem Romanam, L.: alqm litteris, N.: nec illos arte, nec opulenter, S.—To attend to, dress, clothe, adorn, etc.: formamque augere colendo, by attire, O.—To cultivate, cherish, seek, practise, devote oneself to, follow, observe: studia: fidem rectumque, O.: ius et fas, L.: memoriam alicuius: bonos mores, S.: pietatem, T.: ius bonumque, S.: orationis genus: patrias artes, O.—To experience, live through, pass, spend: vitam illam: vitam inopem, T. -- Lewis, Charlton, T. An Elementary Latin Dictionary. New York, Cincinnati, and Chicago. American Book Company. 1890. Entry for Colo

The same Vatican II document cited (Lumen Genitum) does not regard colitur as interchangable with adoration, and actually clarifies the matter, this is the VERY next paragraph after the one cited in the OP with Latin in parenthesis:

Clearly from earliest times the Blessed Virgin is honored (colitur) under the title of Mother of God, under whose protection the faithful took refuge in all their dangers and necessities. [(21*) Sub tuum praesidium] Hence after the Synod of Ephesus the cult of the people of God toward Mary wonderfully increased in veneration and love (veneratione et dilectione), in invocation and imitation, according to her own prophetic words: “All generations shall call me blessed, because He that is mighty hath done great things to me”. (Lk. 1, 48.) This cult (cultus), as it always existed, although it is altogether singular, differs essentially from the cult of adoration (adorationis) which is offered to the Incarnate Word, as well to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and it is most favorable to it. --Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 66. (translation per the Vatican website)

The official Latin text reads: 

 Maria, per gratiam Dei post Filium prae omnibus angelis et hominibus exaltata, utpote sanctissima Dei Mater, quae mysteriis Christi interfuit, speciali cultu ab Ecclesia merito honoratur. Et sane ab antiquissimis temporibus Beata Virgo sub titulo "Deiparae" colitur, sub cuius praesidium fideles in cunctis periculis et necessitatibus suis deprecantes confugiunt(191). Inde praesertim ab Ephesina Synodo cultus Populi Dei erga Mariam mirabiliter crevit in veneratione et dilectione, in invocatione et imitatione, secundum ipsius verba prophetica: "Beatam me dicent omnes generationes, quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est" (Lc 1,48-49). Qui cultus, prout in Ecclesia semper exstitit, singularis omnino quamquam est, essentialiter differt a cultu adorationis, qui Verbo incarnato aeque ac Patri et Spiritui Sancto exhibetur, eidemque potissimum favet. Variae enim formae pietatis erga Dei Genitricem, quas Ecclesia intra limites sanae et orthodoxae doctrinae, pro temporum et locorum conditionibus et pro indole ingenioque fidelium approbavit, id efficiunt ut dum Mater honoratur, Filius, propter quem omnia (cf. Col 1,15-16) et in quo aeterno Patri "complacuit omnem plenitudinem inhabitare" (Col 1,19), rite noscatur, ametur, glorificetur, Eiusque mandata serventur.--Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 66

Another instance is modern Ecclesiastical Latin, is the Papal Encyclical by Pope John Paul II:

Vera libertas non est ubi vita non colitur et diligitur; neque plena est vita nisi in libertate.--Evangelium Vitae 96

There is no true freedom where life is not welcomed and loved; and there is no fullness of life except in freedom.--Evangelium Vitae 96

Also, John Paul II produced an Apostolic Letter called Maxime Colitur "Highest Veneration," which starts as:

Ad perpetuam rei memoriam. – Maxime colitur a populo christiano Deipara Maria, «quae signum sacrae virginitatis extulit, et intemeratae integritatis pium Christo vexillum erexit» (S. Ambrosius, De institutione Virginis, V).--Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter, Maxime Coliter (Official Latin Vatican text)

My informal translation: 

For a perpetual record of the matter--Mary, the mother of God, is most venerated by the Christian people, "she who raised up the sign (signum) of sacred virginity and lifted up the pious standard (vexillum) of undefiled integrity for Christ" (St. Ambrose, An Instruction for a Virgin, 5).--Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter, Maxime Coliter

John Paul seemed to be quite fond of using this word.

For its appearance in older Latin.

To be continued...

Divine Office, Menaion, Mass on who is damned

 Divine Office, Menaion, Mass, Catechism on who is damned:

The Byzantine version of Divine Office where Arius and Macedonius are declared damned:

Before the ages before the morning star, Thou wast begotten of the womb of the Father without mother; yet Arius calleth Thee a creature, refusing to glorify Thee as God, with audacity mindlessly confusing Thee, the Creator, with a creature, laying up for himself fuel for the everlasting fire. But the Council in Nicæa proclaimed Thee to be the Son of God, Who art equally enthroned with the Father and the Spirit. --COMMEMORATION OF THE HOLY FATHERS OF THE FIRST SIX ECUMENICAL COUNCILS At Great Vespers

The mindless Arius, showing himself to be a servant of a created being, and Macedonius, likewise revealed as abominable, are tormented together in the fire of Gehenna with the heathen.--COMMEMORATION OF THE HOLY FATHERS OF THE FIRST SIX ECUMENICAL COUNCILS At Matins, Ode III

Also,

Irmos:I have heard, O Lord, the mystery of Thy dispensation; I have understood Thy works, and have glorified Thy divinity. 

With the torrent of thy tongue thou didst hurl the betrayer of Christ, like Judas, into a place of fœtor, O blessed Alexander.

Like a fruitful olive-tree standing in the house of God, O John, thou therein didst bring forth those who believe on Him, like ripe fruit.--Menaion, August, THE 30TH DAY OF THE MONTH OF AUGUST, Matins, Ode IV: Canon of the Holy Hierarchs

 In the same matins:

Irmos: The Lord Who was glorified on the holy mountain, and by the fire in the bush revealed to Moses the mystery of the Ever-virgin, hymn ye and exalt Him supremely for all ages! 

Slaying the wicked Arius by thine earnest supplications, O divinely wise Alexander, thou didst dispatch him to a vile place, like another Judas, since he had apostatized in like manner. 

The mindless Arius, the enemy of God, who as a traitor rent asunder the robe of Christ, fell headlong, and now, like another Judas, lieth in torment in hell, O thrice-blessed Alexander. 

Through abstinence and unsurpassed vigils thou wast shown to be as one of the incorporeal beings, and in thy constant teachings thou becamest a rich wellspring of paradise for all ages, O John.--Menaion, August, THE 30TH DAY OF THE MONTH OF AUGUST, Matins, Ode VIII: Canon of the Holy Hierarchs

 The Tridentine Latin Mass alludes to Judas' damnation:

O God, from whom Judas received the punishment of his guilt, and the thief the reward of his confession: grant unto us the full fruit of Thy clemency; that even as in His Passion, our Lord Jesus Christ gave to each a retribution according to his merits, so having taken away our old sins, He may bestow upon us the grace of His Resurrection.

Deus, a quo et Iudas reátus sui pœnam, et confessiónis suæ latro prǽmium sumpsit, concéde novis tuæ propitiatiónis efféctum: ut sicut in passióne sua Iesus Christus Dóminus noster divérsa utrísque íntulit stipéndia meritórum; ita nobis, abláto vetustátis erróre, resurrectiónis suæ grátiam largiátur:--Collect for Holy Thursday

Likewise, the Catechism of Trent in passing says Judas is damned:

Some are attracted to the priesthood by ambition and love of honours; while there are others who desire to be ordained simply in order that they may abound in riches, as is proved by the fact that unless some wealthy benefice were conferred on them, they would not dream of receiving Holy Orders. It is such as these that our Saviour describes as hirelings, who, in the words of Ezechiel, feed themselves and not the sheep, and whose baseness and dishonesty have not only brought great disgrace on the ecclesiastical state, so much so that hardly anything is now more vile and contemptible in the eyes of the faithful, but also end in this, that they derive no other fruit from their priesthood than was derived by Judas from the Apostleship, which only brought him everlasting destruction. --Catechism of Trent (aka Roman Catechism):THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS: Right Intention 

The Matins of the Divine Office for the now extinct Feast of the Garden of Gethsemane.

Then He saith: “I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.” (Matth. xxvi. 31.) He was sorrowful because He was leaving us orphans. But how resolutely He was giving Himself up to die is sufficiently clear by what followed, when He went to meet those that sought Him, when He calmed the agitated, when He nerved the timid, when He received the traitor himself with the condescension of a kiss. Neither is it other than the truth to say that He was sorrowful for their sakes who were hunting Him down, since He knew what a punishment they were to undergo for that unutterable crime. And because of all these things He said: "Let this cup pass from Me!” It was not that the Divine Son Of the Divine Being was afraid to die, but He would not that even wicked men should perish on His account.--Office in Memory of the Prayer of Our Lord JESUS Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, Matins, Ninth Lesson. page 239

 Around Constantinople I, Pope Damasus plainly spoke of the damnation of Apollinaris

If any one speaks of Christ as having had less of manhood or of Godhead, he is full of devils’ spirits, and proclaims himself a child of hell.

“Why then do you again ask me for the condemnation of Timotheus? Here, by the judgment of the apostolic see, in the presence of Peter, bishop of Alexandria, he was condemned, together with his teacher, Apollinarius, who will also in the day of judgment undergo due punishment and torment. But if he succeeds in persuading some less stable men, as though having some hope, after by his confession changing the true hope which is in Christ, with him shall likewise perish whoever of set purpose withstands the order of the Church.--Letter of Damasus bishop of Rome found in: The Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret, Book V, Chapter X

The Menaion says the iconoclast emperor Leo the Armenian is damned:

The wretched and most mindless Leo, infected with the heresy of Mamon, dashed himself against thee as against a hard stone, O God-pleasing Nicephorus, and hath quickly broken asunder in hell.--Menaion, June: June 2: St. Nicephorus the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople: Matin, Ode I 

Pope Sylvester in Byzantine Menaion

Sometimes Orthodox apologists claim Rome was largely, if not completely, irrelevant in the first ecumenical council of Nicea (Nicaea).

However, the Menaion that the Orthodox Church prays says otherwise:

O God-bearing father Sylvester, thou wast shown to be a pillar of fire leading the sacred council in sanctity, an overshadowing cloud leading the faithful away from the deception of Egypt and ever guiding them on toward the divine land by thy constant teachings. Wherefore, we honor thy right glorious and most sacred memory.--Menaion, 2nd Day of the Month of January, At Vespers (Tone VIII) (translated by Isaac Lambertsen) 

Thou didst show thyself to be the leader of the sacred council, O initiate of the sacred mysteries, and didst adorn the cathedra of the preëminent of the disciples, crying: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!--Menaion, 2nd Day of the Month of January, At Matins, Ode VIII, Canon of the Hierarch (translated by Isaac Lambertsen)

Another translation of the Vespers above is found on a Ukrainian Greek Catholic website:

O holy Father Sylvester, bearer of God,* you revealed yourself to be a pillar of fire.* You convoked a sacred council and were the cloud which gives shade.* You led the faithful away from the Egyptian heresy* and always brought them to the divine land by your true teaching.* Therefore, we venerate your blessed and all-holy memory. --Menaion, 2nd Day of the Month of January, At Vespers (Tone VIII) (translation by RoyalDoors) also found on Archeparchy of Pittsburgh

Tsar Nicholas II family/court and the Occult

Sources, many primary and secondary claiming "St." Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia dabbled in the occult.

The last Emperor of Russia was canonized along with his family and servants by the Russian Orthodox church as passion bearers, though many simply regard them proper martyrs. (Initially, even the Lutheran and Catholic servants were canonized by the ROCOR as saints until it was revealed they were not Orthodox!) The typical explanation for the canonization is that he was a pious Christian ruler and a good father. His quality of rule is very dubious, but this is not the subject of this article. The quality of his fatherhood seems an odd reason for canonization considering Christ alludes to even heathens being good parents. Rather, him and his wife's obsession with mystics and the occult suggest they were not very pious in a theological sense. A number of those close the Imperial family bemoaned the Emperor's gullibility and lack of will, especially when it came to supposed mystics that his wife fell under the spell of: Concerning the influence of the Empress Alexandra, the Count Sergei Witte wrote:

She might have been a good enough consort for a petty German prince, and she might have been harmless even as the Empress of Russia, were it not for the lamentable fact that His Majesty has no will power at all. The extent of Alexandra’s Influence upon her husband can hardly be exaggerated. In many cases she actually directs his actions as the head of the Empire. On one occasion, I recall, Nicholas referred to Her Majesty as “a person in whom I have absolute faith.” The fate of many millions of human beings is actually in the hands of that woman. Surely the poor Emperor, and ah’ of us who are his devoted servants, and, above all, Russia, would have been much happier had Princess Alix married a German Duke or Count.--Yarmolinsky, A., Witte, S. I. (2018). The Memoirs of Count Witte. p 198. United States: Creative Media Partners, LLC. 

Before I continue, who is Sergei Witte that he should be believed? He was the first Prime Minister of Russia (albeit for less than a year) and was given the title count by the Emperor for his skillful negotiations with Japan to end the war. In addition, Emperor Alexander III on his deathbed advised Nicholas II to listen to Witte.

Empress Alexandra was the favorite granddaughter of Queen of England, Victoria. Queen Victoria was herself a believer in the occult, it seems fitting that Alexandra would like fall victim to occult 'masters'. The occult was widespread in Europe and other western countries among the aristocracy. Abraham Lincoln is even believed to have attended a seance, Arthur Conan Doyle was a devout Spiritualist, and many blurred the lines between medicine and magic/superstition (which exists today in some fields of psychology).

One such prominent occultist was Philippe (Philippe Nizier-Anthelme Vachod), a French medical school dropout who was fined for practicing medicine without a license until he found another to operate his quack practice under.

Another occultist master who some dealings with the Imperial court was Gérard Anaclet Vincent Encausse aka Papus.

In 1910 the head of both the Martinists and the Ordre de la Rose-Croix was Gerard Encausse (1865-1916). better known by his "occult" name, "Papus". Papus was the author of dozens of the best-known occult texts of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, an expert on everything from alchemy to Kabbala to the tarot. He also held high-ranking Masonic and Rosicrucian posts.... 

Papus reestablished and updated the Martinist order, which soon achieved great popularity in Russia and Italy.  Between 1900 and 1905, on one of several visits to Russia, Papus reputedly established a Martinist lodge at the court in St. Petersburg, together with another, Dr Philippe (Philippe Nizier-Anthelme Vachod, also Maitre Philippe de Lyon, 1849-1905), the monk Grigory Rasputin's predecessor as "friend" to the court of Nicholas II. Rumors persist that Tsar Nicholas II belonged to the Lodge of the Cross and Star; his uncles Nikolai Nikolaevich and Petr Nikolaevich, as well as the grand duke Georgy Mikhailovich, were members. It is true that Martinism had become very popular in Russia by 1905; it waned after 1916.--The Occult in Russian and Soviet Culture. p 149. (1997). United Kingdom: Cornell University Press.

Emperor Nicholas spoke fondly of the occultist Philippe:

"During that time 'our friend' Philippe was sitting with Alix and talking with her. We showed him our daughters and prayed together with him in the bedroom!--Emperor Nicholas, Diary 11 July 1901 at Tsarskoe Selo. Found in A Lifelong Passion, p 206

Felix Yusupov has nothing nice to say about the Emperor's mystics, speaking of two occultist sisters in the Imperial Court from Montenegro:  

"They were much interested in occultism and lived surrounded by soothsayers and questionable prophets. It was through them that a French charlatan named Philippe, and later Rasputin had access to the Imperial Court. Their palace, Znamenka, was the central point of the powers of evil.    

One day as my father was walking by the seaside in the Crimea, he met the Grand Duchess Militsa driving with a stranger. My father bowed, but she did not respond. Meeting her by change a few days later, he asked her why she had cut him. 'You couldn't have seen me,' said the Grand Dutchess, 'for I was with Doctor Philippe and when he wears a hat he is invisible and so are those who are with him.'    

One of the Grand Dutchess's sisters told me that as a child she had once hidden behind a curtain and seen Philippe enter the room; to her astonishment, all those present knelt and kissed his hand."--Felix Yusupov, Memoirs. Found in A Lifelong Passion, p 206-207

A member of the Court named Ania spoke of the con-man Philippe:

Before I came to Court there was a Frenchman, Dr Philippe in whim they reposed the greatest confidence, believing him to be one in whom the gift of prophecy existed. I never knew Dr Philippe hence I can speak of him only as a sort of forerunner of Rasputin, because, as the Empress told me, his coming was foretold by Dr Philippe. Very shortly before his death the French mystic told them they would have another friend authorised to speak to them from God, and when Rasputin appeared he was accepted as that friend...--Ania Vyrubova, Memoirs. From A Lifelong Passion, p 425

Lev Tikhomirov, former revolutionary that became a conservative monarchist:

"That Philippe is the most shameful occurrence for the Imperial Family. He is some sort of foreign charlatan, hypnotist, magnetizer, and magician presenting himself as the possessor of occult powers."--Lev Tikhomirov, November 1902, quoted in Smith, D. (2016). Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs. page 44. United States: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

The follow is by an ex-hieromonk, Sergei Michailovich Trufanov, who left Orthodoxy for Protestantism after the Revolution and came to the USA from Russia:

Melancholy and ghost-ridden as he was, in constant fear for his life, pursued by invisible hands, it was natural for him to suppose that God spoke to him through idiots, and that in consequence these idiots should often have influenced the relations of Russia with foreign powers. Fetichism and spiritualism dominated the czar's whole existence. On his person he carried all sorts of charms and talismans, the most precious of which in later years was a lock of Rasputin's hair. He wore this in a ring, and gazed upon it fixedly before making any momentous decision.--The Mad Monk of Russia, Iliodor, page 177

Note the attendance of the Emperor to seances is mostly second (or third) hand accounts.

According to Count Sergei Witte, the Tsar and his wife attended seances conducted by Philippe:

And it was through the good offices of these Montenegrins that Philippe gained access to the Grand Dukes, and later to their Majesties. Empress Alexandra was on intimate terms with none of the female members of the Imperial family except those Montenegrin women, who were to her a cross between bosom-friends and chambermaids. For months Philippe secretly lived in St. Petersburg and in the Summer residences of his high patrons. Consultations and mystic seances were continuously going on there with the participation of their Majesties, the Grand Dukes, and their Montenegrin wives.--Yarmolinsky, A., Witte, S. I. (2018). The Memoirs of Count Witte. p 203. United States: Creative Media Partners, LLC. 

James L. Houghteling Jr, a man working in the US embassy at the time, relayed similar rumors that the Emperor attended a seance to bring up the recently assassinated Rasputin:

Monday February 19 [1917]: I heard yesterday the story of the spiritualist seance engineered by Protopopoff for the Tsar. It was at Tsarskoe  Selo. The Tsar, Tsarina, their two eldest daughters, the minister and his right-hand man gathered around the table. Suddenly Protopopoff grew rigid, with set eyes and tense arms outstretched; then after some minutes he pulled himself together and said, “There has just appeared to me the spirit of St. Gregory Rasputin ; and he bids us continue to strengthen the Holy Autocracy.” The Tsar sat staring and believed every word of it. I hear this story is current, with some variations, and is regarded  as gospel truth, in many “well-informed circles.”--A Diary of the Russian Revolution. page  35-36. (1918). JAMES L. HOUGHTELING. JR United States: Dodd, Mead and Company.

The most detailed account  of the Emperor at a seance is found in Maurice Paleologue's memoir:

In 1900 the magician Papus (his real name was Dr. Encausse) who revived alchemy in France, came to St. Petersburg and soon made an enthusiastic clientle for himself. In the years following he was seen there on several occasions during the residence of his great friend, the magician Philippe of Lyons ; ' the Emperor and Empress honoured him with their whole confidence. His last visit was in February, 1906..... 

Madame R , who is both a professing spiritualist and a disciple of Rasputin, has been explaining this consternation to me by reference to a strange prophecy which is worth recording: the death of Papus presages nothing less than the downfall of tsarism in the near future. This is how it comes about: 

...October, 1905, Papus was sent to St. Petersburg by some of his highly-placed followers who badly needed his guidance in the...crisis through which Russia was then passing. The disasters in Manchuria had produced revolutionary agitation in every part of the Empire, bloody strikes, outbreaks of looting, massacre and arson. The Emperor was living in a state of torturing anxiety... 

The very day on which Papus arrived in St. Petersburg, a riot spread terro... The magician was immediately summoned to Tsarskoie- Selo. After a summary talk with the Emperor and Empress, a... seance was arranged... Apart from the sovereigns there was only one spectator...Captain Mandryka....By... concentration of will and a prodigious expenditure of fluid dynamism, the “Spiritual Master” succeeded in calling up the spirit of ...Alexander III..... 

Nicholas II bluntly asked...whether he should...resist the current of liberalism... The spirit replied: 

At any cost you must crush the revolution now beginning; but it will spring up again one day and its violence will be proportionate to the severity with which it is put down to-day. But what does it matter! Be brave, my son! Do not give up the struggle!”

While the horrified sovereigns were reflecting on this appalling prophecy, Papus told them that his magic powers enabled him to avert the threatened catastrophe, but that the efiicacy of his spells would cease the moment he himself ceased to be “on the physical plane.” Then he solemnly performed the necessary rites.--Paléologue, Maurice (1925). An Ambassador's Memoirs: Volume III. pages 97-98.  United Kingdom: George Doran.

The Count Witte notes the influence Philippe exercised over the Empress Alexandra:

Empress Alexandra fell completely under the influence of the impostor. Among other things she actually believed that “Dr.” Philippe had an enchanted life and could not be harmed by physical means. Nothing will better illustrate the extent and nature of his ascendancy over the Empress than the following incredible, yet well authenticated, incident. At the time when she was under the sway of the charlatan she was very anxious to have a son, because the four children who had previously been born to their Majesties were all girls. Dr. Philippe made Her Majesty believe that she was going to give birth to a boy, and she convinced herself that she was pregnant.--Yarmolinsky, A., Witte, S. I. (2018). The Memoirs of Count Witte. p 204. United States: Creative Media Partners, LLC.

Towards the end of the Romanov, Philippe was still referenced by the Empress Alexandra:

At a time, such as we are now living through, one needs to hear your voice uplifted in protest and reprimand when they continue not obeying your orders, when they dawdle in carrying them out.     They must learn to tremble before you - you remember M. Philippe and Grigory say the same thing too.--Letter from Alix to Nicky, 1 June 1916 - Tsarskoe Selo from A Lifelong Passion, p. 425-426

"Remember even M. Philippe said one dare not give constitution, as it would be your and Russia's ruin, and all true Russians say the same."--A Lifelong Passion, p 490. Diary of Alexandra Romanov 14 December 1916 

St Serafim of Serov was canonized through Philippe's convincing:

"In 1903 the Orthodox church canonized Serafim Sarovsky. This was done, it was said, at the insistence of Nicholas, and on the advice of Philippe. Rumours spread that bathing at the source near the monastery, where Serafim had lived and died, cured people of ailments and brought the fulfillment of wish...."-- A Lifelong passion, Historical Afterword, p 643

Count Witte suspected there was a secret plot to get Seraphim canonized which included another Russian Orthodox saint, John Kronstadt:

At the Summer residence of Grand Duke Peter, Philippe met a number of ecclesiastics, among them the notorious Father John of Kronstadt. It was apparently there that the project was hatched of canonizing the staretz (saintly man) Seraphim of Sarov.--Yarmolinsky, A., Witte, S. I. (2018). The Memoirs of Count Witte. p 204. United States: Creative Media Partners, LLC. 

The Count then states he spoke with Konstantin Petrovich Pobedonostsev, a layman that functioned as the Emperor's supervisor over the Russian church synod (an expression of the caesaropapism inherited from the Byzantines), about the canonization of Seraphim of Sarov.  He states the following:

This incident was related to me by K. P. Pobiedonostzev himself. One fine morning he was invited...to take luncheon with their Majesties. The invitation came unexpectedly, because at that time relations between their Majesties and Pobiedonostzev were rather strained, although he had been instructor both to the Emperor and his most august father. After breakfast, at which Pobiedonostzev was alone with his Imperial hosts, the Emperor, in the presence of the Empress, asked his guests to submit to him a decree canonizing Father Seraphim, on the day when the memory of that saintly man is celebrated, which was. a few weeks off. Pobiedonostzev replied... that canonization lay within the province of the Holy Synod and must be preceded by a thorough investigation of the candidate’s life and of the people’s views on the subject... To this the Empress replied by remarking that “everything is within the Emperor’s province.” This opinion I have heard from Her Majesty on various occasions. Nevertheless, the Emperor gave heed to his guest’s arguments, and Pobiedonostzev, on the evening of the same day, received from the Emperor an amiable note, expressing agreement with the opinion about the impossibility of immediately canonizing Seraphim, and ordering Pobiedonostzev to carry out the canonization the following year. 

Pobiedonostzev obeyed. Their Majesties were present at the ceremony of consecrating the relics. In the course of that celebration there were several cases of miraculous recovery. At night the Empress bathed in a healing fountain. The conviction prevailed, it was said, that the Sarov saint would give Russia an Heir Apparent, after four grand duchesses...--Yarmolinsky, A., Witte, S. I. (2018). The Memoirs of Count Witte. p 204-205. United States: Creative Media Partners, LLC. 

The Count also comments on the occultist sisters in the Emperor's court meddling in the affairs of the church:

During the revolutionary days which followed the act of October 17th, Prince A. D. Obolensky, then Procurator of the Holy Synod, repeatedly complained to me about the interference of the Montenegrin Princesses in the affairs of the Holy Synod.--Yarmolinsky, A., Witte, S. I. (2018). The Memoirs of Count Witte. p 205. United States: Creative Media Partners, LLC. 

Yusupov mentions the sisters were also among those that introduced the Court to Rasputin:

The Siberian prophet soon gathered around him a clique of worldly idlers, given over to occultism and necromancy. The two Montenegrin Grand Duchesses were among the first and most fervent admirers of the ‘man of God’. It was they who, in 1900, had introduced the occultist Philippe to the Court of Russia; now again, it was they who presented Rasputin to the Tsar and Tsarina, backed by the Archimandrite Théophane...--Yusupov, F. F. (2016). Lost Splendor: The Amazing Memoirs of the Man who Killed Rasputin. Page 191. 

Yusupov mentions Rasputin succeeding in deceiving many in the Russian church including St John Kronstadt, nuns and the Archimandrite Theophane.

The Emperor's drug dealer/Alexander II's godson:

"The Empress would not rest until he had consulted the quack Badmaiev, an ingenious disciple of the Mongol sorcerers. The charlatan soon discovered in his pharmacopoeia the remedy appropriate to the case of his august patient: it is an elixir compounded of 'Tibetan herbs' according to a magic formula and has to be prescribed very strictly...Judging by its effects, the elixir must be a mixture of henbane and hashish...--Maurice Paleologue, Memoirs, 6 November 1916. From A lifelong passion. p. 480

Paleologue claimed (somewhat comically) that Badmaiev eventually formed an alliance with Rasputin by seeing a fellow huckster in him when treating the Tsar's son who suffered from hemophilia (a disease that almost certainly stemmed from the fact the Emperor and his wife were 2nd cousins):

On several occasions the Emperor and Empress have called him in to the Tsarevitch when ordinary doctors seemed powerless to stop the child’s haemorrhage. It was thus that he met Rasputin. Their respective charlatanisms at once recognized each other and coalesced.--Paléologue, M. (1925). An Ambassador's Memoirs. p. 144. United Kingdom: George H. Doran.

Paleologue also records a story of rivalry and hatred among charlatans---Papus and Rasputin:

“ It is twelve years or so,” said Madame T——, “since Papus was in Russia; but he has kept up a correspondence with Their Majesties. Several times he tried to convince them that Rasputin’s influence on them was evil, because he got it from the Devil. The result was that Father Grigori loathed Papus and when Their Majesties mentioned his name, he would burst out : “Why do you listen to that charlatan? What’s he poking his nose into now ? If he wasn’t a low schemer, he’d have his hands full enough with all the evildoers and pharisees he has around him. There are more sins over there in the West than anywhere else in the world; nowhere else is the crucified Jesus so continuously affronted... How often have I told you that everything that comes out of the Europes is wicked and harmful! ”----Paléologue, Maurice (1925). An Ambassador's Memoirs: Volume III. page 174.  United Kingdom: George Doran.

Madame T is probably Anna Alexandrovna Vyrubova (née Taneyeva), a 'lady in waiting'.

Another figure of stature in Russia was Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov, one of Rasputin's assassins, he was the son of a Count of the same name. Prince Felix became a prince by marrying the niece of Tsar Nicholas II. Prince Felix openly wrote of how dabbling with the supernatural and the occult:

My brother and I took a great interest in spiritualism. We witnessed some rather surprising things at the séances which we held with a few friends. But when a marble statue broke and fell off its pedestal at our feet, we resolved to give them up. I none the less continued to take a deep interest in everything connected with the mystery of life after death. 

It was at this time that Nicolas and I promised each other that the first of us to die would appear to the survivor. The Almighty God, the after-life and self-perfection were constantly on my mind. A priest with whom I talked freely on these matters told me: ‘Don’t try and find an answer to all these questions. Don’t philosophize too much. Just believe in God.’ But this wise advice did not satisfy my craving for knowledge. I immersed myself in the study of occult sciences and theosophy. I had difficulty in believing that it was possible, during the course of our brief sojourn on earth, to earn the right to eternal life, as the Christian doctrine teaches us. The theory of re-incarnation seemed, to my mind, a much better solution of the problems which preoccupied me. I learned that certain exercises of bodily and spiritual discipline could little by little develop in one a superhuman power which enabled one to master one’s own weaknesses and dominate other people. With the conviction that I was inspired by a divine truth, I devoted myself to the practice of Yoga exercises. Every day I took a special course of gymnastics and did an incalculable number of breathing exercises; at the same time, I tried to concentrate and develop my will-power. I soon noticed a change in myself: my mind became clearer, my memory improved, and my strength of will increased. Several people told me that even my expression had changed. I myself noticed that some people could not look me in the eye, and I concluded that I had acquired a sort of hypnotic power. To test my capacity for bearing pain, I held my hand over a lighted candle. I suffered the most excruciating pain, but it was not till the smell of roast flesh filled the room that I withdrew my hand....--Yusupov, F. F. (2003). Lost Splendor: The Amazing Memoirs of the Man who Killed Rasputin. Page 117. United States: Helen Marx Books. Also see here.

Note the Nicolas mentioned is his brother Nicolas Yusupov.

Yusupov mentions several forms of the occult mysticism: spiritualism, theosophy, yoga, reincarnation, seances. Interesting for someone who mocked Philippe as a charlatan! Perhaps realizing his own fraud in life (including letting his parents believe he had prophetic powers) let him see it in others.

Rasputin's rise some attribute in part to the desire to have an ethnic Russian to influence the Emperor, rather than foreigners, other men were attempted to influence him. 

It is noteworthy, though the occultist necromancer Philippe laid the foundation for Rasputin, Rasputin did discourage certain occultism in the Court like séances and automatic writing:

Rasputin made Munya promise to stop attending spiritualist séances and practicing automatic writing under the influence of spirits. He told her these things they called spirits were in fact demons, tricking us into thinking we were in contact with the souls of our departed loved ones. Only those rare persons with pure souls free of the sins of the world could make contact with these true spirits, Rasputin told Munya and her mother, and for others to even try was to engage in sin....From that day Munya and Lyubov remained devote to Rasputin for the rest of their lives.--Rasputin, Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs, p.349

The reasoning at the end may just be a means to eliminate any spiritual competition. 

A partial list of other "mystics", "prophets", "holy fools" etc. that the Tsar entertained:

Matronushka the Barefoot

Pasha Sarovskaya 

Vasily Tkachenko 

Miron 

Darya Ossipova 

Antony 

Mitya aka Mitka Kolyaba

In addition, a weatherman that Emperor seemed to misunderstand his abilities.

For more information about the Emperor and his wife's obsession with mystics and the occult, including the list above see the article on jstor by Robert D/ Warth called Before Rasputin: Piety and the Occult at the Court of Nicholas II 

The obsession with the occult was nothing new to the Russian Emperors. Emperor Boris Godunov sought the help of English sorcerer John Dee. Emperor Alexander II, Emperor Nicholas's forebearer in the 1860s likewise.

In the 1860s the Romanov palaces were all in the thrall of spiritualist seances. Communing with spirits was appropriate in the palaces, where the ghosts of murdered emperors wandered...But for the new emperor, it was not merely a nod to fashion. Having decided to embark on great reforms, he thought it would not be amiss to chat with his late father. A famous "table-turner" was brough from Paris. At the very first seance, the late emperor made an appearance....Present were the emperor and empress; the dowager empress; Kostya; his wife, of course; Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna's brother...Anna Tyutcheva....Once Anna Tyutcheva returned to her room, she wrote down everything.--Radzinsky, E. (2006). Alexander II: The Last Great Tsar. p. 120. United States: Free Press. 

to be continued....

Allah praying update and Islamqa

Some disputed the accuracy of the translations by Aisha Bewley for Islamic hadith, since her translation has Muhammed wearing Aisha's dress to make prophecy, and below has Allah praying: 

1387. Abu Umama reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Allah and His angels and the people of the heavens and the earth, even the ants in their rocks and the fish, pray for blessings on those who teach people good.” [at-Tirmidhi]--(Aisha Bewley, Riyad as-Salihin (The Meadows of the Righteous), Book of Knowledge, 241. Chapter: the excellence of knowledge

 This was pointed out by Sam Shamoun. Sam is generally hated by Muslims as an Islamophobe. However, it appears that Islamqa reposted the above passage with Bewley's translations!

Luke 11:28 "rather" or "indeed" Menoun

Below is list several references, the weight of the evidence is menoun is a confirmation with a correction made. 

Some Protestants think Luke 11:28 is the smoking gun against Marian devotion and doctrine. A woman praises Jesus' mother, to which Jesus responds (according to the KJV): "Yea rather, blessed [are] they that hear the word of God, and keep it" 

Other Protestant translations are more negative:

But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (ESV) 

But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and follow it.” (NASB) 

"Nay rather," He replied, "they are blessed who hear God's Message and carefully keep it." (Weymouth New Testament) 

But he said, "Instead, how blessed are those who hear God's word and obey it!"(ISV) 

But he replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!” (New English Translation)

Some translations (lesser known) are more positive/affirming of the woman's praise but adding an explanation or correction for why she is blessed:

 But he said, Yes, rather blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. (Webster's Bible Translation)

 And He said, “Indeed, rather, blessed those hearing the word of God, and keeping [it]!” (Literal Standard Version) 

Jesus replied, "That's true, but the people who are really blessed are the ones who hear and obey God's message!"(Contemporary English Version)

As we can see, this verse is dispute with mostly two sides being taken: negating the woman's statement and affirming but correcting/improving it.

Some interpret the "rather" as "who cares about her!" This matter is not as straight forward as most translations imply; in fact, it seems to say the exact opposite--that Jesus was making an affirmation of Mary's blessedness but adding that those who believe are blessed too! Mary had to have believed in order to be His mother!

If we are to assume the Greek word translated by "yes, rather" is correct, let's look at meaning of the word 'rather' according to Merriam Webster:

1: with better reason or more propriety : more properly this you should pity rather than despise—William Shakespeare 

2: more readily or willingly : preferably I'd rather not go would rather read than watch television—often used interjectionally to express affirmation 

3: more correctly speaking my father, or rather my stepfather 

4: to the contrary : instead was no better but rather grew worse—Mark 5:26 (Revised Standard Version) 

5: in some degree : somewhat it's rather warm—often used as a mild intensive spent rather a lot of money 

“Rather.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rather. Accessed 26 Nov. 2023.

As we see, rather does not necessarily negate something, but can clarify, or to more correctly state something. 

Now for the Greek term used. 

The commonly accepted text reads:

αὐτὸς δὲ εἶπεν Μενοῦν μακάριοι οἱ ἀκούοντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ φυλάσσοντες.--Luke 11:28 (Westcott and Hort/Alexandrian Text) 

The word translated at times as "Rather" is Μενοῦν (menoun).

Alan Thompson's comments state: 

 "The particle Μενοῦν, however, need not imply a rejection of the remark (pace Marshall 482; cf. BDAG 630d; BDF §450[4]; R 1151; Bock 1095; Bovon 2.131-32; Fitzmyer 927-29; a "correction" rather than a simple rejection or affirmation, Nolland 649; "even more" HCSB; cf. 1:45, 48). It may merely emphasize Jesus' point that a positive response to him must be accompanied with genuine adherence to his word..."--Thompson, Alan J.. Luke. United States, B&H Publishing Group, 2017.

Baker Exegetical Commentary agrees:

"The only issue in the verse is how it relates to what was said in Luke 11:27. The connective μενοῦν (menoun) has three possible senses (Fitzmyer 1985:928):"on the contrary," thus rejecting the previous remark (Manson 1949: 88; Marshall 1978: 482); (2) an affirmation meaning "indeed" (as in Phil 3.8); or ( 3 ) a correction meaning " yes , but rather " (Luce 1933: 216; Arndt 1956: 302; Plummer 1896: 306; Danker 1988: 235; Schneider 1977a: 269). The first meaning is not likely, since Luke has already affirmed such a blessing (Luke 1:42, 48) and elsewhere uses οὐχί, λέγω ὑμῖν (ouchi, legō hymin, no, I say to you) to express rejection of an idea (12:51; 13:3, 5; Fitzmyer 1985:928). The sense is not complete affirmation either. Rather, the woman's remark is correct, but not exhaustive. The recent examples provided by Jesus' teaching about the Samaritan, Mary, and prayer are but three illustrations of what is expected of disciples (Schneider 1977a: 269). Blessing resides in obedient response, whether in care for others, in attention to Jesus, or in discourse with God."--Bock, Darrell L.. Luke: 2 Volumes (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament). Page 8-235. United States, Baker Publishing Group, 1996.

The last two citation mention Fitzmyer. He was recent Bible scholar and commentator, Joseph Fitzmyer, a Catholic priest respected by secular scholars, argues Luke 11:28 has Jesus affirming what the woman says but clarifying it:

rather. The compound Greek participle menoun (used only four times in the NT and, against classical usage, at the head of the sentence) can have three different senses: (a) adversative, "nay, rather," "on the contrary": so commonly in classical Greek (Sophocles, Ajaz 1363; Aristophanes, Eccl. 1102) and in the NT (Rom 9:20, 10:18; this would mean that Jesus was rejecting the woman's blessing of his mother (it seems to be the sense advocated by T.W. Manson, I.H. Marshall, M.P. Scott, et al.). (b) affirmative, "indeed" expressive of agreement with what was said. See Phil 3:8, (c) corrective. "yes, but rather," meaning that what was said is true as far as it goes (Plato, Rep. 489D). M.E. Thall (Greek Participles in the New Testament, 34-35) points out that for Luke the first two uses are to be eliminated since, when he wants to express contradiction, he uses ouchi, lego hymin (12:51; 13:3,5); and for affirmation he employs nai (7:26; 10:21; 11:51 12:5). Hence, the last corrective sense is to be preferred. Cf. C.F.D. Moule, Idiom Book, 163-164. --The Gospel according to Luke (X-XXIV): introduction, translation, and notes (Anchor Bible). pages 928-929. 1985. Joseph Fitzmyer  

A Translator's Handbook on the Gospel of Luke reads:

menoun (+) 'rather'. IT does not question the truth of the preceding statement, but emphasizes the greater relevance of what follows.... 

Translation: Blessed rather are, or, 'yes, but happier are', 'be that as it may, very much blessed are' (Shona 1966), 'that may be true, but those are-called (i.e, really are) blessed are' (Balinese).--A Translator's Handbook on the Gospel of Luke, page 444. 1971

 Idioms in the Greek New Testament simply translates it as "therefore":

"a. In NT Greek, some words which in classic Greek are postpositive occur first in clauses. Lk. 11.28: Μενοῦν μακάριοι οἱ ἀκούοντες τὸν λόγον  (therefore, blessed are those who hear the word), where μενοῦν  appears at the beginning of the clause.--Porter, Stanley E.. Idioms of the Greek New Testament. United Kingdom, Bloomsbury Academic, 1992. page 288

The text "Greek Particles in the New Testament" (written by non Catholic, likely an evangelical Protestant) gives a brief history of the word and its usage in the NT, insisting one instance is a contradiction, but that Luke 11:28 uses it as an affirmative correction:

In classical Greek the combination μεν οῦν is used both connectively, as a particle of transition, and adverbially, chiefly in answers in dialogue. It is never the first word in the sentence. In the New Testament, connective men οῦν remains in its classical form, but adverbial μεν οῦν in answers has undergone two changes: the two particles are now written as one word, μενοῦν, and it has moved to the beginning of the sentence. There are three examples:....(Lk. xi 27-28)....(Rom. ix 19-20)...(Rom. x 18)...Despite the alteration in position, in two out of three instances, at any rate, the meaning of μενοῦν remains that of the classical idiom. In the second example from Romans it plainly expresses contradiction, as in the follow quotation from Plato, given by Denniston to illustrate the use of οῦν to emphasize men.....(Pl. Chrm. 161 D). The meaning of the Lucan example is less easy to determine, as the precise significance of the saying is not very clear from the context, and all three classical functions of adverbial men οῦν could be attributed to the particle here without any great difficulty. It might be strictly adversative, as in Romans: "On the contrary, this parental relationship is not in itself of any importance whatsoever. The people who are blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it." Or it might be assentient in the full sense: "Yes, certainly my mother is blessed, for the people who are blessed are those..." (cf. i 38). Finally, it might be corrective: "What you have said is true as far as it goes. But the blessedness of Mary does not consist simply in the fact of her relationship towards myself but in the fact that she shares in the blessedness of those who hear the word of God and keep it, and it is in this that true blessedness lies." The first two possibilities can perhaps be eliminated, however, on the ground that when Luke wishes to express contradiction he uses elsewhere the phrase οὐχί, λέγω ὑμῖν (all' η), as in xii 51; xiii 3, 5; and when he expresses affirmation he tends to use the particle νaἱ, as in vii 26; x 21; xi 51; xii 5. This leaves us with μενοῦν as a corrective, "rather," as in Plato, e.g. εις σμιχρον γ', εφη, χρóνον ειρηχας; εις ουδεν μεν οῦν, εφην, ως γε προς τον απαντα (Pl. R. 498 D). --Thrall. Greek Particles in the New Testament: Linguistic and Exegetical Studies. Germany, Brill, 2019. page 34-35

"To this, Jesus, in line with his non-emotional, matter-of-fact teaching, replies: μɛvоῦν μакápioι oi ἀκούοντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ φυλάσσοντες “ Rather / it is more correct to say: happy are those who hear the Word of God and observe / keep it "--Caragounis, Chrys C.. New Testament Investigations: A Diachronic Perspective. pages 34-3. 6. Menoun and Menounge in the New Testament. Germany, Mohr Siebeck, 2022.

Liddell Scott Lexicon states likes the 3 uses:

μὲν

II. 4. μὲν οὖν or μενοῦν, a strengthd. form of οὖν, so then, id=Soph.; in replies, it affirms strongly, πάνυ μὲν οὖν Plat., etc.; also it corrects a statement, nay rather, like Lat. imo, imo vero, μου πρὸς τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποψῶ wipe your nose on my head, Answ. ἐμοῦ μὲν οὖν . . , nay on mine, Ar., etc.; μὲν οὖν δή Soph.:—so in NTest., μενοῦνγε, to begin a sentence, yea rather, Lat. quin imo. --An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon, μὲν

A scholar in Greece says Jesus' statement is purely affirmative:

According to the dictionaries, this particle is comprised of three different words:  the oppositional particle “ΜΕΝ” (men = rather), the conclusive particle “ΟΥΝ” (oon = therefore) and the certifying particle “ΓΕ” (ye = certainly). In composite form, these words do not maintain their initial significance. The fragment “ΜΕΝΟΥΝΓΕ” (men-oon-ye) is usually used at the beginning of a reply; at times, it can be used as a weighty verification and it can also be used as a certification that somehow corrects and supplements the significance of those words that precede it. The particle “ΓΕ” (ye = certainly) intensifies the meaning of the word to which it is annexed. 

Thus, the specific tract of the New Testament, could be seen as equivalent to the modern Greek expressions of “indeed”, "verily", “yes, of course”, “most certainly!”.  It is remarkable how, this same composite word “ΜΕΝΟΥΝΓΕ” (men-oon-yeh) is mentioned in three other tracts of the New Testament, with the same connotation...[he then proceeds to cite Romans 9:20, 10:18, Philippians 3:8]--Stergios N. Sakkos, Professor emeritus of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki

Now concerning the appearance of the word(s).

Some texts read menounge, others menoun.

But he said, Yea rather, blessed [are] they that hear the word of God, and keep it.--Luke 11:28 KJV

Αὐτὸς δὲ εἶπεν, Μενοῦνγε μακάριοι οἱ ἀκούοντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ φυλάσσοντες αὐτόν. --Luke 11:28 (Byzantine Majority/Textus Receptus)

αὐτὸς δὲ εἶπεν Μενοῦν μακάριοι οἱ ἀκούοντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ φυλάσσοντες.--Luke 11:28 (Westcott and Hort/Alexandrian Text) 

In Paul: 

Nay but [Μενοῦνγε], O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus?--Romans 9:20 KJV

Μενοῦνγε, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, σὺ τίς εἶ ὁ ἀνταποκρινόμενος τῷ θεῷ; Μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι, Τί με ἐποίησας οὕτως;--Romans 9:20 (Byzantine)

ὦ ἄνθρωπε, μενοῦνγε σὺ τίς εἶ ὁ ἀνταποκρινόμενος τῷ θεῷ; μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι, τί με ἐποίησας οὕτως; --Romans 9:20 (Alexandrian)

Here almost every English translation has "No, but" or "nay but." Though, "no, but" is used, the Greek professor in Greece insists it is simply "indeed." There are four variants for this verse (two are shown above), one (variant 4 mentioned below) omits men oun completely. In addition, Caragounis insists it's just emphasizing "o man" and should not be read as negating the prior verse, but read separately:

Variant 4 has good early Alexandrian support and it is, furthermore, the shortest reading, lacking the particle altogether. However, the force in Paul's words is such that it seems improbable that Paul would have failed to intensify his rhetorical question by omitting μενοῦν and especially the stronger μενοῦνγε.... 

In Rom. 9:20 Paul's imaginary interlocutor puts forward the objections (trying to show that God is unjust)..."Why is he still finding fault [with us humans]? For who has stood/can stand against his will"? In view of the criticism that is here directed toward God, Paul now contrasts the littleness and insignificance of man with God....the phrase μενοῦνγε has the function of confirming the littleness of man, by emphasizing that phrase ω ανθροπε. That is, "you who are a mere man and no more, how can you/who are you to question/controvert/gainsay what God has willed?" Thus, μενοῦνγε here must be understood in close connection with ω ανθροπε, that is, qualifying the vocative, by underlining his weak, emphemereal humanness.--Caragounis, Chrys C.. New Testament Investigations: A Diachronic Perspective. b. Μενοῦνγε. Page 36. Germany, Mohr Siebeck, 2022.

The other appearance in Romans of menounge is not disputed much as being confirming:

But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily [menounge], their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.--Romans 10:18

alla legw mh ouk hkousan menounge eiV pasan thn ghn exhlqen o fqoggoV autwn kai eiV ta perata thV oikoumenhV ta rhmata autwn--Romans 10:18 All major Greek texts 

It appears again in Philippians, where most English translations have it strictly as an affirmation with a few variants:

Yea doubtless [menounge],], and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ,--Philippians 3:8

alla menounge kai hgoumai panta zhmian einai dia to uperecon thV gnwsewV cristou ihsou tou kuriou mou di on ta panta ezhmiwqhn kai hgoumai skubala einai ina criston kerdhsw--Philippians 3:8 Textus Receptus

alla men oun kai hgoumai panta zhmian einai dia to uperecon thV gnwsewV cristou ihsou tou kuriou mou di on ta panta ezhmiwqhn kai hgoumai skubala einai ina criston kerdhsw--Philippians 3:8 Byzantine Majority

alla menounge kai hgoumai panta zhmian einai dia to uperecon thV gnwsewV cristou ihsou tou kuriou mou di on ta panta ezhmiwqhn kai hgoumai skubala ina criston kerdhsw--Philippians 3:8 Alexandrian/Westcott and Hort

The reason why later manuscript such as the "Byzantine Majority" and "Textus Receptus" have ge at the end is explained reasonable here:

...According to the 28th edition of the text of the New Testament (2015) μɛvоõν is found in the earlier manuscripts...The other reading is μενοῦνγε and it is supported by the great majority of later...manuscripts....The decision here is not straightforward....The combined form μɛvоõν occurs in post-New Testament literature down to the XII-XIIIth century only 15 times. During the same period the form μενοῦν γε occurs 25 times, while the form μενοῦνγε occurs no fewer than 69 times. It is obvious here that there is a tendency to go from μɛv οῦν to μενοῦν to μενοῦν γε and end up with μɛvоõνγε. In other words, the tendency was to strengthen the classical form μɛv οῦν by joining the two words into one word (μɛvоõν) - a tendency that was at work in post-classical times with many other words and expressions, because the older forms were felt to be inadequate to express the intensity desired. This was further intensified by the addition of the particle γε (giving the form μενοῦν γε), and the process was completed by joining γε to μενοῦν, producing μενοῦνγε. This process of development seems to suggest that Luke may have written μɛvоõν, and that the reading μɛvоõνγε is a correction by later copyists in line with general developments.--Caragounis, Chrys C.. New Testament Investigations: A Diachronic Perspective. pages 34-35. 6. μενοῦν and μενοῦνγε in the New Testament. Germany, Mohr Siebeck, 2022.

An explanation of menoun(ge) is also provided by the same author:

Like μενοῦν the tripartite particle μενοῦνγε is late, beginning to occur first in the New Testament...there are only three examples of it (Rm 9:20; 10:18 and Phil 3:8). Furthermore, there are 66 examples in Christian authors down to the Middle Ages, of which several times in quotation of Paul's words. The lexicographers, Photios (IX A.D.) Lexicon, Suda (X A.D.), Etymologicum Gudeanum (XI A.D.), Etymologicum Magnum (XII A.D.), Pseudo-Zonaras (XII A.D.) and Lexica Segueriana (Late Byz. times) all agree in giving to μενοῦνγε the meaning of to αληθες 'what is true', in other words, affirming the veracity of what is said. The oldest lexicon we possess, Hesychios (c. 500 A.D.) Lexicon...for the entry μενοῦν: τοιγαρουν, μεντοιγε και μενοῦνγε (exactly so, really/actually, rather/indeed").--Caragounis, Chrys C.. New Testament Investigations: A Diachronic Perspective. b. Menounge. Page 35. Germany, Mohr Siebeck, 2022.

If we are to take just Μενοῦν as a single compound word, it only appears in Luke 11:28. However, in the old manuscripts letters were crunched together even for words that were separate. Some manuscripts used nomina sacra, or abbreviations. The Codex Sinaiticus for instance simply reads: μενου with a line above the υ, meaning the reader would find the full word to be obvious!

μὲν οὖν as two separate words:

The separation of letters is somewhat artificial, the manuscripts smash together letters from different words.  Here it either confirms, sometimes with an improvement or correction, or is used as a transitive.

Μεν οῦν occurs often also in answers in order to express strong confirmation. For example in Platon, Thaitetos 158 d, to Sokrates' question to Theaitetos whether the matter, Theaitetos answers: ....μɛv οῦν "I certainly do" or "altogether [sc. I understand]"...Here the phrase μὲν οῦν has acquired a new meaning, which is not the sum total of the meanings of each of the two component particles.   As a consequence of its frequent use, μɛv οῦν came to be used also a transitional conjunction to what follows...In the New Testament this can be illustrated by Mk 16:19: Ὁ μὲν οὖν κύριος μετὰ τὸ λαλῆσαι αὐτοῖς ἀνελήμφθη εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ("As for/Now the Lord, after he had spoken with them, was taken up to heaven")...      

Μεν οῦν occurs also in answers, to give strong confirmation to the question and at the same time to correct and complement the question. Thus, in Aristophanes, Ekklesiazousai 1102:....Commiserating his plight, the wretched man asks: "Am I not ill-starred?" Then, he broads and answers his own question by intensifying (and thereby) correcting his earlier description of himself as 'ill-starred' (κακοδαιμων--a very frequent word that was losing its cutting edge), by using an infrequent and stronger word 'one with a heavily evil fate' (βαρυδαιμων). See also Euripides, Hippolytos 1012: ματαιοσ αρ' ην, ουδαμου μɛv οῦν φρενον "Therefore, I was a fool, what am I saying 'a fool'? Rather I was without any senses at all". His second evaluation of himself is much stronger than his first evaluation. So, here, too, there is not only confirmation but also correction and intensification. I have not found any example of μɛv οῦν with this meaning in the New Testament.--Caragounis, Chrys C.. New Testament Investigations: A Diachronic Perspective. 5. Compounds with men Acquiring a New Meaning. Pages 33-34.  Germany, Mohr Siebeck, 2022.

We can look at other instances where in software (using Scrivener's Textus Receptus 1894) Μενοῦν is broken into two as Μεν οῦν. We find Μεν οῦν 37 times in 37 verses, the red being the translation used (note some verses omit translating it):

So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.--Mark 16:19

o men oun kurioV meta to lalhsai autoiV anelhfqh eiV ton ouranon kai ekaqisen ek dexiwn tou qeou --Mark 16:19 Byzantine Majority text

And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.--Luke 3:18

Πολλὰ μὲν οὖν καὶ ἕτερα παρακαλῶν εὐηγγελίζετο τὸν λαόν--Luke 3:18 all major texts

They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.--John 19:24

εἶπαν οὖν πρὸς ἀλλήλους Μὴ σχίσωμεν αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ λάχωμεν περὶ αὐτοῦ τίνος ἔσται: ἵνα ἡ γραφὴ πληρωθῇ “ Διεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου ἔβαλον κλῆρον. Οἱ μὲν οὖν στρατιῶται ταῦτα ἐποίησαν--John 19:24 Alexandrian text

And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:--John 20:30 

When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?--Acts 1:6 

Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.--Acts 1:18 

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added [unto them] about three thousand souls.--Acts 2:41

And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. --Acts 5:41

Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.--Acts 8:4

And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. --Acts 8:25 

Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.--Acts 9:31

Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.--Acts 11:19

Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.--Acts 12:5

So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.--Acts 13:4 

Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands. --Acts 14:3

And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.--Acts 15:3

So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:--Acts 15:30

And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.--Acts 16:5

Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.--Acts 17:12

Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.--Acts 17:17

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:--Acts 17:30

And when Paul was now about to open [his] mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O [ye] Jews, reason would that I should bear with you:--Acts 18:14

Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.--Acts 19:32

Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another.--Acts 19:38

So he took him, and brought [him] to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto [him], and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee.--Acts 23:18

So the chief captain [then] let the young man depart, and charged [him, See thou] tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me.--Acts 23:22

Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought [him] by night to Antipatris.--Acts 23:31

But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself would depart shortly [thither].--Acts 25:4 

My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;--Acts 26:4

 I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.--Acts 26:9

And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.--Acts 28:5

If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.--1 Corinthians 6:4

Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather [suffer yourselves to] be defrauded?--1 Corinthians 6:7

And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.--1 Corinthians 9:25

Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me.--Philippians 2:23

If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need [was there] that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?--Hebrews 7:11

Then verily the first [covenant] had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.--Hebrews 9:1

In the later version of the same ISA software, using the Alexandrian texts, it shows 40 verses.

If we simply only used Μεν then 193 appear in the Textus Receptus--almost mostly translated as "indeed" or something similar in the KJV. Just to list a few instances:

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and [with] fire:--Matthew 3:11 

ἐγὼ μὲν ὑμᾶς βαπτίζω ἐν ὕδατι εἰς μετάνοιαν: ὁ δὲ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος ἰσχυρότερός μου ἐστίν, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς τὰ ὑποδήματα βαστάσαι: αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί--Matthew 3:11

Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.--Luke 11:48  

ἄρα μάρτυρές ἐστε καὶ συνευδοκεῖτε τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν, ὅτι αὐτοὶ μὲν ἀπέκτειναν αὐτοὺς ὑμεῖς δὲ οἰκοδομεῖτε. --Luke 11:48  

And Moses verily [was] faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;--Hebrews 3:5 

καὶ “Μωυσῆς” μὲν “πιστὸς ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ” ὡς “θεράπων” εἰς μαρτύριον τῶν λαληθησομένων,--Hebrews 3:5 

Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you--1 Peter 1:20 

προεγνωσμένου μὲν πρὸ. καταβολῆς κόσμου--1 Peter 1:20 

Regardless, whether menounge or menoun is read, it does not matter, the word virtually always, if not always, reads as an affirmation, not a negation.  

Church Fathers and Translations:

 The 2nd century Old Syriac texts per Curetonianus and Sinaiticus read:  

ܐܡܪ ܠܗܿ ܝܫܘܥ܂ ܛܘܒܝܗܘܢ ܠܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܫܡܥܝܢ ܡܠܬܗ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܘܢܛܪܝܢ ܠܗܿ--Luke 11:28 Old Syriac 

He said, "Blessed (ܛܘܒܝܗܘܢ) are they who hear the word of God and keep it"--Luke 11:28 (Old Syriac Curetonianus)

 Neither mentions "rather."

Tertullian, an early 3rd century north African apologist who wrote in Latin, who towards the end of his life joined a pentecostal cult records the account as:

Exclamat mulier de turba beatum uterum qui illum portasset, et ubera quae illum educassent. Et dominus, Immo beati qui sermonem dei audiunt et faciunt:--Tertullian, Against Marcion, Book IV, chapter 26

 A (certain) mother of the company exclaims, 'Blessed is the womb that bare You, and the paps which You have sucked;' but the Lord said, 'Yea, rather, [Immo] blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.'--Tertullian, Against Marcion, Book IV, chapter 26

Immo has a similar ambiguity as menoun: 

immo , incorrectly written īmo perh. sup. form from in, with ending mo; cf.: summus, primus; hence, I. [select] on the contrary, no indeed, by no means, or yes indeed, by all means (more commonly contradicting or essentially qualifying what precedes; but never, like minime, as an independent negative, being regularly accompanied by a clause defining the meaning; v. Krebs, Antibarb. p. 551). 

The 4th Century Greek commentator, St John Chrysostom says Jesus was not downplaying the Virgin Mary but pointing to her faith:

Knowing therefore these things, let us neither pride ourselves on children that are of good report, unless we have their virtue; nor upon noble fathers, unless we be like them in disposition. For it is possible, both that he who begot a man should not be his father, and that he who did not beget him should be. Therefore in another place also, when some woman had said, "Blessed is the womb that bare You, and the paps which You have sucked;" He said not, "The womb bare me not, neither did I suck the paps," but this, "Yea rather, blessed are they that do the will of my Father." Do you see how on every occasion He denies not the affinity by nature, but adds that by virtue? And His forerunner too, in saying, "O generation of vipers, think not to say, We have Abraham to our father," Matthew 3:7, 9 means not this, that they were not naturally of Abraham, but that it profits them nothing to be of Abraham, unless they had the affinity by character; which Christ also declared, when He said, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham;" John 8:39 not depriving them of their kindred according to the flesh, but teaching them to seek after that affinity which is greater than it, and more real.--St John Chrysostom, Homily 44 on Matthew

Think of this then, and when you hear a certain woman saying, "Blessed is the womb that bare You, and the paps which You have sucked," and Him answering, "rather blessed are they that do the will of my Father" [Luke 11:27], suppose that those other words also were said with the same intention. For the answer was not that of one rejecting his mother, but of One who would show that her having borne Him would have nothing availed her, had she not been very good and faithful. Now if, setting aside the excellence of her soul, it profited Mary nothing that the Christ was born of her, much less will it be able to avail us to have a father or a brother, or a child of virtuous and noble disposition, if we ourselves be far removed from his virtue. --St John Chrysostom, Homily 21 on the Gospel of John

The Peshitta text is another Syriac translation of the Bible, this time from the 5th Century:

  ܐܳܡܰܪ ܠܳܗ ܗܽܘ܃ ܛܽܘܒܼܰܝܗܽܘܢ̈܂ ܠܰܐܝܠܶܝܢ ܕܰܫܡܰܥܘ ܡܶܠܬܼܶܗ ܕܰܐܠܳܗܳܐ܂ ܘܢܳܛܪܺܝܢ ܠܳܗ--Luke 11:28 Peshitta text

He said to her, Blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.--Luke 11:28 Lamsa (translation of Peshitta)

The Peshitta largely follows the Old Syriac from above. 

For the last citation see the Greek professor linked below for another translation. 

St Augustine of Hippo, a late 4th century bishop and commentator states:

Therefore Mary is more blessed in receiving the faith of Christ, than in conceiving the flesh of Christ. For to a certain one who said, "Blessed is the womb, which bare You," He Himself made answer, "Yea, rather, [imo] blessed are they who hear the Word of God, and keep it." Lastly, to His brethren, that is, His kindred after the flesh, who believed not in Him, what profit was there in that being of kin? Thus also her nearness as a Mother would have been of no profit to Mary, had she not borne Christ in her heart after a more blessed manner than in her flesh.--St Augustine, Of Holy Virginity

Both St John Chrysostom and St Augustine acknowledge that her faith was necessary for her to be blessed. No one denies this. 

The Vulgate translated by St Jerome in the late 4th century/early 5th from Greek to vulgar Latin reads:

At ille dixit : Quinimmo beati, qui audiunt verbum Dei et custodiunt illud.--Luke 11:28

Quinimmo means "indeed, in fact", "furthermore." Which means St Jerome understands it as affirmative.

The modern Catholic Vulgate Bible called the "nova vulgate" that was translated in the late 20th century reads almost the same:

At ille dixit: “ Quinimmo beati, qui audiunt verbum Dei et custodiunt! ”.--Luke 11:28 (New Vulgate)

Protestant Commentaries: 

The Expositor's Greek New Testament on the verse reads:

menoun might be confirmatory (utique) or corrective (imo vero), or a little of both ; the tone of voice would show which of the two the speaker meant to be the more prominent. Correction probably was uppermost in Christ’s thoughts. Under the appearance of approval the woman was taught that she was mistaken in thinking that merely to be the mother of an illustrious son constituted felicity (Schanz). Viger (Ed. Hermann), p. 541, quotes this text as illustrating the use of menoun in the sense of imo vero, rendering: ‘‘ Quin imo, vel imo vero, beati qui audiunt verbum Dei”. Its position at the beginning of the sentence is contrary to Attic use: “‘reperitur apud solos Scriptores Macedonicos,” Sturz, De Dial. Mac. el Alez.,  . 203.—τὸν λόγον τ. θ., those who hear and keep the word of God, the truly blessed. Cf. ‘‘His word”’ in x. 39; an established phrase.--Expositor's Greek New Testament, Volume I, page 550

The editor of Expositor's Greek New Testament William Robertson Nicoll was a Calvinist.

Adam Clarke (British Methodist, Arminian leaning):

Verse 27. A certain woman - lifted up her voice, and said — It was very natural for a woman, who was probably a mother, to exclaim thus. She thought that the happiness of the woman who was mother to such a son was great indeed; but our blessed Lord shows her that even the holy virgin could not be benefited by her merely being the mother of his human nature, and that they only were happy who carried Christ in their hearts. True happiness is found in hearing the glad tidings of salvation by Christ Jesus, and keeping them in a holy heart, and practising them in an unblamable life.--Clarke Commentary, Luke 11:27

Calvinistic Baptist commentator John Gill:

But he said 

Christ said "to the woman", Persic version reads, as correcting her, though not denying it, nor reproving her for it, but improving upon it: 

yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it;

intimating, that though his mother was happy in bearing and suckling such a son, yet it was a far greater happiness to hear the word of God; meaning either himself, the eternal "Logos", so as to embrace him, believe on him, and have him formed in the heart; or the Gospel preached by him, so as to understand it, receive it as the ingrafted word, and bring forth fruit, and act in obedience to it, observe it, and abide by it, and never relinquish it. This is a greater happiness than to be related to Christ in the flesh, though ever so nearly. The Ethiopic version reads, "that hear the word of God, and believe, and keep it": for faith comes by hearing, and shows itself in doing. Barely to hear the word, and even give an assent to it, will be of little avail, unless what is heard and believed is put in practice. --John Gill's Exposition of the Bible, Luke 11:28

Albert Barnes (Presbyterian): 

Yea, rather blessed ... - Jesus admits that she was happy - that it was an honor to be his mother, but he says that the chief happiness, the highest honor, was to obey the word of God. Compared with this, all earthly distinctions and honors are as nothing. Man's greatest dignity is in keeping the holy commandments of God, and in being prepared for heaven. --Barnes' Notes on the Bible, Luke 11:28 

Matthew Poole's commentary states of course she is blessed,

Christ doth not here deny his mother to have been blessed; her cousin Elisabeth (Luke 1:42) had pronounced her blessed amongst women, and the angel had before called her highly favoured, and told her that she had found favour with God. But our Saviour here declareth that her blessing did not so much lie in that her womb bare, and her paps gave suck to him, as in that she was one who heard and kept the word of God; for he pronounces all such as did so principally blessed. Nor must we separate what God hath put together; the blessing is not pronounced to those who barely hear the word of God, the blessed and the unblessed pariter adeunt, pariter audiunt, they may go to church together, and hear the word together, but the blessing is to those that hear the word of God, and keep it. See Jam 1:22,23. The word to some that hear it may be a savour of death unto death. The soul that through grace is made obedient to the will of God, is a more happy soul than the virgin Mary was, considered merely as the mother of Christ, without the consideration of her faith and holiness.--Matthew Poole's Commentary, Luke 11:27-28

As pointed out, the woman that said, "Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked" (Luke 11:27) was fulfilling Luke 1:48:

For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.--Luke 1:48

Certainly, Jesus was not negating these words! 

The argument some Protestants make trying to degrade Mary with this verse is largely meaningless and is used because it sounds degrading to Mary, though is not.

This link is a page by a Greek Orthodox scholar Stergios N. Sakkos explains the word more.

https://thecatholicwesleyan.blogspot.com/ has a pretty long section on this.

Professor Dr. Chrys C. Caragounis posted an article on his person website largely matching his book on this matter.

To be continued.