About us...
Father Alexandre, could you tell us a bit about yourself and your personal journey?
I am French, born in Paris to Serbian parents. I lived and grew up in the suburbs of Paris until 1995, when I decided to move to London, England. There, I met my wife, who is Swedish. We married and now have three children.
Between 1996 and 2002, I studied at the Saint Sergius Institute of Orthodox Theology in Paris, completing several years of study and ultimately earning my degree in theology.
After our marriage, my wife and I settled in Sweden, in the suburbs of Stockholm, where we still live today with our three children.
In 2014, I was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Job (Getcha).
Your academic background is rather modest...
One must not make the mistake of equating a person’s academic rank or status with their level of knowledge or skill. The two do not necessarily correlate—far from it!
In fact, my course, The Bible in 24 Hours, demonstrates that it is possible to deliver teaching of equal or even superior quality to that of academic institutions, without necessarily holding prestigious degrees.
As for myself, I am largely self-taught and have continued studying to this day! I have read most of the same books my theologian colleagues have, yet I have also embraced the freedom to incorporate other types of reading into my education. Early on, I felt the need to complement my theological knowledge by broadening my understanding in other fields, such as the natural sciences, political science, and philosophy. Looking back, I can say that these areas provide a perfect complement to theological knowledge—and this influence is, in fact, quite evident in my courses.
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Who are your main influences in theology?
My influences are almost exclusively Orthodox. Although I have certainly read numerous authors from other religious traditions—Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish—their perspectives generally did not align with my own. This preference is reflected in the recommended readings at the end of each chapter, where I always tend to favour Orthodox literature.
Returning to your question, in terms of the Church Fathers, my greatest influences are St. John Climacus, St. Macarius of Egypt, and St. Gregory of Nyssa. To these names, I would also add St. Symeon the Theologian and, of course, the indispensable St. John Chrysostom.
In theology, my most significant influence is Father Alexander Schmemann, a renowned Orthodox liturgical theologian, along with Metropolitan Anthony Bloom, whom I had the privilege of knowing personally.
Lastly, in the realm of philosophy, I have read and reread all the works of Nikolai Berdyaev, for whom I hold deep admiration.
In a very real sense, these remarkable figures have been my true teachers, and I was formed within their spiritual school.
How many languages do you speak?
I speak four languages fluently: French, English, Serbian, and Swedish. I also have a basic knowledge of Koine Greek and Hebrew.
Why did you create this Bible course?
This program was born out of a realisation: In the West, today’s younger generations are perhaps the most ignorant about the Christian Faith that history has ever known. Most can't even answer basic questions like "What is the meaning of Christmas or Easter?" or "What is celebrated during these holidays?" And so on...
In light of this obvious reality, the typical Christian response is often to encourage people to read the Bible. After all, it is in the Bible where we find all the elements that form the core of the Christian religion and all our major religious celebrations. However, the Bible is a book of over a thousand pages, which at times can seem quite complex and difficult to understand. Thus, it’s easy to see why someone might feel discouraged by the idea of opening such a monumental book. What was needed, therefore, was a course that provides the essential keys to reading and understanding the Bible.
I noticed that there were many Bible study programs available, but these often had the same drawbacks: they were often very long (spanning months or even years) and quite expensive. Moreover, the quality of these teachings could often leave much to be desired. Either the study plan was poorly structured and tedious (too long and not to the point), or the course took a liberal approach. The result: sometimes, Christians would engage in these Bible courses and come out with a weaker faith than when they began... and that is completely unacceptable! This is the primary reason why I embarked on this project. I felt I could offer a better alternative.
The course I created aims to address all these issues. It is designed for everyone—whether for those who know nothing about the Bible or for those who wish to consolidate or deepen their knowledge further—and, most importantly, it delivers essential teaching in record time.
How long did it take you to develop your course?
It’s the work of a lifetime! I began taking notes at the start of my theological studies in 1995... though at that time, I didn’t yet know it would be for this project. The idea came to me in 2020, at the beginning of the Covid crisis. That’s when I began to build my program, lesson by lesson, chapter by chapter, until 2023, when I added the finishing touches. That’s nearly 4 years of very intense work.
Tell us a bit about the process behind your work...
The content of each of my lessons is entirely my own work. There is no risk of finding any trace of plagiarism, Chat-GPT, or liberal influences! I have carefully selected my sources, always prioritizing Orthodox authors.
In its structure, the program is somewhat similar to a doctoral thesis, with a general theme centered on the Bible: it is extremely rigorous and filled with countless sources and references aimed at supporting every point raised in the lessons. For me, it was essential to be able to defend every sentence and assertion found in my program.
At the same time, I offer my own contribution and personal reflection on questions such as "What is the Bible?" and, more importantly, "What is its significance and the relevance of its teachings in our time?" These are questions I consider essential, and I provide very clear answers to them.
Why is the Orthodox orientation of your program important?
First and foremost, because the Orthodox Church is the one that gave us the Bible in its final form: it was the first Church (the Apostolic Church) that finalized its composition by giving us the writings of the New Testament. Then, it was their successors who translated, copied, and transmitted it to make it known to the world. Finally, it is the Orthodox Church that defined its canonical boundaries during the great Ecumenical Councils.
This continuity between the work of the early Christian generations and that of the following generations demonstrates that it is the same Church at work. Our task today is to continue this work and educate the new generations.
But to return to the question, the Orthodox orientation of our program aims to place the reading of the Bible within its original Tradition. From the very specific perspective of the Orthodox Church, the Bible is not read "for oneself," isolated from any ecclesial context, but it is read within the Church, meaning in the light of its liturgical, patristic, and even apologetic tradition.