Journals of Faculty of Orthodox Theology, Babes-Bolyai University (Romania)
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"˜Shining Face"™ as Hidden and Revealed Christology
Get PDFThe "œshining face" theology as luminous metamorphosis of a visionary has experienced three great challenges: the anthropomorphic controversy, iconoclastic debate and the hesychast dispute. This study attempts to make a mystagogical connection between those three theological developments which are standing all together in God"™s holy fire with the "˜unveiled face"™. I have imposed myself a line of research into the contemplative spirituality field, which in fact represents a hermeneutical trajectory: Glory in the NT (hidden-revealed or being-energies) "“ Glory in the NT (theosis as Christification) "“ pre-nicene Christology (eikonic and apophatic Light / glory) "“ Desert Fathers ("œshining face" christology) "“ Efrem the Syrian (clothing metaphore) "“ Dionysius the Areopagite (veils of theurgic rays and Christ"™s Presence as immanent transcendence or as tension between transcendent hiddenness and revelation) "“ Palamas hesychasm (christology of the uncreated light). I am the first who calls the light from the "Shining Faces" of the Desert Fathers as an uncreated light and a discovery of a Hidden pre-Nicene (apophatic) Christology. I have to emphasize that because these two aspects of my "˜disclosure"™ (meaning "˜uncreated"™ light and "˜hidden christology"™ to the Desert Fathers) were inspired to me by the readings in the field of palamite theology which consider that this light of the ascet"™s glowing face to be an uncreated light experienced by the body (aesthetically), an inner presence of Christ who identifies himself with His light (apophatic), He Himself being the deifying light as uncreated divine gift. All studies in the late antiquity ignore this visionary experience, reducing it to the level of a simple metaphor of light (completing the ascetic quest for "œreal self"), a metaphor in which the saint"™s life is hagiographically (mystifying!) described. A second reason for this "˜blindness"™ was a restraint coming from the Evagrian theology that draws attention to the danger of seeking visionary experiences, because in that light there is the risk of an illusory or deceitful demonic appearance. Another reason represints the fact that the hesychast controversy and the theology of the uncreated light as divine energy of the Saint Gregory Palamas"™ theology (which in Western media has long been discredited as heretical) have played a negative role in accepting the nature of uncreated light into the "œshining face" Christology of the Desert Fathers.
Keywords: Shining face, Desert Fathers, Gregory Palamas, iconoclasm, apophaticism, hesychasm, divine light, deification, theology of the ico
SFÂNTUL FOTIE, PATRIARHUL CONSTANTINOPOLULUI
Get PDFArticolul de față cuprinde viața patriarhului Fotie ınÌ‚ ainte de alegerea sa ca patriarh caÌ‚t și viața societății bizantine, cadrul politic și religios la momentul ascensiunii taÌ‚nărului Fotie. În prima sa parte articolul prezintă mai multe opinii privind data nașterii lui Fotie. Mai mulți cercetători își exprimă opiniile lor privind data nașterii începaÌ‚nd cu anul 810 paÌ‚nă la 827. Apoi tratează problema originii familiei și a copilăriei lui Fotie. De asemenea este adusă în discuție și problema educației lui Fotie. Este prezentată ascensiunea sa la curtea imperială caÌ‚t și faptul că în vremea sa societatea bizantină era grupată ınÌ‚ jurul a două partide a intransigenților și a liberarilor. În ultima parte a articolului se prezintă cadrul politic și religios înainte de alegerea lui Fotie ca patriarh
Examining the Rules of Consensus from the Canonical Perspective
Get PDF The rules of consensus posed problems for the Holy and Great Council both prior to the council and during. This paper explores some of these reasons and examines the canonical witness for a clearer understanding of consensus within the canonical tradition. The paper concludes with a call for greater conciliar activity in order to foster a more robust culture of consensus within the Orthodox Church.
Keywords: canon law, consensus, eucharistic ecclesiolog
Healing the Wounds of History
Get PDFThe history of both societies and social institutions provides us with the examples of whether acts or documents, which, while expressing various ideas and values, have become sources of political, social and cultural inspirations as well as a reference points for active struggling for these ideas and values. The examples of such documents are numerous: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN, the constitutions of particular states, the Treaty of Maastricht as a founding act of the European Union.
Another illustration of such an historic document is also the Stuttgart Declaration of Guilt (Die Stuttgarter Schulderklärung), which was released in 1945 by the Evangelical Church of Germany and today is declared to be one of its most fundamental acts. The document was prepared by the group of theologians and church leaders who were involved in the resistant movement against the German Nazi-state. The declaration confirmed an awareness on the part of the German Evangelicals that the Protestant Churches in Germany were also held responsible for the moral disaster of Nazism, even though their blame consisted, above all, in a passive attitude towards evil. The paper surveys the main aspects of the history of declaration and attempts to provide a brief reflection on its theological and sociological importance. Furthermore, it stresses the links between the secularization processes and the nationalism reflected in the history of the German state and German church.
Keywords: The Stuttgart Declaration of Guilt, Evangelical Church in Germany, nationalism, secularis
Protos. Dr. Benedict Vesa, PersonalităÅ£i duhovniceÅŸti contemporane [Contemporary spiritual personalities], 1st volume (Cluj"Napoca: RenaÅŸterea, 2016)
Get PDFThe contemporary Orthodox Theological research feels the need of works that provide an overview of the most important biographies and creations from the Christian space, and that create bridges between different faiths. Now, this need is partly answered to by the first volume from the series Contemporary spiritual personalities, written by Father Benedict Vesa
METODOLOGII EDUCAȚIONALE ÎN CONSERVAREA ȘI RESTAURAREA PICTURILOR MURALE
Get PDFLucrarea prezintă demersul istoric al formării conservatorilor și restauratorilor de pictură murală în România din momentul abordării științifice pluridisciplinare a acestui domeniu, instituțiile de învățământ superior de formare acreditate, misiunile și programa acestor departamente, teoriile de abordare, precum și cunoștințele și competențele de specialitate dobândite de viitorii specialiști
ÎNCHINAREA MAGILOR ÎN ICONOGRAFIA CREȘTINĂ
Get PDFInspirată din SfaÌ‚nta Scriptură (SfaÌ‚ntul Evanghelist Matei (2, 1-22) tema Închinarea Magilor o iÌ‚ntaÌ‚lnim iÌ‚n iconografie iÌ‚ncă din veacul al II-lea. Dintre elementele caracteristice ale tipologiei scenei reţinem: figuraţia Mariei şi a Pruncului ce apare din profil şi care se va dezvolta spre o redare frontală; prezenţa stelei; reprezentarea magilor ce iÌ‚n vestimentaţie vor iÌ‚nregistra haine persane (bonete), iÌ‚ncepaÌ‚nd din secolul al III-lea. IÌ‚n arta bizantină şi postbizantină, tema Închinării magilor apare adeseori inclusă în reprezentările Nașterii Domnului, dar poate fi reprezentată și individual. PreluaÌ‚nd schema compoziţională a vechilor modele din catacombe şi sarcofage, tema IÌ‚nchinării este tratată cu mult interes de o serie de creatori iÌ‚ncepaÌ‚nd din spaţiul postbizantin şi paÌ‚nă la iÌ‚nceputul Barocului: Giotto, Gentile da Fabriano, Weyden și mai taÌ‚rziu Bosch, Botticelli, Leonardo și paÌ‚nă la Mantegna sau Dürer vor iÌ‚mbogăți tema. IÌ‚n Bizanț tema rămaÌ‚ne iÌ‚n limitele icoanei, iar odată că zorii Evului Mediu, personajele se umanizează, pierzaÌ‚ndu-şi aura lor de mister, fiind cuprinse, mai taÌ‚rziu, iÌ‚n compoziţii tot mai sofisticate, ample.
 
The Importance of Fasting and Its Observance for Tomorrow
Get PDFThe article theologically examines the document on fasting adopted at the Crete Council in 2016. With respect to fasting, as an obligatory practice, we could notice negative consequences in Church life, more than positive ones. For example, Eucharist has been understood as a cult with less relation to the world. It became only a ritual on the periphery of the Church"™s life. The emphasis on food as the most important value has a negative outcome for the relationship between our theology and our clergy. In most cases, obligatory fasting practice strips our Christian identity to an identity based merely around food. For all these reasons, the article advises that the Church should advocate fasting but no longer as an obligatory practice.
Keywords: alienation, Eucharist, Church, lay people, fasting, Kingdom of Go
SAINT PHOTIUS, THE PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE
Get PDFThe present article provides information about the life of Photius the Patriarch before his enthronement, as well as a sketch of the life in the byzantine society, the political and religious framework at the moment of Photius"™s ascension. The first part of the article presents more opinions about Photius"™s date of birth. Many researchers express their opinions concerning his date of birth, starting with the years 810 until 827. Then the article outlines the problem of Photius"™s family origin and his childhood. Furthermore, it brings about the issue of Photius"™s education. It presents his ascension to the imperial court, as well as the fact that the byzantine society was divided into two parties of the hardliners and of the liberals. The last part of the article presents the political and religious framework before Photius"™s enthronement as a patriarch
ROMANIAN-GERMAN INTERFERENCES DURING CONSTANTIN BRÂNCOVEANU"™S REIGN
Get PDFIt is well known that Constantin BraÌ‚ncoveanu"™s reign represented an apogee in the development of Ţara RomaÌ‚nească, having at the same time influences upon the other Romanian principalities. One of the most interesting chapters is the links with different German cities, among which we can mention Halle too. In the following research we are going to refer to a few moments of the Romanian history relations with the University of this town