HUMANIZING THEOLOGY IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY ROMANIAN SPIRITUAL LITERATURE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ARSENIE BOCA’S CUVINTE VII AND CĂRAREA ÎMPĂRĂȚIEI AND NICOLAE STEINHARDT’S JURNALUL FERICIRII
HUMANIZING THEOLOGY IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY ROMANIAN SPIRITUAL LITERATURE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ARSENIE BOCA’S CUVINTE VII AND CĂRAREA ÎMPĂRĂȚIEI AND NICOLAE STEINHARDT’S JURNALUL FERICIRII

Summary/Abstract: This study offers a comprehensive comparative analysis of three seminal works in twentieth-century Romanian spiritual literature: Cuvinte vii and Cărarea Împărăției by Arsenie Boca, and Jurnalul fericirii by Nicolae Steinhardt. Boca’s works, rooted in monastic pedagogy, emphasize ethical guidance, structured spiritual formation, and meditative reflection, while Steinhardt’s diary, written under the constraints of imprisonment, offers an existential and polyphonic witness where suffering, joy, and moral responsibility converge. By analyzing genre, style, imagery, and thematic concerns, this study highlights how both authors humanize theology, embedding divine truths within lived human experience. The study demonstrates that Boca’s prescriptive and structured approach complements Steinhardt’s experiential, dialogical reflections, offering readers a holistic understanding of Romanian spiritual thought in the twentieth century.

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