Filantropia bisericii, de la forma declamativă la cea practică
The Philanthropy of the Church: from Declarative to Practical

Summary/Abstract: Throughout history, philanthropic work has been done out of love for man. The ultimate philanthropist is God. We also have Jesus Christ as a model of philanthropy. A huge momentum to the increase of social care was given by the anthropological principles of Christianity. Philanthropy is a spiritual way of life, a mode of leading a spiritual life. In time, individual charity gave place to institutionalized philanthropy. We have established charitable institutions organized by the Church for the sick, the poor, the elderly, etc.., which were located around the church and had a priest providing guidance. Many of them operated inside monasteries. A model of philanthropy is represented by St. Basil the Great. Diaconal vocation, following the example of St. Basil the Great, continued in the Byzantine world and the national Orthodox churches. The Romanian Orthodox Church is the one who set up the first hospitals in Romania. The Romanian Orthodoxy has practiced highly intensive philanthropic work in the course of time.

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