Hybris and ekklesia Cover Image

Hybris şi ekklesia
Hybris and ekklesia

Author(s): Vasile Bănescu
Subject(s): Cultural Essay, Political Essay, Societal Essay
Published by: Vatra Literară
Keywords: the Orthodox Romanian Church today; the necessity of a dialogue between church and believers; the church as state institution; nationalism; lithurgical isolationism; ecclesiastical autism; the crisis of the religious education;

Summary/Abstract: The author starts by pointing out the equivalence between the Greek word ‘hybris’ and the Christian concept of demonic pride. But in spite of this, there are many priests that are driven by such an ecclesiastic ‘hybris’. This is not a very good attitude, since it can drive you mad, and, of course, the others too. This dangerous attitude can make you turn away from reason and senses towards the void and the unessential. If a priest is driven by such a postmodernist dementia, he can either ignore his mission towards his followers, either isolate himself in the erudition per se, either use the religious institution just for the sake of his carrier. There is no point in saying that all these alternatives are bad. The causes must be identified in the nature of the Romanian society, its new pragmatism and religious indifference. There is also the transformation of the churches into tourist attractions – which is bad too. But the worst factor is the ideological enclosure of the Orthodox Church, which can be traced already in its scholar system: this pedagogical space has to be opened.

  • Issue Year: 2007
  • Issue No: 03
  • Page Range: 76-80
  • Page Count: 5
  • Language: Romanian