Case parohiale din mediul urban transilvan ale Bisericii Evanghelice C.A. din România

Author(s): Liliana D. Cazacu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 26/2018

The literature on the history of the Transylvanian Saxons is broad and comprehensive . However, little has been written about the buildings of the Evangelical Church A.C. in Romania and it is focusing on the churches and their fortification. Other types of constructions owned by this institution are scarcely documented, thus almost unknown in the specialized literature, although highly valuable from the functional, cultural and aesthetic perspective. This is especially true about the parsonages that hold a remarkable value: within the European context and Transylvanian specificity, they were among the most important factors in the evolution and diversification of the housing stock over the centuries.

Chronik

Author(s): Mariana Vlad,Doris Sava,Sigrid Haldenwang,Paul Niedermaier,Nora Căpățână / Language(s): German Issue: 61/2018

God’s Knowledge: A Study on The Idea of Al-Ghazālī And Maimonides

Author(s): Özcan Akdağ / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2018

Whether God has a knowledge is a controversial issue both philosophy and theology. Does God have a knowledge? If He has, does He know the particulars? When we assume that God knows particulars, is there any change in God’s essence? In the theistic tradition, it is accepted that God is wholly perfect, omniscience, omnipotent and wholly good. Therefore, it is not possible to say that there is a change in God. Because changing is a kind of imperfection. On God’s knowledge, another controversial issue is whether God knows particulars or not. Most of theist thinkers argued that God is wholly perfect; because of perfectness, He must have perfect attributes. Knowing and goodness are a kind of perfect attributes. Ignoring and evil are a kind of imperfectness. If God is perfect being, He should have the perfect attributes and must know the particulars. For me in this subject, there are some similarities between al-Ghazālī and Maimonides. In this study I took into consideration the idea of al-Ghazālī and Maimonides on this subject. Based on Griffel and Stroumsa’s argument, I tried to show similarity between al-Ghazālī and Maimonides on God’s knowledge.

Negation in the language of theology – some issues

Author(s): Adam Olszewski / Language(s): English Issue: 65/2018

The paper consists of two parts. In the first one I present some general remarks regarding the history of negation and attempt to answer the philosophical question concerning the essence of negation. In the second part I resume the theological teaching on the degrees of certainty (notae theologice) and point to five forms of negation – known from other areas of research -- as applied in the framework of theological investigations.

The Religious Education of Polish Youth in the Face of Changes in Religiosity

Author(s): Paweł Mąkosa / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2018

In recent years, there has been a significant change in the religiosity of Poles, especially among the youth. Religious education for the youth, however, has remained basically unchanged. Therefore, there is an urgent need to determine the causes of this change in religiosity and respond properly to it. This article first presents the results of sociological research on the religiosity of Polish youth conducted in the last few years, particularly 2013-2016. These results prove that Polish young people believe increasingly less in God, participate increasingly less frequently in the liturgy, and increasingly contest the moral teachings of the Church. The article then proceeds to explain the reasons for these changes, among which is what is broadly understood as a contemporary culture in which rationalism, pluralism, and tolerance dominate. The final part of the article presents ideas to enrich religious education with elements that will address the challenges of the present and make it possible to reach Polish youth.

Mercurius – Hermes-Thot. O statuetă de bronz din Dobrogea romană

Author(s): Costel Chiriac,George Nuţu / Language(s): English,Romanian Issue: 1/2009

The authors present a bronze statuette representing Mercurius-Thot, discovered in an unknown place of the Roman Dobroudja (Moesia Inferior) and now included in the collections of the Constanta Museum of National History and Archaeology. The Egyptian Mercurius type has not yet been attested in the north of the province, but it is reflected in a series of discoveries coming from its south, where many monuments presenting this god, in fact one of the most popular divinities of the province's Pantheon, were found. Bronze statuettes of the god were discovered at Tomis, Durostorum, Oescus, Novae, Nicopolis ad Istrum, inside the manufacturing centre of Butovo and also in the Tolbuhin area. The spreading of these representations seems to be confined to the urban areas and the handicraft centres. Most of these statuettes can be regarded as import objects, but a series of them may be included in the inventory of local, provincial art products, to which the statuette presented above might also belong. A statuette of Mercurius-Thot, belonging to the so called „Gruppe Popovo”, might be a proof of this type of production in Moesia Inferior, besides the traditional areas of Egypt, Italy and Gaul.

Sakrament chrztu w służbie communio ecclesiae. Teologiczne i prawne aspekty kanonów 849-878 KPK (1983)

Author(s): Robert Ptak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2018

The sanctifying task of the Church is carried out in a special way through the celebration of the sacraments. They were established by Jesus Christ and entrusted to the Church as the means by which faith is expressed and strengthen, worship is given to God and human sanctification is accomplished. They also contribute to the introduction, strengthening and external visibility of the ecclesial community (communio ecclesiae). The sacrament of baptism is the foundation of Christian life, the gateway to the other sacraments, and the foundation on which the community of the Church is built. Theological and legal aspects of canons 849-878 of the Code of Canon Law (1983) concern: the meaning and effects of the sacrament of baptism, the baptismal ordinances, the minister and the person receiving the sacrament, the baptismal ordinances, the confirmation and recording of the baptism received.

Kościół i społeczności lokalne w Białorusi w obliczu wyzwań społecznych

Author(s): Vitali Burko / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2018

This article discusses the specifics of the functioning of the Church and local communities in Belarus in the face of social challenges. It presents the statistics of religious confessions, outlines the structure of the „local community” in its scientific, theoretical and practical aspects, shows the role of the Church and local communities in the implementation of civil defense and defines arsenal of general self-defense.

Jedyny znak”. Druga podróż do Egiptu Włodzimierza Sołowjowa

Author(s): Jan Krasicki / Language(s): Polish Issue: 15/2017

The article deals with Vladimir Solovyov’s second journey to Egypt (1898). It is argued that the trip and the resulting inner experiences had a decisive impact on Solovyov’s spiritual life and the poetic and philosophical work of his “eschatological” period (1898–1900). While concentrating on the interpretation of Solovyov’s poetry of that time, the author analyzes the spiritual dimension of the philosopher’s experiences of the Sophic and the demonic, and investigates their interdependencies. The problem is undertaken with an eye on Solovyov’s own work but it also addresses the spiritual (mystical and ascetic) tradition of the Church. In conclusion it is shown that the ultimate meaning of the philosopher’s Egyptian experience is highlighted in his eschatology. It should be noted that the issue is examined from the perspectives of both the older and the recent critical literature on the subject.

el-Etvâru’t-târîhiyye fi’t-te‘âmul ma‘a mes’eleti’s-semâ‘ fi’l-ezmineti’l-kilâsikiyye: ile’l-karni’s-sâdis enmûzecen

Author(s): Mohamad Anas Sarmini / Language(s): Arabic Issue: 50/2018

The issues related to listening and playing with music instruments in the history of fiqh are rich of aspects of opinions and arguments. The basic question was whether the issue of music is originally permissible or forbidden. According to the first opinion, the prohibiting evidence are for exceptional types of music, and for the second opinion, the evidence that allows certain models of singing and musical instruments those are the exceptions. It has been noticed that there is a certain characteristic of each era in the classical centuries, when very few exceptions have been advocated by Ulama. In one century the Hadith approach dominated, while in the other century, the mystic approach or the jurisprudential approach outweighed the other approach. In another era, a moderate approach is observed, however strict approach is observed in another era. This research, in addition to revealing these views on the issue, tries to analyze the reasons for the emergence of such views, their relations with previous periods, and their influence on later periods.

Prirodzenosť dobra a existencia zla v diele Aurélia Augustína „De natura boni“

Author(s): / Language(s): Slovak,Latin Issue: 2/2018

In this paper we propose the Saint Augustine‘s conception of the good and evil, which could be found in his essay De natura boni. The first translation into the Slovak language of the first chapters of this discourse is incorporated into this work as well. The main goal is held on the explication of the nature of good and the existence of evil in the God’s creation. We try to show that Saint Augustine in his teaching proclaims that there is no evil principle, or evil god as the source of any bad creation. We will see that the only creator is God, the highest good and the principle of all creatures created ex nihilo. According to Saint Augustine’s thinking the evil does not exist. There exists only the created good on the different stages of its perfection. To explain it we will see how Saint Augustine introduces the three categories – the measure, the form and the order, that have the influence on the perfection of the creatures.Saint Augustine, the one of the biggest and in the history the most influential thinker of the Western Church, in his apologetic discourse having the title De natura boni (On the nature of Good) against the Manichaean dualism deals with the metaphysical question concerning the origin of good and evil. Using the platonic philosophy and the doctrine of emanation he proclaims that the highest good is God who claims ex nihilo the existence of all creatures. So, it is clear that the creatures having their origin the highest good must be good as well. Saint Augustine queries what good is itself? In his teaching he defines the good as nature. And nature is obviously good for him. The bishop of Hippo discerns in reality the three types of nature. The first one is nature not having been created, unchangeable and spiritual which is God itself. The second one is nature spiritual which is having been made and which is changeable. And finally the last one, the third nature is defined by Saint Augustine as nature created, corporeal, which could be modified and changed. All these natures are certainly good and they differ only on their stage of perfection and on the distance, which separates them from God. If the creatures are more elongated from the God, the source of good and perfection, they are less perfect and vice versa. There are also the other factors, which could modify the quality of the creatures. These factors are described by Saint Augustine as the categories that influence the nature of the creatures. He distinguishes three of them – the measure, the form and the order. The measure, form and order are in fact the three constitutional elements of each nature, of each being. The corruption of one of them corrupts the nature itself, not only the good of creature, but it is being obviously. And Saint Augustine believes that the destruction of only one of these three elements could destroy the whole being of the creature. It is evident that the creatures differ between them by the amount of the measure, form and order. In the question of the origin of evil our bishop of Hippo proceeds analogically. All created natures; all created beings are good by their nature. The good God can create only good creatures because he wants them to be good and perfect. The evil represents simply the absence of the good, the corruption or destruction of any of elements held in the nature of the being. At the end of our paper we could find the translation from Latin to Slovak language of elected chapters concerning the matter of good and evil taken from the Saint Augustine’s treatise De natura boni.

Bischöfe, Humanisten und einfache Lutherfeinde. Die Kontakte des Erasmus nach Polen im Spiegel seines Briefwechsels

Author(s): Christoph Galle / Language(s): German Issue: 1/2017

How has the reformation in Germany been criticized by the intellectual, secular, and ecclesiastical elite of the Polish kingdom? Which different positions are to be made, even in their temporal development? Have there been followers or even patrons of the reformatory ideas in Poland at all? To give answers to these questions, the correspondence of Erasmus of Rotterdam has been chosen, as he not only stayed in contact with numerous Polish or in Poland living people, but he also acts for them as the most important person to give information about the development in Germany.

Fonti umanistiche nel pensiero di Christian Francken

Author(s): Mario Biagioni / Language(s): Italian Issue: 1/2017

The radical reformer Christian Francken (1552–1610?) was deeply influenced by Pietro Pomponazzi and, later, by Sextus Empiricus. Much less important was the influence of Neoplatonism. Pomponazzi’s works were the main sources in his early theological and philosophical writings from the Breve colloquium Iesuiticum (1579) to the Praecipuarum enumeratio causarum (1584). The influence of Sextus Empiricus became crucial from around 1587, when Francken began writing the Disputatio de incertitudine religionis Christianae, where he exhibited a sharp skeptical attitude that led him not far from unbelief.

Confessio im Konflikt. Eine Projektvorstellung

Author(s): Christian Volkmar Witt / Language(s): German Issue: 1/2017

The German Research Foundation Network "Confessions in conflict. Religious perception of self and others in the seventeenth century” intends to pursue the connections between medially and discursively expressed perceptions of self and others and subjective individual confessions in their early modern forms. It will illuminate the interaction of the act of confession and the formation of perception, and investigate its forms of realization and articulation in the seventeenth century. In this context the influencing factors of the confession, as medially expressed, should be emphasized just as much as its impact through historiographical reception.

„To jest owczarnia onego Dobrego Pasterza”. Pojęcie „prawdziwego” Kościoła w polskich szesnastowiecznych katechizmach

Author(s): Waldemar Kowalski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2016

The paper focuses on the way in which the authors of Polish Catholic and Evangelical catechisms of the 16th century understood and explained of the idea of the Church. According to the decrees of the Council of Trent, the Catholic Church was presented as the continuator of the teachings of the Apostles, with its power deriving from the authority of the Pope, the successor of Peter, and unity of faith confirmed by miracles. Protestant theologists preach about the visible church, which exists wherever the pure Word of God is preached, and claim that sacraments are administered in accordance with the Gospel. The universal invisible Church exists alongside the visible Church. It connects every person following the Christ, who is the only head of his Church.

The Book of Job as a Drama: Interpretation Possibilities

Author(s): Agata Szepe / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2018

The article examines an interpretation possibility to read the structure of the Book of Job as a drama structure. It shows that some of the apparent paradoxes and contradictions in the text can be understood as an inner logic of a drama. The seeming incoherence of narrative Prolog and Job's later statements can be easily reconciled by following through the dramatic cause-effect sequences and seeing the events as happening in permanently changing present. The dramatic approach enables to see the meeting between God and Satan as an unsuccessfully attempt to make a bet. Deprived from omniscient narrator’s perspective, the drama shows various attitudes, without pointing directly which is the best one. Full of paradoxes and contradictory statements, the main hero’s style can be compared with a modern stream of consciousness. The culminating point of the drama shows a durable change in Jobs posture and leads to surprising changes on a metalinguistic level.

Z teorii i praktyki wychowania moralnego w szkole

Author(s): Teresa Zubrzycka-Maciąg / Language(s): Polish Issue: 11/2018

The plurality of values present in contemporary society causes disturbing changes in the axiosphere of children and adolescents, requiring urgent care for their moral upbringing. In order to introduce the young generation to the world of values, the main responsibility lies, apart from parents, primarily on teachers, pedagogues, school psychologists and catechists, who provide professional educational interactions due to their professional roles. The article presents the theoretical assumptions of providing a moral education in school and confronting these with educational practices. Based on the results of their own surveys, the views, competences and dilemmas of school teachers and psychologists related to the moral upbringing of children are shown.

Rola wartości uniwersalnych − odpowiedzialność w opinii nauczycieli

Author(s): Magdalena Barabas / Language(s): Polish Issue: 11/2018

Fostering a value system in line with the universal values of children and adolescents constitutes a globally significant challenge for parents and teachers alike. Teachers play a crucial part in the education process. The teacher or tutor should not reduce his or her role to simply spreading knowledge on moral values and the standards of conduct stemming from them, but above all they should foster certain moral sensitivity in their students by acting as an example of moral conduct. Responsibility is one of the universal values which deserves close attention. The aim of this article is to direct attention to this axiological category, which represents one of many universal values. The article includes the author's own research findings, which illustrate the educational reality in terms of teachers' views on the subject of responsibility.

Działalność szkoły brackiej w Mińsku od II połowy XVI wieku do XVIII wieku

Author(s): Marcin Mironowicz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 20/2018

Article describes history of brotherhood’s school in Minsk in 16th-18th century, from beginnings of school located in castle’s church of the Most Holy Virgin Marry to situated in monastery of saints Peter and Paul. Together with activities of brotherhood’s school, was described activity of church’s brotherhood in wider range – struggle for preservation of identity against increasingly in force Union.

The Communist Impact on Religion in Romania

Author(s): Irina Stahl / Language(s): English Issue: 21/2018

This study questions the impact of over forty years of atheistic communist rule on the religious practices and beliefs of Romanians. Multiple national and international databases and reports provided the information necessary for an investigation of religious practices and beliefs following the collapse of the communist regime. An historical review provided the needed background and base for comparison of the extent and type of impact the communist government had on religion. The evidence supported the conclusion that communist restrictions did little more than force religious practice out of the public space, despite its atheistic ideology and its harsh treatment of believers. Religious practices and beliefs, however, survived and have progressively prospered, reclaiming visibility in the public space after the end of communist rule.