Gastfreundschaft – sie macht unsere Kirchen gottförmig und menschlich zugleich
Pastoraltheologische Anmerkungen
Hospitality - it makes our churches godlike and humanly at the same time.
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Pastoraltheologische Anmerkungen
Hospitality - it makes our churches godlike and humanly at the same time.
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Hospitality makes our churches alike to God and human
More...Love for „an Enemy“ – the Way to Hospitability
Hospitality as the love of the enemy
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Review of: ONDRÁŠIK, I.: Problém a tajomstvo zmyslu života : Filozofi cká a kresťanská perspektíva. 154 s. Ružomberok : Ján Šindléry – TESFO, 2016. ISBN 978–80–89253–72–2
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International Scientific Conference on "Religion and Migration"
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The study analyses a request of Pope Gregory XI related to the financial revenues of the Papacy payable by the Teutonic Order for its property in Transylvania. Only that the request is from 1373, while the order was banished from Transylvania in 1225. The study answers the question: why is claimed a property confiscated 150 years ago? The answer is that the Holy See has never recognized the confiscation of the Teutonic property, as the documents show over the time and the fiscal needs of Pope Gregory XI in 1373 are for supporting a new crusade. In the context is remembered the great inquiry from 1373 for the census of all properties of the Hospitaller Knights intended to provide financial benefits for the crusade. The study concludes that the Holy See has not legally and patrimonially abandoned the Teutonic property in Transylvania.
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The historical events of the 1848-1849 Revolution determined both material prejudice and human sacrifice among the Romanian people, including the priests of the Arad Diocese with its canonical jurisdiction from the North of the Mureş River till the Criş River area, and also including the counties of Arad, Bihor and Zarand, under the spiritual guidance of the Arad Bishop Gherasim Raţ (1835-1850).
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The first treatise dealing explicitly with theology of the icon in medieval Rus’ was preserved in an anonymous work known as Poslanie iconopistsu (Letter to the Iconographer) written at the end of the 15th century which contains three sermons. These three sermons later became part of the famous Prosvetitel (Enlightener) compiled by Joseph of Volokolamsk. The paper makes an investigation into the problem of the hidden sources of the Letter to the Iconographer which almost entirely consists of verbal quotations from different earlier theological texts. Among the cited writings there are five Byzantine dogmatic works written in defense of icons and translated into Church Slavonic which are of outstanding importance. In the case of these works the method of borrowing their passages and the additional content these gain in their new contexts where they were transplanted shed light to the aims and interests of the 15–16th century Russian theologian which are apparently different from those of his Byzantine predecessors. It is especially interesting to observe how the Russian author tries to legitimate the icon of the Holy Trinity by the aid of the different arguments of Byzantine apologists.
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One of the most widely received views in modern assessments of Socrates’ morality might be summarized by Leo Strauss’ characterization of him as “conscience’s greatest saint of all”. From Hegel through Nietzsche to Hannah Arendt and beyond Socrates has been considered as unorthodox in his moral and religious views, to the extent that in terms of traditional Greek (competitive) values he might be argued to have been guilty of “not believing in the gods of the city”, that is, in the traditional pantheon of Greek religion and to have promoted values that threatened to undermine traditional morality. This essay addresses the issue of how far and in what sense Socrates was a representative of moral conscience and how far he deviated from traditional values. The author first closely examines the textual evidence adduced for the thesis that Socrates’ notorious daimonion is a premonition of or a symbol for conscience and by exposing some modern assumptions behind the thesis argues that the daemonic sign is a superhuman agency of providence rather than that of conscience. The second part locates the workings of conscience in the story of the Delphic oracle in Plato’s Apology and argues that Socrates puzzlement about the oracle derives from his unconditional compliance with the Delphic admonishion, “Know thyself”. This compliance and the general awareness of a moral and epistemic gap between the divine and the human is analogous to what we mean by “good conscience” today. The lack of this awareness, on the other hand, entails αμαθια a serious epistemic and moral deficiency Socrates as the living conscience of Athens is attempting to purge citizens of by his elenchtic activity.
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This article presents the increasingly popular phenomenon of vegetarianism from the perspective of moral theology. After synthetically describing the different types of vegetarianism, this study identified what motivates people to refrain from the consumption of meat and animal products. Vegetarians’ sensitivity to the fate of livestock as well as their ascetic motivations do not incite any moral objections, but rather can be considered a moral ideal. Responsibly practicing vegetarianism poses no threats to human health. The main objections to vegetarianism pertain to the ideologies and doctrines that motivate people to practice it; for, these ideologies oppose a Christian understanding of creation.
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Philosophy of history practiced in the early modern period and nowadays in Poland appears to be one of the principal trends of Polish philosophical thinking. This thought encompasses various themes and is anchored in realism and Thomistic personalism. Polish representatives of philosophy of history do not disregard theology of history and perceive Christian faith as a historical reality. Therefore apart from philosophy of history they develop theology of history where the understanding of the past of your own nation is a crucial element. In this context the thought of Thomas Aquinas inspires to view history from the philosophical and theological perspective. Franciszek Sawicki, Franciszek Manthey and Czesław Bartnik in their research answer the question about the sense of time and history and the significance of historical processes. They originate from the school of traditional Thomism but they also have a thorough knowledge of modern philosophy Thanks to them we may speak of philosophy of history in Poland which deserves reflection and which is the source of the thought of St. John Paul II. Among them the reflection of Franciszek Sawicki deserves special attention. For Sawicki, Thomism is important as a value which organises his own presentation of the problem. It is, by no means, the repetition of the old tradition as Sawicki frequently refers to the modern thought. The question about the reference of Polish philosophy of history to Thomism is principally realized through personalist references and building social ethic based on philosophy and theology of nation where solidarity and participation are dominant. The abovementioned philosophers, F. Sawicki in particular, focus on the question about man in their reflection on history. For all of them it is Christianity that demonstrates the right form for references among people, the discovery of truth, moral and social activity as well as social and supernatural life, human autonomy and its relation to God.
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St. Thomas Aquinas is referred to by Tradition as the Angelic Doctor due to his systematic studies on a number of questions concerning angelology. John Paul II, alluding to this title in Fides et Ratio, presents St. Thomas as a “master of the art of thinking and the model of practicing theology”, directing our attention to the exceptional and always relevant nature of Aquinas’ approach to the relation between faith and reason. As the Pope observes, the relevance of this approach is linked to the fact that erroneous perspectives in this field, in the form of fideism and the extreme rationalism which dominated the culture of modern Europe, have led to an acute crisis. According to John Paul II, the exceptionality of Aquinas’ approach lies in his skilful reconciliation of the supernatural and the rational character of the act of faith, and in his combining faith and reason into a unity, while respecting the indispensible autonomy of cognitive fields based on faith and purely rational reflection. Although there are no direct references to angelology in the encyclical, the presentation by the Angelic Doctor of the truths of faith, in this respect, constitutes a rewarding source of examples of fruitful cooperation between these two metaphorical wings of faith and reason, which in Fides et Ratio enable man to ascend to the heights of knowledge.
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De tous les voyageurs qui, dans la première moitié du XIXème siècle, ont visité le village himalayen de Kanam, où travailla durant trois ans et demi Alexandre Csoma de Korös, fondateur de la tibétologie européenne, le médecin prussien Werner Hoffmeister est celui qui en a fourni la description la plus précise et la plus complète. Publiée en 1847 à Braunschweig, la lettre qu'il avait envoyée de l'Inde avant sa mort prématurée lors de la guerre anglo-sikhe, est aujourd'hui introuvable dans les collections publiques, même en Allemagne. Elle constitue un document d'autant plus précieux qu' elle a été écrite trois ans seulement après la disparition du savant hongrois.
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Human rights hold an important place in Pope John Paul II’s teaching to diplomats. The dignity of the human person serves as the basis for the pope’s reflection on human rights. In his teaching, the pope taught diplomats how to understand, comprehend, and explain human rights. This publication aims to show in light of Pope John Paul II’s teaching that respect for human rights is a moral duty of diplomacy. For the pope, respect for human rights is, on the one hand, an appropriate platform for dialogue with the world and, on the other hand, a way to introduce Christian values into modern culture. John Paul II respected all diplomatic activities aimed at promoting human rights.
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This article details the pastoral ministry of Archbishop Kazimierz Świątek, who witnessed to Christ in Belarus as priest for fifty-two years and as an archbishop and cardinal for almost twenty years. After Soviet oppression in Belarus ceased and when Archbishop Kazimierz Świątek became canonically responsible for the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mińsk-Mohilev and the Diocese of Pińsk, the institutional Church and faith of the people barely existed in these locations. By the time Archbishop Świątek retired from his episcopal ministry, however, the ecclesiastical province had all the institutions necessary to function normally, and the churches were filled with the faithful. Given the exponential growth of the faithful and institutional Church under Archbishop,Świątek’s care, his pastoral ministry as a bishop merits particular attention and Archbishop Świątek himself deserves to be included among the long list of zealous bishops of the Church of Christ. Fr. Świątek’s earlier ministry as a priest has been analyzed in a previous article
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The pursuit of the unity in the Church is the primary task of all believers in Christ. This pursuit should take place on every level: spiritual (through prayer), practical (through concrete actions), and doctrinal (through dialogue about the main truths of faith). In the past 50 years (1967–2017), many common positions between Catholics and Lutherans have been worked out and recorded in the 2013 document From Conflict to Communion. October 31, 2016, which marked the 500-year anniversary of the Reformation as well as the 50-year anniversary of Catholic-Lutheran dialogue, has changed the way that Catholics and Evangelicals view each other. Pope Francis, as a representative of the Catholic Church, Bishop Munib Younan, and Fr. Martin Junge, who represented the Lutheran World Federation, co-hosted an ecumenical celebration that took place in Lund, Sweden, inaugurating the 500-year anniversary of the Reformation. After the service, a joint document entitled Joint Declaration on the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation was published. The document concluded with the following message: “We call upon all Lutheran and Catholic parishes and communities to be bold and creative, joyful and hopeful in their commitment to continue the great journey ahead of us. Rather than conflicts of the past, God’s gift of unity among us shall guide cooperation and deepen our solidarity. By drawing close in faith to Christ, by praying together, by listening to one another, by living Christ’s love in our relationships, we, Catholics and Lutherans, open ourselves to the power of the Triune God. Rooted in Christ and witnessing to him, we renew our determination to be faithful heralds of God’s boundless love for all humanity”. The 50-year Catholic-Lutheran dialogue should be an encouragement for Christians to testify together to a wounded and the divided world, to more passionately pursue further dialogue in order to overcome existing differences, and to be open to unity, which is the source of our common hope.
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Ecumenical Catholic-Baptist dialog in France dates back to 1981. Since then, two delegations have met regularly. The first phase of dialogue took place between 1981 and 1986 and aimed to help the two Churches get to know each other. On the one hand, Catholics and Baptists agreed that they hold in common their faith in the Trinity, the mysteries of the Incarnation and Redemption, and the relationship between baptism and faith. They differ, on the other hand, in their concept of the Church, the episcopate, the sacraments, and the issue of the baptizing children. During the second phase of dialogue, which took place between 1986 and 1991, dialogue centered on the topics of mission and evangelization. The third and fourth phases of dialogue were dedicated to the issue of baptism, the Eucharist-Last Supper, ministerial office. The document entitled “From Baptism to the Church: Current Agreements and Discrepancies “ was the fruit of this dialogue. During the fifth phase of dialogue, which took place between 2001 and 2009, the two groups discussed the topics of Mary, specifically Mariology, based on tradition, dogma, and piety. The current phase of dialogue is focusing on the questions of social ethics. Catholic- Baptist dialogue in France has been very fruitful. The documents that have resulted from these dialogues reveal where the two denominations agree on the fundamental truths of the faith, ethics, and spirituality. The fundamental and dramatic difference between the two Churches, however, remains: their respective concepts of the Church. Based on the tone of the conversations thus far, it is clear that the main goal of the two Churches is not to come to complete agreement, but rather to seek the truth by better understanding each others’ doctrines and traditions.
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Dongshan Liangjie (807-869), the founder of the Caodong (Jap. Soto) Branch of Chinese Chan Buddhism, formed and elaborated the theory of “five positions”, or five levels of discernment of true reality. The main philosophical implications of the theory are believed to be rooted in the teachings of the Huayan tradition of Chinese Buddhism, especially in the theory of the “four dharmadhatus”. Many mediaeval commentators of Dongshan's positions seem to accentuate this aspect of his teachings, among many others, Dongshan's direct disciple Cashan Benji and Chan master Yongjue Yuanxian.
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Every person revolts when experiencing something wrong or unjust. In justice is a harmful thing which has to be removed from the society, so that the justice will be re-established. But what makes the action righteous? Why should a person act justly? The paper proposesan answer to these questions. First, the author presents the classical concepts of justice elaborated by Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas. The justice can have two meanings: justice as a virtue and justice in relations among persons. Two meanings overlap but they are not identical. The focus of the paper is on justice as a virtue, hence a characteristic of the person, inasmuch justice is an expression of a person, and at the same time, it is a task to be achieved. When somebody is not a righteous person, he or she does not act as a person.
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