The Role of the Jew in Franciscus Mercurius van Helmont’s Adumbratio kabbalae christianae

Author(s): Sheila Spector / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2018

While the use of the Jews as scapegoats is well documented, less noted is how they have provided a pretext for exploring and writing about heterodoxical ideas that otherwise might cause problems for the author. A case in point is the Adumbratio kabbalae christianae, by seventeenth-century esoteric thinker Franciscus Mercusius van Helmont. Although ostensibly designed to convert the Jews, a close examination reveals that the text was intended to inform like-minded Christians about an esoteric mode of thought that, at the time, was repudiated by Church authorities.

The Role of the Mosque and Church in Rites of Worship

Author(s): Ahmad Reza Meftah,Hossein Mottaghi / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2015

Three important and essential elements in the establishment of the religious rites within Islam and Christianity include the following: (1) a place to conduct these rites of worship, namely mosques and churches, (2) religious clerics or priests, and (3) ritual instructions. Of these, the mosque and the church hold great importance as the veritable cradle for the establishment of the religious rites and practices of these faiths. Hence, if we wish to understand what is transpiring today with regard to religious rites of Islam and Christianity, we must recognize the essential nature of the mosque and church and their utility. In terms of establishing rites of worship for a religious community, the mosque and church have many benefits that cannot be ignored by Muslim and Christian clerics nor the general body of the faithful. Amongst these benefits are protection and strengthening of religion and faith in God, expansion of religious society, and instilment of unity amongst the faithful.

The sacrifice, the feast and the power of the priesthood in the Xangô cult of Recife

Author(s): Robert Motta,Renata Siuda-Ambroziak / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2018

The Xangô religion of Recife is a the cult of the orixás, gods of West African (mainly Yoruba) derivation syncretized with the saints of Lusitanian popular Catholicism. The essential act of the cult consists of sacrifice and feasting: animal slaughter, during which the faithful sing, dance and experience trances. The cult characteristics imply a whole set of responses to environmental pressures of various kinds, with oppositions of a dialectical character between the community and domination; the initiate as a ritual son and the initiate as a client; the meat and the feast; and the sacrifice and the party. In other words, between the practical requirements of culture and its surplus that transpires as the feast and as the holy and the beautiful.

The sersera of the guembri: anthropological approach to the device in the context of Gnawa diasporas in Brussels and Morocco

Author(s): Martina Hanáková,Itzana Dobbelaere,Hélène Sechehaye / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2016

In Gnawa music, the three-stringed lute called guembri plays a central role. According to Sum (2012, p. 52), “the guembri attracts the mluk (supernatural entities summoned in gnawa ceremonies) by sounding their musical identities, effectively sounding their names (...), (as well as) calling on the adept (...). Upon arrival of the spirit, the guembri, as the adept, becomes possessed.” The guembri is equipped with a detachable idiophone consisting of metal loops or rings fixed around the edges of a metal sheet, inserted into the neck. This device, called the sersera, is mostly audible during solo moments. It has been often noticed, or briefly described (Baldassarre 1999), but never analyzed in detail. However, it seems important for us to include the sersera in the analysis of the status, meaning and roles of the guembri timbre. Taking it into consideration will provide a new approach leading to better understanding of many facets of the instrument, including its cultural value. The sersera was used before and it is still made and carried by musicians, but nowadays it is barely employed either in Morocco or in Belgium. Through confrontation of the acoustical analysis and the information found in literature with the musicians’ experience, this paper tries to find the reasons of this obsolescence.

THE SOCIAL INTEGRATION OF UNDER-PRIVILEGED PEOPLE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Author(s): Vasile Bojor / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2017

Social integration was and continues to be a vital need of all historical periods. Even from the Mosaic Period, God was extremely preoccupied with the way Jewish people would integrate socially under-privileged people (orphans, widows, poor people and strangers). Moreover, the Old Testament Law stipulated for a social integration of Levites and Priests. The current article aims to give an in-depth analysis of the way how all these under-privileged social categories ought to have been regarded and treated. In addition, within the same article it has been highlighted that there was a legal demand both in Antiquity (through the code of Hamurabi) and Semitic World to integrate the under-privileged people, this issue was often the responsibility of the acting king.

The Socio-Political Bases of Confessionaly Focused Practices of Religious Studies in Russian Education

Author(s): Sergey Lebedev / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2016

The article is devoted to the theoretical analysis of the socio-political bases of development of confessionaly focused education practice in post-Soviet Russia. The specifics of the corresponding educational innovation in its comparison with secular theological and confessional education are revealed. The author proves the consistency of prior development of confessionaly (orthodox) focused approach to an educational reflection on religion with a positional correlation of three main strategic subjects of Russian education: states, Russian Orthodox Church and public.

THE SONS OF LUCIFER AND THE CHILDREN OF NEPTUNE: THE ANTI-OTTOMAN AND ANTI-ISLAMIC POLEMICAL WORKS OF GERASIMOS VLACHOS

Author(s): Ovidiu-Victor Olar / Language(s): English / Issue: __/2016

The aim of the present paper is to take a closer look at the anti-Ottoman and anti-Islamic stance of the 17th century Greek scholar Gerasimos Vlachos by analysing and placing in its context an encomium entitled Trionfo del Illustrissimo et Eccelentissimo Signor Alvise Mocenico Secondo Procurator di San Marco et Dignissimo Capitan General da Mar. Hastily recorded by Nestor Camariano and rarely mentioned in passing by the scholars dealing with Vlachos, this text is part of one of the Greek manuscripts of the Library of the Romanian Academy in Bucharest – BAR ms. gr. 889. Including (mainly) homilies preached in Candia between October 1649 and May 1650, the codex counts among the oldest autographs of “padre Don Girassimo Vlacho Greco di Creta predicatore”. Delivered on November 25, 1649, after the sermon concluding the liturgy of the day, in the monastery of Saint Catherine in Candia, a dependency of the monastery with the same name from Mount Sinai, the encomium of Alvise Mocenigo celebrates the successful defence of the vital Martinengo cavalier of Candia during the first stages of the Cretan War (July – August 1649). Therefore, one is offered the possibility to look into the earliest depiction by Vlachos of the Ottoman Empire and of Islam, to see how (if ever) his opinion on the topic evolved over time.

The Spreading of the Christianity in the Rural Areas of Post-Roman Dacia (4th-7th Centuries)

Author(s): Alexandru Madgearu / Language(s): English / Issue: 01-04/2004

Like in other Western Roman provinces, the first Christians in Dacia were inhabitants of the cities. Not a single Christian object dated before the withdrawal of the Roman administration in 275 was found outside the cities and the camps.

The Status of the Liturgy in the Christian East and Liturgical Differentiations

Author(s): Peter Caban / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2017

These types of liturgies and liturgical rites show us the richness that is present in the Christian East and West. They are the liturgical traditions of the Church, which preserves the continuity of the Christian liturgical tradition from the perspective of historical context in the environment where Christians live. Despite the glory of Constantinople, the Eastern Churches have preserved their own liturgies and rites. Although they are in smaller number, they are nonetheless still preserved in the liturgy despite circumstances hostile to Christianity and the influence of Islam. Local traditions in the West were gradually vanishing and the Roman liturgy had to confront life in Gallia. The celebration of the liturgy in the West according to the Roman model in the city of Rome and in areas under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Roman was preserved in the Latin Church until the beginning of the eighth century. Then there came a very important breaking point when the focus of the cultural-political and Church life was moved from the Mediterranean area into the German and especially Frankish areas north of Alps. This led to the enormous spread of the influence of Roman liturgy, but, on the other hand, the Roman liturgy was merged with non-Roman liturgical traditions. This was the period of Christian Middle Ages.

The Subtle Body Ecstasy of Daoist Inner Alchemy

Author(s): Livia Kohn / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2006

In Daoist mysticism, the body plays a much more central role than in comparative Western models. This is especially clear in the tradition of Daoism called inner alchemy, which arose in the Song dynasty and has remained dominant both among monastic and lay practitioners to the present day. In this model, the internal energies of the person are gradually and systematically refined from grosser, easily felt vibrations and secretions to pure qi, the original cosmic energy as present in the individual, and from there to spirit, the divine power that pervades the universe. Adepts transform who they are as persons to become one with the Dao, but they do not do it merely through mental reorientation. Their entire physical structure changes as the powers of the cosmos manifest in them and the Dao takes over their being. Mystical experience in this context is thus very much an embodied event.

The Tantric Rebirth Movement in Modern China

Author(s): Ester Bianchi / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2004

The present study aims to examine the so-called Tantric Rebirth Movement, which is part of the general context of reforms that involved the whole Chinese Buddhist community at the beginning of the 20th century. It was a time when, probably under the influence of the first Western studies in Buddhology, all Asian Buddhist communities began to re-think their own traditions. In China, the main aim was to reform the monastic education and to compare Chinese Buddhism with its original Indian teachings and other Asian Buddhist traditions. Tantrism was generally considered to have disappeared after its 'golden age' during the Tang dynasty. Due to its esoteric nature, to study Tantrism one had to turn to Tibet or Japan because its lineages had been interrupted in China for centuries. A number of Chinese Buddhist monks began thus to participate in pilgrimages to Tibetan areas, becoming disciples of lamas. On their return to China, many of these monks devoted themselves to spreading the Tibetan teachings - and above all the Vajrayana ones - among Chinese Buddhists. Meanwhile, a similar movement was flourishing in the East, mainly focusing on Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. Many masters went to Japan so as to learn and practice the particular form of Tantrism which was widespread among Tendai and Shingon communities, and which was considered to be closely related to the original Chinese tantric teachings. The intention was the same as the 'reformist' monks, that is to deepen the understanding of a different Buddhist tradition, while at the same time re-vivifying the Chinese tantric lineages.

The Types of Suffering in the Mahāvyutpatti and the Pāli Canon

Author(s): Ferenc Ruzsa / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2003

In this paper an analysis is attempted of the triple suffering (duhkha-duhkhata, samskara-duhkhata, viparinama-duhkhata) as it appears in the Mahavyutpatti and in earlier sources. Comparing it to some non-buddhistic triads (e.g. in the Yoga-sutra) and similar concepts in the Pali Canon and its commentaries, a connection is suggested to the trilaksana (duhkha, anitya, anatman) and to the frequent series old age - disease - death. It appears that the original understanding of samskara-duhkhata was probably not the suffering related to subliminal impressions but rather the suffering inherent in anything of a composite nature.

The Unfolding of Truth Eunomius of Cyzicus and Gregory of Nyssa in Debate over Orthodoxy (360-381)

Author(s): Mihail Neamţu / Language(s): English / Issue: 01-04/2002

This study is a new attempt of reading the rich theological debates of the fourth century, which designed in different ways the Christian Creed of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381), focusing more especially the debate between the radical Arians (epitomized by Aetius and Eunomius) and the defenders of orthodoxy (represented at best by St Basil of Caesarea and St Gregory of Nyssa). By a short presentation of the struggle for orthodoxy during the forth century, I try to place St Gregory of Nyssa’s polemics with the radical Arians into a historical context. Subsequently, I pay attention to Aetius’ legacy in Eunomius’ works and biography, and their strong breaking points with the former tradition. The argument is carried on by a short presentation of Gregory’s explicit rejection of Eunomius’ theology. Consequently, I ponder upon the differences between the conflicting methodologies assumed by Eunomius and Gregory of Nyssa, respectively. The usage of rhetoric and dialectics for theological purposes is, in each case, highly significant. In contrast, I point out the importance of Basil and Gregory’s doctrinal and spiritual commitments, which I regard in continuity with the apostolic confession of Christ as ‘Lord and God’ (John 20: 24). I suggest that the Trinitarian controversy can be ultimately traced back to the most important question for the early Christian Church: the confession of Christ’s divinity and lordship. The present study also try to show that this confession is intimately related to the hermeneutical task of reading the Scriptures, which can always (and very easily) become an object of controversy when the ‘hypothesis’ of Christ’s natural sonship is lost on the way. Without this ‘hypothesis’, the texts of the Old and the New Testament were open to endless and polemical interpretations, and the borderline between ‘orthodoxy’ and ‘heresy’ is lost.

The unity of the Church in Saint Irenaeus’ ecclesiology

Author(s): Claudiu Marius Ciascai / Language(s): English,Polish / Issue: 19/2019

The unity of the Church has always been of major concern for early Christians. They understood this unity as a real tangible experience, remote and hidden in the uncertainty of the future. They believed that the unity of the Church could secure the cohesion among the Christian communities, and the communication inside the Christian community was, in its turn, the essential condition that provided the support for the consolidation and the development of the ecclesial unity. The Fathers of the Church have understood the importance of keeping and supporting the unity and the stability inside the Church, in order to provide an efficient Christian mission everywhere in the world. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the evolution and complexity of the ecumenical dimension of Irenaeus of Lyon’s ecclesiology, one of the most representatives of the Fathers of the Church, during the early centuries. Aware of the power of dialogue and pastoral mission, he preached not only for the early Christians who at that time found themselves surrounded and confused by different inaccurate doctrines, but also for the pagans, to whom he spread the message of Jesus Christ’s Gospel of love.

The Value of the Soul in the Religious Views. An Overview targeting the Salvation of an Individual

Author(s): Cosmin Tudor Ciocan / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2020

The Soul is considered, both for religions and philosophy, to be the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being, conferring individuality and humanity, often considered to be synonymous with the mind or the self. For most theologies, the Soul is further defined as that part of the individual, which partakes of divinity and transcends the body in different explanations. But, regardless of the philosophical background in which a specific theology gives the transcendence of the soul as the source of its everlasting essence – often considered to survive the death of the body –, it is always appraised as a higher existence for which all should fight for. In this regard, all religious beliefs assert that there are many unseen battles aiming to take hold of the human soul, either between divinity and evil, or between worlds, or even between the body and the soul itself. These unseen battles over the human soul raging in the whole world made it the central item of the entire universe, both for the visible and the unseen worlds, an item of which whoever takes possession will also become the ruler of the universe. Through this philosophy, the value of the soul became abysmal, incommensurable, and without resemblance. The point for making such a broad overview of the soul in religious beliefs is the question of whether we can build an interfaith discourse based on the religions’ most debated and valuable issue, soul?

The visual principle and the correlation between teaching of the Catholic religion and art education in Polish school

Author(s): Radosław Chałupniak / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2015

Contemporary culture – as already noted – is becoming more and more visual. Contemporary catechesis, referring to its rich, centuries-long experience, should also use different types of images. The first part of this article presents the visual principle as one of basic educating principles, and the second part presents the correlation between the teaching of Catholic religion, and art education in Polish schools. One specific example of using religious painting are in textbooks.Masterpieces of painting, created during centuries and expressing particular desires of their creators, still remain an important inspiration, among others, to the religious search. Faith, though strongly anchored in words, needs representations, specific references, which allow receiving, understanding, and experiencing it. Paintings give this possibility, and even – taking into consideration the contemporary civilization – impose the necessity to use them, in order to effectively reach the contemporary receiver.Using images in education is not only the achievement of specific objectives in catechesis, but also gives an opportunity to creatively engage students and shape their aesthetic sensibility. Working with the image creates the possibility of discovering the beauty, to see it in reality and “keeping the heart”, that is the enrichment of the beauty of one’s humanity.

Theologica

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Author(s): Marius Popa,Ion Buzaşi,Anastasia Dumitru / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 09-10/2016

These articles studies the religious themes in Nicolae Steinhardt's journal,Viorel Thira's anthology, and also the etiology of evil in literature.

Theological Reflection on Tourism and Leisure

Author(s): Maciej Ostrowski / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2014

Tourism is one of the most popular leisure activities. In this article we intend to point out a few elements that may constitute the founding blocks of a theology of leisure and a theology of tourism: a theology of time, a theology of freedom, a theology of creation, a theology of leisure, a theology of joy, a theology of the journey (homo viator, homo peregrinus). There are many points both in the Bible and in the teachings of the Church that leave room for the development of this notion. According to the Second Vatican Council, tourism is classified as one of the contemporary phenomena which can be described as one of the signs of time. The Council recommends individuals and groups to study them carefully and incorporate them in the general context of pastoral work.

THEOLOGICAL REVISIONISM: FROM GOD TO MAXIMAL GOD

Author(s): Majid Amini / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2016

The classical monotheistic concept of God has been bedevilled by a plethora of logical and metaphysical paradoxes. Recently there have been a number of attempts claiming that by reforming the traditional concept of God as an omniscient, omnipotent and omnibenevolent being to a concept of God as the being with maximal consistent set of knowledge, power and benevolence, the monotheistic concept of God can be rescued from contradictions and thereby reinstating a viable version of Anselmian theism. By focusing on omnipotence specifically, the purpose of this paper is therefore twofold: (1) to show the logical impossibility of maintaining an absolute or infinite conception of divine attributes, and (2) to show that even a maximal conception of divine attributes is plagued with the problem of uniqueness of God and a variant of the paradox of omnipotence thus indicating that such reformulations are still beset with dilemmas and paradoxes.

THEOLOGY OF CONVERSION

Author(s): Cosmin Tudor Ciocan,Osman Murat Deniz / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2019

Conversion is a word with a variety of meanings. There is no religion, on the one hand, that do not promote conversion and thus use proselytism to do it. On the other hand, same religions that believe conversion (to their own faith) is an act of God, a sign that everyone should embrace and leave whatever religious belief they might have previously, consider a ‘sin’, an act that should be forbidden, the conversion/leaving for other, divers religion. How is it regarded by religions and scientific thought and at what point it became obsolete?