"Będziecie moimi świadkami po krańce ziemi" (Dz 1,8). Łukaszowa wizja świadectwa z perspektywy Dziejów Apostolskich

Author(s): Krzysztof Mielcarek / Language(s): Polish Issue: 28/2015

Because of the richness of Lukan theology regarding witness, the author was unable to cover all of its aspects. Thus the study touches only upon its major threads. Besides the obvious issues of the apostles role as witnesses, the content of their witnessing, and its recipients – the study presents some other personalities involved in transmitting the Good News of God’s salvation to humanity. Indeed, the greatest stress is placed on the testimony of God himself. Despite being a constant Mystery for humankind, He never ceases being involved in their history and witnessing to his salvific plans. Although there are only a few texts within Acts that connect the persons of the Trinity to witnessing, one should consider them as fundamental to a full Lukan theology of witness.

"Fate attenzione come ascoltate" (Mc 4,24). Insegnamento sulla preghiera della Lectio divina

Author(s): Gabriel Pisarek / Language(s): English,Italian Issue: 2/2013

The prayer with the use of the word of God, Lectio divina, is one of the best methods to enter into the dialog with God. It has it roots in the deep Christian tradition and it keeps to be relevant even today. Over the years it assumed its classical division to: lectio, meditatio, oratio and contemplatio. From time immemorial the Church encourages people to practice this form of prayer. It was also fostered by the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, by the teaching after the Council, as well as by the popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. These encouragements bear the fruits in the life of numerous Christian communities and in the life of many people, because it seems be a form of prayer suitable for both: individual people and communities. This form of prayer finds also its place in many theological publications especially those concerning Christian spirituality. The best example for everyone wanting to practice Lectio divina was given by Mary, because it cannot be treated only as a method of prayer. It is something more; it is a style of life that forms the relationship with God and with other people as well. The life of Mary is distinguished exactly by this style.

"I zaczęli mówić innymi językami” (Dz 2,4). Glosolalia a ksenoglosja w Dziejach Apostolskich

Author(s): Dominik Tomasz Tomczyk / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2022

The article analyses the expression “to speak in [other] tongues” (λαλεῖν [ἑτέραις] γλώσσαις) as used in the Acts of the Apostles 2:4, 11; 10:46; 19:6. The author places special emphasis on the interpretation of the text from Acts 2:4, which, traditional biblical exegesis treats on a par with the text from Acts 2:6, 8, 11 because of the adjective ἑτέραις. In the author’s opinion, λαλεῖν ἑτέραις γλώσσαις from Acts 2:4 is to be understood as “speaking in languages that are different from the speaker’s own language and not understood by either the speaker or the listener without prior learning” (glossolalia) rather than in the meaning of speaking in a foreign language understood by the listeners but not understood by the speaker without prior learning (xenoglossy). This inference is derived from the lack of the definite article in Acts 2:4 before the word γλώσσαις and the lack of the basic language function, which is the communication between the speaker and the listener. The author believes that the descent of the Holy Spirit described in Acts 10:44–48 and 19:2–7 is identical with the experience of 120 people gathered in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). These three Lucan passages describe the phenomenon of glossolalia; only Acts 2:6, 8, 11 is an account of xenoglossy.

"Kicsoda bölcs és értelmes közöttetek?" Bölcsesség és eszkatológia Jakab levelében

Author(s): Szabolcs Czire / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 1/2011

"Księga psalmów" Czesława Miłosza – tradycja czy nowoczesność?

Author(s): Ewa Woźniak / Language(s): Polish Publication Year: 0

The article attempts to define the relationship between the translation of the Book of Psalms by Czesław Miłosz and the tradition of the Polish biblical psalms. For this purpose, Miłosz's translation was compared with the Old Polish psalters - Florian, Puławy and Krakow, and also with the translation of the Book of Psalms in the Millennium Bible - due to the fact that its translators declare the modernization of the translation on the linguistic level. The comparison covers selected aspects from the level of lexis and phraseology, inflection and syntax. Against the background under study, the Book of Miłosz's Psalms is distinguished by numerous references to tradition, especially through the introduction of word combinations preserved in the oldest translations (e.g. the voice of supplication, the way of sinners), as well as by imitating the Old Polish Psalms in terms of the syntactic and intonation formation of the verses.

"Księgi historyczne Starego Testamentu", cz. 1, "Dziejopisarstwo izraelskie : Księgi : Jozuego, Sędziów, Samuela, Królów", T. Brzegowy, J. Łach, S. Wypych, [w:] "Wprowadzenie w myśl i wezwanie Ksiąg Biblijnych", t. 2, red. J. Frankowski, S. Wypych.

Author(s): Józef Błażej Łach / Language(s): Polish Issue: 13/2006

"Psałterz Dawidow" Mikołaja Reja wobec polskiej tradycji przekładowej. Na przykładzie Psalmu 51 "Miserere mei Deus"

Author(s): Danuta Kowalska / Language(s): Polish Publication Year: 0

The aim of the analyzes is to find linguistic elements common to Rej's paraphrase of the David Psalter (1543) and earlier translations, which could indirectly reflect the existence of the translation tradition and the biblical style. In the course of linguistic and stylistic analyzes, the writer's individual linguistic endeavors are also revealed, testifying to his innovation and care for the linguistic shape of the translation. Analyzes were limited to Psalm 51 (Miserere mei Deus), Rej's translation was compared on the one hand with the Krakow Psalter, closing the medieval tradition of literal translation, and on the other - with the 16th-century free translation made by Walenty Wróbel.

"Sophia" Discourse from Antiquity to Christianity

Author(s): Yevhen Kharkovshchenko / Language(s): English Issue: 56/2019

Sophia doctrine was evolved in European philosophical and religious creativity and was developed in the pre-Christian period (Socrates, Parmenides, Plato), was represented in Gnosticism (Valentinus) and Neoplatonism (Plotinus), in the writings of prominent theorists of Christianity – the Fathers of the Church (Athanasius the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Macarius the Great, Gregory the Theologian), the ancient teachers of Christianity (Hilarion, Klim Smoliatich). The doctrine of Sophia, The Wisdom of God is shown in the Proverbs of Solomon Biblical Book, and also in the non-canonical books of the Old Testamentum – Solomon’s Wisdom and the Jesus’ the son of Syrah Wisdom. The Sophia doctrine as mysterious wisdom is described in Kabbalah. It was also reflected in the temple architecture and iconography of the Orthodox East, in the wider use of it at the spiritual and moral level. This doctrine has got a systematic form represented by the doctrine of sophiology in medieval mysticism (M. Eckhart, J. Böhme, E. Swedenborg), and “philosophy of unitotality” (V. Solovyov, S. Bulgakov, P. Florensky). These periods of the Sophia doctrine’s development are inherent in such ideas as a natural philosophy’s theme of understanding the world as the integration, anthropological doctrine of the relationship between nature and the absolute, the existence of God in its close association with the world.

"Stary Testament o swoich największych postaciach", Józef Łach, Rzeszów 2002.

Author(s): Piotr Mierzwa / Language(s): Polish Issue: 13/2006

"Teologia Starego Testamentu", Hugolin Langkammer, Rzeszów 2006.

Author(s): Jóżef Błażej Łach / Language(s): Polish Issue: 13/2006

"Wychowawcze posłannictwo Słowa : zarys i wybrane zagadnienia (Dz-Ap)", Józef Łach, Rzeszów 2004.

Author(s): Piotr Mierzwa / Language(s): Polish Issue: 13/2006

"Życie człowieka w świetle Biblii : antropologia biblijna Starego i Nowego Testamentu", Hugolin Langkammer, Rzeszów 2004.

Author(s): Jóżef Błażej Łach / Language(s): Polish Issue: 13/2006

1 Cor 11:2-16: A Theology of Beauty

Author(s): Hrisostom Ciuciu / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2022

This paper is an attempt to answer the question of the supremacy of men over women, as understood by some readers of the Apostle Paul, who relied on one specific fragment from the first epistle to the Corinthians. The pericope which this paper now addresses – 1 Cor 11:2 16 – is one of the stumbling blocks in this matter. We will argue that St. Paul, although urging the Corinthians to maintain the tradition, does so not to underline the natural differences between men and women, but to subdue them to the new order in Christ. Far from being a discourse about something so trivial as male supremacy, we think that this fragment is better understood as a grace-based point of view, not something social, but a real theology of beauty.

A bűn kollektív dimenziójának azonosítható sajátosságai a Szentírásban

Author(s): István Bakos / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 3/2021

This study attempts to sketch the biblical and Christian ethical dimensions of collective crime by analysing biblical texts and terminology relevant to the topic. The definition and critique of collective crime was born in Germany in the aftermath of political, philosophical and legal debates after the second world war. The concept expressing the essence of the notion – namely that the whole community can be considered guilty for the crimes committed by individuals or a smaller group within the community – has led to several Neroic acts, having served as a legitimate ideological basis for dictatorships, extermination camps, war crimes, conceptional proceedings, and victimisations. Therefore the 20th century definition of collective crime cannot be sustained any longer either legally, or morally. It is clear nonetheless that some thoughts behind this concept are also familiar from the Bible, which is aware that the consequences of individual crimes affect an entire nation. However, the view which penalises the innocent for crimes committed by others, is foreign to the conceptual world of the Bible. In this study I point to biblical and ethical principles providing guidelines for dealing with collective crime and collective responsibility.

A Case of Sceptically-based Christian Moralism: Isidore of Pelusium’s Epistles 1217 and 773 (II, 273)

Author(s): John A. Demetracopoulos / Language(s): English Issue: 28/2022

Scholars have claimed that Isidore of Pelusium’s Epistle 1217 forms a contribution to biblical exegesis. This seems inaccurate, for a closer examination of the text shows that what Isidore states is that certain things in the world (not in the Bible) are patently knowable, other things are not but nevertheless can be known by drawing conclusions from evident knowledge, whereas some things simply are beyond our reach. Actually, this insurmountable limit is, in the last resort, a positive element, because it gives us a moral lesson, teaching us humility. The true meaning of the Epistle is revealed mainly through its direct textual sources, which include passages from Sextus Empiricus, Philo of Alexandria, Basil of Caesarea, and John Chrysostom. In addition, the main point of Epistle 1217 is contextualised in Isidore’s thought by comparing it to certain other letters he wrote, primarily Epistle 773 (II, 273), which, as shown, is a development of Epistle 1217.

A csúfolódók széke

A Zsolt 1,1 és a látványosságok a rabbinikus iratokban és Tertullianus De spectaculis című írásában

Author(s): Mónika Mezey / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 2/2022

Many of the parallels between rabbinic and early Christian writings can be explained by their common heritage and their shared opposition to pagan society. Their attitude towards spectacles may be an exception because the Hebrew Bible does not provide any guidance in this regard, yet their arguments against pagan entertainments are often based on the same proof text (Ps 1:1). This may be the result of intensive academic communication, but it could also be traced back to a common oral tradition.

A Jób 19,25-27 vizsgálata a 19-27. versek összefüggésében

Author(s): Zoltán Máthé-Farkas / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 1/2022

Job 19,25–27 are probably the most widely known verses from his book. This pericope is often evoked on funeral occasions, and many Christians undoubtedly ponder those while struggling with the issue of death. The current study does not aim to correct the Christian faith. From the perspective of systematic theology, the Redeemer of Job and that of the Christians is the very same Christ. This essay attempts to outline the meaning of the text through linguistic and poetical analysis. A text (including a spontaneous one) informs a reader even by the way it was created. That is emphatically true in case of a writing formed, handed down, redacted in a stabilized version. (Scribal mistakes, of course, cannot be excluded, but until proven let the principle of lectio difficilior be followed.) The present essay strives to understand the meaning of Job’s words about his Restorer, who is able to redeem even when the flesh and the heart are consumed.

A Syncretic Interpretation of the Poem “Prince Marko’s Church” by Blaže Koneski

Author(s): Katica Kulavkova / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2022

Interpretative syncretism, as a coalition of critical methods (a trans-method), combines selected elements of several paradigms: poetic, stylistic, linguistic, cultural, mythical, historical, psychological, philosophical, and hermeneutical. It is not an ambitious synthesis, nor pure eclecticism, but rather an act of creative freedom. The following reading of the poem “Prince Marko’s Church” by the Macedonian poet Blaže Koneski (1921–1993) could be seen as an optional pattern of syncretic interpretation because of several reasons: the poem has dramatic and liturgical structure suitable to express both personal and collective memory; its narrativity is intertextually linked to the Macedonian historical and folk legend of King (or Prince) Marko (“Krale Marko”); the very act of understanding the poem is an act of therapy; its associations are linked to the biblical narrative of the “Weeping of Rachel”; it evokes a lot of ethical dilemmas concerning death and God, sin and forgiveness, confession and catharsis and, ultimately, the very sense of creation, i.e. the creation of good and evil. This is the ambivalent phenomenon coexisting in synchronicity. The Macedonian language even has a specific word uniting these antithetic meanings – “evilgood” (zlodobro). The economy of evil demystifies the genesis of the biggest human trauma and stigma: doing evil under the pretext of good. “Evilgood” is not only a cultural legacy, but also reality. To sacrifice the Other is not only a mythical image, but an “eternal present”. To interpret a poem sometimes means to look for the sense of absurdity.

A THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON HUMAN DIGNITY

Author(s): Daniel G. Oprean / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2021

The aim of this article is to explore the theological foundation and expression of the concept of human dignity. Starting with the concept of imago Dei as the foundation for human dignity, and continuing with the expression of human dignity, namely, human being’s place and role in creation, the argument will end with the affirmation of human dignity, namely, the aim of God’s redemptive actions. The argument of this article has as its pressuposition the fact that according with the theological revelation, human dignity is inherent to humankind. Therefore, the article is a plea for a personalist view of human dignity as opposed to a functionalist view of human dignity.

Adam și Eva. Perspectiva biblică și perspectiva evoluționistă. Aspecte introductive

Author(s): Daniela Luminita Ivanovici / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 02/2020

This paper is an introduction to the problem of the relationship between the creation of man in Genesis 1-3 and the scientific perspective of the evolution of the human species. Therefore, we aimed to identify the main research questions and the objectives arising from them. As main questions we have: Did death exist before the fall of man? How did the fall affect the entire creation? How does the biblical account of human creation reconcile with the information about the multitude of hominid species provided by paleontology? At what point in history did Adam and Eve appear and what species were they part of? When exactly did they become in the image and likeness of God? Consistent with these questions, we will have as objectives: the state of the world before the fall of Adam; the creation and fall of man; the origin of death and evil in creation. Another section of this paper deals with the way in which Orthodox theologians approached the problem of the creation-evolution relationship and the solutions they proposed.