Proklínací žalmy a Denní modlitba církve

Author(s): Pavel Kopeček / Language(s): Czech Issue: 1/2024

The Psalter of the current Liturgia Horarum does not contain the Imprecatory Psalms, which for many centuries were part of the Prayer of the office. This modification of the Psalter caused a discussion among researchers about the legitimacy of the post­‑conciliar Reform of the Psalter of the Church’s Daily Prayer. In this contribution, I would like to outline the significance of the prayer of Imprecatory Psalms in the history of the liturgy and clarify the motives for the modification of the Psalter after the Second Vatican Council. The indicated interpretations of the Imprecatory Psalms lead to their understanding, and today's believer can pray them with benefit.

Pavel v Arábii (Gal 1,17)

Author(s): Petr Mareček / Language(s): Czech Issue: 1/2024

The Epistle to the Galatians, which is the richest in historical references to Paul’s conversion and his apostolic activity (Gal 1:11–2:21), contains one of the most interesting remarks in Paul’s letters, “I went to Arabia” (Gal 1:17b). This brief autobiographical statement is not easy to clarify. A careful consideration of all the factors leads to the conclusion that Paul travelled to the territory of the Nabatean kingdom to do missionary work there. In keeping with Paul’s later missionary activity, which is oriented toward large cities, and which usually begins in a Jewish synagogue, it is plausible to assume that Paul followed a similar missionary strategy in Arabia and that he therefore focused on large cities (Petra, Hegra, Bosra) in which Jewish communities, perhaps with a certain circle of sympathizers, may also have been present. The main reason for Paul’s journey to Arabia was in all probability the fact that this territory had been neglected by Christian missionaries in the early church and that he could therefore preach the gospel where the name of Christ was not yet known. Paul’s missionary activity in Arabia, which undoubtedly must have involved a longer period (one or two years), as is evident from the later conflict with the governor under King Aretas after his return to Damascus (2 Cor 11:32), was probably not successful and met with considerable opposition, since there is no evidence of Christian communities having been established in the territory.

Изложба „Католиците в България XVII-XX в.-документални свидетелства от фондовете на Национланата библиотека „Св. св. Кирил и Методий“

Author(s): Radoslav Spasov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2024

І знову до Біблії – першооснови в житті, літературі

Author(s): Larisa Reva / Language(s): Ukrainian Issue: 12/2024

The article analyses the issue of the entry of ancient literature, which is considered to be cult, to the educational programs of educational institutions of Ukraine. Such tasks have already been partially tackled by domestic scientists. However, it is not about the training manuals. Rather, it is about the preservation of national heritage. A century later, I. Ogienko in the book "History of Ukrainian Printing" (Lviv, 1925) collected and systematized a huge amount of source material, planning a multi-volume publication in the future which would present the history of Ukrainian books from the 15th to the 18th centuries, including a description of old printings, an album of photographs of their title pages, artistic decorations, etc., textbook materials on the history of Ukrainian bibliography, content of ancient books, their printing techniques, the history of engraving, censorship, etc. This means that the scope of the research was planned to be diverse. However, these plans of the scientist were not destined to come true. And to date, I. Ogienko’s tasks have not been fully implemented as he wanted them to be. Today, lack of such knowledge leads to dire consequences. Biblical texts should become the first series of tasks to correct this wrong policy of lack of knowledge and ignoring the canons of prehistoric times. Even the current war is one of those violations of the rules of life that were forcibly rejected by Marxist-Leninist ideology, militant atheism from Ukrainian families, from everyday life under the USSR.

PAULINE CHRISTOLOGY IN THE EPISTLES TO THE ROMANS AND JEWS

Author(s): Mihai Cîrțan / Language(s): English Issue: 38/2024

The Epistles of the Holy Apostle Paul represent a treasure in which the Christological doctrine is expressed in the most chosen terms. Among these epistles, the epistle to the Romans and Hebrews stands out, these being the ones that present the deification of human nature in the person of Christ the Savior through the sacrifice and resurrection of the incarnate Son of God "in the fullness of time" (Galatians 4:4). The doctrine of these epistles emphasizes that Christ the Savior is the Son of God, Who, out of love for humanity, becomes our brother by assuming human nature and becomes the supreme sacrifice offered to God for reconciliation between the Uncreated and the created.

Cuvânt pastoral la praznicul Învierii Domnului

Author(s): Calinic Dumitriu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 2/2022

Cuvânt pastoral la praznicul Nașterii Domnului

Author(s): Calinic Dumitriu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 2/2022

Sľub a prísaha v Reformovanej kresťanskej cirkvi na Slovensku

Author(s): Alfréd Somogyi / Language(s): Slovak Issue: 93/2023

The author of the article analyses the current practice of oaths and vows in the Reformed Christian Church in Slovakia, identifies the difference between an oath and a vow, discusses the theological issue of vows and oaths, and points out the clear prohibition of some forms of oaths in the Holy Scriptures. He provides a brief theoretical overview of oaths in light of the history of canon law. He then discusses the practice of vows and oaths in the Reformed Christian Church in Slovakia. Oaths and vows are taken by ministers and laity alike, in disciplinary proceedings, when accepting ecclesiastical ofIces, as well as at confirmation and marriage ceremonies. The question of the vows of the ministers is specifically dealt with. In the conclusion of the study, the author offers suggestions on how the practice of oaths and vows in the Reformed church can be better theologically grounded and based on biblical pillars.

Evanghelia manuscrisă a Schitului Ghireasca (judeţul Vaslui)

Author(s): Cristina Maria Cîmpianu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: LII/2023

The church of the former Ghireasca hermitage, dedicated to Saint George the Great Martyr, is located in the North-Eastern part of Ghireasca village, which is part of Mălușteni commune, Vaslui county. The nowadays church was built of wood and brick, in 1808, and a beautiful manuscript Gospel is inherited from the older church. This, without a doubt, is perhaps the adornment of this church. The artistic Gospel was written in 1754 by the boyard Ilie Costache. Although the source of his inspiration were other older printed books, by the art with which it is written, with the frontispieces and gilded initials wonderfully interwoven as by the artistic skill with which the faces of the holy evangelists are executed, the gospel is undoubtedly a masterpiece of 18th century illuminated books.

Învăţământul teologic din Episcopia Romanului în secolul al XIX-lea

Author(s): Aurel Florin Țuscanu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: LII/2023

Non organized schooling was available for clergy education in Moldavia before the beginning of the XIXth century. A few schools could be attended under the guidance of Church scholars within Monasteries and Churches. During the reign of Grigorie Alexandru Ghica, in Moldavia there were three diocesan schools and another 23 around the country. However, the first public school in Moldavia for higher clergy education, excellently managed at that time and the most important in all Romanian Principalities, was the Seminar „Veniamin” of the Socola Monastery, founded by Metropolitan Veniamin Costachi. The overall trend in education was favouring innovation and modernization toward the mid XIXth century, when old, traditional educational fashions coexisted with the new, modern ones. Thus, in 1839, at Roman, three cathechist schools existed, by private initiative. Also by private initiative, there ran a school for parish clerks and chanters, founded in 1846 by Dignitary Grigore Done at the Saint George Church, whose cells would foster 50 pupils (5 grades), completely free of charge. The school closed in 1856. In the years 1845 and 1846, no less than 12 catechist schools were opened in Moldavia, five of them within the Diocese of Roman: Tecuci, Bârlad, Roman, Bacău and Focșani, coordinated by 12 young clerics educated at the Seminar in Iași. The catechist schools continued running past the year 1858 (the opening of the Diocesan Seminar of Roman), up until November 25th 1864, when they were ordered to close by the law of public education. The Diocesan Theological Seminar of Roman was founded September 1st 1858, by the ardour of the Moldavian Minister for Religion and Public Education Dimitrie A. Cantacuzino, with the blessing of Bishop Nectarie Hermeziu. Fr. Dimitrie Matcaș was appointed director of the Seminar. A man of outstanding spirit and demeanor, he had founded and was still heading the catechist school of Roman. From its opening till September 1860, the Seminar of Roman had 4 grades and 4 professors, and its activity was in accordance with the provisions of the law of 1857. In September 1860, Mihail Kogălniceanu reorganized the Seminars, extending the duration of the studies to 7 years. The education of the clergy was provided in this manner until a new structure was implemented by the „Law of the Seminars and Lay Clergy” of May 29th 1893. From 1893, there were intended to run three inferior Seminars (with programmes of 3 grades) in Roman, Curtea de Argeș and Rîmnicu Vîlcea, and 2 superior Seminars, in Iași and București, with a duration of the studies of 5 years. In 1884, by the ardour of the great Bishop Melchisedec Ștefănescu, a new location was acquired for the Seminar of Roman, in close proximity to the diocesan cathedral, with two double storey wings for bedrooms, classrooms and canteen. This school may be regarded as a subsidiary of the Socola Seminar, being, together with the Seminar of Huși, the lower level (or inferior course) to the Superior Seminar of Iași. Located in the very middle of Moldavia and part of a Diocese of illustrious history, the Seminar of Roman has felicitously fulfilled its mission, molding generations of accomplished clerics, clerks and teachers, some of who became great ministers and hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Nový postoj k trestu smrti v Katechismu katolické církve

Author(s): Jan Polák / Language(s): Czech Issue: 3/2024

This article seeks to reflect critically, with the benefit of hindsight, on the modification of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) on the death penalty. This modification took place in 2018 at the initiative of Pope Francis, who declared that capital punishment is not permissible. The author responds to a subsequent appeal published in First Things magazine, in which several American intellectuals petitioned the College of Cardinals to force the Holy Father to withdraw the new wording of Article 2267 of the CCC. In particular, the contribution seeks to find an answer to their objections that the new teaching is not in accord with Scripture and Tradition and gives the impression to believers that capital punishment is an intrinsically evil act. The author also considers whether the death penalty might not be acceptable under certain non standard conditions even today. He reflects on the attitude of John Paul II and Benedict XVI and asks some questions about possible future developments in this area, the first of which is the question of the potential rejection of life imprisonment as a hidden death penalty.

Osvrt na prijevod Sv. Pisma nadbiskupa Josipa Stadlera (1895)

Author(s): Ljudevit Lauš / Language(s): Croatian Issue: 61/2024

Sveto pismo Novoga zavjeta. Knjiga I. Sveto evangjelje po Mateju. Preveo po Vulgati i protumačio Dr. Josip Stadler, metropolita i nadbiskup Vrhbosanski Tiskom „Bosanske pošte“ a troškom Vrhbosanskoga kaptola u Sarajevu o uzkrsu bi dovršena navedena knjiga, koju je „Vrhbosna“ preko dvie godine nazad naviestila i u arcima izdavati počela. Poznato je čitateljima „Vrhbosne“, s kolikim je uzhitom pozdravljena viest o novom prevodu i tumaču sv. pisma sa strane hrvatskih biskupah, svećenikah i drugih Hrvatah koli u Banovini, toli izvan nje, u Dalmaciji, Bosni i Hercegovini, Istri itd. No to se samo po sebi razumi! Davno je već nestalo „Prevoda sa tumačem od Škarića“ tako, da ga je i u bibliotekam riedkost naći, te se i na svećenike moglo naići, koji za Škarića prevod nikad ni čuli nisu; stoga se je viesti o prevodu s tumačem sv. pisma svatko veselio, neki dapače kao prvenčetu hrvatskom u toj struki bogoslovne književnosti.

Historiografsko-narativne minijature iz „Džambine torbe“

Author(s): Ivan Šarčević / Language(s): Bosnian Issue: 61/2024

Review of: Jozo Džambo, Jajačke i druge zabilješke, Franjevački samostan sv. Luke, Jajce 2024, 333 str.

Argumentacja biblijna w wykładzie o „Pozdrowieniu Anielskim” w „Confessio Catholicae Fidei Christiana” Stanisława Hozjusza (1551)

Author(s): Marek Karczewski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 25/2024

The Angelic Salutation in St. Luke’s Gospel gave rise to the main Catholic prayer addressed to Mary. In the context of the broad theological themes contained in the Confessio Catholicae Fidei Christiana (1551), Stanislaw Hosius also included a short lecture on the Angelic Salutation. In it, he pointed out the foundations of Catholic Mariology and the importance of the Hail Mary prayer. The article attempts to analyze the biblical argumentation to which Cardinal Hosius referred and the biblical hermeneutics he used.

Gianfranco Ravasi, Biografia Jezusa według Ewangelii, tłum. Krzysztof Stopa, Wydawnictwo Jedność: Kielce 2023, ss. 319

Author(s): Jarosław Ćwikła / Language(s): Polish Issue: 25/2024

Život a dílo Josepha Flavia

Author(s): Steve Mason / Language(s): Czech Issue: 2/2024

The works of Josephus (37 – ca. 100 CE) have been extensively cited ever since he wrote them. Strangely enough, however, hardly any of his many users, prior to the 1980s, asked basic questions about the structures, themes, and audiences of these compositions – about what he meant to convey, using his typical language, rhetoric, and contexts guides. Yet how can we use his material if we do not know what he meant by it? This essay provides a brief orientation to Josephus’ life and to reading his works as intelligent compositions. It is not meant to be definitive on any point, but it provides enough documentation that readers may further investigate these questions without limit, for their own purposes.

Triptic editorial: Maxim (Iuliu-Marius) Morariu

Author(s): Iulia Medveschi / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 4/2024

In the book Maica Domnului: Taina discretei însoțiri (2022), Father Maxim Morariu emphasizes the twofold role of The Virgin Mary, as witness and as a bridge to Christ, "guided by values that determine Her unwavering fidelity and complete sacrifice" (p. 22). For this prolific writer, reading and meditation go hand in hand. This can be seen in the book Evanghelie și actualitate (2023). The 49 meditations dedicated to the Sunday Gospels together with the six occasional thoughts (do not appear) as a mere association and/or stringing together of random thoughts, but in the denouement at the end of the soul/spiritual ease of Father Maxim during the pandemic period (2020-2021). The analysis of the revealed text is accompanied by words of patristic wisdom, historical accounts and moralizing advice. Finally, with the third project, twinned with the previous one and entitled Evanghelia - editoriale în har (2023), the young author offers us a way to access the spiritual content of the Gospel or rather he urges us to feast ourselves with the eternal Word of God.

Mojžiš modliaci sa so zdvihnutými rukami (Ex 17,11) ako predobraz Ukrižovania v starokresťanskej exegéze

Author(s): Helena Panczová / Language(s): Slovak Issue: 1/2025

In Christian exegesis, Moses praying with uplifted hands (Ex 17:11) became a prefiguration of Christ on the cross. Although the ancient prayer gesture was raising hands, not stretching them out sideways, there are some exegetical texts based on this supposition. Origen, however, pointed out that such interpretation was semantically incorrect – though he preserves the Christological meaning of the gesture. Analysis of ancient texts confirms that the symbolic parallel between Moses’ prayer gesture and the crucifixion was precisely in the lifting, the upward motion. So, the polysemous verb ἐκτείνω used in this context should be translated as “raise, lift”.

Kněz jako prostředník na cestě k zbožštění v učení Řehoře Naziánského

Author(s): Taras Klok / Language(s): Czech Issue: 4/2024

The article presents the teaching of Bishop Gregory the Theologian about the priesthood (ἱερωσύνη) as a mediation between God and people intending the divinization of people. Based on some of Gregory’s writings, especially his Homily 2, the author considers how Gregory came to the priestly ministry and сonducted it in the fourth century context and some of Gregory’s biographical data. Special attention is paid to Gregory’s theological understanding of the main functions of priesthood and the terminology he uses for their description. The author also discusses Gregory’s requirements for candidates for the priesthood and the principal virtues, which, in his opinion, a priest should possess. Gregory’s thoughts on the priesthood will be relevant and useful to all who are interested in the Church Father’s writings, especially for those who are preparing for or already performing a priestly ministry.

Mystagogie ve službách křesťanského sblížení

Author(s): Pavel Hödl / Language(s): Czech Issue: 4/2024

In this article, I present the reflections of several modern theorists of mystagogy. Although they apply their own, confessional point of view, they strive for mystagogy, which is biblical and ecumenical in nature. Cesare Giraudo, a Catholic, has a surprisingly broad concept of mystagogy, compared to ancient models. It is not primarily a subject of academic research, but a theology of the people and for the people; it is a shared experience and should lead the faithful not only to instruction, but above all to active participation. The proper preparation of every mystagogue is knowledge of sources, biblical, patristic and liturgical. Giraudo’s approach is interdisciplinary. As much as he is interested in euchological texts, he also examines the context of ritual action. Cultural anthropology is a permanent component of his mystagogical reflections. For Giraudo, the mystagogical path belongs to the pastoral ministry of liturgy. In the course of the ecclesial year, the community should delve deeper into the mystery of Christ. Mystagogy, he said, is also the program of the new evangelization. It is no longer carried out by the bishop or priest alone, but also involves the thoughtful formation of the laity for a mystagogical vocation. Max Thurian, still a Calvinist, found that the renewed Roman rite had rediscovered an unbroken tradition common to Christians. The Czech evangelical theologian and liturgist Pavel Filipi is more cautious in his conclusions and emphasizes the ethical and eschatological dimensions in introducing People of God to mystery. Mystagogy is also a fitting response to the reservations of the Reformation, because it does not dwell on fierce doctrinal disputes. Mystagogy can be a valuable means of understanding among Christians, if only because it is older than dogmatic controversies. It is an acknowledgment of a common heritage. Catholic mystagogues can take from the Evangelical milieu, not only an undying passion for the Bible, but also the principle that the Lord’s Supper is the celebration of the entire Christian community.