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.

Aktualizacja Słowa Bożego w przepowiadaniu

Author(s): Stanisław Dyk / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2022

Without actualization, preaching loses its purpose, becoming unattractive, and the very word of God is perceived by the listeners as devoid of its saving power, now lifeless. The study confirms these theses. The article organizes and synthetically presents the most important issues related to actualization: the theological foundations of actualization, the main principles of its implementation; biblical models of actualization as models for modern preaching; the updating process. Finally, a descriptive definition of actualization was formulated.

Aktualność terminu 'planao' na tle teologii Apokalipsy św. Jana: Aktualność terminu planaw,w na tle teologii Apokalipsy św. Jana

Author(s): Łukasz Garbacki / Language(s): Polish Issue: 15/2014

This article portrays the use of the verb "planao" on the background of the theology of the Revelation of st. John. It shows how is the way Satan and his followers work in the world. Satan wants to deceive every man in the world and he is doing this unceasingly. He wants to enter all fields of man’s life and by this to pretend God. In this way we Christians have to unceasingly watch to protect pursewes his from actions. We also have gather to serve Jesus,who is the road, the truth and the life.

Alegorie a odkazy k apoštolu Petrovi v Shakespearově Romeovi a Julii

Author(s): Petr Osolsobě / Language(s): Czech Issue: 1/2018

The recusant culture in the time of the queen Elizabeth (1558–1603) developed a lot of rhetorical devices, figures, tropes and allegories to convey hidden religious and political meanings. Apostle Peter, whose authority had been lessened by reformers, epitomized the institution of papacy and the Roman Church for the Catholics as is clearly understandable from the poem Saint Peter’s Complaint by Robert Southwell or from the motet Tu es Petrus by William Byrd. In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare creatively adapted motifs taken from his sources (Brooke, Painter) but added to them a remarkable number of allusions, canonical terms, and references to St. Peter the apostle, to the Ecclesia Romana and to Rome as well as to the liturgy of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, thereby underlining a sacrificial value of Juliet’s suffering in figura Christi for the sanctity of her marriage. This article supports the thesis that Shakespeare made use of the Bible and scholastic philosophy for his dramatic purpose, and deliberately imbued the secular subject-matter with a religious vocabulary and imagery.

AN INTERPRETATION OF ADAM S FALL IN THE LIGHT OF FAR EASTERN PSYCHOLOGY

Author(s): Bharat Jhunjhunwala / Language(s): English Issue: 11/2022

One must not pursue a concordism or discordism of theology and science but their dialogue towards creating a mutual understanding. We make an effort in this direction by reinterpreting certain Hebrew words in the narrative of Adam; and by brining insights from far eastern psychology into play. The conventional understanding is that the creation of Adam from “dust” was the beginning of “spiritual mortality.” However, Adam transgressed and did not follow spiritual morality. We rely on the far eastern narrative of creation and propose that “dust” may refer to the implanting of negative qualities by God to break the primitive bliss and take the first steps to “draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). The conventional understanding is that God prohibited Adam and Eve from eating of the Tree of Knowledge. We note that God had placed the Tree in the middle of the Garden. We suggest that God did this so that Adam would see and partake of it. Also, Adam had not eaten of the Tree till the alleged prohibition was pronounced. There was no occasion to prohibit him from doing what he was not doing anyways. We propose that God wanted them to eat of the Tree. Their error was in making delay in eating of it and then of trying to devour the Tree. The conventional understanding is that the speaking serpent is correlated with near eastern depiction of serpents as adversaries. The role of the serpent, however, was also positive since it led Adam and Eve to eat of the Tree and to the opening of their eyes. We propose that the serpent was the far eastern symbolism of the unconscious impulses emanating from one’s own spinal cord. We find that these interpretations make the Biblical narrative sync with science and also give it a positive ambience. These interpretations are consistent with the majesty of Jesus Christ in helping establish a conscious connection between man and God. The process by which these far eastern narratives may have entered the Bible require further investigations.

Antropologia adhortacji Familiaris consortio

Author(s): Jarosław Merecki / Language(s): Polish Issue: 3/2022

The author starts from the statement, that contrary to the ancient and medieval thought, the modern thought considered conflict as the original and natural state of human coexistence (Hobbes, Marx, Sartre). In the biblical anthropology, which constitutes a point of reference for John Paul II in his exhortation Familiaris Consortio, the original truth of man is not expressed in the model of conflict, but on the contrary, conflict arises as a result of the betrayal of the original truth, which is the unity of man and woman. In the biblical vision of human relationships, therefore, the starting situation, the experience in which the primordial truth of man is expressed, is not a relationship of conflict, but a man-woman relationship in which two persons affirm their humanity not by submitting the other to their own will, but by the gift of themselves that they make to one another. In the anthropology of the exhortation Familiaris Consortio, marriage and family are the privileged place where human beings experience belonging and gift.

Apokryfy a nábožensky vzdělávací tvorba

Author(s): Hana Bočková / Language(s): Czech Issue: 1-2/2009

Trois textes choisis ont été créés sur la base du sujet biblique apocryphe, néanmoins ils sont différents en ce qui concerne leur genre et en même temps ils réalisent les buts différents, postulés par la production religieuse et didactique, qui est destinée au lecteur populaire (W. Brückner) : la fonction catéchistique, propaganda fidei, l’élévation de l’esprit (aedificatio). Vejpis oné žalostivé cesty thématise les détails de la fuite de la Sainte Famille en Égypte. Le sujet dramatique de la composition épique accentue la lutte contre l’ennemi de la foi, la défaite de l’adversaire de la Sainte Famille – du diable ; ainsi aboutit-il à propaganda fidei. Knížka pobožná nová réalise la fonction catéchistique : le petit Jésus-Christ se trouvant dans l’église pose des questions qui instruisent le lecteur dans la foi. Patnácte tajných trápení représente l’ensemble de visions, le dialogue de l’auteur avec Jésus-Christ torturé qui est rendu présent, et ainsi le texte oriente-t-il le lecteur vers la contemplation spirituelle, la méditation. Cependant le type dominant de l’orientation fonctionnelle du chacun des textes n’exclut pas la présence de deux fonctions restantes; il s’agit de l’harmonie, de l’accord dans lequel prédomine un des éléments qui permet de déterminer plus exactement la position du texte dans la production religieuse et didactique de l’époque du baroque.

Apusul şi Răsăritul creştin în viziunea părintelui Serafim Rose

Author(s): Ciprian Gligan / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 1/2018

Father Seraphim Rose tell us that the modern human created a new ,,God”, a God modeled as faithfully as possible after the new times pattern concerned of science and business; he thought that we are all under a different Western influence and a Orthodox awakening it would be necessary in our days, because for a lot of us the Orthodoxy became just a matter of belonging to a Church organization. Needer catholic or protestant terminology was the beggest concern of father Seraphim, but our own indiference to the coming of the Antichrist. We should not ignore the West and certenely needer the ones who believe in western belives, but on the contrary, where there are mistakes, it would be better to correct them, because a helthy Orthodoxy... can receive easy any foreign influence and make it orthodox. The biggest concern of father Seraphim was how many Christians will remain in Church fighting for Jesus.

ARGUMENTE BIBLICE ÎN FAVOAREA ORIGINII ȘI A DREPTURILOR OMULUI

Author(s): Bogdan Emanuel Răduț / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 2/2021

The biblical book of Genesis presents to us the beginning of the Universe, of the world and of humanity. Therefore, whenever we approach the texts found on the first pages of the Bible, we can extract arguments both for the Origin of Man and his foundational rights. Christians believe that man was created by God, after His own image and according to His purpose, and he was given a functional mandate within God’s Creation. That is why man has rights and ontological liberties which are to be promoted and respected at the same time. On one side, the present study argues that man was created by the direct involvement of God the Creator and on another side, it sustains the human dignity and rights as natural values, offered by the Creator Himself.

Artykuł wiary „Zstąpił do piekieł” w ujęciu biblijnym

Author(s): Aleksandra Nalewaj / Language(s): Polish Issue: 15/2014

This study is devoted to the biblical background of the article of faith „He Descended into Hell”, which is the least known and the least understood by modern Christians. The truth about the descensus of the Son of Man is deeply rooted in the religious thought of Israel, which is shown by inspired and non-canonical texts. According to the views of the ancient, the death and the abyss constituted the necessary elements of the human existence. Christ, surrendering to the law of death, descended into Sheol after His death. In the underworld, being sinless, He conquered evil and its maker. He brought the good news to the dead, who had been waiting for the Messiah for centuries. The Work of Redemption by the Son of God is universal.

Aspecte sacramentale și liturgicpascale în viziunile „peceților”, „trâmbițelor” și „cupelor” din cartea Apocalipsa (6-18)

Author(s): Laurențiu Urian / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 02/2020

In this part of the book of Revelation, of a special significance is the picture of those slaughtered for the word of God (cap. 6), below the altar, an image that represents a liturgical vision. A new liturgical scene and a new hymn unity appear in chapter 7. There is described the sealing of God’s 144.000 chosen ones. We will present the hypothesis advanced by the researcher M. H. Shepherd Jr., of chapther 7’s drafting on the scheme of the initiation ceremony within the Paschal Liturgy, respectively of chapters 8-19 on the structure of the Easter Synax and Eucharist. In this part we will also analyze the liturgical and hymn unit from the book of Revelation, found in chapter 19. Hallelujah Doxology (Apoc 19, 1-8), in which references to martyrs appear (Apoc 19, 1-2), the four «Hallelujah» (Apoc 19, 1; 19, 3-4; 19, 6), an «Amen» (Apoc 19, 4), the exhortation addressed to all, young and old (Apoc 19, 5) and the comprehensive hymn (Apoc 19, 6-8) with its theological, Christological, and ecclesiological references, they make up the last and most important hymn unity of the book of Revelation.

ASPECTS OF LINGUISTIC FUNCTIONALISM IN BIBLE TRANSLATION. SOME TRENDS IN THE CONTEMPORARY CANONICAL HUNGARIAN BIBLE TRANSLATIONS

Author(s): Tibor M. Pintér / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2022

There are several Hungarian translations of the Bible serving at the same time: Translations are re-translations of the same text using revisions of ancient Bible texts. The language of the Bible should be “natural”, helping readers to comprehend it with the least effort. This effort is driven by direct and indirect translations showing more or less functional approaches to translation presenting texts by using methods of formal and functional equivalence. The paper provides a glimpse into contemporary canonical Hungarian translations, revealing the linguistic ideologies of the translator and the needs of the reader (in what manner linguistic ideologies have influence on the translation). Translation approaches are going to be “scaled” in the microstructure, showing possibilities of research to be done in the macrostructure of the translations. Examples are shown to reveal the intentions of the translator(s) helping readers to grasp the meaning of the source text.

Aspects of the Involvement of Non-Canonical Prophets in the Religious Political and Social Life of their Time

Author(s): Ioan-Gheorghe Rotaru / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The prophet, whether he was called canonical or non-canonical, namely, one whose writings were or were not included in the Holy Scriptures Canon, is considered to be the man of God, who hears God's voice and conveys His message, playing a very important role, respectively, to communicate to men the will and plans of God. The difference between a canonical and a non-canonical prophet consists only in writing, only in the fact that one wrote a book and the other did not write a certain book, which would have been included in the Canon of the Bible. There are also cases in which some prophets have written, but their books have not become reference books, that would shape some basic rules and in which to be said how the conduct of human life should be. Therefore, the prophets who wrote such books are called canonical prophets, because through their books they created general rules, applicable to all people of all times. Non-canonical prophets, in particular, addresses to specific situations, to some specific moments from the religious, social, or political life of the time. The study presents some examples of non-canonical prophets.

ASPECTS OF THE LAWS PRESENTED IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURE – RESTRICTIONS OR FREEDOM ?

Author(s): Ioan-Gheorghe Rotaru / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2021

We live in a time of restrictions, and from this perspective the society in which we live is divided into two broad categories, namely some who are subject to restrictions and others who revolt against them. We do not intend to discuss in particular in this study the motivation of those who are subject to restrictions but the attitude of those who revolt, as well as the attitude of those who remain neutral towards these restrictions. However, in this study we propose to take a look at the Holy Book, to see what the Creator says, at the proactive level, about restrictions. Does the Creator intend to take people’s freedom, or does He want to lead them to a bright and happy end? In all fields, the mentioned laws (Moral, ceremonial, civil, sanitary law, etc.),together form the laws of human education: moral education, religious education, health education, civic education, etc., there can be no human society without laws, namely laws in all fields of activity, but laws that are in accordance with God’s thinking, as they are presented in the Holy Scriptures, not interested laws, laws with dedication, etc. Man must not relate to the law, man must not have to deal with the law, just as he must not have to deal with the fence or the walls, man must have to deal with the space delimited by the law, and in this space, man has to deal only with his relationship with God, a relationship that must be in good conditions, with his relationship with his fellows, which must also be in good conditions and with his relationship with himself, because the system of laws from the Holy Scripture also concerns our own being. Under these conditions man reaches in the position of being free and happy.

Atitudinea faţă de neamuri în Vechiul Israel. Exclusivismul iudaic. Semnificaţii şi actualizare

Author(s): Emanuel Casvean / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 02/2020

The history of Judaism teaches us that one faces a crisis best by devoting himself, even in the very heat of the crisis, to the permanent and enduring values of Judaism and mankind. For the very nature of a crisis is impermanence, transcience, an interruption in the normal development of mankind. The term Judaism, which implies a definable belief-system, has no real equivalent in the traditional vocabulary of the religion itself. Its widespread use in European languages owes largely to the encounter with Christianity, which attaches greater importance to creeds and doctrines. In Jewish tradition, theology and religious concepts rarely have been perceived as defining features. It is more accurate to employ the term Judaism in a broader cultural sense to denote the fulf range of religious expressions of the people of Israel. This usage correctly underscores the national character of the religion, ineftrica bly bound to historical experience, Without attaching disproportionate weight to its theological component. As we shall observe, Judaism contains a complex variety of elements, including law, ethics, morality, observances, worship, and beliefs. Technically, the word Judaism Iike its cognate terms Jew and Jewish—refers to a more narrowly defined time frame within the longer national history, commencing at the conclusion of the biblical era. Whereas earlier epochs had known of twelve tribes of Israel, or of the two rival monarchies of Judah and Israel, a sequente of conquests and exiles brought about a situation in which only a vestige of the original people , dominate by the anciend tribe of Judah and inhabiting its ancestral territory (Judea), was able to maintain its religious and cultural identity through subsquerit generations. In some recent scholarship and theological writing it has become common to restrict the use of Judaism to those manifestations that emerged after the Babylonian exile, as distrinct from earlier Israelite or Hebrew religion. We must take care not to construe this terminological preference as an assertion that the Judaism of the Second Temple was a new and original invention , unconnected to the religion of the Hebrew scriptures.

Atitudinea oficială a iudelor față de cedința creștină. Sinodul de la Iamnia.

Author(s): Ion-Sorin Bora,Ionut Daniel Ciungu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 1/2021

The beginnings of the Christian Church are presented with the terms Holy Spirit, Baptism, disciples, Apostles, courage, commandment, world, etc. In addition to these, the terms “Christians”, “pagans”, “Jews”, “persecutions” are inevitably used, which show the reaction of people to the new faith that is now beginning to be called the Church, as well as the conflicts that are taking place in the Jewish environment, between those who believed in Christ and those who did not believe in Him. Until the Apostolic Synod in Jerusalem, the ethnic criterion should not be used in differentiating the two groups of people, given the common origin, “from the seed of Abraham,” of all those who enter into this discussion. The external factors of the Jewish tribe, the Romans and the heathen, become the subject of controversy among the members of the same nation.

Atti del settimo convegno RBS. International Studies on Biblical & Semitic Rhetoric, F. Graziano – R. Meynet – B. Witek (ed.), Seria: RBSem 30, Leuven: Peeters 2021

Author(s): Jerzy Bosowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 25/2021

Autorul Pentateuhului. Originea mozaică a lucrării (dovezi interne și externe)

Author(s): Eusebiu Borca / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 2/2010

The human author of the Pentateuch was Moses, the great lawgiver of Israel. It is true that in the Bible we can’t find a text which affirms that the work in its entirety is from Moses. Nevertheless, there is convincing testimony, both of an external and internal nature, to support the position that Moses wrote the Pentateuch. When we affirm that Moses wrote, or that he was the author of, the Pentateuch, we do not mean that he necessarily wrote every word. To insist upon this would be unreasonable. The witness of Sacred Scripture leads us to believe that Moses was the fundamental or real author of the Pentateuch. In composing it, he may indeed have employed parts of previously existing written documents. Also, under divine inspiration, there may have been later minor additions and even revisions. Substantially and essentially, however, it is the product of Moses. The Pentateuch as it stands is historical and from the time of Moses. Moses was its real author, though it may have been revised and edited by later redactors, the additions being just as much inspired as true as the rest. This high view has been commonly held by the historic Christian Church, and is embodied in her official creeds. The Early Fathers appealed to the Pentateuch as authoritative Scripture, and throughout her history the Church has followed suit. Nevertheless, some scholars have dissented from this high and noble view of the Bible, and the hostile criticism of the Bible made its appearance. Those Christians have deviated from traditional Christian teachings. They believe that selected passages were written by persons other than Moses. Some of these writings are materials that were added after Moses' death or written at the time of Moses but which could not reasonably be attributed to him.

Autorytet "Wulgaty" w pracy przekładowej pierwszego tłumacza "Psałterza floriańskiego"

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

The article discusses selected aspects related to the technique of translating the Latin text of the Vulgate by the translator of the fourteenth-century part of the Florian Psalter. In the course of linguistic and stylistic analyzes, primarily related to the study of phraseology and synonymy in selected semantic circles, the intricate work of the fourteenth-century copyist on the purposeful selection of lexemes is revealed. It turns out that the translation technique he adopted did not consist in mechanically substituting Latin words for their Polish equivalents. The conducted analyzes show that the selection of lexemes is well-thought-out and often conditioned by the sonic organization of the text and the translator's concern for the beauty of the language of the utterance.