"Biografiile" Sfantului Maxim Marturisitorul si contextul istoric al epocii sale

Author(s): Vicen?iu Românu / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 01-03/2017

In modern Romanian theology, Father Dumitru Stăniloae is the first theologist who started capitalizing, by their precious translations and comments, for almost half a century, on a part of the theological and spiritual works of the great Byzantine and erudite monk of the 7th century in the person of Saint Maxim the Confessor, thus ranging under the neopatristic trend, dedicated to the „maximology” commenced during the first half of the 20th century. Within the four tomes of maximian works, the Romanian theologist casts some light on the sizes and profound significances of the confessor monk Maxim’s thinking in relation to contemporary theology, however, concerning Their life, the scholared Romanian theologist compiles short biographic notes.

"Foaia Diecezana" - 130 de ani de aparitie

Author(s): Constantin Cilibia / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 01-03/2017

The Diocesan Sheet magazine, through the articles printed, enjoys an even greater popularity within believers, priests, not only from the Caransebeș Bishopric, but the entire country. The editorial team consists of church, but also laic personalities with a good theological preparation. It is led by our inexhaustible Bishop, Dr. Lucian Mic, of Caransebeș, who is undertaking great efforts for the magazine to appear periodically and in exquisite graphic conditions. From what we have seen so far, the Diocesan Sheet magazine is highly appreciated, not only within the Caransebeș Bishopric, the Banat Mitropoly, but also within the Romanian Patriarchy. We see its presence everywhere, thus confirming that it complies with current requirements and exigencies.

"Regulamentul autorităților canonice-disciplinare și al instanțelor de judecată ale Bisericii Ortodoxe Române". Contribuția Arhiepiscopiei Timișoarei.

Author(s): Cosmin Panturu / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 01-03/2016

As for matters of internal discipline, our Church has applied, in time, canonical provisions from modern Romania imbedded with norms foreseen in Disciplinary Court and Trial Regulations in 1926 and 1949. They have been issued by the church authority in compliance with Laws of Cults and Church Statuses in 1925 and 1948-1949. The 1949 Regulation was updated several times and was still enforced until 2015. A number of 17 sense and shape provisions present in this article have been acknowledged from amendments brought by the Timişoara Archbishopric.

(Hiper)produkcija čuda i čudesnih dela: značenja narodnih i crkvenih interpretacija i njihov značaj za proces desekularizacije u Srbiji

Author(s): Lidija Radulovic / Language(s): Serbian / Issue: 4/2012

Over the last 20 years, miracles and miraculous acts have been an important part of the multi-layered process of desecularization in Serbia. The Serbian Orthodox Church is trying to revitalize orthodoxy as interpreted by the church and draw in as many believers as possible. At the same time, the folk orthodox variant of Christianity is being revitalized among the faithful, mostly through populist interpretations with elements of folk religion. This paper analyzes the public production of miracles in Serbia based mostly on material drawn from the media, but also on personal testimonies of informants who have witnessed such events.

170 de ani de la Hirotonia întru episcop a Sfântului Andrei Şaguna (18 aprilie 1848). Analiza istorică şi canonică a documentelor

Author(s): Razvan Per?a,Mircea Gheorghe Abrudan / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 4/2018

The life, activity and work of Saint Andrei Şaguna, the Metropolitan of Transylvania, are well-known due to the special academic researches led by Romanian and foreign historians and theologians. However, official archives and libraries from Romania and from abroad still possess many original sources regarding the Transylvanian Metropolitan’s life and activity that can bring clarifications about his work and will contribute to a more complete outline of his pastoral and theological activity. Our work explores two such very important documents regarding the appointment of Archimandrite Andrei Şaguna as the Transylvanian Orthodox Bishop by Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria on February 5, 1848 and his ordination by Metropolitan Iosif Raiacici in the metropolitan cathedral of Karlowitz (Sremski Karlovci) on April 18, 1848. Our research reviews these two important documents in the historical, canonical, and political context of the period.

1882 — Anul Aparitiei Revistei „Candela” a Mitropoliei Bucovinei

Author(s): Justinian-Remus Cojocar / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 01+04/2017

The history of the religious-literary journal „Candela” begins in 1882, when the worthy of remembrance Silvestru Morariu Andrievici was Archbishop of Cernăuți and Metropolitan of Bukovina and Dalmația (1880-1895). „Candela” was the official church journal of the Metropolitan of Bukovina reaching every village, city, parochial and city library and institution. On the 8th (20th) of April 1882, the Metropolitan Silvestru Morariu Andrievici issued The Circular and The Regulations for the religious literary Journal of Cernăuți. He sent the two documents, on the 17th (29th) of April 1882 (entrance number 30) for publication in Foaia Ordinăciunilor a Consistoriului arhiepiscopal în afacerile Arhidiecezei ortodoxe orientale a Bucovinei, no. 4, year 1882. As an official bulletin of The Orthodox Church in Bukovina, „Candela” was to give prestige to the diocese and identity to the Church and the Romanians in Bukovina.

A Beleaguered Church

The Serbian Orthodox Church in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) 1941–1945

Author(s): Aleksandar Stojanovic / Language(s): English / Issue: XLVIII/2017

In the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) from its establishment only days after the German attack on Yugoslavia in early April 1941 until its fall in May 1945 a genocide took place. The ultimate goal of the extreme ideology of the Ustasha regime was a new Croatian state cleansed of other ethnic groups, particularly the Serbs, Jews and Roma. The Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), historically a mainstay of Serbian national identity, culture and tradition, was among its first targets. Most Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries were demolished, heavily damaged or appropriated by the Roman Catholic Church or the state. More than 170 Serbian priests were killed and tortured by the Ustasha, and even more were exiled to occupied Serbia. The regime led by Ante Pavelić introduced numerous laws and regulations depriving the SPC of not only its property and spiritual jurisdiction but even of its right to existence. When mass killings stirred up a large-scale rebellion, a more political and seemingly non-violent approach was introduced: the Croatian regime unilaterally and non-canonically founded the so-called Croatian Orthodox Church in order to bring the forced assimilation of Serbs to completion. This paper provides an overview of the ordeal of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the NDH, based on the scholarly literature and documentary sources of Serbian, German and Croatian origin. It looks at legislation, propaganda, the killings and torture of Orthodox clergy and the destruction of church property, including medieval holy relics. The scale and viciousness of some atrocities will be looked at based on unused or less known sources, namely the statements of Serbian refugees recorded during the war by the SPC and the Commissariat for Refugees in Serbia, and documents from the Political Archive of the Third Reich Ministry of Foreign Affairs

A novel painted monument. Byzantine Art between Aesthetic Redefining and Dogmatic Perennity. The church Saint John the Baptist of Bârnova

Author(s): Mihail Gheatau / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2016

Being remarkablethrough the monumentality andelegance of proportions, thearchitecture of the Church “SaintJohn the Baptist” from Bârnovaderives from the so-called oldWallachian style, skillfullyreshaping a structure whichcombines elements which arespecific to Byzantine Balkanicecclesiastical buildings. Theunseen pictural work of ȘtefanConstantinescu is characterized bythe attempt to associate the resultsof experiencing freedom ofinterpretation and expression withthe rules of the iconographiccanon, inside the same ensemble.Its representations do notreproduce the traditional Byzantinemanner, nor it is delivered as aform of quoting reality, but it is filtered and interpreted. From a theologicalpoint of view, the author respects the iconographic program, except for thetopographic placement of some episodes, adapting the discourse accordingto the configuration and features of the liturgical space. We are in front ofa case which places us in the position of managing the relationship betweenthe value of artistic creation and the meticulosity of theologicalinvolvement. Neither Byzantine, nor realistic, the artistic solution of themural painting from Bârnova is closer to the manner of iconictransfiguration than to the one of improvisation or artistic intermediationthrough which the daily tridimensional world is reflected.

A Perspective Over Religious, Political and Economic Decisions in Romania after 1989

Author(s): Andreea Maria Kurtuhuz,Ion Vasilescu / Language(s): English / Issue: S2/2009

One of the greatest Romanian ‘organization’ that has the highest roots in history than any others, Romanian Orthodox Church, provided many actions for the political and economic lives, but also improved and developed different and new strategies for a better management to a high level. During the past twenty years, the decisions taken in the religious area had a huge impact over the political arena, even if it was wide open or out of see actions. The European Union and the enlargement were seen also like political and economic strategies, but in fact it was just another objective that the Church had to accomplish.

ACCENTE TEOLOGICE

Author(s): Daniil Stoenescu / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 10-12/2018

The moment is our gift. Life is made up of a lot of time packs, full of eternity moments. Every moment should be received, lived, filled with sense and meaning, and lit by prayer. The Hesychast Orthodox Prayer fills to the fullest extent, warms, ignites and flames the golden Cup gem of every moment in our earthly and Christian life. Each moment has its infinite value, that is why a man, a Christian, a clergyman or a monk is bound to connect, bind and hang every moment of his life by faith, hope and love, humility, repentance and weeping, of God’s eternity, for eventually God’s eternity will call to judgment and judge the moments of our life, separating them as the shepherd breaks up the lambs from the goats.

ACTIVITATEA NAȚIONALĂ A CLERICILOR DIN BANATUL DE SUD, ÎN PREAJMA MARII UNIRI

Author(s): Daniel-Aron Alic / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 01-03/2018

The Romanian Orthodox Church from Banat, faithful to the Orthodox principles and commandments, has always been an institution in service of her flock. Thus, because the Romanians from this region desired to be united with the Romanians from all other provinces, the Church, through its ministers, supported this desideratum. After the World War II, when the moment for this unification came, the bishops, the deans and the entire clergy from Banat were, alongside all political representatives of the people, the first fighters for the national ideals of unity.

Activitatea unui erudit slujitor al Bisericii

Author(s): Dan Marius Goga / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 01-03/2016

Father Grigore Pletosu has exposed, quite a lot lately, the interest of people concerned with the history of the Năsăud region and otherwise. In spite of this, not all aspects of his activity have been emphasized, which actually led to us writing this study, where readers receive an insight of his biography, almost unknown, with his university studies in Sibiu, Leipzig and Pesta.

Activities of Father Nikolai Velimirovich in Great Britain during the Great War

Author(s): Slobodan G. Markovic / Language(s): English / Issue: XLVIII/2017

Nikolai Velimirovich was one of the most influential bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the twentieth century. His stay in Britain in 1908/9 influenced his theological views and made him a proponent of an Anglican-Orthodox church reunion. As a known proponent of close relations between different Christian churches, he was sent by the Serbian Prime Minister Pašić to the United States (1915) and Britain (1915–1919) to work on promoting Serbia and the cause of Yugoslav unity. His activities in both countries were very successful. In Britain he closely collaborated with the Serbian Relief Fund and “British friends of Serbia” (R. W. Seton-Watson, Henry Wickham Steed and Sir Arthur Evans). Other Serbian intellectuals in London, particularly the brothers Bogdan and Pavle Popović, were in occasional collision with the members of the Yugoslav Committee over the nature of the future Yugoslav state. In contrast, Velimirovich remained committed to the cause of Yugoslav unity throughout the war with only rare moments of doubt. Unlike most other Serbs and Yugoslavs in London Father Nikolai never grew unsympathetic to the Serbian Prime Minister Pašić, although he did not share all of his views. In London he befriended the churchmen of the Church of England who propagated ecclesiastical reunion and were active in the Anglican and Eastern Association. These contacts allowed him to preach at St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster and other prominent Anglican churches. He became such a well-known and respected preacher that, in July 1917, he had the honour of being the first Orthodox clergyman to preach at St. Paul’s Cathedral. He was given the same honour in December 1919. By the end of the war he had very close relations with the highest prelates of the Church of England, the Catholic cardinal of Westminster, and with prominent clergymen of the Church of Scotland and other Protestant churches in Britain. Based on Velimirovich’s correspondence preserved in Belgrade and London archives, and on very wide coverage of his activities in The Times, in local British newspapers, and particularly in the Anglican journal The Church Times, this paper describes and analyses his wide-ranging activities in Britain. The Church of England supported him wholeheartedly in most of his activities and made him a celebrity in Britain during the Great War. It was thanks to this Church that some dozen of his pamphlets and booklets were published in London during the Great War. What made his relations with the Church of England so close was his commitment to the question of reunion of Orthodox churches with the Anglican Church. He suggested the reunion for the first time in 1909 and remained committed to it throughout the Great War. Analysing the activities of Father Nikolai, the paper also offers a survey of the very wide-ranging forms of help that the Church of England provided both to the Serbian Orthodox Church and to Serbs in general during the Great War. Most of these activities were channelled through him. Thus, by the end of the Great War he became a symbol of Anglican-Orthodox rapprochement

Adapting to Shifting Imperial Realities: Mount Athos (Chilandar Monastery) in thе Political and Economic Context of the Eighteenth-Century Ottoman Empire

Author(s): Ognjen Ž. Krešic / Language(s): English / Issue: 14/2017

The monastic life and the overall functioning of the Athonite monasteries were not completely isolated from the dynamics of the relations between the centre and the provinces in the Ottoman Empire, and even less to the recurrent reforms of the Ottoman tax system. On the contrary, Athonite monks had to navigate complex political and economic situation to secure the continuation and improvement of their monasteries. The research of the case of Chilandar monastery was used to analyse internal organization of the Athonite monasteries in the 18th century and their adaptions to new circumstances. Moreover, multifaceted ties (religious, cultural, and economic) between Chilandar and the territories beyond Mount Athos are presented. The monks had intensive contacts with both the Orthodox Serbian clergy and laity living in the lands under the Habsburg rule. On the other side, economic development that prompted an increase of the number of the affluent merchants and craftsmen in the Eastern Balkans opened new opportunities for an enriched religious and cultural life and intensified contacts between these regions and the Athonite monasteries.

Age of the Holy Spirit: The Eon of Inspiration, Spirituality and Harmony between Masculine and Feminine

Author(s): Madalina Virginia Antonescu / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2015

After defining the concept of the “Age of the Holy Spirit”, we will try to establish a general profile of this civilization and axiological pattern, conceived as opposing and surpassing the obsolete patriarchal model of organizing human society and mentalities. The pro-active and positive, the creative role of the woman in designing, implementing and extending this model are underlined in the first section of the paper. We will also make some references to the relation between the woman and this new civilization and axiological pattern, by presenting the main dichotomist aspects within human societies operating until the present.

Akathistos and Pokrov: A Case Study of Iconographic Contamination

Author(s): Nazar Kozak / Language(s): English / Issue: 9/2014

The Virgin’s protection as the main concept of Strophe 19 of the Akathistos Hymn demanded an appropriate visualization. Thus in some of the Akathistos cycles the illustration of this strophe was definitely influenced by the iconography of the Pokrov, which embodied the same idea. Actually, the specific representation of the Virgin holding a cloth (in several cases looking like an omophorion) in her arms had been borrowed. We will discuss how this variant of the illustration of Strophe 19 had emerged, when and where it was spread and why? The Virgin’s protection as the main concept of Strophe 19 of the Akathistos Hymn demanded an appropriate visualization. Thus in some of the Akathistos cycles the illustration of this strophe was definitely influenced by the iconography of the Pokrov, which embodied the same idea. Actually, the specific representation of the Virgin holding a cloth (in several cases looking like an omophorion) in her arms had been borrowed. We will discuss how this variant of the illustration of Strophe 19 had emerged, when and where it was spread and why?

ALEGEREA ŞI INSTALAREA PREASFINŢITULUI PĂRINTE DR. EMILIAN CRIŞANUL ÎN FUNCȚIA DE EPISCOP-VICAR AL ARHIEPISCOPIEI ARADULUI

Author(s): Iustin Popovici,Marius Mircia / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 07-09/2017

On July 4 2017, in the Synodic Hall of the Patriarchal Residence, under the presidency of the All-Holy Patriarch Father Daniel, the work session of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church took place. This session entailed the election of the Bishop-Minister for the Archbishopric of Suceava and the Rădăuți and the Bishop-Minister for the Archbishopric of Arad. The Holy Synod elected, by secret vote, his Grace, the Bishop-Minister Emilian Lovișteanul as Bishop-Minister for the Archbishopric of Arad, with 43 out of 46 votes validly expressed votes. The new Bishop-Minister will be named his Grace, Father Emilian Crișanul.

AMBIVALENȚA RITUALULUI ÎN VIOLENȚĂ: PERSPECTIVE CREȘTINE ORTODOXE

Author(s): Marian Simion / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 1/2018

This article demonstrates that ritual plays an ambivalent role in the interaction between religion and violence. Ritual triggers and gives meaning to violence, or it enforces peace and coexistence. The first part of the article defines the ambivalence of ritual in the context of violence. The second part surveys standard rituals of peace and violence from Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The third part focuses on the ambivalent nature of Orthodox Christian rituals.

Amor omnia vincit!

Love for one’s neighbor, in the name of God, is the Christian’s spiritual distinction

Author(s): Liviu Petcu / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2018

Love, from the Christian perspective, is the likeness of imago Dei that has been imprinted on our lives and the constituent elements of the universe. Man, through his own nature, acknowledges his need to establish a direct relationship with the personal God by continuously aiming at the Absolute because the power to love has been instilled in his heart. Man is internally driven to open himself through love because he stands on the foundation that created and maintains this tendency in him, that of communion with the Persons of the Holy Trinity which is the eternal and the paramount reciprocal openness in the light of love. God anticipates a prompt response to His call to His ocean of love from which He wants to impart waves, but, He will do this according to one’s thirst and readiness. He loves each of us, He will bestow everything upon us, on one condition: that we turn and take steps toward Him so that we should receive Him. Man is invited to reciprocate God’s love with his love and interact with all men in the power of humble and sacrificial love that he received through intimate communion with Him. It is my intention to approach in the lines below these topics that I state and propose for the readers’ consideration: love for God as a response of man to God’s agape love for him, love for man’s neighbor in the name of God – this is the distinctive sign of good Christians – and, at the same time, the new commandment of the new era. The classic paradigms of Christian love have also been briefly broached in a subchapter. The subject matter of this paper consists of the conviction that God bestowed life on us also because He desired to teach us to eternally love Him and our neighbors, ever more intensely.

An Apologetical Approach regarding the Religious Feeling

Author(s): Ionita Apostolache / Language(s): English / Issue: 02/2015

The religious feeling represents the first step in the process of knowing God. In our study we have tried to analyze apologetically the human predisposition to the divine reality. Our main interest was to demonstrate the necessities of the religious human being in their process of self-discovery. In this regard, the feeling of religious belonging is very important. Therefore, the moral law is the starting point in the divine knowledge of the human consciousness. In the process of revelation God gives the Old Testament to the Jewish people. Furthermore, when the Logos has come in the world the divine knowledge started to be more straightforward and the religious feeling acquired a Christological di-mension. Finally, the religious feeling demonstrates a beautiful process of an ontological discovery in Christ of all human race. In conclusion, our study is an apologetic debate about how to reestablish the conceptual harmony between theology, philosophy, culture and science in the process of knowing God.