I. Editorial

9

 II. Studii şi articole

 Pr. univ. dr. Viorel Ştefăneanu, Istoria lui Faust, un mit fondator al lumii moderne

Abstract: Faust is without any doubt the most used mythical figure in modern literature – in fact, the only myth, we may say, in which the contemporary man willfully admits his image.

Indeed, the appearance of this myth during Renaissance announces and prefigurates a new orientation – without precedent in human history – the Western societies which progressively adopt an anthropological pattern founded on a materialist vision of the world and of the human being, the overturning of the values which are opposite to the theocentric Christian pattern.

Agreeing with the material sciences, considered an indisputable unique source of the truth and therefore abusively rated at a metaphysical level, modern humanity repeats at a collective scale the pact of Faust, who sells his immortal soul in order to dominate the nature through magical powers and to possess, due to his satanic allegiance, all the worldly goods.

This pact with the material world – which sets the man in the universe of perishable things, is, at the same time, a pact with death – is, at its turn, a modern and collective reproduction of Adam’s fall. The biblical serpent – forced to crawl on the earth – represents, in fact, a lower intelligence (sneakiness – a form of animal intelligence which has as purpose the material benefits and advantages), which disputing God’s will assigns to itself, in an abusive manner, a metaphysical authority, attributing the supremacy of the sensual man in front of the spiritual existence.

Hence, we can notice here a idolatry of the flesh and of the matter which, after it has become the „universal” model for modern societies, confers to the primordial sin, as to the Faustian sin, the collective and global dimension of an up-side-down religious phenomenon (“the theology of God’s death”, as Mircea Eliade calls it), which brings about a confirmation of the relative biblical prophecies of the event, at the end of time, of the Antichrist – in other words, a collective model which has as goal world domination, which is visibly opposed to the Christian anthropologic pattern.

Keywords: Faust`s myth, the biblical snake, Renaissance, theology of God`s death, legend of Faust, christian anthropology

17

 Albert Rauch, Die Universalität des Heils durch Christus und Seine Kirche Im Zusammenhang mit der „Dechristianisierung“ im Westen Und dem heute so wichtig gewordenen Dialog mit den Weltreligionen

 Abstract:One of the challenges that Christians face today, especially in the West, is dechristianization. In theology, there are some tendencies: on one hand, one may speak about inclusivism, and one of the forerunners of this trend is St. Justin the Martyr, who discovers in all the other religions “seeds of the Logos”. Another trend which is opposed to the former is the exclusivism, which views any other religion as a dangerous opponent. Nowadays, one may witness a new trend that considers any religion to have its own vision of God and everybody may choose his religion, as in a supermarket. The Catholic perspective of the Vatican II deals with the value of all religions, appreciating all positive aspects, though it considers Christ as “ the Way, the Truth and The Life” (John 14:6). The act of recognizing the divine holiness in the world and of reconciling all faiths is the work of the Holy Spirit.

 Keywords: christians, dechristianization, theology, inclusivism, Justin the Martyr, seeds of the Logos, Vatican II deals, divine holiness, Holy Spirit

 71

 Pr. conf. univ. dr. Simion Todoran, Sfânta Scriptură. Cuvântul lui Dumnezeu şi importanţa acestuia în viaţa credincioşilor

 Abstract:We cannot know God through our own natural resources but only trough what is perceptible in His creation where His being reflects. It is under these circumstances that we are given  two points of departure. On the one hand, there is the experience of the world and of the others where “what God left invisible after the creation of the world can be aknowledged through His creation, His almighty power and his divinity.” (Rom 1,20). On the other hand, there is the inner experience through which our moral conscience shows us the divine Law written down in our self (Rom. 2,15), while the dynamism of our Self in search of the absolute appears like the real sign of our subordination to God. Briefly, Jesus’ history is treated everywhere as a sacred history above all, and Jesus’ words as the divine word, also.

 Keywords: The holy Bible, God`s word, the eternal life, the Revelation, the languages of the holy Bible

 81

 Ludwig Tavernier, „mich in den Ängsten zu trösten, die mich treffen sollen“. Bilder vom Sterben

 Abstract: It’s well known the life is always related to death. The transition from life to death, the decease or death itself hides the greatest possible challenge of the man, followed by the feeling of loneliness, abandon and fear.

In the New Testament this feelings are best described in the pericopes about the Passions of Christ. Jesus had to face fear and fright, for that He went together with Peter, Jacob and John on the Olive Mountain to pray. Fear clear expressed in a stress way by the Evangelists in the praying moment on the Olive Mountain, it was not assumed by the Paleochristian art. Only in the VI th - century it is known a monument which expresses Jesus’ fear in the face of His death. Meanwhile, in the Gospels - which were written in the last quarter of the first Christian century - in the description of the scenes on the Olive Mountain, of the Crucification and death of Jesus, the loneliness, the abandon and the fear appear like a very sharp theme in the Passion of Christ, from the IV-V century in many traditions about the death of the Virgin Mary, appear the comfort of our Lady on her death bed and the communion with her.

In the art, in front of death, each man is represented as being alone, but he doesn’t always have to be alone. The image of Mary’s death concentrates this thought: our relatives, our friends and all who took part in our life, gather around our death bed. The dying one thought at himself like a member of the community

Keywords: transition from life to death, image of Christ dying, Passion of Christ, image of Mary’s death, image of a  christia deathn

 107

 Pr. conf. univ. dr. Teofil Tia, „Întâlnirea cu Dumnezeu” Sumară psiho-analiză a trăirilor interioare corespunzătoare „convertirii”

 Abstract: The study: ‘Meeting with God. Synthetic psycho-analysis of the experience of conversion’ tries to characterizing the specificity of authentic experience of God: 1) this sort of experience should be explained from the religious point of view by the beneficiary into the cultural-existential context specific for himself; 2) on the other hand, one deep mystical experience causes grate availability for the engagement in the social life. In fact our reflection is proving it is not possible to talk about a univocal, uniform and standard expression of the inner experience belonging to the persons who had a meeting with God. So, each person expresses in a different way his inner experience, his interior life.  

 Keywords: psycho-analysis, experience of conversion, authentic experience, inner experience, cultural-existential context

 117

 Ingeborg Gabriel, Christliche Identität im europäischen Kontext

 Abstract: Under historical, cultural and spiritual aspects, Christianity and the European continent are tightly united. Even though the evolution of Christianity was not even, the multitude of its forms of development permitted a diversity of Christian cultures.

However, the tensions, the disunions and the fractions created throughout the time between West and East are very well-known: frequently, for the West, the eastern geographical space is a sort of terra incognitio; and in the conscience of the East there still are repercussion of the historical memories such as the ones of the Islamic robbing, and, afterwards, the communist persecutions. These factors are not favourable to the ecumenical dialogue, and the issue of the ecumenism within modernism was debated in the Second Council of Vatican, which chose a dialogue between religions.

Thus, due to this dialogue we can understand that identity claims knowledge of the correct context, which changes, and puts us in front of new challenges suggesting two principles: the return to the sources and the other one is the renovation of these sources in the context of the present.

 Keywords: christianity, christian identity, Second Council of Vatican, Christian cultures, ecumenical dialogue

 137

 Pr. prof. dr. Tecle Vetrali, La formazione ecumenica

 Abstract:This study indicates a pass-throw of all the things that require an ecumenical formation. It analyses some recent and modern aspects regarding the ecumenical formation: the nowadays crises in the ecumenical formation; the different proposals and documents of the Churches, meaning the decisions of: a) The Mix Working Catholic group – CEC (Ecumenical Council of The Churches: Ecumenical formation, 1994); b) The Congregation for the Catholic education and the Pontifical Council for promoting the unity between Christians (from 1993, and from 1997). The third point notices a few possible education schedules and stop over the theoretic content which is necessary for theological and ecumenical fairly formation. The forth chapter insists over the profile of the ‘ecumenical people’ and the fifth chapter offer us some lines of ecumenical formation ‘into the Church’. The aim of the ecumenical formation of the christians is very ambitious but also very hard: it’s supposing a consistent and integrative christian personality, summing up all the aspects of personal, christian and Church life.

It is wrong that the ecumenical formation is reserved only to some specialized people in each Church but is good for them they exist - we hope not in a self-sufficient way, but to form the other christians of that Church in an ecumenical way. In addition, it mustn’t be forgotten that the ecumenical formation shouldn’t be a simple individual way, but a Church way which grows inside it for its evolution.

 Keywords: ecumenism, ecumenical formation, spritual work, ecumenical work, ecumenical dialogue

 161

 Conf. univ. dr. Marius Telea, Frământări şi conflicte religioase în Bizanţul secolului al V-lea: Patriarhul Acaciu şi „Henotikonul” lui Zenon 

Abstract: As regards the internal politics led by Zenon the most important fact was represented by his attempt of re-establishing peace within the Church. The empire lost its Eastern provinces due to the religious politics led by Zenon`s predecessors. The rulers of the Eastern Church felt the need to bring them under their leadership and, consequently, they found a reconciling formula. Acachie, the patriarch of Constantinople proposed a new formula which was agreed with by the Monophysites. Guided by his advice Zenon drew up the famous unification edict known under the name Henotikon (482).

The decisions of the 4th Ecumenical Council were thus eluded, as a consequence, a new religious formula seemed able to reunite Calcedon`s enemies and partisans. It was only Pope Felix the 3rd who had a different opinion which led to the first act of the Great Schism between the West and the East.

Keywords: Byzantium, the Henotikon, chrystology, the two Romes, christian church, monks, saints

 175

 Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, “Tilling and Caring for the Earth”. Public Theology and Ecology

 Abstract: One of the challenges that Christians face today, especially in the West, is dechristianization. In theology, there are some tendencies: on one hand, one may speak about inclusivism, and one of the forerunners of this trend is St. Justin the Martyr, who discovers in all the other religions “seeds of the Logos”. Another trend which is opposed to the former is the exclusivism, which views any other religion as a dangerous opponent. Nowadays, one may witness a new trend that considers any religion to have its own vision of God and everybody may choose his religion, as in a supermarket. The Catholic perspective of the Vatican II deals with the value of all religions, appreciating all positive aspects, though it considers Christ as “ the Way, the Truth and The Life” (John 14:6). The act of recognizing the divine holiness in the world and of reconciling all faiths is the work of the Holy Spirit.

 Keywords: christians, dechristianization, theology, inclusivism, Justin the Martyr, seeds of the Logos, Vatican II deals, divine holiness, Holy Spirit

 189

 Arcivescovo prof. dott. Dionigi Tettamanzi, La sofferenza itinerario di libertà

 Abstract: The evolution of science and theology enlarge and sustain the possibility for the man to defend and promote the life and the human health. On the other hand this evolution has certain ambivalence, also opening the way to some interventions which can go to an outrage to the health and human life.

At the same time, the medical involving in favor for our life and health can skid to a negative effect over the human beings. So, the reality of life and death is defying science, technology and medicine.

That’s why a very important bioethics problem is the attitude which we must have in front of the suffering.

It’s a great human as well as religious challenge, to find a satisfying answer for this complex problem about the suffering.

 Keywords: evolution of science, human suffering, spiritual life, technology, medicine, human life, religious challenge, human beings

 211

 Pr. lect. dr. Dumitru Vanca, Un Liturghier românesc mai puţin cunoscut: Bălgrad, 1687

 Abstract:This research is part from a more ample programme which was initiated by the author for the moral and historical rehabilitation of protopope Ioan Zoba who was unfairly accused of adherence to Calvinist. 

The substitution of Slavonic with Romanian ordinary language in liturgical ministration has been initiated 400 years ago. The process wasn’t easy. After more than 100 years since first Romanian Liturghier (Brasov, 1570) have been printed, Orthodox Church’s leaders still gave instructions against those translation initiatives (considered to be sign of Calvinist proselytism). Between the XVI-XVII century Calvinist was religion of political power in Transylvania, which, out of dissimulation, tried to attract as many Orthodox Romanians to Protestant principles and precepts, one of its principles was usage of national languages in ministration.

Protopope Ioan Zoba from Vinţ (a little locality near Alba-Iulia) had a considerable contribution to insertion of liturgical language in ministration of Romanian Orthodox Church. In the period of 1683-1689 this priest has translated and printed into Romanian three essential books for ministration: Ceaslovul, 1687 (Orologhion), Rânduiala Diaconstvelor, 1687 (a mini Liturghier) and Molitfelnic, 1689 (Evhologhion).

The book presented - Rânduiala Dianconstvelor - includes the ceremonial of St. John Christotom’s Divine Liturgy, Evening Prayer (Vespers) and Morning Prayer (Matins). The text comprises only the vocal parts without the prayers of priest, but also minimum rubrics regarding the dialog between priest, deacon and people. Near by the transliteration of the original text (until XIXth century the Romanian was using Cyrillic alphabet in writing and printing) also is made as well a concise and comparative analysis of its text with another two old Liturgy books (Coresi’s, Braşov 1570 and Dosoftei’s, Iaşi 1679).

The conclusions of this research can be summarize so:

-     the authentic orthodoy of Ioan Zoba’s faith;

-     the book should be included in so called “transition period book” from Paleoslavonic to Romanian language;

-     although is possible to be familiar whit earlier Coresi’s and Dosoftei’s text, Zoba’s text shows a different reading text which is more improved and very fluent.

 Keywords: Divine Liturgy, liturgical languages into The Liturgy, Cyrilic alphabet, old liturgical books, Ioan Zoba din Vinţ, Rânduiala Diaconstvelor

 233

 Pr. lect. univ. dr. Ioan Cozma, Persoanele private titulare ale dreptului de proprietate ecleziastică în legislaţia canonică şi civilă a primului mileniu

 Abstract: Over the time, neither the less were the problems that regarded whom might be the owners of a Church property, which lead to many theories such as: an angel, the poor, the Church community, the State, the Church, the Pope and the private person. Regarding to the private person, some authors sustain, that the roman-christian legislation had found enough evidence, that could allow us to admit them as subjects of the church’s right and even of the private person. In the Oriental civic legislation the private person could built or contributing at the conservation or edification of an religious building, but those buildings ounce they were built, they were built, they entered in the possession of the Church. The private chapels or any other religious buildings, built on the private property, were not considered as the Church’s possessions but only as private places for praying. In steed, in the West, the right of the private person to posses church belonging’s was admitted by the Church and by the State. Never the Less this theory didn’t’ had continuity, because it was considered Church’s belongings those things which were in the property of juridical Church person.

 Keywords: Church law, private person property, Orthodox Church legislation, Oriental civic legislation, religious buildings

 269

 Pr. lect. univ. dr. Dorin Opriş, Contribuţii la realizarea educaţiei religioase în diaspora românească din Europa

 Abstract:The connection between Religion and religious education is given by the fact that approaching God isn’t possible without educational steps, compared by M. Eliade with a real initiatory course. The importance of religious education for personal and social human development is supported by moral, cultural and social arguments.

The religious education promoted by Christianity sought to transmit the new faith teachings, the absolute truth revealed by the supreme Person so that by their personal valorization a true spiritual revolution of man may become possible.

By means of religious education, man can get to knowing God and loving his counterparts. In order to accomplish the finalities of the religious education, it is necessary that it begin in the childhood and be continued to one’s death, with divine help and personal effort.

The educational studies of Christianity were also directed towards the establishment of education institutions. At the beginning, they had the role of providing the religious preparation of Baptism candidates and, after the generalization of the children’s Baptism, they were replaced by the catechetical, monastery, parish and bishopric schools and, later on, by universities.

The present study is set on presenting the fundamental theoretical aspects that are necessary for the development, on a medium and on a long term, of a complex educational-religious project in which the elements of theology and psycho-pedagogy from the curricular documents, according to the new research in the respective fields, should offer the support for the production of auxiliary materials capable to support an efficient religious education in the modern world, as well as a model in their accomplishment.

 Keywords: religious education, diaspora, eficient education, religious curriculum, parish and bishopric schools

285

 Arhid. lect. drd. Alin Albu, Perspectivă istoriografică asupra protopopiatului ortodox de Alba Iulia - sec. XVII-XX (II. sec. XVIII-XX)

 Abstract: The district of the archpriest of Alba Iulia had a special status among the Transylvanian districts of the archpriests due to the historical, political, cultural and religious importance of the city in which this institution had its home. Nevertheless, historiography does not record until this day but one monographic work dedicated to this institution, which takes into regard the period between the years 1918 and 1940. This work, beyond the enlarged informational content that it offers in comparison to the studies and the articles dedicated to the archpriests from that period – a plus of information that it had obtained from the research of the archives -, suffers from slight imprecision and, especially, from inconsistency; both excusable due to the level of research. Otherwise, a few local researchers have dedicated studies and articles to similar themes to the one discussed here: Eva Mârza (for 18th century), Doina Dreghiciu (for 18th century), Alin Albu (for 18th century), Nicolae Dănilă (for 18th century), Gabriela Mircea (for 18th century), Nicolae Josan (for 19th century) and  Ioana Rustoiu. Only four of these authors sign monographic studies per se: Eva Mârza, Doina Dreghiciu, Gabriela Mircea and Alin Albu. The articles signed by Alexandru Baba, Romul Joantă and Niculiţă Pascu are also monographic approaches that, however, constitute themselves into general presentations, without bringing a considerable scientific contribution because they were not written by specialists.

Under these circumstances, aggravated by the fact that the bibliographic inconsistency is often doubled by the lack of documentation, the attempt to recreate the history of the district of the archpriest of Alba Iulia and the biographies of some important personalities that have been the owners of this distinction presupposes a very hard work.

 Keywords: Simion Stoica, orthodox deanery in Alba Iulia, orthodox life in Alba Iulia,  XVIIIth-XXth century christianity in Transilvania

 309

 Protos. lect. drd. Ignatie Ilie Trif, Liturghia – „Împărăţia Cerurilor în desfăşurare”. Marginalii la volumul Cartea deschisă a Împărăţiei. O însoţire liturgică pentru preoţi şi mireni

 Abstract:Liturgical mystery, intimate significations claimed by Divine Liturgy need to be apprehended for facilitating the birth of experience act, thirst of living what we hear. If we don’t understand (not necessary logical), we can not live the liturgical meanings, and without living in this way, we can’t understand them. Living has as theological premise the apprehension, interpretation of liturgical acts and canons. The hermeneutic practice (having the meaning of askisis) on the text of Divine Liturgy has the virtue to make us immune to wave of “liturgical crisis” which infest nowaday society.

This kind of hermeneutic askisis charter us Î.P.S. Bartolomeu. Cartea deschisă a Împărăţiei. O însoţire liturgică pentru pentru preoţi şi mireni (The opened book of Kingdom. A liturgical convoy for priest and laics) is a well medicine/remedy for the subjects of liturgical boredom. It has the power to regenerate the liturgical instancy and function in ourselves. Written in fresh manner, approaching frontal the text of Liturgy, being fascinating in its speech and expression, Cartea deschisă a Imparăţiei has truly the virtue to bring us into the liturgical Kingdom. Internal architecture of this hermeneutic study on Divine Liturgy has marvellous coherence and beauty. The poetical form couples with the liturgical base while the aphoristic saying neighbours with theological speech. 

 Keywords: divine liturgy, bartolomeu, translation, hermeneutic practice, liturgical crisis

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