ICOANA CREDINTEI.ICON OF FAITH

5 - 13

Authors: Petros VASSILIADIS

Many scholars in modernity have accused Saint Paul either for an unrestricted obedience to civil authorities (Rom 13), or for surrendering the divine gift of freedom and human dignity and accepting the status of slavery (1 Cor 7:21; Phlm), or for implying the subordination of women (1 Cor 14:34ff.; Eph 5:22; Col 3:18; etc.). I am referring of course to the well known household codes (Haustafeln, Col 3:18ff. and parallels). It was mainly these cases that gave rise to the criticism that Paul (or the Pauline school) did not resist with all his power as he should to the socio-political status quo of his time, and that he and his school, and Christianity thereafter, tolerated unjust social institutions and structures.

25 - 37

Authors: Marin BUGIULESCU

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the theological reflection on the relationship between man and cosmos. The origin of the world and man is connected to God; God is the Creator and consequently the Author of them both. Unlike dualistic materialistic thinking, according to the Christian conception the whole cosmos is created by God. In search for the cosmos an important chapter was granted for man, considered to be a synthesis of the world. Man, from the theological perspective, is the personal, rational, free, and speaking being that has – through the image of God according to which he has been created –, the tension after perfection. But it pertains exclusively to the relationship with Christ in the light of Whom he really knows himself, and by knowing himself he recognizes the infinite beauty of the Archetype. This is the existential-theological truth, which the content of this paper emphasizes, according to the Bible and patristic teaching.

55 - 63

Authors: Mihai Sebastian STOIAN

Humans have studied and have been studying ceaselessly the universe, trying to find out our place in this mysterious cosmos, learning all the time something and as we believe that we have established something, there are other question marks to come. This is probably due to our inability to know everything. Science sometimes seeks and finds answers but not cease to be amazed, to bow before the mystery. However we must accept that there are countless ways to approach the differences between the possibilities of knowledge for understanding the universe

73 - 86

Authors: Encarnación Ruiz CALLEJÓN

The purpose of this work is to analyse the contribution of the Jewish doctor Isaac Israeli to the medieval reflection on the relationship between man and the cosmos. To this end, starting from the methodological change proposed by al-Yabri for the study of classical Arabic philosophy, I question the usual characterization of the Jewish author as being merely an eclectic thinker, and indicate the most noteworthy aspects of his position. The philosophical texts that have come down to us reveal a philosopher who participates in the great debates of his time, among them: the relation between philosophy and revelation and the nature of the human intellect. Beyond the prophetic aspect, Israeli points to a special logic based on the ability to argue evoking images, a universal way that facilitates the compression of a complex idea or promotes the performance of an action.

92 - 105

Authors: Ion Marian CROITORU

While, in the 19th century, many servants of the monastic settlements left Wallachia and Moldova, because of the measures taken there, the situation was nevertheless different in the 18th century, when monks from different areas inhabited by Orthodox Christians came to the Romanian Countries, where they encountered an uninterrupted reality of hesychastic renewal started by Saint Gregory of Sinai (1255-1346), due to the fact that the Romanians had known another cultural continuity, different from what had happened, until that century, in the Greek Byzantine or in the Slav world. This reality explains why the revitalization of the hesychastic and spiritual life in the areas north of the Danube is related, in the 18th century, to the Saints Basil of Poiana Mărului (1692-1767) and Paisius Velichkovsky or Wieliczkowski of Neamţ (1722-1794), both of them arrived from the Slav world in the Romanian extra-Carpathian territories. Saint Basil founded many hermitages and trained many disciples in the practice of the prayer of the mind or of the heart, becoming known as a great teacher of this prayer, in the modern times. Just as the Holy Fathers of Mount Sinai (Gregory, Philotheos, Hesychios), but also from other parts of the Byzantine world (Saint Symeon the New Theologian, Saint Gregory Palamas etc.), once again, he draws the attention not just of the monks but also of the lay people on the prayer of the heart, so that in the 19th century it was not the teaching of Saint Paisius on the practice of the prayer of the heart that prevailed, but the teaching of Saint Basil, followed especially in the Romanian and in the Russian tradition. Regarding the monastic life, the activity of Starets Basil can be characterized by the ecumenicity of the Orthodox faith, due to the fact that, on the one hand, he brought together monks from the Romanian and the Slav area, and, on the other hand, he contributed to the enrichment of the Romanian monasticism through the cultivation of the spirit of two Holy Mounts, Athos and Sinai.

116 - 123

Authors: Traian-Alexandru MIU

Secularization is a phenomenon supposing major mutations on the social level. Thus, based on the principle of rationality, secularization has led to the removal of religion from the social sphere, the desacralization, aiming, ultimately, that the sacred disappear altogether from man's life. Within the globalizing-secularizing society, economics seeks to take possession of the entire social and spiritual life, helped by a policy-aggressive mercantile mentality. Secularization has led to manipulation of man so that he believes he has to build his future by abstaining from religion. The secularized man has come to the conclusion that only by his own forces helped by reason, economy and technology he can be the one who creates progress, namely perfection for himself and for the world he lives in. The hypermodern man is a man of ephemerality, a human being looking for his accomplishment in trifles, who no longer has deification as his final goal. The problems that man is facing today can be solved by taking the eternity as reference system for them.

5 - 18

Authors: MA. DD. PhD. Spyridon K. TSITSIGKOS

In this poly-prismatic short study is examined historically and totally the diachronic attempts of an approach of “Absolute being” from the side of thinking man. More specifically it is searched philosophical and theological doubting and seeking for the existence of “Absolute being,” as for the – conscious or unconscious – its influences above in human mentality. Also, it is discussed generally if firstly is feasible any approach of „Absolute being” by man. Moreover, the various philosophicaltheological and religious-psychological ways of approach of „Absolute being” are recorded as also and how this “approach” is meant. Finally, it is reported the theological perpetual process of approach of “Absolute being” as the profound reasons of this „approach”

26 - 37

Authors: Fr. PhD. Florea STEFAN

The concept of beauty has theological grounds, because man himself is considered image of God’s Son. The Orthodoxy practiced since the beginnings to the contemporary times an all-inclusive spirituality: the spiritual beauty of the spiritualized person can be seen in the way of living, manifesting itself fully from physical beauty to the beauty of the inter-human relations, of the relation mancreation and of the relation man-Divinity.

52 - 58

Authors: PhD Mihai Sebastian STOIAN

Reason for being, the significance of the ecclesial ordained ministry, cannot be understood but starting from the Church itself and from the dependency link, from the charismatic-historical life and present at the same time - of Christ who constituted and defined. Starting from this link of the Church with Christ, which is the Body link with His Head through which pours the Spirit life in the whole body, we understand why it exists and must be this ordained, original, «main» or «fundamental» ministry. Starting from here, can be understood, to what extent it is absolutely necessary for preserving the Church’s vocation and its mission and how it is possible to affirm that he belongs to its essential structure, in a word as it is deeply ecclesiastic.

69 - 81

Authors: Fr. PhD. Prof. Leontin POPESCU

The medical world has nowadays become an interesting place of interdisciplinarity, a place where natural, humanist, religious sciences, with their corresponding personalities, come together; they are dedicated to helping the ill / the suffering. The greatest challenge, from this point of view, is precisely the capability of integrating various components so as to provide the patient with the best assistance. However, contemporariness shows us that the development of medical means in a sole naturalist direction has led to objectifying disease which becomes itself a reality, independent, looked upon from an exclusively biological perspective, without the spiritual and moral connections of the person experiencing illness and suffering. This resulted in depriving the ill person of his disease, many physicians treating not the person who is ill, but the specific illness or organ.

91 - 100

Authors: PhD. Paul SCARLAT

The idea of Santa Claus is a universal one, which has been carried on for generations despite many obstacles. Although related to fantasy and imagination, he belongs to all cultures and for children he maintains a real presence. Cognitive Science examines the idea of this mysterious individual and brings clarification to his existence in society. Because this “superhero” plays a part in society, he needs a mental structure that can be imagined, a particular and specific cognitive structure. The study identifies the cognitive mechanisms by which the idea of Santa Claus is generated. The history of Santa has interfered with religion since ancient times. He is sometimes confused with religious figures. Cognitive Sciences as applied to religion seem to confirm the universality of religious beliefs and a certain similarity between the idea of Santa Claus and that of holy persons, such as St. Nicholas. However, there are opinions within this field of research that differentiate between the two areas: fantastic and religious.

107 - 121

Authors: PhD. Edwin, EL-MAHASSNI

Over the last few decades, there has been a plethora of literature that has analyzed and discussed the development of doctrine with much of it challenging the theories of Vincent and Newman. Some of the disagreements are not whether tradition should be a criterion or a factor, but rather to what extent it should be so. Coincidentally, just over fifty years ago, Thomas Kuhn, a philosopher of science challenged the traditional view through which science progresses. Opposing Karl Popper’s assertions that science is completely objective, Kuhn believed that although it may follow long periods of stability and steady growth, occasionally there would be watershed moments which would completely revolutionize a particular field leading to a revaluation of long-established idea with not every reason attributed for these revolutions being neither rational nor scientific. Further, there has also been growing awareness in the literature of doctrinal development on factors which influence this progress in Christian teachings. In this paper, the aim is to understand the way some key aspects of Kuhn’s work intersect with some of the contemporary theories in the development of Christian doctrine.

5-12

Authors: Fr. PhD. Prof. Vasile RADUCĂ

The present article deals with the Mystery of Repentance and its practice in the thinking of Saint John Chrysostom. Saint John’s contribution to the evolution of this Christian practice is exceptional. He is the first Church Father who gave special attention to the spiritual aspect of repentance. In the approach of this aspect, he is similar to what we see in the Father’s Apothegms, however, without taking these aspects from there. He had found them in the practice of the Church of Antioch and demonstrated their worth like no one else in his time. This aspect of Saint John Chrysostom’s thinking, along with others, highlights his extraordinary personality and quality. Keywords: Repentance, metanoia, sin, restoration, charity, prayer.

21-26

Authors: . PhD. Assist. Florin VÂRLAN

The teaching aspect of our Saviour Jesus Christ’s mission, along with the priestly and kingly service, completes the array of Messianic works encompassed by the redeeming activity of the Embodied Son of God. As a Teacher, Christ our Lord teaches us, in the most complete and easiest assimilable way, the truth about God, about the creation, about His most beloved being – man and his destination: the Kingdom of Heaven. His sermon does not limit itself to a discourse but, using as a teaching means the parable, determines the auditor to let himself carried away in familiar and at the same time unknown universes, because by means of usual images, the listener is introduced into the mysterious universe of the divine works.

34-48

Authors: Prof. Ben Carlo N. ATIM

The paper has two main objectives: (a) it aims to present that a portrait of a prophet is a doable paradigm for critiquing the socio-political, economic, and cultural condition of the post-secular society and (b) attempts to find the prophets in our age. By understanding the life of the prophets, one can find robust insights that will guide us to clearly establish relations and connections between the past and the present real situation using a historico-critical and sociological approach.

60-67

Authors: PhD. Prof. Lehel BALOGH

In the modern era, with the development of the “objective”, scientific method, subjective, personal feelings and emotions have gradually become somewhat dubious sources of knowledge. A few religious thinkers, however, particularly those emerging from the existential tradition, have come to revitalize the belief in subjectivity, along with the trust in the authority of faith and inwardness in finding out important truths about our personal existence and about the human condition in general. In my paper I wish to investigate and compare the thoughts of two highly influential Christian philosophers of the 19th and the 20th century, respectively; those of Søren Kierkegaard and of Paul Tillich. These two unique thinkers, although living under considerably different historical circumstances, carried out strikingly similar analyses about the role of emotions and faith in human life, and through the emphasis of such phenomena as anxiety and despair they both attempted to “redeem” and reaffirm the significance of feelings and the subjective side of reality.

83-89

Authors: PhD. Conf. Florea ŞTEFAN

This article presents an interdisciplinary approach of the problems of bioethics related to the human existence, namely life and death: abortion and euthanasia. The connection point between bioethics and Christian morals is generated by the meeting of the two cultures, the scientific technologized one based on the economic perspective on life and the humanistic-moral one, which needs to be founded on the protection of life. At the same time, bioethics must not be focused only on man, but ought to comprise the biosphere as a whole as well, namely any scientific intervention of man on life in general.

101-105

Authors: PhD. Asist. Traian-Alexandru MIU

In the context of the globalization, the contact between different cultures and religions has reopened a number of problems. Thus, one of the current challenges is the ethnocentrism. This anthropological and ethnological concept involves an overestimation of national, religious, racial, geographic group to which we belong, and an understatement of other groups, that because of prejudice about other people. The ethnocentrism may lead us to chauvinism, xenophobia and racism! The globalization facilitates the rapid encounter between different cultures and, thus, it is developing the tendency that one to consider being superior to another. Thus are being born the ethnocentric tendencies. We can say that ethnocentrism is a 'prodrug' of globalization, providing support and arguments for perpetuating this process.

5-14

Authors: Most Rev. PhD. Prof. Emeritus Georgios Metallinos

The word about God anticipates some knowledge of God, and the knowledge of God can never be a fruit of the rational, intellectual, metaphysical research, but only of the holy-spiritual experience. Consequently, a theologian of the Church is not the rational man, however great his achievements may be, but the spirtual man, who has the experience of the Saints, namely who has tasted and is living the states of purification, illumination and deification. Disconnected from the reality of the spiritual life, a theologian becomes a false prophet. On the other hand, the Church cannot be divided into two parts, one that ministers to the believers in the place of worship, and another one that speaks from the teacher’s desk, through the theologians’ voice, but is one and the same Church. Actually, there is no existence more tragic than the one of a theologian, on any education level, teaching things to which he is not connected on the inside, by the heart, and which he does not accept or believe. If such a thing means failure for any science, however, for the area of Theology it is directly suicidal. In fact, the lack of the Orthodox and ecclesial way of thinking and living makes the person theologizing in the area of the Orthodoxy dangerous, because as an officially recognized teacher of Orthodox Theology, he functions as a representative of the Church tradition, while he is nothing but a false prophet. And, while, probably, the science of philology is not endangered by an unlearned philologist or the science of law by an unjust legist, the science of theology is logically denied in the person of its servant who is an unbelieving or atheist theologian and creates very great obstacles in the way of the accomplishment of the redeeming mission of the Church in the world.

22 - 28

Authors: Ph.D. Cosmin Santi

Saving work of Jesus Christ was committed to the "fullness of time" in a certain moment of history through the incarnation, teaching, life, sacrifice and resurrection from the dead. But the appropriation of salvation is normal and safe in the Church and through the Church. The church is our life in Christ and therefore our salvation and sanctification body. The Ecclesiology is closely related to soteriology and Christology, since the Church is the reality session, the focus and specifies all teaching and Christian life. Sacramental priesthood is exercised really only in the Church and for the Church, and therefore ordinations are done always only in the Church in the Holy Shrine around the Holy Table.

39 - 49

Authors: Brent C. Lyons

There is a startling lack of consensus among Christian philosophers as to whether faith relates to epistemology, and if so, how they relate. The problem is even less settled among Christians in general. Epistemologist Peter Boghossian seems attuned to this vulnerability, and uses it to undermine epistemic justification for religious faith. The disunity of response among Christian philosophers, unfortunately, only lends credibility to Boghossian's thesis. I offer here a biblical model of faith that seeks unity among both my predecessors and my contemporaries. And I offer this model to two camps: non-Christians that argue for faith as a failed epistemology, and Christians that argue for faith as non-epistemological. I show that a properly-conceived, biblically-accurate model of faith is incredibly robust, and illumines misconceptions among non-Christians and Christians alike. I argue that 1) Faith is epistemic in nature, 2) Faith is active, 3) Faith is trust, 4) Faith can be virtuous, and finally, 5) Faith, as experienced in Divine encounter, is an adjunct avenue in acquiring knowledge.

56 - 62

Authors: Most Rev. PhD. Prof. Emeritus Constantine Scouteris

This articles presents the bioethics in the light of orthodox anthtopology. Bioethics is called to face the new ethical issues that were and are created by research in the fields of Biology and Medicine. Its subject matter is completely fresh and in the main unexpected. Bioethics has a mission to evaluate this bold progress and to see if, and to what degree, it is compatible with the generally accepted values which govern human life. The Orthodox tradition steadfastly promises that greater value than what it is, has that what human person can become, god by grace.

69 - 78

Authors: Ph.D. Alexandru-Corneliu Arion

The present paper deals with an important aspect of today’s interreligious dialogue, that between Christianity and the second largest religion of Asia, namely Hinduism. The concern is centering around not the ancient or traditional links between these two expressions of the Sacred, but rather of the contemporary ones. But that requires certain knowledge of what has already happened. The dialogue comes from the heart of the people, and is situated in the middle of life. Unfortunately, many present-day dialogues set the stage according to the terms of one of the parties alone. But in spite of misunderstandings and difficulties of the Hindu-Christian dialogue, it has an unavoidable effect: it changes our vision and interpretation of our own religion. The main tenets would be: the future of Hindu-Christian dialogue will largely depend on future mutual interest; Hindu-Christian dialogue may be linked to the future development of Hinduism and Christianity; the future of Hindu-Christian dialogue may be endangered by an institutional misunderstanding of its nature; Hindu-Christian dialogue may have to be placed into a larger “secular” context; Hindu-Christian dialogue is inevitable. It is an imperative and it must exhibit more continuity.

84 - 89

Authors: Traian-Alexandru Miu

Globalization, very complex phenomenon, involves overcoming the barriers between different states, which allowed the rapid transfer of capital, technology, information, and the "toxins" from one country to another. First, the technology formed the basis of rapid expansion of great ideas promoted by globalization. Undeniable progress in the field of technology and science, has conferred to the man extraordinary powers that have been used most often to the detriment of his spiritual progress. We must not deny that science and technology have brought many benefits to human, and he could expand the knowledge horizon upon the world in which he lives, exploiting information acquired and share them with others. Science and technology must become for postmodern man ways of talk and communion between human and divinity, all to the praise of God and the perfection of the creature.

12-23

Authors: PhD. Bugiulescu Marin

This articles presents the creation of the world and of man, and especially the relation between God and His creation. In the act of creation, God Shows His love for man. The man is the companion of God and the continuer of creation.This article presents the creation of man and alienation from God by sin and has the following themes: The image of God and man's relationship with God, Man's ikeness to God. Man was created as being different from the angels and animals, Man's fall into sin and the consequences of sin. We can see the following aspects of the sin: origin, universality and consequences of original sin: alteration of the image of God, which means the darkening of the mind, weakening the will and hardning of feeling. The state of man as the slave of sin and of passions has a sole consequence: death.

31-38

Authors: PhD. Cosmin Santi

The knowledge of God as the sublime truth involves the entire human being, body and soul. To get to know God nor the mind or feeling is enough, but only their fusion may lead man to true knowledge. Every Christian knows God through the communion with his Creator, with the others but also with himself. This communion can be realized especially through love. Knowledge is neither purely rational nor simply relational: it involves love.

45-50

Authors: Phd. candidate, Bugiulescu Constantin -Valentin

This article deals with the ontological reality of Church, to the extent that it may be discovered, because the Church is not a simple perceived reality rationally defined, but it is rather a reality connected to inner mystical nature. The Church state is the state of accessing all progressive steps to God, the "flight" to life in communion with God, which remains in itself a paradoxical Union of opposites. The passage of man to God is whole and complete, it is not only a pass of the soul, it makes and the world rise up in God too. The goal is an endless involvement into the Divine infinity, the persistence of the human being, of the will and the work in this Union with God in Church in a "mutual pincer ' of the human with the divine through Christ in the Holy Spirit. In this regard, Church is spiritual in nature, her experience is one of Constantinople. That's why the reality of the Church can be experienced by all and everywhere, regardless of the place or the age where someone lived. The nature and the experience of the Church is a cosmic one.

59-66

Authors: PhD. Bugiulescu Marin

This articles presents the Sacrament of Confession and the effects that it has both on the ecclesial community in general and for each believer in particular. The role of the Sacrament of Confession is: the elimination, cleansing and expiation of sins. The pages of Scripture we have revealed that the most important part of repentance is regaining the harice state before sin. The inner transformation of man through repentance is extremely important;God urges man to reject sin and return to Truth. All along the Scripture, repentance was presented and understood as the highest virtue, not only because it is a virtue in itself but because it creates a state of inner tension that continuously urges man to return to God.

74-81

Authors: PhD. Traian-Alexandru Miu

The notion of spirituality Orthodoxy acquires the meaning of life lived in communion with the Holy Trinity, who was discovered by Jesus Christ according to the teachings contained in the Gospel. The Orthodox spirituality can have the valence of transparency of the Christ for man and transparency of the man for Christ, achieved through the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church.The final target of the entire Orthodox spirituality is the perfection of the believer in Christ, achievable only through personal participation in His divine-human life, cleansing our passions and acquiring virtues. The means by which we can come to Christ living in us are asceticism, which concerns our personal efforts to acquire divine grace and mystique, which involves receiving divine grace given to us to live and to know the spiritual state of the union with God.