Commandment Of Love Research Articles

A Társas Tanulás Technológia bevezetése Erdélyben

The Social Learning organization technology combines the latest theories in neuroscience, organization sociology, social psychology, developmental and group psychology, reform pedagogy, etc. with the biblical commandment of love. 40 years of practical experience have shown that it multiplies the performance of students, while their personalities and social relationships develop significantly. Research integrating the results of the disciplines and successful experiments in school practice over several decades have made it possible to disseminate this pedagogical innovation in Transylvania.

Gottesbund und Gnade im Deuteronomium

Abstract Deuteronomy connects three covenants, of the Fathers, that at Horeb, and that at Moab. These have different views on the future pardon of Israel, should it transgress the prohibitions of images and of foreign gods, and should the wrath of God and the covenant curses be realised. With reference to J. J. Krause’s “Die Bedingungen des Bundes”, this contribution demonstrates that neither Deuteronomy nor the Ancient Near East know any automatism regarding blessing and curse, and that YHWH is the free Lord and Partner of the covenant. Yet, He remains true to the covenant that He has sworn to the Patriarchs (Dt 4:31; 9:27). Therefore, He will enable Israel in exile to turn to Him (4:30) and on experiencing the logic of the covenant, He will circumcise their hearts (30:6). Then Israel will keep the foremost commandment of love for God and the provisions of the Deuteronomic Torah (30:6, 10) and live in abundant blessing. The Mosaic prophecy of Israel’s pardon surpasses the future turn in salvation history predicted in the epilogue of the Holiness Code (Lev 26:42–45).

The great commandment of love in the theology of John the evangelist (john 13:34)

Straipsnyje analizuojama Didžiojo Meilės įsakymo (Jn 13, 34) teologija. Tai pirmasis tokio pobūdžio straipsnis Lietuvoje. Šiandieninėje visuomenėje egzistuojant įvairioms meilės sąvokų sampratoms svarbu atsigręžti į biblinę Didžiojo Meilės įsakymo prasmę. Remiantis bibline egzegeze, teologijos žodynais, Bažnyčios mokymu ir teologų autorių raštais siekiama skaitytoją supažindinti su Jn 13, 34 teologine gija. Jos šviesoje nagrinėjamas Evangelijos pagal Joną 13 skyrius, kuris leidžia suprasti Didįjį Meilės įsakymą. Išryškėja, kad Kristus ir duoda įsakymą, ir jį įgyvendina, šis įsakymas tampa naujuoju įstatymu.

Moral Choice and the Concept of Evil in Military Narratives of Orthodox Christians

The article contributes critically to the current discussion of militant piety in Russian Orthodox Christianity. It argues for a more historically informed use of the notion of militant piety, which can benefit from critical discourse analysis of personal narratives and the focus on lived experience and lived religion of Orthodox Christians who were involved in wars. The article analyses ego-documents collected in two recent volumes: the first showcases the stories of Orthodox clergy and believers in WWII; the second volume gives voice to army officers of late Soviet wars. Both volumes mold personal accounts into a larger narrative with the view to provide Orthodox believers with discursive means for reflection upon wars and to offer an exemplary Orthodox Christian attitude to war. In these narratives, beliefs and principles were understood by religious people not abstractly but in the context of their individual and collective experience. The first narrative reveals how the course of the Great Patriotic War changed the Orthodox Christians’ attitudes from initial self-sacrificial service in defense of the Motherland to waging the sacred war against the Antichrist forces of evil and later to ensuring the retribution for Nazi criminals who were interpretatively exempt from Christian commandment of love. The second narrative does not present a normative ideal of an Orthodox warrior but rather it sheds light on real “militant piety”, on practical religiosity of soldiers and officers, who built their relationship with God and religion in the context of their professional activity, regularly described as “work”. Christian doctrine of love and forgiveness in its abstract form would be inapplicable in this “work”. In personal accounts, however, Orthodox Christian ethics is adapted to the circumstances of the military service and is transformed into the lived religion based on the principles of self-sacrifice, loyalty, and duty.

Forming Humanity as Threefold Task

AbstractThe theological task can fruitfully be framed as that of forming humanity in the face of recognizing our inhumanity when this is interpreted as a restatement of the Twofold Love Commandment. We can identify three distinct phases of reflection on the formation of humanity – the archaic, historicist, and evolutionary. The movement from one to the next does not represent theological or ethical progress, but it does reflect heightened reflexivity of the ways in which the reditus of creation to God lies in our hands – and of our incapacity for this task and our dependence on grace.

Die Weinstockrede Jesu und die missionstheologische Relevanz der gegenseitigen Liebe (Joh 15.1–17)

AbstractThe Johannine commandment of love aims not only in an ethical-ecclesial sense at the cohesion in the church, but in a mission-theological sense at the winning of new church members. Jn 15.1–17 explains how the mutual immanence of God, Jesus and his disciples enables his followers to gain new fruit in the sense of new church members through mutual love. This continues the christological-ecclesial interpretation of Jesus’ foot-washing from John 13. The symbolic action illustrates how Jesus’ mission leads to the foundation of a community of disciples as a community of love, which becomes the place where the love of God can be permanently experienced (13.1–20, 34–5). The disciples are commissioned to make love present in the world. They are equal among themselves in their immediacy to Jesus, as members of the community of discipleship. A mission-theological use of the harvest metaphor is already found prominently in John 4.35–8 and 12.24–6 and thus in two texts, each of which describes the mission of the followers in correspondence to the mission of Jesus. The vine metaphor deepens that and how Jesus’ followers are to contribute to the enlargement of the community of followers even after his departure, whereby the pre-Easter community of followers is the model for the post-Easter community.

«Человек божественного умонастроения». Философия религии Канта и Иисус Евангелий

The purpose of this article is an analysis of Kant’s view upon the momentous historical phaenomenon of Jesus Christ, his birth, his teachings and his suffering on the cross, in the light of Kant’s ethics and philosophical theology. The German philosopher conceives Jesus’ life as an experience of embodied “archetype of moral perfection”, and accordingly evaluates traditional theological concepts about Jesus with regard to the extent in which they can purely and fully express the underlying ideal of reason. Kant can therefore include the idea of an immaculate birth of a sinless creature, as a practical symbol, into the creed of the religion of reason, although this same idea as a theoretical notion immerses the reason in scholastical speculation. Kant sees the core substance of moral religion as preached by Jesus represented in the commandments of love towards God and our fellowmen. In the specific precepts of the Evangelical morals the philosopher emphasizes the shift of accent in Jesus’ doctrine from the purposiveness of external conduct towards the inner disposition. For a sacrifice of worldly satisfactions for the sake of a pure life Jesus opens a prospect of a prize in heaven: and yet, according to Kant, different from the man who fulfills his duty for duty’s sake. The “steward” from the Gospel parable acts legally, but not morally. Nevertheless is his disposition so widely spread that Kant may identify the path of external churchism with the “broad way”, while the path of good conduct is the “narrow way”; it is however essentially important that, for Kant, for all possible rigor of demands on the “narrow way”, the correct vision of the essential way of God-worship (the disposition of moral religiosity) does not exclude wandering along the “broad way”. Jesus, according to Kant, gives an example through his suffering and his death: suffering serves as a “touchstone” of moral disposition. In the same way as the archetype of holiness has with his holy will overcome his suffering which, for him, was not punishment for a crime, so one following his lead has practical faith in the ideal of perfection, if he is capable of liberating himself from the empirical logic of punishment and remuneration, and obeys the rule of duty in its full extent as an unconditional norm. The image of the Cross becomes thus apparent in the focus point of Kantian moral religion, just as it stays in the focus point of early Protestant piety. There remains merely a question about what happened after the Cross.

Проблематика обов’язків у політико-правовій думці епохи відродження

The article is devoted to understanding the category of obligation in the political and legal thought of the Renaissance. The study analyzes the works of F. Bacon, N. Machiavelli, J. Bodin and J. Althusius. Considering the views of F. Bacon, the author concludes that Bacon’s understanding of obligations is based on the established commandment of love, which should be guided by man in his actions and deeds. Thus, Bacon, above all, speaks of obligations in the Christian sense as manifestations of love of neighbor. In “Discourses on the First decade of Titus Livius”, N. Machiavelli outlines a kind of “obligation” of the republic and the prince to refrain from insulting citizens. He also formulates the obligation that a virtuous citizen should follow – to forget about the insults caused to him out of love for the homeland. The main obligation of the prince, based on the work of the “The Prince”, is the art of war. In addition to the above, it is also the obligation of the princes to try to retain power, to win, regardless of the means they use to do so. Regarding the people, the prince has such obligations as: to reward gifted citizens, to persuade them to quietly engage in crafts and trade, to arrange their possessions, but also to engage citizens in celebrations and spectacles at the right time. The author concludes that the issue of obligations in Machiavelli is wrapped up in political goals, which are ultimately aimed at preserving, strengthening the state, cohesion of the people. In Boden’s political and legal conception, it is the category of obligation (obligation between subject and sovereign) that forms citizenship, underlies the understanding of the law (as the sovereign’s order to exercise its power), and is associated with the first attribute of sovereignty. In this case, the sovereign and the citizen are bound by mutual obligations – the sovereign provides protection of the citizens and his property, and the citizens – obeys the will of the sovereign and shows faith and obedience to authority. Views on the obligations of the German thinker J. Althusius are set out in his work “Politica”, analyzing which, the author concludes that the whole system of obligations of J. Althusius is based on God’s commandments, the commandments of love of neighbor. Regarding the sovereigns, they should take care of the soul and body of their citizens, especially in the direction of their noesis of God’s laws and their protection.

Enemy love and the reinvention of identity

This article investigates the reception of Jesus’ command to ‘turn the other cheek’ and ‘love your enemies’, as found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:38–48, among Christian Palestinians. With the help of basic tools from the postcolonial discourse, structures of power, identity and subjectivity of these commands are examined. Although seeming to advocate a quiet acceptance of violence, the commands are interpreted as empowering calls to contribute to the transformation of the self, the other and the society. A person’s dignity is seen to be restored and the transition from reactivity to agency is made possible. At the same time as the commandment of love ensures the uncompromising work for mutual respect and affirmation of both parties’ humanness and creation in the image of God. Walter Wink helps to understand the logic of nonviolent resistance that the pericope is leading to in the eyes of the interviewees. In the last section, both the Bible text and the insights gained by the examination of its reception are condensed and further expanded by a theory of love inspired by Dorothee Sölle. This theory of love argues that love is not only a general approach to life, rather than a sentimental feeling, but the basic principle of life, the courage to continue to love where no reason or hope is left, just the will to remain and love into the void. This is interpreted to be the strongest kind of love and a tremendous empowerment in the reinvention of identity.Contribution: This article contributes to the examination of identity processes within the field of theology and Bible interpretation as liberation and empowerment. The ethical and political relevancy of Scripture is here actualised in the example of the Palestinian context where questions of identity, justice and agency are more important than ever.

KHÔRAL LOVE? KIERKEGAARD AND DERRIDA ON HOSPITALITY

This paper explores the notion of hospitality and faith in Derrida and Kierkegaard. The aim is to trace the topological core of existence in relation to an ongoing debate in contemporary continental philosophy of religion about khôra. The paper shows how khôral traces are at work in Kierkegaard’s thinking in relation to the topological proximity of love. The claim is, that Kierkegaard emphasizes, not a hostility but a vulnerability of what I coin khôral love – the vibrating space between the anonymous and the amorous, call and response. The unknown X of the khôral becomes the topos of existence – the “stepping out”, the “you are here (X)”. A “you” called forth by the commandment of love or the visitation of the stranger.

Ley natural y derechos humanos

Este artículo estudia la propuesta de la Iglesia Católica hacia una base común para el diálogo interreligioso. Para la Iglesia, el diálogo con otras religiones no puede estar basado en los mandamientos de la amor, como los líderes musulmanes lo sugieren en su documento “Una palabra común” (2007), por ser una idea exclusiva entre Cristianos y Musulmanes; por eso la Iglesia presenta en varios documentos la idea de la ley natural como un pilar común para todas las personas, creyentes y no creyentes, ya que Dios ha proporcionado a la humanidad de la razón, y ésta puede guiar a los seres humanos hacia el bien común. Este articulo analiza la ley natural como un medio valido para las relaciones interreligiosas.

Natural law and human rights

This article studies the proposal of the Catholic Church towards a common base for interreligious dialogue. For the Church, dialogue with other religions can not be based on the commandments of love, as Muslim leaders suggest in their document "A Common Word" (2007), because it is an exclusive idea between Christians and Muslims; that is why the Church presents in several documents the idea of the natural law as a common pillar for all people, believers and non-believers, since God has provided humanity with reason, and this can guide human beings towards common benefit. This article analyzes the natural law as a valid means for interreligious relations.

Care of the Common Good as a Responsibility of Business Leaders. Catholic Social Teaching Perspective

The aim of this article is to propose the adoption of a Catholic social teaching (CST) perspective as a universal approach to business ethics. We assume that the common good, as understood in CST, is an extension of the Aristotelian and Thomistic concepts of the organic relations between economics and ethics, which, prior to the Enlightment, was a basic rational way of management (oikonomia). We aim to show both the influence of religious ethics on the shape of economic life and the influence of the Catholic understanding of the common good on leadership. CST encourages business leaders to focus not only on the material, but also the transcendental aims of human work and life. From this perspective, the responsibility of a business leader can be understood as a practical realisation of the Commandment of Love and divided into three levels, each of which contributes to the common good. On the micro level, leaders are responsible for their own actions; on the mezzo level, they are responsible for the organisations they lead—especially for their employees—and on the macro level, they should be responsible for actions towards external stakeholders, which might ultimately be extended to the world as a whole. In this way, leaders can cooperate with God and contribute to the common good of their organisations, society, and humanity.

Нормативно-этический контекст Золотого правила

According tocommonunderstanding, the Golden Rule exists in a form of maxims and various proverbs. However, in many cultural traditions, this rule is present as part of institutionalized texts and has a specific normative context. The article proposes an account of the Golden Rule within a particular example of the Judeo-Christian tradition (based on a study of the Bible books), in relation to the Lex Talionis and the Commandment of Love, in respect to what the Golden Rule is contextualized, in three stages. Firstly, the main passages, in which these principles are compared and contrasted have been selected in the books of the Bible. Such are the following: Lev. 19.18, 33–34, Matt. 6.37–38; 7.12; 22.40. Secondly, it has been taken into account that the normative content of these principles, although they are expressed in strict formulations, is internally dynamic. When clarifying both the normative context of the Golden Rule and the content of each of the principles, it is necessary to take into account their internal normative dynamism. Thus, Talion, which historically arose as a principle of retribution, limiting the amount of punishment to the degree of harm caused, eventually transformed into a principle of compensation, primarily monetary, and in a later era, early Christian authors reinterpreted it as a principle that admonishes against causing harm to anyone. The Commandment of Love for one’s neighbor covers the spectrum of demands from love for one’s neighbor as a close one through love for one’s neighbor, who is considered a stranger, to love for a neighbor, who is actually a foe. The normative dynamics of the Golden Rule can be traced in its two formulas – negative and positive. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the examples of thinking in the spirit of the Golden Rule, which are found in the oldest Bible books. Thirdly, the three principles are compared in their imperative characteristics by a number of parameters, regarding which similarities and differences between them are presented in different configurations.

Dimensione personale e comunitaria della direzione spirituale nella visione di San Basilio

The Personal and Communal Dimensions of Spiritual Directionaccording to St. Basil the Great Spiritual direction in Basil the Great’s vision consists in a faithfulness to the Scriptures understood as a thorough and detailed practical search for a way to fulfill the two commandments of love and to acquire personal responsibility in both dimensions of love. The Basilian community presents itself as an environment for spiritual direction in which both the guide and the guided share a common participation in the same pilgrimage of faith. It offers an authentic basis for discernment and gift exchange in which each member of the community grows spiritually. The Basilian community is a place for the life of the Word, in the unity of the Spirit, in which the communication of the common we is lived out as the only response to You of God. St. Basil the Great, as guide and legislator, has outlined an image of spiritual direction as the ministry of showing forth, offering and reflecting the Heavenly Father's fatherhood and the motherhood of the Church.

The Phenomenon of Conscience in Social Work

The Phenomenon of Conscience in Social Work

황금률의 윤리와 사랑의 법

황금률의 윤리에 관한 기존의 연구들은 주로 황금률과 상호주의 그리고 사랑의 법간의 관계를 다루어왔다. 황금률에 관한 기존의 이러한 연구들은 중대한 한계를 노정하고 있다. 이러한 연구들은 무엇보다도, 황금률이 제시되는 텍스트를 선택적으로 취함으로써, 황금률의 특징에 대한 혼동을 초래할 뿐만 아니라, 동일한 텍스트에 나타나는 다양한 도덕규범들에 대해 일관적인 설명을 결여하고 있다. 이러한 한계들로 인하여 기존의 연구들은 황금률의 윤리가 가지는 독특성을 보여주지 못하고 있는데, 그 독특성은 이 논문에서 제시하는 간접적 삼자관계의 논리로 표현될 수 있는 것이다. 간접적 삼자관계는 텍스트 내에 혼재한 다양한 도덕규범들의 관계를 일관적으로 설명하고 황금률의 성격을 해명하는 한 가지 방법을 제시한다.

Shaping the Spirituality of Communion in Church Communities

The activity of the Church results from its identity, and one constitutive element of this identity is the dimension of community. It is expressed, above all, by shaping the spirituality of communion in church communities. This spirituality has its foundations in the communion character of the presbyter's pastoral ministry and refers to the gospel commandment of love. It is shaped by Christian prayer centered on the Eucharist. The spirituality of communion built upon such foundations should permeate church community structures, which are made up, first and foremost, by parishes. On their own, parishes are not able to pass on the experience of church communion. Only by being infused with the spirituality of communion can they become spaces for experiencing the community dimension of the Church's life.

Charitable Work of the Church in the Polish Lands in the XIX Century and its Impact on Education

The Catholic Church in the Polish lands in the XIX century has had numerous charity works. The charitable activities were seen as the task of God's commandment of love. The purpose of this activity was to support poor people in the form of satisfying basic material needs and achieving adequate personal development. The article discusses the most important forms of assistance provided by religious orders, as well as clerical and lay organizations. The author draws attention to the charity's impact on education and the formation of humanistic values in society. Many priests set up organisations that had such names as: “Star”, “Aurora”, “Fatherland”, “Rock”. Their main objective was to raise up education standards and stimulate patriotism and solidarity among young people. Therefore, cooperation between educational institutions, families, non-governmental organizations, volunteer movements, charitable foundations for the expansion of active charitable activities, and the creation of a humanistic society is required. Nowadays it is extremely important to revive philanthropy and altruism in every country. Currently, there are foundations, organizations aimed at carrying out charitable activities and attracting to the charity all who wish to serve the cause of raising Christian morality, culture, education, art, support of the poor. Thus, this is important to promote it in the educational field as well. After all, many young people are ready to help financially or spiritually those who need it; they seek to invest time, money and talent into a rapidly growing charity. Here we see an important role of the Catholic Church, which influences the development of the spirituality of the individual.

Ruben Apressyan’s Moral Philosophy

ABSTRACT This article discusses the theoretical core and evolution of Ruben Apressyan’s moral philosophy. The starting point in the development of his views was his clarification of the “idea of morality,” which includes both formal and substantive characteristics, and the correlation of morality with various ethical-normative programs. Having initially accepted the Golden Rule and the Commandment of Love as the basic elements of the normative content of morality, Apressyan later came to the conclusion that they must be supplemented by a third fundamental imperative, lex talionis, which regulates the actions of a moral agent forced to react against another’s hostile behavior. Apressyan asserts the complementarity of the three imperatives by their historical–genetic interrelations and interdependencies. For Apressyan, rehabilitating lex talionis became part of a project of comprehensive critique of moral absolutism, whose normative conclusion was to limit the principle of non-violence and the prohibition against lying. His interest in the genealogy of morality was manifested in his reconstruction of the Golden Rule’s formation and the stages of its normative development. In his historical–philosophical works, Apressyan demonstrated how the modern concept of morality was shaped in philosophy of the early modern era. In his conception of ethics, he sought to represent morality in all its phenomenological diversity.