Theological Heritage Research Articles

Проблематика перевода и экзегеза воскресного догматика Великой вечерни 3-го гласа

The Orthodox service has not only diverse external forms but also has the deepest theological heritage, which is expressed through liturgical epistolary forms, for example, stichera, troparia, kontakion, etc. Unfortunately, current published literature, which in its content can be attributed to liturgy, has little to do with the exegesis of liturgical textMost of them represent manuals on liturgical regulations or practical guidelines for the performance of divine services and the requirements for clergy. There are also some translations into modern languageBut as for hymnography and heortology, then here we meet only with the history of church holidays and the significance of these events in the matter of our salvation. And, to our great regret, there is practically no literary sources that reveal to a person all the beauty, richness and depth of dogmatic truths and moral commandments which our worship is so rich in. This paper attempts to fill this gap and acquaint readers with the deep theological meaning and ideological content of the Sunday Dogmatist of the Great Vespers of the 3rd Tone.

Protopresbyter Evgeny Akvilonov: Proofs for the existence of God in the context of the synodal period rational theology

This article considers protopresbyter Evgeny Akvilonov’s features of teaching fundamental theology and his doctrine on the proofs for the existence of God in the context of rational theology of the synodal period. It is demonstrated that: the main methodological feature of his fundamental theological heritage is his desire to preempt the solution of apologetic tasks by solving fundamental-founding ones, aimed at bringing the Christian faith content to scientific understanding, or at the awareness of the necessary internal connection and objective foundations of the Christian faith doctrine; when substantiating the truth of Christianity, he relied on the method of historical and comparative analysis of religions and considered bishop Mikhail Gribanovsky’s “subjective method” unsatisfactory, returning to the traditional neo-scholastic method. Prof. Akvilonov’s detailed presentation of ontological, cosmological, and teleological proofs is analyzed, and the main methodological feature of his teaching is revealed: the proofs are studied in close logical relationship with the doctrine of divine attributes. Prof. Akvilonov’s use of an original methodology for studying the proofs did not give much effect to the development of the doctrine about them in contemporary fundamental theology. The concept of a unified proof put forward by him did not receive a necessary detailed completion. Also, no original formulation of ontological and cosmological proofs was proposed, and a new form of the teleological proof is a probabilistic judgment; prof. Akvilonov’s attempt to search for new ways of developing the doctrine of the proofs for the existence of God is assessed positively.

Theme of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin in the Ukrainian homiletic tradition of the twentieth century

The article analyzes the theological and liturgical aspects of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin in the homiletic heritage of V. Lypkivsky, Filaret (Denisenko), S. Mudry and others. It is noted that the Holy Father's and theological heritage includes teachings not only about the reality of the bodily death of the Mother of God, but also about the truth of her resurrection and ascension with the glorified body to the heavenly abodes.

The history of the Imyaslav polemic in the context of foreign Church journalism

In the history of the holy Mount Athos, there were not so many bright historical events, one of them was the dispute about the Name of God and the Name of Jesus. Having arisen among the Russian monks of Mount Athos in 1912 – 1913, the dispute did not attract the active participation of representatives of other nationalities. One of the features of this phenomenon was that from the very beginning it received a categorically negative definition from the Patriarchate of Constantinople. This definition has not undergone a significant revision among foreign ecclesiastical and secular historians and publicists over the past hundred years. At the same time, in Russia, the topic of the history and essence of imyaslaviya since its appearance and still continues to be debatable. The author of this publication separately examines the position that prevailed among the Greek monks and clergy on Mount Athos in relation to the Imyaslav dispute. It is also noteworthy that both sides (both opponents and supporters of imyaslavy), arguing their polar opposite points of view from the very beginning of the Imyaslavsky discourse, appeal to the same sources – the Holy Scripture and the works of the Holy Fathers of the Church, especially to the theological heritage of Gregory of Nyssa, Basil the Great, Dionysius the Areopagite, Gregory Palamas. However, certain statements are sometimes quoted tendentiously selectively outside the entire context of the source. This is especially true for authors whose works criticize and refute the Imyaslav teaching. Without setting a task to consecrate all aspects of this topic, which in itself is worthy of a separate study, the author of the publication tries to show the general history of the discussion, as well as how objective were the assessments about the Imyaslav teaching itself, expressed from the very beginning of its appearance, and how these assessments influenced the further course of the Imyaslav process as a whole.

Ecos de 3 Re 3,4-28 en Pr 31,1-9 LXX

The text of LXX Pr 31,1-9 diverges from MT Pr 31,1-9. The fundamentalproblem is to know if the discordant lessons with the MT are due to a differentVorlage or if it can be brought back to the same or close Hebrew text by virtue oftranslation techniques. With the purpose of deciphering the reasons for such dissimilarities,this study applies Staffan Olofsson’s method and assumes the criteria that the theological heritage of the translator must be added to philological criticism.The analysis shows that the literal and free translation techniques are fulfilled inLXX Pr 31,1-9 and, it suggests 3 Kings 3,4-28 as a background for the semanticchanges present in the collection.

Bearing witness against unbearable whiteness: Lessons from Luther for confronting racism today

AbstractAnti‐black racism has a long history in the United States, and while its presence is constant its ramifications are manifold. This means that careful attention, prudent discernment, and diligent action are required if we are to confront racism today. In this article I examine the obstacles that whiteness creates when it comes to recognizing the testimony of Black people. My claim is that white peoples in general, and Lutherans in particular, suffer from either a persistent inability or cultivated unwillingness to receive Black witness. I begin by briefly discussing Martin Luther's views on bearing witness, highlighting the theological and practical importance of this work within a Lutheran theological heritage. Next, I proceed to the ways that witness is compromised, the conditions that undermine the giving and receiving of testimony. Drawing on insights from Rebecca Kukla, Miranda Fricker, and others, I frame these compromises as instances of discursive and epistemic injustice, as harms done to Black subjects as their white counterparts fail to take up offerings of truth and extend trust. Finally, I conclude by suggesting some Lutheran theological and practical opportunities for resistance and retraining, so that anti‐racist work might be embodied more fully in spaces filled with whiteness.

IVAN PROKHANOV'S IDEAS OF SPIRITUAL REFORMATION AND THE POTENTIAL OF THEIR APPLICATION IN POSTMODERN CONDITIONS

The Reformation movement, led by Prokhanov, swept across Russia and even went beyond its borders. The wave of religious reformation rose most strongly against the background of great social upheavals. The main reasons for the emergence and origin of the evangelical movement described in the article testify to the inevitability of the changes that awaited society. It can be unequivocally stated that the evangelical movement influenced all spheres of life of the people of that period. Despite the fact that for obvious reasons Ivan Prokhanov failed to complete his grand reform project, the appeal to his theological heritage provides an opportunity not only to draw from it valuable information for building a modern Ukrainian state on Christian principles, but also gives us an instructive example of how in order to implement evangelical principles, he used all his natural gifts – theologian, preacher, poet, writer and translator, human rights activist, religious and public figure, evangelical reformer. His experience as a theologian-practitioner can be used to provide a clearly practical orientation to Ukrainian theology, which has confidently embarked on the path of reform and development.

Turfan: Connecting with Seleucia-Ctesiphon


 Despite its linguistic and physical distance from the Mesopotamian heartland, the Church of the East maintained its spiritual and theological heritage amongst its Iranian-speaking communities at Turfan. Psalters written in a wide variety of languages and bilingual lectionaries attest the efforts that were made to ‘reach out’ to the local communities, but it was through the Syriac liturgy that the intrinsic connection with Seleucia-Ctesiphon was maintained. Using MIK III 45, the most complete liturgical text from Turfan, consisting of 61 folios with a C14 dating (771–884 CE), the paper explores the role of liturgy as a tool of community memory. Of prime significance was the commemoration of Mart Shir, the Sassanid queen who eschewed her royal connections to become the evangelist of Marv. Here, the liturgy offers a very different perspective to the ninth-century Arabic Chronicle of Se’ert, in which she was subordinated to Baršabbā, the alleged first bishop of Marv. The prayer of Bar Sauma, bishop of Nisibis, recited plene during the rite for the consecration of a new church (altar), also recalled the close association that had been forged with the Sassanid realms.

THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ADEQUATE ANTHROPOLOGY BY KAROL WOJTYLA

Problem setting. Anthropological issues are one of the key areas of research in both the humanities and natural sciences. Karol Wojtyla’s philosophical and theological heritage is a valuable object of study in view of the thinker’s study of human problems in various philosophical fields, analysis of the results of scientific achievements and the distinctive features of methodology. The importance of Karol Wojtyla’s anthropological teaching is determined by its practical nature.
 Recent research and publications analysis. Of particular interest are the works of the following researchers: Gh. Pilusj, J. Kupnyj, I. Galjarovich, P. Bortkevych, F. Ghrenjuk, Ch. S. Bartnik, S. Kovaljchyk, M. Ghrabovsjkyj, P. Jarocjkyj, O. Kyrylova, I. Savynsjka, O. Bondar. The variety of theories and often the fragmentary nature of research reveals the need for their systematization and rethinking the anthropological teachings of Wojtyla.
 Paper objective. The goal of the paper is to study the peculiarities of Karol Wojtyla’s adequate anthropology.
 Paper main body. The paper reveals the basis of the philosophical and anthropological doctrine of the thinker, which is represented in the unity of spiritual, religious, and moral manifestations of human transcendence. It analyzes the connection of Wojtyla’s anthropological heritage with personalism, phenomenology, and Thomism. It is established that the creative heritage of Karol Wojtyla is characterized by a kind of conceptual and categorical apparatus that combines philosophical and theological concepts based on ethical terms.
 Conclusions of the research. It is established that, in contrast to the Aristotelian-Thomistic interpretation, Wojtyla considered freedom to be the basis of all human qualities. It is investigated that the basic concepts of adequate anthropology of Wojtyla include: person, work, freedom, experience, love, law, beauty, truth, goodness, duty, and responsibility. Based on the research, I concluded that Karol Wojtyla is a representative of ethical personalism.

The Theological Heritage of Fr. Alexander Schmemann

The Theological Heritage of Fr. Alexander Schmemann

Features of Karol Wojtyla's anthropology

The goal of the paper is to study the peculiarities of Karol Wojtyla’s anthropological views. It offers a comparative study of the thinker’s methods and ideas with Thomism, phenomenology, and personalism. The analysis is based on the works of researchers of the philosophical and theological heritage of Karol Wojtyla and comparison of their results with his teachings. The relevance of the paper lies in the fact that a human being is one of the central issues of philosophical research. Religious philosophy emphasizes the spiritual essence of a human being, which correlates with God, while in the 17th and 18th centuries the essence of a human being is identified with the mind. In turn, Marxist philosophy emphasizes the active essence of a human being. In some areas of modern philosophical thought denies the reality of the personal «I». The influence of philosophical thought is important for the development of society, so the study of anthropological ideas of Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II, one of the most influential figures of the late 20th-early 21stcentury is essential for the philosophy and processes of state formation. Results. It is established that the basis of Wojtyla’s philosophical and theological heritage is a Christian doctrine, which gives grounds for some researchers to characterize his ideas as Christian or theological anthropology. The paper performs the analysis of Wojtyla’s creative heritage in the context of philosophical, theological, and, in particular, Christian anthropologies. Conclusions. It has been established that the anthropological teaching of Wojtyla presents an original integrity, contains a rethinking of key anthropological concepts and philosophical currents, based on Christian values, individual and social dimension of a human being, and has applied value. The key ideas and methods that bring Wojtyla’s anthropology closer to Thomism, phenomenology and personalism are revealed. Among scientists, there is a problem of inconsistency in determining the key principles of anthropological teachings of Wojtyla and inconsistency in referring the thinker to one of the philosophical currents.

Surgeon and bishop, Saint Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky). Life in ministry

The life of Orthodox saints has always been a feat. Whether this be labour and prayers in the monastery – veneration, propagation and protecting the faith – confession or meeting death for the name of Christ – martyrdom. Saint Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky), archbishop and surgeon, devoted his whole life to the common people, once choosing the path of ministry. He healed physical maladies as a skilled physician and spiritually instructed beginners in faith as a bishop. Saint Luke, glorified amongst the Saints by the Orthodox Church, has left behind a rich scientific and theological heritage and enjoys popular veneration as a healer to this day.

Thomas Hobbes’s Theological and Political Anthropology and the Essential Mutations of the Perception of the Laws of Nature and Natural Rights in Seventeenth-Century England

The overall goal of the article is to reexamine Hobbes’s concern to respond to the challenges of the republican perspective on the relationship between the liberty of subjects and the political power. If, according to Skinner, republican theorists appealed to sources of classical antiquity, I argue that Hobbes chooses to offer a blend of classical and theological ideas in order to generate a “science” of the political life within the confines of a postlapsarian world dominated by passion and the fear of death. If the image of God is maintained in the Hobbesian politics, it is because Hobbes needed a model of imitation of a stability that the individuals dominated by passions failed too often to have. Hobbes also needed a model of omnipotence and providence to be imitated by the sovereign. This complex relationship between the theological heritage of the past and the novelties inaugurated in political thought by Hobbes’s accent on human passions triggers a series of changes in Hobbes’s understanding of the law of nature and natural right. The article brings to discussion Hobbes’s indebtedness to Lactantius in reading Lucretius’s materialism, Augustine’s model of God as a Creator and the theological controversy between intellectualism and voluntarism when formulating his own anthropological perspective on “natural” and “civil” law and right.

Poet, historian, theologian: Life and creative legacy of muhammad-sadyk imankuly (1870-1932)

The paper under consideration, based on the Tatar-speaking pre-revolutionary sources, analyzes the life and theological heritage of one of the most prominent and prolific representatives of Tatar cadimism of the early twentieth century Muhammad-Sadyk Imankuly (1870-1932). Particular attention is paid to his seminal work «Taskһil al-byan fi tafsir alKuran» (Facilitating clarification in Quran interpretation), which comes as an example of Tatarspeaking exegetical literature reflecting the main points of Hanafi-Maturidi traditions.

The Role and Significance of Karl Barth`s Works for the Protestant Theology of the Twentieth Century.

Annotation: The article contains the research concerning the possible impact of Karl Barth`s figure and theological issues on the theology of the 20th century and the first decades of the 21st century. There is a comparative analysis of how powerful and significant was the level of impact of Barth`s scientific experience on the theologians of his era, in comparison with the most prominent representatives of Christian thought from the earlier centuries, beginning with the times of ancient church, the Middle Ages, the 16th century protestant Reformation, as well as his contemporaries. As it was clarified, Karl Barth made a striking impulse for the further radical deconstruction of what is considered to be the achievements of 19th`s century liberal protestant theology (which made him a lot of detractors among his colleagues), made a loud accent on the necessity of the Christocentric approach to all the spheres of theology, newly updated, actualized and convincingly demonstrated the importance of ancient church creeds and dogmas in the field of Triadology and Christology, as well as in an unusual way he intensified and revived the intellectual search in the protestant universities and academies by his reshaping and changing the paradigms of the whole western theology in a radical way. In the article were taken into account some reviews on Barth`s “Epistle to the Romans” (second edition, 1922), which caused lively discussions and prolonged controversy because of specific and non-standard hermeneutical approaches to the biblical text, which Barth demonstrated in this one of the most eminent theological works of the 20th century. The article reveals not only the attitude towards Barth`s theological heritage that was showed by his protestant colleagues, but also reveals the sincere admiration for his theology from some Orthodox researchers, in particular, the honored professor of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, John Karavidopulos, and the world famous specialist in the history of Christianity and medieval intellectual history, Jaroslav Jan Pelikan Jr., who converted to Orthodoxy in 1998. In the article`s conclusion there`s a piece of information concerning the fact that the impact of Barth`s dogmatics and hermeneutics on the modern departments of theology is not so noticeable as one might expect. In particular, we can make such a conclusion because of (1) the absence of true consolidation and common vision about the methods of theologizing between the western universities and church seminaries, (2) the popularity of so called “natural theology” which nowadays often seems to be regarded as an important prerequisite for all further theological researches, while Barth himself was a categorical opponent of this discourse, (3) the domination of binary opposition between conservatives and liberals in context of some modern theological discussions, while Karl Barth always tried to organically combine his devotion to the protestant orthodoxy with his efforts to be relevant and adequate to the requirements of his time.

Community Engagement for Student Faith Development: Service-Learning in the Pentecostal Tradition

Community engagement through service-learning has been a mainstay of higher education for the past 20 years and has increasingly proven successful in grounding academic knowledge in community experience. This article explores how service-learning programs designed to shape students’ sense of responsibility for the common good can also foster their faith development. In particular, it examines natural connections between service-learning and the Pentecostal tradition, and details how service-learning has been implemented at Lee University (located in Cleveland, Tennessee, USA) by drawing upon the institution’s theological heritage and using Sharon Daloz Parks’s theory of faith development. Three tensions encountered when implementing the program are explored: the assumption that academic learning is separate from and superior to affective learning, the concept that all service should be oriented ultimately toward evangelism, and the notion of the “savior” motivation that nullifies the cultural humility necessary for personal transformation. The article concludes by offering a series of lessons learned regarding the implementation of community engagement programs as a learning strategy within the Christian college context.

The theology of Jovan Rajic’s Catechism in social and historical context

Although Archimandrite Jovan Rajic?s Catechism is not an original contribution to Serbian theology, the historical context of its origin makes it extremely significant. The theological analysis of the Catechism must therefore take into account the specific circumstances of its origin. Rajic?s Catechism is significantly influenced by Latin theological heritage, which can be seen both in the layout of the material and in its content. However, at a given historical moment, by writing and publishing his Catechism, Rajic managed to prevent another one in a series of attempts to unite the Orthodox Serb population in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. The effects of Latin theological heritage on Rajic?s work are significant, and these influences will continue in later times, so it is important that they are clarified and recognized. These impacts are manifested in many ways. The first one is reflected in the layout of the material, the second in its processing, and the third in the absence of specifically Orthodox viewpoints. Nevertheless, the final judgment on the Catechism must be made on the basis of the historical context of its origin.

Miejsce Biblii w życiu Ulricha Zwingliego

Artykuł prezentuje centralne miejsce Biblii w życiu U. Zwingliego. Reformacja w Zurychu, której początki były głównie jego dziełem, ujawniła to na kilku polach: w kaznodziejstwie, prowadzonych dysputach teologicznych i w tzw. „szkole proroctw” (Prophezei). Na każdym z tych pól szwajcarski reformator eksponował autorytet Biblii – nieporównywalny z innymi autorytetami. Równocześnie podkreślał rolę Ducha Świętego w interpretacji tekstów biblijnych. Prawda o inspirującym działaniu Ducha Świętego, jak i prawda o suwerenności Boga leżą u podstaw życia i teologicznego dziedzictwa reformatora z Zurychu.

High and Low? The Heritage of Anglican Latitudinarianism in the Thought of John Wesley

An increasing number of historians have highlighted the complex nature of much eighteenth-century churchmanship. These writers argue that in this period many clergyman possessed altitudinarian and latitudinarian tendencies simultaneously. While John Wesley's theological heritage has been examined from a variety of different perspectives, a growing body of literature has accentuated the altitudinarian tendencies in his theology and ministry. For this reason, several writers have closely identified Wesley with the Anglican High Church tradition. As a result, even though many of these scholars have compared Wesley's ecclesiology with the work of Edward Stillingfleet, the question as to whether or not Wesley might possess Latitudinarian tendencies has been neglected. Given the equivocal nature of much eighteenth-century churchmanship, this essay concentrates on whether Wesley also exhibits Latitudinarian tendencies by examining whether his focus on the essentials of religion, his tolerance concerning the inessential, and his emphasis on godliness resemble similar emphases in seventeenth-century Latitudinarian writers.

Here or elsewhere: Sufism and traditional Islam in Russia’s Volga-Ural region

The renewed interest for Sufism, in the form of the celebration of a Sufi past, and the presence of Naqshbandi Sufi brotherhoods in the Volga and Urals ask the question of the place of Sufism in the region’s broader Islamic revival. In particular, how is Sufism related to the concept of “traditional Islam” as a central official category that seeks to define a local Islam? In order to understand how the place of Sufism is negotiated in relation to the notion of a local Islam, we analyse both how Sufism is integrated into the concept of traditional Islam on a more official level and how Sufi murids view their place in the Islamic revival. We refer to the literature on Sufism and its critiques and to new interpretations of the Volga-Ural Muslim history to highlight how negative images of the phenomenon and previous theological disputes form the background against which the Sufi revival takes place. Drawing on the idea of Sufism’s “disappearance” from a historical narrative in Soviet times and on the importance of anti-Sufi critiques in fashioning this narrative, we aim to understand how a new narrative on Sufism emerges on an official level and how it connects or not with the way Sufi murids perceive their beliefs and practices. By analysing convergences and divergences in official perceptions of Sufism and the perceptions of Sufi murids, we examine how the question of Sufism sheds light on the paradoxes in the concept of traditional Islam. Hence, Sufism challenges the image of a unified theological heritage as a foundation for traditional Islam, as it brings to the fore the anti-Sufi critique of previous Jadids. While official views and the views of Sufi murids converge on a more theological definition of traditional Islam understood as the three dimensions of Islam (islam, iman and ihsan), Sufism also raises the question of religious authority. Indeed, the spiritual hierarchies represented by Sufi tariqas may not be easy to reconcile with an official Muslim representation. Finally, Sufi murids refer to the notion of a local sacred geography, but also emphasise the transnational and transregional connections established by Sufi tariqas, thus pointing to another understanding of locality.