Theological Work Research Articles

ON THE ISSUE OF CYRILLIC MANUSCRIPTS IN CHUVASHIA: THE OLD BELIEVER MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE XIX CENTURY “KATOLOKH” FROM THE COLLECTION OF A.G. BERMAN

This work is devoted to the paleographic and source-study description of the Cyrillic Old Believer manuscript collection of the XIX century, stored in the collection of A.G. Berman. The compiler of the collection named it “Katolokh”. The presence of Soviet documents inside the collection, used by former owners of the handwritten monument, enables us to determine that it comes from Semenovsky uyezd of Nizhny Novgorod governorate, which has long been known for Old Believers’ small monasteries.
 
 An important dating element that makes it possible to determine the time of the manuscript creation are the paper blocks used. The stamps on the paper of the collection under study enable to establish the chronological framework of paper production in 1868–1874. A more accurate dating was made due to the presence of financial and accounting documentation woven into the collection.
 
 Upon a detailed study of the entire collection under study, it was revealed that the accounting documents presented in the collection relate to the period of economic activity of Nizhny Novgorod Old Believers-salt merchants, who introduced trade with one of the major salt suppliers to the market of the Russian Empire – Countess Varvara Petrovna Shakhovskaya-Shuvalova-Polye, Princess Butero-Rodali (1796–1870).
 
 The collection includes excerpts from theological works, monuments of the canon law, works of the Old Russian literature, Old Believers’ writings of the XVII – XIX centuries. The content of “Katolokh” is divided into several thematic blocks, in accordance with the ideological tasks that the compiler solved.
 
 Based on paleographic, textual and historical analysis, it is concluded that the collection called “Katolokh” was created at the very end of the 60s – the first half of the 70s of the XIX century in the midst of the Old Believers who did not reject the priesthood. It is very likely that these Old Believers had close ties between the co-religionists of Perm and Nizhny Novgorod governorates. The collection reflects the state of external and internal Old Believers polemics, when dogmatic differences with the Bespopovtsy were already fully realized, but the positions between the Belokrinitsky hierarchy, the chapel and Beglopoptsy agreement on the issue of receiving clergy from the New Believer church did not completely diverge yet and were in a state of acute controversy and discussion.

A Public Convergence: Embracing the Congregation as a Place of Difference

Abstract Communitarians and public theologians alike tend to discuss the church’s identity as a clearly demarcated community separated from the world or public life, each defining publicness as something that is found outside the church. It is a more likely argument that publicness is already present in the congregation as a place of difference: it is possible for the particulars of the community to interact, engage, and mutually benefit the various social realms present in and through the congregants. This public identity renders engagement with the public an unavoidable reality and provides an opportunity for the congregation to become a fruitful space for the work of public theology by embracing this reality through the development of a public posture of openness, accessibility, and accountability, which would improve both the church’s internal ministry and its ministry in the world beyond its community.

General Considerations on the History of Christianity from Scythia Minor in the First Six Centuries

The theology of Scythia Minor was an element of ethnogenesis of the Dacians from the territory of today’s Romania and of the descendants who are Romanians. The Orthodox faith and theology contributed substantially to the spiritual continuity of the Dacians and then of the Romanians, as attested by numerous archaeological discoveries from Scythia Minor and other territories of our country. Our exposition highlights the role that these Church Fathers and Christian writers had through their practical and theological works of wide ecumenical profoundness, to shaping a unitary consciousness at European level in the context of the time.

Marxism-Leninism and Christianity: the Successes of the Communist Government in Russia

This article analyzes the successes of the Communist Party's power in Russia and the methods of achieving them from the point of view of Orthodox Christianity. The relevance of the research is due to the fact that this topic is directly related to the structure of society, and there are (often acute) discussions on this issue. In this paper, a historical and theological analysis of the topic under study is carried out on the basis of a critical study of the works of V. Lenin, his closest associates, historical and theological works and historical documents on the issue under study. In this article, an attempt is made to present a systematic analysis of the subject under study, an appeal is made to opponents. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that many documents are analyzed for the first time in connection with the topic under study. Also, in more detail and systematically, in relation to the available works, the analysis of this subject is carried out. The aim of the work is a critical study of historical documents, as well as historical and philosophical works on the issue under study. The article concludes that the methods of achieving the successes of the Bolsheviks in Russia are incompatible with Christianity. In addition, atheistic construction is like the construction of the Tower of Babel, stopped by God, i.e. from the point of view of Orthodoxy, the successes of Bolshevism cannot be called successes, and millions of souls forcibly torn away from God as a result of the planting of atheism repeatedly crossed off all the achievements of the USSR.

Interpreting Conciliar Christology

Given the interest in analytic theology circles about following “conciliar Christology,” this article describes three different patterns by which patristics scholars have interpreted the relations between the Ecumenical Councils in the past 150 years, patterns that I label as “pendulum swing,” “synthesis of emphases,” and “Cyrillian/traditional.” The article argues that whereas much analytic theology work on Christology belongs in the “synthesis of emphases” pattern, the ascendant paradigm in patristics scholarship is Cyrillian/traditional. It makes a case that the councils understood themselves as moving in a straight line of development from one to another and as proclaiming a broadly Cyrillian Christology, in which the person of the Incarnate Logos is the subject of all actions and experiences of the incarnate Christ. Given the significance of this issue for analytic theology discussions of Christ’s human freedom (is it the freedom of the human nature to act independently of the Logos, or the human freedom of the Logos to accomplish his earthly mission?), analytic theologians would do well to be aware of these currents in patristics scholarship on the Ecumenical Councils.

Christian theology as comparative theology: Towards a radical change of “Method”

AbstractThis essay makes a recommendation for an expansion in the approach and “method” of Christian theology: it proposes Christian theology as comparative theology. In the religiously pluralistic world, it is not sufficient merely to engage other faith traditions as an “auxiliary task.” Rather, the comparative task should belong to the “normal” way of doing “basic” Christian theological work. While Christian theology is not subsumed under comparative theology, as it were, the essay argues that without the comparative task, Christian theology may fail its calling in the third millennium.

Marxism-Leninism and Christianity: Classes and Class Struggle

This article analyzes the compatibility of the theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism and Orthodox Christianity in relation to the class division of society and class struggle. The significance of the study is due to the controversy (often acute) on this issue, which is directly related to the social structure. The article provides a historical and theological analysis of the topic under study on the basis of a critical study of the works of the founders of Marxism-Leninism, their closest associates, historical documents on this issue, as well as historical and theological works. This article attempts to present a systematic analysis of the subject under study. It examines the relationship between the teachings of Orthodox Christianity and Marxism-Leninism about classes and class struggle, as well as their application in practice, and appeals to opponents. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that some documents are analyzed for the first time in connection with the issue under study. Also, in more detail and systematically, in relation to the available works, the analysis of the relationship between the teachings of Orthodox Christianity and Marxism-Leninism is carried out. The purpose of the work is to study historical documents, as well as historical and philosophical works on this topic. The article concludes that Marxism-Leninism is directly opposed to Christianity in the issue of attitude to the classes of society and the class struggle. In the course of historical development, the intensity of the class struggle changed, but not according to Marxism-Leninism, but depended on the state of morality, religiosity, the development of new trends in the social, scientific and technological development of mankind. A Christian understanding of the essence of the state can provide the basis for the national idea of Russia.

John Goldingay. Ecclesiastes. The Bible in God’s World Commentary Series.

John Goldingay. <i>Ecclesiastes</i>. The Bible in God’s World Commentary Series.

Una perspectiva teológica poscolonial sobre los laicos, pastoral urbana y la teología

Stefan Silber’s theological contributions are explored from a postcolonial viewpoint. The application of postulates to postcolonial and decolonial studies are pertinent for the Church pastoral and theological work because they facilitate a better understanding of his work and reflection about present reality. By keeping track of the German theologian Stephan Silber through a bibliographical documental methodology from his pastoral and theological reflections, his contributions are outlined from a postcolonial perspective to understand and transform theological practice in three areas: laymen role, urban pastoral, and theological work in itself. So, an invitation is made to consider the possibilities theology poses in postcolonial and decolonial clues for a continuous renovation of the Church faith and life. Silber shows that these perspectives, far from being a threat for the Church owing to their critical tone, can be allies for its change and fidelity to Gospel.

Philosophical Poetry and Courtly Appeal: Fakhr al-Din Rāzi’s Didactic Panegyric for the Khvārazmian Prince Nāser al-Din Malekshāh

Abstract While Fakhr al-Din Rāzi’s (d. 1210/606) works of philosophical theology are well known, his poetry has been largely ignored by scholars to date. This article provides a translation and analysis of Rāzi’s previously untranslated Persian panegyric ode (qasidat al-madh) entitled “Fi al-manteq va-ʾl-tabiʿa va-ʾl-elāhi va-madh al-soltān (On Logic, Physics, and Metaphysics, and Praise of the Sultan).” Combining a historical and literary approach, I argue that Rāzi strategically employs both the didactic and the panegyric genres in his attempt to regain the favor of the Khvārazmian crown prince, Nāser al-Din Malekshāh (d. 1196–7/593). In addition to demonstrating Rāzi’s belief in the soteriological value of knowledge, the poem adds further evidence for elite support of Islamic philosophy after Ebn Sīnā—in this case, in the eastern lands of the Islamic empire.

Анонимная рецензия на Стихотворения А.С. Хомякова: Аполлон Григорьев или Ф.М. Достоевский?

This article reconsiders the vexed question of the authorship of the anonymous review (published in the journal Vremia, 1861) of the book Poems by A.S. Khomyakov. The review dealt not only with Khomyakov’s poems but also with his oeuvre as a whole, including his theological works. Inductive logic was applied to the task of resolving the text’s attribution, as a comparison of the respective likelihoods (conditional probabilities) of two alternative hypotheses: authorship by either Apollon Grigoriev or Fedor Dostoevsky. The author of the review speaks about Khomyakov’s theological brochures and tragedy Ermak with the same opinions and even almost the same wording as Grigoriev does in other texts of the same period. No similar opinions appear in texts belonging to Dostoevsky, even though Dostoevsky’s interest in Khomyakov’s journalism (but not his theology) is documented from the early 1860s. There are no grounds for speaking of any theological influence by Khomyakov on Dostoevsky in the 1860s (unlike in Dostoevsky’s last years). The conclusion by Boris F. Egorov that the author was Grigoriev is confirmed, whereas Vladimir N. Zakharov’s arguments for the authorship of Dostoevsky are disproved.

Beyond Literal Idolatry: Imagining Faith through Creatively Changing Identities

This is Part I of a triptych. It addresses the latent potential of the imagination in constructing a sense of identity. Included is the role of faith in overcoming the obstacles presented by a social imaginary dominated by literal idolatry that leads to unnecessary suffering. The initial foundation examines the process of growth and the role that the imagination plays in the construction of narrative identity—an important part of human development. Literal idolatry interrupts this original process through the creation of a social imaginary that corrupts natural measures for self-correction. At the same time, a creative faith contains the capacity to dislodge the rigid boundaries of literal idolatry. A creative faith narrative identities in ways that open beyond simple coherence and completeness. It can also revitalize social institutions and public spaces. The argument concludes by arguing fictional narratives augment the work of theology in grounding and inspiring creative faith.

A TRADITION OF INTERFAITH NYADRAN AS A MODEL OF PERSERVING SOSIAL HARMONY

This qualitative research with a phenomenological approach aims to describe nyadran as a tradition that is a means for the community to preserve a harmonious life together. Used observation and interview methods to collect data related to the nyadran ceremony. Observations were carried out to get an idea of the process of the nyadran ceremony. Next, the researcher interviewed three respondents who had experience preparing and carrying out the nyadran tradition in the Sorowajan hamlet, Banguntapan sub-district, and Bantul district. The data are analyzed using the essential elements of harmony in studying Javanese philosophy. There are three critical findings from this study. First, the Sorowajan hamlet community holds a nyadran ceremony annually involving interfaith community members. Second, the nyadran ceremony is a means to maintain and preserve the harmony of the Sorowajan community through ritual ceremonies that unite adherents of different religions. Third, the nyadran ceremony in the Sorowajan hamlet is a local tradition that has developed into a celebration of togetherness that involves people from different religious backgrounds and beliefs. Members of the community of interfaith and theology work together and are responsible for the implementation of the nyadran ceremony in a solemn and lively manner for the realization of a harmonious life together in the unity of Indonesia, which has diversity in religion, belief, ethnicity, race, culture, and local wisdom.

Josef Smolík – Učitel Komenského fakulty

For four decades, 1950–1990, Josef Smolík was a professor at the Comenius Protestant Theological Faculty in Prague. As the only one of Czech practical theologians, he taught at the faculty throughout its existence and his teaching included all basic practical-theological disciplines. He gradually published textbooks of liturgics (Some Chapters from the Liturgics, 1960), catechetics (Commitment of Baptism, 1974), homiletics (Joy of the Word, 1983) and poimenics (Pastoral Care, 1991). Smolík’s theological works culminate in the theological encyclopedia Introduction to the Study of Theology (1978) and in the ecumenically conceived practical ecclesiology Christ and His People (1997). He applied the achievements of his academic theology to ecclesiastical practice in a small catechetical handbook The Way of Life (1968) and in two volumes of the liturgical book (Agenda I, 1983; II, 1988). He paid constant attention to Historical Theology, especially the theology of the Unity of Brethren (Sermon in the Reformation, 1954; Jan Augusta, 1984) and of his theological masters and colleagues (Comenius Faculty’s Teachers, 1989; J. L. Hromádka. His Life and His Work, 1989/1991). Several generations of Czechs interested in modern theology drew on the monograph Current Attempts to Interpret the Gospel (1966–1993, five editions). The jubilee lecture is an attempt to present the binding heritage of Josef Smolík in all its amplitude, enriched with personal memories of our unforgettable teacher.

Indigenization of the Gospel Through the Christian-Confucian Dialogue in Korea

The Korean Church has grown very fast in a short period and is still struggling with many issues posed by Korea’s cultural and religious heritages. Korean Christianity has still conflict with traditional religions such as Shamanism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. While conservative Christianity, particularly Protestantism, was begun in Korea by Western missionaries, Korea has long been a society of religious pluralism. The Christianity sown and grown in the Korean soil is still not fully indigenized and inculturated into Korean cultures. That is, the Korean Christianity does not have a proper understanding of Korea’s pluralistic religious thoughts and culture, so it still considers them as heretical and idolatrous. Thus, Christian-Confucian dialogue is an urgent task for Christians to fulfill the task of indizenization of the Gospel in Korea because two religions as living forms of culture have together strongly influenced the Korean society. In this article, I explored the theme, “Indigenization of the Gospel in the Korean Soil,” focusing on the Christian-Confucian Dialogue. I first examined encounters of the two religions in the history of the Korean Church with regard to the issue of ancestral ritual. Second, I explicated methodology in the encounter between Christianity and Confucianism in the Korean context. Specifically, I presented some guidelines which are important for this comparative theological work. Then, I suggested process theology and Yulgok's Confucian thought as a model of Christian-Confucian dialogue in Korea. Finally, I discussed tasks for the dialogue between Christianity and Confucianism, especially the task for indigenizing Christianity in Korea.

Մութազիլիզմի կրոնափիլիսոփայական դրույթների արտացոլումը Աբու Ֆաթհ ալ-Շահրաստանիի «կրոնների և աղանդների մասին» (كتاب الملل والنحل ) աշխատության մեջ

The work "On Religions and Sects" (“Kitāb al-Milal wa-l-Niḥal”) of 11th-12th centuries theologian and philosopher Abu al-Fath Muhammad ibn Abd al-Karim al-Shahrastani, written in 1127, is considered to be the first work of encyclopedic value. It is unique and stands out among the theological works of its time, primarily for its inclusion: from the teachings of the pre-Islamic period to the history of Islam, the presentation of the teachings of its main directions. The author systematically formulated the main problems of theology, which should be the basis for describing various teachings. Presenting the basic teachings (sects) of Islam, the author stands out also with a relatively impartial approach. In the chapter on Mu'tazilism, the author outlines its main religious and philosophical provisions, common to all Mu'tazilian teachings. Then he discusses in detail the teachings of all Mu'tazilite schools, their similarities and differences, sometimes disagreeing with them. The author substantiates this disagreement mainly with the evidence quoted from the Qur'an, trying to be very moderate, conscientious, thereby providing a great deal of material for further research.

Book Review: Jill Y. Crainshaw, The Writing Work of the People: Liturgical Writing as Spiritual, Theological, and Prophetic Work

Book Review: Jill Y. Crainshaw, <i>The Writing Work of the People: Liturgical Writing as Spiritual, Theological, and Prophetic Work</i>

Marxism-Leninism and Christianity: Continuation of I. Vostorgov's Research

This article is a study of the compatibility of the theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism and Orthodox Christianity. The great importance of this topic is due to its direct connection with the improvement of society and the ongoing controversy on this issue with attempts to integrate communism with Christianity. The work provides a historical and theological analysis based on a critical study of the works of the founders of Marxism-Leninism, their associates, historical and theological works, as well as historical documents on this issue. The article examines the approaches of the teachings of Orthodox Christianity, as well as Marxism-Leninism to atheism, materialism, religion and the Church. For this purpose, the relevant texts of Holy Scripture, the opinions of the Church fathers and the views of the founders and followers of Marxism-Leninism are studied. The novelty of this study is that some documents are considered for the first time in the context of the problem under study. In addition, a more detailed and systematic historical and theological analysis of the comparison of the teachings of Marxism-Leninism and Orthodox Christianity on this topic is carried out in comparison with the available works. The purpose of the work is to study historical and theological works, as well as historical documents related to the problem under study. The article concludes that Marxism-Leninism in this matter is not compatible with Christianity and is directly opposed to it. Since the Second World War in the USSR, relations between the state and the Church have improved from time to time, but the official state course on Marxism-Leninism did not leave the possibility of their reconciliation. Currently, there are attempts to produce a symbiosis of these two teachings. Many Communists have a positive attitude towards the Church, so a dialogue between them is possible and necessary. But as long as the ideology of the Communists remains Marxism-Leninism, antagonistic to Christianity and any religion in general, in their ranks will always remain hostile to religion. Therefore, the synthesis of these teachings is impossible.

The Importance of Prayer in Theology as Academic Discipline

This paper presents an argument for the legitimate place of theology and theological education in the university context. To support this argument, paradoxically, this article demonstrates a particularity of Christian theology by speaking of the necessity of prayer which is one of the most religious activities; this is the characteristic of this article. First, to prove this argument, this article defines theology as a science. Theology is a specifically academic science with its particular subject and object. Second, this study examines prayer as a communion with God. Prayer is essential to have a relationship with God, who is not only the object of theology but the subject. In this section, this study shows how prayer contributes to theological studies. Third, this study looks into the principles of prayer, by which theological studies can be guided in the right direction. Finally, this article argues the importance of prayer for theologians. Prayer, as a means to integrate intellect and spirituality, is an inevitable practice for theologians to proceed with the work of theology. Through prayer, theologians not only achieve a clearer understanding of God’s revelation but become able to live out with the church the time of the kingdom of God, which is distinguished from the world.

ISLAMIC ECOTHEOLOGY: UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF KHALIFAH AND THE ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THE ENVIRONMENT

This paper discusses the relationship between Islamic theology and environmental ethics. Based on the development of the discourse on an environmental problem that arises in the public sphere, Islamic theology as the divine discourse is required to participate in overcoming it at the conceptual level starting from the relationship between humans and the environment. The concept of human in Islamic theological discourse is defined as the center of universal consciousness through the concept of the vicegerent of God on earth (khalifatullah fil ard). Such a concept is often misunderstood as the legitimization of the supremacy of human power over other creatures on earth (anthropocentrism). Therefore, the objective of the study is to enrich studies on Islamic Eco-theology, especially related to the concept of khalifa and its relation with responsibility towards nature. To conduct the research, this paper applied an intertextual approach to extract and reveal the meaning of khalifa and its relation with responsibility in classical Muslim works of tafsir, philosophy, theology, Sufism, and theosophy. The result of the discussion shows that the meaning of humans as the vicegerent of God in the world is not the legitimacy of total mastery but a responsibility that must be fulfilled.&#x0D;