scholarly journals St Maxim the Greek: Some notes on his understanding of the sacred time

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 329-368
Author(s):  
Neža Zajc
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Son Of God ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Holy Trinity ◽  
Precise Understanding ◽  
Slavonic Language ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Relationship

St Maxim the Greek: Some notes on his understanding of the sacred timeBased on a manuscript by St Maxim the Greek, this article explores his specific under­standing of the relationship between language and biblical tradition. It gives some answers to questions concerning his theology, which are posed by his liturgical experience of the sacred time, which is based not on repeating the excerptions from the patristic authors, but is primarily founded on his accurate reading and in-depth perception of the Holy Bible. Maxim the Greek, who in his personal writings showed a detailed knowledge of both the Old Testament and Sla­vonic biblical texts, was thus not only able to separate the canonical from the non-canonical sacred texts, but also successfully classified the Christian teachings according to ethical value, from the Old Testament prophets to the apostles and the Church Fathers. With his hierarchy he also gave meaning to the ontological-eschatological dimension (three levels – appropriate to the Holy Trinity) of their spiritual efforts. His knowledge, which also reflects the precise understanding of dogmatic theological decisions of the first ecumenical church councils, ranks highest the learning that comes directly from the Son of God, which Maxim the Greek experienced through his theological-liturgical prayer practice.Maxim found theologically unambiguous formulations which most profoundly deter­mined the specific nature of his personal theology in the Byzantine hymnography dedicated to the Mother of God. All the mentioned facts lead the author to the further explore his specific Old Church Slavonic language, in which he managed to preserve not only the early Christian mentality but also the theological-liturgical characteristics of the ascetic and later monastic discipline that he learned in the monastery of Vatopedi at the Holy Mount Athos. The article concludes with the proposition that only through detailed study of the personal language of St Maxim the Greek can we arrive at a definition of his Theology. Św. Maksym Grek. Kilka uwag o jego rozumieniu czasu świętegoArtykuł poświęcony jest specyficznemu rozumieniu związku języka i tradycji biblijnej w manuskrypcie św. Maksyma Greka. Proponuje odpowiedzi na pytania dotyczącego jego teologii, jakie zostały zawarte w jego liturgicznym doświadczeniu świętego czasu, które nie polega na odtwarzaniu ekscerpcji z autorów patrystycznych, lecz jest przede wszystkim oparte na właściwym odczytaniu i dogłębnym rozumieniu Biblii. Maksym Grek, który w swoich pismach osobistych wykazuje szczegółową wiedzę na temat zarówno Starego Testamentu, jak i słowiańskich tekstów biblijnych, posiada umiejętność oddzielenia nie tylko tekstów kanonicznych od niekanonicznych, ale także z powodzeniem klasyfikuje nauki chrześcijań­skie zgodnie z ich wartością etyczną, od proroków Starego Testamentu do apostołów i Ojców Kościoła. Hierarchią tą nadaje także znaczenie wymiarowi ontologiczno-eschatologicznemu (trzy poziomy – właściwe Świętej Trójcy) ich wysiłków duchowym. Wiedza, która ujawnia się również w precyzyjnym rozumieniu decyzji dogmatycznych pierwszych ekumenicznych sobo­rów Kościoła, sytuuje najwyżej bezpośrednią naukę płynącą od Syna Bożego, której Maksym Grek doświadczył dzięki teologiczno-liturgicznej praktyce modlitewnej.W bizantyńskiej hymnografii odnajduje on jednoznaczne sformułowania teologicznie, poświęcone Matce Boskiej, które najdobitniej określają specyfikę jego osobistej teologii. Wszystkie wspomniane fakty wiodą do dalszych badań jego charakterystycznego języka staro-cerkiewno­-słowiańskiego, w którym stara się zachować nie tylko wczesną mentalność chrześcijańską, lecz także teologiczno-liturgiczne cechy ascetycznej, a później monastycznej, dyscypliny, której nauczył się w monastyrze Vatopedi na Świętej Górze Atos. Artykuł stawia tezę, że tylko szczegółowe badania języka św. Maksyma Greka pozwalają na zdefiniowanie jego teologii.

scholarly journals Eastern Church Fathers on Being Human—Dichotomy in Essence and Wholeness in Deification

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 575
Author(s):  
Olga Chistyakova
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Philosophical Tradition ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Gregory Of Nyssa ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Christian Anthropology ◽  
Church Father ◽  
Byzantine Church ◽  
God's Image ◽  
Maximus The Confessor

The article traces the formation of Eastern Christian anthropology as a new religious and philosophical tradition within the Early Byzantine culture. The notion “Patristics” is reasoned as a corpus of ideas of the Church Fathers, both Eastern and Western. The term “Eastern Patristics” means the works by Greek-Byzantine Church Fathers, who in the theological disputes with the Western Church Fathers elaborated the Christian creed. Based on an analysis of the texts of Greek-Byzantine Church Fathers, the most important provisions of Eastern Patristics are deduced and discussed, which determined the specificity of Christian anthropology. In this context, different approaches of the Eastern Fathers to the explanation of the Old Testament thesis on the creation of man in God’s image and likeness and the justification of the duality of human essence are shown. Particular attention is paid to considering the idea of deification as overcoming the human dualism and the entire created universe, the doctrine of the Divine Logoi as God’s energies, and the potential elimination of the antinomianism of the earthly and Divine worlds. The article reflects the anthropological ideas of the pre-Nicene Church Father Irenaeus, the non-canonical early Christian work The Shepherd of Hermas, and the teachings on the man of the classical Eastern Patristics period by Athanasius of Alexandria, Gregory of Nyssa, and Maximus the Confessor.

Psalm 2:7 and the concept of περιχώρησις

2014 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-229
Author(s):  
Michael Straus
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
Son Of God ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
The One ◽  
Psalm 2 ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Trinity

AbstractThis article takes as its springboard the well-known text of Psalm 2:7, in which the Psalmist – presumably David, king of Israel – refers to himself as a ‘begotten’ son of God by virtue of his Lord's decree. The article first explores various linguistic and theological options as to the identity of the ‘son’ to whom the passage refers; and analyses the relationship between that son and the one who is stated to have begotten him. In this context, the article addresses ways in which the passage more generally sheds light on the relationship between God and Israel, including through analysis of a number of fluctuating usages of singular and plural terms in the Old Testament to describe that relationship. Second, and against that background, the article examines texts in the New Testament which quote or refer to Psalm 2:7 to see whether they provide a better understanding of the nature of the relationship between the father and the son described in the Psalm; and further to see whether any enhanced understanding of that relationship reciprocally sheds light on the relationship of God the Father to God the Son as revealed in the New Testament. The article then seeks to determine whether these passages, taken as a whole, provide explicit, implicit, or proto-Trinitarian concepts in anticipation of those given fuller expression in orthodox Church doctrine. Finally, the article explores the concept of circumincession, or coinherence, John of Damascus’ highly abstracted and nearly poetic effort at the close of the Patristic era to provide an extra-biblical explanation of the relationship between the Father and the Son as well as the relationship among the three members of the Trinity. The article concludes by finding that his attempted articulation, and quite possibly all such efforts, will ultimately fail, leaving intact the mystery of the Trinity as one escaping, or rather surpassing, conceptual analysis.

scholarly journals Herezje wczesnochrześcijańskie – zagadnienia wprowadzające

Vox Patrum ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 68 ◽  
pp. 7-20
Author(s):  
Bogdan Czyżewski
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
The Times ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Church

In the times of the Church Fathers the notion of heresy was related to the false doctrine what became the cause of derogations from the unity of the Church. It was a false tenet about God, hence the Fathers of the Church tried to define not only mistakes created within the Church, but also to develop orthodox doctrine. Due to the vastness of the this subject authors and texts defining heresies were se­lected. Firstly, attention was drawn on the Greek term a†resij contained in pagan literature and the writings of the New Testament, which allowed to see what was the impact, especially the biblical definition of heresy, on the understanding of the early Christian writers, especially before the first Council of Nice in 325. It was also necessary to ask about the origin of heresy and its characteristics. Fathers af­firmed unequivocally that their creation were associated mainly with making the wrong choices. The result of this were incorrect relations of heretics to the truth and to the Church, wrong image of God and abiding in stubbornness. Fathers also attempted to define more precisely the scope of meaning of schism and heresy, which are concepts often used as synonyms.

scholarly journals HOLY TRINITY AND THE ARIAN CONTROVERSY

2020 ◽  
pp. 46-48
Author(s):  
Arigala Jessie Smiles ◽  
Potana Venkateswara Rao
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Son Of God ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Holy Trinity ◽  
Research Article ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
God The Father ◽  
The Trinity ◽  
Arian Controversy

Although early Christian theologians speculated in many ways on the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, no one clearly and fully asserted the doctrine of the Trinity until around the end of the so-called Arian Controversy during the 4th century. Arius taught that God the Father and the Son of God did not always exist together eternally. In this context this research article attempts to review the evolution of the concept of Holy Trinity and the Arian Controversy, understand the main differences between Homoousian and Homoiousian arguments with an aim to help the reader understand the divinity of God the Jesus Christ and his co-eternal and co-equal position along with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

God and Nature in Hegel's Logic

1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 65-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cinzia Ferrini
Keyword(s):  
Self Determination ◽  
Focus Attention ◽  
Phenomenology Of Spirit ◽  
Science Of Logic ◽  
Son Of God ◽  
Knowing That ◽  
The Absolute ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Relationship

The aim of this essay is to cast light on the puzzling transition from logic to nature that is stated at the end of Hegel's Science of Logic. The passage is summed up by the famous intriguing sentence about the absolute idea freely resolving to let itself go.Firstly, I shall sketch the, so to speak, “divine” features of the absolute philosophical knowing that is to be developed in the Encyclopaedia system. My point is to account for the relationship between the standpoint reached by the Phenomenology of Spirit and the content of the Logic, regarded as the presentation of God as he is in his eternal essence.Secondly, I shall focus attention on the way in which the developed idea of philosophical knowing is systematically displayed in the Encyclopaedia. My point is now to account for: i) the mutual relationships among the three parts of philosophical science (science of logic, philosophy of nature, philosophy of spirit); and ii) the relationship between these parts and the whole of philosophy.Thirdly, I shall examine the two main and opposite standard interpretations of the transition from the first to the second part of the Encyclopaedia. My point here is to challenge the conceptual presuppositions of the readings under consideration, by means of a close examination of the revised editions of Hegel's text.Fourthly, I shall argue for a different view. My last point is to focus on the character of the absolute idea's self-determination. It involves letting the determination of the distinction exist as something independent, so that the “other” obtains the determinacy of “other-being”, of an actual entity. Therefore it must be distanced from the divine way of generating (the Father-Son relationship) that is the form of love. I shall conclude by discussing the implications of Hegel's use of the notion of “creation” and his paradoxical definition of nature as being the Son and not the Son of God.

Magic

2018 ◽  
pp. 186-203
Author(s):  
István Czachesz
Keyword(s):  
Associative Learning ◽  
Confirmation Bias ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Fourth Section ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Behavioural Approach ◽  
History Of ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter outlines an analytical concept of magic and considers how it contributes to our understanding of early Christian rituals. The first section addresses the problematic history of the academic study of magic. The second section proposes a heuristic definition of magic in the context of a cognitive and behavioural approach to religion. The chapter then discusses the role of associative learning in magic, particularly in so-called superstitious conditioning. The fourth section deals with explanatory strategies, arguing that implicit, cognitive mechanisms that support magic (such as moral contagion and confirmation bias) tend to be cross-culturally consistent. Explicit theorizing about magic (such as the ancient concept of magical helpers) is more varied across cultures. Finally, the chapter turns to the relationship between magical practices and miracle stories and addresses the role of magic and miracle in the success of the early Christian movement.

‘I Will Give to Each of You as Your Works Deserve’: Witchcraft Accusations and the Fiery-Eyed Son of God in Rev 2.18–23

1997 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul B. Duff
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Asia Minor ◽  
Christian Tradition ◽  
Historical Evidence ◽  
Son Of God ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
Western Asia ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church

The Revelation of John presents to its readers a scenario that describes the oppression and persecution of the early Christian communities of western Asia Minor by external pagan forces (specifically, the Roman government). Later Christian tradition tied the Apocalypse to the later years of the reign of Domitian and consequently dubbed that emperor a second Nero. Until relatively recently, this scenario has been affirmed by both the church and the academy. However, mid-twentieth century scholarship successfully challenged the validity of this viewpoint, based upon a review of the historical evidence. Since that time, scholars have scrambled to reconcile the historical world lying behind the Apocalypse with the narrative world presented by the text. Such figures as James A. T. Robinson, Adela Yarbro Collins, and Leonard Thompson have considerably advanced the discussion in our time. However, these recent attempts to detail the relationship between Christianity and pagan society have so dominated the attention of scholars that a serious discussion of the tensions within the Asia Minor Christian communities has been largely neglected. The present study is offered as a partial corrective to this trend.

scholarly journals Retrospectively-Historical Analogies are in the Liturgical Texts Sanctified to Saint Vladimir the Great

2020 ◽  
pp. 11-33
Author(s):  
Владимир Михайлович Кириллин
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Son Of God ◽  
Old Russian ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The World ◽  
Liturgical Texts ◽  
The Church

В статье рассматриваются встречающиеся в посвящённых великому Киевскому князю Владимиру Святославичу богослужебных текстах ретроспективно-исторические аналогии как характеризующие его личность и деяния элементы рефлексии о нём. В итоге исследователь приходит к выводу о том, что древнерусские гимнографы, осмысливая и воспевая посредством исторических параллелей святость великого Киевского князя Владимира, были разносторонне изобретательны: они стремились и к расширению круга ретроспективных образов, и к закреплению и даже некоторому развитию связанной с ними семантики, так что под их пером Креститель Руси обрёл устойчивые черты подобия либо ветхозаветным провозвестникам грядущего Царя и Спасителя мира, либо новозаветным свидетелям жертвенной проповеди распятого и воскресшего Сына Божия, либо раннехристианским приверженцам основанной Им Церкви как вместилища Истины и собрания верных. The article discusses retrospective-historical analogies in the liturgical texts devoted to the great Kiev Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich of liturgical texts as elements of reflection about him that characterize his personality and actions. As a result, the researcher comes to the conclusion that the Old Russian hymnographers, comprehending and singing the holiness of the great Kiev Prince Vladimir by means of historical parallels, were versatile inventive: they sought to expand the range of retrospective images, and to consolidate and even develop some semantics associated with them, so that, under their pen, the Baptist of Russia acquired stable similarity features either to the Old Testament heralds of the coming Tsar and Savior of the world, or to New Testament witnesses of the sacrificial preaching order and risen Son of God, or the early Christian adherents he founded the Church as the repository of truth and faithful congregation.

scholarly journals Ewa – pierwsza kobieta w świetle pism świętego Augustyna

Vox Patrum ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
pp. 139-153
Author(s):  
Antoni Żurek
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Human Sexuality ◽  
The Body ◽  
Woman Question ◽  
Biblical Text ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Biblical Story ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Relationship

The biblical story of creation, and subsequently the sin of Eve, was frequently analized by many Church Fathers. These analysis conclusions were ones of the crucial elements which shaped the vision of woman in the Early Christian times. St. Augustine was within this trend. He analized and referred to the Genesis’ texts related to Eve in the numerous of his works. He read this story either literally or alegorically. From the biblical texts which were interpreted literally, he derived his view about human sexuality and its purposefulness. He also eagerly empha­sized the issue of woman’s nature. Indeed, he acknowledged that Eve was equal to Adam as human, as well as woman was equal to male at all. Nevertheless, he was sure of woman’s nature weakness and affirmed her dependence on male in the social life. St. Augustine used the alegorical interpretation conclusions to explain the relationship between the body and spirit within a man. In this perspective, the woman’s position is especially weak because, as a representant of body, she should be totally dependent on male who symbolizes the spiritual sphere within a man. The article only fragmentalically presents the St. Augusine’s view on the woman question because it is limited only to the conclusions of one biblical text exegesis.

scholarly journals CONCEPT OF PRACTICES OF JEWISH AND EARLY CHRISTIAN MEDICINE

2020 ◽  
pp. 129-138
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Jewish People ◽  
Early Church ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Main Attention ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Sick People ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
The Church

The article examines the theological and philosophical origins of Jewish and early Christian medicine. We have shown that the basis of the medical practice of the ancient Jews and early Christians were the books of the Old Testament. The principles of nutrition, sanitation and hygiene have been considered in detail in the context of the topic. We also have analyzed the rules of care for sick people and the means used by the Jewish people in the treatment of infectious diseases. It has been shown that in order to prevent the spread of an infectious disease, Jews isolated an infected person from close contact with other people, thus avoiding the spread of various diseases and epidemics. Some Jewish works of the post-biblical period contain a description of the development of philosophy and ethics in medicine; the main ones are the Midrash, the Mishnah and the Talmud. In the article we also have analyzed conceptual medical foundations set forth in the Pentateuch of the Moses and the Talmud. It has been shown that the main attention of Jewish treatment practitioners was focused on disease prevention, as they attached great importance to the principles of ritual purity, which in turn was directly related to public hygiene. We also have studied a number of works of the early church fathers, who initiated the practice of caring for the physically ill. As a result, it was found that in the writings of the church fathers there are many mentions of surgery and treatment of mental illness.

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