The Minor Prophets in Christianity

Due to Habakkuk’s ahistoricity, communities and interpreters throughout the ages have applied the prophetic book to their present situations and concerns. This essay follows in the interpretive footsteps of those who have come before by considering how Habakkuk might be a valuable resource to contemporary posttraumatic prophetic preachers in this present moment. Given the rising prevalence of mass shootings and gun violence in the United States, alongside seemingly endless occurrences of natural disasters, abuse, hate crimes, and other traumatic incidents, it is no longer a question of if a preacher or pastor will need to address trauma or a traumatized congregation, but when. The essay argues that Habakkuk may serve as a valuable resource to address contemporary homiletical concerns, specifically how preachers might conceive of “posttraumatic prophetic preaching” in the midst of congregations experiencing communal trauma. In particular, Habakkuk may help preachers as they seek to locate themselves and reflect on their communal responsibilities after a traumatic incident as well as provide an eschatological theological orientation from which to preach.

The Nations in the Minor Prophets

This essay traces the theme of the non-Israelite nations across the Book of the Twelve with an eye toward appreciating both its diversity and its coherence. Eschewing an exclusively diachronic (compositional) or synchronic (holistic) approach, it draws attention to the different chronological frames in which the nations are presented and the different ways that they are characterized. The diversity evident in the nations’ varying identities and destinies coheres when those characteristics are seen within their respective past, present, and future timeframes and in the light of the Minor Prophets’ strong theological orientation. This perspective correlates both identity and destiny with Israel’s God and makes a reconciled relationship to YHWH the determinative factor for the nations no less than for Israel and Judah.

Medieval “liberation theology” in the works of Theodore the Studite

The subject of this article is the political-legal ideas of the Byzantine philosopher, public figure and theologian Theodore the Studite. His life and activity were closely related with the policy of Byzantine Iconoclasm conducted in the VIII – IX centuries. The emperors of the Romans, in their struggle against the political and economic power of the Orthodox Church, used discrepancies in interpretation of one of the doctrinal questions of Christianity, which historically manifested as a “stumbling block” among the adherents of this religion. Western province of the Byzantine Empire were against the policy of “iconoclasm” and its monasticism, the prominent representative of this intellectual tradition of which (in the medieval understanding of the latter) was Theodore the Studite. The political-legal ideas of Theodore the Studite, unlike his theological views, are poorly studied in the Russian science. However, they have certain scientific value due to the uniqueness of views of the philosopher comparing to the works of contemporaries and the Byzantine political;-legal literature overall. In his polemical works of theological orientation, Theodore the Studite discusses the problems of the liberty of conscience, individual autonomy, human rights (in their medieval interpretation), boundaries of intrusion of public authorities in social life, etc. The ideas of the Byzantine philosopher represent one of the first attempts of apologetics of “democratic Christianity”.

Liturgies of creativity: A dialogue between secular music performance and Christian liturgical performance

This is a modified version of an essay originally submitted as an assignment (entitled: ‘Bodies together: Creativity, sensuality, discovery’) during my MA in public theology at the University of Chichester. Theological reflection on contemporary music performance created a dialogue between the ‘secular’ and ‘religious’ to explore the concept of ‘liturgy’ in contemporary theological discourse. Drawing from largely Protestant and Catholic sources, I argue that while Christian worship is unique in its theological orientation, it shares with non-Christian ‘liturgies’ participation in a creative process through the ways in which the human imagination is enacted and performed. This invites further dialogue between different liturgies of creativity for human flourishing.

Practical Theology of Saint John of Kronstadt

в статье анализируется богословская направленность пастырского служения святого праведного иоанна кронштадтского. При этом опровергаются ошибочные представления, согласно которым протоиерей иоанн, будучи всецело погружённым в душепопечение о всероссийской пастве, никогда не занимался богословием. такие представления привели к тому, что «для русского богословия, - как отмечает прот. г. Флоровский, - значение прот. иоанна ещё до сих пор вполне не опознано». далее прослеживается творческий путь отца иоанна как студента духовной академии, анализируются его кандидатская диссертация «о кресте Христовом», его дальнейшие размышления о божественном домостроительстве и святой евхаристии. При этом делается важное замечание: протоиерей иоанн профессиональным богословом действительно никогда не был, потому что как пастырство, так и богословие для него были не профессией, а призванием. на этом фоне как раз и выявляется специфика богословского творчества, присущая отцу иоанну. The article analyzes the theological orientation of the pastoral Ministry of Saint John of Kronstadt. At the same time, erroneous ideas are refuted, according to which Archpriest John, being completely immersed in the spiritual care of the all-Russian flock, never engaged in theology. Such views led to the fact that «for Russian theology, as prot. G. Florovsky,- the value of the prot. John has not yet been fully identified». Further, the author traces the creative path of father John as a student of the Theological Academy, analyzes his PhD thesis «On the Cross of Christ», and his further reflections on the Divine economy and the Holy Eucharist. At the same time, an important note is made: Archpriest John was never a professional theologian, because both pastoral care and theology were not a profession for him, but a vocation. Against this background, the specificity of theological creativity inherent in father John is revealed.

Inculturation, Anthropology, and the Empirical Dimension of Evangelization

Using anthropological and theological perspectives and secondary literature, this paper argues that the scientific study of culture by professional anthropologists and social scientists is an essential component in the Catholic Church’s mission of evangelization through inculturation. Inculturation, the process of inserting the Christian message in society, requires scientific discernment to know which cultural traits are compatible with or contrary to the Christian faith, requiring anthropological training and active collaboration between theologians and professional anthropologists. Evangelization has incarnational and empirical dimensions when inserting the Gospel in human cultures. A genuine evangelization of cultures must be firmly rooted in the empirical reality of local cultures. The philosophical and theological orientation of many inculturationists and missionaries may sufficiently address the metaphysical dimension of the Christian faith, but not its empirical aspect when preached and adapted to human behavior in society, which entails scientific ethnographic research and active dialogue among clerics, missionaries, and social scientists.

JOHN DUNS SCOTUS ON HUMAN BEINGS IN THE STATE OF INNOCENCE

The present article presents the theory of the Franciscan master John Duns Scotus (1265/66–1308) on the so-called “state of innocence,” namely the condition in which human beings lived before the first sin. The state of innocence is characterized by the gift of original justice, guaranteeing harmony between the soul's powers and immortality. Derived from traditional Christian anthropology, Scotus's description offers a chance for dialogue with the masters of the second half of the thirteenth century, among them Henry of Ghent, Thomas Aquinas, and Bonaventure. Because of the theological orientation of Scotus's explanation, human beings as outlined by him are simultaneously naturally good and in need of divine gifts to reach their very end. Through a new interpretation of modality, Scotus's position is better able to express certain conditions related to power/possibility within the state of innocence.