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CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES IN THE PEDAGOGY OF SIMION MEHEDINȚI

Author(s): Ioan Puiu / Language(s): English / Issue: 33/2023

Keywords: education; youth formation; Christian pedagogy; Simeon Mehedinți; educator's duties;

The Holy Fathers, desiring that young people enjoy a joyful life on this earth, but also be heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, paid particular attention to their formation. Through their writings dedicated to young people, the Holy Fathers have shown that they are called to follow the life of Christ, the greatest Teacher of all time, and that an education which helps the young person to live here beautifully but also to acquire Eternity with God is a true art. St. John Chrysostom understood by the art of education that permanent concern for the salvation of the soul entrusted to him for formation, the purpose of education being the preparation for eternal life. The Holy Fathers emphasize that education must help the young person to know and cultivate in his life the Christian virtues, and this is greatly strengthened by the model provided by those who form the young person. The great Romanian teacher and scholar of the last century, Simion Mehedinți, born into a genuine Christian family and having relatives who were priests, understood the particularly important role that knowledge and living the faith plays in the full formation of the young person. Through his writings, conferences and all his teaching activity, Mehedinți worked for the moral edification of young people, being fully convinced that the foundation of the young person's formation must be the Holy Gospel which "like a spring of clean water, which quenches thirst, is a fountain of wisdom for young and old, for the learned as well as the unlearned, for the rich as well as the poor .... and he who hears her words and weighs them carefully cannot fail to become wiser, better and happier". This study aims to present some of the Christian principles on the formation of young people drawn from the works of Simion Mehedinți and to answer questions such as: What is the role of the family in the formation of young people? What are the duties of a true educator? What Christian principles are found in Simion Mehedinți's work?

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PRINCIPLES OF SIMION MEHEDINȚI'S PEDAGOGY

Author(s): Ioan Puiu / Language(s): English / Issue: 33/2023

Keywords: Romanian pedagogy; Simeon Mehedinți; pedagogical principles; experiential education;

Considering that the purpose of pedagogical science is "to give the greatest and most harmonious development of the genes planted in each individual, according to the interests of society and of the individual, helping him to become a "man of prowess", a well-defined character", Simion Mehedinți develops a true pedagogy that wants to meet the needs of the Romanian nation that has just completed its borders. The work of a true visionary, the pedagogical work of the scholar from Vrancea is not only addressed to his contemporaries, but contains ideas and principles that are still relevant today. Talking about the importance of education received in the family, about the fundamental role of the model in the life of the young person or about Christian virtues as the foundation of the complete formation of a person, Mehedinți created numerous pedagogical works "from which one can deduce a great faith in education, a warm heart for the peasantry, an intuition of the needs of the school and the idea of a Christian-based education". This study aims to create a brief history of the life and work of the great pedagogue Simion Mehedinți, to present how his work was received by contemporaries, to list some ideas and principles that can be drawn from his works with didactic content and to answer questions such as: what is the foundation on which Romanian pedagogy should be built? What is meant by the concept of "working school"? What role do universities play in the life of a nation?

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EDUCATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH THROUGH CATECHESIS. MOTIVATION AND METHODS

Author(s): Alexandru Baciu / Language(s): English / Issue: 33/2023

Keywords: catechesis; formation; Church; youth; experience;

Increasingly, we see that the contemporary man, in order to define his role in society, seeks to progress as much as possible professionally, seeks to keep up with the "fashion" in terms of technology, is assimilated by the commercial side of society. All these factors lead to his dissipation. The spiritual side is often neglected or treated with indifference. This way of life is especially aimed at young people, those who are just starting out, who can easily be moulded to the demands of the times. With all these temptations from the outside, the Church comes with a superior proposal, urging young people to a different knowledge, a perfect one, the experience life in God. The Saviour Jesus Christ says: "This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" (John 17:3). We often hear in society, especially in the media, the idea that the Church, as an institution with social concerns, (unfortunately consumer society cannot perceive it as a divine-human reality) is unable to communicate with the young people within it. This paper aims to establish some frameworks to demonstrate that the Church is concerned with the spiritual and even intellectual formation of young people through catechesis. From its experience of more than 2000 years since the "moment of Pentecost", the Church has always known how to listen, to guide, to teach, to correct mistakes, to offer people what no other human institution has offered, a different kind of existence. A superior existence in Christ.

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SOCIAL DYNAMICS AND ROMANTIC PURSUITS IN JANE AUSTEN’S EMMA: EXPLORING STATUS, COMPETITION, PRIVACY AND MARRIAGES

Author(s): Gina-Geta Fojica-Chiroiu / Language(s): English / Issue: 33/2023

Keywords: social conventions; marriages; courtship; privacy; status;

In Jane Austen’s Emma, social status plays a significant role in the characters’ lives, particularly for the protagonist, Emma Woodhouse. Emma, a wealthy and privileged young woman, believes that no man is worthy of her hand in marriage due to her high social standing. Meanwhile, Harriet Smith and Jane Fairfax, both lacking in social status and fortune, face limited marriage prospects. Emma, influenced by her own vanity, attempts to shape Harriet’s destiny by discouraging her from accepting a proposal from a suitable farmer, Mr. Martin, and instead encouraging her to pursue a match with the respected but uninterested Mr. Elton. Emma’s misguided meddling continues as Harriet develops feelings for Emma’s close friend, Mr. Knightley, whom Emma believes is far above Harriet’s social station. In contrast, Jane Fairfax, despite her lack of fortune, is highly accomplished and educated, making her a potential match for higher social status. Ultimately, Austen pairs Harriet with Mr. Martin, the most suitable partner for her, and rewards Jane’s intelligence and accomplishments by uniting her with Frank Churchill, a man of similar social standing. Throughout the novel, competition arises among the female characters, driven by Emma’s vanity and desire for control. However, these competitions serve a purpose, leading Emma to confront her true feelings for Mr. Knightley and ultimately find her own happiness. This article also explores the influence of privacy and courtship rules in the novel which represent a mirror for the social interactions in the eighteen century. The characters’ visits and social gatherings reveal levels of intimacy and attachment. Misunderstandings arise due to the characters’ inability to express their feelings openly. The novel features six marriages, some successful and others influenced by social status or misguided matchmaking attempts. Ultimately, the story highlights the importance of genuine love, social conventions, and clear communication in relationships.

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BUCHAREST TOPOI IN “MEMOIRES OF AN ANTI-SEMITE” BY GREGOR VON REZZORI

Author(s): Ştefan Mihăilă / Language(s): English / Issue: 33/2023

Keywords: Literary Cartography; City Novel; Bucharest Topoi; Spatial Turn; Heterotopy;

The second half of the 20th century is characterized in the humanities by a paradigm shift in relation to space. In architecture, urban space is reconsidered, rethought, and reshaped under the new parameters created on the one hand by postwar capitalism in the West and on the other by communist ideology and doctrine in the Soviet and Central and Eastern European countries. Also, in philosophy and sociology, the relationship between the (urban) space and the individual is analysed and reconsidered on the basis of reciprocity, materialism, and social interactions. Last but not least, both literary criticism and literature as a form of artistic expression will engage with what we now call the Spatial Turn. Bakhtin’s coining of a concept to represent the relation time-space gave a very significant impulse in the literary studies for new approaches regarding the importance of space in literary texts. Among more recent works and theoretical approaches, we can find Westphal’s Geocriticism or Tally’s Literary Cartography. As far as this paper is concerned, we approach the significance of the Bucharest literary topoi in the autobiographical work of Gregor von Rezzori “Memoires of an Anti-Semite” from a literary cartographical perspective. We would like to determine in which terms Bucharest is remapped in the literary text and to which extent this text could be considered a city novel.

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THE SECRET TO HAPPINESS IN FRANCES BURNETT’S THE SECRET GARDEN

Author(s): Cristina Dalgacev / Language(s): English / Issue: 33/2023

Keywords: Connection; trauma; love; nature; well-being;

The novel is about the journey of a 10-year-old orphan, Mary Lennox, that loses her parents to a cholera epidemic and moves to her adoptive uncle in Great Britain. We analyze three types of connections that help her become well-balanced and happy: connection with people through communication, connection with nature, and connection through time spent together, with people that replace her parents. We find out how trauma travels through generations and how important it is to heal childhood wounds to be able to live a full life and not only to be in survival mode.

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Pythagorean and Platonic ideological premises in the initial phase of the Byzantine religious music (Byzantine chorale) development

Author(s): Włodzimierz Wołosiuk / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: Aesthetics; music; singing; worship; history;

This article above, closely related to the Author's personal fascination, referring to the issue of the ancient Greek philosophers influence on the quality of the Byzantine chorale emergence and development, notices this influence not only in the content, but also in the forms of the discussed music. These influences could be described by their complementary character: the "mathematical" Pythagoras vision seems to be supplemented by the "humanistic" Plato one, which allows at the same time to isolate its anthropological, essential in the Byzantine Liturgy dimension. The both philosophers’ point of view permits also to present the Byzantine Liturgy in its aesthetic aspect, despite the lack of unambiguous opinions concerning this problem.

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Memory and Imagination in the context of artistic creation: The case of Byzantine art

Author(s): Elena ENE DRĂGHICI-VASILESCU / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: Byzantium; art; memory; Byzantine icons; iconographer; imagination; Hermeneias; Dionysius of Fourna;

Imagination creates, which means it projects into the future. It also informs the past; i.e. it influences memory. For instance, memory and artistic imagination – embodied sometimes in manuals (can we also say in the artists themselves?) – are the agents of the transmission of artistic forms and ideas. Memory is often affective, which means it retains events which have a strong emotional impact on a person; it also triggers the imagination concerning various events and objects when a person is in a high emotional state.The paper elaborates on these issues. My position is that the activation of memory is not simply an act of retrieving passive information, but a creative process.

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Human being in the metamorphosis of contemporary ideologies: Orthodox Christian references for authenticity

Author(s): Ioan Dura,Ştefan Lazăr,Ion Partebună,Dumitru Beşliu,Bogdan-Ionuț DINOIU / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: human being; Orthodox theology; nihilism; Übermensch;

The course of human life is one of continuous adaptation and understanding of new social, economic and cultural realities. In this itinerary, under the constant reinvention of ideologies, the religious dimension and identity are subjects to challenges, some of which are atheistic and have as their agenda the invalidation of Christian values. The idea explored in this study is that authenticity, as thought of in Christian theology offers a constant validation on the criterion of Truth which is Jesus Christ. Contrary to the nihilistic philosophy that proposes a new condition of the human, namely, Übermensch - Beyond-Man - the theological foundations of anthropology are not consumed in a philosophical-cultural process.

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Pilgrim-Tourists: Tourism and the Spiritual Experience

Author(s): Alexander CHIRILA / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: pilgrimage; spirituality; tourism; pilgrim-tourist; spiritual experience;

There have been pilgrimages to sacred sites since the beginning of human history. These geo-spiritual movements have only recently become commercialized and marketed as forms of spiritual tourism. Spiritual tourism is a uniquely contemporary phenomenon, conditioned by modern advancements in transportation and access to information. The spiritual experience itself, a psychologically transformative event, remains implicit in the terms of exchange and subject to questions of authenticity. The pilgrim-tourist completes a circuit, returning home potentially changed by this experience, instigating a dramatic reinterpretation of both the object and the culture that “produces” it. There are tensions at sites of pilgrimage and within belief systems that are resolved in the creation of new interpretive paradigms to accommodate the modern pilgrim-tourist. This article examines the role of those who participate in the exchange facilitated by spiritual tourism, as well as the object of their exchange: the spiritual experience itself.

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Can a christian agree with the “modern values” of modernity about abortion and homosexuality?

Author(s): Eirini Artemi / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: sodomy; abortion; homosexuality; Church Fathers; Orthodoxy;

Today, many people insist that their body belongs to them and they are free to use it as they want. Some argue that homosexuality and abortion are morally reprehensible and other try to embody in a law their moral or immoral convictions. Christianity refuses sodomy and abortion. God forbids the killing of innocent human beings because we are made in his image. Moreover, according to the doctrine of the Orthodox Church, fetus is a perfect human being since its conception. As for homosexuality, God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, or Eve and Mary. Of course, a very small percentage of homosexuals indicate a genetic basis for their homoerotic sexual orientation. Is homosexuality accepted by Christianity in this case? What do the Church Fathers believe about that? People who support abortions argue that it is up to the woman to decide whether it is right for her to have an abortion because it is her body. Some Christians believe that a woman has a right to a safe abortion, and that it shows compassion if the law allows this. Here is the mistake, our body does not belong to us, it is a creature of God and we should pray for the miracle in any case. We are the directors of our body, not the masters. Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christian believe that abortion is morally wrong because of their belief that human life begins at conception. They may make an exception if an abortion is essential in order to save the life of the mother (the 'principle of double effect'), assuming all efforts have been made to save the fetus. So the sin of willfully aborting a child, except in those very rare situations where it may be necessary to save the life of the mother, is a sinful act, totally contrary to the will of God. Additionally the homosexuality is condemned in the Bible and by Church Fathers. Is there a common place between traditional and modern values? How can religious people face these new “values”?

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On the concept of “death”, according to the Old Testament

Author(s): Ernst-Joachim WASCHKE / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: life; death; time; Old Testament theology; resurrection; biblical Anthropology;

We all know that we have to die, but nobody can really believe it. Some still believe in the resurrection from the dead, but no one can know (cf. on the problem Jüngel 1972; see also: Lechner 2019; Ariès 2002; Béliveau/Gingras 2012; Göllner 2002). In these two statements, the aporia between belief and knowledge is expressed in a radical way, which at the same time outlines the difference between the way how death was dealt in Antiquity and how we deal with it today. For the people of Antiquity, death was part of everyday life, part of life (Wächter 1967; Kaiser/Lohse 1977; Fischer 2014). People died more often than today, but dying took place in public, in the family circle, in the social network of a community, or on the battlefields in the war for the fatherland. Unlike today, he, the death, could not be hidden behind the walls of hospitals and hospices or filtered as news through modern media such as radio and television.The Old Testament certainly shares a view that is close to our Zeitgeist, namely that death is the end of life and that nothing more comes after that, at least nothing essential. This absolute limitation of death is astonishing insofar as the idea of life after death was definitely present both in the ancient cultural power of Egypt and later in the religion of Persia. The question of why the idea of life after death only found its way into the Old Testament very late and only sparsely will occupy us at the end of the article (IV), before that an overview of the understanding of death in Israel's environment (II) and the relevant texts of the Old Testament are questioned about how death is dealt with (III).

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Saint Hieromartyr Joseph of Damascus (†1860) 19th-century Pioneer of the revival of the Antiochian Church

Author(s): Ammar Awad / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: St. Joseph of Damascus; Antioch Patriarchate; pastoral care; Porphyrius Uspensky; 1860 massacre;

This article presents the life of St. Joseph of Damascus, a19th-century saint from the Orthodox Church of Antioch whowas declared a saint in 1993. St. Joseph is an example of agood shepherd, a defender of the right faith, and a man ofprayer, knowledge, patience, and simplicity. St Joseph livedin Damascus and served the Orthodox Church there duringone of the most difficult periods that Syria and theAntiochian Patriarchate experienced under the control ofthe Ottoman Empire. He was martyred in the massacre of1860, which claimed the lives of tens of thousands ofbelievers in Syria and Lebanon, especially in Damascus. Forthe most part, the material in the article is a translation ofthe biography of St. Joseph in the Antiochian OrthodoxSynaxarion published in Arabic. In addition, it includes somerecently discovered testimonies about St Joseph which wereincluded in the diaries of Russian bishop PorphyriusUspensky about St. Joseph whom he met in the nineteenthcentury.

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Pentecostalism in Roma communities

Author(s): Alexandru Baciu / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: Roma; pentecostalism; methods; mission; orthodox faith;

Pentecostalism is a Christian movement which tends to imitate the life of the early Christians, especially by emphasizing the grace of glossolalia as a sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. With a belief in an imminent eschatology, adherents of the Pentecostal movement consider themselves to be true Christians destined to prepare the world for the coming of Christ. Dynamism, characteristic eccentricity in worship and manifestation make Pentecostalism an atypical form of religiosity. The number of Pentecostals in Romania has increased alarmingly, and this is explained, experts say, by the conversion of large Roma communities to this denomination. Missionary zeal, persuasion, inculturation used to the maximum are just some of the ways in which the Roma are attracted to the Pentecostal movement. In this study we will analyse the Pentecostal missionary dynamics in Roma communities from a historical and theological perspective.

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“Saint Spiridon” Hospital Monastery and Trusteeship of Iaşi in the Interwar Period

Author(s): Marian Timofte / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: Saint Spiridon; monastery; trusteeship; Metropolitan; sacramental life;

The current study highlights the historical stages and evolution of the monastery and trusteeship of Saint Spiridon hospital, from its establishment throughout Romania's entry into the First World War, a period of peak development, to the years of its financial ruin during the interwar period, as a consequence of Law no. 82 of 17th July 1921. The study also reviews the hierarchs who contributed to the history of this monastery from foundation to less favourable contexts.

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Mary K. Farag. 2021. What Makes a Church Sacred? Legal and Ritual Perspectives from Late Antiquity. Oakland: Univ. of California Press, 348 pp.

Author(s): Ioan Cozma / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: Ritual; Church; Review; Mary K. Farag;

Review of: Mary K. Farag. 2021. What Makes a Church Sacred? Legal and Ritual Perspectives from Late Antiquity. Oakland: Univ. of California Press, 348 pp

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Kotjatko-Reeb, Jens; Ziemer, Benjamin; Schorch, Stefan (eds.). 2014. Nichts Neues unter der Sonne? Zeitvorstellungen im Alten Testament. Festschrift für Ernst-Joachim Waschke zum 65. Geburtstag. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wiss

Author(s): Cătălin Vatamanu / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: Old Testament; review; Kotjatko-Reeb Jens; Ziemer Benjamin; Schorch Stefan;

Review of: Kotjatko-Reeb, Jens; Ziemer, Benjamin; Schorch, Stefan (eds.). 2014. Nichts Neues unter der Sonne? Zeitvorstellungen im Alten Testament. Festschrift für Ernst-Joachim Waschke zum 65. Geburtstag. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft (BZAW), 450. Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter Verlag, 396 pp.

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THE REGIONAL SECURITY POTENTIAL INDUCED BY THE SERBIAN-KOSOVAR RELATIONS

Author(s): Stefan Săvulescu,Delia Stănescu,Lucian Ivan / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2023

Keywords: Kosovo; Zvecan; tensions; security; Balkans, Ukraine;

The last year resurged older concerns about stability in the Balkans, especially due to the relation between Serbia and Kosovo, which only grew in intensity up to present. Recently, new typologies for the security risks could be noticed in the Balkan area, along with the potential for biunivocal influence between the Balkan area and the war in Ukraine. The potential of the Russian influence in the Balkan region remains difficult to estimate, especially when superposed on a double-discourse and double-interests game played by the main actors which still need to settle older divergences in relation to their own statality. Despite the international call for appeasing any spark in the security of the region, the situation appears like a pop it game which can be aggravated by shifts in the political narrative appealing for the local society.

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Potential Impact and Challenges of Implementing Artificial Intelligence in the Romanian Healthcare System

Author(s): Sebastian Fitzek,Кyung-Eun (Anna) Choi / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2023

Keywords: artificial intelligence; healthcare; Romania; implementation; barriers; facilitators

This literature review assesses the prospective implications and advantages of incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) within the healthcare infrastructure of Romania. By exploring the literature on AI applications in healthcare, the article aims to identify opportunities and challenges in adopting AI-driven technologies in the Romanian context. The review findings suggest that AI holds significant promise in improving the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment processes, while also presenting several ethical and logistical challenges. The article concludes with recommendations for future research and strategies to ensure the responsible implementation of AI technologies in the Romanian healthcare system.

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Relationship Between Religion and Health on the Topic of Euthanasia

Author(s): Yana Fileva / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2023

Keywords: religion; euthanasia; medicalization; right-to-die debate; right-to-health

In 1963 Michel Foucault writes that his book “The Birth of the Clinic” is about space, language, and death, about perception. There is a shift of societal problems to the field of medicine, in other words, modernity formulates some social problems through medical categories. But in fact, questions that seem purely medical are often a product of social factors. In society, medicine is a conservative force that maintains the status quo and distracts from major threats to human health. The growth of individualism, the desire for autonomy, and the decline of religiosity allow discussions around death, tolerance of mystery, and euthanasia. For example, in Canada, 2021 marks five full years of access to medical assistance in dying. In 2021, there were 10 064 cases, bringing the total number to 31 664. Annual growth continues to increase steadily each year. Are the major religions capable of facing that challenge?

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