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Very few historical moments are inevitable. However, the generalized war that shook the foundations of Europe again, represented, apparently paradoxically, the favorable context for some people to fully realize that everyday experience – regardless of the rhythm of their lives – only makes sense if it shapes them spiritually. Among them was also Sandu Tudor, who, at the end of the Second World War, sharpened his need to consolidate the contents of the assimilated orthodox mystical tradition, which was, in his vision, an efficient way of preserving humanity. It is well-known that the proclamation of the Romanian communist state was equivalent to the introduction of the new wave of repression against the Orthodox believers and, in particular, the mystics, so that in 1948 it resulted in the arrest of many members of the Rugul Aprins (The Burning Bush), especially among the students. In these circumstances, wishing to keep them from the roll of the anticipated communist oppression, Patriarch Justinian ordered, after 1948, the removal of Fathers Benedict Ghiuș, Sofian Boghiu and Arsenie Papacioc, but also of the founder of the Rugul Aprins – Sandu Tudor, a fact which did not escaped the watchful eye of the Securitatea (Security). In this context, as the world became more and more feared because the atheist communist offensive against the Church slowly became visible, Monk Agaton Tudor, becoming the abbot of the Crasna Monastery, continued his spiritual mission, credibly pleading (hence the popularity) for a doctrine other than the accepted one (communist ideology).
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The canons of the Orthodox Church are rules adopted by the Church and are related to religion, morality, discipline, order and other church matters. Respect of the Old Testament norm “Thou shall not kill” applies to not only the fact of physical murder, deprivation of life, but it also includes a motive or intent. Given the intent of the perpetrator, there is a willful or intentional, almost intentional and unintentional murder. Epitimia implies specific measures taken by the priest against the penitent. Epitimia is not a punishment that should satisfy justice, but a drug that should raise awareness of the one who has committed a specific violation of the canons and provide spiritual healing of sinners through repentance. Epitimia may be a ban of Holy Communion for a while, which is the most common and most severe sanction, removal of sinners from the Christian community and public prayer, additional fasting and domestic prayers, reading religious books, visiting holy places and other soul-beneficial actions. According to the church canons, defrocking is provided for clergy if they kill, regardless of whether the murder was committed in war or in peace, intentionally or unintentionally.
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The Byzantine liturgy in Eastern Christian Churches has come a long way from the time of apostles to baptized Slavic lands. The texts of the rites and rules of performance were influenced by both theologians and by the character of the faith of baptized peoples who have survived. Although the Byzantine liturgy itself has reached modern times as a whole family of separate and somewhat different rites, there has been a continuous thread from St. James’ Jerusalem to Slavic-Russian spirituality.
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Since Pope Francis established a commission to investigate the possibilities of the female diaconate, the article analyzes cases of the female diaconate in the Holy Scripture. Further, on the basis of historical sources, the article focuses on the practice of female diaconate in early Christianity from their ordination and position in Christian communities to the specificity of their ministry in the tradition of both the Eastern and Western Churches.
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Desemnat ca oraș (polis) de către sfinții evangheliști (Mt 9,1; 11,20; Mc 1,33 și Lc 4,31), ei nu prezintă detalii cu privire la aspectele vieții lui sociale și economice. Însă, ceea ce lor le atrage atenția în chip deosebit este faptul că această localitate a devenit „cetatea lui Iisus”, ca martoră la multe învățături și minuni săvârșite de Mântuitorul Hristos. Prezentând date legate de istoria și caracterul localității Capernaum, studiul de față se oprește mai ales asupra unor aspecte ale cercetării arheologice de aici. Sinagoga din piatră albă, „casa Sf. Petru” și „casele minunilor” din Capernaum, sunt până astăzi repere arheologice semnificative care-l atestă ca pe un sat tipic iudaic, reprezentativ pentru Galileea rurală. Sinagoga, cu etapele succesive ale zidirii ei - „sinagoga centurionului”, zidită deasupra unei case, și „sinagoga albă” de mai târziu - așa cum au fost aduse la lumină de arheologi, istoria „casei lui Petru”, deasupra căreia s-au identificat „biserica-casă” și biserica octogonală bizantină, precum și ruinele „caselor minunilor”, grupate în așanumitele insulae, ne oferă imaginea de ansamblu a unei cercetări arheologice laborioase, materializată într-o fascinantă dedicare studiului „pietrelor care vorbesc”, confirmând Evanghelia și aducându-ne mai aproape de locurile privilegiate de a fi martore ale activității Domnului.
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Our Orthodox sacramental theology is based, from the beginning, on the belief that God can and expressly wants to work on creatures in visible forms, through matter and not just through the invisible spiritual dimension. God's work is always manifested completely, that is, twice: materially and spiritually at the same time. Christ, the source and perpetrator of the Mysteries, is and remains forever God and man, absolute spirit and transfigured matter. He always works and communicates with His whole person, He cannot be divided. No act, no work of His on man can be purely spiritual; this division is a simple theory, an abstraction that does not happen in reality. The sacramental Orthodox teaching is therefore based on the conception of the unity, connection, communication and creative intimacy of the creature with the Creator.
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The name of Mother of God - Theotokos is not only an appellation, a way of addressing the Blessed Virgin of the tribe of David, but it is a continuous affirmation that the Blessed Virgin gave birth to God the Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity become God-Man. By a decision of Pope Pius IX, Catholicism is endowed with a new dogma, the Immaculate Conception of Mary, a dogma completely foreign to the Eastern Church. Through this dogma received by Catholicism in 1854, the Virgin Mary would have been protected from original sin from her conception (from the parents of Joachim and Anna), due to those special worth of Jesus Christ.
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Given that the entire Orthodox cult represents the updating of the soteriological work of the Savior Christ, and the Holy Liturgy is the quintessential framework for the manifestation of this reality, this paper aims to bring to atention some of the theological arguments that confirm for us all that Jesus Christ is in the centre of the Eucharistic. At the same time, looking at the immediate claim that the present manifests regarding the administration of Holy Communion, some of the practical aspects that each minister of the Church is obliged to take into account in his pastoral work are highlighted.
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„Church and nationality. Case study: the Romanian Orthodox in Hungary and the Athonite area”. This study submits to the reader an analysis of two cases: the denationalisation of the Romanians in Hungary, and the relation between Romanian ethnics with the different ethnic groups on Mount Athos. We believe that by reading the material the reader will understand the similarity between the two cases.
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