Search

Man as an animal rationale et religiosum approaches reality in two ways: rationally—using concepts, and religiously—using myths, symbols, and rituals. Ever since man was sapiens, there have been speech and dilemmas about God, which man, according to his metaphysical intuition, has always posed. Philosophical discourse on God begins with reflections on the nature and value of religion. Dilemmas are possible in religious (philosophical) speech, but they are not possible in religious (faithful) speech. The philosopher seeks the truth, the believer seeks salvation, and they differ significantly in this. It is impossible to avoid that religion encounters philosophical thought because religion, like philosophy, is a “human event” as one of the forms of human life and existence, and everything that “happens” to man is always the subject of his reflection. That is why one can and must constantly ask oneself what religion is, and especially what my religion is, which determines the form of my life. Because of his spiritual powers (reason and will), which form the essential part of the human being, man will always think and strive for truth (be a philosopher), just as he will always strive for freedom, goodness, and salvation (be a believer). Although there will always be people who are not philosophers and who are not believers. Just as it is not possible to separate man from his rationality, so it is not possible to separate him from his religiosity. And the dilemma from the title of this symposium: “Faith in God, unites or divides” should be changed into the statement: faith in God unites, not divides.

The present paper is a continuation of the previous publication by the author in this journal devoted to the cultural-symbolic world picture of the Latin Christian Middle Ages. Unlike the previous one, this second text reproduces the historical “picture” of the era with an emphasis not on the ontological, but on its proper cultural expression. The author as a philosopher is not so much focused on the “fact” (this is the business of historians) as on the “meaning”, taking care of the meaningful modeling of the age as a cultural phenomenon. The first part of the study is presented, devoted to the medieval culture of governance as a symbolic culture of powerful social relations.In the Preamble, considering the “fabric-textual” mythologem of “human–text–world”, the conceptual background of the study is outlined, the author’s latest revision of the general formula of the medieval cultural-symbolic picture of the world as a picture of the history of personal salvation culture is proposed, the study subject is specified, and the circle of “guides”-predecessors is defined.In § 1, the role and significance of the “vertical salvation” and its sacred nature for the Christian consciousness are considered. The creation fundamentals for transformation of the vertical into a symbolic hierarchy of medieval society are determined. With respect to a few of key philosophical and by itself jural monuments of the era, the concept of the Middle Ages as an age of absolutization of the pure Idea, therefore, of the absolutization of personal existence, is illustrated.§ 2 examines the questions of hierarchy, power, and freedom in view of their levels and options of realization in medieval society. The problems of social personalization of the “upper” and the “lower” inhabitants of the symbolic hierarchical ladder, the relationship between the hierarchical rungs, the logic of their “filling” and the per-level freedom of a medieval person on the scale of “domination–submission” have been solved. The “epochal” status of a Christian as a spiritually free person has been captured., Стаття – продовження попередньої публікації автора в цьому виданні, присвяченої культурно-символічній картині світу латинського християнського Середньовіччя. Цей, другий, текст відтворює історичну «картинку» доби з наголосом не на онтологічному, а на її культурному виразі. Автор як філософ зосереджений не так на «факті» (це справа істориків), як на «смислі», опікуючись смисловим моделюванням доби як феномену культури. Представлено першу частину дослідження, присвячену середньовічній культурі врядування як символічній культурі владних соціальних стосунків.У Преамбулі з огляду на «тканинно-текстову» міфологему «людина – текст – світ» окреслено концептуальне тло дослідження, запропоновано останню авторську редакцію загальної формули середньовічної культурно-символічної картини світу як картини історії культури особистісного спасіння, конкретизовано предмет дослідження і визначено коло попередників-«провідників».У § 1 розглянуто роль і значення «вертикалі спасіння» та її священної природи для християнської свідомості. Визначено тварні засади трансформації вертикалі в символічну ієрархію середньовічного соціуму. З урахуванням ключових філософських і власне правових памʼяток доби проілюстровано концепцію Середньовіччя як доби абсолютизації чистої Ідеї, отже, абсолютизації особистісного буття.У § 2 розглянуто питання ієрархії, влади і свободи з огляду на їхні рівні та можливості реалізації в середньовічному суспільстві. Вирішено проблеми соціальної персоналізації «верхніх» і «нижніх» пожильців символічної ієрархічної драбини, стосунків між ієрархічними щаблями, логіки їхнього «заповнення» та порівневої свободи середньовічної людини на шкалі «владарювання – покора». Зафіксовано «епохальний» статус християнина як духовно вільної людини.

Kurtuluş, dinsel geleneklerin amaçladığı nihai noktayı ifade etmektedir. Ancak dini inanç ve geleneklerin kurtuluşa verdikleri anlam ve müntesiplerine sundukları kurtuluş reçeteleri birbirinden farklılık arz etmektedir. Bu reçetelerde bazen itikadi kabuller bazen de ritüeller ön plana çıkmaktadır. Bu bağlamda Hıristiyan teolojisinde kurtuluş, genel olarak İsa-Mesih’in kurtarıcı rolünün kabulüyle açıklanmıştır. Bununla beraber vaad edilen kurtuluşa nasıl ulaşılacağı konusunda İsa-Mesih’in mesajı ile İsa-Mesih’ten sonra şekillenen Pavlus Hıristiyanlığının mesajı arasında bazı farklılıklar söz konusudur. Bu durum, kurtuluşun iman ile mi, amel ile mi yoksa her ikisi ile mi elde edileceği sorununu gündeme getirmiştir. Tarihsel süreç içerisinde bu soruna verilen yanıtlar kurtuluşa giden yolda iman-amel oranının farklılık gösterdiğine işaret etmektedir. Zira İsa-Mesih, öğretisine başladığında hem kendisinin İsrail halkının kaybolmuş koyunlarına gönderildiğini belirterek mesajının kendisinden önce gönderilen peygamberler ile uyumlu olduğunu açıklamak istemiş hem de Yahudi geleneğine uygun bir şekilde muhatap olarak İsrailoğullarını görmüş ve mesajını onlara yöneltmiştir. Böylece dışlayıcı bir tutum ile mesajının hedef kitlesi olarak Yahudi ulusunu belirleyen İsa-Mesih, aynı zamanda Musa yasasına dayanan dini emir ve yasakların yerine getirilmesine vurgu yapmıştır. İncillere göre çarmıhtan sonra İsa-Mesih’in mesajında önemli bir değişiklik olmuş, havarilerine görünen İsa-Mesih, göklerde ve yerlerde yetkinin kendisine verildiğini belirterek mesajının bütün uluslara ulaştırılmasını istemiştir. Bu konuda havarilerini uyaran İsa-Mesih, kendilerine öğretilen her şeyin diğer uluslara da öğretilmesini vasiyet etmiştir. Bu emirle farklı uluslardan insanları da aralarına alan ilk Hıristiyan cemaati hem yasaya göre yaşamaya devam etmiş hem de İsa-Mesih’in mesajını dünyanın dört bir yanına ulaştırma gayreti içerisinde olmuştur. Neticede diaspora Yahudilerinin yanı sıra çok sayıda gentilelinin de Hıristiyanlığı kabul etmesi, Musa yasasının nasıl uygulanacağı sorununu gündeme getirmiştir. Zira İsa-Mesih bütün ulusların davet edilmesini emrederken gentilelilerin hangi uygulamalardan sorumlu olacağını belirtmemiş, bu durum da farklı yorumlara neden olmuştur. Bu bağlamda çalışmada İsa-Mesih ve ilk Hıristiyan cemaati döneminde Musa Yasası ile İsa-Mesih’e imanın kurtuluş açısından önemi tartışılmıştır. Çalışma, Pavlus’un ortaya koyduğu ve günümüzde de genel olarak kabul edilen kurtuluş öğretisinin, Tarihsel İsa’nın veya Hıristiyan teolojisine göre İsa-Mesih’in insan bedeninde yaşadığı dönemde tebliğ ettiği mesaj ile örtüşmediğine işaret etmesi açısından önemlidir. Konu, İncil pasajları merkeze alınarak tartışılmıştır. Bu doğrultuda Hıristiyanlıkta ana figür olan İsa-Mesih’in tarihsel olarak ortaya koyduğu kurtuluş teolojisi ile kurtuluşun öznesi haline gelen ve bizzat kurtarıcı olarak kabul edilen İsa-Mesih tasavvurunun nasıl ortaya konulduğu açıklanmaya çalışılmıştır. Ayrıca tarihsel İsa-Mesih’in ve Hıristiyan geleneğini şekillendiren Pavlus’un ortaya koyduğu kurtuluş teolojilerinin mukayese edilmesine zemin hazırlanarak iman-amel oranındaki değişime vurgu yapılmıştır. Kurtuluş teolojisindeki değişim, Pavlus’un Tevrat’taki yaratılış öyküsünü yeniden yorumlaması ile açıklanmıştır., Salvation expresses the endpoint aimed at religious traditions. However, the meaning that religious beliefs and traditions give to salvation and the prescriptions of salvation they offer to their followers differ from each other. In these prescriptions, sometimes creed acceptances and sometimes rituals come to the fore. In this context, salvation in Christian theology is generally explained by accepting the redeemer role of Jesus Christ. However, there are some differences between the message of Jesus Christ and the message of Paul's Christianity, which was shaped after Jesus Christ, on how to achieve the promised salvation. This situation raised the question of whether salvation will be achieved by faith, rituals, or both. The answers given to this question in the historical process indicate that the ratio of faith-rituals differs on the way to salvation. Because when Jesus Christ began his teaching, he wanted to explain that his message was compatible with the prophets sent before him by stating that he was sent to the lost sheep of the people of Israel, and he saw the Israelites as the addressee in accordance with the Jewish tradition and directed his message to them. Thus, Jesus Christ, who determined the Jewish nation as the target audience of his message with an exclusionary attitude, also emphasized the fulfillment of religious orders and prohibitions based on the law of Moses. According to the Gospels, there was a significant change in the message of Jesus Christ after the crucifixion, and Jesus Christ, who appeared to his apostles, wanted his message to be delivered to all nations, stating that he had been given authority in the heavens and on earth. Warning his apostles about this issue, Jesus Christ willed that everything that was taught to them should also be taught to other nations. The first Christian community, which included people from different nations with this command, continued to live according to the law and tried to convey the message of Jesus Christ all over the world. As a result, the fact that many gentiles, as well as diaspora Jews, accepted Christianity brought up the problem of how to apply the law of Moses. Because while Jesus-Messiah ordered all nations to be invited, he did not specify which practices the gentiles would be responsible for, and this situation led to different interpretations. In this context, this study discusses the importance of faith in Jesus Christ and the Law of Moses in terms of salvation in the period of Jesus Christ and the first Christian community. The study is important in that it points out that the salvation doctrine put forward by Paul and generally accepted today does not coincide with the message conveyed by the Historical Jesus or the Jesus-Christ, according to Christian theology, when he lived in the human body. The subject has been discussed by focusing on the Bible passages. In this direction, it is tried to explain how the main figure in Christianity, Jesus Christ, was historically revealed by the theology of salvation and how the conception of Jesus Christ, who became the subject of salvation and was personally considered the savior, was put forward. In addition, the change in the faith-rituals ratio was emphasized by laying the groundwork for comparing the salvation theologies of the historical Jesus-Christ and Paul, who shaped the Christian tradition. The change in salvation theology was explained by Paul's reinterpretation of the creation story in the Torah.

Almost all Christians believe that the satisfaction rendered by the death of Christ was in itself enough for the salvation of humanity. Yet, there is no consensus among Christians on the question of the beneficiaries of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. The question of whether Christ’s suffering and death benefited all humanity or only an elected few has triggered much debate among Christian scholars. The different responses to the question of the extent of the atonement can be categorized broadly into two, namely; particular atonement (that is, the view that Jesus Christ died only for the elect) and universal atonement (that is, the idea that Christ died for all persons). The significance of the debate and the rise in interest in this subject in recent times has prompted this literature-based research which critically reviews and analyzes publications (including books, journal articles, and dissertations) on the extent of Christ’s atonement to see how one might make meaning of the ongoing debate. The paper first presents a survey of the evidence adduced for both views; it then considers Calvin’s view on the subject and ends with the author’s position that the atonement is unlimited in scope in that the offer of salvation is for all people; yet it is limited in effect because only those who believe in Jesus are truly saved.

This project analyzes feminist critiques of the doctrine of the atonement and responds to them by presenting several patterns of constructive, nonviolent atonement language resourced from Gregory of Nyssa’s theology. Chapter One introduces the topic of theological language that is fundamental to feminist critiques of the doctrine of atonement. It also contextualizes the retrieval of patristic metaphors for contemporary soteriological discourse in this thesis. The chapter analyzes the idea of atonement theories as a way of organizing soteriology. It analyzes feminist critiques of atonement theories with a focus on two primary atonement theories: the Anselmian satisfaction theory and penal substitutionary atonement. It shows that many of these critiques relate to the theme of violence. It then examines several recent constructive responses to feminist critiques of violence in atonement theories and concludes that further constructive work needs to be done. Chapter Two introduces the main methodological moves the thesis will make. It shows that feminist critiques of atonement theories are epistemologically rooted in experience and argues that contemporary soteriology, therefore, needs to be attentive to the subjectivity shaping effects, or the internalization, of soteriological discourse. The chapter then introduces two concepts that are well-suited to an experientially sensitive analysis of soteriological concepts: (1) the imaginary and (2) affective salience. Chapter Three introduces Gregory of Nyssa as the primary interlocutor for this project. Gregory is a fitting interlocutor due to his soteriological focus on love and beauty, his theologically sophisticated use of images to communicate abstract theological concepts, and his attention to how his theology might be internalized by its audience. The chapter examines existing scholarship on Gregory’s soteriology as well as Gregory’s holistic view of the doctrine of salvation which does not prize the crucifixion above the incarnation, resurrection, and ascension. Chapter Four analyzes Gregory’s implementation of the soteriological metaphor of healing in the *Oratio catechetica magna*. This includes the image of God as physician as well as imageries such as sickness and the role of pain in the healing process. The chapter considers what humanity is being healed from in Gregory’s soteriology (vice) and the result of humanity’s healing (virtue). It argues that an imaginary shaped by the soteriological image of healing is particularly oriented around the concept of virtue and that the primary affective response the image is intended to evoke is that of gratitude. Chapter Five analyzes the soteriological image of ascent in Gregory’s *De vita Mosis*, which draws on Moses’s ascent of Mount Sinai. The imaginary this image invokes his ideas of perfection and virtue at its core. The affective salience of the image of ascent is that it induces feelings of humility and wonder as well as a sense of community. Chapter Six analyzes the soteriological image of marriage in *In Canticum canticorum*. The extended metaphor of marriage involves images of removing and putting on clothing, experiencing God with the spiritual senses, and the beautification of the bride. The imaginary shaped by marriage imagery is organized around drawing near to and being united with God as a spouse. The affective salience of marriage imagery is that it encourages desire for God and desire for relief from suffering. The Conclusion argues that Gregory of Nyssa’s use of imagery beyond what is usually invoked in modern atonement theories can help broaden the contemporary soteriological horizon in light of feminist critiques of such theories, providing nonviolent and thoroughly biblical soteriological language that has power to shape imaginaries in a positive way and instigate edifying affective responses.

Inspired both by the phenomenological thought of Karol Tarnowski and Józef Tischner and the personalist theology of Czeslaw Bartnik, the article fits into contextual soteriology which deliberately uses the method of correlation. The aim of this article is to present the Christian meaning of salvation in the context of one of the most moving existential experiences, that is the experience of anxiety (Angst). The indelible phenomenon of anxiety raises important soteriological questions: Who or what can bring the fullness of salvation to men and women? In what circumstances is the experience of salva­tion possible to the human being who is called an “anxious existence”? The first part of the article shows the essential difference between anxiety and fear (in contrast to fear, the matter of anxiety is real but indeterminate). The second part presents an ambivalent character of anxiety (anxiety can lead to despair or to salvation) and human attempts to overcome anxiety through falling into an inauthentic existence (a utopia of “salvation by fashion”). The third part characterizes an “eschatological conscience” (a con­science filled with anxiety of tragic finality) and its antithesis in the form of a “soteriological conscience” (a conscience which is open to the possibility of salvation coming from God). The last part of the article argues that the phenomenon of authentic interpersonal encounter is a necessary condition to experi­ence the salvation coming from God in Christ.

Sin is an attitude that destroys human life (Ps. 32: 3-4; 51: 4, 7). Since the fall of the first man in the garden of Eden, all humans have been under the bondage of sin (Gen. 3; Rom. 5:12-14). Over time, all attempts at repair fail and one error leads to another (Isa. 64:6; Rom. 3:10-12). Various issues regarding the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit as an unpardonable sin have caused anxiety in the hearts of believers because they think they have committed the sin without realizing it. This study uses the descriptive method of literature as the method used to describe or present the results based on a literature review as well as by extracting hermeneutics and exegesis of texts in the synoptic gospels. The purpose of this study is, first, to describe the notion of blaspheming the Holy Spirit as an unpardonable sin, using appropriate and biblical principles. Second, compare the results of the interpretation with several interpretations that contrast with the statements of the Bible in other parts that take all sin seriously (Rom. 6:23). Third, every believer has a complete understanding of the meanings of sin, so that they can seriously live in Christ.

Artykuł jest odpowiedzią na recenzję monografii Natchnienie. Prawda. Zbawienie (2020). Recenzent, Sławomir Zatwardnicki, stawia w niej pytania, które domagają się odpowiedzi. Najważniejsze dotyczy tego, na czym polega novum w rozumieniu natchnienia Pisma Świętego. Autor artykułu podkreśla, że jakkolwiek w dokumencie Papieskiej Komisji Biblijnej Natchnienie i prawda Pisma Świętego (2014) analizowane są różne modele komunikacji Boga z wybranymi ludźmi (autorami ksiąg), to ukazują one różne aspekty jednego procesu. Ma on swój etap kulminacyjny w osobie i działalności (słowach i czynach) Syna Bożego, który stał się człowiekiem, w którym trwale pozostawał Duch Święty. Stąd też najważniejszym rysem natchnienia biblijnego jest wymiar chrystologiczno-pneumatologiczny. W nim znajdują swe wypełnienie wcześniejsze formy objawicielskiej komunikacji Boga z ludźmi. Z kolei w odpowiedzi na pytanie o sakramentalny charakter Słowa Bożego autor artykułu wyjaśnia, że jest ono wręcz pra-sakramentem. Słowo to ma moc zbawczą własną: jest nie tylko natchnione przez Ducha Świętego, ale tchnie Duchem Świętym, wnosi Go do ludzkich wnętrz. Wreszcie pokazuje, na czym polega organiczny związek między natchnieniem, Prawdą i Zbawieniem. Natchnione Pismo Święte uobecnia dla człowieka Chrystusa, który jest Prawdą (Synem Bożym w nierozerwalnej więzi z Ojcem) i Zbawicielem. This article is in response to a review of the monograph Inspiration, Truth, Salvation (2020). In it, the re-viewer, Sławomir Zatwardnicki, poses questions that demand an answer. The most important one pertains to the issue of the novelty of understanding the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. The author of the article emphasizes that although the document of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, The Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture (2014), analyses various models of God’s communication with the chosen people (authors of the books), they show distinct aspects of the same process. It has its culminating stage in the person and activity (words and deeds) of the Son of God, who became man, in whom the Holy Spirit permanently remained. Hence, the most important feature of biblical inspiration is the Christo-logical-pneumatological dimension. In it, the earlier forms of God’s revelatory communication with men find their fulfillment. In turn, in response to the question about the sacramental character of the Word of God, the author of the article explains that it is even a pre-sacrament. And it has a salvific power of its own: it is not only inspired by the Holy Spirit, but it breathes the Holy Spirit and brings Him into human interiors. Finally, it shows the organic connection between inspiration, Truth, and Salvation. In-spired Scripture makes Christ, who is the Truth (the Son of God in an indissoluble bond with the Father) and the Savior, present to man.

This article approaches the religious phenomenon from a perspective that combines the anthropology of the sacred and the science of religions and from which religion can be interpreted as an “architecture of value”, that is, as a technique for constructing values and, at the same time, as a “technology of salvation”, that is, as a mechanism for individual and group healing. On this theoretical basis, certain aspects of Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra are analysed not as mere rhetorical or polemical devices but as the backbone of a work of a religious nature. The result is a religious interpretation of Nietzsche’s great work and, at the same time, a reflection on religious life itself and the scope of post-metaphysical religiosity.

The Arma Christi, the instruments of the Passion of Christ, are a fascinating collection of symbols evident throughout the history of Christian art. This article considers the striking re-emergence of visual depictions of the Arma Christi in the contemporary spiritual practice of Bible Journaling. How have these symbols of the Passion made their way back into the popular Christian imaginary and creative expression of Bible readers today? The creative, devotional practice of Bible Journaling is gaining popularity in many countries, notably the US. Almost exclusively practiced by women, Bible Journaling involves making artistic interventions directly in the material artefact of the printed Bible, with different creative media. In considering the value of this practice for women’s spirituality, this article employs a social semiotic approach, multimodal analysis, to survey their visual representations and to analyse in detail one specific creative intervention, “I AM THE NAIL”, as a reception of a contemporary understanding of salvation through the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross. Also considered are intertextual readings of the Hebrew Bible (Isaiah 53: 3–5) and the NT. The semiotic influence of popular cultural products such as The Passion of the Christ movie on the visual idiom embraced by the journalers forms part of this analysis.

Le site de ʿAïn el-Maʿmoudiyeh (« la source du baptême »), dans le secteur d’Hébron, présente un baptistère antique alimenté en eau courante, associé aux ruines d’un bâtiment médiéval. On le rapporte traditionnellement aux débuts du ministère de Jean-Baptiste, avant que celui-ci ne déplace son activité sur les rives du Jourdain. L’examen archéologique des installations en place révèle deux phases initiales qui se sont succédé dans la première moitié du vie siècle, mettant en évidence la volonté, de la part d’une communauté monastique de Judée, de pérenniser alors des pratiques anciennes où l’eau vive, étroitement liée à l’idéologie du Salut, se place au cœur des rites en vigueur. The baptistery of ʿAin el-Maʿmoudiyeh (Southern Palestine – Hebron district) The site of ʿAin el-Maʿmoudiyeh ( “the spring of baptism”), in the district of Hebron, presents an ancient baptistery with running water, associated with the ruins of a medieval building. It is traditionally related to John the Baptist’s early ministry, prior to his settlement on the shore of the Jordan river. The archaeological examination of the existing installations reveals two initial phases that succeeded each other in the first half of the sixth century. It consequently sheds light on a Judean monastic community then willing to perpetuate ancient practices where the living water, closely linked to the ideology of Salvation, is placed at the heart of the rites in force. عين المعمودية (جنوب فلسطين - محافظة الخليل)يقدم موقع عين المعمودية في قطاع الخليل معمودية قديمة تغذيها مياه جارية مترافقة مع مبنى من العصور الوسطى، وهي ترتبط تقليديا ببدايات دعوة يوحنا المعمدان قبل أن ينتقل نشاطه إلى ضفاف نهر الأردن. يكشف البحث الأثري في المنشآت القائمة عن مرحلتين متتاليتين من النصف الأول من القرن السادس، مما يسلط الضوء على رغبة المجتمع الرهباني في يهوذا في اتباع الممارسات القديمة وطقوسها المتمحورة حول الماء، وهي ترتبط ارتباطا وثيقاً بأيديولوجية الخلاص.

QS. al-Baqarah: 62 by some Muslim scholars is used to justify that adherents of all religions in this world will get salvation and go to paradise. Salvation in the hereafter, according to them, is not required to believe in the Prophet Muhammad. This article aimed to re-examine that interpretation that is contrary to the belief of the majority of Muslims, in which one aspect of faith that will save people is a belief in the messengers, including a belief in the Prophet Muhammad. The reinterpretation of QS. al-Baqarah: 62 in this study employed the interpretation method of Yûsuf al-Qaraḍâwî in his book entitled Kayfa Nata‘âmal Ma‘ al-Qur’ân al-‘Az}îm. This article is a library based-study by using content analysis and descriptive-analytic. The result revealed that QS. al-Baqarah: 62 actually deals with the earlier peoples before the Prophet Muhammad. Those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and do good deeds are promised a reward from Allah SWT

This article explores how Christian faith communities respond to challenges in health care. These challenges are described, and a broader context is sketched, through an exploration of an ethics of care. Subsequently, two examples of Christian communities who respond intentionally to the need for care are presented and studied by using four sub-elements of care (attentiveness, responsibility, competence, and responsiveness) as a heuristic lens. Next, the relationship between care and salvation is discussed. Concludingly, the article argues that Christian communities of care are well equipped for sustainable caregiving because of their spiritual resources, and because they provide a life-context well-suited for caregiving.

The early Sasanian period witnessed a variety of religious beliefs in competition. The clash between Kirdīr and Mani represents just an episode of the triumph the Mazdean church over Manichaeism, as well as over the other religious formations listed in Kirdīr’s inscriptions. Persian Zoroastrianism constituted a stronghold of power and religious hegemony at the heart of the Sasanian Empire. Yet, the peripheral Zoroastrianism of Eastern Iran and Central Asia featured aspects of regional Mazdeism, such as a wide variety of interactions between the Iranian and Indian cultures, and overt religious exchanges with Manichaeism, Buddhism and Islam. This article first examines the connotations of the word indicating ‘wonder’ and ‘miracle’ (Middle Persian *warz*, Parthian *warž*), and explores its thematic correspondences both within the shared Iranian language heritage (Avestan, Pahlavi, Middle Persian, Sogdian) and religious contexts (Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Buddhism). Its second aim is to extend this investigation into different Central Asian contexts of Sogdian Buddhism, taking into account specific Buddhist features. A close textual analysis finds that the interest in miracles is connected to healing. Thus, in the religious literature under analysis, miracles represent the medium of persuasion and conversion *par excellence*, but are also regarded as medical means to cure and save those in need, often through redeeming knowledge. The connections between medical healing and spiritual wisdom were generally associated with important religious personalities of the larger Indo-Mediterranean area, such as Buddha, Jesus and Mani, and with their messages of redemption. This article advances that ‘wonders’ and ‘healings’ represented efficacious notions employed to meet both primary needs of solace against suffering and angst and ardent searches for salvation. The article also highlights the link between the above binomial relation of wonders/healing and the political role of prophetical leaders, allegedly endowed with supernatural powers. As a case-study of this perspective, the article reviews the ideological and social developments of revolts, such as the Khurramiya movements in Islamic times, which exploited precisely this cultural baggage of practices of amazement and trickery for their own messianic propaganda.

La suavité synesthétique constitue une forme rhétorique et un « jeu » intellectuel essentiel dans l’itinerarium mentis de la Comédie et en particulier du Paradis. Dante déploie un langage de l’intersensorialité spirituelle qui seconde la synthèse perceptive de l’ineffable et agit ainsi comme une forme de « suave remède » de l’intellect et de l’expression poétique. Sur la via à la dulcedo Dei, l’auteur développe une technique d’écriture où l’expérience esthétique devient œuvre sotériologique., The synesthetic “sweetness” constitutes a rhetorical form and an essential intellectual game in the itinerarium mentis of the Comedy and in particular of the Paradise. Dante develops a language of spiritual intersensoriality which supports the perceptual synthesis of the ineffable and thus acts as a form of “sweet remedy” for the intellect and poetic expression. On the via to dulcedo Dei, the author uses an unprecedented writing technique, where the aesthetic experience becomes a soteriological act.

Процесс становления русского богословия складывался на протяжении нескольких исторических периодов. В Синодальную эпоху, на протяжении XXVIII – нач. XX вв. происходила стагнация теологического развития, обусловленная, главным образом, колоссальным влиянием западной науки на образ мышления представителей духовенства и интеллигенции Российской империи. После октябрьской революции 1917 г. начинается новая эпоха существования Русской Церкви в условиях агрессивного давления как на церковную институцию, так и, непосредственно, самих верующих. Однако, даже в условиях неблагоприятных, для дальнейшего существования, вся полнота Православной Церкви в России несла подвиг свидетельства о вере Христовой. Одним из самых ярких примеров такого рода является жизнь, деятельность и литературнобогословское наследие выдающегося иерарха Русской Православной Церкви архиепископа Михаила (Мудьюгина), который внёс огромный вклад в деятельность восстановления русской богословской мысли, приведение её к православных истокам. В статье предпринимается попытка анализа богословского наследия архиепископа Михаила (Мудьюгина). Приводится систематизация его трудов и разъясняется их направленность в деле возрождения традиции русского православного богословия., The process of Russian theology formation was taking shape over several historical periods. In the Synodal era, during the XXVIII – beginning of the 20th century, there was a stagnation of theological development, mainly due to the enormous influence of Western science on the way of thinking of representatives of the clergy and intelligentsia of the Russian Empire. After the October Revolution of 1917, a new era of the existence of the Russian Church began under aggressive pressure both on the church institution and, directly, on the believers themselves. However, even in unfavorable conditions for further existence, the entire fullness of the Orthodox Church in Russia bore the feat of testifying to the faith of Christ. One of the most striking examples of this kind, is the life, work, literary and theological heritage of the outstanding hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Archbishop Mikhail (Mudyugin). He made a huge contribution to the restoration of Russian theological thought, bringing it to its Orthodox origins. The article attempts to analyze the theological heritage of Archbishop Mikhail (Mudyugin). The systematization of his works is given and their orientation in the revival of the tradition of Russian Orthodox theology is explained.

The late antique pope Gregory the Great plays an important role in the discourse on the image of Mary Magdalene in the tradition of (Western) Christianity. Many publications, both scholarly and popular-scientific, claim that Gregory, by decree, would have established her identity, especially as a woman who was sinful sexually. A central source for this is his sermon 33 which, however, has been analyzed very little. Against the backdrop of this discourse on this pope and this saint, in a new analysis of this homily, this contribution examines Gregory’s treatment of Mary Magdalene’s identity and shows that both the view that he would have decreed something and that he associated Mary’s identity primarily with sinful sexuality are problematic. Eroticism instead plays a very different, positively notated role in the sermon, and the relationship between Mary and Jesus described in erotic terms is exemplified by Gregory’s audience, especially the men in it.

The late antique pope Gregory the Great plays an important role in the discourse on the image of Mary Magdalene in the tradition of (Western) Christianity. Many publications, both scholarly and popular-scientific, claim that Gregory, by decree, would have established her identity, especially as a woman who was sinful sexually. A central source for this is his sermon 33 which, however, has been analyzed very little. Against the backdrop of this discourse on this pope and this saint, in a new analysis of this homily, this contribution examines Gregory’s treatment of Mary Magdalene’s identity and shows that both the view that he would have decreed something and that he associated Mary’s identity primarily with sinful sexuality are problematic. Eroticism instead plays a very different, positively notated role in the sermon, and the relationship between Mary and Jesus described in erotic terms is exemplified by Gregory’s audience, especially the men in it.

Au XVIe siècle, les succès acquis au Japon par l’Église catholique ont été fort précaires. Dans la première moitié du XVIIe siècle, l’archipel rompt ses relations commerciales avec les puissances ibériques et les communautés catholiques connaissent la répression ; celles-ci sont rapidement coupées de leurs élites et le catholicisme passe progressivement à la clandestinité. Peu de chercheurs se sont interrogés sur le regard que portaient les premières générations de crypto-catholiques (ou chrétiens cachés) sur leur apostasie formelle. Dans cet article, on montrera que le message exclusif des missionnaires ayant pris racine au Japon, la transition forcée vers le secret s’est accompagnée d’une recrudescence des tensions sotériologiques au sein de la chrétienté. The successes obtained by the Catholic Church in Japan in the 16th century were precarious. In the first half of the 17th century, the Shogunate ended its commercial relationship with the Iberian states and the Catholics communities had to endure suppression. They were swiftly cut off their religious and lay elites; Catholicism gradually became a secret religion. Few scholars have reflected on the perception the first generations of hidden Catholics (or hidden Christians) had of their formal apostasy. I argue that the exclusivist stance of the Church had taken root in Japan. For this reason, the transition to secrecy came along with outbreaks of soteriological tensions within Christendom. El éxito logrado por la Iglesia Católica en el Japón del siglo XVI fue muy precario. En la primera mitad del siglo XVII, el archipiélago rompió sus relaciones comerciales con las potencias ibéricas y las comunidades católicas fueron perseguidas; rápidamente, estas fueron separadas de las élites y la religión cristiana pasa a ser progresivamente clandestina. Pocos investigadores han cuestionado la forma con la que las primeras generaciones de criptocatólicos (o cristianos ocultos) consideraron su apostasía formal. En este artículo, se mostrará que con el mensaje exclusivo de los misioneros que arraigó en Japón, la transición forzada al secreto se acompañó de un aumento de las tensiones soteriológicas dentro de las comunidades cristianas.

Recent experience suggests that there is insufficient reflection on the ‘why’ of mission among missionary pioneers, that is, on the soteriology that underpins missional practices in the West. This article argues, first, that a social view of salvation is the best way to make theological sense of missional community formation (mcf). Second, this implied soteriology is further developed as an integrative lens on various dimensions of salvation in Christianity. Third, it is argued that this relocation of mcf in this social view of salvation offers rich opportunities for witness, and thus a potential remedy against soteriological embarrassment.

It turns out that stereotypical medieval themes can be actual in the secularized society of the XXI c. under the influence of strong stimuli, such as war (that is why there are reasons to identify the state of modernity as post-secular). Now we especially feel the desire for a religious worldview, which can provide support in the unstable world today, so it is interesting to understand how our culture and, in particular, literature responded to similar requests about a thousand years ago, in what forms repentance – one of the fundamental categories of Christianity – is reflected in our earliest works. Therefore, the goal of the research is to trace the specifics of the theological concept of repentance and outline its role in the spiritual life aimed at holiness. The title of this article, at least its second part, resonates with the work «The First Ukrainian Preachers and Their Works» by father-doctor Yaroslav Levytskyi. The research is based on the texts of Luka Zhydiata, Teodosii Pecherskyi, and Klym Smoliatych and primarily on the works of Metropolitan Ilarion and Kyrylo Turivskyi. Even though Ilarionʼs activity should be dated approximately 100 years earlier than Kyryloʼs, an anti-chronological sequence is in parentheses, and the motivation of such an authorʼs idea will, I hope, become logical as the research unfolds. The correlation of «repentance – holiness» in the oldest Ukrainian sources became the subject of special studies for the first time, and the interdisciplinary approach with distinct theological accents and deep dives confirms the scientific novelty of the study. Conclusions. The works of the first Ukrainian preachers present various aspects of the theme of repentance – one of the fundamental themes in the Christian worldview. In the prayers of Kyrylo Turivskyi, penitential motives are pervasive: with a bright emphasis on the person of the sinner and his search for God and salvation. Instead, according to the text of Metropolitan Ilarion, a larger role is attributed to Godʼs Grace on the path to holiness, which a person, in particular Prince Volodymyr, can perceive and actively cooperate. The teaching On Godʼs Executioner, considered the fruit of the work of Theodosius Pecherskyi, represents the perception of punishment as a component in the sequence «repentance – holiness». So, the concept of repentance is complex and essential in Christian (but not only) culture, understood in original literary forms and genres ten centuries ago and does not lose its relevance today., {"references":["Horiacha, M. (2019). Podorozh u sertsi. Dynamichna antropolohiia prepodobnoho Makariia [A journey in the heart. Dynamic anthropology of Macarius of Egypt]. Р. 157–268. Lviv, Ukraine.","Lambert, A.D. (2016). How Repentance Became Biblical: Judaism, Christianity, and the Interpretation of Scripture. 266 р. Oxford, England."]}

Resumen Este artículo hace una descripción de un método de investigación teológica, de carácter interdisciplinar, desarrollado en diálogo con el mundo de la literatura. En la base se encuentra la tesis doctoral Comprensión teo-literaria de la salvación: Aportes de la narrativa de Alejo Carpentier para una soteriología contemporánea. De los precursores de la hermenéutica filosófica contemporánea (Heidegger, Gadamer y Ricoeur) se obtiene la noción de comprensión que está en la base de este estudio (que permite pensar la salvación ante la existencia) y el método que le da su estructura general a la investigación (pre-comprensión, expansión del horizonte comprensor y re comprensión). La pregunta investigativa y la perspectiva de análisis la aporta la teología (primer momento). Para la expansión del horizonte comprensor (segundo momento), juega un papel clave la literatura. Respecto de su aporte, se destacan dos niveles complementarios: el antropológico y el sociohistórico, de los que se obtiene una visión de la realidad transfigurada por la obra literaria. Se llega así a dimensiones de lo real que normalmente se disimulan y permanecen ocultas a nuestros ojos. Del cruce de la primera y segunda parte (tercer momento) resulta un interesante ejercicio teo-literario de indudable riqueza para el pensar teológico. En la descripción de este método de investigación, de ahí su importancia, se destaca el valor que tiene para la teología el diálogo con el mundo de la literatura, en este caso, ante la pregunta que existiendo el ser humano dirige al Misterio santo del que depende su liberación, trascendencia, sentido y esperanza, en definitiva, su salvación. Abstract This article corresponds to a description of an interdisciplinary theological research method, developed in dialogue with the world of literature. At the base is the doctoral tesis titled Theo-literary understanding of salvation: Contributions of the narrative of Alejo Carpentier for a contemporary soteriology. From the precursors of contemporary philosophical hermeneutics (Heidegger, Gadamer and Ricoeur) we obtain the notion of understanding that is at the base of this study (which allows us to think about salvation in the face of existence) and the method that gives its general structure to research (pre-understanding, expansion of the understanding horizon and re-understanding). The research question and the analytical perspective are provided by theology (first moment). For the expansion of the understanding horizon (second moment), literature plays a key role. Regarding its contribution, two complementary levels stand out: the anthropological and the sociohistorical, from which a vision of reality transfigured by the literary work is obtained. In this way, dimensions of reality are reached that are normally concealed and remain hidden from our eyes. The crossing of the first and second part (third moment) results in an interesting theo-literary exercise of undoubted richness for theological thinking. In the description of this research method, hence its importance, the value that dialogue with the world of literature has for theology is highlighted, in this case, when faced with the question that the human being exists and directs to the Holy Mystery of which they depend on their liberation, transcendence, meaning and hope, ultimately, their salvation.

The entrance of Joseph into heaven is a scene described in the song "A morte de José" (Joseph's death), a composition by Isabel Maria G. de A. Ramos and Maria Martha, recorded by Maria Martha herself in the album Flor amorosa (amorous flower), dated 1977, under the label RCA Victor. Currently, lyrics of songs have been the subject of several studies in the area of Theology and Science of Religion, those with explicitly religious thematic or not. In this song, we have the narrative of the death of Joseph, a poor, laborious exploited worker, on his entrance into heaven, together with the saints. The approach starts from the popular understanding of salvation according to the traditional popular religiosity to introduce the issue of the social question of the exploited poor which, at the time, was beginning to emerge in a more significant way in the theological scenario of Latin America. A religion that is alienated from the historical conditions is criticised while another possible understanding is beckoned, that of the God who is committed to the salvation of the most vulnerable. The focus, thus, shifts the religious perception from heaven to earth and, by portraying the reality of the severe suffering faced by the poorest in society, announces hope of their liberation through the establishment of the practice of justice. A entrada de José no céu é a cena descrita na canção “A morte de José”, composição de Maria Martha e Isabel Maria G. de A. Ramos, gravada pela própria Maria Martha no álbum Flor amorosa, datado de 1977 com selo RCA Victor. A letra de canções têm sido objeto de diversos estudos na área de teologia e ciências da religião, as de temática explicitamente religiosa ou não. Aqui se tem a narrativa da morte de José, um pobre trabalhador explorado, e sua entrada no céu junto aos santos. A abordagem parte da compreensão popular de salvação, conforme a religiosidade popular tradicional, para introduzir a questão social dos pobres explorados que, na época, começava a aparecer de modo mais importante no cenário teológico e religioso da América Latina. Uma religião que aliena das condições históricas é criticada enquanto se acena com uma outra compreensão possível, aquela do Deus que se compromete com a salvação dos mais frágeis. O enfoque, pois, desloca a percepção religiosa do céu para a terra e, retratando a realidade de duro sofrimento enfrentado pelos mais pobres na sociedade, anuncia a esperança de sua libertação pelo estabelecimento da prática da justiça

Francisco Suárez (1548-1617) lived in the period after the Council of Trent when there was much discussion over religious freedom for non-Christians as well for as non-Catholics living in Catholic territories. This essay examines Suárez’s view of the different types of unbelievers and the possibility of their salvation. It explores Suárez’s belief that Non-Christians can enjoy freedom of religion in Catholic territories as long as their practices do not violate the natural law. The essay also examines Suárez’s attitude toward Non-Catholic Christians. Although these Christians enjoy freedom from coercion to join the Catholic Church, they can be subject to certain restrictions. Suárez lived during a time when there was much discussion over the natural rights of unbelievers. In the 1500s, the Dominicans, Bartolomé de las Casas (1474-1566) and Francisco de Vitoria (c.1483-1546) had already defended the natural rights of the American Indians who suffered abuse on the part of some of the Spanish conquistadors. Suárez likewise defended the natural rights of the Indians, and he strongly opposed any attempts to enslave them or force them to convert to the Catholic faith. Suárez, though, also considered the rights of non-Christians such as Jews and Muslims living under Christian rule. This article examines what Suárez says about human freedom and the universality of the natural law in De legibus, book III. Then it will consider how in De fide, tract. I, Suárez applies human freedom and the natural law to the rights of non-Christians living under Christian rule and the rights of Christians living under non-Christian rule. This essay attempts to understand what obligations to religion are demanded by the natural law and how violations of the natural law (e.g. blasphemies, persecutions) can result in limits to religious freedom. It will be argued that Suárez, in some respects, anticipates the teaching of Vatican II on religious freedom. The Council recognized both freedom from religious coercion in civil society as well as the demands of the moral law regarding the rights of others and the duties toward them (Dignitatis humanae, 7). RESUMO Francisco Suárez (1548-1617) viveu no período posterior ao Concílio de Trento, quando havia muita discussão sobre a liberdade religiosa para não-cristãos e não-católicos que viviam em territórios católicos. Este ensaio examina a visão de Suárez sobre os diferentes tipos de incrédulos e a possibilidade de sua salvação. Explora a crença de Suárez de que os não-cristãos podem desfrutar de liberdade de religião em territórios católicos, desde que suas práticas não violem a lei natural. O ensaio também examina a atitude de Suárez em relação aos cristãos não católicos. Embora esses cristãos gozem de liberdade de coerção para ingressar na Igreja Católica, eles podem estar sujeitos a certas restrições. Suárez viveu numa época em que havia muita discussão sobre os direitos naturais dos incrédulos. Nos anos 1500, os dominicanos, Bartolomé de las Casas (1474-1566) e Francisco de Vitoria (c.1483-1546) já defendiam os direitos naturais dos índios americanos que sofreram abusos por parte de alguns dos conquistadores espanhóis. Suárez também defendeu os direitos naturais dos índios e se opôs fortemente a qualquer tentativa de escravizá-los ou forçá-los a se converter à fé católica. Suárez, no entanto, também considerou os direitos dos não-cristãos, como judeus e muçulmanos, que vivem sob o domínio cristão. Este artigo começará com o que Suárez diz sobre a liberdade humana e a universalidade da lei natural no livro III do De legibus. A seguir considerará como, no Tratado I do De fide, Suárez, aplica a liberdade humana e a lei natural aos direitos dos não-cristãos que vivem sob o domínio cristão e aos direitos dos cristãos que vivem sob o domínio não-cristão. O artigo tentará entender quais obrigações para com a religião são exigidas pela lei natural e como as violações da lei natural (por exemplo, blasfêmias, perseguições) podem resultar em limites à liberdade religiosa. Argumentar-se-á que Suárez, em alguns aspectos, antecipa o ensinamento do Vaticano II sobre a liberdade religiosa. O Concilio reconheceu tanto a liberdade diante da coerção religiosa na vida da sociedade civil, bem como as exigências da lei moral sobre os direitos dos outros e os deveres para com eles (Dignitatis humanae, 7).

Izydor z Sewilli pisze o chorobie w wielu utworach, różniących się tematyką i charakterem. Postrzega ją jako bezwarunkowe zło. Bada jej fizyczne i duchowe przyczyny; doszukuje się naturalnych i ponadnaturalnych środków zaradczych. Uważa, że mamy prawo, a nawet obowiązek zwracać się po pomoc do medyków, których dorobek zna i szanuje, lecz przy tym powinniśmy pamiętać, że zdrowie – przede wszystkim ducha, jak również ciała – może nam zapewnić wyłącznie życie w jedności z Bogiem. Za najbardziej niebezpieczną chorobę uznaje niemoc duszy, czyli grzech; spośród schorzeń cielesnych wyróżnia jako najgroźniejsze morowe powietrze. Posługuje się związanymi z chorobą wyrażeniami metaforycznymi do opisania rzeczywistości grzechu; stosując alegoryczną metodę interpretacji Pisma, widzi w chorobach ukazanych na stronach Biblii symbole duchowego zła. Podkreśla, że chorym należy się troskliwa, pełna czułości opieka ze strony zdrowych. Dzięki lekturze listów Sewilczyka oraz relacji o jego śmierci wiemy, że on sam także doświadczał chorób, a znosił je tak, jak zalecał to czynić innym, to jest wytrwale, pokornie i cierpliwie dążąc do pełni życia, dla której zostaliśmy stworzeni i zbawieni. Isidore looks at the world in the light of the Revelation, so that his look becomes really broad. He does not oppose the terrestrial to the eternal: in his feeling they permeate each other and make up the entirety of God’s work. Writing about the disease, he underlines that it is unconditionally evil. He studies its physical and spiritual causes and seeks both natural and supernatural remedies. He believes we may and even have to look for doctors’ help, he knows and respects ancient medicine’s legacy, but at the same time he considers sickness to be a result of the human sin and stresses that the true health can be achieved only by living in unity with God. In Isidore’s opinion, the most dangerous illness is that of human spirit, i.e. the sin. As to the terrestrial maladies, he describes in the most profusive way the plague. He uses metaphors related to disease in order to describe the reality of sin; employing means of allegorical interpretation of the Holy Writ, he regards sickness as a symbol of spiritual evil. He emphasizes that the sick deserve to be cared for and treated with kindness; he describes nursing the sick monks. He informs that apostle Paul cured his disciple and presents Christ as a great doctor of the mankind. Isidore himself experimented diseases. He faced them accordingly to what he recommended to the others, bravely and patiently looking for the vita vitalis, for which all of us have been created and saved.

Augustine, Marthin Luther, John Calvin emphasized salvation only by God's grace.

There is a contribution from Pentateukh Theology related to the salvation of the growth Christian faith today

Through linguistic analysis, this article argues that Isa 66:18-19 proclaim of YHWH’s כָּבוֹד, which occurs thrice in the passage, emphasizes God’s divine plan to reveal Himself and His glory to the peoples of the nations and all humanity in general. YHWH’s mission is a global mission based on personal salvation that the nations enjoy from God. The missionaries are both Israel and the Gentiles, and their mission field is the peoples of all nations and languages. As the nations see the כָּבוֹד of YHWH, God’s plans for the nations and the world as a whole is realized. When YHWH’s כָּבוֹד is grasped by the people and then proclaimed among the nations, the outcome of YHWH’s mission for His servant, Israel, and the nations are achieved, and His sovereignty in the universe is established. YHWH’s message of His glory and goodness to humanity reaches everywhere, even to the remotest places where His name has not been heard. As an outcome, all humanity comes to know the only true God and recognizes what this only one true God has done.

Esta disserta??o mostra as reflex?es e pesquisas bibliogr?ficas e documentais sobre a mis?ria e a pobreza de grande parte da popula??o brasileira, suas causas e consequ?ncias. Procura ainda compreender ? luz dos documentos oficiais da Igreja o que se entende e pretende com ?salva??o?. Investiga em te?logos renomados refer?ncias de liga??o entre pobres e salva??o, pobreza e liberta??o, compromissos s?cio-pol?ticos e religiosos. Por fim, busca ? luz de reflex?es de Jon Sobrino e de sugest?es como as do Papa Francisco, na Economia de Clara e Francisco, apontar caminhos que levem ? salva??o, ? erradica??o da mis?ria e ? diminui??o da pobreza. This dissertation shows the reflections and research on the misery and poverty of a large part of the Brazilian population, its causes and consequences. It also seeks to understand in the light of official Church documents what is meant and intended by ?salvation?. It seeks in renowned theologians references for the link between the poor and salvation, poverty and liberation, socio-political and religious commitments. Finally, in the light of Jon Sobrino's reflections and suggestions such as those of Pope Francis, in Clara and Francisco's Economy, it seeks to point out ways that lead to salvation, the eradication of misery and the reduction of poverty.

Salvation is more than a concept – it is a divine practice that can be experienced in its transformative power both within local church communities, and beyond. This paper describes a framework of six fields of Christian practice, and its use in several Dutch churches that engage in a renewal process towards the year 2030 (www.kerk2030.nl). These fields of practice, which form a coherent framework informed by research on lived theology, can be described as means by which Christians experience and embody salvation in a church setting, with an eye to their missiological task for society. Churches that participate in the church renewal program ‘Kerk2030’ are asked to build an infrastructure of continuous reflection on these six practices, which helps them grow in their sustainability and vitality towards the year 2030. Here we (1) present and critically discuss the six fields of practices regarding their internal and external empowerment, and (2) reflect on some preliminary findings from the empirical research. We also scrutinize some of the possibilities in which reflections on these six fields of practices may be used by churches to foster their own transformation so they can become more ‘Christ-like’ (3). Lastly, we will reflect on the question what the terminology of ‘salvation’ may bring for this infrastructure of reflection (4).

Salvation is more than a concept – it is a divine practice that can be experienced in its transformative power both within local church communities, and beyond. This paper describes a framework of six fields of Christian practice, and its use in several Dutch churches that engage in a renewal process towards the year 2030 (www.kerk2030.nl). These fields of practice, which form a coherent framework informed by research on lived theology, can be described as means by which Christians experience and embody salvation in a church setting, with an eye to their missiological task for society. Churches that participate in the church renewal program ‘Kerk2030’ are asked to build an infrastructure of continuous reflection on these six practices, which helps them grow in their sustainability and vitality towards the year 2030. Here we (1) present and critically discuss the six fields of practices regarding their internal and external empowerment, and (2) reflect on some preliminary findings from the empirical research. We also scrutinize some of the possibilities in which reflections on these six fields of practices may be used by churches to foster their own transformation so they can become more ‘Christ-like’ (3). Lastly, we will reflect on the question what the terminology of ‘salvation’ may bring for this infrastructure of reflection (4).

The Lectorate Theology of the CHE focusses on the interpretation and communication of ‘salvation’ within new faith communities. The goal of the Lectorate is to find new ways for contextualizing the Gospel in our secular society, through investigating theologies and processes of sense-making in emerging faith communities. One of the current research projects is ‘Heeft meedoen zin?’ (‘Does it make sense to participate?’), a practical-theological research in six faith communities in the Netherlands. In each community six carefully selected participants were interviewed. In this project we try to find an answer to the following questions: What do participants of pioneering faith communities experience of (the) good life when they get involved? In what ways is participation meaningful to them? What lessons can we learn from their experiences for mission in the West? To map the answers of participants, we developed a holistic research model with eight dimensions of meaning. This ‘Compass of Meaning’ is based on a holistic interpretation of salvation, as well as on modern perspectives in social sciences and healthcare. In this short paper we introduce this model and its backgrounds. In our presentation at the Conference, we will share the first results of our research. We invite you to reflect critically on the validity of our model and to help us interpret the first results.

The Lectorate Theology of the CHE focusses on the interpretation and communication of ‘salvation’ within new faith communities. The goal of the Lectorate is to find new ways for contextualizing the Gospel in our secular society, through investigating theologies and processes of sense-making in emerging faith communities. One of the current research projects is ‘Heeft meedoen zin?’ (‘Does it make sense to participate?’), a practical-theological research in six faith communities in the Netherlands. In each community six carefully selected participants were interviewed. In this project we try to find an answer to the following questions: What do participants of pioneering faith communities experience of (the) good life when they get involved? In what ways is participation meaningful to them? What lessons can we learn from their experiences for mission in the West? To map the answers of participants, we developed a holistic research model with eight dimensions of meaning. This ‘Compass of Meaning’ is based on a holistic interpretation of salvation, as well as on modern perspectives in social sciences and healthcare. In this short paper we introduce this model and its backgrounds. In our presentation at the Conference, we will share the first results of our research. We invite you to reflect critically on the validity of our model and to help us interpret the first results.

RESUMO Gustavo Gutiérrez é uma das principais referências da teologia da libertação latino-americana. Seu livro Teologia da Libertação: perspectivas, publicado em 1971, além de ser um dos principais veículos de difusão dessa teologia, adquiriu um valor simbólico, dando nome a esse movimento teológico e se tornando como que seu marco teórico inicial. Celebrando 50 anos de publicação dessa obra, queremos retomar sua problemática teológica fundamental que tem a ver com a relação entre “libertação e salvação” e que está desenvolvida de modo mais sistemático e elaborado no capítulo 9. Ele sintetiza em seu título o núcleo da problemática de sua teologia e procura “esboçar” ou “indicar as linhas básicas da obra por empreender”. Começaremos fazendo um resumo do capítulo, apresentando sua problemática e seu desenvolvimento teológico. Em seguida, faremos algumas considerações de ordem histórico-teológica sobre essa problemática e seu desenvolvimento teológico. E concluiremos destacando a pertinência, a atualidade e o desafio de prosseguir com essa obra inacabada. ABSTRACT Gustavo Gutiérrez is one of the main references of the Latin American liberation theology. His book “Liberation Theology – Perspectives”, published in 1971, as well as being one of the main vehicles to disseminate this theology, acquired a symbolic value, giving name to this theological movement and becoming its initial theoretical framework. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of this publication, we want to resume its fundamental theological problematics about the relation between “liberation and salvation”. This topic is more systematically and elaborately developed in chapter 9 which synthesizes the core of the problem of his theology in its title and tries to “sketch” or “suggest the basic lines of the work to be undertaken”. We will start by summarizing the chapter, presenting its problematics and theological development. Then, we will make some historical-theological considerations about these problematics and their theological development. Finally, we will conclude by emphasizing the pertinence, the actualities, and the challenge of continuing this unfinished work.

A question arises regarding theology and its functions when trying to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. Surely Christian faith – along with other religions – can play a role in helping to deal with this crisis, both for individuals and collectively. Theology connects with the effort religious faith and Churches perform and provides models and ideas to highlight the Christian sense of what is happening, that is, in reference to a saving God. Four keys, rooted in the Christian tradition, are proposed that allow us to understand these difficult times in a meaningful way, that is, as revealing “signs of the times” for believers, assisting them in their struggle to cope with these challenging circumstances.

This article is devoted to the treatise On the Spirit and the Letter, one of the earliest anti-Pelagian works of St. Augustine. It describes the historical and literary context of the initial stage of the Pelagian controversy, which had a decisive infl uence on the topic and content of this treatise. The doctrine of primordial sin and damage to human nature caused by Adam’s fall, which St. Augustine introduced and substantiated in this work, remained fundamental for the subsequent development of his treatment of salvation. The general description of the treatise is accompanied by a review of assessments that were given to its content in the Russian theological literature. The article also gives a structural and thematic analysis of the treatise. It shows a frequent use by St. Augustine of polemic exegesis; its material is predominantly the Epistles of St. Paul. The article examines St. Augustine’s interpretation of the main topics of Christian soteriology raised with regard to the main question about the meaning of law and grace for justifi cation and salvation.The article concludes that the unique role of the treatise On the Spirit and the Letter in St. Augustine’s Corpus is due to the fact that the text expresses his position to the issue of grace which in subsequent Pelagian controversies was condemned in the West as “semi-Pelagianism” and came to be known in the East as the doctrine of synergy.

What does beauty have to do with justice, justification, and salvation? Can the world be saved by beauty? In this contribution, some theological and rhetorical convergences and differences between the discourse on human dignity and the discourse on human flourishing are explored. The role of beauty, in these discourses, is a pivotal concern – especially as often justice and human rights shape the theological discourse on human dignity. A key proposed argument in this analysis is that justice is to human dignity what beauty is to human flourishing, and that these shape or mould the theological language with which salvation – the good news of the gospel – is articulated. The argument concludes by proposing that both forensic language and aesthetic language are born from the fold of Christian soteriology, and that not only the more static, forensic language of human dignity is required to speak about salvation, but also the more pliable, artistic language of human dignity.

The contribution presents partial results of the research work on the biblical wisdom literature and highlights certain dimensions of justice, connected with Wisdom personified. Particular attention has been given to the development of the literary motif of the personification of wisdom in the texts considered and to the relationship between the wise and Wisdom. In biblical poetic literature, the literary motif of personified justice and the personification of other divine attributes in some cases overlap (Ps 85: 11-14). Based on the sources studied (especially the book of Proverbs, Sirach and the book of Wisdom), it is possible to notice that in the course of the development of the wisdom literature, the personified wisdom is gradually enriched by further theological and anthropological dimensions, assuming an increasingly inclusive character. Moreover, the centre of its representation and description tends to move progressively from the prevalent semantic field of justice to that of love, which corresponds to justice in its highest form.

The relevance of this article in theological sense is due to the need for a multilateral and full service to God: to fulfill the will of God; do what God desires; believe in God; hope for God and love God. Divine service has a spiritual and mystical character and is the core of the Christian and non-Christian religions of the world - therefore, the direct practical participation of man in the process of Christian ministry is extremely relevant. It is in this religious sense that ministry to God is the relevance of this article. To serve God is the spirit and the truth (John 4:24). This is an internal ministry to God, called divinely-worshiped. However, worship must be external, because man consists of soul and body. To thank God, to give thanks to Him, to ask His person must and spiritually and bodily, because the soul and body are closely interconnected, mental movements are expressed in the body. «From the fulness of the heart speak the mouth» (Matthew 12: 34). The Word of God inspires us: «glorify God in your bodies and in your souls which are God‘s» (1 Corinthians 6:20). Therefore, because of the active ministry to God, the faithful receive the blessed novelty of peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. The article deals with the dogmatic and mysterious aspects of the Divine Liturgy The third part, «faithful», analyzes the sacrament: the mysterious entrance of the Lord to free suffering and death, the confession of the priesthood and the faithful dogmas of faith, the mysterious implementation by the High Priest through visible sacred actions of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit‘s consecration and thanksgiving to God. The dogmatic difference in the consecration of the Gifts in Orthodoxy and Catholicism is highlighted.

One of the major questions that have plagued humanity throughout its history has been the question of what kind of person it is for its purpose. Depending on the answer, outlines of purpose and meaning of life were obtained. Over the centuries, various philosophical systems have been created that sought to explore human nature. And they were all wrong. This is because you explain that all these philosophical systems, because of the narrowness of thinking, could not see the person in its entirety. Only with the revelation in the fullness of the Divine Revelation in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ was it possible to understand man as created by the Divine design, which has a very special purpose. In order to understand the process of becoming a true doctrine of man, one must resort to the works of the first theologians of the Christian world, the early Christian apologists. Unlike the apostolic men, who addressed their works mainly to Christians, they had a controversy with the pagan audience, which left a mark on the range of problems they considered. The main task of the apologists was to unveil the basic truths of Christianity - the truth of God‘s existence, the truth of the immortality of the soul of man, and the truth of Divine Revelation, since these provisions form the basis of the Christian religion. The apologists formed a new, Christian culture with its absolutely special anthropology and eschatology. Thus, being many pioneers in many issues, they paved the way for the further Christianization of Hellenism and the formation of a holistic system of Christian theology. The article traces the specifics of the formation of the Holy Father‘s doctrine of man, the purpose of his life on earth and the afterlife based on the works of early Christian apologists I-III centuries. Given the volume of the article, the author resorted to its conditional division into three parts. The second part is devoted to issues related to eschatology, which occupies a central place in the theology of Christian apologists.

W Homiliach na List św. Pawła do Rzymian Jan Chryzostom wyłożył tradycyjną naukę Kościoła na temat usprawiedliwienia człowieka. Za podstawę uważał sprawiedliwość Boga, który, czego dowodzi przykład Abrahama, od początku historii zbawienia dążył do udzielenia ludziom darmowej łaski usprawiedliwienia, opierającej się nie na uczynkach wynikających z Prawa Mojżeszowego, ale na wierze w Bożą obietnicę. Źródłem łaski usprawiedliwienia była dla Złotoustego Ewangelia, a zwłaszcza męka, śmierć i zmartwychwstanie Jezusa Chrystusa. Przez pośrednictwo Odkupiciela sprawiedliwość Boża staje się dostępna śmiertelnikowi. Aby jednak człowiek rzeczywiście i skutecznie został przeniesiony w stan sprawiedliwości, wymagane są dwa jego osobiste akty: wiara Bogu i chrzest będący znakiem zjednoczenia z Chrystusem. In The Homilies on the Epistle of St. Paul to Romans John Chrysostom enunciated traditional teaching of the Church about righteousness of men. According to him the Creator since the beginning of the salvation history aimed to give a free grace of righteousness to the people, as with Abraham, who has been justified not because of acts arisen from the Law of Moses, but because of his faith in promises of God. For John the Golden-Mouthed the origin of the righteousness grace were death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By the mediation of the Redeemer, the justice of God became accessible to the mortals. Yet, the state of righteousness should only be real and effective for humans if they accomplish two his personal acts: faith in God and the baptism as a sign of unification with Christ.

The article attempts to compare the soteriological ideas of the play The Satin Slipper and the novel The Brothers Karamazov, two texts in which the authors express themselves most fully as theologians. For both texts, the theme of sin and atonement is central. The epigraphs to Paul Claudel’s play are two statements about the saving potential of sin. In Dostoevsky’s novel, it can be seen how sin becomes the most important starting point for further positive spiritual change of heroes. However, in his play, Claudel not only shows the possibility for sin to become the starting point for the conversion of protagonists, but also shows that in a certain sense the salvation of the world needs sin. For example, the main characters of the Satin Slipper make a kind of symbolic escape from paradise (Don Rodrigo leaves the Jesuit novitiate, Dona Prouhèze escapes from the “Garden of Eden” planted for her by her husband) and this allows them to reveal themselves in fullness and to realize their vocation, which is salvific for the world. Mitya Karamazov at the end of Dostoevsky’s novel says that the “new man” in him “would never have come to the surface” if certain things had not happened (and what happened includes a series of Mitya’s sins). This reminds of the idea of “happy guilt”, a term from the Latin hymn Exultet, which refers to the need for sin for the redemption. However, as Claudel shows, even by the very name of his play (Dona Prouhèze, before making her escape, donates her satin slipper as a gift to the Mother of God so that the Blessed Virgin would prevent her from taking the path of evil) suggests that sin becomes salvation only thanks to human freedom.

This paper studies the representation of human corporeal reality in the discourses of selected Bhakti poets of the late medieval period in India. Considering the historical background of the Bhakti movement and contemporary cultural milieu in which these mystic poets lived, their unique appropriation of the ancient concept of body is reviewed as revolutionary. The focus of the study is the Kabir Bijak, Surdas’s Vinay-Patrika, and Tulsidas’s Vinay-Patrika, wherein they look at and beyond the organic corporeality and encounter human body not as a socially, religiously, economically stamped noble body or lowly body; male body or female body, but a human body. This paper explores how, like existential phenomenologists, these poet/singers decode the material reality of human beings and link it to the highest goal of achieving Moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth-death) by making body a vulnerable but essential instrument towards spiritual awakening. The paper also reflects upon how these poets have suggested a middle path of absolute devotion to God while performing all earthly duties, seek spiritual enlightenment and avoid the extremities of asceticism and hedonism.

The purpose of this study was to describe the cultural significance of food offerings in ngesur tanah salvation in Belikurip Village, Wonogiri, Central Java, Indonesia using an ethnolinguistic approach. In data collection, the researcher employed observation and conversation methods which were then analyzed by the ethnographic method by utilizing the triangular meaning proposed by Lyons (1977). It discovered 10 names of food: (1) tumpeng bathok bolu , (2) tumpeng ungkur-ungkuran , (3) undur-undur , (4) tumpeng gung , (5) tumpeng krumpul , (6) tumpeng marga pakewuh , (7) tumpeng obor , (8) sekul suci , (9) samiran , and (10) jenang sepuh . The essence of the offering is the request for salvation for the departed soul and for the family left behind. The results of this study indicate that the use of language (food names) reflect a cultural phenomenon, namely the religious system of offerings from individuals who believe that the deceased’s spirit remains alive and is fully responsible for his or her actions while living in the world. There also appears to be acculturation with other beliefs and religions.

The doctrine of shafā‘a, that is to say, the eschatological intercession of the Prophet for his community, is presented in this work from the perspective of the new bonds of social cohesion of the religious society created by Islam that replaced the aṣabiyya tribal, being the shafā‘a the colophon and the final touch of these new links. After studying this doctrine the security of the final salvation that it offers, a most valuable element of social cohesion, is confirmed, and the exclusivity of the shafā‘a for only the Muslims is highlighted through the comparison of The dispute between the animals and the man of the Ijwān al-Ṣafā’ with Turmeda Dispute of the donkey and through the true cause of the death of al-Ḥallāj according to al-Rūmī. There is, however, an exception to this exclusivity since there are Muslims who are excluded from the shafā‘a. These are the heretics who, with the disclosure of their new doctrines, endanger the unity and cohesion of the community. It ends by suggesting the possible influence of this Islamic doctrine in the devotion to the intercession of the Virgin, since the Marian devotion that with such force bursts into the Christian West from the twelfth century and that is reflected in the Alfonso X the Wise Cantigas and in the Berceo Miracles of Our Lady is a phenomenon still in discussion. Se presenta en este trabajo la doctrina de la šafā‘a, esto es, la intercesión escatológica del Profeta por su comunidad, desde la perspectiva de los nuevos vínculos de cohesión social de la sociedad religiosa instaurada por el islam que sustituían a la aṣabiyya tribal, constituyéndose la šafā‘a en el colofón y broche final de esos nuevos vínculos. Tras estudiar dicha doctrina se constata la seguridad de la salvación final que ofrece, elemento valiosísimo de cohesión social, y se destaca la exclusividad de la šafā‘a para solo el musulmán a través de la comparación de La disputa entre los animales y el hombre de los Ijwān al-Ṣafā’ con La disputa de l’ase de Turmeda y a través de la verdadera causa de la muerte de al-Ḥallāŷ según al-Rūmī. Hay, sin embargo, una excepción a esa exclusividad ya que existen musulmanes que quedan excluidos de la šafā‘a. Son estos, los herejes, quienes con la divulgación de sus nuevas doctrinas ponen en peligro la unidad y la cohesión de la comunidad. Se termina sugiriendo el posible calco de esta doctrina islámica en la devoción a la intercesión de la Virgen, pues la devoción mariana que con tanta fuerza irrumpe en el Occidente cristiano a partir del siglo XII, y que aparece reflejado en la Cantigas de Alfonso X el Sabio y en los Milagros de Nuestra Señora de Gonzalo de Berceo, es un fenómeno cuyo origen es todavía discutido.

Martin Luther suggested that God disperses the salvation gained by the sacrifice of Christ both before and after the crucifixion itself. This essay describes how quantum time entanglements can facilitate a timeless dispersal of salvific grace and hypothesizes that it is God who creates, maintains and manipulates space-time using such entanglements, in a way analogous to a spider controlling its web.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES This thesis analyses the short story production of the writer Sérgio Sant’anna, in particular, the narratives in which suicide is present. This theme is constantly addressed in the work of this author, which is in itself extensive. In our readings, in 11 short story books, published between 1973 and 2017, we listed a total of 38 short stories that deal with suicide, directly or indirectly, presenting it in different ways, as an element of narrative effect. We work on the idea that the self-inflicted death, because it is a mystery, a taboo, has a narrative-generating force. Thus, it is through suicide that many short stories of the author are born, that they become alive and impactful. In this sense, in a specific way, we explore the link between suicide, survival and salvation. In some of the short stories, there are characters-writers distressed before the impossibility of writing, they write to survive, to save themselves from suicide or to save themselves by means of suicide. So, it is writing about killing himself, that the writer escapes the death announced by the fearsome blank page. To analyze this aspect, we draw on Todorov (2011), Agamben (2018), Freud (1996), Carvalho (2003), and Duras (1994). Similarly, in the wake of self-fiction, Sérgio Sant’anna himself writes death to survive, as it can be seen in the short story “A barca da noite” (2003), in which he narrates his own suicide attempt. We make this argument based on Arfuch (2012), Bakhtin (2011), Klinger (2006), Prelorentzou (2017), Orthof (1996) and Sibilia (2015). We also analyze how Sant’Anna’s writing on suicide is indicative of a literature that survives after successive crises of demystification (SONTAG, 2015). To do so, we draw on Adorno (1970); Sontag (1967), Han (2019) e Murdoch (1972). Finally, we examine the writing undertaken by Sant’Anna, observing suicide as an indication of antinarrative, as a matter and technique that the author uses to conceive his texts. The execution of our study is based on methodological resources related to bibliographic research. We make predominant use of concepts from the areas of Literary theory and Comparative Literature, Philosophy and cultural theories, given the transdisciplinary character of our theme. The approach is qualitative and established by a critical-analytical and interpretative study. Esta tese analisa a produção contística do escritor carioca Sérgio Sant’Anna, de modo particular, as narrativas em que o suicídio se faz presente. Tal temática é abordada constantemente na obra desse autor, que em si é extensa. Em nossas leituras, elencamos, em 11 livros de contos, publicados entre 1973 e 2017, um total de 38 contos que tratam do suicídio de forma direta ou indireta, apresentando-o de diversas formas, como um elemento de efeito narrativo. Trabalhamos a ideia de que a morte autoinfligida, por ser um mistério, um tabu, possui uma força geradora de narrativas. Assim, é por meio do suicídio que muitos contos do autor nascem, se fazem vivos e impactantes. Nesse sentido, de modo específico, exploramos a vinculação entre suicídio, sobrevivência e salvação. Em alguns contos, há personagens-escritores angustiados diante da impossibilidade da escrita, eles escrevem para sobreviver, para se salvar do suicídio ou se salvar pelo suicídio. Assim, é escrevendo sobre o matar-se que o escritor se livra da morte anunciada pela temível página em branco. Para analisar esse aspecto, embasamo-nos em Todorov (2011), Agamben (2018), Freud (1996), Carvalho (2003) e Duras (1994). De forma semelhante, na esteira da autoficção, o próprio Sérgio Sant’Anna escreve a morte para sobreviver, como é possível notar no conto “A barca da noite” (2003), em que narra sua própria tentativa de suicídio. Fazemos esta discussão a partir de Arfuch (2012), Bakhtin (2011), Klinger (2006), Prelorentzou (2017), Orthof (1996) e Sibilia (2015). Analisamos, ainda, de que maneira a escrita de Sant’Anna sobre o suicídio é índice de uma literatura que sobrevive após sucessivas crises de desmistificação (SONTAG, 2015). Para tanto, nos fundamentamos em Adorno (1970), Sontag (1967), Han (2019) e Murdoch (1972). Por fim, examinamos a escrita empreendida por Sant’Anna observando o suicídio com um índice de antinarrativa, como matéria e técnica que o autor utiliza para conceber os seus textos. A execução de nosso estudo se ampara em recursos metodológicos relativos à pesquisa bibliográfica. Fazemos uso predominantemente de conceitos das áreas de Teoria da Literatura e da Literatura Comparada, da Filosofia e das teorias culturais, dado o caráter transdisciplinar de nossa temática. A abordagem é qualitativa e se estabelece por um estudo de caráter críticoanalítico e interpretativo. São Cristóvão