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Copyright of Strategic Universe Journal / Univers Strategic is the property of Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University, Institute for Security Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the spiritual life, the problem of the thoughts emerged when one is praying, it constitutes a central theme. The possibility of the prayer, as not-scattered and clean prayer, it depends on the victory of the one who prays, obtained in his fight against thoughts. But what the thoughts are? Called in Greek language logismos (λογισμóς), some thoughts belong to the thinking faculty of the man, and others are only manifested through this faculty, because they belong, actually, to somebody else than the man. The genesis of the thoughts, during the time of praying, it must be searched in the interference amongst the three will and liberties, respectively, amongst: the action and the freedom of the man who prays, the action and the freedom of God Who is called through prayer, and the action and the freedom of the devil that intervenes, subtly, or sometime, brutally, in the man's prayer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prayer is a unique and unified work in its ultimate purpose - to come closer to God to the point of permanent dialogue. It is at the same time an ascetic endeavour, but also a process, which aims at ʺinner unificationʺ, and can ultimately express a way of life - a ʺlifestyle of prayerʺ. At the end of it we can speak of an ʺinterior prayerʺ as a state. These concepts are frequently present in ascetic-mystical terminology and accompany what is called the isihastic life. In the present research we will consider the analysis and exposition of the three concepts highlighted in the title - tranquillity, interior prayer and interior unification, as they appear in the writings of St. Isaac Sirul, in the line of a succession of mystical tradition, in the context of the Solemn Year of Prayer and of the Isichasm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In recent years medicine has undergone a real humanistic revolution, which that has embraced three distinct trends: bioethics - a consequence of the fear of losing the person's humanity, palliative care - a consequence of the observation of the abandonment of a large number of patients at the end of life, and the biopsychosocial model as a need to integrate the social and psychological dimensions of patients into clinical practice. These have opened the medical door to spirituality. In the case of serious illnesses, patients may need to address existential issues related to the meaning of life and death. That is why the patient needs to be seen as a whole person, and the health care professionals caring for them need to know and accept that the spiritual dimension is part of our lives. Objective: When illness progresses, existential questions may amplify patient suffering. They are about how long he has to live, the meaning of his life, the meaning of hope in a miracle, or about who will be there for him, whether he will suffer more, or who will care for his loved ones after... At the same time, a number of desires are in his head: he would like to have the power to decide about his life, to keep his dignity until the end, to keep his serenity, to be supported by those close to him. Spiritual counselling may help the patient to find answers to these questions, to fulfil these desires, to move from spiritual suffering to spiritual well-being, manifested by a realistic hope, not just a wish or an illusion, by finding meaning in suffering and in personal life, etc. Material and methods: Spiritual anamnesis leading to spiritual assessment is used to establish the diagnosis of spiritual distress. Both form the basis of the spiritual counselling needed for each individual patient. The first model of a spiritual history is that of Dr Christina Puchalski, an acronym consisting of four questions to the patient (FICA), aimed at finding out basic information about the patient's spirituality. Once the diagnosis of spiritual distress has been established, the spiritual counsellor developes a plan to help the patient to overcome the spiritual crisis. Essential elements to establish a true relationship are presence, listening, attention. This type of caring, done with dedication, with compassion, with unconditional love is spiritual by definition. Being spiritual persons ourselves, full of love and compassion, understanding, tenderness, gentleness, means, first of all, living our spirituality for the benefit of the suffering, but also for ourselves, because spirituality, of divine essence, has the power to transform life for the better. It is a life-fulfilling challenge, which only happens when you are close to the suffering one. Result: A breast cancer patient who, after surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, did receive spiritual counselling successfully carried two pregnancies to term, delivering two perfectly healthy baby girls, and now leads a normal life. Conclusion: The importance of spiritual counselling in medicine can no longer be ignored. Given the place and importance of spirituality in the life of a person in palliative care, we need to consider how our actions can bring spirituality into this by definition 'scientific' medical space. Ultimately, however, it is not a question of how to introduce spirituality into palliative medicine, but of becoming aware that the end of a life is in itself a spiritual act, just as caring for someone at the end of their life means talking to them, listening to them, being there for them. Everything we do with our whole being is a spiritual act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Philokalia authors, in their writings when talking about the practice of prayer, often mention how every Christian who cares for the spiritual life and for growing in the likeness of God can gain a better focus on prayer. From the words of the fathers, I have chosen eight practical exhortations by which a Christian can improve his attention to prayer: [1] peace through silence, restraint, vigilance, humility and patience, [2] reading books or texts that can lift the mind to spiritual meanings, [3] uttering words with vigilance, [4] mindfulness and repetition of words that have been spoken carelessly, [5] introducing a slower rhythm, [6] ignoring distracting thoughts, [7] identification eith the words read, [8] constant effort, ascetism (negative and positive) and God's help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of REVART: Specialized Review of Theory & Critique of Arts is the property of EDITURA Eurostampa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Among the effects produced by technology addiction, one of outmost importance is the loss of genuine connection between the members of a family. Alonside this one, the relationship between parents and children suffers, as well. The amount of time the youngsters spend in the company of gadgets becomes grater than the amount of time spent connecting with the members of their family. Not few are the children which adress the issue of missing their devices more than missing their parents, when being faced with the impossibility of reaching any of the two previously mentioned. In most cases, children search for a stronghold in the internet and its social media platforms, without realising that, on a surface level of human relationships development system, lies the isolation and the feeling of loneliness. The way of rectifying this disfunctionality involves the cultivation of genuine connection with human beings and not with insentient objects such as technological devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the representative service books of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Menaion successfully synthesizes both the typikonal and hagiographic richness of the Byzantine hymnography. The Menaia were introduced in the Romanian worship in the 15th century. They started as Slavonic manuscripts, hand-copied and spread by the effort of some scholar monks; eventually they morphed into printed Slavonic editions through the care and labour of deacon Coresi, but that happened much later, in the 17th century. The liturgical books have helped shape the Romanians' ethnic consciousness and have eased them into spiritual coherence as a people through their religious and cultural life. These books stood at the foundation of a common spiritual and cultural life of all Romanians and contributed massively to the evolvement of their ethnic consciousness, identity and unity. The publication of the Menaia from Râmnic (1776-1780) marked the definitive introduction of the Romanian language in the worship of the Church. The translation of these prodigious liturgical books into the spoken language constituted the final and most difficult stage in the process of Romanianization of church services. Faced with almost insurmountable linguistic obstacles, as the Byzantine tones were such an interfusion of complex poetical language, rhythm, versification and metric, the scholar clergymen managed to brave a monumental work of compiling and synthesizing all the previous Menaia translations, of adapting, moulding and enriching them and, eventually, of endowing the liturgical text with a certain specificity of Romanian spirituality and culture. All the Menaia published to date stand out through the same unique manner in which the previous translations, that they were compiled from in the transcription process, were converted, adapted and enriched with elements of local specificity to such a degree, that the resulting service book emerged as a masterpiece of Romanian language and had a profound contribution to the formation, enhancement, stylisation and fine tuning of the Romanian literary language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the pastoral letter of HG Gurie, bishop of Deva and Hunedoara, for Easter 2020, entitled The Feast of Resurrection and the „coming to himself” for every one of us. How do we prevent our children from experiencing wastes of time and failure? It is a thematic pastoral letter focused on the care of the youth and children by the Church, so that they find a spiritual sense for their lives. Life is a gift of God and we have to spend it with responsibility. This responsibility is both personal and communitarian. Especially the parents and seniors, who have a responsibility for the younger generation, both in accompanying them and in sharing the Christian values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Library of Romania is the keeper of an important collection of old Romanian periodicals, its assignation ending in 2014, being composed of over 1,100 titles between 1790-1953. It had several sources of completion: initially consisting of a small number of publications belonging to the Brătianu and St. Georges collections, then, between 1970-1987 through purchases from antique shops, and the rest of the collection coming from scattered, funds from various sources. The documents that make up this collection are: newspapers, magazines, almanacs, calendars, along with an important collection of issues from the Official Gazette from 1829-1949, etc. Distinguished, by the periodicity of their appearance there are calendars, almanacs and yearbooks, publications that played an important role in the reconstruction of the spiritual and material life of the Romanian people. One of the main missions of the National Library of Romania is to capitalize on the documentary heritage held, an activity that can be achieved in several ways related to the scientific potential and experience of well-trained staff, in multiple and various forms and possibilities. They can be grouped into three main areas: exhibitions, scientific publications and participation in national and international projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present approach is a synthesis of data, published in the field literature, concerning the spiritual life in Roman Dacia south-western area, namely the territory of the Banat. The study contains two sections: religions, presented according to the classic way relating to the origin (Greco-Roman, Oriental, Egyptian, Celto-Germanic, Thraco-Moesic), and ecclesiastic buildings (archeologically investigated, epigraphic certified or only presumed); it aims to outline and also to upgrade the image of the spiritual life in the south-western area of Dacia, on the basis of the latest discoveries and published works. We might find out the existence of a religious diversity and heterogeneity due to or correlated either with the religious policy of the imperial house, or the believers’ ethnic origin and social position. The large settlements and military centers played an important role in the spiritual life there; as from the social categories, the soldiers had a significant impact. The epigraphic monuments containing names of dignitaries from the capital of the province, or of officials coming from other towns prove the Banat integration in Roman Dacia, included the spiritual life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents itself as a brief deepening of the pneumatological discourse, in order to understand and penetrate through the eyes of faith, the mystery and the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the liturgical man. The discourse starts from man's personal experience in the life of faith, so that later, guided by the Holy Spirit, he reaches the true encounter with God in the Holy Liturgy, receiving a new existence in a new time, a new life lived in the Spirit God's. The experience of faith and the spiritual life of the believer mark man's path to the fulfillment of the times, when the Kingdom of God will receive man deified by the grace of the Holy Spirit. This perfect dynamism of the spiritual life finds its fulfillment in the Holy and Divine Liturgy, where heaven and earth unite, so that the love of God may flood all mankind. The Holy Spirit is present throughout the Holy Mass, as it is mysteriously present throughout history, from Creation to the present days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family and educational systems' main purpose is to socialize and form the personality of a child. Unfortunately, parents and teachers in most situations are distracted by alternative expectations and societal pressures: to help them become smart, competitive, rich, famous, successful, happy (etc.). Parents wish to help their children develop their abilities, talents, and self-understanding, but this desire tends to forget the importance of developing a child's character as the basic structure of their personality. Parents strive to give children a better life, but don't do enough to help children discover their spiritual lives and deepen their relationship with God. Many teachers believe that issues of spirituality are developed outside the classroom, but this writer argues that children need access to spiritual and/or religious influences for holistic development. Basic psychological experiments agree. One experiment is called “Princess Alice is watching you” and proves that children respond to invisible perceptions. The children in this experiment are told that “Alice” is watching them and will report everything they do. Although they had no evidence of “Alice’s” presence, the children behaved better when told she is watching. This experiment challenges us to meditate on how children's behavior is shaped by the belief that God is with them, watching over them, and in constant relationship with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studii Teologice is the property of Studii Teologice and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Created in a narrative symbolic key, the first cult novel of Romanian spirituality, Dimitrie Cantemir's "Historia Hieroglyphica", becomes a handbook on politics and a philosophical essay meant to substantiate that the inner freedom of the writer's consciousness guarantees the connection of historical reasons to poetic imagination. The lasting part of the novel is specific to the humanistic dimension, the discourse of the characters created behind animal masks proving to be the major means of characterisation, which turns history into a novel of ideas. The variety of linguistic registers upholds the modern aspect of the roman à clef, the reader finding oneself in front of a bas-relief of forms and movement. In the present paper we wish to highlight the elements of modernity of a work belonging to old Romanian culture while following the author's vision, the historical event and the connection between document and artistic techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Divan or the Wise Man's Parley with the World is one of Dimitrie Cantemir's fundamental works. In this work the medieval speeches and reflections on time, soul, nature or consciousness are recollected in an original way. Dimitrie Cantemir asserts man's superiority over the other creatures, places man in the center of all that exists and supports the superiority of spiritual life over the human biological condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dimitrie Cantemir loved his nation and country with devotion, even if he reigned for a very short period of time (at the confluence of the 17th and 18th centuries) and he lived abroad (Russia) most of his life. We believe that the Prince Dimitrie Cantemir tried to make use of both empires (Ottoman and Tsarist) in the interest of Moldova, even if this double game created the image of a "spy" both for the Ottoman and the Tsarist Empire. Moldova's situation in the late seventeenth century and early eighteenth century imposed a ruler who could provide border integrity and orthodox spirituality at the expense of an alternation between the two empires (one in decline, another rising). The work which he left (Description of Moldavia, The Chronicle of the Durability of the Romanians-Moldavians-Wallachians, The Hieroglyphic History, The Wise Man Parley with the world or the Life of Constantine Cantemir, named the Elder, Prince of Moldavia, Events of Cantacuzino and Brâncoveanu's families, On Consciousness etc.) are structurally "balanced, harmonious, modern" and are cornerstones of our cultural affirmation into the world. In terms of content, these works have an enormous historical, scientific, philosophical, literary, religious, geographical, ethnological and educational values, owing to the fact that the information presented belongs to a great humanist and scholar of the eighteenth century, and "his writing style combines folkinspired naturalness with ecclesiastical rhetoric and the trends of expression specific for the late humanism of Greco-Latin tradition (Dictionary of Romanian Literature from its Origins to 1900). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article investigates Antioh Cantemir's ethical conceptions, it illustrates that, in the spirit of Humanism and Enlightenment, the thinker and poet eulogized virtue, the devotion to the public welfare, he advocated the idea of people's equality regardless of social background, he emphasized on the importance of education and knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay argues for adopting a Christocentric vision, as opposed to the anthropocentric one, where man, with his reason and science, believes he can solve everything. But both A. Einstein and J.M. Keynes believed that the new issues (generated by the crisis) cannot be solved with the same thinking that caused those problems. It needs a new approach. The authors believe that a social reconstruction based on the values of secularism can only be achieved through a leap of consciousness from the anthropocentric to the Christocentric model. This implies that the human person (immersed in the secular society) lives again the joy of the presence and proximity of Christ's love in his life. The authors insist on the fact that all attempts to comfort the suffering caused by the global crisis generate depression, sorrow, despair or, what is worse, hopelessness. Alternatively, it is proposed a Christocentric vision to face this situation. In such a vision when everything falls apart around you, there is Hope. Faith, courage, despair, generosity, optimism, meaning of life, spiritual wealth are resources used in this vision. The man who believes in Christ faces all the hardships of life and stands triumphant. In such a vision, Man lives in a Divine triad in which Hope is born from Faith and manifests through Love. Therefore, in this period of crisis, the authors believe that Love (of God and our peers) must be multiplied. Only in this way there can be enhanced solidarity, compassion, philanthropy, dedication to our peers who are in need. The article highlights the ''progress in wisdom'', necessary as a response to the new issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the principal aspects of the life and activity of the great German mystic, Meister Eckhart. The principal terms of his mystique are analyzed and explained. The author also presents the historical context of Meister Eckhart's life, activity and main points of his life. As research material, the author used Meister Eckhart's preaches and the literature dedicated to this theme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his introductory text, the author, who was Ştefania Cristescu-Golopenţia's student at the beginning of the 1960s, evokes her personality and her scientific contribution, while reminiscing about special moments from the period when Şt. C.-G. was both his teacher and his class supervisor, in charge of the courses of study for him and his classmates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several important archaeological finds reveal the diversity of spiritual life in the rural area of the north Scythian limes, in the transition period to the Late Roman Empire. The most significant spiritual practices concern the continuation of ancient magic-religious manifestations, which, inter alia, claim to account for the "popular" content of Romanian Christianity. We believe and we try to prove that heathen and rustic concepts are not identical, just as the concept of "heathens" cannot define pagani, rustici and gentiles. These assertions of Christian writers are a result of the "Hebrew origin of the Christian lexicon". The investigations made in the archaeological sites in Northern Dobrudja have revealed the presence of vast rural settlements specific to the late Roman Empire (4th century AD). According to the definition given by Pârvan to this type of settlements, this is a derivation of the Early Roman Empire pagus. We think that the evolution of the indigenous Romanized villages towards the Roman pagus is the result of several factors, such as the pauperization of the rural population after the great crisis in the 3rd century AD, followed by the concentration of property, with all social and economic implications it entailed. It seems that during the Dominate, the name of pagani spreads in the rural area, due to the above-mentioned phenomenon. We can say that the archaeological investigations made in the rural sites from Northern Dobrudja confirm older opinions that the indigenous populations from the old habitat of the Getae-Dacians continues to pay special attention, even in the eve of the new Christian Era, to the magic-religious manifestations. Thus, the ancient cult of the hearth continues at the beginning of the Late Roman Empire. The act of maintaining the hearth in optimal state - proven by the multiple soldering - serves both utilitarian and magic-religious purposes. The best known hypothesis regarding these ritual practices in the rural area underlines their magical purpose, as a result of preserving, from prehistoric times, the solar cult of fire, and, by extension, of the hearth and of the home. These things, considered sacred, were revered with religious sentiment. The discovery of several ritual pits in the rural sites in Northern Dobrudja, with disconnected skeletons, mutilated cadavers deposited directly on the ground, showed another aspect of the ancient magic-religious practices maintained until the Late Roman Empire. In 1984, in the crafts centre on Valea Morilor, dated to the 4th century AD, an artefact of exceptional importance and value was found in the "owner's home", fallen next to an altar, together with burnt fragments from handmade pots - jars. The object, made of clay, is the representation of the head, neck and upper torso of an anthropomorphic idol. The technique - manual modelling of coarse clay and plastic execution of the figurine - is from the old Getae-Dacian tradition. The incomplete firing and careful finishing of the black-brownish surface made the figurine look like a polished fragment of hearth. The anthropomorphic figurines from Cârlomăneţti, published by M. Babeţ in 1977, are the only finds on Romanian territory that stylistically resemble the artefact found in Valea Morilor, despite the half millennium separating them. Both at Cârlomăneţti and Telişa, the objects are "mouthless idols" that served magic-religious purposes, despite the completely different archaeological contexts they were found in. The magical aspect of the idols from Cârlomăneţti, resulting from ancient mythical thinking, symbolizes the "silence of the dead". The male idols from Cârlomăneţti, especially those "riding", seem to suggest the local deity was a warrior, part of Latène Age iconography transmitted to the Hero-Horseman in the Roman Age. The cult of the ancestors, of the "immortal" souls is related to the - yet insufficiently known - symbolism of this deity; the cultural content was preserved in the Roman period. However, the "mouthless" idol from Telişa, on Valea Morilor, is a unique artefact on Romanian territory as plastic and magic-religious value. The context, the geographic location and the environment of this archaeological find are all special. Similar finds of heads with torsos, from Southern Ukraine, dated to the 3rd century BC-3rd century AD, were considered representations of female divinities related to the cult of fertility, part of an iconography close to that of the primitive idols from Rhodos, Cyprus and Egina, from the first half of the 5th century BC. This is an iconography spread over large areas in the Eastern and South Eastern Europe, from the 5th century BC until the 4th century AD. In the same iconography, the symbolic value of the representations can differ by area and historic period. Regarding the magical value of this type of artistic creations, Mircea Eliade said that "the gestures of the anthropomorphic figurines bore not only meaning, but also power". In the context of production activities carried out in officina on Valea Morilor, the ownercraftsman is the master of the fire he uses to change the state of materials. The presence of the "mouthless idol" inside the home of officina's home from "Hogea", represents, in our opinion, the intelligence, creative force and authority of a fire-master. Given the technique of execution and the fact it was found near an altar specific to the indigenous population, we conclude this is a local product, representing the purification through fire of the material that was at the basis of the production activities of that place. Therefore, we think that the "mouthless idol" from Valea Morilor, near Telişa, reflects the continuity of the cult of fire and all fire-related crafts and products along with the ancient cult of the hearth and of the home. To this effect, we can say that this local deity is similar to Hephaestus, the magician god of the Greeks, a patron of the craft involving fire - in other words, a specific and rarer type of magic. In the crafts centre from Valea Morilor, we assume that the image of Silvanus illustrates in the 4th century AD a particular aspect of mythological syncretism. As a result of this phenomenon, Silvanus seems to have borrowed attributions of north Pontic and Greek divinities in both conceptual and iconographic aspects. The discovery of several artefacts of North Pontic origin and the processing of ceramic objects specific to the Bosporan Kingdom (4th century AD) at the crafts centre from Teliţa-Valea Morilor, on Noviodunum territory, underlines the de facto presence of several ethnic elements from the north Pontic area, which could be the result of the political changes in the respective territories. The indigenous ethnic element is visible in the officina from Valea Morilor through numerous other local objects, such as round iron clip decorated in the centre with two intertwined wolf-headeddragons. This is an interesting artefact, as the wolf head is a Dacian totemic sign. This indicates the continuity of indigenous traditions at least until the beginning of the new Christian era. Until the victory of Christianity, the continuity of tradition Hero cults - related to redemption and immortality - is a particular phenomenon in the indigenous spirituality in the area of the north Scythian limes. The religious symbolism revealed in the iconography of this deity is a particular feature of the religious beliefs on life and death of the rural Roman populations in Dobrudja, where death is equated to re-birth. In the rural settlement from Telişa-Amza, on the burnt floor of a sanctuary - destroyed at the end of the 4th century AD, a fragment of a votive plate of the Hero-Horseman and a figurine of the Hero Hercules were found. The votive artefacts from Telişa-Amza found in an archaeological context indicating the 4th century AD represents an argument in favour of the continuity of the heathen cults in the traditional rural Roman area, as well as new proof of the intensity of the Romanization process of the indigenous population. The finds from Telişa reveal that the worship of Heroes, such as Silvanus, Hercules and the Hero- Horseman, as protectors and redeemers, continues in the rural are at the Mouths of the Danube in the 4th century AD. In the Roman period, the religious concept of redemption was added to the old Getae beliefs incorporated in the cult of the ancestors, of the immortal souls. In the context of early penetration of paleochristian ideas, the new eschatological concepts prepare the rural community for the great leap to the Christian spirituality of the 4th century, as indicated by the exceptional find of a basilica in the large rural settlement from Telişa-Amza. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

St. Gregory lists several reasons that cause ecstasy: sober intoxication, sleep awake, wound and flight of the soul. As far as the "sleep while awake" is concerned, this sleep, which always comes after such "drunkenness", shows indifference for the outside world, going as far as working off the body senses. In such a state the mind solely stays awake, while the body is like in a sleep. The image of the soul flying on the wings of the Holy Spirit in the Divinity air is strong. The idea of the soul flying on wings is found through-out early Christian literature, and a study of this concept reveals the multi-faceted background to the use of the phrase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studii Teologice is the property of Studii Teologice and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Fulfilling Man's Mission as a Mediator for the Entire World in Saint Maximus's Theology. Saint Maximus talks about the role of the work of mediation in creation as a condition for achieving deification of man and of the entire creation in and through man. Out of this work of mediation we can derive some important ideas concerning man's mission in the present context: man's relation with the others and with the entire creation is based on the pattern of the hypostatic union specific to Calcedonian Christology; fulfilling this mission reveals man's true dignity; the relationship between man and woman should develop in such a way that they can become one; the relationships between the members of the Christian family should be consummated from the eternity perspective, a fact which requires the presence of the conjugal chastity; the Christian's true life is the spiritual one; man's relation with the universe represents the basis for an ecotheology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Holy Scripture offers specific testimony regarding the presence and work of the Divine Logos in history and the possibility and responsibility of humanity to achieve deification. In Scripture, through the Lord Christ, rational truth is united and identified with personal Truth. In this sense, the words of Scripture, in addition to the presentation of past and future events, reveal Christ, renewing and animating believers in the life of the Church. Through the Divine Liturgy, the life of Christ emanating from Scripture becomes the Church's life, always alive and ever present for all who belong to Him, regardless of whichever time and place they live. From the liturgical perspective, Scripture must be seen as the path that leads one to Christ, nourished along the way by the divine food and drink that gives them life and strengthens them in their search. The Divine Liturgy lives and breathes Scripture in the most sensitive and real manner possible; therefore, the content of Divine Liturgy, one can say, is presented as a sublime "patristic commentary of Scripture." The Divine Liturgy achieves a connection between the mystical "today" of Scripture and the meaningful dimension of the liturgical "today" in the deep reality of the eternal "today" of the Kingdom of Heaven, present here and now. Among the Orthodox, Scripture not only prepares the faithful to participate in the Divine Liturgy, but the Liturgy but also spiritually empowers then to experience the wider depths of the Divine Word for greater personal discovery. There exists a reciprocal relationship between Scripture and Liturgy that is not limited to the house of worship, but extends outward in the daily lives of believers. According to the Holy Fathers, Holy Scripture must never be absent from one's spiritual life. The honor and obedience manifested in its words are identified with obedience to God. Scripture brings spiritual power and a true sense of actualized existence into the life of the Christian believer, compelling him or her to pray more fervently and personally involved in the Divine Liturgy, in private prayer, and other church offices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachings on "praxis" are highly important within the teachings of knowing God of Saint Basil the Great. The various means of knowing the Lord are a proof of the strong connection there is between this life, considered a gift from God, and eternal life in communion with God, as a result of our efforts and of the godly promise and help. The criteria of learning to know God show gnoseology as an everlasting spiritual uprise, starting with the rational understanding of knowing God. Then, continuing with the spiritual effort of purifying oneself as a premises of getting closer to God, then by means of "theoria", meaning the contemplation of the uncreated things of the Lord which gives a new dimension of knowing the Creator and, finally, of attaining divinity - a way of eternal intercommunity with God, a condition that allows any redeemed man a full knowledge of the Lord. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In its diachronic evolution, the language used in the social work field, transferred from its archaic forms and spiritual orthodox influence, into a language either exclusive and anglicized, or adapted according to medical or judicial models. Despite the central position of language in many social work activities, its meanings had been quite rarely explored at international level, much less within the Romanian space. In such a context, the existence in the field of a Babel Tower type of phenomenon, with effects in the evolution of the social work profession is both interesting and concerning. In this article we present an inventory of the ten categories of semantic inconsequentialities from the social work language as a result of specialist interviewing, of literature reference analysis, legislation, public presentations, translation, and beneficiaries' perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is an homage brought to the memory of the bishop Inochentie Micu-Klein, who triggered, ever since the beginning of his ecclesiastic career, the struggle for social and national emancipation of Romanians in Transylvania. His revendications, his theses and his arguments were reunited in a complex program in the struggle for spiritual elevation of his people. In full awareness of the fact that the fight he led was not his own, but the people's, he acted as representative of his nation, he signed his statements in the name of the clergy and of the Romanian nation, he launched an appeal to the accomplishment of his program, this appeal being addressed to the members of clergy, the synod, and his people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term "life" has filled so long existences and our consciences, but in a sense so distorted, that man could very well imagine today a perpetual life. So the emphasis fell and fell, becoming more frequent, the idea of law which man has over her. Never been asked so acute moral question as human life in recent decades, when technological development has made possible human intervention in the issues most important and most intimate of human life in what we call "bioethics". Christian perspective on life indicates that it is not certain, but is a "but" the most important and highest value. Our real life is in Christ, he one who makes us fundamentally earthly life to eternal life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Egyptians proved a constant preoccupation for the problem of death and its enigmas. This fact had an impact on their social and spiritual life, giving to it a strange and special identity. In the conception of Herodotus, the ancient historian, the Egyptians were the first people who talked about the eternity of soul. This fact was the main characteristic of their life and religion. They considered that death is only an interruption, not the end of life, and the life after this life would be full with joy and pleasure. Because of that reason, they embalmed their corpses, saving them from the destruction of time. It was considered that the mummy would have the same lifestyle in the next life as he/she had it in the anterior life. Because of that in their grave were put different things, which were considered useful for their next life… The concept of soul and death is exposed on their book named The Book of Dead. The Book of Dead is a description of the ancient Egyptian conception of the afterlife and a collection of hymns, spells and instructions to allow the deceased to pass through obstacles in the afterlife. The Book of Dead was most commonly written on a papyrus scroll and placed in the coffin or burial chamber of the deceased. When it was first discovered, The Book of Dead was thought to be an ancient Egyptian Bible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Church's teaching has been put into practice from the beginning of Christianity. The holly Apostles in their missionary work saw in everyone sons of the same God. Their teaching speaks to all ages. The same way the Apostles did, the Holly Fathers justify in their writings their attitude to include Christians of all ages. Saint Basil the Great was one of the first big teachers of the Christian world. All his life he learned in order to be able to teach others. His activity was various; all his writings constitute a special treasure with a normative character for our faith. Saint Basil the Great advises to accumulate the habituations through which thought turns to God, so that you can feel Him and serve Him entirely. The true Christian feelings demand for a permanent purification of thought and of the profound places of the soul. It is also demanding for the strengthening of reason and for the permanent awake of the difficult work to direct the spiritual life after God's will. Saint Basil the Great knew how to combine successfully the teaching of faith with the pedagogical methods used by Jesus Christ, because The Lord was for him the supreme example and that is why he became an exemplary servant. A deep and complete interpretation of Saint Basil's teaching emphasizes love as a great power of educational influence of improvement to the good deeds and of advance in the spiritual life. His profound spiritual guide activity, which he had developed with an extreme zeal, made him a brilliant representative of Christian pedagogy and a model for all the Christian teachers of our time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work traces the evolution of Jewish representation(s) of Europe since the Emancipation, focusing on the cultural image of Europe among the Eastern-European Jewish intelligentsia, in relation with the process of building a modern, national Jewish identity. The author mentions the idea of "abandoning" Europe which occurred in the Zionist ideology and in the post-Holocaust Israeli public discourse due to the impact of modern political antisemitism, and to the influence of the European national ideologies. This study discusses the new tendencies of the Israeli society and culture to "rediscover" Europe and to re-build the cultural and spiritual bridges between Israel and the post-communist Eastern Europe. Outlined in their recent books, the perspectives of two outstanding Israeli writers, such as Amos Oz and Aharon Appelfeld, are used, here, to exemplify this new approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activity of Vasile Goldis leads one to the conclusion that his European personality also bore the mark of a deep religiosity, the intertwining of his patriotism with Orthodox piety being carried to its fullest extent. Calling upon his thinking can help our Church, even today, in finding the appropriate solutions for all the many problems that torment us all. The content of the articles and addresses of Vasile Goldis familiarizes us with his thinking, which, apart from its religious and ecclesiastic tone, also proves to possess a highly theological attitude in a general social and cultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our approach aims at revealing a possible comparison between two European Romantic spirits,the English George Gordon Byron and the Romanian Dimitrie Bolintineanu from the perspective of the translator who observes and analyses a transfer of ideas and spirituality from the former to the latter poet. Some of the main characteristics of the Byronic hero ,a world traveller and a rebel against the social order are embodied by Conrad, the prototype of the Romanian Romantic hero who , like his predecessor and model chooses travelling as a means of acquiring knowledge. Their emotions and reflections about the world around them , their bitter doubts and melancholies are the main constituents of their similar Romantic profiles. These ideas are inferred by the work of many readings and translations with their specific particularities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]