Search

Family constituted and still constitutes until today, an important segment of the society. In this research we will try to see how it is reflected its image in the works of one of the most important writers from the Romanian exile, namely Virgil Gheorghiu (1916-1992). Novels with autobiographical content like: The man who was travelling alone, together with the memorial writings, will constitute important sources of our investigation, together with the studies and articles dedicated to him during the time. We will try to emphasize on one side what his family meant to him and on the other, how he saw the family and understood it and its social, cultural and religious role. The research will bring into attention an aspect of the life and the work of the Romanian writer that has not been investigated until now and in the same time, to emphasize the aspects of actuality that can be found there.

This article examines the contribution to ecumenical dialogue of Ion Bria, an important Romanian theological and ecumenical personality. The value of his approaches is demonstrated by the fact that many contemporary authors start their research from his ideas, such as the concept oj the 'liturgy after the liturgy,' of which he was a significant proponent, and which are still relevant to ecumenical dialogue. At the time they were first proposed, they shifted ecumenical dialogue. Bria was also a good and careful observer of ecumenical and pan-Orthodox reality. He presented with objectivity the reality from his home space and made valuable comparisons between his spirituality and other confessional approaches, offering new topics of dialogue and creating bridges between churches. Keywords liturgy after the liturgy, Orthodoxy, communism, dialogue with Orthodox churches, missiolog y, The year 2019 marks the 90th anniversary of the birth of Father Ion Bria, who is, as far as Romanian theology is concerned, one of the most important Orthodox thinkers [...]

An important personality of the Catholic space of the 20th century and, at the same time, of the ecumenical and the inter-religious, Thomas Merton (1915-1968) is one of the most important authors of spiritual autobiographies in the Christian space. Knowing this and the fact that from other points of view, his work has been investigated by different researchers from all around the world, we will try to present the aspects of the political theology which can be found in works such as: The Seven Storey Mountain (1948), The Sign of Jonas (1953), among others, which he wrote and which contain passages of spiritual autobiographies. These works emphasise aspects such as his attitude towards racism (a problem which he encountered in the America of the 1960s), war or Communism (because of the fact that before he studied at Columbia University, but also during this period, he also sympathised with the Communists). The author will therefore try to present some practical aspects of his works, and show how they can be used to create bridges between society and church; the answer he gives to the challenges of his time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Romanian Archimandrite Andrei Scrima was an important worldwide theological personality. His activity as a kind of ambassador of the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras to the Second Vatican Council, together with his publications, conferences and activity as a professor, transformed him into a voice that was almost always trusted. His attitudes and speeches that criticized the Romanian Communist regime made him also to be seen as an enemy by Bucharest's government. In this context, the Securitate was interested in his ecumenical activity and in his ideas regarding the ecumenism and the potential role of the Romanian Orthodox Church there, trying also to see if his theological ideas were related to the political world and contained criticisms of the dictatorial regime or its relationship with the Church. In this paper, we will describe how his ecumenical activity is described in the Securitate Archives. Due to the fact that file no. 00005468 contains the most important information regarding this topic, the main references cited in the paper are extracted from this source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nicolas Berdyaev's spiritual autobiography was, unfortunately, the least well-known of his publications. Therefore, we will try to shed light on it, emphasising its philosophical and political value. We will describe the manner in which the author speaks in order to deepen our understanding of it. We will also consider the genesis of some of his works, noting the influence his spiritual experiences had on them. We will emphasise some of the main political aspects his spiritual autobiography contains, showing its usefulness in areas like political theology. Therefore, we will present the interdisciplinary value of this autobiography, together with its potential for building bridges between spirituality and different areas of science (theology, psychology, philosophy, politics, history, philology and possibly sociology) in an analysis dedicated to providing a holistic understanding of his work. We will observe how his spiritual experiences informed his way of thinking, allowing him to critique topics like modernity, a system based on freedom, love and human dignity and a profound understanding of eschatology as the accomplishment of the world and its mission. Contribution: The research investigates Berdyaev's memorial work showing why it can be considered a spiritual autobiography and it emphasises also its relevance for the philosophical area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite its importance for the understanding of ideas and the genesis of Nicholas Berdiaev's works, his spiritual autobiography, written at the end of his life, has not been fructified enough by contemporary research until today. Therefore, this research aims at bringing it into attention and emphasising the aspects of political theology it contains. The author investigates elements such as the philosopher's eschatological notes, his conception about freedom and slavery or about the superior human condition, trying to see how they influence his representation of political theology. Moreover, he links his political and religious attitudes, in an attempt not only to identify the context in which his ideas regarding this topic were born and to find influences of the context in which he lived, but also to emphasise the contemporary dimension of his way of thinking and the place the topic holds in his spiritual autobiography. For this purpose, he also uses the works of the aforementioned philosopher, the book reviews and dictionary entries dedicated to his autobiography, as well as the books, articles and reviews dedicated to Berdiaev and his work, starting from his lifetime and up to these days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents, on the basis of oral history testimonies, documents, archives and books dedicated to this theme, the situation of the town of Salva (Bistriţa-Nasaud county) during communism. The main elements which the communists had in mind during their oppression were: the purge of political opposition, made up mainly of members from the National Peasants' Party, the purge of kulaks or wealthy peasants (in Salva there were only two people who fitted within this category), and collectivization. Regarding the first procedure, the communists incarcerated their opponents; in the second case, extremely high quotations were imposed, and in the case of collectivization, the most fertile lands of the town were nationalized. However the communist plans didn't work out as they were conceived, aspect emphasized in this study. Thus, one member of the Resistance avoided incarceration and hid for 18 years from the sight of the communist authorities, others despite their imprisonment never denied their political beliefs. In the case of those that joined the communist collectives, they boycotted its smooth operation, managing to obtain its abolition and the return of their lands in less than a decade. Regarding the kulaks or wealthy peasants, despite the obstacles, they carried on with their life. All these elements, along with other unique information comprising the contemporary history of Salva, are highlighted in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on information offered by the archives of the former Romanian Securitate, this paper presents the way in which the image and actions of Fr. Andre Scrima, one of the most important Romanian theologians from abroad (and the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras to the Second Vatican Council), were a topic of interest for the aforementioned surveillance institution during the Romanian Communist regime. At the same time, the emphasis was on the relevance of the ecumenical area for the regime of Bucharest and its interest in using it in order to create the illusion of democracy and freedom. Ninety-five years after the birth of the Romanian theologian, who was not only the disciple of the Romanian Patriarch Justinian and of the aforementioned Greek Patriarch but also an important writer, professor, and abbot, this article aims to bring attention to his life and work, and to provide an investigation into an aspect of his biography which has not been investigated by contemporary researchers from the fields of theology and history until now. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]