Abstract This study concerns the issue of monastic incarceration of members of the Old Calendarist Orthodox Church in interwar Romania. The practice of incarcerating individuals in Orthodox monasteries was common across Orthodox Eastern Europe, especially in Imperial Russia. Even though this constitutes a neglected aspect of Romanian history, monastic incarceration seems to have been a practice that affected the Old Calendarist communities during the interwar period. When the Old Calendarists were seen as a threat to the Romanian state and the Orthodox Church, the Holy Synod decided, in October 1936, that the fate of the Old Calendarist nuns and monks was to be arrested and sent to detention at isolated sketes. There they were put to work and forced to accept the new style calendar. The archives of the secret police, as well as the National Archives of Romania, preserve various documents in the form of letters, postcards, declarations, and Gendarmerie reports which prove that monastic incarceration of Old Calendarist believers was a phenomenon that extended during a longer period of time and involved at least four Orthodox Monasteries in the country.
{"title":"“They Must be Brought to the Right Path”: Monastic Incarceration of Old Calendarist Believers in Interwar Romania","authors":"Iuliana Cindrea-Nagy","doi":"10.2478/ress-2023-0019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/ress-2023-0019","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study concerns the issue of monastic incarceration of members of the Old Calendarist Orthodox Church in interwar Romania. The practice of incarcerating individuals in Orthodox monasteries was common across Orthodox Eastern Europe, especially in Imperial Russia. Even though this constitutes a neglected aspect of Romanian history, monastic incarceration seems to have been a practice that affected the Old Calendarist communities during the interwar period. When the Old Calendarists were seen as a threat to the Romanian state and the Orthodox Church, the Holy Synod decided, in October 1936, that the fate of the Old Calendarist nuns and monks was to be arrested and sent to detention at isolated sketes. There they were put to work and forced to accept the new style calendar. The archives of the secret police, as well as the National Archives of Romania, preserve various documents in the form of letters, postcards, declarations, and Gendarmerie reports which prove that monastic incarceration of Old Calendarist believers was a phenomenon that extended during a longer period of time and involved at least four Orthodox Monasteries in the country.","PeriodicalId":267433,"journal":{"name":"Review of Ecumenical Studies Sibiu","volume":"20 1","pages":"277 - 296"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139352440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract This study aims to display a less known part of Spiru Haret’s activity: his vision and efforts for reforming the activity of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Alongside its traditional, Liturgical activity, Haret proposed a larger involvement of the clergy in the social problems of their communities. Therefore, alongside school teachers, the priests had the duties of establishing and/or supporting local associations, clubs and committees active in domains like education, morals, culture, hygiene and even economics. The aim of Haret’s initiative was to modernise Romanian society by raising its culture, morality and financial independence, especially for the peasants, who constituted the huge majority of the Romanian pre-war society. According to his perspective, the mission of the Church couldn’t be limited just to its theological and liturgical spectrums, as it should also target the extra-liturgical environment in which the parishioners lived their earthly lives.
{"title":"The Social Theology of Spiru Haret","authors":"Ionel Moldovan","doi":"10.2478/ress-2023-0018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/ress-2023-0018","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study aims to display a less known part of Spiru Haret’s activity: his vision and efforts for reforming the activity of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Alongside its traditional, Liturgical activity, Haret proposed a larger involvement of the clergy in the social problems of their communities. Therefore, alongside school teachers, the priests had the duties of establishing and/or supporting local associations, clubs and committees active in domains like education, morals, culture, hygiene and even economics. The aim of Haret’s initiative was to modernise Romanian society by raising its culture, morality and financial independence, especially for the peasants, who constituted the huge majority of the Romanian pre-war society. According to his perspective, the mission of the Church couldn’t be limited just to its theological and liturgical spectrums, as it should also target the extra-liturgical environment in which the parishioners lived their earthly lives.","PeriodicalId":267433,"journal":{"name":"Review of Ecumenical Studies Sibiu","volume":"55 1","pages":"263 - 276"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139352636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fr. Alexander Schmemann’s Liturgical Theology and the Need for Mystagogy in the Church Today","authors":"Job Getcha","doi":"10.2478/ress-2023-0107","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/ress-2023-0107","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":267433,"journal":{"name":"Review of Ecumenical Studies Sibiu","volume":"15 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132173675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate’s liturgical renewal movement has a spontaneous character, but without a well-defined agenda. This paper examines some of the reflections from renowned Romanian theologians about the liturgical renewal in the Orthodox Church and explores how they define the notion of liturgical reform, how they perceive the idea of change in worship, and what a liturgical renewal might look like. Moreover, it examines some concrete reforms that have already been put into practice, but without specific authorization from the Romanian Church hierarchy. The purpose of this approach is to find a starting point for an official synodal and academic debate on the possibility to implement a systematic liturgical reform at an institutional level.**
{"title":"Liturgical Renewal in Contemporary Orthodox Thought in Romania: A Preliminary Assessment","authors":"Mihail K. Qaramah","doi":"10.2478/ress-2023-0103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/ress-2023-0103","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate’s liturgical renewal movement has a spontaneous character, but without a well-defined agenda. This paper examines some of the reflections from renowned Romanian theologians about the liturgical renewal in the Orthodox Church and explores how they define the notion of liturgical reform, how they perceive the idea of change in worship, and what a liturgical renewal might look like. Moreover, it examines some concrete reforms that have already been put into practice, but without specific authorization from the Romanian Church hierarchy. The purpose of this approach is to find a starting point for an official synodal and academic debate on the possibility to implement a systematic liturgical reform at an institutional level.**","PeriodicalId":267433,"journal":{"name":"Review of Ecumenical Studies Sibiu","volume":"62 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123008850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Book Reviews: Aaron Michael Butts and Simcha Grossohr (eds.), Jews and Syriac Christians. Intersections across the First Millennium. Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism 180, Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck 2020, 350 + XII p. ISBN: 978-3-16-159134-1","authors":"Cătălin-Ștefan Popa","doi":"10.2478/ress-2023-0111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/ress-2023-0111","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":267433,"journal":{"name":"Review of Ecumenical Studies Sibiu","volume":"120 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128056809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The birth of liturgical research in Russia is a phenomenon that deserves careful study. The development of liturgical studies took place mainly in the Theological (Spiritual) Academies of St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kyiv and Kazan. The publication of liturgical source materials was the first step towards the establishment of an independent scientific school of liturgical studies in Russia. Thanks to Nikolai Krasnoseltsev, Ivan Mansvetov, Alexei Dmitrievskij, Ivan Karabinov and other prominent liturgists, we have a number of outstanding treatises on the liturgy of the East and West, the Typicon, both of Greek and Russian liturgical traditions, the Sacramental rites and other orders grown out of use. At present, the considerable range of matters addressed in these studies is poorly recognized, although the hypotheses of Russian scholars and their gains in methodology anticipated some of the achievements of the liturgists in the second half of the 20th century.
礼仪研究在俄罗斯的诞生是一个值得认真研究的现象。礼仪研究的发展主要发生在圣彼得堡、莫斯科、基辅和喀山的神学(精神)学院。礼仪源材料的出版是在俄罗斯建立独立的礼仪研究科学学派的第一步。由于Nikolai Krasnoseltsev, Ivan Mansvetov, Alexei Dmitrievskij, Ivan Karabinov等杰出的礼仪学家,我们有了许多关于东西方礼仪的杰出论文,希腊和俄罗斯礼仪传统的典型,圣礼仪式和其他已被废弃的命令。目前,尽管俄罗斯学者的假设和他们在方法论上的收获预示了20世纪下半叶礼仪学家的一些成就,但这些研究中所涉及的相当广泛的问题却没有得到充分的认识。
{"title":"The Discipline of Historical Liturgics in Russia: From «Unhappy Step-daughter» to Full-fledged Scholarly Discipline","authors":"Z. Dashevskaya","doi":"10.2478/ress-2023-0104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/ress-2023-0104","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The birth of liturgical research in Russia is a phenomenon that deserves careful study. The development of liturgical studies took place mainly in the Theological (Spiritual) Academies of St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kyiv and Kazan. The publication of liturgical source materials was the first step towards the establishment of an independent scientific school of liturgical studies in Russia. Thanks to Nikolai Krasnoseltsev, Ivan Mansvetov, Alexei Dmitrievskij, Ivan Karabinov and other prominent liturgists, we have a number of outstanding treatises on the liturgy of the East and West, the Typicon, both of Greek and Russian liturgical traditions, the Sacramental rites and other orders grown out of use. At present, the considerable range of matters addressed in these studies is poorly recognized, although the hypotheses of Russian scholars and their gains in methodology anticipated some of the achievements of the liturgists in the second half of the 20th century.","PeriodicalId":267433,"journal":{"name":"Review of Ecumenical Studies Sibiu","volume":"15 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114236504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Schmemann’s harsh judgement of the antiphons of Holy Friday matins invites us to consider the role of hymnography in the liturgical celebration. By analysing the historical context of the appearance of the antiphons – according to the methodology proposed by Schmemann – it is possible to consider the way in which these hymns make use of scriptural material by means of patristic intertextuality. The hymns privilege some biblical interpretations in order to encourage the believer to join in the participation in the Kingdom. This parenetic bias, however, often masks the eschatological message contained in the hymns themselves, and even degenerates into denunciatory rhetoric. It is then necessary to recontextualize the functions of hymnography to actualize it, especially by questioning its relationship to Scripture in order to refocus on the theological message.
{"title":"Reflecting with Schmemann on the Functions of Byzantine Hymnography: The Case of the 15 Antiphons during Holy Friday Matins","authors":"Olga Lossky-Laham","doi":"10.2478/ress-2023-0102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/ress-2023-0102","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Schmemann’s harsh judgement of the antiphons of Holy Friday matins invites us to consider the role of hymnography in the liturgical celebration. By analysing the historical context of the appearance of the antiphons – according to the methodology proposed by Schmemann – it is possible to consider the way in which these hymns make use of scriptural material by means of patristic intertextuality. The hymns privilege some biblical interpretations in order to encourage the believer to join in the participation in the Kingdom. This parenetic bias, however, often masks the eschatological message contained in the hymns themselves, and even degenerates into denunciatory rhetoric. It is then necessary to recontextualize the functions of hymnography to actualize it, especially by questioning its relationship to Scripture in order to refocus on the theological message.","PeriodicalId":267433,"journal":{"name":"Review of Ecumenical Studies Sibiu","volume":"152 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121389881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Book Reviews: Chad M. Rimmer und Cheryl M. Peterson, Hrg. Wir glauben an den Heiligen Geist. Lutherische Identitäten aus weltweiter Perspektive. LWB-Dokumentation 63, Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt Leipzig 2022, 352, ISBN: 2022ISBN 978-3-374-07089-3","authors":"H. Pitters","doi":"10.2478/ress-2023-0110","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/ress-2023-0110","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":267433,"journal":{"name":"Review of Ecumenical Studies Sibiu","volume":"29 3 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133635486","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pope Benedict XVI: “Lord, I love You!”","authors":"Wilhelm Dancă","doi":"10.2478/ress-2023-0108","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/ress-2023-0108","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":267433,"journal":{"name":"Review of Ecumenical Studies Sibiu","volume":"22 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124034956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Orthodox Church was compelled to move its worship to online platforms. What does such a shift mean in terms of liturgical theology and ontology? To what extent, and in what sense, is participation possible online? How does the virtual space function as a liturgical space? What kind of ontological and aesthetic problems are involved? Orthodox theologians have not yet developed answers to such questions. This paper approaches the problem in the light of Pseudo-Dionysian ontology, supplemented by Alexander Schmemann’s ideas, proposing that virtual worship offers a new sub-category of liturgical reality that reflects the higher forms of reality. To paraphrase the words of Pseudo-Dionysius, cyberspace constitutes a medium in which “like represents like,” though it uses formations that are “even entirely inadequate and ridiculous.”
{"title":"A Sacred Cyberspace? Towards the Ontology of Virtual Worship","authors":"Serafim Seppälä","doi":"10.2478/ress-2023-0106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/ress-2023-0106","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Orthodox Church was compelled to move its worship to online platforms. What does such a shift mean in terms of liturgical theology and ontology? To what extent, and in what sense, is participation possible online? How does the virtual space function as a liturgical space? What kind of ontological and aesthetic problems are involved? Orthodox theologians have not yet developed answers to such questions. This paper approaches the problem in the light of Pseudo-Dionysian ontology, supplemented by Alexander Schmemann’s ideas, proposing that virtual worship offers a new sub-category of liturgical reality that reflects the higher forms of reality. To paraphrase the words of Pseudo-Dionysius, cyberspace constitutes a medium in which “like represents like,” though it uses formations that are “even entirely inadequate and ridiculous.”","PeriodicalId":267433,"journal":{"name":"Review of Ecumenical Studies Sibiu","volume":"40 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128642579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}