THE ORTHODOX IDEALS OF THE "SILVER AGE" OF RUSSIAN POETRY: A. BLOK'S "POEMS ABOUT RUSSIA", N. GUMILEV'S "QUIVER"

В статье исследуются православные идеалы А. А. Блока и Н. С. Гумилёва, ярких представителей поэтического поколения конца 19 - начала 20 века, изучавших Закон Божий, в котором излагались общечеловеческие принципы мирного существования людей планеты Земля. Нагорная проповедь Иисуса Христа для поэтов - Новозаветный закон любви о путях и делах, через которые человек сможет войти в Царство Божие, то есть спасти свою душу. Для Блока и Гумилёва божественный «кодекс» совести не утратил своей актуальности: о неосуждении («Не судите, и не будете судимы; не осуждайте, и не будете осуждены»), о прощении («Прощайте, и прощены будете»), о любви к врагам («Любите врагов ваших, благословляйте проклинающих вас, благотворите ненавидящих вас и молитесь за обижающих вас и гонящих вас, да будете сынами Отца вашего Небесного»), об отношении к ближним («Во всём, как хотите, чтобы с вами поступали люди, так поступайте и вы с ними»), о силе молитвы («Просите, и дано будет вам; ищите и найдёте; стучите, и отворят вам») [Библия, 1990, с. 4 - 8] и другие заповеди. The article examines the Orthodox ideals of A. Blok and N. Gumilyov, prominent representatives of the poetic generation of the late 19 - early 20 centuries, who studied the Law of God, which set out the universal principles of the peaceful existence of people on our planet Earth. The sermon on the mount of Jesus Christ for poets is the new Testament law of love about the ways and works through which a person can enter the Kingdom of God, that is, save his soul. For Blok and Gumilyov, the Divine "code" of conscience has not lost its relevance: about non - condemnation ("do not judge, and do not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned"), forgiveness ("Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven"), love for enemies ("Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be sons of your Father in Heaven"), the attitude towards the others ("In everything as want that with you people acted, so do you also to them"), about the power of prayer ("Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you") and the other commandments [1, p. 4 - 8].

Makna Kata τέλειος Dalam Injil Matius 5:48 Dan Implikasinya Bagi Orang Percaya

Matthew 5:17-48 is part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, where it is the deepest reflection of God's law which contrasts sharply with the patterns and teachings of the scribes and Pharisees. This passage concludes with Jesus' mandate to His followers to be perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect (5:48). The word perfect in this text is translated from the Greek word τέλειος which can actually be translated as perfect, complete or mature. The difference in interpretation of the meaning of the word τέλειος has led to several different thoughts and doctrines. In Matthew 5:48's research, the author uses general hermeneutic principles to find the meaning or meaning conveyed by the author to the first reader. This research used the critical historical interpretation method. In addition, the author also uses library research methods, by reading books, journals and investigating books related to the discussion of this scientific work. Based on the description of this scientific work, the authors draw the following conclusions: first, the meaning of the word τέλειος in Matthew 5:48 does not refer to a sinless perfect state, but rather to the meaning of completeness. Second, the example of life for believers is God himself, not others. Third, the command to be perfect like God is not an impossible thing for God's people to do. Fourth, completeness like God can only be experienced if humans have an intimate relationship with God. Fifth, Jesus calls His people to be complete in fellowship. Abstrak: Matius 5:17-48 merupakan bagian dari khotbah Yesus di bukit, dimana isinya merupakan refleksi terdalam terhadap hukum Allah yang sangat kontras dengan pola dan ajaran ahli-ahli Taurat dan orang-orang Farisi. Perikop ini diakhiri dengan amanat Yesus kepada para pengikut-Nya untuk menjadi sempurna sebagaimana Bapa di surga adalah sempurna (5:48). Kata sempurna dalam teks ini diterjemahkan dari kata Yunani τέλειος yang sebenarnya bisa diterjemahkan sebagai sempurna, lengkap atau dewasa. Perbedaan tafsir akan makna kata τέλειος ini kemudian memunculkan beberapa pemikiran dan doktrin yang berbeda-beda. Dalam penelitian Matius 5:48 ini penulis menggunakan prinsip-prinsip umum hermeneutik guna mencari makna atau maksud yang disampaikan penulis kepada pembaca pertama. Metode tafsir yang digunakan adalah metode tafsir historis kritis. Selain itu penulis juga menggunakan metode penelitian kepustakaan atau library research, dengan membaca buku-buku, jurnal-jurnal dan menyelidiki kitab yang berkaitan dengan bahasan karya ilmiah ini. Berdasarkan hasil uraian dari karya ilmiah ini, penulis menarik kesimpulan sebagai berikut: pertama, makna kata τέλειος dalam Matius 5:48 tidak menunjuk pada keadaan sempurna yang tanpa dosa, melainkan pada arti kelengkapan. Kedua, keteladanan hidup bagi orang percaya adalah Allah sendiri, bukan orang lain. Ketiga, perintah untuk menjadi sempurna seperti Allah bukanlah suatu hal yang mustahil untuk dilakukan umat Allah. Keempat, kelengkapan seperti Allah hanya dapat dialami jika manusia memiliki hubungan yang intim dengan Allah. Kelima, Yesus memanggil umat-Nya untuk menjadi lengkap di dalam persekutuan.

The Canticle of the Creatures as Hypotext behind Dante’s Pater Noster

The article analyses Dante’s explanatory paraphrase and exegesis of the Lord’s Prayer, which opens the eleventh canto (v. 1–24) of Purgatory. The author reminds us that the prayer is the only one fully recited in the entire Comedy and this devotional practice is in line with the Franciscan prescription to recite it in the sixth hour of the Divine Office when Christ died on the cross. The prayer is reported by the poet on the first terrace of Purgatory, where the proud and vainglorious must learn the virtue of humility, and therefore it symbolizes the perfect reciprocity between man and Godhead. Dante collates and amplifies the two complementary Latin versions of the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6: 9–13 and Luke 11: 2–4. The two synoptic texts are supplemented by the Gospel of John, from which Dante takes the concept of celestial bread (manna) – the flesh and the blood of Christ – which nourishes, liberates and sanctifies Christians. Apart from the Bible, Dante also draws upon the Augustinian and Tomistic traditions. However, the main hypotext behind the prayer, which is neither cited nor acknowledged in any explicit form in the Comedy, is the Franciscan Laudes creaturarum (“Canticle of the Creatures”), also known as the Canticle of the Brother Sun. Written in vernacular by St. Francis himself, who is also the author of the Expositio in Pater noster, the Canticle was still recited and sung together with the Lord’s Prayer in the Franciscan communities in Dante’s time. Moreover, following the parallel readings popular nowadays in Dante studies, the author argues that Purgatorio 11 may be elucidated in the context of Paradiso 11, which is the Franciscan canto par excellence, and taken together they both offset cantos 10, 11, 12 of Inferno, which are based on the sin of pride (superbia). The denunciation of pride in and around canto 11 of Inferno alludes to humility – the remedy of such pride in Purgatory 11, which in turn prepares the reader for the encounter with St. Francis – the paragon of humility – in Paradiso 11. The author concludes that the Dantean paraphrase of the Lord’s Prayer is no less than an elaborate exegesis and homage to Christ and His teachings, something which is encompassed in a nutshell in the Sermon on the Mount.

Gerhard Lohfink’s Interpretative Key to the Sermon on the Mount

The purpose of this article is to elicit and analyze the main interpretative key used by the German exegete Gerhard Lohfink in his reading of the Sermon on the Mount. It does not attempt, however, tracing in detail the scholar's interpretation of the individual passages within that biblical text. In Lohfink’s understanding, the Sermon on the Mount is not addressed directly to all people but only to those who become disciples of Jesus, and who allow themselves to be gathered as the new Israel. By living according to the message of the Sermon on the Mount, communities of disciples become a light to the world, creating a “contrast society” and thereby demonstrating to the world that human relationships can be shaped in new ways. It is only through this mediation of Christian communities that the world at large can discover the message of the Sermon on the Mount which, in the end, is not a set of abstract moral norms, but rather an indication of the way of life appropriate for the social sphere in which God reigns.

Self-Defence and a Phronetic Use of Violence: A Christian Response to Muslim-mob Attacks in Northern Nigeria

The sermon on the mount has often been used to support a nonviolent response to any form of injustice and violent attacks against Christians. This article argues that the sermon, understood in its original Old and New Testament contexts, does not necessarily support a wholesale prohibition of the use of violence. It also argues that the implicit ethical theory of the sermon – and the New Testament in general – is a combination of a virtue ethics and a divine command theory. On this premise, one is able to show that a measured use of violence for self-defence is a theologically tenable Christian response to unauthorized attacks. This measured use of violence for self-defence is qualified by a Christian phronesis or practical wisdom, which takes into full account both the teaching of Jesus on love of the enemy and the contextual or existential realities of Christians facing violent attacks in northern Nigeria.

Character Strengths Beatitudes: A Secular Application of Ancient Wisdom to Appreciate Strengths for Spiritual Happiness and Spiritual Growth

A beatitude is a blessing. It is a form of appreciation that can be directed toward others or oneself. Theologically speaking, some frame the original beatitudes from The Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew as pertaining to “spiritual happiness”, and recent scholars have offered a compelling argument that they are a call to flourishing. The focus here involves the creation and description of 24 blessings, or beatitudes, using the lens of one of the foundational and most researched areas in the sciences of flourishing, well-being, and positive psychology, which is the science of character strengths. Recent research has framed the 24 universal character strengths as spiritual strengths, hence particularly aligned for secular and nonsecular contexts of spiritual blessings. Each of the 24 character strengths was created into a blessing using the structure of the original beatitudes—with an opening description of the personal quality or attribute that is blessed and a follow-up outcome or core benefit that arises from the expression of that quality. In this way, these character strength beatitudes or character strength blessings offer an opportunity to appreciate the best positive qualities of others. These blessings are framed as primarily a mechanism of appreciating the character strengths of others, resting theoretically in both the grounding path and the sanctification path, the two types of integration of character strengths and spirituality that researchers have proposed. They are discussed, secondarily, as applied to the individual, for self-understanding, insight, and growth. These two purposes are relevant to the deepening of the spiritual journey, providing support as individuals pursue meaning in life and/or the sacred as they go deeper within themselves, up and beyond themselves, and sideways and interconnected to others. Practical applications, based in science, are discussed and point to avenues by which these character strengths beatitudes might both foster the appreciating of others’ strengths and support one’s own spiritual happiness, spiritual coping, and spiritual growth.

The Sermon on the Mount and Christian Ethics in the Nazi Bible

In 1939, scholars associated with the pro-Nazi Thüringian German Christian movement founded a research institute dedicated to the task of removing the legacy of Judaism from Christianity. The mission of the Institute for the Study and Elimination of Jewish Influence on German Church Life was to render Christianity acceptable within the antisemitic and militarized climate of National Socialism. This task required purging Christian theology of Jewish influence, a feature evident in the Institute's version of the New Testament titled The Message of God. This publication aimed to transform the religious experience of ordinary German believers and would eventually sell over 200,000 copies. This article examines material in this text as it relates to the Sermon on the Mount and concludes that, despite the apparent incongruity between Nazi ideology and New Testament ethics, the editors of the so-called ‘Nazi Bible’ believed their task to be guided by Christian ethical principles.

Difficult texts: being made perfect according to Matthew 5 and 19

Usually translated as ‘perfect’, teleios appears in Matthew’s Gospel – twice in an exhortation (in the Sermon on the Mount) to imitate our heavenly Father’s boundless love and once in an invitation to a rich young man to divest himself of his great wealth and join the disciples in following Jesus. This article explores the grounds and difficulties for Christians who embrace this imitatio Christi and imitatio Dei.

Jesus in Context

Jesus changed our world forever. But who was he and what do we know about him? David Wenham's accessible volume is a concise and wide-ranging engagement with that enduring and elusive subject. Exploring the sources for Jesus and his scholarly reception, he surveys information from Roman, Jewish, and Christian texts, and also examines the origins of the gospels, as well as the evidence of Paul, who had access to the earliest oral traditions about Jesus. Wenham demonstrates that the Jesus of the New Testament makes sense within the first century CE context in which he lived and preached. He offers a contextualized portrait of Jesus and his teaching; his relationship with John the Baptist and the Qumran community (and the Dead Sea Scrolls); his ethics and the Sermon on the Mount, his successes and disappointments. Wenham also brings insights into Jesus' vision of the future and his understanding of his own death and calling.