Reflections on the City of Alexandria and the growth of the early Christian faith

The city of Alexandria in Egypt was and remains the centre of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, and it was one of the major centres of Christianity in the Eastern Roman Empire. St. Mark the Evangelist was the founder of the See, and the Patriarchate's emblem is the Lion of Saint Mark. It was in this city where the Christian faith was vigorously promoted, and in which Hellenic culture flourished. The first theological school of Christendom was stablished which drove catechesis and the study of religious philosophy to new heights. It was greatly supported in its quest by numerous champions of the faith and early Church Fathers such as inter-alia, Pantaenus, Clement, Dionysius, Gregory, Eusebius, Athanasius, Didymus and Origen. Both the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria and also the Coptic Church, lay claim to the ancient legacy of Alexandria. By the time of the Arab conquest of Egypt in 641 CE, the city had lost much of its significance. Today the Greek or Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria remains a very important organ the dissemination of Christianity in Africa especially due to its missionary activities. The head bishop of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa, Theodore II, and his clerics are performing meritorious works on the continent to the glory of God’s Kingdom. This article traces, albeit it in a limited sense, the history of the faith in Alexandria using a desk-top research methodology. In order to trace Alexandria’s historical development and especially its Christian religious focus, existing relevant primary and secondary data considered to be relevant was utilised including research material published in academic articles, books, bibliographic essays, Biblical and Church documents, electronic documents and websites.

The Religious and Philosophical Interpretation of Paleya Tolkovaya

Статья посвящена осмыслению опыта научного изучения и интерпретации памятника древнерусской литературы Палеи Толковой. Палея представляет собой многослойное в смысловом плане произведение, не только содержащее полемические, экзегетические и энциклопедические компоненты, но и имеющее значительное религиозно-философское наполнение. В статье рассмотрены также апологетические и миссионерские смыслы, которые можно обнаружить в тексте Палеи. Сделан вывод, что текст Палеи Толковой по своему характеру представляет собой произведение в большей степени утверждающее и защищающее православную веру, чем полемизирующее. Богословские идеи, содержащиеся в этом произведении, выдержаны в духе и традиции антиохийской богословской школы, и апологетические посылы текста подтверждены экзегезой священных книг, подкреплённой святоотеческой традицией и апокрифическими сказаниями. The paper aims to summarise the experience of studying and interpreting the piece of ancient Russian literature Paleya Tolkovaya. Paleya is a complex semantic text containing polemical, exegetical, and encyclopedic components. Moreover, it has significant religious and philosophical content. Particularly, the paper discusses the apologetic and missionary meanings which can be found in the text of Paleya. The key conclusion of the paper is that the text of Paleya Tolkova is rather affirmative and defending than a polemic piece of literary art in its attitude to Orthodox faith. The theological ideas contained in the text are sustained in the spirit and traditions of the Antiochian theological school, and the apologetic messages of the text are confirmed by the exegesis of the sacred books, supported by the patristic tradition and apocryphal legends.

ORTHODOX MONASTERIES OF UKRAINE CENTERS OF EDUCATION AND PREPARATION OF WOMEN FOR SPIRITUAL AND MORAL EDUCATION OF CHILDREN (XIX EARLY XX CENTURY)

The article reveals and analyzes the leading trends in the preparation of women for the spiritual and moral education of children of this period, reveals the main purpose, process, content and objectives of training. It is highlighted at which monasteries of Ukraine at that time there were women’s educational institutions where girls were prepared for the spiritual and moral upbringing of children. The historical digression clearly shows us that for centuries the centers of spiritual education, culture and education were Orthodox monasteries. In the XIX - early XX centuries. at the monasteries of Ukraine there is a rapid development of educational institutions for girls, mostly of spiritual condition. The first such institutions were: a school for orphans of the clergy at the Odessa Michael the Archangel Monastery (1844) and a theological school for girls of the clergy at the Lebedinsky Nikolaev Monastery (1859). At that time, monastic educational institutions were divided into two categories. The first category included institutions under the “patronage” of the Empress Mary, the second - schools that were subordinate to the Holy Synod, under the management of the diocesan elders and the care of local clergy and the abbess of the monastery.These educational institutions differed in goals, organization of internal regulations, curricula, staff, rights of officials and material support, but had a common goal: to give girls an education that would meet their purpose: on the one hand, to act as a wife, and with another is to become an educated mother who raises her children in a spiritual and moral environment and a housewife. Thanks to the “Statute of Women’s Diocesan Schools” of 1868, graduates received the title of “Home Teacher”, which gave them the right to teach.It is important to emphasize that the first monastic women’s theological educational institutions were planned as three-class -with a two-year course of each class. The compulsory subjects that the girls were to study included: the Law of God (short catechism and sacred history), church singing, reading, Slavic and Russian languages, short grammar, arithmetic (up to the “triple rule”), short Russian history and geography, teaching needlework and housekeeping. The main task of the monastery school was to educate the heart and will, which should strive for good. The life of the soul is determined by the heart and concentrated in it, and the will, directed to good and guided by conscience, is the basis of the moral character of man. Good upbringing indicates successful learning.

The Will and the Presence of Human Being in Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’ari’s Thought: Explaining the Relation between Human and God in Kalam Discourse

This article tries to problematize the mainstream academic perspectives about fatalistic orientation and predetermined will of mankind attributed to the thoughts of Abu al-Hasan al-Asy’ari, founder of theological school in Islam named after his name. Benefited from phenomenological approach it proves that Ash’ari has conceptualized that mankind is free creature represented by his/her will as it is related to the will of God. This article argues that Ash’ari’s assertion that humankind has freedom is based on the fact that he/she has ability to feel the presence of the will in his/her consciousness as something belongs to him/her. Departing from the logic of Arabic linguistics, freedom is defined as free will found in human being regardless of whether it is created by mankind or by God. Knowing that human will is created by God theologically doesn’t mean that the will is predetermined in the state of consciousness due to the fact that al-Qur’an states that God has created a feeling of freedom for human being to feel free not to feel being determined. Since the conception of being is elucidated linguistically by Ash’ari as being found by finder, this projection has firmly been compatible with projection of phenomenological consciousness. This article ends with conclusion that the feeling of will in the sense of consciousness of it manifests human freedom without neglecting the will of God. This relation of two wills has enabled human being to be aware of his/her freedom and God’s one as unseparated dualism in human religious experience. [Artikel ini mencoba untuk melakukan problematisasi atas pandangan para sarjana mainsntream dalam diskursus teologi yang menyatakan bahwa pemikiran Abu al-Hasan al-Asy’ari, pendiri mazhab Asy’ariah, adalah fatalistik. Lebih lanjut, artikel ini ingin membuktikan bahwa pemikiran Asy’ari mempunyai perhatian yang besar terhadap kebebasan manusia yang direpresentasikan oleh adanya kehendak manusia yang berelasi dengan kehendak Tuhan dengan pendekatan fenomenologis. Artikel ini menjelaskan bahwa Asy’ari menegaskan kebebasan manusia dengan argumentasi bahwa ia mempunyai kehendak yang hadir dalam kesadarannya dan dinisbatkan kepadanya; orang yang berkehendak adalah orang yang mempunyai kehendak tanpa melihat siapa yang mewujudkan kehendak tersebut. Meskipun Tuhan menciptakan kehendak untuk manusia, tapi secara sadar kehendak itu dinisbatkan manusia. Pandangan Asy’ari tentang kehendak dan kebebasan manusia didasarkan pada logika Bahasa Arab dengan menyatakan bahwa eksistensi adalah wujud yang ditemu oleh manusia yang menemukan, mempunyai kesesuaian dengan fenomenologi yang menyatakan bahwa eksistensi adalah relasi kesadaran manusia terhadap wujud. Dalam konteks ini, kehendak merupakan bukti yang paling kuat atas eksistensi manusia yang bebas. Artikel ini berkesimpulan bahwa dalam pandangan Asy’ari manusia adalah makhluk yang bebas melalui kehendaknya tanpa harus mengkorbankan kehendak Tuhan. Lebih lanjut kehendak manusia dan Tuhan merupakan dualisme kesadaran eksistensialisme yang tak bisa dipisahkan dalam pengalaman kemanusiaan religius.]

Breed se verstaan van ’n bybelse pastorale model: ’n Verkennende, beskrywende perspektief

Breed’s understanding of a biblical pastoral model: An exploratory, descriptive perspective. This article was aimed at providing a perspective on Professor Gert Breed’s theoretical contribution to pastoral studies by exploring and describing his understanding of a biblical pastoral model. Breed’s model is the product of decades of research, practical experience as a minister in the Reformed Churches in South Africa and over a decade of theoretical knowledge and experience in training and tertiary academic education. Breed’s model currently forms the foundation of and framework for Reformed Churches in South Africa (RCSA) (Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika [GKSA]) candidate students’ training in pastoral studies at the Theological School in Potchefstroom, as well as for equipping other prospective practitioners for pastoral ministry. Although Breed has been using this model with great success in his own ministry, as well as in tertiary training, a comprehensive perspective on his model had not yet been published.Contribution: The aim of this article was therefore to provide an explorative and descriptive perspective on the content of Breed’s understanding of a biblical pastoral model.

Personality and Peak Performance on Commitments Organization of Theological High Schools in West Java Region II Bogor

<p>The commitment of lecturers as indicated in their loyalty and performance plays a very important role in achieving organizational goals. The researcher formulates the problem as follows;. What is the personality of the theological school lecturer in West Java? 2. How is the performance of theological school lecturers in West Java? 3. How is the commitment of theological school lecturers in West Java? 4. How much influence does the personality and performance of the lecturers have on the organizational commitment of theological school in West Java? The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of personality, lecturer performance on commitment to the theological school lecturer organization in West Java. 124 lecturers who were sampled were taken from 8 theological schools in region II Bogor. Data collection techniques obtained by conducting interviews. The data were analyzed using quantitative methods, descriptive statistics, linkert scale and path analysis. Then the results show that there is a positive direct effect of personality on organizational commitment by having a positive direct influence on the path coefficient ρ31 = 0.169, Lecturer performance on organizational commitment with a positive direct effect by having a positive direct influence on the coefficient ρ32 = 0.267, Dosendan performance and personality. performance together against organizational commitment ρ32 = 0.436. So the conclusion is that the personality and high performance of the lecturers greatly influence organizational commitment</p>

Personality and Peak Performance on Commitments Organization of Theological High Schools in West Java Region II Bogor

<p>The commitment of lecturers as indicated in their loyalty and performance plays a very important role in achieving organizational goals. The researcher formulates the problem as follows;. What is the personality of the theological school lecturer in West Java? 2. How is the performance of theological school lecturers in West Java? 3. How is the commitment of theological school lecturers in West Java? 4. How much influence does the personality and performance of the lecturers have on the organizational commitment of theological school in West Java? The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of personality, lecturer performance on commitment to the theological school lecturer organization in West Java. 124 lecturers who were sampled were taken from 8 theological schools in region II Bogor. Data collection techniques obtained by conducting interviews. The data were analyzed using quantitative methods, descriptive statistics, linkert scale and path analysis. Then the results show that there is a positive direct effect of personality on organizational commitment by having a positive direct influence on the path coefficient ρ31 = 0.169, Lecturer performance on organizational commitment with a positive direct effect by having a positive direct influence on the coefficient ρ32 = 0.267, Dosendan performance and personality. performance together against organizational commitment ρ32 = 0.436. So the conclusion is that the personality and high performance of the lecturers greatly influence organizational commitment</p>

trouwe vriend van Hongarije: Ds. Han Munnik (1884–1969)

From 1921 on, the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands had a study fund, especially for Hungarian students. Until the Second World War, about 40 students studied with funding from that scholarship, neatly distributed between the Free University and the Theological School in Kampen. The chairman of the fund was Prof. F.W. Grosheide (1881–1972) of the Free University, its secretary was Rev. H.A. Munnik (1884–1969), from Zwolle. Both were involved in the fund from 1921 on, Grosheide retired in 1952, Munnik a few years later. Munnik became an honorary member of the Association of Hungarian Pastors and Honorary Professor in Debrecen (1938), Grosheide became Honorary Doctor in Sárospatak (1931), Debrecen (1938), and Budapest (1946). This indicates their significance for the Hungarian ministerial corps and for the contacts between Hungary and the Netherlands in those years.

THE SEMITIC SCHOOL OF CHRISTIAN PATRISTICS

The Jewish community of Antioch was not monolithic. Communities of different currents tended to gather separately. Apparently, some of them, having received the news of the coming of the Messiah from the apostles, became the first centers of Christianity in Antioch, providing the basis for the future theological school. Such Semitic features of Antiochian patristics as literalism, historicism, and a kind of mystical materialism provoked criticism from other schools. On the other hand, Aramaic-speaking Christians could rightly call the Hebrew-Aramaic Bible "our Scriptures." As heirs to Old Testament prophets and legislators, Syrian apologists addressed the "Greeks" in a paternal tone. Theophilus of Antioch and Theodore of Mopsuestia even show a direct dependence on the rabbinic tradition of interpretation.