Ştefan LUPU: Fiinţa Bisericii la teologul ortodox Dumitru Stăniloae
In his long life and theological career, Dumitru Stăniloae (1903-1993) has treated several theological problems, that unite themselves together in the wish of helping the contemporary human being to rediscover and to free himself of the passing temptations that could alienate him. The study stops upon a theme of ecclesial nature, trying to analyze from an ontological point of view, the way Dumitru Stăniloae understands the nature and the manner in which one can express the mystery of union between Christ and his Church. Thus, it is shown that through various images of the Church that can be found in the biblical and patristical tradition, Stăniloae has a preference for the understanding of the Church as body and sacrament (mysterion) of Christ, situating himself on the line of saint Paul, and reaching the teachings of the capadocian fathers and the byzantine theology. The author of the study has given enough attention to the other ecclesial images – the Church as temple, boat, people of God – that are present in the New Testament and have been deeply studied by the saintly fathers of the Church. That is why, Father Stăniloae’s ecclesiology has an unilateral character, and it underlines only the spiritual dimension, shadowing the social and misionary dimension of the Church.