Dialog Teologic VII/14 (2004)

Dialog Teologic VII/14 (2004),
Arhitectura și muzica sacră. Aspecte pastorale, 230p., 17×24, 8 RON.

DIALOGURI

Î.P.S. Ioan ROBU
Biserica să arate a biserică. Dialog realizat de W. Dancă
It would be great if the dialogue between art and faith would be found interesting especially by those who are „specialists” in their domain, equally meaning artist and priest. In H.E. Ioan Robu’s opinion, the church must look all the time like a church; symbolic evasion, colorless architecture cannot be appeals to the mystery, cannot keep you together, linked with yourself, introvuted. New churches, true moral and spiritual guiding marks for people, on one hand, and on the other hand, ruins, churches that almost colapse represent our actual universe; lights and shadows (a very interesting point of view about relation „light”-„church”) give the challenge to have true and open churches.

P.S. Petru GHERGHEL
Biserica frumoasă este biserica plină de lume. Dialog realizat de W. Dancă
The „church” concept, in romanian language, refers, on one hand, to „the house” where the people of God is gathering, and on the other hand, to the gathering of the faithfuls itself; this dialogue is build in these two directions. The impressive number of churches and pastoral centers which were build or rebuild in the Diocese of Iassy during the communist period, in very difficult conditions, and also after 1990, it would represent nothing else than the work of the faith belonging to the generations in times gone by, if they would not be filled with people now and in the future. The walls, no matter how big and beautiful, cannot bring the worship that the people bring to the Father in spirit and truth. The church is for man and inside man; in the same way, man should be for the church and, why not, inside the church as many times possible.

Ana BLANDIANA, Romulus RUSAN
Anton Durcovici, piatră vie a Bisericii. Dialog realizat de W. Dancă
The keeping of an impressive historical arsenal, mostly unsearched, and also bringing extraordinary vestiges and important witnesses in front of the young generations, making in this way a good exercise of memory, are only two important subjects of the „Sighet Memorial”. With passion for truth and justice, with a remarkable scientifical professionalism, the authors want to tell us that the one who forgets the past is convicted to repeat it, especially in its darkest moments. The bishop Anton Durcovici, in the memory of whom we gather every 10th December, represents the gift of God for the local Church of Iassy, martyr, which means a brave confessor of the Catholic faith, who was not seduced by the temptations of people who did not need God. In this period when we face the stunning information bombardement we must not forget; more over according to possibilities and gifts that we received we must blow out the dust that covers the testimonies of our ancestors, because these testimonies speak to us.

COMUNICĂRI

Vladimir PETERCĂ
Templul de la Ierusalim
The author starts this article with an actual image of Jerusalem, where are very well represented the three major monotheist religions with their followers: jews, christians and muslims. One after another, the presentation of Jerusalem reveals both geographic location and historical, religious and political importance of David’s throne. This study presents a well documented history of Jerusalem temple building and temple evaluation during its important moments of existence. The author, after he gives us informations about Solomon, the temple’s builder, and about the building process, points out the meaning which the construction of the temple had as a birth certificate and recognition of jewish nation among the nations of Middle East. In the end it is underlined the importance of the temple and Jerusalem itself, and also the role which they had in Jews life as an image of God’s providence among them.

Gheorghe POPA
Arhitectura eclezială ortodoxă. Câteva semnificaţii simbolice şi puterea lor de edificare morală
The goal of this study is the interpretation of orthodox ecclesial architecture from its perspective of symbolic significations and their power in Christian’s moral edification. In order to demonstrate that the church is the house of God, the author presents some Church prefigurations from the Old Testament. Thus, first of all, he shows that the church is a organized and devoted space where God meets man. The community which gathers at the Holly Mass around the Chalice is the Church herself, and the presence of Christ in this community is suggested by the architecture and the paintings inside the church. In this way the author underlines the connection which exists between the faithful community and the Church. Communion with Christ in Holly Spirit, integrally lived in Church, slowly and peacefully transforms the human being. The new man is not convinced by faith, but impenetrated by it. This new person is connected with the others by faith, by deeds and by love, and it is capable to contemplate God in all creation like in a mirror.

Anton DESPINESCU
Saxa loquntur. Mărturii despre trecutul catolicilor din Moldova
The rock, an element that has a great receptivity of recording and durability, has the capacity to open beams of lights in a far away and darken past. In east of Carpathians this simple modality, but very expressive, of preserving a specific way of life, has its importance. Historical, archeological and literary analyse made by the author, dissipates a part of history’s ignorance fog over Moldavia’s Catholics identity. Great churches, such as the Cuman’s Episcopy, or those from Siret, Baia, Săbaoani and Cotnari, ruined by the passing by of time, speak about a Catholic presence in this area. Next to this impressive archeologic informations, there are also literary sources nevertheless important as well, which add their already established partiture to the archeologic harmony.

Emil DUMEA
Monumente paleocreştine din Dobrogea
Based only on archeological sources, numerous and credible, the author gives us a general point of view over Dobrogea’s paleochristian monuments, which bring informations about important and powerful Christian communities. There are analyzed not more than 14 places that had one church at least, which ruins still can be investigated. Very important is the fact that these monuments were build close related with the absolute Christian testimony, the martirage. Next to this places where the archeological traces are still visible and already have been studied, there are another 21 places which are reminded in literary sources of having Catholic communities and churches, but the archeology cannot tell us anything about them yet. In the end of this article there is an interesting point of view about the metropolitan See of Tomis and his jurisdictional and canonical importance over the other episcopal Sees of Scythia Minor.

Iosif ENĂŞOAE
Biserica, loc privilegiat de întâlnire între Dumnezeu şi poporul său
Both in Old Testament’s and in New Testament’s history we can find privileged places of meetings between God and His people. Taking over and fusing synagogue’s and temple’s reality, the Church wanted from eternity by the Father, founded by Christ at the completion of times and guided by Holly Spirit, is Christian’s sacred place, central point which concentrates and gives sense to all existence of the Christian community. In the first moment, the Church made by stone is a building that cathechizes, starting from its geographic location and ending with each architectural element that is present in it. In the second moment, the author sees the Church within divine salvation plan; the Church is a sign of God’s divine will to redeem all mankind, initiative to which the people responds through praise, gratitude and reverence. The article continues with a discourse over the Church as a sacred place of divine presence, and ends with the image of Church, seen as the hope of mankind.

Lucian FARCAŞ
Rolul cultului şi al culturii în formarea creştinului
The religion cannot be transmitted only in a cognitive or cathechetic way, because it embraces the entire human being and communicates unconditional fundamental experiences for man’s existence and for his life’s meaning, but the religion must be exposed in all the ways that are able to bring it to man and through which man can come in contact with it. The challenge released by the author is simple and, in the same time, complex and powerful: can we use today in our religious didactic presentation other ways than only those with a strict cognitive content? For example, can we searched for access ways to religious values even on esthetic and semiotic ways? The liturgy considered as a concentrate explosion of religion, life unity of contents which are meant to be learned, passing on to „the game” and to „the drama” with biblical inspiration, which are seen as a communication that passes through experience and finishing with a highly important form of spiritual teaching, which is „didactic of private religious practice”, these are just a few important points that the author proposes us in a very original and interesting analyse.

Eduard SOARE
Muzica liturgică – artă devenită rugăciune
Singing is one way through which man use to express his feelings and becomes in Christian liturgy a way of dialogue with God. To underline the importance of the music in religious life, the author makes a short historical incursion starting with Old Testament and ending with the latest documents of the Church. After this incursion, the study makes distinction between liturgical, religious and sacred music. Music has to fit in liturgy, to express the characteristics of Church: internalness, unity and communion. Religious music has to offer the means to express, to live, to transform the liturgic life into pray.

Viorel SAVA
Cântarea şi arta bisericească în tradiţia bizantină. Locul şi semnificaţiile lor în cadrul cultului divin
In the Oriental tradition, divine cult preaches dogma, protects it, expresses it in an easy language and experiments it in liturgical life. Dogma is the one that gives authority, authenticity, profundity to the liturgical prayer. Church singing and Church’s art are both component elements of the divine cult. They do not appear exteriorly in liturgical life like something added after, but in interior like elements belonging to it, and determined by it. After he makes a short review over the different history phases of Church singing, the author offer us a spiritual perspective of understanding church singing like an „angel occupation”, enumerating and explaining some of the works of the singed prayer. Going forward, it is presented an explaining panorama of ecclesiastic art signification within liturgical life, that ends with the salience of the unificating vocation belonging to Oriental singing and art, in a more and more divided world.

Florin SPĂTARIU
Muzica în gândirea filozofico-teologică medievală
The introductive part of this article offers us a perspective look over Middle Ages art, philosophy and theology domains, that cannot be understood separately, because the Middle Ages vision is unitary in principles; the conflicts are being reduced, most of the times, only to details. In the second moment, the author analyses music in the philosophic-theologic point of view, from the beginning of the Middle Ages, which is dominated by the speculative aspect, and later he describes practical aspects of music which was underlined in scholastic’s philosophical and theological mentality. The Middle Ages through its love towards art, remain an authentic partner for dialogue in our „detailed” world.

Claudiu DUMEA
Cântul în liturgia romană. Muzica cerească şi muzica pământească
Music has always been fascinating; gift made by God to all mankind, is in the same time the language of God. Singing has always been considerated the most solemn manifestation of religious feeling, the highest expression of praise, adoration and gratitude brought to God. It’s role in liturgy is not adjacent or contingent; continuing the tradition of the Jewish people, Christians are a people that sing. Knowing all these, not rarely music enters in conflict with the liturgy; the danger of false inculturations has been present in the beginning of the Church and is also present now. Because of this, the author describes the role of singing in liturgy, and later he gives some general norms, among which, in a special way, are presented a few norms about singing at the Mass.

Gabriela ENĂŞESCU
Dumnezeu în muzica lui Händel şi Bach
Even if in the world of ideas transactions are difficult to accomplish, this study takes us with an relentless impetus towards another world, the world „beyond”, still taking into account the fact that, no mater how high we would fly, our legs always touch the ground. Two colossus of music are given as an example of receiving God in human being. At G. F. Händel’s terrestrial brilliance represents the specific character, even if the heaven’s glances are presented in all his work as a sparkle from outside. J. S. Bach’s music instead is like a potion which a soul drinks it to end the thirst for God. From anywhere we start the music impenetrates us, opening our being towards God.