Tarciziu-Hristofor Şerban: La pauvreté dans la Bible (I): D’un état de fait vers une législation de solidarité

This article covert from a biblical point of view a social problem of permanent interest: poverty, seen as a state of precariousness caused by the multiple causes, some involuntary (the state of people left without support – widows, orphans, those with disabilities –, victims of natural disasters, immigrants, etc.) or voluntary (greed of peers, indifference of institutions empowered to watch over the observance of citizens’ rights, etc.) that led to it. It is, however, a scandal in a society that holds a theological view that God is a Father to all members of the People, from which it implicitly follows that the latter are brothers. However, such a scandal generated positions of some of those responsible, most often under pressure from prophets. These positions gradually led to the drafting of legislative codes designed to regulate scandalous social situations. When even these regulations did not eradicate poverty, then the vision of a new, messianic project was born. This project, which has as protagonist a descendant of King David, proposes a new vision (which I will develop in a later article) foreshadowed in several prophetic texts with a messianic theme.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/WBFQ5110

Dialog 53-1 Serban

Iulian Faraoanu: Valori della perfezione e della vita comunitaria nel Discorso della Montagna (Mt 5)

This paper focuses to a biblical analysis into the relevance of the fundamental values of Gospel in relation to the community. The Sermon on the Mount in Mt 5 refers to unmatched values. Values are those that refer to God: trust in God, listening to the Word, walking on the paths drawn by God’s Law. But deep spiritual values have applicability in concrete life, where they are cultivated: justice, peace, kindness. By far the supreme value is love with its expressions in concrete existence.
The scope is the field of human community, where relationships play a fundamental role. Biblical man lives from relationships: the relationship with God, the relationship with his fellow men and the relationship with nature. The same applies to Matthew, an evangelist attentive to the sphere of relationships.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/DAIB5065

Dialog 50-1 Faraoanu

Tarciziu-Hristofor Şerban: Le témoignage chrétien comme « événement de parole », selon Claude Geffré

In response to Pope Benedict XVI’s invitation to engage in an in-depth reflection on the transmission of the faith today, the Saint Joseph Institute of Romano-Catholic Theology in Iasi organized, on October 26, 2012, an International Symposium entitled „The Transmission of the Faith”. Among the various interventions, this article proposed (in the form of a lecture) an analysis of the meaning of the expressions witness – testimony – to testify, their theological content when it comes to the transmission of the Easter faith and the characteristic elements of testifying to this faith for our days. Throughout this work I have been considering the reflections of Claude Geffré proposed in his book entitled Le christianisme au risque de l’interprétation (the second edition, Cerf, Paris, 1988), in particular those of the chapter entitled „The Resurrection of Christ as an interpretative testimony”, pp. 107-127.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/CTBI3321

Dialog 48-10 Serban

Iulian Faraoanu: Funzione e ruolo delle porte nella Nuova Gerusalemme di Ap 21

The internal description of the gates of New Jerusalem in Ap 21 focuses the concepts of the opening and universalism. The idea of a continuous opening reveals a change in the function of the gates and suggests a symbolic interpretation. The image of gates always open expresses total acceptance and willingness to receive the incessant flow of the nations that will enter the eschatological Jerusalem. At the same time, their non-closure means the absence of obstacles or barriers for entry into the holy city. This is the way to universalism. Actually, in the new heavenly Jerusalem enter the nations and their kings, emphasizing the universality of the holy city, in which everyone has the right to enter to enjoy the goods eschatological. The human component, the goods that nations bring, is added to the divine component of the city filled with the splendor and divine glory.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/ARPQ6447

Dialog 48-4 Faraoanu

Iulian Faraoanu: Novità e preziostà nel simbolismo dei dodici fondamenti della nuova Gerusalemme (Ap 21)

The 12 foundations of the new Jerusalem are added to the 12 gates of the holy city which descends from heaven. The foundations are associated with the 12 apostles, a reference to the newssnes of the people of God. From a simbolic point of view, the foundations are 12 precious stones (Rev 21: 19-20). The precious stones were a sign of the eschatological restoration of the people of God. The same precious stones that abound in the new Jerusalem could create a contrast with the traffic of precious materials in Babylon (the Roman Empire). But the aspect on which we insist in Rev 21 is the preciousness of the people before God together with the exaltation of newsness. The new Jerusalem that will descend from heaven in eschatology is the new, perfect, unique, and unitary people of God, founded on the twelve apostles.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/IVMZ1473

Dialog 47-9 Faraoanu

Iulian Faraoanu: Apertura e universalismo delle porte nella Nuova Gerusalemme di Ap 21

The internal description of the gates of New Jerusalem in Ap 21 focuses the concepts of the opening and universalism. The idea of a continuous opening reveals a change in the function of the gates and sugests a symbolic interpretation. The image of gates always open expresses total acceptance and willingness to receive the incessant flow of the nations that will enter the eschatological Jerusalem. At the same time, their non-closure means the absence of obstacles or barriers for entry into the holy city. This is thw way to universalism. Actually, in the new heavenly Jerusalem enter the nations and their kings, emphasizing the universality of the holy city, in which everyone has the right to enter to enjoy the goods eschatological. The human component, the goods that nations bring, is added to the divine component of the city filled with the splendor and divine glory.

Dialog 42-4_Faraoanu

Alois BULAI: Religia în Sfânta Scriptură

Întraga Sfântă Scriptură este un continuu dialog dintre Dumnezeu şi om. Dumnezeu este acela care are iniţiativa, El însuşi este educatorul, acela care îşi educă poporul prin planul său de mântuire ce se împlineşte în timp prin evenimente istorice, prin fapetele minunate pe care le săvârşeşte, prin legea alianţei, etc. Apoi Dumnezeu apelează la preoţi şi la cultul celebrat la templul din Ireusalim, la înţelepţi care sunt prin definiţie învăţători. Întoarcerea la Biblie este importantă pentru a reînnoi metodele învăţământului cathetic şi teologic, dar şi pentru a căuta în ea puncte de pornire şi stimulente pentru a gândi pedagogia noastră la toate nivelurile.

DT094_ALOIS BULAI

Vladimir PETERCĂ: Protoevanghelia sau vestea bună a speranţei şi a aşteptării mesianice

Iahve se face cunoscut omului printr-o multitudine de evenimente, care în perspectivă mesianică devin importante în cadrul istoriei mântuirii. Astfel de evenimente sunt relatate în primele capitole ale Genezei. Evreul a avut dintotdeauna o orientare psihologică specifică în faţa propriei istorii, definită de exegeţi prin expresia corporate personality. În analiza textuală a versetului 15 din capitolul III al Genezei, ne este prezentat caracterul mesianic al acestui text, care a suferit modificări esenţiale în perspectiva escatologică sau mesianică, precum şi aspectul mariologic. Acest verset a fost numit pe drept protoevanghelie, pentru faptul că este primul enunţ biblic raportat la prima femeie, şi prin aceasta un enunţ de speranţă legat de venirea lui Isus Cristos, Mesia cel aşteptat.

DT043_Vladimir Petercă

Vladimir Petercă: Noţiunea de sărăcie în Biblie şi în lumea de astăzi

The church has always had the conscience of Christ’s Gospel preaching mission’s universality, of its duty to announce God’s kingdom to all mankind, regardless of social status or material wealth. Knowing the social problems that tare apart the contemporary man’s life, the author wishes to determine the impact and the endings that the new evangelization must have on the society’s lowest parts, especially on the poor and needy ones. First of all, the study concentrates upon the biblical concept’s development of poverty. Following the salvation history, the author presents us the material poverty, especially in the Old Testament period, in which many times the prophets’ demands are real social protests (Am 8.4-6; Michae 3.2-7; Is 3.13-15). After this, the study’s accent moves upon the poverty’s social dimension, especially in the New Testament period. The author analyzes closely the Mountain preach (Matt 5.3) and the story of the foolish rich man (Luke 12.16-21). The poverty becomes in this way the fundamental disposition required to all those who wish to enter in God’s kingdom. In the second part of the article, the author follows the poverty concept in the recent teachings of the Church, especially in pope John Paul the second’s document Ecclesia in Europa and in the emitted document of the SE Europe’s Bishops Conference Poverty: a challenge for the Church. So, in order to receive and to serve the poor ones we must receive and serve Christ itself. This means the duty to announce the Gospel of hope bringing proof that all men are loved equally by God.

DT136_V

Ariel Álvares VALDÉS: De ce evanghelistul Ioan nu descrie exorcismele lui Isus?

The author of this article shows that exorcisms have always been shrouded in mystery, in which fantasy and curiosity have led to all sorts of fictions, mostly far away from the truth. But exorcisms are not parades, shows or sensations. They are a reality that must lead us to reflection to an objective regard about the forces of Evil. The synoptic Evangels presents six cases of exorcises but the Gospel of saint John keeps absolute quiet. John did not wish to make public the exorcisms of Jesus because these ones made him a lot of trouble. Jesus was seen mostly as healer, as a magician because during his time many Jews were practicing Egyptian magical exorcising rituals. In the end the article underlines the facts that saint John didn’t want to present exorcisms of Jesus in the Evangels he wrote, because he didn’t want Jesus to appear as magician but as a teacher and redeemer of the world.

DT1717_Ariel Álvares VALDÉS