Jul 4 2021

Philippi or Philippopolis (1)

Prof. Asen Chilingirov presents a very plausible hypothesis for a possible change in the New Testament geography sacra – to the citizens of which ancient city was the Epistle to the Philippians addressed to the Apostle Paul. Born in 1932 in Sofia. Graduated in history, music and art history in Bulgaria. Since 1964 he has lived and worked in Berlin, Germany. He also studied art history at Humboldt University. He is the author of over 400 scientific papers. Among them are “Great History of Christian Art in Bulgaria” and “Cultural History of Bulgaria”, published in German in FRGermany and the GDR. He teaches at the Universities of Berlin and Leipzig. He was a chief consultant for Balkan art in the Encyclopedia of Medieval Art in Rome from 1984 to 1995.

In the Acts of the Holy Apostles, and also in the Epistles of St. Apostle Paul to the Romans and the Philippians contains information that does not correspond to their interpretation adopted by the Greek and Roman Catholic Churches. Moreover, they outline the beginnings of Christianity in Europe in a way that does not correspond to the ideas imposed by the East and the West.

Despite the differences between them, the two churches show complete unanimity in the presentation of related events, the consequences of which are reflected in the misinterpretation of the facts and their manipulation.

According to the Acts of the Apostles (16: 9-40), a “Macedonian man” appeared to the apostle as a vision and begged him, “Come into Macedonia and help us!” Paul understands that the Lord has commanded him to preach. there the Gospel and the very next morning he set out with the Apostle Silas for Macedonia. The two boarded a ship and one day they were on the island of Samothrace. And the next day they arrived in the port city of Naples (now Kavala). From there, the two went to Philippi, “the first city of Macedonia – a Roman colony.” The events that followed the arrival of the two in the city are described in detail in the account of the Acts of the Apostles. They are related to the first sermon that the Apostle Paul delivered the following Sabbath to the assembled multitude of women “by the river.” There he baptized one of them named Lydia, which marked the beginning of the first Christian community in Europe. This is also where the apostles’ first conflict with local authorities took place.

The masters of a slave girl, possessed by an evil spirit, whom Paul banishes, seize the two and take them to the market place, where the seat of the princes (archons). The two were slandered in front of the local chiefs (in the Greek original they were called στρατηγοί, and the Bulgarian or Church Slavonic translation gave them the name “voivodes”) that they rebelled against the people, and on their orders Paul was publicly beaten, after which he and Silas are chained and thrown into prison. During the night there was an earthquake, from which the doors of the dungeon opened and the shackles of the prisoners fell. The jailer is very impressed by this event and wants to be baptized with his family. In the morning, frightened by the events and the fact that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens and therefore could not be judged by them, the chiefs came to the dungeon to apologize to them and led them out of the city.

For the truth of the story of the Apostle Paul’s first journey to Europe, as well as for his fulfillment of the task assigned to him, namely to visit the country of the Macedonians and help its people by passing on the good news of Christ’s teaching, we we have no reason to doubt. Later, in his Epistle to the Romans (15:19), Paul explicitly confirmed the fulfillment of this task by saying that he “handed over the teachings of Christ to Illyricum.”

Only the interpretation of this story is questionable, as it is accepted and established by the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox Churches. According to this tradition, the journey of the apostles Paul and Silas is to the small and insignificant city of Philippi, located only 15 km from Kavala.

However, we find a contradiction between the story and its interpretation when we mention the purpose of the trip: the country of the Macedonians, not the administrative unit called Macedonia, where, according to all commentators of the text, the missionary journey of the Apostle Paul takes place. But there is also a contradiction in the first sentence, which says that Philippi was “the first city of Macedonia – a Roman colony.” However, this is not true, because the first city in the country of the Macedonians is not Philippi, which is not the first city visited by the Apostle Paul in Europe, because this city is Naples / Kavala, nor the first city of the province of Macedonia, which is Amphipolis. .

Although this contradiction has been noticed by some historians who interpret it as exaggerating the importance of the city in connection with the mission of the Apostle Paul, the other circumstances related to this and his next trip to this city, as well as the contradictions related to their clarification , remain unnoticed or deliberately concealed by researchers. And this applies above all to the institutions of the Roman administration – the seat of the prince and the prison, which did not exist in the small town of Philippi – but above all the river mentioned in the story, which played an important role in the first and second journey of the Apostle Paul ( Acts 20, 6).

On their first journey, Paul and Silas go to the “river by the city” on the Sabbath, hoping to find a Jewish house of prayer there; there they meet a woman named Lydia, who was the first to receive holy baptism from the Apostle Paul on European soil. Here we must recall the importance that the Christian tradition attaches to the primacy, reflected in the titles “first martyr”, “first apostle” or “first called”. This woman and the jailer’s family became members of the first Christian community on the European continent.

But the river also played an important role in the apostle Paul’s second trip to Macedonia. When he learns that the Jews want to kill him during his voyage to Troy, he refuses to go by sea and chooses the much longer river route through Macedonia, boarding a ship in Philippi and sailing for Troy, where he arrives after five-day trip. All this is stated in the account of the Acts of the Apostles simply and clearly. But there is no river in Philippi – and there never was – in which ships have sailed and which has meanwhile dried up!

Throughout antiquity and until the Middle Ages on the Balkan Peninsula there were only two navigable rivers – the Danube and the Maritsa (Heber), from whose name derives the Greek name of our continent. And as is well known, on this river was located Philippopolis – or in Bulgarian Plovdiv. And from this city he traveled along the river for five days to Troy – as long as it took the apostle Paul to return. Although the first researcher to dedicate an extensive monograph to the city of Philippi, the Greek author Mercidis, noted in his work that in the past the names of Philippi and Philippopolis were often mixed, in the case of the two journeys of the Apostle Paul there can be no question of accidental error.

The Apostle Paul embarks on his journey to the “land of the Macedonians,” not to the Greeks or the Romans – and he was clearly able to distinguish both the population and the lands in which he lived. And in this sense, Philippi does not meet the purpose of his journey, because after “the most terrible battle of Caesar’s time and of all antiquity in general,” as some authors call what happened to Philippi in 42 BC. a battle between the armies of the assassins of Julius Caesar, Cassius, and Brutus, on the one hand, and of Octavian Augustus and Antony, on the other, the city and its environs were completely devastated and repopulated by Roman colonists.

The apostle Paul’s sermon “by the river” was not before the Romans, but before the locals, and the conflict in which he and Silas were involved was with the representatives of the provincial Roman government, as there was in the big city of Philippopolis – unlike the small town Philippi, in which we can look for neither a prince, nor a court, nor a prison. But Philippopolis is located in the neighboring province of Thrace, not in Macedonia, although it bears the name of the Macedonian emperor.

And what can the Thracians and the Macedonians have in common with the teachings of Christ, which in theological literature it is claimed that the Apostle Paul preached to the Jews, Greeks and Romans, but not to the population in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula?

The question of the ethnic origin of the Macedonians and Thracians and what territory they inhabited is as old as historical science – but it was Herodotus, who was the first historian to ask it, who also gave a very clear answer. And after more than two and a half millennia of controversy, what he says on the subject is the only thing that is known positively about them. That is, their ethnic origin and the language they spoke were different from those of the Greeks and they inhabited different territories – although there are authors who claim that their languages were too close, and even that the Macedonians spoke in some Greek dialect, and that the land on which they lived was Greek.

News desk 0 Comments

Jul 4 2021

Philippi or Philippopolis (2)

Prof. Asen Chilingirov presents a very plausible hypothesis for a possible change in the New Testament geography sacra – to the citizens of which ancient city was the Epistle to the Philippians addressed to the Apostle Paul. Born in 1932 in Sofia. Graduated in history, music and art history in Bulgaria. Since 1964 he has lived and worked in Berlin, Germany. He also studied art history at Humboldt University. He is the author of over 400 scientific papers. Among them are “Great History of Christian Art in Bulgaria” and “Cultural History of Bulgaria”, published in German in FRGermany and the GDR. He teaches at the Universities of Berlin and Leipzig. He was a chief consultant for Balkan art in the Encyclopedia of Medieval Art in Rome from 1984 to 1995.

Both the account of the apostle Paul’s first journey to Europe in the Acts of the Apostles and his epistle to the Philippians show unequivocally the difference between the apostle’s relationship with Roman authority and the local Macedonian population: between the apostle Paul and the “Philippians” a particularly cordial and close relations, which he explicitly mentions in his message to them – such relations are not attested by him towards the inhabitants of any other of the cities he visits. And the inhabitants of Philippopolis have not forgotten the visit of the Apostle Paul to their city and have kept the memory of him for many centuries, noting it in their manuscript even in the twelfth century – this is a short note in the field of the so-called Christopol Apostle from the first half of the twelfth century. In this note, which is the oldest extant source for the Bulgarian name of the city, transmitted as “Plovdiv”, the relevant text is associated with the visit of the Apostle Paul in it

And Armenian geographers Hugas Indjejian and Stepanos Kuver Agontz, describing their trip to Plovdiv in the sixth volume of their travel historical Geography of the Four Countries, published in Venice in 1806, reported that in the city “besides the Greek churches, there are two cruciform, stone-built chapels, in one of which, according to the legends told to us by the local Christian inhabitants, the Apostle St. Paul preached ”.

Contrary to the claims of Catholic and Orthodox theologians and church historians, the missionary work of the apostles Paul and Andrew took place mainly among the non-Greek population of the Balkans, where a significant number of Christian communities emerged at the very beginning of this activity before the middle of the first century. While in the centers of ancient culture Athens and Thessaloniki, the Apostle Paul met with strong opposition from the “educated Greeks”, among the “uneducated” local population his sermons resonated greatly. The Christian community in both Philippopolis (Plovdiv) and Sirmium (Srem) and Tommy (Constanţa) was headed by bishops even before the middle of the first century, by the closest circle of disciples of Christ, whom the Christian church marks as ” the seventy apostles. ‘ In Philippopolis (Plovdiv) the first bishop was St. Hermas, to whom the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, written not later than 52 AD, sent his greetings, as well as to Ephesus and Andronicus. , the first two bishops of Sirmium. Especially to Andronicus, the apostle Paul speaks even with special reverence, as a relative and co-prisoner who believed in Christ before him. To these three main centers of early Christianity in the western, northeastern and southeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula will be added in the second and third centuries also the seats of bishops, respectively. metropolitans in Serdica, Adrianople and Heraclea, thus the northwestern, central and eastern parts of the Balkan Peninsula will be largely Christianized. Directly related to the visit of the Apostle Paul in Philippopolis / Plovdiv is obviously the ordination of the first bishop – Hermes. But his name, like the name of his diocese, has been subjected to manipulation in order to erase or at least cease to be associated with Philippopolis. Although all church calendars, based on reliable sources for Christian historiography, namely the lists of the 70 apostles attributed to St. Hippolytus of Rome and Dorothea of Tire, as well as the Lunar calendar of Emperor Basil II from the end of the tenth century, note his name and his rank as “Bishop of Philippopolis”, as well as on 4 January and 31 May to commemorate him, in recent times without any reason attempts have been made to associate his name with Philippi, and in the official list of bishops of the Catholic Church it is accompanied by a question mark.

None of the synaxaries mentions how the apostle Hermes found himself in Philippopolis and what his connection was with the apostle Paul, who sent him explicit greetings in his epistle to the Romans. In addition, the old Christian tradition attributes to him the authorship of the book The Shepherd (Et virgines in domum meam), which until the end of the IV century is considered canonical and is an integral part of the New Testament. In the 5th century, however, it was excluded from the canonical books and all its transcripts in Greek and Latin were destroyed. It was not until the middle of the 19th century that its Coptic translation was discovered, from which a new Latin translation was made, published in full together with a French translation only after the Second World War.

The connection of the book The Shepherd with the name of the Apostle Hermes and his identification as its author are based on the information given to him by another notable early Christian author and scholar – Origen, and most of his works were destroyed in the V century, including his History of the church, of which only a few quotations have come down to us. And although research and commentary on the book The Shepherd appeared in the generalizing theological works of Catholics and Protestants as early as the beginning of the twentieth century, in which it was one of the central places in early Christian literature, at the same time the reference books in which the name of the Apostle Hermes is accompanied by a question mark about the time and place of his episcopate or by the note that he was a bishop in Philippi – the names of all the bishops in this city are known, and among them his name does not occur.

Strange as it may seem, confirmation of Paul’s apostolic activity in the interior of the Balkan Peninsula can be found in the comments of one of the main and most diligent propagators of Hellenism among the Bulgarian population – Greek Theophylact of Ohrid, Archbishop of Bulgaria (1089-1126?). In his notes on the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Romans, he wrote: [‘The apostle Paul says:]‘… so I spread the Gospel from Jerusalem and the surrounding area even to Illyricum ’. Do you want proof of what I am saying, says [the apostle Paul]? Look at the large number of my students – from Jerusalem to Illyricum, which is the outskirts of what is now called Bulgaria. He does not say ‘I proclaimed’, but ‘spread the Gospel’ to show that his sermon was not fruitless but successful. In order not to think that he was walking straight on the main road, hearing ‘from Jerusalem до even to Illyricum’, he says ‘and the surrounding area’, which means that he went around the nations with his sermon both north and south… “

We find a large amount of information about the widespread spread of Christianity in the central and northern part of the Balkan Peninsula in both hagiographic literature and historical sources, although they are contained in publications that have already become a bibliographic rarity. This is also confirmed by the results of archaeological research, especially in recent decades, although they have not yet been fully addressed and leave some important questions of chronology unresolved. First of all, the question of the time and reasons for the destruction of the numerous church monuments throughout the Balkan Peninsula, built between the middle of the IV and the end of the V century.

Petar Gramatikov 0 Comments

Jul 4 2021

The Council of Philippopolis (Nicene Orthodoxy and Arian Heresy)

The core of the theme is chronologically situated in the Roman-Byzantine period, when with the construction of the new capital, the center of gravity of the Empire moved from West to East. Some forms of Christianity do not accept the Nicene doctrine. The antagonism between Orthodoxy and Arianism was to the detriment of the Empire, so during the reign of Emperor Constantius II, a staunch and zealous Arian, the struggle against Nicaean Orthodoxy was waged mercilessly.

The Council of Serdica was convened as a Second Ecumenical Council of the Christ’s Church with good intentions as an ecumenical council, with the task of pacifying the empire religiously. The separation of the Eastern bishops into a separate council in Philippopolis changed the type of council from Serdica, turning it into a purely western local church council.

This is the historical period that is busiest with councils, symbols of the faith and events related to the development of Arianism, regrouping and divisions between its adherents or its opponents. Councils are convened against councils, fiercely defending their positions; symbols of faith are drawn against other symbols of faith, counter-anathemas are opposed to anathemas. The pagan historian Amian Marcellinus wrote, “The roads of the empire were overcrowded with galloping bishops.”

The fourth century belongs to the third epoch of the first period in the classification of the science of General Church History, during which the heresies concerning the person of the Incarnate Son of God raise many dogmatic questions. This is the age of the first Ecumenical Council; a period of rapid development of the church hierarchy and administration. Shortly after the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, the reaction of the pro-Arian coalition rose to the East, which went on the offensive and attacked in order to eliminate everywhere in the East those for whom Orthodoxy remained the symbol of faith defined at the Council of Nicaea. The anti-Nicene reaction was a significant force. Politically strong, Arianism came on the scene as a sworn enemy of everything that defined the Nicene Creed. From Palestine to Thrace, a dozen episcopal centers saw their Orthodox bishops removed from office after a series of church councils between 326 and 335.

The Council of Philippopolis in 343 was a significant event in the development of Arianism; a council that marks the confrontation between adherents and opponents of the Nicene Creed, between Orthodoxy and non-Orthodoxy. After the counter-council held at Philippopolis, the East and the West finally confronted, not in a geographical sense, but in relation to the first, in a complete form of division, in the history of the Christian Church.

The Council of Philippopolis in 343 was a significant event in the development of Arianism, a council that marked the clash between adherents and opponents of the Nicene Creed, between Orthodoxy and non-Orthodoxy.

The practical significance of the results of the research is determined by the theoretical relevance of the historical and ecclesiastical-legal analysis of the Council of Philippopolis and its projection in the general ecclesiastical history.

The antinomy in the East-West conflict, which is repeatedly emphasized in the work, is based on the words of the jurors themselves, in paragraph 25 of the Philippopolis epistle, where it reads: a hurricane and a flood in the world, upsetting almost the whole of East and West, so that each of us neglects our church duties, abandons God’s people and gospel teaching to come from afar… What more can we say? … “, and precisely with the meaning they give it – of a universal confrontation, which affected all parts of the world at that time and of one, the apostolic and Catholic Church of Christ. For the Eastern counter-council, the confrontation is conditioned by the violation of the ancient church regulations with the introduction of a new law, according to which the Eastern bishops will be judged by the Western ones – novam legam introducere puntaverunt, ut Orientales episkopi ab Occidentalibus indicarentur. The autonomy of the Eastern ecclesiastical councils was defended in Philippopolis with extreme aggression, because its members believed that the very discussion of the decisions of the councils of the East was offensive to the members of these councils.

There are differences and debates in science about the year of the fairs in Serdica and Philippopolis. Today, according to the testimony of Historia acephata and other sources, we can more accurately date the scheduling of the council in Serdica in 343 (or 1096 Ab urbe condita, from the founding of the city, ie Rome), and not erroneously indicated in Socrates and Sozomen 347. After the dissolution of the council, St. Athanasius went to Naissus (now Nis), where he celebrated Easter in 344, and for Easter the following year he was invited by Emperor Constantine to Aquileia. Bishop Athanasius returned to Alexandria after his second exile in 346 – information confirmed by Jerome, who tells us that Bishop Athanasius of Alexandria returned in the 10th year of the reign of Emperor Constantine. The Easter letters of St. Athanasius inform us that the council was held at least two years before he was found again in Alexandria, i.e. began in the autumn of 343 and resumed its meetings in early 344, also testifying to us that the two delegates sent by Serdica to Emperor Constantius arrived in Antioch for the feast of Passover in the same year 344.

Therefore, it can be said with certainty that the District Conciliar Message of the Eastern Group of Philippopolis was compiled, signed and sent before Easter in 344 years. At the end of the same year, 344, representatives of the Eastern group of bishops arrived in the West to present their views to Emperor Constantine and to present him with their Creed (this is in fact the so-called “ektesis makrostihchos” or IV. symbol of the Council of Sanctification, in enceniis, extended by a series of anathemas).

At the opening of the council in Serdica, almost equal numbers of representatives from the East and the West were represented, about 80 from each country. Upon their arrival in Serdica, the bishops split into two hostile groups. In vain did Bishop Osiy of Cordoba try to reconcile them. The eastern group leaves the city. With the adoption of the rules and the issuance of the encyclical, the work of the Western Athanasius Party in Serdica ended.

The most discussed and contested of the Serdica rules are those concerning the right to appeal to the Bishop of Rome. Regarding these canons of “right of appeal” by Serdica, the view of the Catholic theologians-canonists (with few exceptions) is that the Council of Serdica in 343 gave an exclusive place to the Roman throne, as a guardian and guarantor of ecclesial unity; that one can always appeal to the Roman Church because “it was founded by Peter.” The mention of the name of the Bishop of Rome – Julius, in the third canon of Serdica, many authors take as limiting the effect of the canon with the time he was on the Roman Episcopal throne, because at that time he was the only guarantor of the Nicene Orthodox faith. religion of the West during the Arian crisis; but others oppose the opposite view, pointing out the fifth canon of Serdica, which contains only the “Bishop of Rome,” that is, without any restrictions, and before that the name of Bishop Julius was added because he was well known as a person. and power, and from a clear position. Next, the Council of Serdica recognized the supreme legal authority in the ecclesiastical affairs of the Roman high priest, only in his capacity as a defender of the Orthodox faith from Nicaea and not in the sense of the supreme judge, but as empowered to convene a new council to investigate right in the evening make decisions on ecclesiastical criminal proceedings, if you are convinced that the appeal is justified. It can be argued that Rules 3, 4 and 5 of the Council of Serdica introduced an extraordinary procedure of a temporary nature within the antinomy “Nicene Orthodoxy-Arian Heresy”.

Petar Gramatikov 0 Comments

Jul 4 2021

Orthodoxy and Heresy in IVth century

We can assume that there was a first meeting of the Eastern bishops invited by the imperial vicar of Philippopolis – held on the city’s Acropolis (as suggested by Leslie Barnard in his study of the Council of Serdica in 343) or at the stadium where it met The “Thracian National Assembly” of the autonomous ancient city, probably before they left for Serdica, where the ecumenical council convened in 343 was to be held. With the constitution of a separate eastern council in Philippopolis, there is every reason to locate, as the venue of the council sessions of 344, an early Christian basilica in Palestinian-Roman style (at the address of the metropolitan house of today’s Roman Catholic bishop of the city Plovdiv, Blvd. “Kn. Maria Luiza” №3). The early Christian church is astonishing in its size (including the atrium and the courtyard): its total length is 86.30 m (the length of the nave with the apse is 56.50 m) and its width is 38.50 m; it is the largest building of its kind from the IV-VI century in the Balkans – for comparison, the Basilica of Constantine in Rome is 100 m long by 76 m wide, and the basilica in Pompeii – 67 m by 25 m.

The hypothesis presented by the author that the basilica is dedicated to one of the divine names – the Divine Wisdom (Sofia), Power (Dynamis) or Peace (Irini), according to the current practice and policy, sounds plausible.

In the course of archeological excavations, after raising a mortar over the lower layer of the mosaic in the Great Basilica, an extremely valuable inscription was found with the name of the bishop inscribed in it, at the time the mosaic was arranged, but about 2/3 of it is missing. In general, the surviving last sentence would read as follows: “ἐτελειώθη ἡ μούσωσις ἐπισκοπέοντος [—] κιανοῦ”, ie “the mosaic was made during the episcopate of [-] Kian.” As it is quite possible that this is an epic. Eutykian Filipopolski, host of the counter-council, signed his synodal message. It is an indisputable fact, however, that the bishop of the epigraphic monument in question was from the pro-Arian party, as the Roman practice of erasing memory, damnatio memoriae (in the sense of abolitio nominis, erasing the name in inscriptions) was applied to this inscription.

The religious formula of the Council of Philippopolis, which is translated and published in the dissertation for the first time in Bulgarian, has reached us, preserved in Latin by the Bishop of Poitiers Hilary.

The Eastern Council addressed its encyclical in the first place to the heads of the main ancient begging cathedrals, having “priority in honor” – to Gregory, Bishop of Alexandria (replacing St. Athanasius, condemned in the East), to the Bishop of Nicomedia, as well as to the Carthaginian Church and its Donat. Bishop Donatus, although mentioned third after the bishops of Alexandria and Nicomedia, left his name in the Latin name of the conciliar message “Synodal Letter to Donatus of Carthage” – an anti-Nicene association between heresy and schism. The search for support from the African clergy in North Africa is very well judged, because it is self-evident that the African bishops will not support the aspirations of the Bishop of Rome to interfere in the internal church affairs of the North African church.

The Eastern Encyclical, prepared and sent by Philippopolis but presented as Serdica, was also addressed to three Campanian bishops – to the bishop of Campania Desiderius, to Fortunatus, bishop of Naples in Campania, and, thirdly, to Eutychius of Ariminas in Campania. Finally, Bishop Maxim Salonski in Dalmatia and Bishop Sinferuntius, who was named without a chair, follow by name. Consequently, there were supporters in the West of the Eastern position for the non-recognition of Bishops Athanasius and Markel, a sign of disagreement with the claims of the authorities and the initiatives of the Bishop of Rome. This explains the fact that the group of Italian bishops-members of the Council of Serdica is too small. Western participants in the council questioned the metropolitan autonomy of the Eastern bishops and their councils, and this provoked the latter to fight fiercely in defense of the autonomy of the metropolitan administrative system. Thus bishops from the pro-Nicene West sacrificed the administrative criteria in favor of the Orthodoxy of the faith (this was their absolute criterion), ie in 343 the purity of the religion stood against the metropolitan autonomy.

The study of “the influence of Arianism on the development of the doctrine of the Roman supremacy” is a complex and difficult topic, on which much has been written and very contradictory. Much more text concerns the Council of Serdica, because the canonical activity in Serdica is analyzed in detail, in order to conclude that the Council of Serdica recognizes the Bishop of Rome the right to appeal and review judgments over bishops, but not in the sense of the right to judge as higher instance, and this jurisdiction has a subsequent council convened by it.

Despite the expressed hypotheses, assumptions and conclusions related to the Athanasian party and the anti-Nicaean opposition and the nuances in the positions of the individual church groups at this historical moment, during which the ideas of the Church were formed and its law was built, I deliberately refrained from definite definitions; but the main conclusion is drawn, – that despite the numerical small number of convinced and zealous Arians among the members of the Council of Philopolis, most of whom were representatives of Donician conservatism and the anti-Athanasius party, this council remained in church history as a “symbol and emanation of heresy and schism.”

Special attention is paid to archeology and epigraphy in the present dissertation. This is partly due to my local patriotism as a citizen of Plovdiv, and the uplifted spirit and tone in the city, which in 2019 was the European Capital of Culture, and right now it is exactly 1675 years since the end of the meetings of the church forum in ancient Plovdiv. It is also important to correctly interpret the religious symbolism and perspective of the data from the auxiliary sciences, which we draw from the archaeological excavations of the ancient episcopal basilica in Philippopolis, related to the counter-council of 343-344, which will give new dimensions of understanding. for historical facts, events, personalities.

The Arian crisis of the 4th century did not attract enough attention from modern Bulgarian researchers, at the moment, the present study is the only systematic work in the native science, the topic of which is the Council of Philippopolis from 343-344. the heterodox theological currents in the times of the Arian turmoil, long left on the periphery of the research interests of specialists in church history.

The formation of the early Christian culture in Philippopolis is a synthesis of the ideological worldview of different religious and ethnic groups in the specific cultural and historical situation. From the standpoint of the historical-cultural process, there is a possibility for a future separate serious culturological substantiation of archeological finds from the “great basilica”/”bishop’s basilica” of the late-ancient Philippopolis (considered as a venue for the cathedral meetings), proposing explicitly formulated hypotheses regarding the interpretation of the semantics of monuments of art in the ideological structure of temple architecture in the analysis of their iconography. For this purpose, it is recommended to apply the hermeneutic principle of contextual authenticity and the structural-conceptual (ideographic, semiotic, iconological) methods of revealing the semantics of monuments of art in the analysis of their iconography.

As a conclusion, it is necessary to understand that in the IV century the imperial councils became more frequent, and the purpose of their convening was to define and establish a doctrinal consensus. The bishops met and agreed on a matter or about an exposition of the faith, convinced of their Orthodoxy, and sought the imperial favor of recognizing their version of Christianity as the Orthodox faith of the empire. The motto of Constantius’ policy can be taken as: cujus est region, illius est religio (whose power is his, and his religion). Legislatively and rhetorically speaking, the “orthodoxy” of the emperor, ie his religion or personal bias towards a certain trend, became official for the empire in late antiquity and created a label of heretics for those who did not share it.

Petar Gramatikov 0 Comments

Jul 4 2021

THE UNIVERSAL CHRISTIAN – VLADIMIR SOLOVYOV

Due to the totalitarian nature of communist monoideology in the Eastern Bloc countries, the rich treasury of Russian religious philosophy was repressed and locked to a wide readership. My interest in Russian religious philosophy and, in particular, my piety for this philosopher, called “the father of Orthodox ecumenism”, date back to that time.

On his deathbed in the estate of the Trubetsky princes, Solovyov asked his disciples and followers present to call a Catholic priest from whom to receive the last communion. Entering into intercommunion with non-Orthodox people, participating in worship services and sacraments outside the Orthodox Church, an Orthodox Christian condemns himself and is condemned by ecclesiastical law. In my opinion, however, the guardian of the ecclesial unity of the universal church, by accepting Catholic communion minutes before his hour of death and presenting himself to the Supreme Judge and Revengeful, wants to show that he is not afraid to experience God’s judgment in the afterlife. because he sincerely believes in the correctness of his views for overcoming the division of Christ’s Church. Moreover, in order not to cause confusion in the Orthodox circles during his lifetime, he did not allow himself to take this step, but did so only by crossing the border of his earthly existence. His ecumenism (the theory of ecclesial unity and reunion, of unity) is related to his epistemology (theory of knowledge).

As early as 1852, IV Kireevsky wrote a small but profound and unusually valuable article “On the Possibility and Necessity of New Principles for Philosophy”, which, together with his extensive letter to Count Komarovsky, undoubtedly became a cornerstone for the Russian national philosophy. Instead of knowing the truth through reason and the senses, separated from each other, as Western philosophers taught, he worked for the knowledge of truth through the act of the harmoniously united forces of man. Religious faith, so humiliated by rationalism, according to Kireevsky, has always been an act of “complete” and complete knowledge, and therefore higher than rational or any other knowledge. His theory of knowledge, so primitively meeting the needs of religion and offering joyful prospects to truth-weary humanity, was not fully developed because of his early death. The thoughts expressed by him fell on fertile ground and in various forms were repeated by later thinkers, among whom his most prominent supporter was the famous professor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy VN Karpov. Undoubtedly a supporter of “comprehensive” knowledge is Vladimir Sergeyevich Solovyov, as shown by the philosophical system created by him, whose task was the comprehensive synthesis of theology, rational philosophy and positive science, ie. the same task that Kireevski set out to do.

Here are the main provisions of Soloviev’s system. As an absolute Originator, instead of the abducted beings spoken of by the philosophy next to him, this Russian religious philosopher for the first time stands for a concrete Unified Spirit. The logical, necessary and absolutely complete course of world development is comprehended and, so to speak, justified by the ultimate goal – the restoration of the world in the universality of the Absolute Spirit. The last results of the synthesis thus outlined, according to Solovyov, must be the affirmation in the form of rational knowledge of their same features, which in the form of faith and spiritual contemplation have been affirmed by the great theological teachings of the East: “Thus, the latest philosophy with the logical perfection of the Western form seeks to unite the fullness of the content of the spiritual contemplations of the East – philosophy lends a hand to religion.”

Regarding moral activity, Vladimir Solovyov asserts that its subject should be a normal society, practically unified, in which everyone is a goal for the activity of everyone and everyone for everyone. The foundations of the desired system cannot be economic relations, as morally indifferent; nor the rule of law, which seems to us to be a panacea, because the law is concerned only with the borders and not with the purpose and content of human activity; a solid basis of human activity can be sought only in the mystical, i.e. the religious principle that makes man worthy of that name. The unity of spiritual love finds its realization and unquenchable fire in the spiritual union or the church, which in itself determines the unchangeable unconditional goals of human society. At the forefront of everything must be theocracy, in respect of which the state and the economic sphere represent a natural field of action and an environment embodying the higher principle.

In such a theocracy, spiritual and hierarchical authority and sacred traditions must not interfere with the space of thought and freedom of faith. Solovyov developed the idea of a universal church in which the three main currents — Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and Protestantism — would bring in various elements of life that needed to work together. From the above it is evident how necessary for Soloviev’s system is the conviction of the divinity of the Unified Beginning. This beginning, as such, in his words, is known first of all through sensory experience and rational thinking. Thus, the basis of true knowledge should be the mystical or religious perception, which is the requirement of Kireevsky.

Almost every moment of his life Solovyov was enlightened by unquenchable faith or devoted to reflection on the works of faith. With his conviction, personal example, and constant correspondence between word and deed, the thinker ignited in his neighbors either faith itself, or at least a keen interest in it, a “feeling that became extremely rare and almost impossible after the long monstrous oppression of materialistic teachings over society ”.

Vladimir Solovyov gives us a talented critique of rationalism, although he does not offer a positive epistemological theory, although he builds his system on the principle of faith. His philosophical activity is significant for its remarkable depth of thought, the beauty of the exposition and the power of the religious “suggestion”, a talented popularization of theological and philosophical knowledge.

Every living being, according to Soloviev’s teaching, has two main categories: real subjective being and, secondly, the idea or objective essence that explains that being. But the real subject is threefold connected with his idea or objective essence: 1) through being itself; 2) through action, such as the discovery of this internal substance, ie. being; and 3) by the volitional act of enjoyment of being and action. These three types of being, inherent in the idea of every living being, are inherent only in the pure form of finite beings, whose being is a conditional and derived fact, under the influence of external constraints and justifies itself only in the unconditional being of God, the beginning. at all beginnings. God is the unconditional substance, ideal and reality of full existence. Therefore, in pure form, in fullness and simultaneity, without limitations, the trinity is inherent only in God; since He is all or absolute unity, He is unlimited by space; and, because He is the ideal and fullness of perfection, He is not limited by time, which determines the ultimate stages of development in beings. Thus the Persons or Hypostases of God represent neither individual parts of Him nor the fulfillment of periods of God’s existence. Applying the trinity of the ultimate being to the Eternal, it must logically inevitably be acknowledged that the second Hypostasis, directly generated by the first, serves God as an eternal expression or Word (Logos); and the third, proceeding from the first, already having manifestation in the Logos, affirms it, as the Divine will expressed and enjoying itself. Such are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, whose true divinity lies in their inseparability.

Note: Vladimir Solovyov compiled a philosophy based on Hellenistic philosophy (see Plato, Aristotle and Plotinus) and early Christian tradition with Buddhist and Hebrew Kabbalistic elements (Philo of Alexandria). He also studied Gnosticism and the works of the Gnostic Valentinus. His religious philosophy was syncretic and fused philosophical elements of various religious traditions with Orthodox Christianity and his own experience of Sophia. Solovyov described his encounters with the entity Sophia in his works, such as Three Encounters and Lectures on Godmanhood. His fusion was driven by the desire to reconcile and/or unite with Orthodox Christianity the various traditions by the Russian Slavophiles’ concept of sobornost. His Russian religious philosophy had a very strong impact on the Russian Symbolist art movements of his time. His teachings on Sophia, conceived as the merciful unifying feminine wisdom of God comparable to the Hebrew Shekinah or various goddess traditions, have been deemed a heresy by Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and as unsound and unorthodox by the Patriarchate of Moscow.

Photo: V. Soloviev, S. Trubetskoy, N. Grot, L. Lopatin, 1893

Petar Gramatikov 0 Comments

Jul 3 2021

Four decades the World Council of Churches and the Vatican in the scope of the Committee for State Security (KGB)

A new publication in Bulgaria of top secret documents will shed more light on the historical period under review and will reveal more thoroughly Secret services’ interest in religious organizations. The book “The KGB and the Bulgarian State Security Service – connections and dependences” is a Collection of Records (1950-1991),ISBN 978-954-92467-1-1, Sofia, 2009, edited by the Committee for Disclosing the Documents and Announcing Affiliation of Bulgarian Citizens to the State Security and the Intelligence Services of the Bulgarian National Army (CDDAABCSBNA) of the Republic of Bulgaria. It is the first in a series of publications which will facilitate researchers in their work with confidential files from the funds of the archives of the Bulgarian former secret services.

On 480 pages we find: 1. Foreword by Tatyana Kiryakova, member of the CDDAABCSBNA and managing editor; 2. Introduction by associated professor dr. Jordan Baev, scientific consultant; 3. List of documents; 4. Facsimile of documents; 5. Comparative structure of KGB (1954-1991) and the Bulgarian State Security Services (1952-1990); 6. Terms and abbreviations; 7. Index of names; 8. List of the documents with an English annotation. The facsimiles published in the collection follow a chronological order – a selection of the most important documents, a total of 53 agreements, perspective plans, instructions, information papers, reports and notes, found in the archives of the various departments of the Bulgarian State Security Services. Some documents are published in Russian because their translation was not found in the Bulgarian archives. The stamp reading “The level of classification is waived” represents an integral element of the documents’ authenticity because it evidences when and on what legal grounds each archive unit has been declassified.

The Commission for Disclosing the Documents and Announcing Affiliation of Bulgarian Citizens to the State Security and the Intelligence Services of the Bulgarian National Army has as an important aspect of its work the granting of access to the secret files for the purposes of research and investigative journalism. By virtue of article 10 of the Act on Access to and Declassification of the Records and on Disclosure of Involvement of Bulgarian Nationals With the Former State Security and the Intelligence Services of the Bulgarian People’s Army, the Commission undertook the publication of a part of the documents preserved in the integrated archive it created. This year we mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall and the beginnings of the new democratic order in Central and Eastern Europe.

The disclosure of those documents will help researchers in conducting a more comprehensive analysis of the global confrontation between the two opposing camps which led to the emergence, expansion and regulation of a number of regional crises, especially astonishing we find the constant interest of the archives related to the cooperation between the Bulgarian State Security – Ministry of the Interior of the Peopleнs Republic of Bulgaria (MoI of the PRB) and the Committee for State Security (KGB) of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in regard of the national and international church organizations – incl. the World Council of Churches.

At this point and on this subject the most important documents on the coordination of the tasks of interaction between the security authorities of the two countries are the following:

Document №5 is in Russian – “Notes on the measures for the improvement of the work of the state security bodies of the PR of Bulgaria, 1953” (f. MoI, s.f. 1, i. 5, a.u. 23, sh. 198-206)

After 1944-46 the intelligence and counter-intelligence work of the state security bodies of the PR of Bulgaria was coordinated by “instructors” from the Forth Directorateof the People’s Committee for State Security (KGB). Very active since 1947 was colonel “Mitya” Trifonov esp. in the process against the arrested in end of 1948 evangelical pastors. Later on his colleagues – Soviet advisors on the measures needed to improve the work of the state security bodies of the PR of Bulgaria to be used as a basis for the drafting of a concrete plan for 1953 as seen in Document 5 – a top-secret text recommending on national level to collect detailed information on suspicious groups of citizens potential State enemies, incl. Church high-ranking officials and to control their correspondence (see p. 42, about. Department “Panega”). On international level as main task on page 101 is planned the infiltration of agents in the Vatican and the World Council of Churches in order to unveil and discredit their plans and activities against the socialist countries. In paragraph 23 (see pages 47-480 is recommended to profit from the materials about the recent process on the catholic conspiracy in Bulgaria and to take measures to close catholic monasteries, churches, as centers of conspirator’s and espionage, as well as to reduce the number of the operating mosques (in the original text: “Turkish churches”).

Document №8 is a translation from Russian: “Measures for the further intensification of the coordination and interaction between the State Security of the PRB and the security organs of the USSR, 3 July 1959″ (f. of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), s.f. 9, i. 2, a.u. 804, sh. 8-12).

It points measures and specific steps for joined and coordinated intelligence activity of the security services of the PRB and the USSR against the main enemy оr the USA and the other capitalist countries and their intelligence services. In part III (p. 64) we find a statement on the hostile activity of the Vatican against the USSR and the countries from the socialistic camp. As very useful was proposed soviet intelligencers to investigate in Bulgaria (by the time fixed – 15.08.1959) all opportunities for interception the activity of the Vatican trough the connections of the Pope (cardinal Roncalli) who lived in the country.

Document №9 “Information of G. Kumbiliev before a meeting of the leadership of the Ministry of the Interior, Sofia, August 11, 1959″ (f. NIS, s.f. 9, i. 2, a.u. 803, sh. 142-170)

On the Meeting of the leadership of the Ministry of the Interior held on August 11, 1959 to discuss the results of the visit of the Bulgarian delegation led by the Interior Minister to the Committee for State Security (KGB) of the USSR, Moscow, – an critic analysis was done regarding the need of political demoralization of the clergy through denunciatory articles in the Bulgarian media, not only the corruption of the Eastern Orthodox clergymen, but to use the Muslim imams and the religious sects infiltrating agents’ provocateur amongst the leaders of the religious communities (pp.87-88). As “good practices” are cited the use of the imams to agitate the rural population for entering the co-operative farms, as well as the involvement of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to counter designs and discontent among the people and how exactly to “interpret the gospel” in favor of the co-operative farms.

Document №11 is a “Recorded discussion on the coordination of intelligence and counter-intelligence measures some joint operations between the MoI of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Committee for State Security (KGB) at the Council of Ministers of the USSR, 5 June 1961″(f. NIS, s.f. 9, i. 2, a.u. 804, sh. 74-81).

It was adiscussion between the leadership of the MoI of the PRB and the leadership of the KGB regarding the coordination of the intelligence and counter-intelligence measures and the joint implementation of some of them between the MoI of the PRB and the KGB at the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the 5^th June 1961. on page 103 we find an analysis on the hostile activity of the Vatican, especially the danger of the intention to organize an Ecumenical council (Second Vatican Council) as an antisocialist gathering. That’s why on page 101 is decided to infiltrate intelligencers in the Vatican City and the World Council of Churches for the exposure and denunciation of the practical application of their enemy’s activity against peace, democracy and countries of the socialist camp. More active measures to be taken (as described on p. 105) in this regard through the media of the socialist and capitalist countries; trough disinformation in order to create distrust amongst some circles of the roman-catholic clergy towards the Vatican; to explore the Prague’s Peace Christian Conference as leading international church organization for the purposes in favor of the socialist countries and to put it on the war-path with the Vatican. The Bulgarian and Soviet secret services decided to work in common “for the disgrace of the ecumenical council of the Vatican as an anticommunist front of all churches, incl. the Muslim one”.

Document №13 “Instruction No.C-1164 of the Council of Ministers (CoM) dated July 11, 1962 regarding the approval of agreement dated July 3, 1962” (f. MoI, s.f. 1, i. 7, a.u. 808, sh. 20-22) (Re.: Instruction No. C-1164 of the of the CoM dated July 11, 1962 on the approval of agreement dated July 3, 1962 for cooperation between the Committee for State Security (KGB) at the Council of Ministers of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics and the Ministry of the Interior of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria signed on July 3, 1962)

Document №14 “Transckript talks discussion between V.E. Semichastni and D. Dikov regarding the results and the future cooperation between the KGB at the CoM of the USSR and the MoI of the PRB, Moscow, 17 May 1963” (f. NIS, s.f. 9, i. 2, a.u. 804, sh. 158-168) – Discussion between V. E. Semichastni, Chairman of the KGB, and D. Dikov, Minister of the Interior of the PRB, on the results and the future cooperation between the KGB at the CoM of the USSR and the MoI of the PRB in the area of intelligence and counter-intelligence, and additional operative possibilities of the secret services in expanding the coordination of actions in fields of common concern and in consolidating mutual assistance. An agreement was reached to exchange information on the results from the first session of the Vatican’s “ecumenical council” and till the 1^st of August to prepare joint actions for the period of the second session of the Council.

Document №22, “Information No 724 regarding the talks held with the visiting KGB delegation led by Y. Andropov, Sofia 24 December, 1969″ (f. NIS, f. 9, i. 2, a.u. 813, sh. 16-23), represents talks between the leadership of the MoI of the PRB and the delegation of the Committee of State Security, KGB, of the USSR on matters related to the international environment, the organization of the intelligence and counter-intelligence work and the relations among the security authorities of the socialist countries, held in Sofia from 27 to 29 November 1969. Regarding Cyprus was planned to deepen the contradictions between Greece and Turkey and to support the mood of Archbishop Makarios for self-dependence and independence through the “opportunities” of the Orthodox Church for gathering information and for influencing Makarios.

Document №27 “Plan for interaction and practical cooperation in the field of counter-intelligence between the KGB Fifth Directorate and the Sixth Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior of the Peopleнs Republic of Bulgaria for the period 1972-1974, April 1972″ (f. MoI, s.f. 1, i. 10, a.u. 1282, sh. 1-13): Plan for interaction and practical cooperation in the field of counter-intelligence between the KGB Fifth Directorate and Sixth Directorate of the MoI of the PRB for the period 1972-1974, signed by F. Bobkov, head of the KGB Fifth Directorate and P. Stoyanov, head of the Sixth Directorate of the MoI. It shows specific interest in the hostile circles of the Muslim emigration in Turkey and in infiltrating agents in Muslim organization in this country. This interest in the activities of the Muslim centers lasts for decades as seen also from Document №43 or “Plan for joint action with the KGB structures for the period 1983-1985, Sofia, June 20, 1983″(f. MoI, s.f. 22, i. 1, a.u. 202, sh. 1-5) – Plan for joint action and further improvement of the interaction between the KGB structures and division 02 of Department 06 of SS for the period 1983-1985 in which we find a detailed plan regarding the organization “Muslim Brothers” (p. 343). In Document 27, see p. 227, follows a detailed description of the operative actions of various church organizations in order “to prevent the organizational consolidation of the antisocialist clerical organizations” (more specific the World Council of Churches – WCC) using the Russian and the Bulgarian Orthodox churches for ideological diversion. On page 222 are mentioned the names of certain agents: “Borisov”, “Stoyanov”, “Petrov” (MoI of PRB), “Svetoslav”, “Nesterov”, “Ostrovski”, “Adamant”, “Vidmantas” (KGB of USSR) and other amongst among respectful Orthodox clergy members. For the historians of the modern church history is possible to research who are the clergy or lay persons behind this nicknames. For the year 1972 was planned WCC to be directed in advantage of the socialist secret services; also the consolidation of the leadership of “Prague’s Peace Christian Conference” with representatives from socialist countries confronting the ideological diversion of the capitalist clerical centers and organizations.

Document №44 “Information on the discussion held during the meeting of Vladimir Kryuchkov, Deputy Chairman of KGB and the head of the KGB FCD with a delegation of the FCD of SS, November 19, 1984″(f. NIS, s.f. 9, i.4, a.u. 663, sh. 26-30) is aninformation of D. Stankov, head of division 08 of the FGD of SS and M. Kolarov, head of division 17 of the FGD of SS regarding a meeting of a delegation of the FGD of SS with Vl. Kryuchkov, Deputy Chairman of KGB, on matters related to the joint work of the two intelligence services in special operations in Albania, Moscow, November 1, 1984. “Comrade” Kryuchkov analyses on pp. 348-49 the development of the lawsuit “Antonov” and the attempt on the life of Pope John-Paul II, the Italian jurisprudence and the attitude of Judge Ilario Martella. This statement of the top-KGB officer describes the Pope as “very dangerous for us clergyman, much more dangerous compared to the late cardinal Vishinski”. A recommendation is given to ask for help the Polish “comrades” regardless their preoccupation with “the case Popelushko”.

Document №46 is the “Prospective plan for the interaction between the external intelligence services of the Ministry of the Interior of the PRB and the Committee for State Security (KGB) of the USSR for the period 1986-1990, March 19, 1986″(f. NIS, s.f. 9, i. 4a, a.u. 40, sh. 1-19) – prospective plan for the successful implementation of the tasks of the external intelligence services of the MoI of the PRB and the KGB of the USSR, further improvement of the efficiency of the intelligence activity, consolidation of the interaction and coordination of the efforts of the State Security (SS) and the KGB mostly against the USA, NATO and China. On page 385 special interest and attention is shown toward the leadership of the Vatican and the protestant church and their position and activity in regard issues like global peace and disarmament.

Petar Gramatikov 1 Comments

Jul 3 2021

The Qumranite Society or the New Union Society

The discovery of the Dead Sea Manuscripts between 1947 and 1956 was an event that ushered in a new era of Bible study, early post-biblical Judaism, and the beginning of Christianity. Written in Hebrew and Aramaic and dating from 200 BC. until the middle of the first century AD, they allowed an incomparable and revolutionary view of Jewish life and worldview in Palestine during a fateful period in the development of Jewish and Christian religious thought. With their first publication in 1962 and the revised 1975 edition, these unbiblical Qumran texts became an accessible and convenient introduction to the organization, customs, history, and beliefs of the municipality that created them. These remarkable documents serve as an authoritative guide in the study of ancient Judaism and the nascent Christianity of the same period.

The hiding places with manuscripts found in the caves near the Dead Sea, near Ain al-Feshka and Hirbet-Qumran, were hidden by the members of the New Union (ancient Hebrew Hadasha), as the people living in a separate and special a religious community built on the principles existing in the ancient Jewish sect of the Essays. When the Roman legions of Emperor Titus quelled the Israeli riots in Palestine (c. 66-70), the Qumranites left their refuges and hid their library in nearby caves. Pliny the Elder (23-79), who was a senior officer at the imp. Titus, who in his “Natural History” described the geography of Palestine and some cultural and historical facts and manifestations of that country; he tells us that in his time west of the Dead Sea lived wonderful Jewish ascetics: “… west of Lake Asphalt are the Essayists … These are people of their kind; without a wife, in denial of all that is the fruit of Venus; no money … Day by day they are reborn in equal numbers thanks to the multitude that comes; for there are many who are tired of life (want) to adopt their way of life ”(Historia naturalis V, 17). The members of this secluded Jewish colony, which flourished in the first century AD, are also called essays by Dion Chrysostom (c. 40-120), a Greek rhetorician and philosopher with a penchant for the Stoics and Cynics. Bishop Synesius (370-413), who was also a rhetorician, philosopher and poet, quoted Chrysostom Dion as follows: , in the middle of Palestine, not far from Sodom ”.

The Essenes lived mainly in Judea, but their influence extended beyond its narrow confines. Philo of Alexandria tells us about the echo of essayism in Mesopotamia and especially in Egypt (Alexandria). The inspiration for this mystical Jewish brotherhood with a Pythagorean backing was inspired by the Master of Justice (founder of the New Union or Qumran society), who integrated neo-Pythagoreanism into the Essay because he could not remain alien to the reviving Pythagoreanism that covered almost all of then. His followers for three centuries (2nd century BC – 1st century AD) numbered more than 4,000, and only the truly dedicated, perfect, “society of priests”, not counting the members of the community who joined the the union following the example of the “pious”. The name “essays” comes from the East Aramaic word “hasse” = pious, holy, dedicated; st. abs. pl. “Hassen”; st. constr. pl. – hassaja ”, whence the Greek“ essei ”. The fact that this Hebrew word is not found in the West Aramaic language is an indication that the ideological origin of this sect should be sought in the Jewish colonies of Mesopotamia, from where the Iranian-Babylonian influences were transferred to Palestine.

Petar Gramatikov 0 Comments

Jul 3 2021

Views on socio-political construction of Vladimir Solovyov and his followers

Russian religious philosophers, without exception, hold the view that Christianity is not limited to morality, that the essence of Christianity is the God-man Jesus Christ himself, and once he accepts Him as God and man, we cannot but accept mystical metaphysics, with a development of which Russian religious thinkers are engaged.

By developing the doctrine of the permeability of the whole world by God (or of His omnipresence), Russian philosophers at the same time carefully distinguished themselves from pantheism. This exact observance of the boundary between the Creator and the created world stands in connection with the typical and Eastern Orthodoxy’s high appreciation of the Christian virtue “humility.” Hence the fierce struggle against any deification of man, people, order social system, in general against the absolutization of relative existence. Everything earthly is valued from the point of view of the ideal of the whole fullness of being in God on the basis of perfect love for God and creatures.

Love is a basic principle or essence of morality. The whole law of God fits into the following words: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Galatians 5:14). Love is a “royal law” (James 2: 8). Love for God obliges us to love our neighbors as well, like God, and together to learn to love God and to prove our love for Him. In the particular person we love God, and in God we love true humanity. This is the idea of true humanity. By flowing through love into humanity, ie. the kingdom of neighbors, the single person is enriched and happily fills his personal life. Christian love challenges all members of society to fraternal mutual help, requires in the individual to respect and honor his godlike personality. Thomas Aquinas’ dream of achieving the extremes of individualism and collectivism in order to achieve human solidarity is being achieved.

Religious worldview affects not only individual relationships between people, but also social construction. Vl. Solovyov promoted the idea of Christian politics, which would set itself the task of radically transforming society in the name of social justice. At the heart of non-religious humanism, which rejects the supersensible world, it tends to see true love of neighbor, but unsuccessfully combined with materialistic views.

The sad experience of the two Russian revolutions led Soloviev’s successors to believe that in the case of non-religious humanism (which, unfortunately, still roams both the countries of the post-communist East and in the countries of Western technotronic civilization) it is self-affirmation you are. An act arbitrary, which leads to the decay of the public, as Dostoevsky predicted. The only thing that reassures is that there are practical statesmen who accomplish the relative good in modern social construction without letting go of the rudder with which they steer the boat of personal and public life to the Absolute Good.

An example of this at the end of the twentieth century is the successful model of “monarcho-socialism” of the Scandinavian type and “monarcho-clerical socialism” in Spain.

The ideal of Christianity, the Kingdom of God, could not be realized within earthly life and earthly society. Today we are witnessing the invasion of the average person, of the crowd with its value stupidity. The scale of lusts, with which the ecology of the human soul struggles, is given to us in the main work of S. Bulgakov – “Evening World” (1917). In Soloviev, thought itself is stereoscopic and stereophonic, with artistic filling, voluminous thought, while in Tolstoy, for example, thoughts are embodied in living images, paintings, colors. In Soloviev’s case, the spiritual reworking of factual material is obligatory, but it is a poetic delight rather than an exposition of philosophical thought.

“Beauty will save the world,” Dostoevsky said. This true beauty is the Transfiguration of the world, the sophurgy, i.e. the ascension of man to God, which can take place only in the bowels of Christ’s Church, under the life-giving action of the constantly flowing grace of the sacraments, in the atmosphere of prayerful enthusiasm. This completion of the creation of the world takes place not in the plane of earth’s history, but in the new eon (or cosmic cycle), where the purpose of the world is to take us beyond the world to a new heaven and a new earth. Historical cataclysms are useful because they heal dangerous passions in absurdities contrary to the Lord, such as the idea of man-god, pop-god or polytheism, the driving force of which is not love or compassion, but pride and the dream of an earthly paradise. Every democracy is an idolatry because it represents self-worship on the part of the people and is ruled by myths or idols, but not by the Divine moral law. For Christians, any form of dictatorship or satrapy is not acceptable, because they represent idiolatry (worship by one person) and anti-god totalitarianism. The true system of government, as opposed to the above, is theocracy, which is the carrying out of God’s will on earth. In its purest form, theocracy in biblical history has failed because of the inability of the people to apply God’s will here on earth today. Soloviev identified the theocracy, to some extent, with the papocentric state of the Vatican. After the theocratic state in Old Testament times came the turn of the monarchical form of government.

We see a guide, a guardian of the observance of God’s decrees, in the person of the Anointed King, because the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament clearly indicate the monarchical institution as God-ordained, according to the request of all God’s people (the Jewish people were this chosen vessel, into which the graces of God flowed, and from which came the Messiah, Jesus Christ). We also see the confrontation between these two types of state power in the special devilish cruelty with which the idolatries remove at the cost of their own blood and that of their victims everything that stands in their covenant path to the destruction of the royal government established by God Himself.

Dreams of an earthly paradise, of the creation of an ideal society in the conditions of earthly relative life, and especially those which are connected with the negation of the religious foundations of existence, have been subjected to destructive criticism in many works of Soloviev’s followers: vol. EN Trubetskoy, S. Bulgakov, N. Karsavin, N. Aleksiev and others. A valuable conclusion of this critique is given by the scientific and philosophical works of the professor of law and philosophy PI Novgorodtsev – “Crisis of modern legal consciousness” (1900) and “On the social ideal” (1917). Novgorodtsev noted the typical in the early twentieth century and, moreover, for the Eastern European geopolitical and ethno-political zone bankruptcy of faith in a modern legal state perfect, the collapse of faith in socialism and anarchism, in general, the devaluation of the idea of paradise.

Vladimir Solovyov, the patriarch of the galaxy of genius minds in the brilliant constellation of Russian religious humanists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as early as 1882 recognized the philosopher Nikolai Fyodorov as his “dear teacher and comforter” and “spiritual father.” He proclaimed his doctrine of the common cause to be “the first movement of the human spirit forward in the way of Christ.” Fyodorov directs our thought to the ontological foundation of social and historical activity, to the relationship between man and his Higher ideal – God. This is the true ideal for the people of the new century, who have descended into unprecedented abysses of individual and collective evil, living on the ruins of humanism, because they have accepted man himself as an absolute. The “philosopher of common cause” tries to design a real bridge from earth to heaven, from the natural to the supernatural, in the sense of overcoming the natural and ascending to a higher nature.

One of Soloviev’s most zealous followers was Prince Eugene Trubetskoy, who took an active part in the political life of Russia in the early twentieth century. All his activities on the political scene were imbued with a desire to reconcile everything and everyone on the basis of truth and justice. This is a kind of political application of the idea of the unity of his teacher. His works are focused exclusively on uniting the people around the common cause of spiritual salvation and revival of Russia. But as he failed to realize de facto Christian socialism, abandoning his glittering political career, which the Cadet Party offered him, in his own words, because “anti-legal, anti-constitutional democracy inevitably degenerates into anarchy, which, in turn, breeds the opposite extreme or despotism.”

Many compare chiliasm to socialism. In the eighteenth century, the century of rationalism, enlightenment, skepticism, revived the ancient, Jewish chiliasm, the old faith in heaven on earth, but now in a new shell: first as political democracy (“freedom, equality, brotherhood” and human rights and the citizen ”), later as socialism. With the general secularization of life characteristic of the new history, the old Jewish chiliasm was also secularized, and in this secularized form it became socialism. In socialism we must distinguish between a “goal,” or an ideal, and a movement or a practice. The latter is the subject of political economy and realistic social policy, the former belongs to the field of faith and religious trust (in a broad sense). Socialism finds some justification in neo-paganism – or in the religion of man-god. Socialism is an apocalypse of the naturalistic religion of man-god. The latter is a religious scarcity, and therefore social-chiliasm is a simplification, a degeneration, even a denigration of the old Jewish chiliasm. Socialism is a rationalist, translated from the language of cosmology and theology into the language of political economy, application of Jewish chiliasm. The chosen people, the bearer of the messianic idea, or, as it was later called in Christian sectarianism, the “People of the Saints,” were replaced by the “proletariat” with a specific proletarian soul and a special revolutionary mission. from the sign of class or belonging to the proletariat, or the situation in the production process.

Petar Gramatikov 1 Comments

Jul 3 2021

CHURCH AND FINANCES

Lately, it is talked more and more of Islamic banking and Islamic insurance, penetrating Europe. Little is known, however, of the initiatives of Christian churches for regulating the financial situation of religious Christian organizations in the age of global secularism.

In January 2005 financial world was blown up by the great success of the Investment Fund to the Anglican Church in Great Britain, which realized huge incomes. It is an example of profitable, sound, risk-free and at the same time covering matters of ethnic nature investments, made in companies, which observe all normative acts on environmental protection, guarantee for non-discrimination of any kind and provide safe working and living conditions.

Another very successful fund is The Century Fund, established in 1994 by World Student Christian Federation, which is an ecumenical organization, existing since 1895. It works in beneficial partnership with the Churches and student and youth movements all over the world. Having started with the amount of 1 million US dollars, the Fund combines Christian ethics and investment in different spheres of activity with the purpose of raising resources for a Christian association among Christian students. The interests and earnings, received by the fund, are used for international programmes, international and regional cooperation as well as for supporting the Programme for Ecumenical Assistance through humanitarian initiatives for churches in developing and non-developing countries: higher education, settlement of conflicts and peace-making, theology and spirituality and other spheres of present interest. More than one hundred national movements are members of the Federation as they both make a profit of and give their contribution to the prosperity and activity of the World Student Christian Federation. This Investment Ecumenical Fund is a real opportunity for investing in the future and is established as a legal entity in Geneva.

On its part, in the period from 10th to 16th of April 2005 the World Council of Churches in Geneva initiated the organization of World Week of Initiatives on matters of commerce, as it encouraged all member-churches (347 in number from more than 120 countries) and other organizations from the non-governmental sector to participate in it.

In Geneva the delegation of “To Respond Together” Ecumenical Alliance, led by Pastor Samuel Cobia, Secretary-General of the World Council of Churches ат тхат тиме handed the Petition to the leaders of the World Trade Organization. The Petition is entitled “Trade at the Service of People” and has been signed by more than 180 religious leaders. Business circles are called to change the rules of international trade with the purpose of protecting the rights of all countries, including the rights of Man, the Creation /of Nature/ and economic equity.
During the last three decades microcredits revolutionized the financial world. Microfinancial institutions knocked down the financial rules, which seemed unshakeable, with the purpose of offering their services to the poor by granting credits with minimum interests and at the same time minimizing the formalities and bureaucracy. They proved that banks could grant loans not only to the rich, but also to small entrepreneurs from marginalized groups and their families. The United Nations Organization declared the year of 2005 for World Year of Microcredit. An Ecumenical Interchristian Organization called Oikocredit holds paramount position in the sector of microfinancing. It also played an active part in the international symposium, held on 10th of June, this year, in the former German Parliament in Bonn under the motto of “The small loans that change our life.” Since its establishment up to the present moment Oikocredit has supported 234 financial intermediary groups and many projects in Latin America, Asia, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe (including Bulgaria), as unlike the other financial institutions, which grant credits for short terms (for a period of one to two years), Oikocredit offers crediting on a long-term plan (for a period of two to ten years) and is also one of the few institutions, which could afford to grant credits in local currencies.
Most of the private investment funds, engaged in microfinancing are qualified as “social investment funds”. Only few of them like SIDI in France, Calvert in the United States of America and Oikocredit are called “social funds.” The fact that the word “investment” was left out reveals that with these funds the social aspect is much more important than the financial yield.
To millions of people around the world, microredits changed the concept of charity. Even at a catastrophe with the magnitude of the disasters, caused by the tsunami or floods in Louisiana, microcredit has its place and specific significance since after the priority of the aid of vital necessity, a long-term restructuring aid is offered, which represents the very power of microfinancing.

Petar Gramatikov 1 Comments

Jul 2 2021

Milano Say No to Drugs volunteers work with City on international Day against drugs

WORLD DAY AGAINST DRUG ABUSE AND TRAFFICKING 2021. Say NO to drugs volunteers in Milan with the support of CityHall Bike service BIKEMI

The Say NO to Drugs volunteers in Milan brought the Truth about Drugs to Milan by bicycle thanks to the support of BIKEMI which offered the use of their bicycles free of charge, and thanks to the Church of Scientology who offered all the necessary booklets for the city to be distributed also free of charge.

To kick off the day, Councillor Gandolfi, who is very aware of the drug problem, thanked the volunteers for the important message they bring to the citicens today and signed the “I say no to drugs” roll of honour in support of the initiative.

The theme of this year’s UN World Drug Day, “Informing to Save Lives” is heavily supported by the Truth About Drugs programme, which is based on “correct information and education” on the subject so as to make people more responsible and able to take decisions their own decisions for their future.

The key point of the programme is a series of 13 well-documented booklets that, without using intimidation tactics, provide information on drugs. The series consists of a generic booklet providing an overview of the various types of drugs and a booklet for each of the most commonly used drugs.

The material also includes real-life facts to further understand what drugs really are and what their real effects are, both short and long term.

The simplicity and clarity with which they have been written makes them to be understandable by children of different ages, as well as very useful for parents, educators and anyone who cares.

Referring to the devastating impact of drugs on society, author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard had inspired this programme having reached by now millions of people, as well as through the widespread distribution of the 13 booklets, but also through the “educational programme which is offered free of charge to teachers and educators around the world.

There is still a lot of work to be done. 275 million people have used drugs in the last year and in this regard, today, the Church of Scientology of Milana today confirmed the allocation of additional funds to reprint as many materials as possible to continue to make them freely available free for everyone.

Newsdesk 0 Comments

Jul 2 2021

Era of China Being Bullied Gone Forever, Says Xi Jinping at centenary celebration of Communist Party

By — Shyamal Sinha

President Xi Jinping hailed China’s “irreversible” course from humiliated colony to great power at the centenary celebrations for the Chinese Communist Party on Thursday, in a speech reaching deep into history to remind patriots at home and rivals abroad of his nation’s — and his own — ascendancy.

Speaking above the giant portrait of Mao Zedong, which dominates Tiananmen Square, from the podium where the famous chairman proclaimed the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Xi said the “era of China being bullied is gone forever” praising the party for uplifting incomes and restoring national pride.

Drawing a line from the subjugation of the Opium Wars to the struggle to establish a socialist revolution in China, Xi said the party has brought about “national rejuvenation” lifting tens of millions from poverty and “altered the landscape of world development.”

Xi, wearing a ‘Mao-style’ jacket, added the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical course” and vowed to continue to build a “world-class” military to defend national interests.

In the summer of 1921 Mao and a clutch of Marxist-Leninist thinkers in Shanghai founded the party which has since morphed into one of the world’s most powerful political organisations.

It now counts around 95 million members, garnered over a century of war, famine and turmoil, and more recently a surge to superpower status butting up against western rivals, led by the US.

In a ceremony of pomp and patriotism, thousands of singers, backed by a marching band, belted out stirring choruses including “We Are the Heirs of Communism” and “Without the Communist Party there would be no New China” as maskless invitees cheered and waved flags in a packed Tiananmen Square.

A fly-by of helicopters in formation spelling ‘100’ — a giant hammer and sickle flag trailing — and a 100-gun salute followed, while young communists in unison pledged allegiance to the party.

Power, popularity and purges

Xi, whose speech braided the economic miracle of China with the longevity of the party, has cemented his eight-year rule through a personality cult, ending term limits and declining to anoint a successor.

He has purged rivals and crushed dissent — from Uyghur Muslims and online critics to pro-democracy protests on Hong Kong’s streets.

The party has pivoted to new challenges; using tech to renew its appeal for younger generations — 12.55 million members are now aged 30 or younger — while giving a communist finish to a consumer economy decorated by billionaire entrepreneurs.

On Beijing’s streets, praise for the party was effusive from those willing to speak to foreign media.

“We should thank the party and the motherland,” said Li Luhao, 19, a student at Beihang University performing in the celebration.

A man surnamed Wang, 42, said: “When I was a child there was a blackout for one hour every night and electricity shortages.” “Now the streets are full of light. Food, clothes, education, traffic are all better.”

Xi has presented a defiant face to overseas rivals led by the US, revving up nationalist sentiment, batting back criticism of his government’s actions in Hong Kong, towards Taiwan and the treatment of the Uyghurs.

“The Chinese people will never allow any foreign forces to bully, oppress, or enslave us,” Xi said in his speech to great applause.

“Whoever wants to do so will face bloodshed in front of a Great Wall of steel built by more than 1.4 billion Chinese people.”

Party time?

In its 100th year, the party has delivered a selective version of history through films, ‘Red’ tourism campaigns and books, which dance over the mass violence of the Cultural Revolution, famines and the Tiananmen Square student crackdown.

Instead, it has driven attention to China’s rebound from Covid-19, which first emerged in the central city of Wuhan, but has been virtually extinguished inside the country.

But reminders linger of the risks to stability.

Thursday also marks the 24th anniversary of the handover of former British colony Hong Kong to China, a date once met with mass demonstrations against Beijing.

One year ago, China imposed a draconian national security law on the city in response to huge — often violent — protests.

The measure has seen more than 64 activists charged, anti-China slogans criminalised and even the closure of a critical newspaper as the law sinks the once freewheeling city into what Amnesty International calls a “human rights emergency”.

Police have denied requests for demonstrations in the city, although several pro-democracy groups have vowed to defy a 10,000-strong police presence on the streets.

“The CCP can go to hell,” a Hong Konger who gave his name only as Ken told AFP. “Anything that’s worthwhile, they destroy.”

sourced – News 18

Shyamal Sinha 0 Comments

Jul 2 2021

CEC Annual Report 2020: Living in Hope in Pandemic Times

Press Release No: 12/21
02 July 2021
Brussels

The CEC Annual Report 2020 is now available. The report titled Living in Hope in Pandemic Times reviews CEC activities carried out in the tumultuous year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenging year still witnessed significant projects, professing CEC’s vision “Together in Hope and Witness.”

The report is available in English, French and German.

The report describes CEC’s work in the area of peace and reconciliation, ecclesiology and mission, dialogue with European Institutions, EU policy and legislation, human rights, care for creation and sustainable development, science, new technologies, education, democracy and diversity, as well as migration and asylum.

In their introduction to the report, CEC President Rev. Christian Krieger and CEC General Secretary Dr Jørgen Skov Sørensen shared how “in spite of obstacles, CEC still managed to deliver in almost all areas in 2020. In-person gatherings, events and meetings were largely cancelled or postponed. Yet, in the same way as our Member Churches, we found ways and means to adapt.”

“For both CEC and for our Member Churches, 2020 was a year of saying many prayers. Praying together became a powerful vaccine against the loss of hope, against the absence of communal resilience and against the lack of human sustainability,” they added.

Download the CEC Annual Report 2020 in English, French and German.

For more information or an interview, please contact:

Naveen Qayyum
Communication Officer
Conference of European Churches
Rue Joseph II, 174 B-1000 Brussels
Tel. +32 486 75 82 36
E-mail: naveen@cec-kek.be
Website: www.ceceurope.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ceceurope
Twitter: @ceceurope
You Tube: Conference of European Churches – YouTube
Subscribe to CEC News

Newsdesk 0 Comments

Jul 1 2021

Lukashenko announced an attempt to “break Orthodoxy” in Belarus

During the protests in Belarus, they tried to attract churches of different confessions, Lukashenko said. Earlier, the authorities canceled the passport of the head of the Belarusian Catholics – he was indignant that protesters were blocked in the church during the rally

External forces are trying to “break Orthodoxy” in Belarus. This was stated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting with the clergy in the Zhirovichi Monastery, BelTA informs.

According to him, now the country is going through turbulent times. Lukashenko recalled that external forces tried to “shake” and “break” Belarus, then they “moved on to a powerful information attack and economic strangulation.”

“One of them (we have seen this recently, and we have recently discussed this topic with our patriarch) is an attempt to break Orthodoxy in Belarus,” he said.

Lukashenko spoke about attempts to involve churches in undermining the situation in the country, and that many Catholic churches succumbed. Moreover, he added, there were “certain vacillations” among the Orthodox, but in the end the Orthodox Church coped with it.

In September last year, about two months after the start of mass protests in Belarus, the director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin reported on the attempts of the US authorities to “raise anti-government sentiment” among Belarusian Catholics in order to spur those on protests.

He also warned of possible provocations that are being prepared for a clash between Catholics and Orthodox. Prior to that, the Belarusian authorities declared invalid the passport of the head of the Conference of Catholic Bishops, Metropolitan of Minsk-Mogilev Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, which deprived him of the right to return to Belarus.

At the end of August, Kondrusevich called the actions of the security forces, who blocked the people in the Red Church in Minsk during the dispersal of the protesters, as a gross violation of the rights of believers and freedom of religion. Later, he admitted that “there is reason to believe that the presidential elections in Belarus were not fair.”

Newsdesk 0 Comments

Jul 1 2021

Tibetan Youth Congress protest CCP centenary celebrations at Chinese Embassy in Delhi

Tibetan Youth Congress members protesting against 100 years of CCP at Chinese Embassy (ANI)

By — Shyamal Sinha

Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) members on Thursday staged a protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi against the centenary celebrations of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Dozens of Tibetans gathered at the Chinese Embassy to protest the cruelty and brutality of the CCP and to send the message that they were putting up an united front against it.

One of the protestors said, “Remember 1950, we are protesting against the centenary celebration of CCP. We want freedom, hail Tibet, while the world is witnessing a river of blood flowing, China is celebrating the 100 years of CCP.”

“We condemn CCP. The very existence of the party is a threat to global peace and harmony. They are the murderers, they are the killers”, said another protestor.

As China marks the 100th founding anniversary of its Communist Party, Tibetan Youth Congress strongly condemned and criticised the very existence of CCP and its establishment at the cost of countless innocent lives and its notorious history of human rights violations said a statement of TYC.

“The painful memories of annexation and occupation of Tibet and killings of more than a million courageous countrymen continue to stay in us and we will strengthen our freedom movement to fulfill their aspirations,” added the statement.

The invasion of Tibet by the CCP in 1959 led 14th Dalai Lama along with 50,000 Tibetan to escape to India and later spread across the globe.

The CCP continues to impose severe restrictions and use brutal measures to suppress and imprison any form of dissent inside Tibet. Due to such aggressive policies, Tibetans inside Tibet have resorted to measures like self-immolation.

Since 2009, 157 Tibetans inside Tibet have set themselves on fire to protest against China’s illegal occupation. Most of the self-immolators called for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and independence in Tibet, read the statement.

Tibetan Buddhism under Communist China went through a dark phase from demolishing more than 5,000 monasteries to the disrobing of 99.9 per cent monks and nuns.

Today in Tibet, the Chinese authorities are gearing up for increased control over Tibetan Buddhism, where monasteries are forbidden to give traditional monastic education which forms an integral part of Tibetan Buddhism, read the TYC statement.

Monks and nuns are, instead, subjected to regular “patriotic education” and other political campaigns that are fundamentally against the basic tenets of Tibetan Buddhism.

Political indoctrination has replaced Buddhist education in monastic institutions where monks are drawn to serve the interest of the Beijing government and are forced to follow CCP’s strict guidelines.

CCP’s authorities are empowered with direct supervision over managing and running the monasteries and nunneries, the statement added.

Apart from that, under China’s occupation, Tibet’s environment has been destroyed, the resources have been illegally mined and transported and the rivers have been polluted.

Their occupation has led the Tibetans devoid of their basic rights and the human rights situation inside Tibet continues to deteriorate and worsen each passing year under the Chinese Communist Party’s oppressive and repressive hardliner policies.

Owing to which Tibet has for the past six years only scored 1/100 and ranked as the least free place in the world for civil rights and political freedoms, TYC statement added.

Genocide and crimes against humanity are becoming a daily occurrence in Tibet, and CCP continues to aggressively pursue assimilation policies in Tibet, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia.

Chinese authorities have tightened surveillance ahead of their centenary celebration and continue to detain Tibetans arbitrarily.

“The very existence of CCP is not only a threat to the survival of Tibetan culture and identity, but it poses a grave security threat to the rest of the world. Therefore, it’s high time to scale up the cooperation amongst the democratic countries and strengthen its position against the atrocities committed by the CCP,” said the statement.

Sourced – (ANI)

Shyamal Sinha 0 Comments

Jun 30 2021

CEC Theological Reflections: Eucharist and Communion during COVID-19 pandemic

As part of CEC’s monthly Theological Reflections series “Communion in Crisis: The Church during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Rev. Cristian Sonea from the Romanian Orthodox Church reflects on Eucharist and Communion during the COVID 19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 crisis affected most Christian communities that survived multiple lockdowns or were asked to practice social distancing, as, in fact, it affected all human communities worldwide. While for other communities the isolation had a negative impact on the economy or on human relations, on a psychological level, in the case of the Christian Orthodox communities, the social distancing measures seemed to impact the very being of the Church, in which the Eucharistic community plays an essential role. That is why, within Orthodox communities, one may find many voices that vehemently criticise the decisions of the authorities regarding the current crisis.

In this context, it is therefore natural to try to answer some questions such as: what is the relation between the Eucharist and the community, to what extent can an online gathering be considered a church and does the absence of the gathering in one place nullify communion?

In an attempt to find answers to these questions, I will offer here a short theological reflection based on Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae’s Eucharistic theology. In his book “Spirituality and Communion in the Orthodox Liturgy” (1986), he tried to recover the original meaning of the Eucharist and of the Liturgy by showing, among other things, that Liturgy is not only about the mystery of the Eucharist, the transformation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, but also about the recapitulation of the entire economy of salvation in Jesus Christ. Thus, in the Liturgy, we distinguish different aspects of Christ’s presence and work in the world, which are inseparable and complementary and represent different ways we can encounter Him and find communion with Him.

Fr. D. Stăniloae’s intuitions became extremely relevant for this period of time when the faithful were not allowed to physically participate in the Liturgy or had limited access to church services. According to him, God’s presence in history reveals His capacity to be above space and time and thus to fill up the entire space and time through His uncreated energies. This presence has two complementary meanings: He is in one place and simultaneously everywhere. His omnipresence represents the fundamental condition for our encounter with Him, as it allows all people, from all times and places to encounter Him, even those who did not or do not have the possibility to physically participate in the Liturgy.

Of course, when we talk about the Liturgy, we are not simply referring to God’s general presence in the world, but also to Christ’s real and personal presence, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit as, during the Liturgy, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. Through this transformation and through communion, we experience the mystery of our encounter and union with Him. Through His incarnation, Cross and resurrection, Christ removed the three obstacles that stood between our union with God: the limited nature of the human being, sin and death. In the Eucharist, the Christian partakes in the maximum union between God and the human being, realised in the hypostasis of Christ, who, after His ascension to heaven, became even more present in history than he was while still on this Earth, since now He is present everywhere and even in ourselves, through the gift of the Holy Spirit. That is why the Eucharistic communion is related to the true being of the Church and cannot be substituted.

As a place for our encounter with Christ, the entire Liturgy, from beginning to end, starts with the preparation of the gifts and ends with the actual communion, an epiphany, or a slow and gradual revealing of Christ’s presence. Also, we can identify several aspects of His presence in the Liturgy, different types of presence, which correspond to different ways of encountering Him or finding communion with Him, all of them leading the faithful to the full Eucharistic communion. Thus, by even participating in the Liturgy, we progressively participate in the communion with Christ, a process which is fulfilled in the Eucharist. So all those present in the Liturgy do partially partake in the communion of Christ, even though they do not receive the Eucharist.

Fr. D. Stăniloae shows that Christ is present in the life of the Church in many ways. During the Liturgy, He is present in the readings from the Holy Scriptures, in the sermon, in the prayers read by the priests or the deacons, in the chants or in the responses of the faithful, in the dialogue between the priest and the faithful and then plenary in the Eucharist. To all these, we may add His presence in all the sacraments of the Church, in other church services, in all the prayers and blessing offered by the priests, in the reading of the Holy Scriptures by the faithful, in their private prayers, in the writings of the saints or other books on Orthodox teachings, in the conversations they have about God and in their good deeds.

During a lockdown or during the times when access to the Eucharist has been limited, all other ways of finding communion with God were and still are available. That is why an online gathering can be considered a community of faithful who gradually partake in the communion with Christ and who prepare themselves, through prayer, reading of the Scriptures and good deeds, for the full communion they find only in the Eucharist. Thus, this community may be regarded as a Eucharistic community witnessing a progressive epiphany that will be fulfilled when they are able to participate in the actual Liturgy. The virtual presence in the Liturgy that is broadcasted online cannot dissolve or nullify the communion, even though the faithful do not receive the Eucharist. Unfortunately, in the Romanian tradition (but not only), it is not rare for the faithful to participate in the Liturgy without taking communion. The validity of the Eucharistic communion is confirmed by Fr. D. Stăniloae who explains the double role of the priest during the Liturgy as follows: Christ Himself works through the priest for the faithful, while the faithful, through the priest who takes communion, present their prayers and sacrifices directly to Christ. That being said, although the theoretical discussion on the validity of a Eucharist without the communion of the faithful is fascinating and challenging, we are well aware of the fact that such a Liturgy does not fulfil its purpose and true reason for existing.

Still, all crises can create opportunities for those willing to see them. The inability to participate in the church services or to take communion can generate greater zeal in the faithful and raise deeper awareness of the importance and the value of the gift God imparts to their community in every Liturgy. Also, the inability to take part in the Liturgy can be converted into a different way of finding communion with Him, such as those mentioned above. As for the clergy who still have the acute memory of serving in an empty church, perhaps this can be transformed into an occasion for understanding the actual role and place of the laity and to find better, more consistent ways to involve the faithful more actively in the liturgical life of the Church. Finally, both for the clergy and the laity, the crisis caused by COVID-19, which, in all likelihood, is related to a careless and reckless attitude towards God’s creation, may be an occasion to repent for the larger ecological crisis the planet is currently going through.

Suggestions for further reading

Patriarhul Daniel, Cuvânt pastoral pentru întărirea în credinţă şi în comuniune euharistică, last accessed on 28/02/2020.
Alexander Schmemann, The Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom, Crestwood, New York: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2003.
Dumitru Stăniloae, Spiritualitate și comuniune în Liturghia Ortodoxă, Bucuresti: Editura Institutului Biblic și de Misiune al Bisericii Ortodoxe Române, 2004.
Ion Bria, The Liturgy After the Liturgy: Mission and Witness from an Orthodox Perspective, Geneva: WCC Publications, 1996.
Mark Roosien, Fasting from Communion in a Pandemic, lastly accessed on 19/02/2021.

About the author

Rev. Cristian Sonea is a professor of Orthodox Missiology at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, and is an Orthodox priest belonging to the Romanian Orthodox Church. Broadly, his research concerns contemporary theology of Orthodox mission and the common Christian witness. He is also interested in ecumenical theology and is actively involved in ecumenical dialogue.

Disclaimer: The impressions expressed above are the contributions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or policies of the Conference of European Churches.

Learn more about CEC Theological Reflections series, read contributions

For more information contact CEC Executive Secretary Katerina Pekridou

Learn more about CEC’s work on Ecclesiology and Mission

Newsdesk 0 Comments

Jun 29 2021

CEC Online Academy invokes innovative approach to populism

How can European churches deal with populism by being the “salt of the earth”? The question guided a lively exchange at the Online Academy on Populism, Diversity and Democracy organised by the Conference of European Churches (CEC) from 21 to 22 June 2021.

The event focused on the theme “Europe challenged by populism: Churches as ‘salt of the earth’? How to contribute to living peacefully together in diversity” inspired by Matthew 5:13.

The salt metaphor functioned as common thread in the programme. Participants reflected on how to find not only “tasteless” and negative elements in populism, but also “tasty” and positive elements that churches can use, connecting them with the message of the Gospel.

Christel Lamère Ngnambi, political scientist and co-author of the book “Is God a Populist?” described populism as a narrative or mechanism where existing distrust in society is used systematically. “Populists do that by addressing peoples’ fears, and expressing empathy to counter distrust in society by promoting a narrative of community.”

He challenged the idea of “combatting an evil enemy and the claim that only the populist leaders have the solution”. He critiqued how the populists deliberately amplify polarisation, especially between the people and the elite.

Christel Ngnambi shared, “I really liked the approach the Academy took. To look at these tasty and tasteless elements, and at how churches can connect and react to them, was very fruitful. It was a pleasure for me not only to offer a keynote and take part in discussions. An open dialogue about populism with people from different backgrounds is exactly what we need.”

Case studies from Romania, Italy and Hungary were shared, providing rich material for discussions in small group sessions, where participants reflected on how churches can tackle “tasty and tasteless elements of populism”. In Romania, where two opposing populist movements exist, Prof Adrian Papahagi from the Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj, analysed both movements by using the idea of salvation and by emphasising the universality of Christianity.

The coordinator of Mediterranean Hope project of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy, Paolo Naso, spoke about populist movements in Italy since the 1990s, describing how Protestant churches are engaged in projects related to migrants and asylum seekers, in sharp contradiction to the populist message.

Alex Wimberly, leader of the Corrymeela Peace and Reconciliation Centre in Northern Ireland, put forward an important element to counter populism – that of building relationships. He encouraged participants to create a “salty connectivity, a place of connection, which offers a sense of belonging, and where all individuals are empowered as equals.”

The academy prepared by CEC’s Thematic Group on Education, Democracy and Diversity gathered around 35 scholars, lay people, pastors and priests from diverse backgrounds. The interactive nature of the event generated free and open dialogue on populism.

Klicken Sie hier für die deutsche Fassung

Webinar Video: Salt of the Earth: Churches in a pluralistic society in the 21st century

Newsdesk 0 Comments

Jun 29 2021

HealthBytes: Effective ways to reduce the risk of chronic inflammation

#HealthBytes: Effective ways to reduce the risk of chronic inflammation

27 Jun 2021: #HealthBytes: Effective ways to reduce the risk of chronic inflammation

Inflammation is nothing but the body’s natural defense against infections and diseases. However, when it lasts for weeks, months, or years, it can damage your arteries, organs, and joints. This condition is called chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation can lead to heart diseases, fatty liver, and cancer, among other diseases. But there are effective ways in which you can reduce its risk. Here’s how.

Anti-inflammatory foods: Mediterranean diet: Considered one of the healthiest diets globally

The Mediterranean diet includes several anti-inflammatory foods and is considered one of the healthiest. It primarily follows the dietary pattern of Mediterranean countries: Vegetables to have: Broccoli, kale, tomatoes, onions, cauliflower, spinach, etc.; Fruits to have: All fruits, especially grapes and cherries; Nuts and seeds: Almonds, cashews, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.; Fatty fish, poultry, and dairy are other healthy foods to have.

Avoid: Avoid foods that aggravate inflammation, like sugary drinks, snacks

Limiting or cutting out certain foods from the diet can have a profound impact on the way you feel and your body functions: Sugary drinks can aggravate inflammation and should be avoided. Here’s a list of some other foods to limit: –Snacks like crackers and chips; –Processed meat like bologna, sausages; –Refined carbs like white bread, white pasta; –Desserts like cakes and ice cream.

Tips: Physical activities and sleep assume importance in this case

Being physically active is of utmost importance for your overall health, and especially when you are trying to reduce your inflammatory markers. Do cardio workouts for 30 minutes and resistance training for 15 minutes at least five times a week. Studies have linked poor sleep to increased chances of inflammation. Make sure to sleep for at least seven or eight hours every night.

Benefits: Changes to expect by making these dietary changes

An anti-inflammatory diet, along with daily physical activity, can be beneficial to you in the following ways: –Reduces the risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, depression, cancer, etc. –It can relieve arthritis pain, inflammatory bowel syndrome, and other autoimmune disorders. –Significantly reduces the inflammatory markers in the blood. –An overall improvement in blood sugar and triglyceride levels. –Improves levels of energy and mood.

Shyamal Sinha 0 Comments

Jun 29 2021

India Commits Assistance Of Rs 4,500 Crore For Implementation Of Development Projects In Bhutan

By — Shyamal Sinha

The Third Bhutan-India Development Cooperation Talks for the 12th Five Year Plan (FYP) was held virtually on Monday, 28th June 2021. The Bhutanese delegation was led by Mr. Kinga Singye, Foreign Secretary, and included senior officials from Ministries of Finance, Works & Human Settlement, Education, Labor, Health, Information and Communications, Home and Culture Affairs, Foreign Ministry, and Gross National Happiness Commission Secretariat, and the Royal Bhutanese Embassy, Delhi. The Indian delegation was led by H.E. Shri Rahul Chhabra, Secretary (Economic Relations), Ministry of External Affairs, and included the Ambassador of India to Bhutan, Joint Secretary (North), and other officials of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

During the talks, the two sides reviewed the progress of the projects supported by GoI under the 12th FYP and approved some new projects and reprioritization of some others whose implementations have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The meeting also discussed the progress of important projects that are being implemented outside the 12th FYP.

The Bhutanese side expressed appreciation to the people and the Government of India for their unstinted support and cooperation extended to Bhutan during the difficult time of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Deepening the bilateral relationship between India and Bhutan, New Delhi has committed assistance of Rs 4,500 crore for the implementation of development projects and Rs 400 crore for transitional trade support facility, reports Livemint.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India’s commitments have been made under Bhutan’s 12th Five Year Plan. This comes as the two nations on Monday (28 June) held the third India and Bhutan Development Cooperation talks. The talks were held virtually, and the officials from the two sides reviewed the progress of various developmental projects by India in Bhutan.

It should be noted that as many as 77 large and intermediate projects and 524 Small Development Projects (SDPs)/ High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) are at various stages of implementation under the 12th Five Year Plan of Bhutan.

Bhutanese Foreign Secretary commended the role played by India in the socio-economic transformation of Bhutan and also highlighted the impact of HICDPs at the grassroots level. He further appreciated the Indian gesture to frontload the release of funds for various projects, keeping in view the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two sides agreed to hold the next Development Cooperation Talks in Thimphu at a mutually convenient date.

The Talks were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere in keeping with the excellent bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Shyamal Sinha 0 Comments

Jun 29 2021

ELSiA invites you to join webinar on LIFE programme

ELSiA invites you to join webinar on LIFE programme

Following up from the Laudato Si’ Reflection Day 2021, the European Laudato Si’ Alliance (ELSiA) is organizing an ad hoc webinar to discover more about the LIFE programme, the EU flagship funding instrument for the environment and climate action. The event will take place online Wednesday July 7th 2021, at 14:30 (CEST).

Through the webinar you will be able to discover the LIFE programme, which has co-financed thousands of projects since its creation in 1992 and could be a great tool to support Laudato Si’ inspired activities and projects.

The webinar will take place online Wednesday July 7th, starting at 14:30 (CEST). Angelo Salsi, Head of Department D – Natural Resources, Climate, Sustainable Blue Economy and Clean Energy and Christian Strasser, Head of unit D.1 – LIFE Energy + LIFE Climate will present the programme and respond to all your questions.

The webinar will end at 16:00 (CEST) and it will be in English and German with interpretation in French, Italian and Spanish. You can register here.

The European Laudato Si’ Alliance (ELSi’A) is a network of Catholic organisations with the aim to adapt the comprehensive approach of the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ and related Church teachings to a European context with a special focus on the institutions of the European Union. COMECE is a founding member of ELSiA. To connect with the alliance, you may contact Cinzia Verzeletti, ELSiA coordinator.

Wednesday July 7th 2021

From 14:30 to 16:00 (CEST)

.:: Poster – Registration ::.

Newsdesk 0 Comments

Jun 29 2021

New Canadian parliamentary caucus looks at religion’s role in society | BWNS

OTTAWA, Canada — In a rare dialogue about the role of faith in governance, Canadian parliamentarians and representatives of the country’s religious communities recently held the inaugural meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Interfaith Caucus—a new space to explore how principles and insights from religion can contribute to thinking about the challenges facing the country.

“I believe that religion defines who we are and what we value, and that democracy, which is a vehicle by which we inform change, is often guided by these values,” said Mobina Jaffer, a member of the Canadian Senate.

The recently formed all-party caucus is open to members of Canada’s elected House of Commons and appointed Senate and is organized with the support of the Canadian Interfaith Conversation (CIC), of which the Bahá’í Community of Canada is a member.

Slideshow
4 images

Participants and organizers of the recent online meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Interfaith Caucus.

“The pandemic has produced new kinds of dialogue between government and religious communities,” said Geoffrey Cameron of the Canadian Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs. “It has made leaders more conscious of the important role religion continues to play in inspiring people to serve their society.”

Slideshow
4 images

In December, a diverse group of religious leaders across Canada, including members of the Bahá’í National Spiritual Assembly and Local Spiritual Assemblies, met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

to talk about the contribution of faith communities in the context of the pandemic

. (Photo credit: Adam Scotti)

Stockwell Day, former MP and cabinet minister, spoke about the power of religion to bring comfort and hope, especially in times of crisis. “The very notion of religion in our society gives us a sense that there is restraint on a leader, and that there should be some sense of humility at the possibility that there is a bigger force out there than himself or herself, or the group to which they associate.”

He continued: “If individuals have a sense of religion—that there is something greater than ourselves—that brings a sense of solace.

“And so we imagine this spread over millions of citizens within a political setting, a significant portion of whom believe there is actually a power of God out there, [who] are living with a greater sense of respect and, we would hope, love for one another.”

Participants emphasized that beyond personal inspiration, religion can make important contributions to the policymaking process.

Slideshow
4 images

Photographs taken before the current health crisis. Over the past few years, the Canadian Bahá’í community has been involved in organizing numerous

conferences

and other spaces to discuss the place of religion in public life and religion’s contribution to the betterment of society. Shown here is a yearly conference called Our Whole Society.

Member of Parliament Garnett Genuis said, “There are two concepts that are of supreme importance in religion: one is love and another is truth. And those two concepts have to go together. If you have love but no sense of truth, then … you’re not understanding what is really going on or what someone’s real needs are. And if you have a sense of the pursuit of truth, but no love in the process, that’s also clearly deficient… Love means being willing to confront serious injustice.”

Speaking with the News Service about the future of the all-party interfaith caucus, Dr. Cameron of the Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs states: “There is a need to foster new relationships among policymakers and faith communities and to frame conversations such that people can collectively advance in their thinking by exploring productive lines of inquiry, rather than framing every issue as a binary choice.”

“Underlying the contributions of the Office to the discourse on the role of religion in society,” he continued, “is the Bahá’í principle of the essential oneness of humanity. This caucus, although in its very early stages, is an expression of that principle and an example of greater societal unity.”

Newsdesk 0 Comments

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Category Archives: Religion

WORLD DAY AGAINST DRUG ABUSE AND TRAFFICKING 2021. Say NO to drugs volunteers in Milan with the support of CityHall Bike service BIKEMI

Power, popularity and purges

Party time?

Your Privacy is important to us