Alexander Schmemann

The article is devoted to the issue of theological reception of the concept «symbol». An ambivalent attitude towards the term and opposition to its reality significantly distorts and limits the initially deep theological context of its application. In order to resolve this contradiction, we conducted a comparative analysis of the philosophical understanding of the «symbol» by A. F. Losev and the theological view of the term protopresbyter A. Schmemann. Losev defines a «symbol» as a function of reality, which can be represented in the form of an infinite series. This formulation illustrates the antinomic nature of the «symbol», which the scientist placed special emphasis on, and also emphasizes its apophatic nature inherent in the philosophy and theology of the twentieth century in general. The word «function» itself is literally translated as «fulfillment». This term was actively used by protopresbyter А. Schmemann in his liturgical theology, using it with the aim of moving away from static scholastic formulations, to give the description of the sacraments dynamics, the nature of the process, and fulfillment. Comparing «symbol» as a «function» in Losev, and «symbol» as «fulfillment» in Schmemann, we have identified a number of essential provisions on the basis of which we can define «symbol» as a «theological function». The article provides an example of using the results obtained based on the interpretation of the sacrament of the Eucharist by St. Clement of Alexandria concludes that it is necessary to use the «symbol» for a consistent interpretation of the heritage of the holy fathers.

I had gathered from Fr Gelpi how this anthropological account integrally cycles thru descriptive, interpretive, evaluative & normative value-pursuits to realize human authenticity. Then, via a graced transmuted experience, religious conversion would then proceed in a reverse succession thru the normative, evaluative, interpretive & descriptive functional specialties as ordered to our realization of a sustained authenticity via self-transcendence (being in love).

This study examines the pseudo-zygodactylous hand configuration-designated here as the zygogest-as a recurring motif in devotional art, most notably within the works of El Greco. Through historical, iconological, anthropological, theological, and psychoanalytic approaches, the gesture is revealed as a polyvalent symbol: at once Marian, maternal, penitential, and mystical. Earlier scholarship has emphasized its links to lactational imagery, Byzantine blessing traditions, and psychoanalytic readings of dependence and nourishment. The present work advances a new interpretation by identifying the zygogest with the Christian symbol of the anchor. This connection, previously overlooked, situates the gesture as a visual pledge of faith, stability, and hope, recalling Hebrews 6:19: "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." In El Greco's consistent deployment of the motif, the zygogest emerges not merely as stylistic convention but as a profound theological sign. By embodying both nourishment and steadfastness, it anchors the believer's soul in Christ while signifying devotion, endurance, and the promise of salvation.

Joseph Ratzinger / Pope Benedict XVI was a paradigmatically ecclesial theologian, one whose creativity and freshness were felicitous byproducts of a desire for fidelity rather than ends in themselves; one whose erudition never came at the expense of his vision of the whole; and one whose theological endeavors were animated by a prayerful penetration into Christianity’s fundament—for him, the concentric circles of Trinity, Christ, Church, and Eucharist. This simultaneously synthetic and expansive vision allowed him to see “the whole in the fragment [das Ganze im Fragment]” and thereby deftly bind fragments into an (always-Christological) whole. In what follows, I analyze Ratzinger’s Christological synthesis of two “fragments” of theology—his well-known eschatology, and his less-familiar protology—and argue that such an analysis reveals Ratzinger’s vibrant, though underexplored, theology of history.

Contemporary Orthodox discourse frequently explores lay participation in liturgical activities, such as congregational singing, public reading, and assisting at the sanctuary. Scholars have observed a correlation between this phenomenon and the directives of Vatican II on "active participation," which not only influenced Roman Catholic theology but also shaped Orthodox perspectives on liturgy, notably advocated by theological figures like Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann and Archbishop Paul of Finland. One may also ask whether the emphasis on active participation has found particular resonance in cultures influenced by the individualism of early 16thcentury Protestant interpretations of the priesthood of all believers or subsequent iterations thereof. Rather than scrutinising these modern or medieval undercurrents beneath contemporary debates, this study redirects attention to the sources, aiming to delineate the essence of active participation as exemplified by a prominent congregational homilist of the Patristic era, John Chrysostom. The central inquiry concerns the nature of ecclesiastical participation that Chrysostom envisioned for his Christian audiences. A systematic examination of his congregational homilies reveals that Chrysostom outlines minimal expectations regarding the public roles of his audience within the liturgical synaxis. Instead, he emphasises the importance of frequent attendance at liturgical services, earnest reception of ecclesiastical instruction, participation in the Eucharist, and focused prayer, alongside the cultivation of piety, the continuous pursuit of spiritual growth, Christian witness, and material generosity.

This paper starts from the assumption that the human individual and its concomitant, the human body, are conceivably idols of secularism. There is a certain irony, perhaps an irony shared with all idols, that such idolatry is so close to, and yet so far from, true Christian worship. This article explores the notion that idolatry of the individual and the body may be a form of idolatry that involves re-conception rather than replacement. Utilizing an affirmative approach to culture (albeit not uncritical) that is theologically rooted in Trinitarian relationality, or what could be called a relational ontological approach, this paper concludes that embodied difference naturally calls out for a unity of alterity that opens beyond itself and can thereby become a means of transforming idols into icons.

This article explores how language-far from being a neutral tool-is a sacred, living reality that shapes the Church's identity, mission, and communion. In our age of synodality, language takes on renewed importance as the Church seeks to strengthen participation, communion and mission. Beginning with the Pentecost event-when the Holy Spirit enabled the apostles to speak in every language-the study traces a theological and pastoral journey through the poetic witness of the Syriac Fathers, the philosophical insights of Russian theologians like Florenskij and Berdjaev, and the liturgical vision of thinkers such as Alexander Schmemann and Jean Corbon. Special attention is given to the Middle Eastern context, where the continued use of classical Arabic in the liturgy presents both historical richness and pastoral challenges, particularly for younger generations. The article proposes that embracing vernacular and spoken dialects can renew participation and deepen spiritual understanding without abandoning tradition. Ultimately, the Church is invited to rediscover the sacredness of language-not just to communicate better, but to live the mystery of the Incarnation more fully. True synodality requires not just walking together, but speaking and listening together-in every language under heaven.

Alexander Schmemann and Karl Rahner both enjoyed a sacramental vision of creation in which symbol and reality are conjoined. Each developed a distinctive model of how the real actualizes itself through the symbolic: whereas Schmemann understood reality to manifest itself epiphanically through a participating symbol, Rahner posited that all being realizes itself through a dynamic of emanation and return, resulting in a trinitarian reditio completa in se ipsum. Even as their models of symbolic reality uniquely reflect their respective Eastern and Western traditions, they also exhibit profound areas of convergence. At their marrow, both models present the symbol, in its truest sense, as intrinsic to the reality it signifies, and consequently, as constituting a dynamic and revelatory medium through which the real is directly communicated to participants, ^e following essay explores how these two influential models of real-symbolism, when placed in dialogue with one another, become mutually enriching and ultimately symphonic.

Uncertainty refers to that human experience related to ignorance or disagreement about a phenomenon or thing; However, human beings need to submit to uncertainty in order to develop courage, tranquility, certainty and even audacity in their survival. The antipode to uncertainty would be faith, which from theology is the gift of God. Anthropologists equate faith with religion and assert that it is not determined by anything other than itself and, consequently, cannot be reduced to any type of ethnographic explanation. However, faith has an immense capacity to transform the way of being, acting and understanding oneself of human beings. That is, it is an element of profound human transformation with the power to produce factuality. Is the factual power of faith a prize even longed for by human reason?

В беседе А. И. Кырлежева с А. В. Шишковым обсуждается вопрос о первенстве в Церкви на разных уровнях ее организации — как с богословской (экклезиологической), так и с церковно-практической точки зрения. Тема первенства возникла параллельно в контексте межправославных отношений в период подготовки к Всеправославному собору и в рамках официального православно-католического диалога. В ходе предсоборного процесса тема первенства в мировом православии фигурировала косвенно — в рамках обсуждения вопросов статуса православной диаспоры, провозглашения автокефалии, диптихов. В диалоге с католиками эта тема была так или иначе сопряжена с первенством Римского епископа. В беседе рассматриваются различные концепции первенства, как у отдельных богословов (в частности, Александра Шмемана и Софрония Сахарова, Николая Афанасьева и митрополита Иоанна Зизиуласа), так и в официальных позициях православных церквей, прежде всего Константинопольской и Русской (подробно излагается логика соответствующего официального
документа Московского патриархата, а также текстов константинопольских богословов). Критически оценивается распространенная концепция евхаристической экклезиологии. В заключение намечены современные богословские проблемы, касающиеся понимания первенства в Церкви, а также направления дальнейших исследований.

The Orthodox Christian mission in the Pacific, encompassing Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa, operates under the Holy Metropolis of New Zealand and has experienced significant growth since its inception in 2009. The mission now includes four churches, a monastery, an orphanage, and five priests, four of whom are Fijian. The COVID-19 pandemic posed substantial challenges, such as restricted visits, reduced volunteer assistance, and financial constraints. Despite these obstacles, the mission has continued its work, focusing on spiritual and material support for local communities. Notable successes include the establishment of Saint Tabitha's Orphanage in Saweni, Fiji, which provides care and education for twenty children, and the ordination of indigenous clergy. Future strategies involve enhancing community welfare through services like soup kitchens, promoting cultural engagement by incorporating local languages and traditions into worship, and fostering economic development via community enterprises. Addressing challenges such as linguistic diversity in translations and land ownership disputes is crucial for the mission's sustainability. Emulating missionary models that emphasise cultural sensitivity, community integration, and collaboration is recommended to further the mission's objectives.

Denna artikel ställer sig positiv till en tilltagande ekumenisk samstämmighet kring betydelsen av profetisk diakoni och undersöker hur väl detta begrepp fungerar i Sverige, där diakonalt arbete ofta sker i samverkan med det offentliga i olika typer av partnerskap. Finns det en kontrast mellan det som beskrivs som profetisk diakoni och diakoni som sker i samverkan med det offentliga? För att undersöka detta ställer jag samtida perspektiv på profetisk diakoni i dialog med en intervjustudie med ledare inom fyra svenska (fri)kyrkliga organisationer som bedriver diakonalt arbete. Artikeln vill undersöka om, och i så fall hur dessa organisationer kan förstås som utförare av profetisk diakoni. För att fördjupa analysen sätts materialet i dialog med samtida teologiska perspektiv på profetisk diakoni samt Luke Brethertons perspektiv på profetiskt tal och handling kopplat till kyrkan som bärare av demokratiska praktiker.

schaft und Staatsdienst beim Präsidenten der Russischen Föderation". Alexander Kyrleschew initiierte und verantwortete die russische Über setzung und Herausgabe einer ganzen Reihe von bedeutenden Werken englisch-, französisch-und griechischsprachiger orthodoxer Autoren wie Metropolit Anthony von Sourozh, Olivier Clement, Christos Jannaras, Nikolaj Afanasjew, Jaroslav Pelikan u.a. Derzeit ist er sowohl wis senschaftlicher Mitarbeiter der Synodalen biblisch-theologischen Kommission (seit 2010) wie auch deren ordentliches Mitglied (seit 2013), wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter der Gesamtkirchlichen Aspiran tur der hll. Kyrill und Method1 (seit 2013) sowie wissenschaftlicher Redakteur der religionswissenschaftlichen Zeitschrift "Gosudarstwo, religija, Zerkow' w Rossii i sa rubeschom" (Staat, Religion und Kirche in Russland und im Ausland) an der Russischen Akademie der Volkswirt schaft und des Staatsdienstes (seit 2012). 2003 erschien ein Sammelband seiner im Allgemeinen publizistisch gehaltenen Aufsätze unter dem Titel "Wlast' Zerkwi" (Die Macht der Kirche). Weitere Aufsätze wurden in anderen Sammelbänden und Zeit schriften gedruckt wie z.B. in den Zeitschriften "Neprikosnowennyj sapas"

This paper explores the theological and sacramental significance of the Eucharist in the Church's ecclesiology, focusing on its role in manifesting the unity of the Church community. The Eucharist, viewed as a journey into the Heavenly Kingdom, embodies the Church’s passage from the old life to the new, transcending individualistic worship and emphasizing communal participation. The Divine Liturgy, symbolized by the Little and Great Entrances, reflects the merging of heavenly and earthly realms, culminating in the offering of bread and wine as a shared sacrifice. Despite modern tendencies toward individualism in worship, this paper argues that the Eucharist remains a true manifestation of the Church’s unity, fulfilling its sacramental purpose as the Body of Christ. The analysis highlights the Eucharist as an essential act of joy and transformation, uniting the Church in a communal experience of grace.

'Geschichte' is something that really takes place in time and space, but may or may not be proved." 15 It is in the shadow of this attempt toward a 'pure' historical encounter with the facts that led to the quests for the 'historical Jesus' as opposed to the 'Jesus of faith.' While this project provided much fodder for thought and new possibilities for historical research, it was also accompanied by a new skeptical intellectual environment that was increasingly hostile to projects that did not fall under its intentionally narrow purview. Within such an environment, any notion of the soul and its immortality were understood as Greek accretions, and their corresponding metaphysical implications were presumed superfluous for theological research. 16 Hence, by the twentieth-century, objections by Protestants and Catholics alike gradually developed, reaching their peak in the mid-century. 17 Against this rejection of the soul, a revival of sorts took place. Some desired to retrieve the scholastic and Aristotelian notion of the soul as the substantial form of the body. 18 It was, after all, the medievals who had come up with a sophisticated program for understanding the soul. The question, however, became what ought to be revived? There was an appeal to scholasticism, but which scholastic figure? Already by the mid-twentieth century, there had been a revival of Thomas Aquinas. In its form prior to the Second Vatican Council, Thomism focused heavily upon Aristotelian epistemology and the notion of the soul as the unicity of substantial form. After the Council, however, considerable interest began to grow regarding placing Thomas into dialogue with various other contemporary and historical partners. 19 Simultaneously, there was also interest developing around another medieval thinker, Bonaventure. It was he who intrigued a young Joseph Ratzinger, spurring what would become a lifelong interest in his thought. For this reason, and given the ecumenical significance that Gottlieb Söhngen had assigned to Bonaventure, it should not be surprising that when Ratzinger began to develop his thoughts

is an Armenian canon regular (vardapet) of Etchmiadzin Cathedral (Armenia) who is pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Nottingham. His research is focused on the ritual dynamics of an Armenian Eucharistic liturgy. Originally, this paper was presented at the Society for Liturgical Studies' online Symposium Lost in Cyberspace held on August 2021.

В эссе подвергнуты анализу понятия модернизм и смерть модернизма. Совместными усилиями исследователей понятие модернизм на данный момент достаточно определено. Это произошло как раз тогда, когда православный модернизм сыграл свою историческую роль в разрушении Церкви. В статье выдвинуто положение о том, что новый исторический период лучше всего описывает такое понятие, как смерть модернизма. Поводом стали два вопроса читателя сайта Антимодернизм.

Every discipline, including theology, requires a synthetic overview of its acquisitions and open questions, a kind of "topography" to guide the new student and refresh the gaze of specialists. In his Synthèse dogmatique, Fr. Jean-Hervé Nicolas, OP (1910-2001) presents just such a map of Thomistic theology, focusing on the central topics of Dogmatic Theology: The One and Triune God, Christology, Mariology, Ecclesiology, the Sacraments, and the Last Things. Drawing on decades of research and teaching, Fr. Nicolas synthetically presents these topics from a faithfully Thomistic perspective. While broadly and genially engaging the theological literature of the 20th century, he nonetheless remains deeply indebted to the Thomistic school that would have formed him in his youth as a theologian. This provides the reader with an unparalleled theological vision, masterfully bringing forth, at once, what is new and what is classical.

Catholic Theology: A Dogmatic Synthesis is being published in English as a multi-volume work. In this volume, Fr. Nicolas takes up the raison d'être for the mission of the Holy Spirit: the work of sanctification in and through the Church, the mystical body of Christ and sacrament of salvation. In the ecclesiology articulated in this volume, he presents a theology of the Church that is at once wholly Thomistic and also faithful to the great themes of the Second Vatican Council, drawing especially from the works of Journet, Congar, and Bouyer, in critical dialogue with other theologians of his day. He then presents a complete and detailed sacramental theology, both concerning the nature of the sacraments in general, as well as concerning each sacrament in particular, carefully striving to balance positive and scholastic theology.

Serving as a professor for decades, including at the University of Fribourg, Fr. Nicolas was at once a profound scholar and a masterful pedagogue. Gathering the work of a lifetime into a single pedagogical narrative, Fr. Nicolas's Catholic Theology: A Dogmatic Synthesis provides a resource for students and scholars alike. In view of the hyper-specialization of theology today, this series of volumes provides readers with a synthetic and sapiential overview of the fundamentals of dogmatic theology from a robust and profound Thomistic perspective.

В статье 2008 года Р. А. Вершилло доказывает, что в современном массовом обществе достигнуто единодушное подчинение людей и согласных, и несогласных. Современное образование также стремится научить знающих и незнающих, хотящих знать и не хотящих. Такое направление политики и идеологии Нового времени нарушает запрет, заложенный в существо человека, запрет на знание без знания, без сознания.

Вместо предисловия В очень тяжелый период моей жизни ко мне в голову начали приходить короткие мысли-афоризмы о природе человека и мира. Сначала я записывала их на листочках, потом завела амбарную тетрадь, которая со временем переросла в большую книгу-«Дневник мыслей». В какой-то момент ведения этого «Дневника мыслей» ко мне пришло его название-«Путь возвращения к себе». Позже, читая мистиков, я обратила внимание на то, что «возвращение к себе»-цель мистического духовного деяния. И совсем недавно, вчитываясь в тексты Ф. Ницше и работы о нем, я вновь обратила внимание на то, что для Ницше «возвращение к себе» было целью духовной практики. «Одинокий, ты идешь дорогою к самому себе!» (курсив мой.-Н. Ш.) 1. Лишь «возвратившийся к себе» может считаться, по Ницше, сверхчеловеком, новым человеком. Хотя, исходя из идеи о вечном возвращении, уходящей своими корнями в глубокую древность и реанимированную Ницше, новый человек-это лишь возрожденный первозданный человек. И что интересно: те работы о Ницше, которые показались наиболее интересными и близкими мне по духу, были, скорее, не исследованиями его творчества, не «работами о Ницше», а «со-мыслием, со-чувствием с Ницше», что наводит на мысль о сходстве «жизненного мира» авторов этих работ с Ницше. Это я увидела и в статье А. Белого «Фридрих Ницше», и в статье В. Н. Миронова «Философия истории Фридриха Ницше», и в статье И. И. Евлампиева «"Посюсторонняя" религиозность Ф. Достоевского и Ф. Ницше». Более того, у некоторых авторов, например, К. А. Свасьяна, наблюдается буквально состояние влюбленности в немецкого имморалиста. И это не удивительно: чем более погружаешься в «мир Ницше», пропитываешься атмосферой радости, любви к жизни, тем больше наполняешься какой-то особой энергией Света и Добра, и хочется танцевать и петь вместе с Заратустрой, реять свободным полетом его орла и мудро относиться к жизни, как его змея. В философию Ницше нельзя не влюбиться, как нельзя не влюбиться в учение Христа. «Стоп!»-скажете Вы. Ницше и Христос? Имморалист Ницшепевец Света и Добра? Да… ФН-10/2015 Философская мысль: рецепция и интерпретация

This essay will offer a brief discussion of Aquinas' view of the human soul; its relation to the body, and the question of their separation at death; whether the separated souls persist, and if they do, does such 'life after death' constitute the person still, or is it somehow less than being so? In asking such anthropological questions, at a meta-level, an endeavour is made to outflank certain possible temptations, which usually come in the guise of easy dualisms. The first, unsurprisingly, being that of soul and body, but by extension the distinction between material and immaterial, time and eternity, and so on. A term employed to that end, is that of zoology. If in the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth, doing so ex nihilo then all that exists falls under the conceptual reach of this term. A useful fruit of this is the exposure of a certain prejudice, progeny of said dualisms, these indicating that we are taking something wholly for granted (namely, that life after death is a good thing, that we understand what resurrection means, or that angels are superior in an univocal sense to humans). This would be a failure to take up and enact the paradox of theology which entails a radical epoché, one that confronts the Abrahamic faiths, for they entail speaking about that which cannot be spoken.

В статье сделан историко-богословский анализ понятия «активное участие в богослужении», получившего развитие в католическом богословии ХХ-XXI века. На материале официальных документов Католической Церкви, литургического движения и движения «возвращения к истокам», а также на основании работ современных западных богословов ХХ-ХХI вв., в этом исследовании показано становление и развитие термина «полное, сознательное, деятельное участие в богослужении», выявлена его взаимосвязь с образом Церкви, получающим приоритетное значение в тот или иной исторический период, а также представлены возможные перспективы его развития. На основании проведенного исследования автор делает вывод о непреходящем значении церковного предания, в котором вечные и непреложные истины, выраженные в «законе молитвы», находят свое творческое воплощение во времени.

Does the Church's traditional teaching on the Eucharist require that humans have a metaphysically distinct soul? This thesis tests the validity of theological anthropologies that reject ontological dualism and emphasise the physical dimension of human existence. Physicalism will be tested by assessing its compatibility with traditional sacramental theology. Following the structure and argument of Alexander Schmemann's The Eucharist, each dimension of the sacrament is analysed for anthropological significance. The thinking of John Calvin is then engaged to expand and deepen the understanding of the Eucharist in these areas. Anthropological perspectives that emphasise the physical are brought into conversation with these aspects of traditional sacramental theology. A conclusion about their ability to answer each explanatory challenge is offered. Physicalism is generally found to be entirely adequate to provide a description of human nature that is compatible with the Eucharist. There is no need to posit a soul that is distinguishable from the body in any way other than conceptually to meet the challenge of traditional sacramental theology. Further, in some specific dimensions, physicalism is found to offer a more compatible anthropological perspective than some dualist understandings. This is primarily seen in the radical dependence on God that the liturgy expresses. A soul that has eternal life as an essential property seems incompatible with the Eucharist. The liturgical anthropology that emerges from this study is a challenge to commonly held Western understandings of human nature and this is summarised in a final section. The exhortation to lift up our hearts to God is answered meaningfully by the human participants in the Eucharist with their material bodies.

Does the Church's traditional teaching on the Eucharist require that humans have a metaphysically distinct soul? This thesis tests the validity of theological anthropologies that reject ontological dualism and emphasise the physical dimension of human existence. Physicalism will be tested by assessing its compatibility with traditional sacramental theology. Following the structure and argument of Alexander Schmemann's The Eucharist, each dimension of the sacrament is analysed for anthropological significance. The thinking of John Calvin is then engaged to expand and deepen the understanding of the Eucharist in these areas. Anthropological perspectives that emphasise the physical are brought into conversation with these aspects of traditional sacramental theology. A conclusion about their ability to answer each explanatory challenge is offered. Physicalism is generally found to be entirely adequate to provide a description of human nature that is compatible with the Eucharist. There is no need to posit a soul that is distinguishable from the body in any way other than conceptually to meet the challenge of traditional sacramental theology. Further, in some specific dimensions, physicalism is found to offer a more compatible anthropological perspective than some dualist understandings. This is primarily seen in the radical dependence on God that the liturgy expresses. A soul that has eternal life as an essential property seems incompatible with the Eucharist. The liturgical anthropology that emerges from this study is a challenge to commonly held Western understandings of human nature and this is summarised in a final section. The exhortation to lift up our hearts to God is answered meaningfully by the human participants in the Eucharist with their material bodies.

Каленић 6/2023

Сергеј Шмеман је рођен 1945. године као друго дете Александра и Јулијане Шмеман. Од 1980. године ради у Њујорк Тајмсу, да би једанаест година касније, 1991. године, због извештавања о паду Берлинског зида добио Пулицерову награду – најпрестижније одликовање у америчком новинарству. Са њим смо разговарали о сећањима на оца, сусретима са Александром Солжењицином, али и данашњој ситуацији у православном свету.

В книге московского публициста Романа Алексеевича Вершилло исследована диалектика неосуждения, которая приобрела популярность в православной среде под влиянием Л.Н. Толстого. Неосуждение последовательно сопоставлено со здравым христианским суждением, которое необходимо присуще здравому сознанию и выражается в разумной речи. Автор приходит к выводу, что неосуждение является разновидностью патологической речи и, за счет этого, симптомом духовно патологического сознания.

The Church is born in the East, expanding in the first centuries mainly through the hellenic language. It happens in the cultural environment of the Greek-Roman Empire, inside of which it is formed the unity of the civilization we today call the West. It is born as frank-germanic variation of the reinterpretation of the East.

It is axiomatic in Orthodox liturgical theology that the central act of worship, the Divine Liturgy, is a participation here and now in the coming kingdom of God. This should naturally result in the shaping of Orthodox worshippers to live in this age according to the heaven-on-earth reality of the age to come, to live the "liturgy after the liturgy" in a life of kingdom-building. Yet there is little to suggest that this is happening in Orthodox churches today. Drawing on postcritical insights that challenge modernity's limitationsespecially the concept of life as an enacted social drama, the importance of narrative for signification and formation, and the priority of embodied, participatory knowledge-the author proposes that the decline in the Orthodox Divine Liturgy's power to transform worshippers results principally from an eclipse of the enacted narrative of the kingdom of God within liturgical celebration. iii Using his ministry base of an Orthodox mission parish as a case study, the author has implemented a series of changes in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy to recover and prioritise narrative elements. This includes the publication of a service book focusing on what to do in the liturgy-in essence, a contemporary mystagogical catechesis attending to the participatory knowledge of enacted narrative. Then, drawing insights from a narrative method of qualitative research with a group of worshippers at the mission, the author shows that, when worshippers are encouraged to grasp and embody the story contained within the liturgy, they can be inspired to reflect on and renarrate their lives according to the story of God as a precursor of fuller Christian formation. The discussion concludes with a tentative model of narrative liturgical formation and suggestions for application in other parish contexts and for further study within the Orthodox Church.

The goal of this paper is to demonstrate that liturgical actions, when they have ceased to serve the function for which they were originally intended, become like “dead appendages” that either encumber true worship or worse, mislead people away from the true understanding of liturgy. This necrosis exists in quite a few areas of the Church’s liturgical life and, if left unchecked, will continue to mislead both clergy and lay people alike. Liturgical actions, like human appendages, need to serve a purpose. When necrosis sets in appendages either fall off or continue to infect the surrounding tissue. In the same way, if we continue to ignore such necrotic practices, relegating them to a “ship the bottle” status of nostalgic anamnesis, then the Church risks eventually becoming an heirloom herself.

Fr. Kavanagh wrote extensively on the major reforms made to the liturgy by the Second Vatican Council. The revision of the liturgical text that is currently being implemented in the Church was obviously not something considered by Fr. Kavanagh. In the final chapter the author will attempt a dialogue between Fr. Kavanagh's theology and the current revision.

Fr. Kavanagh wrote extensively on the major reforms made to the liturgy by the Second Vatican Council. The revision of the liturgical text that is currently being implemented in the Church was obviously not something considered by Fr. Kavanagh. In the final chapter the author will attempt a dialogue between Fr. Kavanagh's theology and the current revision.

This article analyses the term ‘reception’, which came into use in Russian Orthodox theology at the turn of the 19th and 19th centuries. In its original sense, this legal term begins at this time to be used in theology and means, in a new ecclesiological sense, the procedure of agreement of the church community with the definitions of the councils. It is pointed out that the theses of the Protestant theologian R. Sohm on charismatic organization were taken as the source of this idea. His ideas, which were actively developing in Russian theological schools, were close to some of the theological intuitions of A. S. Khomyakov. Under the influence of these two authors, Russian canonists and theologians proposed different approaches to describing reception in the Church. The formation of canons, the development of conciliar institutions and the phenomenon of ecclesiastical authority were seen in the perspective of this idea. The idea of church reception in the perception of researchers from the early 20th century is close to the idea of sobornost’, but the closeness of these ideas, as the article points out, generates a collision between the power of the church hierarchy and the church community. This issue, relevant for its time, is what prompts interest in the idea of reception.

В статье анализируется термин «рецепция», который стал использоваться в русском православном богословии на рубеже XIX-XX вв. В изначальном смысле данный правовой термин начинает в это время использоваться в богословии и означает в новом экклезиологическом смысле процедуру согласия церковной общины с определениями соборов. Указывается, что в качестве источника этой идеи были взяты тезисы протестантского теолога Р. Зома о харизматической организации. Его идеи, активно развиваемые русскими богословами, оказались близки некоторым богословским интуициям А. С. Хомякова. Под влиянием этих двух авторов русские канонисты и богословы предлагали разные подходы к описанию рецепции в Церкви. В ракурсе данной идеи рассматривались становление канонов, развитие соборных институтов и феномен церковной власти. Идея церковной рецепции в восприятии исследователей начала XX в. оказывается близка идее соборности, но близость этих идей, как указывается в статье, порождает коллизию между властью церковной иерархии и церковной общины. Эта актуальная для своего времени проблематика и вызывает интерес к идее рецепции.

In The Spirit of the Liturgy, Joseph Ratzinger argues that the “divinization
of creation and the surrender of all things to God” is the “purpose of the
world” and the “essence of sacrifice and worship.”7 This thesis offers a
fruitful foundation to contemplate the rapprochement between Ratzinger’s
theology of liturgy and the liturgical theology of the aforementioned Eastern Orthodox theologians. First, we will highlight the similar approaches in defining a sacramental logos between Ratzinger and Zizioulas. Second, we will outline the arguments for beauty as an essential characteristic of the liturgy shared by Ratzinger and Evdokimov. Finally, we will demonstrate an affinity between Ratzinger and Schmemann in articulating the relationship between the liturgy and the world.

Есть разницы между традицией ашкеназов и сефардов в вопросе Кидуш аШем (отдать жизнь за веру) Для ашкеназов (так я слышал на уроке в ешиве в Бат Аин) основная идея это "кидуш ашем". Осветить Имя Бога и отдать жизнь за веру. Но сефарды (Рамбам, прежде всего), говорят, что лучше притвориться мусульманином или христианином, но оставаться в живых. Возможно, это связано с различием между разумом и сердцем, о котором мы постоянно говорим.