Papers by Cristian S Sonea
Roczniki Teologiczne, 2018
Hart, David Bentley. 2022. Tradition and Apocalypse: An Essay on the Future of Christian Belief G... more Hart, David Bentley. 2022. Tradition and Apocalypse: An Essay on the Future of Christian Belief Grand Rapids: Baker Academic. ISBN 9780801039386 Reviewed by Cristian Sonea David Bentley Hart's book explores the intersection of theology, history and eschatology. He provides a compelling argumentation for the relevance of the Christian tradition in contemporary society while also exploring the challenges posed by modernity and the looming threat of the apocalypse. With his characteristic erudition and rhetorical flair, Hart engages with diverse philosophical and theological traditions, from Church Fathers to contemporary thinkers. Whether you are an experienced theologian or simply curious about the future of the Christian faith, this book offers a stimulating and illuminating read.
Charism and Liturgy: Elements of the Orthodox Theological Education
Transformation, Jul 18, 2023
Theological education in the Orthodox world has some specific characteristics framed within a par... more Theological education in the Orthodox world has some specific characteristics framed within a particular liturgical rhythm, emphasising the mystagogical rather than the pedagogies. It is counterintuitive and looks to the Patristic Tradition as a revealed theological landmark. The educational vision of the formation of theologians in the Church is to prepare them to share in the mystery of the Kingdom of God in the present, but with the living experience of the Fathers of the past as a model or ethos of spiritual living. We are witnessing an educational failure to the extent that theological teaching does not target the substance of theology. Often the work of grace is abandoned leading to the emergence of a new species of teacher and thinker, professional priests and missionaries, very well equipped with the tools of preaching and witness, but without the life of the Spirit, which must be transmitted through these tools.
The Issue of Women Ordination A Challenge for Orthodox Theology in the 21st Century
The paper proposes a theological answer to the issue of the women's ordination in the Eas... more The paper proposes a theological answer to the issue of the women's ordination in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Its main goal is to present the current level of discussions on the topic and to ofer an antropological approach to the ordained priesthood. Therefore the paper presents a short overview of the history of the women's ordination , of the biblical and theological arguments against it, and of the critiques of the theological argumentation against the ordination of women. It suggest the introduction of the archetypal and ontological theory on the theme and proposes a phenom-enological methodology to analize the women's ordination in specifi c contexts.
Roczniki Teologiczne, 2017
The purpose of this paper is to examine the question of the ecclesiastical recognition of the oth... more The purpose of this paper is to examine the question of the ecclesiastical recognition of the other Christian communities in the context of nowadays discussions within the Orthodox communities, after the Holy and Great Council in Crete (2016). We will look closely at the relation between the Church unity and the unity of faith, as understood by the Orthodox Churches, as well as at the meaning of the "the historical name of other non-Orthodox Christian Churches" with which the Orthodox Church is not in communion, stated by the document Relations of the Orthodox Church with the rest of the Christian world (ROCC). In the end, we will argue that ROCC if understood properly, could constitue the basis for the ecumenical dialogue on Orthodox.
Review of Ecumenical Studies Sibiu, Dec 1, 2014
The Church is constantly called upon to rise to the challenges of modern times. Faced with the in... more The Church is constantly called upon to rise to the challenges of modern times. Faced with the information revolution, people's freedom of movement, and everything that comes with living in a globalised society, the Church must also bear witness to Christ in a pluralistic society, often referred to as the global village, and in a world where, from a demographic standpoint, Christendom's centre of gravity has shifted towards what is generally called the global south. It is furthermore challenged to deal with a new manifestation of the Christian life, one that is estranged from tradition, lacking in doctrinal uniformity, and illustrated, for instance, by the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements. In this context, the World Council of Churches initiated a project entitled Regnum Studies in Global Christianity aimed at exploring the issues all Churches struggle with in relation to this radical change marked by the global south, focusing particularly on the Churches in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. As stated by the series' editors, the materials published in this collection wish to help the Churches learn not only from past and present experiences, but also from listening to the prophetic voice of the Christian communities in those areas.
The “Liturgy after the Liturgy” and Deep Solidarity. The Orthodox Understanding of Christian Witness and its Implications for Human Society
Mission Studies, Dec 16, 2020
The paper will investigate the orthodox understanding of mission as “liturgy after the Liturgy” a... more The paper will investigate the orthodox understanding of mission as “liturgy after the Liturgy” and its consequences for human life. The Eucharistic Liturgy understood as an experience of God where the community of saints reveal the absolute model of unity must be replicated in the human society as another type of liturgy, a liturgy of solidarity. The research will present how starting from the Eucharistic community we can reach the community in solidarity.
Religions, Dec 22, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Ecclesial Futures Volume 2, Issue 1 (June 2021)
Părintele Profesor Valer Bel La 60 De Ani
Reshaping Ecumenism in Times of Transformation
Religions, 2021
Historically, in Romania, the relations between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the evangelical ... more Historically, in Romania, the relations between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the evangelical communities have been characterized by tension and mutual distrust. That is why, unfortunately, there has been no official dialogue between the two communities so far. The present article investigates the theoretical possibility for such an ecumenical dialogue to occur by analysing the contributions of several evangelical theologians who published research studies on theological topics specific to Eastern orthodox theology. Their positions were analysed from the perspective of an inclusive theology which allowed us to identify some common themes for both traditions: the authority in interpreting the Scriptures, salvation as a process, and the Church understood through the application of a perichoretic model. All these convergent themes could constitute the basis for a future official ecumenical dialogue between the evangelicals and the orthodox from Romania.
Roczniki Teologiczne, 2018
Religions, May 31, 2021
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Review of Ecumenical Studies, Apr 25, 2017
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the reception of the missio Dei paradigm in the Eastern O... more The purpose of this paper is to analyse the reception of the missio Dei paradigm in the Eastern Orthodox theology of mission. We will start with a short presentation of the genesis of the concept, and we will continue with its reception in the Protestant and Roman Catholic theology, as well as in the Eastern Orthodox thinking. The paper attempts to demonstrate that the contemporary way to understand the missionary theology and practice is in accordance with the Orthodox traditional missionary theology. At the same time, the article emphasizes the fact that the reception of missio Dei is connected with the view that different ecclesiastical bodies have about church itself. The conclusion includes some practical remarks about ways of applying the concept in the contemporary ecumenical missiology and in the field of spiritual missiology.
Roczniki Teologiczne, 2016
The aim of this paper is to present the position of the Orthodox theology towards the ecumenical ... more The aim of this paper is to present the position of the Orthodox theology towards the ecumenical movement, in general, and that of Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae in particular. We will begin by presenting the pan-Orthodox decisions regarding the inter-Christian dialogues and we will continue by analyzing a corpus of texts belonging to Dumitru Stăniloae. Finally, we will analyze the concept of "open sobornicity" and we will place it in relationship with the Roman Catholic ecclesiology promoted by the Second Vatican Council.
Between Hope and Disappointment: A Short Evaluation of the Romanian Orthodox Church Involvement in Ecumenism in the Post-Communist Era
Brill | Schöningh eBooks, Dec 3, 2020
The fall of the Communist regime marked a historical moment in Eastern Europe dividing the contem... more The fall of the Communist regime marked a historical moment in Eastern Europe dividing the contemporary life of the society into two periods. Before and after now define life in a society with high expectations, which, at the same time experiences the disappointment of unfulfilled promises and desires at a social, political and economic level. Hope and disappointment also character- ize the evolution of the ecumenical initiatives in post-Communist Romania. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the evolution of the ecumenical theology and the ecumenical involvement of the Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC) after the fall of Communism. On one hand, it will emphasize the ecu- menical openness of the Romanian Orthodox theology, and the theology of hope for Christian unity. On the other hand, it will touch on the current ecu- menical crisis and its consequences for the unity of the pan-orthodox commu- nion and for the ecumenical relations within the Romanian context.
Studia Universitatis Babeş-Bolyai, Dec 15, 2018
The article presents the characteristics of postmodernism and its consequences on issues such as ... more The article presents the characteristics of postmodernism and its consequences on issues such as identity, pluralism and communion. As an "unstable" philosophical trend, it interacts with the "stability" and authority of the orthodox teachings, thus resulting in an ideological conflict. The article offers some theological answers to the above-mentioned conflict, as well as to some major issues of the contemporary postmodern society.
Transformation, Jul 1, 2018
The article presents the current missionary formation in the Romanian Orthodox Church. I evaluate... more The article presents the current missionary formation in the Romanian Orthodox Church. I evaluated the national curricula from the faculties of Orthodox Theology, following the missionary orientated topics in each subject, and I analyzed the curricula of Missiology taught in the faculties.The article underlines the relation between the content of the Missiology curriculum and the historical context in which the Orthodox Church in Romania developed, and it explains why there are both innovative and conservative themes within the curriculum. Finally, the specificities of the orthodox missionary formation in Romania are emphasized, such as the spiritual education, the central place of the liturgy, and the focus on internal mission.
Transformation: An International Journal of Holistic Mission Studies, 2023
Theological education in the Orthodox world has some specific characteristics framed within a par... more Theological education in the Orthodox world has some specific characteristics framed within a particular liturgical rhythm, emphasising the mystagogical rather than the pedagogies. It is counterintuitive and looks to the Patristic Tradition as a revealed theological landmark. The educational vision of the formation of theologians in the Church is to prepare them to share in the mystery of the Kingdom of God in the present, but with the living experience of the Fathers of the past as a model or ethos of spiritual living. We are witnessing an educational failure to the extent that theological teaching does not target the substance of theology. Often the work of grace is abandoned leading to the emergence of a new species of teacher and thinker, professional priests and missionaries, very well equipped with the tools of preaching and witness, but without the life of the Spirit, which must be transmitted through these tools.
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Papers by Cristian S Sonea