Vassiliadis  Petros, Contemporary Agiographic Issues: "Holy Bible and Eucharist”, “Biblical Library” series, no. 15, Pournaras Publications, Thessaloniki 2000, pp. 168.

For this volume Petros Vassiliadis harvested fourteen of his research papers. Thirteen of those constitute comments on specific passages of Gospels of the New Testament, under the common perspective of the Eucharist theology, but without limitations within Eucharistic theology, as they cover a wide spectrum of theological issues, including Ecclesiology, Pneumatology, Eschatology, Social Ethics, Cosmology and Mission. These are preceded by an introductory paper on the relationship between the primal word of God, the Holy Gospel, and the primal experience of the Church, the Eucharist.

            The New Testament passages are commented on in a four-part hermeneutical fashion. Initially, there is an attempt to establish the authentic writing of the passage. Then follows a determination of the context of the passage, together with necessary philological, historical and interpretational information and comments and finally there is an attempt at extrapolation into contemporary reality.

            Thus, there is an analysis of Matthew 28,19 and an approach to Orthodox mission, Mark 3,28-29 and Luke 3,16, which seek in the origination, meaning and importance of Pneumatology, John 6,56 on the correct understanding of the sacrament of Eucharist and Rom. 13,1 where the issue of State-Church relations is discussed, the A’ Cor. 12,27 where notions of Charisma in the Church are expressed, B’ Cor. 8,9 in which the dogmatic teaching constitutes the validation of the ethical teaching, Gal.5,1 and B’ Thes. 2,15 for the dynamic as opposed to static notion of tradition, Ef. 2,14 for the real meaning of peace, Kol.1,19-20 for the global and cosmic dimensions of salvation, Hebr. 13,8 which refers to the eschatological dimension and the comprehension of the mystery of the Church, Jac. 5,16 which constitutes the substance of the sacrament of repentance and finally in Rev. 1,1 and 22,6 for the relationship between history and celestial liturgy.