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Bulletin of Biblical Studies, vol. 5, July-December 1986, year 15, p. 100.

    The July-December 1986 issue of the Bulletin of Biblical Studies contains four (4) articles.

    S. Agouridis presents the quest of the “Historical Jesus” by the recent European thought. In this frame, he refers to the causes, the starting principles and the results of this quest through a short and comprehensive presentation of the works and thoughts of a range of contemporary European intellectuals who have dealt with it. Agouridis closes his text with some thoughts on the importance of the whole venture for the Church today.

    I. de la Potterie goes further to a synthetic presentation of the history of exegesis in order to show on the one hand that the ancient Tradition, that of the Fathers and the medieval one, has always maintained that the ultimate purpose of the Christian exegetic is the reading of the Holy Scripture “in the Spirit” (εντωΠνεύματι), that is the accomplishment of its “spiritual understanding” and on the other hand that this balance was disrupted in the years of modern times. Finally, he presents the direction to which the efforts to recompose the “Christiansynthesis” on a more critical basis are oriented today.

   D. Obelenskys tries to prove that the founders and architects of the kyrillian-methodian tradition, that is Kyrillos and Methodios themselves in the beginning and afterwards their students and followers in the Middle Ages, asked to explain and give reasons for their Byzantine mission at the Slavs with arguments taken indirectly or directly from the Holy Scripture.

   S. Agouridis first in the introduction examines and analyzes concisely the significance of the myth, history and theology that are found in the narratives of ch. 1-11 of the book of Genesis and explains their interweaving and their importance for the correct interpretation of the specific chapters. Then he starts the extensive analysis of biblical narratives. This begins with the explanation of the creation of the world with the analysis of the two narratives about creation, Gen. 1,1-2,25. At this point, he provides some data for both and then the extensive commentary on the first narrative continues. The article is continued at the next issue of the BBS.

   Following are reviews of foreign books.

Bulletin of Biblical Studies, vol. 5, July-December 1985, year 14, p. 114.

    The July-December 1985 issue of the Bulletin of Biblical Studies is a tribute to the memory of Vassilis Stogiannos and contains eight (8) articles.

    I. Karvidopoulos presents the life and scientific and broader work of Vassilis Stogiannos.

   S. Agouridis, referring to the visit of ap. Paul to Athens (Act 17, 16-34), attempts to give the general impression of the passage regarding the visit and the speech of Paul at the Supreme Court of Appeal (Arios Pagos). In this frame, the writer initially seeks the real significance of the Supreme Court and then briefly analyses the most important points of Paul’s speech.

   N. Matsoukas presents the interpretive principles of the ancient Church that are based on a double methodology, the charismatic hermeneutic and the scientific one while, at the same time, he comments on the relations between the orthodox theological interpretation and the contemporary scientific biblical research.

   P. Vassiliadis tries to put limits to the relationship of “biblical” and “philosophical” hermeneutic, as the latter was formulated by the philosopher H. D. Gadamer, interpreting as much as possible the mind of V. Stogiannos. This he realizes by outlining the course of the recent biblical hermeneutic, analyzing its main problem and attempting a short report to the solution provided to it by the orthodox theological thought.

   I. Galanis describes the relations of ap. Paul with Thessaloniki. So as the importance of Paul’s visit to Thessaloniki can be understood and rightly appreciated, the writer refers to the facts that preceded and, in a way, led to this visit. The analysis of Paul’s relations with Thessaloniki comes next in the way these are presented in Paul’s letters to the people of Thessaloniki.

   I. Karavidopoulos, aiming to outline the future prospects of biblical studies in Greece, makes initially a brief historical approach, reporting the evidence of the past that justify the modern reality. Afterwards, he describes the basic features that characterize the Orthodox interpretation of the Holy Scripture and, finally, he proceeds to some conclusions and provides the future prospects.

   M. Konstantinou aims at the understanding of the representations referred in the O. T. as places of God’s residence, using the iconography of the people of Israel’s surroundings as well.

   G. Galitis makes a brief report to the meaning of the revelation and of godly inspiration (θεοπνευστία) as well as to the issue of interpretation in the Scriptures.

   Following are bibliographies of Greek and foreign books that refer to biblical matters.         

Bulletin of Biblical Studies, vol. 5, January-June 1986, year 15, p. 56.

    The January-June 1986 issue of the Bulletin of Biblical Studies contains four (4) articles.

    S. Agouridis attempts to present, on the one hand, how the word of God becomes in reality divine word for us, due to a movement of our soul towards God, a movement of a group of people towards the divine reality and truth and, on the other hand, how people who have a special experience of the mystery of salvation feel they are one with God, perform their participation in the divine acts and feel themselves in a way “godly” (θεωμένο).

    Father S. Mavrofidis, in the context of a broader research on the issue of paulian logeia, presents part of the arguments and positions of the researchers on Gal. 2, 10, which is considered by many of them as the beginning of logeia. Mavrofidis focuses his interest on the question of what exactly the Jerusalem leaders recommend to Paul regarding the realization of collections. It is in this context that he exposes the opinions of the researchers as to who the “poor” were and with what meaning the verb “μνημονεύειν” (to keep in memory) is used, whether it is about one-sided or mutual help, whether occasional or permanent collections are recommended and from whose initiative came the idea expressed in Gal. 2, 10.

    R. Kassühlke presents some of the most basic questions that concern the translation of holy texts today. In this frame, he examines the importance of language and the different levels of its function, the translation process, the problem of substitution or paraphrasing of the text and the issue of form and meaning.

    B. Makridis deals with the problem of the total omission of the Irodians in Luke’s gospel and attempts to give an explanation for the reasons that led Luke to the particular omission.

    Following are reviews of Greek and foreign books about the biblical science.

Bulletin of Biblical Studies, 14, Volume 4, January - June 1985, pp. 80.

 The volume January - June of 1985 of Bulletin of Biblical Studies includes three (3) articles.

             S. Agouridis in his article presents the three important phases of the research and study of the Bible, particularly of the New Testament, as well as the new prospects that they offer these new hermeneutical approaches/ methods. He starts with the Literal and Historical Method which aims to a literal analysis of the biblical text, as a whole or in parts, as well as to a deeper understanding of its particular historical context. Then, he presents the Form Criticism School, which investigates the texts in their final written form through a literal and historical interpretation although it recognises in them various other written sources. Finally, he analyses Redaction Criticism of the New Testament, which begins with the conclusions of Form Criticism research and seeks to find in each text what is the meaning that writer gives to it, according to his general theological plan. The study ends with the conclusions about the benefits of these methods for the modern Christian and the church.

             O.Hofius examines the significance that Paul gives in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as a process of expiation and reconciliation (Rom. 5,8-10). From the beginning, the writer reverses the opinion that wants Paul to see the crucifixion of Christ as an expiatory sacrifice, which the Son of God representatively offered for the sinful in front of God and for the God. Afterwards he analyses his opinion that Paul sees the death of Christ not as a mean for reconciliation, but as an achievement, not as a possibility, but as a realisation. Expiation and reconciliation are gifts of God and consequently in their coexistence they are the two sides of one coin that is the sacrifice on the Cross. This opinion of the writer is based on the continuity and discontinuity between the Old Testament meaning of expiation and the teaching of Paul for reconciliation and expiation.

            V.Makrides attempts to explain certain fundamental points of Mk. 11,27-33 and he analyses its historical background.

             At the end there are reviews of foreigner and Greek books relative with the biblical science.