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Nikolaos Matsoukas, “The problem of evil. Essay on Patristic Theology”, Scientific Year book of the Theological Faculty, Annex 22 of the 20^th Volume, Thessaloniki 1976, pages 291.

            This is a theological essay, which hermeneutically analyzes the problem of evil on the basis of the hagiographic and patristic facts and their spirit. According to the author, the analysis and examination of the problem of evil can not take place in one area of dogmatic teaching and one section of philosophy, because it is a central and many-sided issue. From a theological point of view, it should be examined on the basis of the whole dogmatic teaching of the Church.

            After a short prologue follows an Introduction, where Nikolaos Matsoukas refers to the concepts of good and evil and defines their meaning. Good is what preserves, develops and promotes life, while evil is what destroys and at any time can threaten the preservation, development and promotion of life. The author analyzes the problematic not only of theology, but of other modern scientific fields, such as sociology, psychology, biology and physics.

            In the first chapter, the author deals with the concepts of creation and nothingness (zero). The correlation of creation and nothingness takes place in the Christian cosmology. Nothingness is non-existence, while God is the source of every power and reality. The author recognizes the fact that a biblical analysis of the terms leads automatically to an encounter with the views of philosophy, which he analyzes extensively. Additionally, the creative movement and victory against nothingness can not be successfully interpreted, according to the author, without examining the complex problem of human freedom. Next, he presents some forms of modern demonization, which, in his opinion, abolish life itself and lead to nihilism.  

            In the second chapter of his essay, the author deals with death. In the first unit, he examines the danger of the annihilation of the person, in the second, the concepts of pain and fear and, finally, immortality, the way it is perceived in the Christian tradition and in philosophical thought.

            In the third chapter of the research, eros is presented as the other pole of human life. The two poles of human life are death and eros, nothingness and perfection, annihilation and rising on personal and social level. In the first unit, eros is examined as instinct and fulfillment of life. In the second unit, there is an analysis of the demonic and angelic element in the concept of eros and in the third, the relation of love and marriage.

            The topic of the next chapter is sin and guilt. The sense of sin is mainly theological, expressing the will of man to become equal to God, similar to Him and not “in His own image”. How anomie is perceived in the Christian tradition, as well as the issue of guilt and punishment concern the author in the following units.   

            In the fifth chapter the author deals with the issue of hell, the need of mankind to be healed, the judgment and the theories about the restoration of everything.

            In the sixth, seventh and eighth chapter the author deals with the ethical, social and aesthetic life, the way these are perceived in the patristic teaching and thought, meeting and conversing with philosophy and the other social sciences at many points.

            The last chapter presents the views of the philosophy of religion and the Christian apologetic on the problem of evil, as well as the flubs of the latter on the issue.

            The paper ends with conclusions, a summary in German and a table of contents.    

Nayia Miliou (ed.) The course of as course of Identity and Culture, Orthodox Interparliamentary Assembly, Pedagogical Institute, Academy of Theological Studies, the Holy Metropolis of Demetrias, Volos 15-17 May 2004, Greek Parliament publ. Athens, 2005, 256 pages.

This collective volume opens with an information bulletin by the Orthodox Interparliamentary Assembly (DSO), its organs, the Conference’s programme, a list of participants, a foreword by the General Secretary of DSO Styl. Papathemelis, an address by the President of the DSO General Assembly Sergei Popov, an introductory note by professor Konstantinos Delikonstantis and a brief speech by Styl. Papathemelis.

In his address Stavros Fotiou considers that the demarcation of Eucharist, ministration and learning lead to the ecclesiasation of education and the education of the person, while Anton Vrame examines the Orthodox principles in relation to education and its perspective. Konstantinos Delikonstantis focuses in particular on the European dimension of schools’ religious instruction, while Emanuel Perselis refers to religious instruction in countries of the European Union. Alexandru Gherasim examines the position of the lesson of religious instruction in Romania, while Christos Tsironis and Brother Francesco Varthalitis approach religious instruction as a lesson of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Texts by Ioannis Kogoulis, Konstantinos Yokarinis and Miron Edrei employ different standpoints to look at theologians’ theological background and pedagogical training. Chr. Vassilopoulos expounds on the lesson’s planning and organisation, employing the criterion of psycho-pedagogical and socio-cultural characteristics of students, while Stavros Yiagazoglou refers to Orthodox education in multicultural societies. Marios Begzos approaches Orthodox education under globalisation conditions. Aris Kourtis defends the position of religious instruction as a theological-doctrinal lesson, while P. Kalaitzidis argues for the opposite, the cultural lesson. Vladimir Yaschenko presents the introduction and dimensions of the lesson “Orthodox Culture” in Russia. Stamatis Portelanos suggests the alternative teaching of religious instruction as a combined lesson, while Stergios Dervisis presents a modern teaching proposal based on the example of drug education in the book of Lyceum’s C grade. Risto Aikonen examines the use of the Internet for Religious instruction, while Aggelos Valianatos examines the application of modern teaching methods for religious instruction. Olga Trubistyna discusses the planning of a syllabus for school books and the syllabus of religious instruction in Russia, while Zoi Pliakos and Georgios Stathis analyse the same issue in the case of Greece. Finally, the book includes biographical information about the presenters.

Meyendorff John, Christ the Saviour today, transl. John Lappas, Synaxi publication, 1985, pp. 70.

In a small volume published in 1985 as a publication of the known journal “Synaxis”, containing a speech by Fr. Ioannis Meyendorff under the title “Christ the Saviour Today” and the discussion that follows, surprises us with a topical and substantial theological word on the person on Christ, as saviour, and its importance in this globalised era of secularism.

The sequence of thoughts begins from the connection of the person of Christ with the Word, which is not dealt with simply as a genius concotion of the fourth Evangelist to issue philosophical, stoic mostly, investment to the person of the historic Jesus, but as extension of the salvificl energy of His person, in the whole structure of creation.

The world, as creation, is held or should be held by the Word. The wordification of the world constitutes in effect a motion which is contrary to that of the fall. Christ-Word constitutes the meaning and the restitution of the whole of the creation and the salvation of the latter, a necessary extension of Divine Economy. The world as creation is revealed as a sacred world.

In this direction patristic theology is employed, mostly that of St. Maximus the Homologitis, who with his teaching about “words” of creatures, engrafts the sperms, the beginnings of creation, into divine logic.

Naturally, the extensions of all the above for Christian mission in the modern world are surprising. This appears from its repercussions that the speech by father Meyendorff had on the audience, and the most substantial points of note – questions that were put to him. Questions that begin from the currency or otherwise of the patristic teachings in the modern world, to the possible theological ecclesiastical determinism in the Christian perspective of nature, the fear of the transformation of Christian faith into ideology, whatever differences between East – West, even up to the concept and the function of the so called “Christian culture” in the past, the present and the future, and many more.

The answers, characterised by a synthesis between realism and tradition, attempt to deter the idealisation of the past as well as the illegitimate recourse to the inspiration of the divinised realism and its needs.

The currency of the person of Jesus, as saviour, in our day, does not constitute to his arithmetic acceptance, neither on its ideological cleanliness of those who accepted it, but the fertile u-topia of the very few who transform in every era and society, the world into creation.