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Bulletin of Biblical Studies, Vol. 1, December 1971, issue. 2, pp. 99-188.

The 2nd volume, December 1971, of the Bulletin of Biblical Studies contains five (5) articles.

             I. Panagopoulos examines the significance and the importance of christian peace with regard to the person and the work of Jesus Christ. In this frame, he stresses firstly the basic regard of christian peace as donation of the risen Christ and of the Spirit to the world, and as expression of faith in Him. Additionally, he describes the difference of meaning between the christian and the secular peace and develops its soteriological and ecclesiological prospect. The writer closes the article mentioning the importance of the “peaceful” witness of the Church in the modern violent world.

             In the frame of criticism of the O.T. text, El. Economou moves toward the correction of Esthir 1,18 and renders explicitly the meaning of this particular passage.

             P. Andriopoulos describes the reflection that has been developed with regard to the place and the role of “mysticism” in the writings of apostle Paul. In this affinity, initially he presents briefly the views on “theocentric” and “christocentric mysticism” and suggests that substance it is “sacramental”. Later on, he examines whether we can speak of “pauline mysticism” in general, and after he analyses the basic characteristics of the religious phenomenon of mysticism, he supports that this comes in complete opposition to the prophetic temperament of apostle Paul.

             Prof. Agouridis moves towards the publication of the text on the life of Apostle Thomas of Twin that is contained in the unpublished manuscript no 51 of the library of Historical File of the Holy Metropolis of Sparta. This text constitutes the initial part of the famous Apocryphal New Testament work “Acts of Thomas”. Prof. Agouridis’ introductory comments on the text itself, as well as on the philological relation and the relation of context of the two texts, precede the publication of the above mentioned text.              

P. Christinakis presents his views with regard to Naoum 1,9, which deals with the question of the non-return of God to an issue that already has been judged by Him. In this frame, the writer initially mentions the patristic and contemporary interpretation of the passage that connects the theme of non-return of God with His Omnipotence and then continues to support his opinion. According to it, the passage should be interpreted under the light of other characteristics of God as well, not only that of Omnipotence. Thus, this expresses the principle of precedent for those judged by God according to which God never comes back to judge an issue on which He has previously expressed His crisis.

             Finally, the work of the 26^th General Assembly ofStudiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, the 2^nd Paneuropean Translational Congress of Bible, as well as the work of the 7^th International Congress of O.T. is described. Book-reviews and the obituary of P. Simotas onRonald de Vaux follow.

Bulletin of Biblical Studies, 3, Volume 1, June 1972, pp. 189-285.

 The 3rd volume, June 1972, of the Bulletin of Biblical Studies contains four (4) articles.

             J. Karavidopoulos goes into a literal-critical and hermeneutical analysis of Lk. 23, 33-49, which concerns the passion of the ‘servant’ of God on the Cross. In this frame, the writer examines the question of the sources of the third Gospel for the particular verse, the description of the Crucifixion of Jesus as the completion of the hymns of Isaias for the suffering ‘servant’ of God and the question of the precise time of the Crucifixion of Jesus.

             Ch. Bulgaris attempts a historical presentation of biblical research with regard to Gospel of Luke  and the Acts, which he separates it in five periods. In the first part of his article, he examines the first phase/period of research that begins in the second century and ends in eighteenth century. Afterwards, he refers to the School of Tubingen. Then he makes a presentationof M.Dibelius and his work, which was a new departure in the theological research in the beginnings of 20th century. This first part of article closes with the presentation of researchers that continued the work and the method ofM.Dibelius.

             G. Rigopoulos attempts the interpretation of the phrase “the Star the bright and morning” with which characterized Jesus Christ in Rev. 22, 16b. The writer attempts a religious investigation of the meaning of the term ‘star’ in the pre-Christian traditions, while he examines the meaning of the term “ star” in the Old Testament, in the Apocrypha of Old Testament and the manuscripts of Dead Sea, in the New Testament and finally in the book of Revelation. At the end, analyses the content of the term “the Star the bright and morning” in the Revelation and the term “Star, Jesus, Christ” as a source of inspiration in Hymnology and the iconography of Orthodox Church.

             S. Agouridis attempts a Modern Greek interpretation of “the Will of Abraham” according to the unpublished manuscript of the Historical File of Holy Metropolis of  Sparta that brings the title “Speech devout and remarkable of Saint and just Abraham”. Before the translation there are introductory comments that concern the older and the recent publications of the text, its literal type, its content, its translations, as well as some explanatory questions that occupied the international scientific community.

             In the chronicles of the volume, S. Agouridis describes analytically the work and the conclusions of 22nd Symposium ofJournees Biblique de Louvain that took place from 32 August until 2 September in the College of Pope Adriano theVI. The congress had as theme “the Gospel of Mark”.

             J. Panagopoulos describes analytically the chronicles of the first Congress of Orthodox Hermeneutical Theology that took place in Athens, from 7 to 12 May 1972 and he gives shortly the content of proposals that were announced. At the end of chronicles placed the official statement that was voted in the congress in Greek and English.

             Some book reviews follow written by J. Panagopoulos inWolfgangSchrage,DieChristenundderStaatnachdemNeuenTestament, 1971 and J. Karavidopoulos inCharlesMasson,L'EvangiledeMarcetlEglisedeRome, 1968 andEtaLinnemann,StudienzurPassionwgeschichte, 1970.

Bulletin of Biblical Studies, Vol. 1, December 1972, issue 4, pp. 286-388.

             The 4th volume, December 1972, of the Bulletin of Biblical Studies contains five (5) articles.

             Ath. Theocharis examines the development of the notion of wisdom in the book of the Ethiopian Enoch. The writer explores in which of the ten collections of the book the particular significance can be found and for what reason. In this frame, he analyses the meaning and the content of sophiological verses and their kinship with the rest of sophiological, apocalyptic and non-apocalyptic literature.

             V. Stogiannos explores the teaching of apostle Paul on the Law, as it is presented in the Letter to the Galatians. The present text constitutes only the first part of his study, as it continues in a following volume of the BBS. The writer initially presents the necessary historical and theological presuppositions for the proper comprehension of Paul’s teaching on the Law. Based on them, he attempts the analysis of the particular Pauline teaching, following the Pauline order of dealing with the matter, so that the text itself is comprehended as much as possible. Then, an effort is made to recapitulate systematically Paul’s main thesis. In the first part of the article, the issue of Law and Christ is examined, as it is presented in 2, 15-21.

             The present article of Chr. Voulgaris constitutes the second and last part of his article on the historical examination of scientific biblical research regarding Luke and the Acts. The first part of the article is found in the precedent volume of the BBS. In the beginning of the articlethe presentation of researchers that expanded the work and the methodM.Dibelius is continued and theirmost important views and contributions in the scientific research that concerns Luke and the Acts are demonstrated. A particular report follows on the work and the contribution ofErnst Haenchen and on the criticism that was practised in his opinions. What comes next is an extensive presentation of the scientific research on the work of Luke that was actualises in the greek scientific field. In the end, there is a synopsis of what preceded, along with personal views of the writer.

             H.Schlier attempts a theological approach of the diverse traditions on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this context, the indirect and direct traditions found in the gospels and the rest N.T. texts. The writer’s analysis emphasizes the terms of the text that describe or refer to the Resurrection and their theological meaning. The article is completed in the next volume of the BBS.

I.Panagopoulos presents analytically the orthodox bibliography on agiography of the years 1970-1972.

             The Chronicles, whose author is S. Agouridis,  follow with reference to the 27^th General Assembly ofStudiorum Novi Testamenti Societas andIV Colloquium Paulinum.

             Finally, there are the book-reviews of Mussner F,The Miracles of Jesus, 1970 andBetz Otto,What do we know about Jesus, 1968 by S. Agouridis and those ofRoloff Juergen,Das Kerygma und der irdische Jesus.Historische Motive in den Jesus, 1970andDie Zeit Jesus. Festschrift fur Heinric Schlier, Hrsg. Von G. Bornkamm und K. Rahner, 1970 by I. Panagopoulos.