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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. 6, January-June 1987, year 16, p. 56.

    The January-June issue 1987 of the Bulletin of Biblical Studies contains three (3) articles.

    The text of S. Agouridis continues from the previous issue. Here Agouridis analyzes the second narration of Creation, Gen. 2,4 b-2,25 and examines the interweaving of myth, history and theology in it. Afterwards, comes the second chapter of his paper where he examines the fall of Adam and Eve according to Gen. 3,1-24 and the interweaving of myth, history and theology in the relative narration. The article continues at the next issue of BBS.

    The article of P. Vassiliadis is a response to Father G. Metallinos about the character and role of the Biblical Companies on the one hand and the lack of self-criticism on the matter of the translation of the Holy Scripture on behalf of the younger orthodox (greek) theology. This dialogue was realized through the pages of “Synaxis” journal. The writer of the article adds a few specifications on these topics and on what Metallinos noted in his answer. Furthermore, Vassiliadis, on the pretext of comments published in “Synaxis”, proceeds to certain comments on the methodology of translation and the problem of “private study and teaching” of the Holy Scripture.

   Father K. Papadopoulos briefly examines the institution of fasting in the first Christian centuries. His analysis starts with the description of fasting in the N. T. and is completed with the recording of ancient fasting and the causes and way of its evolution.

   The Chronicles of the issue come next. G. Gratseas describes analytically the works of the 36^th Convention of Journéess Bibliques of Louvain that took place from the 26^th until the 28^th of August in Louvain with the topic: “The reception of the N. T. texts by the primitive Christianity”.

   Following are the bibliographical notes of the issue.  

Bulletin of Biblical Studies, vol. 6, July-December 1987, year 16, p. 78.

   The July-December 1987 issue of the Bulletin of Biblical Studies contains three (3) articles.

   The text of S. Agouridis continues from the previous issue. The third chapter of his study starts here, where he examines narrations from Genesis, referring to the time before the cataclysm. In this context, he analyses the interweaving of myth, history and theology in the narrations about Cain and Abel, Enoch and, finally, the fall of the Angels and the Giants. The fourth chapter of his study comes next, where he refers to Noah’s cataclysm. The article continues at the next issue of the BBS.

   A. Theocharis studies the sense of biblical and apocalyptic wisdom in the book of Jobileum, which belongs to the pro-christian Judean literature.

   Metropolitan Paulos Mar Gregorios writes about certain political positions that are expressed on the political scene of America and are intensely influenced by eschatological interpretations of prophesies in the Old and New Testament. The writer initially describes part of the apocalyptic vision of millions of Christians in America and especially the ideas about the “utmost sorrow”, “Armageddon” and the “abduction”. Next, he refers to the opinion of American President Regan on the issue of “Armageddon” and the way his politics on the nuclear issue is affected by eschatological biblical prophesies as much as by the over-conservative Christians of America, who adopt and promote the above ideas.

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