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Bulletin of Biblical Studies, Volume 4, June 1976, issue 1, p.p. 145.

The 1st volume of the Bulletin of Biblical Studies in June 1976  contains the eight (8) papers given in the I Symposium of Greek Biblical Theologians of the Universities of Athens and Thessalonica in Patmos from 24-28 September 1975 on the theme “John: his New Testament writings and his theological thought”.

             S. Agouridis in his paper attempts an analysis of the current research into the sources of the fourth Gospel, from a religio-historical and theological point of view, taking into consideration two biblical international conferences of summer 1975.

             Ch. Bulgaris makes a concise examination of the most basic data of John’s Gospel in order to find out the number, the size and the nature of various difficulties, which is going to face the biblical researcher and scholar in his effort to lighten up the historical and theological background of the particular Gospel.

             G. Galitis examines the most fundamental elements and points that are connected with the reference of John to the “ruler of world”, that is to say the verses 12,31, 14,30 and 16,11. In this frame it is examined the meaning of the term ‘world’, the idea of the ‘two centuries’, of now and then, the “new sky and new earth”, and the religious background of the term “ the ruler of world”.

             Ath. Theocharis  analyses the problem of the relation between the narration of John 20,19-23 and the narration of Acts, chapter 2, that is about the presence of the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire on the disciples at the day of Pentecost, supporting that  the two narrations are about the same historical event.

             S. Agouridis presents a biblical study on John. 2,1-11, without however analyzing all the theological issues that suggests John. In this frame the writer deals with two main questions: why John chooses for the “beginning of miracles” the marriage in Cana and what his theory is about the relation between faith and miracle.

            P. Vassiliadisattempts to determine the theological importance of John  Baptist in the Gospel of John in correlation with the theological character and the aim of the Gospel.

             P. Koutlemanis interprets I John, 2,16. He examines the meaning of the terms “love of world”, referring analytically in the relative with the subject patristic interpretative tradition and the modern interpretation.

             B. Stogiannos tries to determine the meaning of Rev. 2,13, which constitutes a ‘key’ for the deeper understanding of Revelation. In this frame he presents  patristic  opinions, but also some modern biblical research conclusions about the meaning of the  “throne of Satan”.

             At the end, there is an English summary of the papers, written by P. Vassiliadis.

Bulletin of Biblical Studies, Vol. 4, December 1976, issue 2, pp. 146-216.

The 2nd issue the 4th volume, December 1975, of the Bulletin of Biblical Studies contains three (3) articles.

             Ath. Chastoupis attempts the translation of “Taksi tis Omigyreos” from the Qumran manuscripts. Brief introductory comments with regard to the history of the manuscript, its content and relation with the “order of the community” precede the translation. In the footnotes translation text there is a number of explanatory and clarification comments.

             G. Rigopoulos examines the significance of the allegory of “the real vine”. In this frame, initially he explores the allegorical regard of “vine” in the O.T. texts, its eschatological sight of the same texts, its allegorical view of the Apocrypha of the O.T. and the middle-N.T. Jewish literature and finally, its allegorical view of the N.T. As far as the N.T. is concerned, the writer first examines the allegory of “the vine” in the Synoptic Gospels and secondly in John 15,1-17, making particular reference in the ecclesiological dimension of the allegory of the above mentioned  passage. The article closes with the comment on the eucharistic character of the allegory of “the vine” and its eschatological extension.

            G. Papatzanakis examines the linguistic form of the N.T. christological hymns, their christology and place in the liturgical tradition of the church. In the end, the writer concludes that these hymns are catechistical affirmations of faith of the early christian community, that they serve the unity of the initial preaching, that they have their own particular linguistic character, as they serve the needs of worship, and finally, that the particular hymns had soteriological importance in the tradition of Church.

             The Chronicles of the volume follow. S. Agouridis exposes briefly the work of the 31st Meeting of Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas that was actualized in Duke University in Durham of V. Carolina of USA from 16 up to 20 August 1976 and the work of 5th Colloquium Oecumenicum Paulinum that took place in the Basilica of Saint Paul of Rome from 28 September up to 3 October 1976 and whose subject was 1Cor., 1-4.

             Book-reviews follow: Philipp Vielhauer, Geschichteder urchristlichen Literatur.Einleitung in das Neue Testament,die Apokryphen und die Apostolischen Vaeter, 1975, Georgiou Papakyriakopoulou, Matthew Gospel (Miracles and parables from the other Evangelists)· Translation in the demotic, 1976, Felix Christ, JesusSophia:DieSophia-Christologiebei des Synoptikern, 1970, J.A.T. Robinson, Redating the New Testament, 1976, Oscar Cullman, The Johannine Circle.Its place in Judaism, among the disciples of Jesus and in early Christianity. A study in the origin of the Gospel of John, 1976 and L. Goppelt, Theologie des Neuen Testaments. I. Jesu Wirken in seiner theologischen Bedeutung, 1975.

             Finally, there is the obituary on Rudolf Bultmann (1884-1976) by I.  Karavidopoulos. He presents briefly the life, work and main thesis of Bultmann making a special reference on the “of demythologization preaching of the N.T.”

Bulletin of Biblical Studies, 2 – 3, Volume 5, December 1977 - June 1978, pp. 91-244.

             The double bulletin, 2nd - 3rd, of the 5th volume, December 1977 - June 1978, of the Bulletin of Biblical Studies contains the nine (9) papers of the Second Symposium of Greek Biblical Theologians of the Universities of Athens and Thessalonica, that took place in Crete from 16 - 21 September 1977, on the theme “Sects and heretics in the era of Paul”. At the beginning there is a short prologue by S. Agouridis with regard to the history of the organisation of the Symposium in Crete and the address of the Director of Orthodox Academy of Crete, Al. Papaderos to the participants.

             In the first paper, P. Vassiliadisexamines the existence of sects or theological tendencies in early Christianity. In this frame he firstly makes a conceptual definition of the term “sect” in the New Testament and afterwards he attempts a presentation of various theological tendencies that existed in the early Christian period.

             S. Agouridis refers in the way that Luke faced in the Acts the Magic of Hellenistic period, he examines its importance and the problem of Luke in Acts due to the meeting with the Magic and the comparison of Apostles to the Divine Men of season.

              M. Siotis makes a presentation of the political character of Paul’s opponents. He examines the various historical data of the era which show also the political character of juxtaposition, beyond the religious one. Afterwards he analyses the conflict through the relative information that is contained in various texts of the New Testament.

             J. Karavidopoulos examines the problem of falsely called on the base of orthodox ecclesiology, analysing mainly the relation between canonicity and genuineness, orthodoxy and sect.

             J. Galanis analyses Gal. 5,13-26 and the basic theological views of Paul for the Law, the freedom etc, by making a connection between  morals and doctrine in Paul.

              G. Galitis analyses the command of subjugation in the Epistle to Titus, putting it in its concrete historical and social context and investigating the problem of “undisciplined” of Crete.

              J. Tsagalidis examines the phenomenon of sect in correlation with the Church and the life in Christ.

             B. Stogiannos having as a concrete example the opponents of Paul in his epistle to the Galatians, he attempts to analyse the three aspects - historical, theological and methodological- of the problem of the characterisation of the tendencies that we find in New Testament as orthodox or heretics and he presents at the same time all modern scientific opinions that they are related with the particular problem.

             G. Papatzanakis presents the confrontation between the sect of Colossus and Paul and he analyses the meaning of the phrase “elements of world” (Col. 2,20), as well as the theological views of Paul towards the “elements”.