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16 pages, 287 KB

Open AccessArticle

“More than We Can Ask or Imagine” (Eph 3: 20–21): The Resurrection of Christ in Ephesians and Its Ongoing Multidimensional Cosmic Consequences

by Lisa Marie Belz

Religions 2025, 16(4), 409; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16040409 - 24 Mar 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 769

Abstract

While most Christians might imagine the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as a single event, for the author of Ephesians, the resurrection is a continuing event of cosmic proportions. In a very real way, the Epistle to the Ephesians is an [...] Read more.

While most Christians might imagine the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as a single event, for the author of Ephesians, the resurrection is a continuing event of cosmic proportions. In a very real way, the Epistle to the Ephesians is an extended reflection on the ongoing multidimensional cosmic consequences and transformations that result from the death of Jesus and his resurrection, whose impact not only affects the macrocosm in which Christ sits triumphantly at the right hand of God, “far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion” (Eph 1: 20–22), but also the microcosm of the Church, “his body, the fullness of the one who fills the universe in every way” (1: 23), transforming those who compose the smallest microcosm, the baptized who form a Christian household and who, gathered at table to share Eucharist (5: 17–6: 9), are “seated with Christ in the heavenly places” (2: 6), already participating in the eternal Messianic banquet. This is to say that, for this author, the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is the catalyst for an ongoing and ever more evolving “new creation” of humanity and, indeed, the entire cosmos, with “Christification”—the full maturation into the divine “Christ nature” (Eph 4: 13, 15–16) as the telos or goal for the whole universe (Eph 1: 10). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Resurrection and New Creation in Ephesians)

29 pages, 382 KB

Open AccessArticle

“For If There Is No Resurrection of the Dead, Then Christ Has Not Been Raised Either”: Wittgenstein and the Cognitive Status of Christian Belief Statements

by Alois Pichler

Religions 2025, 16(3), 306; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030306 - 27 Feb 2025

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1725

Abstract

The article engages in a critique of Wittgensteinian non-cognitivism about Christian belief statements but argues that Wittgenstein himself can only partially be classified under the non-cognitivist label. The article has three parts. First, it argues, contrary to a common view in the literature, [...] Read more.

The article engages in a critique of Wittgensteinian non-cognitivism about Christian belief statements but argues that Wittgenstein himself can only partially be classified under the non-cognitivist label. The article has three parts. First, it argues, contrary to a common view in the literature, that Wittgenstein moved not only from strong non-cognitivism to moderate non-cognitivism but also from general non-cognitivism towards partial cognitivism about Christian belief statements. Second, it examines three separate non-cognitivist Wittgensteinian claims about Christian belief statements and argues that these claims are untenable not only from a broad perspective, but also from the point of view of Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations. The three claims are: (1) “The cognitive aspect of Christian belief statements is superstition only”, (2) “The cognitive aspect of Christian belief statements is parasitic on religious attitude only”, and (3) “The cognitive aspect of Christian belief statements is cognitive in surface grammar only”. Third, the article considers the case of believing Christian martyrs and follows the view that their religious belief might be cognitive only at the surface grammar level, through to its ultimate consequences. The article argues, using Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations, that the non-cognitivist position ends up with a cognitive point about the correctness or incorrectness of the Christian martyr’s depth grammar. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Work on Wittgenstein's Philosophy of Religion)

14 pages, 268 KB

Open AccessArticle

Folk Spiritism: Between Communication with the Dead and Heavenly Forces

by Nemanja Radulović

Religions 2024, 15(8), 988; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15080988 - 14 Aug 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2342

Abstract

Examples of how Spiritism merged with local beliefs have been the subject of research in religious studies, ethnology, and folkloristics. Serbian Spiritism can also be viewed as such, but its history is an under-researched topic. We examine the syncretic product we will call [...] Read more.

Examples of how Spiritism merged with local beliefs have been the subject of research in religious studies, ethnology, and folkloristics. Serbian Spiritism can also be viewed as such, but its history is an under-researched topic. We examine the syncretic product we will call ‘folk Spiritism’, being different from the ‘high Spiritism’ of elite and middle-class intellectuals. Folk Spiritism was part of a grassroots movement for Church reform in the first half of the 20th century. The difference between folk and high Spiritism is also confirmed in the emic perspective. Based on a closer reading of its texts, we can discern a better image of the dead and communication with them in the practice of folk Spiritism. We conclude that the difference between the traditional and Spiritist image of the dead is that the former causes fear, while the later brings comfort; folk Spiritism gave preference to communication with heavenly forces (God, Christ, Holy Mother, angels, saints) while retaining the traditional view of the dead. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communication with the Dead)

11 pages, 178 KB

Open AccessArticle

Preaching the Impossible in the Face of the Unthinkable: Nonviolence, Love, and Thanksgiving in a Coptic Easter Sermon

by J. Sergius Halvorsen

Religions 2024, 15(4), 455; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15040455 - 3 Apr 2024

Viewed by 1450

Abstract

This essay examines the Holy Monday sermon by Boules George, a senior priest at St. Mark Church in Cairo, that was preached the day after the Palm Sunday suicide bomb attacks against St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Tanta and St. Mark Coptic [...] Read more.

This essay examines the Holy Monday sermon by Boules George, a senior priest at St. Mark Church in Cairo, that was preached the day after the Palm Sunday suicide bomb attacks against St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Tanta and St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria in Egypt in 2017, which left forty-four people dead and more than one hundred injured. The sermon addressed Coptic Orthodox Christians in Cairo as well as the wider Coptic Orthodox community in Egypt and throughout the world through a live video broadcast. The sermon is remarkable for presenting a radical call to nonviolence and Christian love. Notably, the preacher speaks to “those who are killing us”, and says “thank you” for the opportunity to die as Christ died, for “this is the greatest honor that we could have”. This essay analyzes the sermon in light of the work of Walter Brueggemann and Alexander Schmemann, and argues that the sermon is an example of daring speech that offers divine empowerment to the suffering and the fearful. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Homiletical Theory and Praxis)

18 pages, 354 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of the Faith in Jesus Christ in the Family Experience of Grief

by Bogdan Kulik

Religions 2023, 14(12), 1523; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14121523 - 9 Dec 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3138

Abstract

Mourning is the state of grieving the loss of a close relationship. It manifests itself in multi-sided suffering affecting the mourner’s mental, physical and spiritual sphere. A particularly painful form of mourning is the family experience of grief. Although ways of expressing grief [...] Read more.

Mourning is the state of grieving the loss of a close relationship. It manifests itself in multi-sided suffering affecting the mourner’s mental, physical and spiritual sphere. A particularly painful form of mourning is the family experience of grief. Although ways of expressing grief depend on the culture, era and intensity of the interpersonal relationships, it is a universal human experience. This paper aims to answer the question about the role of the mourner’s faith in Jesus Christ in the bereaved family experience, as a work in the field of Roman Catholic dogmatic theology. The method used is the analysis of selected material from psychology and Catholic theology (Christology, anthropology, protology, eschatology), in order to synthetically present theological and practical conclusions. The author also quotes mourners’ testimonies. First, the author shows the elements of the psychology of mourning. However, his emphasis is on the next step, i.e., discussing the relationship between the mourner’s faith in Jesus and the family experience of grief. Furthermore, he deals with theories concerning the relationships between the living and the dead, which are contrary to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church: annihilation, spiritism and reincarnation. Finally, the important role of the faith in Jesus in the mourning process is presented and completed by indicating possible directions for research on this issue. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Religion in Marriage and Family Life)

13 pages, 2221 KB

Open AccessArticle

Anatomical Analysis of Holbein’s Dead Christ in the Tomb and Corresponding Theological Commentary

by Daniel Miščin and Lovorka Grgurević

Religions 2023, 14(7), 951; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14070951 - 24 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3808

Abstract

Approaching Hans Holbein’s painting The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb (1521/22) this paper combines the expertise of anatomical analysis and the perspective of theology and philosophy in order to address some of the well-rooted assumptions about Holbein in the historical [...] Read more.

Approaching Hans Holbein’s painting The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb (1521/22) this paper combines the expertise of anatomical analysis and the perspective of theology and philosophy in order to address some of the well-rooted assumptions about Holbein in the historical reception of his Dead Christ. The authors propose a balanced conclusion about the hypothesis of a drowned man from the Rhine being a model for the painting, pointing out that the body of the man from Holbein’s painting, according to anatomical details, could not have previously been in water. Furthermore, the absence of an Adam’s apple on Christ’s body is interpreted in the light of New Testament texts, rather than as a result of Holbein’s lack of anatomical precision. Similarly, the fact that Holbein painted a corpse deprived of all signs of divinity is seen in connection with the theological notion of kenosis. Ultimately, the authors conclude that the results of the anatomical analysis reflect the key elements of the hermeneutics of Gospel reports of Christ’s passion and death. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Classical Theism, Evil and Its Varieties: Abrahamic Science-Engaged Theology)

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9 pages, 203 KB

Open AccessArticle

A “Liturgical Mysticism of Open Eyes”: Johann Baptist Metz, Caryll Houselander, and Pandemic Liturgy

by Samantha Slaubaugh

Religions 2021, 12(9), 685; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12090685 - 26 Aug 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3287

Abstract

The German theologian Johann Baptist Metz (1928–2019) called for a spirituality that sees more suffering, not less, the more liberated it is; he has described this as a “mysticism of open eyes.” This theological vision involves all people, living and dead, becoming free [...] Read more.

The German theologian Johann Baptist Metz (1928–2019) called for a spirituality that sees more suffering, not less, the more liberated it is; he has described this as a “mysticism of open eyes.” This theological vision involves all people, living and dead, becoming free to stand as subjects before God. Caryll Houselander (1901–1954), an English author, developed a liturgically infused mysticism focused on seeing Christ in each person. Her vision of Christ in others was rooted in creatively portraying the particularities of human life in the great “rhythm” of the Christ-life lived in the Mystical Body and expressed in the liturgy. This article proposes that juxtaposing these two authors reveals a “liturgical mysticism of open eyes,” playing off Metz’s initial phrasing. The work of Metz and Houselander together presents a fruitful liturgical theology for Christian communities during and in response to the pandemic as they engage questions of suffering, justice, and responsibility. By rooting our decisions about liturgical and social lives in a “liturgical mysticism of open eyes,” the church may remain rooted to a liturgical spirituality, while also recognizing and being open to the suffering of individuals and communities while liturgies are altered, moved online, or postponed altogether. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Worship in a Time of Pandemic: Fresh Possibilities and Troubling Inequalities)

21 pages, 6614 KB

Open AccessArticle

Retooling Medievalism for Early Modern Painting in Annibale Carracci’s Pietà with Saints in Parma

by Livia Stoenescu

Religions 2021, 12(8), 609; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12080609 - 5 Aug 2021

Viewed by 5610

Abstract

Annibale Carracci (1560–1609) drew on the Italian Renaissance tradition of the Man of Sorrows to advance the Christological message within the altarpiece context of his Pietà with Saints (1585). From its location at the high altar of the Capuchin church of St. Mary [...] Read more.

Annibale Carracci (1560–1609) drew on the Italian Renaissance tradition of the Man of Sorrows to advance the Christological message within the altarpiece context of his Pietà with Saints (1585). From its location at the high altar of the Capuchin church of St. Mary Magdalene in Parma, the work commemorates the life of Duke Alessandro Farnese (1586–1592), who is interred right in front of Annibale’s painted image. The narrative development of the Pietà with Saints transformed the late medieval Lamentation altarpiece focused on the dead Christ into a riveting manifestation of the beautiful and sleeping Christ worshipped by saints and angels in a nocturnal landscape. Thus eschewing historical context, the pictorial thrust of Annibale’s interpretation of the Man of Sorrows attached to the Pietà with Saints was to heighten Eucharistic meaning while allowing for sixteenth-century theological and poetic thought of Mary’s body as the tomb of Christ to cast discriminating devotional overtones on the resting place of the deceased Farnese Duke. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Art in the Renaissance)

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