The problem of timelessness and the incarnation is not new and is well explored. However, the related question of a single divine act and the incarnation is largely ignored. How does God create and become incarnate? This follows from divine simplicity and atemporality. There is one divine act and many different extrinsic relations to that one act. However, the difference between creation and incarnation does seem to be intrinsic for God. Many theologians seem to accept that God is doing something different in the incarnation to what God does in creation. Drawing on elements of Thomism, and particularly Duns Scotus’ distinction between essentially-ordered and accidentally-ordered series, this paper will argue that if creation is understood as an ontological relation, rather than a specific act of God, then one can re-interpret the incarnation to be that which mediates ontological relation. It will then suggest that this leads to a reinterpretation of kenosis, which sees it as a synonym for participation, rather than a literal divestment. This makes kenosis an essentially-ordered relation between God and creatures that explains how creatures participate in God.

Cuvinte-cheie: - Incarnation, Creation, Jesus Christ, Kenosis, Participation

Research Fellow, Affiliation: Queen's University Belfast, Contact: Queen's University Belfast, University Road, Belfast, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom,

Adresa : - Belfast, Anglia
E-mail : - david.brown@qub.ac.uk

In 2018 I wrote a paper in a scientific conference proceeding about the consequences of ISIS's actions on the world’s cultural heritage. Most honestly, I thought it was the last situation of this kind that I can encounter in my professional, didactic, and scientific career! This year, in the summer of 2020, I decided to spend my vacation in Kosovo, entirely and utterly surprising for everyone. I decided to continue the series of articles dedicated to the spiritual heritage destroyed or in danger of being demolished in military conflicts-, in the hot areas of the world. I would never have thought that so close to my homeland, Romania, Orthodox churches and monasteries are so oppressed, that the Orthodox faith is silenced and banned in what Serbia considers its historical, religious, cultural, and architectural heart! That monuments and buildings of universal value are daily the objects of attacks and destructive actions of other denominations in a country that officially pretends to be multinational, multi-ethnic, and democratic!
Cultural dowry is one of the environmental factors that must be taken seriously to be protected during military conflicts. In some cases, the consequences of military action on the environment are terrible and irreversible. This happened due to the Islamic State's activities, which intentionally destroyed cultural objectives on the territory of Iraq, Syria, and Libya under the organization's control. ISIS began in 2014 the deliberate destruction and looting of cultural heritage in Iraq, Syria, and, to a lesser extent, in Libya. Various places of worship and ancient historical artifacts located in areas under the organization’s control were targeted. It seems that the same thing is happening in Kosovo with Orthodox monasteries and churches, most of the architectural monuments dating from the twelfth to fourteenth centuries, of inestimable cultural, spiritual, and architectural value, not only for Serbs but for all humankind!

Cuvinte-cheie: - environmental protection, cultural heritage, ecological factors, spiritual values.

Colonel, professor, Alexandru HERCIU, Doctor of Science Land Forces Department/Command and Staff Faculty/ “Carol Ist” National Defence University, Bucharest

Adresa : - București, România
E-mail : - herciu_alexandru12@yahoo.ro.

For Orthodoxy, the eternal Christ does not abolish our time, but fulfills it, capitalizes on it again and redeems it. True events no longer disappear, but are kept in God's memory (prayer for the dead requires God to “remember them”). Positive time surpasses, neutralizes negation, destruction, and shows that human eternity does not mean the absence of time, but its fulfillment: the messianic feast will see at the same table Abraham, Isaac, James, and people of all historical ages. Eternity is solidary with time, without being confused with it. Eternity is the origin and perspective of time and the force that moves time towards it. In the end, eternity will overwhelm time, give it its quality. Then there will be no more time, because we will have in us only love.

Cuvinte-cheie: - eternity, time, salvation, history, freedom, holiness.

PhD candidate The Faculty of Orthodox Theology – Oradea University

Adresa : - Oradea, Romania
E-mail : - ionut772002@yahoo.com

Often accused that feminine voices are not heard, the Orthodox Church has much to do in order to truly value the contribution of women. Nevertheless, there have been important feminine voices who have not only promoted its spirituality and life but also contributed greatly to the theology of this Christian tradition. In this paper, we will identify the most important feminine representatives from the twentieth century Romanian context and their main works in order to recall their contribution to the promotion of Orthodoxy. We will also present the ecumenical aspects of their publications, setting them in the original context in which they were written. The investigation´s aim is to show that, despite the difficulties experienced by Romanians during the aforementioned century, there were important women who offered valuable contributions to understanding the spirituality, life and theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church from the Romanian perspective.

Cuvinte-cheie: - Dumitru Stăniloae, women, Anca Manolache, Christology, Pnevmatology, angels, Romanian exile

PhD. Iuliu-Marius Morariu (protosinghel Maxim) „Ioan Lupaș” Centre, Faculty of the Orthodox Theology, „Babeș-Bolyai” University from Cluj-Napoca, Romania Angelicum Pontifical University, Rome, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Adresa : - Cluj-Napoca, România
E-mail : -