A great man is one who collects knowledge the way a bee collects honey and uses it to help people overcome the difficulties they endure - hunger, ignorance and disease!
- Nikola Tesla

Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.
- Franklin Roosevelt

While their territory has been devastated and their homes despoiled, the spirit of the Serbian people has not been broken.
- Woodrow Wilson

Knowing the Purpose of Creation through the Resurrection

Proceedings of the Symposium on St. Maximus the Confessor

The present volume is a collection of presentations delivered at the St Maximus the Confessor International Symposium held in Belgrade at the University of Belgrade from 18 to 21 October 2012. The Belgrade Symposium brought together the following speakers: Demetrios Bathrellos, Grigory Benevitch, Calinic Berger, Paul Blowers, David Bradshaw, Adam Cooper, Brian Daley, Paul Gavrilyuk, Atanasije Jevtić, Joshua Lollar, Andrew Louth, John Panteleimon Manoussakis, Maximos of Simonopetra, Ignatije Midić, Pascal Mueller-Jourdan, Alexei Nesteruk, Aristotle Papanikolaou, George Parsenios, Philipp Gabriel Renczes, Nino Sakvarelidze, Torstein Tollefsen, George Varvatsoulias, Maxim Vasiljević, Christos Yannaras, and John Zizioulas. The papers and discussions in this volume of the proceedings of the Belgrade Symposium amply attest to the reputation of Saint Maximus the Confessor as the most universal spirit of the seventh century, and perhaps the greatest thinker of the Church.

Twenty eight studies have been gathered in the present volume, which is organized into eight chapters, each of them corresponding to the proceedings of the Symposium, all of which are of intense interest and importance. Chapter One brings to light new evidence regarding the sources, influences, and appropriations of St Maximus’ teaching. His mediatorial role as one of the few genuinely ecumenical theologians of the patristic era is acknowledged and affirmed. Chapter Two offers some crucial clarifications on the relationship between person, nature, and freedom. In Chapter Three we find substantial discussion on body, pathos, love, eros, etc. New interpretive paradigms and insights are proposed in Chapter Four, while the next chapter presents the Confessor’s cosmological perspective in light of modern scientific discoveries. Some important ontological and ecclesiological issues are discussed in Chapter Six, while in Chapter Seven we are able to see what contemporary synthesis is possible through St Maximus’ thought. Chapter Eight offers further readings by engaging younger scholars who did not present their papers at the conference but whose studies were accepted by the organizers. In the final paper we find an important overview of the Symposium with a description of the conference’s flow. In an age of plurality and division, it is particularly important to know what our Tradition—shaped by the Fathers—can teach us. In any such endeavor, Saint Maximus the Confessor stands out as the most important theologian of the so-called Byzantine period. Yet his theology, assimilated and incorporated by Tradition, has relevance beyond any single historical period; in fact, the Confessor’s efforts to mediate between East and West distinguish his work as vital for contemporary theological discourse.


SA

 

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Bogdan Denitch

Bogdan Denitch (born August 9, 1929) is an American sociologist of Yugoslav origin who is an emeritus professor at the City University of New York (CUNY). He is a leading authority on the political sociology of the former Yugoslavia. Active in democratic left politics, Denitch is an honorary chairman of the Democratic Socialists of America, and has served as its representative to the Socialist International. From 1983 through 2004 he organized the annual Socialist Scholars Conference in New York. Since the 1990s he has been an advocate for human rights and an opponent of nationalism in the former Yugoslavia.

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Publishing

Христос – Нова Пасха – Божанствена Литургија

Serbian Edition, author Bishop Athanasius Yevtich (издање на српском језику, аутор епископ Атанасије Јевтић)

Период двадесетог века представљао је врло комплексно раздобље везано за развој литургијско-богословске мисли у нашој помесној Цркви. Осећајући насушну еклисијалну и пастирску потребу да поменуту мисао надгради и истовремено је учини приступачнијом народу Божијем, епископ Атанасије Јевтић се одлучио да понуди тротомно дело под насловом: Христос – Нова Пасха – Божанствена Литургија. Иако се објављивање трећег тома тек очекује, сматрамо да богословској и читалачкој пажњи треба представити два тома који су већ изашли.

Сложени назив овог епохалног издања, које може бити препознато као „српска литургијска стромата двадесет и првог века“, аутор је начинио на основу одељка из Прве Посланице Коринћанима светог апостола Павла: Јер се Пасха наша Христос жртвова за нас (1Кор 5, 7). Дело се састоји из два тома и намењено је, према речима епископа Атанасија, „богобојажљивим и христочежњивим љубитељима Божанских Тајни, усрдним учесницима Свете Литургије и причесницима Богочовечанских Светиња“. Наиме, у њему су сабрани текстови о Светој и Божанственој Евхаристији од најранијих времена Цркве Христове (првог века) све до савременог доба, а сâм циљ јесте „раскривање литургијских, еклисиолошких, космичких и есхатолошких димензија Светајне Христа и Његове Цркве“. Највећи део сабраних литургијско-светоотачких текстова се по први пут појављује на српском језику, благодарећи преводилачком и прегалачком труду епископа Атанасија. Уз то, веома су драгоцени његови оригинални коментари. Треба истаћи да су оба тома штампана са тврдим корицама у штампарији Интерклима Графика у Врњачкој Бањи.

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