Saint John of Damascus

Studia Theologica No. II (XX) / 2025 The veneration of holy icons, or the devout prayer of the believer to the prototype depicted in the icon Rev. Prof. Dr. Nicolae Chifăr

This article analyses the theology of the veneration of holy icons in the Orthodox Christian tradition, examining the contributions of Saints John of Damascus, Nicetas of Constantinople and Theodore the Studite regarding the relationship between the icon and its prototype, and the distinction between worship (latreia) and veneration (proskinisis kata timin). Icons are presented not as decorative or didactic objects, but as liturgical and sacramental means of communion with the prototype they represent, grounded Christologically in the reality of the Incarnation and validated by the Seventh Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (787).

Studia Theologica No. I (XIX) / 2025 On God’s goodness and man’s part in it Rev. Prof. Dr. Constantin Coman

Taking as its starting point the Saviour’s reply to the rich young man — ‘No one is good except God alone’ (Matthew 19:17) — this article explores the scriptural and patristic foundations of divine goodness, drawing on the writings of Saints Gregory of Nyssa, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Athanasius the Great, John of Damascus and Dumitru Stăniloae, to demonstrate that man participates in goodness by partaking of the divine source, not through his own powers.

Studia Theologica No. II (XVIII) / 2024 Dimensions of the Catechesis of the Holy Fathers: From the Early Centuries to Today’s Catechetical Mission Rev. Prof. Dr. habil. Constantin Necula

The article analyses the catechetical model of the Church Fathers, from Saint Justin the Martyr and Saint Hippolytus to Saint John Chrysostom and Isidore of Seville, beginning with the primary catechumenate and identifying, through the work of the scholar Francesco Trisoglio, eight patristic catechetical approaches proposed as an alternative to the crisis in contemporary preaching.

Studia Theologica No. II (XVIII) / 2024 Art, creativity and dogma in the Christian Orthodox tradition Associate Professor, PhD Svetoslav Ribolov

This article traces the development of the theology of Christian art, from the reservations regarding images and music in the early centuries to the patristic and synodal justification of the icon, with a focus on the contributions of Saints John of Damascus and Theodore the Studite. Church art — iconography, unison chanting, sacred architecture — is understood as a Christological, Eucharistic and soteriological expression of the faith of the Orthodox Church.

Studia Theologica No. I (XVII) / 2024 The Individual in the Context of Assisted Reproduction: A Theological Approach Professor, PhD Miltiade Vantzos

The article analyses the significance of the human person in the context of medically assisted reproduction, contrasting two opposing approaches: the Roman Catholic approach, which rejects these methods on the grounds that they undermine human dignity by separating the conjugal act from procreation, and that of bioethicists such as John Harris and Torbjörn Tännsjö, who accept them on the grounds of reproductive freedom. From the perspective of Orthodox theology, assisted reproduction does not, by definition, infringe upon human dignity, provided that it is therapeutic in nature, is intended for the spouses, and does not result in the destruction of embryos.

Studia Theologica No. II (XVI) / 2023 The ecclesiological nature of the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony Associate Professor Dr Nicolae Xionis

The Holy Sacrament of Marriage is analysed from an Orthodox theological perspective as an icon of Christ’s union with the Church, possessing an ontological and ecclesiological character, not merely a moral or social one. Drawing on the Holy Fathers — John Chrysostom, Athanasius the Great, Nicholas Cabasilas and Gregory of Nyssa — the article interprets the themes of creation, divorce, submission and idolatry in the light of the communion between God and humankind.

Studia Theologica No. II (XVI) / 2023 The Presence in the Icon

The Orthodox icon is analysed from the perspective of the theology of the divine presence, following the thought of Pavel Evdokimov, Boris Bobrinskoy, Michel Quenot, Leonid Uspensky and Pavel Florensky, with an emphasis on the distinction between the icon and the religious painting, on the Christological foundation of the icon, and on Florensky’s triad of ‘face–image–mask’, through which humankind is called to bear the likeness of God.

Studia Theologica No. I (XV) / 2023 God’s Providence, or On the Sustaining and Governing of the World through Love His Eminence Varsanufie

Divine providence, understood as God’s all-encompassing love and care for creation, is examined in relation to the freedom of rational beings, to sin, suffering and the deification of humankind, drawing upon the works of Saint John of Damascus, Saint Maximus the Confessor, Saint Justin Popovich and Thomas Spidlik, culminating in the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist.

Studia Theologica No. I (XV) / 2023 Theology in today’s globalised world Associate Professor Dr Nicolae Xionis

The article analyses the relationship between globalisation, world governance and Orthodox theology, arguing that the cultural, political and religious homogenisation imposed by globalisation suppresses the freedom and identity of the human person. Orthodox theology’s response lies in the universality of the Church as the Body of Christ, the knowledge of revealed truth and the ontological freedom of the human person renewed in Christ, the only elements capable of achieving the unity of the world without abolishing the distinctive characteristics of each people.

Studia Humanitatis No. I (XV) / 2023 The Aesthetics of Beauty. Notes on the Byzantine Icon: Theology and Art The Nun Atanasia Văetiși

The Byzantine icon is analysed from the perspectives of theology, history and aesthetics, beginning with the iconoclastic controversy of the 8th–9th centuries and the dogmatic arguments put forward by Patriarch Germanus I, Saint John of Damascus, Theodore the Studite and Nicephorus of Constantinople. The iconographic canon, the iconographic programme of the church and the stylistic features of Byzantine art—understood as an image of reality transfigured by grace—are described.

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