The Gospel according to Matthew

The Words of the Fathers No. II (XII) / 2021 Fifth Homily. Delivered to the people in the Church of the Blessed Apostle Andrew, on the day of his feast Grigorie cel Mare

A homily for the feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle, inspired by the Gospel reading from Matthew 4:18–22, explores the theme of the call to follow Christ and of inner sacrifice. Taking the example of the Galilean fishermen as its starting point, the text shows that the Kingdom of God costs whatever you have, and that the goodwill of the heart surpasses any material wealth.

Studia Theologica No. II (IV) / 2017 Readings from the Icon of the Nativity of the Lord Professor, PhD Mihael Palade

The icon of the Nativity is not the result of the iconographers’ whims, but a faithful visual representation of a multi-layered message, which has its origins in the Gospel texts (Matthew and Luke), in Orthodox hymnography – with particular emphasis on the kontakion by Romanos the Melodist and the mention of the star’s ray – and in the iconographic canons codified by Dionysius of Furna. The study analyses each element of the icon (the star with its ray, the cave, the manger, the ox and the donkey, the Magi, the shepherds, Righteous Joseph, the midwives), tracing their scriptural, hymnographic and iconographic roots, and demonstrating that the iconographer acts as a visual translator of the written and sung word.

Studia Theologica No. II (IV) / 2017 Teacher or educator? A theological approach to the theologian’s role as an educator Associate Professor Dr Nicolae Xionis

Taking as its starting point Jesus Christ’s instruction to his disciples not to call themselves ‘rabbis’ or ‘teachers’, this article examines the role of the theologian in education in the light of Christ’s teaching as the one true Teacher, in contrast to the model of the scribes and Pharisees. Drawing on the thought of Saint Basil the Great and pedagogical anthropology, the author argues that the theologian cannot be an educator in the classical sense, but only a pedagogue who facilitates the disciple’s encounter with Christ, who is both the source and the substance of the pedagogical good. The reader comes to understand that the theologian–disciple relationship transcends the usual didactic hierarchy, both standing on an equal footing as brothers in Christ and disciples of the one Teacher.

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