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1. Einleitung 1.1. Allgemein R. I. ist im heutigen Verständnis die Lehre von den relig. Bildinhalten und, in Absetzung von …

1. AllgemeinP. (von lat. praedicatio, ›Bekanntmachung‹) bezeichnet die öffentliche Verkündigung im Rahmen des christl. Gottesdienstes. Diese lässt sich in zwei Gattungen einteilen: (1) die Homilie (griech. homilía; lat. tractatus, ›Rede‹, ›Erörterung‹), d. h. die Auslegung zuvor verlesener Bibel-Texte (›Lesung[en]‹) – ein Brauch, den das Christentum vom Judentum übernommen hat; (2) die Kanzelrede (lat. …

1. Katholisch 1.1. Sachbestimmung und BedeutungIn kath. Perspektive ist G. bzw. Liturgie (griech. leitourg…

Eine Griechische Orthodoxe Kirche (= GOK) im strengen Sinne gibt es erst seit 1833, als sich die Kirche in Griechenland aus der Jurisdiktion Konstantinopels löste bzw. seit 1850, als das Patriarchat die kirchliche Unabhängigkeit (Autokephalie) der GOK anerkannte. Bis dahin hatte Griechenland dem Ökumenischen Patriarchat Konstantinopel unterstanden (Orthodoxe Kirchen), mit Thessaloniki aber den nach Konstantinopel zweitwichtigsten Bischofssitz im Bereich des Patriarchats gestellt.Nach der 1460 im Wesentlichen a…

1. EinleitungDas griech. Wort theología (Rede bzw. Lehre von Gott und den göttlichen Dingen), mit dem Aristoteles die höchste Stufe der Philosophie, die sog. Metaphysik, bezeichnete ( Metaphysik 11, 7, 1064 b 1–3), wurde in der christl. Spätantike zunächst für Aussagen über das Wesen Gottes gebraucht, während sein Wirken in der Welt als Schöpfer und Erlöser unter den griech. Begriff oikonomía (»Hausverwaltung«) im Sinne von Heilsordnung gefasst wurde [2. 1081 f.]. Im 12. Jh. nahm Th., wenn nicht rein philosophisch als Synonym von Metaphysik, sondern für die chr…

1. EinleitungDas G. (lat. oratio, preces), religionswissenschaftlich gesehen die »dialogische Zuwendung eines Menschen zu seinem Gott, um ihm das eigene Dasein in seiner Bedürftigkeit oder Zufriedenheit als den Wirkungsbereich ›dieses‹ Gottes darzustellen« [3. 32…

1. AllgemeinAls »orth.« (»rechtgläubig«) und gleichzeitig als »kath.« (»allumfassend«) bezeichneten sich bis zur Reformation so…

1. IntroductionThe Greek word  theología (discourse/teaching concerning God and divinity) was used by Aristotle for the highest level of philosophy, so-called metaphysics ( Metaphysics 11.  7, 1064 b 1–3). In late antiquity, Christians used it initially for statements about the nature of God, while using the Greek word  …

1. Introduction 1.1. Concept and historical backgroundReligious iconography in the current sense is the study of the meanings of religious images and, as distinct from profane iconography, refers generally to engagement with the content of works of art on religious themes. It also denotes the method for studying the content of the religious images found in (mostly Christian) early modern Europe (“Christian iconography”; but see also Islamic art and architecture).…

1. IntroductionFrom the perspective of the academic study of religion, prayer (Latin  oratio, preces) is the “dialogical approach of an individual to his or her God, in order to represent their own existence to him in its neediness or satisfaction as the sphere of action of  this God” [3. 32]; it is a fundamental form of human communication. Prayer is an expression of both …

1. GeneralUntil the Reformation, both the Eastern and Western churches called themselves both orthodox (“believing correctly”) and catholic (“universal”). Until the beginning of the 20th century, as a rule people still spoke of the “Orthodox Catholic Church of the East.”  The gradual fixation on the word  Orthodox in the self-designation of the churches discussed here did not prevail everywhere – for example not in the Apostolic Church of the East and the Armenian Apostolic Church.If  Orthodox originally referred primarily to the correct faith of the Ecumenical Councils, made mandatory by imperial law, today the emphasis in the self-conception of the the Orthodox churches is more on correct worship of God in the liturgy. This orthodoxy in worship cannot be separated from orthodoxy in doctrine. Thus the role of worship is at least as important a feature distinguishing the Eastern Orthodox churches from the other churches as are differences in doctrine and church polity. Whereas in the…

1. Overview Preaching (from Latin  praedicatio, “proclamation”)…

A Greek Orthodox Church in the strict sense has existed only since 1833, when the church in Greece withdrew from the jurisdiction of Constantinople or since 1850, when the patriarchate recognized the ecclesiastical independence (autocephaly) of the Greek Orthodox Church. Until then Greece had been subject to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (Orthodox churches), though the see of Thessaloniki was second only to Constantinople in importance within the purview of the patriarchate.After the Ott…

1. Catholic 1.1. Scope and meaningIn the Catholic context, public worship, specifically liturgy (Greek leitourgía, "congregational act of worship"; German Gottesdienst, "divine service"), is a general term referring to gatherings in which the Church performs rituals to commemorate salvation granted by God through Jesus Christ and offers him worship, thanks, and prayer. The Mass (re-enacting in sacramental form the death and resurrection of Christ) is the central focus and epitome of this practice. The term "ac…

[German Version] I. New Testament – II. Dogma and the History of Dogma – III. Art History I. New Testament Christ's descent into hell, i.e. his descent to the underworld, the realm of the dead, is, as Descensus ad inferos, one of the christological statements of the early and medieval church's confession of faith (Apostles' Creed, Athanasian Creed; Confession (of faith): III). Nonetheless, the NT does not offer a single certain text for this notion; at most, 1 Pet 4:6 may be interpreted as preaching by Jesus to the dead, before his resurrection (cf. Ign. Magn. 9.2; Gos. Pet. 10.41f.; Iren. H…

[German Version] I. Terminology – II. Technique and Material – III. Theological Basis – IV. History I. Terminology The word icon, from Gk εἰκών/ eikṓn (“image, likeness”), is usually associated with egg-tempera paintings on a primed wood panel, used in the cult of the Eastern Orthodox churches (i.e. the churches that have accepted the Council of Chalcedon, but also a few pre-Chalcedonian churches such as the Coptic [Copts] and ¶ Ethiopian Orthodox Churches). Pictures are called icons only if they authentically represent a kind of sacramen…

[German Version] I. Phenomenology – II. History – III. Dogmatics – IV. Practical Theology – V. Ethics – VI. Orthodox Church – VII. Judaism – VIII. Art History – IX. Asia, Africa, Latin America I. Phenomenology The term liturgy has been used for Christian worship since the end of the 16th century; by the end of the 18th century, it had gained general acceptance. In secular usage, Gk λειτουργία/ leitourgía means work done in public service (from λαός/ laós, “people” [Laity] and ἔργον/ érgon, “work”); the LXX used it for the temple cult. It appears only 15 times in the N…

[German Version] (Mar 11, 1856, Gouvernement Astrachan' – Aug 10, 1929, Leningrad) was the most important representative of Russian critical study of the liturgy. After training and teaching in the Kazan' Spiritual Academy, he was professor of liturgics ¶ and Christian archaeology at the Spiritual Academy of Kiev (1884–1907). His life's work was devoted to the sifting and editing of Greek and Slavic manuscripts of liturgical texts, leading to the three-volume “Description of the Liturgical Manuscripts Preserved in the Libraries of the Orthodox East” ( Opisanie liturgičes kich …

[German Version] The word panichida is based on the Greek παννυχίς/ pannychís (“all night [ sc. service]”); in the Russo-Slavic church, it refers to what the Greek church calls a parastas (from παράστασις/ parastasis), a memorial service. It is modeled on the structure of Matins (Orthros: Worship: II, 7). Very popular with Orthodox churchgoers, today it is a comparatively short (and often further abbreviated) memorial service for the liturgical commemoration of the dead (Memorials to the dead), leading up to a prayer to God for…

[German Version] I. Religious Studies and History of Philosophy The dogmatic definition of the Holy Spirit as a person within the one divine substance (Trinity/Doctrine of the Trinity) presupposes not only a particular philosophical context but also a religio-historical horizon. A formative influence on the conceptualization of the Holy Spirit was exercised by the various anthropomorphic interpretations of elemental anthropological or normative qualities in the context of polytheistic interpretations of …