# 2 (13) 1997

SUMMARY

     The 13th issue (the 2nd in 1997) of the journal "Alpha & Omega" opens with the section "Biblical Studies". It contains "Sermons" by Metropolitan ANTHONY of Sourozh in which several Biblical passages with special reference to Lk 8: 18 ("Take heed then how you hear") are commented. The section includes also the "Apostle Paul's Doctrine on Antichrist" by Archimandrite FEODOR (Bukharev), in which a commentary to 2 Thess 2 is suggested, and the second part of the essay by Fr Gleb KALEDA "Bible and Science on World Creation"; the author presents an evolutionist view on Gen 1: 9-25.
     The next section "Patristic exegesis" includes comments on Psalm 125 by AUGUSTINUS translated into Russian and provided by a preface by Sergej STEPANTSOV. The section "Patristics" contains "Amphilochia" by St. PHOTIUS, Patriarch of Constantinople, translated into Russian and commented by Dmitrij AFINOGENOV, a fragment from "Oration against Hellenes" by the Holy Martyr HIPPOLYTE of Rome translated into Russian and provided by a preface by Aleksej FOKIN, and a paper by hieromonk ILARION (Alfeyev) "Feast as Mystery. The Feast Sermons by St Gregory the Theologian".
     The section "Church in History" contains a paper by Archimandrite MAKARIJ (Veretennikov) "The Epoch of New Wonder Workers. A praise to the new Russian Saints by Monk Grigorij of Suzdal')". It addresses the history of the Russian Church in the middle of the XVIth century. In the same section we print a paper by Fr Dionisij POZDNJAEV "Reception of the Moscow Patriarchate's Jurisdiction and the Church Schism in Shanghai"; its author outlines the events that took place in the 1940ies in the Orthodox community in China. Here we print also papers by T. M. "Taking the Kingdom by Force. On the Occasion of the 90th Anniversary of Archpriest V. N. Serebrennikov" and "The Holy Ground" by Marina ZHURINSKAYA; in the latter, the author reflects on the fact that a Church community has been recently organized in Butovo, the place of a former firing ground near Moscow where mass executions of Stalin's time were secretly carried out.
     The section "Church in Eternity" contains papers "St Feofan the Recluse and his theological heritage" by Archimandrite GEORGIJ (Tertyshnikov), and "St Innokentij and the Foundation of the Orthodox Missionary Society in Moscow" by Igor' KURLJANDSKIJ; the latter is published on the occasion 200th anniversary of the great Russian missionary St Innokentij (Veniaminov), Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna.
     In the next section "Apologetics" we print the second part of the article by Vladimir SHOKHIN "Dialog of Religions: Ideology and Practice", and a paper by Pyotr MALKOV "The Image of the Cave in Antique and Christian Symbolism".
     The section "Church Culture" includes "Problems of Modern Veneration and Painting of Icons" by Fr Nikolai CHERNYSHEV and Andrej ZHOLONDZ, "The Experience of Liturgical Theology in the Works of Russian Hymnographers" by Nun IGNATIA (Petrovskaya), "Church Singing and the Russian Icon" by Natalia SHEFFER, "The Genesis of Ancient Christian Symbolic Painting and its Significance in the History of Arts" by Nikolai BUKIN.
     The next part of materials for study entitled "A History of the Ecumenical Councils: Monoenergism, Monothelitism and the Vth Ecumenical Council" by Alexander DVORKIN, a paper by Elena VLASOVA "Oranskij Monastery and Skete", by Elena KAZENINA "Translation of the Gospel: the Yakut Project", by Marina ZHURINSKAYA "The Orthodox Brotherhood in the Name of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky (Nizhniy Novgorod)", and a "Letter to the Editor" by Alexander DVORKIN conclude the issue.