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R O M A N I A N Thraco-Dacian and Byzantine Romanity of Eastern Europe and Asia Minor M E D I E V A L I A New York City, New York (Volume II, III and IV) Papers presented at the: 37th; 38th; and 39th International Congress on Medieval Studies Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan (2-5 May 2002; (8-11 May 2003); 6-9 May 2004) Edited and published by The Romanian Institute of Orthodox Theology and Spirituality New York, N. Y. and sponsored by The Romanian-American Heritage Center, Jackson, Michigan EDITORIAL BOARD: Editor in Chief: George Alexe Editors: Theodor Damian, Eugene S. Raica, and Gale Bellas The papers presented at the International Congress on Medieval Studies and published here do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Romanian Institute of Orthodox Theology and Spirituality, New York City, N.Y. Donations toward the cost of printing and mailing are welcome and tax-deductible, payable by check or money order to the “Romanian Medievalia” forwarded to Editor in Chief, George Alexe, 19965 Riopelle Street, Detroit, Michigan 48203-1249. Correspondence concerning Romanian Medievalia should be directed to the Editor in Chief: George Alexe, 19965 Riopelle Street, Detroit, Michigan 48203-1249, E-mail: [email protected] or to the President of the Romanian Institute of Orthodox Theology and Spirituality, Rev. Prof. Theodor Damian, 30-18 50th Street, Woodside, New York 11377, E-mail: [email protected] ISSN: 1539-5820 ISBN: 1-888-067-13-6 2 THE ROMANIAN INSTITUTE OF ORTHODOX THEOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY, NEW YORK, NY ROMANIAN THRACO-DACIAN AND BYZANTINE ROMANITY OF EASTERN EUROPE AND ASIA MINOR MEDIEVALIA NEW YORK, VOL. II, III, IV, 2002, 2003, 2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS Pages: Foreword: Our 5th Anniversary………………………………7 Eugene S. Raica, A Salutation………………………………..9 Volume II 37th International Congress on Medieval Studies 2-5 May 2002 George Alexe, The Enigmatic Image of Saint Peter in the Romanian Folklore...................................................................11 Theodor Damian, The Desert as a Place of the World’s Transformation According to Eastern Asceticism....................41 Andreas Andreopoulos, The Mountain of Ascent and the Icon of the Transfiguration...............................................................53 Raluca Octav, Face to Face: The Eastern/Western Painting of Icons: Commonalities and Differences.....................................63 Laurentiu Popica, Markus Bockmuehl’s Exegesis of Judaism and Pauline Christianity; Its Impact on Christian Spiritual Life Throughout the Ages.................................................................79 3 Nicholas Groves, Optina Pustyn as a Center of Desert Spirituality in Nineteenth-Century Russia: In Search of the Prayer of the Heart...................................................................87 Mihaela Albu, Byzantium in the Romanian Theatrical Literature................................................................................113 Napoleon Savescu, A New Approach to the Origin of the Romanian People....................................................................123 Daniela Anghel, Vlad the Impaler and His Unbelievable Myth as “Dracula”..........................................................................129 Volume III 38th International Congress on Medieval Studies 8-11 May 2003 Theodor Damian, Saint Gregory of Nyssa on the Power of God (Some Theological Aspects)....................................................147 Andreas Andreopoulos, The Symbol and the Icon in the Patristric Tradition: a Semiotic Comparison.........................175 Pedro F. Campa, Romanian Icons: A Contribution to the History of Balkan Art..............................................................187 Nicholas Groves, Russian Society and Culture in an Age of Crisis: Elder Nektary and Optina...........................................203 Sabina Cornelia Ispas, Healing Practices of Jewish-Christian Origin in the Modern Age: The Romanian Căluş...................227 George Alexe, The Biblical Presence of the Thraco-Dacians and Illyrians in the Holy Scripture.........................................237 4 Volume IV 39th International Congress on Medieval Studies 6-9 May 2004 Archbishop Nicolae Condrea, Evagrius Ponticus as a Spiritual Source for Modern Psychology……………………255 Theodor Damian, Gregory of Nazianzus’ Poetry and his Human Face in it…………………………………………….265 Andreas Andreopoulos, The Wondrous Poetry of Symeon the New Theologian……………………………………………..277 Napoleon Savescu, When No One Read, Who Started to Write?......................................................................................287 Mihai Vinereanu, The Place of Thraco-Dacian Language in the Indo-European Family…………………………………..301 Daniela Anghel, Burial versus Cremation in the Carpatho- Danubiano-Pontic (First Millennium)………………………313 Raluca Octav, Living with Icons: the Meaning of Icons in Modern World……………………………………………….321 5 6 Foreword Our 5th Anniversary This new volume of Romanian Medievalia. Thraco-Dacian and Byzantine Romanity of Eastern Europe and Asia Minor appears at a time when the International Congress on Medieval Studies is festively celebrating its 40th anniversary. This is a wonderful symbolic coincidence with the 5th anniversary of the affiliation of our Institute with the Institute of Medieval Studies of Western Michigan University. In fact, our celebration is by itself a distinctive part of this great event of the International Congress on Medieval Studies. Five years ago, on July 27th 2000, we joyfully received from Prof. Dr. Paul E. Szarmach, Director of the Medieval Institute of Western Michigan University, the official address announcing the approval granted to the Romanian Institute Orthodox Theology and Spirituality of New York to propose, organize and sponsor sessions in the category of “affiliated learned societies, associations, or institutions”, beginning with the 36th International Congress on Medieval Studies, 3-6 May, 2001. Since then, our participation in this prestigious International Congress has become a unique Romanian-American reality and gradually transformed itself into a living tradition of Romanian medieval studies in U.S.A. and Canada. Each year of our last five years of participation was a new academic challenge for all of us and papers scholarly presented in our sessions were becoming more and more relevant for the international medieval community annually gathered in Kalamazoo, Michigan. On this solemn occasion, the Romanian Institute of Orthodox Theology and Spirituality of New York proudly informs its members and readers of Romanian Medievalia, that during these five years it has sponsored and organized 15 sessions having 56 registered speakers. Without any modesty, this indicates a real performance of Romanian medieval studies in America and Canada. We have to mention that all our sponsored sessions are dedicated to the Romanian Thraco-Dacian and Byzantine Spirituality, Culture and Art of Eastern Europe and Asia Minor and also to the Thraco-Dacians of Eastern Europe and Asia Minor in the European, Culture, Literature and Art, emphasizing the role always played by the Eastern Romanity of Thraco- Dacian structure and Latin language in promoting ecumenical and cultural relations with its counterpart of Western Romanity and Europe. Our main task is to find out the existential sense of the Thraco-Dacian mysterious ethnicity and implicitly the truth of its spiritual, cultural and historic destiny in the medieval world. In a secularized society such as the one we are living in, medieval studies are revealing a new spiritual, artistic and cultural balance that is a real challenge for all of us. 7 However, the reasons why the Romanian Institute of Orthodox Theology and Spirituality is sponsoring and proposing to the Organizing Committee of the International Congress on Medieval Studies such topics, are based on the fact that the truth about the medieval realities of Eastern Europe and Asia Minor should be better known and studied in the light of the Eastern and Western Cultures and their specific differences, in order to avoid all the historical distortions that ideologically occurred in the last half of the 20th century. To our moral and intellectual satisfaction, these reasons have succeeded to underline the academic relevance of our sessions for the entire community of medievalists attending the International Congress on Medieval Studies. This new volume of Romanian Medievalia comprises a collection of selected papers presented at the 37th, 38th, and 39th International Congress on Medieval Studies, held at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan in the years of 2001, 2002, and 2003. Thus it illustrates not only our 5th anniversary but also the 40th anniversary of the International Congress on Medieval Studies. We take this opportunity to express our special gratitude to Professor Paul E. Szarmach and his colleagues for their tremendous effort to transform the 40th anniversary of the International Congress on Medieval Studies, and implicitly our 5th anniversary, into the most memorable event of the International Medieval Community in our times. THEODOR DAMIAN President, and GEORGE ALEXE, Chairman, Romanian Institute of Orthodox Theology and Spirituality of New York 8 THE ROMANIAN – AMERICAN HERITAGE CENTER 2540 Grey Tower Rd. Jackson, MI, 49201 Phone: (517) 522-8260 A Salutation The Romanian-American Heritage Center is privileged to sponsor the publication of the second and combined volume of “ROMANIAN Thraco-Dacian and Byzantine