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Bible in Art CATHOLIC BIBLICAL FEDERATION

BULLETIN DEI VERBUM is a quarterly publication in English, French, German and Spanish,

Editors Clara Maria Diaz Alexander M, Schweitzer

Production and Layout Rita Maria Forciniti

A subscription for one year consists of four issues beginning the quarter pay ment is received. Please indicate in Feature Articles which language you wish to receive the BULLETIN DEI VERBUM. Bible and Images Subscription rates - Ordinary subscription: US$ 20.00 Opportunities and Limitations of Biblical Picture-Language - Supporting subscription: US$34.00 GunterLange 4

-Third World countries: US$14.00 The Massai Bible - Students: US$ 14.00 A P i c t u r e - B i b l e f r o m A f r i c a 7 Air mail delivery: US$ 7.00 extra Bible and Icons In order to cover production costs we recommend a supporting subscrip Silent Catechesis for Evangelizing our imagination tion. For members of the Catholic Bib Pierre Humblot 13 lical Federation the subscription fee is included in the annual membership Images born of necessity fee. A Latin American Pastoral Adventure W o l f r a m D r e s s i e r 1 8 Banking details General Secretariat Biblical Education by means of Pictures and images used in the (Address as indicated below) LUMKO Method Liga Bank, Stuttgart Trainers of the Diocese of Umtata, South Africa Account No. 64 59 820 O s w a l d H i r m e r 2 2 Bank Code 750 903 00 Or per check to the General Secre What are pictures good for? tariat. Reflections on the value of pictures We also accept payment by credit card Herbert Fendrich 24 (VISA, EUROCARD/MasterCard, Ma sterCard). Life of the Federation Reproduction of articles We invite our members to reproduce in their own publications any articles In Memoriam Cardinal Zoungrana 26 printed in the BULLETIN DEI VERBUM indicating the source, unless a state Africa 27 ment to the contrary is given. Asia 28 Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors, not necessarily Latin America 29 of the Federation as such. Europe 31

CATHOLIC BIBLICAL FEDERATION General Secretariat Postfach 10 52 22 D-70045 Stuttgart Germany

Tel.: -i-49-(0)7 11-1 69 24-0 Fax: -l-49-(0)7 11-1 69 24-24 The Catholic Biblical Federation (CBF) is an "Internationai Catholic Organisation of a public E-mail: [email protected] character" according to Canon Law (CIC, can. 312,§1, n. 1).

I BULLETIN DEI VERBUM 55/56

liLU

Dear Readers,

Bible in art - this topic is ambiguous and multi-lay representation, but sacrament: through the icon en ered. The Bible itself is often lauded as a picture- counter takes place; it makes possible a 'simple' ac book, a book that provokes the imaginative powers of cess to the Christian faith-mystery, if it is true that faith reader and hearer with its verbal images, a book that comes through hearing - what then can be the func loves to formulate its message in picture language. tion of pictures? This is the question addressed by the When we say that something was meant figuratively, article of Herbert Fendrich. He shows that pictures we are engaged in translation, interpretation. The based on the Bible can not merely be used as a sub translation of the biblical message into pictures for stitute Bible for the illiterate, in the sense of the Biblia purposes of preaching is a device that reaches far Pauperum (Gregory the Great); rather, the multi-lay back into Christian history: the Biblia Pauperum, as a ered character of pictures and even the proper quality Picture-Bible for the illiterate, is only one example of of the picture-genre itself can offer a potential added this picture ministry. value to the text and serve as a kind of magnifying This double issue is devoted to the use of pictures in glass to aspects of its message. Bible ministry and limits itself, in the selected exam- The present issue, under the heading 'From the Fed pies, to painted pictures and drawings. The various eration', once again contains extensive notes from the dimensions of the topic are of course always involved. lives of our members in many parts of the world. And a short notice on home affairs: a slight change in the The preaching of the Christian faith through the use of imprint betrays an important change in the General images was not something that was considered natu Secretariat of the Catholic Biblical Federation. In July, ral from the beginning. The Old Testament, after all, contains a strong prohibition against images. The arti 2000, Mrs. Clara Maria Diaz relieved her predecessor Fr. Ludger Feidkamper in the office of General Secre cle of GCinter Lange reflects on the opportunities and the limits of biblical picture language. The biblical tary and with her new assignment has also taken over the responsibility of coediting the Bulletin. The next is message expressed in picture language implies a sue of the BDV will report on this change in adminis translation into a specific context; the picture serves tration. here as a medium of interpretation and inculturatlon. The examples from pastoral praxis presented in this Pictures in the service of biblical pastoral ministry issue attest to this fact. The pictures of the Massai Bi translate the Word of God into the life-word, into the ble, with their language of color and motif, translate context of the observer. They address individual expe the Christian message into the life-world of the shep rience, fantasy and feeling and they summon to a re herd peoples in the steppe of East Africa. The catchy sponse, Pictures illustrate the Christian message; they and often humorous paintings that Fr. Wolfram supply a kind of snapshot for deeper inspection and Dressier uses in his work of biblical pastoral ministry enable a multidimensional communication between in Latin America communicate the biblical message in image and observer. They make possible a silent en such a way as to reach also the young people whose counter with the Word of God. Pictures in the service customary reading comes out of comic books and of biblical pastoral ministry facilitate access to the colorfully illustrated magazines. The 'method of bibli Word of God: and this is precisely the core task of the cal pictures' based on the seven-step-method in CBF. Let us use the power of pictures where the word South Africa supports and strengthens personal ac does not suffice. In the figurative sense as well! cess to the Bible through the use of pictures. Finally, icons that play a central role in the liturgy and spiritu ality of the Orthodox Churches, are not only pictorial Alexander M. Schweitzer

I CATHOLIC BIBLICAL FEDERATION

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istorlcal LU CO LU CC Presuppositions _J ID o In their final form, the ten com l~ mandments of the Old Testament LU OC contain a strict general prohibition LU < against images. The basic idea is conveyed in the statement: "You shall not make yourself a graven image" (Ex 20:4; Deut 5:8). This in junction forbids the production, the erection and the worship of any im age of Yahweh - a fortiori, images of other divinities are also excluded. An image of God would be from the start a "foreign" image. The prohibi tion against images respects the Identity of Yahweh as an incompa rable, living God, not subject to ma nipulation. It is of course true that in the piety of Israel and of Judaism this prohi bition of images has not always Bible and Images been adhered to with equal strict ness; but at the time of the New Testament it was strictly observed. In the early Church, even after its Opportunities and Limitations of Biblical separation from the Synagogue, the prohibition continued to be tak Picture-Language en for granted as a confessional mark that distinguished believers from "Pagans". The earliest material Christian as well as Jewish exam GUNTER LANGE ples of biblical images are dated to day to before the middle of the 3rd century A.D. (the Roman cata combs; the Synagogue and house- church of Dura-Europos). Since the theologians were still signaling an official ban on images in the 4th century, their appearance must at first have been a matter of private usage, in the realm of popular pie ty: sketches of predominantly Old- The Bible thinks and speaks in images; it employs verbal pictures Testament salvation paradigms and evokes images in the minds of the reader and the hearer. The au (Jonah, Noah, etc.), visualized im ages of heavenly bliss, very much thor of this article offers some reflections on the possibilities and the in the artistic style of late antiquity. difficulties of biblical picture-language and draws methodological and didactic conclusions. Dr. Gunter Lange is emeritus Professor of In the fourth and fifth centuries the religious education and catechetics at Ruhr University in Bochum, image program expanded, gained entry into the official life of the Germany. Church and forced the Church to The article is taken, with minor alterations, from: Wolfgang Langer reflect on the question of the spiritu (ed.): Handbuch der Bibelarbeit, Kosel Veriag. al, pastoral and theological legiti- BULLETIN DEI VERBUM 55/56

macy of this new medium. After a how the Word of God has been re times interpreted through a vivid stormy period of conflicts and cri ceived, internally worked out and and realistic portraiture (example: ses over images in 8th century, the visually translated in every age. The the smoke rising from the offering image question finally received a history of Bible images shows of Abel, Gen 4:3-5). This reflects positive resolution with the 7th ecu which biblical themes were pre back onto the Bible reading: we menical council of 787 (Nicea II); ferred in different eras. The pictures read the text with the eyes of the images attest to the fact that in the offer the Bible's effective history painter. But it is especially where incarnation God became visible, (Wirkungsgeschichte), and indeed the tradition of the word has left a accessible. Our image of God is the especially at the grass-roots level. void, has refrained for a good rea human image of Jesus Christ. This For this reason, in order to interpret son from direct clarity and aliowed means also: non-symbolic images them we need to have at hand not the background character of the of the Trinity or of God the Father only the biblical text to which the event to be guessed at that an ob remain subject to the prohibition image immediately refers, but also jectified portrait becomes a dan against images for some time to liturgical texts, non-liturgical edify ger: cf. in the OT, the theophanies, come, indeed, into the 12th century. ing narrative literature (the Apocry but also, for example. Gen 3 (Par pha), homilies, songs, mystery adise) or Gen 22 (Abraham and plays, etc. Thus, though pictures Isaac); cf. in the NT: Lk 1-2 (Jesus' Image and Word c a n b e s e e n a s a f o r m o f b o o k - origin in God), the transfiguration, reading it is really more accurate to the appearances of the Risen In the theological struggle over im view them as a form of preaching or Lord. ages the ancient maxim "a picture catechizing. is a silent word" played a large role. However iegitimate it is to bring In the West, a related idea took In saying this, we are in no way de out the aesthetic independence of hold in the form of the statement: nying the fact that biblical pictures the picture medium, theology can h a v e n e v e r c o n s t i t u t not refrain from subjecting images ed an "autonomous" to the measure of biblical faith-ex art. They have always perience and faith-language. The When in modern Bibles iiqM "old- been in the service of danger that theologically dense the Word (cf. Acts texts would be misunderstood fashioned" pictures predominate,ominate, 6:4); their intimate through an objective-realistic rep in tprmQ connection to this resentation rich in detail, as this is a sign of poverty inin terms IGl ins jg evident. But it though the texts were historical of the relationship of religionOiOn and3nd belongs to the specif- narrative (best example: Nativity - i c c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f paintings) is certainly minimal in art in our era or of a lack^ of OT the medium "artistic the forms of expression of twenti no tllG portrait" that it speaks eth century art. However, the pres courage in communicating^ the its own language in sure of visual habits is so great faith in a way that correspondssponds color and form. The that even forms containing a sym to the signs of the time artistic accomplish bolic content (e.g., medieval man ment in the portrait uscript paintings) can often be gives the message read realistically and misunder an independent form stood. that must be respect pictures are a substitute Bible for ed from a didactic-methodological Didactic consequences the illiterate (Pope Gregory the point of view - a form that can have F r o m w h a t h a s b e e n s a i d t h u s f a r : Great, 1604). Both statements were a fruitfulness of its own at the cate All pictures can be located stylisti supposed to legitimate images on chetical and spiritual levels. It inter the grounds that they were ex prets the text in its own way and cally and historically. A glance at the biblical text depicted by the tremely close to the biblical word; must be decoded as an independ painting and a careful comparison thus, picture and word were ex ent interpretation. of the picture with it must then plained as interchangeable for pur cause us to ask questions such as Limitations of Painting poses of preaching. the following: What struck the paint The early history of Bible images Pictures often have a greater sug er as most important in the text? shows that pictures evidently be gestive power than words. The rela How did he make it speak to cur long to the post-apostolic ecclesi tively restrained descriptive charac rent concerns? How did he or she astical tradition. They document ter of many biblical scenes is some embellish it anecdotally? Is the

5 challenge of the text somehow neu about a text - a welcome effect for medium, especially when the latter tralized, or is it sharpened in the ar the "believing-learning-together" ex has its own, unfamiliar and eye- tistic representation? perience. Multidimensionality, how opening form, can often break If every era and every culture con ever, has its limits in that every inter through dominant expectations and struct their own image, it follows, pretation must relate to the visible supply motivation for an unbiased Bible stock, just as the picture itself look at the text. Justice is done to for the choice of images used in the does to the Bible text. Otherwise the picture: it is allowed to express biblical ministry, that those are to the picture functions merely as a itself fully before being subordinat be preferred that best express the ed to a text. And this can lead to a artistic language and vision of our "psycho-technical catalyst for a new encounter with the text. This is own time and culture. For example, sharing of feelings and whims" (A. w h e n i n m o d e r n B i b l e s o r c a t e Stock). The interpreting word must especially the case when the se open eyes, serve as an aid to vi- lected painting is in no way bound chisms used in the schools "old- to the biblical text but rather, for ex fashioned" pictures predominate, this is a sign of poverty in terms of ample, poses the human "ques Individual questions the relationship of religion and art in tion", expresses the peculiar experi of method ence that is dealt with by the text it our era or of a lack of courage in self. communicating the faith in a way In view of the Bible's preeminence that corresponds to the signs of the one might be tempted to assume This sequence from picture to text that the only correct meth could be disadvantageous in that odological sequence is to the text could appear faded by go from an interpretation comparison to the suggestiveness of the text to an encounter of color and form, or one could fail The following description with a picture. But this to see the picture's perspective on would be one-sided, the text from the point of view of should serve as a rule off There is a danger in this contents. thumb for the quality of a^rj would case bethat seen the from picture the One way or another the picture, as start as nothing more than opposed to the text, gives freer rein picture: the more many- to intuition and fantasy, allows the an illustration of the text. soul's image-level more uninhibited However, after a lengthy layered, the more motion, offers models of existing 0r6 engagement with the text multidimensional, the more a visual impulse can be appropriation and interpretation of t e x t s a n d l u r e s u s t o a b a n d o n o u r just what one needs. The powerfully evocative a selves not only intellectually, but picture as "silent word" also meditatively to the contents of picture is the better can often help one to ad the biblical message creatively por vance from the endless discussion a text can gen trayed in image. erate to an experience in time. The following description which the biblical message is al (Trans!.: L Maluf) should serve as a rule of thumb for lowed to have an integrating, medi the quality of a picture: the more tative effect. many-layered, the more multidi On the other hand it can happen mensional, the more powerfully that Bible texts offer no new in evocative a picture is the better. sights to a given audience (which Since the human eye is a living or would first need to be won over to gan inhabited by spirit, it is always more intense work with the text in the whole man who sees, including order to counter a certain weari his individual history and his cultur ness and annoyance with the Bible) al specificity. This is why there can or that access to the written text is be variously accentuated interpreta lacking for other reasons (illiteracy, tions in many-layered pictures. So the lack of a Bible translation, etc.). too, in discussions centered on pic In such cases going from a picture tures, personal sensitivities and ex to the text could be indicated as a periences more often come into helpful order of procedure. The dis play than in mere discussions tancing that lies already in another BULLETIN DEI VERBUM 55/56

The Massai Bible

A P i c t u r e - B i b l e f r o m A f r i c a

he Massai are a shepherd people of origin in the North. According to their who live in the prairies in southern own tradition they were the shepherds of Kenya and northern Tanzania. The the Pharaohs. For centuries they wan long-time director of the Mission Station dered through Egypt, the Sudan and Handeni (Tanzania), Fr. Odilo HuppI Ethiopia, finally reaching Kenya and Tan OSB, who has since passed away, called zania, ever in search of the great grass the Massai nomads the "Israelites of Afri prairies for their herds of livestock. In the ca". He writes: "The Massai worship one faith traditions of the Massai one finds only God, Engai, the one, almighty crea noteworthy echoes of biblical themes. tor of the world. He is the guardian of all; They believe they were cut off from God he is loving, incomprehensible, one only. because in ancient times a great chief He is kindly and often forgives his chil committed an offense against God. In dren. But he punishes them as well in or spite of a strict command not to kill a der to make them better. Engai gave eve mother cow. he slaughtered it in a time of rything to the Massai; they are his cho famine so that he could survive with his sen people. The Massai trace their land children. As a result, the umbilical chord w a s b r o k e n . T h i s M a s s a i t r a d i tion finds a response in the mes sage of Jesus. Jesus, the Son of God, by the power of his resur rection reattaches the umbilical cord, the chord of life: this Is the new covenant."

For over 20 years Sister Karin Kraus, a German nun, has been living with the Massai in the steppes of Tanzania. It was in her capacity as a veterinarian that she first gained access to this shepherd people whose well-being and survival depend on the condition of the herds. She encountered the Massai in the world of Abraham; she took

(To be continued page 12)

7 F E A T U R E A R T I C L E S

Recognizing God in a Guest Abraham and the Visiting Angels

' Yahweh appeared to him

at the Oak of Mamre while he was sitting by the en trance of the tent during the hottest part of the day. 2 He looked up, and there he saw three men standing n e a r h i m . A s s o o n a s h e s a w t h e m h e r a n f r o m t h e entrance of the tent to greet them, and bowed to the ground. ^"My lord", he said, "if I find favour with you, please do not pass your servant by . ■' L e t m e h a v e a l i t t l e w a t e r

brought and you can wash your feet and have a rest un d e r t h e t r e e . ® L e t m e f e t c h a l i t t l e b r e a d and you can refresh your selves before going further, now that you have come in your servant's direction." They replied, "Do as you say." ® Abraham hurried to the tent and said to Sarah, "Quick, knead three measures of best flour, and make loaves."

Gn 18,1-6

B Gn 18,1-6: If I find favour with you, C The passage on the appearance of do not pass your servant by. the mysterious three men - messen gers of God - angels, who are Abra Key: ham's guests, offers an occasion to lec ture on angels (good and bad) and on B = B i b l e guardian angels. (Of. Matt 26:53; Matt C = C a t e c h i s m 18:10).

8 BULLETIN DEI VERBUM 55/56

Rejoicing after a iong separation Jacob and all his sons

® So Jacob left Beersheba. Israel's sons conveyed their father Jacob, their little chil d r e n a n d t h e i r w i v e s I n t h e waggons that Pharaoh had sent to fetch him. ® Taking their livestock and all that they had acquired in Ca naan, they arrived in Egypt - Jacob and all his offspring. '' With him to Egypt, he brought his sons and grand sons, his daughters and granddaughters - all his off spring. Israel sent Judah ahead to Joseph, so that Judah might present himself to Jo seph In Goshen, Joseph had his chariot made ready and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as he ap peared he threw his arms r o u n d h i s n e c k a n d f o r a long time wept on his shoul der.

Gn 46,5-7; 28-29

B Gn 46,5-7; 28-29: Joseph through his C The "family portrait" is an occasion to a r m s a r r o u n d h i s f a t h e r ' s n e c k . . . a n d reflect on the fact that we "are saved Jacob blessed all his sons. not only as individuals, but in commu nity, with Jesus Christ as leader and brother in service of our loving Father." (Of. Rom 8:29).

9 F E A T U R E A R T I C L E S

Compassion The Good Samaritan

" But a Samaritan traveller

w h o c a m e o n h i m w a s moved with compassion when he saw him. ^ He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pour ing oil and wine on them. He t h e n l i f t e d h i m o n t o h i s o w n m o u n t a n d t o o k h i m t o a n inn and looked after him. " Next day, he took out two

denarii and handed them to the innkeeper and said, "Look after him, and on my way back I will make good a n y e x t r a e x p e n s e s y o u have."

Lk 10,33-35

B Lk 10.33: But a Samaritan came on heretic) can be of help. The heretic him ... and when he saw him, he was becomes a model through the way he moved with pity. lives.

The Massai-Missionaries also encoun C Anyone who "follows the law that is ter the ancestor question which the written in the heart of every human message of Jesus did not address. being, teaching him to distinguish be Here, the pericope of the Samaritan tween good and evil", can "be saved" (who in the eyes of the Jews was a

10 BULLETIN DEI VERBUM 55/56

Letting oneself be found by Him The good shepherd

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep as s o o n a s h e s e e s a w o l f c o m ing, and runs away, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep: he runs away because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd: I know my own and my own know me,

Jn 10,11-14

B Jn 10,11:1 am the good shepherd C The Catechism speaks of Jesus' true humanity: he is a man, who "lives and dies a life like ours. The differ e n c e b e t w e e n h i m a n d u s I s t h a t h e did not sin. The Bible tells us that he takes pity on us in our hardships by taking them upon himself." (Lk 24:38).

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But first, what Is an icon?

To express in a nutshell the profundity and the catechetical importance of icons, I prefer the following definition: "The Bi ble of the Poor". The fact is that in an era Bible and Icons when very few people knew how to read, the Church employed this universal lan guage represented by art and its sym bolism to express and transmit its con templative awareness of the mystery. Silent Catechesis for Evangelizing This explains the numerous miniatures our Imagination found on biblical manuscripts opposite the inspired texts, images that attempt to express the inner meaning of these texts, PIERRE HUMBLOT their vital sap, in another register than the intellectual and bookish level of ex pression. Moreover, this suggestive art was reinforced and deepened through the hymns that employed the same sym bols drawn from the Bible; hymns, amounting to a poetry and a music which, like the icon, would feed imagina tion and awareness in the same richly pregnant and thoroughly human way. This "Bible of the Poor" in no way repre sents a cheap-rate Gospel as do some "explained" and watered-down versions of the sacred text! On the other hand, T h e a u t h o r o f t h i s a r t i c l e , fter years of hesitation, the West iconographers, like hymnographers, are Pierre Humbiot, is a priest of ern Churches, with their concern by no means left to their more or less un the Chaldean Church and is bridled imagination: they must con active in Iran. for liturgical renewal in the do main of sacred art, and hence of liturgi sciously allow the fruit of the Spirit to cal music, hymnography and iconogra flower in their hearts through an expres sion that is subject to rigorous rules in phy, now often look to the Oriental Churches, - and above all to the Byzan spired by the Bible as received and tine Church, the most Oriental of them all heard in Church. - to recover a more Christian, that is to It is usually the work of monks who, be say, a more biblical artistic expression. fore beginning to express the fruits of Thus, with regard to icons, it has be their contemplation, request the prayer come very common in our churches to of the community as well as the imposi see photographic reproductions of the tion of hands by the Bishop, followed by works of the great Russian or Greek ico- a long fast so that their art might become nographers, often with a perpetually lit an expression of the authentic mystery, vigil-light or candle in front of them. What actualized by the Spirit within the explains the popularity of such art? How Church. The following is the prayer recit can we properly evaluate it and make ed by the iconographer before he goes use of its positive aspects for a biblical to work: ' For example: Paul Endoki- catechesis? These are the questions we mov: "L'art de I'icdne, theolo- will take up here, more on the basis of a "Divine Master of all that exists, en gie de la beaute" DOB. 1970. L. Oupensky and V. Lossky, catechetical experience with adults in the lighten and direct the soul, the heart The Meaning of Icons", or L. East than on the basis of theoretical in and the mind of your servant, guide Oupensky: Essai sur la theol- sights on iconography which have, by his hands that he may be able wor ogie de i'icdne dans i'Eglise the way, been very well expounded in thily and perfectly to depict your im orthodox, 1960, Ed. Exarcate of the Russian Patriarch in learned essays written by theologians of age, that of your holy Mother and Eastern Europe... the Oriental Churches. ^ that of all the Saints, for the glory.

13 the joy and the embellishment of mystical dance of the Risen One, our your holy Church." dance leader! This is what I have just be gun to learn through my contact with the When the work is completed, It will next liturgies of the Oriental Churches. And I be received and acknowledged by the can attest how important it is for me to al Church, then blessed and consecrated low myself to be evangelized by this light with holy oil by the Bishop before taking that Invades a somewhat rigid world, a part in the liturgical expression of a world that almost resembles Islam where Church in prayer. This explains the atti the dance of the dervishes is con tude of loving respect on the part of be demned and where all representation re lievers with regard to the icon as well as mains forbidden, as it was at the time of their reverential gestures: the icon has Moses, before the incarnation of the become a medium through which believ Word, which is what inspires in us the ers are placed in the presence of the iconographic urge! Listen to the prayer mystery. A friend of mine, who is an or of the Byzantine Church in response to thodox bishop in Lebanon, once re those who reject the painting of icons: marked in my presence, with a smile: "You Westerners have the Blessed Sacra "The indescribable Word of the Fa ment: you don't need icons!" A statement ther made himself describable by that is not merely tinged with humor. In taking on flesh from you, Mother of deed, my friend's comment could be in God; and having repaired the soiled ^ Kontakion of the triumph of terpreted as a questioning of a style of image to its ancient dignity, he has Orthodoxy, written by St. The- worship that perhaps localizes in too ma united it to the divine beauty. And as ophanes who died about 847, terialistic and unilateral a way the Lord's we sing the praises of this salvation, cited in Oupensky, in the abo ve-cited work, p. 179. Cf. also presence in the midst of his people, we express it through action and St. John Damascene, PG 94, which is in fact realized in a variety of through word" ^ col. 1239: " 'You saw no im ways - and this, without a marked link age of him' (Deut 4:15): Oh! what wisdom in the lawgiver! with a community. This is comparable to The language of silence: the Icon, How can one make an image certain statues of Mary where she is rep catechesis beyond words of the invisible? How can one resented alone, in isolation from her Son represent the features of that and from the Church, in a way that con The mystery is entirely too ineffable to be which has no equal? How can one represent that which has flicts, it seems to me, with what is transmitted by intellectual expression neither quantity, nor dimen learned from the iconographic tradition alone: as a work of silent contemplation, sions, nor limits? What form as well as from the Bible... more suggestion than definition, the icon can be assigned to that which summons to an appropriate profitable si is without form? And what On the other hand, more perhaps than in would one be doing to the lence of the mind, which extends into a past generations, we need the icon, this mystery, were such an effort uniquely articulated catechesis as well to be made? If you have un quasi sacramental presence, to heal our a s t o a l e s s c e r e b r a l a n d w a r m e r c o n derstood that the Incorporeal eyes and our hearts from the often cruel templative gaze. h a s b e c o m e m a n f o r y o u , and dehumanizing images that television then, obviously, you can re puts before us. To evangelize our sensi In a sense, the icon approaches a form produce his human image. Because the Invisible has be tivity by allowing us to contemplate an of expression dear to Eastern people, an come visible by taking on icon, to purify and adorn our imagina expression rich with multivalent echoes flesh, you can now produce tions rather than vainly attempting to bri and resonances; I refer to mystical poet an image of the one who has dle them so as to avoid distractions, to ry in song. Moreover, in an Oriental been seen. Because he who has neither body, nor form, soothe our ears by a sacred music, to Church that has lost every written ex nor quantity, nor quality, he open up our being by a therapeutic pression of its faith in virtue of a pro w h o s u r p a s s e s e v e r y g r a n dance like that of David, to exorcise our found human uprooting which caused deur by the excellence of his hearts through an integral and liturgical the forgetting of its traditional written lan nature, he who, though divine in nature, has taken on the harmony that employs all the artistic po guage, the language of the icon makes it condition of the slave has re tentialities of man - is this not to prepare possible to transmit something of the duced himself to quantity and ourselves for contemplation and for Life Oriental traditions to Christians of this quality and has taken on hu in God? man features; so go to it and country without any book at all. carve that form into wood The icon, "the Bible of the Poor", and Moreover, the Bible does not define God, and offer for contemplation but rather evokes his presence through the one who has desired to therefore of children who will once again become visible." learn to insert their entire being into the the creation and the reflected experience BULLETIN DEI VERBUM 55/56

of a people. Hence the importance of a central place in the iconography and symbolism within the Bible, that mode of hymnography of the Oriental Churches, expression of which all sacred art seeks and hence in their liturgical catechesis. to restore an intuition. This explains how suited the icon appears to be to express the richness of the biblical message. As an example we could take that apocalyp tic language which the Bible often em ploys to introduce us into the mystery, and which sometimes leaves us reeling in astonishment. So, for example, with the cosmic aspect of the paschal mys tery.

"Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour... And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook, and the rocks were split; the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many... Now after the Sabbath, to ward the dawn of the first day of the week, ... there was a great earth quake; for an angel of the Lord de scended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon For of course the liturgy remains the priv it. His appearance was like lightning, ileged place for a biblical catechesis. and his raiment white as snow..." (of. And indeed, the icon renders accessible Matt 27:45, 51-53; 28:1-3). this language that is somewhat abstruse An imposing spectacle, expressing the to our Western capacities of perception... cosmic mystery of our salvation, which As we stand before this poor reproduc Saint Peter renders in his own way, when tion of a Syriac icon of Mardin dating he evokes at once the prison of the dead back to the 13th century, let us recall the and their evangelization by the Risen various Oriental traditions. Let us evoke One, the death-dealing waters of the del the magnificent icon and its incredibly uge and of Baptism, the Ascension and expressive colors which we know better. the submission of the heavenly powers ... (cf. 1 Pet 3:18-22; 4:6). The notes of What do we see? ^ our Bibles refer us to a whole panoply of ' A q u e s t i o n a l w a y s t o b e In the background, the dark abyss of the symbols that express the Day of Yahweh asked In catechesis, before and they affirm that certain of these ex lower regions, the prison of death far re beginning to read the icon pressions were so important and so well moved from any glimmer of hope and ex from the top down." Cited by known that they formed part of ancient pressive of extreme human alienation; in Jean Corbon, Priere Orien- tale des Egiises, vol. 2, p. 9. professions of faith. So it is, for example, the center stands Christ, victorious, lumi with our "he descended into hell", a for nous, brandishing his glorious Cross, the mula that some would propose eliminat tree of Life and standard of victory. A ing today, on the grounds that it is in cosmic event, and one that condenses comprehensible! On the contrary, this all of time and runs through the whole of event and its symbolic expressions hold space which it takes hold of, in accord- FEATURE ARTICLES ^

ance with the scheme on the opposite place. He has come to visit those page that shows how the universe was who sleep and has stretched himself perceived by the ancients: the New out beside them. His perfume has Adam descends from the highest re spread among the dead: They come gions of the heavens, finally torn open, to to life again and sing words of praise live as the son of man, of Nazareth in to him. Galilee, and then to continue this de scent to the farthest reaches of our noth Exult and rejoice, holy Church, sing ingness so as to allow this new people, glory and thanksgiving to the now become his brothers and sisters, to Spouse who saved you by his cross. sit with him as Son of Man in the highest Through his Resurrection the empire of death has been destroyed, Adam regions of heaven. Thus, the Christ stretches forth his powerful hand to and his children inherit a new King Adam and Eve, to every human being dom. who exits from his prison at his call. " Cited by Jean Corbon, Priere Your Church praises you, o Christ Orientale des Eglises, vol. 2, So it is with the hymns for the Feast of all our God, You who, through your p. 9. Feasts which recapture ail these symbol death, have taken her for your Bride. ic dimensions in poetry, the magnificent Through the blood you shed you wrote her dowry and your iove — extends to the ages of ages.

Having allowed these symbols to Above the heavens, the throne of God echo and resound, let us now ap ply ail of this to the current situation here in Iran, for it is only when it The vaults of heaven comes into contact with our lives and the waters from above that, through the Spirit, the letter becomes Word of God. According to certain statistical analyses that

The earth have of course remained secret but whose results have been conveyed to me by a doctor friend, Iran has the highest number of youth sui cides of any country in the world. This dark black hole hypnotizes us. In the iconographic tradition, it The Sheol marked already the descent of the and the waters of the abyss Word of God among us, and the descent from the Cross into the "place of the skull", according to the letter to the Phiiippians. These dark infernos, at the far end of the hole of our despair and our depres "Exultet", e.g., or this hymn of the Syriac sions become our baptistery, the place Church which reads as follows: of encounter and the virginal womb of the Church, the place of the transmission You who raise the children of Adam, of Life through the power of the Spirit. you have tasted death. Through For Jesus has gone down to where we your death, you give life to the dead above ail do not wish to go and to where and you have put sin to death. You we are nevertheless inexorably headed. who have destroyed hell and raised And it is only there that he awaits us and up Adam, make us worthy, at your extends to us his open hand in the hopes coming, to enjoy you in your King that we will finally come to recognize that dom. t h i s i s w h e r e o u r s i n s h u t s u s i n . T h e In this night, the Son of our King has stone has been taken away, the stone that put death to death in its dwelling separated the world of the dead from the

i BULLETIN DEI VERBUM 55/56

world of the living, the stone that has Jesus since her childhood and often used weighed upon us, the other poor, like La to dream of meeting with him. She doesnt zarus, in tombs that strangely resemble know how to read or write, but her tapestry that of Christ. "Where are you, Adam?" is the outlet by which she expresses all her God had come down in the cool of the love. Her dreams have been realized and I evening to seek his friend, Adam, hidden ask myself whether, now that she is pro and covered with shame in the garden. gressing in the knowledge of Jesus, this He finally has found him and the garden way of meeting, very biblical when all is is open to us, because the sword that was said and done, quite surprising to hear of barring its entrance has been broken in today but frequent in this country, might the pierced side of Jesus.. The wall of ha not simply be in process of being purified tred has crumbled and the curtain of the thanks to this regard directed to the icon.. temple has been torn in two: access to As for me, when I hear one or another of the living God has again been opened for the catechumens telling me about the us. In him who took upon himself our tat dreams that have left their mark on their tered nature and our despairs we find lives, I do not attempt to interpret and still healing, fellowship, fertility and commun less to authenticate, but rather to relate ion in Hope. The man of sorrows be this perception in dreams with the biblical comes the New Adam, leader and chore symbolism - a way, perhaps, of evange ographer who, being the first to enter lizing the depths of the subconscious leads the dance of all the maimed who thanks to these dreams that often have a are healed, according to the icon that we profoundly iconic character! have been applying somewhat to our own situation... And why not?

Icon: the presentiment, the dream, the hope of an encounter... In my apartment, the icon I like the best is not very beautiful, to my taste at least: in an Iranian-style weave, it seeks to reproduce that icon not painted by hu man hands according to the tradition, the face of Christ looking straight at us, summoning us. The icon was not pro duced by a monk iconog- rapher because unfortu nately there is not a single monastery in our country; rather it was fashioned by an Iranian woman who came from great poverty - a w o m a n w h o m I h a v e been accompanying to ward Baptism for about a year now, together with her large family of which she is the mother and grand mother. Sickly, but with a countenance that is radi ant with serenity and joy, she had been looking for F E A T U R E A R T I C L E S

Images born of necessity

A Latin American Pastoral Adventure

WOLFRAM DRESSIER

Centro Biblico "Dabar" Wolfram Dressier has worked for years as a missionary with the Divine Word Ejler Gedde 145 Missionaries in Latin America and is the director of the Bible Center "Centro Bi 3 3 8 0 E l d o r a d o k m 6 (Misiones) blico Daber" in Argentina. This article reflects the experiences of his work in the centrobiblico@eldorado. b a s i c c o m m u n i t i e s . dataco22.com.ar

omething had to be done! "Necessity is the mother of invention", as the old saying goes. I wouldn't doubt it for a minute because I've experienced it in different places and situations I've been to as a Divine Word missionary. From 1984-94, I was working in 2 parish es in the Neuquen Province in the Argen tine Patagonia. Parish means a zone en compassing 100 km. wide by 300 km. north and south between the Colorado and Limay rivers. In the Rincon de los Sauces community, located on an oil drilling zone, Sunday mass attendance was close to none, while at Cutral-Co, a city of 50,000, men stood out for their ab sence. I thought of the multiplication of the loaves, where there were "5,000 men not counting women and children". In the case of Neuquen you'd have to subtract three zeros from the equation. So that's how you'd end up: 5 men plus women and children. Well, maybe 5 is an overly optimistic figure. "Start with the children", an older priest advised, "the adults are already a lost cause." So I did. I handed them a questionnaire "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you" with the following items:

18 f] ■I

j : • What do you think about catechism? Or are we just a bunch of fools who dont know how to turn on the light? "Well, Fa • Why do you (not) go to mass on Sun ther, we may be fools, but not a bunch of day? good-for-nothings!" said Ricardo, the • What do you think about the songs and more lively member of the group. "If they're not listening, why have so many the homily? readings?" The answers were anonymous and - We then set out to choose the reading maybe for that reason - sincere and dis that most echoed the gospel or exempli heartening. fied problems the community faced.

Catechism: a requirement for receiving We also sought a phrase that would be first communion. After that, never again. the week's watchword. Would this Mass is boring. The songs are outdated phrase help in living the message into and without instrumental accompa the following Sunday? The following niment. The homily is unintelligible because it's focus are the "old folks".

So I went to a mass as a regular parishoner to see for myself. I came to this conclusion: I'd even go with T o o - - o J the Evangelicals because they en courage active participation in their - o - - O - - O worship. Something had to be done before opting to "change religion" as they say around here. Many peo ple have done it here, this is appar ent by the abundant Evangelical churches in the area.

After a Sunday mass some young people waited outside the church and asked the parishioners if they remembered what the three read ings were about. Not even the lady who read could say. I highly encour age you to do this in your own par ish - you'd be surprised by the re sults. I was shocked and I thought about Christ experiencing the same thing when He said: "They have ears and they don't hear", believe me, this provided no consolation.

Something had to be done!

" T h e W o r d o f G o d " i s b o r n - cycles A, B, C. Over the next couple of weeks, I gathered people who shared my concern. We complain there's no light, yet no one's lighting even a candle, I told them. What's wrong? ..|"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will Are there no candles? No matches? bbe exalted" (Lk 14:11; cf. 18:14 and Matt 23:12)

19 )thers they weren't only enlarged but also me catechists even copy them and have their students color them. Once a lady asked me if I would edit the cycles in a s m a l l e r f o r m a t .

"Why not make a calendar out of them?" my companion Raul added. And so the A 4 (21 cm X 29,7 cm) format biblical calen dar was born with the drawings and texts for each Sunday of the year. This was a way of getting a foothold in every house hold with our material.

A vendor who Is not practicing, bought a large quantity to give to his clients. To my curious inquiry, he told me: "Every time I flip through It, on every page, I get a prickling sensation (a motive to examine myself) and that's what I want to share with my clients. Now even some evangeli cal pastors are interested In the material.

The Bible in a humoristic light The booklets on a humorist reading of the Bible were born In a different way. I Pharaoh and the Plagues of Egypt taught the Old Testament in the Letters and History Faculty of the Divine Word the Word of God. At first, It was an uphill struggle. Al- just outside of Buenos Aires. It had been difficult for most nobody remembered the phrase of the week. I me to awaken an interest for this subject matter in my encouraged the catechism children to come up with students because they "had to take it" despite that It the winning poster of the week's watchword or do a had nothing to do with their future careers. Thinking live presentation dur ing Sunday mass. Some young people e v e n w e n t a s f a r a s sketching these scenes representing the mo tives of the feast day celebrations.

Later on, during a Bi ble course, I met Fr. J u a n C a r l o s S a n c h e z who has a gift for artis tic drawing. This Is how we came, with his collaboration, to de sign the cycles A, B, 0 on A3 (29,7 cm x 42 cm). The reception of t h i s w a s f a r b e t t e r t h a n we had expected. In s o m e p a r i s h e s t h e sheets were posted on t h e l e c t u r n s o r e n - w e l c o m e t o J e r i c h o

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and meditating on the texts, I tried to present them in However, editing humorous booklets isnt the only thing I a different way. That is how the booklets on Genesis do. I also write things that are of a little more serious bent. and Judges - "My God, what have I done?" - and "Hur With this in mind, "2000 Years and You Still Haven't ry, we're going to be saved\" - came into existence. A Learned?" was born - ifs an up-to-date reading of the letter student and the late Fr. J.C. Sanchez illustrated the of James with photos and intertwining reflections. And the text with funny cartoon characters. Especially the last to appear is "Jonas, an Astute Prophet?" a work that is young people became interested in the Bible and in part exegetical and meditative with drawings that accom came to better grip the more obscure parts therein. A pany the reflections. lady told me that these booklets fell into the hands of three friends of her daughter, a student in Mar del Pla ta, and they began to read the Bible. Today they help her daughter in the catechism program. (Trans!.: J. Paulin) fl

L a P A L A B R A d e D I O S

CIcIo "B"

"Habla Senor que lu siervo escucha" ISam 3,10 ENERO 2000

16 17 1« 19 70 71 21 2000 H-ff •MJM •tr** An(»(iicioncs:

21 Biblical Education by means of Pictures and Images used In the LUMKO Method

Trainers of the Diocese of Umtata, S. Africa

OSWALD HIRMER

The author of this article, Oswald Hirmer, is Bishop of the Diocese of Umtata in South Africa and looks back as longtime collaborator of LUf^AKO-institutes on rich experience in practical work with the Bible. The method of biblical in struction by the use of pictures introduced in this article was worked out by the education team of the diocese on the basis of the seven-step-method of LUMKO.

Trainers of the Diocese of n our diocese of Umtata we had become dead-silent when the "sower" Umtata: to find means and ways to help shared something personally with the Bishop's House our "sowers" (parent -catechists) who children. I feel that in this step the "real P.O. Box 85 19 Cralster St. share their faith with the children of the thing" can happen: a spark of faith can Umtata 5100 small Christian communities. These enkindle in the children the light of faith Transkel "sowers" have very little formal education in which they can experience the close South Africa but are full of Christian wisdom and zeal. ness of God and Christ. Tel.: +27-(0)47-532 63 01 As we have a good number of different Fax: +27-(0)47-532 63 01 I was very happy to experience how the biblical pictures lying around in parishes children answered to the questions in and the diocese we had to find an easy method for the "sowers" to use these step 4 and 5. It did not take them long to pictures. We tried different ways. At long respond to them well. last, after some years, we arrived at our "Sowers' Picture Method" which can be used for any biblical picture. With a mini mum of training, our "sowers" are able to use it. Sowers' Picture Method There is, however, one important condi 1. We invite and welcome the Lord in our tion. The "sowers" must be acquainted midst. with gospel sharing (seven-step method) in which they learn how to share their 2. Look at the picture - while we read the faith with others, talk about how "a word text from the Bible (twice) of scripture has touched me." In our 3. Look at the picture and tell us what "Sowers' Picture Method" we include the you remember of the Bible story! step: "Now I share with you how this message has touched my own heart". • What is happening in the picture? Whenever I attended a session which was conducted by a sower, the children • (If there are people depicted:)

22 BULLETIN DEI VERBUM 55/56

Who are these people?

What are they doing or saying? 4. Where do we see God's love for peo ple in this picture? 5. "Now I share with you how this mes sage has touched my own heart!" 6. God has shown us to today his love for us. How can we show this love to oth ers?

7. We thank God spontaneously. • We make a role play on today's story.

• We make our own hymn relevant to the story. • We draw the story of today's lesson.

• We practice how we can tell our par ents what we have learnt today. Luke 10,38-42: Mary sat down at the Lord's feet and listened to him speaking. The first steps of the seven-step-method are elucidated by this biblical Image: The Lord is welcomed into the house. We listen to his words (whilst regarding the pictures) in silence and grant them entrance t o o u r h e a r t s .

Table of seven-steps-method:

1. We welcome the Lord 2. We read the text 3. We choose a few meaningful words and contemplate them in silence 4. We ask God to speak to us through them 5. We share with others what we experienced in our hearts 6. We decide on a joint project in our group 7. We pray the word and encounter with the image - this could perhaps become a f r u i t f u l i n t e r a c t i o n .

Pictures are totally different

Precisely because most people to day can read and because the litur gical lectionary also continuously confronts us with the texts of the Bi ble in the vernacular, whole series of biblical narratives - indeed pre cisely the most important ones - have become all too familiar to us. We no longer really listen to the What are pictures good for? texts; we know them already. There is nothing new! This is where pic tures can really make a contribu Reflections on the value of pictures tion. In the picture, the word ap pears in another, sometimes obsti nate, sometimes foreign way. This is often all the more the case the HERBERT FENDRICH more modern the pictures are. This alone intensifies the encounter with the text. We can make new discov eries; we can ask: What is different here in the picture? Why might this be so? What bothers me, what an Are pictures merely an aid for an easy access to Holy Scripture for noys me in the picture? And per those who cannot read? Or do pictures possess a value of their own, haps too: What appeals to me, can they truly complement the written and the spoken word? The au gives me hope? Often these obser thor of this article is a theologian and director of discernment in the vations and reflections on the ten sions between text and image office of pastoral ministry of the Diocese of Essen in Germany and he cause us to see, read and under has done intensive work on the question of the role and use of imag stand an all-too-familiar text with to es in Bible ministry. tally different eyes.

Pictures are multidimensional

This is true also of the text, of God's Word in general. But the many lay i c t u r e s f o r b i b l i c a l t h e m e s Bible is a book for all, ways must be ers and the legitimate multivalence and narratives are hardly a found for all to encounter the Word of the word often fall short when we matter of course. The early of God, even for those for whom merely talk about a text, because it Church adhered strictly to the Old the way of reading remains closed. is often too narrowly the one, exclu Testament prohibition of images sively "correct" meaning that is pur (Exod 20:4). Later in the course of Today the majority of people are sued in verbal discussions. With the Church's history there were on able to read; the Bible can be a pictures there can be a great variety going disputes about whether pic book for all. Does this mean that of interpretations, all of which are tures were to be allowed or not. In pictures and works of art on biblical "right" if they focus on what one re the Western Church the decisive ar themes are now an unnecessary ally sees. Pictures are thus also gument was: We need to have pic extra? The following reflections more friendly to the unique point of tures, since many Christians would would extend an invitation to con view of the individual that cannot otherwise have no access to Holy sider the ancillary use of pictures easily be introduced in common Scripture, because they are unable and works of art in our vital deal discussion. In the picture there is to read. In other words: Since the ings with the Bible. Encounter with room for fantasy and feeling.

24 Pictures are magnifylng- moving for us? The magnified pic perience and insight than is endless g lasses ture intensifies the experience, chatter and discussion. I am thinking brings emotions into play. of the many Christians in groups and Initially the picture is at a disadvan communities that are not verbally gift tage compared to the word: It can A picture is a silent word ed, but which have other "antennae", never portray more than an excerpt, perhaps for the "silent word". a moment extracted from a larger This sentence was formulated al In the sense of these reflections nu narrative whole. But this enables ready more than 2500 years ago in merous possibilities exist to bring pic the picture to highlight this moment Greek antiquity and it reminds us of tures into play when it comes to Bible all the more powerfully so that it something very important: In the work - even in those parts of the t o u c h e s a n d m o v e s u s . W e c a n picture an encounter with the Word world where most people are literate. ask: Why is it that the painter has is possible also in silence. The pic chosen to show precisely this mo ture responds to our yearning for a ment? What moment would have wholesome, beneficial silence, which been the most important, the most is often far more fruitful in terms of ex ( T r a n s L : L . M a l u f ) D LIFE OF THE FEDERATION

^o LU ^ LU Q t U J

in memorlam Cardinal Zoungrana

Cardinal Paul Zoungrana Cardinal Paul Zoungrana, M. Afr., Arch of God not only to an elite- it has ref * 0 3 . 0 9 . 1 9 1 7 bishop emeritus of Ouagadougou, Burki erence to the "little ones", the com t 0 4 . 0 6 . 2 0 0 0 na Faso, who died on Sunday, June 4'^, mon everyday people, those to 2000 at the age of 82, had been the sec whom Christ addressed himself. ond President of the Catholic Biblical President of the CBF from The Biblical Apostolate must perme 1978 -1984 Federation (during his time called "World Catholic Federation for the Biblical Apos- ate catechieses and all other forms of pastoral work, including those tolate"). which utilize the mass media. The Both the election of an African Cardinal achievement of this presupposes as President and Malta as the venue of that the Word of God is translated the Federation's Second Plenary Assem into a language which is understood bly during which he took office, made by all the people. Our various com visible the world-wide character of the munities are all at different stages of CBF. development, but the Word of God calls us to cooperate in a single con Cardinal Zoungrana sketched the identi certed action. This is the sense in ty and the purpose of the Federation at which the Federation is called to be the Malta Plenary Assembly in the follow an instrument for conscientizing the ing words and the title "Sign of the Spir it": People of God, so that they may re discover their scriptural roots in con "We have come to the end of the Ple tinuity with the communities we en nary Assembly. A great effort has counter in the Bible, which in their been made and much has been ac time also gave witness to the Word complished. We can leave with a of God. good conscience. Permit me to thank you again for the confidence In this way the efforts of the Federa tion are a sign of the activity of the you have expressed in me, a son of Africa, by asking me to become Spirit opening the eyes of the world President of the Federation. In that to the manifestation of the Word In carnate of which the Holy Scripture capacity I now address these words to you. is a witness. What is the objective of our work? To To make known and to distribute the advance from the apostolate of the Bible is to make known and loved Bible to the Biblical Apostolate! the Person of the Word of God, Je sus Christ, who is the center of sal May each one of you live the Bible vation history. From this point of view before you exercise that apostolate, the light and the life of the Bible are the apostolate namely of diffusing not yet sufficiently known in the the Word of God, of encouraging world. others to read it, to meditate it and to live its message as far as possible. Look at the spiritual hunger around And this applies to the whole People you. This is why God asks us to sac-

26 BULLETIN DEI VERBUM 55/56

rifice - each Church giving the finan Each of us is now going to return to This address was published cial support which is within its his own country, strengthened by the in the bulletin "The Biblical means. This is the highest form of Apostolate" issue no. VIII/4/ Word of God in order to become its 1978, Generalsecretariat of charity - love. effective servant. As Paul said to the Catholic Biblical Federa Timothy, the Federation now says to t i o n , P l e n a r y A s s e m b l y 1 1 / The international character of the Malta 1978 us: Federation is certainly a symbol of the universality of the Church. (...) "In the presence of God and of Christ I support the recommendations and Jesus ... I solemnly urge you to the proposed line of action of this preach the message, to insist upon Assembly, with its expressed hope proclaiming it (whether the time is that the Biblical Apostolate will be right or not), to convince, reproach come well established in each coun and encourage, as you teach with ail try, within each region and on every patience" (2 Tim. 4:1f)." continent.

Africa

Ethiopia The pastoral department of Addis Ababa losophy and Theology begins with a Catholic Archbishop's House archdiocese has organized a 2-year brief commentary on a biblical text and a P.O. Box 21903 A d d i s A b a b a meditation taking people's daily life into course of biblical and theological studies Ethiopia for persons selected from eight parishes account, and finishes up with a few Tel.: +251-(0)1-11 16 67 which commenced in October 1999. questions stimulating readers to study Fax: +251-(0)1-55 31 13 They aiso conduct a continuous course the text and discuss it among them of sacred scripture by correspondence selves. In this way Bible study groups with 320 participants. Daniei Assefa of have been created in various parishes. the Capuchin Franciscan Institute of Phi

Cameroon

Bishop Esua (member of OBF Executive during the Jubilee Year, concluding with Bishop's House a Closing Celebration from January 4-7, P.O. Box 115 Committee) has informed us of the great Kumbo success of the National Biblical Con 2001. N.W. Province gress in Garoua with five delegates from Cn the level of Kumbo diocese, the Bible Cameroon each diocese and all the bishops (except Tel.: +237-4811 49 ended its 3-year pilgrimage through the those sick) as well as almost 200 other Fax: +237-48 13 07 whole diocese in the Kumbo Cathedral participants. More than 5000 people with the diocesan inauguration of the Ju joined in the Bible Procession through bilee Year. Thousands of people partici the city of Kumbo. Each of the dioceses will be organizing similar congresses pated in the celebrations.

Ghana

Charles D.B. Mensah, one of the leaders cese of Kumasi, was invited to address a of the biblical pastoral ministry in the dio gathering of biblical exegetes of Ghana Catholic Diocese of Kumasi in order to tell the meeting what the faith accessible to all, especially illiterates, Biblical Apostolate-Dlocesan ful need from Bible scholars. Some of his through the use of posters, drama, mu Pastoral Centre recommendations were: to form semi sic and dance; translating the Bible, or P.O. Box 5624 Kumasi narians who will celebrate the Word of parts of it, into local language and pro Ghana God with the people; to organize Bible viding commentaries and footnotes to Tel.: +233-(0)51-279 55 seminars, workshops and retreats for help the faithful understand what they Fax: +233-(0)51-243 61 various categories of lay people such as read, and writing correspondence cours catechists, women, youth etc; to work es for children, youth and adults. with other specialists to make the Bible

Zimbabwe

IMBISA Fr. Ignatius Chidavaenzi, coordinator of in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in March, 2000. Fr. Ignatius Chldavaenz! the IMBISA Biblical Pastoral Ministry The purpose of the annual meeting is to Biblical - Pastoral Service review the biblical pastoral ministry in the IMBISA came together with biblical pastoral min P.O. Box 1139 istry promoters from Angola, South Afri IMBISA region and to plan steps for the Harare ca and Zimbabwe at a meeting of the future. Zimbabwe Tel.: +263-(0)4-33 67 75 sub-region of the CBF which took place Fax: +263-(0)4-33 69 09

South Africa

Lumko Institute

LUMKO Institute For nearly 40 years the staff of the Lum tronic media today, Lumko has produced P.O. Box 5058 ko Institute have involved themselves in its first video ("Abuse of Women: Work 1403 Delmenville South Africa issues of Church leadership and social shops for Men about Men") which, if suc Tel.: +27-(0)11-827 89 24 justice. The have mainly used the printed cessful, will result in the production of Fax: +27-(0)11-827 57 74 media. With the increasing use of elec videos dealing with other social issues. Email: [email protected]

Biblical Pastoral Workshops A "Living Word of God Workshop" was An internationally known lecturer on the organized in July 2000 by Sisters from Lectio Divina method of reading Scrip the dioceses of Bethlehem, Bloemfontein ture, Fr. Michel de Verteuil, cssp. Director and Lesotho at the John Paul II Centre of the Pastoral Institute in Trinidad, will outside Bethlehem. The course on the be giving seminars/intensive weekends/ Old Testament followed the main events retreats in Durban, Johannesburg and on salvation history and underlined the Cape Town in early 2001. religious message in them for the people of Israel and for today.

Asia

3'*' Southeast Asian Workshop In Bandung, Indonesia The Southeast Asian coordinator of the sponsible for the 3'^ Southeast Asian CBF, Sr. Emma Gunanto, osv, was re- Workshop in Bandung, Indonesia held

28 BULLETIN DEI VERBUM 55/56

from May 9-14, 2000. The workshop was sia, Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philip Sr. Emmanuel Gunanto, osu Jin. Supratman 1 held in preparation for the CBF Plenary pines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and become a blessing for all. Kotakpos 1840 Assembly in Lebanon 2002 tackling the Bandung 40114 same theme: "The Word of God, A Bless Indonesia The main papers given during this work ing for All Nations - Journeying together Tel.: +62-(0)22-70 73 32 with the Word in a Pluralistic World - a shop dealt with the missionary dimen Fax: -h62-io)22-710 37 28 Southeast Asian Perspective". The main sion of the church, with interreligious dy E-mail: namics, with the challenges of pluralism [email protected] objective of this meeting was formulated in a rapidly changing world and with the as follows: How to live the Word in a di versified world (religions, worldviews, question of inculturation of Christian faith in Asia. Part of these papers will be pub ethnic groups, violence, poverty) of lished in a later issue of the BDV. Southeast Asia, esp. Cambodia, Indone

7'" Plenary Assembly of the Federation of the Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) In January, 2000 Archbishop Henry D'Souza held the con forts: the Office of Evangelization which Federation of Asian Bishops' had reported, among others, on its bibli Conferences cluding address at this Assembly, draw Office of social ing attention in particular to: the address cal activities; the Office of Education and communication of Archbishop Quevedo who invited the Student Chaplaincy which is planning an CTM BIdg. 1916 Oroquieta St. Churches in Asia to move to interiority Asian Institute for formators; recommen Sta. Cruz from institutionalism and to lay involve dations by participants to form a perma 1003 Manila Philippines ment and participation in missionary ef nent institution for seminary formation.

Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Catholic Bishops' Conference Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei cele day and Forever". Bishop John Ha, Presi dent of the Regional Biblical Commission of Malaysia, Singapore, brated their common Bible Sunday in Burnel July, 2000 which had as its theme "Jesus for these counties presided at the main (BCMSB) Christ, The One Saviour, Yesterday, To celebration. 46000 Petaling Jaya Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia

China

The 47th Basic Bible Seminar, conducted of the papers that touched on the various HKFCBPM St. Joseph's Church by Hong Kong Filipino Catholic Biblical ways and life situations in which the first 57-61 Kwuntong Pastoral Ministry (HKFCBPM) took place disciples were addressed by God's pow Kowloon, Hong Kong in February/March 2000 in Hong Kong. erful Word and responded to it in their The seminar highlighted some funda own unique ways. mental aspects of a Bible reading that The four-week course counted 58 partici should always be close to life. The parti pants, and of these 52 passed the final cipants were particularly inspired by one examination.

29 LIFE OF THE FEDERATION

Japan

S t u d l u m B I b l i c u m Fr. Bernardin Schneider, ofm, has been publication of the final two volumes, the Fanciscanum working on the Studium Biblicum Fran- books of Isaiah and Jeremiah, both now St. Anthony Seminary ciscanum translation of the Bible into near completion, to be added to the 35 4-16-1 Seta volumes already published. Setagaya-ku Japanese for 44 years and is now look Tokyo 158-0095 ing forward to its completion with the Japan

Latin America

Meeting of the Executive Committee FEBIC-LAC The Executive Committee of the Latin The engagement of a number of associ Calle 65, N°7-68 America and Caribbean Subregion (FE- ated members of the Federation in Ar Apartamento 403 Apartado A6reo 51513 BIC-LAC) met last May in Bogota, Co gentina in the area of the training and for Satafd de Bogota D.C. lumbia. A few of its many activities, ac mation of pastoral assistants (Program Colombia complishments and projects that might Bible 2000, Bible 2001). Tel.: +57-(9)1-347 01 18 be of general interest to the affiliated Fax.:+57-(9)1-210 44 44 The incorporation of a "prayerful reading" E-mail: [email protected] members of the CBF are worthy of men tion here: of the Bible in programs of formation of catechists and of adults in Brazil. Publication of a guide for biblical ministry The planning of a meeting for all of Latin in Mexico (Episcopal Commission for Biblical Ministry, Full Member) America in the year 2002, organized by the department of Catechesis of CELAM The fruitful work of Fr. Michael de Verteuil and FEBIC-LAC. in the promotion of lectio divina (Director of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center, Trinidad, Associate Member)

H e r m a n a s M i s i o n e r a s d e l a "Biblical ministry, a necessary way for Bible centers. All of these experiences Sagrada BIblia every Christian and every Catholic" was led him in 1981 to the founding of a Sec Parroqula San Pedro, the title of a paper presented to the ular Institute for the biblical-pastoral min PP. Domlnicos Av. Pardo 105, Ecole Biblique et Archeologique Fran- istry: the Missionary Sisters of Holy Apartado 406, Chlmbote gaise (associate member of the CBF) by Scripture {Hermanas Misioneras de la Peru Fr. Felipe Huaipar Farfan O.R in the Sagrada BIblia - an associated member Tel.: +51-(0)44-32 22 61 course of the colloquium "The Biblical of the Catholic Biblical Federation). The Fax: +51-(0)44-33 61 88 Science 60 years from the death of Fr. sisters of the Institute are currently work Lagrange". In this paper Fr. Huaipar tells ing in a variety of Bible and educational of the many activities he has conducted centers in Peru. Their primary aim is to in the area of biblical ministry in Peru insure that the Word of God reaches the since 1963: radio broadcasts, articles in various levels of the population, in a lan the locai press, courses of various levels, guage that is simple and close to life. Bible weeks, expositions, organization of

30 Argentina

Six Argentinian member organizations of ing point is the practical life-experiences Equipo Bibfico Esperanza the Catholic Biblical Federation have of the participants. On the basis of this Janssen 2115 launched an intensive course "Bible 3080 Esperanza - Santa Fe personal reading (what does the text Argentina 2 0 0 0 " f o r c o l l a b o r a t o r s i n t h e b i b l i c a l mean for my/our life?) the participants Tel./Fax: ministry (animadores biblicos populares) are then introduced to a sociological and +54-(0)3496-42 00 83 E-mail: [email protected] which was given for the first time in Feb spiritual reading of the Bible; they re ruary/March 2000. The motto of this ceive a kind of introduction to the Old course is: Journeying as a people with T a l l e r d e C r e a c l o n e s and New Testaments and to questions of Populares (TECEPE) the power of the Word (caminando como methodology. The second intensive Avda. Calchaqu11027 Pueblo con la Fuerza de la Palabra). course is pianned for February 2001 un 1879 Quilmes O.-Bs.As. Tel./Fax: der the motto: Reading the Bible in Com The focus of the fourteen day event is +54-(0)11-42 50 5432 munity (Lectura Comunitaria de la Biblia). E-mail: [email protected] personal access to God's word; the start

Europe

Czech Republic In the report of the Czech Catholic Bibli- Pilsen is offering biblical literature and Biskupska Konferenze or cal Association the news can be found has in the last five years sold more than Kanovn1SS*i4 that the Pastoral Centre of the Diocese of 1600 Bibles. 370 oi cesk6 Budejovice Czech Republic Tel.: +42-(0)38-635 21 09 Fax: +42-(0)38-635 21 09

France The Latin European Subregion of the intellectual and religious dialogue, the Bi D r . T h o m a s O s b o r n e Service Biblique Diocdsain CBF is sponsoring a colloquium on the ble on the free market of the media, vari Grand S^minaire de biblical ministry (colloque de pastorale ous approaches to the Bible, etc. Luxembourg biblique), which, as part of the prepara 52, rue Jules-Wiiheim tion process for the plenary session in The colloquium is especially geared to L-2728 Luxembourg members of the sub-region; but coordi Tel.: +352-43 60 51 331 Beirut, is addressing the theme "La pas nators of the CBF as well as all members Fax: +352-42 31 03 torale biblique au carrefour des cultures" E-mail: who are interested in the theme or who (biblical ministry in a multicultural con [email protected] are involved in preparations for the ple text). Papers and ensuing discussions will be devoted to themes such as the nary session are also invited. challenge arising from modern pluralism. CATHOLIC BIBLICAL FEDERATION

The Catholic Biblical Federation (CSF) is a world-wide association of Catholic organizations committed to ministry to the Word of God. At the present time, the CBF membership includes 90 full members and 217 associate members coming from a total of 126 countries. The activities of these organizations include the preparation of Catholic and interconfessional Bible transla tions, the propagation of Bibles and in general the promotion of a deeper understanding of the Holy Scrip ture. The CBF promotes the biblical pastoral activities of these organizations, provides a forum for the world-wide sharing of experiences in the field, searches for new ways of bringing the joy of God's Word to the faithful throughout the world. The Federation seeks collaboration with the representatives of biblical scholarship as well as with Bible Societies of various confessions. In particular, the CBF works toward the promotion of the reading of the Bible within the context of concrete life situations and the training of ministers of the Word in this direction. The ministry to the Word of God is ministry to the unity of and communication between human beings. A world which grows together with the help of modern communications and yet continues to show signs of hate and destruction needs more than ever words of peace and of fellowship with God and with each other. Wilhelm Egger, Bishop of Bozen-Brlxen, President of the CBF