Martyria magazine · issue XIX of the series

Issue I / 2025 January – June

Imagine

Wisdom — "from the height of the divine throne to the depth of knowledge" —, a theme deepened by His Eminence Father Varsanufie, gathers a study by Father Constantin Coman on the goodness of God and…

15 studies
Bilingual edition
The issue's argument

Wisdom — "from the height of the divine throne to the depth of knowledge" —, a theme deepened by His Eminence Father Varsanufie, gathers a study by Father Constantin Coman on the goodness of God and man's participation in it, a text by the Sofia scholar Kostadin Nushev on Christian virtues in the knowledge society and Father Mihai Burlacu's inquiry into man's communion with God — and, in the pages of Studia Humanitatis, the Thessalonian professor Constantin Kotzioupoulos (Orthodoxy in the face of contemporary challenges), the Thessalonian professor Miltiades Vantzos on the patristic bond of man with the animals, Father Constantin Necula together with Professor Constantin Ioan Necula on the importance of the study of the Holy Fathers in the culture of the young, Professor Florin Epure on Ilie Lăcătușu — "a saint in the communist prisons" —, Father Laurențiu Rădoi on Bishop Iosif Gafton, the first part of the Georgian Father Aleksi Kshutashvili's study on the spread of Christianity among the Georgians, Father Marcel Stavără with The tattoo epidemic and Father Nicolae Moga on the vigil lamp of Saint Demetrius the New in Bucharest, a homily by Saint John Chrysostom on Psalm 36, the first part of Elena Dulgheru's essay on the series "Saint Paisios — from Farasa to heaven" and the journal of the Stavrophore Theodora Videscu — Mount Tabor — the Mountain of God.

Studia Theologica

4 studies
01 Wisdom, from the heights of the divine throne to the depths of knowledge 02 On God’s goodness and man’s part in it 03 Christian virtues in contemporary knowledge-based society and 21st-century humanism 04 Man’s communion with God

Studia Humanitatis

8 studies
05 Orthodoxy in the Face of Contemporary Challenges 06 Patristic views on the relationship between humans and animals 07 The importance of studying the Church Fathers in young people’s culture 08 Ilie Lăcătușu, a saint in the communist prisons 09 Bishop Iosif Gafton, a gentle and capable hierarch (1949–1984) 10 The Spread of Christianity among the Georgians in the 1st–3rd Centuries and the Organisation of the First Churches of that Period (Part I) 11 The tattoo craze 12 The Candle of Saint Dimitrie the New of Bucharest, from the Patriarchal Cathedral to the church in Ciunget

The Words of the Fathers

1 study
13 [Homily by John Chrysostom] on Psalm XXXVI, 1: ‘Do not envy those who act deceitfully’

Ars Christiana

1 study
14 The phenomenon of the TV series ‘Saint Paisios – From Farasa to Heaven’ is more than just a cinematic experience! [Part I]

Via Peregrina

1 study
15 Mount Tabor – The Mountain of God

Issue illustration

This issue features images of the works created during the International Painting Camp at Cozia Monastery in 2025.

Watercolour of a whitewashed Orthodox church with a tall bell tower, two small figures passing in front and autumn trees, in a loose, luminous style.
Watercolour of a town square, with a bell tower and whitewashed buildings and many small figures, like a market scene.
Watercolour of a fortified monastery set on a rocky shore, with mountains behind and reflecting water in the foreground.
Winter watercolour of a monastery complex with several Brâncovenesc domes, snow on the roofs and bare trees.
Watercolour of a white church with a bell tower, small figures passing in front and autumn shrubs, with blue accents.
Watercolour of a monastery church with a tall blue-domed tower, sunlit white walls and a few small figures in front.
Watercolour of a wooden porch with many brightly coloured potted flowers, in a loose style.
Watercolour of an Orthodox church with a large central dome and an arcaded porch, seen through tree foliage, in vivid blues and warm tones.
Watercolour of a well canopy with a tent-shaped roof and a painted arch, with greenery and a potted plant, in sunlight.
Watercolour of a white church with a tall tower, figures in colourful dress passing in front and bare trees.
Watercolour of a monastery complex with several domes in winter, snow-covered roofs, bare autumn trees and water in the foreground.
Watercolour landscape: a monastery in a valley, with a forested mountain behind and a golden autumn field in the foreground.

Editorial masthead

Board of Directors

His Eminence Dr. Varsanufie, Archbishop of Râmnic – Founding President
Fr. Constantin Olariu, Cultural Counselor of the Archdiocese of Râmnic

Editorial Board

(in alphabetical order)

  • Acad. Prof. Dr. Ilie Bădescu, Romanian Academy
  • Prof. Irakli Brachuli, Department of Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion, „Ivane Javakhishvili" Tbilisi State University, Georgia
  • Fr. Dr. Bogdan Tătaru-Cazaban, Researcher at the Institute for the History of Religions, Romanian Academy
  • V. Rev. Archim. Maximos Constas, Professor of Patristics and Orthodox Theology, Director Pappas Patristic Institute, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, MA, USA
  • Dan Ciachir, writer – Bucharest
  • Prof. Dr. Habil. Ion Marian Croitoru, Faculty of Orthodox Theology, Valahia University of Târgoviște
  • Prof. Dr. Nae Georgescu, Bucharest
  • Lect. Dr. Octavian Gordon, University of Bucharest
  • Prof. Dr. Marina Kolovopúlu, Faculty of Theology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
  • Prof. Dr. Giorgi Kvesitadze, President of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences
  • Fr. Bassam A. Nassif, Ph.D., D.Min., Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology, Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology, University of Balamand, Lebanon
  • Prof. Dr. Mihaela Palade, University of Bucharest
  • Prof. Dr. Ioan-Aurel Pop, President of the Romanian Academy
  • Assoc. Prof. Dr. Svetoslav Ribolov, Faculty of Orthodox Theology, University of Sofia, Bulgaria
  • Prof. Dr. Ioan Scurtu, member of the Academy of Romanian Scientists – Bucharest
  • Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nicolae Xionis, Faculty of Theology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
  • Prof. Anastasia Zakariadze, Anthim the Iberians Scientific Center for Studying Philosophy and Theology, „Ivane Javakhishvili" Tbilisi State University, Georgia

Editors

  • Fr. Constantin Olariu
  • Maria-Magdalena Manea

Graphic Design and Layout

Atelierul de grafică

Typefaces

Calluna, Alegreya Sans