Theological Reflections. Special Edition SPbCU, 2011

"The Church Worsship Service"

Reflections on the Liturgy in the Evangelical Churches in Russia
Victor SHLOENKIN
In this preliminary and introductory article the author presents general biblical theological views with regard to theology of liturgy. Here he analyzes various papers and articles which were already written on this subject. In this research of liturgy he considers development of liturgical theology (if it really takes place in the Bible) from the Old Testament (timeline of monarchy) to the New Testament where one finds early home churches. There is also a consideration of relationship between cult, rite and grace – issues which are important for Byzantine Orthodox theology. In the final part of the article the author suggests both practical and critical conclusions with regard to the question of liturgical theology.

The Vocabularly of Worship in the Old Testament
William L. O'BYRNE
The purpose of this article is to bring definition to the foundational prinicples of the worship of God through the study of the "Semantics of Worship" in the texts of the Old Testament. This article reviews the semantics of the words used to describe acts of worship in the Old Testament, studying the images and the forms and content of worship, in order to discover how to construct our liturgy based on the examples and principles contained in the Word of God, specifically in the Old Testament. This study of semantics will reveal the full character and three-dimensional nature of worship, the third aspect of which is the multifarious praise of God. In conclusion, "The Semantics of Worship in the Old Testament" will establish the foundational aspects of worship, which in turn may be applied in the practice of Christian liturgy.

"Guard Your Steps When You Go to the House of God" - Ancient Message to the Modern Church (Investigation of Ecclesiastes 5:1-7)
Daniil S. SAMOYLENKOV
Currently in evangelical churches there are a lot of debates about forms of church services. But very seldom there can be heard truly deep thoughts about true essence of worship and ordinary believer's responsible role in it.  We understand that "biblical theory" should determine the modern liturgical practice and not vice versa! This article presents an exegetical research of Eccl. 5:1-6, which reveals the universal principles of Ecclesiastes about church services that are particularly relevant for modern Christians.
 

The Corruptions of the Temple Worship in the Time of Jesus (Mk. 11:12-25)
Nadezhda TARASENKO
Actions of Jesus and his words in the Temple (11:15-18) are symbolical like actions of Old Testament prophets. The life of the Temple was the reflection on the life of people in Israel. As there were certain problems in the Temple, through the cursing of the fig tree, Jesus predicts what could occur to this religious place. The initial function of the Temple was to be a place of prayer. However, from the accusation by Jesus, a reader can clearly see that the Temple didn't follow and execute this function. It didn't help a person to meet God, which was the main problem of this cultic institution.
 

Origins of the Christian Gatherings: Hellenistic Banquet or Jewish Synagogue?
Valeriy ALIKIN
Recent research has made a strong case for the view that Early Christian communities, sociologically considered, functioned as voluntary religious associations in the Graeco-Roman world. The main activity of religious associations was a communal banquet that consisted of a meal and a contiguous symposium.  This article presents the available sources that describe Christian gatherings in the first two centuries and argues that the earliest Christians modeled their communal gatherings on the pattern of the Graeco-Roman group meal which was the common practice for all religious associations in the ancient Mediterranean world, including Jews. Comparing the available evidence of the early Christian gathering with the synagogue gathering in the first century CE, one can conclude that the origins of Christian liturgy should not be traced back to the Jewish synagogue.

The Gathering of the Corinthian Church in the Middle of the First Century
Anatoly U. SYSOEV
Researchers who study the history of the Christian gathering meetings testify that Christian communities in the middle of the first century did not adhere to the traditional synagogue gathering. The gatherings of Christian had a bipartite structure of a meal and a social gathering contrary to the Jewish meetings in a synagogue with the reading of Law and its subsequent interpretation. Christian gatherings functioned according to the pattern of voluntary associations in the Graeco-Roman world. On the basis of the evidence from the 1 Corinthians, the Christian meeting was a supper on which there was a singing, prayers, tongues, prophecies, sermons, the doctrine and other activities. There could be as well discussions, even disputes. The special role in the gatherings was given to the action of the Holy Spirit.
 

The Function of Ritual in the New Testament Community
Мaria V. KARYAKINA
Function of religious rituals is twofold: being a buffer between spiritual and physical worlds. They allow a human being to contact with the divine and at the same time rituals are "a language of religion" and give one the opportunity to express one's spiritual experience helping to unite a community and to pass on tradition and theology. Christ's death and resurrection abolished the necessity of rituals in communicating with God. Rituals function as a regulator of emotional life and as a non-verbal expression of human's feeling towards divine.
 

Worship at the Throne Seat (Rev. 4-5): The Search for Hermeneutical Principle and Theological Menaning
Alexander A. BELYAEV
Reading of the book of Revelation raises many hermeneutic, isagogic, exegetical, and theological questions. The author investigates two main issues: hermeneutic proto-image of worship at the Throne seat in Rev. 4, 5 and the analysis of its probable interpretations. In the framework of theological analysis the author then formulates principles for the worship practice in modern life basing them on the interpretation of the given biblical passage.

The Worship Service: "Gnosis" or "Kardia" in the Russian Theological Context
Anatoly A. REMEZOV
The essay places the concept of liturgy in the coordinate system of kardia and gnosis in attempt to reorient worship practices towards a more holistic perception of liturgy that embraces the notion of 'the whole person.' Moreover, an exegetical analysis of John 4:21-23 has revealed, among other things, 'western' and 'eastern' understandings of the key phrase: evn pneu,mati kai. avlhqei,a.| Though 'the eastern reading' seems to be more correct, it did not become a practical guide for orthodox communities. The author believes that the resolution to this paradox might be found in the peculiarities of the Russian mentality.

Liturgy as the Key Aspect of Church'es Identity
Sergey SAMOILENKOV
Church in its diversity and dynamism is the inexhaustible field of study and research. The question of identity of the church implies many thoughtful actions and evaluations. Identity crisis is a natural process in society and in the church as well. Ignorance of identity laws can make a destructive impact on the life of the church throwing it into a panic-stricken, chaotic, marginal, and the like conditions. In this article the author makes an attempt, on the basis of the subject material, to simulate levels of identification of the church and to identify the most significant of them. The liturgy of the church will be considered as a necessary level of its self-identity. At this level, an activity of the church's liturgy is concentrated for the most part; therefore it should be attractive and compelling. At the same time, it is the most vulnerable place where crises will definitely take place. Bold solutions which are found in averting the identity crisis will strengthen the authority of the church.

The Earliest History of the Gatherings of the Pentecostal Churches in Russia
Tatiana K. NIKOLSKAYA
The article describes the evolution of the Pentecostal assemblies of Russian Protestants. The order of assembly was formed under the influence of specific historical conditions and external influences (foreign Protestants, especially Pentecostals, evangelical Christians and the Russian Baptists, to a lesser extent – Russian sectarians). The article draws on archival documents, periodicals, religious studies, memoirs of believers and the author's personal observations. Particular attention is paid to the continuity of the Russian Pentecostal Christianity and from the Evangelicals and Baptists and its relationship with sectarianism, ritual differences between Pentecostal currents.

OUR AUTHORS

Victor Shloenkin studied theology in Master’s Program in Evangelische Theologische Facuteit in Leuven, Belgium in 2002-2004. Before that he studied in Bachelor’s Program in St. Petersburg Christian University (1997-2001). His research interest is the Еarly Church history, philosophy, systematic and historical theology. After his studies in Leuven he worked as a manager in several Christian organizations in Russia (Wycliffe Bible Translators, Licht im Osten, a secretary of the senior-pastor of Baptist Union in North-West Russia) and at the same time as a lecturer in theology in Christian schools in St Petersburg and Moscow. At present he teaches various courses in theology at his alma mater in St. Petersburg. Victor writes articles in theology and on popular topics in various theological journals and on the internet site “Baptists of St. Petersburg.”

William L. O'Byrne III received two Master's degrees in 2002 in the areas of Theology and Christian Education from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He and his family have lived in Saint Petersburg since 1993, and he has taught courses in Biblical studies and Practical Theology at SPbCU since 1997. In 2004 he co-founded and now co-directs the division of spiritual formation ministry in Church Resource Ministries Imago Christi. He is the director of the School of Spiritual Mentoring at SPbCU. The nature of spiritual growth, the spiritual development of leaders, and the development of spiritual mentoring in churches and Christian ministries is the focus of his ministry and writing.

Daniil S. Samoylenkov completed the Master’s program in the specialty of “Comparative linguistics: languages of the Bible” at the Department of Biblical Studies (Faculty of Philology) at St. Petersburg State University. Since 2010 he has been the assistant of the SPbCU’rector and teacher of the following disciplines: Exegesis of the Old Testament, Wisdom Literature, and Hebrew language. His main research interests are studying of the book of Ecclesiastes and Wisdom literature.

Nadezhda Tarasenko was born September 28, 1980. In 2002 she graduated from the “Philology” Department of V.G. Korolenko Glazov State Pedagogical Institute. In 2006 Nadezhda earned a Bachelor of Theology degree from St. Petersburg Christian University where she continues studying for a Master of Theology degree. She has been teaching Exegesis of the New Testament, Theological English and other courses in Biblical Studies at St. Petersburg Christian University since 2009. Her main research interests are New Testament theology; different approaches and methods to the study of the Gospels.

Valeriy A. Alikin received a PhD degree in New Testament and Early Christian Literature from Leiden University in 2009. He has been the Chair of the Department of Biblical Studies at St. Petersburg Christian University since 2010. His main publication is The Earliest History of the Christian Gathering. Origin Development and Content of the Christian gathering in the First to Third Centuries (Leiden: Brill, 2010). His main research interests are interpretation of the New Testament and early Christian texts as well as history of early Christian rituals.

Anatoly U. Sysoev graduated from the bachelor program in theology at St. Petersburg Christian University in 2011. At present he is a student in the Master’s Program in Biblical Studies and works as an assistant in the department of Biblical Studies at St. Petersburg Christian University.
Мaria V. Karyakina received a MTh degree in New Testament from UNISA (RSA) in 2002. Currently she is a PhD student at University of Pretoria (RSA). Since 2008 she has been a lecturer in New Testament at St. Petersburg Christian University. Her main research interests are social-scientific approach to the New Testament texts and Pauline letters. Forthcoming publication: The Ethical Meaning of the Christology of Colossians: Perspectives from a Rhetorical Analysis.

Alexander A. Belyaev received a MTh degree in New Testament Studies from University of Wales. He is a PhD student in Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands. Alexander Belyaev has been a vice-rector of the Academic Department in Saint-Petersburg Christian University since 2010. His main research interests are: Jewish and early Christian apocalyptic literature, hermeneutics of the apocalyptic genre, and eschatology of creation.

Anatoly A. Remezov (MTh, University of South Africa) is a Christian publicist who has published articles in both secular and Christian periodicals. He also teaches a variety of theological and biblical courses at different theological institutions. He served as a pro-rector at St. Petersburg Christian University (2001-2003) and was the chairman of the Russian Association of Military Christian Fellowships board (2006-2007). His research interests lie in the areas of New Testament Studies, theology of war and Christian epistemology.

Sergey Samoilenkov graduated from the Master's Program of EAAA in Theology in 1996. He also completed the Master's Program in Missiology at UNISA. Since 2010 he has been the Chair of the Department of Practical Theology at SPbCU. He serves as a pastor in a Baptist Church. The area of focus lies in the field of practical theology.

Tatiana K. Nikolskaya graduated from the Faculty of History at St. Petersburg State University and received PhD in History from the European University in St. Petersburg. She has been a senior lecturer in Church History at St. Petersburg Christian University since 2004. In 2009 she published a monograph of the “Russian Protestantism and state power in 1905 – 1991” (St. Petersburg, Publishing House of the European University Press). Her main area of ??research is the history of Russian Protestantism and the religious-state relations in Russia in the twentieth Century.