Systematic theology

In this paper, I compare Paul Johannes Tillich’s existentialist theology with the traditionalist Protestant theological position, as reflected especially in the Second Helvetic Confession and its commentaries. The comparison starts from Tillich’s interpretation of God and existence, which I contrast with sections from the Second Helvetic Confession. One of the main goals of this paper is to bring Paul Tillich’s theology closer and interpret it through the traditional (primarily Reformed) Protestant perspective.

Karl Barth’s Letter to the Romans is the theologian’s best-known and most influential work. In any case, it cannot be ignored when examining theological developments in the 20th century. This presentation will focus on where this epoch-making work can be placed between a hermeneutical manifest and classical commentary literature. Of particular interest are the intertextual aspects of Barth’s work, which this paper emphasizes.

Luther, at the dawn of the Reformation, still struggling with monastic guilt, confused humility with self-depreciation, but he already sensed the secret of the mirifica commutatio, the so-called “miraculous exchange”, so prominent in the later works of the Reformers.

John Calvin transformed the Western theology and law concerning sex, marriage and family life. Building on a generation of Protestant reformers, Calvin constructed a comprehensive new theology and law that made marital formation and divorce, children’s nurture and welfare, family cohesion and support, sexual sin and crime essential concerns for both church and state. He drew the Consistory and Council of Geneva into a creative new alliance to guide and govern the reformation of the intimate domestic sphere.

This paper provides a concise introduction to Korean Buddhism, Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism, examining their relationship with Protestant Christianity, which emerged on the Korean Peninsula in the 19th century. Initially, the main aspects of Buddhism are discussed. The paper briefly highlights the contributions of Hungarian, Korean and other international researchers on the topic. It aims to identify the key points through which the relationship between Buddhism and Protestant Christianity can be explored.

In his article, Yohanna Katanacho discusses the relationship between Israeli Jews (both indigenous and settlers) and other indigenous people classified as foreigners. His thoughts focus on the issue of equal ownership of the country. He believes that Jews originally owe their land to God’s covenant, specifically his love and mercy, rather than their military successes. Implicitly, his writing echoes the Deuteronomic declaration that the people received the land from the Lord as a dwelling place. He derives the legal basis for the possession of the land from the Book of Ezekiel (33:23–29).

In searching for the core of Heinrich Bullinger’s theology, various approaches have been given, the most appropriate being “communion with God” (Peter Opitz). However, it is better to understand his theology not in a circular model with one core point, but rather as an ellipse with two focal points: God and man, respectively, Christ and the Church, which are related to each other. Therefore, his theology is essentially what I would call a “relational theology”. This, too, manifests in his ecclesiology.

Theosis or its concept is perhaps less known to the Western Protestant trained theologian. Even to the Transylvanian Reformed theologian and pastor living at the meeting point of East and West it would be of value to get to know this characteristic teaching of the Eastern Orthodox Church. In our study, we describe the formation of the doctrine of deification, its dogmatic background, its development, and some of its elements, whilst searching for the answer to the question of whether there is any connection with the Reformed Church.