Octavian Florescu | University of Bucharest (original) (raw)
Papers by Octavian Florescu
Cine citește să înțeleagă, 2014
Studii Teologice, 2015
Summary: On The Divine Names Yhwh and Jesus in SAT (Speech Act Theory) utterance. Case studies: ... more Summary: On The Divine Names Yhwh and Jesus in SAT (Speech
Act Theory) utterance. Case studies: Lc 4, 16-30; Acts 3, 1-10.
The present article is a methodological exercise that analyzes several New Testament texts from a SAT (Speech Act Theory) point of view. The author starts with a preliminary distinction between name and naming, id est between the graphics and the utterance of the divine names, focusing on their oral-auricular feature, which is prevalent in the Old Testament where most of the theophanies are actually theo-rhemata or theo-utterances.
The poetical (creative) feature of the word of God, The One who just says and it is done accordingly (Gen 1, 3), is even more obvious when the creative-, redeeming- or life giving act involves the utterance of the divine name, may it be Yhwh or Jesus. Already initiated during Jesus’ earthly life, the use of the divine and human name “Jesus” for the performance of miracles, healings and exorcisms is done both by the apostles and by
other disciples of Jesus. Far from being a magical act, the power of the name of Jesus depends altogether on the faith of the believer. A recent attempt to explain scientifically (socio-linguistically) the impact of human communication and thus some events that go beyond human understanding, like the miracles made in Jesus’ name, is the Speech Act
Theory, a philosophy of language with practical applications. J.L. Austin, the author of SAT, claims that in order for a speech-act to be fulfilled or “happy”, the performative utterance of the speaker must satisfy three conditions or infelicities: there must exist an accepted conventional procedure having a certain conventional effect, that procedure to
include the uttering of certain words by certain persons in certain circumstances; the particular persons and circumstances in a given case must be appropriate for the invocation of the particular procedure invoked; the procedure must be executed by all participants both correctly and completely.
Speech-Act Theory proves to be a valuable tool when it comes to the biblical exegesis of Acts 3, 1-10. In this particular case all the infelicities stated by Austin are present. First, there’s an accepted conventional procedure having a certain conventional effect that includes the uttering of certain words by certain persons in certain circumstances. There was a custom in the Second Temple Judaism to bring a paralytic to the gate of the Temple in order to get blessings and alms, and to pray three times a day
(cf. Ps 55, 17; Dn 6, 10). Austin’s second rule (the particular persons and circumstances in a given case must be appropriate for the invocation of the particular procedure invoked) is observed through the fact that both Peter and John are apostles invested with authority by Jesus Himself: “He called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” (Lk 9, 1-2). Finally, the third condition (the procedure must
be executed by all participants both correctly and completely) is fulfilled by Peter’s performative utterance to the crippled man: “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, stand up and walk!” (Acts 3, 6). Since all of Austin’s “infelicities” are cleared “happy” and
the paralytic is healed, one can subsequently assume that the cripple’s healing was due to the convergence of some linguistic conventions, social customs or to self-suggestion, and not to the invocation of Jesus’ Holy Name by the apostle. Therefore the author comes with a few examples in support of the latter conclusion: Lk 4, 16-30 (where Jesus can’t
do any miracle because of his people lack of faith) and Acts 19, 13 (when the sons of Sceva get a fair chastisement for the magical and unauthorized use of Jesus’ name). Although SAT seem to be a valid socio-linguistical tool in Acts 3, 1-10, it has some limitations in other cases like Lk 4, 16-30 (cf. Acts 19, 13; Lk 9, 49), where SAT fails even if all the conditions of Austin are fulfilled or “happy”. These limitations of SAT are exposed by the author to show that not the convergence of some external factors
(customs, language, oral mimesis, suggestion) accounts for the miracle, healing or exorcism, but the unconditional faith in the power of Jesus’ name (Acts 3, 16) the revelead Name of the New Testament, “the Name above every name”.
Books by Octavian Florescu
The second volume (Exodus and Leviticus) of the series “The Bible according to the Hebrew Text”, ... more The second volume (Exodus and Leviticus) of the series “The Bible according to the Hebrew Text”, a Romanian translation of the Masoretic Text, with notes and comments, published by Humanitas.
The project was initiated under the aegis of The New Europe College.
***
Volumul de faţă, „Exodul. Leviticul” este al doilea (primul fiind Geneza) dintr-o serie care va cuprinde traducerile celor treizeci şi nouă de cărţi ale Bibliei ebraice însoţite de studii introductive, note şi comentarii.
Acest proiect a fost realizat în cadrul Colegiului Noua Europă.
Hristos, Mesia, Mântuitorul, Fiul lui Dumnezeu, Fiul Omului, Logosul: oare între atâtea titluri ... more Hristos, Mesia, Mântuitorul, Fiul lui Dumnezeu, Fiul Omului, Logosul: oare între atâtea titluri mai recunoaștem Numele lui Dumnezeu? Care era semnificația numelui Iisus în iudaismul celui de-al Doilea Templu și ce se întâmplă cu acest nume, în mediul iudeo-creștin, după Întruparea, Răstignirea și Învierea Mântuitorului? Care este diferența între persoana Iisus și numele ,,Iisus”? Cum și când ajung primii creștini ,,să cheme numele Domnului” (Ioil 3, 5, cf. Fap 2, 21), cu referire la Iisus? Când anume are loc trecerea de la expresia veterotestamentară ,,numele Domnului” la sintagma „numele Domnului Iisus” și mai apoi la metonimia ,,Numele” din scrierile neotestamentare? Cum se răsfrânge teandria Mântuitorului asupra numelui Iisus? Cum anume se ajunge la adorarea numelui teofor Iisus împreună cu numele divin YHWH, fenomen unic în lumea iudaică? Care sunt raporturile dintre invocarea numelui divin Iisus și puterea, respectiv autoritatea acestuia? În ce anume constă rolul sfințitor al Numelui în raport cu botezul, mirungerea, euharistia și chiar crucea? Prin ce se deosebește folosirea ritualică a numelui Iisus față de practicile magice în care se conjură numele divine? Cum a evoluat teologia numelui Iisus după anul 70 d.H., când începe separarea creștinilor de evrei? Ce legătură există între această teologie iudeo-creștină a numelui și "rugăciunea lui Iisus" apărută ulterior în monahismul egiptean și lumea siriacă?
Posibile răspunsuri la aceste întrebări le găsiți în cartea de față, unde autorul regăsește rădăcinile iudeo-creștine ale "rugăciunii inimii", pornind de la puterea rostirii cu credință a Numelui mai presus de orice nume – Iisus.
Volumul de faţă, Geneza, este primul dintr-o serie care va cuprinde traducerile celor treizeci şi... more Volumul de faţă, Geneza, este primul dintr-o serie care va cuprinde traducerile celor treizeci şi nouă de cărţi ale Bibliei ebraice însoţite de studii introductive, note şi comentarii.
Ediţie îngrijită de Francisca Băltăceanu şi Monica Broşteanu
Traducere, studii introductive şi note de Francisca Băltăceanu, Monica Broşteanu, Melania Bădic, Emanuel Conţac, Octavian Florescu, Victor-Lucian Georgescu, Cristinel Iatan, Alexandru Mihăilă, Delia Mihăilă, Ovidiu Pietrăreanu, Tarciziu-Hristofor Șerban, Silviu Tatu
Cine citește să înțeleagă, 2014
Studii Teologice, 2015
Summary: On The Divine Names Yhwh and Jesus in SAT (Speech Act Theory) utterance. Case studies: ... more Summary: On The Divine Names Yhwh and Jesus in SAT (Speech
Act Theory) utterance. Case studies: Lc 4, 16-30; Acts 3, 1-10.
The present article is a methodological exercise that analyzes several New Testament texts from a SAT (Speech Act Theory) point of view. The author starts with a preliminary distinction between name and naming, id est between the graphics and the utterance of the divine names, focusing on their oral-auricular feature, which is prevalent in the Old Testament where most of the theophanies are actually theo-rhemata or theo-utterances.
The poetical (creative) feature of the word of God, The One who just says and it is done accordingly (Gen 1, 3), is even more obvious when the creative-, redeeming- or life giving act involves the utterance of the divine name, may it be Yhwh or Jesus. Already initiated during Jesus’ earthly life, the use of the divine and human name “Jesus” for the performance of miracles, healings and exorcisms is done both by the apostles and by
other disciples of Jesus. Far from being a magical act, the power of the name of Jesus depends altogether on the faith of the believer. A recent attempt to explain scientifically (socio-linguistically) the impact of human communication and thus some events that go beyond human understanding, like the miracles made in Jesus’ name, is the Speech Act
Theory, a philosophy of language with practical applications. J.L. Austin, the author of SAT, claims that in order for a speech-act to be fulfilled or “happy”, the performative utterance of the speaker must satisfy three conditions or infelicities: there must exist an accepted conventional procedure having a certain conventional effect, that procedure to
include the uttering of certain words by certain persons in certain circumstances; the particular persons and circumstances in a given case must be appropriate for the invocation of the particular procedure invoked; the procedure must be executed by all participants both correctly and completely.
Speech-Act Theory proves to be a valuable tool when it comes to the biblical exegesis of Acts 3, 1-10. In this particular case all the infelicities stated by Austin are present. First, there’s an accepted conventional procedure having a certain conventional effect that includes the uttering of certain words by certain persons in certain circumstances. There was a custom in the Second Temple Judaism to bring a paralytic to the gate of the Temple in order to get blessings and alms, and to pray three times a day
(cf. Ps 55, 17; Dn 6, 10). Austin’s second rule (the particular persons and circumstances in a given case must be appropriate for the invocation of the particular procedure invoked) is observed through the fact that both Peter and John are apostles invested with authority by Jesus Himself: “He called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” (Lk 9, 1-2). Finally, the third condition (the procedure must
be executed by all participants both correctly and completely) is fulfilled by Peter’s performative utterance to the crippled man: “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, stand up and walk!” (Acts 3, 6). Since all of Austin’s “infelicities” are cleared “happy” and
the paralytic is healed, one can subsequently assume that the cripple’s healing was due to the convergence of some linguistic conventions, social customs or to self-suggestion, and not to the invocation of Jesus’ Holy Name by the apostle. Therefore the author comes with a few examples in support of the latter conclusion: Lk 4, 16-30 (where Jesus can’t
do any miracle because of his people lack of faith) and Acts 19, 13 (when the sons of Sceva get a fair chastisement for the magical and unauthorized use of Jesus’ name). Although SAT seem to be a valid socio-linguistical tool in Acts 3, 1-10, it has some limitations in other cases like Lk 4, 16-30 (cf. Acts 19, 13; Lk 9, 49), where SAT fails even if all the conditions of Austin are fulfilled or “happy”. These limitations of SAT are exposed by the author to show that not the convergence of some external factors
(customs, language, oral mimesis, suggestion) accounts for the miracle, healing or exorcism, but the unconditional faith in the power of Jesus’ name (Acts 3, 16) the revelead Name of the New Testament, “the Name above every name”.
The second volume (Exodus and Leviticus) of the series “The Bible according to the Hebrew Text”, ... more The second volume (Exodus and Leviticus) of the series “The Bible according to the Hebrew Text”, a Romanian translation of the Masoretic Text, with notes and comments, published by Humanitas.
The project was initiated under the aegis of The New Europe College.
***
Volumul de faţă, „Exodul. Leviticul” este al doilea (primul fiind Geneza) dintr-o serie care va cuprinde traducerile celor treizeci şi nouă de cărţi ale Bibliei ebraice însoţite de studii introductive, note şi comentarii.
Acest proiect a fost realizat în cadrul Colegiului Noua Europă.
Hristos, Mesia, Mântuitorul, Fiul lui Dumnezeu, Fiul Omului, Logosul: oare între atâtea titluri ... more Hristos, Mesia, Mântuitorul, Fiul lui Dumnezeu, Fiul Omului, Logosul: oare între atâtea titluri mai recunoaștem Numele lui Dumnezeu? Care era semnificația numelui Iisus în iudaismul celui de-al Doilea Templu și ce se întâmplă cu acest nume, în mediul iudeo-creștin, după Întruparea, Răstignirea și Învierea Mântuitorului? Care este diferența între persoana Iisus și numele ,,Iisus”? Cum și când ajung primii creștini ,,să cheme numele Domnului” (Ioil 3, 5, cf. Fap 2, 21), cu referire la Iisus? Când anume are loc trecerea de la expresia veterotestamentară ,,numele Domnului” la sintagma „numele Domnului Iisus” și mai apoi la metonimia ,,Numele” din scrierile neotestamentare? Cum se răsfrânge teandria Mântuitorului asupra numelui Iisus? Cum anume se ajunge la adorarea numelui teofor Iisus împreună cu numele divin YHWH, fenomen unic în lumea iudaică? Care sunt raporturile dintre invocarea numelui divin Iisus și puterea, respectiv autoritatea acestuia? În ce anume constă rolul sfințitor al Numelui în raport cu botezul, mirungerea, euharistia și chiar crucea? Prin ce se deosebește folosirea ritualică a numelui Iisus față de practicile magice în care se conjură numele divine? Cum a evoluat teologia numelui Iisus după anul 70 d.H., când începe separarea creștinilor de evrei? Ce legătură există între această teologie iudeo-creștină a numelui și "rugăciunea lui Iisus" apărută ulterior în monahismul egiptean și lumea siriacă?
Posibile răspunsuri la aceste întrebări le găsiți în cartea de față, unde autorul regăsește rădăcinile iudeo-creștine ale "rugăciunii inimii", pornind de la puterea rostirii cu credință a Numelui mai presus de orice nume – Iisus.
Volumul de faţă, Geneza, este primul dintr-o serie care va cuprinde traducerile celor treizeci şi... more Volumul de faţă, Geneza, este primul dintr-o serie care va cuprinde traducerile celor treizeci şi nouă de cărţi ale Bibliei ebraice însoţite de studii introductive, note şi comentarii.
Ediţie îngrijită de Francisca Băltăceanu şi Monica Broşteanu
Traducere, studii introductive şi note de Francisca Băltăceanu, Monica Broşteanu, Melania Bădic, Emanuel Conţac, Octavian Florescu, Victor-Lucian Georgescu, Cristinel Iatan, Alexandru Mihăilă, Delia Mihăilă, Ovidiu Pietrăreanu, Tarciziu-Hristofor Șerban, Silviu Tatu