ACTA facultatis theological Universitatis Comenianae Bratislaviensis is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal, which aims to present the results of scientific activity as professionals and doctoral students working at the faculty, as well as authors from other universities and scientific institutions in Slovakia and abroad in all theological and related disciplines.

Current Issue

The issue 1/2024 is available in pdf format for download in the Archive.

Contents

The Natural Law is a Basis of Human Rights

Summary: The article analyses what natural law is and how it influences morality and human rights. Natural law is a system of law based on a close observation of natural order and human nature, from which values are deduced. From this fact follows the universal validity of natural law. Although the central ideas of natural law had been part of Christian thought since the Roman Empire, the foundation for natural law as a consistent system was laid by Aquinas, as he synthetized ideas from his predecessors. In opposite, the legal positivism refuses the concept of human nature as well as it´s intrinsic finalism and so the respect of human rights is exclusively left to unbounded human freedom and to the contract with the others.

PhDr. Jozef Uram, PhD.
Comenius University Bratislava
Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology of Cyril and Methodius
Department of Christian Philosophy and Historical Sciences

The Meaning of Matt 28:16-20 in The Gospel of Matthew

Summary: The text of Matthew 28:16-20, which is the final pericope of Matthew’s Gospel, and which provides the account of the appearance of the risen Jesus to the eleven disciples on the mountain in Galilee, is its climax, where all the major theological statements of this Gospel are brought together in the form of Jesus’ “testament.” In Matt 28:16-20 we find at least thirteen major themes or motifs that refer to the previous passages of Matthew’s Gospel and which reach their climax here: Galilee, the mountain, the adoration associated with doubt, Jesus’ approach to the disciples, the declaration of receiving all power in heaven and on earth, the commission to make disciples, the command to set out on a journey, the conferring of baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, the teaching activity of the disciples, the keeping all of Jesus’ “commandments/directives”, the mention of all nations, the promise of Jesus’ presence, the time indication “the end of the age”. The pericope of Matt 28:16-20, which may be regarded as the climax of Matthew’s Gospel, summarizes the main theological statements of the preceding sections, and presents guidelines and safeguards for the time of the Church.

Doc. Dr. Petr Mareček, Th.D.
Palacký University Olomouc
Sts Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology
Department of Biblical Studies

The Theological Virtue of Faith in Receiving The Sacrament of Marriage

Summary: In The Reciprocity between Faith and Sacraments in the Sacramental Economy, the International Theological Commission discusses the reciprocity between faith and sacraments in the context of the sacramental economy. Attention is given both to the relationship of initiation sacraments and faith and to the relationship of faith and marriage. In our study, we have given attention to the topical theological-pastoral issue that deals with the interrelationship between personal faith and marriage. The importance of the issue stems from the reality of the current mental attitude of believers (often also non-believers) who are interested in entering into a marriage union, but their faith is not in often at the required level. Based on the document of the International Theological Commission, the study presents the complexity in the light of the current teaching of the Catholic Church on the issue of the sacrament of matrimony. The reciprocity of faith, which is meant to be dialogical in relation to the gift of God´s love, is examined in the context of another document of the International Theological Commission, The Catholic Doctrine on the Sacrament of Matrimony (1977), as well as in correlation with the teaching of the other three Popes. The examination of the issue does not provide strict answers to the questions that have been raised, but it does provide a solid basis for further consideration in order to specify how faith, as a personal response to God, is crucial for the proper conclusion of a marriage union. The topic appears to be a common theological-pastoral platform for the development of cooperation between experts in dogmatic and pastoral theology in synergy with experts in the field of canon law.

Prof. ThDr. Anton Adam, PhD.
Comenius University in Bratislava
Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology of Cyril and Methodius
Department of Systematic Theology

Is a Universal Definition of Human Enhancement Possible and Needed?

Summary: Human enhancement is a reality that cannot be avoided. Sometimes it can be seen literally as a social imperative. However, the technological interventions that humans face in enhancement often raise legitimate concerns and questions that we have not yet asked. These challenges are not only anthropological, but also fundamentally ethical. It is therefore legitimate and necessary to attempt to draw an ethical line between permissible and impermissible human enhancement interventions. This article asks and answers the question of whether it is possible to draw a clear boundary that is applicable to the entire field of human enhancement.

Doc. ThDr. Ing. Vladimír Thurzo, PhD.
Comenius University in Bratislava
Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology of Cyril and Methodius
Department of Systematic Theology

The Episcopal Collegiality Expressed by The Synod of Bishops

Summary: The article discusses one of the two subjects of power in the Church, the college of bishops and, in particular, the expression of its power in the Synod of Bishops. Theology and canon law clearly declare that power in the Church is an organized service to the faithful. The highest power in the Church expressed in the college of bishops is a manifestation of their shared responsibility for the same universal Church which is present and expressed in local churches as well. By establishing the Synod of Bishops, the II. Vatican Council created a very flexible ecclesiastical body, where bishops representing individual episcopal conferences from around the world, offer the Roman Pontiff great help and precious advice. In essence, the Synod of Bishops acts permanently, creates a closer community between the Pope and the bishops, offers him advice and examines issues related to the activities of the Church in the world. The theory of episcopal collegiality and the functioning of the synod of bishops are summarized here.

Doc. JUDr. ICDr. Juraj Jurica, PhD.
Catholic University in Ružomberok
Faculty of Theology

REVIEWS

SVOBODOVÁ, Zuzana – BLAŠČÍKOVÁ, Andrea.
Být, poznat a milovat. Augustínovský dialog.
Praha: Karolinum, 2023, 112 s.
ISBN 978-80-246-5622-9.

Oľga Gavendová

William Griffin.
C. S. Lewis: Spirituality for Mere Christians.
Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2007. 222 pp.
ISBN 978-1-59752-649-4.

Martina Juričková

Defended dissertation theses at FRCTH CU in the academic year 2023/2024

ThLic. Michal Mališ: Vývoj motívu obrátenia v synoptických evanjeliách a jeho recepcia vo Vulgáte. Textologický a teologický výskum pojmov „metanoéo“, „epistréfo“ a „metamélomai“
Supervisor: doc. SSDr. Blažej Štrba, PhD.

ThLic. Ľubomír Švorca: Viera ako skúsenosť v učení Josepha Ratzingera
Supervisor: prof. ThDr. Jozef Krupa, PhD.

Published/updated on 11.07.2024