Aspects of Applied Ethics in the Spiritual Autobiographies from the Orthodox Space in the 19thand 20th Centuries

Iuliu-Marius MORARIU

Iuliu-Marius MORARIU “Babeş-Bolyai” University, Faculty of Orthodox Theology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Keywords: Saint Silouan the Athonite, Saint John of Kronstadt, journals and memoires, autobiographies, moral and applied ethics

Abstract

Despite its importance for contemporary theology, spiritual autobiography hasn’t been highlighted enough in the Orthodox Theology until now. This is the reason why this article's aim is to bring into attention this important genre of the Orthodox Theology and to highlight some of its particular aspects. Thus, in this research, we will emphasise the way in which the most important aspects of applied ethics are presented by authors such as Saint John of Kronstadt, Saint Silouan the Athonite, but also by other authors of memoires and autobiographical works, which contain aspects of spiritual autobiographies. We will try to present how they see the neighbour in their works, their position as to moral and ethical principles, and what they think about social, moral and bioethical issues such as suicide, birth or death. We will also try to compare their ideas with those of other authors of spiritual autobiographies from the same period, but from other confessional spaces (e. g. Catholic or Protestant), in order to create bridges between the Orthodox Christian spirituality and other Christian spiritualties. Then, we will try to highlight the actuality of their thoughts and markings and to see how their ideas can be used in Theological research and in everyday life by a simple faithful. In conclusion, the research will try both to bring into attention an area of research that hasn’t been investigated and to offer an interesting and useful approach for the everyday life of the contemporary Christian.

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