An Analysis of the Publishing Activity of Keston Institute in the Context of its Last Three Years of Operation in Oxford (2003-2006)

By way of introduction, the study will give an outline of the history of Keston Institute (KI). It will then identify the period of three years (2003-2006) as the period during which KI attempted to integrate in the academic life of the Oxford University under the new director. The period ended with the effective closing down of the institution in its historical shape and with regard to many of its previous activities. On the surface this decision had to do with increasing financial difficulties, but it is the author\u27s contention that on another level it was an outcome of a clash of two differing views on the philosophy of KI\u27s mandate. The publishing output in the period under investigation will be singled out and analysed according to the temporal and geographical coverage of the contents of the KI publications. The conclusions will be shown to reflect the tensions present within KI in this period with regard to the possible future philosophy of research and the publishing policy of KI. One option which was advocating a wider geographical range and more contemporary topics (i.e. including the bulk of the former Eastern Europe, Europe in general but also North Korea and China) and, to some degree, a more overt use of the sociology of religion. The option eventually prevailed which supported a narrower perspective focusing on the topics dealing with the former Soviet Union, primarily Russia and the Ukraine, from a historical point of view, although also including some contemporary surveys (limited to that area). The study concludes with an outline of the subsequent (post-)history of KI which corroborates the results of the analysis and illustrates the practical outcomes of the decisions taken on the questions of research and publishing the journal between 2003-2005

Stomach, Hands, Legs, Feet, Eyes, Ears, Mouth, Upper and Lower Teeth, Molars, Eyebrows and Head: The Unity of Christians and the Ancient Topos of Body and Members

This article stems from the question of the source from which the Christian author Paul took the image of the body and its members and its head. This image appears in several forms in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians as well as in Romans, Colossians and Ephesians. The author asks how Paul used it when addressing the issue of the relationships among believers in the church as well as the relationship between the church and Christ. The author maintains that Paul adopted and adapted the ancient topos of the body and its members which appears in many authors from Classical and Hellenistic times, as in Stoic texts of Paul’s era. The key texts are reproduced in Croatian translation. Against these sources the author investigates how Clement of Rome used the same topos. The author concludes that ancient writers adjusted the topos to the aims of their texts and messages. The same applies to the aforementioned hristian writers. Of the two, Paul adapted and developed (more thoroughly than did Clement) the ancient topos to the Christian teaching about the church, and filled it with theological meaning

“Tabita”: Prvo baptističko udruženje sestara u Zagrebu (1937.-1946.)

Članak istražuje nastanak i djelovanje Sestrinskog udruženja “Tabita” pri Baptističkoj crkvi Zagreb 1937. Ključnu ulogu u osnivanju “Tabite” imala je Ruskinja Lidija Kalmikova iz Beograda. Prva predsjednica “Tabite” bila je Janja Baluban, a uz nju su važne zagrebačke Ruskinje Aleksandra Švast i Aleksandra Filipović. Druge istaknute baptistkinje ovoga razdoblja bile su Rozi Lovrec, Fani Lovrec, Katarina Gasteiger, Beti Bajs, Jozefina Vincetić, Marija Bistrović i Paula Dudović. Članak se osvrće na ustroj i pravila Udruženja, ključne događaje, djelatnosti, sastanke, propovijedi, teološka obilježja, posjete sestrinskim udruženjima u Hrvatskoj i prije i tijekom Drugoga svjetskog rata te kasnije nerazjašnjeno zamiranje Udruženja. Prikaz pruža uvid u značajan aspekt djelovanja manjinske vjerske zajednice u Zagrebu. U istraživanju su korišteni svi postojeći izvori, kako pisani (zapisnici, pisma, izvješća, članci) tako i usmeni (sjećanja, razgovori) te fotografije

THE BAPTIST CHURCH IN ZAGREB: EARLY YEARS, 1921-1927

U ovome članku autor se bavi poviješću baptista u Zagrebu od kraja Prvoga svjetskog rata do kraja 1927., odnosno obnovom Baptističke crkve u Zagrebu te njezinim ustrojavanjem u tome razdoblju i u širem kontekstu razvoja baptističkoga pokreta u Hrvatskoj i SHS. Ključne osobe bili su Ivan Zrinščak (1921.-1922.) i Josip Baluban (1923.-1927.), a uz Vinka Vaceka, koji djeluje iz Daruvara, poimence se spominju i ostali značajni zagrebački baptisti. Članak oslikava različite aspekte života zajednice kao što su bogoštovlje (vrste sastanaka, lokacije, glazba), obredi (krštenja, Večera Gospodnja [euharistija], vjenčanja, pogrebi), ustroj upravnog tijela (skupštine) te izbor i dužnosti crkvenih činovnika, stega, literatura, promidžbena djelatnost u društvu i odnos prema vlastima.In this article the author is concerned with the history of the Baptist Church in Zagreb from the end of the First World War to 1927, that is, with the renewal of the Baptist Church in Zagreb and its organization and growth in this period and within the wider context of the development of the Baptist movement in Croatia and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. The key figures were Ivan Zrinščak (1921-1922) and Josip Baluban (1923-1927), and along with Vinko Vacek, the head preacher responsible for Croatia, who operated from Daruvar, other prominent individuals are mentioned. The article examines various aspects of community life including religious observances (types of meetings, location, music), rituals and holy days (baptisms, Eucharist, marriage, funeral rites, new year liturgy), the administrative structure of the church body (assembly), the selection and responsibility of church functionaries, discipline, literature (the Baptist journal Glas evanđelja and other tracts), promotional activities in society and the church’s relationship to the authorities. The analysis is based on hitherto untapped primary sources as well as limited secondary sources and information from the journal Glas evanđelja