Sapientiana

A Historical Witness of Catholic Education Theory

2025-08-14T14:05:42+00:00

In my study, I survey the history of Catholic educational theory as it was reflected in Hungary’s first journal of pedagogy Religio és Nevelés (Religion and Education) in the period of 1841-1848. The focus of my research is on the question of how educational theories of various periods are documented by one of the oldest Church journals of our country. The first and second part of this investigation was published in the previous issues of Sapientiana (2023/2, pp. 35-56 and 2024/1. pp. 35-57).

Playful Methods in Religious Education.

2025-08-14T14:05:42+00:00

This study explores the application and effectiveness of playful methods in religious education, focusing on their impact on student motivation, engagement, and educational outcomes. Based on a quantitative survey of 250 religious education teachers from various denominations and school levels, the findings reveal that playful methods – such as role-playing, dramatization, biblical board games, and digital quizzes – significantly enhance student participation and attention. A strong correlation was found between methodological preparedness and positive attitudes toward playful teaching. However, broader implementation is hindered by time constraints and shortcomings in teacher training. The study provides practical recommendations for religious teacher education and methodological support, contributing to pedagogical renewal in the 21st century.

La lectio divina d’Irénée de Lyon : canon, exégèse, et l’exemple du mariage

2025-08-25T12:08:04+00:00

Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, a pre-monastic author, cannot be said to be a specialist of Lectio Divina. He is too ancient and too polemical. Furthermore, what we consider today as Scripture was still in a formation process at his time. The oral tradition often took precedence over written texts. Nevertheless, together with the Rule of faith and the Apostolic succession, the Holy Writ is a pillar of Christian revelation, according to Irenaeus. This standpoint provides him a key role in the formation of the biblical canon. Though the canon in the second century is not yet a defined list of biblical books as we know it today, it is already a structured series of writings with a threefold status : prophetic, evangelical and apostolic. On these grounds, Irenaeus confidently unfolds his theological argumentation in an anti-gnostic context and for the promotion of a theology of the body and the flesh. The theme of marriage is a good illustration of this strong and flexible biblical hermeneutic and this approach can be useful for our Lectio Divina today.

Post-Traumatic Theology?

2025-08-14T14:05:42+00:00

Sexual and spiritual abuse has been a major issue in the Catholic Church for almost four decades in the USA and almost two decades in Europe. The paper assesses the phenomenon of abuse from a theological perspective, highlighting its structural, historical, and ecclesiological-moral dimensions. Without analysing any concrete cases and the special attitude of any local church, it aims to investigate the background motives and institutional-intellectual conditions which made abuse possible. The author insists that it is vitally important to identify potential dangers for recent theological reflection concerning this crucial theme: although the issue of abuse is to be taken seriously, it may not be a reason for urging doctrinal or major structural changes in the Catholic Church.

Glimpses of Hope

2025-07-10T09:02:28+00:00

Drawing on Roman Catholic and ecumenical expertise, this article takes an honest look at the experiences and hopes of those abused. Many in the churches assume that victims seek financial compensation or legal redress. However, research indicates that many victims primarily seek truth and justice as a means of closure and that their struggles with church leadership arise when truth and justice are repeatedly withheld. This makes forgiveness near-impossible and often results in the victim being re-traumatized by the systemic re-abuse they experience. Ultimately, there is no substitute for full and genuine meeting with victims, which requires the church to lay aside its power and authority and engage with humility and proper deference to the victims abused at the hands of the church. Without such openness, the victims cannot move on, and neither can the churches.

This study will be accessible online from January 2026.

Le charisme au fondement de la vie consacrée et de nos instituts (Hungarian translation)

2025-08-14T14:05:42+00:00

This article explores the role of charisms in religious communities and seeks answers for the following three questions. First, how can one grasp the charism that lies at the foundation of a particular religious order? Second, in what way can the spiritual and institutional dimensions of such charisms be cherished? Third, what responsibility does one have with regard to the special charism of a particular religious order?

Recenziók

2025-07-10T09:17:39+00:00

This journal section contains critical book reviews and review essays of current Hungarian and international scholarship that embrace the disciplines covered by the journal.

2025. január–június

2025-07-03T06:02:41+00:00

This section contains a short overview of events and news that took place at Sapientia College of Theology during the given semester.