A History of Dogmatics in Romanian Orthodox Theology is an original work designed in three volumes: 1) A History of Dogmatics in Romanian Orthodox Theology. The Dogmatic Tradition in Ancient and Medieval Romanian Theology; 2) A History of Dogmatics in Romanian Orthodox Theology. From the Beginnings of Seminary Theological Education in Romanian to the Establishment of Communism; 3) A History of Dogmatics in Romanian Orthodox Theology. From the Establishment of Communism to the Challenges of Postmodernity. Only the second volume was published in 2013 by Prouniversitaria Publishing House in Bucharest.

The volume covers a large part of the period which I included in a different form in the work, Dogmatică şi dogmatişti. Prolegomena privind aprofundarea Teologiei Dogmatice în România în a doua jumătate a secolului al XX-lea şi începutul secolului al XXI-lea (Dogmatics and Dogmatists. Prolegomena Regarding the Deepening of Dogmatic Theology in Romania in the Second Half of the 20th Century and the Beginning of the 21st Century) initially appeared in Timisoara (2008), then in Iaşi (2017). I developed this pioneering work in Romanian Orthodox Theology using different method from the one utilised later. The three volumes should have a unitary approach method of topics and phenomenology. Although the method is different, I used a significant part of the data already present in the work, Dogmatics and Dogmatists, in the structures and content of this work, along with certain personal researches already published in magazines and specialized volumes: Aspecte doctrinare ale dialogurilor teologice dintre Biserica Ortodoxă şi celelalte Biserici din a doua jumătate a secolului al XX-lea şi relevanţa lor pentru ecumenismul actual in Elemente de istorie, doctrină şi practică misionară: o perspectivă ecumenică, Editura Universităţii “Lucian Blaga”, Sibiu, 2006, p. 271–290; The Function of Human Reason in the God-Man-World Relationship as Reflected in Fr Dumitru Staniloae’s Annotations in the Romanian Philokalia, in The third International Symposium of the IAODT. The Function and the Limits of Reason in Dogmatic Theology, Editura Astra Museum, Sibiu 2012, p. 165–182; Receptarea Documentului Botez, Euharistie, Preoţie în Dogmatica românească şi importanţa acestuia astăzi, Constituţia sacramentală a Bisericii. 30 de ani de la lansarea Documentului “Botez, Euharistie, Minister” la Lima (1982–2012), Editura Vasiliana, 98, Iaşi 2014, p. 58–68; in Father Justin Popovich: The Biblical and Patristical Hermeneutics of the Dogmas of the Twentieth Century in Journal of the Orthodox Theological Faculty, University of East Sarajevo, Special issue, Commemorating 20 years from the founding of Theological Faculty “Saint Basil of Ostrog” in Foča, May 2014, p. 77–88; Primacy and Synodality in Primacy and Synodality, Editura Universităţii “Aurel Vlaicu”, Arad, 2017, p. 5–12; Father Dumitru Staniloae and the Renewal of the Orthodox Dogmatics in Romania, T, 81(2019), 4, p. 38–50; Repere ale gnoseologiei ortodoxe în sinteza neopatristică”, in Cunoaşterea lui Dumnezeu în Teologia dogmatică ortodoxă. Premise spiritual-eclesiale şi provocări actuale, eds. Vasile Cristescu, Nathanael Neacşu, Astra Museum&Doxologia, Iaşi, 2020, p. 131–169; Importanţa şi locul teologiei icoanei în Dogmatica ortodoxă, Icoană şi mărturisire în viaţa Bisericii, Ioan Cristinel Teşu, Cezar Paul Hârlăoanu, eds., in Editura Doxologia, Iaşi, 2021, p. 30–45.

The first volume includes the landmarks of Ancient Romanian dogmatic thinking and the reality of dogma as the foundation of Church life in the Romanian medieval period in the context of Reformation and Counter- Reformation. Ancient Romanian theology is a part of patristic theology, integrated into the Church’s dogmatic tradition. Ancient Romanian theologians took part in the formulation and proclamation of dogmas at the Ecumenical Councils. They were present in dogmatic debates regarding triadology and Christology and wrote dogmatic works that had an essential role in defending the dogmas of the Church. At the same time, through their writings, the Dacian-Roman theologians exerted a theological influence on the following patristic thinking being the “link” between the Christological syntheses before Chalcedon and those after Chalcedon up to Saint Maximus the Confessor and Saint John of Damascus. Their translations and dogmatic writings represent a model of ancient Church ecumenicity, the faith interest confessed by all Christians, and a bridge between East and West.

The second volume includes the historical course of Dogmatics in modernity, with its complex, polemical, symbolic, apologetic, and cultural implications in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. In this sense, I tried to present the various implications of the Orthodox dogma in the philosophical, social, national, apologetic, and missionary thinking, highlighting the multiple disputes around it or the dogmatic thinking argumentation of some theologians engaged in various apologetic arguments during the Interwar period. With their specific contributions, I tried to faithfully reproduce the guidelines of the translated Dogmatic Theology treatises and Dogmatic treatises elaborated by Romanian dogmatists. However, we can speak of a renewal of Orthodox Dogmatics in Romanian theology, starting with the contributions of professor Nichifor Crainic and father Dumitru Staniloae. At the same time, I pointed out the way some Romanian dogmatists criticized the various aspects of medieval scholasticism, remaining at the same time prisoners of this way of thinking and approaching Dogmatics in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.

The third volume includes the evolution of Romanian dogmatic thinking during the communist period in the context of the Ecumenical Movement and the challenges of modernity and postmodernity. In some places, it renders the content of ideas from the initial work published in 2008 and 2017 but under a different methodological and structural form and with other theological, dogmatic, ecumenical, and apologetic connections.

The wish to overcome the old method and to conclude the presentation of Dogmatics history in Romanian Orthodox theology in a unitary way in the three volumes was also enhanced by the kindness of professor Martin Illert, who proposed to publish the book – which, in fact, represents the third volume of the History of Dogmatics – at the prestigious Brill Schöningh Publishing House. Therefore, I thank him and remain deeply grateful.

The history of Dogmatics as part of Romanian Orthodox theology is identified with the itinerary of theology over the centuries and the life of the Church itself. It illustrates the Church’s life and itinerary of confession because the dogma of the Church was not separated from the spirituality, worship, and life of the Church. Yet, it represents the core of its faith, experience, and doxology. Dogmatics reflects the framework of a theological discipline, expresses the Church’s conscience and life, and influences its history.