The Role of the European Imperial Powers throughout the Armenian Schism in the 1870s

The Bull "Reversurus" (1867) and its dogmatic legitimization at the First Vatican Council in 1870 caused not only ecclesiastical controversy and Schism in the Armenian Catholic Church, but it had also wide political consequences for the Armenian Catholics in the Ottoman Empire. The conflict originally between the Armenian Catholics and Rome attracted very soon the attention of the European imperial Powers. France, the British Empire, the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and Russia were the main political powers who were involved in the Armenian affair. A full picture of the role of all these powers for the course of the Armenian Schism is missing. Mostly the role of France is foregrounded in the printed sources, as the main power, which supported the papacy to win during the Armenian affair. The role and the motives of the other imperial powers is almost missing. This article will try to describe as completely as possible the historical and political background, which brought to the escalation of the Armenian conflict beyond the national frontiers and led to number of conflicts at the international and transnational level. It will be shown that the imperial policy in Europe in the 19th century have played an enormous role throughout the Armenian Schism. It will be explained that several historical circumstances in Europe, especially the relation of the European imperial powers to each other as well as their expectations from the Ottoman Empire and its Armenian subjects were decisive for the duration and conclusion of the Armenian Schism.

Astrotheology: Exoplanets, Christian Concerns, and Human Hopes

Are there planets beyond our solar system? What may appear quite plausible now had only been a hypothesis until about twenty years ago. The search for exoplanets is driven by the interest in the “habitable” ones among them. Could such planets one day in the far future provide resources or even shelter for humankind? Will we find one day a habitable planet that is even inhabited? These kinds of imaginative speculations drive public interest in the subject. Imagining alien intelligent life in the universe is not at all new. When Ted Peters called for establishing the field of “astrotheology,” he was certainly thinking less of historical precedents than of something analogous to the emerging field of astrobiology. Will astrotheology result in the decentering of humanity in cosmic dimensions? One could also conclude that we are alone, at least for all practical purposes.

Dokumente der Berner Reformation: Disputationsthesen, Reformationsmandat und Synodus

Um ihrer Identität willen beziehen sich Kirchen immer wieder auf Texte aus ihrer Geschichte, vor allem aus ihrer Gründungsgeschichte. Sie sind sich bewusst, dass in diesen Dokumenten grundlegende Entscheidungen festgehalten sind, die für ihr Selbstverständnis nach wie vor relevant sind. Im Gespräch mit diesen Texten kann für die eigene Gegenwart geklärt werden, wie Kirchen ihren Auftrag wahrnehmen und wie Christen ihr Glauben und Leben ausgestalten können. In diesem Buch werden die drei zentralen Dokumente der Berner Reformation, die Disputationsthesen, das Reformationsmandat und der Synodus, welche die Berner Kirche geprägt und ihr ein unverwechselbares Profil gegeben haben, in zeitgemässer Übersetzung zugänglich gemacht. Sowohl die Disputationsthesen als auch der Berner Synodus haben der reformatorischen Theologie wichtige Einsichten vermittelt, manche ihrer Formulierungen gehören zu den Perlen der Reformation.