Original scientific paper

Church between two opposite nostalgias

Željko Mardešić ; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Split

Abstract

Ali religions of the world are nostalgic in their essence, since they
long to draw, as near as possible, to the primeval holy time when, to
their belief, there was perfect order, complete human happiness and
the nearness of divinity on the earth. Some kind of earth-Eden.
Contrary to these religions, Christianity holds the principal
transhistorical and historical event took place in the middle of time,
not at its beginning, in God's embodiment at the time of Roman
occupation of Palestine. Thus, Christianity turns to the memory¸through the eucharist celebration and the prayer "Do this memory of
me".
But, besides this nostalgia, there is another, contradictory
nostalgia in Christianity; the one that remembers the wordly power of
the established Church grown from Constantin's heritage, lending his
the law, constitution and ideology. And they are precisely the two
nostalgias that will dialectically take turns in history, from the
begining of Christianity to the present day. The Second Vatican
Council wanted to overcome that dualism, shifting away from any
wordly power or coming under the authority of state. However, the
conflict between the two nostalgias goes on, through in different
forms and expressions. Therefore, every Christian is called, in
himself, for resolving that duality in favor of Christ and against any
wordly power.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

39046

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/39046

Publication date:

21.6.2001.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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