Bulzan, Ovidiu Simion (2008) Church architecture and Baptist missions in Transylvania 1871--1918: A study of the role played by vernacular architecture in the missionary efforts of the Baptists in Transylvania, 1871 -1918. Doctoral thesis, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Chapter 1 states one primary research question that has informed this study: Could the Transylvanian Baptist Pioneers have been more effective had they used the Romanian vernacular architecture when building their church structures? The first chapter includes several other issues that have been researched as secondary research questions: (1) Is there formative power in architecture? (2) Can the nonverbal provide what cannot be totally translated into verbal theology, and is there in Protestantism anything that would assure art's necessary place? (3) Can theology be complete until the arts, in particular church architecture, become an intrinsic moment of theology itself? (4)What are some of the architectural means that could have contributed to a better cultural translation of the gospel? (5) Does an interdisciplinary study support the essential role of architecture in general and of church architecture in particular? (6) Are there any signs that would point to a renewed interest of theology in the visual arts? (7) Was there any interest, awareness or concern with church architecture in nineteenth century Transylvania? Chapter 2 examines, explains and illustrates the concepts of space and place, as the raw material with which architects, the "shepherds of space" operate. The research question of this chapter include: (1) Did the debate with reference to the goodness or perniciousness of the inclusion of the visual and the role of elaborate church architecture affect Protestant church architecture? (2) Does Protestantism acknowledge that language cannot be absolutely accurate? (3) Would this recognition have lead to a reevaluation of the role of metaphor, myth, analogy and the like, to the rediscovery of the sense of mystery and enchantment? (4) Does art have the unusual capacity to document and embody "L'esprit du temps"? (5) Can the artifacts of religious belief and practice exist as a compelling category of evidence for informed historical and cultural analysis? (6) Why have the religionists only recently discovered the importance of space, objects, art and architecture? (7) Are there any signs that confirm that the role, presence and functions of church architecture have become more significant, and are likely to increase in the future? (8) Is there any evidence to support that an authentic work of architecture is an oriented, calculated construct purposing change? Chapter 3 attempts to explain "sacred space" through the History and Philosophy of Religion categories, as it has been understood and set in stone anthropologically and ecclesiologically, as "House of Heaven" and "House of the Door." The reader is also introduced to the Protestant missiological and theological underpinnings of two, at times divergent, understandings of this Locus Sanctus: as "House of the Lord" and "House of the people of the Lord." Among the questions that have informed the research have been: (1) Can the church buildings function as structures by which a local Christian community identifies itself in a given locality? (2) Is the local church's self understanding important in the building effort in stating its identity as well as in assuming destiny? Does a church need to evaluate the statement their building makes and how will it be understood by the surrounding neighborhood? (3) Does a church need to have a theology of building before building? (4) Are church buildings recognized by the surrounding communities as monuments and repositories of communal, local history, and religious identity, independent of the church's self understanding? Chapter 4 introduces the reader to an understanding of the Baptist missionary endeavors in Transylvania and the Principality of Romania. The research questions that have guided chapter four were: (1) In what ways did the historical situation of the late nineteenth century affect the free circulation of the working masses of the Hapsburg and Prussian Empires? (2) What were the theological influences that reached the Eastern side of the Habsburg Empire? (3) Were the German Baptists under the sway of the same missionary ideologies as their Protestant co-nationals? (4) In what ways was the Principality of Romania attractive for the large numbers of emigrating Germans? (5) Why did the Reformation ideals stop short of influencing the large Romanian population in Transylvania? (6) What was the rationale for which the Transylvanian Baptist Pioneers neglected the vernacular architecture in building their churches? (7) What were the missionary methods of the Baptists that would explain their fruitfulness? Chapter 5 reiterates some of the information pertaining to the hurdles faced by the Transylvanian Baptists in their missionary endeavor, and notes their extraordinary courage, selflessness and capacity to forgive centuries old injustices and pains at the hand of their own Transylvanians, as well as considerable opposition from local authorities and distrust from their co-nationals.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | published by LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing (1. September 2009) |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Architecture; Churches; Romania; Baptists; Theology; Space |
| Subjects: | A Church/mission history G Christian traditions/Denominations > Baptist |
| Divisions: | Central Europe > Romania |
| Depositing User: | Users 3 not found. |
| Date Deposited: | 04 Apr 2019 18:14 |
| Last Modified: | 20 May 2021 15:52 |
| URI: | https://ceeamsprints.osims.org/id/eprint/1561 |
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