Slavic Biblical Commentary presented in Kyiv
Following the five years’ preparation, on October 1, Dragomanov National Pedagogical University in Kyiv hosted a presentation of the first coherent commentary on the canonical books of the Bible entitled “Slavic Biblical Commentary. Modern biblical perspective.” It was a real breach of Eastern theologians’ silence for the first time over more than 100 years. The Commetary responds to modern issues and challenges of modern life for a Christian.
The release of Slavonic Bible Commentary is a miracle, Serhiy Sannikov, a doctor and chief editor underscores. “There was no additional commentary other than 12 volumes, published as early as in 1903. The reign of atheism suspended theological reflection. But the recent events urged to present the biblical text in the context of contemporary reality. This book gives us a rational experience of commenting the Bible. It was very important to bring to the modern reader a text that can answer many social challenges, as well as respond to events around us.”
The project manager was Doctor of Theology, Chairman of Education Development of Euro-Asian Accreditation Commission Taras Dyatlyk. According to him, the release of the Commentary was made possible due to the golden age of religious freedom in Ukraine, which is hard to imagine in and cannot be always found in Europe. “I would like to emphasize that this is a collective effort, because everyone adheres a particular theological tradition,” he stated. “Working with with teachers - is like herding cats, so it was hard to create something to be supported by several theologians. But we were able to come together and respond to social challenges. I am particularly grateful to the Russian authors who participated in the work without being afraid to write about their own experiences and find answers to urgent questions in the Bible.”
It should be added that the Commentary includes 94 evangelical authors from 10 countries, which focused on the Synodal translation. The project was developed for over five years under the auspices of the Euro-Asian Accreditation Association of Evangelical schools with the support of Langham Partnership International.
“Every age reads in the Bible itself,” MP Viktor Yelenskyy said. “It still remains the most readable book in the world. This work evidences the rehabilitation of theology in Ukraine, including in the scientific framework. The Commentary is a contribution to the to humus, where Ukrainian humanities and social sciences such as history, philology, and even sociology are set to grow. It is worth particular mention that this comment appeared in the year of 500th anniversary of the Reformation, which we will celebrate at the state level.”
The greetings on the release of the Commentary were conveyed b the President of the Ukrainian Bible Society commandant Gregory, Senior Bishop of the Church of Evangelical Christians of Ukraine Mikhail Panochko and senior presbyter of the Kyiv Regional Association of Evangelical Christians-Baptists Mykhailo Andrashko.
“The projects of such profile require the fullness of time, beginning with the material aspect and ending with the available spiritual and intellectual elite that can implement the project,” Viktor Bondarenko, the corresponding member of National Academy of Sciences, Honored Scientist of Ukraine, greeted the collaborators. “It also matters in the confessional perspective, as all churches can see their accents in the text and draw their own conclusions.”
