Research projects

Csaba Balogh · 2020

In the study of the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible), the texts of the Ancient Near East are of primary importance. The Old Testament was written in a context which is connected with thousands of ties to the societies of the ancient world of the Fertile Crescent. The close connection between the Bible and the Near East is often explicitly marked by the biblical authors. On other occasions, further research is required to highlight the parallells. This research aims to make availablea representative collection of ancient texts in translation to Hungarian students and readers of the Bible. The translation is accompanied with the necessary annotations underlining the parallels between the biblical texts and its Near Eastern counterparts.

Csaba Balogh · 2018

The origins of the Book of Isaiah go back to the 8th century B.C., being one of the ancient books of the Old Testament. It is well-known, however, that the book was composed during several centuries. The purpose of this project is to examine this long compositional history of the book of Isaiah from its beginnings up to the moment that it has come to be included into the Old Testament canon.

Theodoret of Cyrus: Correspondence. vol. 3, The Library of Early Christianity (Washington D.C: The Catholic University of America Press) – Küroszi Theodorétosz levelezésének kritikai (görög és angol nyelvű) kiadása. Társszerzők: John Petruccione és Thomas Halton.

Theodoret of Cyrus: Three treatises (Expositio rectae fidei, De sancta et vivifica Trinitate, De Inhumanatione Domini), The Library of Early Christianity (Washington D.C: The Catholic University of America Press) – Küroszi Theodorétosz fenti műveinek kritikai (görög és angol nyelvű) kiadása.

A téma megválasztása korábbi kutatásaim eredményeire (esszénus mozgalom, egyiptomi therapeuták és hatásuk környezetükre) épül és annak folytatása. Ugyanis Jób testamentuma egyiptomi eredetű és több tekintetben mutat hasonlóságot az Alexandria szomszédságában letelepedett esszénus therapeuták gondolkodásmódjával. Róluk Alexandriai Philón írt a De vita contemplativa című művében, amelyet korábban már magyarra fordítottam és kommentáltam (lásd: Alexandriai Philón: De vita contemplativa).

Csaba Balogh · 2015

The current research project focuses on the Book of Habakkuk, providing a Hungarian commentary on the Hebrew text of this prophetic book. This biblical book was composed during the Neo-Babylonian period, a very significant transitional era in the history of formation of the Old Testament. This research goes beyond offering a mere philological satisfaction for a reader dealing with an ancient text and also highlights the book’s existential topics, such as social justice and its ultimate survival in a world wounded by oppression and arrogance.

A kutatási program célja az, hogy a magyar gondolkodás történetébe visszahozza a 250 évvel ezelőtt született Körmöczi Jánost, aki bár fontos bölcseleti műveket magyarító eruditus filozófus, kitűnő fizikus és egyházi ember volt, szellemi öröksége jószerivel ismeretlen a Kárpát-medencében. Tiszteletre méltó erőfeszítéseket tett ugyan Hajós József az 1970-es években kiadott tanulmányaival, majd Csetri Elek közreműködésével megindult az értékes levéltári forrásokat feltáró és megszólaltató kutatómunka.

Csaba Balogh · 2017

The question of the relationship between religion and violence is a frequent topic in contemporary discourse. The problem has been particularly heightened in the wake of the attacks of 11 September 2001. It is no coincidence that the relationship between religion and violence focuses above all on the relationship between Islam and violence.

The narratives of Jesus' miraculous deeds have a special place in the Gospel accounts. Not only do they exemplify the extraordinary power of Jesus, but, embedded in the narrative flow of the Gospels, they also carry deep theological meaning. In this research project, we will explore how the meaning of the miracle narratives is shaped and deepened by the context in which the evangelists placed them. The results of this research will be published in separate papers.

Various aspects of Paul's theology continue to be of great interest to New Testament scholars today. The results show that, despite the consensus reached, many questions remain unresolved. This is true not only for the details but also for the main chapters of Pauline theology. Further research is therefore not only recommended but essential. Comprehensive studies or clarification of specific details can be fruitful for a deeper and better understanding.

The debate over Romans chapter 7 has not lost momentum in recent decades, and is more heated than ever. The work of W. G. Kümmel, published in 1929, marked a major turning point in the history of research, but the literature of the past eighty-five years shows that, despite the momentary balance and the consensus that seemed to emerge at the time, scholars have still not reached a common position on even the most fundamental issues. The way we think about Paul's theology depends to a large extent on the way we look at Romans 7.