O niektórych aspektach παρικία w myśli wschodnich Ojców Kościoła. Przyczynki do teologii parafii

Abstract

The notion of παρικία has got a lot of source acceptations. It means Promised Land, temporary period of living, staying in foreign country, a baby in Egypt and Babylon, earthly life understood as a temporary place of living. It describes being in human world and submersion in earthly life, accepting the sense of transience of being on earth and human being of pilgrim to heaven; describes the community of Christians creating the People of God, emphasizing their alienation from among pagans, the lack of attachment to the world and directing to eternity, which is basic for them, and it reveals as the Church of God being in particular place in order to have the meaning of community organized in geographical- administrative unit. Παρικία in its source sense is the community which is the Church of God and a part of the universal Church, temporarily living in a particular place, alienated from the world, but organized in particular way and owning its territory, going to pilgrimages to their motherland in heaven, being led by their shepherd. This meaning functions as a term of diocese and parish. This diversity of this notion meanings is not the evidence of their development, but simultaneous concomitance in patristic documents many ways of understanding this word. Its wide semantic range shows that there is still a need of understanding the essence of parish in the lights of its sources, because only then, its full nature appears as the community temporary staying on earth and being on the way to God. This community is not only the sum of creating it units, but something, which enables every person to be the part of the Church.