The first part of the day was dedicated to the reading of the Ancient Greek texts. Under the guidance of Associate Professor Maria Luiza Oancea (University of Bucharest), the scientific director of the event, our students continued the translation from the Platonic work "Gorgias", discovering the hidden values of the text and the role of the rhetoric in the polis. It was thus emphasized that translating from a classical language requires a deep engagement with the text, in order to reach the heart of its thinking, as well as overcoming many temporal, psychological, and cultural barriers, beyond merely rendering its words and forms. The translator is an alter ego of the author.
Father Ștefan Zară (University of Bucharest) delivered the ancient Greek seminar entitled "Traditio et innovatio: Classical Heritage in the Biblical Epigrams from Book I of the Palatine Anthology." Students had the opportunity to translate several Christian epigrams from the first book of the Palatine Anthology, examining the metric forms, rhetorical structures, as well as the Christian and didactic symbolism of a new aesthetic that emerges from the tension between Christian faith and classical education.
The second part of the day was dedicated to Semitic languages, Hebrew and Syriac, as important tools for the perfection of a philological and theological formation. Professor Mădălina Vârtejanu-Joubert (National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations in Paris) offered the presentation "Truth and Lies in Hellenistic Judaism: The Example of the Community Statute," highlighting the mentality of the fascinating community of Qumran in terms of a binary opposition between good and evil, truth and lies, light and darkness. It should be noted that Professor Mădălina Vârtejanu-Joubert provided the first complete translation in Romanian of a Hebrew manuscript discovered at Qumran, accompanied by the necessary philological and historical critical apparatus for understanding the text. Dr. habil. Cătălin-Ștefan Popa, the general director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Levantine Culture and Civilization, presented a series of Syriac manuscripts that highlight the evolution of Christian culture in the Middle East, emphasizing its resilience over the centuries, even in the most adverse conditions, which have led to the fragmentation of written sources in some of the most unexpected places. The manuscripts of high stylistic value, reflecting unique aesthetic traditions and regional styles, narrate the history, theology, and liturgy of the Syriac-speaking Christian communities throughout the Middle East.
