Heinz-Uwe Haus

Biblical certainties – Comments about

Theodor Damian:
Cuvânt însetat de tăcere / Words longing for silence, Editura Eikon, București 2025, 124 p *

No more profound and intimate expression of America’s spiritual life can be found than the work of its poets. From Anne Bradstreet to the Beats, from Native American chant and Shaker hymnody to Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, religion and spirituality have always been central to American poetry. The course of history weaves a tapestry from the many strands of American religious experience and practice: the searching meditations of Puritan pioneers, the evangelical fervor of the Great Awakenings, the mystical currents of Transcendentalism, the diverse influences of the world religions that have taken root in modern America.

Contemporary Christian poetry in the United States is diverse and includes poets from various denominations and ethnic backgrounds. It reflects the cultural and theological plurality of American Christianity. The Romanian-American Orthodox theologian Theodor Damian is such a poetic voice who integrates the Christian spirituality of his origins into his new homeland. Other influential representatives of faith-based poetry like Wendell Berry, Christian Wiman, Marilyn Nelson, and Scott Cairns come to mind. These poets are recognized in both literary and faith communities for works that engage deeply with Christian values and themes. In view of the increasing secularization of Western societies, the narrative of lived faith seems convincingly sustainable.
In Damian‘s case his poetry increasingly explores fundamental questions about his own identity, life, and death. The focus is not only on praise or supplication to God, but rather on the abysmal nature of human life and the world itself. A worldview that has its roots in the individual salvation of Christianity and the writings of mystics. The reader experiences what cannot be denied: it is the turning to God that gives new strength. Both biblical certainties and experienced events are put to the test and must prove themselves: could there be a realm of absoluteness in which all the provisionalities and imperfections of my factual existence would be suspended?

The poet discovers the "longing for silence", the souls deep desire for a direct, unmediated encounter with God, free from the distractions of the world and the self.

Words longing for silence
And the sky is spinning again
as it always does when it longs
for a thunderbolt
whenever you do not have to leave
and yet you long for departure
as my words
long
for the silence of the beginning

This silence is not empty but is a sacred space where God can be heard in a "soft, quiet voice" through contemplative practices like prayer and solitude. The metaphor represents a surrender of self-will and a journey into the profound, mysterious presence of the divine, which is believed to be more accessible when one is still and receptive. What a beautiful example of the Western understanding of healing, finding divine order that offers comfort and gives hope. „From the bible“, Damian summarizes, „one can tell stories that spring from profound human experiences, putting into words the fundamental problems, profound experiences, and timeless perspectives on life“. (1) No wonder the bible is the most literarily exploited book ever. For what stories are preserved there: tales of love, guilt, and shame (Adam and Eve), of jealousy and fratricide (Cain and Abel), of mass death and salvation (Noah), of megalomania and confusion of tongues (the Tower of Babel), about blessing and deceit (Isaac and Jacob), about self-sacrifice and tyrannicide (Esther and Judith), about love, wisdom, and trust (Ruth), about incarnation and sacrificial death (Jesus), about loyalty and betrayal (Peter), about calling and mission (Paul) — and these are just a few of the narrative highlights of this „unique library of humanity called the Bible“(2).
Truly, what material for writers!

Damians poems are about promoting intellectual engagement with coping with life, as well as developing practical social skills. Our real world consists of many natural or artificial boundaries, walls, windows, doors and gates, which limit our view or even guide it in a certain direction. They are completely normal… Artists such as René Magritte have used the motif of the door as a gateway to a higher, unreal reality, thereby questioning our perception of reality. Whether it is the gate to a secluded monastery or the symbolic gate to heaven, or the wallpaper door on the 7½ floor in Being John Malkovich (directed by Spike Jonze, USA 1999) that leads into his brain. Or Billy Wilders The Apartment (USA 1960) or Breakfast at Tiffanys, in which the respective apartment doors also represent something like the entrance to the inner world of the main characters.

Beyond
A door is beautiful because it opens
allowing our longing
To go in and out
Its beauty will last long enough for
what we have discovered
to leave behind what
can never be seen
Like a relic, wherever we go,
we carry that door on our backs
poor pilgrims that we are
crossing strange places
A door alone can open
and let us see beyond
in order to die and be reborn
as we should

In Christianity, we know, the door has many meanings: in early times, the door of knowledge was the gateway for Abraham, Isaac, and the apostles.
It can symbolise Jesus as the way to salvation (John 10:9). It also stands for access, protection and community, which is reflected in the significance of church and house doors and the blessing of houses. Furthermore, it can represent the way outwards and missionary work.

The theologian Damian presents the poet Damian with the riches of biblical certainties, allowing the reader to share in the salvation of Christian existence. The Christian universe comes to mind in its simplest and most profound proclamation: the "star is born", the Star of Bethlehem, which symbolized the birth of Jesus Christ. The poet imagines a divine sign that guides the magi to find the newborn Messiah, signifying both the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and the arrival of a new, extraordinary talent or savior.

and yet this road
harbours day and night alike
There is something more to add
this poem does not say it all
but, if you read it
from first to last
and from end to beginning
it tells you a lot
if you hide yourself
for the the time it take
for a star to be born
within each verse

The poems reflect gratitude for blessings, the transience of life, and hope for eternal life.
"Gracious light" symbolizes divine illumination, grace, and guidance from God, representing enlightenment, spiritual understanding, and the transformative power of faith. This concept is found in scripture, with God being called the "light" and the source of all gifts, and in classic hymns like the vespers hymn "Phos Hilaron," which is a prayer for "O gracious light". The "light" dispels darkness and evil, provides hope, and helps believers find their way on their spiritual path.

Gracious light
The moon rises
above the cavern
gracious light of sacred glory
above the worshipper
kneeling and praying
this light ignores what is underneath
the man has no idea he is kneeling
in the desert where sick waters
by tomorrow will have gone dry
That will be the moment when
you move mountains
like Mary of Egypt,
whose sluttiness freed her
that will be the moment when
you pray but know not where you are
and what you are doing
since you have already turned
into a prayer yourself

Through this "gracious light," malevolent forces are overcome and beauty displaces the darkness associated with evil, highlighting the transformative power of faith. The poem quoted is one of the strongest examples of the masterful combination of literary representation and thematic mastery. These are lines that stick in your mind because they so succinctly summarize a particular gestus and the emotions associated with it.

Damians poetic achievement lies in his confident handling of Christian values for todays spiritual destiny. His profound knowledge and unerring persuasiveness bring the stories and myths of Western identity back into the readers consciousness. Fascinating is the world depicted by actions and attitudes such as those of Mary of Egypt (born around 344 in Alexandria, died around 421 or 430 near Jericho), the early Christian hermit, venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches. Her life is known only from legend.

Each of us needs a Mary of Egypt
to lead us
from the place where we died
to the place where
nobody dies any more...

The beauty of Damians poetry unfolds in the rediscovery of the mysteries of faith that have been immortalized in human stories. The legend embeds Marys story told by the monk Zosimas.

According to her, she was a prostitute in Alexandria. One day, she decided to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. At the door to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, she was prevented from entering three times by an invisible hand. Only after praying before an icon of Mary was she able to enter the church, where she converted to Christianity. She retired as a penitent to the desert beyond the Jordan. So much for the historical facts. But then there is the legend, which begins forty-six years later and is recounted by the Monk Zosismas. How it documents Gods miraculous power, which defies any factual assessment of reality, gives interpretative authority. Let us just think about how the monk buries the dead woman. Although she had been dead for a year, her body had not decayed. While Zosimas was still thinking, a lion appeared and dug the grave with its paws, into which Zosimas then laid her. What a sign of Gods presence and His action! How such a miracle has touched our self-image since time immemorial and led us to spin tales is documented in all areas of art—from churches in Italy to Belarus, in painting and poetry in the Western world. Damian brings the presence of the meaning and forms of this legend to poetic reflection. His poems are a kind of shorthand notes on coping with life in a way that pleases God. They create “use value” (Brecht) for Christian heritage through exploring its broad wealth.

In iconography, Mary of Egypt is often depicted naked and covered only by her hair, with three loaves of bread and a chalice. As stated she is the patron saint of penitents and repentant sinners. She is invoked in prayer against high fever. In medieval pictorial representations, such as on winged altars, elements of her legend are often juxtaposed with those of Mary Magdalene and sometimes even mixed together, often shown in art with angels assisting, highlighting themes of redemption and divine grace. But this heritage lives on not only in art and literature; it also makes its presence felt in everyday life. The poets verses find an audience and capture hearts.

Faith, doubt, salvation, the challenges of modern life, the relationship between church and culture, and the “American experience” from a Christian perspective are current topics among American youth. The growing ability to have those conversations is a sign of the changing cultural zeitgeist. From apologist Wesley Huff’s recent conversations with Joe Rogan and Andrew Schulz to atheist Richard Dawkins declaring himself a „cultural Christian“ to political scientist Charles Murray’s new book Taking Religion Seriously, it seems much more normal to have a conversation about Jesus now these days all over the US. Gen-Z men and women are about equally likely to say religion is important to them, that they pray daily, and that they believe in God with absolute certainty. Christian pop music in 2025 features upbeat, faith-focused tracks (artists like
Forrest Frank, Jordan Feliz, TobyMac, Blessing Offor, and Taya come to mind), blending pop sounds with worship, with popular themes of joy, gratitude, overcoming struggles, and Gods presence, showing continued growth with millions of listeners weekly.

Damian‘s poems are a testimony to the Christian spirit and its unremitting quest for ultimate truth and meaning. The author mobilizes with his poems the incomprehensible: he opens a dimension of magic that points to something greater - a kind of ‘basic religious need’, an anthropological constant. And the fact that these stories are inextricably linked to human experience and interpretation, indeed, according to the biblical self-understanding, to the self-revelation of the one and only God, increases their appeal, provocation, and challenge. Biblical narratives are and remain fundamental testimonies of the “relationship with God”.(3) All the more so because the Bible tells stories but does not exhaust them. It is up to the reader/listener/believer to discover them for its use. „We need to read Scripture not just to know facts about God but to know him intimately, personally, developing a deeper and richer communion with him where contemplation gives way to transformation (2 Cor. 3:18; Rom. 12:22).“ (4)
The theologian and poet Theodor Damian convincingly combines both talents, as this new collection of poems movingly demonstrates.


Notes:

* Theodor Damian is a theologian, writer and editor. He is Professor Emeritus of Human Services and Education at the Metropolitan College of New York; president and founder of the Romanian Institute of Orthodox Theology and Spirituality, New York and of the Literary Society “M.Eminescu”; priest of “Sts. Apostles Peter and Paul” Romanian Orthodox Church in New York; he has published about 40 books in the fields of theology, philosophy, poetry, and literary
criticism in English, Romanian, German, Albanian and Spanish.


1) Charles Helmetag, notes from a discussion at 11th Conference of the International Society for the Study of European Ideas (ISSEI), 28 July – 2 August 2008 at the Language Centre, University of Helsinki, Finland (unpublished)
2) ibid
3) See Albert Biesinger/Christoph Schmitt: Gottesbeziehung. Hoffnungsversuche für
Schule und Gemeinde (Freiburg/Basel/Wien 1998)
4) Ben Leblanc, in: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/post-literate-pastor/

Dear Prof. Uwe,
Your commentary on Prof. Damians Christian poems is so insightful and pragmatic. Your vast knowledge of the Bible and keen observation of human life experiences are respectful and admiring. Damians poems, however, are intricated with the Biblical poetic tradition, that is, the books of poems: Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and song of songs. His metaphorical use of the "door", for example, is rich and diverse in meaning and theology significance. And he uses legends to illustrate his theological imagination and poetry.

Poetry is life, Especially life manifested by theological truths.

Dear Friend, and my mentor, as I promise, your article will be published in my website(www.ahkue.com) in next January. I need to contact that lousy computer engineer as soon as possible.

Best wishes
Your loyal friend and staunch follower
Paul Tseng