Editorial

Abstract

JAAS hereby presents the 2025 issue of our journal. We have given this issue the title “Ecclesiology,” as the articles in one way or another circle around this topic. The first article is by Leonardo Nunes, “The Heavenly Sanctuary Motif in Revelation 21:3 and the Issue of Omnipresence: A Case Study.” He begins by showing how concepts of pantheism, classical theism, and panentheism distort the biblical portrayal of God’s presence, particularly as it relates to the heavenly sanctuary. Focusing on Rev 21:3, he argues that the tabernacle described there “functions both as a concrete, eschatological space where God resides with His people and as a representation of His all-encompassing presence.”

The next three articles are more historical. Bohdan Koval, in “The Role of the Church Fathers’ Legacy in Eastern Orthodox and Adventist Hermeneutics,” contrasts the Orthodox and Adventist views of the Church Fathers. He argues that as Adventists, we have emphasized sola Scriptura and, to some extent, neglected thorough studies of the Church Fathers. More reflection on the Church Fathers can help us think more deeply about the roles of “tradition, authority, interpretation of Christian theology, and biblical hermeneutics.”

Denis Kaiser writes the third article, “Episcopal Ordination and the Breaker of Succession: Martin Luther and Nicolaus von Amsdorf.” He recounts the historical circumstances and political dynamics that led up to the ordination of Nicolaus von Amsdorf in 1542, the first Lutheran bishop in Germany. Kaiser explores Luther’s pamphlet Exempel, einen rechten christlichen Bischof zu weihen, where he rejected apostolic succession, criticized Catholic sacramentalism, and redefined episcopal authority as a ministry of the Word.

Anthony MacPherson and Lea-Anne Smith take us further up into modern times, with their article “A Tale of Two Movements: Spirituality as Driver of Adventist and Pentecostal Differentiation.” While Adventism and Pentecostalism share similarities historically, they show how both also have distinct concepts of spirituality, and how these have remained with a rather “profound continuity” historically. They propose that these differing understandings of spirituality are also a key to understanding why the two movements have diverged over time.

Finally, our last article in this issue takes a more missiological turn. Youssry Guirguis discusses the concept of remnant in the Qurʾān in “A Study of the Word Baqiya (Remnant) in the Qurʾān: Its Historical and Theo-logical Implications.” He identifies the six Sūwar, 2:248, 278; 11:86, 116; 53:51; 55:27, as using baqiya بقِ يَ (“remnant”), and discusses how we should understand its usage in the Qurʾān as it relates to the concept of remnant. He also reflects on how we can relate missiologically to muslims given our respective views on the idea of the remnant, and also what we as Christians can learn from a muslim perspective.

For the upcoming issues, we are working on a project called Living word, Living Culture. The goal of the project is to develop an incarnational model to faithfully live according to Scripture in various cultural settings. As a university, AIIAS is located in Asia with a very multicultural student body and faculty representation. Our vision for the journal is as follows: “The Journal of Asia Adventist Seminary (JAAS) is a leading venue for publishing studies with Adventist and world perspectives in the Bible, spirituality, theology, history, mission, and ministry.” We therefore feel a special responsibility to contribute, both scholarly and in our church setting, to how we can live more faithfully to Scripture in our various cultural settings. Many see a tension between the Bible and culture. But we also believe that taking the Bible and culture seriously, engaging in deeper reflections around the Bible from various cultural perspectives, can be a resource for how we can live more faithfully to Scripture in our concrete cultures. The articles should therefore reflect deeply on areas where the Bible and culture meet. We invite submissions for this project and hope to be able to publish a series of articles on this topic in the upcoming issues.