Last week, the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science gave its official approval to the final textbooks in the series produced by the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The new books on “Religion – Christianity – Orthodoxy” are designed for 10th and 12th graders, reports the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Textbooks for 1st-9th and 11th graders were already produced and approved in the past few years. According to the Church report, the now completed series brings an end to “75 years of a lack of an official curricula and age-appropriate aids for this educational subject.”

The new textbook for 10th graders discusses the teachings of Christ, the Ecumenical Councils as pillars in the preservation of the dogmatic purity of the Apostolic faith, and the contribution of the Holy Fathers to the confirmation of the Orthodox worldview for believers throughout all times. It also emphasizes the importance of Orthodoxy for shaping the cultural identity and the great spiritual achievements of the Bulgarian people.

The 12th-grade textbook emphasizes current issues such as the relationship between faith and knowledge, religion and ecology, person and community, Church and society, Orthodoxy and culture, and denominational affiliation and human rights.

“Both textbooks aim to strengthen the Orthodox identity of students,” the Bulgarian Church writes. The textbooks are provided to teachers for free. (Quelle: www.orthochristian.com, 17. August 2023)