Atanasije Jevtić (

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (, ), also known as the Serbian script, (, ), is a standardized variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language. It originated in medieval Serbia and was significantly reformed in the 19th cen ...

: Атанасије Јевтић; 8 January 1938 – 4 March 2021) was a

Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the populat ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

who served as the bishop of Banat from 1991 until 1992, and the bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina from 1992 until his retirement in 1999. Atanasije was a long-time professor and former dean of the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...

. He was a leading expert on Patristics and has written a series of books on the subject. Together with bishop Amfilohije Radović, Atanasije translated the

Deuterocanonical books The deuterocanonical books, meaning 'of, pertaining to, or constituting a second canon', collectively known as the Deuterocanon (DC), are certain books and passages considered to be canonical books of the Old Testament by the Catholic Chur ...

of the Old Testament to

Serbian language Serbian (, ) is the standard language, standardized Variety (linguistics)#Standard varieties, variety of the Serbo-Croatian language mainly used by Serbs. It is the official and national language of Serbia, one of the three official languages of ...

Biography

Atanasije was born on 8 January 1938 in the village of Brdarica near

Valjevo Valjevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Ваљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Kolubara District in western Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 56,145 while the city admini ...

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

Consecration

On 7 July 1991 on the feast of the

Nativity of John the Baptist Nativity or The Nativity may refer to: Birth of Jesus Christ * Nativity of Jesus, the Gospel stories of the birth of Jesus Christ * Nativity of Jesus in art, any depiction of the nativity scene ** ''Nativity'' (Barocci), a 1597 painting by Fed ...

Archimandrite The title archimandrite (; ), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot ('' hegumenos'', , present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") whom a bishop appointed to supervise several "ordinary" abbots and monaste ...

Atanasije was consecrated as Bishop of Banat in the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in

Vršac Vršac ( sr-Cyrl, Вршац, ) is a city in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022, the city urban area had a population of 31,946, while the city administrative area had 45,462 inhabitants. It is located in the geographical ...

by Pavle, Serbian Patriarch, Metropolitan Nikolaj Mrđa of Dabar-Bosnia, Metropolitan Amfilohije Radović of Montenegro and the Littoral, Bishops Irinej Bulović of

Bačka Bačka ( sr-Cyrl, Бачка, ) or Bácska (), is a geographical and historical area within the Pannonian Plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east. It is divided between Serbia and Hungary. ...

, Stefan Boca of

Žiča The Žiča Monastery (, or ) is an early 13th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery near Kraljevo, Serbia. The monastery, together with the Church of the Holy Dormition, was built by the first monarch, King of Serbia, Stefan Prvovenčani, Stefan t ...

, Artemije Radosavljević of Raška and Prizren, Dositej Motika of Britain and Scandinavia, Nikanor Bogunović of Upper Karlovac, Vasilije Vadić of Srem, and Lavrentije Trifunović of Šabac and Valjevo. Atanasije also briefly served as administrator of the Eparchy of Raška and Prizren in 2010 after Bishop Artemije Radosavljević was forced to resign from his position due to alleged embezzlement of funds.

Illness and death

He died on 4 March 2021 in

Trebinje Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of the Trebišnjica river in the region of East Her ...

, from complications of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was buried at the cemetery of Tvrdoš Monastery three days later, on 6 March. Some authors described Atanasije's death as "the possible end of the golden era of theology". Porfirije, Serbian Patriarch stated that he is one of the three most notable Serb theologians to be recognized internationally. Patriarch Daniel of Romania stated that Anatansije's body of work is of significant importance to all Orthodox Christianity.

Awards

Order of the Republika Srpska The Order of the Republika Srpska () is the Republika Srpska's highest award. It can be awarded to any head of state, "exceptional person", or institution in recognition of "excellent work strengthening the national consciousness egardingthe ...

, 2012 * Order of Njegoš * Seal of herzog Šćepan, 2018

Selected works

* * * * * * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jevtic, Atanasije 1938 births 2021 deaths People from Koceljeva Bishops of Zahumlje-Herzegovina Eastern Orthodox Christians from Serbia University of Belgrade Faculty of Orthodox Theology alumni 20th-century Eastern Orthodox bishops 21st-century Eastern Orthodox bishops Serbian writers Serbian anti-communists Patristic scholars Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina Burials at Serbian Orthodox monasteries and churches Eparchy of Banat