THE CONCEPT OF HOSPITALITY IN CONTEMPORARY THEOLOGY

Abstract

Relevance and purpose of the study. In today's world, marked by global migration, political polarization and social alienation, the concept of hospitality is often reduced to the realm of service or formal etiquette. In the conditions of the war in Ukraine and the global crisis of trust, there is an urgent need to reinterpret hospitality as a fundamental theological and ethical category capable of transforming interpersonal relations. The purpose of the work is the conceptual analysis of hospitality in modern theology, the study of its etymological roots, biblical foundations, and the identification of the potential of this virtue for the formation of a new model of social interaction. Methodology and theoretical background. The research uses a comprehensive approach, including an etymological analysis of the origin of the terms hostis and potis, as well as an exegetical method for the interpretation of key biblical stories, in particular the stories of Jael and the disciples on the road to Emmaus. The comparative theological approach made it possible to systematize the views of leading modern theologians, such as K. Paul, E. Auden, and A. Sutherland. Such a toolkit helped to consider hospitality not just as a custom, but as a complex ritual and spiritual law that regulates the relationship between «one's own» and «another». Results and conclusions. It has been proven that Christian hospitality is a radical way of being, which involves decentralizing one's own «I» for the sake of accepting the «other» and turning a stranger into a guest. This process is identified as a key element in God's mission of reconciliation. In the conditions of modern challenges, the theology of hospitality appears as a countercultural tool for affirming human dignity and creating an atmosphere of collective respect. Embedding this model into culture is critical to restoring social integrity and overcoming otherness through genuine acceptance and asylum.