Professor-Friar Ivan KARLIĆ was awarded the 2022 National Prize for Academic Research for his textbook, “The God-Man Jesus Christ: Messiah, Son of God and Savior.” It was published by the Kršćanska Sašnjost Publishing House in Zagreb, Croatia.
The Republic of Croatia awards this national prize in recognition of important academic accomplishments made by its citizens and doctoral students. During its meeting on November 13, 2023, the Parliament of Croatia decided to award the prize to Friar Ivan KARLIĆ. The book in question is Friar Ivan’s second textbook on Christology. His first, “Introduction to Christology,” was published in 2001, and has become the standard university and academic introduction to Christology in the Croatian language.
The second volume was written after a twenty-year effort by the author on this topic. It contains Christological reflections and lessons from the Christology course taught at various theological schools in Croatia and abroad, in particular, the Catholic Theological Faculty of the University of Zagreb where Friar Ivan works as a professor of dogmatic theology. The book was published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the publication of what had been the first and only textbook on Christology in Croatian, written by Professor Ivan BUJANOVIĆ.
This textbook by Friar Ivan KARLIĆ contains academic research and activities. It is both an academic work and a university manual, and it can be considered the first contemporary textbook on Christology written in Croatian. It is a work of lasting and historical significance in the sphere of Christological thought and Croatian theological-literary creativity.
Friar Zlatko VLAHEK, Provincial Secretary
