Buk’a medresa u Mostaru

Author(s): Alija Dilberović / Language(s): Bosnian Issue: 17/2018

During the Ottoman rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina, educational institutions bearing the name buq´a were raised. One such buq´a was also in Mostar. About this school was written by Hivzija Hasandedić, followed by other researchers who dealt with the educational institutions of the city. However, it is unknown when this institution was erected and whose endowment was. A transcript of the waqfnama of the Mostars buq´a was found in a manuscript in the collection of oriental manuscripts of the National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo. Based on the waqfnama, information about the construction period, the builder, the character of the school and other details related to its material support can be found. This waqfnama can contribute to the study of the history of education and educational institutions in Mostar, but also to the general study of these lesser known educational institutions that were raised in our country during the Ottoman period.

A HÚSVÉT HOMILETIKUMA

Author(s): Károly Fekete / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 1/2019

The death of Jesus was the sacrifice of the obedient and loving Son until death. Good Friday and Easter are inseparable. The cross and the resurrection together make Jesus the Christ and the Saviour. The sacrifice of the cross is linked to the open tomb of our Lord. And this interconnection can invite us to rejoice. If I understand the significance of Easter, I can also believe in its reality. The resurrection must not only be taught, but also believed. Otherwise, my creed of the resurrection is sacrificium intellectus (the victim of reason), an empty, arbitrary, and contradictory statement.The triple benefit of the resurrection of Christ is referred to in the 45th question–answer of the Heidelberg Catechism as the three time planes: the past, the present, and the future showing the threefold consolation of the resurrection. The first time plane recalls the memorable past, the first Easter, when the Prince of Life came out of the tomb of Joseph Arimathia. The second time plane points to the present. Christ has overcome the power of death to learn to walk in new life right now. Everything that must happen to us must be under the power of the living Jesus Christ. The third time plane is the Future: Christ overcame the power of death, so there will be a resurrection for us. God brought life to triumph with the resurrection of Christ. His resurrection is the keystone of the glorious resurrection that will come upon Christ`s return.The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a guarantee of the renewal of the whole created world. The relationship between the present world and the “new heavens and new earth” (2 Peter 3,13) is characterized by continuity and discontinuity at the same time: we are waiting for the ultimate salvation that we have already “tasted” and which will be quite different from what we can think or imagine.

MONEY MATTERS IN PASTORAL VOCATION – AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

Author(s): Balázs Siba / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2019

The interviews conducted with the 33 Reformed Pastors in the Reformed Church in Hungary make it clear that that their relation to money bears an intrinsic ambivalence, which is part of pastoral identity. Living on the border between two worlds, the pastor carries the message of the Kingdom of God and represents a spiritual value system and lifestyle that is meant to be different from that of our world. Mostly, a shortage of money, social or clerical unfairness is mentioned in the interviews, however, amounts of money that are more than necessary can also create tension in a pastor’s life.

A „NAGY FELSÓHAJTÁS ZSOLTÁRA”. A ZSOLT 124 MAGYARÁZATA

Author(s): Zoltán Kustár / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 1/2019

The study examines Psalm 124, one of the greatest gems of the biblical psalm-poetry. After briefly expounding the metre, the genre and the poetic structure, the author dates the poem, analyzes the role of the Psalm in its immediate literary context, and provides linguistic, formal, tradition-historical and theological analysis passage by passage. The author regards the Psalm as one of the post-exilic impressions of the Zion theology along with the collection of Psalms 120–134 which was formed around 400 BCE. Regarding the form of the poem, it is masterfully structured. Traces of later adaptations and additions cannot be proven unequivocally. The theological specialties of the poem are the articulation of the preventive providence of God, the thanksgiving and the consistent trust toward the God of Israel. The Psalm fits in well with the collections of Psalms 123–125 and Psalms 123–130, where the preceding Psalm of lament continues with the themes of thanksgiving and teaching, and goes further toward the theme of salvation of the end times.

DIAKÓNIA AZ ÚJSZÖVETSÉGBEN

Author(s): Viktor Kókai-Nagy / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 1/2019

Our research yields the conclusion that the diaconia is a general term, meaning the preaching of the gospel by words and deeds. The fact that in the NT, this activity is labelled as diakonia, marks that this is not a kind of function, competency, or privilege. It is a ministry for God and for humans and go-between God and men, mediator of divine message. This testifies to what God has done for us in Jesus. Both aspects of the practice of the diaconia are important (word and deed) for the ministry of salvation.

JÉZUS MISSZIÓJÁNAK CÉLJA

Author(s): Lehel Lészai / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 1/2019

The commission is due to the Father who tried to reconcile the world with himself by sending his Son to the mankind which became alienated from him. Jesus’ calling is not an invitation to a hermetically isolated community for a few elected Jews, who will later enjoy the blessings of their master’s proximity and the advantages of the security of his presence. Jesus’ calling viewed the commission. The way Jesus carried out his ministry of preaching and healing with the authority he received from God he sends his disciples to drive out demons and to heal diseases giving them the same authority and power. Service primarily means preaching the gospel. One of the aims of the appointment is preaching the gospel, which task the disciples fulfil obediently. Only Mark mentions the subject of preaching: the repentance. In the gospel of Mark the disciples do not proclaim the kingdom of God because they do not understand it yet, this is why they preach only about repentance so far. However, in the gospel of Matthew they preach about the coming kingdom of heaven. The apostles do not teach at Matthew, instead they are going to teach and explain the commandments only. Matthew makes a certain distinction between the verbs ‘to preach’ and ‘to teach’. Jesus never does preach to the disciples but he does always teach them. Ulrich Luz points to the fact that in the usage of Matthew the two verbs sometimes appear side by side. That is why their distinction remains an open question. In the gospel of Luke the issue is also discussed that the disciples preach the kingdom of God. Luke speaks in 4,43 and 8,1 about the content and implementation of Jesus’ mission, which almost word by word occurs again with regard to the disciples in 9,2 and 9,6. Besides preaching, ministry means healing as well. In the disciples commission these two instructions are combined most of the time. We can find many examples to this parallel in the ministry of Jesus too. Healing was a sign that indicated the arrival of the kingdom of God. In the most significant manuscripts the command for healing does not occur in Mk 3,15 but Mk 6,13 speaks very clearly about the fact that the disciples healed people. The apostles healed many people by anointing them with oil. Using oil as ointment was a widespread practice in that time, however what the disciples did was more than the activity of their contemporaries, because they healed in the name of Jesus. The disciples were not theios andres despite the fact that they preached and healed, because they did all this by the power of Jesus, as his commissioned followers. They had to use this authority in order to heal the sick. This instruction is in imperative mood and is subordinated to the preaching. In Lk 9,1 the disciples did not get authority only, as in Mk 6,7 but also power to cure diseases and cast out demons. Many people healed the sick in the ancient times but the practice of Jesus and his disciples was different from theirs because besides healing they proclaimed the kingdom of God.

RECENZIE - MARIA ȘTEFĂNESCU: DICȚIONAR ROMÂN-ENGLEZ DE TERMENI RELIGIOȘI CREȘTINI (ROMANIAN-ENGLISH DICTIONARY OF RELIGIOUS TERMS) EDITURA CASA CĂRȚII DE ȘTIINȚĂ, CLUJ-NAPOCA, 2017. ISBN 978-606-17-1277-4. 251 PAGES

Author(s): Olga Lukács / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2019

When one starts learning a new language, everything is new for them just like for a newborn. If the chosen language is English, then there is a kind of head start as a lot of English terms leaked into our everyday language. But irrespective of the language we learn, a learner’s best friend is the dictionary. Since words in English generally have several meanings, and what is more they can be perverted with all kinds of prepositions and other dreadfulnesses, words can mean lots of things.

KÖNYVISMERTETÉS - SOMFALVI EDIT: A GYERMEKKORI SZORONGÁS OLDÁSA BIBLIAI TÖRTÉNETEKKEL. DEMAX MŰVEK KFT. KIADÓ, BUDAPEST, 2017. 187 OLDAL. ISBN 978-963-89272-3-1

Author(s): Olga Lukács / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 1/2019

Azon a szülők esetében, akiknek a gyermeke szorong, gyakran a szülő is szorong, ha másért nem, attól, hogy mi lesz a gyermekével. A helyzetet bonyolultabbá teszi az a tény, hogy a szülők szorongása a gyermekek irányába is hat. A gyermekek egyszerű tudatalatti segítő szándékkal átveszik a szüleik problémáját. A szülők viszont a nagyobb tapasztalatuk révén képesek elsajátítani olyan technikákat, melyek révén a gyermeken is segíteni tudnak.

Víkingarvísur or Konungavísur? On the Potential Role of the Skaldic Viking Encomia

Author(s): Jakub Morawiec / Language(s): English Issue: 14/2018

Skaldic poetry that praised the deeds of the Viking heroes have been for a long time at the forefront of academic inquiry, particularly in the context of the Scandinavian activity in the region of the British Isles at the turn of the 10th century. Poems such as Hallfred Óttarsson’s “Óláfsdrápa”, Sigvat Þórðarson’s “Víkingarvísur” or Óttar Svarti’s “Hǫfuðlausn” have been perceived as testimonials to the memory of the Viking past, and they were often utilized by the poets themselves in their efforts to present their creative output as fundamental in the creation of the ideology of power. The presented article proposes a different approach to the poems praising the warrior deeds of the Scandinavian rulers. The author posits that the selected poems were not only meant to commemorate the warrior feats of their heroes, but first and foremost to emphasize their kingly attributes. To this end, the poems presented the victims of the Viking attacks as rebels and evildoers, righteously punished for their crimes by the sovereign and forced to recognize his authority.

Abraham Heschel i Thomas Merton – prorocze osobowości, prorocza przyjaźń

Author(s): Edward Kaplan / Language(s): Polish Issue: 31/2018

In his essay on the Jewish rabbi Abraham Heschel and his evolving correspondence with Roman Catholic monk Thomas Merton, Edward Kaplan focuses on the trope of prophetic personality, which is characterized by an emotional intensity and a heightened sensitivity to injustice. Involved in religious peace movements and motivated by compassion and the indignation caused by the brutality of war, arrogant nationalism, and consumerist addictions, Merton and Heschel represent the quintessential prophetic stance in the sphere of social action. Their friendship went through a moment of crisis when the Second Vatican Council was debating the so-called Declaration on Jews. It was then that both Merton and Heschel demonstrated, through their outspoken criticisms, the full meaning of prophetic protest against the abuse of doctrinal pronouncements. As shown by their examples, a prophet is one who respects and repairs the world which is our common home and does it in the name of God.

Sąd nad narodem. Thomas Merton, Frank Kowalski i Modlitwa o pokój w Kongresie Stanów Zjednoczonych

Author(s): James G. R. Cronin / Language(s): Polish Issue: 31/2018

On April 18, 1968, Frank Kowalski, a Democratic representative from Connecticut, addressed the House of Representatives on the perils of America’s imminent resumption of atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons through “a prayer for the preservation of mankind” written by Thomas Merton. The Congressional peace prayer is established within the corpus of Thomas Merton’s social writings. Yet, surprisingly, the prayer has received little critical commentary. This article seeks to probe deeper into the historical circumstances in which the prayer was written by highlighting coincidental contradictions in United States policy-making that took place on the day the prayer was read in Congress.

Power and the Definition of the Sacred; Popular Religious Regime Formation in Former Yugoslavia

Author(s): Mart Bax / Language(s): Croatian Issue: 16/1993

The dichotomy sacred-profane has long been fundamental to the study of religion and has resulted in the assumption of the existence of two separate realms. The rigidity of that separation as well as its static implications have met with severe criticism. One of its consequences was the development of a more dynamic approach of secularization; but curiously, sacralization, the logical opponent, has received virtually no attention at all. This article is an ethnographic attempt to overcome that one-sidedness. It illustrates that sacralization and secularization may be approached as dynamically related elements in a power process aimed at the collective definition of the status of a mountain in a Herzegovinian rural community. At a more general level, the article pleads for systematically investigating processes of meaning in terms of processes of power.

Materiały do historii altarystów kościoła Mariackiego w Krakowie w średniowieczu. Część 1: Kalendarz i nekrolog oraz katalog altarystów i benefaktorów

Author(s): Marcin Starzyński,Bożena Wyrozumska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 84/2018

The publication contains a critical edition with commentary of so far unknown sources, surviving in the 15th century redaction, concerning the history of the house of altarists of the Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary in Cracow, the calendar and the necrology (with early modern notes) and the catalogue of altarists and benefactors until mid-16th century.

Antropologia New Age

Author(s): Paweł Murziński / Language(s): Polish Issue: 4/2018

This article examines New Age anthropology in light of important changes that are taking place in western culture. These changes are undoubtedly due to many factors, but primarily to a crisis of Christianity, scientific revolution, and postmodern man’s search for alternative answers. The first two points of this article discuss the foundations of this anthropology, which are rooted in new scientific theories and their metaphysical interpretation in light of the concept of Eastern religions such as Hinduism and contemporary gnosis. According to these Eastern ideas and religions, man is an emanation of the Divine Absolute, who is an incarnate particle. This holistic outlook identifies the Creator with creation and is connected with an evolutionary (and not a creationist) worldview. The following point of the article discusses the concept of so-called “transformation of consciousness,” meaning the need to discover one’s true divine identity. This concept asserts that man’s rational identity is an “illusory I.” The final two points of this article present the consequences of this kind of human perception, or the cognitive process based on inner human experience, meaning so-called “enlightenment” (and not on objective Truth), and of the absolutization of the subjective conscience as the supreme tribunal based on having reached enlightenment. In this way, man’s divine identity, which blurs the boundary between that which is divine and that which is human, is the basis of New Age anthropology. In addition, New Age anthropology’s evolutionary understanding of the cosmos, including of man, leads one to conclude that human nature is subject to the processes of change that makes it possible for man to go beyond the limit within which he is understood as being a homo sapiens.

Godność ludzi wykluczonych, na peryferiach i... W 100-lecie odzyskania niepodległości przez Polskę

Author(s): Andrzej Proniewski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 4/2018

The dignity of a man who fits into his subjective existence is imperishable and irreducible. It implies awareness of subjectivity, the ability to reflect, identity, historicity, freedom, autonomy of the relationship. In individual dignity, man experiences belonging to a group whose functioning is often dictated by national dignity. A hundred years of Poles’ independence showed that the history of the nation affects the maintenance of the sense of individual dignity and the changing circumstances of life, often dictated by persecution or life on the periphery of this dignity, can not threaten. In order to show the dignity carried out in the period of one hundred years of independence, the following problems have been emphasized: the principle of human dignity (1), dignity as the basis of social life (2.), dignity crippled and trampled – exile, exile, emigration, periphery (3.) in defense of dignity (4.).

Pięćdziesiąt lat po wielkich uroczystościach – Międzyrzecz w kręgu obchodów 1000-lecia Państwa Polskiego i Millenium Chrztu Polski w 1966 roku (w świetle wybranych źródeł)

Author(s): Marceli Tureczek / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2018

In 1996, Międzyrzecz – at the time a town of about 12,000 inhabitants – became the location for the celebrations connected with the 1000th anniversary of the Polish State and simultaneously an important site within the then Zielona Góra voivodeship for the religious commemoration of the Millennium of the Baptism of Poland. In light of the socio-political situation in Poland at that time, the state and church celebrations occurred independently of each other and, to a significant degree, had a competitive character; indeed, on the part of the Communist authorities there was hostility towards to the actions of the catholic Church. However, in both cases the choice of place was decided by the Polish Piast heritage of the town which, in a clear way for both the state and Church authorities, justified Poland’s territorial acquisitions after World War II. Still today there is a considerable material and intangible heritage in the town of these celebrations which – despite their importance transcending Międzyrzecz – is poorly recognised in the Polish literature. It should also be noted that, fifty years after these events, in 2016 Międzyrzecz once again became – due to its heritage and significance in the medieval history of Piast Poland – the location of state and religious celebrations on the occasion of the 1050th anniversary of the Christianisation of Poland. This time, the celebrations were held jointly.

Od Psałterza floriańskiego do Psałterza Wujka, czyli o trwałości polszczyzny biblijnej

Author(s): Danuta Kowalska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2018

The aim of the article is to show the role medieval Polish translations of The Psalter (the Saint Florian Psalter, the Pulawski Psalter, the Cracow Psalter) played in shaping the Polish Psalter and biblical style, as well as to point out their stylistic influence on later Renaissance translations of The Book of Psalms and free translations (the Psalter by Walenty Wróbel, the David’s Psalter by Mikołaj Rej). The analyses show meticulous, conscious work of medieval translators done in order to shape the stylistic and linguistic layer of the translation. They also deal with the translators’ efforts and stylistic choices, such as conscious archaization or synonymy, that often are the effect of abandoning literal translation, which is against popular views of only word-for-word, mechanical translation of Latin Vulgate. The analyses indicate that the process of creating native biblical style of poetry is reflected in the earliest translations and editions of The Book of Psalms. Some of its features are preserved in Renaissance translations despite the revolution which happened in Polish biblical texts due to the Reformation and Humanism.

The Thracian Dionysos. I. Zagreus

Author(s): Alexander Fol / Language(s): English Issue: 0/1990

Aspects of the Royal Hestia. I. Hestia and the Idea of Autochthonicity

Author(s): Ivan Marazov / Language(s): English Issue: 0/1990

Phrygian Religion and Rituals: Indo-European and Non-Indo-European Components

Author(s): Vladimir Orel / Language(s): English Issue: 0/1990