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Knowledge in the mystical tradition of Islam progresses from the exoteric to the esoteric. We are referring to a progress that transforms the reality of the sensible world into a way to get access to the secrets that only the devoted sâliq – wayfarer – is able to discover. On the other hand, the way and the thresholds along the way to the esoteric require perseverance, patience and bravery from the Soufi. The reason is the fact that the progress towards the esoteric knowledge is consubstantial with the progress towards the knowledge of God, the knowledge of the Truth. This knowledge is not available to everyone, but it divulges itself in the heart of the wayfarer as being God’s secret word. Le langage des oiseaux by Faridud- Din ‘Attâr, the text we deal with in the present paper, comes in the wake of the Soufi masters’ Thresholds leading to the esoteric knowledge, in many respects. Indeed, the birds crossing the seven valleys (thresholds, stations) in order to find the Simurgh (God) end up discovering themselves as being God. The illumination, God’s light, reigns then and the esoteric knowledge takes shape and makes sense, resulting in the access to the Numinous. Our paper questions the Thresholds of this mystical progress towards the ultimate experience of the Xvarnah, God’s light and glory.
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Benjamin Fondane is a Romanian author which at the age of 25 left for France, where he became a renown philosopher and expert in aesthetics. This modification of geographical coordinates had a significant impact on the author: the threshold he has to pass is not only linguistical but also creative. His life there isn’t facile and has to face the French language, which he knew but only by means of reading. Fondane’s meeting with Shestov was an important event in his life in France; it is Shestov who insists that he should read philosophy and also encourages him to write philosophy. It is for this reason that Fondane’s French poetry, his philosophical essays and aesthetic studies bear, to a certain extent, the mark of Shestov. Shestov and Fondane are philosophers of mystery and metaphysical anxiety, of the suffering of the individual and of the dialogue between man and God – if Shestov continues on the path of religious thought, Fondane remains more firmly attached to the Jewish spiritual identity and this fact is quite apparent – all of his philosophical and poetic work confirms it.
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When applied to language, the polysemic notion of threshold [seuil] refers to a transitional space where any linguistic stage is linked to preceding and following statements, to the before and the after. Unlike structural linguistics which studies language in a diachronic way, spoken languages do not show distinct linguistic stages and cannot thereby be studied in the perspective of an extended diachrony. They are only studied in a synchronic method especially when it becomes to study the speech of people before the invention of new technologies of recording. While linked with the precedent stage, a spoken language seems to be a variation resulting from it which announces the very future phase. In this way, they show continuously aspects of language change, which can be studied in the perspective of the Labovian “apparent time”. In the Tunisian context, the changes observed are, in part, “contact-induced” and seem to be reflected by the generalized practice of codeswitching. But, this practice, while motivated by communicative pressures, is intimately linked with the history of language contacts and with the ideologies (attitudes and representations) supporting their conflicting relations. In Tunisia, the language conflict results in paradoxical identities which muzzles speakers, and which does not enable us to indicate the orientation that language change will choose.
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This paper proposes a semantical, anthropological and semiological approach to the iconostasis of the Orthodox churches, defined as a threshold between the nave and the sanctuary, between the visible world of the worshippers and the invisible world of the heavenly powers and God. The paper considers a lexical-semantic study of two nouns used in French to refer to this dividing wall, as well as other words (and phrases) which designate other elements of the architectural ensemble which compose the iconostasis; this semantical study will be accompanied by a semiological analysis of the symbolism of the iconostasis (based on the works of liturgical hermeneutics) and of the the liturgical gestures which the iconostasis determines and guides from a semiological point of view, supported by a corpus of notes recorded in France and in Romania (during the liturgical practice) and by a few theological works.
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For religious and cultural reasons, from the 2nd Millennium onwards, lexicographic activity has experienced very significant development. If the first dictionaries in the West were the threshold for the understanding of religious texts, later, with the more and more frequent exchanges between East and West, bilingual dictionaries appeared, this time as a cultural threshold, with a modern language as the main language and emphasizing technical terminology rather than religious terminology. In our paper we will briefly present the evolution of dictionaries and then identify some specialty papers on religious terminology in Romanian and French. We will focus on the issue of translations from Romanian into French in the manner presented by Felicia Dumas in her papers, as well as the threshold represented by specialty dictionaries in religious translations, when talking about the representation of the Orthodox Christian religion in the French language. We will also present a comparative analysis between two French-Romanian bilingual dictionaries published in different centuries, to feature the threshold between the past and the present and the way in which the religious terms of an old dictionary are still taken up in another more recent one, despite developments and trends to remove them throughout history.
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The main cultural threshold to Romanian books from the Bessarabian space is represented by religious texts. These constitute the link between the Romanian background and the new historical context of Russian origin of the 19th century. These texts have had a dual role in the maintenance and development of Christianity on the one hand, and in the propagation of cult variants of the Romanian literary language on the other. This study will analyse the first Romanian book produced in this political framework dominated by the Russian Empire, a liturgical book printed by the Metropolitan Gavriil Bănulescu-Bodoni in 1815, in Chișinău. The Liturgy is written in Cyrillic script, in Romanian, but it strictly followed the compositional structure and formal organization of Russian books.
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Among the texts known to the Slavic people and ascribed to Athanasius of Alexandria there are seven that we find included in the medieval Triodion homiliaries. With the exception of one homily (i.e. Homily on the Betrayal of Jude), all of them were part of the Triodion Panegeric (Hilandar MS, Ohio, HM.SMS.404), whose origin is connected to the Patriarch Euthymius of Tarnovo and whose texts were later included in various Bulgarian, Serbian, and (sometimes) Russian miscellanea up until the XVII century. To have this many texts of Athanasius within one sbornik is quite unusual both for the Church Typica, and for the known Greek Homiliaries. It is suggested that this fact points to a unique feature of the type of Panegirics that were produced in the literary circle of scribes in Tarnovo.
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The article discusses some scholia by St. Cyril of Alexandria from the Greek Catena on the Book of Prophet Isaiah in comparison with the Preslav translation according to several representatives of the two Slavonic manuscript traditions – the Middle Bulgarian (F.I. 461 from the Russian National Library in Saint Petersburg) and the Russian ones (Mss. Chudovski 182, 183 and 184 from the State Historical Museum in Moskow and Ms. 89 and Ms. 90 from the Collection of the Troitse-Sergieva Laura). The parallels between the Greek and Slavonic manuscript traditions make it possible to draw the following conclusions. The complex Slavonic tradition should be explored because the Middle Bulgarian manuscript tradition is incomplete and represents only a part of the Preslav translation, and the conclusions made on its basis are incomplete. The parallel study of the Slavonic translation with samples from the Greek Catеnae shows that it is insufficient to work only with the full text of the commentary in Patrologia Graeca, as some translation decisions in Slavonic can be explained only by the Greek source used. The study of the scholia by St. Cyril of Alexandria in Slavonic translation, as well as the study of the scholia by Theodulus and John Chrysostom, point to the possibility that the Slavonic translation represents unknown or today unpreserved abbreviated version of the Greek catena.
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The paper analyzes the role of heritage of the Tarnovo Literary School in the preservation of historical memory of Bulgarians about their distant past of the period of the First Bulgarian Kingdom during the 15th – 16th centuries. The investigation shows that due to the heritage of the Tarnovo Literary School and connection with Slavonic Orthodox tradition the historical memory about St. Ivan of Rila and SS. Cyril and Methodius preserved.
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The Renaissance spirit of Veliko Tarnovo leaves its marks not only on the medieval Bulgarian art, but also on the art of the Bulgarian National Revival period. Its traces are noticeable even in the work of painters that have not had anything in common with the city. This is exactly the case with an icon by Nikola Vasilev – the most well-known icon painter from Shumen – painted in 1891. There the Holy Brothers are portrayed against the backdrop of a fantastical capital city named to be Preslav, but containing a sufficient number of credible elements to link it with the current appearance of Tarnovo at that time. The landscape consists fortress walls that look like those of Tsarevets and Trapezitsa and several large buildings, one of which resembles the Usta Kolyo Ficheto’s Konak. Tree Bulgarian national flags placed on decorated pillars crown the whole composition and remind of the Tarnovo Constitution, turning the image to a memoir of the spirit of that time. Although the icon was mentioned by Asen Vasiliev it has not been studied in details yet. Here it will be presented in the context of the iconography of St. Cyril and Methodius typical of Nikola Vassilev whose favorite storyline is the pictures of the Brothers.
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The aim of study is to analyze the İsmet İnönü era in Turkey during his tenure while concentrating on the challenges and shortcomings of democracy. The study will focus on various dimensions, including political restrictions, limitations on freedom of expression, one-party rule, electoral systems, socio-cultural factors as well as economic policies in order to offer a detailed examination of the complex dynamics which shaped the democratic landscape of Turkey of the time. Studying the mentioned dimensions is expected to uncover the factors which led to the inadequacy of democracy during the İnönü era and eventually to evaluate their implications for Turkey's democratic development, which on the one hand encompasses the succession from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the Republican People's Party's (CHP) dominant role and on the other hand emphasizes the consolidation of power and the challenges to political representation. Particularly, the analysis of electoral practices can provide insights into the limitations of democratic processes, such as restrictive laws, voter intimidation, and limited political pluralism. Moreover, the study will examine the impact of these challenges on democratic decision-making which would include but not limited to the centralization of power, the marginalization of opposition voices and their meanings for citizen participation. The study will also try to evaluate the restrictions on freedom of speech and the media landscape, discussing the limitations imposed on critical voices, media control, and its consequences on public discourse and democratic participation. In addition to these, the study is expected to assess the socio-cultural dynamics which would focus on İnönü's modernization policies and their impact on social transformation. The study will explore the tensions between traditional values and cultural constraints, too. This will be carried out by highlighting the challenges faced by less represented groups and the inclusiveness of the political system. The economic policies of the İnönü era, including the economic vision and development strategies will be scrutinized, with particular attention given to the socio-economic disparities and their effects on democratic participation as well as political power dynamics. Furthermore, the study will attempt to examine the international relations and foreign policy approach of İsmet İnönü. This examination will be through the consideration of the implications for democracy and Turkey's international standing. The influence of external factors on democracy in Turkey during the mentioned timeline will also be assessed. Finally, the study will be concluded with the evaluation of the legacy of the İnönü’s era, weighing the democratic gains and losses while drawing lessons for Turkey's democratic development and considering the implications for the post-İnönü era. This comprehensive analysis is expected to contribute to a nuanced understanding of the İsmet İnönü era's impact on democracy in Turkey which could highlight the complexities and challenges faced during his tenure. The critical examination of the various dimensions, the study will provide valuable insights for scholars, policymakers as well as for any expert who is interested in Turkey's democratic history and in the ongoing democratic journey.
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The publication examines the use of personal seals during the Bulgarian National Revival in the Middle Rhodopes. The specificity in the graphic layout of the inscriptions on the stamps is shown. The spelling patterns of the anthroponyms are presented. The symbolism included in the inscriptions is described and characterized.
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The Metropolitan Symeon of Varna and Preslav worldly known as Odysseas Papanikolaou (1841–1937) is one of the representatives of the Bulgarian renaissance culture who authored work in Greek. From the literary heritage of Metropolitan Symeon, have been preserved works in Greek from the time of his studies at the Holy Theological School of the island of Halki. This present communication addresses these passages as a source of linguistic features and personal style of the author.
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The Great Flood is a legendary story known from many ancient civilizations. The general idea is that the gods or god decide to destroy sinful humanity, but in the end they spare it by leaving a representative to repopulate the earth. Hardly anyone has not heard of the biblical Noah, God’s chosen one who survived the flood, but few know that long before history was recorded in the Bible, there was Ziusudra – the chosen one of the Sumerian gods who decided to destroy humanity as they unleash the waters and flood the earth. This paper presents a historical, geographical and substantive description of the cuneiform tablet revealing the history of the flood. Examples of other Sumerian cultural artifacts related to the myth are presented, as well as analogies with civilizations far and close to the Sumer, which in turn brings information about international relations in antiquity and the significance of a history present in human global civilization over the millennia.
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The Christian doctrine regulates human life, behavior, and relationships with relatives and strangers through the commandments. Breaking the commandments is considered a sin, and overcoming one’s own weakness leads to one’s betterment and one’s coming closer to God, which is ultimately the goal of every Christian’s life. The desire for wealth and well-being is characteristic of human nature, but the Bible says otherwise: “Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." (Luke 18, 25). This article examines the characteristics of the perception of wealth and work from the perspective of popular culture and religion.
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Napoleon’s conquests tailored a new map of Europe, and after his defeat a new European order had to be created. This was achieved at the Congress of Vienna, which lasted from September 1814 to June 1815. It was attended by as many as 64 delegations from various European countries, led mostly by foreign ministers. The most prominent participants were the foreign ministers of the European superpowers of Great Britain, Prussia, France, and the Habsburg Monarchy, as well as the Russian Minister of State. One of the key figures guiding the decisions of the Congress was the Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Klemens Lothar Wenzel Metternich. The main goals of the Congress were to restore rulers and states on the principle of legitimacy where possible, rewarding the victors, and to ensure peace. All states that had contributed to Napoleon’s final defeat made territorial gains. At the Congress of Vienna, the Habsburg Monarchy (Austrian Empire) confirmed its rule over the Lombard-Venetian Kingdom, and the Habsburg dynasty maintained its influence in other Italian states through its side branches. Dalmatia and the Croatian regions south of the Sava, and the Slovene provinces that had been under Napoleon’s rule, were restored to the Monarchy.
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Me ardhjen e osmanllinjve, në Ballkan ndryshuan shumë gjëra, ata sollën edhe fenë e tyre - islamin, që për popujt e Ballkanit ishte diçka krejt tjetër. Pra, përhapja e fesë së pushtuesve në vendet ballkanike me kohë mori hov të madh e sidomos tek shqiptarët. Ndonjëherë islamizmi pranohej sipërfaqësisht nga kryefamiljari e më vonë edhe nga meshkujt tjerë të rritur të familjes (por jo nga femrat - gratë), të cilët para pushtetit osman do të njihen me emra të rinj myslimanë për t’u paraqitur para pushtuesit si myslimanë për shkaqe tatimore, kurse në rrethet familjare fshehurazi ishin krejtësisht të krishterë sikur të gjithë të krishterët e tjerë.
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Punimi bazohet në zbërthimin e materialit origjinal nga Arkivi Shtetëror në Venedik (dokumente testamentare, kadastra, regjistra të bashkisë për shoqata artizanale dhe tregtare, shkrime të Zyrës për Arsenalin, e të tjera) dhe Arkivi i Vëllazërisë Shën Gjergji dhe Trifoni në Venedik (libra nga takime vjetore të vëllazërisë), si dhe në ekzaminimin e njohurive ekzistuese të historiografisë.
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