Език, литература и идеи в древноирландския абецедарий „Altus Prosator“

Author(s): Rosen Milanov / Language(s): English,Bulgarian Issue: 1/2022

The Latin Christian literature in Ireland is a specific linguistic, literary and theological area. One of the works of this type of literature is “Altus Prosator” whose author is unknown, probably St. Columba of Iona († 610). In this article, the linguistic specifics, literary characteristics and theological ideas in the ancient Christian hymn are discussed. Linguistically, it stands out because of the presence of foreign loans and some unusual forms. From a literary point of view, it is an abecedarius (an alphabetical poem) without steps, but with rhyme. In a theological perspective, the poem is a kind of а confession of faith, а poetic history of salvation and a paraphrase of the biblical book “Apocalypsis”. All these circumstances make “Altus Prosator” the most valuable work of Ancient Irish Christian literature.

Софийските мъченици от XVI в. като продължение на „плана Кантакузин“

Author(s): Ancho Kaloyanov / Language(s): English,Bulgarian Issue: 2/2021

The martyrdom feats of George the New of Sofia, George the Newest of Sofia and Nicholas of Sofia the New for the Christian faith are organised by the Athos School for New Martyrdom, established in 1500. Considering their sequence (in 1515, 1540 and 1559) and the chosen location, they appear to be a continuation of the Kantakouzenos Plan from the last three decades of the 15th century, according to which the Patriarchate of Constantinople made an unsuccessful attempt to separate the Rila Monastery from the Great Church of Tsarevgrad Tarnov. Through the Athos import of new martyrdom in Sofia in the first half of the 16th century, the Patriarchate aimed to discredit the authority of the Great Church in order to seize the diocese of the Sofia Metropolitanate. However, this attempt was not successful: with the third martyr, the Bulgarians recognised the robber and his feat remained unheard, and the Torture of Nicholas of Sofia the New became known as late as in 1879 when its only copy by the Russian Slavist Polychronios Syrku was discovered in the Sofia Metropolitan Church.

Националният църковен историко-археологически музей в социокултурното пространство

Author(s): Anka Ignatova / Language(s): English,Bulgarian Issue: 1/2017

The National Church Historical and Archaeological Museum is one of the biggest and oldest museums in Bulgaria and is in possession of a unique fund of movable cultural valuables belonging to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The aim of the present paper is to present the role of the museum in the socio-cultural space accentuating on the different forms of communication within the territory of the museum as well as outside it. The analysis of the museum’s activities shows that the National Church Historical and Archaeological Museum still remains a classical type of museum failing to be in line with the notion of a modern museum institution. In this connection, concrete suggestions are offered with a view to its wider opening to the audience.

Българското Черноморие през XIV век – контактна зона на православие и католицизъм

Author(s): Momchil Mladenov / Language(s): English,Bulgarian Issue: 1/2017

The paper presents the place of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast in the geography of religious contacts and conflicts in the 13th – 14th centuries. This area is characterized by ethnic and religious diversity. But the local ethnic and cultural appearance is determined by the Orthodox population – Bulgarians and Greeks. In the first part of the paper, the author presents the Venetian commercial activities in Varna, Messembria, Sozopol and Anhialo. In the 14th century, the West coast of the Black Sea was gradually caught up in Genoese trade expansion. That is why in the paper, the problem is posed about the role of the Italian colonies as a factor for Catholic propaganda in the Bulgarian lands in the 14th century. According to the author in this respect, Venetians and Genoese had limited influence. More significant factor were the Catholic bishoprics in the Black Sea area. Among them the bishopric of Kaffa (present Feodosia in Crimea) stood out where in 1317, a Latin prelate established himself. During same military conflicts on the Bulgarian Coast in the 14th century, separate cases of religious confrontation were observed. The paper also examines the role of the Orthodox episcopates and monasteries. In the 14th century, no elements of strong confrontation between Orthodox Christians and Catholics on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast could be traced. The conversion of particular individuals from Orthodoxy to Catholicism was due to concrete and extraordinary circumstances.

Православни архиереи, свещеници, енориаши в османски документи от фонда “Пископос калеми”

Author(s): Krasimira Mutafova / Language(s): Turkish,English,Bulgarian Issue: 1/2017

The present paper is based on selected documents (sultan’s orders, patriarchal and metropolitan requests – arzuhal, requests by parishioners, collective petitions – mahzar – of metropolitans and bishops of various dioceses, different types of income and expense excerpts, etc.) from the partly published fund Piskopos kalemi of the Istanbul Ottoman Archives. The author focuses her research interest on the specificity of the relations between the representatives of the higher clergy as well as on the relations between the parish clergy and their dependent congregations, on the one hand, and the Orthodox bishops, on the other. The result of the intrigues and conflicts between the three sides of the Orthodox community (prelates, priests, and parishioners), eloquently attested in the commented documents, is the direct interference of the Ottoman authority in spheres, which were legally protected against such interference.

Поглед към имотното състояние и доходите на свещениците в Търновско през XIX век

Author(s): Gergana Georgieva / Language(s): English,Bulgarian Issue: 1/2017

The clergy was an important part of the local elite in the Balkans and performed variety of functions. The priests were not only religious leaders but also community leaders who united and lead the members of Christian communities. In some cases, they acted as mediators between the local communities and the official authorities; often they pursued teacher’s career as an additional occupation to priesthood; and they were the most educated people in a given area and formed the substantial part of the intellectual elite. Definitely, they were among those people who influenced the life of the local communities. Therefore, it is useful to develop their group portrait by exploring the financial status and everyday aspects of their life. The study explores as case studies two villages in the central part of the Balkan Mountains – Arbanassi and Lyaskovets. In the 19th c., they were villages de jure, but de facto they functioned as small prosperous towns. Those two settlements could be characterized not only by their economic activity, but also by their strong relationship with the Orthodox Church.

Бащите на Търновската конституция – духовниците между политиката и религията

Author(s): Milko Palangurski / Language(s): English,Bulgarian Issue: 1/2017

According to the 1878 Berlin Treaty, the Bulgarian state is a constitutional monarchy. The establishment of the Organic Statute was entrusted to the Constituent Assembly summoned by the Provisional Russian Administration. The leaders of the Bulgarian Orthodox Exarchate, as well as representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Muslims and the Jews, occupied a special place in this task. The forefront of the meeting was given to the priests due to their great influence in forming the Bulgarian society. Their educational background was related to two of the most conservative structures of the nineteenth century – the Russian theological educational institutions and the Patriarchate in Istanbul. Their careers in the religious institutions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate defined them as followers of century old canonical rules, thus their inability to become a part of the progress. All this, plus their important role as teachers, writers and spiritual leaders, took them to the conservative sector of the gathering. They failed to enforce their vision for the constitutional arrangements, thereby creating conditions for reducing their role in the future political life of the country. For a very short period of time, a “political secularization” took place and all of the religious communities were removed from the political scene.

Благотворителност и Църква през 30-те – 40-те години на ХХ век в Търновска епархия (по документи от Държавен архив – В. Търново)

Author(s): Lora Doncheva / Language(s): English,Bulgarian Issue: 1/2017

The article is an attempt to reveal the charity activity of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in the Tarnovo diocese in the second half of the 1930s and the late 1940s. The chronological limits of the study are determined by the election of Znepolski bishop Sophronius for Metropolitan of Tarnovo in 1935 and the adoption of the Law of Religious Denominations in 1949, that put an end to charity activity of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The article clarifies the relationship between the state and the Church in the sphere of charity activity before and after September 9, 1944.

Represje wobec duchowieństwa katolickiego w Warszawie (1939–1940) w zeznaniach składanych przed Główną Komisją Badania Zbrodni Niemieckich w Polsce

Author(s): Karol Kalinowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 5/2021

Artykuł zajmuje się represjami niemieckimi wymierzonymi w duchowieństwo Kościoła katolickiego w okupowanej Warszawie w latach 1939–1940. Jego bazą źródłową są zeznania ofiar i świadków nazistowskiego terroru, które po wojnie zgromadziła Główna Komisja Badania Zbrodni Niemieckich w Polsce. Tekst przedstawia różnorodne aspekty stosowanej przemocy, zarówno natury fizycznej, jak i administracyjnej: od ograniczenia swobody kultu religijnego, przez aresztowania, tortury, zsyłki do obozów koncentracyjnych, po egzekucje. Autor próbuje znaleźć odpowiedź na pytanie, co było głównym motywem prześladowań duchowieństwa: wyznawanie wiary katolickiej czy raczej przynależność narodowa. Celem analiz będzie ukazanie niezwykle zawiłych przyczyn represji wobec duchownych, którzy byli zarazem kapłanami, Polakami i członkami elity narodowej. Prześladowania duchowieństwa zostaną zaprezentowane na tle ogólnych represji niemieckich w Warszawie i Generalnym Gubernatorstwie, aby zastanowić się, czy księża stanowili jakiś swoisty przypadek, czy te działania okupanta były częścią szerszych zbrodniczych planów.

Repressions Against the Catholic Clergy in Warsaw (1939–1940) in Testimonies Made Before the Main Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes in Poland

Author(s): Karol Kalinowski / Language(s): English Issue: 5/2021

The present article concerns German repressions against the clergy of the Catholic Church in occupied Warsaw in the years 1939–1940. Its source base is formed from the testimonies of victims and witnesses of Nazi terror, collected after the war by the Main Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes in Poland. The text presents a variety of aspects relative to the violence, both physical and administrative, employed by the occupying forces, including restriction of religious freedoms, arrest, torture, transport to concentration camps, and execution. The author strives to identify whether the central motive for the persecution of the clergy was based on adherence to the Catholic faith or rather on nationality. The intention herein is to present the extremely complicated reasons for the repressions against the clergy, who were at once priests, Poles, and members of the national elite. The persecution of the clergy is presented in the more general context of German repressions in Warsaw and the General Government in order to facilitate consideration whether the clergy were a special case, or whether the occupier’s actions were part of a broader criminal plan.

Recenzje

Author(s): Piotr Salwa,Joanna A. Kościelna,Kazimierz Bem,Jerzy Sojka,Dariusz Krawczyk,Wojciech Kordyzon,Waldemar Kowalski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2022

Review of Andrzej Tadeusz Staniszewski, Historyje krakowskie. Funkcjonowanie narracyjnych tekstów popularnych we wczesnonowożytnej aglomeracji krakowskiej, Kraków 2020, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, ss. 320, 1 nlb., 8 ss. tabl., faksymilia Drew B. Thomas, The Industry of Evangelism. Printing for the Reformation in Martin Luther’s Wittenberg, Leiden 2022, Brill (Library of the Written Word – The Handpress World, vol. 96), ss. 360 Theodore Beza at 500. New Perspectives on an Old Reformer, ed. by Kirk Summers, Scott M. Manetsch, Göttingen 2021, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, ss. 391 Kazimierz Bem, Calvinism in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, 1548–1648. The Churches and the Fait hful, Leiden–Boston 2020, Brill (St. Andrews Studies in Reformation History), ss. LIII, 322, il. Michael P. Winship, Hot Protestants. A History of Puritanism in England and America, New Haven–London 2018, Yale University Press, ss. 351, 24 il.; David Hall, The Puritans. A Transatlantic History, Princeton–Oxford 2019, Princeton University Press, ss. 517 Valerie Smith, Rational Dissenters in Eighteenth-Century England. ‘An Ardent Desire of Truth’, Woodbridge 2021, Boydell Press, ss. 345 Elisabeth Heigl, Zwischen Selbstverwaltung und „furor cameralisticus“. Die Finanzverwaltung der Universität Greifswald 1566–1806, Stuttgart 2021, Franz Steiner Verlag (Beiträge zur Geschichte der Universität Greifswald, Bd. 13), ss. 520, 15 il., 41 wykr., 26 tab. Pasquale Guaragnella, Desiderosi del vero. Prosa di nuova scienza dal primo Galileo a Benedetto Castelli, Lecce 2021, Argo (Biblioteca Barocca e dei Lumi, vol. 21), ss. 264

Адаптация христианских имена карельским языком

Author(s): Denys Kuz'myn / Language(s): English,Russian Issue: 1/2018

Odpowiedź Kościoła katolickiego na problem wykorzystywania seksualnego osób nieletnich przez duchownych w latach 1984-2022

Author(s): Andrzej Kobyliński / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2 (32)/2022

In 2022, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors became an integral part of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith. In this way, the will of Pope Francis was expressed to emphasize the importance of these activities that make the Catholic Church a safe place for minors. The main purpose of the research undertaken in the article is to analyze the most important stages of the fight against sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in the years 1984-2022 and to present selected ethical and legal aspects of the drama of sexual abuse of children and adolescents.

Sprawozdanie z 54. Tygodnia Eklezjologicznego zorganizowanego przez Koło Naukowe Teologów Katolickiego Uniwersytetu Lubelskiego Jana Pawła II w Lublinie

Author(s): Michał Pierzchała / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2 (32)/2022

Do tradycji Wydziału Teologicznego Katolickiego Uniwersytetu Lubelskiego Jana Pawła II w Lublinie należy „Tydzień Eklezjologiczny”, który odbył się po raz 54. w dniach 17-19 maja 2022 roku i został zorganizowany przez Koło Naukowe Teologów KUL (dalej: KUL KNT) pod hasłem „Kościół Świętych”. Sympozjum rozpoczęło się uroczystą Eucharystią pod przewodnictwem Ks. Abp. Stanisława Budzika Metropolity Lubelskiego i Wielkiego Kanclerza KUL. Ksiądz Arcybiskup podkreślił w homilii, że Chrystus jest źródłem i dawcą wszelkiej świętości, oraz wskazał, iż Kościół ukazuje powołanie do świętości jako powszechną drogę, i zaprosił, aby wołać o świętych i nimi się stawać przez bliskość z Chrystusem i Jego Kościołem.

The Research Activity of Rev. Prof. Remigiusz Sobański in the Field of Substantive Canon Law

Author(s): Wojciech Góralski / Language(s): English Issue: 8/2022

Remigiusz Sobański (1930–2010), a long-time professor at the Faculty of Canon Law of the Academy of Catholic Theology in Warsaw, and then at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw. Although his research focused mainly on the theory of canon law, he also published several dozen works in the field of canonical matrimonial law. These works cover four main research areas: marriage law (general rules), marriage consent, form of marriage, mixed marriages. Moreover, as a judicial vicar, he prepared and published several dozen sentences in the cases of nullitatis matrimonii.

Sobański’s Critique of the (Particular) Legislation

Author(s): Piotr Kroczek / Language(s): English Issue: 8/2022

Legislation is an art. Fr. Professor Remigiusz Sobański, who analyzed the particular legislation of the (Arch)diocese of Katowice in his scientific activity, was very well aware of this. These academic analyses allowed him to draw up numerous observations and comments, as well as postulates with regard to this law. This article focuses on the formal aspects of law addressed by the great canonist.

The Missing Concordat in the Czech Republic

Author(s): Stanislav Přibyl / Language(s): English Issue: 8/2022

The present article discusses certain aspects of the Treaty between the Czech Republic and the Holy See. The text of the treaty was signed at the level of the government, however, it has not been ratified so far. Some provisions of the treaty are rather superfluous or lack sufficient normative basis. Nevertheless, as the example of Article 9 of the treaty on the recognition of civil effects of church marriages shows that the approval of the treaty by the Parliament of the Czech Republic would have been very beneficial. In fact, in the process of preparation for a new civil code an attempt was made to repeal church marriages recognized by the state. Such a project would have been made impossible by the concordat because church marriage would have been supported by an obligation of the state under international law. Fortunately, the civil code kept church marriages, and confessional law in the Czech Republic has to develop without a valid concordat.

Marriage and the family issues in the research and writings of Blessed Michał Sopoćko in the light of his scientific activity and legacy

Author(s): Henryk Ciereszko / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2022

Father Michał Sopoćko, the blessed of the Catholic Church described the issues of marriage and the family in the legal and ethical aspect in his doctoral thesis. It was published in 1926 and was called: Rodzina w prawodawstwie na ziemiach polskich [The family in the legislation on Polish soil]. This article presents this publication with the background note about the scientific activity of Father Sopoćko, the scientific disciplines which he worked on (pastoral theology, pedagogy, catechetics and homiletics) as well as the apostolate of Divine mercy (teaching, the cult, publications), which were his life mission. The dissertation presents the reasons why he described the issues of marriage and family: his concern for the Christian model of the family, of the family’s rights based on the natural and on the revealed law in order to take them into account in the codification created in the freed Poland. Further on, the main content of the work consists of the vision of family and marriage, the mutual relationship of the spouses, the relationship between parents and children with regard to the natural law and to the Christian morality presented in the light of the legislation on the Polish soil under occupation. The final part in the conclusion of the article emphasises the indispensability to embed the constituted law on marriage and the family on the natural and the revealed law. This validity has not become out of date and should still be preserved. This statement adds value to the work of Father Sopoćko and makes it worth attention in the light of the contemporarily discussed issues of marriage and the family.

Новооткрити подписи на зографи върху две икони от 1738 година, произхождащи от старинното селище Арбанаси

Author(s): Plamen Sabev / Language(s): English,Bulgarian Issue: 1/2023

My research concerns icons, wall paintings, religious texts, church utensils, and carvings preserved on Bulgarian territory. A priority in this regard is the history of Tarnovgrad (present-day Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria) and its near and far surroundings. Some time ago, I was looking for answers to questions about the artists in the churches of the cultural and historical village of Arbanasi. I revealed the presence of the name HRISTO, as well as the work of a second stranger named Artist. In the Regional Museum of History in Veliko Tarnovo, two icons are kept (No. 325 ΗΙ/TOM, No. 435 ΗΙ/TOM) on which two identical signatures of the same unknown artist have been preserved. Greek texts: first line, Uncial: ‘X’ (with the barely visible sign ‘=’); second line: ‘K’; third line: ‘Ҁ’; fourth line: ‘T’; fifth line: ‘N.’; sixth line: ‘A’; seventh line: ‘Δ=’; eighth line: ‘1738’; ninth line: ‘μ’; tenth line: ‘απ[...]λλ[...]ος’; and eleventh line: ’30’. The second signature has similar content: first line: ‘Х = К Ҁ Т N’, second line: ‘АΔ=1738’, third line: ‘μ’; and fourth line: ‘απ[...]λλ[...] ος 30’. The correspondingly preserved letters in both icons give rise to possibilities for their interpretation. First thesis: The handwriting in both signatures is undoubtedly identical, but due to the forms of abbreviations used, there are assumptions about their reading. The first letter ‘X’ can be taken as the beginning of a standard attribution formula: ‘Χεὶρ Κωνσταντίνου’ = Κ[ΩΝ]Ҁ[ΑΝ]Τ[Ί]N, translated as ‘by the hand of Constantine’ (or Costa). However, ‘X’ can also mean an initial letter for the name Χριστο, and, accordingly, ‘AΔ’ in the second line can be rendered as αδέρφια (brothers). At the end of the text, the date of completion of the iconostasis with the icons belonging to it is presented: 1738, ‘μ’ – μήνας, απ[ρίλι]ος, or 30, month of April, 30th day. Second thesis: ‘X=’ can mean Χριστο (Hristo the Educator); ‘K’ – Κωνσταντίν/Kώστας (Daskal /Teacher/ Kosta); ‘Ҁ’ – Ҁόιο or Στοίο (Stoio/Stoyu); ‘N.’ – Νέδιο (Nedyo II/Nedyu II); and ‘Δ’ – Δραγαν (Dragan). Often, only the initials are written on the works of artists. This is for the purpose of encoded information that remains clear only to God’s eyes. At first glance, the handwriting of the icons stored in the Veliko Tarnovo Museum resembles that of the works of the well-known Daskal Hristo. In my previous publication, I noted that this second author is very close to the first master, but with his own individual characteristics. If we logically assume that ‘K’ means Kώστας (Κosta), then he is the second Educator and the author of the considered icons at the same time. The recorded month suggests that they were made in a studio at the end of winter, and perhaps the entire iconostasis was assembled with the onset of spring, in the third bright week after the Resurrection of Christ (13 April 1738). An additional collection of signatures and studies from archival documents, as well as analyses of icons and frescoes after restorations, would shed more light on the authorship and activities of this atelier.

Eschatologie a spása v bohemikálních sporech duše s tělem

Author(s): Věra Soukupová / Language(s): Czech Issue: 2/2023

The paper provides an analysis of eschatological themes in medieval debates between body and soul related to the Kingdom of Bohemia. The oldest poem (after 1320) emphasizes the particular judgment as the dominant eschatological horizon, probably under the influence of the Processus Sathanae. The old Czech translation of Visio Philiberti (ca. 1370) seems to avoid the description of physically conceived pain of a separated soul and stresses the absence of God as the worst punishment. The third old Czech debate (end of the 14th c.) underlines the loving bond between human composites, further accentuated in a contemporary Latin prose debate between body and soul by the archbishop of Prague John of Jenstein in his Liber dialogorum.