![Ogólnopolska Konferencja Naukowa „Sacrum w mediach. Komunikacja – Prowokacja – Profanacja”, 11 maja 2015 r., Wydział Teologii Uniwersytetu Warmińsko-Mazurskiego w Olsztynie](/api/image/getissuecoverimage?id=picture_2016_30221.jpg)
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In our analysis we attempt to demonstrate the exceptional character of light within the act of creation. This uniqueness, in our view, can be demonstrated to be the background to the structure of the entire Priestly Creation Narrative, as well as the particular focus of Gen 1,3-5. In the theological perspective of the priestly redactor, light stands out clearly from God’s other creative acts, its significance extending far beyond its obvious physical properties. The creation of light not only sets in motion the cosmic clock but it also initiates space-time, in which all the subsequent acts of creation take place. The creation of light makes the order of creation feasible and indeed determines it. Its appearance seems to accompany the theophany of God, thus it constitutes a key element of God’s dominion over the forces of chaos.
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Among the various interpretations of “The Star out of Jacob” (Numbers 24:17), the messianic reading, present in both the Jewish and the Christian traditions, has played an enormous role. The purpose of this study is to review the development of different interpretations of “The Star out of Jacob”, starting from the Masoretic Text of Numbers 24:17, proceeding through the ancient versions, and ending up with the exegesis of the early Church Fathers.
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The article analyzes the use of the metaphor of light in the didactic books of the Old Testament. In the biblical tradition, light signifies primarily earthly life. Theophany psalms describe God as the source of light, even though darkness accompanies Him, in order to canopy His sanctity and to provide safety to people. Thanks to the experience of the God’s help, the Chosen People as a whole, as well as each individual Israelite, can confess that God is light. The requests and pleadings addressed to God in order to receive His help and blessing are also expressed through the metaphor of light. The understanding of God’s Law as light guiding one to God is another notable use of this metaphor. The element of light is also connected with the theology cultivated by the sapiential tradition, signifying wisdom and truth. Thus, the metaphor of light extends from mythological images evoking the Ancient Near Eastern traditions on the perspectives appropriate to the later biblical books.
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In the present article, the author analyzes the meaning and symbolic sense of light in the Book of Wisdom. The Wisdom in Wis 7:10 is interpreted not as superior to light but rather as a light which is a guide for the sage and a symbol of the wisdom of God. In pursuit of a deeper comprehension of this text, the author points to Wis 18:1-4 as important in developing the sense of light, and in particular the strong connection between light and the Jewish Law – the supreme light of wisdom that God gave to all the nations. The central position of these verses within the unit of Wis 16–19 points out the absolute importance of the Law, which is described as a true light. At the same time, the writer of the Book of Wisdom emphasizes the importance of the Law as imperishable and unchangeable, a cornerstone of religious life.
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Any correct and in-depth interpretation of a metaphor necessarily presumes a reference to some definite context. The article presents a collection of texts from Isa 1–39 (2:5; 4:2-5; 5:20.30; 6:9-10; 9:5-6; 10:17; 26:19; 29:18; 30:26) where the motif of light is applied. Its various forms are inspired by the Ancient Near-Eastern cultures, which associate light especially with a divine sphere, king, victory and just rule. In Isa 1–39 light appears both in the eschatological contexts and in connection with the meaning of knowledge, especially knowledge of God. Thus the motif of light links these two fundamental contexts, not only enriching the interpretation of both but also suggesting a direct, causal relationship between knowing God and eschatological victory.
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The article explores the ways in which the writings of the Qumran community use the metaphor of light to describe God’s dwelling. The first part outlines the background contained in the Hebrew Bible, which permits an understanding of the theological foundations of Judaism in the Second Temple period. The second part considers the two important non-canonical texts of greatest importance to the Qumran community, namely First Book of Enoch and Book of Jubilees. The last part analyses the four Qumran sectarian works which employ the “light of God’s dwelling” imagery: Songs of Sabbath Sacrifice, Blessings and Curses, Songs of the Maskil and Works of God. Also examined are examples of the broader eschatological use of light in other texts of the community. Light, when used to describe God’s dwelling, emphasises the perfection of a heavenly palace and the unapproachability of the Creator by the man during his earthly lifetime.
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The star image in the Gospel of Matthew has been repeatedly commented upon by many scholars. Some older interpretations, based on various known astronomical phenomena, have proved of limited use in terms of understanding the passage. There are some other explanations that depend upon ancient beliefs about stars appearing at the time an important person comes into the world. All these solutions, however, represent no more than scientific or historical hypothesis. Without entering into historical discussions about stars or the beliefs of ancient generations in the Middle East, the author of the paper proposes to look afresh at one enigmatic phrase in the Matthean story: en tē anatolē. A rich panorama of Old Testament quotations, which serve to connect the verb anatellō (LXX) with its Hebrew equivalent zāraḥ, reveal a wider context and thus some new possibilities for our understanding of the phrase. The author’s explanation is supported by an important narrative function of the star within the story, where the magi seeing its light are led to the newborn King.
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The symbolism of light and darkness, well known to the authors of the Old Testament, appears particularly often in the Gospel according to St. John. While it is relatively easy to guess that for the writer the symbol of light represents the active presence of Christ in the world, it is much harder to identify precisely the symbolism – undoubtedly negative – of the darkness. On this point commentators have differed very much in their opinions. The biblical image of light joins inseparably a cognitive dimension and a moral one: the light allows us to get to know God, marking the way to Him, and at the same time reveals the truth of human deeds. That is why evildoers avoid the light, hiding their deeds in darkness. In the theology of St. John, the Passion of Christ is presented as a time when darkness prevails, yet its victory is only a brief illusion. Following the night of Passion, the dawn of the Resurrection approaches.
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The monk Evagrius of Pontus (345-399 AD) presents in his spiritual doctrine the concept of "pure prayer", that is, prayer not only devoid of any contact with material things but also divorced from any concrete image in the nous (i.e., the mind or intellect). This type of deep prayer becomes a source for the knowledge of God. Upon reaching this state of deep purification, the nous experiences during prayer the light of God and also perceives himself as radiant. Evagrius specifies that the nous sees itself in the color of the sapphire or in sky-blue, or even as a star. Scientists for a long time asked themselves whether, for Evagrius, this light originated within the mind itself, or came from God. It seems that monk of Pontus joins these two lights together, although considering them always as separate. The light of nous itself is but a reflection of the divine light, in the same way that the moon reflects the light of the sun. Even if the nous is not the source of its own light, nevertheless its light is real. In a time of deep spiritual union with God, His light illuminates the human nous and turns it into radiance.
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The aim of this article was to familiarize the reader with the imagery of light, particularly its role in the development of ascetic discipline and early Christian mysticism. The vehicle for this exploration is an analysis of selected texts from the spiritual collection of the monk and hermit Pseudo-Macarius (Symeon of Mesopotamia). In Macarius’s theology of light one may find clear references to the thought of Origen, as well as the influence of other Church writers representing the heritage of both Greek Alexandrian tradition and Syrian thought. The theological message of Symeon of Mesopotamia should be read in the pneumatological context. The fundamental truth of his spiritual homilies is communion in Holy Spirit and the reception of His fullness. In the article, the author seeks to elucidate and interpret the spiritual tradition known to researchers as une mystique pneumatique. The homilies of Macarius significantly contributed to the dissemination of this pneumatological mysticism throughout the Greek and later Byzantine world. The interesting apologetic themes appear on the margins of the main subject of the works and are very superficially discussed in the context of the general polemics with heresies.
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This article examines the relevance and the significance of the symbol of the light in the paschal liturgy in Jerusalem in the first millennium. The rite of the lighting the candle, which opens the liturgy of the Easter Vigil (called the Easter Lucernarium), is present in all the known sources of the Jerusalem liturgy. The most significant of these are Itinerarium Egeriae (end of the 4th century), the Armenian Lectionary (5th century), the Grand Lectionary of the Church of Jerusalem from the Georgian tradition (6th-8th century) and the Typicon of the Anastasis (12th century). The development of the rite of paschal light – which includes the lighting of the candle or candles inside of the chapel of the Tomb of Christ, passing the fire to the whole congregation, prayers, psalms, antiphons and processions – reflects the profound theological significance of the Resurrection of Christ. Indeed, the celebration of Easter in Jerusalem, thanks to the very evocative symbol of light, has always been preeminent among Christological and ecclesiological event.
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Podstawą do zrozumienia wizji duszpasterstwa rodzin, jaką proponuje papież Franciszek, jest jego ujęcie pedagogiki chrześcijańskiej. Wizję tę bardzo przejrzyście przedstawia w posynodalnej adhortacji o rodzinie Amoris laetitia. Komentując adhortację, można więc odkrywać pedagogikę Franciszka i jego wizję duszpasterstwa.
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W Amoris laetitia Franciszek stara się o możliwie pełne przedstawienie fenomenu małżeństwa. Sprawy najwyższej rangi – jego duchowy sens jako obrazu jedności Trójcy Świętej i pełnej miłości relacji między Chrystusem a Kościołem – sąsiadują z analizami małżeńskiej codzienności. A tę stanowią tak zmagania o zapewnienie rodzinie potrzeb materialnych, jak też m.in. wspólnie przeżywane przyjemności, dzielone zainteresowania i zachwyty, atrakcyjność seksualna czy kłótnie i narzekania. Dzięki temu symbolika małżeństwa i jego nadprzyrodzone powołanie nie są pokrytym patyną tworem, który niedotykalny unosi się gdzieś między gwiazdami – widać, że są to sprawy, które realizują się tu i teraz.
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Z adhortacją Amoris laetitia jest inaczej niż z typowymi dokumentami papieskimi. Zazwyczaj po ich publikacji pojawiają się w Kościele jedynie komentarze, a nie polemiki — a już na pewno autorami głosów krytycznych nie są biskupi. W przypadku posynodalnego dokumentu o rodzinie wydanego przez papieża Franciszka jest inaczej. Rzym przemówił, ale sprawa bynajmniej nie okazała się zakończona.
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Jeszcze przed ogłoszeniem przez papieża Franciszka posynodalnej adhortacji apostolskiej Amoris laetitia w Kościele katolickim pojawiły się sugestie, że przygotowywany dokument może w kwestii osób żyjących w ponownych związkach niesakramentalnych proponować rozwiązania podobne do tych, które obowiązują w Cerkwi prawosławnej. Co zatem różni wskazania adhortacji dotyczące rozeznania sytuacji duszpasterskiej osób rozwiedzionych od prawosławnego podejścia do sakramentu małżeństwa, a co je do siebie zbliża?
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Purpose. To research the contents of polemic of uniate theologian Elijah Morochowski with Meletiy Smotrycki in the work “Paregoria albo utulenie uszczypliwego lamentu mniemaney Cerkwie Swiętey Wschodniey zmyślonego Theophila Ortologa”, concerned the question of primacy of the Pope. Methods. In the article it is used the historical and cultural, hermeneutics, comparative methods. Results. The polemical works of Elijah Morochowski reveal the importance of the primacy of the Pope in religious controversy in Rich Pospolyta in XVI– XVII centuries. The report deals with the different ways of interpretations of the historical fi gures, events, the rules of Church councils by the uniate theologian Elijah Morochowski and apologist of orthodox church Meletiy Smotrycki. It is researched the cultural contacnts catholics, uniates with the orthodox theologians in the Rich Pospolyta, that is fi xed in polemical texts of Ukrainian, Polish literatures. It is analyzed the sources of argumentation, the ways of communication of the controversialist with the opponent, pointed to means of persuasion, the methods of interpretation of Holy Bible.
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The situation of the elderly and ill in the contemporary postmodern society constitutes a serious challenge for contemporary societies as well as for pastoral work of the Church. Reflections of Pope Francis describing the fate of the elderly and ill in the contemporary reality are to be found in the above article. The issue has been discussed in the following subsections: “Competences of the postmodern society towards the elderly and ill” (chapter I); “The significance of the Christian community for the life of the elderly and ill” (chapter II); “The objectives of the pastoral conversation” (chapter III).
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The subject matter of the paper is the John Paul II teachings on the fields of a state’s activity in economic life. The first part of article talks about general elements of economic order: private property, liberal market, a just salary for labour and the participation of workers in the control of a business. The second part of the paper confirms that the state ought to create a solid infrastructure of economy and to find a good balance between different sectors of economic life. The last part of the paper shows that the state ought to interfere sometimes in the economic field, for example, to combat unemployment and poverty, or to protect the family.
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The article is focused on the document published in 2014 by the Pontifical Biblical Commission and called: The Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture. The Word that comes from God and speaks of God for the salvation of the world. The purpose of publishing was to reach the priests, the people studying the Bible as well as the laity. By the discovering the biblical truth everybody can understand better oneself, the creation and God. Everybody can concisely grow in one’s faith. According to the document, the Divine inspiration is revealed to us when we read the Holy Scriptures. On the pages of Bible we can meet God himself. The message shared with us in the Bible explains the truth about God, about a man, our salvation and about a world. Even though it has some elements of the science or history, it is not a source of the science knowledge or chronicle of the historic facts. Besides we always have to include the genre and style of the ancient authors. This document can have amazing impact on the pastoral work, helping people to get interested in the Bible and to find the answers for many questions they have about it.
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