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The article regards one of the most widespread kinds of jokes – the ones about presidents. The author aims to find out the general and deep premise from which further on the political jokes can be studied in their historical, cultural, regional etc. variability. Thereby, the presidents’ jokes are not treated as making fun with the social and political ruling top and the possible interpretations in this respect. The stress is put on the very appearance of the ruling top in the jokes. We could speak about a cultural universal which still exists a specific mode at present. The jokes represent the basic relation between the individuals and the top of the social system. This relation is of existential significance both for the individual and for the system. In this case the narration is an act of self-identification in its global meaning – as a proof for existence, for appearance, for affiliation to the human kind. Such conclusions affirm both the functions and the content of the presidents’ jokes.
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After WWII totalitarianism domineered in industrially less developed countries and that determined some special characteristics of the interrelationship between the social system and the cultural process. The transposition of social strata after the war brought power to people who were closely related to the traditional rural culture, and that gave access for some archaic cultural patterns to the structure of political power. Thus, the following phenomenon appeared which was typologically similar to African tribalism – implantation of kinship structures into the upper stages of power, i.e. important positions were taken by the members of well-known clans (in Bulgaria, Romania, North Korea, partly in the ex-USSR and others). In a much broader social aspect another form of hypertrophy of kinship relationships and traditional cooperation was in expansion – the so called “connections”. The constant lack of goods and services, as well as the faults of the centrally planned economy, decreased the importance of money as a means of economic exchange. “Connections”, however, partly took over the functions of money and acted as tools for economic and social exchange: for instance, finding “connections” for a child to be enrolled in a kindergarten could be changed for “connections” for receiving a driving-licence. Some innate traits of totalitarianism enabled it not only to develop and deform archaic cultural patterns, but to reproduce of them as well. This is mostly valid for the binary logic – thinking through a system of binary oppositions is characteristic not only for archaic cultures, but also for totalitarian regimes. Consequently, that resulted in the ultimate polarization of the Bulgarian society that was to be observed after the democratic changes took place there.
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In a general equilibrium model with fully rational agents and built - in micro - level uncertainty we show that debt - financed government spending on consumption can be welfare improving at all horizons despite the fact that it inhibits the process of physical capital formation. In addition we show that the impact of a direct demand stimulus is likely to be more pronounced than the impact of a tax cut on economic activity. Finally, we argue that monetary policy is less efective during recessions than expansions. Our findings are consistent with Keynes's view that recessions should be fought with fiscal policy rather than monetary policy, and provide rationale for thr concept of liquidity gap.
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St Francis of Assisi did not leave any theological commentary on the Church; nevertheless, we can say that he was an expert on the situation within it. He came into contact with the Church in his everyday, practical life (sacraments, liturgy etc.). We can say that he embodied the teaching of the Catholic Church. He lived in a time of multiple heresies and divisions within the Church. Even though he did not agree with its way of living he, paradoxically, remained resolutely under its wing, in a kind of loyal opposition. He returned to the Church’s roots, to the Gospel and lived according to these precepts in all their radicality. He especially emphasised his connection to the Church in the Siena Testament (six months before his death), the substance of which had already been prescribed and anticipated in the Rule of 1223: “Brother Francis promises obedience and reverence to the Lord Pope Honorius and to his successors canonically elected and to the Roman Church” (RegB 1,2). The consistency and strictness of St Francis were also reflected in his attitude towards liturgy: “Let the clerics perform the Divine Office according to the order of the holy Roman Church” (RegB 3,1). Finally we mention Francis’ respect for all people, all servants of the Church, priests and clerics. He saw his attachment to the Church as the safest way to avoid error and heresy. The Church was for him a safe haven and a guarantor of true faith and authentic liturgy. He may also have sought the support of the Church because it was for him a surrogate father and mother. Francis was not only a man of emotion and inspiration but also a great mystic. The Lord brought him into the arms of the Church through the Gospel. In the Church and according to the sacraments of the Church he began to discover the Lord Jesus, present in body and word. Mary and the Church have for him the same calling, the same mission, and thus receive the same honour. For St Francis the mystery of the Church may have been simply a steppingstone, while his faith and trust in the Church were a test of his faith in Christ, the greatest mystery.
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Stari zavjet s uvodima i bilješkama Ekumenskog prijevoda Biblije, Kršćanska sadašnjost, Zagreb, 2011., 2112 str. Novi zavjet s uvodima i bilješkama Ekumenskog prijevoda Biblije, Kršćanska sadašnjost, Zagreb, 1992., 792 str. J. R. PORTER, Izgubljena Biblija: otkriveni zaboravljeni spisi, Kršćanska sadašnjost, Zagreb, 2011., 256 str. Mario CRVENKA, Prirodne znanosti i religija. Pokušaj sažetog pregleda, Kršćanska sadašnjost, Zagreb, 2010., 265 str. Darko TOMAŠEVIĆ, Sveta Zemlja. Povijesno-duhovni vodič, Glas Koncila, Zagreb - KBF, Sarajevo, 2010., 391 str. Stjepan KUŠAR, Vihor i oganj duha. Iskustvo Duha Svetoga u Crkvi i pojedincu. Zagreb, Teovizija, 22009., 89 str. Mato ZOVKIĆ, Iskustvo ekumenskih i religijskih susreta, Kršćanska sadašnjost, Zagreb, 2010., 270. str. Alfred SCHNEIDER, Na putovima Duha Svetoga, FTI, Zagreb, 2008., 191 str.
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The mission of the Church in the world necessarily includes the question of temporal goods and economics. Apart from individual cases of selling one’s own property and donating to the needy, the Church as an institution has claimed the right to own property in order to pursue her objectives, primarily for worship, support for the clergy, works of the apostolate, and charitable works. In the modern era, with the development of industrial society, the Church has also developed systematic teaching on economics. While the Church’s economic teaching is rarely controversial – either because it is consistent or because it isn’t well known – the Church’s ownership and management of temporal goods is often subject to criticism and controversy. For this reason, the question of proper action in the economic sphere often arises. The challenge is even greater in poorer societies where the needy look to the Church for assistance. Presenting the teaching of the Church, this article seeks to achieve two goals: first, to raise awareness of the Church’s positive view of economic activity as a response to God’s call, and secondly, to differentiate specific roles in the economic sphere where the Church’s position and conduct is in question. In the context of the first goal, the concept of solidarity investment and the principle of not-for-profit are presented. With respect to the second goal, the author presents specific actions of the Church, including the role of lay people and the role of Church charitable work.
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Hrvatski rječnici riječi „pohod“ i „posjet“ opisuju kao „dolazak u goste; obilazak kakva mjesta ili znamenitosti; dolazak u nečiju kuću radi razgovora, druženja, iskazivanja poštovanja, uspostavljanja dobrih, prijateljskih odnosa; obilazak znanca ili nekoga mjesta radi razgledavanja, upoznavanja; polazak s određenim ciljem; obilazak koga ili čega“.
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This article seeks to analyze society in Bosnia and Herzegovina as it affects young people, and to offer an overview of the challenges and possibilities of pastoral work with young people. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s economic, political and social transition has had a major impact on the young generation and has created new challenges for church activity. BiH society is notably multiethnic and multi-religious. The article analyses the state of interethnic and interreligious relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina in terms of wartime events in the early 1990s and in terms of the process of the return of displaced persons and refugees, and it examines where young people find themselves today. The conclusion outlines church activity toward young people in light of the pluralism of BiH society and the impact of this pluralism on young people and on church efforts to serve young people. In its efforts to serve young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the church must develop different models of activity that are appropriate and that will be accepted by young people.
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This is an exegetical contribution to the exploration of Tobit 13:1-18 from the perspective of its meaning in the context of the whole book. As one of the Jewish exiles Tobit works for the Assyrian king and at the end of the book, after he and his wife Anna depart, he asks his son and daughter-in-law to leave Niniveh and move to another place where they can live more safely, preserving their Jewish identity and educating their children in their shared faith but he does not ask them to move to the land of Israel. Together with other Christian and Jewish scholars this author concludes that Tobit was written for the Jewish Diaspora around the year 200 BC to help them preserve their faith in the God of the covenant and their ethnic identity. Five prayers of Tobit illustrate events in their immediate context: the prayer for death of Tobit (3:2-6) and Sarah (3:11-15), the prayer of Tobit and Sarah on their wedding night (8:5-8), Raguel’s prayer of thanksgiving after his son-in-law survives the wedding night (8:15- 17), and Tobit’s prayer of praise after his sight is miraculously restored (11:14-15). In his Psalm-like prayer Tobit first praises God who educates his people in the Diaspora through discipline but who also grants mercy (13:1-8), then he summons his fellow Jews and gentiles to praise God, who is about to rebuild Jerusalem and bring the scattered people of Israel back to it (13:9-18). By examining the hymn exegetically, the author shows how the Canticle of Tobit is connected to the whole narrative of the book and to the Deuteronomy, Prophetic and Wisdom traditions of the Old Testament. As well as its social meaning, Diaspora in Old Testament books can also have spiritual meaning. A sincere believer is a “sojourner” in his or her own country (Lev 19:33-34; 1 Chr 29:15; Ps 39:13 etc). Social and spiritual Diaspora represent a “school of hope” (L. Alonso Schökel). Some New Testament writings adopt Old Testament designation “the twelve tribes of the Dispersion, aliens and exiles” (James 1:1; 1 Pt 1:17; 2:11) for Christian believers, in the sense of social and spiritual Diaspora. Different passages of Tobit, especially 13:1-8 are used in the Liturgy of the Hours and in the Liturgy of the Word. While we Christians pray Tobit’s Hymn we should not forget its original meaning for the Jews - in history and today.
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The Archdiocese of Belgrade is, in a cultural, geographical, historical and religious sense, a “crossroads” of different religions, a “forest” of nationalities, an arena of difference, a battlefield of culture, and an encounter of ideas and interests. For this reason alone, the Archdiocese is an ideal framework and its circumstances are a real challenge for an authentic spiritual and above all concrete, living ecumenism. This local Church could be a bridge of unity, a dynamic for dialogue and a binding force at the local level and at the level of the universal Church. By its very nature Belgrade is suited to become an important and dynamic ecumenical center. The seat of the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church is there, and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, though interrupted during some periods, has been there for centuries. The unity of the Church is a complex concept, which, over time and under different influences in this region, has assumed different meanings; sometimes incomplete or one-sided meanings and sometimes distorted and even fundamentally wrong. In the communist era, the authorities, not the Church, tried to give the concept of ecumenism a political meaning, in the sense of “brotherhood and unity”, which was actually counterproductive in terms of true church ecumenism. On the other hand, even among some “church people”, work towards unity, i.e. ecumenism, was essentially an empty shell, devoid of substance or sincerity. Others viewed ecumenism as a danger to their religious identity, seeing in the essence or practice of ecumenism a tendency towards indifference, syncretism or false irenicism. A fourth group viewed ecumenism is something incidental and unimportant, certainly unnecessary and even dangerous for national identity where national identity is viewed as being sacrosanct. All the historical problems, the gratuitous war damage, the burden of nationalism have over a period of decades created an atmosphere of escape from the other and a theology of isolation. This has encouraged the consolidation of a kind of ecclesiastical self-sufficiency, a lack of concern about other communities, and a loss of any existential empathy for what is different. This complex process has substantially limited and jeopardized the development of a correct concept of unity. This process has to be reversed by clarifying and demythologizing the concept of ecclesial unity. During 80 years of ecumenical activity in the Archdiocese of Belgrade we can see a whole range of effort, from destructive and coercive through resigned to authentically ecumenical. Some initiatives have entrenched bias while others have cleared a path; all have sought out models, some seeking models of non-cooperation and others models of coexistence.
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Every translation from the original biblical source is in reality an interpretation, not only because the translator personally selects synonyms anddistributes the words in the sentences but also because of the personal and specific way of focusing on key phrases, repetitions, emphases and parallelisms. Depending on the material, Bible translations can be literal or free, prosaic or poetic. The Book of Daniel is probably one of the most complicated of the Old Testament texts because, in addition to the enigmatic eschatological contextualization, the original is in two languages. The first chapter is written in Hebrew, Chapters 2-7 are in biblical Aramaic and the last chapters, 8-11, like the first, are in Hebrew. This new Croatian translation of the Aramaic part of the Book of Daniel is accompanied by concise morphological-syntactical notes and commentary. In the article, we have dealt exclusively with the Aramaic text, comparing important components with the later Aramaic Targum Jonathan and enriching these with references to the dictionaries by Koehler & Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, I, II, III, IV, Brill 1999. (HAL); M. Sokoloff, A Dictionary of Jewish Palestinian Aramaic (Second Edition). Bar Ilan Univ. Press, Ramat Gan (IL), 2002 (JPA); M. Sokoloff, A Dictionary of Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. Bar Ilan Univ. Press, Ramat Gan (IL), 2000 (JBA); G. Dalman, Aramäishe Dialektproben. Leipzig 1896. Black – George – Postgate, A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian. Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden 2000 (CDA); F. Rosenthal, Grammar of Biblical Aramaic. 1961 (R); S. Segert, Altaramäische Grammatik. Leipzig 1990 (S); E. Kutzsch, Grammatik Biblisch-Aramäischen. Leipzig, 1884 (KT) and, most of all, E. Cook, F.W. Bush, W.A.S. LaSor, Handbook of Biblical Aramaic, 2009 (HBA) – The Guide to Reading Biblical Aramaic. CUA University, Washington 2009 (RBA). Our goal has been to render a faithful translation of the Aramaic part of the Book of Daniel from 2:4 to 7:28 into the Croatian language, following the biblical original and comparing it with existing translations by Sović (Bibilija KS) and Šarić (Šarićeva Biblija).
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Kao što je godina 1968. bila godina studentskih nemira, slično je i 1989. postala simbolom pobune protiv ideološke utopije komunizma. Tada je ne samo srušen Berlinski zid, kojim se uzalud pokušalo fizički razdvojiti slobodu od ropstva, već je započelo i urušavanje sedamdesetogodišnje tiranije totalitarizma nastalog 1917. godine. Tu vrstu političkoga oblika vladavine trebala je i u našim okolnostima zamijeniti demokracija, ali je ona sporo ili gotovo nikako osvajala teren. Za to postoje brojni razlozi. Među njima je i bivši „kadar“ koji se preko noći u novim državama prilagodio novim uvjetima, jer je ta sorta ljudi dobro znala tehnologiju vladanja. Oni su još uvijek imali „dobro znanje nedemokratske, boljševičke politike i umijeće brđansko- plemenskih podvala i isključivosti“. Sedamnaest godina je trebalo proći dok Skupština Vijeća Europe nije donijela rezoluciju br. 1481 (25. 1. 2006.) kojom se osuđuje komunistički totalitarni režim koji se dijelom još nastavlja uokviren prividom i zloporabom demokracije.
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Indissolubility is an essential characteristic of marriage. But while some marriages are absolutely indissoluble, there are those that can be dissolved either on the basis of Pauline Privilege or through special Apostolic privilege. We discuss marriage dissolution based on the authority of the Pope, or on apostolic privilege. Based on this principle, it is possible to dissolve a non-sacramental marriage between two non-baptized persons, even though neither is baptized; or the marriage of a non-baptized and a baptized non-Catholic person; or the marriage of a Catholic person and a non-baptized person if dissolution can be judged to benefit faith and the eternal salvation of those persons, or a person with whom a valid marriage is intended to be made. In such cases, after an investigation conducted in a manner determined by the regulations of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has found that the marriage is not sacramental and that its dissolution will favor faith, a marriage may be dissolved on papal authority.
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In this article the author writes about religious-ethical emphases in the tragedy “The Persians” by the Greek poet Aeschylus, whom literary scholars consider the father of tragedy. Growing up during the era of the struggle for democracy and actively fighting in the Greek-Persian wars, Aeschylus, who was of aristocratic origin, was a poet of exalted sentiment: he celebrated Greek virtues. All of Aeschylus’ plays, in addition to “The Persians”, try to preserve faith and the sacred in the pantheon by offering an authentic explanation of tradition. The article deals in particular with those sections in the tragedy that directly or indirectly mention deity, doom , human conduct that undervalues deity and human laws; and those types of conduct that could be termed as sin, violence, pride, etc. The article offers interpretative analysis of textual specimens and explains theories and insights related to particular examples.
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In this article, the author describes the church organization of southeast Herzegovina in the 17th century. The author describes the history of church organization in southeast Herzegovina, i.e. the diocese of Trebinje-Mrkan, from the beginning until the end of the century. The description is based on archive material preserved mostly in the Vatican archive of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith and on individual published works. At the beginning of the 17th century, the diocese of Trebinje- Mrkan had two parishes run by two priests. At the end of the century the diocese had four parishes and five priests. Over the course of the 17th century, six bishops occupied the seat of Trebinje-Mrkan, and 23 priests known by name served in the diocese.
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