The Prague Jewish Community in the Late 17th and Early 18th Centuries

Author(s): Alexandr Putík / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2000

The story of the immigration of a large group of Ashkenazic Jews to Eretz Yisrael in 1700 and their experience there until 1720 is undoubtedly a major episode in the history of Jewish resettlement in Palestine. The mere fact that until modern times it was the largest group of immigrants since the destruction of the First Temple is of interest. This venture, inspired by Messianic expectations, meant a lot for the Ashkenazic Diaspora too. A more detailed study and assessment of these events in Central and Eastern Europe, however, is difficult to undertake due to one objective and one subjective factor - the former is a loss of most sources of Jewish origin predominantly in the first half of the 18th century and the latter is a lack of attention paid to ”non-Jewish” sources deposited in the archives of secular and church institutions.

Prodor na Istok, u vreme Svetog Save, i u naše dane

Author(s): Milutin Jakšić / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 02/1931

Prodor na Istok (Drang nach Osten) zapadno-evropskih Hrišćana preko Balkanskog Poluostrva starog je datuma. Krstaške ratove (1096—1270) pokrenuo je verski interes: pomoći Grcima protiv Muslimana i od njih osloboditi Svetu Zemlju i Grob Gospodnji. No ne potraja dugo pa se ti verski ratovi pretvoriše u osvajačke ratove i ≫krstaši≪ počeše osvajati grčke zemlje. Već o ≫nemačkom pohodu≪ cara Hajnriha VI 1196 utvrdila je Istorija, da je imao smer proširiti vlast Nema≪ čkog Carstva nad Istokom.

Kościół katolicki w Rosji i w ZSRR w XIX i XX wieku. Doktrynalne uwarunkowania jego działalności

Author(s): Krzysztof Grygajtis / Language(s): Polish Issue: 3/2006

Ungarn - Amoralisch und unchristlich?

Author(s): Kiszely Károly / Language(s): German Issue: 18/1984

An interview with Kiszely Károly

LORD’S ARMY – AN ASSOCIATION CONFESSING AND SACRIFICING FOR THE ORTHODOX CHURCH

Author(s): Mihai Liviu MARICI / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 35/2023

As a movement of spiritual rebirth within the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Army of the Lord had its beginning on January 1, 1923, through the initiative of the Orthodox priest Iosif Trifa from Sibiu, who published a Call in the name of Jesus Christ, through the leaflet of the Metropolitanate of Sibiu, Lumina satelor, (Village light) whose editor he was, addressed to the readers and to all Christians, to a Decision of change of life, this being considered the moment inspired to the initiator by the Holy Spirit as the beginning of the movement. It was outlawed by the communist regime in 1948, continuing its activity underground for more than 40 years until 1990, when it was legally rehabilitated as a religious association within the Romanian Orthodox Church with its headquarters in Sibiu and has been active since 28 September 1990 with the blessing of the Holy Synod of the R.O.C., which also approved its Statute.

Nieznany list arcybiskupa gnieźnieńskiego Bodzanty z Kosowic herbu Szeliga z 24 września 1387 roku

Author(s): Michał Hankus / Language(s): Polish Issue: 19/2023

The Archbishop of Gniezno, Bodzanta of Kosowice, of the Szeliga coat of arms, is one of the most controversial figures of late fourteenth-century Poland. He began his career as the governor of Kraków-Sandomierz during the reign of Casimir the Great. He held this office for over 20 years, while also developing his career as a clergyman. His service as a canon in Kraków, a scholastic in Wiślica and finally as provost of the collegiate church of St. Florian in Kleparz were successful. In 1382, by the appointment of king Louis of Hungary, he became the archbishopric of Gniezno, where he remained until his death in 1388. The controversy surrounding Bodzanta stems from his unstable policy during the interregnum following the death of Louis of Hungary. In addition, Jan of Czarnków left in his chronicle an unfavourable opinion about the archbishop, representing him as incompetent and his actions as destructive for the Polish Church. The aim of this article is to highlight the conflict between Bodzanta of Kosowice and prince Władysław Opolczyk, which took place in 1387. The analysis is based on a newly discovered letter of the archbishop to parish priests in the Wieluń region, found in the collections of the Jagiellonian Library. The conflict was caused by the receipt by the prince’s officials of questionable benefits from villages belonging to the clergy of that region. The archbishop defended the local clergy, imposing an interdict on Wieluń and threatening the ruler with excommunication. This study fills a gap related to relations between the most important personages in the Kingdom of Poland at the end of the fourteenth century. In addition, it verifies the state of research on the history of such towns as Krzywarzeka. The attitude and determination of the archbishop in curbing the prince’s decisions and actions contradicts the opinion about Bodzanta’s weakness throughout his pontificate.

A COMBINED APPROACH TO THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE “SACRED LANDSCAPE” OF DUKLJA AND RAŠKA IN THE TIMES OF STEFAN NEMANJA BASED ON HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY, ART AND CHURCH HISTORY

Author(s): Mihailo Popović,Branka Vranešević,Dorota Vargová / Language(s): English Issue: 60/2/2023

This article strives for a combined approach consisting of historical geography and art and church history in the research of Duklja and Raška in the times of Stefan Nemanja. The article’s first part addresses the circumstances of the birth of Stefan Nemanja and the question of Nemanja’s two baptisms. Moreover, data on the churches and monasteries, their patrocinia and the stećci (funeral monuments) in the area of research has been gathered and then analysed with digital tools to offer a map-based reconstruction of the “Sacred Landscape”. The second part focuses on the early medieval church of St. Stephen in Sušćepan, located near Herceg Novi in today’s Montenegro. Among its church furnishings and sculptural decorations, a parapet slab, most probably from the 11th century, stands out. Besides highlighting similar solutions on the parapet slabs of churches along the eastern coast of the Adriatic, the paper draws attention to iconographic solutions as well as floral and geometric motifs and their importance within the sacred space of the church. The third and final part of the article introduces an analysis of selected written sources illuminating the relationship of Duklja with the Latin Church, particularly with the Apostolic See in Rome, in the 12th and 13th centuries. It deals with the communication of the Papal Chancellery with the archbishops of Ragusa (Dubrovnik) and Antivari (Bar) from the backdrop of the ongoing disputes over the church hierarchy in Southern Dalmatia.

Women and Christianity in Southwestern Nigeria from 19th to mid-20th Century: Implication for Contemporary Churches in Nigeria

Author(s): Akinnawo Yetunde Abolaji / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2024

Women have played significant roles in the development of Christianity in Nigeria, but with little attention given to their roles in historical accounts. Therefore, this research focuses on the roles of women found scattered in some documented history of Christianity in Southwest, Nigeria from 19th century till mid- twentieth century when missionaries came from America and Europe to Nigeria to establish Mainline Churches and in addition assesses their activities in the African Indigenous Churches (AICs) in Nigeria. The paper leaned on Dorcas Akintunde’s assertion that the official history of churches and Christian ministries in Nigeria takes a very little account of the role of women. She observed that the history of Christianity till the mid-twentieth century when Aladura churches (Praying Churches) were founded was basically patriarchal. Having explained these endeavours, the research also makes some recommendations for women activities in contemporary Christianity in Nigeria. The research uses qualitative approach with primary and secondary sources from In-depth Interview (IDI), participant observations and bibliographical and archival search. Women were found out to have served as missionaries, acted in men’s absence, and deployed their professional expertise on the mission fields, founded churches and were actively involved in pulpit ministry. Hence, their roles contributed significantly to the growth of Christianity in southwest Nigeria.

Psychologiczne rozważania o roli kobiety w Kościele

Author(s): Dorota Kuncewicz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2023

The question about the role of a woman in the Church is asked in the context of the world and triggers its problems. And the modern world has difficulty accepting roles, requirements and interdependence, but also in appreciating every day, arduous effort aimed at the common good. The context for answering the question should also be the parallel definition of the roles of other members of the community - men, priests, nuns. And of course, there remains the question of why the question is asked and whether the answer is consistent with the one given in real life.

ELEMENTELE DE AMENAJARE INTERIOARĂ ALE B SERICII REFORMATE DIN FÂNTÂNELE

Author(s): István Karácsony / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 1/2019

The Calvinist church from Fântânele (Mures County, RO) proves to be one of the most important architectural monuments in the upper part of the Târnava Mică Valley, due to its construction in the 13th and 14th centuries and to its special artistic details, preserved through the decorations and interior furnishings. It was built on a nucleus of Romanic origins that can be detected in the elevation of the nave and also in the tower attached to the western façade. Later on, the church was subject to several modifications that can be ascribed from a stylistic and chronological perspective to the Gothic period and Transylvanian late-Renaissance. Imprints of the Gothic building-phase can be identified in the polygonal apse, consolidated with buttresses displaying features similar to those found on the side walls of the nave. These additions date back to the 15th and 16th centuries and this intervention represents the most important alteration of the edifice. Even though smaller in size, the elements introduced in the 1600s are remarkable due to their esthetic and stylistic quality. The modifications of that time culminated in 1625, when the construction of the coffered ceiling, which is still present in the apse, was carried out. The painted plafond, financed by János Gáspár of Szöverd, exceeds the importance of local heritage, as it is the only in situ example from Transylvania dated during the first half of the 17th century. Later interventions lack any well-defined stylistic qualities, however their impact on the recent evolution of the church proves to be significant. Examples to be mentioned here are the painted coffered ceiling placed in the nave of the church in 1782, along with the Southern portico, erected in 1835 and 1836. Between 1980 and 1983 an extensive restoration took place, accounting for the largest action of this type in the recent history of the building. The ecclesiastical building valued primarily due to its mural paintings (to be discussed by the author of this study in a forthcoming paper), also raises other questions pertaining to art history, along with the problems identified by specialists in the second part of the 20th century. The advances in the research of the Transylvanian built heritage over the past decades resulted in an extensive amount of new data, thus, widening the perspectives of the analysis of the Calvinist church from Fântânele. Therefore, we find it necessary to make several corrections to a previously formulated theory concerning the authorship of the church’s coffered ceiling. Contrary to the idea presented in 1945 by the historian Lajos Kelemen, one cannot make a well-supported argument for the association between this feature and the painter János Kepíró of Egerháza.

Antal Molnár, Zagrebačka biskupija i osmanska Slavonija u 17. stoljeću. Uloga Katoličke crkve u teritorijalnoj integraciji kontinentalne Hrvatske

Author(s): Petra Plantosar / Language(s): Croatian Issue: 4/2023

Review of: Antal Molnár, Zagrebačka biskupija i osmanska Slavonija u 17. stoljeću. Uloga Katoličke crkve u teritorijalnoj integraciji kontinentalne Hrvatske, Hrvatski institut za povijest, Zagreb, 2022., 225 str.

Lietuvių jėzuitų įsikūrimas Amerikoje: veiklos kryptys ir problemos XX amžiuje

Author(s): Ignas Stanevičius / Language(s): Lithuanian Issue: 53/2024

The article examines the directions and challenges of the activities of Lithuanian Jesuits in exile from 1931 to 1990. The study utilizes archival Jesuit documents such as annual meeting reports, meeting protocols, correspondence, and memoirs. In 1948, with the approval of the Jesuit leadership in Rome, the Jesuits established a viceprovince that brought together all the priests separated from the native Lithuanian Jesuit province. The challenges of emigration compelled the monks to adapt to the everyday life of the new world, nurture the spirit of Jesuit life, and preserve their national identity. Jesuits continued their missionary work beyond the borders of the vice-province, undertaking missions in Canada, South America, and Uruguay. The expansive geographical scope of their activities raised concerns regarding the spiritual calling of the Jesuits themselves. Simultaneously, the decrees of the Second Vatican Council had a parallel influence, prompting Jesuits to reconsider their affiliation with the order.

THE ACTIVITY UNDER CENSORSHIP OF THE LORD'S ARMY WITHIN THE ROMANIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

Author(s): Mihai Liviu MARICI / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 37/2024

The movement of religious and moral revival of the Army of the Lord, which appeared in the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1923, at the initiative of the priest Iosif Trifa (1888-1938) from Sibiu, will exert a strong influence on the Orthodox Church. The relations with the ecclesiastical authority, the Archdiocese of Ardeal, represented at that time by the Metropolitan Dr. Nicolae Bălan, and the de facto founder of the movement, the priest Iosif Trifa, at first very good, cooled down with the extension of the movement's activity beyond the borders of the Archdiocese of Sibiu, and his acquisition of a personal printing house. A tense situation built up which, in 1935-1938, degenerated into a conflict with unforeseen consequences for the Army of the Lord. Under the communist regime, which regarded the movement as anti-sectarian and chauvinist, the civil sentence of the Court of Sibiu of 22 December 1949 dissolved the Army of the Lord as a society and eliminated it from the register of legal entities. The Army of the Lord continued to exist underground and manifested itself through isolated actions of members in various parishes in the country until 1990 when it was legally and canonically rehabilitated.

Anglosaská misie v Germánii v 8. stoletía listy Řehoře II.

Author(s): Marek Lis / Language(s): Czech Issue: 1/2024

The present article deals with the role of the papacy during the first years of the Anglo­‑Saxon mission in Germania. The topic has usually been approached in the past with respect to the following development in Europe, namely the Carolingian Renaissance. The goal of the contribution is to emphasise the autonomous character of the eithth century, when the creation of a new empire in the West was not yet considered. During this time, the papacy was facing a crisis within the empire coming from the Lombards and Byzantines. The Pope found support in Franks, but mostly in Anglo­‑Saxon missionaries. The dynamics of the process comes mostly from the apostolic character of the Church, which was emphasised by the Pope and missionaries and which is illustrated with three selected epistles.

Skrytá církev ještě po deseti letech

Author(s): Jiří Hanuš / Language(s): Czech Issue: 1/2024

This study explores the complex history and internal conflicts of the underground Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia during the communist era and the post-1989 period. It highlights the influential role of Bishop Felix Davídek, who fostered clandestine religious practices, including the controversial ordination of women, and navigated the church’s relationship with state authorities. Through the lens of Davídek’s leadership, the article examines themes of resilience, theological reform, and the church's response to political repression. The underground church's narrative reflects broader societal issues, including resistance to totalitarianism, the challenges of reintegration into formal church structures after communism, and the lasting impact of these experiences on modern Czech Catholicism.

ДО ПИТАННЯ СЕМАНТИКИ МОНУМЕНТАЛЬНОГО ЖИВОПИСУ ЦЕРКВИ СПАСА НА БЕРЕСТОВІ 1643–1644 рр.

Author(s): Alina Kondratiuk / Language(s): Ukrainian Issue: 2/2023

The purpose of the article is to analyse the literature and sources covering the issues of studying the ideological and artistic content of the monumental painting of the Church of the Saviour at Berestove of 1643–1644. The author's main focus is on revealing the semantics of the mural's subjects and interpreting the iconology of the monumental ensemble, which will allow us to determine the place of the monument in the context of the national spiritual and artistic culture of the first half of the seventeenth century. It is planned to characterise the ideological programme of the monumental painting of the Petro Mohyla era and to identify the main accents in the system of paintings. The research methodology is based on the application of a systematic approach, an analytical method, art history, historicalcomparative, historical-genetic, historical-systemic, and descriptive methods for a comprehensive consideration of the given problem and formulate well-founded conclusions. The scientific novelty is characterised by the fact that for the first time, based on a critical analysis of literature and sources, the need for a reliable semantic analysis of the monumental painting of the Church of the Saviour at Berestove of 1643-1644 was identified. Based on a thorough study of the features of the church's painting system, the leading artistic and visual themes are identified and a variant of the interpretation of the iconology of the monumental ensemble of the time of Petro Mohyla is proposed. Conclusions. Summarising, we should note, that in the process of analysing the system of paintings of the Church of the Saviour at Berestove, its integrity and the conditionality of all elements were noted. The nature of the images made it possible to identify the key areas that carry the greatest semantic and dogmatic load. The author identifies the leading theological themes in the system of paintings – the Incarnation and the Eucharistic Sacrifice – and outlines a number of subjects that represent these themes. It is noted that the theme of the Incarnation in Byzantine art acquired special significance after the victory of icon worship. The monumental ensemble of the Church of the Saviour of 1643-1644 was presented as a reminiscence of Macedonian Renaissance art. It was noted that the programmatic archaism of the system of paintings and a specific set of subjects were related to the actual tasks of the spiritual life of the time of Petro Mohyla.

THE PERSONALITY OF THE METROPOLITAN DOSOFTEI

Author(s): Nicolae Nucă / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 38/2024

Romanian Orthodox theology had a categorical and unwavering attitude on the line of the right faith in respecting the dogmatic and liturgical truth. The metropolitan of Dosoftei was a providential man in the eucharistic dispute between the two churches, Russian and Ukrainian, having a major contribution in clarifying the eucharistic liturgy. Through the holy liturgy, the most lively spiritual connection and the richest communication between Christ and his church is realized.

Архиепископията в Охрид по времето на Епирското деспотство

Author(s): Daniel Ziemann / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2023

This paper aims at showing how the archbishops of Ohrid, first and foremost Demetrios Chomatenos, tried to develop their own position at the cost of the patriarchs of Constantinople. Demetrios’ politics aimed at establishing Ohrid as one of the most important ecclesiastical centers in Europe’s Orthodox Church. These ambitions were tied to the political destiny of the Despotate of Epirus; its downfall buried the ambitions of Demetrios. But despite the radical political changes during that time, Ohrid retained its great importance for the Orthodox Church in Southeastern Europe in the following centuries.

Църковните епархии във Вардарска Македония между двете световни войни

Author(s): Ivan Yovchev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2023

During the First World War and immediately after it, the dioceses of the Vardar part of Macedonia had changed their legal administrator several times. This phenomenon is probably caused by the rapidly changing political situation in the region. This means that the church structure and the management of a church area directly depends on the political situation in it and always the political element is stronger than the ecclesiastic one in the spiritual administration of a territory. So from 1920 (except years during the Second World War) to the present, the dioceses in Vardar Macedonia are under the jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC). Nowadays this fact raises lots of disputes and constant tensions between Serbia and Northern Macedonia.

Biserica „Sfinții 40 de mucenici de la sevastia”, ctitorie și necropolă a dinastiei Vlahe a Asăneștilor, din Munții Haemus. Ideologie politică și tradiție ortodoxă

Author(s): Ginel Lazăr / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 2/2024

The Asen Kingdom created after the Vlach-Bulgarian uprising in the Haemus Mons (after 26 October 1185) represents the first and only attempt of the eastern Roman world south of the Danube to get organized into a state of Wallachian (Romanian) origin, based on the political tradition of the First Bulgarian Empire. The rulers from the Asen dynasty of Wallachian (Romanian) origin, of which we mention here only Ioanitsa Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II, were called tsars according to the Bulgarian political tradition. The latter, having become a true Balkan sovereign after winning the Battle of Klokotnitsa on March 9, 1230, established imperial hegemony in the region. In honor of the victory in the Battle of Klokotnitsa, won over the Thessalonian emperor Theodore Komnenos, Ivan Asen II built on the banks of the Yantra river, outside the walls of the Tsarevets fortress, an imperial church dedicated to the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. One of the most important monasteries in the capital of the Asen kingdom, Tarnovo, was formed around it. Today this church, which was used as a royal burial place, is a genuine monument of Bulgarian art and culture, preserving undeniable evidence of history. Like any centuries-old monument, this place of worship, now a museum, hides still unknown secrets of the past in its ancient premises.