Ктиторски изображения и надписи в манастири и църкви на Видинската епархия от XIV – XIX век

Author(s): Atanaska Stamboliyska / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2015

A survey will be made in the present article of the existing donor images and inscription in somemonasteries and churches in the bishopric of Vidin in the 14th – 19th c. This type of sources contain immense information, which not only allows us to trace back the foundation and development of the monastic and parish network, but also presents data on the physical features, garments, adornments, haircut and colours of donor’s clothes. The inscriptions, on the other hand, contain rich repertoire of names, thus supplementing to the existing onomastic fund. Data provided by the images and inscriptions in the churches is backed up and supplemented by the Ottoman registers, hagiographic literature and archaeological material.

The Journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, from the Baptism to becoming the Son of God and from the Earthly to the Heavenly Kingdom from the Point of View of Allegorical Interpretation

Author(s): Eva Kovacheva / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2022

The article discusses two historical events taken from texts from the Holy Scripture – the Old and the New Testaments, and a spiritual view on human soul, as found in the Holy tradition of the Orthodox church: they support the thesis that, according to the method of allegorical interpretation, the three evidences point to three inner stages through which human soul passes in its transition to a holistic spiritual development: from the act of the Holy Baptism to the entry into the Kingdom of God.

УСПЕНИЕТО НА СВ. ЙОАН БОГОСЛОВ В ЮЖНОСЛАВЯНСКИТЕ КАЛЕНДАРНИ СБОРНИЦИ

Author(s): Plamena Kostova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 19/2021

The paper focuses on The Assumption of John the Theologian (BHG 916), which commemorates the feast of the Saint on 26 of September in the South Slavic calendrical collections. It researches the dissemination of this text in the South Slavic milieu. A comparison between the witnesses was according to which a preliminary systematization of the manuscripts in which the text has been copied is suggested.

UNE CONGREGATION CATHOLIQUE FEMININE A SALONIQUE OTTOMANE ET LES BULGARES

Author(s): Raya Zaimova / Language(s): French Issue: 2/2022

The present article looks briefly at the history of the Roman Catholic Congregation (the Daughters of Charity of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul) who proclaim the Gospel among the Levantine peoples. The religious institute of women devoted to active charitable work. They settled in Ottoman Salonica around the 1850s. Their activities were closely linked to those of the Lazarists, depending on the same superior of the Mission. Referring to the French archives of their house in Salonica and personal documents, the author briefly presents the objectives of their mission, which, until 1913, was facilitated by the Franco-Ottoman capitulations. The schools of Daughters of Charity were attended by children of different nations, including Bulgarians. The text is an initial attempt to study the schools of the women’s congregations in the Balkans.

Ostpreußens Kriegsbeute. Der Regierungsbezirk Zichenau 1939–1945. Hrsg. von Christhardt Henschel

Author(s): Wojciech Wichert / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2022

Review of: Wojciech Wichert - Ostpreußens Kriegsbeute. Der Regierungsbezirk Zichenau 1939–1945. Hrsg. von Christhardt Henschel. (Einzelveröffentlichungen des Deutschen Historischen Instituts Warschau, Bd. 42.) 416 S., 22 Ill., Kt. ISBN 978-3-944870-75-5. (€ 58,–.)

Cristina Feneșan, Convertiri la islam în spațiul carpato-dunărean (secolele XV-XIX)

Author(s): Ligia Boldea / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 1/2021

Review of: Cristina Feneșan, Convertiri la islam în spațiul carpato-dunărean (secolele XV-XIX), Editura Militară, București, 2020, 466 pag.

Херметични влияния в съчиненията на Константин Костенечки

Author(s): Hristo Saldzhiev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2022

The present article regards the influence exerted by the Hermetic philosophy on the original works of one of the last representatives of Tarnovo literary school – Konstantin Kostenechki. They are found not only in the explicit mention of Hermest Trismegist in “The Biography of Stefan Larzarević” among philosophes to whom God has partly revealed “the truth” but also in one long and sophisticated syllogism where God Father is presented as “Mind” and “The Sources of the First Mind”. Some specific terms, the description of the Serbian anchorites and one unusual transformation of the Gospel text (Mathew 6:6) also must be ascribed to Hermetic influence. All of these hermetic elements most probably have been loaned from Greek sources having included fragments of “Corpus Hermeticum” and some other hermetic texts.

Християнската знат в земите на днешна Република Северна Македония през XV–XVII в.

Author(s): Tervel Popov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2022

During the 15th – 17th centuries, in the lands of the present-day Republic of North Macedonia, Christian nobility continued to exist. The Christian spahi, who were quite numerous in the southwest of the Bulgarian lands in the 15th century, gradually disappeared from Ottoman records. In urban centres such as Ohrid and Kratovo, the boyar estate remained. Duce Dimitar Pepić from Kratovo was the most distinguished Christian nobleman in the historical and geographical region of Macedonia in the 16th century, and he was respected by the people as a ruler. We have evidence about many Bulgarian nobles who became ktetors of churches and monasteries, thereby supporting not only the Christian fate, but also their people.

ASPECTE ALE IDENTITĂȚII CONFESIONALE PE CELE DOUĂ MALURI ALE NISTRULUI ȘI ROLUL ACESTEIA ÎN PROCESUL DE REGLEMENTARE A DOSARULUI TRANSNISTREAN

Author(s): Marius Spechea / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 1/2022

Religious identity represents one of the most sensitive topics, especially in the context of a conflict, so religious identity and confessional aspects can be bridges for resolution and de-escalation, or on the contrary, they can block and stiffen the regulatory process. The confessional reality on the two banks of the Dniester has so far not been analyzed from the perspective of the regulatory process, but more from the historical perspective of the evolution of religious life in the Transnistrian region. The Soviet period made it practically impossible to discuss religious life in the region, it was almost annihilated. But even in the context of special and internationally unregulated political realities after 1991 and which still bear strong traces of the Soviet period, religious and confessional life developed and diversified. In this situation, a series of questions arise regarding the specifics of religious and confessional life as well as confessional freedoms in the region, as well as the role they may or may not have in the effort to regulate the Transnistrian file.In general, the confidence-building measures considered and are undertaken by international actors, but also by the authorities on the two banks of the Dniester, where they have focused in recent years especially on elements specific to human security and less on elements of national security and state consolidation, as many expected or counted on in the regulatory process, a fact that somewhat displeased the political decision-makers. In the context of the war in Ukraine, the negotiation format has stalled, and the process of settling the Transnistrian file has entered a very dangerous minefield. That is why it is important to analyze the opportunity or, on the contrary, the risk, that religious identity can generate the continuation of measures to strengthen trust and maintain dialogue, especially when political channels of communication close.

Two Unpublished Ottoman Firmans from the Serbian Monastery of Visoki Dečani

Author(s): Slobodan Ilić / Language(s): English Issue: 3-4/2022

The paper presents two previously unpublished firmans of Mehmed III and Mustafa II from the archive of the Serbian monastery of Visoki Dečani. The two documents offer an insight into the social and economic position of the Serbian Orthodox church under the Ottoman rule, and the life of the Christian subjects in the Ottoman Balkans.

ДЖЕРЕЛА ІРМОСІВ КАНОНІВ БОГОЯВЛЕННЯ І СТРІТЕННЯ ГОСПОДНЬОГО ЦЕРКОВНОГО ПРОСТОПІНІЯ БОКШАЯ-МАЛИНИЧА 1906 РОКУ

Author(s): Ihor Zadorozhnyі / Language(s): Ukrainian Issue: 1/2023

The purpose of the article is to generalise and clarify the sources of the musical texts of irmoses’ canons of the Baptism of Jesus and the Epiphany of Church Prostopinije by Bokshay-Malynych in 1906 through the prism of close relation with the manuscript and printed irmologions of the XVII-XIX centuries. The research methodology is based on a complex system approach combining a critical understanding of literature, source studies, music-analytical, comparative methods in the analysis of musical texts. In the comparative analysis of irmoses of different lists, we use the scientific provisions by O. Tsalai-Yakymenko regarding the formative principles of time dimensional metric in sacral monody. The scientific novelty of the research consists in clarifying the sources of the musical texts of irmoses’ canons of the Baptism of Jesus and the Epiphany of Church Prostopinije by Bokshay-Malynych in 1906, structuring of the musical material, features of changes in the formation of condensed forms of singing liturgical texts. Conclusions. The analysis of irmoses’ musical texts of the Baptism of Jesus and the Epiphany of Prostopinije shows a direct connection with the manuscript and printed irmologions. The main differences in Prostopinije's irmoses are caused due to the orientation of church singers to concise and simplified forms of singing liturgical texts, the use of several typical chants, as a result of which the new intonation formations have taken place. Comparisons of musical texts from various sources demonstrate the peculiarities of the pattern formations, the preservation and renewal of ancient forms of sacral monody in regional church singing practice at the beginning of the 20th century.

Архиепископ Алойзие Степинац и укрепването на комунистите на власт в Хърватия през 40-те години на ХХ век

Author(s): Irina Ognyanova-Krivoshieva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/2023

Already during the Second World War, when it gradually imposed its power over vast Croatian territories, then within the boundaries of the Independent State of Croatia, and especially after its end, when it officially solidified its power, the Yugoslav Communist Party (YKP) began political repressions and trials against all its political opponents, one of which was the Catholic Church. Thousands of clergymen were sent to prisons, camps or were physically liquidated, and churches were massively destroyed in the spirit of the atheistic policy of the regime. Over time, Communist attacks on the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Zagreb Archbishop Aloysius Stepinac, escalated and culminated in the Stalinist political trial of September 1946. The reason for that was that the Archbishop did not give in to the pressure of the authorities, did not disconnect the ties of the Catholic Church in Croatia with Vatican and became a symbol of the Croatian nation and its struggle for independence and statehood.

Синтезиран преглед на отношенията между комунистическия режим и Църквата в България

Author(s): Nikolay Poppetrov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2024

Земята ще потъне и небесата ще се раздерат: апокалиптични пророчества, свързани с отпадането на Рим от православната вяра (според „Сказание как Рим отпадна от православната гръцка вяра“)

Author(s): Kristiyan Kovachev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2024

The article examines the polemical anti-Latin writings “The Tale of how Rome fell away from the Orthodox Greek faith” (according to manuscript TSIAI 1161) and “Word of how Rome fell” (according to manuscript SANU 147) in the context of the theme of apocalyptic prophecies and the expectation of severe, but God’s just punishment for sins committed. A study of these short but message-laden late medieval texts reveals not only the perception of the conflict between East and West among ordinary people, but also the fear of catastrophic consequences for the world as a result of the violation of church tradition. The change of custom also implies an intervention in the plan of the Creator and changes in the physically visible and spiritual world.

Matrimony between Christians: Historical Dynamics and Canonical Perspective

Author(s): Stanislav Přibyl / Language(s): English Issue: 11/2023

Firstly, the article provides basic information on the biblical teaching on marriage. While the Old Testament sees marriages with numerous offspring as a high value, the New Testament shows a tendency towards celibacy, be it on account of imitating Christ or for the expectation of imminent parousia. The most important author amongst the Fathers of the Church, St. Augustine, made a significant contribution towards forming the Catholic doctrine on marriage upon which drew even the medieval scholastics. In the modern age, the Church complained about the countries which forced their concept of marriage on the Catholic faithful. Even today, the Catholic Church is against the breakdown of marriage by means of divorce. Since the Second Vatican Council, however, there has been a development, for example, as regards contracting marriages between Christians of Catholic and non-Catholic confessions. Prior to the publication of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, this was expressed in the motu proprio of Paul VI Matrimonia mixta, whose regulation did not have to be changed substantially in the Code.

Кирило-Методиевската проблематика в книжнината на Охридската архиепископия (ХІ – ХІІІ В.)

Author(s): Iliya Iliev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2023

Литературната дейност, която се развива в рамките на Охридската архиепископия през периода от нейното възникване в началото на XI в. до времето, когато Димитър Хоматиан заема архиепископския престол в Охрид (началото на XIII в.), е разнообразна и богата Важно място в нея заемат въпросите, свързани с делото на светите братя Кирил и Методий и пренасянето на това дело в България по времето на княз Борис I. Това се дължи на факта, че тези въпроси са били използвани от охридските архиепископи за отстояване на независимия статут на архиепископията по отношение на Константинополската патриаршия. От най-съществено значение за проследяване на кирило-методиевската тема в съчиненията на висшия църковен клир, оглавявал архиепископията през разглеждания период, са следните извори: Климент Охридски, известно още като Дългото житие на Климент, написано от архиепископ Теофилакт през XI в.; 2) Запазеният списък на охридските архиепископи, съставен в средата на XII в. по времето на архиепископ Йоан Комнин (т.нар. Дюканжов списък); и 3) Краткото житие на свети Климент Охридски, написано през XIII в. от архиепископ Димитрий Хоматиан.

The jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Ohrid through the centuries (1019 – 1767)

Author(s): Angeliki Delikari / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

The history of the Ohrid Archbishopric, which researchers have been studying for more than two centuries, is a favourite topic of Slavists (historians, theologians, art historians). In different chronological periods, this Byzantine archbishopric has been the central object of the claims of the Byzantine, Bulgarian and Serbian churches. The importance of the archbishopric also depended on the extent of the territory under its jurisdiction. The function of the archbishopric was ecclesiastical and political. It acted not only as an autocephalous ecclesiastical organization, but also as an institution supporting political structures.

Tsar Samuel in the Ideological Concept of the Ohrid Archbishopric Tradition and Invention (11th-17 century)

Author(s): Mitko Panov / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

The paper treats the issue on the reconstruction of the image of Tsar Samuel from the perspective of the Ohrid Archbishopric. The snapshots from the sources starting from Basil II’s sigillia and other official acts, reveals that the representation of Samuel was largely shaped in accordance with the ideological concept of the Ohrid Archbishopric. Depending on the political constellation and the momentary aims of the ideological propaganda, Samuel was either recognized as the fundamental ruler and inseparable part of the traditions of the Ohrid Archbishopric, or was completely excluded within the constructed theories about the origin оf the Archbishopric. The leading people in the Ohrid Archbishopric constantly modified and constructed the ecclesiastical traditions for the purpose of reinforcing the position and the status of the Archbishopric, in which the Christian saints were also exploited. This tendency also found reflection in the alteration of the original legend about Vladimir and Kosara, that served Archbishopric’s pretensions for obtaining the leading role among the Orthodox Christians in the Balkans. Hence, from the reading of the official works composed for or from the Ohrid Archbishopric we can notice the tendency for adapting, constructing and manipulating the traditions emerging from Samuel’s political and ideological program, that involved the cults and legends originating in Prespa and Ohrid, wherefrom we receive opposed and distorted images of Samuel. Their deconstruction is the main goal of this paper.

Два орнитоморфни графита от храма „Св. София“, Константинопол

Author(s): Thomas Thomov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2023

The first graffito-drawing, from the northern gallery, that we present here contains a heraldic eagle. Byzantium inherited from Rome the use of the one-headed eagle as one of the emblems of imperial power, but it seems that its use as a military insignia disappears too quickly. However, the reliefs, as well as the miniatures, retain the tradition of the one-headed eagle for a long time. Due to the fashion of the eastern fabrics, which turned the two-headed eagle into dominate ornament on the palace garments during the Komnenian period, the usual one-headed eagle was almost completely replaced by this new, imaginary version. The body of the graffito eagle has a teardrop shape and with its almost round top finds a close parallel to some of the eagles on the eastern tissues. However, other details point out to the Byzantine tradition of embroidered silk textiles and reliefs. All this could points to a relative dating of the graffito between the 10th and 13th century.The second graffito is a double-headed eagle standing in heraldic pose from the southern gallery. The graffito drawing represents later image of a crowned double-headed eagle, since the examples with such a motif are more common in the 14th and 15th centuries, when it appears on marble reliefs, textiles with embroidery, seals, coins, sgraffito ceramics and manuscript illustrations. From the end of the XIV – the beginning of the XV century one can find that the heads of double-headed eagles begin to appear with crowns or, very often, a little lily. Based on all the details, but most of all the wings and the shape of the torso, as well as the spur on the left leg, it is possible to accept the relative dating of the first of the graffiti drawings within a time span between the 14th – 15th centuries. The Greek inscription (Tornikios) could hypothetically linked some representative of the famous Armenian (or Georgian) family with the depicted two- headed eagle.It seems to me that in the ornitomorphic-graffiti from the Church of Hagia Sophia is impossible to see nothing than a general image of power or a triumph of good.

Иван Снегаров – жизнен път и историописно творчество

Author(s): Dimitar Hristov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2013

The legacy of the most prominent Bulgarian Church historian, Ivan Snegarov (1882–1971) has not been an object of an extensive and detailed analysis until recently. The article Ivan Snegarov – Life and Historical Work is an attempt to fulfi ll this lack and presents a brief outline of the author’s PhD dissertation with the same title. The article is divided onto three parts: the first one (entitled Life) is a biography of Snegarov, the second (The Various Periods of the Bulgarian History in Ivan Snegarov’s Works) – analysis of his major historical works, and the third (Into the Constructive Laboratory of the Historian Ivan Snegarov) – synthesis of the most essential trends and ideas in Snegarov’s writings.