Od darowizny i sprzedaży po zastaw i sprzedaż z prawem odkupu. Tytuły prawne dzierżenia wójtostw w królewskich miastach w Małopolsce (połowa XIV–połowa XVI w.)

Author(s): Maciej Mikuła / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2024

The purpose of this article is to trace the evolution of the legal titles under which aldermanships were possessed in royal towns in the period from the mid-14th to the mid-16th centuries. As the analysis of royal documents shows, interest in increasing control over the turnover of aldermanships can be noted as early as the reign of the first two Jagiellonian kings. This is confirmed by the increased frequency of the clause of obligatory royal consent in alienation. However, control of turnover was only the first step in a deeper evolution to move away from divided ownership to pledge and sale with a right of repurchase. These latter legal titles provided the monarch with greater freedom in the trading of aldermanships, thereby enabling him to use aldermanic property to reward merit and for broader personal political purposes.

Porady prawne udzielane na łamach Nowego Kuriera Warszawskiego w latach 1940–1944

Author(s): Hubert Mielnik / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2024

The article presents a study dedicated to the analysis of legal advice given in Nowy Kurier Warszawski, a Polish-language German newspaper published in the General Government during World War II. The publication is primarily based on an analysis of press sources, employing a quantitative research methodology. It aims to answer the following research questions: How much advice was given each year? What was the average distribution per issue? Which legal fields were covered by the legal advice, and in which fields was the most advice given? What was the distribution between legal advice regarding pre-war law and German legislation? What were the main types of cases (problems) within each category of the provided legal advice? To what extent, if at all, was legal advice instrumental in imposing the German perspective (interpretation of the law)? Through the analysis of the legal advice provided to readers, the author intends to present a partial picture of everyday life in the General Government. The thesis of the article posits that the legal advice published in Nowy Kurier Warszawski primarily had an informational character for the residents of the General Government, often concerning issues that extended far beyond the legal sphere. They were not a tool of propaganda for the German authorities’ legal system.

Biskup Jacek Jezierski: teolog i ekumenista

Author(s): Paweł Rabczyński / Language(s): Polish Issue: 25/2024

In 2024, Bishop Jacek Jezierski celebrates a triple jubilee: the 75th anniversary of his birth (23 December), the 50th anniversary of his presbyteral ordination (16 June) and the 30th anniversary of his episcopal ordination (5 March). Bishop Jezierski is a shepherd of the Church, as well as a mature theologian and ecumenist. In his scholarly reflection and teaching, we find the outlines of Christology, Mariology and ecclesiology, although his concern for the human being, for his intellectual and spiritual development, for his Christian and social formation is also manifested here. A special place in Bishop Jezierski’s life and work is occupied by ecumenism, on all possible levels: spiritual, doctrinal and practical. The presented article has been divided into parts showing Bishop Jezierski as a theologian (fides quaerens intellectum) and an ecumenist (fides quaerens dialogum). In the last part, the ecumenical thought of the Most Distinguished Jubilarian is presented.

Warmiński krąg współpracowników kardynała Stanisława Hozjusza

Author(s): Andrzej Kopiczko / Language(s): Polish Issue: 25/2024

Cardinal Stanislaus Hosius, as Bishop of Warmia, needed collaborators to assist him in ecclesiastical and secular administration. Even before he became ruler of the diocese, he befriended several people who held the canonical dignity in the Warmian Cathedral Chapter, but who worked at the royal court. This group included Paweł Płotowski. He also maintained contacts with Jan Dantyszek. After receiving his nomination for the Bishopric of Warmia, he appointed Kacper Hannow as his plenipotentiary to take over the diocese and swear in the articuli iurati. Since the bishops of Warmia, until the end of the 18th century, had a double authority as diocesan ordinaries and lay administrators of their domain, it was necessary to employ two types of officials. In terms of clerical authority, duties were performed by functionaries with titles and competences accepted in the universal Church. These included the vicar and general officiate, chancellors, secretaries and court chaplains. In the event of a departure outside the territory of Warmia, the bishops had to appoint a diocesan administrator sede impedita. Among the most important people who took up these offices, who were Warmian canons, we should mention Eustace Knobelsdorf (officiate and administrator of the diocese sede impedita), Jan Leoman (chancellor), as well as Szymon Worein and Stanisław Reszka (secretaries). He had great confidence in Jan Grodecki, Maciej Hein, Andrzej Nidecki, Henryk Samplawski and Tomasz Treter. The Jesuits should also be included in this circle: Alphonse Salmeron and John Jacob Astensis. The Dominion was obliged to employ Prussian indigens in its secular administration, which was supervised by the cathedral chapter. One of the most important offices, modelled on the courts of the magnates, in this sphere was that of country alderman. To this post, Hosius first appointed George Preuck, then Philip Potritte and Christopher Troschke. The bursars-general, who supervised the economy in the seven bailiwicks, became: Nicolas Loka, Bartholomew Danckfart, the previously mentioned Jan Leoman and Jan Hatten (who was related to the Hosius family). The court marshal was first Absalom Reymann and then Mikołaj Płotowski, probably related to the canon Paul Płotowski. In the bailiwick with its seat in Dobre Miasto, he appointed his elder brother Jan Hozjusz as starost. The bishop’s castles were managed by burgraves, but their names are difficult to establish, as is the court service, which - taking into account the bishop’s seat, castles and commons – numbered around 200. The most trusted person, however, was Marcin Kromer, from 1551 canon of Warmia, from 1570 – cardinal coadjutor and, from 1579, bishop of Warmia. Stanislaus Reszko, 40 years his junior, should also be included in this group. However, one can conclude that Stanisław Hosius’ relations with people from Warmia were of a rather official nature. He took over some officials from his predecessor, Jan Dantyszek. This was due to the need to continue in power and benefit from their experience more than personal trust. Among the clergy, not all those appointed to the most responsible posts proved entirely loyal to their superior, but canon Eggert Kempen remained among the strong contenders. The main cause of contention was the question of Prussian indigeneity.

Hozjusz, Dantyszek, Kromer: biskupi warmińscy, humaniści, mecenasi kultury. Zarys problematyki

Author(s): Szymon Krzysztof Wawrzyńczak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 25/2024

The Bishops of Warmia played an important role on the cultural and political map of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In the sixteenth century, their special contribution consisted of literary works, involvement in patronage and the promotion of education. This is particularly exemplified by the figure of Cardinal Stanislaus Hosius, bishop of Warmia in 1560–1579. The article presented here serves to give a general overview of the role of the Warmian bishops of the 16th century in the area of science and culture, and to discuss the figure of Hosius against the background of Jan Dantyszek (bishop of Warmia: 1537–1548) and Marcin Kromer (bishop of Warmia 1579–1589), as outstanding humanists, patrons and benefactors. The study refers to the results of research in the humanities, especially history and literary studies, elaborating and synthesising them. It also shows the topicality of these personal models also in the context of the dialogue between the Catholic Church and the contemporary world of science and culture.

O trzech XIX-wiecznych kościołach ewangelickich Elbląga

Author(s): Piotr Birecki / Language(s): Polish Issue: 25/2024

This article presents the history of the three most important Evangelical church buildings erected in Elblag in the 19th century: the Church of the Three Kings, St Anne and St Paul. They were erected in the second half of the century to strengthen the structures of the Evangelical Church in the city. The text discusses the influence of the German state and Kaiser Wilhelm II on Protestant construction through legal acts such as the Eisenach Regulation. It also characterises the neo-Gothic style used in the design of the churches studied and, using archives, discusses the history of the buildings, their furnishings and the people and companies involved in the construction. In conclusion, it is indicated that the strong ties between the state and the Evangelical Church contributed, apart from the totalitarianisms of the 20th century, to the regression of Protestantism in Elblag and Vistula Pomerania.

Życie na gruzach Warszawy i Elbląga opisane we wspomnieniach Kazimiery Marii Żelaznej (1913–2003)

Author(s): Katarzyna Kurasz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 25/2024

Kazimiera Maria Zelazna was born on 29 October 1913 in Warsaw. She was a dressmaker by profession. Until 1944, she lived on Freta Street in the New Town in Warsaw. After the end of World War II, she and her family moved to Elblag, which was a large, industrialised city. Despite the destruction of the war, many factories and businesses had survived here. It was therefore easy to find work and housing, which had been abandoned by the displaced German population. Kazimiera Maria Zelazna remained in Elblag until the end of her life. She died on 12 April 2003. The unpublished “Memoirs of Kazimiera Maria Zelazna from 1999” are preserved in the Elblag Diocese Archives. Mrs Zelazna was persuaded to write them down almost before the end of her life by Father Mieczyslaw Jozefczyk, then pastor of St. Nicholas Parish in Elblag. These memoirs, though written in simple language, are very valuable. They cover the Warsaw period (the time of the Second World War and the Warsaw Uprising), but also refer to the first post-war years lived in Elblag. Kazimiera Maria Zelazna witnessed such important events as, for example, the explosion of the ‘trap tank’ at Kilinskiego Street in Warsaw, the massacre of insurgent hospitals on 2 September 1944, or the displacement of the German population from Elblag and the mass influx of Polish people into the area. The aim of the presented article is to show everyday life from the perspective of an ordinary Polish family during World War II and in the first post-war years.

Przyjaźń brata Kaliksta Kłoczki z artystami

Author(s): Andrzej Derdziuk / Language(s): Polish Issue: 25/2024

This text presents the friendly relations of the Servant of God Kalikst Kloczko, a humble carpenter brother of the Warsaw Province of the Order of Capuchin Friars Minor, with painters, sculptors, musicians and fellow Capuchin friars endowed with artistic abilities and a love of tinkering. The humble Capuchin, who lived from 1930 to 2013, served in Capuchin friaries in Zakroczym, Lublin and Lubartów. He was distinguished by extraordinary simplicity in his relations with people, as well as great sensitivity to others. He was a talented carpenter, capable of finding ingenious construction solutions. He was sincere friends with many artistically gifted people who were able to realize their passions in the form of creating sculptures, mosaics, painting pictures and making other artifacts. They were captivated by his sensitivity to beauty, as well as his openness to God and others. They claimed that they owed him not only practical help in preparing the workshop for artistic work, but also drew inspiration from him for the works they created.

Powstanie i działalność Fundacji „Mater Dei” w Malborku (2007–2023)

Author(s): Agata Grochowska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 25/2024

This article introduces the activities of the ‘Mater Dei’ Foundation, which was established on 25 May 2007 in Malbork. Its main objective became the effort to restore the mosaic figure of the Madonna in the outer niche of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Malbork Castle. This monumental sculpture, made of so-called artificial stone, was the first Prussian realisation of the depiction of a crowned Madonna en plein pied raising the Child on her left arm. Its creation was connected with the completion of construction work on the extension to the castle church in 1343. Unfortunately, the statue was completely destroyed during the war effort in 1945. The article presented here is divided into paragraphs introducing the following in turn: the rebirth of civic associations and foundations in Poland after the collapse of the communist system, the creation of the Mater Dei Foundation, the stages of the rebuilding of the statue of the Madonna of Malbork, and further activities of the Mater Dei Foundation.

Depopulacja Węgier

Author(s): Krzysztof Bielawny / Language(s): Polish Issue: 25/2024

From the end of the 17th century, the Kingdom of Hungary came under Habsburg rule. From the beginning of the 19th century, it became a province of the newly established Austrian Empire. In 1867, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was established, in which Hungarians were co-hosts of the new state. They gained their state independence after the First World War, when the Austro-Hungarian monarchy broke up in 1918 and Hungary was declared a republic. As a result of the political changes, Hungary lost access to the sea and two-thirds of its territory in 1920. Of 325,000 square kilometres, only just over 93,000 square kilometres remained. Hungary also lost two-thirds of its population. Of 21 million, just over 8 million remained. At the end of the 19th century, the depopulation process of the Hungarian nation began. In 1895 divorce and civil unions were introduced, and in 1919 ‘sex education’ was introduced in Budapest schools, initiated by György Lukács, Minister of Culture under Bela Kuna (1886–1938). In 1953 the killing of unborn children was legalised and in 1968 the contraceptive pill was introduced for sale. These measures led to a demographic collapse among Hungarians, who as a society became older and older over the years, characterised by a small young generation.

Dzieje Kościoła a życie ludzi świętych oraz świątobliwych: przykład kardynała Stanisława Hozjusza

Author(s): Zdzisław Józef Kijas / Language(s): Polish Issue: 25/2024

The article discusses and takes a closer look at the heavily debated issue of the meaning of history and historical consciousness in the post-modern era. For today we see strong currents rejecting the concept of history as development. Pope Francis in particular reminds us of this when he speaks of the process of the end of historical consciousness that is taking place today, that is, the loss of the meaning of history (Encyclical "Fratelli tutti"). This history, and especially the history of the Church, includes the lives of holy and saintly people. By their lives they influence its course and the shape of the ecclesial community to which they belong. This impact is characterised by the attitudes described in the article: protest and encounter, opposition and dialogue. For example, the article concludes by presenting the person of Cardinal Stanislaus Hosius ((1504-1579), Bishop of Warmia, humanist, theologian, apologist, candidate for the glory of the altars, in whose actions we also find elements of protest and encounter.

Argumentacja biblijna w wykładzie o „Pozdrowieniu Anielskim” w „Confessio Catholicae Fidei Christiana” Stanisława Hozjusza (1551)

Author(s): Marek Karczewski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 25/2024

The Angelic Salutation in St. Luke’s Gospel gave rise to the main Catholic prayer addressed to Mary. In the context of the broad theological themes contained in the Confessio Catholicae Fidei Christiana (1551), Stanislaw Hosius also included a short lecture on the Angelic Salutation. In it, he pointed out the foundations of Catholic Mariology and the importance of the Hail Mary prayer. The article attempts to analyze the biblical argumentation to which Cardinal Hosius referred and the biblical hermeneutics he used.

Gianfranco Ravasi, Biografia Jezusa według Ewangelii, tłum. Krzysztof Stopa, Wydawnictwo Jedność: Kielce 2023, ss. 319

Author(s): Jarosław Ćwikła / Language(s): Polish Issue: 25/2024

Profesorowie, wykładowcy i zarząd Wyższego Seminarium Duchownego Diecezji Elbląskiej (2023/2024)

Author(s): Piotr Towarek / Language(s): Polish Issue: 25/2024

The Higher Seminary in Elbląg was established in connection with the reorganisation of the administrative structures of the Church in Poland. It resulted directly from the decision of Pope John Paul II (Bull Totus Tuus Poloniae populus of 25 March 1992) and was connected with the creation of the Diocese of Elbląg. The seminary was erected by the first Bishop of Elbląg, Andrzej Śliwiński, on 1 October 1992, and began its actual activities in Elbląg (building at 10 Bożego Ciała Street) on 8 October 1993. After more than thirty years of functioning in Elbląg, the seminarian alumni were transferred to Olsztyn in 2024. They now live in the Hosianum Seminary building and attend lectures at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn. This article presents the professors and lecturers as well as the management of the Elbląg seminary in 2024.

De presbitero geniti. Dyspensy od nieprawego urodzenia dla średniowiecznego kleru pruskiego

Author(s): Marcin Sumowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 15/2024

The article examines the issue of illegitimate birth (defectus natalium) among clergy in late medieval Prussia. As one of the irregularities under canon law (irregularitas), it posed a barrier to ordination. However, papal dispensations offered a potential solution, typically granted by the Apostolic Penitentiary. This study primarily focuses on dispensations obtained through this route. The analysis of twenty-one supplications from Prussian dioceses spanning 1431–1523 reveals a significantly lower number compared to the rest of Europe, which was likely influenced by Prussia’s peripheral status, church structures, legal awareness, and the scope of interactions with the Holy See. The article also explores the social demographics of those seeking dispensations, noting a prevalence of scholars. Additionally, it examines the status of parents of illegitimate clergy candidates. Seven of them were from lay relationships of single state (solutus/soluta), two from relationships of a man of single state and a married woman (solutus/coniugata), while 12 were descendants of priests. The discussion of illegitimate births of clergymen and their efforts to obtain dispensations is enriched by a detailed examination of the case of brothers Albert and Kirstan from Ostrowite in Gdańsk Pomerania, sons of a local parson who sought dispensation for ordination. In 1380, they successfully obtained dispensation from the Apostolic Penitentiary, later approved by the Archbishop of Gniezno as their proper ordinary. The article includes two documents from the State Archives in Toruń related to this case, contributing significantly due to the scarcity of such sources, exacerbated by the absence of preserved files from the Apostolic Penitentiary during this period.

The Body of Christ as a Sacrifice to Pagan Gods? Mattathias Killing of a Jew in a Dutch History Bible of the 15th Century

Author(s): Huib Iserief / Language(s): English Issue: 15/2024

Miniatures depicting the Wounds of Christ figure in many medieval manuscripts. These fascinating images look weird and alienating, without the body they were inflicted on. They also invoke the feeling we are looking at something scabrous because of their similarity to a vulva. It is uncomfortable: these miniatures depict a sacred matter, the Wounds of Christ. There shouldn’t be an association with something vulgar. Is this strange resemblance maybe a product of a dirty mind. The article attempts to answer the question: How should one approach depictions of the Wounds of Christ in medieval art? Are such depictions sacred, or scandalous?

Bruises, Bumps and Bloody Wounds. Body Injuries to the Victims of Physical Volence in Gdańsk in the 16th−17th Centuries

Author(s): Dariusz Kaczor / Language(s): English Issue: 15/2024

The paper explores the issue of physical injuries resulting from interpersonal conflicts, in particular arguments, disputes, ordinary brawls and deliberate acts of physical violence occurring in the lower and middle classes in urban settings, based on the example of Gdańsk at the end of the 16th century and in the first half of the 17th century. This is based on the records of physical examination reports drawn up by the city’s barber‑surgeons on behalf of the municipal authorities for law enforcement purposes, subsequently appended to the burgrave’s and deputy mayor’s registers. In total, more than 18,000 such documents dated between 1580 and 1642 have survived. This enables an analysis of the subject at hand on a icro‑historical scale, as well as employing a statistical (quantitative) approach. The paper considers undamental issues pertaining to the nature and extent of injuries, common injury types, lasting damage, as well as questions regarding injuries, the origin and cause of which fall between physical and symbolic violence – this concerns aggressive demonstrative behaviour, marks of shame and others.

Squares, Circles and Triangulations. Roman Jakobson, the Prague Linguistic Circle and the Intellectual Configurations of Interwar Prague

Author(s): Patrick Flack / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2024

This paper offers a contextualization of the sociointellectual and epistemological position occupied by Roman Jakobson and the Prague Linguistic Circle in interwar Czechoslovakia. It does so by emphasizing the systematic role of Russian and Ukrainian émigré communities, and proposing a partial reconstruction of the intellectual network in which Jakobson and the Prague Linguistic Circle were involved. This contextualizing effort strives to underscore how Jakobson and the Prague Linguistic Circle were not only the agents, in Czechoslovakia, of a major international scientific project – the development of phonology and modern linguistics –, but also the direct product of the local interactions – across the concrete urban spaces and squares of Prague – of a whole spectrum of “minor” or “national” traditions, from Russian social philosophy and Eurasianism to Austrian (Brentanian and Neo Herbartian) psychology or Czech positivism. In particular, the paper highlights the “triangulated” nature of intellectual exchanges in Prague, which played out not only as bilateral, explicit dialogues, but also through a pattern of indirect intersections facilitated by the overlapping participation of many actors in otherwise distinct groups or circles.

The “General Science of Art”: an Impossible Science? A Path through This Almost Forgotten Discipline with the Czech Philosopher Emil Utitz (1883–1956)

Author(s): Lara Bonneau / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2024

The article looks at the minorization of the “General Science of Art” (allgemeine Kunstwissenschaft), a transdisciplinary movement that represented a very fertile laboratory for art research in the first decades of the twentieth century in German speaking countries, before being almost erased from the history of art theory. Following in the footsteps of one of its leading figures, the Prague philosopher Emil Utitz (1883–1956), the article first looks at his biography, before examining his role in the development of the General Science of Art and the process that led to its oblivion.

WORLD COFFEE CULTURE: COFFEE HOUSES AND CAFÉS LITTÉRAIRES – FOCUS ON ITALY

Author(s): Nick Ceramella / Language(s): English Issue: 49/2024

The idea to write this article was inspired by a Ugandan-born English writer, Anthony Capella, who is the author of the novel The Various Flavours of Coffee (2008), in which coffee flavours are compared with the varying ‘flavours’ of love depending on the protagonist’s many flirts. I will argue that coffee traditionally accompanies emotional experiences to fight against stress and moodiness or it can be seen as a shelter or a facilitator of relationships. As widely acknowledged, coffee is some sort of ritual enjoyed, first in the morning for a caffeine boost to power your day, during coffee breaks, and after meals. We will see how such functions represent the role coffee had throughout history. Initially, coffee houses grew as meeting places for discussing business and matters of high historic and social relevance. Then, they acquired a key role in the literature world, and became literary cafés. Thus, it is not incidental that poems, short stories, music compositions, and even novels have been dedicated to coffee and cafés have been used as the ideal place where stories were set. Besides referring to some leading world writers and artists, I will focus on some of the most prominent Italian examples, including Goldoni’s La bottega del caffè (1750), Luigi Pirandello’s L’ultimo caffè (1912), and among contemporary writers to Luciano De Crescenzo with Il caffè sospeso (2017). You can bump into a ‘caffé letterario’ even in the remotest areas of the country.