Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from? (Rev 7: 13). The Ulma family in light of John of Patmos’ visions

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to present the history of the Ulma family from Markowa against the background of the biblical vision of redeemed in Rev 7:9-17. On 24 March 1944, Wiktoria and Józef Ulma and their seven children were murdered by German soldiers for giving shelter to eight Jews. The beatification process of the family from the Subcarpathia region began several years ago and has an unique character. It lies in that the beatification process concerns not only the parents, but all their children: Stanisława, Barbara, Władysław, Franciszek, Antoni and Maria aged from 8 to 1.5 years, and the Unborn child, still in Wiktoria’s womb. This article consists of two parts: exegetical and biographical. The first part contains an exegetic and theological analysis of the text of Rev 7:9-17, which provides a biblical context for the second part of the paper, describing the heroic story of the family.