Beginnings Of Christianity Research Articles

Wpływ fundacji papieskich na polską architekturę początku XVI wieku. Watykański kontekst mauzoleum prymasa Jana Łaskiego

The analysis is devoted to the St. Stanislaus chapel erected near Gniezno Cathedral on the initiative of Primate Jan Łaski between 1518 and 1523 (pulled down in the late 18th century). Foundation of this central, free-standing mausoleum plays an important role in the history of the beginnings of Renaissance art in Poland. Its realisation took place simultaneously with construction of the chapel: the mausoleum of King Sigismund I the Old at Wawel. Archbishop Jan Łaski was involved in bringing to Poland Bartolommeo Berrecci, a designer of the royal chapel, who perhaps also participated in preparing the Gniezno design. Undoubtedly, the Łaski foundation was influenced by his stay in Rome in 1513-1515, when the Archbishop was permitted to take some soil from the Roman necropolis of Campo Samo and use it to sanctify the cemetery at Gniezno Cathedral. The concept of the mausoleum was also connected with the tombstones ordered in Hungary in Giovanni Fiorentino studio. On the basis of the preserved line of foundations, we can distinguish a number of important features of the building. It had a central layout. The core part took the form of a cylinder, most probably vaulted by the dome. Three semi-circular apses formed a elear triconch. From the south there was an entrance to the chapel. No less important was location of the mausoleum, situated between the cathedral and St George’s a collegiate church. On the same axis was the original location of the tomb of St. Adalbert. The solutions applied in Gniezno may have had their sources in a Roman art centre. They were used in a sedes of projects and concepts appearing around the Julius II foundation, renovation of St. Peter’s Basilica and the concept of the papai mausoleum. They were related to the work of Donato Bramante and Giuliano da Sangallo. The Vatican architectural designs were formulated in the context of unique historical signifi of St. Peter’s burial place. A similar, ancient context appeared in Gniezno, a place associated with the beginnings of Christianity in Poland.

VALENCIAN RECONQUEST CHURCHES. STUDY OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS FOUND IN THE ALGEMESÍ CAPILLA DE LA COMUNIÓN

Abstract The present paper deals with the examination and research to the vestiges of an ancient church discovered in the basement of the Algemesí Communion Chapel, dating back to the beginnings of Christianity in the city. Considering the disposition of the constructive elements and the documented historical facts that date back to the first parish in the 13th century, it was deduced that the remains found were part of a temple with diaphragmatic arches and a woody roof. These facts are the paradigm of the ecclesiastical architecture that prevailed, by its execution speed, in the kingdom of Valencia after Jaime I reconquest. The study includes the comparison with other buildings of the same nature that allowed reconstructing its hypothetical volume, as well as the analysis of the techniques and materials that shaped its structure. Its identification ascribes another example to the Valencian protogothic architecture.

Prve kršćanske zajednice / First Christian communities

Christianity, having developed in a Jewish setting, quickly separated from Judaism and opened itself to the aspirations of the Greco-Roman world. This paper will explore the first Christian communities in Jerusalem, Antioch and Rome, from whence Christianity spread to the ends of the Mediterranean basin, that is to say, through the Roman Empire. Each of the aforementioned communities, which were very well respected, will be discussed with regards to the date of their foundation, the source material concerning these communities, and their prominent characteristics. In other words, this paper will discuss the spread of Christianity, with reference to the question of the triumphant campaign of the young Church from Jerusalem to Rome. After the acceptance of pagans into their communities, Christianity as a new religion began to gain importance, and the number of adherents grew quickly. The Christian community was declared an opposition to imperial government, and was already heavily repressed by the mid-1 century. The communities that survived repression sought peace; that is, collaboration between the Roman state and the “early Church”, which was seen as a new institution. The cult opened itself more and more to the outside world and different cultures, which led to the mingling of Christians and pagans, leading to many theological disputes, especially concerning the “divinity” of Jesus Christ. Between the 1st and 2nd st century the beginnings of Christianity should be viewed as an organization in which commissions and administrations are present, as the number of believers grew and the need for better organization arose. The basis of the rapid expansion of Christianity in the old world should certainly be viewed in its universality. The author of this paper touches upon the question of the beginnings of Christianity in Dalmatia and Pannonia, side by side with Roman culture. Christianity was not very influential in the Roman province of Dalmatia until the mid-3 century, even though it is likely that there were smaller Christian groups here, as well as organized Christian communities.

By the Fox or the Little Eagle: What Remains Not Regional?

By the Fox or the Little Eagle: What Remains Not Regional?

Review: The Journey of Christianity to India in Late Antiquity: Networks and the Movement of Culture, by Nathanael J. Andrade

Nathanael J. Andrade, The Journey of Christianity to India in Late Antiquity: Networks and the Movement of Culture . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. 296 pages, 3 b/w maps. ISBN 9781108419123. £75. Andrade is a welcome newcomer to the field of authors who have attempted to establish the roots of Christianity in India, a topic of interest to students of early Eastern Christianity in general and the St Thomas tradition in particular. Readers of the genre will be familiar with the closely held belief among several writers, relying on the Acts of Thomas , that it was the Apostle Thomas himself who arrived on the south-west coast of India in the first century C.E. and set about his program of preaching and conversion. Taking an altogether different approach to this tradition, Andrade's work is clearly and firmly located in the study of networks. This framework sets the scene for a work which is a useful deviation from the norm in relation to other studies on the beginnings of Christianity in India. Andrade is insightful in his questions about the meaning of Christianity—that is, what defined “religion” and how premodern societies perceived it. He explores the distinction between Christianity and Judaism as what he calls two “stable and separate” faiths, and places religion firmly in a socio-cultural framework. He rightly notes that Christianity, even in its early iterations, was not monocultural. These observations provide early insights into his views of the timeline of Christianity's arrival and establishment in India. The book is presented in three parts, supported by three maps and two appendices. The first part, consisting of less than 30 pages, deals with the Acts of Thomas , with detailed reflections on dating, language and location. He examines geographic and other anomalies and offers the conclusion that, in his view, the Acts of Thomas lack historical validity in regard to the arrival of Christianity in India. The second part, comprised of two …

Theosis (Deification) as a Biblical and Historical Doctrine

This is the first of the two articles by this author that research the doctrine of theosis, sometimes also called deification or divinization. The second article presents theosis as a New Testament and evangelical doctrine. This first article presents theosis as a biblical and historical doctrine. The first major section of this article analyzes the main biblical texts for the doctrine of theosis; their interpretation and appropriation for theosis. The second major section of this article gives an overview of historical development of the doctrine of theosis, from the beginning of Christian thought to modern era. It shows that theosis was not limited to Eastern theologians but was also represented in the West in certain mainstream theologians and movements. Because of its biblicity and historicity, theosis should be considered an essential historical doctrine of the Church.

Between Early-Christian Architectural Form and Postminimalism

We are currently observing a growing interest in the early Christian writings of hermits, the great eulogists of Christ. In modern religious architecture the manifestation of this interest is a return to the simple forms of early Christian temples. The problem, however, is the quality of this architecture and how it is received by the public. New temples, minimalist in form, so eagerly promoted in architectural professional journals, which are mainly to the liking of critics and architects, are rejected by the faithful. Could the reason for this be the fact that emptiness is excessively exhibited in their interiors? Emptiness is a certain type of synonym for nothingness, and nothingness remains in contradiction with the main message of Christianity. Contrary to the almost unchanged canon of the orthodox temple, the architecture of Catholic churches sees strong protestant influence. In extreme cases this leads to a sort of elimination of decorative forms which have traditionally been present in Catholic churches. The postminimalism that appears in religious architecture refrains from completely contesting interior decoration. We are currently seeing a return to decorative forms, techniques like the fresco or the mosaic, which are treated architecturally, analogously to how they were treated in the beginnings of Christianity. Simplicity, however, should not be mistaken for simplemindedness, which is why the demand for good Christian architecture and religious art is ceaselessly rising. The art of religious architecture, however, is based on the appropriateness of the architectural form in relation to the content that it expresses. The form of a church that is mistaken with the form of a discotheque should raise an eyebrow, especially that of its author, even when said author is a star of architecture.

Религиозные особенности китайской народности «да хуа мяо»

The article contains the basic information about the Chinese Miao people: population, the areas of compact settlement, major groups and their religious worldviews. Particular attention is paid to one group of this nation, called Da Hua Miao. Based on written and oral sources, the author identifies factors of the beginning of Christianity in Da Hua Miao culture. During the field study, verification of official information about this people published in Chinese information sources was carried out, and statistical indicators of religiosity were specified. Da Hua Miao mainly live on the mountains in the northwest of Guizhou province and in the surrounding areas of the northeast of Yunnan. Christianity was brought to these people by the Protestant missionary Samuel Pollard. Miao folklore contains images and plots similar to some Old Testament narratives. It cannot be excluded that the presence in the culture of Da Hua Miao some tales similar in content to the biblical stories served as fertile ground for the spreading of Christian teaching and contributed to a more organic inculturation of Christianity among these people. Widespread in modern publications that modern Da Hua Miao are for the most part (up to 80%) Christians is ambiguous. Field research data shows, for example, that of the 250 people living in one of the villages in Funin County, only 30 people regularly attending to the church services, which is about 12%. On the other hand, Christianity is now a typical characteristic of the religious culture of Da Hua Miao. Representatives of this ethnic group in the majority correlate the culture with Christianity, the official authorities of China recognize Christianity as religion of Da Hua Miao

Education as Support for the Integral Development of the Pupil

Seventy years after the publication of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (in 1948), as well as ninety years after Pius XI’s publication of the Encyclical 'Divini Illius Magistri' (1929 ), special remarks were made about the concept of integral upbringing, which these events clearly indicate and for which the philosophical and ideological foundations were outlined by J. Maritain in his publication – Integral Humanism . The origins of this concept of education can be found even in ancient times, and particularly from the beginnings of Christianity. This sheds light on its contemporary role as an expanding approach to secularism for transcendence. Integral humanism, through openness to anthropological integrity and axiological integration, appreciates the whole person, respecting the integrity of the human person and accomplishing his/her in-depth integration. Such upbringing is reflected in the pedagogical wisdom of the Catholic Church, as well as in its practice, manifesting the educational potential of the Catholic Church with “a powerful educational apparatus ... with all its spiritual life, with its teaching, liturgy, sacraments and pastoral care” (as stated by Father Jacek Woroniecki).

Christian Faith as an Important Element of Culture and Integral Education

The article, referring to the words of the Letter to Diognetus on Christians as the soul of the world, points to the importance of the Christian faith and its believers – Christians in Europe and in the world, especially in the field of culture and education, which are characterized by an integral approach. This problem is analysed in successive three stages: 1) first, integrity is indicated as an essential feature of the Christian faith and education that has been clearly marked from the very beginnings of Christianity; 2) shows faith as the basic expression of human identity, also consistent with the freedom that gives its identity; 3) critically analyses the secularity, indicating in this context the need to promote the integrity of the upbringing of the person and the cultural and social benefits that the Christian faith can bring. Especially during the present loss of the ability to distinguish between important and less important things, when apart from the need to rethink the idea of secularity, the possibility of a positive culmination is pointed out. Christian faith can be an important element of integral culture and integral education in action for humanization. In this action, reason and faith, as “two wings” can lead to true wisdom.

African christianity: a living and vibrant repository of christian faith – Part I

Africa continent has played a remarkable role in the formation and growth of Christian faith and culture, right from its infancy to its present state. While much has been written on the topic of Christianity in Africa, relatively little attempt has been made in acknowledging it as one of the pillars of faith in Christendom, a status attributed exclusively to the West and the East. Hence, this article aims at rectifying this perspective by presenting Africa as a significant, living and vibrant repository of Christian faith. This claim is substantiated by giving an overview of the growth of Christianity in Africa to establish its antiquity. The history is divided into four phases: the beginning of Christianity in North Africa, the decline of the early African Church due to Islam; and the colonization or modern period. The fourth phase, the Africanization of Christianity will be dealt with in the second part of this article.

„Pięćdziesiątnica pogan” w ujęciu Dziejów Apostolskich (Dz 10, 1–11, 18). Casus Korneliusza i jego domu

Badanie początków chrześcijaństwa metodą historyczną sprawia dużo trudności, głównie z powodu znikomej ilości źródeł. Do jednych z najciekawszych należy kanoniczna księga Dziejów Apostolskich, która w Nowym Testamencie jest unicum tak pod względem genologicznym, jak i treściowym. Dostarcza ona dość szczególnego obrazu powstania i rozwoju Kościoła. Autor artykułu pyta, jaki to obraz – historyczny, mityczny, teologiczny czy teologiczno-polemiczny? W badaniach koncentruje się na jednym tylko wątku ukazanym w tej księdze, to jest na przełomowym dla dziejów misji ewangelizacyjnej skierowaniu jej od pogan. Najpierw sytuuje interesującą go perykopę w koncepcji całej księgi, a następnie przypomina w skrócie historię jej egzegezy oraz poddaje ją krytyce historycznej, by w końcu odkryć w niej ważną kartę mitu wczesnochrześcijańskiego. Nie negując jego historycznego zakorzenienia, wskazuje na teologiczne jej przesłanie niezwykle ważne dla społeczności chrześcijan z początku drugiego wieku.

Bultmann Handbuch

Bultmann Handbuch

The Formation and Reorganzation Procesеs of Ternopil Eparchy Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

The processes of formation and reorganization of Ternopil eparchy are reviewed in thisarticle. The existence of church life on the territory of modern Ternopil region reaches the beginnings of Christianity in Kyiv Rus, however, the center of eparchy in Ternopil was founded for the first time just in the early 90’s of XX century.
 All administrative structures of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UCCC) were liquidated in Soviet period of its history.
 In Soviet times clandestine ministry of priests played a key role in the preservation and development of the UGCC on the modern Ternopil eparchy territory. Therefore, after Church legalization, the restoration of existing administrative structures and creation of new ones took place, due to necessity of its normal functioning. Four new eparchies: Ternopil, Zboriv, Sambir-Drohobych and Kolomyia-Chernivtsi have been formed in the period of UGCC revival.
 The formation of administrative structures of Ternopil eparchy included two stages. The first one – formation of deaneries in district centers – took place before official proclamation of eparchy organization. The second one included appointment of the first bishop Mykhail Sabryha and curia, deaneries, eparchial seminary and other auxiliary structures formation. It took place after official edict of eparchy formation.
 Ternopil-Zboriv and Buchach eparchies were formed because of Ternopil eparchy reorganization. Then due to the persistent work of the clergy and people these two were united into Ternopil-Zboriv Metropolitanate.
 Keywords: Ternopil eparchy, administrative structures, metropolitan, Ukrainian Greek CatholicChurch

Le reliquaire de Saint-Césaire d’Arles (1429)

The reliquary of Saint Césaire of Arles (1429). The unpublished reliquary originating from a private collection, acquired in 1998 by the museum of sacred art of the Gard at Pont-Saint-Esprit, should be put in the context of a document published by Louis Stouff in relation to the fortuitous discovery of relics in the base of the altar of the chapel of Saint-Césaire-le-Vieux in the necropolis of the Alyscamps at Arles. In 1428, Dominique de Germayo, the hermit who served there, undertook work to restore the interior, on the advice of a benevolent voice that he heard in his sleep. He wanted to attract pilgrims and put an end to his financial troubles. In the base of the altar, he found a casket containing relics which he vainly tried to hide. The nuns of the abbey of Saint-Césaire retrieved it. In the course of an enquiry, and a rapid but detailed procedure, Foulque de Chonas, the presiding officer of the ecclesiastical court at Arles, authenticated its contents and permitted its veneration. To this end, in 1429 the nuns created a reliquary. They grouped together the scattered relics in their large convent. They all, whether bearing distinguishing marks or not, real or representative, belong to the beginning of Christianity and are celebrated, the pride of Arlesians, one of the pioneer churches of the Gauls. This reliquary appears as a diptych, in the form of a book opening with hinges, inspired by the binding boards of the gospels. The silver covering of this “opening picture” was destroyed at the Revolution. Separated for a while, the two wooden panels were brought together in 1839, in an iron casket calling to mind its original presentation. Each of these has eight carved hollows, protected by glass, and held together by a copper frame engraved with floral motifs. They received the relics, together with their authentication. In the centre of the figures, in high relief and in silver, the guardian bishops Césaire and Blaise take up the traditional iconography of seals and Arlesian money. The stamp of the smith is not known. The arrangement and style points most likely towards a workshop probably Languedocian.

The beginnings of Christianity in Cyprus. Religious and cultural aspects

The history of Christianity in Cyprus has a long and beautiful tradition, whose beginnings are connected with four important figures: Saint Lazarus and apostles Paul, Barnabas and Mark. The apostles came to Cyprus in the first half of the 1st century, when the island was under the Roman rule. According to tradition, by preaching God’s Word they became the founders of the Cypriot Church. Their mission was not an easy one, and the pressure of the indignant Jewish community led to the capture of Paul in Paphos and his consequent whipping at the whipping post. The post can still be seen today among the ruins of the church of Agia Kyriaki Chrysopolitissa. Barnabas sacrificed his life for his faith: he was captured in Salamis, and then burnt at the stake by a Jewish mob. Roman Proconsul Quintus Sergius Paulus became the first important Roman official who converted to Christianity, and Cyprus became the first Roman province which adopted Christianity. Tradition also links Saint Lazarus with the island: allegedly, after being miraculously resurrected by Jesus in Bethany, he came to Cyprus, where he became a bishop and where he preached God’s Word and converted pagans into Christianity for the next 30 years.

Auctor nomini eius Christus. Tacitus’ Knowledge of the Origins of Christianity

Tacitus’ information about the beginnings of Christianity contains details, which may be historically precise. He learnt them, perhaps, from Christian followers of some other than the received tradition, whom he could have tried during his proconsulship of Asia. Dio’s account of the trial of Flavius Clemens and others is probably taken from Tacitus, who in his capacity of quindecemvir sacris faciundis could have participated or been interested in the trial. Dio’s actual formulation of this account omitting Christianity should thus be believed. The implication is that, when treating this affair in his Histories, prior to his sojourn to Asia, Tacitus need not have known anything yet about Christianity, and its beginnings in particular. His information would thus come exclusively from Asia and could be treated as such by modern scholarship.

Re-Marking the Place of Mark


 
 
 Burton Mack's A Myth of Innocence presents a novel approach to the study of early Christianity. Scholars have always imagined that the foundational beginnings of Christianity could be traced back to the historical man named Jesus. The rise of Christianity has been variously attributed to Jesus' charisma or personality, to some surprising activity he did or words that he spoke, or to something remarkable about his death. Although a consensus as to what the unique originary events must have looked like has never been reached, scholars continue to assume its existence is the only thing that can account for the beginnings of Christianity and its myths of divine events. As a historian, Mack finds the insistence upon a singular origin to be strange. New Testament scholarship over the past two centuries has focused on two related topics, the historical Jesus and the earliest Christology, by attempting to work backwards in time through the gospel mythologies. Mack, however, proposes that since the gospels are mythical stories, the foundations of Christianity should be located with the composition of the gospel stories.
 
 

Communications

Communications Prof. Dr. Thomas Müller-Bahlke, Prof. Dr. em. Hermann Wellenreuther, Associate Professor Edward E. Andrews, Neal Salisbury, and Jared Ross Hardesty To the Editor: The author of "Tranquebar: Charting the Protestant International in the British Atlantic and Beyond" in the January 2017 issue of the William and Mary Quarterly (vol. 74, no. 1, pp. 3–34) is to be highly commended for his rigorous effort to claim the small fortress in southwest India called Tranquebar for those wonderful English missionaries bent on converting the non-Christian world. After briefly describing efforts at Christianizing Native Americans and comparing these efforts with Dutch mission enterprises in the East, as well as some modest references to late eighteenth-century attempts by the East India Company to bring the word of God to the unbelieving in Asia, the author claims that the efforts in bringing Christianity to the people on the Coromandel coast were chiefly initiated, funded, and directed by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, based in London, with the energetic support and help of Congregational and learned clergymen such as Cotton Mather in Boston, Massachusetts. Thus in this author's view the glorious and pious efforts of British missionaries were extended from New England in the West to Tranquebar in the East for the glory of the Lord. It is a nice story. The only trouble with this story is that it starts out with a wrong idea about the founding of the mission activities at Tranquebar, mistaking the laudable efforts of Cotton Mather in collecting money for a missionary enterprise as proof that the Christian British Atlantic extended to the Indian Ocean with the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in the middle as the guiding force. As scholars who have worked on Atlantic missions for a number of decades, we ask ourselves, of course, how such a major blunder could have happened and why probably the finest American scholarly journal for the early modern period and a distinguished list of readers were unable to discover the wrong premises on which the author based his analysis. On the surface the author seems to have done his homework. Impressive footnotes document his learning and his efforts to buttress his case with a large number of publications. And for those scholars who only read English texts, his case no doubt is persuasive and convincing. Only scholars who are familiar with studies that extend to missionary work outside the British field will immediately notice the wrong premises on which the study is based. The implication of what we have pointed out in the last two paragraphs is simple: obviously the author is totally unfamiliar with Danish- and German-language scholarship on eighteenth-century missionary activities. That shows already in his few remarks on the Moravian Church. But his [End Page 815] lack of knowledge of contemporary European scholarship becomes really catastrophic when we look at what he has to say about Tranquebar. Lest we are accused of being specious, let us hastily add that the author overlooked not only key publications on Tranquebar in German and Danish but also those published in English. The most important publication on Tranquebar without any doubt is Halle and the Beginning of Protestant Christianity in India, edited by Andreas Gross, Y. Vincent Kumaradoss, and Heike Liebau.1 This publication is well-known in the Atlantic world, has been reviewed in many leading scholarly journals (but not of course in the William and Mary Quarterly), and is available in leading American libraries as well as British and European ones. The New York Public Library holds a copy, and the College of William and Mary's Swem Library holds at least one journal in which this publication has been reviewed. The story is simple and straightforward: the Danish trading company, with the active support of the Danish court, established a trading post on the Coromandel coast. The Danish king's clerical advisers, who maintained close relations with Halle and August Hermann Francke, suggested that the Danish king's desire to establish a Christian mission in the trading post be realized by asking Francke to select two Protestant German clerics who would at the expense of...

Seuils et discontinuités chez Michel Foucault : vers un sujet “post-cartésien” ?

ABSTRACTDrawing from Michel Foucault's final research development (1980–1984), this article disputes Foucault's apparent discontinuity with his previous stands regarding the subject, and unveils a notion I propose to call the “post-Cartesian” subject, i.e. a subject whose ethics displays a congruent harmony between mathêsis (knowledge) and prâxis (action). Spending his last years in the company of Greco-Roman thinkers for whom philosophizing was less a mathêsis than a prâxis, Foucault claims that the disruption of the congruence between logos and ergon occurred at the beginning of Christianity, when the Delphic injunction “know thyself” (gnôthi seauton) took over a precept which had formerly ruled supreme: the “care of the self” (epimeleia heautou). Foucault asserts that Descartes ultimately confirmed this displacement, when the Cartesian subject was no longer required to go through any personal transformation in order to reach truth/knowledge. Challenging this threshold, I argue that the Socratic imperative has not supplanted the “care of the self” in the “post-Cartesian” subject whose task is to resist as much as possible the type of existence/identity which has been impressed on her/him.