Christian Tradition Research Articles

Power and alterity: Depictions of the Vascones from antiquity to the middle ages

AbstractThis article undertakes an examination of the origins and evolution of a discourse of alterity against the Vascones –the alleged forefathers of the Basques – and other Western Pyrenean peoples from Antiquity to the Middle Ages. The methodology employed involves the study of literary references made to these peoples, which are then compared to recent scholarly and archeological evidence. Through this analysis, it becomes possible to evaluate the accuracy of these mentions and interpret them within their specific historical context. The results of this research indicate that mentions of the Vascones during this timeframe were mainly polemic in nature and lacked substantial grounding in empirical reality. Instead, it seems that the underlying objective of these narratives of alterity was twofold: to enhance the social and political standing of their authors and to support their claims to political control over the Western Pyrenees. The abandonment of these interpretative repertoires during the tenth century, coinciding with the emergence of the kingdom of Pamplona and the county-duchy of Wasconia, further emphasizes the connection between the display of these tropes and imbalances in political power between the region and its neighbors. The conclusions of this article directly challenge the underpinnings of discourses that depict the ancient Vascones as entirely alien to the political and religious paradigms derived from the Roman and Christian traditions. In so doing, it thus confront narratives about these “ancient Basques” that are prevalent in contemporary Basque cultural production.

Побутові вірування українців ХХ століття на прикладі знахарів

Background. The relevance of the research of the article lies in the fact that everyday beliefs and practices of Ukrainian healers are an important component of Ukrainian culture and traditional medicine. Household beliefs reflect the cultural and historical aspects of a society and the methods by which people understood the world around them and interacted with it in their daily lives. Methods. The article uses general scientific methods - historical, cultural, sociological and systemic approach, which made it possible to carry out a comprehensive analysis and assessment of the historical context of the given topic. The combination of these research methods made it possible to obtain a comprehensive understanding of everyday beliefs of Ukrainian healers and their role in modern society. The results of the study of everyday beliefs of Ukrainian healers showed that this practice has deep roots in Ukrainian culture and traditions. The study also showed that the everyday beliefs of Ukrainian healers of the 20th century are often combined with Christian traditions, which indicates the syncretic nature of this practice. Healers use prayers, icons, and other Christian symbols along with their own rituals and ceremonies. Conclusions. The household beliefs of Ukrainian healers reflect deep cultural and historical connections, and also reflect people's need for spiritual and energetic healing. These beliefs play an important role in the life of modern Ukrainian society, helping people to find support and treatment in traditional methods. Research can make a significant contribution to the maintenance and preservation of traditional healing methods that are passed down from generation to generation. Studying this topic will allow a better understanding of the methods of treatment and health support used in Ukrainian society.

Анализ и перевод древнеанглийской поэмы Instructions for Christians в контексте христианской традиции

An Old English poem, preserved in a copy of the 12th century, Instructions for Chris­tians, consisting of 265 lines, is considered through the prism of the explication of the theme of moral instructions in the Old English tradition. The poem, along with other Old English sermons and Christian poems, represents the suggestion of moral rules regarding early Chris­tian life, being a set of orders for believers. This article provides the author's translation of the contexts of the poem Instructions for Christians. The problem of studying the phenomenon of instructions and the representation of the indisputable position of faith in the ancient culture of the Anglo-Saxons is posed. The overall goal and objectives of the study determine the com­plex nature of the traditional methods used for philological analysis of texts and the semiotic approach to texts. The analysis of the Old English text showed the interweaving of plots of the Old and New Testaments, reflecting opposing views on poverty and wealth, sacrifices, acts of gift and exchange. Issues related to the deeds of the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament Apostle Paul are highlighted in the context of the analyzed material. The work provides a list of variant addresses to God which are used in the poem, which indicates a de­veloped Christian tradition in the Old English period, and also notes the direct name of the devil, which is usually absent in the texts of this period.

Emissary to Jews in the Diaspora and to Some Non-Jews, Champion of Jewish Monotheism and Circumspect of Diaspora Judaism: Paul of Tarsus in the Book of Acts

AbstractIn Christian tradition, Paul is the apostle to the nations. However, his portrayal in the Book of Acts is more nuanced. For a longer period, Paul's ministry is limited to Jews. Only from Acts 13 onwards does Paul slowly emerge as ministering to non-Jews. Yet even then, Paul remains foremost an emissary to diaspora Judaism. In its apology for Paul and his disputed way of including non-Jews into the people of God, Acts emphasises that Paul did so without diminishing the priority of Israel, as a staunch proponent of Jewish monotheism and in a way that took full account of the precarious situation of diaspora Judaism.

In memory of those who went before, in honor of those who follow behind: Introducing African Christian Theology

Describing the shift of World Christianity from the Global North to the Global South, Mark Noll posited that “as much as the new shape of Christianity in the world affects general world history, much more does it influence matters of Christian belief and practice.”1 Given global Christianity’s shift to the South, Christian beliefs and practices in recent decades have not been driven by Western Christian theology. Nearly thirty years ago, western scholars recognized that the majority of Christians on the face of the earth are found in Africa, Asia, and Latin America — and that “the proportion . . . grows annually.”2 Therefore, in retrospect and prospect, global Christianity is increasingly envisioned to be highly influenced by non-Western Christian theologies. For example, diaspora missiologists are consistently reminding us that the global church is thriving because of the movement of Africans across the world.3 Africans migrating to North America and Europe are planting churches in areas where traditional Christianity has been declining.

SAN BARBATO DI BENEVENTO, “L’APOSTOLO DEL SANNIO”, UCCISORE DI VIPERE D’ORO ED ESTIRPATORE DI ALBERI SACRI

St. Barbato of Benevento, “the Apostle of Sannio”, gol den snakes’ killer and holy trees eradicator. This contribution analyzes the events relating to the work of San Barbato di Benevento. Nicknamed “Apostle of Sannio”, he was the protagonist of the Christian conversion of the southern Italian city of which he became the first bishop. We move from the analysis of the Lombard pagan traditions permeated in the territory, from the sacred tree to the golden viper, from magical rituals to the tradition (even contemporary) of the Beneventan witches, to delve deeper and analyze the elements of Christian tradition in Sannio. Through the study of episcopal charters, hagiographic traditions and archival do cuments, the history of the diocese passes from the late ancient age to the medieval phase, reaching the modern age. The contribution ends with an ‘appendix’ on the Cathedral of Benevento, a place of worship whose foundation has been attributed to Barbato himself.

Christianity and Law in the Enlightenment

The European and American Enlightenment movements of 1688 to 1815 transformed the Western legal tradition, notably in areas of constitutional law, criminal law, private law, legal and political theory, and legal education. Particularly the American and French Revolutions effected massive and sometimes violent changes to traditional patterns of law, politics, and society — separating church and state and placing a new premium on democratic rule of law by the general will and public opinion. These legal reforms were grounded in part in new Enlightenment liberal beliefs in deism, rationalism, individualism, and nationalism — ideas that came to strong expression in the many new constitutions and codes issued in the later 18th and 19th centuries. Even so, Enlightenment legal reformers often worked side by side with Christian legal reformers, and they reconstructed traditional Christian legal teachings more than they created laws anew. As a consequence, until the mid-19th century, there was more continuity than discontinuity between Enlightenment-based legal teachings and practices and those of the Western Christian tradition. The Enlightenment, however, provided new secular logics for many of the traditional laws that it adopted and then adapted, and these secular teachings would later fuel the more strident post-Christian, if not anti-Christian, legal campaign of modern liberalism.

К вопросу о семиотической интерпретации пространства неопротестантского богослужения

The article attempts to conduct a semiotic analysis of the space of neo-Protestant worship. For this purpose, as a methodological tool, general cultural spatial codes were used. The danger of semiotic error in determining the hierarchy of levels of expression and content is noted. The object of research is considered – the space of neo-Protestant worship. A semiotic comparative analysis of this space and the traditional Christian temple is made. Groups of spatial codes are considered in detail, their denotative and connotative interpretation is carried out. The emphasis is placed on the elements of visual semiotics of the space of neo-Protestant worship. The semiotic transformation of the hierophanic code is noted. The problem of aesthetics of neo-Protestant worship is posed.

A Philosophical Theologian’s Review Essay on Judith Butler’s Who’s Afraid of Gender?

Judith Butler’s work relates directly to science and religion concerns. Scientific questions regarding the nature of male and female sex, and the relation of biological sex to Butler’s conception of gender are important concerns in her work. Butler also has an abiding disdain for traditional Christian anthropology with its binary heteronormative sexual ethics. Conservative Christian religion is thus seen by Butler as a moral and political enemy of progressive humanity and reason. For these two reasons, as well as the fact that Butler has had an enormous impact on contemporary culture and law through her gender studies work, it is important that Christians who are interested in science and in the cultural and political currents of our times, understand her work. People who do not usually read postmodern gender theory will find the terrain demanding. Indeed, Butler’s writing is difficult even for professional philosophers to decipher. However, her 2024 book—Who’s Afraid of Gender—is remarkably accessible. Considering the importance to science, religion, and contemporary culture that these matters are, and considering that this is an unusually accessible text by Butler, I here offer a philosophically engaged and theologically critical review essay of Butler’s latest book.

Benin Traditional vs. The Holy Aruosa Religions: A Comparative Analysis

This work is a critical evaluation of the traditional religion (worship of God through deities) vis-a-vis the emergent Holy Aruosa religion (direct worship of God, without intermediary) among the Benin of Nigeria. The work traces the histories of both religious approaches and argues that the Benin people were exposed to Western cultural influences and civilization which in turn necessitated a mixture of traditional religion and Christianity known as the Holy Aruosa. The literary research work is conducted among Benin people of Edo state, looking into written records and conducting oral tradition. The work examines the interaction between Holy Aruosa and Benin traditional religion. It gives insight into the traditional and religious lives of the people as a means of unification, identification, socialization, social stratification and ways of appreciating God (Osanobua) and posits that Holy Aruosa best represents this channel. It argues that the Holy Aruosa emerged as a response to new alignments in the social structure. The works indicates that the Benin elite-introducers of the new religion also achieved another purpose being able to modify one aspect of the indigenous religious system: the ritual approach to Osanobua. The research therefore concludes that the Benin traditional religion is the matrix for the Holy Aruosa institution; hence, Holy Aruosa religion is an offshoot of Benin traditional religion, noting, however, that the adherents of Benin traditional religion remain undaunted in their worship of Ogun, Olokun, the ancestors and the hero-divinities. Keywords: Holy Aruosa, Benin Traditional Religion, Deities

Power Circuits: Asymmetries of Global Christianity

Abstract This article examines the idea of global Christianity in scholarship and the postcolonial and present imperial conditions that underlie it. Through an analysis of the fields of World Christianity and the anthropology of Christianity, it considers how Western Christian histories and power dynamics have impacted Christian traditions of the Global South and seriously considers the pervasive logics of geopolitical power that transform local contexts–not only altering how such communities and traditions are written about, but also impacting the traditions, practices, and people themselves. Thinking with Coptic Orthodox Christians between Egypt and the United States and Born-Again Christians in Uganda, this article examines how global power inequalities in the circuits of ideas, forms of life, and theopolitics are integral to thinking about the idea of global Christianity and its variations in scholarship.

Syncretism Narrative and the Use of Material Objects within Some Neo-Pentecostal Circles in Contemporary South Africa

African Pentecostal Christianity presents interconnectedness with African cultures, spiritualities, and religiosity in many ways. Among many other practices that demonstrate this interconnectedness is the use of material objects common within some African Pentecostal Christian spaces, African cultures, spiritualities, and religions. The advent of neo-Pentecostalism in South Africa has brought some controversies in the use of material objects within the broader African Pentecostalism. This has led to the outright demonization and to the conclusion that this practice was fundamentally syncretistic. This article investigated the syncretism narrative given the use of material objects within some neo-Pentecostal spaces in contemporary South Africa. It scrutinized the syncretism narrative and problematized it as the continuation of the missionary-colonial project that demonized African religious and cultural practices. It was argued that this constitutes coloniality that uses a “cultural bomb” that seeks to eradicate African customs, cultures, religions, and practices including the use of material objects. The study was conducted through the desktop research methodology focusing on secondary literature on African Pentecostalism, African neo-Pentecostalism, and syncretism. The findings indicated that the syncretism narrative is often applied to African Pentecostalism and seldom used with other Christian traditions, especially those of Western descent. Again, when the term is used, non-syncretistic elements are often not acknowledged. Thus, the need to transform the current narrative was highlighted.

Identification and Identity: Quest for the Armenian Martyrdom Sites in the Modern Times

Abstract The article deals with the role of Armenian Christian martyrdom sites and interrelated issues of national-religious traditions and identity formation around them in the modern period. As in the case of other Christian traditions and nations, the Armenian martyrs have been honored and become a part of national-religious identity. This article is an identification of the problem field and an attempt at an interdisciplinary examination of the questions mentioned above. Accordingly, some commonly Christian and Armenian regulations concerning the veneration of martyrs’ relics and martyrdom sites in the context of canonization, the source and place identification of the Armenian genocide martyrdom sites, as well as the martyrdom issues around Lenin-Stalin repressions are the scopes for examination in the present study.

The Phenomenological Counter-intentionality of the Icon

The main goal of this paper is to show Nicholas de Cusa’s influence on the notion of Icon (icône) as counter-intentionality in Jean-Luc Marion’s phenomenology of givenness. In order to do this, first, we offer a study of the early conception of Icon in Marion, as it appears in L’Idole et la distance (1977) and Dieu sans l’être (1982), showing the passage from an early conception of the icon to its first phenomenological formulation. As we will see, in this early period there is already an influence of the christian neoplatonic tradition (Dionysius the Areopagite). Secondly, we analyze the reception practiced by Marion of the Nicholas of Cusa’s thought. In this case, we indicate specifically how the Cusanian notion of eicona dei appears as a fundamental historical antecedent of the Icon as a saturated phenomenon, thus revealing the importance of Christian Neoplatonism in the phenomenology of givenness.

The Commentary in the Melkite Lectionary

Abstract This article investigates a little-known yet highly significant facet of the Arabic liturgical Gospel books – the commentary that was introduced into the Gospel readings from at least the 11th century to the 19th century, notably during the time of Patriarch Athanasios III Dabbās, the last publisher to include this commentary. This study aims to shed light on the origin and evolution of this commentary, categorize its contents, and evaluate its theological importance in the context of the Arab Christian tradition. By offering fresh perspectives on the composition of Lectionary commentaries, this research enriches our comprehension of the history and theology of the Arab Christian tradition.

“Day of Wrath” in the Mirror of Hybrid Fantasy: Typological Similarities of A Song of Ice and Fire by G. R. R. Martin and Hard to Be a God By the Strugatsky Brothers — A Secondary Publication

The article presents a comparative and typological study of A Song of Ice and Fire by G. Martin and Hard to Be a God by the Strugatsky brothers. These works are analyzed together with their screen versions. The purpose of the study is to reveal the typological (genre, plot, ideological, philosophical, and narrative) similarities of both works. The conducted research is relevant as the comparative and typological approaches help to understand the ideological and philosophical messages related to the role of an individual in history and the temptations for heroes endowed with supernatural power. This analysis is performed based on a combination of typological and comparative approaches: the comparative approach helps reveal deep similarities between these two works, and the typological approach helps comprehend their role in a wide cultural context. The conclusion is made that A Song of Ice and Fire and Hard to Be a God have several typologically close features. They belong to the genre of hybrid fantasy, they do not have a direct assessment of events, and there is no “all-competent” author’s point of view. Nevertheless, there is a metaphor of “an involved observer” who, nonetheless, is also limited in his possession of information. Both works represent a common psychological motivation of the heroes, which is based on a “mechanical” response to evil with more violent evil; a shift from the Christian tradition, atheistic and agnostic philosophizing are also represented in both works as well as a broken denouement and unresolved lines associated with the fate of the main characters. It should be noted that the works studied here belong to different historical and cultural epochs but they illustrate the development of typologically similar trends in literature and cinema, which are as follows: the strengthening of a pessimistic view of man and history, weakening of the spiritual and moral component, lack of assessment of the heroes’ actions, breakage (or inevitable absence) of denouement. The works of these authors are immensely popular because they satisfy the unspoken “social order,” and in some cases, they form it.

Ветхозаветные образы в великом каноне Андрея Критского и в «Книге скорбных песнопений» Григора Нарекаци

The Great Canon, composed in the early 8th century by St. Andrew, the archbishop of Gortyna in Crete, became an integral part of the Great Lent services of the Orthodox Church and thus acquired the status of the main penitential hymnographic work. It abounds with examples from the Old and New Testaments: St. Andrew describes persons and events from biblical history, starting from the creation of the first man, and uses them to reflect the moral state of man, deriving from their actions both warnings and reproofs, as well as examples of hope and trust in the mercy of the Creator. The mystical poem The Book of Lamentations, written by the Armenian hymnographer Grigor, a monk and vardapet of the Narek monastery, in the very first years of the 11th century (presumably in 1002), also sets the incitement of a repentant mood in the soul of the reader together with contrition for sins as one of its aims, in which it intersects very closely with the Great Canon. A certain similarity in the approach to the use of biblical figured between these two penitential works, although belonging to different Christian traditions, had been noted by those few researchers who were familiar with both the Great Canon and The Book of Lamentations, but a closer study of this similarity – or, on the contrary, differences in the approach of the authors – has not yet been undertaken. This paper will attempt to compare the exegetical principles of these great Christian poets on the examples taken from the Old Testament.

Ossetian Folk Holiday Ichina

The article studies one of the most significant Ossetian folk festivals called Ichina (Ich’yna / Ik’ina). This research contributes to a more comprehensive reconstruction of traditional religious and mythological representations of the Ossetians, which determines the relevance of the research topic. The scientific novelty of research lies in the formulation of the problem: Ichina is still one of the least studied traditional holidays of Ossetians, so the question of the ratio of exogenous and endogenous elements in it is being raised for the first time. Also, for the first time, an attempt is being made to identify the archaic mythological basis of traditional ideas associated with this holiday. It is known that the name Ichina is derived from the Greek word Enkenia, which denotes the Christian holiday of the Renewal of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem. The aim of the study is to try to identify elements of exogenous religious ideas in the Ossetian holiday of Ichin, as well as the underlying traditional Ossetian beliefs. Analysis of various sources shows that the Ichin holiday, while generally corresponding to the Christian Enkenia, also contains elements that relate it to the Jewish holiday of Renewal. In particular, Ichina discovers a specific connection with the fire-light symbolism, which, however, does not necessarily indicate a direct familiarity with Jewish rites and could be perceived within the Christian tradition. Ethnographic materials refer the time of the holiday to the autumn period of the cattle breeding cycle. At the same time, in folklore texts about this holiday there is an implicit indication of the correlation between the transition to the wintering of livestock and the transition to the wintering of snakes. The use of comparative mythological material makes it possible to clarify this unusual connection. Since the functions of the guardian of livestock in mythology often belong to a serpentine deity, it is concluded that the holiday basically dates back to the ancient pastoral cult of a deity endowed with serpentine features.

Orthodox Poets of the Soviet Era: Aleksandr Solodovnikov, Vasily Nikitin, Sergey Averintsev, Elena Pudovkina

The article explores the work of Orthodox poets during the Soviet era, particularly focusing on Aleksandr Solodovnikov, Vasily Nikitin, Sergey Averintsev, and Elena Pudovkina. It formulates a general principle of the poetic style of these authors as the principle of soul, word, and world transformation, realized through prayerful and confessional expressions. The distinctive feature of the resurging Orthodox poetry in the 20th century primarily lay in its pursuit of maximum immediacy, simplicity, and originality, deliberately transcending “literariness,” which was particularly burdensome for individuals of the 20th century. In turn, the analysis reveals that due to this aspiration for the primacy of the word, it unexpectedly proves to be far more complex than it appears at first glance. It carries not only profound meanings of Orthodox faith but also the deep tradition of Christian “literariness” in the best sense of the term—an active continuity with the texts of predecessors, reaching back to ancient Russian and Byzantine heritage. Moreover, it strives to reproduce the spirit of the Gospel’s word, as far as it is humanly possible. Literary creation for an Orthodox person is justified and beneficial only when it constitutes a part of their spiritual self-improvement and transmits the experience of this work to others. It represents the work of soul transformation by the grace of God, captured in the word. Spiritual poetry is traditional not only in content but also in form, oriented toward classical poetry of the 19th century as its model. In cases when it diverges from this model, it does not tend toward the modernism of the 20th century but, conversely, delves into the deep archaism of the early centuries of Christianity, sometimes directly aligning with the structure of the Gospel’s word and canonical church hymns. This is logical since the breakdown of classical poetic structure in the 20th century was a consequence of secularization—the despiritualization of the world and language. Accordingly, the reverse process inevitably led to the revival of the style of classical poetry and even its earlier form—the church poetry.

FEATURES OF THE AMARTOLOGY OF ST. PORPHYRIOS THE KAFSOKALYVITE

The article presents an analytical review of St. Porphyrios the Kafsokalyvite’s concept of sin and repentance. The amartology of St. Porphyrios is closely connected with his teaching about man; in his judgments he relies on tradition, on the Holy Scripture, on thoughts of holy fathers. At the same time, St. Porphyrios’ understanding of sinfulness and the process of liberation from the power of sin has its own peculiarities. He uses the metaphorical expressions “confused person”, “confusion” when it comes to sinfulness. The article analyses the genesis and semantic content of these concepts. In a person Elder Porphyrios distinguishes the “good Self” and the “bad Self”. In general, sinfulness is interpreted by him in a psychological way, not as an abstract philosophical or theological concept. Speaking about repentance, he also suggests means that are traditional for the Christian tradition, such as confession, and also (which is already unusual for Christian ascetic discourse) he talks about the harm of “fixation” on the problem of sin in a Christian’s life; instead of the strategy of struggling with passions and sins he suggests focusing on acquiring virtue, love and Christ himself.