Christian Roots Research Articles

Performing heritage at Cordoba’s Mosque-Cathedral

ABSTRACT This article explores the politics of cultural heritage in societies experiencing secularization and religious diversification by examining recent efforts made by Cordoba's Cathedral Chapter to emphasize the Christian origins and identity of the iconic Mosque-Cathedral. We argue that the Cathedral Chapter’s approach to managing and narrating the building over the past two decades responds largely to tensions stemming from the divergence between the primacy of its Islamic or multi-religious identity characteristic of popular representations of the building, both within Spain and beyond, on the one hand, and the primacy of the building’s Christian identity as manifested in the institutional arrangements concerning its ownership, management, and use, on the other. While this divergence has been a source of periodic tensions since the 1970s, such tensions have been amplified by recent symbolic acts and popular movements contesting the Church’s dominion over the Mosque-Cathedral, as well as by broader societal changes that have diminished the Church’s power and influence and heightened its sense of vulnerability. We identify and analyse four main strategies employed by the Catholic Church to (re)narrate the meaning of the building and assert its Christian roots and identity: (1) archaeological projects attempting to demonstrate its Christian foundations; (2) liturgical practices presenting it as a church to establish its Christian identity; (3) discursive practices framing Catholic traditions and rituals as ‘intangible heritage’ crucial to the building's successful preservation; and (4) the unconditional prohibition of Muslims from performing Islamic prayers. In our research, we have focused on the utilization of museological methods and the interweaving of diverse repertoires (scientific, artistic, religious), by Catholic actors, aimed authenticating and validating novel interpretations about the origin and Christian character of the building.

No Longer ‘Christian’ Education: Ulama Edupreneurship in Ilorin 1995–2022

Abstract Due to its Christian roots, western education in Nigeria was initially resisted by Muslims as Judeo-Christian agenda, despite some acquiescence and appropriation of values of western education for Islamic education system. However, from the mid-1980s, neoliberal economic policies led to decline of government responsibility over education, and by the new millennium, private enterprise had become the major provider of education in Nigeria. The fear of Christianisation through education particularly challenged the Muslims. Socio-economic contingencies and prodding by the Muslim populace encouraged some of the ulama to venture into edupreneurship. Using the infrastructures of the madrasa, they adapted by establishing Western-style nursery/primary schools, running the two systems in the same space but at different times. What are the arguments of these scholars? Using the analytical lens of adaptive position-taking, this paper argues that, apart from the economic benefits, the trend also broadens Muslims’ socio-economic and political agenda.

Symbolic Signs of the Eye Concept in English Language View of the World

The article deals with the symbolic meanings and cultural meanings associated with the concept “eye” in the English linguistic picture of the world. On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of lexicographic sources, phraseology, paremi, artistic discourse and corpus data a wide range of symbolic features of this concept is revealed. To achieve the purpose of the article a number of methods were used: linguocultural, paremiological, linguistic and linguistic-stylistic analysis, as well as the analysis of artistic discourse. It is established that the concept "eye" in English linguoculture symbolizes a “window” for comprehending the inner world of a person and reflects ideas about soul, emotions, personal qualities. At the same time, eyes are metaphorically associated with perception, aesthetic pleasure, inspiration, insight, but also greed, sinfulness, threat and cruel retribution. The revealed richness and ambivalence of symbolic meanings are explained by the cultural significance of the concept “eye” in the English tradition, its deep roots in Christianity, paganism, folklore, literature and art. The symbolism of eyes represents the national values of the English — the search for truth, love of beauty, thirst for knowledge, but also negative features that require attention. It is concluded that the concept “eye” is one of the main codes of English linguoculture, embodying the originality of the national worldview through metaphorical conceptualization of the most important “window” for cognition of reality.

Obowiązki literatury. O wykładach polskich Noblistów (od Henryka Sienkiewicza do Olgi Tokarczuk)

The article is a reflection on the changes in the understanding of the tasks of Polish literature from the beginning of the 20th to the beginning of the 21st century. The observation is conducted on the examples of Nobel speeches by H. Sienkiewicz, W. S. Reymont, Cz. Miłosz, W. Szymborska and O. Tokarczuk, which are placed in the context of other self-commentary statements. The collected texts testify to the disappearance of thinking in terms of nation or community and the progressive individualization of the writer’s voice, which does not want to be an exponent of a general idea. The type of involvement in literature is also changing. Reading the Nobel speeches leads to the conclusion that the concepts of Polish writers illustrate the changes taking place in European culture. One of the most important is the departure from Christian roots in favor of secular humanism.

Библейское имя в составе белорусских и польских фразеологизмов / Біблійнае імя ў складзе беларускіх і польскіх фразеалагізмаў

The article focuses on the role of biblical anthroponyms in the phraseology of both Belarusian and Polish. It delves into the characteristics of the process of appellativization and highlights the phonetic peculiarities of biblical anthroponyms and analyses phraseologisms with the same anthroponymic component in both Slavic languages. The descriptive method allows to careful study of the structure, semantics and figurative content of phraseologisms, which makes it possible to identify similarities and differences between them. The abovementioned method also includes the examination of phraseological equivalents, that is, the equivalents of phraseological expressions in both languages. In addition, attention is drawn to the phonic characteristics of anthroponyms, which can affect the perception of phraseologisms and their equivalents by users of both languages. It is also important to consider the intercultural context. Some phraseological units may be common to both languages due to the Christian roots and the links of both nations with pan-European culture. However, despite the common source of the sacred text, biblical phraseologisms can differ grammatically, semantically and stylistically, which is due to the evolution of languages and the cultural and linguistic specifics of both communities. The analysis also illustrates certain deficiencies or quantitative differences in language materials, which may be due to historical, social and cultural circumstances of both languages. The existence of these differences underscores the need for further, in-depth research on Biblical names in Belarusian and Polish phraseology, as well as the prospect of expanding research into other Slavic languages.

Духовно-нравственные идеи педагогики выдающегося ученого Константина Дмитриевича Ушинского (к 200-летию со дня рождения)

The pedagogical heritage of K.D. Ushinsky is constantly connected with Christian roots, while in his fundamental work "Anthropology of Man" three aspirations of human activity are distinguished - corporal, spiritual and spiritual. The big role K.D. Ushinsky gave to the primary education of the younger generation, publishing special manuals aimed at using folklore and fairy tales.

St. Benedict: a response to the crisis of faith and culture in Europe according to Pope Benedict XVI

Toward the end of Cardinal Ratzinger’s mandate as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he reflected upon the crisis of faith and culture in Europe and its causes, particularly the refusal by European Union ruling classes to put God’s name in the new European Constitution or acknowledge Europe’s Christian roots. Moreover, his writings reveal a personal and thoughtful approach to Benedictine monasticism and St. Benedict as a model for the spiritual renewal of Europe. The aim of this paper is to analyze places in Joseph Ratzinger’s works as a theologian, and later as Pope Benedict XVI, on the importance of imitating St. Benedict and studying his testimonies in response to Europe’s current crisis of faith and culture. Analyzing the Enlightenment culture that led to the secularist understanding of a Europe in which the place for faith is only found through political compromise and a tolerance of faith as long as it remains on the margins of social action, rather than serving as the spiritual driving force, Pope Benedict sees Europe’s fundamental disorder in the reductionism of the Enlightenment, in which reason is limited to empirical positivism. The ultimate consequence is the loss of the foundations of public morality, the negation of human dignity and the loss of freedom in a dictatorship of relativism that contradicts the fundamental starting points of the Enlightenment—namely, the desire for open-mindedness to the whole of reality in which God is encountered as the basis of all that exists, true humanity, open to true freedom through obedience to the Word of God, and the restoration of the foundation of democracy.

Seventy-Two and The One Nation

Abstract The current article sheds light on the symbolism of the number 72 in Yezidism and briefly outlines its roots in ancient Mesopotamian religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Furthermore, it highlights the link between 72 nations and 72 genocides in Yezidi perception.

Revival of “internationalization” in mainland Chinese universities with Christian roots? Historical and empirical inquiries in overseas experienced talent recruitment

Revival of “internationalization” in mainland Chinese universities with Christian roots? Historical and empirical inquiries in overseas experienced talent recruitment

Playing the Populist

Abstract From 2015 through 2020, Donald Trump used tackle football to perform the populist persona that allowed him to seize the American presidency. Trump's deployment of tackle football becomes apparent when considering his references to the game within the context of three vital historical elements: football's ideological origins, the Republican Party's Long Southern Strategy (LSS), and the gendered, racial, and religious debates that occurred in and through football just before and during Trump's time (perhaps first term) in office. The United States’ most popular spectator sport stemmed from white supremacist, patriarchal, and muscular Christian roots. In addition, from 1964 to recent years, to break up the Democratic Party's New Deal coalition in the South (and beyond), Republican Party (GOP or Grand Old Party) politicians tactically levied a tripartite of appeals to ameliorate anxieties born from parallel racial, gendered, and religious commitments. Then, in the twenty-first century, public controversies within the gridiron game pertaining to head trauma, celebrity players, and racial justice protests provided platforms for Trump to demonstrate his uniquely unapologetic and strident devotion to the LSS's main principles.

Some roots and branches of anti-Judaism, Jew hatred and antisemitism – A historical overview

This review elucidates some of the historical roots and continuities that link different forms of antisemitism and how they developed and intersected to produce the various constellations we see today. We trace several historical themes and formulations from their roots in Christianity, Islam, racism, anti-capitalism and other beliefs and ideologies, and show how they are being produced and reformulated today. This short guide will enable readers to identify current expressions of antisemitism even when they are formulated in ways that may disguise their nature.

Female Apostle(s) at the Roots of Christianity

There is an increasing demand for the ordination of women as priests within the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican’s primary argument against priestly ordination of women is biblical, appealing to certain historical events, specifically Jesus’ (alleged) choice of male apostles only. This article calls for a rethinking and rephrasing of such appeal to history. Due to the nature of our sources, the historically responsible question should not be whom Jesus appointed as apostles, but who were apostles in first-century Christianity. The article points out flaws in the Vatican’s reasoning in this respect and brings attention to evidence from earliest Christianity that does indeed speak in favor of women as priests, if an appeal is to be made to history in the first place. The evidence is Junia, a first-century female apostle, described as “prominent among the apostles” by the apostle Paul in his Letter to the Romans.

Creating Conversos: The Carvajal-Santa María Family in Early Modern Spain by Roger Louis Martínez-Dávila

Reviewed by: Creating Conversos: The Carvajal-Santa María Family in Early Modern Spain by Roger Louis Martínez-Dávila John F. Schwaller Creating Conversos: The Carvajal-Santa María Family in Early Modern Spain. By Roger Louis Martínez-Dávila. (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press. 2018. Pp. xix, 351. $55.00. ISBN 978-0-268-10321-7.) With implications in the New World, the Carvajal-Santa María family of early modern Spain ranks as one of the most resilient and in many ways emblematic of the period. The book begins in the early sixteenth century as the family is on the verge of grasping the papacy, in spite of their deep converso roots, with partial origins in the person of Solomon ha-Levi, a leading rabbi in Burgos who became the bishop of that city as Pablo de Santa María in 1415. Martínez-Dávila traces the emergence of a converso family and its dispersal throughout Castille, notably to the western city of Plasencia. There the conversos began a series of marriages and alliances with the Old Christian family of the Carvajals to emerge as leaders in both the political and ecclesiastical hierarchies. From there the family would expand to prominence on the Iberian Peninsula and eventually to the colonial outposts of Mexico and Bolivia. This fascinating tale is written in nine chapters, tracing the family from its origins to his success and expansion to the empire. The first two chapters trace the beginnings of the clan in Burgos and its eventual spread to other communities but focusing especially on Plasencia. The turbulence of the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries created the necessary precondition for the blurring of ethnic lines and the ability of some individuals to gain prominence in spite of their ethno-religious background, creating what Martínez-Dávila calls the New Noble houses. While the Old Christian knights (caballeros) had political power, and with it a degree of economic power as well, the Church through its collection of the tithe clearly had access to much of the economic sphere. In the third chapter, Martínez-Dávila explores the wake of the anti-Jewish riots at the end of the fourteenth century. Focused on larger cities, small places like Plascencia emerged largely unscathed. At the same time the Trastámara dynasty began to reward other important New Noble houses, which provided unexpected opportunities in Plascencia. In Plascencia, in Chapter Four, we read of the growing success of the Santa María-Carvajal alliance. On the Jewish side, the family had been royal treasurers, and rabbis; while on the Old Christian side they had been important local caballeros. Combined, they came to dominate the cathedral chapter of the city and create a different kind of local environment for conversos and moriscos. By the fifteenth century two patterns emerged. Some of the New Noble houses pursued virulently anti-Semitic policies, hiding their own origins and joining [End Page 197] in anti-Jewish campaigns. The Plascencia-based Carvajal house continued to encourage a more open society of multi-ethnic populations. Castille, as a whole, turned to a more exclusionary policy with the promulgation of limpieza de sangre requirements for an increasingly large number of offices. This, in turn, required these New Noble houses to emphasize their Old Christian roots and downplay, if not hide, their converso origins. In Chapter Six, Martínez-Dávila explores the methods whereby the Santa María-Carvajal house imbued themselves with all of the hallmarks of Christian piety creating ecclesiastical foundations and other good works to burnish their reputation, while reaching the highest level of Catholic hierarchy with the appointment of Juan de Carvajal as a cardinal. As Spain entered the sixteenth century, the house had come to control the very highest levels of politics, the Church, and the local economy. They had successfully blurred their converso origins, emphasized the Old Christian mantle of the Carvajal clan, and weathered the storm of additional anti-converso and morisco politics with the fall of Granada and the triumph of Castilian Christianity. As the overseas empire became an important feature of the Spanish political and economic world...

The article is devoted to the work of the famous scholar, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor S.I. Dudnik, Head of the Department of the History of Philosophy and Director of the Institute of Philosophy of St. Petersburg State University. The most important provisions of his concept of the history of political thought, the formation of Russian statehood, the principles of constitutionalism

The article explores the basic concepts of the Russian worldview in the historiosophical context and the comparison of this phenomenon with other national types of thinking. The reasons for the crisis fall of European civilization are described. It is noted that one of the main reasons for that tragic phenomenon was the fact that Europe has completely abandoned its Christian roots. The authors insist that historically there was a formation of the personality of a new European, which came because of the destruction of the former heroic type. The article also describes in detail the Russian worldview, its patriotic, collective, irrational and religious nature. It is noted that the Russian is characterized by a metaphysical movement of the spirit, which is especially fully revealed in tragic periods of national history. The authors believe that for the Russian type of worldview is important the process of correlation with metaphysical truth. The authors emphasize that for a modern European, the Russian worldview is mysterious and dangerous, because it correlates with the forgotten Christian truths. In conclusion, the authors suggested that Russia asks Europe existential questions: about the personalization of truth in history, about peace and war, and carries its own unique worldview, which is intuitive, deeply religious and hierarchical.

Конфессиональная составляющая национального самосознания русских во второй половине ХIХ – начале ХХ века (на материалах Среднего Урала)

This study is devoted to the national self-consciousness (identity) of Russians in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries through the prism of religious beliefs. The work was carried out based on the materials of the Middle Urals (Perm province). The main purpose of the study is to determine the role of confessional identification in the national selfconsciousness and to characterize the mechanisms of its formation by the religious environment. Unpublished personal archives of Ural local historians and collectors of folklore, archives of the authorities of the Perm province, articles from the mass media of the specified period, published materials and collections of texts of historians, philologists, linguists, speeches of priests and townsfolk recorded by contemporaries were used as sources for such an analysis. The analysis makes it possible to fix the confessional component in the manifestations of national self-consciousness. At the same time, the emphasis in the work is made on the Orthodox component of the official Church. The Old Believer ethnics and religious beliefs of the Russian population of the Urals are not considered in the study as having significant differences from the bulk of the Russian people. The work emphasizes that the most important components of the Russian national self-consciousness of the prerevolutionary era was the correlation of the supreme secular power (the tsar) with the spiritual power (the Orthodox Church), which resulted in the image of the sovereign as an archpastor. An important mechanism in the formation of this kind of views is the activity of priests and the intelligentsia and their patronage by the local and supreme authorities. At the same time, the study noted that the formation of such a national-confessional worldview has its roots in the popular Christian and pre-Christian beliefs and ideas.

Gerald R. McDermott, Ed. Understanding the Jewish Roots of Christianity: Biblical, Theological, and Historical Essays on the Relationship between Christianity and Judaism

No abstract is available.

Decisions taken by States with authoritarian governments: economic basis and perspectives on SDG 16

This article initially analyses the theoretical possibility that the terms «rule of law» and «human rights» in the Treaty on European Union (TEU) can be analysed from the perspective of the Economic Analysis of Law (EAL). It then focuses on the economic principles underlying decision-making to appreciate, under that perspective, the choices made by States, both at the national and international level (which could also include the commitment to the SDGs). From there, the study is oriented more towards SDG 16 proposing, summarily, to denominate with the terms «horizontal» and «vertical» two different basic perceptions on its three main areas (peace, justice, and strong institutions) and tentatively uncovering their possible impacts on the rule of law and the rights and freedoms of specific groups (e.g., LGBTQIA+ community, immigrants, refugees, etc.). It is suggested that, while the «horizontal perception» presents a socially inclusive role, the «vertical perception» tends to be more exclusionary. Seeking congruence with the above, it is also suggested that a biased perception of SDG 16 (associated with the «vertical» vision) could help authoritarian States in the exaltation of their nationalism, without forgetting that international public order, often wielded as an expression of national sovereignty, can serve as a «defensive shield» against alleged «attempts to alter» the fundamental values of the State and of the Christian roots of their societies. Simultaneously, observation of everyday political life seems to suggest that public order can be altered to the liking of populist political parties. The result seems to reveal a growing dichotomy between values (European vs. national), public orders (European, albeit incipient vs. international and domestic), and types of democracy (liberal vs. illiberal). As incidental and illustrative examples, the authoritarian drifts in Hungary and Poland are included in the study.

“If the Base Fundamentals Are Too Much for You…”

This article deals with the possible existence of doctrines in modern Paganism. Generally, Pagan studies scholars widely consider modern Paganism a religion without doctrines. Furthermore, Margot Adler, one of the early researchers of modern Paganism, established a narrative that practice is more important than beliefs in modern Paganism. However, based on ethnographic research conducted among modern European Pagans between 2014 and 2017, along with additional secondary data, this article argues that doctrines may emerge in situations of pressure or conflict, or while delineating boundaries and gatekeeping Paganism against other religions. In such situations, beliefs become enforced and turn into the basis of potential doctrines. Doctrines are authoritatively defined theoretical components of religion, comprising teaching, beliefs, and confessions. Their authoritative character has its historical roots in Christianity and tries to keep the doctrinal contents fixed using a dynamic of truth and falsity, which determines orthodoxy—distinguishing right faith from error.

In the Forefront and on the Margins: Jews, Secularism and Women's Liberation in Ontario and British Columbia, 1960s–1980s

AbstractThis article examines Jewish feminists in the British Columbia and Ontario women's movements, particularly among radical and socialist feminists. Feminists within these movements saw organised religion as patriarchal, hostile to the interests of women and thus to be rejected. Using archival and oral history sources, we argue that looking more closely at Jewish feminists within second‐wave feminism can help us to more clearly understand the nature of secularism in the women's movement, its implicit contradictions and unspoken Christian bias. Jewish feminists noted, for example, that Christian holidays such as Christmas or Easter could be seen as secular celebrations, while any celebration of Jewish heritage, even if it emerged from a very secular Jewish socialist culture, was suspect within secular feminist circles, and indeed could be denounced as an acceptance of patriarchy. We analyse the distinctive experiences of Jewish feminists as a minority community within an ostensibly secular women's movement. We argue that Jewish activist women, because of their liminal position within the movement, as both secular feminists and ethnic/religious other, could challenge and reveal the Christian roots of feminist secularism.

A common altar? John Paul II’s European project within Italian Catholic political debate

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the Italian Catholic press’s reactions to John Paul II’s pastoral work concerning Europe’s future. We explore the effects of Wojtyla’s proposal for a continent united by Christianity through an examination of representative publications from major cultural and political currents. The research focuses on the second half of the 1980s and the intertwining of the Pontiff’s public discourse with Gorbachev’s project for a ‘Common European Home’. The goal of this article is to frame the debate within the auspices of Ostpolitik, the European integration process and, more generally, thinking at the time on the political function of religions in a period of post-secularist theories. In particular, we examine the clash on the issue of the continent’s Christian roots, pitting democratic Catholics against Comunione e Liberazione within the framework of the Italian Church’s transformation, leading up to Card. Camillo Ruini becoming President of the Italian Episcopal Conference (I.E.C.).