In this paper, I focus on a major corpus of the earliest Syrian Christian literature, Aphrahat the Persian Sage’s collection of epistles titled Demonstrations (Taḥwyātā; early 4th century), in order to gauge his thoughts on the “sins of reading”, peccata lectionis. First, I present the Aphrahatic corpus as it currently is and has been perceived over time in its Western and Eastern reception history. Then, I briefly consider what importance early Greek and Syriac monastic sources—like the Vita Antonii, the Pseudo-Macarian Homilies, Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Palladius’ Historia Lausiaca, the Ktābā dmasqātā (the Syriac Book of Steps), etc.—attributed to the reading of scripture as a regular part of a monk’s daily practice. It is against this historical backdrop that Aphrahat’s stance on reading scripture can be meaningfully interpreted. Finally, I present and analyze what the earliest-known orthodox Syrian church father, Aphrahat himself, has to say about the reading of scripture and its concurrent threat, the peccatum lectionis. As the Persian Sage was an excellent Biblical scholar, he made abundant references to religious reading practices in his Demonstrations. To his mind, the locus where sin may enter the meditative reading of early Syrian versions of the Bible is the interpretation of the text: misunderstanding it may lead to sin and potentially damnation. However, the wise person should be able to evade this danger, supported by the natural piety and cosmic religion inspired in them by the majesty of creation, which is a true reflection of divine infinity.
Sprawozdanie z międzynarodowej konferencji naukowej From the Council of Nicaea to Vatican II: Professing the Faith, the Creeds, and the Church’ s Credibility, 31st International Theological Symposium, która odbyła się w dniach 16-17.10.2025 na Wydziale Teologicznym Uniwersytetu w Splicie, w Chorwacji.
Early Christian literature. Fathers of the Church, etc., Philosophy of religion. Psychology of religion. Religion in relation to other subjects
“Causes” of the Old and New Testaments were already widely circulated during the period of early Christianity. They were placed before the commentary of a certain book of the Bible and gave compact information about its author, content, purpose, as well as the time and place it was written, etc.; moreover, they contained elements of literary and commentarial writings. “Causes” were also compiled in anthologies called “Book of Causes.” Later writers considered the “causes” to be a branch of Church literature that mainly focused on issues related to the creation of the Biblical books. In the course of time, “causes” were replaced by “introductions”. Preserved in Armenian manuscripts, we find “causes” of the Epistles, various homilies, and Christian holidays, composed by John Chrysostom, Ephrem the Syrian, Epiphanius of Salamis, Gregory of Nyssa, Cyrus of Alexandria, Origen, and other universal church fathers and vardapets. This article is dedicated to the “causes” of Paul’s 14 epistles by the 11th century Armenian theologian, vardapet, outstanding scholar Gevorg Kagh. In medieval Armenian manuscripts kept at the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, the “causes” of Gevorg Kagh are known by several titles in which the author talks about the syntax of the epistles and the interconnected relationship between them, arranging them in chronological order and according to the contents.In the current article, we examine the syntax and the contents of Gevorg Kagh’s “causes,” emphasizing their chronological and theological features. We are currently preparing the texts of the “ Causes” for publication to make them available to a wider readership. It will allow researchers dealing with the epistles of the Apostle Paul to study the works of medieval Armenian commentator Gevorg Kagh, which are of scholarly interest.
Celem artykułu jest ukazanie, w jaki sposób strach oddziaływał na starożytnych żołnierzy. W badaniach wykorzystano metody stosowane w nowej historii wojskowości oraz elementy warsztatu psychologii społecznej, zwłaszcza jej części traktującej o zachowaniach zbiorowych. W celu dokonania analizy, autor wykorzystał traktat wojskowy z końca VI w. – Ars militaris oraz inne teksty źródłowe, pełniące funkcję pomocniczą. Dzięki zastosowaniu źródła spisanego przez autora będącego praktykiem, udało się uchwycić elementy późnorzymskiej sztuki wojennej, które dziś określamy mianem wojny psychologicznej. Autor artykułu postawił hipotezę, że starożytni dowódcy świadomie wykorzystywali strach jako pożyteczne narzędzie motywujące własnych żołnierzy oraz demotywujące wojska przeciwnika; w zakończeniu podkreślił jednak, że dalsze badania nad tym zagadnieniem są konieczne, a wyniki należy interpretować bardzo ostrożnie w przypadku stosowania nowoczesnego kotekstu.
Early Christian literature. Fathers of the Church, etc., Philosophy of religion. Psychology of religion. Religion in relation to other subjects
The term „exorcism” comes from the Latin exorcismus and from the Greek term, which originally meant „an oath”, but later in a Christian environment has assumed the meaning „to curse” or „to expel the demons/evil spirits”. The practice of exorcism in early Christianity has been influenced by Old Testament, ancient Judaism and especially by the exorcisms done by Jesus Christ and described in the New Testament. In patristic texts of IInd and IIIrd century we find the following elements of an exorcism: prayer in the name of Jesus, recitation of some elements of early Christian Creed, reading of the Gospel and it was done as an order. An exorcism has been accompanied by the imposition of hands, fast and using of the holy cross. An exorcism has been usually performed publicly and was treated as evidence of the truth of the Christian faith. Until the IIIrd century there was no office of exorcist in the ancient Church and the ministry of it was not connected at all with the priesthood, but depended on the individual charisma received from God and was confirmed by the effectiveness to realase the possessed people.
Early Christian literature. Fathers of the Church, etc., Philosophy of religion. Psychology of religion. Religion in relation to other subjects
In the course of centuries the Early Christian sanctuaries of the martyrs either continued their purpose and remained the sacred destinations or fell into ruin and became forgotten. There was not much interest in the study of them, at least until the XVIth century, the Counter-Reformation period, when the evidence of sources was used as a weapon to defeat the opponents of the cult of the saints. Ipso facto the study has become only a devotional enterprise. Religiously oriented investigations of Early Christian sanctuaries became more scientific later, with the development of the Christian archaeology, as it gradually separated from theological studies. The remains of the monuments finally started to be regarded as a precious heritage, which should be carefully excavated, documented and well preserved. With G.B. de Rossi’s work the interest in the subject of Christian archaeology increased. Initiated by him the huge archaeological campaign spread in the latin West and goes on till present day. The recent research challenge is to make the picture of the earliest sanctuaries more clear by removing the confessional additions and trying to face the sources in broader, interdisciplinary context.
Early Christian literature. Fathers of the Church, etc., Philosophy of religion. Psychology of religion. Religion in relation to other subjects
A hundred years ago, in 1895, London theatre audiences were treated to an interesting exchange on what we would now call the reception of early Church history. The play was Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, and in it the Reverend Dr Chasuble and Miss Prism are discussing marriage, not entirely hypothetically. Dr Chasuble ‘(with a scholar’s shudder)’ observes, ‘The precept as well as the practice of the Primitive Church was distinctly against matrimony’, and Miss Prism replies ‘(sententiously), That is obviously the reason why the Primitive Church has not lasted up to the present day’.
En 1943 se localiza en la margen izquierda del Segre, municipio de Seros, —donde se había establecido la famosa cabeza de puente de Seros durante la guerra civil— un conjunto arqueológico del que se excavan una basílica y parte del grupo de habitat situado al sur de la misma. (...)
Early Christian literature. Fathers of the Church, etc.
El cerro en donde se localiza la ciudad de Begastri, está situado en la margen derecha del río Quípar (fig. l), dos kilómetros y medio al N 105"E de la capital del municipio de Cehegín, en el sector noroccidental de la Región de Murcia. En el mapa topográfico nacional escala 1/50.000, hoja número 911 (Cehegín), las coordenadas de la cumbre son: 38O05'11" latitud Norte y 1'55' 00" longitud Oeste (meridiano de Greenwich). El trazado del abandonado ferrocarril Murcia-Caravaca, km. 70'2, afecta al cerro por su flanco meridional, dejando al descubierto en la trinchera abierta, la disposición de los materiales que lo constituyen. Al Este y en sus inmediaciones se cruzan los caminos del Escobar y la antigua vereda o camino Real de Granada.
Early Christian literature. Fathers of the Church, etc.