Senectus / senex / senior w pismach św. Grzegorza Wielkiego

Vox Patrum ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 427-436
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Tyburowski
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Gregory The Great ◽  
Old Men

The issue of the old age – senectus arise in abundance in the writings of many ancient authors. First of all we can see it in the biographic works written both in biographies of Saints and in other works. In most cases the purpose of these works was the admiration of an exceptional person, whose the author sometimes was a disciple, and the education and sanctification of the Christian reader as well. Therefore the authors of ancient biographies used some known in antiquity forms for reaching their purpose. One of them was the fi­gure of old man (senex, senior), who was a synonym of wisdom and holiness. Gregory the Great writes relatively much, although not directly, about the education of man. Certainly the cause of such his attitude was the disastrous situation of Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. Gregory wants to teach his reader the wisdom. The wisdom (which is a synonym of old age (senectus) is seen first of all in the lives of the old men (senes, seniores). This article is a presentation and analyse of above-mentioned problem on the basis of three latin terms: senectus, senex, senior used by Gregory the Great.

Maturam frugem flore manente ferens: pochwała starości w poezjach Auzoniusza

Vox Patrum ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 169-183
Author(s):  
Tatiana Krynicka
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Small World ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
The People ◽  
Literary Character ◽  
Old Men ◽  
Late Roman ◽  
Good Deeds

Decimus Ausonius Magnus (ca 310-394) was a rhetorician, a teacher, a tutor of young Gratian and a highly-ranked, influential official, as well as one of the most famous poets of the late Roman Empire. In his poems, he frequently described the small world he belonged to, the daily routine of his own, of his relatives, professional colleagues and friends. As the poet reached his old age, he made it a subject of his poetry. Ausonius considers old age to be a blessing, a time which permits a wise, generous person to gather fruit of his good deeds and fulfilled duties, to watch children and grandchildren grow and achieve successes, to share one’s wisdom with younger persons. Ausonius shows his grandfather and his grand­mother, his aunts, but first of all his father, Ausonius senior, as the examples of happy old persons, loving and loved, respected and needed by the people who surrounded them. He notices that old persons can be joyful, healthy and beautiful. Writing about old age, he mentions illness only once, while expressing his joy of having recovered and being able to send greetings to the grandson who celebrates his birthday. In spite of his age, Ausonius still loves his wife Sabina, who died many years before, the same way as he loved her when he was a young husband. He is deeply attached to Bissula, the charming German girl cap­tured and given to him by the Emperor Valentinian I probably circa 368. Besides, he really enjoys spending time with his friends and with the Muses. In his epigrams, most of which don’t have personal, but rather literary character, the poet translates, quotes, paraphrases and imitates Greek and Latin epigrams which deal with the theme of old age. Although in Ausonius’ poems exists an obvious resemblance to their models, he grants himself much freedom in his remouldings. Not only he alters circumstantial details, expands or abbrevi­ates the original, bur also uses them as mere starting points of his reflexion. It becomes more important for him to ponder over quickly passing youth or over a lover’s feelings towards a woman who rejected him when she was young, but whom he still admires, than to play a literary game. Ausonius never parodies nor even portrays women trying to attire men in their old age, even though he may mock old men pretending to look younger than they are. Neither he complains about pains and sorrows of old age. In all that, he remains a true Roman and a true gentleman.

‘Strength in What Remains Behind’: Wordsworth and the Question of Ageing

Romanticism ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-270
Author(s):  
Mark Sandy
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Frequent Pattern ◽  
Younger Generation ◽  
Old Men ◽  
Poetic Vision

Attending to the hoped-for connection between young and older generations, this essay revisits Wordsworth's poetic fascination with the elderly and the question of what, if any, consolation for emotional and physical loss could be attained for growing old. Wordsworth's imaginative impulse is to idealise the elderly into transcendent figures, which offers the compensation of a harmonious vision to the younger generation for the losses of old age that, in all likelihood, they will themselves experience. The affirmation of such a unified and compensatory vision is dependent upon the reciprocity of sympathy that Wordsworth's poetry both sets into circulation and calls into question. Readings of ‘Simon Lee’, ‘I know an aged Man constrained to dwell’, and ‘The Old Cumberland Beggar’ point up the limitations of sympathy and vision (physical and poetic) avowed in these poems as symptomatic of Wordsworth's misgivings about the debilitating effects of growing old and old age. Finally, Wordsworth's unfolding tragedy of ‘Michael’ is interpreted as reinforcing a frequent pattern, observed elsewhere in his poetry, whereby idealised figures of old men transform into disturbingly spectral second selves of their younger counterparts or narrators. These troubling transformations reveal that at the heart of Wordsworth's poetic vision of old age as a harmonious, interconnected, and consoling state, there are disquieting fears of disunity, disconnection, disconsolation, and, lastly, death.

The Cult of Relics in the Letters and ‘Dialogues’ of Pope Gregory the Great: A Lexicographical Study

Traditio ◽  
1976 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. McCulloh
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Late Antiquity ◽  
Ninth Century ◽  
Fourth Century ◽  
Human Remains ◽  
The West ◽  
Early Middle Ages ◽  
Gregory The Great

Late antiquity and the early Middle Ages witnessed a change in the Christian attitude toward the remains of the saints. Holy bodies came to be treated less and less as normal corpses, worthy of special veneration but still subject to many of the laws and customs which had regulated the treatment of human remains in pagan Antiquity. They came rather to be viewed as cult objects which could be moved or even divided up according to the demands of religion with little regard for earlier prohibitions of these practices. This change occurred relatively early in the Greek, eastern portion of the Roman Empire. In the mid-fourth century the Caesar Gallus translated a saint's body from one tomb to another, and less than two centuries later Justinian asked Pope Hormisdas for portions of the bodies of the apostles. Despite some outstanding exceptions such as the translations performed by St. Ambrose, the Christians of the West were more conservative in these matters. Nevertheless, by the ninth century at the very latest, western Christians had followed the lead of the eastern church in both translating and dismembering holy bodies.

Correlates of Life Satisfaction for Old Libyans Compared with the Judgments of Libyan Youth

1987 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bashir L. Shebani ◽  
Hannelore Wass ◽  
Wilson H. Guertin
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Social Prestige ◽  
The Family ◽  
Old Men

Two hundred fifteen Libyans—106 young male and female undergraduate students and 109 aged male and female relatives—responded to a questionnaire designed to measure correlates of life satisfaction in old age. It was predicted that current cultural and social changes associated with the industrialization of Libya would result in significant differences in responses between young and old men and women. The young Libyan men rated close ties with their children, social relationships with individuals outside the family, and having basic physical needs met as more important than did the old Libyan men who considered social prestige, living with their spouse, and independence as more important for satisfaction in old age. The young Libyan women also considered social relationships outside the family and having basic physical needs met in old age as more important than did their older counterparts. Health and adequate living conditions were rated more highly by the young Libyan women than by the old. All participants rated social prestige equally high, but old women rated it higher than any other aspect except belief in God and self-understanding. Findings and implications for services to Libya's elderly are discussed.

Starość w żywotach mnichów palestyńskich Cyryla ze Scytopolis

Vox Patrum ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 417-426
Author(s):  
Kamilla Twardowska
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Religion And Politics ◽  
Special Diet ◽  
Old Men

The problem of went by time is very often in The Lives of the Monks of Palestine written about by Cyril of Scythopolis, famous monk and writer, who lived during first part of VIth century. His main heroes lived very long e.g. Cyriacos died when he was 107, Eutymios – 97, Saba – 94, John Hesychast – 104, Teodosius – 99, – such age was a sign of God’s mercy. Cyril used to write about old monk who was a teacher to young ones, and he created a topos: old means wise, experience; youth – impatience, and to be open for eve­rything which come from laic world. Cyril wrote we shouldn’t be afraid of old age, on the contrary we should wait for this. Old men did wonderful things by founding monasteries, working miracles, playing active in religion and politics. They were paragon of virtue to everyone. What monks at the Judean Desert did to live so long. The first thing was God’s mercy, but the secondo one – very special diet – almost vegetarian.

scholarly journals Decreased expression of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator impairs sperm quality in aged men

Reproduction ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 146 (6) ◽  
pp. 637-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruiying Diao ◽  
Kin Lam Fok ◽  
Li Zhao ◽  
Hao Chen ◽  
Hui Tang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Neck Region ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Transmembrane Conductance Regulator ◽  
Transmembrane Conductance ◽  
Age Dependent ◽  
Old Men ◽  
Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane

Sperm quality declines with aging; however, the underlying molecular mechanism remains elusive. The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) has been shown to play an essential role in fertilizing capacity of sperm and male fertility. This study aimed to investigate the involvement of age-dependent CFTR downregulation in lowering sperm quality in old age. Two hundred and one healthy fertile men of three age groups (20–40 years,n=64; 40–60 years,n=61; and >60 years,n=76) were recruited. Expression of CFTR was determined by RT-PCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence staining. Collected sperm were treated with CFTR inhibitor or potentiator. Sperm quality was assessed by motility and bicarbonate-induced capacitation. The results showed that the expression of CFTR on the equatorial segment and neck region of sperm was significantly decreased in an age-dependent manner. Reduction of CFTR expression in sperm from old men was correlated with lowered forward motility and decreased HCO3−sensitivity required for sperm capacitation. Activation of CFTR by genistein partially rescued the decreased forward motility in sperm from old men. Decreased CFTR expression in sperm was also found to be associated with lowered sperm quality in aging mice. These results suggest that age-dependent downregulation of CFTR in sperm leads to lowered sperm quality in old age sperm. CFTR may be a pontential target for rescuing sperm motility as well as a fertility indicator in old age men.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document