Medieval Canon Lawyers and European Legal Tradition. A Brief Overview

The Roman Church was a leading public institution of the Middle Ages and its law, canon law, belonged to most powerful factors of European legal history. Today’s lawyers have hardly any awareness of the canonist origins of several current legal institutions. Together with Roman law, canon law constituted the system of “both laws” (utrumque ius) which were the only laws acknowledged as “learned” and, consequently, taught at medieval universities. The dualism of secular (imperium) and spiritual power (sacerdotium), symbolized by so-called two swords doctrine, conferred to the Western legal tradition its balance and stability. We analyze the most important institutional achievements of the medieval canon lawyers: acquisitive prescription, the Roman-canonical procedure, the theory of just war, marriage and family law, freedom of contract, the inheritance under will, juristic personality, some institutions of constitutional law, in particular those based on the concept of representation, and finally commercial law. Last not least, the applicability of canon law defined the territorial extension of medieval and early modern Christian civilization which exceeded by far the borders of the Holy Roman Empire, where Roman law was effective as the law of the ruler. Hence, the first scholar to associate Roman law with (continental) Europe as a relatively homogeneous legal area, Paul Koschaker, committed in his monograph Europa und das römische Recht, published in 1947, the error of taking a part for the whole. In fact, Western legal tradition was based, in its entirety, not on Roman, but rather on canon law; embracing the common law of England, it represented – to cite Harold Joseph Berman – the first great “transnational legal culture”. At the end, some structural features of canon law are discussed, such as the frequent use of soft-law instruments and the respect for tradition, clearly visible in the approach to the problem of codification.

Theology, the Fairy Queen

Scholars of religion today understand that the scientific basis of religious studies lies in the fact that religion is a multifarious historical phenomenon accessible through empirical research, and that this study therefore differs fundamentally from theology premised on the acceptance of supernaturally revealed truths and faith traditions. Meanwhile, it has been broadly believed that theology once occupied the preeminent position in the medieval university, as expressed by the well-known sobriquet “queen of the sciences.” By surveying the early history of the university, this article shows that most medieval universities did not have a theology faculty until the fourteenth century. With the notable exception of Paris and its immediate offspring (Oxford and Cambridge), the relation between theology and the university was far more tangential and temporizing than is generally assumed—a point worth bearing in mind as we consider the question of the secularization of learning, which is said to have taken place since the early modern period.

Integrálna antropológia ako cieľ jezuitskej pedagogiky a formácie

One of the characteristic features of the charisma of the Society of Jesus is the intellectual apostolate. Jesuit pedagogy is characterized by specific features based on previous pedagogical approaches (medieval universities, studia humanitatis), but also in a broader philosophical and theological context. The key starting point of the Ignatian and Jesuit pedagogy are the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. The education stemming from this background does not represent a value in itself, but rather a very effective instrument that helps to shape an integral personality, strengthens social ties and interpersonal relationships and leads to selfless service. The result of such education is not only the mere well roundedness, but above all the ability to take on commitment and move out of one’s comfort zone towards public service.

Armenian Astro Tourism Map

Armenia is a country with rich history, as well as high-level science. It is rich in scientific, particularly in astronomical sites, among which archaeological sites related to science, medieval universities, modern scientific institutions and science related museums can be mentioned. Examples of archaeological sites are ancient observatories, petroglyphs (rock art) of astronomical nature, as well as intangible heritage, such as Armenian calendars and chronology tightly related to the astronomical knowledge. Modern observatories and astronomical institutions having tools or laboratories which can be presented in terms of tourism, are considered as astronomical tourism sites as well. Space museum is astronomy and space science related museum. Despite the fact that Astronomical (Astro) Tourism is a new direction, it has great perspectives, and Armenia has a great potential in this field. It is very important to introduce Armenia from this aspect. In this paper we present major astronomical tourism centers of Armenia and the whole picture as a map.