Diocesan Codices Unveiling Local History: First Presentation of The 'Codex of Gjirokastër' (S. Albania)

The present paper presents a first set of conclusions drawn from the study of the “Codex of Gjirokastër”. Compiled upon the accession of Bishop Dositheos of Dryinoupolis and Gjirokastër, the codex extends from 1760 to 1858, namely well beyond the end of his prelacy (1760-1799). Kept in the Metropolis of Gjirokastër until shortly before the Italian bombardment of the city, the codex was transferred to Tirana. Previously thought to be lost, it is now held in the Archives of the State, under the classification number F. 139, D. 2. It is written in Greek, the official language of the Church at that period, and records several documents that reflect the competences and privileges that Christian prelates enjoyed at least in issues of ecclesiastical administration and civil law. The focus here is first on the role of laymen in the accession of Bishop Dositheos in the Diocese of Dryinoupolis, then on the issue of divorces in the regions of Gjirokastër between 1786 and 1858. Placing the “Codex of Dositheos” in its context, the study underlines the importance of diocesan codices as documents of religious, cultural, social, economic, educational, administrational and juridical history.

“This time of God’s visitation”: Church of England and the London plague of 1563

The article deals with the epidemic of plague which happened in London in 1563. It is studied through the lens of sources connected with the Church of England, namely, the documents establishing extraordinary services, special homily written and published in the same year, and the correspondence of ecclesiastical as well as secular authorities. This approach leads to the conclusions of how the plague was understood by theologians, which measures (both, spiritual and practical) were considered to be efficient, and how the epidemic reflected in the administrative practice of the English church. The Early Modern people perceived plague as a supernatural calamity as it was sent by God in order to punish people for their sins and move them towards repentance. The natural mechanisms of plague’s spreading, most commonly explained through the theory of miasma, were nothing more but an instrument of God’s will. Thus, the reaction to the plague became primarily a matter spiritual which belonged to the competence of the church. Practical measures were inextricably entwined with the theological comprehension of the problem as well as the reasons of ecclesiastical policy. The London plague of 1563 was the first “great” epidemic for the reformed Church of England to face. The ecclesiastical administration introduced in cooperation with the secular authorities a special form of service and a homily for ‘this time of God’s visitation’ which determined the whole posterior tradition of reactions towards plague.

New evidence regarding the early history of the Monastery of Vatopedi (Mt Athos): unpublished sigillographical material

This paper deals with an unpublished lead seal was found during the excavation works within the chandler’s workshop of Vatopedi, a later structure which was added to the eastern face of the bell tower (1427). The seal names a Constantine, chartoularios and epi tou patriarchikou sekretou and dates back to 10th till early 11th century. It is one of the rare direct sources regarding the very early period of the monastery, from which we have no other information, and serves to highlight the attention which the central ecclesiastical administration placed upon it already from the first years after its founding. It also shows the vibrant activities of its monks and their notable network of contacts with high-ranking political and ecclesiastical officials in the capital.

Editorial Note

We are pleased to offer you the third issue of JOLCEL, a journal devoted to the study of Latin literature from a European and diachronic perspective. Thus far, we have published two thematic issues. In the first issue, we put a spotlight on the often neglected role of Latin education in the production of literature that is regarded as culturally central. Conversely, in the second issue, we looked at contexts where Latin literature occurs as a marginal phenomenon. In these contexts, Latin literature owes its presence to the enduring centrality of Latin education. In this third issue, thematically entitled “Schools and Authority,” we delve deeper into the mediating role that school authorities---teachers, authors, and commentators---played in the reception of classical authorities. The school curriculum institutionalised during Antiquity bequeathed to the later history of Latin education a number of authorities who were read as models and as handbooks. Thus, not only were texts from Roman and Greek Antiquity a constant presence in the creation of literary texts, they were also an essential part of school curricula. To take this element into account is to gain an enhanced view on the literary reception of classical texts. The interaction between school and literature is not just a matter of transmission, but also of evaluation, negotiation, and transformation. The goals of Latin education were much broader than teaching how to read and write literature. As Rita Copeland states it in her response to the articles gathered in this issue, Latin education “was the foundation on which reception could be built,” but it “encompassed far more than classicism: theology, the production of new literature, new scientific and philosophical thought, and networks of civil bureaucracy and ecclesiastical administration.” It therefore offers a broader frame from which to study the reception of classical literature in European literary history. The three articles in this issue exemplify this approach. First, Chrysanthi Demetriou (Open University of Cyprus) looks at the presence of the school author Terence in the plays by the tenth-century playwright Hrotswitha. She opens up a new perspective on this relation by reading through the lens of Donatus’ hugely influential Commentaries on Terence. In particular, she discusses Hrotswitha’s treatment of rape scenes and links it to Donatus’ use of them as an ideal instance for moral instruction. Second, Brian M. Jensen (Stockholm University) discusses the first book ever printed in Sweden, the Dialogus creaturarum moralizatus. With particular reference to fables attributed to Aesop, he shows how the presentation of these fables depends on pedagogical considerations. In the third and last article of this issue, Lucy Jackson (Durham University) studies the Latin school play Medea, a translation of Euripides’ play by the sixteenth-century humanist George Buchanan. In Buchanan’s version, Medea becomes more of a rhetorician than a sorceress, thereby holding up a model of Latinity to the schoolboys performing the play. Finally, Rita Copeland (University of Pennsylvania) brings these three papers together in a critical response piece.

ANALYSIS OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION MANAGEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH

This article is devoted to the study of the organizational structure of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (hereinafter UGCC) as the largest Eastern Catholic Church of the Byzantine rite in the world. The UGCC belongs to religious organizations (hereinafter RO), which form a separate subgroup in the general structure of non-profit organizations (hereinafter NGOs) and, accordingly, constitute the third sector of the economy along with government agencies and commercial organizations. When considering the theoretical issues, the article presents the development and evaluation of scientific thought, the theory of research and the functioning of organizational structures. The essence of organizational management structures is revealed, in particular their basic elements, interrelations, as well as the fundamentals of formation and designing. In what follows, the system of general ecclesiastical administration of the Catholic Church is presented, where the power of leadership, or administration, is divided into three categories: legislative, judicial and executive, combined as a whole in the person of the pope and at the level of the Bishop’s Particular Church. The article also reveals the place and status of the Eastern Catholic Churches in the general structure of the Catholic Church, where synodal administration is considered to be a usual form of government. This form of government operates through an episcopal system based on the hierarchy of bishops and their unification into a college (synod) headed by the head of the church. In the analysis of statistical data on the development of structures and personnel of the UGCC for the last two decades, the quantitative growth of the clergy and the quantitative growth of parishes for this period are graphically presented, which testifies to the stable and professional development of organizational structures and personnel (clergy) of the UGCC in the world. When analyzing church documents (normative – legal acts) regulating the activities of the UGCC and comparing them with theoretical developments in the field of management of organizational structures, it should be noted that OSU UGCC belongs to bureaucratic structures with decentralized operational management at the local level. From the point of view of the analysis of the hierarchy of power, the main governing bodies of the UGCC are described, where the status of each governing body and official is clearly regulated by church canons and job descriptions of the UGCC.

O Inconstitucional como Modus Operandi: A Expansão da Hierarquia Eclesiástica Durante a Primeira República

Durante a Primeira Republica, com o federalismo, a elite eclesiástica começou uma articulação política para ir se reestruturando territorialmente para não perder contato com os poderes locais. Porém algumas questões se colocavam como pauta urgente: qual a política a ser empreendida; quem seriam seus artífices? Como imprimir uma estadualização da administração eclesiástica? Quem financiaria essa expansão? O estado brasileiro teria algum interesse em apoiar a expansão administrativa da Igreja Católica e como faria? De partida estava claro que a igreja não poderia aceitar mais a velha política de “Departamento de Estado”. Afinal os novos tempos colocaram outros desafios a serem superados. Serão estas respostas que pretendemos apontar neste artigo.Palavras-Chave: Igreja Católica, Estado brasileiro, Instituição, Política, República.Abstract:With the Federalism during First Republic, the ecclesiastical elite began a political articulation to get territorially restructured in order not to lose contact with local powers. But some questions were put as urgent agenda: what policy was supposed to be undertaken? Who would be its architects? How to establish a statute of ecclesiastical administration? Who would finance this expansion? Would Brazilian State be interested in supporting the administrative expansion of Catholic Church and how would it do so? At the outset, it was clear that Church could no longer accept the old "State Department" policy. After all, new times were posing other challenges to be overcome. These will be the answers that we intend to point out in this article.Keywords: Catholic Church, Brazilian State, Institution, Politics, Republic.

Interpreters

Interpreters, both Spanish and Indian, played a crucial role in the military conquest of Mexico and in the secular and ecclesiastical administration of the viceroyalty of New Spain. Dependence on these linguistic go-betweens made them indispensable and powerful figures in the early colony but distrusted by all sides as disloyal and self-serving. The early missionaries had to rely on Indian interpreters and preachers to convey the gospel message, but the risk of error and deliberate mistranslation, along with the need for confidentiality in the sacrament of confession, led eventually to the decision to pursue evangelization without the aid of intermediaries.