Projects / Programmes
The History of Forms in Jewish-Christian Sources and Traditions
January 1, 2009
- December 31, 2014
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.11.00 |
Humanities |
Theology |
|
| 6.01.00 |
Humanities |
Historiography |
|
| 6.05.00 |
Humanities |
Linguistics |
|
| 6.07.00 |
Humanities |
Literary sciences |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H2 |
Humanities |
H2 |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.03 |
Humanities |
Philosophy, Ethics and Religion |
The Holy Scripture, the history of forms, literary forms, literary analysis, theology, anthropology, Church history, Biblia Slavica, sin, guilt, punishment, reconciliation, yearning, Slovene classics, World classics, biblical names, etymology, semantics, transliteration, personal identity, national identity, the Holy Trinity
Researchers (17)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The theoretical points of departure of the research program are the generally valid linguistic, literary, historical, philosophical, psychological and theological categories of the historical forms in Jewish-Christian sources and tradition. The various literary forms that express the fundamental themes of the world of values of ancient Israel and EARLY Christianity are in the first, thematic portion. In connection with this is also the planned research into literary samples with the themes of sin, guilt, punishment and reconciliation in modern Slovene and European literature. This part of the subject matter reflects the existential human dimension of the relationship between guilt and reconciliation, the ideal of reconciliation being one among the fundamental aspects of the forces of yearning in a human being. The expression of the subject matter in literary forms is in the centre of our attention, namely the relation between the drama of guilt and yearning for reconciliation in the Slovene folk tradition, in Slovene classics such as Ivan Cankar, as well as in world classics such as Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky, etc. The mental and emotional span between experienced guilt and the tendency towards reconciliation undoubtedly mirrors the existential dimension of this theme and shows that it assumes a central position in the most primary human consciousness and sentiments - that is, in the manifestation of human yearning for justice and reconciliation, for freedom, home and homeland.
In the context of the Holy Scripture in its entirety biblical names for individuals as well as geographical names are especially considered. The theoretical point of departure with regard to biblical names are general onomasiology and toponomasiology, onomastical and toponomastical particularities of Semitic names, the reasons for changes to the forms of names in transliteration from Semitic texts into Greek and Latin, the development of biblical names in European languages from the Middle Ages up to the present, interlingual and specifically Slovene factors in the forming of biblical names from the oral tradition and translations of the Holy Scripture to the present day. The content and aims of this multi-faceted research are the scientific explanation of the etymology and semantics of biblical names, scientific explanation of the main linguistic viewpoints of the transliteration of names from the source, as well as from older translations of the Holy Scripture. The role of biblical names in the consciousness of the people represents a special area of onomasiology and toponomasiology. Despite great societal and cultural changes, the culture of personal names continues to be of great importance in the modern world, being connected also to issues of an individual's personality as well as national identity and religious culture. This study deals with the patterns of choosing names, of the forms of respecting names, the celebrating of name days, the connection of names to names from the Bible and to names of Saints, their holidays and tradition in the broader sense, and so on. All of these questions call for sociological and psychological studies into people's attitudes towards their own names.
The subsequent theoretical viewpoint of the program group deals with the sources and tradition of the theology of the Holy Trinity. Trinitarian theological and religious categories form a unique synthesis of the Holy Scripture in its attesting to a living connection of the persons of the Holy Trinity in Christian theology (Trinitarian perichoresis). An important theoretical point of departure of the program group is, further, history in its embededness in the broader European realm under the viewpoint of the totality of human spiritual culture. Essential are the question of interaction between an individual and his culture, the causal connection between past events and the present response to traditional spiritual theses.
Significance for science
Any evaluation of importance for the development of science in dealing with ancient Jewish-Christian sources and with later applications of beliefs and values to the culture of Judaism and Christianity necessarily begins by defyning the essential elements of these sources. The belief in Creation and in God's Providence manifested in historical events, and the inner moral imperative implanted in human souls and minds, enables a dialogue between God and humans, an interaction between the material and spiritual world and the possibility of using of visible images as symbols or metaphors for expressing spiritual reality. In this framework, the greatest possible contribution to the development of science may be defined as a methodolo-gical persistence in considering the unity of being and the necessary unity of the moral and the legal order. This awareness requires close reading of extant documents in relation to the total reality of the human being. Faith is not irrational, theology does not nullify philosophy, the supranatural law presupposes, includes, and perfects the »natural« order of the world and of every society. Our research is based on the recognition that all genuine law, secular or ecclesiastical, is part of the wider realm of the moral order, perceived on the level of natural reason and intuition. In cases of discrepancy between legality and morality, the limations of every legal order become evident. The authoritative interpretation of moral truth includes the interpretation of Natural Law. Both as a cognitive principle, and as a normative rule and measure, Natural Law refers to the author of the objective order of things and of the living force animated by the rational nature of humans. A comparative approach promises other contributions to the development of science. Careful scrutiny of similarities and differences between ancient Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek and Hebrew conceptions of the dimensions of justice confirms the unique contribution of Jewish-Christian sources to human civilizations, because they give absolute priority to personal virtues as the natural foundation for decision in relation to formal law and tradition. This recognition presents the greatest challenge for our investigation of the dimensions of justice. The recognition of the limits of judicial and other formal aspects of justice forces us spontaneously to resort to common sense, to natural feelings and to ideals lying beyond formal justice. Cases of »tragic heroism« in breaking unjust laws for the sake of freedom and the defence of human dignity and rights reach beyond jurisdiction, beyond the scope of poetic justice, beyond ethics, and even beyond the aesthetic. The highest motivation is the sense of some higher good, as solidarity beyond price and peace through reconciliation. The members of the project recognize that the knowledge of theories about the role of the concept of the word in langua-ges and cultures is essential for an appropriate outline, feasibility and originality of the project. This helps them to recognize more reliably the state-of-the-art in the proposed field of research and also to see more clearly specific aspects of Jewish-Christian religious and cultural foundations of the concept of the word in dialogue. In the framework of Church history the results of this scientific research significantly contri-bute to a better understanding of and evaluation of the influence the Bible had on the everyday lives of Slovenians both in the past and in the present. The results also show the extent to which the Slovenian territory has been an integral part of the Central Europe and the role Christianity played in this integration with regard to the expression and transmission of biblical language and the resulting social and inter-confessional dialogue.
Significance for the country
The programme group is composed of scholars from basic theological subject areas: biblical studies, Judaism, patristics, systematic theology, Church history and canon law. All individual projects of the programme group are important for academic and general education in Slove-nia. The implementation of research will support the urgent needs of the teaching programme of the Faculty of Theology and of the University as the whole, as well as providing an incen-tive for the development of other educational institutions and of general culture. Four young scholars are included in the expanded programme in order to procure sufficient highly qualified specialists for all basic theological subject areas in the future. The most important aim of the programme is, however, to serve the urgent need for high quality theological literature in Slovenian and the development of mutual research cooperation within a larger international academic framework. Researchers will have direct impact on society by communicating their knowledge about the role and the power of the spiritual orientation in mass media, scientific meetings, education system at the university and other schools and pastoral work in the framework of religious groups. The new translation of the Bible will have an impact on the evolution, enrichment and promotion of our national language and inspire creativity in modern arts, especially literature and general culture. In the final analysis, translation of the Bible is not only transmission of values and spiritual legacy but also of the social inheritance. Research into foundational sour-ces of our culture takes place within a context and its great moments are grounded in history in relation to other events and discourses. We are connected with social, political, ideological in the intellectual history across all segments of our culture. Intensive research into the mea-ning of the word within various grammatical and literary structures and styles constitutes acts of communication in relation to the entire social process in the chain of communication. We are well aware of important relationship of literature and society. Literature reflects norms and values, reveals the ethos, class struggle and certain types of social facts. Literature maintains self-confidence, functions socially and stimulates unconstrained social, intergenerational, intercultural and interreligious dialogue thus stabilizing the social order throughout the course of history. The programme pays special attention to another important aspect of communication, namely to dialogue inspired by the sense of justice and to dialogues of conflicting speech. The direct contrast to the “Living Word” is the “loveless speech” of “big lies.” The programme members will consider also cases of seduction, propaganda and violence. One of the aims of the programme is to explore ancient and modern ways of the “mystification” of power. However, beyond the evaluation of the reality between “good and evil,” the relevance of the programme lies in the search for real possibilities of a dialogue between individuals, groups, nations, religions, and cultures. The importance of the project for Slovenia's socio-economic and cultural development may be defined as follows: 1) Acquisition of cognitive skills to reflect upon and critically discuss complex issues in the study of theology and related disciplines; 2) Stimulating international scientific collaboration, efforts for social cohesion, and ethical debate; 3) Opening up proces-ses facilitating better decision-making in policy and stimulating a better understanding of tho-se individual and societal behaviours which shape our daily life.
Audiovisual sources (1)
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2009,
2010,
2011,
2012,
2013,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2009,
2010,
2011,
2012,
2013,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
