scholarly journals Comparisons of Religions in the Ius Commune of the Late Middle Ages: Functions and Criteria

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Woelki

In medieval legal commentaries, comparisons of religions served—above all—as an egress from structural imbalance: numerous regulations pertaining to Jews and heretics are contrasted by only a few regulations regarding Gentiles and Muslims. Lawyers applied three main criteria of comparison: a dogmatic proximity to Christianity; a weighing up of the guilt of sin; and the implications for the social order. Depending on the criterion, the results of these comparisons could be varied. The dogmatic proximity of Judaism to Christianity and the social compatibility of Jewish with Christian life continued to be emphasized until early modern times. The privileged position of the Jews, inherited from Roman law, was however ultimately replaced by a comparatively better social position of the Muslims. In the process, fragments of theological discourse were selectively adopted. A special dynamic of legal development can be observed on the Iberian peninsula in particular.

Author(s):  
Ирина Семеновна Слепцова

Статья посвящена рассмотрению произведений литературы Древней и Средневековой Руси и раннего Нового времени, направленных против языческих верований и практик, как источника для описания игровой культуры. Привлекаются главным образом нормативные, канонические и дидактические сочинения, а также исповедные тексты, в которых содержатся сведения о развлечениях и играх. Основное внимание уделено играм в узком смысле слова (играм с правилами), как наименее изученному феномену культуры данного исторического периода. Это расширяет представления об игровом репертуаре, месте и статусе игры в празднично-обрядовой и повседневной жизни, а также дает возможность проследить процесс десакрализации игры, ее переход в сферу «мирского». Выявленные в письменных памятниках сведения об игровой культуре Средневековья и раннего Нового времени раскрывают их включенность в языческую обрядность и демонстрируют связь с магическими практиками, что было основанием для их преследования и запрещения. Это обстоятельство определяет ограниченность использования данных источников для реконструкции игрового репертуара. В список игр попадают только те, которые расценивались церковью как языческие или нарушавшие социальный порядок и нравственные правила. Упомянутые в древнерусских и средневековых источниках формы народного веселья обнаруживают истоки ряда народных игр, бытовавших в XIX–ХХ вв., и объясняют их включенность в календарную обрядность. The article is devoted to the consideration of the works of literature of Ancient and Medieval Russia and the early modern era, directed against pagan beliefs and practices, as a source for describing the game culture. Mainly normative, canonical and didactic compositions are used, as well as confessional texts, which contain information about entertainment and games. The main attention is paid to games in the narrow sense of the word (games with rules), as the least studied cultural phenomenon of this historical period. This expands the understanding of the game repertoire, the place and status of the game in festive and ceremonial and everyday life, and also makes it possible to trace the process of desacralization of the game, its transition into the sphere of the «worldly». The information about the gaming culture of the Middle Ages and the early modern times revealed in written monuments reveals their involvement in pagan rituals and demonstrates a connection with magical practices, which was the basis for their persecution and prohibition. This circumstance determines the limited use of these sources for the reconstruction of the playing repertoire. The list of games includes only those that were regarded by the church as pagan or violating social order and moral rules. The forms of folk fun mentioned in ancient Russian and medieval sources reveal the origins of a number of folk games that existed in the 19th – 20th centuries and explain their inclusion in calendar rituals.


Slovene ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 414-450
Author(s):  
Sergey V. Gorodilin

The article, based on the historical realia mentioned in the Life of Isidore of Rostov, tries to date this source more precisely, as well as to find out more about the time St. Isidore spent in Rostov. The data obtained allows for a more detailed understanding of a social, political and cultural contexts of the appearance and development of the worship tradition of Isidore, who was the first Russian saint to be canonically accepted as a Fool-for-Christ (yurodivy). This tradition would later strongly influence the development of Russian yurodstvo in Late Middle Ages and Early Modern times.


Mediaevistik ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 304-306
Author(s):  
Albrecht Classen

Die zwei für den Titel gewählten Begriffe spiegeln wieder, worum es in der jüngsten mediävistischen Forschung global geht, so mühsam die Arbeit daran auch sein mag. Kein literarischer Text, kein Kunstwerk etc. ist einfach in einem Vakuum entstanden, und wir sind aus der heutigen Einsicht heraus, dass wir ja alle mehr oder weniger in einem transkulturellen Gewebe leben, dazu aufgefordert, die Mediävistik genau in diese Richtung zu treiben, um die globale Ausrichtung bereits im Mittelalter adäquat wahrzunehmen (vgl. dazu jetzt Romedio Schmitz-Esser, “The Buddha and the Medieval West,”. Travel, Time, and Space, hrsg. A. Classen, 2018). Das vorliegende Buch ist im De Gruyter Verlag erschienen, wo auch das Journal of Transcultural Medieval Studies veröffentlicht wird; es gibt also viele Überlappungen. Hinweisen muss ich auch auf East Meets West in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Times: Transcultural Experiences in the Premodern World, ed. Albrecht Classen, 2013; siehe dazu A. Classen, “Transcultural Experiences in the Late Middle Ages: The German Literary Discourse on the Mediterranean World – Mirrors, Reflections, and Responses,”Humanities Open Access 2015, 4(4), 676–701; doi:10.3390/h4040676. Keine dieser Veröffentlichungen wurden im vorliegenden Band auch nur registriert, und es scheint fast, als ob im Zeitalter der Internationalisierung weiterhin tiefe Gräben zwischen der deutschen und der außerdeutschen Mediävistik bestehen. Überblickt man die in den jeweiligen Bibliographien aufgelistete Literatur, macht sich diese gegenseitige Unkenntnis ganz penetrant bemerkbar, und dies, obwohl doch gerade der Verlag De Gruyter intensiv darum bemüht ist, im Kampf gegen dieses Desiderat in die Bresche zu springen (siehe dazu die ganze Reihe ‘Fundamentals of Medieval and Early Modern Culture’).


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 108-115
Author(s):  
Mariia A. Shutova

It is impossible to dispute the fact that China has had an enormous influence on the culture of the entire Korean Peninsula. The writing system, the thoughts of Chinese philosophers, paper, the xylography method and the idea of a movable type – all this came to the peninsula long before the founding of the Joseon State. China was not only the overlord of Joseon, but also a kind of cultural donor. Of course, under such conditions, the Joseon authorities considered contacts with this region as the most important area of foreign policy and trade. In addition, a significant part of various kinds of literature — from Confucian writings to treatises on medicine was acquired in China for further circulation in Joseon. Due to the constant need for official and commercial communication between states, it was impossible to go without knowledge of a spoken language. For this purpose, the textbook titled “Nogeoldae” (lit. “Elder brother from China”) was created. Using the Goryeo merchant’s trip to China (in later editions this became the Joseon merchant) as the key example, the main situations accompanying such trips were examined in the form of dialogues. With the help of this manual it was possible to learn the phrases necessary for communication in the courtyard, conducting trade negotiations, participating in banquets, communicating with a doctor, and so on. The exceptional practical benefit ensured that this manual underwent several systematic reprints, as well as translation into Manchurian, Mongolian and Japanese languages. “Nogeoldae” is a unique written source on the history of the development of both the northern dialect of the Chinese language and Korean in the late Middle Ages and Early Modern times.


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