“Why did I not die in the womb?” Job’s cursing the day of his birth in the interpretations of Gregory the Great and Thomas Aquinas (a comparative approach)

The Book of Job presents a just, blameless man, who after being afflicted with great pain and suffering begins to curse the day of his birth. The aim of the article is to elucidate the reasons for and the meaning of Job’s harsh words by comparing two different interpretations of the passage offered by Gregory the Great and Thomas Aquinas. Both expositions seem to be incompatible regarding: the reasons for and the aims of Job’s cursing, the moral evaluation of his cursing, the reasons for and the objects of Job’s sorrow, the virtuous way of expressing sorrow. On the other hand, they seem compatible concerning the admission of the fact of experiencing sorrow by Job and the moral imperative to tame sorrow. The incompatibilities appear to be rooted in two different approaches to passions (the Stoic versus the Peripatetic one) and in different evaluations of earthly life and goods. It is shown that Aquinas’ interpretation is more faithful to the text and relies on a more adequate anthropology and psychology.

Dies natalis papae – der „Geburtstag“ des Papstes

The dies natalis papae has received little attention in the previous literature. This is not the actual birthday of the Roman chief pastor, but the anniversary of his consecration as bishop. Explicit evidence of this has been available since the second half of the 4th century (Damasus I), mainly in letters. However, the recording of the exact consecration dates since the 250s suggests that the day was also celebrated earlier. In any case, it is certain that the dies natalis papae was celebrated as a festival of joy and gratitude for the (albeit undeservedly conferred) Petrine office. Numerous bishops from all over Italy are invited to attend, and, if necessary, these gatherings can also be used for synods. While Leo I regularly exploits this opportunity to preach – five „Sermones“ have survived, after all – 150 years later Gregory the Great flatly rejects the celebration as „superfluous vanity“ and instead refers to the „birthday celebration“ of St. Peter himself. The Roman „Liber Diurnus“ has its own forms of epistolary „invitatoria in natale papae“ as well as „excusatoria quando episcopus infirmatur“, and the sacramentaries of this time contain models for the celebration, i. e. „Orationes in natale papae“ or „in natale episcoporum“.

Learning to Pray by Singing

Gregorian chants are mostly based on Old Testament texts, predominantly from the Psalms. Decisive for their interpretation in the light of the New Testament are texts of the Church Fathers (Augustine, Gregory the Great, etc.). The texts often do not follow their canonical order in the Bible, but were primarily compiled on the basis of broader associations. Hence, it is not uncommon for new content references to emerge that are committed to a Christian perspective, emotionally and theologically very bold. This article describes an imaginary ‘Gregorian Composition Workshop’: the individual ‘chambers’ include compiling texts, the choice of a suitable mode and melody, as well as the most refined rhythmic differentiations. The final piece, through its unique quality as the ‘sounding word of Holy Scripture’ permits an intensive view of the spirituality of the ninth and tenth centuries, and a realistic understanding of the Psalms as the basis of Christian existence.

A Vindication of Desire: St Anselm, with C. S. Lewis

Despite different starting points, in the cloister and the world respectively, Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) and C. S. Lewis (1898–1963) enjoyed a mutual interest in the concept and experience of spiritual desire. Inspired by Lewis’ famous sermon, ‘The Weight of Glory’ (1941), but principally guided by Anselm’s reflections, this essay argues that desire exists in a dynamic relationship with love and that, as a journey of desire, the Christian life is extremely challenging, since it is a journey into mystery and towards moral perfection, but also contains and ultimately fulfils God’s promise of eternal joy. It is hoped that one by-product of this exploration may be to accord greater recognition to Anselm as a spiritual, even mystical, theologian, recognising him in Jean Leclercq’s description of an earlier monastic leader, Gregory the Great (d. 604), as a ‘doctor of desire’.

Isidore of Seville on ius gentium: The View of a Theologian

In this article, my objective is to provide an understanding of Isidore of Seville’s enormously influential definition of ius gentium in its own right. Recent studies have primarily focused on the legal aspects of Isidore’s conception of ius gentium. However, while Isidore as a man of learning was familiar with the legal categories he used, it is by no means certain that his understanding of legal concepts would match that of a contemporary jurist. Isidore was a theologian, and there are strong indications that he was more than a mere transmitter of classical knowledge. In this article, I show that he was an original thinker whose conception of ius gentium contained several innovative features that could not be fully grasped without a deep understanding of his theological ideas based on Augustine and Gregory the Great.

Szkice emblematów Tomasza Tretera

Tomasz Treter’s Emblem Designs This edition and translation of the newly discovered emblem designs by Tomasz Treter (1547–1610) is complementary to Alicja Bielak’s article (this issue) on a manuscript attributed to the Canon of Warmia. Anna Treter’s translation was intended to be faithful to the original in terms of content and style. The edition is based on the manuscript MM 378 from Biblioteca Civica Angelo Mai in Bergamo (fol. 9 r.–21 r.). The 25 sketches of emblems to be elaborated on below open Treter’s private notebook, with entries dating from the period between 20 June 1569 and 2 March 1575, as evidenced by the dates inside the codex, which does not exclude the possibility that Treter made corrections and additions after 1575. The notebook includes designs of full-sized emblems with titles, mottos, epigrams and images. Sketches drawn with a quill present a general concept of a composition, without any details (disegni). The title of the notebook was proposed by the editor as the author did not name it. The name written on the spine of the codex (Imprese) is likely to have been supplied later by an unknown person. As far as the themes dealt with in the emblems are concerned, the epigrams are mostly excerpts from the works of Saint Gregory the Great, Saint Augustine and Tertullian, (which was every time cited in the explanatory notes). In the commentary, the sources of graphical inspirations are also traced to Claude Paradin. The other 73 designs from the Bergamo codex, not included in this edition, are sketches of the emblems Symbolica vitae Christi meditatio (Braniewo: Jerzy Schönfels, 1612).