The Beginnings of the Greek-Catholic Diocese of Oradea in the Eighteenth Century. The Beiuş Estate Conscription of 1778

"The Beiuş estate conscription of 1778 holds valuable information regarding the fiscal state of the local population. The Greek-Catholic Diocese had just been created and it needed a source of income to sustain itself and at the same time to grow. This estate was one of the richest in the whole county, formed from 72 villages with Beiuş at its center. From buildings such as mills, inns and taverns, to farms and homes, they are all presented inside the document. Moise Dragoşi, the first Greek-catholic bishop of Oradea struggled to get this estate and it took four years. The conscription in this case represents not just an official piece of paper, but a window into the life of an eighteenth-century peasant. Keywords: conscription, Beiuş, estate, Greek-catholic, Oradea, income, tax. "

Misuse of Religious titles by self-proclaimed spiritual leaders: Prophets, Apostles, and Popes in South Africa

In the world of religions, different religious officials are given different titles. Christianity as a religion in the world and in South Africa particularly, has been severely attacked by self proclaimed spiritual leaders who perform false miracles and abuse titles that have been respected by traditional mainstream churches for decades. These self-appointed spiritual leaders make utilization of these titles either through self-propagating or by accepting them when utilized upon them by their followers. This paper argues that self-appointed spiritual leaders' mere use of these revered religious titles cannot be justified within Christianity's framework. This paper offers a closer look at the literature regarding the use of religious titles such as Prophet, Apostle, and Pope. These religious titles remain very respectable within the Christian religion and are used to honour the role played by both biblical and contemporary Christian leaders. This paper makes three arguments; First, the age of the prophets was washed away by God's written Word in the Holy Bible, so those given this title should be pressed to prove the truthfulness of their prophecies beyond doubt. Second, apostles were those who were eye and ear witnesses to the teachings and resurrection of Jesus. Contemporary apostles must be compelled to defend their apostleship, as is the case in 2 Corinthians 11.Lastly, the title of Pope is traditionally bestowed upon the Catholic Bishop of Rome, the head bishop of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, and other leaders of traditional ecclesial communities. In its entirety, this paper deals with the scientifically neglected aspect within the larger question of the regulation of religions in South Africa.

Evaluating the Moral Framing of Disaffiliation: Sociological and Pastoral Perspectives on the Rise of the “Nones”

The wave of religious disaffiliation that began in the 1990s in the United States has gone from a concern of pastoral leaders to perhaps the concern of pastoral leaders. This article examines a moral framing of religious disaffiliation—where disaffiliation is seen as a symptom of larger moral struggles in society. After a review of contemporary sociological research on the phenomenon of disaffiliation, its roots and causes, the article explores the thinking of the influential Catholic bishop and media entrepreneur Robert Barron as an example of the moral framing of religious disaffiliation. Barron operates as a “moral entrepreneur” in today’s media-rich context, working to persuade Catholics to eschew certain strains of secular and liberal Catholic thinking in order to embrace traditional Catholicism as part of a moral struggle for the soul of U.S. society. Sociological theory on moral entrepreneurship and moral regulation helps make sense of his position. In the end, however, the causes and processes revealed in sociological research on disaffiliation reveal the moral framing as an inadequate construct for making sense of the actual phenomenon. I conclude by recommending a “historical-pastoral” framing of disaffiliation instead.

Ex libris Steph. S. Mányoki

Some years ago, we discovered a Dutch item in the famous Klimo Library at Pécs. It is a Convolute, composed of 67 booklets, all printed in the Netherlands in the first half of the 17th century. The collection was made by a Hungarian student of theology from Debrecen, Stephanus / István S. Mányoki, during his stay as a peregrinus in the Netherlands, where he studied at the protestant universities in Groningen, Franeker, Leiden and Utrecht respectively (1646–1648). Later on, this collection of academic imprints came into the possession of Matthias / Mátyás Domsics (1691–1768), a Canon of the Cathedral at Pécs, in order to be used for his Refutation of the Protestant Doctrine of the Faith. However, Domsics could not finish his dogmatic studies. In 1767, the new Roman Catholic bishop of Pécs, Georgius / György Klimo (1710–1777), took over all the books Domsics had collected for that purpose. Thus, Mányoki’s Convolute of Dutch protestant academic imprints became a part of bishop Klimo’s library. Mányoki’s Convolute makes a valuable contribution to current Dutch research in book history. This Convolute will be a great enrichment, especially for the “Short-Title Catalogue Netherlands” (STCN).

Hólar and Belgsdalsbók

The article argues that Belgsdalsbók (AM 347 fol.: Jónsbók and other texts) may have been the law book that was listed as “damaged” in the 1525 inventory of the property of Hólar bishopric. Three reasons suggest this conclusion. First, its earliest known owner was Steinunn Jónsdóttir, the daughter-in-law of the last Catholic bishop of Hólar. Second, its date and circumstances of production suggest that Bishop Jón Eiríksson skalli might have been its commissioner. Third, Belgsdalsbók contains unusual texts of interest to an ecclesiastical owner. In addition, the article suggests that another copy of Jónsbók, GKS 3269 a 4to, may also have belonged to Hólar bishopric.

The afterlives of Galway jail, ‘difficult’ heritage, and the Maamtrasna murders: representations of an Irish urban space, 1882–2018

This article explores the spatial history and ‘afterlives’ of Galway jail, where an innocent man, Myles Joyce, was executed in 1882 following his conviction for the Maamtrasna murders; in 2018 he was formally pardoned by President Michael D. Higgins. The article traces how the political and cultural meanings of this incident were instrumentalised in the building of Ireland's last Catholic cathedral on the site of the former Galway jail. It analyses how the site was depicted – in different ways and at different moments – as one of justice, of injustice, of triumph, and of redemption. It investigates how these different legacies were instrumentalised – or at times ignored – by Irish nationalists and later by the Catholic bishop of Galway, Michael Browne. It uses Joyce's execution to explore the site's legacy, an incident that at times dominated its representations but at other moments faded from prominence. The article situates the former jail site within theoretical writings on memorialisation, ‘difficult’ heritage, and studies of architectural demolition, while also commenting on mid twentieth-century Irish Catholic politics and culture.