A General Survey of Ancient Chinese History

The author reviews the first six chapters of the monograph by John S. Major and Constance Cook “Ancient China: A History” (New York, London: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, 2017. 300 p.). The authors of the book made an attempt to briefly review the history of ancient China on the basis of a compilation of factual data from the works of the most prominent researchers of these periods in Europe and the United States. It is shown that the authors of the compilation mainly follow the Chinese historical tradition, repeating the basic information from the classical Confucian treatises of the early Imperial time. It is particularly significant that the authors make mistakes that indicate the formation of their own tradition of writing the history of China in the United States.

G. Roerich’s contribution to history of Russian expeditions in Central Asia

The study of G. Roerichs scientific heritage is at its beginning. An important basis of Roerichs many-sided scientific activities were his investigations during the expeditions in Asia. The longest, most dangerous and laborious among them was the Central Asiatic expedition of his father - N.K. Roerich. The goal of this article is to examine G.N. Roerichs activities on every stage of the Central Asiatic expedition, as well as G.N. Roerichs works, publishing the results of the expedition research. G.N. Roerich presented the basic results in his monograph Trails to Inmost Asia: Five years of exploration with the Roerich Central Asian Expedition published in English in USA in 1931. Roerichs description of North and Central Tibet is unique because the theocratic state in Tibet and nomad tribes, which Roerich had observed, are no more existing. Roerichs field investigations continued the historical tradition of Russian expeditions in Central Asia. It extended our scientific knowledge about the insufficiently known regions in Asia.

Polish and Hungarian Historical Tradition in the Hungarian-Polish Chronicle

The aim of the article is to present two written traditions which are discernible in the Hungarian-Polish Chronicle. One of them is of the Hungarian and the other one of the Polish origin. The Le-genda sancti Stephani regis by Bishop Hartvich is one of them. It is also the simplest one to analyse. The text comparison shows that it could be regarded as the shorter text variant which served as the story basis for the chronicler, similarly to the text from the Seitz manuscript dated back to the second half of the 14th century. One of the variants of the now lost Gesta Ungarorum could be a source of information on the ancient history of Hungarians. One can observe traces of using a written source of the Polish origin as well. It could be a narrative form dating back to the beginning of the 13th century, in which the remnants of another, older text – possibly from the time of Bolesław II Large (the second half of the 11th century) – could be found.

KULTURNA DEDIŠČINA IN NJENO VAROVANJE V ČASU OBOROŽENIH SPOPADOV

Povzetek Kulturna dediščina oziroma kulturne dobrine so izraz zgodovinske tradicije nekega naroda. V zgodovini vojskovanja je bila kulturna dediščina pogosto uničena, poškodovana in izropana. Prispevek predstavlja zgodovinski razvoj mednarodnopravne zaščite kulturnih dobrin, obveznosti, ki jih imajo visoke pogodbenice Konvencije o varstvu kulturnih dobrin v primeru oboroženega spopada, nekatera najpomembnejša pravila glede varovanja kulturnih dobrin med oboroženimi spopadi, slovensko delovanje na obravnavanem področju ter pozitivne in negativne posledice (ne)varovanja kulturnih dobrin. Ključne besede Varovanje kulturnih dobrin, oboroženi spopadi, Haaška konvencija. Abstract Cultural heritage and cultural property are an expression of the historical tradition of a certain nation. Throughout the history of warfare, cultural heritage has often been destroyed, damaged and looted. The article presents the historical development of international legal protection of cultural property, the obligations of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, some of the most important rules regarding the protection of cultural property in armed conflicts, Slovenian activities in this field, and the positive and negative consequences of the (non-) protection of cultural property.

“Natural” in the philosophical and moralistic literature of the XVII century

In philosophy, “natural” is viewed as an ontological characteristic of the objects of internal and external reality along with the concept of “artificial”. However, in the XVII century, the philosophical and moralistic literature undergoes aestheticization. Numerous appeals of the writers, moralists and philosopher, as well as dialogues and arguments on the topic of “natural” indicate that this was of crucial importance for the aesthetic thought of the XVII century. The answer to the question ‘what natural is’ has become the cornerstone of the new gallant aesthetics, and in behavior was associated with fluency and aristocratic inattention, which are opposed to pomposity and affectation. In art, “natural” was perceived as a desire to purge from the Baroque ostentation. In literature, it is the result of hard work on the language that allows achieving lightness and fluency. Ultimately, in the philosophical thought, “natural” is perceived as the correspondence with truth. Until the present, the question of aestheticization of the “natural” did not draw the attention of Russian researchers. This is partly explained by the historical tradition. Russia enters the European philosophical thought only in the Era of Enlightenment in the XVIII century; thus, the XVII century seems somewhat archaic on the background of the topical issues. However, the XVII century is the advent of the history of modern philosophical and aesthetic thought, and creates the foundation of modern European mentality. This period marks the formation of the new aesthetic ideal, new aesthetic norms, and the system for assessing the work of art, which assign an important role to the “natural”.

Ἀποκάλυψισ en ἀποκαλύπτω as wederkomswoorde in die Nuwe Testament

Ἀποκάλυψισ and ἀποκαλύπτω as words denoting the second coming in the New Testament. Several Greek words are used in the New Testament to denote the second coming of Christ. None of these words can be translated as ‘second coming’. Two of these words are ἀποκάλυψις and ἀποκαλύπτω. This article departed from the viewpoint that God has a telos [purpose] for revealing that Jesus is coming again. Questions arise whether these words, denoting the second coming, can be treated as exact synonyms or whether there are differences in nuance in the meaning of these words. This article is a step in the process to answer these questions. A word study of the concepts ἀποκάλυψις and ἀποκαλύπτω was done and it was investigated how these terms for the second coming of Christ are used in the New Testament. Furthermore, the telos of the revelation regarding the ἀποκάλυψις of Christ in the relevant chapters of Scripture was determined. This is a question that is seldom addressed. For the word study, diachronic and synchronic methods were used. The development of ἀποκάλυψις and ἀποκαλύπτω into suitable words for denoting the second coming was thus tracked from the Old to the New Testament. For the determination of the use of ἀποκάλυψις and ἀποκαλύπτω in the New Testament, as well as for the determination of the telos of the revelation regarding the second coming, exegesis was conducted in the revelation-historical tradition. The result was an original definition of the meaning of ἀποκάλυψις and ἀποκαλύπτω as used in various contexts: ‘It is the triune God’s final revelation of himself in Jesus Christ at his second coming, in glory, in order to fully reveal, fulfil and realise his Word, his master plan, his covenant and his promises and to be in eternal fellowship with his children.’ The telos for the revelation of the ἀποκάλυψις of Christ was determined as warning believers to be prepared, encouraging and comforting them in afflictions and suffering. A theological definition of the meaning of ἀποκάλυψις provides a handy tool for exegetes. Foreknowledge of the telos of the revelation regarding the ἀποκάλυψις could guide exegetes in their endeavours.Contribution: An original theological definition of the meaning of ἀποκάλυψις and ἀποκαλύπτω was provided and the telos of the revelation regarding ἀποκάλυψις and ἀποκαλύπτω was determined as warning believers to be prepared, encouraging and comforting them in afflictions and suffering.

Witnessed in Stone: Epigraphic Evidence of Addressees of the Prophet’s Missives in Ḥaḍramawt

The present article deals with the authenticity of early Islamic historical tradition. The sceptical approach of some Western scholars is balanced by an attempt to substantiate the data available in the Arab Muslim sources with the information from the inscriptions from South Arabia. The author was fortunate to discover an Islamic source, which dates back to the first half of 9th century AD, the Kitāb al-Ṭabaqāt alkabīr by Ibn Sa‘d, which comprises the missives of the Prophet Muhammad to two noble clans of Ḥaḍramawt: dhū Marḥab and al-Bassī. These clans are also mentioned in two late Sabaean inscriptions, which originate from the territory of Ḥaḍramawt: Beeston – Wādī Sanā’ and MM (al-Mukalla’ Museum) 157. Therefore, the existence of at least two addressees of the missives of the prophet Muḥammad is confirmed in the epigraphic documents from Ancient Yemen.

The Problem with the State Sovereignty of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during the Reign of Alexander Yahailavich (1492–1501)

The death of Kazimir IV Yahailavich in 1492 led to the break of the personal union between the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania. These two states had got separate monarchs, who became the sons of Kazimir – Jan Olbracht and Alexander. The period of 1492–1501, the Alexander’s reign in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, was a serious test for the independence of this state. The transition from a personal to the more formal dynastical union had been thrown the Grand Duchy before a hard dilemma. On the one hand it wanted to keep the alliance with Poland that already had a long historical tradition, was supported by a large body of agreements and provided its benefits. On the other hand the Grand Duchy sought to defend its sovereign rights that the Poland had not recognized always. There are a number of facts that could proof the perception by Poland and Jan Olbracht of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Alexander as subordinated powers. For instance, Jan Olbracht named himself as a Supreme Duke of Lithuania. He used to conclude international agreements in the name of Aleksandr. The King of Poland tried to appoint the Catholic bishops in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In his tern Alexander sometimes emphatically referred to him as his elder brother in official documents. He also used to mint coins with the coat of arms of not only the Grand Duchy of Lithuania but also the Kingdom of Poland. Specific features at that time was that they were strongly conditioned by the family ties of two monarchs. All of Kazimir’s sons, including Jan Olbracht and Alexander sought to maintain family and dynastic unity, to support each other. It came in full force in the international relations. For example two or even three of the Yahajlavichy brothers could enter into an agreement with foreign states. In general, we can say that some signs of dependence of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania on Kingdom of Poland, which still be traced, belonged mainly to the external, symbolic attributes of statehood. They hardly hurt the fundamental principles of sovereignty of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The more acute problem was the union between the two states. The conditions to elect Alexander as a King of Poland was a new bilateral agreement. The Piotrkau-Mielnik Union of 1501 became such an agreement. In actual fact, it covered a fusion of two states into the one country, one king, one soim (parliament) and so on. But this plan had never become truth. The ratification of the union was postponed for a long time in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and in 1505 it was denied any approves at all. As a result, the states turned back to the personal union, to that type of relations exciting before 1492. For the Grand Duchy of Lithuania it meant to keep on the sovereign state status.

Specificity of representation of the dichotomy “young age – senior age” in the Russian and Chinese worldviews

The goal of this research is to determine the specificity of representation of the dichotomy “young age – senior age” in the cultural-linguistic space of Russia and China. The article explores the peculiarities of the representation of the dichotomy “young age – senior age” in the Russian and Chinese folk tales as the texts that reflect mentality and folk traditions. In the context of dynamic globalization processes, increase of migration processes, and development of the new transcultural linguistic personality, which encompasses ethno-linguocultural distinctness of both countries, the author determines the specificity of representation of the dichotomy “young age – senior age” in the Russian and Chinese languages within the framework of lexical-semantic space of phraseology. Special attention is given to synergy of the linguistic and cultural worldview. This is the first comparative analysis conducted on the topic that allows revealing the specificity of representation of the dichotomy “young age – senior age” in the Russian and Chinese worldviews, which defines the novelty of this work. It is proven that the reflection of the dichotomy “young age – senior age” in the worldview of both nations (Russian and Chinese) was largely affected by folk and historical tradition. In the Chinese worldview, a senior person is much regarded, while in the Russian language it is more commonly to come across such representations as worsening of mental and physical abilities, as well as uselessness of senior people.