The Motif of the Angel(s) of Death in Islamic Foundational Sources as an Element of Cultural Diffusion

The article harks back to the publication entitled “The Motif of the Angel(s) of Death in Islamic Foundational Sources” (VV 38/2 [2020]), which was devoted to the analysis of the eponymous theme in the foundational sources of Islam: the Quran and the sunna of the Prophet Muhammad. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the motif of angel(s) may have been borrowed from two monotheistic traditions that came before. The verification of the thesis that the motif of the angel(s) of death underwent diffusion was carried out in several steps. First, the motif was identified in the textual traditions of Judaism and early Christianity (i.e. sets of texts that were known and, in all likelihood, widespread in the Middle East during the formative period of Islam). As a result of the analysis, most of the themes recognised in the foundational texts of Islam were found. The next step was to identify possible routes of their transmission and percolation into the Islamic tradition and to determine the “ideological demand” for the motif of the angel(s) of death in the burgeoning Islam. Although Jewish and Christian imagery and beliefs about angels are an important (if not the primary) source of influence on Muslim angelology, there was most likely a two-way interaction between the monotheistic traditions, albeit to a limited extent.

Word and Image. Polish Medieval and Renaissance Religious Writings in the European Context

The article presents the Polish religious writing of the Middle Ages and Renaissance as an expression of correspondence between the word and image. It also demonstrates the impact of European graphics, including Albrecht Dürer’s woodcuts, upon Polish religious works of the period (such as the works by Pseudo-Bonaventura in his rendering of Baltazar Opec’s Żywot Pana Jezu Krysta and Jan Sandecki’s Historie biblijne or Rozmyślania dominikańskie. The article also emphasizes that it was Dürer who paved the way for the book illustration, thus turning woodcuts into an art form in their own right. The fifteenth century was a watershed in book culture. As new illustration techniques at the turn of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries encouraged the growth of illustrated printed books, the codex became obsolete.

Abraham’s Trials in Ancient and Medieval Jewish Writings

The article presents a brief overview of the Jewish rabbinical resources with regard to the Patriarch Abraham and his life, viewed as a series of trials. From the second century BCE, the Jewish authors were recognizing numerous events in Abraham’s life as ordeals, gradually more and more difficult and challenging. Through them God put Abraham and his faith to the test in order to assure that his election of Abraham was right. On the basis of The Book of Jubilees and several rabbinical works, including Pirqe Abot, Pirqe Rabbi Eliezer and Abot de Rabbi Nathan as well as the writings of Jewish medieval commentators (esp. Maimonides and Rashi), the paper in detail analyzes the concept of these trials and the differences that can be identified in the sources concerning their identification and order. Firstly, the reasons of the rabbinical commentators’ particular interest paid to Abraham have been given. Subsequently, the concept of his numerous trials, identified by the rabbis and Jewish scholars, have been discussed, followed by a thorough presentation of selected rabbinic works and discussions whether the experiences of Abraham’s life should and/or should not be regarded as trials.

Specificity of the Gospel of Mark as Interpreted by Theophylact of Ohrid

While Theophylact’s Enarratio in Evangelium Marci [Explanation of the Gospel of Mark] is known as the first commentary on the whole Gospel in Greek, the question remains: how much of Mark’s Gospel is in this Explanation? The main aim of the article is to examine whether Theophylact notices the specificity of Mark’s Gospel, or whether he is harmonizing Mark with Matthew, on which he commented earlier, or other Gospels. The analysis of the Explanation of the Gospel of Mark shows that Theophylact relates to content typical of the Gospel of Mark. He distinguishes Mark’s theology from other Gospels, recognizing at the same time the theological unity of the four Gospels. His attentiveness to the details of the narrative is evidenced by the accurate presentation of divergences and, regarding some pericopes, the lack of harmonization.

The Reconciliation of the World Through the Blood of Christ’s Cross as the Completion of the Work of Creation (Col 1:15-20)

The article contains a detailed exegesis of the Christological hymn in Col 1:15-20, highlighting the links between the theology of creation and kerygmatic theology. The first strophe (1:15-18a) emphasizes the author’s intention to show the function of Christ in the creation of the world, whereas the second one (1:18b-20) exposes the fact that Christ’s passion, death and resurrection were key moments in the history of the world, comparable only to the work of its creation. It is shown that both events are closely related in the hymn because reconciling the world to God in the blood of Christ is meant to be the completion of the work of creation, resulting in restoring a harmonious relationship between God and man.

Joseph Ratzinger’s Argument for the Epistemological Seriousness of Faith

Christianity, and the Christian faith, seems to be losing when confronted with scientific reason and scientific certainty. Christianity needs new arguments for the epistemological seriousness of its faith. Those could be found in Joseph Ratzinger’s writings, providing new insights into fundamental theology. The subject of faith as an element that is crucial to him (and to Christianity) pervades all his works. This paper aims at proving that Ratzinger has worked out an original epistemological way of defending the Christian faith. It is an attempt to recreate his argument on the basis of his entire intellectual output. The present research leads to the conclusion that Ratzinger’s way of argumentation is quite unique. In classical fundamental theology, the Christian faith (comprehended mostly as an individual act of faith) is placed at its end point, while in Ratzinger’s fundamental theology, faith (understood mostly as a historical and communal act) is practically a point of departure. From the beginning of his reasoning Ratzinger (due to his meta-faith perspective) persuades that the Christian faith is epistemologically very serious. Faith may not only manifest its presence alongside other serious attitudes to reality, but also be capable of demonstrating its foundation, rationality, originality, uniqueness, and even absoluteness (definitiveness).

Gerhard Lohfink’s Interpretative Key to the Sermon on the Mount

The purpose of this article is to elicit and analyze the main interpretative key used by the German exegete Gerhard Lohfink in his reading of the Sermon on the Mount. It does not attempt, however, tracing in detail the scholar's interpretation of the individual passages within that biblical text. In Lohfink’s understanding, the Sermon on the Mount is not addressed directly to all people but only to those who become disciples of Jesus, and who allow themselves to be gathered as the new Israel. By living according to the message of the Sermon on the Mount, communities of disciples become a light to the world, creating a “contrast society” and thereby demonstrating to the world that human relationships can be shaped in new ways. It is only through this mediation of Christian communities that the world at large can discover the message of the Sermon on the Mount which, in the end, is not a set of abstract moral norms, but rather an indication of the way of life appropriate for the social sphere in which God reigns.

David J. Shepherd – Jan Joosten – Michaël N. van der Meer (red.), Septuagint, Targum and Beyond. Comparing Aramaic and Greek Versions from Jewish Antiquity (Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism 193; Leiden – Boston, MA: Brill 2020)

Book review: David J. Shepherd – Jan Joosten – Michaël N. van der Meer (red.), Septuagint, Targum and Beyond. Comparing Aramaic and Greek Versions from Jewish Antiquity (Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism 193; Leiden – Boston, MA: Brill 2020). Ss. 356. $140.00. ISBN 978-90-04-41671-0 (Hardback), 978-90-04-41672-7 (E-Book).

Suffering and Prayer in the Messianic Community of Jas 5:13a

Jas 5:13a encourages anyone within the community who suffers to pray. The text does not, however, specify whether the prayer is for the elimination of suffering or for the grace to endure it. The aim of this work, therefore, is to identify the purpose of the prayer proposed in v. 13a. The method employed is an analysis of v. 13a in its immediate context of Jas 5:13-18. The study reveals that the phrase “prayer of faith” in v. 15a offers significant clues as to the purpose of the prayer in v. 13a. The prayer of faith is a renewal of one's commitment to God and their trust in God. The invitation to pray in v. 13a is therefore a request to reaffirm that commitment to God in time of trials. The conclusion is that James is calling on Christians who suffer to reiterate their commitment to God despite their trials, and to pray for the grace to courageously endure their challenges.

Andreas Schüle, Die Urgeschichte (Genesis 1–11), 2. erweiterte und aktualisierte Auflage (Zürcher Bibelkommentare AT 1/1; Zürich: Theologische Verlag Zürich 2020)

Review of the book: Andreas Schüle, Die Urgeschichte (Genesis 1-11). 2. erweiterte und aktualisierte Auflage (Züricher Bibelkommentare 1.1; Zürich: Theologische Verlag Zürich 2020). S. 176. 35 EUR. ISBN 978-3-290-17527-6