The real birth of Byzantine studies in Poland falls at the end of the nineteenth century. They owe their place in Polish science firstly to classical philologists and then to historians. This is because more than 5,000 publications on this topic were issued in Poland, particularly on account of their research activities. Often, however, when it comes to Byzantium and its cultural heritage, achievements in the field of literature, history, law, art history and archeology are amply mentioned, but effectively ignored are those associated with the same philosophy.
The efforts of Byzantine scholars to show the differences between Hellenic thinkers are characteristic of the final phase of philosophy practiced in the Eastern Roman Empire. They are expressed is a conflict and an open dispute led by Plato’s defender Georgios Gemistos and a supporter of Aristotle’s doctrine, Scholarios. The dispute between these eminent and enlightened Byzantines was based on the question which of the Hellenic thinkers is better and whose doctrine is closer to the teaching of the Church. In the dispute between the Byzantines, one of the most important issues appeared to be the concept of God, hence the article will recall the arguments on the basis of which Georgios Gemistos in his writing of De Differentiis acknowledges Plato as the one who is worthy of greater validity and recognition.
Plato's Lysis, a comprehensive study of philia, can be treated as a prelude to the issue of eros, discussed directly in the Symposium and the Phaedrus. The ideas first introduced by Plato in the Lysis, are developed and elaborated on in the two dialogues on love. Being the first part of the Platonic story of love, the dialogue is an excellent starting point for considerations of eros, especially its synthetic, intermediary and masculine nature.
Since time immemorial symposiums were held in the Hellenic Republic that, just like drinking wine, fostered memories of past times and discussions on moral topics. Therefore, it is not a surprise that oinos was appreciated by many authors and the motive of wine itself played a significant role in the Greek literature. Naturally, Plato also could not refuse the gift given to the people by Dionysus and talked about wine in several of his dialogues. Plato's considerations of oinos cover indications of etymological nature, typology of symposiums, as well as the effect the drink has on the attitude and activeness of a human being. They also owe a lot to traditional images and Hellenic medical concepts that play an important role in the thinker's discussion on the subject and commonly present oinos as φάρμακον. Does the Dionysus' heavenly gift deserve the Plato's encomium? This study will make an attempt to answer this question.
Bez wątpienia pytanie o istnienie filozofii i filozofów w Bizancjum uchodzi dzisiaj za anachroniczne. Mimo to wiele problemów narosłych wokół samej bizantyjskiej filozofii ciągle nie doczekało się jednoznacznych rozwiązań i objaśnień. Wieloznaczne znaczenie, jakie nadawali Bizantyjczycy uprawianej przez siebie nauce, uniemożliwia zamknięcie jej w jedną definicję. Dociekania chronologii, periodyzacji tudzież autonomii bizantyjskiej filozofii również nie oferują spójnych rozstrzygnięć, nie wspominając już o dyskusji nt. kryteriów, jakie współcześni badacze winni przyjąć w realizowanych badaniach naukowych na tym polu. W obliczu znikomego zaangażowania uczonych w sprawy tworzonej w Cesarstwie Wschodniorzymskim filozofii, nadal wiele istotnych kwestii wymaga przebadania. Niektóre z nich, czyli znaczenie bizantyjskiej filozofii, jej ramy czasowe, autonomię oraz periodyzację, postaramy się krótko omówić w świetle współczesnych badań.
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Undoubtedly, the question of the existence of philosophy and philosophers in Byzantium is today considered as anachronistic. Nevertheless, many problems accrued around the Byzantine philosophy itself, did not live up clear solutions and explanations. The meaning given by the Byzantines of the science they studied, as ambiguous, makes it impossible to close it into a single definition. Inquiries of chronology, periodization, and the autonomy of Byzantine philosophy also do not offer consistent conclusions, not to mention the discussion about the criteria that modern researchers should adopt in their research in this field. It is not surprising, therefore, that in the face of the insignificant involvement of scholars in the affairs of the Eastern Roman Empire philosophy, many important issues still need to be explored. Some of them, it means the importance of Byzantine philosophy, its time frame, autonomy and periodization will be briefly discussed in the light of contemporary research.
The Byzantine empire, being the heir of the Hellenistic and Roman educational system, retained the inherited teaching structure until the end of its existence. The general education in Byzantium covered various stages. The educational process would start in the elementary school, where children where familiarized with the most basic reading and writing skills. The next and at the same time the intermediate stage was carried out in high schools, followed by the final higher education that would conclude the process of teaching. The purpose of this thesis is to outline the general characteristic of the educational system present in Byzantium and to research activity of the most important schools, where, in line with the past spirit, the primary, intermediate and higher education was executed within the empire’s territory.
The controversy around Saints Cyril and Methodius’s mission to the historic Polish lands has remained an issue of heated discussions. Many new implications regarding the mission came to light in perspective of the 1050th anniversary of Poland’s Christianization. In literature, the beginnings of Christianity are convergent in time with the event of the baptism of Mieszko I (Czech influence) and the Christianization in a wider scope (influence of Longobard monks). In most available studies the sources which legitimise non-Latin beginnings of Polish Christianity are sometimes intentionally excluded. There is no mention of the Slavic rituals on Polish grounds before 966. The current state of knowledge confirms Methodian mission among the tribes of the Vistulans and the Polans (it concerns people who lived in the original lands in the Vistula basin). This article, therefore, discusses the scope of mission of both Byzantine Christian theologians in Southern Poland.
Postać i twórczość jednego z najwybitniejszych rzymskich poetów, czyli Horacego, jest znana niemal każdemu w odróżnieniu do filozofa, medyka i pedagoga Sebastiana Petrycego z Pilzna. Ten ostatni niejednokrotnie sięgał po stanowiące dlań źródło inspiracji pisma Horacego, przez co to właśnie jemu polski czytelnik zawdzięcza pierwszy przekład pieśni sławetnego Rzymianina. Jednym z wielu, lecz nader istotnym z perspektywy Horacjańskiej twórczości, jawi się wątek erotyczny, który następnie został podjęty przez Petrycego w Odach. Celem artykułu jest przeto omówienie głównych miłosnych motywów obecnych u Horacego oraz ich Petrycjańskich adaptacji przy uwzględnieniu przestróg polskiego tłumacza odnoszących się do tematyki erotyczno‑miłosnej.
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While serving his sentence in the Moscovsky prison Sebastian Petrycy of Pilzno, Polish Aristotelian, translated, adapted and attached the commentaries to the cantos of Quintus Horatius Flaccus. For him it was primarily a form of consolation during that severe punishment, for the generations of readers it was and is a magnificent fusion of poetry ant moral philosophy at its finest. The translated text constituted a base for creating a paraphrase of the wisdom of the Roman poet in order to make it more understandable for Polish audience. He intertwined Horatian lyrics with Polish expressions and assimilated it with indigenous reality of his times. Moreover, he put his effort in explaining the poetic message in its most philosophical aspects adding the set of commentaries along the main text. In this article the erotic motif of Horatian poetry and Petricean rendition and comments will be analyzed and exposed from a philosophical perspective. And as far as love and desire remain the main pillars of human essentiality, the Authors aim into emphasizing the importance of Petrycy’s work from ethical and pedagogical points of view.
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