The author presents one of the best-known figures of northumbrian Church, in time of the transitional period from paganism to Christianity. On the base of two Lives of St. Cuthbert (The Anonymous life, Bede’s prose life) author describe life of Saint (childhood, youth, a monk, solitary life, a prior of Melrose and Lindisfarne, bishop of Northumbria). Finely author describes the spread of the cult of St. Cuthbert in Ireland, Scotland, North of England and Continent.
The author presents early history of the Armenian crosses. The first impuls to rise the khatchkars were the following two factors: the discovery of the Crucifixion Cross by Constantine's mother Helena at the beginnings of 4th century and recovery the Holy Cross by emperor Haraclius in 629. As a result of first fact in the 5th century a feast of the „Invention of the Cross” was introduced to the Church's calendar on the 14th of September.
The article treats of the most famous sort of Irish protective prayer, which name is lorica (breastplate). The author talks over this kind of prayer and inserts its translation. Next, on the base of article of O'Donoghue, the author analyzes every stanza of S. Patrick's lorica. First and eight stanza tells about Trinity and God, in the second and second the power of Christ is invoked in all its main manifestations: his birth, his baptism, his death and burial, his resurrection and his coming in judgment. The third stanza descends from the sphere of deity to the world of the first creation - angels. The fourth stanza dips down from heavenly host to the visible cosmos in its spheres and elements: sun, moon, and firmament, and the four elements: fire, air, water and earth. In the fifth stanza we are back at the source of creation, a natural progression from the invocation of created nature in the fourth stanza. The sixth stanza tells about spells cast by women and blacksmiths and druids.
The article is a summary of Christian itineraria, documents and letters from a trip to the Holy Land; from Meliton of Sardis letter’s in the second century, to description of the holy places in Greek Epiphanius of Jerusalem in the eighth century. The author touches the theme of evolution in the approach to the pilgrimage over seven centuries. At the beginning the journey to Jerusalem was sightseeing, historical and descriptive. From the fourth century, pilgrimage becomes the religious and spiritual journey. In the sixth century it is great phenomenon of religion (the cult of the Holy Wood of the Cross, the cult of relics, eulogia) but also political. From the beginning was associated with the ascetic and monastic ideals. Due to the invasion of Islam in the seventh and eighth centuries, itineraria were mostly copies of previous or notation of experiences of other people.
The article presents illustrations of Dn 3,19-24 in first millennial art. The author shows three types of iconography and compositions this biblical history: Roman, Coptic-Nubian and Irish-Byzantine. The Roman type has character of illustrations instead two others from Christian East are symbolical.
PL
Artykuł analizuje przedstawienia wydarzeń z Dn 3,19-24 w sztuce pierwszego tysiąclecia. Autor ukazuje trzy typy ikonografii i kompozycje tej biblijnej historii: rzymską, koptyjsko-nubijską i irlandzko-bizantyjską. Typ rzymski ma charakter ilustracji, a dwie inne z chrześcijańskiego Wschodu są symboliczne.
The article is the short compendium of the information about Gregory the Great's connections in the 7th-12th century period. Connections with Britain: Augustine's Mission, Gregory's model of the evangelization, the conception of religious function of the art (visual recollection, icons), the earliest "Life of Gregory" ( by anonymous monk from Whitby, Bede Venerabilis). Connections with Irltand: Laidcen's "Egloga de Morabilibus Job", Columban's letters to Gregory, "Regiula pastoralis", paschal controversy, irish manuscripts (9th-12th century) with allusions to Gregory's writings.
The Celtic Crosses are an original phenomenon that unites in itself spiritual traditions of the East and artistic heritage of the West. The original basic shape of the idea is Indo-Iranian and it was close to Celtic mentality. Old myths were translated into a symbolic language of art. The particular feature of the Celtic Cross is the co-existence of Nature and Bible, Myth and Christology.