It was never good world sence minister must have wyves”: clerical celibacy, clerical marriage, and anticlericalism in Reformation England

The impact of the Reformation was felt strongly in the nature and character of the priesthood, and in the function and reputation of the priest. A shift in the understanding of the priesthood was one of the most tangible manifestations of doctrinal change, evident in the physical arrangement of the church, in the language of the liturgy, and in the relaxation of the discipline of celibacy, which had for centuries bound priests in the Latin tradition to a life of perpetual continence. Clerical celibacy, and accusations of clerical incontinence, featured prominently in evangelical criticisms of the Catholic church and priesthood, which made a good deal of polemical capital out of the perceived relationship of the priest and the efficacy of his sacred function. Citing St Paul, Protestant polemicists presented clerical marriage as the only, and appropriate remedy, for priestly immorality. But did the advent of a married priesthood create more problems than it solved? The polemical certainties that informed evangelical writing on sacerdotal celibacy did not guarantee the immediate acceptance of a married priesthood, and the vocabulary that had been used to denounce clergy who failed in their obligation to celibacy was all too readily turned against the married clergy. The anti-clerical lexicon, and its usage, remained remarkably static despite the substantial doctrinal and practical challenges posed to the traditional model of priesthood by the Protestant Reformation.

The Byzantine Church of the Nutrition in Nazareth rediscovered

Although Nazareth has usually been seen by scholars as a relatively minor Byzantine pilgrimage centre, it contained perhaps the most important ‘lost’ Byzantine church in the Holy Land, the Church of the Nutrition ‐ according to De Locis Sanctis built over the house where it was believed that Jesus Christ had been a child. This article, part of a series of final interim reports of the PEF-funded ‘Nazareth Archaeological Project’, presents evidence that this church has been discovered at the present Sisters of Nazareth convent in central Nazareth. The scale of the church and its surrounding structures suggests that Nazareth was a much larger, and more important, centre for Byzantine-period pilgrimage than previously supposed. The church was used in the Crusader period, after a phase of desertion, prior to destruction by fire, probably in the 13th century.

Monastic and church archaeology

Major advances in church and monastic archaeology are discussed in terms of two distinct waves, ca. 1970–1995 and 1995 to the time of writing (2014). The first wave was influenced by landscape history and processual archaeology; scholarship focused principally on historical, economic, and technological questions and targeted individual sites and monuments for study. The second wave has been informed by postprocessual approaches and considers change and complexity in religious landscapes and perspectives on religious space, embodiment, and agency. In conclusion, this article calls for a more holistic approach to the archaeology of medieval Christian belief, one which moves beyond the focus on institutions and monuments that has characterized monastic and church archaeology and extends archaeological study to include the performative rituals of Christian life and death in the Middle Ages.

Igreja católica, assistência social e caridade: Aproximações e divergências

This article is the result of a research study concluded in 2003, which aimed at investigating how the conception of Law is expressed in the actions of the so-called social pastoral commissions of the Catholic Church in Londrina, Brazil. By observing that the conception of charity and that of social rights walk side-bi-side within the Catholic Church, a question emerged: how is the conception of social right expressed in the actions of social pastoral commissions? Charity is preached as a Christian duty, as an action expressed in the experience of solidarity towards others who are in a situation that prevents them from having minimal living conditions. At least at discourse level, the actions developed are not limited to provide basic goods, clothes or medicine. We realized that those who act in social pastoral commissions, driven by values such as love to fellow human beings and solidarity, have not lost sight of the idea of social right - on the contrary, they have been reinforcing it. © 2006 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Sociologia - UFRGS.

Veritatis Splendor e Evangelium Vitae (1993-1995): arcabouços do pontificado de João Paulo II

Pós-graduação em História - FCLAS

A criação da diocese de Ribeirão Preto e o governo do primeiro Bispo: D. Alberto José Gonçalves

Pós-graduação em História - FCHS

Muslime in Ruanda – von Marginalisierung zu Integration /// Arbeitspapiere / Institut für Ethnologie und Afrikastudien ; 74

Zwischen April und Juni 1994 wurden in dem kleinen zentralafrikanischen Land Ruanda ca. 800.000 Menschen ermordet worden. Die Mehrzahl der Opfer waren Tutsi, aber auch viele Hutu verloren ihr Leben. Nahezu jede internationale und nationale Organisation versagte im Angesicht des Ausmaßes der Tragödie. Auch die in Ruanda sehr einflussreiche katholische Kirche konnte oder wollte die Massaker nicht beenden. Einzig die in der ruandischen Geschichte bis zum Genozid immer marginalisierten Muslime verweigerten in der Mehrzahl eine Teilnahme an den Massakern. Warum es zu diesem Verhalten kam, steht als Ausgangsfrage zu Beginn der Untersuchung. Im Folgenden gliedert sich die Arbeit in drei Teile – Geschichte des Islam bis 1994, Verhalten der Muslime im Völkermord von 1994 und die Veränderungen in den zehn Jahren nach dem Genozid. Die Arbeit, welche sich auf die Ergebnisse einer zweimonatigen Feldforschung und einige ältere Arbeiten zum Thema stützt, macht deutlich, dass die Geschichte der ruandischen Muslime bis 1994 durch eine kontinuierliche Marginalisierung gekennzeichnet war. Als nach dem Völkermord das außergewöhnliche Verhalten der ruandischen Muslime langsam deutlich wurde, änderte sich bei vielen Menschen und auch bei offiziellen Stellen auch die Einstellung gegenüber Muslimen.

„They can be responsible leaders, they can also be housewives…“: ein Mädcheninternat in Nordghana /// Arbeitspapiere / Institut für Ethnologie und Afrikastudien ; 104

Diese Arbeit analysiert, welche Erziehungsziele ein gymnasiales Mädcheninternat in der Upper West Region in Ghana verfolgt und wie diese Erziehungsziele im Schulalltag praktisch umsetzt werden. Angeregt durch das Goffmansche Konzept der „totalen Institution“ untersucht die Arbeit den umfassenden Einfluss der katholischen Internatsschule auf die Schülerinnen, die mit dem Eintritt in die Schule ihre dörfliche Herkunftswelt verlassen und ein Übergangsstadium durchlaufen. Die Schülerinnen werden nicht nur im Unterricht erzogen, sondern der gesamte Schulalltag wird von Regeln bestimmt, die aus den Schülerinnen gute Staatsbürgerinnen machen sollen. Dabei entwickelte sich die 1959 gegründete St. Francis Girls’ Secondary School im Lauf der Zeit von einer Institution, die vor allem christliche Haus- und Ehefrauen produzieren wollte, zu einer Schule, die die Mädchen auch akademisch gut ausbilden will und ihnen vermittelt, dass sie künftig zu einer „Elite“ gehören werden. Dass der Einfluss des Internats aber weder „total“ ist, noch die Schülerinnen passiv sind, zeigt sich daran, dass die Schülerinnen zum einen die Schulregeln nicht immer befolgen und sich zum anderen auch gegenseitig, und dies nicht immer im Sinne der Regeln, disziplinieren.

Celestial Church of Christ in Italia. Percorsi, Spazi e Pratiche Rituali

Il lavoro che presento propone un’analisi di una chiesa africana indipendente in Italia, la Celestial Church Of Christ Worldwide (CCCW), cercando di mettere in luce il nesso tra religione, migrazione e il processo di ‘plunting churches’ (Kooning 2009) nel contesto italiano. Attraverso una ricerca sul campo, sono stati indagati i percorsi personali, familiari e comunitari dei membri di una ‘Celestial Parish’ presente nel comune di Brescia, ‘Ileri Oluwa Parish’, al fine di comprendere la natura dei processi identitari coinvolti nell’organizzazione della CCC in Italia. ‘Ileri Oluwa Parish’, in quanto luogo che denota una ‘chiesa individuale collegata ad una Diocesi’ (CCC Constitution (CCC Constitution, 107 (d) si rivela, nella materialità delle sue forme e dei ‘Devotional Services’ che in essa si svolgono, a ‘field of action’ (Lefebvre, 1991). La storia della chiesa, i fondamenti della sua dottrina e i significati comunicati attraverso le forme rituali e religiose che la stessa promuove, sono stati contestualizzati alla luce delle tensioni e delle strategie di potere che strutturano il campo. Le storie dei membri della parrocchia, percorsi di migrazione e mobilità in itinere, rappresentano la lente attraverso cui si è guardato alle relazioni vissute nel nome dello ‘Spirito’, e alla percezione stessa di ciò che gli stessi Celestians definiscono sacro, santo, puro e impuro. Lo sguardo fisso alla vita ordinaria di una Celestial parish in Italia, esteso nell’ultima parte dell’elaborato alla Celestial parish londinese, è stato fondamentale per capire l’intreccio di relazioni spirituali, reti familiari e mobilità degli individui sul territorio italiano ed europeo, processo che ribalta la condizione diasporica della CCC, trasformando una condizione di dispersione in un valore aggiunto, nella possibilità di nuove traiettorie territoriali e spazi di presenza religiosa e socioeconomica.

Centro-sinistra e autonomia speciale. La DC trentina tra il 1955 e il 1968

La tesi è una ricerca di storia politica che affianca due diverse “storie” di centro-sinistra, quella nazionale e quella che vide protagonista la Democrazia Cristiana del Trentino. Lo studio analizza i fatti attraverso il filtro delle DC come se quello trentino e quello nazionale fossero due partiti, per poi tentare di capire ciò che accadeva alla loro sinistra alla ricerca dei diversi pesi e dei differenti equilibri che al centro e alla periferia si manifestavano nei rapporti con il PSI e con il PCI, e per osservare le reazioni della Chiesa così da valutare se le gerarchie romane e quelle trentine interagirono in modo differente sugli sviluppi delle rispettive esperienze politiche di quegli anni. Il testo è organizzato in quattro capitoli. Il primo e il secondo (speculari e dedicati allo stesso lustro: 1955-1960) rappresentano un confronto tra i differenti iter d’avvicinamento al centro-sinistra che la politica nazionale e quella trentina sperimentarono nella seconda metà degli anni Cinquanta. Nel terzo capitolo (1960-1964) e nel quarto (1964-1968) le vicende nazionali e quelle locali sono invece raccontate in modo intrecciato, ripercorrendo le diverse fasi dell’alleanza tra Democrazia Cristiana e Partito Socialista, e nel contempo dando conto della trasformazione del Trentino da una realtà di tipo agricolo ad una di tipo industriale, del passaggio da una comunità di tipo cattolico tradizionale ad una che si accinge a vivere in un contesto secolarizzato, e da una società che si autopercepisce come periferica ad una che ospita una delle contestazioni studentesche più peculiari, incisive e note d’Italia.

Työmies and Pappi: A Critical Look at the Finnish Socialist Federation and the Suomi Synod in Early 20th Century Michigan

At the dawn of the 20th century, the burgeoning influence of the Finnish immigrant socialist-unionist movement collided with the authoritative, conservative nature of the Suomi Synod. While the Synod, headquartered in Hancock, Michigan, was attempting to recreate the Finnish state church in America, the quickly radicalizing immigrant socialist-unionist movement was attempting to convert the masses to a materialist message of class struggle manifested by then current conditions in Michigan’s Copper Country and industrial America. The most persuasive voice of class struggle for immigrant Finns at this time was the Finnish-language newspaper Työmies (The Workingman) published in Hancock. Caustic editorials on religion, critical examinations of Christian orthodoxy in translations of Marx and Kropotkin, and ribald cartoons lampooning members of the Synod clergy and laity all demonstrated the overwrought interactions between Työmies and the Synod. This paper will highlight these tense interactions through analysis of doctrine, ideology, and imagery by delving into the primary historical record to reveal the vast gulf between two of the major institutions in early 20th century Finnish immigrant social life.

Imagery of Early Christian Rituals in the Greek Physiologus

The paper focuses on the imagery of early Christian rituals (esp. of the eucharist and baptism) as they are found in allegorical interpretations of beasts in the Greek Physiologus and trace the way of selected motifs from the New Testament to this first Christian interpretation of nature in context of early Christian literature and theology. A special attention is given to the pelican, which is one of the most famous symbols of the eucharist, and to impressive baptismal imageries in the chapter on the eagle, on the snake and in some other chapters. The aim of the analysis is to explore the theological roots of the ritual imagery of Physiologus and to show that this work of early Egyptian Christianity is anything but 'unsakramental' as argued by E. Peterson (1959).

Acoustic study of the Compañía de Jesús church. Characterization by means of objective and subjective parameters

This work shows the objective results of the acoustic quality of the Compañia de Jesús Church in Cordoba, Argentina. The acoustics of this Temple, built by the Orden Jesuita (Jesuit Order) two centuries ago and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000, is currently considered optimal by musicians as well as general public. In the second half of XVI century, with the Catholic reform, the need for improved speech intelligibility was given priority, being the Jesuit one of the orders that gave most importance to the construction of their temples. This church has constructive and spatial characteristics consistent with those needs. With the purpose of carrying out the acoustic assessment of the precincts, a work methodology that allowed comparing the results obtained from objective measures was developed by means of implementation of field measurements and space modeling, with subjective appreciation results, by developing surveys, with the aim of characterizing acoustically the sound space. This paper shows the comparison between the subjective results and objective criteria, which allowed important conclusions on the acoustic behavior of the temple to be obtained. In this way interesting data were obtained in relation to the subjective response of the acoustics of the church.