Le Mus�on

Shenoute of Atripe on Christ the Physician and the Cure of Souls

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:57:32 GMT

The present article explores Christus medicus imagery in several theological works by the Coptic monk Shenoute of Atripe (fl. ca. AD 385-465), a writer whose homiletic appropriation of the theme has been heretofore neglected. The primary texts under investigation here, 'I Am Amazed', 'The Spirit of God', and 'A Priest Will Never Cease', are connected bibliographically by their sequential arrangement in a volume of Shenoute�s Discourses. In these works Shenoute reveals himself to be actively engaged in theological issues and theological discourses shared among the theological cultures of the greater Mediterranean world, including extensive reflection on the Christus medicus motif, to which Shenoute adds his own personal and perhaps distinctively Upper Egyptian perspectives. Shenoute�s adaptation and deployment of Christus medicus theology is not only important for contextualizing Shenoute within the theological culture of late antiquity. Rather, Christus medicus theology as a discursive element runs throughout Shenoute�s varied works and reflects both the complex and ultifaceted roles that Shenoute played in Upper Egypt and the significant place that illness and its meaning held in Shenoute�s long and still poorly understood career, as well as in the history of monasticism in general.

New Fragments from the Sahidic Version of the Historia Josephi fabri lignarii

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:05:51 GMT

Focused on the figure of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus Christ, the so-called History of Joseph the Carpenter is one of the most renowned writings preserved in Coptic. Our article presents a couple of new Parisian fragments of this work in the Sahidic dialect of Coptic, widely regarded as the original language of the text. The study examines the testimonies mainly from a codicological and paleographical perspective.

'The Mysteries of Behemoth and Leviathan' and the Celestial Bestiary of 3 Baruch

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:07:56 GMT

Celestial bestiary is among most basic motifs of apocalyptic literature. The set of features ascribed to the celestial beasts in 3 Baruch is unique, but every separate characteristic may be traced in diverse traditions. An attempt to interpret the imagery of 3 Baruch in the context of ancient lore as attested by textual sources and iconography helps to understand the origin and the structure of the motif in its development as well as significance of the motif for apocalyptic and early mystic thought.

Quotations from Patristic Writings and References to Early Christian Literature in the Books of St. Yared

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:12:57 GMT

The main purpose of this article is to enhance the discussion on the role of the Church Fathers and of early Christian literature in the formation of the books attributed to St. Yared (6th cent.), a historical figure, who according to the tradition of the Ethiopian Orthodox T�waḥədo Church is the father of its hymnary and sacred chant. Yared is also acclaimed as the first native author of Gə'əz literature. From this preliminary study it has been possible to establish that in the Yaredian corpus there are explicit and implicit quotations from the writings of the Church Fathers. Elements from early Christian literature too have been detected. The paper has not dealt with, in detail, the history of the transmission of the quotations, allusions and of the other material taken into consideration. Nonetheless, having the texts alongside their sources, paves the way to carry on with an in-depth search for their Vorlage. Interesting clues have been encountered along the way that permit for a glimpse of Yaredian biblical hermeneutics.

Icons as Symbols of Power in Medieval Georgia

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:15:21 GMT

The article discusses ideological aspects of the veneration of major cult icons in Medieval Georgia as miracle-working icons of Christ and the Virgin associated with Constantinople and the Byzantine Imperial Court. Considered as symbols of royal power they were actively involved in the political and spiritual life of Medieval Georgia. The increasing cult of Constantinopolitan 'icon-relics' corresponds to the idea of apostolicity of Christianity in Georgia and the messianic role of Georgian language occurring in the hymnographic and historiographic literature of the 10th -12th cc. The commissioning as well as the embellishment of replicas of Constantinople miraculous icons with precious metal repouss� covers and/or the creation of lavish icon-cases by the Georgian kings had not only a religious purpose but also a strong political background. The relic-icons were actively involved in creating of a model of a strong unified country, with the special mission of defending the Orthodox faith.

Die milit�rischen Triumphe der Georgier und ein wenig beachtetes Erdbeben an der Grenze Armenisch-Kilikiens (c. Ende August 1213)

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:17:51 GMT

On the eve of the fifth Crusade Amadeus, archbishop of Besan�on, received letters from one Crusader State. Written by an unknown knight who calls himself G. de Boyz, the letter is telling about the news the author had heard in the Orient. In its first part the letters informs the archbishop on the Georgian triumphs over the infidels and the plan of the young Georgian king, son of late Queen Tamar, to capture Jerusalem for Christianity. The letter is one of few documents which show that in the Crusader States people were informed about the strength of the Georgian kingdom, there were even hopes to win the Georgian king as an ally in the struggle for the Holy City. In the second part, the letter tells of a terrible earthquake which shocked the region of Isauria, on the Armenian Cilician border to the Seldshuk sultan. Many villages and castles collapsed as well as two unnamed towns and an abbey near Philadelphia. The letter is the only existing source of this catastrophe. A recently edited catalogue of earthquakes and tsunamis interprets the event as fissures. In my opinion the phenomenon can be better interpreted as an earthquake combined with a volcanic eruption. Provided that this hypothesis is right, the volcanic eruption can not be happened near Philadelphia in Isauria, for there is no evidence of volcanic activities. The seismic area must have had two centres, one near Philadelphia, the other was on the Isaurian-Lyaconian border near the town of Laranda, then under the power of the Cilician kingdom.

Collectors and Collections in Palestine at the Conclusion of the Ottoman Era

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:20:31 GMT

The majority of private collectors during the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century belonged to the researchers and aristocrats living in Palestine at the time, and constituted a minority group among the entire population in Palestine which was mostly poor. Some of them dealt with tourism as travel agents, hotel keepers and tourist guides, most of the collections developed ithin the limits of organized institutes, sometimes with the sponsorship of churches and monasteries, and sometimes in schools and research institutes. Actually, until the establishment of the Rockefeller Museum in 1938, there was no museum in Palestine that was established inside a structure that was originally designated for this purpose specifically. Since no rich kings or princesses or art collectors lived in Palestine during the 18th century and in the beginning of the 19th century, the phenomenon of private collecting was totally new and started at the end of the 19th century. Thus there was no nationalization of treasures to national museums as there was in Europe, in France and in England in the end of the 18th century and in the beginning of the 19th century. After the private collectors� death and sometimes even while they were still living, most of the collections arrived at the museums and joined the existing collections.

Comptes rendus

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:21:14 GMT

Book reviews

Ouvrages envoy�s � la r�daction

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:22:44 GMT

Books received