Article (Mirabilia Ars)
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Death and Memory in some Texts of Medieval Liturgy
Rubén PERETÓ RIVAS
Original title: Muerte y memoria en algunos textos de la liturgia medieval
Published in
Keywords: Burial, Death, Liturgy, Memory, Sarum.
The human societies need to build and keep safe the memories of their deaths in order to strength their owns structures and avoid its dissolution by the oblivion. In this paper I want to show the way in which the Medieval society kept the memories of their deaths according the liturgical texts. The issue will be analyze in three parts: the polysemy of the deaths memory, way and places of the commemoration, and the cult of the corpse. I take account the text of the Sacramentarium Gelasianum and the Sarum Missal as well as the the rites of the commendatione animae in use at the St. Augustine Abbey of Canterbury.
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Saint James in the conquest of New Spain
Carlos MORAL GARCÍA
Original title: Santiago en la conquista de Nueva España
Published in
Keywords: America, Indian-Slayer, Mexico, Moor-Slayer, New Spain, Saint James.
This paper tries to analyze the symbol of Saint James the Great in the conquest of New Spain, studing the chronicles and the different apparition of this apostle in them. Therefore, it is convenient to make an identification of the symbolic evolution of this character, from Saint James Moor-Slayer to Indian-Slayer. In addition it is paying attention to the change of this symbol and its acceptance by some American native populations, resulting in the feast of Saint James Indian-Slayer and the subsequent taking as latinamerican patron saint.
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The Five Buddhas of Meditation from Yungang
André BUENO
Original title: Os Cinco Budas da Meditação de Yungang
Published in
Keywords: Ancient China, Buddhism, Buddhist Iconography, Intercultural Dialogue, Theory of Five Buddha’s of Meditation.
In a previous article, we examined the relationship between the Buddha Akshobhya 阿閦如来 of cave 16 from the Yungang complex 雲崗石窟 in China, and the construction of a Buddhist iconography with Indo, Greek and Roman origin’s. Our proposal was that the Buddha of cave 16 is designed to spiritually receive the peoples from the Mediterranean. Now we want to analyze the elements by which we can say that the Buddha of cave 16 is Akshobhya, and as the original set of five caves of Yungang was organized according to the theory of “Five Buddhas of Meditation”.
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The person of Holy Virgin Mary in Christianity and in Qu’ran (Koran)
Eirini ARTEMI
Published in
Keywords: Christianity, Qu’ran, Theotokos, Virgin Mary.
The Holy Virgin Mary or Theotokos is a very significant person for Christians. She is the mother of the enfleshed (sesarkomenos) Son of God. Theotokos thus refers to the Incarnation, when the Second Person of the Holy Trinity took on human nature in addition to his pre-existing divine nature, this being made possible by the cooperation of Virgin Mary. Theotokos is not only the mother of God, but the mother of every Christian. The Christians and mainly Orthodoxs and Roman Catholics think that the Virgin is a very significant part of their religion, of their life. Christians do not “worship” the Virgin Mary. They “venerate” her and show her great honor. She has the all-merciful power of driving away from us, at her sign, the sub-celestial spirits of evil–those ever-vigilant and ardent sowers of enmity and malice among men. She is the highest of all creatures, the Mediatrix for the whole race of mankind. Strive to train everyone in the spirit of humility, for she was humbler that any mortal, and only looks lovingly upon the humble. The Quran, the holy book for Muslims honor holy Virgin Mary too. Muslims think that Virgin Mary is the mother of Prophet Christ. For them, Christ is not God. The Archbishop of Albania Anastasios who was teaching about the religion of Muslims supports that Muslims honour Holy Virgin more than some Christian Confessions of Protestants and some “christian” heresies as Jehovah witness. Also, it is indicative of this honorary position, which in the Quran the name of Mary is found in 33 out of 114 chapters (sura). The 33 chapter is devoted to Mary. Of course in this paper, we will examine the texts of the Holy Scriptures for the Theotokos, and the texts of Quran for Her.
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Pagan syncretism in the Middle Ages: the zodiacal signs
Jesús CANTERA MONTENEGRO, Inmaculada ÁLVAREZ DEL OLMO
Original title: Sincretismo pagano en el medievo: Los signos zodiacales
Published in
Keywords: Astrological Studies, Calendars, Etimologies, Middle Ages, Pagan syncretism, San Isidoro de León, Signs of the Zodiac.
Study of signs of the Zodiac, essential element to understand the calendars configured in books of hours, as in the frescoes of temples, set during this historical period. These calendars were created from the astrological studies for good agricultural work and therefore shall be listed with their respective months, to somehow explain weather phenomena, as well as seasonal changes. A travel through its evolution and transformation since its inception in ancient times, to see its settings in medieval times. Many of them will be modified, either by the current fashion for illustrating images, or the meaning I wanted to give them.
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Juan Lovera, by himself (subject to citizen)
María Magdalena ZIEGLER
Original title: Juan Lovera, por sí mismo (de súbdito a ciudadano)
Published in
Keywords: Colonial period, Historical painting, Juan Lovera, Latin America, Republic, Venezuela, Venezuelan painting.
Juan Lovera, Venezuelan painter, born in 1776 and dead in 1841, brings us a life displayed in times of changes in the culture of the Province of Caracas, part of the old Spanish colonial territory, which ended the 18th Century with the promise of a growing prosperity due to the projection of cocoa trading revenues. Lovera saw the end of his life through the uncertain path of a republic which walked unsteadily in its infancy. With this in mind, we will attempt to structure the available data on Juan Lovera, the Colonial artist, the Republican artist, but also as the committed citizen he was. Although the data around his actions and decisions is not abundant, we can take a tour that will throw, repeatedly, elements which will outlined him as an individual aware of his place and possibilities at different stages of his life. This will allow us to value his artistic work in a fairer dimension.
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Ars moriendi. Ideas, rites and images of death
José María SALVADOR GONZÁLEZ
Original title: Ars moriendi. Ideas, ritos e imágenes de la muerte
Published in
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An approach to the iconography of the Book of Hours of Isabel the Catholic, Ms. II / Tesoro, Real Biblioteca: 4 Marian Images between the biblical text and apocryphal legends
Herbert GONZÁLEZ ZYMLA, Concepción del CASTILLO BLASCO
Original title: Una aproximación a la iconografía del Libro de Horas de Isabel la Católica, Ms. II/Tesoro, Real Biblioteca: 4 Imágenes marianas entre el texto bíblico y las leyendas apócrifas
Published in
Keywords: Apocripha, Book of Hours, Isabel the Catholic, Marian iconography, Medieval Art.
This article focuses on highlighting the role that, in the context of the spread of the devotio moderna during the late Middle Ages, acquired the precious Book of Hours of Queen Isabel the Catholic. To focus as much as possible the research topic, our paper analyzes –between the many miniatures illustrating this splendid illuminated codex– only four images referred to Mary: the Presentation of the Virgin to the Temple, the Annunciation, the Adoration of the Magi and the Coronation of the Virgin Mary. We complete our analysis by comparing these four images with the biblical and apocryphal texts that narrate these Marian events.
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From Santiago Matamoros to Sen jak in the Haitian voodoo
Patricia GRAU-DIECKMANN
Original title: De Santiago Matamoros al Sen Jak del vudú haitiano
Published in
Keywords: Matamoros, Ogou Sen Jak, St. James Apostle.
Few Christian characters have shown the ubiquity and the capacity to become syncretised into other religions such as St. James the Apostle. He became known by different names and nicknames and is revered as far afield as Spain, Ghana, Peru and Haiti. This article will review some of the many facets that portray the first Christian Martyr.
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Isidore of Pelusium and the use of the Holy Bible in his epistles
Eirini ARTEMI
Original title: Isidore of Pelusium and the use of the Holy Bible in his epistles
Published in
Keywords: Apostles, Christ, Isidore the Pelousiotes, New Testament, Old Testament, One God in Three Persons, Scriptures.
St. Isidore the Pelousiotes studied the Bible carefully. Through his letters, he interpreted various biblical passages and he explained different biblical themes. The word of the Bible was for the Father an infallible guide to overcome the pitfall of every heretical teaching, which threatened the salvation of believers in Christ. At the same time according to the inspired work of the Bible he could proclaim that there is One God in Three Persons. He emphasized the unity of God's essence and at the same time he talked about the hypostases of the one God. Isidore knew, of course, that the human mind cannot grasp the incomprehensible wisdom, that God's wisdom, since that God overlies the limits of the human mind. Finally with the help of hagiographical passages he could comprehensively cover the letters of issues other than doctrinal, moral, ascetic, educational and interpretive. In the Scriptures, he supported that the believer finds in Christ supplies to strive for social and moral progress, but mainly in order to conquer spiritual godly progression and perfection. The profound study of the Scriptures provides to the human being the ability to keep alive the flame of faith. It is a safe guide for the course of the life in Christ according to what the Triune God revealed in the Old Testament, the incarnated Word taught in the New Testament and the Apostles preached. Through Isidore's letters, it seems the respect which nourishes the holy father for Old and New Testament. For him, both testaments have the same worth as sources the Bible. They proclaim strongly and unambiguously the existence of one and at the same time Triune God. Simultaneously he ridiculed those heretics like Marcion who distorted the truth and became enemies to the Testaments.
