Vertep.

Vertep is a part of the group of religious representations belonging equally to the church rituals as well as to the follklore customs. It was born with the other mystery plays together having their origins in the iconographic Gospel representations such as ”Christ cribs” in Byzantium and subsequently the performances of the Birth of the Infant such as the famous performance act prepared by saint Francisque from Asis in 1223. Later, the local puppet presentation of ”Nahvity" had developed. They were ”Navidad” and ”Nahvite'” in the western Europe and their counterparts in the middle Europe. Their common origin were the church utensils such as tabernacle or the small cabinet altar called retablo. These presentations in the middle Europe were called ”crib” or ”szopka” while in eastern Europe ”vertep”. The ”Nativity” included the shepherds' homage, the Three Kings) homage as well as the massacre of lnnocents and Herod's punishment. Later on the new secular motifs and characters appeared, representing problems of the folk life. At the time of modernism, real artists showed interest in „Nativity" giving it a new artistic interpretation. Vertep as a variety of ”Nativity” has its own properties and seems to be an independent product of the Ukrainian culture.

In the preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland (of 2nd April, 1997) legislator refers to God and culture rooted in the Christian heritage of the Nation. The question arises whether the reference to religious elements in the legal text in some way affects the process of applying the law? The answer should be yes. It is not about favoring Christian denominations, or discrimination against people who do not believe in God. The crux is to create law and decode legal principle contained therein, taking into account the Christian moral values. This is due to the centuries-long contribution that Christianity has brought to the cultural and historical heritage of Europe, creating its unique identity. The reference to God highlights the human autonomy towards state and means prohibition of state totalitarianism.

The monarch and the sacrum in the early Přemyslid Bohemia (10th–12th century)

The author traces the origins and the development of the Přemyslid princes’ ideology, who would rely on the charisma of their predecessor on the Czech throne, Saint Wenceslas. In the historical documents, on coins and seals, she traces the development of the position and function of the oldest Czech saint and Czech patron and the enlargement of the company of the Czech monarch’s and his people’s protectors after accepting Saint Adalbert and Saint Procopius.

The Kingdom of God on earth. On the dispute between Ludwik Królikowski and Jan Czyński

The paper reconstructs the polemic between Ludwik Królikowski and Jan Czyński, unfolding in the magazine ‘Polska Chrystusowa’. Active in the Great Emigration, both authors were engaged in a dispute over the shape of the society to come.

Tematem artykułu są prawa człowieka w perspektywie Europejskiej Nowej Prawicy (ENP). Alain de Benoist (główny ideolog) uważa, że prawa człowieka stały się religią obywatelską Zachodu, która zastąpiła chrześcijaństwo w zlaicyzowanej przestrzeni publicznej, stając się głównym, ideologicznych punktem odniesienia Zachodu. Artykuł omawia chrześcijańską genezę praw człowieka i krytykę praw człowieka z punktu widzenia ENP. A. de Benoist argumentuje, iż prawa człowieka są de facto bronią ideologiczną Zachodu, służącą do symbolicznego zdominowania niezachodnich państw.

Christianity in China

This paper is devoted mainly to the fate of the Christianisation of China over the centuries. It discusses the history of religion in individual dynasties, its development over the following years, attempts to convert the Chinese population by missionaries from various orders – Dominicans and Jesuits, memorable martyrs at the turn of 19th and 21st centuries – the division of Christianity, and the short fate of non-Christian religions in China.