OAR@UM Collection:https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/1348962026-04-27T04:37:07Z2026-04-27T04:37:07ZMelita Theologica : volume 74 : number 2 : 2024Doublet, Nicholas J.Farrugia, JonathanMicallef, Martinhttps://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/1347212025-04-28T10:20:38Z2024-01-01T00:00:00ZTitle: Melita Theologica : volume 74 : number 2 : 2024
Authors: Doublet, Nicholas J.; Farrugia, Jonathan; Micallef, Martin
Abstract: Table of contents:; 1. Editorial Note; 2. Jonathan Farrugia: Gregory of Nyssa as a Hagiographer; 3. Joseph Ellul: Oriental Christianity and Early Islam
From Arabian Prelude
to Theological Disputation; 4. George Azzopardi: The Christianisation of Malta:
A Discussion Based on
the Available Evidence; 5. Nicholas Joseph Doublet: Conserving a Letter of Saint Ignatius
of Loyola Preserved in Malta; 6. Hector Scerri: Dom Maurus Caruana O.S.B.
(1867‑1943): His Formative Period,
His Years in Scotland And His Election
to the See of Malta in 1915; 7. Kevin Schembri: Drafting Particular Law for Malta
and Gozo: The Operations of the
Commission of the Maltese Episcopal
Conference (1983-1988); 8. Martin Micallef: The 1763 Writings and Drawings of
the Shrine of Our Lady of Mellieħa
by Padre Pelagio; 9. Paul Sciberras: A Biblical Reading of the Circumcision
of the Child Jesus by Filippo Paladini
(at the Jesuit Church in Valletta, Malta); 10. Book Review; 11. Guidelines For Contributors2024-01-01T00:00:00ZEditorial note : “Qui narrant praeterita…” (𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧.XI, 17)Doublet, Nicholas JosephFarrugia, Jonathanhttps://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/1308972025-01-22T16:57:08Z2024-01-01T00:00:00ZTitle: Editorial note : “Qui narrant praeterita…” (𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧.XI, 17)
Authors: Doublet, Nicholas Joseph; Farrugia, Jonathan
Abstract: The complexities of Christian thought and practice throughout history are
best understood through the lenses of theology, culture, the arts, and the
meticulous interpretation of documentary and other sources. This volume gathers
a diverse collection of scholarly articles that explore significant dimensions
of Early Christian theology, the historical evolution of Christianity in Malta,
and the interplay between faith and artistic expression. Each article seeks to
contribute to a deeper understanding of these themes, revealing how theological
discourse and cultural contexts have shaped and continue to influence the
Christian identity. [excerpt]2024-01-01T00:00:00ZGregory of Nyssa as a hagiographerFarrugia, Jonathanhttps://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/1308922025-01-22T16:38:14Z2024-01-01T00:00:00ZTitle: Gregory of Nyssa as a hagiographer
Authors: Farrugia, Jonathan
Abstract: The younger brother of Basil the Great is primarily known for his clarifications
on the Trinitarian dogma in the latter part of the 4th century, a century which
had been plagued by a number of dissenting groups starting with the Arians
and ending with the Pneumatomachians. He did, however, leave to posterity a
number of works that deal with other themes – minor ones, of course, when
compared to his complete oeuvre – but which give modern scholars a better idea
of the length and breadth of this theologian’s contribution.
One such minor theme is hagiography. The works on [Christian] Saints by
Gregory of Nyssa that have survived fall into two different genres: the majority
are homilies (two of which are extended panegyrics which he himself probably reedited
at a later stage), and one is a biography written as a letter. The protagonists
of these texts are a number of martyrs, two bishops and a nun. All, but for the
latter, were homilies preached on the feast-days of these saints.2024-01-01T00:00:00ZOriental Christianity and early Islam 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘈𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯Ellul, Josephhttps://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/1308912025-01-22T16:34:15Z2024-01-01T00:00:00ZTitle: Oriental Christianity and early Islam 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘈𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
Authors: Ellul, Joseph
Abstract: One of the most problematic issues confronting any serious research
concerning Islam is that what we know of its establishment and early
development can only be ascertained from documentation originating from
within the Muslim community itself. Furthermore, the early biographies of
Muḥammad date back to about one hundred and fifty years after his death by
which time Islam had already expanded outside the confines of Arabia, become
an empire, and experienced political and, more importantly, religious dissent.
This means that such accounts as well as the sayings of the Prophet (ḥadīth) are
more likely to reflect the period in which they were written rather than that of
Muḥammad’s lifetime. Then again, Eastern and Oriental Christian chronicles dating from the death of the Prophet referred to Islam in terms that were familiar
to their respective traditions. They had scant knowledge of its doctrines and
in most cases did not even consider it as a non-Christian religion. Pre-Islamic
Jewish and Christian presence in Arabia, however, is quite well documented and
recorded.2024-01-01T00:00:00Z