https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/15377 2026-08-20T07:18:41Z 2026-08-20T07:18:41Z Micallef, Martin https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148523 2026-08-18T08:52:47Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: An Arabic artefact and the circulation of antiquarian knowledge in eighteenth-century Malta Authors: Micallef, Martin Abstract: The eighteenth century constituted a formative period in the intellectual and cultural history of Malta, marked by an emergent scholarly commitment to the recovery, interpretation, and preservation of local identity. Among the principal figures of this movement was Gian Francesco Agius de Soldanis (1712–1770), whose linguistic and antiquarian investigations positioned him within both local and transnational scholarly networks. Locally, de Soldanis maintained close ties with several Maltese intellectuals. In particular, his collaboration with Padre Pelagio Mifsud Gauci Piscopo (1708–1781) proved crucial to his work, reflecting their shared commitment to the preservation of the Maltese heritage. This study examines a copper vessel attributed to the Arab period, discovered at Għar Barka in 1749, as a case study through which to reconstruct patterns of intellectual exchange linking de Soldanis, the Capuchins, and wider European scholarly circles. By analysing the documentation, transmission, and interpretation of this artefact, the article highlights the intersection of antiquarian inquiry, linguistic curiosity, and artistic documentation. More broadly, it demonstrates how a single object may illuminate the collaborative frameworks and methodological limitations that shaped early Maltese historiography.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Sciberras, Paul https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148208 2026-07-23T09:28:03Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Geography as revelation : Gentile faith in the Syrophoenician/Canaanite woman narratives Authors: Sciberras, Paul Abstract: The narratives of the Syrophoenician woman in the Gospel of Mark 7:24-30 and the Canaanite woman in the Gospel of Matthew 15:21-28 have often been interpreted through the lenses of Gentile inclusion, ritual purity, ethnicity, gender, or the apparent harshness of Jesus’s response. While such approaches remain important, they frequently overlook the theological significance of geography and narrative movement within the pericope itself. This study argues that Jesus’s journey from Jewish Galilee into the Gentile territories of Tyre and Sidon functions as a decisive theological act that reframes the encounter. Although Jesus verbally declares that he was sent “only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt 15:24), his physical movement into pagan territory already anticipates the universal scope of salvation.; Further developing Matthew’s broader salvation-historical movement from a mission focused on Israel toward a universal mission, this paper contends that the woman’s faith emerges not merely from belief in Jesus as miracle worker for her daughter’s benefit or from hope for eventual Gentile inclusion, but from recognition that Jesus himself has crossed ethnic, territorial, and theological boundaries to enter her world.; The narrative therefore becomes not simply a story about a Gentile woman approaching Israel’s Messiah, but about Israel’s Messiah approaching a Gentile woman in anticipation of the universal mission culminating in Matthew 28:19-20 and the apostolic proclamation to all nations.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147514 2026-06-18T06:28:35Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Omm Ġesù fl-Evanġelju skont San Ġwann Abstract: L-ewwel personaġġ femminili li jissemma fl- Evanġelju skont San Ġwann hija omm Ġesù li kienet mistiedna għall-festa ta’ tieġ li sar f’Kana. Kienet hi li dakinhar indunat li kien spiċċa l-inbid u marret tinforma b’dan lil Ġesù. Fl-aħħar tal-Evanġelju, imbagħad, nerġgħu niltaqgħu ma’ omm Ġesù, din id-darba taħt is-salib ta’ binha. Dawn iż-żewġ narrattivi jiffurmaw bħal kwadru madwar il-missjoni ta’ Ġesù.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147513 2026-06-18T06:19:46Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Il-prologu tal-Evanġelju skont San Ġwann Abstract: L-ewwel tmintax-il vers tal-ewwel kapitlu tal-Evanġelju skont San Ġwann jiffurmaw dak li baqa’ magħruf bħala il-Prologu/id-daħla ta’ dan l-Evanġelju. F’dawn il-versi nsibu t-temi l-kbar li jiġu żviluppati matul in-narrativa ta’ dan l-Evanġelju, filwaqt li minn kmieni joffrulna l-prospettiva meħtieġa li minnha rridu nitgħallmu naqraw dan l-Evanġelju.; Huma ħafna l-pubblikazzjonijiet li jitrattaw il-Prologu ta’ dan l-Evanġelju, pubbikazzjonijiet li jvarjaw minn studji dwar l-isfond tal-ideat li nsibu f ’dawn l-ewwel tmintax-il vers, sa studji dwar l-istruttura jiġifieri kif jinqasam il-Prologu.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z