https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/134896 Sat, 25 Apr 2026 03:26:13 GMT 2026-04-25T03:26:13Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/134721 Title: 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 Contributors Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/134721 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/130897 Title: 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] Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/130897 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/130892 Title: 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. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/130892 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/130891 Title: 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. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/130891 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z