This study is an introduction I to some of the problems found in First Peter. The first chapter will be devoted to the presentation of the traditional view of authorship. Does the epistle come to us with the authority of the chief of the apostles? Tradition says yes. The second chapter questions the traditional view. Some scholars have questioned or rejected the verdict of tradition. In the third chapter the problem of the spirits in prison will be considered. Scholars disagree relative to this interpretation. What is meant by preaching to the spirits in prison? Who are these spirits? What does preaching to the dead mean? The fourth chapter deals with the problems of persecution. Was this a definite persecution or only unfriendliness from their communities? Was the persecution in progress or only imminent? In whose reign did this persecution come; Nero, Domitian, or Trajan?

In the Beneventan region, chant manuscripts and the chants they transmitted served as a documentary ritualization of political and liturgical transition. In the twelfth century, circumstances relegated the Beneventan monastery of San Pietro extra muros, for which the chant manuscript Ben 35 was destined, and its parent monastery San Vincenzo al Volturno, to liminal frontier positions between political and liturgical factions. Newly-composed music such as that found in Ben 35 anchored the alliegances of these monasteries within a fluctuating political and liturgical context at a time when ties to Rome and assertion of local practices were both necessary to assure the continuation of a monastery's influence. Thus Ben 35's unusual features are more easily explained when greater consideration is given to the context of its origin and destination. In particular, the destination of Ben 35 played a very important role in determining the musical styles of the chants that were associated with the feasts of Saint Vincent and Saint Peter, saints whose cults were most closely tied to the location of the manuscript. / text

Countess Urraca Lope de Haro was the daughter of the noble Lord Diego Lope de Haro, friend and advisor to King Alfonso VIII of Castilla-León and granddaughter of Lord Lope Díaz de Haro and Lady Aldonza Ruiz de Castro, aristocratic courtiers as well as popular monastic patrons. As a young and wealthy widow, Countess Urraca took monastic vows at the Cistercian nunnery of Santa María de Cañas founded by her grandparents. Within a short time of uniting herself to this monastery, she was chosen as its fourth abbess in 1225, a position she held for thirty-seven years until her death in 1262. Following the tradition of monastic patronage established by her noble family members, Countess Urraca expanded the monastery's small real estate holdings, oversaw extensive building projects to create permanent structures for the nunnery, and patronized artistic projects including statuettes of the Virgin Mary and St. Peter in addition to her own decorative stone sarcophagus during her term as abbess. This thesis examines the artistic decoration and architectural patronage of this powerful woman and the influences she incorporated into the monastic structures at Cañas as she oversaw their construction. In dating the original buildings of the monastery at Cañas to the period of Countess Urraca's leadership, the predominant architectural features and decorative details of female Cistercian foundations in northern Spain are discussed. Comparisons with additional thirteenth-century Cistercian monasteries from the same region in northern Spain are offered to demonstrate the artistic connections with the structures Countess Urraca patronized. In addition, this thesis examines Countess Urraca's obvious devotion to the Virgin Mary and St. Peter by considering the medieval monastic world in which she lived and the strong emphasis the Cistercian Order placed on such worship practices. The potent spiritual connections Countess Urraca made by commissioning images of essential, holy intercessors testifies to her devotion to them and the powerful salvatory role she herself played in the lives of the nuns for whom she was responsible. As a nun and abbess, Countess Urraca was urged to emulate Mary's mothering, nurturing qualities, and, as she did so was simultaneously empowered by the Virgin's heavenly authority as administrator of mercy. Indeed, through studying her art it is clear that she saw herself as an intercessor on behalf of the nuns for whom she was responsible. Furthermore, discussion of the imagery displayed on Countess Urraca's decorative stone sarcophagus demonstrates not only a similar message of salvation through intercessors such as Peter and Mary, but also testifies of Abbess Urraca's aristocratic lineage. Through this artistic commission, the Abbess creates another direct, personal link between herself and the Virgin by including the symbol of the rosary throughout the iconography of her tomb. Such a symbol represents her devotion to Mary as Queen of Heaven and simultaneously empowers Countess Urraca as an intercessor herself. All of these architectural and artistic commissions confirm that she was a powerful woman who wielded a great deal of influence.

This dissertation thesis is focused on music performance within the bounds of Order of the Cross with Red Star in the 18th century. The history of the Knight's Order rises from the first half of the 13th century and concerns the only original Czech church order. In the 18th century Knights of the Cross belonged to the most significant patrons of Art in Czech lands. Church and monastery of St. František in Prague, the center of the Order, became the most influential culture center. The charity work of the Order of that time influenced the creation of the extraordinary institution - the Order's menza that had the significant importance for operating of organ lofts of St. František Church because it provided the sufficient amount of singers and musicians. The research is exclusively based on non-music materials deposited in the Cross paper fond (Nr.195) consigned in the 1st department of the National Archives in Prague. According the information of the inventory department, the fond contains altogether 2315 cartons of paper material and 3306 books. Until now, the researchers have been interested in these sources only marginally which was caused mostly by its disorderliness and most important discoveries have been realized mostly just by lucky coincidences. The main part of this work is devoted to St....

The thesis has been written on the basis of main architectural concepts and their application in real life within a historical context investigation. Main architectural concepts are represented in a harmony of architectural composition that deals with relations among form, structure and space in the unique art work. Genius loci play very important role in the architectural creation - it represents a special and extra-ordinary urban locality and its architectural value in the historical, geographical and cultural context. The origin of Ostravice village within the historical frame concept of Moravia domain is the topic of this thesis. Other historical documents gave information about Bruneswerde as the Brno Castle. That means Brno Castle had to be founded not in Brno (as it has been consid-ered for many years) but it was located in Beskydy at Ostravice. The sacred city – Civitas Dei had been located in Bruneswerde region in early ages as the centre of European culture, education and spiritual life. Civitas Dei – divine Jerusalem in the transcription of St. Augustine's book De civitate Dei – is not only glorification of God and religious fantasy. It is also one of significant clues for recognition of historical architecture. The depiction of unknown settlement from the book of unde-fined origin is a superb testimony about extinct architectural works. They are legible from cadastral maps. Brno Castle - residence of nobility and power served shelter to St. Vojtěch, St. Prokop, St. Václav and St. Ludmila as it is obvious for the mentioned picture. Three major temples, three com-position axes symbolized by three towers on coins are in analogical relation to Brno triangle of four saints - the Saint family of Brno temples. Powerful ambitions of Brno City principals and clergy are inscribed into the urban structure in the way of composition relations which are legible to them who devoted themselves to the mystery of harmony. The absence of historical continuity affects personal attitudes and also identity of the whole community. The architecture truly reflects the past state of polis and it is eloquent even after its death. The architectural composition relations influence the natural environment for long time, longer than the architectural work existence. The geometric order of Renaissance Brno existence has not been in attention of architects so far. The features were discovered in characteristic paintings by Albrecht Durer. They are evidently secret works of the genius. A meaningful collaborator and follower in the extensive project was also his friend Jan Čert from Brno and lately from Vienna. His noble genealogy played a significant role in history of Silesia and Moravia for centuries. It is tendency to consider him as Austrian or even German architect. It is because of the fact that the genealogy tree of his noble family had roots in Moravia. It is supposed that Durer with Jan Čert´s support created the extraordinarily monumental architectural and urban works in Brno. A remarkable consensus in the urban composition of two squares and transition of traditional urban structure of Ostravice Civitas Dei into the modern Brno is also confirmed due to the identification of noble creators and owners, who were at the foundation, transformation and extinction of elements of the Moravian urban structure.