This interdisciplinary study examines a collection of chants intrinsically connected to the larger body of Western Chant: the psallendae. These chants of the Ambrosian rite, the form of Christian worship proper to the archdiocese of Milan, were sung during religious processions. With over 700 psallendae assigned to the Church calendar, this study examines only those assigned to feast days of the Virgin Mary, and in doing so, reveals a rich history of devotion to her. The primary sources examined are thirteenth-century manuscripts and medieval liturgical manuals. The processional chants are subjected to a thorough literary and musical analysis. Rooted in François-Auguste Gevaert's thematic theory, and using tools of reticular and stemmatic analysis, the psallendae are grouped according to melodic profile. Each group is then reduced to a core melodic theme, which, when juxtaposed with the ancient practice of religious processions, makes a compelling argument for the psallendae as among the oldest Christian chants.

Thesis (M.A.)--Indiana University, 2009. / Title from screen (viewed on August 28, 2009). Department of History, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Eric L. Saak. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 540-548).

Shīʿī aḥādīth, particularly on women, are an immensely understudied area. Studies on Shīʿī aḥādīth on women usually centre on Fāṭimah al-Zahrāʾ, and little research explores pre-Islamic sacred female figures in Shīʿī aḥādīth. At the same time, there an urgent interest in Shīʿism as well as women in Islam, and a desire for new methods to be applied as well as new questions to be asked. This thesis will analyse Shīʿī aḥādīth about women in pre-Islamic sacred history who appear in the Qurʾān (focusing on Eve, Sārah, Hājar, Zulaykhā, Bilqīs, and the Virgin Mary), and apply the methodologies of ideological criticism and feminist hermeneutics (to be explained in Chapter 1) to explore the subtexts about the essential nature and role of women communicated through these narrations. In addition to exploring the roots of these ideas, it will compare them against the contemporary Shīʿī ideology of gender referred to as the ‘separate-but-equal’ ideology to explore how well this ideology corresponds to Shīʿī narrations. (What constitutes an ‘ideology’ will be explored in Chapter 1.) Rather than attempting to derive the ‘authentic’ teachings of the Prophet or the Imāms, this study will take a stance of inauthenticity with respect to narrations and treat narrations as socio-cultural artefacts representing the diversity of views and beliefs of the Shīʿī community. This distinguishes it from other works which either attempt to derive the ‘authentic’ teachings of the Prophet, or else which presume that all narrations equally reflect what the Prophet and Imāms actually said. This avoids the sticky question of which narrations are actually ‘true’ and allows them to be treated equally as cultural artifacts in negotiating a Shīʿī ideology of gender. Because this study focuses on sacred female figures shared with the Judaeo-Christian tradition, it allows for the exploration of how ideas about women from outside the Islamic tradition were integrated into the Shīʿī corpus through isrāʾīlīyāt, particularly through the intertextual synthesis of pre-Islamic material (such as the Bible) with post-Prophetic notions (such as normative paradigms of jurisprudential discourse). Two trends will emerge from these narrations. The first heavily reinforces patriarchal norms, such as women’s seclusion, the need for male authority, and male guardianship over women. These narrations reflect jurisprudential discourse and are largely found in two of the four most prominent books of Shīʿī ḥadīth, al-Kāfī and al-Faqīh. However, in the second, other narrations form a ‘counter-narrative’ in which women and men are portrayed as equals; these narrations invoke the imagery of esoteric Shīʿism and focus on the narrative of wilāyah (loyalty to and love of the Prophet, Fāṭimah al-Zahrāʾ, and the Shīʿī Imāms). Since both sets of narrations address uniquely Shīʿī concerns, such as the Imāmate, it can be deduced that these differing portrayals of women reflect competing concerns in the early and mediaeval Shīʿī communities with respect to determining Shīʿī identity and orthodoxy, and may also reflect the spread of and resistance to Arabization. Lastly, because many narrations attributed to Imam ʿAlī convey strikingly different views about women, the penultimate chapter will explore whether Imam ʿAlī was misogynistic through a comparison of two foundational Shīʿī texts: Kitāb Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilālī (c. 100 AH) and Nahj al-Balāghah (c. 400 AH).

This interdisciplinary study examines a collection of chants intrinsically connected to the larger body of Western Chant: the psallendae. These chants of the Ambrosian rite, the form of Christian worship proper to the archdiocese of Milan, were sung during religious processions. With over 700 psallendae assigned to the Church calendar, this study examines only those assigned to feast days of the Virgin Mary, and in doing so, reveals a rich history of devotion to her. The primary sources examined are thirteenth-century manuscripts and medieval liturgical manuals. The processional chants are subjected to a thorough literary and musical analysis. Rooted in François-Auguste Gevaert's thematic theory, and using tools of reticular and stemmatic analysis, the psallendae are grouped according to melodic profile. Each group is then reduced to a core melodic theme, which, when juxtaposed with the ancient practice of religious processions, makes a compelling argument for the psallendae as among the oldest Christian chants.

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Missionary aspects of the Visitation of Virgin Mary to Elisabeth (Luke 1:36-45). This work deals with the pericope "Visitation of Elizabeth" in the Gospel of Luke as the precursor of Jesus' missionary journey through the earth into the Kingdom of God. First the exegetical issues of individual verses are described followed by commentaries and interpretative notes of several exegetes using various translations of the Sacred Scripture. Next subject is the journey, as described in Luke's gospel, as well as the missionary view of the journey of the Virgin Mary to visit his relative Elizabeth, as well as the life journey of every man which leads to the Kingdom of God, which is a theme of Jesus Christ's preaching on his way to Jerusalem (Gospel of Luke). The work attempts to capture the necessary features of missionaries that can be identified in the pericope of the Virgin Mary on the road to Elizabeth. Elizabeth herself, as the person to whom the Virgin Mary was sent as a missionary is also an important topic in this work. Elisabeth shows the task and mission of the missionary himself, not only to bring and show Christ to others, but also to enable him to whom he is sent to confess his faith and show his piety. Keywords Virgin Mary, Elisabeth, mission, journey, Jesus Christ, visitation, missionary

The centre of S. Francis of Sales's spirituality is love. In my thesis, first of all, I deal with formative influences which formed his personality. This is the starting point in the discourse about Francis's theological optimism, its roots and its influence on the conception of God. For S. Francis God is esentially the God in Trinity, who share love in the highest manner also with a man through the mystery of Incarnation. Francis's conception of love that has its seat in the heart of a human being is connected with that conviction. In the very top of a heart there is the will which is called up to make decisions according to love that gives the true motivation. On the way of the growth of love the highest aim is the holy indifference, which enables God to act in a human heart according to His intentions. For S. Francis love to God is closely connected with love to a man who is the image of God. During his direction of souls to love S. Francis recommends first of all kindness and as the main mens a prayer and sacraments. The heart which has become fully pervaded with love, which loves and is loved, we can best contemplate at Virgin Mary.

The feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary was one of the last medieval Marian feasts to be introduced into the Roman Calendar, and is unusual in the wealth of contemporary, and near contemporary, documentation available for study in relation to its introduction. The offices written by Jan of Jenštejn [1347-1400] and Adam Easton [1330-1397] for the feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary have never been the subject of detailed examination or comparison, nor have critical editions of these offices been produced. This thesis addresses both these gaps in scholarship and presents an analysis and comparison of the texts, melodies, and dissemination of the offices. Using contemporary evidence and secondary sources the reasons for the institution of the new feast, the motivations of both Jenštejn and Easton, their compositional styles including choice of texts and melodies, and the introduction process itself are examined within the wider context of contemporary Marian devotion and fourteenth- century textual and musical composition. Chapter One provides a contextual background to the celebration of the Visitation, from its inclusion in the Gospel of Luke and apocryphal sources to contemporary sermons, showing the importance of the Visitation in the West long before the new feast's introduction....

Sámi culture and resources have long been exploited by the Swedish state, church and government. The material culture that was collected during the late 19th and early 20th century, has many times lost their original meaning and context later on in museum collections. This is problematic and needs to change in order to prevent further damage to the Sámi material and immaterial culture. This study aims to analyse the Sámi silver brooches with Marian-symbols, that were found together with other types of silver artefacts at Passekårsa, Gällivare parish. By doing this type of analysis it allows for further and mor difficult discussions to be adressed and it also allows for the silver find in question to be further contextualized. We non-Sámi archaeologists, scientists and staff at museums need to talk about how we are interpreting, examining and portraying Sámi cultural heritage whether it concerns human remains, places of sacrifice or small silver brooches.

No description available.