Holy Land Studies

Book presentation: Evagrio Pontico, Gli otto spiriti della malvagità. Edizione e traduzione di due antiche versioni latine. Introduzione, testo critico, traduzione e note di commento a c. di Diego MARCHINI (Nuovi testi patristici, 7), Città Nuova, Roma 2024, pp. 307.

статья посвящена анализу места истории Святой Горы Афон и русско-афонских связей в научном наследии епископа Порфирия (Успенского). Порфирий (Успенский)-один из ярчайших представителей дореволюционной церковноисторической науки, однако в рамках современного историографического дискурса его труды чаще всего привлекаются при рассмотрении таких вопросов как история Русской Духовной миссии в Иерусалиме, история коптской церкви и богословской проблематики. Тем не менее, один из центральных вопросов всего научного творчества Порфирия (Успенского)-история Святой Горы Афон (и тесно связанный с ним вопрос о русско-афонских связях)-в современной историографии должного рассмотрения так и не получил. В данной статье представлен анализ научных трудов Порфирия (Успенского) через призму этих вопросов. Сделаны выводы об источниковой базе и научной методологии трудов Порфирия (Успенского) по истории Афона; намечены дальнейшие шаги в изучении его научного наследия-анализ афонского богослужения и церковной музыки, проведенный Порфирием (Успенским) во время его пребывания на Афоне, пока не нашел своего исследователя; сделаны выводы о борьбе Порфирия (Успенского) с мифами афонской истории.

An Iron Age Hebrew iconic stamp seal was uncovered near the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The seal, made of black stone, depicts a winged genie and a personal name, Yehoʽezer son of Hoshaʽyahu. This is the first depiction of the winged genie iconography in the region found in an archaeological excavation. Influenced by Neo-Assyrian art, the seal was created in Jerusalem by a local artist for Hoshaʽyahu, a member of the Judean elite, during the Assyrian Century. Later on, the seal was inherited by his son Yehoʽezer. In addition to being used as a stamp, the item was a potent apotropaic and prophylactic amulet.

The fall of Bashar al-Assad has reshaped the regional power dynamics in the Middle East, significantly benefiting Türkiye, Israel, and the United States in distinct but interconnected ways. Türkiye aims to capitalize on a pro-Ankara Syria to regain historically lost territory, emerge as a dominant regional power, and reassert itself as the leader of the Islamic world. Israel seeks to exploit the chaos to neutralize immediate threats, consolidate its territorial ambitions, and increase its strategic depth by planting a permanent thorn in Türkiye’s side in the form of a Kurdish client state. Meanwhile, the United States leverages the diminished Russo-Iranian influence to strengthen its strategic position both regionally and globally, with the American presence hopefully creating a balancing act between Israeli and Turkish ambitions and bringing a measure of stability to the war-torn country. The evolving power dynamics among these major powers underscores the broader geopolitical rivalries that continue to shape the post-Assad Syria.

í"òùá éìàåèñ÷è òãéî øåaeçà úëøòî íåùéé éøåøã øôò íéðëåîî íéãåáéò úåøù í"òù .1 áåùçî éúåøù úðúåð äðéãîä úåñðëä ìäðî ìù áùçîä úãéçé ,íéðëåîî íéãåáéò úåøù -í"òù áùçî éúåøù í"òù ïúåð óñåðá .ùåëø ñîå óñåî êøò ñî ,äñðëä ñî :õøàá íéñîä éôâàì íéøùå÷îä (ïéã éëøåòå ñî éöòåé ,ïåáùç éàåø) íéâöééîå äìùîî éãøùî åîë íééðåöéç íéôåâì -ëá íéñåøô ñîä éãøùî .íäéãøùîá íééùéàä íéáùçîä úåòöîàá éaeëøîä áùçîì úåðçú 730 -ë ãåò í"òùì íéøùå÷î óñåðáå äö÷ úåðçú 3500 -ë íò õøàá íéðåù íéøúà85 .íéøçà äìùîî éãøùîáå íéâöééî éãøùîá äö÷

úããåîúä éëøãå úåàéöî -òãéîä úåööåôúä éøåøã øôò äðéãîä úåñðëä ìäðéî ,î"òù àåáî éúåøù úðúåð äðéãîä úåñðëä ìäðéî ìù áùçîä úãéçé ,íéðëåîî íéãåáéò úåøù -î"òù éúåøù î"òù ïúåð óñåðá .ùåëø ñî ,óñåî êøò ñî ,äñðëä ñî :õøàá íéñéîä éôâàì áåùçéî (ïéã éëøåòå ñî éöòåé ,ïåáùç éàåø) íéâöééîå äìùîî éãøùî åîë íééðåöéç íéôåâì áùçî íéñåøô ñîä éãøùî .íäéãøùîá íééùéàä íéáùçîä úåòöîàá éaeëøîä áùçîì íéøùå÷îä 600 -ë ãåò î"òùì íéøùå÷î óñåðáå äö÷ úåðçú 6000 -ë íò õøàá íéðåù íéøúà 85 -ëá .íéøçà äìùîî éãøùîáå íéâöééî éãøùîá äö÷ úåðçú åìà íéøâàî .íéðååâîå íéìåãâ òãéî éøâàîá î"òù ÷éaeçî ñîä é÷åç ó÷åúîå åúìåòô úøâñîá íééðåöéç òãéî éøâàîå íùåîéùì íéñéîä éôâà é"ò íéøöåéîä íéøâàî .íéâåñ éðùì íé÷ìçð .íéñéîä éôâà ùåîéùì î"òùá íéèì÷ðä

L ' e x p é r i e n c e d u v o y a g e p l a c e l ' i n d i v i d u e n s i t u a t i o n d e d é c o u v r i r , d ' o b s e r v e r e t é v e n t u e l l e m e n t d e d é c r i r e d e s r é a l i t é s q u i n ' o n t p a s d ' é q u i v a l e n t s t r i c t d a n s l a c o n t r é e d ' o ù i l v i e n t .

Il volume, curato da Timothy Verdon, direttore del Museo dell'Opera del Duomo di Firenze, e dallo storico dell'arte Giovanni Serafini, nasce col proposito di rendere disponibili gli atti della conferenza organizzata dall'Arcidiocesi di Firenze nel 2018 in occasione dei mille anni dalla fondazione della chiesa di San Miniato al Monte. L'obiettivo del lavoro collettaneo è quello di esplorare il complesso rapporto tra Firenze e la Terrasanta, tra realtà e ideale, tra imitazione e rielaborazione, ricercando le tante "Gerusalemme" nella storia fiorentina. Il tema non è inedito -basti pensare a Toscana e Terrasanta nel Medioevo, a cura di F. Cardini (Firenze 1982) e a I fiorentini alle crociate: guerre, pellegrinaggi e immaginario "orientalistico" a Firenze tra Medioevo ed età moderna, a cura di S. Agnoletti e L. Mantelli, (Firenze 2007) -ma il presente volume si configura come innovativo per la prospettiva internazionale, multidisciplinare (tra storia, storia dell'arte, letteratura, teologia) e diacronica che lo caratterizza, proponendo una trattazione principalmente basata sul millennio medievale, ma capace di spingersi sino alla contemporaneità, e per un comparto iconografico importante, che offre l'opportunità di un raffronto fondamentale e particolarmente evocativo tra testo e immagine. I venti contributi, piuttosto eterogenei, che compongono il libro sono divisi in cinque sezioni. Nella prima viene scandagliato il retroterra storico, culturale e biblico del rapporto tra le due città al centro del lavoro, con un articolo di apertura su Gerusalemme nella Bibbia (Timothy Verdon), seguito da saggi sulla posizione della città santa nella cosmologia dantesca (Andrew Frisardi), sulla complessa e articolata natura dei pellegrinaggi trecenteschi fiorentini in Terrasanta (Franco Cardini), sul rapporto degli umanisti ebrei con la storia gerosolimitana (Shulamit Furstenberg-Levi), sull'invenzione delle radici cristiane fiorentine e sulla ritualità gerosolimitana cittadina (Alexei Lidov) e, infine, sulle varie immagini di Gerusalemme sparse ancora oggi nella città toscana (Gerhard Wolf). Ai tentativi di rendere Firenze una nuova Gerusalemme tra XV e XVI secolo è dedicata la seconda sezione, con contributi sul concilio del 1439 (Davide Baldi; Marcello Garzaniti), sulle parallele trazioni culturali fiorentine verso Atene e Gerusalemme (Alessandro Diana) e sull'ambiziosissimo progetto del granduca Ferdinando I di trasportare a Firenze il Santo Sepolcro (Luca Calzetta). Una lunga sezione denominata Arti fornisce poi un elenco numeroso di casi di studio estremamente significativi, da una nuova Gerusalemme a Londra, mediata attraverso i modelli fiorentini (Ben Quash), all'immagine di Firenze nella poesia russa (Stefano Garzonio), passando per la leggenda della

First pages of a book chapter (in German) presenting a typological overview of medieval Easter Sepulchres in Germany and England from between the twelfth and early sixteenth centuries. Departing from the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem as an architectural model, the study analyzes how the Eastern Sepulchre subsequently became part of the liturgical furnishings of churches. Several main types are distinguished: sepulchre-chapels, wooden sarcophagi, wall niches, canopied shrines, and Easter Sepulchres combined with different elements. NB the document added is not from the exact published version, page numbers differ slightly!

This publication introduces a letter from Archpriest Gregory Kurylas to Patriarch Alexy I (Simansky) of Moscow and All Russia. Archpriest Gregory was a representative of the Russian clergy who served in the Holy Land in the first half of the 1940s. His letter describes the mood of the Russian church colony in Palestine in connection with the visit to the Middle East of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church headed by Patriarch Alexy in 1945. In this document, Father Gregory gives a brief sketch of the history of the Russian church colony in Palestine, describes its reaction to the change in state policy towards the Orthodox Church in the USSR during the Great Patriotic War. He highlights the growing polarisation within the Russian Palestinian colony in connection with the ecclesiastical developments in Russia. This polarisation reaches its apogee during the visit to the Middle East of Patriarch Alexy I. Archpriest Gregory’s letter pays considerable attention to the activities in the Holy Land of representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad during the period beginning in the 1920s.

В настоящей публикации вводится в научный оборот письмо протоиерея Григория Курыласа патриарху Московскому и всея Руси Алексию I (Симанскому). Протоиерей Григорий был представителем русского духовенства, служившим в первой половине 1940-х гг. на Святой Земле. В его письме описываются настроения русской церковной колонии в Палестине в связи с визитом на Ближний Восток делегации Русской Православной Церкви во главе с патриархом Алексием в 1945 г. В этом документе отец Григорий дает краткий очерк истории русской церковной колонии в Палестине, описывает ее реакцию на изменение государственной политики в отношении Православной Церкви в СССР в годы Великой Отечественной войны. Он акцентирует нарастающую поляризацию внутри русской палестинской колонии в связи с происходящими в России церковными событиями. Эта поляризация достигает апогея во время визита на Ближний Восток патриарха Алексия I. Значительное внимание в письме протоиерея Григория уделено деятельности на Святой Земле представителей Русской Православной Церкви заграницей в период начиная с 1920-х гг.

The early decades of the twentieth century saw the Order obliged to restructure itself to conform to the legal requirements prevalent in France and to re-establish some form of fons honorum after the Patriarch H.B. Cyril IX Moghabghab indicated his intention to withdraw his formal protectorship of the Order. The inter-Wars period therefore saw the administration of the Order reaching out to the Holy See to try establishing closer links. These efforts were hampered by State-Church relations relating to the Kingdom of Italy and eventually by the outbreak of the Second World War.

Abstract
This article explores the crucial role played by women, particularly mothers, in shaping and preserving ethnic identity among the deported Meskhetian population. Drawing upon feminist theories of nationalism and ethnographic field research conducted with deported Meskhetians, it argues that women have been instrumental in maintaining a connection to the group's roots and cultural heritage through memory, imagination, and emotion, especially during the mass deportation in 1944 when a significant number of Meskhetian men were away fighting in World War II. The article focuses on three key ways in which women participate in ethnic and national processes according to the framework proposed by Floya
Anthias and Nira Yuval-Davis: 1) as reproducers of the boundaries between
ethnic/national groups, 2) as transmitters of culture and participants in the
reproduction of the collective's central ideology, and 3) as transformers and reproducers of ethnic/national categories. Marriage traditions among deported Meskhetians, in which Meskhetian men marry Meskhetian women, exemplify the role of women in reproducing ethnic boundaries. Mothers' identity and cultural outlook is often decisive in shaping their children's sense of ethnic belonging. Case studies reveal how the ethnic identity of younger generations can transform under the influence of their mothers.

In 1929, Andreas Evaristus Mader –then the director of the Oriental Institute of the Görresgesellschaft – published an article in volume VI of the Rivista di Archeologia Cristiana, titled "La basilica costantiniana di Mambre presso Hebron secondo la tradizione e gli ultimi scavi della Görres-Gesellschaft". The article was dedicated to the study of the Palestinian sanctuary associated with the Abrahamic tradition. According to written sources, the site had been a center of veneration for multiple religious confessions until the intervention of Constantine, who decided to build a basilica there with the intent of making Mamre exclusively Christian. In this work, A. E. Mader thoroughly analyzes the written sources and then presents the results of the excavations he directed at the location he identified – according to his interpretations – as the very site where the oak (or terebinth) that welcomed Abraham once stood, and where the Savior appeared to him. This study, in addition to being a significant specimen of the Orbis Christianus Antiquus present in the pages of the Rivista di Archeologia Cristiana, provides an interesting methodological glimpse – highlighting both strengths and natural flaws – into Christian Archaeology in the Holy Land in the early twentieth century.

This article presents a re-evaluation of the ninth-century Itinerarium Bernardi monachi franci, which describes the journey of the monk Bernard to Jerusalem and the Holy Places. Challenging traditional perceptions of the work, as a straightforward narrative of travel, this article argues that a more contextual reading of the source and its topography, with respect to ninth-century exegetical and liturgical culture, identifies the Itinerarium as a text closely linked to exegetical explorations of the themes of penitence and just rule. It concludes that an examination of the motifs of the Old Testament world kingdoms and themes of Christian triumph within the work identifies Bernard as a writer engaged in an attempt to incorporate the world of Islam within a Christian salvific worldview and the eventual promise of redemption.

This essay is written in the wake of Donald Trump's election victory as the 47 th president of the USA. Both he, parts of the Republican Party and parts of the rightwing Churches of the USA have previously advocated the establishment of Christian Nationalism as a key part of their project which will Make America Great Again. (MAGA) Now that Trump has secured such a sweeping majority in all parts of the political apparatus it seems likely that Christian Nationalism will be adopted as a set of guiding principles during is administration.

Godina 1517. bila je prijelomna za Zapadnu Crkvu, kao i za Franjevački Red. Lutherovom protestantskom reformom odvojio se jedan dio zapadne Crkve, što je bio poticaj za temeljitu katoličku obnovu, koju će potaknuti Tridentski sabor. Spomenute godine i Franjevački Red doživljava podjelu na tada dva različita dijela, reformnu obitelj, predvođenu opservantskim pokretom, i konventualnu obitelj, nositeljicu uhodane tradicije, koja tada započinje unutarnju obnovu Reda, vođenu načelima Tridentskog koncila.
Franjevci konventualci na hrvatskim prostorima, u tadašnjoj Dalmatinskoj provinciji sv. Jeronima, iznjedrila je više značajnih osoba koje su bili predvodnici i katoličke obnove, s jedne strane, i obnove Franjevačkog reda, s druge strane. Autori u ovom prilogu navode nekoliko značajnih hrvatskih franjevaca: Antun Marcello Petris, Blaž Posarić, Mate Ferkić i Bonaventura Soldatić. Svi su se oni na svoj način pridružili i davali podršku tridentskoj reformi i obnovi, kako na mjesnoj razini Dalmatinske provincije sv. Jeronima, tako i na razini cijelog Reda, sve u suglasju s uredbama Tridentskog sabora o obnovi redovničkog života. O tome govore sačuvani svesci Provincijskog arhiva, iz kojeg crpe građu autori, koji neprekinuto od 1559. dalje svjedoče o tom vremenu.

The Holy Land's shrines are abundant with multilingual inscriptions that pilgrims have left over the centuries. Such inscriptions and graffiti are numerous inside and outside of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, one of the major Christian holy sites, and mainly contain pilgrims' names, prayers, and sometimes short texts about them. Due to limited available surfaces for writing, new graffiti often overlaid earlier ones, creating a palimpsest effect. A significant part of these graffiti are in Armenian, a fact that previous scholars have mostly overlooked even though our research reveals significant examples dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries. In this article, I present fifteen of that newly discovered graffiti, leaving the publication of the whole to the near future. Abstrait: Graffiti arménien de l'église du Saint-Sépulcre à Jérusalem Les sanctuaires de Terre Sainte sont riches d'inscriptions multilingues laissées par les pèlerins au fil des siècles. De telles inscriptions et graffiti sont nombreux à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur de l'église du Saint-Sépulcre à Jérusalem, l'un des principaux lieux saints chrétiens, et contiennent principalement les noms des pèlerins, des prières et parfois de courts textes à leur sujet. En raison des surfaces limitées disponibles pour l'écriture, les nouveaux graffiti se superposaient souvent aux anciens, créant un effet palimpseste. Une partie importante de ces graffiti sont en arménien, un fait que les chercheurs précédents ont pour la plupart négligé, même si nos recherches révèlent des exemples notables remontant aux XIIe et XIIIe siècles. Dans cet article, je présente quinze de ces graffiti récemment découverts, laissant la publication de l'ensemble dans un avenir proche.

The article is devoted to the study of the everyday life of Russian pilgrims who made sea voyages to Palestine in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. During this period, there was a significant increase in the number of pilgrims, which gave rise to numerous problems associated with their transportation. One of the goals of the article is to introduce new sources into scientific circulation related to the study of the everyday life of Russian pilgrims traveling to Palestine and back in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. The work uses archival materials of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, pilgrimage guides, as well as observations of the writer A.V. Eliseev and notes of the pilgrims themselves. These sources provide a unique opportunity to reconstruct the everyday aspects of pilgrimage, which have remained little studied until now. The article examines two significant incidents, on the ROPiT steamships Tsesarevich (1890) and Tsar (1913), which demonstrate that the real conditions of pilgrimage diverged from the positive image presented in guidebooks and other informational materials about pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The incidents illustrate that, despite the improvement of transportation conditions, pilgrims continued to face serious everyday difficulties, such as overcrowding on ships, unsanitary conditions, lack of proper medical care, and difficulties with access to drinking and boiling water. The article also analyzes social inequality among pilgrims and commercial exploitation of pilgrims by the ship crews. Particular attention is paid to the view of the Russian Society of Shipping and Trade on pilgrims as a specific group of passengers with special needs that create additional difficulties for the organization of transportation. The author of the article emphasizes the importance of using new sources, such as private letters, complaints and press materials, to more fully reconstruct the daily life of pilgrims, which allows us to expand existing knowledge about this aspect of the history of Russian pilgrimages.

The half-destroyed monument complex of the "King Alan" sanctuary, located in the rural area of Old Harzhis in the Syunik province of the Republic of Armenia, comprises a single-nave vaulted basilica church, a narthex-hall attached to the west, and a mausoleum adjoining them to the north. This complex is being comprehensively studied for the first time. Although manuscript sources do not provide evidence about the monument, more than a dozen epigraphs dating from the 11th to the 15th centuries fill this gap. The architectural and sculptural features of the monument indicate that the complex was built no later than the 10th-11th centuries. The first component of the name "King Alan" is directly connected with the term "free-born" ("ազատածին"-"azatatsin") mentioned in the 1326 inscription on the ornamented tombstone preserved in the narthex-hall, referring to Alan, who descended from a noble family. It is logical that being "free-born" and the highly artistic tombstone led the local people to refer to Alan as a "king," which caused the original name of the church to be forgotten and the entire complex to be known as "King Alan." Unfortunately, this has sometimes led to misunderstandings, particularly the misinterpretation of the name Alan as a tribal name and the deceased as a king of the Alans. Abstrait: Le sanctuaire "Alan Roi" du vieux Harzhis et héritage épigraphique (Syunik, République d'Arménie) L'ensemble monumental à moitié détruit du sanctuaire "Alan King", situé dans le village de Vieux Harzhis de la province de Syunik de la République d'Arménie, composé d'une église basilique à nef unique, d'une salle du narthex attachée à l'ouest, et un mausolée qui leur est attené au nord, fait l'objet d'une étude approfondie pour la première fois. Les preuves du monument n'ont pas été conservées dans les sources littéraires, mais plus d'une douzaine de epigraphies datant des XIe et XVe siècles comblent le vide. Les solutions architecturales et sculpturales du monument nous permettent de constater que le complexe a été construit au plus tard aux Xe-XIe siècles. Le premier composant du nom commun "Alan King" a un lien direct avec un mot décrivant Alan "azatatsin" (ազատածին)-originaire d'une famille noble, mentionné dans l'inscription en 1326 après JC sur la pierre tombale sculptée conservée dans la salle du narthex. Il est logique que l'origine d'une famille noble du défunt et la pierre tombale hautement sculptée soient devenues la principale raison pour laquelle les gens ont appelé Alan "roi", ce qui a fait oublier le vrai nom de l'église et a scellé l'ensemble du complexe avec le nom "Roi Alan". Malheureusement, cela a parfois donné lieu à des malentendus, en particulier, le nom Alan a été traité comme un nom tribal et le défunt comme un roi Alan.

La Calabria appare, talvolta, festaiola, esuberante e ricca nei linguaggi, nelle sue "lamentazioni", nelle sue nenie con le quali esprime, narra, canta la fede. Meriterebbe uno studio molto attento l'esprimersi dell'unica fede cristiana nel pathos della nostra Calabria, non sempre capita e, non di rado, pur se profonda, espressivamente complessa (G. Agostino, Presentazione in Di Ritorno dal Pellegrinaggio a Gerusalemme. Riproposizione degli avvenimenti e dei luoghi di Terra Santa nell’immaginario religioso fra XV e XVI secolo. Atti delle Giornate di  Studio12-13 maggio 2005 Università della Calabria; a cura di Amilcare Barbero e Giuseppe Roma, Gallo Arti Grafiche, Vercelli 2008, pp. 11-12).

From enemies to allies? The attitude of the Hospitallers and the Templars towards the Mongols during the decades following the Battle of Ayn Jalut (1260-1310s). The pre- sent paper investigates the attitude of the major military orders towards the Mongols in the Levant from 1260 to the 1310s. The major characteristics of a potential counter-Mamluk alliance between the Franks and the Mongols were studied partly as part of the crusading movement in general, and as part of the recovery of the Holy Land in particular. The role of the military orders is discussed as somewhat distinct feature since their interests did not always coincide with those of the Crusader states. On the basis of primary sources and trough a critical analysis of the relevant secondary literature, the study attempts to recon- struct and evaluate the attitude of the Hospitallers and the Templars in the period under query.
Keywords: Hospitallers, Templars, Mongols, Battle of Ayn Jalut

Abraham est—il donc le père de tous les migrants et peut-on faire de la fameuse phrase « Étrangers et voyageurs sur la terre» le slogan nous commandant d’accueillir toutes les migrations? En fait, si le texte donne l’impression de parler d’errance, ce n’est pas une véritable migration, puisqu’au fond, les patriarches décrits dans Hébreux ne pérégrinent plus. Ils se sont déplacés en Canaan pour découvrir que, pas plus qu’ailleurs, ils pouvaient s'y. installer. Ils y ont dès lors planté leur tente, mais finalement, ils n’ont pas quitté la terre. L’espérance a une structure purement transcendante, et pas du tout géographique. Contrairement à ce que disait Käsemann, le Gottesvolk n’est donc pas wandernde, mais wartende: il n’est pas migrant, il est en attente.

A cross-section of Victorian society, seen through the filter of the attentive and perceptive eye of the painter W. P. Frith (Aldfield 1819 - London 1909), is offered by the study of another version of the painting, The Derby Day (private collection), closely related to the painting now at the Tate Gallery in London. The study, supported by documentary and historical research but also by optical analysis, has allowed us to discover the second replica (i.e. a work by the artist himself) of the famous painting, which had caused such a stir at the time of its first exhibition at the Royal Academy that the authorities had to protect it with solid barriers from the crowds that had gathered to see it. Not only that, but in the Victorian society of the second half of the nineteenth century, a real Entrepreneurial Trust was discovered around the production of art, managed by the artists themselves, by entrepreneurs and by merchants.

Статья посвящена Музею древностей начальника Русской Духовной Миссии в Иерусалиме архим. Антонина (Капустина) как важной части его наследия. С середины XIX в. и до 1894 г. в результате целенаправленного сбора, случайных находок во время археологических раскопок и в процессе строительства церквей и паломнических приютов на землях, им приобретенных, покупок у антикваров, подарков у архим. Антонина сформировались чрезвычайно интересные коллекции древностей. В течение 1870–1890-х гг. начальник Миссии в Иерусалиме дарил предметы из своих нумизматических, археологических и рукописных собраний в различные научные и учебные, церковные и светские учреждения, музеи и древлехранилища. Среди основных адресатов были Киевская Духовная Академия, Императорское Православное Палестинское Общество, Одесское общество истории и древностей, Русское археологическое общество, Общество любителей естествознания, антропологии и этнографии, Санкт-Петербургская Духовная Академия. Нумизматические, археологические, рукописные, книжные собрания главных музеев, библиотек и архивов нескольких стран хранят дары о. Антонина. По его завещанию наиболее ценные предметы пополнили коллекции Эрмитажа (мраморная голова Ирода) и Публичной библиотеки (собрание греческих, славянских и восточных рукописей). После кончины о. Антонина внимание научной общественности, беспокоившейся за судьбу музея, не позволило Св. Синоду, охладевшему к его наследию после оформления земельной собственности, забыть о Музее древностей. По заданию Св. Синода профессор Санкт-Петербургской Духовной Академии В.Н. Мышцын предпринял попытку описать коллекции и сделать каталог музея. Но у Василия Никаноровича не хватило знаний для завершения работы, в итоге сохранились лишь черновые наброски к каталогу музея о. Антонина. В XX в. судьба музея была очень сложной. Несмотря на известность, музей так и не вошел в полной мере в научный оборот, но и сегодня, хотя и в очень сокращенном виде эта «живая энциклопедия цивилизаций» занимает в общем наследии о. Антонина существенное место.

В результате серии реформ середины XIX в. в Османской империи появилось земельное законодательство, позволившее де-юре оформить иностранную недвижимость, ранее сформировавшуюся де-факто. Русская Палестина, возникшая в острой конфессиональной конкуренции в середине XIX в. и включавшая палестинские приобретения начальника Русской Духовной Миссии (РДМ) в Иерусалиме архимандрита Антонина (Капустина, 1817–1894) (ил. 1), зависела от внешнеполитических условий и позиций российских государственных институтов. Отсутствие стратегии и планомерной работы в использовании имущественного фактора во внешней политике, а также настроений в российских властных структурах на Ближнем Востоке приводило к упущениям. В статье показано, как верные решения архимандрита Антонина, принятые им вопреки мнению чиновников МИД, повлияли на способ оформления недвижимого имущества, благодаря которому храмы, монастыри, паломнические подворья и земельные участки во многом сохранились и сегодня принадлежат России и Русской Церкви.

The following essay is an illustration of a larger thesis, arguing for the illegitimacy of all politically theocratic states or governments, since political theocracies all violate universal human rights: in this case, the freedom of religion.  The state cannot and must not impose on its members any particular religious or metaphysical commitment.  In this way, Jewish, Hindu, Christian, Islamic, Atheist, and all such worldviews ought to be politically unacceptable. This must be so, regardless of the size of plurality supporting any one such religion or worldview within any one particular state.

“19. yüzyıla kadar büyük ölçüde kutsiyetiyle ön plana çıkmış olan Kudüs, Mehmed Ali Paşa isyanıyla birlikte siyasi ve politik bir zemine çekildi. Bu dönemde Kudüs’ün de içinde bulunduğu Filistin bölgesi, Avrupalı güçlerin nüfuz alanı hâline gelmeye başladı. Osmanlı bürokrasisinin Hıdiv ailesine pek güvenmemesi, Mısır ile sınırdaş olan Kudüs mutasarrıflığının siyasi önemini arttırıyordu. 1882’de İngilizlerin Mısır’a girmesiyle Osmanlı açısından tüm Filistin bölgesi ciddi bir tehditle de yüzleşti. 19. yüzyılda yaşanan bu gelişmeler Kudüs’ü dini bir merkez olmanın yanında politik bir arenaya da dönüştürdü.”
Dört asır Kudüs’te kesintisiz devam eden Osmanlı idaresi çeşitli merhalelerden geçti. 19. yüzyılda Tanzimat’la birlikte başlayan kapsamlı idari, siyasi ve iktisadi reformların tatbik edildiği sahalardan biri de bu kutsal şehrin idaresi olmuştu. Bu eser, Tanzimat dönemiyle başlayan ve II. Abdülhamid devrinde zirveye ulaşan Osmanlı’nın modernleşme sürecinin en belirgin örneklerinden biri olan Kudüs mutasarrıflığının idari yapısını ve bunların toplumsal etkilerini tarihsel belgelerle ele alıyor. Kutsal şehrin, 19. yüzyılın son çeyreğinde nasıl idari ve sosyal bir merkez hâline geldiğini, Osmanlı’nın merkeziyetçi politikaları doğrultusunda yeniden yapılandığını vaka örnekleriyle mercek altına alıyor. Kudüs’ün idari statüsünden, adliye sisteminin modernleşmesine, buradaki mülkiyet anlayışının ve hukukunun değişiminden, toplumsal yaşamın çeşitli dinamiklerine kadar geniş bir yelpazede ufuk açıcı bilgi ve yorumlar sunuyor.

The dictum 'Right to Defend' has become the powerful narrative in the past one year. This narrative has been widely used by the imperial and neo-colonial powers to justify their support and legitimizing the supply arms and ammunition to Israel. Between 2023-24 huge cargo airplanes made more than 1200 trips to Israel carrying ammunition and war machines. Along with those military experts travelled together to fix those and to demonstrate. For instance, UK supplied 645 surveillance systems and many others to Israel. Therefore, it should be noted that the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Cyprus, Greece and others keep extending their intelligence, war materials, technological support like AI and financial aids to Israel. Continuous attacks on all front where the Palestinians stay has resulted in the killing of 43,000 inhabitants in Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, and West Bank. Israel is a proxy for the Western powers in the Middle-East.

In the “educator’s guide” from American University school of education, it is stressed that supporting students as they develop positive perspectives of their own cultures as well as the cultures of their peers is an important goal.  One such cultural topic of concern within a diverse classroom is the issue of migration around the world, particularly those migrations that changed the nature of the existing paradigm.

La storia del Commissariato di Terra Santa piemontese non è stata
sino a oggi oggetto di studi organici e documentati. Vi si trovano solo
rari accenni in pubblicazioni dedicate ad altri argomenti o nel materiale
divulgativo di presentazione dell’ente e della sua attività, ma si tratta
di notizie per lo più generiche e non circostanziate. Considerati nondimeno
l’interesse e il significato che l’attività del Commissariato, in
passato meglio noto come Commissaria, ebbe nella storia del Piemonte,
oltre che naturalmente dell’Ordine, è un dovere storiografico tentare,
per quanto consentito dalle fonti ancora a disposizione, una ricostruzione
scientificamente documentata della vita tricentenaria di questa
istituzione.
Le pagine che seguono costituiscono un primo, piccolo, passo in tale
direzione: vi si illustrano infatti alcune delle vicende che interessarono
il Commissariato piemontese, ricostruite sulla base di fonti storiche
fino a oggi per la gran parte ignote e tutte inedite, conservate in archivi
italiani1 e nell’archivio della Custodia di Terra Santa.

The restoration of the Holy Places raises several economic, religious and legal questions. A few documents in the archives of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land in Jerusalem trace the history of some of these restorations in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The authorisations requested by the Custodian from the Sultan and the Cadis reflect the status of the Franciscans who settled in the heart of the Mamluk Sultanate at the beginning of the fourteenth century, when the modalities of restoration affected both the Mediterranean trade between the Islamic East and the Christian West and the local relations between the various actors of Middle Eastern society.

בצפון הנגב מוכרים מנזרים רבים מהתקופה הביזנטית. חלק מהם ממוקמים צמוד ליישובים, או בתוכם, ואחרים במקומות מרוחקים מיישוב, אם כי סמוכים בדרך כלל לצירי דרכים. חלק מן המנזרים נסקרו, אחרים תועדו חלקית ואחדים מהם נחפרו. לא בכל המנזרים האלה מוצאים את כל המרכיבים הטיפוסיים למנזר סטנדרטי (כנסייה, מבנה מגורים לנזירים, חדר אוכל ועוד) ובמקרים אחדים זיהויָם כמנזרים אינו ודאי בלא
שיחפרו. לעיתים, גם אלה שנחפרו, אך אין בהם עדות לכנסייה, קפלה קטנה או כתובת המציינת כי זהו מנזר (דוגמת המנזר שנחפר בחורה) — זיהוים כמנזר אינו ודאי.
ברוב המנזרים שנחשפו היו גם מתקני תעשייה חקלאיים, בעיקר גתות וחדרי אחסון גדולים. כל אלה מעידים על פעילות תעשייתית מעבר לנדרש לצרכים עצמיים. רמז נוסף לכך הוא מוטיב הגפן השכיח ואף מרכזי ברוב רצפות פסיפס שנחשפו במנזרים. נראה שלמנזרים היה תפקיד חשוב ומרכזי במערך הכלכלי האזורי, בעיקר בכל הקשור לייצור היין והמסחר בו, שהיו מהענפים הכלכליים העיקריים בדרום הארץ.