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This diploma thesis deals with kitsch as a manipulative tool parasitizing in the Christian environment, at the heart of which are especially emotionally colored and often sentimental themes that directly attack the feelings of the viewer. The main content is also the definition of similarities and differences between sacred and spiritual art, holy pictures and kitsch. The aim of the thesis is to bring the concept of "Christian kitsch", to point out its power and to think about the question of whether Christianity would even be able to exist without kitsch.

article published in Journal of Global Buddhism; Vol 19 (2018)

Minhâcü'l-Âbidin Gazzâlî'nin son eseridir. Müellif, eser içerisinde ibâdetlerin insanlar üzerinde oluşturacağı ahlâki ve manevi kazançlar ile birlikte bunların cennete nasıl ulaştıracağına dair yol ve yöntemleri ele almıştır. Eserde ele alınan konuların tamamı, kişinin ibâdetlere olan yaklaşımı ve bunun neticesinde elde edeceği kazançlar ile ilgilidir. Gazzâlî bu eserini, okuyanların kolaylıkla anlayabileceği bir üslupla kaleme almış ve herkes için anlaşılır bir eser yazdığını ifade etmiştir. Bu eser Osmanlı döneminde Nihânî tarafından Türkçe'ye tercüme edilmiş gerek kendi dönemi gerekse sonrasında büyük ilgi görerek pekçok kez istinsah edilmiştir. Bu çalışmada müellif ve mütercimin hayatı üzerinde kısaca durarak eser ve tercümeleri hakkında bilgi verilmiş, İlyas Nihânî tarafından yapılan tercüme metninin latin harfleri ile transkripsyonu yapılmıştır. Minhāj al-`Ābidīn is Gazzālī's last work. In this work, Gazzālī deals with the moral and spiritual gains that worship will bring about in people, together with the paths and methods on how to ultimately reach paradise. The topics discussed in this work are all related to both the attitude one should adopt towards worship and to the gains that this attitude will bring at the end. Gazzālī penned this work in a way that its readers could grasp it without exerting themselves, and he himself mentions that he wrote a perspicuous work. This work was translated into Ottoman Turkish by Nihānī during the Ottoman era. After this period, this translation became rather popular and several different copies of the work can be found in libraries. This thesis will analyze the work entitled Minhāj al-`Ābidīn, it will reflect on the work's association with Gazzālī, it will also touch on the author and translator, and at the same time, it will have brought to light the text which was translated by Ilyas Nihānī by transcribing it here into Latin. 272

Medieval manuscripts resisted obsolescence. Made by highly specialised craftspeople (scribes, illuminators, book binders) with labour-intensive processes using exclusive and sometimes exotic materials (parchment made from dozens or hundreds of skins, inks and paints made from prized minerals, animals and plants), books were expensive and built to last. They usually outlived their owners. Rather than discard them when they were superseded, book owners found ways to update, amend and upcycle books or book parts. These activities accelerated in the fifteenth century. Most manuscripts made before 1390 were bespoke and made for a particular client, but those made after 1390 (especially books of hours) were increasingly made for an open market, in which the producer was not in direct contact with the buyer. Increased efficiency led to more generic products, which owners were motivated to personalise. It also led to more blank parchment in the book, for example, the backs of inserted miniatures and the blanks ends of textual components. Book buyers of the late fourteenth and throughout the fifteenth century still held onto the old connotations of manuscripts-that they were custom-made luxury items-even when the production had become impersonal. Owners consequently purchased books made for an open market and then personalised them, filling in the blank spaces, and even adding more components later. This would give them an affordable product, but one that still smacked of luxury and met their individual needs. They kept older books in circulation by amending them, attached items to generic books to make them more relevant and valuable, and added new prayers with escalating indulgences as the culture of salvation shifted. Rudy considers ways in which book owners adjusted the contents of their books from the simplest (add a marginal note, sew in a curtain) to the most complex (take the book apart, embellish the components with painted decoration, add more quires of parchment). By making sometimes extreme adjustments, book owners kept their books fashionable and emotionally relevant. This study explores the intersection of codicology and human desire. Rudy shows how increased modularisation of book making led to more standardisation but also to more opportunities for personalisation. She asks: What properties did parchment manuscripts have that printed books lacked? What are the interrelationships among technology, efficiency, skill loss and standardisation? Invisible threads are the strongest ties. ― Friedrich Nietzsche

Straipsnyje pirmąkart aptariama dailės marginalijos – masiškai tiražuoti XIX a. pab. – XX a. pr. katalikų religiniai paveikslėliai, jų funkcijos ir reikšmė. Bandoma apibrėžti, ką būtų galima vadinti lietuviškais religiniais paveikslėliais, nagrinėjamos jų ištyrimo, apskaitos problemos ir aktualijos. Pristatoma pagrindinio tuo metu lietuviškų paveikslėlių leidėjo, nepelnytai pamiršto knygnešio, spaudos darbuotojo ir Krokuvos lietuvių studentų šelpėjo Juozapo Angrabaičio (1859–1935) veikla. For the first time, the article discusses the marginalia in the art and writings – catholic devotional images, which were printed en masse in the late 19th – early 20th century, their functions and importance. A high number of remaining small-format lithographies, chromolithographies as well as copper, steel and wood engravings and other printed material is an indicator of the religiosity of our ancestors and an instrument of religious media, religious literacy and the spread of various religious cults. This is an implementation of the respect and recognition of the Saints, which served as a source of ecclesiastical iconography, as an example for those who created images for churches and rural environment (e. g. folk sculptures for memorial monuments). On the other hand, the abundance of pictures reflected the intensity of the devotional industry and trade relations as well as the fashion trends. In addition, pictures have an intimate and personal aspect. Their main function was not only to inspire the believer in prayer, but also as a memory which recalls various occasions or persons. The commemorative printed or handwritten texts of prayers in Lithuanian as well as the description of the First Communion, all kinds of religious events and holidays, donation, remembrance of the deceased, etc. are a reflection of the national literacy and pledge. In the context of the Lithuanian press ban and low literacy, they are important as small monuments of the written language and contrafactions and are attributable to the phenomenon of book smuggling. An attempt is being made in the article to define what may be termed as Lithuanian religious pictures as well as problems of their research and inventorying. Because of the polyvalence of pictures (images, printed texts, records made by hand, different printing techniques), they may be attributed to the works of graphics and small prints. Therefore, it is difficult to establish a united registry. Hence, cooperation between bibliographers and art historians in preparing the registry is in need. On the other hand, the identification of the publisher is challenging. After all, many pictures are imported and reprinted. The activity of the main publisher and distributor of the Lithuanian devotional images at the time, wantonly forgotten book smuggler, print worker and supporter of the Lithuanian students in Cracow, Juozapas Angrabaitis (1859–1935), is presented in the article. An attempt is being made to outline his contribution to the history of Lithuanian culture. In 1893, J. Angrabaitis issued an exclusive catalogue of the devotional images in Tilsit, which in the absence of other archival sources is the main background when investigating the supply of images in Lithuania of that time. An attempt is being made in the article to determine the trade relations of J. Angrabaitis as well as to ascertain the signatures, pseudonyms and acronyms of the printed images.

À l’aide des écrits d’humanistes chrétiens, ayant exercé un contrôle sur la pratique des arts après le Concile de Trente, nous tenterons d’expliquer le développement du genre paysager en peinture. Le cardinal Federico Borromeo, Louis Richeôme ainsi que Jean Calvin figurent parmi les théologiens qui ont contribué à cette littérature chrétienne influente. Nous nous servirons surtout de l’historiographie récente afin de prouver le rôle essentiel joué par la pensée chrétienne dans le développement de la représentation de la nature en art. Prenant appui sur certaines études importantes, nous analyserons des exemples tant picturaux qu’architecturaux qui reflètent cette influence chrétienne sur la perception de la nature. Au préalable, nous tenterons de dresser un portrait de l’environnement culturel et religieux dans lequel ces humanistes chrétiens ont vécu et développé leur pensée. Notre objectif sera de prouver que l’humanisme chrétien a joué un rôle important pour l’essor du paysage à l’époque de la Contre-Réforme. Les sources contemporaines ainsi que leur interprétation par les historiens et les historiens d’art modernes permettront de mieux comprendre le rôle joué par la pensée chrétienne au sein de ce développement artistique., Examining the writings of Christian humanists, who exercised control over the practice of the arts after the Council of Trent, this paper seeks to understand the development of landscape painting in the Early Modern period. Cardinal Federico Borromeo, the Jesuit Louis Richeome and Jean Calvin, are among those theologians who contributed to this influential Christian literature. We will mainly use the recent historiography to demonstrate the essential role played by Christian thought in the rise of the representation of nature into art. Building on some important studies, we will analyze both pictorial and architectural examples that reflect this Christian influence on the perception of nature. First, we will try to paint a picture of the religious and cultural environment in which the Christian humanists lived and developed their thinking. Our goal is to prove that Christian humanism played an important role in the development of landscape representations during the Counter-Reformation. Contemporary sources as well as their interpretation by modern historians and art historians will help us to better understand the role of Christian thought in this artistic development.

En aquest article, Fèlix Manel Alarcon prova d’aprofundir en el coneixement d’una de les vides més populars de l’hagiografia medieval: la del pare dominic Vicent Ferrer. Més enllà de la visió popular que se n’ha transmés a base de devocionaris i rondalles, l’aportació d’Alarcon té en consideració diverses fonts medievals i actuals per a definir els perfils del personatge al voltant de tres eixos: «El naixement i la joventut», «El predicador» i «Sant Vicent Ferrer en els nostres dies». In the present paper, Fèlix Manel Alarcon aims to further improve the knowledge on one of the most popular lifes in Medieval hagiography: that of the Dominican Father Vicent Ferrer. Beyond the popular view that has been transmitted through devotionals and popular tales, Alarcon’s contribution takes into consideration several Medieval and current sources to define the character’s profile around three axes: «Birth and youth», «The preacher», «Saint Vicent Ferrer in our days».

Many Christians have noted Romans 1:20's statement that God is reflected in His creation. As a theater student, I have found this to be true even in how theatrical artists actually execute their craft. Thus, for my senior honors thesis I have decided to further study this connection between the Lord and theater, for which I expect to find more of what I have already found in parallels between the Christian walk and theater arts. For the completion of this thesis, research for theatrical content will include acting and design, and research for biblical content will include the Bible and prominent theologians such as John Piper and John MacArthur. This information will then be organized, analyzed, and elaborated on in regards to the connection between theatre and theology. The result will be a collection of devotionals specifically related to the theatrical artist's craft and work.

Rozprawa zawiera opis, analizę i interpretację popularnych w kręgu barokowej literatury religijnej tomików określanych w tytule mianem „nabożeństwo”. Niejednorodna struktura i sylwiczny nieledwie kształt omawianych tekstów stają się naturalnym wyznacznikiem „nabożeństwa jako gatunku samorzutnie i samoistnie ukonstytuowanego w systemie kultury literackiej polskiego baroku. Ta fascynująca złożoność „nabożeństwa” (gatunku) i „zegarka? (odmiany gatunkowej) — zarazem tropu, modlitwy, hymnu, litanii... — pozwala ujmować badane teksty jako urzeczywistnienie nowego gatunku, który czerpie przekornie z form dawnych i dobrze znanych. Nawiązując do koncepcji Stefanii Skwarczyńskiej autor uznaje rodzajowość za naturalną cechę każdej wypowiedzi. Pozwala to opisać „nabożeństwo” jako cząstkę długiego szeregu form gatunkowych powstałych naturalnie i „oddolnie” (w opozycji do kanonów poetyki normatywnej), a znamiennych dla popularnej literatury czasów baroku. Autor formułuje tezę o istnieniu dwóch systemów genologicznych w tej epoce: jawnego (uznanego) i skrytego. Apeluje zarazem o dokładne przebadanie ówczesnej twórczości dewocyjnej, celem opisu znamiennych dla niej form literackich.

Booklet concerning religious worship, instruction, and fellowship at Harvard University.