Aphrahat’s seventh Demonstration, entitled On penitents, and the preceding Demonstration on members of the covenant provided basic research material for the question of the structure and discipline in the early Syrian Church and the role played there by “the sons of the covenant” (bənay qəyāmā). In the Demonstration on penitents, Aphrahat describes ritual washing, clearly distinguishing it from baptism. He addresses the “solitary” who have fallen and delayed their conversion as well as priests refusing to reconcile penitents.

Aphrahat’s Synodal Letter, or his fourteenth Demonstration, is an official letter addressed to the C hurch of Seleucia-Ctesiphon. Aphrahat describes the period of persecution which affected Christians in Persia under the rule of Shapur II . The Persian Church was shaken by arguments and struggles for power, Church leaders abused their position collaborating with state officials. The conduct of the clergy scandalized believers.

This paper is an outline of the metaphysical argument for the credibility of Christianity. This argument is based on the original metaphysical level present in Christianity, which allows to give answers to fundamental questions about the nature and sense of all reality and human existence although anthropological and metaphysical issues have not been fully discussed in this paper. This article consists of following parts: narrow and wide concept of metaphysics, sources of the metaphysical argument, metaphysical credibility
of Christian Revelation and the Church and effectiveness of the metaphysical argument. This paper very often reminds the teaching of John Paul II containing many suggestions supporting this argument. In the end the author suggests to develop the metaphysical argument by making some kind of interreligious comparative study of metaphysical elements present in all religions.

The history of Christian doctrine has been accompanied by a conviction that there are two different orders of knowledge: reason and faith. In the course of this history, there have emerged many models of the interaction between philosophy and theology. This article presents three models of the relationship between faith and reason (theology-philosophy). An example of the first model can be found in antiquity and in the Middle Ages; it presents philosophy as a “servant” of theology (philosophia: ancilla theologiae).
In the 20th century the relationship between philosophy and theology entered a new hermeneutical era. Philosophical hermeneutics (ars interpretandi) began to function as a hermeneutical philosophy ; so its objective was expressed in the quest for comprehensive understanding of the (meaning of) human history. This objective became at the same time paradoxical, because reason must understand this whole and at the same time it is not able to do so. Nothing else than this paradox, working in the dialogical relationship between reason and knowledge coming from faith, can help reason reach its objective. Theology (ancilla hermeneuticae) also may become the “servant” of philosophy (theologia: ancilla philosophiae). Hopes exercised by reason may participate in the Christian hope.
Thanks to God’s Revelation human beings are
capable of understanding their promised identity. This identity («narrative identity»), interpreted as promised and assigned, requires cooperation between
reason and faith. Precisely in the context
of this necessary cooperation one should consider
the problem of the common service of philosophy
and theology involved in the process of creative
(dialogical) actualization and the identity of a human
being (theologia et philosophia: ancillae hominis).
This identity («narrative identity»), interpreted as
by reason may participate in the Christian hope.

Having been distorted since modern times, the notions of truth and freedom have been radically juxtaposed in post-modern world views, consequently resulting in losing the very values: the truth is questioned, while freedom is determined and limited by worldly purposes. Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI shows that the terms are, de facto, theologically important (Theological Hermeneutics), i.e. they may be fully and properly understood from the heart of Christian faith. God is the right guarantor of the truth (involving
the existence of the objective and judicious reality) and the Embodiment of God’s Son, Logos, is the ultimate argument for its attainability and cognizability. When Jesus confessed: ‘I am the truth’ (John, 14.6), He convinces that the truth is universal and belongs to God. Thereby, it remains universally binding – it is the appropriate basis of ethos. The truth constitutes the key to interpret reality and a superior (independent) criterion for its arrangement (also in the social and political sense). Thus, the task of Christianity and theology is to restore the proper, Christological understanding of truth and freedom for the world, as well as their inseparable, redemptive relationship: ‘the truth will set you free’ (John, 8.32).

The article “Reception of Marian Doctrine of the Vatican II in the Post-Conciliar Selected Publications” presents critical analysis of the recent interpretation, contained in the works of contemporary theologians. The analysis revealed that they misunderstood the intentions of the Fathers of the Council, concerning the Marian doctrine of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church “Lumen Gentium”, treating it, as a separate treatise. Such separation of the Chapter VIII from the C onciliar Constitution had a negative impact
on the contemporary Mariology. Focusing on the concept of the Church as the People of God led to a partial distortion of the perspective in the studies on the presence of Mary in the mystery of the Church. Lack of the concept of the Church as communio sanctorum had a negative influence on the interpretation of the conciliar Mariology. The article suggests to take into consideration the category of communio sanctorum as a hermeneutical category for Mariology, which will allow to improve our understanding of the place and roleof O ur Lady in the mystery of the Church.

This paper is an attempt to characterize Pavel Florensky’s sophiology. Sophiology appears as important branch of so-called All-unity philosophy and it is concerned as original idea of Russian religious thought. Introductory analyses are devoted to the history of Sophia-Wisdom concept in the oldest Russian history. Then I will study components of Florensky’s sophiology and its appraisal made by his contemporaries. Florensky’s sophiology as interesting field of research is worth exploring. 

The question about the “innocent pain or suffering” has always been present among people. However, it is extremely difficult to answer this question adequately. Moreover, the difficulty intensifies when the question refers to the mystery of suffering in an innocent neonate, an infant or a child. In an attempt to elaborate on such a problematic topic, this paper discusses three following bioethical issues: 1. the biological sense of pain, its definitions and etiology; 2 pain in children: misconceptions and basic distinctions; 3. the ethical and operational responsibility in the holistic approach to the problem of pain in children.

Priests’ involvement in politics stirs up intense emotions today as well as in the past. It seems that the casus of the sermon for Lent delivered by archbp. J. Teodorowicz and broadcast on the Polish Radio in 1938 may represent a valuable contribution to the research on admissibility of politics on the pulpit. In his sermon the Lvov’s archbishop of Armenian-Catholic Rite entered the delicate field of politics by calling peasant universities “poisoned schools”. That bold statement triggered an avalanche of protests and aroused quite a lot of political emotions. It seems that these words proved to be too strong and personal on the lips of a preacher. That incident, however, does not diminish the significance of archbishop’s sermons in the history of Polish preaching. Nevertheless, it shows
that since a radio statement can cause such a spiral of grudges and slanders, the preacher should consider the feelings of every listener, whether a peasant university’ activist or a faithful of the Catholic Church.

The works of the Russian philosopher Vladimir Soloviev were published (mostly in France) in the nineteenth century. In those works he introduced his views on the universal Church and the place of Russia in the world. His views encountered both critical and positive responses. Positive reaction came from the Polish intellectual elite of the time, centered around Jagiellonian University. Those thinkers discussed the views of the R ussian philosopher in the journal “Przegląd Powszechny”. In this article we will analyze
the extensive review of Count Stanisław Tarnowski, titled Głos sumienia z Rosyi. Above all, Tarnowski criticizes Soloviev’s account of the mission and calling of R ussia, although he expresses a positive attitude to Soloviev’s interpretation of the history of the Church.

There are not many remains in human memory and in the historic sources about the life of the rev. Teodor Kremski (1829-1906), despite that he had great influence on the religious life of people living in Katowice, Rybnik and Jankowice Rynickie in the second half of 19th and in the beginning of the 20th century. The rev. Teodor Kremski was one of the most interesting figures in the Silesian clergy at that time. He studied law in Wrocław, Bonn and Berlin and promised to be a good lawyer. But he gave it up in favor of the  priesthood. He graduated in theology at Wrocław University and took the cure of souls in Bujaków and Opole parishes. He was the first parish-priest in Katowice as the city, and the builder of the St. Mary’s Church in Katowice. At that time he felt ill, and looking for therapy he traveled even to the Orient. After that he settled in the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate (AM) in Poręba, where his voice recovered by miracle. Then he became the chaplain in St.Julius’ Hospital in Rybnik. He stayed there for 34 years serving the ill and the poor during days and nights and he gave away all his personal property. He died of heart attack while he was bringing solace to the dying person.