Apart from the Didache, the Shepherd of Hermas belongs to the oldest Christian literary works because it dates back to the middle of the 2nd century. Its content is not always easily understood on this account that the subject of the theology of penance (together with its liturgical aspect) shows at that time preliminary outline, which makes difficult and many times just makes impossible the verification of the assumed theoretical and practical as well as factual and pastoral guidelines. Certainly it will not be justified to attribute the role of an author and pioneer of the theology of penance to Hermas at the beginning of the Christian antiquity because he depicts himself in a biblical criteria already formulated in the Old Testament. However the Shepherd of Hermas as the first document entirely dedicated to the subject of the theology of penance outlines important scope of the later theological reflection on the presented subject (the aspects of the penance are: psychological and moral, redemptive and sacramental). The penance is compared to the baptism because by taking away the results of mortal sins it opens the doors to begin anew the way of remaining faithful to the commitments resolved there.

The apologetic treatise of Eusebius of Caesarea contains a philosophical and theological critique of fatalistic determinism expressed by Apollonius of Tyana in his teaching about the Fates and Necessity. According to Eusebius, attributing one’s own activity to destiny and to superior beings, like the Fates and Necessity, one negates God’s Providence, personal responsibility and human free will. A follower of such views should be considered godless and foolish, but not a true philosopher. In the conception of the Christian author the man is free in his choice of things “which are within our power” and he is responsible for his choices.

The funerary customs in Christian Egypt did not differ much from those practiced in other parts of the Christian world: the grave and the body itself were located on the east-west axis and the head of the dead person was situated on the western side; the burial equipment was absent or scarce; the commemoration of the dead was celebrated on fixed dates. However, the influence of the local ancient tradition was still strong. The ancient Egyptian form of mummification was not practiced anymore, but in many cases pieces of natron were observed on the bodies. Some of the literary sources confirm the fact that preserving the body of the dead person in its integral condition was still an important issue. Crux ansata – one of the most popular symbols used in the decoration of funerary stelae – takes its shape from the ancient Egyptian sign ankh. The visions of the netherworld as described in apocrypha resemble the old Egyptian pictures of hell. Some of the Christian customs – like the ritual lamentation – are similar to those known in ancient Egypt but should be considered more as part of the Middle Eastern or Mediterranean tradition.

The brief work here translated is the most known legacy of St Mark the Monk. Mark is known to the modern reader, if he is known at all, as the author of three works found in St Nikodimos the H agiorite’s Philokalia: “Letter to the Monk Nicholas”, “On the Spiritual Law” and “On Those Who Think They are Justified by Their Works”. In “Spiritual Law” Mark insists that Christian freedom necessarily means, not lawlessness, but obedience to Christ’s “law of liberty”. The aim of this translation is therefore to make Mark’s complete work accessible in Polish.

J. Ratzinger/Benedict XVI treats the words from the Prologue of the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word (Logos)” as the fundamental principle of the entire reality, one that determines the essential, ontic rationality/meaningfulness of the universe because it points to its beginning – the Creator. Meaning is not a result but the principle of existence or action – by virtue of creation itself, and Christology makes us aware that meaning is, in essence, identical with love and, consequently, accessible in history and cognizable to man (incarnated). Maintaining this “logic of the Logos” protects Christian faith from mythicality, violence, autosoterism, and moralism. Only humble acceptance of the gift and kenotic unification with Christ – the eternal Logos – in prayer allows man to recognize the true meaning of the world: God’s quiet obviousness.

One of the most important questions in feminist theology is a problem of the social roles of women. Among them there are two distinctive roles – of a mother and of a virgin. Elizabeth Johnson, as a feminist theologian, also considers these questions and proposes the following interpretation. Maternity is seen by Johnson as an experience of happiness, suffering and also as a source of women’s strength. Johnson protests against the stereotypical thinking of a mother as a tender guardian. She highlights that a mother is able to be an aggressive defender of her children. She emphasizes that a woman has a value in herself and not only in being a mother. This way she wants to liberate women from the pressure of being mothers and from their total sacrifice for the sake of their children. Virginity is understood by Johnson as sign of women’s autonomy. She underlines that Mary’s virginity must be interpreted in a spiritual way in order to avoid creating grounds for depreciation of feminine sexuality.

The author tries to present the factors that could be responsible for the development of thinking in the XV – XVIII century. The mentality of the modern times in Poland can be defined by reference to the practiced science, religion and law. These factors affected each other with varying degrees. A man of that time could not stop functioning only on the basis of religion or law. His life was included into this matter. Proposals for the analysis were based on one of the most important paper of the Żywiec’s land, Andrzej Komoniecki’s Chronicle. This unique chronicle presents daily life over several centuries and thus can be a rich source for the history of mentality.

On 15 January 1991 Pope John Paul II reactivated, being currently 600 years old, the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lvov of the Latin Rite. Marian Jaworski was appointed its first Archbishop. The A rchdiocese was erected in 1375 with its seat in Halych and it was moved to Lvov in 1412 in difficult conditions in the Latin and Byzantine borderland. The aim of this article is to present the rich tradition of the Roman Catholic Church and her creative presence for 600 hundred years on the territory of the present Western Ukraine. The main threads of this article are as follows: the nationality of the “Ruthenian” land in the Middle Ages, Latin missionary bishops in Ruthenia, the erection of a Metropolis of Halych of the Latin Rite, the transfer of the seat of the Metropolis to Lvov in 1412 and its further development, jurisdiction of Bishops of Lebus in Ruthenia and the participation of the Franciscans and Dominicans in the erection of the diocese and in the Christianization
of Ruthenia.

The Great Depression in Poland (1929-1935) severely affected the most industrialized region of the Second Polish Republic, the Upper Silesia. A huge decrease in industrial production left 30% of the labour force unemployed and had many adverse social implications. The Catholic Church of the Diocese of Katowice took a number of actions aimed at minimizing these negative social consequences and caring for the poor and needy. To that end, the priests of the local diocese established and reorganized charitable organizations. The most important one that coordinated the charity events was the Association of Charitable Societies “Caritas.” Other organizations that provided aid and assistance on a large scale were the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. All orders and congregations active in the diocese also played a major role in this movement. The ordinaries of the Diocese of Katowice (Bishop Arkadiusz Lisiecki and Bishop Stanisław Adamski) educated the activists working for charitable organizations by enrolling them in courses or organizing special trainings in Katowice.

The article presents an analysis of the legal status, in the light of the Canon Law Codex of 1917, of the Roman Catholic clergy movement inspired by the Communist authorities (Polish United People’s Party) and the state security office (Ministry of Public Security) in Poland in the years 1949–1956. The movement was aimed at internal diversion in Church institutions and distribution of Marxist propaganda among the Catholic clergy and lay people. On the other hand, in their press articles the activists of the movement presented interesting and innovative concepts for the reforms in the Church, at times even precursory in relation to the changes that were to be initiated by the 2nd Vatican Council. This is confirmed by numerous examples from the Diocese of Katowice and the Upper Silesia area. The article is based on the doctoral dissertation written under the guidance of Prof. Jerzy Myszor, PhD (Faculty of Theology, University of Silesia).

This work is legal and historical assessment of the actions taken by the communist authorities in the period 1952-1956 to the bishops of Katowice. This procedure was the result of a determined attitude of bishops from Katowice who opposed the decisions of the officials on the removal of religious education in schools, considering them to be inconsistent with applicable law at that time. The work has shown that all the repressive measures taken against bishops of Katowice had no legitimacy.

The current labour market offers many opportunities. The development of new fields and technologies simplifies work and generates demand for specific specialists. On the other hand, rapid development and computerization of industry contribute to human depreciation and the increase of the machine value. Since unemployment influences a person in a specific manner, organizational reintegration could be particularly difficult for newcomers previously unemployed. The article analyses the emotional costs of reemployment and occupational reintegration. The view of potential job loss often determines the negative phenomena in the workplace of employment, such as aggressive competition, devaluation of values and moral principles. The atmosphere in the workplace mostly affects individuals returning to work after a long break. The consequence of unfavorable conditions associated with reintegration can lead to the occupational re-exclusion. Therefore, social support, especially within organization, becomes a very important factor in the situation of occupational reemployment.

Twentieth and 21st century civilisation poses increasingly new problems which have to be faced by human beings and which may have a considerable impact on conscious, voluntary and full expression and implementation of obligations ensuing from marital consent. This paper describes AIDS from a medical standpoint and its impact on ability to assume the essential obligations of marriage and, in consequence, matrimonial consent. Conclusions which can be drawn on the basis
of the gathered material indicate that marriage can be invalidated only when the disease has progressed so far that it has a destructive impact on the consensus. Thus, only HI V carriers who have developed AIDS , because of the vast array of conditions always accompanying the disease, are incapable of entering into a valid marriage.