Abstracts
Zborník Ideológia v premenách času v pamiatkach gréckej a latinskej tradície /
Proceedings The Ideology in Time Transformations within the Monuments of Greek and Latin Traditions
Abstracts
Daniel Škoviera: K vzťahom poézie a politiky v 16. storočí v Bardejove / On the Relationship Between Poetry and Politics in 16th-century Bardejov, pp. 31 - 53.
This work discusses two figures in the history of Bardejov, which was a royal free city in the Kingdom of Hungary. Valentinus Ecchius Lindaviensis (1494?–1556) began as a travelling Latin poet. After unsuccessful attempts to settle in Cracow, the location of a university and a royal court, he left for Bardejov. However, he never forgot about the help he received from Alexius Thurzo (†1543). From being the rector of a municipal parish Latin school, Ecchius worked his way up to being the mayor three times. He became one of the main leaders of the Habsburg party (Ad proceres Pannoniae, 1528?). His student Leonard Stöckel (1510–1560) was born in Bardejov. After returning from Wittenberg, he refused to join in working for the town. Instead, as a part of the progress of the Reformation in Hungary, he took a stance like that of Philip Melanchthon (1497–1560), who he saw as a great authority and as his ideal. This is why he continued working in education until his death. An important political text by Stöckel is Apophthegmata illustrium virorum, which was printed only after his death.
Keywords: poet, poetical, literary, Reformation, reformational, Humanism, humanist, politics, Valentin Ecchius, Leonard Stöckel
Franz Römer: Von Tacitus zum Tacitismus: Von Reflexion zur Ideologie / From Tacitus to Tacitism: From Reflection to Ideology, pp. 54 - 65.
Tacitus’ opinions and his intentions as an historian have been widely discussed. In addition, his impact on early modern historiography and political theory has aroused much interest. This paper gives an overall view of both areas, concentrating on aspects of ideology. When discussing Tacitus, an analysis of significant passages from the Agricola to the Annals shows that he does not try to force preconceived ideas on his readers; instead, he makes them aware of political problems and induces them to form their own opinions. After his works had been rediscovered, Tacitus increasingly became a literary and political authority of great influence from about 1580 to 1700. The mainstream of Tacitism, however, did not aim at a better understanding of the ancient historian; rather, as can be shown in selected passages, authors and commentators exploited his texts to confirm their own political ideas. Thus Tacitism corresponding to the prevailing state system of the time effectively supported the ideology of absolutism.
Keywords: Amelot, Ammirato, Campano, emperors (Tiberius, Domitian, Trajan), historiography, ideology, Lipsius, Muret, Paschalius / Pasquale, Piccolomini, reflection, Scotus / Scotti, Tacitus, Tacitism
Irena Radová: Médeia jako protagonistka uprchlické krize / Medea as the Protagonist of a Refugee Crisis, pp. 66 - 74.
The character of Medea has attracted the attention of scholars for centuries. Different epochs with various social systems and ideologies have left their imprint on her story. At the turn of the 20th century, a lot of literary works arose aiming to absolve Jason’s wife from the guilt attributed to her over all the long years of literary tradition. The paper deals with one of these works - the novel Medea: Stimmen by Christa Wolf. In her novel, Wolf, with the use of inner monologues of several characters, presents diverse views on the well-known events taking place in Colchis and Corinth. While demonstrating an outstanding knowledge of many antecedent forms of the myth of Medea, she casts a new light on the particular motives of various adaptations. Just like the rationalistic exegetes, Wolf primarily aims to free the myth from the fantastic burden of tradition. Wolf’s successfully applied demythization of features defying all logic (the Golden Fleece and Medea’s magical powers) is quickly replaced with a mythicizing which shows how the myth about an evil killer and initiator of all the poverty in Corinth was created. All these things are situated in the unusual circumstances of a political crisis in Colchis. The novel is therefore a probe into the relationship between political refugees (the people of Colchis with Medea in the lead) and their hosts (the arrogant inhabitants of Corinth), and as such it is presented in this study.
Keywords: Medea, the reception of myth, Christa Wolf, novel „Medea: Stimmen”
Barbora Machajdíková: Velebenie elít na juhopicénskych nápisoch: frazeológia a poézia v službách ideológie / Praise for the Elites in the South Picene Inscriptions: Phraseology and Poetry in the Service of Ideology, pp. 75 - 88.
The aim of the present contribution is to study the exaltation of the ruling elites in the South Picene inscriptions of pre-Roman Italy (6th to 4th centuries BC) and to show how poetry and verbal art may serve their ideology. Among other stylistic features, alliterations, marked word order, etymological figures, and phraseological correlations within the South Picene inscriptions illustrate the first age of poetry in Italy. The metrical structure of the texts deserves special attention. The rhythm of two poems (an epitaph and a dedicatory inscription) may be described in accentualist terms.
Keywords: accent, epigraphy, Italic, Latin, metrics, poetics, Sabellian, South Picene
Kurt Smolak: Io triumphe! De triumphis apud Romanos eorumque successores usque in tempora recentiora ingenii proprii suique aestimationis indicibus / The Triumph as an Expression of Self-Esteem for the Romans and their Successors from the Republic through to the 19th Century, pp. 89 - 106.
The triumph ceremony, which the Romans adopted from the Etruscans and established as a demonstration of military might and glory, reflects differing relationships between the human and the divine during its historical development. In earlier times, namely from the third century BCE up to Augustus, the divine sphere, represented by the triumphant general’s ascent to the great sanctuary of Jupiter on Capitol Hill in order to make a sacrifice, was dominant, whereas in the imperial period the emperors themselves came increasingly into focus. After Constantine’s victory at the Milvian Bridge in 312 CE., religion regained its original importance – but, of course, it was now Christianity. Consequently, the most visible and durable element of triumph, the monumental triumphal arch, was transferred to churches, e.g., to St. Paul’s in Rome, with Christ being the eternal triumphator over Death and Evil. Therefore, the triumphal arch lived on in Western church architecture throughout the Middle Ages. Only in the Renaissance did sovereigns virtually revitalize the Roman triumph, using decorated wooden arches as an important feature of any kind of festivity: clerical, profane, public, or private. An outstanding example of a triumphal arch built in stone is the “Triumphal Gate” in Innsbruck, erected in 1765 by the Catholic Habsburg Empress Maria Theresia to celebrate an imperial wedding. Napoleon Bonaparte, the “Emperor of the French”, did the same thing. In his case, however, it was to celebrate his victory over the last “Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire,” the Habsburg-Lothringen ruler Francis II near Austerlitz in 1805.
Keywords: Roman religion, triumphal procession, triumphal arch, arch of Constantine, Christian architecture, St. Paul’s basilica (Rome), St. Martin, empress Maria Theresia, Napoleon, Ludwig I. (King of Bavaria)
Wilken Engelbrecht: Das Prokrustesbett mittelalterlicher Ovidkommentare / The Procrustes Bed of Medieval Ovid Commentaries, pp. 107 - 122.
Although ancient literature was not always suitable in the eyes of the Catholic Church, it was very popular. Since Ludwig Traube, the 12th and 13th centuries have been known as the Aetas Ovidiana. Especially in Orléans and its surroundings, university teachers were active and taught their students Latin based on Ovid’s writings. They produced school commentaries, of which several have been preserved. Such commentaries could be allegorizing for advanced students (the paper gives an example from the Ovidius moralizatus of Berchorius) or of a more basic nature for younger students. Such commentaries could be found in manuscripts with the text to be studied; from the 12th century, this was mostly in ‘editions’ with three columns or separately as so-called catena commentaries. The commented works were introduced by an accessus, an abstract of the work. The paper gives examples from the commentaries of the three Orléans masters that give philological comments on Ovid’s works.
Keywords: Ovid, Orléans, school commentaries, Aetas Ovidiana, Ovidius moralizatus
Adam Sitár: Tendencie portrétovania zbehov z prvej križiackej výpravy v latinských prameňoch z r. 1100–1125: náčrt problematiky / Tendencies of Portraying of Deserters from the First Crusade in Latin Sources from 1100–1125 (An Introduction), pp. 123 - 131.
During the Middle Ages, crusading became a state of mind. During the Late Medieval period, it justified the expansion of Christendom to the Baltics and Iberian Peninsula, the defence of the Balkans against the Ottoman Empire, the Church’s business of selling indulgences, and the aggression of popes against their rivals. However, it took centuries for the crusades to become like this.
In this study, I focus on the origin of the crusading phenomenon and its tradition. I deal with the earliest crusading chronicles and I try to find out whether some kind of crusading ideology already existed in the period between 1100 and 1125. On this occasion, I discuss the topic of portraying the desertions from the First Crusade (1096–1099). I observe how the chroniclers dealt with the “ideological” dilemma of whether they should portray the crusaders as God’s homogeneous army or as a group of individuals, which included “sinful” and “shameful” men.
My results show that in the early twelfth century, the chroniclers did not rely on any interpretative “doctrine”. Their portrayal of desertions is quite contradictory, individual, ambivalent, and partly also opportunistic. Although they usually criticized the crusading apostates, in some descriptions we also find different tendencies: e.g., apologies for the deserters, a demonization of Byzantium, local patriotism, a eulogy for a chronicler’s patron, and a theological reasoning of desertions being a part of God’s wider plan.
Keywords: First Crusade, desertions, 12th century, Latin chroniclers, literary portrayal
Juraj Franek: Vrah alebo hrdina? Recepcia Bruta Mladšieho v talianskom renesančnom humanizme / Brutus between a Murderer and a Hero: The Reception of Brutus the Younger in Italian Renaissance Humanism, pp. 132 - 149.
The historical figure of Marcus Iunius Brutus the Younger enjoyed a rich and complicated reception during the period of the Italian Renaissance. Dante famously placed Brutus, alongside Cassius and Judas, in the jaws of Lucifer. Petrarch, in his earlier years, celebrated Cola di Rienzo as a “third Brutus” only to harshly censure the “noblest Roman” in his old age. Boccaccio called Brutus’ action a parricide, yet his works betray a strong anti-Caesarian sentiment. Salutati defended both Dante’s decision to place Brutus in the lowest circle of Hell and the right to the violent elimination of the tyrant by conjuring up an overtly positive image of Caesar as a much-loved, benign ruler. Bruni unequivocally condemned Caesar, praised Brutus as the last bulwark of republican freedoms, and tried to safeguard Dante’s reputation by means of a symbolic interpretation of Brutus as the archetype of a traitor and Caesar as the archetype of the imperial maiestas, with Landino, probably the greatest commentator of Dante’s Commedia in the fifteenth century, following his lead. Machiavelli, quite like Bruni, applauded the conspirator’s deed and did not allow any special pleading for Dante either, claiming that the gnawing thought of unjust banishment from republican Florence occasioned the great poet’s condemnation of Brutus. Apart from literary works, attestations of Brutus as an inspiration for several attempted political coups in Florence abound, with Pier Paolo Boscoli begging the notary present on the night before his execution to “get the Brutus out of his head” and Lorenzino de’ Medici’s assassination of his relative followed by Florentine republican exiles’ praise of a new “Tuscan Brutus” and a significant iconographical programme to commemorate the deed.
Keywords: Marcus Iunius Brutus the Younger, Renaissance political philosophy, tyrannicide, reception of classical antiquity, Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Salutiati, Bruni, Landino, Machiavelli, Lorenzino de’ Medici, Michelangelo, Giannotti, Pazzi conspiracy
Ľudmila Buzássyová: Dva kráľovské portréty v kontexte politických sporov posledných rokov vlády Mateja Korvína / Two Portraits of the King in the Context of Political Disputes in the Late Years of Matthias Corvinus‘ Rule, pp. 150 - 163.
Two propagandistic and thematically closely-linked works by Italian humanists, Galeottus Martius’ De egregie, sapienter, iocose dictis ac factis regis Mathiae (Excellent, Wise, Facetious Sayings and Deeds of King Matthias) and Antonius Bonfinus’ Symposion de virginitate et pudicitia coniugali (Symposium on Virginity and the Purity of Married Life), concern the dynastic politics of the last years of the rule of King Matthias Corvinus. Both works were dedicated to the king’s relatives and were created at approximately the same time. They differ in the political aims they followed and in the ideology on which they relied. They tackled the sensitive issue of who would succeed to the Hungarian throne after Matthias Corvinus. They served as a propagandistic means for two opposing camps: the first text represented the Hunyadi-Corvinian camp, allowing for the succession of an illegitimate descendant, and the second, supporting the Aragonian camp, which was bound to the court in Naples, still expected a descendant from the king’s legitimate marriage. The key intertextual bond of the two works is St Jerome’s treatise Adversus Iovinianum, in which the ideas about marriage and virginity put forward by Iovinian, an opponent of Christian asceticism, are presented. The main protagonists of the compared texts take opposite stands on these ideas depending on their own political ambitions. In the paper, the two works are presented in terms of the political, ideological, and artistic aims of the authors and the effect these texts could have had on the dynastic conflicts at the royal court as well as on the personal ambitions of their authors.
Keywords: dynastic politics, propagandistic, marriage, virginity, Christian, Matthias Corvinus, Galeottus Martius Narniensis, Anonius Bonfinius, Iovinianus
Eva Frimmová: Politika, ideológia a propaganda v roku 1515 / Policy, Ideology and Propaganda in 1515, pp. 164 - 177.
At the turn of the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period, one of the most important events for the whole central European area took place: the First Congress of Vienna. On 22 July 1515, preparatory talks between Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg and three kings of the Jagiełło family were concluded. They concerned the future double-marriage of their descendants; indeed, the talks had been going on since their birth. Three to four months before the end of the First Congress, intensive negotiations in Bratislava took place. The importance and impact of this international event was immense, because the foundation of a firm and vast empire was proposed which would reinforce Christendom and stand up to external enemies, particularly to the Ottoman Empire. The Habsburg family would be celebrated, and its power and influence would be shown to the world.
At the end of the Middle Ages, a unique Christian ideology dominated which was characterized by some “tears”, but its integrity and supranational character related to all the literary and more precisely cultural backgrounds of antique heritage were preserved. The main papal policy and the policy of singular European monarchs was subordinated to this ideology, which was interconnected with state power.
The Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg used all possibilities of diplomacy and propaganda, and was able to perfectly put together all its forms and manifestations into his policy, which can be analysed at different levels: as a matrimonial policy, a policy oriented to the East, a policy aimed against the Ottomans, and as a cultural policy. At that time, two notable families – the Jagiełło family and the Zápoľský family – stood in opposition to him.
Keywords: First Congress of Vienna, 1515, Bratislava, the Habsburgs, the Jagiełło, the Zápoľský, policy, ideology, propaganda
Imrich Nagy: Ohlas Erazmovej idey o spoločnej obrane Európy pred osmanskou hrozbou na augsburskom sneme / A Reflection on Erasmus’ Idea of Europe's Common Defence Against the Ottoman Threat at the Diet of Augsburg, pp. 178 - 187.
The imminent military threat of the Ottoman Empire towards European Christian states at the turn of the 16th century provoked a reaction on the side of intellectual circles among humanists. They started to call for an end to internal military conflicts among European monarchies and the creation of a united alliance of Christian states against the Ottoman Empire. Erasmus of Rotterdam was one of the main representatives of these ideas. Through his work and correspondence with monarchs and influential humanists of the era, we can notice a gradual crystallizing of this idea into a treatise entitled Utilissima consultatio de bello Turcis inferendo. This was written for the Diet of Augsburg in 1530. In this treatise, Erasmus summarized the basic arguments for the creation of a common European coalition for defence against Ottoman aggression. Despite expectations, he declined personal participation in the diet. However, his ideas made a big impression. This is quite noticeable in the speech of Miklós Oláh’s (Nicolaus Olahus, Mikuláš Oláh), who acted on behalf of the absent Elek Thurzó (Alexius Thurzo, Alexej Thurzo). Oláh divided his speech into three parts: in the first part, he spoke to Emperor Charles V; in the second part, he addressed the princes of the realm; and finally in the third part he conveyed the particular demands of the Hungarian estates. Oláh’s speech presented at the Diet of Augsburg is an example of humanistic eloquence and erudition. We can unequivocally identify ideas and formulations corresponding to Erasmus’ understanding of the Ottoman issue. However, neither Erasmus’ call as a humanist nor Oláh’s negotiation as a politician were able to force the estates of the realm to provide military help to the Kingdom of Hungary.
Keywords: Erasmus of Rotterdam, Mikuláš Oláh, the Diet of Augsburg, anti –Turkish battles, history of the 16th century
Marcela Andoková: Erazmove úvahy o vojne a mieri v diele Utilissima consultatio de bello Turcis inferendo. Realizmus alebo utópia? / Erasmus of Rotterdam’s Reflections on War and Peace in his Work Utilissima consultatio de bello Turcis inferendo: Realism or Utopia?, pp. 188 - 203.
Shortly after the Siege of Vienna in 1529, Erasmus of Rotterdam wrote the work Utilissima consultatio de bello Turcis inferendo, where he deals with questions regarding the circumstances under which it was possible and legitimate to lead a war against other nations. The issue of a just war stood at the centre of interest in the Bible as well as in the works of the Church Fathers, and in the context of the religious and political ideologies of the 16th century it again came to the fore. When gathering his arguments concerning the war against the Turks, Erasmus primarily finds his inspiration in the Old Testament, especially in Psalm 28 (LXX), which became the framework of his reflection. Moreover, he depicts God as an almighty and merciful sovereign who can only guarantee the victory of Christianity over the Saracens if the people, led by their Christian rulers, converted to Him. Another source of his arguments can be found in the works of Saints Ambrose of Milan and Augustine of Hippo, as well as in the ideas presented by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who considered a secular army to be an evil one. As a priest who was not supposed to interfere in secular matters, Erasmus appeals to Christian rulers who were meant to lead the war against the Turks, the aim of which must exclusively be peace and the conversion of pagans. Although Erasmus’ biblical realism regarding the war against the Turks cannot inspire us in terms of modern-day conflicts in the Middle East, the ideas presented in Utilissima consultatio can help us better understand the problems of his time.
Keywords: Erasmus of Rotterdam, Utilissima consultatio, Psalm 28, Church Fathers, secular rulers, war against the Turks
Marta Hulková: Konfesijné zmeny v 16. storočí v Európe a ich vplyv na cirkevnú hudbu na území Slovenska / Denominational Changes in 16th-century Europe and their Influence on Church Music in Slovakia, pp. 204 - 216.
Music has played an important role in the Christian church on the European continent. Its various forms (vocal, vocal-instrumental, monophonic, and polyphonic) serve for the glorification of God and enhance the meaning of His word. In Europe the Roman Catholic Church, with the Pope as its head, had been setting the rules for the liturgy of the Mass and the hours for centuries. Consequently, a well-planned musical layer had been formed, which was developed and recorded by church musicians in the form of notated codices. During the 15th and the 16th centuries, in the era of the Renaissance, changes took place in the theological concept of the Christian church due to the influence of the reformist ideas of J. Hus, M. Luther, J. Calvin, and U. Zwingli, also bringing changes in the attitude towards the role of music in the church environment. In Slovakia, i.e., Upper Hungary, several European reformist Christian movements were active in the 16th century, which has been documented by preserved sources of church music. Even documents of a theological character bear evidence of the impact of these denominational changes in the Christian church in various localities in Slovakia, and this is clearly manifested in the selection of music from the contemporary European repertoire. Research so far has revealed that the artistic value of musical compositions written in the said era often enjoyed preference over their denominational origin.
Keywords: 16th-century, church music, denominational changes, the liturgy of the mass, Renaissance
Zuzana Kákošová: Ján Sambucus, emblémy venované významným osobnostiam 16. storočia / Johannes Sambucus, Emblems Dedicated to Important Personalities of the 16th Century, pp. 217 - 228.
The paper discusses selected emblems addressed to significant personalities of the 16th century. Sambucus dedicated his poetry to over one hundred personalities. Among them were rulers, such as Matthias Corvinus, Janos (John) Hunyady, Ferdinand I, and Maximilian II; bishops and archbishops; professors and educated people in general; poets and writers; as well as clerks of high rank at the emperor’s court in Vienna and important diplomats of the era.
The paper focuses on the relationship between the author and the addressee, paying attention to the reflection of this relationship in a poetic text of emblems. Since an illustration represents an essential part of emblems, the paper also discusses the link between mottos (titles), texts, and illustrations. In his time, Sambucus’ book of emblems was very popular, and was re-edited several times. The author continued elaborating on his concept of the book between respective editions, especially between the first and the second editions. He added new addressees and new emblems. Among the numerous new addressees added to the second edition, one can mention Nicolaus Olahus, an archbishop who not only held a high church rank but also had a personal connection to the author. Other new addressees were, for example, clerks of high rank at the imperial court, such as Wolfgang Haller, the Emperor’s Secretary; representatives of nobility; bishops, such as Paul (Paulus) Bornemisza; Johannes Oporinus, a printer from Basel; Christophorus Plantinus, an editor from Antwerp; Johannes Sturm, a remarkable person in the area of education who was also included among the addressees of Poemata; and Sigismund Gelous Tordai as well as many other personalities.
Keywords: poetry, politics, Humanism, emblem, personalities
Ivan Lábaj: Imitatio Ciceroniana podľa Jána Sambuca / Imitatio Ciceroniana according to Johannes Sambucus, pp. 229 - 239.
Johannes Sambucus, a humanist and a native of Trnava, engaged in a discussion on the best Latin style with his dialogue De imitatione Ciceroniana (Paris 1561) and its subsequent editions. Although influenced in his youth by the Ciceronian teachings of his professors, in this work he tried to objectively explain to his pupil Georgius Bona the reasons for literary imitation and direct him towards the right example, which in his case was Cicero. Unlike other zealous Ciceronians, such as Bembo or Cortesi, Sambucus did not distance himself from other great authors, and even though he can be identified as a Ciceronian, he allowed the use of words from other authors. However, these were to be embedded within the style of Cicero.
Keywords: Johannes Sambucus, Ciceronianism, imitation, 16th century, De imitatione Ciceroniana
Jana Balegová: Reflexia politických postojov Juraja Wernera v jeho príležitostnej poézii / Reflections on the Political Attitudes of Georg Werner in His Occasional Poetry, pp. 240 - 553.
Humanist scholar and poet Georg Werner (last decade of the 15th century –1556) may not have originally come from the area of present-day Slovakia, but his life and work are so closely linked with it that he has become an inseparable part of the history of our older literature. He was born in the small Silesian town of Paczków (Patschkau). After studying at the University of Wittenberg and the Jagellonian University in Cracow, he moved to Kingdom of Hungary Hungary in the 1520s and settled permanently in Prešov (Eperies). His political attitudes were significantly formed by his stay in Cracow, where he became familiar with the cult of Erasmus of Rotterdam and struck up a friendship with the Habsburg diplomat and humanist Count Sigismund Herberstein. Just a few years after his move to Hungary, the balance of political forces in the country was seriously compromised by the emergence of the dual governments of Ferdinand I and Ján Zápoľský (John Zápolya, Ioannes Zapolitanus), which happened after the death of King Ludovicus II at the first Battle of Mohács (1526). As a town dignitary in this situation, Georg Werner quickly took Ferdinand’s side and played an active part in seeing that Prešov and the other Upper Hungarian royal towns remained on his side as well. Werner’s preference for Ferdinand is also reflected in his poetry, which presents the Turkish victory at Mohács as a catastrophe for Hungary, emphasizing the importance of the defence of the homeland and Christian values and condemning political schisms and collusion with the Ottoman Empire.
Keywords: Latin Humanism, Neo-Latin occasional poetry, Georg Werner, Pannoniae luctus
František Šimon: Satira na povolania v diele J. G. Macra Szepsia De vera gloria libellus / A Satire on Professions in the Work De vera gloria by J. G. Macer Szepsius, pp. 254 - 263.
The lesser-known humanist author J. G. Macer Szepsius (1530–after 1579) came from Moldava nad Bodvou. He studied in Cracow and lived there after studying. A small part of his work De vera gloria libellus (On True Glory) from 1562 contains a sharp satire on particular professions. He criticizes grammarians, orators, geometers, astronomers, physicians, lawyers, poets, and fine artists. Medicine is at the forefront, having the largest number of verses. Physicians are loquacious, they have a big belly due to luxury, they do not read books, they sleep night and day, and they prescribe medications even though they do not know their effects. Poets, orators, and grammarians have the same number of verses. Poets write clumsy verses without meaning, and they count feet with their index finger yet the syllables do not come to them. Grammarians cause confusion, use barbarism, and become warlike sophists with incomprehensible speech. Orators cut parts of sentences; they cut off parts of speech. Some other verses are devoted to geometers, astronomers, and fine artists; lawyers come at the end with the smallest number of verses. This order apparently reflects the author’s relationship with them. Macer is not entirely original in his criticism. Sometimes he is inspired only by ideas, while at other times there are what appear to be literal reflections from classical Latin literature.
Keywords: Macer Szepsius, Humanist literature, satire
Erika Brodňanská: „Oslie bremená” na pleciach vladárov v spise Jána Webera Lectio principum (1665) / “Donkey’s Burdens” on Rulers’ Shoulders in Ján Weber’s Treatise Lectio principum (1665), pp. 263 - 273.
Weber’s Lectio principum constitutes an outline of virtues that need to be honoured and loved as well as a warning against deplorable infamies and vices. Among the latter, envy, hatred, slander, insincerity, and ingratitude (labelled as “donkey’s burdens” that no ruler can avoid bearing) are particularly penalized in the treatise. These vices are frequently thematized in biblical texts; a lot of important figures of the antique period struggled with them, and 17th-century rulers were not capable of avoiding them either. Weber, however, does not limit himself to accumulating alerts and numerous examples confirming the weight of these vices. In an explicit or implicit manner, he reveals and provides the means by which a ruler can cope with these vices and lead a city, a state, or a country towards prosperity. One of these means consists of overcoming laziness and stupidity, and another is found in the ruler’s tenacity in enhancing knowledge. In itself, the symbol of the donkey, traditionally associated with a lazy but tenacious draught animal, bears not only an allusion to rulers bearing the heavy burden of government and everything it implies but also places an emphasis on the tenacity that each and every ruler needs in order to manage to carry his burdens.
Keywords: mirror for princes, donkey as a symbol, envy, slander, insincerity, ingratitude, antiquity, Bible
Jozef Kordoš: Sol Szelepcsianum – tretí panegyrik súboru Tyrnavia crescens (Štefan Čiba, Trnava 1707) venovaný Jurajovi Pohroncovi Slepčianskemu / Sol Szelepscianum: The Third Panegyric in the Tyrnavia crescens Collection Dedicated to George Szelepcsenyi, pp. 274 - 286.
In 1707 the work Tyrnavia crescens was published by the university press at Universitas Tyrnaviensis, the Jesuit university founded in Trnava (Tyrnavia, Tyrnau, Nagyszombat) by Cardinal Peter Pazmany in 1635. According to contemporary customs, this work was published to honour the solemn graduation of doctors of that year, which took place on 30 August 1707 in Trnava. The work is anonymous; however, it is ascribed to Stephanus Csiba, SJ, an erudite Jesuit, since he was at that time a professor of poetics and rhetoric at the university. The five patrons of Trnava chosen to be celebrated in this panegyric are Cardinal Peter Pazmany; the Archbishops of Esztergom, George Lippay and George Szelepcsenyi; the Archbishop of Kalocsa, John Telegdy; and the Bishop of Eger, Ferdinand Palffy. However, the work itself does not consist of five panegyric speeches, as one might infer from its title and from the number of the addressees, since the fourth and shortest speech is dedicated to both John Telegdy and Ferdinand Palffy. This paper will focus on the third panegyric, dedicated to Archbishop George Szelepcsenyi, for the great merit he earned for the respublica orthodoxa Christiana by founding the Seminarium Marianum in Trnava.
Keywords: Stephanus Csiba, Tyrnavia crescens, Baroque rhetoric, panegyric, Georgius Szelepcsenyi, Universitas Tyrnaviensis, Jesuits, Seminarium Marianum
Katarína Karabová: Básnické nadanie v službách univerzitného manažmentu v 18. storočí / Poetic Talent in the Service of University Management in the 18th Century, pp. 287 - 295.
The diversity of genre and content in the book production of the historic Trnava University and the many preserved published works from the period of its operation provide an opportunity to examine individual publications even in terms of the specific conditions of their creation. This paper addresses the issue of book production within the specific intentions of the mutually beneficial relationship between authors and the leading representatives of the educational institution in Trnava. Material revealing the genesis is often found in the works themselves in the form of a preface; on other occasions, the relevant information comes directly from the core text. Support from the dean or the rector of the university for these publications did not necessarily only entail financial resources for publication. As we will see, it often reflected an attempt to improve the educational process or support extraordinary talent. Franciscus Babai was a gifted Jesuit poet who published four collections of epigrams between 1773 and 1777. Behind each one there stands the poet’s enthusiasm for the epigrammatic style; however, each collection is distinct in its content as well as its origins. The preserved information that Babai himself produced reveals what preceded the publication of these epigrammatic poems.
Keywords: Neo-Latin literature, Trnava University, Franciscus Babai
Nicol Sipekiová: Obrana a oslobodenie Viedne roku 1683 očami Gabriela Kapiho / The Defence and Liberation of Vienna in 1683 in the Eyes of Gabriel Kapi, pp. 296 - 319.
The aim of this contribution is to present a little-known Latin school play en-titled Vienna Austriae defensa et liberata and its author, the Hungarian Jesuit Gabriel Kapi (1658–1728). The story of Kapi’s only play was drawn from an important historical event of his time, the Battle of Vienna in 1683. This battle has been recorded in history as a military meeting in which it was decided whether Europe would be Christian or Muslim. It also meant the end of the Turkish expansion into Central Europe and the strengthening of the political influence of the Habsburg monarchy. Kapi published his play in Vienna in 1686, when he was a rhetoric teacher at the Vienna grammar school and when writing school plays was one of his duties. The play consists of three acts, all consisting of five outputs. Individual acts are devoted to the main actors of the battle: Vienna’s defender Ernst Rüdiger, who remained in the city to defend it with a small number of soldiers and volunteers; the Liberator of Vienna, the King of Poland, John III Sobieski, who came to the aid at the last minute; and finally, Kara Mustafa, the supreme duke and commander of the Turkish army. This contribution briefly introduces the author’s life and activity; it is more focused on presenting the content of the play based on selected demonstrations and their translations in confrontation with historical facts.
Keywords: Jesuit school drama, Battle of Vienna, Ernst Rüdiger, John III Sobieski, Kara Mustafa
Svorad Zavarský: Timonova Corona Regni Ungariae admirabilis (1712) – príspevok k ideológii uhorskej koruny v novolatinskej literatúre / Samuel Timon’s Corona Regni Ungariae admirabilis (1712): A Contribution on the Ideology of the Holy Crown of the Kingdom of Hungary in Neo-Latin Literature, pp. 310 - 322.
Although the idea of the Holy Crown formed the basis of political life in early modern Slovakia (historically part of the Kingdom of Hungary), the events of the past two hundred years have almost entirely pushed it out of Slovak historical consciousness. However, it is very instructive to learn that the early modern concept of Sacra Corona Regni Ungariae was predominantly formulated, or promoted, by Neo-Latin authors originating from present-day Slovakia, such as Elias Berger (1562–1644), Petrus de Rewa (1568–1622), Franciscus Nádasdy (1622–1671), Martinus Szent-Ivany (1633–1705), and Samuel Timon (1675–1736). Intimately connected with the origins of the kingdom, the idea of the Holy Crown implied questions concerning the political nation’s historical identity, fostering feelings of patriotism and lending itself to religious polemical purposes.
The present article brings into focus a collection of seven “elogia” (inscriptionnes argutae) on the Holy Crown of the Kingdom of Hungary, published anonymously by the Jesuit College of Trnava (Slovakia) in 1712 on the occasion of the coronation of King Charles III of Hungary. From the late eighteenth century onwards, its authorship has unambiguously been attributed to Slovak Jesuit Samuel Timon. In this paper, the work is tentatively placed in the context of a broader Neo-Latin tradition related to the Holy Crown of Hungary, its contents are briefly sketched, and its specific literary form is also paid attention to. As a result of such considerations, Samuel Timon’s elogia are shown to be a valuable source of information for research in the intellectual history of Slovakia. A Slovak translation of Timon’s first elogium is provided at the end of the article.
Keywords: Holy Crown of Hungary, Samuel Timon (1675 - 1736), University of Trnava, Neo-Latin, panegyrical writing, Inscriptiones Argutae (Elogia)
Zoltán Csehy – Anikó Polgár: „Eligite meliorem“ Latinský rečnícky prejav Pála Ányosa z roku 1782 / “Eligite meliorem”Latin Oration of Pál Ányos (1782), pp. 323 - 333.
Pál Ányos (1756–1784), the Hungarian poet of Sentimentalism, men of letters and monk wrote not only Hungarian, but also Latin speeches. This study is dealing with his Latin oration from the year 1782 (intitulated Oratio), which was written by the occasion of the election of the head of the ecclesiastical province (provincialis). The first part of the study summarizes how important role play this speech in his life-work (oeuvre). The second part examines the rhetorical structure of the text, and the third part is devoted to the question of the Ancient sources (intertextuality). The speech has its main focus on the ethical problems: the main question is, who is the best regarding to the superior’s or principal’s virtues. In the key position are four cardinal virtues, which arise from Ancient sources and in the Middle Age and the period of Baroque were completed by biblical equivalents. Ányos connects the virtues with the biblical names: David – prudentia (prudence), Moses – amor in filios (paternal love), Josue – fides, iustia (justis, fairness), Daniel – fortitudo, dicendi libertas (courage, the freedom of speaking). The virtues incarnated by biblical individuals had received the ancient equivalents: David, who represents the prudence is coupled with Aristotle, Daniel as the representant of dicendi libertas with Cicero, Moses with Solon and the fair-minded Josue with the fair-minded Aristides. Ányos utilizes the Ancient tradition very lucratively: uses adequate intertexual elements from Herodot, Cicero and Plutarch’s Parallel Lives.
Keywords: Neo-Latin studies, rhetorics, Latin orations, Pál Ányos, cardinal virtues
Pavol Markovič: Reflexia antických etických škôl v diele Hugolína Gavloviča / The reflection of the ancient ethical schools in the works of Hugolín Gavlovič, pp. 334 - 343.
This baroque preacher and author of didactic – reflective poetry reflects in his works and texts, especially in his best - known work Valaská škola mravův stodola (The shepherd’s school of virtue), implicitly and explicitly ancient conceptions, mainly Sophism, Stoicism, and Epicureanism. The main aim of this paper is to explore and study the philosophical coherence, or rather the functional and intentional deformation of these ancient philosophical foundations in the Valaská škola mravův stodola. The strategy of this poetic text is selective and ambiguous in relation to these ethical schools; the author attributes to them particular values, but they also function as a contrasting background for an absolute and strictly hierarchical view on ethics and axiology. The paper also focuses on the relationship between poetics, or rather the aesthetic and ideological and philosophical qualities of Gavlovič’s work.
Gavlovič’s following of the ancient conceptions, or more precisely his evaluation of ancient ethical ideas and conceptions, obviously has the character of rigorous philosophical research, but it is functionally determined and his authorial poetic simplification is used not only for practical and didactic purposes but also for the soteriological intention of his reflections in poetry.
Keywords: ethics, poetry, Baroque literature, didactics, art, function, poetics, interpretation, axiology, Sophism, Stoicism, Epicureanism
Erika Brtáňová: Jonáš Záborský a antická kultúra / Jonáš Záborský and Antique Culture, pp. 344 - 353.
Jonáš Záborský’s relationship to antique culture was determined by reading the Greek ancient writers. It was the aesthetic canon of antique literatures (Aristotles’ and Horace’s poetics) that significantly influenced Záborský’s theoretical thinking about literature (Básnici, 1863). He considered Homer’s epics to be a good model for Christian writers. Antique drama, theatre, and its audience seemed much more refined to him than modern European theatre. He created the concept of the thematic and genre composition of Slovak literature based on antique sources. He also drew on antique principles in his works, e.g., his odes and fables (some of them translated from Greek) form a significant part of his debut collection entitled Žehry (1851). On the other hand, he rejected antique mythology as it was pagan. He reproached Slovak authors for blending the Christian and the pagan. He created a caricature of this phenomenon illustrated by the Christianized portrayal of pagan deities (Umka as the Slavic Muse) and the antiquity-inspired depiction of heaven in his mock-heroic epic entitled Faustiáda (1866).
Keywords: the antique culture, the Greek ancient literature, the Roman literature, the Slovak literature, Jonáš Záborský
Kateřina Bočková Loudová: Představy o vztahu češtiny a řečtiny v klasické filologii 19. a počátku 20. století / Ideas about the Relationship between Czech and Ancient Greek in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries, pp. 354 - 364.
This paper deals with mapping the so-called “Greek orientation” in the philology of the Czech revivalist and post-revivalist period. In connection with efforts of the Czech National Revival movement to constitute a literary Czech language, dilettantish glottogonic ideas about the origin of the Czech language and its direct genetic relationship with several culturally important Indo-European languages came into prominence from the first third of the 19th century. Within Czech Slavic studies, there was very strong representation of the opinion that Czech resembled Ancient Greek, especially in the works of Jungmann, Palacký, and Šafařík, as well as in striking treatises by Řehoř Dankovský (1784–1857), a professor of classical philology who demonstrated a direct kinship between these two languages. This Greek orientation continued in Czech philology even at the turn of the 20th century in the works of classical philologists, which still offered cultural and etymological interpretations influenced a priori – in an analysis of Greek and Czech words – by patriotic interests. During this period, national self-confidence and belief in an independent future for the Czech nation were strengthened by emphasizing the Slavic influence on Medieval and Modern Greek (e.g., by Method Molčík, 1860–1897, and Vladislav Kalousek, 1863–1906) and by the preferentially Slavic etymological interpretation of Greek words (e.g., by Jan Vařeka, 1851–1917).
Keywords: Řehoř Dankovský, glottogonic ideas, Czech National Revival, Bonitz– Exner educational reforms, Method Molčík, Vladislav Kalousek, Jan Vařeka
Erika Juríková: Vplyv politicko-spoločenských pomerov na situáciu vo vyučovaní latinčiny na stredných a vysokých školách na Slovensku za ostatných 25 rokov / The Situation in Classical Philology in Slovakia Over the Last 25 Years, pp. 365 - 374.
This contribution tracks the changes in the Slovak secondary and tertiary education system which have affected the status of the teaching of Latin at secondary schools and universities from the 1990s until today. The paper analyses changes in the school education system as well as the legislative amendments associated with the accreditation of study programmes which threaten existing study programmes. It also deals with the current status of classical philology and suggests potential starting points for the future. The aim of this work is to encourage a constructive discussion within the classical philology community which would support a joint action focused on improving the current situation.
Keywords: Latin, classics, educational system, teaching, secondary school, university, political
Jana Grusková: Vplyv spoločenských zmien na grécke štúdiá a grécku kultúrnu tradíciu na území dnešného Slovenska / Impact of cultural changes on Greek Studies and Greek Cultural Tradition in the territory of present-day Slovakia, pp. 375 - 390.
This paper focuses on the impact of cultural changes on Greek studies and cultural tradition in the territory of present-day Slovakia since the 15th and 16th centuries until the beginning of the new millennium. It deals also with the influence of classical education in Ancient Greek language and literature to the movement which aimed at constituting a literary Slovak language, and briefly presents the history of classical philology in Slovakia. Some perspectives are drawn. A brief survey of translations produced over the centuries, especially during the Communism, provides interesting insights into the topic.
Keywords: Greek language, Greek Philology, Classics, Greek tradition