In memoriam Joanna Mantel-Niećko (1933-2009)

  Obituary  

The Magi in Ethiopic Tradition

The paper traces various extra–biblical strains of tradition concerning the Magi (MT 2,1–12) in Geʿez literature. The Magi (mäsäggǝlan, säbʾa sägäl) are present in various Ethiopic compositions, both translated from other languages and original. The compositions discussed include inter alia apocryphal literature (The life of Adam and Eve, The Miracles of Jesus, The Book of the Birth of Mary, The Miracles of Mary), homiliaries (that for the feasts of Mary, and that for the feasts of the Archangel Raguel), and two commentaries on the Gospel.The tradition, as seen in the texts reviewed, is not consistent, and various stories, sometimes contradicting each other, are told about the Magi. Those strains of tradition which are not of local origin (as are the names of the Magi), come from a number of external sources with roots in early Christian literature. Some elements of this tradition (the Virgin with the Child visible in the star, the origin of the gifts from the Cave of Treasures, Zärädäšt as the ancestor of the Magi, and many thousand men forming their retinue) can be traced back to Syriac apocryphal and exegetical literature

Jonites och Nimod i Jerahme'els hebreiska krönika

The medieval Hebrew Chronicle of Yerahme’el contains a story of the meeting of Nimrod and Yonites, the (fourth) son of Noah, attributed to Strabo of Cyprus. Yonites is unknown in Jewish tradition, but can be found in a similar context as in Yerahme’el in Syriac Christian literature – for the first time in the Cave of Treasures (5th cent.). Yerahme’el could not however know the Cave, and therefore one has to look for intermediary pages. One of them is the Syriac Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodios (the end of the 7th cent.) directed against the Muslims, which became very popular among the Syrians and was soon translated into Greek and Latin. The Latin translation as used by Petrus Comestor (d. 1179) in his Historia Scholastica. Since its author lived in Troyes in northern France where contacts are attested between Christian and Jewish exegetes in the 12th cent., one may assume that Yerahme’el’s work came into being in this region and epoch

Jonites och Nimod i Jerahme'els hebreiska krönika

The medieval Hebrew Chronicle of Yerahme’el contains a story of the meeting of Nimrod and Yonites, the (fourth) son of Noah, attributed to Strabo of Cyprus. Yonites is unknown in Jewish tradition, but can be found in a similar context as in Yerahme’el in Syriac Christian literature – for the first time in the Cave of Treasures (5th cent.). Yerahme’el could not however know the Cave, and therefore one has to look for intermediary pages. One of them is the Syriac Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodios (the end of the 7th cent.) directed against the Muslims, which became very popular among the Syrians and was soon translated into Greek and Latin. The Latin translation as used by Petrus Comestor (d. 1179) in his Historia Scholastica. Since its author lived in Troyes in northern France where contacts are attested between Christian and Jewish exegetes in the 12th cent., one may assume that Yerahme’el’s work came into being in this region and epoch

Technology of concrete casting and curing at construction of Świętokrzyski bridge in Warsaw

Praca jest poświęcona problemowi naprężeń termicznych w elementach konstrukcyjnych Mostu Świętokrzyskiego - fundamentach i korpusach podpór oraz płytach jezdnych - oraz problemowi zachowania ich monolityczności. Przedstawiono charakterystykę poszczególnych elementów i zastosowane do ich budowy materiały. Opracowane przez autora technologie betonowania i pielęgnacji poszczególnych elementów zostały dostosowane do ich geometrii, warunków betonowania i składu mieszanki betonowej. Po raz pierwszy w Polsce zastosowano chłodzenie rurowe. Opisano opracowane technologie i ich realizację w praktyce. Przedstawiono uzyskane rezultaty zarówno w tych przypadkach, gdy wiernie zrealizowano zalecenia autora, jak też w innych, kiedy zalecania te zlekceważono i odstąpiono od ich przestrzegania.The papaer deals with the problem of thermal stresses elements - foundations and bodies of the bridge supports and bridge decks - of Świętokrzyski bridge in Warsaw, as well as with the problem of ensuring of their monolithicity. Characteristics of individual elements and building materials used for the construction have been presented. Elaboratory by the author technologies of casting and curing of individual elements have been adjusted to the geometry, casting conditions and mix composition. The pipe cooling has been applied for the first time in Poland. Elaborated technologies and their realisation in praxis have been described. Obtained results have been presented, both in the cases when author's recommendations were exactly fulfilled, as well as in the cases when recommendations were disregarded and neglected

Judiska inslag i det kristna Etiopien

Ethiopian Christianity has often been regarded by European travelers and missionaries as impure, because of the presence in it of what were believed to be Jewish customs and ideas. The Ethiopians regard themselves as “The Children of Israel”. This tradition seems to be based on legend contained in the national epos “The Glory of the Kings” (14th cent.), according to which the founder of the Ethiopian imperial dynasty, of which Haile Sellassie was the last scion, was Menilek, the son of the King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The Ethiopian customs for which Jewish origins can be presumed include circumcision, the prohibition of eating meat from pigs and some other animals, in accordance with Leviticus 11. Moreover, until recently there were living in Ethiopia (but are now in Israel) Falashas, who profess an unusual form of Judaism. They do not know the Talmud whereas most of their religious literature, written in Ge’ez, is borrowed from their Christian neighbours. The usual architectural plan of Ethiopian church buildings follows that of the Temple in Jerusalem and the Tabernacle. Three theories have been propounded so far to explain the origin of the Jewish elements in Ethiopian Christianity, and also the origin of the Falashas