The Repository collects scientific achievements of employees and doctoral students of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. The purpose of the repository is dissemination of the scientific achievements of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, promoting conducted scientific research and supporting didactic activities. The repository collects, stores and shares digital documents in the form of books, scientific articles, scientific journals, conference materials, didactic materials etc.
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listelement.badge.dso-type Item , Wdrażanie budżetów obywatelskich w Polsce - analiza wybranych doświadczeń jednostek samorządu terytorialnego(Wydawnictwo KUL, 2025) Jurek, KrzysztofBudżet obywatelski - określany również jako budżet partycypacyjny - jest realizowany w Polsce od 2011 r., kiedy to po raz pierwszy został wprowadzony w mieście Sopocie. Od tamtej pory mechanizm ten zyskał znaczną popularność i został zaadaptowany przez liczne jednostki samorządu terytorialnego. W 2018 r. nastąpiła istotna zma=iana prawna, w wyniku której budżet obywatelski stał się obowiązkowym elementem zarządzania w miastach na prawach powiatu, tracąc swój dotychczas fakultatywny charakter. Niniejszy artykuł podejmuje próbę analizy zróżnicowania w organizacji i wdrażaniu budżetów obywatelskich w wybranych jednostkach samorządowych w Polsce. Przedmiot rozważań stanowią zarówno różnice proceduralne, jak i strukturalne, które wpływają na efektywność funkcjonowania tego instrumentu partycypacji społecznej. Wskazane zostaną czynniki determinujące odmienne praktyki implementacyjne, wynikające z uwarunkowań lokalnych oraz specyfiki poszczególnych jednostek samorządu terytorialnego. The citizens' budget, als known as the participatory budget, has been implemented in Poland since 2011, when it was first introduced in the city of Sopot. Since then, this mechanism has gained considerable popularity and has been adopted by numerous local government units. In 2018, ther was a significant legal change, as a result of which the citizens' budget became an obligatory element of management in cities with county rights, losing its hitherto optional character. This article attempts to analyse the differences in the organisation and implementation of citizens' budgets in selected local government units in Poland. Both procedural and structural diferences that affect the effectiveness of this instrument of social participation are under consideration. Factors determining different implementation practices resulting from local conditions and the specifics of individual local government units are indicated.listelement.badge.dso-type Item , Various Methods of Introducing a New Character in Hebrew Bible Stories(Wydawnictwo KUL, 2025) Rzepka, BarbaraThe introduction of a character in a biblical narrative is intimately linked to that character’s narrative function, a connection that is reflected in the stylistic strategies employed by the biblical authors. This study aims to identify the primary stylistic techniques used by biblical writers to bring new characters onto the “stage” of their narratives. The first part of the study, employing narrative analysis, explores the various modes of introducing the protagonist in relation to the plot structure, the stylistic constructions adopted by the authors, and the presentation, characterization, and narrative function of the protagonist’s name at the moment of their entrance into the narrative. The second part of the research focuses on the entrance of secondary characters in relation to the plot, and on how they are presented and characterized at the moment of their appearance into the narrative. The analysis reveals that protagonists are typically introduced at the very beginning of the narrative, generally through one of three principal methods: narration, plot exposition, or in medias res. In contrast, secondary characters, as the analysis demonstrates, appear at various points in the narrative, depending on their narrative function. Unlike protagonists, they are not usually given an extensive narrative introduction; rather, they are allotted limited space within the exposition or are inserted directly into the dramatic action through their activity. Their introduction is typically accompanied by minimal descriptive elements and is often connected to an already-present character within the narrative plot.listelement.badge.dso-type Item , The "Place of God": Biblical Exegesis and Spirituality in Evagrius Ponticus(Wydawnictwo KUL, 2025) Jugrin, DanielThis article examines Evagrius Ponticus’s spirituality, centering on the metaphor of “the place of God” (τόπος Θεοῦ). It argues that Evagrius defines this “place” not as a geographical location but as the “formless state” of the intellect (νοῦς), attainable through practices such as “pure prayer” and the acquisition of impassibility (ἀπάθεια). The analysis employs close textual and biblical exegesis (Exod 24:10–11; Ezek 1:26; 10:1) to demonstrate how Evagrius’s thought highlights the inner transformation of the intellect. This purification, in turn, facilitates a direct, contemplative encounter with God, illustrating the profound integration of lived spiritual experience with his method of interpreting Scripture.listelement.badge.dso-type Item , Navigating Moral Relativism: The Catholic Church’s Response in Contemporary America(Wydawnictwo KUL, 2025) Rozborski, GrzegorzThe aim of the article is to show how moral relativism has become a defining feature of contemporary American culture, influencing individuals’ attitudes toward ethics, marriage, family, and social order. Additionally, the article aims to highlight the challenges facing the Catholic Church in fulfilling its mission in a society immersed in moral relativism. The problem of this study can be expressed through the following questions: What impact does moral relativism have on the moral beliefs of the people of the United States? What challenges does it pose to the Catholic Church in the 21st century? How is the Church to fulfill its mission in American society? The answers to these questions will be based on an analysis of the content of the documents of the universal Church and the Church in the United States, as well as publications by American theologians and sociologists. After a short introduction, the impact of moral relativism in the sphere of sexual ethics will be analyzed. Subsequently, the effects of moral relativism on marriage and family will be examined, along with relativism in the sphere of social order and organization. The final section of the article will analyze proposals for the pastoral activity of the Church in the United States in response to the challenges posed by moral relativism. The conclusion of this study is as follows: the more a society moves away from traditional norms and belief in God, the less happy individuals become. The Church must navigate the moral complexity of modern society while offering a compelling vision of human life rooted in the Truth.listelement.badge.dso-type Item , Bible, Psychology, and Social Studies: Interdisciplinary Project "The Relevance of the Bible for the Development of Religious and Spiritual Resources," KUL, Lublin(Wydawnictwo KUL, 2025) Kowalski, Marcin; Niewiadomska, Iwona; Kalinowski, Mirosław; Wróbel, Mirosław; Jurek, Krzysztof; Wciseł, WojciechThe article reflects on the possible areas of cooperation between the Bible, psychology, and social studies. Introduction presents a methodological basis and a fresh dialog carried on in recent decades between biblical and psychological studies. In addition to the analysis of psychological phenomena in biblical texts from the classical, historical-critical perspective, scholars increasingly turn to positive psychology, neuroscience, and social studies, examining emotions, communication strategies, relationships, values and development of individuals and communities. The authors go on to indicate the topics and biblical texts that open up to a fruitful dialog with diverse psychological approaches. The second part of the paper describes an original project developed at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (KUL) titled “The Relevance of the Bible for the Development of Religious and Spiritual Resources,” which uses two tools for studying changes in religious and spiritual resources: Religious Resources Scale and Spiritual Resources Scale. They are employed to study the impact of biblical texts on people who differ in terms of developmental conditions (e.g., age) and/or situational factors (including experience of existential emptiness, loneliness, bereavement, migration, and war conditions). The paper describes the methodology and the psychometric indicators of the above-mentioned measurement tools. The Religious Resources Scale and the Spiritual Resources Scale are used to detect religious and spiritual changes under the influence of biblical texts. They constitute the methodological basis for a pioneering interdisciplinary research conducted at KUL, which promotes a cooperation between biblical studies and psychology.listelement.badge.dso-type Item , Spirit(s), Angels, and Virtues: The Reception of Isaiah 11:2–3a in Early Judaism(Wydawnictwo KUL, 2025) Johansson, SimonThis article examines the reception history of Isa 11:2–3a in Second Temple Judaism, as it relates to pneumatological perceptions and uses of the words for “spirit” in Hebrew and Greek (rûaḥ and pneuma). Isaiah 11 plays an important role in messianic expectations in both Judaism and Christianity, but its reception in early Judaism sheds light also on early pneumatological developments and forms the background to later, early Christian interpretations of this text. Via close readings and analyses of (1) The Septuagint translation of Isa 11:2–3a; and relevant texts from (2) Qumran; (3) the Jewish Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha; and (4) the Targum Isaiah this study demonstrates different interpretative lines and uses of “spirit.” The main conclusions are that there are both royal or messianic and more “democratized” interpretations and applications of the original “royal charisma” in Isa 11:2; furthermore, that “spirit” can be used to denote the spirit of God, human dispositions, charismatic gifts or virtues, and angelic beings—and, sometimes, the distinctions between these categories are blurry and overlap.listelement.badge.dso-type Item , Theotokos and Unity in the Context of the Theological Image of God: A Hypothesis of Dependence(Wydawnictwo KUL, 2025) Pek, KazimierzThis article addresses the presence of the Theotokos within the mystery of unity, analyzed in light of the theological image of God. It examines the hypothesis that the image of Mary is shaped by the theological image of God. Through an analysis of three Marian titles—Mater unitatis, Mater unionis, and Mater communionis—the study reveals how each reflects a distinct understanding of unity: as absolute oneness, reconciled diversity, and Trinitarian communion. The research confirms a dynamic and dialogical character of this dependence: the image of God conditions the development of Mariology, yet it is also Mariology—through its sensitivity to relationship, communion, and participation—that may inspire a deeper theological vision of God, especially in its Trinitarian dimension. Reflection on Mary in the context of unity not only enriches the doctrine of the Theotokos but also contributes to a renewed vision of both God and humanity. Artykuł podejmuje zagadnienie obecności Theotokos w misterium jedności, analizowanej w świetle teologicznego obrazu Boga. Weryfikowana jest hipoteza, według której obraz Maryi jest kształtowany przez teologiczny obraz Boga. Na podstawie analizy trzech tytułów – Mater unitatis, Mater unionis i Mater communionis – ukazano, jak każdy z nich odzwierciedla odmienny sposób rozumienia jedności: jako absolutnej jedyności, pojednanej różnorodności i komunii trynitarnej. Przeprowadzone badania potwierdzają dynamiczny i dialogiczny charakter tej zależności: obraz Boga warunkuje rozwój mariologii, ale jednocześnie to właśnie mariologia, przez swą wrażliwość na relacje, komunię, uczestnictwo, może inspirować pogłębienie obrazu Boga, zwłaszcza w wymiarze trynitarnym. Refleksja nad Maryją w kontekście jedności nie tylko wzbogaca naukę o Theotokos, lecz także przyczynia się do odnowionej wizji Boga i człowieka.listelement.badge.dso-type Item , The Doctrine of the Infinity of God and Its Implications: Clement of Alexandria and Gregory of Nyssa(Wydawnictwo KUL, 2025) Mrugalski, DamianThis article aims to demonstrate that the concept of God’s infinity, as developed by Gregory of Nyssa in many of his works, may have been influenced by earlier Christian theology, rather than solely by Plotinus’ philosophy, as many contemporary scholars believe. One of the theologians who introduced this concept before Plotinus was Clement of Alexandria, who not only defined God as the infinite One, but also, like Gregory, drew important anthropological conclusions from the notion of infinity. After an introduction describing the history of research on the presence of a positively understood concept of the infinity of God in Christian theology before Plotinus, the article compares the doctrine of Clement of Alexandria with that of Gregory of Nyssa in the following three thematic sections: (1) the infinity of the incorporeal being; (2) the infinity of the Good; and (3) the infinity of the process of human assimilation to God. The method adopted in the article is a comparative analysis of ancient texts. The research carried out leads to the conclusion that both Clement and Gregory understand the nature of the infinite God similarly, use similar metaphors and argumentation, and believe that the process of human assimilation to God extends into infinity.