Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Religion for Baccalaureate

Celestina: The Evocative Procuress

Celestina is the most evocative character of the work, eventually giving the text its title. She is colorful, vivid, hedonistic, greedy, and vital. She gains insight into the psychology of other characters, making even the most reticent individuals yield to her plans.

Motives and Role

• Motives: Greed, sexual appetite (which she satisfies by facilitating and even witnessing encounters), and a love for psychological power.
• Social Role: She represents a subversive element in society, committed to spreading and facilitating sexual pleasure.
• Magic: She is also associated with the use of magic.

Calisto: The Selfish Antihero

Calisto is a young man of high society concerned only with satisfying his desires, willing to run...

San Clemente tahullas. Certainly, the paintings that covered the apse of San Clemente tahullas and are now preserved in the Museum of Art of Catalonia, are one of the best works of its kind in Spain and all of Europe. The vaulted apse oven is painted with a wonderful Christ in Majesty (Maiestas) in a Byzantine style, surrounded by four angels bearing the symbols of the evangelists. Below runs a frieze which appears part of the apostolic college. Within the traditional representations of the "Pantocrator" Romanesque, it is undoubtedly the most majestic, noble, and full of divine transcendence of all those represented in the international Romanesque. To this work, perfect symmetry and geometric design of her face and her whole tahullas figura....

The Expectation of the Messiah

1. For some, the Messiah was to restore the strict observance of the law. For others, he would be a warlord who liberated them from the Romans. Still, others were waiting for a manifestation of divine power.

Jesus' Actions and Teachings

2. After curing the sick at the pool of Bethesda, and facing reproach from the Jews, Jesus explains that he continues to act as his Father does. As he hears, he judges and acts, seeking the will of God the Father, who sent him.

Paul's Transformation

3. Paul was involved in persecuting the Church of God and was a fanatical supporter of the traditions of his ancestors. However, his life changed when he was called and chosen by God, who revealed his son Jesus to him. Paul now lives in...

The Romanesque Era: Context and Foundations

Romanesque art developed between the 11th and 12th centuries. During this period, Europe lacked political unity, being primarily based on feudalism and the feudal-vassal system. A unified religious discourse emerged, shaping the Romanesque era.

New states, organized under the feudal system, emerged as patrons, funding artistic endeavors. The Catholic Church underwent internal reform, leading to the rise of two significant monastic orders: Cluny and the Cistercians. This was also a period marked by widespread pilgrimages.

Fundamentals of Romanesque Art

Romanesque art drew its origins from Roman and Byzantine influences, evolving into a unified European style. It was primarily a sacred art, deeply rooted...

Foundations of Hinduism: Texts, Deities, Society

The Vedas: Ancient Sacred Scriptures

The Vedas are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India, considered sacred scriptures in Hinduism. There are four primary Vedas: the Rigveda, the Samaveda, the Yajurveda, and the Atharvaveda.

Vedic Influence on Indian Religions

The Vedas have had a vast influence on later Indian philosophies and religions, including Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. They also touch upon concepts related to the coordination and order of the universe.

Indian Epics: Heroic Tales and Moral Lessons

Indian epics are long narrative poems, typically recounting heroic deeds, adventurous quests, and often featuring fantastic creatures and divine interventions.

Mahabharata:

Abstract: The Skin and the Princess, winner of the Josep Pla Prize 2004, is a love story and an investigation into the mechanisms of power. Sebastián Alzamora recreates the tale of the courtship between Pupp and Princess Mary with overwhelming force. Their luminous sensuality and infinite love are reborn in every encounter, regardless of time and identity. Set in Prague during the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War, the story unfolds amidst court intrigues. Duke Anthony, King Frederick, Queen Juana, and Rabbi Judah Loew (Pupp's mentor and protector) are all involved as conspirators and victims in a game of violence and sex. Among them, the Golem, an artificial human, plays a unique role. With expressive prose, Alzamora braids a romantic story...

La Celestina: A Masterpiece of Hispanic Literature

Published in the late fifteenth century, La Celestina is a masterpiece of Hispanic literature. It is now widely accepted that the acts are the work of Fernando de Rojas, though the first act may have been written by Rodrigo Cota.

Argument of the Work

The plot of La Celestina is straightforward. In the original version, Calisto pursues Melibea, rejecting the advice of his servant Sempronio and the bawd Celestina. Well-rewarded by Calisto, Celestina convinces Melibea to have an affair with him. Sempronio and Pármeno demand their share of the spoils from the madam; when she refuses, they murder her. Upon leaving, Calisto falls from a ladder and dies. Melibea commits suicide by throwing herself from...

Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage is a ritual involving a trip to a holy place to give thanks or apologize for one's faith.

Catharism

Catharism, a Christian confession, emerged in the eleventh century in southern France, leading to a sectarian movement. It defended Christian dualism and advocated for poverty.

Scholasticism

Scholasticism was a philosophical and theological movement based on research to reconcile arguments of revelation or faith with arguments of reason.

Theocentrism

Theocentrism is a school of thought where God and reason were the center of everything that existed.

East-West Schism

East-West Schism (Source): The division of the Roman Empire into the Western and Byzantine empires created tension between the churches of Rome and Constantinople.

1054...

Literary Context and Parallels

Parallels with Boccaccio’s Decameron

• Dante and Virgil serve as inspirations for the pilgrims.
• Structure and Focus: The narrative employs a linear structure focusing on the journey and the tales told.

Critique of Medieval Society

The work functions as a profound critique of 14th-century English society.

• Characters represent people in specific professions and social strata.
• Religion is a significant theme, often presented through criticism of the Church's corruption.
• The Conflict Between Classes (The Three Estates):
  1. Those who pray: The Church (Clergy).
  2. Those who fight: The Nobles (Aristocracy).
  3. Those who work: Peasants and Commoners.

Liminality and the Pilgrimage

The pilgrimage is presented as a liminal experience: traveling...

A

Amir: commander or prince, frequently used with reference to the person who leads the community.

Aya: verse of the Quran; also used in a general meaning of “sign” from God.

Ayatollah: In Shia Islam, a high-ranking title given to clerics recognized as experts in Islamic studies.

B

Basmala: the statement at the beginning of each sura of the Quran (except sura 9), “In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate”; also used by Muslims as an invocation.

Buraq: the winged horse which carried Muhammad on his “night journey” from Mecca to Jerusalem.

D

Dhimmi: a member of a protected community, especially referring to the Jews and Christians who live under Muslim rule. The right to practise their own religion was guaranteed by their payment...