Vincenzo Anselmo, SJ

In Umberto Eco’s novel The Name of the Rose, the blind monk Jorge of Burgos, quoting John Chrysostom, argues that “Christ never laughed.” Such a strong statement seems not only to categorically exclude the possibility that Jesus of Nazareth could laugh, but also questions his humanity, a humanity that implies an ability to participate in… Read the full article

Religious symbols have recently been increasingly appearing in the political arena. Often God is exploited, improperly invoked as testifying for a political party or as a label to promote a party. The subject is certainly topical, but the problem has ancient roots. That is why the Hebrew-Christian scriptures themselves contain antibodies against any instrumentalization of… Read the full article

The birth of the first urban settlements in the ancient world, especially in the Near East, was epochal, a junction of technology, economics and society that embodied decisive progress. The construction of the first cities was a fundamental stage in the history of civilization. Jericho, which is considered the oldest urban center in the world… Read the full article

In 1946 Erich Auerbach published his famous work Mimesis. In a chapter headed “The Scar of Ulysses” he juxtaposes biblical characters with those of the Homeric world.[1] Comparative studies of the Scriptures with Greek literature, epic and tragic, have multiplied on the basis of this intuition.[2] The hero as presented to us by Greek tragedy… Read the full article

The internet allows us to access a wealth of information that was unthinkable a few decades ago. On the web and on social networks this information is created and exchanged in real time. A user may be disoriented when faced with such a quantity of news and data that corresponds to multiple points of view,… Read the full article

Is it possible to depend on young people? Is it not risky to give responsibilities to those who have not gained experience? Would trust in a young person be misplaced? Ecclesiastes seems to respond to these questions by stating: “Alas for you, O land, when your king is a child (na’ar)” (Eccles 10:16). Even the… Read the full article