Background/Aim: The main aim of this study is to add to and nuance, the historical knowledge about the actual persecution of Christians in the ancient world. Method: We draw mainly on historical sources, more exactly, the Church Fathers and other non-Christian authors, in order to offer a more accurate understanding of Christian persecution by the the powers that be. We suggest that maltreatment represented a constant and significant presence in Christian life from the very beginning, which explains why persecution has been the subject of countless writings and authors, historical and otherwise. This should hopefully help us come to terms with the reality of Christian persecution in contemporary times. Results: The key thesis of the study will be that the vast majority of the ecclesiastical writers of antiquity insist that, on the one hand, the persecution of Christians was a major challenge to the integrity of the Church, and on the other hand (and surprisingly enough) its reproductive force. This unfathomable paradox, despite its gruesome roots, has led to an increase of faith in Christ, and continues to do so to this day. We suggest that the same self-sacrificial spirit may be the reason why even after so many years of oppression and discrimination, Christian believers remain unwavering in their faith; a fact which bears testimony to the ongoing vitality of Christianity. Conclusion: Similar studies can serve as inspiration for further research on martyrdom, the testimony to the Christian faith, for example, in the case of religious communities during the persecutions under the communist regime in Slovakia. They can also help others come to terms with the reality of Christian persecution today.

Background: The article is devoted to the analysis of fundamental Christian values, specifically the values of the social doctrine of the Church. It examines the basic baselines and documents that are connected with the idea of sustainable development. It interprets individual values that are associated with sustainability. It highlights important moments in history when attitudes and interpretations of values linked to sustainable development have changed. It compares the values of the Church's social doctrine with those of sustainable development and describes their common and different features. It defines the perspectives of a sustainable society, with special regard to social justice, and indicates ways of combining religious values with the values of sustainable development. Conclusion: In further studies in this area, it is appropriate to focus on a form of dialogue that promotes sustainability in society.

After the expulsion of the disciples of Sts. Cyril and Methodius from the territory of Great Moravia, the Slavonic liturgy also reached the area of the Western Balkans. This area is considered the birthplace of the Church teacher and saint, St. Hieronymus. Over the centuries, a thesis has emerged according to which St. Hieronymus was considered the author of the Slavonic script known as Glagolitic in the Middle Ages, due to the ecclesiastical-political situation and the efforts of the local clergy to preserve the Slavonic liturgy. After several local synods or decisions of popes that were not favorable to the Slavonic liturgy, it was finally approved by Pope Innocent IV in the thirteenth century. This opened the way for the further development of the Slavonic liturgy in the Balkans, specifically in Dalmatia. Although the Slavonic liturgy in this area has survived to the present day, the idea of the authorship of Glagolitic by St. Hieronymus was criticized and refuted in the nineteenth century, but the circumstances of its origin clearly show the seriousness of the situation in which this thesis was born.

Saint Hieronymus -Circumstances of the Origin of the Legend About the Authorship of the Glagolitic Alphabet.After the expulsion of the disciples of Sts.Cyril and Methodius from the territory of Great Moravia, the Slavonic liturgy also reached the area of the Western Balkans.This area is considered the birthplace of the Church teacher and saint, St. Hieronymus.Over the centuries, a thesis has emerged according to which St. Hieronymus was considered the author of the Slavonic script known as Glagolitic in the Middle Ages, due to the ecclesiastical-political situation and the efforts of the local clergy to preserve the Slavonic liturgy.After several local synods or decisions of popes that were not favorable to the Slavonic liturgy, it was finally approved by Pope Innocent IV in the thirteenth century.This opened the way for the further development of the Slavonic liturgy in the Balkans, specifically in Dalmatia.Although the Slavonic liturgy in this area has survived to the present day, the idea of the authorship of Glagolitic by St. Hieronymus was criticized and refuted in the nineteenth century, but the circumstances of its origin clearly show the seriousness of the situation in which this thesis was born.

Background: The theme of sleep appears quite often in Tanakh and rabbinic literature. The individual stages of the sleep cycle are described in detail here, even though these texts do not usually address the topic of sleep systematically. (3) The exception is the issue of dreams and their interpretation, (4) but only in connection with other topics. Some rabbis often commented on the topic of sleep when dealing with issues related to cleanliness, food, illness, etc. Other rabbis (e.g. Rava), on the other hand, did comment on sleep issues barely. Conclusion: Sleep has many aspects in rabbinic Judaism that are very difficult to separate. The religious level (even more so the mystical level) of sleep and dreams remains shrouded in mystery. Neither the level of knowledge of human reason nor the quality of the heart is decisive in this sphere. A person who is falling asleep is like a person who puts a precious object in the custody of another person. Such a person expects that the thing stored will be returned to him in its original and intact condition. However, he does not expect his thing to return to him in even better condition. The person falling asleep is different in that.

This study presents an interpretive understanding of Kierkegaard's perception of reality with respect to the authentic life of the individual living in the context of his own quest for self-realization in relation to eternity. In an effort to make an authentic statement about life, Kierkegaard oscillates in his reflections between a subjective and objective world, real and ideal, current and potential, possible and necessary, in order to grasp the nature of the existence of the individual in time and space. We present here such an interpretive view in which, rather than the alethic or epistemic modality traditionally applied to the hermeneutics of Kierkegaard's writings, an approach is offered according to which reality as an enigmatic entity emerges in time and space and man grasps it in his consciousness, so as to reflect it in terms, imaginary concepts and then communicated it to his surroundings. The horizontal aspect of all human contexts of philosophy, language, ethics and culture Kierkegaard intersects with its only vertical aspect and that is the absolute paradox – God in time.

Aim. The aim of this study is to discuss how important the so-called Hausväterliteratur genre was in the education and spirituality of (not only) aristocrats in the Early Modern Era. Concept. This article will introduce the Hausväterliteratur as a literary genre that strongly influenced the spirituality and morality of its readers –householders, administrators of property, and their wives. Methods. The method applied was text analysis. The social history method based on research of the primary sources was also employed.. Results. The study confirms that the treatises of the so-called Hausväterliteratur genre, kept in high numbers in European libraries in the Early Modern Age, carry a certain type of spirituality which calls for “true Christian life” following what was often a Protestant pattern (exhortation for frequent reading of the Bible). Conclusion. Most of these books outline an ideal of the Christian life, characterised by the establishment of an order within the “household”, or “house”, i.e., the family in the broader sense, including both the manor owner and those closest to him as well as all his subjects and servants.

Background: In this paper, the author identifies and defines the most common socio- pathological phenomena that may occur in the school environment. It defines the basic competencies of a social worker in the school environment.It offers the results of qualitative research, in which it analyzes, identifies and identifies the work of social workers in working against socio- pathological phenomena in the school environment. Research: In the qualitative research, based on a summary protocol, we identified knowledge about solving specific problems of socio-pathological phenomena, we identified the most significant socio-pathological phenomena in the school and investigated the possibilities of preventive activities used in the school environment. Conclusion: Socially pathological phenomena are a dynamic phenomenon and therefore it is necessary to involve several experts who have the possibilities and competences to preventively influence and solve adverse situations arising in the school environment. Therefore, the discussion between students, teachers and parents and feedback on the prevention and emergence of socio-pathological phenomena, but also on the possibilities of solving the situations that have arisen, is an integral part of the educational process.

Aim. The main goal is to identify not only the religion of the Roma ethnic group, but also their relationship to God, and their experience of faith in the Covid-19 pandemic situation. In the contribution, the authors point to the perception of the personality of the priest as a spiritual shepherd, but also as a figure who leads them to a moral and Christian life. Concept. This scientific study thus points to the classic experience of spiritual life in various selected situations, and identifies the importance of a pandemic situation for a person’s Christian life. Methods. The study deals with several aspects of experiencing the spiritual life of the Roma community, and points out and identifies their thoughts about life during selected social activities. The authors point to important studies that show the connection between the pandemic situation and the issue of faith and religion in the Roma community. Results. The study confirms that the pandemic situation had an adverse effect on experiencing spiritual life in the Roma community, but we can state that Roma carry on their spiritual life despite all the measures in their individual, family community, with the support of other community members. and a priest. Conclusion. The scientific and professional contributions in this study point to the inner experience of spiritual life in the community through individual and family relationships, and the presence of a priest who is supposed to lead the Roma to a spiritual life in accordance with morality.

The Cultural-Historical Dimension of the Cyril and Methodius Mission in the Context of Later Ecclesiastical Works in Slovakia (Rituale Strigoniense, Rituale Slovacchiae and Cantus Catholici).The Cyril and Methodius mission, which took place on the territory of Great Moravia, was not only of political but also of ecclesiastical significance, especially because of the work done by the Thessalonian brothers in the field of language and liturgy.Their translations of liturgical books into Old Slavonic brought with them important milestones that played a significant role in later centuries.In the period of recatholization, the Archbishop of Esztergom, Peter Pázmaň, was instrumental in the publication of the Esztergom Ritual, which brought with it a language that was understandable to the people and to the celebration of the liturgy, and this was preserved in later editions, even down to the publication of the Rituale Slovacchiae.The publication of the Slovak Catholic hymnal Cantus Catholici was also an important act of encouragement to the Slovak people in the religious and national spheres, and these facts touch on an environment that goes beyond the ecclesiastical sphere, in the context of society and culture as a whole.

In the recent past, the question of determining the optimal city size in relation to the quality of urban life (QoUL) was raised of city inhabitants. This article has evaluated the correlation of the QoUL index in cities in relation to the number of inhabitants. We also deal with selected variables for which we assume a relationship with QoUL. The authors who calculated the indices of the quality of urban life equated the quality of life with its objective dimension considered as the quality of the place. It turned out that growth in the number of inhabitants of Slovak cities did not correlate with improving quality of life. Our article examined QoUL in two different countries on a scale of 0–10 through questionnaires. The obtained values are a subjective assessment. From a global point of view, one city is small and the other is big. The small city achieved better results in international rankings of quality of life, and it was assumed that this fact would also be reflected in the quantification of the quality of urban life. One hypothesis was that a small city will achieve better urban life quality values than a large city. The paper presents the results of measurement and correlation.

JUDAK, Viliam - HLAD, Lubomir- DATELINKA, Anton. The Cultural-Historical Dimension of the Cyril and Methodius Mission in the Context of Later Ecclesiastical Works in Slovakia (Rituale Strigoniense, Rituale Slovacchiae and Cantus Catholici). The Cyril and Methodius mission, which took place on the territory of Great Moravia, was not only of political but also of ecclesiastical significance, especially because of the work done by the Thessalonian brothers in the field of language and liturgy. Their translations of liturgical books into Old Slavonic brought with them important milestones that played a significant role in later centuries. In the period of recatholization, the Archbishop of Esztergom, Peter Pazman, was instrumental in the publication of the Esztergom Ritual, which brought with it a language that was understandable to the people and to the celebration of the liturgy, and this was preserved in later editions, even down to the publication of the Rituale Slovacchiae. The publication of the Slovak Catholic hymnal Cantus Catholici was also an important act of encouragement to the Slovak people in the religious and national spheres, and these facts touch on an environment that goes beyond the ecclesiastical sphere, in the context of society and culture as a whole.