SUMMARY

The present issue of the "Ethos" is e n t i t l e d

C h r i s t i a n i t y o n t h e T h r e s h o l d o f t h e T h i r d M i l l e n n i u m, and it refers to the jubilee of the two millennia of Christianity which is celebrated this year. The article  F r o m t h e E d i t o r s  points to the impact of the event of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ on our understanding of history for which precisely this event has become the fundamental point of reference. In the homily opening the Jubilee Year John Paul II stresses the fact that Jesus Christ is man's only Saviour.

The first set of articles, entitled  T h e H e r i t a g e o f t h e T w o M i l l e n n i a, opens with an article by  Fr. Jerzy Bajda, who attempts to demonstrate the fundamental human experience of being open to objective truth, and ultimately - to the Absolute Truth. Giovanni Reale points to the elements of ancient Greek philosophy concerning the obligation bestowed upon man to take care of his soul which were later complemented and developed by the Christian thought, and which are still significant to modern man. Three articles that follow are of theological character: Fr. Czesław S. Bartnik presents an analysis of the thesis concerning the adoption of the world in Christ, pointing to the cosmic dimension of the Incarnation, while Fr. Józef Kudasiewicz presents an exegesis of the excerpts from the New Testament which include Christ's missionary order. Fr. Krzysztof Góźdź in turn points to the fact that Christ's promise concerning the eternal nature of the Church does not concern the local Churches in particular parts of the world, but rather the universal Church. To conclude this section, Fr. Piotr Moskal presents a philosophical analysis of different ways of the interpretation of religious faith.

The section entitled  T h e C h u r c h o f t h e F u t u r e  opens with a text by Abp. Józef Michalik, who discusses the history and the present condition of the participation of the laity in the evangelizational mission of the Church. Fr. Jerzy Szymik in turn points to the fact that a certain type of weakness constitutes an inherent characteristic of the Church since Christ identified Himself with what is weak according to human measures. Vittorio Possenti reflects on the possibility of converting Jacques Maritain's idea of building a new Christiandom into reality. George Weigel in turn points to the contribution of Christianity towards laying the moral foundations of democracy. Abp. Józef Życiński relates the postulates concerning pastoral care in Poland, as they are seen in the light of the last year's Synod of the Bishops of Europe. Fr. Janusz Mariański presents a sociologial analysis of the changes in modern religiousness, pointing not only to the threats to Christianity that are inherent in the so-called postmodernist culture, but also to the opportunities which this culture offers Christianity. In the concluding article Jan Góra, OP, puts forward a reflection on the message which John Paul II conveyed to the young people who gathered in Lednica near Poznań during his latest pilgrimage to Poland.

The subsequent section, entitled  J o h n P a u l I I - t h e P o p e o f D i a l o g u e a n d U n i t y, opens with an article by Tadeusz Styczeń, SDS, in which the author attempts to point to the most significant aspects of John Paul II's message to the world. Fr. Alfons J. Skowronek analyses the Joint Declaration of Lutherans and Catholics on the Doctrine of Justification. Card. Joseph Ratzinger demonstrates, on the example of the dialogue between Christianity and Judaism, how an encounter with a different religion can provide the grounds for mutual enrichment. As shows Fr. Romuald Jakub Weksler-Waszkinel, John Paul II's reception of the philosophy of Emmanuel Lévinas, whose thought takes its roots from Judaism, constitutes an example of such an encounter.

The final set of articles bears the title  G u i d e s A c r o s s t h e B o r d e r, and it includes texts which present profiles of three Christian thinkers of the 20th century. Thus Fr. Stanisław Kowalczyk shows how philosophical reflection and the experience of faith constituted an organic whole in the life of Jacques Maritain and at the same time inspired his commitment to public life. Anna Grzegorczyk in turn presents the uniqueness of Edith Stein's philosophical and theological reflections. Concluding this scetion, John F. Crosby compares the philosophy of freedom developed by German phenomenologist Dietrich von Hildebrand with the understanding of freedom accepted within the Aristotelian and Thomistic tradition.

The section  I n t e r v i e w s o f t h e "E t h o s" includes Fr. Alfred Wierzbicki's interview with Fr. Prof. Andrzej Szostek, Rector of the Catholic University of Lublin, on the subject of the idea of the university and its realization by the Catholic University of Lublin.

In the standing column  T h i n k i n g a b o u t t h e F a t h e r l a n d... Wojciech Chudy writes about the fundamental elements that constitute the reality of the nation.

The section  N o t e s a n d R e v i e w s  opens with a review by Jarosław Kupczak, OP, of a book by Canadian philosopher K. L. Schmitz entitled W sercu ludzkiego dramatu. Antropologia filozoficzna Karola Wojtyły - Papieża Jana Pawła II [In the Heart of Human Drama. Philosophical Anthropology of Karol Wojtyła - Pope John Paul II]. Then Fr. Jerzy Szymik reviews Fr. T. Węcławski's book Abba. Wobec Boga Ojca [Abba. Facing God the Father]. Dorota Chabrajska and Maciej Rajewski discuss two books devoted to the problem of how the end of the world has been perceived in history: P. Clifford's Krótka historia końca czasów [A Brief History of End-Time] and J. Kracik's Trwogi i nadzieje końca wieków [The Fears and the Hopes of the End of the Millennium]. David Sullivan, M. Afr., writes about a book by Th. Cahill entitled Jak Irlandczycy ocalili cywilizację. Nieznana historia heroicznej roli Irlandii w dziejach Europy po upadku Cesarstwa Rzymskiego [How the Irish Saved Civilization. The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe]. Jacek Wojtysiak discusses the proceedings of a symposium organized to celebrate the jubilee of 2000 years of Christianity published in two volumes: Człowiek - nauka - wiara. Materiały sympozjum dla uczczenia jubileuszu 2000-lecia chrześcijaństwa [Man - Science - Faith. Proceedings of the Symposium to Celebrate the Jubilee of the 2000 years of Christianity], edited by J. J. Jadacki and K. Wójtowicz, and Człowiek współczesny: rozum a wiara. Materiały do dyskusji okrągłego stołu [Modern Man: The Reason and the Faith. Proceedings of the Round Table Discussion], edited by J. J. Jadacki. Tadeusz Kowalewski reviews a study on postmodernist religiousness Religia i Kościół między tradycją i nowoczesnością. Studium socjologiczne [Religion and the Church Between Tradition and Modernity. A Sociological Study] by J. Mariański. Fr. Krzysztof Kaucha presents a review of Fr. M. Deselaers's Bóg a zło w świetle biografii i wypowiedzi Rudolfa Hössa komendanta Auschwitz [God and Evil in the Light of the Biography and Statements of Rudolf Höss, Commandant of Auschwitz]. Finally, Fr. Krzysztof Guzowski discusses a collection of essays by P. Lisicki entitled Doskonałośæ i nędza [Perfection and Degradation]. This part of the volume concludes with the  P r o p o s a l s o f t h e "E t h o s."

In the section  R e p o r t s  Tomasz Korpysz discusses a symposium devoted to the output of C. K. Norwid.

The section  T h r o u g h t h e P r i s m o f t h e E t h o s  includes Cezary Ritter's reflections on the Jubilee Year in which the author points to the necessity of its being celebrated not only by the universal Church, but above all, by the home church constituted by each family.

The concluding part of the volume comprises the  C a l e n d a r of the twenty first year of John Paul II's pontificate (by Maria F i l i p i a k), a  B i b l i o g r a p h y  of John Paul II's addresses concerning the subject of Christianity on the threshold of the third millennium (by Maria F i l i p i a k), and  N o t e s a b o u t t h e A u t h o r s.