THE GREEK ORTHODOX OF AMERICA : AND THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM

GOARCH : THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM This article by Rev. Dr. Eugen J. Pentiuc, who is Archbishop Demetrios Professor of Biblical Studies and Early Christianity and Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA. explores the controversy and includes some notions based on modern astronomy but also takes in the Jewish prophecy.

Excerpts: Nevertheless, in a continuous and thrill-driven rush for a scientifically accurate and definitive identification of the “star of Bethlehem,” we are often inclined to overlook some important prophecies of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), prophecies which would place securely the New Testament proclamation (kerygma), in our case the episode of the “star” travelling along with the magi from the East, in its cultural-religious setting so necessary to understand the gospel narratives that refer to natural phenomena or historical events by wrapping them up in the time-honored, mystically smelling / perfumed garment of old prophecies. ...

The case in point for such a scriptural contextualization of the “star of Bethlehem” is an old prophecy found in the book of Numbers—a prophecy that was traditionally labeled as “The Star of Jacob.” ... According to Matthew 2:11, the three magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Each gift was telling Jesus’ fate on earth from a particular viewpoint: Gold indicated that he would be a king; frankincense that he would be a God; and myrrh that he would die, emphasizing his humanity.

***

I'm not too familiar with the differences between Roman and Greek Catholic theology, but I do know that Greek Catholic means the missionaries who brought Christianity to certain ethnicities were from Greece, which is reflected also in the recognized saints and sometimes the names given to children in baptism...

THE POPE VISITS THE YOUNG PEOPLE - GIFTED A BOTTLE OF WINE and a RUBIK'S CUBE : YOUTH GATHERING

I do realize that some people think Pope Francis I is too liberal and that Hungary is undergoing a conservative outlook. But who or what can be labeled 'liberal' or 'conservative' changes all the time. At this distance, since I live in the United States, it's my feeling that Hungary needs stability and is seeking a national identity that is always entwined with the founding of the nation as a Roman Catholic country - a Christian country. 

The message for peace and harmony is International and not dependent on religious beliefs. In recent weeks I've tried to familiarize myself with all the military actions and wars in the region of the past. I watched the Oliver Stone documentary that came out in 2018 and wonder what he thinks now that Russia has gone into Ukraine. There were and are peaceful ways to go about this, especially when you consider the economic costs as well as the horrible toll on the psyche's of the citizens.

My observations watching this : The modern Christian music feels like what is more common in Christian - Protestant churches in America, including some that consider themselves to be Bible Based Fundamentalist. It also feels a bit like what we call a "revival." The testimonial aspect also feels Christian - Protestant to me.

That said, I respect the program and the people who are testifying and the outreach to the young people, whose parents or grandparents likely lived in the Communist times.

I respect the inclusion of the Greek Catholics.

POPE FRANCIS I VISIT TO HUNGARY : ENGLISH TRANSLATION :

POPE FRANCIS IN HUNGARY - HOLY MASS AN REGINA COELI PRAYER 

He urged young people to be peacemakers.  We must all try...

He visited Saint Elizabeth Greek Catholic Church...

Cries of Papa!  Papa! can be heard...

Beautiful voices singing prayerful adorations.

In this article by BBC, it's said that Pope Francis has made this journey, his first to Hungary, as an anti-migrant stance by the government there goes against his beliefs.  However, the people of Hungary have taken in more refugees from the Russian war against Ukraine than any other country.

BBC - EUROPE : POPE FRANCIS I MASS BUDAPEST

MULTIPLE NAMES ON BIRTH RECORDS and ETHNICITY : GENETEKA - USING THE POLISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY DATABASE for RESEARCH : GENEALOGY PRO TIP #5

MULTIPLE NAMES ON BIRTH RECORDS and ETHNICITY : GENETEKA - USING THE POLISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY DATABASE for RESEARCH : GENEALOGY PRO TIP  #5 

In the United States the typical child was given two names, a first and a middle, before their surname. In some families you might find naming has to do with honoring a father or other family member.

However, it is unusual in Old Polish/Latin records for most children who were baptized to be given two names. This is not just because a person was born humble, a peasant or poor, which may be indicated by the term 'rustic' or 'Ag' = Agriculture = a farmer.  (Not all farmers were poor.  You may have to find out if they are tenant farmers or subcontractors.)

When a Christian child reached the time to be Confirmed, they got to choose a name for themselves, which was repeated by the priest or bishop who was performing the Confirmation ritual. Old school is that this is the name a person would be called in heaven, having been a 'soldier for Christ'. In the United States Polish immigrants named their child at birth, and the child used the name they chose at Confirmation as their middle name in adulthood. (So that's why three of your aunts all took the name of their mother at Confirmation.)

Try not to get genealogy myopia by looking for Honorifics or naming patterns in your research.  Quite likely it is not a person but a saint that the parent or parents were honoring. There were saint calendars with saint name days that they could look to, in order to name their child. Much depends on the church, the order of the priests who ran it, and the place they lived, how big the population was, if it was subject to outside influences because of trade and being a market town (more cosmopolitan).  If your ancestors went to a Polish speaking Catholic church as immigrants, you may find that they were still naming a child for the saint whose day they were born on or near.

I've seen pages of children born within a few days of each other all being given the same name indicating to me that the church their parents belonged to and baptized them in was very traditional. This name they found was on the Franciscan name days calendar.  The Franciscans were originally out of Italy, and this is how there got to be so many Polish Anthony's (Antonin or Antal).

If the child is Greek Catholic, the choice of names extends to some names that are rarely used within Roman Catholic churches. (Basil, Theodora, etc.) Please note that many Greek Catholics claim a Ruthenian heritage and there is now a revival and cultural awareness of this ethnic group that lived in the Carpathian Mountains and thus at least three countries (depending on the border history.  See previous posts about them!) However, when you hear the term Ukrainian, this may mean Ruthenian is the actual ethnic heritage rather than ethnically Ukrainian. In Galicia, there was significant intermarriage between the two groups, and also a group that combined Roman and Greek Catholicism called Uniates.

Now, if you see two or more given names, don't assume that those are twins. You may see the word binomial, that means two names. Gemelli is the word for twins.  Another indication of twins may be the number of godparents. Sometimes you will see that the person was given not just two names but three or four.  In this case the child most likely has parents or family that is noble, aristocratic, high ranking, notable, or rich. (But the names given still might not be honorifics) or it may simply be a Germanic influence.

Here are some articles that I thought would be of interest on this subject.

CULTURE POLAND : BEGINNERS GUIDE

This guide by Mikolaj Glinski is quite interesting, as it deals with nicknames and the origins of the rarest Slavic names.  According to his site, Mikolaj studied classics in Berlin at Humboldt University and also cultural studies at the University of Warsaw Institute of Polish Culture.

WIKITREE : POLISH and UKRANIAN NAMES

EXCERPT: Mary (Marena)  Polish 'Marya.'  Ukrainian: Mariya or Maria  (Note: "Most of our ethnic Polish ancestors who used the name Mary in American were actually baptized as Marianna.  This name isn't a combination of "Mary" and "Anna." It's actually a name that means "like Mary." In Polish culture, Mary the Mother of God was held in such reverence that it was considered sacrilegious to name a child Mary, in the same way that one didn't name a boy "Jesus" after the Son of God.  Instead, the name Marianne was used, in the hopes that the child would be like Mary."  You will see the same Marianna in Ukrainian baptisms and marriage records.

In Hungary Maria is a common name given to the first born daughter.

ROMAN CATHOLIC TRADITIONAL FRANCISCAN SAINTS CALENDER  

Please note that you should look for a calendar that was used about the time that the child was born, as there could be some variations by Holy Order and also you will notice that the majority of the saints named on this master list did not seem to get honorifics in Poland.  But let's take a look at a fictional family that has a girl child born September 4th.  Her name Rose, perhaps Rosalia or Rozalia, which comes from Saint Rose of Viterbo, and Italian saint. Let's say the next year in early September, the couple have another girl child. They can't give another girl the same name, Rose, so instead they might name that child Marianna for the Nativity (birth) of the Blessed Mother. A son born in late August - early September might be Joseph. Alternatively, another girl might be named Josefa.

If you know or suspect someone was baptized in the Greek Orthodox tradition, look for the appropriate saint calendar. On Geneteka, Greek Catholic records are clearly marked in the database as such, however, something you may find is that a surname is represented in both Roman and Greek Catholic churches.  Check the meaning of the surname.*  This will help you avoid spending time on a surname over a spelling question when the two surnames actually mean very different things though they are quite alike.

In either case, check to see if the church in the village is still standing and what the name of it is, because the records rarely record the name of the church. Some of these old churches are simply breathtaking inside.  Others feature amazing structures made of carved wood.

In Hungarian records you will see naming patterns among common people that are mostly about birth order.  Also, if a child dies, the given name may be repeated. I have yet to find that in the Polish records. So, remember that the Greek Catholic person does not have to have lived in the Ukraine and you will find Greek Catholics in Hungary - or Hungarian Lands which would include present day Slovakia and Romania too.

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This post is part of a series on the subject. To pull all the topics up, click on the tag Pro Genealogy Tips - Galicia

THE CONCERNS OF THE PRIEST - MARRIAGES : GENETEKA - USING THE POLISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY DATABASE for RESEARCH : GENEALOGY PRO TIP #3

THE CONCERNS OF THE PRIEST - MARRIAGES : GENETEKA - USING THE POLISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY DATABASE for RESEARCH : GENEALOGY PRO TIP  #3

Jewish records (and other minority religions such as Lutheran and Mennonite records) are available in special archives in Poland and JewishGen is a helpful database site for Jewish records. 

So far GENETEKA is primarily Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic records. Appearing in Greek Catholic records may indicate that the person is of Ruthenian (such as Lemko) heritage or of a different ethnic heritage than Hungarian or Polish. Research the surname as well, however, because there was intermarriage, especially as we go through the 1800's into the 1900's.  Also given names will be a clue as to religion and ethnicity- more on that in another post.

Be aware that if a couple moved to a village where there was only a Roman Catholic church, they might attend and worship there, and so it was with Greek Catholic churches in villages. In America they might settle where an ethnic church and belong there. There might also have been agreements between the couple to raise some children in one religion and others - the other. Typically, if the mother was Greek Catholic, she might want her daughters raised in that church but might allow her sons to follow their Roman Catholic father. **

Just think practically. A person would work hard all week and want to see Church as a pleasure - a respite - and a social opportunity - but how far do they really want to travel?  On foot?

If the town also had a Jewish temple, that might indicate that it has a larger population than a village.

What might indicate a "mixed" marriage?  Well, if the priest writes in that Banns of Marriage have occurred in two different parishes or churches, that is a clue. Sometimes the name of the church or the name of the other village appears.  Check these out on church and village history sites!  You may find the name of the church, see photos of it, even find it on a YouTube video tour.

What are banns of marriage?  A public announcement - back in the day usually from the pulpit - that a couple plan to marry.  Usually three Sundays in a row.  The idea was to give people who know the individuals to voice an objection to the marriage and stop it.  A popular story device on soap-operas for sure!  Check those dates for the day of the week they occurred.  Usually this was right before the marriage - but not always.  How much time passed between the third announcement and the marriage ceremony?

What were the good reasons to object?

Knowledge that a person is already married to someone else.  Or that the person promised marriage to someone else who is alive.

In some cases, that there is some dispute involving the inheritance (of land usually) that needs to be resolved first.  (Remember that Old Europeans did a lot of match making and that villagers might have decided what child would marry who when they grew up long before.  Sure there were love matches but these were practical people.)

Knowledge that the man - potential father in particular - is not capable of supporting a family.

Too close a relationship.  You will find that whole villages are somehow genetically related - many families intertwining. Still there was a general idea that too close cousin marriage was not a good idea.

A strong parental or authority figure objection or for some reason the marriage is seen locally as not good for the community.  

The priest will record the names and parentage of the bride and groom including their ages.  In some records the actual birth date is listed.  If it says 11/3/1879 that means March 11, 1879.  The day is first, the month is second.

Did people really not know how old they were?  Or lie.  It seems sometimes this is true. In my experience they are not too far off.

Legitimacy.

This is not just about being celibate until married for holy religious reasons. The priests baptized so many babies and the illegitimate ones tended not to thrive without the support of a father and everybody knew it. Remember at this time most women were wives and mothers and outside income was the husband's role. Sad to say but some women were taken advantage of by seducers, sexual harassers, and rapists.  And sometimes people had affairs. The most important aspect of marriage was for the bearing of and raising of children. You see the death records and you see how few children made it to adulthood and begin to feel a sense of amazement when you notice someone died in their 70's because of senility (they were just old.)

The socio-cultural-religious system endorsed marriage as the best economic way as well.

One of my ancestors was married three times due to his wives dying before he died.

If you see one woman with multiple illegitimate children - no father's name or heritage mentioned - she may be someone who is unlucky in love, a prostitute, or having an affair with a married man.  Follow her if you can and see if she every marries.  ****

If you take the DNA test and it proves you are not the actual genetic heir of a person on your chart, well it's not unheard of.

Added note Feb 3 2022  Greek Catholic records do not conform to the Julian Calendar at all times and are usually behind.  I.e Roman Catholic Christmas is December 25th, Greek Catholic (or Orthodox Christmas) is January 16th.  Which means that if a person you are seeking on records was baptized in a Roman Catholic Church on Christmas, that same person baptized in the Greek tradition would show in records baptized on January 16th - and a different year! However, you'll have to research to find out when and where there was conformity and my feeling is this.  If the records are in Latin or Polish and not Cyrillic script, then they are likely following the Julian Calander. 

** But since the Roman Catholic Church used to insist that anyone who married there would promise to raise their children Roman Catholic, you may find the children all follow the parent whose church they married in.

*** see also how long the children live. 

Added note April 2023  JewishGen appears to have sold their database to Ancestry TM.

Added note April 2023.  Geneteka is uploading some Lutheran records under the term Evangelical.

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This post is part of a series on the subject.  To pull all the topics up, click on the tag Pro Genealogy Tips - Galicia

NATIONAL CARPATHO-RUSYN CULTURAL CENTER

 National Carpatho-Rusyn Cultural Center

There are a number of ways that people who lived in the Carpathian Mountains as a separate, East Slavic ethnicity are identified. Rusyn or Ruthenian, Greek Catholic, erroneously Russian. Within their ethnicity there are the Lemkos, the Boykos, and the Hutsels. A great number of Rusyn villages were and are in Hungary. Generally in the mountains of Slovakia, Belorus, and Ukraine, these people have not had a nation to call their own. Some intermarried or assimilated to the nation they found themselves living in.

The Spis area had some Rusyn habitations.

I've been checking on what's new with the people in a place called Munhall near Pittsburgh who started this organization a few years ago and learned they went National with about 1800 members. They have a number of information YouTube videos as well. If you or family members are Greek Catholic or Byzantine, and you find your surname on the list, you may share some Rusyn in your Hungarian Heritage. Listening to the short lecture by Mr. Rigatti, I learned that the Hungarian land Barons and Slovaks let the Rusyn people live their culture. Then things changed.