Two-volume study by prominent Macedonian medievalist prof. dr. Ilija Velev “Christianity in Montenegrin Spiritual and Cultural-Historical Identity”, published by Matica Crnogorska, was promoted last night in the National Library of Montenegro “Đurđe Crnojević” in Cetinje.
According to the editor and translator Ivan Ivanović, the general secretary of Matica Montenegrin, the Montenegrin and regional public is faced with a voluminous scientific work, freed from romantic passions.
“In the conditions of permanent attacks on the Montenegrin national and spiritual identity and attempts to steal it, the work that we are premiering tonight, once again confirms its deep foundation. Following the authentic development of Montenegrin cultural and spiritual history and the Montenegrin identity continuum, this monograph additionally convinces us that any quasi-scientific, hegemonic construction will necessarily be recognized as artificial, and that as such it will defeat itself. Because of all of the above, the two-volume work “Christianity in Montenegrin Spiritual and Cultural-Historical Identity” by prof. Ilija Velev has a first-rate Montenegrin identity and sovereignty meaning”, said Ivanović and added that the identity of the nation cannot be seen only from one stage of development; it is necessary to observe the totality of manifestations in the achieved historical development - it is written in the Matica's press release.
“In its creation, the nation in a special way receives the influences of the basic driving forces of the overall social development, among which an important place belongs to Christianity, as a religion, civilization and culture, without which it could not even be realized as a separate category. Concrete research and syntheses that we find in this monograph enrich our knowledge of the prerequisites for the creation of the Montenegrin nation, and their importance is also reflected in the improvement of knowledge about its spiritual foundation in the Christian tradition”, said Ivanović.
According to the announcement, historian Božidar Šekularac said that Ilija Velev's book sheds light on another dimension of Montenegrin history.
“The disappearance and annexation of the independent Montenegro to the Serbian state, which needed the Montenegrin state-building, spiritual, cultural, historian and national tradition in order to support its hegemonic ideas and subjugate them to its interests. Various cults are encouraged, especially cult of Nemanjić dynasty. The Montenegrin church has also been dethroned, supposedly by self-abolition, not occupation”, said Šekularac.
According to him, the Montenegrin question between 1920 and 1944 had incalculable consequences for the national, spiritual, cultural and historical identity of Montenegro and Montenegrins.
“Only in 1944/45, with the formation of the Yugoslav state, Montenegro will get the place under the sun that was taken from it by force and the national equality of Montenegro in the federal state will be established. Unfortunately, the consequences are felt even today”, said Šekularac.
The president of Matica Montenegrin Ivan Jovović pointed out that the markers of Christian identity in the Montenegrin area are determined in the work of Ilija Velev, and that his study represents the comprehensive content of the cultural and historical legacy, in the form of spiritual and material traces created in the past two millennia in the area of Montenegro.
“Professor Velev gave an exhaustive insight to a rich treasury that we can only see and understand in fragments, especially when it comes to the first millennium of Christianity, and interpretation of known historical sources and archaeological findings, using the comparative method in explaining such a complex topic. Professor Velev offered the necessary answers to the origin and development of Christian teaching and church organization, not only in the territory of Montenegro, but also in the wider region, which included the state of Duklja. By anticipating numerous sources and used literature from the history of literature and art, law, philosophy, theology, customs, etc., a comparative method was used in order to explain some general places in the history of Christianity, presenting to the professional and scientific public an in-depth analysis of the spiritual heritage where Christianity is dominantly, but not exclusively, defined the cultural determinants of Montenegro, bearing in mind the presence of Islam in these areas for several centuries”, said Jovović.
The first volume of this book, according to Jovović, is very important for understanding “the long process of ethno genesis of the Montenegrin people, which in this area represents the historical successor of ancient traditions from ancient times, through the Roman and Byzantine provinces of Duklja, to the principality and finally the Kingdom of Duklja”.
“It was Christianity that influenced the fact that the different ethnic groups that lived on the present-day soil of Montenegro, Illyrian, Romanic and Slavic, were integrated into a single national entity or political entity, which in written sources is called Dukljani, by the end of the 9th century. Only the Christian church, under the given circumstances, could unite such heterogeneous ethnic communities through church organization and create a collective awareness of the Dukljan tradition that would exist until the end of the Middle Ages,” said Jovović.
Political scientist Radovan Radonjić called Velev one of the rare Orthodox who dared to come to Montenegro to tell us what, in his opinion, we should have done, but also what we didn't do.
“You have shown us how to write a great book, one that remains behind its author as a testimony that he had reason to be born. At the same time, it obliges us to position ourselves differently, in our own reflections on the past - more critical, more serious and more responsible. Because the issue of the church is an important, particularly sensitive issue in the history of Montenegro, which - as we can clearly see from your book - played a very significant, but also tragic role in the cultural and historical development of this area”, pointed out Radonjić.
Author Ilija Velev points out that his monographic study is not directed against anyone.
“I want to emphasize right away - this book is not anti-Serbian, it is not anti-Croatian, nor is it directed against anyone. This is a Montenegrin book that depicts all the processes that took place in the territory of Montenegro. It talks about all the layers of civilization, i.e. the substrates. Its 850 pages are the result of a methodological approach aimed at explaining the phenomena that have left traces and residue through the layers of civilization. The goal is for the Montenegrin people to know that they have their own tradition and live with it.” said the author.
Two-volume study by prominent Macedonian medievalist prof. dr. Ilija Velev “Christianity in Montenegrin Spiritual and Cultural-Historical Identity”, published by Matica Crnogorska, was promoted last night in the National Library of Montenegro “Đurđe Crnojević” in Cetinje.
According to the editor and translator Ivan Ivanović, the general secretary of Matica Montenegrin, the Montenegrin and regional public is faced with a voluminous scientific work, freed from romantic passions.
“In the conditions of permanent attacks on the Montenegrin national and spiritual identity and attempts to steal it, the work that we are premiering tonight, once again confirms its deep foundation. Following the authentic development of Montenegrin cultural and spiritual history and the Montenegrin identity continuum, this monograph additionally convinces us that any quasi-scientific, hegemonic construction will necessarily be recognized as artificial, and that as such it will defeat itself. Because of all of the above, the two-volume work “Christianity in Montenegrin Spiritual and Cultural-Historical Identity” by prof. Ilija Velev has a first-rate Montenegrin identity and sovereignty meaning”, said Ivanović and added that the identity of the nation cannot be seen only from one stage of development; it is necessary to observe the totality of manifestations in the achieved historical development - it is written in the Matica's press release.
“In its creation, the nation in a special way receives the influences of the basic driving forces of the overall social development, among which an important place belongs to Christianity, as a religion, civilization and culture, without which it could not even be realized as a separate category. Concrete research and syntheses that we find in this monograph enrich our knowledge of the prerequisites for the creation of the Montenegrin nation, and their importance is also reflected in the improvement of knowledge about its spiritual foundation in the Christian tradition”, said Ivanović.
According to the announcement, historian Božidar Šekularac said that Ilija Velev's book sheds light on another dimension of Montenegrin history.
“The disappearance and annexation of the independent Montenegro to the Serbian state, which needed the Montenegrin state-building, spiritual, cultural, historian and national tradition in order to support its hegemonic ideas and subjugate them to its interests. Various cults are encouraged, especially cult of Nemanjić dynasty. The Montenegrin church has also been dethroned, supposedly by self-abolition, not occupation”, said Šekularac.
According to him, the Montenegrin question between 1920 and 1944 had incalculable consequences for the national, spiritual, cultural and historical identity of Montenegro and Montenegrins.
“Only in 1944/45, with the formation of the Yugoslav state, Montenegro will get the place under the sun that was taken from it by force and the national equality of Montenegro in the federal state will be established. Unfortunately, the consequences are felt even today”, said Šekularac.
The president of Matica Montenegrin Ivan Jovović pointed out that the markers of Christian identity in the Montenegrin area are determined in the work of Ilija Velev, and that his study represents the comprehensive content of the cultural and historical legacy, in the form of spiritual and material traces created in the past two millennia in the area of Montenegro.
“Professor Velev gave an exhaustive insight to a rich treasury that we can only see and understand in fragments, especially when it comes to the first millennium of Christianity, and interpretation of known historical sources and archaeological findings, using the comparative method in explaining such a complex topic. Professor Velev offered the necessary answers to the origin and development of Christian teaching and church organization, not only in the territory of Montenegro, but also in the wider region, which included the state of Duklja. By anticipating numerous sources and used literature from the history of literature and art, law, philosophy, theology, customs, etc., a comparative method was used in order to explain some general places in the history of Christianity, presenting to the professional and scientific public an in-depth analysis of the spiritual heritage where Christianity is dominantly, but not exclusively, defined the cultural determinants of Montenegro, bearing in mind the presence of Islam in these areas for several centuries”, said Jovović.
The first volume of this book, according to Jovović, is very important for understanding “the long process of ethno genesis of the Montenegrin people, which in this area represents the historical successor of ancient traditions from ancient times, through the Roman and Byzantine provinces of Duklja, to the principality and finally the Kingdom of Duklja”.
“It was Christianity that influenced the fact that the different ethnic groups that lived on the present-day soil of Montenegro, Illyrian, Romanic and Slavic, were integrated into a single national entity or political entity, which in written sources is called Dukljani, by the end of the 9th century. Only the Christian church, under the given circumstances, could unite such heterogeneous ethnic communities through church organization and create a collective awareness of the Dukljan tradition that would exist until the end of the Middle Ages,” said Jovović.
Political scientist Radovan Radonjić called Velev one of the rare Orthodox who dared to come to Montenegro to tell us what, in his opinion, we should have done, but also what we didn't do.
“You have shown us how to write a great book, one that remains behind its author as a testimony that he had reason to be born. At the same time, it obliges us to position ourselves differently, in our own reflections on the past - more critical, more serious and more responsible. Because the issue of the church is an important, particularly sensitive issue in the history of Montenegro, which - as we can clearly see from your book - played a very significant, but also tragic role in the cultural and historical development of this area”, pointed out Radonjić.
Author Ilija Velev points out that his monographic study is not directed against anyone.
“I want to emphasize right away - this book is not anti-Serbian, it is not anti-Croatian, nor is it directed against anyone. This is a Montenegrin book that depicts all the processes that took place in the territory of Montenegro. It talks about all the layers of civilization, i.e. the substrates. Its 850 pages are the result of a methodological approach aimed at explaining the phenomena that have left traces and residue through the layers of civilization. The goal is for the Montenegrin people to know that they have their own tradition and live with it.” said the author.
Source: CDM
https://www.cdm.me/kultura/na-cetinju-promovisana-knjiga-ilije-veleva-dubinska-analiza-crnogorskog-duhovnog-nasljeda/