Bøger af Charles Savona-Ventura

The Sancti Lazari Ordinis Academia Internationalis was set up with the primary objective of promoting historical academic-based research related to the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, and other Crusader and related orders of chivalry as this relates to the hierarchy, their components, their glorious traditions and ancient history, as well as their relations with the Roman Catholic Church and with other churches that profess the faith of Christ. One method of encouraging academic research is to bring together interested academics in a forum whereby research is presented and critically discussed. This volume of the Acta Historiae Sancti Lazari Ordinis is the product of one such meeting of the International Academy. The Proceedings cover a wide spectrum of subjects encompassing the millennia.

The Acts of the Apostles written by the physician evangelist Lucas of Antioch describe the shipwreck of the grain ship carrying Saul of tarsus to Rome on the Island of Melite. This event has led to the Maltese Islands to develop a strong Pauline tradition with background folklorist elements relating to cure and immunity from poisons. The present publication reviews the story of the fourth voyage of Saul of Tarsus and his faithful companion physician Lucas of Antioch as described in the Acts of the Apostles to relate the described facts in the text with the folklore beliefs prevalent on the Maltese Archipelago and repeatedly documented since the Medieval period.

A Chivalric Order requires its members to dress appropriately according to the occasion and according to established current dress regulations defining the percieved unifom of the organization. The Order of Saint Lazarus throughout the ages has included provisions within its statutes to define what the dress code or "uniform" of its members should be. These statutory regulations reflected the percieved charisma or role of the Order within the society it was working in, ranging from enforcing a monkish-style habit for its members in the early centuries, becoming more gentry and eventually military in style as the role of the Order within society changed. The military style generally followed the military dress fashion of the time. This booklet aims to review the history of the development of the Order's dress code, uniforms, and insignia. It further defines the present-day dress regulations with simple instructions on what is appropriate wear in different circumstances.

The Order of Saint Lazarus saw its origins as an institution established outside the walls of Jerusalem to care for the victims of leprosy assuming the organization of a Crusader Monastic Order after the First Crusade of 1099. Little is known about its early administration except that the Jerusalem establishment de St Ladre des Mesisus was managed by a maistre who was dependent on the Patriarche de Jérusalem (presumably the newly established Latin Patriarch in 1099). The earliest information about the administration of the hospitalis infirmorum Sancti Lazari de Jerusalem dates from the early fourteenth century in the form of a manuscript Rule Book held at the Benedictine Nunnery at Seedorf in the Canton of Uri in modern-day Switzerland. This has sections outlining the regulations dating from the twelfth century (before 1187) while the Order was still established in the motherhouse in Jerusalem. Further regulations were promulgated for the local management of the nunnery in the early 15th century.

The medicine of the ancient Egyptians is some of the oldest documented. From the beginnings of the civilization in the late fourth millennium BC until the Persian invasion of 525 BC, Egyptian medical practice went largely unchanged but was highly advanced for its time, including simple non-invasive surgery, setting of bones, dentistry, and an extensive set of pharmacopoeia. Egyptian medical thought influenced later traditions, including the Greeks. Until the 19th century, the main sources of information about ancient Egyptian medicine were writings from later in antiquity. The Greek historian Herodotus visited Egypt around 440 BC and wrote extensively of his observations of their medicinal practice. Pliny the Elder also wrote favourably of them in historical review. Hippocrates (the "father of medicine"), Herophilos, Erasistratus and later Galen studied at the temple of Amenhotep, and acknowledged the contribution of ancient Egyptian medicine to Greek medicine.

The Order of Saint Lazarus is a lesser known Crusader Order that saw its development in the wake of the First Crusade in the 12th century together with the more popularly known Crusader Orders -- the Order of Saint John [Hospitallers] and the Order of the Temple [Templars]. Its original brief in the Kingdom of Jerusalem was to succour the victims of leprosy but eventually assumed a military role. Supported by various European Royal houses, the Order expanded its range of influence to Europe. Following political machinations, it saw itself divided into two main branches: 1. A Savoyan branch -- the Order of Sts. Lazarus and Maurice; and 2. A French branch the Order of Saint Lazarus and Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Both Orders are still active today. The book reviews in detail the history of the Order of Saint Lazarus from its conception to the modern period using whenever possible access to original documentation and contemporary texts. Unfortunately, much of what has been written about the Order in the past has been based on biased secondary sources which have had a specific agenda either to denigrate or to support the Order. By reviewing the history using primary sources, whenever possible, one would hope that the reader would be able to identify fact from fiction throughout the historical timeline. The Order''s raison d''etre has changed over the centuries from a specific hospitaller Order caring for victims of leprosy adding on a military role in later years, to a Chivalric Order enjoying Papal and French Royal protection, to a philanthropic Order enjoying the fons honorum of the Melkite Patriarch and eventually becoming increasing secular in an organisation with a primary philanthropic role on an international scale. The book targets a varied audience ranging from individuals interested in Medieval, Crusader and Military history, and is suitable for the non-academic readers such as current members of the present Orders of Saint Lazarus to undergraduate and postgraduate academic researchers.