Mark Montebello's blog

Hija drawwa komuni li nirreferu ghal Gesù ta’ Nazaret bhala “Kristu” jew “Gesù Kristu”. Il-kelma “Kristu” mhijiex kunjom (kif jahsbu xi whud); hija titlu. Biex jigi indikat dan, fil-Bibbji kollha stampati qabel is-seklu 15 il-kelma kienet tinkiteb b’“k” zghira. Izda bil-mod il-mod dan beda jinbidel. Wara s-seklu 17, il-kelma bdiet dejjem tinkiteb b’“k” kbira, kif ghadu jsir sal-lum. Xi tfisser “Kristu”? Il-kelma “kristu” (mill-Grieg “kristos” ) tittraduci l-kelma Ebrajka “maxiah” (jew “messija”), li tfisser “midluk” (il-kelma wzata fil-Koran hija “masih” ). Il-Lhud kienu juzaw il-kelma b’referenza ghas-sacerdoti u s-slatan (anki barranin) sabiex jindikaw li dawn kienu mahtura jew ikkonsagrati ghas-servizz taghhom permezz ta’ dilka b’tahlita ta’ zjut. Maz-zmien, il-Lhud bdew juzaw il-kelma f’referenza aktar specifika ghal sultan mit-tribù ta’ David li, f’xi zmien gejjieni, kellu jghaqqad il-poplu u jibda perjodu ta’ sliem “messjaniku”. L-insara identifikaw dan il- “mexiah” (jew ...

Dimech: Aphorisms [Continued from here ] During his last four years of exile in Egypt (1917-20), while captive at two different concentration camps, Dimech took up the practice of jotting down philosophical insights in book margins. At least one of these books survived the ravaging of years. It is a manuscript called Annotations . At some point during those years, Dimech began to transcribe some of his recorded insights in view of publication. After Dimech’s death, this incomplete document came into the hands of Juan Mamo, a Maltese labourer in Egypt who visited Dimech in his captivity. Mamo planned to edit and publish the work, but in the end failed to do so. However, his manuscript survived too. It is called Aphorisms . Critical quandaries I came across Aphorisms for the first time while preparing Dimech’s biography, which I eventually published in 2004. Even then, I made some use of the few biographical details it contains.(1) However, since it is clearly a tr...

Bhal-lum 90 sena ilu, fis-17 ta’ April tal-1921, Manwel Dimech miet gewwa Lixandra, l-Egittu, eziljat minn pajjizu. Huwa radd ruhu fl-isptar tal-kamp militari Indjan ta’ Victoria College fejn kien qieghed jinzamm bhala prigunier tal-gwerra minhabba l-hidma tieghu f’Malta. Tiswir u hidmiet Manwel Dimech twieled f’karrejja fi Triq San Gwann, il-belt Valletta, nhar il-Milied tal-1860. Bhal hafna ohrajn, kien gej minn familja fqira hafna u skola ma kellu xejn. F’dak iz-zmien, Malta kienet kolonja Britannika, tezisti biss bhala bazi militari tal-Inglizi. L-ekonomija kienet fi stat tal-biki, b’faqar tal-wahx mifruxa mal-klassijiet socjali kollha. Il-ftit politici li kien hawn kienu jahsbu biss ghalihom infushom, ifittxu li jnaqqru dejjem aktar mill-gid u l-prestigju tal-gvern barrani. Minn kmieni hafna, il-mizerja xehtet lil Dimech f’hajja ta’ kriminalità. Dahal ghaxar darbiet il-habs, l-ewwel darba meta kellu tlettax-il sena u spicca meta kellu sebgha u tletin sena. Fil-habs mhux bi...

[Jissokta minn hawnhekk ] Il-mewt ta’ Manwel Dimech, bhal-lum 90 sena ilu, fl-1921, giet attivament u konxjament ikkawzata minn persuni fl-awtorità minhabba t-twemmin u l-hidma emancipatorja tieghu. Dimech miet f’Lixandra, l-Egittu, wara sitt snin u nofs ikkalzrat u eziljat minn pajjizu. Ezilju illegali Ghalkemm Dimech ghamel sitt snin u nofs shah imkecci minn Malta u kkalzrat fl-Egittu, l-ahhar sentejn u nofs ta’ din l-inkarcerazzjoni qattaghhom eziljat illegalment u abbuzivament. Ha nghid ghala: Dimech gie arrestat fil-31 ta’ Awwissu tal-1914, hekk kif faqqghet l-Ewwel Gwerra Dinjija u giet imposta f’Malta l-ligi marzjali (li prattikament ghamlet lill-Gvernatur Ingliz dittatur). Anqas minn gimgha wara, fil-5 ta’ Settembru, Dimech gie ddeportat Sqallija u moghti l-libertà. Imma fix-xahar ta’ wara gie arrestat mill-gdid u mizmum f’habs f’Siracusa. Fit-22 ta’ Novembru tal-istess sena, Dimech gie deportat Lixandra, l-Egittu, u moghti l-libertà ghal darba ohra. Izda fix-xahar ta...

April 17th, 1921, was a Sunday. On that day, exiled from his country for the preceding six and a half years, Manuel Dimech, aged 60, died at the British military hospital of Victoria College, Alexandria, Egypt.(1) This year too, ninety years later, April 17 also falls on a Sunday. However, though back then the social reformer, polyglot, writer, poet and philosopher gave up the ghost without having a single friend or foe by his side, today he is fittingly remembered and honoured as one of Malta’s greatest 20th century heroes. From the ranks Dimech’s life was no joy-ride. Born at Valletta in 1860,(2) he lived during a time when the economic situation of the Maltese islands, then a British colony, was particularly dismal. Like thousands of others, this condemned Dimech to a boyhood of penury and illiteracy which, almost inevitably, begot vagrancy, petty thefts and a series of short spells in jail. Later, however, Dimech was involved in a violent brawl which, alas, resulted in th...

Nhar il-Hadd li gej, 17 ta’ April, jahbat id-90 anniversarju mill-mewt ta’ Manwel Dimech. Minn hawnhekk, nixtieq ninghaqad ma’ bosta ohrajn li qeghdin ifakkru dan l-avveniment u wkoll nistieden lilek sabiex tinghaqad maghna f’din it-tifkira. Sens ta’ gratitudni Tifkira bhal din ghandha zewg skopijiet ewlenin. L-ewwel nett, ghandha sens ta’ gratitudni. Din il-virtù hija wahda mill-hiliet l-aktar profondi tal-personalità umana. Bniedem tkun taf kemm hu matur minn kemm hu kapaci jkun grat ghal dak li ghandu u ghal dak li rcieva. Bniedem ingrat hu bniedem ta’ karattru u personalità immatura. Dan ghaliex mhuwiex kapaci japprezza r-rigali li rcieva fil-hajja minghajr m’ghandu dritt ghalihom. Il-bniedem ingrat jippretendi li kollox jigi ghandu b’xi dritt. Jahseb li jisthoqqlu jircievi l-hafna hwejjeg sbieh li ghandu f’hajtu. Il-gratitudni hija s-sigriet tal-ferh; l-ingratitudni, tal-imrar. Dan is-sentiment jinfirex ukoll fl-imghoddi taghna daqskemm fil-prezent. Jinfirex ukoll biex iha...

L-ISFIDI SOCJALI TAL-KNISJA MALTIJA LLUM Il-Knisja Kattolika f’Malta u Ghawdex, bhala parti sinifikanti tas-socjetà Maltija, fi zminijietna jehtieg li tibqa’ tistharreg kif tista’ tapplika t-taghlim socjali taghha ghall-bidliet ekonomici u socjali li qeghdin isehhu fostna. Jekk dan l-istharrig ma jsirx (u, ghaldaqstant, ebda applikazzjoni konkreta ma tirrizulta), il-Knisja tirriskja li ssir sempliciment illuzorja. Il-kontenut Din hi stqarrijia li tohrog minn ktieb interessanti bl-Ingliz mahrug lejn il-bidu ta’ din is-sena mic- Chairman tal-APS Bank, il-Professur Emanuel Delia. L-isem tal-ktieb hu: Catholic Social Teaching, Economic Thought and Four Hundred Thousand Maltese (Taghlim Socjali Kattoliku, Hsieb Ekonomiku u Erba’ Mitt Elf Malti). Il-ktieb jinbena fuq trepied: l-ewwel, l-istat attwali tat-taghlim socjali tal-Papat Kattoliku wara riflessjoni ta’ aktar minn seklu; it-tieni, kif inhi meqjusa u mifhuma attwalment l-ekonomija skont it-teoristi taghha; u, it-tielet, l-ista...