Julian Marias (born in 1914) is one of the most significant modern Spanish philosophers. Catholic disciple of Jose Ortega y Gasset and the continuator of his philosophical project has been disregarded in certain circles of the Catholic culture due to his relationship with Ortega and his distance towards Thomism and at the same time as a result of his faith and believes which are visible in his works, and very often constitute the starting point for his philosophical reflection, he is very often numbered among, the broadly understood, Christian thinkers. The best confirmation could be the nomination to the member of the Pontifical Council for Culture that he received from John Paul II in 1982. Religion, and very specifically Christianity, had been the object of his reflection for a long time, but only the new, biographical and dramatic point of view, initiated by Marias’ decisive work Metaphisical Anthropology (1970), made possible religious formulation of the problems contemplated in philosophical manner so far. In his subsequent works the author made the use of this innovation for philosophical reflection on Christianity and to outline of the theological vision. The work of Marias shows how philosophical anthropology may adopt the unexpected horizons from the theological anthropology; the horizons which discover the unlimited capacity of the human person. The man is rational, able to see the world and God, free and responsible, he decides about his future making choices in this world as he hopes to always be in the glory of resurrection. In the face of lasting for over two hundred years the process of eliminating the religious dimension and the depersonalising of the man, the first task of Christian is religious revival of the content of faith. According to Marias the great help at this point may be the philosophy of vital reason which has overcome the relics of the Greek materialism that were the burden for theology and Christian philosophy, including the concept of the person perceived as special shape of substance or object, and discovered the meaning of human life, its personal structure, inner freedom, the pursuit of happiness, its projective character and the evidence that the death seen as annihilation would be the destruction of the hope which is the inseparable part of human life.

“Ateneum Kapłańskie” is the oldest Polish theological magazine published since 1909 by the Seminary of Włocławek scholar environment. Karol Wojtyła belonged to the group of its faithful authors since 1950 until he was elected the Pope. For him, “Ateneum Kapłańskie” was something more than the place where his writings had been published. He felt jointly responsible for its shape and actually had influence on the subject area of some issues, which at that time significantly moulded the thinking of a considerable part of Polish priests and in a way the Church in Poland. Among Karol Wojtyła’s articles that appeared in print in “Ateneum Kapłańskie” some pieces of writings are considerably important. They are devoted to love, marriage and family. Their analysis makes it possible to trace the development of his thought as a gradual project realisation not only of philosophical and theological character, but primarily pastoral that concerns such significant human and Christian dimensions of life as marriage and family life. Karol Wojtyła’s reflection on marriage and family is rooted in his priestly experience and is a deep and original answer to the pressing pastoral and human needs of his and our time. The crux of his mental pivot as a philosopher and theologian who tries to answer the challenges put by the contemporary marital and family crisis and by the young adults’ doubts, who he had accompanied as a priest and a friend, is the anthropology of the person. According to Wojtyla, the erroneous utilitarian, empirical and subjective conception of man lies as a final dimension on the basis of contemporary marital crisis which affects not only the institution but also the sacrament of marriage. Using the philosophical notion of a human person and the theological vision of a man created in the image and likeness of God, the author of “Love and Responsibility” in a novel way portrays the size and beauty of vocation for love, the nuptial love based on selfless gift of oneself. It reaches its peak in the sacrament of matrimony and communion of persons, communio personarum. He perceived family as an irreplaceable, not only in function of procreation, but also as its personalistic and communal function, making it possible to mature human personality and create truly personal relationships. Karol Wojtyła’s writings published in “Ateneum Kapłańskie” represent the maturing certificate of remarkable and riveting project of marital and family theology, which found its culmination in “Theology of the Body” of Pope John Paul II. The project, which has opened horizons not only in philosophical and theological thinking about marriage and family, yet responding to pastoral needs allowed and still allows many people uncover the real and the deep meaning of the marriage and the family. Such people strive to realise Karol Wojtyła’s vision and to live up to his ideals.