Biblical Passages Research Articles

Two of a Kind: Twin Language in the Hebrew Bible

This article seeks to understand the relation between form and content of biblical passages, focusing especially on the word ‭םימאות‬, ‘twins’. First, the six attestations of the word occur in pairs in the books of Genesis, Exodus and the Song of Songs. Second, they are highlighted through linguistic devices that in themselves have affinity with duality: geminates, alliteration and (numerical) paronomasia. Moreover, the number ‘two’ occurs in all texts and is evoked through the use of its homophone ‭ינש‬, ‘scarlet’, and through duplication of words. Thus, it is suggested that the language of biblical passages including the ‘twin’ word exteriorizes and emphasizes the twin concept by means of devices that mimic the twinning formally.

In Death’s Dominion

In Death’s Dominion

Foreigners and Their Food

Are dietary religious laws an obstacle to community relations between membersof the Abrahamic faiths? The new edition of Pierre Birnbaum’s Le Peupleet Les Gros, under the title Genèse du Populisme (Hachette Pluriel: 2012) exploreshow eating pork in Paris and other cities can be read as a sign of identitycrisis in French society, as a way of excluding from the public space thosewho are different, in this case Jews and/or Muslims who follow dietary lawsforbidding its consumption. Similarly, in Foreigners and Their Food: ConstructingOtherness in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Law, the question ofcommunity, religious laws about food, and a thorough analysis of the relevantsacred texts is revealing. This book explores how the Abrahamic faiths conceptualize“us” and “them” through the rules related to food preparation bythose who are not “us” and the precise act of eating with “them.” Moreover,it echoes an important marker of how communities remain segregated at mealtime even though sharing food is seen as a familial, communal, and, most importantly,a sacred act.Foreigners and Their Food opens with Freidenreich’s personal strugglewith food and its significance in deconstructing boundaries between differenttraditions. The author, an ordained rabbi, readily admits to a bias of comparativeanalysis when interpreting the texts and laws; however, this admissionaccentuates and delineates a thorough analysis and rich interpretation that thestudy of religion is yearning for in intertexual analysis.The book begins with a discussion of “imagining otherness,” one thatalerts readers to the significance of food, its symbolic nature of inclusion/exclusion, and the absence of any analysis as to how it impacts so many religiousadherents who rely upon these laws but cannot critically reflect uponthem as markers of “us” and “them.” Freidenreich looks at what Leviticus,Deuteronomy, and similar traditional texts state, but he is clearly reaching formeanings that lie beyond the text. He points out as a general theme that “Absentfrom Biblical passages regarding these dietary laws, however, is any suggestionthat the norms enjoined upon Israelites stand in opposition tonon-Israelite practices” (p. 21) ...

Transformational Leadership: Lessons in Management for Today

This paper examines the underappreciated differences between the effectiveness and measurement of current technical advances in business management methods and how aspects of transformational leadership, as exhibited by the prophet Moses, can more broadly and deeply contribute to an organization’s success over the long term than these more easily defined procedures. These leadership issues tend to arise most acutely when a company’s management comes under severe scrutiny during times of business scandals and related ethical crises. Using Warren Bennis’s definition of charismatic leadership as a framework, we show how Moses exhibited the qualities of humility, tenacity, integrity, strength, creativity, and innovation, particularly in the field of succession planning, in completing his mission, transforming the ‘organization’ he led, and inspiring future generations. The conclusions here are supported not only by biblical passages but also by relevant business, management, and general literature.

A dictionary of Bible plants

This book describes and illustrates each plant mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments and the Apocrypha. Drawing on Lytton John Musselman's extensive field investigations from Beirut to Borneo and from the Atlas to the Zagros mountains, it also includes his original images of each plant. Incorporating new research on their use, reviews are made of recent analytical studies of plants used in materials and technology as well as ancient grains, beer production, medicine, tensile materials, soap and other articles. Based on these materials, Musselman provides several new plant identifications for controversial biblical passages. In addition, the book surveys the history of Bible plant literature from the time of the Greeks and Romans to the present, and reviews and correlates it with Bible plant hermeneutics. Extensive references for further study are provided, along with an index to all verses containing references to these plants.

Malamud's “Subject Matter”:

Malamud's “Subject Matter”:

Angels of Punishment and the Sword of God: Symbols of Justice or Tyranny?

It is the inherent ambiguity of the imagery in Genesis 3.24 and Matthew 10.34 that provides the focus of this article, addressing the theme of Sacred and Sacrilegious by investigating how these biblical passages were used to express negative apprehensions of God and Christianity. The poets Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Thomas Love Peacock, along with the artist J.M.W. Turner, take the sacred images of the Sword of God and the avenging angel, literal representations of the Glory of God, and reinterpret them in a sacrilegious manner.

The Oxford handbook of the reception history of the Bible

This wide-ranging volume looks at the reception history of the Bible's many texts; Part I surveys the outline, form, and content of twelve key biblical books that have been influential in the history of interpretation. Part II offers a series of in-depth case studies of the interpretation of particular biblical passages or books.

A Catalan Diplomat, Theologian and Preacher at the Council of Constance : Master Felip de Malla

By this article, the author aims to present one of the theologians who participated in the Council of Constance : the Barcelonese canon Felip de Malla (c. 1375 – 1431). He studied in Paris, then went back to the countries of the Crown of Aragon. He was a theologian and master, but the court and the city (especially Barcelona), rather than the University, were the milieus where he used his authority. Felip de Malla was a member of the embassy that king Alphonse the Magnanimous sent to the council of Constance ; he read two sermons before the plenary session of the Council and was a member of the special conclave that elected Martin V. He also worked as a diplomat for the kings of Aragon, he was a preacher and the pastor of a parish in Barcelona, and wrote a huge book about the redemption of mankind through Christ’s death, a book in Catalan, not in Latin, evidently for a public of cultivated and devout lay people. In this work, and in the many sermons we can read still today, we can recognize some characters of the theology of the XV century, as well as an alternation of classic mythology and biblical passages, typical of the late Gothic culture.

From Strangers to Friends: A New Testament Call to Community

Using Biblical passages and reflections from both the Gospels and Paul's writings in the New Testament, the key themes of community, stranger, hospitality, and friendship in the worlds of intellectual and developmental disabilities are explored and discussed. Six other theological themes arising out of inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are also described, with the conclusion that these themes and understandings are about everyone, not just people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

An Old Testament Offering: The Origin of Frost's “Maple”

Frost's poem, “Maple,” raises three distinct issues: 1) What is the significance of the name “Maple” and of the circumstances contributing to the naming of Maple? 2) What is the significance of the phrase “wave offering” in the biblical passages where the maple leaf was found? and 3) What does the poem mean? My thesis centers on a biblical and etymological analysis of the Hebrew word for “offering” that is central to Frost's poem. The paper begins with an investigation into the Old Testament origins of this phrase and then analyzes the significance of Maple's naming and the poem's relevance to Frost's themes and previous poems.

Bloodless Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in the Jehovah’s Witness Patient

The successful use of prolonged extracorporeal life support with a heart-lung machine was first performed in 1972, as described by Hill et al., on a young man with post-traumatic respiratory failure. The first successful use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was 1976 by Bartlett et al. Since this time, the use of ECMO for neonatal and pediatric pulmonary support has become a standard of care in many children’s hospitals. The use of ECMO, being a very invasive procedure, is not without risk. In our experience, most patients require multiple transfusions of the different blood components (packed red blood cells, plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitate). Exposure to one or more blood products often occurs with connection to the ECMO circuit, as the circuit is generally primed with blood products or whole blood. Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) are known best in the medical community for their refusal of blood products, even at the risk of death, which presents challenges for health care providers. This belief stems from the biblical passages that have been quoted as forbidding transfusion: Genesis 9:3–4, Leviticus 17:13–14, and Acts 15:19–21. This refusal of blood poses even greater challenges when treating the pediatric JW population. When a blood product is deemed medically necessary for the JW patient, the healthcare provider must either seek legal intervention, or support the patient’s/family’s wishes and associated outcome. This ethical dilemma may be further complicated in the setting of therapies, which may pose additional risks and potentially less clear benefit such as with ECMO. Bloodless cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass has been reported in the JW population in adults and pediatrics, including neonates. After a thorough search of the literature, no published report of a JW patient being supported on ECMO without blood or blood component utilization was identified. This case report will present our experience with multiple day, bloodless ECMO support of a 17-year-old male patient of the JW faith.

“Ut mortuus seculo, solus soli viveret Deo” the charter of hermit Andreas and Admont

“But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him… For the death that he died, he died unto sin once: but the life that he liveth, he liveth unto God.” The antithesis in the Epistle of Paul to the Romans enjoyed great popularity in medieval literature, specifically amongst monastic authors. Dezső Pais and Janos Bollok observed a striking parallel between the biblical passage and the conclusion of the Gesta Hungarorum. Janos Győry explained the resemblance with the literary impact of the 12th-century Gesta consulum Andegavorum on the anonymous author of the Gesta Hungarorum. On the other hand, the quotation could have been borrowed from a letter by Paulinus of Nola. Another source from early medieval Hungary, the arenga of the charter of hermit Andreas (1130-1140) contains a paraphrased version of the passage, now openly articulating monastic ideals: Ut mortuus seculo, solussoli viveret Deo. The same wording was preserved in a homily for the feast of Saint Blaise attributed to abbot ...

In support of female leadership in the church: Grappling with the perspective of Setswana men � Shepherding as solution offered

This article addresses the overwhelmingly negative experience and feeling of some men who serve under female leaders in the church. They claim to feel degraded and traumatised by the experience of being led by women. They also claim that their patriarchal culture and religion is defied by such actions and laws of equality that encourage female leadership. They substantiate their views by quoting 1 Corinthians 14:34−35 and 1 Timothy 2:12−14 in addition to a Setswana proverb, �Tsa etelelwa pele ke e namagadi di wela ka lengope� [those who are led by a female leader fall into dongas]. In the light of this situation an intensive study regarding the need for an egalitarian concept and constructive interpretation of Bible passages, Setswana proverbs and idioms regarding the inevitability of female leadership is paramount to people who have an androcentric concept of religion and culture.

Ironia, tragizm i tajemnica Boga w dramacie biblijnym Jephtes George’a Buchanana – Jana Zawickiego

The Irony, Tragedy and Mystery of God in the Biblical Drama Jephthes by George Buchanan – Jan Zawicki The article refers to one of the most famous 16th century humanistic dramas, the biblical tragedy Jephthes sive votum , written by Scottish humanist George Buchanan (1554), which was translated into Polish by Jan Zawicki and published in 1587. The central plot is based on an Old Testament story, contained in the Book of Judges , about one Jephthe who had sacrificed his daughter to God ( Judges 11, 29–40). According to the renaissance principle of substitution, the biblical passage was incorporated into the scheme of Eurypidian tragedy Ifigeneia in Aulis . By the same method, Buchanan created the first modern tragedy with overtones of religion. The heart of Jephtah’s tragedy may be located in the paradox of human guilt and the inconceivable judgement of God. Jephtah is guilty, he opens his mouth to the vow, but he is not really wicked. Unlike the Angel’s statement in the prologue of the play, he lacks hubris , his words and deeds illustrate his piety and confidence in Yahweh. Ironically, Jephtah’s piety accelerates his disaster, and his virtue comes into hamartia . Therefore his „guilt” becomes particularly ambiguous, and remains in the shadow of the mysterious silence of God.

Passive Paradox: Demoted Agent Promotion in Biblical Hebrew

Like many languages, Biblical Hebrew employs the passive voice to demote the agents of action in verbal clauses. However, a handful of biblical passages also promote agents to the syntactically-prominent preverbal slot. This study demonstrates that demoted agent promotion is a rare focus phenomenon that forcefully highlights the agent.

The Call to Perfection, financial Asceticism, and Jerome

The encounter between Jesus and the rich young man in Mt. 19,16-30 (with parallels in Mc. 10,17-31 and Lc. 18,18-30) provides the setting for the teachingon the attaining of perfection, which is presented as a three-step process: the selling of one’s possessions, the distribution of the proceeds to the poor, andthe following of Christ (Mt. 19,21; Mc. 10,21; Lc. 18,22; and the unique Lukan saying in 12,33). It was a passage to which Jerome appealed frequently in hiswritings and which Finn, in his recent monograph, believes demonstrates Jerome’s extreme views. In this paper I shall examine Jerome’s references to this biblical passage in his letters and treatises to evaluate whether the first two steps in the process (self-dispossession and almsgiving) were consideredequally virtuous by Jerome.

God's Dominion Over Death

This article briefly overviews the criteria for and physiological process of death, contrasting physical death with biblical passages revealing how God interceded in this universal process when Jesus was on earth.

The Masoretic Notes in Three Commentaries Attributed to Rashi

Using the Mikra ot Gedolot ‘Haketer’ version of Rashi’s commentary on three Biblical passages (Deuteronomy 33:23, Isaiah 14:11 and Ezekiel 17:9) the author reviews the textual version of the commentaries’ transmission from medieval manuscripts to print editions. Addressing their meaning and adducing the masoretic notes that the Meyuḥas may have used in making additions, the author demonstrates that these later additions have generated erroneous attributions to Rashi’s original commentaries. In the first two cases, the commentator employs the Masorah note as an interpretive tool. Firstly, he cites the Masorah Magna to support his claim that this unusual form of ירשה (Deut 33:23) is indeed in the imperative. Secondly, the commentator adduces from a masoretic note that the word נבליך (Isa 14:11), which occurs twice in the Bible in this form has two meanings. In the third case, the Masorah note had no interpretive agenda; it merely pointed out that all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet appear in Ezekiel 17:9.

The Edomite Involvement in the Destruction of the First Temple: A Case of Stab-in-the-Back Tradition?

This article investigates the biblical tradition of the Edomite intervention in the fall and destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 586 BCE. Close re-reading of the relevant biblical passages stripped of the ethnic prejudice against the Edomites demonstrates that the texts reproaching the Edomite behavior are not contemporary to the events they purport to describe, lacking important factual details and being full of theatrical imagery that is a product of their negative attitude towards Edom. I would suggest that the belief of the Edomites’ guilt represents an ancient case of ‘stab-in-the-back’ tradition, so typical of modern defeated societies. Contrary to traditional studies that failed to recognize that nations and national ideas were common in pre-modern times, a ‘perennialist’ perspective demonstrates that the 586 BCE catastrophe represented a major incentive for the burst of cultural nationalism and cultural creativity, but also of feelings of humiliation and embarrassment, xenophobia, ‘lost cause’ legends, ‘divine punishment’ themes and ‘stabin-the-back’ myths, that arose during the exilic and post-exilic periods.