Divine Signs Research Articles

Ships That Sail and Other Divine Signs: An Analysis and Contextualisation of Surah Luqman 31:29–32

Ships That Sail and Other Divine Signs: An Analysis and Contextualisation of Surah Luqman 31:29–32

The Contradictory Legacy of Zionism: Radical Religious Groups

Zionism initially emerged as a secular movement aimed at the national liberation of the Jewish people. Most Zionist leaders, known as the founding fathers, sought to dissociate Judaism from its religious identity and embed it within a modern nationalist framework. The desire to establish a national consciousness while sidelining religious teachings led to significant conflicts and schisms among both secular and religious Jewish communities. Aside from a small minority within religious groups, Zionism was largely rejected and scorned by religious Jews in its early days. However, the establishment of the state, particularly following the Six-Day War in 1967, paradoxically provided fertile ground for the rise of religious radicalism. Religious groups began interpreting the acquisition of sacred lands, such as Jerusalem and the West Bank, as a divine sign, advocating for Israel’s expansion as a religious mission. This study will examine the contradictory legacy of Zionism, characterized by its secular, and at times anti-religious, ideology. Zionism continues to create deep divisions within Israeli society, perpetuating a persistent tension between secular and religious identities. Radical Zionist religious groups legitimize violence against Palestinians, sustaining a profound area of conflict in Israeli politics and settlement policies.

Ecology, Anti-Christianity, and the Far Right

Ecology, Anti-Christianity, and the Far Right

Sign and Guidance from the Perspective of the Qur’an “Divine Cosmic Signs, a Semantic Study”

Objectives: This research aims at revealing the semantic relationships between divine cosmic signs and human guidance on the oneness of God (Allah) - Almighty-, through identifying the meaning of both sign and guidance, then revealing the most important divine cosmic signs mentioned in the holy Quran, such as stars, planets, moon, and sun. The study also observed the main connotations resulting from these signs through functions assigned to them by God and reveal their relationship with human guidance to the oneness of God.
 Methods: The inductive approach through extrapolating places where the divine cosmic signs were mentioned in the Qur’an, and then used the analytical approach represented in recognizing interpreters’ analyses and interpretations of verses referring to these signs.
 Results: The most significant finding of the study is that all divine signs created by God have specific functions and not created randomly, as they are related to the mind and heat guidance to the oneness of God.
 Conclusions: The need to prepare in-depth studies on the global phenomena and their relationship with the oneness of God, such as scientific miracles studies, and presenting them through dialogue forums or via radio and TV programs

The Roots of Divination in Archaic Poetry

This article offers an analysis of a neglected aspect of divination in Archaic Greek literature. It aims to demonstrate that often divination stems from a self-contained ability to obtain hidden knowledge irrespective of the gods. In the human realm, seers prophesy not by divine inspiration or through reading divine signs, but by their own autonomous prophetic faculty. In the divine realm, the gods use various means of divination to obtain knowledge of what lies above and beyond them. Lastly, nature is conceived as possessing independent mantic resources of its own. The conclusion explains how these three phenomena developed from one essential religious conception.

Of Signs: Matter and Revelation in the Liturgies of William Durand and John Calvin

AbstractThis article seeks to set aside what we might call Cartesian physics to revisit William Durand's conception of sign as set forth in the Rationale divinorum officiorum and John Calvin's as set forth in the Institutio christianae religionis. Reading the two works through the lens of medieval physics reveals commonalities – both held signs to be ever‐present modes of divine communication – and enables us to delineate more precisely their differences. For both, creation was a locus of divine communication. For Durand, the position of a faithful person was observation informed by Scripture, an attentiveness to the redundantia of divine communication in which Scripture and creation were in dialectic. For Calvin, divine communication was simultaneously visible and, to fallen humankind, imperceptible: even as creation held forth divine signs, human beings could not comprehend them. These differing conceptions of the human observer (Durand) or spectator (Calvin), precede and ground their differing approaches to eucharistic signs.

KONTRIBUSI SENI RUPA SEBAGAI DISPLIN ILMU DALAM ISLAM DENGAN AFTERLIFE MAPPING

Fine art is a branch of art that is expressed through visual or visual media that is in close contact with everyday life. However, when the development of science is increasing, there appears a significant gap between art and disciplines in Islam. Whereas art has a very large portion in religion which shows visuals of events in the world and divine signs. The research method uses a qualitative approach by collecting a simple survey of Muslim students or artists in Bandung with an age range of 18-21 years which is carried out online using Google Form. The results show that the contribution of art as a discipline in Islam with afterlife mapping requires an effort to reconstruct educational thinking in order to anticipate any changes that occur: first, what artistic contributions are produced by Muslim artists/students at this time; secondly, do not assume that art makes art performers away from Islamic principles, because this is just a stereotype; Third, make a plan with the contribution you have for the afterlife.

Mudrā of Vajrayāna – Caryā

Mudrā as a divine sign language of the spiritual kind applied in religious rituals is essentially a means of communication and a bridge between physical existence and ultimate emancipation from non-existent existence envisaged in vajrayāna thought process. A pragmatic solution for final release from rebirths. It is a means of visualization for eventual realization. Interaction of sādhana, sādhya and sādhaka paves the way for nirvāņa through the formation of mudrās.

Human symbols and divine signs in Psychotherapy and Psychological Counseling: Islamic discourse

The article is devoted to the problems of using symbols in religious-oriented psychological assistance to Muslims. The author analyzes approaches to the symbol concept in Psychology and Philosophy, as well as develops the theory and practice of using symbols in Psychotherapy. Symbols are considered in the context of Islamic divine signs, which are provided by Allah in order to contemplate, to understand and to disclose them in the nature and personality of a man, as well as in historical events from the past described in holy scriptures. Based on the analysis of the text of the Qur’an, the author emphasizes the connection between symbolic Qur’anic images and the inner world of a person, the state of their intellectual and spiritual development. Based on the works of Islamic authors of the past and present, the article suggests methods for using symbolic images presented in the Qur’an in the practice of counseling and psychotherapy, as well as substantiates the basic principles that must be observed in the process of providing psychological assistance to Muslims.

General physics of "mystical face apparitions" Why people come to believe in hypothetical "Virgin Mary or Jesus faces"

The various natural disasters involving forms of sedimentation explain concretion of face remains on tufs that can later happen to be found by humans or even be accidentally taken by industrial works and reappar randomly. One case is given. Frequent apparition of such remains have obviously spread, in other groups of people the feeling of divine signs, “apparition of the Virgin Mary” for instance in recent times. Already existing articles of the author demonstrate how natural disasters happen against tribes and groups that have not followed natural rules but have become exploitative, explaining why archaeological work is not extremely interesting.

1927

AbstractAt the turn of the sixteenth century, Egyptian polymath Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti compiled a study about earthquakes he titled Kashf al-salsala ‘an wasf al-zalzala (Revealing the Chain of Echoes/Meaning in the Description of Earthquakes; shortened to Zalzala). Arguing that they constituted divine signs, al-Suyuti chronicled 130 earthquakes that occurred in the Muslim world. Curiously, Zalzala reemerged more than three centuries later in the modern world of colonial expansions. In the aftermath of the 1927 earthquake in Palestine, American seismologist and Stanford professor Bailey Willis would make use of Zalzala for his authoritative “Earthquakes in the Holy Land.” The chronological sections of Zalzala would become indispensable for future seismological scholarship. This article tracks Zalzala's journey into seismology. Seismology's reception of Zalzala was possible by splitting it into two parts (theological and factual), receiving the factual and bracketing the theological, and by converting Zalzala from a chronology of horrors to a catalog of normal quakes of a unified seismic earth. This splitting was at odds with Zalzala's own structure, which joined the two dimensions. Consequently, signs of divinity persisted in seismic factuality, engendering a seismological-theological hybrid. This hybrid tells of the enduring difficulty seismology faces in transforming the earthquake-disaster into a seismological object. It also tells of the persistence of wonder and the enduring relevance of ethical reflection.

The meteorite of Barcelona (1704): History, discovery, and classification

AbstractOn Christmas Day 1704, at 17 h (UT), a meteorite fell in Terrassa (about 25 km NW of Barcelona). The meteorite fall was seen and heard by many people over an area of several hundred kilometers and it was recorded in several historical sources. In fact, it was interpreted as a divine sign and used for propaganda purposes during the War of the Spanish Succession. Although it was believed that meteorite fragments were never preserved, here we discuss the recent discovery of two fragments (49.8 and 33.7 g) of the Barcelona meteorite in the Salvador Cabinet collection (Botanic Institute of Barcelona). They are very well preserved and partially covered by a fresh fusion crust, which suggests a prompt recovery, shortly after the fall. Analysis of the fragments has revealed that the Barcelona meteorite is an L6 ordinary chondrite. These fragments are among the oldest historical meteorites preserved in the world.

Sümer Mitolojisi Enki ve Ninmah Metnini Sakatlık Tarihi Açısından Değerlendirme

Research concerning disability or the history of disability is only recently emerging. It can be stated that disability studies in Assyriology are not yet at the desired level. As far as it is known, one of the most ancient texts, perhaps the first that included vital information about the history of disability in the Ancient Mesopotamia, is a Sumerian creation myth, dubbed Enki and Ninmaḫ. This myth is important for the history of disability since, not only did it refer to certain disability types and illnesses but it also emphasized the social integration of the ill and disabled individuals. Providing proofs that disability was related to societal and cultural contexts, the text refuted the understanding, which prevailed for centuries and one that prevails in part even today, that disability concerned only medicine. In ancient Mesopotamian societies, disabled individuals were neither exterminated due to their disabilities and nor were they comprehensively discriminated against in society, political life and various mechanisms of production. On the contrary, they participated in different levels of the state’s administrative system. Moreover, they did not always perceive congenital disabilities as divine punishment and did not associate it with a catastrophe. Disabilities were perceived as good or bad divine signs about daily life practices of human and thus as an indicator of welfare, abundance, prize, challenge, productivity, and solidarity. Including information about the societal fabric of the disability, Enki and Ninmaḫ has a content that can contribute to the history of disability.

Adoption institution among Bashkirs in the past (based on folklore and written sources)

The following paper discusses the institution of adoption among Bashkirs in the past based on folklore and written sources. This topic is not sufficiently studied in historiography. There are not many sources on it. The main sources here are the traditions, legends, genealogical trees of Bashkir. In these sources information about the adoption of young children (Kalmyks, Nogais, Kazakhs, etc.) by Bashkirs has been preserved. All these sources in most respects reflect the realities of the 16th 18th centuries. In general, they help understand the views of Bashkirs on the adoption of other peoples children. The analysis of the sources allowed us to conclude that orphans, abandoned, captured, etc. children among Bashkirs were considered as being marked with a divine sign. Adopted children would become full members of the Bashkir community. It is assumed that the institution of adoption was widespread enough before the Bashkirs joined the Russian state. Materials confirm that the adoption was associated with the custom of obtaining the fruit of a noble person. Adoption was one of the ways to incorporate other ethnic groups in the Bashkir people. The historical roots of the institution of adoption needs a further study.

Rationalizing Socrates’ daimonion

ABSTRACTThat Socrates took himself to possess a divine sign is well attested by ancient sources. Both Plato and Xenophon mention Socrates’ daimonion on numerous occasions. What is problematic for contemporary scholars is that Socrates unfailingly obeys the warnings of his sign. Scholars have worried that Socrates seems to ascribe greater epistemic authority to his sign than his own critical reasoning. Moreover, he never so much as questions the authority of his sign to guide his actions, much less its divine nature. Socrates’ unquestioning obedience to his sign thus appears to be in conflict with another of Socrates’ defining characteristics: namely, his relentless rationality. However, Socrates does not seem to recognize such inconsistency. The problem of the daimonion, then, is this: is Socrates’ professed commitment to rationality consistent with his unquestioning deference to his daimonion’s warnings? And if so, how? In this paper, I first discuss several solutions to the problem of the daimonion. I aim to show that none of the accounts of Socrates’ sign that have appeared in the scholarly literature are adequate. I then propose a new account of the daimonion, which, I argue, secures the rationality of Socrates’ obedience to his divine sign.

«Quiso Dios» o «acordé y me determiné»: voluntad divina o libre albedrío de Cortés en la <em>Segunda</em> relación

En distintas épocas en el mundo cristiano, como la que le tocó vivir a Cortés, se ha registrado una tensión entre la predeterminación de Dios, que obra a través de su Divina Providencia, y la voluntad del hombre: si se tocan o se distancian; si la renuncia de una implica el actuar de otra; si coexisten o se comprometen. Además, la historiografía cristiana hace distinciones en torno al providencialismo, cuando menos, en tres notables autores: Agustín y Paulo Orosio, de un lado y Tomás de Aquino, del otro. El presente trabajo analiza la mezcla de providencialismos empleados por Cortés en su Segunda relación (1520), en donde lo mismo ve señales divinas sobre hechos que presenció, como prevé triunfos futuros o decide por su cuenta. También, cómo se vale, ante su propio desconcierto de lo que no puede explicarse, de la propia retórica para persuadir al rey de España sobre la importancia de contar con su legitimación y financiación de la conquista de México, según se desprende por la fecha en que firmó la carta.

Heidegger and Scripture: The Calling of Thinking in Our Abandonment

Abstract This paper seeks to perform an interdisciplinary reading of some scriptural passages in light of Heidegger‘s phenomenology generally and his discussion of thinking in particular. The paper treats one passage from Isaiah and two from the Gospels of Luke and John that highlight the human situation of signification (or meaning) and abandonment (or alienation). Using Heidegger‘s description of experience, which roots the logic and unfolding of meaning as expressing the structure of human existence, the paper proposes that the movement toward the divine that each of the scriptural passages embodies (albeit each in its own unique situation) moves us toward an essential insight--namely that the human being exists as a divine sign of care. As such a sign, humans exist not just as the reception of the calling but also as the very calling of thinking itself.

The Role of Rituals in Warfare during the Neo‐Assyrian Period

AbstractIn imperial Assyria during the first millennium BCE, ritual pervaded every aspect of life. As the link between the divine realm and the earthly one, the king's primary duty was to discover the gods' will and enact it. To this end, an array of ritual experts in the art of reading and reacting to divine signs aided the king. Due to the risk involved, warfare required particular attention from the experts during every phase of operations. Based on evidence from cuneiform sources (ritual texts, royal inscriptions, and letters) and monumental art (narrative sculptured reliefs), this article focuses on how ritual activity at each campaign stage affected different audiences, including the enemy, the king's officials, and the Assyrian army.

My Signs that I Have Done Among Them: A DDVar Torah on Parshat Bo

In the Biblical book of Exodus, Pharaoh at first refuses to let the Israelites go because, despite the onslaught of the first five plagues, he hardens his own heart against any concession. But by the second five plagues, even when Pharaoh seems ready to relent, God steps and hardens his heart for him. In Exodus 10:1-2, God gives Moses two reasons for hardening Pharaoh's heart: First, in order I may place these signs of Mine his midst. And second, that you should tell the ears of your son, and your son's son, what I have wrought upon Egypt, and My signs I have done among them; you may know I am Hashem.This talk plays on those two distinct reasons as the launching point for a set of observations all center on the common theme of divine signs. Among the arguments the talk is (1) although the Passover seder is a telling and re-enacting of the story of the Exodus, it can also be said the Exodus from Egypt – ten plagues and all – occurred for the sake of the Seder, and sense it is the Seder as much as the event is the center of spiritual and religious action. (2) In interfaith encounters, the important question is not so much whether different religious traditions worship the same God, but whether each of us can, with humility, charity, and deep wonder, simply look for God's signs other religions, as we look for God's signs nature and history and our own scriptures.

Amata’s Wrath: Dante’s Reading of the Battle for Latium

This essay holds that Dante’s particular interpretation of Virgil’s Amata in Purgatorio XVII as an example of wrath is consistent with his treatment of this Virgilian character in his Epistle VII. Despite the pathetic quality of Lavinia’s words in the Purgatorio episode, a close analysis of Dante’s verses in relation to Virgil’s text, particularly the second half of the Aeneid, reveals that he condemns Amata’s actions as harshly in the Purgatorio passage as in his epistle to Henry VII, where he compares Florence’s brazen effrontery with regard to the emperor to Amata’s open hostility to authority and divine signs. Dante’s reading of Amata is highly determined by his conviction regarding the importance of human agency, and he dismisses any suggestion in Virgil’s text about Amata’s victimization regarding her actions by stressing the evidence in the Aeneid of her active and willful resistance to authority.