Stele Research Articles

The Finger of God and the Forming of a Nation: The Origin and Purpose of the Decalogue

The problem of the origin of the Decalogue is often expressed in terms of whether or not it is Mosaic or developed from a form that originated in the Mosaic period. Many scholars have argued for one or other of these positions, though recently some have suggested that the Decalogue was formulated much later in Israel’s history, during or even after the Exile. However none of these views engages seriously with the claim of the biblical text that the Decalogue was spoken directly by God to the people of Israel at Sinai and written by ‘the finger of God’ on the two stone tablets. In this article I will endeavour to do that, before considering the audience to whom the Decalogue was addressed, what it was intended to be for them, and the motives and sanctions which were stated or implied. I shall argue that this document was instrumental in the forming of Israel as a nation, indeed as the people of God, and that it contains the essential principles which underlie the detailed laws in Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

Gabbard Explains Dos and Don'ts Of Teaching Psychotherapy

Gabbard Explains Dos and Don'ts Of Teaching Psychotherapy

"Adversary Hšryš": His Name and Deeds According to The Satrap Stela

"Adversary Hšryš": His Name and Deeds According to The Satrap Stela

THE RECONCILING SPIRIT: THE DOVE WITH COLOUR AND STRENGTH

Abstract The dove is used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and also of peace and reconciliation. However, the usual depiction of the dove may not be a good representation of the content of or of the nature and work of the Spirit. This article aims to enhance our vision of the of reconciliation by examining the apostle Paul's teaching in 2 Corinthians about the of the and the of reconciliation. The article also consumers the deliberations of several international meetings, and brings together a number of reflections on the from India and Korea. The paper concludes that the heavenly bird is not limited to the dove, nor is the imagery of the Holy restricted to the dove. The is not white and delicate but colourful and strong, and it is through these characteristics that the leads us in the way of Christ in the struggle to live together in reconciled life. ********** Judging by the covers of books about the Holy Spirit, one can see that the dove is undoubtedly the most commonly used symbol for the Spirit. The dove--and the Spirit--are often also associated with the gospel message of peace or reconciliation. However, despite the dove's biblical pedigree as the symbol of God's presence that descended on Jesus at his baptism, I the use of this image alone distinctly unhelpful in communicating the reality of the of God, and also the meaning of reconciliation. The symbol of the dove as used on badges, cards and banners usually represents either inner tranquillity and purity--without a community connection--or else the kind of peace on earth that we sometimes dream of at Christmas, viz. merely the cessation of conflict without the activity of reconstruction. The dove is pure white and sometimes comes close to looking like the fat turkey of consumerism, or else it resembles the eagle of empire. In the scriptures, the peace that comes in Jesus Christ is not a blanket of snow that covers everything and makes the world colourless and white, nor is it the kind of absence of activity that makes the waters still. Rather, the peace of Christ is represented by the colourful community of believers striving to live together in the of Christ and experiencing reconciliation as the result of a deep prayer life, strenuous activity, fearless witness, agonizing suffering, sacrificial sharing and living together in a complex world full of competing spirits of one sort or another. The dove seems to me hardly compatible with the raw power and vibrant colour of the Spirit, who brooded at the creation, inspired the prophets, propelled the infant church into mission, transformed lives, and freed people from all kinds of bondage. In our imagery, we have captured the dove of freedom and power, and caged it. The heavenly dove has become like the doves in the temple that were being sold for sacrifice (Matt. 21:12-13). The of reconciliation Without any overt reference to the dove, in his second letter to the Corinthians Paul describes the of the (2 Cor. 3:8) and contrasts it with the of Moses. According to Paul, though Moses's had its glory, its end was death. It cannot be compared with the glory of Jesus Christ, whose brings life for all. Paul contrasts the two ministries by considering two letters: one written by the of the living God on human hearts, and the other inscribed on tablets of stone; one bringing righteousness and the other condemnation (2 Cor. 3:1-11). The point is not to diminish Moses hut to put into relief the difference that the new life in the Spirit--the new creation--makes. The Lord is Spirit, the fullness of God's glory, which Moses experienced only in a veiled way. However, we, having our veils removed when we turn to the Lord, see with unveiled faces and are transformed (2 Cor. 3:12-18; 5:17). Later in the same letter, Paul identifies the ministry of the Spirit as a ministry of reconciliation, modelled on that of Jesus Christ, through whom human beings are reconciled to God (2 Cor. …

Three Recently Excavated Funerary Stelae from the Eighth Dynasty Tomb of Shemai at Kom El-Momanien, Qift

Recent excavations at the mastaba tomb of the Eighth Dynasty Vizier Shemai uncovered three limestone stelae showing the deceased receiving funerary offerings. These are believed to form part of a series of stelae, each of which represented specific offerings, such as choice meats or libation water, set along the northern exterior wall of the structure.

Notas lingüísticas sobre dos estelas funerarias de Nubia cristiana con el tipo de oración “Euchologion Mega” para los muertos

The aim of this article is to make some observations concerning the use of the Greek language in Christian Nubia, based on the study of two funerary steles inscribed with the 'Euchologion Mega', a type of prayer for the dead. The article focuses on five remarks derived from the examination of the aforementioned material. The conclusion drawn underlines the need for a study of the individual variants of the prayer’s formula and pleads for the continuation of similar research.

Authenticity Examination of the Jehoash Inscription

A black stone tablet bearing an engraved Hebrew inscription in ancient Phoenician script has been attributed to the period of King Jehoash of Judah's repairs of the First Temple in Jerusalem. The results of a previous mineralogical and geochemical study suggested that the inscription could have been genuine, leading to the hypothesis that the tablet is a royal inscription that was placed in the Temple. However, a majority of philologists, palaeographers and epigraphers seems to agree that the inscription is highly problematic and should be regarded as a forgery. The present study focuses on the tablet's petrography and the oxygen isotopic composition (δ18O) of the secondary materials (patina). The micromorphologic, petrographic and oxygen isotopic composition of the patina covering the letters and surface of the inscription present numerous anomalies that clearly indicate that it was artificially created in recent times and as such is a modern forgery.

Une musicienne et son instrument à cordes sur une stèle funéraire de Dion en Macédoine. Enfin le nablium ?

Christophe Vendries A Musician and her Stringed Instrument on a Funerary Stele at Dion in Macedonia. At Last the nablium? p. 469-502 The presence on a stele of the imperial period at Dion of the representation of a stringed instrument accompanied by its Latin name clarifies our knowledge about the nablium, often cited in Greek literature under the name νάβλα, but of which we have hitherto had no sure figured representation. The Latin inscription accompanying it suggests that the deceased, praised for her devotion to the Muses, was probably a professional musician. We are in the presence of a very rare instance where the inscription serves as a caption explaining the sculpted decoration of the tomb.

Femmes et gens d'Eglise dans la France classique XVIIe-XVIIIe siecle (review)

If the historiography of ancien-régime France were carved on stone tablets, we would find, writ large, the axiom that this was a society that held its women in low esteem, even subjection; and furthermore, that the subjection was promoted by the Catholic Church, in keeping with Judaeo-Christian tradition.

Max Weber's idea of ‘Puritanism’: a case study in the empirical construction of the Protestant ethic

The article examines the construction of ‘Puritanism’ in Max Weber's famous essays on the Protestant Ethic, and finds that the principal, empirical source for this lies in a set of neglected writings deriving from the religious margins of Britain: Scotland, Ireland and English Unitarianism. However, the impulse to construct “Puritanism” was not simply empirical, but conceptual. Historical ‘Puritanism’ would never have aroused so much of Weber's attention except as a close approximation to ‘ascetic Protestantism’—the avowed subject of the Protestant Ethic and an undeniably new and modern idea. The nature of Weberian asceticism and its relationship to Puritanism is thus the article's second major concern. Besides exploring the intellectual world of Max Weber, the article also offers a more general, theoretical finding: that “empirical sources” are not tablets of stone, eternally available to the truth-seeking historian; rather they have a history of their own. They rise into prominence (or fall out of sight) in much the same way as “secondary” literature, because they can hardly be understood independently of organizing concepts, and so seldom are.

Karia Panamara’ da Bulunan Saç Adakları Yazıtları

Bu çalışmada Karia Bölgesi kentlerinden Stratonikeia'ya yaklaşık II km. uzaklıkta bulunan tapınak kenti Panamara'dan (Bağyaka) gün ışığına çıkarılan yazıtlar çerçevesinde saç adaklar ele alınmıştır. Söz konusu kentten günümüze ulaşan altmıştan fazla yazıtın konusunu oluşturan saç adaklarının kimler tarafından ve hangi durumlarda yapıldığı araştırılmıştır

Laser interaction with polychromy: laboratory investigations and on-site observations

The impact of laser cleaning of soiled natural stone surfaces possibly with underlying polychromy was studied by means of laboratory samples and during the cleaning of a Gothic tympanum at St Martin’s Church in Brunswick, Germany. Paint layers with pigments (1) frequently encountered in historic polychromies and (2) applied with different binders to cardboard strips and stone tablets (and subsequently coated with an artificial black gypsum crust) were irradiated. Laser light at different wavelengths and fluences was used to (a) determine fluence threshold values for pigment alteration, and (b) to determine if the artificial gypsum crust can be ablated from the paint layers without discolouring them. The wavelength-dependent diffuse reflection and scattering of light were measured for the chosen pigment/binding medium combinations and turned into absorption coefficients according to the Kubelka–Munk theory. These data served as a basis for theoretical considerations about the laser–pigment interaction with respect to less critical wavelength regimes. For the pigments under investigation, the following sequence in order of sensitivity to laser irradiation from highest to lowest was found: vermilion, massicot, lead antimonate (Naples yellow), minium, malachite, red ochre, yellow ochre, azurite, smalt, green earth. In the case of malachite, azurite, minium, and vermilion, the chemical reaction which brings about the colour change was deduced from the X-ray diffraction curves of irradiated and altered pigment powders. Observations made during trial laser cleanings in the laboratory and on-site suggest that historic polychromies are more endangered by the loss of pigment flakes than by discoloration. The role that the binding medium and ageing effects play in the interaction of the laser with polychromies must be the subject of further investigations.

The Festival of Carna at Emona

An elegant funerary stele was immured in the southern wall of the small church of sv. Lenart (St. Leonard) at the village of Spodnje Gameljne (Tafel 8, Abb. 1), some 9 km to the north of Ljubljana (= Emona); in 1997 it was removed from the wall, transported to the National Museum of Slovenia and replaced with an excellent cast.

The newly-discovered epigraphic monuments from Sočanica - Kosovo

In the autumn of 2000 the Roman site of Municipium Dardanorum yielded several funerary stelae bearing epitaphs. Most had been deliberately broken along the longer or shorter axis and built into the bases of the columns forming a colonnade on the forum. In addition, the basilica holds an ara (No 10) and a fragment of an inscription (No 9) discovered by E. Cerskov (Cat. nos 26 and 38). I wish to express my gratitude to a colleague of mine, the archaeologist G. Kovaljov, for notifying me about this find and kindly conceding the publication of the inscriptions to me. The stelae were poorly carved and all alike in appearance, showing a large rosette in the pediment (upper field) and an epitaph (unusually tall letters, 5 to 7 cm) within the simple-bordered lower field. All the persons mentioned in the epitaphs come from lower social layers – slaves, vernae, liberti (with the exception of one Roman citizen, a M. Ulpius Apollinaris, No 3). Their names are often Greek, such as Eutychus (Nos 1 and 7), T(h)eofas, or Alexander (No 8), while Trite (No 2) is likely to be native. Ravius (gentile ?) here occurs for the first time in Upper Moesia (No 5). To judge by the gentile names and formulas (h.s.e., f.c) most inscriptions date from the second century AD.

Eine Familie im Totenkult

Republication of a stela fragment in the Cairo Museum, originally from Abydos and dating to the 4th-3th century B.C. Above the main text is a representation of the male offspring of the deceased in a kind of procession, bearing objects belonging to the funerary cult. Nevertheless, the related texts speak of a procession to the temple of Thinis. These objects were possibly consecrated in the temple before they were brought into the tomb.

Notation of visual information in the earliest archeological scholarship

A text inscribed on a durable support always looks like better historical evidence than a text merely written on perishable parchment or paper. An inscription carved on a stone tablet, for instance, gives the impression of having arrived directly from the past. Unlike a written text, it does not appear to be dependent on a chain of handmade copies with all its risk of error and misunderstanding. Material artifacts in general have great evidentiary authority, whether inscribed or not: portraits stamped on coins or carved in relief or in three dimensions; mosaics, frescoes, and tapestries; urns and sarcophagi; monuments and buildings.

Folk, Faith and Fatherland: Defining the Polish Nation in 1883

On the north wall of Cracow's Church of the Annunciation (better known as the Carmelite Church at Piaski) hangs a long-ignored inscription. A simple stone tablet unprotected from the elements, its words have faded over the past century. One must strain to make out its cryptic message: “On September 11, 1883, Polish villagers gathered in Cracow solemnly celebrated the two hundredth anniversary of the relief of Vienna by John Sobieski, in remembrance of which this stone has been funded.”

Chatting in the Neighbourhood

Chatting in the Neighbourhood

Technology Strategy as Rosetta Stone

Before the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian hieroglyphics were indecipherable. The stone tablet with its message inscribed in three languages, one of which could be read because it was similar to modern Greek, enabled classical scholars to break the code and enabled the walls of the pyramids to again speak. Immensely detailed, electronically encrypted customer data are the present business world’s inscrutable writing on the wall. Businesses are succeeding, to various degrees, in understanding these messages—according to how accustomed they are to viewing their core business as information management. For example, the financial sector has long understood transactions and dollar movements as bits of information and its technology strategy has emphasized massively networked processing. As a result, we are used to spending money without ever touching it. The transition to web-based banking, brokering, and other financial services has been rapid.

Technology Strategy as Rosetta Stone

Before the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian hieroglyphicswere indecipherable. The stone tablet with its message inscribed in threelanguages, one of which could be read because it was similar to modernGreek, enabled classical scholars to break the code and enabled the wallsof the pyramids to again speak.Immensely detailed, electronically encrypted customer data are thepresent business world’s inscrutable writing on the wall. Businesses aresucceeding, to various degrees, in understanding these messages—ac-cording to how accustomed they are to viewing their core business asinformation management. For example, the financial sector has long un-derstood transactions and dollar movements as bits of information andits technology strategy has emphasized massively networked process-ing. As a result, we are used to spending money without ever touchingit. The transition to web-based banking, brokering, and other financialservices has been rapid.The utility industry has also embraced information technology. Butunlike the financial sector utilities have a huge asset base in productionhardware—generating plant, transmission, and distribution. Technologystrategy has focused on these assets—coordinating them, improvingtheir reliability and performance. In discharging its responsibility to so-ciety of maintaining this infrastructure, the utility industry treats energyas a physical production process and a resulting commodity.