Hand Of God Research Articles

Bóg jako sprawiedliwy sędzia w symbolicznej ikonosferze biblijnej starożytności chrześcijańskiej i średniowiecza

The article presents and analyzes several symbolical-allegorical interpretations of biblical literary motives present in the work of Garnier of Langres Allegoriae totius Scripturae. They are gathered in the following groups: 1. The Body of God; 2. Instruments in the hands of God; 3. Weapons of God; 4. Cosmical-atmospherical symbolism; 5. Symbolism of the elements.

Czas kresu czasów w literaturze apokaliptycznej

Czas kresu czasów w literaturze apokaliptycznej

HENRY'S "HAND OF GOD"

In this paper the author discusses the views and statements of the French football player Thierry Henry he gave after his illegal play during the playoff match between France and the Republic of Ireland to claim one of the final spots in the World Cup 2010 in South Africa. First, by controlling the ball with his hand before passing it on for the goal Henry has shown disregard for the constitutive rules of football. Then, by stating that he is "not a referee" he demonstrated that for some players rules are not inherent to football and that they can be relativized, given that for them winning is the goal of the highest ontological status. Furthermore, he has rejected the rules of sportsmanship, thus expressing his opinion that the opponents are just obstacles which have to be removed in order to achieve your goals. Henry's action has disrupted major moral values, such as justice, honesty, responsibility and beneficence. The rules of fair play have totally been ignored both in Henry's action and in the Football Association of France's unwillingness to comment on whether a replay should take place. They have ignored one of the basic principles stated in the "Declaration of the International Fair Play Committee", according to which, fair play is much more than playing to the rules of the game; it's about the attitude of the sportsperson. It's about respecting your opponent and preserving his or her physical and psychological integrity. Finally, the author believes that the rules, moral values and fair play in football are required for this game to become actually possible to play.

Emerging Voices: The “Hands of God” at Work: Negotiating between Western and Religious Sponsorship in Indonesia

This article draws from ethnographic research to explore the interplay between Western capital (both monetary and cultural), the English language, and Indonesian religious identity at the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies, an “inter-religious, international Ph.D. program” in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. After discussing research methodology and positioning the program’s local-global religious identity within the larger Indonesian geopolitical context—which highlights English’s complicated role as both the language of Western imperialism and the language of global academic connection—this article explores how two Muslim PhD students negotiate this contact zone as they write. These student portraits, in turn, highlight the importance of acknowledging (1) religious identities as resources in our increasingly global US classrooms; (2) that identity negotiation occurs both textually and extratextually as multilingual writers reformulate and circulate information they draw from English publications to foment social change in their local communities; and (3) the contributions that non-Western voices can make in academic conversations long dominated by the West.

What does God have to do with my health?

Perceptions about God�s involvement in the health of people have always been an issue in Christianity. Conflicting views regarding the transcendent versus immanent nature of Godhave therefore played a prominent part within theological discussions. The purpose of this empirical survey was to explore the extent to which South African Christians directly attribute their health and/or diseases to the hand of God. A total of 3000 structured questionnaires were distributed of which 575 were received back. The IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 21) statistical program was used to analyse the data. Most participants disagreed with the view that God largely determined their health, although the majority did think that diseases (including AIDS) were sent by God, whilst playing down the role of natural causes.In conclusion, one could say that health beliefs amongst South Africans are closely linked to supernatural agents, although the direct role of God is seen mostly in terms of the sending of occasional diseases rather than constant involvement in general health.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The study challenges the applicability of a secularised medical model within the South African context and its relevance for prevention programmes.

Liability to gambling fans and supporters in favour of fair play in soccer

This article is inspired by the 2010 World Cup™ qualifying soccer match between Ireland and France. In that match, a hand was used to steer a ball which led to a goal being scored against Ireland in favour of France. That is something which could have happened in any other big soccer event. It is something which was once referred to as ‘The Hand of God’ by Diego Maradona, whereby England was knocked out of the World Cup in 1986.2 With all this happening in a field of soccer, many supporters and fans are involved in different forms of sport betting – in particular soccer. Further, soccer is prone to wrong on field decisions. Wrong decisions often lead to certain results which then influence the outcome of a bet. Eventually some of those wrong decisions are reversed, but such reversal is not implemented for gambling purposes either because it was way after the fact; or ignorance to develop rules and regulations is playing its part. Should football associations be liable to gamblers who lost their fortunes?

The hand of God is over their hands(Q. 48:10): On the Notion of Covenant in al-Ṭabarī's Account of Karbala

This article is an analysis of the story of the killing of Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī at Karbala in 61/680, as it is presented by al-Ṭabarī. The main argument is that the notion of the divine covenant, which permeates the Qur'an, constitutes a framework through which al-Ṭabarī views this event. The Qur'anic idea of the covenant is read in structural/thematic continuity with the Hebrew Bible account of the covenant between Yahweh and the Hebrew people, which has, in turn, been traced back in its basic form to Late Bronze Era treaties between rulers and their vassals.The present study focuses on four speeches ascribed to Ḥusayn during the encounter he and his group had with the vanguard of the Kufan army led by al-Ḥurr. These are analysed in accordance with their use of Qur'anic covenant vocabulary. They are also categorised within the broader framework of the eight standard characteristics of Ancient West Asian and Biblical covenants, as presented by Mendenhall and Herion, which have recently been developed in a Qur'anic context by Rosalind Ward Gwynne. This article argues that al-Ṭabarī’s Karbala narrative presents the pact of loyalty to Ḥusayn as a clear extension of the divine covenant.

Semantic Meaning of Colours in John Milton’s Poem Paradise Lost

The present study throws a new light on the semantics of encoded color terms in John Milton’s epic Paradise Lost. Color terms in Milton’s magnificent poem are not examined individually, but in word combinations, particularly alongside with nouns and adjectives. The range of color terms is not very extensive as the study entails only the spectral colors, such as red, blue, and the achromatic ones, such as white and black. These four colors develop a particular range of symbolic meanings with religious connotations which remain absent in other color terms. However, the analysis of color lexicon requires considerable knowledge of various scientific subjects, hence, the study adopts an interdisciplinary approach as evidence on the meaning of color terms is obtained from literature, theology as well as cognitive science. Distinct color terms, the symbolic meaning of which is of religious origin, bear distinct connotative meanings, which help to reveal Milton’s religious convictions. The findings of the study reveal that color vocabulary is structured into two concepts, namely of light and darkness. In Paradise Lost, black fire is disastrous and portrayed as a symbol of hell. Black bituminous gurge refers to the dark abyss, the place where Satan’s angels were imprisoned. Milton represents death as a black attendant, whereas the God is portrayed with a radiant glowing white light. The blue firmament refers to heaven, the dwelling place of God. The Red Sea is a sign of danger and blood, whilst celestial rosy red is a symbol of love. Red right hand signifies violent anger and pertains to the punishing hand of God. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.sal.0.23.5506

HOLY SPIRIT, IMAGINATION AND THE QUEST FOR BEAUTY: TOWARDS A TRINITARIAN GRAND NARRATIVE

Human beings have long raised questions about the origin, nature, meaning and, more recently, the destiny of our multi-levelled universe. These lie at the heart of a new-style natural theology that is emerging from contemporary science-and-theology discourse – a project that proceeds from the assumption that the universe is created and sustained by an omnipotent and all-loving God. On the scientific side this involves twenty-first century accounts of cosmic, biological and human evolution, and on the theological side we may look to the patristic view of Son and Holy Spirit as ‘the two hands of God in creation’ – a phrase that can be elaborated in terms of Niels Henrik Gregersen’s proposal of the ‘deep incarnation’ of the Logos of God and John Vernon Taylor’s description of the Spirit as the ‘Go-Between God’. Here we discuss the Spirit as ever at work to beautify and perfect the creation and, in particular, to inspire creative and moral imagination in human minds. These ideas can be expressed in the form of a widely embracing grand narrative of the universe which could help inspire and facilitate the engagement of theologians and Christian communities with interfaith, ecological and nation-building issues.

Divine Passibility in Light of Two Pictures of Intercession

AbstractThe New Testament's two pictures of divine intercession, that of the risen Christ interceding at the right hand of God (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25) and that of the Holy Spirit interceding from within believers’ hearts (Rom 8:26–7), offer additional perspective on the difficult issue of how God comes in touch with human suffering. Romans 8:26–7 connects the Spirit's intercession with the experience of human suffering, and through its reference to groaning implies that the Spirit communicates something of the believer's felt experience of weakness to God. Hebrews links Christ's high priestly work, including his intercessory activity, with his experience of struggle, thereby implying that he brings the needs of weak and pressured believers to God with an empathy born of direct experience of suffering. These scriptural pictures open a fruitful path for theological reflection, suggesting that God comes to know human suffering not simply by unmediated divine knowledge, or even by the bare fact of the divine Son's incarnation, but also in a mediated fashion, through complementary actions of Christ and the Spirit best described as acts of intercession.Applying a model of thought which emphasises the intercessory activities of Christ and the Spirit to the problem of divine passibility has a number of advantages. First, it coheres well with New Testament patterns for describing the roles of Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Christ's intercession is rooted in his incarnation and distinctive redemptive mission, while the Spirit's intercession emerges from his redemptive indwelling. Second, its picture of God knowing human suffering through the mediated process of intercession suggests that God maintains his freedom and holiness even as he gets in touch with human suffering. Third, the intercession model may shed additional light on how the sufferings of the incarnate Son touch or otherwise relate to the Father. Fourth, the Bible's pictures of divine intercession suggest that God is brought in touch with two dimensions of human suffering: the objective reality of human affliction (mediated through Christ's intercession) and the subjective experiences of afflicted people (mediated through the Spirit's intercession). Finally, these scriptural pictures of intercession orient our thoughts about the question of passibility in a pastoral direction.

The Hand of God, the Hand of the Devil: a sociological interpretation of Maradona’s hand goal

Based on the moral problem of Maradona’s goal, known as the ‘Hand of God’, this essay presents a theoretical discussion using the perspective of figurational sociology of how game rules and moral rules are related. It does not aim to solve the moral dispute occasioned by actions like the ‘Hand of God’, but concentrates on a much more limited discussion (appealing to far fewer people) in which we strive to reach a proper sociological understanding. Indeed, we believe that the ‘Hand of God’ is a paradigmatic event for sociological reasoning. This is not to claim that sociology can give any final answers, but to suggest the opposite, namely that an understanding of the value of ‘hand goals’ can be very important for understanding the limits of sociological reason.

The Praise of Silence

'The Praise of Silence' is a reflection on silence in the face of the mystery of the divine, and on divine and human silence in the face of suffering and evil, as well as on the author's own ambivalence about silence. It begins by considering three traditional translations of Psalm 65:2: 'Praise is fitting for You, O God, In Zion', 'Praise waits for You, O God, in Zion' and the Targum's interpretation, 'To You silence is praise, O God, in Zion'. The last of these is the main focus of this article. Rashi explains the verse in two ways: firstly, the futility of multiplying words in praise of God, so that the best praise is silence. The roots of this doctrine lie in a Talmudic story, paralleled by a saying of Jesus and by teachings in other religious and philosophical systems, both Eastern and Western. The via negativa of Maimonides is the most powerful expression of this in Judaism. Rashi's second interpretation shifts the focus from human to divine silence, and suggests that God is to be praised for remaining silent in the face of the destruction of the Temple and the blasphemy of the wicked. This derives from a passage in Midrash Tehillim which culminates with the Psalmist's own commitment to stay silent in the face of suffering, a stance which is in tension with the moral imperative of speaking out in the face of evil. This imperative is expressed both by the mediaeval poet who rebukes God's silence in the face of Crusader atrocities, and by the motto of 1980s AIDS activism: Silence = Death. The third part of the article looks at another difficult Talmudic passage which contrasts the silence enforced by human tyranny with the voluntary silence of those who suffer at the hand of God. Two contrasting stories in the Talmud have God, on the one hand, commanding Moses to be silent in the face of the inscrutable divine will, and on the other hand, to speak out in aid of God's work. In conclusion, there is 'a time to be silent' in the face of mysteries beyond our grasp, but 'a time to speak' when we must protest against human evil and end avoidable suffering.

For the Profession of Madame de La Vallière

For the Profession of Madame de La Vallière1 Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet (bio) Translated by Christopher O. Blum Et dixit qui sedebat in throno: Ecce nova facio omnia RV 21:5 Madame, Great shall be the spectacle when the one seated on the throne upon which the universe is established, the one to whom it costs no more to do a thing than to say it because he acts by his word alone, will say at the end of the ages that he makes all things new. In that very instant, all nature shall be changed and a new world will appear for the elect. Yet the change is no less new and no less wonderful when, in order to prepare us for the astounding new things of the world to come, he acts secretly in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, when he changes and renews them, and, stirring them in their depths, breathes into them hitherto unknown desires. Surely, there is nothing more marvelous than changes such as these. What have we seen, and what do we now see? What a condition then, and what a condition now? There is no need for me to speak: the things themselves say enough. [End Page 171] Here, Madame, is an object worthy of the presence and consideration of so pious a queen. Your Majesty does not come here to bring worldly display into solitude; your humility bids you partake of the abasement of the religious life. It is fitting that, as your own person is such a great part of the world's grandeur, you should at times assist at those ceremonies in which we learn to hold that grandeur for naught. Admire with us, then, these great changes brought about by the hand of God. Nothing remains here of the old form; all is changed without. Within, what happens is still more new. To celebrate this holy renewal, I myself break a silence of many years and make heard a voice that the pulpits no longer remember. So that all may be new in this pious ceremony, O God, give me once more that new style of the Holy Spirit, which began to make its all-powerful force felt in the mouths of the apostles. Let me preach like a Saint Peter the glory of Jesus Christ crucified; let me make an ungrateful world see the impiety with which it still crucifies him today. Let me crucify the world in its turn and wipe away all traces of worldly glory. Let me entomb it, bury it with Jesus Christ, so that I may reveal that everything in this world is death, and that Jesus Christ alone lives. My sisters, beg that this grace be given to me. The audience makes the preacher; through his ministers, God gives to those of a holy disposition the teachings they require. Let your prayers, therefore, gain you the discourse that you deserve, and obtain for me the light of the Holy Spirit through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. [Ave Maria] We should not be curious to know exactly what the marvelous new things of the world to come shall be. God will accomplish them without our help, and we should rest in his power and wisdom. Yet the same is not true of the holy renewals that he brings about in the depths of our hearts. It is written: "I will give you a new heart," and it is also written: "Make yourself a new heart" (Ez 36:26; Ez 18:31). The new heart that is given to us is to be made by ourselves. As we [End Page 172] must agree to it by the assent of our will, it must be the case that this movement can be foreseen by our intellect. Let us then consider in what this renewal of heart consists and what is the condition from which the Holy Spirit draws us forth. Is there anything as old as self-love? Is there anything more new than to be one's own persecutor? Yet the one who persecutes himself must have seen something that he loves more than himself. And so there are two...

Editorial

Many of our most religious contemporaries have tended to focus on the beyond and hereafter, as well as its moral prerequisites, while paying relatively little attention to the natural environment. Thus, the environment is not uncommonly identified with a “here-below” that has to be transcended, if not overcome and mastered. This has held especially true as religious faithful read in the perspective of “nature lovers” and “environmentalists” an exclusive focus on this earth as a natural paradise and an end in itself, one that in fact obstructs any access to God. Similarly, believers like to emphasize the All-Powerfulness of God, thereby belittling the power of man in the cosmic drama. Thus, an overemphasis on the “hand of God” might lead to the unfortunate consequence of a lack of sense of cosmic responsibility. This was illustrated to my dismay by the reflections of a conservative Evangelical Christian who, upon my mentioning the gravity of the current environmental crisis, could only respond with the words “don't be concerned, God will take care of it.” This tendency is, it must be said, reinforced by the spectacle of feverish activism and utter lack of awareness of God’s power over the cosmos that characterizes the secularized mind of the majority, even when it is self-identified as religious. As understandable as they may circumstantially be, these attitudes are based on the ignorance, or at least the neglect, of two fundamental religious principles. The first teaches that the roots of nature are to be found in God: the beauty and majesty of virgin nature reflect the Divine Qualities, and must therefore be approached as sacred. The second lies in the responsibility with which mankind is entrusted by its Creator to care over nature. Mankind’s God-given privilege of “dominion” over nature is not a license to plunder it, no more than the parents’ God-given authority over their children can legitimize any abuse. Thus, a radical restoration of religious environmental consciousness would presuppose both a sense of the divine presence in the world, and an understanding of mankind’s metaphysical function in the cosmos. Short of an awareness of the anthropo-cosmic unity of God, mankind and nature, a measure of environmental consciousness is indeed possible --as we can observe interestingly in secular Northern Europe, but it misses the point of nature as a symbol and a presence, and condemns itself to remain superficially utilitarian, sentimental or moralistic. Traditional religions have taught their faithful to be aware of both transcendence and immanence, both the Divine Beyond and the Divine Presence, both Divine power and human freedom and responsibility. Today’s believers need to realize more fully that the here-below proceeds from, and reflects, the Beyond, and that Divine Power does not abolish mankind’s capacities and duties, but in fact enhances them.

The Relationship between Christ and the Spirit in a Christian Theology of Religions

This article explores the recent turn in the theology of religions, visible in diverse quarters, to pneumatology as a way to foster a greater openness to the work of God the Holy Spirit in non-Christian religions. It gives particular attention to the work of Jacques Dupuis (Roman Catholic), George Khodr (Orthodox) and Clark Pinnock (Evangelical Protestant). It argues that recognition of the work of the Holy Spirit allows for an exploration of a variegated activity of God outside the boundaries of the church that cannot be reduced to his presence as Creator or as non-incarnate Word. It, therefore, also allows for dialogue in which commitment to God's supreme revelation in Christ can be combined with an openness to learn from other religious traditions. It does at the same time point to the need to frame the attention for the wider work of the Spirit in the context of the one plan of salvation of the triune God such as not to separate the “two hands of God.” It argues that the work of the Spirit outside the boundaries of the church remains directed to the eschatological salvation inaugurated by Christ and, therefore, also to the church as the “first fruits” of the eschaton and as the community where this salvation is proclaimed and embraced.

‘Hand of God’, Shirt of the Man: The Materiality of Diego Maradona

Among the ‘first eleven’ items of interest in the National Football Museum, Manchester, UK is the football shirt worn by Diego Maradona (b. 1960) in the 1986 FIFA World Cup quarter-final match between Argentina and England. This paper reflects upon the cultural significance of the shirt as a museum object. A discussion of the shirt’s history, from its wearing at the 1986 match to its imminent reappearance in the National Football Museum’s new location, leads to the conclusion that, above all, although it may be subject to differing symbolic interpretations, the shirt exists as a material object, the observation of which affords football aesthetes an appreciative reminder of Maradona’s extraordinary artistry with a ball at his feet.

THE NIGHT JOURNEY AND ASCENSION OF MUHAMMAD IN TAFSIR AL-TA BARI

This study conducts a literary analysis of the traditions and comments of al-Tabari with regards to Muhammad’s Night Journey and Ascension is undertaken within the context of al-Tabari’s exegesis of Qur’ān, 17:1. The linguistic particularities of the verse reveal notions of divine agency in the Qur’ān of which the Night Journey is one instance; manifesting the hand of God in the life of Muhammad. The hadith traditions therein as presented by al-Tabari are examined both linguistically and thematically. It becomes apparent, in the case of al-Tabari the Night Journey and Ascension of Muhammad marked a key turning point in his status as a Prophet; requiring a fantastical opening of Muhammad’s chest. Motifs of angelic surgery and the removal of “black spots” from the heart of Muhammad shed further light upon the dogmatic debates surrounding the question of infallibility (al-‘ismah) or immunity from sin as an indicator of Muhammad’s Prophethood. Al-Tabari also, presents traditions rich with imaginative apocalyptic and eschatological motifs which infuse the story of Muhammad’s heavenly journey with extra-historical implications. Al-Tabari concludes his exposition with an insistence on the physicality of Muhammad’s ascension, demonstrating the tension between literalism and symbolism in Qur’ānic exegesis and the hadith tradition.

The Origin and Significance of the Angelomorphic Christology in the Ascension of Isaiah

The conclusion of the Ascension of Isaiah, 11.32–3, a carefully staged scenario, is determinative for the exegesis of the entire text. It picks up the notion of Christ’s journey to the right hand of God from first-century Christology and embellishes it with a formal description of pre-existence, commission, and descent which the authors composed in the light of Jewish apocalypticism. They introduced the disguised descent and Trinitarian vision, setting these within the context of the seven-storied cosmology. The Beloved One’s subordination to the Most High determines the way in which all other beings in the cosmos are described. This explains the strong emphasis on hierarchy in the text. The description of the disguised descent derives from the Jewish angelological pattern held in common with the Apocalypse of Abraham. The result is a unique synthesis which elucidates one of the ways in which first-century Christianity explained its beliefs about Jesus and should inform future discussion of christological origins. Source-critical work still needs to address the present form of the Ascen. Isa. and the relationship of its different elements, including the possibility of historical change and development.

Discipleship after the Resurrection: Scribal Hermeneutics in the Longer Ending of Mark

Scholars typically maintain that the Longer Ending (LE) of Mark subverts Mark's somber message about Jesus' sacrificial death with a triumphant, concluding vision of the risen Lord seated at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19). This study takes a different tack, promoting a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between Mark and the LE by detecting important thematic elements-especially concerning discipleship—that the later passage both adopts and adapts from its host gospel. For the writer(s) of the LE, the resurrection serves less as a dividing-line between Jesus' disciples and Mark's community and more as the bridge that confirms emphatically the new age of God's reign, evident both before and after the passion through those who trust the message of that good news.

A Sun-Ripened Song

A Sun-Ripened Song Maung Chaw Nwe Don’t chime in with A definition of “the individual” Just live within your own meaning Just be sure You’ve known defeat. To punch a man You need a strong lower jaw When I land my fists on you I maintain a good solid chin. You are jawless Yet your jabs keep raining on me Mr. Truth You are beyond the dhamma What I hate most in this whole world is That scumbag named Truth Whose fat face is Scarred with chicken pox. In this life You don’t need Four, five, or six. You only need two. Just two, real love and An authentic foe. Maung San Aye, my friend, Who has had to survive By the smell of strangers You need not install Mercury lights in the town. Towns Are made of mercury. There at Table No. 1 He who lays down the law Unerringly over his life. Firmly seated there, Isn’t Aung Cheimt, my pal, A booming city? Like Pompeii Inundated with lava The poet Hpaw Way Had once been a thriving city. Who has lost The whole earth? Only they Will get it back. Maradona channelled “The Hand of God” To score. Translation from the Burmese By ko ko thett & James Byrne Dhamma (from Pali): the teachings of the Buddha, the universal law of nature, also spelled “Dharma” (from the Sanskrit). Maung Chaw Nwe (1949– 2002) was one of Burma’s best-known poets from the 1970s to the 1990s. Notorious as a flamboyant, troubadour-like poet, he once famously declared, “I’ve never thought of living life in moderation.” To him, poetry is “a karmic disorder and a leprosy of retribution.” Maung Chaw Nwe’s work remains extremely popular and has been influential in developing a new generation of readers and writers of Burmese poetry. January–February 2012 | 39 photo: www.flickr.com/people/racoles ...