Literary Structure Research Articles

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE PECULIARITIES OF V. SIRADEGYAN'S PROSE LANGUAGE AND VISUALIZATION TOOLS

ABSTRACT
 The work analyzes the peculiarities of Vano Siradeghyan, who is one of the most outstanding prose writers of modern Armenian literature.This analysis utilizes the viewpoint of stylistic vocabulary. In addition, the opinions from other scholars are considered regarding the author. 
 Furthermore, the author’s use of lexicon and grammar, multilayered language are also discussed in this analysis. Lastly, a detailed study of Vano Siradeghyan’s prose is considered, the means of illustration used by him, the various methods by which the author received the literary text, the use of certain grammar and literary structure, and also the author's sophisticated word choices.

Board Games in Ancient Fiction: Egypt, Iran, Greece

AbstractBoard games are often used as a plot motif in modern genre fiction, especially in detective and adventure stories. In these types of narrative, a well-known pattern of storytelling or literary structure (e.g., the treasure hunt, the detection of serial crimes, the iniatory course, or the medieval tale collection) is reworked and adapted to the rules and phases of a board game such as chess,jeu de l’oie, or the tarot card pack. This literary practice is very ancient and may be traced back to a number of novelistic compositions of the ancient Near East, dating from the 1st millennium BC to late antiquity. In the Demotic EgyptianTale of Setne Khaemwaset, from the Saite period, the protagonist Setne plays a board game (probablysenet) with the mummy of a long dead and buried magician, in order to gain a powerful book of spells. The widespread Near-Eastern story-pattern of the magical competition is here superimposed on the procedure of a celebrated Egyptian game. In a late Hellenistic Greek novella inspired by theOdyssey(Apion of Alexandria,FGrH616 F36) Penelope’s suitors play an elaborate game of marbles (petteia) in order to determine which one of them will marry the queen. This is a playful rewriting of the famous bow contest of the Homeric epic. A Sasanian novelistic work, theWizārišn ī čatrang, adapts the age-old legend of the riddle contest of kings; the riddles are replaced with board games (chess and backgammon), which the opponents invent and propose to each other as difficult puzzles for solution. In all these texts the board game becomes a central symbol of the transformative and innovative power of literary narrative.

Realism and Power in Mark Twain's

Realism and Power in Mark Twain's

Awaiting Mercy: Structural Commentary on the Epistle of Jude by Kalina Wojciechowska and Mariusz Rosik

Reviewed by: Awaiting Mercy: Structural Commentary on the Epistle of Jude by Kalina Wojciechowska and Mariusz Rosik Dominik Tomczyk kalina wojciechowska and mariusz rosik, Oczekując miłosierdzia. Komentarz strukturalny do Listu św. Judy [Awaiting Mercy: Structural Commentary on the Epistle of Jude] ( Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe ChAT, 2020). Pp. 458. PLN 92, 40. The Epistle of Jude is one of the four shortest NT writings (following the Epistle to Philemon and the Second and Third Epistles of John). The 456-word text contains 227 unique words (Philemon consists of 328 words of which 141 are unique). In the mid-1970s, D. J. Rowston suggested that "the most neglected book in the New Testament is probably the book of Jude" ("The Most Neglected Book," NTS 21 [1975] 554). Even Martin Luther considered it merely an "extract" of 2 Peter (p. 43), although today quite the opposite view is held. It is therefore not surprising that in biblical studies this letter has attracted little attention, which led to the neglect of Jude's theological message. Does this mean that the twenty-five verses of this epistle are bereft of theological meaning for the church and believers? The present book is not the first time that Polish Bible scholars Kalina Wojciechowska (Lutheran; Christian Theological Academy in Warsaw) and Fr. Mariusz Rosik (Catholic; Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Wrocław) have jointly reflected on NT texts. In 2018, they published a structural commentary on the Epistle of James, in which they highlighted the theme of wisdom in their exegesis (Mądrość zstępująca z góry: Komentarz strukturalny do Listu św. Jakuba [Wisdom that Comes from Heaven: Structural Commentary on the Epistle of James] [Wydawnictwo Naukowe ChAT; Warsaw, 2018]; English translation in preparation by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht). In the present work, they seek to restore the Book of Jude to its rightful place in contemporary biblical reflection (p. 33). An individual commentary on the Epistle of Jude "is rare" (p. 33). This commentary is divided into two parts. The first part presents a typical introduction to the main topics concerning the epistle: its contents and canonicity, authorship and date, recipients, vocabulary and style, literary genre, and structure. The second part of the monograph is an extensive structural commentary. In contrast to the proposals of other commentators (Richard Bauckham, G. L. Green, F. D. Watson, Ernst R. Wendland, and C. D. Osburn), W. and R. propose their own chiastic structure of the epistle, in which Hebrew rhetoric "overlaps the Hellenistic rhetorical structure" (p. 94). With this approach, "it is possible to view the text in a more holistic way and to draw out not only its alarming and paraenetic (protreptic) aspects but the theological aspect as well" (ibid.). [End Page 340] The table below presents the general organisational structure of the commentary as adopted by the authors (p. 94). Structure of classical rhetoric Epistle of Jude Structure of Hebrew rhetoric 1. Prescript 1–2 1–3 Salvation A 2. Exordium/prooimion 3–4 4 Godlessness and judgment B 3. Narratio 5 5ab Salvation A′ 5c Godlessness and judgment B′ 4. Probation/argumentatio 6–19 6–19 Godlessness and judgment B″ 5. Peroratio/epilogos 20–25 20–25 Salvation A″ In contrast to commentaries that take a linear approach to the structure of Jude, W. and R.'s concept of the concentric structure of the epistle allows its full theological message to be extracted. In the view of the authors, if the correct literary structure of the book is not grasped, its theological depth remains unrevealed. According to W. and R., vv. 14–15 (eschatological judgment announced from the beginning of salvation history) are the axis of the text in their synthesis of the main "elements of Jude's soteriology, Christology and hermeneutics" (p. 34). This is in contrast to S. M. Coder and Wendland, who see v. 11 as the center, or C. D. Osburn, who argues for vv. 17–19. The chiastic structure of the book clearly shows the "hidden" elements of Jude's teaching on salvation in the face of eschatological judgment (p. 95). Verses 14–15 of the epistle, according to the W. and R.'s structure, are a "culmination of theological...

Hemispheric Thinking and Queer Kin

Hemispheric Thinking and Queer Kin

Remembering Carol Lazzaro-Weis (1949–2022)

Remembering Carol Lazzaro-Weis (1949–2022)

Servants or Children? Meaning of נְעָרִים in Job 1:19

In traditional interpretations, all of Job's children died in the fourth disaster (Job 1:19). However, the narrator does not depict the death of Job's children but rather the loss of his property in Job 1:19 because his servants (נְעָרִים ) are proclaimed dead in this incident. This study discusses the meaning of the word נַעַר, analyses the literary structure of Job 1:13-19 and compares the stories of Job and Abraham. The study reveals that the narrator of the book of Job demonstrates a shift in Job's family from a typical family that fears Yhwh to an ideal family desired by Yhwh.

“MI COMPRA IOIÔ”: UMA ANÁLISE DO CONTO “CLÓ”, DE LIMA BARRETO

Published in the book “Stories and Dreams”, in 1920, the short story “Cló”, from Lima Barreto narrates the camaraderie between a rich representative and an old piano teacher, the latter who survives with some difficulty during the First Republic. The plot is developed in a suggestive and reticent manner, showing the ambiguity in the character construction. Its literary structure is also complex for presenting an open-end, which allows for various interpretations. This article aims to analyze the short story “Cló”, considering the transit between the main tensions found on the narrative. It intends to demonstrate, as a possible interpretation, that everything is structured as a negotiation, with the approval of the old teacher’s family, which aims to obtain some advantage from the rich politician, in times of difficult upward mobility.

THE STUDY OF STRUCTURE AS A CRITICAL THEORY: THE ANALYSES OF JACQUES DERRIDA AND GERARD GENETTE

Jacques Derrida and Gerard Genette are the versatile critics of the 20th and 21st centuries. Both the critics deal with the 'Structuralism'. Jacques Derrida, the French philosopher, deals with semiotics that discusses the significance, representation, reference and meaning. His lecture 'Structure, Sign and Play in the Discourse of Human Sciences' is an advanced theory of Literature. Jacques Derrida's theory is about Post Structuralism. Gerard Genette is a French Literary Theorist and Critic. In his Literary Theory. Structuralism is examined with the underlying invariant structure. The literary conditions may change but never the literary structure. The structure is an assessment of Literature. The structure appeals to all times. The action, theme, plot, the narrative and the different components of Literature are universal. This is how the theories of Jacques Derrida and Gerard Genette appeal to the readers on the whole by culminating at the same point. This article provides the structures of Literature by striking a parallel between Gerard Genette's structuralism and Jacques Derrida's Structure, Sign, and Play.

Compassion, Love, and Happiness: Positive Emotions and Early Modern Communities

Compassion, Love, and Happiness:Positive Emotions and Early Modern Communities Linda Pollock (bio) Barclay, Katie, Caritas: Neighbourly Love and the Early Modern Self, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2021; hardback; pp. 240; R.R.P. £72.00; ISBN 9780198868132. Fox, Cora, Bradley J. Irish, and Cassie M. Miura, eds, Positive Emotions in Early Modern Literature and Culture, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 2021; hardcover; pp. 240; R.R.P. £85.00; ISBN 9781526137135. Steenbergh, Kristine, and Katherine Ibbett, eds, Compassion in Early Modern Literature and Culture: Feeling and Practice, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2021; hardback; pp. 290; R.R.P. £80.00; ISBN 9781108495394. Wood, Andy, Faith, Hope, and Charity: English Neighbourhoods, 1500–1640, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2020; paperback; pp. xvi, 306; R.R.P. £64.99; ISBN 9781108814454. Up until recently, much of the work in the history of emotions in early modern Europe has focused on those strong passions that rend individuals, families, and communities asunder: anger, jealousy, envy, and grief, for instance.1 But the tide is turning away from negativity, suppression, and destruction and towards those passions crucial to the creation and preservation of communities. The four books under review all grant passions and affections a constructive role in individual lives and social relations, delineating how emotion was woven into the fabric of early modern society. In Faith, Hope, and Charity: English Neighbourhoods, 1500–1640, Andy Wood examines the building and experience of neighbourhood for all ranks of English society for the period 1500 to 1640 through the trifecta [End Page 131] lens of faith, hope, and charity. Katie Barclay explores in Caritas: Neighbourly Love and the Early Modern Self the meaning of community for ordinary people in eighteenth-century Scotland through the belief and enactment of caritas. The essays in Positive Emotions in Early Modern Literature and Culture, edited by Cora Fox, Bradley Irish, and Cassie Miura, augment the 'happiness turn' and seek to redress the imbalance in current scholarship by bringing to light the existence of positive feelings in daily life, the active pursuit of pleasure, and how literary structures elicit and encourage affective attachments. The contributors to Compassion in Early Modern Literature and Culture: Feeling and Practice, edited by Kristine Steenbergh and Katherine Ibbett, concentrate on compassion but take a broad-brush approach to the concept, as well as moving beyond England. The essays delve into interrelated concepts along with compassion's multiple forms and complexities, in the hope that such entanglements will be productive and lead to new understandings. Andy Wood's meticulously researched and deeply felt book investigates how early modern English people, rich, middling, and poor, did their best to make their communities operate. The three biblical tenets of faith (in God, neighbours, and friends to provide pleasure and support), hope (for a future with economic security and political empowerment), and charity (which both rendered help to those in need and granted a right to assert claims to aid) structured and guided the workings of early modern neighbourhoods, rural and urban. By examining the idea and definition of neighbourhood, the obligation to live in harmony and help others, the nature of disputes and reconciliation, as well as who was included and excluded, he shows that notwithstanding problems, challenges, inconsistencies, and changes, neighbourliness endured as an ideal and practice. Barclay's Caritas, based on around two thousand court cases, supplemented with personal correspondence, and replete with moving stories of those of lowly social status, places love at the centre of eighteenth-century Scottish society. She considers the centrality of marriage to the foundation of a loving community, how young people were socialized into upholding caritas, and how caritas promoted harmony and underpinned hospitality, as well as investigating the costs involved in this model for those who would not or could not conform. Deploying practice theory—the concept that emotions are engrained in body and mind through repeated practice—she lays out how caritas restrained violence, promoted peacekeeping, shaped social interaction, and offered a model for ethical relations. The interdisciplinary Positive Emotions in Early Modern Literature and Culture brings together the insights of affect theory and historical studies of emotion in order to reconsider which emotions mattered to early modern culture, and their...

The Pentateuch

The Pentateuch Christopher T. Begg, Thomas Hieke, Richard A. Taylor, and Fred W. Guyette Christopher T. Begg Catholic University of America Thomas Hieke Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz Richard A. Taylor Dallas Theological Seminary Fred W. Guyette Erskine College and Seminary 848. [Lexemes for Evil in the Book of Genesis] Ingrid Faro, Evil in Genesis: A Contextual Analysis of Hebrew Lexemes for Evil in the Book of Genesis (Studies in [End Page 293] Scripture & Biblical Theology; Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2021). Pp. xxi + 279. Paper $29.99. ISBN 978-1-68359-451-2. The goal of this two-part study is to contribute to a biblical understanding of the meaning and usage of the concept of evil through a contextual analysis of the lexemes for evil (rʿʿ, rʿh, rʿ) in the MT text of Genesis. In Part I (analysis of the data), I find evil to be a hypernym, with a wide semantic range: from unpleasant, displeasing, deficient, to harmful, sinful, or wicked. Good and evil play a role in developing the plot conflict woven throughout the literary structure of Genesis via interlinked textual connections, As emerges from collocations used as well as exegetical and literary analysis, evil in Genesis contrasts with the book's broad use of "good" terminology, which encompasses the domains of what is pleasant, delicious, abundant, flourishing, harmonious, blessed, peaceful, and righteous. In Genesis, the foundation is established for the Deuteronomic triads of good-blessed-life versus evil-cursed-death that find embodiment in human choices either to follow God or not. Evil in Genesis is also most closely collocated with words pertaining to sight, which carries a canonical weight of significance with regard to how God and humanity perceive good and evil. In Part II, I focus on the two primary word groupings associated with evil in Genesis, i.e., sight and goodness. These groupings are traced through each major unit of text, thereby developing the larger concept of evil in Genesis that underlies divine, human, and nonhuman created agency. In Part III, Synthesis, I follow the development of the theological plot conflict between evil and good as this manifests itself throughout Genesis. Many agencies and wills are at work in the performance of evil and good in the book. Genesis portrays evil as a reality with culpable human and non-human agents. Humanity was created as God's image-bearer, to represent him appropriately in the physical universe. Humanity did not, however, do well in its coregency role. Genesis shows humanity as capable of both good and evil, and with a capacity for change. Evil is never called good. Experiencing evil in this world is a given in the book. Nevertheless, Genesis weaves and bookends the twisting of divine good intentions into human evils through willful disregard of God, and the untwisting of human evils into divine good via those who faithfully follow God, even if never perfectly. Genesis presents a story that shows how to live as God's image-bearer and how to be a blessing in the midst of a broad swath of evils perpetuated through a wide variety of agents and intentions. The theme of retribution does not surface without redemption close at hand. Rather, complex paradigms are employed in depicting the consequences of actions, mercy for the repentant, and grace for the faithful, whereas evil is portrayed as a violation of design and covenant. [Adapted from published abstract, pp. xi-xii—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 849. [Genesis 1–11] David M. Carr, Genesis 1–11 (International Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament; Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 2021). Pp. 358. €109. ISBN 978-3-17-020623-6. C.'s contribution to Kohlhammer's International Commentary on the Old Testament (IECOT) series offers a synthesis of close readings of Genesis 1–11 and diachronic analysis of the formation of these chapters in their ANE context. His treatment of each component segment of these chapters is preceded by a new translation (with textual and philological commentary) and a concise overview of the ways in which the given passage evidences its process of formation over time. There follows a close reading of the passage that draws on older and...

Шымкент қаласы аумағындағы антропотопонимикалық әпсаналардың поэтологиялық пішіні

The article deals with the historical toponyms of the Great Silk Road, which is located in the territory of nowadays city of Shymkent. It is well known that in the naming of places folkloric 19Ж.Ә. Аймұхамбет, М.Н. Миразова, Қ.Қ. Кенжалин Turkic Studies Journal 2 (2022) 7-21material is also of great importance, which is imprinted in the richest resources of ethnic language and has a special literrary and educative value in the culture and life of each people. Therefore, the study of toponymy is relevant and in demand not only in linguistic terms but also in literary criticism, folklore and using historical materials and sources. In this article, the well-known historical places of Shymkent taken as the target of analysis, especially place names names as Koshkar ata, Suburgan ata, Dervish ata, Kambar ata, which we study in the context of anthropotoponymy. Anthropotoponymy, a branch of toponymy, deals with the names of objects and places determined by the name of a person, mythological figures, folk myths and legends. In this article, the above-mentioned toponyms associated with the names of historical figures, folk and mythological heroes, legends (many of which originate from oral folk art) will also be referred to as anthropotoponymic. Anthropotoponymic legends play an important role in people’s spiritual and cultural life, reveal people’s mentality, folkloric space and artistic consciousness.The authors of the article, based on motif comparisons of folklore texts, consider the hyperbolic reflection in anthropotoponymous legends of the names of individual places and stories of people whose outstanding merits have been preserved in the memory of the people; show the connection between the literary motifs of these legends and the worldview of the Kazakh people. Taking into account the fact that the term “literary onomastic” exists in foreign literary criticism, the authors show that the emergence of this term is due to the literary structure of the folk toponyms and the visual techniques used in them.As a result of the analysis of the legends about the toponyms taken as the target of study, the idea that the Great Silk Road played an important role not only in trade relations but also in the development of spiritual and cultural ties between peoples was substantiated

THE POTTER OF A STORY: MAZHAR UL ISLAM (BASIC STYLISTIC FEATURES IN THE STORIES OF MAZHAR UL ISLAM)

Mazhar ul Islam is one of the leading authors of contemporary Urdu literature. Due to the romantic, realist, surrealist, and symbolist concepts used in his works, the author's style, which allows contrasting or incompatible interpretations to be harmonized, is described as his most important feature. The events and characters in the stories of Mazhar ul Islam are generally a literary reflection of Pakistani society. At the same time, the author does not hesitate to bring the traces of his inner world to the reader. While reflecting local feelings and events in his works, Mazhar ul Islam mostly uses trend literary structures in world literature as a tool and indirectly contributes to the universalization process of Urdu literature. The main literary feature of the author is that he has a style of writing that transforms reality into mystery and then brings the real meaning of the mysterious with reality, allowing the cognitive process to begin without time and space. The works of the author are in the form of documents of his life, and therefore the emotional experiences that penetrated his soul, the stages he passed and the worldly issues he observed form the basis of his literary technique. The unconditional harmony arising from freedom, opposition and contrasts in the author's narrative is nourished by these contrasting life experiences. In this study, basic information about Mazhar ul Islam's life and career have been tried to be presented and the author's stories have been tried to be analyzed in a thematic context.

Her Heart Lies at the Feet of the Mother

Sudanese-British writer, Leila Aboulela’s novel, Minaret (2005) transforms the plot structure of Western literary and popular romance forms and develops further the plotlines of African-American Muslim romance novels. It does so by foregrounding the dissenting mother as obstruction to the union of the hero and heroine, against the backdrop of the unique status of the mother in Islam. Thus, the ending of the novel is neither happy nor tragic. Instead, the lovers are separated, and closure requires reconciliation on the part of the couple with the concerns of the mother. In addition, because of the significant differ-ence in age, the heroine is in some ways like a mother to the hero. Final contentment of the heroine is undermined by her questionable actions at the end, resulting in psychic and spiritual contraction. The novel is therefore open-ed up to ambiguity and uncertainty in the closure, notwithstanding the faith of the heroine. The specific form which closure takes, is determined by the dissenting mother as obstruction in Islamic romance.

Mischief and Ethnography

BUC: A Boy among the Saints spans a “year in the life of an unregenerate 10 year old”—the endearing young rascal Wilford Bushman. Wilf, like most in his rural Utah community of Anti-Nephi-Lehi, is “BUC”—“born under the covenant.” Being “BUC” assures him of eternal life with his Latter-day Saint family. It also comes with an earthly inheritance of every (in)conceivable tenet and folk doctrine members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ever spawned.Wilf himself (cough—Keith Norman—cough) in the clever introduction to this narrative insists this is not a “coming of age” story with an accompanying “loss of innocence” or any other literary structure as bold as a theme or deep meaning. He is apparently as puzzled as an adult (writing the preface) as he was as a ten-year-old about how righteousness works since he constantly feels either guilty or cunningly thrilled with his next devious exploit. He seems exhausted by trying to sort out all the “oughts” in his upbringing. The reader quickly discerns Wilf as a bright, inquisitive boy with a touch of testosterone poisoning but a good heart. Wilf ponders the inconsistencies, blessings, hypocrisies, and spiritual nurture he encounters as he navigates his life.Keith Norman writes humorously and with a completely authentic juvenile voice, narrating the thoughts of the innocent, mischievous, and curious boy as he learns and wrestles with the consequences of his choices. While one can't exactly say that Wilf grows “in favor with God and man” during his eleventh year, Keith Norman has created a very appealing—if not entirely compliant—character.Because the book is a sketch of a community as well as one boy's story, we find well-drawn personalities with vicious streaks and jealousies as well as adorable citizens who—under a lesser author's hand—might be perceived as simply tropes. Norman's handling of scenes with Wilf's new “non-member” fifth-grade teacher, Mr. Sutton, is often hilarious, but also shines a light on the savagery of judgment, hypocrisy, and condemnation of others among the townspeople. This willingness to lay bare the destructive nature and impact that harmful ideas reap keep the book from being just a jaunty little wander down into a cute'n'quirky love nest of Zion. Like Brigadoon, Anti-Nephi-Lehi is out of touch with contemporary life and current social issues. The town is woefully “un-woke.” And Wilf is waking up.I had a slight worry about the pacing in the book. For a while it seemed to go from one episode of mischief to another, embroidered with vocabulary someone unfamiliar with the patois of the Saints might find hard to suss. The suspense picks up when baby Winona wanders off, when Wilf falls off a cliff, and when Mr. Sutton appears on the scene. And—oh my!—the outhouse scene! The pages were flying then.I appreciate BUC not just for its assured tone and style. This book is also an ethnographic treasure. I am eager to know how well this book will fare among readers who are not familiar with the Intermountain West pioneer LDS culture that Anti-Lehi-Nephi still inhabits. With the Church expanding worldwide, how much of this culture Norman has captured will survive in an international Church? Perhaps copies could be sold with interpreters?I am left with an awe of Keith Norman's skill at walking the tightrope that kept this book from being a catalog of LDS cliches or a presentation of endearing tropes. He sees. He hears. He wrestles with the logical fallacies of certain pseudo-doctrines and sees their dangerous fall out. He lays bare the bitter and the sweet, holds them up to the light as Wilf Bushman examines them with his (mostly) innocent eyes, and forces us to ponder the consequences. A bookshelf with books by Levi Peterson, Maureen Whipple, and Mark Twain can make a little room for BUC: A Boy among the Saints.

Daniel 11 Decoded: An Exegetical, Historical, and Theological Study

Daniel 11 Decoded: An Exegetical, Historical, and Theological Study

The Gospel of the Son of God: An Introduction to Matthew

The Gospel of the Son of God: An Introduction to Matthew

The structure of Ezra-Nehemiah as a literary unit

The OT books, Ezra and Nehemiah, are to be considered as one book. This is more or less the common conviction of most OT scholars today. However, their redaction process raises many questions. What is their relation to the book of Chronicles, and how is their actual structure to be understood? Why do we find two almost identical lists of returnees from exile in Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7? What about the differences between these lists? This article understands the structure of Ezra-Nehemiah as a consciously created literary unit, where the two lists of returnees serve as an important part of the literary structure. The author works on the assumption of the so-called new literary criticism, understanding the narrative in the book on a synchronic basis. He shows that the book of Ezra-Nehemiah can indeed be understood as one literary unit, and that the two lists of returnees function as a literary means to structure the book. There is therefore no need to ‘re-organise’ the narrated events in Ezra-Nehemiah according to an alleged different chronological order.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The study argued for a canonical and synchronic approach to biblical narratives. The biblical texts should be understood as consciously created narratives, where the apparent discrepancies are important aspects of the narrative fixture.

The Case of the Missing Disciple: Abū l-Ḥasan al-Rustughfanī and the First Reception of al-Māturīdī’s Theology in Samarqand

Abstract Despite recognition of Abū l-Ḥasan al-Rustughfanī (d. ca. 345/956) as the most important student of Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī (d. 333/944), a sustained treatment of his theological views has not hitherto appeared. One of the challenges that has been identified in prior studies is a lack of primary sources. To overcome this obstacle, I analyse manuscripts of “Bāb al-mutafarriqāt min fawāʾid” and “al-Asʾila wa-l-ajwiba,” two texts recording al-Rustughfanī’s theological responsa, locating them within available bibliographic information and discussing the question of literary structure. I then contextualise the material within the polemical milieu of mid-fourth/tenth century Samarqand, arguing that al-Rustughfanī is the earliest figure in the Samarqandī Ḥanafī kalām tradition to self-consciously adopt the full name ahl al-sunna wa-l-jamāʿa to express his theological identity. Finally, I provide an annotated theological overview of the main doctrines found in the texts with a detailed case study on divine speech and the Qurʾān, showing how al-Rustughfanī bridges the gap between al-Māturīdī’s rationalistic kalām and the Ḥanafī traditionalism of al-Ḥakīm al-Samarqandī (d. 342/953).

Under the Influence

Abstract This article presents evidence to support an entirely new approach to uncovering the literary structure of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, a subject which continues to attract attention and divide opinion. It draws on a field of Classical Studies that, although abundant in terms of written sources, remains understudied: ancient pharmacology. At its heart is the established four-part definition of the structural features of medical recipes for composite drugs, and an attempt to demonstrate their influence on the compositional model employed by the author of Luke–Acts. The model is first defined with reference to medical writing in antiquity, before its practical outworking is explored in the Gospel proem (i.e. the formal presentation of the work to its audience). The application of the model in individual pericopes, as well as its extension across two series of pericopes, is then examined within the narrative of the work itself.