Early Quakerism and its Origins

2020 ◽  
pp. 139-160
Author(s):  
Ariel Hessayon
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Individual Experience ◽  
Scholarly Literature ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Medical Reform ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Social Composition ◽  
Widespread Belief ◽  
Canonical Texts

This chapter begins with some historical background followed by a summary of the main scholarly literature on early Quakerism, together with an assessment of its merits. It then examines the origins of the name, comparing it with the ways in which polemicists used other terms of abuse, before suggesting that Quakerism had multiple, loosely interlinked beginnings rather than a singular basis. Other aspects of early Quakerism that are discussed include its defining characteristics, social composition, and the beliefs of its adherents: namely the supremacy of individual experience over religious traditions and dogma; their anti-sacramentalism, anticlericalism, hostility to tithes, pleas for toleration, concern for social justice, and calls for legal and medical reform; as well as their attitude towards the Bible, Apocrypha, extra-canonical texts, and the ‘occult’. In addition, consideration is given to Quaker preaching, literary style, modes of speech, use of silence, prophetic behaviour, and attempted miracle working within the context of a widespread belief in an imminent apocalypse and the re-emergence of Christian primitivism. Finally some reasons are suggested for early Quakerism’s success.

Fiduciary Principles in the Canon Law

2019 ◽  
pp. 489-504
Author(s):  
Richard H. Helmholz
Keyword(s):  
Canon Law ◽  
Fiduciary Duty ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
English Court ◽  
Medieval Church ◽  
Canonical Texts ◽  
Trust Law ◽  
The Church ◽  
Court Practice

This chapter discusses the scope of principles of fiduciary duty as they appear in the canon law. It first provides a historical background on canon law and its relation to fiduciary law, noting that the medieval church and principles of fiduciary duty were interconnected in direct and positive ways. In fact, the church was governed by many of the same principles of fiduciary law that are found in modern trust law, and these principles were fully and authoritatively stated in the Corpus iuris canonici during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The chapter proceeds by analyzing the Corpus iuris canonici and its two books: Gratian’s Concordia discordantium canonum, also known as the Decretum, and the books of Decretals. It also traces the development of fiduciary law inherent in some of the canonical texts and explains how fiduciary principles came to be enforced in the canon law, citing examples of the width of the scope of fiduciary principles found in English court practice, including a duty applied only to the clergy. Finally, it considers whether the modern law of trusts was shaped in any way by canonical influence.

scholarly journals Man as Rescuer and Monster in Steven Spielberg's Film Text "Schindler's List"

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
José Díaz-Cuesta Galián
Keyword(s):  
Journal Article ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Steven Spielberg ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Fold Structure ◽  
Schindler's List ◽  
Film Text

This journal article addresses the confrontation between two extreme representations of man in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1993): the rescuer and the monster. It is my contention that these representations simplify two of the moral options –good versus evil– from which men can freely choose according to both Judaism and Catholicism, which are the two religious cults the film alludes to. This article has a three-fold structure. The first part focuses on the godlike representation of Oskar Schindler2 and his relation to key episodes in the Bible. The second one deals with Amon Goeth, Schindler’s mirror image and the incarnation of evil in the film. The third part surveys Spielberg’s blending of religious traditions in some films prior to Schindler’s List. As a conclusion it is proposed that the godlike man who rescues his people is not only Oskar Schindler, but also Steven Spielberg.

scholarly journals The First Catholic Bible in Chinese: Gabriele Allegra and His Translation

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-23
Author(s):  
Raissa De Gruttola
Keyword(s):  
Textual Analysis ◽  
The Other ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Greek Text ◽  
Bible Translation ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Biblical Study ◽  
Study Centre ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Christian missionaries play an important role in the history of the relationship between China and Europe. Their presence in China has been widely explored, but little attention has been paid to the role played by the Bible in their preaching. From 13th to 19th century, although they did not translate the Bible, Catholic missionaries preached the Gospel orally or with catechisms. On the other hand, the Protestant missionaries had published many version of the Chinese Bible throughout the 19th century. It was only in the 20th century that the Franciscan friar Gabriele Allegra decided to go to China as a missionary to translate the Holy Scriptures into Chinese. He arrived in China in 1931 and translated from 1935 to 1961. He also founded a biblical study centre to prepare expert scholars to collaborate in the Bible translation. Allegra and his colleagues completed the translation in 1961, and the first complete single-volume Catholic Bible in Chinese was published in 1968. After presenting the historical background of Allegra’s activity, a textual analysis of some passages of his translation will be presented, emphasizing the meanings of the Chinese words he chose to use to translate particular elements of Christian terminology. This study will verify the closeness of the work by Allegra to the original Greek text and the validity of some particular translation choices.

Exodus 19–40

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. C. Propp
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Major Work ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Biblical Scholarship ◽  
Cultural Mores ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Ritual Law

The long-awaited conclusion of William H. C. Propp’s masterful study of Exodus, this informative, clearly written commentary provides a new perspective on Israelite culture and on the role of ritual, law, and covenant in biblical religion. Exodus 19–40 sets a new standard in biblical scholarship. Thorough and up-to-date, it is the first commentary on Exodus to include critical textual evidence from the recently edited Dead Sea Scrolls. Informed by Propp’s deep understanding of ancient cultural mores and religious traditions, it casts new light on the Israelites’ arrival at Sinai, their entry into a covenant with God, their reception of the Law, their worship of the golden calf, and their reconciliation to God. The incisive commentary on the building of the Holy Tabernacle–God’s wilderness abode–is supplemented by numerous illustrations that clarify the biblical text. Propp extends the scope and relevance of this major work in five appendices that discuss the literary formation of the Torah, the historicity of the Exodus tradition, the origins of Israelite monotheism, the Exodus theme in the Bible, and the future of Old Testament scholarship. By taking an anthropological rather than strictly theological approach, Propp places familiar stories within a fresh context. The result is a fully accessible guide to one of the most important and best known books of the Bible.

Doubt as an Integral Part of Calling

2018 ◽  
pp. 93-110
Author(s):  
Younus Y. Mirza
Keyword(s):  
Scholarly Literature ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Positive Feature ◽  
The Way

This chapter seeks to address the misleading assumption that vocational discernment should lead a person toward a clear and definitive goal. In practice, the process of finding one’s callings will necessarily be accompanied by doubt and uncertainty; in fact, the ambiguous and shadowy nature of vocation can be a positive feature. Many stories from various religious traditions remind us that even the most deeply committed and vocationally focused individuals have experienced doubt about their own callings and uncertainty about their lives. The chapter cites a range of scholarly literature on vocation to emphasize this point, then illustrates it through various elements in the Qur’an—including a detailed retelling the story of Joseph. Like Joseph, many people may retrospectively come to see how the various elements of their lives have been woven together, even if they faced a great deal of doubt and uncertainty along the way.

“The Iron Crucible” and Loci of Religious Contact

2020 ◽  
pp. 162-172
Author(s):  
Clémence Boulouque
Keyword(s):  
Jewish Tradition ◽  
Crucial Aspect ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Iron Crucible ◽  
Assimilation Process ◽  
Jewish Religion

Chapter 14 focuses on the meaning and loci of religious encounters in the Bible and in the Jewish tradition, and analyzes the concept of “iron crucible,” the metaphor Benamozegh used for the complexity of religious assimilation. This metaphor, which refers to the Israelites’ sojourn in Egypt, designates a place where identities intermingled and where the Jewish religion was refined through its contact with paganism—but also where, paradoxically, this blending did not preclude a sense of hierarchy in this assimilation process. This concept is a crucial aspect of Benamozegh’s system, whereby the greater the proximity, the greater the tension across religious traditions.

Social Justice in the Ancient Near East and the People of the Bible

1989 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 126
Author(s):  
J. A. Emerton ◽  
L. Epsztein
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Near East ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The People

Land Concentration, Efficiency, Slavery, and the Jubilee

2010 ◽  
pp. 73-88
Author(s):  
Jacob Rosenberg ◽  
Avi Weiss
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Civil Liberties ◽  
Careful Study ◽  
The Bible

The Jubilee, as laid out in the Bible, is generally viewed as a time for celebration—a time during which horns are blown, families reunited, and heirlooms reclaimed. This article focuses on the need for reconsideration of the goals of jubilee. It is a time of freedom, with the release of slaves and the resulting return of their civil liberties, and of social justice, with land sold during the previous fifty years returning to its original owners. Thus, the Jubilee seems to be partially a sociological precept, with its main goal seemingly to achieve a certain degree of equality among people. However, a careful study of the precise decrees raises a number of questions that are difficult to understand when this view of the Jubilee is taken. This article explains the two main goals of Jubilee Laws, the role of slavery, and the clean slate proclamations.

Religious Traditions in Politics: Protestantism

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evert van Leeuwen
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Political Action ◽  
John Calvin ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Equal Rights ◽  
Political Dimension ◽  
Early 21St Century ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
God's Image

Protestantism was labeled when German noblemen wished to retain control of their own country church. Martin Luther’s theology based on faith and the scripture became in this way a matter of political dispute. His rejection of the pope as the final authority in matters of religion brought the Lutheran country churches within the power and economy of the local noble rulers, liberating them from financial obligations to Rome. Luther’s actions were, in the first phase of Protestantism, followed by those of Anabaptists and cantons in Switzerland (Huldrych Zwingli) and cities in France (Martin Bucer in Strasbourg; John Calvin in Geneva). Calvin stood for a kind of theocratic regime based on his doctrine of predestination. His views spread over France and the Low Countries (Belgium, Netherlands) as a liberation from the feudal system. In the second phase of Protestantism, the political dimension became less significant, and the focus became instead upon Protestant believers’ looking inward to find the Light, or God, in themselves. Political action then became the consequence of the intention to do well, by seeking justice and seeing that every human being is created in God’s image. Many groups were persecuted, as the earlier Anabaptists were, and left Europe for the New World. There they became activists for the abolition of slavery, equal rights for all human beings, and social justice. The third phase of Protestantism is characterized by ideas of rebirth and regeneration. Sin and evil can be washed away and people can start a new life in the blessing of Jesus Christ, following his guidance as evangelicals. In matters of politics, personal norms and values become more important than social justice or reform, leading to bans on, for instance, abortion and homosexuality as sinful ways of life. In the early 21st century, a significant number of Protestant groups are active in right-wing politics, and their membership continues to grow in the Americas, Africa and Asia.

Paradigmenwechsel ‐ welches Paradigma? : Die Pentateuchkrise als Krise der Literarkritik

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-151
Author(s):  
Siegbert Riecker
Keyword(s):  
Historical Background ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Source Criticism ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Social ◽  
Empirical Perspective ◽  
Biblical Texts ◽  
Eighteenth And Nineteenth Centuries

Summary It would be too simple to attribute the current crisis in research on the Pentateuch to the demise of the Wellhausen paradigm (the documentary hypothesis) and the resulting diversity of methods. Rather, these are merely symptoms of a fundamental crisis in the source critical paradigm as a whole. The difficulties with the nature of sources, their literary scope and the criteria for their division are only part of the wider problem. The introduction of non-verifiable ‘redactors’ and ‘Fortschreibung’ (updating) to cope with anomalies of a hypothesis seems methodologically just as questionable as the reconstruction of the social-historical background of individual literary strata (‘pseudo historicism’). The increasingly complex diachronic overall models are lacking plausibility and credibility, especially since the reconstruction of several stages in the development of the text is practically impossible from an empirical perspective. The alternative to the classic paradigm of source criticism is a literary paradigm that returns to the starting point of the testimony of the biblical texts themselves. Of course, literary tensions and sources must not be ignored. However, systems of interpretation to explain inconsistencies should not be based on methods developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries but on the ancient literary conventions of the Bible and its environment.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document