Eroticism, Death and Redemption: The Operatic Construct of the Biblical Femme Fatale

2007 ◽  
Vol 15 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 405-427
Author(s):  
Peter McGrail
Keyword(s):  
World View ◽  
Femme Fatale ◽  
Biblical Narrative ◽  
Women In The Bible ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The World ◽  
High Degree

AbstractThis article explores the themes of eroticism, death and redemption as seen in the world of opera, through a particular lens. This lens is the construct of the femme fatale as drawn from the particular world of the Bible. This construct is of course largely the product of the composer's and/or librettist's own social, religious, political and philosophical world view; where the origin of the construct is a biblical narrative, a high degree of elaboration is always required, since the psychology and motivation of women in the Bible is particularly under-developed. The article first surveys the terrain—surprisingly limited to six chief operas, which together treat only four biblical subjects. The first of the operas, Verdi's early work Nabucco, is analysed in terms of the depiction of its—totally invented—femme fatale, a fictitious daughter Abigaille given to King Nebuccadnezzar. The development of the concept of femme fatale is then traced until it reaches its apotheiosis with the extraordinary character of Kundry, in Wagner's Parsifal. She is then used as the vehicle to explore the themes in depth.

scholarly journals Rabindranath Tagore’s Idea of Universal Humanism in the Light of Islamic World View

2019 ◽  
pp. 53-66
Author(s):  
Ichhimuddin Sarkar
Keyword(s):  
World View ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Eternal Truth ◽  
Ultimate Truth ◽  
Rabindranath Tagore ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The World ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Islamic Civilization ◽  
The Universe

Very few studies are available to understand the philosophical views of Rabindranath Tagore in the light of his attitude and realization of Islam vis-à-vis idea of universalism. Fact remains that the Islamic civilization has thoroughly been recognized in the academic circles but its depth and learning have not been studied up to expectation. European historians and philosophers seem to be hesitant to acknowledge the contribution of Islamic civilization over the centuries. Even a majority of Eastern scholars are critical about welcoming the actual merit of Islam. Rabindranath Tagore being one of the brightest stars in the galaxy of poets and writers made a serious study on the philosophy and writings of many Muslim thinkers and ultimately brought to our notice an extraordinary feeling about Islamic ideas and philosophy. Rabindranth Tagore seems to have sought the inner meaning of Islam and developed a kind of value- based attitude towards human life and the universe. It is likely that through his Gitanjali and Religion of Man (Manusher Dharma) in particular were presented with an objective to stimulate and guide men in search of Ultimate Truth and Oneness of God. It is said that Rabindranth Tagore was acquainted with the verses of the Qur‟an in his childhood and in this respect his father Maharishi Devendranath Tagore imbibed in him many theological aspects of Islam as a religion. The paper intends to explore how Tagore was influenced by Islam and as a poet-thinker he nurtured the idea of eternal truth from the Upanishads, the Tripitakas as well as the Bible and through a particular discipline and inner uplift he came to the conclusion that aggregate of essentials of diversity cannot be judged in the light of mere logic and arguments. This feeling seems to have prompted Tagore to find out the inner truth of the universe and side by side to propagate the idea of universal humanism throughout the world. Philosophy and Progress, Vol#61-62; No#1-2; Jan-Dec 2017 P 53-66

Biblical History and the end of Times: Seventh-Century Christian Accounts of the Rise of Islam

2013 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 52-62
Author(s):  
Jessica Lee Ehinger
Keyword(s):  
Seventh Century ◽  
Historical Writing ◽  
Biblical Narrative ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Biblical History ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of

By the time of the rise of Islam in the early seventh century, Christian writers had already developed a complex methodology of historical writing, one that was not merely concerned with preserving the history of past events, but which viewed contemporary and past events through the lens of the biblical narrative of history, from creation to the ultimate end as prophesied in the eschatological books of the Bible. In this model, the history of the world could be traced from creation to follow the story of God’s revelation of himself to humankind through the prophets, through inspired Scripture and, most importantly, through Christ.

the World=View of the Bible and the World=View of to=day

1938 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 102-107
Author(s):  
A.E.J. Rawlinson
Keyword(s):  
World View ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The World

scholarly journals - Luthertolkningen i 1812-krøniken

2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-122
Author(s):  
Anders Holm
Keyword(s):  
World View ◽  
Art Music ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
The Past ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Enlightenment ◽  
The World ◽  
Nervous Breakdown ◽  
The University

Luthertolkningen i 1812-krøniken[The Interpretation of Luther in Grundtvig’s World Chronicle of 1812]By Anders HolmGrundtvig grew up in two Lutheran vicarages. Both homes were characterized by Lutheran orthodoxy but could not ignore the critical thoughts of the Enlightenment. During his studies at the University of Copenhagen Grundtvig was convinced of the truth of the new philosophy of reason. His father’s wish in 1810, however, that he become his curate demanded that he reconsidered the world-view which he thought to have left behind. It all ended in a crisis and a nervous breakdown, which resulted in his return to a faith strongly inspired by Luther.Grundtvig’s book Brief View of the World Chronicle in Context, 1812, aimed to find God in the course of events of world history. His method was to describe and evaluate the past and the present with the Bible as the standard, and he chose to concentrate on Luther and Melanchthon as the principal characters of the Reformation. Luther dismissed everything that was not based upon clear words from scripture as lies and delusions; Melanchthon was a skilful interpreter of Luther’s radical statements, expressing himself distinctly and unequivocally. After the deathof Luther, however, Melanchthon was influenced by Reformed theology. The principal difference between Reformed and Lutheran cultures, Grundtvig claimed, sprung from the fact that Zwingli had emphasized reason whereas Luther wasmore poetically inclined. Accordingly, two cultures with diverging directions developed. The belief in reason and inborn abilities had led the followers of the Reformed Church to social uprising, and their mentality made them oppose people of other opinions. Lutheran believers and supporters on the other hand, Grundtvig conceived of as more obedient to authority. In contrast to the Reformed culture, the Lutherans appreciated elements of beauty in their churches such as art, music and hymn singing.Finally, the assessment of the young Grundtvig as a Lutheran orthodox is discussed, with the result that this view cannot be confirmed. Grundtvig does not show any tendency towards building coherent dogmatics from single biblicalpassages. But the Bible still has a role to play in the judging of the past because, as a whole, it points to the true Christianity in history.

9/11 and Armageddon: the Christian Right and George W. Bush

2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-50
Author(s):  
Göran Gunner
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Christian Right ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Religious Leader ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The World ◽  
Mega Church ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Jerry Falwell ◽  
High Degree

Authors from the Christian Right in the USA situate the September 11 attack on New York and Washington within God's intentions to bring America into the divine schedule for the end of the world. This is true of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, and other leading figures in the ‘Christian Coalition’. This article analyses how Christian fundamentalists assess the roles of the USA, the State of Israel, Islam, Iraq, the European Union and Russia within what they perceive to be the divine plan for the future of the world, especially against the background of ‘9/11’. It argues that the ideas of the Christian Right and of President George W. Bush coalesce to a high degree. Whereas before 9/11 many American mega-church preachers had aspirations to direct political life, after the events of that day the President assumes some of the roles of a mega-religious leader.

Languages from the world of the Bible, by Holger Gzella (ed.)

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Stenschke
Keyword(s):  
The Bible ◽  
The World

Book review

Epidemias y Religión

2020 ◽  
pp. 49-81
Author(s):  
Bruno Van der Maat
Keyword(s):  
Pastoral Care ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Adverse Reactions ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Government Regulations ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The World ◽  
Ethical Reflections

The current pandemic has seen some adverse reactions from the most diverse religious groups all over the world to government regulations. After having described some of their manifestations, this contribution analyzes what the Bible and some post biblical (patristic and Talmudic) traditions say about illness and pandemics. As it is ascertained that these sources contain very limited material on these subjects, the third part of this article proposes some ethical reflections regarding the official response to the pandemic as well as some pastoral implications. Key Words: Pandemic, Religion, Bible, Talmud, Pastoral Care.

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