scholarly journals 'Illuminating What is Thought'. A Middle Platonist Placitum On 'voice' in Context

Mnemosyne ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 358-407
Author(s):  
Jaap Mansfeld
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
First Century ◽  
Significant Part ◽  
Hellenistic Period ◽  
Philo Of Alexandria ◽  
Human Voice ◽  
Philosophical Interpretation ◽  
Hearing Voice ◽  
Voice And Speech

AbstractThe Plato κɛπαλαιον in Aëtius' chapter On Voice is the result of the interpretation, modernization, and systematization of brief passages dealing with hearing, voice and speech to be found in several dialogues. This construction of Plato's doctrine of 'voice' was mainly inspired by the systematic and innovative Stoic τóπος On Voice. The 'physical' definition is based on passages in Theaetetus and other works, the 'physiological' on a passage in Timaeus. The distinction and relation between voiceless internal λóγος (or thought) and spoken λóγος in Theaetetus and Sophist was interpreted as being equivalent to that between internal and uttered ϕωνη-cum-λóγος which played an important part in the Stoic view of the relation between thinking and speaking. Because as a rule Plato uses ϕωνη of the human voice, the rigorous distinction between this voice and that of animals and lifeless things postulated by Diogenes of Seleucia and other Stoics could be attributed to him, and his unsystematic usage justified by claiming that he used ϕωνη both in the proper and in a loose (or improper) sense. Approaches such as these are characteristic of Middle Platonism. In the present case the neutralization of Theophrastus' criticism of Plato in the De sensibus played a significant part. Plato's statement that thought is mirrored in what is spoken was updated by replacing it with a (fanciful) etymology of ϕωνη which must be dated to at least the Hellenistic period (it was known to e.g. Philo of Alexandria and used by the grammarian Philoxenus). Surprisingly full parallels for virtually the entire contents of the Aëtian κεϕαλαıον are found in the Commentaria in Dionysium Thracem. The etymology of ϕωνη, and others like it, were quoted and used by grammarians and lexicographers from the later first century BCE up to late Byzantine times. The attempt to understand the doxographer's lemma on Plato on voice thus becomes a case-study demonstrating both the openness and the tenacity of philosophical interpretation in antiquity. But note that the present inquiry is not concerned with the Aristotelian or (partly) Aristotelianizing tradition according to which language is conventional.One of the side-effects of the present inquiry was the unsurprising realization (again) that 'parallel passages', once quoted and interpreted out of context, may sort of drift from one book or paper to the next, while their interpretation hardens into received truth. In the present case the so-called parallels in Plato for the later distinction between the internal and the spoken voice proved to be not so parallel after all.

scholarly journals Reading, Writing, and Memorizing Together: Reading Culture in Ancient Judaism and the Dead Sea Scrolls in a Mediterranean Context

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mladen Popović
Keyword(s):  
Social Activity ◽  
Dead Sea Scrolls ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
First Century ◽  
Hellenistic Period ◽  
Philo Of Alexandria ◽  
Ancient Judaism ◽  
Textual Community ◽  
Reading Culture ◽  
The Dead

Abstract This article focuses on reading culture as an aspect of the Dead Sea Scrolls textual community in its ancient Mediterranean context. On the basis of comparative evidence, the article approaches reading in ancient Judaism as a multi-dimensional and deeply social activity by taking reading aloud, writing, and memorizing as intertwined practices occurring in group reading events. The evidence discussed, such as from Philo of Alexandria, the first-century ce Theodotus inscription from Jerusalem, and 1QS 6:6–8, reflects certain aspects of reading cultures shared between different Jewish communities in the ancient Mediterranean during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods. In addition, it is argued that features such as scribal marks in manuscripts, evidence such as the writing of excerpts, manuscripts such as 4Q159 and 4Q265, or note-taking in 4Q175 and other such manuscripts should be considered within the context of the ancient procedure of reading by intellectual or scholarly readers. Moreover, the article suggests that the Genesis Apocryphon actually preserves a glimpse of the scrolls’ elite reading culture described in a text from Hellenistic-period Judaea.

A Pleasing Odour for Yahweh

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-24
Author(s):  
Anne Katrine De Hemmer Gudme
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Sacred Space ◽  
Ancient World ◽  
Hellenistic Period ◽  
The Sun ◽  
The West ◽  
Sense Of Smell ◽  
The Temple ◽  
Crucial Part

This article investigates the importance of smell in the sacrificial cults of the ancient Mediterranean, using the Yahweh temple on Mount Gerizim and the Hebrew Bible as a case-study. The material shows that smell was an important factor in delineating sacred space in the ancient world and that the sense of smell was a crucial part of the conceptualization of the meeting between the human and the divine.  In the Hebrew Bible, the temple cult is pervaded by smell. There is the sacred oil laced with spices and aromatics with which the sanctuary and the priests are anointed. There is the fragrant and luxurious incense, which is burnt every day in front of Yahweh and finally there are the sacrifices and offerings that are burnt on the altar as ‘gifts of fire’ and as ‘pleasing odors’ to Yahweh. The gifts that are given to Yahweh are explicitly described as pleasing to the deity’s sense of smell. On Mount Gerizim, which is close to present-day Nablus on the west bank, there once stood a temple dedicated to the god Yahweh, whom we also know from the Hebrew Bible. The temple was in use from the Persian to the Hellenistic period (ca. 450 – 110 BCE) and during this time thousands of animals (mostly goats, sheep, pigeons and cows) were slaughtered and burnt on the altar as gifts to Yahweh. The worshippers who came to the sanctuary – and we know some of them by name because they left inscriptions commemorating their visit to the temple – would have experienced an overwhelming combination of smells: the smell of spicy herbs baked by the sun that is carried by the wind, the smell of humans standing close together and the smell of animals, of dung and blood, and behind it all as a backdrop of scent the constant smell of the sacrificial smoke that rises to the sky.

What's Divine about Divine Law?

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Dissonance ◽  
Second Temple ◽  
Hellenistic Period ◽  
Philo Of Alexandria ◽  
Rabbinic Judaism ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Greco Roman ◽  
Western Idea ◽  
Jewish Writers ◽  
Divine Law

In the thousand years before the rise of Islam, two radically diverse conceptions of what it means to say that a law is divine confronted one another with a force that reverberates to the present. This book untangles the classical and biblical roots of the Western idea of divine law and shows how early adherents to biblical tradition—Hellenistic Jewish writers such as Philo, the community at Qumran, Paul, and the talmudic rabbis—struggled to make sense of this conflicting legacy. This book shows that for the ancient Greeks, divine law was divine by virtue of its inherent qualities of intrinsic rationality, truth, universality, and immutability, while for the biblical authors, divine law was divine because it was grounded in revelation with no presumption of rationality, conformity to truth, universality, or immutability. The book describes the collision of these opposing conceptions in the Hellenistic period, and details competing attempts to resolve the resulting cognitive dissonance. It shows how Second Temple and Hellenistic Jewish writers, from the author of 1 Enoch to Philo of Alexandria, were engaged in a common project of bridging the gulf between classical and biblical notions of divine law, while Paul, in his letters to the early Christian church, sought to widen it. The book then delves into the literature of classical rabbinic Judaism to reveal how the talmudic rabbis took a third and scandalous path, insisting on a construction of divine law intentionally at odds with the Greco-Roman and Pauline conceptions that would come to dominate the Christianized West. This book sheds critical light on an ancient debate that would shape foundational Western thought, and that continues to inform contemporary views about the nature and purpose of law and the nature and authority of Scripture.

Neither Victors nor Victims

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Whetham
Keyword(s):  
First Century ◽  
National Interests ◽  
Civil Military Relations ◽  
High Street ◽  
National Survival ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Military Relations ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Realistic Goal

Between 2007 and 2011, Wootton Bassett, a small Wiltshire town in the UK, became the focus of national attention as its residents responded to the regular repatriations of dead soldiers through its High Street. The town’s response came to symbolize the way that broader attitudes developed and changed over that period. As such, it is a fascinating case study in civil–military relations in the twenty-first century. Success may be the same as victory, but victory, at least as it has been traditionally understood, is not a realistic goal in many types of contemporary conflict. Discretionary wars—conflicts in which national survival is not an issue and even vital national interests may not be at stake—pose particular challenges for any government which does not explain why the cost being paid in blood and treasure is ‘worth it’.

Breaking the code: barriers affecting inclusive thinking-HETL Scotland 2017

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-129
Author(s):  
Linda Carol Algozzini ◽  
Valencia Lavon Gabay ◽  
Shannon D. Voyles ◽  
Kimberly Bessolo ◽  
Grady Batchelor
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
First Century ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Change Model ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
Group Coaching ◽  
Regulated Learning

Purpose This case study reviews a group coaching and mentoring (GCM) change model and its significance in dissolving barriers and promoting equity in virtual learning environments. The purpose of this paper is to examine the model’s approach to shifting instructor mindsets to align with institutional core values and initiatives that best serve a twenty-first century adult learner. Design/methodology/approach The change model, grounded in GCM, metacognition, self-regulated learning, and community of practice theory, incorporates participatory action research design focusing on cycles of action, reflection, and evaluation. Findings This study illustrates the change model’s success in moving educators toward deeper understanding of self and individual student differences. It further showcases how professionals adapt and improve practices using self-regulated learning and metacognition to better serve the population they teach. Practical implications The GCM framework improved engagement. The design, while implemented in a higher education arena, is applicable to other entities seeking to bridge gaps using metacognition and self-regulated learning to become adaptable and inclusive. Originality/value The change model, recipient of one of this year’s Effective Practice Awards from the Online Learning Consortium (2017), is recognized for innovation and replicability in and beyond higher education.

Friends of Rose Canyon

2018 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 2-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Wiese
Keyword(s):  
Open Space ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
First Century ◽  
Grassroots Politics ◽  
History Of ◽  
University City ◽  
Participant Observer ◽  
The Rose

Place-based activism has played a critical role in the history of urban and environmental politics in California. This article explores the continuing significance of environmental place making to grassroots politics through a case study of Friends of Rose Canyon, an environmental group in San Diego. Based in the fast-growing University City neighborhood, Friends of Rose Canyon waged a long, successful campaign between 2002 and 2018 to prevent construction of a bridge in the Rose Canyon Open Space Park in their community. Using historical and participant observer methodologies, this study reveals how twenty-first-century California urbanites claimed and created meaningful local places and mobilized effective politics around them. It illuminates the critical role of individual activists; suggests practical, replicable strategies for community mobilization; and demonstrates the significant impact of local activism at the urban and metropolitan scales.

Communicating value through strategic engagement

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 154-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Walter
Keyword(s):  
Academic Library ◽  
First Century ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Campus Engagement ◽  
Library Assessment ◽  
Culture Of Assessment ◽  
The University ◽  
Library Value ◽  
University Setting

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore ways in which “library value” may be communicated in a university setting through more effective engagement with strategic planning and a broader array of campus partners. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a case study of an academic library in which alignment with the university mission and strategic plan and alignment of library assessment efforts with the broader culture of assessment at the university have resulted in positive gains for the library in terms of campus engagement and recognition of library value. Findings This paper provides insights into successful strategies for improved communication of library value to senior leadership, new investment in library facilities, and enhanced opportunities for collaboration across the university on strategic initiatives including student success, innovation in teaching and scholarship, and community engagement. Originality/value This paper provides library leaders with new approaches to engagement with campus partners and senior academic leadership in promoting the library as a strategic resource worthy of investment in the twenty-first century.

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