Listening with the Body, Seeing through the Ears: Contextualizing Philo’s Lecture Event in On the Contemplative Life

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 447-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew David Larsen
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Social ◽  
Contemplative Life ◽  
Learning To Listen

This article compares Philo’s portrayal of the lecture event among the Therapeutae with other reading and philosophical communities throughout the high Roman Empire. It shows how learning to listen properly plays an important role in constructing and defending one’s masculinity in certain elite communities of that time. Philo constructs a portrayal of the Therapeutae that places them well within the social codes of lecture listening and proper masculine virtues of the time, describing the Therapeutae, especially their ideal masculinity vis-à-vis their lecture event, with imperial mimicry and resistance. Situating Philo’s portrayal of the Therapeutae’s lecture event within its historical context enhances our understanding Philo within the Roman Empire as well as his portrayal of the ethos of the Therapeutae.

scholarly journals Lesbianism as Another Alternative for the Other: A Punishment or an Escape? The Saudi Novel "al-Akharun/The Others" as a Sample

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-55
Author(s):  
Hanan Bishara
Keyword(s):  
World Literature ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The Body ◽  
Controversial Issues ◽  
Anna Karenina ◽  
Madame Bovary ◽  
Saudi Women ◽  
The Social ◽  
Lady Chatterley's Lover ◽  
New Phenomena

World Literature has witnessed the appearance of many novels that focus on the physical experiences of the “body” and deal with sexual themes. In their historical context, these novels represent a protest against the social moral values and search for alternatives. Among these novels are Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Anna Karenina, and Madame Bovary. In Arabic literature, the Egyptian writer Ihsan Abd al-Qudous laid the foundation for this type of novel.  Literature has developed through breaking the barrier of taboos and adopting different forms. One of the controversial issues, whose red lines literature has crossed, is the issue of sex, which exists in every human relationship between males and females. The Arabic novel has addressed sexual taboos and dealt with them as an adventure still in its initial stages despite numerous significant contributions that have appeared in the 20th century.   Recently, Saudi Arabian women writers have broken various taboos and dealt with the problems that they confront as women in the Kingdom by employing the themes of sex, the body, and other taboo issues. Some critics accused these writers of trying to draw attention to themselves by exploiting these subjects to increase their readership. In fact, these novelists have exposed new phenomena in conservative Saudi society and broken the stereotypical image of conservative Saudi women. This study deals with Saba al-Herz’ novel al-Akharun/The Others as a sample of these novels.

scholarly journals Sobór chalcedoński. Kontekst historyczny, teologiczny, następstwa

Vox Patrum ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 137-179
Author(s):  
Józef Grzywaczewski
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The Body ◽  
Catholic Faith ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
In Christ ◽  
Definition Of

The article presents the Council of Chalcedon; its theological and historical context and its consequences. The author starts with the theological context of this Council. In that time the question of relation between humanity and divinity in Christ was discussed. Apollinarius of Laodicea taught that in the person of Christ there were two elements: the Logos and the body. The Logos replaced the soul. He propagated the formula mia physis tou theou logou sesarkomene. Others theologians were not agree with his opinion. Generally, there were two theological schools which worked on this matter: school of Alexandria and of Antioch. In the first one, the Christ was seen especially as God who became man. In the second one, He was seen as the man who was God’s Son. With other words, in Alexandria the starting point of reflection was the Divinity of Christ. In Antioch the starting of reflection was His humanity. The author mentioned Eutyches whose ideas on Christology produced a lot of trouble. In such a context, the Council of Chalcedon was organized (451). It was the proposal of Emperor Marcjan. The Council, after having condemned Eutyches and Dioskur of Alexandria because of their position on theological matter, proclaimed a new definition of the catholic faith. The base of this definition was the Letter of Pope Leo the Great Ad Flavianum. The most important point of this definition was the statement that Divinity and humanity meet in Christ, and both form one person. Such a declaration seems to be clear, but it did not satisfy Greek theologians. They did not want to accept the formula two natures (duo physeis) in one person, because in their opinion it signifies a separation between the Divinity and the humanity of Christ. They preferred to speak about mia physis tou Theou Logou sesarkomene. Surely, by the term physis they did not understand nature, but a being. While saying mia physis they did not mean one nature, but one being. In their conception, Jesus Christ was a Being in which met Divinity and humanity. Many theologians were suspicious of the term person (prosopon); they supposed that it had a modalistic meaning. The main opinion of Modalists is: there is only One God who appears sometimes as Father, sometimes as Son, sometime as Holy Spirit. There were also other reasons of contesting the definition of Chalcedon. It was known that that this definition was imposed by the Greek emperor, influenced by the Bishop of Rome (Pope). Many theologians, especially in monastic milieu, did not want to accept the intervention of the civil authorities in religious matter. They did not have a very good opinion about Latin theology. In the fifth century there were some anti-Hellenic tendencies in the eastern part of the Empire. Many Oriental theologians rejected the definition of Chalcedon because it was „a for­mula of Rom and Constantinople”. In such circumstances, a lot of Christians separated themselves from the Catholic Church, forming Monophysite Churches. Those who remained in unity with Rome and Constantinople, keeping the defini­tion of Chalcedon, were called Melchites. Another problem was the canon 28, which gave some privileges to the bishop see of Constantinople. Pope Leo the Great did not approve this canon. Anti-Hellenic tendencies were so strong that in the time of Islamic invasions the people of Palestine, Syria, and Egypt welcomed Arabic soldiers as liberators from Byzantine domination. It is to be said that Arabic authorities, after having taken power in a country, were friendly towards Monophysites and persecuted Melchites. So, the contestation of the definition of Chalcedon prepared the ground for the victory of Islam in the East. The article is ended by an observation of a French theologian Joseph Moingt: declaration that Divinity and humanity make union the person of Jesus Christ produced division not only in the Church, but also in the Roman Empire. This is one of great paradoxes in the history of Christianity.

Summary

2015 ◽  
pp. 137-138
Author(s):  
Emily Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Film Theory ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Narrative Structure ◽  
The Body ◽  
Award Winning ◽  
The Social ◽  
Critical Approaches

This chapter summarises the study of Pedro Almodóvar's Talk to Her (2002). Talk to Her is a film that reflects the social and historical context of Spain and demonstrates many of Almodóvar's auteur characteristics. Its award-winning screenplay defies traditional conventions in genre and narrative structure whilst still creating something that is aesthetically pleasing and accessible to view. The interpretations cited in this book are not the only interpretations. This is a film which becomes richer through discussion and analysis and by approaching it from different critical approaches such as: auteur, genre, narrative, gender, and psychoanalytic film theory. Indeed, the film leaves the viewer with many interesting questions to consider. Ultimately, it is important to look at the film within the body of Almodóvar's work, particularly through exploring his depictions of rape.

Users

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Swift
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
The Body ◽  
Social Categories ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Horizontal Diameter ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
User Groups

Artefact design is not neutral, but is aimed, whether consciously or not, at different categories of users, as explained in Chapter 1. This chapter will explore design intentions as they relate to different user-groups in more detail, investigating some of the ways artefacts function to construct and maintain social categories, and also how these categories may be resisted or questioned by users. Firstly, we will examine how artefact design relates to the Roman life course, through an exploration of the motifs on finger-rings and the social categories of men, women, and children. Secondly, Roman attitudes to leftand right-handedness may be examined in relation to various items. Thirdly, we will examine some particular types of boxes and their methods of opening, artefacts in which cultural knowledge potentially impacts upon the facility with the objects may be used. In each case, we will consider how the design features may include or exclude certain users and what the implications are for a wider understanding of both Roman social practice, and the role of artefacts in enacting and reproducing social norms and behaviours. Finger-rings, among other personal artefacts, are scaled to a specific part of the body, and through this feature they provide an opportunity to examine how artefacts may have been designed for particular categories of people. Users will need rings with an appropriate diameter that is large enough to fit a particular digit, yet not so large that it risks becoming lost. Finger sizes of course vary according to age and sex, and so provide an opportunity to examine objects designed specifically for women, children, and men. We will focus here on those finger-rings displaying a central motif (usually engraved, although sometimes in relief, or occurring as a modelled form), which exist in large numbers. Most are oval in shape, and they are found in a wide range of sizes, from 9 to 27mm in inner horizontal diameter. Many are gem-set rings, and the gem iconography that they display was remarkably consistent across the Roman Empire, consisting of a range of popular themes such as the principal deities and/or their attributes, personifications, mythological scenes, animals, portraits, and objects.

An Invitation to the Table

Table Lands ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 3-10
Author(s):  
Kara K. Keeling ◽  
Scott T. Pollard
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Material Culture ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Food Studies ◽  
The Body ◽  
Children’S Agency ◽  
The Social ◽  
American Tradition ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
The Mind

Children’s literature is filled with foods to eat, reflecting the pleasure humans take in taste, which occurs as much in the mind as in the body. Food studies as a field has grown since the 1990s, crossing boundaries from the social sciences into the sciences. Within literary studies, work has shifted from seeing food as a literary trope to using material culture as an approach to what food signifies in a socio-historical context. Table Lands is a broad survey of food’s function in children’s texts, showing how comprehending the socio-cultural contexts of food reveals fundamental understandings of the child and children’s agency and enriches the interpretation of such texts. In roughly chronological order, it examines a variety of texts from historical to contemporary, non-canonical to classics—many from the Anglo American tradition but enriched by several books from multicultural traditions (Native American, Jewish American, African American, and immigrant Vietnamese)—and including a variety of genres, formats, and age-group audiences. These include realism (both historical and contemporary), fantasy, cookbooks, picture books, chapter books, young adult novels, and film.

New Testament Christianity in the Roman World

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry O. Maier
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
New Testament ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Self ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Greco Roman ◽  
The Social ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Context Specific

The book explores the social contexts of New Testament writings from Acts onward, along with other relevant Jewish and Christian literature. Moving from large to increasingly smaller spheres, the study examines how at each level beliefs and practices related to the gods and the cosmos, the empire, the city, and the household shaped a shifting and context-specific Christian faith and a set of affiliated identities. In each case, the discussion considers intersections with the New Testament and other early Christian and Jewish literature. The introduction discusses theories of canon formation, the history of the Roman Empire relevant to New Testament study, and the concept of lived religion as a means to understand ancient Christianity. Chapter 2 discusses the gods, sacrifices, festivals, divine epithets, temple architecture, magic, neighborhood religion, demonology, pagan and Christian ritual, and Greco-Roman and Jewish views of the cosmos. Chapter 3 examines the empire’s political and administrative structure, urbanization, taxation, nomenclature, patronage, and emperor worship. Chapter 4 treats the organization and governance of cities, liturgies, urban demography, poverty, mortality, economic production, trade associations, and integration of Jews in city life. Chapter 5 considers terms and definitions of the ancient household and family; architecture; domestic rituals; rites of passage; slavery and manumission; expectations of men, women, children, and slaves; funerary practices; and fictive kinship. Chapter 6 discusses the self; the social constitution of identity; physiological understandings of the body; Greco-Roman gender construction; philosophical theories concerning the interrelationship of body, soul, and ethics; and Jewish and early Christian conceptualizations of the self.

Sin, Gender, and Empire

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Croasmun
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Roman Republic ◽  
Social System ◽  
Gender Ideology ◽  
The Body ◽  
Social Body ◽  
Greco Roman ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender

This chapter places Paul’s discourse of the “Body of Hamartia” within the context of various ancient discourses regarding the social body. These discourses are shown to be oriented around a central ideology of self-mastery that frames ancient Greco-Roman ideas about both gender and empire. It engages especially with the Roma cult in the Roman Republic and early Roman Empire as an instance of an ancient collective “person” emergent from a complex social system. (The case of “Legion” in Mark 5 is considered as well.) This comparison allows for a discussion of Hamartia in Paul in terms of ancient political and gender ideology.

The Emergence of Sin

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Croasmun
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Gender Ideology ◽  
The Body ◽  
Supervenience Base ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Real Person ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Neurological System

This book aims to solve an age-old problem in New Testament scholarship: namely, how to understand the relationship between “sins” as human misdeeds, and “Sin/Hamartia, ” the cosmic tyrant, in Romans. It appropriates the critical framework of emergence in philosophy of science to describe the emergence of cognition and agency at the individual, social, and mythological levels. The cosmic tyrant Sin is described as a real person, emergent from a complex system of human transgressions. The work argues that this emergence is analogous to the emergence of mind from the complex neurological system that is the brain. The dominion of Sin is described as downward causation exercised on Sin’s supervenience base (individual sinners), in dialog with liberationist accounts of social sin. This interdisciplinary engagement sets the table for placing Paul’s discourse of the “Body of Sin” within the context of various ancient discourses regarding the social body. The Roma cult in the Roman Republic and early Roman Empire serves as an instance of an ancient collective “person” emergent from a complex social system to compare with Paul’s description of Sin/Hamartia. This comparison allows for a discussion of Sin/Hamartia in Paul in terms of ancient political and gender ideology.

scholarly journals O PESO QUE NÃO APARECE NA BALANÇA: SOFRIMENTO PSÍQUICO EM UMA SOCIEDADE OBESOGÊNICA E LIPOFÓBICA

polemica ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-20
Author(s):  
Monica Vanderlei Vianna
Keyword(s):  
Identity Construction ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The Body ◽  
Excess Weight ◽  
Sociocultural Environment ◽  
Keywords Obesity ◽  
Psychological Suffering ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Do So

Resumo: O presente artigo propõe uma reflexão sobre o sofrimento psíquico possivelmente instaurado pelo processo de subjetivação e construção da identidade experimentados em um ambiente sociocultural obesogênico e com valores paradoxalmente lipofóbicos. Partindo do preceito que as psicopatologias trazem em si traços do contexto social e histórico no qual estão inseridas, buscou-se através de um referencial teórico psicanalítico, pensar como um ambiente que promove a obesidade e concomitantemente condena os que sucumbem ao excesso de peso contribui para o aumento de manifestações psíquicas relacionadas ao corpo e a alimentação. Para tanto, abordamos questões referentes aos estigmas arreigados à obesidade, à edificação da lipofobia na contemporaneidade, assim como as relações com declínio dos conflitos psíquicos em detrimento dos sintomas corporais na atualidade.Palavras-chave: Obesidade. Sofrimento Psíquico. Corpo. Abstract: This article proposes a reflection on the psychic suffering possibly established by the process of subjectivation and identity construction experienced in an obesogenic sociocultural environment with paradoxically lipophobic values. Starting from the precept that the psychopathologies bring in themselves traces of the social and historical context in which they are inserted, it was sought through a theoretical reference psychoanalytic, to think like an environment that promotes the obesity and concomitantly condemns those who succumb to the excess weight contributes to the increase of psychic manifestations related to the body and the feeding. In order to do so, we address issues related to the stigmas attached to obesity, the construction of lipophobia in contemporary times, as well as the relationship with the decline of psychic conflicts to the detriment of current bodily symptoms. Keywords: Obesity. Psychological Suffering. Body.

Fictions of the Human Right to Health: Writing Against the Postcolonial Exotic in Western Medicine

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemary J. Jolly
Keyword(s):  
Health Research ◽  
Western Medicine ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Medical Humanities ◽  
Right To Health ◽  
The Body ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Cultural Specificity ◽  
The Social

The last decade has witnessed far greater attention to the social determinants of health in health research, but literary studies have yet to address, in a sustained way, how narratives addressing issues of health across postcolonial cultural divides depict the meeting – or non-meeting – of radically differing conceptualisations of wellness and disease. This chapter explores representations of illness in which Western narrators and notions of the body are juxtaposed with conceptualisations of health and wellness entirely foreign to them, embedded as the former are in assumptions about Cartesian duality and the superiority of scientific method – itself often conceived of as floating (mysteriously) free from its own processes of enculturation and their attendant limits. In this respect my work joins Volker Scheid’s, in this volume, in using the capacity of critical medical humanities to reassert the cultural specificity of what we have come to know as contemporary biomedicine, often assumed to be

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