The Occult Properties of the Qurʾān (Ḫawāṣṣ al-Qurʾān): Notes for the History of an Idea and Literary Genre between Religion and Magic in Islam

2021 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 322-377
Author(s):  
Giovanni Maria Martini

Abstract Although the science of the occult properties of the Qurʾān (ʿilm ḫawāṣṣ al-Qurʾān) has been regarded by Muslim intellectuals as an independent discipline within the classification of the sciences and has generated an independent literary genre over the centuries, it has never been the subject of a specific survey within Islamic Studies. Often wrongly considered simply as a component of related disciplines, the most important texts belonging to this genre remain understudied and are not critically edited. Many reasons suggest that the study of the genesis of this concept, of the homonymous discipline and of its literary corpus represent an important desideratum for the history of magic and of the occult sciences in Islam. Based on philological examination of numerous primary sources, this article aims to situate the science of the occult properties of the Qurʾān and its literature within the History of ideas in the Muslim world.

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Krisztina Kovács

Initial attempts to conceptually define intellectual disability have played a significant role in the history of education of children with intellectual disabilities. In Hungary, the definition of intellectual disability has undergone many changes, which is related to disciplinary development. Nowadays, in special education, the term “intellectual disability” refers to a complex phenomenon which is reflected, for example, in the significant variability on the level of intellectual functioning. This study focuses on a narrower area of this very complex phenomenon. It makes children with mild intellectual disability – one of the categories of people with intellectual disabilities, the subject of analysis. The research analyzes the contemporary professional terminology and classification of mild intellectual disability on the basis of primary sources. It also examines whom and according to what symptoms professionals classified as a member of this student population, taking into account the scientific conceptions at the turn of the 20th century (for the naming of children with mild intellectual disability, see pp. 19–20). In pedagogical narratives published at that time, the term “weak- talented child” was the most commonly used expression.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
А. Н. Сухов

This given article reveals the topicality not only of destructive, but also of constructive, as well as hybrid conflicts. Practically it has been done for the first time. It also describes the history of the formation of both foreign and domestic social conflictology. At the same time, the chronology of the development of the latter is restored and presented objectively, in full, taking into account the contribution of those researchers who actually stood at its origins. The article deals with the essence of the socio-psychological approach to understanding conflicts. The subject of social conflictology includes the regularities of their occurrence and manifestation at various levels, spheres and conditions, including normal, complicated and extreme ones. Social conflictology includes the theory and practice of diagnosing, resolving, and resolving social conflicts. It analyzes the difficulties that occur in defining the concept, structure, dynamics, and classification of social conflicts. Therefore, it is no accident that the most important task is to create a full-fledged theory of social conflicts. Without this, it is impossible to talk about effective settlement and resolution of social conflicts. Social conflictology is an integral part of conflictology. There is still a lot of work to be done, both in theory and in application, for its complete design. At present, there is an urgent need to develop conflict-related competence not only of professionals, but also for various groups of the population.


Author(s):  
Thomas H. McCall ◽  
Keith D. Stanglin

“Arminianism” was the subject of important theological controversies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and it maintains an important position within Protestant thought. What became known as “Arminian” theology was held by people across a swath of geographical and ecclesial positions; it developed in European, British, and American contexts, and it engaged with a wide range of intellectual challenges. While standing together in their common rejection of several key planks of Reformed theology, proponents of Arminianism took various positions on other matters. Some were broadly committed to catholic and creedal theology; others were more open to theological revision. Some were concerned primarily with practical concerns; others were engaged in system building as they sought to articulate and defend an overarching vision of God and the world. The story of this development is both complex and important for a proper understanding of the history of Protestant theology. However, this historical development of Arminian theology is not well known. In this book, Thomas H. McCall and Keith D. Stanglin offer a historical introduction to Arminian theology as it developed in modern thought, providing an account that is based upon important primary sources and recent secondary research that will be helpful to scholars of ecclesial history and modern thought as well as comprehensible and relevant for students.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 9-47
Author(s):  
Maria Neklyudova

In his Bibliotheca historica, Diodorus Siculus described a peculiar Egyptian custom of judging all the dead (including the pharaohs) before their burial. The Greek historian saw it as a guarantee of Egypt’s prosperity, since the fear of being deprived of the right to burial served as a moral imperative. This story of an Egyptian custom fascinated the early modern authors, from lawyers to novelists, who often retold it in their own manner. Their interpretations varied depending on the political context: from the traditional “lesson to sovereigns” to a reassessment of the role of the subject and the duties of the orator. This article traces several intellectual trajectories that show the use and misuse of this Egyptian custom from Montaigne to Bossuet and then to Rousseau—and finally its adaptation by Pushkin and Vyazemsky, who most likely became acquainted with it through the mediation of French literature. The article was written in the framework (and with the generous support) of the RANEPA (ШАГИ РАНХиГС) state assignment research program. KEYWORDS: 16th to 19th-Century European and Russian Literature, Diodorus Siculus (1st century BC), Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712—1778), Alexander Pushkin (1799—1837), Prince Pyotr Vyazemsky (1792—1878), Egyptian Сourt, Locus communis, Political Rhetoric, Literary Criticism, Pantheonization, History of Ideas.


1929 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 30-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noël Moon

The question of the classification of the red-figured vases of Magna Graecia is still highly controversial. So is the question of the foremost seat of the industry, and of the development of the fabric or fabrics. A good deal is being done at the moment in various quarters towards straightening out the problem, but divergence of opinion on essential points is still wide. This article does not attempt to give another complete classification, nor is it intended primarily to resuscitate admiration for works of art wilfully neglected, to cry shame on those who hurry through museum rooms of South Italian exhibits to reach the Attic. It suggests, however, that there might be a pause in these rooms if examples of the best South Italian work were always there. But not infrequently the best have been put among the Attic. Many too are in comparatively inaccessible places and are unpublished. There are several good ones in England that are little known, being in private collections or unexpected museums. Some of these I am publishing, as well as one or two of those that in their museums are thought to be Attic. I am also describing briefly the different groups to which these vases belong, in an attempt to lay down new lines on which the subject may be approached.


ELT Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J Lowe ◽  
Richard Smith

Abstract The concept of English as a lingua franca (ELF) is the subject of much theoretical discussion and debate within ELT. However, little has been written concerning the history of ideas preceding it. This article discusses the concept of ‘neutral English’ proposed in 1967 by the writer L. A. Hill. After summarizing Hill’s life and work, the article explores his idea for neutral English, noting its apparent similarities to modern ELF theory as well as the historical and contextual factors that distinguish it. Using Hill’s work and stated motivations as a lens through which to view modern theory, the article highlights the possibility that apparently radical ideas can be co-opted to ‘centre’ interests in modern global ELT. Finally, it is proposed that more work into the history of conceptualizations of international English use would shed further light on the academic and political forces which intersect with this area of research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 532-543
Author(s):  
Francesco Bratos

The complex relationship between literature and law has been widely debated. Over the last 20 years, the judicial novel has been the subject of renewed consideration from critics. Numerous studies have pointed out how literary and judicial practices seem characterized by common methods of narrative organization and communication of experiences. Beyond the controversy on the classification of the judicial novel as literary genre, the representation of courtrooms has undeniably become one of the recurring tropes of the 20th-century novel. Within this multifaceted literary movement, the unique style of Italian judiciary literature warrants its articulation as a distinct genre. The working hypothesis of this article is that the political and cultural centrality acquired by the Italian Magistratura, as result of a longstanding confrontation with the political powers, is essential in studying the success of the Italian judiciary novel, together with the emergence of a vast number of jurist-writers. Analyzing specifically the work of the jurist-writer Gianrico Carofiglio, I will demonstrate how the Italian legal thriller transforms the representation of the trial, dealing with the literary tradition as well as with law’s own representation.


Archaeologia ◽  
1926 ◽  
Vol 75 ◽  
pp. 61-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C. Andrews

We all know what maps are. Most of us have occasion to use them frequently. Many of us, no doubt, have spent pleasant hours in our studies, performing, with their help, what have been called ‘armchair travels ‘. But only a few have been led to inquire into the history of maps and mapmaking, and fewer still have interested themselves in that period of the history of cartography which is the subject of this paper—the medieval period.


Luke Howard, F.R.S., is an outstanding figure in the history of meteorology (1). His published works, notably The Climate of London (1818) based on his observations, were landmarks in the early history of the subject, while his theories of the causes of rain and the influence of atmospheric electricity on precipitation have been largely confirmed by modern investigation. His most significant contribution to the science, however, was the publication, in 1803, in his ‘Essay on the Modification of Clouds’ (5), of the first classification of the cloud formations on a scientific basis which found general acceptance: his Latin terminology—cirrus, cumulus, stratus and their modifications, including nimbus, the rain-cloud—is still employed in the modern classification of cloud forms (2).


2021 ◽  
pp. 4-24
Author(s):  
Sviatoslav Verbych

Introduction. The article analyzes the oikonyms of the modern Odessa region, which were formed during the Turkish-Tatar (Nogai) history of this region. The genetic Turkic names that the Bulgarian settlers moved to a new place of residence from their homeland (or from the territory of Turkey) during the end of the XVIII – first half of the XIX century are analyzed. These names were changed as a result of administrative intervention by the Soviet authorities, mainly during 1944–1945. Аim. The study aims to carry out etymological and structural-semantic analysis of genetically Turkic oikonyms of modern Odessa region. The object of the study is the genetically Turkic names of the settlements of Odesa region (local and transferred by Bulgarian settlers from across the Danube), which were changed administratively mainly after 1944; the subject of research is to find out the etymologies of the corresponding oikonyms and their structural and semantic characteristics. Research methods. For the analysis of oikonyms the descriptive method is applied by means of which the structure of both historical (genetically Turkic), and new (Soviet period) names is characterized, and also reception of the etymological analysis for establishment of etymons of genetically Turkic names of settlements. Research results. The article identifies word-forming models, presents the classification of genetically Turkic oikonyms of Odesa region, clarifies the dеonymic motivation of their creative bases; the structure of new (renamed) names is characterized. Conclusions. It is proved that most renamings do not take into account either the derivation model, which formed the original name of the settlement, or the appellate (onym) meaning of the creative bases, which convincingly testifies to their artificial nature, lack of connection with local nature, historical and cultural features of the region. It should be noted that it is necessary to change the names of the modern Odessa region, in particular the names with the Russian imperial connotation (Alexandrovka, Suvorov), as well as with the Russian-speaking structure (Udobne, Utkonosivka).  


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