African Church Fathers - Ancient and Modern: A Reading of Origen and John S. Mbiti

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans S. A. Engdahl
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Close Reading ◽  
African Philosophy ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Philosophy And Religion ◽  
Church And Society ◽  
Mode Of Life ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Fourth Theme

This critical and close reading of two African theologians, Origen (185 – 254) and Mbiti (1931 – 2019), focuses on the following areas: philosophy (African philosophy and religion and Platonic cosmology), ecclesiology and eschatology; a parallel presentation of these three themes leads to a fourth theme, that of the resurrection, where it is argued that there exists a consensus and a convergence between the two. This reading also highlights two convictions that partly have caused strong criticism: Mbiti has suggested that African philosophy and religion have a conception of time of their own, Origen that all and everything is gradually moving towards an apokatastasis, at which point all will be saved. Yet, the contention is that even more important to both Mbiti and Origen is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In order to establish the impact of the resurrection on their lives as Christians and as theologians, a contrast reading has been undertaken, i.e. texts are identified which underline the need to forge a link between the resurrection and the earthly ministry of Jesus. These texts also underwrite the conviction of Mbiti as well as Origen of the resurrection as something which must be lived in church and society, corporately as well as in personal devotion. The fact of resurrection creates a new mode of life.

scholarly journals The Meeting of a Saint and a Poet: W.B. Yeats and Purohit Swami

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 174-180
Author(s):  
Dr. Sanjay Kumar Dutta
Keyword(s):  
Vital Part ◽  
Indian Thought ◽  
The Social ◽  
Philosophy And Religion ◽  
Art Philosophy ◽  
The Impact

 A literary artist seldom works in a vacuum, in isolation; rather, he draws materials of his art from the social, cultural, political and philosophical currents of his milieu, and eventually contributes his interpretation of these ideas to society. Yeats is not an exception; but his critical sensibility looked far towards Indian ideas. He found Indian ideas of art, philosophy, and religion inspiring and stimulating to such an extent that a vital part of career was engaged in assimilating as well as reproducing them through his own art. Though Yeats’ critics and biographers have already noted the impact of Indian thought on his poetry, the present paper endeavors to show the interface between Yeats and Purohit Swami and how their friendship resulted in a mutual enrichment.

scholarly journals An attempt at clarifying Maximus the Confesor’s remarks on (the fate of) sexual difference in Ambiguum 41

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-203
Author(s):  
Sotiris Mitralexis
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Difference ◽  
Human Person ◽  
Close Reading ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Maximus The Confessor ◽  
As If

Maximus the Confessor?s Ambiguum 41 contains some rather atypical observations concerning the distinction of sexes in the human person. There is a certain ambiguity as to whether the distinction of the sexes was intended by God and is ?by nature? (as found in Genesis and asserted by most Church Fathers) or a product of the Fall. Namely, Christ is described three times as ?shaking out of nature the distinctive characteristics of male and female?, ?driving out of nature the difference and division of male and female? and ?removing the difference between male and female?. Different readings of those passages engender important implications that can be drawn out from the Confessor?s thought, both eschatological implications and otherwise. The subject has been picked up by Cameron Partridge, Doru Costache and Karolina Kochanczyk-Boninska, among others, but is by no means settled, as they draw quite different conclusions. The noteworthy and far-reaching implications of Maximus? theological stance and problems are not the object of this paper. In a 2017 paper I attempted to demonstrate what Maximus exactly says in these peculiar and oft-commented passages through a close reading, in order to avoid a two-edged Maximian misunderstanding: to either draw overly radical implications from those passages, projecting decidedly non-Maximian visions on the historical Maximus, or none at all, as if those passages represented standard Patristic positions. Here, I am revisiting this argument, given that the interest in what the Confessor has to say on the subject seems to be increasing.

scholarly journals Áhrif siðbótarinnar á Íslandi. Tilraun til jafnvægisstillingar. Fyrri grein.

Ritið ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 255-288
Author(s):  
Hjalti Hugason
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Church Culture ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Church And Society ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Church

n 2017 the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation was celebrated. Then there was a huge discussion about the impact of the Reformation on church, culture and society. In this article and in a second one that follows, this question will be raised, especially in Icelandic context.Here it is assumed that it is only possible to state that a change has occurred or a novelty has arised because of Lutheran influence if it can be demonstrated that the Reformation is a necessary prerequisite for the change / innovation being discussed. Here it is particularly pointed out that various changes that until now have been traced to the Reformation can have been due to the development of the central-con-trolled state power. It is also pointed out that, due to the small population, rural areas and simple social structure, various changes that occurred in urban areas did not succeed in Iceland until long after the Reformation. Such cases are interpret-ed as delayed Lutheran effects. Then, in Iceland, many changes, which were well matched to the core areas of the Reformation, did not work until the 18th century and then because of the pietism. Such cases are interpreted as derivative Lutheran effects.In Iceland two generalizations have been evident in the debate on the influence of the Lutheran Reformation. The first one emphasizes an extensive and radical changes in many areas in the Reformation period and subsequent extensive decline. It is also stated that this regression can be traced directly to the Reformation and not to other fenomenons, e.g. the development of modern, centralized state. The other one states that the Reformation was most powerful in the modernization in both the church and society in Iceland.This article focuses on the influence of the Reformation on religious and church life. Despite the fact that the Reformation has certainly had the broadest and most direct effects on this field, it is noteworthy that the church organization itself was only scarsely affected by the Reformation. After the Reformation the Icelandic church was for example almost as clergy-orientaded as in the middle Ages.

The UK drugs strategy 2017: contexts and analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 205-217
Author(s):  
Blaine Stothard
Keyword(s):  
Economic Policy ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Drug Misuse ◽  
Close Reading ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the content of the strategy and assess its claims to be evidence based. Design/methodology/approach This study is a close-reading of the text with commentary on specific content and reference to wider contexts. Findings The strategy makes use of evidence in its sections on treatment. Much evidence, including that of the UK ACMD, is dismissed or ignored. The issue of funding in times of austerity is not considered in the strategy. The range and complexity of drug use and users are not fully considered. Research limitations/implications The strategy can be seen as an idealised ambition with little basis in reality without funding to support its aims. Social implications There is no consideration of the impact of macro-economic policy on the extent of drug misuse. Originality/value Other commentaries on the strategy are emerging. This paper is a more extensive consideration than has so far appeared.

Penerimaan Gereja Orthodox Tewahedo Terhadap 81 Kitab

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 32-42
Author(s):  
Oktavia Kristika Sari
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Orthodox Church ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Social Culture ◽  
God's Word ◽  
History Of ◽  
Worth Reading ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Church ◽  
Church Tradition

When the Church recognizes the quantity of books as part of God's Word, it uses various standards for book collection. The Tewahedo Orthodox Church, which has 81 books, is one of the churches that got so many. The question of why this Church accepts so many books in its canon and how this Church interprets these books adds to the intricacy of the problem of the number of books in the Tewahedo Orthodox Church tradition. This research employs a content analysis to conduct a literature review. This research demonstrates the Tewahedo Orthodox Church's devotion to the works in its canon. Both in terms of apostles' and Church Fathers' traditions, the lengthy history of Social Culture, Councils and Synods, and the impact of ancient literature in Ethiopia.Although it is well known that writings outside the Hebrew protocanon are employed for ceremonial theology and people's education rather than construction, the Orthodox Tewahedo also believes these works to be vital as books worth reading and historical bridges. Abstrak indonesia  Standar pengumpulan kitab yang digunakan oleh Gereja ketika menerima jumlah kitab-kitab sebagai bagian dari Alkitab yang dipegang menggunakan standar yang berbeda-beda. Salah satu gereja yang menerima begitu banyak kitab adalah Gereja Tewahedo Orthodox yang memiliki 81 kitab. Kompleksnya masalah jumlah kitab di dalam tradisi Gereja Tewahedo Orthodox ini, menjadi pertanyaan apa yang menyebabkan Gereja ini menerima begitu banyak kitab dalam kanonnya dan bagaimana Gereja ini memandang kitab-kitab tersebut. Penelitian ini menggunakan Kajian Kepustakaan berupa kajian isi. Dalam penelitian ini menunjukkan kompleksitas penerimaan Gereja Tewahedo Orthodox terhadap kitab-kitab dalam kanonnya. Baik karena pengaruh tradisi rasul-rasul dan Bapa Gereja, sejarah panjang dalam Social Budaya dan Konsili serta Sinode, maupun juga pengaruh dari Literatur kuno di Ethiopia. Dan diketahui bahwa kitab-kitab diluar protokanon Ibrani tidak digunakan dalam membangun doktrin namun digunakan untuk ritual-ritual dan pengajaran umat, Tewahedo Orthodox juga meganggap penting kitab-kitab ini sebagai kitab-kitab yang layak dibaca dan digunakan sebagai jembatan sejarah.

scholarly journals The mercy of God as the foundation of charity of the Church

Diacovensia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 637-651
Author(s):  
Wiesław Przygoda
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Pope Francis ◽  
Pope Benedict Xvi ◽  
Benedict Xvi ◽  
The Bible ◽  
1 John ◽  
The Image Of God ◽  
The Church

Charity diaconia of the Church is not an accidental involvement but belongs to its fundamental missions. This thesis can be supported in many ways. The author of this article finds the source of the obligation of Christians and the whole Church community to charity service in the nature of God. For Christians God is Love (1 John 4, 8.16). Even though some other names can be found, (Jahwe , Elohim, Adonai), his principal name that encapsulates all other ones is Love. Simultaneously, God which is Love showed his merciful nature (misericordiae vultus) in the course of salvation. He did it in a historical, visible and optimal way through his Son, Jesus Christ through the embodied God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who loved the mankind so much that he sacrificed his life for us, being tortured and killed at the cross. This selfless love laid the foundations for the Church, which, in essence, is a community of loving human and God’s beings. Those who do not love, even though they joined the Church through baptism, technically speaking, do not belong to the Church since love is a real not a formal sign of belonging to Christ’s disciples (cf. John 13, 35). Therefore, charitable activity is a significant dimension of the Church’s mission as it is through charity that the Church shows the merciful nature of its Saviour. A question that needs to be addressed may be expressed as follows: in what way the image of God, who is love, implies an involvement in charity of an individual and the Church? An answer may be found in the Bible, writings of the Church Fathers of and the documents of Magisterium Ecclesiae and especially the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.

scholarly journals The Impact of African Philosophy on the Realisation of International Community and the Observance of International Law

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-33
Author(s):  
Foluke Ifejola Ipinyomi
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Free Market ◽  
International Community ◽  
Shared Values ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Philosophy ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Legal Nature ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

The legal nature of international law is uncertain, despite being the foundation of the international community. Its non-universality questions the cohesion and efficacy of the international community. The international community operates as an exclusive club, coalescing around certain shared values, like liberal democracy and free market economy. Sub-Saharan Africa is usually excluded from being an active part of the international community due to differing values; a shared understanding of community which conflicts with the shared values of the core of the international community. Furthermore, their post-colonial nature deters African states from choosing their own path or adopting the norms of the ‘international community.’ A paradigmatic shift in research into sub-Saharan Africa and the international community is necessary to ensure a truly effective international community and wider observance of international law.

Libraries, Books, and Transmission of Knowledge in Ilkhanid Baghdad

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 464-502
Author(s):  
Michal Biran
Keyword(s):  
The State ◽  
Close Reading ◽  
Knowledge Transmission ◽  
Intellectual Life ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Intellectual Community ◽  
Transmission Of Knowledge ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe destruction of the Baghdadi libraries has been a powerful image connected to the Mongol conquest of 1258, often claimed to have precipitated the decline of Muslim civilization. This study, however, challenges this claim by reconstructing the state of libraries in Ilkhanid Baghdad, revealing a thriving intellectual community. Based on a close reading in Arabic biographical dictionaries and analysis of samāʿ and book lists, it elucidates the functions of libraries in Ilkhanid Baghdad, identifies channels of knowledge transmission, and offers a glimpse of the libraries’ holdings. Finally, it analyzes the Mongols’ role in invigorating local scholarship and the impact their rule had on Baghdad’s intellectual life.

scholarly journals A critical analysis of tithe and seed sowing on contemporary Christianity in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gladys N. Akabike ◽  
Peace N. Ngwoke ◽  
Onyekachi G. Chukwuma
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Poverty Rate ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Church And Society ◽  
Seed Sowing ◽  
Sowing Seed ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological ◽  
Venture Business ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Church

The issues of tithes and seed sowing have taken a central focus in contemporary Christianity in Nigeria among the preachers. Many a time, it is assumed that tithes and seed sowing are requirements for salvation, prosperity and total well-being of the members. Making many to believe that Christianity is a money-venture business one can succeed if he knows how to hoodwink the gullible. Many have been deceived that by parting with a substantial amount of money in the name of sowing seed, their problems would be solved. Unfortunately, the person’s problem may remain the same or even be compounded. This paper evaluates the activities, attitude and their inordinate ambitions. It examines the impact of tithe and seed sowing on Christianity in Nigeria. The research method adopted for this work is the qualitative phenomenological method. The paper observed that the value of tithe and seed sowing has changed from what is prescribed in the bible to what is preached on the pulpits. The study recommends among other things, that these preachers should preach the gospel with decorum and as it were in the bible so that its influence on Nigerians will bring about a reduction in crime, corruption and other immoral activities in Nigeria.Contribution: The article is focused on the issues of tithes and seed sowing. It underscores the fact that the message of tithe and seed sowing has become a means of siphoning members and enriching the preachers. It further reveals its negative and positive impacts such as, the promotion of corruption and fraud in the church and society, contribution to the decline of morality in the church and the society, increasing crime rate and increasing poverty rate in Nigeria among others.

scholarly journals Biography and Life-Writing

2020 ◽  
pp. 76-102
Author(s):  
Christopher Wiley
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Life Writing ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Music History ◽  
Reception History ◽  
Close Reading ◽  
Intellectual Culture ◽  
History And Criticism ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact

This chapter outlines the proliferation of musical biography and life-writing in its multifarious forms across Europe in the long nineteenth century, and its role in establishing and perpetuating the canon, shaping the reception history of specific composers, constructing exemplary lives, providing firm foundations for the intellectual culture of the time, and maintaining a strong relationship to music history and criticism. Two case studies explore distinctive examples of “popular” manifestations of nineteenth-century music-biographical writing by influential authors to educate and entertain wide communities of autodidactic readers. This first concerns a two-volume compilation of anecdotes, surveyed for its reflection of Victorian values and musical preoccupations; the second, a collected biography whose close reading reveals much about the passive role into which women were repeatedly cast in contemporaneous life-writing on the Great Composers. A concluding section considers the extent of the impact and continued indebtedness of modern musical biography and musicology to the legacy of nineteenth-century intellectual developments.

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