The structure of Ezra-Nehemiah as a literary unit

The OT books, Ezra and Nehemiah, are to be considered as one book. This is more or less the common conviction of most OT scholars today. However, their redaction process raises many questions. What is their relation to the book of Chronicles, and how is their actual structure to be understood? Why do we find two almost identical lists of returnees from exile in Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7? What about the differences between these lists? This article understands the structure of Ezra-Nehemiah as a consciously created literary unit, where the two lists of returnees serve as an important part of the literary structure. The author works on the assumption of the so-called new literary criticism, understanding the narrative in the book on a synchronic basis. He shows that the book of Ezra-Nehemiah can indeed be understood as one literary unit, and that the two lists of returnees function as a literary means to structure the book. There is therefore no need to ‘re-organise’ the narrated events in Ezra-Nehemiah according to an alleged different chronological order.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The study argued for a canonical and synchronic approach to biblical narratives. The biblical texts should be understood as consciously created narratives, where the apparent discrepancies are important aspects of the narrative fixture.

The Case of the Missing Disciple: Abū l-Ḥasan al-Rustughfanī and the First Reception of al-Māturīdī’s Theology in Samarqand

Despite recognition of Abū l-Ḥasan al-Rustughfanī (d. ca. 345/956) as the most important student of Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī (d. 333/944), a sustained treatment of his theological views has not hitherto appeared. One of the challenges that has been identified in prior studies is a lack of primary sources. To overcome this obstacle, I analyse manuscripts of “Bāb al-mutafarriqāt min fawāʾid” and “al-Asʾila wa-l-ajwiba,” two texts recording al-Rustughfanī’s theological responsa, locating them within available bibliographic information and discussing the question of literary structure. I then contextualise the material within the polemical milieu of mid-fourth/tenth century Samarqand, arguing that al-Rustughfanī is the earliest figure in the Samarqandī Ḥanafī kalām tradition to self-consciously adopt the full name ahl al-sunna wa-l-jamāʿa to express his theological identity. Finally, I provide an annotated theological overview of the main doctrines found in the texts with a detailed case study on divine speech and the Qurʾān, showing how al-Rustughfanī bridges the gap between al-Māturīdī’s rationalistic kalām and the Ḥanafī traditionalism of al-Ḥakīm al-Samarqandī (d. 342/953).

Sitrilakiyangalil Kavadi Sindhu

Among the short stories, Pillai Tamil, Kalambakam, Sathakam, Malai, Andhadhi, etc. are divided into literary structure and song structure. Pallu, Kuravanchi, Nondi, Kuluvam, Makudi etc. are the artistic features that are found in them. Addresses, orchestras, etc., were also art literature of the time. Yet there are some as musicians in giving hints about music. Kavadi sindhu, Vazhinadai sindhu, etc. are so situated. The purpose of this study is to convey the message of music in Kavadi sindhu based on the idea that everything gives an idea about music.

Structural approach of Sangam Poetry

If a linguistic information is considered a literary work it means that it has a structure of its own. It is not possible to consume literature without a copy of this descriptive system. It was on this basis that the poet's approach to perceiving the internal form of life with its external forms in the language system also appeared. Every art has form and meaning. Form reflects the excellence of literature from the external system and the material internal system. Exploring such a literary structure in a structural approach becomes a necessary one. Anatomy is found only in Tamil as a new dialect. Because Thoughts such as exploring the structure of songs and defining their elements can be seen in the Tamil world before this review. The verb elements spoken in Tholkappiya porulathikaram set out to illustrate the structural nature of the poem. This seems to be close to the ‘overall’ thinking that the organizer refers to. This article explores the Sangapakal through such thinking and reveals the Thinai kotpadu found within them, as well as the structural structure of the Sangapakal, which the Sangapakal see as narrative poems.

The Prayer of Manasseh

The Prayer of Manasseh is a short penitential prayer considered apocryphal in most Christian and all Jewish traditions. It is attributed to the Judean king Manasseh in an attempt to fill the gap of a missing prayer reported in 2 Chronicles. The paper surveys the biblical background of the text, its text-historical origin stemming in the Didascalia, its special circular literary structure, its textual attestations in manuscripts and epigraphic witnesses, as well as the contexts in which it appears. The paper concludes with the examination of the question of authorship of the Prayer, showing that it is impossible to ascertain whether the author was Jewish or Christian, as well as the time and milieu in which the Prayer was composed.

The Epistle of Jeremiah

The Epistle of Jeremiah, one of the shortest extant deutero-canonical writings, offers a strong critique of idolatry, describing it as the worship of impotent and lifeless idols. This article explores the theology of the text, as well as significant aspects of its composition and literary structure, engaging with it as a genuine letter, an example of a well-attested and authoritative form of communication among Diaspora Jews. It highlights in particular the epistle’s pervasive connections with the Jewish scriptures, arguing that, despite its brevity and perceived lack of originality, it offers valuable insights into the exegetical techniques and principles characteristic of the Second Temple period.

In the same boat? Jonah and Jesus as wave-beaten heralds

Scholars have noted similarities between the accounts of the stilling of the storm in Mark 4:35–41 and Jonah’s attempt to run from the commission of Yahweh in Jonah 1. Little attention has been paid, however, to how an allusion to the Jonah narrative might serve the purposes of Mark as he presents Jesus to his readers and hearers. The objectives of this article were to discover: (1) whether there were sufficient similarities between the two accounts to suggest a relationship that might be recognised by Mark’s readers and hearers and (2) whether recognition of similarities and differences in the two accounts might lead readers and hearers to a fuller understanding of Mark’s presentation of Jesus’ person and mission. This study paid attention to the literary structure and the specific terminology of both Mark 4:35–41 and Jonah 1, drawing on studies of the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament by scholars such as J.M. Leonard and R.B. Hays. I discovered: (1) several striking narrative features present in both accounts which might lead someone to recognise similarities between the stories; (2) some common terminology that would reinforce an initial sense of similarity; and (3) significant differences that would lead to Jonah and Jesus being contrasted. I concluded that a neglected connection between these two passages is that both Jesus and Jonah are called to be heralds of God’s message to the nations, but that they respond to that calling in very different ways. I have argued that: (1) Mark does intend his hearers and readers to recognise an echo of the story of Jonah in his account, but (2) the primary significance of the comparison between Jonah and Jesus is not in the similarities (which simply serve to bring the Jonah narrative to mind) but in the differences between these two figures. In particular, (3) the wider context of the narrative in Mark indicates that Jesus (unlike Jonah) is making his crossing in obedience to the commission he has received to be the herald of God to the nations and the two narratives agree in showing that God’s mission will not be thwarted.Contribution: This study highlights that Mark’s account of the stilling of the storm not only contributes to Mark’s Christology but also contributes to a theology of mission, emphasising Jesus’ full engagement in the missio Dei. This fits well with the scope of the journal in terms of its emphasis on both theology and missiology.

The influence of J.-P. Sartre’s philosophy on the mimetic theory of R. Girard

Certainly Sartre had an enormous influence on the subsequent philosophical thought, primarily in France. Rene Girard did not ignore this thinker either. In this article we will look at the influence of Sartre’s philosophy on the formation of Rene Girard’s mimetic theory. Already in his early work, “Deceit, Desire and the Novel: Self and Other in Literary Structure”, Rene Girard repeatedly refers to the work of Sartre, explaining how his work can be considered in the context of mimetic theory. Further, in an interview with Michel Treger in 1992, Girard controversially proposes to examine the existential-phenomenological constructions of Sartre by means of mimetic theory, putting forward his vision and critical view on overcoming the Cartesian dualism that Girard finds in Sartre’s philosophy. The author of the article considers the convergence of the mimetic theory of R. Girard with some provisions of the work by J.-P. Sartre, turning to one of the main philosophical works of J.-P. Sartre “Being and Nothingness”, which also influenced the early work of R. Girard. It should be noted that J.-P. Sartre does not offer a system describing the mechanisms of mimetic desire. But through the prism of mimetic theory we can see certain philosophical intuitions that reveal to us the nature of mimetic desires in the works of Sartre.