Simon Harrison
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198269847
- eISBN:
- 9780191713385
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198269847.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Augustine is a pivotal figure in the history of the concept of will, but what is his ‘theory of will’? This book investigates Augustine’s use of ‘will’ in one particular context, his dialogue On Free ...
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Augustine is a pivotal figure in the history of the concept of will, but what is his ‘theory of will’? This book investigates Augustine’s use of ‘will’ in one particular context, his dialogue On Free Choice of the Will, taking seriously its historical and philosophical form. First, it finds that the dialogical nature of On Free Choice of the Will has been missed, as exemplified by the unhistorical and misleading modern attributions of names to the speakers. Secondly, the commonplace that Augustine changed his mind in the course of its composition is shown to be unfounded, and a case is made for its argumentative coherence. Thirdly, it is shown that it is the form and structure of On Free Choice of the Will that give philosophical content to Augustine’s theory of will. The dialogue constitutes a ‘way in to the will’ that itself instantiates a concept of will. At the heart of this structure is a particular argument that depends on an appeal to a first-person perspective, which ties the vocabulary of will to a concept of freedom and responsibility. This appeal is significantly similar to other arguments deployed by Augustine which are significantly similar to Descartes’ ‘cogito ergo sum’, ‘I think therefore I am’. The book goes on to investigate how Augustine’s ‘way in’ relates to these cogito-like arguments as they occur in Augustine’s major and most read works, the Confessions, the City of God, and On the Trinity. The relationship of Augustine’s to Descartes’ ‘cogito’ is also discussed. Augustine elucidates, within a particular Platonic theory of knowledge, a ‘theory of will’ that is grounded in a ‘way in’, which takes the conditions and limits of knowledge seriously.Less
Augustine is a pivotal figure in the history of the concept of will, but what is his ‘theory of will’? This book investigates Augustine’s use of ‘will’ in one particular context, his dialogue On Free Choice of the Will, taking seriously its historical and philosophical form. First, it finds that the dialogical nature of On Free Choice of the Will has been missed, as exemplified by the unhistorical and misleading modern attributions of names to the speakers. Secondly, the commonplace that Augustine changed his mind in the course of its composition is shown to be unfounded, and a case is made for its argumentative coherence. Thirdly, it is shown that it is the form and structure of On Free Choice of the Will that give philosophical content to Augustine’s theory of will. The dialogue constitutes a ‘way in to the will’ that itself instantiates a concept of will. At the heart of this structure is a particular argument that depends on an appeal to a first-person perspective, which ties the vocabulary of will to a concept of freedom and responsibility. This appeal is significantly similar to other arguments deployed by Augustine which are significantly similar to Descartes’ ‘cogito ergo sum’, ‘I think therefore I am’. The book goes on to investigate how Augustine’s ‘way in’ relates to these cogito-like arguments as they occur in Augustine’s major and most read works, the Confessions, the City of God, and On the Trinity. The relationship of Augustine’s to Descartes’ ‘cogito’ is also discussed. Augustine elucidates, within a particular Platonic theory of knowledge, a ‘theory of will’ that is grounded in a ‘way in’, which takes the conditions and limits of knowledge seriously.
Lawrence S. Wrightsman and Mary L. Pitman
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199730902
- eISBN:
- 9780199776986
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199730902.001.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Forensic Psychology
In 1966 the Supreme Court ruled that law-enforcement officers were required to inform criminal defendants about their rights to remain silent or have an attorney present during their interrogation. ...
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In 1966 the Supreme Court ruled that law-enforcement officers were required to inform criminal defendants about their rights to remain silent or have an attorney present during their interrogation. In the 40 years since the inception of the “Miranda rule,” its anticipated effect has not been realized. The purposes of this book are to examine the reasons why the goal of the authors of the Miranda ruling has not been met and to identify procedures that move the criminal justice system closer to this goal. Separate chapters deal with four causes: the limitations and compromises in the original decision, the problems in comprehension of the Miranda warnings by various vulnerable populations (adolescents, non-English speakers, the deaf, and the mentally-challenged), the decisions subsequent to the 1966 decision that have eroded its breadth and application, and the efforts by police to avoid the curtailments from the ruling. The final chapter examines possible remedies such as requiring the presence of an attorney when the rights are given and videotaping the entire interrogation.Less
In 1966 the Supreme Court ruled that law-enforcement officers were required to inform criminal defendants about their rights to remain silent or have an attorney present during their interrogation. In the 40 years since the inception of the “Miranda rule,” its anticipated effect has not been realized. The purposes of this book are to examine the reasons why the goal of the authors of the Miranda ruling has not been met and to identify procedures that move the criminal justice system closer to this goal. Separate chapters deal with four causes: the limitations and compromises in the original decision, the problems in comprehension of the Miranda warnings by various vulnerable populations (adolescents, non-English speakers, the deaf, and the mentally-challenged), the decisions subsequent to the 1966 decision that have eroded its breadth and application, and the efforts by police to avoid the curtailments from the ruling. The final chapter examines possible remedies such as requiring the presence of an attorney when the rights are given and videotaping the entire interrogation.
Catherine Rider
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199282227
- eISBN:
- 9780191713026
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199282227.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This book investigates the common medieval belief that magic could cause impotence. Because impotence was a ground for annulling a marriage in medieval canon law, it received a large amount of ...
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This book investigates the common medieval belief that magic could cause impotence. Because impotence was a ground for annulling a marriage in medieval canon law, it received a large amount of discussion in the Middle Ages, and many of these discussions also described how impotence could be caused by magic. Chapters 1-4 trace the development of ideas about magically-caused impotence from the ancient world into the 12th century, arguing that medieval writers only gradually came to distinguish impotence magic from other forms of love magic. Chapters 5-9 then analyse the main kinds of sources which mentioned impotence magic in the late Middle Ages: magical texts, confession manuals, canon law commentaries, theology commentaries, and medicine. A comparison of these sources reveals that medieval writers held surprisingly diverse opinions about what magic was, how it worked, and whether it was ever legitimate to use it. Finally, in Chapter 10, the book shows how ideas about impotence magic were affected in the 15th century by new fears of demonic witchcraft. The book argues that many authors who discussed impotence magic were interested in popular magical practices, and so it acts as a case study of the relationship between elite and popular culture in the Middle Ages. It emphasizes the importance of the 13th-century pastoral reform movement, which sought to enforce more orthodox religious practices. This movement brought churchmen into contact with popular magic, and encouraged them to write about what they saw.Less
This book investigates the common medieval belief that magic could cause impotence. Because impotence was a ground for annulling a marriage in medieval canon law, it received a large amount of discussion in the Middle Ages, and many of these discussions also described how impotence could be caused by magic. Chapters 1-4 trace the development of ideas about magically-caused impotence from the ancient world into the 12th century, arguing that medieval writers only gradually came to distinguish impotence magic from other forms of love magic. Chapters 5-9 then analyse the main kinds of sources which mentioned impotence magic in the late Middle Ages: magical texts, confession manuals, canon law commentaries, theology commentaries, and medicine. A comparison of these sources reveals that medieval writers held surprisingly diverse opinions about what magic was, how it worked, and whether it was ever legitimate to use it. Finally, in Chapter 10, the book shows how ideas about impotence magic were affected in the 15th century by new fears of demonic witchcraft. The book argues that many authors who discussed impotence magic were interested in popular magical practices, and so it acts as a case study of the relationship between elite and popular culture in the Middle Ages. It emphasizes the importance of the 13th-century pastoral reform movement, which sought to enforce more orthodox religious practices. This movement brought churchmen into contact with popular magic, and encouraged them to write about what they saw.
Karla Pollmann and Mark Vessey (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199230044
- eISBN:
- 9780191696381
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199230044.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This book takes its cue from Augustine's theory of the liberal arts to explore the larger question of how the Bible became the focus of medieval culture in the West. Augustine himself became ...
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This book takes its cue from Augustine's theory of the liberal arts to explore the larger question of how the Bible became the focus of medieval culture in the West. Augustine himself became increasingly aware that an ambivalent attitude towards knowledge and learning was inherent in Christianity. By facing the intellectual challenge posed by this tension he arrived at a new theory of how to interpret the Bible correctly. One of the topics investigated here is Augustine's changing relationship with the ‘disciplines’ as he moved from an attempt at their Christianisation (in the philosophical dialogues of Cassiciacum) to a radical reshaping of them within a Christian world-view (in the De Doctrina Christiana and Confessions). The book also considers the factors that prompted and facilitated his change of perspective and the ways in which Augustine's evolving theory reflected contemporary trends in Christian pedagogy.Less
This book takes its cue from Augustine's theory of the liberal arts to explore the larger question of how the Bible became the focus of medieval culture in the West. Augustine himself became increasingly aware that an ambivalent attitude towards knowledge and learning was inherent in Christianity. By facing the intellectual challenge posed by this tension he arrived at a new theory of how to interpret the Bible correctly. One of the topics investigated here is Augustine's changing relationship with the ‘disciplines’ as he moved from an attempt at their Christianisation (in the philosophical dialogues of Cassiciacum) to a radical reshaping of them within a Christian world-view (in the De Doctrina Christiana and Confessions). The book also considers the factors that prompted and facilitated his change of perspective and the ways in which Augustine's evolving theory reflected contemporary trends in Christian pedagogy.
W. David Myers
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195178067
- eISBN:
- 9780199784905
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195178068.003.0014
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter explores changes in sacramental penance. It is shown that the form of confession prevalent today is a product of the High Middle Ages and the religious reforms of the Council of Trent. ...
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This chapter explores changes in sacramental penance. It is shown that the form of confession prevalent today is a product of the High Middle Ages and the religious reforms of the Council of Trent. Modern devotion to the sacrament signaled by frequent reception is a relatively recent phenomenon that has varied greatly since the Council of Trent.Less
This chapter explores changes in sacramental penance. It is shown that the form of confession prevalent today is a product of the High Middle Ages and the religious reforms of the Council of Trent. Modern devotion to the sacrament signaled by frequent reception is a relatively recent phenomenon that has varied greatly since the Council of Trent.
Amy Nelson Burnett
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195305760
- eISBN:
- 9780199784912
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195305760.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter surveys Basel’s official theology established in the decade after the Reformation, as embodied in the Basel Confession of 1534, the catechism written by Johannes Oecolampadius and ...
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This chapter surveys Basel’s official theology established in the decade after the Reformation, as embodied in the Basel Confession of 1534, the catechism written by Johannes Oecolampadius and modified by Oswald Myconius, and the new Reformed liturgies. All of these proclaimed a general evangelical faith stressing the authority of Scripture alone, the deliberate rejection of Catholic beliefs and practices, and emphasis on high standards of moral behavior. After examining both printed sermons and reports of preaching, it concludes that religious instruction in the three decades was neither systematic nor uniformly imposed on Basel’s subjects.Less
This chapter surveys Basel’s official theology established in the decade after the Reformation, as embodied in the Basel Confession of 1534, the catechism written by Johannes Oecolampadius and modified by Oswald Myconius, and the new Reformed liturgies. All of these proclaimed a general evangelical faith stressing the authority of Scripture alone, the deliberate rejection of Catholic beliefs and practices, and emphasis on high standards of moral behavior. After examining both printed sermons and reports of preaching, it concludes that religious instruction in the three decades was neither systematic nor uniformly imposed on Basel’s subjects.
Simon Harrison
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198269847
- eISBN:
- 9780191713385
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198269847.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter sets out the argument (or ‘way in’) that is fundamental to On Free Choice. Augustine’s ‘way in’ to the will is to call the concept itself into question: ‘Do we have a will?’, and the ...
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This chapter sets out the argument (or ‘way in’) that is fundamental to On Free Choice. Augustine’s ‘way in’ to the will is to call the concept itself into question: ‘Do we have a will?’, and the possibility of denying that we do is explored. The way ‘will’ is called into question instantiates a concept of freedom and responsibility. Moreover, it acts as a ‘starting point’ for the rest of the enquiry. Augustine’s argument is further explored by comparing it with similar arguments in the Confessions (7.3) and On the Trinity (10.10.14).Less
This chapter sets out the argument (or ‘way in’) that is fundamental to On Free Choice. Augustine’s ‘way in’ to the will is to call the concept itself into question: ‘Do we have a will?’, and the possibility of denying that we do is explored. The way ‘will’ is called into question instantiates a concept of freedom and responsibility. Moreover, it acts as a ‘starting point’ for the rest of the enquiry. Augustine’s argument is further explored by comparing it with similar arguments in the Confessions (7.3) and On the Trinity (10.10.14).
Simon Harrison
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198269847
- eISBN:
- 9780191713385
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198269847.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter sets out Augustine’s theory of knowledge that is manifested and deployed in On Free Choice of the Will. Augustine’s epistemology provides the philosophical context for his ‘way in’, and ...
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This chapter sets out Augustine’s theory of knowledge that is manifested and deployed in On Free Choice of the Will. Augustine’s epistemology provides the philosophical context for his ‘way in’, and the rationale for the structure of the dialogue. Its understanding and acquisition require the ability to see logical connections and attain a synoptic overview by proceeding in the right order from foundational starting points. The ‘way in’ argument is itself one of these starting points in the dialogue. The ideas of freedom and responsibility are illustrated and instantiated in the acquisition of knowledge: one is free not to know, not to want to know, and no one else can do your learning for you. Other texts where Augustine sets out, discusses, and uses this epistemology are discussed: the dialogue De Magistro and the Confessions.Less
This chapter sets out Augustine’s theory of knowledge that is manifested and deployed in On Free Choice of the Will. Augustine’s epistemology provides the philosophical context for his ‘way in’, and the rationale for the structure of the dialogue. Its understanding and acquisition require the ability to see logical connections and attain a synoptic overview by proceeding in the right order from foundational starting points. The ‘way in’ argument is itself one of these starting points in the dialogue. The ideas of freedom and responsibility are illustrated and instantiated in the acquisition of knowledge: one is free not to know, not to want to know, and no one else can do your learning for you. Other texts where Augustine sets out, discusses, and uses this epistemology are discussed: the dialogue De Magistro and the Confessions.
Andrew Louth
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199291403
- eISBN:
- 9780191710674
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199291403.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter discusses the thought of a Latin writer, Augustine. Augustine’s importance lies in the fact that his writings and interests stamp subsequent Western theology with a distinctive ...
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This chapter discusses the thought of a Latin writer, Augustine. Augustine’s importance lies in the fact that his writings and interests stamp subsequent Western theology with a distinctive character. The West becomes Augustinian, either directly, when it seeks to develop the insights of the ‘Doctor of Grace’, or indirectly, when, trying to free itself from a dominant Augustinianism, it none the less concerns itself with the problems that engaged Augustine.Less
This chapter discusses the thought of a Latin writer, Augustine. Augustine’s importance lies in the fact that his writings and interests stamp subsequent Western theology with a distinctive character. The West becomes Augustinian, either directly, when it seeks to develop the insights of the ‘Doctor of Grace’, or indirectly, when, trying to free itself from a dominant Augustinianism, it none the less concerns itself with the problems that engaged Augustine.
Gregory B. Graybill
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199589487
- eISBN:
- 9780191594588
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199589487.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
From 1529 to 1531, Melanchthon wrote a commentary on Romans, attended the Diet of Augsburg, and produced the notable documents of the Augsburg Confession and its Apology. During this time, he ...
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From 1529 to 1531, Melanchthon wrote a commentary on Romans, attended the Diet of Augsburg, and produced the notable documents of the Augsburg Confession and its Apology. During this time, he continued to sharpen his formulation of the human will's temporal (or civil) freedom in combination with its spiritual bondage. In these years, Melanchthon almost never mentioned predestination.Less
From 1529 to 1531, Melanchthon wrote a commentary on Romans, attended the Diet of Augsburg, and produced the notable documents of the Augsburg Confession and its Apology. During this time, he continued to sharpen his formulation of the human will's temporal (or civil) freedom in combination with its spiritual bondage. In these years, Melanchthon almost never mentioned predestination.
Paige E. Hochschild
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199643028
- eISBN:
- 9780191745416
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199643028.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies, Theology
The place of memory in the theological anthropology of Augustine has its roots in the Platonic epistemological tradition. Augustine actively engages with this tradition in his early writings in a ...
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The place of memory in the theological anthropology of Augustine has its roots in the Platonic epistemological tradition. Augustine actively engages with this tradition in his early writings in a manner that is both philosophically sophisticated and doctrinally consistent with his later, more overtly theological writings. From the Cassiacum dialogues through De musica, Augustine points to the central importance of memory: he examines the power of the soul as something that mediates sense perception and understanding, while explicitly deferring a more profound treatment thereof until Confessions and De trinitate. In these two texts, memory is the foundation for the location of the Imago Dei in the mind. It becomes the basis for the spiritual experience of the embodied creature, and a source of the profound anxiety that results from the sensed opposition of human time and divine time (aeterna ratio). This tension is contained and resolved, to a limited extent, in Augustine’s Christology, in the ability of a paradoxical incarnation to unify the temporal and the eternal (in Confessions 11 and 12), and the life of faith (scientia) with the promised contemplation of the divine (sapientia, in De trinitate 12-14).Less
The place of memory in the theological anthropology of Augustine has its roots in the Platonic epistemological tradition. Augustine actively engages with this tradition in his early writings in a manner that is both philosophically sophisticated and doctrinally consistent with his later, more overtly theological writings. From the Cassiacum dialogues through De musica, Augustine points to the central importance of memory: he examines the power of the soul as something that mediates sense perception and understanding, while explicitly deferring a more profound treatment thereof until Confessions and De trinitate. In these two texts, memory is the foundation for the location of the Imago Dei in the mind. It becomes the basis for the spiritual experience of the embodied creature, and a source of the profound anxiety that results from the sensed opposition of human time and divine time (aeterna ratio). This tension is contained and resolved, to a limited extent, in Augustine’s Christology, in the ability of a paradoxical incarnation to unify the temporal and the eternal (in Confessions 11 and 12), and the life of faith (scientia) with the promised contemplation of the divine (sapientia, in De trinitate 12-14).
Steven Heine
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195326772
- eISBN:
- 9780199870363
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195326772.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The third topic dealt with in Chapter Four, societal harmony versus discrimination, is the most hotly contested area between the traditional and critical Zen standpoints. It involves the impact of ...
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The third topic dealt with in Chapter Four, societal harmony versus discrimination, is the most hotly contested area between the traditional and critical Zen standpoints. It involves the impact of Zen, which espouses peace and tolerance, on a variety of social issues, including class and gender discrimination as well as nationalism and imperialism in Japan. The chapter traces the roots of antinomianism, and of how this tendency has led to apparently compromised values and a static sense of status quo‐ism in the context of the ethical concerns of modern society to a lack of regard in Zen practice for the role of confessionals. It also discusses the possibility for recapturing a genuine sense of repentance, and of what is referred to in modern Japan as self‐criticism in the Zen outlook.Less
The third topic dealt with in Chapter Four, societal harmony versus discrimination, is the most hotly contested area between the traditional and critical Zen standpoints. It involves the impact of Zen, which espouses peace and tolerance, on a variety of social issues, including class and gender discrimination as well as nationalism and imperialism in Japan. The chapter traces the roots of antinomianism, and of how this tendency has led to apparently compromised values and a static sense of status quo‐ism in the context of the ethical concerns of modern society to a lack of regard in Zen practice for the role of confessionals. It also discusses the possibility for recapturing a genuine sense of repentance, and of what is referred to in modern Japan as self‐criticism in the Zen outlook.
Luigi Gioia
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199553464
- eISBN:
- 9780191720796
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199553464.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Early Christian Studies
This chapter makes explicit the doctrine of creation which underlies the doctrine of the image of God through the analysis of the De uera religione, the Confessions, and the De Genesi ad litteram and ...
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This chapter makes explicit the doctrine of creation which underlies the doctrine of the image of God through the analysis of the De uera religione, the Confessions, and the De Genesi ad litteram and of its difference from the doctrines of Plato, Plotinus, and Marius Victorinus. It follows a description of the doctrine of the image of God in the De Trinitate. Knowledge through love constitutes the inner dynamism of the image of God. The drive inscribed in us by creation is based on the incommensurable gap existing between the teleological character of our created nature and the absolutely transcendent, gracious, and in the end eschatological nature of this same God‐given goal. The image of God corresponds to our dependence on God not only for our existence, but for the possibility of our knowing and loving and reaching the fulfilment of that for which we were created. We reach our fulfilment when this dependence in being, knowledge, and love becomes conscious and is converted into worship, i.e. ac‐knowledged, thankful dependence.Less
This chapter makes explicit the doctrine of creation which underlies the doctrine of the image of God through the analysis of the De uera religione, the Confessions, and the De Genesi ad litteram and of its difference from the doctrines of Plato, Plotinus, and Marius Victorinus. It follows a description of the doctrine of the image of God in the De Trinitate. Knowledge through love constitutes the inner dynamism of the image of God. The drive inscribed in us by creation is based on the incommensurable gap existing between the teleological character of our created nature and the absolutely transcendent, gracious, and in the end eschatological nature of this same God‐given goal. The image of God corresponds to our dependence on God not only for our existence, but for the possibility of our knowing and loving and reaching the fulfilment of that for which we were created. We reach our fulfilment when this dependence in being, knowledge, and love becomes conscious and is converted into worship, i.e. ac‐knowledged, thankful dependence.
D. G. Hart
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390971
- eISBN:
- 9780199777099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390971.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Church History
From 1776 until approximately 1970, American Protestant clergy and academics argued that Calvinism was crucial to their nation’s political institutions and ideals. It was common among the mainstream ...
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From 1776 until approximately 1970, American Protestant clergy and academics argued that Calvinism was crucial to their nation’s political institutions and ideals. It was common among the mainstream Presbyterian groups (termed "libertarian Calvinists") to aver that Calvinism provided the only adequate basis for the American experiment of a republic based on limited government and civil liberty. This chapter examines the contortions necessary for these arguments. Then, the chapter examines the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (termed "authoritarian Calvinists"). It holds closely to the language in the original Westminster Confession, which calls upon the state to protect and foster Christian faith. Given these differing perspectives, the chapter concludes, agreeing with Philip Benedict, that Calvinism’s importance has less to do with its contributions to political theory and more to do with its role as a religion that shapes the personal and familial identities of its adherents.Less
From 1776 until approximately 1970, American Protestant clergy and academics argued that Calvinism was crucial to their nation’s political institutions and ideals. It was common among the mainstream Presbyterian groups (termed "libertarian Calvinists") to aver that Calvinism provided the only adequate basis for the American experiment of a republic based on limited government and civil liberty. This chapter examines the contortions necessary for these arguments. Then, the chapter examines the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (termed "authoritarian Calvinists"). It holds closely to the language in the original Westminster Confession, which calls upon the state to protect and foster Christian faith. Given these differing perspectives, the chapter concludes, agreeing with Philip Benedict, that Calvinism’s importance has less to do with its contributions to political theory and more to do with its role as a religion that shapes the personal and familial identities of its adherents.
Suzanne Vromen
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195181289
- eISBN:
- 9780199870752
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195181289.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
The chapter is based on interviews with formerly hidden children and is illustrated by numerous quotes. It describes various responses to the wearing of the yellow star and the desperate search for ...
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The chapter is based on interviews with formerly hidden children and is illustrated by numerous quotes. It describes various responses to the wearing of the yellow star and the desperate search for hiding places that follows the sudden and brutal roundups of the Jewish population in the summer of 1942. Life in the convents in which the children are hidden is detailed through the reactions of the children to prayers, baptism, confession, and communion. These reactions vary greatly from resistance to acceptance; remnants of Judaism persist for some. New attitudes to the body considered as shameful are learned, and lice fought, hunger endured, native language and identity concealed. Relationships with priests and nuns range from caring, tender, and maternal to cruel and punishing. In the aftermath of the liberation, the impact of Catholic institutions varies; many hidden children return to their Jewish identity and a few remain converted. The children face great difficulties due to the ravages in their families, and gender differences in opportunities offered to orphans are resented to this day.Less
The chapter is based on interviews with formerly hidden children and is illustrated by numerous quotes. It describes various responses to the wearing of the yellow star and the desperate search for hiding places that follows the sudden and brutal roundups of the Jewish population in the summer of 1942. Life in the convents in which the children are hidden is detailed through the reactions of the children to prayers, baptism, confession, and communion. These reactions vary greatly from resistance to acceptance; remnants of Judaism persist for some. New attitudes to the body considered as shameful are learned, and lice fought, hunger endured, native language and identity concealed. Relationships with priests and nuns range from caring, tender, and maternal to cruel and punishing. In the aftermath of the liberation, the impact of Catholic institutions varies; many hidden children return to their Jewish identity and a few remain converted. The children face great difficulties due to the ravages in their families, and gender differences in opportunities offered to orphans are resented to this day.
Gary Macy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195189704
- eISBN:
- 9780199868575
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195189704.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
A detailed analysis of the references to and the liturgical functions of four ministries are the focus of this study: episcopae (women bishops), presbyterae (women priests), deaconesses, and ...
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A detailed analysis of the references to and the liturgical functions of four ministries are the focus of this study: episcopae (women bishops), presbyterae (women priests), deaconesses, and abbesses. Women are described, for instance, as leading liturgies, distributing communion, hearing confessions, and serving at the altar. The ministries of episcopae presbyterae and deaconesses may have been supported by an understanding of the local church as an extended family, as clergy were married and clerical spouses may have co‐ministered those churches. The role of deaconess and abbess were understood by some contemporaries to have merged by the 10th century. The functions of deaconess and abbesses is much clearer as the rites for the ordinations of both have survived, as have detailed instructions on the role of abbesses in their religious rules.Less
A detailed analysis of the references to and the liturgical functions of four ministries are the focus of this study: episcopae (women bishops), presbyterae (women priests), deaconesses, and abbesses. Women are described, for instance, as leading liturgies, distributing communion, hearing confessions, and serving at the altar. The ministries of episcopae presbyterae and deaconesses may have been supported by an understanding of the local church as an extended family, as clergy were married and clerical spouses may have co‐ministered those churches. The role of deaconess and abbess were understood by some contemporaries to have merged by the 10th century. The functions of deaconess and abbesses is much clearer as the rites for the ordinations of both have survived, as have detailed instructions on the role of abbesses in their religious rules.
Irena S. M. Makarushka
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195335989
- eISBN:
- 9780199868940
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335989.003.0020
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter looks at the teaching of special topics in the study of religion, in this case the representation of evil. Employing the medium of film to teach this topic enables students to reflect on ...
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This chapter looks at the teaching of special topics in the study of religion, in this case the representation of evil. Employing the medium of film to teach this topic enables students to reflect on “religious” assumptions and their implications for how we experience ourselves in the world. With the focus on a particular film, Crash, and the theoretical work of Paul Ricoeur, this chapter considers evil by analyzing the racism in Crash and its relationship to alienation, confession, and redemption. The more general project of a similar course would be to introduce students to evil as a complex dimension of human experience. Reading films critically increases the likelihood that students will move beyond either/or and black/white dichotomies toward a more integrated understanding of the problem of evil.Less
This chapter looks at the teaching of special topics in the study of religion, in this case the representation of evil. Employing the medium of film to teach this topic enables students to reflect on “religious” assumptions and their implications for how we experience ourselves in the world. With the focus on a particular film, Crash, and the theoretical work of Paul Ricoeur, this chapter considers evil by analyzing the racism in Crash and its relationship to alienation, confession, and redemption. The more general project of a similar course would be to introduce students to evil as a complex dimension of human experience. Reading films critically increases the likelihood that students will move beyond either/or and black/white dichotomies toward a more integrated understanding of the problem of evil.
Angelos Chaniotis
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197265062
- eISBN:
- 9780191754173
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265062.003.0014
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter explores how the gamut of responses to the presence of an inscription has to include not just sight and touch but also imagination and vocalisation. Being meant to be read aloud, they ...
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This chapter explores how the gamut of responses to the presence of an inscription has to include not just sight and touch but also imagination and vocalisation. Being meant to be read aloud, they convey a reader's voice as well as that of the inscription itself or that of the dead person commemorated on a gravestone. Even more immediate is the potential impact when a person's actual words are preserved and displayed. They may be in direct speech, illustrated by letters and confessions, or in indirect speech as records of manumissions, minutes of meetings, or jokes. They may alternatively be performative speech, in the form of acclamations, formal declarations, oaths, prayers or hymns; and can equally be reports of oral events such as meetings or even public demonstrations. They can also be couched in various forms of emotional language, whether uttered by individuals (graffiti, prayers or the edicts of angry rulers) or more collectively and formally in secular or religious acclamations, and even in decrees of state. A final section emphasises the need for practitioners of the discipline of epigraphy to be missionaries — to spread the word about the value of visible words.Less
This chapter explores how the gamut of responses to the presence of an inscription has to include not just sight and touch but also imagination and vocalisation. Being meant to be read aloud, they convey a reader's voice as well as that of the inscription itself or that of the dead person commemorated on a gravestone. Even more immediate is the potential impact when a person's actual words are preserved and displayed. They may be in direct speech, illustrated by letters and confessions, or in indirect speech as records of manumissions, minutes of meetings, or jokes. They may alternatively be performative speech, in the form of acclamations, formal declarations, oaths, prayers or hymns; and can equally be reports of oral events such as meetings or even public demonstrations. They can also be couched in various forms of emotional language, whether uttered by individuals (graffiti, prayers or the edicts of angry rulers) or more collectively and formally in secular or religious acclamations, and even in decrees of state. A final section emphasises the need for practitioners of the discipline of epigraphy to be missionaries — to spread the word about the value of visible words.
Christof Schuler
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197265062
- eISBN:
- 9780191754173
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265062.003.0005
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter is an essay in cultural history, exploring the relationship between the forms of epigraphical expression and the expectations of the intended audiences. It does so by studying the ...
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This chapter is an essay in cultural history, exploring the relationship between the forms of epigraphical expression and the expectations of the intended audiences. It does so by studying the (mostly religious) inscriptions of Hellenistic and Roman Asia Minor, and seeks to modify recent interpretative notions of town and country as ‘worlds apart’ or of ‘collective identity’. With much illustrative detail, the chapter shows how anxieties about crops and livestock were reflected in epigraphic forms and terminology, not least in prayers to weather gods. A second section emphasises the prominence and powers accorded to local gods, as are visible both in the prayers offered on behalf of village communities, and in the texts of confession and expiation set up by individuals. The chapter ends by downplaying notions of serious tension between rural Anatolian cult practice and ‘an essentially urban cultural mainstream’.Less
This chapter is an essay in cultural history, exploring the relationship between the forms of epigraphical expression and the expectations of the intended audiences. It does so by studying the (mostly religious) inscriptions of Hellenistic and Roman Asia Minor, and seeks to modify recent interpretative notions of town and country as ‘worlds apart’ or of ‘collective identity’. With much illustrative detail, the chapter shows how anxieties about crops and livestock were reflected in epigraphic forms and terminology, not least in prayers to weather gods. A second section emphasises the prominence and powers accorded to local gods, as are visible both in the prayers offered on behalf of village communities, and in the texts of confession and expiation set up by individuals. The chapter ends by downplaying notions of serious tension between rural Anatolian cult practice and ‘an essentially urban cultural mainstream’.
France Peter
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263181
- eISBN:
- 9780191734595
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263181.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
Jean Sartre's fictional hero Roquentin believes that one cannot seriously take the task of writing one's life. For him, biography is an impossibility, a work of ‘pure imagination’ subjected to the ...
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Jean Sartre's fictional hero Roquentin believes that one cannot seriously take the task of writing one's life. For him, biography is an impossibility, a work of ‘pure imagination’ subjected to the biases of the writer and devoid of resemblance to the subject. In the early days, biographies served as testimony to the greatness a person. They served as models from which people could emulate the exemplary individual. Then, the essential thing was to tell a story based on external facts and on psychological plausibility. However, in the age of Rousseau's Confessions, it was argued that biographies were accounts of inner truths, and that self-revelation was only achieved by the person himself: ‘No man can write a man's life but himself’. Even in the days when new methods of understanding the life of a man were increasingly becoming available, biographies were often seen as suspect enterprises. They were often seen as approaches that obscure the proper comprehension of the literary process and as illusions of profound knowledge of the inner truth, when in fact biographers continue to approach biographies with misgivings. In spite of all the criticisms against biographies, they have remained of great interest. They reach out to a broad public as a literature in its own right and have played a vital role in the history of European culture. Biographies have served as an inspiration, as a celebration of the great personages of the nation, as an insight to the gender roles of the society, and so on.Less
Jean Sartre's fictional hero Roquentin believes that one cannot seriously take the task of writing one's life. For him, biography is an impossibility, a work of ‘pure imagination’ subjected to the biases of the writer and devoid of resemblance to the subject. In the early days, biographies served as testimony to the greatness a person. They served as models from which people could emulate the exemplary individual. Then, the essential thing was to tell a story based on external facts and on psychological plausibility. However, in the age of Rousseau's Confessions, it was argued that biographies were accounts of inner truths, and that self-revelation was only achieved by the person himself: ‘No man can write a man's life but himself’. Even in the days when new methods of understanding the life of a man were increasingly becoming available, biographies were often seen as suspect enterprises. They were often seen as approaches that obscure the proper comprehension of the literary process and as illusions of profound knowledge of the inner truth, when in fact biographers continue to approach biographies with misgivings. In spite of all the criticisms against biographies, they have remained of great interest. They reach out to a broad public as a literature in its own right and have played a vital role in the history of European culture. Biographies have served as an inspiration, as a celebration of the great personages of the nation, as an insight to the gender roles of the society, and so on.
