Steven Heine
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195135862
- eISBN:
- 9780199834297
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195135865.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Opening a Mountain is a translation with a commentary of 60 koan cases that feature an important supernatural or ritual element selected from a variety of the major and minor Zen ...
More
Opening a Mountain is a translation with a commentary of 60 koan cases that feature an important supernatural or ritual element selected from a variety of the major and minor Zen Buddhist koan collections compiled in Sung China and Kamakura Japan. The koan is a brief, enigmatic anecdote or dialog between two contesting parties that defines the heart. The book demonstrates that the main theme underlying much of the koan literature deals with how Zen masters opened or transformed mountains. The transforming of spiritual forces that had been closing off the mountains into manifestations of sacred space in Zen was referred to as kuai‐shan in Chinese (or kaizan in Japanese). The mountains harbored spirits, demons, and bodhisattvas, as well as hermits, recluses, ascetics, and other irregular practitioners, and were opened using the symbols and rituals of spiritual purification. In contrast with conventional interpretations that view koans as psychological exercises with a purely iconoclastic intention, the approach here highlights the rich component of mythological and marvelous elements that pervade this genre of literature in a way that complements, rather than contradicts, the demythological or iconoclastic perspective. This approach to interpreting Zen literature is distinctive and innovative in several respects. Opening a Mountain includes the selection of koan cases emphasizing supernatural symbols, such as mountains, animals, and other natural imagery, based on a scholarly standard of translation and citation of source materials. The main topics include “Surveying Mountain Landscapes,” “Contesting with Irregular Rivals,” “Encountering Supernatural Forces,” “Wielding Symbols of Authority,” and “Giving Life and Controlling Death as Confessional Experiences.”Less
Opening a Mountain is a translation with a commentary of 60 koan cases that feature an important supernatural or ritual element selected from a variety of the major and minor Zen Buddhist koan collections compiled in Sung China and Kamakura Japan. The koan is a brief, enigmatic anecdote or dialog between two contesting parties that defines the heart. The book demonstrates that the main theme underlying much of the koan literature deals with how Zen masters opened or transformed mountains. The transforming of spiritual forces that had been closing off the mountains into manifestations of sacred space in Zen was referred to as kuai‐shan in Chinese (or kaizan in Japanese). The mountains harbored spirits, demons, and bodhisattvas, as well as hermits, recluses, ascetics, and other irregular practitioners, and were opened using the symbols and rituals of spiritual purification. In contrast with conventional interpretations that view koans as psychological exercises with a purely iconoclastic intention, the approach here highlights the rich component of mythological and marvelous elements that pervade this genre of literature in a way that complements, rather than contradicts, the demythological or iconoclastic perspective. This approach to interpreting Zen literature is distinctive and innovative in several respects. Opening a Mountain includes the selection of koan cases emphasizing supernatural symbols, such as mountains, animals, and other natural imagery, based on a scholarly standard of translation and citation of source materials. The main topics include “Surveying Mountain Landscapes,” “Contesting with Irregular Rivals,” “Encountering Supernatural Forces,” “Wielding Symbols of Authority,” and “Giving Life and Controlling Death as Confessional Experiences.”
Michael Ostling
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199587902
- eISBN:
- 9780191731228
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199587902.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History, Social History
Witches are imaginary creatures. But in Poland as in Europe and its colonies in the early modern period, people imagined their neighbours to be witches, with tragic results. This book tells the story ...
More
Witches are imaginary creatures. But in Poland as in Europe and its colonies in the early modern period, people imagined their neighbours to be witches, with tragic results. This book tells the story of the imagined Polish witches, showing how ordinary peasant women got caught in webs of suspicion and accusation, finally confessing under torture to the most heinous crimes. Through a close reading of accusations and confessions, the book also shows how witches imagined themselves and their own religious lives. Paradoxically, the tales they tell of infanticide and host desecration reveal to us a culture of deep Catholic piety, while the stories they tell of diabolical sex and the treasure-bringing ghosts of unbaptized babies uncover a complex folklore at the margins of Christian orthodoxy. Caught between the devil and the host, the self‐imagined Polish witches reflect the religion of their place and time, even as they stand accused of subverting and betraying that religion. Through the dark glass of witchcraft the book attempts to explore the religious lives of early modern women and men: their gender attitudes, their Christian faith and folk cosmology, their prayers and spells, their adoration of Christ incarnate in the transubstantiated Eucharist and their relations with goblin-like house demons and ghosts.Less
Witches are imaginary creatures. But in Poland as in Europe and its colonies in the early modern period, people imagined their neighbours to be witches, with tragic results. This book tells the story of the imagined Polish witches, showing how ordinary peasant women got caught in webs of suspicion and accusation, finally confessing under torture to the most heinous crimes. Through a close reading of accusations and confessions, the book also shows how witches imagined themselves and their own religious lives. Paradoxically, the tales they tell of infanticide and host desecration reveal to us a culture of deep Catholic piety, while the stories they tell of diabolical sex and the treasure-bringing ghosts of unbaptized babies uncover a complex folklore at the margins of Christian orthodoxy. Caught between the devil and the host, the self‐imagined Polish witches reflect the religion of their place and time, even as they stand accused of subverting and betraying that religion. Through the dark glass of witchcraft the book attempts to explore the religious lives of early modern women and men: their gender attitudes, their Christian faith and folk cosmology, their prayers and spells, their adoration of Christ incarnate in the transubstantiated Eucharist and their relations with goblin-like house demons and ghosts.
Carl Sagan
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195310726
- eISBN:
- 9780199785179
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195310726.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Carl Sagan is a public intellectual and the best-selling author of Cosmos, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human ...
More
Carl Sagan is a public intellectual and the best-selling author of Cosmos, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence, and many other books. His science fiction novel, Contact, was made into a popular, major motion picture in 1997. Sagan is well known for his interests in extra-terrestrial life and is closely linked to the SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence). As a scientist, Sagan educated the public about “Nuclear Winter”, the idea that a nuclear war could precipitate an unprecedented ice age that might render the Earth largely uninhabitable. Sagan became notorious in certain circles for his forays into religion, which he viewed with skepticism.Less
Carl Sagan is a public intellectual and the best-selling author of Cosmos, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence, and many other books. His science fiction novel, Contact, was made into a popular, major motion picture in 1997. Sagan is well known for his interests in extra-terrestrial life and is closely linked to the SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence). As a scientist, Sagan educated the public about “Nuclear Winter”, the idea that a nuclear war could precipitate an unprecedented ice age that might render the Earth largely uninhabitable. Sagan became notorious in certain circles for his forays into religion, which he viewed with skepticism.
Troels Engberg‐Pedersen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199558568
- eISBN:
- 9780191720970
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199558568.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter addresses the philosophical question of the relationship between the different types of superhuman entities that people Paul's world. In addition to the material pneuma, Christ, and God, ...
More
This chapter addresses the philosophical question of the relationship between the different types of superhuman entities that people Paul's world. In addition to the material pneuma, Christ, and God, there also were demons of various sorts, including Satan. The chapter considers three different ways in which Paul may speak of these entities: in physical terms, in cognitive terms, and in personal terms. Is it possible to hold these superficially very different ways of speaking together within a single, coherent world view? The chapter argues that some of the problems perceived by scholars in this area are self-created, but also that Paul focuses on cognition in a manner that allows for both the physical and the personal ways of speaking while also giving pride of place to the cognitive relationship of human beings with the superhuman figures.Less
This chapter addresses the philosophical question of the relationship between the different types of superhuman entities that people Paul's world. In addition to the material pneuma, Christ, and God, there also were demons of various sorts, including Satan. The chapter considers three different ways in which Paul may speak of these entities: in physical terms, in cognitive terms, and in personal terms. Is it possible to hold these superficially very different ways of speaking together within a single, coherent world view? The chapter argues that some of the problems perceived by scholars in this area are self-created, but also that Paul focuses on cognition in a manner that allows for both the physical and the personal ways of speaking while also giving pride of place to the cognitive relationship of human beings with the superhuman figures.
Gyula Klima
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195176223
- eISBN:
- 9780199871957
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195176223.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This chapter provides a brief survey of Buridan’s reliabilist epistemology, contrasting it with skeptical challenges of his time, and comparing it with modern responses to similar skeptical ...
More
This chapter provides a brief survey of Buridan’s reliabilist epistemology, contrasting it with skeptical challenges of his time, and comparing it with modern responses to similar skeptical challenges in modern philosophy, arguably stemming from the controversies of Buridan’s time. In particular, the chapter argues that the sort of “Demon-skepticism” modern readers are familiar with from Descartes was made conceptually possible precisely by the emergence of late-medieval nominalist semantics, and that the modern strategies responding to the skeptical challenge, exemplified by the works of Thomas Reid and most recently John Greco, originate in the epistemic principles of Buridan.Less
This chapter provides a brief survey of Buridan’s reliabilist epistemology, contrasting it with skeptical challenges of his time, and comparing it with modern responses to similar skeptical challenges in modern philosophy, arguably stemming from the controversies of Buridan’s time. In particular, the chapter argues that the sort of “Demon-skepticism” modern readers are familiar with from Descartes was made conceptually possible precisely by the emergence of late-medieval nominalist semantics, and that the modern strategies responding to the skeptical challenge, exemplified by the works of Thomas Reid and most recently John Greco, originate in the epistemic principles of Buridan.
Gyula Klima
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195176223
- eISBN:
- 9780199871957
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195176223.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This chapter compares the modern reliabilist strategies, including Buridan’s antiskepticism, considered in the previous chapter with a premodern form of antiskepticism, exemplified by Aquinas’s ...
More
This chapter compares the modern reliabilist strategies, including Buridan’s antiskepticism, considered in the previous chapter with a premodern form of antiskepticism, exemplified by Aquinas’s doctrine of “the formal unity of the knower and the known”, which, as the chapter argues, simply does not allow the emergence of “Demon-skepticism.” In fact, the chapter further argues that the emergence of “Demon-skepticism“ in its most extreme form, allowing an impossibility to appear as a possibility, indicates a serious flaw in the nominalist conception of mental representation. Nevertheless, the chapter further argues that this flaw is easily masked by the apparent success of Buridan’s reliabilist strategy, not requiring the elimination of Demon-skepticism, but rather presenting reasonable ways for us to learn to live with it.Less
This chapter compares the modern reliabilist strategies, including Buridan’s antiskepticism, considered in the previous chapter with a premodern form of antiskepticism, exemplified by Aquinas’s doctrine of “the formal unity of the knower and the known”, which, as the chapter argues, simply does not allow the emergence of “Demon-skepticism.” In fact, the chapter further argues that the emergence of “Demon-skepticism“ in its most extreme form, allowing an impossibility to appear as a possibility, indicates a serious flaw in the nominalist conception of mental representation. Nevertheless, the chapter further argues that this flaw is easily masked by the apparent success of Buridan’s reliabilist strategy, not requiring the elimination of Demon-skepticism, but rather presenting reasonable ways for us to learn to live with it.
Mary Orr
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199258581
- eISBN:
- 9780191718083
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199258581.003.0007
- Subject:
- Literature, World Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
Devil's rides into space are a well‐worked topos in literature, but this chapter points out for the first time their literal realities in the Montgolfier balloons and Garnarin's parachute that ...
More
Devil's rides into space are a well‐worked topos in literature, but this chapter points out for the first time their literal realities in the Montgolfier balloons and Garnarin's parachute that constitute the 19th‐century ‘transports’ of Antoine's literary‐scientific imagination. The chapter then offers further appraisal of what the Devil ‘shows’ Antoine in space, namely (1) the (19th‐century) heliocentric solar system with the new planets, Uranus and Neptune discovered through understanding of gravitational pull, and (2) the huge literary‐scientific joke behind the Devil's transformations as the Norman mathematician Laplace's famous ‘demon’. The chapter ends by rethinking the genesis of the Tentation through the modern mystères of Le Poittevin's Bélial and Byron's Cain as among Flaubert's personal demons.Less
Devil's rides into space are a well‐worked topos in literature, but this chapter points out for the first time their literal realities in the Montgolfier balloons and Garnarin's parachute that constitute the 19th‐century ‘transports’ of Antoine's literary‐scientific imagination. The chapter then offers further appraisal of what the Devil ‘shows’ Antoine in space, namely (1) the (19th‐century) heliocentric solar system with the new planets, Uranus and Neptune discovered through understanding of gravitational pull, and (2) the huge literary‐scientific joke behind the Devil's transformations as the Norman mathematician Laplace's famous ‘demon’. The chapter ends by rethinking the genesis of the Tentation through the modern mystères of Le Poittevin's Bélial and Byron's Cain as among Flaubert's personal demons.
Jan Modersitzki
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198528418
- eISBN:
- 9780191713583
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198528418.003.0011
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Applied Mathematics
A gradient-based regularization for registration is introduced, and a fast and stable implementation is developed. In contrast to the physically motivated elastic and fluid registrations, the ...
More
A gradient-based regularization for registration is introduced, and a fast and stable implementation is developed. In contrast to the physically motivated elastic and fluid registrations, the diffusion regularizer is motivated by smoothing properties of the displacement. Another important motivation is that a registration step can be performed in linear complexity of the number of given data. The main tool is the so-called additive operator splitting scheme (AOS). The idea is to split the original problem into a number of simpler problems which allow for a fast numerical solution. A new proof for the accuracy of AOS is given, which is based purely on matrix analysis. Thus, the result also applies to more general situations. Thirion's demons registration is discussed.Less
A gradient-based regularization for registration is introduced, and a fast and stable implementation is developed. In contrast to the physically motivated elastic and fluid registrations, the diffusion regularizer is motivated by smoothing properties of the displacement. Another important motivation is that a registration step can be performed in linear complexity of the number of given data. The main tool is the so-called additive operator splitting scheme (AOS). The idea is to split the original problem into a number of simpler problems which allow for a fast numerical solution. A new proof for the accuracy of AOS is given, which is based purely on matrix analysis. Thus, the result also applies to more general situations. Thirion's demons registration is discussed.
Richard Sorabji
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199256600
- eISBN:
- 9780191712609
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199256600.003.0024
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
Evagrius (4th century CE Christian) found himself as desert hermit assailed by the eight involuntary bad thoughts of gluttony, lust, avarice, distress, anger boredom (akêdia), vanity (concern with ...
More
Evagrius (4th century CE Christian) found himself as desert hermit assailed by the eight involuntary bad thoughts of gluttony, lust, avarice, distress, anger boredom (akêdia), vanity (concern with others' opinions), and pride (belief in self-sufficiency). These evolved into the seven cardinal sins, but they were not yet sins nor emotions, only temptations. It was up to us whether they turned into emotions or lingered. Like Origen, he pictures the bad thoughts sometimes being presented by crafty demons who know how innocent thoughts can be used to lead to bad ones. In the counter-attack, one must notice in what sequences thoughts come, the timings of the bad ones, and how thoughts of lust and vanity can repel each other, or conquest of gluttony defeat lust. We need to know which thought is helped, which inflamed, by leaving one's cell. Thus, we may progress towards the Stoic goal of apatheia.Less
Evagrius (4th century CE Christian) found himself as desert hermit assailed by the eight involuntary bad thoughts of gluttony, lust, avarice, distress, anger boredom (akêdia), vanity (concern with others' opinions), and pride (belief in self-sufficiency). These evolved into the seven cardinal sins, but they were not yet sins nor emotions, only temptations. It was up to us whether they turned into emotions or lingered. Like Origen, he pictures the bad thoughts sometimes being presented by crafty demons who know how innocent thoughts can be used to lead to bad ones. In the counter-attack, one must notice in what sequences thoughts come, the timings of the bad ones, and how thoughts of lust and vanity can repel each other, or conquest of gluttony defeat lust. We need to know which thought is helped, which inflamed, by leaving one's cell. Thus, we may progress towards the Stoic goal of apatheia.
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780856688492
- eISBN:
- 9781800342972
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9780856688492.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This edition of St. Augustine's The City of God (De Civitate Dei) is the only one in English to provide a text and translation as well as a detailed commentary of this most influential document in ...
More
This edition of St. Augustine's The City of God (De Civitate Dei) is the only one in English to provide a text and translation as well as a detailed commentary of this most influential document in the history of western Christianity. In these books, written in the aftermath of the sack of Rome in AD 410 by the Goths, Augustine replies to the pagans, who attributed the fall of Rome to the Christian religion and its prohibition of the worship of the pagan gods. Following on from Book IX, this book discusses the issue of demons and their role in Platonism as being partly identical with the lesser gods. Having previously argued that in order to achieve the blessed life, we must worship one true God alone, Augustine now continues his discussion using the celebrated Neoplatonist Porphyry as his main source. Whilst applauding aspects of Porphyry's views, Augustine's main concern is to deliver his message that the sole path to blessedness after death is acknowledgement of the Incarnation and Christ as Mediator. Increasingly concerned with promoting the Christian message, Augustine cites the Bible frequently in Book X. The edition presents Latin text with facing-page translation, introduction and commentary.Less
This edition of St. Augustine's The City of God (De Civitate Dei) is the only one in English to provide a text and translation as well as a detailed commentary of this most influential document in the history of western Christianity. In these books, written in the aftermath of the sack of Rome in AD 410 by the Goths, Augustine replies to the pagans, who attributed the fall of Rome to the Christian religion and its prohibition of the worship of the pagan gods. Following on from Book IX, this book discusses the issue of demons and their role in Platonism as being partly identical with the lesser gods. Having previously argued that in order to achieve the blessed life, we must worship one true God alone, Augustine now continues his discussion using the celebrated Neoplatonist Porphyry as his main source. Whilst applauding aspects of Porphyry's views, Augustine's main concern is to deliver his message that the sole path to blessedness after death is acknowledgement of the Incarnation and Christ as Mediator. Increasingly concerned with promoting the Christian message, Augustine cites the Bible frequently in Book X. The edition presents Latin text with facing-page translation, introduction and commentary.
Patrik Hagman
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199593194
- eISBN:
- 9780191595677
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199593194.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
After providing a short biography of Isaac of Nineveh, the chapter proceeds by discussing the most important influences on his thinking. Of particular importance is the tradition of the East Syrian ...
More
After providing a short biography of Isaac of Nineveh, the chapter proceeds by discussing the most important influences on his thinking. Of particular importance is the tradition of the East Syrian Church and the theologies of Theodore of Mopsuestia, Evagrios of Pontos and John of Apamea, as well as the Sayings of the Desert Fathers. After this some aspects of Isaac's own theology is presented, i.e. his understanding of God as love, pedagogue and present in the world in the form of providence. Isaac's view of the devil and the demons is also discussed. The purpose of this discussion is to give the reader a sense of Isaac's particular theological worldview.Less
After providing a short biography of Isaac of Nineveh, the chapter proceeds by discussing the most important influences on his thinking. Of particular importance is the tradition of the East Syrian Church and the theologies of Theodore of Mopsuestia, Evagrios of Pontos and John of Apamea, as well as the Sayings of the Desert Fathers. After this some aspects of Isaac's own theology is presented, i.e. his understanding of God as love, pedagogue and present in the world in the form of providence. Isaac's view of the devil and the demons is also discussed. The purpose of this discussion is to give the reader a sense of Isaac's particular theological worldview.
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780856688546
- eISBN:
- 9781800343016
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9780856688546.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This edition of St. Augustine's The City of God (De Civitate Dei) is the only one in English to provide a text and translation as well as a detailed commentary of this most influential document in ...
More
This edition of St. Augustine's The City of God (De Civitate Dei) is the only one in English to provide a text and translation as well as a detailed commentary of this most influential document in the history of western Christianity. In these books, written in the aftermath of the sack of Rome in AD 410 by the Goths, Augustine replies to the pagans, who attributed the fall of Rome to the Christian religion and its prohibition of the worship of the pagan gods. Before his conversion to Christianity in 386, Augustine had devoted himself to the study of Platonism. In books VIII and IX of De Civitate Dei, Augustine renews his acquaintance with this philosophy, which had played such a fundamental role in his conversion. The main topic of these books is demonology, with Augustine using the De Deo Socratis of Apuleius, which places demons as the intermediaries between gods and men, as the foundation of his exploration into this theme. Augustine is keen to point out the similarities between Platonism and Christianity and therefore puts forward the theory that the ideal mediator between God and man is Christ — he who shares temporary mortality with humans and permanent blessedness with God and can therefore lead men from wretchedness to eternal bliss. The volume presents Latin text with facing-page English translation, introduction and commentary.Less
This edition of St. Augustine's The City of God (De Civitate Dei) is the only one in English to provide a text and translation as well as a detailed commentary of this most influential document in the history of western Christianity. In these books, written in the aftermath of the sack of Rome in AD 410 by the Goths, Augustine replies to the pagans, who attributed the fall of Rome to the Christian religion and its prohibition of the worship of the pagan gods. Before his conversion to Christianity in 386, Augustine had devoted himself to the study of Platonism. In books VIII and IX of De Civitate Dei, Augustine renews his acquaintance with this philosophy, which had played such a fundamental role in his conversion. The main topic of these books is demonology, with Augustine using the De Deo Socratis of Apuleius, which places demons as the intermediaries between gods and men, as the foundation of his exploration into this theme. Augustine is keen to point out the similarities between Platonism and Christianity and therefore puts forward the theory that the ideal mediator between God and man is Christ — he who shares temporary mortality with humans and permanent blessedness with God and can therefore lead men from wretchedness to eternal bliss. The volume presents Latin text with facing-page English translation, introduction and commentary.
Paul U. Unschuld
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520257658
- eISBN:
- 9780520944701
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520257658.003.0018
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Medical Anthropology
This chapter focuses on the disappearance of demons and microorganisms from teachings on the causation of illnesses and the understanding of the pharmaceutical tradition and examines the question of ...
More
This chapter focuses on the disappearance of demons and microorganisms from teachings on the causation of illnesses and the understanding of the pharmaceutical tradition and examines the question of the body's powers of self-healing. It is relatively easy to understand that the scientists of the time ignored demons but not all scientists and observers were prepared to renounce the knowledge of demons. It was only those observers responsible for the new medicine who no longer saw what their predecessors had seen for many centuries. The “upper class of ancient China,” literate and formally educated in history, philosophy, and natural history, is divided into two groups. One group comprising those who no longer perceived part of what was once reality and the other group comprising those who continued to acknowledge that part of reality and included it in their healing. Demons and spirits were shown amulets or confronted with spoken exorcisms describing one's alliance with the superpowers of the numinous world, such as the sun, moon, Big Dipper, or especially fierce demons whose alliance one sought against the weaker spirits.Less
This chapter focuses on the disappearance of demons and microorganisms from teachings on the causation of illnesses and the understanding of the pharmaceutical tradition and examines the question of the body's powers of self-healing. It is relatively easy to understand that the scientists of the time ignored demons but not all scientists and observers were prepared to renounce the knowledge of demons. It was only those observers responsible for the new medicine who no longer saw what their predecessors had seen for many centuries. The “upper class of ancient China,” literate and formally educated in history, philosophy, and natural history, is divided into two groups. One group comprising those who no longer perceived part of what was once reality and the other group comprising those who continued to acknowledge that part of reality and included it in their healing. Demons and spirits were shown amulets or confronted with spoken exorcisms describing one's alliance with the superpowers of the numinous world, such as the sun, moon, Big Dipper, or especially fierce demons whose alliance one sought against the weaker spirits.
Sean M. McDonough
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199576470
- eISBN:
- 9780191722585
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199576470.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
The book now moves from the origins of the doctrine to its use in the New Testament. The creation formula in 1 Cor. 8: 6 has generally been treated in isolation from Paul's broader discussion of idol ...
More
The book now moves from the origins of the doctrine to its use in the New Testament. The creation formula in 1 Cor. 8: 6 has generally been treated in isolation from Paul's broader discussion of idol meat in 1 Corinthians 8–10. The formulation is in fact a crucial underpinning to the argument of these chapters. For Paul, Christ has always been God's way of mediating himself to the world, from the creation (8: 6), through the history of Israel (cf. ‘the rock was Christ’ in 10: 4, and ‘tempted Christ’ in 10: 9), and presently through the Church (e.g. 10: 16–17). This is set in contrast to the proffered mediation of demonic idols, who lay claim to the same role and thus call for allegiance as rival kurioi. The true, and tangible, meal of mediation is to be found in Jesus' supper (1 Cor. 11).Less
The book now moves from the origins of the doctrine to its use in the New Testament. The creation formula in 1 Cor. 8: 6 has generally been treated in isolation from Paul's broader discussion of idol meat in 1 Corinthians 8–10. The formulation is in fact a crucial underpinning to the argument of these chapters. For Paul, Christ has always been God's way of mediating himself to the world, from the creation (8: 6), through the history of Israel (cf. ‘the rock was Christ’ in 10: 4, and ‘tempted Christ’ in 10: 9), and presently through the Church (e.g. 10: 16–17). This is set in contrast to the proffered mediation of demonic idols, who lay claim to the same role and thus call for allegiance as rival kurioi. The true, and tangible, meal of mediation is to be found in Jesus' supper (1 Cor. 11).
Ronald E. Heine
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199245512
- eISBN:
- 9780191600630
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199245517.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Contains a complete English translation of the first book of Jerome's Latin commentary on Ephesians plus an English translation of all the Greek excerpts from Origen's commentary on Ephesians, which ...
More
Contains a complete English translation of the first book of Jerome's Latin commentary on Ephesians plus an English translation of all the Greek excerpts from Origen's commentary on Ephesians, which treat the passages from the epistle covered by Jerome in the first book. Book I begins with a lengthy prologue and then provides commentary on Ephesians 1: 1–2: 22. Jerome appears to depend on Origen in the prologue when he discusses the task of a commentator on Scripture and when he describes the idolatry and magic practiced at Ephesus as an explanation for the obscure and mysterious nature of much of the epistle. The first two chapters of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians give Origen numerous opportunities for philological comments on Paul's use of language. They also provide the basis for discussions of themes such as the creation of the world, the origin of souls, divine foreknowledge, the demonic powers, and the reconciliation of earthly beings and angels effected by Christ.Less
Contains a complete English translation of the first book of Jerome's Latin commentary on Ephesians plus an English translation of all the Greek excerpts from Origen's commentary on Ephesians, which treat the passages from the epistle covered by Jerome in the first book. Book I begins with a lengthy prologue and then provides commentary on Ephesians 1: 1–2: 22. Jerome appears to depend on Origen in the prologue when he discusses the task of a commentator on Scripture and when he describes the idolatry and magic practiced at Ephesus as an explanation for the obscure and mysterious nature of much of the epistle. The first two chapters of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians give Origen numerous opportunities for philological comments on Paul's use of language. They also provide the basis for discussions of themes such as the creation of the world, the origin of souls, divine foreknowledge, the demonic powers, and the reconciliation of earthly beings and angels effected by Christ.
Williams Martin
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195083491
- eISBN:
- 9780199853205
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195083491.003.0055
- Subject:
- Music, Popular
The track “Sun Ra and His Arkestra—Sun Song” is perhaps a pretentious, or at least curious, billing for a jazz LP, particularly when one is reminded that it was initially recorded around ten years ...
More
The track “Sun Ra and His Arkestra—Sun Song” is perhaps a pretentious, or at least curious, billing for a jazz LP, particularly when one is reminded that it was initially recorded around ten years ago. Titles of tracks, such as “Call for All Demons”, “Transition”, “Future”, “New Horizons”, confirm this impression. But the style and context of the music are anything but advanced, even for ten years ago; they are indeed quite traditional and affirm that Sun Ra is somewhat mislabelled as a leader in the trend. The music is not only traditional, it is professional—and, that being said, frequently slick, not to say frequently superficial and rather dull.Less
The track “Sun Ra and His Arkestra—Sun Song” is perhaps a pretentious, or at least curious, billing for a jazz LP, particularly when one is reminded that it was initially recorded around ten years ago. Titles of tracks, such as “Call for All Demons”, “Transition”, “Future”, “New Horizons”, confirm this impression. But the style and context of the music are anything but advanced, even for ten years ago; they are indeed quite traditional and affirm that Sun Ra is somewhat mislabelled as a leader in the trend. The music is not only traditional, it is professional—and, that being said, frequently slick, not to say frequently superficial and rather dull.
Tony James
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198151883
- eISBN:
- 9780191672873
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198151883.003.0012
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature, European Literature
Gérard de Nerval died on 26 January 1855, at a time when the question of hallucination was about to be highlighted in psychiatric debate. In 1856, Lélut republished his Du démon de Socrate with a ...
More
Gérard de Nerval died on 26 January 1855, at a time when the question of hallucination was about to be highlighted in psychiatric debate. In 1856, Lélut republished his Du démon de Socrate with a long, eloquent, polemical preface which gave a sense of how some issues were perceived in the public arena. A more specialized, but still wide-ranging debate took place at meetings of the Société medico-psychologique in 1855 and 1856, and became famous in the annals of French psychiatry. This chapter first looks at Lélut's new preface and then at these debates. The chief focus of both is still the question whether hallucination is compatible with reason. The discussions at the Sociéte medico-psychologique, however, show the beginnings of a shift towards reflection upon creative processes.Less
Gérard de Nerval died on 26 January 1855, at a time when the question of hallucination was about to be highlighted in psychiatric debate. In 1856, Lélut republished his Du démon de Socrate with a long, eloquent, polemical preface which gave a sense of how some issues were perceived in the public arena. A more specialized, but still wide-ranging debate took place at meetings of the Société medico-psychologique in 1855 and 1856, and became famous in the annals of French psychiatry. This chapter first looks at Lélut's new preface and then at these debates. The chief focus of both is still the question whether hallucination is compatible with reason. The discussions at the Sociéte medico-psychologique, however, show the beginnings of a shift towards reflection upon creative processes.
Catherine Rider
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199282227
- eISBN:
- 9780191713026
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199282227.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This chapter discusses the place of impotence in the magical texts translated from Arabic into Latin in the 12th and 13th centuries. On the one hand, these texts caused churchmen to worry more about ...
More
This chapter discusses the place of impotence in the magical texts translated from Arabic into Latin in the 12th and 13th centuries. On the one hand, these texts caused churchmen to worry more about how magic worked and whether it involved demons; but on the other, they also prompted some writers to develop the concept of ‘natural magic’, which referred to phenomena that could not be explained by medieval science, but which were not believed to be demonic. Many cures for impotence magic could be categorized as natural magic. The chapter argues that impotence spells are not very common in magical texts (although some exist), but that the existence of these texts prompted some later writers on the subject, such as Albertus Magnus, to ask new questions about how impotence magic worked, and to conflate popular impotence magic with the learned magic of the magical texts.Less
This chapter discusses the place of impotence in the magical texts translated from Arabic into Latin in the 12th and 13th centuries. On the one hand, these texts caused churchmen to worry more about how magic worked and whether it involved demons; but on the other, they also prompted some writers to develop the concept of ‘natural magic’, which referred to phenomena that could not be explained by medieval science, but which were not believed to be demonic. Many cures for impotence magic could be categorized as natural magic. The chapter argues that impotence spells are not very common in magical texts (although some exist), but that the existence of these texts prompted some later writers on the subject, such as Albertus Magnus, to ask new questions about how impotence magic worked, and to conflate popular impotence magic with the learned magic of the magical texts.
Catherine Rider
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199282227
- eISBN:
- 9780191713026
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199282227.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This chapter discusses the way in which 15th-century writers of canon law, theology, and medicine wrote about impotence magic. In particular, it traces how these authors were influenced by rising ...
More
This chapter discusses the way in which 15th-century writers of canon law, theology, and medicine wrote about impotence magic. In particular, it traces how these authors were influenced by rising concerns about witchcraft and by the earliest witch trials. It argues that many discussions of impotence magic in canon law and theology copied earlier authors without mentioning contemporary witch trials, but that some writers in these genres emphasized the role of demons in magic more than their sources had. Medical writers, by contrast, responded more directly to the witch trials, mentioning cases of impotence magic that they had heard about. Their responses varied, however. Jacques Despars and Antonio Guaineri were sceptical of the demonic powers ascribed to witches. Giovanni Michele Savonarola, on the other hand, emphasized the demonic nature of many magical cures.Less
This chapter discusses the way in which 15th-century writers of canon law, theology, and medicine wrote about impotence magic. In particular, it traces how these authors were influenced by rising concerns about witchcraft and by the earliest witch trials. It argues that many discussions of impotence magic in canon law and theology copied earlier authors without mentioning contemporary witch trials, but that some writers in these genres emphasized the role of demons in magic more than their sources had. Medical writers, by contrast, responded more directly to the witch trials, mentioning cases of impotence magic that they had heard about. Their responses varied, however. Jacques Despars and Antonio Guaineri were sceptical of the demonic powers ascribed to witches. Giovanni Michele Savonarola, on the other hand, emphasized the demonic nature of many magical cures.
Richard Foley
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691154725
- eISBN:
- 9781400842308
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691154725.003.0018
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This chapter explores how the possession of true beliefs for a brief duration can (or cannot) be counted as knowledge. In everyday situations, if one has true but unstable beliefs and is unaware of ...
More
This chapter explores how the possession of true beliefs for a brief duration can (or cannot) be counted as knowledge. In everyday situations, if one has true but unstable beliefs and is unaware of the source of the instability, this gap in one's information can be used to explain why one lacks knowledge. Demon and brain-in-the-vat hypotheses typically make use of the familiar narrative technique in which the audience is given information that the characters of the story lack. The audience is aware that the characters are being massively deceived, but the characters themselves are not. The chapter, however, takes a new spin on the demon hypothesis to raise further questions about what counts as knowledge in scenarios were the character does not lack information about their situation that is available to the audience.Less
This chapter explores how the possession of true beliefs for a brief duration can (or cannot) be counted as knowledge. In everyday situations, if one has true but unstable beliefs and is unaware of the source of the instability, this gap in one's information can be used to explain why one lacks knowledge. Demon and brain-in-the-vat hypotheses typically make use of the familiar narrative technique in which the audience is given information that the characters of the story lack. The audience is aware that the characters are being massively deceived, but the characters themselves are not. The chapter, however, takes a new spin on the demon hypothesis to raise further questions about what counts as knowledge in scenarios were the character does not lack information about their situation that is available to the audience.
