They Are Not Gods! Jewish and Christian Idol Polemic and Greco-Roman Use of Cult Statues

Excerpt: One set of trademark convictions of early Judaism and Christianity includes their aniconic tradition, monotheistic commitment, and polemic against idols. In the late second or early third century c .e ., for example, Christian apologist Minucius Felix mocked pagan idol worship with these words: “When does the god come into being? The image is cast, hammered, or sculpted; it is not yet a god. It is soldered, put together, and erected; it is still not a god. It is adorned, consecrated, prayed to—and now, finally, it is a god once man has willed it so and dedicated it” (see Oct. 22.5). The Christian haranguing of idolatry goes back to the Jewish Scriptures, most notably Jeremiah, Isaiah, and the Psalms.2 Similar polemical statements can be found in Habakkuk (2:18-20). This tradition is expanded in early Jewish texts such as Bel and the Dragon, Wisdom of Solomon, Apocalypse o f Abraham, the tractates of Philo, and, most extensively, the Epistle of Jeremiah.3 We find idol polemic in the NT in places such as Acts 19:26 and Rev 9:20.4 The wider idea that stands behind almost all Jewish and Christian idol-polemic texts is this: Do not worship statues, because they are not gods! (So Jer 16:20: “Can people make for themselves gods? Yes, but they are not gods!”; cf. Isa 37:19; Josephus A.J. 10.4.1 §50; Epistle of Jeremiah passim). According to this logic, idols should not be worshiped because they are handmade works; they are creations, not creators. As far as the early Jews and Christians were concerned, pagans worshiped blocks of metal, stone, and wood, and this was improper because such materials could never amount to a real “god.

Love thy extra-terrestrial neighbour: Charity and compassion in Luc Besson’s space operas The Fifth Element (1997) and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

The role of romantic love in cinema – and its redeeming aspects – has been extensively explored in film studies and beyond. However, non-romantic aspects of love, especially love for the neighbour, have not yet received as much attention. This is particularly true when looking at mainstream science fiction cinema. This is surprising as the interstellar outlook of many of these films and consequently the interaction with a whole range of new ‘neighbours’ raises an entirely new set of challenges. In this article, the author explores these issues with regard to Luc Besson’s science-fiction spectacles The Fifth Element (1997) and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017). Both films have divided fans and critics and it is indeed easy to dismiss them as mere spectacle with little depth or message, as many reviewers have done. Yet, as this article demonstrates, beneath their shiny, colourful surface, both films make a distinct contribution to the theme of neighbourly love. What is more, Besson’s films often seem to develop a close link between more common notions of romantic love and agapic forms of love and thus offer a perspective of exploring our relationship to the alien as our neighbour.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to rule by sense of smell! Superhuman Kingship in the Prophetic Books

An exploration of the Hebrew Bible's prophetic literature vis-à-vis Science Fiction and Science Fiction theor

Discovering Border Crossings in Pagan Epic Literature

This dissertation argues that border crossings were important to the ancient Celts and Norse as evidenced by the vast quantity of occurrences in their literature,and have remained important themes in literature throughout the ages. Border crossings reflect man\u27s fascination with concepts beyond his immediate existence and understanding. His reactions to such inexplicable phenomena have provided inspiration to writers for hundreds of years. The investigation uncovers examples of border crossings in the epic stories captured in the Ulster and Fenian Cycles, TheTáin, The Eddas, and The Mabinogion. Border crossings remain important for modern literary scholars to consider because they have not vanished. Although they are perceived differently, the concepts remain an integral part of our literary heritage. Analysis which implements border crossing themes explored in this work enables critics to employ a new methodology for engaging with literature, enhancing subtleties and observing moods and tones which might otherwise go unnoticed and unappreciated. Man\u27s natural, instinctive continuing curiosity regarding the supernatural and mystery of the unknown provide a continuing thread of border crossing examples. The epics of Ireland, Iceland, and Wales establish the foundation and environment of Otherworld activity for the romance and gothic genres which follow. The beautiful fairy-woman who convinces a mortal to follow her into the Otherworld; the beheading game; witches and potions; castles hidden in mists - these themes will be employed by later authors to define the mood and tone in works such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Macbeth, and Dracula. Stories of the supernatural have fascinated mankind since storytelling began and scholarly research in the area of border crossings must begin with the early epics. Pagan stories of border crossings have a very different view of the themes than works written in a Christian environment. This work examines border crossings in the environment where the people actually believed an Otherworld existed as part of their own world. The research provides a baseline of border crossing themes and a reflection of how the ancients perceived them. This investigation is summarized with a look at the themes through the centuries, observing how border crossings have changed and evolved. Identifying the significance of border crossings in the early epics provides an insight into understanding where and how they are implicated in later literary works, and offers a view where scholars may continue to search for new literary border crossings. Such occurrences should be taken into account because identifying the continued presence of border crossings in hundreds of years of literature allows us to engage with these works in a new way, implementing a new analysis methodology to seek other worlds while broadening our reading experience

Real romance came out of dreamland into life H. G. Wells as a romancer

The aim of this study is to demonstrate that Wells's early works are the supreme fruits of his ambiguous and complicated reaction against, and interaction with, romance and realism in fiction. Wells's efforts concentrate on combating against and, at the same time, capitalising on the popular narratives that flooded the expanding fin-de-siècle mass market and the powerful influence of the continental and American Realists. In so doing, Wells eventually purports to revive and modify the English novel tradition from Chaucer to Scott and Dickens, and the romantic transformation of everyday life without losing a sense of reality. By reading Wells's fictional and non-fictional works published between the 1890s and the 1900s, this thesis maintains that Wells is a novelist who could exploit romance contingencies in his fiction Wells's early literary criticism demonstrates that his theory of the novel is preoccupied with the potential of the romance rather than with the strict realistic representation of everyday life advocated by Naturalists and Realists. His non-scientific romances reveal Wells's instinctive grasp of the romance potential Wells's major scientific romances confirm his effort in writing within the established romance grammar and deconstruct the forms and themes of fìn-de-siècle popular romances. Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of carnivalism and Foucaulťs theory of power are also applied to Wells's texts. This study contends that Wells's major scientific romances not only differentiate themselves from other popular narratives but also create a new genre: the carnivalesque romance. Wells's early twentieth century Utopian projects continue the carnival theme, and develop the carnivalised narrative space in which the sociologist's logical speculation is mixed with the romancer’s dream. Reading Wells's Edwardian novels, Tono-Bungay and The History of Mr Polly as marking a turning point in his literary career, the thesis advocates that when Wells ceased to be a romancer, his creative energy began to wane

Pauline Inspirations for the Study of Igbo Deities

Since its inception in 1974/ 77, the need for African theology is growing by the day. Theologians on their part have also proved their readiness to delve into this all important field. However, the journey so far has taken a one-sided approach as most theologians always begin from their Christian background. The result is that even when they present coherent studies, the very Africans for whom they are meant find it difficult to accept and adopt them mostly for the obvious reason that they neglect the most fundamental aspects of their traditional religion and culture

How to survive a dystopian world? Thinking about food in Atwood`s The Year of the Flood and Winterson´s The Stone Gods

Esta dissertação propõe examinar de que forma as representações de hábitos e práticas alimentares configuram as narrativas distópicas que contemplam a crise climática e projetam visões do futuro suscetíveis de se tornarem realidade, particularmente em The Stone Gods (2007) de Jeanette Winterson e The Year of the Flood (2009) de Margaret Atwood. Além disso, pretende analisar a forma como as referências à alimentação podem expressar um posicionamento de género, particularmente no que toca ao género feminino. Esta análise permite concluir que a comida nas distopias pode representar não apenas desespero, mas também esperança e que se pode estabelecer uma relação entre os hábitos e práticas alimentares e o impulso utópico nestas duas narrativas distópicas.This dissertation proposes to examine how representations of foodways shape dystopian narratives that cover climate crisis and project visions of the future that are likely to come true. Falling under this category and chosen as case studies are Jeanette Winterson’s The Stone Gods (2007) and Margaret Atwood’s The Year of the Flood (2009). More than focusing on the way food shapes the narrative, the analysis will also consider how references to food can express gender positioning, particularly when it comes to the female gender. This analysis allows us to conclude that food in dystopias can represent not only despair but also hope, and that it is possible to establish a relationship between foodways and the utopian impulse in these two dystopian narratives

The Concept of IGBO Spirituality and Environment

In a techno-scientific age where conflicting views on the reality of environmental ethics as well as ethical, environmental and ideological concerns emerge continuously, there is the need to constantly reinstate the vertical-horizontal dimensions of man’s peaceful co-existence with living and non-living things. Added to the above task is also the need for a thoroughly grounded work that sifts pragmatic ideas within some indigenous beliefs and practices which will be relevant to sound environmental and social development. As such, this research arises, among other reasons, from what the Igbo people actually believe and practice by focusing on the environmental values inherent in the Igbo spirituality. Adopting the expository and procedural tools of hermeneutics, the study contends on how to develop new environmental values that are parts and parcel of the Igbo spirituality. A major finding in the study is that in spite of the dialogue with modern styles, various features of the Igbo spirituality are still reserved and practiced, and have been practical means of existence and sustenance of the environment, peace and development to the entire community and each human person sharing the community life. Considering the nature and diversified forms of challenges to the Igbo spirituality in this age of science with some environmental devaluating attitudes of the human person, the study proposes that mankind should develop a deeper sense of love and care for the mother earth as a surer route to harmonious co-existence between the living and dead in the Igbo spirituality.

The Evolution of the Jinn in Middle Eastern Culture and Literature from Pre-Islam to the Modern Age

The legends of the jinn, romanized as djinn and anglicized as genies, have long been a part of mystical story telling tradition. The modern-day genies of Western film are lovable and comedic tricksters who grant wishes to the master that uncovers them, but this depiction is a far cry from their origin point in the Ancient Middle Eastern region known as Mesopotamia. Here they began as powerful nature spirits inspiring poets, soothsayers, and philosophers by sharing messages of the unseen world. The modern Western depiction of the jinn is devoid of cultural and historical context. The very name “jinn” is an Arabic term, derived from the triliteral root جنن (j/n/n) which can roughly be translated to “to hide, cover, conceal or veil”.[1] Its cognates include مجنون (majnūn) translated as possessed, obsessed or insane, جَنَّة (jannah) which is the name of Paradise and the Garden of Eden, and جَنِين (janīn) an embryo or a hidden spirit.[2] The nature of the jinn has been altered considerably since their origin, as it evolved alongside the various civilizations that inhabited the region currently known as the Middle East through the centuries. How, then, did these creatures first come to light? More importantly, why have they changed so much from their original conception? Modern academic discussions of the Middle East have largely been dominated by Western political scientists who seek to examine the patterns of violence and social upheaval in the region. After the events of September 11, 2001[3], the West shifted towards unpacking the ideology of radical Islamist movements and the necessity of military intervention. In discussions of culture, however, the academic field has gone to great lengths in recent years to correct the stereotypes perpetuated by the work of the early Orientalists and return to a more accurate depiction of the peoples and cultures of the Middle East. Nonetheless, the re-centering of scholarship can only do so much when representations in the media are still dominated by problematic tropes that represent the region in an unflattering and fantastical light. Even now, as Europe struggles with an influx of immigrants fleeing conflict in the Middle East, fear based in generalizations and cultural differences, perpetuated by the media, has led to anti-immigrant violence, protests, and discrimination. These media tropes demonstrate a lack of consideration towards the history and traditions of the region. Of the many manipulations that exist, legends of the jinn are at the forefront, and serve as a placeholder for all things “Oriental”. We need look no further than Disney’s Genie in the 1992 and 2019 films Aladdin to see this representation. However, if we examine the history of the jinn and their evolution, it is possible to place them back into their appropriate context and establish that the modern genie trope is a product of the West rather than a reflection of the jinn as imagined in their root cultures of the Middle East. [1] A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (Arabic -English), 4th ed. Wehr, Hans (2001) “جنن” [2] Hans Wehr “جنين” [3] In which members of an Islamist Radical group, Al-Qa’eda, crashed planes into New York City’s twin towers