Ezra and Nehemiah: A Review of the Return and Reform

In this study the question of the relationship of these two men is approached on the basis th.at the Scriptures are the inspired Word of God. This proposition is accepted as true whether the author of a particular book is known or not. At the same time it is assumed that misunderstandings of later scribes may have rearranged the text or that simple errors of dittography and haplography may have occurred. Aside from the possibilities of such textual errors, the original writer is given credit for knowing what he was trying to write. The attempt will be to understand the text in its present form and to resort to reconstructions only if absolutely necessary

The Old Testament Locus De Novissimis in Contemporary Lutheran Theological Thought

It is the purpose of this dissertation to present in an objective manner the various views held by leading Lutheran theologians and scholars who have written on phases of the Old Testament locus De Novissimis during the past two decades, or whose works have been republished in this period of time. This writer is aware of the mass of research that would be required if one were to undertake to offer a critical analysis of present-day scholarly thought. He will therefore assume the more modest task of presenting what might be called a composite picture of trends in contemporary Lutheran thinking with respect to the more important eschatological questions now occupying the attention of many Old Testament scholars. It is hoped that such a study will contribute in a small way to a better understanding of the truth as it is revealed in God\u27s holy Word

The Christ of John Milton

At a time when western Christendom was reexamining itself and its doctrine, the poet John Milton lived. It is legitimate to assume that this Christian poet would have been concerned with the central figure of the Christian religion, Jesus Christ. This concern is reflected in the works of Milton, not just during a single period but throughout his career. As the central figure of Milton's religion and his thought, the Christ as the Christ of Milton deserves study. As a good Christian, Milton should be credited with having been sincere in whatever he wrote about the Christ, regardless of its orthodoxy in relation to traditional doctrine. The Christ, therefore, should not be viewed as a fictional character in any of Milton's treatment of Him. The problem in a study of what this human-divine figure was to this Christian poet is a real one because of the conflicting concepts and changes within the realm of Hilton's own writings, which may be accepted as evidence of his thought. What Milton actually believed cannot be finally stated by anyone, perhaps not even by the poet himself

Beyond Personal Identity

This thesis is concerned with what it is to be a person, and with what is involved in being the same person over time. I begin by making a survey of the major theories of personal identity, and mark some important divisions and distinctions between them, primarily between Reductionism and Non-Reductionism and, within this former category, between the Physical and Psychological Criteria, and argue that none of these ha5 proved to be satisfactory. I stress the importance of the work of Derek Parfit, and in particular his shifting of the agenda away from the relation of identity to that of 'Relation R', and his claim that it is the holding of this latter relation - namely psychological continuity by any means - that contains 'all that matters' to us regarding the future, and not necessarily whether I survive. I show how this theory avoids the pitfalls that defeated the other theories, and propose various developments of it. A critical eye is then cast over the methodology of thought-experimentation, so long the cornerstone of philosophical studies of personal identity, whereby conclusions are derived from considerations regarding what we would say if certain hypothetical states of affairs were to occur. The concept of 'theoretical possibility' is employed in order to determine the limits of applicability of such thought-experiments. Many of the most influential arguments and theories regarding issues of personal identity are found to be flawed due to misuse of this methodology, and their conclusions are judged to be unwarranted. The remainder of the thesis is concerned with identifying and discussing issues regarding personal identity that remain, once a more modest methodological framework is imposed. These concern the nature and the limits of psychological unity and continuity, and focus on real-life conditions, both typical and pathological, and are rooted within scientific research (particularly the neuro-sciences) rather than imaginative speculation. My conclusions are for the most part negative, arguing that not only the answers, but the very questions that have been traditionally posed regarding personal identity cease to be relevant, once the flaws in the framework that supported them have been exposed

Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic’s Distance Learning on Students and Teachers in Schools and in Higher Education.

The worldwide imposed lockdowns forced schools and universities to digitise conventional teaching in a very short time and to convert teaching and learning formats partially or completely to Distance Learning. The changes in everyday teaching brought by Distance Learning were felt worldwide. With 22 double blind peerreviewed articles of researchers reporting on 17 different countries, the editors of this book want to shed light on the effects of Distance Learning in different regions of the world. This will allow for a value-free comparison of how the COVID-19 pandemic has been addressed in education in different parts of the world and what impacts it has had, is having or may have in the future

Insider Movements Among Muslims: Reflections on Their History, Identity, and Theology

The enormity of the task still facing Christian missions is almost incomprehensible. Nearly 4.1 billion people are still in need of the gospel (Johnstone 2014:65). In some ways, the task of reaching the unreached is most difficult among Muslims. With nearly 1.3 billion adherents, Islam represents a significant challenge to the spread of the gospel. Or does it? Given the complex nature of the relationship between Christianity and Islam, could it be that the inability of Christian missionaries to shed the social, cultural, and political trappings of the West and Christendom have limited the effectiveness of the gospel? Might the cleansing of the gospel of its cultural trapping result in the release of its power among Muslims? If this is to be done, the “leaven” of the gospel must be separated from the “lump” of dough that is culture (Whitehouse 2008:7). As the gospel has spread from its origins in Judea to the far corners of the world, it has repeatedly changed its cultural form and shape. Is it time for the gospel to once again change its form and shape (Walls1996:6)? Many who have spent time in missionary work among Muslims—who have sought to distinguish between the “leaven and the lump”—recognize the existence of what are called “insider movements” and promote them as viable contextualized models of Christian community. In this paper, I give an overview of the history of these insider movements, then describe paradigms for understanding the concept of identity as it relates to “insiders” before examining the theological lenses through which insider movements can be viewed. Finally, I will briefly address several lessons that can be learned from this overview of insider movements. I use the term “insider movement” generically to define the broad concept of someone coming to Jesus while remaining within their cultural, social, and communal context

An Exegetical and Historical Examination of the Beginning and Ending of the 1260 Days of Prophecy with Special Attention Given to A.D. 538 and 1798 as Initial and Terminal dates

Purpose The interpretation of prophecy fills an important place in the teachings of Seventh-day Adventists, Among the many prophecies they interpret is one which concerns a period variously described in the Bible as lasting 31/2 times, 42 months, or 1260 days. The accepted Adventist interpretation of this prophecy makes of this period a special era of 1260 years, and places its beginning and ending dates at A.D. 538 and 1798 respectively. It was the purpose of this study to inquire into the adequacy of these dates. Stated in another way, it was the purpose of this study to find out what period in history God had reference to when he spoke of 1260 days. The problem From the time of Joachim of Floris at the close of the twelfth century down to the present day, many men have assigned dates to the 1260 days. These dates differ widely, though they can be grouped so as to show trends and schools of opinion. The interpretations and conclusions of Seventh-day Adventists in this matter are, in some aspects, unique. In view of this the question naturally arises, What dates really are the right ones with which to bound the 1260 days? It is this question that constitutes the problem. Nature The nature of this paper is both exegetical and historical. it was felt that to examine history for the fulfillment of prophetic symbols without first determining what the symbols portray would be to put the cart before the horse and to ensure failure. The historical section is devoted to an examination of history in an attempt to discover the fulfillment on the basis of the exegetical study. Scope The scope of this paper is rather broad for a Master\u27s thesis, including as it does a survey of 1260 years of history and of two limited eras, any of which phases could become the basis of a separate thesis. But it was fait that in order to be solved, the problem must be grasped as a whole. The period is always presented in the Bible simply and as if it were a unit of time to be taken up and considered all at once. Importance The importance of this study is derived from the value of Bible study in general and of the study of prophecy in particular. The Apostle Peter instructs Christians to know the reasons underlying their faith, and says, But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. Ellen G. White further instructs that prophecy should be presented as the foundation of the faith of Seventh-day Adventists. If prophecy is the foundation of the beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists, and if the Bible teaches that Christians should be able to give a reason for their beliefs, then there is importance enough attached to an inquiry into the validity of any given prophetic interpretation. Organization of the rest of the paper Chapters II and III of this paper deal with interpretation while chapters IV and V present a study of historical fulfillment. There is also an appendix containing, among other things, a report on over twenty questionnaires returned from Adventist college Bible teachers in four countries; an inquiry into the historical validity of the 533-38 to 1793-98 sliding-scale dating; a summary of a 750-year survey of 135 expositors who have assigned dates to the 1260 days; and a history of the Ostrogothic war, with seven periodic maps

A comparative study in public health: the history and causes of the decline of leprosy in England and in India

This Thesis has been compiled from many, sources. It is wholly the work of the writer. For its compilation some time has been spent at Oxford in gathering together the materials relative to the History of the disease in the British Islands. The Indian portion of the work has been gleaned from many Anglo-Indiansn and some natives and from a large mass of masterial issued by the India Office.The object of the Thesis is to compare what is known of Leprosy in the British Islands with that which is known of the disease in the Indian Empire. A very large quantity of literature has been carefully studied of which there is no record made