Book Review of Schubert, \u3ci\u3eTäufertum und Kabbalah. Augustin Bader und die Grenzen der Radikalen Reformation\u3c/i\u3e

August Bader has traditionally been considered one of the most bizarre figures of the Radical Reformation, but Schubert argues that his messianic consciousness is an understandable outgrowth of both the apocalyptic thought of his teacher Hans Hut and also Jewish Kabbalistic thought. After experiencing several visions, Bader became convinced that he was a prophet and ultimately, in 1530, the Messiah (p. 14). He had special clothing and regalia of gold made to befit his status, which his accusers took to mean that he was a would-be political rebel as well as a heretic (p. 248). Using the interrogation records from Bader’s trial in 1530, the author provides a reasonably coherent picture of his mental world. Where this book differs from many works on the Radical Reformation is in its stress on the importance of Christian Hebraism as a mediator of Jewish thought, and also how the intellectual exchanges between Christians and Jews could have an impact on Christian thought

Book Review of Schubert, \u3ci\u3eTäufertum und Kabbalah. Augustin Bader und die Grenzen der Radikalen Reformation\u3c/i\u3e

August Bader has traditionally been considered one of the most bizarre figures of the Radical Reformation, but Schubert argues that his messianic consciousness is an understandable outgrowth of both the apocalyptic thought of his teacher Hans Hut and also Jewish Kabbalistic thought. After experiencing several visions, Bader became convinced that he was a prophet and ultimately, in 1530, the Messiah (p. 14). He had special clothing and regalia of gold made to befit his status, which his accusers took to mean that he was a would-be political rebel as well as a heretic (p. 248). Using the interrogation records from Bader’s trial in 1530, the author provides a reasonably coherent picture of his mental world. Where this book differs from many works on the Radical Reformation is in its stress on the importance of Christian Hebraism as a mediator of Jewish thought, and also how the intellectual exchanges between Christians and Jews could have an impact on Christian thought

Philosemitism and Christian Hebraism in the Reformation Era (1500-1620)

Jonathan Israel argues in his seminal work European Jewry in the Age of Mercantilism (1985) that the early modern period marked a distinctive phase in the historical experience and consciousness of the Jews of Western Europe. He contends that the key factor that paved the way for these changes was the political and spiritual upheaval which engulfed European culture as a whole by the end of the sixteenth century , above all what he terms the Catholic-Protestant deadlock . The Protestant Reformation, which began in Wittenberg but quickly divided into several competing forms of Protestantism, evoked a Catholic Reformation in response. Polemicists from these emerging Christian confessional churches were not slow to portray their theological opponents as demonic enemies of the one true God, but they all agreed that Judaism was a false religion, and that the Jews themselves were stubborn rebels against God. Yet the sixteenth century also saw the birth and explosive growth of Christian Hebrew scholarship, supported and encouraged by the leaders of these same confessional churches. Christian interest in Hebrew and in the literature of Judaism has long been identified as a feature of early modern European Philosemitism, beginning with the pioneering book of Hans-Joachim Schoeps, Philosemitismus im Barock (1952), and continuing in the works of Shmuel Ettinger, Jonathan Israel, and David Katz. Yet scholarly agreement that Philosemitism existed in the early modern period has not necessarily extended to its existence during the Reformation. Indeed, Heiko Oberman asserted, Philosemitism does not exist in the sixteenth century, and among the Christians friends of Jews are rare exceptions. I will argue in this paper that in fact Christian Hebraism in the Reformation era did at times foster a nascent form of Philosemitism that would become more important in the mid-late seventeenth century

Johannes Buxtorf Westphalus und die Erforschung des Judentums in der Neuzeit

Wenn vom Anfang der Erforschung des Judentums die Rede ist, geht es meistens um die Wissenschaft des Judentums im 19. Jahrhundert. Leopold Zunz, Abraham Geiger und andere Gründerväter der Wissenschaft des Judentums haben es als ihre Aufgabe angesehen, die Religion, Geschichte, Literatur und Sprachen der Juden und deren Erforschung auf eine neue Basis zu stellen. Das bedeutet auch, dass sie einen neuen Wissenschaftsapparat schaffen mussten, vor allem Lexika, Nachschlagewerke, Bibliographien und Monographien zu bestimmten Themen wie z. B. dem jüdischen Gottesdienst. Diese Arbeit war notwendig, nicht nur weil sie manchmal politische Zwecke erfüllen (etwa Leopold Zunz\u27 Gottesdienstliche Vorträge der Juden [1837]) oder weitere wissenschaftliche Arbeiten unterstützen sollte, sondern auch weil es innerhalb der akademischen Kreise schon eine wissenschaftliche Literatur” über das Judentum gab. Diese Literatur stammte vor allem von den christlichen Hebraisten des Reformationszeitalters und aus der Zeit der protestantischen Orthodoxie. Leopold Zunz, Moritz Steinschneider, Alexander Kohut und andere jüdische Gelehrte dieser Zeit mussten sich zuerst mit der bereits existierenden Literatur auseinandersetzen, um sie entweder zu korrigieren oder zu ersetzen. Unter den christlichen Hebraisten des 16. bis 18. Jahrhunderts darf man Johannes Buxtorf Westphalus (den Älteren) als einen der wichtigsten Experten in Fragen des Judentums und dessen Erforschung bezeichnen. Man könnte ihn sogar als einen der Begründer der jüdischen Studien bezeichnen, auch wenn deren Gestalt der christlichen Orthodoxie entspricht

Johannes Buxtorf Westphalus und die Erforschung des Judentums in der Neuzeit

Wenn vom Anfang der Erforschung des Judentums die Rede ist, geht es meistens um die Wissenschaft des Judentums im 19. Jahrhundert. Leopold Zunz, Abraham Geiger und andere Gründerväter der Wissenschaft des Judentums haben es als ihre Aufgabe angesehen, die Religion, Geschichte, Literatur und Sprachen der Juden und deren Erforschung auf eine neue Basis zu stellen. Das bedeutet auch, dass sie einen neuen Wissenschaftsapparat schaffen mussten, vor allem Lexika, Nachschlagewerke, Bibliographien und Monographien zu bestimmten Themen wie z. B. dem jüdischen Gottesdienst. Diese Arbeit war notwendig, nicht nur weil sie manchmal politische Zwecke erfüllen (etwa Leopold Zunz\u27 Gottesdienstliche Vorträge der Juden [1837]) oder weitere wissenschaftliche Arbeiten unterstützen sollte, sondern auch weil es innerhalb der akademischen Kreise schon eine wissenschaftliche Literatur” über das Judentum gab. Diese Literatur stammte vor allem von den christlichen Hebraisten des Reformationszeitalters und aus der Zeit der protestantischen Orthodoxie. Leopold Zunz, Moritz Steinschneider, Alexander Kohut und andere jüdische Gelehrte dieser Zeit mussten sich zuerst mit der bereits existierenden Literatur auseinandersetzen, um sie entweder zu korrigieren oder zu ersetzen. Unter den christlichen Hebraisten des 16. bis 18. Jahrhunderts darf man Johannes Buxtorf Westphalus (den Älteren) als einen der wichtigsten Experten in Fragen des Judentums und dessen Erforschung bezeichnen. Man könnte ihn sogar als einen der Begründer der jüdischen Studien bezeichnen, auch wenn deren Gestalt der christlichen Orthodoxie entspricht

Survey of the vertebrate fauna of the Dotswood area, North Queensland

The results of a survey of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish of the Dotswood area west of Townsville are presented. Habitats included in the survey were woodland, open forest, tall open forest, closed forest (rainforest), riparian forest and rocky outcrops. A total of 297 species of vertebrates were observed using a variety of survey techniques including live trapping, pit trapping, observational transects, mist netting and spotlighting. Exact locations of observation and indices of relative abundance of each species are included

Vertebrate fauna of three mountain tops in the Townsville region, north Queensland : Mount Cleveland, Mount Elliot and Mount Halifax

Vertebrate fauna surveys were carried out on the summits of Mount Cleveland, Mount Elliot and Mount Halifax in north Queensland. The main focus was on mammals and birds, but observations on all vertebrate groups are included. Habitats included rainforest and open eucalypt/casuarina forest. The surveys recorded a total of 136 species of vertebrates including 17 mammal, 77 bird, 32 reptile and 10 frog species. Habitat descriptions and measures of relative abundance for mammals and birds are included

Greenhouse gas balance over thaw-freeze cycles in discontinuous zone permafrost

Peat in the discontinuous permafrost zone contains a globally significant reservoir of carbon that has undergone multiple permafrost-thaw cycles since the end of the mid-Holocene (~3700 years before present). Periods of thaw increase C decomposition rates which leads to the release of CO2 and CH4 to the atmosphere creating potential climate feedback. To determine the magnitude and direction of such feedback, we measured CO2 and CH4 emissions and modeled C accumulation rates and radiative fluxes from measurements of two radioactive tracers with differing lifetimes to describe the C balance of the peatland over multiple permafrost-thaw cycles since the initiation of permafrost at the site. At thaw features, the balance between increased primary production and higher CH4 emission stimulated by warmer temperatures and wetter conditions favors C sequestration and enhanced peat accumulation. Flux measurements suggest that frozen plateaus may intermittently (order of years to decades) act as CO2 sources depending on temperature and net ecosystem respiration rates, but modeling results suggest that—despite brief periods of net C loss to the atmosphere at the initiation of thaw—integrated over millennia, these sites have acted as net C sinks via peat accumulation. In greenhouse gas terms, the transition from frozen permafrost to thawed wetland is accompanied by increasing CO2 uptake that is partially offset by increasing CH4 emissions. In the short-term (decadal time scale) the net effect of this transition is likely enhanced warming via increased radiative C emissions, while in the long-term (centuries) net C deposition provides a negative feedback to climate warming

Spatial Analysis of Environmental Factors Related to Lyme Disease in Alabama by Means of NASA Earth Observation Systems

This slide presentation reviews the epidemiology of Lyme Disease that accounts for more than 95% or vector borne diseases in the United States. The history, symptoms and the life cycle of the tick, the transmitting agent of Lyme Disease, a map that shows the cases reported to the CDC between1990 and 2006 and the number of cases in Alabama by year from 1986 to 2007. A NASA project is described, the goals of which are to (1) Demonstrate the presence of the chain of infection of Lyme disease in Alabama (2) Identify areas with environmental factors that support tick population using NASA Earth Observation Systems data in selected areas of Alabama and (3) Increase community awareness of Lyme disease and recommend primary and secondary prevention strategies. The remote sensing methods included: Analyzed Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and DigitalGlobe Quickbird satellite imagery from summer months and Performed image analyses in ER Mapper 7.1. Views from the ASTER and Quickbird land cover are shown, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) algorithm was applied to all ASTER and Quickbird imagery. The use of the images to obtain the level of soil moisture is reviewed, and this analysis was used along with the NDVI, was used to identify the areas that support the tick population