The Son of God and Trinitarian Identity Statements

Classical Trinitarians claim that Jesus—the Son of God—is truly God and that there is only one God and the Father is God, the Spirit is God, and the Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct. However, if the identity statement that ‘the Son is God’ is understood in the sense of numerical identity, logical incoherence seems immanent. Yet, if the identity statement is understood according to an ‘is’ of predication then it lacks accuracy and permits polytheism. Therefore, we argue that there is another sense of ‘is’ needed in trinitarian discourse that will allow the Christian to avoid logical incoherence while still fully affirming all that is meant to be affirmed in the confession ‘Jesus is God.’ We suggest a sense of ‘is’ that meets this need

A Comparison of Job Creation and Job Destruction in Canada and the United States

In recent years a growing number of countries have constructed data series on job creation and job destruction using establishment- level data sets. This paper provides a description and detailed comparison of these new data series for the United States and Canada. First, the Canadian and United States industry-level job creation and destruction rates are remarkably similar. Industries with high (low) job creation in the U.S. exhibit high (low) job creation in Canada. The same is true for job destruction. In addition, the overall magnitude of gross job flows in the two countries is comparable. Second, the time-series patterns of creation and destruction are qualitatively similar but do differ in a number of important respects. In both countries, job destruction is much more cyclically volatile than job creation. This cyclical asymmetry is, however, more pronounced in the United States. The paper finishes with a characterization of the job flow patterns using a modified Blanchard and Diamond (1992) model.

POLICY options

End of project reportThe incomes of Irish cattle farmers benefited greatly from the reform of the CAP for beef and cereals in 1992 and more recently under Agenda 2000. In both of these reforms the institutional support prices were reduced and animal-based direct payments (DPs) were used to compensate farmers for the anticipated market price reductions

Development of a Strategic Approach for a Single EU Beef Market. Extensification. An Analysis of National and Competitive Issues

Working paperThe economic merits of the two Options for extensification under Agenda 2000 were evaluated in relation to their ability to generate revenue and their impact on the competitiveness of Irish cattle farming

The impact of feed resource costs on the relative competitiveness of beef with other meats

End of year reportThese reforms represented a major turning point in fundamental structure of EU agricultural policy. This, at the time of implementation, created much uncertainty at both institutional and farm level in relation to future feed resource costs, cattle and beef prices and related market outlooks. However, as this report shows, the reality for Irish cattle farmers was rather different. As a result much of the research effort during the lifespan of the project was diverted to explaining the causes of the unforeseen outcomes together with the implications of policy decisions and related market developments

The Value Relevance of Sentiment

It is generally accepted that excessive exuberance or gloom in investor sentiment contributes to booms and crashes in share prices. However, views differ on the merits of active policy intervention due to gaps in our understanding of the transmission mechanism. To fill this gap we apply a fully ex ante valuation model in which an index of investor sentiment is included along with earnings and growth fundamentals to explain value. The outcome is a precise indication of the value relevance of sentiment. We employ the investor sentiment indicator proposed by Baker and Wurgler (2007). Valuation, and implied permanent growth, based on the inclusion of standard fundamentals is compared with that obtained when sentiment is added. The resulting ratio produces an index of ’the valuation effects of sentiment’ that can be assessed with statistical significance. Out-of-sample fit is also examined. For the Dow index the valuation effects of sentiment are significant and as large as 40% of market value at the peak of the ’dot-com’ bubble. The index we propose identifies conditions, detectable in advance and under the control of policy makers, that are conducive to the creation of asset bubbles. It is easy to construct, timely, robust and can be used improve our understanding of what leads to bubbles and crashes and to inform policy.Bubbles, fundamental valuation, sentiment, early warning indicators

Efficient generic calibration method for general cameras with single centre of projection

Generic camera calibration is a non-parametric calibration technique that is applicable to any type of vision sensor. However, the standard generic calibration method was developed with the goal of generality and it is therefore sub-optimal for the common case of cameras with a single centre of projection (e.g. pinhole, fisheye, hyperboloidal catadioptric). This paper proposes novel improvements to the standard generic calibration method for central cameras that reduce its complexity, and improve its accuracy and robustness. Improvements are achieved by taking advantage of the geometric constraints resulting from a single centre of projection. Input data for the algorithm is acquired using active grids, the performance of which is characterised. A new linear estimation stage to the generic algorithm is proposed incorporating classical pinhole calibration techniques, and it is shown to be significantly more accurate than the linear estimation stage of the standard method. A linear method for pose estimation is also proposed and evaluated against the existing polynomial method. Distortion correction and motion reconstruction experiments are conducted with real data for a hyperboloidal catadioptric sensor for both the standard and proposed methods. Results show the accuracy and robustness of the proposed method to be superior to those of the standard method

Towards dynamic camera calibration for constrained flexible mirror imaging

Flexible mirror imaging systems consisting of a perspective camera viewing a scene reflected in a flexible mirror can provide direct control over image field-of-view and resolution. However, calibration of such systems is difficult due to the vast range of possible mirror shapes and the flexible nature of the system. This paper proposes the fundamentals of a dynamic calibration approach for flexible mirror imaging systems by examining the constrained case of single dimensional flexing. The calibration process consists of an initial primary calibration stage followed by in-service dynamic calibration. Dynamic calibration uses a linear approximation to initialise a non-linear minimisation step, the result of which is the estimate of the mirror surface shape. The method is easier to implement than existing calibration methods for flexible mirror imagers, requiring only two images of a calibration grid for each dynamic calibration update. Experimental results with both simulated and real data are presented that demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed approach

Filled with the Spirit: Wine and Worship in Levitical Light (Ephesians 5.18–21)

This essay argues that the background of the temple, and particular priestly and levitical activities, explain the logic of Eph. 5.18–21. After setting this text in context and addressing various proposed backgrounds, the proposal of this essay is initially examined in relation to the imperative to be filled ἐν πνεύματι in 5.18, which I argue is a dative of content. After seeing how this fits within the temple themes of the letter, the immediate context is explored to show how similar motifs continue to emerge. In particular, the prohibition of drunkenness is seen in relation to the desire for priests to abstain from alcohol while serving in the temple. The worship that ensues in the first four participles (5.19–20) that are dependent on the imperative to be “filled” (5.18) are similarly seen to be inspired by priestly and levitical actions, since singing was primarily relegated to the temple setting and to a particular levitical office within the cult. This is then finally situated in relation to the subsequent Haustafel, which is also grammatically subordinated to the imperative in 5.18. The Haustafel contributes to this scene by highlighting how, in the domestic context of early Christian house churches, the gathering was believed to be sacred space in which the church was a temple made of priests who were filled with the Spirit and praised God. In such corporate settings of worship, drunkenness is not to be permitted.Napełnieni Duchem: wino i uwielbienie z perspektywy lewickiej (List do Efezjan 5,18–21)Autor artykułu argumentuje, że otoczenie świątyni, a zwłaszcza czynności kapłańskie i lewickie wyjaśniają logikę Ef 5,18–21. Po umiejscowieniu tekstu we właściwym kontekście i odniesieniu się do różnych zaproponowanych przesłanek na początku analizowane jest użycie trybu rozkazującego „być napełnionym ἐν πνεύματι” w Ef 5,18, formy, która według autora jest celownikiem treści. Po spojrzeniu na to zagadnienie w relacji do motywów świątynnych listu, analizowany jest najbliższy kontekst, aby pokazać, w jaki sposób pojawiają się podobne motywy. W szczególności zakaz pijaństwa postrzegany jest w łączności z zaleceniem, aby kapłani powstrzymywali się od alkoholu podczas służby w świątyni. Uwielbienie, jakie występuje w czterech pierwszych imiesłowach (5,19–20), które są zależne od trybu rozkazującego, być „wypełnionym” (5,18), jest podobnie postrzegane jako inspirowane przez czynności kapłańskie i lewickie, ponieważ śpiew był uważany za zajęcie typowe dla urzędu kapłańskiego i wiązał się ze sprawowaniem kultu. To zagadnienie jest ostatecznie omawiane w odniesieniu do Haustafel, który jest również gramatycznie podporządkowany trybowi rozkazującemu w 5,18. W tej scenie Haustafel podkreśla, że w kontekście wczesnochrześcijańskich kościołów domowych zgromadzenie uważano za świętą przestrzeń, w której kościół był świątynią stworzoną z kapłanów napełnionych Duchem i wychwalających Boga. W takim zbiorowym miejscu kultu pijaństwo nie ma prawa bytu.

“Nothing Beautiful Hides Its Face”: The Hiddenness of Esther in C. S. Lewis’ Till We Have Faces

C. S. Lewis’ last and arguably best novel, Till We Have Faces, is an impressively nuanced revision and recasting of Apuleius’ short tale of Cupid and Psyche, Books 4–6 of The Golden Ass. Although this ancient myth was the main source for Till We Have Faces, inspiration was no doubt gained from many places. One such influence, previously unnoted, was the biblical book of Esther. This study will note some of the key places where the influence of Esther is detectable, in particular Lewis’ choice of the name “Istra.” This is followed by an investigation into why Esther may have been suitable for Lewis’ main concerns in writing Till We Have Faces. Finally, a few scenes will be highlighted to show how these concerns are particularly illuminated through the influence of Esther