Preunderstanding in historical and biblical interpretation

The purpose of this study is to discuss the role of preunderstanding in historical and biblical interpretation. We define preunderstanding as that set of assumptions and attitudes which a person brings to his apprehension and interpretation of reality or any aspect of it. Because preunderstanding comes in a myriad of shapes, an effort is made to classify them by type and to suggest some categories of function. Once this is done the argument is able to proceed. The initial and foundational point which is made is that certain aspects of reality suggest, even demand, that a particular preunderstanding be present on the part of the interpreter if they are to be fully grasped and adequately interpreted. Judging the Christian revelation to be no exception to this general rule, we set about finding the appropriate preunderstanding for its apprehension and interpretation. We assert that it is faith joined with the historical method which constitutes the only adequate preunderstanding for the interpretation of the Christian revelation.We then turn our attention to the issues raised by this assertion. The first issue with which we deal is the precise role of a consciously articulated preunderstanding (a hermeneutic) in the interpretive task. This in turn leads us to a discussion of the problem of revelation and history. We next examine the central issue of the study, the role of preunderstanding in historical interpretation, and consider its implications for the specific task of interpreting the Christian faith. Having defined and categorized preunderstanding and analyzed its role in historical and biblical interpretation, we are in a position to discuss representative interpreters of the faith as they have appeared in and during the life of the church. To this task we devote Sections II and III.In Section II we discuss the role of preunderstanding in six representative historical interpretations of the Christian faith. In Augustine we see the influence of his exposure to Neo-platonism as he attempts to construct a biblical interpretation of history. Edward Gibbon, a rationalist in love with the glory of pagan Tome, depicts the Christian faith as an enemy of the progress of mankind. The philosopher, Hegel, forces the Christian faith into the confines of his metaphysical system. In Adolph von Harnack we find a nineteenth century liberal world view shaping the categories in which Jesus is understood. Reacting to this liberal mentality, the dialectical theologians of the 1930's, which we discuss in the person of Emil Brunner, attempt to remove the Christ - event from historical scrutiny altogether by creating a realm of super-history. We conclude Section II with an analysis of the views of the American theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr, whose deep involvement in the American social situation and wide reading in the thought of Western culture, influence his historical interpretation of the Christian faith.In Section ITI we turn our attention to six representative interpreters of the Bible, again attempting to ascertain the role of each interpreter's preunderstanding in his efforts. Origen, under the influence of Platonism and the allegorical method, interprets the Bible as a source book for divine truth. The great reformer, Martin Luther, approaches the Bible in the light of his own unique historical situation and Personal exrerience. Spinoza, a Cartesian rationalist, views the Bible as the product of the popular "imaginations' and interprets it accordingly. John Wesley, the leading figure of the Pietist movement, comes to the Bible with the expectancy that it will speak to personal experience. In Charles Spurgeon we find an interpreter who, as a faithful representative of protestant Orthodoxy, understands the Bible as being the literal Word of God. As a contrast to Spurgeon we complete Section III by examining the views of the liberal American preacher, Barry Emerson Fosdick, who views the Bible as a thoroughly human book which nevertheless contains lessons of "abiding value".We conclude our study of preunderstanding in a final charter in which we attempt to restate the main thread of our theme, summarize the results of its application to representative interpreters and suggest some mandates for the general task of interpretation

Common and unique features of glycosylation and glycosyltransferases in African trypanosomes

Eukaryotic protein glycosylation is mediated by glycosyl- and oligosaccharyl-transferases. Here, we describe how African trypanosomes exhibit both evolutionary conservation and significant divergence compared with other eukaryotes in how they synthesise their glycoproteins. The kinetoplastid parasites have conserved components of the dolichol-cycle and oligosaccharyltransferases (OSTs) of protein N-glycosylation, and of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor biosynthesis and transfer to protein. However, some components are missing, and they process and decorate their N-glycans and GPI anchors in unique ways. To do so, they appear to have evolved a distinct and functionally flexible glycosyltransferases (GT) family, the GT67 family, from an ancestral eukaryotic β3GT gene. The expansion and/or loss of GT67 genes appears to be dependent on parasite biology. Some appear to correlate with the obligate passage of parasites through an insect vector, suggesting they were acquired through GT67 gene expansion to assist insect vector (tsetse fly) colonisation. Others appear to have been lost in species that subsequently adopted contaminative transmission. We also highlight the recent discovery of a novel and essential GT11 family of kinetoplastid parasite fucosyltransferases that are uniquely localised to the mitochondria of Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania major. The origins of these kinetoplastid FUT1 genes, and additional putative mitochondrial GT genes, are discussed

Russell Sage College: The Journey Toward Thriving

In partnership with Russell Sage College (RSC), the following service-learning project outlines our situation analysis, literature review and application plan to implement strategies and resources to enable RSC’s strategic initiative toward becoming a college known for well-being through an initiative called Thrive@Russell Sage. Leveraging research in Positive Psychology, and best practices from other colleges and universities, our team developed a Thrive “playbook” designed to support RSC’s ability to 1) communicate and engage the RSC community 2) expand Thrive through the curriculum beginning with RSC 101, an introductory freshmen course and 3) enhance and expand Thrive through appreciative inquiry. We suggest measuring Thrive@Russell Sage impact through an annual well-being survey of students and faculty and use survey data as input to evolve their strategic plan

Sunspot observations from the SOUP instrument on Spacelab 2

A series of white light images obtained by the SOUP instrument on Spacelab 2 of active region 4682 on August 5, 1985 were analyzed in the area containing sunspots. Although the umbra of the spot is underexposed, the film is well exposed in the penumbral regions. These data were digitally processed to remove noise and to separate p-mode oscillations from low velocity material motions. The results of this preliminary investigation include: (1) proper motion measurements of a radial outflow in the photospheric granulation pattern just outside the penumbra; (2) discovery of occasional bright structures (streakers) that appear to be ejected outward from the penumbra; (3) broad dark clouds moving outward in the penumbra in addition to the well known bright penumbral grains moving inward; (4) apparent extensions and contractions of penumbral filaments over the photosphere; and (5) observation of a faint bubble or loop-like structure which seems to expand from two bright penumbral filaments into the photosphere

Breaking the Curve with CANDELS: A Bayesian Approach to Reveal the Non-Universality of the Dust-Attenuation Law at High Redshift

Dust attenuation affects nearly all observational aspects of galaxy evolution, yet very little is known about the form of the dust-attenuation law in the distant Universe. Here, we model the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies at z = 1.5--3 from CANDELS with rest-frame UV to near-IR imaging under different assumptions about the dust law, and compare the amount of inferred attenuated light with the observed infrared (IR) luminosities. Some individual galaxies show strong Bayesian evidence in preference of one dust law over another, and this preference agrees with their observed location on the plane of infrared excess (IRX, $L_{\text{TIR}}/L_{\text{UV}}$) and UV slope ($\beta$). We generalize the shape of the dust law with an empirical model, $A_{\lambda,\delta}=E(B-V)\ k_\lambda\ (\lambda/\lambda_V)^\delta$ where $k_\lambda$ is the dust law of Calzetti et al. (2000), and show that there exists a correlation between the color excess ${E(B-V)}$ and tilt $\delta$ with ${\delta=(0.62\pm0.05)\log(E(B-V))}$+ ${(0.26~\pm~0.02)}$. Galaxies with high color excess have a shallower, starburst-like law, and those with low color excess have a steeper, SMC-like law. Surprisingly, the galaxies in our sample show no correlation between the shape of the dust law and stellar mass, star-formation rate, or $\beta$. The change in the dust law with color excess is consistent with a model where attenuation is caused by by scattering, a mixed star-dust geometry, and/or trends with stellar population age, metallicity, and dust grain size. This rest-frame UV-to-near-IR method shows potential to constrain the dust law at even higher ($z>3$) redshifts.Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures, resubmitted to Ap