John the Baptist in the context of contemporary religious movements within Judaism

PURPOSE: This thesis endeavors to study the figure of John the Baptist in the context of contemporary religious movements within Judaism. The justification for the thesis lies in two specific areas: firstly, the growing reappreciation of the Gospel of John in the light of the Qumran discoveries and of its value as a source of information for Christian beginnings; and, secondly, the recognition that several leading studies on John the Baptist fail to allow for sufficient variety and vitality within Judaism to provide the proper and sufficient background for understanding John the Baptist.METHOD: The writer examined the accounts of the life and message of John the Baptist in the New Testament and the writings of Flavius Josephus in order to discover a consistent portrait of John which would accurately reflect the data available. Particular attention was given to the question of the reliability of the Fourth Gospel as a source of information and the accuracy of the picture of John the Baptist found therein. The emphasis in contemporary Judaism on such points as repentance, judgment, and messianic expectations was studied and compared with that of John the Baptist. Possible sources of the origin of the rite of baptism were studied with particular emphasis on Essene lustrations and proselyte baptism. Finally the question of the possible continuation of John's movement was examined along with the account of John's death and its significance.CONCLUSIONS: John the Baptist stands solidly in the context of contemporary Judaism, but a Judaism which is vital and changing and in which a rigid and fixed structure of Hebrew thought was not to be found. His whole life, his message, and his rite of baptism were seen to have been centered around the reconstituting of the people of God and the anticipation of the coming Mightier One. The consistent thread which bound together the various accounts of John's life was the preparation for a new beginning of the Hebrew nation which by its sinfulness had become apostate. John's birth narrative reflected the heroic figures of early Hebrew history. His desert experience clearly was to be associated with the Exodus tradition and the entering into the Promised Land. The Fourth Gospel proved to be a trustworthy source concerning John the Baptist and provided both additional information and necessary correction to the Synoptic account. Pf*om the Fourth Gospel it becomes evident that Jesus had been associated with John the Baptist and had gradually withdrawn from that movement as a result of Jesus' inability to reform the old way. The rite of baptism having its roots in proselyte baptism was related to the re¬ mission of past sin, but also anticipated the new age of the Mightier One who was a national lessiah. In his relationship with Jesus John saw in him the national figure, but one who was not fulfilling this in the way John expected. With his death John the Baptist's movement dwindled and some of his followers were assimilated into the Christian movement as a natural outcome of their leader's message and mission. Though some of John's followers may have continued in an independent group no evidence was found which indicated that such a group posed a threat to the Christian movement or created a literature of its own in honor oi its martyred leader

Book Review: Wells, Gordon. (Ed.). (2001). Action, talk, and text: learning and teaching through inquiry. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.

In 1990, Marilyn Cochrane-Smith and Susan Lytle argued that What is missing from the knowledge base for teaching are the voices of the teachers themselves, the questions teachers ask, the ways teachers use writing and intentional talk in their work lives, and the interpretive frames teachers use to understand and improve their own classroom practices. The ultimate goal for teachers is the enhanced learning of their students

Hookey Letters Index: Royal Society Collection

Henry Jacob Hookey (c 1805 - 1879) of Longford was a solicitor, admitted in 1839, and practised in Launceston. RS. 10

Patient Perceptions of Natural Orifice Translumenal Surgery

Natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is on the forefront of surgical technique, but existing research has produced mixed results regarding factors associated with interest in the procedure. Our objective was to ascertain patient opinions at a Canadian centre regarding scarless surgery. A survey comprising demographic data (gender, age, body mass index [BMI]), interest in NOTES, impact of increased risk, as well as importance of further research and shorter recovery time was administered to volunteer patients at outpatient general surgery clinics. Nonparametric tests were utilized to examine difference in response by age, sex, BMI, and preexisting scars. Of the 335 participants (57% female, mean age of 54.5 ± 15.9 years, mean BMI of 28.7 ± 6.9), the majority (83%) showed some interest, but this dropped to 38% when additional risk was factored in. Generally, women, those under 50 years of age and those of healthy weight, were more interested than male, older, and/or heavier patients. Most felt that research into NOTES and reduced length of inpatient stay were important (80% and 95%, respectively). Further investigation into objective NOTES outcomes are needed to provide patients adequate data to make an informed choice regarding surgical route

Australian defence planning: five views from policy makers

The essays in this book were originally presented as speeches to the SDSC/IISS conference on The New Security Agenda in the Asia-Pacific Region, May 1996. They assess Australia's position, interests and available courses of action in the post-Cold War strategic environment. Several interesting themes emerge, including the difficulty of deciding the proper balance between various possible uses of tightly constrained defence funds; the tension between Australia's stated interest in implementing the principle of self-reliance and the country's continued dependence on its security relationship with the United States; the struggle Australia faces maintaining the Australian Defence Force's relative military capabilities in a region filled mostly with countries that are exhibiting rapid economic development and comparatively rapid upgrading of their armed forces; and Australia's interest in a stable region, even if its own capacity to bring about this outcome is limited and several potential crises are already visible on the horizon. Contributors include Australia's Minister for Defence, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister for Defence, and a senior Defence public servant. The analyses in their papers provide insights into the assumptions and attitudes within the country's policy-making circles today, perhaps foreshadowing critical decisions that will affect Australian security well into the future of this uncertain era

Coagulase gene polymorphism of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from clinical and sub-clinical bovine mastitis in Isfahan and Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari provinces of Iran

Mastitis is a common disease in dairy cattle and is an inflammatory response of the breast tissue to bacterial attack to this tissue. Mastitis causes considerable loss to the dairy industry, among the several bacterial pathogens that can cause mastitis; Staphylococcus aureus is probably the most lethal agent because it causes chronic and deep infection in the mammary glands that is extremely difficult to cure. Several virulence factors including coagulase gene are produced by S. aureus and may contribute to its pathogenicity. This study was conducted to investigate the coagulase gene polymorphism of S. aureus isolated from clinical and sub-clinical bovine mastitis milk samples in Isfahan and Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari provinces of Iran. Amplification of the coagulase gene from 86 S. aureus strains isolates by specific primers showed 31 specimens contained 970 bp fragment, and 11 strains contained 730 bp fragment relevant to coa gene (coagulase) in PCR. After enzymatic digestion with AluI, 31 specimens contained three bands: 320, 490, and 160 bp (genotype I) and 11 specimens contained two bands: 490 and 240 bp (genotype VIII) in the RFLP

Endoscopic Pancreatic Sphincterotomy: Indications and Complications

Background/Aims: Although a few recent studies have reported the effectiveness of endoscopic pancreatic sphincterotomy (EPST), none has compared physicians' skills and complications resulting from the procedure. Thus, we examined the indications, complications, and safety of EPST performed by a single physician at a single center. Methods: Among 2,313 patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography between January 1996 and March 2008, 46 patients who underwent EPST were included in this retrospective study. We examined the indications, complications, safety, and effectiveness of EPST, as well as the need for a pancreatic drainage procedure and the concomitant application of EPST and endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST). Results: Diagnostic indications for EPST were chronic pancreatitis (26 cases), pancreatic divisum (4 cases), and pancreatic cancer (8 cases). Therapeutic indications for EPST were removal of a pancreaticolith (10 cases), stent insertion for pancreatic duct stenosis (9 cases), nasopancreatic drainage (7 cases), and treatment of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (1 case). The success rate of EPST was 95.7% (44/46). Acute complications of EPST included five cases (10.9%) of pancreatitis and one of cholangitis (2.2%). EPST with EST did not reduce biliary complications. Endoscopic pancreatic drainage procedures following EPST did not reduce pancreatic complications. Conclusions: EPST showed a low incidence of complications and a high rate of treatment success; thus, EPST is a relatively safe procedure that can be used to treat pancreatic diseases. Pancreatic drainage procedures and additional EST following EPST did not reduce the incidence of procedure-related complications