Celsus, Toledot Yeshu and Early Traces of Apology for Virginal Birth of Jesus

In this article New Testament passages referring to the birth of Jesus are related to Celsus’ anti-Christian arguments and the Jewish Toledot Yeshu tradition with a new question: Why it was so difficult to speak about the virgin birth of Jesus? It is argued that the concept of the virgin birth of Jesus was seen to be problematic for two reasons: 1) The concept was liable to result in scurrilous rumours, even scoffing and parodic episodes revolving on its sexual aspects. 2) Every attempt to explain that God was in some way the agent when a young girl conceived came too close to Gen. 6:1–4 – the text which explained in ancient Judaism the origin of the demonic world. Therefore, some New Testament authors (for example, the writer of the Gospel of John) deliberately avoided speaking about the virgin birth and instead presented the birth of Jesus in terms of the idea of an incarnated, personified, divine Wisdom. In order to avoid erroneous connotations relating to Gen. 6:1–4, Matthew and Luke followed a tradition where the Holy Spirit (a feminine word in Hebrew and Aramaic) played an active role in the pregnancy

Isaiah 6:1–3 and Angelomorphic Christology. An Approach to Understand Origen’s Isaiah Exegesis

This article deals with Origen’s interpretation of Isaiah’s vision in Isa 6. Origen refers to his Hebrew Master’s statement in Orig. Princ. 1.3.4 where two Seraphim are identified with Christ and the Holy Spirit. The main scope in the article is to put the Hebrew Master’s opinion in balance with Origen’s own Christology. The problem is approached from the method of biblical argumentation by using ancien reception historical ways to understand scripture. The Hebrew Master’s statement is related to three important themes: First, the angelomorphic theophanies in the Old Testament provide a general background for the idea that Christ (and the Holy Spirit) can be identified with Seraphim. Second, Origen relates Isaiah’s Seraphim to Cherubim in the Ark of Covenant and use Hab 3:2 to illustrate his Christology. Third, the Christology of the Ascension of Isaiah provides a good parallel to understand the Hebrew Master’s statement about Seraphim. The main result in the article is that Origen’s own Christology is well balanced with the statement of the Hebrew Master. Origen’s teachings about Christ can be characterized as high and subordinate Christology, and its roots are in early Jewish-Christian circles

Higher Education during Lockdown : Literature Review and Implications on Technology Design

Countries globally reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic by imposing lockdowns, and as a consequence, higher education institutions were forced to rapidly transition into distance learning. Here, technology played a paramount role as the enabler of remote learning and shaping teaching practices. The aim of this study is to understand the broad trends in higher education during the early lockdown transitions and the role of technology in this process through a literature review approach. After searching for literature and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 61 relevant publications were discovered, which were sorted into three clusters using co-word analysis: (1) teaching and learning; (2) policy and managerial issues; and (3) students' psychological well-being. Each theme was further divided into subthemes based on a thematic clustering approach. Based on this review, implications on learning technology design during the time of a pandemic were derived. First, due to the lack of social contacts resulting from isolation measures, emphasis is needed on interstudent interaction. Second, mobile distance learning technologies and teaching methods could be designed to enable students to move or exercise while learning. Third, diverse pedagogical approaches should be looked into to bring variety into students' lives.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Higher Education during Lockdown: Literature Review and Implications on Technology Design

Countries globally reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic by imposing lockdowns, and as a consequence, higher education institutions were forced to rapidly transition into distance learning. Here, technology played a paramount role as the enabler of remote learning and shaping teaching practices. The aim of this study is to understand the broad trends in higher education during the early lockdown transitions and the role of technology in this process through a literature review approach. After searching for literature and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 61 relevant publications were discovered, which were sorted into three clusters using co-word analysis: (1) teaching and learning; (2) policy and managerial issues; and (3) students' psychological well-being. Each theme was further divided into subthemes based on a thematic clustering approach. Based on this review, implications on learning technology design during the time of a pandemic were derived. First, due to the lack of social contacts resulting from isolation measures, emphasis is needed on interstudent interaction. Second, mobile distance learning technologies and teaching methods could be designed to enable students to move or exercise while learning. Third, diverse pedagogical approaches should be looked into to bring variety into students' lives

Kappōret – "The Mercy Seat" or the Lid of the Ark

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