Private Creeds and their Troubled Authors

This article defends the disputed label “private creeds” as a useful one for describing a number of fourth century texts. Offering such a confession was the normal method for clearing one’s name on charges of heterodoxy in fourth-century Greek Christianity, though writing such a creed made the author susceptible to charges of innovation. A number of letters on Trinitarian doctrine by Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nyssa should be read in light of the tradition of private creeds. Indeed, the writings of Basil and Gregory provide unparalleled evidence for the roles such creeds played in Christian disputes of the fourth century

The Impact of Time Delays on the Robustness of Biological Oscillators and the Effect of Bifurcations on the Inverse Problem

Differential equation models for biological oscillators are often not robust with respect to parameter variations. They are based on chemical reaction kinetics, and solutions typically converge to a fixed point. This behavior is in contrast to real biological oscillators, which work reliably under varying conditions. Moreover, it complicates network inference from time series data. This paper investigates differential equation models for biological oscillators from two perspectives. First, we investigate the effect of time delays on the robustness of these oscillator models. In particular, we provide sufficient conditions for a time delay to cause oscillations by destabilizing a fixed point in two-dimensional systems. Moreover, we show that the inclusion of a time delay also stabilizes oscillating behavior in this way in larger networks. The second part focuses on the inverse problem of estimating model parameters from time series data. Bifurcations are related to nonsmoothness and multiple local minima of the objective function

Anger is a Choice

Anger is a sin that is often overlooked in the grand scheme of \u27bad things\u27. Posting about ­­­­­­­­a biblical response to anger from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world. http://inallthings.org/anger-is-a-choice

Religion is Becoming Virtualised. Introduction the the Special Issue on Religion in Virtual Worlds.

Introduction the the Special Issue on Religion in Virtual Worlds

"Ritual is becoming digitalised". Introduction to the Special Issue on Rituals on the Internet.

Introduction to the Special Issue on Rituals on the Internet

Rituals Online : Transferring and Designing Rituals

Kerstin Radde-Antweiler stresses the aspect of ritual construction by the individual believers in her paper Rituals Online. Transferring and Designing Rituals. In addition to the potential of the Internet to offer interaction and new processes of communication in the context of rituals – the so called "Online-Rituals" –, this medium also offers much information about rituals and instructions how to perform a ritual, in and outside the Internet. This varies from the publication of – at first glance - fixed ritual prescripts to texts on how to design a ritual by him- or herself. These fixed texts are often identified as old traditional scripts, whereas critical analyses show explicit or implicit transfers and receptions of various religious traditions. In the paper, different ritual prescripts presented on Wicca- and Solitaire Homepages, which are often seen as continuation of pre-Christian, matriarchal, Celtic and Germanic cults and mythologies, are analysed and their transfer processes are exemplified. Instances that show the processes of ritual transfer are the choice of the owner-names, the mixture of deities of different religions, the integration of different feasts and festivals etc. The assertion of perpetual continuity from the insider perspective seems contradict those texts which encourage the believers to develop their own individual ritual. Therefore, the elements of newness and invention as well as the phenomenon of Ritual Design in their processes of gaining legitimacy and authority has to be examined

Virtual Religion. An Approach to a Religious and Ritual Topography of Second Life.

Kerstin Radde-Antweiler gives an overview or a cross section about the religious and ritualistic settings within “Second Life” and explores the question why studies in and around Virtual Worlds represent an important issue in the Study of Religions. In her article about “Virtual Religion. An Approach to a Religious and Ritual Topography of Second Life” she introduces the theoretical concept of an “actor-related religious historiography” which tries to take into account the religiousness of the individual actor

God is Not a Thing: A Response to Dale Tuggy

Dale Tuggy has argued that all Trinitarians are committed to the nonsensical belief that the one God is the Trinity (where "is" expresses identity). In his submission to the current journal, Tuggy argues that this position began not, as some Orthodox theologians have claimed, with Augustine, but rather with the Cappadocians. According to Tuggy, in these late fourth century authors, the Trinity "replaced" the Father as the one true God. In this response, it is argued (1) that Tuggy's thesis of historical replacement is unproven, (2) that Tuggy's concept of substance, and therefore his reading of the Cappadocians is anachronistic or confused, and (3) that Tuggy mistakes the names "God" and "Father" for proper names.&nbsp

Money and Asset Liquidity in Frictional Capital Markets

We endogenize asset liquidity and financing constraints in a dynamic general equilibrium model with search frictions on capital markets. Assets traded on frictional capital markets are only partially saleable. Liquid assets, such as fiat money, instead, are not subject to search frictions and can be used to insure idiosyncratic investment risks. Partially saleable assets thus carry a liquidity premium over fully liquid assets. We show that, in equilibrium, low asset saleability is typically associated with lower asset prices, tighter financing constraints, thus stronger demand for public liquidity. Lower asset liquidity feeds into real allocations, constraining real investment, consumption, and production