The Eschatological Framework of the Epistle of James

The nature and character of the Epistle of James, as well as its place in the development of early Christianity, have been matters of some debate in past New Testament scholarship. This thesis attempts to place some of these issues in a new perspective through an analysis of the framework of James with a view to understanding the epistle as a whole. The first chapter of the thesis deals with four areas which, in the past, have affected the dating and interpretation of the letter. Attention is given to the language of James, to its supposed anti-Paulinism, to the issue over the placing of the epistle on Hellenistic vs. Palestinian soil, and to the problem regarding the combination of wisdom and eschatological motifs in the letter. The conclusions are that for too long the character, nature, and date of the epistle have been decided upon a priori grounds, and that the common designation of James as a Hellenistic wisdom document must be re-examined. The second chapter seeks to uncover the character of James. Through an analysis of the opening and closing to the main body of the epistle, it is determined that an eschatological inclusio provides the horizon for the community instruction of the main body. The epistle as a whole is then viewed as a community instruction manual which is has its instructional material placed within the framework of eschatological denouncements of the wicked and warnings to the community of impending end-time judgment which is soon to fall upon the world. The third and concluding chapter places the results of chapter two in the larger context of early Christianity and Judaism. It is determined that the Epistle of James has many points of commonality in both content and structure with the Community Rule (lQS) from Qumran and the Q source from early Christianity. These works appear to form an identifiable genre of literature (in form, content and function) in which community instruction is placed within an eschatological framework around which cluster the themes of impending judgment, eschatological reversal and prophetic denunciation.Master of Arts in Religio

Numerical model simulation of the Saharan dust event of 6–11 March 2006 using the Regional Climate Model version 3 (RegCM3)

The Sahara desert is the world's primary source of mineral dust aerosols and is known to be an important but poorly understood component of the climate system. Climate models which incorporate dust modules have the potential to improve our understanding of the climate impacts of dust. In this study, the performance of the Regional Climate Model version 3 (RegCM3) with an active dust scheme is evaluated, using a major dust event of 6-11 March 2006 as a test case. To account for the distribution of preferential dust source regions, soil texture characteristics were modified in dust source regions identified from long-term SEVIRI satellite data. The dust event was associated with a pronounced cold outbreak of midlatitude air over the northern Sahara which produced anomalously strong northerly winds, which propagated from west to east over the Sahara during the study period. This resulted in dust mobilization from multiple dust sources across the domain. RegCM3 represents the space/time structure of near-surface meteorology well, although surface winds are underestimated in absolute terms. The experiment in which soils are modified provides a better representation of local dust sources and emission and resulting atmospheric optical thickness (AOT). In this experiment, model simulated dust flux exported from the Sahara to the Sahel and the tropical east Atlantic is estimated as 1.9 Tg d(-1). The dust event had a profound impact on the surface solar radiation budget of similar to-140 W m(-2) per unit AOT (domain average). The shortwave radiative effect at the top of the atmosphere is similar to-10 W m(-2) per unit AOT over the study domain. However, this is strongly dependent on surface albedo. The results also highlight how errors in model simulated circulation lead to errors in the position of the dust plume

Engaging Early Christian History: Reading Acts in the Second Century

The book of Acts has traditionally been situated within a first-century setting, offering an apparently straightforward account of the origins and spread of Christianity. Engaging Early Christian History presents a significant departure for Christian origins studies by setting aside the explicitly historical questions commonly asked of the Acts of the Apostles and, instead, situating the text within the context of second-century history and culture. The volume extends scholarly debate beyond the analysis of pure historical debates and concerns to focus on the associations between Acts and the diverse contemporaneous texts, writers, and broader cultural phenomena in the second-century world of Christians, Romans, Greeks, and Jews. Examining the reception of Acts—and of Christian myth-making more generally—the volume explores the second century as a formative epoch for Christian storytelling, historical reimaginings, and reconfigurations of religious and social identities.https://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/mono/1040/thumbnail.jp

Textually violating Dinah: literary readings, colonizing interpretations, and the pleasure of the text

The story of Dinah in Genesis 34 has been a contentious interpretative site in modern biblical exegesis. There are various positions taken on the precise meaning of both the interaction between Dinah and Shechem, as well as the brutal results that follow in the narrative. Meir Sternberg and Susanne Scholz represent two dramatically different standpoints on the narrative action. In this piece we explore their differing readings in light of the literary poetics of Roland Barthes framed through a postcolonial analytic. We begin by outlining Barthes' understanding of the text of pleasure, which underscores the seductive and erotic character of the undecideable text. We stress in particular the modern desire to close down meaning and to delimit signification in such a narrative. Sternberg's and Scholz's positions are then analyzed through this framework. We return in the final part of the study to underscore the colonizing edge evident in the attempt by interpreters to narrow meaning in Genesis 34, often by giving voice in the space of narrative absence. We argue that an appreciation of literary aesthetics may enhance a postcolonial critical engagement of both ancient texts and modern interpretations

Textually violating Dinah: literary readings, colonizing interpretations, and the pleasure of the text

The story of Dinah in Genesis 34 has been a contentious interpretative site in modern biblical exegesis. There are various positions taken on the precise meaning of both the interaction between Dinah and Shechem, as well as the brutal results that follow in the narrative. Meir Sternberg and Susanne Scholz represent two dramatically different standpoints on the narrative action. In this piece we explore their differing readings in light of the literary poetics of Roland Barthes framed through a postcolonial analytic. We begin by outlining Barthes' understanding of the text of pleasure, which underscores the seductive and erotic character of the undecideable text. We stress in particular the modern desire to close down meaning and to delimit signification in such a narrative. Sternberg's and Scholz's positions are then analyzed through this framework. We return in the final part of the study to underscore the colonizing edge evident in the attempt by interpreters to narrow meaning in Genesis 34, often by giving voice in the space of narrative absence. We argue that an appreciation of literary aesthetics may enhance a postcolonial critical engagement of both ancient texts and modern interpretations. Copyright 2007 Todd Penner and Lilian Gyde Cates. No part of this article may be reproduced by any means without the written consent of the publisher

Core and Surface Characteristics of Personality

Kandler C, Penner A, Zapko-Willmes A. Core and Surface Characteristics of Personality. In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shakelford TK, eds. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Cham: Springer; 2017

Oxylipin profiles and levels vary by skeletal muscle type, dietary fat and sex in young rats

PUFA-derived bioactive lipid mediators called oxylipins have been shown to influence muscle growth, inflammation and repair in select muscles. Since individual oxylipins have varying effects and potencies, broad profiling in differing muscle types is required to further understand their overall effects. In addition, diet and sex are key determinants of oxylipin levels. Therefore, to provide comprehensive data on oxylipin profiles in rat soleus (SO), red gastrocnemius (RG), and white gastrocnemius (WG) muscles, female and male weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were provided control or experimental diets enriched in n-3 (ω-3) or n-6 (ω-6) PUFA for 6 weeks. Free oxylipin analysis by HPLC/MS/MS revealed that SO muscle had 25% more oxylipins and 4-13 times greater oxylipin mass than WG muscle. Dietary n-3 PUFA, α-linolenic acid, EPA, and DHA, each increased n-3 oxylipins derived directly from their precursors and several that were not direct precursors, while reducing arachidonic acid derived oxylipins. Dietary linoleic acid had few effects on oxylipins. Oxylipins with a sex effect were higher in females in SO and RG. Oxylipins generally reflected the effects of diet and sex on PUFA, but there were exceptions. These fundamental oxylipin profile data provide groundwork knowledge and context for future research on muscle oxylipin functions. Novelty • Rat soleus (SO) compared to red (RG) and white gastrocnemius (WG) muscles have a higher number and greater mass of oxylipins. • Oxylipins generally reflect diet effects on PUFA in all muscles, but there are notable exceptions. • Oxylipins in SO and RG are higher in females.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author