Toyo Eiwa University Repository / 東洋英和女学院大学学術リポジトリ
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The Dead Remembered in the Middle Ages ; the Dead Forgotten in the Contemporary World
Get PDFFrom the 14th century, Japanese people experienced an enormous shift in terms of intellectual history. The idea of “the other world,” which during the early part of the medieval period had been overpowering reality, went through a rapid process of decline. While a wave of secularization swept society as a whole, the image of a far away Pure Land as the place for one’s rebirth after death faded among people, and the view that this present world was the only reality, began to spread. As a result, peace for dead people was no longer found in setting off for a distant Pure Land, but in abiding in a specific spot in this world, waiting for periodic visits by descendants and listening to the chanting of sutras.
The formation of a general social notion according to which the dead abided in their graves meant the rise of the belief that in the afterlife, one would also be able to keep an eye on the daily lives of one’s loved ones from inside the grave. The feeling of “resting under the sod” shared by modern people developed after this cosmological shift, gradually spreading throughout early modern Japanese society.
These days, as the notion of a person’s death occurring at a specific point in time demonstrates, people think there is a clear line to be drawn between life and death. Most people nowadays have a general image of someone passing from the world of the living to that of the dead more or less in an instant. However this understanding which might now be thought to have been so familiar to people in the middle ages, is entirely peculiar to the modern and contemporary periods of human history.departmental bulletin pape
Heaven and Hell : Musical Metaphor in the European Art of the Middle Ages
Get PDFIn the Middle Ages, music as an amusement was offered by vagabond musicians around the world. On the other hand there was also music studied as science, namely the musica of artes liberales, which was derived from ancient tradition and in which the principles of the philosophical and mathematical cosmos were explored. But this study of musica was not enough for theologians who interpreted the world in a metaphorical way. They wanted to use music, too, as a metaphor and did this by contrasting the music of Heaven with the music of Hell according to Christian dualism. The former is associated with positive elements such as angels, the Holy Mother Mary, Christ, and eternal life, and the latter with negative elements such as Satan, sin, punishment, and eternal death.
Not only theological books, but also the visual arts dealt with the theme “music as metaphor”. In this article it will be shown how “music as metaphor” was represented in the visual arts in order to allow people to experience the music of the world after death. The music of Heaven is meant to praise God. For example, the monumental sculptures in the entrance of Romanesque churches represent the twenty-four elders of the Apocalypse according to John, each carrying various instruments that were played in the Middle Ages. The celestial music of singing angels plays the central role in the Gloria. But since the 14th century, angels with various instruments can be found above all in pictures depicting the Holy Mother Mary in Heaven. The ensemble consisting of singing and instrument-playing angels appears particularly in the North European art of the 15th century in private altars and in the Book of Hours.
In contrast, the devil’s music in the Hell of the Last Judgment is 52 characterized by the disharmony and noise of musical instruments for which one needs little skill and musical to play. The chain and the rope as symbols of death also suggest the music of Hell. In the “Danse Macabre” some musical instruments shown with the character of Death have a connection with Hell.departmental bulletin pape
Japan's New ASEAN Diplomacy? : Why the Abe Doctrine May Be Counterproductive
Get PDF安倍晋三首相は総理就任後初の外遊先として東南アジアを訪問し、安倍政権の外交方針を掲げた「日本外交の新たな5原則」を発表した。このASEANに重きを置く外交方針は、安倍ドクトリンと称されることがある。安倍ドクトリンは日・ASEAN関係の強化を図るものであるが、安倍政権のASEAN外交はこの意図に相反する結果をもたらす恐れがある。それは、第一に普遍的・自由主義的価値を重視していること、第二に対中の側面が強く出ていることに起因する。特に後者は、ASEAN諸国の懸念を生んでいる。departmental bulletin pape
The Refutation of the Philosophy of Epicurus by a Cambridge Platonist : John Smith, A Short Discourse on Atheism
Get PDFThis article deals with A Short Discourse on Atheism delivered by John Smith, a Cambridge Platonist (1618-52). In this discourse he picks up the supposedly atheistic philosophy of Epicurus which will be a threat to his theistic thought, and attempts to refute it by his own arguments. His argumentation is to be to a large degree dependent upon the correctness of his understanding of the philosophy of Epicurus. Therefore the aim of this article will examine the validity of both his understanding of and his refutation of the philosophy of Epicurus.
For this purpose we will examine the following points in accordance with the
order of the discourse.
1 Smithʼs view that “there is a near affinity between atheism and superstition.”
2 Smithʼs view that “epicurism is but atheism under a mask.”
3 Smithʼs citations from Cicero, De finibus bonorum et malorum and from Lucretius, De rerum natura.
4 Smithʼs understanding and criticism of the chief doctrines of Epicurus which include plenum and inane and the movement of atoms.
5 Smithʼs strange omission of the consideration of Epicurusʼ view of gods.
6 Smithʼs view that “Atheism lurks in confinio scientiae et ignorantiae.”
7 Smithʼs view that “superstition is more tolerable than atheism.”
8 Smithʼs insufficient understanding of Epicurusʼ theory of pleasure.
9 Smithʼs view that “atheism itself is a most ignoble and uncomfortable thing.”
10 Smithʼs underestimation of such ethical theories of Epicurus as justice and philia.
The conclusion to be drawn from the above examination will be as follows:
Differently from the stubborn conservatives who had no room to listen to the opinions of the opponents, Smith was prepared to understand even the philosophy of Epicurus which was regarded as threat to Christianity. This attitude is worth more than a little estimation given that in his times the extremist type of Christianity had a sway over the society and tried to overcome the opponents by brute force. However it is undeniable that his understanding had limitations in that concerning Epicurusʼ view of gods Smith neither refers to the primary sources nor goes into a deeper investigation although his refutation is concerned with Epicurusʼ atheism. The same thing can be
said to Epicurusʼ view of pleasure which is a central idea of his philosophy. Smith shows no intension to reflect upon it and just gets carried away by a stereotyped view of Epicurean idea of pleasure. In addition he should have noted the ethical doctrines of Epicurus which would have much in common with his thoughts.
As a whole Smithʼs arguments do not seem to have become a valid refutation of Epicurusʼ “atheism”, while his courage to have challenged the philosophy of Epicurus is valuable and should not be underestimated.departmental bulletin pape
A Re-examination of the Question “Nero and Christianity”
Get PDFNero, the 5th Roman emperor, has often been regarded as a “tyrant”. He was the first persecuter of Christians in A.D. 64 when a major fire broke out in the City of Rome. Tacitus, the Roman historian, reports that in order to deny the rumour that Nero himself had orderd the fire to be set , Nero ascribed the crime to Christians and punished them cruelly. However, Tacitus also says that Christians were convicted not so much on the count of arson as for “hatred of the human race” (Annales, 15.44).
To consider the question why Christians were persecuted by Nero, we must depend mainly on the descriptions of Roman historians ─ Tacitus and Suetonius. These historians lived in the early part of the 2nd century, when the distinction between Christianity and Judaism had became more apparent. But in the days of Nero’s reign, the middle of the 1st century, the distinction was not so apparent. Christianity was regarded as a sect of Judaism. In The Acts of the Apostles, Christianity was called “the sect of the Nazarenes” by an anti-Christian Jew (Acts, 24.5).
On the other hand, early Christian missionary work caused division and discord among Jewish people and often provoked disturbance between people who accepted the Christian faith and those who rejected it. In the reign of Claudius, Jews were expelled from Rome because they often created disturbances at the instigation of “Chrestus” (Suetonius, Claudius, 24.4).
The Christian people of the Neronian days were thus regarded as a Jewish splinter group and troublemakers who often caused disturbances. Therefore, it is more accurate to view the persecution of Christians by Nero as persecution of a particular Jewish sect ─ “the sect of Nazarenes”.departmental bulletin pape
The Pilot Refugee Resettlement Program in Japan : What Is Needed for the Successful Integration of Resettled Refugees?
Get PDF2010年より日本政府は難民キャンプから5年間30人ずつミャンマー難民を受け入れる第三国定住難民プログラムを開始。しかし、このプログラムは社会統合など様々な問題に直面している。本論文は日本における第三国定住難民の地域社会統合には何が必要かを難民と支援員のインタビューを中心に調査したものである。本研究では、日本の社会統合において重要な8つの要素を明らかにし、第三国定住難民の今後の効果的支援の策定に寄与する。departmental bulletin pape
Internet Addiction : Critical Review and Considerations
Get PDFAs Internet use has proliferated worldwide, maladaptive patterns or negative impacts of Internet use, so-called Internet addiction, have been increasingly reported. This study critically reviewed literature and discussed some problems regarding the study of Internet addiction. Development of Internet addiction research and criticism of this subject
indicates that the research to date on Internet addiction 1) has no heoretical background, 2) lacks valid measurement, 3) may have resented misleading causal relationships, 4) has restricted research with a psychiatric paradigm, and 5) has been debated on the presumption that the Internet has brought negative consequences. If
Internet addiction truly exists, researchers must respond to these problems.departmental bulletin pape