787 research outputs found
The Gospel on the Margins: The Ideological Function of the Patristic Tradition on the Evangelist Mark
Get PDFIn spite of the virtually unanimous patristic opinion that the evangelist Mark was the interpreter of Peter, one of the most prestigious apostolic founding figures in Christian memory, the Gospel of Mark was mostly neglected in the patristic period. Not only is the text of Mark the least well represented of the canonical Gospels in terms of the number of patristic citations, commentaries and manuscripts, the explicit comments about the evangelist Mark reveal some ambivalence about its literary or theological value. In my survey of the reception of Mark from Papias of Hierapolis until Clement of Alexandria, I will argue that the reason why the patristic writers were hesitant to embrace the Gospel of Mark was that they perceived the text to be amenable to the Christological beliefs and social praxis of rival Christian factions. The patristic tradition about Mark may have little historical basis, but it had an important ideological function in appropriating the text in the name of an apostolic authority from the margins or periphery
Marriage and Conjugal Sex: Paul’s “Marriage Debt” and Kant’s “Conjugal Rights”
Get PDFThe Code of Canon Law states that sex is a requisite for the consummation of a marriage but that the conjugal act must be performed in a “human way.” Divided into three parts, this paper investigates the place of hum an sex in a consummated marriage by looking into the Pauline understanding of the “marriage debt” found in 1 Corinthians 7 and the Kantian notion of “conjugal rights.” The first part is an exegesis of Paul’s texts suggesting that a couple are obligated by a certain debt to provide for the sexual gratification of their partners. The second part discusses implications of t he Kantian principle of humanity in marriage and sexual activity. For Kant, marriage is a contract that includes the exchange of rights of access to the body. By explicating Paul’s and Kant’s understanding of the relationship between marriage and sex, the paper provides a better understanding of the place and r ole of human sex in a consummated marriage
Interiority, Traslación, and the Devotion to the Black Nazarene
No full textThe play in the performance of panatà to the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila, demonstrates an authentic religiosity that is manifested in materiality, and a modernity that is indigenous. The paper operates within the framework of a panatà (devotion) as: (1) a personal (even inherited) secret vow; (2) that is performed publicly; and (3) is directed towards touching and being touched by God. The first part discusses the dynamics of how petition and thanksgiving are interior movements that reflect útang-na-loób (debt of gratitude) as dasál (prayer). But this movement, although essentially personal and secret, can only be expressed in the communal and public performance of the yearly procession (traslación). The second part discusses this public and communal “translation” of the Black Nazarene as a construction of a relationship with the sacred that is embodied and embedded. And the third part investigates the encounter (hierophany) through the appropriation of the poón (icon) within the dynamics between hirap (difficulty, suffering, poverty) and ginhawa (rest, relief, ease) in the kalye (streets) of Manila
Derrida and the Death of God
Get PDFJacques Derrida’s understanding of the death of God is rooted in but goes beyond Nietzsche’s and Hegel’s understanding of the concept. On the one hand, Nietzsche’s view of the death of God is related to two concepts: a closing horizon (which is the death of God) and an emerging horizon (which is the eternal recurrence); on the other hand, Hegel understands the death of God as the Absolute’s confrontation with its negation (death), and Aufhebung (the negation of negation). While Derrida’s notion of the death of God cannot be reduced simply to either a Nietzschean or Hegelian interpretation, it draws heavily from Nietzsche’s eternal recurrence and Hegel’s Aufhebung. This paper discusses how, for Derrida, a simple denial or negation of God is never accomplished because it leaves behind an evacuated and empty space, which opens up the possibility for a more complicated notion of the death of God. This complicated death of God consists in an undecidable play between life/death understood correctly in relation to différance and the trace, to mourning and sacrifice
Ginhawa as Ethic of Panatà: Body Politics and the Devotion to the Black Nazarene
Get PDFOperating within the ambiguity of the sacred and the secular, the devotion to the Black Nazarene in Quiapo is expressed in the different body performances and prayers directed towards the poón (image). These devotions, narratives, and norms make possible not only the performance, but also the celebration and repetition of faith experiences mediated by the body. The paper investigates the linguistic and body performances that makes possible one of the most attended religious performances in the Philippines in three parts. The first part looks into the body dynamics involved when participating in the devotion to the Black Nazarene. On the one hand, it discusses paghalik (to kiss) and paghawak (to touch) as the desire to concretely and sincerely engage the divine; on the other hand, it looks into pagyayapak (to go barefoot) and paglalakad ng paluhod (to walk on bended knees) as mimesis understood as imitation (imitation). Within the bigger picture of the devotion discussed in the first part, the second part enlarges the body positioning involved in the traslacion in terms of pagpasan (to carry) and pagsalang (to immerse). These performances intimates Aristotle’s hexis and Pierre Bourdieu’s ‘feel for the game’ that makes possible interpreting rhythmic movement and action as an ethos (ethics). The third part resituates these body/linguistic performances directed towards the Black Nazarene in relation to the ‘constant negotiation’ involved for the devotees’ daily life understood as the Filipino passion for ginhawa. In doing so, it locates the performance of the devotion in the context of everyday work life (as hanap-buhay), but also in the celebration of sacrifice (as pagtawad) and forgiveness (as patawad)
Incomprehension or resistance? : the Markan disciples and the narrative logic of Mark 4:1—8:30
No full textThe characterization of the Markan disciples has been and continues to be the object of much scholarly reflection and speculation. For many, the Markan author’s presentation of Jesus’ disciples holds a key, if not the key, to unlocking the purpose and function of the gospel as a whole. Commentators differ as to whether the Markan disciples ultimately serve a pedagogical or polemical function, yet they are generally agreed that the disciples in Mark come off rather badly, especially when compared to their literary counterparts in Matthew, Luke, and John.
This narrative-critical study considers the characterization of the Markan disciples within the Sea Crossing movement (Mark 4:1–8:30). While commentators have, on the whole, interpreted the disciples’ negative characterization in this movement in terms of lack of faith and/or incomprehension, neither of these, nor a combination of the two, fully accounts for the severity of language leveled against the disciples by the narrator (6:52) and Jesus (8:17–18). Taking as its starting point an argument by Jeffrey B. Gibson (1986) that the harshness of Jesus’ rebuke in Mark 8:14–21 is occasioned not by the disciples’ lack of faith or incomprehension but by their active resistance to his Gentile mission, this investigation uncovers additional examples of the disciples’ resistance to Gentile mission, offering a better account of their negative portrayal within the Sea Crossing movement and helping explain many of their other failures.
In short, this study argues that in Mark 4:1–8:26, the disciples are characterized as resistant to Jesus’ Gentile mission and to their participation in that mission, the chief consequence being that they are rendered incapable of recognizing Jesus’ vocational identity as Israel’s Messiah (Thesis A). This leads to a secondary thesis, namely, that in Mark 8:27–30, Peter’s recognition of Jesus’ messianic identity indicates that the disciples have finally come to accept Jesus’ Gentile mission and their participation in it (Thesis B).
“Chapter One: Introduction” offers a selective review of scholarly treatments of the Markan disciples, which shows that few scholars attribute resistance, let alone purposeful resistance, to the disciples.
“Chapter Two: The Rhetoric of Repetition” introduces the methodological tools, concepts, and perspectives employed in the study. It includes a section on narrative criticism, which focuses upon the story-as-discoursed and the implied author and reader, and a section on Construction Grammar, a branch of cognitive linguistics founded by Charles Fillmore and further developed by Paul Danove, which focuses upon semantic and narrative frames and case frame analysis.
“Chapter Three: The Sea Crossing Movement, Mark 4:1–8:30” addresses the question of Markan structure and argues that Mark 4:1–8:30 comprises a single, unified, narrative movement, whose action and plot is oriented to the Sea of Galilee and whose most distinctive feature is the network of sea crossings that transport Jesus and his disciples back and forth between Jewish and Gentile geopolitical spaces.
Following William Freedman, “Chapter Four: The Literary Motif” introduces two criteria (frequency and avoidability) for determining objectively what constitutes a literary motif and provides the methodological basis and starting point for the analyses performed in chapters five and six.
“Chapter Five: The Sea Crossing Motif” establishes and then carries out a lengthy narrative analysis of the Sea Crossing motif, which is oriented around Mark’s use of θάλασσα (thalassa) and πλοῖον (ploion), and “Chapter Six: The Loaves Motif” does the same for The Loaves motif, oriented around Mark’s use of ἄρτος (artos).
Finally, “Chapter Seven: The Narrative Logic of the Disciples (In)comprehension” draws together all narrative, linguistic, and exegetical insights of the previous chapters and offers a single coherent reading of the Sea Crossing movement that establishes Theses A and B.
Other endings of Mark as responses to Mark : an ideological-critical investigation into the longer and the shorter ending of Mark's Gospel
Get PDFThe Longer Ending and the Shorter Ending of Mark's Gospel are the ancient Markan readers' responses to Mark's Gospel. This leads us to the question of how the authors of these endings read their Mark's Gospel. These endings reflect the ideologies of their authors. The ideologies are related to the interests of the author or the authorial community (ideological primary group), and are embedded within the text. The Longer and the Shorter Ending were produced within a social context where the matter of apostolic authoritative leadership was a sensitive issue. A potential conflict is found in many contemporary texts from the NT and the extra- canonical texts, especially with regard to the apostolic authority of Mary Magdalene and Peter. Their struggles for apostolic authority are often found in the post-Easter narrative context. The assumed ideological primary community of the Longer Ending is Pro- Magdalene. It acknowledged Mary Magdalene as its authoritative leader who enjoyed apostolic authority especially over Peter. This community was interested in mission, and re-authenticated the mission of the Eleven. The LE provides a certain guideline for the qualification of leadership in the LE's community, which is the visual experience of the resurrected Jesus. The assumed ideological primary community of the Shorter Ending is Pro- Petrine. It was in favour of Peter, and suggested him as holding authoritative apostolic authority. This community wanted to clarify the resurrection of Jesus, and emended the empty tomb narrative of Mark's Gospel. It was also interested in mission, and the authority of disciples, especially that of Peter, in their performing mission tasks is highlighted in the Shorter Ending
Shortcomings in the market for developing country debt
Get PDFThe author recommends ways of improving incentives for developing countries to repay future loans : 1) by finding ways to increase the penalties for default, or making the penalties more certain. This would increase the debtor countries'willingness to pay, which would benefit all parties, 2) by studying how to use existing multinational and international organizations to increase the flow of relevant information to potential creditors, 3) by increasing precommitment of funds through increased penalties for default and other approaches. IMF contingency programs are already used extensively to establish some form of precommitment. Further use of international organizations along these lines may be possible. Mutually beneficial contracts are not currently possible because precommitment is not enforceable.Environmental Economics&Policies,Financial Intermediation,Economic Adjustment and Lending,Banks&Banking Reform,Economic Theory&Research
Marriage and Conjugal Sex: Paul’s “Marriage Debt” and Kant’s “Conjugal Rights”
Get PDFThe Code of Canon Law states that sex is a requisite for the consummation of a marriage but that the conjugal act must be performed in a “human way.” Divided into three parts, this paper investigates the place of hum an sex in a consummated marriage by looking into the Pauline understanding of the “marriage debt” found in 1 Corinthians 7 and the Kantian notion of “conjugal rights.” The first part is an exegesis of Paul’s texts suggesting that a couple are obligated by a certain debt to provide for the sexual gratification of their partners. The second part discusses implications of t he Kantian principle of humanity in marriage and sexual activity. For Kant, marriage is a contract that includes the exchange of rights of access to the body. By explicating Paul’s and Kant’s understanding of the relationship between marriage and sex, the paper provides a better understanding of the place and r ole of human se x in a consummated marriage
Increasing author counts in neurosurgical journals from 1980 to 2020
No full textOBJECTIVE: Scientific productivity, as assessed by publication volume, is a common metric by which the academic neurosurgical field assesses its members. The number of authors per peer-reviewed article has been observed to increase over time across a broad range of medical specialties. This study provides an update to this trend in the neurosurgical literature. METHODS: All publications from January 1, 1980, to April 30, 2020, were queried from four neurosurgical journals: Neurosurgery, Journal of Neurosurgery (JNS), JNS: Pediatrics, and JNS: Spine. Publication information was acquired from the National Center for Biotechnology Information Entrez database and reconciled with the Scopus database. Publication type was limited to articles and excluded editorials, letters, and reviews. The number of authors and affiliation counts were determined based on structured abstract fields provided in the two databases. RESULTS: Between January 1, 1980, and April 30, 2020, the overall increase in author count for the four neurosurgical journals was 0.12 to 0.18 authors per year (p \u3c 0.001). For Neurosurgery, the mean (SD) author count increased from 2.81 (1.4) in 1980-1985 to 7.97 (4.92) in 2016-2020 (p \u3c 0.001). For the JNS, the mean (SD) author count increased from 2.82 (1.04) in 1980-1985 to 7.6 (3.65) in 2016-2020 (p \u3c 0.001). The percentage of articles with more than 10 authors increased from 0.2% to 22.3% in Neurosurgery and from 1.9% to 17.5% in JNS. Only 28% of the author count variation was explained by an increasing number of institutional or departmental affiliations. CONCLUSIONS: Author counts for peer-reviewed articles in neurosurgical academic journals have increased significantly during the past 4 decades, with large increases in the numbers of articles with more than 10 authors in the past 5 years. A total of 28% of the variation in this increase can be explained by an increase in multiinstitutional or multidepartmental studies
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