Soliloquy of Pneuma. Life is a Story - story.one


Book Description

Will you ever be able to find out who lives inside your house of thoughts? Do you claim to be alive by the criteria of existence or do you merely breathe? Reframe of Mind: Ennui opens doors to discourses on the perception of reality, the idea of interweaving threads of life and, primarily, the myriad thalassic layers of the ocean of our very own consciousness. This "true" version of the original work not only includes an extra chapter, but also features a completely revamped story that adds depth and intrigue. Additionally, readers will be delighted to find vibrantly designed coloured pages interspersed between each chapter.




Pneuma and Realized Eschatology in the Book of Wisdom


Book Description

The Book of Wisdom's understanding of Israel's history, of contemporary politics and of the immortal fate of the persecuted sage can be understood to be part of one theological system. This system integrates texts and concepts from Jewish Wisdom, the biblical narratives of the patriarchs from Adam to Moses, eschatological hope and apocalyptic language, an understanding of the spirit of God in the enabling of prophets and leaders and, most distinctively, the Stoic concept of pneuma. This last concept unites the biblical resources and allows Wisdom, using eschatological language, to speak of the ordering of the cosmos for the judgement for the wicked and the exaltation of God's people in the present age.Matthew Edwards addresses first the question of the literary unity of Wisdom. This is followed by an examination of the differing uses of the term pneuma within Wisdom, that is as divine agent of salvation, the means of the ordering the cosmos and the substance from which souls are composed. The nature of personal salvation within Wisdom is also considered and shown to be an integral part of the understanding of the cosmos, ordered for judgement and exaltation. Finally, this notion of the ordering of the comos and history for God's people is discussed with its consequences for Jewish life under contemporary Hellenistic and Roman rule.




The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind


Book Description

National Book Award Finalist: “This man’s ideas may be the most influential, not to say controversial, of the second half of the twentieth century.”—Columbus Dispatch At the heart of this classic, seminal book is Julian Jaynes's still-controversial thesis that human consciousness did not begin far back in animal evolution but instead is a learned process that came about only three thousand years ago and is still developing. The implications of this revolutionary scientific paradigm extend into virtually every aspect of our psychology, our history and culture, our religion—and indeed our future. “Don’t be put off by the academic title of Julian Jaynes’s The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind. Its prose is always lucid and often lyrical…he unfolds his case with the utmost intellectual rigor.”—The New York Times “When Julian Jaynes . . . speculates that until late in the twentieth millennium BC men had no consciousness but were automatically obeying the voices of the gods, we are astounded but compelled to follow this remarkable thesis.”—John Updike, The New Yorker “He is as startling as Freud was in The Interpretation of Dreams, and Jaynes is equally as adept at forcing a new view of known human behavior.”—American Journal of Psychiatry




"It is the Spirit that Gives Life"


Book Description

Since Origen and Chrysostom, John's Gospel has been valued as the most spiritual among the New Testament writings. Although Origen recognizes the Stoic character of John's statement that "God is pneuma" (4:24), an examination of the gospel in light of Stoic physics has not yet been carried out. Combining her insight into Stoic physics and ancient physiology, the author situates her thesis in the major discussions of modern Johannine scholarship- e.g. the role of the Baptist and the function of the Johannine signs- and demonstrates new solutions to well-known problems. The Stoic study of the Fourth Gospel reveals a coherent narrative tied together by the spirit. The problem with which John's Gospel wrestles is not the identity of Jesus, but the transition from the Son of God to the next generation of divinely begotten children: how did it come about? A reading carried out from a Stoic perspective points to the translation of the risen body of Jesus into spirit as the decisive event. The provision of the spirit is a precondition of the divine generation of believers. Both events are explained by Stoic theory which allows of a transformation of fleshly elements into pneuma and of multiple fatherhood. In fact, in his Commentary on John, Origen described Jesus' ascension as an event of anastoixei sis, which is the Stoic term for the transformation of heavily elements into lighter and pneumatic ones.




Genesis in the New Testament


Book Description

Genesis in the New Testament brings together a set of specially commissioned studies by authors who are experts in the field. After an introductory chapter on the use of Genesis in the Dead Sea Scrolls and second temple literature, each of the New Testament books that contain quotations from Genesis are discussed: Matthew, Mark, Luke-Acts, John, Paul, Deutero-Paul, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter and Jude, Revelation. The book provides an overview of the status, role and function of Genesis in the first century. It considers the Greek and Hebrew manuscript traditions and offers insights into the various hermeneutical stances of the New Testament authors and the development of New Testament theology. The book follows on from acclaimed volumes considering Isaiah, Deuteronomy and the Minor Prophets in a similar manner.




John and Philosophy


Book Description

This work provides a new Stoic reading of the Fourth Gospel with particular attention to its cosmology, epistemology, and ethics.




The Conceptual Worlds of the Fourth Gospel


Book Description

Over, under, and through John's story of Jesus are unforgettable ideas and concepts, profoundly simple and simply profound, for the author's own audience and beyond. These ideas did not originate in a vacuum. They have recurred and been repeated before and after the writing of the Fourth Gospel. For this reason we will examine the meaning of its words and themes in the context of its Jewish-Greco-Roman milieu. Much of our intertextual understanding will be derived from alleged parallels that involve comparisons of similar vocabulary and phrases, as well as parallel concepts and images from the Old Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo, and other relevant writings. Such parallels will help to determine the meaning of a word or expression, the translation of a particular language, determining any direct influences upon the Fourth Gospel, parallel traditions, or the influence of its ideas, as a creative and inspiring work of later antiquity.




Be Seated


Book Description

Better than a newspaper. Better than your usual reading material. Better than contemplating your kneecaps. Why be bored? Why be alone in there? This delightful book of short stories is brimming with amazing tales of humour, adventure, crime, love, horror, science fiction, fantasy and chance. The short stories and monologues in this book are snapshots of experiences, thoughts, people and places. They are just the right length to be read at a sitting and suit that most lonely of personal occasions. Enjoy some light entertaining reading whilst nature takes its course. You know it makes sense. Take your pick. Book reviews online: PublishedBestsellers website.




Women in the Wings


Book Description

Solidly rooted in the biblical story, gifted with creative imagination, and acutely aware of issues faced by people today, Pastor Jacqueline Sharer Robertson brings women of the Bible to life in ways that strengthen our relationships with God and one another. These sermons will inspire preachers to greater creativity and imagination. George G. Carlson Bishop, South-Central Synod of Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Turn ordinary sermons into memorable occasions with this set of 20 dramatic monologues that can be used by female pastors, lay speakers, or other worship leaders. Women In The Wings highlights the role of women in the Christian story, as scripture passages are brought to life and interpreted by the women who were there. Each monologue tells the story of a biblical character, or of someone who might have witnessed the biblical narrative unfold. Women In The Wings provides a user-friendly approach to communicating the gospel through drama -- each thought-provoking monologue comes with theological reflections ("Making It Preach") plus staging instructions and performance tips ("Making It Play") that makes it accessible for anyone. And this material isn't just for use in worship -- it's also great for women's retreats or as discussion starters for Bible study. If you let the women in these monologues share the pulpit with you, together you'll preach the Word in fresh and meaningful ways. Robertson brings together her experience as an actor with her years as a pastor to create narratives which ring true to life. Sophisticated understandings of scripture, theology, and human nature are expressed in simple, natural language. At the same time, careful and critical attention to the biblical text and engaging communication of the gospel give these monologues integrity. Ruth Duck Professor of Worship Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary Jacqueline Sharer Robertson is the pastor of Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. She previously served congregations in Illinois and Wisconsin, and has also been a writer, performer, and community organizer. Robertson holds degrees from Illinois Wesleyan University (B.F.A. in musical theatre) and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (M.Div.).




The Existential Jesus


Book Description

Upending Christianity's popular notion of Jesus the comforter, the good shepherd, the Lord, and the Savior, this completely new exploration of Mark's Life of Jesus reexamines the image presented in this earliest of the New Testament gospels—the mysterious stranger, the singular, abandoned, and solitary figure—and rethinks the current role of Western culture through a radically altered view of Christianity. The existential Jesus has no interest in sin, and his focus is not on an afterlife. He is anti–church, anti–establishment, anti–family, and anti–community; a teacher, with himself his only student, he gestures enigmatically from within his own torturous experience, inviting the reader to walk in his shoes and ask the question, Who am I? This book argues that Jesus is the West's great teacher on the nature of being. Incorporating a new translation of the Gospel of Mark from its original Greek, this radical reinterpretation identifies the philosophical and cultural significance of Jesus in the modern world, based on his life, actions, and reflections.




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