A Royal Isaianic Servant of YHWH?

In this article I argue that the Isaianic Servant of YHWH is a non-royal figure. The main arguments are as follows. The form of Isa 42,1-4, the motifs of 42,1 and the projected role of the servant in relation to justice do not support the idea that the servant is a royal figure. Likewise, in Isa 61,1-3, the portrait drawn is that of a prophetic figure with a speaking ministry. The servant of Isaiah 40-55 and the Davidic ruler of Isaiah 9, 11 and 16 cannot be equated, for the servant’s proclamatory role precedes the founding of God’s kingdom, whereas the role of the Davidic ruler is as enforcer of justice within the consummated kingdom. The focus in Isaiah 40-66 is on God as the King who liberates his people and redeems Zion and this leaves to the servant the prophetic roles of speaking and suffering as agent of the Divine King.     

The Book of Job – The Cyclical Progression of the Aporia

ABSTRACT

This article explores the relation between aesthetics and theology in the Book of Job. The overall aim of the article is to explain the relationship between centre and periphery (poetry and prose) and its significance for the theology of the book. The article claims that Job's problem is not the attainment of wisdom but how to reconcile wisdom with suffering—how to relate to suffering. And this theological theme is propagated through aesthetics—including stylistic, narrative, compositional and structural features.

It is impossible to point out a preferential reading in the Book of Job because of the fundamental and structural dissonance of the text. This destabilized, ambiguous, paradoxical, ironical and dissonance-producing text is the hermeneutical starting point. Qua dissonance-producing text this feature is used as foundation for the interpretative task. And to get a comprehensive grip on the book two instruments are used: the literary and compositional means are analyzed, and the structural elements are evaluated in their relation between frame and centre. Following this line of interpretation reveals that the stylistic differences of the work manifest crucial theological distinctions. In the book of Job, shape and aesthetics are meaning and theology.     

How Many Chapters Does the “Yasna of the Seven Chapters” Have?

This article argues that the Avestan text Yasna Hapta?hāiti (“Yasna of the seven chapters”) was not originally divided into seven chapters. It was divided into three parts that were not considered hāitis (chapters) in the same way as the gathic hāitis. The division of the Yasna Hapta?hāiti into seven parts and its corresponding title is based on the arrangement of the Old Avestan texts. These texts try to reproduce the structure of the prayer Ahuna Vairiia; three verses with two hemistichs each correspond to three pairs of compositions with 7, 4 four and 1 hāiti each of the Old Avestan texts.     

“Count What You Have Now. Don't Count What You Don't Have”: The Japanese Television Drama Around 40 and the Politics of Women's Happiness

Voted top new Japanese word of 2008, “arafô”, abbreviated from the English “around forty”, has been used in various media to describe women born between 1964 and 1973, who came of age during Japan's Bubble Era, and who entered the workforce as the country's Equal Employment Opportunity Lawwas being implemented in 1986. Arafô, or “forty-something women”, theoretically have more choices in relation to work and family than previous generations. During a time when society is ageing, their choices in employment, marriage and childbirth have been judged in journalistic and government discourses to be both progressive and problematic. At the same time, arafô have been associated with difficulties regarding individual freedom in the spate of television programs, books and magazines for and about them. The term and the gender trends it encapsulates were brought to national attention by the critically acclaimed 2008 television drama Araundo 40: Chûmon no ôi onnatachi (trans. Around 40: Demanding Women). We situate Around 40 in discussions about Japan's demographic crisis to argue that the series presents a wide array of life courses available for women near age 40 but ultimately recasts postwar gender roles for the 21^st-century sociopolitical climate. Around 40 shows how the diversification of life courses is interpreted in the influential medium of television drama.     

A Reevaluation of the Kesil’s Image in the Book of Qohelet

Abstract

During the early stages of its evolution, the book of Kings was a history narrative uninfluenced by Deuteronomy. Later, as the scroll ceased to express an interpretation of the past—that is to say, ceased to be a history narrative—it began to reflect a literary dialogue with Deuteronomy. At no point in time was Kings both Deuteronomistic and a history, and it was not, therefore, a component of Martin Noth’s hypothetical Deuteronomistic History. Rather, the pre-canonical scroll is best defined as an anthology, or “reader,” of fanciful stories about fallible nebi’im (prophets and kings) who find themselves in relationship with a fallible patron god. Ironically, because Kings was preserved as sacred literature, its god has been reconceptualized, against the plain sense of the text, as a reliable, just, and compassionate patron god.     

Discovering Harbours? Reflection on the State and Development of Landing Site Studies in the Baltic Sea Region

For the study and understanding of the structure and use of the ancient landscape and the maritime aspects of society, landing sites are one of the most sought after and discussed antiquities in the cultural landscape. Methodologically, in locating the places for landing, looking at their context, such as the prehistoric landscape, has been given a high priority throughout the history of research and landing sites are presumed to have existed in the vicinity of several material and non-material indicators of maritime presence. However, as the category of landing sites and their nature have not been properly defined, such indiscriminate designation based purely on circumstantial evidence poses serious problems. This paper evaluates research into landing sites in the Baltic Sea region, scrutinising terminological and methodological approaches used and suggests a way forward.     

The Honours Year—A Reflection on the Experience from Four Former Students

An honours year is an introduction to new relationships with supervisors, fellow students, research participants and, importantly, yourself. This paper is based upon the experiences of four former Australian honours students who felt there was a distinct lack of guidance for first-time researchers in the available academic literature. In this paper, we explore the research experiences, processes and relationships that characterize the honours year including, working with theoretical frameworks and the student–supervisor relationship, providing examples from our own experience. We conclude by considering the ethical implications of the research and the power and ethical obligations of the researcher.     

A Review of “Inventing the Job of President: Leadership Style from George Washington to Andrew Jackson”

Howell, William G. Power Without Persuasion: The Politics of Direct Presidential Action. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003. Pp. xx, 239. $45.00 hardbound, $19.95 softbound.

Lewis, David E. Presidents and the Politics of Agency Design. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2003. Pp. xiii, 224. $45.00 hardbound.

Rudalevige, Andrew. Managing the President's Program: Presidential Leadership and Legislative Policy Formulation. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2002. Pp. xiii, 274. $60.00 hardbound, $18.95 softbound.     

A Review of “Primary Politics: How the Presidential Candidates Have Shaped the Modern Nominating System”

Arnold, Peri E. Making the Managerial Presidency: Comprehensive Reorganization Planning 1906-1980. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1986. Pp. xiv, 374. $37.50.

Edwards, George C. Ill, Steven A. Shull, and Norman C. Thomas, eds. The Presidency and Public Policy Making. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1985. Pp. xix, 227. Hardbound $24.95; softbound $9.95.

Pfiffner, James P., ed. The President and Economic Policy. Pittsburgh, PA: Institute for the Study of Human Issues, 1986. Pp. x, 271. Hardbound $35.00; softbound $14.95.     

A Report on the British Premiere of Death of Yazdgerd: A Cross-cultural Adaptation?

In the spring semester of 2010, the students of the module “Non Western Performances” at Loughborough University were directed by Sudipto Chatterjee to stage the UK premiere of Bahram Beyzaie's canonical play, Death of Yazdgerd (1979). The play, which was initially supposed to be a student-led workshop as part of the module's practice, took a life of its own and turned into a full-blown production. The production consisted of all the registered students of the module who formed the cast and the crew, the main tutor and director Sudipto Chatterjee, the co-tutor and dramaturge Proshot Kalam) and the two technical tutors (Dave Hill and Mark Simpson). The present essay is an attempt to analyze the cross-cultural aspects and the practical approaches undertaken by the crew for the production of the play.     

Does the Law and the Constitution of the Family Have to Change?

The law and constitution of the family has been targeted for transformation in recent years, leading most notably to the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, mandating same-sex marriage as a matter of constitutional law. In this essay I undertake a thought experiment, asking how advocates of traditional marriage ought to want the law of marriage to change in light of this development. I begin by reviewing the argument for legal change sketched by Aquinas and then applying it to developments concerning marriage in modern America. Next I sketch the natural-law argument on behalf of traditional marriage. Finally, I turn to the case of Michael H. v. Gerald D., in which the Supreme Court upheld a statutory reiteration of the common-law presumption that the husband of the mother is the father of her child, against a challenge from the biological father, suggesting that this case, long admired by conservatives, needs to be reconsidered—and that the dissent in the recent Indian Adoption Case recognizing a constitutional right of biological parents might prove useful to the restoration of marriage law.     

A Good Job for a Girl? The Career Biographies of Women Graduates of the University of Liverpool Post-1945

The opponents of women’s higher education in the nineteenthcentury feared that a university education for women would radicallyalter the ‘separate spheres’ and ultimately leadto a sexual revolution. This article suggests that in termsof the career biographies of university-educated women, theyneed not have feared. Drawing on a range of data sources, thearticle documents the limited, gendered career options thatfaced graduate women post-1945, despite the increase in botheducational and employment opportunities. There remained astoundingpersistence in sexist assumptions about women’s life-plans;even for the academic elite, the role of wife and mother wasnever lost sight of. Graduate women negotiated the labour marketwithin the confines of a discourse that emphasized a ‘goodjob for a girl’ as opposed to a career for a woman.     

The Future of the Murray River: Amenity Re‐Considered?

Most efforts to restore environmental flows to the Murray River assume that it means resolving a dilemma between two competing needs: those of the environment and those of agriculturalists. This paper provides evidence to show amenity is also important, it is not being adequately considered, and that this, in turn, is impeding efforts to restore environmental flows. The paper contains a literature review of a number of studies which, when combined, show that the importance of amenity (tourism, recreation and lifestyle) is of similar scale (has significant economic value and community support) to productive values. Three case studies show that community concerns about loss of amenity values have impeded restoration programs despite evidence that existing practices are causing environmental damage. The debate about water use in the Murray is clearly not simply one between environment and production but also one involving lifestyles. The challenge is to better understand the nature and scale of amenity and its relationship to other natural resource management issues.     

To Have and to Hold? Recent Research on the State of Preservation of the Roman Fort of Fectio (Municipality of Bunnik), the Netherlands

The transformation of the Roman fort of Fectio was seized upon to gain insight into the factors that determine the degradation of metal finds and the relationship with different forms of land use. The research showed no difference in the preservation of metal finds from different burial contexts, including disturbed contexts. A possible explanation for the good condition of the metal finds is the presence of organic waste and building material that, together with the clayey soil, create an ideal burial environment for non-ferrous metals.