Journal articles on the topic 'Bible, sermons, n. t'

For at least a century the Bible played a significant, positive role in Native American letters starting with the eighteenth-century writings of Samson Occom. A product of the Great Awakening, Occom’s engagements with the Bible resembled those of other Protestant thinkers and writers of his time, although his sermons were sometimes specifically tailored for Indian audiences and topics. After Occom, Indian authors in the nineteenth century such as Elias Boudinot and William Apess drew upon the Bible to make arguments against removal and “scientific racism.” In the twentieth century writers like Zitkala-Ša and Charles Alexander Eastman cast a critical eye on Christianity and reconsidered the virtues of traditionalism. John G. Neihardt’s Black Elk Speaks (1932) was the century’s fullest literary depiction of a traditional religion, but it came at the cost of concealing Black Elk’s actual religion, Catholicism. During the 1960s and 70s oral tradition was privileged over sacred scripture, as seen in N. Scott Momaday’s House Made of Dawn (1968). While the Bible makes fewer appearances than it used to in Native American literature, it would be premature to suggest that Christianity is finished in Indian country.

A practical theological model for the relationship Old Testament/New TestamentFor all Christians the Bible consists of the Old and New Testament. The relationship, however, between these two parts is a hermeneutic-theological problem which confronts the communicative praxis of the Christian faith. Therefore it is necessary to develop a hermeneutic-theological theory for Christians which can serve as a paradigm within which the texts of the Old as well as that of the New Testament may regard as equal authoritative Word of God. As far as this study is concerned, there is but one approach only which can achieve this and that is a theocentric approach to both Testaments. A theocentric approach to the relationship Old Testament/New Testament, a) is capable of treating both Testaments as equal authoritative Word of God, b) prevents the practice of "two-sermons-in-one-sermon" in an attempt to make the message of the Old Testament more Christian like, c) is especially capable of communicating the message of the Old Testament in the communicative praxis of the Christian community and the modern society without reading by force Christ into the Old Testament.

AbstractThere was a time when the interpretation of the Bible was a seamless integrated theological activity. Today, the separation of biblical studies from theologically interested exegesis amongst theologians encourages a sceptical arms-length relationship between Old and New Testament scholars and theologians. Theologians criticise biblical studies' so-called objective and disinterested approach to interpreting the Bible for requiring scholars of both testaments to suspend their theological convictions. Biblical scholars condemn theologians for misusing biblical texts in support of their own preconceived theological agendas. The article suggests a way to bring these divergent exegetical approaches into conversation in a charitable, yet critical fashion, by comparing Karl Barth and N. T. Wright's exegesis of Romans 3:21–4:25. It concludes that the biblical scholar's and theologian's respective sensitivity to the historical and theological sense of the biblical text can, when brought together, benefit each other's reading of the Bible.

AbstractThe standard medieval view of New Testament Apocrypha was that they were Christian writings (related to matters treated in the canonical books of the Bible), which had to be treated with caution and often dismissed as heretical. A list of the Apocrypha figured in the [Pseudo-]Gelasian Decree. In the Renaissance, for authors such as Lèfevre d'Etaples, Nicholas Gerbel and many others, the term assumed a multiplicity of meanings, both positive and negative. This article shows that although no attempts were made in the early 16th century to bring N. T. Apocrypha together into a corpus, the editors' ambivalent and complex attitude to texts such as the Laodiceans or Paul's Correspondence with Seneca led to their definitive marginalisation and encouraged their subsequent publication (by Fabricius and others) as corpora of dubious writings.

Michaela Bauks réfléchit sur le mal, un thème évoqué dans la Bible en même temps que la création du monde. Le récit biblique dit de la chute en Gn 2–3 traite certes d’une quête ambivalente de la connaissance du bien et du mal mais ne parle pas encore de péché, ni même de péché originel, comme cela est devenu un lieu commun depuis Augustin. En revanche, un terme hébreu pour « péché », ḥaṭṭaṯ , n’apparaît que dans le récit de Caïn et Abel (Gn 4). Ce concept ne signifie ni une faute concrète, ni un adversaire tel que le serpent ou le diable selon une conception dualiste, ni une attitude humaine. Le péché est plutôt la perversion de l’ordre de la vie qui devrait être orientée vers une justice connective. Il désigne une interférence dans l’ordre de la création et la conséquence de mauvais choix qui font échouer la cohabitation des humains.

The subject of the study is such a phenomenon in the cult architecture of the Near East region (Levant, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Elam) as the erection of stelae. Special attention is paid to the semantics of stelae, which had a sacred meaning for ancient people. The purpose of the research is to identify the main functions and meanings characteristic of such a typological unit in the architecture of the Near East as the stela (stele). The relevance of the research is determined by the development of interdisciplinary discourse in this issue among domestic (N. Ya. Merpet, E. V. Antonova, A. B. Zubov, T. V. Kornienko, V. V. Emelianov) and foreign (J. Mellaart, K. Schmidt) scientists. The scientific research of the article is based on the architectural-ontological research method: analysis of architectural objects (Göbekli Tepe, Nevali Çori) with the identification of typological and compositional features, analysis of literary sources in the form of sacred texts (the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Bible) with the identification of the semantic field of meanings. The novelty of the study is determined by the identification of the architectural and ontological role of stelae in the ancient architecture of the region. As a result of the study, a number of basic semantic meanings and functions characteristic of such a typological unit in the architectural tradition of the Near East as the stela (stele) are given. These conclusions can be applied in such areas of the humanities as history, philosophy, cultural studies, religious studies, art history, architecture, archeology and other sciences.

Language contact in translation: The initial stage in the development of the definite article in the light of the Gothic text of the Bible. Summary: Definiteness (weak determination) is a characteristic of grammatical constructions whose base is a name, and whose formative is an article (a weak determiner). In definiteness, we distinguish between exponents (which are formatives of the mentioned grammatical constructions), e.g. the, a(n), functives (or determinants), and formal values (viz. definite, indefinite, and bare). Functives are the factors which, at the stage of encoding, determine the occurrence of particular exponents. They are either formal (e.g. the target role of the article as an exponent of nominalization) or logico-semantic. The latter make a system whose components are the actual scope values of a countable common name, viz. α1 = unique, α2 = identifying, β = free, γ1 = universal, γ2 = existential, and δ = species-oriented. They correspond to the subsets of the scope of the name which, at the stage of encoding, are those to be conveyed in the message, and, at the stage of decoding, are recognized as actually conveyed. The types of functives mentioned are applied to the analysis of the use of the simple demonstrative sa (m.), sō (f.), þata (n.) ‘this, that’ in the Gothic translation of the Bible. It is shown that this demonstrative can be qualified as an article or article-like determiner when it appears as (a) an exponent of co-reference, i.e. when the actual scope value of the name it precedes is α2 (identifying), e.g. hundafaþs … sa hundafaþs ‘a centurion … the centurion’ (b) an exponent of nominalization, e.g. sa saiands ‘the (one) sowing’, ‘the sower’, and as (c) an element connecting the components of an appositive construction, e.g. sunus meins sa liuba ‘my son the beloved (one)’. Such types of the use of the demonstrative are treated as the initial stage in the development of the definite article in Gothic. It is probable that in a similar way, and especially as an exponent of co-reference, this article started to develop also in other languages. The influence of the Greek original upon the use of the Gothic simple demonstrative as a counterpart of the definite article ὁ, ἡ, τό is indubitable but it is not so strong as to violate the morpho-semantic rules of Gothic. Thus, in the case of the actual scope value α1 (unique) and γ1 (universal), a simple name in Gothic is preceded by the zero determiner although (but not always) in the Greek original it is accompanied by the definite article, e.g. in the case of α1: sauil ὁ ἥλιοϛ ‘the sun’, and in the case of γ1: skalks ὁ δοῦλος ‘the servant’. S t r e s z c z e n i e: Określoność słaba (ang. definiteness) przysługuje konstrukcji gramatycznej, której podstawą (bazą) jest nazwa, a formatywem ‒ określnik słaby, czyli adimek (ang. article), którego odmianą jest przedimek. Na określoność słabą składają się wykładniki (które są formatywami we wspomnianych konstrukcjach gramatycznych), np. ang. the, a(n), funktywy (czyli determinanty) i wartości formalne (mianowicie: określona, nieokreślona i zero-określnikowa). Funktywy to czynniki, które w procesie kodowania determinują występowanie poszczególnych wykładników. Dzielą się one na formalne (np. docelowa rola przedimka jako wykładnika nominalizacji) i logiczno-semantyczne. Te ostatnie stanowią system, na który składają się aktualne wartości zakresowe pospolitej nazwy policzalnej, a mianowicie: α1 = unikatowa, α2 = identyfikująca, β = wolna, γ1 = uniwersalna, γ2 = egzystencjalna i δ = rodzajowa/gatunkowa. Odpowiadają one podzbiorom zakresu nazwy, które na etapie kodowania występują jako docelowe, a na etapie dekodowania są rozpoznawane jako faktycznie obecne. Wymienione rodzaje funktywów są wykorzystane do analizy użycia demonstrativum prostego sa, sō, þata ‘ten, ta, to’, ‘tamten, tamata, tamto’ w gockim przekładzie Biblii. Ukazano, że to demonstrativum ma tu charakter przedimkowy lub przedimkopodobny, gdy występuje jako (a) wykładnik współodniesienia (koreferncji), czyli gdy aktualną wartością zakresową nazwy jest α2 (identyfikująca), np. hundafaþs … sa hundafaþs ‘setnik … (ten) setnik’ (b) wykładnik nominalizacji, np. sa saiands ‘[ten] siejący’, ‘siewca’, oraz (c) element łączący składniki konstrukcji apozycyjnej, np. sunus meins sa liuba ‘syn mój [ten] umiłowany’. Tego rodzaju użycia demonstrativum traktowane są jako początkowy etap rozwoju przedimka określonego w gockim. Jest prawdopodobne, że w podobny sposób, a szczególnie jako wykładnik współodniesienia, przedimek ten zaczął się rozwijać także w innych językach. Wpływ oryginału greckiego na użycie demonstrativum jako odpowiednika przedimka określonego ὁ, ἡ, τό jest niewątpliwy, lecz nie tak silny, aby gwałcić reguły morfosemantyczne języka gockiego, o czym świadczy fakt, że w przypadku aktualnej wartości zakresowej α1 (unikatowej) i γ1 (uniwersalnej) nazwę prostą poprzedza w gockim określnik zerowy, mimo że (choć nie zawsze) w greckim oryginale występuje przedimek określony, np. w przypadku α1: sauil ὁ ἥλιοϛ ‘słońce’, a w przypadku γ1: skalks ὁ δοῦλος ‘sługa’.

The article analyzes the evolution of the idea of human mind and feelings correlation in the history of Ukrainian philosophical thought from pre-Christian times till modern times. It is proved that this idea has a long tradition in the history of Ukrainian culture and its components – religion, philosophy, science, art. In historical sequence, the views of the great Ukrainian thinkers of different historical epochs on the problem of mind and feelings correlation in the integral human nature, their role in the cognition of the world are set forth. According to the researchers, from ancient pre-Christian times, the ancestor Ukrainians were interested in the vital issues of their own being, which they associated primarily with the notions of spirit and soul, which for Ukrainians were always «sacred» and identified with the heart as the centre of the spiritual life of a person occupying the world of his feelings, experiences, thoughts and faith. The image of the heart is central in the ancient monuments of oral folk art, which points to their cordocentric problematics, which is manifested in emotionality, sincerity, benevolence, mercy, and the like. The ideological concept for Ukrainians, from the times of KievanRus to our days, is cordocentrism, which represents the Ukrainian spiritual tradition and fulfils the function of a mental dominant. In KievanRus with the birth of philosophical thought (I.Kyivskyi, V. Monomakh, F. Pecherskyi), within the Christian faith there is a tendency that a special role in the cognition of the Divine essence was given to the heart. In Holy Scripture (the Bible), there are 851 references to the heart as one of the central images in the Old Testament texts.The concept of the heart, which takes its origins in the religious worldview of Ukrainian-Rus people from the times of KievanRus, gradually transformed into a «philosophy of the heart», becoming its distinctive feature that expressed the originality and uniqueness of the Ukrainian cultural tradition and its spiritual history. «Philosophy of the heart» as a doctrine in its ontological, theoretical and moral and ethical aspects is most fully expounded in the heritage of the outstanding Ukrainian thinkers G. Skovoroda, P. Yurkevych, T. Shevchenko, N. Gogol. A modern philosophy of human-centrism has been created on the basis of the philosophy of cordocentrism as a strategic direction of the humanization of society, in which one of the central places is child-centric education - the leading direction of the national education reform in Ukraine.

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(francuski) Dans l'?glise de Ravanica les faces frontales des deux pilastres flanquant l'abside centrale et marquant la limite de la proth?se, respectivement du diaconicon, accueillent deux personnages v?t?rotestamentaires, chacun s?par? de la sc?ne de la Communion des ap?tres par la figure d'un archipr?tre. Sur le pilastre nord se tient Melchis?dek, et sur celui situ? au sud, un homme aux cheveux courts et ? la barbe arrondie, v?tu d'un chiton et d'un hymation, qui tient en mains un objet de forme ronde orn? d'une repr?sentation en buste de la Vierge ? l'Enfant, et ? c?t? duquel subsistent les traces d'une inscription (fig. 1)Selon l'Ancien Testament et l'Ep?tre aux H?breux, le juste Melchis?dek ?tait le sacrificateur du Dieu Tr?s-Haut et sup?rieur aux sacrificateurs l?vitiques. C'est lui qui offre en sacrifice le pain et le vin, et plus tard le Christ lui-m?me est devenu "sacrificateur pour toujours, selon l'ordre de Melchis?dek". Sur le pilastre sud, les restes d'inscription o? l'on reconna?t le d?but d'un nom montre que le personnage ici repr?sent? pourrait ?tre le juste Betsaleel qui est mentionn? ? plusieurs reprises dans l'Exode en tant que fils d'Uri de la tribu de Juda etque Dieu a choisi en lui accordant la sagesse, l'intelligence et le savoir pour toutes sortes d'ouvrages afin qu'il p?t construire l'Arche du t?moignage.Ce personnage biblique n'est pas c?l?br? par le Calendrier de l'Eglise constan-tinopolitaine et, pour autant qu'on le sache, n'est repr?sent? que dans quatre manuscrits: la Sacra parallela (Paris gr. 923), du IX?me si?cle; le psaultier n? 61 du monast?re athonite du Pantocrator, du IX?me si?cle; l'ochtateuque de la Biblioth?que du Vatican gr. 747, du Xl?me si?cle; et l'ochtateuque d'Istanbul Seraglio cod. 8, du Xll?me si?cle, o? il appara?t figur? de diff?rentes fa?ons. Dans le manuscrit la Sacra parallela il a les traits d'un vieillard, dans le psaultier d'un homme d'?ge moyen ? la barbe arrondie et aux cheveux longs, alors que dans les ochtateuques il porte les cheveux courts, lisses et drus, avec la raie sur le c?t?. De toute ?vidence, les peintres avaient toute libert? lors de la repr?sentation de ce juste, et il importe donc, en premier lieu, de rechercher les raisons de la pr?sence ici de ce saint si rarement figur?. En tant que constructeur du Tabernacle, sa place dans le sanctuaire d'une ?glise est tout ? fait justifi?e, puisque on rencontre aussi des repr?sentations du Tabernacle dans le narthex, et plus souvent encore dans l'espace du sanctuaire. Dans ce second espace la pr?sence du Tabernacle est notamment justifi?e par les diff?rents niveaux de sa symbolique puisque les plus anciennes interpr?tations et commentaires le per?oivent comme une pr?figuration du Tabernacle c?leste, comme le sanctuaire dans lequel le Christ se sacrifie et proc?de au sacrifice, puis il est ?galement devenu le symbole de la Vierge, alors que plus tard sont apparues des interpr?tations qui l'ont rattach? au contexte liturgique. Betsaleel n'a pas fait l'objet d'une attention particuli?re de la part de la science et l'on ne peut qu'indiquer la direction dans laquelle est all?e la pens?e th?ologique ? son sujet. A en juger par une observation sommaire des textes, et nonobstant, son ?vocation par les textes philosophiques pr?coces, il n'est que tr?s rarement mentionn? (Philon d'Alexandrie, premi?re moiti? du 1er si?cle, Orig?ne, vers 185-254, Cyrille de J?rusalem, vers 315-386, Basile le Grand, vers 330-379, Th?odoret de Cyr, vers 393 vers 458, Cosmas Indicopleust?s, milieu du Vl?me si?cle). Tous ces ?crits le montrent comme un mod?le d'artisan auquel Dieu, conform?ment au texte biblique de l'Exode, a donn? la sagesse, l'intelligence, le savoir pour toutes sortes d'ouvrages et qu'il a d?sign? pour ?tre le constructeur du Tabernacle, en soulignant toujours le fait que Dieu est celui dont viennent toutes ces vertus. Dans toutes ces interpr?tations il reste dans l'ombre de Dieu en tant que Cr?ateur supr?me. De m?me, Betsaleel est rarement mentionn? dans les autres sources ?crites et, lorsque cela est le cas, il y est d'ordinaire pr?sent? comme un constructeur, comme un mod?le pour les b?tisseurs d'?glises qui sont compar?s ? lui (Eus?be de C?sar?e, vers 260-339; l'hymne syriaque "Sogitha" consacr? ? la sanctification de l'?glise Sainte-Sophie ? Edesse apr?s sa reconstruction en 553/554; la Vie de saint Sim?on le Stylite le Jeune (?592) du diacre St?phane; la pri?re prononc?e par le patriarche lors de la cons?cration de l'?glise et de la sainte table, d'apr?s le plus ancien euchologion enti?rement conserv? de l'?glise Sainte-Sophie de Constantinople, Barb. gr. 336, milieu du VHI?me si?cle; la comm?moraison de la tr?s pieuse imp?ratrice Ir?ne, femmede Jean Comn?ne (1118-1143), dans le Synaxaire de l'Eglise constantinopolitaine; l'inscription m?trique de fondation de l'?glise saint-Nicolas pr?s du village de Place dans la p?ninsule de Mani au sud du P?lopon?se, de 1337/38). A Ravanica Betsaleel ne porte pas le mod?le du tabernacle, mais un objet de forme ronde orn? d'un buste de la Vierge ? l'Enfant (semblable ? l'image de la sainte table dans le sanctuaire de la Chapelle de Mo?se au Sina?). Betsaleel ?tant lou? comme le constructeur du Tabernacle et les cantiques eccl?siastiques c?l?brant la M?re de Dieu comme ?tant elle-m?me le Tabernacle; son image, tenant le Christ dans ses bras, sur l'objet que porte Betsaleel s'en trouve tout ? fait justifi?e, comme sur de nombreuses repr?sentations de la Tente d'assignation o? elle appara?t en m?daillon sur le voile recouvrant l'autel et sur les objets pos?s sur celui-ci. On doit se demander pourquoi le choix du d?corateur s'est ici port? pr?cis?ment sur Melchis?dek et Betsaleel. Le premier, en tant que sacrificateur v?t?rotesta-mentaire sur le mod?le duquel le Christ est lui-m?me devenu sacrificateur, avait d?j? ?t? figur? dans les sanctuaires des premi?res ?glises chr?tiennes, alors que l'image de Betsaleel, pour autant que nous sachions, constitue un exemple unique. Melchis?dek se tient ? proximit? de la partie septentrionale, et c?leste, de la composition de la Communion des ap?tres, o? la communion par le pain est donn?e par un ange-pr?tre, alors que Betsaleel, au sud, c?toie la partie terrestre, montrant un pr?tre, debout dans le sanctuaire, qui tend un calice. Le constructeur du Tabernacle se trouve ainsi ? c?t? d'un l'?v?nement qui se d?roule dans l'?glise, alors que le pr?tre v?t?rotestamentaire se tient ? c?t? de l'?glise c?leste et spirituelle. L'existence d'un fort lien avec la liturgie est ?galement confirm?e par les deux ?v?ques qui se tiennent aux c?t?s de ces justes et les d?signent de la main droite (fig. 2). Leurs inscriptions ont ?t? d?truites, mais leurs tenues, diff?rentes des tenues habituelles d'?v?ques, autorisent ? reconna?tre en eux les premiers ?v?ques de J?rusalem auxquels la haute dignit? d'archi-pr?tre a ?t? transmise, d'apr?s la tradition, par le Christ en personne. En observant les donn?es provenant de la Bible, les ?crits des P?res de l'Eglise et certaines mentions relatives aux constructeurs d'?glises, il est donc possible de supposer que ce juste repr?sent? ? Ravanica est Betsaleel, le constructeur v?t?rotestamentaire du Tabernacle. L'?troit lien le rattachant ? la liturgie justifie pleinement sa pr?sence dans l'espace du sanctuaire. L'hypoth?se ici avanc?e est ?galement confirm?e par l'existence de rapports avec la figure du juste Melchis?dek et celles des premiers ?v?ques de l'Eglise de Sion, ainsi qu'avec la repr?sentation, unique par son iconographique, de la Communion dans l'abside. .

This research embarked on how a positive peace in a typhoon-stricken place is possibly experienced. The researchers conducted this study in the simple town of Hernani, Eastern Samar. The relevant question the researchers would like to answer is how the locals of that typhoon-stricken town absorb, adapt, and recover from the insidious effects brought about by the devastating typhoon. It focused specifically on the resiliency of the locals amid the difficulties and challenges caused by a natural calamity, and how this resiliency had helped them find peace in their lives. Using the methodology and processes of narrative analysis, the research results manifested the peace concept of the locals based on what they had experienced. It has shown also the factors that made the town a peaceful place to live in as expressed through relevant themes. Consequently, the themes were categorized by using the indicators of the pillars of positive peace. The possible manifestation of the positive peace as expressed in the initiatives done by the existing concerned institutions, shown through the attitudes of the locals, and the prevailing structures that operate within the town of Hernani, was seen as a contributor to nation-building. The resiliency shown by the locals amid natural calamity is an essential characteristic of positive peace. The same resiliency of the people, being supported appropriately by a well-performing local government, provided with a healthy business environment, when reinforced and replicated in other towns and provinces can result in a creation of a stronger and peaceful nation.ReferencesBurck, C. (2005). Comparing qualitative research methodologies for systemic research: The use of grounded theory, discourse analysis, and narrative analysis. Journal of family therapy, 27(3), 237-262.Clandinin, D. J. and Murphy, S. (2007). Looking ahead: Conversations with Elliot Mishler, Don Polkinghorne, and Amia Lieblich. In D. J. Clandinin, (ed.) Handbook of narrative inquiry: Mapping a methodology. (pp 632-650). Sage Publications.Craine, R. (1997). Hildegard, Prophet of the Cosmic Christ. The Crossroad Publishing Company.Fernandez, R. (2016). Eastern Visayas is the Philippines' poorest region. https://www.philstar.com/nation/2016/04/07/1570460 /easternvisayas-philippiness-poorest-region.Garcia, L., Lapa, Ma.M.I., Palompon, D. (2016 November). Surviving Typhoon Yolanda: Experiences of older adults in a rural area in the Philippines. International Journal of Sciences. https://www.researchgate .net/publication/321965863_Surviving_Typhoon_Yolanda_Haijan_ Experiences_of_Older_Adults_in_a_Rural_Area_in_the_Philippines.Galtung, J. (1996). Peace by peaceful means: Peace and conflict, development and civilization. SAGE Publications Inc.Galtung, J. (1964). An Editorial. Journal of Peace Research. 1(1), 1-4. Google Images of Hernani, Eastern Samar and on the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda.Grewal, B. (2003). Johan Galtung: Positive and negative peace. School of Social Science, Auckland University of Technology.Institute for Economics & Peace. (2018). Positive peace report 2018. Sydney, Australia.Kyrou, C. N. (2007). Peace ecology: An emerging paradigm in peace studies. The International Journal of Peace Studies, 12(2), 73–92.Putra, N.A. & Han, E. (2014). Governments’ responses to climate change: Selected examples from Asia Pacific. SpringerBriefs in Environment, Security, Development and Springer-Verlag Singapur.Robredillo, L. (2014). Eastern Samar history and culture. https://www.facebook.com/ 136451346410559/photos/hernanithestorm-surge-that-wrecked-havoc-on-nag-as-in-1897-yolanda-wasnot-the-/766223456766675/.Sarbin, T. R. (Ed.). (1986). Narrative psychology: The storied nature of human conduct. Praeger Publishers; Greenwood Publishing Group.The New American Bible: St. Joseph personal size edition (2004). Catholic Book Publishing Co.Tipson, F. (2011). Natural disasters as threats to peace. (Special Report). https://www file:///C:/Users/titus/Downloads/SR324-atural%20Disasters%20as%20Threats%20to%20 Peace.pdf.Villanueva, F., et.al. (2017). Why, O, God? Disaster resiliency, and the people of God. OMF Literature Inc.

HISTORY AND ESCHATOLOGY: Jesus and the Promise of Natural Theology by N. T. Wright. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2019. xxi + 343 pages, including notes, bibliography, and indices. Hardcover; $34.95. ISBN: 9781481309622. *History and Eschatology is the published version of the Gifford Lectures delivered in 2018 at the University of Aberdeen by the prominent New Testament scholar and former Anglican bishop N. T. Wright. Lord Adam Gifford's will stipulated that the lectures bearing his name should treat theology "as a strictly natural science ... without reference to or reliance upon any supposed special exceptional or so-called miraculous revelation." This is one classic and influential way to describe the project of "natural theology." Wright, however, devotes eight chapters (corresponding to his public lectures), over almost 300 pages, first, to questioning the assumptions on which that project--so construed--rests, and, second, to laying the foundations of an alternative. *In chapters 1-2, Wright finds hidden in the background of Enlightenment-inspired natural theology--conceived as independent of the particulars of Jesus as attested in the Bible--as well as in the modern scholarly suspicion of the integrity and historicity of the biblical Gospels, a revivified, arbitrarily deist, anti-historical Epicureanism: "European thought, from the mid-eighteenth century onwards, was increasingly shaped by the Epicurean mood ... So the split between heaven and earth, between God and the world, continued to dominate the discussion" (pp. 68-69). *In chapters 3-4, Wright puts forward his own field of expertise, history, as a kind of "missing link" in the study of the "natural" world. In particular, a rigorous, contextually attentive, historical investigation of Jesus--its methods and conclusions resisting the distortions of chronological snobbery and materialistic metaphysics--deserves a place in the discussion: "Jesus himself was a figure of the real world. The Gospels are real documents from the real world. To refuse to treat them as 'natural' evidence ... looks like the sceptic bribing the judges before the trial" (p. 74). *In chapters 5-6, Wright summarizes some of the results of such an investigation, which naturally build on the conclusions reached in his sprawling published oeuvre on the historical Jesus: "Eschatology has come to life, say the first Christians, in the person of Jesus, and we know it because when we look at him we discern the dawning of the new day in a way which makes sense of the old, and of the questions it raised" (p. 184). In particular, Jesus's being raised from death to new life gives not only new knowledge but a new way of knowing, what Wright calls an epistemology of love: "The resurrection ... assures us that all that we have known in the present creation ... will indeed be rescued from corruption and decay and transformed ... [L]ove revealed gives birth to an answering love" (p. 212). *In chapters 7-8, Wright seeks to synthesize the threads of his argument into a reconceived "natural" theology: one that takes Jesus' resurrection, in its full historical context and depth of meaning, as determinative (1) of how "nature"--the created world, teleological history, humanity fallen and redeemed--points, brokenly but truly, toward God's kingdom; and (2) of the mission of the Christian church in a world perhaps not bereft but still largely unaware of God's glory: "a celebration of the coming eschaton ... in faith, sacramental life, wise readings of scripture, and mission, will constitute the outworking of ... divine love, the highest mode of knowing ... in and for the world" (p. 277). *As always, Wright's vocabulary and style are refreshingly accessible, almost chatty (although he is not beyond the occasional arcane scholarly or cultural allusion), at times repetitious. His argument--that the modern divisions (not just distinctions) between "natural" and "supernatural," between "rational" empirical knowledge and "non-rational" special revelation, between "accidental truths of history" and "necessary truths of reason," are nothing more than a warmed-over, still-moldy Epicureanism from the third century BC, and that these are brought radically into question by Jesus's resurrection, thought through precisely in light of its ancient Jewish background--is less new than trenchantly and winsomely laid out. And he does not so much interact with the modern traditions of natural theology as suggest that there are more important and interesting fish for theology, running on an epistemology of love, to fry. Indeed, Wright's implication is that natural theology in Lord Gifford's sense suffers from a case of misguided methods and unambitious goals. But it is really an implication, for History and Eschatology is more like a manifesto, proposing a monumental agenda, than a parsimonious demonstration of the inadequacy of "old-style" natural theology's ways and means. (Wright's disposal of three classic strategies of apologetics in a "natural theology" mode--the cosmological, teleological, and moral arguments--takes barely three pages in chapter 7.) *As someone who is theologically sympathetic to Wright's overall project, both in its design and in many of its details (others are decidedly not so sympathetic), I consider there to be room for debate over the role of such strategies in the contemporary exposition and defense of Christian faith. That debate is not to be found in History and Eschatology. The possibility of dialogue with more "traditional" natural theology seems far away by the time we get to the end of a book subtitled Jesus and the Promise of Natural Theology. And Wright, who, in most respects, is the paradigm of a careful, objective reader and historian, is still prone to annoyingly and unhelpfully broad generalizations on matters unconnected to his expertise (e.g., Adam Smith's economic thought "has become highly influential ... ending up with the greed-is-good philosophy of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher" [p. 19]; Karl Barth could "launch a much fiercer protest" than Rudolf Bultmann against Nazism "partly because he was a Calvinist not a Lutheran" [p. 62]). These are real criticisms, but, I must admit, relatively minor ones in comparison with the impressive intellectual and spiritual vision on offer in History and Eschatology. More than many of its kind, this is a readable, preachable, shareable book. *Reviewed by Maurice Lee, North American Lutheran Seminary, Ambridge, PA 15003.

Background. The problem of the origin of the Glagolitic alphabet, its origins and the first years of Slavic writing can rightly be called the “cursed question” (questio dia-bolica – B. Uspensky) of Slavic studies, as attempts to connect the Glagolitic alphabet with any of the existing alphabets did not lead to any convincing results. Until now, the only relevant ideas of P. Shafarik remain, expressed about 150 years ago. Purpose. The aim of the article is to systematize and analyze historical and modern ideas (from the 90s to the present day), which are expressed by researchers regarding the longer antiquity of the Glagolitic alphabet. Results. The authors consider the development of P. Shafarik’s ideas at the pre-sent stage of development of East Slavic paleolinguistics. Materials about the origins of Slavic writing, which have accumulated in science, do not facilitate the solution of ques-tions about: 1) which of the two Slavic alphabets was created and / or improved by Constantine the Philosopher, 2) how and when another Slavic alphabet appeared, and 3) how the Slavic script developed in the post -Constantine period. In this context, as the authors show, all the hypotheses and ideas of modern researchers in one way or another develop the arguments of the hypothesis of PY Shafarik and do not go beyond it. Keywords: Slavonic writing, Cyrillic, Glagolitic, P. Shafarik’s hypothesis. Cristiano, Diddi, 2015. In the footsteps of Glagolitic protographers of Pannonian leg-ends: Methodological notes on the critique of variants. ΠΟΛΥΙΣΤΩΡ. Scripta slavica Mar-io Capaldo dicata. Moskow, Indrik, рp. 80–98. (In Russian) Dodonov, I. Yu., 2008. The origins of Slavic writing. Moskow: Veche. Avialable at: http://www.libma.ru/istorija/istoki_slavjanskoi_pismennosti). [Accessed 22.08.2021] (In Russian) Glazunova, O. I. On the countable value of the Glagolitic alphabet. Avialable at: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/o- schetnom-znachenii- glagolitsy). [Accessed 22.08.2021] (In Russian) Granstrom, E., 1985. On the origin of the Glagolitic alphabet. Proceedings of the De-partment of Ancient Russian Literature IRLI AN SSSR, 11. Leningrad, s.300–313. (In Russian) Hakobyan, Ruben, 2018. An Attempt to Reveal the Prototype of the Glagolitic Letters, Based on a Comparative Analysis with the Cyrillic Letters and the Signs of the Middle East. Scripts Scientific almanac, 12. Pskov: Pskov State University, рp. 30–58. (In Rus-sian) Horalek, K., 1971. The need for a new Glagolitic compendium. Slovo, 21, рp.359–363. (In Czech) Ivanova, T., 2004. Glagolitic: new hypotheses (several critical remarks about new re-search on the first Slavic alphabet. Proceedings of the Department of Old Russian Litera-ture (Pushkin House) RAS, pp.78–93. (In Russian) Karpenko, L., 1999. Glagolitic — Slavic sacred alphabet (semiotic analysis in the context of the Bible). Samara: PH of the Samara Humanitarian Academy. (In Russian) Karpenko, L., 2000. Glagolitic as a semiotic system: Doctoral thesis abstract, p.90. (In Russian) Karpenko, L., 2010. Cyril glagolitic alphabet. About the roots of the Slavic spirituali-ty. Bulletin of polessky state university. Series in social sciences and humanities, 1, рp.69–78. (In Russian) Kiparsky, B., 1968. On the origin of the Glagolitic alphabet. Clement Ohridsky. Mate-rial z negovot cheztvuvane po sluchai 1050 godini smerta mu. Sofia, 1968, рp.91–92. (In Russian) Kuznetsov, Anatoly, 2012. The Greek letter Y ψιλόν and Glagolitic Alphabet . Slavisti-ca Vilnensis. Kalbotyra, 57(2), рp.7–14. (In Russian). Mozhaeva, I. Ye., 1980. Bibliography on Cyril and Methodius problems 1945–1974. Moscow, 1980. (In Russian) Prokhorov, G., 1992. Glagolitic alphabet among missionary alphabets. Proceedings of the Department of Old Russian Literature, 45. SPb, рp.178–199. (In Russian) Rudelev, V. G., 2001. Once again on the Old Slavic letters. Bulletin of Tver State Uni-versity. Humanitarian sciences, 2 (22). рp.58–67. (In Russian) Savelyeva, L. V., 1993. Sacral meaning of the Slavic alphabet: Parting words of the First Teacher of the Slavs, 3. North Petrozavodsk, рp.152–158. (In Russian) Selishchev, A. M., 1951. Old Slavonic language: Part I. p.333. (In Russian) Selishchev, A. M., 2020. Old Church Slavonic. Ed. stereotype. URSS. (In Russian) Shafarik, P. Y., 1861. About the origin and homeland of Glagolism. Moscow. (In Rus-sian) Shchepkin, V. N., 1967. Russian paleography. Moscow: Science. (In Russian) Sobolev, A. N., 2021. Slavic alphabets. Part 3: From Glagolitic to Cyrillic. https://www.youtube.com/w Šafárik o staroslovienčine a cirkevnej slovančine. atch?v=y_Py_W9ZL7s&ab). [Accessed 22.08.2021] Starovoyt, Yu. L., 2017. Scientific approach to the origin of the Cyrillic alphabet. Ma-terialy XLVI naukovo-tekhnichnoyi konferentsiyi pidrozdiliv VNTU. Vinnytsya, 22–24 be-reznya 2017 r. Avialable at: https://conferences.vntu.edu.ua/index.php/all— hum/all— hum— 2017/paper/view/2328. [Accessed 22.08.2021 (In Ukrainian) Štec, M., 1996. Šafárik on Old Slavonic and Church Slavonic. In: Pavol Jozef Šafárik a slavistika. Zborník príspevkov z vedeckej konferencie a dokumentov z osláv 200. výročia narodenia P. J. Šafárika. Acta facultatis philosophicae universitatis šafarikianae Literárný zborník 12/ Jazykovedný zborník 13. Historický zborník 5 (AFPh UŠ 79). Filozofická fakulta. UPJŠ. Prešov. Matica slovenská. Martin, s.291–295.(In Slovak) Stepanov, Yu. S. and Proskurin, S.G., 1993. Constants of world culture. Alphabets and alphabetic texts during periods of dual faith. Moscow: The science. 158 p. (In Russian) Toporov, V., 1998. Prehistory of Literature among the Slavs: The Experience of Re-construction: An Introduction to the Course of the History of Slavic Literatures. Moscow. (In Russian) Tschernochvostoff, 1995. Zum Ursprung der Glagolica. Studia Slavica Finlandensia, 12, pp.141–150). (In German) Uspenskij, B., 2013. Glagolitic Script as a Manifestation of Sacred Knowledge. Studia Slavistici, X. Firenze University Press, pp.7–27 (online). [Accessed 22.08.2021 (In English) Uspensky, B., 2005. On the origin of the Glagolitic alphabet. Voprosy Jazykoznanija (Topics in the study of language), 1. рp.63–77. (In Russian) Vinke, Fr., 1996. On the origin and structure of the Glagolitic alphabet. Literary studies, 3. Moscow, рp.115–127. (In Russian) Yusyp-Yakymovich, Yu. and Shimko, O., 2009. Old Slavonic language. Modular course. Navchalnyi posibnyk. Kyiv. (In Ukrainian)

THE AGE OF AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity by Jason Thacker. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Thrive, 2020. 192 pages. Hardcover; $22.99. ISBN: 9780310357643. *There are not yet many books that engage with artificial intelligence theologically. Jason Thacker's The Age of AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity, written for a general audience, provides an important start to much-needed theological discussions about autonomous and intelligent technologies. As an early effort in this complex interdisciplinary dialogue, this book deserves credit for its initial exploratory efforts. Thacker's book also points to the larger and more complex territory requiring further exploration. *Thacker, creative director at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and project lead for their "Artificial Intelligence: An Evangelical Statement of Principles," is eager to draw attention to the pervasive and disruptive presence of artificial intelligence in our lives. While some may be distracted by images of AI that are speculative--the utopian Commander Data or the dystopian Terminator--many have not given much thought to the actual forms of AI that are part of our lives already, such as recommendation systems and digital assistants. "AI is everywhere," Thacker says; "And we aren't prepared." To help the unprepared understand AI, Thacker provides an orientation to current AI developments and explores the wide-ranging impacts of these on self-understanding, medicine, family, work, war, privacy, and the future. Along the way, he recalls biblical wisdom about old moral problems and imperatives, such as what the Ten Commandments prohibit and what Micah 6:8 prescribes (doing justice, loving mercy, and journeying attentively with God). He also offers a number of familiar biblical assurances, such as not being afraid and trusting in God. *All of this is helpful, to an extent. Thacker's major conclusions about AI are that we should not let our creations--our artificial agents--supersede human agency, and that we should not place too much hope in technology, for it alone cannot save us. Both of these are important points, although neither is very controversial nor necessarily theological: transparency is called for in many AI ethical frameworks, and we are well into a period of technological disenchantment. *Thacker starts The Age of AI by asking two significant questions. First, what does it mean to be human? Thacker looks to Genesis 1, which states--three times--that God created humans in the image of God. Clearly, this is an important theological claim; it is also a very complex one. There are various interpretations of what it means to be created in the image of God, and this is only the first chapter of the biblical narrative. Thacker emphasizes a functional interpretation of Genesis 1: We are called to work to glorify God. Elsewhere, however, Thacker shifts to a more essentialist interpretation that emphasizes human dignity. He asserts that our dignity does not come from what we do and that "nothing in this world defines us" (p. 117). But what about the work we are called to do in and for the world? *Another challenge of beginning in Genesis 1 is what happens in Genesis 3--humanity's rebellion against God. Thacker claims that "the image of God in us was not lost" (p. 19), though he does not address the extent to which this image was corrupted. For Christians, what is most important is Jesus's redemption and transformation of that fallen image. What does the image of God in Christ, the new Adam, reveal about the future of humanity? *Questions raised by Thacker's answer to his first question carry over into his answer to his second question, what is technology (including AI)? For Thacker, technology itself is morally neutral: "What's sinful isn't the sword but how people choose to use it" (p. 20). Given Isaiah's eschatological image of swords beaten into plowshares, many would argue that the sword is part of a system of weaponry and warfare that is immoral and must come to an end. Going beyond Isaiah, Jacques Ellul concluded that the biblical city, as an image of the technological society, must ultimately be destroyed: the city is an autonomous, multi-agent system with a diabolical power that exceeds the power of the human agents who created it. (Ellul almost seems to suggest that there is something like a rogue AI in the Bible!) Ellul goes too far with this, missing the good in the city and the transformative power of new creation over sinful systems, but he rightly points to the deformative power of technology. Thacker acknowledges that technology profoundly changes us and our world, positively and negatively, but he seems to suggest that humans can easily remain in control of and essentially unchanged by it. *Thacker's emphasis on Genesis, "where everything began," appears to close off any discussion about evolution and its insights into the role of technology in our emergence as a species. Indeed, the archeological record reveals that the use of simple stone tools shaped ancient human bodies and brains. Technology not only preceded the arrival of Homo sapiens, it shaped our understanding of what a human being is in form and function. Furthermore, throughout human history, technology has continued to change us fundamentally. Consider, for example, Walter Ong's insight that the technology of writing restructured consciousness. From the perspective of evolution and cultural development, technologies have been shaping and changing what we are from the beginning. *Thacker critiques Max Tegmark and Yuval Noah Harari for conflating evolution and cultural development, but that misses their interest in how humans might continue to outrun natural selection through innovation--a path our species has been on for many millennia, at least since the agricultural revolution and the creation of the complex artificial environments we call cities. As controversial as they may be, Tegmark and Harari point to how a deeper historical and philosophical understanding of technology enables us to explore questions about the holistic transformation of humans and human agency. *Thacker's view of technology encourages pursuing "technological innovation to help push back the effects of the fall" (p. 70). He worries that we might be tempted to "transcend our natural limitations," although it is not clear how far we are permitted to push back against the corrupted creation. He also fears "the people of God buying the lie that we are nothing more than machines and that somehow AI will usher in a utopian age" (p. 182). Educating people to resist being reduced to the status of machines (or data or algorithms) should be a learning outcome in any class or discussion about AI. As for ushering in a utopian age, this is one way of describing (in a kingdom-of-God sense) the Christian vocation: participating with God in the new creation. And perhaps AI has a role in this. *Thacker is absolutely right that we need a foundational understanding of who we are and of what technology is, and his answers provoke a number of questions for further exploration. The Bible reflects a rich interplay between human technological and spiritual development, from Edenic agriculture through Babelian urban agencies. And, as a technology itself, the Bible participates in these developments through its origin, nature, and function to mediate divine agency that transforms human agency. The biblical narrative makes it clear that we are not going back to the primordial garden in Genesis; we are moving toward the eschatological city, New Jerusalem, imaged in Revelation--"and what we will be has not yet been revealed" (1 John 3:2). How we understand the relationship between technological transformation and the transformation of all things through the new creation deserves much more attention within Christian theology. *With AI, it is clear that we are facing an even more profound restructuring of our lives and world--and of our selves. Rather than looking back to the imago Dei corrupted in the beginning, Christians might find it more generative to look to the imago Christi. As N. T. Wright powerfully argues in History and Eschatology: Jesus and the Promise of Natural Theology (SPCK, 2019), the new creation inaugurated through the resurrection of Jesus provides a radically new perspective on creation. This includes us and our artificial creations. While Thacker believes "nothing will ever change fundamental aspects of the universe" (p. 168), some of us may imagine AI participating in the new creation. *For someone just beginning to think about AI and Christianity, The Age of AI might be a good place to start. But more needs to be read and written to explore the theological and technological questions this book raises. *Reviewed by Michael J. Paulus Jr., Dean of the Library, Assistant Provost for Educational Technology, and Director and Associate Professor of Information Studies, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA 98119.

RÉSUMÉLe principal objectif de cet article est d’encourager une approche plus large, supraconfessionnelle, du mariage et de la famille à l’époque moderne. La conjugalité a été “désacralisée” par les réformateurs protestants du 16e siècle. Martin Luther, parmi d’autres, a refusé le statut de sacrement au mariage, tout en valorisant celui-ci comme une arme contre le péché. En réaction, le concile de Trente a réaffirmé avec force que le mariage est bien un des sept sacrements chrétiens. Mais, promouvant la supériorité du célibat, l’Église catholique n’a jamais beaucoup insisté sur les vertus de la vie et de la piété familiales avant le 19e siècle. En parallèle, les historiens décèlent des signes de “sacralisation” de la famille protestante à partir du 16e siècle. Leurs conclusions doivent être relativisées à la lumière de recherches plus récentes et plus critiques, centrées sur les rapports et les représentations de genre. Elles peuvent néanmoins inspirer une étude élargie et comparative, inexistante dans l’historiographie traditionnelle, des réalités et des perceptions de la famille chrétienne au-delà des frontières confessionnelles.MOTS-CLÉ: Époque Moderne, mariage, famille, protestantisme, Concile de TrenteABSTRACTThe main purpose of this paper is to encourage a broader supra-confessional approach to the history of marriage and the family in the Early Modern era. Wedlock was “desacralized” by the Protestant reformers of the 16th century. Martin Luther, among others, denied the sacramental status of marriage but valued it as a weapon against sin. In reaction, the Council of Trent reinforced marriage as one of the seven sacraments. But the Catholic Church, which promoted the superiority of celibacy, did little to defend the virtues of family life and piety before the 19th century. In parallel, historians have identified signs of a “sacralization” of the Protestant family since the 16th century. These findings must be relativized in the light of newer and more critical studies on gender relations and representations. But they can still inspire a broader comparative study, non-existent in traditional confessional historiography, of the realities and perceptions of the Christian family beyond denominational borders.KEY WORDS: Early Modern Christianity, marriage, family, Protestantism, Council of Trent BIBLIOGRAPHIEAdair, R., Courtship, Illegitimacy and Marriage in Early Modern England, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 1996.Beaulande-Barraud, V., “Sexualité, mariage et procréation. Discours et pratiques dans l’Église médiévale (XIIIe-XVe siècles)”, dans Vanderpelen-Diagre, C., & Sägesser, C., (coords.), La Sainte Famille. Sexualité, filiation et parentalité dans l’Église catholique, Problèmes d’Histoire des Religions, 24, Bruxelles, Éditions de l’Université de Bruxelles, 2017, pp. 19-29.Bels, P., Le mariage des protestants français jusqu’en 1685. 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Une approche anthropologique, Rennes, Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2017, pp. 505-517.Gautier, S., “Identité, éloge et image de soi dans les sermons funéraires des foyers pastoraux luthériens aux XVIe et XVIIe siècles”, Europa moderna. Revue d’histoire et d’iconologie, n. 3 (2012), pp. 54-71.Goody, J., The Development of the Family and Marriage in Europe, Cambridge, 1983; L’évolution de la famille et du mariage en Europe, Paris, Armand Colin, 1985/2012.Hacker, P., Faith in Luther. Martin Luther and the Origin of Anthropocentric Religion, Emmaus Academic, 2017.Harrington, J. F., Reordering Marriage and Society in Reformation Germany, Cambridge, 1995.Hendrix, S. H., & Karant-Nunn, S. C., (coords.), Masculinity in the Reformation Era, Kirksville, Truman State University Press, 2008.Hendrix, S. H., “Christianizing Domestic Relations: Women and Marriage in Johann Freder’s Dialogus dem Ehestand zu ehren”, Sixteenth Century Journal, 23 (1992), pp. 251-266.Ingram, M., Church Courts. 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C., The Reformation of Feeling: Shaping the Religious Emotions in Early Modern Germany, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2010.Karant-Nunn, S. C., “The emergence of the pastoral family in the German Reformation: the parsonage as a site of socio-religious change”, in Dixon, C. S., & Schorn-Schütte, L., (coords.), The Protestant Clergy of Early Modern Europe, Basingstoke, Palgrave/Macmillan, 2003, pp. 79-99.Karant-Nunn, S. C., “Reformation Society, Women and the Family”, in Pettegree, A., (coord.), The Reformation World, London/New York, Routledge, 2000, pp. 433-460.Karant-Nunn, S. C., “Marriage, Defenses of”, in Hillerbrand, H. 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<p><strong><em>ABSTRACT</em></strong><strong><em>: </em></strong><em>The paper examined critically the story of Esther in the Bible</em><em>,</em><em> who delivered her nation when they were being threatened with total annihilation</em><em>. </em><em>The patriotism, faith, prayer</em><em>,</em><em> and determination she combined to deliver her nation were examined. With the background story of Esther given, the paper noted that leaders of women’s groups could use Esther as a role model to rescue Nigeria from total collapse</em><em>,</em><em> especially now that the peace of the nation is being threatened by Boko Haram insurgency. To make this more challenging to the women folk, the paper appraised the positive contributions of some women in the pre</em><em>-</em><em>colonial, colonial</em><em>,</em><em> and post</em><em>-</em><em>colonial period</em><em>s</em><em>. The paper observed that women who were appointed to the key administrative and political positions at this period performed creditably. However, the paper observed that some women started off well, but veered off to corruption. It is</em><em>,</em><em> therefore</em><em>,</em><em> noted that the fact that some women did not play their roles correctly does not mean there could</em><em> </em><em>n</em><em>o</em><em>t be a change. It is against this background that the paper recommended Biblical leadership model of Esther</em><em>,</em><em> which </em><em>is a</em><em> model of determination, self</em><em>-</em><em>sacrifice, prayer, humility</em><em>,</em><em> and righteousness. Equally</em><em>,</em><em> women were encouraged to use their positions to </em><em>improve, although</em><em> the</em><em>y are</em><em> the less privileged in the society</em><em>,</em><em> and to always take advantage of any circumstance.</em></p><p><strong><em>K</em></strong><strong><em>EY</em></strong><strong><em> </em></strong><strong><em>WORD</em></strong><em>: </em><em>E</em><em>sther</em><em>,</em><em> women leadership</em><em>,</em><em> role model</em><em>,</em><em> patriotism,</em><em> </em><em>and </em><em>self</em><em>-</em><em>sacrifice.</em><em> </em></p><p><strong><em>ABTRAKSI: “</em></strong><em>Esther: Teladan dalam Alkitab untuk Peran Kepemimpinan Perempuan di Negara Nigeria Kini”. Makalah ini mengkaji secara kritis kisah Ester dalam Alkitab, yang menyelamatkan bangsanya ketika terancam dalam kehancuran total. Patriotisme, iman, doa, dan tekad yang Esther lakukan untuk membebaskan bangsanya itu dikaji dalam penelitian ini. Dengan latar belakang cerita Ester, makalah ini mencatat bahwa pemimpin kelompok perempuan bisa menggunakan Esther sebagai model atau teladan untuk menyelamatkan Nigeria dari kehancuran total, terutama sekarang ini karena perdamaian bangsa sedang terancam oleh pemberontakan Boko Haram. Untuk menjadikan hal ini lebih menantang bagi kaum perempuan, makalah ini menilai kontribusi positif dari beberapa wanita pada zaman pra-kolonial, zaman kolonial, dan zaman pasca-kolonial. Makalah ini mengamati bahwa wanita yang ditunjuk untuk menempati posisi administrasi dan politik penting pada periode ini dapat dipercaya. Namun, makalah ini juga mengamati bahwa beberapa wanita memulainya dengan baik, tetapi kemudian melakukan penyimpangan dalam korupsi. Oleh karena itu, perlu dicatat bahwa fakta beberapa wanita tidak memainkan peran mereka dengan benar tidak pula berarti bahwa perubahan tidak mungkin. Dengan latar belakang ini, makalah merekomendasikan model kepemimpinan Esther dalam Alkitab, yang merupakan teladan dalam keteguhan, pengorbanan diri, doa, kerendahan hati, dan kebenaran. Semua perempuan didorong untuk sama-sama menggunakan posisi mereka agar lebih baik, meskipun mereka adalah orang yang kurang beruntung dalam masyarakat, dan untuk selalu mengambil keuntungan dari setiap keadaan.</em></p><p><strong><em>KATA KUNCI</em></strong><em>: Esther, kepemimpinan wanita, teladan, patriotisme, dan pengorbanan diri.</em></p><p><img src="/public/site/images/wirta/07.adesanya_.ng_.ok_.jpg" alt="" /></p><p><strong><em>About the Author:</em></strong> <strong>Dr. Adesanya Ibiyinka Olusola</strong> is a Lecturer at the Department of Religious Studies, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. For academic interests, the author is able to be contacted via mobile phone at: +2348133946799 or e-mail at: <a href="mailto:olusolaibiyinka@yahoo.com">olusolaibiyinka@yahoo.com</a></p><p><strong><em>How to cite this article?</em></strong> Olusola, Adesanya Ibiyinka. (2016). “Esther: Biblical Model for Women Leadership Role in Contemporary Nigeria” in <em>MIMBAR PENDIDIKAN</em><em>: </em><em>Jurnal Indonesia untuk Kajian Pendidikan</em>, Vol.1(1) Maret, pp.77-86. Bandung, Indonesia: UPI Press. <strong></strong></p><p><em><strong><em>Chronicle of the article:</em></strong> </em>Accepted (February 11, 2016); Revised (February 21, 2016); and Published (March 11, 2016).<em><br /></em></p>

Prominent motifs in a selection of sermons delivered before, during and immediately after the Anglo-Boer War This article investigates a selection (160) of sermons delivered before, during and after the Anglo-Boer war and published afterwards. The aim of the investigation is to indicate (possible) repetitive motifs used in these sermons. The initial hypothesis taken was that the motif of freedom probably would have functioned prominently within the context of the war. The investigation of the 160 selected sermons, however, proved that although the motif of freedom indeed occurs, it is applied in the broad Biblical sense of being liberated from sin. Freedom in God is stressed and not primarily freedom from British oppression. Several other motifs also function prominently in these sermons – motifs like redemption in Christ, hope, comfort in hardship and peace with God in Jesus Christ. Although these motifs are applied within the context of the Bible, it should be kept in mind that these sermons were delivered in the time of the Anglo-Boer War. These sermons should, therefore, be studied as embedded within a certain time frame: text and context should both be considered in the analysis of these sermons. The analysis, however, indicates that the parts from Scripture selected for these sermons were treated homiletically in a responsible way.

Communicating faith in a pluriform worldThe pluriformity of the postmodern world presents the church with challenges on different levels. The theological discourse can be based on the pluriformity inherent to biblical material, as well as on the dynamic dialectic of the great variety of theologies in the Bible. The principle of symmetrical communication serves as an example of how pastoral care to a postmodern society can be approached. By making use of narrative communication, pastors facilitate genuine intersubjectivity. Preachers adhere to the principle of symmetrical communication when their sermons are characterized by an authentic spirituality and spiritual growth.

The hypothesis offered in this study is that the Johannine texts are authoritative, canononical documents with the inherent potential that is applicable to the practical lives of the faithful. Since Biblical texts are the product of the patriarchal culture within which they originated, a hermeneutic of suspicion becomes essential. In the interaction between the Biblical text and the contemporary context, a creative space is being created which requires a humble attitude from the exegetes to acknowledge the temporary nature of their findings. We need to look past the patriarchal nature and language towards a more inclusive paradigm. The Bible does not bind us to a rigid way of living, but liberates us for the appreciation of the healing power of God�s grace in our context. We need to move past stereotypes and to see others through the eyes of Christ. Jesus took a radical stance against the culture of his day. From the beginning of his public ministry, we find in him the tension between his prophetic role and the dominant culture of day. This tension leads to Jesus becoming a marginalised Jew, who stands outside the Jewish inner circle. He does not fit into the conventional social roles of his day. Jesus rather associates himself with the marginalised. This illustrates Jesus� radical commitment to God and his passionate commitment to the truth of the Gospel.�--- Abstract translated into Sipedi ---T�a lenyalo, seabe sa bong bja motho le t�a bong mo maemong a phosmodene go ya ka JohaneSenaganwaKakanyo ye e fiwago pampiring ye ke go re ditemana t�a puku ya Johane ke dingwalo t�e di nago le maatla, di ka gare ga Bibele yeo e sa �omago ka go ama maphelo a batho thwii, gape di na le khuet�o ye kgolo maphelong a badumedi. Ka ge Bibele e tswalwa ke set�o sa phatriakhi(go ba monna ke seelo mafapheng ka moka a bophelo), go sekaseka Bibele motho a na le maseme go ba bohlokwa mo. Kamanong ya Bibele le maemo ao babadi ba ikhwet�ago ba le go ona, go hlolega sekgoba sa go ikakanyet�a seo se nyakago gore basekaseki ba Bibele ba ikokobet�e ka go amogela gore dikutollo t�a bona ke t�a lebakanyana fela. Re swanela go tlo�a mahlo go sebopego sa phatriakhi gomme re �et�e tsela ya go akaret�a bohle ditshekatshekong t�a rena. Bibele ga e re kgokolele go tsela e tee ya go se �i�inyege ya bophelo, eup�a e a re lokolla gore re bone maatla a pholo ya go tla ka mogau wa Modimo mo maphelong a rena. Re hloka go tlogela go bona bophelo ka mahlo a ditlwaedi t�a ka mehla gomme re bone batho ka fao Kriste a ba bonago ka gona. Jesu o ile a t�ea maemo a e sego a tlwaelo, a thata, kgahlanong le ditlwaedi t�a set�o sa gabo. Go tloga mathomong a mo�omo wa gagwe wa go lokolla batho, re bona mo go Yena ngangego ya go kgala(profeta) le set�o se se bego se rena nakong ya bophelo bja Gagwe. Ngangego ye e dira gore Jesu e be Mojuta yo a hlokolwago, a kgaphelwago ka ntle ga sedikadikwe sa Bajuta ba paale. Ga a swanet�ane le go hlankela set�haba fao go bego go tlwaelegile nakong ya Gagwe. Jesu o ikgethela go tswalana le bao ba hlokolwago set�habeng. Se se laet�a boikgafo bja Gagwe bjo bo tibilego go Modimo le go ikgafa ka phegelelo ye kgolo go there�o ya Ebangedi.--- End of translation ---

To read, see, talk and believe differently � a response to other readers� reading of �Om die Bybel anders te lees: �n Etiek van Bybellees� As any exegesis is necessarily preceded by certain theological convictions, the author of the book Om die Bybel anders te lees: �n Etiek van Bybellees (2007) responds to criticism on the book flowing from a seminar � especially the remarks made by Hans van Deventer and Jurie le Roux. Firstly, the ideas on a changed view of the deity are discussed. This conversation is augmented by a discussion of the criticism levelled at the idea that reading the Bible has consequences for other people, and that a different reading would lead to a different concept of God. Van Deventer�s comments regarding the difficulty of debating theological issues are strengthened by a critical discussion of a debate in Die Kerkblad regarding the grammatical-historical method. His critical remarks regarding the value of a historical consciousness are discussed by way of a question on the relationship between a liberal theology and a conservative political point of view. Le Roux�s struggle with Snyman�s utilisation of apartheid as a rhetorical strategy leads the discussion to a recent example of overcoming racism while using unreflectingly racist imagery. This example indicates how theology effects cosmetic changes, without taking on the real issue. For this reason, the author concludes that a critical reading of the own Western tradition in Africa has become necessary.�--- Abstract translated into Sipedi ---Go bala, go bona, go bolela le go dumela ka go fapana - go arabela go balwa ga 'Om die Bybel anders te lees: �n Etiek van Bybellees' ke babadi ba bangweBjale ka ge go fetleka Bibele go etwa pele ke ditumelo t�a go tiba t�a teologi, mongwadi wa Om die Bybel anders te lees: �n Etiek van Bybellees (2007) o arabela ditsholo t�a puku ye t�eo di tswet�wego ke seminare ye e fetilego - kudu ditshwayotshwayo t�a Hans van Deventer le Jurie le Roux. Sa pele, go ahlaahlwa dikgopolo t�e fetogilego ka Modimo. Poledi�ano ye e tlat�wa ke go ahlaahla tsholo ye e lebanywago le gore go bala Bibele go na le khuet�o ye itsego go batho ba bangwe, le gore go bala ka tsela ya go fapana go tlo tli�a kgopolo ya go fo�agala ka Modimo. Ditshwayotshwayo t�a Van Deventer mabapi le bothata bja go ngangi�ana ka ditaba t�a teologi di loi�wa ke go ahlaahla ka tsholo ka go Die Kerkblad poledi�ano mabapi le mokgwa wa go hlatholla Bibele ka go sekaseka popopolelo(gramatika) le histori ya tlholego ya yona. Ditshwayotshwayo t�a gagwe mabapi le mohola wa boitemogo bja go tli�wa ke histori di ahlaahlwa ka tsela ya pot�i�o tswalanong ya teologi ya tokologo le kgopolo ya sepoloiki ya go gana diphetogo. Bothata bja Le Roux mabapi le kgopolo ya Snyman ya go re kgethollo go ya ka merafe e �omi�wa e le tsela ya go t�hela phori mahlong e i�a poledi�ano ye go mohlala wo e sego wa kgale wa go fenya semorafe ka go �omi�a seswant�hokgopolo sa semorafe sa pepeneng. Mohlala wo o laet�a ka fao teologi e amago diphetogo t�a ka mehla maphelong a batho ntle le go lebanya ditaba t�a paale thwii. Ka lona lebaka leo, mongwadi o ruma ka go re go bala set�o sa batho ba Bodikela mo Afrika ka tshekatsheko le phetleko ya go tiba go tloga go nyakega.--- End of translation ---

Rather different than elsewhere: Gerrie Snyman�s contribution in the context of Reformed theology Prof Gerrie Snyman�s book Om die Bybel anders te lees: �n etiek van Bybellees (2007) attracted considerable attention in Afrikaans-speaking reformed circles in South Africa. In this article, some of the responses to and reviews of the book are studied in order to assess the publication�s impact. Moreover, the article aims to determine whether the book will contribute to future reflections and discussions on the use of the Bible in this context. It is concluded that the preferred method of interpretation in the Reformed Church in South Africa calls for a thorough revision. The so-called �grammatical-historical method� of interpretation can no longer be regarded as the most appropriate and sole �Reformed method� of interpretation.�--- Abstract translated into Sipedi ---Go fapana le t�e dingwe: seabe sa Gerrie Snyman go teologie ya RefomoPuku ya Profesa Gerrie Snyman, Om die Bybel anders te lees: �n Etiek van Bybellees (2007), e gogile �edi ye kgolo ya maloko a kereke ya Refomo mo Afrika-Borwa(RCSA/GKSA). Mo pampiring ye re ithuta t�e dingwe t�a dikarabo le ditshekatsheko t�a puku ye go ela khuet�o ya yona. Go feta fao, pampiri ye e nepile go bona ge e ba puku ye e tlo ba le seabe go dikakanyo le dipoledi�ano mabapi le t�homi�o ya Beibele ditabeng t�a mohuta wo. Re ruma ka go re, mokgwa wa tshekatsheko ya Bibele wa Kereke ya Refomo mo Afrika-Borwa o hloka go lekodi�i�wa le go boelet�wa. Mokgwa wa go hlatholla Bibele ka go sekaseka popopolelo(gramatika) le histori ya tlholego ya yona, o ka se sa t�ewa e le wona wa maleba o nno�i wa tshekatsheko goba go ba wona �Mokgwa wa Refomo� wa go fetleka Bibele.--- End of translation ---

The following books are reviewed: Klaus-Peter Adam, Friedrich Avemarie och Nili Wazana (red.), Law and Narrative in the Bible and in Neighbouring Ancient Cultures (Josef Forsling) Stephen P. Ahearne-Kroll, Paul A. Holloway och James A. Kelhoffer (red.), Women and Gender in Ancient Religions: Interdisciplinary Approaches (Hanna Stenström) Dale C. Allison, Volker Leppin, Choon-Leong Seow, Hermann Spieckermann, Barry Dov Walfish och Eric Ziolkowski (red.), Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, v. 3 (Göran Eidevall) Dale C. Allison, Volker Leppin, Choon-Leong Seow, Hermann Spieckermann, Barry Dov Walfish och Eric Ziolkowski (red.), Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, v. 5 (Mikael Larsson) Joseph L. Angel, Otherworldly and Eschatological Priesthood in the Dead Sea Scrolls (Torleif Elgvin) Eve-Marie Becker och Anders Runesson (red.), Mark and Matthew I: Comparative Readings: Understanding the Earliest Gospels in their First-century Settings (Tobias Hägerland) Bob Becking, Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Construction of Early Jewish Identity (Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer) April D. DeConick, Holy Misogyny: Why the Sex and Gender Conflicts in the Early Church Still Matter (Hanna Stenström) Daniel R. Driver, Brevard Childs, Biblical Theologian: For the Church’ s One Bible (LarsOlov Eriksson) Göran Eidevall och Blaženka Scheuer (red.), Enigmas and Images: Studies in Honor of Tryggve N. D. Mettinger (Stig Norin) Weston W. Fields, The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Full History (Cecilia Wassén) Miriam Goldstein, Karaite Exegesis in Medieval Jerusalem: The Judeo-Arabic Pentateuch Commentary of Yūsuf ibn Nūḥ and Abū al-Faraj Hārūn (Lena- Sofia Tiemeyer) Leif Hongisto, Experiencing the Apocalypse at the Limits of Alterity (Hanna Stenström) Jan Joosten, The Verbal System of Biblical Hebrew: A New Synthesis Elaborated on the Basis of Classical Prose (Ulf Bergström) Christos Karakolis, Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr och Sviatoslav Rogalsky (red.), Gospel Images of Jesus Christ in Church Tradition and in Biblical Scholarship (Mikael Sundkvist) Thomas Kazen, Issues of Impurity in Early Judaism (Cecilia Wassén) Chris Keith, Jesus’ Literacy: Scribal Culture and the Teacher from Galilee (Tobias Ålöw) Anthony Le Donne, The Historiographical Jesus: Memory, Typology, and the Son of David (Jennifer Nyström) Kenneth Liljeström (red.), The Early Reception of Paul (Martin Wessbrandt) Aren M. Maeir, Jodi Magness and Lawrence H. Schiffman (ed.), ‘Go Out and Study the Land’ (Judges 18:2): Archaeological, Historical and Textual Studies in Honor of Hanan Eshel (Torleif Elgvin) David L. Mathewson, Verbal Aspect in the Book of Revelation: The Function of Greek Verb Tenses in John’s Apocalypse (Jan H. Nylund) Robert K. McIver, Memory, Jesus, and the Synoptic Gospels (Jennifer Nyström) Sun Myung Lyu, Righteousness in the Book of Proverbs (Bo Johnson) Stefan Nordenson, Genom honom skapades allt: En exegetisk studie om Kristi preexistens och medlarfunktion i Nya testamentet (Hanna Stenström) Stefan Nordgaard Svendsen, Allegory Transformed: The Appropriation of Philonic Hermeneutics in the Letter to the Hebrews (Johannes Imberg) Donna Lee Petter, The Book of Ezekiel and Mesopotamian City Laments (Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer) Stanley E. Porter, Jeffrey T. Reed och Matthew Brook O’Donnell, Fundamentals of New Testament Greek (Jan H. Nylund) Stanley E. Porter och Jeffrey T. Reed, Fundamentals of New Testament Greek: Workbook (Jan H. Nylund) Karl Olav Sandnes, The Gospel ‘According to Homer and Virgil’: Cento and Canon (Maria Sturesson) Tanja Schultheiss, Das Petrusbild im Johannesevangelium (Finn Damgaard) William A. Tooman, Gog of Magog: Reuse of Scripture and Compositional Technique in Ezekiel 38–39 (Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer) Paul Trebilco, Self-designations and Group Identity in the New Testament (Rikard Roitto) Caroline Vander Stichele och Hugh Pyper (red.), Text, Image, and Otherness in Children’s Bibles: What Is in the Picture? (Mikael Larsson) Patricia Walters, The Assumed Authorial Unity of Luke and Acts: A Reassessment of the Evidence (Carl Johan Berglund) Amanda Witmer, Jesus, the Galilean Exorcist: His Exorcisms in Social and Political Context (Jennifer Nyström)

The article deals with the comparative characteristics of rendering proper names in the most widespread English and Ukrainian translations of the Old Testament (Pentateuch). The author makes some generalizations concerning the lexical and semantic groups of nominations, characteristic of the confessional style, as well as its typical groups of lexis with the proper names being a major constituent among them. A comparative analysis of 586 proper names from each target text allowed to the make some conclusion concerning the ways of their rendering and correlation in the target languages. Though transliteration is the main technique in both languages, the correlation of the same letters in English and Ukrainian is not always consistent. The consistency has been found to be invariable only concerning the following English-Ukrainian pairs of letters: d – д, k – к, l – л, m – м, n – н, o – o, p – п, r – р, t – т, v – в. Other letters, as well as digraphs ch, sh, ph and th, do not have consistent counterparts and are characterized by a varying degree of inconsistency. This may be accounted for by a variety of reasons, among them: a considerable (450 years) gap between the first English and Ukrainian translations, which may have contributed to the changes in the approaches to transliteration; following in the different traditions (Western or Eastern) of transliteration in rendering certain letters, specifically concerning the pair of the letters b – в, or th digraph; a greater impact on the Ukrainian translator on the part of numerous Bible translations into other languages (particularly into Russian), which were absent at the time the first English translation was done etc. Other reasons for the discrepancies might include the translators’ individual characteristics, failure to maintain the same strategy throughout the entire translation, their striving to create euphony and to avoid the sound combinations undesirable in the target language.

This article is a tribute to the 500 years of Christianity here in the Philippines last year. It is written from a Protestant-Evangelical perspective by situating Hannah Arendt’s natality in the public space where Christians themselves, although driven by their needs and wants to master necessity in the oikos, need to have relevant engagements. But this is hampered as the human condition gets distorted by the confluent factors in the private sphere that pave the way for coercion and violence in the public space. As a solution to this predicament, I propound that Arendt’s natality may be assumed towards the Christian eschaton in its engagement with the sphere of activity. This paper has four sections to posit the idea that even Christianity is in the process of being made new by the emergence of new people. The first section is a brief biblical reflection on when action becomes possible due to human being’s potentiality. Nevertheless, this potentiality is impeded in religious and cultural practices on domestic life as presented in the second section. Then in the third section, a study is presented wherein a huge sector of Philippine Evangelical Christianity turns out to be apolitical about an immense national concern thereby evincing certain distortion. It seems that this distortion permeates from oikos proclivities. The fourth section is the intertwining of the Protestant slogan as a sense of natality: ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda! References Arendt, Hannah. The Human Condition 2nd ed. Chicago & London: University of Chicago University Press, [1998] 1958. Arendt, Hannah. The Origins of Totalitarianism. Cleveland: The World Publishing Company, 1958. Barth, Karl. Dogmatics in Outline. USA: Harper & Row Publishers, Inc., 1959. Cornelio, Jayeel and Ia Marañon. “A ‘Righteous Intervention’: Megachurch Christianity and Duterte’s War on Drugs in the Philippines.” In International Journal of Asian Christianity, 2 (2019). Fry, Alex. “Postfeminist, engaged and resistant: Evangelical male clergy attitudes towards gender and women’s ordination in the Church of England.” In Critical Research on Religion 9, no. 1 (2021). O’Donovan, Joan Lockwood. “A Timely Conversation on Civil Society, Nation and State.” In A Royal Priesthood?: The Use of the Bible Ethically and Politically. Ed. Craig Bartholomew, et al. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Academic, 2002. Palmquist, Stephen. “Toward A Christian Philosophy of Work: A Theological and Religious Extension of Hannah Arendt’s Conceptual Framework.” In Philosophia Christi. 11, no. 2 (2009). Passerin d’Entreves, Maurizio. The Political Philosophy of Hannah Arendt. London: Routledge, 1994. Schwartz, Regina M. “Monotheism and the Violence of Identities.” In Raritan: A Quarterly Review 14, no. 3 (1995). Schwartz, Regina M. The Curse of Cain: The Violent Legacy of Monotheism. The University of Chicago Press, 1997. Tracy, Steven R. “Patriarchy and Domestic Violence: Challenging Common Misconceptions.” In Journal of Evangelical Theological Society 50, no. 2 (2007). Walters, Margaret. Feminism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2005. Williams, Rowan. Faith in the Public Square. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012. Wright, N. T. The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus’s Crucifixion. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2016.

Photo ID 158378414 © Eduard Muzhevskyi | Dreamstime.com ABSTRACT There is a debate about the ethical implications of using human embryos in stem cell research, which can be influenced by cultural, moral, and social values. This paper argues for an adaptable framework to accommodate diverse cultural and religious perspectives. By using an adaptive ethics model, research protections can reflect various populations and foster growth in stem cell research possibilities. INTRODUCTION Stem cell research combines biology, medicine, and technology, promising to alter health care and the understanding of human development. Yet, ethical contention exists because of individuals’ perceptions of using human embryos based on their various cultural, moral, and social values. While these disagreements concerning policy, use, and general acceptance have prompted the development of an international ethics policy, such a uniform approach can overlook the nuanced ethical landscapes between cultures. With diverse viewpoints in public health, a single global policy, especially one reflecting Western ethics or the ethics prevalent in high-income countries, is impractical. This paper argues for a culturally sensitive, adaptable framework for the use of embryonic stem cells. Stem cell policy should accommodate varying ethical viewpoints and promote an effective global dialogue. With an extension of an ethics model that can adapt to various cultures, we recommend localized guidelines that reflect the moral views of the people those guidelines serve. BACKGROUND Stem cells, characterized by their unique ability to differentiate into various cell types, enable the repair or replacement of damaged tissues. Two primary types of stem cells are somatic stem cells (adult stem cells) and embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cells exist in developed tissues and maintain the body’s repair processes.[1] Embryonic stem cells (ESC) are remarkably pluripotent or versatile, making them valuable in research.[2] However, the use of ESCs has sparked ethics debates. Considering the potential of embryonic stem cells, research guidelines are essential. The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) provides international stem cell research guidelines. They call for “public conversations touching on the scientific significance as well as the societal and ethical issues raised by ESC research.”[3] The ISSCR also publishes updates about culturing human embryos 14 days post fertilization, suggesting local policies and regulations should continue to evolve as ESC research develops.[4] Like the ISSCR, which calls for local law and policy to adapt to developing stem cell research given cultural acceptance, this paper highlights the importance of local social factors such as religion and culture. I. Global Cultural Perspective of Embryonic Stem Cells Views on ESCs vary throughout the world. Some countries readily embrace stem cell research and therapies, while others have stricter regulations due to ethical concerns surrounding embryonic stem cells and when an embryo becomes entitled to moral consideration. The philosophical issue of when the “someone” begins to be a human after fertilization, in the morally relevant sense,[5] impacts when an embryo becomes not just worthy of protection but morally entitled to it. The process of creating embryonic stem cell lines involves the destruction of the embryos for research.[6] Consequently, global engagement in ESC research depends on social-cultural acceptability. a. US and Rights-Based Cultures In the United States, attitudes toward stem cell therapies are diverse. The ethics and social approaches, which value individualism,[7] trigger debates regarding the destruction of human embryos, creating a complex regulatory environment. For example, the 1996 Dickey-Wicker Amendment prohibited federal funding for the creation of embryos for research and the destruction of embryos for “more than allowed for research on fetuses in utero.”[8] Following suit, in 2001, the Bush Administration heavily restricted stem cell lines for research. However, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 was proposed to help develop ESC research but was ultimately vetoed.[9] Under the Obama administration, in 2009, an executive order lifted restrictions allowing for more development in this field.[10] The flux of research capacity and funding parallels the different cultural perceptions of human dignity of the embryo and how it is socially presented within the country’s research culture.[11] b. Ubuntu and Collective Cultures African bioethics differs from Western individualism because of the different traditions and values. African traditions, as described by individuals from South Africa and supported by some studies in other African countries, including Ghana and Kenya, follow the African moral philosophies of Ubuntu or Botho and Ukama, which “advocates for a form of wholeness that comes through one’s relationship and connectedness with other people in the society,”[12] making autonomy a socially collective concept. In this context, for the community to act autonomously, individuals would come together to decide what is best for the collective. Thus, stem cell research would require examining the value of the research to society as a whole and the use of the embryos as a collective societal resource. If society views the source as part of the collective whole, and opposes using stem cells, compromising the cultural values to pursue research may cause social detachment and stunt research growth.[13] Based on local culture and moral philosophy, the permissibility of stem cell research depends on how embryo, stem cell, and cell line therapies relate to the community as a whole. Ubuntu is the expression of humanness, with the person’s identity drawn from the “’I am because we are’” value.[14] The decision in a collectivistic culture becomes one born of cultural context, and individual decisions give deference to others in the society. Consent differs in cultures where thought and moral philosophy are based on a collective paradigm. So, applying Western bioethical concepts is unrealistic. For one, Africa is a diverse continent with many countries with different belief systems, access to health care, and reliance on traditional or Western medicines. Where traditional medicine is the primary treatment, the “’restrictive focus on biomedically-related bioethics’” [is] problematic in African contexts because it neglects bioethical issues raised by traditional systems.”[15] No single approach applies in all areas or contexts. Rather than evaluating the permissibility of ESC research according to Western concepts such as the four principles approach, different ethics approaches should prevail. Another consideration is the socio-economic standing of countries. In parts of South Africa, researchers have not focused heavily on contributing to the stem cell discourse, either because it is not considered health care or a health science priority or because resources are unavailable.[16] Each country’s priorities differ given different social, political, and economic factors. In South Africa, for instance, areas such as maternal mortality, non-communicable diseases, telemedicine, and the strength of health systems need improvement and require more focus[17] Stem cell research could benefit the population, but it also could divert resources from basic medical care. Researchers in South Africa adhere to the National Health Act and Medicines Control Act in South Africa and international guidelines; however, the Act is not strictly enforced, and there is no clear legislation for research conduct or ethical guidelines.[18] Some parts of Africa condemn stem cell research. For example, 98.2 percent of the Tunisian population is Muslim.[19] Tunisia does not permit stem cell research because of moral conflict with a Fatwa. Religion heavily saturates the regulation and direction of research.[20] Stem cell use became permissible for reproductive purposes only recently, with tight restrictions preventing cells from being used in any research other than procedures concerning ART/IVF. Their use is conditioned on consent, and available only to married couples.[21] The community's receptiveness to stem cell research depends on including communitarian African ethics. c. Asia Some Asian countries also have a collective model of ethics and decision making.[22] In China, the ethics model promotes a sincere respect for life or human dignity,[23] based on protective medicine. This model, influenced by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), [24] recognizes Qi as the vital energy delivered via the meridians of the body; it connects illness to body systems, the body’s entire constitution, and the universe for a holistic bond of nature, health, and quality of life.[25] Following a protective ethics model, and traditional customs of wholeness, investment in stem cell research is heavily desired for its applications in regenerative therapies, disease modeling, and protective medicines. In a survey of medical students and healthcare practitioners, 30.8 percent considered stem cell research morally unacceptable while 63.5 percent accepted medical research using human embryonic stem cells. Of these individuals, 89.9 percent supported increased funding for stem cell research.[26] The scientific community might not reflect the overall population. From 1997 to 2019, China spent a total of $576 million (USD) on stem cell research at 8,050 stem cell programs, increased published presence from 0.6 percent to 14.01 percent of total global stem cell publications as of 2014, and made significant strides in cell-based therapies for various medical conditions.[27] However, while China has made substantial investments in stem cell research and achieved notable progress in clinical applications, concerns linger regarding ethical oversight and transparency.[28] For example, the China Biosecurity Law, promoted by the National Health Commission and China Hospital Association, attempted to mitigate risks by introducing an institutional review board (IRB) in the regulatory bodies. 5800 IRBs registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry since 2021.[29] However, issues still need to be addressed in implementing effective IRB review and approval procedures. The substantial government funding and focus on scientific advancement have sometimes overshadowed considerations of regional cultures, ethnic minorities, and individual perspectives, particularly evident during the one-child policy era. As government policy adapts to promote public stability, such as the change from the one-child to the two-child policy,[30] research ethics should also adapt to ensure respect for the values of its represented peoples. Japan is also relatively supportive of stem cell research and therapies. Japan has a more transparent regulatory framework, allowing for faster approval of regenerative medicine products, which has led to several advanced clinical trials and therapies.[31] South Korea is also actively engaged in stem cell research and has a history of breakthroughs in cloning and embryonic stem cells.[32] However, the field is controversial, and there are issues of scientific integrity. For example, the Korean FDA fast-tracked products for approval,[33] and in another instance, the oocyte source was unclear and possibly violated ethical standards.[34] Trust is important in research, as it builds collaborative foundations between colleagues, trial participant comfort, open-mindedness for complicated and sensitive discussions, and supports regulatory procedures for stakeholders. There is a need to respect the culture’s interest, engagement, and for research and clinical trials to be transparent and have ethical oversight to promote global research discourse and trust. d. Middle East Countries in the Middle East have varying degrees of acceptance of or restrictions to policies related to using embryonic stem cells due to cultural and religious influences. Saudi Arabia has made significant contributions to stem cell research, and conducts research based on international guidelines for ethical conduct and under strict adherence to guidelines in accordance with Islamic principles. Specifically, the Saudi government and people require ESC research to adhere to Sharia law. In addition to umbilical and placental stem cells,[35] Saudi Arabia permits the use of embryonic stem cells as long as they come from miscarriages, therapeutic abortions permissible by Sharia law, or are left over from in vitro fertilization and donated to research.[36] Laws and ethical guidelines for stem cell research allow the development of research institutions such as the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, which has a cord blood bank and a stem cell registry with nearly 10,000 donors.[37] Such volume and acceptance are due to the ethical ‘permissibility’ of the donor sources, which do not conflict with religious pillars. However, some researchers err on the side of caution, choosing not to use embryos or fetal tissue as they feel it is unethical to do so.[38] Jordan has a positive research ethics culture.[39] However, there is a significant issue of lack of trust in researchers, with 45.23 percent (38.66 percent agreeing and 6.57 percent strongly agreeing) of Jordanians holding a low level of trust in researchers, compared to 81.34 percent of Jordanians agreeing that they feel safe to participate in a research trial.[40] Safety testifies to the feeling of confidence that adequate measures are in place to protect participants from harm, whereas trust in researchers could represent the confidence in researchers to act in the participants’ best interests, adhere to ethical guidelines, provide accurate information, and respect participants’ rights and dignity. One method to improve trust would be to address communication issues relevant to ESC. Legislation surrounding stem cell research has adopted specific language, especially concerning clarification “between ‘stem cells’ and ‘embryonic stem cells’” in translation.[41] Furthermore, legislation “mandates the creation of a national committee… laying out specific regulations for stem-cell banking in accordance with international standards.”[42] This broad regulation opens the door for future global engagement and maintains transparency. However, these regulations may also constrain the influence of research direction, pace, and accessibility of research outcomes. e. Europe In the European Union (EU), ethics is also principle-based, but the principles of autonomy, dignity, integrity, and vulnerability are interconnected.[43] As such, the opportunity for cohesion and concessions between individuals’ thoughts and ideals allows for a more adaptable ethics model due to the flexible principles that relate to the human experience The EU has put forth a framework in its Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Being allowing member states to take different approaches. Each European state applies these principles to its specific conventions, leading to or reflecting different acceptance levels of stem cell research. [44] For example, in Germany, Lebenzusammenhang, or the coherence of life, references integrity in the unity of human culture. Namely, the personal sphere “should not be subject to external intervention.”[45] Stem cell interventions could affect this concept of bodily completeness, leading to heavy restrictions. Under the Grundgesetz, human dignity and the right to life with physical integrity are paramount.[46] The Embryo Protection Act of 1991 made producing cell lines illegal. Cell lines can be imported if approved by the Central Ethics Commission for Stem Cell Research only if they were derived before May 2007.[47] Stem cell research respects the integrity of life for the embryo with heavy specifications and intense oversight. This is vastly different in Finland, where the regulatory bodies find research more permissible in IVF excess, but only up to 14 days after fertilization.[48] Spain’s approach differs still, with a comprehensive regulatory framework.[49] Thus, research regulation can be culture-specific due to variations in applied principles. Diverse cultures call for various approaches to ethical permissibility.[50] Only an adaptive-deliberative model can address the cultural constructions of self and achieve positive, culturally sensitive stem cell research practices.[51] II. Religious Perspectives on ESC Embryonic stem cell sources are the main consideration within religious contexts. While individuals may not regard their own religious texts as authoritative or factual, religion can shape their foundations or perspectives. The Qur'an states: “And indeed We created man from a quintessence of clay. Then We placed within him a small quantity of nutfa (sperm to fertilize) in a safe place. Then We have fashioned the nutfa into an ‘alaqa (clinging clot or cell cluster), then We developed the ‘alaqa into mudgha (a lump of flesh), and We made mudgha into bones, and clothed the bones with flesh, then We brought it into being as a new creation. So Blessed is Allah, the Best of Creators.”[52] Many scholars of Islam estimate the time of soul installment, marked by the angel breathing in the soul to bring the individual into creation, as 120 days from conception.[53] Personhood begins at this point, and the value of life would prohibit research or experimentation that could harm the individual. If the fetus is more than 120 days old, the time ensoulment is interpreted to occur according to Islamic law, abortion is no longer permissible.[54] There are a few opposing opinions about early embryos in Islamic traditions. According to some Islamic theologians, there is no ensoulment of the early embryo, which is the source of stem cells for ESC research.[55] In Buddhism, the stance on stem cell research is not settled. The main tenets, the prohibition against harming or destroying others (ahimsa) and the pursuit of knowledge (prajña) and compassion (karuna), leave Buddhist scholars and communities divided.[56] Some scholars argue stem cell research is in accordance with the Buddhist tenet of seeking knowledge and ending human suffering. Others feel it violates the principle of not harming others. Finding the balance between these two points relies on the karmic burden of Buddhist morality. In trying to prevent ahimsa towards the embryo, Buddhist scholars suggest that to comply with Buddhist tenets, research cannot be done as the embryo has personhood at the moment of conception and would reincarnate immediately, harming the individual's ability to build their karmic burden.[57] On the other hand, the Bodhisattvas, those considered to be on the path to enlightenment or Nirvana, have given organs and flesh to others to help alleviate grieving and to benefit all.[58] Acceptance varies on applied beliefs and interpretations. Catholicism does not support embryonic stem cell research, as it entails creation or destruction of human embryos. This destruction conflicts with the belief in the sanctity of life. For example, in the Old Testament, Genesis describes humanity as being created in God’s image and multiplying on the Earth, referencing the sacred rights to human conception and the purpose of development and life. In the Ten Commandments, the tenet that one should not kill has numerous interpretations where killing could mean murder or shedding of the sanctity of life, demonstrating the high value of human personhood. In other books, the theological conception of when life begins is interpreted as in utero,[59] highlighting the inviolability of life and its formation in vivo to make a religious point for accepting such research as relatively limited, if at all.[60] The Vatican has released ethical directives to help apply a theological basis to modern-day conflicts. The Magisterium of the Church states that “unless there is a moral certainty of not causing harm,” experimentation on fetuses, fertilized cells, stem cells, or embryos constitutes a crime.[61] Such procedures would not respect the human person who exists at these stages, according to Catholicism. Damages to the embryo are considered gravely immoral and illicit.[62] Although the Catholic Church officially opposes abortion, surveys demonstrate that many Catholic people hold pro-choice views, whether due to the context of conception, stage of pregnancy, threat to the mother’s life, or for other reasons, demonstrating that practicing members can also accept some but not all tenets.[63] Some major Jewish denominations, such as the Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist movements, are open to supporting ESC use or research as long as it is for saving a life.[64] Within Judaism, the Talmud, or study, gives personhood to the child at birth and emphasizes that life does not begin at conception:[65] “If she is found pregnant, until the fortieth day it is mere fluid,”[66] Whereas most religions prioritize the status of human embryos, the Halakah (Jewish religious law) states that to save one life, most other religious laws can be ignored because it is in pursuit of preservation.[67] Stem cell research is accepted due to application of these religious laws. We recognize that all religions contain subsets and sects. The variety of environmental and cultural differences within religious groups requires further analysis to respect the flexibility of religious thoughts and practices. We make no presumptions that all cultures require notions of autonomy or morality as under the common morality theory, which asserts a set of universal moral norms that all individuals share provides moral reasoning and guides ethical decisions.[68] We only wish to show that the interaction with morality varies between cultures and countries. III. A Flexible Ethical Approach The plurality of different moral approaches described above demonstrates that there can be no universally acceptable uniform law for ESC on a global scale. Instead of developing one standard, flexible ethical applications must be continued. We recommend local guidelines that incorporate important cultural and ethical priorities. While the Declaration of Helsinki is more relevant to people in clinical trials receiving ESC products, in keeping with the tradition of protections for research subjects, consent of the donor is an ethical requirement for ESC donation in many jurisdictions including the US, Canada, and Europe.[69] The Declaration of Helsinki provides a reference point for regulatory standards and could potentially be used as a universal baseline for obtaining consent prior to gamete or embryo donation. For instance, in Columbia University’s egg donor program for stem cell research, donors followed standard screening protocols and “underwent counseling sessions that included information as to the purpose of oocyte donation for research, what the oocytes would be used for, the risks and benefits of donation, and process of oocyte stimulation” to ensure transparency for consent.[70] The program helped advance stem cell research and provided clear and safe research methods with paid participants. Though paid participation or covering costs of incidental expenses may not be socially acceptable in every culture or context,[71] and creating embryos for ESC research is illegal in many jurisdictions, Columbia’s program was effective because of the clear and honest communications with donors, IRBs, and related stakeholders. This example demonstrates that cultural acceptance of scientific research and of the idea that an egg or embryo does not have personhood is likely behind societal acceptance of donating eggs for ESC research. As noted, many countries do not permit the creation of embryos for research. Proper communication and education regarding the process and purpose of stem cell research may bolster comprehension and garner more acceptance. “Given the sensitive subject material, a complete consent process can support voluntary participation through trust, understanding, and ethical norms from the cultures and morals participants value. This can be hard for researchers entering countries of different socioeconomic stability, with different languages and different societal values.[72] An adequate moral foundation in medical ethics is derived from the cultural and religious basis that informs knowledge and actions.[73] Understanding local cultural and religious values and their impact on research could help researchers develop humility and promote inclusion. IV. Concerns Some may argue that if researchers all adhere to one ethics standard, protection will be satisfied across all borders, and the global public will trust researchers. However, defining what needs to be protected and how to define such research standards is very specific to the people to which standards are applied. We suggest that applying one uniform guide cannot accurately protect each individual because we all possess our own perceptions and interpretations of social values.[74] Therefore, the issue of not adjusting to the moral pluralism between peoples in applying one standard of ethics can be resolved by building out ethics models that can be adapted to different cultures and religions. Other concerns include medical tourism, which may promote health inequities.[75] Some countries may develop and approve products derived from ESC research before others, compromising research ethics or drug approval processes. There are also concerns about the sale of unauthorized stem cell treatments, for example, those without FDA approval in the United States. Countries with robust research infrastructures may be tempted to attract medical tourists, and some customers will have false hopes based on aggressive publicity of unproven treatments.[76] For example, in China, stem cell clinics can market to foreign clients who are not protected under the regulatory regimes. Companies employ a marketing strategy of “ethically friendly” therapies. Specifically, in the case of Beike, China’s leading stem cell tourism company and sprouting network, ethical oversight of administrators or health bureaus at one site has “the unintended consequence of shifting questionable activities to another node in Beike's diffuse network.”[77] In contrast, Jordan is aware of stem cell research’s potential abuse and its own status as a “health-care hub.” Jordan’s expanded regulations include preserving the interests of individuals in clinical trials and banning private companies from ESC research to preserve transparency and the integrity of research practices.[78] The social priorities of the community are also a concern. The ISSCR explicitly states that guidelines “should be periodically revised to accommodate scientific advances, new challenges, and evolving social priorities.”[79] The adaptable ethics model extends this consideration further by addressing whether research is warranted given the varying degrees of socioeconomic conditions, political stability, and healthcare accessibilities and limitations. An ethical approach would require discussion about resource allocation and appropriate distribution of funds.[80] CONCLUSION While some religions emphasize the sanctity of life from conception, which may lead to public opposition to ESC research, others encourage ESC research due to its potential for healing and alleviating human pain. Many countries have special regulations that balance local views on embryonic personhood, the benefits of research as individual or societal goods, and the protection of human research subjects. To foster understanding and constructive dialogue, global policy frameworks should prioritize the protection of universal human rights, transparency, and informed consent. In addition to these foundational global policies, we recommend tailoring local guidelines to reflect the diverse cultural and religious perspectives of the populations they govern. Ethics models should be adapted to local populations to effectively establish research protections, growth, and possibilities of stem cell research. For example, in countries with strong beliefs in the moral sanctity of embryos or heavy religious restrictions, an adaptive model can allow for discussion instead of immediate rejection. In countries with limited individual rights and voice in science policy, an adaptive model ensures cultural, moral, and religious views are taken into consideration, thereby building social inclusion. While this ethical consideration by the government may not give a complete voice to every individual, it will help balance policies and maintain the diverse perspectives of those it affects. Embracing an adaptive ethics model of ESC research promotes open-minded dialogue and respect for the importance of human belief and tradition. By actively engaging with cultural and religious values, researchers can better handle disagreements and promote ethical research practices that benefit each society. This brief exploration of the religious and cultural differences that impact ESC research reveals the nuances of relative ethics and highlights a need for local policymakers to apply a more intense adaptive model. - [1] Poliwoda, S., Noor, N., Downs, E., Schaaf, A., Cantwell, A., Ganti, L., Kaye, A. D., Mosel, L. I., Carroll, C. B., Viswanath, O., & Urits, I. (2022). Stem cells: a comprehensive review of origins and emerging clinical roles in medical practice. 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[14] Jecker, N. S., & Atuire, C. (2021). Bioethics in Africa: A contextually enlightened analysis of three cases. Developing World Bioethics, 22(2), 112–122. https://doi.org/10.1111/dewb.12324 [15] Jecker, N. S., & Atuire, C. (2021). Bioethics in Africa: A contextually enlightened analysis of three cases. Developing World Bioethics, 22(2), 112–122. https://doi.org/10.1111/dewb.12324 [16] Jackson, C.S., Pepper, M.S. Opportunities and barriers to establishing a cell therapy programme in South Africa. Stem Cell Res Ther 4, 54 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/scrt204; Pew Research Center. (2014, May 1). Public health a major priority in African nations. Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project. https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2014/05/01/public-health-a-major-priority-in-african-nations/ [17] Department of Health Republic of South Africa. (2021). Health Research Priorities (revised) for South Africa 2021-2024. 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Middle East Fertil Soc J 24, 8 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43043-019-0011-0; Gaobotse, G. (2018) Stem Cell Research in Africa: Legislation and Challenges. J Regen Med 7:1. doi: 10.4172/2325-9620.1000142 [22] Pang M. C. (1999). Protective truthfulness: the Chinese way of safeguarding patients in informed treatment decisions. Journal of medical ethics, 25(3), 247–253. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme.25.3.247 [23] Wang, L., Wang, F., & Zhang, W. (2021). Bioethics in China’s biosecurity law: Forms, effects, and unsettled issues. Journal of law and the biosciences, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsab019 https://academic.oup.com/jlb/article/8/1/lsab019/6299199 [24] Wang, Y., Xue, Y., & Guo, H. D. (2022). Intervention effects of traditional Chinese medicine on stem cell therapy of myocardial infarction. Frontiers in pharmacology, 13, 1013740. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.1013740 [25] Li, X.-T., & Zhao, J. (2012). Chapter 4: An Approach to the Nature of Qi in TCM- Qi and Bioenergy. In Recent Advances in Theories and Practice of Chinese Medicine (p. 79). InTech. [26] Luo, D., Xu, Z., Wang, Z., & Ran, W. (2021). China's Stem Cell Research and Knowledge Levels of Medical Practitioners and Students. Stem cells international, 2021, 6667743. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6667743 [27] Luo, D., Xu, Z., Wang, Z., & Ran, W. (2021). China's Stem Cell Research and Knowledge Levels of Medical Practitioners and Students. Stem cells international, 2021, 6667743. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6667743 [28] Zhang, J. Y. (2017). Lost in translation? accountability and governance of Clinical Stem Cell Research in China. Regenerative Medicine, 12(6), 647–656. https://doi.org/10.2217/rme-2017-0035 [29] Wang, L., Wang, F., & Zhang, W. (2021). Bioethics in China’s biosecurity law: Forms, effects, and unsettled issues. Journal of law and the biosciences, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsab019 https://academic.oup.com/jlb/article/8/1/lsab019/6299199 [30] Chen, H., Wei, T., Wang, H. et al. Association of China’s two-child policy with changes in number of births and birth defects rate, 2008–2017. BMC Public Health 22, 434 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12839-0 [31] Azuma, K. Regulatory Landscape of Regenerative Medicine in Japan. Curr Stem Cell Rep 1, 118–128 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40778-015-0012-6 [32] Harris, R. (2005, May 19). Researchers Report Advance in Stem Cell Production. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2005/05/19/4658967/researchers-report-advance-in-stem-cell-production [33] Park, S. (2012). South Korea steps up stem-cell work. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature.2012.10565 [34] Resnik, D. B., Shamoo, A. E., & Krimsky, S. (2006). Fraudulent human embryonic stem cell research in South Korea: lessons learned. Accountability in research, 13(1), 101–109. https://doi.org/10.1080/08989620600634193. [35] Alahmad, G., Aljohani, S., & Najjar, M. F. (2020). Ethical challenges regarding the use of stem cells: interviews with researchers from Saudi Arabia. BMC medical ethics, 21(1), 35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-020-00482-6 [36]Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies. https://www.aabb.org/regulatory-and-advocacy/regulatory-affairs/regulatory-for-cellular-therapies/international-competent-authorities/saudi-arabia [37] Alahmad, G., Aljohani, S., & Najjar, M. F. (2020). Ethical challenges regarding the use of stem cells: Interviews with researchers from Saudi Arabia. BMC medical ethics, 21(1), 35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-020-00482-6 [38] Alahmad, G., Aljohani, S., & Najjar, M. F. (2020). Ethical challenges regarding the use of stem cells: Interviews with researchers from Saudi Arabia. BMC medical ethics, 21(1), 35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-020-00482-6 Culturally, autonomy practices follow a relational autonomy approach based on a paternalistic deontological health care model. The adherence to strict international research policies and religious pillars within the regulatory environment is a great foundation for research ethics. However, there is a need to develop locally targeted ethics approaches for research (as called for in Alahmad, G., Aljohani, S., & Najjar, M. F. (2020). Ethical challenges regarding the use of stem cells: interviews with researchers from Saudi Arabia. BMC medical ethics, 21(1), 35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-020-00482-6), this decision-making approach may help advise a research decision model. For more on the clinical cultural autonomy approaches, see: Alabdullah, Y. Y., Alzaid, E., Alsaad, S., Alamri, T., Alolayan, S. W., Bah, S., & Aljoudi, A. S. (2022). Autonomy and paternalism in Shared decision‐making in a Saudi Arabian tertiary hospital: A cross‐sectional study. Developing World Bioethics, 23(3), 260–268. https://doi.org/10.1111/dewb.12355; Bukhari, A. A. (2017). Universal Principles of Bioethics and Patient Rights in Saudi Arabia (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/124; Ladha, S., Nakshawani, S. A., Alzaidy, A., & Tarab, B. (2023, October 26). Islam and Bioethics: What We All Need to Know. Columbia University School of Professional Studies. https://sps.columbia.edu/events/islam-and-bioethics-what-we-all-need-know [39] Ababneh, M. A., Al-Azzam, S. I., Alzoubi, K., Rababa’h, A., & Al Demour, S. (2021). Understanding and attitudes of the Jordanian public about clinical research ethics. Research Ethics, 17(2), 228-241. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747016120966779 [40] Ababneh, M. A., Al-Azzam, S. I., Alzoubi, K., Rababa’h, A., & Al Demour, S. (2021). Understanding and attitudes of the Jordanian public about clinical research ethics. Research Ethics, 17(2), 228-241. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747016120966779 [41] Dajani, R. (2014). Jordan’s stem-cell law can guide the Middle East. Nature 510, 189. https://doi.org/10.1038/510189a [42] Dajani, R. (2014). Jordan’s stem-cell law can guide the Middle East. Nature 510, 189. https://doi.org/10.1038/510189a [43] The EU’s definition of autonomy relates to the capacity for creating ideas, moral insight, decisions, and actions without constraint, personal responsibility, and informed consent. However, the EU views autonomy as not completely able to protect individuals and depends on other principles, such as dignity, which “expresses the intrinsic worth and fundamental equality of all human beings.” Rendtorff, J.D., Kemp, P. (2019). Four Ethical Principles in European Bioethics and Biolaw: Autonomy, Dignity, Integrity and Vulnerability. In: Valdés, E., Lecaros, J. (eds) Biolaw and Policy in the Twenty-First Century. International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine, vol 78. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05903-3_3 [44] Council of Europe. Convention for the protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Being with regard to the Application of Biology and Medicine: Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (ETS No. 164) https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list?module=treaty-detail&treatynum=164 (forbidding the creation of embryos for research purposes only, and suggests embryos in vitro have protections.); Also see Drabiak-Syed B. K. (2013). New President, New Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Policy: Comparative International Perspectives and Embryonic Stem Cell Research Laws in France. Biotechnology Law Report, 32(6), 349–356. https://doi.org/10.1089/blr.2013.9865 [45] Rendtorff, J.D., Kemp, P. (2019). Four Ethical Principles in European Bioethics and Biolaw: Autonomy, Dignity, Integrity and Vulnerability. In: Valdés, E., Lecaros, J. (eds) Biolaw and Policy in the Twenty-First Century. International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine, vol 78. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05903-3_3 [46] Tomuschat, C., Currie, D. P., Kommers, D. P., & Kerr, R. (Trans.). (1949, May 23). Basic law for the Federal Republic of Germany. https://www.btg-bestellservice.de/pdf/80201000.pdf [47] Regulation of Stem Cell Research in Germany. Eurostemcell. (2017, April 26). https://www.eurostemcell.org/regulation-stem-cell-research-germany [48] Regulation of Stem Cell Research in Finland. Eurostemcell. (2017, April 26). https://www.eurostemcell.org/regulation-stem-cell-research-finland [49] Regulation of Stem Cell Research in Spain. Eurostemcell. (2017, April 26). https://www.eurostemcell.org/regulation-stem-cell-research-spain [50] Some sources to consider regarding ethics models or regulatory oversights of other cultures not covered: Kara MA. Applicability of the principle of respect for autonomy: the perspective of Turkey. J Med Ethics. 2007 Nov;33(11):627-30. doi: 10.1136/jme.2006.017400. PMID: 17971462; PMCID: PMC2598110. Ugarte, O. N., & Acioly, M. A. (2014). The principle of autonomy in Brazil: one needs to discuss it ... Revista do Colegio Brasileiro de Cirurgioes, 41(5), 374–377. https://doi.org/10.1590/0100-69912014005013 Bharadwaj, A., & Glasner, P. E. (2012). Local cells, global science: The rise of embryonic stem cell research in India. Routledge. For further research on specific European countries regarding ethical and regulatory framework, we recommend this database: Regulation of Stem Cell Research in Europe. Eurostemcell. (2017, April 26). https://www.eurostemcell.org/regulation-stem-cell-research-europe [51] Klitzman, R. (2006). Complications of culture in obtaining informed consent. The American Journal of Bioethics, 6(1), 20–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/15265160500394671 see also: Ekmekci, P. E., & Arda, B. (2017). Interculturalism and Informed Consent: Respecting Cultural Differences without Breaching Human Rights. Cultura (Iasi, Romania), 14(2), 159–172.; For why trust is important in research, see also: Gray, B., Hilder, J., Macdonald, L., Tester, R., Dowell, A., & Stubbe, M. (2017). Are research ethics guidelines culturally competent? Research Ethics, 13(1), 23-41. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747016116650235 [52] The Qur'an (M. Khattab, Trans.). (1965). Al-Mu’minun, 23: 12-14. https://quran.com/23 [53] Lenfest, Y. (2017, December 8). Islam and the beginning of human life. Bill of Health. https://blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2017/12/08/islam-and-the-beginning-of-human-life/ [54] Aksoy, S. (2005). Making regulations and drawing up legislation in Islamic countries under conditions of uncertainty, with special reference to embryonic stem cell research. Journal of Medical Ethics, 31:399-403.; see also: Mahmoud, Azza. "Islamic Bioethics: National Regulations and Guidelines of Human Stem Cell Research in the Muslim World." Master's thesis, Chapman University, 2022. https://doi.org/10.36837/ chapman.000386 [55] Rashid, R. (2022). When does Ensoulment occur in the Human Foetus. Journal of the British Islamic Medical Association, 12(4). ISSN 2634 8071. https://www.jbima.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2-Ethics-3_-Ensoulment_Rafaqat.pdf. [56] Sivaraman, M. & Noor, S. (2017). Ethics of embryonic stem cell research according to Buddhist, Hindu, Catholic, and Islamic religions: perspective from Malaysia. Asian Biomedicine,8(1) 43-52. https://doi.org/10.5372/1905-7415.0801.260 [57] Jafari, M., Elahi, F., Ozyurt, S. & Wrigley, T. (2007). 4. Religious Perspectives on Embryonic Stem Cell Research. In K. Monroe, R. Miller & J. Tobis (Ed.), Fundamentals of the Stem Cell Debate: The Scientific, Religious, Ethical, and Political Issues (pp. 79-94). Berkeley: University of California Press. https://escholarship.org/content/qt9rj0k7s3/qt9rj0k7s3_noSplash_f9aca2e02c3777c7fb76ea768ba458f0.pdf https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520940994-005 [58] Lecso, P. A. (1991). The Bodhisattva Ideal and Organ Transplantation. Journal of Religion and Health, 30(1), 35–41. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27510629; Bodhisattva, S. (n.d.). The Key of Becoming a Bodhisattva. A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life. http://www.buddhism.org/Sutras/2/BodhisattvaWay.htm [59] There is no explicit religious reference to when life begins or how to conduct research that interacts with the concept of life. However, these are relevant verses pertaining to how the fetus is viewed. ((King James Bible. (1999). Oxford University Press. (original work published 1769)) Jerimiah 1: 5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee…” In prophet Jerimiah’s insight, God set him apart as a person known before childbirth, a theme carried within the Psalm of David. Psalm 139: 13-14 “…Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” These verses demonstrate David’s respect for God as an entity that would know of all man’s thoughts and doings even before birth. [60] It should be noted that abortion is not supported as well. [61] The Vatican. (1987, February 22). Instruction on Respect for Human Life in Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation Replies to Certain Questions of the Day. Congregation For the Doctrine of the Faith. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19870222_respect-for-human-life_en.html [62] The Vatican. (2000, August 25). Declaration On the Production and the Scientific and Therapeutic Use of Human Embryonic Stem Cells. Pontifical Academy for Life. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_academies/acdlife/documents/rc_pa_acdlife_doc_20000824_cellule-staminali_en.html; Ohara, N. (2003). Ethical Consideration of Experimentation Using Living Human Embryos: The Catholic Church’s Position on Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Retrieved from https://article.imrpress.com/journal/CEOG/30/2-3/pii/2003018/77-81.pdf. [63] Smith, G. A. (2022, May 23). Like Americans overall, Catholics vary in their abortion views, with regular mass attenders most opposed. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/05/23/like-americans-overall-catholics-vary-in-their-abortion-views-with-regular-mass-attenders-most-opposed/ [64] Rosner, F., & Reichman, E. (2002). Embryonic stem cell research in Jewish law. Journal of halacha and contemporary society, (43), 49–68.; Jafari, M., Elahi, F., Ozyurt, S. & Wrigley, T. (2007). 4. Religious Perspectives on Embryonic Stem Cell Research. In K. Monroe, R. Miller & J. Tobis (Ed.), Fundamentals of the Stem Cell Debate: The Scientific, Religious, Ethical, and Political Issues (pp. 79-94). Berkeley: University of California Press. https://escholarship.org/content/qt9rj0k7s3/qt9rj0k7s3_noSplash_f9aca2e02c3777c7fb76ea768ba458f0.pdf https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520940994-005 [65] Schenker J. G. (2008). The beginning of human life: status of embryo. Perspectives in Halakha (Jewish Religious Law). Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 25(6), 271–276. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-008-9221-6 [66] Ruttenberg, D. (2020, May 5). The Torah of Abortion Justice (annotated source sheet). Sefaria. https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/234926.7?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en [67] Jafari, M., Elahi, F., Ozyurt, S. & Wrigley, T. (2007). 4. Religious Perspectives on Embryonic Stem Cell Research. In K. Monroe, R. Miller & J. Tobis (Ed.), Fundamentals of the Stem Cell Debate: The Scientific, Religious, Ethical, and Political Issues (pp. 79-94). Berkeley: University of California Press. https://escholarship.org/content/qt9rj0k7s3/qt9rj0k7s3_noSplash_f9aca2e02c3777c7fb76ea768ba458f0.pdf https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520940994-005 [68] Gert, B. (2007). Common morality: Deciding what to do. Oxford Univ. Press. [69] World Medical Association (2013). World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA, 310(20), 2191–2194. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2013.281053 Declaration of Helsinki – WMA – The World Medical Association.; see also: National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. (1979). The Belmont report: Ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subjects of research. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/belmont-report/read-the-belmont-report/index.html [70] Zakarin Safier, L., Gumer, A., Kline, M., Egli, D., & Sauer, M. V. (2018). Compensating human subjects providing oocytes for stem cell research: 9-year experience and outcomes. Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 35(7), 1219–1225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-018-1171-z https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6063839/ see also: Riordan, N. H., & Paz Rodríguez, J. (2021). Addressing concerns regarding associated costs, transparency, and integrity of research in recent stem cell trial. Stem Cells Translational Medicine, 10(12), 1715–1716. https://doi.org/10.1002/sctm.21-0234 [71] Klitzman, R., & Sauer, M. V. (2009). Payment of egg donors in stem cell research in the USA. Reproductive biomedicine online, 18(5), 603–608. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1472-6483(10)60002-8 [72] Krosin, M. T., Klitzman, R., Levin, B., Cheng, J., & Ranney, M. L. (2006). Problems in comprehension of informed consent in rural and peri-urban Mali, West Africa. Clinical trials (London, England), 3(3), 306–313. https://doi.org/10.1191/1740774506cn150oa [73] Veatch, Robert M. Hippocratic, Religious, and Secular Medical Ethics: The Points of Conflict. Georgetown University Press, 2012. [74] Msoroka, M. S., & Amundsen, D. (2018). One size fits not quite all: Universal research ethics with diversity. Research Ethics, 14(3), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747016117739939 [75] Pirzada, N. (2022). The Expansion of Turkey’s Medical Tourism Industry. Voices in Bioethics, 8. https://doi.org/10.52214/vib.v8i.9894 [76] Stem Cell Tourism: False Hope for Real Money. Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI). (2023). https://hsci.harvard.edu/stem-cell-tourism, See also: Bissassar, M. (2017). Transnational Stem Cell Tourism: An ethical analysis. Voices in Bioethics, 3. https://doi.org/10.7916/vib.v3i.6027 [77]Song, P. (2011) The proliferation of stem cell therapies in post-Mao China: problematizing ethical regulation, New Genetics and Society, 30:2, 141-153, DOI: 10.1080/14636778.2011.574375 [78] Dajani, R. (2014). Jordan’s stem-cell law can guide the Middle East. Nature 510, 189. https://doi.org/10.1038/510189a [79] International Society for Stem Cell Research. (2024). Standards in stem cell research. International Society for Stem Cell Research. https://www.isscr.org/guidelines/5-standards-in-stem-cell-research [80] Benjamin, R. (2013). People’s science bodies and rights on the Stem Cell Frontier. Stanford University Press.

Let us work backwards from what we know, from personal experience: the photograph of which we have each been the subject. Roland Barthes says of this photograph that it transforms "the subject into object": one begins aping the mask one wants to assume, one begins, in other words, to make oneself conform in appearance to the disguise of an identity (Camera Lucida 11). A quick glance back at your most recent holiday gathering will no doubt confirm his diagnosis. Barthes gives to this subject-object the title of Spectrum in order to neatly join the idea of spectacle with the fearsome spectre, what he calls that "terrible thing which is there in every photograph: the return of the dead" (Camera Lucida 9). Cathy Davidson points out that in "photocentric culture, we can no longer even see that we see ourselves primarily as seen, imaged, the photograph as the evidential proof of existence"; photocentric culture thus generates "a profound confusion of image and afterlife" (669 672). Andre Bazin announces that the medium "embalms time, rescuing it simply from its proper corruption" (242), while Susan Sontag points out that it may "assassinate" (13). What photography mummifies, distorts and murders, among other things, is the sense that the reality of the self resides in the body, the corporeal and temporal boundaries of personhood. The spectral haunting of the photograph is familiar to anyone who has ever looked at snapshots in a family album. How much more present it was to the producers and consumers of early photography who engineered the genre of the memento mori, portraits taken of the dead or in imitation of death. Despite the acknowledged 'eeriness' of our own recorded and vanished pasts, such pictures seem grotesquely morbid to us now -- for what we cannot recover is the absolute novelty of photography in its early days, or the vehicle that it provided in the nineteenth century for a whole set of concerns about selfhood that begin, ironically, with death. Those early photographs bring to mind another death, that of the author. Re-enter Barthes, for it is he who definitively announces the new textual paradigm in which the author disappears. In "Death of the Author," Barthes calls the author tyrannical and adopts liberationist rhetoric in unseating him. But what cult is Barthes actually countering? His essay begins and ends with Balzac, and includes Baudelaire, Van Gogh and Tchaikovsky, while his heroes are Mallarmé, Valéry and Proust. Barthes' notion of the author is implicitly a nineteenth-century construction, to be undone by modernist writing against the grain. And what distinguishes the nineteenth-century author from his predecessors? His portrait, of course. Thanks to the surge of visual and reproductive technologies culminating in the mechanised printing process and photography, the nineteenth-century author is suddenly widely available to readers as an image. The author literally becomes a face hovering above the text; it is this omnipresence that Barthes objects to. Photography gives new momentum to the cult of the author, but this is not mere historical coincidence -- that the photograph is developed at a point in history when authorship is particularly mobile: in between the Romantic individualism that transforms authorship from a craft to a calling, and the modernist interrogation of ontology and representation that explodes such notions from within. However, the opposite is also true. Photography as we know it is a product of the institution of authorship. Photography is founded on and makes available, through the democratisation and dissemination of a certain technology, a concept of public selfhood that hitherto had been reserved for those in charge of textual representation, of themselves as well as of other subjects. Primarily this is because the ideological, technological and material vehicles of the photograph -- identities, characters, scenes, the properties of chemical interaction, the invention of specialised apparatus, poses, props, and photo albums -- were closely related to book culture. How did photography change the notion of the author? It did so by commandeering truth claims -- by serving as the scientific illustration of divinely-ordained natural laws. The art of chemically fixing the image obtained through a camera obscura was perfected in 1839 by Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre and William Fox Talbot, separately, with different techniques.1 Daguerre's method caught on quickly, partly because his daguerreotype recorded such exquisite detail. The daguerreotype surface was reflective and sharply etched; inspection with a magnifying glass disclosed minutiae -- insects, eyelashes, objects in the far distance. The daguerreotype, popularly nicknamed "the pencil of the sun," seemed like a miniaturised and complete mirror of the world, a representation without human intervention.2 In 1839, and throughout the 1840's and '50's, photography transparently supported the notion that the discoveries of science would help reveal God's secrets, not disprove them -- a view that suffered but continued on after the publication of The Origin of the Species in 1859. Its presumed objectivity and comprehensive truthfulness made photography immediately appealing as a scientific and artistic tool. Although it was used to record geologic formations and vegetation, the bulky apparatus of the early photographic methods meant that it was better suited to the indoor studio -- and the portrait, in which the truth of human character could be made visible. It served as a means of defining normality and deviation; it was central to the project of identifying physical characteristics of the insane and the criminal, and of classifying racial features, as in the daguerreotypes made of slaves in the United States by J. T. Zealy in 1850, which the natural scientist Louis Aggasiz used as independent evidence of the natural differences between the races in order to endorse the doctrine of "separate creation" (Trachtenberg 53) So perceptive and penetrating did the photograph seem, it was even deemed capable of revealing vice and virtue, and it was in this way that the photographer moved onto the terrain of the author. The truth-telling properties of photography seemed to corroborate the authorial estimation of character that was a central element of nineteenth-century fiction. In texts where photography is itself on display this property is especially obvious -- in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables, for example, where true and secret characters are only discerned in daguerreotype portraits. But photography did more than divinely and scientifically confirm fictional character; the venerated author's ability to delineate moral qualities made him, or her, an exemplary character as well. The Victorians prized "sincerity," the criterion by which they measured their authors. Especially in the influential pronouncements of Carlyle, the Victorian notion of sincerity "makes man and artist inseparable" (Ball 155). An exemplary moral life was particularly powerful in the form of an author. Indeed, it was through authorship of some kind that such lives could take the public form they needed in order to fulfill their function as models. And so photography appears not just in the text but on its margins, framing and qualifying it: the portrait of the author, already a bibliographic convention, gains additional authority through the objective lens of the camera, in which the author's character is exhibited as a kind of testimony to his or her truth-telling abilities. The frontispiece guarantees the right of the author to moral leadership. As literacy and readership expanded and exceeded former class distinctions, the nineteenth-century author began to need to market himself in order to find and keep an audience. But since the source of the author's authority was sincerity, the commodification of the authorial self presented a dilemma. Some writers, such as Dickens, embraced this role; others withdrew from the task of performing a public self, but their refusal of the public's gaze was itself often dramatised, as for Tennyson, Elizabeth Barret Browning and, after her death, Emily Dickinson. The photograph portrait of the artist, as well as other likenesses of his visage, was a particularly convenient piece of authorial paraphernalia because it sustained the idea of the author as moral exemplar, but in fact it was only one of the many ways in which nineteenth-century readers kept the author before their eyes. Souvenirs such as autographs, original manuscripts and other tokens testifying to the presence of the author's body, as well as gift books and precious editions designed to generate and satisfy fans, were mainstays of Victorian keepsake culture. The photograph as corporeal souvenir signals the point where we must turn around and consider the question of photography and authorship from the other direction: that is, how the institution of authorship constructs photography. Given that photography as an art developed out of the desire to eliminate the human hand, to trace directly from nature, it seems ironic that photography could have an author. And yet it was the notion of a public and visible self, associated primarily with authorship, which accounted for the widespread popularity of photography. When the daguerreotype was introduced in 1839, enterprising amateurs in Europe and the United States transformed it from a tricky chemical procedure into a practical art, a livelihood. Daguerrean saloons appeared in the cities and in rural areas, itinerant daguerreotypists set up temporary headquarters. But every daguerreotype studio had two purposes, whether it was the high-end urban atelier of Southworth and Hawes in Boston or a peddler's rented room: it was the place where one went to have one's picture taken and it was also a public gallery, where the portraits of former customers were displayed. In an urban gallery, those portraits might include the poets, ministers and politicians of the day, but even in a village studio, one could see exhibited the portraits of the local beauties, the town big-wigs. Entering the studio as a customer or a spectator, anyone could imaginatively take his or her place among an assembly of eminent personages. More importantly, the daguerreotype and later forms of photography made portraiture accessible to the middle and working classes for the first time. The studio was a democratic space where one could entertain the fantasy of a different self, and in fact one could literally enact that fantasy through the props and accessories of identity that the studio provided. In borrowed hats and canes, sitting stiffly in chairs or standing against painted backdrops, holding books, flowers, candles, and even other daguerreotypes, the sitter could assume the persona he or she would like others to see. Often the sitter composes an obvious gender performance, other times the sitter exhibits himself as the master of a certain occupation. With the invention of the wet plate collodion process in 1851, which made it possible to reproduce quantities of images from a single negative, the public went in for the carte-de-visite, on which one's very own portrait was imprinted and handed out like a postcard souvenir. The carte-de-visite necessitated a new way of keeping and displaying multiple photographs, and thus the photo album was born. But in fact the paradigm of the book already governed photographic display and the storage of the personal collection. When the Bible was the only book a family might own, it served as the cabinet of memorable dates and events. Other kinds of mementoes were stored in lockets and books: locks of hair, painted miniatures, pressed flowers. Daguerreotypes were kept in small codex-like cases or in hinged lockets. The souvenir and its symbolic connection to the body (one's own or that of a beloved) was of course not limited to the cult of the author but was available as a mode of identity to anybody who read novels. The culture of the souvenir, the keepsake, the personal precious object stored in a book, offered a means of articulating the self that readily accommodated the photograph, and in that context, the photograph took on the properties of a personal talisman. In the wake of photography, the scrapbook, the flower album, the signature album -- all those vehicles for collecting and displaying the ephemera of a lifetime -- flourished. Books were no longer mainly devoted to dense layers of print but could consist of open space to be filled in by their owners, who would thereby become authors of their own works and incidentally of their own identities. The popularity of the album was partly due to developments in printing, which was changing from a text-based industry to one increasingly concerned with images, a shift that culminated in photo-offset printing and photoduplication. But the popularity of the album and other biblioform containers for the personal collection also has something to do with the culture of the souvenir, which prepared the way for the photograph as personal talisman and then accomodated the tremendous expansion photography offered to the self. Via the photograph, a self that was allied with its own mementoes would be transformed: selfhood formerly attached to an object intended for private contemplation was subsequently attached to an object intended for exhibition. Via the photograph, the same publicity attendant on the circulation of the author was incorporated into the stuff of the ordinary subject, who regarded his or her own image and offered it up to history. The reflexive spectacle of visible selfhood brings us back to the return of the dead, that feature of the photograph which seems to persist, and perhaps illuminates the difference between the kind of death it spooks us with now and the kind of 150 years ago. For our ancestors, the photograph was a way to cheat death, to manipulate the strict boundaries of identity, to become memorable, to catch a heady glimpse of absolute truth; but for us it is different. We can see how much we are the creations of photography, and how much we surrender to the public self it burdens us with. Notes 1. The technological history of photography is of course much complicated by issues of competition, technological "prehistory" and intellectual property—for example, there is the matter of the disappearance of Daguerre's partner Niepce. However, Daguerre is generally credited with "inventing" the medium. See Gernsheim, Greenough et al and Newhall. 2. The phrase and others like it were not only popularised by influential critic-practitioners of photography such as Oliver Wendell Holmes, Fox Talbot, in The Pencil of Nature, and Marcus Aurelius Root, in The Camera and the Pencil, but were perpetuated in the everyday language of commerce—for example, the portrait studio that advertised its "Sun Drawn Miniatures" (Gernsheim 106). References Ball, Patricia. The Central Self: A Study in Romantic and Victorian Imagination. London: Athlone Press, 1968. Barthes, Roland. Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography. Trans. Richard Howard. New York: Hill and Wang, 1981. ---. "The Death of the Author." Image, Music, Text. Trans. Stephen Heath. New York: Hill and Wang, 1977. Bazin, André. "The Ontology of the Photographic Image." Classic Essays on Photography. Ed. Alan Trachtenberg. New Haven, Conn: Leete's Island Books, 1980. 237-244. Davidson, Cathy N. "Photographs of the Dead: Sherman, Daguerre, Hawthorne." South Atlantic Quarterly 89.4 (Fall 1990): 667-701. Gernsheim, Helmut. The Origins of Photography. London: Thames and Hudson, 1982. Greenough, Sarah, Joel Snyder, David Travis and Colin Westerbeck. On the Art of Fixing a Shadow: One Hundred and Fifty Years of Photography. Boston: Little, Brown, 1989. Newhall, Beaumont. The History of Photography, From 1839 to the Present. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1982. Sontag, Susan. On Photography. New York: Dell, 1977. Trachtenberg, Alan. Reading American Photographs: Images as History, Mathew Brady to the Present. New York: Hill and Wang, 1989. Citation reference for this article Substitute your date of access for Dn Month Year etc... MLA Style Dean, Gabrielle. "Portrait of the Self" M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 5.5 (2002). [your date of access] < http://www.media-culture.org.au/mc/0210/Dean.html &gt. Chicago Style Dean, Gabrielle, "Portrait of the Self" M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 5, no. 5 (2002), < http://www.media-culture.org.au/mc/0210/Dean.html &gt ([your date of access]). APA Style Dean, Gabrielle. (2002) Portrait of the Self. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 5(5). < http://www.media-culture.org.au/mc/0210/Dean.html &gt ([your date of access]).

Introduction Sharing food is central to culture. Indeed, according to Montanari, “food is culture” (xii). Ways of sharing knowledge about food, such as the exchange of recipes, give longevity to food sharing. Recipes, an important cultural technology, expand the practice of sharing food beyond specific times and places. The means through which recipes, and information about food, is shared has historically been communicated through whatever medium is available at the time. Cookbooks were among the first printed books, with the first known cookbook published in 1485 at Nuremberg, which set a trend in which cookbooks were published in most of the languages across Western Europe by the mid 16th century (Mennell). Since then, recipe collections have found a comfortable home in new and emerging media, from radio, to television, and now, online. The proliferation of cookbooks and other forms of food-related media “can be interpreted as a reflection of culinary inexperience, if not also incompetence—otherwise why so much reliance on outside advice?” (Belasco 46). Food-related media has also been argued to reflect both what people eat and what they might wish they could eat (Neuhaus, in Belasco). As such, cookbooks, television cooking shows, and food websites help shape our identity and, as Gallegos notes, play “a role in inscribing the self with a sense of place, belonging and achievement” (99). Food writing has expanded beyond the instructional form common to cookbooks and television cooking shows and, according to Hughes, “has insinuated itself into every aspect of the literary imagination” (online) from academic writing through to memoir, fiction, and travel writing. Hughes argues that concerns that people are actually now cooking less that ever, despite this influx of food-related media, miss the point that “food writing is a literary activity […] the best of it does what good writing always does, which is to create an alternative world to the one you currently inhabit” (online). While pragmatic, this argument also reinforces the common perception that food writing is a professional pursuit. It is important to note that while cookbooks and other forms of food-related media are well established as a means for recipes to be communicated, recipes have a longer history of being shared between individuals, that is, within families and communities. In helping to expand recipe-sharing practices, food-related media has also both professionalised and depersonalised this activity. As perhaps a reaction to this, or through a desire to re-establish communal recipe-sharing traditions, blogging, and specifically food blogging, has emerged as a new and viable way for people to share information about food in a non-professional capacity. Blogging has long been celebrated for its capacity to give “ordinary” people a voice (Nilsson). Due to their social nature (Walker Rettberg) and the ability for bloggers to create “networks for sharing ideas, trends and information” (Walker Rettberg 60), blogs are a natural fit for sharing recipes and information about food. Additionally, blogs, like food-related media forms such as cookbooks, are also used as tools for identity building. Blogger’s identities may be closely tied to their offline identity (Baumer, Sueyoshi and Tomlinson), forged through discussions about their everyday lives (Lövheim) or used in a professional capacity (Kedrowicz and Sullivan). Food blogs, broadly defined as blogs primarily focused on food, are one of the most prominent means through which so-called “ordinary” people can share recipes online, and can be seen to challenge perceptions that food writing is a professional activity. They may focus specifically on recipes, restaurant reviews, travel, food ethics, or aesthetic concerns such as food styling and photography. Since food blogs began to appear in the early 2000s, their number has steadily increased, and the community has become more established and structured. In my interview with the writer of the popular blog Chocolate & Zucchini, she noted that when she started blogging about food in 2003 there were perhaps a dozen other food bloggers. Since then, this blogger has become a professional food writer, published author, and recipe developer, while the number of food bloggers has grown dramatically. It is difficult to know the precise number of food blogs—as at July 2012, Technorati ranked more than 16,000 food blogs, including both recipe and restaurant review blogs (online)—but it is clear that they are both increasing in number and have become a common and popular blog genre. For the purposes of this article, food blogs are understood as those blogs that mostly feature recipes. The term “recipe blog” could be used, but food bloggers make little distinction between different topic categories—whether someone writes recipes or reviews, they are referred to as a food blogger. As such, I have used the term “food blog” in keeping with the community’s own terminology and practices. Recipes published on blogs reach a wider audience than those shared between individuals within a family or in a community, but are not as exclusive or professional, in most instances, as traditional food-related media. Blogging allows for the compression of time and space, as people can connect with others from around the world, and respond and reinvigorate posts sometimes several years after they have been written. In this sense, food blogs are more dynamic than cookbooks, with multiple entry points and means for people to discover them—through search engines as well as through traditional word of mouth referrals. This dynamism allows food bloggers to form an active community through which “ordinary” people can share their passion for food and the pleasures of cooking, seek advice, give feedback, and discuss such issues as seasonality, locality, and diet. This article is based on research I conducted on food blogs between 2010 and 2012, which used an ethnographic, cultural studies approach to online community studies to provide a rich description of the food blogging community. It examines how food blogging provides insight into the eating habits of “ordinary” people in a more broad-based manner than traditional food-related media such as cookbooks. It looks at how food blogging has evolved from a subcultural activity to an established and recognised element of the wider food-related media ecology, and in this way has been transformed from a hobbyist activity to a cottage industry. It discusses how food blogs have influenced food-related media and the potential they have to drive food trends. In doing so, this research does not consider the Internet, or online communities, as separate or distinct from offline culture. Instead, it follows Richard Rogers’s argument for a new approach to Internet studies, in which “one is not so much researching the Internet, and its users, as studying culture and society with the Internet” (29). A cultural studies approach is useful for understanding food blogs in a broader historical and cultural context, since it considers the Internet as “a rich arena for thinking about how contemporary culture is constituted” (Hine et al. 2). Food Blogging: From Hobbyist Activity to Cottage Industry Benkler argues that “people have always created their own culture” (296); however, as folk culture has gradually been replaced by mass-produced popular culture, we have come to expect certain production values in culture, and lost confidence in creating or sharing it ourselves, for fear of it not meeting these high standards. Such mass-produced popular culture includes food-related media and recipes, as developing and sharing recipes has become the domain of celebrity chefs. Food blogs are created by “ordinary” people, and in this way continue the tradition of community cookbooks and reflect an increased interest in both the do-it-yourself phenomena, and a resurgence of a desire to share and contribute to folk culture. Jenkins argues that “a thriving culture needs spaces where people can do bad art, get feedback, and get better” (140-1). He notes that the Internet has drastically expanded the availability of these spaces, and argues that: "some of what amateurs create will be surprisingly good, and some artists will be recruited into commercial entertainment or the art world. Much of it will be good enough to engage the interest of some modest public, to inspire someone else to create, to provide new content which, when polished through many hands, may turn into something more valuable down the line" (140-1). Food blogs provide such a space for amateurs to share their creations and get feedback. Additionally, some food bloggers, like the artists to whom Jenkins refers, do create recipes, writing, and images that are “surprisingly good”, and are recruited, not into commercial entertainment or the art world, but into food-related media. Some food bloggers publish cookbooks (for example, Clotilde Dusoulier of Chocolate & Zucchini), or food-related memoirs (for example, Molly Wizenberg of Orangette), and some become food celebrities in their own right, as guests on high profile television shows such as Martha Stewart (Matt Armendariz of mattbites) or with their own cooking shows (Ree Drummond of The Pioneer Woman Cooks). Others, while not reaching these levels of success, do manage to inspire others to create, or recreate their, recipes. Mainstream media has a tendency to suggest that all food bloggers have professional aspirations (see, for example, Phipps). Yet, it is important to note that, many food bloggers are content to remain hobbyists. These food bloggers form the majority of the community, and blog about food because they are interested in food, and enjoy sharing recipes and discussing their interest with like-minded people. In this way, they are contributing to, and engaging with, folk culture within the blogging community. However, this does not mean that they do not have a broader impact on mainstream food-related media. Food-Related Media Response As the food blogging community has grown, food-related media and other industries have responded with attempts to understand, engage with, and manage food bloggers. Food blogs are increasingly recognised as an aspect of the broader food-related media and, as such, provide both competition and opportunities for media and other industries. Just as food blogs offer individuals opportunities for entry into food-related media professions, they also offer media and other industries opportunities to promote products, reach broader audiences, and source new talent. While food bloggers do not necessarily challenge existing food-related media, they increasingly see themselves as a part of it, and expect to be viewed as a legitimate part of the media landscape and as an alternative source of food-related information. As such, they respond positively to the inclusion of bloggers in food-related media and in other food-related environments. Engaging with the food blogging community allows the wider food-related media to subtly regulate blogger behaviour. It can also provide opportunities for some bloggers to be recruited in a professional capacity into food-related media. In a sense, food-related media attempt to “tame” food bloggers by suggesting that if bloggers behave in a way that they deem is acceptable, they may be able to transition into the professional world of food writing. The most notable example of this response to food blogs by food-related media is the decision to publish blogger’s work. While not all food bloggers have professional aspirations, being published is generally viewed within the community as a positive outcome. Food bloggers are sometimes profiled in food-related media, such as in the Good Weekend magazine in The Sydney Morning Herald (Karnikowski), and in MasterChef Magazine, which profiles a different food blogger each month (T. Jenkins). Food bloggers are also occasionally commissioned to write features for food-related media, as Katie Quinn Davies, of the blog What Katie Ate, who is a regular contributor to delicious magazine. Other food bloggers have been published in their own right. These food bloggers have transitioned from hobbyists to professionals, moving beyond blogging spaces into professional food-related media, and they could be, in Abercrombie and Longhurst’s terms, described as “petty producers” (140). As professionals, they have become a sort of “brand”, which their blog supports and promotes. This is not to say they are no longer interested in food or blogging on a personal level, but their relationship to these activities has shifted. For example, Dusoulier has published numerous books, and was one of the first food bloggers to transition into professional food-related media. However, her career in food-related media—as a food writer, recipe developer and author—goes beyond the work of a petty producer. Dusoulier edited the first English-language edition of I Know How To Cook (Mathiot), which, first published in 1932 (in French), has been described as the “bible” of traditional French cookery. Her work revising this classic book reveals that, beyond being a high-profile member of the food blogging community, she is a key figure in wider food culture. Such professional food bloggers achieve a certain level of celebrity both within the food blogging community and in food-related media. This is reflective of broader media trends in which “ordinary” people are “plucked from obscurity to enjoy a highly circumscribed celebrity” (Turner 12), and, in this way, food bloggers challenge the idea that you need to be an “expert” to talk publicly about food. Food Blogging as an Established Genre Food blogs are often included alongside traditional food-related media as another source of food-related information. For example, the site Eat your books, which indexes cookbooks, providing users with an online tool for searching the recipes in the books they own, has begun to index food blogs as well. Likewise, in 2010, the James Beard Foundation announced that their prestigious journalism awards had “mostly abolished separate categories based on publishing platforms”, although they still have an award for best food blog (Fox online). This inclusion reflects how established food blogging has become. Over time, food blogs have co-evolved and converged with food-related media, offering greater diversity of opinion. Ganda Suthivarakom, a food blogger and now director of the SAVEUR website, says that “in 2004, to be a food blogger was to be an outsider in the world of food media. Today, it couldn’t be more different” (online). She argues that “food blogs leveled the playing field […] Instead of a rarefied and inaccessible group of print reviewers having a say, suddenly thousands of voices of varying skill levels and interests chimed in, and the conversation became livelier” (Suthivarakom online). It is worthwhile noting that while there are more voices and more diversity in traditional food-related media, food blogging has also become somewhat of a cliché: it has even been satirised in an episode of The Simpsons (Bailey and Anderson). As food blogging has evolved it has developed into an established and recognised genre, which may be nuanced to the bloggers themselves, but often appears generic to outsiders. Food blogging has, as it were, gone mainstream. As such, the thousands of voices are also somewhat of an echo chamber. In becoming established as a genre, food blogs reflect the gradual convergence of different types of food-related media. Food blogs are part of a wider trend towards user-generated, food-related online content. It could also be argued that reality shows take cues from food blogs in terms of their active audiences and use of social media. MasterChef in particular is supported by a website, a magazine, and active social media channels, reflecting an increasing expectation of audience participation and interactivity in the delivery of food-related information. Food bloggers have also arguably contributed to the increasingly image-driven nature of food-related media. They have also played a key role in the popularity of sharing photos of food through platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest. Food Blogs and Food Trends Food blogs, like cookbooks, can be seen to both reflect and shape culture (Gallegos). In addition to providing an archive of what “ordinary” people are cooking on a scale not previously available, they have potential to influence food trends. Food bloggers are essentially food enthusiasts or “foodies”. According to De Solier, “most foodies see themselves as culturalists rather than materialists, people whose self-making is bound up in the acquisition of cultural experiences and knowledge, rather than the accumulation of material things” (16). As foodies, food bloggers are deeply engaged with food, keen to share their knowledge and, due to the essential and convivial nature of food, are afforded many opportunities to do so. As such, food blogs have influence beyond the food blogging community. For example, food bloggers could be seen to be responsible, in part at least, for the current popularity of macarons. These sweet, meringue-based biscuits were featured on the blog A la cuisine! in 2004—one of the earliest examples of the recipe in the food blogging community. Its popularity then steadily grew throughout the community, and has since been featured on high-profile and popular blogs such as David Lebovitz (2005), The Traveller’s Lunchbox (2005), and La Tartine Gourmand (2006). Creating and posting a recipe for macarons became almost a rite of passage for food bloggers. At a food blogging conference I attended in 2011, one blogger confided to me that she did not feel like a proper blogger because she had not yet made macarons. The popularity of macarons then extended beyond the food blogging community. They were the subject of a book, I Love Macarons (Ogita), first published in Japanese in 2006 and then in English in 2009, and featured in a cooking challenge on MasterChef (Byrnes), which propelled their popularity into mainstream food culture. Macarons, which could have once been seen as exclusive, delicate, and expensive (Jargon and Passariello) are now readily available, and can even be purchased at MacDonalds. Beyond the popularity of specific foods, the influence of food bloggers can be seen in the growing interest in where, and how, food is produced, coupled with concerns around food wastage (see, for example, Tristram). Concerns about food production are sometimes countered by the trend of making foods “from scratch,” a popular topic on food blogs, and such trends can also be seen in wider food culture, such as with classes on topics ranging from cheese making to butchering (Severson). These concerns are also evident in the growing interest in organic and ethical produce (Paish). Conclusion Food blogs have demonstrably revitalised an interest in recipe sharing among “ordinary” people. The evolution of food blogs, however, is just one part of the ongoing evolution of food-related media and recipe sharing technologies. Food blogs are also an important part of food culture, and indeed, culture more broadly. They reflect a renewed interest in folk culture and the trend towards “do-it-yourself”, seen in online and offline communities. Beyond this, food blogs provide a useful case study for understanding how our online and offline lives have become intertwined, and showcase the Internet as a part of everyday life. 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