DOCSLIB.ORG

The Psalms and Spirituality

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Psalms and Spirituality The Psalms and Spirituality A STUDY OF MEDITATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH SELECTED PSALMS AMONG EDINBURGH STUDENTS Fergus Alexander James Macdonald PhD University of Edinburgh 2007 ii This is to certify that this thesis has been composed by me and is my own work. The thesis has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. Fergus Alexander James Macdonald iii ABSTRACT This study is the account of an empirical research programme in practical theology exploring the potential of the Book of Psalms to facilitate the spiritual journey of a sample of University of Edinburgh students aged between twenty and thirty who are on or beyond the fringes of the churches. Drawing upon some insights of the Bible Society movement regarding ‘scripture engagement,’ and in the wider context of increasing interest in spirituality and decreasing confidence in the churches among many westernised young adults, the project seeks to answer two research questions. First, how far does creative engagement with specific psalm texts in the form of a semi-structured three-week meditative spiritual journey facilitate the quest of contemporary young adults for personal meaning and spiritual enlightenment? Second, what does this study contribute to the current debate among the Bible Societies and other Bible agencies concerning the nature of Scripture engagement? In the first part of the thesis I review the debate on Scripture engagement, exploring the contemporary sacred landscape, and elucidating why the Book of Psalms was chosen for this exercise. Additionally, I develop the theological-cultural framework employed in interpreting the data. In the second part I describe respondents’ meditative engagement with six psalms and identify six main findings. These findings are: that ‘subjective-life’ and ‘like- as’ modes of spirituality coexist in some respondents and that the subjectivism of the psalms provides a bridge between them; that the cursing psalms, although considered by many respondents to be unacceptable, have potential to foster non-violence in conflict situations; that a desire to resolve suffering is a feature of the self-identity of many respondents; that meditating on the psalms fosters faith commonly as a generic process and particularly as theological trust; that interacting with psalmic texts helps to resolve the disorientation often experienced when facing confusing lifestyle choices; that meditating on the psalms provides space in which to reflect on the moral ambiguities of life. In the third part I evaluate the findings, concluding that the creative engagement between respondents and text results from respondents discovering that the psalms resonate with their idealism and basic human needs in ways that facilitate their ongoing spiritual quest for meaning and enlightenment, as well as providing an opportunity to confront God with complaints and dilemmas. I question some of the prevailing thinking on Scripture iv engagement for being too exclusively outcomes oriented, and suggest that meditative engagement with psalms could become a gateway to interacting with other biblical texts. My subsidiary findings are: that respondents believe audio texts enhance their use of print, appreciate the perspective psalm meditation provides on contemporary events and trends, are fascinated by psalmic metaphor, and find some readers’ helps more useful than others. I indicate areas where further research would be useful and outline some future directions that the Bible agencies might fruitfully follow in developing Scripture engagement resources for the churches. v ABBREVIATIONS ABS American Bible Society BFBS British and Foreign Bible Society BDT Baker’s Dictionary of Theology BT Bible Translator CD Church Dogmatics CEV Contemporary English Version DETS Dictionary of Ethics, Theology and Society ESV English Standard Version GNB Good News Bible GNB 2 Good News Bible, 2nd edn. FOBAI Forum of Bible Agencies International HP A Handbook on the Psalms. New York, 1991 KJV King James Version LOC The ‘Life of Christ’ video series, American Bible Society NIV New International Version NRSV New Revised Standard Version REB Revised English Bible RSV Revised Standard Version ST Systematic Theology TEV Today’s English Version TDOT Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament TP Theistic Practice UBS United Bible Societies Abbreviations for respondent data D followed by a numeral from 1-7 indicates the day of the week’s journal entry, e.g. D4 refers to the fourth day’s entry. Where the psalm to which journal entries refer is not clear from the immediate context, it is prefixed to the reference, e.g. Ps 55-D2. L is used to identify data gathered during the Lectio Divina sessions. Where the immediate context does not make clear which psalm is in view the psalm number prior to the L indicates the text and the number following the L is the page number of the Lectio Divina transcripts, e.g. Ps 55-L: 4 signifies the page number of the transcript of the group mediation of Psalm 55. I refers to the follow-up interview carried out with each respondent. The number immediately following the I indicates the respondent and the final number refers to the page of the interview transcript, e.g. I-5: 1 indicates the first page on the transcript of Connie’s interview. I accorded the following interview numbers to the respondents: Liz (1); Tom (2); Norah (3); John (4); Connie (5); Luke (6); Kate (7); Elsie (8); Ashok (9); Saul (10); Edith (11); Flora (12), and Joan (13). PrM refers to the notes of the discussion at the preparatory meeting held with respondents before the meditations began, e.g. PrM: 2-3 refers to page 2 and 3 of the record of the meeting. vi CONTENTS PART I: SETTING THE SCENE 1. Introduction 2 2. Developing a Theoretical Framework 23 3. Research Design, Pilot Project, and Psalm Texts 44 PART II: ENGAGING WITH THE PSALMS 4. Self and Soul 63 5. Vengeance and Non-Violence 79 6. Suffering and Self-Identity 96 7. Faith and Ultimate Being 112 8. Disorientation and Reorientation 129 9. Psalms and Qualms 149 PART III: EVALUATING THE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PSALMS 10. The Dynamics of the Psalm Journey 168 11. What is Scripture Engagement? 187 12. Quo Vadis? 208 APPENDICES 224 BIBLIOGRAPHY 317 1 PART I: SETTING THE SCENE Chapter 1: Introduction 2 Chapter 1. Introduction The decision to undertake this research project was born out of an experience of thirty years in the Bible Society movement resulting in a keen interest in the popular use of the Bible. The principal focus of the study is ‘Scripture engagement’ as understood and undertaken by the United Bible Societies in serving Christian Churches of all confessions. The study’s specific context is the claim that an apparent openness to spirituality exists among some young westernised adults in their twenties who pursue this interest with little or no reference to the Bible or to the churches (Brierley and Sanger 1999).1 Although studies exist on the attitudes and practices of this audience in relation to religion (e.g. Brierley 2001), none of these directly addresses the challenges the Bible Societies face in seeking to facilitate Scripture engagement by young adults who are on or beyond the fringe of the churches. In brief, my project is an attempt to explore Scripture engagement in the context of the churches’ mission and to understand it as an important form of Christian practice. The pilot project was undertaken in partnership with the American Bible Society, and the main project with support from the Scottish Bible Society. Throughout both phases I received ongoing encouragement from some key members of United Bible Societies staff. The central questions that my research sets out to answer are: (1) How far can meditative engagement with specific psalm texts facilitate the spiritual quest of young adults for personal meaning and spiritual enlightenment? (2) To what extent does this engagement contribute to the current debate among the Bible Societies and other Bible agencies about the nature of Scripture engagement? As far as I am aware, the present project is the first empirical exploration of the relationship between the Psalms and contemporary young adult spirituality. If this is, indeed, the case, it underlines the need for further research in this area. These two questions are asked in a specific context, which I intend to describe in this chapter. That context has three main aspects. First, there is the concept and practice of Scripture engagement within the United Bible Societies. Second, there is the resurgence of interest in 1 In Brierley’s Generation X survey (2001) 67% of the non-Christian respondents read the Bible hardly ever or never. In the focus groups research undertaken by Hay in the Adults’ Spirituality Project at the University of Nottingham in 2000, not one of the focus group participants mentioned reading the Bible (Hay and Hunt: 31). Chapter 1: Introduction 3 spirituality in many western secularised societies which to a large extent have lost an awareness of religious tradition. Third, there is the decision to use selected psalms from the Old Testament as appropriate Scripture texts for the study.2 Each of these aspects will now be reviewed in turn. 1. Scripture engagement Although the term, ‘Scripture’, may refer to a range of sacred texts, in this study it is used exclusively of the Old and New Testaments. In my pilot project (which is reported in Appendix 5) the specific Scriptures utilised were six video translations of four incidents and two parables from the Gospels, published by the American Bible Society under the series title Life of Christ (LOC). In my main project, ‘Scripture’ refers primarily to selected psalms from the Old Testament and, where appropriate, to other biblical texts that either allude to these psalms or are themselves alluded to by them. The phrase ‘Scripture engagement’ may be a relatively recent addition to the internal vocabulary of the Bible Societies, but in order to understand the current debate it is necessary to consider the historical roots of this concept.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Or on the Image Above to Download the .Pdf E-Book
    Vindicating God A unique daily devotional that defends God against false accusations made against Him By Troy J. Edwards Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. Vindicating God A unique daily devotional that defends God against false accusations made against Him Troy J. Edwards Copyright © 2015 by Troy J. Edwards Cover design by the artistically creative team of Teri Mayumi Edwards and Takako Edwards Published by Vindicating God Ministries The author gives permission to have any portion of this book copied if it will assist other believers in receiving all that God has for them and/or if it will lead someone to Christ. The material here is for the edification of the body of Christ. However, it is a violation of Christian ethics to use the author’s material for personal profit gain. Remember that we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for the deeds that are done in the body (1 Cor. 3:8-15). Therefore, please comply within the limits of this permission statement. 2 Introduction Over the centuries there have been many attacks on the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. However, God’s character has never been more maligned than it has been in this century. Atheists, agnostics, Satan worshippers, and pretentious politicians have blasphemed the God worshipped by true Christians and have accused Him and His people of all sorts of malicious acts. Many of these critics have cherry-picked through the Bible, misquoted the Word of God, and have misrepresented God to others.
    [Show full text]
  • Mysteryoftheages (Pdf)
    hp://reluctant-messenger.com/HWA/Mystery/index.htm MYSTERY OF THE AGES by Herbert W. Armstrong c. 1985 Author's Statement WHY DID I WRITE THIS BOOK? I have lived a long, acve, interest-packed life covering the last eight and a half years of the 19th century and all of the tweneth to the present. I have lived through the horse and buggy age, the automobile and industrial age, the air age, the nuclear age and now into the space age. I have seen America live through the agrarian age when farmers walked behind their horse-drawn ploughs singing happily, and into the urban age when Midwest American farmers are groaning and fighRng for more government subsidies to prevent the exncRon of farm life. I have seen this tweneth century develop into a state of awesome advancement and achievement industrially and technologically.. Paradoxically, I have seen alarming escalaon of appalling evils, crime and violence and the crucible of nuclear war develop to threaten the very exncRon of the human race within the present living generaon. These condions and facts are indeed mysteries that have remained unsolved and now need to be explained. I have traveled over the four quarters of this globe we call earth. I have rubbed shoulders with the rich and the very poor and those in between. I have visited with captains of industry, emperors, kings, presidents and prime ministers. I have rubbed shoulders with and come to know the totally illiterate and poverty-stricken poor. I have seen this world firsthand at close range as have only the very few.
    [Show full text]
  • Race in Hollywood: Quantifying the Effect of Race on Movie Performance
    Race in Hollywood: Quantifying the Effect of Race on Movie Performance Kaden Lee Brown University 20 December 2014 Abstract I. Introduction This study investigates the effect of a movie’s racial The underrepresentation of minorities in Hollywood composition on three aspects of its performance: ticket films has long been an issue of social discussion and sales, critical reception, and audience satisfaction. Movies discontent. According to the Census Bureau, minorities featuring minority actors are classified as either composed 37.4% of the U.S. population in 2013, up ‘nonwhite films’ or ‘black films,’ with black films defined from 32.6% in 2004.3 Despite this, a study from USC’s as movies featuring predominantly black actors with Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative found that white actors playing peripheral roles. After controlling among 600 popular films, only 25.9% of speaking for various production, distribution, and industry factors, characters were from minority groups (Smith, Choueiti the study finds no statistically significant differences & Pieper 2013). Minorities are even more between films starring white and nonwhite leading actors underrepresented in top roles. Only 15.5% of 1,070 in all three aspects of movie performance. In contrast, movies released from 2004-2013 featured a minority black films outperform in estimated ticket sales by actor in the leading role. almost 40% and earn 5-6 more points on Metacritic’s Directors and production studios have often been 100-point Metascore, a composite score of various movie criticized for ‘whitewashing’ major films. In December critics’ reviews. 1 However, the black film factor reduces 2014, director Ridley Scott faced scrutiny for his movie the film’s Internet Movie Database (IMDb) user rating 2 by 0.6 points out of a scale of 10.
    [Show full text]
  • Id Title Year Format Cert 20802 Tenet 2020 DVD 12 20796 Bit 2019 DVD
    Id Title Year Format Cert 20802 Tenet 2020 DVD 12 20796 Bit 2019 DVD 15 20795 Those Who Wish Me Dead 2021 DVD 15 20794 The Father 2020 DVD 12 20793 A Quiet Place Part 2 2020 DVD 15 20792 Cruella 2021 DVD 12 20791 Luca 2021 DVD U 20790 Five Feet Apart 2019 DVD 12 20789 Sound of Metal 2019 BR 15 20788 Promising Young Woman 2020 DVD 15 20787 The Mountain Between Us 2017 DVD 12 20786 The Bleeder 2016 DVD 15 20785 The United States Vs Billie Holiday 2021 DVD 15 20784 Nomadland 2020 DVD 12 20783 Minari 2020 DVD 12 20782 Judas and the Black Messiah 2021 DVD 15 20781 Ammonite 2020 DVD 15 20780 Godzilla Vs Kong 2021 DVD 12 20779 Imperium 2016 DVD 15 20778 To Olivia 2021 DVD 12 20777 Zack Snyder's Justice League 2021 DVD 15 20776 Raya and the Last Dragon 2021 DVD PG 20775 Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar 2021 DVD 15 20774 Chaos Walking 2021 DVD 12 20773 Treacle Jr 2010 DVD 15 20772 The Swordsman 2020 DVD 15 20771 The New Mutants 2020 DVD 15 20770 Come Away 2020 DVD PG 20769 Willy's Wonderland 2021 DVD 15 20768 Stray 2020 DVD 18 20767 County Lines 2019 BR 15 20767 County Lines 2019 DVD 15 20766 Wonder Woman 1984 2020 DVD 12 20765 Blackwood 2014 DVD 15 20764 Synchronic 2019 DVD 15 20763 Soul 2020 DVD PG 20762 Pixie 2020 DVD 15 20761 Zeroville 2019 DVD 15 20760 Bill and Ted Face the Music 2020 DVD PG 20759 Possessor 2020 DVD 18 20758 The Wolf of Snow Hollow 2020 DVD 15 20757 Relic 2020 DVD 15 20756 Collective 2019 DVD 15 20755 Saint Maud 2019 DVD 15 20754 Hitman Redemption 2018 DVD 15 20753 The Aftermath 2019 DVD 15 20752 Rolling Thunder Revue 2019
    [Show full text]
  • Havruta As Modeled Pedagogy: Your People Shall Be My People
    Havruta As Modeled Pedagogy: Your People Shall Be My People By Sharon Meredith Blumenthal B.A. in English, May 1995, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte M.A. in English, December 2001, Old Dominion University A Dissertation Submitted to The Faculty of The Graduate School of Education and Human Development of The George Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education May 20, 2012 Dissertation directed by Brian Casemore Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Pedagogy The Graduate School of Education and Human Development of The George Washington University certifies that Sharon Meredith Blumenthal has passed the Final Examination for the degree of Doctor of Education as of March 9, 2012. This is the final and approved form of the dissertation. Havruta As Modeled Pedagogy: Your People Shall Be My People Sharon Meredith Blumenthal Dissertation Research Committee Brian Casemore, Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Dissertation Director Alan A. Block, Professor of Education, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Committee Member Travis Wright, Assistant Professor of Educational Research, Committee Member ii ©Copyright 2012 by Sharon Meredith Blumenthal All rights reserved iii Dedication I dedicate this work to the memory of my grandfather, Rabbi Samuel Sobel, my first havruta . hkrbl qydc rkz “May the memory of the righteous be a blessing.” I also dedicate this work to my ever-supportive mother, Arleen Ruth Sobel. You are my greatest teacher. Thank you for your guidance, your love, and for believing in me. I am so very grateful for your encouragement in this and in every endeavor. To Julie Beth Blumenthal, my sister and best friend, by your graceful example I am inspired to become a better person.
    [Show full text]
  • Video-Windows-Grosse
    THEATRICAL VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE VIDEO RELEASE VIDEO WINDOW GROSS (in millions) DISTRIBUTOR RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT WINDOW DISNEY Fantasia/2000 1/1/00 8/24/00 7 mo 23 Days 11/14/00 10 mo 13 Days 60.5 Disney Down to You 1/21/00 5/31/00 4 mo 10 Days 7/11/00 5 mo 20 Days 20.3 Disney Gun Shy 2/4/00 4/11/00 2 mo 7 Days 6/20/00 4 mo 16 Days 1.6 Disney Scream 3 2/4/00 5/13/00 3 mo 9 Days 7/4/00 5 mo 89.1 Disney The Tigger Movie 2/11/00 5/31/00 3 mo 20 Days 8/22/00 6 mo 11 Days 45.5 Disney Reindeer Games 2/25/00 6/2/00 3 mo 8 Days 8/8/00 5 mo 14 Days 23.3 Disney Mission to Mars 3/10/00 7/4/00 3 mo 24 Days 9/12/00 6 mo 2 Days 60.8 Disney High Fidelity 3/31/00 7/4/00 3 mo 4 Days 9/19/00 5 mo 19 Days 27.2 Disney East is East 4/14/00 7/4/00 2 mo 16 Days 9/12/00 4 mo 29 Days 4.1 Disney Keeping the Faith 4/14/00 7/4/00 2 mo 16 Days 10/17/00 6 mo 3 Days 37 Disney Committed 4/28/00 9/7/00 4 mo 10 Days 10/10/00 5 mo 12 Days 0.04 Disney Hamlet 5/12/00 9/18/00 4 mo 6 Days 11/14/00 6 mo 2 Days 1.5 Disney Dinosaur 5/19/00 10/19/00 5 mo 1/30/01 8 mo 11 Days 137.7 Disney Shanghai Noon 5/26/00 8/12/00 2 mo 17 Days 11/14/00 5 mo 19 Days 56.9 Disney Gone in 60 Seconds 6/9/00 9/18/00 3 mo 9 Days 12/12/00 6 mo 3 Days 101.6 Disney Love’s Labour’s Lost 6/9/00 10/19/00 4 mo 10 Days 12/19/00 6 mo 10 Days 0.2 Disney Boys and Girls 6/16/00 9/18/00 3 mo 2 Days 11/14/00 4 mo 29 Days 21.7 Disney Disney’s The Kid 7/7/00 11/28/00 4 mo 21 Days 1/16/01 6 mo 9 Days 69.6 Disney Scary Movie 7/7/00 9/18/00 2 mo 11 Days 1212/00 5 mo 5 Days 157 Disney Coyote Ugly 8/4/00 11/28/00 3
    [Show full text]
  • Your Unpublished Thesis, Submitted for a Degree at Williams College and Administered by the Williams College Libraries, Will Be Made Available for Research Use
    WILLIAMS COLLEGE LmRARIES COPYRIGHT ASSIGNMENT AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR A STUDENT THESIS Your unpublished thesis, submitted for a degree at Williams College and administered by the Williams College Libraries, will be made available for research use. You may, through this form, provide instructions regarding copyright, access, dissemination and reproduction of your thesis. The College has the right in all cases to maintain and preserve theses both in hardcopy and electronic format, and to make such copies as the Libraries require for their research and archival functions. _ The faculty advisor/s to the student writing the thesis claims joint authorship in this work. _ I/we have included in this thesis copyrighted material for which I/we have not received permission from the copyright holder/s. If you do not secure copyright permissions by the time your thesis is submitted, you will still be allowed to submit. However, if the necessary copyright permissions are not received, e-posting of your thesis may be affected. Copyrighted material may include images (tables, drawings, photographs, figures, maps, graphs, etc.), sound files, video material, data sets, and large portions of text. I. COPYRIGHT An author by law owns the copyright to his/her work, whether or not a copyright symbol and date are placed on the piece. Please chooSe one of the options below with respect to the copyright in your thesis. _ I/we choose not to retain the copyright to the thesis, and hereby assign the copyright to Williams College. Selecting this option will assign copyright to the College. If the author/s wishes later to publish the work, be/she/they will need to obtain permission to do so from the Libraries, which will be granted except in unusual circumstances.
    [Show full text]
  • Star Channels Guide, June 25-July1
    JUNE 25 - JULY 1, 2017 staradvertiser.com Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), his gun-toting ex, Tulip (Ruth Negga) and Irish vampire Cassidy (Joe Gilgun) continue their mission in season 2 ON A of Preacher. The supernatural drama is based on the comicbook of the same name and follows Custer and his friends as they set out to fi nd God. MISSION Premieres Sunday, June 25, on AMC. TH SUNDAY, JUNE 25 | 8:30PM | CHANNEL 53 ANNUAL From Scottish bagpipes and ukuleles to hula and dance performances, watch this showcase of incredible talents LEEWARD performed by the people of the Leeward side. ALSO AVAILABLE ON VIDEO ON-DEMAND CHANNEL 52, 7 49 52 53 54 55 MUSIC FESTIVAL ������������������������������ www.olelo.org ON THE COVER | PREACHER Praise prime time Gritty comicbook series Ennis’ graphic novel to the screen is extraor- ister organization out to get Custer. However, dinary,” Collier said. “We look forward to more producers have been keeping mum about who ‘Preacher’ returns to AMC time with these unforgettable characters, be it will play this season’s big bad. With a large por- in heaven, hell, Texas or beyond.” tion of the regular cast wiped out by the end By Kyla Brewer In the series, a disillusioned Custer has been of last season thanks to a massive explosion TV Media possessed by a mysterious entity known as that destroyed Annville, Texas, there are sev- Genesis, which gives him the power to compel eral new cast members hopping on board for here is no such thing as typical television others to do exactly what he wants.
    [Show full text]
  • WNET Licensing (A's)
    The “A’s” (Source: NET microfiche, unless listed) Aaron Copland Meets the Soviet Composers (1959) Initial Broadcast: N/A Number of programs: 1 Origin Format: Undetermined Running time: 30 minutes AARON COPLAND MEETS THE SOVIET COMPOSERS is a half-hour studio production kinescope of an interview between Copland and six Soviet musicians, musicologists and/or composers who were travelling in the US. My impression is that this was a visit in return for one made to the USSR by an American group earlier that included Menned (?), Sessions, Harris and Kay (?). The setting for the interview is a recreated concert hall stage with the guests sitting in players’ chairs and Copland and his translator located where a solo instrumentalist would be seated. The questions appear to have been scripted in advance – and scripts placed on the music stands. The responses from the Soviets appear to have been ad lib. Copland’s questions were translated into Russian by an American (?) of Russian origins, Nicholas Slonimsky, himself a musician. The Soviets spoke in Russian and were heard through simultaneous translation. The translator was unseen and uncredited. The Soviet guests include (in order of answering questions): Dmitri Kabalevsky, Boris Yarustovsky, Tikhon Khrennikov, Dmitri Shostakovich, Konstantin Dankevich and Fikret Amirov. Kabalevsky was asked about the knowledge of American music in the USSR; Yarustovsky on the influence of American music on Russian music; Khrennikov on the reactions of Soviet musicians to the visit of four American musicians earlier (in the exchange program?); Shostakovich on American jaZZ and its influence; Dankevich on younger Soviet composers and Amirov on the adaption of native musical types to series music.
    [Show full text]
  • The Library of the Dead Sea Scroll Qumran Community Scriptorium
    Presentation title as announced in Program Book: “The Theology, Halakhah, Politics, and Esotericism of the DSS Essene Sect Compared with Normative Rabbinic Practices and that of the Second Temple Sadducees” by David B. Levy David B. Levy received a Ph.D. in Jewish philosophy, rabbinics, and biblical studies in 2002. In 1994, he received a M.L.S. from UMCP. He previously served as a librarian and taught in the high school at Ner Israel. David participates in NYMA. One of his websites is at http://student.ccbcmd.edu/~dlevy11/index.html. Description As well as a brief general overview of the DSS library, the differences revealed by the contents of DSS texts in theology between Essenes, Sadducees, and Pharisees will be illustrated by looking at the topics of predestination, immortality, dualism, apocalyptic messianism, and angelology. Differences in halakhah will be illustrated by touching on the laws regarding halah, peru u-revu, pikuah nefesh, li-fenim mi-shurat ha-din, oils, mikvaot immersions, harvesting the omer, tevel yom relating to the parah adumah, and some differences in Shabbat observances. The method of my approach is to compare DSS theology, politics, and halakhah with the evolution of mainstream Rabbinic traditions across history in order to illuminate, enhance, and increase our knowledge about Rabbinic observances, history, and practices The Library of the Dead Sea Scroll Qumran Community Scriptorium: Politics, Theology, and Halakhah of the DSS Essene sect compared with Normative Rabbinic Halakhah, Customs, and Tradition I. Introduction The Dead Sea Scrolls were in some minds the most important archeological find of the 20th century.
    [Show full text]
  • Production Notes
    Production Notes Release Date: May 20, 2010 Running Time: TBA Rating: TBA 2 In the not-too-distant future, some 30 years after the final war, a solitary man walks across the wasteland that was once America. Empty cities, broken highways, seared earth—all around him, the marks of catastrophic destruction. There is no civilization here, no law. The roads belong to gangs that would murder a man for his shoes, an ounce of water…or for nothing at all. But they’re no match for this traveler. A warrior not by choice but necessity, Eli (Denzel Washington) seeks only peace but, if challenged, will cut his attackers down before they realize their fatal mistake . It’s not his life he guards so fiercely but his hope for the future; a hope he has carried and protected for 30 years and is determined to realize. Driven by this commitment and guided by his belief in something greater than himself, Eli does what he must to survive—and continue. Only one other man in this ruined world understands the power Eli holds, and is determined to make it his own: Carnegie (Gary Oldman), the self-appointed despot of a makeshift town of thieves and gunmen. Meanwhile, Carnegie’s adopted daughter Solara (Mila Kunis) is fascinated by Eli for another reason: the glimpse he offers of what may exist beyond her stepfather’s domain. But neither will find it easy to deter him. Nothing—and no one—can stand in his way. Eli must keep moving to fulfill his destiny and bring help to a ravaged humanity.
    [Show full text]
  • Box Office Top 10 Full Movie List
    Online Movie DB home FAQ contact Box Office Top 10 1. Knowing (2009) 2. I Love You, Man (2009) 3. Duplicity (2009) 4. Race to Witch Mountain (2009) 5. Watchmen (2009) 6. The Last House on the Left (2009) 7. Taken (2008) 8. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) 9. Madea Goes to Jail (2009) 10. Coraline (2009) Full Movie List # "Back at the Barnyard" New! 2007 .45 2006 0-9 00 Schneider - Jagd auf Nihil Baxter 1994 10 Items or Less 2006 10 MPH 2007 10 Things I Hate About You 1999 100 Million Bc 2008 10000 Bc 2008 12 Angry Men 1957 13 Hours in a Warehouse 2008 The 13th Warrior 1999 16 Blocks 2006 2 Days in Paris 2007 20 Years After 2008 20000 Leagues Under the Sea 1916 2012 Doomsday 2008 21 2008 24 7: Twenty Four Seven 1997 25 to Life 2008 27 Dresses 2008 28 Weeks Later 2007 30,000 Leagues Under the Sea 2007 300 2007 The 300 Spartans 1962 305 2008 The 39 Steps 1935 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days 2007 42nd Street 1933 50 First Dates 2004 5ive Girls 2006 The 7th Voyage of Sinbad 1958 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag 1997 8 Mile 2002 88 Minutes 2008 9 Dead Gay Guys 2002 A A Beautiful Mind 2001 A Boy and His Dog 1975 A Bridge Too Far 1977 A Bronx Tale 1993 A Bucket of Blood 1959 A Bug's Life 1998 A Cinderella Story 2004 A Clockwork Orange 1971 A Countess from Hong Kong 1967 A Farewell to Arms 1932 A Few Good Men 1992 A Hard Day's Night 1964 A Knight's Tale 2001 A Lot Like Love 2005 A Matter of Life and Death 1946 A Midnight Clear 1992 A Mighty Heart 2007 A Night At the Roxbury 1998 A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984
    [Show full text]