DOCSLIB.ORG

The Purification Offering of Leviticus and the Sacrificial Offering of Jesus

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Purification Offering of Leviticus and the Sacrificial Offering of Jesus The Purification Offering of Leviticus and the Sacrificial Offering of Jesus by Joshua M. Vis Graduate Program in Religion Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Ellen Davis, Supervisor ___________________________ Carol Meyers ___________________________ Stephen Chapman ___________________________ Samuel Balentine Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Program in Religion in the Graduate School of Duke University 2012 ABSTRACT The Purification Offering of Leviticus and the Sacrificial Offering of Jesus by Joshua M. Vis Graduate Program in Religion Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: __________________________ Ellen Davis, Supervisor ___________________________ Carol Meyers ___________________________ Stephen Chapman ___________________________ Samuel Balentine An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Program in Religion in the Graduate School of Duke University 2012 Copyright by Joshua M. Vis 2012 Abstract The life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus are not often read against the backdrop of the sacrificial system of Leviticus, despite the fact that the Letter to the Hebrews and other New Testament texts do exactly this. Until recently, Hebrew Bible scholars had little insight into the function of many of the sacrifices of Leviticus. However, over the last thirty years, Jacob Milgrom has articulated the purgative and purificatory function of the tafj offering (“purification offering”) of Leviticus, the principal sacrifice offered for wrongdoing. The blood of the tafj offering, which contains the animal’s vpn, best understood as the animating force of the animal, acts as a ritual cleanser. Milgrom has insisted that the tafj offering only cleanses the sanctuary, never the offerer. This conclusion likely has kept many New Testament scholars from seeing the impact this sacrifice had on various New Testament authors. Thus although Milgrom’s work has had a profound impact on Hebrew Bible scholarship, it has had little effect on New Testament scholarship on the sacrifice of Jesus. Using source criticism and a close reading of the relevant Hebrew Bible texts and New Testament texts, this study argues that the tafj offering of Leviticus can purge the offerer, as well as the sanctuary. Moreover, the logic of the tafj offering of Leviticus informs many New Testament texts on the sacrificial offering of Jesus. Leviticus demonstrates that there is a relationship between the Israelites and the sanctuary. The iv wrongdoings and impurites of the Israelites can stain the sanctuary and sacrificial procedures done in and to the sanctuary can purge the Israelites. The purgation of the offerer takes place in two stages. In the first stage, described in Lev 4:1–5:13, the offerer moves from being guilt-laden to being forgiven. In the second stage, outlined in Lev 16, the sanctuary is purged of the wrongdoings and impurities of the Israelites. The Israelites shift from being forgiven to being declared pure. The Israelites cannot be pure until the sanctuary is purged and reconsecrated. The Letter to the Hebrews, along with other New Testament texts, articulates the same process and results for the sacrificial offering of Jesus. The emphasis in Hebrews and elsewhere in the New Testament is on the power (typically the cleansing power) of Jesus’ blood. Jesus’ death is necessary but insufficient. Hebrews clearly asserts that it was through the offering of Jesus’ blood in the heavenly sanctuary that the heavenly things were cleansed, and more importantly, that believers were cleansed. Hebrews also articulates a two-stage process for the transformation of believers. In the first stage, believers are cleansed by Jesus’ sacrificial offering in heaven. However, believers anticipate a final rest after Jesus’ return when their flesh will be transformed as Jesus’ flesh was after his resurrection. This transformation allows believers to dwell in harmony with and in proximity to God. The logic of the tafj offering of Leviticus, then, informs the Letter to the Hebrews and other New Testament texts. v Dedication I dedicate this work to my parents, Marlin and Marcella Vis, who supported me unconditionally and tirelessly through the many years it took to realize this goal. vi Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ xii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... xiii 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 The Objective ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 A Revival in the Study of Leviticus ............................................................................... 2 1.3 The Scope and Methodology of the Project .................................................................. 3 1.4 Chapter Summaries .......................................................................................................... 7 1.5 The Use of Hebrew and Greek ..................................................................................... 15 2. Identifying and Dating the Priestly Source (P) and the Holiness Code (H) in the Pentateuch .................................................................................................................................... 16 2.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 16 2.2 Jacob Milgrom ................................................................................................................. 18 2.3 Divine Presence and Sacrifice ....................................................................................... 22 2.4 Genesis 1:1–2:4a and the Sacrificial System of Leviticus .......................................... 24 2.5 Characteristics of P and H ............................................................................................. 29 2.6 The Emerging Consensus that P precedes H ............................................................. 33 2.7 The Case for H authorship of Gen 1:1–2:4a ................................................................ 38 2.8 The Case for H authorship of Gen 17 .......................................................................... 55 2.8.1 Covenant in Gen 17 and in P and H ....................................................................... 63 2.9 More Links Between H and Genesis ............................................................................ 71 vii 2.10 References to YHWH/God ............................................................................................ 75 2.11 Dating P, H, and the H-redactor ................................................................................ 79 2.12 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 90 3. Purgation and Purification in Leviticus 16 .......................................................................... 93 3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 93 3.2 Translation of Lev 16 ...................................................................................................... 94 3.3 The Use of Prepositions in Lev 16 ................................................................................ 97 3.4 The Goat for Azazel and the Purgation of Aaron .................................................... 109 3.5 Leviticus 16:29–34a: Understanding the Addition from H .................................... 124 3.6 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 133 4. The Purification Offering of Leviticus 4:1–5:13 ................................................................ 135 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 135 4.2 Translation of Lev 4:1–5:13 .......................................................................................... 136 4.3 Prepositions in Lev 16 .................................................................................................. 141 4.4 Prepositions in Lev 4:1–5:13 ........................................................................................ 146 4.4.1 Leviticus 8 ................................................................................................................. 156 4.4.2 Ritual and Reality .................................................................................................... 160 4.4.3 The Case of Anointed Priest in Lev 4 ................................................................... 163 4.5 Understanding the Verb Mva in Lev 4:1–5:13 ........................................................... 164 4.6 Two Blood Rites ...........................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Lamb of God" Title in John's Gospel: Background, Exegesis, and Major Themes Christiane Shaker [email protected]
    Seton Hall University eRepository @ Seton Hall Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs) Fall 12-2016 The "Lamb of God" Title in John's Gospel: Background, Exegesis, and Major Themes Christiane Shaker [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Shaker, Christiane, "The "Lamb of God" Title in John's Gospel: Background, Exegesis, and Major Themes" (2016). Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs). 2220. https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/2220 Seton Hall University THE “LAMB OF GOD” TITLE IN JOHN’S GOSPEL: BACKGROUND, EXEGESIS, AND MAJOR THEMES A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN THEOLOGY CONCENTRATION IN BIBLICAL THEOLOGY BY CHRISTIANE SHAKER South Orange, New Jersey October 2016 ©2016 Christiane Shaker Abstract This study focuses on the testimony of John the Baptist—“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” [ἴδε ὁ ἀµνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁµαρτίαν τοῦ κόσµου] (John 1:29, 36)—and its impact on the narrative of the Fourth Gospel. The goal is to provide a deeper understanding of this rich image and its influence on the Gospel. In an attempt to do so, three areas of concentration are explored. First, the most common and accepted views of the background of the “Lamb of God” title in first century Judaism and Christianity are reviewed.
    [Show full text]
  • The Most Long-Lasting Schism in the History of the Jewish People”: in Leviticus 23:11 השבת a Fresh Look At
    Andrews University Seminary Studies, Vol. 56, No. 1, 47–62. Copyright © 2018 Andrews University Seminary Studies. A PROPOSED SOLUTION TO “THE MOST LONG-LASTING SCHISM IN THE HISTORY OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE”: IN LEVITICUS 23:11 השבת A FRESH LOOK AT Bradford Maris Berrien Springs, Michigan Abstract The term “S/sabbath” in Lev 23:11 provides the temporal orientation in verses 9–22 for both the sheaf elevation ritual of verses 10–14, on the following day, and the new grain offering ritual (Festival of Weeks), seven weeks thereafter. However, identity of the S/sabbath itself is contextually indeterminable in chapter 23, and has been disputed throughout the centuries. The various theories, all based upon cessation of human labor, contend for either a weekly Sabbath linked to the festival, or one of the two festival days that prohibit all occupational work, or a “Sabbath week.” Yet, none can demon- strably establish its claim as the specified S/sabbath over against the other theories. The only antecedent with requisite specificity for the term S/sabbath in verse 11 is derived from Exod 12:15, where the mandates the “cessation of leaven,” specifically שבת hiphil of the verb on the first day of the festival (Abib 15). This proposal, versus either the weekly Sabbath theory or the Sabbath-week theory, is corrobo- -complete,” modify“ , ְּתִמיֹמת rated by the essentiality of the adjective seven Sabbaths,” in Lev 23:15, which is rendered“ , ֶׁשַבע ַׁשָּבתֹות ing superfluous in the weekly Sabbath-based theories. Keywords: Sabbath, shabbat, ceremonial Sabbath, Sabbath week, wave sheaf, elevated sheaf, Festival of Unleavened Bread, Shavuot, Festival of Weeks, Pentecost, omer, tamim, Leviticus 23:11, Leviticus 23:15, Exodus 12:15.
    [Show full text]
  • The Pentateuch – Holy God, Holy People, Holy Calling Pentateuch Sermon Series Kenwood Baptist Church Pastor David Palmer November 15, 2020
    The Pentateuch – Holy God, Holy People, Holy Calling Pentateuch Sermon Series Kenwood Baptist Church Pastor David Palmer November 15, 2020 TEXT: Leviticus 19:1-18 Good morning, beloved. We continue this morning in our study of the Pentateuch, the five scrolls, together with Bible Journey. The Pentateuch, or five scrolls, is the first five books of the Bible. They represent the basic storyline of the Scripture, introduce to us the God of the Bible, who we are in His image, and what we are called to do and be in this world. After the sweeping narratives of Genesis and the epic redemption of Exodus, we come at the end to the base of Mount Sinai. God speaks and then resolves to dwell among us. The book of Leviticus is the centerpiece of the Pentateuch. It's the middle book, and it is the high point, if you will. Most Christians, in my experience, undervalue this portion of God's Word. It is a great mistake. The book of Leviticus is, in fact, the first book that is taught in a traditional Jewish education. It is the high point of the Pentateuch, and it is practical holiness described for us. Repeatedly in this book, we have the exhortation to “be holy, for I am holy.” God dwells among us and calls us to Himself. In the Hebrew tradition, this book of the Bible is: “and the Lord Called,” after the first word of the book, wa-yiqra “and the Lord called.” This is the calling upon our lives to be a holy people in the world, a people who are reserved for God's use in the world, a people who live in a distinct manner in the world.
    [Show full text]
  • A Yiddish Text from Auschwitz: Critical History and the Anthological Imagination
    11 PROJECT M1 USE A Yiddish Text from Auschwitz: Critical History and the Anthological Imagination David Suchoff Prooftexts, Volume 19, Number 1, January 1999, pp. 59-69 (Article) Published by Indiana University Press DOI: 10.1353/ptx.1999.0001 For additional information about this article http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/ptx/summary/v019/19.1.suchoff.html Access Provided by Brandeis University Libraries at 10/18/12 4: 13PM GMT DAVID SUCHOFF A Yiddish Text from Auschwitz: Critical History and the Anthological Imagination Introduction The following text, written at Auschwitz on 3 January 1945, introduces an anthology of writingscomposed by Jewish prisoners within Auschwitz itself. That anthology was lost, while this remnant remains. Avraham Levite's piece, pre­ sented here in a new translation, offers itself as a plea fromthe "other planet" that was Auschwitz to postwar generations, calling upon them to appreciate a fully Jewish and critical historical voice that was forged within its bounds. The introduction presciently voices its author's certainty that Jewish life at Auschwitz and the Holocaust as a whole would be distorted in representations of the event, submerged by a world eager to ease its conscience, cry and feel better, and thus to deny or minimize the facts of Jewish suffering. The price of world recognition, Levite reasons from history, would be the diminution of the powerful voice of Yiddish life. This concern with the difference between history and memory gives Levite's text an uncannily contemporary ring, as it presciently calls upon its readers to beware of the lures of an "objective" history.
    [Show full text]
  • Leviticus 16:1-34 Page 1
    TWENTIETH MESSAGE, Leviticus 16:1-34 Page 1 TWENTIETH MESSAGE: THE DAY OF COVERINGS Leviticus 16:1-34 Introduction Leviticus 16 is a climax to everything that has gone before in the book of Leviticus. It is built on and combines much of what had been revealed previously in the messages from The Tabernacle. It tells of Israel’s great annual observance that came to be called the “Day of Atonement.” The Hebrew word translated “atonement” literally means “covering” (see comments on Lev. 1:4 in MESSAGE 1 under the heading to cover over him ). It refers to covering over a person or an object to protect it from the effects of sin. The word “atonement” in Christian theology refers to Jesus’ vicarious, substitutionary death to pay the penalty for sins for sinners. It applies to the pardon we receive from the penalty for our sins when we accept Jesus as our Savior. In Leviticus, the word “covering” applies to a different concept. It refers to protecting a person and his possessions from sins that come into his or her life after that person becomes a believer and is saved. “Covering” in Leviticus was granted to Israelites as the result of the person’s offering fire-offerings and performing many other actions in obedience to God. Covering did not occur from the grace of God only, as salvation does. It symbolized how God covered Israelite believers from their sins when they lived for Him, obeyed Him, and served Him. Therefore, the word is translated literally in these comments as “covering”, to avoid reading into it ideas it did not contain.
    [Show full text]
  • LSS 53Rd Annual Dinner 7:52Pm Candle Lighting Kabbalat Shabbat Will Be at 7:05Pm You Can Register for Our Annual Dinner on Our LSS App, Online At
    Parshat Behar-Bechukotai • Shabbat Mevarchim 24 Iyar 5777 • May 19- May 20 2017 Shaul Robinson Josh Rosenfeld Sherwood Goffin Yanky Lemmer Tamar Fix Shirley Stark ECHOD Senior Rabbi Assistant Rabbi Senior Cantor Cantor Executive Director President Shabbat Schedule 6:40pm Earliest Candle Lighting Starting next Shabbat, Early Mincha / LSS 53rd Annual Dinner 7:52pm Candle Lighting Kabbalat Shabbat will be at 7:05pm You can register for our annual dinner on our LSS app, online at Friday Night lss.org/annualdinner or by calling the shul office. 6:45pm Early Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat in the Nathaniel Richman Cohen Guests of Honor: Miriam & Michael Laufer Sanctuary. Services led by Chazzan Yanky Yemmer and Kol Young Leadership Award: Judith & Daniel Sabba Haneshama. Dr. Adena Berkowitz will be speaking following Community Service Award: Karen & Ed Stark services 7:55pm Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat in the Belfer Beit Midrash MAZAL TOV Shabbat Morning Dr. Evan and Pauline Sehgal in honor of the upcoming marriage 7:30am Pre-Hashkama Tefilla Shiur given by Rabbinic Intern, Jacob of Evan’s son, Marc Sehgal to Ilana Gorelick. Bernstein on Praying in the Direction of Jerusalem Grandparents Susan and Avery Neumark on the birth of twins, a 7:45am Hashkama Minyan in the Belfer Beit Midrash followed by shiur given by girl and a boy, to their children Alyse and Joshua Rozenberg. Mazal Tov to great-grandfather Melvin Neumark. Dr. Moshe Sokolow 8:30am Parsha Shiur given by Rabbinic Intern, Jacob Bernstein on Har Sinai or Gabrielle Lubitz on the publication of a scholarly article in the American Journal of Physiology.
    [Show full text]
  • Getting Started with Leviticus by Ted Hildebrandt Copyright © 2012
    1 Getting Started with Leviticus By Ted Hildebrandt Copyright © 2012 Introduction to Leviticus The book of Leviticus is torah, a set of instructions designed to teach the priests and the people of Israel the ritual requirements for living in the presence of a holy God. The Hebrew title is taken from the first word of the Hebrew text, “and he called,” which tells little about the actual content of the book. The more common title of “Leviticus” comes from the translation of the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek (called the Septuagint/LXX ca. 200 BC) into the Latin Vulgate (ca. 420 AD) and eventually into English. The title should not, however, be understood as referring exclusively to the Israelite tribe of Levi. The term “Levite” occurs only three times in the book of Leviticus (Lev 25:32-33). However, priests [kohen], who were the direct descendants of Aaron, are referenced over 175 times in the 27 chapters of this book, despite it being the shortest book of the Pentateuch [Gen-Deut]. Thus the title “Leviticus” refers to the “Levitical priests” (cf. Deut 17:9, 18) although the book addresses the holiness of the whole people of God as well (Lev 15:2; 17:2), for Israel itself was to be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exod 19:6). Leviticus moves away from the historical narrative approach that dominates Genesis and Exodus to a more instructional format, giving various rules, regulations, and requirements for maintaining holiness and cleanness and avoiding defilement, pollution, and uncleanness. It links into the greater narrative of the Pentateuch in its opening verse, where God speaks to Moses from the Tent of Meeting, or Tabernacle, upon which the glory-cloud of God’s presence had just descended (Exod 40; cf.
    [Show full text]
  • An Outline of the Book of Leviticus Introduction Leviticus Is One of The
    An Outline of the Book of Leviticus Introduction Leviticus is one of the most difficult books for the modern reader to grasp because it is so detailed and seemingly so archaic. But it describes very important aspects of Israel’s religious life. I. Law of Offerings, General Instructions .................................... 1:1-6:7 The text instructs the Jew as to the various offerings that he must bring to the altar, and the priest as to the basic procedure to do the offering. A. Introduction ........................................................................... 1:1-2 B. Burnt Offering ....................................................................... 1:1-17 1. A bull .............................................................................. 1:3-9 2. A sheep or goat ............................................................... 1:10-13 3. A bird, turtledove or pigeon............................................ 1:14-17 C. Grain Offering ....................................................................... 2:1-16 1. Fine flour with oil (some burned, some for priests) ........ 2:1-3 2. Baked or cooked with oil ................................................ 2:4-10 3. Regulations: no leaven, no honey, salt ........................... 2:11-13 4. Firstfruits whole grain .................................................... 2:14-16 D. Peace Offering (fat on top of burnt offering) ......................... 3:1-17 1. From the herd, male or female ........................................ 3:1-5 2. From the flock, male or female lamb
    [Show full text]
  • The Two Screens: on Mary Douglas S Proposal
    The Two Screens: On Mary Douglass Proposal for a Literary Structure to the Book of Leviticus* Gary A. Rendsburg In memoriam – Mary Douglas (1921–2007) In the middle volume of her recent trio of monographs devoted to the priestly source in the Torah, Mary Douglas proposes that the book of Leviticus bears a literary structure that reflects the layout and config- uration of the Tabernacle.1 This short note is intended to supply further support to this proposal, though first I present a brief summary of the work, its major suppositions, and its principal finding. The springboard for Douglass assertion is the famous discovery of Ramban2 (brought to the attention of modern scholars by Nahum Sar- na3) that the tripartite division of the Tabernacle reflects the similar tripartite division of Mount Sinai. As laid out in Exodus 19 and 24, (a) the people as a whole occupied the lower slopes; (b) Aaron, his two sons, and the elders were permitted halfway up the mountain; and (c) only Moses was allowed on the summit. In like fashion, according to the priestly instructions in Exodus 25–40 and the book of Leviticus, (a) the people as a whole were allowed to enter the outer court of the Taberna- * It was my distinct pleasure to deliver an oral version of this article at the Mary Douglas Seminar Series organized by the University of London in May 2005, in the presence of Professor Douglas and other distinguished colleagues. I also take the op- portunity to thank my colleague Azzan Yadin for his helpful comments on an earlier version of this article.
    [Show full text]
  • Holy Anointing Oil in the Bible
    Holy anointing oil in the bible Continue James 5:14 Are any of you sick? Then he must call upon the elders of the church, and they must pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; Mark 6:13 And they banished many demons and oiled many sick people and healed them. Jews 1:9 You loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore, God, Your God, anointed you with the oil of gladty over your comrades. Ruth 3:3 Wash yourself so, and anoint yourself and put on the best clothes, and go down to the floor threshing; but don't make yourself aware of the man until he has finished eating and drinking. Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord is God upon me, because the Lord anointed me to bring good news to the guardian; He sent me to tie a broken heart, to proclaim freedom to prisoners and freedom to prisoners; Psalm 45:7 You loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, anointed you with the oil of joy over your comrades. 1 John 2:27 As far as you are concerned, the anointing you have received from Him is in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about everything, and it is true and not a lie, and just as he taught you, you are in Him. Luke 10:34 and came up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put it on his beast, and brought him to the hotel and took care of him.
    [Show full text]
  • Jacob Milgrom, June 7, 2010 1
    Baruch J. Schwartz, Funeral of Jacob Milgrom, June 7, 2010 1 ל"ז JACOB MILGROM RABBI, PROFESSOR, TEACHER AND MENTOR My master and teacher, Jacob: After thirty years together, it’s time to say good-bye. Each year, on a Shabbat morning towards the end of the winter, the cycle of Torah reading arrives at the words, “The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying” (Leviticus 1:1). Customarily, at this point the congregation begins to doze off and finally to fall asleep. You, however, came awake. In the sacrificial offerings, in the bodily impurities and the abhorrent acts, in the lesions on skin, garments and walls, in the minutiae of prohibited fowl and in the precise definitions of forbidden sexual acts, in Aaron’s annual ritual of atonement and in the unauthorized fire of Nadab and Abihu, in assessments, proscriptions and tithes, you discovered an intriguing and inspiring world. In the details, you found perfection. You found internal logic, you found a comprehensive and systematic Torah, and you found God Himself. Throughout the greater part of your life you applied yourself to the sacred task of revealing the hidden light in the priestly writings, meticulously building of its prescriptions and prohibitions a structure certain to withstand the test of time. No longer do the worshipers fall asleep when they arrive at the book of Leviticus, and this they – all of us – owe to you alone. Your work – your books, commentaries and essays – have not only paved a new way; they have shown the way for the rest of us, bequeathing a lasting legacy to future generations as well.
    [Show full text]
  • A Modern Christian Perspective on Global Poverty in Light of Economic Globalization
    A MODERN CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON GLOBAL POVERTY IN LIGHT OF ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION an Honors Project submitted by Isaac B. Sharp 6825 Mountain Shadow Dr Knoxville, Tennessee 37918 (865) 256-9595 in partial fulfillment for the degree Bachelor of Arts in Religion with Honors April 28, 2010 Project Advisor: Dr. Ross Brummett © 2010 Isaac B. Sharp Approval Sheet A MODERN CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON GLOBAL POVERTY IN LIGHT OF ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION _________________________ _________________________ Faculty Director Chair, Department of Religion _________________________ Director, Honors Program ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project could not have been completed without the diligent work and support of several people. By no means can I take all of the credit for the completion of this project, and I would be remiss if I did not thank those who have guided me along the way for their efforts. I first must thank Dr. Christine Jones and Dr. Don Garner for their invaluable editing of and suggestions for the drafts of each of the chapters. As members of the hearing committee, it was far above and beyond their duties to be as involved as they were. The final project is infinitely better than it would have been if they had not assisted along the way. I also want to thank Ken Massey for his service on my hearing committee. Most importantly, I want to thank Dr. Ross Brummett. His tireless efforts in every step of this process have been without parallel, and he truly has embodied what it means to be an Honors Project advisor. If not for Dr. Brummett, there is truly no way that this project would have been completed.
    [Show full text]