"Sub Tiberio quies"? Judaea’s Political Situation under the Prefects (6-41 c.e.), between Reality and Ideology

Deeply conflicting views on the political situation of Judaea under the Roman prefects (6-41 c.e.) have been offered. According to some scholars, this was a period of persistent political unrest and agitation, whilst according to a widespread view it was a quiescent period of political calm (reflected in Tacitus’ phrase sub Tiberio quies). The present article critically examines again the main available sources –particularly Josephus, the canonical Gospels and Tacitus– in order to offer a more reliable historical reconstruction. The conclusions drawn by this survey calls into question some widespread and insufficiently nuanced views on the period. This, in turn, allows a reflection on the non-epistemic factors which might contribute to explain the origin of such views.

Deconstrucción de los relatos evangélicos de la pasión. Sobre el arraigo de la ficción en la Historia de las religiones

Las más elementales exigencias de rigor crítico e independencia siguen a menudo sin cumplirse hoy en día en la reconstrucción histórica de la figura del judío Yeshua ben Yosef (Jesús el galileo), en parte porque el carácter inconsistente de las fuentes evangélicas no es tomado en serio. El presente artículo analiza las incongruencias de los relatos de la pasión, muestra en ellos los indicios de un proceso de despolitización, y señala el carácter insostenible de varias afirmaciones clave de muchos historiadores contemporáneos sobre el predicador galileo.

Every nation under heaven: the importance of the biblical concept of nations for contemporary mission practice

Is there a concept of nationhood in the Bible that can provide us with a framework for cross-cultural Christian mission? This thesis argues that current evangelical missiology has accepted too willingly the categories of the secular Enlightenment understanding of ethnicity and nationhood, and that it needs to rethink its understanding of nations from a biblical standpoint. While the pressures of globalisation are seen by some as rapidly eclipsing the nation-state, this thesis will argue that we need to move beyond the narrower secular categories of citizenship, political power and the boundaries of the state to recover a more biblical understanding of nationhood. By reference to Genesis 10-11, Acts 2:1-11 and those passages in the Book of Revelation that discuss the destiny of the nations, it will show that the biblical understanding of nations includes deeper ideas of shared history, culture and language as the essential components of nationhood. It will explain how nations are part of the created order, and explore the impact of the Babel narrative on our understanding of nations in relation to God. It will demonstrate that Pentecost did not reverse the curse of Babel, but served rather to honour the dignity and value of nations and their languages. It will also argue that nations have a destiny in the New Creation according to the Book of Revelation. This biblical concept of nationhood has significant implications in several areas: the development of a public theology; a Christian response to nationalism; the question of how urban mission fits within mission to the nations; and the importance of indigenous languages in cross-cultural mission, especially in the multicultural cities of Europe.

La storia di Iefte (Jdc 10,6-12,7). Studi sul testo biblico e sulla sua ricezione nell'Antichità

La tesi tratta la storia veterotestamentaria di Iefte (Jdg 10,6-12,7). Il lavoro è diviso in due parti: la prima concerne la formazione del testo biblico e propone una nuova analisi critico-testuale del passo attraverso il confronto tra TM, LXX, Vg e altre fonti. Questo raffronto esamina i rapporti tra il TM e il modello ebraico dei LXX e le differenze tra le diverse recensioni dei LXX; inoltre, lo studio del lessico e dei temi in esso presenti porta alla formulazione di una nuova ipotesi sul tempo della composizione e sulla contestualizzazione storica e letteraria dell'episodio all'interno del corpus biblico. La seconda parte si concentra sulla storia delle interpretazioni del passo nel mondo latino e greco dal I secolo d.C. all'inizio del V secolo, e ha portato alla costituzione di un dossier di brani, esaminati nel loro contesto, che commentano o citano l'episodio. L'attenzione al contesto ha permesso di risolvere alcuni problemi che finora hanno impedito la ricostruzione del percorso esegetico del brano (attribuzione di alcuni frammenti catenari, datazione del De virginitate di Ambrogio, ecc.) Questo nuovo approccio di ricerca combina un'analisi completa dell'episodio biblico con uno studio approfondito della sua esegesi. Rivela così, da un lato, le scelte effettuate durante la composizione di un testo scritturistico problematico, e, dall'altro, i diversi meccanismi utilizzati dagli esegeti per spiegare il significato di una storia in cui la bontà di Dio, che ha tollerato il sacrificio umano, è messa in discussione.

Controle da hanseníase no Estado de São Paulo: análise histórica

Para controle da hanseníase, doença infectocontagiosa conhecida desde os tempos bíblicos, são mostradas as intrincadas convergências de histórias nacionais, de políticas médicas, governamentais e internacionais. O estudo descreve a história e as ações de controle da hanseníase, a partir do começo do século XIX, no estado de São Paulo, e sua conexão com o desenvolvimento da saúde pública, utilizando análises bibliográficas e documentais.

Gregory the Great

Gregory the Great was one of the four great fathers of the western Church, quickly rising from a monk, to a deacon, and eventually to the papal office (590-604). This book provides an introduction to the life and times of Gregory the Great. Particular attention is paid to his thinking and his writings including translations of his commentaries on translating the Bible, his sermons to the people, his reflections on the human condition, and, perhaps his most important work, his commentary on the Book of Job. A great addition to the series. 177p (The Early Church Fathers, Routledge 2005)