bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Distribution Channels in the Travel Industry: Using Mystery Shoppers to Understand the Influence of Travel Agency Recommendations
Authors: Hudson Simon , Snaith Tim , Miller Graham A. , Hudson Paul
Published: April 2009

The objective of this study was to understand the factors that influence travel agency recommendations in the United Kingdom. This was achieved using a mixture of focus groups, interviews, and “mystery shoppers.” Exploration into the process of choosing a holiday showed that the brochure plays an important role for many consumers. However, for the travel agent the brochure is low priority, and even when the brochure is used the travel agent often has a considerable amount of influence on consumer decision making. Whether the agency is vertically integrated has considerable influence on the recommendation process. Based on analysis of the interviews and focus groups, a model was developed and tested using mystery shoppers. Results from investigating 156 travel agents across the United Kingdom indicate that the majority of travel agents owned by large tour operators will attempt to push the holidays of their parent company rather than give impartial advice to consumers. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Does the Visiting Friends and Relatives’ Typology Make a Difference? A Study of the International VFR Market to the United States
Authors: Lehto Xinran You , Morrison Alastair M. , O’Leary Joseph T.
Published: April 2009

Using data from the In-Flight Survey of International Travelers for 1997, this study analyzed international visiting friends and relatives’ travelers (VFRs) to the United States. Three of the factors in an initial typology of VFRs were tested for their effects on travel expenditures. These typology factors (sector, scope, accommodation used) were found to have a significant influence on the expenditures of international VFRs to the United States. VFRs for whom VFR was the main travel purpose differed in their spending patterns from those for whom it was a secondary purpose. VFRs who used commercial accommodation had different expenditures from those who exclusively stayed in private homes. VFRs from individual countries differed in travel expenditures. Besides partially validating the typology, this study determined that international VFRs made substantial use of commercial accommodation and had significant expenditures on food and beverages, transportation, gifts and souvenirs, and entertainment.
An Examination of the Determinants of Golf Travelers’ Satisfaction
Authors: Petrick James F. , Backman Sheila J.
Published: April 2009

With increasing competition for attracting patrons to golf destinations, it is becoming more important for managers to identify the variables that attract or retain golf travelers. Yet, relatively little is known about the determinants of, and best way to measure, golf travelers’ satisfaction. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the determinants of golf travelers’ overall satisfaction. The research found that overall satisfaction can be effectively predicted with information and attribute satisfaction and that information satisfaction is an antecedent to attribute satisfaction. These findings suggest that Oliver’s model may be improved with the inclusion of information satisfaction. It was also found that attributes related to the resort experience had more influence on overall satisfaction than attributes related to information provided and golfing experiences. Further, it was found that golf travelers’ satisfaction is highly correlated with repurchase intentions. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.
Market Segmentation by Motivation: The Case of Switzerland
Authors: Bieger Thomas , Laesser Christian
Published: April 2009

This study describes the segmentation of mature travel markets, as exemplified by Switzerland. Based on an extensive and representative travel survey covering 2,000 households and more than 11,000 trips, a situational, motivation-based travel market segmentation is proposed. The clustering of motivations proves to be a valuable means to segment markets. The results reveal a diminishing role of sociodemographic segment descriptors. It is more the (anticipated) travel profile and the attraction of a certain destination that determines Swiss travel behavior.
Tourism and Ethnic Minorities in Bradford: The Invisible Segment
Authors: Klemm Mary S.
Published: April 2009

Ethnic minority groups are usually seen as part of the tourism product rather than as purchasers of holidays for themselves. Consequently, little is known about the number and type of holidays taken by this growing segment of the U.K. population. This study considers the attitudes of an ethnic minority to mass-market holidays in the light of the ethnicity and marginality hypotheses, as well as notions of acculturation and ethnic identity. A survey of Bradford (U.K.) citizens of Asian origin revealed that the frequency of holiday taking and the holiday preferences of this group were not substantially different from the British population as a whole. The main finding of the study was that the promotional methods and selling techniques of travel businesses such as major tour operators and chains of travel agents were perceived as negative toward this ethnic group.
A Preliminary Investigation of the Importance of Site Accessibility Factors for Disabled Tourists
Authors: Israeli Aviad A.
Published: April 2009

Disabled people may be a significant market segment for the tourism industry. However, many tourism sites are not well suited to serve disabled tourists. This article offers a method for evaluating the importance of accessibility factors for disabled tourists at tourist sites. It also comments on the differences by which nondisabled or disabled tourists evaluate a tourism site. Some limited empirical evidence is provided to demonstrate how to measure the importance of accessibility factors among disabled tourists.
Tourism and Heritage Are Not Strangers: A Study of Opportunities for Rural Heritage Museums to Maximize Tourism Visitation
Authors: Prideaux Bruce R. , Kininmont Lee-Jaye
Published: April 2009

Heritage tourism is growing rapidly in popularity as people seek to rediscover the past. One obvious group of attractions heritage tourists seek out are museums. Many museums are outside the government sector, and for these museums, tourism offers considerable scope to generate revenue to fund new displays and pay recurrent costs. This study reports on a survey of three Queensland rural heritage museums designed to discover visitors’ reactions to the communication channels used to alert them to the existence of the museums and to identify the visitors’ preferred methods of advertising. The outcome of the survey identifies the need for museum custodians to reconsider the promotional strategies employed to advertise rural museums to the drive tourist market and suggests a simple checklist of low-cost yet effective advertising methods that can be used by rural museums.
Estimating the Multiplier Effects of Tourism Expenditures on a Local Economy through a Regional Input-Output Model
Authors: Frechtling Douglas C. , Horváth Endre
Published: April 2009

Tourism multipliers indicate the total increase in output, labor earnings, and employment through interindustry linkages in a region as a result of tourism expenditures. The RIMS II regional input-output model was employed to estimate the multiplier effects of visitor expenditures in Washington, D.C. Both normal multipliers and ratio multipliers are analyzed, and the latter is found to be a more reliable indicator of total impact on earnings and employment in the city. A comparison of the multipliers for 37 industry sectors and the tourism multiplier in the city finds that the latter ranks relatively high for earnings and employment, but low for output.
A Comprehensive Approach to Classifying Acts of Crime and Violence at Tourism Destinations
Authors: Pizam Abraham
Published: April 2009

Based on a review of 300 cases of acts of crimes and violence that occurred at tourist destinations around the world in the last decade, a comprehensive typology was created. The objectives of this typology were to classify the attributes of acts of crime and violence, to analyze the differential effects that such attributes have on tourism demand, to examine the effectiveness of methods used for prevention and recovery from such acts, and to identify the parties responsible for prevention and recovery.
The Tourism Potential of the Peace Dividend
Authors: Butler Richard W. , Baum Tom
Published: April 2009

Reductions in military budgets have meant that military bases are no longer required, presenting problems of economic survival for communities previously dependent on these bases. Tourism is one of a number of potential alternative uses that are proposed to replace the military function but this aspect has not been addressed by tourism researchers. This article introduces this issue in the context of economic restructuring in remote areas and suggests some forms of tourism that may have potential as a means of economic redevelopment for affected areas. Some of the difficulties of this process are identified along with the implications of continued military withdrawals.
Interpretation of the Unimaginable: The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C., and “Dark Tourism”
Authors: Lennon J. John , Foley Malcolm
Published: April 2009

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., has received visitation levels in excess of 2 million per annum since its opening in April 1993. Such a development was not without controversy. The museum’s permanent exhibition contains more than 5,000 artifacts, including photographs, uniforms, letters, and a rail car used to take Jewish prisoners and others to the death camps. Through the use of computer terminals, visitors are able to review records in newspapers, watch film clips, and hear taped interviews with Holocaust survivors. Such a concern with replication and simulation is central to the treatment and analysis of the phenomenon known as “dark tourism” (tourism of sites of death, atrocity, and mass killing). This article analyzes the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in the context of dark tourism, concluding that the museum’s nature, content, and purpose pose questions about visitor motivation, “dark” attraction development, ethical management, and the interpretation of history.
Planning for Peace: The Role of Tourism in the Aftermath of Violence
Authors: Anson Caroline
Published: April 2009

This article explores the role of tourism in the aftermath of violence, using the example of the contested heritage of Northern Ireland and its potential contribution to community peace building as the province emerges from 30 years of conflict. As a lasting peace seems to be a real possibility, the planning policies of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) are examined to see how they have operated within the context of a contested heritage. The Tower Museum in Londonderry is used as a case study to see what a best-practice model of the use of heritage tourism in community peace building might look like.
The American Group Tourist as Viewed by British, Israeli, Korean, and Dutch Tour Guides
Authors: Pizam Abraham
Published: April 2009

A sample of 286 tour guides of British, Israeli, Korean, and Dutch nationalities rated 20 behavioral characteristics of American tourists on escorted motor coach tours. The objective of the study was to identify the similarities and differences of perceptions between the four nationalities of the tour guides. The results indicated that for the majority of the behavioral characteristics measured (11/20), there was a similarity of opinions, or a common mental model, among the nationalities of tour guides regarding the behavioral characteristics of American tourists on escorted motor coach tours. In 2 characteristics there was a uniformity of opinions among all four nationalities, and in 9 characteristics, three of the four nationalities had similar opinions.
Critical Science Studies as Argumentation Theory
Authors: Rehg William
Published: April 2009

This article asks whether an interdisciplinary “critical science studies” (CSS) is possible between a critical theory in the Frankfurt School tradition, with its commitment to universal standards of reason, and relativistic sociologies of scientific knowledge (e.g., David Bloor’s strong programme). It is argued that CSS is possible if its practitioners adopt the epistemological equivalent of Rawls’s method of avoidance. A discriminating, public policy-relevant critique of science can then proceed on the basis of an argumentation theory that employs an immanent standard of relevance, which is illustrated by drawing on Helen Longino’s critique of behavioral theory.
The Structure of the Social
Authors: Joseph Jonathan , Kennedy Simon
Published: April 2009

This article seeks to develop the Marxist conception of social structure by incorporating developments within critical realist philosophy. It rejects forms of economic determinism such as the base-superstructure model and those reconstructions—like Cohen’s—that attribute primacy to productive forces in explaining history and society. It argues instead that society is the product of complex, often contradictory combinations of many different structures and mechanisms. They form a structural ensemble, hierarchically arranged, but where each element has its own dynamics and emergent powers. It concludes that society is best understood through critical realist conceptions of stratification, emergence, transformation, and overdetermination.
Methodological Triangulation in Nursing Research
Authors: Risjord Mark , Moloney Margaret , Dunbar Sandra
Published: April 2009

Methodological triangulation is the use of more than one method to investigate a phenomenon. Nurse researchers investigate health phenomena using methods drawn from the natural and social sciences. The methodological debate concerns the possibility of confirming a single theory with different kinds of methods. The nursing debate parallels the philosophical debate about how the natural and social sciences are related. This article critiques the presuppositions of the nursing debate and suggests alternatives. The consequence is a view of triangulation that permits different methods to confirm a single theory. The article then explores the consequences for the philosophy of social science.
Participatory Action Research
Authors: Krimerman Leonard
Published: April 2009

Participatory Action Research (PAR) insists upon the importance of democratizing social inquiry by actively engaging the subject in the design and conduct of research. Drawing on four examples of PAR-based social science and a democratic reconstruction of “epistemic privilege,” this article argues that philosophers need to take seriously PAR’s notion that democratic norms should guide social inquiry. But it does not advocate replacing mainstream or expert-directed social science by PAR. Instead, it maintains that it is both possible and sensible for PAR practitioners to collaborate with conventional research. Indeed, certain forms of nonparticipatory social science seem indispensable for any extensive application of the PAR framework. The article concludes by drawing out its (controversial) implications for two central issues in the philosophy of social science: first, that the methods of social inquiry are distinct from those in the natural sciences and, second, that there is a sense in which social research can and should be “value neutral.”
Hacking’s Reconciliation
Authors: Murphy Dominic
Published: April 2009

In a series of recent works, Ian Hacking has produced a model of social causation in mental illness and begun to sketch in outline how this might be integrated with the medical model of psychiatry. This article elaborates and revises Hacking’s model of social forces, criticizes him for attempting a merely semantic resolution of the tension between the social and the biological, and sketches an alternative approach that builds upon his substantial insights.
Interpretation and Epistemic Evaluation in Goldman’s Descriptive Epistemology
Authors: Beebe James R.
Published: April 2009

One branch of Alvin Goldman’s proposed “scientific epistemology” is devoted to the scientific study of how folk epistemic evaluators acquire and deploy the concepts of knowledge and justified belief. The author argues that such a “descriptive epistemology,” as Goldman calls it, requires a more sophisticated theory of interpretation than is provided by the simulation theory Goldman adopts. The author also argues that any adequate account of folk epistemic concepts must reconstruct the intersubjective conceptual roles those concepts play in discursive practices. In other words, descriptive epistemology also requires a theory of communicative action and an account of the practical abilities agents must have to engage in discursive practices.
“Agency” as a Red Herring in Social Theory
Authors: Loyal Steven , Barnes Barry
Published: April 2009

The central argument of this article is that there is no fact of the matter, no evidence, however tentative or questionable, that will serve adequately to identify actions “chosen” or “determined” for the purposes of sociological theory. This argument will be developed with reference to the two theorists of the greatest importance in advocating the sociological value of the concept of agency: Talcott Parsons, with his “voluntaristic theory of action,” set the scene for the whole agency and structure debate in modern sociology, and Anthony Giddens, in his theory of structuration, provides the most comprehensive recent account. Both theorists put forward grounds and justifications for their use of the concepts of “choice” and “agency,” but it will be argued here that in the last analysis, none of them has any sociological merit.
Rewriting the Past
Authors: Haddock Adrian
Published: April 2009

This article seeks to answer the following questions: is Quentin Skinner right to claim that actions in the past should not be described by means of concepts not available at the time those actions occurred? And is Ian Hacking right to claim that such descriptions do not merely describe but actually change the past? The author begins by arguing that it is not clear precisely what Skinner is claiming and shows how, under the pressure of criticism, his methodological strictures collapse into trivialities. The author then argues that, although Hacking has given us no reason to accept his claim, we can make sense of it by appealing to the idea of a “Cambridge change.” The author concludes by suggesting that as long as we are exercising the right kind of concepts, a suitably modified version of Hacking’s conclusion can be retained.
An Epistemological Plea for Methodological Individualism and Rational Choice Theory in Cognitive Rhetoric
Authors: Bouvier Alban
Published: April 2009

Some current attempts to go beyond the narrow scope of rational choice theory (RCT) in the social sciences and the artificial reconstructions it sometimes provides focus on the arguments that people give to justify their beliefs and behaviors themselves. But the available argumentation theories are not constructed to fill this gap. This article argues that relevance theory, on the contrary, suggests interesting tracks. This provocative idea requires a rereading of Sperber and Wilson’s theory. Actually, the authors do not explicitly support RCT, and Sperber has even strongly criticized methodological individualism, which most of the time underlies RCT, in favor of infra-individualism. A key point of the argument presented here is to show that Sperber and Wilson do not firmly distinguish between infra-individualism and subintentionality. Only subintentionality is needed.
The Bell Curve Case for Heredity
Authors: Hocutt Max , Levin Michael
Published: April 2009

The hereditarian theory of race differences in IQ was briefly revived with the appearance of The Bell Curve but then quickly dismissed. The authors attempt a defense of it here, with an eye to conceptual and logical issues of special interest to philosophers, such as alleged infirmities in the heritability concept. At the same time, some relevant post- Bell Curve empirical data are introduced.
Theories, Practices, and Pluralism
Authors: Bohman James
Published: April 2009

A hallmark of recent critical social science has been the commitment to methodological and theoretical pluralism. Habermas and others have argued that diverse theoretical and empirical approaches are needed to support informed social criticism. However, an unresolved tension remains in the epistemology of critical social science: the tension between the epistemic advantages of a single comprehensive theoretical framework and those of methodological and theoretical pluralism. By shifting the grounds of the debate in a way suggested by Dewey’s pragmatism, the author argues that a thoroughgoing pluralism strengthens, rather than weakens, both the social scientific and political aims of critical social science. Not only does pragmatism offer a plausible interpretation of the epistemic pluralism of the social sciences, but it also provides a way of thinking about their fundamentally practical and political character. With a better normative vocabulary with which to discuss the epistemological issues of such a pluralistic mode of inquiry, the democratic role of critical inquiry and its specifically “practical” form of verification can be clarified.
Foundations of Niklas Luhmann’s Theory of Social Systems
Authors: Viskovatoff Alex
Published: April 2009

Of all contemporary social theorists, Luhmann has best understood the centrality of the concept of meaning to social theory and has most extensively worked out the notion’s implications. However, despite the power of his theory, the theory suffers from difficulties impeding its reception. This article attempts to remedy this situation with some critical arguments and proposals for revision. First, the theory Luhmann adopted from biology as the basis of his own theory was a poor choice since that theory has no explanatory power, being purely descriptive; furthermore, that theory is fundamentally flawed since it implies that viruses are impossible. Second, Luhmann’s theory of meaning cannot coherently make the social domain autonomous as he desires since Luhmann does not take into account the distinction between syntax and semantics. By introducing this distinction, making clear that social systems consist of rules, not just communications, and raising the rule concept to the same prominence in social theory as those of actor and system, autonomy can be maintained while avoiding the counterintuitive aspects of Luhmann’s theory.
Psychopathy and Recidivism in Adolescent Sex Offenders
Authors: Gretton Heather M. , Mcbride Michelle , Hare Robert D. , O’Shaughnessy Roy , Kumka Gary
Published: April 2009

Psychopathy, as measured by the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), has emerged as one of the most important factors in understanding and predicting adult criminal behavior, including sex offending. The authors used extensive file information to score a youth version of the PCL-R (the PCL:YV) for 220 adolescent males in an outpatient sex offender treatment program. The authors coded charges and convictions for an average of 55 months following cessation of treatment. The PCL:YV was positively and significantly related to total, violent, and nonviolent reoffense rates. Offenders with a high PCL:YV score and penile plethysmographic evidence of deviant sexual arousal prior to treatment were at very high risk for general reoffending. The results suggest that psychopathy may have much the same implications for the criminal justice system in adolescent offenders as it does in adult offenders.
Evaluating the Predictive Accuracy of Six Risk Assessment Instruments for Adult Sex Offenders
Authors: Barbaree Howard E. , Seto Michael C. , Langton Calvin M. , Peacock Edward J.
Published: April 2009

Five actuarial instruments and one guided clinical instrument designed to assess risk for recidivism were compared on 215 sex offenders released from prison for an average of 4.5 years. The Violence Risk Appraisal Guide, Sex Offender Risk Appraisal Guide, Rapid Risk Assessment of Sexual Offense Recidivism, and Static-99 predicted general recidivism, serious (violent and sexual) recidivism, and sexual recidivism. The Minnesota Sex Offender Screening Tool–Revised and a guided clinical assessment (Multifactorial Assessment of Sex Offender Risk for Recidivism) predicted general recidivism but did not significantly predict serious or sexual recidivism. On its own, the Psychopathy Checklist–Revised predicted general and serious recidivism but not sexual recidivism. The results support the utility of an actuarial approach to risk assessment of sex offenders.
Occupational Stress and the Use of Force by Dutch Police Officers
Authors: Kop Nicolien , Euwema Martin C.
Published: April 2009

This study addresses three issues. First, characteristics of Dutch police work and the stressful aspects of this work are described. Second, the levels of burnout of Dutch police officers are assessed in terms of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Finally, burnout is related to the use of force by police officers. Data were collected through participant observation during 122 patrol shifts and by a questionnaire distributed to police officers ( N = 358). Organizational hazards emerged as the most frequently stressful and demanding aspects of police work. Compared to other professions, police officers score relatively low on emotional exhaustion, relatively high on depersonalization, and average on personal accomplishment. Significant relationships were found between burnout of police officers and a positive attitude toward the use of force, the self-reported use of force, and the independently observed use of force. Implications for research, police management, and police training are discussed.
"With Swords and Clubs ... " —
Authors: Senior Donald
Published: April 2009

In spite of Kee's argument that Mark originated in rural Syria, Hengel's case for Rome in the turbulent years following Nero is persuasive on internal and external grounds. This Roman setting accounts for Mark's interest in the issue of power. The open power of Jesus stands in contrast to almost all other groups, disciples included. Religious and civil authorities, Jewish and Roman, and notably Pilate illustrate an abusive power that was apparently felt by Mark's community from within and from without. Although rebellious or apocalyptic responses might be expected in such a setting, Mark's theology relativizes power, suggesting a strategy of subversion in the interest of this community's mission of proclaiming the gospel, a mission that precluded withdrawal from a socio-political setting in which oppressive power confronted the life-giving power of Jesus.
Is Matthew's Presentation of Peter Ironic?
Authors: Stock Augustine
Published: April 2009

Simon probably already had the name Peter before he came into contact with Jesus. Since Matthew emphasizes Peter's unreliability, Jesus' saying about him as petra in Matthew 16:18 was intended to be ironic, even though Matthew does present him as prōtos, the foremost of the twelve. These conclusions from Bas Van Iersel's synchonic study are considered against the background of earlier diachronic studies by Edward Schillebeeckx and M. Wilcox. Rich opportunities for wordplay are shown to be present and the presence of irony is tested using norms proposed by E. Good.
Law and Wisdom: in the Mishnaic System
Authors: Schnabel Eckhard J.
Published: April 2009

For Jews the authority of post-biblical writings in the Midrashic collections, Mishnah, and Talmuds (Babylonian and Palestinian) is clearly greater than the Christians accord post-biblical Church Fathers. Following Jacob Neusner's methodological clarification, Schnabel focuses on the Mishnah as a separate source for Jewish thought, and undertakes to get at the heart of the Mishnaic system as it centers on the behavioral ("halakic") norms for Jewish life.

Mishnaic form and logic need explication, especially for Christians. Priestly tradition, Pharisaic piety and their own professional value of Torah study led the scribal authors of Mishnah to norms at once scripture-based, traditional and yet geared to the needs of real life Jewish communities. Their synthesis, because it is so different from Christian writings of the same period, illustrates the varied wealth of religious vision available in the biblical sources.

With sanctification as its goal, Mishnaic literature legislates orderly and systematic practices which honor the cultic and holiness values of its forebears. Of particular interest are the wisdom norms of the sages (scribes) as these bear on both the cultic practices and home observances of Judaism. The world-view of the Mishnah, finally, sets the stage for the many particularities of Mishnaic wisdom and legal interpretations which have come to be core elements of Judaism even until today.
Women as Models of Faith in Mark
Authors: Beavis Mary Ann
Published: April 2009

Mark contains four anecdotes about women cast in a Greco-Roman literary form, the chreia, well known to the evangelist and his readers (5:24-34; 7:25-30; 12:41-44; 14:3-9). Chreiai, called "pronouncement stories" by form critics, were regarded as "useful for life" by the ancients. Chreiai about women usually related examples of "feminine" virtues and attitudes, but Mark's four women show exemplary qualities of faith, discipleship and insight which would have been useful for Christians in general, not just for Christian women.
Fundamentalism and the Church: Theological Crisis for Mainline Protestants
Authors: Sanders James A.
Published: April 2009

Neo-Fundamentalism is evidence of the theological disarray of mainline churches. While it is itself partly a reaction to humanism, like humanism it denies God's Godness. Specifically, fundamentalist readings of the Bible deny God's freedom by boxing God into pre-determined schema, making God the redeemer of its own in-group. An appropriate response to fundamentalism is the canonical hermeneutic of theocentric monotheism, faithful to the spirit of Calvin, who struggled against the idols of luck and determinism in the sixteenth century to affirm the sovereignty of the one free God of both judgment and grace. In practice, the churches must learn to theologize first-ask what God is doing; then moralize-ask what we are called to do, identifying all along with those challenged by the prophets and Jesus rather than presuming to stand with the prophets and Jesus. In this way, the church might become a "church expectant," open to both God's judgment and grace.
Images of God in the Letters of Paul
Authors: Bossman David M.
Published: April 2009

Using categories from cross-cultural analysis, this study identifies how Paul portrays God metaphorically as a patriarchal figure who relates to Israel as a father to his family. In so imaging God, Paul continues a Pharisaic concept of Judaism as a religion of the home and family, distinguished from a state religion whose centralizing strategies differed notably in doctrine and practice. Paul's adoptive filiation of gentiles into Christ as God's Son suggests how his missionary theology accorded with the familial metaphor for God, and represented an early level of Christian religious identification. Christians today can benefit from an awareness of what role the father played in first century Mediterranean cultures, and how such a role may differ markedly from contemporary American experience.
Narrative Asides and Narrative Authority in Luke-Acts
Authors: Sheeley Steven M.
Published: April 2009

This article discusses the effect of narrative asides on the relationship between the narrator and the reader in Luke-Acts, suggesting that the narrators of Luke and Acts establish and cultivate a relationship with their readers in which the narrator has authority. Toward that end, asides are categorized according to their function in the narrative, and their role in the establishment or reinforcement of narrative authority is discussed.
The Structure of Ethical Argument in the Pastorals
Authors: Donelson Lewis R.
Published: April 2009

The growing tendency among scholars to find coherence rather than chaos in the argumentation in the Pastoral Epistles is producing new insights into the letters and is raising interesting questions about their authority. This article provides one example of how the inner logic of the arguments in the letters might be described. In doing so, it will be argued that each individual ethical imperative derives its validity from the credibility of the theological warrants supplied by the author. This suggests that individual ethical commands, such as, "Let women learn in silence with complete submissiveness," are not seen here as self-authenticating. Both for the ancient church and the modem one, their authority depends upon the reliability of the overall theology of the letters, including the deceit of Pauline authorship.
The Characterization of Lot in Genesis
Authors: Jeansonne Sharon Pace
Published: April 2009

This article examines the content and context of the texts in Genesis which focus on Lot to understand the narrator's use of this important character in the presentation of Israel's ancestral origins. Lot's actions and dealings with Abraham, his response to the divine messengers, and his treatment of his daughters present a powerful characterization of a man who increasingly falls away from righteous behavior. The use and placement of these accounts enable the narrator to present important themes about the role of God as merciful judge.
Paul at the Areopagus
Authors: Marcus Joel
Published: April 2009

Luke's account of Paul's speech at the Areopagus illustrates five factors at work in the Hellenistic world, namely: Hellenistic interest in religious questions; the unity of the Hellenistic world itself; Hellenistic tolerance for ancient gods from elsewhere; a pyramid-like arrangement of divine powers; and finally, outside Judaism and Christianity, the Hellenistic world's lack of any developed idea of the afterlife.
Rereading Matthew On Jerusalem and Judaism
Authors: Niedner Frederick A.
Published: April 2009

Matthew is commonly understood to have condemned Jews in general and Jerusalem in particular for rejecting Jesus and his followers. Three features of Matthew reveal that this was not his intent. First, the selection of texts and their usage in formula quotations demonstrate that Matthew's belief in God's faithfulness to Jerusalem and its populace; and his implicit soteriology, which employs day of atonement ritual imagery, includes the people of Jerusalem among those forgiven as a result of Jesus' death. Second, the relationship Matthew sees between Moses and Jesus renders Moses neither obsolete nor reduced in significance. Finally, Matthew calls Jesus "son of God" to claim legitimacy for his teachings within Judaism rather than to make a statement about the nature of Jesus' person.
Jesus as Wisdom in Mark
Authors: Humphrey Hugh M.
Published: April 2009

Mark 6:30-8:21 is a clearly unified part of the Gospel of Mark. It was elaborated from traditional materials into a complex, concentrically organized, literary structure, in order to develop a portrayal of Jesus not usually associated with this Gospel, i.e. an identification of Jesus with the figure of Wisdom in Jewish literature and thought. Evidence for this comes from (a) the character of Mark 8:14-21; (b) the concentrated use of "bread" as a metaphor for "teaching" in this section; (c) the Markan redaction of a traditional sequence of materials recoverable also in John 6; and (d) the parallels with the figure of Wisdom in Proverbs and Sirach to be found in this block of material where other titles for Jesus are absent. Particular attention is given to the central part of the concentric structure, 7:1-23. The position taken here implicitly challenges other analyses (e.g. Quesnell; Beck; Fowler...) of this material.
Tragic Dimensions in Mark
Authors: Walsh Richard G.
Published: April 2009

Despite the observation that the Bible's structure and ideology are fundamentally comic, many readers have found Mark to have affinities with tragedy. While not a "pure" tragedy, Mark does exhibit tragic dimensions. The plot's emphases on the passion and the "fatedness" of Jesus' death resemble tragedy, but a hamartia and a peripety involving the protagonist are conspicuously absent. Jesus himself is not a tragic hero because he is not sufficiently divorced from the perspective of God/fate. Other characters-the opponents and the disciples-resemble more closely tragic figures though even their stories lack such development. Finally, the text embodies a tragic vision as many characters choose not to accept the comic perspective of Jesus.
Paternity and Maternity in the Mediterranean: Foundations for Patriarchy
Authors: Stevens Maryanne
Published: April 2009

This article explores anthropological insights about procreation to consider the meaning of Jesus' birth to a virgin. The reason the authors of the infancy narratives used virginal conception to indicate Jesus' identity is considered and links between the understandings of paternity and maternity in the Middle East and the development of monotheism and patriarchy are suggested. Brief remarks indicate why the developing Christian tradition adopted an exaggerated interpretation of Mary's virginity that raised her to the stature of a model of goodness for Christians.
Mother and Son
Authors: Malina Bruce J.
Published: April 2009

The biblical record concerning Mary, the mother of Jesus, is extremely sparse. And yet from antiquity to modern times, Mary of Nazareth has been of great significance in the Christian (and Muslim) tradition. The purpose of this presentation is to consider Mary of Nazareth through ancient Mediterranean eyes so as to account for the status and roles ascribed to her. This investigation seeks to uncover the cultural bases for the development of the vast amount of traditional discourse about Mary in face of the extreme paucity of historical information. Regardless of the extent of our ignorance of the actual figure of Mary of Nazareth, the fact that Jesus had a mother would alone have sufficed to account for the Mediterranean generated attitude toward that relative unknown personage. For it is as ideal Mediterranean maid and mother that Mary is symbolized, and it is that role that she continues to play in Mediterranean Christianity.
Contemporary Research On 1 (& 2) Thessalonians
Authors: Richard Earl
Published: April 2009

Study of Paul's Thessalonian correspondence, once a relatively neglected area of research, has, along with other Pauline subjects, begun increasingly to attract the attention of scholars worldwide. This article surveys the more prominent commentaries and extended studies of the Thessalonian correspondence and reviews some of the principal concerns of current Thessalonian research: persecution or alienation, Pauline missionary work and community formation, Acts 17 and the Thessalonian correspondence, the community and its eschatological interests, Paul's early concerns, and, finally, the composite character of 1 Thessalonians and the pseudonymity of 2 Thessalonians. An extended bibliography concludes the survey.
The Second Century Through the Eyes of Hermas: Continuity and Change
Authors: Osiek Carolyn
Published: April 2009

The Shepherd of Hermas yields important information about church developments in the early second century, an important and little-documented period. Generally recognized characteristics of the Roman church in the early centuries are confirmed for Hermas, suggesting that it is not sectarian but mainstream. It further suggests three developments: social fragmentation, a process toward ordering and recognition of authority, and evolution of the function of prophecy.
The Temple in Persian Period Prophetic Texts
Authors: Petersen David L.
Published: April 2009

Persian period prophetic texts do not suggest that prophets during this era were any more in the service of the temple system than were their pre-exilic predecessors. Rather than suggesting a change in the prophets' roles, these texts attest to the new realities of post-exilic Judah and to the new meanings of the second temple, which was not, as was the first temple, the chapel of a nation state. Just as prophets of the monarchic era addressed issues that grew out of the specific social and religious issues of that time, so too prophets of the second temple period addressed issues specific to that time, e.g., issues of status and power in the second temple Judean community. A new form of community with a new temple involved the prophets in new topics, e.g., eligibility to participate in temple worship, as well as old, e.g., veneration of false gods.
Baptism, Miracles, and Boundary Jumping in Mark
Authors: Mcvann Mark
Published: April 2009

Several scholars have suggested that Mark was written for baptizandi, that is, for people about to be inducted into the Christian community. This article assumes that such is the case, and, borrowing from symbolic anthropologist Victor Turner, discusses baptism as a ritual of status transformation. The structures of the gospel and the ritual of baptism are compared and found to be parallel. The article concludes with a discussion of the imagery in the sea-cycle (Mark 4:35-5:43) as being strongly baptismal in character.
Fundamentalism and Narrative Approaches To the Gospels
Authors: Curtin Frein Brigid
Published: April 2009

Although Protestant fundamentalists reject historical-critical methods of studying the Gospels, they are not as strong in their opposition to narrative approaches. Both fundamentalists and narrative critics prefer synchronic, inductive approaches to biblical texts. Both are concerned to give the general reader access to the Bible. They agree on the inadequacy of historical criticism. On the other hand, the assumptions underlying narrative criticism make it unacceptable to fundamentalists. The doctrine of inerrancy puts fundamentalism at odds with narrative criticism. Also, unlike fundamentalists, narrative criticism does not so much oppose historical criticism as it moves beyond it. While narrative critics believe that each text is open to multiple interpretations, fundamentalists insist that each text have only one meaning. It is clear, then, that narrative criticism is at odds with the basic tenets of Protestant fundamentalism.
The Epistle of James in Rhetorical and Social Scientific Perspective Holiness-Wholeness and Patterns of Replication
Authors: Elliott John H.
Published: April 2009

The Epistle of James, for too long the object of negative exegetical assessment, deserves a fresh appraisal. This study challenges the prevailing view that the document consists merely of seemingly disjointed hortatory topoi and lacks literary and thematic integrity. It is argued that a rhetorical and social-scientific analysis reveals a complex and coherent argument in which purity and pollution concerns figure prominently. Addressing issues of fragmentation and conflict on correlated personal, social, and cosmic levels of existence, James invokes traditional distinctions of purity and pollution to encourage a restoration of holiness and wholeness and a vigorous enforcement of social boundaries.
The Social Location of the Marcan Audience
Authors: Rohrbaugh Richard L.
Published: April 2009

There have been many attempts to characterize the Marcan audience in recent years, though most of these have concentrated on various ethnic, geographical, or religious aspects of the group's identity. By contrast, the interest here is in understanding the social location of those for whom Mark wrote. Assuming recent work which places Mark in rural Syria-Palestine, the article first addresses the crucial issues of social stratification and literacy in the rural areas. It then seeks to locate the characters in Mark's story on a social map using a model drawn from macro-sociological studies of agrarian societies. Finally, it suggests ways in which the readers/hearers would see in the drama being played out by the characters in Mark's story a mirror of their own lives. The conclusion is that Mark's story had a special plausibility for peasants, the degraded, the unclean, and expendables.
Jesus' Healings of Women: Conformity and Nonconformity To Dominant Cultural Values as Clues for Historical Reconstruction
Authors: Dewey Joanna
Published: April 2009

The six synoptic miracles involving females are studied with attention to gender, classification of miracle narratives, presence of conforming and counter-cultural behavior, issues of orality and textuality, and comparison to the early Christian miracle lists. Those women's stories with strong counter-cultural elements are also those that have strong oral story dynamics. The story of the woman with the hemorrhage and the story of the Syrophoenician woman and Jesus certainly derive from oral tradition, probably transmitted primarily by and among women, and may go back to Jesus. The far greater overlap of synoptic miracles involving males with the written miracle lists suggests that the male stories have been more influenced by textual transmission than the synoptic women's stories. The transmission history of the women's stories may be significantly different from that of the men's stories, maintaining a higher counter-cultural emphasis because of less interaction with textuality.
Btb Readers Guide: Millennialism
Authors: Duling Dennis C.
Published: April 2009

This Readers Guide describes a phenomenon that social scientists and social historians call "millennialism." The guide stresses the potential value of millennialism for the study of ancient Judaism and early Christianity.
Gender, Power, and Jesus' Identity in the Gospels
Authors: Jacobs-Malina Diane
Published: April 2009

In this presentation, the author offers some considerations of the meaning of Jesus in the light of the patriarchy of his time and place. The essay begins with a consideration of the domestic domain as the root of patriarchal culture. The domestic domain provides the first experiences of power and control, of male and female gender roles. Individual identity is initially formed within the family, which reflects the prevailing social system. The Gospels share the patriarchal perspective of the first-century Mediterranean world. It is in this world that the gospel tradition tells of Jesus' introducing a family based on belief, not on blood. In the light of Jesus' death and resurrection, and presuming the patriarchal understanding of what consatitutes power and control, the evangelists tell how Jesus introduced the kingdom of God. His life and teaching reflect the perspective and values which reflect the family where God is father and the Kingdom in which God rules. The outcome is a new identity that his followers are called to emulate in both their private and their public lives.
BTB Readers Guide: Kinship
Authors: Hanson K.C.
Published: April 2009

The social domain of kinship covers a broad range of institutions: genealogy and descent, marriage and divorce, and dowry-systems and inheritance. Because kinship in the ancient Mediterranean affected virtually every part of life and every other social domain, it is fundamental for readers of the Bible to have a solid grasp of how kinship functioned in these cultures. While one might assume that "family" is a straightforward concept determined by biology, it is in fact a social construction. Kinship studies provide analytical frameworks within which to interpret the biblical texts, which assume the reader's knowledge of kinship transactions. This "Readers Guide" introduces the literature most helpful in beginning kinship analysis of biblical texts.