bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mk 1,1-15 Als Prolog Des Ersten Idealbiographischen Evangeliums Von Jesus Christus
Authors: Dormeyer Detlev
Published: April 2008

Twentieth-century narrative methods and ancient rhetorical techniques are brought to bear upon the Markan prologue to show how it guides the reader in approaching the rest of the work. Comparison with contemporary literature shows that Mark 1:1-15 fits the standard form of an ancient prologue, especially that of the Hellenistic ideal biography. The main theme of the prologue is Jesus' coming to John, who was advocating conversion and a purificatory baptism. The installation of Jesus as Son of God follows in a surprising way. Jesus' "way" to John is superseded by his own "way" in his public activity. Like the motif of the "way," all the themes of the prologue are developed and expanded in the main part of the Gospel. The model of the Old Testament prophet (John) is trans-formed by Jesus in an original blending of this role with those of the suffering servant of God, the messianic Son of God, the wise interpreter of the Law, and the Hellenistic itinerant philosopher. The reader must construct his or her own concept of Jesus' role on the basis of this variety. The reader's profile of Jesus correlates with his or her own experience. A believing reader familiar with the scriptures will construct a full, critical reading and find identification with the disciples congenial. The naive reader with no commitment will find identification with the crowd more congenial. With its timeless narrative structure and its time-bound rhetorical structure, the Gospel provides an extensive range of possibilities for constructed readings. The decision of faith is to be made not at the beginning, but at the end of the process of reading.
Isaiah 40-55 in the 1990s: Among Other Things, Deconstructing, Mystifying, Intertextual, Socio-Critical, and Hearer-Involving1
Authors: Goldingay John
Published: April 2008

Isaiah 40-55 deconstructs in that (for instance) it both asserts that everything depends on God and that everything depends on the audience's response to God. It is mystifying in that it is often characterized by ambiguity rather than univocity. It is intertextual in that it takes up motifs from Isaiah 1-39, with which it then has a two-way relationship. It is socio-historical in doubtless serving the interests of its community, though that community cannot securely be identified. It is hearer-involving in that it demands and depends on its audience's response.
"UnrechtmÄßIge Fesseln Auftun, Jochstricke LÖSen" Jesaja 58,1-2, Ein Textbeispiel Zum Thema 'Bibel Und Okonomie'
Authors: Schottroff Willy
Published: April 2008

Der negative Kultbescheid, den Jes. 58,1-12 enthält, gilt nicht einem leer und äußerlich gewordenen Gottesdienst, den der Prophet ablehnte. Es geht dabei auch nicht um die Alternative von sittlichem Handeln und kultischem Tun, wobei das letztere abgewertet würde. Vielmehr handelt es sich, wie bei einer sozialgeschichtlichen Betrachtung des Textes auf dem Hintergrund der konkreten sozialen und wirtschaftlichen Verhältnisse der frühnachexilischen Zeit deutlich wird, in der er vermutlich entstanden ist, um eine Stellungnahme zur Frage der Gerechtigkeit der damaligen wirtschaftlichen Strukturen, die auch heute noch Beachtung verdient. Als Maßstab für die Gerechtigkeit eines Wirtschaftssystems und das Gedeihen aller erscheint dem Propheten das Überlebenkönnen der an den Rand gedrängten armen und wirtschaftlich schwächsten Glieder der betreffenden Gesellschaft.
What the Bible and Old Movies Have in Common
Authors: Rosenberg Joel
Published: April 2008

This essay explores some shared philosophical territory between the Hebrew Bible and great American film of the classical era (1930s and 1940s). It raises the question not of shared literary techniques, nor of cinematic allusions to the Bible or cinematic treatment of biblical tales, but rather of the position of a traditionist/ storyteller vis-à-vis the crisis points in his or her country's history. Focusing on two films of Frank Capra, on the Book of Job, and on Genesis 47 (Jacob's meeting with Pharaoh, and its aftermath), the essay examines the way themes of crucial cultural importance register in the perceptions of a story's reader or spectator, and the way that both biblical and cinematic story grapple simultaneously with the loss of personal and national innocence. These processes are then situated in the context of twentieth-century world history, where certain connections between Bible, cinema, and the destruction of European Jewry are drawn.
Blickwechsel: Batseba Und David in Romanen Des 20. Jahrhunderts
Authors: MÜLLNER Ilse
Published: April 2008

Auslegungen der biblischen Erzählung von David und Batseba (2 Sam 11) sagen viel über die Haltung aus, die die Auslegenden den Bereichen von Liebe und Sexualität entgegenbringen. Der biblische Text läßt jene weißen Flecken, die den LeserInnen ermöglichen, ihre eigenen Vorstellungen einzutragen. Drei europäische Romane aus den letzten Jahrzehnten, Stefan Heyms Der König David Bericht, Torgny Lingrens Bathseba und Grete Weils Der Brautpreis nehmen den biblischen Erzählstoff der Samuelbücher auf und gestalten ihn über unterschiedliche Perspektiven und Identifikationen um. Die Differenz zwischen Westund Osteuropa kommt in der unterschiedlichen Gewichtung des romantischen Aspekts gegenüber der politischen Seite in der Beziehung zwischen David und Batseba zum Tragen. Die in der Exegese vieldiskutierte Frage nach dem Verhältnis von Familiengeschichte und Staatspolitik spielt auch in den Romanen eine große Rolle. Ebenso läßt sich das in der Auslegungsgeschichte zu beobachtende Interesse an einer Verknüpfung zwischen Frau und Tod in den Romanen der beiden Autoren und der einen Autorin wiederfinden.
Mit Wem Ringt Jakob In Der Nacht? Oder: Der Versuch, mit Rembrandt eine Leerstelle auszuleuchten
Authors: Taschner Johannes
Published: April 2008

Die vorliegende Analyse sietzt sich mit der ambivalenten Identität des "Mannes" auseinander, der mit Jakob ringt (Gen 32,25). Rembrandts Gemälde "Jakob ringt mit dem Engel" füllt die Leerstelle der biblischen Geschichte nicht auf, sondern spiegelt sie in anderer Form wider. Das Gemälde überschreitet die traditionelle, in der westlichen Welt beheimatete Entgegensetzung von Religion und Sexualität, indem es das Wesen, das mit Jakob ringt, als eine Figur darstellt, die sowohl als erotisch anziehende Frau als auch als göttliches Engelwesen gesehen werden kann. Damit bringt das Gemälde gleichzeitig die Körperlichkeit als wesentliches Merkmal des biblischen Textes auf ganz eigene Weise zur Geltung.
Lovis Corinth's Blinded Samson
Authors: Exum J. Cheryl
Published: April 2008

In this article, I discuss how Lovis Corinth's painting of The Blinded Samson-a highly autobiographical work-led me to see a tragic aspect of the biblical character that I was previously unable to entertain seriously. The discussion is intended to provide an example of the fruitfulness of allowing for a mutual influence between the Bible and the arts. The Bible has inspired artists for centuries and will probably continue to do so; it is also the case that artistic interpretations can influence biblical interpretation in unexpected ways.
Reconceiving the Paradigms of Old Testament Theology in the Post-Shoah Period1
Authors: Sweeney Marvin A.
Published: April 2008

This paper examines the changed situation in the field of Christian Old Testament theology in the aftermath of the Shoah or Holocaust. It begins by pointing to the paradigm shift now taking place in the field as it moves from Enlightenment epistemological paradigms of historical objectivity and universality to postmodern paradigms that emphasize the subjectivity of the interpreter and the validity of particularistic truth claims in a pluralistic world. It points to the dominance of Protestant theology and theologians in the field during the Enlightenment and the impact that Protestant Christianity had in presenting its own subjective theological views of the Old Testament as objective and universal, often with anti-Jewish overtones. With the emergence of Jews and other previously marginalized groups in the field of biblical studies since the end of World War II, the time has come to recognize that Jews are legitimate theological interpreters of the Bible and that the specific concerns of Judaism and the Jewish people are valid topics for theological reflection in the field of Christian Old Testament theology. This new situation has tremendous implications for the theological interpretation of biblical writings in that issues and writings that were previously overlooked, ignored, or rejected must come to the forefront. Two examples, the book of Amos and the book of Esther, demonstrate the potential for such change. Recognition of Amos' particular national identity as a Judean points to his partisan nature as an advocate of a vassal state of Judah that is subject to the control of the northern kingdom of Israel. The absence of G-d in the book of Esther points to the human responsibility to take action when confronted with evil. Altogether, this points to the possibility of more comprehensive theological reading of the Hebrew Bible.
Looking On the Bright Side of Israel's History
Authors: Noll K.L.
Published: April 2008

The Preface of John Bright's popular textbook, A History of Israel, states that Bright targeted the "undergraduate theological student." Although presented as an academic history textbook, the content of the book amounts to a theology of the Protestant Old Testament, written in accord with a popular Protestant movement of the mid-twentieth century. This study examines Bright's motives for composing his History as discerned from unpublished letters of the period, and as discerned from a rhetorical evaluation of the textbook. Apparently, Bright did not consider himself a historian; rather, he thought himself to be a theologian who theologizes about history. Critical evaluation of Bright's effort concludes that Bright misconstrued the role of the historian precisely because he viewed that role through the eyes of a theologian. Nevertheless, he models an approach to the presentation of history that is valuable for future writers of textbooks targeted at theology students.
"Wir Sind Die Jungen Raben!" Zur Auslegungsgeschichte Von Ps. 147:9b
Authors: Risse Siegfried
Published: April 2008

Dargestellt wird die Auslegungsgeschichte zu Ps. 147:9b: "Den jungen Raben, die schreien." Zur Zeit der Kirchenväter konnte man mit Hilfe der Allegorese sich selbst in den Rabenjungen erkennen. Die Erklärung nach dem Wortsinn war zu dieser Zeit beherrscht von der "Rabenelternfabel". Im Mittelalter wurde diesen Deutungen wenig Neues hinzugefügt. In der Zeit des Humanismus und der Reformation wurde die allegorische Deutung des Halbverses von protestantischen Exegeten nahezu völlig aufgegeben, aber auch bei katholischen Erklärern zurückgedrängt. Die Ablehnung der Allegorese bedeutete für die praktische Bibelauslegung eine Verarmung. Diese wurde z.T. dadurch wettgemacht, daß man den Halbvers auf kirchliche und gesellschaftliche Probleme bezog. Wenige Exegeten kamen zu einer "natürlichen" und dem Text angemessenen Erklärung. Seit der Aufklärung finden die Rabenjungen weniger Beachtung, meist wird nur betont, daß es gering geachtete Geschöpfe sind. Am Schluß der Arbeit wird versucht, auf Grund der Auslegungsgeschichte und neuer Beobachtungen den Halbvers aus heutiger Sicht zu erklären. Es lassen sich zwei Sinnebenen ausmachen. Auf der ersten Sinnebene geht es um die Sorge Gottes für die geringsten Geschöpfe. Auf der zweiten Sinnebene geht es-wie bei der allegorischen Deutung der Kirchenväter-um die Beter und Beterinnen.
Muftis and Matrimony: Islamic Law and Gender in Ottoman Syria and Palestine
Authors: Tucker Judith E.
Published: April 2008

This essay explores the ways in which Muslim jurists of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Syria and Palestine elaborated their vision of a gendered society. In the many fatāwā dealing with marriage arrangements and the rights and responsibilities of husbands and wives, muftis constructed a legal discourse that focused on gender difference yet proved flexible and responsive to changing social conditions. This discourse on marriage formed a backdrop against which the judges of the Islamic courts, and members of the general population, further developed the legal doctrines of marriage through their use of the court system. As wives and husbands brought complaints or made claims against each other, and the qādī delivered his judgment, they contributed to the ongoing elaboration of a legal discourse that took account of social reality.
The Hollow Month At Athens
Authors: Meritt Benjamin D.
Published: April 2008

(1) Metageitnion in 407/6 was made a hollow month while still retaining δευτερα φνoντo by the omission of a day after δεℵάτη υστερα, undoubtedly ενάτη φνoντo (pp. 230-2). (2) Skirophorion in 407/6 was made a hollow month while still retaining by the omission of a day between and It can be affirmed with great probability that the omitted day was actually (pp. 232-3). (3) Mounichion in 407/6 was planned as a hollow month while still retaining and omitting a day earlier than This was almost certainly (pp. 234-5). (4) Pollux, VIII 117, unequivocally retains in a hollow month (pp. 220-1). (5) A double tradition in Pollux (Ms. B) gives the calendar count for a hollow month without omitting (p. 220). (6) The Roman calendar, which did not omit pridie Kalendas, in its shorter months was modeled on the Athenian calendar which did not omit in a hollow month (p. 224). (7) The scholion of Proklos on Hesiod, Works and Days, line 814, shows that the count of days which caused confusion at the end of the month by omitting the next to the last day is not Athenian. It contradicts the scholion on line 765 (as transmitted) which is corrupt in saying that in the Boiotian calendar the next to the last day was omitted by the Athenians. The evidence of Moschopoulos (ca. A.D. 1300) who depends on this passage is also discredited (pp. 224-6). (8) The scholia vetera on the Clouds of Aristophanes give the count of days in a hollow month without omitting The omitted day was where the backward count began (pp. 221-3). (9) Solon is said to have introduced backward count in the last decade of an Athenian month. If is omitted in a hollow month the true value of every day with backward count is falsified (pp. 219-20). (10) It is questionable that 'hollow' (ℵoλo) can properly describe a month that has only the next to the last day omitted, the 28th out of 30 (p. 223). (11) Comparison of two calendar equations in I.G. II2, 338 and 339 of 333/2 B.C. shows that Metageitnion was a hollow month, but that the omitted day came earlier than was not omitted (pp. 229-30). (12) The calendar of 303/2 gives to Skirophorion an unnecessarily complex final two days unless is retained as the 28th day (pp. 227-9). (13) Aristophanes would not have used to alleviate the worries of Strepsiades in the Clouds if a hollow month had been available with this day missing to make his fears more pressing (p. 240). (14) The εℵάδε were the 20th and 21st days of every month. No other days were so named (pp. 235-9). The literary and the epigraphical evidence, especially the new evidence from the Choiseul Marble, combine to make an unassailable case that was not the omitted day in a hollow month in Athens. In evaluating the literary evidence the testimony of the scholia vetera and the explicit statement of Pollux of the second century outweigh the one scholion of Proklos of the fifth century which has to be emended even by those who rely upon it. Evidence from other sources outside Athens (except for Rome) has no bearing on the Athenian calendar and is not here discussed 70).
The Chronology of Anaxagoras' Athenian Period and the Date of His Trial
Authors: Mansfeld J.
Published: April 2008

Several influential literary sources connect the attack upon Anaxagoras with attacks upon Phidias, Aspasia and Pericles [relative chronology] and associate these attacks as a whole with the origins of the Peloponnesian war [absolute chronology]. Since the attack upon Phidias pace Philochorus as supported by the evidence of the digging at Olympia has to be dated to 438/7, this absolute chronology cannot be right. The relative chronology, however, can be defended, which entails that the attack upon Anaxagoras by Diopeithes should be dated to 438/7.-First, I shall discuss such data about Anaxagoras' trial as are provided by the biographical tradition, especially Diogenes Laertius, who summarizes a good part of it. Next, I shall discuss the evidence concerned with the attacks upon Pericles and his associates as provided by the historiographical tradition, viz. Diodorus Siculus and Plutarch, both deriving from Ephorus. Philochorus' evidence as to the chronology of Phidias' career will be discussed in connection with the problem of the absolute vs. the relative chronology as a whole. An argument directed against the modern hypothesis that Phidias' statue of Athena was dedicated during the Great Panathenaea of 438/7 follows. In the course of this argument, it will be necessary to have a closer look at the technical, administrative and religious aspects of the installation of such a statue. The Dracontides/Hagnon decree, aimed at Pericles, can be proved to have been associated with the attacks upon Phidias. This, again, combined with considerations derived from the legal responsibilities of the commissioners in charge of the statue, permits us to date the decree to 438/7. The relative chronology of Ephorus and Plutarch will be defended by an argument purporting to show that the attacks upon Pericles and his associates are inextricably bound up with one another, which allows us to date the Diopeithes decree, too, to 438/7. Next, I shall argue that the trial of Anaxagoras is a historical fact, and that it should probably be dated to 437/6. Finally, the tradition about Anaxagoras' sojourn at Lampsacus will be studied, and a chronology of his career as a whole will be proposed.
The Study of Yoruba Religious Tradition in Historical Perspective
Authors: Olupona Jacob K.
Published: April 2008

This essay presents an overview of past and recent scholarship in Yoruba religion. The earliest studies of Yoruba religious traditions were carried out by missionaries, travellers and explorers who were concerned with writing about the so called "pagan" practices and "animist" beliefs of the African peoples. In the first quarter of the 20th century professional ethnologists committed to documenting the Yoruba religion and culture were, among other things, concerned with theories about cosmology, belief-systems, and organizations of Orisà cults. Indigenous authors, especially the Reverend gentlemen of the Church Missionary Society, responded to these early works by proposing the Egyptian origin of Yoruba religion and by conducting research into Ifá divination system as a preparatio evangelica. The paper also examines the contributions of scholars in the arts and the social sciences to the interpretation and analysis of Yoruba religion, especially those areas neglected in previous scholarship. This essay further explores the study of Yoruba religion in the Americas, as a way of providing useful comparison with the Nigerian situation. It demonstrates the strong influence of Yoruba religion and culture on world religions among African diaspora. In the past ten years, significant works on the phenomenology and history of religions have been produced by indigenous scholars trained in philosophy and Religionswissenschaft in Europe and America and more recently in Nigeria. Lastly, the essay examines some neglected aspects of Yoruba religious studies and suggests that future research should focus on developing new theories and uncovering existing ones in indigenous Yoruba discourses.
Game Killing and Killing Games: An Anthropologist Looking at Hunting in a Modern Society
Authors: Dahles Heidi
Published: April 2008

In modern urbanized and densely populated societies - such as the contemporary Netherlands, which forms the geographical setting of the present analysis - hunting has lost its meaning as a mode of subsistence to become a symbolic strategy. Hunting is a cultural enclave in which the boundaries between humans and animals are blurred and the relations of dominance and submission symbolically reversed. Hunting challenges the legitimacy of apparently "given" power relations between humans and animals. Hunters construct, reproduce and legitimize hunting by crossing the boundaries between humans and animals. Hunting "for pleasure" is regarded as truly pleasurable only if it allows a reversal of the asymmetrical power relations between humans and animals, attributing almost human characteristerics to the game-species. In theircognitive schemes hunters measure their power and abilities with strong, cunning and preferably male opponents. Game-species share an ambivalent status between the human and the animal realms, the tame and the wild, and between their instrumental and expressive signifccance. Hunting "for pleasure" is justified by this very ambivalence.
Us and Them : Scientists' and Animal Rights Campaigners' Views of the Animal Experimentation Debate
Authors: Paul Elizabeth S.
Published: April 2008

Animal rights campaigners and scientists working with animals completed anonymous questionnaires in which they were asked to report, not only on their own beliefs and ideas about the animal experimentation debate, but also on those they perceived the opposing group to hold. Both groups of participants tended to have a negative and somewhat extreme view of the other. But they did have an accurate grasp of the arguments and defenses commonly offered on both sides of the debate, and showed some agreement concerning the relative capacity of different animals to suffer. Differences appeared in the level of the phylogenetic hierarchy at which participants thought animals might be capable of suffering, and in their decision-making processes regarding the admissibility of animal experiments.
Changing Attitudes toward California's Cougars
Authors: Lassiter Unna , Wolch Jennifer R. , Gullo Andrea
Published: April 2008

The management of California's cougar population has been an ongoing focus of public debate. Over the course of this century, this predator's legal status has changed several times, and in 1990 voters approved the California Wilderness Protection Act, which outlawed the sport hunting of cougars. Since that time, rising rates of human-cougar interactions have generated extensive media coverage of human-cougar conflicts and management policies, scientific controversies about the ecology of the cougar population, and political action to reinstate sport hunting. This paper considers one major institution which both shapes and reflects attitudes toward wildlife and related management issues: the print media. Through a content analysis of cougar-related coverage appearing in the Los Angeles Times, we document how attitudes toward cougars shifted between 1985 and 1995 as reflected in the tenor of coverage, specific attitudes expressed, and the terminology used to describe cougars. We conclude that such analysis of public discourse around wildlife management issues is a useful method of tracking broad shifts both in public attitudes toward wildlife and in the positions on wildlife issues of major institutions which influence those attitudes.
Dogs and Human Beings: A Story of Friendship
Authors: Menache Sophia
Published: April 2008

The wide consensus in research with regard to the modernity of keeping companion animals lies behind the prevailing conclusions about attitudes toward the canine species in pre-modern societies. These were reviewed mainly from a utilitarian perspective. Characterized, in part, by the protective shelter of the extended household and, as such, free of the tensions affecting the nuclear family in industrial cities, pre-modern societies supposedly lacked in the emotional stress and indigence that condition or encourage dog keeping. A careful examination of the sources, both narrative and pictorial, however, suggests more ambivalent attitudes thus challenging widespread research premises and justifying further analysis. This study, covering rural and urban societies in the ancient and medieval periods, examines references to dogs as companion animals in traditional societies.
Dogmen: The Rationalization of Deviance
Authors: Evans Rhonda D. , Forsyth Craig J.
Published: April 2008

Dogmen are individuals who fight their pit bulls in matches against other pit bulls. This paper uses neutralization theory to examine the rationalizations of dogmen as they attempt to counter stigma and criminal identity in a world that is becoming increasingly intolerant of dogfighting. To maintain their rationalizations, the dogmen use four recurring techniques : (a) denial of injury;(b) condemnation of the condemners; (c) appeal to higher loyalties; and (d) a defense that says dogmen are good people (their deviance-dogfighting expunged by their good character). The authors conducted interviews with 31 individuals who fight and breed pit bulls and with significant others in the dogfighting enterprise, including Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) officials, veterinarians, and local law enforcement officers. The research also examined newspaper accounts of dogfighting. This article provides some insights into the social construction of reality of individuals who engage in an activity that most of us find reprehensible. As with any criminal/deviant behavior, understanding and subsequent solving of the problem begin with knowledge of the offender's perspective.
The Original Meaning of "Is Saul Also Among the Prophets?" (1 Samuel X 11, 12; Xix 24)
Authors: Sturdy John
Published: April 2008

The stories accounting for "Is Saul also among the prophets?" are subsequent to it, and legendary. It must make sense on its own. It is then most probable that it is a question expecting the answer no, meaning "Saul's no prophet", and it is a reasonable conjecture that it represents Davidic propaganda against Saul.
Reflections on Earth's Insights from an East Asianist
Authors: Tucker Mary Evelyn
Published: April 2008

Callicott's Earth's Insights is a remarkable survey of resources from the world's religions for formulating a global ethics. He mentions, in particular, the rich symbolic and conceptual resources available from East Asia. This paper supports such an assertion and develops more fully the teachings of Japanese Shingon Buddhism which helped to foster a deep identity with the natural world by means of ritual. Moreover, the paper suggests that the literary and artistic resources of Japanese culture are also important sources for further exploration.
In Defence of Earth's Insights
Authors: Baird Callicott J.
Published: April 2008

The foregoing criticisms of Earth's Insights notwithstanding: there is an environmental crisis; reconstructed postmodem science provides a privileged discourse, more particularly, an evolutionary-ecological master narrative; in which a globally credible environmental ethic may be grounded; and by comparison with which, in turn, the several local environmental ethics grounded in traditional and indigenous worldviews may be validated.
The Construction of India in Some Recent Environmental Philosophy
Authors: James George Alfred
Published: April 2008

I argue that from its beginning environmental philosophy has held two contrasting views of Eastern thought and of Indian philosophical and religious ideas in particular. Utilising the insights of Edward Said and others I find that these contrasting images are reflective of a duality according to which India has been constituted in Western discourse. I argue that these Western images of India remain a significant feature of writing concerning environmental ethics to the present time. As it appears in some recent scholarship in environmental ethics, this discourse remains an obstacle to an informed appreciation of the significance of Indian thought and of Asian thought more generally for environmental philosophy.
Salmon in the Net of Indra: a Buddhist View of Nature and Communities
Authors: Allendorf Fred W. , Byers Bruce A.
Published: April 2008

The rapid decline of salmon over the last hundred years in the western United States has occurred to a large extent because of the way people have viewed salmon. In this paper, we briefly examine several views of salmon and offer another view, one based on enduring themes of Buddhist thought and practice. We examine the understanding of the interdependence and unity of all things as the common foundation of both Buddhism and ecology. Finally, we provide guidelines for applying this understanding to the conservation of salmon, as well the relationship of humans to 'nature' in general.
Sacred and/or Secular Approaches to Biodiversity Conservation in Thailand
Authors: Juntadach Somporn , Sponsel Leslie E. , Natadecha-Sponsel Poranee , Ruttanadakul Nukul
Published: April 2008

Western approaches to biodiversity are starting to recognise the relevance of local environmental knowledge and community forests, but mostly ignore the conservation potential of sacred places because of their culture bound modernism and scientism. We argue that sacred places are in effect an ancient and widespread system of community based and religiously sanctioned protected areas that promote biodiversity conservation. We also compare the advantages and disadvantages of government and community based protected areas, and consider them to be complementary.
Home and Homelessness: Heidegger and Levinas on Dwelling
Authors: Tijmes Pieter
Published: April 2008

This paper discusses some cultural implications of technology for the place where we live. Two opposed thinkers, Martin Heidegger and Emmanuel Levinas, give an account of the cultural impact of technology and articulate the meaning of the place we live in. The paper proposes a systematic point of view that might take their contradictory positions into account. Helmuth Plessner can serve as a mediator with his theory of eccentricity. First, I turn to Ernst Juenger who frames the fundamental issue of modem technology ushering in a revolutionary period of history. Juenger's work is important to consider since his influence on Heidegger is large and not well known.
Bioregionalism as an Arctic Wilderness Idea
Authors: Gladden James N.
Published: April 2008

A recurrent question in the modem world is the place of people in nature, and bioregionalism offers some ideas in the debate over the kinds of technology that belong in Arctic wilderness areas, with a focus on northern Alaska. Some interests argue that people should only visit these areas, on foot or by paddle, to achieve a wilderness experience. Rural residents, most of whom are Alaska Natives, hold that access to these lands by motorised vehicles is essential to maintain hunting and gathering traditions. The debate over managing wilderness areas in northern Alaska originates in conflicting views of the meaning of wilderness. A bioregional vision offers some common ground in the idea of wilderness as a place of respect for non-human life forms, but political conflicts will not be easily resolved.
Ecology, Economy, Worldview
Authors: Simmons I.G.
Published: April 2008

Elaborations of the Marxian dicta about the connections between economic modes and worldviews with an environmental component have been made largely in a social frame. Here, some attempt is made to tease out such linkages over a 10,000-year period and to see if they necessarily comprise the same parameters in each major period of economic history. It is concluded that here as in so many ways the late 19th century sees the beginning of a different kind of era, and that one of its characteristics is a technological determinism that had never existed before in such strength.
Mάρτυς and Martyrdom in the Apocalypse
Authors: Trites Allison A.
Published: April 2008

The results of this inquiry can now be summarized. The words and have not arrived at the fourth and fifth stages of semantic change, and do not imply martyrdom as part of their dictionary meaning. About it is more difficult to speak categorically; death seems to be implied as part of the witness in i 5, iii 14 and xvii 6, and this would indicate the third stage in the semantic development of the word. In xi 3 definitely retains its forensic meaning, and the same is probably true of ii 13, though martyrological elements are present in both contexts. In brief, is definitely moving towards the fourth and fifth stages of semantic development, but it is still questionable whether the martyrological understanding has become part of the dictionary definition of the word.
The Systematic Status of Chamaeleo kinetensis SCHMIDT, 1943, (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae) from the Imantong Mountains, Sudan, with Comments on Lung and Hemipenial Morphology within the C. bitaeniatus-group
Authors: Böhme Wolfgang , Klaver Charles J. J.
Published: April 2008

Two further specimens of Chamaeleo kinetensis SCHMIDT, 1943, formerly known only from the holotype, are described. C. bitaeniatus FISCHER, 1884 has been found at the same locality representing the first record for the Sudan and the first record of sympatry of both species. The full specific rank of these forms is also supported by lung and hemipenial morphology, and the same applies to C. ellioti GÜNTHER, C. hoehnelii STEINDACHNER and C. schubotzi STERNFELD. C. schoutedeni LAURENT is also ranked as a full species, because of its aberrant lung structure and its occurence in Ruanda (first record), which implies a sympatry with C. rudis BOULENGER.
Seasonal variations of the oxygen consumption and the blood glucose concentration under low temperature conditions in the male tortoise, Testudo hermanni hermanni GMELIN
Authors: Kuchling Gerald
Published: April 2008

Tortoises (Testudo hermanni hermanni) which are cooled down to 5 °C show a considerable higher oxygen consumption during the first week at this temperature in June and August than in November, which is the time when hibernation normally starts. Prolonging the low temperature conditions in spring leads to an increase in oxygen consumption. The blood glucose concentration is reduced during normal hibernation, but can rise quickly when the animals are disturbed. During cold torpor induced in June and August the blood glucose concentration is drastically increased. The results support the hypothesis according which hibernation in the tortoise is the result of a metabolic preparation in autumn and cannot be induced artificially during spring and summer. Endogenous factors are involved in the termination of the physiological phenomena of hibernation in spring.
Natural Selection in the Lizard Eumeces obsoletus (Lacertilia: Scincidae)
Authors: Simbotwe Malumo P.
Published: April 2008

Two types of stabilizing selection are demonstrated in Eumeces obsoletus: 1. An elimination of extreme phenotypes during postnatal development (normalizing or centripetal selection) 2. A shift toward smaller, hence more numerous scales occur during the same phase, implying that the genotype, the group of alleles controlling larger relative scale size are selected for during other phases of the life cycle (endocyclic selection). An analysis of asymmetry of four characters (supraoculars, superciliaries, upper labials and lower labials) revealed that, except for upper labials in males, there is no departure from a central tendency.
Introduced Reptiles and Amphibians in Britain, with Particular Reference to Green Lizards (Lacerta viridis LAURENTI) and Edible Frogs (Rana esculenta L.) in North Kent
Authors: Walters G.J.
Published: April 2008

Two introductions carried out during the 1960's in southeast England are described; one of green lizards and one of edible frogs. The subsequent fate of each introduction is given, and some factors affecting reproductive potential of these and other species at their northern limits of distribution are discussed.
Zur innerartlichen Gliederung und zur Artgeschichte von Chamaeleo quadricornis TORNIER, 1899 (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae)
Authors: Böhme Wolfgang , Klaver Charles J. J.
Published: April 2008

In this paper all material of Chamaeleo quadricornis, present in museum collections, has been studied. Using morphological and geographical characteristics two subspecies are recognized, one of which is new: Chamaeleo quadricornis gracilior ssp. n. The history of the species has been reconstructed, using schemes of the orographic profile of West Cameroon, which furnishes a historical interpretation for the new subspecies. The closely related species C. eisentrauti and C. montium have also been discussed in this context. The assumed phylogenetic affinities are represented in a phylogram. This leads us to the following hypotheses: - in the Tchabal Mbabo mountains, which have hardly been explored faunistically, there probably lives a chameleon, that resembles C. quadricornis. - the differentiation in characteristics between C. montium and the sympatric C. eisentrauti and C. q. quadricornis (both being mutually allopatric) on the one hand and the allopatric C. q. gracilior ssp. n. on the other hand can be explained by "character displacement".
Investigations on Carotenoids in Amphibia. III. Presence of Neothxanthin in Bufo viridis LAURENTI (Anura: Bufonidae)
Authors: Czeczuga B.
Published: April 2008

The author investigated carotenoids in Bufo viridis. The presence of neothxanthin and the following carotenoids were noted: β-carotene, β-carotene epoxide, β-cryptoxanthin,lutein,lutein epoxide, isozeaxanthin, zeaxanthin, astaxanthin, astaxanthin ester, mutatochrome and mutatoxanthin. The total content of carotenoid was 10.944-15.814 μg/g fresh weight.
Primeros datos sobre la población de lagarto negro (Gallotia simonyi simonyi STEIND.) de la Isla de Hierro1
Authors: Martinez Rica Juan Pablo
Published: April 2008

This paper presents the first data on the ecology of the Giant Hierro Lizard (Gallotia simonyi simonyi) from Canary Islands; this animal was believed to be extinct until its recent finding, in 1975. The biotope, a very steep rocky cliff, almost inaccessible in many places, is described; the climate of the area is subdesertic and the plant cover, very sparse, is xerophytic; the vertebrate fauna is poor, but insects are abundant and diverse. The colour of this lizard is almost black, with large dull grey patches at the sides in the adults, while in the youngs the colour is earthly brown with whitish dorsal stripes. The largest specimen we measured was near 70 cm from snout to tail's end. Daily activity begins in young specimens when the sun reaches the area, while in the adult ones activity begins somewhat later, even at noon for the oldest animals. The diet consists entirely of plants, and includes lignified stems and other non-nourishing parts from several species (Kleinia neriifolia, Lavandula abrotanoides, etc.). Obviously there exists a strong intraspecific competition for food. The number of animals was very low in September 1975, about 200 specimens, half of them or more being young. This number might have been increased by now through protective measures recently adopted. Nevertheless, the status of the population is still critical and the danger of its extinction is strong. Some recent plans to modify the area, building industrial facilities nearby, may have, of course, very bad effects on this lizard.
On the Determination of Sex in Juvenile Lacerta vivipara (Sauria, Lacertidae)
Authors: Bauwens Dirk , Thoen Chris
Published: April 2008

The number of transverse rows ofventral scales differs between male and female Lacerta vivipara JACQUIN. The number of scale rows is fixed in individual lizards. We demonstrate the usefulness of this dimorphic character to distinguish between the sexes in juvenile Lacerta vivipara in field studies.
Variabilité sexuelle de Triturus boscai (LATASTE, 1879) dans le Parc National de Peneda-Gerês (Portugal)
Authors: Caetano Maria Helena
Published: April 2008

In this paper we have studies Triturus boscai from the "Parque Nacional de Peneda-Gerês". The qualitative and quantitative analysis of some morphological characteristics show the existence of significant differences between males and females. The present study have been based on the biometrical analysis of 337 specimens collected in several seasons.
Détermination Squelettochronologique de l'Ăge dans une Population de Cophosaurus texanus (Sauria, Iguanidae)
Authors: Nouira S. , Maury M.E. , Castanet J. , Barbault R.
Published: April 2008

The age of 103 specimens from a wild population of Cophosaurus texanus (Sauria, Iguanidae) from Mexico is determined by counting skeletal growth rings in the diaphysis of the humerus and phalanges. The skeletochronological analysis of 8 lizards ofknown age supports the practical value of the method. However, inacuracies do occur in practice for age assessement of a few specimens. I n the sample studied, we observed three main age groups (and possibly a fourth one based on a single specimen four years old). The one year age class is the most numerous, accounting for 75 % of the sample studied. Females lay eggs twice each summer with an interval of sixty days between each spawning. The use ofthe skeletochronological method also allows to sort out the individuals belonging to the first or to the second clutch, at every stage of their subsequent lives.
Homing behaviour of Lacerta agilis and Lacerta vivipara (Sauria, Lacertidae)
Authors: Strijbosch H. , van Rooy P.Th.J.C. , Voesenek L.A.C.J.
Published: April 2008

Displacements over distances of 70-150 m were carried out with 48 L. agilis and 34 L. vivipara in order to determine their ability to return to their original home range. Return rates for 70 m displacements averaged 81.5 % for L. agilis and 50 % for L. vivipara; for 100 m displacements these figures were 66.7 % and 28.6 % respectively; 150 m displacements never resulted in homing. Most returns occurred within a few days. Probably both species are familiar with a far greater area than is suggested by their home range size.
Snout temperatures of reptiles, with special reference to the changes during feeding behaviour in Python molurus bivittatus (Serpentes, Boidae): a study using infrared radiation
Authors: in den Bosch H.A.J.
Published: April 2008

The AGA Thermovision 750® infrared measuring system is used to measure temperatures and to present thermal images of reptiles. Because the system records only the infrared that emanates from the subject itself, the process may be carried out in complete darkness. Evaporation from the wet nasal mucosal surface and the velocity and amount of air over this tissue, results in the reptiles tested having a distinctly cooler snout as compared to the other parts of the head and body. Body temperature is found to be above ambient temperature. Constriction and swallowing changes the heat distribution in Python molurus bivittatus. There is a differential increase in temperature and the cooler snout disappears. Afterwards a differential cooling of the head and body occurs and a colder spot in the anterior temporal region is noted. These phenomena are discussed; the cooler spot is attributed to the action of the anterior temporal gland. No qualitative differences in behavioural elements in feeding behaviour in dark vs light are observed. In the general feeding pattern the action ofappression is interpreted as hearing, and snout pushing after swallowing, as a putting back in place ofjaw and skull elements. The hypothesis that temperature differences over the dead prey (mouse) are of importance in head searching is investigated. A clear heat gradient persisting long enough to be of use to heat-sensitive snakes is found.
Thermoregulatory Behavior of the North American Lizards Cnemidophorus velox and Sceloporus undulatus
Authors: Bowker Richard G. , Damschroder Spencer , Sweet Ann M. , Anderson Deborah K.
Published: April 2008

The patterns of thermoregulation of Cnemidophorus velox and Sceloporus undulatus were compared and related to their foraging modes. In nature, C. velox are widely foraging lizards and most individuals actively shuttled in the temperature enclosures to regulate Tb. Sceloporus undulatus are wait-and-ambush predators and were relatively inactive in the enclosures. The terms active and inactive thermoregulation were used to describe these categories of behavior. There were no intraspecific differences between active/ inactive individuals, either in choice of Tb or precision of regulation of Tb. Cnemidofihorus velox (Tb = 37.2 C) was more thermophilic than S. ursdulatus (Tb = 35.9 C), however, the other thermoregulatory attributes of the species were similar. Both species regulated Tb with equal precision and the between individual variability in Tb was essentially the same for the two species. The wave characteristics of the thermoregulation curves were similar in amplitude (a measure of precision), however, there were interspecific differences in period of the curve. Cnemidophorus velox shuttled more frequently in order to achieve the same precision as S. undulatus. Thermoregulation in two different temperature enclosures was compared, one a sun/shade enclosure, and the other an IR thermal gradient. Both species thermoregulated similarly in the two enclosures. Thus both species used the complex thermal environments with equal facility and no gradient specific characteristics were observed.
Relations between Meteorological Variables and the Initiation of the Spawning Period in Populations of Rana temporaria L. in the Atlantic Region of the Basque Country (Northern Spain)
Authors: Bea A. , Rodriguez-Teijeiro J.D. , Jover LL.
Published: April 2008

The relations between environmental variables (minimum temperature, daily thermal oscillation, rainfall and atmospheric pressure) and the onset of the spawning period of the common frog (Rana temporaria) in the Atlantic region of the Basque Country (Northern Spain) is analyzed. The onset of the spawning period is coincident with a change in temperature occurring four days prior to spawning. Atmospheric pressure looks not as a related factor, whereas the influence of rain seems to become apparent over a longer period of time.
On the taxonomic status of Dipsadoboa werneri (Boulenger), D. shrevei (Loveridge), and Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia kageleri Uthmöller (Boiginae, Serpentes)
Authors: Rasmussen Jens Bodtker
Published: April 2008

On the basis of lepidosis, dentition, and internal morphology, the specific status of the African endemic Dipsadoboa werneri (Boulenger, 1897) and Dipsadoboa shrevei (Loveridge, 1932) is established. Sternfeld's (1910) implicit synonymization of Dipsadomorphus reticulatus Werner, 1909, with Leptodira werneri Boulenger, 1897, is considered valid. Dipsadoboa shrevei kageleri (Uthmöller, 1939) n. comb. (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia kageleri) is considered a valid taxon, but belonging to the genus Dipsadoboa in the sense of Laurent (1951) and Rasmussen (1979). On the basis of the emarginated optic fenestra and the relatively short anterior portion of the skull, the three taxa are considered a monophyletic subgroup within Dipsadoboa.
The tail of the lizard Agama stellio stellio: Energetics, significance and comments on its regeneration
Authors: Loumbourdis N.S.
Published: April 2008

The percentage of Agama s. stellio with broken tails is low compared to other lizards, and is higher in males than in females. The tail has a low energy content. Agama s. stellio has a tail retention adaptation as do other lizards which use the tail for climbing. The tail regenerates little or not at all, possibly because breaks occur intervertebrally, intravertebral fracture planes not being present.
Some autecological data on the Urodeles of Sardinia
Authors: Voesenek L.A.C.J. , Strijbosch H. , van Rooy P.T.J.C.
Published: April 2008

In the spring of 1984 an ecological investigation on the endemic salamanders Hydromantes genei flavus and Euproctus platycefihalus was carried out in eastern Sardinia. The investigation was focussed on natural population sizes and densities. The Sardinian cave salamander was found to occur in two clearly distinct habitats, viz. humid holm oak forests and limestone caves. The density found in the forests was 300/ha and 98 ± 7 individuals were found in one cave. The Sardinian brook salamander was found in a habitat not reported before, viz. a stagnant mountain lake. There the animals were rather robust, and a neotenic specimen was captured.