bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Servant's Reward
Authors: Wierzbicka Anna 
Published: October 2003

Abstract
Argues that the parable of the Servant's Reward, which may seem harsh and may offend modern Western sensibilities, is corrective, rather than expository: the image of a master and his “unprofitable servants” complements that of a father and his beloved children. While highlighting the value of human effort in God's eyes, the parable warns against thinking that one can earn one's reward from God, that is, against a way of thinking that can be represented as follows:
I have done some good things
God has to do some good things for me because of this
Bypassing complex and culture‐specific concepts like “reward,” “merit,” “claim,” and “good works,” the chapter articulates the parable's message about God as follows:
God wants to do good things for me
not because I have done some good things
not because I can do some good things
The Great Feast
Authors: Wierzbicka Anna 
Published: October 2003

AbstractCh. 14 reanalyzes the parable of the Great Feast in terms of God's desire for universal salvation:God wants to do good things for all peopleall people can live with GodGod wants thisAt the same time, following St. Gregory of Nyssa, modern philosophers like Nicolas Berdyaev, and theologians like Juergen Moltmann and Waclaw Hryniewicz, it argues against a literal interpretation of the image of exclusion and against the idea of an eternal “hell” based on that image.
The Last Judgment
Authors: Wierzbicka Anna 
Published: October 2003

Abstract
This chapter argues that despite various subsequent alterations and expansions, the core of the parable of the Last Judgment does go back to Jesus himself. It stresses (with John Meier 1980) “the stunning universalism” of the story, and once again, it rejects the traditional interpretation of the words “Depart from me, you cursed” in terms of an everlasting “hell.” It highlights the profound transformation that eschatology has undergone in the last few decades, from prediction to warning and appeal. It discusses the symbolic language of both the Old and the New Testaments, drawing, again, on the writings of the seventh‐century mystic Isaac the Syrian, the Orthodox theologian Sergii Bulgakov, the Protestant theologian Juergen Moltmann and the Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
Authors: Wierzbicka Anna 
Published: October 2003

Abstract
The chapter argues for the authenticity of the first part of this parable. It shows that here, as elsewhere, the widely used term “reversal” is not sufficient for explaining the parable's meaning. It rejects the notion of “irreversible punishment” (a hell for some) as an insult to God and a misunderstanding of the nature of symbolic language; and it articulates, in simple and universal human concepts, the parable's message to the rich as well as that to the poor. Once again, it stresses the illocutionary purpose of the parable: not a prediction, but a warning and appeal.
The Rich Fool
Authors: Wierzbicka Anna 
Published: October 2003

Abstract
This chapter argues that despite superficial parallels in secular wisdom like that expressed in Seneca's “Epistule Morales,” Jesus’ parable has a different and unique message. Roughly speaking, it focuses on the absence in the “rich fool's” considerations of any thoughts about God, judgment, and other people. The chapter argues that in the world of dwindling natural resources, and growing materialistic and consumerist attitudes, the parable's message – often dismissed as boring old‐fashioned wisdom – is in fact highly relevant. The language of universal human concepts helps to clarify the eschatological warning, the moral teaching, and the special relevance of the parable to our times.
The Doorkeeper
Authors: Wierzbicka Anna 
Published: October 2003

AbstractThis chapter links the parable of the Doorkeeper and other “parables of vigilance” with the eighteenth‐century spiritual writer Jean Pierre De Caussade's “spirituality of the present moment.” It points out that the metaphor of the doorkeeper illuminates the idea of fulfilling God's appointed task (being a watchman, a doorkeeper) and the idea of urgency, and that it is aimed in particular at the following way of thinking:If God wants me to do something I don’t have to do it nowI can do it at some other time (later)This chapter argues that de Caussade's notion of “the sacrament of the present moment” illuminates the parable's message that God appears incognito in the duty or task of the present moment, and that watchfulness and readiness to recognize him, alert one to the opportunity to enter the Kingdom of God, by meeting God in the present moment.
The Talents
Authors: Wierzbicka Anna 
Published: October 2003

AbstractThis chapter argues that the parable of the Talents is aimed at all people rather than at this or that particular group, as has often been argued in the literature. It points out that as in a number of other parables, Jesus uses the narrative strategy of comparing God to a morally dubious character – here, a harsh and merciless master – while at the same time conveying the message that God is merciful and can be trusted, and that people should use their God‐given gifts with courage and in freedom. The chapter discusses the impact of the metaphor of the talents on European civilization and links that metaphor with the Western emphasis on enterprise, initiative, individual freedom of action, and personal responsibility. Some of the key components of the parable's message are articulated as follows:I know: I can do some good thingsbecause God does good things for meI know: God wants me to do these thingsI want to do these things because of this
The Dishonest Steward
Authors: Wierzbicka Anna 
Published: October 2003

AbstractAs this chapter shows, the parable of the Dishonest Steward is the prime example of Jesus’ narrative strategy of comparing God to morally unsavory characters and thus forcing the hearer to actively search for the hidden message of a parable. The story calls for a positive response to one's sense of failure, and it shows that in a personal crisis one can and should search for solutions and “never lose heart,” keeping one's trust in God. The chapter argues for the contemporary relevance of all these themes, despite various recent objections to the value of this parable for contemporary audiences.
The Unjust Judge and the Friend at Midnight
Authors: Wierzbicka Anna 
Published: October 2003

AbstractChapter 22 is devoted to another pair of twin parables that convey the same message by means of two different stories. This message focuses on the need for people to trust that God can, wants to and will do good things for people – the need to pray continually and not to get discouraged – not to ever think things like “God doesn’t want to do good things for me” or “God will not do good things for me.” Like the two previous ones, this chapter, too, discusses Jesus’ narrative technique of comparing God to morally dubious characters, and it seeks to clarify Jesus’ teaching on prayer, trust, and dependence on God by means of simple and universal human concepts.
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Authors: Wierzbicka Anna 
Published: October 2003

AbstractThis chapter seeks to clarify the meaning of the parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector, by bypassing complex and problematic terms such as “justification,” “righteousness” or “humility” and by portraying the two ways of thinking contrasted by Jesus in simple and universal concepts. Thus, the Pharisee's attitude is portrayed (in part) as follows:I am not like some other peoplethese other people are bad peoplethese other people do many bad thingsI do not do bad thingsI do many good thingsThe chapter discusses the recent literature on the parable and rejects various fanciful recent interpretations (like that offered by Funk 1996) in favor of the traditional interpretation, sharpened by the use of simple and universal human concepts. Like several other chapters, this one, too, appeals to the Bakhtinian notion of “heteroglossia” to clarify the sense of Jesus’ words that it was the tax collector, rather than Pharisee, who “went down to his house justified.”
An Overall Picture of Jesus' Teaching
Authors: Wierzbicka Anna 
Published: October 2003

Abstract
This chapter emphasizes the originality of Jesus’ ethical teaching, obscured by the use of complex analytical terms (such as nonviolence, nonretaliation, compassion, kindness, tolerance, hypocrisy, anger, etc.) and brought to light by the use of more fine‐grained analytical tools such as GOOD and BAD KNOW, THINK, and WANT, and the other simple and universal human concepts. It shows that the apparent parallels in earlier religious lore – Jewish, Greco‐Roman, Hindu, Confucian, Buddhist, and so on – are often illusory and conceal profound conceptual differences. It argues that the vital matters of Christian‐Jewish dialogue are not well served by attempts to play down the distinctive features of Jesus’ teaching. It concurs with the fourth‐century Syrian biblical scholar, St. Efrem, who affirmed the “the smallest words of Christ contain immense treasures,” and it claims that the depth and originality of Jesus’ ethical teaching can be better revealed by means of simple and universal human concepts, than by the use of the technical language of traditional theology and exegesis.
Maddy's Objections
Authors: Colyvan Mark 
Published: October 2003

AbstractPenelope Maddy's objections to the indispensability argument are considered. In two of her objections – the objection from scientific fictions and the objection from the role of mathematics in scientific theories – it is argued that much of the force is derived from taking an implausible reading of naturalism. Moreover, this reading of naturalism is not endorsed by either Quine or Maddy. It is also argued that the third of Maddy's objections – the mathematical practice objection – turns on a misconception about Quinean holism.
Conclusion
Authors: Colyvan Mark 
Published: October 2003

AbstractThe varieties of mathematical realism that are consistent with the indispensability argument are outlined. It is shown that the argument is silent on many issues such as whether numbers are sets, and whether mathematical entities are causally inert or not. Paul Benacerraf's two objections to mathematical realism are also considered. Finally, the use of indispensability arguments outside the philosophy of mathematics is considered, and, in particular, an indispensability argument for modal realism is discussed.
The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture
Authors: Bryant Edwin 
Published: October 2003

AbstractAs a result of the discovery of similarities between Sanskrit and the classical languages of Europe, scholars hypothesized the existence of an early “proto-Indo-European” people who spoke the language from which the other Indo-European speakers evolved. The solution to this Indo-European homeland problem has been one of the most consuming intellectual projects of the last two centuries. At first it was assumed that India was the original home of all the Indo-Europeans. Soon, however, Western scholars were contending that the Vedic culture of ancient India must have been the by-product of an invasion or migration of “Indo-Aryans” from outside the subcontinent. Over the years, Indian scholars have raised many arguments against this European reconstruction of their nation’s history, yet Western scholars have generally been unaware or dismissive of these voices from India itself. Edwin Bryant offers a comprehensive examination of this ongoing debate, presenting all of the relevant philological, archaeological, linguistic, and historiographical data, and showing how they have been interpreted both to support the theory of Aryan migrations and to contest it. Bringing to the fore those hitherto marginalized voices that argue against the external origin of the Indo-Aryans, he shows how Indian scholars have questioned the very logic, assumptions, and methods upon which the theory is based and have used the same data to arrive at very different conclusions. By exposing the whole endeavor to criticism from scholars who do not share the same intellectual history as their European peers, Bryant’s work newly complicates the Indo-European homeland quest. At the same time it recognizes the extent to which both sides of the debate have been driven by political, racial, religious, and nationalistic agendas.
Introduction
Authors: Bryant Edwin 
Published: October 2003

AbstractThis introduction describes the book as primarily a historiographical study of how various Indian scholars, over the course of a century or more, have rejected this idea of an external origin of the Indo-Aryans by questioning much of the logic, assumptions, and methods upon which the theory is based. The aims of the book are discussed, with the primary aim identified as an excavation of marginalized points of view reacting against what is perceived as a flawed and biased historical construct. As a corollary of this aim, the book further complicates the Indo-European homeland quest by exposing the whole endeavor to a critique from scholars outside mainstream European academic circles who do not share the same intellectual history as their Western peers. A further aim of the book is to present a comprehensive exposition and analysis of views from within mainstream academic circles, addressing the issue of Indo-Aryan origins. The main part of the introduction gives an outline of the contents of each chapter and addresses various methodological issues.
Myths of Origin
Authors: Bryant Edwin 
Published: October 2003

AbstractThe Indigenous Aryan debate can only be understood in the context of the history of the greater Indo-European homeland quest in Europe. The purpose of this chapter is to outline the most prominent features of this history that are most directly connected with the problems of Indo-Aryan origins. Indigenous Aryanists are almost universally suspicious of the motives surrounding the manner in which evidence was interpreted and construed by British and European scholars in the colonial period. It is important to excavate clearly the various biases that influenced the epistemes of the time before attempting to consider the evidence itself, so this chapter addresses some of the more blatant ideological and religious attitudes of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the West that co-opted Aryan discourse in some form or fashion. Since there have been a number of studies focused on the general history of Indo-European Studies, it focuses on the aspects of this history that are of particular relevance to the Indian side of the family.
Early Indian Responses
Authors: Bryant Edwin 
Published: October 2003

AbstractAs was the case in the West, there were all sorts of reactions to, and appropriations of, the discovery of a shared Aryan pedigree from the Indian subcontinent in popular, political, and religious discourse. The first section of this chapter briefly touches upon nineteenth- and early twentieth-century nationalistic co-options of the Aryan theory in terms of its applicability for Indian relations with the colonial power and for internal power dynamics among competing sets of interests among Indians themselves. A brief selection of these reactions as exemplified by Hindu nationalist responses is extracted to provide something of a parallel to the Aryan discourse in Europe during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The second section of the chapter describes the first stirrings of opposition to the theory itself, as inaugurated by prominent Hindu religious leaders.
Linguistic Paleontology
Authors: Bryant Edwin 
Published: October 2003

AbstractAn examination is made of various points of view on the location of the Indo-European homeland based on evidence from the method of linguistic paleontology. This is one of the most exploited disciplines used in the homeland quest, and one that is also fundamental in insisting that the Indo-Aryans had an origin external to the Indian subcontinent. Here, Indian scholars are found reconfiguring the same logic and method to arrive at very different conclusions from those of their Western counterparts. The two principal aspects of linguistic paleontology examined are terms for various Indo-European flora and fauna (including trees), and the term “ēkwos” for horse (along with references to the accompanying archaeological evidence). The chapter finishes by presenting criticisms of the linguistic palaeontology method.
The Indus Valley Civilization
Authors: Bryant Edwin 
Published: October 2003

AbstractAn examination is made of the relationship between the Indus Valley Civilization and Indo-Aryan origins, a topic that has received a tremendous amount of attention from Indian archaeologists and historians. The issue discussed is whether the Indo-Aryans preceded, succeeded, or co-existed with the inhabitants of the Indus Valley cities. The different sections of the chapter look at archaeological evidence on the religion of the Indus Valley, evidence on the decline of the river Sarasvatī (which is referred to many times in the Ŗgveda, the oldest of the Sanskrit Vedic texts), the absence of the horse from the Harappan record (although it played an important part in the Vedic-Aryan culture), evidence of the spoked-wheel chariot (which is fundamental to Aryan identification), the Indus script, and urbanization and the Ŗgveda.
The Date of the Veda
Authors: Bryant Edwin 
Published: October 2003

AbstractThe various attempts made to date Sanskrit texts (the Veda) are examined in the context that if the Ŗgveda (the earliest of the texts) is at least a millennium older than its commonly accepted date, then the possibility of Dravidian and/or Munda and/or unknown linguistic influences on Vedic Sanskrit being the result of the speakers of these languages intruding on an Indo-Aryan-speaking area after the other languages had already left, as opposed to vice versa, becomes a much more serious consideration. Moreover, the relationship between Vedic and Proto-Indo-European would need to be reconsidered, and any proposal associating the overland trajectory of the Indo-Aryans with the Andronovo culture, a southern Iranian route, or any Post-Harappan culture in the subcontinent, loses value. For these and other reasons, a much older date for the Veda is foundational to the Indigenous Aryanist position; if by contrast, the oldest strata of the Ŗgveda cannot be far removed from the conventionally accepted date of 1200 or 1500 B.C.E., then the Indigenous Aryanist case loses cogency. The chapter examines the dating of Proto-Indo-European first, before going on to look at the dating of the Veda itself, paying special attention to astronomy and its bearing on Vedic chronology. The author concludes that none of the evidence presented so far in the book convincingly settles the debate, and that the only evidence that could do this with any degree of certainty would be the decipherment of the script from the Indus Valley civilization.
“I Ame as Jephthah”
Authors: Breen Louise A. 
Published: October 2003

Abstract
Focuses on the military captain and religious dissenter John Underhill. It shows that Underhill, who played a major role in the Pequot War, associated himself with the antinomian party in the 1630s because it was consistent with the honor culture to which he aspired. After being forced out of Massachusetts, Underhill moved to New Netherland, where he first exercised a military role but then allied himself with figures in Massachusetts. These figures, despite the majority's desire to stay out of the Anglo‐Dutch war, wished to precipitate conflict between the English and Dutch colonies. Ultimately, Underhill, not unlike Henry Vane, came to conceive of himself as a transatlantic actor whose life's ambitions had been thwarted and destroyed by sanctimonious provincials who put their own well‐being above that of the Commonwealth.
Praying With the Enemy
Authors: Breen Louise A. 
Published: October 2003

Abstract
Explores how King Philip's War and debates over the halfway covenant contributed to the emergence of a racialized “tribalism” during the 1670s. This was a time when ordinary colonists manifested fear not only of enemy Indians but also of Christian Indian allies and military leaders. These leaders’ vested interest in frontier exchange was thought to have blinded them to the dangers of Indians, who only pretended to be Christian converts and allies. The chapter pays particular attention to the career of Daniel Gookin, who aided the efforts of the missionary, John Eliot. Additionally, Gookin's commitment to the integration of Indian peoples into colonial life was shaped by his family's experiences as colonizers of Ireland with ties to the family of Robert Boyle, president of the Company for the Propagation of the Gospel in New England.
Epilogue and Conclusion
Authors: Breen Louise A. 
Published: October 2003

Abstract
This chapter uses the witchcraft accusation against John Alden in 1692 as a focal point to show how suspicions against those associated with the frontier, imperial concerns, Indians, and religious heterodoxy coalesced in the last decade of the seventeenth century. Alden symbolized the vices thought to accompany religious heterodoxy, imperial control, and a biracial frontier. Not only had he befriended Anglicans and Quakers, but he had also betrayed his own son in an abortive captive exchange just weeks before being cried down as a witch and had been accused of miscegenation and trading arms to the colony's French and Indian enemies in King William's War. This same set of vices was attributed to the hated royal governor Edmund Andros, who was ejected from Massachusetts in the colony's version of the Glorious Revolution.
Consumerism
Authors: Stackhouse John G. 
Published: October 2003

Abstract
Consumerism is an outlook that frames everything in terms of consumption by the sovereign self. After having scrutinized basic convictions of consumerism, this chapter lists the effects of consumerism on the shape of religion in the private and public sphere. In the private sphere, religion becomes viewed as a consumer good; religions themselves become segmented into parts from which one may freely pick and choose according to one's needs, i.e., “Sheilaism.” Religion is selected or constructed by the self for the self, evident even in traditional Christian circles in the practice of “church‐shopping.” In the public sphere, consumerism reshapes religion such that any traits of religion contrary to the consumerist impulse are discarded. The chapter concludes, however, with the hopeful suggestion that because authentic Christianity is countercultural, it has the possibility of revitalizing modernity, rather than merely perpetuating it.
Introduction
Authors: Givens Terryl L. 
Published: October 2003

Abstract
Scripture is a function of the ways in which texts become sacred through their employment or status in a religious community. To understand a scripture, one must understand the ways in which that work has exerted its authority over the lives of believers. The Book of Mormon has served in a variety of roles, for both detractors and believers, which have shifted over the years. Four principal roles have been: 1) sacred sign of the last days, and of Joseph Smith's divine calling; 2) a factual account of the pre‐Columbian peopling of the Western hemisphere by Israelite migrations around 600 bc; 3) the imaginative creation of a nineteenth‐century religion maker; and 4) a new American Bible. The unprecedented growth of this potentially new world religion is making an understanding of its core scripture increasingly imperative.