Machiavelli's Art of Politics.
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In Machiavelli's Art of Politics Alejandro Bárcenas offers a reexamination of Niccolò Machiavelli's political thought in order to propose a concise and historically accurate portrayal of his ideas and intellectual context. This study provides a nuanced view of the complexities of Machiavelli's thought by analyzing his classical background, taking into particular consideration the influence of Xenophon, and his view of the ideal ruler as someone who creates the conditions for a flourishing human life. In addition, Bárcenas explains why Machiavelli defends a republican political order that encourages citizens to live according to their own laws while serving a common good and revises his legacy through the writings of Leo Strauss, Eric Voegelin and Maurizio Viroli.
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Description based upon print version of record. :
1 online resource (173 pages) :
9789004298026 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The great dedicatory inscription of Ramesses II : a Solar-Osirian Tractate at Abydos /
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This volume covers, for the first time, the interaction of a major historical event with the development of the Egyptian Solar-Osirian theology. Pharaoh Ramesses II visited the sacred area of Abydos soon after his recognition of power at Luxor in Thebes. With him were many high officials, one of whom would be soon appointed to be the high Priest of Amun at Thebes, Nebwenenef. During his visit, the king stressed his personal relationship with his father, Seti I as well as ordering the completion of his temple. By analyzing certain passages within Ramesses' official acccount, the Dedicatory Inscription, with others of Seti, a more nuanced appreciation of the growing theological system of Osirus plus Re, the sun god, comes to the fore. This significance of this is heightened when we remember that the king's account was exhibited in the portico of Seti I's temple. \'Anthony Spalinger's new monograph discusses the Great Dedicatory Inscription and these processes anew by means of perspicuous, accurate, translations of the surviving texts, enlivened by equally stimulating commentaries. These are accompanied likewise by meticulously researched footnotes, which have been marshaled with a diligence for which the author is rightly renowned...All of this is done here with exemplary skill and a fine eye for detail, and our libraries are far the richer for it.\' A.J. Peden
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [121]) and index. :
9789047442578 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Scriptural allusions and exegesis in the Hodayot /
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It has long been noted that the Thanksgiving Hymns (Hodayot) from Qumran make extensive use of biblical language. A premise of this study of their use of scripture is that these compositions can best be understood by reading them as poetry. Using insights from the fields of comparative literature and biblical studies it establishes a method for analysis of the poems and for identification and analysis of scriptural allusions. Five poems have been chosen for detailed study. The question is asked, how would a reader familiar with the scriptural traditions of the period interpret these poems and why? The first chapter gives a useful overview of the scholarship to date and indicates the new avenues explored by this study.
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1 online resource (x, 268 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-247) and indexes. :
9789047408451 :
0169-9962 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Life at the bottom of Babylonian societ y servile laborers at Nippur in the 14th and 13th centuries, B.C. /
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Life at the Bottom of Babylonian Society is a study of the population dynamics, family structure, and legal status of publicly-controlled servile workers in Kassite Babylonia. It compares some of the demographic aspects proper to this group with other intensively studied past populations, such as Roman Egypt, Medieval Tuscany, and American slave plantations. It suggests that families, especially those headed by single mothers, acted as a counter measure against population reduction (flight and death) and as a means for the state to control this labor force. The work marks a step forward in the use of quantitative measures in conjunction with cuneiform sources to achieve a better understanding of the social and economic forces that affected ancient Near Eastern populations.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004207042 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Philosophy, theology, and politics : a reading of Benedict Spinoza's Tractatus theologico-politicus /
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The interpretation of Spinoza's theologico-political teaching remains a matter of controversy. Is Spinoza simply addressing contemporary difficulties in The Netherlands of the late 1660s? Or is he attempting to solve a more basic and enduring human problem? In this book, it is argued that against the background of contemporary concerns, Spinoza treats the more fundamental "natural problem" of reconciling those who live by "the dictates of reason" with those who live by "the urgings of the passions." Based upon his accounts of theology, human nature, and politics, Spinoza fashions a theocratic or "theologico-political solution" to the "natural problem" by holding that the "universal religion" and the democratic liberalism of the treatise share a common purpose. Thus, Spinoza becomes a "new Moses."
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [245]-249) and index. :
9789047432753 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The Septuagint of Proverbs : Jewish and/or Hellenistic Proverbs? : concerning the Hellenistic colouring of LXX Proverbs /
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This monograph deals with an important but unexplored document of Hellenistic Judaism. The question of \'Hellenistic influence\' is addressed on the basis of an analysis of a representative number of chapters of Septuagint Proverbs (1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 24, 29, 30 and 31). Scholars have argued that this book was influenced extensively by Greek philosophy. The author follows a contextual cultural method. The Greek text is analysed on four levels: the semantic, syntactical, stylistic (which represents the translation technique of the translator), and finally the \'theological\' level. This study represents the first exhaustive analysis of the theme. The conclusion is that the impact of Stoicism on this Greek version has been overestimated in the past. Novel views are also formulated concerning the role of the law in LXX Proverbs, its historical setting and its text-critical value.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [343]-348) and indexes. :
9789004275935 :
0083-5889 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Humor in early Islam
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Humor in Early Islam , first published in 1956, is a pioneering study by the versatile and prolific scholar Franz Rosenthal (1914-2003), who (having published an article on mediaeval Arabic blurbs), should have written this text himself. It contains an annotated translation of an Arabic text on a figure who became the subject of many jokes and anecdotes, the greedy and obtuse Ashʿab, a singer who lived in the eighth century but whose literary and fictional life long survived him. The translation is preceded by chapters on the textual sources and on the historical and legendary personalities of Ashʿab; the book ends with a short essay on laughter. Whether or not the jokes will make a modern reader laugh, the book is a valuable source for those seriously interested in a religion or a culture that all too often but unjustly is associated, by outsiders, with an aversion to laughter.
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"Translation of texts":p. [36]-131. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references. :
9789004215733 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Speusippus of Athens : a critical study with a collection of the related texts and commentary /
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Errata slip inserted.
Includes indexes. :
1 online resource (xxvii, 521 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 464-471). :
9789004320604 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Shakespeare's Tragic Language /
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In Shakespearean tragedy, language is used to bring about the downfall of characters, but there is also a tragedy which affects language itself through the decomposition of the fundamental concepts and mythologies which give identity to both societies and individuals. This book shows how in Shakespeare's English history plays, Roman plays, tragicomedies, and romances, characters use language to manipulate and destroy others, but also imprison themselves in false reasoning. The misuse of language creates tragedies for individuals but also for society at large, as its conceptual building blocks lose their capacity to function. For Shakespeare, tragedy happens both to individuals and to cultures, and happens both in language and to language.
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1 online resource (165 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004687790
The legal methodology of late Nehardean sages in Sasanian Babyloni a
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This book consists of a systematic analysis of the halakhic/legal methodology of fourth and fifth century Nehardean amoraim in Babylonia (as well as their identity and dating). The book uncovers various distinct characteristics present in the halakhic decision making and source interpretation, and demonstrates how certain amoraim can be characterized as portraying consistent interpretive and legal approaches throughout talmudic literature. Understanding the methodological characteristics that distinguish some amoraim from other amoraim can aid the talmudic interpreter/scholar in clarifying the legal foundations of their rulings, the proofs that they bring within talmudic discourse, as well as their disputes and interpretations. This allows a better understanding of the development of Jewish Law and the legal system in talmudic Babylonia.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references. :
9789004193826 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
People and land in the holiness code : an exegetical study of the ideational framework of the law in Leviticus 17-26 /
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This work proposes a reconstruction of the thought world underlying the Holiness Code (Leviticus 17-26). It focuses on the notions of people and land, which are central to the way the law is presented in this corpus. Important themes treated include the sons of Israel, the resident alien, the call to holiness, the camp in the desert and the land as the property of the Lord. The conceptual universe of the Holiness Code is entirely dominated by the notion of the presence of the Lord in his sanctuary, in the midst of his people. It is this presence which requires the Israelites to observe holiness and confers upon the land its particular status. The priestly conception of the relationship between God, people and land finds interesting parallels in the ideology of holy places evidenced in writings from the Ancient Near East.
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1 online resource (xiii, 221 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-221) and index. :
9789004275911 :
0083-5889 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The Qur'an, morality and critical reason : the essential Muhammad Shahrur /
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This book presents the work and ideas of the Syrian writer Muhammad Shahrur to the English-speaking world. Shahrur is at the moment the most innovative intellectual thinker in the Arab Middle East. Often described as the 'Martin Luther of Islam,' he offers a liberal, progressive reading of Islam that aims to counter the influences of religious fundamentalism and radical politics. Shahrur's innovative interpretation of the Qur'an offers groundbreaking new ideas, based on his conviction that centuries of historical Islam, including scholarship in the traditional Islamic religious sciences, have obscured or even obliterated the Qur'an's progressive and revolutionary message. That message is one that has endured through each period of human history in which Islam has existed, encouraging Muslims to apply the most contemporary perspective available to interpret the Qur'an's meaning.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [559]-570) and index. :
9789047424345 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The value of victory in Pindar's odes : gnomai, cosmology and the role of the poet /
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This book investigates the cosmological context of Pindar's victory odes, and how it influences his presentation of praise. The study first focuses on gnomai as a reflection of cosmology, using these sayings to establish the views the poems reveal on matters such as the divine, the human condition and man in society. This overview is complemented by detailed literary analyses demonstrating how cosmology functions in individual odes. They show that Pindar shapes the poet persona to emphasize different aspects of the traditional world view or represent varying viewpoints so that he can praise each victor according to his particular circumstances. By focusing on cosmology the book highlights a neglected dimension of Pindar's odes and challenges some traditional views on this poet.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [199]-208) and indexes. :
9789047422822 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Reconstructing biblical Dead Sea scrolls : a new method applied to the reconstruction of 4QSama̳ /
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The first part of the book develops a battery of scientifically based tools to aid the reconstruction of biblical Dead Sea Scrolls, which, when applied together, substantially improve the quality of reconstruction attainable. The focus then moves to the important non-masoretic but fragmentary biblical scroll, 4QSamᵃ, for which sixty-two new fragment identifications and an analysis of the character of the scroll are presented. Based upon this, a detailed reconstruction of the 4QSamᵃ fragments of 2 Samuel is undertaken, revealing 55% more deviations from the Masoretic text than had previously been identified. The effectiveness of the new method is thus demonstrated. Data concerning the support of key Hebrew and Greek witnesses provides a valuable foundation for the study of the history and development of the biblical text.
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On t.p. "a̳" is superscript.
A Revision of the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--Cambridge University. :
1 online resource (xv, 293 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 275-282) and indexes. :
9789004350243 :
0169-9962 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Grace and agency in Paul and second temple judaism : interpreting the transformation of the heart /
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Following recent intertextual studies, Kyle B. Wells examines how descriptions of 'heart-transformation' in Deut 30, Jer 31-32 and Ezek 36 informed Paul and his contemporaries' articulations about grace and agency. Beyond advancing our understanding of how these restoration narratives were interpreted in the LXX, the Dead Sea Literature, Baruch, Jubilees, 2 Baruch, 4 Ezra, and Philo, Wells demonstrates that while most Jews in this period did not set divine and human agency in competition with one another, their constructions differed markedly and this would have contributed to vehement disagreements among them. While not sui generis in every respect, Paul's own convictions about grace and agency appear radical due to the way he reconfigures these concepts in relation to Christ.
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1 online resource (384 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004277328 :
0167-9732 ;
0167-9732 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.