Desmascarando a ideologia neoliberal na interpretação bíblica

O capítulo 6 do livro Luta de classes no Novo Testamento foi publicado pela revista online The Bible and Interpretation.

Fishing for Entrepreneurs in the Sea of Galilee? Unmasking Neoliberal Ideology in Biblical Interpretation – By Robert J. Myles, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia

MYLES, R. J. (ed.) Class Struggle in the New Testament. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic, 2019.

Rather than emphasize the fishermen’s moral decision to follow Jesus and its associated economic cost, I implore we instead read these narratives as embedded within a broader context of widespread social upheaval and as gesturing towards unrest among the lower classes.

Em vez de enfatizar a decisão moral dos pescadores de seguir Jesus e seu custo econômico associado, sugiro que leiamos essas narrativas inseridas em um contexto mais amplo de agitação social generalizada e como gestos de insatisfação existente entre as classes mais baixas.

Sobre a arqueologia da Palestina

Biblical Archaeology: The Study of Biblical Sites & Artifacts

By Owen Jarus, Live Science Contributor | February 22, 2019

While the definition of biblical archaeology varies from scholar to scholar, it generally includes some combination of archaeology and biblical studies (…) “Specifically, it is archaeology that sheds light on the stories, descriptions, and discussions in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament from the early second millennium [B.C.], the time of Abraham and the Patriarchs, through the Roman period in the early first millennium [A.D.],” Cline wrote in his book “Biblical Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction” (Oxford University Press, 2009). Some scholars extend the geographical area that biblical archaeology covers to include Egypt, Mesopotamia and Sudan (…)  Some archaeologists prefer not to use the phrase “biblical archaeology” out of concern that it sounds unscientific (continua).

Alexandre Magno foi morto pela síndrome de Guillain-Barré?

Até hoje há muitas dúvidas sobre a causa da morte de Alexandre Magno. Malária? Assassinato? Agora surge mais uma hipótese: a síndrome de Guillain-Barré.

Alexandre Magno (356-323 a.C.)

Why Alexander the Great May Have Been Declared Dead Prematurely (It’s Pretty Gruesome)

By Owen Jarus – Live Science – February 4, 2019

Alexander the Great may have been killed by Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological condition in which a person’s own immune system attacks them, says one medical researchers.

The condition may have led to a mistaken declaration of the king’s death and may explain the mysterious phenomenon in which his body didn’t decay for seven days after his “death.”

Alexander the Great was king of Macedonia between 336 and 323 B.C. During that time, he conquered an empire that stretched from the Balkans to modern-day Pakistan. In June 323, he was living in Babylon when, after a brief illness that caused fever and paralysis, he died at age 32. His senior generals then fought each other to see who would succeed him. [Top 10 Reasons Alexander the Great Was, Well … Great!]

According to accounts left by ancient historians, after a night of drinking, the king experienced a fever and gradually became less and less able to move until he could no longer speak. One account, told by Quintus Curtius Rufus, who lived during the first century A.D., claims that Alexander the Great’s body didn’t decay for more than seven days after he was declared dead, and the embalmers were hesitant to work on his body.

Ancient historians reported that many people believed that Alexander the Great was poisoned, possibly by someone working for Antipater, a senior official of Alexander’s who was supposedly quarreling with the king. In 2014, a research team found that the medicinal plant white hellebore (Veratrum album) could have been used to poison Alexander.

Based on the symptoms recorded by ancient historians, Katherine Hall, a senior lecturer in the Department of General Practice and Rural Health at the University of Otago in New Zealand, believes that it’s possible that Alexander actually died of Guillain-Barré syndrome. The condition, Hall said, may have left Alexander in a deep coma that may have led doctors to declare, mistakenly, that he was dead, something that would explain why his corpse supposedly didn’t decompose quickly, noted Hall in her paper published recently in the journal Ancient History Bulletin (continua).

Sobre Alexandre Magno, clique aqui. Sobre a síndrome de Guillain-Barré, clique aqui. Vote na enquete: Na sua opinião, qual foi a causa da morte de Alexandre Magno?

Tendências atuais no estudo de Gênesis 12–25

SONEK, K. The Abraham Narratives in Genesis 12–25. Currents in Biblical Research, Volume 17, Issue 2, February 2019, p. 158-183.

Este artigo tenta traçar o desenvolvimento da exegese de Gênesis 12–25 em trabalhos acadêmicos publicados desde o ano 2000. Gênesis 12-25 traz as narrativas sobre Abraão e sua família.

Cinco tipos de estudos são apresentados e brevemente avaliados:
1. Comentários sobre as perícopes bíblicas em questão
2. Obras que discutem a formação histórica das narrativas de Abraão
3. Estudos sincrônicos e teológicos
4. Estudos de recepção do texto
5. Outros estudos detalhados de Gênesis 12–25.

O artigo apresenta uma ampla gama de abordagens metodológicas e visa delinear as tendências atuais no estudo de Gênesis 12–25

Currents in Biblical Research, Volume 17, Issue 2, February 2019

Genesis 12–25, which relates the call, journeys, and life of Abraham and his family, continues to inspire and puzzle readers. Some of its stories have long been a source of controversy. Some have given rise to a variety of academic questions. Modern readers wrangle over the meaning of these ancient narratives. They investigate their historical formation, literal sense, and subsequent interpretation (…) Abraham is a figure of national, historical, and theological importance. His story has given rise to a vast array of scholarly works. This article looks at some of those works with a view to outlining the current state and future development of research related to the Abraham narratives.

The academic literature on Genesis 12–25 exceeds the possible limits for a concise survey, and a presentation of recent works in this field can no longer be comprehensive. In a sense, the real question is about the scholarly works that have to be excluded from the survey. Many important studies on the Abraham narratives, both short and lengthy, could not be taken into consideration in this review. However, an interested reader will find them in the bibliographies of the books and articles presented below. For this reason, the present survey does not attempt to be comprehensive, but only representative.

This article attempts to trace the development of exegesis of Genesis 12–25 in scholarly works published since 2000. Five types of studies are introduced and briefly evaluated: (1) commentaries on the biblical pericopes in question; (2) works discussing the historical formation of the Abraham narratives; (3) synchronic and theological studies; (4) reception studies; and (5) other detailed studies of Genesis 12–25. The article presents a wide range of methodological approaches, and aims to delineate current trends in the study of Genesis 12–25.

Kris Sonek: Department of Biblical Studies, Catholic Theological College, University of Divinity, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Eu sou Assurbanípal: exposição no Museu Britânico

I am Ashurbanipal is at the British Museum, London, from 8 November 2018 to 24 February 2019.

Assurbanípal, rei da Assíria (668-627 a.C.)

King Ashurbanipal of Assyria (r. 669–c. 631 BC) was the most powerful man on earth. He described himself in inscriptions as ‘king of the world’, and his reign from the city of Nineveh (now in northern Iraq) marked the high point of the Assyrian empire, which stretched from the shores of the eastern Mediterranean to the mountains of western Iran (…) This major exhibition tells the story of Ashurbanipal through the British Museum’s unparalleled collection of Assyrian treasures and rare loans. Step into Ashurbanipal’s world through displays that evoke the splendour of his palace, with its spectacular sculptures, sumptuous furnishings and exotic gardens. Marvel at the workings of Ashurbanipal’s great library, the first in the world to be created with the ambition of housing all knowledge under one roof. Come face to face with one of history’s greatest forgotten kings.

:: Leia sobre Assurbanípal aqui, aqui e aqui.

:: Leia sobre a exposição:

I Am Ashurbanipal at the British Museum – Cathleen Chopra-McGowan – Bible History Daily: 01/30/2019

‘Some of the most appalling images ever created’ – I Am Ashurbanipal review – Jonathan Jones – The Guardian: Tue 6 Nov 2018

Fundamentalismo como parte das estratégias teopolíticas atuais

A identidade fundamentalista é uma identidade ameaçada, amedrontada, cheia de incertezas e, por isso, uma identidade que reage agressivamente. É uma identidade que não tem consciência de si mesma, mas se define pela delimitação ou negação de inimigos reais ou supostos (J. Moltmann).

No artigo Fundamentalismo e modernidade, publicado na revista Concilium, v. 241, n. 3, Petrópolis, 1992, o conhecido teólogo J. Moltmann escreve nas p. 142-143:

Os fundamentalistas não reagem às crises do mundo moderno, mas às crises que o mundo moderno provoca em sua comunidade de fé e em suas convicções básicas. A convicção de fé se baseia na segurança da autoridade divina. Nas assim chamadas Religiões do Livro, é a autoridade divina do documento da revelação: a palavra de Deus é, como o próprio Deus, sem erro e infalível (…) As ciências históricas e empíricas do mundo moderno são reconhecidas enquanto concordarem com [o documento divino da revelação], mas são rejeitadas se questionarem esta autoridade intemporal (…) O documento divino da revelação não pode estar sujeito à interpretação humana mas, ao contrário, a interpretação humana deve estar sujeita ao documento divino da revelação. O fundamentalismo exclui todo juízo racional sobre a condicionalidade histórica de sua origem e sobre a diferença hermenêutica em relação às condições mudadas do presente. O conteúdo de verdade do documento da revelação é intemporal e não precisa ser constantemente explicado ou atualizado, mas apenas conservado intocável. O fundamentalismo baseado na revelação não argumenta, apenas afirma. Não pede compreensão, mas sujeição. Não se trata absolutamente de um problema hermenêutico mas de uma luta pelo poder: ou a palavra de Deus ou o ‘espírito da época’. O fundamentalismo também não é um fenômeno de retirada ou de defesa, mas de avanço sobre o mundo moderno para dominá-lo. Faz parte das várias estratégias teopolíticas atuais…