The “Holy Spirit” is a familiar concept in Christianity, but in its original Hebrew construction as Ruah ha-Kodesh, it also plays an active role in classical Rabbinic literature. This dissertation surveys uses of the term Ruah ha-Kodesh in major texts from the Tannaitic period through the Aggadic Midrash and the two Talmuds. Drawing on Scriptural roots, the Rabbis identify Ruah ha-Kodesh as the divinely given power that enables individuals to prophesy. While the term never loses this biblical meaning, the Rabbis take Ruah ha-Kodesh further by personifying it as a metonym for God, and more specifically, as “the divine voice in Scripture.” This dissertation first surveys the historical background of the term in pre-Rabbinic ancient Judaism, and then turns to a detailed textual analysis of its uses as both prophecy and personification in Rabbinic literature. The study notes and examines conventional and formulaic terms associated with Ruah ha-Kodesh. Four major Ruah ha-Kodesh traditions are analyzed in depth over the course of their diachronic development. There are numerous Rabbinic sources that claim that Ruah ha-Kodesh has ended, yet others offer advice on how to achieve it or indicate its existence in the Rabbinic present. The solution to this paradox is that Ruah ha-Kodesh has not gone, but changed. Even as Ruah ha-Kodesh is said to have departed from Israel in her role of inspiring the prophets, she continues to speak actively as part of the ongoing Midrashic dialogue with the Sages. The final chapter examines Ruah ha-Kodesh as a metonym for God, particularly as it contrasts and interacts with other divine metonyms of feminine grammatical gender: the Shekhinah and the Bat Kol. The Shekhinah and Ruah ha-Kodesh are frequently identified, but not identical. The changing role of Ruah ha-Kodesh exemplifies a shift in the locus of divine communication, from prophecy to the Midrashic study of Torah. / text

Surgem, no contexto da sociedade brasileira atual, várias denominações religiosas que disputam a adesão do indivíduo, adequando sua mensagem aos diversos grupos sociais. Considera-se que o escopo da argumentação é reforçar crenças e valores presentes em um indivíduo ou em um grupo específico para agir sobre o outro, provocando uma mudança de atitude. Nesta pesquisa, o corpus de análise será composto por textos de vários gêneros extraídos de sites institucionais da Igreja Apostólica Renascer em Cristo, no período de 2011 a 2014, a fim de mostrar como, por meio da palavra profética, tanto o líder religioso quanto seus seguidores adquirem autoridade para plasmar realidades. Assim como esse discurso religioso adapta-se a diferentes gêneros, verifica-se que o ethos institucional da Igreja adapta-se a diferentes contextos. Além desse corpus específico, serão selecionados alguns textos relacionados a outras instituições religiosas neopentecostais, inserindo o estudo em um cenário mais amplo. Para tanto, a pesquisa será fundamentada nas teorias da Retórica e da Nova Retórica, com contribuições das teorias discursivas e pragmáticas. Com este trabalho, espera-se compreender melhor o processo argumentativo do discurso religioso neopentecostal e apontar caminhos para o avanço do caráter interdisciplinar dos estudos discursivos e retóricos. / In the context of the current Brazilian society, many religious denominations that compete for individuals\' adherence arise, adjusting their message to diverse social groups. It is considered that the scope of argumentation is to reinforce beliefs and values existing in an individual or in a specific group to act upon the other, causing a change in attitude. In this research, the corpus for analysis will be composed of texts from varied genres taken from institutional websites by \"Reborn in Christ\" Apostolic Church, from 2011 to 2014, in order to show how, through the Prophetic Word, the religious leader and his followers acquire authority to shape realities. As this religious discourse adjusts to different genres, it is verified that the institutional ethos of the Church adjusts to different contexts. Alongside this specific corpus, a few texts related to other Neo-Pentecostal religious institutions will be selected, inserting this study in a broader scenario. In order to do so, this research will be founded on Rhetoric and New Rhetoric theories, with contributions from discursive and pragmatic theories. With this work, a better understanding of the neo-Pentecostal religious discourse argumentative process and the possibility of suggesting ways for the advance of the interdisciplinary character of the discursive and rhetoric studies are expected.

Surgem, no contexto da sociedade brasileira atual, várias denominações religiosas que disputam a adesão do indivíduo, adequando sua mensagem aos diversos grupos sociais. Considera-se que o escopo da argumentação é reforçar crenças e valores presentes em um indivíduo ou em um grupo específico para agir sobre o outro, provocando uma mudança de atitude. Nesta pesquisa, o corpus de análise será composto por textos de vários gêneros extraídos de sites institucionais da Igreja Apostólica Renascer em Cristo, no período de 2011 a 2014, a fim de mostrar como, por meio da palavra profética, tanto o líder religioso quanto seus seguidores adquirem autoridade para plasmar realidades. Assim como esse discurso religioso adapta-se a diferentes gêneros, verifica-se que o ethos institucional da Igreja adapta-se a diferentes contextos. Além desse corpus específico, serão selecionados alguns textos relacionados a outras instituições religiosas neopentecostais, inserindo o estudo em um cenário mais amplo. Para tanto, a pesquisa será fundamentada nas teorias da Retórica e da Nova Retórica, com contribuições das teorias discursivas e pragmáticas. Com este trabalho, espera-se compreender melhor o processo argumentativo do discurso religioso neopentecostal e apontar caminhos para o avanço do caráter interdisciplinar dos estudos discursivos e retóricos. / In the context of the current Brazilian society, many religious denominations that compete for individuals\' adherence arise, adjusting their message to diverse social groups. It is considered that the scope of argumentation is to reinforce beliefs and values existing in an individual or in a specific group to act upon the other, causing a change in attitude. In this research, the corpus for analysis will be composed of texts from varied genres taken from institutional websites by \"Reborn in Christ\" Apostolic Church, from 2011 to 2014, in order to show how, through the Prophetic Word, the religious leader and his followers acquire authority to shape realities. As this religious discourse adjusts to different genres, it is verified that the institutional ethos of the Church adjusts to different contexts. Alongside this specific corpus, a few texts related to other Neo-Pentecostal religious institutions will be selected, inserting this study in a broader scenario. In order to do so, this research will be founded on Rhetoric and New Rhetoric theories, with contributions from discursive and pragmatic theories. With this work, a better understanding of the neo-Pentecostal religious discourse argumentative process and the possibility of suggesting ways for the advance of the interdisciplinary character of the discursive and rhetoric studies are expected.

Although Republicans and Democrats frequently disagree ideologically, the leaders of both parties share one commonality in particular--they inevitably make flawed judgments. To adequately understand the extent to which psychological filters act as a fundamental factor in decision making, this thesis shall analyze current political events and observe how partisans within both administrations deal with information incompatible with their own values and beliefs. Specifically referencing the war in Iraq, weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), civil unrest, national security, the national economic climate, and the housing market, this study examines the way leaders deal differently with conflicting information. Although all subjects in the latter shall be discussed, the primary focus is directed towards weapons of mass destruction during the Bush administration and the economic climate during the Obama administration. During their presidencies, both administrations faced different circumstances and congruently possessed different ideologies in respect of how to resolve current problems. Therefore, both President Obama and Bush shall equally be observed in order to adequately compare the extent to which each succumbs to cognitive biases when faced with dissonant information. In addition, groupthink theory, schema theory, and self-justification shall be discussed as complimentary forces which impair political members' decisions. Overall, qualitatively assessing both Republican and Democratic parties in one comprehensive examination breaks the bounds of usual political science studies because both partisans are linked more by their similarities than differences.

[pt] A presente dissertação, a partir da análise exegética de Nm 11,24-30, estuda a função da ruah YHWH descrita no texto. Considerando que, nas últimas décadas, não há muitos trabalhos desenvolvidos sobre o livro de Números, em particular sobre Nm 11,24-30, acredita-se que a presente pesquisa traz uma modesta contribuição. Fazer a análise exegética do texto, foi o principal objetivo, permitindo investigar a função da rûaḥ YHWH nos setenta anciãos, em Eldad e Medad e no desejo de Moisés. O método histórico-crítico foi utilizado como ferramenta indispensável, para se chegar a uma compreensão mais profunda de Nm 11,24-30. Observa-se que o texto possui duas subseções, sendo que a primeira serve também como introdução, e uma conclusão. YHWH dá a ruah aos setenta anciãos, na Tenda do Encontro, e eles profetizam. A mesma situação ocorre, ao mesmo tempo, com Eldad e Medad no acampamento. Moisés ao saber do ocorrido, deseja que YHWH dê a ruah a todo Israel, fazendo-os profetas. Tal desejo ganhou projeção futura e será interpretado como sinal da intervenção salvífica de YHWH na história (Jl 3,1-2). / [en] This dissertation, based on the exegetical analysis of Nm 11,24-30, studies the function of ruah YHWH described in the text. Considering that, in the last decades, there are not many works developed about the book of Numbers, in particular about Nm 11,24-30, it is believed that the present research makes a modest contribution. Making the exegetical analysis of the text was the main objective, allowing to investigate the function of ruah YHWH in the seventy elders, in Eldad and Medad and in the desire of Moses. The historical-critical method was used as an indispensable tool to reach a deeper understanding of Nm 11,24-30. It is observed that the text has two subsections, the first one also serves as an introduction and a conclusion. YHWH gives the ruah to the seventy elders in the Tent of Meeting, and they prophesy. The same situation occurs at the same time with Eldad and Medad in the camp. Moses, as soon as he knows what happened, wants YHWH to give ruah to all Israel, making them all prophets. Such a desire has gained future projection and will be interpreted as a sign of YHWH s salvific intervention in history (Jl 3: 1-2).