The people of early Iron Age Cyprus worshipped at sanctuaries where a sacred tree was the focus of their rituals. The tree was closely associated with a goddess thought to inhabit the natural landscape in which the fields and settlements grew, and in which the people lived and worked. This thesis explores why the tree of life was the central symbol of Cypriot Iron Age rituals, covering the period from the end of the Bronze Age to 500 B.C. Although the tree of the goddess has been studied as an artistic motif, and ceramic material from Cyprus has been studied scientifically, material carrying the motif has never been studied within a fully contextualised archaeology that queries its prevalence in Cypriot material culture, its role within the sanctuaries and necropolises of the city kingdoms and the meanings the material carried in those places. This research project addresses the complex, abstract, iconography of the Geometric and Archaic material in a methodical and theoretical manner, and with respect to the local and regional landscape settlement contexts from which it was recovered. The study takes a fresh, postcolonial approach and follows contextualizing, multiscalar methods towards an improved understanding of cultural structures, meanings and individual events. Old concepts of race and fixed groups are discarded in favour of a more nuanced approach that sees individual identities as constantly changing and material culture as both a driver and an indicator of social hybridisation. This research also serves as a vehicle to study a controversial transitional phase in East Mediterranean history, when the ancient agricultural empires gave way to the poleis and colonial systems of the maritime networks. Although the emergence of a ‘great divide’ between east and west has been postulated for this period, the alliances and cultural exchanges that preceded this transformation have not yet been adequately explored in mainstream academic histories. This research focussing on Iron Age Cyprus illuminates regional interaction between African, Levantine and Aegean cultures, and shows that the island existed within a continuous and contiguous cultural milieu that stretched from the Nile to Athens.

Feminist scholars have long assumed that Tertullian, a second-century Church Father, was a misogynist. This assumption is based almost exclusively on the infamous “Devil’s gateway” passage in the opening chapter of De cultu feminarum. However, feminist scholars have read this passage in isolation without reference to its wider context in De cultu feminarum and without considering other passages from Tertullian’s treatises. Furthermore, they have failed to recognize the influence which ancient rhetoric had on Tertullian’s work. By reading the “Devil’s gateway” passage in a wider context, and by engaging in a detailed analysis of Tertullian’s use of rhetoric, it becomes evident that Tertullian’s comments in that passage are not based on misogynistic view of women. Rather, they serve a specific rhetorical purpose in one particular treatise. Furthermore, by looking beyond the “Devil’s gateway” passage to other passages in which Tertullian makes reference to women, it is clear that his comments in the “Devil’s gateway” passage are not representative of his view of women. An examination of themes such as Mary, the anthropology of woman and woman’s role in the social order reveals a more nuanced picture of Tertullian’s view of women, than the one offered by some feminist scholars. By bringing together two areas - Tertullian’s use of rhetoric and feminist critique of Tertullian and of the Fathers in general - I will challenge the assumption that Tertullian was a misogynist and show that in some areas Tertullian can make a positive contribution to the feminist question.

Churches have been prompted to rethink the format of preaching and the content of sermons since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent restrictions on church gatherings. What does preaching look like, or what may it look like in times of crisis? These questions arose, specifically considering the content of sermons in the week before and after the national lockdown was announced in South Africa. Using Grounded Theory, the content of sermons delivered during this period was examined in order to identify an emerging theory regarding the homiletical content. From these findings, a homiletic praxis theory is formulated for preaching in times like these. The tension between proximity and distance that is experienced by hearers and proclaimed by preachers is explored. Habits of faith and discernment emerge as core concepts in mitigating this tension and in navigating the thin spaces that are created by liminal times such as these.

Le Dieu chrétien est-ll un Dieu vraiment présent à l’être humain? Pour répondre à cette question bien actuelle, nous avons puisé aux sources de notre foi. Notre but était de montrer qu'lrénée de Lyon peut nous aider à comprendre comment le Dieu des chrétiens est un Dieu de présence. Notre méthode a consisté à analyser rigoureusement l'œuvre principale d’Irénée, l’Adversus Haereses. Pour ce faire, nous avons conçu une grille de lecture qui a permis d’exploiter la dimension narrative de l’ouvrage étudié. Les éléments ainsi révélés par le texte ont fourni les matériaux de la lecture particulière d’Irénée qui constitue cette thèse. Dans une première partie, nous avons constaté que l'approche hérésiologique d’Irénée l’a amené à comprendre l’économie gnostique comme une expérience d’absence de la divinité. Le dieu gnostique lui apparaît en effet comme isolé par une multiplicité d’intermédiaires, et non intervenant dans la création; malgré l’apparente révélation qu’apporte la gnose, la divinité gnostique est présentée par Irénée comme inaccessible; et, au plan de l'achèvement, nous avons conclu à une fondamentale irrelation entre ce dieu et les autres êtres. Dans une deuxième partie, nous avons vu que la démonstration d’Irénée montre l’économie chrétienne orthodoxe comme une expérience de présence de Dieu. Nous avons rencontré un Dieu créateur qui se fait proche de ses créatures par l’intermédiaire de ses deux "Mains". Irénée nous a présenté un Dieu éducateur qui "accoutume" les humains à l’alliance avec lui par la médiation du Verbe incarné et de l’Esprit prophétique. Enfin, nous avons vu qu’au terme, le Dieu Père entre en communion d’amour avec ses enfants par l’intermédiaire du Verbe récapitulateur et le don de l’Esprit de vie. Oui, Irénée de Lyon, témoin du Ile siècle, homme de relation, peut contribuer à rendre à notre époque l’espérance en un Dieu toujours présent.

Depuis le début des temps, l'homme est confronté à sa propre finitude. Aussi, faut-il s'étonner que plusieurs philosophies et religions perçoivent le corps comme étant celui qui nous fait tendre vers le mal et le péché. Influencée par le platonisme, l'Église catholique n'a pas été à l'abri de la pensée dualiste. Pour les jansénistes des siècles derniers, le corps incarnait le mal, oubliant que le Christ s'était lui-même incarne. Le présent ouvrage laisse parler Irénée qui donne, à sa façon, une dignité incontestable au corps. Pour mieux comprendre la pensée irénéenne, les deux premiers chapitres présentent respectivement un bref historique du contexte irénéen, puis lèvent le voile sur le gnosticisme qui avait force Irénée à prendre la plume. Le troisième chapitre survole la théorie sémiotique (en se limitant au premier Greimas), ce qui permet, dans le chapitre quatre, de faire une étude sémiotique d'un extrait de l'Adversus Haereses. Enfin, la conclusion formule quelques déductions théologiques amenées par l'étude.

Socially and politically significant Muslim communities are posing a challenge to the public spheres of Western Europe: can public reason in a liberal democracy be so conceived as to accommodate the religious reasons of Muslims and other religiously motivated citizens? This question, often discussed from the perspective either of political philosophy or of particular religious traditions, is addressed here instead by drawing on the theory and practice of inter-religious dialogue. The dialogue movement known as ‘scriptural reasoning’ is analysed for its potential to provide a way of conceptualising the nature of reasoning in the public sphere. ‘Reasoning with texts’, it is argued, is a way of describing much of the reasoning that takes place within the public sphere and not just religious reasoning. This approach to understanding public reasoning is established through a combination of example and theory. A model of communicative hermeneutics as public reason based on an (inter)textual rationality is proposed. As well as providing space for textually based religious arguments, this (inter)textual imagination can be situated alongside and complement postmodern developments of Jürgen Habermas’s conception of the public sphere. Whilst this approach to reasoning in the public sphere initially appears very different from the classic statement of the idea of public reason in John Rawls’s political liberalism, it is shown to have significant continuity with Rawls’s theory when this is viewed through the lens of the Supreme Court as exemplar of public reason. This highest level of public reason involving legislation is also a form of reasoning with texts. But in order for religious and more popular levels of public discourse and deliberation to impact on the political and legislative processes, these too must be conceived as modes of reasoning having some continuity with higher levels of public reasoning. It is such continuity that this thesis seeks to theorise.

Η βαριά μυασθένεια (Myasthenia gravis-MG) είναι μία επίκτητη αυτοάνοση δυσλειτουργία στη νευρομυϊκή σύναψη που προκαλείται από αντισώματα που κατευθύνονται ειδικά έναντι του μυϊκού τύπου νικοτινικού υποδοχέας της ακετυλοχολίνης (AChR) που βρίσκεται στα μυϊκά κύτταρα. Τα αντισώματα μειώνουν τον αριθμό των λειτουργικών υποδοχέων με αποτέλεσμα οι μυς να μην μπορούν να ανταποκριθούν στα μηνύματα που λαμβάνουν από τα νευρικά κύτταρα. Η κλινική εικόνα χαρακτηρίζεται από χρόνια μυϊκή αδυναμία. Η σωστή διάγνωση από τον θεράποντα ιατρό και ο σχεδιασμός της κατάλληλης θεραπείας, αποτελούν τη βάση για την αντιμετώπιση μιας νόσου και την ενίσχυση της ποιότητας ζωής. Η μη συμμόρφωση όμως του ασθενούς, στη θεραπεία που του προτείνεται, αποτελεί αντικείμενο έρευνας τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες. Η μη συμμόρφωση έχει ως αποτέλεσμα την αύξηση του κόστους περίθαλψης, προκαλώντας μεγάλες κοινωνικοοικονομικές συνέπειες. Στην παρούσα έρευνα δημιουργήθηκε ένα ερωτηματολόγιο και διατέθηκε σε δείγμα 30 μυασθενών. Μέσω της συλλογής των απαντήσεων έγινε μια προσπάθεια να προσδιοριστούν οι παράγοντες που οδηγούν σε μη συμμόρφωση. Διερευνάται η στάση ζωής που κρατά ο ασθενής, η εικόνα που έχει ο ίδιος για τον εαυτό του και ο ρόλος που έχουν το στενό περιβάλλον, ο ιατρός και ο φαρμακοποιός του, ούτως ώστε, ο ασθενής να είναι συνεπής στην αγωγή που του έχει προταθεί. / Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is an acquired autoimmune neuromuscular junction disorder caused by antibodies directed specifically toward the skeletal muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR). The antibodies decrease the number of functional AChRs which compromises neuromuscular transmission. The clinical course of MG is characterized by muscular weakness and fatigability. The right diagnosis of the attending physician and the design of appropriate therapy are determinant for the treatment of a disease and enhance quality of life. Non-compliance of the patient (also adherence or capacitance) to the treatment that his doctor suggested, however, is being investigated in the last decades. Non-compliance increase health care costs and evoke considerable socioeconomic consequences. Worldwide, non-compliance is a major obstacle to the effective delivery of health care. In the present dissertation a questionnaire is created and distributed to a sample of 30 MG patients. Through the collection of responses we attempted to analyze the factors that lead to non-compliance. The objective was to identify how the patient sees himself. It was also made an effort to clarify the roles of doctor, pharmacist and family in patient compliance when long term medication is needed.

No description available.

This thesis analyzes the relation between Kripke&#039 / s rule-sceptic argument and Wittgenstein&#039 / s paradox. Besides, Kripke&#039 / s claim that the conclusion of Wittgenstein&#039 / s private language argument is stated in PI 202 will be discussed. The thesis will also evaluate the consistency of Kripke&#039 / s rule-sceptic argument independently of Wittgenstein&#039 / s views.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.