Nazirites are a well-documented phenomenon within the context of the Hebrew Bible. The bulk of research has focused mainly on the role of Samson as a life long Nazirite, but little has been done concerning the role of women within the context of the Nazirite Vow. The goal of this paper will be to examine the role of women within the Nazirite Vow, as well as examining the constraints that might arise when one takes into account the purity laws. The Nazirite Vow is the only vow within the Bible that explicitly mentions the inclusion of women. The question I am interested in addressing is, are there circumstances that might exclude the woman? The idea behind the Nazirite vow is that one is consecrating oneself to YHWH, or setting oneself apart. If one were setting oneself apart then these rules that they would have to follow would not supersede the purity laws. I would suggest that beyond the regular constraints, avoiding dead bodies, grape products, and cutting ones hair, one would still be responsible to keep the purity laws. Therefore, when one takes an issue like menstruation into account, this severely limits the amount of time a woman has to complete the Nazirite Vow. As I will detail in this paper, this leads to the conclusion that if the vow lasted for more than thirty days the only women who would be able to complete the Nazirite Vow successfully would be pregnant women or a woman who is postmenopausal. This could suggest a certain amount of restriction regarding the woman's ability to perform this vow and may suggest why the inclusion of women is made explicit within the context of Numbers 6. Furthermore, this could suggest that fertility might be an aspect of the Nazirite Vow. / Religion

This project examines the images used in the beginning and ending chapters of Isaiah. The purpose of this project is to trace the transformation of specific images from their introduction in Isaiah 1 to their re-interpretation in Isaiah 65-66. While this analysis uses the verbal parallels (shared vocabulary) as a starting point, the present project seeks to move beyond the analysis of verbal parallels. The discovery and analysis of these transformed images forges a deeper connection between the first and last chapters of Isaiah. The three images are as follows: The first image occurs in Isaiah 1:2-4 where YHWH is described as a spurned parent. This image is transformed and reinterpreted in Isaiah 66:13 where YHWH is described as a comforting mother. The second image occurs in Isaiah 1:15 which pictures YHWH as an unresponsive deity. This image is transformed in Isaiah 65:24 where YHWH is presented as an attentive god. The third image occurs in 1:21 where Zion is pictured as a prostitute. This image is transformed in 66:10-11 where Jerusalem is presented as a birthing and nursing mother. On this basis the present project proposes a rhetorical and literary purpose behind the repetition/transformation of images in Isaiah 65-66. These purposes are explored in conjunction with the analysis of each image. In addition, this project identifies effective reading strategies for the book as a whole and contributes to a growing trend that sees Isaiah as a literary unity. / Religion

The concept of [hebrew characters] (tsedeqah) is a cardinal feature of the prophetic teaching. A study of the prophetic literature in the Old Testament reveals that the Hebrew word [hebrew characters- tsedeqah] and cognates appear about one hundred and sixty times. This frequent usage emphasizes the significant place the concept of [hebrew characters- tsedeqah] had in the thinking and preaching of the prophets. The impact of the prophets delcarations is greatly dimished for many readers, however, by the wide range of diversity in the Greek and English translations of [hebrew characters- tsedeqah] and its cognate words.

II Peter has been a very controversial epistle. To use the term, 'has been', takes us as far back as the second century, for the early church fathers were sceptical of its value and authenticity and some have claimed that it came near not being part of the New Testament canon. You will note that this study is not a commentary but rather an introduction to the problems that have arisen concerning this epistle.

The primary purpose of this work is to call attention to the existence of Latin words in the Greek New Testament and to present an objective study of them. As a corollary to this study, the impact of Graeco-Roman culture upon Judea in terms of these words, their synonyms, and related words is pointed out. Glimpses of the background of the New Testament figures afforded through this study lend perspective to the New Testament pages.

It is my deep conviction that the Gospel takes on new meaning as we see its message in the light of its historical background. In this instance we are interested in the influence which the Wisdom Literature exerted upon the Gospel records.

There seems to be, among other things, a vivid reflection of church life in the Gospel According to Matthew. It is my purpose to point out the outstanding characteristics of the Gospel of Matthew and in so doing present what appears to me to be a definite portrait of an early church. As the environment seems to become clear in what we read, the church takes form and we can see many interesting aspects of it.

Previous research has shown that 80% of college students have reported they are interested in spirituality. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of female students while studying Old Testament scriptures as part of their required liberal arts curriculum and to describe how their experiences affected their lives, spiritually or in other ways. While there is a small but growing body of survey data about students' interest in spirituality, a gap exists regarding how or in what ways required biblical curriculum affects students spiritually at Christian liberal arts universities. Fowler's faith stages, Gibson's model for spiritual development, and Thayer's spirituality scales, derived from learning theory, provided the conceptual framework and guided the interpretation of findings. Thirteen female students, the class professor, and his classroom manager participated in face-to-face interviews. The constant comparative method was used for content analysis to identify, code, and group meaningful statements into salient themes and organize them into 5 primary domains. Students reported the study of scriptures increased their faith in and spiritual connection to God, helped them internalize and articulate their Christian beliefs, and eased their transition into college, because they applied biblical lessons to their everyday lives. The results of this study have implications for positive social change by adding to the knowledge of spirituality in Christian higher education. At the student level, the implications for social change are positive attitude and lifestyle changes, improved relationships with family, and having meaning and purpose in life. At the institutional level, the results provide insight for developing effective curriculum that meets the needs and expectations of students, which can lead to greater student retention and persistence to graduation.

It will be the purpose of this thesis to critically investigate the word [ruach] in its occurences in the Massoretic Text and to attempt to determine in each case the true meaning which the original author wished to convey.

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