Thesis (MA(Practical Theology)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-94).

1. Remiantis interpretacinės antropologijos paradigma ir vadovaujantis trimis – paties tyrinėtojo, tyrimo dalyvių ir sociokultūrinio konteksto vaidmens blogos akies konstrukto kuriamajame darbe – perspektyvomis, daktaro disertacijoje nustatyta šiuolaikinio lietuviškojo blogos akies komplekso raiška. Siekiant atskleisti didelę individualių požiūrių ir sampratų įvairovę, darbe pabrėžiamos skirtingų nuomonių sankirtos ir sąveikos, akcentuojamas nepaliaujamas kūrybos vyksmas, dėl kurio randasi lankstus, griežtai neapibrėžtas darinys, leidžiantis bloga akimi tikintiems žmonėms aktyviai veikti, kurti, išreikšti daugybę įvairiausių prasmių ir asmeninių patirčių, interpretuojant asmenines bei socialines nesekmes, nepalankias gyvenimo aplinkybes ir laimės stoką. 2. Šių dienų Lietuvoje blogos akies kompleksas pasireiškia kaip homogeniškas, tačiau drauge ir įvairiaprasmis kultūrinis konstruktas. Jo kūrime dalyvauja abiejų lyčių, įvairaus amžiaus, profesijos ir išsilavinimo žmonės. Lyties požiūriu, blogos akies komplekso raiška nėra vienoda. Moterys, lyginant su vyrais, intensyviau išreiškia ir akcentuoja blogos akies idėją. Pasitvirtino iškelta hipotezė, kad šiuolaikinėje Lietuvoje moterys anksčiau negu vyrai sužino apie kenkiamąją akių galią ir daugiau apie blogą akį išmano. Remiantis turimais duomenimis, galima teigti, kad blogos akies idėja moterims svarbesnė negu vyrams, kad moterys blogos akies idėją pabrėžia intensyviau ir net pačios blogaakystę noriai priskiria moterims. 3... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / 1. Taking guidance from the paradigm of interpretative anthropology and basing on three perspectives – the role played by the researcher, research participants, and sociocultural context in the creation of evil eye construct – the doctoral dissertation has determined the representation of contemporary Lithuanian evil eye complex. In order to demonstrate a wide variety of individual attitudes and notions the present work highlights the intersections and interactions of differing opinions, stressing the continuous creative process due to which a flexible and vague construct emerges. It enables evil eye believers to express a multitude of various meanings and personal experiences for the purpose of interpreting their personal and social failures, unfavourable circumstances of life, and general lack of fortune. 2. In contemporary Lithuania, the evil eye complex manifests itself as a homogeneous multifaceted cultural construct, the creation of which involves people differing in terms of gender, age, profession, and education. However, from the point of view of gender, the evil eye representation is not balanced. Females express and stress the idea of evil eye more intensively than males. The hypothesis that females in contemporary Lithuania, compared to males, learn about the destructive power of eyes sooner and are better informed about the evil eye was corroborated. Basing on the existing data it is possible to contend that the idea of evil eye is more important to females than... [to full text]

1. Evil eye participates in the daily life of people of contemporary Lithuania in spite of urbanisation or achievements in the area of medicine and science. A homogeneous yet at the same time very elastic construct of the evil eye helps evil eye believers to interpret their personal and social failures, unfavourable circumstances of life, and lack of luck or fortune. 2. As a cultural construct, the contemporary Lithuanian evil eye complex may be characterised by flexibility, vagueness, dynamism, and a wide variety of forms of its representation. Developed perpetually in the processes of social and reflexive interactions, the evil eye representation in contemporary Lithuania undergoes endless modification, remaining, however, stable and resistant to changes. 3. In contemporary Lithuania, the fear of evil eye features not only among elderly people with relatively lower levels of schooling and livelihoods mostly connected with agriculture. The younger generation adopts the traditional notion of evil eye, enriching it with the elements of popular culture. 4. In contemporary Lithuania, the evil eye representation is not balanced from the point of view of gender. The idea of evil eye is expressed and stressed more intensively by females. Even in contemporary Lithuania, a typical possessor of the evil eye is an elderly dark-eyed female – an inquisitive, intrusive, talkative and envious neighbour, co-worker or relative. 5. It is commonly believed that the most vulnerable evil eye... [to full text] / Remiantis interpretacinės antropologijos paradigma ir vadovaujantis trimis – paties tyrinėtojo, tyrimo dalyvių ir sociokultūrinio konteksto vaidmens blogos akies konstrukto kuriamajame darbe – perspektyvomis, daktaro disertacijoje nustatyta šiuolaikinio lietuviškojo blogos akies komplekso raiška. Siekiant atskleisti didelę individualių požiūrių ir sampratų įvairovę, darbe pabrėžiamos skirtingų nuomonių sankirtos ir sąveikos, akcentuojamas nepaliaujamas kūrybos vyksmas, dėl kurio randasi lankstus, griežtai neapibrėžtas darinys, leidžiantis bloga akimi tikintiems žmonėms aktyviai veikti, kurti, išreikšti daugybę įvairiausių prasmių ir asmeninių patirčių, interpretuojant asmenines bei socialines nesekmes, nepalankias gyvenimo aplinkybes ir laimės stoką. Šių dienų Lietuvoje blogos akies kompleksas pasireiškia kaip homogeniškas, tačiau drauge ir įvairiaprasmis kultūrinis konstruktas. Jo kūrime dalyvauja abiejų lyčių, įvairaus amžiaus, profesijos ir išsilavinimo žmonės. Lyties požiūriu, blogos akies komplekso raiška nėra vienoda. Moterys, lyginant su vyrais, intensyviau išreiškia ir akcentuoja blogos akies idėją. Pasitvirtino iškelta hipotezė, kad šiuolaikinėje Lietuvoje moterys anksčiau negu vyrai sužino apie kenkiamąją akių galią ir daugiau apie blogą akį išmano. Remiantis turimais duomenimis, galima teigti, kad blogos akies idėja moterims svarbesnė negu vyrams, kad moterys blogos akies idėją pabrėžia intensyviau ir net pačios blogaakystę noriai priskiria moterims. Blogaakiu... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

This dissertation can be summarized as follows: ethnocentrism occurs because there is a lack of insight to the fact that religion is socially taught. Ethnocentrism should not be enforced on our understanding of other cultures. A comparative study was done between African witchcraft and the Greek evil eye to see if these two cultures still believe in what Westerners term superstitions, due to similar reasons. The study illustrated that these cultures still believe in these so-called superstitions because similar reasons. The study also showed that both these cultures experienced ethnocentrism from Western scholars’ who believe that the practice of witchcraft and the evil are primitive superstitions instead of a different reality to the their own. Greeks and Africans are socially taught to believe in the evil eye and witchcraft respectively. For the Greek people Satan is a real being, with supernatural powers, which can influence the ability of some people to cause malicious harm to other people by looking at them with an evil eye. Such maliciousness is despised and Greek people neither want to have the evil eye put on them or their families, nor do they want to be accused of putting the evil eye on others. The evil eye controls the social interaction of people’s behaviour, making people suspicious of one another. For African people witchcraft and the demonic are a reality that threatens their daily lives. African people live in constant fear of being bewitched. If an African person identifies the person who has bewitched them or their family they may take violent revenge on the accused witch, sometimes leading to the witches’ death. Witchcraft controls the social interaction of peoples’ behaviour, making people suspicious of one another. What some Western scholars fail to realize is that Westerners are socially taught to believe that the evil eye and witchcraft are superstitions. Westerners are socially taught to believe in Satan as a symbol of evil, rather than as an actual being. In the West it is considered primitive to believe in so-called superstitions of any kind as it is believed that what causes these so-called superstitions is a lack of modern (education) medicine. Westerners prefer to solve what some would call the supernatural by looking to science for logical explanations for such occurrences. / Dissertation (MA(Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Practical Theology / Unrestricted

The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between apotropaic decorations, here termed as apotropaic devices, and the architectural layout of an average Roman bathhouse. Moreover, to argue for the hypothesis that there was an apotropaic decorative program, i.e. an intentional plan for the placement of apotropaic devices within a Roman bathhouse. A sample of decorations are analysed, specifically 16 mosaics which constitute the main material, which is divided into three categories, namely, labyrinth, geometric/grid and Gorgon mosaics. Along with these there is supplementary material, namely, three freestanding sculptures (one hunchback and two herms) and two mosaics with inscriptions (One Greek and one Latin, both with a phallus symbol). The material is analysed with a modified phenomenological framework in mind, focusing on the experience which a bather might have had of the decoration itself and the room/space in which it was placed. Moreover, in order to argue for this hypothetical decorative program, this study constructs a hypothetical plan/map of an average Roman bathhouse based on the analysed material. The results gained from the analysis reveal patterns that seem to indicate a deeper intentionality than mere aesthetic appeal, and in turn these patterns seem to indicate, when viewed via our conceptual plan/map, some sort of apotropaic defence of Roman bathhouses. Thus, these results seem to lend credence to the hypothesis of an apotropaic decorative program. / Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka förhållandet mellan apotropeiska dekorationer, här kallade apotropeiska anordningar, och den arkitektoniska utformningen av ett genomsnittligt romerskt badhus. Vidare syftar studien till att argumentera för hypotesen att det fanns ett apotropaiskt dekorativt program, det vill säga en avsiktlig plan för placeringen av apotropeiska anordningar i ett romerskt badhus. Ett urval av dekorationer analyseras i studien, närmare bestämt 16 mosaiker som utgör huvudmaterialet, som är indelat i tre kategorier, nämligen labyrint, geometrisk/rutnät och Gorgon mosaik. Utöver dessa analyseras kompletterande material såsom tre fristående skulpturer (en puckelrygg och två hermer) och två mosaiker med inskriptioner (en grekisk och en latinsk, båda med fallossymbol). Materialet analyseras med en modifierad fenomenologisk ram i åtanke, med fokus på den upplevelse som en badgäst kan ha haft av själva utsmyckningen och rummet/utrymmet där den placerades. I syfte att argumentera för detta hypotetiska dekorativa program konstruerar denna studie en hypotetisk plan/karta över ett genomsnittligt romerskt badhus baserat på det analyserade materialet. Resultaten från analysen avslöjar mönster som tycks indikera en djupare intentionalitet än enbart estetiskt tilltalande. I sin tur verkar dessa mönster indikera, när de ses via studiens konceptuella plan/karta, något slags apotropeiskt försvar av romerska badhus. Således verkar dessa resultat ge trovärdighet åt hypotesen om ett apotropeiskt dekorativt program.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Georgetown University, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references.

The concept of love abounds in the Bible but it is questionable whether the same un-derstanding that the antique audiences of the biblical documents could have had of this concept is prevalent in our time. The reason for such doubt lies, simply, in the noticeable absence of regard for each other among (even devout) people. The study was directed towards an investigation of theological and popular views on biblical love as well as a brief overview of lexicographical works by known scholars as regards the noun  and the verb . It was found that, despite the vol-ume of entries, not much in the way of clarification of the meaning of  and re-lated words is available. There is, indeed, a dire lack of contemporary social-scien-tific related data as regards this important concept and related matters. The world of the New Testament differs widely from the one we live in and a brief overview was given from social-scientific sources on the historical-cultural aspects of the first century Mediterranean world. This was done from the perspective of making use of such data in the exegesis of three shorts text-segments selected from the Gospel of John. The text-segments John 3: 16; 13: 34-45 and 21: 15-17 are well-known for the bear-ing they have on the noun  and the verb  in the Fourth Gospel as well as the popular meaning/s that is quite commonly ascribed to the texts. Exegesis was done from a grammatical-historical paradigm with joint usage of applicable historical-cultural data. / Biblical and Ancient studies / D. Th. (New Testament)

The concept of love abounds in the Bible but it is questionable whether the same un-derstanding that the antique audiences of the biblical documents could have had of this concept is prevalent in our time. The reason for such doubt lies, simply, in the noticeable absence of regard for each other among (even devout) people. The study was directed towards an investigation of theological and popular views on biblical love as well as a brief overview of lexicographical works by known scholars as regards the noun  and the verb . It was found that, despite the vol-ume of entries, not much in the way of clarification of the meaning of  and re-lated words is available. There is, indeed, a dire lack of contemporary social-scien-tific related data as regards this important concept and related matters. The world of the New Testament differs widely from the one we live in and a brief overview was given from social-scientific sources on the historical-cultural aspects of the first century Mediterranean world. This was done from the perspective of making use of such data in the exegesis of three shorts text-segments selected from the Gospel of John. The text-segments John 3: 16; 13: 34-45 and 21: 15-17 are well-known for the bear-ing they have on the noun  and the verb  in the Fourth Gospel as well as the popular meaning/s that is quite commonly ascribed to the texts. Exegesis was done from a grammatical-historical paradigm with joint usage of applicable historical-cultural data. / Biblical and Ancient studies / D. Th. (New Testament)

This thesis focuses on the significance of blood and the perception of the body in both learned and popular culture in order to investigate problems of identity and social exclusion in early modern Europe. Starting from the view of blood as a liminal matter, manifesting fertile, positive aspects in conjunction with dangerous, negative ones, I show how it was believed to attract supernatural forces within the natural world. It could empower or pollute, restore health or waste corporeal and spiritual existence. While this theme has been studied in a medieval religious context and by anthropologists, its relevance during the early modern period has not been explored. I argue that, considering the impact of the Reformation on people’s mentalities, studying the way in which ideas regarding blood and the body changed from late medieval times to the eighteenth century can provide new insights about patterns of social and religious tensions, such as the witch-trials and persecutions. In this regard the thesis engages with anthropological theories, comparing the dialectic between blood and body with that between identity and society, demonstrating that they both spread from the conflict of life with death, leading to the social embodiment or to the rejection of an individual. A comparative approach is also employed to analyze blood symbolism in Protestant and Catholic countries, and to discuss how beliefs were influenced by both cultural similarities and religious differences. Combining historical sources, such as witches’ confessions, with appropriate examples from anthropology I also examine a corpus of popular ideas, which resisted to theological and learned notions or slowly merged with them. Blood had different meanings for different sections of society, embodying both the physical struggle for life and the spiritual value of the Christian soul. Chapters 2, 3 and 4 develop the dualism of the fluid in late medieval and early modern ritual murder accusations against Jews, European witchcraft and supernatural beliefs and in the medical and philosophical knowledge, while chapters 5 and 6 focus on blood themes in Protestant England and in Counter-Reformation Italy. Through the examination of blood in these contexts I hope to demonstrate that contrasting feelings, fears and beliefs related to dangerous or extraordinary individuals, such as Jews, witches, and Catholic saints, but also superhuman beings such as fairies, vampires and werewolves, were rooted in the perception of the body as an unstable substance, that was at the base of ethnic, religious and gender stereotypes.