This thesis explores how and why the Gospel writers utilized the prophet Elijah. The result of this research provides a better understanding of how the early Church related to the Old Testament and Jewish thought in the first century CE. Treatment of this OT character also illuminates the Gospels' literary structure and theology, especially in the areas of christology and eschatology. The study begins by observing the use of Elijah in Jewish literature, demonstrating the influence of the historical accounts from 1 and 2 Kings and the future prediction of Malachi upon later Jewish and Christian thinking. In contrast to previous Elijanic studies, this investigation is exhaustive, addressing all aspects surrounding this figure. Consequently, the work identifies three common associations with Elijah - a miracle worker, a righteous and zealous individual, and an eschatological figure. In order to address the highly debated messianic forerunner motif, concentration is given to the third role, demonstrating that it is a pre-Christian notion. The thesis then observes how the individual Gospels show some distinctions in the various Elijanic roles depicted; yet, among the distinctions there is overall conformity. Even the Fourth Gospel's recounting of John the Baptist's denial does not imply a contradiction concerning how the writer understands the expected Elijanic figure. In conclusion, each of the Gospel writers portrays John the Baptist, not Jesus, as the eschatological Elijah of Malachi. Furthermore, the research reveals that despite the Gospel writers neglect of Elijah's miracles and the downplaying, if not denial, of a literal expectation, the Evangelists do resemble their Jewish contemporaries in presenting Elijah as an eschatological figure who indicates the coming of the Messiah and his kingdom.

Boston University. University Professors Program Senior theses. / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-02

Thesis--Burton College. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Burton College. / Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this study of Azariah de'Rossi's Me~or Enayim is primarily to establish the precise scholarly context of de'Rossi's historical investigations by means of an analysis of the author's use of sources. The first section is devoted, for the most part, to de'Rossi's study of the origins of the Septuagint and to his use and evaluation of the work of Philo and Josephus. In relation to his Septuagint studies it is argued that his work bears greater affinity to northern European than to Italian antiquarian scholarship of his time. The original nature of de'Rossi's critique of Philo is demonstrated and is considered in the light of Christian attitudes towards the Hellenistic Jew. As regards de'Rossi's Jewish sources attention is given to his controversial analysis of the Aggadoth and to his evaluation of some post-Talmudic sources. Further clarification as to the scholarly framework of de'Rossi's researches is provided in the chapter on his use of the work of two Christian writers - Augustinus Steuchus and Annius of Viterbo. A re-appraisal of the Jewish reaction to the publication of the Me'or (Enayim is given in the Postscript. In the second par~ an annotated English translation of five ~ c chapters of the Me'or _Enayim have been provided as illustration of the discussions of the first part of the thesis.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 280-294).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 280-294). Also available on the Internet.

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Historicizing Identities analyzes the intersections of Jewish, French and immigrant identity in novels and films that depict Jewish migration from Eastern Europe and North Africa in the twentieth century. Through a combination of literary and historical analysis, it traces changing notions of identity during and after the collapse of the French empire between the 1940s and 1960s, and explores how Jewish writers’ and filmmakers’ perspectives vary depending on their relationships to the history of colonialism and the Holocaust. The works discussed in the dissertation consider the history of Jewish immigration through the lens of personal family stories. This approach reflects the extent to which marriage and children are at the center of logics of assimilation in France as well as traditional understandings of Jewish survival. Additionally, turning to their own families’ pasts allows these artists to insist on the particularities of their experience and to resist reductive understandings of Jewish history. In turn, close analysis of their work allows us to better understand Jewish, French and immigrant identity as historical constructions.

Esta pesquisa de mestrado tem como o objetivo analisar os aspectos judaicos do romance Herzog, de Saul Bellow (1915-2005), buscando compreender a função de tais elementos na obra. Por elementos judaicos, entende-se não apenas a citação de elementos religiosos, históricos, costumes e personagens judeus como a presença de um pensamento embasado na tradução judaica. Parte-se da hipótese de que, não sendo um romance centrado na discussão do judaísmo em si, Herzog tem o judaísmo como uma lente através da qual Moses, protagonista do romance, enxerga o mundo e o analisa. O ponto de partida para a análise dessa lente judaica é a noção judaica de temporalidade, em que o indivíduo absorve em sua identidade o passado de seu povo, no caso dos judeus desde os remotos tempos bíblicos até os eventos do século XX, aliada ao constante sentimento de exílio, que coloca Moses na eterna posição de não-pertencimento. Dessa forma, Saul Bellow constrói, ao mesmo tempo, um romance enraizado na tradição judaica, mas que consegue dialogar com a sociedade mais ampla e com o seu tempo, na medida que Moses Herzog, em seu momento de crise e reflexão profunda, confronta não apenas seu histórico e sua identidade, mas principalmente o mundo à sua volta e suas bases intelectuais, ou seja, o círculo acadêmico e a vida nas metrópoles norte-americanas. / This master\'s dissertation aims to analyze the Jewish aspects of the novel Herzog, by Saul Bellow (1915-2005), trying to understand the role of these elements in this work. By Jewish elements, I considered not only quotations of religious ideas, history, customs and the presence of Jewish characters but also the presence of a way of thought rooted in Jewish tradition. It starts from the assumption that, not being a novel that aims to discuss Judaism itself, Herzog is a work in which Judaism is a lens through which the novels protagonista, Moses, sees the world and analyzes it. The starting point for the analysis of this Jewish lens is the Jewish notion of temporality, in which the individual absorbs into its identity the past of his people, in the case of the Jews, from ancient biblical times to the events of the twentieth century, along with the constant sense of exile that puts Moses in the eternal position of not belonging. Thus, Saul Bellow builds both a rooted romance in Jewish tradition, but able to dialogue with the wider society and its time as Moses Herzog, in his moment of crisis and deep reflection, confronts not only his past and identity, but mostly the world around him and his intellectual bases, namely the academic circles and life in American cities.