The aim of this thesis is to study the problem of change in Jewish religious life. At the outset, a brief historical review of the development of Jewish religious law is sketched In order to introduce the reader to some of the religious problems which have faced the Jews during the past two centuries. The second chapter outlines the four most important modern approaches to the problem of change: Reform, Neo-Orthodox, Conservative, and Reconstructionist. In connection with each of these movements, the reader will find a brief history, explanation of principles, and evaluation. A study of Jewish religious life in Vancouver is presented in the third chapter to show the extent of social change away from the norm of Orthodoxy that has taken place in the Jewish religious life of this community. Wherever possible, comparisons are made with the Jewish community of Minneapolis, one of the few that have been studied, in order to ascertain if Vancouver is typical. In the last chapter certain conclusions are reached about the need for change in Jewish religious life. Conclusions are reached after considering the history of Jewish religious law, the modern attempts to change this law, and the extent to which contemporary Jews observe Jewish religious law. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate

Two teams of researchers conducted participant-observation studies in Middletown in the past fifty years. The first study was made by Robert and Helen Merrill Lynd in 1929 and subsequently, they re-evaluated their work in the 1930’s. The early sixties brought a third to fruition. Whitney Gordon concentrated on Temple Emanu’El, the Jewish Reform synagogue in Middletown. Gordon, following the organizational structure used by the Lynd’s, attempted to study the temple using the concept of stress as his frame of reference.As a revisit, my research attempts to study and understand the ritualand belief patterns within the framework of Temple Emanu’El Temple, a cultural system. Described are the temporal and spatial dimensions which define the tangible boundaries in which the ongoing ritual processes occur. As demonstrated here, a cultural system regulates as well as it is regulated by its membership, the human element necessary for existence.Due to the unique history of Middletown, this revisit study was enhanced. It succeeded three previous studies, the last of which took place in the same cultural system. The question of ethics which is generally faced by a social scientist as well as his subjects received significant attention in this research.

During recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the study of the historical and religious values of the Old Testament. Christians everywhere seem to have become obsessed with an inherent thirst for a better understanding of this great book and the faith it teaches. This renewed desire to probe into the rich background of Semitic culture that is the very historical foundation of Christianity seems to have been brought about by two distinct and quite general conditions. The first and most obvious condition is the age in which we are living--the age of science. Today, this age is probing everywhere to discover and verify with facts the true meaning of the ever increasing amount of archeological evidence that is constantly being uncovered in the field of Old Testament research. Scientific research has far outdistanced the ability of the average man to assimilate even the wealth of knowledge that has already been uncovered. At this point, we are experiencing a cultural lag which in time should be overcome. A second motivating factor that has caused man to turn once again to a more critical study of the Old Testament has been his honest endeavor to bridge this cultural lag and also erase from posterity a blot of religious illiteracy concerning the great religious truths of this book. Many of these truths have never been brought into the full light of scientific discrimination and understanding until very recent years. One of the ideas of the Old Testament about which very little is generally known is the nature of the sacrificial system of the ancient Israelites. It is from this sacrificial system that the worship service of Christianity found the seeds of its early development. It is the purpose of this thesis to trace a view of the origin, purposes, and development of this sacrificial system from its most humble beginnings down to its completion in Jesus Christ. The fundamental aim of the thesis is to convey to the reader the idea that eternal truths were enshrined in the crude forms of early sacrificial worship and that, ultimately, these truths had their fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

No description available.

Multicultural education is a nebulous term steeped in cultural assumptions and perhaps political rhetoric. Over time, it has been repeatedly addressed through policy statements and learning materials. In order to move beyond mere rhetoric, the awareness generated from studies and research must be effectively implemented through carefully designed educational programs. Such programs may assume a variety of approaches, however the literature suggests appreciation for cultural diversity is most likely to be achieved through presentation of cultural similarities, insider perspectives, primary materials and cross cultural contact. To this end, Spotlight On Jewish Canadians was designed to foster cross cultural communication and to generate appreciation for living in a multicultural society. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a curriculum premised on the afore-mentioned principles and to report on its findings. A quasi-experimental research design involving four teachers and ninety-six students was developed and implemented. Four methods were used to collect data. Two pencil and paper tests, classroom observations and teacher evaluations were analyzed to see what effect, if any, the unit had on the students involved. The results of the pencil and paper tests indicated that there was as a significant increase in students pride in heritage as a result of the unit, but no significant increase in students preference for to social diversity was evident. It should be noted that the unit focussed on Jewish Canadians but the measure assessed acceptance of social diversity in general. However classroom observations and teacher evaluations contradicted the findings of the preference for social diversity measure. In general the teachers found the unit to be helpful in making their students more accepting of social diversity as well as increasing pride towards students own cultures. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

M.A. / Christianity was not born in a vacuum, but it completely owes its historical genesis on or from Jewish religion. The Apostolic, Primitive church was initially composed of Jewish believers who had seen in and understood Jesus of Nazareth as the anticipated Messiah predicted by the Old Testament prophets and writers. The current and lamentable truth is, Jewish Religion and Christianity are now two different and separate religions. Jesus Christ, His disciples, and Paul remained Jews as far as the Jewish culture is concerned. It is difficult to separate the sacred and secular in the Jewish economy because Jewish culture and religion are intertwined. In this culture, ploughing is as sacred as worshipping. The only apparent shift in his (Paul) paradigm was in interpreting and explaining the Old Testament prophecies and ceremonial system in the light of the Jesus Christ event at the Cross. His evaluation of that "event" and the Person of Jesus of Nazareth became the point of conflict with Judaisers and Judaism that would set a stage for separation between Christianity and Jewish Religion. The Christian Church exists in the post-Cross era. This Church is faced with, among other issues and tasks, challenges of sifting and demarcating between God's injunctions and Jewish Customs.

The ancient Near Eastern cultures and the Babylonian Talmud are examined to ascertain whether they can elucidate Biblical descriptions of disease (many of which are mentioned by the Talmudic rabbis in the course of their discussions) to render a better understanding of the Biblical text. Archaeological evidence can verify the existence of tuberculosis, gout and leprosy in Old Testament times because these diseases leave specific lesions on ancient bones. The ancient Israelites used amulets and incantations to ward off or treat illnesses despite Biblical prohibitions. This use was echoed in both the ancient Near Eastern cultures and in Talmudic times because some rabbis realised their effectiveness, but the majority doubted their usefulness. Idolatry, necromancy and sorcery were practiced and demons played a role in illness. Physicians, healers, herbal remedies, therapies and folk medicine in Biblical and Talmudic times are investigated. / Biblical Archaeology / M.A. (Biblical Archaeology)

Text in German / Essen und Trinken haben im Neuen Testament einen hohen Stellenwert. Die ersten Christen haben sich regelmäßig beim Mahl getroffen. Die ausführlichste Beschreibung einer solchen Mahlzeit findet sich in 1Kor 11,17-34, in den paulinischen Ausführungen zum Abendmahl der Korinther. Im Verlauf der weiteren Kirchengeschichte hat das christliche Abendmahl einiges an Veränderung erfahren. Diese Arbeit soll zeigen, dass urchristliche Mahlfeiern wenig mit unseren heutigen Mahlfeiern gemeinsam hatten. Ein besonderer Fokus soll darauf liegen, in wie weit die Urgemeinde ihre Mahlfeiern gerade auch zu missionarischen Zwecken verwendet haben, ein Zusammenhang, dem seit frühster Kirchengeschichte keine wirkliche Beachtung mehr geschenkt worden ist. Schlüsselbegriffe Herrenmahl, Mahlgemeinschaft, Eucharistie, Antikes Gastmahl, Mission, Ungläubige / Eating and drinking have an important position in the New Testament. That is due to the fact, that Early Christian’s meat regularly at communal meals. The most detailed description of such a meal could be found in 1Cor 11, 17-34, the Pauline depiction of the Lords Supper. But during the progress of church history Christian communion changed significantly. This paper wants to show, that the Early Christian’s communion had little in common with our communion today. A special focus should be lie on the fact, that the early church used their communion for missionary purpose, a connection that got lost quickly in the first centuries of church history. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

The ancient Near Eastern cultures and the Babylonian Talmud are examined to ascertain whether they can elucidate Biblical descriptions of disease (many of which are mentioned by the Talmudic rabbis in the course of their discussions) to render a better understanding of the Biblical text. Archaeological evidence can verify the existence of tuberculosis, gout and leprosy in Old Testament times because these diseases leave specific lesions on ancient bones. The ancient Israelites used amulets and incantations to ward off or treat illnesses despite Biblical prohibitions. This use was echoed in both the ancient Near Eastern cultures and in Talmudic times because some rabbis realised their effectiveness, but the majority doubted their usefulness. Idolatry, necromancy and sorcery were practiced and demons played a role in illness. Physicians, healers, herbal remedies, therapies and folk medicine in Biblical and Talmudic times are investigated. / Biblical Archaeology / M.A. (Biblical Archaeology)

Text in German / Essen und Trinken haben im Neuen Testament einen hohen Stellenwert. Die ersten Christen haben sich regelmäßig beim Mahl getroffen. Die ausführlichste Beschreibung einer solchen Mahlzeit findet sich in 1Kor 11,17-34, in den paulinischen Ausführungen zum Abendmahl der Korinther. Im Verlauf der weiteren Kirchengeschichte hat das christliche Abendmahl einiges an Veränderung erfahren. Diese Arbeit soll zeigen, dass urchristliche Mahlfeiern wenig mit unseren heutigen Mahlfeiern gemeinsam hatten. Ein besonderer Fokus soll darauf liegen, in wie weit die Urgemeinde ihre Mahlfeiern gerade auch zu missionarischen Zwecken verwendet haben, ein Zusammenhang, dem seit frühster Kirchengeschichte keine wirkliche Beachtung mehr geschenkt worden ist. Schlüsselbegriffe Herrenmahl, Mahlgemeinschaft, Eucharistie, Antikes Gastmahl, Mission, Ungläubige / Eating and drinking have an important position in the New Testament. That is due to the fact, that Early Christian’s meat regularly at communal meals. The most detailed description of such a meal could be found in 1Cor 11, 17-34, the Pauline depiction of the Lords Supper. But during the progress of church history Christian communion changed significantly. This paper wants to show, that the Early Christian’s communion had little in common with our communion today. A special focus should be lie on the fact, that the early church used their communion for missionary purpose, a connection that got lost quickly in the first centuries of church history. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)