Worth spending 30 minutes to listen, is this podcast interview with Professor Andei Lankov of Kookmin University in Seoul:
fulltimestudent
JoinedPosts by fulltimestudent
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North Korea In Flux?
by metatron inhttp://entertainment.ie/life/kim-jong-un-is-apparently-not-in-control-of-north-korea-anymore/298031.htm.
this follows other odd reports from other sources: that un's sister is in charge, that the capital is locked down and that the number 2 man in north korea is meeting with south korean reunification officials.. .
can we hope that this affront to human decency is now changing?
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11
North Korea In Flux?
by metatron inhttp://entertainment.ie/life/kim-jong-un-is-apparently-not-in-control-of-north-korea-anymore/298031.htm.
this follows other odd reports from other sources: that un's sister is in charge, that the capital is locked down and that the number 2 man in north korea is meeting with south korean reunification officials.. .
can we hope that this affront to human decency is now changing?
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fulltimestudent
Also being regarded as a source of information is a meeting, in the Netherlands in September, of former NK officials who have defected.
You can read the full report by Vice News at: https://news.vice.com/article/former-top-official-says-kim-jong-un-is-no-longer-in-control-of-north-korea
but here's an extract:
....the keynote address was given by Jang Jin-sung, formerly a key member of Kim Jong-il's propaganda machine. Included in Jang's speech was a surprising assertion: North Korea is in the midst of a civil war.
According to Jang — a former counterintelligence official and poet laureate under Kim Jong-il — members of the government's Organization and Guidance Department (OGD), a powerful group of officials that once reported only to Kim Jong-il, have stopped taking orders from his son, Kim Jong-un. The OGD, Jang says, has effectively taken control of the country, and a conflict is simmering between factions that want to maintain absolute control over the economy and others seeking to gain wealth through foreign trade and a slightly more open market.
"On one hand, it's people who want to maintain a regime monopoly," Jang told VICE News through a translator in an interview Thursday. "On the other hand, it's not like people are fighting against the regime, but in a policy sense they want to take advantage to get influence. It's not actually consciously civil war, but there are these two incompatible forces at play."
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North Korea In Flux?
by metatron inhttp://entertainment.ie/life/kim-jong-un-is-apparently-not-in-control-of-north-korea-anymore/298031.htm.
this follows other odd reports from other sources: that un's sister is in charge, that the capital is locked down and that the number 2 man in north korea is meeting with south korean reunification officials.. .
can we hope that this affront to human decency is now changing?
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fulltimestudent
My mind is in a state of flux, suffering from attempts to interview Jesus regarding his real plan to govern Christian communities during his absence, so I'm not going to swallow this bait and spend a couple of hours typing a more detailed response to this claimed development.
but briefly:
1. There is a constant propaganda war between North Korea and South Korea, not to mention the 'black ops' (read, disinformation) departments of other players that maintain an interest in the region.
2. There is, in the west, a constant need for journals and thinktanks to maintain a commentary on certain 'hot' topics to demonstrate that they are viable and invaluable sources of information, or otherwise no one will bother to read them or heed them.
The basic trigger for this 'new development' is that KJU last made a public appearance in early September. So whether the reason for absence from public view, is a 'palace coup' by the old guard or pressure from a 'new guard,' is essentially unknown and everything said is likely to be an (informed?) guess.
So view this The Diplomat report in the light of my reminders:
Web-link: http://thediplomat.com/2014/10/kim-jong-uns-sister-takes-control-in-north-korea/
Kim Jong-Un's Sister Takes Control in North Korea
According to a new report by a Seoul think tank, Kim Jong-un’s younger sister is in charge during his absence.
By Tae-jun Kang October 01, 2014Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, might be leading the hermit kingdom instead of her brother, a recent report from Seoul-based think tank, North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity (NKIS) revealed.
According to NKIS on October 1, Kim Jong-un — who has failed to appear at official events since early September — is getting medical treatment at Bonghwa Clinic from both domestic and foreign medical teams. Meanwhile, in his absence, Kim Yo-jong is charged with handling important government decisions.
An unnamed source told NKIS that a decision to give Kim Jong-un extended medical treatment was made at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea on September 6. The meeting was reportedly held at Kim Yo-jong’s suggestion.
As a result of the meeting, Pyongyang decided four things. First, to give special and extended medical treatment to Kim Jong-un in order to quickly restore his health. Second, all North Korean high level officials and party members should be responsible in following Kim’s previous orders. Third, the party and army should be on wartime-like alert while Kim Jong-un is out of commission. Lastly, all the important matters related to government administration should be reported to Kim Yo-jong, so that Kim Jong-un can concentrate on getting better.
Kim Yo-jong is the daughter of the former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and his wife, Kim Yong-hui. She was first spotted at a photo session for participants at the 3rd Conference of the Workers’ Party of Korea in September 2010, when she stood next to her father’s personal secretary.
She was officially mentioned for the first time on March 9, 2014, as she accompanied her brother in voting for the Supreme People’s Assembly. She was identified as a “senior official” of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. She is widely seen as having taken over the role of her aunt, Kim Kyong-hui, the wife of the executed Jang Song-thaek. Kim Kyong-hui supported her elder brother Kim Jong-il during his rule.
“Some say Hwang Byong-so, director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People’s Army, may have assumed new No. 2 status, but given what has been confirmed this time, we can say Hwang is just a shadow, and Kim Yo-jong is the second-in-command of North Korea,” said Kim Heung-gwang, the head of NKIS.
Meanwhile, speculation over Kim Jong-un’s sustained absence continues unabated.
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported, citing an unnamed source, that he is suffering from gout.
A Daily Mirror report said that Kim Jong-un is addicted to Swiss cheese, which may have contributed to his health problems.
Curtis Melvin, a researcher with the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, told Foreign Policy that Kim Jong un spends much of his time at the family compounds in Wonsan and Kangdong. The family compound in Kangdong is where Kim Jong-il recovered from his stroke.
In addition, Free North Korea Radio (FNK) reported on September 29 that Kim hadsurgery on his ankle. The surgery was reportedly successful.
However, the South Korean government has refused to confirm that Kim is suffering from any health problem.
“I think it is hard to relate Kim’s absence to his health since there used to be a time when Kim disappeared from official events [for] over ten days,” said Lim Byeong-chul, a spokesman of the Ministry of Unification.
And ...
Source: http://thediplomat.com/2014/10/top-north-korean-officials-make-surprise-visit-to-south-korea/
Top North Korean Officials Make Surprise Visit to South Korea
The most senior North Korean delegation to visit South Korea since 2002 arrived in Incheon on Saturday.
By Zachary Keck October 04, 2014The two Koreas shocked everyone on Saturday when a North Korean military delegation led by Hwang Pyong-so, Choe Ryong-hae, and Kim Yang-gon arrived in Incheon, South Korea on an unannounced trip.
Although the North Korean leadership structure is highly opaque, Hwang Pyong-so is widely believed to be the second highest ranking official after only Kim Jong-un. Officially, he is holds the titles of the director of the Korean People’s Army General Political Bureau (seen as the second highest military official after the supreme commander), vice chairman of the National Defense Commission, and first deputy director of the Workers’ Party of Korea’s (WPK) Organization and Guidance Department (OCD). Many North Korean defectors and foreign experts claim the OCD is the most powerful body within the DPRK.
Christopher Green, manager of International Affairs for Daily NK and co-editor of Sino-NK, tells The Diplomat that this is the first time North Korea’s presumptive number 2 has visited South Korea since Jang Song-taek in 2002. (Green, like many North Korean experts, did stress the ambiguity and impreciseness of labeling anyone North Korea’s No. 2.)
Although Hwang appears to be the most senior official in the delegation, Choe Ryong-hae and Kim Yang-gon are also among the most powerful men in the North Korean regime. In fact, Choe, a close military aide to Kim Jong-un’s father, was widely viewed as North Korea’s No. 2 following the purge of Jang Song-taek last December. However, this spring he was replaced by Hwang as director of the Korean People’s Army General Political Bureau. Then, last month, Hwang also replaced Choe as vice chairman of the National Defense Commission. He currently holds the titles of WPK secretary for Workers’ Organization and chairman of the State Physical Culture and Sports Commission. The North Korean regime may be hoping to solidify Hwang’s status as No. 2 with this trip.
Kim Yang-gon is the director of North Korea’s United Front Department, which is the body that handles relations with South Korea and implements many other aspects of the North’s South Korean policy. He was also part of the last senior North Korean delegation to visit South Korea in 2009.
The official purpose of the delegation’s visit is to attend the closing ceremonies of the 17th Asian Games. However, it seems unlikely that such a senior level North Korean delegation would be visiting South Korea unless they were needed for some activity that could not be entrusted to more junior officials. This would most likely be negotiating on important or sensitive issues, although some speculated they may have made the visit to deliver a secret message from Kim Jong-un to the South Korean government.
This latter view is bolstered by the fact that the delegation is expected to return home Saturday afternoon following the closing ceremonies, suggesting that no intense negotiations will take place. The three North Korean officials did meet with South Korean officials upon their arrival on Saturday morning, and attended a luncheon with South Korea’s Unification Minister, Ryoo Kihl-jae, and national security adviser, Kim Kwan-jin.
Their visit comes at a time when Kim Jong-un has not been seen publicly in a month and North Korea’s official media has said he is suffering from health problems.
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Chinese National Day
by fulltimestudent inoctober 1 is the found day for the "people's republic of china.".
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i've been exchanging greetings with friends in china, and i've shared this jacky chan song with them for the 2014 national day.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjrdqccbfzo.
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fulltimestudent
October 1 is the found day for the "People's Republic of China."
I've been exchanging greetings with friends in China, and I've shared this Jacky Chan song with them for the 2014 National day.
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Iran to be re-instated and no longer shunned.
by fulltimestudent infrom the time the isis crisis hit western consciousness, i started wondering two things.. first, how had these people, part of the west's rag-tag band of proxy fighters against the syrian government, become so skilful in a military sense.
syria has a reasonable military (for that sort of country) but not remarkable.
the isis force had not been winning many battles in that country, so why were they doing so well in iraq.. i soon found the answer.
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fulltimestudent
From the time the ISIS crisis hit western consciousness, I started wondering two things.
First, how had these people, part of the west's rag-tag band of proxy fighters against the Syrian government, become so skilful in a military sense. Syria has a reasonable military (for that sort of country) but not remarkable. The ISIS force had not been winning many battles in that country, so why were they doing so well in Iraq.
I soon found the answer. The Sunni forces, formerly part of the Saddam Hussein political grouping, and dispossessed from political power were supporting ISIS forces, in an attempt to regain their lost influence.
That support included the defeated (I'm not sure that's the right word) military staff and many of the soldiers of Saddam's former Army (see, ghosts can fight-grin).
Second: As, I tried to research further, I found trickles of news that the Iranian military was already fighting ISIS in Iraq. Now, I thought that's important news, but there's hardly any mention of that fact in western news, which at present is mainly about how wonderful western leaders are in stepping up to their responsibilities to humanity (sarcastic laughter). The fact that most of them were losing popular political support, doesn't get much mention either.
Why, I thought, is the Iranian involvement NOT being mentioned. The answer was obvious. The west had long been shunning Iran, so you couldn't even name the name, so naturally western newspapers wouldn't talk about the Iranian involvement. Yet is also clear that if the failed western re-construction of Iraq is to be salvaged in any reasonable degree, the west needed all the help it could get.
So why am I still surprised at how quickly the political landscape can change.
One of my favourite sources, for what's really happening in the world, former Indian diplomat, M.K.Bhadrakumar* backgrounds Iran's reinstatement in this post (I've left the links live, in case anyone wants to follow through):
Iran offers to be West’s natural ally
The overwhelming majority with which the House of Commons in London passed a few hours earlier the resolution endorsing the government’s proposal to join the US-led military strikes against the Islamic State in Iraq catapults Prime Minister David Cameron to a pivotal role in President Barack Obama’s strategy. With Britain by its side, US doesn’t need the ramshackle “coalition of the willing”, while without Britain, even six Saudi Arabias within that coalition wouldn’t have meant much.
Cameron has begun preparing himself already. His meeting on Wednesday in New York with the Iranian president Hassan Rouhani (just before the House of Commons vote) was symbolic insofar as it has been the first such meeting since the 1979 Islamic revolution, but London wouldn’t have made such a historic move except with the foreknowledge that Iran’s integration with the international community is imminent. Indeed, the facade of the P5+Germany process has been torn asunder and Washington and select European allies are directly negotiating with Tehran, marginalizing any role for Russia. The US-Iranian consultations have intensified and the Iranian statements also point in the direction of a real possibility of a nuclear deal emerging by the end-November deadline. As I wrote earlier, the two tracks — Iran’s role in the US-led fight against the Islamic State and the nucelar talks — are running neck-and-neck. All pretensions to the contrary — that the two tracks are not interlinked — have been cast aside. In an extraordinary speech at the UN General Assembly on Thursday (the day after the Cameron-Rouhani meeting), the Iranian president came out openly that a nuclear deal will open up infinite possibilities of cooperation between the West and Iran across the board. Rouhani’s plea was two-fold: a) West should realize that Iran is its only “natural ally” in the Middle East; and, b) If the nuclear problem can be resolved, that enables Iran to work with the West in creating a New Middle East. Most certainly, Washington and London would regard this as the nearest that Iran has come to signal that it is willing to help in a political transition in Syria just as it helped the transition in Iraq, which has met with Obama’s full satisfaction.Source: http://blogs.rediff.com/mkbhadrakumar/2014/09/26/iran-offers-to-be-wests-natural-ally/ -------------
*M.K.Bhadrakumar served in the Indian Foreign Service for three decades and served as ambassador to Uzbekistan and Turkey. Apart from two postings in the former Soviet Union, his assignments abroad included South Korea, Sri Lanka, West Germany, Kuwait, Pakistan and Afghanistan. He served thrice in the Iran-Pakistan-Afghanistan Division in the Ministry of External Affairs, including as the Head of the Division in 1992-95. Mr. Bhadrakumar sought voluntary retirement from the IFS in 2002 and has since devoted himself to writing.
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Russia and China to Build a Huge New Port south of Vladivostock
by fulltimestudent infrom: business insider, australia.
beijing (afp) china and russia will build one of the largest ports in northeast asia on russias sea of japan coast, reports said, in a further sign of the powerhouses growing alliance.. the seaport is expected to be able to handle some 60 million tonnes of cargo a year, chinas state-run peoples daily online reported late wednesday comparable to britains busiest port immingham or le havre in france, according to european commission statistics.. the new facility will be located in far eastern russia, just 18 kilometres (11 miles) away from the chinese border.
the region is also close to north korea.. chinese and russian leaders inked a deal on the port at mays conference on interaction and confidence building measures in asia (cica) in shanghai, the report said.. the move represents the latest step by beijing and moscow to boost their energy and infrastructure ties.. resource-hungry china is seeking to diversify its sources of energy amid booming domestic consumption, while russia at odds with the west over its annexation of ukraines crimea peninsula is seeking to refocus its gas and oil exports towards asia.. the same report spoke of the commencement of construction of the gas pipeline from yakutsk to china.
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fulltimestudent
Another area where Chinese skills in transport are being used for a positive benefit to the general population, is the Iranian city of Tehran.
You would never know from the general information disseminated by the tame-cat western press, but Tehran is one of west Asia's largest cities with a central population of over 8 million and a wider population of 14 million., covering some 600 sq/km. Tehran is a modern city, in a country with a long history, that fought the eastern Roman empire to the point where both were exhausted, and in Iran's case then fell an easy victim to militant Islam.
Its a beautiful country, in this image you catch a glimpse, not just of the modernity of Tehran, but of the beautiful geographical setting in which the city is located.
You can imagine that a city of that size and complexity is going to have transport problems. Where could they find assistance to build the kind of modern public transport system that a modern city requires to function?
For many years Iran has been sanctioned (shunned) by the west at the USA's behest. Why?
For the answer, we have to go back to the early 1950's and the then Prime Minister, a Dr Mossadegh. Mossadegh was Prime Minister in an elected government and a nationalist who loved his country. He was not an extremist. For years Iranians had chafed at the failure of the British controlled Anglo-Persian Oil Company to properly develop the oil industry. So in 1953, the National Parliament in a near total consensus, voted to nationalise the oil Industry.
This upset the British who were very dependent on Iranian oil at that time. The British M16 secret service and the CIA conspired with a retired Iranian General to lead a coup against the elected government.
This wikepedia entry gives more detail: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat#U.S._role
Popular dissatisfaction with the ensuing governments eventually led to a popular revolution and the current government controlled by Islamic Iman, something in my opinion, that could have been avoided, if the legitimate rights of the Mossadegh government had been respected by the UK and the USA. The political landscape of west Asia would be far different now if Mossadegh had not been removed by the Anglo-American inspired coup.
But western meddling did not stop at that point. After the Islamic revolution, the USA worked with their then man in Iraq, Saddam Hussein (True) as their proxy to fight a six year war with Iran.
Do you begin to see why the west is detested in western Asia, and why it is such a mess, today?
All of which, has not much to do with the transport needs of Tehran, except that it explains that one of the few places that the Iranian government could turn (because of western shunning -i.e. sanctions) with the technical expertise and experience, was China.
In 1985, the Iranian Parliament approved the construction of Tehran Metro which was formally begun a year later. In March 1995, China's CITIC Group signed a contract with Tehran Urban and Suburban Railway to construct line one and line two of the Tehran Metro. In 2001, the first metro constructed by Chinese companies was completed. A factory was established in Tehran to construct some carriages, with the rest being supplied by a Chinese factory in Changchun.
Today, there are five operational subway lines, with a total length of about 150 kilometers and around 110 underground stations. And the number of platforms underground is nearly 110.
Let's catch a subway train in Tehran:
1. Walk through the underground shopping centre to ther station:
2. Buy a ticket at the automatic dispensers:
3. Wait for the train:
4. Board:
5. Off to our destination:
The life of the man-in-the-street in Tehran, is not much different to our own lives.
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My Lecturer booby-trapped me - Patterns of Authority in Early Christian Communities
by fulltimestudent ini have a 2500 word essay due next tuesday, so i shall be invoiced until then.
and, i already have been turned upside down.. even though there are set topics for the main essay, it is possible to negotiate for an essay on a subject of personal interest.
i'd been thinking about the development of leadership in the early christian congregation, so i asked my lecturer, if i could write on that.. he asked me for a brief outline of what i was thinking, so i reviewed my early thoughts - that jesus primarily had left no clear instructions (because he was expecting divine intervention and the restoration of the kingdom), but he had trained his disciples in missionary work - which i interpreted to mean that jesus expected his own ministry to continue, to provide the judean people with continued guidance, modelled on what he (jesus) had done.. but as christianity developed (and the expectations of jesus remained unfulfilled) a different model developed and i wanted to explore the model we see developing in the nt (think pauline) and where that model came from and then transformed into the monarchial model with bishops.. .
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fulltimestudent
Cofty- I would be very interested to learn more.
Some heavy reading there mate, but you may be surprised. Now, Im also wondering, why didn't Freddy see the above? If I'm not too embarrassed by my final essay, I may post it FYI.
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My Lecturer booby-trapped me - Patterns of Authority in Early Christian Communities
by fulltimestudent ini have a 2500 word essay due next tuesday, so i shall be invoiced until then.
and, i already have been turned upside down.. even though there are set topics for the main essay, it is possible to negotiate for an essay on a subject of personal interest.
i'd been thinking about the development of leadership in the early christian congregation, so i asked my lecturer, if i could write on that.. he asked me for a brief outline of what i was thinking, so i reviewed my early thoughts - that jesus primarily had left no clear instructions (because he was expecting divine intervention and the restoration of the kingdom), but he had trained his disciples in missionary work - which i interpreted to mean that jesus expected his own ministry to continue, to provide the judean people with continued guidance, modelled on what he (jesus) had done.. but as christianity developed (and the expectations of jesus remained unfulfilled) a different model developed and i wanted to explore the model we see developing in the nt (think pauline) and where that model came from and then transformed into the monarchial model with bishops.. .
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fulltimestudent
Set readings for my essay (only read if it interests you).
Patterns of Authority In Early Christian Communities.
Compare and contrast the various patterns of authority in (a) the Pauline churches of the "congregational letters", (b) the "Pastoral Letters" (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus), (c) the Didache and (d) the seven genuine letters of Ignatius.
Feel free to suggest modifications. In the meantime here are places to start your reading:
Paul's "congregational letters":
J.D.G. Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit, London, 1975, sections 47-49.
- "The Responsible Congregation (1 Corinthians 14:26-40)", (in Charisma und Agape (1 Ko. 10-14), ed. L. De Lorenzi (Rome, 1983), 201-236, now reprinted in The Christ and the Spirit, vol. 2, Pneumatology (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1998), 260-290: attached as a PDF)
B. Holmberg, Paul and Power: the structure of authority in the primitive church as reflected in the Pauline Epistles, Philadelphia, 1980
W.A. Meeks, The First Urban Christians, New Haven, 1983 (2nd edition 2003), chs. 3-5.
R.J. Banks, Paul's Idea of Community, Sydney, 1979 (revised edition, 1994),
M. MacDonald, The Pauline Churches: a socio-historical study of institutionalization in the Pauline and Deutero-Pauline writings, Cambridge, 1988The "Pastoral Letters"
M. MacDonald, above.
Commentaries on the three letters
M. Harding, "The Pastoral Epistles", in M. Harding & A. Nobbs, eds., All Things to All Cultures: Paul among Jews, Greeks, and Romans, Grand Rapids, 2013.
J.D.G. Dunn, Unity and Diversity in the New Testament, 3rd ed., 2006, sections 29-30.
D. Horrell, "Leadership Patterns and the Development of Ideology in Early Christianity", Sociology of Religion 58.4, 1997, 323-341.
The Didache:
See the bibliography in the main Unit Booklet, p. 59, esp.
J.A. Draper, “The Apostolic Fathers: the Didache”, Exp.T. 117.5, 2006, 177-181.
J.A. Draper, “Torah and Troublesome Apostles in the Didache Community”, Nov.T. 33.4, 1991, 347ff.,
A. Milavec, “Distinguishing True and False Prophets: The Protective Wisdom of the Didache,” J.E.C.S. 2, 1994, 117-136,
J.A. Draper, “Weber, Theissen, and ‘Wandering Charismatics’ in the Didache”, J.E.C.S. 6.4, 1998, 541-576Ignatius of Antioch:
See the bibliography in the main Unit Booklet, p. 55, esp.
P. Foster, “The Epistles of Ignatius of Antioch (Part 1)”, Exp.T. 117.12, 2006, 487-495, and “The Epistles of Ignatius of Antioch (Part 2)”, Exp.T. 118.1, 2006, 2-11.
H.O. Maier, “The Charismatic Authority of Ignatius of Antioch: a sociological analysis”, S.R. 18.2, 1989, 185-199
A. Pettersen, “The Laity – Bishop’s Pawn?”, S.J.Th. 44, 1991, 39-56,
H.O. Maier, The Social Setting of the Ministry as reflected in the writings of Hermas, Clement, and Ignatius, Ontario, Toronto, 1991,
A. Brent, “The Ignatian Epistles and the Threefold Ecclesiatical Order”, Journal of Religious History 17.1, 1992, 18-32I'm only half way through the readings (SO I've got to get down to some hard reading), and some of the books are out on loan at MU Library, so I've got to run around other libraries. So I'd better not even visit here for a week.
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My Lecturer booby-trapped me - Patterns of Authority in Early Christian Communities
by fulltimestudent ini have a 2500 word essay due next tuesday, so i shall be invoiced until then.
and, i already have been turned upside down.. even though there are set topics for the main essay, it is possible to negotiate for an essay on a subject of personal interest.
i'd been thinking about the development of leadership in the early christian congregation, so i asked my lecturer, if i could write on that.. he asked me for a brief outline of what i was thinking, so i reviewed my early thoughts - that jesus primarily had left no clear instructions (because he was expecting divine intervention and the restoration of the kingdom), but he had trained his disciples in missionary work - which i interpreted to mean that jesus expected his own ministry to continue, to provide the judean people with continued guidance, modelled on what he (jesus) had done.. but as christianity developed (and the expectations of jesus remained unfulfilled) a different model developed and i wanted to explore the model we see developing in the nt (think pauline) and where that model came from and then transformed into the monarchial model with bishops.. .
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fulltimestudent
I have a 2500 word essay due next Tuesday, so I shall be unvoiced until then. And, I already have been turned upside down.
Even though there are set topics for the main essay, it is possible to negotiate for an essay on a subject of personal interest. I'd been thinking about the development of leadership in the early Christian congregation, so I asked my lecturer, if I could write on that.
He asked me for a brief outline of what I was thinking, so I reviewed my early thoughts - that Jesus primarily had left no clear instructions (because he was expecting divine intervention and the restoration of the Kingdom), but he had trained his disciples in missionary work - which I interpreted to mean that Jesus expected his own ministry to continue, to provide the Judean people with continued guidance, modelled on what he (Jesus) had done.
But as Christianity developed (and the expectations of Jesus remained unfulfilled) a different model developed and I wanted to explore the model we see developing in the NT (think Pauline) and where that model came from and then transformed into the monarchial model with Bishops.
"Hmmm," was his reply - "that's OK, but I've got to be able to mark this, so it has to be based on existing scholarship, so I'll provide some readings for you to consider."
Which he did, and I've been reading (I'll post that separately for those who may be interested) and found what I'm calling 'his boobytrap.' Consensus scholarship essentially sees Jesus as a wandering, charismatic, (And, I've no problem with that. The Buddha ( Siddhārtha Gautama) is described in a similar way as a 'shramanic' - look it up!) and that his training for his disciples was based on that.
And the earliest form of Christianity is firmly based on that model. So what happened? I've got to say that the evidence is right there in the NT, as if we read carefully, we see the developing tensions between resident based Christians and the itinerants, who continued in the Jesus tradition. I've found that the rules for overseers (Timothy and Titus) were based on existing Roman traditions called 'household codes.'
So when I was asking him for permission, he (of course) knew all the argument in existing scholarship, and set a IED for my mind. I am impressed.
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Great action Piks- Getting the Jump on Your Lunch
by fulltimestudent in.
two frames together - in the first we see the leopard picking his mark and commencing his jump in the second frame.
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fulltimestudent
In another news item, an older tiger gets into a pen with two younger tigers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u51I1ZQ5j4s
The interesting aspect of this incident is not the fight to the death between the older and younger tigers, that's just tiger behaviour. The interesting view of this fight is the perspective provided by the NT at 2 Peter 2:12, which, is usually interpreted as indicating that animal behaviour is governed by divinely implanted instinct.
From that perspective the Yahweh/Jesus creative team (Proverbs Ch 8 ) implanted into the tiger mind, the behaviour demonstrated in the video. Hencei can be argued, Yahweh/Jesus always intended Tigers to engage in territorial fights. Their teeth, claws and aggression was meant for killing.
As a sidepoint, the fight to the death was observed by school children, who were on a visit to the zoo. Some had to receive counselling. Is there where western thinking has led us - children have to be protected from the knowledge that life is about fighting for survival?
By 
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