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This paper delves into the practice of blood writing in Chinese Buddhism, a unique ascetic ritual dating back to the 6th century CE. Blood writing involves practitioners using their blood to transcribe sacred texts, both embodying sacred Buddhist scriptures and imbuing the practitioner with power. This work traces the origins of blood writing as a reflection of indigenous Chinese beliefs surrounding blood, the body, and morality while drawing attention to the influence of Indian Buddhist ideologies on this practice. Historical and ethnographic accounts of blood writing emphasize its transformative power, not only for individual practitioners but also for broader sociopolitical dynamics. Drawing on multiple embodiment theories, this work analyzes the performative nature of blood writing, highlighting its role in shaping cultural values and ideologies. Blood writing transcends conventional boundaries, embodying spiritual and cultural values, and ultimately serves as a potent force for socioreligious and political change.

Scholarship on the Jovinianist controversy has shown that the idea of baptism as deeply transformative lay at the heart of Jovinian's thinking. Scholars have likewise held that Jerome, who through his Adversus Jovinianum is our main source to the ideas of Jovinian, did not acknowledge the ecclesiological concerns on which his opponent's argument was based. This article argues, to the contrary, that Jerome was well aware of the challenge that Jovinian's ecclesiology implied for ascetic superiority. I show that in his polemics against Jovinian, Jerome did not disregard the importance of baptism, but rather reinterpreted it. The transformation ascribed by Jovinian to the baptismal rite was transferred by Jerome to the postbaptismal life, and more precisely, to the ascetic life. I examine three themes: Baptism as a new birth, baptism as a resurrection to a spiritual life, and the baptized person as a bride of Christ, showing how these were ascetically interpreted by Jerome. I argue that Against Jovinian is a work deeply engaged with the precisely the questions which Jovinian raised, namely about the essence of the church and the relationship between its members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently the General Synod of the Church of England agreed to approve liturgical resources— Prayers of Love and Faith —for blessing same-sex couples. This decision was the result of a long process of discernment concerning matters of sexuality and identity called Living in Love and Faith. This article aims to critique some of the background ethical and theological assumptions at work in the Living in Love and Faith resources, specifically the way the role of asceticism is conceived in them. I argue that while there are promising references to formation of desire through discipline and restraint in the LLF resources, their ascetic intuitions remain limited to world-related goods, neglecting the significance of bodily practices for God-related goods and for our final flourishing. Paying attention to the theological dimensions of Christian ascetic practice will also reveal the importance of concrete limitations for ascetic formation of desire. I argue that such limits are required for unravelling the transcendent capacities of human desire. At the end of the article, I make some suggestions as to how the revitalisation of not just ethical but theological ascetic praxis can be helpful in navigating the Church of England's current disagreement with respect to same-sex unions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an interdisciplinary analysis of Márcia Denser's work Diana the Huntress, focusing on the complex dynamics between desire and guilt that permeate the protagonist's journey. Utilising Freudian concepts of Eros and Thanatos, the Oedipus complex, and the compulsion to repeat, the research interprets Diana's self-destructive behaviours as expressions of unconscious conflicts and repressed desires. It incorporates Émile Durkheim's sociological theory on asceticism, considering the impact of cultural values and the internalisation of social judgements on the female psyche. This analysis reveals how the character reflects a cycle of seeking pleasure followed by emptiness and self-punishment, reinforcing a critique of the superficiality of a life guided by patriarchal norms and unfulfilled desires. By integrating psychoanalysis and sociology, the study highlights Denser's critique of the cultural oppression of female identity and the emotional void that results from it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Babylon Center for Humanities Studies is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article on the intriguing second-/eighth-century Iraqi Muslim ascetic poet Rayḥāna al-Majnūna, or Rayḥāna "The Mad," consists of two parts: (1) a study contextualizing her persona and corpus and arguing that her historical and folkloric identity as a black woman poet situates her at a creative nexus of wisdom, madness, and worship, and (2) appendices including translations of her poems and their anecdotal frameworks as they are preserved in three medieval sources: ʿUqalāʾ al-majānīn by Abū al-Qāsim al-Ḥasan ibn Ḥabīb al-Nīsābūrī (d. 406 H/1015–16 CE), Ṣifat al-ṣafwa by Ibn al-Jawzī (d. circa 597 H/1201 CE), and Talkhīṣ al-mutashābih by al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī (d. 463 H/1071 CE). It is hoped that the translations will give the reader direct knowledge of Rayḥāna's distinctive poems and that the contextual analysis will support informed interpretations of both the poems and the narratives in which they are embedded through its attention to various discursive prisms including textual traditions relating to mental health, religious devotion, and women's writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines Jerome’s use of bridal and military imagery in his writings to male and female ascetics. The metaphor of the “bride” and the “soldier” had been used in earlier Christianity to describe the Christian identity of the baptized person, and in the writings of Jerome and other fourth-century ascetic writers, these motifs came to be increasingly employed in discourses on the ascetic life. While previous scholarship has claimed that Jerome mainly used the image of the bride in descriptions of and advise to ascetic women, and military imagery in writings to and about men, the article argues that his employment of these imageries was more complex. It is shown that while the bridal metaphor signals femininity and passivity, and the soldier metaphor manliness and activity, Jerome’s employment of them does not depend first and foremost on the gender of the ascetic. Rather, both images are used to support certain aspects of his theology – mainly his ideas about the postlapsarian, fleshly condition and the human possibility of transcendence – as well as his ascetic ideology, by marking the ascetics as superior to non-ascetics through their unique relationship with Christ.

This article explores the role and functions of food and food rituals in the Frankish Merovingian kingdom during the second half of the 6th century based on the writings of Venantius Fortunatus, a renowned poet of that period, dedicated to the Merovingian queen and nun St. Radegund of Poitiers. His vita of St. Radegund and poems about her include numerous references to food and ceremonies associated with it. The obtained results show that shared meals, dietary restrictions, treats, gifts, and food distribution were the key aspects of social interactions in Merovingian Gaul. They not only strengthened the bonds between the church and the laity but also contributed to the formation of new ties between the religious and political domains. St. Radegund’s generosity and asceticism heightened her authority. Food rituals became part of the patronage system’s daily practices, thereby adapting it to the needs of the emerging medieval Christian society. It is also important that sharing meals and exchanging gifts, often food, fostered trust and promoted friendship among people.

This study reveals the practice of articulation of ascetic politics carried out by Gus Mus amidst the strong democratic regime that dictated the process of contestation of power at the NU Congress in 2015 in Jombang. The practice of articulation of asceticism is political, because he always changes his identity. As a subject, Gus Mus often changes positions, such as a kiai and a cultural figure. This position is called the subject position. This study explores the creation of a new identity in contemporary politics using Laclau's articulation theory within a post-structuralist case study research design. Therefore, the main argument in this study is that through the political articulation of asceticism, Gus Mus' political reasoning transcends the Laswellian mainstream political reasoning. This study uses a qualitative method, with two methods in data collection, namely interview and documentation methods. The informants were selected using purposive sampling techniques, and data analysis used discourse analysis which was completely within the theoretical frame used by the researcher. This study does not only shift from a positivist paradigm to a post-positivism research, but from a focus on thoughts to a focus on the discourse articulated by Gus Mus from the perspective of actors from both the NU 2015 Congress committee and the NU elite in Jombang, and from here, the novelty in this study. In this study, the political practice of asceticism articulated by Gus Mus was found in: a). Discourse in the articulation of intellectualism, b). Modesty, c). Beyond practical politics, and d). Consistency in cultural politics. From here, "new political ethics" is relevant and vital as an alternative political thought for recent political actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sa‘dî-e Shirazi one of the most famous poets of Persian language and literature, was born in Shiraz, completed his primary education in this city, then went to Baghdad and took lessons from various teachers at Nizamiyah Madrasa. He visited many cities and countries, was with many scholars and noble figures, came to Anatolia and met with Mewlana. After his long travels, he returned to Shiraz in 654 (1256) or 655 (1257) and met with Salgurlu Atabek Ebû Bakr b., the ruler of the Fars region of Iran. Sa'd b. Zengi's prince Sa'd b. Abu Bakr b. He joined Sa'd's relatives. When the Salgurlu dynasty collapsed and Shiraz came under Mongol rule in 663 (1264), he went to Mecca to perform the pilgrimage. On his way back to Mecca, he stopped by Tabriz; There he was well received by the Ilkhanid statesman Alâeddin Ata Malik Juvaynî and his brother Shemseddin Juvaynî; He met with the Mongolian ruler Abaka Khan through these two people; He wrote poems praising the mentioned statesmen and other notables; He spent his life providing guidance and serving the public. Sa‘dî, who spent the last years of his life in asceticism and worship in Shiraz, died on 27 Dhu al-Hijjah 691 (9 December 1292). The poet, who wrote many works in verse and prose, wrote works that translated the thoughts and wishes of the society by making use of verses and hadiths, proverbs, stories, and the events and conversations he lived, learned and experienced during his travels. In his Bostan, justice, benevolence, love, humility, consent, contentment, discipline, gratitude, repentance, supplication, and in his Gulistan, the behavior of sultans, the morality of dervishes, the virtue of contentment, the benefits of silence, love and youth, weakness and old age, He dealt with topics such as the effect of good manners and conversation etiquette. In his divan consisting of ghazals, odes, stanzas, terciibents and rubais, he wrote poems about love, the lover, the beloved, wine and nature, and in some places he dealt with the same subjects that he had covered in Bostan and Gulistan, and also gave advice. In addition to writing praises to many statesmen in his poems, he also wrote tawhid, munacat and naats, and in these poems he also included couplets or poems praising the caliph of the righteous religion. He praised the four great caliphs without any discrimination, did not see them as separate from each other, approached them with respect and love, and when necessary, explained them by giving examples to his praises and readers. In this study, Sa‘dî’s views and thoughts about the four great caliphs, that is, the four great caliphs, and the poems he wrote about them will be explained by translating them into Turkish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The terms "politics" and "political" have become so overdetermined that it is difficult to use them in any effective manner. We argue that this has dangerous political consequences, and that this could be addressed by providing a new, sounder, notion of politics. This paper argues that defining politics in relation to the notion of play can provide a notion both intuitively appealing and able to withstand the problematic overdeterminations. We argue that politics is the set of practices through which the indeterminate of Spielraum is made more determinate. This suggests that politics is always partly a matter of play: it is about instituting values without making any claims about the legitimacy of this instituting act. With reference to Huizinga and Nietzsche's analyses of play, we define play as the living unity of seriousness and frivolity, and non-play as either seriousness without frivolity or frivolity without seriousness. In order to illustrate this, we comparatively analyse the attitudes of Barack Obama and Donald Trump in the single context of the well-known yearly White House Correspondent's Dinner. There, we see two opposed attitudes to playfulness. Our analysis allows us to apply our Spielraum model of politics to show that the thrust of Obama's attitude involves an embrace of the non-foundational nature of politics as play, whereas Trump's attitude is politicidal: it is animated by a refusal to acknowledge its own lack of foundation, leading to an oscillation between over-seriousness and over-frivolity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paulinus of Nola and Shenoute of Atripe were prolific writers and architectural patrons of ascetic communities in the fourth and fifth centuries CE. Despite their rejection of luxury and elite culture, both were responsible for the construction of lavish church complexes at the hearts of those communities, in which architecture and decoration drew on the visual language of the late Roman elite. The churches shared specific architectural features—a triple-apsed (triconch) sanctuary, a rectangular hall terminating in a single apse, and a colonnaded space connecting them—that were also popular in houses and villas at that time. The architectural and spatial language of these churches would have evoked associations with the luxury and status of late Roman society even as these communities rejected those very things. This article considers the implications of the use of elite architecture and the visual language of convivial domestic spaces in these churches created for ascetic communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voluntourism has been increasingly researched in tourism studies. However, the need remains to better understand what drives memorable experiences in such a context. This research applied mindfulness theory in the setting of voluntourism. The influence of mindfulness among voluntourists was studied along with dimensions of memorable tourism experiences (MTEs, i.e., hedonism, involvement, meaningfulness, knowledge, novelty, and local culture) and revisit intention among voluntourists. A structural model was employed with twelve hypotheses pertaining to data collected from 342 Chinese residents who had prior voluntourism experience before data collection in March 2020. For data analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to test relationships between variables. Data analysis demonstrated that mindfulness significantly influenced all six dimensions of MTEs in this study. Four of the dimensions of MTE (i.e., hedonism, involvement, meaningfulness, and local culture) significantly influenced revisit intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eating disorders (EDs) have been documented in various cultural settings. A continuous increase in ED' rates among non-Western cultures (e.g., Arab cultures and East-Asian cultures) has been reported. We aimed to investigate the relations among culture, ED symptoms, and psychological features that are highly relevant in EDs through a cultural comparison of three groups. The groups included female university students in Israel with varying levels of exposure to Westernization: 118 Jewish students, 132 Arab students studying at a mixed university with a Jewish majority, and 111 Arab students studying at Sakhnin College, a college for Arab students only. The groups differed significantly on the Conservation Value dimension from the Short Portrait Values Questionnaire. Four psychological features were examined as predictors of ED symptoms: Interoceptive-deficits, Ineffectiveness, Asceticism, and Maturity-fear. The results revealed a comparable prevalence of self-reported ED symptoms among Arabs and Jews, with a small exception for bulimic symptoms, which were less prevalent among those in the Sakhnin group, who also scored lower on Ineffectiveness and higher on asceticism than the other groups. Testing the relations between the four psychological features and ED symptoms revealed that culture played a moderating role in predicting the strength of ineffectiveness and maturity-fear. Ineffectiveness was not a predictor among the Sakhnin group, whereas maturity-fear was not a predictor in the least conservative Jewish group. Asceticism and interoceptive-deficits predicted ED symptoms across all study groups. Our findings indicate that the problem of EDs may be similar among Arab and Jewish women in Israel. Moreover, despite some similarities in the relevance of some ED-related psychological features, other features are moderated by culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes an interview with Ambedkar, published in Filmindia, in 1942 as an insightful deliberation on the idea of decolonial cinema. The singularity of the interview derives from its anti-caste premise, occasioning the enunciation of the intersectional operations of caste in cinema as much as its being the only document in English (so far) that records Ambedkar’s views on the modern medium. His concept of cinema as corrective marks a significant shift in the way early cinema was perceived in pre-independent India. Contrary to the restorative function attributed to the modern medium during the time, Ambedkar found in it a potential for reconstitution. Cinema, according to him, held the possibility of reimagining a conceptual space that was taken over by Brahminical religion in India. Elaborating on four aspects of cinema in particular—its potential to reconstitute a liberating culture of joy in the place of an ensnaring culture of asceticism, its capacity for social reform, the exigency of narrative justice in the depiction of Dalits, and the fashioning of modern spectatorship, Ambedkar describes cinema’s possibility of conceptualizing an anti-caste, decolonial space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article I offer an analysis of the moral dimension of Epicurean hedonism, based on two constitutive moments: 1) Epicurus' revaluation of pleasure, and 2) the progressive transition from foolishness to wisdom in the pleasurable life. The first moment considers the reassessment of the identification of pleasure with evil, and the opposition to virtue, in order to examine the basis of the rational and moral foundation of Epicurean hedonism. The second one analyzes the task of reshaping the disposition of the soul through exercises for the cultivation of pleasure directed towards the good. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the Puritans' perspective on the divine call to pastoral ministry. The Puritans believed that only those who were truly called by God should enter this sacred office. They emphasized the importance of a holy life and Spirit-bestowed gifts as qualifications for ministry. The article also discusses the qualities and characteristics that a minister should possess, including love, care, tenderness, prayerfulness, and compassion. The Puritans believed that the call to ministry should be motivated by love for God and a desire to serve others, rather than selfish motives. They also emphasized the importance of prayer and discernment in identifying and affirming potential ministers. [Extracted from the article]

I argue for a transformative revival or actualization of the very core of an integrative, methodologically secured form of intellect-mystical asceticism. This approach draws on traditional sources that are re-examined from a systematic—synthetic and transcultural—philosophical perspective and in light of the multi-civilizational global environment of the 21st century. The main traditional points of reference in this paper are provided by Nicolaus de Cusa and Ibn Sīnā, and I refer to a few others, such as Attar of Nishapur, in passing. I begin by developing a basic concept of intellect-mystical asceticism. It is distinguished from mystification, science, scientism, and modes of everyday communication and cognition. Then, I make the case for an updated, transcultural approach to intellect-mysticism that can foster the internal (social) and external (environmental) reintegration of the human noosphere and technosphere in future planetary development. In this context, a modern intellect-mystical philosophical notion of "knowing non-knowing" (wissendes Nichtwissen, docta ignorantia) is developed. It is inspired by Nicolaus de Cusa and contextualized from a systematic transcultural angle at the same time. Finally, I discuss the problem of the practical, or rather ascetic, realization of the related possibilities of intellect-mystical self-enfolding. Here, the preceding steps of the reflection are mapped onto an outline regarding distinct developmental stages of such a transformative intellect-mystical practice in Ibn Sīnā's Remarks and Admonitions (al-Ishārāt wat-Tanbīhāt). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a reconsideration of the physio-psychological dimension of the notion of asceticism in Nietzsche in the light of classical Daoist philosophy. Nietzsche famously criticises the nihilistic ascetic ideal for negating the body-self (Leib-Selbst) in the Christian religion as well as in Socratic metaphysics. Nietzsche critiques the metaphysical language that presupposes an opposition between the good (as the useful) and the evil (as the useless). However, the Nietzschean ascetic person who says yes to life remains mostly conceptual within the philosophical framework where physio-psychology stands as the superior form of thinking. To contrast such asceticism that bears traces of Greek Stoicism and Epicureanism, I argue that Zhuangzi's self-cultivating practices such as mind-fasting (xinzhai 心齋) can be incorporated into the Nietzschean physio-psychological notion of asceticism that goes beyond askesis with Stoic and Epicurean therapeutic connotations, given that both Zhuangzi and Nietzsche are more concerned with cultivating a lived body rather than purifying souls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In 2009, Federico Fatti published a hypothesis that Eustathius the Philosopher, described by Eunapius, converted to Christianity and became bishop of Sebastea and master to Basil the Great. In my article, I present Fatti’s hypothesis and solve three important problems that he left unclear: the place of birth of two Eustathiuses, the problem of Letter 35 by Julian and the mystery of the year 358, when Eustathius of Sebastea was already bishop and Eustathius the Philosopher is believed to have been sent by the emperor to Persia despite his Hellenic faith. When those issues that could challenge Fatti’s thesis have been clarified, his claim, I think, gains plausibility close to certainty. The identification of two Eustathiuses helps explain certain mysteries in the life of Eustathius the Philosopher and some peculiar features of the ascetic movement initiated by Eustathius of Sebastea. It is also a milestone in understanding the teaching of the Cappadocian Fathers as it provides us with a direct link between them and Neoplatonism and more specifically its Syrian branch initiated by Iamblichus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction. Christianity, which developed in special historical conditions on the territory of Byzantine Gaza, gradually formed a unique school of spiritual mentoring in the region, associated with the names of outstanding ascetics. At the same time, a regional ascetic literary tradition was developed. Theoretical analysis. Dorotheus of Gaza, an outstanding Christian teacher of the early Byzantine period, formulates his own critical view of contemporary social norms, human nature and the causes of human vices, contrasting them with the lifestyle of a Christian ascetic. Abba Dorotheus pays considerable attention to the psychology of spiritual development and the struggle with the passions. This article examines and summarizes the main motives in the teachings of Abba Dorotheus, through which he defines the personal and social ideal of Christian asceticism. Conclusions. It is concluded that the teachings of the saint Dorotheus of Gaza are aimed at the formation of not only a personal, but also a social ideal, and monasticism, as interpreted by Abba Dorotheus, is not an anti-social movement, but should contribute to the formation of a new, just community based on the principles of communitarianism and liturgical unity. It is emphasized that achieving this goal does not imply political, military or intellectual confrontation with the outside world.

Nietzsche's perspectivism has received restricted and unrestricted interpretations. The latter take the cognitive effects of 'perspectives' to be pervasive and general; the former argue they are restricted to special subject matters, have limited effects, or are not essentially cognitive at all. I argue on textual grounds that Nietzsche was committed to the unrestricted view. Comparison to A.W. Moore's treatment of perspectival representation in Points of View illuminates both the nature of perspectivism and key arguments needed to defend it. Nietzschean perspectivism must deny the very possibility of absolute representations (sensu Moore), and to do so, it must block a form of argument that promises to integrate perspectival representations into progressively less restricted, and ultimately absolute, representations of the world. Such arguments depend on a strong assumption about the unity of the independent world, which Moore accepts and Nietzsche denies. Nietzsche's pluralism about perspectives thereby turns out to rely on pluralism about the world, which shapes his understanding of us as essentially bounded cognitive agents. Nietzsche holds that the longing for absolute representation manifest in Moore, Leibniz, and many other philosophers, which aspires to overcome the limitations of perspective, amounts to ascetic self-denial about our cognitive condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī (d. 215/830) is a ṣūfī who lived in the period when taṣawwuf started to become widespread and took an active role in this issue. He was exiled from his city and bore witness to the escalating conflict between ṣūfīs and the proponents of fuqahā-mutakallimūn during the the 3rd century AH. On the other hand, he played a key role in turning this crisis into a compromise, especially with his views on hunger and fear. Therefore, Dārānī is one of the first names to be referred to in the breakdown in the formation of taṣawwuf and in the analysis of the answers given to these breaks. In addition to following the early period of taṣawwuf from his discourses, it is possible to see how the ṣūfīs reacted to groups that developed in the Islamic world. This article primarily undertakes an analysis of Dārānī’s depictions within ṣūfī tabaqāt, subsequently analysing him within the historical context of taṣawwuf. Additionally, the study highlights the varied approaches towards Dārānī within these works. Such an evaluation also illuminates how the portraits of Dārānī drawn in the ṣūfī tabaqāt differ from one another. This finding constituted the first assertion of this study. The other part of the study, the traces of Dārānī are traced not only in ṣūfī tabaqāt, but also in other disciplinary sources. Ultimately, the study endeavors to exposit in the fractures within the formative memory of taṣawwuf based on the relevant data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the close of the fourth century, the ideal shape of Christianity was hotly contested. The veneration of saints and their relics, the significance of celibacy and asceticism, the nature of Christ, and many other aspects of faith and spirituality were disputed. A profusion of literary works, extant and not, explicitly addressed the intricate web of debated topics; Prudentius's Peristephanon 1, however, has been understood in isolation from this cultural and ideological contest. This article identifies Ambrose's Hymn. 10 as a significant source for Peri. 1; the former provided Prudentius with a framework upon which he built a narrative of martial martyrdom and of saintly identity for the unstoried relics in his hometown of Calagurris. Peri. 1 repurposes Hymn. 10's vocabulary, concepts, classical allusions, and a dynamic of envy (inuidia) directed by the historical persecutor against the contemporary audience. The purpose of the poet's renouatio , however, is more than hagiographical expansion; Prudentius replicates Ambrosian tropes to define his local Christian community in relation to its patronal martyrs. Peri. 8 builds on the foundation of Peri. 1, portraying the martyrs of Calagurris as not only patrons but also imitable models for the city's residents. Emeterius and Chelidonius become the exemplars of both historical and contemporary Calagurran Christianity. Thus, Prudentius uses an Ambrosian exemplar to provide a localized response to the discourse of the day, deliberated throughout the empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qalandari poetry is one of the branches of mystical poetry that has been used a lot in Safi’s poetry and thought, and it can be interpreted as the mystical principles that Safi is interested in. He has dedicated a whole of his Diwan to Qalandariyat. The purpose of this research is to trace the hints, characteristics and attributes of Qalandari in Safi's lyrical poetry, so that the reader can get more familiar with the word Qalandar and its attributes, which are considered to be key terms of Safi’s mystical poetry. In this research, an attempt is made to analyze Safi’s thoughts about Qalandar with a descriptive-analytical method in order to show that Safi's sonnets have mystical and Qalandar themes at the same time as being pleasant and pleasant. The data of this research indicates that using Qalandaran themes in Safi's sonnets has a special place. His mysticism is based on continuous studies of texts and religious and mystical experiences and deep scientific understandings and mixing it with artistic and tasteful subtleties and mystic and Qalandar passion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For scholars and students of Late Antiquity, the stylite's column exerts a special appeal. Scholars have examined literary representations of stylites and sought out visual parallels for the phenomenon of column-standing. This article shows that topographical contexts were central to establishing the potency of the column as a holy object and the trajectory of stylitism in history. I employ the term topography broadly to encompass the physical characteristics of an area, the ways in which humans augmented physical characteristics through the built environment, and specific architectural organizations. I examine three topographical contexts and make three interconnected arguments. By selecting the hill adjacent to Telanissos as the location for his columns, the premier stylite Symeon (d. 459) participated in a long-standing regional tradition of activating the numinous power of high places and stone through cultic activity. The monumental pilgrimage complex built after Symeon's death made the column a relic and integrated veneration of Symeon into liturgical ritual. The incorporation of stylites into northern Syria's cenobitic communities circumscribed stylitism as a distinctly monastic vocation. These three contexts illustrate that the significance of the column was located in processes of production and reception. At the same time, stylite columns were not passive objects. They faced the gods of old; they enriched ecclesiastical rituals; they molded the bodies of those who activated them; they proclaimed the ascendancy of monastic institutions. As both products of their topography and agents within it, stylite columns constructed a distinctive Christian landscape in Syria's limestone massif. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article interprets Martin Heidegger's Being and Time with two objectives. First, it argues that, for Heidegger, temporality and affectivity implicate each other and that this coupling might be read as a critique of abstract modern notions of time. Second, it claims that the affectivity and temporality that characterize the ideal of "authentic existence" in Being and Time correspond to a white Protestant ideal of subjectivity. While the article looks to highlight the usefulness of Heidegger's comprehension of temporality/affectivity, it also warns the reader against upholding "authenticity" as a neutral ideal of liberated existence. Ultimately, the article delineates the religious and racial genealogy that, affectively and temporally, characterizes "authenticity." By articulating the Protestant eschatological experience that undergirds this model of subjectivity and the racialized connotations of "transparency," the article re-interprets "authenticity" as an ascetic ideal defined by an unending pursuit of becoming-transparent via the re-appropriation of oneself and the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the contemporary evangelical church, there is often little discussion of asceticism despite an emphasis on spiritual disciplines and formation. This article argues that not only does the evangelical church need to embrace and adopt ascetic practices, but these should be based in monastic asceticism, based around the practices of poverty, chastity and obedience. The article first puts forward suggestions as to why the evangelical church does not embrace asceticism, in spite of it being part of its heritage, but then moves to a constructive argument, using an array of ecumenical sources, demonstrating that a monastic asceticism is a biblical asceticism and should be a fundamental feature in evangelical faith and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We did not know the extent of Kafka's youthful drawing till the 2021 publication of Kafka's Die Zeichnungen (The Drawings). Despite the value of this volume, the editors overstate their case—arguing that Kafka's drawings remain an "enduring presence in his writing" throughout his life; that they appear whenever his writing hits a snag; and that they force us to understand his oeuvre as a mixture of literature and art. None of these assertions are true, and they distract from what Kafka's drawings really do show us: how ensconced he was in the culture of fin-de-siècle art and how he struggled to develop himself as a writer by leaving this behind. What is remarkable about Kafka's drawing is not its enduring presence but its stunning and abrupt disappearance. In this article, I uncover the meaning of this disappearance, arguing that it paradoxically confirms the importance of visual art for Kafka, albeit in ways not imagined by the editors of Die Zeichnungen. Visual art becomes for Kafka a "negative" force, which lurks powerfully behind his mature prose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is a comment on a research paper by Mariia Atanasia Smetaniak titled "The main aspects of asceticism and repentance in the work of Pratum by John Moschus." The research focuses on the analysis of the work Pratum by John Moschus, which explores the themes of penance and asceticism. The work is considered an enduring literary masterpiece that recounts the exploits of ascetic monks from the 6th to 7th centuries. The author of the book, John Moschus, was a strict anchorite monk and a mentor to Saint Sophronius. The article discusses the significance of asceticism and repentance in early Christian monasticism and highlights the importance of the work Pratum in understanding this period. [Extracted from the article]

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In 2009, Federico Fatti published a hypothesis that Eustathius the Philosopher, described by Eunapius, converted to Christianity and became bishop of Sebastea and master to Basil the Great. In my article I present Fatti’s hypothesis and solve three important problems that he left unclear: the place of birth of two Eustathiuses, the problem of Letter 35 by Julian and the mystery of the year 358, when Eustathius of Sebastea was already bishop and Eustathius the Philosopher is believed to have been sent by the emperor to Persia despite his Hellenic faith. When those issues that could challenge Fatti’s thesis have been clarified, his claim, I think, gains plausibility close to certainty. The identification of two Eustathiuses helps explain certain mysteries in the life of Eustathius the Philosopher and some peculiar features of the ascetic movement initiated by Eustathius of Sebastea. It is also a milestone in understanding the teaching of the Cappadocian Fathers as it provides us with a direct link between them and Neoplatonism and more specifically its Syrian branch initiated by Iamblichus.

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Misophonia is a disorder of decreased tolerance to specific sounds, often produced by humans but not always, which can trigger intense emotional reactions (anger, disgust etc.). This relatively prevalent disorder can cause a reduction in the quality of life. The causes of misophonia are still unclear. In this article, we develop a hypothesis suggesting that misophonia can be caused by a failure in the organization of the perceived world. The perceived world is the result of both the structure of human thought and the many conditioning factors that punctuate human life, particularly social conditioning. It is made up of abstract symbols that map the world and help humans to orient himself in a potentially dangerous environment. In this context, the role of social rules acquired throughout life is considerable. Table manners, for example, are a set of deeply regulated and controlled behaviors (it's considered impolite to eat with the mouth open and to make noise while eating), which contribute to shape the way the perceived world is organized. So it's not surprising to find sounds from the mouth (chewing etc.) among the most common misophonic sound triggers. Politeness can be seen as an act of obedience to moral rules or courtesy, which is a prerequisite for peaceful social relations. Beyond this example, we also argue that any sound can become a misophonic trigger as long as it is not integrated into the perceived ordered and harmonious world, because it is considered an "anomaly," i.e., a disorder, an immorality or a vulgarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sufism as a method has values in its practice. The implementation is carried out by individuals who are part of the family. This article aims to identify, analyze, and finally formulate the concept of Sufism values in family life. The data in this study were sourced from library that is relevant to previous studies and other sources, which are then described as descriptive-analytical. The results of the study state that family life and the practice of Sufism values can go hand in hand and even reinforce each other. This concept is contained in the sharia, tarekat, hakikat, and makrifat schemes of the family which are manifested in mahabbah, asceticism, patience, trust, gratitude, and sincerity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws on food studies, religious history, and research on Equiano's religious orientation to argue that Equiano's Interesting Narrative describes a creolized African and Methodist asceticism in relation to food and ritual practice. His introduction to the Moravian-Methodist love feast before his conversion resonates with his earlier textual recollections of commensality and feasting practices in his eastern Nigerian homeland. Equiano's early textual descriptions of feasting rituals suggest that he was attracted to Methodism because of his experiences through the Middle Passage and his memories of feasting practices, purification rites, and sacrifices and offerings from his childhood in Igboland. Equiano's experiences of sacrifice and his portrayals of hunger and hunger strikes as a form of resistance on the slave ships mark his choice of religious and ascetic orientation. His reclamation of the ocean as a free Black sailor, an Atlantic Creole, contributes to his interest to a temperate Methodist orientation and inner-worldly asceticism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a fourth- or fifth-century narrative known as the Acts of Thomas and his Wonderworking Skin , Jesus sells the apostle Thomas as a slave to the governor of India. When the governor's wife converts to Christianity, dumps all her earthly riches outside her front door, and turns celibate, the governor has the apostle tortured and his skin flayed off, but Thomas survives, and uses his peeled-off skin to raise the dead. This paper uses Kathryn Tanner's concept of culture to compare the ideals advocated by this story – servitude to Christ, voluntary poverty, sexual abstinence, readiness to suffer, and zeal for evangelization – to ideals expressed in first-century Christian literature. The subculture expressed by the narrative is found to consist entirely of ideals also expressed in the New Testament, which are updated, recontextualized, and radicalized in order to reach an audience of fourth- or fifth-century Christians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to analyze the influence of tragic art on Nietzsche's critique of morality, highlighted in his early writings dating from 1872-1873, and its connection with his mature works. We will explore the interconnection between philosophy, art, aesthetics and the ascetic ideal, seeking to emphasize the importance of understanding the tragic perspectives present in the philosopher's thought. The approach to Greek tragedy, with an emphasis on the pluralistic, agonistic and fatalistic worldview of the Greeks, establishes the basis for understanding Nietzsche's critique of morality and his preference for the authenticity of the worldview of the ancients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the life and writings of Nilus of Ancyra, emphasizing his role in early monasticism and spirituality during the fourth to fifth centuries. It discusses his works on asceticism, moral philosophy, and monastic training, highlighting his influence despite historical ambiguities about his life. It also examines the broader context of philosophical influences on early Christian thought and contrasts Nilus' contributions with other prominent figures of his time.

As a contribution to the Common Knowledge symposium "Caroline Walker Bynum across the Disciplines," this article argues that Bynum's work on gender has overturned bedrock interpretations of the religious significance of the widespread ascetic practices of the Western Christian Middle Ages. Bynum's claim has been that medieval asceticism is best understood not as an upshot of dualism — of the soul and body understood as in opposition — but as "an effort to plumb and realize all the possibilities of the flesh." Drawing on underused religious sources, analyzing in their larger social and cultural context the images that medieval women and men used, and employing a comparative analysis of female and male spiritualities, she has demonstrated that each had its own different emphases. In this effort, she has pioneered what is sometimes called a "history of masculinities." Focusing on women's own experience and ferreting out basic assumptions of their religious thought and practice, she has argued for women's profound contributions to their contemporary theological culture by drawing on the dominant culture's hierarchical gender binaries in order to undermine them and accentuate their shared (bodily) humanity with Christ. Bynum has shown successfully that medieval women had confidence in their own ability to love and imitate Christ and thus to participate in the salvation of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]