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Oberlin

Theses/Dissertations

Bible

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Nature Of The Crescent: Humans And The Natural World In Genesis 1-11 And Mesopotamian Mythology, Bryton A. Smith Jan 2019

Nature Of The Crescent: Humans And The Natural World In Genesis 1-11 And Mesopotamian Mythology, Bryton A. Smith

Honors Papers

This capstone thesis examines the human-nature relationship in the Genesis primeval history (Gen. 1-11) and compares it to the human-nature relationship in the Mesopotamian Enuma Elish, Atrahasis, and Epic of Gilgamesh myths. Despite common threads running in the two sources of mythology, I argue that Genesis is the only text that portrays humans in a religiously and royally authoritative position that includes responsibility for nature. To clarify, modern Jewish or Christian thought on Genesis in relation to the environment is not the focus of this study. Instead, this study examines Gen. 1-11 in the context of the ancient Near East, …


A Trickster In Disguise: Reading A New Type Of Satan In 2 Corinthians, Miranda Julia Rutherford Jan 2015

A Trickster In Disguise: Reading A New Type Of Satan In 2 Corinthians, Miranda Julia Rutherford

Honors Papers

This paper examines three brief mentions of Satan in 2 Corinthians by comparing them with representations in two longer pseudepigraphal texts: the Testament of Job and the Greek Life of Adam and Eve. Although the Satan of 2 Corinthians is often read in tandem with other mentions of an apocalyptic evil figure, I argue that this Satan bears a greater resemblance to the Satan portrayed in the Testament and the Life. In these three texts, Satan's moral alignment is ambiguous: although he often acts for nefarious purposes, he does not oppose God on a cosmic scale as apocalyptic Satan figures …