Classics Commons^™

The Russel B. Swensen Lecture

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

After graduating from Brigham Young University in 1926, Russel B. Swensen (1902-1987) taught seminary in Mesa, Arizona, and later in Kamas and Hurricane, Utah. In 1930, Joseph F. Merrill, the LDS Church commissioner of education, invited Swensen, along with two others, to attend the University of Chicago Divinity School. There Swensen received an M.A. and Ph.D. in New Testament Studies.

Preface, Janiece Johnson

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Perhaps the most salient memory I have from my History 200 class, other than Professor Doug Tobler's engaging laugh, is his maxim that writing makes us responsible for our words. This idea has stayed with me through many long nights in front of a computer monitor, and although I still cannot say that I want to be responsible for every word I have written, we learn by doing and the proverb endures.

Front Matter

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

End Matter

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

History Department Annual Student Awards

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Each year, in conjunction with the Swenson lecture, the History department conducts an awards banquet. Student papers are reviewed by a faculty committee and the best are chosen for awards. We at the Thetean feel a need to recognize these students for their achievements. Below are listed the winners for the 1997-98 History student paper awards.

When Girl Meets Boy, Robbyn Thompson Scribner

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Young women in traditional Russian peasant society had little, if any, choice about whom they married. The choice of a spouse was most often made by the father, although occasionally the mother would also have a say in the decision. Olga, a character in Goncharov's Oblomov, says of young women, "We do not marry, but we are given in marriage." The tradition that women had relatively little say in the matter is further highlighted by traditional folk lyrics young betrothed girls would sing, such as: "I've been given away" and "They are making me marry a lout." Laments such as …

Gettin' By, Kam Brian

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Utah was severely affected by the Great Depression of the 1930's. Unemployment soared and thousands were forced to turn to the government for assistance. Yet, Wayne county, a small area in south central Utah was able to escape many of the devastating effects brought on by the failing economy. The residents of this isolated county eluded much of the despair and disillusionment felt throughout the country at this time. Alta Albrecht, a life-long resident of Wayne County, recalls the period like this, "People didn't have much, they didn't know the difference. They didn't expect much, but they were happy people."

The Provocation Of A Few, Ben Mack

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

For the Mormons in Missouri, the year 1838 presented many trials. They were in the midst of an attempt to establish "Zion," a community that would be "of one heart and of one mind," but there were obstacles to such an endeavor. Tension between the established Missourians and the Mormon settlers escalated throughout the summer. At the end of the year, the bitterness exploded into a devastating outburst of Missouri violence referred to as the "Haun's Mill Massacre." Of the victimized Mormons, or Latter-day Saints (LDS), seventeen were killed and thirteen were wounded. The massacre, though undeserved by the Mormons, …

Judaism Transformed, Kyrenia Palmer

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

The Sabbatean movement, Judaism's first true heresy, originated in the Ottoman province of Palestine in the 1660s. The movement centered around an aspiring Messiah called Sabbatai Sevi. With the aid of a personal prophet, young Nathan of Gaza,· this man made himself a household word throughout the Jewish Diaspora and induced thousands of Jews to inflict radical penitential sufferings upon themselves in a sort of apocalyptic ecstacy. However, Sabbatai Sevi was not the decisive factor in Judaism's spiritual awakening, nor was Nathan of Gaza ( though without his support the movement never would have spread). Rather, the great messianic revival …

Power For A Purpose, Robert L. Beisner

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

The dawn of modern American strategy appeared during the early cold war a half century ago. Strategy is the use of power for a purpose. Washington's purposes after 1945 were to establish and then maintain an international order in which American values and institutions could prosper. American policymakers thought the same policies established to do this would also benefit the world at large. Their conscious fashioning of strategy to achieve purpose was virtually unprecedented in American history. The results, almost all successes, included the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, the Truman Doctrine and Berlin Airlift, the Marshall Plan, the …

The Russel B. Swensen Lecture

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

After graduating from Brigham Young University in 1926, Russel B. Swensen ( 1902-1987) taught seminary in Mesa, Arizona, and later in Kamas and Hurricane, Utah. In 1930, Joseph E Merrill, then LDS Church commissioner of education, invited Swensen, along with two others, to attend the University of Chicago Divinity School. There he received an M.A. and Ph.D. in New Testament Studies.

Preface, Bruce W. Hall

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

As the official journal of the Beta Iota Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the honors society for students of history, The Thetean is committed to encouraging good historical writing at BYU. We recognize the great importance of quality historical writing and have sought to recognize those students whose outstanding work has earned them a recognition greater than just a grade.

Front Matter

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

Adolescent Well-Being And Exclusionary Discipline: A Resiliency Model, Rachel Ballard

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents, especially those with a mental illness, often behave in ways judged to be impulsive, overly emotional, and irresponsible (Gogtay et al., 2004; Lawrence et al., 2015; Tamnes et al., 2010). Many teen behaviors which concern adults can be related to underdeveloped skills or competencies, rate of brain development, or expressions of mental disorders (Casey et al., 2011; Serbin et al., 2011; Spear, 2000). Behaviors commonly associated with adolescence, such as impulsivity, risk-taking, and efforts to fit in with peers, are often seen as a serious threat to school harmony, learning, and student safety, necessitating a disciplinary response from school …

The Hidden Quality Cost Resulting From Food And Drug Administration Inspection Failures In Mid To Large Companies, Jonathan Walston

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An approach to identify and validate hidden quality costs associated with regulatory non-compliance from inspections by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not been previously researched. This dissertation presents a robust quantitative methodology to analyze the daily cumulative abnormal returns (CAR) on populations of publicly traded mid-to-large cap companies around FDA inspection events having negative outcomes. Three hypotheses have been tested focusing only on inspection events from companies falling under the biologics product type category. Hypothesis 1 states that there is no statistically significant correlation between the sum of CAR around inspection windows for such companies when a negative …

Casar Student Discussion Series: Should Cultural Artifacts Be Returned To Their Country Of Origin?, The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar

Performances, Events, and Presentations

Student Debate Series - Launched in Fall 2023:

The Center of American Studies and Research (CASAR) launched a Student Discussion Series in Fall 2023 semester, it is a student-led debate on a plethora of current hot topics. In this student discussion series, students play the role of delving into topics together to understand one another. This event is broadcasted on facebook live via the CASAR Facebook Page, where the entire record is still available to watch. Students passionately present their arguments in an organized manner, going back and forth between the two sides, and often students become excited about leading …

Medieval Manuscripts At Loyola University Chicago, Ian Cornelius, Kathy Young

English: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This article provides a summary overview of the collection of pre-1600 western European manuscripts in Loyola University Chicago Archives and Special Collections. The collection presently comprises four manuscript codices, at least 38 fragments, and four documents. The codices are a thirteenth-century Book of Hours from German-speaking lands; a fifteenth-century Dutch prayerbook; a preacher’s compilation written probably in southern Germany in the 1440s; and two fifteenth-century Italian humanist booklets, bound together since the nineteenth century, transmitting Donatus’s commentary on the Eunuchus (incomplete) and an anthology of theological excerpts, respectively. The fragments consist of thirteen leaves from books dismembered by modern booksellers …

“And They Were All Astonished (?)” The Verb Ἐκπλήσσω, Competition, And Mark’S Narrative, Nathaniel Desrosiers

Journal of Religious Competition in Antiquity

This essay discusses the key Greek verb e0kplh/ssw in Mark’s gospel, which is typically rendered as “astonished” or “amazed” in English translations. However, outside of the New Testament the term usually connotes a much more emotional, visceral response than mere amazement; relaying a sense of anger, frustration, and the threat of violence. Accordingly, I argue that standard modern renderings of this verb in Mark and the other Synoptic Gospels are not only inaccurate; they also detract from the overall depth and meaning of the passages in which it appears. Through a reexamination of this verb in concert with an analysis …

A Tale Of Two Fathers: Leadership Between The Estate And The Study House In The Origin Story Of Eliezer Ben Hyrcanus, John Mandsager

Journal of Religious Competition in Antiquity

The coming-of-age tale of R. Eliezer b. Hyrcanus, found in a number of late midrash collections, contains competing ideals of masculine mastery and leadership. Through analysis of the three main characters of the story, R. Eliezer, and his two fathers, Hyrcanus, and his master R. Yoḥanan b. Zakkai across the variants of the story, this article demonstrates that the spaces of the agricultural estate and the study house are idealized in competing ways in rabbinic midrash as spaces for mastery of ideals of masculine identity (success in estate management and excellence in Torah study). In addition, Hyrcanus and R. Yoḥanan …

“All One In Christ Jesus:” Physical And Moral Equality In Galatians 3:28, Kevin Mcginnis

Journal of Religious Competition in Antiquity

Galatians 3:28 has often been interpreted as a slogan or baptismal formula that is disconnected from Paul's argument in the letter. It is also often pointed to as evidence of a radically egalitarian lifestyle among early Christians, one in which ethnic, social class, and gender differences are erased in favor of complete social and political equality. This article argues that Gal 3:28 does fit well with Paul's argument about the necessity of baptism for gentiles, but not circumcision, to be included as part of God's salvific plan. It also makes the case that the equality suggested in 3:28 has to …

Northeast Insulae Project: Context And Analysis (Revised Edition), Mark Schuler

The Final Report

This volume of the Final Report places the excavation of the northeast insulae into its historical and archaeological context and draws interpretive conclusions from the work done. Much of the material presented here is repeated in a second volume which recounts the history of the project sequentially. But the focus in this volume is on interpretation of the material remains in their context.

What Our Hearts Crave For: An Examination Of The Paradoxical Attraction To Dante’S Inferno, Ketzalt E. Marquez

Honors Projects

This paper serves to analyze and explain why audiences are attracted to stories with elements of Horror in them, using Dante’s Inferno as the vehicle for this conversation, as the Inferno’s setting is in the worse possible place imaginable. Horror narratives arise feelings of fear and disgust in its audiences through the use of monsters, as audiences relate to the fear and disgust the positive characters in the narratives are feeling because of the monster’s presence. Since these emotions arise in a safe space, such as in literature or film, where the source of the emotions is not endangering the …

Demythologizing Homer: Investigating Religion In Minoan Crete, Elizabeth Rybarczyk

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

The Minoan civilization of Bronze-Age Crete has, until recently, been obscured in mythological uncertainty. As a prehistoric civilization, the available evidence for historic analysis is sparse and ambiguous. This paper evaluates the material evidence for ritual activity to chart the religious developments of Minoan Crete. In the earliest periods of their civilization, the Minoans practiced animism, which reflected their ideals towards survival and cooperation. As their prosperity grew due to technological advancements, a social hierarchy formed. The emerging elite employed religion to justify their claim to power by appropriating religion, which culminated in a dual-monotheistic Knossian theocracy. This lasted until …

Review Of The Myth Made Fact: Reading Greek And Roman Mythology Through Christian Eyes, Charlie W. Starr

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Charlie W. Starr: Review of Louis Markos, The Myth Made Fact: Reading Greek and Roman Mythology Through Christian Eyes (Camp Hill, Pennsylvania: Classical Academic Press, 2020). 448 pages. $27.99. ISBN 9781600513954.

Rape Jokes, Sexual Violence, And Empire In Revelation And This Is The End, Meredith J.C. Warren

Journal of Religion & Film

The Book of Revelation is one of the most borrowed-from texts of the New Testament when it comes to popular culture. Although there are dozens of other ancient apocalyptic writings, it is John’s apocalyptic visions that directly inform contemporary ideas of apocalypse. The apocalyptic comedy This Is The End (Dir. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, 2013) not only invokes imagery from Revelation but also adapts portions of the text in its portrayal of the end times. However, it also reproduces and expands upon the use of sexual violence as a means of punishment found in Revelation. This paper will examine …

Justice For All: Moira, Tyche And Nemesis In The Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jason Osborne

Journal of Religion & Film

This article explores the ways in which the ancient concepts of moira, tyche, and nemesis permeate the films and series of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Athanasius Pulled Apart: Heresiology And The (Dis)Membered (Fe)Male Body, Jennifer Barry

Cultural and Philosophical Inquiry Articles

In this article, I engage Athanasius of Alexandria’s invocation of the infamous dismemberment of the unnamed woman found in Judg 19. By the fourth century, this story of gang rape—along with other preserved stories of sexual violence—found in Judges, were scattered throughout early Christian literature. Judges 19 holds a particularly troubling history in the late ancient context. The story of the rape and dismemberment of the unnamed woman in Judg 19 gave life to another story and typified a style of writing that I characterize in the article as a heresiology. The spectacle of Judges, along with other gruesome deaths …

Elite Women In The Mediterranean 31 Bc – 1380 Ad: An Investigation Into Female Agency, Identity, And Patriarchy Across Classical And Christian Paradigms, Julia Maurer

Capstone Showcase

This paper explores the responses of elite women to patriarchal regimes across the Classical Pagan and Medieval Christian paradigms in the Mediterranean from 31 BC to 1380 AD. While the current historiography acknowledges the radical differences between the two worldviews fundamental to the core values of Western Civilization, an investigation of three women that can be taken to be emblematic examples of the periods in which they lived reveals a striking continuity in the nuanced social roles available to women. This continuity contradicts expectations of significant changes reflective of this revolutionary paradigm shift.

I utilize Julia Augusti, Vibia Perpetua, and …

The Sanctuary Of Demeter And Kore: The Portrayal Of Corinthian Gender Ideologies In Ritual Landscape, Kaia C. Brose

Dissertations and Theses

The Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore on Acrocorinth reflects gender ideologies and concerns within the larger region of Korinthia. Archaeological finds particularly serve to illustrate the sanctuary’s role in maintaining these gender ideologies and concerns. This thesis focuses on the depiction of gender ideologies that reflect a shift toward a wealthier material culture in sixth-century Corinth with themes of feminine virtue and fertility prevalent in the sanctuary. The study of certain ceramics shapes and iconography serves to reveal the sanctuary’s role within the larger religious landscape it was located in. The kalathos, pyxis/Frauenfest scene, and the liknon illustrate the presence …