History of Religion Commons^™

The Pagan Reception Of Judaism From The Sibylline Oracles: Insights From Pseudo-Seneca’S Octavia Regarding The Creation And Circulation Of Oral Sibylline Oracles By The Plebs, Kenneth Atkinson

Faculty Publications

According to tradition, the original collection of Sibylline Books ac­quired by the Roman monarch Tarquinius Priscus, which were kept in the Temple of Jupiter in the capital, were lost in the fire of 83 BCE. In 76 BCE, the Senate ordered the college of the quindecimviri to travel to the traditional centers of Sibylline activity in the East to find Sibylline Oracles to replace those destroyed in the fire. According to Lactantius, these officials collected many Oracles from private individuals. This reference suggests that Sibylline Oracles circulated widely. However, based on the witnesses regarding their consultation, it appears that the …

Roman History In Sibylline Oracle 13: A Palestinian Jewish Perspective On Emperors, Usurpers, And Saviors During The Third Century Ce (Part Two: From Decius To Odenath Of Palmyra), Kenneth Atkinson

Faculty Publications

Sibylline Oracle 13 is a remarkable historical document that contains a unique perspective on the poorly documented period of Roman history known as the “Crisis of the Third Century (235-284 CE), which began with the assassination of the Roman emperor Severus Alexander (222-235 CE), the last ruler of the Severan dynasty. This turbulent era was marked by nearly fifty years of civil wars, barbarian invasions, rebellions, and approximately twenty-six claimants to the throne. Although the end of this turmoil under Diocletian (284-305 CE) is well known, we have little information about much of this century, particularly its first decades. The …

Roman History In Sibylline Oracle 13: A Palestinian Jewish Perspective On Emperors, Usurpers, And Saviors During The Third Century Ce (Part One: From Maximus I “Thrax” To Philip I “The Arab”), Kenneth Atkinson

Faculty Publications

The period commonly known as the “Crisis of the Third Century” (235-284 CE) began with the assassination of the Roman emperor Severus Alexander (222-235 CE), the last ruler of the Severan dynasty. This turbulent era was marked by nearly fifty years of civil war, barbarian invasions, rebellions, and political and social unrest caused by approximately twenty-six claimants to the imperial throne. Although the end of this age of disorder under Diocletian (284-305 CE) is well-known, we have little information about much of the third century CE, particularly its first decades. This study examines book 13 of the Sibylline oracles, which …

The Provenance Of A Pali- And Thai-Language Manuscript At The Rollins College Library: A Buddhist Book Of Merit And Its Long Journey From Southeast Asia To America, Wenxian Zhang

Faculty Publications

Through researching the provenance of a Buddhist manuscript written in the Pali and Thai languages currently held at Rollins, this article seeks to answer the question of how a religious document created in Thailand ended up in a liberal arts college library in America. Regarded as an act of devotion by many Buddhist followers in Southeast Asia, the use of folding manuscripts (samut khoi) has been observed for centuries. The folding manuscripts served as handbooks and chanting manuals for Buddhist monks, who often recited in religious ceremonies while paying tributes to the deceased, with the hope of reincarnation in a …

Pardon For Murder: Jared Dalton, The "Assassin Of Old Mother Parker", Rebecca A. Wiederhold

Faculty Publications

View the video presentation here: https://youtu.be/soJlvXhvvDA?t=3032

On her fateful 63rd birthday in April 1880, Mary Parker was lured to the outskirts of the small southern Utah town of Rockville, where she falsely expected to reunite with a disgraced son. There, she was “outraged” and murdered, her throat slit and her body left under a pile of rocks. Mary Parker’s tragic story was once a sensational news item that shocked the rural community and was indignantly reported and followed throughout the state. Her presumed murderer was swiftly identified as Jared Dalton, the twenty-two-year-old son of a Latter-day Saint polygamist and his …

Stones And Bones: Catholic Responses To The 1812 Collapse Of The Mission Church Of Capistrano, Karin Vélez

Faculty Publications

This essay delves into the 1812 collapse of the Great Stone Church at California’s Mission of San Juan Capistrano and its aftermath to consider how early modern Catholics in the greater Iberian world approached the material remains of ruined churches that contained human victims. Questions explored include how Franciscan missionaries reported and reacted to the calamity, why the casualties were disproportionately Indian and female, and what survivors did with the physical remnants of broken churches. Churches that collapsed on worshippers in Arequipa, Cuzco, Lima and Lisbon prior to 1812 are mustered for comparison. Overall, a pattern emerges of Catholics separating …

Lutherans In North America, Mark A. Granquist

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Book Of Mormon Costume Resource Guide, Rory R. Scanlon

Faculty Publications

This report offers visual costume research support for artists working on Book of Mormon projects, with an historical overview of Mesoamerica and how to understand its historical clothing pieces, an annotated listing of the best research sources, a list of garment and fabric terms for the 2000 BC to 600 AD period, and sample sketches from historical artifacts to suggest how to interpret the original research images the artist will encounter.

Old Testament Costume Resource Guide, Rory R. Scanlon

Faculty Publications

This report offers visual costume research support for artists working on Old Testament Bible projects, with an historical overview of Mesopotamia and how to understand its historical clothing pieces, an annotated listing of the best research sources, a list of garment and fabric terms for the 4000 BC to 0 AD period, and sample sketches from historical artifacts to suggest how to interpret the original research images the artist will encounter.

Leo The Great On The Supremacy Of The Bishop Of Rome, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

Pope Leo the Great built his rationale for the supreme authority of the bishop of Rome on an existing tradition, yet with his additions he developed a theoretical rationale for later papal claims to absolute and supreme power in the ecclesiastical and secular realms. Previous bishops and church leaders had laid increasing stress on the unique role of the Apostle Peter as the founder of the Roman churches and episcopacy, the significance of the Roman bishop as Peter’s successor, and the apostolic significance of the city and episcopacy of Rome. Yet Leo’s rationale for the absolute control and power of …

Peter Abelard’S Theology Of Atonement: A Multifaceted Approach And Reevaluation, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

As a person trained primarily in philosophy, Peter Abelard employed an intense questioning mentality in fleshing out his theological ideas.  His extreme debating style of totally deconstructing theological positions and then afterward including some of those same aspects into his own views made it easy for his religio-political enemies to take apparently heterodox statements and declare these as representative of Abelard’s entire atonement theology.  However, many of his theological beliefs are supported in the New Testament and were already held by the church fathers.  He frequently affirmed Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice as the ransom to redeem man.  He rejected various contemporary …

[Book Review Of] American Protestant Theology: A Historical Sketch, By Luigi Giussani, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

Many scholars in the field of American religious and theological history may never have heard the name of Luigi Giussani (1922-2005) because he spent most of his life in his home country Italy, his proficiency in English was limited to reading literacy, and the majority of his writings were not concerned with American religious history anyway. Giussani was a Catholic priest, theologian, high school teacher, professor, and founder of the international movement Comunione e Liberazione. He was closely acquainted with Pope John Paul II and the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. His influence on Italian and European religious life and culture …

Money, Religion, And Tyranny: God And The Demonic In Luther's Antifragile Theology, Guillermo C. Hansen

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

William Vandever: Presbyterian, Congressman, General, Douglas Firth Anderson

Faculty Publications

What happens to Dutch ethnic identity after several generations in America? William Vandever (1817-1893) illustrates at least one path of acculturation. He was a Congressman twice--first from Iowa, later from California. During the Civil War, he raised a Union regiment from Iowa and was a general by the time the war ended. In the 1870s he was a U.S. Indian Inspector. His Dutchness, though, persisted through his self-identification as a devout Presbyterian--in the greater Reformed tradition of his Dutch ancestors of the 17th century.

The Father Of Black Adventism, Trevor O'Reggio

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Urge To Merge, Mark A. Granquist

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Review Of America's Prophet: Moses And The American Story, Michael F. Russo

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Religion And Immigration, Old And New, Mark A. Granquist

Faculty Publications

Two great waves of immigration since the middle of the nineteenth century have had great impact on United States culture and religion. While there have been tensions and conflicts, the benefits to both the civil and religious communities continue to be striking.

Review Of The Butcher's Tale: Murder And Anti-Semitism In A German Town, Michael F. Russo

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Oakland: The First Norwegian-American Seventh-Day Adventist Church In America, Lawrence W. Onsager

Faculty Publications

In December 1861, several Norwegian families, led by Andrew Olsen and Tarel Johnson, organized the first Norwegian-American Adventist church in Oakland Township, Jefferson County, Wisconsin. Oakland Township is part of the Koshkonong Norwegian-American Settlement, which includes southeastern Dane County, southwestern Jefferson County, and northern Rock County, Wisconsin.

The Olsen, Johnson, Loe, and Serns families were from a rural district in Vest-Agder County, Norway. On March 20, 1850, Andrew Olsen, his half-brother, Halvor Olsen, Ole Hegland Serns, and their families left for the U. S. from Kristiansand, Norway.

In 1854, Soren Loe and Tarel Johnson moved to Oakland to be near …