Search results for ""author matthew edwards""

The Book of Wisdom's understanding of Israel's history, of contemporary politics and of the immortal fate of the persecuted sage can be understood to be part of one theological system. This system integrates texts and concepts from Jewish Wisdom, the biblical narratives of the patriarchs from Adam to Moses, eschatological hope and apocalyptic language, an understanding of the spirit of God in the enabling of prophets and leaders and, most distinctively, the Stoic concept of pneuma. This last concept unites the biblical resources and allows Wisdom, using eschatological language, to speak of the ordering of the cosmos for the judgement for the wicked and the exaltation of God's people in the present age.Matthew Edwards addresses first the question of the literary unity of Wisdom. This is followed by an examination of the differing uses of the term pneuma within Wisdom, that is as divine agent of salvation, the means of the ordering the cosmos and the substance from which souls are composed. The nature of personal salvation within Wisdom is also considered and shown to be an integral part of the understanding of the cosmos, ordered for judgement and exaltation. Finally, this notion of the ordering of the comos and history for God's people is discussed with its consequences for Jewish life under contemporary Hellenistic and Roman rule.

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Cicero, Politics, and the 21st Century addresses the West’s current crisis of confidence. Reflecting on how the famed Roman philosopher-statesmen Marcus Tullius Cicero thought and acted in a time of great turbulence in the ancient world, this book offers lessons to 21st century students of politics and statesmen alike. Cicero’s example shows that the survival of liberal democracy requires us to recover a sense of nobility in politics – a balance of power, honour, and justice with the pursuit of truth for the common good. Cicero, Politics, and the 21st Century brings the reader into the dirty politics of the late Roman Republic and tells how Cicero rose to the top in this environment. He managed to work with people who were often diametrically opposed to him, juggling different power blocks and interest groups, while trying to implement reforms, all at a time when the state apparatus and public consensus holding the Republic together were breaking down. Cicero was able to attain power, all the while maintaining his integrity and advancing the interests of his people. Additionally, Cicero and his time bring much needed perspective to our political thinking by enabling us to examine events through a prism of assumptions different from those we have inherited from the turmoil of the 20th century.

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