Abstract This paper explain that the question of when, or even whether, Jesus knew that he was God has been debated by theologians since Christ's crucifixion. The author reviews the questions surrounding this issue by reflecting upon the distinction between the ascent and descent theological approaches to the nature of Jesus. The paper concludes that, while it is clear that Jesus had some perceptions concerning his special relationship with God, there is very little in the New Testament that indicates any full awareness of his role and purpose in life before his baptism; however, during his public ministry, Jesus demonstrated a clear understanding of who he was. The paper contains many quotations.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Descending and Ascending Logos
Conclusion
From the Paper "Although humankind has always believed infancy and early childhood to be uniquely significant, it was not until the early half of the twentieth century that consistent research was conducted into the way in which children emotionally develop. Freud (1949), who was the foremost major theorist to highlight the importance of infancy and young childhood, strongly believed that "the ways babies are treated establish lifelong orientations and personality traits", while other behaviorists, including the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, explored children's cognitive growth."
Abstract The NASDAQ and the arguments regarding whether or not the NASDAQ's rapid ascent and decline signifies that the NASDAQ was and is merely an overinflated bubble are discussed in this paper. Part II discusses arguments in favor of the position that the NASDAQ was and is simply one large bubble. In Part III, arguments in favor of the position that the NASDAQ was not and is not merely one huge bubble are raised.
From the Paper "What the stock-market indicators do not reveal, but that the free-fall offered a rare glimpse of, is the disturbing growth of ?digital sweatshops,? anti-union policies, mandatory urine testing, and harsh working conditions which would not be accepted in other professions. (Burns). Slave-driven coders and programmers who are scrapped by age thirty-five, call center support staff, and marketing specialists trapped by their own psychographic profile are the new under-class. (Burns)."
From the Paper "Introduction
In his exploration of 20th century fascism between the wars, Payne (1995) described Mussolini as the most liberal of the totalitarian personalities that dominated that period. Perhaps this was a vestige of his earlier involvement with revolutionary socialism, or a reflection from his early years. Yet, the fact remains that Mussolini, along with Hitler, was an architect of fascism and of the policies that led to World War II. The intention in the following pages is to explore Mussolini's rise to power, including his childhood and youthful political development."
Abstract This essay covers the life and accomplishments of Nero, emperor of Rome. It talks about his unlikely ascent to the throne due to his conniving mother. The paper shows that Nero's rule began well enough, but as time went on his mistrust for others grew. The paper speaks about the development of tensions between Nero and those who were once close to him. It also mentions his bizarre hobbies, his bloody persecution of Christians and his equally bloody demise.
From the Paper "After her death, Nero divorced Octavia and married Poppaea and completely lost all inhibitions. He would go to the Olympics, an event scorned by the Romans and continued to act and sing, even though such a pastime was seen as lowly in Roman society. In one final callous act, he burned down almost a quarter of Rome, purportedly to expand his immense estate or wanting to replace the cluttered, ugly old Rome with new, innovative architecture. He used the Christians as a scapegoat for this act and gave them a fitting punishment: using them as live torches at festivals. When his wife became pregnant the senate decided that Nero was a threat to the Roman people and wanted to kill him before the baby was born and named heir. The plan failed but the baby died shortly after its birth and later Poppaea herself died from a later miscarriage."
Abstract This paper presents a detailed examination of the history of the police department in America. The writer explores why the nation determined police departments were necessary and how they began their ascent to various cities.
From the Paper "Before one can understand the current police departments in America it is important for one to understand how the police came to be viewed as something that was needed. Police departments in America origins have been traced back to early English Society. Before the Norman Conquest there were no police forces that were formally administered and implemented. Instead society depended on something called the pledge system which entailed a type of code of honor. This code said that each village member pledged to protect the entire village against crimes such as thieves and murderers. If any member of the village saw something occurring they were honor bound to make such a fuss that the rest of the village would be alerted. They as well as the village members that they had alerted were honor bound to pursue and deal with the criminal in question. While this system was considered successful for many years as villages grew larger it became necessary to design a more organized system. This is when the tithing system came to be. A tithing was ten a ten family group in a village. The ten families banded together and worked with the honor system of before, but the tithing was also overseen by one person that was called a constable. Constables have since been considered the first real police officer in the world(Police History and Organization History of Police
http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/just/just110/police1.html). "
Abstract This paper concerns the fourth chapter, or canto, of the second book in the "Divina Commedia" of Dante, the "Purgatorio". It concerns the ascent of the main characters to the realm of the indolent, where reside the repentant souls of those who were too lazy to convert before their last days. God is making them wait before they are admitted to paradise, just like they made him wait for their conversion. The paper concerns the way in which Dante uses abnormal physical laws to make the mythological space of the Commedia just weird enough to be believed. Current findings in the anthropology of religion are cited to support the need for odd, un-earthly aspects of supernatural systems like those involved in the afterlife.
Abstract This paper explores Bonaventure's understanding of the soul's ascension to God and includes an examination of cultural specificity and its effect on Bonaventure's writings.
From the Paper "In his work "The Mind's Road to God", Bonaventure shows the practical value of the three fold ladder of spiritual ascent by explaining the individual steps involved in the process and demonstrating how each uniquely leads to that which Bonaventure finds most desirable - the soul's ascension into God. However, to completely understand the ideas underpinning Saint Bonaventure's spiritual philosophy, it is important to possess both a basic knowledge of his background and an understanding of the contribution this background may have made to his writings."
This paper discusses Cardinal Richelieu, who, in the late 1500s and early 1600s, was one of the stronger politicians behind the weakening French throne of King Louis VIII.
Abstract This paper explains that Richelieu, the villain in the "Three Musketeers", is one of the reasons the marriage of church and state, which was the practice in Europe at the time, left such a sour taste in the mouths of those statesmen who crafted the American Constitution. The author points out that the monarchy was established so firmly that, even the long, poorly administered reign, and the series of rebellions, which occurred during that time, could not shake its foundation, and France became the dominating power on the continent of Europe, both in politics and in the arts. The paper relates that, while the Protestant Reformation had taken root in Europe less than a half century prior to Richelieu's ascent to power, his allegiance to the Catholic Pope placed him at political odds with those who engaged in dissent.
From the Paper "As masterfully demonstrated by the Clinton administration, controlling public opinion is a process of paramount importance if a man of dubious character is to build a favorable legacy. Criticism needed to be stifled, and Richelieu did this with much success. He submitted the press who would question his "advisory role to the king" to a brutally repressive regime. As a result, most pamphlets published in France in his day supported the government. According to recent research into French history, the Cardinal extended his concept of spin control to any publication critical of the government, including popular cultural writers of the time, the Academie Francaise, which was intended to enhance the artistic and intellectual prestige of France."
Abstract This paper looks in detail at the events during the life of Ngo Dinh Diem, his era of governance, and the events that took place in the aftermath of his assassination. The paper looks at the political situation surrounding Dinh Diem's ascent to power and how his reign impacted the country and the region.
Introduction
The Life and Times of Ngo Dinh Diem
The Corrupt and Authoritarian Regime
Downfall, Assassination and the Aftermath
Conclusion
From the Paper "At a time when communism was rising and regarded to be a threat by many western nations including the United States of America, Ngo Dinh Diem, portrayed him to be a vociferous opponent of communism. He worked for the administration of Emperor Bao Dai until the year 1933. During the Second World War and its aftermath, he continued to oppose the French occupation and also the National Independence Movement that was initiated by the communists. In the year 1945, he turned down an offer to work under the post war government that was briefly installed. While the confrontation lasted involving French troops and independent forces Ngo Dinh Diem spent a number of years in exile, which was quite influential in laying the buildings blocks to his political career. It was during those times that he occupied himself in a massive contact building exercise and eventually managed to gain the much needed support and approval of the United States of America. (Diem, Ngo Diem)"
Abstract This paper discusses the miracle performed by Jesus of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. The paper contends that this miracle, as it is described in the Gospel of John, holds some very key elements for the true Christian. First, it confirms that Jesus Christ was indeed capable of performing miracles that not only helped his fellow people, but also supported his divine nature as the one and only 'Son of God'. But most importantly, the resurrection of Lazarus, the eventual raising of Jesus Christ from the dead, and his ascent into heaven reinforces the faith of all believers that someday they too will follow in his footsteps to become one with God, and thus conquer death to live eternally as Jesus himself had promised in the Gospels of the New Testament.
From the Paper "Of all the miracles ascribed to Jesus Christ in the New Testament, the raising of Lazarus from the dead is clearly the most inspiring and "miraculous." For Christians, all of the promises prescribed by God are fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Lazarus, for it represents "the final and definitive action by God for the sake of the human race and illustrates His divine power in what we have come to recognize as reality" (Fuller 87). The raising of Lazarus also represents the culmination of New Testament theology and symbolizes the ultimate transformation of all things connected to the divinity of Jesus Christ."
Abstract This paper examines the geopolitical conditions confronting India at the outset of the 21st century and the politico-economic threats posed to it by regional embroilment in the war on terror. The paper argues that, within the regional context of the descent of the former Soviet Union and the ascent of China, India has to aggressively and comprehensively redesign its security agendas, further taking into account the relationship developed between the United States and Pakistan vis-a-vis potential implications for the Kashmir conflict.
From the Paper "India's security concerns have changed dramatically over the past two decades. The country's primary external security problem is no longer Pakistan's nuclear capabilities and the potential of armed confrontation over Kashmir, and its internal security problem is no longer confined to the challenge of containing ethnic conflicts. India's security concerns have considerably expanded consequent to both the collapse of the Soviet Union and the former power's unaccounted for arsenal of weapons of mass destruction, and the status of the region as one of the focal points for the war on terror. It is imperative, as Amit Gupta a political science and security professor at Stonehill College states, it is imperative that India redefine its security priorities and design a new national security program which takes into account the geopolitical changes that have swept over the region (1044-145). Bearing in mind the changed geopolitical regional realities, India's new security agenda needs to address the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of China as the primary regional power, confront the challenges posed by the war on terror, bearing its domestic consequences in mind, and reassess its relationship with Pakistan, aiming towards a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir conflict."
Abstract This paper explains that Heracles, which means glory of Hera, is best known as the strongest of all mortals and considered as a super hero and the deciding factor in allowing the Olympian gods to win their battle with the giants. The author points out that Heracles was the last mortal son of Zeus and the only man born of mortal woman to become a god upon his death. The paper relates that Heracles was renowned for making the world safe for man by destroying many dangerous monsters; his self-sacrifice obtained the ascent to the Olympian realms, welcomed by the gods.
Table of Contents
The Twelve Labors of Heracles for King Eurystheus
The Traditional Order of the Twelve Labors
Kill the Lion of Nemea
Kill the Nine Headed Hydra
Capture the Erymanthian Boar
Capture the Cerynian Hind
Clean the Augean Stables in One Day
Kill the carnivorous birds of Stymphalis
Capture the Wild Bull of Crete
Steal the Mares of Diomedes
Obtain the Girdle of Hippolyte
Obtain the Cattle of Geryon
Steal the Golden Apples of the Hesperides
Capture Cerberus
Heracles Good and Evil Character
Heracles Marriage Life, Sex Life and Death
Heracles Male Lovers
From the Paper "Heracles first task that he must performed for King Eurythus is to put to death the mighty Lion of Nemea. Heracles used his bow and arrow to kill the Lion of Nemea. Apparently the arrows just bounced off the lion's coat. Heracles had no choice but to fight the monster with his bare hands. The fight was so violent. Heracles had his little finger bitten off but this only made him angrier and stronger. He grasped the lion tightly around the neck and squeezed. The lion choked to death. After the lion death Heracles skinned the lion and wears the skin for protection."
Abstract This paper describes the rise to power of Octavian in 27 BCE, looking at how Cicero first supported Octavian as a potential leader of the Roman Republic and a bulwark against the threat of Antony's dictatorship over Rome and later opposed him when Octavian took sides with Antony. The paper then describes the defeat of Brutus at the hands of Antony and Octavian, the demise of Antony at the hands of Octavian and Octavian's final ascent to power.
From the Paper "Cicero hated tyrants and spent much of his later political life seeking a leader who would restore the Roman Republic. To this end, he tried to use Octavian as a potential bulwark against the threat of Antony's dictatorship over Rome, but to Cicero's great dismay, Octavian was only the lesser of two evils. He, too, sought absolute political power and, using Cicero's popularity and controlling the Senate, he reached his goal (in 27 BCE, crowning himself princeps, and later, emperor.) In many ways, Cicero opposed Octavian's rise to power, especially when Octavian joined forced with Antony in a triumvirate with Lepidus. In 43 BCE, this "second" triumvirate had Cicero executed as an enemy of the state. "
Abstract This paper studies the themes of ascent and descent represented in the film "The Cranes Are Flying", directed by Mikhail Kalatozov. The author shows how straight, dramatic slopes of all kinds are seen throughout the film, as the main characters, Veronica and Boris, run past them, creep up them, step on and off them and experience literal and figurative death at their lowest points. The paper argues that these visual cues enable the film to be emotionally compelling. The paper concludes that the angular mise-en-scene provides symbolism to punctuate the film's emotional peaks and valleys.
From the Paper "The film opens with Veronica and Boris running in the streets. They run on flat ground, but profiles of tremendous stairways loom behind them. The streets are wet and uninhabited, as if the couple is coasting along in a dream - a fantasy world that exists on a plane directly in front of reality. This scene gives the viewer an idea of the carefree love that the two characters share while allowing only subtle premonitions of things to come. At a later point, when Fyodor enters the kitchen after Veronica has left and begins to make negative comments to Boris regarding the relationship, he does so after ascending a staircase. He invades their plane."
