Abstract
The establishment of Jewish culture is clearly depicted in the Books of the Maccabees, specifically the second and fourth Books of the Maccabees. The actions of the devout characterized their status within the eyes of God and as active, committed persons seeking to make change within the living world. This paper shall explore how the actions of Jews depicted in the Books of the Maccabees demonstrated the establishment of specific practices of Jewish faith and helped promote the stability and the security of Judaism.

From the Paper
From the Maccabees to the Mishnah The establishment of Jewish culture is clearly depicted in the Books of the Maccabees, specifically the second and fourth Books of the Maccabees. The second Book of the Maccabees is considered a canonical text within Judaism, while the fourth Book is mainly recognized as apocryphal save by certain sects of orthodox Jews. Yet while the deuterocanonical status of these texts may be open to debate, their contributions to Judaism is not. Cohen (1987) writes that "in the eyes of the pagans of antiquity the essence of religion was neither faith nor dogma, but action" (p. 60). The actions of the devout characterized their status within the eyes of God

Tags:maccabees, judaism, custom

Abstract
The following paper critically analyzes the verses from the Bible: An Exegesis of Ezra 4:1-5 according to textual, grammatical, literary, historical, form and redaction aspects.The author contends that every attempt to revive true religion will stir up the opposition of Satan, and of those in whom he works. According to this author Ezra 4:1-5 was a distinct illustration of this theory.

From the Paper
"Adversaries referred to in verse one is from the Hebrew adjectival form of tsar. In this context, it may be used interchangeably with enemy. The enemy referred to is the Samaritans, the remainder of the ten tribes, and the foreigners who had joined with them. Judah refers to the kingdom comprised of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin which occupied the southern part of Canaan after the nation split upon the death of Solomon while Benjamin is the tribe descended from Benjamin, the son of Jacob".

Tags:Judah, Jesus, Canaan, redaction, tribes, Samaritans, temple, king, Israelites, satan

Abstract
The paper explains that Dante's "Inferno" can be more accurately described as a story about a man who finds his way to God with the help of another man, but only after passing through hell. The author points out that the "Bhagavad-Gita" also describes the path to God; yet, the difference in this description of a path to God is that it is not as frightening as the one that Dante takes. The paper relates that both the "Bhagavad-Gita" and Dante's "Inferno" refer to "demons", but there is a difference in the way that religiously devout people are viewed.

From the Paper
"In the "Bhagavad-Gita", devout individuals are called "demigods", while in Dante's "Inferno" there is no such term written. In addition to this, there is also no mention of how exactly one is to act in order to reach the ultimate truth or the Supreme. However, in the "Bhagavad-Gita", it is written that in order to reach the Supreme, "karma, fruitive activities, devotional service and yoga principles, and devotional service" are necessary. Essentially, it can be said that the "Bhagavad-Gita" provides man with a path to follow, and aims at preventing one from falling into paths that would not be seen as godly."

Tags:man, path, frightening, demons, devout

Abstract
This paper explains that addressing the events of the Holocaust from both an imaginative and realistic perspective allows for a better understanding of the experience from the people who were most affected: The six million Jews who were murdered, the survivors and the legacy of the Jewish heritage in the State of Israel. The author points out that the religious legacy of devotion to God and the sacrifices of the Jewish people, from a time-oriented, linear perspective, are described by Yaffa Eliach in the chapter, "Who Will Win This War?" in which she narrates the sufferings of Jewish prisoners doomed to Nazi labor battalions in Poland. The paper relates that the value of a religious education for the devout Jews at Bergen Belsen is reflected in the chapter, "What I Learned at My Father's Home," in which the author describes the sacrifices of one mother in an attempt to educate her children in Jewish law and tradition, even under these deprived circumstances.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Time Orientation of Narratives
Concepts and Treatment of Death
The Value of a Religious Education for the Devout Jews at Bergen Belsen
Primo Levi's Reaction to the Concept of Time during the Holocaust
The Survival of Primo Levi in Auschwitz
A Blessing on the Moon
Conclusion

From the Paper
"When the group of Jews refused the commandant's alternative of breaking their observance of Yom Kippur by repeatedly sliding down the mountain on the stomachs, the scene was described as, "At midnight, as the rains abated, the performance was stopped. The men were given food and drink. They lit small campfires, trying to dry their clothes and warm their shivering bodies. Their faces shone with a strange glow as they sat around the small campfires at the foot of Bornemissza. It seemed as if the campfires reflected the glow of their shining faces and burning eyes" (p. 105). This observance of an ancient religious ceremony in the face of such brutality prompted one young Nazi officer to tell the group of exhausted Jews: "I don't know who will win this war, but one thing I am sure of -- people like you, a nation like yours, will never be defeated, never!" '

Tags:observance, education, narrative, time, surviva

Abstract
This paper tells how Crane's family, travels, his real life experiences and the time era in which he grew up and wrote (the era of Social Darwinism and Devout Humanists) encouraged him to be the type of writer that he was. This paper also shows Crane's writing styles of "impressionistic color" and "detailed symbolism" and gives examples from the story. It shows too how Crane used the underlying themes of "picturesque imagery" and "incisive irony" in "The Open Boat."

From the Paper
"Stephen Crane was one of America's foremost naturalistic writers. Crane exercised keen observations, as well as personal experience to achieve a narrative vividness and sense of contiguity realized by few American writers before him (Votleler 97). Stephen Crane was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1871. He was the youngest of fourteen children born to a father, a Methodist Minister, and a socially reform minded mother. Crane's family settled in America during the mid-seventeenth century. Although his parents were religious people, Stephen systematically rejected religious and social traditions. He is described as a temperamentally gentle man, however, was obsessed with war and other forms of physical and psychic violence (Baym 741)."

Tags:darwinism, marxism, cuba, survival, commodore, narrative, structures, color, imagery

Abstract
This paper describes the inner journey undertaken by people such as Siddhartha, the main character of the novel, in their quest for knowledge and inner peace. The writer shows how, in chronicling this inner journey in "The Brahmin's Son," Hesse presents a subversive challenge to devout followers of Hinduism by suggesting that the Divine Understanding is not located out in the world, but within every person.

From the Paper
"As the reader progresses, it becomes apparent that Siddhartha's dissatisfaction stems from Brahmanism's failure to achieve Nirvana. Siddhartha is an excellent student, one who soaks up the knowledge offered by his own father and his other Brahmin teachers. This knowledge is supposed to lead to Enlightenment, the core goal of any good Hindu. However, the more he learns, the more Siddhartha's dissatisfaction grows. The inner tension increases as Siddhartha struggles between being "thirsty for knowledge" (4) and his desire for inner peace."

Tags:hindu, nirvana, inner, peace, self, spirit

Abstract
Factionalism has always played a dominant role in American politics and has in many ways added circumspection and compromise to the political theater. These factions have always represented demographic, geographic, ideological and commercial interests. This paper examines the role that some of these factions played in pre-Civil War America, including colonists loyal to the Crown, devout Anglicans who created English Canada and the Patriots. The paper focuses on the factions that emerged after the Revolutionary War in the form of the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans and traces their conflicts until the start of the Civil War.

From the Paper
"The Democratic-Republicans, whose principal proponent was Secretary of State and later President Thomas Jefferson, defended democratic and republican principles and believed in individual liberty and local self-government. This party reflected the democratic desires that had carried the patriots to victory in the Revolutionary War. Democratic Republicans were suspicious of the Bank of the United States, created by federalist Alexander Hamilton which issued debt to pay for the war. Their power base was in the South and West and they were popular with small farmers. This party became the overwhelmingly predominant American party before Andrew Jackson, a hero of the war of 1812, created the Democratic Party as the South and West developed divisive democratic differences with the North and East."

Tags:Whig, Party, Seven, Years?, War, Thomas, Jefferson, Andrew, Jackson

Abstract
This paper examines the life and the work of the 19th century German mathematician Friedrich Bernhard Riemann, whose ideas concerning geometry of space had a profound effect on the development of modern theoretical physics, including providing the foundation for the concepts and methods used later in relativity theory.

From the paper:

"An examination of the facts of Riemann's family background would not have led one to suspect that he would have become the great mathematician that he would develop into. He was the second of six children of a Lutheran pastor and it was this pastor/father who gave him his first formal education. Indeed, much of his early education was centered in his family, which was by all accounts both happy and deeply devout. He later attended the local high school, where he made quick and substantial progress in mathematics, soon moving beyond the ability of his teachers to educate him further (Laugwitz 38-41). He quickly mastered calculus and theory of numbers of Adrien-Marie Legendre. After graduating from the high school (or gymnasium), he studied at the universities of Gttingen and Berlin from 1846-51. It was at this point in his education that he became interested in problems concerning the theory of prime numbers, elliptic functions, and geometry, theoretical interests that would guide much of his later work."

Tags:Naturphilosophie, physics, theory, functions, topology, intellect, geometry, harmonic, fractional, order, complex, zeta

Abstract
This paper discusses "The Canterbury Tales" and the character of the Parson, who is a perfect example and holds every quality a devout church leader is expected to have. His life is contrasted with that of Monk and Friar who are the exact opposites of the Parson as their lives consist of greed, gluttony and lustfulness. The current church leadership, and Mother Teresa are used as modern day examples of goodness and greed.

From the Paper
"The First way the Canterbury Tales is relevant to a modern audience is through the powerful characterization of the Parson. He is a perfect example and holds every quality a devout church leader is expected to have. The purpose for his journey to Canterbury is to enhance his own spirituality, the ideal reason for going on this pilgrimage. The Parson is an educated man and, unlike many of the others, he is very honorable. He practices what he preaches and knows that he is an example for others to follow."

Tags:canterbury, chaucer, tales, today, church, corrupt, sprirtuality

Abstract
This paper examines the reason the prophets John the Baptist and Elijah were sent by God to proselytize and is key in discovering the prophetic connection between the two devout men. The author states that they are stalwart examples of unwavering faith in the face of persecution.

From the Paper
"The New Testament writers often refer to John the Baptist as the "New Elijah". The similarities between the ancient Israelite prophet from the Hebrew scriptures and the forerunner of Jesus Christ are striking. Both men were steadfast in their dedication to the true God, unwavering in the face of persecution, and similar in their demeanor. The only significant disparity in the congruity of their religious service occurred at the end of their lives."

Tags:bible, new, testament, ancient, israelite, hebrew, jesus, christ, god, religious, service, religion