Scripture as Structure
Aftermaths of Babel: Translation and the Abrahamic Faiths
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Emad Mirmotahari
In this paper I will explore the scriptural--meaning biblical, Judaic, and Quranic--ancestry of contemporary attitudes toward translation as a linguistic phenomenon. I am interested specifically in exploring religious origins of the commonly suspicious and prejudicial attitudes toward translation. I argue, ultimately, that the prevailing negative attitudes toward translation are founded in misreadings and mis-characterizations of religious doctrine. Instead, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam encourage and practice translation, even as Islam and Judaism in particular place particular emphasis on Hebrew and Arabic as divine languages.
The Ancient Hope: Nationalism, Archeology, and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ian C Werrett
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls - occurring on the eve of the birth of the modern Israeli nation-state in 1948 - provided a deep and meaningful symbol for the Zionist movement’s claims to the land and its sovereignty. Not only were the scrolls written by Jews who lived in the Judaean Desert some two millennia earlier, but these documents record the beliefs and practices of a pious community who understood themselves to be the rightful heirs to the Abrahamic Covenant and the one true Israel. Like the Jews of the Diaspora, the Dead Sea Scroll community lived in exile (albeit self-imposed), struggled under the weight of foreign rulers, and wrestled with their co-religionists over the right to define what it meant to be a Jew. In short, the Dead Sea Scrolls have, according to Neil Asher Silberman, provided the architects of the Israeli nation-state with a “poetic validation for modern Jewish settlement …” In this paper, I will compare the nationalistic aspirations of the Dead Sea Scroll community with those of the modern state of Israel and show how archaeology, and the scrolls themselves, have been pressed into service by politicians and patriots alike in an ongoing effort to buttress the legitimacy of the nation-state.
Searching for a Universal Scripture and Way via Numbers: Metaphysical Numerological Symbolism
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Nkosi Aberdeen
The paper consists of four sections—each related to a different aspect of Metaphysical Numerological Symbolism (M.N.S.). The main thesis statement of the first section is M.N.S.-- Add up/Compile/Put together its puzzle pieces (code of numbers) in each Scripture etc. and you will get a broader Universal Scripture. The first part of the second section suggests that a substantive quintessential link exists between M.N.S. and the TAO. The Thesis Statement made in this section is such that: “TAO is a Metaphysical-Synonym for 9.” The thesis statement of Section three is such that M.N.S. has the potential to spur positive Socio-Economic Development in all human milieus—especially/specifically in Developing Cosmopolitan Societies. The fourth section discusses games of chance played in the Caribbean Region; this section argues that Metaphysical Numerological-Symbolism (M.N.S.) has effectively transformed them into a form of religion in the Caribbean. The paper concludes initially with a discussion of the M.N.S. Trail. The thesis statement is such that the M.N.S. Trail that connects religions is a universal scripture directly pointing to the Universal Essence. Abstractly removed from the Local Settings of the diverse World Religions, the M.N.S. Trail has efficacy for sudden awareness of a Universal Essence. The conclusion of the paper then proceeds to discuss the connection between M.N.S. and new religious/spiritual movements.
