text:
BBC News
- Johnson: US must compromise to get UK trade deal
- Airport security: 3D baggage scanners could end liquid restrictions
- Police chief: Attackers of PCs 'must be jailed, no ifs no buts'
- British Airways strikes: Cancelled flights back on after 'email error'
- Bereaved families 'walk and talk' about suicide in Lanarkshire
- Prince Andrew: I did not suspect Epstein's behaviour
- Southall murder: Man stabbed to death in west London
- Ashes 2019: Joe Root fights to keep England's Ashes hopes alive
- Teacher becomes first woman to swim to Lundy Island
- Edinburgh Comedy Awards: 'Unique' Jordan Brookes wins top prize
- The new mobile phone scam delivering a problem
- Huddersfield: Six arrested on weapons charges after siege
- Royal Family: From costs to carbon, how do they travel?
- Why men are owning burlesque
- Why is London really getting more theatres?
- Scarecrows take over Northumberland village
- Should all frontline police officers use Tasers?
- Ayrshire man goes from heart patient to Ironman in 16 months
- Why Ariana Grande will always be welcome in Manchester
- A street gym in Brixton is helping young people
- Red Arrows display team fly over New York City
- Bury FC fans open hearts as league deadline looms
- 'A small bite changed my whole world'
- Andrew Harper: Blue ribbon tribute in PC's home town
- Pride Cymru: What does it mean to be LGBTQ+?
- Leeds Festival: Girl dies in suspected drugs overdose
- Capturing Hulme's 'inspiration and get up and go energy'
- Two men die in motorcycle collision in South Lanarkshire
- Humanist weddings: Non-religious weddings rise in Northern Ireland
- M4 relief road: Cost of new route 'was getting out of hand'
Is it time to find a new partner? See here who is looking in your area:
Why join?
- Free to join
- Send a free 'Ice Breaker' message to hundreds of local people
- Personalised recommended members
- All members' profiles checked
Sign up now. It's free!
Or join using your Facebook account
Old Site: ANY-Village.com Dating
Region: 50


text:
Puccini Paris have combined the blossoming scents of Vanilla and Rose Berry and mixed these with soft fruity smells of peach and blackcurrant to form this amazingly elegant and powdery scent of Puccini Lovely Night Paris Blue.
No results found
Dressed in a quilted royal navy and gold bottle, this Puccini perfume looks the part as well as oozing a striking scent. The Puccini perfume is a picture of elegance.

subset: commoncrawl


text: 19 Aug 2014 13:30 Etihad Airways today announced the appointment of Matthew Jennings, a seasoned federal and international government affairs leader with more than a decade of experience, to the newly-created Senior Manager of Public Affairs post, based in Washington, D.C. Mr. Jennings will be responsible for engaging with key stakeholders, including U.S. policymakers, about Etihad Airways and the benefits the carrier's growing presence brings to the U.S. economy and American consumers. He reports to Vice President of International and Public Affairs, Vijay Poonoosamy. Mr. Jennings joins Etihad having recently held the position of Head of Legislative Affairs for the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the trade association representing the world's leading airlines. While at IATA, he created and led legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of the organization's 230 member carriers on key, global aviation issues, including a campaign opposing the European Union's emissions trading scheme (EU ETS). Mr. Poonoosamy said: "Matthew is a well-respected and proven government affairs leader with more than a decade of combined experience in the aviation industry and on the Hill. As we continue to build awareness and understanding within the U.S. about Etihad Airways' many contributions to U.S. economic growth and the support of American businesses, he will play a critical role in strengthening Etihad's presence and partnerships within the aviation and business sectors – all with an eye toward creating more jobs for Americans and further encouraging travel, trade and tourism to and from the U.S." Mr. Jennings appointment coincides with the airline's rapid U.S. expansion, including the June introduction of services between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Abu Dhabi (AUH), and new service launches to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) scheduled to start on November 18 and December 3 respectively. In addition to serving Washington, D.C.'s Dulles International Airport (IAD), Etihad Airways currently operates non-stop daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). "Aviation is a key driver of economic and job growth throughout the U.S. and as a contributor to that growth with a strong desire to do even more, I look forward to shining a light on the many benefits Etihad Airways' presence within the U.S. provides for the country, Americans traveling worldwide and the aviation industry, including a world-class hospitality experience that is reinventing air travel expectations," said Mr. Jennings. "I am pleased to join Etihad Airways at such an exciting time in the company's history." Contact met Etihad Als wereldwijd opererende luchtvaartmaatschappij hebben wij natuurlijk overal ter wereld vestigingen. Lees hoe u contact kunt opnemen met uw dichtstbijzijnde Etihad-kantoor. Bekijk onze contactgegevens Feedback Als u een opmerking, compliment of klacht wilt doorgeven, of een vraag wilt stellen, klik dan hier Vind ons leuk Bezoek onze Facebookpagina! Bekijk ons Bekijk ons YouTube-kanaal! Volg ons Etihad Airways | Etihad Aanbiedingen | Etihad Help | Etihad Rewards


text:
Know Everything Delicious in Orange County
Hot Stone Cooking
View SlideshowGet Embed CodeShare
Join OC foodies
Welcome toOC foodies
Sign Upor Sign In
Or sign in with:
For Foodies Looking for Adventure, Local Hot Sauces Keep Getting Hotter - Austin Chronicle
Foodies Enjoy Alabama Restaurant Week in Selma - Alabama News Network
Indoor Topgolf experience coming to downtown Kansas City with menu fit for foodies - Kansas City Star
Best Cocktails for Foodies | The Robinson Cocktail Room | Food & Drink - Orlando Weekly
6 local foodies talk their most memorable Capital City food experiences - 225 Baton Rouge
Fort Worth foodies and TCU football fans team up for 'Texas Tailgate Cookbook' - Dallas News
Foodies taste test pierogies ahead of SteelStacks' PierogiFest - 69News WFMZ-TV
Annual Bronx festival brings out thousands of foodies - Spectrum News NY1
This local gift box is perfect for foodies - AL.com
10 best college towns for foodies, according to OpenTable - AOL
Foodies, Pack These Essentials Before Your Big Summer Road Trip - Forbes
8 Places For Foodies Along The Italian Riviera - Forbes
OpenTable Reveals the 25 Best College Towns for Foodies in 2019, New Orleans Named No.12 - My New Orleans
Instagram Accounts to Follow for Foodies Visiting Hawaiʻi - Hawaiimagazine.com
Foodies, you're going to want to check out this Instagram account - Charlotte Five
The average foodie spends over $3K on fancy treats - Fox Business
What's cooking at summer camp? A new generation of foodies - The Boston Globe
The average 'foodie' spends more than $3,000 on gourmet snacks every year, study claims - Fox News
Foodies, Fun Flood Food Truck Fest - Hartford Courant
New Dining Platform Connects Foodies To Off-The-Menu Dishes - Forbes
"Taste the Future" Immersive Wine Dinner at Fleming's Newport Beach
Fleming's Newport Beach Debuts Multi-Sensory Immersive Dining Experience
Inaugural 'Haven Dinner Series' Freaturing Southern Italian Cuisine
Puesto Partners with Califia Farms to offer Frozen Oatmilk Horchata
RAMEN & TSUKEMEN 道TAO Announces Upcoming Grand Opening in Buena Park
The Winery Restaurant To Host Event to Benefit the Arthritis Foundation
Celebrate National Filet Mignon Day at Fleming's
Third Annual Pacific Wine & Food Classic At Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort
Celebrate Summer with Fleming's Uncorked Experience
Celebrate Labor Day Weekend at Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort and Back Bay Bistro
Marugame Udon Opening At South Coast Plaza
Celebrate National Avocado Day At Puesto
Cocktails And Live Music For The RMV Rodeo At Bad To The Bone BBQ
Collaboration Dinner
Whitestone Restaurant In Dana Point Now Open
National Oyster Day Celebration Benefiting Bracken's Kitchen At Farmhouse
Caymus & a Burger at Fleming's Newport
Join TAPS Fish House & Brewery Irvine the Battle of the Masters 2
Ha Ha Goes Ska Ska for the 10th Annual Brew Ha Ha
Tavern House Is Now Open In Newport Beach
© 2019 Created by OCfoodies.
Powered by
Badges |
Report an Issue |
Terms of Service
Please check your browser settings or contact your system administrator.


text:
College Communications is responsible for the College's overall imaging and strategic positioning in the marketplace, with all efforts linked directly to the mission of the College.
Need Help?
Learn how we can help you with publications, event promotion, news, photography and the Haverford College website.
Graphic Identity
Letterhead, business cards, email signatures, and other items are available with the correct mark, design, and formatting.
Communications is responsible for:
College Magazine and other publications.
Web and Multimedia communications.
Marketing and Communications for fundraising campaigns.
Maintaining relationships with the national and international media.


text: You are applying for this job: Location: Rotherham, Yorkshire and the Humber Job type: Permanent Date Posted: 14 August 2019 reference number: 31451319 Job Title: Graduate Junior Project ConsultantSector: TechLooking to join a huge name, a global heavyweight in their industry and a household brand worldwide? Looking to acquire the skills necessary for a successful career in b2b management, with the opportunity to progress into any conceivable route? We have the opportunity for you!As a Graduate Junior Project Consultant you'll apply the lessons you learn from senior figures in order to manage the resources made available to you. Granted immediate responsibility, you'll effectively run a mini-business within the business, managing budgets, change and controlling risk. The successful graduate will be organised and a confident communicator. You'll create and develop rapport with key decision makers in order to establish lucrative business deals and long-standing client relationships.You'll enjoy an unparalleled graduate package with our client! As well as outstanding career and earning potential, you'll have the opportunity to travel internationally within an exciting, social working culture! Benefits/What you get: A competitive basic salary of £20,000Y1 OTE of £25kFantastic, unique bespoke trainingHealthcare and pension contributionsBonus and incentives schemesNights out and social events You: Educated to degree levelA positive outlook and a track record of successPossess exceptional communication skillsSelf-motivated, with a strong desire to succeed. Next Steps: If you require this job specification or to apply in an alternate format please visit the pareto website.(Please note that due to the high volume of applications we receive we are unable to contact all applicants directly. If you haven't heard from us within 28 days please consider your application to have been unsuccessful.)


text:
- Health
Patient Care
I Want To...
I Want To...
Find Research Faculty
Enter the last name, specialty or keyword for your search below.
School of Medicine
I Want to...
Apply for Admission
Or find a doctor at another Johns Hopkins Medicine Member Hospital:
Jaimie Troyal Shores, M.D.
4.9 out of 5
Clinical Director, Hand/Arm Transplant Program, Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center
Associate Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Expertise: Arthritis, Arthritis of the Fingers, Arthritis of the Hand, Arthritis of the Wrist, Brachial Plexus Injuries, Carpal Injuries, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Cutaneous Oncology, Dupuytren's Contracture, Fracture surgery , Hand Conditions, Hand Fractures, Hand Reconstruction, Hand Surgery, Hand Transplant, Microsurgery, Microsurgery/Microsurgical Reconstruction , Microsurgical Free Tissue Transfer, Microsurgical Nerve Repair, Microsurgical Tissue Transfer, Microvascular Reconstruction, Microvascular Surgery, Nerve Grafting, Peripheral Nerve Disorders, Peripheral Nerve Injury, Peripheral Nerve Reconstruction, Peripheral Nerve Repair and Reconstruction, Plastic Surgery, Polydactyly (extra fingers), Reanimation of the Face and Upper Extremity, Reconstruction After Cancer, Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, Reconstructive Surgery, Reconstructive Transplants, Soft Tissue and Tendon Injuries of the Hand and Fingers, Targeted Muscle Reinnervation, Tendon Surgery, Tendonitis of the Hand and Wrist, Transplant Surgery, Transplants, Trigger Finger, Upper Extremity, Upper Extremity Reconstruction , Upper Extremity Surgery, Wrist Fracture ...read more
Research Interests: Novel immunosuppression protocols during composite tissue allotransplantation; Nerve Repair; Nerve regeneration in hand transplantation; Peripheral Nerve Regeneration; Kinomatics after Complex Injury ...read more
Request an Appointment
I live in Maryland
Request an appointment through My
I live outside of Maryland
Request Appointment
I live outside of the United States
Request Appointment
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
4940 Eastern Avenue Baltimore, MD 21224
Phone: 410-550-0407
The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Main Entrance)
1800 Orleans St. Sheikh Zayed Tower Baltimore, MD 21287
Phone: 410-550-0407
Johns Hopkins Medicine - Green Spring Station
10803 Falls Road Pavilion 3, Suite 2100 Lutherville, MD 21093
Dr. Jaimie T. Shores is an associate professor of orthopaedic surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Dr. Shores co-founded the Hand/Arm Transplant Program – a component of the Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center's Reconstructive Transplant Program – and serves as its clinical director. In addition to hand transplantation, Dr. Shores performs general plastic and reconstructive surgery, specializing in surgery and microsurgery of the hands and upper extremities.
He is an expert on treating fractures of the forearms, wrists and hands, as well as vascular, tendon, and nerve injuries and conditions. He also treats patients with a range of hand and arm conditions, including carpel tunnel syndrome, trigger finger and arthritis.
Dr. Shores earned his medical degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. He completed a plastic surgery residency at California's Loma Linda University Medical Center, as well as a fellowship in hand surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Prior to joining the Hopkins faculty in 2011, Dr. Shores was a core member of the Hand Transplant Program at the University of Pittsburgh.
There he served as a co-investigator of a clinical study of a novel immunomodulation protocol for hand allotransplantation. This study led to the nation's first bilateral hand transplant and first arm transplant – and the most hands transplanted in the U.S.
American Board of Plastic Surgery-certified in surgery of the hand and plastic surgery, Dr. Shores also holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications in the subspecialty of hand surgery.
- Clinical Director, Hand/Arm Transplant Program, Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center
- Program Director, Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery Fellowship
- Associate Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
- Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Departments / Divisions
Centers & Institutes
- MD, University of New Mexico School of Medicine (2002)
- Loma Linda University School of Medicine / Plastic Surgery (2008)
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center / Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery (2009)
Board Certifications
- American Board of Plastic Surgery / Plastic Surgery (2010)
- American Board of Plastic Surgery / Surgery of the Hand (2011)
Research & Publications
Selected PublicationsView all on Pubmed
Stem cell-based approaches to improve nerve regeneration: potential implications for reconstructive transplantation? Khalifian S, Sarhane KA, Tammia M, Ibrahim Z, Mao HQ, Cooney DS, Shores JT, Lee WP, Brandacher G. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz). 2015 Feb;63(1):15-30.
Hand and Upper Extremity Transplantation: An Update of Outcomes in the Worldwide Experience. Shores JT, Brandacher G, Lee WA. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2014 Nov 14.
Ancillary procedures necessary for translational research in experimental craniomaxillofacial surgery. Al-Rakan M, Shores JT, Bonawitz S, Santiago G, Christensen JM, Grant G, Murphy RJ, Basafa E, Armand M, Otovic P, Eller S, Brandacher G, Gordon CR. J Craniofac Surg. 2014 Nov;25(6):2043-50.
Myxofibrosarcoma with associated mycobacterium infection. Chen S, Mattei P, Berlil JU, Shores J. Eplasty 2014 Jun 7.
The Misuse of the Terminology "Standard of Care" Hampers Innovations in Surgery. Shores JT, Javed AA, Brandacher G, Lee WPA. Annals of Surgery 2014 May 21 (Epub ahead of print)
Utilizing the Dorsal, Cavernosal and External Pudendal Arteries for Penile Transplantation: Technical Considerations and Perfusion Territories. Tuffaha SH, Sacks JM, Shores JT, Brandacher G, Lee WP, Cooney DS, Redett RJ. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2014 Mar 11. [Epub ahead of print]
Establishing Cephalometric Landmarks for the Translational Study of Le Fort-based Facial Transplantation in Swine: Enhanced applications using computer-assisted surgery and custom cutting guides. Santiago GF, Susarla SM, Al Rakan M, Coon D, Rada EM, Sarhane K, Shores JT, Bonawitz SC, Cooney D, Sacks J, Murphy RJ, Fishman EK, Brandacher G, Lee WA, Liacouras P, Grant G, Armand M, Gordon CR. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2014 May; 133(5):1138-51.
Forearm transplantation osteosynthesis using modified ulnar shortening osteotomy technique. Higgins JP, Shores JT, Katz RD, Lee WP, Wolock BS. J Hand Surg Am. 2014 Jan;39(1):134-42.
Above-elbow (supracondylar) arm transplantation: clinical considerations and surgical technique. Shores JT, Higgins JP, Lee WP. Tech Hand Up Extrem Surg. 2013 Dec;17(4):221-7.
A modified heterotopic swine hind limb transplant model for translational vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) research. Ibrahim Z, Cooney DS, Shores JT, Sacks JM, Wimmers
Book Chapters, Monographs
- Brandacher G, Shores JT, Gordon CR, Cooney DS, and WPA Lee. Vascularized Composite Allograft (VCA) Transplantation Procedure and Surgical Technique. In Textbook of Organ Transplantation (Ed: Kirk AD, Co-Ed's: Knechtle SJ, Larsen CP, Madsen JC, Pearson TC, Webber SA ). Wiley-Balckwell 2014.
- Pinsky BA and Shores JT. Congenital Hand Anomalies. In Current Reconstructive Surgery (Eds Serletti JM, Taub PJ, Wu LC, Slutsky DJ). McGraw Hill, 2012.
- Lee WP and Shores JT. Fingertip injuries. In Hand Surgery Update V (Eds Chung KC, Murray PM). American Society for Surgery of the Hand: Rosemont, IL. 2011.
- Shores JT, Lee WP. Chapters 79-82, 91 in Decision making in plastic surgery (Eds Marsh JL, Perlyn CA). Quality Medical Pub: St. Louis, Mo. 2010.
- Shores JT, Gabriel A, Gupta S. Abdominal Wall Reconstruction. In Procedures in Reconstructive Surgery: General Reconstructive Surgery (Eds Evans G, Wirth G). Saunders Press. 2008.
Academic Affiliations & Courses
Courses and Syllabi
Soft Tissue Coverage of the Upper Extremity
Instructional Course
2014 - 2014
Chemical Injuries and Frostbite
Chemical Injuries and Frostbite, Chicago, IL
Instructional Course
2013 - 2013
Soft tissue coverage of the upper Extremity
Chemical Injuries and Frostbite, Chicago, IL
Instructional Course
Nerve Physiology, injury, and repair, Chicago, IL
Instructional Course
Management of Common Upper Extremity Peripheral Nerve Compressive Neuropathies
3rd Annual Spinal Disorders: Updates in Diagnosis and Management
Common congenital hand problems
Department of Pediatrics faculty CME lectures
Instructional Course # 21: Post-traumatic Finger Deformity, extensor tendon deformities of the finger
Activities & Honors
- Hot Springs High School Graduation Commencement Address: Truth or Consequences, 2013
- ASSH Young Leaders Program, 2010
- Frank R Rogers, MD, MBA, Academic Achievement Award, Loma Linda University, 2003 - 2008
- Alpha Omega Alpha, 2001
- Thelma Evans Endowment Research Scholar Award, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, 2001
- Phi Beta Kappa, University of New Mexico, 1996
- Dean's List, New Mexico Military Institute, 1992 - 1993
- Matchin Award- Cadet-of-the-year award, New Mexico Military Institute, 1992 - 1993
- American Association for Hand Surgery
- American College of Surgeons
- American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery
- American Society for Reconstructive Transplantation
- American Society for Surgery of the Hand
Videos & Media
Bilateral Arm Transplant Press Conference Patient/Doctor Q&A
In December 2012, a surgical team led by Johns Hopkins physicians performed The Johns Hopkins Hospital's first bilateral arm transplant on a 26-year-old U.S. soldier who lost all four limbs in the Iraq war.
Bilateral Arm Transplant Press Conference Highlights
Lectures and Presentations
Duputren disease
Update, 74th Annual Meeting, Baltimore (01/01/1900)
Maryland Orthopaedic Association
A Prospective Multi-Center Registry of Peripheral Nerve Injuries Associated with Upper and Lower Extremity Orthopedic Trauma.
Clinical Paper Session 15: Hand Trauma, 69th Annual Meeting, Boston (09/18/2014)
How To Do A Hand Transplant: From Patient Selection to Operative Execution
Instructional Course, 69th Annual Meeting, Boston (09/20/2014)
Comprehensive Review of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery
Lectures given: Soft tissue reconstruction of the upper extremity, Chicago (07/18/2014)
DARPA Efforts: RE-NET; Hand Transplantation
Conference, Neural Interfaces Conference, Dallas (07/25/2014)
Double Arm Transplant
Discussion, Panel, Denver (05/28/2014)
The Association of Surgical Technologists
Dupuytren's-Xiaflex vs Everything else
Panel (04/26/2014)
The Mangled Hand
Tri-City Hand Meeting, Baltimore (04/26/2014)
Recent News Articles and Media Coverage
- Behind Hand and Arm Transplants: Experts discuss the medical considerations that go into a successful hand transplant (May 2016)
- Imaging could show which cold or injured hands will recover, Baltimore Sun
- Now 'I'm me again': Veteran overjoyed after double-arm transplant, The Washington Times
- Soldier looks forward to driving with new arms, The Washington Times
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Other Common Hand Problems
Patient Ratings & Comments
The Patient Rating score is an average of all responses to physician related questions on the national CG-CAHPS Medical Practice patient experience survey through Press Ganey. Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best score. Comments are also gathered from our CG-CAHPS Medical Practice Survey through Press Ganey and displayed in their entirety. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.
- ...Loading ratings...
- ...
- ...
- ...
- ...
- ...


text: Melanoma Glossary of Terms You may hear many words associated with oncology that you have not heard before. Please ask for an explanation for any terms you may not understand. You may hear the following common terms before, during and after your treatment. 3-Dimensional conformal radiation therapy: A procedure that uses a computer to create a 3-dimensional picture of the tumor. This allows doctors to give the highest possible dose of radiation to the tumor, while sparing the normal tissue as much as possible. Anaplastic: A term used to describe cancer cells that divide rapidly and have little or no resemblance to normal cells. Basal Cell Carcinoma: The most common type of skin cancer. It grows slowly and rarely spreads, but can damage nearby tissue. It usually appears on the areas of skin that have been exposed to the sun. Benign: Not cancerous. Benign tumors may grow larger, but do not spread to other parts of the body. Biopsy: The removal of cells or tissues for examination by a pathologist. The pathologist may study the tissue under a microscope or perform other tests on the cells or tissue. Brachytherapy (BRAK-ee-THER-ah-pee): A type of radiation therapy in which radioactive material sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters is placed directly into or near the tumor. Also called radiation brachytherapy, internal radiation therapy, and implant radiation therapy. Breslow Depth (also known as Breslow thickness): A measurement in millimeters of the depth of tumor invasion. Breslow depth is considered the single most important prognostic factor for primary melanomas. Cancer: A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control. Cancer cells can invade nearby tissues and can spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body. Catheter: A thin flexible, hollow tube through which fluids enter or leave the body. Radioactive materials may be placed in catheters that are placed near the cancer. Cell: The individual unit that makes up the tissues of the body. All living things are made up of one ore more cells. Chemotherapy: Treatment with drugs that kill cancer cells. Clark Level: AA staging system that measures the depth of invasion of a primary melanoma lesion, ranging, from Level I (limited to the epidermis) to Level IV (invading the subcutaneous fat). Clinical trial: A type of research study that tests how well new medical approaches of screening, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of a disease. Contrast material: A dye or other substance that helps to show abnormal areas inside the body. It is given by injection into a vein, by enema, or by mouth. Contrast material may be used with x-rays, CT scans, MRI or other imaging tests. CT (computerized tomography) scan: A series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body taken from different angles. The pictures are created by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. Also called CAT scan, computed tomography scan, computerized axial tomography scan, and computerized tomography. Grade: The grade of a tumor depends on how abnormal the cancer cells look under a microscope and how quickly the tumor is likely to grow and spread. Grading systems are different for each type of cancer. Immunotherapy: A type of biological therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection, and other diseases. Some types of immunotherapy only target certain cells of the immune system. Others affect the immune system in a general way. Types of immunotherapy include cytokines, vaccines, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), and some monoclonal antibodies. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy: A type of 3-dimensional radiation therapy that uses computer-generated images to show the size and shape of the tumor. Thin beams of radiation of different intensities are aimed at the tumor from many angles. This type of radiation therapy reduces the damage to healthy tissue near the tumor. Intravenous (IV): Into or within a vein. Intravenous usually refers to a way of giving a drug or other substance through a needle or tube inserted into a vein. Lymph nodes - small bean-shaped structures that act as filters, collecting bacteria or cancer cells. Lymphoscintigraphy - this procedure is used to identify the nodal basin(s) at risk for the spread of melanoma cancer. This is not an indication that the cancer is present in these areas, but used to locate the node(s) that needs to be removed and biopsied. Malignant: Cancerous. Malignant tumors can invade and destroy nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the biopsy. Medical oncologist: A doctor who specializes in treating cancer with chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and biological therapy. Melanoma - a cancer that begins in the cells that produce skin coloring. These cells grow abnormally and will spread if not detected at an early stage. It can occur anywhere on the body and may begin in an existing mole or develop as a new growth on the skin. Metastatic: Having to do with metastasis, which is the spread of cancer from one part of the body to another. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): A procedure in which radio waves and a powerful magnet linked to a computer are used to create detailed pictures of areas inside the body. These pictures can show the difference between normal and diseased tissue. MRI makes better images of organs and soft tissue than other scanning techniques, such as CT scan or x-ray. MRI is especially useful for imaging the brain, the spine, the soft tissue of joints, and the inside of bones Oncologist: A doctor who specializes in treating cancer. Palliative care, palliation: Treatment that relieves symptoms but does not cure disease. Palliative care can help people with cancer live more comfortably. Pathologist: A doctor who identifies diseases by studying cells and tissues under a microscope. Physical therapist: A health professional who teaches exercises and physical activities that help condition muscles and restore strength and movement. Radiation oncologist: A doctor who specializes in treating cancer with radiation. Radiation therapy: Treatment with high-energy rays (such as x-rays) to kill cancer cells. The radiation may come from outside of the body (external radiation) or from radioactive materials placed directly in the tumor (internal or implant radiation). Types of radiation include x-rays, electron beams, gamma rays, neutron beams, and proton beams. Radioactive substances include cobalt, iridium, iodine and cesium. Risk factor: Something that may increase the chance of developing a disease. Some examples of risk factors for cancer include age, a family history of certain cancers, use of tobacco products, certain eating habits, obesity, lack of exercise, exposure to radiation or other cancer-causing agents, and certain genetic changes. Sentinel lymph node - this is the first lymph node that a cancer cell is likely to spread to from the primary tumor. Side effect: A problem that occurs when treatment affects health tissues or organs. Some common side effects of cancer treatment are fatigue, pain, nausea, vomiting, decreased blood cell counts, hair loss, and mouth sores. Social worker: A professional trained to talk with people and their families about emotional or physical needs, and to find them support services. Squamous Cell Carcinoma - this skin cancer is less common than the basal cell, but can be more dangerous because it grows more quickly and may spread. It usually appears on the areas of the skin that have been exposed to the sun. Staging - this refers to the degree to which the melanoma has spread in the body. Stages I and II are early melanoma while stages III and IV are more advanced melanoma. Stereotactic radiation therapy: A type of external radiation therapy that uses a special equipment to position the patient and precisely deliver radiation to a tumor. The total dose of radiation is divided into several smaller doses given over several days. Stereotactic radiation therapy is used to treat brain tumors and other brain disorders. It is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer, such as lung cancer. Also called stereotactic external beam radiation therapy and stereotaxic radiation therapy. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS): A type of external radiation therapy that uses special equipment to position the patient and precisely give a single large dose of radiation to a tumor. It is used to treat brain tumors and other brain disorders that cannot be treated by regular surgery. It is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. Also called radiation surgery, radiosurgery, and stereotaxic radiosurgery. Steroid drug: A type of drug used to relive swelling and inflammation. Some steroid drugs may also have antitumor effects. Surgeon: A doctor who removes or repairs a part of the body by operating on the patient. Surgery: A procedure to remove or repair a part of the body or to find out whether disease is present. An operation. Targeted Therapy: A type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances to identify and attack specific types of cancer cells with less harm to normal cells. Some targeted therapies block the action of certain enzymes, proteins, or other molecules involved in the growth and spread of cancer cells. Other types of targeted therapies help the immune system kill cancer cells or deliver toxic substances directly to cancer cells and kill them. Targeted therapy may have fewer side effects than other types of cancer treatment. Most targeted therapies are either small molecule drugs or monoclonal antibodies. Tissue: A group or layer of cells that work together to perform a specific function. Tumor: An abnormal mass of excess tissue that results from excessive cell division. Tumors perform no useful body function and may be either benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Ulceration: The surface layer of the melanoma is cracked and open on microscopic examination. X-rays: High-energy radiation that is used in low doses to diagnose disease and in high doses to treat cancer.


text:
Lobbyist Insists His Meeting About 'TPP IP Issues' Wasn't About TPP IP Issues
from the pants-on-fire deptWe recently wrote about the ridiculous revolving door between the USTR and various copyright and patent maximalist lobbying organizations. If you want to know why the USTR always is pushing for maximalist positions, that's a good place to start. Our post was commenting on an article by Tim Lee at the Washington Post, in which he highlighted numerous examples of the revolving door between maximalist lobbying groups and the USTR. One of his very first examples was former top USTR official Ralph Ives, who signed a big deal, and then quickly went to work for a lobbying group that represents medical device manufacturers. Here's what Lee wrote:
The lead American negotiator was Ralph Ives, who was promoted to Assistant USTR for Pharmaceutical Policy soon after the negotiations concluded. He was aided by Claude Burcky, Deputy Assistant USTR for Intellectual Property. Less than three months after the Australia agreement was signed, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that both men would take jobs at pharmaceutical or medical device companies. Their new employers stood to benefit from some of the pro-patent-holder provisions of the treaty. Ives took a job at AdvaMed, a trade group representing medical device manufacturers. Burcky moved to the pharmaceutical and medical device company Abbott Labs.Later in the piece, Lee quoted Advamed angrily denying that Ives was lobbying USTR on intellectual property issues:
But AdvaMed disputes an accusation from Love that it has been lobbying USTR on patent issues. "Neither AdvaMed nor Ives has ever provided USTR comments on a provision of the TPP IP chapter," an AdvaMed spokeswoman stated by email.Okay. That was on November 26th at 2:22pm ET. Less than four hours later, Jamie Love over at KEI released a bunch of FOIA'd documents, showing 127 pages of emails between various industry lobbyists and the USTR concerning intellectual property issues on the TPP agreement. Tim Lee noted that not only do those emails show a very cozy relationship between IP lobbyists and the USTR, they show very clearly that Ives was, in fact, lobbying on IP issues. Here, for example, is an email showing a meeting that is scheduled involving the USTR and various "cleared advisors" including Ives, and the subject matter is listed as "TPP IP issues."
But, no, Advamed insists, they never ever talked about intellectual property issues.
Lee asked Advamed to explain and they insist that Ives and Ragland talked about transparency issues, not IP. And that meeting that was supposedly all about "TPP IP Issues"? Advamed insists that the guy who sent that email, Medtronic lobbyist Trevor Gunn, simply misspoke, because he has a habit of calling anything an IP issue:
On Wednesday, an AdvaMed spokeswoman told me that the intellectual property chapter of the TPP was not discussed at any of these meetings. She noted that "Ragland was the lead negotiator for the transparency issues and procedural fairness provision of the TPP." She says that those issues, not IP issues, were the focus of Ives's conversations with Ragland.Let's take a show of hands. How many people actually believe that the former lead negotiator for the USTR on an important intellectual property section of a bilateral trade agreement, who quickly moved to a big medical device lobbying firm, who was clearly in regular contact with the "director of the office of intellectual property" and who was also in a meeting with top USTR officials whose only listed topic was "TPP IP Issues" did not actually talk to USTR officials about IP? We'll wait.
As for the "TPP IP issues" e-mail, AdvaMed says that Gunn is simply in the habit of using "TPP IP issues" as a shorthand for all of the issues that he works on, which also includes non-IP issues of interest to medical device companies. The AdvaMed spokeswoman, after consulting with Ives, said that despite the meeting's title, intellectual property issues did not come up during that Feb. 1 conference call.
Of course, this is just part of the problem with the total lack of transparency from the USTR. The whole thing is set up to favor these kinds of back room deals, in which "friends" of the USTR (including former USTR officials), now working for maximalist organizations who are hellbent on keeping out competitive innovations, strongly influence the procedures. Elsewhere in the emails, you see a very close relationship with top RIAA official, Neil Turkewitz, who passes along news items to USTR officials (including about the original leak of the March 2011 TPP IP chapter -- the last one that we had seen prior to the recently leaked August version). He also reaches out to set up a meeting for RIAA boss Cary Sherman to express his concerns about the USTR including "limitations and exceptions" to copyright in the TPP. This was big news at the time because the USTR has never included such things (rather than "limitations and exceptions" they should be called "rights of the public") in a trade agreement. Of course, he shouldn't have worried. Later revelations showed that the USTR put in a system to limit fair use, not spread it.
Either way, you see a very cozy relationship between the USTR and maximalist lobbyists. Lee also asked Peter Maybarduk, who's been focused on pharmaceutical issues for Public Citizen and has been heavily active in TPP issues, if the USTR ever emailed him the way they email lobbyists, and the answer, of course, was not at all:
Peter Maybarduk, who works on pharmaceutical issues at the advocacy group Public Citizen, says that he never gets e-mails like that from USTR. "We don't get any request for our take on this or that. If we ask to meet with Probir [Mehta of the USTR's Office of Intellectual Property and Innovation] for example, he'll meet with us. We'll have a conversation. Those conversations have gotten better over time. But it's a complex diplomatic exercise, it's not like a frank exchange of information about what is actually happening."Reading the emails between lobbyists and the USTR suggests a much chummier relationship... and that's clearly reflected in the dangerous proposals the USTR is pushing. They favor those few companies, but harm competition, innovation and the public. Protecting a few powerful legacy players at the expense of everyone else is the worst of crony capitalism. Just the very fact that it appears the lobbyists themselves are pretending that they're not discussing IP issues with the USTR shows pretty clearly that even those lobbyists know what's going on is a disgusting abuse of crony capitalism to advance their own personal interests over those of the American public or economy. Shameful.
Filed Under: copyright, jared ragland, lobbying, patents, ralph ives, revolving door, tpp, tpp ip chapter, ustr
Companies: advamed


text:
Division cases
This information has been filed in civil division of Marion County District Court.
Michelle Broadnax vs. Troy Schreiber; temporary orders of protection from abuse extended until further notice.
Angela K. Straub vs. Drew Laffery; protection from abuse proceedings dismissed at Straub's request.
CAH Acquisition Co. No. 5 LLC dba Hillsboro Community Hospital vs. Andrea L. Dunagan and Richard Dunagan of Hillsboro; judgment of $913.60 made June 17 in favor of plaintiff.
CAH Acquisition Co. No. 5 LLC dba Hillsboro Community Hospital vs. Nicole N. Gibson and Christopher W. Gibson of Hillsboro; judgment of $2,585.11 made June 17 in favor of plaintiff.
Newton Healthcare Corporation vs. Timothy Kersten and Michelle Kersten of Hillsboro; judgment of $17,549.43 made June 26 in favor of plaintiff.
Small Claims
Marion County EMS vs. Stuart F. Parks of Wichita; judgment of $545 made July 3 in favor of plaintiff.


text:
Services on Demand
Related links
- Cited by Google
- Similars in Google
In die Skriflig
On-line version ISSN 2305-0853
Print version ISSN 1018-6441
In Skriflig (Online) vol.47 n.1 Pretoria Jan. 2013
Mount Sinai and Mount Zion: Discontinuity and continuity in the book of Hebrews
Berg Sinai en Berg Sion: Diskontinuïteit en kontinuïteit in die brief aan die Hebreërs
Hulisani Ramantswana
Department of Biblical and Ancient Studies, Unisa, Pretoria, South Africa
The author of Hebrews draws significant contrasts between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion which both played a major role in the old covenant. For the author of Hebrews the former mountain, Mount Sinai, only had limited significance with respect to the new covenant, whereas the latter mountain, Mount Zion, continued to have significance in the new covenant. Mount Zion was viewed as a shadow of the heavenly reality, which is the true destination for the pilgrimage community. Mount Sinai as the locus of encounter or meeting between God and Israel only played a transitory role, whereas Mount Zion had perpetual significance as the destination, the dwelling place of God and his people.
Die skrywer van Hebreërs wys op betekenisvolle teenstellings tussen Berg Sinai en Berg Sion, wat elkeen 'n beduidende rol in die ou verbond gespeel het. Vir die Hebreërskrywer het Berg Sinai egter beperkte betekenis vir die nuwe verbond, terwyl Sion nog steeds betekenis het. Berg Sion word as skaduwee van die hemelse werklikheid beskou, wat die uiteindelike bestemming van die pelgrimsgemeenskap is. Berg Sinai, as die lokus van ontmoeting tussen God en Israel, speel slegs 'n oorgangsrol, terwyl Berg Sion steeds beduidende betekenis het as bestemming en woonplek van God en sy volk.
The Book of Hebrews pictures the new covenant people or the church as a community on a pilgrimage. As Kasemann (1984:17-20) describes it, Israel's wandering through the wilderness appears in Hebrews as a type for the new covenant community. This pilgrimage is one that is deeply rooted in the old covenant community and it is a continuation thereof. In the first place, the promise of entering God's rest still stands. Israel's wandering in the desert and their entrance into Canaan is viewed as a micro-narrative within a macro-narrative in which God's rest, which God entered after he had completed his work of creation, still stands. Secondly, Old Testament believers looked beyond their micro-narratives through faith; however they did not receive the promises:
• 'Abraham ... looked forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God' (Heb 11:8-12).
• '[Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob] were still living by faith when they died ... they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them' (Heb 11:8-16).
• 'By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter ... He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward' (Heb 11:23-26).
• Regarding all the heroes of faith, it is stated: 'These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect' (Heb 11:39-40).
The author of Hebrews draws on several micro-narratives from the Old Testament to show the points of continuity and discontinuity, and points of contrasts between the old and the new covenant. In this article, I intend to focus on the contrast drawn between Mount Sinai and the heavenly Mount Zion in Hebrews 12:18-24. For some the contrast between the two mountains represents discontinuity between the old and the new covenant, which in turn represents the contrast between Judaism and Christianity (Attridge 1989:374; Gordon 2000:157; see also Lehne 1990:103; Williamson & Allen 1989:52-55).1 Attridge (1989:374) contends that 'the two mountains and their symbolic equivalents are contrasted and become expressions of the discontinuity rather than the coherence of God's action'. The idea that the contrast between Sinai and Zion simply expresses 'contrast' and 'discontinuity' tends to undermine the correspondences and progressive relationship between the two mountains which form the basis of the contrast. I will argue that for the author of Hebrews, Mount Sinai is transitory in character and of limited significance whereas Mount Zion as a destination has perpetual significance; yet, both elements of continuity and discontinuity flow from the contrast that is drawn. The elements of continuity and discontinuity are recognisable when the contrast drawn between Sinai and Zion in Hebrews 12:18-24 is viewed as a conceptual framework whose symbolism converges with other symbols within the author's redemptive-historical framework that spans from creation to the eschatological earth and heavens at the climax of which stands a superior covenant mediator, Jesus. Pace Son (2005), the contrast drawn between Sinai and Zion in Hebrews 12:18-24 is not 'the' conceptual framework from which the author of Hebrews developed his argument throughout the book; rather, the contrast drawn has its place and function within the author's redemptive-historical framework. For the author of Hebrews, the primordial act of creation set the stage for redemptive history, which culminates in the eschatological transformation of creation (Heb 1:2; 12:26-28). It is within this broad redemptive-historical framework that the author of Hebrews makes a contrast between the two mountains, Mount Sinai (or Horeb) and the heavenly Mount Zion, and within which the pilgrimage motif is set not only as a forward movement but also an upward movement.
Exposition in Hebrews 12:18-24 is given by the following pattern of contrast: Ού γαρ προσεληλύθατε' [for you have not come] in Hebrews 12:18 in contrast with άλλα προσεληλύθατε [but you have come] in Hebrews 12:22. The pilgrimage motif is characterised by the 'verbs of motion' just as we find in Hebrews 12:18-24 (Käsemann 1984:22-23). In Hebrews 3-4, where the leading motif is that of 'rest' [κατάπαυσης], the goal of the new covenant people as a wandering community is to enter God's rest. The 'rest' which Israel entered into when they took possession of the land of Canaan is now viewed as a type of God's eternal rest, which he has made available. As Johnsson (1978:239-251) points out, the tone in that section is one of expectancy - the goal has been set but not yet realised. In Hebrews 12:18-24, the goal is no longer just eschatological; it is in some sense realised: 'You have come.' The backdrop in this case is Israel's experience at Sinai and Israel's experience at Mount Zion.
Mount Sinai - Mountain of transition
Although Mount Sinai is not explicitly mentioned by name in Hebrews 12:18-21, the author is alluding to Israel's experience surrounding the giving of the law when Israel was camped at the desert of Sinai. In this retelling of the events, the author makes use of the Exodus account (Ex 19:1-20:23), its retelling in Deuteronomy (Dt 4:9-5:33), and interpretive interpolations. The author's use of the events at Mount Sinai in this instance evoke, inter alia, three things: the theophany motif, the visio Dei motif, and the fear motif.
Theophany motif
The author of Hebrews introduces the contrast between Mounts Sinai and Zion by reminding his audience where their pilgrimage has not led them: 'For you have not come'; then it continues to offer a description of the place. The description as already noted points to Mount Sinai, the locus of the old covenant. The description first of all recalls the terror associated with theophany. Mount Sinai is used elsewhere to refer to the place of theophany and the giving of the law (Neh 9:13; in agreement with Ex 19:18, 20; 20:22; Dt 4:36; cf. 4 Ezr 3:17ff.; Bar 2:28; Sir 17:11ff.; 24:33; Jdg 5:14). Mount Sinai, due to the theophanic manifestation, could not be touched; anything that touched it, even if it was an animal, had to die (Ex 19:12). The scene was terrifying for the Israelites: the mountain was on fire, darkness was over it, as were gloom and tempest and in the midst of all this terror, there was the sound of a trumpet and a voice speaking. The Israelites requested Moses to be their mediator rather than risk their lives by directly conversing with God (Ex 20:18-19). As the author of Hebrews also points out, when the people heard the voice they begged that no further word be spoken to them (Heb 12:19). Then he continues to highlight the fact that nobody could approach that mountain, not even an animal.
In the Exodus narrative, the preparation for the theophanic manifestation at Mount Sinai clearly set a boundary around the mountain. For the people to partake in the meeting they had to abstain from sexual intercourse and to wash their clothes (Ex 19:10-12, 23; cf. Dt 5:1-5). This was to set God apart as a Holy One separated from all imperfections and weakness. It is evident from this theophany and from the other theophanic manifestations that a place where God reveals himself is marked as holy ground and protected by explicit restrictions (cf. Ex 3:1-5; Harrington 2001:46). The burning fire on the mountain, as Harrington (2001) points out:
[...] is a good symbol of God's exalted, dangerous holiness. Fire separates pure from impure, creating a boundary which cannot be bridged. For that which can stand its heat, fire functions as purifier and perfecter. Fire is powerful, even uncontrollable; if unleashed it represents a dangerous threat which is respectable by all. (pp. 13-14)
In line with this, the author of Hebrews, as will become clear subsequently, stresses the fact that this mountain was unapproachable.
This also needs to be understood within the broader religious context of the ancient Near East, where the mountain motif played an important role (see Clifford 1972; Levenson 1985:111-137; Talmon 1978:427-447). Mountains were regarded as locations where the gods held their divine assemblies and also as the homes of the gods. For example, the Canaanite god, Baal, was thought to live on Mount Zaphon which in the Bible came to be an epithet for Zion (Levenson 1985:68). The attachment of the ancient world to holy mountains, as Clements (1965:1-2) points out, could be explained by the expectation of the ancient peoples for the gods to continue to reveal their presence in certain localities where a theophany occurred in the past, thereby certain localities were identified as their dwelling places and altars were erected. Attached to this was the idea that the mountain on which a god dwelt was a chosen, a 'holy spot' or 'holy mountain'. This is evident in the following Ugaritic text as translated by Clifford (1972):
Come, and I will seek it,
In the midst of my mountain, divine Zaphon,
In the holy place, the mountain of my heritage,
In the chosen spot, on the hill of victory. (p. 68)
When God descended on Mount Sinai it became a holy and unapproachable spot. However, when God descended from heaven to Mount Sinai, he did not make Mount Sinai his permanent dwelling place. Mount Sinai was rather a temporary dwelling for God as he continued to narrow the gap between himself and the people by descending even further from the mountain to the tabernacle. God became a wanderer with his people in the desert dwelling in a tent until many generations later during the time of David and Solomon when he chose Jerusalem and Zion to be his dwelling. Mount Sinai was never intended to be the final destination for Israel in their pilgrimage, nor did God make it his permanent dwelling. Mount Sinai rather had a transit function in Israel's pilgrimage.
Visio Dei and Motif of Fear
The theophany goes hand in hand with the visio Dei motif. The author of Hebrews uses the verb of seeing [φαντάζω] in 12:21 to bring about this linkage: 'Indeed, so fearful was the sight [τό φανταζόµενον]... In the Exodus narrative the two also go hand in hand (Ex 3:3-7; 19:20-24; 20:18-21; 33:12-13; 40:35-38). 'To the Israelites the glory of the Lord (at Sinai) looked [äàÆøÀîÇ] like a consuming fire on top of the mountain' (Ex 24:17). The forbidding voice warned the Israelites not to 'force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish' (Ex 19:21). The visio Dei motif is also confirmed by God's words in Exodus 20:22, 'You have seen [äàÈøÈ] for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven.' The significance of the visio Dei motif is affirmed by the parallel passages, which strengthen the connection between seeing and death (see Ex 20:19; cf. Dt 5:24-27; Hague 2001:38). When Moses pleaded with God to show him his glory, God warns Moses saying: 'You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live' (Ex 33:20).
It should also be observed that the author of Hebrews relates the theophany motif with the visio Dei and the fear motif: 'indeed, so fearful [φοβερόν] was the sight that Moses said, "I am filled with fear and trembling"' (Heb 12:21). The fear motif, according to Exodus 20:20, is the basis of the Sinai covenant: 'Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."' As Jacob (1992:578) observes, the intent of the Sinaitic revelation 'was to restrain the people from sin'. However, the author of Hebrews expands the fear motif to include Moses as well.
The words ascribed to Moses in this regard are not recorded in the Old Testament. The author was making use of an exegetical tradition that is attested elsewhere in the New Testament and in haggadic tradition, reproducing it in his own way, as is the case with the other interpretive traditions. In Acts 7:32, Stephen describes Moses as trembling with regard to the initial theophany which Moses saw on Mount Sinai: 'and trembling, Moses did not dare look'. The textual basis was probably Exodus 3:6, 'Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look at God' (Hughes 1977:543; Lane 1991:464; Thurston 1979:30-31) and/or Deuteronomy 9:19, 'I feared the anger of and wrath of the Lord .' (Bruce 1990:354-355). As Hughes (1977:543) expresses it, 'Moses, who drew near to the divine presence within the fiery cloud, must have been inspired with awe beyond the rest of the people who remained below.'
It should be noted, however, that a similar motif is found in the Bayblonian Talmud: Sabbat 88b according to which Moses at Sinai declared, 'I was afraid that the angels could consume me with the breath of their mouths.' The theme of 'fear of the Lord' is an important one in the Old Testament and is fully developed in wisdom literature, where the 'fear of the Lord' was now used in a positive sense identified with wisdom. However, the fear in this case is one, which is associated with being in the presence of the Most Holy God. The emphasis in Hebrews 12:18-24 is on the holiness of God, in which there is no room for imperfection. The Sinai covenant, or the old covenant, is one that made man conscious of his imperfection and showed him that he needed to worship in fear due to his unworthiness.
Mount Sinai as representative of the old covenant of fear
We have established so far that Mount Sinai, although not explicitly mentioned by name, is identified in Hebrews 12:18-24 as the locus of the giving of the law, the mountain of encounter between God and Israel. Mount Sinai is the locus where God and Israel covenantally came together to journey together to their final destination. The author of Hebrews is not interested here in the abolition of the significance of the covenantal encounter between God and Israel. Rather, he focuses narrowly on establishing the weakness of that encounter. The chronotopic encounter at Mount Sinai, an encounter in space and time, between God and Israel is presented as weak. It was a fearful encounter. The sight was terrifying, the voice of God was also terrifying so that the people were terrified and Moses, the mediator between Israel and God, was also terrified.
In so doing, the author continues with his hermeneutical strategy that can already be observed in the earlier chapters of pointing out the weakness of the old covenant that was established at Sinai. The old covenant failed to bring about the perfection demanded by God: 'If perfection could have been attained ... why was there still need for another ... ?' (Heb 7:11). Again he states:
The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), but the introduction of the better hope through which we draw near to God. (Heb 7:18-19)
The same idea is repeated in Hebrews 10:
The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming -not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they have not stopped being offered? (vv. 1-2a)
The old covenant is characterised by imperfection: the people failed to remain within the covenant bounds (Heb 8:7-12, esp. vv. 7-8). The Levitical priesthood was administered by fallible and weak men who also needed atoning for their sins (Heb 7:27-28); the gifts and sacrifices that they offered could not perfect the conscience of the worshiper (Heb 9:9); they performed their duties in a sanctuary that was a copy of that in heaven (Heb 9:23-24). The law was a conscious reminder of man's inability to attain the holiness that God demands (Heb 10:1-4, esp. vv. 4-5).
Mount Sinai, as Levenson (1985) describes it:
[I]s the mountain of Israel's infancy, of the days of Moses, when the nation, as the story has it, was but a few generations old. Mount Sinai is the location of only one great event in Israel's history, the revelation of the Torah. (p. 89)
However, for the author of Hebrews, this great revelatory event was one that was clouded in fear, the fear at Mount Sinai was cast negatively as it was contrasted with the joy at Mount Zion. The idea that meeting with God is dangerous and frightening recalls the post-fall encounter between God and the first human couple, Adam and Eve. God's presence which was previously unthreatening was now perceived as threatening, and so out of fear Adam and Eve hid from God (Gn 3:8-9).
However, the covenantal encounter at Mount Sinai is not simply presented as weak, it was also transitory in nature. At Mount Sinai, both God and the people of Israel were in transition. Mount Sinai was not to be a permanent dwelling for God. As terrifying as the initial encounter was, the covenant-making process proceeded. God instructed Israel to build a sanctuary for him that would house him in their midst. God narrowed the gap between himself and Israel by making his dwelling in a tent in the midst of Israel, becoming a wanderer with Israel to her final destination. The final destination for the tabernacle was Jerusalem, on Mount Zion (1 Ki 8:1). On the other hand, Israel at Mount Sinai still looked forward to the Promised Land and there within the land for 'the place the Lord will choose' (Dt 12:5, 11, 14, 18, 21, 26; 14:23, 24, 25; 15:20; 16:2, 6, 7, 11, 15, 16; 17:8, 10; 18:6, 26, 31), that is, a place where he will 'put his name there' (Dt 12:5, 21; 14:24) or 'make his name dwell there' (Dt 12:11; 14:23; 16:2, 6, 11; 26:2). Israel became a carrier of God to his dwelling place. For the author of Hebrews the new covenant community unlike Israel at Sinai has come to Mount Zion.
Mount Zion - The destination
Mount Sinai and Mount Zion both played significant roles within the old covenant. However, for the author of Hebrews Mount Zion has a continual significance in the new covenant whereas the significance of Mount Sinai does not extend beyond the boundaries of the old covenant. As we have already observed, Mount Sinai played a transitory role as a place of divine descent as God prepared to make his dwelling amongst men. As Levenson (1985:89) argues, as significant as the experience at Mount Sinai was in altering Israel's religion, 'the mountain itself had no ongoing significance for the people who believed their destiny was transformed there.'
Mount Zion, a hill within the bounds of the city of Jerusalem, became the centre of Israel's cult and therefore became the highest mountain on earth, and the peripheral city of Jerusalem became the centre of the world (Anderson 1998:187-224; Clifford 1972:154-173; Levenson 1985:111-137). Mount Zion passed into the hands of the Israelites during the reign of David, when he conquered the city of Jerusalem from the Jebusites, formerly known under the name Jebus and also a stronghold of Zion (2 Sm 5:6-9; 2 Chr 11:5). The name Jerusalem, however, predates the conquest of the city by David as known from the correspondences between the king of Jerusalem and the Egyptian pharaoh in the 14th century BC (Tell El-Amarna Letters 2003:COS 3.92A & 3.92B). This city was also known as Salem (Ps 76:3), which was initially a name of a Canaanite god (Gray 1949:72-83). In the patriarchal narrative, we are told about the encounter between Abraham and Melchizedek, the priestly-king of Salem (Gn 14:18). This, as Levenson (1985:93) points out, was 'perhaps in adumbration of the priestly and royal significance of the city from David's time on'.
Jerusalem was transformed in a unique way into a city of God by two complementary events, the bringing of the Ark of God to the city by David (2 Sm 6; 1 Chr 13:1-14; 15:1-16:43) and the construction of the temple by Solomon (1 Ki 6-8; 2 Chr 2:1-7:10) (see also Alexander 2008:45). However, as the story of the old covenant unfolded, Jerusalem, the city of God, 'gradually gave its name as a symbol of the transcendent action of God in creating a people for himself in the world, that is, in bringing in his Kingdom' (Porteous 1967:109).
Mount Zion as God's Heavenly Dwelling of Joyful Celebration
The author of Hebrews uses Mount Zion synonymously with 'the city of the living God,' which is in turn specified as the 'heavenly Jerusalem' (Heb 12:22). Pace Westcott (1909:413) and Casey (1976:337-346), who treat Mount Zion and Jerusalem as separate entities in order to accentuate the distinction made between the three designations - I regard the three designations to be referring to one and the same destination for the pilgrim community. The synonymous use of Mount Zion and Jerusalem is one that is also deeply rooted in the old dispensation (e.g. 2 Sm 5:6-8; Ps 147:12f.; Am 1:2; Mi 4:2; Isa 24:23; Zph 3:14-20; Zch 1:16; Jr 31:38; Jl 3:17). In the cultic hymns, Mount Zion is the dwelling place of God (Ps 9:12; 74:2), God's holy mountain (Ps 2:6; 87:1; 99:9) and the home of his holy house (Ps 5:7; 27:4). The tradition of the election of Zion is based upon the bringing of the Ark to Jerusalem after David had captured the city from the Jebusites. 'With or without the temple, the presence of the Ark in Jerusalem meant that Yahweh was now dwelling there and had chosen this place for his abode' (Hayes 1963:421). Thus, Mount Zion as God's abode was transformed into a sacred place where no imperfection was allowed.
The city motif recurs in Hebrews under a variety of metaphors: 'the place' (Heb 11:8), 'the heavenly homeland' (Heb 11:16), 'the unshakable kingdom' (Heb 12:28), and 'the abiding city which is to come' (Heb 13:14). Thus, the idea of a 'city' in Hebrews 12:22 ties this section with Hebrews 11 together, wherein the author introduces the idea of an eschatological city. The thrust of Hebrews 11 is that 'God's people throughout the OT looked beyond the present life to a heavenly reward. They sighted the better country, the city of God, but did not attain to it' (Johnsson 1978:240). They regarded themselves as aliens and strangers on earth (Heb 11: 13) because 'they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one' (Heb 11:16). Like the old covenant people, the new covenant people are supposed to live as aliens and strangers in the world (see also 1 Pt 1:2; 2:11). Accordingly, for the author of Hebrews, the destination for the community of faith is heavenly, not earthly. The citizenship of this community of faith is in this heavenly city where their names are written (Heb 12:23; cf. Phlp 3:20). The heavenly Mount Zion is the locus wherein Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, resides and continues to fulfil his duty (Heb 12:24).
The city motif should also be identified with God's rest, which he entered into at creation. The author of Hebrews discusses in depth the issue of God's rest in Chapter 4. The promise of God's rest, or the Sabbath rest, still remains open for some to enter into (Heb 4:1, 6). Israel's wilderness experience is analogous to and has a typological bearing on new covenant believers (I am indebted to Richard B. Gaffin with the lecture he gave at Westminster Theological Seminary). The Christian community is currently living in 'today' [σήµερον] which is not the situation of rest in Hebrews 4:7-8, rather, it is the wilderness situation. The rest experienced by Israel when they entered Canaan was only a type of God's rest at creation, which believers currently seek to enter. The Christian community is still on a pilgrimage; God's rest is still available for many to enter through faith. The city has not yet fully manifested itself, it is still 'the city which is to come' (Heb 13:14), 'but the privileges of its citizenship are already enjoyed by faith' (Bruce 1990:357).
The encounter of the new covenant community with God takes place at a different spatial location. The earthly Mount Zion or the earthly Jerusalem as significant as it was in the old covenant, is no longer the locus of encounter between God and the new covenant community. The earthly Mount Zion like Mount Sinai also represents the old order. At Qumran - although they rejected the Zion cult, the temple - its priesthood and rulers continued to use the Zion symbolism for both the present reality and the future reality (Knibb 1987:3-6; Vermes 1995:19-35). The Qumranian community in the interim regarded itself as the temple until such time when the earthly Zion or the temple would be restored (1Q32; 2Q24; 5Q15; 11QT, esp. 29:2-10; 4QFlor 1 i.2-9; cf. Apoc. Abr. 29:17-18; Sib. Or. 5.249-255, 420-427; see Hughes 1977:546; Isaacs 2002:69). The author of Hebrews rather shares a view similar to Paul's. Paul, in his allegory in Galatians 4:21-34 regarding Hagar and Sarah, takes the two as representing two covenants: Hagar represents the covenant of Mount Sinai, and Sarah represents the covenant of the heavenly Jerusalem. Paul regards the present (earthly) city of Jerusalem to correspond with Mount Sinai. As Hughes points out, we have in Paul two concepts of Jerusalem: the present or earthly Jerusalem representing bondage and the heavenly Jerusalem representing freedom. The old covenant is inferior due to spatial location - it is earthly and finds expression in terms of the earth, whereas the new covenant has its centre in heaven and finds its expression in heavenly forms (Vos 1956:62). As Adams (2009) notes:
The heaven-earth duality is not for our author an antithetical dualism: heaven and earth are not polarised. In [Hebrews] 11:13-36, the earth is depicted as a place of sojourn, not the final settlement of the people of God. The 'heavenly' country is valued above the existing earth, but the distinction is hierarchical ('better') not oppositional. (p. 134)
Furthermore, Mount Zion unlike Mount Sinai, is an inhabited city. The author of Hebrews gives a welcoming picture of Mount Zion, comparing it favourably to the darkness, gloom, tempest, trumpets and voice coming from the midst of it all, which terrified the Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai. On the heavenly Mount Zion there is life, and multitudes of angels are to be seen, all in 'festal array [πανήγυρις].' The term πανήγυρις, as some commentators (Hughes 1977:547; Attridge 1989:375; Ellingworth 1993:220) have suggested, gives the assembly of angels a festive character - joy, celebration and worship (cf. Is 66:10), [πανηγυρίσατε]. However, in their company is the 'assembly [εκκλησία] of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven' and 'to the spirits of righteous men made perfect' (Heb 12:23). The covenant people of God are given a title of honour, which in Hebrews 1:6 is attributed to Jesus, 'firstborn' [πρωτότοκος] (Lane 1991; Samuel 1998:68), thus, indicating that the enrolment in heaven is through union with Jesus, who is the firstborn par excellence. Furthermore, as DeSilva (2000) argues:
The fact that these 'firstborn' were 'inscribed in heaven' recalls the Jewish notion of the names of the righteous being written in the 'books' of heaven (Dan 12:1; Rev 13:8). Here, however, since no books are actually mentioned, the image may call up more strongly in the hearers' mind 'enrollment' (i.e. as a citizen) in the city of the living God, the enjoyment of full participation for which the people of faith, now dead, had sought ([Heb] 11:13-16) and for which the hearers now are themselves being trained ([Heb] 12:5-11). (p. 467)
The heavenly Mount Zion is pictured positively as a place of joy in contrast to the fear that was experienced at Mount Sinai. The motif of joyous celebration also recalls the joyous occasion when David 'brought the Ark of God from the house of Edom to the city of David with rejoicing [החָמְשִׂבְּ]'' (2 Sm 6:12). However, in this case it is not God who is received in the city of David with joy, but the pilgrim community that is received in the city of the living God with joyous celebration. The atmosphere at the heavenly Mount Zion is inviting and welcoming, whereas the picture of Mount Sinai is uninviting. To come to heavenly Mount Zion is to come to a populated mountain in contrast to the uninhabited Mount Sinai; it is to come into the company of the other worldly, the company of angels; it is to come into contact again with the familiar, God's firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven, the righteous ones; it is to come into the presence of his majesty, King Jesus, who sits in the place of honour at the right hand of God as a mediator of the new covenant.
Already and not yet
For the author of Hebrews, the church as a pilgrim community 'has come to Mount Zion' (Heb 12:22). On the one hand, this pilgrim community, unlike Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai, has come to its destination, Mount Zion; and on the other hand, like Israel at Mount Sinai, they have not yet reached their final destination. The latter is evident from the warnings and exhortation sounded to the new covenant community: they were to run with perseverance (Heb 12:1), not to grow weary or fainthearted (Heb 12:3), beware of the 'root of bitterness' (Heb 12:15) and irreligion (Heb 12:16-17), and not refuse him who was speaking (Heb 12:25; Johnsson 1978:241). The pilgrimage has not yet culminated in Mount Zion, in the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. However, we should ask ourselves in what sense this new covenant community had 'come' to the heavenly Mount Zion and yet was still not there?
For the author, the answer to this question lies in the fact that this is a community of faith, a faith that characterises those in the old covenant and those in the new covenant. This is a faith which is not simply directed toward the future, but also toward the unseen realities that already exist, though they will not be manifested till the consummation (Barrett 1956:380). However, the new covenant pilgrim community has an advantage over those in the old dispensation because 'for them the unseen truth which God will one day enact is no longer entirely unseen; it has been manifested in Jesus' (Barrett 1956:380). As Barrett (1956) points out, it is so because:
He [Jesus] himself is our forerunner ([Heb.] vi.20), and it is precisely because he has passed through the veil ([Heb] vi. 20; x. 20) and entered now into the holy place in the city of God that we can be confident ([Heb.] x. 22) that in due course we shall endure the time of shaking ([Heb] xii. 26) and reach the city that is to come ([Heb.] xiii. 14). (p. 383)
For the author of Hebrews, the new covenant people already tasted the heavenly reality through their representative head and brother, Jesus, who had travelled the route on their behalf and he was there making the preparations for their arrival. Thus, the new covenant community in terms of their union and solidarity with the ascended Christ, believers 'have come' to the heavenly Jerusalem. As Samuel (1998:56) points out, the verb προσέρχοµαι [to come or to approach] [Heb 12:18, 22]) is the same verb used with regard to the call for believers to approach the throne of grace (Heb 4:16); with regard to those who approach God through Jesus, who intercede for them (Heb 7:25); with regard to those who had to approach to worship in the old covenant through sacrifices that had to be repeated endlessly (Heb 10:1); with regard to the confidence of the believers in approaching God through Jesus, who entered the Most Holy Place (Heb 10:22); and to show the impossibility of approaching God without faith (Heb 11:6; Samuel 1998:567). The new covenant people were already able to approach the Most Holy Place through Jesus, who went ahead of them as their high priest.
The pilgrim community is one that walks by faith, which for the author of Hebrews entails two things: being sure of what they hope for and being certain of that which they do not see. The two go hand in hand: faith entails expectancy, which is the expectancy of the unseen things hoped for. On the other hand, the unseen has become a reality through faith. Believers 'have "already tasted the powers of the age to come," though the full glory of that life is not yet' (Robinson 1961:43). The heavenly Mount Zion, which has existed eternally in heaven, is now realised in and through Christ, yet it is still to come.
However, the author of Hebrews projects three comings to the heavenly Mount Zion. Firstly, the new covenant community through faith has already come to the heavenly Mount Zion (Heb 11:1; 12:22); secondly when they die they come into the assembly of God's firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven (Heb 12:22); and thirdly they will finally come when God shakes the earth and also the heavens (Heb 12:25). The final coming is in line with the author of Hebrews' view that the earth is the place of sojourn in the expectation of a city that is to come. The formulation in Hebrews 11:10 'for he [Abraham] looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God' and Hebrews 13:14 'for here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city which is to come', 'suggests a future "earthly" manifestation of the city that currently exists as a heavenly reality' (Adams 2009:138). Thus, the author of Hebrews seems to project on the one hand an ascending of mankind to make their dwelling with God, and on the other hand, a coming or a descent of Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem (cf. Rv 21:1-2). The final, climactic moment of entering the heavenly Mount Zion is still to come.
Warning and Blessing
The heavenly Mount Zion is presented in Hebrews as both the throne of judgement and the throne of grace. As the author of Hebrews 12 tells his audience:
[Y]ou have come to God, the judge of all men, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (vv. 23b-24)
There is an intimate relationship between the two, even in the way that the author juxtaposes God as judge and the spirits of the righteous men made perfect on the one hand, and Jesus as mediator of the new covenant, whose blood speaks better than the blood of Abel, on the other. God's justice and mercy go hand in hand, there is no mercy without justice. However, God's justice has been satisfied through a perfect mediator who stands between God and man, Jesus who 'by means of one sacrifice perfected [τετελείωκεν] forever those who are being consecrated to God' (Heb 10:14). Man can have confidence to enter the holy of holies only through the blood of Jesus, the 'great priest of the house of God' (Heb 10:21).
The phrase 'spirits of the righteous ones made perfect' gives the impression of 'complete divine favour and acceptance' of God as judge (Dumbrell 1976:158-59).
It would be wrong, however, to suppose that the fear motif no longer plays a significant role in the new covenant. Many of the exhortations in the book of Hebrews carry a negative slant of warning. For the author of Hebrews, God has again spoken, however, this time he has spoken through an even greater theophany, the Son, 'who is the radiance of [God's] glory and the exact representation of his being [δς ών απαύγασµα της δόξης και χαρακτήρ της υποστάσεως αύτοΰ]' (Heb 1:3a). The Son, on the other hand, continues to speak, he speaks through his blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. In Hebrews 12, the author of Hebrews sounds a warning regarding this voice:
See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! (v. 25)
This serves as a warning to the new covenant community not to be like the Israelites who begged not to hear the voice of God by refusing to take heed of the gracious voice which proceeds from the blood of Christ (Hughes 1977:556; Oberholtzer 1989:71). The voice that proceeds from the heavenly Mount Zion is more powerful than that which proceeded from Mount Sinai. At Mount Sinai, the voice 'shook the earth' (Ex 19:18), whereas in the eschaton the voice of God will shake heaven and earth (Oberholtzer 1989:71-72). The shaking of the earth and the heavens is one which would result in the 'removal' [µετάθεσιν] of the 'things which can be shaken' [των σαλευοµένων] (Heb 12:27); only those things which are unshakable will remain in the eschatological new heaven and new earth. The coming judgement is one which is inescapable for those who fail to hold fast and fall away (Thompson 1975:580-587).
The pilgrim community is especially warned against apostasy (Heb 6:4-6; 10:26-31; 12:15-17). For those who wilfully sin and reject God's truth, having been enlightened by God's theophany through his Son, are warned to wait with 'fearful expectation of judgment' [φοβερα δέ τις εκδοχή κρίσεως] because they have trampled the Son of God underfoot, undermined the blood of the covenant, and insulted the Spirit of God (Heb 10:27; cf. Ex 24:17; Dt 4:24; 5:25; Ps 21:9; Is 30:27, 30; 33:10). To drive this point home, the author states, 'it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God' (Heb 10:31). The fear motif, with regard to the new covenant, is not the basis for the worship of God but a terror which follows those who continue in unbelief: 'No sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God' (Heb 10:26-27). Those who believe in Jesus the high priest approach the most holy place boldly and with assurance of faith (Heb 4:16; 10:19, 22). However, God expects those who draw near to him to pursue holiness 'without which no one can see God' (Heb 12:14). The heavenly Mount Zion, as Kasemann (1984:53) notes, is viewed:
As a site of the proclamation and the diathëkë established and guaranteed in Jesus' blood is the primal datum of the people of God and its wandering, just as in the shape of the 'inheritance' to be won it will be the final datum of the wandering people of God, and just as Jesus is both 'pioneer and perfecter of our faith. (Heb 12:1, [Author's own emphasis])
To come to Mount Zion is to escape God's judgement - the fearful theophanic manifestation that will be revealed when God appears as the raging fire that will consume his enemies.
Concluding observations
The hermeneutical strategy that the author of Hebrews employs is one of contrasting the old covenant with the new covenant. In the case of Hebrews 12:18-24, the old covenant is contrasted unfavourably with the new covenant, however, the deficiency of the old can only be realised through the optic lens of the new. Thus, the old is reinterpreted in light of the Christ event, that is, the coming, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, as an event that ushered in a new age. For the author of Hebrews, God has spoken in 'these last days' through his Son, a Son who currently sits at the right hand of God in the heavenly Mount Zion (Heb 1:1-3). The author of Hebrews, like Paul, discovered that the Christ event was the means through which the new age was inaugurated (Hooker 2009:209).
The contrast between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion forms part of the broader redemptive-historical framework that spans from creation to the eschatological shaking of the earth and heavens. For the author of Hebrews, the micro-narrative of the pilgrimage to Mount Sinai and ultimately to Mount Zion has its place and function within the broader redemptive-historical framework, which climaxes with the Son. For the author of Hebrews, the new covenant continues God's grand plan for humanity to enter into his 'Sabbath rest' (Heb 4:4, 11), alternatively identified with the 'true tabernacle' (Heb 8:2; 9:11); 'the city to come' (Heb 11:10; 13:14); Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God (Heb 12:22). The Mosaic cult established at Mount Sinai only functioned on the one hand as 'a copy and a shadow' [ύποδείγµατι και σκιά] of the heavenly reality (Heb 8:5), that is, a 'shadowing down,' and on the other hand, as 'symbol' [παραβολή] of the new age that is realised in Jesus Christ (Heb 9:9), a 'shadowing forward' to the time of the true high priest, and the true sacrifice (see Attridge 2009:101). However, the realised new age is no mere shadow of the heavenly reality but the actual substance of the heavenly reality. As the author of Hebrews confidently states it, 'you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem' (Heb 12:22).
Mount Sinai is presented as the locus of the old covenant, which has limited significance in relation to the new covenant. Mount Sinai was not the final destination both for God and Israel - it was a temporary stopping place for God as he made his descent to dwell amongst Israel and it was a temporary stopping place for Israel as they journeyed to the Promised Land. Mount Sinai was the place of encounter between God and Israel as they came together to continue together the journey to the Promised Land. Mount Sinai was indeed the mountain of God's descent where Israel experienced great theophany. However, the experience at Mount Sinai is presented as one that terrified the people of Israel and Moses, their mediator. The theophanic manifestation was so terrifying that Mount Sinai may be described as the mountain of terror.
The earthly Mount Zion, on the other hand, was the destination, the chosen site and dwelling of God, and a cultic centre for the worshiping community. Mount Zion as the site of the new covenant is superior to Mount Sinai because it is abiding rather than transitory. The earthly Mount Zion is viewed as a type or a shadow of the heavenly Mount Zion, the true dwelling of God. The experience at the heavenly Mount Zion is presented as a joyful one so that Mount Zion may be described as the mountain of joy. Heavenly Mount Zion - unlike the unpopulated Mount Sinai - is a populated mountain. For the author of Hebrews the new covenant people through faith already experienced the heavenly reality, however, for as long as it is still 'today' the new covenant community, is still a pilgrim community awaiting the full manifestation of the heavenly Mount Zion, the journey continues.
For the author of Hebrews, the new covenant stands in continuity with the old covenant in its discontinuity of the old. The new covenant supersedes the old covenant and replaces it. The supersession of the old is not the obliteration of the old, the new and the old are interrelated inter alia in terms of promise-fulfilment, redemptive history, law-gospel, old-new, typology as these various perspectives offer alternative ways of establishing the relationship. In the case of Hebrews 12:18-24, the old covenant as represented by Mount Sinai is superseded by the new covenant as represented by the heavenly Mount Zion on the basis of a number of motifs: the terror-joy motif, uninhabited-habited motif, transit-arrival motif, Moses-Jesus mediator motif, Abel's blood-Jesus' blood motif, earthly-heavenly motif. Thus, the new covenant as represented by heavenly Mount Zion is in some cases oppositionally better (terror-joy motif, uninhabited-habited motif) whereas in some cases it is superior or hierarchically better (transit-arrival motif, Moses-Jesus mediator motif, Abel's blood-Jesus' blood motif, earthly-heavenly).
Furthermore, similar hierarchical and oppositional contrast can be observed elsewhere in Hebrews. The old cult under the leadership of God's faithful servant, Moses, is superseded and drawn to a close by the new cult under the leadership of Jesus, God's faithful servant, in continuity of God's plan to bring his people into his rest, heaven (Heb 3-4). The rest achieved under Joshua is superseded by the true rest that is achieved under the leadership of Jesus (Heb 4:1-16). The Levitical-Aaronic priesthood is superseded and replaced by the new priesthood in the order of Melchizedek with Jesus as the high priest (Heb 4:14-5:10; 7:1-8:6). The ministry of Levitical-Aaronic priesthood that took place in the earthly tabernacle is superseded by the ministry of Jesus who ministers in the heavenly tabernacle (Heb 8:1-6). The sacrificial system of the old cult failed to cleanse the conscious, to wash away sin and to make perfect (Heb 7:19; 9:9, 13; 10:4) and so it is superseded by a new perfect sacrificial system that effectively deals with sin once and for all (Heb 9:14-15, 27-28). Thus, the cultic order established at Mount Sinai gives way to the new cultic order established on the earthly Mount Zion through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The two do not stand side by side in continuity - the old gives way to the new. The new renders the old non-functional. As Goppelt (1981:255) points out, this is not simply a chronological replacement of the old by the new but a fading away of the old with the time frame of the world. The old gives way to the new, which is substantially superior (Heb 9:10).
It should also be noted that the earthly Mount Zion as the sight of the establishment of the new cultic order is not the spatial location for the continual service of Jesus as high priest and destination for the pilgrim community, rather, it is the heavenly Mount Zion - the heavenly Jerusalem, the true tabernacle not set up by man, but by God. The author, by drawing the attention of his audience to the heavenly Mount Zion, probably wanted to avert the distress caused by the destruction of the Temple in AD 70 (Isaacs 2002:12-13; Hooker 2009:191). The destroyed earthly copy and shadow did not mean the end of the new covenantal order - the heavenly reality remains functional. It is there where Christ, the firstborn, sits at the right hand of God and mediates for them as high priest; it is there where the covenantal people are registered; and it is this reality, which they by faith have experienced already through their union and solidarity with Christ. It is surprising, however, that the author does not mention the destruction of the temple and the end of the sacrificial system there, as this would have supported his claim that Christ had fulfilled once and for all the demands of the old covenant sacrificial system (Hooker 2009:191).
Competing interests
The author declares that he has no financial or personal relationship(s) which may have inappropriately influenced him in writing this article.
Adams, E., 2009, 'The Cosmology of Hebrews', in R. Bauckham, D.R. Driver, T.A. Hart & N. MacDonald (eds.), The Epistle to the Hebrews and Christian Theology, pp. 122-139, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids. PMid:19119232 [ Links ]
Alexander, T.D., 2008, From Eden to the New Jerusalem: An Introduction to Biblical Theology, Kregel, Grand Rapids. [ Links ]
Anderson, G.A., 1998, 'The Cosmic Mountain: Eden and its Early Interpreters in Syriac Christianity' in G.A. Robins (ed.), Genesis 1-3 in the History of Exegesis: Intrigue in the Garden, pp. 187-224, The Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston. [ Links ]
Attridge, H.W., 1989, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Fortress Press, Philadelphia. [ Links ]
Attridge, H.W., 2009, 'God in Hebrews', in R. Bauckham, D.R. Driver, T.A. Hart, & N. MacDonald (eds.), The Epistle to the Hebrews and Christian Theology, pp. 95-110, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids. [ Links ]
Barrett, C.K., 1956, 'The Eschatology of the Epistle to the Hebrews', in W.D. Davies & W. Daube (eds.), The Background of the New Testament and its Eschatology, pp. 363-393, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. [ Links ]
Bruce, F.F., 1990, The Epistle to the Hebrew, rev. edn., Eerdmans, Grand Rapids. [ Links ]
Casey, J.M., 1976, 'Eschatology in Heb 12:14-29: An Exegetical Study', S.S.T. dissertation, Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, Katholieke Universitat te Leuven, Leuven. [ Links ]
Chilton, B. & Neusner, J., 1995, Judaism in the New Testament: Practices and Beliefs, Routledge, London. [ Links ]
Clements, R.B., 1965, God and Temple, Fortress Press, Philadelphia. [ Links ]
Clifford, R.J., 1972, The Cosmic Mountain in Canaan and the Old Testament, Harvard University Press, Cambridge. [ Links ]
DeSilva, D.A., 2000, Perseverance in Gratitude: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on the Epistle 'to the Hebrews, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids. PMCid:18822 [ Links ]
Dumbrell, W.J., 1976, 'The Spirits of Just Men Made Perfect', Evangelical Quarterly 48(3), 154-159. [ Links ]
Ellingworth, P., 1993, The Epistle to the Hebrews, The New International Greek Testament Commentary, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids. [ Links ]
Fischer, J., 1989, 'Covenant, Fulfilment and Judaism in Hebrews', Evangelical Review of Theology 13(2), 175-187. [ Links ]
Goppelt, L., 1981, Theology of the New Testament, vol. 2, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids. [ Links ]
Gordon, R.P., 2000, Hebrews, Sheffield Academic Press, Sheffield. (A New Biblical Commentary). [ Links ]
Gray, J., 1949, 'The Desert God 'Attr in the Literature and Religions of Canaan', Journal of Near Eastern Studies 8(2), 72-83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/370915 [ Links ]
Hague, M.R., 2001, The Descent from the Mountain: Narrative Patterns in Exodus 19-40, Sheffield Academic Press, Sheffield. [ Links ]
Harrington, H.K., 2001, Holiness: Rabbinic Judaism and the Graeco-Roman World, Routledge, New York. [ Links ]
Hayes, J.H. 1963. 'The Tradition of Zion's Inviolability', Journal of Biblical Literature 82, 419-426. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3264697 [ Links ]
Hooker, M.D., 2009, 'Christ, the "End" of the Cult' in R. Bauckham, D.R. Driver, T.A. Hart & N. MacDonald (eds.), The Epistle to the Hebrews and Christian Theology, pp. 189-212, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids. [ Links ]
Hughes, P.E., 1977, A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids. [ Links ]
Isaacs, M.E., 2002, Reading Hebrews & James: A Literary and Theological Commentary, Smyth & Helwys, Macon. [ Links ]
Jacob, B., 1992, The Second Book of the Bible: Exodus, transl. W. Jacob, KTAV Publishing House, Hoboken. [ Links ]
Johnsson, W.G., 1978, 'The Pilgrimage Motif in the Book of Hebrews', Journal of Biblical Literature 97, 239-251. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3265621 [ Links ]
Kásemann, E., 1984, The Wandering People of God: An Investigation of the Letter to the Hebrews, transl. R.A. Harrisville & I.L. Sandberg, Augsburg, Minneapolis. [ Links ]
Klassen, W., 1986, 'Anti-Judaism in Early Christianity: The State of the Question', in P. Richardson & D. Grankson(eds.), Anti-Judaism in Early Christianity, pp. 1-19, Wilfrid Laurier University Press, Waterloo. PMid:3517627. [ Links ]
Knibb, M.A., 1987, The Qumran Community, Cambridge Commentaries on Writings of the Jewish & Christian World 200 BC to AD 200, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.PMid:3144479. [ Links ]
Lane, W.L., 1991, Hebrews 9-13, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 47B, Word Books, Dallas. [ Links ]
Lehne, S., 1990, 'The New Covenant in Hebrews', Journal for the Study of the New Testament Suppl. 44, JSOT Press, Sheffield. PMid:2185802. [ Links ]
Levenson, J.D., 1985, Sinai and Zion: An Entry into the World of the Jewish Bible, Harper Collins, New York. [ Links ]
Oberholtzer, T.K., 1989, 'The Failure to Heed His Speaking in Hebrews 12:25-29', Bibliotheca Sacra 146, 67-75. [ Links ]
Porteous, N.W., 1967, 'Jerusalem-Zion: The Growth of a Symbol', in N.W. Porteous (ed.), Living the Mystery: Collected Essays, pp. 93-111, Basil Blackwell, Oxford. [ Links ]
Robinson, W., 1961, 'The Eschatology of the Epistle to the Hebrews', Encounter 22, 34-51. [ Links ]
Samuel, C.J., 1998, 'A Mount of Fire and Smoke: Sinai and Zion in Hebrews 12:14-29', ThM thesis, Dept. of Hermeneutics and Biblical Interpretation, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. [ Links ]
Son, K., 2005, Zion Symbolism in Hebrews: Hebrews 12:18-254 as a Hermeneutical Key to the Epistle, Paternoster, Milton Keynes. [ Links ]
Talmon, S.H., 1978, s.v. 'har' in G.J. Botterweck & H. Ringgren (eds.), Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, vol. 3, pp. 427-447, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids. [ Links ]
Tell El-Amarna Letters, 2003, in W.H. Hallo & K.L. Younger Jr., The Context of Scripture: The Archival Documents from the Biblical World, vol. 3, Brill, Leiden. [ Links ]
Theissen, G., 1993, Social Reality and the Early Christianity: Theology, Ethics, and the World of the New Testament, T & T Clark, Edinburgh. PMCid:311206 [ Links ]
Thompson, J.W., 1975, '"That Which Cannot Be Shaken": Some Metaphysical Assumptions in Heb. 12:27', Journal of Biblical Literature 94, 580-587. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3265438 [ Links ]
Thurston, W., 1979, 'Midrash and "Magnet Words" in the New Testament', Evangelical Quarterly 51(1), 22-39. [ Links ]
Vermes, G., 1995, The Dead Sea Scrolls in English, Sheffield Academic Press, Sheffield. PMCid:2365613 [ Links ]
Vos, G., 1956, The Teaching of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids. [ Links ]
Wall, R.W. & William, L.L., 1993, 'Polemic in Hebrews and the Catholic Epistles', in C.A. Evans & D.A. Hagner (eds.), Anti-Semitism and Early Christianity: Issues of Polemic and Faith, pp. 166-198, Fortress, Minneapolis. PMCid:196110 [ Links ]
Westcott, B.F., 1909, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Macmillan, London. [ Links ]
Williamson, C.M. & Allen, R.J., 1989, Interpreting Difficult Texts: Anti-Judaism and Christian Preaching, SCM Press, London. [ Links ]
Hulisani Ramantswana
PO Box 392
UNISA 0003, South Africa
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Received: 11 July 2011
Accepted: 31 Jan. 2012
Published: 08 May 2013
1. The view that the contrast between Sinai and Zion represents the contrast between Judaism and Christianity will not be subject of discussion in the article. For arguments against this view (see Theissen 1993:203-206; Chilton & Neusner 1995; Kasemann 1984:24-25; Fischer 1989:175-187; Klassen 1986:19; Wall & William 1993:184-185).


text:
These Big Hitz OE8050 Shiny Light Green BudzOn™ sunglasses feature a medium rectangular TR90 frame and TAC polarized lenses. A variety of new styles now offer spring hinges and new BudzOn™ logo on frame arms. Your order arrives packaged in a stylish, representing microfiber pouch which doubles as a cleaning cloth!
- TR90 is a super-polymer compound that is extremely lightweight, incredibly sturdy, but very flexible.
- TAC is the acronym for Tri Acetate Cellulose used in lens construction. These lenses are comprised of a scratch resistant plastic and block out 99% of all UV rays up to 400 nanometers.
- Polycarbonate (PC) lenses are lighter than glass, scratch resistant, shatter resistant, and offer improved visual clarity over "TAC" lenses.
- Mirror Smoke Blue lens are made by coating thin layers of titanium and silicon oxides in various volumes to modify tint. It can eliminate up to 97% of infrared rays, in particular in the blue spectrum to enhance color.
- NOTE: In order to protect the premium anti-reflective coating, water and our premium microfiber cleaning cloth are your best bet for keeping your BudzOn™ sunglasses looking their best!


text:
The UK's Leading Data & Analytics Jobs Board
The Big Data Scientist is reportedly the hottest job of the 21st century. Big data scientists need to have many skills, they need statistical, mathematical, predictive modelling, business strategy skills, they build algorithms necessary to ask the right questions and find the right answers. Data Scientists should be good communicators and understand how products are developed and have a set of ethical codes. You'll find the UK's latest Big Data Scientist all in one place, all online at The Big Data Jobs Board.
Data Scientists should be curious, have a desire to look beneath the surface, ask the right questions, be confident in themselves as there will be times where they enter territory that is unknown. Finding solutions in huge data sets can take time so they have to be patient and generating algorithms to discover new insights brings in trial-and-error. They need to be able to use other industries examples and use them in their current problem. A big data scientist integrates multiple systems and data sets links up data sets and discovers new insights. A Data Scientist connects different types of data sets and works with potentially incomplete data sources,cleaning data sets so they can use them.
The Big Data Scientist needs to be able to program in Python, R, Java, Ruby, Clojure, Matlab, Pig or SQL with understanding of Hadoop, Hive and/or MapReduce. The Data Scientist should have experience in Natural Language Processing machine learning, data modelling, statistical analysis, hypothesis testing. Big data scientists can come from all sorts of backgrounds such as physics, biostatistics or computer science.
Basically, the big data scientist needs to have a broad understanding of everything but specifics depend on the industry they are in? If you are looking for a Data Scientist career, look no further, we have a great selection of the latest and best Big Data Science jobs in the UK.
Belfast | East Midlands | Edinburgh | England | Glasgow | London | North East England | North West England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | South East England | South West England | Wales | Yorkshire and Humber