text:
Two views of resurrection
Famous UC Berkeley sociologist Robert Bellah died last week, and to note the occasion, the university's media center sent around an article on Bellah's view of death. Gene Palumbo kindly sent it on to me. Here are some key paragraphs:
Where were you before you were born? That's where you will go after you die.
Well before I was born, I was in the sperm of my father and the egg of my mother, I had within me the earliest beginnings of the components of a billion or more years of life, the genes that I share with worms (a lot) and with mold (some), and the atoms that I share with the universe all the way back to the big bang. So returning to all that isn't so bad.
Further, I will join the company of saints, of all those whose cultural work has made it possible for me to have been a half-way decent person, and what I have added to the cultural pool, even when I am long forgotten, will go on having an influence (unless we become extinct soon, which is also possible) for a long, perhaps an immeasurable time.
As for eternal life, that is now. If we don't see eternity in a grain of sand, when will we ever see it. As for resurrection, as Tillich said, dead men don't walk. But Christ was surely resurrected in the consciousness of his disciples and is more alive today than the day he was crucified, in the faces of all those who follow his example and who keep him alive.
By coincidence or, as believers hold, by divine providence, I read today a sermon that the late Dominican theologian Herbert McCabe preached one Easter Sunday. Some contrasting paragraphs:
Jesus really died. The living human body which had been Jesus became no longer a human body but a corpse hanging from the cross and cadaver was put away in a tomb. There was no longer a man, Jesus of Nazareth: he had lived his short life and was no more. True, his soul was, no doubt, immortal, but a soul is not a human being. We only have an individual human being when that soul is the life of its inidividual human body. We are animals not ghosts; not even ghosts inside animals. What you are is this living flesh and blood, and when your flesh and blood ceases to live, when your life departs, you cease to be. You are totally absent, utterly not with your fellow men and women. ...
And today we celebrate: we rejoice because he is alive and with us. "I am risen and with you." God has risen him up. What had been a corpse, a cadaver, is now a living human body again, and much more, unimaginably more, humanly alive. ...
The gospel we preach is not about memories or ideals or profound thoughts. It contains all these things, but what it is about is the human person, Jesus, alive and present to us and loving us from his human heart. Our Easter faith is that we really do encounter Jesus himself: not a message from him, or a doctrine inspired by him, or an ethics of love, or a new idea of human destiny, or a picture of him, but Jesus himself. It is in this that we rejoice.
If I met you one day, I mean really met you, not a picture of you or a televised three-dimensinal holgram, or a truth about you, or a dream about you, but really met you, and you said to me, "By the way, it's a rather interesting thing, my bones are in a cave in Palestine," I would be astounded. I would not know what to think, but I would be inclined to say that you or somebody had done a remarkable "conjuring trick with bones." This would be the really tricky and puzzling thing: that I should meet you (you, and not a ghost or a dream but the actual you), without meeting your body.
There is nothing in the least tricky or puzzling or quaint about God giving back life to the dead Jesus–and not just a resuscitation but a new and greater transfigured life in glory. There is deep mystery here, of course, as there is deep mystery in God's giving us life in the first place, in God's creation of the universe. To believe that God creates the whole universe and holds it in being over against absolute nothing, but to find it tricky or unworthy of belief that he should raise a man from the dead to a human life of glory seems eccentric. What we might find tricky, though, would be God raising Jesus to glory by doing something for something quite other than Jesus: producing, by sleight of hand, a substitute risen Christ while the body of Jesus is left buried in the grave.
God Still Matters (New York: Continuum, 2002) 226-228.
About the Author
Rev. Joseph A. Komonchak, professor emeritus of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America, is a retired priest of the Archdiocese of New York.
58 comments
- All
- Editor Featured
"A corpse is now a living human body again..." not in any ordinary sense
"We really do encounter Jesus himself" yes, his eucharistic presence is bodily, but again not in any ordinary sense, it is a soma pneumatikon
"my bones are in a cave" or mass grave -- perhaps not really incompatible with resurrection faith
People who believe in God a who think that resurrection is impossible are people who believe that God can do only what we humans can do. What a failure of imagination!
McCabe's sermon seems to contradict the empty tomb.
Molly Roach,
It seems to me that McCabe is indeed affirming the empty tomb (as Joseph O'Leary perceives and appears to question);
Joseph O'Leary,
and he's affirming "soma pneumatikon" = "a new and greater transfigured life in glory."
Both empty tomb and transfigured body. Appropriate for tomorrow's feast.
Ann, it is very hard to understand that a just God wouls create a world whose creatures are bound by physical laws, but choose that himself not be bound by them - sometimes letting things be, sometimes intervening. And then claim that he wants us to share in his divinity, and him to share our humanity. Whenever God flaunts his own laws (be they physical or moral), it's hard to swallow. I don't see it as a lack of imagination but as a desire for consistency. I never try to convince non-believers of the Resurrection, because I have no idea how to go about it.
McCabe was certainly aware (for that matter, who wasn't?) that we cannot understand the risen body of Christ in any "ordinary sense." See his own words here: "not just a resuscitation but a new and greater transfigured life in glory"; "raise a man from the dead to a human life of glory." The soma or body is no longer psychikon, enlivened by the psyche or soul, but pneumatikon, enlivened by the pneuma or Spirit. That's St. Paul's take in 1 Cor 15. McCabe's point is that one does not have a human person without a body.
I'd like to hear some theories that would explain how that Jesus' bones lie somewhere in Palestine is compatible with resurrection-faith.
In the second of the two wonderful chapters on history in his Method in Theology, Bernard Lonergan refers to the fine American historian Carl Becker and to an essay in which he explored how historians reach conclusions about whether something did or did not take place. Very often they must rely on witnesses and then a historical fact is one established by "the testimony of at least two independent witnesses not self-deceived." Historians will do their best to establish the competency and honesty of these witnesses, but sometimes will conclude that honest and competent witnesses are, nevertheless, self-deceived. Here something else may be involved:
This something else is not in the event, or the witness, or his competence. It is in the historian himself. This something else is the historian's inability to believe that certain kinds of events are possible, however much otherwise reliable testimony is brought to support them. When the historian is confronted with testimony to the occurrence of a specific event of a kind which he is profoundly convinced cannot possibly occur, he always says that the witnesses, whether two or two hundred, are self-deceived.
Why does he depart from his usual method and criteria, say, in the case of a claimed miracle, which he approaches with a definite idea "if not as to what must have happened, at least as to what must not have happened"? Becker's reply:
The preconceived idea...is determined by the climate of opinion in which the historian lives. Living in this climate of opinion he has acquired unconsciously certain settled convictions as to the nature of man and the world, convictions which interpret human experience in such a way that it is easier for him to believe that any number of witnesses may be self-deceived than it is to believe that the particular event testified to has ever happened or can ever happen.
Lonergan cites these views favorably and relates them to his own notion of horizons, both cultural and personal. He offers his own comment on the possibility and the occurrence of miracles, pointing out how "the uniformity of nature is conceived differently at different times" and how this conception will affect how the historian will approach miraculous claims:
In the nineteenth century natural laws were thought to express necessity, and Laplace's view on the possibility in theory of deducing the whole course of events from some given stage of the process was taken seriously. Now laws of the classical type are considered not necessary but just verified possibilities; they are generalized on the principle that similars are similarly understood; they are a basis for prediction or deduction, not by themselves, but only when combined into schemes of recurrence; such schemes function concretely, not absolutely, but only if other things are equal; and whether other things are equal, is a matter of statistical frequencies. Evidently the scientific case concerning miracles has weakened.
Claire: I do not know whether this brief comment of Lonergan does anything to meet your puzzlement about God and the physical laws of the universe. Are you a "Laplacienne"?
"I'd like to hear some theories that would explain how that Jesus' bones lie somewhere in Palestine is compatible with resurrection-faith.
I have no problem with the resurrection of the body, but I hate the argument that some use that says it's meaningless to talk about resurrection apart from the body, as if a body that walks through walls, dislocates here and relocates there, and is unrecognizable to even his closest friends solves the problem. Add to this the fact that virtually no matter in a person's body remains throughout a person's lifetime, yet we still talk of a person as having "a" body, I don't really see why the God of all creation couldn't choose to resurrect Jesus and leave (a set of) his bones behind. Not saying that that's what God did, just that I'm not willing to draw the line there and say my logic trumps God's creative power.
Lonergan's remarks cited above are ok, but do not really meet Hume's famous objection. As a non-positivist, I recognize the Resurrection of Christ as a powerful historical reality -- it is a Phenomenon, a "saturated phenomenon" which floods the whole NT witness and the experience of Christians ever since, and it means that the Crucified lives on among us as a life-giving Spirit and in his eucharistic body.
Barth talked of the empty tomb as a sign of the reality of the resurrection but he was evasive on the strict historical reality of this tradition (and of the virgin birth) -- the earliest clear reference to it is in a text dating from 40 years after the event. I think it would be a grave pastoral mistake to say, "you doubt if the stone was rolled back, or the tomb was found empty, therefore you do not believe in the resurrection". Paul in 1 Cor 15 did not talk like that.
Note also that all four accounts of the empty tomb introduce Angels -- one or two, doing and saying different things in each narration. The presence of angels in a narrative is a strong indicator of its non-literality.
whether other things are equal, is a matter of statistical frequencies.
I am not sure what that means.
"Whenever God flaunts his own laws (be they physical or moral), it's hard to swallow. I don't see it as a lack of imagination but as a desire for consistency."
Claire --
Why is it an imperfection to "flaunt" physical laws? Do physical laws have some sort of dignity, some sort of intrinsic worth that requires such respect that no one should violate them even for the sake of a greater good? What are physical laws *for*?
And what is so valuable about consistency? Vice is ordinarily punished, and, granted, it is inconsistent to be merciful at times and not to punish. But is this a fault? Yes, an internal inconsistency can be ugly, but when a system is part of a larger system, should the same laws always apply? In other words, should generosity follow the laws of logic?
"I'd like to hear some theories that would explain how that Jesus' bones lie somewhere in Palestine is compatible with resurrection-faith."
It is well-known that a worm can be cut in two and thereby turn into two different worms. The whole is now two wholes by the regenerative power of wormness, so to speak. What isn't so well known is that the tips of human fingers can also regenerate -- cut of the last joint of your index finger and it might come back. So can we say that it would be impossible for some of Jesus' bones to remain in the tomb while others were somehow regenerated? I don't think this is logically impossible.
What I don't understand is why people can believe that the Lord created the whole damn cosmos from scratch but they also doubt that He can re-create the wholeness of a person who has died. Talk about swallowing a pig but straining at a gnat!
Let me be explicit. Nobody would mistake me for a physicist. Having admitted that, I can say that I've heard knowledgeable people say that ther is no settled view in physics about what counts as "bodily identity." Matter apparently is wholly convertible into energy and vice versa. There are, apparently, reputable scientists who talk completely in terms of processes of conversions, no "static" permanence.
Then there are the philosophical problems of talking about consciousness, especially about self-consciousness.
And yet, I find it hard to think that we can make sense of anything without some sense of personal identity. Granted that we don't know what happens to a person at death. Obviously that's a unique event in a person's life. So was conception, if we understand conception as the first stage in the development of self-consciousness.
I cheerfully grant that I can't see how physics can come up with evidence that human beings survuve death, whereas other organisms don't. But then, I find it by no means strange the incapacity of finite beings, such as we surely are, exhaustively to understand either ourselves or anything else.
Notye that this is not an argument for thoroughgoing skepticism. Rather, it is a matter of taking our finitude seriously.
Once again, nobody would mistake me for a physicist.
Fr. O'Leary: Does not Hume's argument against miracles depend in no small part on Hume's epistemology and general philosophical horizon? As for the empty tomb-tradition, of course it is no "proof" of the resurrection. The Gospels of Matthew (28:13) and John 20:13-15) offer other explanations; but J.D.G. Dunn has recently argued that the discovery of the empty tomb could well be implied in 1 Cor 15:4 and that in any case it seems to be as old a tradition as that of the resurrection-appearances. Both Dunn and N.T. Wright note that the latter are much more sober than might have been expected, that is, more sober, for example, than the accounts of the Transfiguration.
Claire: Explain to me why God should be considered "bound" by laws of his own creation. For Lonergan statistical laws determined the frequencies of occurrences of events, the "law" being the probability from which actual events do not systematically depart. It is the sort of intelligibility that can be found in vast numbers and immense lengths of time and, if I'm not mistaken, in random variations. Even Aristotle and Aquinas recognized that the laws of nature apply only "for the best part," that is, that there are contingent, not necessitated, events.
Luke 24:36-43:
"While they were still speaking about this [Christ's Appearance on the Road to Emmaus], he stood in their midst and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, 'Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.' And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, 'Have you anything here to eat?' They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them."
Seems to me that whatever substance or substances constituted the Risen Christ, his closest followers knew him by the corporeal nature of his post-Resurrection body, a being with "flesh and bones" who ate a piece of baked fish in front of them. Likewise, those were not mystical wounds in Christ's post-Resurrection body that jarred Thomas the Apostle into recognizing that the flesh-and-bone Crucified Christ was also standing before him. (See John 20:24-28.)
Those pesky Jebbies review Bellah's life: http://americamagazine.org/content/all-things/remembering-robert-n-bellah
I'd like to hear some theories that would explain how that Jesus' bones lie somewhere in Palestine is compatible with resurrection-faith.
In 1 Corinthians 15:42-49, Paul makes a distinction between the the "physical" pre-death body and the "spiritual" resurrected body. It seems to me that the connection between the two is still a mystery and it isn't obvious that "resurrection" is simply the reanimation of the pre-death body or to what extent the physical remains become incorporated in the resurrected body.
42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is[j] from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.
Jesus' offer to let Thomas put his hand into his wounds would argue for the reanimation of his crucified body - but the fact that Mary mistook Him for the cemetery gardener and the disciples on the way to Emmaus didn't recognize Him would argue for a new body - as would His ability to appear in rooms whose doors had been locked. Did His body change between the resurrection and his ascension so he had wounds for Thomas but a glorified body by the time he ascended?
I don't think that finding bones in Palestine would be fatal to our belief in the Resurrection.
Joe: I don't understand the Resurrection, but I accept it. Isn't that enough?
Probability is not enough of a natural expanation. When an event has probability almost zero of having ever happened since the beginning of time, how is that different from impossible?
If God is not bound by his own laws, i.e., not committed to respect them as we do, then anything can happen anywhere at any time. It's all arbitrary and he can be accused of non-intervention.
Actually an archeological team did discover the bones in question.
A Greek Orthodox priest, an Evangelical, and a Jesuit were on an archeological dig in Jerusalem. They came across a Tomb that says, in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, "Here lays Jesus of Nazareth, who claimed he was King of the Jews, and was executed at Passover under Pontius Pilate".
Excited by the find, they open the tomb, only to be horrified to find a crucified body.
"Oh my goodness," said the Orthodox priest. "My Church and all the good it does is based on a false event."
"Oh my goodness," said the Evangelical. "The Bible, which has guided by entire life, is nothing but a lie!"
"Oh my goodness," says the Jesuit. "There really was a historical Jesus!"
Claire: It's not as if sometime long ago, God created the universe with certain physical laws and now may be indicted if he does not feel bound by them. If there an ordered universe now exists, it is because now, at this moment, God wills it to exist--it is utterly contingent on his will. Whether he chooses at some moments to do or to permit exceptions to that created order for the sake of his desire to see the universe and especially its human constituents reach their goal is entirely his decision, and unless one denies his supreme wisdom and unqualified goodness, I do not know why one should think of such a decision as arbitrary.
But I think that these discussions are often bedeviled by the definition of a miracle as an exception to the laws of nature. I've been trying to think how to translate the Latin word miraculum when it occurs in the sermons of St. Augustine. He did not stress its miraculous character; in fact, he thought it less wonderful that Christ should feed the five thousand than that God should everyday supply harvests of grain from a few seeds. Perhaps we should translate it as "wonder" in order to get at the primary experience, leaving apologetical uses of the idea and the phenomena to a later moment.
As for inconsistency on God's part, I do not know that the case of alleged miracles is any different, in principle, from the general problem of divine providence and the differing situations and fates that different people encounter or suffer.
Exceptions to the created order put an obstacle to our understanding. How can we make sense of the world around us if anything may happen? How can we be free if we don't understand what's going on? If God makes exceptions to intervene directly every now and then, then why does he not do it when some catastrophy happens?
It makes more sense to me that it is through us that God works in the world, so his impact depends on whether we receive his suggestions to us. He does not intervene directly to make up for our lacks, so we are full participants in the construction of the future. We humans are his agents, our role is to channel his will, but we are free to not do it, and when we don't, he does not step in to fix things directly. It is our responsibility.
Otherwise, if God occasionally sidesteps his own creation, it seems to me to put our freedom in question, as well as making it scandalous that he lets some events happen when they cause much suffering.
There is also an aesthetic reason: how beautiful it is that a complex world can be described with a few simple equations. Exceptions mar that beauty. For me attributing to God acts that violate his own laws is as offensive as attributing to him acts that appear to be evil.
I understand that the coming of Christ to live a human life was a truly exceptional event, a one-time occurence, and I am willing to reluctantly accept that in that place and time there may have been - there have to have been - miracles that are normally impossible. The Resurrection is impossible, but it happened, so there has to be room for events outside the natural laws. But now, in the new alliance, why would God sidestep us?
I realize that it's not very satisfactory, but I don't have better answers.
Recently, I was going to teach catechism, the text to be discussed was the five loaves and two fishes, and just as I was leaving a thought came to me and I asked my dad in a last minute panic: "What if the kids ask me whether it happened exactly as written, if there really was a miracle in which five loaves of bread actually fed thousands of people? What do I answer?" He answered on the spot: "Just tell them that regardless of exactly how it happened, what matters is that, thanks to Jesus, they were fed; afterwards, all were satisfied, no one was hungry, and it was so abundant that many more could have been fed." I think it's a great answer. Whether it happened by natural or miraculous means is not so important, in a way.
So, yes to miracles as wonders!
Loaves and fishes:In a passing conversation with a friend of mine who is a campus minister with advanced degrees in religious studies, she was startled to learn I believed the loaves and fishes story really happened (and I was a little startled she didn't). I also believe the water and wine story as well and Jesus calming the sea.
I think believing the sun's going to come up tomorrow, that we're going to make it okay through the day,is a bigger leap of faith than believing that God is able to make enough food to feed everybody.
But I sometimes find myself wondering what counts as belief? There are all kinds of things we Catholics are supposed to be believe. A lot of my belief is along the lines of "ok, sure, why not, I'll believe that". But if tomorrow it was announced that we're dropping the Wedding at Cana story from the Gospels, I would be perfectly fine with that as well. (Though I do like a God whose 1st miracle was a favor to his mother). So does this kind of tepid I-can-go-along-with-that approach count as belief? Or is some degree of fervor required?
Ann, (somehow I didn't see your comment until just now), yes, physical laws have an intrinsic worth: they are beautiful. I don't see them as less worthy than moral principles. Both have an explanatory power that enables us to move forward with trust that no matter what happens, there will be some appropriate response. As to consistency, it is so that there is a relation between the past, the present and the future. How can we trust the future? How can we learn from the past? There have to be some principles. Not at the detailed level of each action automatically determining the chain reaction, but at least at the level of what guides those actions. For example, "God is good", not just today but always. Without that kind of knowledge to rely on, we'd be totally lost, wouldn't we?
On miracles, wonders, etc. may I recommend Gerhard Lofink's book "Jesus."
John P. Meier devotes 500 pages of the second volume of his massive Marginal Jew to a consideration of the historicity of all the miracles attributed to Jesus, including the so-called "nature miracles."
What do Lofink or Meier say about the Resurrection?
Fr. O'Leary: Does not Hume's argument against miracles depend in no small part on Hume's epistemology and general philosophical horizon? As for the empty tomb-tradition, of course it is no "proof" of the resurrection. The Gospels of Matthew (28:13) and John 20:13-15) offer other explanations; but J.D.G. Dunn has recently argued that the discovery of the empty tomb could well be implied in 1 Cor 15:4 and that in any case it seems to be as old a tradition as that of the resurrection-appearances. Both Dunn and N.T. Wright note that the latter are much more sober than might have been expected, that is, more sober, for example, than the accounts of the Transfiguration.
Claire: Explain to me why God should be considered "bound" by laws of his own creation. For Lonergan statistical laws determined the frequencies of occurrences of events, the "law" being the probability from which actual events do not systematically depart. It is the sort of intelligibility that can be found in vast numbers and immense lengths of time and, if I'm not mistaken, in random variations. Even Aristotle and Aquinas recognized that the laws of nature apply only "for the best part," that is, that there are contingent, not necessitated, events.
- See more at: http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/blog/two-views-resurrection#comments
Fr. O'Leary: Does not Hume's argument against miracles depend in no small part on Hume's epistemology and general philosophical horizon? As for the empty tomb-tradition, of course it is no "proof" of the resurrection. The Gospels of Matthew (28:13) and John 20:13-15) offer other explanations; but J.D.G. Dunn has recently argued that the discovery of the empty tomb could well be implied in 1 Cor 15:4 and that in any case it seems to be as old a tradition as that of the resurrection-appearances. Both Dunn and N.T. Wright note that the latter are much more sober than might have been expected, that is, more sober, for example, than the accounts of the Transfiguration.
Claire: Explain to me why God should be considered "bound" by laws of his own creation. For Lonergan statistical laws determined the frequencies of occurrences of events, the "law" being the probability from which actual events do not systematically depart. It is the sort of intelligibility that can be found in vast numbers and immense lengths of time and, if I'm not mistaken, in random variations. Even Aristotle and Aquinas recognized that the laws of nature apply only "for the best part," that is, that there are contingent, not necessitated, events.
- See more at: http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/blog/two-views-resurrection#comments
Hume argued that when we read a historical report of an extraordinary miraculous event we must first exhaust every possible natural explanation before giving the report credence. This is what one would expect of a skeptical empiricist, but it also chimes with common sense.
The resurrection meets us first in the Pauline letters, as a stupendous reality, but about which little concrete information is offered. Dunn's suggestion that "kai etaphe" could be a reference to the empty tomb is an old one, but somewhat tenuous.
The elaborated narrations in the last chapters of the gospels, with the multiple contradictions between them, are clearly the result of an elaborated literary tradition that has been going on for 40 to 70 years after Easter Sunday. Quoting them as direct evidence for what happened is problematic.
I Cor 15 is the most precious -- eye-witness! -- account.
Augustine stressed a continuity between miracles and the ordinary regularities of nature. Claire raises a troubling point: if the laws of nature are suspended at one point, then does not the whole fabric of the universe and of human reasoning become undependable? Buddhist scriptures are overflowing with impossible miracles, which perhaps some Indians once believed to have literally happened, but which today we have no alternative than to take as symbolic fictions. Biblical miracles are more sober -- in Genesis we only have the late pregnancy of Sarah (who may not even have been as old, for J, as the P source claims). Exodus has a burning bush that is not consumed and some magical tricks. The spectacular paschal events do not entail any actual miracle.
I haven't read Lohfink's book, and John Meier does not intend to treat the passion and resurrection narratives. Meier does not think that a historian can answer the question whether a miracle has taken place; this is, for him, a matter for philosophers and theologians.
All that is beyond dispute is that the Jesus of history was a Jew who was crucified - a form of torture and death reserved for the political enemies of Rome. It is the Resurrection faith that transcends that ancient execution and death, and transforms the Jesus of history into the Christ of faith.
Indeed, Tillich was right: "dead men don't walk." Instead of focusing our interests into the question of what was the nature of the risen Jesus, it seems to me that we should concentrate our present day 21st century inquiries into the question: What were the event(s) or circumstances that sparked the Resurrection faith of Jesus' followers?
What was the phenomenology of these desperate, presumably uneducated, poor Jewish peasants that excited their imaginations to even conceive of a risen Lord? What in their psychology of 1st century Jews in Palestine allowed them to make that leap in faith? What was the powerful physical evidence or witness that helped the followers of Jesus to now confess to the world that they had seen the Risen Jesus?
My sainted sixth-grade teacher, Sister Mary Adelaide, always told us: "Faith builds on nature." So my question is: What in nature did Jesus' followers experience that encouraged them to take arguably human history's greatest leap of faith?
Claire, et al.
I cannot do justice here to Lohfink's discussion of the Resurrection. What I can say is that much of what Jim Jenkins says above is at least in the ball park of Lohfink's reflections. For Lohfink, Jesus' resurrection from the dead is the cornerstone of the eschatological proclamation that the kingdom of God has begun in which death has no further hold. Lohfink emphasizes that there are no uninterpreted facts. Therre is good reeason to take it that Jesus' tomb was found to be empty. That encounter with the empty toomb fit well with th idea current at the time of the general resurrection of the dead at the end of time. Jesus'resurrection was inteerpreted as the inauguration of this end time.
Lohfink cites some work of Karl Rahner as being relevant to this interpretation.
Note that none of this has anything to do with anthing that physics can talk about. The issue for the Christian is the belief that Jesus is alive and active in our lives, that we have been incorporated into His reign in baptism and that we are ourselves now living in the end time, the time of God's kingdom. Jesus remains fully man as well as being divine. Hence He is what a glorified human being is and his body is a glorified body. As ours are meant to be.
This conception of what it means to be bodily, so far as I can see, has nothing to do with the subject matter that is studied in physics. But theere is no reason to worry about that. The objects studied in physics, or any other scientific discipline, are constituted in the course of a specific type of human investigation. Therre is no good reason, so far as I can see, for giving unequivocal primacy to any particular science and its objects. But this is another long argument.
For my part, I find Lohfink's account remarkably persuasive.
I should have added to my earlier remark the acknowledgment that what I said there certainly doesn't do justice to what Lohfink has written. The only wortih of what I have said is that it may prompt others to read him.
Bernard: I agree entirely that physics has nothing to offer to clarify what the bodily resurrection is like. I think that a meditative reading of 1 Corinthians 15 might be useful. It was written about twenty years after Christ's death and resurrection, and it begins with the summary creed that was handed on to Paul upon his conversion, two or three years after the event: "that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, and, in accordance with the Scriptures rose on the third day; that he was seen by Cephas, then by the Twelve. After that he was seen by five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still alive, although some have fallen asleep. Next, he was seen by James; then by all the apostles. Last of all he was seen by me, as one born out of the normal course. ... This is what we preach and this what you believed" (1 Cor 15:3-8, 11).
Later in the chapter, he writes: "Perhaps someone will say, 'How are the dead to be raised up? What kind of body will they have? A nonsensical question! The seed you sow does not germinate until it dies. When you sow, you do not sow the full blown plant, but a kernel of wheat or some other grain. God gives body to it as he pleases--to each seed its own fruition.... So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown in the earth is subject to decay, what rises is incorruptible. What is sown is ignoble, what rises is glorious. Weakness is sown, strength rises up. A natural (psychical) body is put down, and a spiritual (pneumatical) body comes up. ... This is what I mean, brothers. flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, no more can corruption inherit incorruption." (1 Cor 35-38. 42-44. 50)
It is clear that Paul was addressing people who had difficulties similar to those one still hears about the resurrection of Jesus, but he is insistent: "If there is no resurrection of the dead, Christ himself has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is void of content and your faith is empty, too. ... If the dead are not raised, then Christ was not raised, and if Christ was not raised, your faith is worthless, and you are still in your sins" (1 Cor 15:13-14, 16-17).
Paul leaves the mystery a mystery. But he could not be clearer or stronger about the fact on which all his preaching and all the faith of his people rested.
Jim Jenkins: On the testimony of Paul, the experience that led them to resurrection-faith was their seeing the Risen Lord. Notice how many times and of how many people he says: "he was seen by". And, of course, all four Gospels speak of appearances to various disciples. I do not believe any phenomenology is going to yield much more than this. They were convinced they had seen the Lord: "He is not here! He is risen!"
Joseph Komonchak: On the testimony of Paul, agreed. In fact, Paul states his claim to apostleship on his personal witness to the risen Jesus. Reading that passage in Corinthians you cite, one can see that Paul is pulling himself up shoulder to shoulder with James the brother of Jesus, Peter, the rest of the Twelve; I guess we would have to include Mary Magdalene in that group; as well as the "five hundred brothers and sisters" presumably from the primitive Jerusalem community.
[There is something very quirky about Paul's use of language when he includes himself in that group of resurrection witnesses: "and last of all he [Jesus] appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born." Very curious - what did Paul really mean by "abnormally born"? Oh well ...]
However, when you read Paul's rendition of the risen Jesus he never actually claims a bodily resurrection or resuscitation. Paul seems to be speaking of a spiritual body that has been glorified and risen. I think it is hard to argue that Paul believed that Jesus' intact corpse somehow revived.
So, excuse me for repeating myself, "What in nature did Jesus' followers experience that encouraged them to take arguably human history's greatest leap of faith?" What were the physical properities, what physical phenomena did the early followers of Jesus experienced that caused them to give testimony to a Risen Jesus? Not what was their perception [how they made sense of their experience], but rather what was their sensation [what stimulated their sensory organs]?
[I suppose you will anticipate that a bow to "mystery" will not satisfy my questions. Sorry. When I studied human psychology and its biological bases, it was always critical to separate sensation (i.e., stimulus) from perception (a psychological construction - what the subject experiences). I'm asking about Jesus' followers "sensations" of the resurrection.]
It's several years since I have read Meier's "Marginal Jew" and the books are not readily at hand, but Google found this interview with him:
Q: Can historians address the Resurrection, then?
A: We can verify as historians that Jesus existed and that certain events reported in the Gospels happened in history, yet historians can never prove the Resurrection in the same way. Why not?
Perhaps some fundamentalists would claim you can. Apart from fundamentalists, perhaps even some more conservative Catholic theologians would claim you could. I myself along with most questers for the historical Jesus—and I think a fair number of Catholic theologians as well—would say the Resurrection stands outside of the sort of questing by way of historical, critical research that is done for the life of the historical Jesus, because of the nature of the Resurrection.
The resurrection of Jesus is certainly supremely real. However, not everything that is real either exists in time and space or is empirically verifiable by historical means.
Q: What do you think happened to Jesus' body?
A: The true Jesus who had died rose in the fullness of his humanity into the full presence of God. That is, I think, the essence of belief in the Resurrection. What the relationship of that risen body is to the body that was laid in the tomb is first of all not something that is historically verifiable. It is not subject to historical research at all.
Indeed, theologians among themselves disagree on that question. The fundamentalists would almost have a rather crass resuscitation view. Most traditional Christians have at least read Paul, First Corinthians 15 about the necessary transformation, as well as the Resurrection appearance narratives in the Gospels. They think in terms of transformation as well as continuity.
Thus the risen body of Jesus is indeed in continuity with the body laid to rest in the tomb. But nevertheless it has undergone radical transformation as a glorified, risen body. It is no longer of this world of time and space and not subject to its laws....There is a whole range of speculative possibilities about the precise relationship of the risen Jesus to the body laid in the tomb. As a person trying to pursue historical work, that is something beyond what I can investigate.
Pope Benedict praised Meier's work:
A new book by Pope Benedict XVI highlights Notre Dame biblical scholar John P. Meier's extensive research on the history of Jesus.
"From the immense quantity of literature on the dating of the Last Supper and of Jesus' death, I would like to single out the treatment of the subject, outstanding both in its thoroughness and its accuracy, found in the first volume of John P. Meier's book, A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus," the pope writes in Jesus of Nazareth, volume two, Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection.
This is the second time Meier has been so honored. The pope also mentioned Meier's work in the first volume of Jesus of Nazareth.
"yes, physical laws have an intrinsic worth: they are beautiful. I don't see them as less worthy than moral principles. Both have an explanatory power that enables us to move forward with trust that no matter what happens, there will be some appropriate response."
Claire ==
I wish I could have as benign a view of the laws of nature. Nature on a biological level is "red in tooth and claw". For me, the exceptions -- the miracles -- renew my confidence in the ultimate value of the world.
You also say, "As to consistency, it is so that there is a relation between the past, the present and the future. How can we trust the future? How can we learn from the past? There have to be some principles."
Yes, there have to be some principles. But it seems to me that the general regularity of nature is strong enough for us to be confident of what will happen, especially on the level of physics. On the other hand, human wills are also an intrinsic part of nature, and they disrupt our expectations all the time, sometimes for the good sometimes for evil. Why would God's disruption of physics for the sake of some higher good be be a minus in the general plan of things? For me, such disruptions only confirm that "God is good".
To over-simplify, I guess I'm saying that a good contingency trumps a bad necessity.
Jim Jenkins: I agree that there is a difference between sensation and perception, the former being simply the deliverance of a sense (e.g., soundwaves upon our organs of hearing) and perception, which is the sound we attend to, e.g., a friend's voice as we walk along a noisy street. But I believe that sensations are utterly private, precisely because they are sensible, and I haven't the foggiest idea how anyone could go about trying to determine what sensations were experienced by the witnesses of the resurrection . All we have are their testimonies, and for them they use the language of seeing, and I would like to know how you think it would be possible to go somehow behind them, to bare sensation--"what stimulated their sense organs." This seems to me an impossible question to ask a historian, but if you know some way at getting at it, I'd like to hear it.
"My sainted sixth-grade teacher, Sister Mary Adelaide, always told us: "Faith builds on nature." So my question is: What in nature did Jesus' followers experience that encouraged them to take arguably human history's greatest leap of faith?"
Jim J. --
The mystery is not how *nature* accounts for the ressurection. It can't possibly be accounted for in natural terms. Yet the disciples were convinced that it happened. So what accounts for their beliefs? Mass hysteria that they (hundreds of people) held to consistently for years even to the point of dying for their hysterical beliefs? They might have been uneducated, but that doesn't make them dumb. And that is exactly why a transcendent act, a miracle, best accounts for the behavior not only of the resurrection itself, but this in turn accounts for the reactions of those peasants.
N. T. Wright is great on this (if I understand him correctly.) See
The Resurrection of the Son of God (Christian Origins and the Question of God, Vol. 3) Paperback
by N. T. Wright (Author)
Of course, if you think that it is impomssible for God to break His own physical laws, then it's all nonsense.
" There is nothing in the least tricky or puzzling or quaint about God giving back life to the dead Jesus–and not just a resuscitation but a new and greater transfigured life in glory. There is deep mystery here, of course, as there is deep mystery in God's giving us life in the first place, in God's creation of the universe. "
Really !?
Is it not time for the RC Church to consider further the evolution of human thought and knowledge, such as scientific biblical research, and the other disciplines and fruit of their research, that go with this thought process of a twenty-first century scientific worldview, rather than age of mythology thought incorrectly used?
Funk's (et al) The Acts of Jesus, epistemology, logic, the sciences from cosmology to biology, scientific history, etc. is what I am saying. ' Etc' means the vast literature and expertise in this present world of ours that is available to help us evolve in our thinking, practice, behavior, and actions.
I was happy to see the direction that the Catholic Biblical Association of America is taking, celebrating their seventy-fifth anniviversary (see An Act Of Theology, Frank Matera, in Commonweal), and related mateial online. We are on the move!
typos correction: anniversary and material
"All that is beyond dispute is that the Jesus of history was a Jew who was crucified." It is also beyond dispute that his disciples became convinced that he had been raised from the dead.
Actually there also are a few people who dispute that there was a Jesus of history.
Ms. Rottschaefer: You write: "Is it not time for the RC Church to consider further the evolution of human thought and knowledge, such as scientific biblical research, and the other disciplines and fruit of their research, that go with this thought process of a twenty-first century scientific worldview, rather than age of mythology thought incorrectly used?"
I think the RC Church has been considering what you suggest for some time now. The Catholic Biblical Association, as Fr. Matera points out, has been doing this for some 75 years. It is not a new phenomenon, and whether undertaken by Catholics or by others, it does not invariably lead to where Robert Funk et al. think it should. Are you familiar with the critiques of the Jesus Seminar?
The resurrection experience of the apostles was certainly something more than a deduction or a leap of faith. "I have seen the Lord" means encounter with an overwhelming phenomenon, the glorified Christ, who appears (the verb ophthe suggesting not a passive object of perception such as a ghost but an active self-revealing entity). Paul gives a direct even if laconic account of this in Galatians 1:15, 1 Cor 9 and 1 Cor 15. There are also the three Damascus-road narratives in Acts.
This has nothing to do with God suspending the laws of physics (pace Ann Olivier above).
When I was 20 a German man told me how troubling he found the resurrection narratives in the gospels. I immediately reread them and declared myself more convinced than ever, responding to the kerygmatic power of these texts and glossing over their difficulty if taken as literal historical reports.
Where and when did Christ appear to Peter? I think a historian could well wrestle with this question, and I find Meier's answers rather coy.
About keeping up intellectually -- the academic situation now is such that there is just too much scholarly work being produced for everyone in a discipline to even know what is being worked on where. It often takes time for the good new ideas or the radically new interpretations of data to filter out to the rest of the discipline. And the situation for the general public is even worse -- the media often don't have the academic background even to know even which questions to ask the academics, much less how to relay answers from them accurately.
As I never cease to relate, it often takes 100 years or more for new philosophical ideas to filter into the general populace. And usually this happens because of the effect of philosophical ideas on the particular disciplines. Take the breakthroughs in logic and the philosophy of language. They began in the mid-ninteeth century George Boole and Boolean algebra plus the ideas of some other philosopher/logigicians/language theorists. Boolean algebra is a foundation of computer science, and it's actually quite simple. Still you can see how long it took to invent computers -- several generations at least..
Jim Jenkins: "my question is: What in nature did Jesus' followers experience that encouraged them to take arguably human history's greatest leap of faith?"
With all due respect to Paul Tillich, I think the only credible answer to that is they saw a dead man walking.
I don't think Jesus could have appeared all that different post-resurrection, or at least not transfigured. Didn't Mary Magdalen mistake him for the gardener?
I think the only credible answer to that is they saw a dead man walking.
Joseph A. Komonchak: While I agree that usually physical sensation phenomena are peculiar to the individual, if we take the NT accounts of the rise of the Resurrection beliefs at face value, these individuals are claiming that regardless of what was the exterior sensate phenomena, the group of Resurrection witnesses seem to have concluded that they had a "group" perception or at least a similar experience of the same stimuli (i.e., Jesus is risen).
This is an extra-ordinary claim from any group of witnesses to the same event: They are claiming that they have had a shared experience (perception) of the same stimuli. Rarely are two witnesses who have experienced the same physical stimuli able to construct or endorse the same perception. [Ask any law enforcement official how difficult it is to find the perceptions of two witnesses that agree.]
I'm suggesting that we need fresh inquiry and speculation from exegetes on the shared perception of these Resurrection witnesses. Since not even St. Paul - the first Christian witness to record his perceptions - posits [a resuscitated body now walking around talking], conseuqently neither should we.
But I have to conclude that something, some stimulus, in the physical plane of natural experience sparked a belief in a risen Jesus. What was that spark? We should be looking beyond just theological reflection or traditional doctrines to archeological and/or other scientific inquiry to enlighten our understanding of the Resurrection belief.
Perhaps a narrative deconstruction free of the biases of belief could lead to new insights. It may be that today's believers need to remain open to a fresh inquiry into the historical and archeological record, even those records that we may easily dismiss out of hand.
Personally, I would start any examination with the supposition that all the witnesses shared the same perception of some evidence and/or artifact of the same resurrection event which gave rise to their shared resurrection belief.
The stakes are high for this and succeeding generations: Christians need to reclaim the belief in the resurrection for our time with 21st century sensibilities.
Tillich was right, of course, "dead men don't walk," but what this comment has to do with the NT witnesses to the risen Lord escapes me. The basic claim is that Jesus is not dead.
Mr. Jenkins: You wrote: "We should be looking beyond just theological reflection or traditional doctrines to archeological and/or other scientific inquiry to enlighten our understanding of the Resurrection belief."
I could agree with this except that you seem to think that there might be archeological evidence to explain what "sparked" belief that Jesus had been raised. Could you explain what such evidence could conceivably be. I myself am having difficulty understanding how an artifact or other trace could provide evidence for that "spark. "That is, I do not understand what "artifact of the same resurrection event" could be. Can we ever expect to go back beyond the texts we have, only one of which (Paul's) is first-hand?
J.D.G. Dunn in his Jesus Remembered (857-62), after noting the diversity in the traditions about the resurrection, describes certain comment elements: (1) that they claim that people "saw" Jesus; (2) that there was also failure to recognize Jesus; (3) that the accounts include commisionings; (4) that a meal was involved in some of them; (5) that the appearancs were on the first day of the week. If we were to look for the "core" elements in this tradition, Dunn would find them in the first, third, and fifth of these.
There's a lot of dogged anglosaxon empiricism, blending with unimaginative literalist readings of the gospel resurrection narratives, going on here. The appearance of the risen Christ was of the order of what Jean-Luc Marion calls a "saturated phenomenon" and the gospel accounts are symbolic pictorializations that attempt to bring out dimensions of that reality (e.g. he was the same Jesus -- Thomas and the wounds; he was not a phantom -- Luke; he lit up the Scriptures; he was known in the breaking of bread; he had the freedom of a "lifegiving spirit" etc.)
I wonder if Tillich was speculating that perhaps the dead body of Jesus did not, or could not have, revived and start walking and talking? Maybe Tillich was expressing misgivings about the "bodily resurrection"?
Today in Jerusalem there are archeological investigations being conducted at sites dating back to the first century C.E., especially of note are the burial and funeral customs of these Jews. Maybe some of these could shed fresh light on the accounts of Jesus' burial and resurrection stories of the NT?
In particularly, there has been discovered burial art on Jewish tomb ossuaries (bone boxes) that reveal perhaps the earliest known artifacts of "proto-Christian" art. These findings seem to confirm primitive belief systems in the Risen Jesus were indeed alive within years after the death of Jesus - maybe even dating to before the written NT accounts of the resurrection.
Assuming that further research confirms these findings, this would mean that a "resurrection cult" indeed could have "sparked" the proto-Jesus movement, or at least affirms the tradition that the church has always asked us to take on faith. In a sense, these artifacts are confirming what Paul wrote later in Corinthians ("If Jesus be not risen, then our faith is in vain.")
[The work of James Tabor, chair of the Dept. of Religous Studies at UNC at Charlotte, is a good place to start.]
Thus, it maybe possible to begin to move the inquiry into the [meaning of resurrection] beyond just the purview of theological reflection.
What is really needed from Catholic and Christian academics alike is a willing suspension of previously held assumptions - usually flowing from tradition - with no out-of-hand dismissals, that have always buttressed our narrow and strongly held denominational, sectarian or partisan view points.
A good faith show of humility from professional exegetes for other "secular" sciences and disciplines may necessary. If Christians want to revive the core beliefs of our tradition(s) for a 21st century people, perhaps we need to give greater deference to scientific inquiry, deconstruction and analysis. [I can almost hear the groans eminating from the Inquisition.]
Mr. Jenkins: Just to reassure you. Dunn and other NT scholars do discuss archeological evidence pertinent to the resurrection-claims, including bone-boxes, although not, it seems, the particular evidence you refer to. I'd wonder how exactly it can be dated, of course, and whether it would give us anything more than what we know from 1 Cor 15:3-5. Dunn says that Paul "attests the tradition already established at the time of his conversion, within a year or two of the events themselves." I'd think it very hard to get back much farther than that.
"Reassure[d]?" Maybe.
"I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
Thank you for your response Joseph Komonchak. I am now an online subscriber although have been responsive to Commonweal for many, many years. I am in my later years but have read and written via ordinary avenues about Catholicism and our world for many years. One could say that it has been my hobby.
."It is not a new phenomenon, and whether undertaken by Catholics or by others, it does not invariably lead to where Robert Funk et al. think it should. Are you familiar with the critiques of the Jesus Seminar?"
Funk's et al The Acts of Jesus totally and nearly instantly turned my life and faith upside down. But they did not flip me all by themselves; other sources helped. But that book was the eureka moment. Pope Pius XII 1943 encyclical helped a lot too. It is the diversity of faiths, perspectives, and knowledge that I find most convincing that Catholicism along with the rest of humanity continues our long evolutionary journey. More later. Marie.
My comment spot and posts seem to be in an interesting order. Hope Joseph Komonchak sees this in this location. Another essay that reinforces my point is Thomas Sheehan's New York Review of Books Revolution in the Church June 14,1984 if my memory serves me correctly. It's online of course as is the encyclical.That's how I discovered Pope Pius XII 1943 encyclical (via Sheehan). I remember Pope Pius in my youth for numerous reasons.
Mid-August and annual wind-down time for many people. Hope we can continue this discussion in the Fall. Thank you. Marie.
I neglected to respond to you Joseph Komonchak, regarding: "Are you familiar with the critiques of the Jesus Seminar? " I was an associate with the Jesus Seminar. I had a brief chat with Robert Funk shortly before he died. Wonderful man. When the group moved from California to Oregon and true academia as their location I discontinued my involvement. It was an impressive move. But my age-related health issues were the reason: they still send me invitations.
So, to answer your question, I have read some critique material but not a lot. I question whether some of it reflects a particular faith tradition's preconceived notion rather than scientific biblical scholarship. * I am so convinced that Funk et al give the best evidence but combined with other evidence. My husband, who is a philosopher of science with other specialties, has Powell's book Jesus as a Figure in History: How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee by Mark Allan Powell; and Schellenberg's Evolutionary Religion (due out August 2013) lined up for our joint summertime reading.
*Footnote: From my perspective, the chief task of the RC Church is to update from an axial age religion to a post- axial age faith and moral agency phenomenon.
I underestimated the arguments for the empty tomb above; the earliest written testimony is Mark, but it seems probable that the empty tomb was part of the oldest passion narrative, which would go back to a much earlier date.


text:
Latest update : 2011-07-21
Our Focus programme brings you exclusive reports from around the world. From Monday to Friday at 7.45 am Paris time.
2016-07-26 immigration
Video: Inside a migrant hotspot in southern Italy
Several small towns in Italy have been identified by the authorities as so-called migrant hotspots, where the identities of migrants are recorded into the European database....
2016-07-25 Canada
Canada: Religious sponsorship of refugees creates controversy
Within just a few months, Canada has taken in 25,000 Syrian refugees. A private sponsorship system means that around 10,000 of them are sponsored by individuals and refugee...
2016-07-22 Pakistan
Women doctors in Pakistan challenge the status quo
While the majority of medical students in Pakistan are women, the workforce is largely made up of men, leading to an overall shortage of doctors in the country. The reason is...
2016-07-21 World War I
Bomb disposal experts comb World War I battlefields, one century on
In recent months, ceremonies have been held to mark the centenary of major World War One battles at Verdun and the Somme in northern France. Hundreds of thousands of men were...
2016-07-20 Mozambique
Mozambique's reputation tarnished by hidden debt scandal
A massive hidden debt scandal has tarnished Mozambique's reputation with the international business community. In April, the southeastern African nation acknowledged that it had...

subset: commoncrawl


text:
As we pulled up to the bright red hangar on the eastern edge of Osage City, skydivers were drifting in slowly. Colorful parachutes soared above as the jumpers made their landings look effortless on the grassy "skydiver" runway.
Skydive Kansas: Get your kicks in the sky with a jump over the picturesque Kansas landscape
Posted on July 16, 2013 11:42AM by Katy Ibsen


text:
|Summary of 57 reviews :
|Room :
|Facilities :
|Service :
|Location :
|Hotel room status:
Named one of the world's top 500 hotels by Travel + Leisure (2013) and
one of Thailand's top ten hotels by the Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice
Awards (2012 and 2013), lebua at State Tower is an indulgent five-star
experience where every occasion is unforgettable and every moment award-winning.
Here guests are literally taken to the heights of Thai hospitality, with stunning city and river views from one of Bangkok's tallest buildings, large and luxuriant suites, and an internationally acclaimed collection of restaurants and bars.
lebua at State Tower's elegantly appointed suites, each with separate bedroom, living room and kitchenette, offer spectacular views from their balconies, and from the hotel's prime location near the Chao Phraya River, BTS SkyTrain and expressway, the entire city is within reach. The service is unwavering yet unobtrusive, with the details attended to so guests can savor the moments.
These numerous savory moments may be enjoyed over the famed breakfast at the poolside Café Mozu, with the fitness center and spa, function spaces and conference rooms steps away; and cocktails and dinner atop the building at the restaurants and bars of The Dome at lebua, which include fine Mediterranean fare at Sirocco, the world's highest alfresco restaurant; Sky Bar, named "the most stunning rooftop bar you'll ever see" by The New York Times (2013); authentic Asian cuisine, progressively presented at Breeze, designated by USA Today as one of the world's "top 10 most cutting-edge restaurants" (2014); Mezzaluna, the "Foodie Top 100" (2013) fine-dining mecca known for its innovative cuisine; and Distil lounge with its pioneering cocktails and connoisseur comfort food.
High above on the 67th floor, the regal State Room with its 360-degree panoramas awaits the city's next extraordinary function. For business, for pleasure, and for corporate events and galas that rise to the occasion, lebua at State Tower is one Bangkok luxury hotel that soars above the rest.
State TowerLebua at State Tower is an all-suite hotel where every one of our 357 suites are designed to offer you breathtaking vistas of Bangkok and the Chao Phraya river. Ranging between 66-266 square metres in area, each suite is reputed to be the most spacious in its category in the city.
All guest suites are priced competitively against more traditional sized rooms in five star hotels and offer high speed broadband internet access. All suites provide a lounge and bedroom area, two large screen televisions.
|Superior Suite Balcony
The Superior suite Balcony at lebua is a spacious 66 Sq.m. suite with a well appointed bedroom, sitting area and a large four fixtures bathroom. The beds are feather soft and there is ample room for work or relaxation in the living area. Enjoy breathtaking view of Bangkok through a white elegant balcony from your bedroom.
Room Amenities:
|Riverview Suite Balcony
The Riverview Suite Balcony at lebua offers the very best views of Bangkok's lifeline - its famed Chao Phraya River. Enjoy the refreshing morning breeze of Bangkok from the balcony of your room.
Lebua at State Tower is an all-suite five stars luxury hotel in Bangkok with 357 lavish suites which are the most spacious in their category. Located at the riverside in the second tallest tower in Bangkok, each suite offers majestic views of the Chao Phraya River and the City.
The Riverview Suite Balcony at lebua offers the very best views of Bangkok's lifeline - its famed Chao Phraya River. Enjoy the refreshing morning breeze of Bangkok from the balcony of your room. The suite provides a wonderful sense of space dressed in contemporary decor and soft furnishings.
Room Amenities:
Tower ClubThe Tower Club at lebua is a five-star luxury hotel and it epitomizes luxury accommodation in Bangkok. Take in breathtaking sights of the city from the balcony of the plush suites, located on the top floors (51st to 59th). The lavish interiors and exclusive privileges complement an exclusive stay with some of the best views of Bangkok. Ideal for both business and leisure, the Tower Club at lebua is the most coveted five-star luxury hotel in Bangkok.
The Tower Club comes with lounge access where you can enjoy Continental breakfast, free flow of alcoholic drinks and canapes throughout the day. Sip Mai Tai or a glass of Mojito anytime and soak in the expansive view of the city down below. Take a long hot shower and feel like a star. Or gaze into the starry sky or look below at the buzzing pace of metropolitan Bangkok, all from your personal and private balcony.
At Tower Club, we go beyond the extra mile to make your stay a truly luxurious and memorable one from start to end. The perfect blend of luxury, convenience, technology and stunning views elevate every suite to an indulgence for your senses. Food from Conde Nast Traveler-awarded "The Dome" stirs in a special flavour of its own through an extraordinary choice of different cuisines. Beyond a stay, whether it is a gala celebration, business presentation, board meeting or banquet, we also offer you ways to make your functions and conferences simply exceptional here at Tower Club!
|Tower Club Cityview Suite
Located on the topmost floors of lebua, between 51st and 59th floor, the city view tower club suites offer breathtaking views of Bangkok. The spacious 66 Sq.m. suite provides true luxury accommodation with the very best amenities.
The beds are feather soft and there is ample room for work or relaxation in the living area. Enjoy breathtaking view of Bangkok through a white elegant balcony from your bedroom.
Room Amenities:
Tower Club Riverview Suite
The Tower Club Riverview suites are perched high up between the 51st to 59th floors of lebua. Each suite has a fantastic view of the majestic Chao Phraya river. Featuring feather soft bed, LCD TV and the choicest of in-room amenities this suite offers every comfort for a perfect stay amidst stunning views.
Enjoy the refreshing morning breeze of Bangkok from the balcony of your room. The suite provides a wonderful sense of space dressed in contemporary decor and soft furnishings. Its exclusive features include a sumptuous bedroom and a lavish bathroom with luxurious amenities. The suite features feather soft bed, LCD TV and the choicest of in-room amenities, this suite offers every comfort for a perfect stay amidst stunning views.
Room Amenities:
|Swimming Pool
|Pool Bed
|Fitness Center
|The signature restaurants at lebua include Sirocco,
the world's highest open air restaurant, Mezzaluna, Breeze, Distil,
Ocean 52 and Cafe Mozu. Also, the Lobby lounge at lebua provides delightful
snacks, drinks and afternoon tea.
Mezzaluna is our signature restaurant serving Modern Innovative Cuisine and panoramic views from its location 65 stories above Bangkok. Our chefs offer a thoughtfully choreographed culinary experience in two formats: an elaborate six-course chef's tasting menu with optional wine pairings is complimented by an exquisite three-course menu. Using freshness as our foundation, we redesign our seasonally-inspired menu on a daily basis using ingredients imported from fifteen countries around the world.
Breeze was designed to revolutionize the Asian style seafood-dining scene in Bangkok, taking it to a gourmet level. At Breeze, the semi open air restaurant on 52nd floor, it's not just the Asian cuisine that embraces the pinnacle of grandeur, but also the design, ambience and service. Seating is high above the sea level. The view is a bird's eye glimpse of Bangkok and the Chao Phraya river that you can choose to admire from an open-air terrace or a spectacular glass sky-bridge suspended mid-air.
Located on the 63rd floor of The Dome at lebua, Sirocco is the world's highest al fresco restaurant and one of Bangkok's most coveted dining choices. It never fails to leave one mesmerized with a breathtaking view of Bangkok and the Chao Phraya river, an amazing Sky bar and quality Mediterranean fare with ingredients from the world's best markets. Live jazz music featuring vocalists of international repute, adds to its captivating ambiance for a perfect evening.
Sky Bar
The stunning, multi-hued Sky bar at Sirocco has several reasons to turn minutes into timeless moments. Suspended in the sky on the 63rd floor of The Dome at State Tower, the Sky bar is one of the world's highest open air bars, overlooking a panoramic view of Bangkok and the Chao Phraya river. With such an enthralling ambience coupled with a seductive selection of the finest vintages, beverages, cocktails and appetizers in Bangkok, the Sky bar soars as one of the prized destinations in the city. No wonder, the rooftop bar is unanimously accepted as the coolest bar in Bangkok.
Cafe mozu
Cafe; Mozu on the Mozu floor is an innovative poolside cafe; at lebua that wows the guests with its completely different decor and extensive menu. The atmosphere at Mozu is brought about by bright splashes of color, mirrored cushions and bold lighting effects. Offering the best of Indian and Lebanese cuisine and wood fired pizzas in a vibrant, colorful ambiance Cafe; Mozu at lebua reinvents the staid cafe; culture in Bangkok. Cafe; Mozu is the best place in Bangkok to catch up with friends or to go clubbing in Bangkok.
Ocean 52
Far from the bustling city life, quiet enough for important business conversations rests Ocean 52. Inviting you in with innovative cocktails, imported wines and unusual Asian blends, accompanied by succulent gourmet Dim Sums, Ocean 52 sets the atmosphere for most pleasurable business meetings.
Every aspect of Distil reflects purity in its most elementary form. A choice of the most premium and authentic malt whiskies, vodkas and brandies are offered here. A unique feature of the restaurant is the Oyster Bar. Fine de Claire Oysters, Iranian Caviar and Atlantic Lobsters present a delightful selection, along with the finest champagnes and wines from a walk-in cellar. Hand-rolled authentic Cuban Cigars are yours to enjoy with drinks out in the adjoining, open-air Lounge Terrace.
|lebua at State Tower Bangkok is the perfect venue for
all events in Bangkok. With its spacious, well appointed ballrooms and
state of the art meeting and conference facilities, lebua is the most
natural destination for any event in Bangkok, be it a function or conference.
Conferences at lebua
With the ever growing popularity of Bangkok as a prime business location, lebua at State Tower offers state of the art meeting and conference facilities to suite every need of a meeting in Bangkok. All of our function rooms are designed to leave a lasting impression. Spacious units in imperial European settings present you with conveniences beyond your expectations.
Weddings at lebua
Explore the perfect place for your wedding in Bangkok. Lebua at State Tower has a wide array of ballrooms to choose from to make this most important day in your life - unforgettable. A stylish Bangkok wedding is not complete without the special touches from lebua which include handpicked flower adornment, gourmet reception and breathtaking backdrop for your wedding day photo shoot. You can then indulge in a honeymoon that will ever remain etched in your memory starting with a night in one of our exquisite suites.
|Business Center
|Banquet Room
|Wedding Ceremony
|Limousine Service


text:
Play Bejeweled 2
Welcome to Bejeweled 2 Slot! The brilliant new five reel 20 line slot machine inspired by the most popular download game of all time!
Game Type
Choosing your stake
- Bejeweled 2 Slot has 20 win lines
- You can bet from 1p up to £10 on each win line
- Click the stake/line '+' and '-' buttons to increase or decrease the size of your stake per line
- Click the Lines '+' and '-' buttons to select the number of lines you wish to play
- Click 'spin' to start your game.
- There is an Autoplay function in the game that will start each spin automatically until something occurs in the game that requires player intervention
- Select your desired number of spins by clicking Autoplay and select the amount of spins you wish
- If you wish to cancel this during your auto spins then simply press the Stop Autoplay button which will appear where the Autoplay button was previously
Bonus Rounds
All Feature Wins are scatter wins and are awarded when appearing anyway in view.
Multiple scatter features can be awarded in the same game. Scatter wins are paid in addition to Reel Wins.
Only the highest win for each scatter is awarded.
Free Spin Scatter Bonus
Get 3 or more Free Spin Bonus Symbols in view to play the Free Spins Bonus Feature. Depending on the number of Symbols in view, the number of Free Spins awarded is as follows:
- X3 Free Spins = 15
- X4 Free Spins = 25
- X5 Free Spins = 50
At the beginning of Free Spins, the player is shown a series of Free Spin Multiplier values.
The player stops the dapple and is awarded a Free Spins Multiplier before playing their Free Spins – which multiplies all wins during Free spins by that amount.
During Free Spins, players can achieve other features such as the Bejeweled Bonus.
The Free Spins Scatter Bonus can retrigger during Free Spins, awarding Free Spins based on the number of symbols in view, but using the same Multiplier as the initial award.
Wheel of Riches Scatter Bonus
This is initiated by getting 3 or more Wheel of Riches Symbols in view.
The Wheel spins and then stops to reveal a Multiplier that will multiply your total stake.
Bejeweled Scatter Bonus
Initiated by getting 3 or more Bejeweled Bonus Symbols in View.
To win, you need to Match 3 or more consecutive symbols connected either horizontally or vertically.
It is possible to get more than one win in a single drop.
Payouts increase depending on the number of matching symbols you have.
NOTE: There are no payouts for symbols connected diagonally.
When the Gem drop stops, any wins will be highlighted by a small animation. When all of the win animations stop, all of the Gems involved in those particular wins will disappear allowing all Gems above the wins to descend into the vacant spaces, potentially creating more wins.
If more wins are created from the descending Gems, the same thing happens again; the wins are highlighted and the Gems disappear allowing the Gems above to descend into the spaces created.
This process continues until there are no more wins created from the Gems descending into the vacant spaces of the previous win.
A Hypercube in view destroys all Gems of one Colour and awards a Mystery Win.
A win that involves a Powergem (glowing Jewel) doubles the win value and destroys the Gems surrounding the win, creating more space for additional Gems to drop in to (Note –Powergems as part of a Hypercube Mystery Win does not double the award).
The feature continues until no further wins are available, where the player is awarded the amount in their Winnings display.
- Line wins are multiplied by the value bet on the winning line
- Wins on different paylines are added
- All line pay symbols must appear on a played line and on consecutive reels, beginning with the far left reel. Only the highest line win is paid on each line
- Feature symbols are scatter wins and are awarded when appearing on any position on the reels for any number of played lines
- Multiple scatter features can be won in a single game. Scatter wins are paid in addition to reel wins
- All Wins across all different lines are added together to form the total win
- Scatter wins are added to any line wins
Malfunction Voids All Pays and Plays
This game has a Return to Player of 95.01%%
Copyright Gala Coral Group Ltd


text:
Tag Archives: Jessica Schein
Homegrown traditions
This year, make sure your tree isn't the only green thing in your household. Follow these five easy tips and you'll be well on your way to three new family traditions: reducing, reusing and recycling. Give up store-bought gifts Sure, … Continue reading
Posted in imported, Motherhood, Parenting Tagged ecofriendly, green, holiday, Jessica Schein, motherhood, parenting Leave a comment


text:
Print this page
Artbeads Ratings and Reviews
See All Reviews
Shop Now At Artbeads
Choose a Category
Shop Alphabet Beads
Shop Artbeads.com Store
Shop Bags & Boxes
Shop Bali Beads
Shop Base Metal Components
Shop Beading Books
Shop Bracelets & Neckwear
Shop Charms
Shop Clearance Items
Shop Copper Clasps
Shop Copper Components
Shop Copper Pendants
Shop Crafts & Accessories
Shop Cubic Zirconia Beads
Shop Earrings
Shop Freshwater Pearls
Shop Gemstone Beads
Shop Gift Certificates/Cards
Shop Glass Beads
Shop Gold Beads
Shop Gold Components
Shop Hill Tribe Silver Beads
Shop Horn Beads
Shop Jewelry Kits
Shop Limited Edition
Shop Limited Edition Gemstones
Shop Limited Edition Glass Beads
Shop Natural Beads
Shop Natural Components
Shop Pendants
Shop Pewter Beads
Shop Pewter Components
Shop Porcelain Beads
Shop Resin Beads
Shop Seed Beads
Shop Shell Beads
Shop Shell Pendants
Shop Silk Beads
Shop Silver Components
Shop Sterling Silver Beads
Shop Stringing Materials
Shop Swarovski Components
Shop Swarovski Crystal Beads
Shop Swarovski Pendants
Shop Swarovski Rhinestones
Shop Tools & Supplies
Shop Vintage Beads
Shop Watch Faces
Shop Weekly Specials
Shop Wire & Chain
Shop Wood Beads
Shop Wooden Components
Reviews Home
(Unknown) Reviews
Product Reviews
TierraCast 3mm Antique Gold-Plated Cube Bar Bead
Create distinctive jewelry with these TierraCast cube bar beads. These beads feature a bar shape with ends that taper into round points. The hole is punched into the center of the bar to add height to your designs when strung and the hole is encased by a framed cube for added detail. String them together for a tribal appearance or mix them with tiny
seed beads
for a nice contrast in height. String several of them onto a headpin to create funky earrings. Feel free to browse our entire selection of
TierraCast components
. All TierraCast components are 100% lead free.
Customer Reviews for
TierraCast 3mm Antique Gold-Plated Cube Bar Bead
This product has not yet been reviewed.
Click here
to continue to the product details page.


text:
April Smith
Photo: © Nicholas Latimer
About the Author
April Smith is the author of the successful novels featuring FBI Special Agent Ana Grey as the central character. She is also an Emmy-nominated television writer and producer. In her research for A Star for Mrs. Blake, she traveled to Maine, New York City, Paris, Verdun, and the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery. Her home base is Santa Monica, California, where she lives with her husband.


text:
Presently I'm running a Rails 3.1.x app atop Heroku Celadon Cedar and it seems that log verbosity is very much lacking. I have set the log level to DEBUG a la
heroku config:add LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG --app app_name, which matched up to their recommendation, however beyond that I cannot seem to pull in the log/* file contents.
Changing from Thin to Unicorn did increase verbosity slightly, but only in web worker requests. I still cannot pull down the db requests and so forth.
What is the best way to maximize log verbosity via the heroku "drain" mechanism so that one can pull all instance logs into one cohesive log?
(Ideally I'd like to include a method to dump this into one of my own log servers as this is just a pain the rear not being able to readily look at specific events and surrounding conditions in time.)


text:
Visitors online: 1
Total listings: 39895
Total downloads: 7095921
Last update: Jun 01, 2016
Blu-ray Ripper Software
download games
Auto Shut Down
internet phone service
C: \ System Utilities \ File & Disk Management \ Disk Doctors Drive Manager 1.0.0
Disk Doctors Drive Manager 1.0.0 - Detailed Description Page
Program ID:
Disk Doctors Lab Data Recovery Software All programs by this author
Demo [?]
Operating Systems:
Release Status:
Last Updated:
Our Rating:
Users Rating:
(total votes: 0)
Report broken download Report spyware [?]
Disk Doctors Drive Manager is a powerful and flexible utility package that lets you safely and securely manage, scan and protect your hard drive from disk failure, data loss or damage. Disk Doctors Drive Manager offers Easy-To-Use real time solutions to monitor the health of your hard drive, manage your space, track changes and make sure that your important files are always safe.
Disk Doctors Drive Manager is a powerful and flexible utility package that lets you safely and securely manage, scan and protect your hard drive from disk failure, data loss or damage. Disk Doctors Drive Manager offers Easy-To-Use real time solutions to monitor the health of your hard drive, manage your space, track changes and make sure that your important files are always safe.
With Disk Doctors? Drive Manager you can:
Drive SOS: is designed to precisely monitor your hard drive functions, predict potential failures and get the most out of your drive. Check drive and CPU temperature without affecting computer performance.
Drive Image: can help you make a clone of your hard drive or make a disk image that you can use to restore your data.
Folder Manager: can tell how big a file or folder is or even how big it?s going to get. With a built-in scheduler, you can track changes and send notifications via email
Keywords: drive manager, hard disk utility, hard drive utility, disk cloning, best disk cloning software, disk imaging, disk imaging software, folder management, file management, disk utility, backup utility, check bad sector, folder size utility, Demo, System Utilities, File & Disk Management, Disk Doctors Drive Manager, Disk Doctors Lab Data Recovery Software
Recent Changes: Not Established
Install Support: Install and Uninstall
Supported Languages: English
Additional Requirements: At least 256 MB of RAM and 15MB of disk space
Latest Releases in System Utilities - File & Disk Management
EDB 2 PST 8.6 (2016-06-01) update
Now you can easily search .edb location and recover EDB 2 PST through Enstella EDB 2 PST recovery software. It gives the best solution to access data from EDB file in order to convert EDB file data into PST file formats. This prominent EDB 2 PST sof...
Export Lotus Notes Mailbox to PST 2.0 (2016-05-31) update
Make use of effective Lotus Notes mailbox export software which effortlessly recover NSF file database and against any obstruction export Lotus Notes mailbox to PST. It also enables to move Notes emails to EML and MSG format. Get privilege to split P...
Unlock Excel File 1.0 (2016-05-31) update
If required to unlock Excel file then you should acquire eSoftTools advanced Excel password unlocker software. This is the best solution to unlock Excel file password against any issue. Given Excel file unlocker tool effortlessly remove password prot...
Contacts.EDB Import 2.4 (2016-05-29) update
Download contacts.EDB import utility which performs excellently for importing contacts.EDB to PST, MSG, vCard and CSV file format. This is the perfect solution works to import live mail contacts EDB file into multiple formats within seconds. Users ca...
vCard Convert to PST 1.0 (2016-05-23) new
Download vCard Convert to PST Software that easily extract all contacts from vCard file and safely convert VCF file to PST file within seconds. By taking help of vCard to PST Converter Software you can convert vCard contacts into existing outlook pro...
WinNc 22.214.171.124 (2016-05-20) update
WinNc is a tabbed file manager developed for Windows 10. It also works on the older versions of Windows. This NC clone file manager is inspired on the dual panel concept of the old file manager Norton Commander. It has shortcuts to all the Windows sp...
OST to PST Recovery 7.0 (2016-05-18) update
Enstella OST to PST Recovery Software smoothly recover outlook OST to PST, EML, MSG or HTML formats. With the help of Outlook OST Recovery Software you can recover outlook OST File to PST with full attachments- Inbox, Outbox, Sent Items, Deleted Item...
EDB to PST Recovery 8.6 (2016-05-13) update
The brilliant EDB to PST Recovery Software smoothly recover exchange file & move Exchange database into PST File in accurate messages formats- With the help of Exchange database recovery Software you can successfully recover Exchange mailbox to P...
EDB to PST 6.5 (2016-05-10) update
Download EDB to PST Software to recover EDB file and Export exchange EDB to PST file without difficulty. Using EDB to PST conversion Software you can convert exchange EDB to PST file with full attachments- Inbox, Outbox, Sent Items, Deleted Items, Dr...
PST Repair Software 10.2 (2016-05-07) update
Download PST Repair Software that allows to repair all corrupted PST file and safely restore all emails into PST, EML, MSG, HTML, MHTML, RTF, TXT, DOC, PDF, MBOX and outlook profile etc. Through PST File recovery tool you can recover selective single...
Free EML Converter 2.0 (2016-04-25) update
Best application available at eSoftTools for successfully convert EML to MSG free. Quickly visit eSoftTools free EML converter software for easily import EML to MSG file without any trouble. This is the perfect solution at eSoftTools to export EML fi...
DBX to PST Converter 1.0 (2016-04-24) update
Make a conversion of your Outlook express emails into MS Outlook by DBX to PST converter software offered by eSoftTools. On both Outlook 32bit and Outlook 64bit, it works and capable for successful transfer of DBX mails with all emails properties (to...
OST File to PST 7.0 (2016-04-23) update
Easily get OST file to PST Software easily repair damaged OST File and recover OST to PST File. Superb OST to PST File Converter Software provides smart facility to export selective single and multiple OST file into PST, EML, MSG, HTML, MHTML, DOC, ...
Directory List & Print Pro 3.14 (2016-04-19) update
Directory List & Print Pro is a software for Windows and enables listing and printing the content of any directory in a simplest way. By copying to the clipboard the lists can be exported into other programs or opened directly in Word, Excel and ...
Attribute Manager 5.25 (2016-04-17) update
Attribute Manager program is a practical tool to take control on file and folder attributes. It enables to modify common file-attributes, such as read-only, hidden, system, encrypted compressed, temporary and date/time parameters, including creation ...
Professional Renamer 3.92 (2016-04-17) update
By using Professional Renamer software for windows, you can rename multiple files and folders easily.This is yet powerful renaming tool to rename multiple filenames at once.Its user friendly and intuitive interface allows you to rename files easily. ...
Convert Outlook 2010 OST to PST 2016 2.0.0 (2016-04-13) new
MagicSoft Convert Outlook 2010 OST to PST 2016 is an award winning email recovery software for Microsoft Exchange Server and is designed to convert inaccessible MS Exchange Offline Storage (OST file) Emails to Personal Storage file (PST). OST Recover...
HDClone Free Edition 6.0.7 (2016-04-11) update
The Free Edition of HDClone is the ideal tool for cloning, migrating and imaging contents of internal/mobile hard disks, SSD and USB media. Since it works on physical level it can be used with any operating system and any filesystem. HDClone copies t...
EDB to PST Converter Software 8.6 (2016-04-09) update
Enstella EDB to PST Converter Software is safe program which offers you fast conversion process of EDB to PST with original messages formats- TXT, HTML and RTF formats. With the help of Exchange Convert EDB to PST Software you can convert Exchange ED...
NSF to PST Converter Software 3.5 (2016-04-02) new
Download NSF to PST Converter Software that successfully extract NSF file and convert NSF to PST File with preserve all records of NSF file. By taking help of NSF to PST File Converter Software you can perfectly convert NSF to PST File with email pro...
New releases & updates
New shareware releases
New freeware releases
Most popular software
Top rated software
Feeds list in OPML
Free Photo Editor
Free Icon Maker
Free GIF Maker
Free Icons Downloads
offshore programming
arkanoid free download
violetta game
Free Download
Free Games Download
3D Engine
GetRight Pro 6.5: GetRight Pro does everything a download manager can do and more. Uploads, etc.
Unicode Converter 1.0: Convert unicode, UTF8, ANSI using Unicode Converter in batch mode easily
TradeTrakker 2.93: Powerful investment tracking program to automatically track stocks/mutual funds
EximiousSoft Banner Maker 5.25: Create banner ads,buttons,headers,animated gifs etc. web graphics.
Home | Featured | Submit | Link To Us | Contact Us | FAQ | About Us
Copyright © 2006-2016, by SoftCourier.com, All rights reserved. Privacy statement | Terms of use


text:
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz laid the foundation stone for educational, IT, electricity, real estate and infrastructure projects worth $34.6 billion (SR 130 billion) at the King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh today.
Launched in December 2005, the King Abdullah Economic City is the largest private sector investment in the Kingdom. Once completed, it will include a dedicated port, an industrial park, a 3,500-unit residential and hotel complex, and educational facilities.
In remarks today, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) Governor Amr Al-Dabbagh said that the massive economic city has already attracted more than $26.7 billion (SR 100 billion) in investments.
King Abdullah has launched similar economic cities in Hail, Madinah and Jizan, with two more planned for Tabuk and the Eastern Province.


text:
Jaheem is a Swahili name which means 'raised up or dignified'.
Jaheim, Jahiem
Award-winning manufacturer ergoPouch's range of baby swaddles, sleeping bags and sleep suits have received "hip-healthy" designation from The International Hip Dysplasia Institute (IHDI). Australian-based ergoPouch is renowned for the design and manufacture of premium baby swaddles, sleeping bags and sleep suits made from pure natural fibers. The International Hip Dysplasia Institute (IHDI) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of those afflicted with hip dysplasia.All ergoPouch products are made with pure natural fibers including Organic Cotton, Bamboo and Merino....
We built BellyBallot to make naming your baby more fun. In under 2 minutes, parents can involve friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ to vote on their favorite names. Parents can now include loved ones from all over the globe on the joyous occasion of celebrating a new child's life.


text:
What other axioms in set theory are stronger than AC ? I mean what are those axioms that will imply AC ?
The axiom "every set is constructible" (denoted V = L), and the axiom "every set is definable from an ordinal parameter" (denoted often as V= HOD, and sometimes as V= OD) each implies AC, and each is provably stronger than AC.
Historical Note: The axiom V = L was introduced by Gödel in his seminal work on the consistency of AC and GCH with ZF. The axiom V= HOD was first publicly introduced in a joint paper of Myhill and Scott, but their paper acknowledges that the axiom was independently considered by a number of people, including Gödel, Post, and the joint work of Vopěnka and Balcar.
Generally speaking, let $\varphi$ be a proposition which is consistent with ZFC but not provable from ZFC, then AC+$\varphi$ is an axiom stronger than the axiom of choice.
In the fashion above, we can think about $\varphi$ being "the axiom of choice holds, and $\lozenge_\kappa$ is true for all $\kappa<\aleph_\omega$." or something like that.
Many large cardinal hypotheses imply AC, when stated in a certain natural way.
For example, the assertion over ZF that there are unboundedly many inaccessible cardinals, defined as uncountable regular strong limit cardinals, implies the axiom of choice.
Indeed, even having a proper class of strong limit cardinals implies the axiom of choice.
What's more, the axiom of choice is equivalent over ZF to the assertion "there are unboundedly many strong limit cardinals".
The forward direction is simply the usual proof in ZFC that there is a closed unbounded class of strong limit cardinals. For the reverse implication, we define that $\kappa$ is a strong limit if and only if it is an initial ordinal for which $\beta\lt\kappa\implies P(\beta)\lt\kappa$. Note that this implies in particular that the power set $P(\beta)$ is well-orderable for $\beta\lt\kappa$, since it injects into $\kappa$, which is well-orderable. Thus, if there are a proper class of such $\kappa$, then every well-orderable set will have a well-orderable power set. It is a non-obvious fact (and in fact a quite slippery fact, which beginners often get wrong when first trying to prove it) that if every well-orderable set has a well-orderable power set, then AC holds.
To see that there are several natural but inequivalent formulations of inaccessibility and of strong limit cardinals in ZF, see the treatment in A. Blass, I. Dimitriou, B. Loewe, Inaccessible cardinals without the axiom of choice.
The Axiom of Constructibility implies the Axiom of Choice, as well as many other results independent of ZFC, such as the continuum hypothesis.
The axiom of global choice. Technically this isn't really an axiom: global choice (GC) states that there is a formula $\phi(x, y)$ such that the relation $$ A\le_\phi B:= V\models \phi(A, B)$$ is a well-ordering of the universe $V$. This can't be stated as a single formula, so in some sense it's a meta-axiom. It clearly implies choice, and is implied by $V=L$: we already have a partition of the universe into $L_0$, $L_1$, . . . , $L_\alpha$, . . ., and we can get from here to a full (class-)well-ordering of the universe by fixing at the outset some well-ordering of formulas in the language of set theory (since at each stage in the construction of $L$ we are only taking definable powersets; this is why this argument doesn't work in just $ZFC$).
A couple comments on why I think global choice is interesting (even though it's not expressible in the language of set theory):