At Christmas, Christians celebrate that Jesus was born on December 25 as the son of God andthe Virgin Mary. But this event is not unique. In this article, I show that the birth of Jesus hasseveral non-Christian predecessors, whereby various elements of the ritual dynamics have beenChristianized and implemented into the figure we know today as Jesus Christ.

Sinabi ni Ramon Reyes: Kung ituturing nating relihiyon ang pangunahing dimensyon ng tao kung saan iniuugnay niya ang sagrado, sa “lampas,” sa nagbibigay ng batayan at pinakahuling kahulugan ng kanyang pang-araw-araw na pag-iral, kung gayon ang mga animistikong paniniwala at gawain ng ang mga unang Pilipino ay magiging kuwalipikado bilang…[Read more]

This paper focuses on two elements of the Passover Seder ritual and their connection to Piagetian education theory. After outlining Piaget’s theory of genetic epistemology and its implications for education theory, it focuses on Sigel’s distancing theory, which touts question asking as a tool for presenting information to students. This paper arg…[Read more]

In his introduction to The New Testament in the Original Greek, F. J. A. Hort laid out a taxonomy of evidence for text-critical judgments that is still followed today. In addition to the external evidence pertaining to the textual affinities, dates, and provenances of manuscripts, versions, and patristic quotations, he divided the internal…[Read more]

In his introduction to The New Testament in the Original Greek, F. J. A. Hort laid out a taxonomy of evidence for text-critical judgments that is still followed today. In addition to the external evidence pertaining to the textual affinities, dates, and provenances of manuscripts, versions, and patristic quotations, he divided the internal…[Read more]

In comics: how ancient rabbis upend “traditional” ideas of reproduction, gender, and humanity. A blog post commissioned by UC Press Blog about the book When a Human Gives Birth to a Raven: Rabbis and the Reproduction of Species.

Link: htt…[Read more]

This article presents a model for pricing complex CDO structures and compute the sensitivities of the risk factors. The complex CDO structures need to be priced using the market information on tranche losses at multiple points of time. Currently, the model is being used for the valuation of forward starting CDO trades (FSCDO) and loss-trigger…[Read more]

The structure of a Binary Return Note is similar to the one of a regular note, but the coupons are
contingent on return rates on stocks. Quasi-Monte Carlo simulation is used for pricing the product.

From 40 years of experience it is clear that spirituality has become entangled in abstractions: powers, perfection, supernatural, unreal, limitless knowledge, crystal ball perceptions, etc.
Dr Stephen Farra agreed with that – and went one better. Dr Farra stated “Our models are out reality. But our models are not reality. That coincides with the…[Read more]

We present a pricing model for fade option. A fade option can be more precisely named as “point-barrier option”. The fade option is a vanilla option that exists or dies if a barrier is breached on a single preset date, which is prior or equal to the contract maturity.

Elodie Paillard, ‘Greek Theatre in Roman Italy: From Elite to Autocratic Performances’, in E. Csapo, H.R. Goette, J. R. Green, B. Le Guen, E. Paillard, J. Stoop, P. Wilson, Theatre and Autocracy in the Ancient World, De Gruyter, 2022

Elodie Paillard, ‘Greek Theatre in Roman Italy: From Elite to Autocratic Performances’, in E. Csapo, H.R. Goette, J. R. Green, B. Le Guen, E. Paillard, J. Stoop, P. Wilson, Theatre and Autocracy in the Ancient World, De Gruyter, 2022

Average rate or Asian options have a payoff function proportional to an average rate or price. The average price is calculated over a sampling of specified dates that need not be equally spaced in time. The average price or rate tends to be less volatile than a single underlying price and hence, an option on the underlying average price should be…[Read more]

This book explores the staging of non-élite characters in the seven extant tragedies of Sophocles and how they related to contemporary middling citizens. The structure of fifth-century Athenian society underwent deep changes between the early and late plays of Sophocles. The appearance and growing political importance of a middling…[Read more]

This book explores the staging of non-élite characters in the seven extant tragedies of Sophocles and how they related to contemporary middling citizens. The structure of fifth-century Athenian society underwent deep changes between the early and late plays of Sophocles. The appearance and growing political importance of a middling…[Read more]

Does “authorship” still have a place in the study of the Hebrew Bible? Historical criticism has long sought to uncover the human authors behind the biblical texts. But how might the “death of the author,” so forcefully declared by Roland Barthes over fifty years ago, change the contours of this search? This volume brings together leading experts…[Read more]

This work provides new insights into the relationship between the Holiness legislation in Leviticus 17–26 and processes of cultic centralization in the Persian period. The author departs from the classical theory that Leviticus 17–26 merely presume, with minor modifications, a concept of centralization articulated in Deuteronomy. She shows how Lev…[Read more]

The article discusses valuation models for the following products: power financial indices swap contracts (PWR-SWAP), power financial transmission rights contracts (PWRSWAP- FTR), power physical delivery contracts (PWR-PHYS) and power physical transmission contracts (PWR-TR-SPREAD). All products have similar valuation structure – index swap (or s…[Read more]

Early Jewish writings are replete with narratives of warfare and collective violence. Yet relatively little scholarly attention has been paid to how these accounts of violence affected the way Jews structured their festal calendar. This essay examines the festivals described in 1 and 2 Maccabees that serve to commemorate the most impressive m…[Read more]

This Open Access volume reveals how violent pasts were constructed by ancient Mediterranean societies, the ideologies they served, and the socio-political processes and institutions they facilitated. Combining case studies from Anatolia, Egypt, Greece, Israel/Judah, and Rome, it moves beyond essentialist dichotomies such as “victors” and “va…[Read more]