Saturday, February 22, 2020

Origens Allegorical Interpretation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Origens Allegorical Interpretation - Essay Example In this paper I will look into the history of Allegorical interpretation. Moreover I will precisely study why Origen chose to interpret allegorically, what were the factors that influenced him to do so, the times and circumstances when he studied the holy words and also whether his approach was successful or not. Origen was born to a Christian family in Alexandria in either year 185 or 186. His father was believed to be a prosperous and prominent man, who gave his son with schooling that was equally Hellenistic as well as Christian and was based on the learning of the standard literary works of olden Greece and the Holy Bible. Hence he grew up as together as a learned Greek and a committed Christian. This combat education definitely caused somewhat of an inside stress in Origen as he sought to settle his pledge to Christian belief and the Bible with the Hellenistic viewpoint he was educated. From the outlook of Hellenism, Christianity was slightly more than an additional barbarous false notion and the Bible represented a substandard set of texts that were not worth stern thought from the viewpoint of Greek visual standards2. Origen was not the initial one to face this anxiety, and he was proficient to find out from preceding Jewish and Christian whereabouts with Hellenism, mainly Platonic philosophy, in his individual effort to confirm the Bible and its ideas in the framework of the Greek intellectual surroundings. Undeniably, as a student at the school in Alexandria, it is probable that some of his instructors were from Clement of Alexandria, and was also well known for his challenge to communicate Christian teaching to Greek philosophical reflection5. Out of Origen's many works two are valued most in the history of the initial church and Christian thinking. "On First Principles" is a structured and methodical version of Origen's theological and truth-seeking arrangement relating to God, foundation, the different Logos of God, Jesus Christ and salvation. The second one that is "Against Celsus" is a comprehensive remorseful justification of Christian belief written in opposition to the analysis of the Roman thinker Celsus. In this book Origen tries to reveal the supremacy of the teaching and insight of the Bible over against that of the famous Greek philosophy. Allegory Before I proceed to explain the history behind Origen's allegorical interpretation, I would like to mention the formal definition for the term allegory as given by scholars. The word "allegory," is a derivative from the Greek language, from the word "alla," which refers to "other," and another term "agoreuo," which means "to declare." It initially referred to a form of dialogue that Cicero put forward as a 'incessant flow of similes.' Allegory is a style of communication in which one thing is explained by another 5. Allegory varies from the parable, as it is a more organized appearance of the diverse features of the thought that it demonstrates, and also in its contents which are apprehensive with the explanation of hypothetical truths rather than realistic exhortation. The History Of Allegorical Interpretation Allegorism was not a new concept at all. Infact it was well-known in

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Biology of Androgens and Estrogens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Biology of Androgens and Estrogens - Essay Example In the males androgens produced by the testes and adrenal cortex contribute to the male sex hormones circulating in the blood. Adrenal androgens normally have little physiological effect other than a role in development before the start of puberty in both girls and boys. This is because the male sex hormone activity of the adrenal androgens is weak. Androgens regulate male secondary sexual characteristics and can cause virilizing symptoms in women. Normally androgens are secreted mainly from the male testes, but moderate amount is also secreted from the adrenal gland. Normally adrenal androgens have a minimal effect in males whose sexual characteristics are predominately determined by gonadal steroids such as testosterone. On the contrary, in disease states in females, several androgen-like effects, such as, sexual hair, are largely mediated by adrenal androgens. The principal adrenal androgens are DHEA, androstenedione, and 11-hydroxyandrostenedione. DHEA and androstenedione are wea k androgens and exert their effects via conversion to the potent androgen testosterone in extraglandular tissues. DHEA also has poorly understood effects on the immune and cardiovascular systems. Adrenal androgen formation is regulated by ACTH, not by gonadotropins, thus are suppressed by exogenous glucocorticoid administration. The male reproductive system regulates sexual differentiation, virilization, and the hormonal changes that accompany puberty, ultimately leading to spermatogenesis and fertility. Under the control of the pituitary hormones, namely, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), the Leydig cells of the testes produce testosterone and germ cells are nurtured by Sertoli cells to divide, differentiate, and mature into sperm (Holdcraft, RW. and Braun, RE., 2004).. Estrogens Steroidal estrogens arise from androstenedione or testosterone by aromatization of the A ring. The reaction is catalyzed by a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase enzyme complex. The ovaries are the principal source of circulating estrogen in premenopausal women, with estradiol being the main secretory product. Gonadotropins, acting via receptors that couple to the Gs-adenylyl cyclase-cyclic AMP pathway, increase the activities of aromatase. The follicular theca cells, under control of LH, produce androgens that diffuse to the follicular granulosa cells, where they are converted to estrogens via an FSH-supported aromatization reaction. Estrogens are endogenous hormones that produce numerous physiological actions. In women, these include developmental effects, neuroendocrine actions involved in the control of ovulation, the cyclical preparation of the reproductive tract for fertilization and implantation, and major actions on mineral, carbohydrate, protein, and lipid metabolism. Estrogens also have important actions in males, including effects on bone, spermatogenesis, and behavior. In postmenopausal women, the principal source of circulating estrogen is adipose tissue stroma, where estrone is synthesized from dehydroepiandrosterone secreted by the adrenals. In men, estrogens are produced by the testes, but extragonadal production by aromatization of circulating C19 steroids accounts for most circulating estrogens. Thus, the level of estrogens is regulated in part by the availability of androgenic precursors. Estrogenic effects most often have