Translations by Nicholas Roumas
It is an old commonplace that the Holy Psalter is the textual backbone of Christian liturgical wo... more It is an old commonplace that the Holy Psalter is the textual backbone of Christian liturgical worship. The translator of the version of the Psalter here presented offers the following explanations of the reasons for his effort to produce an Orthodox translation of the Psalter suitable for use in prayer and worship, as well as a summary of his methods and procedures.
A literal translation of a minor treatise of John of Damascus, with brief introductory comments.
Thesis by Nicholas Roumas
SACRIFICE AND REDEMPTION: A NEW APPROACH FROM GIRARDIAN MIMETIC THEORY, 2021
What is the meaning of theories of redemption, and what use do they have? This dissertation answe... more What is the meaning of theories of redemption, and what use do they have? This dissertation answers these questions from the vantage point of two ideas from Girardian Mimetic Theory: the hypothesis that human relationality is rooted in triangular structures of desire, and the hypothesis that the sacrificial death of Christ is what Girard calls a scapegoating event.
For Girard, ritual sacrifice is a repetition of an original scapegoating event on which social cohesion depends. With the death of Christ, scapegoating has been denuded and sacrifice rendered inoperable, bringing humanity into a novel historical situation. Using Girard’s early seminal texts alongside crucial developments in his later work, I develop the thesis that the redemptive work is structurally a sacrificial act, but aimed at the transcending of sacrifice and the transformation of the generative potential of scapegoating; correspondingly with this objective redemptive work, believers in Christ undergo a conversion that consists in their re-orientation as subjects within a structure of transcendence determined by this sacrificial generativity. This thesis represents a significantly more systematic appraisal of the positive theological utility of sacrifice than is found in Girard’s work.
To bolster my thesis, I reread key biblical and classical theological sources. The biblical foundation narratives and interplay of textual sources witness to a subtle subversion of scapegoating and sacrifice while still relying on sacrifice as an ordering principle. I then examine the paradigmatic theories of redemption of Peter Abelard, Anselm, and Gregory of Nyssa. Each of these theories exhibits the same sacrificial logic, despite the different ways they configure redemption.
I conclude that theories of redemption give us ways to map the reality brought about by the process of redemption. They facilitate the believer, whose triangular relationality has been re-oriented toward the transcendent God, in navigating the new situation in which sacrifice has been transformed.
Papers by Nicholas Roumas
René Girard’s mimetic theory opens up a possibility of unifying the ethical and objective dimensi... more René Girard’s mimetic theory opens up a possibility of unifying the ethical and objective dimensions of Christ’s redemptive work, harmonizing a problematic tension that arises from the redemptive act. To demonstrate this, I draw on Girard’s writings on the Gospels to show how a Girardian reading of the cross leads to an understanding of the redemptive work of Christ as simultaneously exemplary, didactic, and sacrificial, with no real distance between any of these terms.
Toronto Journal of Theology
René Girard’s mimetic theory opens up a possibility of unifying the ethical and objective dimensi... more René Girard’s mimetic theory opens up a possibility of unifying the ethical and objective dimensions of Christ’s redemptive work, harmonizing a problematic tension that arises from the redemptive act. To demonstrate this, I draw on Girard’s writings on the Gospels to show how a Girardian reading of the cross leads to an understanding of the redemptive work of Christ as simultaneously exemplary, didactic, and sacrificial, with no real distance between any of these terms.
What is the meaning of theories of redemption, and what use do they have? This dissertation answe... more What is the meaning of theories of redemption, and what use do they have? This dissertation answers these questions from the vantage point of two ideas from Girardian Mimetic Theory: the hypothesis that human relationality is rooted in triangular structures of desire, and the hypothesis that the sacrificial death of Christ is what Girard calls a scapegoating event.For Girard, ritual sacrifice is a repetition of an original scapegoating event on which social cohesion depends. With the death of Christ, scapegoating has been denuded and sacrifice rendered inoperable, bringing humanity into a novel historical situation. Using Girard’s early seminal texts alongside crucial developments in his later work, I develop the thesis that the redemptive work is structurally a sacrificial act, but aimed at the transcending of sacrifice and the transformation of the generative potential of scapegoating; correspondingly with this objective redemptive work, believers in Christ undergo a conversion th...
A photocyclic cycloaddition reaction via an ylide intermediate has opened the way for the synthes... more A photocyclic cycloaddition reaction via an ylide intermediate has opened the way for the synthesis and testing of numerous biologically active scaffolds. Research has demonstrated that the incorporation of electron-rich systems, most significantly naphthyl systems, increases the efficiency of the photocyclic reaction. In this project, new possibilities for electron-rich naphthyl analogs have been explored, incorporating heteroatoms into the bicyclic aromatic system. These new structures have been selected on the criteria of Lipinski’s rules and feasibility of synthesis. A precursor to one of these structures was synthesized. Additionally, syntheses of other scaffold components were carried out
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Translations by Nicholas Roumas
Thesis by Nicholas Roumas
For Girard, ritual sacrifice is a repetition of an original scapegoating event on which social cohesion depends. With the death of Christ, scapegoating has been denuded and sacrifice rendered inoperable, bringing humanity into a novel historical situation. Using Girard’s early seminal texts alongside crucial developments in his later work, I develop the thesis that the redemptive work is structurally a sacrificial act, but aimed at the transcending of sacrifice and the transformation of the generative potential of scapegoating; correspondingly with this objective redemptive work, believers in Christ undergo a conversion that consists in their re-orientation as subjects within a structure of transcendence determined by this sacrificial generativity. This thesis represents a significantly more systematic appraisal of the positive theological utility of sacrifice than is found in Girard’s work.
To bolster my thesis, I reread key biblical and classical theological sources. The biblical foundation narratives and interplay of textual sources witness to a subtle subversion of scapegoating and sacrifice while still relying on sacrifice as an ordering principle. I then examine the paradigmatic theories of redemption of Peter Abelard, Anselm, and Gregory of Nyssa. Each of these theories exhibits the same sacrificial logic, despite the different ways they configure redemption.
I conclude that theories of redemption give us ways to map the reality brought about by the process of redemption. They facilitate the believer, whose triangular relationality has been re-oriented toward the transcendent God, in navigating the new situation in which sacrifice has been transformed.
Papers by Nicholas Roumas
For Girard, ritual sacrifice is a repetition of an original scapegoating event on which social cohesion depends. With the death of Christ, scapegoating has been denuded and sacrifice rendered inoperable, bringing humanity into a novel historical situation. Using Girard’s early seminal texts alongside crucial developments in his later work, I develop the thesis that the redemptive work is structurally a sacrificial act, but aimed at the transcending of sacrifice and the transformation of the generative potential of scapegoating; correspondingly with this objective redemptive work, believers in Christ undergo a conversion that consists in their re-orientation as subjects within a structure of transcendence determined by this sacrificial generativity. This thesis represents a significantly more systematic appraisal of the positive theological utility of sacrifice than is found in Girard’s work.
To bolster my thesis, I reread key biblical and classical theological sources. The biblical foundation narratives and interplay of textual sources witness to a subtle subversion of scapegoating and sacrifice while still relying on sacrifice as an ordering principle. I then examine the paradigmatic theories of redemption of Peter Abelard, Anselm, and Gregory of Nyssa. Each of these theories exhibits the same sacrificial logic, despite the different ways they configure redemption.
I conclude that theories of redemption give us ways to map the reality brought about by the process of redemption. They facilitate the believer, whose triangular relationality has been re-oriented toward the transcendent God, in navigating the new situation in which sacrifice has been transformed.