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In a new approach, I interpret biblical prophecy in light of its ancient Near Eastern divinatory context and offer a new perspective on the (non)fulfillment of prophecy. I begin with a description of how divine communication was understood according to Mesopotamian and biblical texts, laying a foundation for comparative analysis. I then apply this approach to the prophecies of restoration in Jeremiah 30-33. I argue that the prophecies in these chapters, originally intended to be fulfilled in the postexilic era, were canceled (except 31:35-37, 33:19-26) and that a new decision or decisions were given to take their place. Nevertheless, these canceled prophecies continue to have great divinatory significance that reveals patterns of how the deity intends to bless and dwell among the people. Ultimately, a close reading of the text in the light of its ancient Near Eastern contexts provides a strong corrective to the ways that these chapters are commonly interpreted., 'Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead,' said Scrooge. 'But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change.... Assure me that [...]

The use of the perfect in Dan 7:27 has thus far eluded explanation. Each of the various suggestions offered has significant problems. In this study, I propose a new, contextually [...]

Background. Physical performance measures may offer advantages over self-report in the functional assessment of older people. Estimates of the feasibility, reliability, and construct validity of these measures in large, heterogeneous samples are necessary to establish their importance relative to traditional measures of function. Methods. Analysis of clinical data from Phase 2 of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging, a nation-wide representative survey of elderly people in Canada (N = 2305). Results. Both physical performance measures proved infeasible in many subjects (29.3% for the Timed Up and Go [TUG], 35.9% for the Functional Reach [FR]). Cognitive impairment was the most important determinant of inability to complete the tests. For those able to complete the tests, cognitively unimpaired subjects could reach farther (median 29 cm) and complete the TUG in less time (median 12 seconds) than those cognitively impaired (25 cm for FR, 15 seconds for the TUG). Test-retest reliability between the screening and clinical administrations of the TUG was .56 for all participants (intra-class correlations), .50 for the cognitively unimpaired, and .56 for the cognitively impaired. Construct validity was substantial, and correlations between performance measures and self-report activities of daily living (ADL) measures ranged from .40 to .70. Compared with a global clinical measure of frailty, correlations were more modest (.38 to .60). Conclusions. The FR and the TUG were not feasible tools in this study. The TUG showed poor test-retest reliability. Our data support the observation that subsequent studies of measurement instruments typically reveal lower performance than the original reports.