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Harrington successfully presents perspectives on holiness, purity, and the body throughout a wide range of literature and offers an overall convincing trajectory of how ideas underlying the metaphor of body-as-temple developed. Harrington's last chapter is devoted to Paul's letters, in particular 1-2 Corinthians, in which Paul develops the metaphor of Christ-believers as a temple. Given that the idea of body as temple was then current, Harrington considers it at least plausible that Jesus likened his own body with a temple (John 2:18-22). [Extracted from the article]

In this article, I engage with Joel Marcus's recent book on John the Baptist, focusing on the relationship between John and the Dead Sea Scrolls. While I appreciate many parts of his detailed study, I question the claim that John was a former member of the Essenes. Although there are intriguing similarities, the question is how far reaching conclusions we may draw concerning such a relationship. I problematize some aspects of the comparison between the sources. Like many scholars, Marcus refers in particular to 1QS and the site of Khirbet Qumran for reconstructing the Essenes and hence John's background. In response, I highlight the uncertainty about the Sitz im leben of 1QS in relation to Khirbet Qumran and ask why this particular manuscript should be privileged over others. Not least when it comes to purity halakhah there are many other documents than 1QS from Qumran that are highly relevant to the issue. Finally, I critically evaluate Marcus's view that John the Baptist had a favorable attitude towards Gentiles, which according Marcus differed from the views of the Essenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is an investigation of the effects of a shift from a well-balanced mixed diet to a lacto-vegetarian diet on the mutagenic activity in urine and feces. The participants were 20 normal-weight, non-smoking subjects (4 men and 16 women, mean age 44 years, range 27–61 years). The fecal samples were assayed for direct-acting mutagens with the fluctuation test for weak mutagens and the urinary samples were assayed with the same assay but with a metabolic activation system, a so-called S9 fraction. The switch from a mixed diet to a lacto-vegetarian diet was not a shift from a so-called high to a low risk diet for colon cancer but rather from a ‘medium high risk diet’ to a ‘low risk diet’, even though there were significant changes in nutrients and food components between the two diets. There was a decrease in fat ( = 0.009) and protein intake ( = 0.04) and an increase in total carbohydrate ( = 0.001), fiber ( = 0.001), calcium ( = 0.006) and vitamin C intake ( = 0.019). Among the food preparation methods the use of frying decreased ( = 0.02) and the habit of eating a raw vegetable meal increased ( = 0.05). Three months after the dietary shift the concentration of fecal direct-acting mutagens decreased significantly ( < 0.05), though the total mutagenic activity excreted in feces per 24 h was not different between the two diet periods. Both the concentration and the total amount of promutagens in the urine were decreased after 3 months on the lacto-vegetarian diet. The decrease in fecal mutagenic activity might be explained by a higher fiber intake, which leads to higher water content in feces and thereby a dilution of fecal mutagenic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This is an investigation of the long-term effects of a shift from a mixed diet to a lacto-vegetarian diet and of a return to a mixed diet on the mutagenic activity in urine and faeces. The participants were 20 normal weight, nonsmoking subjects. Dietary surveys and urinary and faecal samples were collected before and 3, 6 and 12 months after the dietary shift as well as 3 years after termination of the lacto-vegetarian diet period. The faecal samples were assayed for direct acting mutagens with the fluctuation test for weak mutagens and the urinary samples were assayed with the same assay but with a metabolic activation system, the so-called S9 fraction. The dietary data showed an increase in consumption of fruits, vegetables and dairy products and a decrease in meat, fish, eggs, sweets and biscuits during the vegetarian diet period. These changes led to an increase in total carbohydrates, fibre, vitamin C and calcium and a decrease in fat and protein intake. Mutagenic activity in both urine and faeces decreased after shift to the vegetarian diet and mutagenic activity in faeces increased when the volunteers returned to a mixed diet (P = 0.025 and 0.035 respectively when comparing the diets). These data indicate that dietary factors may affect mutagenic activity in urine and faeces. However, it is still not clear whether a decrease in animal products, a change in other nutritional factors or a decrease in frying are the main contributors to this change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]