Considering that getting along in civil society is based on the expectation that (most) people will do what they say they will do, i.e., essentially live up to their explicit or implicit promises, it is amazing that so little scientific attention has been given to the act of promising. A great deal of research has been done on the moral development of children, for example, but not on the child’s ability to make and keep a promise, one of the highest moral achievements. What makes it possible developmentally, cognitively, and emotionally to make a promise in the first place? And on the other hand, what compels one to keep a promise (or vow or threat) when there seems to be no personal advantage in doing so, and even when harm can be predicted? How do we know when a promise is offered seriously to be taken at face value, and how do we understand that another is only a polite gesture, not to be taken seriously? In Promises, Oaths, and Vows: On the Psychology of Promising, Herbert Schlesinger addresses these questions, drawing on the literature of moral development in children; the psychotherapy of a patient who regularly broke promises that were unnecessary in the first place; those who were regarded as "promising youngsters" who did not fulfill their "promise"; and those who feared making a promise, a commitment, or a threat out of fear that, once made, the utterance would take on a life of its own and could never be taken back. Furthermore, he illustrates his conclusions by examining the widespread use of promising in classical literature, such as Greek drama and the plays of Shakespeare, as well as the motivating and reifying power of the promise in Western religious traditions. With a style honed over the penning of two previous books, Schlesinger once again produces a work grounded in a firm analytic sensibility, but which also retains the wit and candor of the seasoned analyst. His seminal investigation of this all but neglected topic in the clinical literature is as timely as it is scholarly, and – with the title firmly in mind – Promises, Oaths, and Vows is assured to be a worthy addition to any clinician’s library and a provoking investigation into Nietzsche’s notion of man as "the animal who makes promises."

The importance of oaths to ancient Greek culture can hardly be overstated, especially in the political and judicial fields. This volume derives from a research project on the oath in ancient Greece, and comprises seventeen chapters, exploring a range of aspects of the subject.

Vows, oaths, and curses are all quite separate enterprises in the Bible, and especially in the Old Testament. Unfortunately, the writings of many modern scholars fail to indicate these distinctions. This well-argued book elucidates the distinctive nature of vow-making in the Old Testament milieu, setting it in proper relief against the background of other declaratory statements. The first chapter provides a general introduction to the subject and clarifies the often confused practices of oath-taking and vow making as commonly found in the Hebrew Bible. The remainder of the study refines and defends these distinctions, exploring similar means of assertion in the ancient Near East, and suggesting such theological and literary implications as may result.

This is the first volume of a projected six-volume Commentary on Homer's Iliad, under the General Editorship of professor G.S. Kirk. Professor Kirk himself is the editor of the present volume, which covers the first four Books of Iliad. It consists of four introductory chapters, dealing in particular with rhythm and formular techniques, followed by the detailed commentary which aims at helping serious readers by attempting to identify and deal with most of the difficulties which might stand in the way of a sensitive and informed response to the poem. The Catalogues in Book 2 recieve especially full treatment. The book does not include a Greek text - important matters pertaining to the text are discussed in the commentary. It is hoped that the volume as a whole will lead scholars to a better understanding of the epic style as well as of many well-known thematic problems on a larger scale. This Commentary will be an essential reference work for all students of Greek literature. Archaeologists and historians will also find that it contains matters of relevance to them.

Excerpt from Oaths and Vows in the Synoptic Gospels Does this passage denote that Jesus was opposed altogether to every kind of oath even when imposed by Jewish courts in accordance with the Law? The different views of the gospel commentators on this question are well summarized by Montefiore in T he Synoptic Gospels, II, 511. He himself, following Loisy, is of the Opinion that the most probable interpretation of vs. 34 is that all oaths of every kind and on every occasion are forbidden for the disciples and the members of the coming Kingdom. This would be in accordance with the practice and ethics of the Essenes. But they themselves seem to have been inconsistent in the matter Of oaths. How are we to reconcile their practice, as mentioned before, with the fact which Josephus reports (war, ii, 8, 7, 137 42) that the Essenes imposed frightful oaths on those that were about to enter their sect? Nor is it likely that they would have Opposed the oaths prescribed in the Mosaic law, seeing that what they most of all honoured, after God himself, was the name of the law-giver, whom if anyone blasphemed, he was punished capitally (jos., ibid. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.