Author: Gregory C. Jenks

  • Sixth Sunday after Pentecost C (30 June 2013)

    Contents

    Lectionary

    • 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 & Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20
    • Galatians 5:1, 13-25
    • Luke 9:51-62

    First Reading: The ascension of Elijah

    In ancient Jewish tradition, Elijah becomes one of two missing mortals from the biblical narrative.

    Like Elijah, Enoch was understood to have been taken up into heaven on the basis of this information in Genesis 5:

    When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah three hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him. (Gen 5:21-24 NRSV)

    Both Enoch and Elijah become significant figures in the development of apocalyptic eschatology since they were deemed to have access to otherwise secret knowledge about the divine intentions.

    • In the case of Enoch, we have the development of the traditions now found in 1 Enoch (still part of the Ethiopian Bible), 2 Enoch (from the Old Slavonic Bible) and 3 Enoch (a Kabbalistic Jewish text).
    • In the case of Elijah we have his eschatological role in canonical texts (understood to be the messenger of the covenant in Malachi 3:1; cf. Mark 9:11-13 and parallels).

    On the significance of the ascension of Elijah for Luke, see the lectionary notes for Ascension.

    Second Reading: The fruit of the Spirit

    In this section of his letter to the Galatians, Paul is offering instructions for their life together. As part of this, he develops the idea of two contrasting sets of fruit:

    • fruit that comes from “the flesh” and needs to be constrained by the Law
    • fruit that comes from “the Spirit” and is beyond the scope of any law

    This kind of fruit is characterised by 9 different virtues:

    • love
    • joy
    • peace
    • patience
    • kindness
    • generosity
    • faithfulness
    • gentleness
    • self-control

    It is possible that Paul is developing the traditional saying attributed to Jesus – 041 Trees and Hearts, but it is perhaps more probable that a common Jewish religious metaphor lies behind all these examples. In any case, Paul does not connect his instruction with traditions about Jesus nor with a direct revelation from “the Lord.”

    Gospel: Turning towards Jerusalem

    This week’s Gospel is a significant turning point in Luke’s narrative.

    • From the baptism of Jesus by John until now, Jesus has been active in Galilee.
    • At 9:51, Jesus acts in synchronicity with his destiny and prepares to travel to Jerusalem.
    • Every incident from here on will happen “on the way to the cross”

    Luke begins with two short episodes that develop the theme of discipleship:

    • a Samaritan village refuses to offer hospitality to a pilgrimage group bound for Jerusalem
    • three would-be disciples seek excuses from the immediate cost of discipleship

    The incident with the Samaritan village is not unexpected (given what we know of Jewish/Samaritan relations at the time), but it does jar with Luke’s representation of the Samaritans in his narrative:

    • the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37)
    • the tenth leper (Luke 17:11-19)

    On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11-19 NRSV)

    • the conversion of the Samaritans (Acts 8:5-17)

    The cost of discipleship is the major focus of this week’s passage.

    Three no-nonsense sayings capture the stark realities of discipleship:

    The first two cut right across the normal social expectations of the time, while the third underlined the sense that this journey, once chosen (whether by Jesus or by any of his followers), could not be reversed. There would be no escape clause for Jesus in the story that now begins to unfold, and there will be none for any who follow his way.

    It is interesting to observe that the final stricture (no turning back) is found only in Luke, and is not attested in the much earlier Sayings Gospel Q. Is it possible that Luke has created this saying on the model provided by the preceding example, to meet the needs of his own audience in the early 2C (or even mid-2C) when increasing social pressure might have influenced some converts to Christianity to recant?

    Jesus Database

    Liturgies and Prayers

    For liturgies and sermons each week, shaped by a progressive theology, check Rex Hunt’s web site

    Other recommended sites include:

    Music Suggestions

    • Amazing Grace – AHB 129
    • Brother, sister, let me serve you
    • Come as you are
    • Father welcomes all his children
    • Halle, halle
    • One church, one faith, one Lord – AHB 456
    • Rejoice in God’s saints – AHB 470

    See David MacGregor’s Together to Celebrate site for recommendations from a variety of contemporary genre.

  • Fifth Sunday after Pentecost C (23 June 2013)

    Contents

    Lectionary

    • I Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a & Psalms 42 and 43
    • Galatians 3:23-29
    • Luke 8:26-3

    First Reading: The still small voice

    This week’s reading from 1 Kings takes us back to a point in the story prior to last week’s reading.

    Having overcome the prophets of Baal in a religious contest on Mt Carmel, Elijah flees to the traditional site of divine revelation, “Horeb, the mountain of God.” What follows is one of the classic spiritual stories of the Western religious tradition:

    At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” [1Kings 19:9-13]

    The mountain is a traditional site for a theophany in the Bible:

    • Moses (Sinai) – Exodus 3, 19, 24 and 32
    • Elijah (Horeb/Sinai) – 1 Kings 19
    • Jesus (Transfiguration) – Mark 9 and parallels

    In this case, in place of the traditional theophany signs (cloud, thunder, lightning, earthquake and fire), the awesome presence of God is communicated through “a thin whispering voice.”

    Like Moses at the burning bush, Elijah is overcome by the power of the divine powerlessness.

    Michael Macrone offers this comment on the meaning of this passage:

    What follows is a rather drawn-out introduction, in which God first teases the prophet with wind, an earthquake, and a fire before finally manifesting himself in a “still small voice” — Renaissance English for “a soft, whispering murmur”; that is, a breeze. Since this voice argues Elijah out of his mood and sets him back on a holier track, some commentators have identified it with “the voice of conscience.” Indeed, the message of these verses seems to be that God need not appear to men embodied in great natural forces — though he certainly can do this — but may also reveal himself directly, softly, and personally, like a voice in the mind. [Grace Cathedral Online]

    Second Reading: The new humanity—beyond difference

    At the heart of this week’s NT reading is the startling declaration of Paul that every traditiona distinction based on gender, race or social status ceases to have effect within the new social reality generated by the Christian community:

    As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.” (Gal 3:27-29 NRSV)

    The churches have rarely lived up to the radical insights given expression in that statement, but a modern paraphrase might go something like the following:

    • There is no longer Christian West or fundamentalist Islam,
    • there is no longer First World or Third World,
    • there is no longer straights and gays;
    • for all of us are one in the Anointed Jesus

    Gospel: Jesus and the Gerasa demoniac

    In The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark. (Yale UP, 2000), Dennis R. MacDonald devotes a chapter to this story. He begins by noting the typical elements of a Hellenistic exorcism tale:

    Typically told, an exorcism brings the exorcist and the demoniac (or an agent for the demoniac) into contact and then lets the exorcist and the reader learn of the victim’s condition, such as deafness, convulsions, antisocial behavior, or preternatural cognitive powers, as in Mark 1:24: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” The exorcist then rebukes the demon or demons and demands departure (the apopompe). Often the exorcist sends the spirit or spirits into the wilderness, the earth, the sea, or a living host (the epipompe). The demon may dramatize its exit by producing violent effects, and the crowd, amazed, acknowledges the exorcist’s powers. (p. 63)

    MacDonald then notes the unusual features of this account which have made many scholars question the character of this episode:

    • Of the exorcisms in the NT only this one begins with a voyage.
    • The detailed graphic description of the victim’s antisocial behavior is unparalleled.
    • The demons refuse to obey Jesus’ command to leave the man, and negotiate for more favorable terms.
    • The request for the demon’s name is unparalleled and results in a puzzling answer, “Legion, for we are many.”
    • The permission for the demons to possess a nearby herd of pigs is unparalleled.
    • The extended epilogue with the hostile reaction by the townsfolk has no parallel in any other miracle story. The witnesses usually celebrate the achievement.
    • The demoniac’s request to follow Jesus is not typical, nor is Jesus’ refusal to accept him as a disciple, and neither is the instruction for him to return home and tell everyone what Jesus has done for him. All these elements seem out of place.
    • This is the only NT exorcism that ends with a voyage.

    In looking for possible influences to explain this strange story, MacDonald suggests two well-known Homeric tales: Circe the witch (who turned Odysseus’ men into swine and would later see them drown in the sea) and the famous story of Cyclops. After several pages of detailed analysis, MacDonald offers a summary of “the remarkable density and order of parallels between the stories of the Cyclops and the Gerasene.”

    Jesus Database

    Liturgies and Prayers

    For liturgies and sermons each week, shaped by a progressive theology, check Rex Hunt’s web site

    Other recommended sites include:

    Music Suggestions

    • Dear Lord and Father of mankind – AHB 519
    • God, you are clothed with light – AHB 423
    • In Christ there is no East or West – AHB 391
    • Morning has broken – AHB 91
    • O Jesus I have promised to serve you – AHB 514
    • O Master, let me walk with thee – AHB 522

    See David MacGregor’s Together to Celebrate site for recommendations from a variety of contemporary genre.

  • Study Leave—Week Twelve

    This week marks the official end of my study leave, although I will be in Israel for another three weeks and then returning to Australia via St Andrews in Scotland.

    Much of this past week has been spent of the dig at Bethsaida, or else processing the finds in our daily ‘pottery reading’ sessions. We have had about 35 people on site for the two week session that is just ending, and work has been progressing in three areas: A South, A West and T.

    Area T is of particular interest to me as I am serving as the supervisor for that area, and it was first opened by the Australian team in 2012. This year we have opened a new 5m x 5m square immediately to the north of the square we opened last year to see whether the wall we exposed last year connects with anything near by. After two weeks of digging we have uncovered  at least one substantial wall running parallel to the wall found in 2012, and perhaps another wall perpendicular between the other two walls. These structures appear to be from the Mamluk period (shortly after the crusades collapsed), but it seems they may have been built on the remains of earlier walls from the Roman period. In the next two weeks we will dig deeper to try and clarify the lower structures as we are especially interested in finding evidence of the lives of the ordinary people who lived in this site as most of the remains higher up the mound are monumental structures reflecting the aspirations of the rich and powerful.

    The coin project has dominated the time when I have not been on the dig at Bethsaida. Work continues to finalise the coin database for the period 2001 to 2012, so that I have everything ready to report at the Bethsaida session of the SBL international meeting in St Andrews next month. The last few days I have begun to explore—and hopefully master—the mysteries of VBA for Excel, so that I can make the information more easily accessible to people (and maybe also simplify the data entry process).

    Last weekend I had an opportunity to visit some places that I had not seen before, including the fortress at Yehiam (Jidiin) and the ocean caves at Rosh Hanikra. The land here is as beautiful and complex as the people for whom it is home. Sadly, both places also reflect the history of conflict that is so much a part of the story of this land.

    Yehiam was a crusader fortress and then a Bediouin castle and more recently the scene of fighting between Jewish and Arab forces in 1948. The pristine cliffs at Rosh Hanikra were dynamited by British forces to build railway tunnels during WW2, only to have the bridges blown up by Jewish underground forces after the war to prevent Arab reinforcements coming south from Lebanon. In the longer term none of this will matter as the Earth will reclaim the cliffs and obliterate the scars of human violence, but in the short term both nature and humans suffer unnecessary violence—much of it generated by misplaced religious certainty. In the meantime, how best to live with compassion and generosity?

  • Fourth Sunday after Pentecost C (16 June 2013)

    Contents

    Lectionary

    • 1 Kings 21:1-10, (11-14), 15-21a & Psalm 5:1-8
    • Galatians 2:15-21
    • Luke 7:36-8:3

    First Reading: Ahab and the vineyard of Naboth

    While Ahab seems to have been one of the most successful kings in the northern kingdom of Israel, he is depicted as a deeply flawed and evil character by the Bible’s narrative:

    Omri slept with his ancestors, and was buried in Samaria; his son Ahab succeeded him.
    In the thirty-eighth year of King Asa of Judah, Ahab son of Omri began to reign over Israel; Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD more than all who were before him.
    And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he took as his wife Jezebel daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him. He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. Ahab also made a sacred pole. Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than had all the kings of Israel who were before him. (1Kings 16:28-33 NRSV)

    This week’s story of the expropriation of a vineyard from its traditional owner, Naboth, represents Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, as self-serving tyrants with no regard for the covenant obligations of Israel.

    Further information about Ahab and the Omride dynasty is available at:

    Second Reading: The faith of Jesus saves

    The doctrine of justification by faith has been central to Christian theology, at least in the West, since the European Reformation.

    In popular thought this is usually expressed as being “saved through faith in Jesus Christ” and we find three such phrases in this week’s passage from Galatians:

    We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law. But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! But if I build up again the very things that I once tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing. (Gal 2:15-21 NRSV)

    The underlying Greek phrases can be translated as we see here in the NRSV, but it has also been observed that the more natural meaning in the original Greek is better expressed by phrases such as:

    • through the faith (faithfulness) of Jesus
    • justified by the faith (faithfulness) of Christ
    • by the faith (faithfulness) of the Son of God

    There is continuing debate about the best way to translate these terms, but it is clear that two very different emphases are involved. In the traditional translation since the Reformation, the emphasis falls on the faith (trust) which the Christian directs towards Jesus. In the alternative translation (which seems to reflect the meaning of the original Greek in its ancient context), the emphasis falls on the faith that Jesus practiced, or the faithfulness of Jesus, as the ground of salvation.

    (It is important to note in passing that the phrase “And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus” (v 16) is an entirely different concept. The Greek text is kai hemeis eis Christo Iesoun episteusamen – and the phrase is intended to describe the belief in Jesus that Paul and his readers share.)

    The case for the less familiar translation is strengthened when we notice that in Romans 4, where we find similar ideas and terms used by Paul, the salvation flowing to the Jews on the basis of Abraham’s faithfulness is contrasted with the faithfulness flowing to all people on the basis of Jesus’ faithfulness.

    Gospel: A slippery scene at Simon’s home

    There are four versions of this story in the NT:

    • They are available in a horizontal line synopsis at Lent 5C.

    Lüdemann comments on the Mark passage: “The historical yield of the tradition is nil. But it does reflect the closeness of Jesus to a probably notorious woman of Galilee (cf. on Luke 7:36-50).” [Jesus, 94]

    In his comments on the Lucan version, Lüdemann suggests that Luke knew the Mark story yet deviated from his usual practice of following Mark closely in the passion account in order to bring this story (in an amended form) to an earlier location in his Gospel. He notes the addition of explicit mention of the sinner status of the woman in vss 37 and 39 (and the forgiveness of her many sins in vss 47, 48, 49). He then concludes:

    If the story of the woman who was a sinner must be regarded as a mere development of Mark 14:3-9 it is unhistorical. But as the encounter of Jesus with a prostitute comes from the Lucan special tradition, this may be historical. For the contact of Jesus with shady people is a fact. The historicity of the encounter of Jesus with a prostitute is supported by the criterion of offensiveness. (p. 308)

    The judgement of the Jesus Seminar is summarised in The Five Gospels:

    This story has been recounted by all four narrative gospels. There are significant variations in the four versions, yet there is also remarkable agreement on the basic ingredients of the tale. The setting of all versions is a meal, or symposium, at which the owner of the house is present. A woman anoints Jesus during the meal (not before or after it) with a jar of perfume. Members of the party object to the woman’s action and Jesus defends her. The similarities in the setting and plot suggest that one incident or story lies behind all four versions. Yet because of the variations in other details, the Fellows of the Seminar decided that the original version of the incident is irretrievable.

    Gene Stecher’s poetic reflection on this episode explores the keyword, kalon (beautiful/good thing).

    Jesus Database

    Liturgies and Prayers

    For liturgies and sermons each week, shaped by a progressive theology, check Rex Hunt’s web site

    Other recommended sites include:

    Music Suggestions

    • Alleluia No 1
    • Amazing Grace – AHB 556
    • He is Lord
    • My song is love unknown – AHB 257
    • O worship the king, all-glorious above – AHB 67
    • Shout for joy
    • The Summons

    See David MacGregor’s Together to Celebrate site for recommendations from a variety of contemporary genre.

  • Motion 16

    At the next session of the Synod of the Diocese of Brisbane in a few weeks time, the following motion is listed for debate:

    That this Synod:

     a)    Acknowledges the request, in the book The Once and Future Scriptures, for dialogue concerning the approach to interpreting the Bible.

    b)    Encourages further reflection on the theological content of the book, in light of the statements of faith contained in the Book of Common Prayer (and AAPB and APBA), Fundamental Declarations and Ruling Principles of the Anglican Church of Australia.

    c)     Welcomes open and thoughtful dialogue, however, expresses concern that aspects of the book appear to contradict the teachings found in the Book of Common Prayer (and AAPB and APBA), Fundamental Declarations and Ruling Principles of the Anglican Church of Australia.

    d)    Reaffirms its commitment to the authority of Holy Scriptures as expressed in the Thirty-nine Articles, Fundamental Declarations and Ruling Principles of the Anglican Church of Australia.

    This blog addresses that motion more directly, and builds on more general comments that I published a week ago in response to published comments by my colleague, Ralph Bowles.

    The following comments originated as a Facebook post, but may be helpful re-posted in this way as people prepare for Synod.

    (1) Neither I nor any of the other contributors believe that the book is contrary to the formularies of the Anglican Church of Australia, although parts of the book will doubtless be viewed that way according to some interpretations of those formularies. I actually address that very point in the final section of chapter one, where I reflect on the way that the Bible is built into the formularies of our church.

    (2) As the Archbishop and Primate not only contributed a Foreword but also launched the book at the Cathedral, I assume he shares my assessment that the book is an exploration of the role of the Bible in the contemporary church (as per the sub-title), is not in breach of the formularies, and makes a serious contribution to a much-needed conversation about the Bible.

    (3) Several of the chapters in the book were presented as papers to the SFC Research Seminar series during 2012.

    (4) A study guide for the book is being prepared by the MEC, and will be available free of charge to any person or parish wishing to use the book for serious discussion.

    (5) The Synod motion builds on the unsuccessful attempt at last year’s Synod to have a theological inquiry into the beliefs of the people teaching at SFC. There is a clear “Sydney” agenda here, and we need to keep reminding all participants that Sydney Diocese and its “New Cranmer” surrogates are not representative of Evangelical Anglicanism.

    (6) The motion is unlikely to pass in its present form and will most likely be amended into a more acceptable form.

    (7) The best way to encourage dialogue and discussion is not by Synod motions, but by the deep engagement of people who hold different views with one another yet enter into serious conversation to discern what they can learn from the other person. 

    (8) I note that the BIBLE360 project is both a fruit of the kind of scholarship gathered up in the book under attack, as well as a fine example of cooperation and dialogue that goes beyond church factions, theological opinions, etc.

    (9) The really important question at the heart of all this is what kind of church we wish to be at this time and and in this place. The formularies fashioned for the most part in the 16C and 17C, or (in the case of the Constitution of our church) drafted in the 20C to preserve the earlier doctrinal positions are simply not capable of serving the church well in the third millennium. This is a uniquely Australian Anglican problem, rather than a global Anglican problem, as most other provinces have not tied themselves to the Articles and the BCP in the same way.

    (10) As a reformed catholic church, the Anglican Church of Australia needs to be able to reform and reshape its own life as the Spirit guides and in faithful conversation with Scripture. This surely means that the Bible can be read in ways that may not always conform to the religio-political compromises of the UK in the 16C and 17C? Otherwise we shall have domesticated the Bible and limited the truth of God revealed through the Scriptures to statements of faith that were already contested and provisional beliefs more than 300 years ago.

  • Study Leave—Week Eleven

    This has been the second last week of my period of study leave. It has been a time for drawing together some of the loose ends, and a time when the mind naturally begins to think about what lies just ahead when life returns to its ‘normal’ setting in a few weeks’ time.

    Sunday and Monday were spent at the coin department of Israel Antiquities Authority, as we worked through the last 50 or so coins concerning which there were unresolved questions. After carefully reviewing the annotations (in handwritten Hebrew) on the index cards during the previous few days, I was well prepared for the visit and we made great progress. There remains a lot of work to update the records, fill gaps, find missing information in the field records, etc. However, the critical elements—and those parts best done while in the country and with access to the physical coins—have been finished.

    Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were spent on the dig at Bethsaida, as we opened up a new square in Area T. Work in this area had begin only in 2012. We are seeking to find evidence for the presence of non-elite population at the site. After going down just 40cm  across the 5m x 5m square, we have already found a packed earth floor from the Mamluk period (ca 1300–1500 CE) and some domestic walls. We have lots of pottery shards and the occasional items in glass and iron. By the time we finish the season at the end of June we may well have found material from the Early Roman period as well.

    Friday has been spent at the house, leaving Area T in the hands of my colleagues while I attended to some key writing tasks as well as the growing pile of unanswered emails. My paper for the Biblical Characters in the Three Traditions seminar at the International SBL meeting in St Andrew’s, Scotland next month is now finished, and so is the Keynote presentation that I will use on the day. The current big task is to finish the Bethsaida Coin Report for the years 2001 to 2012, and then find a way to turn it into a presentation for the Bethsaida Seminar at St Andrew’s as well as a vaguely interesting chapter for a colleague’s Festschrift.

    I have also begun to pile up (and weigh) the books and other papers that have accumulated during my study leave. They will need to be posted back to Australia in the next week or so, as that extra 10 kg just cannot be added to my checked luggage!

    It is now just one more week before the Australian volunteers will arrive to join us for the dig, and then stay for a special one-week course at St George’s College in Jerusalem. Once that happens I shall have moved from sabbatical mode back into teaching mode. It will be good to see so many familiar faces from home here in this place that has become so special to me. At the same time, it will be hard to begin the process of saying good-bye to people here who are now such a special part of my life. Happily, I am coming back in November to serve as a speaker at the Sabeel conference in Jerusalem.

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