Orthodox Christian Reception of the Pauline Teaching on Dikaiosynē: Chrysostom,in Conversation with Calvin,on Romans 1–3

In the light of common preconceptions regarding polarized approaches to atonement in Eastern and Western Christianity, this article mainly looks to John Chrysostom's readings of Romans 1–3 for clarity on the Pauline themes of justice, righteousness and justification, putting these alongside the exegesis of a representative Reformer, John Calvin. The ancient theologian of the East gives full attention to the apostle's picturesque metaphors for atonement, including a robust but balanced treatment Paul's forensic language; Calvin is clearly appreciative of the judicial language, but also places it within a larger context (though not identically to Chrysostom). Chrysostom's approach to atonement is showcased also in his neglected sermon on the Ascension of Christ, where forensic language jostles with pictures of reconciliation, sacrifice, mediation and Christus Victor. The article makes a plea that scholars from both East and West read such representative theologians (along with the New Testament itself) with care, not exaggerating their differences. It is noteworthy, for example, that both Chrysostom and Calvin depict salvation as anticipating far more than bare acquittal before God. Chrysostom in particular uses the language of righteousness and justification to speak of a hope for glory, or, to use the Eastern terminology, theōsis. Such sober and anti‐reactionary examination is essential in both academic and ecumenical discussion, and may also help in arbitrating between insights of the so‐called ‘Old’ and ‘New Perspectives’ in Paul.     

Ensemble perception of size in 4–5‐year‐old children

Groups of objects are nearly everywhere we look. Adults can perceive and understand the ‘gist’ of multiple objects at once, engaging ensemble‐coding mechanisms that summarize a group's overall appearance. Are these group‐perception mechanisms in place early in childhood? Here, we provide the first evidence that 4–5‐year‐old children use ensemble coding to perceive the average size of a group of objects. Children viewed a pair of trees, with each containing a group of differently sized oranges. We found that, in order to determine which tree had the larger oranges overall, children integrated the sizes of multiple oranges into ensemble representations. This pooling occurred rapidly, and it occurred despite conflicting information from numerosity, continuous extent, density, and contrast. An ideal observer analysis showed that although children's integration mechanisms are sensitive, they are not yet as efficient as adults’. Overall, our results provide a new insight into the way children see and understand the environment, and they illustrate the fundamental nature of ensemble coding in visual perception.