diff --git a/src/helma/framework/core/RequestEvaluator.java b/src/helma/framework/core/RequestEvaluator.java
index 8d872e98..ebe72deb 100644
--- a/src/helma/framework/core/RequestEvaluator.java
+++ b/src/helma/framework/core/RequestEvaluator.java
@@ -62,9 +62,12 @@ public final class RequestEvaluator implements Runnable {
     // the object on which to invoke a function, if specified
     private volatile Object thisObject;
 
-    // the method to be executed
+    // the function to be executed
     private volatile String functionName;
 
+    // the function or function name to be executed
+    private volatile Object function;
+
     // the session object associated with the current request
     private volatile Session session;
 
@@ -165,7 +168,7 @@ public final class RequestEvaluator implements Runnable {
                         // avoid going into transaction if called function doesn't exist.
                         // this only works for the (common) case that method is a plain
                         // method name, not an obj.method path
-                        if (reqtype == INTERNAL) {
+                        if (reqtype == INTERNAL && functionName != null) {
                             // if object is an instance of NodeHandle, get the node object itself.
                             if (thisObject instanceof NodeHandle) {
                                 thisObject = ((NodeHandle) thisObject).getNode(app.nmgr.safe);
@@ -482,12 +485,12 @@ public final class RequestEvaluator implements Runnable {
                                     // reset skin recursion detection counter
                                     skinDepth = 0;
 
-                                    if (!scriptingEngine.hasFunction(thisObject, functionName)) {
+                                    if (functionName != null && !scriptingEngine.hasFunction(thisObject, functionName)) {
                                         throw new FrameworkException(missingFunctionMessage(thisObject, functionName));
                                     }
 
                                     result = scriptingEngine.invoke(thisObject,
-                                            functionName,
+                                            function,
                                             args,
                                             ScriptingEngine.ARGS_WRAP_DEFAULT,
                                             true);
@@ -850,14 +853,14 @@ public final class RequestEvaluator implements Runnable {
      * Invoke a function internally and directly, using the thread we're running on.
      *
      * @param obj the object to invoke the function on
-     * @param functionName the name of the function to invoke
+     * @param function the function or name of the function to invoke
      * @param args the arguments
      * @return the result returned by the invocation
      * @throws Exception any exception thrown by the invocation
      */
-    public Object invokeDirectFunction(Object obj, String functionName, Object[] args)
+    public Object invokeDirectFunction(Object obj, Object function, Object[] args)
                                 throws Exception {
-        return scriptingEngine.invoke(obj, functionName, args,
+        return scriptingEngine.invoke(obj, function, args,
                 ScriptingEngine.ARGS_WRAP_DEFAULT, false);
     }
 
@@ -866,16 +869,16 @@ public final class RequestEvaluator implements Runnable {
      * and waits for it to finish.
      *
      * @param object the object to invoke the function on
-     * @param functionName the name of the function to invoke
+     * @param function the function or name of the function to invoke
      * @param args the arguments
      * @return the result returned by the invocation
      * @throws Exception any exception thrown by the invocation
      */
-    public synchronized Object invokeInternal(Object object, String functionName,
+    public synchronized Object invokeInternal(Object object, Object function,
                                               Object[] args)
                                        throws Exception {
         // give internal call more time (15 minutes) to complete
-        return invokeInternal(object, functionName, args, 60000L * 15);
+        return invokeInternal(object, function, args, 60000L * 15);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -883,22 +886,28 @@ public final class RequestEvaluator implements Runnable {
      * and waits for it to finish.
      *
      * @param object the object to invoke the function on
-     * @param functionName the name of the function to invoke
+     * @param function the function or name of the function to invoke
      * @param args the arguments
-     * @param timeout the time in milliseconds to wait for the function to return
+     * @param timeout the time in milliseconds to wait for the function to return, or
+     * -1 to wait indefinitely
      * @return the result returned by the invocation
      * @throws Exception any exception thrown by the invocation
      */
-    public synchronized Object invokeInternal(Object object, String functionName,
+    public synchronized Object invokeInternal(Object object, Object function,
                                               Object[] args, long timeout)
                                        throws Exception {
         initObjects(functionName, INTERNAL, RequestTrans.INTERNAL);
         thisObject = object;
-        this.functionName = functionName;
+        if (function instanceof String)
+            this.functionName = (String) function;
+        this.function = function;
         this.args = args;
 
         startTransactor();
-        wait(timeout);
+        if (timeout < 0)
+            wait();
+        else
+            wait(timeout);
 
         if (reqtype != NONE && stopTransactor()) {
             exception = new RuntimeException("Request timed out");
@@ -997,6 +1006,8 @@ public final class RequestEvaluator implements Runnable {
         res = null;
         req = null;
         session = null;
+        functionName = null;
+        function = null;
         args = null;
         result = null;
         exception = null;
diff --git a/src/helma/scripting/ScriptingEngine.java b/src/helma/scripting/ScriptingEngine.java
index 46cd5e98..6eb56e88 100644
--- a/src/helma/scripting/ScriptingEngine.java
+++ b/src/helma/scripting/ScriptingEngine.java
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ public interface ScriptingEngine {
      *
      * @param thisObject the object to invoke the function on, or null for
      *                   global functions
-     * @param functionName the name of the function to be invoked
+     * @param function the name of the function to be invoked
      * @param args array of argument objects
      * @param argsWrapMode indicated the way to process the arguments. Must be
      *                   one of <code>ARGS_WRAP_NONE</code>,
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ public interface ScriptingEngine {
      * @throws ScriptingException to indicate something went wrong
      *                   with the invocation
      */
-    public Object invoke(Object thisObject, String functionName,
+    public Object invoke(Object thisObject, Object function,
                          Object[] args, int argsWrapMode, boolean resolve)
             throws ScriptingException;
 
diff --git a/src/helma/scripting/rhino/RhinoEngine.java b/src/helma/scripting/rhino/RhinoEngine.java
index e9ba5eab..f59843c2 100644
--- a/src/helma/scripting/rhino/RhinoEngine.java
+++ b/src/helma/scripting/rhino/RhinoEngine.java
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ public class RhinoEngine implements ScriptingEngine {
      *
      * @param thisObject the object to invoke the function on, or null for
      *                   global functions
-     * @param functionName the name of the function to be invoked
+     * @param function the function or name of the function to be invoked
      * @param args array of argument objects
      * @param argsWrapMode indicated the way to process the arguments. Must be
      *                   one of <code>ARGS_WRAP_NONE</code>,
@@ -229,36 +229,48 @@ public class RhinoEngine implements ScriptingEngine {
      * @throws ScriptingException to indicate something went wrong
      *                   with the invocation
      */
-    public Object invoke(Object thisObject, String functionName, Object[] args,
+    public Object invoke(Object thisObject, Object function, Object[] args,
                          int argsWrapMode, boolean resolve) throws ScriptingException {
         try {
             Scriptable obj = thisObject == null ? global : Context.toObject(thisObject, global);
-            // if function name should be resolved interpret it as member expression,
-            // otherwise replace dots with underscores.
-            if (resolve) {
-                if (functionName.indexOf('.') > 0) {
-                    StringTokenizer st = new StringTokenizer(functionName, ".");
-                    for (int i=0; i<st.countTokens()-1; i++) {
-                        String propName = st.nextToken();
-                        Object propValue = ScriptableObject.getProperty(obj, propName);
-                        if (propValue instanceof Scriptable) {
-                            obj = (Scriptable) propValue;
-                        } else {
-                            throw new RuntimeException("Can't resolve function name " +
-                                    functionName + " in " + thisObject);
+            Function func;
+            if (function instanceof String) {
+                String funcName = (String) function;
+                // if function name should be resolved interpret it as member expression,
+                // otherwise replace dots with underscores.
+                if (resolve) {
+                    if (funcName.indexOf('.') > 0) {
+                        StringTokenizer st = new StringTokenizer(funcName, ".");
+                        for (int i=0; i<st.countTokens()-1; i++) {
+                            String propName = st.nextToken();
+                            Object propValue = ScriptableObject.getProperty(obj, propName);
+                            if (propValue instanceof Scriptable) {
+                                obj = (Scriptable) propValue;
+                            } else {
+                                throw new RuntimeException("Can't resolve function name " +
+                                        funcName + " in " + thisObject);
+                            }
                         }
+                        funcName = st.nextToken();
                     }
-                    functionName = st.nextToken();
+                } else {
+                    funcName = funcName.replace('.', '_');
                 }
-            } else {
-                functionName = functionName.replace('.', '_');
-            }
-            Object f = ScriptableObject.getProperty(obj, functionName);
+                Object funcvalue = ScriptableObject.getProperty(obj, funcName);
 
-            if (!(f instanceof Function)) {
-                return null;
+                if (!(funcvalue instanceof Function))
+                    return null;
+                func = (Function) funcvalue;
+
+            } else {
+                if (function instanceof Wrapper)
+                    function = ((Wrapper) function).unwrap();
+                if (!(function instanceof Function))
+                    throw new IllegalArgumentException("Not a function or function name: " + function);
+                func = (Function) function;
             }
 
+
             for (int i = 0; i < args.length; i++) {
                 switch (argsWrapMode) {
                     case ARGS_WRAP_DEFAULT:
@@ -275,7 +287,7 @@ public class RhinoEngine implements ScriptingEngine {
             }
 
             // use Context.call() in order to set the context's factory
-            Object retval = Context.call(core.contextFactory, (Function) f, global, obj, args);
+            Object retval = Context.call(core.contextFactory, func, global, obj, args);
 
             if (retval instanceof Wrapper) {
                 retval = ((Wrapper) retval).unwrap();