Christianity Commons^™

The Syrian Church In India, A. John George

Graduate Thesis Collection

This thesis is specially concerned with the section of the Church now called Mar Thoma Syrian Church; it has therefore to leave out of consideration the various groups which live apart from that section, once the occasions of separation have been noticed. Thus we shall see that the Syrian Church has a loose-knit unity until 1653; for the last fifty years that period under Roman Control. Then about half of the Christians became Jacobite in allegiance. The work of the Christian Missionary Society, missionaries in the nineteenth century, led the coversion of a few families to the Anglican faith and …

Apostolos In The New Testament, James Maynard Bragg

Graduate Thesis Collection

In this study we will attempt to discover the background of [apostolos] among its pagan ancestors. In addition to this area, we will also be concerned with the Jewish background which exerted a formative influence on the meaning of the word. Finally, an attempt will be made to see the result of this combination of backgrounds as it came to be reflected in the New Testament.

The Early Church Reflected In The Gospel According To Matthew, Jack L. Barnes

Graduate Thesis Collection

There seems to be, among other things, a vivid reflection of church life in the Gospel According to Matthew. It is my purpose to point out the outstanding characteristics of the Gospel of Matthew and in so doing present what appears to me to be a definite portrait of an early church. As the environment seems to become clear in what we read, the church takes form and we can see many interesting aspects of it.

A Comparative Study Of Eucharistic Teachings Of The Didache With Canonical, Early Christian, And Non-Christian Literature, Joseph Richard Bennett

Graduate Thesis Collection

In this study it is not the author's aim to attempt to cover the field pertaining to the origin and development of the Eucharist. A vast number of competent works have been vrritten on the subject, but the primary purpose here is to examine the Eucharistic teachings of the Didache in the light of Canonical, early Christian, and non-Christian literature, in an effort to determine if the Didache presents the Eucharist (or Lord's Supper) in its original form as practiced in the primitive Christian Church of the first century. Further, we propose to show how the simplicity of the act …

A Study Of The Trinity In The Cappadocian Fathers, George W. Buck

Graduate Thesis Collection

The object in writing this thesis has been to pursue the theological development of the doctrine of the trinity in the Church of the early centuries through the writings of the Church fathers. It is a continuation of a former study, A New Testament Study of Trinity, a thesis submitted for the Bachelor of Divinity degree, which was received in July, 1952. This entire study has been an attempt to soak the self in the patristic writings and to arrive at a first-hand conception of the classical doctrine of the trinity, which we believe, is a creation of the fourth …

A Survey Of Some Recent Writing On The Problem Of The New Testament Kergyma, Gene M. Carrell

Graduate Thesis Collection

Until recently, very little had been written directly on the problem of the New Testament kergyma. Works designed solely for the purpose of setting forth the nature of the message of the primitive preaching of the church, and the forms of the preaching of the primitive message of the church, were woefully lacking. However, in recent years there has been a return to a discussion of this problem. This thesis seeks to provide a survey of some of the literature of this recent investigation of the kergyma of the New Testament.

A Semantic Study Of Ecclesia Before 100 A.D., Harold Edwin Cline

Graduate Thesis Collection

In studying the background and origin of meaning for this word [ecclesia], this paper will seek to investigate the pagan, the Jewish, and the Christian literature in this order. Of couse, as the preliminary discussion has so far indicated, the primary weight and burden of study will be upond the Septugintal influence. The three stages to be developed are reminiscent of the comment of R.C. Trench in his opening comments concerning ecclesia. He named them as heathen, Jewish, and Christian. The development of these stages will be united and brought together to make some pertinent conclusions in the final chapter …

Some Problems Of First Peter, Robert E. Boyette

Graduate Thesis Collection

This study is an introduction I to some of the problems found in First Peter. The first chapter will be devoted to the presentation of the traditional view of authorship. Does the epistle come to us with the authority of the chief of the apostles? Tradition says yes. The second chapter questions the traditional view. Some scholars have questioned or rejected the verdict of tradition. In the third chapter the problem of the spirits in prison will be considered. Scholars disagree relative to this interpretation. What is meant by preaching to the spirits in prison? Who are these spirits? What …

"Ecclesia" According To Saint Paul, Ralph G. Bealer

Graduate Thesis Collection

Several years ago the writer became interested in a study of the New Testament concept of the church. Since the major part of the New Testament collection dealing with this concept is made up of the writings of the apostle Paul he felt that the study should begin with these writings. In making a preliminary study it was found that the apostle's concept would be too extensive and too inclusive to incorporate in its entirety within the scope of a thesis written as partial requirement for the Master of Arts Degree. Consequenty this work is limited, being primarily foundational.

In …

A Critical Study Of The Colossian Epistle, Vernon Bowers

Graduate Thesis Collection

Among the twenty-seven books in the New Testament canon, there is an epistle addressed to the church which met at Golossae. This epistle isn't very large; in fact it barely consumes four or five pages in the entire Bible. Yet it is important; for with it there is left to the Christian world a remnant of history, both of the life of the church and of the life of her greatest apostle, which it would not have otherwise possessed. A great number of Christian communications which, if they would have been preserved, would have yielded many times over the information …

The Influence Of The Hebrew-Jewish Wisdom Literature Upon The Gospels, Robert Allen Byerly

Graduate Thesis Collection

It is my deep conviction that the Gospel takes on new meaning as we see its message in the light of its historical background. In this instance we are interested in the influence which the Wisdom Literature exerted upon the Gospel records.

The Relevance Of The Ecumenical Movement Of The New Testament Church, Robert E. Black

Graduate Thesis Collection

In this dissertation we are not only converned in studying the development of the ecumenical movement, but our attention will also be focused upon this question, "In what particulars in the ecumenical movement relevant to the New Testament Church?" Our first concern will be to give an account of this movement noting personnel, places, conferences, emphases, etc. Then we shall compare and contrast the ecumenical movement with the organism called the church, the earliest record of which is in the New Testament.

The Contribution Of Peter Ainslie To The Ecumenical Movement, John Weeden Douglas

Graduate Thesis Collection

A survey of the life of Dr. Peter Ainslie, a prominent leader of the Disciples of Christ, and his gradual movement away from denominational Christianity and his increasing prominence in the ecumenical movement and ultimately,his position of advocating for nondenominational Christianity.