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Framing God: Toward A Cognitive Account Of Religious Rhetoric, Adam Lewis

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

The thesis develops a theory of religion based on social cognition and rhetoric.

The Assumption Of All Humanity In Saint Hilary Of Poitiers' Tractatus Super Psalmos, Ellen Scully

Dissertations (1934 -)

In this dissertation, I focus on the soteriological understanding of the fourth-century theologian Hilary of Poitiers as manifested in his underappreciated Tractatus super Psalmos. Hilary offers an understanding of salvation in which Christ saves humanity by assuming every single person into his body in the incarnation. My dissertation contributes to scholarship on Hilary in two ways.

First, I demonstrate that Hilary's teaching concerning Christ's assumption of all humanity is a unique development of Latin sources. Because of his understanding of Christ's assumption of all humanity, Hilary, along with several Greek fathers, has been accused of heterodoxy resulting from Greek Platonic …

The Cultural Setting For Churches Today, Landon Brady Saunders

Landon Saunders Documents

Essay on the role of churches in view of the realities of the world.

Menorah Review (No. 74, Winter/Spring, 2011)

Menorah Review

A Novelist's View of Nineteenth Century Judaism -- An Evolutionary, Nonzero Approach to the Abrahamic Traditions -- Author's reflections -- Books in Brief: New and Notable -- Moreshet: From the Classics -- Post-Zionism... Post-Holocaust -- The Jewish Experience in 17th century Barbados -- Two Poems -- Zachor: From the Records of the Nuremberg Trials, 1945-6

A God Of Faithfulness : Essays In Honour Of J. Gordon Mcconville On His 60th Birthday, Jamie A. Grant, Alison Lo, Gordon J. Wenham

Seminary Faculty Publications

This is a Festschrift dedicated to J. Gordon McConville on the occasion of his 60th birthday. This Festschrift is published on the occasion of J. Gordon McConville's 60th birthday in recognition of the outstanding contribution that he has made to the field of Old Testament studies over the last 25 years. The collection incorporates 13 essays written by colleagues, friends and former research students along with an introduction and complete list of McConville's publications. The essays focus on Pentateuch, History, Prophets and Writings with each paper addressing key issues of interpretation of the biblical text. The breadth of subject matter …

Review Of Nature And Scripture In The Abrahamic Religions: Up To 1700, Jame Schaefer

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Advent Devotional Guide 2011, Belmont University

Advent Devotional Guides

No abstract provided.

Transforming The Religious Paradigm: A Study Of Female Opportunism And Empowerment Through Latin American Evangelicalism, Melissa Irvine

CMC Senior Theses

From a contemporary international perspective, there are two truly global religious movements of enormous vitality. One is a resurgent Islam, the other Pentecostal Protestantism. What makes the growth of Pentecostal Protestantism so fascinating is the fact that it’s transforming a region where the Catholic Church has for five centuries reigned supreme in its religious monopoly. While the first century of proselytizing in Latin America was relatively minute (constituting only 1 percent of the overall population in 1950), Pentecostalism began to show signs of its potential vitality in the 1960s and 1970s.2 Evangelical conversion became more pervasive in 1980s, and by …

Phenomenology As Eschatological Materialism, Neal Deroo

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

No abstract provided.

John Henry Newman, Center For Catholic Studies, Seton Hall University

Center for Catholic Studies Faculty Seminars and Core Curriculum Seminars

No abstract provided.

Foreword, From Holy Places And Pilgrimages: Essays On India, Robert H. Stoddard

Geography Program: Faculty Publications

This collection of twelve articles continues a long and rich body of information about pilgrimages. Written materials in the form of pamphlets, guidebooks, manuals, itineraries, and treatises about pilgrimages date from antiquity (see, e.g. the discussion in this volume by Rana Singh about ancient epics, pp. 15-20). Travelling to places regarded by worshippers as having extraordinary spiritual power is a phenomenon permeating all religious traditions so it is logical that it appears in various literary forms.

Ezekiel 5:5-17 And Theodicy: A Theological Investigation Of The Character Of God, Paul Onyango Wahonya

Dissertations

The question of the character of God has been an issue of contention among many biblical scholars, particularly when considering the severe punitive actions that he unleashes upon humanity from time to time. This contention makes it imperative to reexamine the biblical corpus to ascertain its portrayal of YHWH's character in the light of his harsh and severe judgments.

The exegetical examination of Ezek 5:5-17 in the context of Ezek 1-24 has revealed that YHWH is a God who upholds the terms of the covenant. When his people breach the covenant stipulations, as the Israelites did, he takes appropriate disciplinary …

The Role Of The Black Catholic Theologian And Scholar In Today’S Context, M. Shawn Copeland

Journal of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium

Based on her keynote address delivered during the 2009 Annual Meeting at Atlanta University’s Lyke Center, Copeland takes a look back at the nearly forty-year history of black theological scholarship, reminding us of the intimate link between culture, history, and the ongoing and critical need for a theology that is authentic and responsive to the needs of the poor and marginalized. She reminds us of the urgency for the pursuit of truth and freedom, especially for black scholars and theologians. However, the quest for authenticity comes with a price.

Cyprian Davis’S Contributions To The Study Of African American Catholic History: Articles In The U.S. Catholic Historian, Christopher J. Kauffman

Journal of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium

In celebration of Father Cyprian Davis’s eightieth birthday, the BCTS invited his friend and fellow historian, Dr. Christopher Kauffman to reflect on the meaning of Father Cyprian’s articles published in the U.S. Catholic Historian from 1986 to 2006. Dr. Kauffman pays special attention to the relationship of these articles to Father Cyprian’s 1990 study The History of Black Catholics in the United States, to his inspirational writings, and to his ongoing research and writing of Black Catholic history.

Thea Bowman: The Courage To Keep On Keeping On!, Maurice J. Nutt C.Ss.R.

Journal of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium

The year 2010 marks another anniversary, this one more somber than the others. Sister Thea Bowman, F.S.P.A., Ph.D., after a great deal of suffering, finally lost her battle to cancer in 1990. Her zest for living, her profound spirituality, and her joy marked all those who had the honor of knowing her. Here are two reflections on her life and influence, the first by Cyprian Davis, O.S.B. who worked with Sr. Thea at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies, and the second by one of her former students, Maurice Nutt, C.Ss. R., D.Min.

Review — M. Shawn Copeland, Enfleshing Freedom: Body, Race, And Being, Kimberly Flint-Hamilton

Journal of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Daniel M. Bell, Jr., Just War As Christian Discipleship: Recentering The Tradition In The Church Rather Than The State, Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

From his conversations in church settings and classrooms, Daniel M. Bell, Jr. has observed that Christians by and large do not know the church’s just war tradition very well, but that they are receptive to learning about it. Most theologians would likely agree that they know a number of Christians who are hungry to see better thinking and more effective action in response to war in our time. Bell, a Lutheran seminary professor and ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, wrote this book to interpret ‘the just war tradition in terms of concrete practices that might contribute to the …

The (Re)Turn To The Person In Contemporary Theory-A Review Essay, James K.A. Smith

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Tibetan Tantric Buddhism: Envisioning Death, Kathryn Coster

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As the saying goes: ‘out of sight, out of mind,’ death is something easily forgotten when not staring you in the face. Our imagination is a significant aspect to our personality and perspective, but how important is imagination to our spiritual lives? Tantric Buddhism upholds the belief that the sum of all life and its process encompasses four stages: life, dying & death, the intermediate, and rebirth. In each of these stages, our perceptions and imaginings directly affect our actions and behavior, whether in following dharma or choosing a realm in rebirth. To start from the beginning, death is a …

Visionary Ascents Of Moses In Pseudo-Philo's Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum: Apocalyptic Motifs And The Growth Of Visionary Moses Tradition, Kristine Johnson Ruffatto

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation explores the development of visionary Moses tradition from its origins in the Hebrew Bible through pro-Mosaic Second Temple literature and rabbinic texts. It demonstrates that throughout this variegated literature, there is a developing tendency to portray Moses as an apocalyptic seer. In the non-biblical Mosaic texts that were analyzed, Moses' revelation on Sinai and Nebo is increasingly invested with esoteric content, and Moses' ascents are often depicted as heavenly journeys. These revelatory developments have conceptual roots in alternative visionary traditions, notably Enochic lore. The texts investigated contain a discernible thread of dialogue with Enochic revelatory claims; Moses' ascents …

Isaac Of Stella, The Cistercians And The Thomas Becket Controversy: A Bibliographical And Contextual Study, Travis D. Stolz

Dissertations (1934 -)

Isaac of Stella (ca. 1100-ca. 1169), an English-born Cistercian and abbot, has been dwarfed by Bernard of Clairvaux and other of his twelfth-century Cistercian contemporaries in terms of literary output and influence, giving him a reputation as an elusive and marginal figure. Isaac's 55 sermons and two treatises are modest compared to the productivity of other monastic writers and his position as the abbot of an obscure monastery in western France has not helped to raise his visibility among the luminaries of the twelfth century. He is remembered as a mysterious and often tragic figure in the annals of history. …

Wilderness Beauty: A Means To Resolve Volitional Doubt, Brian T. Scalise

Liberty Theological Review

Doubt is often part of Christian spiritual life. Matured doubt will influence the will (the volition) so as to keep the Christian doubter from acting like a Christian or even desiring the Christian life. This essay seeks to construct a theory designed to engage and help resolve volitional doubt by use of wilderness beauty. This theory incorporates three areas of study—Land and Leisure Management, Abraham Maslow’s metamotivation theory, and Jonathan Edwards' aesthetic theology—to demonstrate the uniqueness and usefulness of wilderness beauty for resolving volitional doubt. Subsequent to the construction of the theory, practical suggestions for its application are given.

Alessandro Valignano And The Restructuring Of The Jesuit Mission In Japan, 1579-1582, Jack B. Hoey Iii

Liberty Theological Review

When Alessandro Valignano arrived in Japan in 1579, the Society of Jesus had been working in the country for thirty years. However, despite impressive numbers and considerable influence with the feudal lords, the mission was struggling. The few Jesuit workers were exhausted and growing increasingly frustrated by the leadership of Francisco Cabral, who refused to cater to Japanese sensibilities or respect the Japanese people. When Valignano arrived, he saw the harm Cabral was doing and forcibly changed the direction of the mission, pursuing policies of Jesuit accommodation to Japanese culture and respect for the Japanese converts who were training to …

Watchmen And Mimetic Theory: Are We Ready For Rorschach?, Vanessa Avery

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Captive on a flight across the Atlantic, I viewed the movie Watchmen, which is an adaptation from the graphic novel by Alan Moore. Watchmen, in short, is the story of a band of “dark” superheroes who, despite good intentions, succumb to violence and fail in their yearnings for justice. To my delight and surprise, Watchmen is also an undeniable illustration of Girard’s mimetic theory, and a philosophical exploration of possible responses to a culture trapped in a destructive mimetic cycle. In a climactic scene, Moore’s character Rorschach speaks a stunningly fundamental Girardian truth: “God doesn’t make the world …

Book Review: The Missional Church And Leadership Formation: Helping Congregations Develop Leadership Capacity By Craig Van G Elder, Ed., Scott D. Edgar

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Review Of Arietta Papaconstantinou And Alice-Mary Talbot, Ed., Becoming Byzantine: Children And Childhood In Byzantium, Caroline T. Schroeder

College of the Pacific Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Analysis Between A Preacher's Practice And Homiletic Theory, Curtis Castillow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This qualitative research compared the practice of an expert preacher to core concepts in homiletic theory (the art and craft of preaching), searching for discrepancies between what theory suggested and what the preacher practiced. It also sought to validate that the preacher practiced what homiletic theorists prescribed and to inform homiletic theory by describing strategies he employed unlike those espoused in homiletic theory.

To discover whether the participant's practice was congruent with theory, I first identified seminal theories. They were classified into the following modified version of Broadus's categories of ideal preaching: (a) content, (b) arrangement, (c) introduction,transition, and conclusion, …

The Ascension Of Yahweh: The Origins And Development Of Israelite Monotheism From The Afrasan To Josiah, Andrew Halladay

Pomona Senior Theses

INTRODUCTION: THE SEARCH FOR THE GOD OF ABRAHAM TEXT AND HISTORY: THE FORMATION OF THE ABRAHAMIC DEITY Recent years have seen substantial changes in the study of ancient Israelite religion. These changes have created ample work for scholars of religious studies and related fields as virtually all disciplines have something to say about recent archaeological and scholarly developments concerning Yahwism and its early development. In this scholarly milieu, it is difficult to present anything that is wholly new, but certainly possible to enter a spirited discourse about ancient questions. To discuss the origins and evolution of the Abrahamic deity—as I …

The Noetic Paschal Anthropos: Genesis 1:27 And The Theology Of The Divine Image In Early Paschal Literature, Dragos Andrei Giulea

Dissertations (1934 -)

This study examines the theme of the heavenly Anthropos in the earliest extant paschal writings: Melito's Peri Pascha, Origen's Peri Pascha, and Pseudo-Hippolytus's In sanctum Pascha. Instead of analyzing these materials through the prism of such classical images as sacrifice and divine Lamb, the study investigates them through the perspective of the categories of heavenly Man and divine Image. The particular method of the study will be tradition criticism and will envision the paschal tradition of the heavenly luminous Anthropos as a development of the theophanic traditions of the Jewish Second Temple. Echoing such ancient passages as Genesis 1:27, Ezekiel …

The Body As Symbol: Bringing Together Theories Of Sex/Gender And Race For Theological Discourse, Patricia Lewis

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation focuses on race and sex/gender as critical theological topics that are not being adequately addressed in most theological discourse. This project presents a tool to establish better theological discourse about the body that takes the specifities of race and sex/gender into consideration and brings them together in theological anthropology.