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Circumcising The Mouth Of Moses: The Idolatrous Status Of Yahweh's Mediator Among The Idols Of Ancient Mesopotamia, Amy L. Balogh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The thesis of this dissertation is that in the defining moment in which he is transformed from "uncircumcised of lips" to "god to Pharaoh" (Ex 6:28-7:1), Moses is best understood as Yahweh's idol, undergoing a status change akin to the induction ritual for ancient Mesopotamian idols, the Mīs Pȋ ("Washing/Purifying of the Mouth"). To make this point, I argue that Moses and idols be compared with respect to their status as mediator between divine and human realms. With their respective status changes, not only are idols and Moses transformed on an ontological level, but so are their relationships to their …

The Invitation-Structure And Discipleship In The Gospel Of Mark, Gareth L. Cockerill

The Journal of Inductive Biblical Studies

No abstract provided.

Patterns, Parallels, And Poetics In Genesis 1, W. Creighton Marlowe

The Journal of Inductive Biblical Studies

No abstract provided.

Genesis 3 As A Model For Understanding The Nature Of Sin And Salvation, Jiri Moskala Thd, Phd

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"In order to perceive the nature of sin clearly, it is necessary to freshly investigate what is sin and its consequences according to God’s revelation. This biblical-theological study is principally limited to Genesis chap. 3."

A Power Or Person: The Nature Of The Holy Spirit, Jo Ann Davidson

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"This paper surveys and reviews the broad Biblical testimony of one member of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit."

Psalm 73–Its Structure And Theology: I Delight In God’S Goodness In Spite Of Devastating Problems, Jiri Moskala Thd, Phd

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"Martin Buber explains why he is so attracted to this Psalm: “What is it that so draws me to this poem that is pieced together out of description, report and confession, and draws me ever more strongly the older I become? I think it is this, that here a person reports how he attained to the true sense of his life experience and that this sense touches directly on the eternal.”10 I am always touched by the deep wisdom of Psalm 73; it is no wonder that it is usually characterized as a wisdom Psalm even though it is not …

Methodology For Interpretation Of Daniel 11:2-12:3, Roy Gane

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

The present article does not attempt to lay out a full interpretation of Dan 11:2-12:3, which would require a book-length exposition. Rather, it suggests application of some methodological/hermeneutical guidelines relating to features of the text, with illustrative discussion to show how these guidelines can work, to hopefully facilitate constructive progress toward a greater degree of common understanding regarding this fascinating and increasingly relevant prophecy. The concern of the present author is to freely explore and follow indications of the biblical text itself, without regard for constraints of ideological “boxes” or political correctness that are foreign to the Bible.

A Change Of Heart: A Personal And Theological Memoir [Book Review] / Oden, Thomas C., Woodrow W. Whidden

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

No abstract provided.

Making Hermeneutics Do Its Job: Impact Of Interdisciplinary Factors On Interpreting The Bible, Petr Činčala

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

Justice, Cult, And Salvation In Isaiah 56-59: A Literary-Theological Study, Hudyard Y. Muskita

Dissertations

The main focus of this dissertation is the interconnection among the themes of justice, cult, and salvation in Isaiah 56-59. The investigation will analyze and explore the theological importance of these themes, which include questions such as, What are the descriptions of these themes in these chapters? How are they related to each other? As divine salvation is portrayed as moving back and forth from immanence to distance several times throughout this particular section of the book of Isaiah, what factors are responsible for this dynamic? What is the role of cult and social justice in this salvation? In what …

Culture, Worldview, Biblical Interpretation, And Mission, Gorden R. Doss

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

Theology On The Way: Hermeneutics From And For The Frontline, Wagner Kuhn, Andrew Tompkins

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

Spiritual Formation: Beyond Cognitive Belief - An Ethnographic Study Of Adult Sunday School In Baptistic Churches In Massachusetts, Laura J. Cassidy-Moffatt

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research project was designed to examine adult Sunday School in seven baptistic churches in Massachusetts. In interviewing pastors and surveying attendees, an ethnographic study was conducted to discern common practices and to highlight opportunities for growth in the midst of church decline. The researcher examined the biblical concepts of teaching and knowing. The researcher then conducted a literature review in the fields of the history of Sunday school, pedagogical best practices, and advances in cognitive neuroscience of learning. Through field research, the researcher identified five themes common to these Sunday school programs that have impacted the observed results of …

The Impact Of Imago Dei On Thinking About Portrait Photography, Neil Craigan

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem this project addressed was the relationship between the imago Dei and the work of photographers in the field of portrait photography. This created a strong vocational emphasis for the project in light of which the researcher explored the theological and biblical data on the imago Dei, examined the connection between being an image bearer and an image creator of the image bearer, discussed the nature of photography, developing a philosophy and broad understanding of the portrait and the value people attach to it. The field research was qualitative in its approach and professional photographers were interviewed regarding their …

Rewriting, Recapturing, Reenvisioning: Writing Assessment Revisited In The Hermeneutic Sphere, Judith Ann Fourzan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Dissertation explores the use of hermeneutics in reconsidering the role of writing assessment in composition. The traditional view of writing assessment is negative. In order to change this traditional view and enable composition faculty to utilize writing assessment and a valuable and necessary tool, a hermeneutic sphere offers the best framework upon which to recast writing assessment as part of composition and writing. A hermeneutic sphere is an interpretive methodology that allows for the investigation of any and all aspects of the subject at hand - in this case, writing assessment. The hermeneutic sphere works much like a heuristic …

Understanding African American Preaching: The Style, Culture, And Rationale For The Worship Experience And The Value For Education, Harry Zimmerman Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Preaching is an oratorical method for sharing the biblical text, which God uses to affect the lives of people for His glory. In the context of the African-American culture, preaching highlights differences between the rationales of the practical approaches of African-American and other styles of preaching. This project will examine fundamentals of African-American preaching as well as its dynamics while focusing on African-American traditions in a critical and creative manner. It will provide insights for training associate ministers at Faith United Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. The research utilizes a single method research approach, utilizing surveys of pastors and …

The Afterlife Views And The Use Of The Tanakh In Support Of The Resurrection Concept In The Literature Of Second Temple Period Judaism: The Apocrypha And The Pseudepigrapha, Jan A. Sigvartsen

Dissertations

The literature of Second Temple Period Judaism indicates there was an increased interest in and speculation about the fate of the righteous and the wicked following their physical death. This period saw the birth of multiple Jewish sects and also multiple views of the afterlife. This study will outline the numerous afterlife views and will analyse the resurrection passages appearing in the Apocrypha and the Pseudepigrapha to gain a comprehensive overview of the texts used from the TaNaKh in support of these various resurrection beliefs. This study also provides a better understanding of how the TaNaKh was read by differing …

The Background And Meaning Of The Image Of The Beast In Rev. 13:14, 15, Rebekah Yi Liu

Dissertations

Problem

This dissertation investigates the first century Greco-Roman cultural backgrounds and the literary context of the motif of the image of the beast in Rev 13:14, 15, in order to answer the problem of the author’s intended meaning of the image of the beast to his first century Greco-Roman readers.

Method

There are six steps necessary to accomplish the task of this dissertation. These steps are taken in the form of the exegetical studies which are done in six chapters, respectively. Following the introductory chapter, the second chapter is a brief history of the historical interpretations of the image of …

The Expansion Of Judah Under Uzziah Into Philistia: The Historical Credibility Of 2 Chronicles 26:6-7a In Light Of Archaeological Evidence, Jeffrey P. Hudon

Dissertations

The Problem

Since the eighteenth century, many biblical scholars and historians have seriously questioned the historical reliability of the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles for two important reasons. First, these books were clearly composed no earlier than the late sixth and most likely during the fifth century B.C. Consequently, the question arises as to whether the author, writing during the Persian Period, was able to access annalistic sources from the Iron Age II. Secondly, the author seems to display a strong theological tendentious view that often appears to influence his portrayal of the kings and people of Judah and …

Raising Ebenezer, Shannon Lee Bianco

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Raising Ebenezer is an antropoesia collection representing the adoption story of a Christian family and their children from Uganda, Africa. Through poetry, essay, short story, flash fiction, and non-traditional genres, Raising Ebenezer investigates the culture of international adoption, love, fear, faith, loss, corruption and redemption. It is a work of creative non-fiction.

New Testament Survey, Melissa Archer

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

A Theology Of Missional Leadership In The Book Of Revelation, Gyeongchun Choi

Dissertations

Problem

Leadership styles and the attendant behavior of mission practitioners and church administrators too often demonstrate leadership attitudes and practices that reflect cultural norms while violating biblical norms. There is both historical and contemporary evidence of a predictable migration from leadership as service to leadership as control—such as autocracy, coercion, self-ascendancy, and dominance. These problems are found in leadership practices primarily informed by cultural norms apart from God’s Word. These norms vary widely and may even be practiced within the faith community thus violating biblical principles. This reality creates an urgent need for the application of biblical principles that transcend …

Scribal Harmonization In Greek Manuscripts Of The Synoptic Gospels From The Second To The Fifth Century, Cambry Pardee

Dissertations

Harmonization in manuscripts of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) has been recognized as a textual phenomenon since at least the late second century. This dissertation constitutes the first major catalogue of assimilated readings and provides evidence for the nature of harmonization in the earliest period of the development of the text of the New Testament.

Harmonization occurs whenever a scribe copying a Gospel by hand introduces a textual variant that reflects the influence of parallel material from another Gospel or gospel tradition. The body of this dissertation is a text-critical analysis of every harmonizing variant in the forty-four …

Armageddon, Trevan Hatch, Cannon Hall

Faculty Publications

Armageddon tends to conjure thoughts of horrific battles and natural disasters, specifically in relation to the "end of the world." Numerous movies, books, and art have capitalized on the theme of Armageddon, enticing audiences with, for example, life-threatening asteroids and far-reaching alien invasions. The term is often used descriptively, conveying the idea of universal, cataclysmic destruction, such as "nuclear Armageddon." The word Armageddon originates from Revelation 16:16-its only appearance in the Hebrew Bible or New Testament-in reference to the location of the battle between God and the world, or between good and evil. It is generally understood that this battle …

La Teología De La Creación Según Martín Lutero En Sus Lecciones Sobre El Génesis, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

"In Luther’s lectures on the biblical creation account as found in Genesis 1:1 through 2:4, it was not so much the concept of “creation out of nothing,” but the idea of ultimate creation, preservation, and governance by God’s spoken word that formed the main emphasis. Thus, many of the themes touched on in these lectures center in Luther’s picture of God’s nature and character."

The “Spirit” That Returns To God In Ecclesiastes 12:7, Dana M. Pike

Faculty Publications

Influenced by the Restoration doctrine of premortality, some Latter-day Saints have employed the KJV translation “the spirit” in Ecclesiastes 12:7 to support the doctrine that spirit personages leave their mortal bodies at death. Furthermore, Latter-day Saints have sometimes asserted, again citing Ecclesiastes 12:7, that a premortal spirit being can only “return” to God because it previously came from him. This verse has thus become one of several in the Old Testament that some Latter-day Saints have employed as support for premortal existence, a doctrine that is so important in the broader plan of salvation.

Racial Integration In One Cumberland Presbyterian Congregation: Intentionality And Reflection In Small Group, Carolyn Smith Goings

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Negative attitudes toward racial minorities and consequent maltreatment of non-Whites continue to be a crisis in America. The crisis of racism is still realized in phenomena such as residential segregation (Bonilla-Silva, 2014), health disparities (Chae, Nuru-Jeter, & Adler, 2012; Chae, Nuru-Jeter, Francis, & Lincoln, 2011), and in the not-so-uncommon unjust arrests and imprisonment of persons of color (Alexander, 2012). Improvement in race relations through the development of meaningful cross racial relationships in racially integrated settings is one avenue that may lead to reduction of racism (E. Anderson, 2010; Fischer, 2011; Massey & Denton, 1993). Christian congregations are common settings in …

Gzella's "A Cultural History Of Aramaic" (Book Review), Gary R. Averill

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Vacario's "100 Illustrated Bible Verses: Inspiring Words. Beautiful Art" (Book Review), Cynorra Jackson

The Christian Librarian

A review of Vicario, J. (2015). 100 illustrated Bible verses: Inspiring words. Beautiful art. New York: Workman Publishing. 206 pp. ISBN 9780761185666

Jeffrey And Evans' "The Bible And The University" (Book Review), Armand T. Ternak

The Christian Librarian

A review of Jeffrey, D. L., & Evans, C. S. (Eds.) (2007). The Bible and the university. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. 328 pp. ISBN 9780310234180