Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Sower, The Story & Kingdom Space In The Gospel Of Mark, Susan Lankowski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The kingdom of God is an ambiguous term that Jesus does not explicitly define. Traditional scholarship has explained the kingdom in terms of its social, cultural and time aspects. Recent scholarship is examining the spatiality of the kingdom of God to uncover its characteristics as a “space.” Spatiality seeks to understand how humans interact with space. Space captures the experience of human life and activity and stories, and storytelling reveal that experience. It is at the intersection of space and storytelling that this project examines the kingdom of God. The Gospel of Mark is a story that grew from an …

Children's Bible Story Books In A Protestant Church Context, Louise Gilmour

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This work is an examination of children's bible story books, as found in eighteen Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and United churches in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. It briefly outlines the place of these books in the churches and closely examines a selection of the most frequently appearing and/or important children's bibles found. The thesis of this work is that these books are pulled, to varying degrees, between being "children's" and being "Bible" and that the "Bible" aspect of the books has been underappreciated in discussions of the books to date. 1149 individual children's bible story book titles were catalogued by both their …

Heracleon: Fragments Of Early Valentinian Exegesis. Text, Translation, And Commentary, Timothy James Pettipiece

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis offers an in-depth study of Heracleon, an early Christian writer from the second century CE, who wrote the earliest known commentary on the Gospel of John. The text of this ancient commentary, written in Greek from the perspective of Valentinian theology, is known only from fragmentary citations made from it by Origen in his own later commentary on the same gospel. Although long-known as a representative of the Valentinian schools, Heracleon has often been neglected due to scholarly preoccupations with his teacher, Valentinus, as well as an ever-increasing emphasis on the Valentinian writings found within the Nag Hammadi …

Situating 2 Timothy In Early Christian History, Mona Joy Lafosse

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The New Testament letter of 2 Timothy has generally been studied in the context of two other letters, 1 Timothy and Titus. These three letters, known as the Pastoral Epistles, each purports to be written by Paul. Though some scholars defend this notion, the majority of critical scholars argue they were not written by Paul, but by someone in the early second century. For these scholars, a later date better explains several aspects of these letters that make Pauline authorship difficult to explain. One crucial aspect is that the language, particularly the vocabulary and style of the Pastoral Epistles, is …

Is Tolerance Enough? One Christian's Perspective, Mario Daniel Sassi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Tolerance is an ever-evolving discussion growing in complexity and importance. This paper will approach the topic from a personal perspective and a Christian bias. We begin with tolerance as seen in retrospect through the eyes of a boy growing up in a town where people of many different cultures lived and worked together. Many things came out of that experience including rudimentary working definition of tolerance and how it affected life in that small town. Tolerance is made up of certain characteristics and these either add or detract from the quality of life, it can make life more bearable in …

A Homiletical Hermeneutic For The Re-Writing Of Hymn Texts, J. Daniel Gibson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is concemed that with the growing practice of hymn-text revision, a lack of consistency and quality is evident in some alterations which do not have the benefit of clear criteria and guidelines for such revision. This is of particular interest to preachers and pastors because of the significant relationship between preaching and hymn singing which have complemented and supported each other in the proclamation of the gospel. Sixteen issues or concerns about language usage and imagery are identified. Each of these issues is explained and examples are given to illustrate why individuals and faith groups today may have …

'Speech Unhindered': A Study Of Irony In The Acts Of The Apostles, Alexander Lorne Damm

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis explores Classical irony in the Acts of the Apostles. Recent studies of irony in Luke-Acts do not focus much on the Classical concept, developing their argument rather on more recent understandings. Although building on this literature, this thesis is grounded in a Classical understanding of irony, applies this to Acts, and reflects on its significance for Luke-Acts as a whole. While contemporary writers often tend to understand irony as “incongruity between expectation and reality,” first century CE Greek speakers saw irony or eironeia as a person’s behaviour, specifically as “pretension” or posturing. This behaviour, always calculated, conveys a …

The Gospel Of Denys: The Central Character In 'Jesus De Montreal' (Denys Arcand, Québec), Laurence William Broadhurst

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Denys Arcand's 1989 film, Jesus de Montreal, retells the story of the New Testament Jesus in an imaginative fashion. Arcand uses a historical Jesus in a passion play to present the outline of his Jesus character and completes the portrait with the presentation of the modern actor, Daniel, playing the part. Together, these two components depict Arcand's version of Jesus. After explaining the scholars' treatments of the character of the New Testament Jesuses, I turned my attention to this central character, attempting to understand who and what Arcand's Jesus is. At the same time, I searched for the biblical sources …

The Person Of Paul: A Study In The Apostle's Ethical Appeal, John W. Marshall

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Understanding Paul’s ethos is essential to understanding the persuasive power of Paul’s writing. This thesis uses Paul’s letter to the Philippians as a test case for the study of Paul’s appeal through ethos. The guiding body of theory for the study (Chapter 2) is classic rhetoric, especially as developed by Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian, and the Rhetorica ad Herrenium. The results of this chapter are a working definition of ethos for the purposes of study, and an understanding of the relationship of ethos to the deliberative genus. Chapter 3 provides an introduction to the basic questions which affect any detailed study …

'The Book Of Mutual Love' Of Adam Of Perseigne: A Translation With A Revised Critical Edition And Commentaries (France), Bryan Trussler

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The thesis, a translation of The Book of Mutual Love by the Cistercian Adam of Perseign (abbot 1188-1221), is based on the edition by Gaetano Raciti, but presents a revised form of that edition and includes both notes on the revisions and a commentary on the translation. It is supplemented with a full bibliography of known studies on Adam and an index of Scriptural citations. The introduction puts the treatise into its historical context, with a biography of Adam—the first in English—and a full explication of the structures of the treatise. Adam composed The Book of Mutual Love at the …

Hearing The Voices Of The Good News, George Edward Mayer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The intent of this thesis is to demonstrate that the art of biblical storytelling is a means to effect a fresh hearing of the gospel. The thesis will be established in four ways: 1. By reporting the personal history of the author with biblical storytelling in a contemporary parish. 2. By examining the need for a fresh hearing in the way biblical storytelling relates to contemporary hermeneutics and homiletics. 3. By creating a homiletical process including biblical storytelling, congregational discussion, sermon, and sermon feedback. 4. By reporting and analyzing the results of the storytelling/homiletical process over a six week period …

Purity And Power: A Rhetorical Study Of The Ideology Of Purity And Defilement In The Book Of Ezekiel, Armin Siedlecki

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

No abstract provided.

Jerome's Commentary On Jonah: Translation With Introduction And Critical Notes, Timothy Michael Hegedus

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis presents the exegetical practice of the Biblical scholar Eusebius Hieronymus, better known as Jerome (c. 331-420), as exhibited in his commentary on the book of Jonah. Through a translation of this work for English-language readers and an introductory chapter, the thesis offers a case study of Jerome’s hermeneutical approach as it may be observed in his interpretation of a specific Biblical text. Jerome composed his Commentary on Jonah at a critical point in his career as a Biblical scholar and interpreter. It was the first Biblical commentary Jerome wrote after he professed to have repudiated his allegiance to …

Socialization Or Hermeneutics? The Fundamental Cause Of Conflict Over Sexual Morals In The United Church Of Canada, Derek Albert Parry

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

There is conflict in the United Church of Canada over whether to approve of homosexual sexual activity and to ordain people who engage in homosexual sex. Official and unofficial organizations within the church, seeking to reduce the conflict and resolve the issue have stated that differences in Biblical hermeneutics is the underlying problem. This paper seeks to show that differences in socialization is the fundamental group of the differences in the United Church over homosexuality. The thesis is supported by four arguments. First, by deriving arguments both for and against the approving of homosexual sex on the basis of the …

The Hermeneutics Of Lonergan And Gadamer: A Comparison (Bernard Lonergan, Hans-Georg Gadamer), Terry Graham

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis treats the hermeneutical theories of the Canadian Jesuit philosopher Bernard Lonergan and the German Protestant thinker Hans-George Gadamer. It begins by determining the extent of the possible influence of the latter’s work upon the former’s theory of interpretation as outlined in his Methods in Theology. Beginning with an analysis of Lonergan’s cognitive theory and his developing theory of interpretation (Chapter One), it continues with a discussion of the position put forward by Gadamer in his Truth and Method (Chapter Two). For both of these men, hermeneutics goes far beyond the interpretation of specific texts. There are four areas …

Didymus The Blind On 1 Corinthians 15, Alice Thompson Croft

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis presents fourth century Alexandrian theologian and biblical commentator, Didymus the Blind (ca. 313-398), to English-language readers through a translation and study of his writing on 1 Corinthians 15. (This writing constitutes the bulk of what survives of Didymus’ 1 Corinthians commentary; some remarks on chapter 16 are also extant.) The translation represents the first appearance in English of any of Didymus’ works. After a brief introduction to Didymus, the translation of his 1 Corinthians 15 commentary is given in full. Then this text is studied by sections each following the format of (1) Greek text (copied from Karl …

The Significance Of Female Imagery In The Book Of Proverbs Wisdom And Wife Compared, Anna Doris Piskorowski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is an examination of parallel female imagery found in the Book of Proverbs, specifically that of Wisdom personified (Chapters 1-9) and the ideal wife (31:10-31). A discussion of their common traits is based on criteria taken directly from the literary text. A brief discourse introduces the reader to the problematic dating of the poetic forms in Proverbs. The main body of the thesis details the various categories of comparison: direct literal parallels, literal and thematic parallels, thematic parallels and differences. The primary aim of this study is to determine the importance of these many points of comparison, to …

The Samaria Region During The Israelite Period: An Urban Study, Olaf Johannes Bogh Poulsen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

From the Biblical accounts relating the activities of prophets such as Elijah, Elisha, Amos and Hosea, it has long been known that the period after the death of Solomon (ca. 922 B.C.) was one of the great political, social, economic and ideational upheaval in Palestine. This situation was especially true within the Northern Kingdom of Israel. In conjunction with an following the accession of the Omride dynasty (ca. 876-842/841 B.C.), a number of phenomena occurred which caused a profound transformation of the situation that existed there. The first of these involved the consolidation of the royal power base so that …

Hosea's Contribution To Israel's Covenant Thought, Byron L. Wheaton

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Hosea’s Contribution to Israel’s Covenant Thought is an exploration of the unique contribution that Hosea made to the development of Israel’s covenant understanding. The study begins by surveying the meaning and development of covenant thought in the Old Testament with particular reference to the “gracious” and “conditional” divisions. It then examines Hosea’s understanding of covenant based upon the concepts of emet, hesed, and da ‘at Elohim concluding that Hosea perceived covenant as a relationship of steadfast love. This relationship originates in the incomprehensible love of God and is central to Hosea’s whole message. Hosea’s use of the marriage image to …

The Rib In The Book Of Job, John Maclaren Evans

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study shows that the Book of Job can be understood as the record of a rib between Job and Yahweh, which involves ultimately the issue of the relationship of man and God. A definition of the term rib is first established by reviewing its occurrences in the other books of the Old Testament. Although it includes a wide range of contention, the term signifies essentially a legal complaint initiated by an aggrieved party, convinced of the rectitude of his position, against the party whom he holds responsible for the grievance. Ribs occur in both non-secular and secular contexts, the …

Suspicious-Disclosure And The Dialectic Of Self-Appropriation In Paul Ricoeur's Hermeneutics, Blaine Allen Barclay

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The following thesis consists of six chapters which serve as an interpretive key to Ricoeur’s hermeneutical thinking. Chapter one consists of a map of the opacity of reflection, elaborates on the relationship of desire to reflection and traces out the different methodological routes that Ricoeur takes toward uncovering the structures of this relationship and the task of becoming a self. Chapter two outlines the problem of the illusions of immediate consciousness. Chapter three is a sketch of a fourfold problem of the symbol and includes some remarks on the role and rule of metaphor in Ricoeur’s later thinking. Chapter four …

Anti-Judaism In The Gospel Of St. Matthew, Linda Joanne Lubin

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The book of St. Matthew has long been regarded as one of the most interesting and perhaps illuminating gospels of the New Testament. Its place at the head of the canon symbolizes the regard in which it was held by the ancient Church. The Church attempted to give special authority to the most important of its gospels by ascribing it to a disciple and eyewitness. Hence, it has come down to us as the primary synoptic gospel.

My particular interest in St. Matthew centres on a major issue in Matthean studies: is Matthew a Jewish-Christian or a Gentile-Christian gospel? Of …

A Relational Approach To Biblical Interpretation: Historical Criticism And Psychological Insights, Carol Joyce Schlueter

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

It is the thesis of this paper that Walter Wink has effectively demonstrated the use of a complementary relationship between psychology and historical criticism to interpret biblical texts. The process is a dialectical hermeneutic which emphasizes relationship rather than dichotomy.