Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

The Concept Of Vengeance In The Book Of Revelation In Its Old Testament And Near Eastern Context, Joel Nobel Musvosvi

Dissertations

This study attempts to resolve the theological and ethical problems raised by the call for and rejoicing at vengeance as they appear in Rev 6:9-11 and Rev 19:2, respectively. Central to the study is the question of whether vengeance in Revelation expresses a vindictive human attitude or a divine attribute of justice.

In Chapter 1 a review of pertinent literature reveals the lack of agreement among scholars on the interpretation of vengeance in Revelation. Chapter 2 examines the concept of vengeance as it occurs in several Ancient Near Eastern vassal treaties, the Old Testament, and Pseudepigrapha. This examination reveals that …

The Concept Of The Poor In The Context Of The Ecclesiology Of Liberation Theology, Amin Americo Rodor

Dissertations

This investigation deals with the concept of the poor in the thought of Latin American Liberation theology, particularly as articulated in the context of the movement's ecclesiology.

Chapter I traces the historical and theological context for the emergence of liberation theology. The focus is placed first on the ecclesiological models through which the Roman Catholic Church expressed its life and mission in Latin America and how it affected the Church's social relations in the area. The impact of the ecclesiological shift of Vatican Council II, in combination with the historical situation of Latin America in the late '60s, is seen …

Impeccability In 1 John: An Evaluation, Leon Eloy Wade

Dissertations

The First Epistle of John confronts us with a dilemma which, since its inception, has challenged many students of the Bible. On the other hand, the Christian must not deny his sinfulness -- for which, however, there is a ready solution in the expiation wrought by Jesus Christ. On the other hand, the one who abides in God and is born of him does not sin and, indeed, cannot sin.

Many solutions, discussed and evaluated in chapter 1 have been attempted to harmonize this apparent contradiction. Though some are more satisfying than others, a common weakness exhibited among them all …

Desecration And Defilement In The Old Testament, Nilton Dutra Amorim

Dissertations

Problem. The Hebrew roots hll and tm' have been translated interchangeably by desecration or defilement. Since the root hll is used in opposition to the root qds, while tm' stands in opposition to thr, it remained to be investigated whether their equation is justified because they appear in parallel or whether they should be visualized as belonging to two different realms and having different meanings.

Method. My approach was basically a synchronical word study. All the appearances of the roots hll and tm' in the OT were analyzed. The roots hnp and g'l as well as some secondary roots related …

Faith And Works In Ellen G. White's Doctrine Of The Last Judgment, Jairyong Lee

Dissertations

This research studies the relationship between faith and works as the grounds of the last judgment in the thought of Ellen G. White.

Chapter I forms the introduction to this research.

Chapter II sketches the historical and theological milieu of the Adventist movement in nineteenth-century North America as the background for the formation of Ellen White's concept of the last judgment. As one of the ardent followers of William Miller, Ellen White had been influenced considerably by Millerite leaders in the formation of her eschatological foundation. Many of her own positions related to the judgment scene, such as the Day …

The Son Of The Morning And The Guardian Cherub In The Context Of The Controversy Between Good And Evil, Jose M. Bertoluci

Dissertations

Problem. Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:12-19 have been used, since the times of the Church Fathers, to explain the origin of sin in the universe, and interpreted as depicting the fall of Satan from heaven. However, through the years--especially from the end of the nineteenth century and on--theologians have affirmed that those passages report historical events, making use of mythological material in their narratives; and therefore have not to do with the origin of sin or Satan. It is the aim of this dissertation to verify these claims.

Method and Results. Chapter 1 reviews the interpretations of the passages from …

Aspects Of The Remnant Concept In The Gospel Of Matthew, Edgar A. Johnson

Dissertations

Only some aspects of the remnant concept in the christology and ecclesiology of Matthew are dealt with in this dissertation. Special attention is given to the evangelist's distinctive interpretation of Jesus as the remnant and the conceptual structures (e.g., μαθητἠς, ὲκκλησἰα, μικροἰ, πτωχοἰ, ὲκλεκτοἰ, ὸλἰγοι, and others) that cohere with the remnant concept.

A brief survey of the recent debate on the ecclesiology of Matthew and a statement on the purpose, scope, method, and plan of the dissertation are set forth in the Introduction. The need for a careful analysis which would necessitate a much more inclusive review of the …

Seventh-Day Adventists And Original Sin: A Study Of The Early Development Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Understanding Of The Effect Of Adam's Sin On His Posterity, Edwin Harry Zackrison

Dissertations

Problem. In Seventh-day Adventist theology, the doctrine of original sin has received ambivalent treatment. Periodically voices within the church and outside of it have asserted that the doctrine has no part in SDA theology, yet other Christians have insisted that it is a Scriptural doctrine. It was the purpose of the present study to examine the theological roots of Adventism to determine the reasons for and the content of its treatment of the doctrine.

Method. Since Biblical and historical perspectives are indispensable to the critical process of theology, a brief developmental survey was done to reveal trends and models relevant …

Liturgical Order And Glossolalia: 1 Corinthians 14:26c-33a And Its Implications, William E. Richardson

Dissertations

Problem. Though the practice of glossolalia, understood as continuing the phenomenon described in 1 Corinthians 14, has spread through both Catholic and Protestant denominations, it has remained something of a puzzle among Christians, some of whom regard it as a mark of genuine faith, while others look upon it as a repellent distraction. Inasmuch as 1 Cor 14:26c-33a highlight and summarize the directives by which Paul sought to regulate the practice among the Corinthians, a careful exegesis of these verses provides a basis upon which the topic of glossolalia in the chapter as a whole might be most clearly explicated …

Toward A Criticism Of Theological Reason : Time And Timelessness As Primordial Presuppositions, Fernando Luis Canale

Dissertations

This investigation studies the possibility of developing a theological criticism of Christian theological reason. The investigation proceeds by developing a phenomenological analysis of three major contexts within which reason has been interpreted and utilized by Christian theology for the constitution of its exegetical and systematic formulations: the philosophical, theological, and Biblical contexts. The philosophical context shows that the structure of reason requires the interpretation of Being's dimensionality which determines its basic meaning and functioning. Moreover, it shows that Being's dimensionality has been interpreted in two ways: as timeless and as temporal.

The theological context, through the analysis of reason's procedures …

Liberation Theology's Use Of The Exodus As A Soteriological Model, Atilio Rene Dupertuis

Dissertations

This investigation studies the soteriology of Latin American liberation theology particularly in the light of its use of the Exodus as a liberation model.

Chapter I briefly traces the historical and theological developments in the continent, from its discovery to the present, in an effort to provide a better understanding of the circumstances and currents of thought which led to the emergence of liberation theology.

Chapter II shows that liberation theology takes its starting point from a decided commitment to create a new and more human society, through the radical change of the present unjust social order seen as oppressive …

A Seventh-Day Adventist Concept Of The Kingdom Of God And Its Implication For Religious Education, Alvinus Desmond Bhola

Dissertations

Problem. While there are statements in the writings of Ellen G. White and those of Seventh-day Adventistscholars that seem to indicate that there is a relationship between the kingdom of God and education, it appears that no major work has been done to show, in a systematic manner, the relationship between the Adventist concept of the kingdom and its philosophy of education. The purpose of this study was to find what relationship exists between the SDA concept of the kingdom and its philosophy of education.

Method. This study, which is documentary in nature, is essentially a typological classification research effort. …

Typological Structures In The Old And New Testaments, Richard M. Davidson

Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to ascertain the nature of biblical typology by allowing its conceptual structures to emerge from within Scripture through a semasiological analysis of the term τύπος and NT cognates and an exegetical investigation of NT hermeneutical τύπος passages.

In the first chapter the stage is set for the study with a survey of the twentieth century discussion of biblical typology, placed against the backdrop of a concise overview of typological interpretation in preceding centuries. Several leading trends emerge from the survey—the traditional understanding of biblical typology (with three main strands), a post-critical neo-typology (with two major traditions), and …

Justification And Merit: The Interpretation And Evaluation Of The Concept Of Merit In Modern Catholic Theology In Relation To Luther's Doctrine Of Justification, Johann Heinz

Dissertations

The teaching of justification of the sinner soley by faith is the "heart" of the Reformation. Martin Luther viewed it as the"main teaching" of Christianity and demonstrated this assertion by the concepts of the sole agency of God and of the consecutive character of good works. Since he could concede neither the co-operation of man nor the "final character of works" (meaning works achieved with an ultimate end in view), his struggle was mainly against the Church's traditional doctrine of merit.

Catholic theology, however, refused to follow the Reformer in this radical break with tradition. When about a decade after …

Poor And Rich In The Epistle Of James: A Socio-Historical And Exegetical Study, Pedrito U. Maynard-Reid

Dissertations

This investigation attempts to break further away from the parochialism in dealing with the Epistle of James--moving away from the purely literary and theological orientation, and paying more attention to the social milieu out of which the document arose and how the ethos of the community impinged upon the thought of the writer.

Socially oriented studies in NT scholarship are not new. Since the 1930s, however, this emphasis has been largely neglected until its recent revival. Chapter I shows that the greatest problem with social orientation in NT studies is finding a satisfactory method. The majority of scholars who are …

The Ethical Dimension Of Personal Knowledge, David O. Jenkins

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Needs Assessment Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary's Master Of Divinity Program As Perceived By The Graduates, Faculty, Students, And Employers Of Graduates, Edward L. Dower

Dissertations

Problem. There is a lack of current data by which to evaluate how well the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary's Master of Divinity program prepares its graduates for the actual practice of ministry. The purpose of this study was to: (1) collect data from selected groups regarding how well in their perception graduates are prepared in specific areas and what they perceive ministers need or use most in their daily work, (2) compare the perceived preparation with the perceived need to identify areas of curricular need, (3) summarize the suggestions made by those surveyed, and (4) make recommendations regarding the ministerial …

The Doctrine Of The Sanctuary In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church: Three Approaches, Roy Adams

Dissertations

This investigation studies the Adventist theology of the sanctuary as it found expression in the writings of Uriah Smith (1832-1903), Albion Fox Ballenger (1861-1921), and Milian Lauritz Andreasen (1876-1962).

Not only does the selection of these three figures make it possible to deal with the subject of the sanctuary, but it also provides a good opportunity to observe certain important developments in the understanding of the sanctuary doctrine within the Adventist church, because of the strategic place each figure occupied in Adventism, historically and theologically. The study attempts not only to describe the sanctuary theology of the three figures, but …

The Apocalyptic "Son Of Man" In Daniel 7, Arthur J. Ferch

Dissertations

This investigation studies the identity and nature of the manlike figure in Dan 7:13-14 (hereafter referred to as SM). In the first chapter we reviewed the interpretations of the SM in Jewish and Christian literature since the beginning of the second century of our era and noted that with the exception of the seventeenth century study by Carpzov, discussion of the Danielic figure was limited to passing comments. Throughout this period the SM was interpreted mainly messianically or christologically. During the nineteenth century more substantial inquiries attempted to find answers to the identity and nature of the manlike being primarily …

The Classification Of The Greek Manuscripts Of The Epistle Of James, Joel D. Awoniyi

Dissertations

Although a significant number of the Greek manuscripts of the Epistles of I and II Peter, I, II, and III John, and Jude have recently received long overdue classification, only a very few Greek manuscripts of the Epistle of James have been given comparable treatment.

In this dissertation, we have sought to rectify this situation by classifying 86 Greek manuscripts of the Epistle of James – primarily according to their phonetic relationships and only secondarily according to their text-types.

In order to accomplish this, we have made use of new computer methods.

In a recent dissertation on the classification of …

Galatians As Dialogical Response To Opponents, Bernard Hungerford Brinsmead

Dissertations

This thesis seeks to discover the center of Galatians, its unique theological statement, by approaching the question from the perspective of the dialogical nature of the letter as a piece of literature, and the theology of the opponents with which it is dialogical. The context of a piece of literature is essential to its being understood. When a letter is as obviously disputative as is Galatians, a vital part of that context must be the opponents who have called it forth. The review of literature reveals that the identity of the opponents in Galatia remains "problematic." Two things in particular …