<p>Every religious system must give some account of poverty and its significance, because every community must face the reality of poverty in its midst at some time. This is the case today and it was the case in ancient times.</p> <p>In the post-colonial period some people in countries whose populations are primarily Theravada Buddhist have tried to deal with the problem of poverty through de-Westernization of their socio-political structures and the establishment of new structures that draw on traditional and Buddhist . roots. A sound knowledge of the notion of poverty in the primary scriptures of such societies may be useful both for such reformers and for those who intend to study these texts.</p> <p>The thesis uses a variety of theoretical tools in order to unearth attitudes toward poverty in the textual materials: word study, narrative analysis, and the insights of anthropologist Victor Turner. Two notions of poverty are revealed: one that identifies poverty with deprivation, and one that identifies poverty with simplicity. Narrative analysis lays bare the values that ground these notions, and the application of Turner's ideas provides a means of understanding their interaction.</p> <p>This thesis provides the first systematic study of the concept of poverty in the Pali Canon. Its particular combination of research tools provides a means of understanding poverty in these scriptures that is valuable to scholars of Buddhism and Buddhists generally.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>Eric Voegelin's article "Reason: The Classic Experience" (1974) is perhaps his best known account of the Platonic-Aristotelian experience and symbolization of reason. Many interpreters have not recognized, however, that the account of the experiential origin and nature of reason developed in this work is significantly different than that which is found in The New Science of Politics (1952) and the first three volumes of Order and History (1956-1957).</p> <p>In this thesis I show that there is an important change in Voegelin's account of Greek rationality. I illustrate the change by comparing Voegelin' s account of Aristotelian noesis in The New Science of Politics and Plato and Aristotle with the account developed in Anamnesis (1966). I also develop an hypothesis to account for why the change came about. I suggest that Voegelin's reassessment of the nature and origin of the classic experience of reason is due principally to an important change in his understanding of Plato's philosophical anthropology.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>This thesis examines the Catholic identity of seventy Roman Catholics and how they see that identity expressed in their church buildings. These Catholics have conveyed strong emotions about their relationship with the God they have come to experience in their churches. Since the Second Vatican Council, many of their familiar religious symbols and ceremonies have been adjusted, removed or replaced. This has often left the participants expressing confusion or hurt.</p> <p>This thesis recommends that pastors and liturgists benefit from some of the applied methodologies of cultural anthropology by listening to the voices of their parishioners and by sharing in their feelings that reflect the importance of these symbols. It is proposed that change and renewal may be more successful when such a process is employed.</p> <p>The author interviewed forty Catholics in his own parish, a parish he knew well. Later, thirty other Catholics were asked to contribute their input. These additional voices were chosen from three parishes that had different experiences of the liturgical renewal as it affected their church buildings. The entire interview procedure took six months to complete.</p> <p>The author does not propose that these seventy Catholics represent the opinions of all Catholics on the topic of Catholic identity. Proper cultural anthropological technique would demand a much longer exposure to the customs and experience of even these Catholics so that richer field notes could be assembled. The author was also aware of bias that may have existed in his role of priest/interviewer talking to parishioner/Catholic. These concerns were kept in mind as the work proceeded.</p> <p>What does emerge from the research is the benefit of applying social science methodology to Christian ministry. The process of critical self-reflection affects the minister and his/her relationship with the congregation. Relationships can lead to trust, healing and understanding. The major conclusion of this research indicates that when these three elements are active, a more successful implementation of liturgical reform will be possible.</p> <p>The statements that have been made by these Catholics about their Catholic identity may have a much broader implication. It may prove beneficial compare them to the voices that are heard from other congregations. The results of such studies may yield similar results concerning religious identity as it relates to the experience of the house of God.</p> / Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

<p>This dissertation is focused on the German theologian, Wolfhart Pannenberg's (b. 1928) systematic attempt to think of nature (the physical world) and history (especially the activities of human culture) as a unity. I argue that Pannenberg, through the idea of the image of God, has not only placed human culture at the center of natural history, but has taken the non-human world into history. Human existence is understood as sharing a common destiny in interdependence with the non-human world.</p> <p>I attempt to show that it is especially through the doctrines of creation and Christology that Pannenberg seeks to ground the unity of the process of reality. I also argue that Pannenberg understands human openness in terms of a fundamental relationship to God. I try to show that Pannenberg conceives of creatures as destined to participate in the divine life of love. Participation in divine love entails loving the world.</p> <p>entails loving the world. The intention of this analysis of Pannenberg's thought is to argue that his conception of the unity of reality, which is based on divine love, provides a theological foundation for ecologically conscious ethics. Little work has been done on Pannenberg's foundation for ethics. Pannenberg himself has not explicitly outlined the possible contribution of his thought to the problem of ecological ethics.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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<p>It is my contention that the assumption by Vedic scholars of a coherent cosmogonic myth throughout the various strata of the Rgveda °is not warranted. The dissertation, by focusing upon the combat between Indra and Vrtra, sheds light on what this theme meant to those inside the Rgvedic tradition at various times and also indicates the changes that the tradition underwent. In the course of analyzing appropriate references it became apparent that there were several layers within the data, each of which utilized the conflict theme for a particular purpose. The method used in examining the material was the form-critical method as utilized in some areas of Old Testament scholarship. This method, with some small modifications, suits the data and enables one to coherently separate out layers of the tradition and thus pursue the hermeneutical task to a satisfying conclusion. A key to understanding the combat theme is the identification of soma as Amanita muscaria, a hallucinogenic mushroom, particularly since Indra drinks soma-juice more than any other god and it is this juice that empowers him in~is conflict with Vrtra.</p> <p>The employment of the method brought several factors into I clearer perspective. The epithet vrtrahan is employed throughout the Rgyeda, but not in a consistent manner. The two broadest and most significant usages are found within 1) a context suggesting the ritual ingesting of soma, where vrtrahan is the overcomer of obstacles in the quest for a psycho-pharmacologic vision and 2) a context suggesting the later New Year's festival ritual which surrounds the homology between the king overcoming his enemies and the mythology of the divine warrior overcoming the dragon.</p> <p>' The word vrtra is also employed throughout the Rgveda in a similar manner. Again one can establish the two broadest and most significant usages as being within 1) a context suggesting the ritual ingestion of scima where v:tr£ may mean either an enemy who has appropriated stma or the physical barriers to be overcome in the receiving of a vision, and 2) a context suggesting both the mythological development of an epic theme of overcoming the dragon and t he tendency to see this struggle in terms of a cosmogony.</p> <p>Three hymns are examined in some detail (3.30, 5.30, 8.89). The accommodation apparent in 8. 89 (in comparison wi th the other two hymns) demonstrates the disappearance of s~ma ( i .e., Amanita muscaria) as a normative cult experience. Its place appears to be taken by a highly organized ritual centered on Agni. Indeed, it appears certain that (by the time of the composition of 8.89) the Agni sacrificial complex is predominant in the ' minds of those who chanted the hymn (and wished to imitate normative cult experience). Concomitant with this is the fo1ketymology Vrtrahan ergo Vrtra-slayer such as is expressed in 8.24.2. This connection presents the base for the later interpretatioes of the conflict by the Indian Religious Tradition, such as those enumerated in the Nirukta (i.e., the story of the conquest of the dragon or the mythological explanation for rain).</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>The primary purpose of this t he s is is to undertake a preliminary assessment of the Song thinker Zhang Jiucheng.</p> <p>Zhang was an important and controversial figure in Song thought. He was one of the few early Song thinkers who systematically commented on all the major Confucian Classics; he was also an advocate for the teaching of "Mind is Principle" and was deeply involved i n the Neo-Confucian movement reconciliating Chan Buddhist philosophy with the Confucian tradition.</p> <p>The task for this thesis is t o take a full-scale discussion of Zhang. I will study on the major aspects of Zhang including his biography, his teachers, and the characteristics of his philosophy respectively, and will make a clarification of some of the previous confusions and misrepresentat ions.</p> <p>This t hesis does not aim at drawing a final conclusion on Zhang, nor does it intend to solve all the disagreements about his teaching among scholars. By giving a preliminary introduction to and discussion of Zhang, this thesis functions only as a starting point for further study of Zhang's teaching and his role i n the development of the Song Neo-Confucianism.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>The Abraham narrative (Gen 11:27-25:11) has long been approaches history, or as a source for history, whether of actual events, or of Israelite literature, religion, and theology. With the development of the modern principles of historical enquiry, biblical scholars felt the need to examine critically the historical veracity of the biblical text. Critics noted many textual features, which, from such a perspective, they interpreted as indications that the text was not a single, continuous account, but an assemblage of numerous earlier traditions. For the sake of historical honesty, and in search of historical knowledge, higher critics turned their attention to identifying and isolating these various sources.</p> <p>Since the early 1960s, the historico-critical perspective has gradually been yielding to a literary-critical view of the Bible which is far more sympathetic to the integrity of the received text. From the new perspective, and in the light of recent developments in literary theory, it is possible to discern the equivocal character of the evidence higher critics advance in support of their hypotheses. The same data which seem so compelling for higher-critical reading also serve the radically different ends of a holistic literary-critical approach. The fact that the text (like any text) has a history is never denied, but it is irrelevant to the new approach.</p> <p>This thesis offers a description of the plot of the Abraham narrative, accompanied by a detailed analysis of the first half of the narrative (11:27-17:27). The thesis concentrates on those features of the narrative which are crucial for understanding the text's structure, for example, key-word., repetition, anticipation, and defeated expectation, to mention but a few. The methodology employed is rooted in close reading, but with special attention to recent reader-response criticism (e.g. M. Perry, W. Iser, and U. Eco). Such an approach concentrates on the Iiterary details and techniques of the narrative, and on the way in which they guide the reader's actualisation of the text. It is argued that the kind of description undertaken here is the prerequisite for evaluation of the text as literature, history, or theology.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>This dissertation elaborates and applies the subtypology of minority churches initially designed by Millett (1969) for the study of religion in Canada. The utility of this framework for comparative sociological research was considered through an empirical analysis of the two largest minority church organizations within the Japanese Canadian community: the "foreign~oriented" Buddhist Churches of Canada (BCC) with 18 congregations, and the "nativeoriented" Japanese United Church Conference (JUCC) with 11 congregations. From a review of the literature on religion and ethnicity, two central questions were identified to provide the orientation for this study: (1) Are Japanese minority churches effective agents of cultural preservation in Canadian society? or (2) Does the assimilation process force Japanese churches to de-ethnicize and accommodate to the acculturated generations for organizational survival? The significance of Millett's sub-typology for organizational analysis was explored in relation to these key issues. In comparing the effectiveness of these minority churches as social forces for ethnic persistence, it was hypothesized that the foreign-oriented BCC would have shown a greater concern to maintain ethnicity than the native-oriented JUCC. On the issue of organizational change, it was hypothesized that the native-oriented JUCC would have been better able to make adaptations for the acculturated generations than the foreign-oriented BCC. Although the divergent patterns of ethnic persistence and organizational adaptation suggested by the sub-typology were only partially supported by the data, the comparative analysis did demonstrate its heuristic value. The typology draws attention to important factors which should be recognized in the study of ethnic religious organizations. The character of the "administrative reference group" and the different "membership orientations" are clearly significant variables influencing the course of minority church evolution. This dissertation concludes that minority churches are most accurately viewed as transitional organizations. The organizational dilemmas confronting both the BCC and JUCC as a result of advanced assimilation indicate that in most cases these churches face either organizational dissolution or transformation into multi-ethnic congregations within another generation. The assimilation of Japanese in Canada and the precarious future of most minority churches casts serious doubt upon the long-term survival of ethnic subcultures in Canadian society.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>The Apocalypse of John has elicited a wide range of responses. Captivated by its bizarre imagery, obscure references, and mythopoetic discourse, some (especially in popular writings) have engaged in an almost endless discussion attempting to decode the symbols and set out the order of predicted events. Others, convinced that it was intended to serve a pastoral function among its original recipients (the churches of Asia Minor), have focused on the practical message of its letters and visions for the Church. The scholarly consensus, as demonstrated in recent literature on the Apocalypse, is that John (the author) is not only interested in revealing things that must soon take place (Rev 1:1), but also in identifying what the Church must be and do (cf. Revelation 2-3). However, while recent scholarship demonstrates this common understanding that the Church is of vital concern to the author of the Apocalypse, and that the Apocalypse contains various tasks and functions for its recipients, the field lacks a comprehensive and cohesive discussion of all that the Church is meant to be and do. As a contribution, then, this dissertation is a study of what constitute various tasks and responsibilities of the Church as mandated in the Apocalypse of John. Obviously, in literature that abounds on the Apocalypse, several attempts have been made to identify and discuss particular issues, themes, and motifs that point to the task and mandate of the Church. However, there has been no systematic and comprehensive effort to explore all that the Apocalypse of John considers to be the mandate of the Church, and to demonstrate how the various tasks relate to one another. One of the main concerns of this dissertation, then, is the investigation of a category that encompasses the various tasks of the Church in the Apocalypse of John. In light of the prominence of the "witness" terminology in the Apocalypse of John and the dominance of the mandate to witness in other New Testament writings, this dissertation explores the possibility that the primary mandate of the Church in the Apocalypse of John is to maintain the "witness of Jesus" (ἡ μαρτυρία) , and it also examines whether the various tasks of the Church found in the Apocalypse are intended to converge under the mandate of the Church to maintain the "witness of Jesus." Furthermore, as a contribution to the μαρτυρία debate, an attempt has been made in this dissertation to draw attention to evidence that the "witness" terminology in the Apocalypse of John functions in more ways than are discussed and debated in scholarship. In terms of procedure and methodology, this dissertation examines various scholarly works that treat particular tasks and functions of the Church in the Apocalypse of John. However, in exploring the possibility that the various tasks and functions of the Church converge under mandate to maintain the "witness of Jesus," it focuses mainly on primary literature, the Apocalypse of John. It examines all the implicit and explicit references to the mandate of the Church in the Apocalypse of John and also explores the possibility that the author uses the phrase "the witness of Jesus" (ἡ μαρτυρία 'Iησοv) as an umbrella expression for various aspects of the Church's mandate. For structure, the introduction outlines the task of this dissertation and presents a summary of the "state of teh question" in contemporary scholarship. The first chapter provides a survey of the Apocalypse, identifying the relevant texts and classifying the various functions of the Church that are discussed in this dissertation. Subsequent chapters are devoted to detailed discussions of the tasks and functions of the Church with a main focus on the tasks of worship, witness and repentance. Through these discussions the comprehensive and cohesive nature of the mandate of the Church in the Apocalypse is demonstrated. The extent to which the tasks and functions of the Church are both varied and unified is also made evident.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)