Text in German / From a Christian perspective, complete wellness is available for man. This fact is based on God's unconditional Agape-love bestowed on man in Jesus Christ. It is by this love that being is offered a perfect vision of eternal existence. The Bible clearly shows that even creation was brought forth by the very word in which the love of the creator manifested itself in a mighty way. All being is being in the love of God, apart from which it will cease to exist. It would therefore seem advisable to examine Agape as a basic ontological category, which is our intention in this treatise. Following the course of salvation history we shall demonstrate how the love of God is responsible for being in all its complexity, where the separate parts work together constructively, thus glorifying their creator. In this way we behold the order of being in Agape. We move our attention beyond salvation of the individual but rather focus on the community aspect of salvation, and thus demonstrate from a biblical point of view, the significance of the New Testament ecclesia as the spearhead of God's Kingdom. We will show that it is the intention of Agape to give a specific Christian character to the community of believers as a witness to a world which is lacking in love and therefore also without proper orientation in its being. Where the ecclesia has lost its trait of love, we advise an uncompromising return to a corrective gospel as designed by the creator for true being, keeping in mind the limits, which the church has been given as an existing body in this world. What must never leave our focus, however, is that we extend to each other the forgiveness of Christ as the core of God's love, thus holding on to the distinct difference between Christian and non-Christian being. We therefore also recommend to examine the denominational structure of Christianity whether it is in conflict with a being that carries the mark of God's love. We remind that Agape wants to cause unity in a concrete way - unity that cannot be brought about by any secular strategy, but only by the power of God. By reorganizing our personal as well as our ecclesiastical being, the love of God will also verify the truth of God completely. / Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics / D.Th. (Systematic Theology)

According to the research, emphatic "Greek text" tells about confidence of Nicodemus in possession of trustworthy criteria, which allow him to judge what might be from God and, hence, what might not be from God. Epistemological premise of Nicodemus is the starting point for the whole conversation in Jn 3:1-21. Analysis of the Jewish literary tradition that used dualistic couples of antonyms to denote "otherness" of the divine sphere 1ms shown that ontological difference (v. 6) makes it impossible for human ("flesh") to know the divine sphere ("spirit"). This results in the fact that manifestations of the divine sphere (effect) are falsely taken by human for the divine sphere itself (cause). In other words, just verification of the divine sphere manifestation without initiative act on behalf of God does not allow human neither to correctly value this sphere, nor to enter it. / New Testament / M. Th. (New Testament)

This study is an exploration into female discipleship. Its primary aim is to compare and contrast Mark's portrayal of male and female followers of Jesus respectively, while its secondary aim is to establish what lessons there may be for the social status of Christian women in the kingdom of Swaziland. These ends will be pursued by looking at Mark's portrayal of male disciples and the contrast he draws between them and the female followers of Jesus. This study then concludes that Mark has a more positive view of female followers than he has of male disciples, and this may stem from the conduct of male disciples he has observed in the Church of his time. / New Testament / M.TH. (New Testament)

This thesis is designed to outline the systematic-theological and theological-historical basis for the Eschatological Gospel of Both Comings of Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha Mashiach). This cohesively combines Jesus‘ First Coming (for redemption, reconciliation and restoration) with His Second Coming (for the Rapture/Resurrection of the Church/Body of Christ and judgment at the Day of the Lord/Yahweh) into the complete salvation of the Church. The historical writings of the Patristic, Ante- and Post-Nicene Fathers are examined to ensure the continuity of this Eschatological Gospel message being communicated through their writings to the Early Church. The remainder of Church history is examined to ensure the Eschatological Gospel continued to be communicated by the Church as a part of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. Then, in keeping with the eschatological prophetic intent of the Parable of the Wheat and Tares (Weeds) in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, of both the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan coexisting and growing until ―the end of the age,‖ the antithesis of the Eschatological Gospel is examined—Satan‘s plan of lies, deception and heresy throughout history, culminating with the explosion of activity since 1948. This satanic plan is described as being not only insidiously deceptive by recruiting converts to the kingdom of darkness in rebellion and opposition to the kingdom of God, but also as preparing the way for the End-time/Last Days‘ ten-nation confederacy to be led by the antichrist. Biblical chronology is used to trace the history of both the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness to the present day. Finally, the ―Signs of the Times‖ in modern history are examined, thereby showing the need for the Eschatological Gospel to be taught in the twenty-first century, especially as the day of the Lord Jesus Christ‘s Parousia rapidly approaches. / Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics / D.Th. (Systematic Theology)

Atonement theories have great implications for the soteriological paradigms associated with them, but their significance has not always been recognized in the formulation of theological systems, the lack of dogmatic definition by ecumenical council encouraging diversification and isolation from other doctrinal loci. The strongest coherence between an atonement model and soteriology can be seen in the reformed tradition, and its theory of penal substitution has become the standard accepted by many non-reformed protestant groups, including classical pentecostalism. Tensions persist in the theological system of pentecostalism because of its pairing of penal substitution with the soteriological paradigm of its foundational symbol of faith, the full gospel of Jesus as savior, sanctifier, baptizer with the Spirit, healer, and coming king. This vision of salvation is broader than that of protestant orthodoxy, which through its atonement theory deleteriously separates the death of Christ from his work in life and strictly limits the subjects and nature of salvation, specifically to addressal of elect individuals’ sins. It is proposed that this tension within the pentecostal system be relieved not through a reduction of its soteriology but a retrieval of the Christus victor model, the atonement theory of the ancient and Eastern church. As reintroduced to the Western church by G. Aulén, this model interprets the saving work of Christ along two lines: recapitulation, the summing up and saving of humanity via the incarnation, and ransom, the deliverance of humanity from the hostile powers holding it in bondage. In a contemporary, pentecostal appropriation of this model, aid is taken from K. Barth’s concept of nothingness to partially demythologize the cosmic conflict of the Bible, and pentecostalism reinvigorates the Eastern paradigm of salvation as theosis or Christification via the expectation of the replication of Christ’s ministry in the Christian. The study shows Christus victor can give a more stable base for a broader soteriology that is concerned with the holistic renewal of the human person. To demonstrate the developed model’s vigor and applicability beyond pentecostalism, the study closes by bringing it into conversation with the concerns of three contemporary theological movements. / Philosophy and Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

The dissertation is a critical reflection on the relevance of Franciscan spirituality over eight centuries with special focus on the Third Order Regular. This spirituality is rooted in the life and writings of St Francis and St Clare of Assisi and their experience of the kenotic Christ. The Franciscan charism prevails in the world today as a living response to God’s transforming love which is expressed in a ministry of loving service and solidarity with the poor and marginalised – re-enacting Francis’ radical conversion when he embraced the leper. The Third Order Regular, inspired by Vatican II which called for a return to the charism of religious founders, returned to its roots with the revised Rule of 1982 based on the writings of Francis and Clare and grounded in Sacred Scripture. The Rule’s vision corresponds with the 1996 document Vita Consecrata on consecrated life and its mission to be prophetic witnesses to Christ today. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Christian Spirituality)

Assessment of the past helps one seize emerging opportunities. The Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) Foreign Mission Board (FMB) radically redesigned itself July 1, 1997, the most far reaching self-assessment since its 1845 founding. The FMB's changes neglected some essential historical precedents. In 1892, a band of FMB missionaries posted with the North China Mission resigned and established their own operation. They held and integrated three core values: indigeneity, incarnation, and responsible autonomy. Baptist historians have dismissed these dissidents because they considered them Landmarkers (an earlier movement that threatened the SBC itself). Later historical inquiry corrected this assumption demonstrating that Landmarkers seized the Gospel Mission Movement to serve its own ends not the reverse. What prorrpted these missionaries to leave their base of support and operate independently? Original sources tell the tale of strong convictions about missions that were more commonly apparent later, in a post-modern era. Gospel Missionism's peers did not listen, partly because of the Landmarkist confusion and partly because they advocated things others were not prepared to hear. The Gospel Missioners found it difficult to sustain their experiment outside the SBC. Hence, survivors gradually reentered the FMB structure, primarily the Interior China Mission. Their influence extended to the next generation of missionaries. Yet, indirectly their values entered the FMB's strategies through outside evangelicals which increasingly espoused similar core values. By 1985, the Board tackled the challenge of the least evangelized peoples. Trustees formed Cooperative Services International (CSI) to accommodate the need. Unwittingly, from within the FMB, CSI embodied Gospel Missionism's core values with more modern emphases. In 1997, trustees restructured the FMB and dismantled CSI. They borrowed its drive and its penchant for streamlined administration, but jettisoned its priority passion for those least evangelized. Only time will tell, but there is evidence that the FMB has reverted and embraced elements of an older paradigm, possibly because it was unprepared to face a postmodern future. This study concludes that the Gospel Missionism movement was a blending of both enlightenment and post-modern missiological ideals. It was an incipient, evangelical version of a post-modern missiological paradigm. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th. (Missiology)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:18:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mauro Filgueiras Filho.pdf: 1009410 bytes, checksum: a5420318750a87d3599970be54e01aed (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-19 / This dissertation is focused to presente the typological hermeneutic method as a tool to understand the reading of the Gospel of Matthew 4.15-16 of the Isaiah s prophecy of 8.23 9.1 [MT]. The text will be noted from the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint, when compared with the Greek text of Matthew. Therefore, the first century Jewish context will be studied to understand more fully the environment in wich the evangelist was possible to write his gospel. The techniques of interpretation considered in parallel with the typology of greatest importance to this work are: three rabbinical techniques, that is, pesher, midrah haggadah and gezerah shavah, and three other techniques eminently Christian interpretation, that is, double-fulfillment, sensus plenior, typology. Finally, the comparative study of first century Judaism and interpretation techniques will result the choice of typological interpretation, but without a radical rupture with the other schools, but on the contrary, conflicting with some notes of the Dead Sea Scrolls and his apocalypticism. The typological interpretation will deal with the similarities between the Old and the New Testament texts, for a more comprehensive understanding of the scenario. Will be considered three common themes of the two texts that establish a relation between them, that is, the geography, the Gentiles and the interpretation of light / Esta dissertação tem por foco apresentar o método hermenêutico tipológico como ferramenta proposta para compreender a leitura realizada pelo evangelho de Mateus 4.15-16 da profecia de Isaías 8.23 9.1 [TM]. O texto receberá atenção a partir do Texto Massorético e da Septuaginta, sempre em comparação com o texto grego de Mateus. Por conseguinte, o contexto judaico do primeiro século será estudado para compreender mais amplamente o ambiente em que o evangelista possivelmente se encontrava para escrever o seu evangelho. As técnicas de interpretação contempladas em paralelo com a tipologia, consideradas de maior importância para este trabalho são: três técnicas rabínicas, isto é, pesher, midrah e gezerah shavah, e outras três técnicas de interpretação eminentemente cristãs, isto é, duplo-cumprimento, o sensus plenior e a tipologia. Por fim, o estudo comparativo do judaísmo do primeiro século e das técnicas de interpretação resultará na escolha da interpretação tipológica, mas sem um radical rompimento com as demais escolas, pelo contrário, conflitando com alguns apontamentos dos Rolos do Mar Morto e seu apocalipticismo. A interpretação tipológica se ocupará com as semelhanças entre o texto veterotestamentário e o neotestamentário, bem como semelhanças que poderiam compor um cenário mais abrangente. Serão considerados três temas comuns dos dois textos que estabelecem um vínculo entre ambos, ou seja, a geografia, os gentios e a interpretação da luz.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:19:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ANDERSONLIMA.pdf: 1262691 bytes, checksum: 424e13c6260aea9132d95d09f2479b56 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-22 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / This research assumes that the Gospel of Matthew is a literary document produced at the end of the first century CE. in some urban environment of the ancient Mediterranean World, where it differs from the other gospels of the New Testament by economic emphasis in its language, and also by its content. We try to demonstrate the importance of this Matthew s language feature for the development of Gospels discourse, and to understand it, we deal with the approximations between this speech and some socioeconomic models known in the real world of the great urban centers of that time. Along the discussion, we conclude that the author of Matthews Gospel is part of an embracing debate between new judaisms that kept conflictual relations with the Greco-Roman domain and their cultural heritage. Matthew, in particular, rejects the complete ownership of clientelist patterns in interpersonal relations of the disciples of Jesus, while also appropriates the foreign socioeconomic model to develop its religious imaginary. We argue that in Matthew, God takes, as a character, the features of a divine patron who protects and benefits its faithful clients, and in retribution, they should do good deeds for the poor. However, despite this vertical relationship religious be desirable, the gospel rejects other clientelistic ties that rating the human being, and sees them as a betrayal to the first sovereign patron. / Este trabalho de pesquisa parte do pressuposto de que o Evangelho de Mateus é um documento literário produzido no final do século I EC, em algum ambiente urbano do antigo Mundo Mediterrâneo, e que se diferencia dos demais evangelhos do Novo Testamento pela ênfase econômica presente em sua linguagem e conteúdo. Procura-se demonstrar a importância dessa particularidade para o desenvolvimento do próprio discurso mateano e para compreendê-lo, trata das proximidades que há entre esse discurso e os modelos socioeconômicos conhecidos no mundo real dos grandes centros urbanos de então. Dessa pesquisa conclui-se que o autor de Mateus se insere num debate abrangente entre os judaísmos do período, que mantinham relações conflituosas com a cultura Greco-romana e a própria herança cultural. Mateus, em especial, rejeita a apropriação plena dos padrões clientelistas para as relações interpessoais dos discípulos de Jesus ao mesmo tempo que se apropria desse modelo socioeconômico estrangeiro para desenvolver seu imaginário religioso. Defende-se que em Mateus, Deus assume, como personagem, as características de um patrono divino que protege e beneficia seus fieis clientes, que em retribuição deviam praticar boas obras para com os pobres. Em contrapartida a essa relação religiosa vertical que é desejável, o evangelho rejeita os vínculos clientelistas que hierarquizam os seres humanos, vendo-as também como traição àquele primeiro e soberano patrono.

O propósito deste trabalho é uma tentativa de leitura a partir de três obras de José Saramago: O Evangelho Segundo Jesus Cristo, A Caverna e o Ensaio Sobre a Lucidez. Buscamos analisar nessas obras algumas estruturas do poder de nossa sociedade e mostrar como esse poder influi e reflete nos homens. Para tanto, é feita uma análise sobre a sociedade atual onde foram desenvolvidos aspectos históricos, sócio-filosóficos, como também as particularidades da escrita saramaguiana que faz uma construção textual coesa, onde os vínculos subjetivos das personagens reforçam a grande mensagem de intervenção de sua obra, que é a busca sem limites pela emancipação humana. / The objective of this essay is to try, based on the follwing works of José Saramago The Gospel Accordind to Jesus Christ, The Cave and Awakening, to analyse the structures of power that exists in our society, such as described in these books, and to show how this power influnces and reflects on mankind. Therefore, a detailed analysis of todays society is made, with the development of historical, social and philosophical aspects, as much as, an analysis on the particularities of José Saramago writing style, where the characterss subjective links enhances the message held within the texte, which is mankinds unlimited search for amancipation.