This study’s focus is Jesus’ significant representation of the kingdom of God utilizable for mission today – a topic of importance for contemporary Christianity’s sustainable reaction to a globalizing world. Christianity should not have to be a spectator to globalization but one of its agents, one of the forces at work by extending interconnection between peoples, shared ideas and promoted social, political and cultural links. How should Christian churches conceive of their mission within the context of a globalizing world? It is remarkable that after two millennia of Jesus’ life, ‘mission in the kingdom of God’ is still of great importance for human life on earth. Indeed, contemporary secularists might not commend religion with the custody of such a fundamental burden of responsibility. Yet, considering the times we live in, a foundation of sustainable values for earth are inescapably important. Nevertheless, from what foundational values does Christianity draw to bear witness of the divine in a secular age? When considering all the factors mentioned, what foundational ethics and virtues of Christianity that we bear witness to are still believable in a secular age? The purpose of this study is not to provide a complete response to the question of mission of the church in a globalizing world, but to establish a framework within which answers may be sought. The study is informed from a variety of disciplines such as politics, cultural theory and politics, which are not the usual fields of New Testament Studies. Therefore, this study presents itself in five chapters informing one another. Chapter 1 addresses the issues that surface from current missional reaction and the broader implications that globalization has on changing social and institutional realities and the churches’ response to it. Chapter 2 identifies indispensable characteristics of the early twentieth century Social Gospel movement to implement those values as essential building blocks in globalized mission. In Chapter 3 investigates the potential use of Postcolonial Theory for categorizing postcolonial characteristics of marginalization, oppression, neo-imperialism and neocolonialism. Chapter 4 applies the outcomes of Chapter 1 through 3 with which Richard Horsley’s proposed perspective on Jesus’ mission in Roman Palestine as the ‘renewal of Israel’ is considered to discern about the first century world and the implications it has for the third millennium. The Christian faith, among others, has marginalizing practices derived from centuries old traditions and biased interpretations of Scripture. We see examples of it strewn over two millennia. Chapter 5 concludes this cursory study by summarizing the valuable and constructive characteristics in mission, globalization, postcolonial studies and the Social Gospel. These characteristics can inform the Christian faith in its responsibility of living, and letting others participate, through ‘mission’, in the kingdom of God. Because if we do not, what is still believable today about the significant life of Jesus? / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / New Testament Studies / PhD / Unrestricted

he diploma thesis called "P r e s e n t a t i o n o f F e m a l e C h a r a c t e r s i n t he O l d a n d N e w T e s t a m e n t s " endeavours to examine the depiction of female characters in the texts of the Old and New Testaments. The deuterocanonical books and addictions to Esther and Daniel are taken into account too. A list of the female characters and the interpretation of their names proves not only that there are many of them but also their importance. The classification suggested by this thesis is based on women's role in the story of our salvation and representative examples of these characters show their typical features as well as the personal ones. The characters are further described by means of the theological and historical context. Conclusions of these analyses are confronted with the commonly shared views and stereotypes in particular because of their claim that the Bible strongly promotes the patriarchal life concept. The author has concluded that the female characters in the Bible are much more important than people commonly think. Biblical authors naturally shared the patriarchal view of the world, in spite of it we can assume that they didn't belittle the importance of women. T

What sources informed the resurrection narrative of Jesus in the Gospel of John? Some scholars argue that the author of John used the Synoptic Gospels along with oral traditions as sources, but others maintain that John used only independent traditions to write his resurrection story. This paper argues that John did not use the Synoptics for this narrative because the reconstructed history of the Johannine community provides an adequate basis for postulating independent traditions which succeed at explaining both the similarities and differences between John and the Synoptics. While it does not claim to prove that the author was unaware of the Synoptics, it maintains that the evidence for the use of those Gospels in addition to tradition is too weak, whereas independent traditions alone can account for the material. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Athanasius of Alexandria’s list of canonical scriptures has often been taken as a natural terminus in the long, inevitable process that led to the development of a fixed “New Testament.” Recently, however, a number of scholars have challenged this point of view, arguing instead that citations, canon lists, and manuscript copies must each be placed within their own distinctive social and historical contexts before any judgment about the relationship of a given passage or book to the shifting category “sacred writing” can be made. When this careful attention to social context is applied to the use and reproduction of the work known as the Epistle to the Hebrews, a complex story of the book’s reception emerges. The Epistle to the Hebrews was written about, quoted, and reproduced to a variety of ends throughout the early Christian period. As I show, its reception was influenced not by canonical concerns per se, but instead by the utility of its theological arguments, its shifting relationship to the Pauline corpus, the history of its translation into Latin, and, to a lesser extent, its appearance in lists of sacred scripture produced by fourth- and fifth-century theologians. By placing ancient discussions of Hebrews’ status within bibliographic methodologies, assessing citation patterns in light of broader compositional and citational practices, and situating Christian manuscript evidence within the editorial customs of the time, I argue that the “canonicity” of Hebrews was never seriously questioned. Instead, historical accident, late antique book cultures, changing attitudes toward the function of apostolic authorship, and the varying transmission of scriptures in Greek and Latin conspired to produce a complex textual and material record. As the reception of even this one book shows, the transmission of early Christian writings rarely conformed to the supposedly rational decisions of church leaders about the inclusion or exclusion of certain works.

No description available.

[pt] Esta pesquisa desenvolve temas que relacionam o cristianismo e a atividade militar no cânon do Novo Testamento e nos Padres da Igreja. Para fornecer um necessário quadro contextual, é realizada uma exposição sobre a atividade militar no Império Romano, investigando a sua evolução ao longo dos séculos e apontando as principais características desse serviço. No cânon do Novo Testamento, investigase o tratamento intencional dispensado aos militares na obra lucana, sob a influência do papel que o centurião Cornélio exercerá no tema teológico do ingresso dos gentios na Igreja. A linguagem militar das cartas paulinas é abordada em seu variado emprego, utilizada em sentido metafórico, como recurso retórico militar e nas imagens que acompanham a escatologia paulina baseada na esperança veterotestamentária. Por fim, esta dissertação apresenta o surgimento da questão militar nos Padres da Igreja, com ênfase em Tertuliano e Orígenes, aprofundando as razões que os levaram a opor-se ao serviço militar. / [en] This research develops questions that relate Christianity and the military in the canon of the New Testament and in the Fathers of the Church. In order to provide a necessary contextual framework, a study was held regarding military activity in the Roman Empire, investigating its evolution over the centuries and referring the main characteristics of this service. In the canon of the New Testament, this work will provide an investigation about the intentional treatment of the military in Lucan s work due to the influence the role of the centurion Cornelius will play in the theological question of the admission of the Gentiles into the Church. The military language in Pauline letters is approached in its varied use, as a metaphorical sense, as a military rhetorical resource and in the images that accompanies the Pauline eschatology based on the Old Testament hope. Finally, this dissertation presents the emerging of the military question on the Fathers of the Church, specially on Tertullian and Origen, deepening the reasons that led them to oppose military service.

The interpretation of Paul’s command to imitate him in the New Testament has been widely and variously understood. This work uses close attention to the Hellenistic Jewish context of imitation in Paul’s world and the Latin and Greek epigraphic evidence to demonstrate that imitation was a practical strategy to unite the farflung churches of the early Christian movement. It did not establish Paul as a powerful figure over every church but was limited to those churches personally acquainted with Paul that could know how to conduct themselves by observing Paul’s example. / Religion

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The problem of the dissertation is to discover what John Wesley meant by perfect love. Statements of both approbation and criticism regarding his doctrine are usually made from the vantage of various present-day interpretations. The goal of this study is to describe the type of perfection and love which was uppermost in Wesley's thought. The method used is motif analysis as it is developed by Anders Nygren in his book, Agape and Eros. Nygren's method and motifs (Agape, the New Testament motif; Eros, the Greek motif; Nomos, the Judaistic motif; and Caritas, Augustine's union of the Greek and New Testament motifs) are examined to determine their usefulness for research. While Nygren's description of Agape or New Testament love is not sufficiently complete, his description of the contrasting ways and systems of thought is sufficiently demonstrated to warrant the use of motif research . The method proved to be valuable in the examination of Wesley's thought [TRUNCATED] / 2999-01-01

The Jesus of history and the Christ of faith are two different figures. Two centuries of search for the historical Jesus has led to greater awareness and better use of New Testament criticism, had salutary effects on proper historical biblical research and the desire to look beyond the paucity of material about Jesus in the canonical gospels. Despite proven difficulties the historical Jesus is an endless enterprise eliciting an equally endless fascination. The solution to the Jesus mystery appears better linked to Paul who has never been subjected to the same degree of historical research as Jesus. The figure, character, preaching, and teaching of Jesus was fashioned by the gospel authors not just to fit in. with the primitive church but to provide a natural linkage with Pauline Christianity. Christian faith is only loosely intertwined with Jesus of Nazareth and has everything to do with the Christ de"-ised by Paul. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Systematic Theology)