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<p> Hans Urs von Balthasar was one of the most prominent Roman Catholic theologians of the twentieth century and has inspired a thriving ecosystem of secondary scholarship, with impassioned critics and determined defenders churning out a steady stream of scholarship as expansive as Balthasar&rsquo;s own massive body of work. This wealth of secondary scholarship is not, however, without a penumbral character. Due to the controversies that have&mdash;not without reason&mdash;plagued Balthasarian studies, it is often more akin to a war-strewn battleground than a lively and productive dialogue in various areas. By engaging with the work of Gilles Emery and Thomas Joseph White, this thesis explores the ways in which overly rigid interpretations&mdash;due to what I call readerly rigidity&mdash;can impede an attempt to productively read and present (and critique) Balthasar&rsquo;s theology. The goal herein is not to counter their critiques, but rather to challenge how those critiques are made.</p>

<p> This study argues that Lesslie Newbigin&rsquo;s doctrine of Scripture is best seen when viewed through the lens of his theology of missionary encounter. For this point to be made, two important aspects of Newbigin&rsquo;s thought must be systematized and related to each another. First, it will be shown that Newbigin has a theology of missionary encounter. Second, Newbigin&rsquo;s theology of missionary encounter will be shown to function as a lens to view his theology in general and his doctrine of Scripture in particular. Chapter 1 explains the research topic and the limits of the thesis. Chapter 2 shows the presence of Newbigin&rsquo;s theological ambition that led to his theology of missionary encounter. Chapter 3 reveals the formative role that Newbigin&rsquo;s theology of missionary encounter had on his theological method and theological project as a whole. Chapter 4 builds upon the previous two chapters by using Newbigin&rsquo;s theology of missionary encounter as a lens to view his doctrine of Scripture. Chapter 5 considers what the nature of Newbigin&rsquo;s theology reveals about Newbigin as a theologian.</p><p> Chapter 1, &ldquo;Introducing The Research Topic,&rdquo; introduces Lesslie Newbigin and the thesis of this research. The purpose of this chapter is to provide the reader with the research focus, understanding of key concepts, and the delimits of the issues involved. First, attention is given to understanding the place of this dissertation within the literature and the personal journey that led to the writing of this dissertation. This chapter will highlight the importance of the topic by explaining the ways it contributes to the field of Newbigin studies as well as the discipline of theology in general.</p><p> Chapter 2 is an overview of Newbigin&rsquo;s life and work. This chapter demonstrates the presence of Newbigin&rsquo;s theological ambition to engage in a missionary encounter that resulted in his theology of missionary encounter. By examining Newbigin&rsquo;s missionary theology, this chapter outlines the development of Newbigin&rsquo;s theological ambition throughout his life. It is shown that his ambition to engage in a missionary encounter reached maturity later in his life as he articulated his theology of missionary encounter. At its core, Newbigin&rsquo;s theology of missionary encounter is aimed at helping the Church recover the gospel, indwell the biblical story, and challenge the axioms of the culture with the axioms of the Bible in order to live as a faithful witness. The missionary encounter, this challenging of competing stories, takes place within the individual lives of members in a local congregation. </p><p> In order to show that Newbigin&rsquo;s theology of missionary encounter best mediates his doctrine of scripture, consideration must be given to understanding the form and function of his theology as a whole. Chapter 3, &ldquo;Newbigin&rsquo;s Theological Method,&rdquo; explores the structure of Newbigin&rsquo;s theology. After surveying the structure of Newbigin&rsquo;s theological method as a whole, the focus of this chapter narrows on a series of unpublished articles which Newbigin thought of as a sort of Dogmatics of his thought. The contextual nature of Newbigin&rsquo;s theology makes it clear that a robust understanding of what Newbigin believed about anything must be understood in relation to his desire to bring the gospel story to bear on the cultural story. The intended point is that Newbigin&rsquo;s theology of missionary encounter has a permeating presence throughout the form and function of his theology as a whole.</p><p> Chapter 4, &ldquo;Systematizing Newbigin&rsquo;s Doctrine of Scripture,&rdquo; presents a systematization of Newbigin&rsquo;s doctrine of Scripture with the help of his theology of missionary encounter. Building upon the previous two chapters, this chapter utilizes Newbigin&rsquo;s theology of missionary encounter as a lens through which his doctrine of Scripture can be understood. The clarity of Newbigin&rsquo;s doctrine of Scripture emerges as his theology refracted through the lens of his theology of missionary encounter. Newbigin&rsquo;s doctrine of Scripture is presented in one summary sentence followed by seven categorical statements which are intended to exegete the summary sentence. Observing Newbigin&rsquo;s missionary encounter between gospel and culture provides the proper lens for seeing what Newbigin believed about Scripture. </p><p> Chapter 5, &ldquo;Newbigin&rsquo;s Public and Prophetic Theology,&rdquo; raises the question about what the nature of Newbigin&rsquo;s theology reveals about Newbigin as a theologian. This chapter provides a concluding summary of the research involved and clears some paths for future research. While demonstrating the usefulness of Newbigin as a dialogue partner this chapter provides some cautions for appropriating Newbigin&rsquo;s thought uncritically. Combining these different levels of analysis highlights the central role of Newbigin&rsquo;s theology of missionary encounter in his theology.</p>

This thesis argues that the neglected images of the history of science, found in the western alchemical tradition, provide a unique resource for thinking about same-sex union. It provides an opportunity to re-examine the cultural appropriation of these images, used by Jungian psychoanalysis and Evolian traditionalist metaphysics, which deny the validity of same-sex union and homosexuality. By adopting Foucauldian methodologies and using his effective historical, archaeological and genealogical approaches, the thesis argues that there is a silent secondary discourse supported through alchemical imagery that celebrates male same-sex union. The thesis shows how alchemy can be seen as a counter-memory to the dominant regime of sexual-union. By integrating Foucault and the suppressed alchemical images of the Solidonius manuscript with its unique all-male union I argue that this manuscript is a contemporary to Jung's seminal exploration of the Rosarium Philosophorum from which Jung, and Evola, outline the basis of a compulsive heteronormativity in their respective individuation and intiatic techniques. The thesis challenges the existing denial of same-sex union manifesting through identity politics and same-sex marriage. Chapter 1 demonstrates the problem and paradox of the internalized image of the hermaphrodite of Jung and Evola. It outlines a framework of etymological and phenomenological language which is used to critically expose the sui generis claims of the hermaphrodite's role in denying same-sex union. Chapter 2 provides the historical contextualization of the alchemical images, tracing the hermaphrodite trope through four successive phases. These are the philosophical, the alchemical (proper), the hermetic and the psychic. Finally, chapters 3 and 4 combined the alchemical symbols and Foucauldian critical perspectives to develop a reclamation of alchemical same-sex union. Although Foucault dismissed the value of alchemy, this integration offers an original reconceptualization that has the potential to impact directly on the internalized lives of those participating in same-sex identity politics today.

In this thesis I argue that the constructive philosophical project of Jean-Luc Marion offers a new way of thinking the analogical relation between God and the human person. I particularly examine his concept of the saturated phenomenon in order to show how we might construct the relation between incommensurable terms (God and the human being) without requiring a similitude to mediate the relation. I argue that for Marion God's transcendence is understood as what he describes as "impossibility" and that his immanence is understood through Augustine's interior intimo meo, the God more intimate to me than I am too myself. I demonstrate that radical immanence is God's transcendence insofar as the event of the impossible precedes the being-possibility correlation of metaphysics. Thus I develop the relation of God and the human being as a coincidence of opposites more than an analogy: the infinite distance of radical alterity becomes a belonging together of the human being with God. As a consequence of this analysis, I develop a new concept of relation, which I call "hyperbolic relation." If similitude always threatens to abolish the alterity of the terms of the relation (as was Barth's objection to the analogia entis), in this case, alterity is maintained not by removing relation but by increasing it to the level of hyperbole. Like Marion's God who is "without Being," this analogy is "without similitude" by means of excess. The concept of God that I develop (impossible as intimate and vice versa) will consequently lead to a deepening of the concept of the human person through the transfiguration that saturation precipitates within the concept of relation.

Thesis (doctoral)--University of York, 1995. / BLDSC reference no.: DX193597.

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The place of religion in society is under scrutiny. Increasing local and global religiously marked conflict calls for deeper enquiry into its causes and possible solutions. Inter-religious ignorance may be contributing to rising intolerance. Philosopher Peter Singer (1981, 2004) claimed that interactions with an increasing variety of cultures will require humanity to develop a more tolerant approach to those once considered outsiders. This thesis proposes that comparative religion education may contribute to a possible remedy. The study combines qualitative and quantitative research methods to explore the relationship between comparative religion knowledge and cultural diversity capability. It argues that comparative religion education may assist in the development of inclusive attitudes towards religious and cultural difference and thus make a positive contribution to social cohesion and democratic citizenship. It includes a survey of Australian Year 11 students enrolled in the comparative Study of Religion course. The results are not conclusive but may be interpreted as showing some support for the hypothesis. The study raises important questions regarding the nature of religion education in Australia and highlights opportunities for further research.

The thesis presents a view of Hindu philosophy in the historical context. It is argued that; through the employment of the symbols associated with the Vedic sacrifice (yajña), the diverse socio-political, cosmological, metaphysical and theological concepts that constitute Hinduism may be united to present a single cohesive system of knowledge. In examining the symbolism of the Vedic yajña, the socio-political concept of Brahmanism is explored. The Brahmanical influences on the formation of the cosmogony of Sāṁkhya, the metaphysics of Vedānta, and the various theological interpretations of Śaivism and Vaiṣṇavism are highlighted. Intricate linkages between the concepts of karma, saṃsāra, mokṣa and dharma, as well as the principles of purity and pollution and the socio-political system of varṇa are established through an examination of Hindu philosophy when viewed from the perspective of the Vedic yajña. India, in both the historical and modern context consists of diverse kinship attributes such as language and kinship nomenclature. It is argued that Brahmanism presented a system of knowledge that united different models of kinship in India under the system of varṇa. In undertaking this examination, two key aspects of Hindu thought are engaged. Firstly, the symbolic links associated with the Vedic yajña, and its influence on the Sāṁkhyan principle of the triguṇa, are examined. It is argued that the triguṇa presents the key principle that unites early Hindu cosmogony with metaphysical and theological speculation. Secondly, it is contended that the symbolic elements that form the basis of the triguṇa are representative of the subjective properties associated with procreation. In undertaking an investigation from the perspective of the Vedic yajña, four hypotheses are presented. Firstly, it is argued that the unhindered cosmological, metaphysical, theological speculations were possible as they reinforced the socio-political system of Brahmanism. Secondly, by employing symbols associated with the Vedic yajña, the defining attribute of Brahmanism, a text may claim its authority in the Vedas. Thirdly, a new interpretation of the term varṇa is postulated, linking the term to the elements of the Vedic yajña: water, fire and earth (food). Fourthly and finally, it is argued, that the dichotomy that surrounds Śaivism, ‗the ascetic‘ and ‗the erotic‘, can be resolved through an examination of the symbols of the Vedic yajña, thus lending support to the Brahmanical order.

No description available.