This thesis analyses the culture of printed images during the Elizabethan period, particularly those images of a religious nature. Focusing on images which depict invisible beings (i.e. angels, God, demons etc.), the thesis addresses the assumption that Protestant England all but completely eradicated religious visual imagery from society. Examining images that were first created and printed in Elizabethan England as well as older images which had been recycled from earlier texts and others imported from Europe, the research offers an analysis of Protestant printed imagery between 1558 and 1603. Questions of how images were read, altered, augmented, copied and transmitted across time and space have been posed. What was depicted and how? How were religious images used? What was their understood role in early modern print culture? How did Protestants distinguish between church images to be destroyed and printed images to be read? In this, the images have been historically contextualised within both the theological and cultural milieu of Calvinist theology, the growing international marketplace of print and early modern English society. Attention has been paid to how images were received by readers and how they may have been seen. Emphasis is placed upon the role of the printed image as both a representation and an agent of culture, as well as an integral aspect of the printing industry. Ultimately, this thesis seeks to explain how printed images were employed and utilised by both printer and reader in the context of an iconoclastic English Reformation.

The central thesis of this work is that Cunningham's life and work must be understood in terms of his struggle to defend and promote the principles of the Reformation in response to numerous challenges from Church and State. Cunningham's responses to these challenges are presented in a biographical study, chronologically examining his life, thought and controversies. This biography presents a theological history of his life, incorporating social and political history only where needed for contextual purposes. An examination of letters, pamphlets, contemporary periodicals and newspapers reveals a far 1nore nuanced portrait of William Cunningham than previously acknowledged and one that recognizes to a greater extent the significant contributions of this nineteenth-century minister, Churchman, Professor, and Principal. His was a life of controversy, as he attempted to recover the theology of the Reformers and to advance the mission of evangelicalism. In chapter one, Cunningham, as a student, transitions within the Church of Scotland from Moderatism to Evangelicalism, and wages his first major controversy, fighting to improve the Edinburgh Divinity library. In chapter two, Cunningham, as a minister in Greenock, confronts the Rowites, then challenging the Westminster Confession of Faith. In chapter three, Cunningham battles Scottish Dissenters, Moderates, and the State over the nature of the Church, during the Ten Years' Conflict. In chapter four, Cunningham fights to establish the Free Church of Scotland, but his efforts to strengthen ties with evangelicals throughout Christendom brings opposition from abolitionists, other denominations, and Free Church ministers. In chapter five, Cunningham opposes Roman Catholicism and efforts within his denomination to build additional theological colleges. In chapter six, Cunningham enjoys a respite from controversy, concentrating on New College and contributing articles defending the Reformers and their theology.

The thesis of this study is that influential evangelicals have adopted views regarding the relation of faith, obedience, and justification (or, in other words, justification sola fide ) that are in conflict with the historic, Reformation doctrine of justification sola fide . Having departed from the historic, Reformation doctrine, their professions of holding justification sola fide are misleading and meaningless for the purpose of certifying their evangelical identity. To establish the unity of the Protestant tradition with regard to the meaning of sola fide , the views of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the major Protestant creeds and confessions are examined. The thesis that unity existed among Protestants with regard to sola fide requires the examination of the development of the doctrine in Luther found in chapter 2. It shows that Luther's views gradually developed in his spiritual experience and that the major features of his mature understanding of sola fide are consistent with Calvin's systematic development of sola fide . In chapter 3 the views of John Calvin are examined. Three key perspectives on the meaning of sola fide through which the Reformation tradition can be examined and the views of current evangelicals tested are isolated: the passive definition of justifying faith, the distinction between justifying faith and obedience, and the dichotomy between the law and the gospel. Chapter 4 examines the Reformation tradition. An accurate assessment of the meaning of sola fide for that tradition may be best achieved by the examination of its a major creeds and confessions. The three key perspectives on the meaning of justification by faith alone previously isolated are found consistently embedded in the 16 th and 17 th century creeds of Protestantism. Having seen the unified meaning of justification sola fide in Calvin, Luther, and the Protestant tradition, chapters 5, 6, and 7 examine the views of three influential evangelical theologians in light of this crucial tradition. The views of Daniel Fuller, Norman Shepherd, and Don Garlington are weighed in the balance of the historic Reformation doctrine of justification by faith alone and found to depart from the historic doctrine. Chapter 8 seeks to make clear a number of important conclusions from the study as a whole. / This item is only available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. If you are not associated with SBTS, this dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.

The conventional picture of Bishop Bonner as the 'butcherly beast" of the Marian persecutions has never been seriously investigated. Discussion of the problems of his family and his education, together with a study of his service in Wolsey's household and his relationship with Thomas Cromwell form the first part of this thesis. Bonner's diplomatic career as Henry VIII's ambassador in Rome, Germany, France and Spain between 1532 and 1543 as well as his government service in England between 1535 and 1541 are next considered. The diocesan financial structure and Bonner's policy in clerical appointments have been analyzed for both halves of his episcopate, the nature of the sources rendering it necessary to consider his episcopal administration as a whole. Finally the development of Bonner's theological views up to 1549 and the story of his trial in that year complete this study. Bonner's was a complex personality, quarrelsome and rude, yet probably obsequious and time-serving. He was certainly ambitious and clever, but he seems to have lacked both statesmanship and judgment. This is the picture of him as he was before he participated in the storms of the Marian Counter-Reformation. Much of the material for this thesis has been taken from the State Papers. There are, however, three other main manuscript sources which have been used. The Lechmere papers in the Worcestershire Record Office throw some light on Bonner's early youth and the volume of hiB despatches in the Yelverton collection in the British Museum revealS his activity in the winter of 1535-1536. The account books of the Bishop of London's Receiver-General for 1526-1521 and 1561-1568 in the Guildhall Library and the account rolls for 1549-1550 and 1555-1556 in the Public Record Office provide the basis for the analysis of the Bishop's diocesan administration.

No description available.

This thesis explores the shifting targets of evil in English Reformation allegory during particularly turbulent social and religious changes, between 1534 and 1575, when the notion of evil was used as a polemical weapon by authors with a progressive reformist agenda. I examine how the concept of evil, as delineated by the philosophy of ‘moral absolutism', and its associated theological theories, although remained static (good and evil are defined in a diametrically opposed construct, and determined by a deity), the nature of evil (whether evil is something we all have within us or is an external force) changed from a pre-Reformation construct to a Reformation configuration, and the targets of that which was considered evil shifted thereafter. I employ a historicist and intertextual approach, where meaning does not reside in the text. Instead, meaning is produced by my own reading in relation both to each text under scruitiny and to the network of texts invoked in the reading process, which is conducted within the context of each of these texts' social, political, theological and cultural history. I draw on biographical, political, and theological accounts, alongside literary texts and analysis, focusing on five specific case studies from 1515 to 1575. Plays by John Skelton, John Bale, Nicolas Udall, Lewis Wager and prose by William Baldwin are analysed in conjunction with contemporary literary works and tracts, which include those by William Tyndale, Bernadino Ochino, John Frith, Robert Crowley, Edmund Dudley, Thomas More, John Knox and Anthony Gilby. I examine texts that have received considerable scholarly attention, with the aim of focusing on their polemical targeting of individuals, groups and institutions via allegorical evil characterisation. I argue that scholarship has neglected to engage with a crucial facet of the texts under scrutiny: one that can provide important additional insights into Reformation allegory, and the particularly fractious and contested instances of Tudor history that produced them.

This thesis discusses the contribution of Richard Hooker to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in his magisterial work, Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. Hooker’s discussion of the Holy Spirit is unsystematic although his dependence on the Holy Spirit for his theology is extensive. The aim of the thesis is to assess the contribution of the Holy Spirit to Hooker’s theology as under-represented in current research. Hooker’s attitude to reform is explored in relation to contemporary and later Puritan writers, such as William Perkins, William Ames, Richard Baxter, and John Owen, and forms part of the overall evaluation of the importance of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit for his theology. Four areas are investigated concerning the role Hooker assigned to the Holy Spirit in Christian theology. 1. The role of the Holy Spirit in the interpretation of Scripture. 2. The nature and purpose of the sacraments in light of the Holy Spirit. 3. The place of the Holy Spirit in understanding Hooker’s view of the orders of ministry. 4. The centre of Hooker’s theology as the claim to "participation" in the life of God. The thesis concludes that Hooker remained generally consistent with Calvin’s understanding of the Holy Spirit, though he refined Calvin’s scriptural hermeneutic with special reference to the relationship between reason and the Holy Spirit. It is also contends that later Puritans such as Richard Baxter and John Owen, offered a perspective on the relationship between reason and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that was consistent with Calvin but also anticipated by Hooker. This suggests a strong measure of continuity between Hooker and Puritan thought that did not become apparent until after his death in 1600, and which contemporary scholarship has continued to debate. Hooker was an advocate of reform but with a characteristically independent grasp of what that entailed in the convergence of Thomistic and Calvinist thought. Hooker’s doctrine of the Holy Spirit was a consistent theme that was essential to his central motif of the believer’s participation in God. The final chapter shows that Hooker, in defending the Elizabethan Settlement, was able to avoid the entrapment of the Puritan charge of Pelagianism and sympathy towards Rome on the one hand, and the Roman charge of Scriptural insufficiency on the other, by positing a third pole in the debate. This required acceptance of the idea of foundational Christian truth whose goal was theosis, the union of the soul with God, whose agent was the secret operation of the Holy Spirit and instrumentality, the Scriptures and sacraments. As such, Hooker called for mature commitment to theological investigation that stood above partisan rancour. / May 2005

When investigating the connection between Shakespeare and the Reformation, many critics are concerned about the playwright¡¦s religious stance. They rummage throughout his plays for traces that can manifest his religious inclination; however, they often fall easy preys of the theory of dichotomy. Among a great multitude of Shakespearean studies, many are devoted to the iconographical approach, but relatively few attempt to illustrate Shakespeare¡¦s iconoclasm, particularly concerning the representation of kingship in history plays. In view of the two relatively unexplored fields, this dissertation purports to scrutinize how the egalitarian spirit of Protestantism, rather than Protestant theology, contributes to the new perception and iconoclastic representation of kingship in Shakespeare¡¦s history plays. Based on a historical development of the idea of kingship, , this present study will elaborate from a dramatic perspective how Shakespeare manages to subvert the royal icons and spectacle that the ruling class used to rely on heavily. To assist readers with a comprehensive sense of the genre, I propose that the history play is a genre first initiated as part of the propagandistic program of the Henrician Reformation, whose impetus later changes into a driving force that facilities iconoclastic perception of the kingly image. Developed along with the public theater, the representation of kingship in Shakespeare¡¦s history plays takes a secular turn, so the long sanctified image of monarch in royal iconography is challenged. However, the transformation does not take place simply out of political pressure, but dramatic concerns. A new system of imagery, developed on the theoretical basis of the king¡¦s body natural, enriches the poetic language of political drama. Probing into the nature of kingship and the political issues of the Tudor reign, Shakespeare¡¦s re-envision of the Tudor Monarchy is stripped off the allegorical signification of pageantry and then riddled with the medieval view of mutability. This present study will manifest how Shakespeare¡¦s history plays reexamine the idealized royal image and take an aesthetic turn in representing historical events¡Xfeaturing psychological complexity and rich verbal strategies. Further investigation is done to shed light on Shakespeare¡¦s iconoclastic view of kingship to reveal the ways in which the dramatist redefines and demystifies monarchy.

A successful business model is worth researching and benchmarking. This qualitative research is about the history of Delta Electronics Inc., which was established 36 years ago. Delta Electronics Inc. has continuously grown and overcome challenges from the macro environment, industry competitors, customers¡¦ preferences via planning and executing strategies, reforming organizational structure, executing performance management, employee development, performing product quality management, improving manufacturing processes, establishing global intranet and internal communication systems, shaping business culture, fulfilling corporate social responsibility needs, etc. This thesis summarizes the key success factors of why Delta has succeeded and was able to unearth the ¡§Delta Way¡¨. This thesis was constructed not only using secondary data, related academic research, and periodicals, but also original primary material such as internal conference records and annual reports which were provided by Delta. Besides, in the summer of 2007, Delta honored me with a two month internship, allowing me experience their business culture, observe daily operations, managerial systems and most importantly of all to interview managers. This study uses the methods mentioned above to try and piece together Delta¡¦s history. The result of this study is as follows. There are five competitive competences that made Delta successful: Firstly, Delta has established a global organizational structure. Secondly, Delta emphasizes constant innovation and R&D. Thirdly, Delta pursues continuous improvement of product quality and manufacturing processes. Fourthly, Delta focuses on the execution and fulfillment of corporate spirit. Lastly, Delta prides itself on social responsibility. In order for the company to immediately serve and satisfy customer demands, Delta sets up sales offices, manufacturing factories and RD centers around the world; especially in regions containing Delta¡¦s critical customer pools. To support Delta¡¦s corporate strategy and become a leading global company, Delta¡¦s organizational structure is that of a matrix configuration which is constructed on three axes and divided on the principles of business function, business unit, and region. To ensure that clear and coherent information can be delivered through a complicated organizational structure, Delta arranges regular corporate conferences to listen to suggestions from different business units and hierarchies. Delta¡¦s success not only comes from its stable system and organizational structures but also from its business mission and vision which drives employees¡¦ commitment and dedication to Delta.

Thesis--Marburg. / Includes bibliographical references (p. ii-xvii).