Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-115).

Thesis advisor: Mary Ann Hinsdale / The aim of this dissertation is to demonstrate why the theology of Edward Schillebeeckx provides a worthy and valuable resource for negotiating the question of how Christians can maintain their unique Christian identity and uphold the core tenets of their faith, while recognizing the need for and benefit of dialogue with non-Christian religions. In a world where interaction with religious others is inevitable, a perilous sense of superiority that excludes non-Christians from the possibility of imparting wisdom must be avoided. Yet, as this dissertation illustrates, a theory that all religions are equal and that absolute claims that contradict the beliefs of other religions (such as Jesus as God incarnate and the universal savior of humankind) must be given up, is equally as dangerous. I show that Schillebeeckx, although he never identified himself explicitly with one of the three paradigms of the theology of religions (exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism), maintained an inclusivist position but one that is more radical than that of some of his contemporaries. He upheld the unique role of Jesus Christ in human history while regarding religious pluralism, rather than a problem to be solved, as an opportunity for Christians to learn from and expand upon their conceptions of the humanum, or what human wholeness entails. This dissertation critically examines the three major paradigms used to understand the relationship of Christianity to non-Christian religions. It argues that the adoption of a pluralist position that regards all religions to be equal, and relinquishes any absolute claims, is not necessary, and can, in fact, be detrimental to fruitful interreligious dialogue. It traces Schillebeeckx's development of the negative contrast experience and illustrates how it can serve as a universal starting point for interreligious dialogue that does not attempt to essentialize human nature or tie all positive responses to human suffering to a latent Christianity present in every person. This dissertation describes the major components of Schillebeeckx's soteriology: creation as the starting point for soteriology; the unbreakable relationship between fragments of salvation in this world and final, or eschatological salvation; the role of Jesus as the assurance of final salvation; and the communal nature of salvation. It shows how the implication of Schillebeeckx's soteriology, which starts from the premise "there is no salvation outside the world," is "no salvation apart from religious others." This means that our ability to experience fragments of salvation in our everyday lives is dependent on learning from and collaboration with human beings who do not share our religious beliefs, but does not require us to erase religious differences, or tailor our beliefs to "fit" neatly into others' religious views. Finally, this dissertation applies Schillebeeckx's soteriology to concrete struggles faced by Muslim women and Catholic women in order to illustrate how interreligious dialogue can bring persons toward the fullness of the humanum. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

The thesis focuses on the challenge of being church in the postsecular twenty-first century in an authentic way. A shift took place from modernity with concepts such as ʼnationalism‘ and ‗unity‘ to the fragmentation and diversity which are characteristic of the present-day postmodern world. After the Second World War the objective of the Ecumenical Movement was to promote and maintain the unity of the church. The unity of the church has been an issue from New Testament times up to the present day. How the relationship between unity and diversity was understood changed along with changing paradigms. During the first centuries of the church when the ecumenical creeds originated, the relationship between the unity and diversity of the church was interpreted in terms of two aspects, namely the unity of the canon which consists of a diversity of writings and the one Triune God who consists of a diversity of personae. This study argues that the great revolutions in North America and France were the breeding ground for concepts such as ʼnation‘ and ʼnationalism‘. During this period the unity of the church was interpreted in terms of the dominant ideology of nationalism and nation. The revolutions were also a force behind increasing secularisation and the church‘s loss of authority. In Germany the ideology of national-socialism compromised the integrity of the church. In South Africa apartheid had a similar effect. Secularisation, globalisation and fluidity seemingly threaten the unity of the present-day church. This study aims to contribute to an understanding of unity and diversity that could contribute to the integrity of the church in the third millennium without endorsing the hegemony of the authoritarian church. It attributes a positive meaning to plurality, diversity and the ecumenical movement. This is done after the model of the Cappadocian legacy which associated the immanence (being) of the Trinity with the economy (action) of the Trinity. This model provides the key for the solution to the problemstatement of this thesis. The thesis aims to argue for a correlation between, on the one hand Trinity (diversity in unity) and the ecclesiastical creed (confessing the catholicity of the one church), and on the other hand Christian values such as caritas (agapē) and communion (koinōnia). This study draws a correlation between these Christian values and notions from common law, namely dignitas (dignity) and fama (reputation). The epistemological model for describing a social Trinitarian ecclesiology is that of narrative theology. The ecclesiological model is that of ‗heterotopia‘, a Foucauldian conception of anti-binary space over against the 'utopia‘ as an illusioned space. Chapter 1 indicates the direction of the study: the ecclesiological challenge of the unity of the church amid diversity. The tension between unity and diversity is the crux interpretum of the ecclesiology. The Cappadocian legacy regarding the Trinity is explored as a possible solution. Epistemologically speaking, the approach of the study is a Reformed perspective on the human condition and the methodology is that of narrative. In Chapter 2 the narrative of the Cappadocian renaissance is discussed. The Cappadocian correlation between the immanence (being) of the Trinity and the economy (action) of the Trinity is described and the value thereof for a postmodern ecclesiology is explored. In Chapter 3 an alternative narrative for the church is sought by investigating the Catholic theologian, Edward Schillebeeckx‘s ecclesiology in terms of the concept of liquidity. His contribution was to replace the Catholic maxim extra ecclesiam nulla salus est with extra mundum nulla salus. Hereby he trandscends the boundaries of the church to include the whole world in God‘s salvation. From a postmodern perspective the question would be whether he was able to overcome the binary thinking of his time. The Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa is described as a case in point of a church which endorses genealogy and thereby fails to transcend the binary opposition of exclusivism and inclusivity. Nationalism and racism form the ideological underpinnings of this tendency. Theoretically the confession of unity is underscored but it does not manifest in practice. Ecclesiology should overcome binary and linear thinking in order to be relevant to postmodern culture. In Chapter 4 overcoming binary and linear thinking is illustrated by the exploring the autobiography of Protestant theologian, Jürgen Moltmann, in order to ascertain to what extent narratives of inclusivity can be of value for formulating an inclusive ecclesiology for the church in a postmodern world today. Moltmann‘s ecclesiology is investigated in terms of the concept of a social Trinity. From Moltmann‘s narrative it can been seen that he was radically inclusive in practice even before theories of radical inclusivity had been formulated. However, his emphasis on eschatology and hope tends toward apocalyptic utopian thinking. In Chapter 5 Michel Foucault‘s concept of heterotopia is used to describe reconciliatory diversity, which is characteristic of an inclusive postmodern church which is a space where unity is not threatened by diversity, where the one is not afraid of the Other. In Chapter 6 the study concludes with the finding that to be church in the third millennium entails transcending linear thinking, desacralizing time and space and bidding farewell to any notion of genealogy as constitutive for 'being‘ church. The broad space where this is possible in the 'here‘ and 'now‘ is that of heterotopia. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2013 / Dogmatics and Christian Ethics / unrestricted

This dissertation considers the possibility that, flowing from his broader theological framework and historical background, John Calvin’s eucharistic theology ‘re-invents’ a doctrine where the ‘substance’ (meaning) of the elements becomes the body and blood of Christ, and the believer who receives them is drawn, through understanding, into participation in Christ. The study begins with the historical setting and the second chapter sketches Calvin’s life. Chapter 3 considers epistemology and the impact of classical rhetoric on Calvin’s approach to knowledge. The following chapter considers Calvin’s understanding of our relationship with the Father, and of Christ as Mediator and as means of salvation. Chapter 5 considers the work of the Spirit in nurturing faith, a ‘higher knowledge’, through preparing us for knowledge of Christ and mediating our understanding of and participation in him. In this manner the Spirit acts as an instrument of revelation to enable us to participate in Christ. Chapters 6 and 7 move to consider Calvin’s writing on the Sacraments, their nature as sign and seals of the promise made in Christ, their substance and their role in our participation in Christ and, in the light of the duplex gratia, as gateways to participation. In Chapter 8 Calvin’s teaching is examined in terms of his opposition to the doctrine of transubstantiation, and his understanding of substance is considered. The possibility that Calvin ‘re-invents’ the doctrine is proposed. This is not to suggest that there is a conscious copying of the doctrine, but that through the process of forming his doctrine, using an alternate philosophical framework, Calvin’s understanding bears significant similarities to the doctrine he so deeply opposed. His key opposition to transubstantiation can then be seen to be to the materialist interpretations that impede the ability of the believer to lift his attention beyond the physical elements to the divine offer they represent. The study concludes by briefly considering the significance of Calvin’s ‘reinvention’ for contemporary understandings.

[pt] A presente dissertação trata do anúncio e práxis do Reino de Deus, com a finalidade de perceber os elementos escatológicos da temática, presentes no pensamento de Edward Schillebeeckx, contidos na obra Jesus, a história de um vivente, além de outras obras do autor e de outros autores em diálogo com ele. A metodologia adotada é a da revisão bibliográfica, e os pontos de relevância são o anúncio, a práxis do Reino, e a percepção dos elementos escatológicos destacados por Schillebeeckx. Jesus anunciou o Reino de Deus, por meio das bem-aventuranças, parábolas e a reinterpretação da Lei mosaica a favor dos pobres, trazendo de Deus a ajuda salvadora para a humanidade. Se as bem-aventuranças são o programa de vida do Reino, as parábolas são sua ilustração vital, e todas elas se referem ao próprio Jesus, que é, em pessoa, o Reino de Deus. Consequente do anúncio, a práxis do Reino em Jesus se verifica em suas atitudes de cura e libertação do mal, revelando a compaixão e misericórdia de Deus. O anúncio e práxis do Reino geram a comunidade de discípulos, que, após a morte e ressurreição de Jesus, na força do Espírito Santo, dá continuidade à sua missão na história. Com Jesus, o Profeta escatológico, o Reino de Deus se aproxima da humanidade e realiza já o que ainda há de ser plenamente experimentado no futuro escatológico de Deus. / [en] This dissertation deals with the proclamation and praxis of the God s Kingdom, in order to realize the eschatological elements of the theme, present in the thought of Edward Schillebeeckx, contained in the book Jesus, the story of a living, and other works by the author and other authors in dialogue with him. The methodology adopted is the literature review, and the points of relevance are the announcement, the praxis of the kingdom, and the perception of the eschatological elements highlighted by Schillebeeckx. Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God, through the Beatitudes, parables and the reinterpretation of the Mosaic Law for the poor people, bringing God s saving help for Humanity. If the beatitudes are the life program of the kingdom, the parables are a vital illustration, and they all refer to Jesus himself, who is, himself, the kingdom of God. Subsequent announcement, the praxis of the kingdom in Jesus is found in their attitude healing and deliverance from evil, revealing the compassion and mercy of God. The announcement and praxis of the kingdom generate a community of disciples who, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit, continues His mission in history. With Jesus, the eschatological prophet, God s Kingdom is approaching humanity and accomplishes what has yet to be fully experienced in the eschatological future of God.

L'objet de la recherche porte sur l'étude du phénomène de l'interruption d'un cheminement vocationnel en cours de formation initiale dans une communauté de type canonial et d'inspiration augustinienne. La structure générale du phénomène ou eidos est mise au jour par l'application d'une méthode de recherche qualitative, la phénoménologie. Les constituants de l' expérience vécue décrivent une crise situationnelle, mettent en relief l'accompagnement personnalisé et suggèrent des pistes en vue de l'incorporation de nouveaux membres dans le milieu communautaire. Ces pistes font appel à des rites de passage, aux échanges intergénérationnels et à une vision renouvelée de la formation initiale. Au terme de l'analyse, la formation initiale est envisagée comme une étape sur un itinéraire s'échelonnant sur tous les âges de la vie. La lecture théologique du phénomène s'inspire de l'approche corrélative schillebeeckxienne. La démarche théologique cherche à saisir en quoi l'eidos du phénomène peut être un lieu théologique de croissance personnelle et de renouveau communautaire. Les rapports homologues sont construits à partir de l'Écriture, la Tradition chrétienne, la spiritualité augustinienne et l'analyse de la structure générale du phénomène. L'interprétation mène au concept du ± mentorat communautaire ¿. La concrétisation du concept est présentée comme une mission au sein de laquelle l'ensemble des membres d'une communauté a l'identité d'une personne. La théologie du ± Corps-communion)} est le pôle intégrateur central du discours théologique sur lequel se fonde ce ± mentorat communautaire¿. Dans ce concept, les actes du ± faire mémoire¿ et du ± transmettre )} figurent comme des pistes pouvant faciliter l'incorporation d'un nouveau membre dans une communauté. Le concept suggère une vision renouvelée de la formation-initiale en tant que processus de croissance lié étroitement au milieu d'incorporation. La dynamique du ±mentorat communautaire)} est génératrice d'attitudes nouvelles ayant un impact de transformation sur les individus et les milieux. Ce concept est transférable à toute institution, religieuse ou non, concernée par la formation avec volet communautaire.