Interpretation of the `slave of Christ' title and its background in Pauline literature has commonly followed two possible avenues: 1) it is an honorific title found in the LXX and borrowed by Paul from the Patriarchs, Moses, David and the Prophets; 2) it is an adoption of imagery from the institution of Greco-Roman slavery illustrating that Paul is in a similar relationship with Christ. Until now scholarship has focused largely on Greco-Roman slavery and its possible influences on Paul. This thesis demonstrates that Paul's metaphor of slavery should be located within the `slave of God' traditions in Early Judaism rather than Greco-Roman slave practices. This is accomplished through an examination of early Jewish Literature that identifies literary traditions surrounding ancient Israel and Early Judaism's self-understanding of themselves as the slaves of God. It is within this context that Paul's slavery language is interpreted. Paul is not borrowing images from Greco-Roman society but is continuing in the traditions of his Jewish heritage and interacting within a broader discussion of slavery in Early Judaism. Christ is the paradigmatic slave of God. To follow Christ in loyal obedience is the equivalent of being his slave and ultimately allows one to fulfill obligations of slavery to God. On the individual level this occurs by imitating Christ's pattern as the slave of God found in Philippians 2.6-11. In the context of the Pauline community it is manifested when members enslave themselves to one another in the same way that Christ enslaved himself to others. Thus, the Slave of Christ title is not an abstract concept adopted from societal images nor is it an honorific title. Slavery to Christ is Paul's understanding of how the Christ event enables believers to fulfill their obligations of obedience as God's slaves.

The current theological climate presents two extremes in speaking of the emotional life of God: Passibilism, which affinns the fullness of God's emotional life, and impassibilism,which (claiming fidelity to traditional orthodox Christianity) asserts that God cannot experience emotions. Likewise, contemporary 'philosophy of emotion is characterised by the extremes of cognitive views of emotion on the one hand, and non-cognitive, physiological or 'feelings' views on the other. In this thesis I argue for a more nuanced account of both impassibility and emotion. I seek to show how a more subtle account of emotion may benefit contemporary philosophy of emotion, and how re-conceiving both impassibility and emotion would provide alternative possibilities within theology for speaking of God's emotional life. I begin by showing how the depiction of early impassibilism and modem passibilism as polar opposite views with few theologians inhabiting a middle ground is an oversimplification that neglects those in both camps who argue that God might choose to experience emotions and to suffer, such that God's emotions would not be contrary to God's will or challenge his omnipotence. I then argue that a reappropriation of the Augustinian and Thomist distinction between passiones (emotions that are arational, involuntary, and in Thomas, essentially physiological) and a.ffectiones (emotions that are potentially rational, in accordance with the will, and are not· essentially bodily) as a distinction within the overarching and less discriminating category of 'emotion' may provide important options for both theologians and philosophers of emotion that have previously been overlooked. I continue by exploring the relationship between emotions and intelligence, will, and the body, and the theological implications of this for divine omniscience, omnipotence and incorporeality. I suggest that applying the distinction between passiones and afJectiones to contemporary theology and philosophy of emotion contributes to creating a more plausible middle ground between passibilism and impassibilism, and between cognitive and feelings accounts ofemotion.

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This work presents a concept of conversion using the researches of Liberation theologians and the relation of Jesus to four groups in the Synoptics. In chapter one, the main concern is the hermeneutical problem as it defines the kind of emphasis the interpretation of the Bible will support. Liberation theology focuses on its context as the key aspect for a practical interpretation. In chapter two six Liberation theologians are studied with a focus on the concept of conversion. All of them criticize the type of conversion that has produced a Christianity centered on spiritual features and disregarding the Latin American situation. In chapter three the situation of Palestine in Jesus' time is described and the political, economic, and religious situation is explored. The aim of this chapter is to show that Jesus was born and lived under political, economic, and religious oppression. In chapter four the relationship of Jesus to four groups is stated. In relation to the Pharisees, two aspects are considered: that the table-fellowship of Jesus with the outcasts produced a confrontation with the Pharisees; and that, at least one time, Jesus talked about overriding the Law because of the Kingdom of God. In relation to the religious authorities, Jesus prophetically rejected the Temple and Its system. In relation to the Roman authorities, Jesus established that all things belong to God and that loyalty to any government must be relative. In relation to the rich and the poor, Jesus stressed through hard criticism of riches that the Good News are preferentially to the poor. In the conclusion, using "the relation of relationship" model of C. Boff, it is stated that the concept of conversion of Liberation theologians with social, economic and political implications, is based on the Scriptures and it is the best solution for Christianity in an oppressive situation.

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The purpose of this thesis is to move towards the establishment of an array of oral/aural exegetical filters, which scholars and expositors may apply in their own work.  The thesis opens with a survey of how Mark’s Gospel has been regarded, since it was first written down. This survey commences with the use that the Early Church Fathers made of the Gospel, then through the Middle Ages to Renaissance/Reformation usage, and on to the developing focus of Enlightenment scholarship on Mark.  The survey moves on to look at the development of historical-critical approaches within biblical studies, through source, form and redaction criticism, before moving on to more recent, literary approaches to the Gospel.  Oral approaches are then examined in more depth, with particular reference to the works of Parry, Lord, Havelock, in the field of oral composition, and Ong’s taxonomy of orality.  We seek firmly to establish not only the validity of an oral/aural methodology for New Testament exegesis but also, arising out of an exploration of the essential difference between oral and typographical noetics, the necessity of adopting such a methodology, which incorporates both ancient rhetoric and modern discourse analysis as part of its overall approach. In order to contextualise our oral/aural methodology, we explore the provenance of orality/aurality as the predominant communications milieu of the first century eastern Mediterranean, we examine Mark’s aural world in terms of the influences of the different languages, which were current in that part of the Graeco-Roman Empire.  Finally, there is an outline of the processes and several examples, taken from Mark’s Gospel, of the eclectic application of the aural exegetical filters, which have been identified in the course of the thesis.

The purpose of the thesis was to edit for publication, with an accompanying commentary, the text of the Thomas F. Torrance (1913-2007) dogmatics lectures at New College, Edinburgh from 1952-78. The commentary examines their background in his early intellectual development (from upbringing to university graduation), focusing on his earliest lectures and publications (1938-42), memoirs, interviews and other biographical information. When seen against their formative background and in the light of his whole career, the lectures are opened up to illuminating new perspectives on their significance, originality, content and place in his theology. The commentary has four sections, a) on sources consulted and on Torrance's general intellectual development and formation of theological goals, b) on the development of his views on the nature of rationality, including his early use of the ‘Christological analogy' as the guiding analogy of Christian theology, c) on Torrance's use and innovative development of the key concepts anhypostasis and enhypostasis, d) on the editing process with a full breakdown of the type and scale of the work involved. From the material uncovered, the commentary highlights three points as central conclusions: (i) the intrinsic unity of Torrance's work and career, (ii) the constitutive importance of revelation in Jesus Christ for a proper view of reason, (iii) the pivotal centrality of positive dogmatics. Despite the seeming welter of criss-crossing interests, Torrance's life has an intrinsic unity, centred on the gospel and on understanding the ontological grounds for faith. His concern for rationality stems from the nature of the gospel, the intelligible self-revelation of God in Christ engaging the whole human person in transformation and conformity to the mind of Christ. Throughout all he did, the gospel of Jesus Christ and its positive explication in ‘Trinitarian-Christocentric' dogmatics remained the central and ultimate focus of Torrance's life and work.

Presupposing a specific understanding of 'apologetics' and the need to investigate biblical apologetic foundations, this thesis explores the hypothesis that Acts 17: 16-34 is to be seen as an apologetic model 'then' and 'now'. It seems plausible, in view of the content and purposes of Acts, that Luke recorded this narrative about Paul in Athens, not just to provide confirmation of the truth of the Christian faith for insiders, but primarily as an apologetic model for relating to Gentile outsiders. This understanding of Acts 17:16-34 as a Lucan apologetic model seems consonant both with the contemporary exegetical discussion on authenticity, the Athenian context and Paul as speaker, and with a responsible exegetical study of the text itself. This thesis identifies key positive elements of this Lucan model: the apostle presents essential Christian truth claims in Athens, about who God is and how he has revealed himself, which should be seen as indicators of a normative worldview content. It is further argued that contextual understanding, application of appropriate justification procedures, and 'positive deconstruction' of alternative worldviews characterize Paul's approach in the agora. The justification for the apostle's truth claims is an overall argument from natural theology through ultimate authority to the resurrection, which is offered with the threefold aim of generating interest. persuading, and confronting. Through a critical comparative review of the extent to which contemporary apologists Alister E. McGrath and Donald A. Carson apply this Lucan-Pauline model to the specific challenge of postmodemism, it is argued that the content, the approach, the arguments, and the aims of this first-century model justifiably may be seen as valid and relevant for contemporary apologetics in comparable agora contexts. A perspective is also offered towards a more adequate application of the model to the postmodem challenge.