Ecclesial ontology treats the origin, nature, existence, and destiny of the church. In the thought of T. F. Torrance, ecclesiology is derived from the doctrine of divine perfection. The church is given to participate in the fullness of God through the person of Jesus Christ. By framing his account in this way, Torrance issues a correction to the ecclesiological reductionism commonplace in the modern ecumenical movement. However, Torrance's particular construal of the Christ-church relation must be challenged. In his account, Christology is materially disproportioned in such a way that it threatens to absorb ecclesiological categories. Furthermore, Torrance undermines his ecumenical project, in which ecclesial unity is grounded in the mystery of the incarnation, by suggesting that the “mystery of iniquity” can prevent the actualization of this unity in space and time. Torrance's ecclesiology provides a rich resource for future constructive accounts to draw on, provided these accounts refine and revise said ecclesiology.

鄧誠鋒. / 複本為複印本. / Thesis (M.A.)--香港中文大學硏究院中文學部. / Fu ben wei fu yin ben. / Deng Chengfeng. / Thesis (M.A.)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue yan jiu yuan Zhong wen xue bu. / 前言 --- p.1 / Chapter 上編 --- 思想分析 --- p.9 / Chapter 第一章 --- 背景分析 --- p.9 / Chapter 第一節 --- 政治及社會因素 --- p.9 / Chapter 第二節 --- 思想之轉變 --- p.32 / Chapter 第三節 --- 嵇康之性情 --- p.59 / Chapter 第二章 --- 宇宙觀 --- p.93 / Chapter 第一節 --- 氣化宇宙論 --- p.93 / Chapter 第二節 --- 天人之際 --- p.97 / Chapter 第三節 --- 天道與物性 --- p.116 / Chapter 第三章 --- 人生觀 --- p.137 / Chapter 第一節 --- 逍遙人間 --- p.137 / Chapter 第二節 --- 人生之意義 --- p.166 / Chapter 第四章 --- 文學觀 --- p.193 / Chapter 第一節 --- 詩 --- p.193 / Chapter 第二節 --- 論 --- p.210 / Chapter 第三節 --- 綜論 --- p.230 / Chapter 下編 --- 論說文章分析 --- p.251 / 概說 --- p.251 / Chapter 第一章 --- 聲無哀樂論 --- p.257 / Chapter 第一節 --- 傳統音樂思想 --- p.257 / Chapter 第二節 --- 論旨及其理論基礎 --- p.267 / Chapter 第三節 --- 音樂之作用 --- p.278 / Chapter 第四節 --- 評析 --- p.286 / Chapter 第二章 --- 釋私論 --- p.294 / Chapter 第一節 --- 背景分析 --- p.294 / Chapter 第二節 --- 論旨 --- p.297 / Chapter 第三節 --- 評析 --- p.308 / Chapter 第三章 --- 管蔡論 --- p.322 / Chapter 第一節 --- 有關聖人之討論 --- p.322 / Chapter 第二節 --- 論旨 --- p.325 / Chapter 第三節 --- 借古喻今 --- p.331 / Chapter 第四章 --- 明膽論 --- p.341 / Chapter 第一節 --- 英雄之涵義 --- p.341 / Chapter 第二節 --- 論旨 --- p.349 / Chapter 第三節 --- 明膽論與人物志 --- p.360 / Chapter 第五章 --- 難自然好學論 --- p.368 / Chapter 第一節 --- 自然好學論論旨 --- p.368 / Chapter 第二節 --- 論旨 --- p.372 / Chapter 第三節 --- 對名教之否定 --- p.386 / Chapter 第六章 --- 養生論及答難養生論 --- p.391 / Chapter 第一節 --- 養生之意義 --- p.391 / Chapter 第二節 --- 養神 --- p.394 / Chapter 第三節 --- 養形 --- p.410 / Chapter 第四節 --- 評析 --- p.416 / Chapter 第七章 --- 難及答釋難宅無吉凶攝生論 --- p.432 / Chapter 第一節 --- 作者問題 --- p.432 / Chapter 第二節 --- 論辨要點 --- p.438 / Chapter 第三節 --- 清談之風 --- p.450 / 注釋 --- p.458

Contemporary studies in ecclesiology cover a range of issues and contexts. Studies in ordinary theology also deal with a diversity of doctrines. There is, however, no substantial study of ordinary ecclesiology, that is, the understanding of church by ordinary members individually and by local churches congregationally. My personal and professional context is that of an ordained Anglican. In the light of this the study addresses this gap in knowledge by exploring the ordinary ecclesiology of a Church of England congregation. It is an example of an ordinary ecclesiology contributing a thick description (Geertz 1973) of a particular congregation to studies of church. The focus on ecclesiology is driven by issues raised in the literature review which demonstrate that the mainstream denominations in Britain face particular challenges such as numerical and influential decline. The study is based on a two year ethnographic study of a commuter village church in a united benefice of four churches. The ethnographic study, based on participation in and observation of the church on a weekly basis, includes interviews, conversations, a focus group and an examination of the written data generated in the church (web-site; publicity; church newsletters; magazines; documentation). This qualitative data is analysed using a form of interpretive dualism (Soja 1996) which emerged as an appropriate method during the research. Three binary pairings describing ways of thinking about church are used: instrumental – ontological; temporal – transcendent; patron – subscriber. The research demonstrates how this local church goes about theological thinking on the idea of church and reveals the content of that thinking. The study concludes that ordinary theology is present in the local church but that it is largely unacknowledged as such and is mainly a personal or individual enterprise. The implications of this are discussed. That discussion concludes that ordinary theology needs to be seen as the task of the whole λαός of God rather than the task of the laity and that in order to do this the local church needs to be re-imagined as a theological community where theological thinking is encouraged and resourced. This discussion centres on the importance of ecclesiology as a key doctrine in the Church of England’s contemporary context. The study therefore makes a contribution to knowledge by identifying and articulating what the ecclesiology of a local church looks like. It contributes to and challenges current practice by proposing rethinking the nature and purpose of the local church.

This thesis analyses St Basil’s understanding of the Church with a focus on his Trinitarian approach to its life. Although the role of God the Trinity in the life of the Church occupies a considerable place in St Basil’s thought this subject has not been previously addressed by scholars. Based on research of primary texts of St Basil the thesis explores the ideas of the Church that are found in his works, how these ideas shape his ecclesiology, and in what sense there is a Trinitarian approach. The research shows that St Basil perceives the Church in a consistently Trinitarian fashion where all Persons of the Trinity are involved in the life of the community. Moreover, the eschatological perspective from which St Basil sees the divine and human actions reveals the connections between God’s plan at the creation of the world, the existence of the Church and the destiny of humanity, which is Christlikeness and life eternal in the heavenly Ekklesia with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The thesis also brings to light St Basil’s perception of the Church as a two-dimensional mystical reality with a strong bond between both parts (heavenly and earthly). This view has also not received much scholarly attention to date. The analysis of the life of the Church that is grounded in Trinitarian philanthropy provides further insights into St Basil’s understanding of this worldwide fellowship of believers. The thesis shows that the Church is depicted by St Basil as a new social entity where God assembles His children providing for them the proper environment for their growth and development. The study of Basil’s use of metaphors elucidates and enriches the overall picture of the Church that is portrayed in his works as the Mother of believers, the Daughter of the King, the Bride and the Body of Christ. This reveals the relation between the Church and her Trinitarian Creator who is always present with her. Dealing with the mysteries of the Church, its liturgy and penitential discipline, the thesis discloses the inward life of the Church which is closely connected with Trinitarian confession as “saving confession” in Basil’s thought. The same underlying concern for proper Trinitarian teaching is also discussed in relation to the unity of the Church. Special attention is paid to the role of Christian leaders and councils, which should serve as a means of keeping unity and peace inside the local congregations as well as between them. The thesis also explores how St Basil perceives God’s plan for the world and the role of Christians as good servants of the Triune God whose philanthropy they are supposed to reveal through their ministry both to the poor and to the rich. Proceeding with the analysis of the practical achievements, the last chapter demonstrates to what extend St Basil, motivated by his beliefs, was able to apply his ideas about the Church and her relation to God the Trinity in a particular socio-historical context in the life of his monastic communities.

This thesis is an interpretation of the ritualistic and storied behaviour of two Christian congregations of the Charismatic ‘house-church’ or ‘New Church’ genre, established within the last thirty years in Glasgow, West of Scotland. The exercise is framed by the field of research and commentary on the global rise and impact of the Neo-Pentecostal or Charismatic Movement in the latter part of the twentieth century, from which the ‘house-churches’ derive motivation and ritual, and by the growing field of Congregational Studies pioneered by James F. Hopewell (1988) in Congregation: Stories and Structures. The congregations which form the locus for the fieldwork are Bishopbriggs Charismatic Church (BCC – a pseudonym) in the northern suburbs of Glasgow and Bridgeton Charismatic Fellowship (BCF - a pseudonym), an inner-city congregation in the East End of Glasgow. PART ONE: Charismatic Renewal, Congregational Studies & Two Churches provides the background in terms of general history, methodology, and interpretation of the two congregations. Chapter One charts the history of the Charismatic Movement and the rise of the ‘house-churches’, with particular focus on its history in Scotland. Chapter Two explores the literature relating to the ethnographic axis of ritual and narrative as used in this thesis. Chapter Three explains the rationale for the ethnographic methodology practiced, and its relationship to the theological interpretative schema in which it is framed. Chapter Four is a description of the fieldwork sites and a full picture of the two congregations. Chapter Five is a primary parabolic interpretation of the two congregations. PART TWO: Rituals that Live is a series of themed essays that explore and interpret the essential habitus of the two congregations. Chapter Six argues that music acts to catalyse the Divine-human encounter, turning ‘secular’ space into ‘sacred’ space. In Chapter Seven I observe and interpret the somatic nature of the ritual field. Chapter Eight explores an imaginal process which weaves its revelatory efficacy. Chapter Nine explores the symbiotic relationship of ritual to narrative and Chapter Ten turns ethnographic observation from the central ritual matrix of Sunday morning to the missional activity of the congregations. Chapter Eleven argues for a particular missiology based on motifs and themes arising from the previous six chapters. PART THREE: Beyond the Written Word concludes the thesis by arguing that the Charismatic habitus of the house-churches indicates a surprising turn of Protestant congregations to semiotics and orality. Following Catherine Pickstock (1998) and Walter J. Ong (1969) I contend that this turn is a pursuit of presence against the distancing effects of the written and propositional dogmas of Protestant ancestry.

This dissertation comprises three parts, setting forth the thesis that Karl Barth’s mature doctrine of election, though avowedly supralapsarian, is in fact basically the opposite. I trace the development of Barth’s lapsarian thinking from its inception in 1920 (Romans II) to its maturation in 1936-42 (Gottes Gnadenwahl to CD II/2), and further developments up to 1953 (CD IV/1). The thesis of my dissertation comprises two aspects, one concerning what lapsarian position, Christological and predestinarian, underlies the Christocentric doctrine of election Barth developed in 1936-42, and the other concerning how he came to develop this lapsarian view. Part I examines the lapsarian position of Barth’s mature doctrine of election set forth in CD II/2 against the background of the Lapsarian Controversy in seventeenth-century Reformed orthodoxy, arguing that he has misunderstood some seventeenth-century terms and that his position is in fact basically in line with infralapsarianism in that for him both election and the incarnation presuppose humankind’s fallenness. Part II traces the development of Barth’s lapsarian position from its inception in 1920 to its Christological reorientation in 1936-42. In a nutshell, my thesis in Part II is that Christology and predestination started out as two loosely related doctrines in Barth’s theology, but as predestination, which was inconsistently supralapsarian during the first phase of the development, was drawn closer to Christology, which carried infralapsarian tendencies at first and became infralapsarian in the 1920s, Barth’s doctrine of predestination became more and more infralapsarian, and then in 1936-42 the two doctrines merged and became inseparable, and he became basically infralapsarian in both Christology and predestination. Part III comprises two chapters exploring doctrinal implications and further developments of Barth’s Christological-predestinarian infralapsarianism up to 1953 (CD IV/1). I argue that in developing what I suggest we call his “purified infralapsarianism” in a deeply historical-actualistic direction, the basically infralapsarian character of Barth’s understanding of election in Christ becomes more radical in that he leaves no room for the possibility of homo nondum lapsus as the obiectum praedestinationis.

This thesis explores the depiction of ecclesiastical restorers in narrative sources in England between c.1070 and 1130. It examines the way in which contemporaries wrote about churchmen who were engaged in restoring the English Church, particularly the actions which were attributed to them. While a great deal has been written about ideas of Church reform from the time, little has been done to set out who might actually be considered a restorer. Narrative sources offer a window through which to assess the themes which most concerned writers of the time. The thesis focuses upon chronicles and saints' Lives to delve into these themes, as it seeks to identify the criteria by which writers assessed churchmen who attempted to restore the Church. Certain common trends will be identified. However, it will also be argued that different contexts and commentators honed the image of the restorer so that the needs of communities and their particular members shaped ideas of the figures under discussion. The examination is split between four chapters, each addressing an important aspect in the depiction of the restorer. Chapter One looks at the importance of material restoration, through the recovery of lost lands and the rebuilding of churches. Chapter Two looks at how writers depicted restorers correcting morals in England and improving monastic customs, particularly saints' cults. Chapter Three explores the notion of ‘right order' and how it was important for churchmen to ensure that the correct hierarchy was restored. The fourth and final chapter examines the personal characteristics expected of a restorer, such as industry, prudence and learning, as well as descriptions of saintly restorers. Finally, the conclusion tests its findings against writing from different times and places, namely other European writing from the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries and tenth-century England.

This research offers permeable Spirit ecclesiology as a viable way forward for the churches in the context of the challenges in North India. Broadly, the challenges of the church in North India are twofold: one, to be an Indian Christian church amidst the plural religio-cultural context; second, to be in solidarity with the struggles of the marginalised. In other words, the church arguably ought to be relational with other communities and rooted in the North Indian context; on the other, it should critically and distinctly witness for Christ as a community of liberation in the context of the struggles of the marginalised. Thus, the church in North India arguably needs a relational-distinctive dialectics to address the challenges. This calls for a church with permeable borders to uphold the above in tension. I show that such dialectics can be upheld if ecclesiology in North India is construed from a pneumatological perspective with a Christological dimension. In dialogue with both Western and Indian theologians I show that a permeable Spirit ecclesiology is a viable way forward for the churches in North India.

Chapter Five finally argues that Bouyer's construal of the Church's principal actions (liturgical celebration, evangelical witness, and the total life of prayer and Christian discipleship) is consistent with his christological and trinitarian horizon, and that these ecclesial actions respond most appropriately to the divine initiative manifested in the Word and Wisdom.

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