Thesis (Ph.D.)--Duquesne University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 334-340) and index.

Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity International University, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 128-136).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--McMaster University, 2005. / Advisor: P. Travis Kroeker. Includes bibliographical references (p. 234-248). Also available via World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Duquesne University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 199-208) and index.

Thesis (S.T.L.)--Catholic University of America, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-88).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Duquesne University, 2006. / This is an authorized facsimile, made from the microfilm master copy of the original dissertation or master thesis published by UMI. Includes bibliographical references (p. 199-208) and index.

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This dissertation examines the function of shame within Christian texts and practice through the lens of affect theory and trauma studies. A focus on the deleterious effects of interred shame and shame’s role in attachment presses theology to name corporeal shame, understand it as distinguished from guilt, and recognize how it relates to attachment and human bonding. Distinguishing shame from guilt provides conceptual markers of shame, shifting the focus away from the image of the lonely, guilty sinner and toward a self both attached to others and to God. An analysis of classic theological texts along with an exploration of touch in Christian practice discloses that shame must be disinterred and faced in order to repair its negative effects and to restore its natural function in attachment. An analysis of Augustine’s The City of God reveals shame’s emergence in Augustine’s theology embodied by the notion of “covering-up,” which impedes attachment to God. In The Nature and Destiny of Man, Reinhold Niebuhr’s notions of sensuality and pride reflect shame, yet Niebuhr subsumes shame under other terms. Examining the place of shame in these major works and displaying the continual covering-over of shame in these theologian’s descriptions of the human condition exposes shame’s toxicity but also unveils shame as indicative of attachment. Augustine’s notion that the forehead serves as the seat of shame parallels affect theory’s location of affective emergence on the face and corporeally situates shame on the forehead. The final chapter displays what it would mean to take seriously the implications of affect in theological anthropology and practical theology. Both affect theory and trauma studies underscore the somatic and textual interactions that create a shamed self. This dissertation turns to the liturgical enactment of Christian practices, highlighting the importance of touch in both harm and repair. Exploring the moment of touch in the imposition of ashes on the forehead on Ash Wednesday develops touch as an affective encounter with shame. This interdisciplinary study of shame broadens insights about how Christian theologians interpret the human condition, as disinterred shame directs the self towards its greatest attachments: connection to others and to God.

The fundamental elements that shaped and gave rise to Christianity as a dominant religious movement rest in the crucifixion, death and resurrection of the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Had there been no crucifixion and had Jesus died a natural death, there would be no foundation for the Christian gospel as we have it today. Jesus had to die a violent death and be a human sacrifice in order for him to be a historical figure that he is today. My point in departure is to highlight that the events that constitute history are in many aspects very violent in nature. Therefore, it may not be a great exaggeration to conclude that the shedding and spilling of blood is necessary in the making of history, since war and history are so joined together like Siamese twins. War is so much part of our lives, it is said that only the dead have seen the end of it. And history according to James Joyce, is a nightmare from which [he is] trying to awake. Such has been the explicit nature of Just War Theory as it is rooted in the backdrop of Christian conviction. This thesis seeks to illuminate the topic of Just War Theory from a Church and Augustinian perspective. It demonstrates how Augustine’s writings are a rich resources for theological, political and judicial reflection on international politics. It critically examines the connection between Church and State, that is to say, the origins of the Just War Theory. Further, it goes on to demonstrate that for Augustine the two are intertwined and God ordained. It draws conclusions for current Just War practices as outdated since its failure to attain world-peace. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / tm2015 / Church History and Church Policy / MA / Unrestricted

Trata-se de uma dissertação sobre o pensamento filosófico de Agostinho de Hipona em relação à beleza do discurso e à utilidade da retórica e da eloqüência, temas que aparecem no livro IV do De doctrina christiana (Da instrução cristã) e, por isso, dentro da reflexão sobre o ideal de uma educação tipicamente cristã. Na Antigüidade, embora a eloqüência estivesse intrinsecamente ligada à arte retórica, esta questão, para Agostinho, deve ser tratada em conexão com algumas orientações da filosofia moral e da teologia cristãs, situadas para além da técnica. Em comparação com o antigo ideal oratório romano, sobretudo o ciceroniano, a maior importância conferida por Agostinho à Bíblia cristã, isto é, à sabedoria e à moral dos autores bíblicos, traz novos significados para o termo \'eloqüência\'. Além disso, o aprendizado oratório, que se alicerçava na doutrina e no hábito, é dessa vez resumido e transmitido por Agostinho segundo um método radical de imitação, cujos modelos passam a ser os escritores bíblicos e eclesiásticos, aqueles inspirados por Deus e gratificados com a união da eloqüência à sabedoria. / This dissertation is about the philosophical thinking of Augustine of Hippo in relation to the beauty of speech and the usefulness of rhetoric and eloquence, themes that appear in Book IV of De doctrina christiana (On Christian Teaching) and therefore within the reflection on the ideal of education typically Christian. In Antiquity, although the eloquence was intrinsically linked to the rhetorical art, this issue, for Augustine, it must be treated in connection with some directions of Christian moral philosophy and theology, located beyond the technique. In comparison to the antique ideal of Roman oratory, especially the Ciceronian, the greater importance given by Augustine to the Christian Bible, that is, to the wisdom and morality of the biblical authors, bring new meaning to the term \'eloquence\'. Moreover, the learning of oratory, which was based on the doctrine and habit, this time is summed up by Augustine and transmitted according to a radical method of imitation, whose models have to be the biblical and ecclesiastical writers, those inspired by God and rewarded with union between eloquence and wisdom.