Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, The Divinity School, Aug. 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Master's Seminary, 2001. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 140-152).

Thesis (M.A.)--Southern California College, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-74).

Thesis (M.A.)--Vanguard University of Southern California, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 163-172).

Thesis (M.A.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA, 2002. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-88).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [138]-153).

Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-109).

Thesis (bachelier en théologie)--Faculté de théologie protestante de Paris, 1893. / Includes bibliographical references.

Many recent studies in contemporary social anthropology have noted the vital import of the concepts of honour and shame and how these are able both to generate ideas of social identity within a community, and, in particular, to elucidate patterns of social behaviour. This has been notably evident amongst the communities of the Mediterranean littoral. At the same time, multi-disciplinary research exploring the communities of the Ancient Near East, especially those undertaken by social historians investigating the ancient societies of Israel, Greece, and Rome, have revealed that these, too, lived within the social constraints of honour and shame. These twin concepts are said to have had a profound influence upon such ancient communities, and, for some, are seen to represent the pivotal values of Greco-Roman social life. Unsurprisingly then, these same values are also evident within the narrative discourses of the Old and New Testaments, and a wide number of studies have sought to examine a particular text or social scenario through the lens of honour and shame. But despite having had a voluminous number of monographs and articles written on it, the letter of 1 Corinthians has remained relatively untouched by studies of honour-shame; yet it presents a unique expose of numerous aspects of social life in Greco-Roman first-century CE culture. My aim here is to examine the extent to which the social constraints of honour and shame may have had a direct influence upon the multifarious problems of social behaviour so evident within the community (not least the factionalism and strife which caused so many internal problems). In so doing, it presents a fresh reading of the letter, and the thesis it proposes is that the honour-shame model provides an appropriate and compelling framework within which to view the letter holistically within its social context.

This thesis examines the use of the motifs of "seeing God" and of "God's appearing" in Old Testament narratives. The frequency, distribution, and form of such references are presented in Chapter One which examines the semantic field of words for "see" in the Old Testament with special reference to "seeing with reference to God." An examination of works on Old Testament theophany suggests that these motifs have not been fully appreciated. They are generally considered only as they might be related to earlier forms of texts, e. g. cultic etiology; or divine appearing is equated with divine speaking. The significance they have for the narratives in which they are found is thus ignored. In Chapter Two the ancient Near Eastern backgrounds of these motifs are considered. An examination of the see vocabularies of extant Ugaritic and Akkadian literature reveals that, although rare, the motif of "seeing God" is found. However, the motif of God's appearing is not found. The significance of these motifs for Old Testament narratives is then examined in Chapters Three to Five which are devoted to: 1) the Patriarchal Traditions of Genesis; 2) the Moses, Sinai, and Wilderness Traditions of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers; and 3) the Historical Writing of the Old Testament. Where possible attention is given to the use of these motifs at two levels: the level of the story as inherited material; and the level of the larger narratives in which the stories are found. Previous scholarly work on these texts is also discussed where relevant. Each chapter concludes with a summary of the variety of usages to which the motifs were put. Chapter Six presents a summary and conclusion and suggests areas where further research may prove fruitful.