This thesis presents a study of the use made of tympana in English Romanesque portals and the evidence they offer for religious, social and cultural expression in village churches where the vast majority of examples are preserved. In order to achieve this a significant proportion of the analysis has been addressed to the manner in which people may have interpreted what they saw. For the convenience of the reader basic descriptions of all examples noted during the course of the research and details of manorial and patronal circumstances are given as the Handlist in Volume 2. The first two chapters establish the parameters of the research, outline the social and religious environment during the period, and the art historical principles underpinning the research. Chapter III examines the distribution of examples in geographical terms and the use made of tympana in different categories of building. In chapter IV the structural and compositional formulation of tympana is analysed and the use made of geometric ornament. Chapter V assesses images of Christ and the relationship between these and the representation of power. Chapter VI examines other human figural iconography through the categories of figure-types depicted. The subject of chapter VII is the use of compositional types as a means to assess the use made of beast imagery. The thesis demonstrates for the first time in a systematic and quantified manner that tympana are a significant feature of English Romanesque portals and that a strong decorative character is shared by all tympana, thus contributing to the adornment of the house of God in a befitting manner. It argues that the iconography was composed so as to ensure the utility of the images as a focus for devotion for a wide variety of audiences and as a means of expressing social values, particularly through the relationship between the figures depicted and the representation of temporal power. The thesis also confirms that the religion presented by examples with figural sculpture is centred on the authority of God and the saints and on iconic symbols, rather than exemplars for emulation, reflecting the conservative nature of devotion in local communities. The thesis therefore raises important issues in relation to our understanding of portals as architectural features, the expression of religious devotion and social values in local communities during the period, and the use of portals in the practice of religious devotion.

This thesis offers an account of dualist heresy in medieval Aquitaine. The first part asserts that the heresy referred to in early eleventh-century sources was dualist and originated in Balkan Bogomilism. It does this by combining two established methodologies. Through the first, reading the sources in their social context, it finds the poor experiencing increased poverty and oppression, and that some amongst the laity and clergy were observing signs prefiguring The End of historical time. Not unexpectedly, some responded through dissent and demanded reform and justice: a new system of values, in other words. Then the thesis adopts a comparative methodology in a 'global' context. It finds that the accounts of dissent do more than identify Apocalypticism or primitive communism. They make reference to dualist cosmology and practice. Dualists in the Balkans were intent on spreading their teaching world-wide, and this period saw increased contacts with the west. The spread of Bogomilism to Aquitaine was thus both likely and possible, and appears to have had some success. The second part of this thesis makes three contributions to the history of Catharism. First it suggests why twelfth-century Aquitaine was almost entirely untouched by the heresy except in the county of Agen. It points to actively Catholic lay authority and a relatively dynamic monasticism in Aquitaine, and finds these largely absent in the heretical Agenais. Second, it examines the Cathar diocese of Agen and the impact upon it of the Albigensian Crusade and the Medieval Inquisition. In this it argues that Agenais lay society was very diverse and divided, but notes close collaboration between its heretics and those of neighbouring Quercy. Third, it argues that a better understanding of aspects of the crusade can be gamed through its examination in the context of relations between the dukes of Aquitaine - who were also kings of England - and the counts of Toulouse, the kings of France and the Papacy.

This thesis begins with a review of primary and secondary sources followed by an examination of theological and theoretical issues. The 1859 movement is then contextualized with an analysis of the politico-economic, social and ecclesiastical-spiritual situation/environment in which it occurred: in effect this tests the theories about the circumstances/conditions commonly held to precede and be conducive to the commencement of revivals. Perceptions of the revival are then presented with a consideration of stimuli, transmission, geographical coverage and duration, together with denominational opinions, popular responses, concerns, criticisms and evaluations. Research then focuses on the city of Glasgow, supposedly one of the localities most impacted upon. Confining the study to a restricted and well-defined geographical area applies a methodology unique to the subject. This approach permits a meticulous search of sources which have hitherto received only cursory attention. It also facilitates the introduction and utilization of unknown local sources, or sources not before considered relevant. These include local newspapers, kirk session and presbytery proceedings, police and prison reports, and the diaries, autobiographies, correspondence etc. of local people. An innovative approach to in-depth investigation of the impact and effects of revival at a local level is thus introduced. The adoption of this method results in the production of a highly detailed local chronology which provides for a much greater understanding of the operation of the movement in the city. It pinpoints more precisely the districts affected, identifies duration and different phases within it, and highlights the adoption by local revivalists of new tactics. A method of evaluating the impact of revival at a local level is then suggested, one made possible by the methodology initially adopted, namely a comparative analysis based on contextualization.

This doctoral thesis concentrates exclusively on the Historiae adversus paganos, an apologetic history in seven books written by the presbyter Paulus Orosius in the early fifth century AD. This thesis is ultimately an exposition of Orosius's philosophy of history, within which the themes of divine providence, monotheism, and imperial authority are central. This thesis has endeavoured to establish what the Historiae is in terms of content, purpose, and genre, a more complex task than this simple statement suggests. At every stage of analysis this research has worked to uncover the ideology and apologetic underlying Orosius‘s historical narrative, in particular the significance behind Orosius‘s stylistic habit of rhetorical comparison. This thesis consists of six chapters, unified in methodology but encompassing a broad diversity of subject matter. Chapter One examines the constructed text and its genre, as well as issues of opponent, audience and self-representation. Chapter Two provides a philosophical and technical treatment of time. Chapters Three and Four explore the representations of monotheism and imperial authority in the emperors Augustus and Theodosius. Chapter Five is concerned with Orosius‘s representation of warfare, and Chapter Six considers the retributive and redemptive aspect of the sack of Rome.

Maude Petre is a somewhat neglected figure mentioned today chiefly in regard to her association with the Catholic Modernist, George Tyrrell. The aim of the thesis will be to strive to retrieve her from this neglect by showing that she was a significant figure in her own right with a substantial body of published work. Attention will be given in particular to her writings in the later years of her life in which little interest has hitherto been shown. The thesis will endeavour to trace her main ideas as expressed in her published works and see how they developed over the course of her long life. The issue of authority and liberty in Church and society will be highlighted as one of the dominant themes of her writing. Her life and thought will be placed in the context of her age and its many changes both in Church and society and her writings will be related to the events of her own life as recorded in her own diaries. An attempt will be made in conclusion to evaluate the wider significance of her life and thought.

On the basis of my experience as a U.S. national living as a missionary in Brazil from 2003-2010, this thesis explores cultural, political, and ethical questions related to Christian mission, by reappropriating the life and thought of Ivan Illich. This thesis is an exercise in doing theology with and after Illich. One of the aims of my thesis is to respond to a ‘research gap’ in relation to Illich in the field of theology. In reappropriating Illich for contemporary theology, my thesis is two-fold. First, I bring his explicitly theological commentary (focused on the Incarnation) together with his earlier social criticism (focused on conviviality)" arguing that they operate in tandem as expressions of “Incarnational Christianity.” Second, I show that he offers a compelling contribution to contemporary accounts of Christian mission, with practical implications for incarnational mission. Illich’s three-fold contribution, I argue, relates to: his understanding of the incarnational basis of mission; his diagnosis of the social conditions which undermine and corrupt this incarnational movement; his insights regarding the cultivation of conviviality as a response to wider social concerns, such as economic and ecological crises, as a means for reclaiming the freedom of living in hope and of “prolonging the Incarnation.

This research is a fulfilment of the author’s long-standing desire to furnish the Korea Baptist convention with its complete history. Particular emphasis has been given to the ideological development of the denomination from its origin in 1889 to present. It is hoped that this research will provided intellectual guidance for the convention and serve as a credible chapter in the historical and theological development of Korean Christianity especially Baptists and Pentecostals-Charismatics. Being the first attempt in compiling a comprehensive, scientific history of the denomination, this work based largely upon primary sources, many of them are unpublished. The methodology utilized by the author incorporated both documentary study and observation or interview. Accordingly, Korean documents are extensively used, while English sources comprise equally important grounds of information. Proper names have been trans-literate as closely to their original sound as possible. In pursuing the study the author has followed a strictly objective method. Any deficiency that might be found in this undertaking belongs solely to the realm of his judgment. As a foreigner the author is well aware of the lack of his rhetorical subtlety in English language. The writer hopes that this research will give a momentum for both Korea Baptist Convention and Pentecostals-Charismatics within Korean Christianity to reflect on the efforts which had been made for the expansion of Christianity in Korea, and to catch a vision for the future work, which God will reveal through his word and His Spirit.

In 1930, Ras Tafari was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia, assuming the title of Haile Selassie I. This coronation had an impact on African-Caribbean people who began to identify the Emperor of Ethiopia as a symbolic figure for African consciousness, redemption and unity. RastafarI emerged as a socio-political and anti-colonial movement of the Caribbean, and then later progressively expanded as a trans-cultural and religious phenomenon across the world. RastafarI is a new religious movement which traces its roots to Ethiopia, but it is also a liberative-resistant movement for people who live in subalternity and still face the effects of colonialism. This study has three goals. The first and primary one is to develop reflection. How is RastafarI connected to Ethiopia? Ethiopia with its cultural and religious traditions, symbols and rituals is the perfect place for a new deification of King-God (human-divine) for RastafarI. The second is to rehabilitate RastafarI to its original vision as an Afrocentric, liberative and postcolonial movement of the Caribbean. A third related goal is to identify the theme of emancipation and gender through the key figure of a female leader, the Queen of Sheba, who had a significant impact on Ethiopian and Rasta self-consciousness (autocoscienza).

To date, the single criterion of Family 13 constituency has been the relocation of the Pericope Adulterae from its traditional location in John 7:53. This dissertation demonstrates why this criterion is inadequate and proposes a new criteria. After an overview of the history of research, potential Family 13 witnesses are classified by means of a methodology originated by Dr. David Parker’s use of Text und Textwert. This process identifies 8 witnesses inappropriately nominated as Family 13 members, thus establishing GA 13, 69, 124, 346, 543, 788, 826, 828, 983, and 1689 as valid members. Each of these 10 witnesses is then described palaeographically as a discrete artefact. Phylogrammatic software, originally designed for DNA analysis, is then adapted to exhaustively study these Johannine Greek texts. The by-product of this novel process complements and validates the earlier Text und Textwert process. Also available as a result of this study are original witness transcriptions (available at http://www.iohannes.com/family13/), a Critical Apparatus of Family 13 in St. John’s Gospel, an exhaustive description of the contents of 18 potential witnesses, and a description of the computer analysis process used in the study.

This thesis examines conflict within a UK Black Majority Church. It uses personal observation and journals, with the work of academic historians of the Black churches, to establish that Black Majority Churches have a tendency to conflict that is usually unacknowledged yet often pervasive and damaging. The thesis locates this within a Black cultural history (almost entirely untold in the academy until after the present author’s schooling ended) that involves deep-seated past causes for present conflict among post-colonial Christians. The thesis then proposes a model for the pastoral analysis, practical management, and spiritual resolution of conflict. The key methods for this (drawing on psychology and counselling as well as theology) are autoethnography, transpersonal analysis and pastoral journal records. The final stage of the pastoral model is resolution by scriptural teaching and active faith in the Holy Spirit; key passages of scripture show that conflict has been crucible for making Christianity, and has often been integral to the discovery and transmission of God’s word. Finally, the thesis offers a training plan for Pastors in the CoGoP – a plan combining the practicalities of work in that church with the historical and theological conclusions drawn from the present academic research.