Thèse (M.A.)--Université de Sherbrooke (Canada), 2007. / Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 1 février 2007). In ProQuest dissertations and theses. Publié aussi en version papier.

<p> Theological interpretation of Scripture has been ascendant in recent decades, and theologians and biblical scholars from a variety of backgrounds, areas of expertise, and ecclesial commitments have rallied around it. Increasingly, however, divisions are fraying the heretofore united front against historical criticism's dominance in academic biblical interpretation. This dissertation is an exploration of the reasons for these divisions. Its motivating thesis is that differences in ecclesiology lie behind disagreements about bibliology, which manifest in turn as divergences over theological interpretation. Prior to and operative within judgments about the nature, authority, and interpretation of the Bible stand judgments about the being, mission, and authority of the church. But the relationship between the two is not so linear as that. For the connections between them are direct and materially operative, and only more so when they remain implicit and therefore unexamined. Every account of the Bible both assumes and implies an account of the church, and vice versa: the lines of influence are reciprocal and circular. The Bible is always the church's book, the church always the community under the Bible's authority. </p><p> This dissertation responds, diagnostically and constructively, to this situation through engagement with particular figures. Specifically, it expounds one specific strand of bibliology influenced by the great Protestant theologian Karl Barth: the work, respectively, of John Howard Yoder, Robert Jenson, and John Webster. Each of these theologians is a contemporary Barthian <i> of a sort</i>, a student but not a disciple of the Swiss master. Given Barth's influence over the development of theological interpretation, this commonality is helpful both genetically (all three trace their thought to the&ndash;proximate&ndash;source) and substantively (their proposals share enough to make disagreement intelligible, and interesting). Moreover, Jenson, Webster, and Yoder represent, between them, the three great traditions of western Christendom: catholicism, the magisterial reformation, and the radical reformation. The specific ways in which their ecclesial commitments shape, inform, and at times determine their theological treatments of Scripture provide ideal examples of the phenomenon at issue in this dissertation.</p><p> Across five chapters, the project's principal aim is to demonstrate as well as examine the inseparable relationship between theology of Scripture and theology of the church. Along the way, the positions and proposals represented by Yoder, Jenson, and 'Webster come to light, and critical analysis of each highlights their respective strengths and shortcomings. In fulfilling these tasks the dissertation serves both as an initial reception of these theologians' bibliologies and as a critique of a feature&ndash;at times a problem&ndash;endemic to the current renewal of theological interpretation of Scripture.</p><p>

<p> Ezekiel the Tragedian&rsquo;s Exag&omacr;g&emacr;, a circa second-century BCE play, incorporates Jewish traditions that may associate Moses with resurrection and that describe Moses as having a vision in which he ascends to heaven, where he is elevated above the angels to a cosmic kingship. The extra-biblical traditions in this drama present Moses as more similar to the Jesus of the NT than does the biblical tradition of Moses. New Testament depictions of Jesus&rsquo;s ascent to heaven and portrayals of Jesus through a Moses typology may be influenced by these traditions. This study will focus on traditions represented in the ascent-to-heaven scene (Ezek. Trag. 68&ndash;89) and in the scout&rsquo;s report (Ezek. Trag. 243&ndash;69) and will examine the likely influences of such traditions in the Letter to the Hebrews.</p><p>

<p> While ethical arguments for nonviolence have persisted for generations, theological arguments for an absolutely nonviolent God have recently emerged. Some theologians deem violence in every form to be immoral and punishment to be a form and cause of violence, so they contend that a moral God must be nonviolent and non-retributive. Also, this nonviolent God assertion undermines other doctrines including penal substitution in the atonement, eternal punishment in hell, and temporal judgments in biblical narratives. In response, I will argue that God&rsquo;s justice has a retributive aspect, for He gives to people what they deserve including punishing sinners or a substitute in their place. His justice is a necessary divine attribute, for to be true to Himself, God highly values His image bearers by dignifying their free will and choices by assuring that they experience the results of their decisions. Thus God&rsquo;s retributive justice provides a moral framework for His violent judgments. </p><p>

<p> The present study sought to discover the extent to which personal mentoring enabled members of the Millennial generation to develop as Christ followers in the areas of orthodoxy, orthopraxy, and orthopathy. The precedent literature revealed that Millennials comprise the largest generation in American history. Church leaders must therefore engage this vital demographic and invest significant effort into making disciples among this generation. Such discipleship can be effectively accomplished through personal mentoring, as this relational means of passing on principles for spiritual growth finds precedent throughout Scripture as well as more recent history. Proper balance in biblical discipleship requires an emphasis on all three elements of orthodoxy, orthopraxy, and orthopathy. While much has been written about the Millennial generation and the topics of mentoring and discipleship, no studies have been conducted to explore the extent to which Millennials experienced growth in orthodoxy, orthopraxy, and orthopathy as a result of personal mentoring.</p><p> Numerous authors have argued that holistic discipleship encompasses right thinking (orthodoxy), right acting (orthopraxy), and right affections (orthopathy). Each of these realms must be consistent with biblical truth to produce spiritual growth. The doctrinal commitment of orthodoxy provides the necessary guidance to enable the believer to continually grow in his relationship with Christ. The practical element of orthopraxy empowers the believer to impact the world around him through demonstrations of faith and acts of service. The devotional sphere of orthopathy motivates the believer toward continued Christlikeness from a heart of deep love for God and others. While many of those who follow Christ emphasize one of these areas at the expense of the others, this imbalance impedes spiritual growth and diminishes gospel impact on the surrounding culture. To achieve optimal progress in discipleship and maximum influence for the kingdom of God, each of these three elements must be integrated into a holistic Christian experience.</p><p> To secure research results for this investigation, members of the Millennial generation who had experienced personal mentoring were asked to complete a Transformational Discipleship Assessment. This tool constructed by LifeWay Research was utilized to determine the extent, if any, to which these mentoring experiences enabled the participants to develop in each of the discipleship areas listed above. In addition to completing the assessment, respondents were asked to provide the researcher with information concerning their gender, age, and the number of hours they had invested in a personal mentoring experience. The researcher identified a purposive sample of survey participants with the assistance of ministry leaders within the Navigators organization as well as a number of churches. The church leaders who participated in the study were recommended by individuals serving in the LEAD222 and Leader Treks organizations. These ministries champion the value of mentoring and provide resources to assist churches in this endeavor.</p><p> Because the intent of this study was to discover the impact of mentoring upon members of the Millennial generation, this study was delimited to individuals born between the years of 1982&ndash;2004. A further delimitation was that study participants were students from churches affiliated with the LEAD222 and Leader Treks organizations, as well as those involved with the Navigators ministry. Because the sample population is restricted to members of the Millennial generation within the United States, the results can be generalized only to the Millennials of our nation. The respondents chosen to participate live in select regions of the United States, so the results will be limited in their applicability to other regions.</p><p> Upon receiving the survey results, the researcher organized the assessment scores into the categories of orthodoxy, orthopraxy, and orthopathy. The data concerning participant gender, age, and mentoring hours were established as dependent variables, while participant scores in the three categories of discipleship served as independent variables. Statistical analysis was then performed to determine the strength and direction of the association among these variables. Further investigations were conducted to examine the relationships between participant gender, age, and mentoring hours, and the individual scores received in the areas of orthodoxy, orthopraxy, and orthopathy. This examination of the data permitted the researcher to investigate trends and patterns to address the research questions, and to pose suggestions for further research. </p>

<p>This dissertation draws on recent historical-critical research into ancient Jewish temple theology, the priestly book of Leviticus, and especially the Yom Kippur liturgy of Leviticus 16, to develop a more paradoxical interpretation of Christ?s saving work for modern Christian systematic theology. Prompted by the pioneering research of Jacob Milgrom, there has been a surge in sympathetic interpretations of the priestly theological tradition, which has inspired fresh interpretations of the Levitical Day of Atonement. I argue that an adequate Christian theory of atonement must be attentive to both the overall ?landscape? of Jewish biblical thought, and to the specific rhythm of the Yom Kippur liturgy, which clearly distinguishes the ?work? of two goats?one elected to be a spotless sacrifice, the other called to bear the sins of Israel into the wilderness. Christian theology should observe this distinction within the united saving work of Jesus Christ. Yet modern interpretations of the cross often implicitly emphasize one ?goat? or the other. For example, we find a ?goat for the Lord? soteriology in the Anselmian satisfaction tradition, which has been beautifully rearticulated by David Bentley Hart; here Christ?s spotless sacrificial obedience recapitulates creation done well. In the controversial ?descent to hell? theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar, on the other hand, there is a ?goat for Azazel? soteriology; here Christ as the sin-bearing goat removes impurity to the furthest possible distance from the Father through his saving descent. By seeing Christ as fulfilling the work of both goats in his single act of cruciform love, the Catholic tradition can better draw on the ancient Jewish insight that atonement requires a unifying movement toward the center, to the holy of holies, as well as a removal of sin to the far periphery, the godforsaken exilic wilderness. This work is rooted in the conviction that, first, Christian theology should always honor, and remain in deep conversation with, its Jewish roots, and second, that advances in historical-critical research should be utilized to cultivate a modern theological interpretation of scripture, all in the service of a richer, more ecumenical understanding of the basic paradoxes of Catholic soteriology.

<p> This project addresses the subtle pneumatological shifts in doctrine and in practice that have taken place in the Pentecostal Movement in North America over the past several decades and the relationship of these shifts to a decline in growth. </p><p> The biblical-theological literature review establishes a solid biblical-theological foundation for the importance of Spirit baptism as empowerment for the fulfillment of God's mission, the vital significance of initial evidence as a gateway to the increased manifestation of the <i>charismata</i> (1 Cor. 12:8-10), the critical role of the <i>charismata</i> in effective ministry and mission, and the importance of leaders creating a learning environment to equip believers to minister the gifts of the Spirit. The general literature review emphasizes the experienced presence of God and the baptism in the Holy Spirit as central to Pentecostal spirituality, the key role of the <i> charismata</i> in church growth, and the ramifications for the future in developing a Pentecostal model of ministry. </p><p> The School of the Spirit (SOS) uses sound teaching and activation exercises to provide believers the opportunity to exercise the gifts of the Spirit under the guidance of spiritual leaders. SOS helps believers to develop confidence in operating in the gifts as a natural part of a lifestyle that builds up the church and provides a powerful witness to the community as they proclaim the gospel with confirming signs and wonders. </p><p> In addition to the immediate benefit to the participants of the SOS, it also provides a curriculum for Pentecostal and charismatic pastors and spiritual leaders who desire to equip their congregations or groups to minister in the gifts of the Spirit.</p>

<p> Recognizing the lack of consensus among studies of the letter of James concerning its original situation, this thesis is a study in the circumstances that precipitated the letter of James; it argues that the letter responds in significant measure to the inclination of some pre 70 Diaspora Jews to rebel violently against the Roman Empire. In so doing, it is suggested that the paralleled passages of Jas 1:2-20 and 5:7-11/12 might covertly critique a set of convictions and behaviors of the letter&rsquo;s audience that configures a &ldquo;war agenda.&rdquo; This thesis finds sufficient reasons to read the letter of James as a paralleled literary structure rather than as a linear progression of thought. Reading it thus provides a better control on the exploration of the plausibility of a &ldquo;war agenda&rdquo; as the original situation of the letter of James, inasmuch as such exploration can be speculative. Some corroborating evidence for the plausibility of the &ldquo;war agenda&rdquo; is provided in the form of identifying a highly volatile political environment in mid-first-century Palestine with important implications and reverberations in the Jewish Diaspora. Such evidence is correlated with the letter of James. </p><p> The letter of James can be seen thus as an authoritative exhortation embedded in the thought-world of the Old Testament as interpreted according to the teachings of Jesus. It is argued that such exhortation was addressed to the Jews in the Diaspora, irrespective of whether they were Christians, and that its author was James, the brother of Jesus and a Christian Jew. This James emerges then as a recognized leader in the nascent Christian movement, with influence among his Jewish brethren in Palestine and in the Diaspora, at a time when there was no clear discontinuity between Christianity and Judaism. Such reading seems to account for some of the clear, and at times problematic, traits identified by other studies in the letter of James, including the seemingly meager Christology, a strong Jewish ideological background, a reflection of the thought-world of Jesus, and the social concern for the marginalized.</p>

Thèse (M.A.)--Université de Sherbrooke (Canada), 2008. / Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 1 février 2007). In ProQuest dissertations and theses. Publié aussi en version papier.

This thesis is the first modern joint study of biblical Cherubim and Seraphim. I begin by setting out the recent history of their interpretation, before taking each of the biblical texts in turn. Chapter 1 looks at the references to Cherubim in Ezekiel. I argue that the Cherubim in Ezek. 1-11 are based upon the two large Cherubim in the sanctuary in Jerusalem. I investigate the different traditions represented by LXX and MT versions of Ezek. 28 and identify a tradition which may account for the MT of this chapter. Chapter 2 covers the other descriptions of living Cherubim in the biblical texts in Gen. 3 and Ps. 18. I argue for a conscious link with the Jerusalem Temple in both texts but for their independence from each other. All the references to Cherubim in the Temple and the Tabernacle are looked at in Chapter 3, and I offer a radical re-imagining of the two large Cherubim in the Solomonic Temple and on the Kapporeth in the Mosaic Tabernacle. In Chapter 4 I question the validity of translating the Cherubim Formula as “enthroned upon the Cherubim”, and offer an alternative translation which makes reference to all the Cherubim mentioned in the text. In Chapter 5, looking at the references to saraph, I follow Joines and others in arguing for a serpentine form for the Seraphim, but argue that this identity was forgotten at an early stage of the textual transmission, and that they were then seen as part of Yhwh’s heavenly host. Finally, I argue that the role of Cherubim and Seraphim is similar, being primarily apotropaic, but that both are associated with theophany and, less frequently, with heavenly worship.