M.Litt. et Phil. / The importance of the Trinity cannot be overemphasised in the matter of salvation. We cannot talk about a salvation if we cannot talk about a Trinity. Paul thinks of salvation only in trinitarian categories. For the purpose of this treatise, we call it a Soteriological Trinity. Paul takes the soteriological trinity as a matter of fact because he ascribes deity to both Christ and the Holy Spirit without denying his monotheistic background or beliefs. For Paul, God's dealing with people in the world is to call a people for his own name. These are called the People of God, and is identified with the Body of Christ and the Temple of the Holy Spirit, the Church. The Holy Spirit is instrumental in constituting this People, or Body, or Temple. Because of the death and resurrection of Christ, and the gift of the promised Holy Spirit, this People is defined as an eschatological community, and salvation is an eschatological event. Through these events, the future and the kingdom is present in the here and now ("already"), while there is still a "not yet" aspect to that future. This society, the Church, is therefore a reflection of the Divine Trinity. They reflect God's unity, love, grace, kingdom and more in this world. Because the community of believers is a Spirit-instituted, Spirit-sealed, Spirit-quickened, Spirit-initiated, Spirit-controlled and Spirit-endowed community, they characterise the New Age, which is the age of the New Covenant and the age of the Spirit. That means that our obedience to God is internally motivated rather than by external codes or requirements of law. The Church is, really then, the beneficiaries of God's grace, thus making them a charismatic community. Salvation is by God's grace. Sanctification is by God's grace. Security is ours by God's grace. In fact for Paul, the whole of the Christian life is a matter of God's grace. He calls it "the riches of the glory of God's grace" (Eph. 1:7). Grace is the antithesis of the Law. Paul's own experience of Christ and the Spirit, changed his whole understanding of God, the People of God, and the Law. God was now understood as a trinity; the People of God now consisted of both Jews and Gentiles; and the Law, though holy and good, was weak through the flesh, and unable to bring salvation. In fact, the Law brought death and bondage, rather than life and liberty. The Spirit of life and liberty set us free from the law of sin and death. The Spirit, life and liberty are then gifts of grace. We now have to live as free, not using our freedom as a 'cloak of maliciousness', but to bring honour to God. Freedom was for Paul the mark of sonship, and bondage of slavery. We are sons and not slaves. Through the Spirit we were made sons of God, and are being fashioned after the image of the true Son of God. All of the Spirit's operations in the Church, are to this end. Whether to give us life, or to place us in Christ's Body, or to unite believers to Christ and to each other, or to give gifts for the building up of the saints and for the work of the ministry, or to lead and control us, or to have us bear spiritual fruit, a to reveal to us the mysteries of God, it is so that the Body and the individual believer be conformed to Christ's likeness. All these operations are done in conjunction with the Father and the Son. The Kingdom of God is for Paul the final goal of the relationship between the Spirit, Christ and the People of God. So that God's righteousness and rule be the culmination of it all. The Kingdom of God is nevertheless a present reality, in that righteousness, peace and joy are already the experience of the Church. Yet, the future of the believers' participation in the Kingdom, is guaranteed by their participation with the Holy Spirit in the present. Through this present participation with the Spirit, are we guaranteed of the future bodily resurrection, inheritance and eternal life. Our participation in the "firstfruits" guarantees our participation in the "harvest". When the Holy Spirit is involved in the world, he is involved with the task of the Kingdom; the calling of those who will be the People for God's Name. The Holy Spirit makes the Word understandable and appropriate for salvation through the Gospel. He gives life which opens them up for his work in them to bring about their identification with Christ, the Lord and King. The Holy Spirit is the key to true spirituality and Christ-likeness. The Holy Spirit is the key to the future.

D.Litt. et Phil. / In this thesis, I shall be examining whether the creation hermeneutic is a valid hermeneutic for understanding the Gospel of John. In other words, is it a legitimate and a valid perspective with which to understand the Fourth Gospel. Can the Gospel be specifically understood from a creation perspective? It must be mentioned here that the creation perspective is only one perspective (point of view) with which to understand the Gospel. It is not the only perspective (point of view) that may be valid in understanding the Gospel. Furthermore it must be mentioned that very little literature is available on this specific topic ( the creation theme in the fourth Gospel). I therefore had to be creative and innovative in developing this different point of view regarding the Gospel. What I did wish to discover however is whether it is a valid point of view which will assist the reader in developing a better understanding of the Gospel. The question to be asked is whether it is a valid exegetical method with which to understand the Gospel. In answering the questions above, I applied a specific hermeneutic (method of interpretation) to the analysis of these problems. I applied specifically the comparative-literary methods aiming at a theological systematization of the creation theme. This comparative-literary method not only involved analysing the Gospel of John against the background of the creation story told in Genesis, but also involved an analysis of the Gospel within its socio-cultural and political-religious context.

Traditionally, Paul's phrase "under the law" has been interpreted as a reference to being under a legal/legalistic system of the law, being under the law as a guiding/restraining power, or being under the curse/condemnation of the law. Recently many scholars have avoided the condemning aspect of the law in existence under the law. Especially, James D. G. Dunn and N. T. Wright tend to reject the law’s condemning function as its “negative” function (Dunn) or to minimize it as a "secondary" element (Wright). Thus, they, emphasizing the law's constraining element, understand that with the salvation-historical assumptions they posited, Paul uses the phrase as a reference to Jewish covenantal experience under the law of Moses prior to Christ─Jews’ nationalistic misuse of the law under the law (Dunn) and Israel’s continuing curse of exile under the law (Wright). Here, despite their emphasis on eschatological elements in Paul, Dunn and Wright, from their view of covenantal nomism, emphasizing the law’s guardianship of Israel in salvation history, fail to see the just, eschatological condemning function of the law in the existence under the law apart from Christ, and thereby the forensic, eschatological aspect of freedom in Christ. In this dissertation, I investigate every occurrence of the phrase “under the law,” and develop my thesis that in his view of eschatological situation, Paul uses the phrase to refer to the universal human plight under the law's eschatological condemnation, from which Christ set us into all the eschatological blessings in Christ─sonship, freedom, and new life.

Part of the biblical theology of Satan and the demonic realm includes a depiction of cosmic conflict, wherein earthly events and conflicts are portrayed as a reflection of heavenly ones, and vice versa. While this portrayal has been explored from various angles, it has not been applied to an examination of the letter of 1 Peter. This dissertation argues that the depiction of cosmic conflict does inform Peter’s paraenesis and depiction of suffering to a significant degree, in that Peter pictures the current persecution of the readers as a necessary and inevitable part of the cosmic struggle against Satan and the demonic realm.

This dissertation examines how the thought uder girding the biblical counseling movement as founded by Jay Adams has developed since 1988 Chapter 1 examines the historical and theological context for that development. This chapter is concerned to set the context necessary in understanding the work to follow. Chapter 2 evaluates the conceptual development of the biblical counseling movement. The development in the movement regarding sin and suffering and motivational issues is considered. Chapter 3 addresses the methodological development of the biblical counseling movement. The shift from the formal and authoritative method of Adams to the relational method of the second generation of leaders is documented. Chapter 4 tackles the apologetic development of the biblical counseling movement. The chapter highlights the various approaches in engaging with outsiders of the movement. Chapter 5 engages the work of Eric Johnson. Johnson is the only other scholar who seriously evaluates the counseling movement as anything other than monolithic. This chapter assesses the correctness of his approach. Chapter 6 seeks to address areas in further need of development with regard to motivational issues in biblical counseling. Efforts are made here to further develop a biblical counseling understanding of human motivation. Chapter 7 concludes this dissertation. The argument is made that, in evaluating the development of the biblical counseling movement, it is important to embrace the founding work of the first generation and the developing work of the second generation, being thankful for each. This work argues that the biblical counseling movement is one, single movement that has experienced conceptual, methodological, and apologetic development from a first, founding generation to a second, developing generation. It is further argued that this development has improved the theological foundation of the movement.

M.A. / The main aim of the research was to make the book of Revelation, often considered as a marginal book within the context of the Christian Bible, more accessible for contemporary readers. The study's first focus is on the contextualization of the creation of this book. The most accepted time frame in which this text was written is around 95-96 AD. The social-historical context in those years was investigated and possible crisis and conflict elements identified. Hypotheses about authorship was developed concluding that Revelation was probably written by a Jew who was part of an itinerant group which was viewed as apocalyptic prophets. The structure of the book of Revelation was investigated, as it is essential for the analysis of the contents. It was found that scholarship has not yet reach consensus of the book of Revelation. Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza nonetheless found general approval among scholars and thus was this chiastic surface structure applied on the book of Revelation. Other models of interpretation were investigated as well as key terminology. The focus then moved to feminist theology. It's origins, key terminology, important contributors and its contributions in the world were investigated. A couple of the new feminist hermeneutical and exegetical models that have been developed during the last decade were research concentrating especially on the twelve tenets developed from the notion of Denise Carmody's pillars of feminist theology. Revelation is interpreted by using these twelve tenets namely the quest for truth, meaning, justice, equality, love, hope, beauty, identity, empowerment, unity, happiness/fulfilment and freedom. Finally, this analysis is briefly evaluated in order to establish if the main aims namely: to arrive at a fresh interpretation of Revelation, making the book of Revelation more accessible to its readers, evaluating the book's relevance for today and developing the means to lead more believers or other readers from fear to freedom, was accomplished. The study concluded that this method had the potential to contribute towards a fresh interpretation of the apocalypse, and the identification of a meaningful message in the narrative. However, using this method exclusively in the exegetical analysis of the book of Revelation, tended to narrow the focus down to only a limited aspect of this rich and varied text. The findings of this research project suggested that, with further refinement, the Carmody-derived research process could fruitfully be used in conjunction with other feminist hermeneutical and exegetical models. Integrated in this manner, it has the potential to contribute towards a change in interpretive perspective and practice.

M.Litt. et Phil. / The focus on this script is based on the comparison between the Johannine and Pauline eschatology. Eschatology is the field of interest of many scholars and theologians. Both the Old and the New Testament, examine eschatology as the hope of the Messiah's coming and the end of the Age. Eschatology is the teaching or doctrine of the last things, the Second coining of Our Lord Jesus Christ. John and Paul use different words, with the same meaning, to describe the Second coming of the Messiah. They approach the subject matter under the following headings: Parousia, resurrection, judgment and eternal life. In order to define John and Paul's meaning of eschatology, the following passages are important: John 5:19-29; I and II Thessalonians and I Corinthians 15. When we read the entire fourth gospel, the strong emphasis is upon the presence of salvation in the believers life. Paul, for instance, speaks of salvation as both a present experience and future hope. This is clearest in Paul's declaration in Romans 8:24 "for in hope we are saved". The central message in both Johannine and Pauline gospels is Jesus Himself is life, He offers life to men in the present. The aim of this script, is to bring this important aspect of the eschatology of John and Paul to the fore. This script also highlights the importance of eschatology as the foundation of the Christian faith (Creed). Jesus Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead. Christians look forward with hope to the resurrection of the dead and the life in the world to come. We shall realise in this script that salvation, eternal life, resurrection and judgment are a realized or present reality. The reason why this study has been undertaken is to look at the presentation of eschatology as present and future, in John and Paul letters.

D.Litt.et Phil. / The world in which the Christian community finds themselves today, is a world that has in many ways spiritually lost its way. This has led to the ethical and moral decay that has as a result, social problems, as well as social and political corruption. The Church is also experiencing a crisis. The Church, until recently was the centre of many people‟s existence, but now increasingly people are removed from the church and churchless. Is there an antidote to counteract this assault on the Christian faith? As per the argument in this dissertation, the answer lies in the lifestyle of the faithful, according to their confession. A way of life that confirms and not renounces the Biblical truths is the only way in which the Church‟s credibility can be restored in a post modern milieu. It is also one of the most important ways in which the decay in society can be counteracted; a Church that can yet again, as a bride of Christ perform her missiological duty as the salt and light of the world. This conclusion has forced the relevance of this research to the forefront. Paul describes the Corinthians as the holy temple of God in which the Holy Spirit resides (1 Cor 3:16-17). Two questions immediately arise: what relevance does this metaphor have on a Christian lifestyle and can a metaphor, applied 2000 years ago to the Christians in Corinthians, have any hermeneutical value, today? Can it serve as an ethical core moment in the post-modern time in which we find ourselves? These are some of the questions addressed in this research. The temple motif is a central theme found throughout the Bible. This is born through God‟s desire to live amidst his people. He instructs Moses to build a tent tabernacle, so that He “can live in their midst” (Ex 25:8). This tabernacle moved with the Israelites, everywhere they went. This was the place where God revealed his special presence, where daily offerings were made as atonement for the people‟s sins and where, once a year on the Great Day of Reconciliation the high priest went into the Most Holy to atone for the sins of the people as well as his own. Everything in and around the tabernacle was characterized by holiness.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate what can be discovered from Luke-Acts about early Christian baptism, recognising that the environment in which Luke's tradition developed was both Jewish and Gentile. The thesis begins with a brief survey of the Jewish practice of ritual washings. The ideas and practices which encouraged the formal rite of John the Baptist and the early church are identified and evaluated. The second chapter focuses attention on Acts 2:37-3:21. Baptism is defined in this passage (Ac. 2:38) in the context of the proclamation by Peter (Ac. 2:14-36) and the life of the community, which includes koinonia (Ac. 2:42-47), the performance of a miracle (Ac. 3:1-1 0), and a further proclamation (Ac. 3:12-26). Using the methods of redaktiongeschichte and narratological analyses, the literary unity of Luke-Acts will be shown in the light of the elements of baptism. In the third chapter the different accounts of baptism recorded in Luke-Acts will be analysed and compared in order to determine how the church tradition which Luke represents understood baptism, and what was the significance of the rite and the practice of baptism in the early church. Finally, in order to emphasise the importance in the Greek world of the ideas and example of the moral philosophers, the meaning of terms related to baptism, such as akouo, metanoeo and pisteuo, is examined in the light of both Jewish and Greek concepts. The community life of the baptised expressed also practices and ideas which appear to owe more to the Greek world than the Jewish. These concepts include parrhesia, koinonia, and the way in which Christianity is described by its members and outsiders- Christianoi, hairesis, hodos. Finally the setting of the Christian meetings in the Gentile context is discussed. The conclusion indicated by the evidence is that Christianity was organised in a form which was scarcely distinguishable from a school under a kathegetes. Baptism initiated the believer into a relationship with a teacher. It was the nature of the teacher as well as the content of the teaching which gave to Christianity its uniqueness.

The aim of this thesis is to reveal the intimate relationship between John Chrysostom's Eucharistic theology and the christian life, and that at the Eucharist Man's true being is demonstrated. It investigates Chrysostom's exegetical and oratorical method in order to ascertain how he approached a text and how he delivered his understanding of it. He is a representative of the Antiochene School of Exegesis and his fame as a preacher was a result not so much of his oratorical construction, but of the underlying spiritual unity within the oration. The purpose of all his preaching and exegesis was to evoke a moral response from his hearers. In the consecration of the elements, Chrysostcm displayed a remarkable openness to the varying traditions. He saw reciting the words of institution and invoking the Spirit as effecting consecration. Not only this, but also the moral life of the congregation played its part in effecting consecration. Once the elements had been consecrated, Christ was sacrificed, symbolically and literally, not again but in memory (Greek letters) of the Passion, which thereby becomes a present reality. In Chrysostom's understanding of the real presence he displays yet again an openness to the traditions. Christ is both present symbolically through the elements and literally through the transformation of the elements. The real presence demanded of the communicant a high degree of morality. To approach the Table on which Christ lay demanded a life of virtue, not only from the individual communicant but from the whole community. Those who partook unworthily imitated Judas and shared his fate. The community had to approach the Table in unity. At the Table, however, the community received its unity from Christ, the community became the body of Christ. Through participation and becoming the body of Christ, the community was united with the Godhead . Schism, therefore, was a very serious sin for it tore the body of Christ apart. For Chrysostom, Christ was also present in and intimately united with the poor. The church had to be able to be aware of Christ's presence in the poor and be responsible toward Him. In giving to the poor, the communiicant acknowledged that he/she had received at the Table and also received his/her salvation from Christ through the poor. The whole Eucharistic feast not only fed the christian with spiritual food, but called the communicant away from gross materialism to a life-giving dependance on God. It called the communicant to give to others as he/she had received from Christ.