D.Litt. et Phil. / Revelation has received much attention throughout the nearly two millennia since its acceptance into the Christian canon, and interest in it is escalating as the twenty-first century approaches. Recent scholarly work has served as a corrective to the excesses of popular thought about the Apocalypse, but much more needs to be done. The theocentricity of Revelation makes imperative to seek the mysterious One Who Sits on the Throne in the center of heaven. Narratology and in particular characterization forms the foundation of this historical-critical, inductive study. Its purpose is to discover the characterization of God through the interdividual relationships between God and the non-divine characters. Interdividuality emphasizes that characters are developed in essential relationships with others. God's character as depicted in Revelation is developed through interaction with all creation. Non-divine characters receive their identity from the One Who Sits on the Throne. Their response to their Creator shapes the hearer/readers' perception of God who is both revealed and shrouded with mystery through the apocalyptic visions recorded by a Christian prophet named John. The non-divine characters of Revelation are divided into four categories: People, Satanic Forces, Heavenly Beings, and "Women". The characters of each category are examined and their characterization established from both direct and indirect characterization perspectives. The characterization of God resulting from their interrelationship is then noted. The People of Revelation can be divided into two categories: those who follow Satan and those who follow God. The decision of who is Lord is the focal point of the Apocalypse. Although the narrative does not downplay the difficulty of following God the rhetoric is far from neutral. The story constantly confronts the hearer/readers with the necessity to shun the deceptive allure of the Dragon's false world and embrace the more difficult path to the New Jerusalem. God's faithfulness, love, mercy, power and holiness are revealed through relationships with and provisions for both sinner and saint. God is Creator of all and sovereign King, understanding Father and faithful Husband, merciful Judge and worthy Lord.

Were OT saints indwelt by the Holy Spirit? This dissertation seeks an answer from John's Gospel. The thesis here is that John 14:17c, "He is with you, and he will be in you," encapsulates the Bible's description of the relationship between the Spirit and the believer in the Old and New Covenants. In chapter 1 the different positions taken on this question are surveyed. The five actual positions and one alleged position are illustrated with quotations. Not all equate regeneration and indwelling. None think the Spirit had nothing to do with OT saints. Chapter 2 contends that the OT does not present its faithful as indwelt by the Spirit. Covenant mediators have the Spirit, but the Spirit distinguishes and empowers them. God dwells among his people in the tabernacle/temple, but he does not dwell in each believer. The outpouring of the Spirit passages point to the future, saying nothing about the experience of Old Covenant believers. Chapter 3 exegetes the Spirit passages in John. Chapter 4 argues that John 7:39 will not permit the inference that OT saints were indwelt. This chapter lays out the OT expectation of a Spirit-anointed Messiah who inaugurates the age to come. John presents Jesus as the fulfillment of this hope, and Jesus ministers the Spirit to his people. Chapter 5 shows that regeneration and indwelling are not equivalent in John. John presents Jesus as the replacement of the temple. Jesus is the locus of God's presence and the place where sin is dealt with. Once Jesus fulfills all sacrifice, God can take up residence in a temple where no sacrifices are offered. Jesus confers temple status on those who believe in him. When Jesus ascends, believers become the locus of God's presence with authority to forgive and retain sin, i.e., they are the new temple. Chapter 6 concludes and summarizes. OT saints were regenerate but not indwelt. The OT does not claim its faithful were indwelt, and the NT says they were not (John 7:39). Under the Old Covenant God's dwelling was the temple. In the New Covenant God dwells in believers. / This item is only available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. If you are not associated with SBTS, this dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.

This dissertation identifies covenant as a primary framework for understanding marriage in the Bible and the divorce and remarriage texts of the New Testament. Chapter 1 defines the need for such a work and provides a basic overview of the present major positions. Chapter 2 provides a theology of marriage based upon the biblical principle of covenant and the foundational principles of Genesis 2:24: leave, cleave, and one flesh. Chapter 3 examines the primary Old Testament texts and their contribution to this discussion. Passages that are examined include Genesis 1-2, Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Malachi 2:10-16, and other pertinent texts. These passages help shape one's understanding of the New Testament teachings on divorce and remarriage. Chapters 4 and 5 serve as the heart of the work and consider the words of Jesus and Paul on divorce and remarriage. It is argued in these chapters that both Jesus and Paul promote the ideal of lifelong marriage but also allow for divorce when the covenant of marriage is violated. Jesus deals with the "one flesh" aspect of the marriage covenant, and Paul addresses the "leave" and "cleave" elements. When these parameters are obstinately violated, divorce is permitted but not required. It is also important to understand and interpret the words of Jesus and Paul in their historical context, for it is only within this context that we can understand fully what they are teaching. Chapter 6 is the conclusion and provides an overview of the work as well as some pastoral implications of the research. / This item is only available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. If you are not associated with SBTS, this dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.

ABSTRACT RECONSIDERDING ETERNAL LIFE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT: THE IDEA OF RESURRECTION ROOTED IN THE TORAH Eun-Jung Kim, Ph.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2015 Chair: Dr. Russell T. Fuller This dissertation reconsiders the historical, scriptural and theological grounds for the early presence of the hope of resurrection and eternal life in the OT. Chapter 1 reviews the critical view of late development of the resurrection hope in the OT which has significant exgetical and theological defects. Chapter 2 surveys the history of exegetical tradition regarding the idea of resurrection of the dead in the OT. The survey includes the ancient translations of the Hebrew Bible, intertestamental apocrypha and pseudepigrapha, the rabbinic literature, and Christian writers from early church Fathers. Jewish and Christian interpretative traditions consistently support the presence of the idea of resurrection in the OT. Chapter 3 examines scriptures in the Torah where the idea of resurrection of the dead and eternal life is found. Although the Torah does not employ the wordings “resurrection” and “eternal life,” these concepts are found in the promises of life and the land. Contrary to the major scholarly view, these promises do not merely reflect the corporate nature. Rather, they foreground individuality of the hope of eternal life and bodily resurrection. Chapter 4 examines Scriptures in the Prophets and the Writings where the idea of resurrection of the dead and eternal life is found. This examination shows that the hope of resurrection and eternal life had been already firmly rooted and fully bloomed into maturity in the Prophets and the Writings. Chapter 5 presents the life-death-life structure embeded in the Torah and the rest of the OT by applying the ANE philological scope of the meaning of life to the meaning of life in the OT. The entire OT leads people to hope for the victory over death and the restoration of life eternal. The paper concludes with the importance of the argument for the early presence of the concept of resurrection and eternal life in the OT. The argument is evaluated by its scriptural, theological, and ethical consequences.

by Elizabeth Leung. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-86). / Abstract also in Chinese. / Acknowledgments --- p.iii / Abbreviations --- p.iv / Abstract --- p.v / Chapter / Chapter I. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter A. --- A Brief Survey of Method of Matthean Studies --- p.1 / Chapter 1. --- Before the 1980s: Redaction Criticism --- p.1 / Chapter 2. --- An Example of Transition --- p.4 / Chapter 3. --- Narrative Criticism --- p.5 / Chapter B. --- Method of Study --- p.13 / Chapter C. --- Thesis --- p.14 / Chapter II. --- The Eschatological Theme of Persecution --- p.16 / Chapter A. --- Persecutors & Persecution --- p.16 / Chapter 1. --- "Identity of Persecutions, Traitors and Haters (24:9-10 cf. 10:17-18, 21-22)" --- p.16 / Chapter 2. --- Severity of Persecution (24:9 cf. 5:11) --- p.19 / Chapter B. --- Communal Disharmony --- p.22 / Chapter 1. --- The Lack of Reconciliation (24:10 cf. 5:21-26) --- p.23 / Chapter 2. --- "The Lack of Non-Retaliation (24:10 cf. 5:38-42, 43-48)" --- p.26 / Chapter 3. --- "The Lack of Forgiveness and Non-Judgment (24:10 cf. 6:14-15, 7:1-5)" --- p.28 / Chapter C. --- False Prophets & Lawlessness --- p.30 / Chapter 1. --- "False Prophets (24:11, 24 cf. 7:15-20)" --- p.31 / Chapter 2. --- Lawlessness (24:12 cf. 7:21-23) --- p.34 / Chapter D. --- Perseverance & Purpose --- p.38 / Chapter 1. --- The Way of Persevering (24:13 cf. 7:24-27) --- p.38 / Chapter 2. --- The Circumstances of Persevering (24:13 cf. 10:22) --- p.41 / Chapter 3. --- The Purpose of Persevering (24:14 cf. 10:5-6) --- p.42 / Chapter E. --- Concluding Remarks --- p.46 / Chapter III. --- The Eschatological Theme of Separation --- p.48 / Chapter A. --- "The Time of Separation (24:3 cf. 13:24-30，36-43, 47-49)" --- p.49 / Chapter 1. --- "The Destruction of the Temple and ""These Things""" --- p.50 / Chapter 2. --- The Sign of the Parousia and the End of Age --- p.53 / Chapter B. --- "The Reason for Separation (24:40-41; 25:1-13,31-46 cf. 13:24-30,36-43,47-49)" --- p.56 / Chapter 1. --- The Ones Being Separated in the Parables Speech --- p.56 / Chapter 2. --- The Reasons of Separation in the Eschatological Speech --- p.61 / Chapter C. --- Separation & the Responsibility of Authority (24:45-51; 25:14-30 cf. 18:1-35) --- p.65 / Chapter 1. --- The Leadership Authority to Love --- p.66 / Chapter 2. --- The Leadership Authority to Discipline --- p.70 / Chapter 3. --- Use and Misuse of Authority --- p.73 / Chapter D. --- Concluding Remarks --- p.78 / Chapter IV. --- Conclusion --- p.80 / Bibliography --- p.84

Abstract available in pdf file.

No abstract / New Testament / D.Th.

The motif of hastening the Lord's coming: 2 Peter 3:1-13 and its alleged parallels and background is a study of an aspect of 2 Peter's message and the problems related to that aspect. The study consists of seven chapters. Chapter one is an orientative survey of 2 Peter research defining and describing the nature and scope of the problems which are investigated in later chapters, as well as indicating the importance of the study and its general outline. In chapter two, broad hermeneutical issues which influence the investigation in chapters three, four, five and six are highlighted. Chapter three investigates the use and meanings of a1fe 6 6 <.t> derivatives in the New Testament and finds out that apart from 2 Peter, those concerned are generally not explicitly used in association with Christ's Parousia. In chapter four, relevant sections of 2 Peter are exegeted to determine this motifs role and meaning within the message of 2 Peter. Chapter four's investigation finds out that this salient motif in 2 Peter emphasises the Christian community's role of being God's important partner in the achievement of the eschatological promises associated with Christ's Parousia. Chapter five then studies alleged parallels of this motif in the New Testament outside of 2 Peter and finds out that the ideas, which 2 Peter expressed through this motif are echoed within most of the passages. In chapter six the religious background of 2 Peter is investigated and it is discovered that ideas expressed through this motif in 2 Peter appear to be generally in discontinuity with those contained in the investigated backgrounds. The final chapter highlights the contemporary relevance of the study with reference to (i) New Testament study in general, (ii) 2 Peter research in particular; and (iii) the calling and responsibilities of the church in the context of today's problems. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / D. Th. (New Testament)

M.A. / The script focuses on the theology of the Synoptics, the meaning of the kingdom as it is dealt with by the writers of the Synoptic Gospels, and the demand for faith in the kingdom within the Synoptics. It gives the theology of the Synoptics. The existence of God and his work of creation are accepted without question just as it is in the Old Testament. God is seen as the provider of the whole universe, and He is its Monarch. He is the God who reveals himself to his creation, especially man (anthropos). He seeks to have an intimate relationship with man which is possible through his Son Jesus Christ. Man is invited to this relationship with the purpose of becoming God's child. Those who refuse this relationship do so at their own will with the understanding of the consequences thereafter. The Synoptics teach about the kingdom of God which he has brought to mankind through his Son Jesus. It is a kingdom of righteousness which is entered in by those who choose to meet the conditions laid by the King of the kingdom, namely God. These conditions are as follows: repentance, faith in Jesus Christ, humility, eager desire for righteousness, and peace making. The salvation that God gives is available to all. It introduces the kingdom of God to the individual who accepts it. Salvation is the reign of God to those who put their faith in Jesus. In the teaching of the Synoptics, it is not possible, from outside appearance of human beings, to see who is God's child and that of Satan. Judgement is left in the hands of God, the Supreme Judge. The existence of Satan and demons is accepted without question. Though Satan and demons are in the world, man is free to make his own decision independently, and is accountable to God. The kingdom of God is the reign of God both in the present age and in the age to come. The kingdom of God was promised in the Old Testament to Israel, was fulfilled in the New Testament by the coming of Jesus Christ on earth, and will be consummated at the end of this age. The kingdom of God is revealed to people through the ministry of Jesus which includes; healing, demon exorcism, raising the dead, forgiveness of sins, and the righteous lives of those who have been saved from their sins. The kingdom of God is a moral and ethical kingdom. For the kingdom of God to be experienced, one has to have faith in Jesus and the good news he brought. Faith is also necessary for one to continue in the kingdom. Faith result in a humble life and dependency of the one who brought the kingdom.

M.A. / The focus of this dissertation is based on the Biblical and Pauline perspectives of life and death. If the Christian is to believe abortion is wrong, he should do so for sound Biblical reasons. Scripture places a deep personal concern toward human beings. The Judeo-Christian tradition has always held that all men and women are created in God's image and that every life is to be considered of value. The Bible does not place less value on people who are of a lower standard or age because it does not question their right to live and this is the main reason the church can never become anything else but pro-life. Of importance is also the fact that the innocent human life needs to be protected and if it is not, this would be inviting God's judgement. Man has no right to take another person's life because this would be failing to acknowledge God as Creator of life. Death is seen in Scripture as an enemy and the Bible says there is hope for deliverance in the face of death. With the coming of Christ, the power of God's reign on earth can be experienced in "new life" as described by Paul. Looking at what Scripture had to say about when does human life begin, it was discovered that Scripture places a high value on conception. It was also evidenced that conception is a gift from God and a fulfilment of His promises found in Scripture. A fundamental unity exists between body and soul and death is not an alternative even in the face of suffering. No Scripture supports abortion; on the contrary, God is viewed as overseeing all of life from the moment of conception. By examining the five major faiths in South Africa, namely Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Christianity, it was realised that all five of these faiths take the unborn child into consideration. Only in extreme circumstances do some of these faiths allow abortion, e.g. rape, incest. It must also be said that these circumstances are in an abnormal situation and are not regarded as regular practices. It was necessary to discuss the application and effects of abortion in the final chapter in order to determine what happens in an abortion. Medical facts were presented about abortion and this was helpful in order to deal with the moral questions more intelligently. A description was given of the more common procedures used in performing abortions. It was evidenced that the medical staff participating in the performance of abortions are affected psychologically and recognise that abortions are destructive and violent. From all the specialised medical equipment available and all the modern medical advances being made daily, abortion is seen as unnecessary. Even the "hard cases" such as rape, incest and genetic defects did not permit support for abortion. Ethical considerations were also taken into account with more value being placed on innocent human lives. A number of questions were then addressed concerning the role of the law and abortion. The South African Abortion and Sterilisation Act of 1975 was discussed and it was necessary to look at two other countries with similar constitutions, namely Ireland and the United States of America, in order to see how they have ruled on abortion. Ireland has interpreted its constitution to favour the right to life of the unborn child while the Untied State of America preferred the right to privacy of the mother. A brief summary was given of the legal changes recommended by the Ad Hoc Select Committee on Abortion and Sterilisation with a number of figures being given on abortion in South Africa. A number of both surprising, and shocking facts were discovered about the New Constitution and its responses to the public. It was also necessary to refute a number of "pro-choice" arguments submitted to the Ad Hoc Select Committee on Abortion and Sterilisation as it seems the "pro-life" arguments were not even considered. A lengthy discussion was then given about the Post-Abortion Syndrome (PAS). It is evident that South Africa is not yet familiar with this term although many suffer from it already. The defence mechanisms were listed as well as the symptoms of this syndrome. The final chapter ended with a number of tasks of healing of the Post- Abortion Syndrome. It was concluded that the Bible is pro-life and that it does not seem that the New Constitution, which seems to be pro-choice, did not even consider Biblical morals in its deliberations. It is acknowledged that it is the task of the church , and even the other faiths in South Africa, that will need to continue in this battle to protect the life of the unborn and the mother.