The Eucharist is preeminently the sacrament of Christian hope. It is a foretaste of the eschatological banquet. Saint Thomas Aquinas, in the antiphon for the Magnificat on the feast of Corpus Christi, described the Eucharist as the pledge of future glory. It contains within it the memorial of Christ’s Passover and the anticipation of his coming in glory. Filled with hope, Christians celebrate the Eucharist as “a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us” in anticipation. (Sacrosanctum Concilium, par. 47). How this eschatological consciousness is related to the Eucharist is a question that deserves further exploration. While some authors have touched on the subject, there has been no systematic treatment of this theme since Geoffrey Wainwright’s Eucharist and Eschatology. Our thesis explores the contemporary insights into Eucharistic eschatology of Hans Urs von Balthasar, Francois-Xavier Durrwell, Gustave Martelet, and Louis-Marie Chauvet. We shall situate our study in terms of a current philosophical-phenomenological context of hope as explored by Gabriel Marcel and Ernst Bloch, and the questions of gift as discussed in the works of Robyn Horner, Jacques Derrida, Jean-Luc Marion and David Power. To approach the Eucharist as the pledge of future glory is to discern the eschatological meaning of this sacrament and its relationship to Christian hope. If hope is essential to the human condition, then the Eucharist keeps hope alive within the Christian community and the world. As the sacrament of the Eschaton, the Eucharist activates hope in the present time for the consummation of God’s purposes for all humanity and for the fulfilment of God’s reign of justice, freedom and peace throughout creation. To celebrate the Eucharist is to participate in a “holy communion” with God through the bread and wine shared together. Such an eschatological communion foreshadows the future transformation of the whole cosmos into New Creation. The Eucharist is thus the divine milieu where the Christian community celebrates the real presence of the risen and glorified Christ, and the eschatological grounds for its ultimate expectations. In order to celebrate the Eucharist as the pledge of future glory it is also important to recognize that the future glory which Christians anticipate through the Eucharist is God’s gift. It is a gift of grace to be received and cultivated with a sense of responsibility. The Eucharist inspires Christian hope and gives birth to creative human activity in the direction of the coming of the new heaven and new earth. Only when Christians recognize the future as eschatological gift, they will be able to commit themselves to building up the body of Christ in the world and at the same time dare to hope for the future glory in the fullness of God’s time. The Eucharistic hope thus embodies an ethical praxis that the Christian community is summoned to embody in their lives. The Christian community, gathered for prayers and thanksgiving, and for the “breaking of the bread” is itself an eschatological reality. It proclaims the real presence of the future that God has prepared for the whole of creation in Christ. We seek to explore the notion that the Eucharist, as the sacrament of hope, is both a vision of the future and a celebration of the Christian community as it is nourished on the body and blood of Christ, the firstfruits of the Kingdom. It is significant because if God is our ultimate future glory it matters greatly that we understand and know that the gathering at the Eucharistic table confirms and extends our communion with God and with all creation. It is in this Eucharistic communion that hope is born. A foretaste of what is to come is already celebrated and given in Christ’s self-giving love. It is vital therefore that we explore the interconnection between the Eucharist and eschatology and attend to the meaning and practice of Christian hope. The thesis will conclude with a constructive retrieval of the eschatological dimension of the Eucharist as a pledge of the future glory.

This study investigates the phenomenon of faith-motivated actors in blighted inner-city neighborhoods on the west side of Atlanta, Georgia. In merging community development literature with a framework of place, this research explores the role of faith in neighborhood transformation efforts. In particular, it examines the motivations and values of these actors that shape how they conceptualize their neighborhoods and in turn how these values are then inscribed into place. Fewer than 40 strategic neighbors are known to be active in Atlanta’s west side; of these 32 participated in the research through in-depth interviews, surveys, diaries and other qualitative research methods. Through this extensive qualitative investigation, this thesis explores the middle-class identity struggles experienced by participants as they reconfigure the social and material spaces of their neighborhoods as they live out their faith.

Para que todos sejam um é a afirmação que estimula nossa pesquisa e reflexão. O objetivo é aprofundar o tema da unidade, na perspectiva joanina, de modo específico o capítulo 17 do Evangelho de João. A sociedade pós-moderna vive uma espécie de fragmentação das mais variadas formas, individual, social, cultural e principalmente religiosa. Vivemos num mundo pluralista. Diante desse contexto pluralista, cabe uma pergunta, que norteará nossa pesquisa: num mundo fragmentado e dividido, como podemos buscar a unidade? Qual o sentido dessa unidade para a humanidade? Sabemos que nossa sociedade não pode continuar assim, pois não anda bem. Precisamos encontrar soluções para que, juntos, possamos dar as melhores saídas para as grandes e graves crises que estamos enfrentando. Parece que Deus foi afastado da humanidade. A unidade de Jesus com o Pai e deste com os discípulos deve ser um paradoxo para a sociedade que busca um Deus individual. Esse é o propósito. Nossa pesquisa buscará refletir sobre quatro pontos. No primeiro capítulo, numa compressão histórica, buscaremos conhecer mais de perto a comunidade joanina, para saber sua origem, sua formação, grupos que a constituem, grupos de oposição e até de conflito, como também seu período histórico (uma espécie de pano de fundo). No segundo capítulo, partimos para um estudo exegético, para o qual delimitamos nossa perícope em Jo 17,20-26, e em que Jesus faz menção da unidade para toda a comunidade futura. A seguir passamos para a análise das fontes históricas, análise da redação, do gênero literário e da teologia, sendo esta a forte característica do Evangelho de João. No terceiro capítulo, fizemos um estudo e reflexão, exegéticos e teológicos, do conteúdo de nossa perícope. Nesse capítulo, apresentamos dois pontos distintos: a unidade e glória, que se complementam mutuamente. No quarto e último capítulo, esboçamos de forma sintetizada uma atualização feita em três dimensões: a primeira, a nível pessoal, a segunda, no sentido da comunidade, e a terceira, no nível da sociedade e da criação. Após esse estudo, podemos concluir que nos achamos diante do ponto culminante da cristologia joanina. A comunidade joanina se fundamenta e se caracteriza pela alta cristologia, tornando-se motivo de unidade e também de conflito. Na parte exegética percebemos a dificuldade de encontrar fontes históricas, que caracterizam o evangelho, mas o que se evidencia são as interpretações teológicas que o próprio autor faz das atividades de Jesus, chegando muitas vezes a permanecer indefinido se é o evangelista que fala ou Jesus. Na interpretação do conteúdo, o ser um de Jesus com o Pai, mostra que as atitudes e as ações de Jesus são todas em função do Pai, sendo uma espécie de submissão do Filho ao Pai. Essa unidade é modelo e protótipo para a comunidade dos discípulos e a comunidade futura. A glória é o sentido divino da unidade e das ações de Jesus, os sinais são um exemplo disso. Na glória, a unidade nunca é completa, é sempre algo a ser alcançado, é uma tarefa humana e, acima de tudo, uma graça oferecida por Deus. Nela está o sentido escatológico da unidade, tanto presente como futura, sendo Jesus o tempo e o lugar dessa escatologia. Ela vem desde a fundação do mundo e vai até o fim. A atualização da unidade, no sentido pessoal, revela-se como nosso ser para Deus, como também nossa realização, tendo Jesus como protótipo e modelo de ser humano. Ao nível da comunidade/igreja, ela se faz exemplo na unidade dos discípulos com Jesus, unidade que deve produzir muitos frutos, sendo referência para a unidade de todos os cristãos, não baseada no sentido de hierarquia e de instituição. Para que todos sejam um, vai além das fronteiras da religião, sendo sempre um apelo interno de cada pessoa e de cada instituição. Acreditar em Jesus passa pelo desafio de viver a unidade com Deus, com os outros e com a criação. / May all be one is the affirmation which stimulates our research and reflection. Our purpose is to deepen the subject of unity, in the perspective of John, specifically, the chapter 17 of the Gospel of John. The pos-modern society lives a kind of breaking up in the most varied forms, individual, social, cultural and specifically religious. We are living in a pluralist world. In this pluralist context, there is a question which will be guiding our research. How can we get the unity in a broken up and divided word, how to get the unity? What is the direction of that unity for the mankind? We know that our society car no longer go on, it doesnt carry on well, and we need to find solutions for better way out for the great and the serious crisis which we are facing. It seems that God was moving away of the mankind. The unity of Jesus with the Father and Jesus with the disciples should be a paradox for a society who searches an individual God. This is the purpose. Our research intends to reflect about four points. In the first chapter, in a historical comprehension groups in apposition and in conflict its historical period (a kind of back cloth). In the chapter two, we begin a exegetic study, for which we delimit our perícope de Jo 17, 20-26 in which Jesus mentions the unity for the whole community in the future. Successively we analyze the historical fountains, analysis of the wording, of the literary class and the theological analysis, the strong characteristic of the Gospel of John. At the third chapter, we did our study and exegetic and theological reflection about the contents of our perícope. In this chapter we present two distinct points: the unity and the glory, that they are complemented mutually. In the fourth and last chapter, we try to present a modernization in three dimensions, the first in a personal level, the second in a community sense, and the third, in the level of the society and the creation. After this study, we can conclude that we are before the culminant point of the Christology of John. The joanina community bases itself and characterizes itself through an elevated Christology of being the reason of unity and also of conflict. We have some difficulties to find historical fountains, which characterize the Gospel, but the theological interpretations evidence the activities of Jesus, to remain undefined if it is the evangelist or Jesus who speaks to us. In the interpretation of the context, to be one with the Father show us the attitudes and the actions of Jesus in order of the Father, a kind of submission of the son to the Father. This unity is a model and a prototype for the community of the disciples and the future community. The glory is the divine sense of the unity and the actions of Jesus, the signs are example about that. In the glory, we never find out a complete unity, there is more to be reached, it means o human activity, it means, a grace offered by God. In her we find the transcendent sense of unity, in the present as in the future, being Jesus the time and the place of that transcendence. It cames from the origin of the world and goes until the end. The actualization of the unity, in personal sense reveled itself as our being to God too as our realization being Jesus our prototype and the model of the disciples with Jesus, unity producing fruits being reference to the unity of all christians, no based in the hierarchic order and the institution. May they all be one without bounds of religion, being for ever an internal appeal of every person and every instituicion. Believe in Jesus is to accept the challenge to live the unity with God, with the others and with the creation.

Theology was referred to the study of faith in God and the history of God’s journey with His people and their narratives about God and His journey with them. Theology was applied within the context of religious experience. Practical theology is the hermeneutics of God’s encounter with human beings and their world. It was often referred to as a theology of crisis and practical oriented science and the task of maintaining the connections between the varied stories of life and grounding the stories of Christian Community Practical theology could also be summarised as follows (1) as having its roots in the practice of research methodology. Methodology had developed practical theology into various phases, namely: (1) A personality –oriented moral model. (2) The official model, (3) the so-called application model. (4) An empirical model; (5) A phenomenological model, and (6) a last development called the ecclesiological model. Epistemology, in this project, is referred to the branch of philosophy that studied issues, related to knowledge. It is an empirical (deriving knowledge from experience alone) theory that enabled the practical theology to be referred to as the empirical theology. In this case, it was a scientific knowledge to address the question how do traumatised African clergies therapeutically deal with traumatised African families while being affected, themselves? The post-modern world was using the epistemology framework which was based on narrative hermeneutical emancipatory relationships that was critical of power relationships of modern books. The writer here had adopted narrative hermeneutical emancipatory relationshipsstructural approach to use for both in obtaining information from the organisational structures of the church and the dual church of democracy and theocracy for the emancipation of traumatised African clergies therapeutically dealing with traumatised African families. . The narrative hermeneutical emancipatory relationships discourses were used to solve the problem of traumatised African clergies and traumatised African families through conference approach. Practical theology also strived to understand this experience as a place where gospel of love towards others, were grounded and lived out. Grief was generally viewed as having psychological and social repercussions (driven back) to the status of traumatised African clergies. It was also a significant spiritual condition of sleeplessness, and anxiety, in that, it impacted on relationships with God, self, and others. Pastors, therefore, had a key role to play in the well being of people within the Christian iv communities; including other pastors who suffered from different traumatic experiences. God created them with spirit, soul and body to function, not in exclusion, but included them as one in human body. It was in the light of this understanding that the body of a human being needed to be balanced well with the three (spirit, soul and body), in order to function fruitfully within the community of God. The human being was not a fragmentation but a complete entity, needing healing for his or her whole being: spiritually, socially, psychologically and in relationship with his or her environment. The African clergies did stand in need of healing in order to redirect their lives; following their traumatic experiences. They needed to be healed so that they could carry on with their tasks as pastoral care giving. In traditional African society, health was conceived as more than physical well-being. It was a state that entailed mental, physical, spiritual social and environmental (cosmic) harmony. It was associated with all that were positively valued in life. It was also a sign of a correct relationship between people and their environment, with one another and with the supernatural world. Health was understood both in a social and in a biological sense. When the physical was ill the body was reluctant to help in social life and when the loved some was dead the social life was affected in grief and the body became weak. Pastoral care had the potential to bring healing and hope; through good shepherding. Pastoral care and counselling was historically concerned with healing of the broken-hearted and liberating the people of God in order for them to develop self-esteem. In most of the African churches, the hierarchy of the church tended to treat problems of pastors as personal problems and as having no bearing to the church as an institution at all. Personal problems of pastors were hostility from Christians, lack of money and mismanagement of church funds; inferiority complex; rejection by community, some pastors were favoured, and some were rejected because of their background, misunderstood by church members. In many instances, pastors left their church due to the lack of support and encouragement. At times, it was the church that disowned them on the basis of churches discriminatory practices and personal challenges that distracted such as planning other clergies outside the region from their pastoral duties. Even though the church was not perceived as a building, but as people who worshipped God in the church building, it was beyond that. It was the people, including its pastors that were ministering to people of God in it that constituted a church. The perception was that the church v had no problem to solve, had to be dismissed without any condition. Many pastors experienced and suffered rejection from churches discriminatory practices. God’s general call to all Christians was to serve: the truth that everybody served a master either the devil or God ((Matt.6:24; John 8: 34-36; John 15:19; Romans 6:6-22; James 4:4; 1John 2:15-17; 4:4-6); there was no middle ground. We were either under the dominion of sin and the devil, or we had been ransomed by Jesus Christ of Nazareth and we were then His servants (Galatians 1:10). Pastors before they were called to leadership of God, they were also among those Christians who were called to serve either the devil or God. A shepherd was referred to one employed in tending, feeding and guarding the people of God who were metaphorically known as the flock of God that were under his care and service as an overseer. Shepherding was applied to the pastor, in the fivefold ministry gifts of Jesus of Nazareth, and as means of shepherding the flock of God in the Church. The traumatised African pastors were included in this shepherding. The remedy to the traumatised African clergies and traumatised African families was chosen to be the dual church government of theocracy and democracy; as we intended to reach the eternity of the true God, the creator of the Zoe and Bios Universe, the dual church government of democracy and theocracy of God was regarded as the solution to the churches discriminatory practices through the conference approach. Churches who tried to unite and fight against apartheid’s discriminatory practices were: The Methodist Church of Southern Africa; the Congregational Assembly; the Anglican Church of South Africa; Presbyterians of S A and the Assemblies of God in South Africa. Churches adopted a neutral stance: Evangelical movements were: three types of Evangelical churches, namely: (1) Fundamentals (2) Conservative Evangelical (3) New Evangelicals. The Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) stood as an example of the evangelical or Pentecostal Movement. These churches used conference approach to destroy apartheid discriminatory practices of the then Apartheid Government of South Africa. But the assumption was that the local churches were affected by these discriminatory practices, hence after apartheid they adopted the same discriminatory practices used against their traumatised local African clergies. As they were affected they also needed individual counseling. Pastoral counselling should be always there to address the needs and feelings of priests through seminars, workshops, and fellowship. Members of the church –the elders should be involved in these workshops to present the feelings vi of the congregation towards the priest’s conduct. The Blacks saw apartheid discriminatory practices as “unchristian” apartheid. Therefore when leaders of churches saw the apartheid discriminatory practices as unchristian, the dual church government of democracy and theocracy of God had seen discriminatory practices as unchristian and might be thrown out of the Church by conference approach of the BTGM: The leadership of the Assemblies of God Back to God Movement was the BTGEXCO, BTGTT and the Evangelistic arm the BTGTT, BTGCNC, each committee of the Church normally fell under the supervision and guidance of these above named highest levels in the church hierarchy. The following middle levels were RDCCs, RMFs, BTGCRC and the lower-levels were Elders and deacons or Church Boards and Trans-local Ministries in the low-level in the hierarchy. The leadership of the BTGTT was vision, empowering and releasing people (employing called people: RMFs in middle level, Elders & Deacons and Trans-local Ministries in lower- level. The BTGTT leadership was in leadership similar to Aaron and Levities, Jesus of Nazareth and the 12 Apostles and 70 disciples of Jesus of Nazareth: The BTGCNC in highest hierarchy and BTGCRC in the middle level. The BTGEXCO was the highest level in the hierarchy of elected committees, RDCCs middle-level and Local Church Boards and delegates in lower-level. The hermeneutical emancipatory relationships which were very critical of power relationship that had been used in conference approach to destroy churches discriminatory practices would no longer be used in dealing with individual traumatised African clergies and traumatised African families. Pastoral counselling would use a narrative approach to address the needs and feelings of pastors through seminars, workshops and fellowships to agree that we still live in relationships with the post-modern society well known only in engaging one another in solving problems of the post-modern world. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Practical Theology / unrestricted

Infidelity of clergy has been defined as a culture, by those who believe in polygamous marriage. Women are often controlled by men and very few societies exhibit an equalitarian relationship. One paramount way in which men control women is through sex and sexual power. Infidelity is abuse because the characteristics of the unfaithful are like those of a battered and the symptoms of the victim are like those of the battered. Sitting in on battered women’s group, I heard the same things-women wanting to go back; full of anger and rage, saying they’d rather be beaten than wonder where their partner was sleeping at night. The researcher is ministering among Pondo and Bhaca people who are no strangers to this oppressing practice. Few marriages in these days last beyond few years, because infidelity has become such an accepted alternative way of living and working out marital problems. The problem disturbed author’s ministry as a junior minister. As result I am researching this problem so as to come out with a theory that will help to address this issue. Clergy spouses approach the act of infidelity very painful, they ended up traumatizing their own spouses, children and their ministry. One of my favourite clergy in Pondo even resigned his pastorate about a year ago due to adultery and fathering a child outside of his marriage. All of these high profile ministers have been involved in some form of infidelity. But still the powerful words from Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “no temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it”. Today, many churches invite unfaithful itinerant clergies to preach to their congregations unaware of the spiritual poison they are injecting directly into the life blood of their congregations and the Christian community. No wonder many churches are so full of infidelity, dishonesty and immorality of the worst kind. Clergy spouses decided to stay in their marriage are taught forgiveness, so that they can move away from their traumatic experience. / Dissertation (MA Theol)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Practical Theology / unrestricted

The thesis summarizes the biblical teaching on God's mercy. Its aim is to describe demonstrations of mercy in stories of the Old and New Testament and ground the truthfulness of the aforesaid God's attribute. With the acquired information the thesis designates mercy also an important human characteristic, which derives from those shown works of mercy. The empirical section presents a set of data obtained from various denomination of the Church. The data show miscellaneous notions of mercy among practicing Christians. The thesis also investigates how Christians perceive God's mercy, whether it is a dominant trait of God or not, and how often are the works of mercy in reality.

Uma análise exegético-teológica do tema da unidade da igreja a partir do texto de Efésios 4.1-6. Primeiramente, são observadas as feições do rosto do texto, pela análise textual, literária e formal do texto grego. Em seguida, pergunta-se pelos pés do texto, nos quais são tratadas as questões da historicidade do texto, o seu problema de fontes externas e a possibilidade de análise a partir das marcas históricas do texto em si. Num terceiro momento, é observado o coração do texto pelas análises de conteúdo e teológica. E, por fim, procura-se ver por meio dos olhos do texto e enxergar contextos e realidades para a sua atualização. A descoberta central está na caraterística da unidade da igreja como realidade escatológica da manifestação da unidade de Deus dentro do mundo. Essa unidade possui tripla ancoragem: na vocação feita por parte de Deus; na realidade da unidade e unicidade do próprio Deus - Pai, Filho e Espírito Santo; e na meta escatológica da unidade do cosmo em Deus. / An exegetical-theological analysis of the theme of unity of the church from the text of Ephesians 4:1-6. First, are observed facial features of the text, from the textual analysis, literary and formal Greek text. Then we question by the feet of the text, which addresses the questions of the historicity of the text, the problem of its external sources and the possibility of analysis from the historical marks of the text itself. In the third step, the heart of the text is observed by analysis of content and theology. Finally we seek to see through the eyes of the text and see realities and contexts for your updates. The central finding is characteristic of the unity of the church as a eschatological reality of the manifestation of the unity og God in the world. This unit has triple anchoring: the call made ​​by God; the reality of unity and oneness of God Himself - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the eschatological goal of the unity of the cosmos in God.

Ce travail présente une histoire sociale de la paroisse du Beitang à Pékin. La première partie montre l’évolution de la paroisse, depuis son émergence en 1688 dans la Cité impériale à sa fermeture en 1827. Après avoir rappelé les services rendus à la Cour par les jésuites suivant leurs divers « métiers », nous avons analysé la situation des jésuites de Pékin après 1773, au moment de la crise de la Compagnie en Europe et en Chine. Les lazaristes arrivèrent en 1785 dans une situation de chaos où se trouvaient les jésuites et leur succédèrent à la Cour des Qing. À la suite des révoltes et des crises de l’Empire, l’état de la mission à Pékin devint de plus et plus fragile, et se posa alors le problème du maintien des chrétientés fragmentées avant l’expulsion des lazaristes par l’empereur mandchou. La seconde partie illustre la constitution d’un réseau, d’une structure et de la vie religieuse d’une paroisse urbaine. En mettant en lumière la coopération de tous les membres de la paroisse, on voit comment cette communauté a pu établir et maintenir une église, une maison charitable et un séminaire dans la société locale. On y voit une religiosité chrétienne sous une forme française ; mais d’autre part, elle rejoint également la tradition des diverses religions chinoises. Nous avons présenté les formes de la piété, les missionnaires, les procureurs, les clergés indigènes et les laïcs dans toutes leurs fonctions pour former une paroisse active au centre ville, dans l’exercice de sa vie religieuse. Avec une liste des livres sacrés et livres de morale chrétiens de langue chinoise, les confréries et les laïcs jouèrent un rôle important dans cette vie, dans le contexte de la Révolution française où le nombre de missionnaires envoyés en Chine était particulièrement réduit. / This dissertation explores a social history of the Beitang parish in Beijing. The first part presents the evolution of the parish from its emergence in 1688 in the Imperial City to its closure in 1827. After an examination of the services rendered to the Qing Court by the Jesuits according to their various “metiers”, we have discussed the situation of the Jesuits in Beijing after 1773, at the time of the crisis of the Society in Europe and China. The Lazarists arrived in 1785 in a situation of chaos where the Jesuits were embroiled and succeeded them to the Qing Court. Following the revolts and crises of the Empire, the state of the mission in Peking became more and more fragile, and the problem arose of maintaining a fragmented Christianity before their expulsion by the Manchu emperor. The second part illustrates the constitution of a network, a structure and the religious life of an urban parish. In the cooperation of all the members of the parish, we see how this community was able to establish and maintain a church, a charitable house and a seminary within the local society. It developed a Christian religiosity in a French form; but on the other hand, it also rejoins the tradition of the various Chinese religions. We have presented the forms of piety, missionaries, procurators, indigenous clergy and laity in all their important functions to form an active parish in the city center, in the exercise of its religious life. As documented by the list of the Christian scriptures and morality books in Chinese language, the confraternities and the laity played an important role, in a context of a lack of missionaries during the French Revolution.

The thesis follows one of the supporting characters from the New Testament, James, the brother of the Lord. The first chapter deals with the meaning and occurrence of the name James in both biblical and non-biblical sources. The following second chapter deals with the canonical biblical texts that depict fragments of James' life. However, many questions remain about the closer characterization of our wanted person James and the form of his earthly family. The thesis also examines whether James could or could not really be the brother of Jesus of Nazareth. Through the analysis of texts we look for the answer that canonical texts give us.Subsequently, in the third chapter attention is also directed to the apocryphal and non-biblical sources that govern us about our James. In connection with the wanted James is mentioned and the first church community in Jerusalem, in which James played a significant leadership role. The aim of the thesis is to describe the character of James, the brother of the Lord, by means of all analyzed sources. In conclusion, a summary possible solution of questions concerning James, the Lord's Brother is presented. Keywords James, brothers of the Lord, Acts of the Apostles, the primary Christian community in Jerusalem.

This dissertation examines the participation of the church and Christians in the lives of women who are infected and affected by HIV/Aids in South Africa. To this end two Christian facilities; Sparrow Village and St Francis Care Centre, were examined in order to gain insight into the ethical issues of knowledge of patients and caregivers, the prevention measures being taught and the care facilities available to women in the plight in which they find themselves. A partial survey was conducted into the current policies and contributions by the church in an attempt to assess new ways to combat the disease. Medical information was examined as to what the virus is and how it is transmitted and reasons why women are particularly vulnerable to the virus. The dissertation seeks to understand practical ministerial ways in which the church should participate in women’s lives while being sensitive to the cultural, social and political and economic elements involved. / Systematic Theology & Theological Ethics / M.Th. (Theological Ethics)