Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 471-494). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Supervisors: Robert A. Fernea and Deborah A. Kapchan. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available from UMI.

This thesis investigates the subject of Heaven or Paradise in the De Fide Orthodoxa of St. John of Damascus (c.675 - c.749) , a Greek Father and theologian who gave the Church a definitive heritage of the Greek Fathers' teaching. After a preliminary consideration of the meanings of "Heaven" and Paradise as a state or a place, a substantial part of this thesis is then given to a detailed treatment of the Greek Fathers' teaching on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life in Paradise. The questions of the indispensability of the tree of life to the final bliss of the saints, and the doubtful place of the tree of knowledge also receive attention. The meaning of the trees for St. John of Damascus is expounded in order to show his use of the ideas of Greek Fathers prior to him, for example, Gregory Naziazenus and Maximus the Confessor. After this, the questions of entry into Paradise and the Greek teaching of the intermediate state of the departed are raised. The descent of Christ to Hades precedes discussion of whether St. John of Damascus taught a doctrine of Purgatory or not. The practice of prayer for the departed is examined with respect to its effect on the intermediate state of the faithful departed. Lastly, this thesis explores the necessity of the resurrection for the final bliss of the faithful, and establishes the relevance of this teaching for modern thought on the preservation of integral personality. In conclusion, the writer suggests that St. John of Damascus bequeathed to the Church rich insights into the Greek Fathers' doctrine of Heaven.

On 9 July 1860 CE, an outbreak of violence occurred in Damascus that focused the attention of the whole world on that city. Damascus, the multi-religious and multi-ethnic city, witnessed unprecedented bloody riots between its locals. A crowd which consisted of Druzes, Bedouins, the lower class people of the city, and Kurdish auxiliaries attacked Bab Tuma, the inner-city Christian quarter in Damascus. In the course of a few days, thousands of Christians were killed. That riot was a big shock to the Ottoman authority, the foreign powers, and the Damascene society. Each of these groups tried to look for answers to discover what had happened, why it had happened, who had done it and how things had led up to that bloody ending. It is perhaps easy to explain the 1860 riot of Damascus as religious fanaticism since the aggressors were Muslims and the victims Christians. However, a critical study of how the rioters proceeded and of the selective nature of the choice of victims warrants a critical reconsideration of the underlying factors. This research applies the textual analysis methodology to critically re-examine the events of 1860, and follows the inquiry of the anthropology of collective violence. This study deconstructs the multiple layers of this particular conflict that had a radical impact on the multi-ethnic and multi-religious society of Damascus. It provides a step-by-step presentation and reproduction of the facts to assess the true role of all the players and shapers of events. It gives much attention to the role of both Ottoman and local authorities in Damascus throughout the development of the riot. It critically examines the internal and external politico-socio-economic factors involved. This research argues that economic interests rather than religious fanaticism were the main causes for the riot of 1860. Furthermore, it argues that the riot was not a sudden eruption but rather a planned and organised affair.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

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Proefschrift Universiteit van Amsterdam. / Met lit. opg. - Met samenvatting in het Nederlands.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Indiana University, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 249-259).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Indiana University, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 249-259).