The goal of this dissertation is to address the influence of the Greek Fathers on the metaphysics of St. Bonaventure. Specifically, it looks at John of Damascus' and Dionysius' influence on Bonaventure's doctrine of divine ideas. It is argued that the former's influence contributed decisively to shaping the Seraphicus' exemplarism by giving it a distinctively voluntaristic framing. The subject is treated both from a historical and theoretical point of view. Accordingly, attention is not paid exclusively to systematic connections between the different authors but also to the means of historical transmission and interpretation. In this respect, the heritage of the School of St. Victor and of the first Franciscan masters in Paris (Alexander of Hales and John de la Rochelle) as mediators of the Greek Fathers to Bonaventure is brought forward and explored.

Les Araméens sont une population qui apparait dans le territoire de la Syrie et de la Mésopotamie actuelle au début du premier millénaire avant J.-C. A partir du Xe siècle, ils se transforment de population nomade à population sédentaire, en créant des États territoriaux qui prennent le nom de byt, suivi par le nom du fondateur de chaque dynastie locale. Le présent travail, en partant de l’épineuse question ethnique, cherche à déterminer les caractéristiques des Araméens en particulier en Syrie du Sud aux IXe-VIIIe siècles, pendant la montée du royaume de Damas, et ses relations avec les populations voisines, parmi lesquelles les Israëlites qui se sont confrontés avec eux plusieurs fois pendant des périodes alternées de guerres et de paix. Il s’agit d’une étude détaillée de la région méridionale de la Syrie qui s’appuie sur l’analyse des sources épigraphiques (inscriptions araméennes, annales assyriennes et passages bibliques) et sur les données archéologiques des sites de “possible” occupation araméenne au Sud de Damas, en Palestine et en Jordanie du Nord. A travers la comparaison des ces données, j’ai cherché à fournir une reconstruction vraisemblable du contexte historique du royaume de Damas aux IXe-VIIIe siècles av. J.-C., de la figure du souverain Hazael et de l’ expansion politique de son royaume jusqu’à la soumission par les Assyriens. / The Arameans are a population settled in the territory of modern Syria and Mesopotamia in the first millennium BC. Starting from the tenth century, they gradually leave their nomadic lifestyle to turn into a sedentary population by creating territorial states under the name of “Byt”, after the name of the founder of each local dynasty. In this work, starting from the controversial question about ethnics, we seek to determine the representative characteristics of Aramaeans, especially for those settled in southern Syria in the ninth-eighth centuries, during the rise of the Damascus kingdom. We investigate this latter relationships with neighboring populations, especially the Israelites who were confronted with them several times during alternate periods of war and peace. This is a detailed study of the southern part of Syria based on the analysis of epigraphic sources (Aramaic inscriptions, Assyrian annals and Bible) and archaeological data coming from some sites (south of Damascus, Palestine and North Jordan ) known to be occupated by Arameans. Through the comparison of these data, we try to provide a plausible reconstruction of the historical context of the kingdom of Damascus in the ninth-eighth centuries BC., the figure of the king Hazael, its political expansion till its falling due to the Assyrians domination.

The aim of this research is to reflect on how Syrian TV drama has worked to produce a narrative of 9 society in the context of a liberalized autocracy, such as Bashar al-Asad's Syria appears to be; and how this narrative has been commodified for and promoted on the Pan Arab market. My work focuses on the mechanism by which this form of elite cultural production, in tune with the agenda of the political elites, has elaborated and projected disciplinary and pedagogical messages for the Syrian public. It analyses the forms this subtle mechanism has taken in a market-oriented framework, where neoliberal "fantasies of accommodation and order"6 and for the thrill of consumption and a free choice between a range of lifestyles have given those in power novel ways of inducing compliance, while at the same time spreading new fears of the threat of instability and disorder in an increasingly complex and difficult to comprehend world.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2000. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-224).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2000. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-224).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2000. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-224).

Aim of this diploma thesis "The Vocation of the Apostle Paul: Exegesis and Theological Aspects of Acts chs. 9, 22, 26 and Gal 1" is briefly present historical data of the Apostle Paul, present his personality. Especially it is concentrating on his conversion and vocation and New Testament texts that refer about this events (Acts chs. 9, 22, 26 and Gal 1). Part of this work is to analyze four reports of Paul's vocation. Thesis points on difference or conections between them. The thesis exposes vocation in context of biblical theology and symbol of light. This diploma thesis attempt to present St. Paul's personality and to show his merit for present. Keywords the Apostle Paul, the St. Paul, the Damascus, vocation, conversion, light, the Jesus Christ

Thesis (MPhil (Ancient Studies)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / This thesis is a study of five books (Jubilees, 1 and 2 Maccabees, the Damascus Document and Josephus Jewish Antiquities) that represent the literature dealing with the issue of the Sabbath in significant ways, written between 200 B.C.E. and 100 C.E. In this study the author is determined to find the most prominent ways in which various Jews of the period treated the Sabbath, considering both its theological significance and actual practical application. The author seeks to apply the literary-critical method to the study of these books by identifying how the Sabbath pericopes fit into the larger structure of each book and contribute to the overall argument of each work. After dealing with introductory issues, such as terms, methods, historical settings and methodology, the author then works through the major Sabbath-related pericopes in each book followed by a concluding summary for each book. Then author moves from detailed individual conclusions to general summaries, seeking to deduce the “big picture” of the Judaisms represented in the five works that he researched. Throughout the thesis the author is asking all of the texts the following questions: Was there a major Jewish view of the Sabbath or were the views varied within Judaisms? Was the Sabbath one of the most important issues facing the Jewish Community or was it rather a peripheral one? What was the place of Covenant with YHWH in the Sabbath thought of the day? What was the impact of the historical events of the period on the views of the Sabbath? Was the understanding(s) of the Sabbath legalistic or was there a depth of heartfelt spirituality accompanying Sabbath observance? Were the rules with regard to the Sabbath actually carried out or were they largely ignored? At the conclusion he attempts to answer these questions point by point based upon the data that he collected by studying the passages related to the Sabbath observance within the books mentioned above. This study is preliminary in nature, since it attempts to provide only some background information to the question: Did the Jewish Christians of the first century change the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday? If so, how did they do so while managing to avoid any kind of major debate over the change? This question the author plans to pursue in his forthcoming research.

In 2001, Syria opened its media outlets to private ownership for the first time in over forty years. This thesis conducts a critical discourse analysis of the economic coverage of the sole Syrian political daily newspaper al-Watan and asks how media liberalization in Syria is more so emblematic of pro-market economic reforms as opposed to media reform. In this sense, it is the economic content of al-Watan that signifies how a private media outlet – under the guiding force of “red lines” and other regulatory mechanisms, yet financially “liberated” via advertising revenue and wealthy regime-friendly backers – can demonstrate its utility to the regime by providing a reiteration of its social-market economic policies all the while existing as a public embodiment of the regime’s willingness to embrace a marketized Syrian society. Simply put, al-Watan is a perfect vehicle for propagating the regime’s gradualist pro-market reforms in the public sphere. / text

This study examined the context of the Medieval Islamic qadi Ibn Taymiyyah in 14th century Bahri Mamluk Syria and Egypt and his incarcerations and death in prison by order of Sultan Nasser al-Muhammad Qalawun for ijtihad. This study demonstrated Ibn Taymiyyah practiced ijtihad, held the rank of mujtahid, and incurred the wrath of the Sultan. The evidence indicates that Taymiyyah’s independent reasoning held specific social, legal, and political threats to Qalawun, the Bahri Mamluk Sultan, during his third reign. The significant role Taymiyyah’s ijtihad played in the Sultan’s imprisonment calls for a review of previous scholarship emphasizing the role of jealousy by the religious elite and affection for Taymiyyah by the Sultan as significant factors in his conflicts. / Department of History