Thesis (Ph. L.)--Catholic University of America, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-79).

Thesis (Ph. L.)--Catholic University of America, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-79).

Thesis (PhD(N.T.)--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 474-495)

Dissertation ARS MORIENDI IN THE LIGHT OF THE THEOLOGICAL PERSONALISM - POIMENICAL EXPLICATION Ruth Kubíčková Abstract The dissertation Ars moriendi in the light of the theological personalism - poimenical explication aims to investigate how the question of death, life and potential preparation for death, or life in an eschatological perspective is reflected in the realm of social sciences and philosophy, in the Scriptures and by selected systematic and personalistic theologians, in correlation with medieval ars moriendi texts; and in doing so, implicitly define central aspects defining an afterlife hope of a modern human, including its practical theological outcome leading to an authentic realization of a personal ontological responsibility.

This dissertation focuses on the 'theo-political' core of US Christian Zionism and Jewish Religious Zionism. The political militancy characterizing two Millenarian/Messianic movements such as Christian Zionism and Jewish Religious Zionism constitutes a still under-researched and under-theorized aspect that, at present, is paramount to address for its immediate and long terms implications in the highly sensitive and volatile Israeli-Palestinian issue, in the US and Israeli domestic domain, and in the wider international community. Although processes of the 'sacralisation of politics' and 'politicisation of religions' have already manifested themselves in countless forms over past centuries, Christian Zionism and Jewish Religious Zionism are unprecedented phenomena given their unique hybridized nature, political prominence and outreach, mobilizing appeal amongst believers, organizational-communicational skills and degree of institutionalization.

This theses deals with death from the perspective of the mystery of the revelation of Jesus Christ, it describes and puts it into the context of theological anthropology. It analysis death from the point of view of the Old and New testament and defines the basic terms in relation to eschatology. It shows the consequences for the practice of care of dying persons, which in fullness develops the relationship between man and God. The theme of the thesis is being elaborated upon from the perspective of a believer in eternal life given to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The relationship between the Bible and literature is long-standing and has received increasing attention in recent years. This project investigates the interface between the Bible and literature by focusing on the genre of “parable”. The influence of the Bible on Western literature is considerable, and yet in the case of George MacDonald’s writing it is often overlooked. The “parabolic” is a helpful way to focus our discussion as it is an important genre both in Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God and more subtly in MacDonald’s fantasy and fairytale writing. It is remarkable that approximately a third of Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom of God comes in the form of parabolic speech. Rather than serving as a nice illustrative story to a theological point made elsewhere, the actual form of parabolic speech is crucial for the message it seeks to convey. Form and content work together in Jesus’ parables in a unique way to break open the reality depicted in parable. This thesis attempts to investigate a specifically biblical view of “parable” for understanding certain aspects of MacDonald’s fantasy literature. MacDonald developed a decidedly theological understanding of story as having the capacity to refresh the revelatory nature of Scripture. It is by the imagination that a poet is able to find new forms to recast and recover old and forgotten truths. By designating the poet as a finder rather than a maker, MacDonald resists Coleridge’s idealist inclinations to elevate the poet to a creator. His employment of story and more particularly the “parabolic” is then not only an aesthetic but also a theological choice. MacDonald’s last fantasy romance, Lilith, will serve as our test case to demonstrate this. Considering the “parabolic” in Lilith sheds significant light on the meaning of Lilith and offers up a decisive answer to the important question of whether MacDonald moves in his fantasy and fairytales from a decidedly Christian perspective to a more polyvalent view of reality. This argument shall be further substantiated by bringing to the light the important influence of Novalis on Lilith.