It seems that from the inception of western civilization as we know it the question of the nature of our time has been prominent. In fact, Sherover has claimed that “it was concern with the nature of time and change that first provoked the Western development of rational thinking about the world…” Thinking about time, though, has experienced the ebb and flow of history that is typical of any subject, where at certain epochs the issue was more recognized than at others. Among the many important contributions of twentieth century thought has been a renewed interest in the nature of time and the correlate to this phenomenon has been the resurgence within Christian thought of the relationship of God and time.

The thesis charts the development of Karl Barth’s theological understanding of nationhood from the inception of his career as an undergraduate to the writing of the section on nationhood in his Church Dogmatics (‘Near and Distant Neighbours’). Barth is shown to distinguish nationhood from the state. Nationhood for Barth is the product of human agency working within the providence of the Trinitarian God. It is not an order of creation or nature, nor can it be grounded in the work of the Spirit. Barth’s motivation for distinguishing nationhood and the state was to oppose the nationalist dogma that every nation must have its own state, a doctrine which he believed provoked warfare. Barth’s understanding of the nation as the ‘people’ (das Volk) is similar to the concept of ethnos found in the Bible. The maintenance of the distinction between nationhood and the state as a means of countering nationalist dogma is shown to be a major factor in the development of Barth’s theology.

This dissertation examines the impact of ‘Tongan culture’ as represented by those with power in the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga (FWC). The word “free” in the name of a church usually denotes the desire to be independent of the State or any other outside control but in this context it was often the contrary. From the outset of the Wesleyan Mission in 1826, the chiefs who embodied and controlled Tonga, welcomed the early European explorers yet with the twin underlying aims of gaining benefits while simultaneously maintaining their supremacy. The dissertation argues that the outcome leaves the FWC in dire need of inculturation, with Gospel challenging ‘Culture.’ Historical and anthropological approaches are used to substantiate this claim. Encouraged by Captain Cook’s report the missionaries arrived and were welcomed by the chiefs. The conversion of the powerful Taufa‘ahau was pivotal to the spread of the Wesleyan Mission yet this marriage of convenience came at a cost because Taufa‘ahau had his own agenda of what a church should be. This study assesses Tongan demeanour prior to the arrival of Europeans and in the early years of settlement, especially the response to Cook in 1773, 74, 77 which set the tone for later interaction. It then looks at how Tongan ways have moulded the FWC since the beginning of the Wesleyan Mission in 1826 by relying on data from archives, interviews, and journals of early explorers and missionaries. This dissertation argues that what is widely accepted as the Tongan way of life, which the FWC represents as the Gospel, is essentially the interest of the elite with power and wealth. From the start the chiefs were not only interested in the Wesleyan Mission for religious but also for political reasons; indeed they made and even still make no such separation. Because of this collusion of the FWC and the state, the FWC is recognized as the supporter of the status quo, its ministers being part of the elite system of social and spiritual control. The ensuing confusion between the church, Christ, and culture leads to a neglect of the poor and marginal and a failure to speak prophetically to the elite.

This study is an examination of the dynamics of the Ananias and Sapphira episode in Acts (5:1–11) and its role in the narrative of Luke-Acts. The study begins by locating the passage within its literary context, emphasizing the framing of this divine judgement discourse by its literary surroundings, and the manner in which it is embedded in a discourse on the life of the Christian community expressed through shared goods. The study then moves on to examine the dynamics in the verbal encounter between Peter and the couple. Utilizing Speech-Act Theory, I argue that Peter’s words, divinely sanctioned, directly execute the divine judgement upon Ananias and Sapphira. This thesis is argued by appealing to the social processes and conventions of language-use within the context of community-of-goods discourse as manifest in the Lukan narrative. Appeal is made to the socio-cultural repertoire of community-of-goods discourse in contemporary traditions sharing the socio-cultural milieu of Luke-Acts. I look at both a Hellenistic example (the Pythagoreans) and some Jewish examples (the Essenes and the Qumran covenanters). Next, I appeal to the conventions deployed in the narrative world of Luke-Acts which undergird the efficacy of prophetic speech to effect divine judgement. This includes the patterns established by prophetic figures in the Scriptures of Israel and Luke’s own characterization of Jesus as Prophet-King. Attention is also given to Luke’s strategy of preparing his audience to see the character of Peter as an apostolic-prophetic successor to Jesus, deputized to speak on behalf of God. Finally, there is an examination of the successful execution of the speech-act of divine judgement.

This thesis appraises the doctrine that Jesus ‘died spiritually’ (JDS), as taught by E. W. Kenyon, Kenneth E. Hagin and Kenneth Copeland: important research because of the influence of these men and their teaching, not least on Pentecostalism. JDS teaching originated with Kenyon, was introduced to the Word-faith movement by Hagin, and continues to be offered by Copeland. However, it has been the subject of much criticism. The appraisal conducted in this project is primarily theological. Aspects of JDS teaching are considered in the light of both the Christian scriptures and the church’s great thinkers. Theological investigation into Kenyon’s immediate sources is also conducted. The research finds that the alleged ‘spiritual death’ of Christ incorporates three major elements: in this ‘death’, Jesus was separated from God; partook of a sinful, satanic nature; and was Satan’s prey. Jesus had to die thus to atone for human sin. The appraisal observes that criticism of JDS teaching offered so far is partially inaccurate. In particular, the alleged ‘spiritualisation’ of Christ’s death does not owe its origin to New Thought or Christian Science, as claimed, but is developed by Kenyon from seeds lying within Higher Life and Faith Cure circles. However, study of the three main aspects of JDS teaching confirms earlier research that it often misrepresents the Christian scriptures. Furthermore, it departs significantly from historic Christian formulations. This particularly applies to the claim that Christ partook of Satan’s nature. The project concludes that JDS teaching is not readily compatible with the traditional trinitarianism, incarnationalism and substitutionary atonement to which it claims to adhere. Adoption of JDS teaching by Pentecostalism would be damaging in these doctrinal respects, and thus draw the latter away from its moorings in traditional Christianity. Pentecostalism is advised to reject the bulk of this teaching.

<p> This dissertation addresses the role and functions of silent prayers of lament and sorrow in light of individual and communal suffering of black women due to their triple oppression of sexism, racism, and classism. Silence is used theologically in two respects: (1) it refers to the rarity of articulated sentences, but not to the absence of sound; and (2) it refers to the various forms of lament from the disenfranchised that historically and contemporarily are silent within the dominant theological discourse. Silence is the intimate communication which may be quietness or the audible sounds and symbolic actions that may not follow normal rules of speech that persons use to convey their deepest thoughts and most intense feelings, including pain and anguish to God. A Pentecostal Womanist methodology utilizes pneumatological transformation of pathos as a theological framework to examine the ways marginalized people deal with oppression. The Holy Spirit effects change in the act of lamenting prayers by turning the expressions of sorrow, anguish, and afflictions toward the triune God, but also serves as the catalyst for imparting glimpses into the fellowship of Christ&rsquo;s suffering and power of resurrection (Philippians 3:10). Orthopathos is a pneumatological transformation of suffering experienced by marginalized groups. Silent prayers of sorrow and lament have been foundational in empowering African American communities.</p><p>

This study is the account of an empirical research programme in practical theology exploring the potential of the Book of Psalms to facilitate the spiritual journey of a sample of University of Edinburgh students aged between twenty and thirty who are on or beyond the fringes of the churches. Drawing upon some insights of the Bible Society movement regarding ‘scripture engagement,’ and in the wider context of increasing interest in spirituality and decreasing confidence in the churches among many westernised young adults, the project seeks to answer two research questions. First, how far does creative engagement with specific psalm texts in the form of a semi-structured three-week meditative spiritual journey facilitate the quest of contemporary young adults for personal meaning and spiritual enlightenment? Second, what does this study contribute to the current debate among the Bible Societies and other Bible agencies concerning the nature of Scripture engagement? In the first part of the thesis I review the debate on Scripture engagement, exploring the contemporary sacred landscape, and elucidating why the Book of Psalms was chosen for this exercise. Additionally, I develop the theological-cultural framework employed in interpreting the data. In the second part I describe respondents’ meditative engagement with six psalms and identify six main findings. These findings are: that ‘subjective-life’ and ‘likeas’ modes of spirituality coexist in some respondents and that the subjectivism of the psalms provides a bridge between them; that the cursing psalms, although considered by many respondents to be unacceptable, have potential to foster non-violence in conflict situations; that a desire to resolve suffering is a feature of the self-identity of many respondents; that meditating on the psalms fosters faith commonly as a generic process and particularly as theological trust; that interacting with psalmic texts helps to resolve the disorientation often experienced when facing confusing lifestyle choices; that meditating on the psalms provides space in which to reflect on the moral ambiguities of life. In the third part I evaluate the findings, concluding that the creative engagement between respondents and text results from respondents discovering that the psalms resonate with their idealism and basic human needs in ways that facilitate their ongoing spiritual quest for meaning and enlightenment, as well as providing an opportunity to confront God with complaints and dilemmas. I question some of the prevailing thinking on Scripture engagement for being too exclusively outcomes oriented, and suggest that meditative engagement with psalms could become a gateway to interacting with other biblical texts. My subsidiary findings are: that respondents believe audio texts enhance their use of print, appreciate the perspective psalm meditation provides on contemporary events and trends, are fascinated by psalmic metaphor, and find some readers’ helps more useful than others. I indicate areas where further research would be useful and outline some future directions that the Bible agencies might fruitfully follow in developing Scripture engagement resources for the churches.

Scholarly study of the Letter to the Hebrews over the last century has devoted a great deal of attention to the use of the Old Testament within the Christian text. Such attention has focused upon diverse issues such as the source Vorlage available to the author, his exegetical and hermeneutical methodologies, and his treatment of themes such as priesthood, covenant, cult, rest or eschatology. Occasionally, scholars have produced substantive analysis of the use of particular texts, such as Ps 110, or Jer 31, but comparatively little attempt has yet been made to assess how an entire narrative or book functions within the letter. Bearing this in mind, this thesis examines the way in which the book of Deuteronomy operates within the paraenetic sections of Hebrews, both at a micro-level (in terms of citation or allusion to the prior text) and at a macro-level (how broad Deuteronomic themes are treated within the discourse). There is extensive treatment of Deuteronomic quotations and echoes, as well as analysis of Hebrews’ borrowing of Deuteronomy’s covenantal blessing/cursing imagery. The thesis also focuses on the way in which Hebrews shares Deuteronomy’s sermonic tone and paraenetic urgency, and how both texts rhetorically position their audience at the threshold of entry into their salvation goal, typified by the promised land. It discusses how Hebrews replays Deuteronomy’s use of the wilderness generation as the paradigm of covenantal disobedience and how both texts exhibit a complex interweaving of the past, present and future moments. Finally, it examines the extent to which Hebrews stands in the tradition of ‘re-presentations’ of Deuteronomy, echoing the way in which other 2nd Temple Jewish texts alluded to it for the purposes of their respective communities.

This is a study of the theological aesthetics of Jonathan Edwards. Previous studies of Edwards’ aesthetics tend to pass over doctrinal issues and address Edwards mostly within a philosophical context. In this treatment, the aesthetics of Edwards is examined within an explicitly theological framework. The definitions of beauty offered by several Enlightenment philosophers known to Edwards (Shaftesbury, Addison, Hutcheson) are explored. Edwards creatively integrates from these writers the Neoplatonic tradition (the objective side) and empirical tradition (the subjective side) in his conception of beauty. Edwards uses the concepts of sensibility and beauty to construct his theocentric worldview. In Edwards’ conception, the material world exists for the purpose of serving as a giant metaphor for spiritual reality. Edwards adopts Lockean vocabulary to distinguish between a rational understanding and a sensible perception of spiritual reality. This sensible perception in the saints is the work of the Spirit according to his own nature. The Holy Spirit is God’s own perception of his beauty. Thus the perception of divine beauty by the saints is an extension of the inter-Trinitarian life of God. For Edwards, humility is the beauty of the human nature of Christ. This is a creaturely beauty not available to the pre-incarnate Son. Conversely, immensity is the unique and incommunicable glory of God. Both the Trinitarian beauty and awesome beauty of the immensity of God will reach their climax in the eschatological states of heaven and hell. Hell is especially a demonstration of the awesome glory of God’s immensity. Edwards’ aesthetics brings out the tension between the relatedness and the freedom of God. Both belong to the beauty of God, yet they cannot be harmonized in a closed system. Soon after Edwards’ death, the Reformed tradition in America quickly forgot this insight into the sensual perception of God in its quest of systemic consistency.

This thesis is an investigation into the literary features of the prayer in John 17. Often called the “High Priestly Prayer of Jesus,” this traditional title for John 17 does not adequately cover the depth of significance and meaning realized in the prayer. The main chapters of the investigation include characterization, structure and setting, style and imagery, the genre of the Farewell Discourses and the form of the prayer itself. The prayer is used by the Gospel author to summarize and emphasize key themes and motifs for the benefit of the author’s intended readers. The author intentionally broke from the narrative story and included extensive discourse material, including this prayer, to encourage and inform the community of Christfollowers to whom he wrote. In a dramatic way, the prayer reflects the fulfillment of redemptive prophecies from the past and guarantees a new relationship between God and his people, sealed in the person and the work of Jesus. The prayer promises the benefits of “eternal life” to the people who receive the words of Jesus. Chapter 17 is a critical literary “hinge” that informs the reader in two directions, past and future. John 17 is a promise and a hope, positioned as a rhetorical, epideictic conclusion, for the encouragement of the Gospel readers past, present and future.