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The uniqueness of New Testament testimony concerning death as reflected in Pauline Epistles is explored in comparison with a Padmasambhivic text from Tibetan Buddhism called the ‘Great Liberation by hearing in the Bardo’/ ‘Tibetan Book of the Dead.’ Chapters one and two explore the historical, literary and present-day contexts of the texts. The hermeneutics of Pentecostal Christians differ from that of Tibetan Buddhists. These communities both seek to experience textual truths but approach texts from differing worldviews. Padmasambhava utilised pre-existing Tantric teachings and applied those to the death experience. Paul employed Old Testament, Apocalyptic and Greek sources to argue that Jesus the Messiah gives access to new possibilities that include resurrection. In chapter three a overview and reading of the ‘Liberation by hearing’ is done followed in chapter four by a reading of the major Pauline passages that deal with death. Chapter five bases its conclusions on these two readings. The texts attempt to remedy differing problems. In Padmasambhava life and death are part of the Samsara cycle which is the human dilemma. In Paul, corporeal birth, life and death are stages in a single linear sequence where death results from sin. The death of Sakyamuni is of little relevance to the post-mortem expectation of a Tibetan Buddhist since Padmasambhava taught a shorter path to Nirvana by ritual and assistance. Paul testifies that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is the core of Christian hope. Paul refers to the decease of the faithful Christian as ‘sleep’ expecting that those that ‘sleep’ will awake unto life at the coming of the Lord. The Christian’s death can therefore also be described as a ‘gap’ or ‘bardo’, albeit of a different kind. Whereas ‘bardo’ in Tibetan Buddhism refers to the gap between reincarnations, Christians anticipate Christ’s return which will result in their resurrection. In the ‘Liberation by hearing in the Bardo’ the judge of one’s actions is the ‘Lord of Death’, Yama, appearing in a vision of judgement explained by the text as an illusion of the deceased’s mind. Entry into Nirvana is not due to innocence or positive karma, but due to the transcendence of judgement through recognising the emptiness of dualistic distinctions. I contrast, Paul uses personification of death as a metaphor but never elaborates. In Pauline works Christ is the judge and judgement is real. Justification is based on relationship with God in Christ. In Paul ‘life’ and ‘death’ are diametrically opposite terms that can refer to both corporeal and spiritual states. Death is the human state outside a righteous relationship with God. It is the enemy of humanity and the result of living a life according to sinful human nature. Life is the state of humans who stand in a righteous relationship with God. It is a gift that delivers from death. For the Christian ‘death’: 1) although the common lot of all humans is not an eternal or natural phenomenon 2) is overcome not by escape from physicality or individuality but by the recreation of physicality in the resurrection 3) is overcome in a relationship with the person of Christ that gives access to the life of the Spirit of God (not accessible by meritorious acts or rituals). Paul sees no potential hope in the face of death outside a relationship with the Creator as revealed in the person of Christ and manifested by God’s Spirit. Keywords: Buddhism, Christianity, Death, Life, Resurrection, Reincarnation, Padma Sambhava / Dr. M.S. Clark

Pauline theology and Pauline ethics have generally been placed in sharp antithetical contrast to each other. Such a dialectical tension has resulted in a lopsided understanding of the interrelationship that exists between these two components. It is therefore necessary to examine the relationship between Paul¡¦s theology and ethics by providing a basic (and selected) overview of each in an attempt to reconcile them. The interrelationship between these two components will be considered from a narrative perspective in an attempt to restore a sense of coherence within the broad spectrum of Pauline theology. Within Paul¡¦s theological framework several important and selected themes will be considered: „« The Centrality of the Gospel in Paul: It will be proposed that the gospel, understood as the story about Jesus¡¦ death and resurrection, fundamentally shapes and informs Paul¡¦s entire theological and ethical framework. It is the gospel that provides coherence to the Pauline corpus. „« Pauline Soteriology: The concern will be to show that Paul¡¦s understanding of salvation moves from the objective and historical reality of what was achieved in Jesus¡¦ death and resurrection to subjective appropriation. This is profoundly expressed in the variety of metaphors (picture words) Paul employs to speak about what is first and foremost an existential experience for the believer. „« Pauline Ecclesiology: The story of Jesus¡¦ death and resurrection expresses the reality that individuals are brought into an existential experience of salvation, but this is furthermore enhanced by the fact that such an experience is given meaning within the context of the ejkklhsia. The contention is that the church, as the community of faith, is the sphere wherein which individuals mature spiritually. „« Paul¡¦s Eschatological Vision: Christ's death and resurrection was an event of eschatological significance. It portended the end of one age and the beginning of a new age. Pauline eschatology brings into sharper focus the nature of community life and profoundly shapes Paul¡¦s ethological discourses. It is suggested that Paul¡¦s ethological reflections make sense only when understood as flowing out of his theological framework. Furthermore, an examination of Pauline ethics suggests that he persistently brings the gospel to bear on the various contingencies that he is confronted with. Paul¡¦s ethics centres on the cross of Jesus Christ, which functions metonymically to evoke, as the focus, the significance and meaning of the cross. For Paul, the cross and all that it embodies presents a call to cruciformity ¡V life in the pattern of the cross. It is proposed, by way of a theological exposition of 1 Cor. 11.17-34, that Paul¡¦s ethology is a result of an ongoing dialogue, he is engaged in, between the Christ event and the various ethical contingencies he is called upon to deal with. The gospel forms the basis of Paul¡¦s reflective discourses. It provides Paul with an undergirding narrative framework that shapes his worldview. A brief overview of the important role that worldviews perform will show that Paul responds to his communities of faith from the perspective of worldview. That is, Paul is concerned to shape the behaviour of his Christian converts by sculpting their particular frames of reference. The frame of reference he seeks to inculcate within the lives of his converts is based on the story of Jesus Christ. It is this story that becomes paradigmatic for the ethos Paul seeks to set up. Furthermore, it is suggested that it is possible to trace the narrative contours of Paul¡¦s reflective discourses. Such a suggestion is supported by showing that 1 Corinthians as a whole resonates with echoes of a narrative; a narrative that is rooted in the Christ event. The mapping out of these narrative contours in Paul¡¦s letters will reflect the centrality of the gospel story. Moreover, it is suggested that by tracing the narrative substructure present in 1 Cor. 11.17-34, that the reader will gain a deeper appreciation of how the gospel functions within Paul¡¦s theological and ethical framework. Finally, it is proposed that Paul¡¦s reflective discourses shape and conform his ethos in such a way as to provide a meaningful framework out of which he calls the community of faith to live out its witness. In so doing, Paul emphasises the importance of remembering (recalling) the stories that constitute the Christian worldview. / Prof. JA Du Rand

This dissertation has attempted to define Paul's concept of holiness and how he develops and applies the concept in his letters. This task has focused on Pauline theology, conducting an in-depth exegetical study on various Pauline epistles. All texts on holiness which occur in all thirteen Pauline epistles are examined and discussed. Chapter 1 begins with a question on how Paul, as a Pharisee, might have reevaluated the concept of holiness through the Christ event. This chapter briefly covers the history of research on the concept of holiness in Pauline epistles. Chapter 2 surveys the Old Testament concept of holiness, focusing on the word "holiness." This survey examines the conceptual meaning of the word in the nature of God and in the ritual setting, and also the common definition for the descriptive usage in persons and things. Chapter 3 examines the pharisaic concept of holiness, and compares this with the concept in the Old Testament. Chapter 4 defines the concept of divine holiness. This concept is subdivided into two aspects: the holiness of God manifested in believers (Rom 6:19-22; Eph 4:24; 1 Thess 3;13; and 2 Thess 2:13), and the holiness of Christ (Rom 1:4; 1 Cor 1:30; and Col 1:9-22). For the in-depth exegetical study, Romans 6:19-22 is mainly covered. Chapter 5 analyzes the concept of holiness in man. First, Paul's addressing believers and the church as 'holy ones' is discussed. Second, Paul's teaching on how God willed and made them to be holy (Rom 15:16; 1 Cor 1:2; 3:17; 6:11; 7:14; 2 Cor 7:1; Eph 1:4; 2:21; 5:25-27; 1 Thess 4:3-7; 5:23; and 2 Tim 2:21) is examined. Chapter 6 observes Paul's extensive application of the word, "holy" to things other than man or God. Paul has applied the word "holy" to the Scripture (Rom 1:2), the Law (Rom 7:12), the living sacrifice (Rom 12:1), human body and spirit (1 Cor 7:34), kiss (Rom 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; 2 Cor 13:12; and 1 Thess 5:26) and God's created foods (1 Tim 4:4-5). Finding the descriptive meaning of the word "holy" has focused so that the common understanding of the concept may be derived for the extensive usage. Chapter 7 concludes with the summary of the concept of holiness. Further research has been suggested for possible implications in Paul's overall theological thought. This work suggests that through the Christ event, Paul has reevaluated the concept, especially from his Pharisaic understanding. For Paul, God's holiness is one of the most important of the divine attributes along with righteousness, love, and faithfulness, and he assumed this for his preaching and teaching as a foundational factor. Paul refers to either divine holiness that has been manifested to believers through Christ or the holiness accomplished in believers through divine activity. He states that believers are established without blame, salvation has been secured, and a new humanity has been created in the likeness of God. He exhorts believers to pursue a life of holiness, demonstrating and perfecting holiness as they reflect God's moral purity in their lives and hearts. / This item is only available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. If you are not associated with SBTS, this dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.

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M.A. / In this study the question on the eschatology of the New Testament is handled. Most New Testament scholars never try to compare the eschatology of Paul with the eschatology of the book of Revelation. Can this two works be compared or are they so different that they cannot be compared? There was a remarkable development in the eschatology of the period between the two testaments and even during the duration of the New Testament. These influences are considered to make a comparison between the writings of the early church and the Jewish people.The writings of Paul were by no means written to give a full eschatology but the letters is full of eschatological thoughts. The Apocalypse of John on the other hand is so full of eschatological meaning that almost the whole book has to do with eschatology. To compare these two is therefore very significant. It is considered that the two writing had one common source of apocalyptic thought. The development within the Jewish thought also shed some light on the meaning of some of Paul's doctrine. The two different settings in which the two authors lived also played an important role. Although both authors experienced persecution in some sense, the question that arises is if they perceived it different from each other's experience. The method used in the study is the literal comparison method. The two works is compared on the grounds of literal differences as well as the exegetical differences. The apocalyptic traditions of the Jews and the early Christians also are brought into view. The backgrounds of the writers are considered although not much is known about John who wrote Revelation. The influences of the Greek and Roman cultures play an important role to understand the development of the eschatological thought.It seems that there is much more conformity between the letters of Paul and the book of Revelation than what most people think. The purpose of the two works is different and many times the eschatology of Revelation is not included in the eschatology of the rest of the New Testament because of its symbols and images. Paul's strong Jewish background played an important role in his eschatology. The Pauline readers had an expectation for the coming of Christ but the crisis that is experienced in Revelation gave the readers an ever-greater expectation for the coming of the Son of Man. The cosmic occurrences and al the symbolism adds up to a great end in the Final Age. Those who persevere the enemies of God and serve the only one true God will be rewarded justly. The study can to the conclusion that behind the two eschatological works lies a common tradition, which developed from the apocalyptic thought of the early Christian age.

Microreproduction of original thesis. / Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 1986. / Some digitised pages may appear illegible due to the condition of the original microfiche copy. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: no abstract available / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: geen opsomming

This dissertation argues that the new perspective on Paul rests on a faulty heremeneutical presupposition. This presupposition is that covenantal nomism (as advocated by E. P. Sanders as a proper conception of Second Temple Judaism) could not have served as a foil for Paul in the development of a doctrine of justification that resembles that of the Reformation. The presupposition is faulty because Sanders's portrayal of Judaism as grace-based has no bearing on the categories that defined the shape of the doctrine of justification during the Reformation period and beyond. The study neither accepts nor rejects Sanders's portrayal of Judaism. Instead, it accepts Sanders's claim for the sake of argument and then demonstrates that his claim does not warrant a radical revision of the Reformation approach to the Pauline writings. Chapter 1 demonstrates the strong dependence of the new perspective on Sanders's work and the hermeneutical presupposition that his work Paul and Palestinian Judaism has generated. Chapter 2 sets the historical-theological background for the thesis by surveying important works in the pre-Reformation Catholic scholastic period, as well as the decree of the Council of Trent on justification, in order to demonstrate that, much like covenantal nomism, the emerging Roman Catholicism of the late medieval and Reformation periods was a grace-based, yet monocovenantal, religion. Chapter 3 surveys the works of three prominent Reformers-Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, and John Calvin-in order to demonstrate that what defines the Reformation doctrine of justification is not grace per se but rather a doctrine of alien righteousness, situated within a bicovenantal framework, in which there is an uncompromising divine demand for perfect obedience. Chapter 4 traces the same themes-perfect obedience, bicovenantalism, and alien righteousness-into the post-Reformation period in order to demonstrate that these are the categories that define the "old perspective" on Paul. Chapter 5 summarizes the foregoing observations, argues that the new perspective's hermeneutical presupposition is unwarranted, and then concludes with exegetical observations that demonstrate a bicovenantal theology in Paul that is similar to that of the Reformation doctrine of justification, one that could have easily arisen in the context of a prevailing covenantal nomism.