M.A. / This research was conducted to establish greater clarity regarding God's sovereignty and His predetermined will. Many different views are held on this subject. Views on predestination have been much debated over the centuries with many believers being undecided or unsure on this subject. What adds to the confusion is that man cannot comprehend life outside of time and therefore finds it difficult to grasp the concept of God having knowledge of all things occurring within time. In order to gain a greater perspective and insight on the subject it was decided to trace the development of the concept of God's establishing His predetermined will through the Scriptures. Approaches to this subject in the past were clouded by the fact that many Christian groups held to the view that the Scriptures are the infallible Word of God. Many scholars in recent years have come to the realisation that the Bible, though containing the Word of God, displays the fallibility of man. This is the approach taken in interpreting Scripture for this thesis. The view was also taken that the revelation of Christ is seen as the key to interpreting Scripture (Heb. 1:1-3). The various factors influencing the writers of Scripture were also taken into account.

D.Litt. et Phil. / Revelation has received much attention throughout the nearly two millennia since its acceptance into the Christian canon, and interest in it is escalating as the twenty-first century approaches. Recent scholarly work has served as a corrective to the excesses of popular thought about the Apocalypse, but much more needs to be done. The theocentricity of Revelation makes imperative to seek the mysterious One Who Sits on the Throne in the center of heaven. Narratology and in particular characterization forms the foundation of this historical-critical, inductive study. Its purpose is to discover the characterization of God through the interdividual relationships between God and the non-divine characters. Interdividuality emphasizes that characters are developed in essential relationships with others. God's character as depicted in Revelation is developed through interaction with all creation. Non-divine characters receive their identity from the One Who Sits on the Throne. Their response to their Creator shapes the hearer/readers' perception of God who is both revealed and shrouded with mystery through the apocalyptic visions recorded by a Christian prophet named John. The non-divine characters of Revelation are divided into four categories: People, Satanic Forces, Heavenly Beings, and "Women". The characters of each category are examined and their characterization established from both direct and indirect characterization perspectives. The characterization of God resulting from their interrelationship is then noted. The People of Revelation can be divided into two categories: those who follow Satan and those who follow God. The decision of who is Lord is the focal point of the Apocalypse. Although the narrative does not downplay the difficulty of following God the rhetoric is far from neutral. The story constantly confronts the hearer/readers with the necessity to shun the deceptive allure of the Dragon's false world and embrace the more difficult path to the New Jerusalem. God's faithfulness, love, mercy, power and holiness are revealed through relationships with and provisions for both sinner and saint. God is Creator of all and sovereign King, understanding Father and faithful Husband, merciful Judge and worthy Lord.

D.Litt. et Phil. (Biblical Studies) / The God of the Bible is like an axiom, never proved, yet the basis of all life and living. Axioms are never proved, but they are the essential presuppositions on which every other proof rests. But this does not say that the idea of God in the Bible does not change. Man's grasp of the character of God developed from age to age and from centuary to centuary often due to particular socio-political circumstances. It began with some primitive ideas about God. God was regarded as a storm god dwelling in a mountain, whose major activity was war. He was also seen as a person, physical I y embodied, though superhumanIy powerfulI, who could conceivably be seen and who, in the earliest strata of the Scripture walked and talked, wrestled, dined and smelled and who shared with man a wide gamut of good and bad emotions. Further, in those earliest times God was a tribal god. He was the possession of the people of Israel, just as the people of Israel was his possession. God's power is also thought to be limited to his territory and to his people. This limitation to the power of God is to some extent taken away when God becomes the God of Canaan, for then He became an agricultural god as well. In the wilderness journeys there had been no possibility of this, but once the people came to Canaan they got into contact with the Canaanite Baals who were not only giving victory in battle...

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has provided an opportunity to reexamine the formation of the Gospel of John. This study will utilize Dead Sea finds coupled with other Second Temple literature to examine how the Gospel of John portrays Jesus as being a king. The approach of this study to use a narrative approach that builds on the Gospel of John as a finished text. The contribution of a source critical approach is not disparaged but the narrative approach will allow the Johannine community to be seen in the context of the immediate post-Second Temple era. The limited literacy of the probable first audience of this text suggests that a narrative approach will best be able to understand the background to the formation of the Gospel of John. A central contention of this study is that the Gospel of John was composed after the Jewish Revolt and after the Synoptics. Thus it deserves the appellation of the Fourth Gospel and is called such in this study. The Fourth Gospel was composed at a time when Roman interest in anything connected to Judaism was sure to attract special interest. Thus the portrayal of Jesus as the Davidic Messiah needed to be handled carefully. The imagery of the new David found in 4Q504 compared with the imagery of Jesus being the Good Shepherd becomes an important part of the argument of this study on whether this Gospel portrays Jesus as being the Davidic Messiah. Jesus as the Good Shepherd showed Jews that Jesus is the Davidic Messiah without overtly offending Roman sensibilities. Furthermore evidence from Christian and Jewish sources indicates that an interest in a Third Temple was still stirring between the Jewish and Bar-Kochba Revolts. The Fourth Gospel shows Jesus as the Davidic Messiah who replaces the Temple because the Good Shepherd was the perfect sacrifice. / New Testament / D. Th. (New Testament)

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has provided an opportunity to reexamine the formation of the Gospel of John. This study will utilize Dead Sea finds coupled with other Second Temple literature to examine how the Gospel of John portrays Jesus as being a king. The approach of this study to use a narrative approach that builds on the Gospel of John as a finished text. The contribution of a source critical approach is not disparaged but the narrative approach will allow the Johannine community to be seen in the context of the immediate post-Second Temple era. The limited literacy of the probable first audience of this text suggests that a narrative approach will best be able to understand the background to the formation of the Gospel of John. A central contention of this study is that the Gospel of John was composed after the Jewish Revolt and after the Synoptics. Thus it deserves the appellation of the Fourth Gospel and is called such in this study. The Fourth Gospel was composed at a time when Roman interest in anything connected to Judaism was sure to attract special interest. Thus the portrayal of Jesus as the Davidic Messiah needed to be handled carefully. The imagery of the new David found in 4Q504 compared with the imagery of Jesus being the Good Shepherd becomes an important part of the argument of this study on whether this Gospel portrays Jesus as being the Davidic Messiah. Jesus as the Good Shepherd showed Jews that Jesus is the Davidic Messiah without overtly offending Roman sensibilities. Furthermore evidence from Christian and Jewish sources indicates that an interest in a Third Temple was still stirring between the Jewish and Bar-Kochba Revolts. The Fourth Gospel shows Jesus as the Davidic Messiah who replaces the Temple because the Good Shepherd was the perfect sacrifice. / New Testament / D. Th. (New Testament)