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1	"I and the father are one" : scriptural interpretation and Trinitarian construction in the Monarchian debate Cornell, Richard E. January 2010 (has links) The role of scriptural interpretation in the Monarchian controversy of the early 3rd century C.E. has received relatively little scholarly attention. This oversight is due, in large part, to a persuasive if unstated belief held by many modern scholars that Scripture is a secondary or tertiary factor in the construction of doctrine. This thesis will argue that scriptural interpretation played a primary or generative role in the construction of doctrine. The Proto-Trinitarians and Monarchians believed their position to be superior to that of their opponents’ precisely because it made better sense of the scriptural data. This thesis will argue that the modern view which sees the early church fathers as poor exegetes may have more to do with questionable modern assumptions about the interpretive enterprise (especially when doctrine is considered) than it has to do with any interpretive incompetence of the early Christian interpreters. The introduction will offer a survey of the modern status quo view of patristic interpretation in general and patristic interpretation in a doctrinal context in particular. It will then consider some dissenting voices to the status quo view. Chapter 1 will offer a brief history of the Monarchian movement and examine the Monarchian doctrine of God and its scriptural basis, seeking first to provide an accurate picture of Monarchian belief and secondly to show that the Monarchians took Scripture seriously in their theologizing. Chapters 2 and 3 will consider the two most influential treatises in the demise of Monarchianism, the Contra Noetum (chapter 2) and Tertullian’s Adversus Praxeas (chapter 3). It will be demonstrated that scriptural interpretation was the decisive factor in their theological construction of the nature of God and that the Gospel of John played a decisive role in their rebutting of the Monarchian position. 230
2	The emergence of divine simplicity in patristic Trinitarian theology : Origen and the distinctive shape of the ante-Nicene status quaestionis Ip, Pui Him January 2018 (has links) This study traces the first steps of how divine simplicity entered into Christian Trinitarian discourse. It is the burden of this thesis to demonstrate that divine simplicity emerged in the ante-Nicene period with a distinctive status quaestionis concerning (a) the meaning of the doctrine, and (b) its function in reflections on the Father-Son relation. The first part argues that simplicity emerged in the ante-Nicene period with two possible trajectories of interpretation, anticipated by Plato’s Republic and Phaedo respectively. In the apologists, divine simplicity emerged as a purely metaphysical doctrine. However, a richer interpretation of the doctrine is also available in ante-Nicene theology, as exemplified in Origen’s understanding of divine simplicity as a metaphysical-ethical synthesis, meaning that (a) God’s nature is perfectly incorruptible, and (b) God’s character is perfectly free from contradictions. The second part argues that divine simplicity acquired a role in ante-Nicene reflections on the Father-Son relation within two significant ante-Nicene contexts: (a) polemic against Valentinian emanation (prolatio/probolē) and (b) polemic against Monarchianism. The genius of Origen is to utilise divine simplicity for avoiding the Monarchian identification between the Father and Son on the one hand, and the Valentinian separation between the Father and Son on the other. Consequently, we find the surprising conclusion that divine simplicity serves as a principle of differentiation as well as unity between the Father and Son. This thesis raises new questions for both modern theologians and patristic specialists. For modern theologians, the ante-Nicene developments suggest the Son’s generation as a fruitful site for further analysis on the relation between divine simplicity and Trinitarian theology. For patristic specialists, ante-Nicene developments highlight the need to account for the transition from the ante-Nicene to the post-Nicene status quaestionis: how did divine simplicity change from being attributed to the Father (ante-Nicene) to being attributed to the divine essence (post-Nicene)?
3	Jesus Christ’s humanity in the contexts of the pre-fall and post-fall natures of humanity: a comparative and critical evaluative study of the views of Jack Sequeira, Millard J. Erickson and Norman R. Gulley Mwale, Emanuel 12 1900 (has links) Bibliography: leaves 653-669 / Before God created human beings, He devised a plan to save them in case they sinned. In this plan, the second Person of the Godhead would become human. Thus, the incarnation of the second Person of the Godhead was solely for the purpose of saving fallen, sinful human beings. There would have been no incarnation if human beings had not sinned. Thus, the nature of the mission that necessitated the incarnation determined what kind of human nature Jesus was to assume. It was sin that necessitated the incarnation – sin as a tendency and sin as an act of disobedience. In His incarnational life and later through His death on Calvary’s cross, Jesus needed to deal with this dual problem of sin. In order for Him to achieve this, He needed to identify Himself with the fallen humanity in such a way that He would qualify to be the substitute for the fallen humanity. In His role as fallen humanity’s substitute, He would die vicariously and at the same time have sin as a tendency rendered impotent. Jesus needed to assume a human nature that would qualify Him to be an understanding and sympathetic High Priest. He needed to assume a nature that would qualify Him to be an example in overcoming temptation and suffering. Thus, in this study, after comparing and critically evaluating the Christological views of Jack Sequeira, Millard J. Erickson and Norman R. Gulley, I propose that Jesus assumed a unique post-fall (postlapsarian) human nature. He assumed the very nature that all human beings since humankind’s fall have, with its tendency or leaning towards sin. However, unlike other human beings, who are sinners by nature and need a saviour, Jesus was not a sinner. I contend that Jesus was unique because, first and foremost, He was conceived in Mary’s womb by the power of the Holy Spirit and was filled with the Holy Spirit throughout His earthly life. Second; He was the God-Man; and third, He lived a sinless life. This study contributes to literature on Christology, and uniquely to Christological dialogue between Evangelical and Seventh-day Adventist theologians. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Phil. (Systematic Theology) Adoptionism Alleles Anhypostatic Christology Anthropotokos Alternative Christology Apollinarianism Apthartodocetism Arianism Augustinian model Autosomal chromosomes Autosomal inheritance Born-again Christology Chalcedonian creed Christology from above Christotokos Chromosomes Chromosomal abnormalities Cloning Co-dominance Communicatio idiomatum Complementary base pairing Cri-du-chat syndrome Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) Diploid cell Docetism Dominant gene Down syndrome Dynamic incarnation Dynamic monarchianism Eastern Orthodox Christology Ebionitism Embryogenesis Eutychianism Evangelical Christology Existential Christology Functional Christology Genes Gene mutation Gene expression Genome Genotype Gnosticism Hamartiology Haploid cell Heterozygous History of Jesus’ Christology Homoiousios Theology Homozygous Human cloning Immaculate conception Incarnation Incarnational life Inheritance Karyotype Kenoticism Klinefelter syndrome Logos-flesh Christology Meiosis Mitosis Modalistic monarchianism Monarchianism Monophysitism Mutation Nestorianism Nicene Creed One-nature Christology Ontological Christology Organogenesis Patripassianism Phenotype Polygenic inheritance Post lapsarian view/model Prelapsarian view/model Recessive gene Roman Catholic Christology Sabellianism Seventh-day Adventist Christology Sex chromosomes Sex-linked inheritance Speculative Christology Theotokos Turner syndrome Two-natures Christology Unique post-fall Christology Socinianism Soteriology Theotokos Turner syndrome Two-natures Christology Unique post-fall Christology Virginal conception 231.4 Seventh-Day Adventists -- Doctrines Salvation -- Seventh-Day Adventists Fall of man -- History of doctrines Jesus Christ -- History of doctrines Sequerra, Jack Erickson, Millard J. Gulley, Norman R.

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