Intertextuality as a method of biblical interpretations is well known and often misused in theological circles. This thesis critically describes how intertextuality is used and what are the main issues with this term and method. The main conclusion is that intertextuality as the modern method is for no much use in biblical hermeneutics though it can be used as an old and well know method of source theory. Intertextuality in the modern view appears to be as a confusing and an unstable term. Philosophical presuppositions of a modern hermeneutics might lead to self-contradictory conclusions. It is not that the attempt to come to original meaning is fulfilled through new interpretational methods, but anyone can introduce any new meaning to old texts. This work shows that the reasons to believe in the death of the original meaning is based on shaky and uncertain grounds. The main concern of this work is introductory citation of the Gospel of Mark. It shows that Mark bases his high Christological understanding on the prophecy of Isaiah and Malachi. Though Mark's Gospel is often considered as the earliest manuscript containing non-high Christological notion, this work shows that Mark from the very beginning introduced us to Jesus who possesses the same qualities as the Yahweh in the books of Isaiah and...

This thesis examines whether the theological method currently known as inculturation was used in the Supper Narratives of the New Testament. A methodology is set up in which texts are examined against the backdrop of Graeco-Roman, Judaic and early Christian cultures. This methodology focusses on family resemblances and analogies, rather than genealogy or causal dependence to examine the links between text and context. It also avoids claims for orthodoxy dependent on claims about origins. Engaging with the claims of writers from Schweitzer, through Jeremias and up to the present, three themes are identified: meals, sacrifice and eschatology. The manifestations of each are examined against the three cultural groups:Judaic, Graeco-Roman and early Christian. The Supper Narratives (Mk 14:12-26, Matt. 26:17-30 and Luke 22:7-23 and 1 Cor 11:17-34) are then mapped against these themes. Analogies to the cultural groups are then traced. This process leads to conclusions that the New Testament writers did use a methodology which can be identified as inculturation. It manifests itself particularly through patterns identified by anthropologists as bricolage and re-accentuation. A notable example is "sacrificialisation", in which events and items are invested with a fresh sacrificial significance. Judaic concepts (e.g., covenant and Atonement) and rituals (e.g., sacramentals and Passover) dominate the interpretations of Jesus' last meal with his disciples. This does not mean that inculturation only took place in relation to Jewish culture. Many of the concepts used (e.g., sacrifice and sacrament) share commonalities with Graeco-Roman thought which allows them to engage with such world-views. This process sees Judaic understandings used as correctives to Graeco-Roman thinking about sacraments. It also sees Jewish concepts used to address Graeco-Roman values, and give an added historical depth (antiquitas) to a comparatively recent event. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / D.Th. (New Testament)

There is a great diversity of initiatives furthering unity among christians. Probably the most important ones are those of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Roman Catholic Church as such and the Lausanne Movement of the Evangelicals. The "Runde Tisch" (=Round Table) brings together Austrian christians from all parts of the christian scenario as a new initiative towards unity. To find out, which of these initiatives is the most efficient, from a mission-strategical standpoint, this thesis develops the New Testament findings on the question of unity. Then, the 4 models are presented to finally be compared, to find out, where each one has its strengths and weaknesses. The Round Table Austria with its great width of christians involved, its theological profoundness and its leadership structure with proportional engagement of members from all present parts of the christian body is indeed quite close to the New Testament picture of unity. / Initiativen, die die Einheit unter Christen fördern gibt es sehr viele. Mit zu den wichtigsten zählen die des Weltkirchenrates (WCC), die Römisch-katholische Kirche als solche und die Lausanner Bewegung der Evangelikalen. Der Runde Tisch bringt in Österreich Christen aus allen Richtungen der Christenheit in eine neue Einheitsinitiative zusammen. Um nun herauszufinden, welche dieser Initiativen missionsstrategisch effizient ist, entfaltet diese Arbeit zunächst den neutestamentlichen Befund zur Frage der Einheit unter Christen. Dann werden die vier Modelle dargestellt und abschließend mit dem Ziel verglichen, herauszuarbeiten, wo die Stärken und Schwächen eines jeden Ansatzes liegen. Hierbei dient als Maßstab der Befund der neutestamentlichen Analyse. Der Runde Tisch Österreich liegt mit seinem breiten Spektrum an vertretenen Christen, seiner theologischen Tiefe und richtungsparitätischen Leitungsstruktur sehr nahe bei den neutestamentlichen Vorgaben zur Einheit unter Christen. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

German text / In dieser Studie wird der Frage nachgegangen, ob der Jakobusbrief den Weg zum vollkommenen Glauben zeigt. Dazu wird zunächst die Berechtigung einer solchen Fragestellung anhand der neueren Forschung aufgezeigt. Dann werden in knapper Form allgemeine Fragen zum Jakobusbrief behandelt, bevor die beiden Zentralbegriffe dieser Studie untersucht werden: Glaube und vollkommen. Um eine inhaltliche Definition dieser Begriffe im Jakobusbrief geben zu können, wird zunächst dargelegt, welche sprachlichen bzw. inhaltlichen Kontexte in der damaligen Zeit gegeben waren und den Schreiber des Jakobusbriefes beeinflusst haben könnten. Die so gewonnenen Ergebnisse fließen sodann in die Untersuchung von Jakobus 2 ein. Dabei werden unter Berücksichtigung des rhetorischen Aufbaus, der sprachlichen Besonderheiten und der kulturellen Gegebenheiten die Verse Jakobus 2:1-13 und 2:14-26 untersucht. Hierbei ist das Beispiel von Abrahams Glauben in Jakobus 2:22 von besonderer Bedeutung. Abschließend wird eine Antwort auf die eingangs aufgeworfene Frage gegeben. / This thesis examines whether and in what way the Epistle of James shows the way to perfect faith. A detailed survey of research indicates that this is an important and relevant question that has, as yet, not been adequately examined. General questions about the Epistle of James are addressed before a detailed analysis of the central terminology of this study, the language of faith and of perfection. Assessment of this terminology requires an understanding of which linguistic and other contexts were prevalent at the time of writing and how these may have influenced the author. The results of these analyses are included in a detailed exegesis of James 2:1-26 (which constitutes the main part of the thesis). Close attention is paid to the rhetorical structure, the linguistic features and the cultural background of the passage. This thesis argues that the example of Abraham’s faith in James 2:22 is of special significance in the argumentation of the letter and in the quest for perfect faith. The conclusion confirms the notion that the Letter of James makes a crucial contribution to our understanding of faith and its perfection. This thesis also draws out certain implications for New Testament theology, the contemporary church and society at large. / New Testament / M. Th. (New Testament)

Revelation is God's Word addressed to the human being and so speaks of God in relation to the person and the world. Revelation can therefore only be fully understood, proclaimed and lived through an encounter with the world and its conceptions. To understand the evolution of human consciousness and the creation of the soul, we look to the sources of revelation (scripture and tradition) in dialogue with secular anthropology. The latter's paradigm of development and growth is not foreign to the former's understanding of conversion and growth in grace . The image of God, which characterises the human person, is shown to be an emergent likeness, which is created and drawn to its fullness by God. This accounts for Pius XII' s insistence that the soul is created immediately by God, who is responsible for the physical dynamics that bring forth consciousness and the personal dynamics that empower the human soul to develop. / Philosophy Practical andSystematic Theology / M.Th (Systematic Theology)

This dissertation argues that Paul’s apostolic mission to the Gentiles was the definitive expression of his divine vocation as an Israelite, and thus of his Jewish identity. For many of Paul’s Jewish contemporaries, Israel’s divine vocation was to keep and to teach the precepts of the Law of Moses as an exemplary witness to God’s power and wisdom. For Paul, however, Jewish identity was expressed primarily by preaching the gospel of Christ, as the fulfilment of the Law of Moses, to the Gentiles. This is seen most clearly in Paul’s letter to the Romans. In chapter 1, we summarize our methodology: we are seeking to examine Paul’s Jewish identity by reading Paul’s letters (especially Romans), in light of other second-temple Jewish texts, using certain insights from social identity theory. We show that the concept of vocation is an important dimension of Jewish identity, especially in Paul’s letters. We also discuss some prior approaches to the question of Paul’s Jewishness, demonstrating both their value and also their limitations for our purposes. In chapter 2, we survey three key aspects of Paul’s explicit language of Jewish identity in his letters: Jewish distinctiveness, divine revelation and divine vocation. In chapter 3, we demonstrate that Paul deliberately frames his letter to the Romans (Rom 1:1–15, 15:14–33) by presenting his apostolic ministry as the fulfilment of positive scripturally-based eschatological expectations concerning Israel’s divine vocation with respect to the nations. We also compare Paul’s self-presentation in the outer frame of Romans with other first-century expressions of Jewish vocation. In chapter 4, we concentrate on Rom 2:17–29. Contrary to most interpretations which read this passage as a discussion about the nature of (Jewish or Christian) salvation, we argue that Paul deliberately sets this passage in the context of the mainstream Jewish synagogue, in order to contest the nature of Jewish vocation. In chapter 5, we examine Rom 9–11 from the perspective of Jewish vocation. We demonstrate that in Rom 9–11, Paul presents his own apostolic vocation, in various ways, as a contrast to, a fulfilment of, and a means of hope for Israel’s place and role in God’s worldwide purposes.

The present study analyzes a selection of topics in the grammar of Nalca (Mek language; Papua), with a focus on verbs and nominals. No published grammar or dictionary is available for Nalca, but a translation of the New Testament was used as a parallel text. The results showed that Nalca is split-ergative, strongly suffixing and agglutinating, with subject-object-verb (SOV) as the dominant word order. Verbs consist of a stem and a series of suffixes expressing tense/aspect/mood, negation, number and person. The case alignment is ergative-absolutive for nouns, for which syntactic function is indicated by a series of postpositions. These postpositions agree with nouns in gender. Ergativity was not observed for pronouns; while the results were inconclusive, they appeared to show a nominative-accusative case alignment. The numeral system is an extended body-part system with the base 27. Many of the features found in Nalca are comparable with other Mek languages, with the gender system and split-ergativity being two major exceptions. Finally, the use of the New Testament as a parallel text was a success, with a basic description of the grammar of Nalca having been made, although further investigation is needed. / Denna studie analyserar ett urval av områden i nalcas (mekspråk; Papua) grammatik, med fokus på verb och nominaler. Det finns ingen publicerad grammatik eller ordlista tillgänglig för nalca, men en översättning av Nya Testamentet användes som parallelltext. Resutltaten visade att nalca är split-ergativt, starkt suffigerande och agglutinerande, med subjekt-objekt-verb (SOV) som dominerande ordföljd. Verb består av en stam och en serie suffix som uttrycker tempus/aspekt/modus, negation, numerus och person. Argumentstrukturen är ergativ-absolutiv för substantiv, för vilka syntaktisk funktion indikeras av en serie postpositioner. Dessa postpositioner kongruerar med substantiven efter genus. Ergativitet observerades inte för pronomen; trots att resultaten inte var slutgiltiga, tycktes dessa istället uppvisa ett nominativ-ackusativt system. Det numeriska systemet är ett utökat kroppsdelssystem med basen 27. Många av karaktärsdragen i nalca hade motsvarigheter i de andra mekspråken, med genussystemet och split-ergativiteten som de största undantagen. Användandet av Nya Testamentet som parallelltext visade sig vara lyckat, eftersom en grundläggande beskrivning av nalcas grammatik åstadkoms, även om ytterligare forskning krävs.

This thesis contends that the theme of persecution plays a vital role in the argument of Paul's letter to the Galatians. Particularly, this thesis argues that suffering for the cross is seen as a mark of identity and a sign of destiny for those who follow the crucified Messiah. In regard to identity, suffering is shown to be a badge that demarcates Paul's Gentile audience as children of Abraham and children of God (i.e. the “Israel of God”) in conformity with genuine Christian identity, represented chiefly by Paul himself through solidarity with the cross. In regard to destiny, those who are marked out by suffering for the cross will receive the future inheritance, as promised to Abraham, and be vindicated at the eschatological judgment. The relationship of suffering for the cross to Christian identity and destiny is shown to parallel other such markers like possession of the Spirit and justification by faith. This thesis proposes further that Paul derives his understanding regarding the importance of suffering from his wider reading of Isaiah, particularly chapters 49–54, which Paul believes prefigures the death of the Messiah, his own Gentile mission and the opposition to it, as well as the status of his Gentile converts as servants of the Messiah. The influence of Isaiah is demonstrated especially in Paul's paradigmatic self-presentation in the autobiographical section of the letter (Gal. 1–2), the subsequent summons to imitation (4.12–20), and the famous allegory where Paul explicitly cites Isa. 54.1. In this thesis it is demonstrated that all of these themes and emphases in Galatians related to persecution and suffering are utilized for the particular crisis in Galatia regarding the promotion of circumcision, which this thesis suggests is promoted aggressively. It is proposed, therefore, that Paul has utilized the theme of persecution with its Messianic and Isaianic influences to engage the way that receiving circumcision provides a means of avoiding and alleviating social tension and pressure. To that end suffering for the cross is upheld by Paul as a mark of identity and a sign of destiny to highlight the fact that receiving circumcision will lead to apostasy since Paul understands it to be a rejection of the Messiah and his cross.

Cette étude vise à fournir une vision de la poétique de l'auteur contemporain Erri De Luca, à travers l'étude des éléments et des motifs empruntés aux Écritures particulièrement prégnants dans son œuvre. De tels éléments, renvoyant aux sources bibliques, fournissent une clef pour la lecture et pour l'interprétation de l'œuvre deluchienne dans sa complexité. L'insertion de l'imagery biblico-littéraire, chargée d'éléments qui depuis des siècles sont ancrés dans l'imaginaire collectif confère une unité à l'écriture de cet auteur, en dépit de sa variété. Le terme imagery est utilisé pour exprimer un ensemble d'images auxquelles appartiennent les symboles, les métaphores, les comparaisons, les thèmes, les conventions, ainsi que les archétypes, appartenant aux Saintes Écritures. La poétique de De Luca est analysée ici au moyen de l'identification des images qui constituent les principaux éléments de la narration des auteurs de la Bible, comme de l'auteur napolitain.En prenant comme objectif l'étude de l’œuvre deluchienne du point de vue de l'imagery des Saintes Écritures, ce travail se divise en quatre parties. La première partie vise à fournir un cadre général des échos bibliques dans la littérature italienne contemporaine, en proposant une brève description des thèmes et motifs qui ont inspiré, et continuent d'inspirer, les romanciers et poètes italiens. En outre, dans cette partie nous traitons les principales tendances que l'on peut dégager dans les différents écrits littéraires d'inspiration biblique, en nous appuyant sur quelques exemples. Ainsi, il est possible de déterminer la place qu'occupe la poétique de De Luca dans le contexte de la littérature italienne du XXième siècle, où la présence de la Bible est considérable. L'auteur napolitain, bien que dépourvu de sentiments religieux, non seulement comprend les Saintes Écritures à travers leur sens métaphorique, mais en fait également la matrice conceptuelle de ses propres œuvres littéraires, en créant un univers biblico-littéraire cohérent et entièrement personnel.Dans le deuxième chapitre, nous parcourons brièvement la biographie de De Luca, et en particulier certains aspects de sa vie personnelle en référence à ses œuvres. De telles références, récurrentes dans l'écriture deluchienne, forment un des deux macrotextes où l'écrivain puise pour créer sa propre poétique, celui de la vie. Dans cette partie, nous évoquons les concepts et les mots-clés forgés par De Luca lui-même, à travers le prisme desquels il semble souhaiter être lu et interprété. Le premier de ces concepts est la nostalgie des racines, idée à laquelle se rattachent les réflexions sur l'autre possibilité, ainsi que sur l'extranéité au monde. Il découle de cette analyse une description du militantisme politique de l'auteur. Enfin, on abordera l'expression utilisée par l'auteur pour définir son rapport avec la religion, à savoir sa condition de non-croyant. Dans la troisième partie, nous décrivons l'évolution de l'intérêt de De Luca pour la littérature, la traduction et l'interprétation des Saintes Écritures. Nous commençons par évoquer sa passion pour la culture et pour l'histoire juive, indissociable de l'étude de la langue de l'Ancien Testament, cette dernière ayant été apprise en vue de lire le texte biblique dans sa forme originaire. Cela a ensuite mené l'auteur vers un approfondissement des pratiques cabalistiques qui, à leur tour, lui ont permis de se lancer dans l'exégèse biblique. Ensuite, nous passons à une brève description des traductions deluchienne de certains livres de la Bible dans lesquelles l'auteur tente de restituer le plus fidèlement possible la forme originaire, en utilisant la langue italienne comme un simple moyen de faire entrevoir l'original. C'est pour cette raison que les traductions sont abordées dans cette analyse comme étant des connecteurs, ainsi qu'un moyen pour arriver du texte d'origine vers l'écriture, plus dans le sens conceptuel que séquentiel. / The aim of the dissertation is to analyze the prose of the modern Italian writer Erri De Luca through the lens of biblical motifs and references, which bind his works together. Such references to biblical sources are the key to understanding and interpreting the author's writings, which, despite their multifaceted character, nonetheless remain grounded in biblical-literary imagery; one rich in references rooted in the human imagination since centuries past. The term imagery encompasses the entire set of biblical images including symbols, metaphors, comparisons, motifs, and archetypes. The analysis of De Luca's writings consists in foregrounding those images which constitute the fundamental elements of the narration both in the case of biblical authors, as in the case of the Neapolitan writer himself. The dissertation comprises four parts. Chapter One attempts to present the general framework of biblical references in modern Italian literature in the form of a short description of the themes and motifs taken up by Italian poets and prose writers alike. Furthermore, the chapter discusses and exemplifies the main tendencies in literary references to biblical imagery, which will then allow us to observe the ways in which De Luca's works partake in the larger body of 20th century Italian literature with visible biblical influences. Despite his declared lack of religious faith, the Neapolitan writer not only decodes the metaphorical sense of the Bible, but also adopts the Bible as the framework for his writings, thus creating a personal, unified, and unique biblical-literary universe. Chapter Two includes a short biographical note on the writer with a strong emphasis on those aspects of his life which are reflected in his writings. And because such references are numerous indeed, they comprise one of the two macrotexts that the writer refers to in his poetics, i.e. the life (vita) macrotext. This section also presents keywords introduced by De Luca himself. It can be assumed that the author wanted to point his readers and critics to a specific method of reading and interpreting his art. The first keyword of this kind refers to the concept of a longing for the return to the source, which is tied to reflections on the so-called other possibility (altra possibilità) and one's alienation from the exterior world. The later part of the chapter describes the author's political engagement and reflects on the meaning that De Luca ascribes to the word non-believer (non-credente), which the author uses to describe his personal approach to religion. Chapter Three describes the author's interest in reading, translating, and interpreting the Bible, starting with his interest for Jewish history and culture, the roots of which may be traced back to De Luca's study of the Hebrew language. The author undertook the study in order to be able to read biblical texts in their original language, which, in turn, has led him to acquaint himself with Cabalistic practices, enabling him to employ his own biblical exegesis. The chapter then provides an overview of De Luca's own translations of selected biblical texts, a distinguishing feature of which is the author's attempt to remain as faithful as possible to the original text. In this regard, De Luca treats the Italian language as a mere tool and does not consider the process of translation to be an end in and of itself. For this reason, the dissertation treats his translations as a “connector” of sorts, as well as a stepping stone in the journey from the source text to writing itself – more so in a conceptual sense than a temporal sense. The further part of the chapter will consist of an analysis of those of De Luca's works which could be described as “rewriting” biblical tales (riscritture), a process which is not only considered to be a distinct kind of translation, but even the next stage in the work of the translator.

La thèse porte sur la confrontation de deux traductions en hébreu de l’évangile de Marc. Tout d’abord, l’étude de la traduction en hébreu moderne, réalisée par une équipe sous la direction de Joseph Atzmon et publiée par les United Bible Societies, s’attache à établir les variantes textuelles entre la première édition (1976) et les suivantes II-III (1991/95). Il apparaît que le réviseur II-III reproduit la première édition en faisant preuve d’une certaine liberté qui le conduit plusieurs fois à donner la priorité à la langue cible. Ensuite, les caractéristiques philologiques de cette traduction sont analysées à partir d’un corpus constitué de récits significatifs pour la distinction entre juifs et chrétiens, à savoir celui de la Cène (Mc 14, 22-25) et ceux de la multiplication des pains (Mc 6, 30-44 ; 8, 1-10). Une comparaison avec les caractéristiques de la traduction en hébreu classique de Franz Delitzsch (1re éd. 1877) fait ressortir les traits saillants de la traduction en hébreu moderne de Joseph Atzmon. Une dernière recherche a pour but de relever les enjeux théologiques qui sont en cause dans le passage du grec à l’hébreu. Cela suppose que soient préalablement clarifiés les problèmes posés par le passage d’une langue source à une langue cible et que le corpus choisi soit situé par rapport aux principales traductions du Nouveau Testament en hébreu.Une enquête menée à Jérusalem, auprès des catholiques hébréophones qui utilisent ces traductions, est présentée en annexe. / The thesis is about the confrontation of two Hebrew translations of the Gospel of Mark. First of all, the study of the Modern Hebrew translation, carried out by a team under the direction of Joseph Atzmon and published by the United Bible Societies, tries to establish the textual variants between the first edition (1976) and the following ones II-III (1991/95). It appears that the reviser reproduces the first edition by showing some liberty leading him several times to give priority to the target language. Then, the philological characteristics of this translation are analysed from a corpus composed of significant accounts for the distinction between Jews and Christians, namely that of the Last Supper (Mk 14, 22-25) and those of the multiplication of the loaves (Mk 6, 30-40 ; 8, 1-10). A comparison with the characteristics of Franz Delitzsch’s Classical Hebrew translation (1st ed. 1877) brings out the dominant features of Joseph Atzmon’s Modern Hebrew translation. A final research aims at noting the theological issues which are involved in the translation from Greek to Hebrew. This implies that first of all the problems raised when passing from a source language to a target language be clarified, and that the corpus chosen be situated in relation to the principle translations of the Hebrew New Testament.An inquiry conducted in Jerusalem, amongst the Hebrew-speaking Catholics who use these translations, is presented in the annexe.