This study seeks to examine the precise way it may be said that God takes risks in creating and governing this world. In order to articulate this model of providence various texts of scripture are studied which have either been overlooked or interpreted differently in discussions of divine providence. These texts reveal a deity who enters into genuine give-and-take relations with creatures, a God who is genuinely responsive and who may be said to take risks in that God does not get everything he desires in these relationships. Furthermore, the traditional texts used to defend the no-risk view of providence are examined and shown that they do not, in fact, teach the idea that God is the cause of everything which happens in the world such that the divine will is never thwarted in the leas detail. The biblical teaching of God in reciprocal relations with his creatures is then discussed in theological and philosophical terms. The nature of God is here understood as loving, wise, faithful yet free, almighty, competent and resourceful. These ideas are explicated in light of the more traditional theological/philosophical understanding of God. Finally, some of the implications of this relational model of God are examined to see the ways in which it may be said that God takes risks and whose will may be thwarted. The crucial watershed in this regard is whether or not there is any conditionality in the godhead. The no-risk view denies, while the risk model affirms, that some aspects of God's will, knowledge, and actions are contingent. In order to grasp the differences between the two models the doctrines and practices involved in salvation, the problem of evil, prayer and guidance are examined to see what each model says about them. It is claimed that· .the relational or risk model is superior to the no-risk model both in terms of theoretical coherence and the practice of the Christian life. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / Th. D. (Sytematic Theology)

Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Christian Spirituality)

<p>This study is a theoretical research concerning Ibn Arabi's Sufi experience and his philosophy of the &quot / unity of being&quot / (also his poetical talent). I therefore adopted the historical and analytical methodologies to analyse and reply on the questions and suggestions I have raised in this paper. Both of the methodologies reveal the actual status of the Sufism of Ibn Arabi who came with a challenging sufi doctrine. Also, in the theoretical methodology I attempt to define Sufism by giving a panoramic history of it. I have also researched Ibn Arabi's status amongst his contemporaries for example, Al-Hallaj and Ibn Al Farid, and how they influenced him as a Sufi thinker during this time.</p> <p><br /> In the analytical study I explore the poems &quot / Tarjuman al Ashwaq&quot / of Ibn Arabi, of which I have selected some poems to study analytically. Through this I discovered Ibn Arabi's Sufi inclinations and the criticisms of various literary scholars, theologians, philosophers and also sufi thinkers, both from the East and the West. In this analysis I have also focused on the artistic value of the poetry which he utilized to promote his own doctrine &quot / the unity of being.&quot / </p>

Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M.Th. (Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology)

The establishment of a new concept of intercessory prayer, from an activity sought of the individual holy man to an occupation characterizing an entire monastic community, has recently received much attention; historians have shown that the function of intercession had become, by the Carolingian period, the pre-eminent feature of early medieval monasticism. The role of early medieval monasteries as powerhouses of prayer has encouraged scholarly attention along two particular areas of interest: intercession within the system of medieval patronage and gift exchange, and monastic ritual elaboration. Missing in the main historiographical approaches is discussion concerning the place of intercessory prayer within the monastic ideal. This study therefore asks the central question, ‘What was the relationship between the intercessory function of monasticism and the ascetic concern for moral conversion in the time of the reforms of Benedict of Aniane, c. 750-820?’ The writings of Carolingian monastic reformers demonstrate that the chief concern of the monk was to seek and find perfection in God; it is the argument of this study that the elaborate liturgical intercession which characterized early medieval monasticism was coherent with this goal. The Introduction sets out to establish the continuity of the ascetic pursuit in the Carolingian monastic ideal with earlier monasticism. We then order our investigation by: i) proposing that monastic liturgical organization was meant to address the fundamental problem of human sin which impedes fruitful prayer, and that the additions of intercessory liturgy made by Benedict of Aniane should be seen as part of his pastoral concern for the holiness of monks (Chapter 1); ii) situating the specific intercessory performances of monastic communities – namely, the intercessory Mass and the Divine Office – within Carolingian monastic theology (Chapters 2 and 3); iii) examining how the prayer directed toward two groups of beneficiaries of intercession – fellow monks and rulers – was grounded on the the ascetic goals of moral conversion and pilgrimage toward the celestial kingdom (Chapters 4 and 5); and iv) addressing the question of what role Carolingian monastics meant for their intercessory prayers to play in society at large, and the extent to which general social concern was a priority in monastic intercession (Chapter 6). This study provides a detailed description of the ascetic ideal required for understanding the formalized ritual and patronized prayer of monasteries within its proper sphere of monastic spirituality. I conclude in particular that the increasing importance of monastic intercession was related to a heightened emphasis in Carolingian spiritual thought on the teleological theme of transformation both individual and cosmic. The intercessory function of early medieval monasticism suggests an incorporation of the spiritual pilgrimage of the wider world into the monk’s own individual discipline, and tied the monk’s ascesis to the larger story of the conversion of the world to God.

Comment les Stoïciens concilient-ils l’exigence d’une piété intérieure, reposant sur l’obéissance à un dieu rationnel avec la défense des rites traditionnels ? Après avoir étudié les oscillations constantes chez les Stoïciens grecs entre la légitimation et la condamnation des cultes civils, nous montrons que les Stoïciens impériaux, Cornutus, Perse, Épictète et Marc- Aurèle, prolongent le débat sur la relation entre philosophie et religion sous une perspective différente, en l’acclimatant au contexte politico-religieux de la Rome impériale et en l’adaptant à la nature du destinataire et aux stratégies persuasives de chaque œuvre. / How can the stoics reconcile the research of rational piety based on moral perfection with the legitimization of the ritualism and traditional representation of pagan gods? After studying the constant oscillation between the legitimization and condemnation of traditional rites in ancient stoicism, we demonstrate that the roman stoics, Cornutus, Persius, Epictectus and Marcus Aurelius, address the same question, but with two essential specifics : adapting it to the political-religious context of Imperial Rome and paying particular attention to their readers as to the pedagogic strategist to grant its moral conversion.

Teresa of Jesus: Interior Castle Kateřina Kutarňová Diploma thesis Abstract This thesis seeks to understand the most important text of Teresa of Jesus -'Interior Castle' which is considered one of the most important books of Spanish mysticism. This understanding should be achieved by using both theological and phenomenologico- hermenutical commentaries. The main topics of this thesis are religious and mystical experience, mystical transformation and intersubjectivity. Motivated by the possibility of gaining the understanding of the text as a whole, I firstly try to present the meaning of particular chapters. The Interior Castle leads from incorrect/false understanding (of one's self, reality and God) to the right or true one. This true understanding is made possible by reaching the mystical marriage between God and man based on full and conscious living of their mutual, intersubjective relationship. The reaching of mystical intersubjectivity provides the possibility of transgressing from knowing the reality as it appears to be to knowing the reality as it is. Keywords Teresa of Jesus; Teresa of Avila; Interior Castle; Christianity; Religious Experience; Mystical Experience; Mysticism; Mystical Transformation; Intersubjectivity; Frohlich Mary; Lonergan Bernard; Ahlgren Gillian; Steinbock Anthony

Cette recherche se propose de suivre le développement en islam de la piété centrée sur la figure du Prophète, à travers la pratique de la « prière sur le Prophète ». Elle part de la place de cette prière dans les textes fondateurs et dans la tradition juridico-théologique. Elle se livre ensuite à l'analyse philologique d'un choix significatif de formules de « prière sur le Prophète » (taṣliya, pl. taṣliyāt ) depuis le début de l'islam jusqu'au XIXème siècle, en mettant l'accent sur la tradition maghrébine, marocaine plus précisément. Il s'agit non seulement de recenser ce que disent ces formules sur Muhammad, son caractère, ses vertus, sa fonction prophétique, son rôle spirituel, mais encore de relever les implications doctrinales de ces textes. Ce travail d'analyse aboutit à une synthèse thématique montrant le développement progressif, surtout à partir du XIIème siècle, de formules de prière qui mettent en valeur la dimension métaphysique et cosmique du Prophète plus précisément de la « Lumière » ou de la « Réalité muhammadienne ». Les maîtres soufis qui composent ces taṣliyāt mettent ainsi le Prophète au coeur de la doctrine et de la pratique spirituelles. / This research project aims to chart the development of Islamic piety centered on the figure of the Prophet, through the practice of the « prayer on the Prophet ». It begins with the prayer itself which is present in the founding documents of the legal-theological tradition. It continues with a philological analysis of a significant selection of prayer formulas (taṣliya, pl.taṣliyāt ) spanning the beginning of Islam through to the 19th century, with a special emphasis on the traditions of the Maghreb, specifically Morocco. The purpose of such an overview is to identify what these formulas reveal about Muhammad, his character, his virtues, his prophetic office and spiritual role, as well as uncover the doctrinal implications of these texts. This analysis leads to a thematic synthesis showing the progressive development, particularly from the 12th century on, of prayer formulas that put emphasis on the metaphysical and cosmic dimensions of the Prophet, more precisely of the « Light » or « Muhammadan reality ». The Sufi masters who composed these texts thus put the Prophet at the heart of both doctrine and spiritual practice.

String quartet -- Eternal light : for orchestra -- The Lord's prayer : for baritone, clarinet and piano. / Wong Yat Wai Joseph. / Thesis (M.Mus.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter 1. --- String Quartet --- p.1 / Chapter 2. --- Eternal Light for Orchestra --- p.21 / Chapter 3. --- "The Lord's Prayer for Baritone, Clarinet and Piano" --- p.58

This thesis offers an assessment of the Edwardian Reformation and its significance for the wider development of English Protestantism by examining the liturgical reforms of the period. The central question that this thesis grapples with is, how did Edwardian reformers apply their theological concept of the 'church' as an invisible spiritual body of believers to the task of reforming the visible temporal institution of Tudor England? The overarching argument of this study is that, in the eyes of the reformers, the formal liturgy of the Church of England, as defined by the Prayer Book, formed a nexus between the temporal and spiritual realms so that the invisible Church was given visible expression in public worship. This meant that Tudor men and women could actively participate in the spiritual communion of saints through the tangible experience of church services, especially through the sacraments and by observing the Sabbath. The examination of the relationship of mid-Tudor evangelical ecclesiology and liturgical reform presented in this thesis allows us to understand the Edwardian Church on its own terms. It challenges some long-held assumptions about the figures and events of the period, and their combined effect on later developments in English Protestantism, which continue to colour historiography. By taking a fresh approach to seemingly well-known texts, such as the Book of Common Prayer, this thesis argues that the relationship of ecclesiology and liturgical reform was a central feature of the Edwardian Reformation, an aspect of the period that has not been widely acknowledged in recent scholarship. A different ecclesiological theme is investigated through the lens of liturgical reform in each chapter to show how significant the doctrine of the church was to mid-Tudor reformers' goals in terms of ecclesiastical structure and practical ministry.