This thesis will examine closely two aspects of Pauline theology, namely, the timing of the resurrection and the state of the believer who dies before the parousia. Through exegesis of 2 Cor 5:1-10, the basic consistency in Paul's thinking and the arguments for and against the intermediate state will be examined. Chapter 1 analyzes what 1 Thess. 4, 1 Cor. 15, and 2 Cor. 5 have to say on the issue, comparing the passages as to content and compatibility. Chapters 2 and 3 pursue more fully questions related to the issue of postmortem existence. Chapter Two deals with Paul's use of verb $ underline{ eta o iota mu alpha sigma beta alpha iota}$ as a metaphor for death and the idea of the intermediate state as soul-sleep (psychopannychism). Chapter 3 explores the matter of Paul's concept of the "I" or "self" (or "naked" self), raised by Paul in 2 Cor. 5:3. The Pauline anthropology is compared with Hellenistic anthropological dualism in order to show the similarities and differences.

The purpose of the study is to advance the question of Paul's relationship to the historical Jesus by going beyond a mere paralleling of texts and by concentrating on the genuinely theological themes that join them. In contrast to the "new hermeneutic", and Eberhard Jungel in particular, the method of enquiry will emphasize events that speak rather than "speech-events" (Sprachereignisse) . The central thesis suggests that Jesus and Paul are related on an essentially theo-logical level. That is, they realized God, both in their perception and experience, as one who offered grace and reconciliation to the outcasts and sinners of their day. It is proposed that Jesus' deliberate table-fellowship with toll collectors and sinners revealed such a theology. It is further suggested that this fresh vision of God emboldened the Hellenists, and eventually the Apostle Paul, to welcome uncircumcised Gentiles as equal members of the people of God. Paul's violent persecution of the Hellenists was short-lived, for on the Damascus road he too experienced the God who justifies the ungodly. And finally it was postulated that the experience of the Spirit among the Gentiles served as evidentiary proof that God was indeed open to outsiders. Egalitarianism and mutual acceptance was to be the norm for the church. Thus the goal of the dissertation is to argue that the theological continuity expressed above is not due to mere coincidence, but is traceable to the deeds and words of the historical Jesus.

No description available.

This research has focused on the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering. A broad concept of suffering is excluded in the study. Of particular concern to this research is suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ. Methods employed in the study are: 1) Narrative approach, an approach that allows the narratives to tell their story for the benefit of the Christian community and Christian believers. Stories and testimonies are viewed as valuable resources for the development of discussion on this subject matter. 2) Dialogical approach, the approach in which the biblical text, contemporary context, and contemporary theologian's reflections are brought into dialogue to achieve a theological understanding. 3) Synthesis, a way in which biblical data from the investigation on the subject and contemporary church context are incorporated and synthesized to propound an understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering. The second chapter examines the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering by surveying the testimony of the biblical documents of Old Testament prophets and of the New Testament, excluding the Pauline epistles. The third chapter examines the topic according to Paul's personal testimony and his teachings on the Spirit's role in Christian suffering. The fourth chapter examines the topic from a survey of the testimony of the Korean church and Christians. In the fifth chapter, this study has presented some crucial findings of the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering in terms of a synthesis of the testimony of the biblical documents, especially the testimony in Pauline literature, and the testimony of the Korean church, brought into dialogue with contemporary pneumatologies. In this, the topic is discussed in four categories: individual setting, individual and church setting, church setting, and community/society setting. / Dr. M.S. Clark

M.A. (Biblical Studies) / The strong sure biblical leadership so desperately needed in our confused age seems to be conspicuously lacking in our modern society and churches today. There is moral degradation, and World conditions have worsened immeasurably, Church leaders have no willpower and moral decisiveness. There is a great leadership crisis and deficiency. We are facing an acute crisis in church leadership. Crisis succeeds crisis, yet our many church leaders come up with few solutions, and the prognosis is by no means reassuring. The church has not escaped this dearth of authoritarian leadership, and lack of biblical leadership. The voice of the church that once sounded a clarion call of hope to beleaguered influence of the church in the World Community has become minimal. The salt has largely lost its flavour and the light its radiance. This dissertation takes a more constructive approach and strives to discover afresh the biblical principles of leadership and factors that inspire dynamic spiritual leadership. The role of elders and deacons, and more qualifications for Spiritual leadership. Pauline writings display incipient qualities of leadership, and character of a church leader and role of women in church leadership. In Pauline Leadership we find an inspiring prototype of what biblical leadership ought to be like. It will be our purpose in this dissertation to view leadership in the church. We will consider Paul's viewpoints, examine the qualities of leadership, and discover how these traits of qualities contribute to effective church leadership...

The Full Armor of God is a musical composition based on the apostle Paul's comparison in Ephesians 6:10-20 between armor for physical combat and armor for spiritual warfare. The instrumentation consists of the following: oboe/English horn, bassoon, two violins, viola, cello, and bass. Texts on Roman armor as well as commentaries and sermons on the scriptures were consulted for the basis of the musical materials. The piece combines imagery and historical associations with abstract renderings of both the physical and the spiritual.

No description available.

This dissertation contends that in spite of the increasing trajectory toward a more corporate, covenantal understanding of justification within Pauline scholarship since the emergence of the New Perspective on Paul, there still remains significant evidence that justification, at its core, is concerned with the individual before God in need of grace, who is counted righteous apart from any human works. Chapter 1 provides a history of research that traces this corporate trajectory within modern scholarship, as well as noting some of the responses to it. Chapter 2 examines the case for the presence of Jewish legalism at Paul's time of writing, to which he responds with his doctrine of justification by faith. Though E. P. Sanders successfully showed that legalism did not define second-temple Judaism, his work does not rule out the possibility of legalism within elements of the religion during the lifetime of Paul. This legalism would be more subtle than in pre-Sanders caricatures of Judaism, and is intricately tied to ethnocentrism, since the works in question were often those such as circumcision, which separated Jews from Gentiles--hence, ethnocentric legalism. Chapters 3 and 4 apply a framework that does not rule out legalism to three key justification texts (Gal 2:16; Rom 3:20; Rom 4:1-8). In these passages, Paul alludes to or cites a psalm text, each of which highlights an underlying anthropological approach to justification that denies the place of works, which was also timeless, though now fully revealed in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Chapter 5 examines evidence in other places in Paul, including some of the disputed letters, that undergirds the idea that fundamental to justification and Pauline soteriology in general is a distinction between grace (through faith) and works. Chapter 6 seeks to align the present argument with more corporate concerns in Pauline soteriology through exegesis of two passages that are often considered to be linchpin texts for the New Perspective (Rom 3:27-30; Eph 2:14-18). Chapter 7 provides a summary of the argument, as well as implications of the present study, with further reflection on what it means for future work on the subject.

This thesis analyzes the Apostle Paul’s approach to his own death. The term “approach” is deliberately vague and is intended to encompass a number of questions: What was Paul’s attitude toward his death? How did he act and what did he say and write in view of it? What hopes did he hold for himself beyond death? These questions are explored through a close reading of three Pauline letters that look forward to Paul’s death and other relevant texts in the first two generations after Paul’s death (A.D. 70–160). Thus, this thesis is a study of Paul’s death in prospect and retrospect. Starting with the latter, the first half of the thesis examines portraits of the departed Paul in Acts 20:17–38; 1 Clem. 5.1–6.1; Ign. Eph. 12.2; Rom. 4.3; Pol. Phil. 9.1–2; and the Martyrdom of Paul. It is argued that these portraits exhibit a complicated network of similarities that may be described using Wittgenstein’s concept of “family resemblances.” Viewed as a part of Paul’s early effective history, these early portraits of Paul offer substantial resources for the interpretation of his letters. The second half of the thesis examines portraits of the departing Paul in 2 Cor 1:8–14; 4:16–5:10; Phil 1:18d–26; 2:16b–18; 3:7–14; and 2 Tim 1:12; 4:6–8, 17–18. The “decision of death” referred to in 2 Cor 1:9 is highlighted as a religious experience and one which goaded Paul to formulate his approach to death. It is argued that his death did not primarily present an existential challenge, but a pastoral one. Although touching upon three areas of recent scholarly interest (Paul’s theology of death and beyond; Paul’s religious experience; and Pauline reception), this thesis sets forth a new research question and fresh interpretations of early Christian and Pauline texts.

No description available.