Repentance is the first message of Jesus Christ, but the doctrine of repentance has been corrupted by the legalistic-penance doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, Arminianism, and synergism. The desire for the restoration of true repentance was the cause of the Reformation and Reformed theology has tried to build true repentance in soteriology. Calvin’s doctrine of repentance is balanced between subjectivity and objectivity, and repentance is a requisite element of salvation. Calvin made a connection between repentance and Practicus Syllogismus to emphasise the necessity of good works in salvation. K. Barth’s doctrine of repentance, which sees repentance as being the work of God alone, can be defined as forensic repentance. Genuine repentance only takes place in Christ. Christians can participate in the repentance of Christ, which then becomes their repentance. G. C. Berkouwer used the term ‘correlation’ to explain the balance between faith and repentance and to overcome the problem of subjectivity and objectivity in his doctrine of repentance. Faith and repentance are not interdependent, but are closely connected in the grace of God in Christ. By faith the sinner knows that he is a sinner and understands the necessity of repentance. Repentance is a means of strengthening faith. In the Roman Catholic Church penance is a requisite element in soteriology. There is no salvation without penance, and forgiveness of sins and salvation cannot be accomplished without a priest. This is a legalistic-penance theory which converts repentance through the righteousness of Christ into penance by man’s co-operation, changing the Christo-centric focus to include, partially, the merit of the Church and the Priest. Hyung-Nong Park called repentance a ‘co-operative’ work between God and man, but this does not imply synergism. He assumes that repentance is only given to the regenerated and to the Christian who has the sign of God’s children in regeneration. Repentance itself becomes a sign of redemption. With the exception of Barth, Reformed theologians tried to pursue the balance between subjectivity and objectivity in the doctrine of repentance. Calvin, Berkouwer and Park each tried to overcome the problems of the doctrine of repentance, Calvin with ‘Duplex acceptio hominis” or ‘Operum Justitia,’ Berkouwer with ‘Correlation’ and Park with his own term, ‘Co-operative’. True repentance is not declarative, forensic or human speculation. It is neither purely subjective nor purely objective, nor is it legalism or the result of synergism. Repentance is the action of man, but is provoked by the action of God, and by the power of God, man turns to God. This is a product of the grace of God; by His grace man has the opportunity to repent. Repentance requires good works, but neither man’s righteousness nor his merit save him from death; rather, it is man’s obedience and gratitude to God. True repentance, as well as true faith, is a sign of salvation and must be regarded as the heart of the Gospel, along with ‘justification by faith.’ When repentance has a proper role and position in Reformed soteriology, ‘justification by faith’ will not be human speculation or antinomianism, but will have the position of the heart of the true gospel in Reformed theology. / Thesis (PhD (Dogmatics and Christian Ethics))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Dogmatics and Christian Ethics / unrestricted

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This thesis investigates the liturgical context of ecclesiastical discipline in early modern Scotland. The core question addresses the narrative being recounted within Protestant rituals of repentance, the liturgical expression of ecclesiastical discipline. Through an analysis of these rituals it is demonstrated that the primary narrative underpinning the performance of repentance is reconciliation with God and with neighbour. An examination of ceremonies officially authorised by the General Assembly, alongside descriptions of local practice, reveals how reconciliation was firmly embedded within the liturgical life of the Kirk. A secondary question addresses continuities and breaks with Scottish penitential practices prior to 1560. Although bringing a physical shift and ‘decluttering’ of performance space, many ritual continuities remained after 1560, especially in costumes, props, gestures and speech. This thesis is divided into four sections. Section One focuses upon ritual penitential practices employed by the pre-Reformation Kirk c.1500-1560. The ‘cluttered’ stage, or stages, upon which rituals of repentance were performed is also analysed. These twin themes, focusing upon pre- Reformation practice and performance spaces, provide the base-line for the assessment of ritual continuity. Section Two moves the performance to the Protestant theatre of reconciliation, 1560- 1610. After an initial exploration of the stages of discipline, rituals employed by the Kirk to effect neighbourly reconciliation are examined. They demonstrate how the expression of reconciliation and dispute settlement presents a potent visible representation of the harmonious community as the ‘true’ church. Moving from the harmonious community at the local level, Section Three investigates the liturgical performance of corporate repentance utilising the key text The Order of the General Fast. At both national and regional levels, corporate repentance became a visible expression of communal reconciliation to God and of the Protestant self-identification as the ‘new Israel’. The focus of the final section concerns excommunication, the ultimate tool of ecclesiastical discipline, and a further authorised liturgy, The Order of Excommunication and of Public Repentance, is examined. Far from permanent exclusion, the ritual of excommunication was intended to be radical soul-saving surgery, designed to reconcile an offender with both God and neighbour. In contrast with other recent studies which have analysed ecclesiastical discipline within a judicial context, the liturgical context of discipline as performed in rituals of repentance is placed centre-stage.

I use the body to investigate the ideas of morality, mourning and mortification. I look towards costume history, traditional Catholic rituals and themes in 19th century literature to feed my obsession with transformation, reconciliation and communication through dress. My making focuses on feminine objects and materials. Lace, veils, undergarments and hair adornment speak not only of womanhood, but also of the duality of human nature. Lace speaks of purity and sexuality, it reveals and conceals, it is humble, yet gluttonous in its ornamental overindulgence; lace is the ultimate dichotomy. I use it as a potent symbol to represent the duality of body and soul, right and wrong, good and evil. Historically, neglected, disheveled and unbound hair was a sign of mourning and penance, a physical representation of one's sin and sorrow. In my work, hair comes to represent an uncomfortable binding of one's self to one's alter ego, while helping to serve as an act of penance and mortification. As I make, my hands hopelessly yearn to create beauty from burdens; the repetitive and penitential process of stitching creates a metaphor for my longing towards perfection and purification. My use of video, photography and installation work to provide a unique experience for the viewer, for here they are invited to enter these imaginary worlds of wonder.

Predicting language outcomes in children who at age two are "late talkers" is a concern of Speech Language Pathologists. Currently, there is no conclusive data allowing specialists to predict which children will outgrow their delays and which children will not. The purpose of the present study is to analyze the effect of a receptive language delay on the outcome of the slow expressive language delayed child, and determine whether or not it is a viable predictor of poor outcomes. The subject information used in this project was compiled from the data collected and reported by Paul (1991) during the Portland Language Development Project (PLDP). Children in the PLDP first participated in the longitudinal study between the ages of twenty to thirtyfour months. They were categorized as being slow in expressive language development if they produced fewer that fifty intelligible words during this age range. They were then subgrouped into an expressive-receptive delayed group if they scored more than one standard deviation below the mean on the Reynell Developmental Language Scales. Of the twenty-five subjects with complete data over the five years of the study, nineteen were considered to be solely expressively delayed, while the remaining six were classified as having both an expressive and a receptive language delay. Lee's Developmental Sentence Scoring (DSS) (1974) was used to track the subject's expressive language abilities to the age of seven. DSS scores were analyzed yearly, using the Mann-Whitney nonparametric statistical test. This would determine whether the subjects considered to be both expressively and receptively delayed were exhibiting more difficulties in their expressive language abilities than those subjects with expressive delays alone. The results of the study indicated that significant differences did not exist between the two groups. Therefore, there was insufficient evidence to conclude that a receptive language delay at twenty to thirty-four months of age is a feasible predictor of lasting expressive language delays. This leads to the recommendation that additional research be conducted focusing on areas other than receptive language abilities as being predictors of poor expressive language outcomes.

The dissertation describes development of the preparation of children for reception of the first Communion and the first confession. In particular time periods of our history the church passed its teaching and faith on in a lot of various ways. The first Christians educated the newcomers in catechism. In the Middle Ages begins the development of catechesis and primarily of preaching, which should educate both children and adults. There isn{\crq}t still much time devoted to children and their preparations for reception of the sacraments; children cannot receive the sacrament until they reach an older age. Change in a bestowal of the sacraments is brought by a decree Quam singulari promulgated in 1910 by Pius X. It{\crq}s a decree on the age at which children are to be admitted to first Communion and it still influences the pursuance of preparing the new communicants for the reception of the sacraments. In my work I described, with the help of an available literature, the course of the preparations of the new communicants from the promulgation of the decree until now. I am also stating the methodic materials used by those, who lead those preparations.

From its beginnings, Christianity has been fundamentally conditioned by the idea of repentance. However, while the institutional practice of repentance in the early Christian world has received much scholarly attention, relatively little exists which deals with the development and applications of the wider concept (of which its institutional aspect is only a part). The purpose of this dissertation is to provide both a re-assessment and a re-framing of this foundational concept of repentance in Christian late antiquity, with special reference to formative Greek monastic sources from the fifth to seventh centuries. Following a discussion of scholarship, terms, and methodology in chapter one, the question of defining repentance in the Greek patristic world is addressed in chapter two, looking first at the major sources for later approaches (the Septuagint, the New Testament, and Classical/Hellenistic texts). A significant re-appraisal of the dominant scholarly narrative of repentance in the early church will be offered in the following chapter, making way for a close study of the chosen monastic authors: Mark the Monk, Barsanuphius and John of Gaza, and John Climacus in turn. A threefold framework whereby their respective approaches to repentance can be understood in their integrity and diversity will be suggested, involving 1) initial or 'cognisant' repentance, in which the sinner recognizes his or her fallen state and turns it heavenward; 2) 'existential' repentance, which involves the living out of repentance as a way of life, governing all the Christian's actions and intentions; 3) 'Christ-like' repentance, which serves as the summit and ultimate goal of the Christian's personal repentance, whereby the loving and sacrificial 'repentance' of Christ for others and the world at large is assimilated and worked out in the Christian's own life. It will be argued that this framework provides a new and significant hermeneutical lens through which not simply the early Christian concept of repentance in itself can be better understood, but also through which the development of early Christian self-identity and self-perception, particularly in an ascetic context, can be gauged.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T19:21:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Carla Cristiane Teixeira do Couto.pdf: 1373757 bytes, checksum: d7f58aae306064acc00cf36a684e7594 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-05-26 / Secretaria da Educação do Estado de São Paulo / This research has proposed a study on the diaspora of the Catholic Church of Portugal for Portuguese America in the eighteenth century, following some of the expansion of Christianity, noting the role of religious, political and cultural development of the Sacraments of Penance and the practice of indulgences. We consider the precepts laid down in Council of Trent and their influence in the process of Portuguese colonization, and remember that this period is marked by the ideas of the Renaissance and Enlightenment movements. By monitoring the administrative and pastoral concerns of the bishops, both in Portugal and in the colony, we realize that the ecclesiastical patronage system represented an obstacle to the action of themselves at dioceses. The character of animosity in relations between Church authorities and representatives of the Crown in the captaincy, especially in the middle of the eighteenth century show that the submission of religious power in the face of ecclesiastical patronage system was not full. Gradually, following the guidelines of Trent, the Church takes form more defined in Cologne / Esta pesquisa tem como proposta um estudo sobre a diáspora da Igreja Católica de Portugal para a América Portuguesa no século XVIII, acompanhando um pouco da expansão da Cristandade, verificando o papel religioso, político e cultural dos sacramentos da Penitência e da prática das Indulgências. Consideramos as normas religiosas estabelecidas no Concílio de Trento e suas influências no processo da colonização portuguesa, além de ter presente que esse período é marcado pelas idéias dos movimentos renascentistas e iluministas. Ao acompanhar as preocupações pastorais e administrativas dos bispos, tanto em Portugal quanto na colônia, percebemos que o Padroado representou um obstáculo para a ação dos mesmos nas dioceses. O caráter de animosidade nas relações estabelecidas entre as autoridades eclesiásticas e os representantes da Coroa nas Capitânias, especialmente na metade do século XVIII, revelam que a submissão de poder religioso em virtude do Padroado não era plena. Gradualmente, na esteira das orientações de Trento, a Igreja toma um corpo mais definido na Colônia

Devant la mort qui s’impose comme fin inhérente à tout être humain, le message hermasien, dans la neuvième similitude, évoque une vie après la mort dans une démarche qui séduit son lecteur et l’interpelle en vue d’une conversion immédiate et ponctuelle. Tout en travaillant sur des données préexistantes, Hermas monte une thématique eschatologique, avec un vocabulaire propre : il christianise ses données, en mettant en lumière, la prééminence du Fils de Dieu, déjouant ainsi les difficultés liées, à cette époque (IIe siècle), aux expressions « Messie », « Christ » ou « Jésus ». Il voudrait démontrer aux chrétiens, en général, et aux saints qui sont tombés (lapsi) qu’une possibilité est à nouveau donnée. Ils doivent sortir de la conception de damnation pour enfin bénéficier, de manière ultime, d’une metanoia (postbaptismale) qui favoriserait leur purification, et la grâce de vivre dans la félicité, quand reviendra (d’ici peu d’où parousie imminente) le Maître de la tour en construction en Sim. IX (en Arcadie). Ainsi se dévoile toute la pensée hermasienne : la metanoia ne se réalise pas pour elle-même, elle a un but qui est essentiellement eschatologique. Elle prépare les chrétiens à la venue du Fils de Dieu, à la sunteléia définitive, et leur promet (après l’acquisition du Nom, par le baptême et la vie vertueuse) une place dans la tour, symbole du royaume des cieux dans la Sim. IX. / In front of death which imposes itself as inherent end to all human beings, the Hermasian message (of Hermas) in the ninth Similitude suggests a life after death in an approach that appeals to the reader and calls him for an immediate and timely conversion. While working on existing data, Hermas mounts an eschatological theme, with a proper vocabulary : he christianized its data, highlighting the rule of the Son of God, and thwarting the difficulties related to this time (second century), to the expressions « Messiah», « Christ » or « Jesus ». He would demonstrate to the Christians in general, and the Saints who have fallen (Lapsi), that one new possibility is given. They must depart from the conception of damnation to finally benefit, in an ultimate way, a metanoia (post baptismal) that would favor their purification, and the grace to live in bliss, when will return (shortly where imminent parousia) the Master of the tower under construction in Sim. IX (in Arcadia). Thus reveals all Hermasian thought: metanoia does not occur for itself, its purpose is essentially eschatological. It prepares Christians for the coming of the Son of God at the final sunteleia and promises them (after acquiring the Name, by baptism and virtuous life) a place in the tower, symbol of the kingdom of heaven in the Sim. IX.

The study is going to analyse Ambrose's treatise De paenitentia and evaluate its importance for the theology of penance. After presenting the evolution of the practice of penance in early Church till 4th century, especially in West and with focus on the Novatian crisis as a milestone, the study is further dealing with Ambrose of Milan's personality and works, namely with his treatise De paenitentia; not only in the context of the contemporary polemics with Novatian heresy, but mainly as a first formalized and structured theology which will be later developed into the understanding of penance as one of the Church's sacraments. Keywords Ambrose of Milan, Church Fathers, 4th century, Novatian, sin, penance, repentance