This history which spans the period 1836 -1995, gives a picture of the Dutch Reformed Church in Zimbabwe which evolved from the missionary endeavour of the mother church in South Africa into an independent autonomous church. It is a story of Dutch (Afrikaner) piety in which the most important components are evangelisation, education and language, the whole of which was, and is still, influenced by the evangelical piety of Andrew Murray. With regard to the education of their children, the Dutch Reformed members believed that Christian education in the mother tongue was the ideal. This world view, together with the Protestant principle, that people should read and interpret Scripture for themselves, resulted in the establishment of three churches in Zimbabwe. Firstly, the Dutch Reformed Church (Synod of Central Africa), that ministers to the Afrikaans and English members of all races. Secondly, the Reformed Church of Zimbabwe that ministers to the Shona people, and thirdly the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (Synod Malawi) that ministers to the migrant workers from Malawi. Of the three components in Dutch piety, evangelisation is regarded by the members as the most important in their missionary endeavour. This is the search for a contextual identity and illustrates how the Afrikaners in Zimbabwe experienced the reality of God in their lives. It is also a description of the interaction of the Dutch Reformed Church in Zimbabwe with the society in which it found itself. This interaction is observed to be of four types, namely, public witness, social upliftment and empowerment, the increase of social strength and the establishment of the community. / Church History

The thesis in its first part outlines in general the iconographical type of pietà and its genesis from the very beginning of the representation of this type until the end of the 14th century. Furthermore the work interprets the literary sources and its impact on the form of medieval pietàs. The emphasis in all chapters of this work will be put in the first place on the type of the so called Beautiful pietàs of the Beautiful Style. In the first, theoretical part of the work the author presents, among others, an interpretation of Beautiful pietàs' gestures. The second part of the thesis treats seven concrete Beautiful pietàs chosen as illustrative representatives of the iconographical type they belong to. The attention will be devoted to the Pietà of Marburg, Pietà of Baden, Pietà of St. Elisabeth in Wrocław, Pietà of the Kreuzenstein Castle, K ivák's Pietà, Pietà from the Hermitage Museum in Petersburg and Pietà of Celje. In the case of these concrete examples will be summarized and interpreted the existing research outputs. Subsequently the author will attempt to solve some of the problems and questions relating to the concrete sculptures concerning in particular the time of their creation, provenance, the original placement and authorship.

This thesis is an historical analytical investigation and theological analysis of the fundamental trends of the ‘Third Wave’ Religious Right Movement and the growth of Zimbabwean Christianity. In an attempt to understand the appealing and growth factors of this religious movement in the Zimbabwean Church scene, the research focuses on the trends and behaviour of the Third Wave Religious Right Movement in Zimbabwe and the critical aspect of how this religious movement communicates the Christian faith to its audience. A critical thrust of the study is the question of whether the disciples of the charismatic movement are motivated by faith or economic factors which may ultimately not be the authentic summons of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The research addresses fears and suspicions of many Christians who are caught up between faith and fear response to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by the New Religious Right Movements, particularly in Zimbabwe. The hypothetical statement of this work is that there seems to be a subtle reconstruction identity in the theology of the “Third Wave” Religious Right Movement as is clearly manifested through the maneuverings of Christians from the ‘traditional churches’ to these ‘newer charismatic churches in trends which reflect the changing religious geography and the face of African Christianity in general and Zimbabwean Christianity in particular. The research explores the nature, impact and significance of the post – modern ‘Third Wave’ Religious Right Movement in Zimbabwean society in particular. The identity and nature of the ‘Third Wave’ Religious Right Movement in its historical perspective discussed by means of identifying and analyzing the characteristics of this movement and its theological perspectives as well as discussing the factors that promote the growth of the movement in the context of Missio Dei (God’s Mission) and the society in general. Critical to this type of Christianity are the images of power and prosperity which are understood as signs of faith. The impact and effects of this type of faith expression in the socio-political landscape is fully explored. The primary methodology in this study is the historical critical method complimented by oral historiography. Both primary and secondary sources are utilized in this research in a holistic framework for analyzing the historical trends as they unfold in the context of religious declarations and transformations that are part of the phenomenon under investigation. The study observes the translation model of evangelization in the unfolding discourse of the ‘Third Wave’ Religious Right Movement. The study ultimately reveals how people’s economic fears and hopes in the midst of life’s challenges draw them toward religious movements which promise to positively promote a glorious life with practical results being realized “here and now”. This study has clearly exposed how religion, specifically charismatic Christianity, is seen as a package of an abundant life in the context of humanity’s needs and challenges. There is a clear obsession, in the charismatic New Religious Right Movement, with wealth and health as pedestals of salvation and a faithful Christian life. Surprisingly, there is very little reference to moral and ethical issues from the charismatic prophets who are the founders of these New Right Movements. The research notes that the interests of these newer right movements are in prosperity and health: “signs of being saved and blessed”. Lack of economic success is blamed on demons which also causes poor health hence the need to denounce the powers of Satan and engage on “the heavenly gear”. Such teachings have conditioned the prospective converts to seek after material benefits and values as critical aspects of the meaning of salvation and the mission of Christ. The study further reveals that the ‘Third Wave Religious Right Movement promotes a subtle way of making disciples instead of the traditional way of faith response to the gospel proclamation. But does this charismatic religious life have any relevance to our human situation today? The seven compelling chapters of this study have tackled this question and many others, pointing the way to an authentic Christian mission that is alive and relevant to the meaning of salvation in the context of orthodox Christianity. This study concludes that the Church is a catalyst which carries the keys of salvation to bring meaning and solutions to the varied human fears and failures that characterise the temporary nature of human existence. But in doing so; the Church must act in spirit of orthodox Christianity which is the sine qua non of salvation. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Church History and Church Policy / unrestricted

While scholarship often focuses on how early modern Italians used images in their devotions, particularly in the post-Tridentine era, little attention has been placed upon how laypeople engaged with devotional text during times of prayer and in their everyday lives. Studies of early modern devotional texts have explored their literary content, investigated their censorship by the Church, or concentrated upon an elite readership. This thesis, instead, investigates how ordinary devotees interacted with holy words in their material form, which I have termed ‘material prayers’. Since this thesis developed under the aegis of the interdisciplinary research project, Domestic Devotions: The Place of Piety in the Italian Renaissance Home, 1400-1600, it focuses primarily on engagement with these material prayers in domestic spaces. Using an interdisciplinary approach drawing from material culture studies, literary history, social and cultural history, and art history, it brings together objects, images and archival sources to illuminate how devotees from across the socio-economic and literacy spectrums accessed and employed devotional text in their prayers and daily life. From holy words, Biblical excerpts, and prayers to textual symbols like the Sacred Monogram of the Name of Jesus, this thesis explores how and why these material prayers were employed for spiritual, apotropaic and intercessory purposes. It analyses material prayers not only in traditional textual formats (printed books and manuscripts), but also those that were printed on single-sheets of paper, inscribed on jewellery, or etched into the structure of the home. To convey how devotees engaged with and relied upon these material prayers, it considers a variety of inscribed objects, including those sanctioned by the Church as well as those which might be questioned or deemed ‘superstitious’ by ecclesiastical authorities. Sermons, Inquisition trial records, and other archival documents have been consulted to further illuminate the material evidence. The first part of the thesis, ‘On the Body’, considers the how devotees came into personal contact with texts by wearing prayers on their bodies. It examines a range of objects including prayers with protective properties, known as brevi, that were meant to be sealed in a pouch and worn around the neck, and more luxurious items of physical adornment inscribed with devotional and apotropaic text, such as necklaces and rings. The second part of the thesis enters the home to explore how the spaces people inhabited and the objects that populated their homes were decorated with material prayers. ‘In the Home’ begins with texts inscribed over the entryways of early modern Italian homes, and then considers how devotees decorated their walls with holy words and how the objects of devotion and household life were imbued with religious significance through the addition of pious inscriptions. By analysing these personal objects and the textual domestic sphere, this thesis argues that these material prayers cut across socio-economic classes, genders, and ages to embody quotidian moments of domestic devotion as well as moments of fear, anxiety and change.

This study explores the changing nature of filial piety in contemporary society in rural China. With the economic, social and political upheavals that followed the Revolution, can 'great peace under heaven' still be found for the rural Chinese family as in the traditional Confucian proverb,"make yourself useful, look after your family, look after your country, and all is peaceful under heaven"? This study explores this question, in terms not so much of financial prosperity, but of non-tangible cultural values of filial piety, changing familial and gender roles, and economic migration. In particular, it examines how macro level changes in economic, social and demographic policies have affected family life in rural China. The primary policies examined were collectivisation, the hukou registration system, marketization, and the One-Child policy. Ethnographic interviews reveal how migration has affected rural family structures beyond the usual quantifiable economic measures. Using the village of Meijia, Sichuan province, as a paradigmatic sample of family, where members have moved to work in the cities, leaving their children behind with the grandparents, the study demonstrates how migration and modernization are reshaping familial roles, changing filial expectations, reshuffling notions of care-taking, and transforming traditional views on the value of daughters and daughters-in-law. The study concludes that the choices families make around migration, child-rearing and elder-care cannot be fully explained by either an income diversification model or a survival model, but rather through notions of filial piety. Yet the concept of filial piety itself is changing, particularly in relation to gender and perceptions about the worth of daughters and the mother/ daughter-in-law relationship. Understanding these new family dynamics will be important for both policy planners and economic analysts.

This thesis examines the life and works of the English Calvinist clergyman Daniel Featley (1582-1645) through the lens of various printed and manuscript sources, especially his manuscript notebooks in Oxford. It links his story and thought to the broader themes of early Stuart religious, political, and intellectual history. Chapter one analyses the first thirty- five years of Featley’s life, exploring how many of the features that underpin the major themes of Featley’s career—and which reemerged throughout his life—were formed and nurtured during Featley’s early years in Oxford, Paris, and Cornwall. There he emerges as an ambitious young divine in pursuit of preferment; a shrewd minister, who attempted to position himself within the ecclesiastical spectrum; and a budding polemicist, whose polemical exchanges were motivated by a pastoral desire to protect the English Church. Chapter two examines Featley’s role as an ecclesiastical licenser and chaplain to Archbishop George Abbot in the 1610s and 1620s. It offers a reinterpretation of the view that Featley was a benign censor, explores how pastoral sensitivities influenced his censorship, and analyses the parallels between Featley’s licensing and his broader ecclesiastical aims. Moreover, by exploring how our historiographical understandings of licensing and censorship have been clouded by Featley’s attempts to conceal that an increasingly influential anti- Calvinist movement was seizing control of the licensing system and marginalizing Calvinist licensers in the 1620s, this chapter (along with chapter 7) addresses the broader methodological issues of how to weigh and evaluate various vantage points. Chapters three and four analyse the publications resulting from Featley’s debates with prominent Catholic and anti-Calvinist leaders. These chapters examine Featley’s use of patristic tradition in these disputes, the pastoral motivations that underpinned his polemical exchanges, and how Featley strategically issued these polemical publications to counter Catholicism and anti-Calvinism and to promulgate his own alternative version of orthodoxy at several crucial political moments during the 1620s and 1630s. Chapter five focuses on how, in the 1620s and 1630s, the themes of prayer and preaching in his devotional work, Ancilla Pietatis, and collection of seventy sermons, Clavis Mystica, were complementary rather than contradictory. It also builds on several of the major themes of the thesis by examining how pastoral and polemical motivations were at the heart of these works, how Featley continued to be an active opponent—rather than a passive bystander and victim—of Laudianism, and how he positioned himself politically to avoid being reprimanded by an increasingly hostile Laudian regime. Chapter six explores the theme of ‘moderation’ in the events of the 1640s surrounding Featley’s participation at the Westminster Assembly and his debates with separatists. It focuses on how Featley’s pursuit of the middle way was both: a self-protective ‘chameleon- like’ survival instinct—a rudder he used to navigate his way through the shifting political and ecclesiastical terrain of this period—and the very means by which he moderated and manipulated two polarized groups (decidedly convictional Parliamentarians and royalists) in order to reoccupy the middle ground, even while it was eroding away. Finally, chapter seven examines Featley’s ‘afterlife’ by analysing the reception of Featley through the lens of his post-1660 biographers and how these authors, particularly Featley’s nephew, John Featley, depicted him retrospectively in their biographical accounts in the service of their own post-restoration agendas. By analysing how Featley’s own ‘chameleon-like’ tendencies contributed to his later biographers’ distorted perception of him, this final chapter returns to the major methodological issues this thesis seeks to address. In short, by exploring the various roles he played in the early Stuart English Church and seeking to build on and contribute to recent historiographical research, this study sheds light on the links between a minister’s pastoral sensitivities and polemical engagements, and how ministers pursued preferment and ecclesiastically positioned themselves, their opponents, and their biographical subjects through print.

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