<p><em>4QVisions of ᶜAmram^a-g ar</em> (4Q543-4Q549) is an Aramaic Jewish text found at Qumran, and dates to the third to second centuries BCE. This thesis explores the ways in which the text exhibits dualism. The history and origins of the text are presented, as well as a brief discussion of the theory and definitions of dualism. It is shown that <em>4QAmram</em> represents a form of Jewish dualism. There can be little doubt that <em>4QAmram</em> contains dualistic teachings, and that it is linked to the Hebrew Bible, but it has drastically altered the biblical material to design a dualism far and beyond that of the Torah sources. The text has an emphasis on ethical and cosmic battles between good and evil, expressed through the use of both the Two Paths and the Two Angels motifs. The dualism found in several other Second Temple documents is then discussed, in relation to the place which <em>4QAmram</em> may have held at Qumran. It is concluded that documents like <em>4QAmram</em> became important at Qumran because dualism was a vital part of Qumranic religious life. <em>4QAmram</em> indicates that dualism was far from unique to Qumran, and was, in fact, possibly in existence in many groups of Judaism, even in pre-Qumranic times.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>Employing the concept of "governmentality" developed by French poststructuralist Michel Foucault. this study investigates religious practices in congregational and in _ interdenominational associations as well as the religious discourse of the local clergy and newspaper editors. It works at the local level to place religion in the public and private spaces of late nineteenth-century London Ontario. Methodologically it departs from many important local studies of religion in society by adopting a cultural rather than demographic approach. This approach allows attention to the diversities and ambiguities of religious practices and discourses as the churches negotiated their place in liberal society.</p> <p>The argument suggests that religion was called upon to produce self-governing citizens to ensure the efficiency of the liberal society corning into being in London. The arts of government this liberal society required centered on disciplines of freedom which religion could provide to the degree it conformed to the liberal imperatives of rationality, universality, and harmony across traditional sectional divides. Thus religion had public place in ensuring social stability just as it had in its traditional establishment role. However the governmentality of freedom had changed the spaces in which religion could work. Individual freedom of conscience in matters religious was essential to liberal society and thus religion had to fulfill its public role without public authority. Moreover, the power of religion to provide an alternative construction of reality to that of liberal society required that religion itself be carefully controlled and disciplined by liberal values. In this situation local congregations and local clergy were inspired to contribute to the spiritual and material project of constructing a religion worthy of a free people, but, in doing so, found the practices that grounded their identity in a particular way of being Christian challenged and eroded.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>This dissertation investigates the Qumran <em>New Jerusalem</em> <em>[NJ]</em> text, which is partially preserved in seven fragmentary copies recovered from five Dead Sea caves. The <em>NJ</em> details the measurements of a magnificent, monumental city that is similar to the cities exhibited in other Second Temple writings. The principal contribution ofthis dissertation is its systematic examination of several aspects of this comparatively understudied and somewhat misunderstood text.</p> <p>Chapter 1 presents the first working edition of the Cave 4 <em>NJ</em> fragments 4Q554, 4Q554a, and 4Q555. Such an edition is very much a desideratum.</p> <p>Chapter 2 investigates the <em>NJ</em> as an important example of the "New Jerusalem" topos. It concentrates on the common themes of the topos, the ways in which its expressions may be categorized, and the stages of its historical evolution. In the light of the results of this investigation, we examine the genre of the <em>NJ</em> and the antecedents of its orthogonal city plan, and the question as to whether one can reconstruct the original order of the <em>NJ</em>.</p> <p>In Chapter 3 challenges the prevailing scholarly opinion regarding the degree of correspondence between the <em>NJ</em> and other Dead Sea scrolls concerning their descriptions of architectural details and eschatological expectations. This chapter also contains the first investigation of the points of contact between the NJ and the recently published texts 4Q391, 4Q462, 4Q475, 4Q537, and 4Q491.</p> <p>In the Conclusion we suggest that the <em>NJ</em> is a response to the Antiochene crisis of the mid-second century BCE. The <em>NJ</em> describes an ideal end-time when Jerusalem would enjoy peace and strength, without enemies. Although it made no impact on the conceptions and expectations of the sectarians, the <em>NJ</em> would not have been out of place with respect to the general eschatological anticipations of the Qumran community.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>The Revised Standard Version of the New Testament translates the Greek cognates of mimesis with various English cognates derived from the Latin word imitatio. This thesis argues that the word imitation distorts the intent of the mimesis texts and that, in order to understand these texts, one must first understand the meaning of mimesis. A brief study of classical and hellenistic Greek literature demonstrates that mimesis is a process whereby the imitator brings into being a concrete expression of an immutable principle. The Pauline texts focus upon a particular act of mimesis. The imitator brings into being a Christian community, an expression of his baptism into the body of Christ, through conduct based upon the ethic of self-renunciation. The first two chapters argue that Paul does not draw upon an Old Testament concept of imitation. On the contrary, his usage derives from the Greek tradition. The classical Greek notion of mimesis is stil I common usage in the first century C.E. and is evident within the work of Pau 1 's contemporary, the .Jewi sh hi stori an Josephus. The third chapter offers an exegetical study of the Pauline mimesis texts which substantiates the hypothesis that the author means that the imitator engages in an act of mimesis and is not simply an imitation. that is a copy of an example. The exegesis also demonstrates that the Pauline mimesis is not an attempt on the part of the imitator to adopt the attributes of his example. This is not an imitation of Christ in the tradition of Thomas ~ Kempis. i i The fourth chapter explains the logic of Paul's decision to encourage his addressees to be imitators. Paul is attempting to remedy a problem which arises after baptism. Through baptism, man is recreated in the image of Christ, yet man's conduct does not always reflect this new ontological reality. The ethic of self-renunciation is inherent to man's new nature, his divine likeness. The process of mimesis is the means by which man brings this ethic to concrete expression and, thereby, creates harmony between his conduct and his new condition.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>The Kuan-hsin-Iun is taught by Chih-i towards the end of his life. Chih-i is the founder of the T'ien-t'ai school of Buddhism in China. In this text, he tries to summarize all the teachings of his life. The Kuan-hsin-lun is also one of the shortest texts of Chih-i on meditation. The main body of the text consists of a set of questions designed for the practitioner of meditation to answer while meditating. Chih-i introduces a practice called wen-kuan-hsin which can be translated as 'to ask questions while contemplating the mind.' This practice is directed against those practitioners who practise meditation for the sake of practising but produce no insight. Wen-kuan-hsin is to meditate with some questions in mind and therefore is a technique of realizing the truth behind the doctrine. This shows how Chih-i has integrated doctrine and meditative practice which are the two dimensions of the teaching of Buddha.</p> <p>The set of questions listed by Chih-i in the Kuan-hsin-Iun actually expresses the main doctrines of the T'ien-ttai school. It also serves as an outline of the whole system of thought of Chih-i. Moreover, the text Kuan-hsin-lun and its commentary by his disciple Kuan-ting represent an early version of Chih-i's later teaching on meditative practice.</p> <p>The main purpose of this thesis is to provide a complete translation with an introduction of the text Kuan-hsin-lun and a selective translation of the commentary on the text by Kuan-ting. This provides a basis for any further systematic study on the meditative teaching of the T'ien-t'ai school of Buddhism.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

Master of Arts (MA)

Master of Arts (MA)

<p>This study examines the notion of the wise one in the Prasannapadā, a seventh century Indian Buddhist text, with the aim of clarifying the special position of those wise in the Buddhist way' in the context of Mādhyamika thought. It will be shown that the wise one, according to Nāgārjuna and candrakīrti, has cultivated an extraordinary awareness of the real, of man's propensity toward mistaking the epithets of ordinary language for the real, and of his own ability to appreciate the truth of things by overcoming the limitations of conventional thought.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>The history of western philosophy has been characterized by an ongoing discussion about the relation between theology and philosophy. This thesis is an attempt to understand the nature of this relation through an analysis of Eric Voegelin's philosophy of consciousness and symbolization. We attempt to show how Voegelin's philosophical analysis of consciousness affords us insight into the nature of both true and false theology. Our argument is based on Voegelin's discussion of the conception of theology developed by Plato in Book II of the Republic. According to Plato, the term theology is descriptive both of the symbolism of divine reality employed by consciousness, and the state of consciousness that that symbolism expresses. We argue, therefore, that an understanding of the various human responses to divine reality cannot be separated from an understanding of the true nature of consciousness and its deformation.</p> <p>In the first chapter of this study we outline Voegelin's understanding of the true nature of consciousness and its symbolic expression. In Chapter II we critically assess several deformative understandings of consciousness by placing them alongside Voegelin's analysis. Our study concludes with a discussion of two questions that arise in response to the analysis of Chapters I and II: (1) How is one to move from a state of deformation to a true state of existence? (2) How is this true state established as true?</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>From Nietzsche's early writings to those marking the end of his intellectual life, Socrates remains a permanent figure for his scrutiny. In his own words, Nietzsche writes. "Socrates is so close to me that I am almost continually fighting him". As a physician, a gad-fly, and a philosopher, as a man of strong character, and yet also as a self-confessed decadent, Nietzsche both identifies with Socrates and opposes him. In the following investigation, I examine Nietzsche's philosophical and intellectual struggles against Socrates. In pursuit of Nietzsche's understanding of Socrates, I undertake a chronological study of the entire corpus of his writings, and I provide a detailed analysis of each reference made to Socrates, the "Socratic", the "Socratic schools", and "Socratism". By noting the various changes and continuities in Nietzsche's view of Socrates throughout his writing career, I illustrate how Nietzsche comes to understand his own "task" as a philosopher through this struggle against his most worthy adversary. Finally, through my critical analysis of his views concerning Socrates, I will demonstrate to what extent Nietzsche's own "task" is itself Socratic.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)