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<p>In this dissertation thick description provides the basis of an interpretive analysis of conceptual images of the goddess Durgā and her worship in Banāras, a city regarded as a microcosm of the Hindu tradition. The exploration begins at the renowned Durgā Kund temple which is studied synchronically. During the annual autumn festival (Navarātra), however, the focus shifts to typical forms of Durgā worship throughout the city, and the Durgā Pūjā ritual in particular.</p> <p>A metaphysical portrait of Durgā is developed by concentrating on formal devotional worship (pūjā), blood sacrifice (bali), and the Nine Durgā Pilgrimage (yātra), three salient devotional acts especially related to Durgā worship in Banāra. The study shows that cosmologically and epistemologically Durgā is envisioned through a yogic science (vidyā) of energy (śakti) and material creation (prakrti). Ontologically, she provides a model of power, purity, orderly change, and maternal protectiveness from which worshippers may derive security within the cosmos. As a feminine image of the divine, Durgā offers different but complementary visions of reality to male and female devotees. The study suggests that the goddess offers women a model of chastity and strength, particularly in the face of misfortune. Despite the potential of this image to transform the traditional roles of women in Hindu society, this report offers evidence that Durgā sustains the orthodox social structure.</p> <p>The study’s contribution to scholarship continues with its detailed interpretive description of Durgā temple worship and the Durgā Pūjā ritual. It also connects many of the threads which link the mythology, legend, and history of Durgā worship in Banāras. The interpretations of symbolic clusters and structural patterns (e.g., yantra) deepen our understanding of Śākistim, a major Hindu sectarian tradition. Since the study offers substantial evidence of the meaningful relationship between symbols and worship rituals, it critiques theories which deny such relationships.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>While the intellectual concerns of Bertrand Russell and his Anglo-American contemporaries were indisputably shaped by the Great War, there was also a general feeling of apprehension that made "the Next War" a psychological reality long before the outbreak of war in 1939. This gave a special urgency and a pragmatic cast to numerous discussions about the emerging scientific society in what I have termed "the interwar period." The interwar period constitutes a more distinct period in the work of Bertrand Russell than has previously been acknowledged by scholars, particularly in terms of what he published on the topics of science, religion and social ethics between 1919 and 1938. Whatever his concern with philosophical questions, after 1918 Russell seemed compelled to address the practical question of "what ought we to do?" in a way that took him into the heart of the problem of trying to prevent the Next War. Throughout the interwar period Russell developed and expressed his ethical ideas as a "preacher," thus making both his delivery and the understanding of his intended audience into crucial components of what he wrote. Russell's conception of science constitutes a link in his published works between two significant themes found in Anglo-American literature of the interwar period: First, the Great War demonstrated that a new social ethic appropriate to the scientific society was necessary, if humanity was to survive its potential for self-destruction in the modern age. This was popularly referred to as the problem of "the old savage in the new civilization." Second, there was also considerable discussion on the relationship between science and religion during the interwar period as a result of "the philosophical implications of the new physics." On his part, Russell opposed the representation of science as technique alone, struggling instead to articulate a "moral outlook" in science, and objected to any reconciliation between science and religion. Because Russell understood the relationship between science and religion only in conflictual terms, however, his attempt to articulate a moral outlook in science was unsuccessful. By 1938 he had invalidated the association of science and metaphysics in a way that left him no other grounds than the utilitarian exercise of power on which to establish a modern social ethic. Individual moral progress might be accomplished, through education or whatever means, but there was no assurance it could ever be translated into the political or social structures of the new civilization.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>[missing page 237]</p> / <p>This thesis examines a set of Saiva religious institutions, the Tiruvavatuturai Adhinam, the Dharmapuram Adhinam, and the Kasi Matha of Tiruppanantal, all located in Tamilnadu, india. Preliminary research indicated that models of monastic retreat and seminary yield incomplete and sometimes distorted pictures of the institutions in social setting. Mindful of the dynamic character of these institutions, this thesis endeavours to construct a better model of understanding the institutlons' basic structure.</p> <p>This work used a variety of sources to gauge the institutions scope of activity. These sources ranged from classical material, inscriptions, hagiographies, doctrinal and ritual writings, to contemporary records first-person observation and interviews. In addressing the question of basic structure, the thesis argues that though these three institutions are conveniently called Saiva matas, the matam and the religious institutions represent two different abstract entities.</p> <p>The work suggests that the religious institution is structured around the concept of lineage. The institution is above all an aggregate of religious individuals tied together by "fictive kin" ties. Though ascetic, the members of the institution are individuals who see themselves as related to each other through their relationship to a line of preceptors, from whom they are reborn through the rites of initiation. The work discusses in some detail the nature of the different stages of initiation, it examines how group membership is articulated in ritual patterns, and it establishes that the self-identity of the group as a whole is intimately tied in with its description of its pedigree.</p> <p>The work also demonstrates that the matam, as part of the Hindu temple complex, often housed religious groups such as those studied, but the matam and the religious institution defined by the group are not coterminous. The thesis demonstrates that the matam is a site within the Hindu temple complex where ritualized forms of gifting occurs and suggests that a specific form of dana (gifting) informed by values of lineage propitiation helps account for the settlement of ascetic lineage groups at temple sites.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>This thesis looks at two seminal Jewish thinkers of the 1st century C.E., Philo of Alexandria and the Apostle Paul, and compares their distinct views of the Mosaic law with Graeco-Roman discussions of law. Specifically, it asks how Graeco-Roman discussions of "higher" law--the law of nature (nomos physeos), the unwritten law (agraphos nomos), and the living law (nomos empsychos)--influenced, or might have influenced, Philo and Paul in their attempts to understand the Mosaic law in an Hellenistic environment. Each of these forms of Graeco-Roman law implied a depreciation of the written, or civil, law. Did Philo, who adopted each of these forms of law, imply such a depreciation of the Mosaic law? Did he intend, as a number of scholars have argued, to claim that the Mosaic law was a second best choice for the truly wise person? This thesis sets Philo squarely in the context of these Graeco-Roman discussions, in order that not only his dependence but also his uniqueness may be seen in his adoption of these ideal forms of law. The case of Paul is somewhat different. Paul did claim that the law of Moses was abolished for the Christian. His radical response to the Torah has no precedent in Jewish thought, yet for the most part his view of the law seems not to be dependent upon Hellenistic thought. Was he nevertheless influenced by these Graeco-Roman discussions in his extreme reaction to the continuing validity of the law of Moses for the Christian? Was he influenced, particularly, by the law of nature, which claimed that the sage was not bound by the written law, or by the living law, which replaced the written law with the king, the living law? This thesis compares Paul's thought on the law to these Graeco-Roman discussions of the "higher" law. The thesis begins with an overview of the concepts of "higher law," and then moves to a study of law in Philo and in Paul. It finishes with a comparison of Philo and Paul and their responses to the Mosaic law. It contends that in their views of the Mosaic law Philo remains true, even in the face of Hellenism, while Paul rejects the law, because of his experience of Jesus Christ and the present eschatological reality in which he lived.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Since the naming of Catherine of Siena and Teresa of Avila as the first female Doctors of the Church in Roman Catholicism, one might have expected an increased theological interest in female mystics as theologians. However, the history of theology has neglected the female mystics of the Middle Ages as theologians in their own right, a trend that persists even today. They are often reduced to being viewed solely as mystics and are placed within the sphere of private religion. Despite the rise of feminist theory and theology, mediaeval women mystics have not been fully recognised as theologians capable of engaging in dialogue on contemporary questions. The Anglican theologian Sarah Coakley has been using neglected theological traditions in her work, and her theological method may provide the resources needed to engage in dialogue with mediaeval female mystics, much like how Augustine and Thomas Aquinas are still referenced today. The purpose of this master's thesis is to demonstrate how Sarah Coakley's theological method can be used to engage in dialogue with mediaeval women mystics. This purpose has been narrowed down to focus on the most recent female Doctor of the Church in Roman Catholicism, Hildegard von Bingen, and her eucharistic theology. Using an inductive method, the main question of this thesis was formulated as follows: How can Sarah Coakley's theological method be utilised to engage in dialogue with the eucharistic theology of Hildegard von Bingen? Employing a combination of hermeneutic methodology and the concept of tradition from Alaisdar MacIntyre, I have reconstructed Coakley's theological method using her three books: Powers and Submissions, God, Sexuality, and the Self: An Essay on the Trinity, and The New Asceticism. The main aspects I have reconstructed and reformulated include her Christian Neoplatonic ontology and epistemology, her perspective on contemplation, and her concept of radical attention to the 'other.' The concept of radical attention has been redefined as radical love for one's neighbour, serving as both the foundation and goal of theology. By juxtaposing these aspects of Coakley's theological method with Hildegard's eucharistic theology in her work Scivias, I am allowing Hildegard and Coakley to engage in a constructive dialogue with each other. From this dialogue, two main concepts emerge that contribute to both Coakley and Hildegard. Firstly, there is a refinement of the reconstructed concept of radical love for one's neighbour, supplemented by a constructed concept of bona opera from Hildegard. Secondly, there is an understanding of the Eucharist as a contemplative practice that introduces a concept of simultaneity to both eucharistic theology and the theology of contemplation.

This thesis is about how myth can create pain-relief and meaning in suffering through catharsis. My definition of myth is a narrative that is meaningful and crafting a worldview that is shared by a community. Catharsis is the pain-relief and meaning-making process that occurs when a narrative is told well. I compare a traditional religious worldview, Christianity, with three secular worldviews on life to examine how each of them views suffering and what solutions they have for suffering. I also examine various studies that show that myths and narratives can be meaningful and give pain-relief for people who have experienced trauma and crises. Myths can be conveyed in more ways than through words, for example through the emotional expression, lamentation, and rituals.