Abstract not available.

This thesis examines the hymnography of the services for married saints in the Byzantine-Rite Menaion ("Book of Months"), with a view to identifying the theology of marriage that it presents. It is an exercise in liturgical theology, as conceived of by Alexander Schmemann. The first part of the paper introduces the topic, its contemporary relevance and the methodology that will be employed in the study. The second surveys the thought of representative Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine-Rite Catholic theologians regarding marriage, in order to establish a theological reference point for the liturgical analysis of the hymnography. The third part provides a historical contextualization of the theory and practice of marriage in Middle Byzantium and of the development and codification of the Menaion. The hymnographic texts themselves are categorized and critiqued in the fourth part. The thesis concludes with an evaluation of the theology of marriage that obtains in the Menaion, a consideration of its discrepancy with the thought of the theologians surveyed in Part II, and a reflection upon the consequent pastoral implications.

The transformation of the principle of subsidiarity from a philosophical principle in Catholic social teachings to a constitutional article in the 1992 Treaty on European Union has been a source of confusion for scholars of European integration. Political scientists have examined subsidiarity from the perspective of political philosophy to account for its transformation and to determine its impact on European integration. However, no attempt has been made to anchor the emergence of subsidiarity in a historical context. This thesis employs a historical approach to analyze the transformation of subsidiarity. It examines the political struggles surrounding the principle in the Catholic Church, in German Christian Democracy, and in the debates over European Union in the European Community. It concludes that the transformation of subsidiarity occurred during the debates over the European Union that began in the 1970s and culminated in the ratification of the 1992 Maastricht treaty on European Union.

This study examines the creation and growth of the Ordre de Jacques Cartier (OJC) - a French-Canadian Catholic secret society created in Ottawa - and its opposition to the Knights of Columbus - a Catholic fraternity created in Connecticut in the late nineteenth century but which had expanded into Ontario and Quebec by the early twentieth century---from 1917 to 1965. Historians of French-Canadian nationalism in the early to mid twentieth century have largely passed over the Ordre de Jacques Cartier and the Knights of Columbus in their studies of Catholic movements and associations. The few studies that have looked at the OJC have downplayed the influence that the Knights of Columbus had on the secret society and its campaigns. This study seeks to fill that gap in looking at how the OJC anti-Knight campaign reflects shifts in French-Canadian nationalism and conception of French-Canadian identity. More specifically, by taking a closer look at the attitudes of the OJC's leaders towards the Knights of Columbus, a more nuanced picture of relations between French-Canadian nationalists in Quebec and Ontario emerges. This study argues that the OJC's campaign against the Knights reveals the shifting priorities both of its Ottawa-based leadership and its growing Quebec membership base. Differences of opinion over the Knights of Columbus in Quebec and Ontario from the end of the Great War are symptomatic of the eventual schism between neo-nationalists in Quebec and French-Canadian nationalists in Ontario that came to the fore in the 1960s with the Quiet Revolution in Quebec and the dissolution of the OJC. Using both the archives of the Knights of Columbus and the OJC, this study will analyze the increasing emphasis on territorial autonomy in Quebec by nationalists as well as how lay movements both preceded, and were part of, shifting nationalist discourse in the mid-twentieth century.

No description available.

Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) was a leading figure shaping many facets of Dutch culture during and after his long life. In addition to exerting a profound influence on politics, ecclesiastical concerns, journalism, elementary and secondary education, and societal life in the Netherlands, he also founded and was the primary formative influence shaping the Free University of Amsterdam. / The problem taken up by this dissertation is the discovery and elucidation of Kuyper's concept of the nature, task, authority and role of the university in modern society as it is shaped by significant theological views he held. Specifically, this study demonstrates how Abraham Kuyper's emphasis on the goodness of creation which is structured by divine ordinances, the corrupting influence of the fall, and the workings of God's particular and common grace, result in a call for the living all of life "for King Jesus." / Kuyper affirms the lordship of Jesus Christ over all of life and argues that he alone holds absolute sovereignty. He delegates limited authority to the various spheres of life, enabling them to carry out their God-given tasks. Each sphere of life has a task and authority determined by the creation structure, and this sphere must not be violated by any other life sphere. / The sphere of science, with the university as its primary institution, has the unique task to "think God's thoughts after him." It is to study and understand the structure of creation and the relationships between its various aspects. / This scientific task of humanity cannot be the unified effort of all human beings. Because of sin and regeneration, there is an antithesis between the new humanity and the old. This results in two kinds of science, each based on different and opposed foundations. Kuyper advocates a confessionally pluralistic approach to science and the university, in which each confessional community is guaranteed the right and funding to establish a university on its unique foundation. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-07, Section: A, page: 2619. / Major Professor: John E. Kelsay. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

For almost two decades, Liberation theology has been in the forefront of Christian theological interpretations. Liberation theologians have opted for a theology that sides with the poor and which addresses matters relating to under-development, imperialism and revolution. / This dissertation examines the historical antecedents to Liberation theology and its crucial understanding of liberation, Christology and the Marxist analysis of social reality. It also studies the poetry and political praxis of Nicaraguan priest-poet Ernesto Cardenal. The relationship of Liberation theologians in Nicaragua with the Sandinista Front before and after the Sandinista victory is also examined. The dissertation ends with an assessment of the impact of the crisis of Marxism in Eastern Europe and of the Sandinista defeat in 1990 on the future of Liberation theology. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-11, Section: A, page: 3949. / Major Professor: Richard L. Rubenstein. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

This study presents a historical survey of Protestantism in Ecuador from 1895 to the 1980s. Topics discussed include the reasons for Protestant growth; the connection of evangelization to political struggle; identity, achievements, and limitations of several Protestant groups; and the Ecuadorean reaction. Among the important groups studied are the Gospel Missionary Union, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Seventh Day Adventists, the Methodist Episcopal Church, HCJB Radio, the Summer Institute of Linguistics, and World Vision. Also analyzed is the Pentecostal movement which became increasingly important after the Cuban Revolution in 1959. / For many Ecuadoreans, the influx of Protestants, primarily fundamentalists from the United States, was an alarming threat to the prevailing culture and tradition. This was particularly true for the Catholic church and indigenous peoples. Most relevant was the role Protestants played in the removal of lowland Indians from their traditional territories. In that case, Protestants worked hand in hand with the Ecuadorean government and multinational corporations to open those lands for petroleum exploitation. / The Catholic church and indigenous peoples responded in various ways to Protestant evangelization. For the Church "Liberation Theology" became increasingly important as a counter to the Protestants. Indigenous groups responded by establishing a unifying Indian confederation. Indigenous groups also linked the Protestant influx to five hundred years of foreign conquest and colonization. / This study uses Ecuador to illustrate how Protestantism made inroads in Latin America over the last one hundred years. Protestantism expanded by connecting itself to political, social, and economic development. As the Ecuadorean case demonstrates, Protestantism filled the void which stemmed from weaknesses within the Catholic church. Protestantism also took advantage of social distress resulting from poverty, foreign debt, increased landlessness, and political crisis. It provided much worthwhile education, health care, communications, and disaster relief. However, there was a cost for many Ecuadoreans in the relinquishing of national sovereignty and traditional ways of life. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-05, Section: A, page: 1739. / Major Professor: Darrell E. Levi. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.

The reaction of the Church of the Nazarene to the historical critical method of Biblical study has been displayed several ways. This dissertation addresses the issue as it emerged in three areas, which are clearly focused. Three voices are defined within the church that speak for the primary factions within the denomination. These voices provide a basis for understanding the diversity of perspectives within the church as it reacts to critical methodologies. / The first reaction can be observed in the formation of the Doctrine of Inspiration within the Church of the Nazarene amid the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. / A second reaction can be found in the controversy surrounding the advent of the Revised Standard Version (1952) and the New International Version (1978) of the Bible. These modern translations utilize historical critical methods and provide a focal point for analysis. / A third reaction to the Historical Critical Method of Biblical Study can be viewed in the relationship between Critical Biblical scholars and the church. The tension between the church and its critical scholars exhibits the reaction of the church to modern critical analysis of scripture. / A solution is suggested that would enable the church to work with critical scholarship instead of react against the discipline. This solution calls for a corrective voice which would embody mutual trust between the voices so that a proper balance could be established between the church and critical scholarship. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-03, Section: A, page: 0979. / Major Professor: John Priest. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

In modern theological studies, ecclesiology has became a very important concern in Western academic circle. However, it has not caught the attention of many theologians in Chinese academic circle. This thesis will use the Ideal Type method to construct a set of three typologies of ecclesiology in Modern Protestant Theology, named as Liberal, Confessional, and Subversive. Each type will pick two or three important modern Protestant theologians as the representative, Friedrich Schleiermacher and Paul Tillich represent the Liberal, Karl Barth, Jurgen Moltmann and Stanley Hauerwas represent the Confessional, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Graham Ward represent the Subversive. By this research, we can have a more comprehensive framework to understand the development of ecclesiological studies, and to compare the strength and weakness of each typology. After analyzing the typologies, the later part of this thesis will use them to analyze the contemporary Chinese context. It aims at pointing out the meaning and the relevance of these typologies of ecclesiology to Chinese Theology and Hong Kong Churches.