There is a tradition of interpretation, testimony to the influence of Kasemann's study of Hebrews which suggests that the finished work of Christ in the past is the guarantee of certain salvation for his faithful in the future. The relation between them is presented in terms of their following him to heaven. However, this does not allow that the emphasis on the completed aspect of Christ's work and the future element in the believers' salvation are connected with the occasional nature of Hebrews as a letter written to those tempted to abandon their Christian commitment. In fact the work of Christ is completed and yet continuing, salvation for the faithful both present and yet future. An analysis of major themes indicates that the relation between Christ and the believers is not future and indirect but rather present and direct. As <i>rest</i> for the people of God is both present and future, so <i>faith</i> has an 'invisible' aspect which is the foundation for its 'future' aspect. It is 'by faith' that the readers look to Jesus whose ministry ensures their present access to God 'in fulness of faith'. Integral to his understanding of <i>sin</i> and to his presentation of the <i>sacrifice</i> of Christ is the author's emphasis on the new covenant, under which sin is the deliberate rejection of its mediator, the Son of God who by his death has destroyed the power of death and lives for ever as High Priest, introducing his faithful into the presence of the living God. The relation of Christ to his faithful is present and direct, and indeed he is presented as one in whom they are included. A study focused particularly on 2:9; 3:14 and 10:10 reveals that integral to the epistle's central argument that Christ, who offered the only real sacrifice, is the only real priest is an estimate of him as not only absolutely alive but also as more than individual, as 'the inclusive Christ'.

This study of the concept of glory across four different religions begins with Christianity. There the term 'glory' translates Greek doxa, a word which, deriving from a root meaning 'to seem', denotes 'outward appearance', and has in secular Greek the basic meaning 'opinion'. The New Testament, however, not only omits this connotation but gives doxa an entirely new one (radiance, divine Presence). Given that symbols are rooted in the experiential well-springs of a people, why did the Christian experience not bring a totally new symbol to birth. The answer is two-fold: (a) Christians took the word from the Septuagint version of the Hebrew Bible wherein it was used to translate Kavodh (glory) and (b) the meaning of doxa resonated with the Christian Encounter. It had first resonated with the Hebrew experience. It is this thesis that doxa was used by Christians and Greek-speaking Jews precisely because of its root meanings ('to seem' 'outward appearance' 'manifestation') and that these meanings, resonating also with the experience of Zoroastrians and Buddhists, are reflected in their ideas of glory, albeit within their different conceptual frameworks. 'Glory' in all four religions is related to man's experience of polarities: Immanence/Transcendence, Manifestation/Hiddenness, Presence/Absence, and it speaks of a Reality beyond appearance. Man longs for the Real; he seeks Self-transcendence. In the measure that he becomes 'selfless' he comes closer to that which he seeks and sees things as they really are. He grows from glory to glory until he becomes what he is. In Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism man is of the essence of glory.

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This study examined the concept of "wisdom" from the perspective of "sophiology"--a current in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Russian religious philosophy--particularly as it was used in the writings of Vladimir Solovyov, Pavel Florensky, and Sergius Bulgakov. The purpose of the study was to examine how the sophiological perspective as developed in these authors could inform an understanding of "wisdom" in the field of adult learning. The nature of "wisdom" has been one of the major themes in both Eastern and Western traditions of philosophical and theological thought for thousands of years. In the mid-nineteenth century, however, the epistemological tendency to approach the world exclusively from the standpoint of observation and experiment reduced "wisdom" to nothing more than technical knowledge verified by experience. The concept/construct of wisdom, however, has been experiencing resurgence in the social sciences, including the field of adult learning. My research did not, however, find an instance in which the sophiological perspective had informed the field's understanding of wisdom. For this reason, the perspective of sophiology and its potential contribution to adult learning offered a unique research opportunity. In this study, I sought to add another dimension to the already multi-faceted nature of wisdom in the field of adult learning. I also hoped to enhance the value of sophiological thought by demonstrating its application to a field with which it had not been previously associated. I sought to accomplish these objectives using the method of hermeneutics, an interpretive mode of inquiry with both reproductive and productive aspects. The reproductive aspect established the historical and philosophical context of the three thinkers and discussed how their sophiological texts aided an understanding of their thought as a whole, and vice versa. The productive aspect explored applications of sophiological thought to the field of adult learning. Since I was the "research instrument" for the study, I also introduced the reader to aspects of my own background and experience that prepared me for this interpretive inquiry. / Ph. D.

This graduation thesis deals with the interpretation of the nature of word and name found in the works of P. Florensky (1882-1937), the Russian philosopher, scientist and poet. The question of word, name and symbol was crucial for P.Florensky and all his works as well as for other important authors of the so called Russian religious and philosophical Renaissance, especially for V. F. Ern, S. N. Bulgakov and A. F. Losev. According to Florensky real cognition can only be achieved by means of word and symbol. To this issue Florensky also linked the question of correlation between a word and a thing, a man and a word, sacral terminology/denomination etc. Thus focus on the nature of word is vital for understanding P.Florensky's philosophy. The goal of this thesis is to outline the basic features of philosophic and theological understanding of name and word in Pavel Florensky's works, and also to define his cognition theory which is based on this way of thinking.

This thesis is a study of the Russian religious philosopher Nikolai Berdiaev (1874-1948). The aim of the thesis is to re-examine the alleged gnostic subtext in Berdiaev’s thought by exploring a number of interrelated motifs in his world outlook, teaching on man and theory of knowledge. The method employed is a close reading of Berdiaev's philosophical and autobiographical writings. In order to establish which motifs should be examined, how they are to be understood and the manner in which they are interconnected, a scrutiny is made of Hans Jonas’s phenomenological elucidation of ancient Gnosticism. A synthetic conception labelled Jonasian Gnosticism is proposed as the interpretive framework, in order to provide a unitary and consistent heuristic tool with which to investigate the topic, and to distinguish the specific proposed representation of Gnosticism from other existing ones. A chapter is devoted to an analysis of the concept of gnosis as employed by Berdiaev. Another key notion taken from the Jonasian framework is that of demundanization, which denotes among other things a rejectionary attitude towards the world grounded in a negative experience of evil and suffering. Varieties of dualism as well as Berdiaev’s doctrine of the human spirit’s otherworldly origin and non-belonging in the world, constitute other issues that are examined. In addition, both Berdiaev’s assessment of historical Gnosticism and his view of a gnostic return in modern times are examined. The study demonstrates the complexity of Berdiaev’s attitude towards the classic Gnostics, and his attempt to denounce Gnosticism while at the same time making a case for a Christian gnosis. The results suggest both affinities and divergences in the relationship between Berdiaev’s thought and Jonasian Gnosticism. Even though the doctrinal standpoints diverge on crucial points, it is argued that a suggestive affinity nevertheless exists in the shared existential attitude towards self and world.

This study examines the criticism of Christianity expressed by Friedrich Nietzsche and Soren Kierkegaard, particularly in relation to the question of moral action. These author's work were both published in the 19th Century. To analyze their written works, a hermeneutic approach is assumed. The Concepts pf slave morality, nihilism, and the disticntion between Christendom and Christianity are emphasized in the previous research and are here used analytically to contrast the author's works. The results of the study reveals both clear similarities and differences between Nietzsche and Kierkegaard's thought. The main difference lies in their views on the Church as an institutional doctrine and the impact of western moral principles on divine and human reason. The main similaraity is the emphasis both authors place on the individual's free will. The analysis also highlights the problematic nature of prevailing principles and the Christian image of God in the author's works. The concept of free will is seen as most central to their arguments, partilcarly in relation to wheter mankind's deire for the Christian God is rational or not. In conclusion to the result, the study also discusses the implications pf the study for teaching about philosophy of religion in the classroom. Therefore, a discussion regarding didactics is held to suggest how this subject matter could be utilized in a teaching context, espacially to encourage critical thinking and reflection.

This thesis offers an interpretation of Al-Farabi’s Book of Religion, in which the tenth- century philosopher addresses more directly than in any of his other works the relationship between human and divine wisdom. Believing Farabi to be a philosopher in the full sense of the term, I attempt to approach his writing in the spirit of his own approach to the writings of Plato and Aristotle. I argue that the discussions of religion, philosophy, and political science found in the text constitute a single teaching, through which Farabi addresses some of the most fundamental questions facing man as both a political and spiritual animal. / text

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2017-09-21T12:30:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Genival Oliveira Carvalho.pdf: 1756034 bytes, checksum: e0478d164885000155abe6684ba347b1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-21T12:30:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Genival Oliveira Carvalho.pdf: 1756034 bytes, checksum: e0478d164885000155abe6684ba347b1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-09-14 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The thesis focuses on a philosopher of great relevance, Gabriel Marcel, who was forgotten in researches and began to be recovered in the second half of the twentieth century. In the writings of this philosopher we seek to develop a theme which emerges and occupies a central role in his works, for instance, the Hope in the Absolute Thou as the supreme source of consistency and meaning of life. In this direction, we begin by pointing Marcel's perspective on the twentieth century and its anguish. Afterwards, some authors with whom he dialogues (Camus, Sartre and Heidegger) for whom existance has no perspective. Subsequently, we point out how Marcel presents hope as the source of the meaning of life, to conclude that this source is an Absolute Hope in the Absolute Thou / A tese focaliza um filósofo de grande relevância, Gabriel Marcel, que ficou esquecido nas pesquisas e começou a ser recuperado na segunda metade do século XX. Nos escritos deste filósofo se busca desenvolver um tema que emerge e ocupa papel central nas suas obras, o saber, a Esperança no Tu Absoluto como fonte suprema de consistência e sentido da vida. Nessa direção, começa-se apontando o olhar de Marcel sobre o século XX e suas angústias. Depois, alguns autores com o quais ele dialoga (Camus, Sartre e Heidegger) para os quais a existência não tem perspectiva. Em seguida, aponta-se como Marcel apresenta a esperança qual fonte de sentido da vida, para concluir que essa fonte é uma Esperança Absoluta no Tu Absoluto

St. John 12:24, used by Dostoyevskij as an epigraph to his last and highly acclaimed novel BpaTbJI KapaMa30BbI (The Brothers Karamazov), served as an inspiration for Andre Gide. The title of the latter's contentious autobiography Si le grain ne meurt (If it die ... ), is part of the same biblical verse. The significance of Dostoyevskij's epigraph and Gide's title are critically examined with regard to ideologies expressed in their literary works. Analogies and contrasts are scrutinised: considerable similarities but more discrepancies are discerned. Intense crises in Dostoyevskij's life led to an upward movement, reflected in his oeuvre, reaching out toward Christ's message as revealed by St. John 12:24. On the other hand, Gide started his career imbued with the above message, but gradually he deviated from it and died an atheist. His fascination with Dostoyevskij prompted him to write a profound biography on the great Russian, containing a perceptive article on The Brothers Karamazov when this novel was still practically unknown in the West. Dostoyevskij's pre-eminence as ideological author, psychologist, philosopher and artist is highlighted while Gide is disclosed as the moralistic immoralist of his time. The thesis suggested here is that Dostoyevskij's ideology of self-abnegation in order to be regenerated into eternal life challenged Gide to reject this concept. Therein lies his paradoxical "adaptation". The purpose is to uncover the religious perceptions in Dostoyevskij's four major novels, to establish that his fictional characters, though never used as mouthpieces for the author, represent his universal philosophy and transmit the author's quest for truth to the reader, and finally to examine Gide's reaction to Dostoyevskij's influence / Classics & Modern European Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (Russian)