The convergence of the Church, its Gospel and the World has become a critical area of New Testament Biblical Studies. This significance revolves around the ‘relevance and impact ‘ of the Church and her kerygmatic message in an increasingly secular and sceptic world. The secularization and scepticism is mainly driven by the dawning of a ‘post-modern’ twenty first century which has also ushered in an era of unprecedented technological and scientific advancement. This new-world, which is being advanced through the ‘global village’ phenomenon, and the broadening democratization and entrenchment of individual human rights in developing countries, seems to have discarded all ‘absolutes’, and only values that which can be verified empirically. All this has left many individuals questioning the relevance of the Church and her message. Many seem to have designated the Church and her message as ‘past the expiry date’. It is thus no longer uncommon for previously Christian societies to be described as Post-Christian societies. The convergence of Church, Gospel and World has thus become very significant. The critical question is whether the Church is to close the door on the world and adopt an isolationist stance, or whether the Church is to fulfill her missiological and prophetic role by engaging and penetrating our twenty first century world with the message of the Gospel. This short dissertation will consider selected aspects of Pauline Ecclesiological and Soteriological perspectives in a social context, and the Social conditions of the Pauline World. We will then consider how the three components – Church; Gospel and World – ought to converge in the missiological task of the Church. / Prof. J.A. du Rand

Thesis advisor: Thomas D. Stegman / Thesis advisor: Christopher R. Matthews / The history of interpretation of the phrase nous Christou, which Paul employs in 1 Cor 2:16, mainly focuses on tracing the Hellenistic influence on his writings. No doubt, the Greek language Paul employs in explaining the gospel and the dominant culture of his world make this scholarly proclivity a credible one. But Paul, being a faithful Jew and a creative writer, is capable of appealing to his rich and diverse religious heritage, and his literary ingenuity to communicate his message. This angle of interpretation is seldom explored in discussing the nous Christou. / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

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At the end of the fourteenth century Jean d’Arras rewrote a popular folktale. The tale told how Mélusine, a fairy who was serpent from the navel down every Saturday, married a knight and founded the fortress of Lusignan. In his introduction to the tale Jean d’Arras presents the ideas of four authority figures to convince the reader that fantastical things are possible and that his work should be taken seriously. These authority figures are David, Aristotle, Paul and Gervaise de Tilbury. It is the contention of this thesis that Jean d’Arras presents these figures in his introduction to provide context and serve as doubles for characters in the narration as well as convince the reader to take the work seriously. Through his allusion to Tilbury, Jean d’Arras establishes a context and a doubling for the story-line which he so repetitiously tells. Through his allusion to David we see a doubling for Raymondin, who in fact bears the name of earthly king, a position which David held in archetype. Through his allusion to Paul we see a doubling for Geoffrey à la grande dent, enfant terrible who becomes a responsible leader. And finally we suggest that Aristotle is a type for Jean d’Arras himself, who is presenting to his reader a methodical study of the telos of earthly kings. The thesis contains a discussion of these four individuals, how they were viewed in the late fourteenth-century and what the implications are for reading the text with them in mind. When viewed in the light of these comparisons the text can be seen, not only as a fantastical story, but as political commentary. Jean d’Arras glorifies the Duke of Berry, his patron, by connecting him to a supernatural being, but he also suggests throughout the narration, that the true justification for nobility and political power is not a supernatural connection, but a practical ability to deal with earthly affairs.