James Arthur Baldwin argues that the issue of humanity—what it means to be human and whether or not all people bear the same measure of human worth—supersedes all issues, including socially popular ones such as race and religion. As a former child preacher, Baldwin claims, like others shaped by both the African-American faith tradition and Judeo-Christianity, that human equality stands as a divinely mandated and philosophically sound concept. As a literary artist and social commentator, Baldwin argues that truth in any narrative text, whether fictional or non-fictional, lies in its embrace or rejection of human equality. Truth-telling narrative texts uphold human equality; false-witnessing texts do not. Baldwin shows in four of his novels the prevalence of the latter narrative type. Within the fictional societies of Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953), Giovanni’s Room (1956), If Beale Street Could Talk (1974), and Just Above My Head (1979), Baldwin reveals how society’s powerful bear false witness against the marginalized through stereotyping social narratives. However, Baldwin uses his novels to show the humanity of the marginalized. In so doing, he connects his works, as well as the works of contemporary black literary artists, to the concept of Christian spirituality.

Traditionally, Jesus and the contents of the Bible have always been thought of as exclusively concerned with spiritual and religious matters. The topic of Jesus and the social and political dimensions of the Gospel is therefore still a controversial idea for many Christians. Responses to the notion of Jesus as a social and political figure range from ignorance to avoidance and even resistance. Nevertheless scholars continue, in various ways, to explore and integrate the relationship between the religious, social and political dimensions of Jesus' words and actions. The aim of this study is to critically evaluate the notion of Jesus as 'radical social prophet‘ as set out in Horsley‘s book Jesus and the Spiral of Violence (1987). The purpose is to establish the historical validity of this notion and to determine its significance and implications for contemporary Christian reflection, teaching and discipleship. The study describes the development and impact of the social sciences on the interpretation of the New Testament. It also explains Horsley‘s presuppositions and method. An analysis of Horsley's construction of the historical, social and political context of Jesus‘ first century world is made. Horsley‘s view of the Kingdom of God is also discussed. The grammatico–historical examination of Horsley‘s reading of selected key biblical and extra–biblical texts forms a crucial part of the investigation. An appraisal of Horsley‘s notion of Jesus as 'radical social prophet‘ is made and its implications noted. The study finds adequate grounds for seeing Jesus fulfilling the role of a 'radical social prophet‘ in the same manner as the Old Testament prophets. The conclusion reached is that Horsley‘s (1987) notion of Jesus as 'radical social prophet‘, while inadequate to account for the theological nature and mission of Jesus, is nevertheless useful to highlight the often overlooked social and political dimensions of Jesus and the Gospels. / Thesis (M.A. (New Testament))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Traditionally, Jesus and the contents of the Bible have always been thought of as exclusively concerned with spiritual and religious matters. The topic of Jesus and the social and political dimensions of the Gospel is therefore still a controversial idea for many Christians. Responses to the notion of Jesus as a social and political figure range from ignorance to avoidance and even resistance. Nevertheless scholars continue, in various ways, to explore and integrate the relationship between the religious, social and political dimensions of Jesus' words and actions. The aim of this study is to critically evaluate the notion of Jesus as 'radical social prophet‘ as set out in Horsley‘s book Jesus and the Spiral of Violence (1987). The purpose is to establish the historical validity of this notion and to determine its significance and implications for contemporary Christian reflection, teaching and discipleship. The study describes the development and impact of the social sciences on the interpretation of the New Testament. It also explains Horsley‘s presuppositions and method. An analysis of Horsley's construction of the historical, social and political context of Jesus‘ first century world is made. Horsley‘s view of the Kingdom of God is also discussed. The grammatico–historical examination of Horsley‘s reading of selected key biblical and extra–biblical texts forms a crucial part of the investigation. An appraisal of Horsley‘s notion of Jesus as 'radical social prophet‘ is made and its implications noted. The study finds adequate grounds for seeing Jesus fulfilling the role of a 'radical social prophet‘ in the same manner as the Old Testament prophets. The conclusion reached is that Horsley‘s (1987) notion of Jesus as 'radical social prophet‘, while inadequate to account for the theological nature and mission of Jesus, is nevertheless useful to highlight the often overlooked social and political dimensions of Jesus and the Gospels. / Thesis (M.A. (New Testament))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Daniel Ndoundou (1911 – 1986) was born in the southern part of French Equatorial Africa, close to the border of the Belgian Congo. At an early age he joined the Swe-dish protestant mission. As a young man he began to work as an evangelist and in 1946 he was ordained pastor. The following year a spiritual revival started and soon Daniel Ndou¬ndou became its leader, a position he held for the rest of his life. The aim of this thesis was to describe and analyse how Daniel Ndoundou carried out his ministry as a revival leader in the intersection between traditional beliefs and the new religion introduced by the protestant missionaries. He experienced the pro-cess of his country gaining its independence and the founding of the autonomous Evangelical Church of Congo. As a well-known counsellor and healer he received many pilgrims at his home. During revival meetings he sometimes preached to thou-sands of people. He had to take a stand on different movements of political and religious character that emerged especially during the colonial era. The thesis shows that the doctrines adopted by Daniel Ndoundou were close to those of the missionaries. However, he sometimes accepted and applied practices that were seen as controversial by his Church leaders. This was particularly evident when he invited people to the “Pool of Siloam” where he organized ritual baths for healing. The thesis also describes the legacy left by Daniel Ndoundou namely how the Evangelical Church of Congo manages the revival almost 30 years after his death. Many charismatic Christians play an important role and for the local pastor they are sometimes difficult to handle. The void left by Daniel Ndoundou is strongly felt by many church members since he was seen as the authority in matters relating to spiritual gifts.

Reports relating supernatural events - or miracles - in the life of the Prophet Muhammad (d. 11/632) have been traditionally either ignored by those modern scholars attempting to determine the historicity of the source material or have been studied piecemeal in an attempt to determine their origins by those scholars who see them as secondary additions. The current study will examine both the sira/ta'rikh, the story of Muḥammad's life as told within larger works of universal history, and tafsir, exegetical, works of two medieval Muslim scholars, al-T&dotbelow;abari (d. 310/923) and Ibn Kathir (d. 773/1373), to attempt to determine how the reports of the supernatural fit into the story of Muḥammad's life as a whole. The result is that there is both a supernatural and mundane archetype for the life of Muḥammad, and that they appear to mirror each other almost perfectly. Whereas the story begins with God performing all the miracles for Muḥammad's benefit, by the time of his death in Medina, Muḥammad has completed his mastery over the forces of the supernatural, even to the point where it appears that God performs miracles directly in response to Muḥammad's prayers. Thus, as Muḥammad gained more control over the movement he founded, he gained an equal amount of control over the forces of the supernatural. Both al-T&dotbelow;abari and Ibn Kathir include reports that contain the supernatural archetype, but also include reports that diverge from it in important ways. While there is not one, overall theory to explain why each author made the changes he did to the supernatural archetype of Muḥammad's life, the examples in the following chapters indicate that the role of the supernatural versus the mundane, the politicization of the archetype, and authorial opinion were important to each scholar and help to support the argument that the miracle stories are integral to the life of Muḥammad as a whole, and deserve to be studied as such.

Diachronic comparison of three political and religious systems of three independent geographical areas (ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Syria Palestine) with the faith of ancient Israel shows certain aspects important for the kerygmatic theological message of Tanach as well as the New Testament. Significance of the king, priest, prophet, and religious ceremonies in the temple is derived from their specific understanding of the divine. However, their religious systems completely lack (with the exception of Israel) eschatology. The message about the transcendent/immanent God Lord (Jesus' Father) is impossible to reconstruct from the available sources through diachronic methodology. Furthermore it cannot be understood as a mere result of religious synchronic redefinition of the Scriptures. The New Testament transforms the Old Testament religious system to narrative kerygma about the sacrifice of both Father and Son. It speaks about the Risen Lord, who is able to reconcile God with his adherent. Such a message is unheard of (unexpected) in the Second Temple Judaism. Even the Church Fathers do not interpret Christ's conscious ebed-like sacrifice along the lines of the ritual forgiveness of the OT. Based on the scholarly analyses from the proponents of the so called Prague school, as well as those coming from theologians stressing the paradigm of biblical interpretation through the event of resurrection, this dissertation concluded in the subject matter of soteriological transformation of the sacrifice the following: Agnus Dei, with his crucifixion being a ritual slaughter, founds the new community through his own Pasch, which has also the futuristic (eschatological) aspect both in the NT and in the faith of the early Church. The meaning of this sacrifice will be actualized in 'drinking of the chalice' by the Lord Jesus with the resurrected Church in the coming new Creation. Thus, the Eucharist becomes a unique 'cultic' homage (Temple ceremony) through existential acceptance of the risen Lord. The same concept can be found at the heart of the Patristic thinking (inclusive paradigm of Christ's sacrifice, that is Christian obedience even unto death) . The Fathers understood the sacrifice as means of overcoming alienation from God by metamorphosis of one's life based on Christ's sacrifice not to God, but to people. Such a sacrifice is life-giving activity of the Lord God himself and is able to renew the life of God's people and make them heirs to the eternal life.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:19:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Celio Silva.pdf: 845511 bytes, checksum: e388cb67317172a187cbedf784344d3f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-04-20 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The thesis is divided into three chapters: in the first one, the form and setting of Hosea 4,4-19 are studied; in the second chapter its interpretation is made and in the third one, other texts extracted from the book of Hosea are analysed, which corroborate the thesis presented from the analysis of Hosea 4,4-19, that was made in the two previous chapters. The study of Hosea avails the old prophet to speak again and we can hear him to say to his situation, as an Israelite and to represent his brothers and sisters in their hardships in Israel in the 8th century B. C. The passage chosen to be analysed shows many aspects of that life, characterized by declarations, expressions and vivid images, as to make a picture for his everyday life. And here it is the main point of the reflections about the biblical passage: an everyday life condemned by the prophet, in name of Yahweh, that covers the abuse of people through its glamour, justifications and even religion. The prophet does not condemn the Israelites, neither the women (4,13-14), but the lords of the power , which groups the priests used to belong to, for they abandoned their responsabilities in favour of people of Yahweh and followed their own interests, despite that people s losses. Reinforcing his accusations (and lamentations, vv.6 and 11), Hosea uses, metaphorically, terms as the Hebrew root hnz znh and derived words, which are understood in this thesis as being or becoming independent , for those people who dominate in the country have proceeded autonomously, far away from the Yawistic traditions which are based on true knowledge (tu^D^ da at) and instruction (hr*oT torah) of god, that can be noticed in the practice of the right (fP*v=m! mispat) and the solidarity (ds#j# hesed). Hosea neither unmask idolatric rituals with the intention of preserving religious ideas, nor concerns about practices, even those belonging to prostitution, for moralistic issues. He protests against the reality of a life condemned to be smashed by groups that, showing themselves so religious, have become, in practice, independent from Yahweh of exodus, Yahweh of poor people. / A tese divide-se em três capítulos: no primeiro, estudam-se a forma e o lugar de Oseias 4,4-19; no segundo, os conteúdos da passagem bíblica em foco; e, no terceiro capítulo, abordam-se outros textos do livro de Oseias que corroborem com a tese apresentada a partir da análise de Oseias 4,4-19, feita nos capítulos anteriores. Estudar Oseias é abrir possibilidade de dar voz, novamente, ao antigo profeta e ouvir-lhe falar para a sua situação de israelita e representar seus irmãos na dura realidade da vida em Israel no século 8º a. C. O trecho selecionado para estudo apresenta muitos aspectos dessa vida, caracterizada por declarações, expressões e imagens vívidas, como a montar um quadro do seu cotidiano. E aqui reside o ponto nevrálgico das reflexões sobre a passagem bíblica: um cotidiano condenado pelo profeta, em nome de Javé, por encobrir, por meio de suas aparências e justificativas, o abuso de pessoas, até mediante a religião. O profeta não condena os israelitas, tampouco as mulheres (4,13-14), mas os senhores do poder , dentre os quais estão os sacerdotes, por deixarem suas responsabilidades em favor do povo de Javé para seguirem seus próprios interesses, a custa desse mesmo povo. Para reforçar suas acusações (e lamentações, vv.6 e 11), Oseias se utiliza, metaforicamente, de termos como a raiz hebraica hnz znh e palavras derivadas, a qual é entendida nesta tese como ser ou tornar-se independente , pois aqueles que mandam no país, têm procedido de maneira autônoma, longe das tradições javistas pautadas no verdadeiro conhecimento (tu^D^ da at) e na instrução (hr*oT torah) de deus, que podem ser percebidos na prática do direito (fP*v=m! mispat) e da solidariedade (ds#j# hesed). Oseias não pretende desmascarar cultos idolátricos pela simples preocupação de preservar ideias religiosas, e nem se preocupa com práticas, mesmo as de prostituição, por questões moralistas. Ele protesta contra a realidade de uma vida condenada ao esmagamento por grupos que, mostrando-se tão religiosos, tornaram-se, de fato, independentes do Javé do êxodo, do Javé dos pobres.

Submitted by Daniele Amaral (daniee_ni@hotmail.com) on 2016-10-14T19:00:06Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseTHMY.pdf: 7681268 bytes, checksum: bc81fb9841820f9d26156e1c397fd86c (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-21T13:55:09Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseTHMY.pdf: 7681268 bytes, checksum: bc81fb9841820f9d26156e1c397fd86c (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-21T13:55:14Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseTHMY.pdf: 7681268 bytes, checksum: bc81fb9841820f9d26156e1c397fd86c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-21T13:55:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseTHMY.pdf: 7681268 bytes, checksum: bc81fb9841820f9d26156e1c397fd86c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-25 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / This research has as theoretical scope the principles of Discourse Analysis (DA) French second array concepts postulates by Michel Pêcheux. We have the goal of building joints and analysis between the echoes the name of the Prophet Gentileza and his work – Urban book circulated by the space of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Through the discourses present in urban areas – social, symbolic, heterogeneous spaces, memory, full of meanings, movement of senses, spaces of enunciation. In the first chapter, we present how the businessman José Datrino becomes the Gentileza, after the burning of a circus in the city of Niterói. In the second chapter, we expose the traits that the subject position Prophet suffered over time, with your symbologies and influences. In the third chapter, we report about the Urban book, as the Prophet Gentileza turned a series of walls ashes in poetry in the open and that senses this artistic intervention can influence the life of the townspeople. In the fourth chapter, we show the deletion of the work of the Prophet that happened after his death, as the power of the State is imposing, but through the power of social movements that order-deletion given by the State is reviewed and the work is retrieved and protected as cultural heritage. And in the fifth and final chapter, we present echos the voice in Gentileza caused in society and that we can hear the echoes and references from their production, these echoes were shifted to other contexts and applied differently, but we can still see the features that refer us to the Prophet and his work, Urban book. / Essa pesquisa tem como escopo teórico os pressupostos teórico-metodológico da Análise do Discurso (AD) de matriz francesa, segundo os conceitos postulados por Michel Pêcheux. Temos o objetivo de construir articulações e análises entre os ecos que o nome do Profeta Gentileza e de sua obra – Livro Urbano – fizeram circular pelo espaço da cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Por meio da discursividade presente nos espaços urbanos – espaços sociais, simbólicos, heterogêneo, de memória, repleto de significações, circulação de sentidos, espaços de enunciação. No primeiro capítulo apresentamos de que forma o empresário José Datrino se torna o Profeta Gentileza, após a queima de um circo na cidade de Niterói. No segundo capítulo, expomos os traços que a posição-sujeito profeta sofreu ao longo do tempo, com suas influências e simbologias. No terceiro capítulo, relatamos sobre o Livro Urbano, como o Profeta Gentileza transformou uma série de muros cinzas em poesia a céu aberto e em que sentidos essa intervenção artística pode influenciar na vida dos citadinos. No quarto capítulo, mostramos o apagamento da obra do profeta que aconteceu após a sua morte, como o poder do Estado é imponente, porém por meio da força dos movimentos sociais essa ordem-apagamento dada pelo Estado é revista e a obra é recuperada e tombada como patrimônio cultural. E no quinto e último capítulo, apresentamos as ressonâncias que a voz do Profeta Gentileza causou na sociedade e que até hoje podemos ouvir os ecos e referências de sua produção, esses ecos foram deslocados para outros contextos e aplicados de outra forma, mas ainda podemos ver as características que nos remetem ao profeta e a sua obra, Livro Urbano.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-18T18:44:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 4 Jose Aparecido Ferreira Lopes_Parte1.pdf: 4184748 bytes, checksum: ef6135c06707b4b0266e2f1f65cf62de (MD5) Jose Aparecido Ferreira Lopes_Parte2.pdf: 3989808 bytes, checksum: 7be9dafbea3fd6536ffc113000fad081 (MD5) Jose Aparecido Ferreira Lopes_Parte3.pdf: 3888856 bytes, checksum: b0da6bd8bd3f9e58c1cae7b4a5690bd2 (MD5) Jose Aparecido Ferreira Lopes_Parte4.pdf: 3993085 bytes, checksum: 4e49917519bf00d3860fb4fb2ed28888 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-08-19 / Fundo Mackenzie de Pesquisa / The research, literary and philosophical perspective, historical and sociological analysis in the sacred Gibran Khalil Gibran Arabic cultural context, from the original work in English and best-selling book The Prophet. The goal is to identify and highlight the sacred and its various aspects and manifestations at the thought of Gibran Khalil Gibran. The study aims to contribute to the academy and the Brazilian society and take the first steps through the knowledge of the Arabic legacy of mission life and works of the philosopher, artist, poet and mystic. The analysis is relevant to the text, so the context of produce from experiences from the study of Arabic language and acting as Protestant missionary in the Kingdom of Morocco and Egypt in the years 1992 to 2001. From Rudolf Otto and Mircea Eliade, As theoretical references, the researcher worked literature literary method. / A pesquisa, numa perspectiva literário-filosófica e histórico-sociológica, analisa o Sagrado em Gibran Khalil, Gibran no contexto cultural árabe, a partir da obra original em inglês e best-seller The Prophet, O Profeta. O objetivo é identificar e destacar o Sagrado e seus diversos aspectos e manifestações no pensamento de Gibran Khail, Gibran. O estudo visa contribuir com a Academia e a sociedade brasileira e dar os primeiros passos no conhecimento do legado árabe, através da missão de vida e nas obras do filósofo, artista, poeta e místico. As análises são pertinentes ao texto, portanto, contexto do produzir a partir de vivências provenientes do estudo da língua árabe e atuação como missionário protestante, no reino do Marrocos e Egito, nos anos de 1992 a 2001. A partir de Rudolf Otto, e Mircea Eliade como referenciais teóricos. O pesquisador trabalhou através do método de pesquisa bibliográfica literária.

The motif of “the Prophet like Moses” plays an important role in John’s Gospel. This motif is from the promise of God about the eschatological Prophet who will disclose God’s will to the people in Dt 18:15, 18. The background of this motif is basically to be found in Dt 18:15, 18. The promise of God about this Prophet has a deep relationship with the Word of God. The reason, firstly, is that Dt 18:15, 18 indicates it. Secondly, the definition of a prophet is not a miracle worker or a soothsayer, but the deliverer of the Word of God. It is also used in the OT. Various people (Elijah, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Ezekiel) used the prophetic fomula of Dt 18:15, 18. The next step to study this motif is to find allustions to Dt 18:15, 18 in John’s Gospel. It can be divided into two groups. The one group is concerned with the word “prophet” that might presume “the Prophet like Moses” (Jn 1:21, 25, 45, 5:46, 6:14, 7:40, and 52). The other is concerned with the prophetic formula that was related to the Word of God (Jn 3:34, 5:19, 30, 8:26, 28, 40, 12:49, 14:10, 31, 16:13, 17:8, and 17:14). These allusions indicate that this motif is related to several Christological titles (the Christ, the Logos, the Son of God). The Christ was used in juxtaposition with the Prophet in John’s Gospel. The concept of the Christ is joined to the concept of the Prophet. In the case of the Logos, Jesus is the perfect “Prophet like Moses”, because he is a deliverer of the Word of God as well as the Word of God himself. In the case of the Son of God, Jesus knows the Father face to face like Moses, but perfectly, because the Son and the Father is one in John’s Gospel. John uses the motif of “the Prophet like Moses” in Dt 18:15, 18 as the connecting link between the Christological titles. The reason is firstly that it is the Prophet promised by God. Secondly, in the history of redemption, many people expected this Prophet. Lastly in Jesus’ era, this Prophet was considered to be the eschatological figure who would clarify the Son’s coming into the world as the Word of God. / Dissertation (MTh)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / New Testament Studies / unrestricted