Thesis (D. Min.)--Bethel Theological Seminary, 1995. / Includes abstract and proposal. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 166-175).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Grace Theological Seminary, 1982. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-94).

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ludwig Maximilians Universität, 1975. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 267-289).

Thesis (doctoral)--Bonn, 1908. / Contains chapter 3 only of the thesis. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis investigates the significance of the Church's experience of transcendence in the theologies of Robert W. Jenson (b. 1930) and Alexander Schmemann (1921-1983). Both theologians emphasize the indispensable role of eschatology for Christian theology, but they offer strikingly different accounts of what that means. Following an introductory chapter, the first half of the thesis (chapters 2-4) clarifies the loss of transcendence by following Jenson's and Schmemann's respective theological diagnoses of the chief problems facing the Church in the late-modern West. Jenson argues that a long hidden error in the ontology of the doctrine of God is the underlying cause of the nihilism pervading Western culture. Schmemann perceives secularism as the pervasive cultural backdrop to Christian faith in the West, identifying the betrayal of the Orthodox Church's liturgical experience of the Kingdom of God as the chief culprit. By placing their critiques in dialog with one another I further trace the mutually diagnosed problem of the Church's debilitated eschatology to underlying problems in received ontologies of transcendence. The second half of the thesis (chapters 5-7) explores Jenson's and Schmemann's theological proposals for rehabilitating eschatology. Jenson revises the ontology of God to more adequately fit the God identified by the gospel. His narratival ontology enables him to conceptualize God's transcendence in terms of triune faithfulness through time rather than in metaphysical immunity to time. Schmemann retrieves a symbolic ontology in order to affirm the sacramentality of the world by which God's transcendence can be mystically experienced in the Church's liturgical worship. I argue that Jenson's theological rejection of timelessness rests upon historicist assumptions which Schmemann's eschatological theory has resources to withstand and that, furthermore, theology should preserve apophatic humility rooted in the aseity of God rather than historicize the doctrine of God as Jenson proposes.

Thesis (D.W.S.)--Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-112).

Significant differences as well as similarities between Islam and Christianity in the areas of the transcendence of God is the main discussion of the thesis. The investigation of the transcendence of God in the Bible and the Qur’an is within the limits of corresponding relationship accounts of God with Adam, Abraham, and Moses. Selected passages are used as examples to fulfil the aim of the study. Through this study an attempt is also made to determine what constitutes different aspects of theologies and practices of Christianity and Islam. The preliminary preparation of the study and the orientation of the readers into the transcendence of God are dealt with in the first three chapters: Chapter 1 presents an overview of the research as well as the various aspects of research methodology, chapter 2 describes the similarities and differences of the Qur’an and the Bible in order to present an appropriate approach to the exegesis of the selected passages, and chapter 3 establishes the theological issues of the transcendence of God from the views of both Christian and Muslim scholars. The main discussion of the transcendence of God unfolds in chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 4 investigates how God reveals his will in respect to the Qur’an and the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, and describes and analyses the transcendence of God revealed in the Old Testament and the Qur’an within the limits of the parallel passages dealing with Adam, Abraham, and Moses. Chapter 5 carries over the results of chapter 4 to find the cause of the differences between the corresponding episodes of the Old Testament and the Qur’an with regard to the transcendence of God, and analyses the implications of the transcendence of God with regard to the differences in Christianity and Islam theology. Finally, chapter 6 concludes the study as well as presents implications and solutions for the Christian-Muslim conflicts and the necessity for further studies. In conclusion, the exegesis of identical passages concerning God’s relationship with man found in both the Qur’an and the Bible establishes that the Qur’an presupposes that God, maintaining absolute transcendence from creation, will not allow his immanent state with man. Thus, Muslims can only have a transcendent relationship with God, which diminishes their ability to know God, and closes the door to personal relationships between God and man. The lack of God’s personal relationship with man has been a key factor in shaping the theology of Islam. In the Bible, on the other hand, God’s relationship with man is expressed in both his transcendence and immanence. God first wanted his immanent state with man, but due to man’s sinful state the ontological transcendent relationship has been established. God, in turn, uses his transcendence as a method of immanence with man. This transcendence-immanence of God is evident through Christian theology which can be expressed as God’s horizontal-vertical relationship compared to the vertical relationship of God in Islam. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Biblical and Religious Studies / unrestricted

Text in Afrikaans / Die bydrae van die lsraelitiese wysheidsliteratuur word in die teologiese nadenke oor die wese sowel as die regverdigheid van God in 'n groot mate onderbenut gelaat. Dit hoef egter nie so te wees nie. lndien die wysheid van Israel teen die agtergrond of breer konteks van die ontwikkeling in die konvensionele oud-Oosterse wysheid en vanuit 'n toepaslike orienteringspunt benader word, kan die betekenis daarvan histories en eksegeties op so 'n wyse ontsluit word dat die relevansie met betrekking tot die teologiese gesprek oor God en die teodisee aangetoon kan word. In die lig hiervan word die kritiese wysheid van Israel aan die hand van 'n elliptiese ordeningsbeginsel, wat enersyds die heerskappy van God en andersyds die moontlikheid van gemeenskap tussen God en mens as wentelpunte het, histories en eksegeties ondersoek. Verskillende reaksies op 'n gemeenskaplike ervaring van God se transendensie word in die lsraelitiese wysheid gehandhaaf en ontwikkel. Al word die terme 'transendensie', 'immanensie' en 'teodisee' nerens in die wysheidstekste van Israel gebruik nie, kom die motiewe nogtans voor. Die alternatiewe wat gehandhaaf en uitgewerk word, beklemtoon die verband tussen godsbeskouing en die ervaring van God as of verwyderd of immanent. Op soek na die balans tussen die transendensie en immanensie van God, bied die kritiese wysheid van Israel wel 'n perspektief waarin so 'n omvangryke ervaring van die wese van God moontlik is dat die beperkinge van rasionaliteit, en daarom ook vrae wat uit die teodisee-vraagstuk voortvloei, oorkom kan word. / The contribution of the sapiential literature of ancient Israel to theological reflection on both the essence and the justice of God is to a large extent neglected. This need not be the case. If Israelite wisdom is approached from a suitable vantage point and against the background or in the wider context of the sapiential movement in the ancient Near East, it becomes possible to historically and exegetically unravel the meaning and relevance of Old Testament wisdom in theological discussion of God and theodicy. In this light a historical and exegetical exploration of Israel's critical wisdom is undertaken with the aid of an elliptical guiding principle in which the supreme lordship of God is the one focal point, and the possibility of intimate communion between God and humans the other. Different reactions to a common experience of the transcendence of God are maintained and developed in the wisdom of ancient Israel. Although the terms 'transcendence', 'immanence' and 'theodicy' are never used in their wisdom texts, the motifs themselves did occur. The connection between the God concept and the experience of God as either remote or immanent, is emphasized by the alternatives which are developed in both the conventional and critical wisdom. In search of balance between the transcendence and immanence of God, the critical wisdom of Israel does offer a perspective within which comprehensive experience of the essence of God is possible to such an extent that the limitations of rationality, and therefore also the questions emanating from the riddle of theodicy, can be exceeded. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / Th. D. (Ou Testament)

Text in Afrikaans / Die bydrae van die lsraelitiese wysheidsliteratuur word in die teologiese nadenke oor die wese sowel as die regverdigheid van God in 'n groot mate onderbenut gelaat. Dit hoef egter nie so te wees nie. lndien die wysheid van Israel teen die agtergrond of breer konteks van die ontwikkeling in die konvensionele oud-Oosterse wysheid en vanuit 'n toepaslike orienteringspunt benader word, kan die betekenis daarvan histories en eksegeties op so 'n wyse ontsluit word dat die relevansie met betrekking tot die teologiese gesprek oor God en die teodisee aangetoon kan word. In die lig hiervan word die kritiese wysheid van Israel aan die hand van 'n elliptiese ordeningsbeginsel, wat enersyds die heerskappy van God en andersyds die moontlikheid van gemeenskap tussen God en mens as wentelpunte het, histories en eksegeties ondersoek. Verskillende reaksies op 'n gemeenskaplike ervaring van God se transendensie word in die lsraelitiese wysheid gehandhaaf en ontwikkel. Al word die terme 'transendensie', 'immanensie' en 'teodisee' nerens in die wysheidstekste van Israel gebruik nie, kom die motiewe nogtans voor. Die alternatiewe wat gehandhaaf en uitgewerk word, beklemtoon die verband tussen godsbeskouing en die ervaring van God as of verwyderd of immanent. Op soek na die balans tussen die transendensie en immanensie van God, bied die kritiese wysheid van Israel wel 'n perspektief waarin so 'n omvangryke ervaring van die wese van God moontlik is dat die beperkinge van rasionaliteit, en daarom ook vrae wat uit die teodisee-vraagstuk voortvloei, oorkom kan word. / The contribution of the sapiential literature of ancient Israel to theological reflection on both the essence and the justice of God is to a large extent neglected. This need not be the case. If Israelite wisdom is approached from a suitable vantage point and against the background or in the wider context of the sapiential movement in the ancient Near East, it becomes possible to historically and exegetically unravel the meaning and relevance of Old Testament wisdom in theological discussion of God and theodicy. In this light a historical and exegetical exploration of Israel's critical wisdom is undertaken with the aid of an elliptical guiding principle in which the supreme lordship of God is the one focal point, and the possibility of intimate communion between God and humans the other. Different reactions to a common experience of the transcendence of God are maintained and developed in the wisdom of ancient Israel. Although the terms 'transcendence', 'immanence' and 'theodicy' are never used in their wisdom texts, the motifs themselves did occur. The connection between the God concept and the experience of God as either remote or immanent, is emphasized by the alternatives which are developed in both the conventional and critical wisdom. In search of balance between the transcendence and immanence of God, the critical wisdom of Israel does offer a perspective within which comprehensive experience of the essence of God is possible to such an extent that the limitations of rationality, and therefore also the questions emanating from the riddle of theodicy, can be exceeded. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / Th. D. (Ou Testament)