This study explores two ancient approaches to spirituality, together with the cultural contexts in which they developed. Spirituality is a popular concept today among people of widely differing religious traditions, and among those who espouse no religious tradition. Spirituality defines the way in which people relate to what concerns them ultimately, and ways in which this concern is manifested in their daily lives. This popular interest has resulted in the rise of spirituality as an academic discipline. An in-depth study of Celtic and African Spirituality is presented in this study. Celtic Spirituality dates from the fifth century CE onwards, whereas African Spirituality predates written history. Few examples of African Spirituality are recorded in writing before the twentieth century, although some have existed for centuries in oral form. Many Celtic poems, and other examples of traditional oral literature were collected and recorded in writing by medieval monks, and thus preserved for later generations in writing. Both Celtic and African Spiritualities have a healthy, integrated approach to the material world and to the spiritual world. They acknowledge a constant interaction between the two realms, and do not dismiss or devalue either the physical or the spiritual. Art and oral literature also play an important role in enabling communication and expression of ideas. Power and powerlessness emerges as a dominant theme in African thought and spirituality, especially where African peoples perceive themselves to be powerless politically or economically. Areas of relevance of Celtic and African Spiritualities to the life of the church today are identified and discussed, such as ecological spirituality; oral and symbolic communication; the role of women in church and society; and the theme of power. These are areas from which the world-wide church has much to learn from both Celtic and African Spiritualities. The findings of this study are then discussed in terms of their relevance and helpfulness to church and society. Insights from Celtic and African spiritualities should be used in the future to deepen devotional life of individual Christians and of congregations, and ideas such as ecological responsibility and recognition of the value and gifts of women should permeate the teaching and practice of the church in the future. / Religious Studies and Arabic Studies / D. Th.(Religious Studies & Arabic Studies)

The Kingdom of God is wherever the Triune God is worshipped as Lord. It exists beyond time and place, but breaks into our time and place wherever creation worships the Triune God as Lord. The local church, in its present time and geographical place, is the microcosm of the Kingdom of God. As such, the local church contains within it all the resources necessary for the Kingdom of God to be established. Therefore, the local church is called to lead creation to worship the Triune God as Lord. It does this by fulfilling three specific works as specified in Scripture: the work of evangelism; the work of discipleship and the work of reconciliation. The modern day church must start a revolution to discover afresh these works and become what Scripture describes as the ecclesia of the hodos: the local church extending the Kingdom of God. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Systematic Theology)

The maleness of Christ: revelational or cultural? is a biblical-theological investigation of the significance of Christ's maleness. This thesis attempts to answer questions as to the significance and meaning ofJesus' maleness. Is the maleness of Christ revelational of God's being and character; is it foundational for the gospel; is it reflective of an ongoing created order? Is revelation and salvation impossible apart from a male redeemer? Or could Christ have been born a woman in a different time and culture? Chapter one describes the various positions and arguments: complementarian, biblical egalitarian, Christian feminist, and post-Christian feminist. Chapter two examines two related topics to the problem, namely slavery and the Sabbath. This section investigates how the church has decided, regarding other issues, what is revelational or cultural. We consider the various implications that the slavery and Sabbath debates have on our topic. Our subject relating to the significance of Christ's maleness has many interrelated concerns. In answering the questions regarding Jesus' maleness, chapter three organises much of the material under the motif of the sonship of Christ. This structure allows us to remain focused as well as interact with the differing topics affecting our concern, such as innertrinitarian relationships, the relationship between revelation and culture, the so-called subordination of the Son, the truth and status of analogy, inclusive language, and the implications of Christ as the image of God. Also included this chapter is a discussion on the relationship between Jesus and Wisdom and whether we can refer to Christ as "Daughter." The chapter concludes with a section on whether Christ's maleness either relates to an ongoing created order of male headship or allows for the transformation of patriarchy. / Philosophy and Systematic Theology / D.Th. (Systematic Theology)

The dissertation underlines an approach towards mission, where the epistemology, hermeneutical key and methodology centre around relationship. This, by tracing trends in the pastoral context, verified through research and an analysis of congregational surveys. The results were then analysed in terms of biblical revelation (the creation narratives, God's covenental relationship with Israel, Christ as the New Israel, Christ's missiological methodology and an understanding of the Holy Trinity). The resulis were then also brought into conversation with recent developments in science, recognising the interdependence of all things, and also exploring recent definitions of mission. The study then grapples with a new way of engaging in theology. This new model simultaneously promotes the symbiotic nature of theologies, while placing them within the framework of relational objectives; using dialogue as medium, Holland and Henriot's Social Analysis and quantifiable relationship goals to engender a theological process accessible to people from all contexts and backgrounds. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:18:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Joerley Orlando de Oliveira Cruz.pdf: 363159 bytes, checksum: bfcd4e19789a6dfaee3268dfb6157339 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-01-31 / As from of exegetical analysis of Deuteronomy 6,4-9, this work approach the meaning of unicity of God, your respect with the law, and the mutual relation between the Trinity´s Persons in defence of one God represented by Persons. In beginning we think in Deuteronomy 6,4-9 about text located in one of books more importants in formation of Israel´s nation. The importance happen with legal constitution that manage nation´s life, and the feeling that nation sustain during her history. Our investigation conduct us to one God that today we sustains yet, with perception of presence and prominence of three Trinity Persons. Our conclusion will find comprise that God Javé of Deuteronomy 6,4-9 be present and proceed, with involvement active how Father, Son through Jesus, and Holy Spirit, that move and talk together with nation, similar called attention of Israel with the voice that invite to listen. / A partir da análise exegética de Deuteronômio 6,4-9, esta pesquisa aborda o significado da unicidade de Deus, sua relação com a Lei, em defesa do Único Deus representado por elas. Em princípio, pensamos em Deuteronômio 6,4-9 por ser um texto localizado em um dos livros mais importantes na formação do povo de Israel. A importância se faz em meio à constituição legal que rege a vida do povo, como também no sentimento que o povo nutre durante sua história posterior. Nossa investigação nos conduzirá ao Deus Único que hoje ainda sustentamos, com a percepção de sua presença, e em sua relevância. Nossa conclusão buscará compreender que o Deus Javé de Deuteronômio 6,4-9 ainda se faz presente e atuante, com sua participação efetiva que se move e caminha em meio ao seu povo, da mesma forma como chamou a atenção de Israel por meio da voz que convida a ouvir.

Le primat de la relation est une caractéristique fondamentale des philosophies contemporaines comme des évolutions récentes de la théologie : le but de cette étude est de retracer les développements de la notion de relation jusqu’aux grandes synthèses théologiques du 13è siècle, afin d’évaluer les fondements historiques et la légitimité conceptuelle des relationalismes contemporains. Après avoir étudié la naissance d’une ontologie des êtres relatifs chez Platon et Aristote, ainsi qu’à travers les ambiguïtés de leurs transmissions, nous montrons comment les théologiens de l’Antiquité ont exploité ces fondements philosophiques, autour des modèles de « l’attribution différenciée » chez Augustin et de « l’accidentalité différenciée » chez Boèce. Au 12è siècle, ces modèles antiques ont à leur tour donné lieu à un changement de paradigme, au sujet de la predicatio in divinis, de Gilbert de Poitiers jusqu’à Pierre Lombard. Nous centrons alors notre étude sur les synthèses sententiaires d’Albert le Grand et de Thomas d’Aquin, qui exploitent l’un et l’autre la notion comme l’élément clef d’une description unitaire et structurée de l’édifice théologique. Albert emploie une notion typiquement aristotélicienne de la relation comme instrument pour édifier une théologie cohérente et rationnelle ; Thomas développe ces intuitions albertiennes et met en œuvre une vue ordonnée du Monde dans ses rapports avec Dieu, dont la condition, contrairement à de nombreuses lectures thomistes, est la stricte accidentalité de l’être relatif. A l’issue de ce parcours historique, on aura donc mis en évidence la tentation platonisante qui constitue la source conceptuelle des relationalismes contemporains. / The primacy of relation is a fundamental characteristic of contemporary philosophies as well as recent evolutions of Christian theology: the goal of this study is to describe the first developments of the notion of relation up to the great theological synthesis of the 13th century, in order to evaluate the historical foundations and the conceptual validity of the contemporary “relationalisms”. After studying the birth of the ontology of relative beings by Plato and Aristotle, as well as through the ambiguities of their transmissions, we show how the theologians of Antiquity exploited those philosophical sources using two models: the “differentiated attribution” with Augustine, and the “differentiated accidentality” with Boethius. During the 12th century, those two antique models became in their turns the origin of a change of paradigm on the problem of predicatio in divinis, from Gilbert of Poitiers to Peter Lombard. We then center our study on the sentential synthesis of Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas, who both exploited the notion of relation as a key-element of a united and well-structured description of their theological thought. Albert uses a typical Aristotelian notion of relation as a tool for building a coherent and rational theology; Thomas develops those albertian intuitions and organizes a well-ordered view of the World in its relations to God, whose condition, contrary to many thomistic interpretations, is a strictly accidental conception of the relative beings. At the end of this historical path, we will then have shown the Platonist temptation which constitutes the conceptual source of the contemporary “relationalisms”.

From Preface: This study has a two-fold nature. In one sense the focus of attention is on the Apologists. The chapters on Clement and Athanasius attempt to follow through the basic questions raised by the Apologists. But in the other sense, what I have presented is four independent studies dealing with Justin, the other Apologists, Clement and Athanasius's Contra Gentes. Although much the same questions have been asked in all four sections, there has been no rigid attempt to systematize the answers. This may well be one of the strengths as well as one of the weaknesses of the work.

The thesis focuses on the challenge of being church in the postsecular twenty-first century in an authentic way. A shift took place from modernity with concepts such as ʼnationalism‘ and ‗unity‘ to the fragmentation and diversity which are characteristic of the present-day postmodern world. After the Second World War the objective of the Ecumenical Movement was to promote and maintain the unity of the church. The unity of the church has been an issue from New Testament times up to the present day. How the relationship between unity and diversity was understood changed along with changing paradigms. During the first centuries of the church when the ecumenical creeds originated, the relationship between the unity and diversity of the church was interpreted in terms of two aspects, namely the unity of the canon which consists of a diversity of writings and the one Triune God who consists of a diversity of personae. This study argues that the great revolutions in North America and France were the breeding ground for concepts such as ʼnation‘ and ʼnationalism‘. During this period the unity of the church was interpreted in terms of the dominant ideology of nationalism and nation. The revolutions were also a force behind increasing secularisation and the church‘s loss of authority. In Germany the ideology of national-socialism compromised the integrity of the church. In South Africa apartheid had a similar effect. Secularisation, globalisation and fluidity seemingly threaten the unity of the present-day church. This study aims to contribute to an understanding of unity and diversity that could contribute to the integrity of the church in the third millennium without endorsing the hegemony of the authoritarian church. It attributes a positive meaning to plurality, diversity and the ecumenical movement. This is done after the model of the Cappadocian legacy which associated the immanence (being) of the Trinity with the economy (action) of the Trinity. This model provides the key for the solution to the problemstatement of this thesis. The thesis aims to argue for a correlation between, on the one hand Trinity (diversity in unity) and the ecclesiastical creed (confessing the catholicity of the one church), and on the other hand Christian values such as caritas (agapē) and communion (koinōnia). This study draws a correlation between these Christian values and notions from common law, namely dignitas (dignity) and fama (reputation). The epistemological model for describing a social Trinitarian ecclesiology is that of narrative theology. The ecclesiological model is that of ‗heterotopia‘, a Foucauldian conception of anti-binary space over against the 'utopia‘ as an illusioned space. Chapter 1 indicates the direction of the study: the ecclesiological challenge of the unity of the church amid diversity. The tension between unity and diversity is the crux interpretum of the ecclesiology. The Cappadocian legacy regarding the Trinity is explored as a possible solution. Epistemologically speaking, the approach of the study is a Reformed perspective on the human condition and the methodology is that of narrative. In Chapter 2 the narrative of the Cappadocian renaissance is discussed. The Cappadocian correlation between the immanence (being) of the Trinity and the economy (action) of the Trinity is described and the value thereof for a postmodern ecclesiology is explored. In Chapter 3 an alternative narrative for the church is sought by investigating the Catholic theologian, Edward Schillebeeckx‘s ecclesiology in terms of the concept of liquidity. His contribution was to replace the Catholic maxim extra ecclesiam nulla salus est with extra mundum nulla salus. Hereby he trandscends the boundaries of the church to include the whole world in God‘s salvation. From a postmodern perspective the question would be whether he was able to overcome the binary thinking of his time. The Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa is described as a case in point of a church which endorses genealogy and thereby fails to transcend the binary opposition of exclusivism and inclusivity. Nationalism and racism form the ideological underpinnings of this tendency. Theoretically the confession of unity is underscored but it does not manifest in practice. Ecclesiology should overcome binary and linear thinking in order to be relevant to postmodern culture. In Chapter 4 overcoming binary and linear thinking is illustrated by the exploring the autobiography of Protestant theologian, Jürgen Moltmann, in order to ascertain to what extent narratives of inclusivity can be of value for formulating an inclusive ecclesiology for the church in a postmodern world today. Moltmann‘s ecclesiology is investigated in terms of the concept of a social Trinity. From Moltmann‘s narrative it can been seen that he was radically inclusive in practice even before theories of radical inclusivity had been formulated. However, his emphasis on eschatology and hope tends toward apocalyptic utopian thinking. In Chapter 5 Michel Foucault‘s concept of heterotopia is used to describe reconciliatory diversity, which is characteristic of an inclusive postmodern church which is a space where unity is not threatened by diversity, where the one is not afraid of the Other. In Chapter 6 the study concludes with the finding that to be church in the third millennium entails transcending linear thinking, desacralizing time and space and bidding farewell to any notion of genealogy as constitutive for 'being‘ church. The broad space where this is possible in the 'here‘ and 'now‘ is that of heterotopia. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2013 / Dogmatics and Christian Ethics / unrestricted

[pt] Em nosso atual contexto eclesiológico, descobrimos situações que ofendem a Tradição da Igreja e a eclesiologia de comunhão de Yves M.-J. Congar, cujos legados nos ensinam que a Igreja possui, na Trindade, sua origem, seu modelo, sua inspiração e meta, e que Deus, Único em Três Pessoas, assim o é, devido às relações intratrinitárias entre as Mesmas, garantidas pelo Espírito de Deus. Partindo do pressuposto relacional trinitário, buscamos elaborar, em Congar e outros autores de nossa atualidade, uma fundamentação teológica que privilegie a autonomia relacionada das Pessoas trinitárias como paradigma eclesiológico, para articular as relações de anseio de comunhão na Igreja. Esta, é Mistério radicado na Trindade e visibilizado ao mundo em suas diversas estruturas, às quais, pelo batismo, incorporam-se os membros ontologicamente iguais e ministerialmente diferentes, chamados todos à comunhão, celebrada, louvada e alimentada pela eucaristia, e que, no serviço ao mundo, encontra sua missão e consagração, a exemplo mesmo de Cristo. A Igreja, enviada como sinal de salvação à humanidade, é feita de humanos e, portanto, chamada à conversão. A comunhão é, portanto, na Igreja, o vinho novo, curtido e fermentado nos odres que buscamos ajudar a renovar, na dinâmica e potência do Espírito de Deus. / [en] On our actual ecclesiological context, we descover situations which hurts the Church Tradiction, and, also Y. M.-J. Congar s conception of the Ecclesiology of Communion, which inheritance teach us that the Trinity is the original model, inspiration and finality of the Church; and that God, Unique in Three Persons is so, because, of the intratrinitarian relations between themselves, guaranteed by the Spirit of God. Departing from the trinitarian relational presuposition, we have tried to elaborate, reflecting on Congar s theology and on other authors too, a theological foundation which privileges a relational autonomy of the Trinitarian Persons as an ecclesiological paradign in order to articulate the desire of communional relations in the Church. The Church is a Mystery embeded in the Trinity and made visible to the world through its diverse structures, to which, by the Baptism, are incorporated members ontologically equals and ministerially different, both called to communion between themselves and God. Communion is celebrated, praised and nourished by the Eucharist and must be a service to the world, field of Church s mission and consecration, following Christ s example. The Church sent to the world as a sign of human salvation is composed by human beings, who are called to conversion. So, communion is in the Church, a new wine, fermented and tanned in wine-skins which we have tried to renew under the potency and dynamic of the Spirit of God.

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