Thesis (Ph.D.) - Harvard University, Cambridge. / Includes bibliographica references (p. [213]-231) and indexes.

This thesis explores the evolving history of the Cistercian convent of Günterstal in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is structured around the anointing of the Last Rites of a Günterstal nun who was blessed on her eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands, heart and feet. The thesis takes each body part as a symbol for understanding the changing environment and practices of the convent, especially the relationship between the nuns' spiritual and everyday lives, and the ways in which the nuns interacted with the world outside. It argues that the nuns developed a spirituality in the later fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries which was closely connected with the everyday world around them in a series of practices which went into decline following the criticism of the Reformation. Many of these were strategies developed by the nuns themselves for breaking down boundaries between convent and world. Attempts at revival in the later sixteenth century of convent life sought to heighten the distance between the convent and the world, in part by developing new forms of internalised spirituality. Yet these attempts at reform were made more difficult by the conflicting interests of those who sought change, the criticism which had come before, and the response of the nuns themselves. The thesis analyses a number of different external symbols of convent life, from the spaces they inhabited to the objects they handled, and shows how these represented a number of different values of what it meant to be a nun in this period, values which did not always sit easily with each other. Günterstal maintained a noble character throughout this period and the social profile of its inhabitants often jarred with the push towards religious uniformity. This thesis shows that the symbolic value of these markers became increasingly heightened over the sixteenth century and took on new forms as a direct result of the attack on the convent way of life in the Reformation.

The dissertation aims to highlight Lactantius´s position among other authors of Christian antiquity and tries to analyze and assess Lactantius´s views pertaining to selected theological topics. First two chapters summarize available findings on Lactantius´s life and integrate his work into the context of early Christian literature. The following part of the dissertation discusses Lactantius´s apologetic method as well as his ideological points of departure and pays attention to his relation toward ancient culture. The focal point of the dissertation lies in the assessment of Lactantius´s views of selected theological issues, such as the teaching about a sole God, teaching about creation, Christology, soteriology, ecclesiology, eschatology, and anthropology. The dissertation espacially looks into overlapping of ancient and Christian world of ideas as they are mirrored in Lactantius´s theological considerations.

Diss. : Théologie : München : 1986. / Originally presented as the author's thesis (doctoral)--Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Wintersemester 1985/86. Includes indexes. Bibliogr.: p. 229-238.

Zugl.: Münster, Universiẗat, Diss., 2007 u.d.T: Mülke, Markus: Falsare haec et corrumpere non timerunt.

Originally presented as the author's Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Trier, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [295]-328) and indexes.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Catholic University of America, 1941. / "Select bibliography": p. xiii-xix.

Originally presented as the author's thesis (doctoral)--Universität Trier, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [295]-328) and indexes.

The thesis Literary Relationship Between the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Thomas aims to provide a closer look at the relationship between the ca- nonical Gospel According to Mark and the apocryphal Gospel According to Thomas. The first part of the thesis serves as an introduction: After prolego- mena to the Gospel of Mark and Thomas, it focuses on several contempora- ry hypotheses of the literary relationship between the Gospel of Thomas and Synoptics, as discussed in more recent articles and monographs. Thereafter, the second part of the thesis presents three studies of Thoma- sian and Markan sayings of Jesus. Where necessary, an excursion is made to other synoptic writings. The second part uses the method of linguistic comparison in order to reconstruct the redaction history and thus explain the original literary relationship of these two ancient writings.

ANGLICKÁ ANOTACE (= předběžná náplň práce) Passio Perpetuae and Its Reflection in the Literature of Ancient Church The "Passion of Perpetua and Felicity" (Passio Perpetuae et Felicitatis) is one of the most renowned texts of early Christian hagiography. Accordingly, it has been enjoying a renewal of scholarly interest in the last decades. However, surprisingly little attention was paid to its literary "Nachleben", and there exist virtually no studies focusing on its reception in the subsequent literature of the early Church. Seemingly simple narrative, describing the martyrdom of a group of North African Christians, has been held in high esteem since its composition. It acquired almost "canonical" status and was considered authoritative not only by the mass of simple believers but by the Christian intellectuals, too. Though highly venerated in the early Church, it contained a number of innovative and - in the context of Antique and early Christian society - potentially subversive features. These novel features were felt to undermine the existing social order and hierarchy, and it was necessary to "explain them away" in order to make the text more compliant with traditional and generally accepted social values. This was then often taken into account, when later authors and interpreters refer to the text. The...