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This dissertation addresses the problem of whether the Gospel of Matthew reflects a Jewish Christian or gentile Christian stance within the early church. A study of the principal theories of the evolution of the early church provides the background against which the terms "Jewish Christian" and "gentile Christian" may be understood. The dissertation examines the bases on which Matthew has been classified as either Jewish Christian or gentile Christian. This previous work on Matthew is found to be unsatisfactory because of the lack of adequate criteria for classifying Matthew. A study of Acts and the letters of Paul reveals that the practice or rejection of Jewish dietary purity was a cause of division in the early church, and thus constitutes a suitable criterion for distinguishing between Jewish and gentile Christianity. Examination of Mt 15:1-20 shows that Matthew does not accept Jewish dietary purity as a part of God's will. Matthew thus reflects a gentile Christian position.

Abstract not available. / Thesis (Ph.D)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

The relationship between the church and the synagogue has always been complex. Both as religions and as traditions, Christianity and Judaism are related to each other in ways that make it difficult for them to be merely parallel phenomena. On the one hand, Christianity grew out of Judaism with a claim to the fulfilment thereof, and, on the other hand, in the history of ideas they are intertwined beyond disentanglement. Besides the simple fact that Jesus lived and died as a pious Jew, the church and the synagogue share a common scripture and use common language about God. During its history the church has not always known how to understand this close relationship with the synagogue. For the most part it tried to destroy the relationship, theologically and even at times physically. This attitude of theological anti-Judaism is called supercessionism. It understands the church as superior to the synagogue since the church is the heir of the promises of the Old Testament, especially as they are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The question arose after the horror of Hitler's "Final Solution" whether the church's theological relationship with the synagogue expressed in supercessionism was connected in any way to racial anti-Semitism. For some theologians there was absolutely no link, but for others clearly so. Seeing more than a simple link between secular and sacred anti-Judaism, these theologians went one step further by showing that anti-Judaism had a basis in the church's New Testament. Thus it was impossible to preach the gospel without at the same time attacking Judaism. This paper attempts to show the connection between racial and theological anti-Judaism, by examining in some depth the church's teaching of supercessionism and showing how this teaching has contributed to racial anti-Semitism. This connection is made in order to suggest the need for a new model of relationship between church and synagogue, a model called engraftment, an image that expresses the church's and the synagogue's interrelatedness and equality. But our model, instead of rejecting the New Testament scripture as anti-Jewish, seeks to reinterpret it, especially the teaching of Paul, in order to use it as a basis for renewal. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, November, 1995.

INTENTIONAL PRACTICE OF SHARED LEADERSHIP IN THE MARKETPLACE BY CHRISTIAN LEADERS: A MULTI-CASE STUDY Michael Larry Davis, Ed.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2014 Chair: Michael S. Wilder In light of the biblical roots of shared leadership it is difficult to understand the lack of research related to the practice of shared leadership by Christian business leaders in the marketplace. Although research of shared leadership has been robust since its emergence in the last quarter-century, little or no research of shared leadership by Christian leaders existed before this study. Designed as a qualitative multiple case study, this thesis explores the practice of shared leadership in three cases for the express purpose of discovering best practices for shared leadership in the marketplace by Christian leaders. Although the enterprises studied are not necessarily described as Christian companies, all clearly understand their existence as a tool for living out the Gospel in the world. I isolated ten established best practices of shared leadership through the literature review. Through case observation, personal interviews, and document collection, the established best practices were validated for each site. Additionally, five unique best practices for shared leadership by Christian marketplace leaders were identified. Christian marketplace leaders who practice shared leadership: 1. Seek to enrich the lives of all stakeholders as a primary purpose of the enterprise by providing good paying jobs for employees, exceptional service to customers, and a fair profit for owners and stockholders. 2. Encourage stakeholders to embrace biblical discipleship practices in leadership by honoring God in their work and by treating others as they wish to be treated. 3. Seek to support corporate as well as biblical values by articulating a biblical view of work. 4. Leverage the value of people for the common good of employees, customers, and other stakeholders. 5. Expect stakeholders to embrace and live out biblical virtues. Chapter 1 introduces the research problem, its theological foundation, and practical significance. It also defines the research question while plotting the study's limitations. Chapter 2 examines the precedent literature and recounts the history of shared leadership as it emerged from antecedent forms of leadership. Chapter 3 presents the research design, defines the population, establishes the selection criteria, and outlines the instrumentation. Chapter 4 analyzes the findings, while chapter 5 presents my conclusions. The study's ultimate aim is to enrich the literature base by acknowledging the biblical foundations of shared leadership and the natural inclination of Christian business leaders to practice shared leadership as a result of their Christian faith.

The purpose of the study is to compare the attitudes to Islam of Samuel Crowther, Edward Blyden, and Walter Miller in the light of their work in West Africa. Their careers overlapped to some extent. Crowther was active from 1841-1891, Blyden from 1851-1912, Miller from 1897-1952. Each man was involved in missionary activity. For Crowther and Miller this was life-long. In Blyden's case, the break came in 1886, when he resigned as a Presbyterian minister, to become what he called 'a minister of Truth 1 . After this date his career became more controversial. Like the other two, he continued to be interested in the theory and practice of mission among Muslims and in a critical comparison of Christianity and Islam, as religious systems which could secure liberation for Africans from all forms of slavery, whether physical, cultural or spiritual. The study consists of nine chapters which provide a systematic analysis of the central theme. The introductory section discusses purpose, method and scope. Chapter one consists of an analysis of Christian attitudes to Islam, which serves as the basis for a comparison of the attitudes of Crowther, Blyden arid Miller in the final chapter. The second chapter deals with the nineteenth century background to the work of the three men. The following chapters deal, successively, with the life and attitude to Islam of each man. The chapters on attitudes are divided, thematically, in order to discuss the various aspects more systematically. The concluding chapter contains a comparative assessment. Two appendices (concerned vrith Blyden and Miller, respectively), a full list of sources, and a bibliography, complete the study.

Most modern studies have portrayed the Mamluk period as that in which the Christian population of the Mamluk empire reached its demise. Two reasons are most often given for this situatoon: 1) the effect of the Crusades in arousing anti-Chrtstian sentiment and 2) the Mongol invasions to which several Christian powers gave active assistance. This study which is limited to the contemporary and later Arabic chronicles and which examines the reign of Qala'un as a case study for the Mamluk period, indicates that contrary to this view, no correlation exists between these two historical factors and the treatment of Christians in the Mamluk period during the relgn of Qala'un. In fact, the situation of the indigenous Christians seems to have been relatively stable. Those measures which were instituted were taken against a particular category of Christians, not against the populatlon as a whole. Not only do the Mamluks of this period seem to have distinguished between various Christian parties in their treatment of them, but a variety of opinion concerning Christians seems to have existed among various elements of the Muslim population as well. Furthermore, Mamluk policy at this period toward foreign Christian powers does not seem to have been motivated by purely religious considerations. Thus, our views concerning the Mamluk period must be revised to recognlze that, although the Mamluk period was certalnly a period of decline for Christianity, it should, nevertheless, not be described uniformly as being one of disaster for the Christian community.

IN THIS THESIS I ARGUE THAT DAVID HUME DEVELOPED A PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION AS AN EMPRICIST AND A NATURALIST PHILOSOPHER, AND DEFENDED HIS PHILOSOPHY AGAINST THE RATIONALIST TRADITION.

Thesis (M.A.)--Cincinnati Bible Seminary, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [104]-109).

Thesis (M.A.)--Cincinnati Bible Seminary, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [210]-221).