Thesis (MTh (Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology. Church History and Church Polity))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Different theologies have sprung up around the celebration of the Eucharist. Consequently at the very point where Christians should be most united there is often controversy, bitterness and division. This is true of the writer’s own social location within the Anglican Church. The central question of this thesis is therefore how an engagement with Christianity’s Jewish roots helps us to reframe Eucharistic theology. In this regard a historical theological approach is employed to track how Eucharistic theological emphases have changed over time in relation to Jewish meal traditions, Jesus’ meal parables and table fellowship. The implications to reconnecting with the essence of Jesus’ social location are somewhat radical and potentially discomforting. Yet there are several obstacles to connecting with roots of our faith. The first obstacle examined in this thesis is the problematic interpretative gap of history, between the strangeness of the past and the familiarity of the present. A second obstacle only briefly touched upon is the attitude of anti-intellectualism in some churches today and an ignorance of the histories of Christianity. However, given the thesis question, the primary focus is on the obstacle of Christian anti-Semitism and the de-Judaising of Christianity. To seek greater continuity with Judaism is, in some ways, to Christianize Christianity. ii

Clement of Alexandria, active in the second half of the second century AD, is one of the first Christian authors to explain and defend the nascent religion in the terms of Greek philosophy and in relation to Greek paideia. His major work, the Stromateis, is a lengthy commentary on the true gnosis of the Christian faith, with no apparent overarching structure or organisational principle, replete with quotations from biblical, Jewish, Greek 'gnostic' and Christian works of all genres. This thesis seeks to read this complex and erudite text in conversation with what has been termed the ‘Second Sophistic’, the efflorescence of elite Greek literature under the Roman empire. We will examine the the text as a performance of authorial persona, competing in the agonistic marketplace of Greek paideia. Clement presents himself as a philosophical teacher in a diadoche from the apostles, arrogating to himself a kind of apostolic authority which appeals to both philosophical notions of intellectual credibility and Christian notions of the authentic handing down of tradition. We will also examine how the work engages key thematic concerns of the period, particularly discourses of intellectual eclecticism and ethnicity, challenging both Greek and Roman forms of hegemony to create a space for Christian identity. Lastly, this thesis will critically examine the Stromateis' intertextual relationship with the Homeric epics; the Iliad and the Odyssey are used as a testing ground for Christian self-positioning in relation to Greek culture as a whole. As we trace this variable relationship, we will also see the cross-fertilisation of reading strategies between Homer and the bible; these developing complex allegorical methods not only presage the rise of Neoplatonism, but also lay the foundations for changes in cultural authority which accompany the Christianisaton of the Roman empire in the centuries after Clement.

In 1922, as the Missionary Secretary of the Student Christian Movement in UK, R. O. participated in the World's Student Christian Federation (WSCF), which gave him a special relationship with China and predestined him for his service in Hong Kong. During the Sino-Japanese War time, R. O. led and participated in many social movements, which strongly supported China to fight for freedom. Among these movements, the Chinese Industrial Co-operation Movement is the most famous one, through which R. O. maintained good relations with both Kuomingtang(KMT) and Chinese Communist Party (CCP). As a far-sighted church leader, he was deeply committed to building up a vigorous Chinese church. He was ahead of his time in ordaining Mok Sau Tseng as the first Chinese assistant bishop in South China in 1935, as well as ordaining Deaconess Florence Li Tim-Oi to be the first woman priest in the world in 1944. In 1956, R. O. visited the New Communist China as the first church leader from Hong Kong; after this visit, he was called "the pink Bishop". Because he then began to promote a positive view on the role of Communism in the development of China. Hong Kong in the 1950s and 1960s faced considerable social pressures. In the meantime, R. O. led the churches in massive response to the millions of refugees and played a significant role as one of the chief architects of the miracle of the post-war years in Hong Kong. Whether in Britain, China or Hong Kong, his concern for China and Chinese people was his expression of God's will in China in practice. / Ronald Owen Hall was an important and remarkable figure in the history of Christianity in China as the seventh Bishop of Hong Kong Anglican Church. He served as bishop of Hong Kong 34 years (1932-1966), which included being the Bishop of South China of Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui (CHSKH) (1932-1951). / Though he has been well recognized as an influential figure, it is unfortunately that not much has been systematically written on his contribution to the history of Christianity in China. This dissertation therefore focuses on Bishop Hall and his relationship with China, and seeks to shed light on it through research about Bishop Hall, especially how deeply his unique theology influenced his relation to China. The study endeavors to explore how Bishop Hall sought to convey in practice God's will for China in interface between western Christian tradition and Chinese society. The historical data presented in this paper is based on a thorough and broad review of primary materials. The primary resources used in this thesis include the Archives of Bishop R. O. Hall and other relevant and important archives. Through this case study, it hopes to provide new insight on the missionary history in 20 Century. / 吳青. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: A, page: 2188. / Thesis (doctoral)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 194-203). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / School code: 1307. / Wu Qing.

My thesis argues for the significance of individual spiritual counselling within post-Reformation English Protestantism. In particular, it demonstrates the prevalence of pastoral letter-writing and explores the purpose and dynamics of these networks. This research represents the first large-scale, comparative examination of a frequently neglected topic. It draws on many little-known letter collections and a number of unexplored manuscripts, alongside some more familiar epistolary sources. Chapter one situates my research in relation to existing literature on individual spiritual counselling and confession. As a counterpoint to the scholarly claim that contemporary accounts of the post-Reformation ministry emphasise the centrality of preaching at the expense of almost all other pastoral functions, I demonstrate the importance which many divines attributed to directing individual consciences, as well as highlighting contemporary thought on the role of the laity as providers of religious counselling. Chapter two uses Nehemiah Wallington's manuscript volume of exemplary spiritual correspondence to demonstrate the importance of epistolary counselling in the ministries of several early modern clergymen. The second section of the chapter argues that Wallington's own engagement with epistolary counselling ultimately served to uphold ministerial authority. Chapter three investigates the spiritual letter-writing relationships of early seventeenth-century Protestant ministers and their gentry patrons and demonstrates the significant potential which existed for clergymen to exercise religious agency and influence with pious elites. Chapter four explores the authoritative and spiritually intimate correspondences in which Richard Baxter engaged with laypeople from across the social spectrum during the 1650s. Current knowledge of his counselling of the Derbyshire gentlewoman, Katherine Gell, is extended through an original reflection on the significance of networks of pastoral direction in early modern English Protestantism. Chapter five explores the nature of religious advice-giving amongst the laity and uncovers its pious motivations. This characteristically 'godly' activity is both compared and contrasted with contemporary clerical counselling.

Chan, Chi Him. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references. / Abstracts in English and Chinese; includes Chinese. / Abstract / Acknowledgement / Table of Contents / Notes on the Style / Chapter Chapter 1: --- Introduction / Chapter 1.1 --- Christianity and Late Qing China (1860-1900) / Chapter 1.2 --- The Sources and Their Authors / Chapter 1.3 --- Outline of the Thesis / Chapter Chapter 2: --- Literature Review / Chapter 2.1: --- Works on Chinese Protestant Christians in Late Qing / Chapter 2.1.1: --- Chinese Protestant Christians' Reception of the Bible / Chapter 2.1.2: --- Historical Context of Chinese Protestant Christians / Chapter 2.1.3: --- History of Translation of the Chinese Bible / Chapter 2.2: --- Methodological Review / Chapter 2.2.1: --- Challenges from Hermeneutic Theories / Chapter 2.2.2: --- Hermeneutical Communities and Hermeneutical Strategies / Chapter 2.2.3: --- Cultural Differences and Linguistic Peculiarity / Chapter Chapter 3: --- The General Reception of the Bible by Chinese Protestant Christians / Chapter 3.1: --- Chinese Protestant Christians' General Attitudes towards the Bible / Chapter 3.2: --- Chinese Protestant Christians' Reception of the Old Testament / Chapter 3.3: --- Chinese Protestant Christians' Reception of the New Testament / Chapter Chapter 4: --- "Christianity, Heterodoxy and Social Order" / Chapter 4.1: --- Late Qing Context: Christianity as Heterodoxy / Chapter 4.1.1: --- Legacy of the Taiping Rebellion / Chapter 4.1.2: --- Mingjiao and Christianity / Chapter 4.1.3: --- "Sorcery, Rebellion and Heterodoxy" / Chapter 4.1.4: --- Conflicts over the Building of Churches / Chapter 4.2: --- The Decline of the Qing Dynasty / Chapter 4.2.1: --- The Corruption of the Qing Administration / Chapter 4.2.2: --- The Advance of the West and the Decline of the Qing Court / Chapter 4.3: --- Jesus and his Kingdom in Context / Chapter 4.3.1: --- The Background of the Reception of the Kingdom of Heaven / Chapter 4.3.2: --- The Kingdom of Heaven as the Kingdom for the Dead / Chapter 4.3.3: --- The Kingdom of Heaven Promotes Social Order / Chapter Chapter 5: --- "The Bible, Chinese Traditions and Confucianism" / Chapter 5.1: --- Confucianism and Chinese Traditional Values / Chapter 5.1.1: --- The Development of Academic Confucianism until Late Qing / Chapter 5.1.2: --- The Three Sects and the Tradition of Moral Books / Chapter 5.2: --- Chinese Protestant Christians' Interpretation of the Bible / Chapter 5.2.1: --- Accusation of Violation of Filial Piety and Christians' Response / Chapter 5.2.2: --- The Idea of Reward and Punishment according to Human Behavior / Chapter 5.2.3: --- Salvation on both Morality and Faith / Chapter 5.3: --- Chinese Protestant Christians' Attitudes towards Confucianism / Chapter 5.3.1: --- The Real Heir of Confucianism / Chapter 5.3.2: --- A Tide of Anti-Confucianism? / Chapter Chapter 6: --- Conclusion / Appendix: List of Transliteration of Name used in this Thesis / Bibliography

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This investigation into a process of transformation was intended to explore the institution of African sacral rule in its relation to the Christian church and to provide a theological model, which could be used to establish a new mission field. The bulk of the work has been conducted through anthropological and historical methods crossing international boundaries and cultures within both sacral rule and the Christian church in Africa. The specific case studies have been the sacral rule of Grassfields people in Cameroon and the Akan in Ghana with focus on the Basel Mission and resulting churches. On the one hand, this comparative approach brought to light in-depth knowledge of the sacral ruler's encounter with the institution of the Christian church and its representatives. On the other hand, the investigation shows that with some preconceived ideas of sacral rule inherited from the missionaries who had established themselves in deliberate rejection of the existing system of government and the people involved, the African church leaders were put at a disadvantage. However, it has been demonstrated that in the process of struggle for survival and change, each institution has been partially assimilated by the· other. Those who have helped these two institutions to deepen their relationship through a genuine dialogue are outstanding Christians who occupied the position of sacral rulers in both Cameroon and Ghana. They have provided historical material on which an understanding of the cultural changes within sacral rule as well as the Christian church was based. The previous religious experience and knowledge of the sacral rulers are invariably used as a frame of reference for their understanding and interpretation of the Bible and their relationship with Christ. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

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