Thesis (M.A.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2004. / Bibliography: leaves 137-141.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Regent College, Vancouver, BC, 2001. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-156).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Western Seminary, Portland, OR, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 421-428).

Project (D. Min.)--Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, 1986. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-82).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of History, 2006. / "Title from dissertation home page (viewed July 9, 2007)." Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-08, Section: A, page: 3118. Adviser: Dyan Elliott.

Inaug.-Diss.--Münster. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Westminster Theological Seminary, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-116).

No description available.

The officials of St Andrews exercised in contested disputes a jurisdiction delegated by the bishop in his role as 'ordinary'; it was an authority co-extensive with that of the bishop but excluded the ordinary's jurisdiction in correctional matters, which was delegated to other officers. Officials appeared in most Scottish dioceses during the course of the thirteenth century, and by their specialist skills soon acquired the responsibility in jurisdiction that had formerly pertained either to groups of clergy acting collectively, or to other episcopal officers such as the archdeacon. The venue of the official's work developed from the meetings of chapters to more comprehensive consistories, and finally to an established court with regular sessions. By the sixteenth century these courts were professionally staffed: the procurator fiscal had an important role in both advocacy and prosecution, while skilled procurators were available to represent clients in court. Court procedure could be highly complex, but in addition to the multiple stages of plenary procedure there were also forms of summary process which offered cheaper and more immediate settlements of disputes. Actions concerning the church or its priests were common, but the courts dealt more with the recovery of private debts, the settlement of testamentary matters and the regulation of contracts; the registration of acts of monition was also an important service to the minor financial transactions of the community. The officials and procurators were closely involved in the operation of the civil courts, and the ecclesiastical jurisdiction clearly represented an integral part of the national judicial system. The church courts were not, however, immune to criticism. In addition to acts of public violence the church lawyers faced much criticism of the delays and expense of their system. Certainly plenary procedure discriminated in favour of the wealthier suitors, but there were short forms of judicial process available, and there is no sign of regular appeals to Rome. Remaining relatively unmoved in times of national crisis, the church courts played an important role in the social and commercial affairs of ordinary people in sixteenth-century Scotland, and show no sign of decline less than a decade before the Reformation. Much of the system, both in practice and personnel, survived the religious revolution intact and played an influential part in the subsequent development of Scots Law.

This thesis is an examination of the Synod and its administration of clerical discipline in Zürich between 1532 and 1580. It is an investigation to determine how an early reformed institution implemented the teachings on discipline amongst the rural clergy. The basis of the work are the surviving manuscript records of the Synod found in the Zürich Staatsarchiv together with other ecclesiastical records and the writings of the reformers. The beginning point of the thesis is the historical and theological background to the Synod. The diocesan synods of Constance served as a useful model for Zwingli, as, on the whole, the structure of the rural church was left intact by the Reformation. The Synod was formed in 1528 with a brief shaped by the theological revolution of the 1520s. The idea of discipline as integral to Zwingli's teachings on God, the Church and the Christian life is examined. Bullinger's further explication of clerical discipline is discussed as the basis for the restoration of the Synod in 1532 following Kappel. The next section examines the structure and composition of the Synod. From the surviving documents it is possible to reconstruct the membership and agenda. The work of the clerical and civil representatives is discussed along with the Synod's working relationships with the other ecclesiastical and civil bodies of the canton. The Synod was part of a hierarchy of discipline which began with the parish and culminated in the Council. The central part of the thesis is a systematic treatment of the disciplinary cases in the Synod. Using Bullinger's schematic outline for the life of the minister, the cases are divided thematically that they might be studied in light of pertinent theological, political and social factors. The work of Bullinger in guiding the Synod was crucial and considerable attention is given to his writings. Finally, the thesis offers a detailed prosopography of the ministers involved in disciplinary cases between 1532 and 1580. The information provided indicates the wide range of problems afflicting the Zürich church and the heterogeneous nature of the rural clergy. The position of the Zürich church in the sixteenth century debates over discipline is well known. It rejected the system of separate church courts employed in the mediaeval and later in the Calvinist churches. This thesis explores what happened when the Zürich reformers and magistrates actually attempted to enforce their concept of discipline upon the clergy.