This thesis, A Place of Worship, began with particular ideas for the architectural programme. A site was sought in which green design could be implemented for passive solar and water usage. It became apparent that a more important understanding was to be gained: How does an architect touch a site that already has amazing beauty and spiritual voice? Through this work, the answers to this question were lived-out. / Master of Architecture

This thesis investigates the persistent decline of churches in the United States, particularly within the Northern Illinois Conference (NIC) of the United Methodist Church (UMC). Centered on the transformative capacities of radical hospitality and divine friendship, it explores the underlying causes of decline and advocates for a recalibration of the missional church. Drawing on pastoral experiences and insights from distinguished theologians, the research underscores the significance of leadership training in aligning with Imago Dei and Missio Dei. The study advocates for equipping leaders in fostering radical hospitality and divine friendship, envisioning a rejuvenated missional church that redefines its identity and pertinence in contemporary society through purposeful practices.

Shri Aurobindo (1872-1950) was an Indian scholar, teacher, politician, writer and mystic. He wrote prolifically, including his Magnum Opus "The Life Divine". He developed a philosophical system based on subjective knowledge obtained during experiences of higher states of consciousness. His theory states the cause of creation was Brahman's desire to experience more delight. A creation cycle comprising a downward movement (involution) and an upward movement (evolution) was fashioned for that purpose. At every stage of creation the essence of Brahman remains present in His creation, which makes Brahman both Immanent and Transcendent. The importance of this theory is the intended effect that it can have on the future evolution of mankind, which is now on the evolutionary leg. Humanity, knowing its ultimate goal, and by using Yogic techniques, can evolve to higher states of consciousness right up to the level of Brahman, which is inherent in man at present. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Religious Studies)

This thesis offers a constructive account of the doctrine of divine simplicity in Christian theology. In its methodology, the thesis aims to present this divine perfection as an implicate of the scriptural portrayal of God, to draw upon the insights and conceptual resources of Thomas Aquinas and various Reformed orthodox theologians, and to respond to some objections to divine simplicity. The focus on exegetical elaboration of biblical teaching and the use of Thomas and the Reformed orthodox distinguish this work from a number of recent accounts of God in both systematic theology and analytic philosophy. The case for God's simplicity is made by examining God's singularity, aseity, immutability, infinity, and act of creation in Holy Scripture and then tracing the ways in which these descriptions of God imply that he is (negatively) not composed of parts. Rather, he is (positively) actus purus and really identical with his own essence, existence, and attributes, each of which is identical with the whole being of the triune God considered under some aspect. In light of the constructive work, this study then addresses the three most pressing objections to divine simplicity: (1) that it denigrates God's revelation of his many attributes in the economy; (2) that it eliminates God's freedom in creating the world and acting in history; and (3) that it does not cohere with the doctrine of the Trinity.

Film abstrait peint à la main sur de la pellicule recyclée, The Dante Quartet de Stan Brakhage est une adaptation personnelle de La divine comédie de Dante. Agissant comme un palimpseste où chaque couche révèle des éléments caractéristiques de l’oeuvre du cinéaste ainsi que l’influence de certains poètes et artistes, The Dante Quartet reprend certaines caractéristiques de l’ekphrasis. Dans ce mémoire, je travaille avec l’hypothèse heuristique que The Dante Quartet est une ekphrasis, et plus précisément une ekphrasis inversée. Ce mémoire s’intéresse à ce qui reste du pré-texte après son passage d’un média à un autre. Compte tenu du laps temporel qui sépare ces deux œuvres, il est aussi question d’influences contemporaines au travail de Brakhage. Le cinéaste basant son travail sur les phénomènes de vision (et plus particulièrement sur les visions hypnagogiques dans le cas qui m’occupe), le point sera fait sur la pensée de Brakhage à ce sujet, pensée qu’il expose dans son livre-manifeste Metaphors on Vision. / The Dante Quartet by Stan Brakhage is a personal adaptation of The Divine Comedy of Dante who took the form of an abstract movie made from hand painted images on recycled footage. Acting as a palimpsest in which each layer reveals characteristic features of Brakhage's work and the influence of different poets and artists on it, The Dante Quartet also includes some features of ekphrasis. In this thesis, I work with the heuristic assumption that The Dante Quartet is an ekphrasis, specifically a reverse ekphrasis. This thesis looks at what remains of the pre-text after the transfer from one medium to another. Given the temporal interval between these two works, I will also discuss of certain contemporary influences to Brakhage's work. As the filmmaker based his work on vision phenomena (especially on hypnagogic visions in that movie), the point will be made regarding Brakhage's thinking about this, thought that he describes in his manifesto Metaphors on Vision.

La punition divine est un phénomène récurrent dans la mythologie grecque. L’hybris, commise par des individus vaniteux et orgueilleux aspirant à se comparer aux dieux ou même à se succéder à eux à la domination du Cosmos, provoque une série de châtiments atroces, imposés par les Olympiens à des hommes et à des femmes, à des humains et à des êtres mythiques, à des héros, à des rois et même à d’autres dieux sans discrimination. L’étude actuelle examine l’iconographie de divers types de châtiment divin dans l’art gréco-romain et la peinture occidentale (XVe-XIXe siècles). Elle analyse l’interaction entre les œuvres d’art et les sources littéraires antiques, médiévales et modernes, ainsi que les points communs remarqués entre les thèmes antiques du châtiment divin et certains épisodes bibliques ou chevaleresques. Elle se focalise enfin sur l’influence que l’iconographie de la punition divine antique a exercée sur la politique, la société et la religion aussi bien dans l’Antiquité qu’à l’époque moderne. / Divine punishment constitutes a recurrent phenomenon in Greek mythology. The hubristic behaviour of vain and selfish individuals, who aspire either to compare themselves to the gods or to succeed them to the domination of the Cosmos, provokes a series of atrocious tortures inflicted by the Olympians to men and women, to humans and mythical creatures, to heroes, kings and even to other gods equally.The present PhD study examines the iconography of a variety of types of Divine Punishment in the Greek and Roman art and the occidental painting (15th-19th centuries). It analyses the interaction between the various works of art and the ancient, mediaeval and modern literary sources. It pinpoints the resemblances between the ancient themes and certain biblical or chivalrous episodes. It focuses finally on the influence wielded by the iconography of divine punishment in politics, society and religion, both in Antiquity and in modern times.

Film abstrait peint à la main sur de la pellicule recyclée, The Dante Quartet de Stan Brakhage est une adaptation personnelle de La divine comédie de Dante. Agissant comme un palimpseste où chaque couche révèle des éléments caractéristiques de l’oeuvre du cinéaste ainsi que l’influence de certains poètes et artistes, The Dante Quartet reprend certaines caractéristiques de l’ekphrasis. Dans ce mémoire, je travaille avec l’hypothèse heuristique que The Dante Quartet est une ekphrasis, et plus précisément une ekphrasis inversée. Ce mémoire s’intéresse à ce qui reste du pré-texte après son passage d’un média à un autre. Compte tenu du laps temporel qui sépare ces deux œuvres, il est aussi question d’influences contemporaines au travail de Brakhage. Le cinéaste basant son travail sur les phénomènes de vision (et plus particulièrement sur les visions hypnagogiques dans le cas qui m’occupe), le point sera fait sur la pensée de Brakhage à ce sujet, pensée qu’il expose dans son livre-manifeste Metaphors on Vision. / The Dante Quartet by Stan Brakhage is a personal adaptation of The Divine Comedy of Dante who took the form of an abstract movie made from hand painted images on recycled footage. Acting as a palimpsest in which each layer reveals characteristic features of Brakhage's work and the influence of different poets and artists on it, The Dante Quartet also includes some features of ekphrasis. In this thesis, I work with the heuristic assumption that The Dante Quartet is an ekphrasis, specifically a reverse ekphrasis. This thesis looks at what remains of the pre-text after the transfer from one medium to another. Given the temporal interval between these two works, I will also discuss of certain contemporary influences to Brakhage's work. As the filmmaker based his work on vision phenomena (especially on hypnagogic visions in that movie), the point will be made regarding Brakhage's thinking about this, thought that he describes in his manifesto Metaphors on Vision.

Shri Aurobindo (1872-1950) was an Indian scholar, teacher, politician, writer and mystic. He wrote prolifically, including his Magnum Opus "The Life Divine". He developed a philosophical system based on subjective knowledge obtained during experiences of higher states of consciousness. His theory states the cause of creation was Brahman's desire to experience more delight. A creation cycle comprising a downward movement (involution) and an upward movement (evolution) was fashioned for that purpose. At every stage of creation the essence of Brahman remains present in His creation, which makes Brahman both Immanent and Transcendent. The importance of this theory is the intended effect that it can have on the future evolution of mankind, which is now on the evolutionary leg. Humanity, knowing its ultimate goal, and by using Yogic techniques, can evolve to higher states of consciousness right up to the level of Brahman, which is inherent in man at present. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Religious Studies)

The doctrine of predestination in Western theology had for centuries been burdened by the dualistic conception of Saint Augustine. The bishop of Hippo held that it is God?s intention to reveal His mercy on a small number of those predestined to salvation and His justice on a far larger mass of rightly damned sinners. He came to be convinced that salvation is an utterly undeserved gift and consequently he negated the importance of human freedom. His interpretation would rather give rise to anxiety than the hope Scripture speaks about. Vladimír Boublík dared to oppose Augustine?s authority and presented an entirely different solution based on modern exegesis of the Pauline epistles. He defined predestination as an irreversible divine decision the content of which is the participation of all humanity on divine life in Christ. The present paper shows that Boublík?s theology stems from not just academic, but above all existential search for the answer to the question of human destiny marked with sin, suffering and death. It is already apparent on the pages of the spiritual diary the author kept during his studies. All his writing shows the intention to address his contemporaries and lead them to Christ who stands in the centre of the author?s thinking. This paper attempts to follow up on the work of the Czech exile theologian. It presents his conception of predestination and further develops it in some respects. Besides other things, it throws light on the previously unclarified problem of Christ?s primacy in predestination. Vladimír Boublík?s thesis is confronted with objections that have been raised against it and its content is compared with the content of today?s contribution to the topic.

Les chansons populaires grecques sont imprégnées d’une profonde religiosité qui apparaît à la fois comme cadre et comme vecteur d’action. Le poète populaire entretient une relation multidimensionnelle avec le Dieu de la Bible et de l’Ancien Testament et fait des saints et des anges des personnages actifs et récurrents dans les textes ; ils évoluent parallèlement avec les héros et leurs destinées s’entrecroisent. Charos est une figure mythique qui joue un rôle fondamental dans l’ensemble des chansons. Personnage mythologiquement et symboliquement sophistiqué, Charos constitue le pilier des mirologues. Ses relations ambiguës avec la divinité déterminent celles qu’il entretient avec l’homme et fait de lui un être à part. A la fois incarnation du mal et agent de la mort, son riche parcours historique dévoile ses nombreuses facettes, ainsi que ses liens avec certaines figures héroïques ambigües telles que Digenis ou Tsamados. La nature et les animaux détiennent un rôle significatif, caractérisé d’une sacralité profonde, et ils accompagnent l’homme des chansons dans tous les aspects de sa vie personnelle et sociale. Leur capacité de métamorphose et leur rôle d’annonciateurs dans les ballades, placent les animaux sur le devant de la scène et leur accordent un rôle de première importance dans le déroulement de l’action. Le poète accorde une importance particulière à l’aspect social du sacré en explorant la notion de la trahison divine mais également celle de l’obéissance de l’homme à son dieu. La vie monacale et le clergé comme l’altérité religieuse, deviennent l’objet d’une critique d’ordre social et une source d’humour. Les chansons populaires véhiculent en les adaptant un nombre important de mythes qui ont une logue présence sur le territoire hellénique : le mythe de Tantale, de Calypso et d’Adonis en font partie. L’héritage antique de l’expression publique du deuil, du rachat du mort et du tombeau du héros vient former les bases de la philosophie populaire et fait de la mort un véritable croisement de cultures. / Greek folk songs are infused with a profound religiosity that appears both as a framework and as a means of action. The folk poet has a multidimensional relationship with the God of the Bible and of the Old Testament and makes saints and angels active and recurrent personalities in his texts; they evolve in parallel with the heroes, and their destinies intertwine. Charos is a mythical figure that plays a fundamental role throughout the songs. A mythologically and symbolically sophisticated personality, Charos is the pillar of the lament songs. His ambiguous relationship with the divine determines his relationship with man, and makes him a separate being. Both incarnation of evil and agent of death, his rich historical journey reveals his many faces, as well as his links with some heroic and ambiguous figures such as Digenis or Tsamados. Nature and the animals hold a significant role, characterised by a profound sacredness, and they accompany man in all aspects of his personal and social life. Their ability to transform and their role as announcers in the ballads, place the animals on the front of the stage and grant them a major role in the unfolding of the action. The poet attaches particular importance to the social aspect of the sacred by exploring the notion of divine betrayal but also that of obedience of man to his god. Monastic life and the clergy, as well as religious diversity, become objects of social criticism, and a source of humour. Folk songs preserve an important number of myths by adapting them, that have a literary presence in the Hellenic territory: the myths of Tantalus, Calypso and Adonis belong to them. The ancient heritage of the public expression of grief, of the redemption of the dead and of the hero's tomb, forms the basis of folk philosophy and makes death a true crossroads of cultures.