Text in Afrikaans / Aquinas's five point argument for God's existence views creation as a holistic entity in which synthesis and creative influences are initiated through the interaction between minimal and maximal acts of being. These acts are represented by the per accidens and the per se respectively. Both these acts are fundamental acts which are crucial to the outcome of the argument for the existence of God. The creature who, because of his per accidens dependency, possesses minimal status, is elevated to a place of honour by participation in creation. Both the essence and esse of creatures have their origin in the pure esse of the maximal act of being (God). Maximal being, the efficient cause, grounds the similarity between itself and minimal acts of being. Both the per accidens and the per se have crucial roles to play in the verification of tbe argument. Should any one of these two elements be lacking, the argument would be invalid. / Aquinas se Quinque Via as 'n Holistiese Beredenering is 'n vyfpunt-argument vir die bestaan van God wat die skepping as 'n eenheid beskou waarin sintese en skeppende invloede bewerkstellig word deur interaksie tussen minimale en maksimale bestaansaktes. Die bestaansaktes word deur die per accidens en die per se (wat die fundamentele boustene in die argument vorm) verteenwoordig. Die skepsel wat vanwee sy per accidens- afhanklikheid beperkte status beklee, word deur bemiddeling van die per se of maksimale bestaansakte (God) tot deelgenoot verhef en beklee ·n ereplek in die skepping. Beide die esse en essensie van menslike wesens het hul oorsprong in die suiwer esse van die maksimale bestaansakte. Maksimale bestaan, die effektiewe oorsaak, begrond die ooreenkoms tussen sigself en die minimale bestaansaktes. Die per accidens sowel as die per se vervul 'n onontbeerlike rol in die bewysvoering van die argument. Sou een van die twee fundamentele elemente ontbreek, sou die argument in geheel ongeldig wees. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / M.A. (Wysbegeerte)

Text in Afrikaans / Weens kerke se eskatologiese verskille is daar twee hoofstrome van millennialisme: chiliasme en antichiliasme, wat tradisioneel as alternatiewe teenoor mekaar gestel word. Hierdie verhandeling behels egter 'n holistiese vergelyking van verskillende eskatologiee en hulle gepaardgaande millennialismes, ten einde die drie hoofstrome van millennialisme: pre-, post- en amillennialisme, met Konig se millennialisme te vergelyk. 'n Literatuurstudie toon dat Konig eskatologie definieer as die realisering van God se doel (die verbond) met die skepping deur die persoon van Jesus Christus. Die realisering van hierdie doel het met Christus se eerste koms in die Nuwe-Testamentiese bedeling begin. Derhalwe handhaaf Konig 'n Christosentriese eskatologie i.p.v. die tradisionele 'verdinglikte' eskatologie wat die eskatologie definieer as die allerlaaste dinge wat moet gebeur voor die einde van die wereld. Waarteoloe dus in die algemeen slegs 'n gedeelte van die N.T. as eskatologiese veld beskou (soos bv. Barth wat die eskatologie by Christus se opstanding begin, en Moltmann wat dit by Christus se kruisiging begin), sien Konig die hele N.T. as eskatologie in 'n Christologiese sin. Teenoor sommige teoloe wat weer die O.T. as eskatologie klassifiseer, betoog Konig dat hoewel die O.T. toekomsgerig is, dit nie ware eskatologie kan wees nie, want toe was God se doel/verbond/koninkryk nog nie in die mens Jesus Christus verwesenlik nie. In 'n toekomsgerigte sin kan die O.T., volgens Konig, wel 'eskatologie' genoem word, maar dan sal dit 'mislukte eskatologie' wees. Maar die werklike realisering van God se doel met die skepping deur Christus, het eers in die N.T. met die eerste koms van Jesus Christus begin. Die resultaat van ons evaluering van Konig toon duidelike teologiese verskille wat Konig met die chiliaste en met die antichiliaste het. Konig kan bv. nie saamstem met die chiliaste se idee van 'n millennium wat vir 'n bepaalde tydperk sal bestaan nie. Ook gaan hy nie akkoord met die antichiliaste se sg. millennium wat vir 'n onbepaalde tydperk sal duur nie. Dog ten spyte van verskille tussen Konig en die antichiliaste, is daar wel betekenisvolle ooreenkomste. Hier dink ons bv. aan die felt dat Konig saam met die antichiliaste betoog teen die chiliaste se siening van 'n letterlike vrederyk op die ou aarde wat presies eenduisend jaar sal duur. In ons konklusie is dit duidelik dat die verskille tussen Konig en ander millennialiste te wyte is aan veel meer as net hulle onderskeie hermeneutiese interpretasies van die eskatologie en die sg. millennium. Teenoor die tradisionele eskatologie se verengde teleskopiese tonnelvisie wat die eskatologiese veld beperk net tot 'n allerlaaste eindtydelike bedeling, staan Konig se bree makroskopiese voelvlugvisie wat die eskatologiese lyn vanaf Christus se krip tot by sy troon op die nuwe aarde laat strek. Maar aangesien dit in die lig van Konig se ekumeniese teologie tog moontlik is om eerder die punte van ooreenkoms as die van verskil tussen die millennialistiese benaderings te beklemtoon, word 'n ekumeniese toekomsblik vir die millenniumdebat voorgestel. / Because of eschatological differences amongst churches, there are two main streams of millennialism: chiliasm and antichiliasm, which is traditionally set as alternatives against each other. This dissertation, however, contains a holistic comparison of different eschatologies and their accompanying millennialisms, in order to compare the three main streams of millennialism: pre-, post- and amillennialism, with Konig's millennialism. A literary study shows that Konig defines eschatology as the realization of God's purpose i.e. the covenant) with the creation through the person of Jesus Christ. The realization of this purpose had started at the first coming of Christ in the dispensation of the N.T. Therefore Konig maintains a Christocentric eschatology in stead of the traditional 'thing-ifying' eschatology that defines eschatology as the very last things to happen before the end of the world. Whereas theologians in general would envisage only part of the N.T. as the field of eschatology (as for instance Barth who starts his eschatology at the resurrection of Christ, and Moltmann who starts it at the crucifixion of Christ), Konig would deem the whole N.T. as eschatology in a Christological sense. Over against some theologians that would also classify the O.T. as eschatology, Konig would argue that although the O.T. is oriented towards the future, it could not be true eschatology, since God's purpose/covenant/kingdom was not yet realized through the man Christ Jesus in the O.T. Because of the futurological force of the O.T., it could well be called 'eschatology' according to Konig, but then it would only be an 'unsuccessful eschatology'. But the true realization of God's purpose with the creation through Christ, had only started in the N.T. at the first coming of Jesus Christ. The result of our evaluation of Konig shows distinct theological differences that Konig has with both the chiliasts and the antichiliasts. Konig could for instance not agree with the chiliasts' idea of a millennium that will exist for a definite period of time. Neither could he agree with the antichiliasts' notion that the socalled millennium will continue for an indefinite period of time. Though despite the differences between Konig and the antichiliasts, there are also meaningful similarities. Take for instance the fact that Konig joins the antichiliasts in their argument against the chiliasts' idea of a literal kingdom of peace on the old earth, which will presumably last exactly for one thousand years. In our conclusion it is quite clear that the differences between Konig and the other millennialists are the result of much more than their respective hermeneutical interpretations of eschatology and the socalled millennium. In contrast to the narrow telescopic tunnel vision of the traditional eschatology that limits the eschatological field to an ultimate endtime dispensation, stands Konig's broad macroscopic birdflight vision that stretches the eschatological line from Chrtist's crib to his throne on the new earth. But since it is possible in the light of Konig's ecumenical theology to rather stress the points of agreement than that of disagreement amongst the various millennialistic approaches, an ecumenical vision for the future of the millennium debate is proposed / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / Th. M. (Sistematiese Teologie)

The French Benedictine monk Henri Le Saux (Abhishiktananda) sought to establish an Indian Christian monasticism, emphasizing Hindu advaitic experience. He understood advaita as both nondual and non-monistic. Using phenomenology and comparative philosophy, this thesis explores his understanding and experience of advaita, comparing it to both traditional Hinduism and neo-Vedanta, as well as to Christianity and Zen Buddhism. Abhishiktananda's description of his experience is examined in relation to perception, thinking, action, ontology and theology. Special attention is given to comparing the views of the Hindu sages Ramana Maharshi and Gnanananda, both of whom influenced Abhishiktananda. Abhishiktananda believed that advaita must be directly experienced; this experience is beyond all words and concepts. He compares Christian apophatic mysticism and Hindu sannyasa. This thesis examines his distinction between experience and thought in relation to recent philosophical discussions. Abhishiktananda radically reinterprets Christianity. His affirmation of both nonduality and non-monism was influenced by Christian Trinitarianism, interpreted as an emanation of the Many from the One. Jesus' experience of Sonship with the Father is an advaitic experience that is equally available to everyone. Abhishiktananda believes that the early Upanishads report a similar experience. A monistic interpretation of advaita only developed later with the "dialectics" of Shankara's disciples. In non-monistic advaita, the world is not an illusion. Using ideas derived from tantra and Kashmir Saivism, Abhishiktananda interprets maya as the sakti or power of Shiva. He compares sakti to the Holy Spirit. Abhishiktananda distinguishes between a pure consciousness experience (nirvikalpa or kevala samadhi) and a return to the world of diversity in sahaja samadhi. Ramai:ia and Gnanananda make a similar distinction. Sahaja samadhi is the state of the jivanmukti, the one who is liberated while still in the body; it is an experience that is referred to in tantra and in Kashmir Saivism. Abhishikta:nanda never experienced nirvikalpa samadhi, but he did experience sahaja samiidhi. The appendix provides one possible synthesis of Abhishiktananda's understanding of advaita using the ideas of C.G. Jung. / Religious Studies and Arabic / Religious Studies and Arabic / D. Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / Die tema van hierdie studie toon die kerkbegrip van Cyprianus aan as 'n spanning tussen die kerk as instituut en die kerk van die Gees. Hoofstuk een skets die invloed van Tertullianus as leermeester op Cyprianus. Tertullianus se kerkbegrip getuig self van spanning wat die produk is van 'n verandering van lidmaatskap vanaf die Katolieke kerk na die Montaniste. Tertullianus se kerkbegrip word vanuit twee perspektiewe belig. Eerstens vanuit 'n Katolieke, met 'n fokus op die fundering van die ware kerk en die mag van die kerk om sondes te kan vergewe. Tweedens vanuit 'n Montanistiese, wat die def iniering van die ware kerk en die mag van die kerk om sondes te kan vergewe eksklusief geestelik begrond. Hoofstuk twee skets die milieu waarbinne Cyprianus gearbei het. Dit sluit in 'n biografie van Cyprianus en die Afrika-religie en bevolking. Tweedens word die Europese invloed op Cyprianus se kerkbegrip aangedui. Die invloed van die Romeinse staatkundige model kan duidelik waargeneem word. Die grootste invloed was egter die Roomse kerklike model, weens die dinamika van die Roomse kerk. Hoofstuk drie skets die ekklesiologie van Cyprianus. Die spanning tussen die kerk as 'n instituut en die kerk van die Gees word aangedui deur 'n bespreking van die episkopaat; die betekenis van die biskop; Cyprianus se gesagsbegrip en sy perspektief op die primaat. Cyprianus se Bybelse verbintenis, sowel as die twee historiese lyne, naamlik die Pauliniese lyn en die Petruslyn, plaas sy uitspraak salus extra ecclesiam non est in perspektief. Cyprianus se kerkbegrip is primer 'n ekklesiologie van die Gees. In sy strewe na die eenheid van die kerk vind hy die kerk as instituut egter onontbeerlik. Spanning onstaan in sy poging om 'n sintese tussen die twee te vorm. / The theme of this study reveals the tension to be found between the church as institution and the church of the Spirit, in the ecclesiology of Cyprian. Chapter one shows the influence which Tertullian, as tutor, exerted on Cyprian. The ecclesiology of Tertullian also reveals the tension which is produced by the change of membership from Catholicism to Montanism. Tertullian's ecclesiology is highlighted from two different perspectives. Firstly from a Catholic view, with the focus on the fundamentals of the true church, and the authority and power of the church to forgive sins. Secondly, a Montanist view is proposed, which defines the true church, and the power it yields in forgiving sins, as being exclusively spiritual in nature. Chapter two describes the environment in which Cyprian worked. This includes a biography of Cyprian, as well as the African religion and people. Secondly the European influence is shown on Cyprian's ecclesiology. The influence exerted by the Roman state model is also clearly seen. The major influence though, was exercised by the Roman church model, on account of the dynamics of the Roman church. Chapter three describes Cyprian's ecclesiology. The tension between the church as institute and the church of the Spirit is revealed in a discussion on the episcopacy; the significance of the bishop; Cyprian's view on authority and his perspective on the primacy. Cyprian's biblical connection, as well as the two historical lines, namely the Pauline and Petrine lines, put his salus extra ecclesiam non est pronouncement in perspective. ecclesiology the unity of Cyprian's view is primarily that of a of the Spirit. In his striving towards the church though, he finds the church as institute to be indispensable. Tension develops in his endeavor to form a synthesis between the two. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th.

Landmarkism was a sectarian view of Baptist church history and practice. It arose in the mid-eighteenth century and was a dominant force in the first half-century of the life of the Southern Baptist Convention, America’s largest Protestant denomination. J. R. Graves was its chief architect, promoter, and apologist. He initiated or helped propagate controversies which shaped Southern Baptist life and practice. His influence spread Landmarkism throughout the Southern Baptist Convention through religious periodicals, books, and educational materials. Key Landmark figures in the seminaries and churches also promoted these views. After over fifty years of significant impact the influence of Landmarkism seemed to diminish eventually fading from sight. Many observers of Southern Baptist life relegated it to a movement of historical interest but no current impact. In an effort to examine this assumption, research was conducted which explored certain theological positions of Graves, other Landmarkers, and sects claimed as the true church by the promoters of Baptist church succession. Further research focused on the Landmark influence leading up to the American Civil War (1861-1865) and the spread of Landmarkism after the death of Graves (1893) until the close of the twentieth century. The research revealed significant theological inconsistencies which were heretofore unexamined critically and often ignored by promoters of the Landmark view as long as the view of the Baptist Church and its history was within Landmark definitions. A mass of vituperative rhetoric in defense of slavery from Landmark authors was uncovered. It was also found that significant percentages of Southern Baptists still hold some key Landmark beliefs. The persistence of these beliefs is tied to Landmarkers in key positions within the Southern Baptist Convention and the influence of local pastors with Landmark views. Landmarkism is a term the average Southern Baptist cannot define. Landmark beliefs, however, are still present, but many view them merely as Baptist doctrine and history. The research concluded that Landmarkism is far from a forgotten piece of Southern Baptist history. Its influence, impact, and grip are very visible in some Southern Baptist beliefs and practices. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th. (Church History)

This dissertation answers the following: "Why did Paul describe Jesus as hilasterion?" Throughout it, I have examined the questions of the "what" versus the "why": "What is the meaning of hilasterion (hilasterion)" versus "why has the death of Christ been metaphorised as hilasterion." Notwithstanding the uniformity among theologians that the meaning (the "what") of the text should occupy centre space, the enquiries of both Bible translators and Pauline scholars have yielded different meanings as far as iA.cronpwv is concerned. The question "why" shifts the project's focus from the meaning of the text to the performativity, which entails asking different questions. As a result, I have problematised "propitiation," "expiation" and "mercy-seat" as interpretational models for hilasterion, because these theological models neglect the rhetorical situation which leads to a misunderstanding of hilasterion. Consequently, applying the three-pronged rhetorical approaches to my text has enabled me to move the discussion away from a purely textual, away from the harmonization of "ideas," away from a traditional theological paradigm thinking only in terms of soteriology and the salvific to a paradigm where the rhetorical, to where the social-cultural and the religiopolitical contexts has been taken into consideration. Dispositio has acted as the foreground for impartiality that facilitated the accommodation of the non-Jews in the Abrahamic family which is hilasterion's performativity. I have argued that apostrophe in service of stasis theory had numerous Jewish fundamentals redefined, without which the notion of hilasterion would not have made sense. I have demonstrated how patron versus client relationship emerged in the depiction of hilasterion as a gift from God, evidence of his righteousness, and how riposte operated in dislodging the non-Jews from their social position and relocating them within the nation of God. The metaphorisation of Jesus' death and his portrayal as hilasterion had a number of tasks. It normalised a situation, it brought about an alternative situation into existence, it endorsed social solidarity, it brought about a different genealogy into effect, it sanctioned the construction of a "new and superior race," and ulitmatley it produced inclusivity of the non-Jews into the Jewish family since Jesus tremendously had high values then extreme value was assigned to the non-Jews. Thus, I have problematised decontextualised theologising, easy theologising (as "propitiation," "expiation," and " mercy-seat"), in order to demonstrate that a socio-rhetorical appraisal of hilasterion requires theologians to rethink the categories they operate with. / New Testament / M. Th. (New Testament)

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.

The Philosophers such as ibn-Sina had maintained that time and space were co-eternal with Allah, emanating by necessity from His Attributes, and not being the results of a deliberate act of creation. This must be the case, for otherwise nothing would have been present to induce Him to create the world after a period of non-existence. Al-Ghazali's refutation of this is that Allah had decreed in pre-eternity that the world would materialize at a future, predetermined date, selecting an instance for its birth from a myriad like-instances by exercising His Free Will and manifesting therewith a cause with a delayed effect. The Philosophers' explanation of local phenomena as resulting from the perpetual motion of the spheres is flawed, since perpetual celestial motions would result in perpetual, not transient phenomena. Time, the measure of motion, does not extend beyond the physical realm. Time, and hence motion, is finite. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Ancient Languages & Cultures)

Thesis (DTh (Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / This dissertation explores how Anglican and Protestant church perspectives on the papacy are increasingly changing, as they identify the need for and value of a universal ministry of unity that may potentially be recognised in the future as a legitimate and propitious structure of ministry, though not without modification.

A partir da segunda metade do século XIX, as missões batistas norte-americanas passaram a realizar campanhas evangelizadoras em diferentes cidades brasileiras, com o intuito de promover uma reforma no sistema religioso local, cujas bases ideológico-doutrinárias se estabeleceram ao longo de três séculos de presença hegemônica da Igreja Católica. O movimento batista foi introduzido no cenário religioso da Nação em 1881, ano a partir do qual pregadores enviados pela Junta de Missões Estrangeiras passaram a se fixar no país, em virtude da aprovação da criação de uma frente missionária permanente no Brasil. Diante de semelhante perspectiva, o projeto na área de Publicações não restringia o seu campo de atuação aos centros urbanos, áreas onde o grau de escolaridade de seus leitores era potencialmente mais elevado. O consenso em torno da idéia de que a criação de um veículo de informação de alcance nacional contribuiria para o crescimento qualitativo e quantitativo das Igrejas (quantitativo no que se refere à abertura de novas congregações e qualitativo no que concerne à implementação da formação religiosa e intelectual dos fiéis), viabilizou a fundação do Jornal Batista, na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, no ano de 1901. O compromisso com a evangelização do povo brasileiro, o zelo com o aprofundamento do conhecimento bíblico e com a instrução dos crentes e o propósito de fornecer informação sobre os acontecimentos do mundo contemporâneo, a luz do Cristianismo, foram os fundamentos orientadores de o Jornal Batista, principal órgão desta Imprensa denominacional e principal objeto de investigação da pesquisa proposta. / Since the second half of the nineteenth century North American Baptist missionaries began to accomplish evangelistic campaigns in different brazilian cities: their widest objective was to promote a profound reformation in the local religious system, whose ideologicdoctrinal basis had been established in the course of more than three centuries of Roman Catholic Church hegemony. The Baptist movement was introduced this religious scenery in 1881, seeing that in the same year the first preachers encharged of settling a permanent mission site in Brazil were sent to this nation by the Southern Baptist Convention of the United States. Among the pioneer missionaries, the consensus toward the idea that the creation of a national reach communication vehicle would contribute to the quantitative growth as well as to the qualitative development of the churches, occasioned the foundation of the Baptist Journal (Jornal Batista) in Rio de Janeiro, on January 10th of 1901 (the term quantitative growth refers to the enlargement of this mission field with the opening of new congregations while qualitative development is attributed for the prospective improvement of both religious and intellectual instruction of their members). The commitment with the evangelization of the brazilian people, the zeal concerning the deepening of their biblical knowledge and the purpose of providing information about contemporary events in the perspective of the evangelical faith were the guiding principles of the Baptist Journal. During the first two decades of the brazilian republic it remained as the main medium of communication held by this denominational press. It consists on the prime investigation object of the present research