This thesis critically examines apotropaic magical texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls found at and near Qumran. It focuses on the danger of an encounter with and ways of protection against evil beings. Magic is employed as a scholarly description for a series of accounts of activities that are conceived of and probably performed with the purpose of altering reality by protecting an individual or a group of people. Seven texts will be analysed, namely: Apocryphal Psalms-11Q11; 4QExorcism ar-4Q560; Songs of the Sagea-4Q510; Songs of the Sageb-4Q511; 8QHymn- 8Q5; 6QpapHymn- 6Q18; and 4QIncantation- 4Q444. The methodology focuses on a separation between active and passive agents, placing action and performance at the centre of the research. This perspective reveals a richer and more complex picture than the dominance of a small number of personalized figures in the first publication wave of Scrolls suggested. The range of evil beings reflected in the full corpus attests multiple phenomena, emerging from an array of miscellaneous traditions. The idea of fear and an atmosphere of constant threat of an encounter with the malevolent influence of evil figures emerges as a prominent feature in the selected texts.

Although Raimon Panikkar represents a different genre within the pluralistic theology of religions, his response to the pluralistic question does not fit in with the faith traditions because the religious meaning is blanketed through a constant disengagement with theism. It means to say that theism should be the benchmark for the pluralistic theology of religions. In this sense, the direction of Panikkar’s dialogical engagement highlights disengagement with theism. While every approach has positive and negative dimensions, the limitation of non-theistic frame is that it cannot reach the theistic possibilities. Therefore, the present study differs from the previous researches on Panikkar since the other interpreters of Panikkar take things in a more pluralistic direction by tapping on his non-theistic method but I prefer to retrieve a more theistic approach in his pluralistic method. Accordingly, the basic problem this thesis both seeks to address and discuss is the non-theistic orientation of Panikkar’s pluralistic approach. The first chapter argues that his non-theistic method emerged from his cross-cultural context and engagement. The second chapter argues that Panikkar’s non-theistic categories blanket the theistic meaning of his pluralistic approach. The chapter on Pneumatology contends that his concept of the Spirit does not possess theistic meaning but holds non-theistic implications. The fourth chapter on Panikkar’s non-theistic Christology argues that his approach reduces Christ to a non-theistic concept. The fifth chapter maintains that his manner of multiple belonging overlooks the unique faith experiences because Panikkar’s non-theistic approach does not subscribe to a particular faith tradition. Thus, in the six chapter, I propose a theistic correction called anthropocosmic-theism to re-orient Panikkar’s non-theistic pluralistic theology of religions. I argue that the anthropocosmic-theism upholds theism as the prerequisite and foundation for the pluralistic theology of religions. The final chapter provides a broad-brush view of the theistic dialogue of deeds within the present Indian pluralistic context.

This thesis is an attempt to reopen the debate on the whole question of inculturation in Southern Africa especially in light of the fact that we are now in a multi-lingual and multi-religious state. It is an attempt to rehighlight the plight of the spirituality of the amaXhosa people over the last century when missionary and imperial onslaught relegated it to the doldrums. This plunged the amaXhosa in a crisis that has left them directionless, to put it mildly. This is said because the total onslaught destroyed their self-respect and their identity and begs the question as to whether their acceptability to God was contingent on renouncing their culture especially the hidden prsences - Qamata, the living-dead and the notion of evil spirits. It is precisely because of these misconceptions regarding African culture and spirituality that the thesis has a strong expository and apologetic bias primarily aimed to address, and put into proper perspective, the significance of the Supreme Being, the living-dead and the evil spirits in African culture. The issues are discussed within the broader socio-historical context. The thesis is basically comparative in that it uses Celtic spirituality and the approach of the early Celtic church to the question of inculturation as its point of departure and as a foil against which the preposterous actions of the church in Africa should be seen. This comparative element is also reflected in the unmistakable `dichotomy’ of Western religion and African spirituality, or better still, lack of spirituality, that was so fervently maintained by the missionaries and the colonialists alike. It is for this reason that I concur with Chidester (1996:xiv) that `the study of religion must find itself, once again, on the frontier’. The study is informed by this approach right through. It should be stressed, from the outset, that the idea is not comparison in order to satisfy our curiosity, nor is it comparison in order to try to authenticate and vindicate the beleaguered African culture. The central idea of the study is to expose the absurdity of the policies of the past century in this regard. The myth of the pure blooded Christianity is confronted, if not exploded. Several examples of both inculturation and continuities between Christianity and other faiths such as the Jewish founding faith are given. The subtheme of cultural domination subtly spans the whole study culminating in Chapter Four where the blacks begin to appropriate some of the Christian symbols and the whites also begin to assimilate African concepts such as ubuntu.

A number of modern Western writers have discussed in more or less detail the origins of hadith. One of them is G.H.A. Juynboll, who claims that he adopts a new approach and comes up with new conclusions regarding the subject. His main theory is that the prophetic hadiths which are to be found in later hadith collections are, mainly, a development of the products of the early authorities. The beginning of the transmission of hadith, according to him, came into existence as late as toward the end of the first century.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the dialogue that exists between the themes of divine judgement and divine benevolence as they are presented in the Book of Wisdom. I hope to demonstrate that these themes provide continuity, coherence, and an integrated reading of the text. The methodology by which I explore these themes is an examination of the literary genres employed by the author, as well as the techniques, structures, vocabulary, and verbal repetitions. I also make comparisons with other contemporary literature where this is significant. The background to this examination is set out in the Introduction in which I have discussed the issues of the unity of the text, its genre, and possible provenance and dating. I have, further, attempted to present the literary and philosophical world from which the text emerged. The Book of Wisdom falls naturally into four sub-divisions, with a fifth section providing the theodicy which underpins the action and reflection of the other four. In fact, because of the complexity of the structure of the book, three of these units form part of one larger unit. For purposes of clarity, I have retained five-fold division for the analysis, each of the five divisions forming a chapter of the thesis. In the first chapter, I have highlighted the section in which the judgement/benevolence themes are focused in a series of questions and answers. In this section, the Mercy Dialogue of 11.15-12.27, I look at the origin of justice and mercy in the creative power of God, and the ways in which retribution is tempered and the merciful principle established. It is also in this section that we encounter God's elected people, and their exclusive status but equally exclusive responsibility. This theodicy, I have used to underpin the other sections of the text.

This thesis identifies and describes the fundamental theological positions of the Independent Christian Churches, one of three main branches of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement, an upstart church that had its beginnings on the American frontier in the early nineteenth century. The Independent Christian Churches theology is dependent upon the particular hermeneutic method developed by the Movement's founders and this thesis explores the implications of the Independent Christian Churches hermeneutic. This hermeneutic is based on the epistemological assumptions of the philosophy of Scottish Common Sense Realism, and the theological positions of the Independent Christian Churches is a result of the amalgamation of this Common Sense hermeneutic, the experience of the Stone-Campbell Movement with the antebellum American landscape, the adaptation of core American values (individualism, equality, and freedom), the adoption of the widespread American expectation of a millennial dawn, and the embrace of American capitalism. The leaders of the Restoration Movement believed that they were not engaged in theological speculation, but were simply proclaiming the clear teaching of the "Bible alone". The result of this disregard of theology is that Independents produce few formal works of theology as such, and Independent theology is primarily advanced through histories of the Restoration Movement and through the developing beliefs and practices of an individual congregation. This thesis deals with the development of Independent Christian Churches theology from its inception in the early nineteenth century to the present day. In the theological formulations of the Independent Christian Churches, theology is subsumed under other discourses and, while theological language is retained, such language is actually a facade for the epistemology of Scottish Common Sense Realism, American ideals of individualism, equality, and freedom, and capitalist economics. As the intellectual foundations that undergird the Scottish Common Sense hermeneutic fragmented and the experience of the American frontier faded away, they left behind the theological formulations created in response to this philosophy and to this experience, leaving the impression among adherents of the Independent Christian Churches that their religion was actually based on "the Bible alone". Without recourse to either of these narratives, capitalist economics has provided a new metanarrative for the Independent Christian Churches which offers new options for faith and practice. Under the circumstances that the Independent Christian Churches have created for theological discourse, where the continuities with Christian history and Christian theology have been sundered, theology is dependent on secular discourses in order to proceed. Therefore, this is an interdisciplinary investigation that draws upon the discourses of theology, philosophy, hermeneutics, history, sociology, and economics; fundamentally its concern is theological, and it is more specifically concerned with ecclesiology.

We have used the optical polarization properties of BL Lacertae objects to gain insights into the range and physical causes of their extreme and spectacular observed properties. This dissertation consists of three parts. In Part I we provide an introduction to BL Lacs and other active galactic nuclei. In Part II we present the result of an extensive monitoring program of the optical polarization of x-ray selected BL Lacs (XSBLs). In Part III we present the results of the most extensive optical polarization survey so far undertaken. Our study of the optical polarization properties of XSBLs confirms that the BL Lac candidates found in x-ray surveys like the Einstein Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey meet the requirements for membership in the class of BL Lacs. In addition to having featureless optical spectra, the majority of the XSBLs are also variable in their flux output and have intrinsic and variable polarized emission. Although x-ray selected BL Lac candidates have proven to be BL Lacs, the characteristics of their optical polarized emission are different from those of the classical radio selected BL Lacs. The XSBLs have lower maximum percent polarizations, a lower duty cycle, smaller variations in flux, and a greater tendency to have preferred angles of polarization than radio selected BL Lacs (RSBLs). We discuss the consequences of these differences and their consistency with the "beaming" model first proposed by Blandford and Rees (1978). Our optical polarization survey is the most extensive survey of its kind ever undertaken. The survey is complete to a B magnitude of 20 and covers 560 square degrees. Our sensitivity to polarized objects is a function of survey field. We did not find any confirmed BL Lacs or highly polarized quasars, but we are able to constrain the surface density of the various populations of polarized objects. For example we are able to rule out at the 90.0% confidence level the presence of a population of radio quiet BL Lacs or highly polarized quasars (with optical flux and polarization properties similar to radio selected BL Lacs) that would have a cumulative surface density of 0.03 per square degree down to a B magnitude of 20.

This thesis is a study into the foundational elements of the theologies of John Macquarrie and (in comparison and contrast) Karl Rahner, in respect of their differing concepts of the Self-Revelation of God, in the context of their particular validations of the authenticity of the religious pluralism of World Religions. Both Theologians are, in essence, ontological and anthropocentric in respect of their methodology and largely concerned with the immanence of God in the beings of creation (principally human beings). The contrast arises in respect of the particular method of theological development. Macquarrie's concern is with the phenomenology of Holy Being as present and manifest in the particular existential symbols of divergent cultures, whereas Rahner's concern is wholly epistemological in respect of the 'universal logos'; and therefore his development is along metaphysical lines. The basis of Macquarrie's religious pluralism lies in a synthesis of ontological unity and cultural diversity; symbolic and psychological. Holy Being (God) reveals itself to different cultural groups through the essential, existential symbols of the particular cultures. The principle of unity is the universality of Being and the admissible principle of diversity appears in terms of the different symbols. The different symbols themselves, then, including the hermeneutic in respect of them, results necessarily in religious pluralism. The basis of Rahner's religious pluralism lies in his understanding that the human constitution includes a pre-concept of all being, including the Being of God; and a supernatural element whereby all men are necessarily epistemically oriented towards God. As with Thomas Aquinas knowledge and Being are equated therefore Rahner's whole theology is grounded in a universal epistemology of both an ordinary and a supra-ordinary nature. These factors give rise to Rahner's doctrine of 'Anonymous Christianity' through which all men are implicit Christians, and other religions are, to some degree, perversions of Christianity.

This research originates in my own practice of writing feminist liturgy, and creating rituals with and for groups of women. Its purpose is to explore the contemporary practice of women who are designing and enacting their own liturgies, rituals or ceremonies in relation to transition in their lives. This thesis surveys the development of what has been variously called ‘the women’s liturgical movement’, ‘feminist liturgy’ or ‘feminist spirituality’; before focusing on the process by which women have created their own rituals in relation to significant changes in their lives. The research draws on qualitative research methods, including participant observation, ethnographic techniques, and reflective practice, to analyse twelve case studies of rituals. It brings this material into dialogue with pastoral theology and social anthropology. It argues that women’s ritualising, or ritual making, is a dynamic, flexible process in contrast to traditional definitions of ritual. It offers a feminist critique of Turner’s theories of liminality and communitas, based on the work of Caroline Walker Bynum. It explores the tension between personal experience and wider social concern, arguing that women’s practice in making ritual is negotiating and re-defining the boundary between private and public. The process of creating ritual is explored further in relation to ideas of the narrative construction of identity, and performance theory. The thesis develops the argument that women’s activity in creating ritual is a construction of their own identity and agency in resistance to patriarchal tradition; and that their rituals, rather than expressing traditional theology and doctrine, are constructing feminist theology, or, in the case of Goddess rituals, thealogy. Finally the thesis looks at the implications of the practice of women’s ritual making for pastoral liturgy, practical theology, and Christian feminist theology.

This study interprets and appraises Pannenberg’s intertrinitarian concept of reconciliation, as it relates to the Lordship of God over the world. It is argued that within the framework of the reciprocal self-differentiation of Father, Son, and Spirit as the interpretative key to his doctrine of reconciliation, Jesus’ death is the Son’s reconciling action as a prolepsis of the coming Lordship of God. After an introduction presenting the purpose and method of study, chapter one explores the formation of his christology as a background for the subsequent inquiries. The historical and theological contexts of his christology, its significance in the history of the doctrine, and the influence of Barth and other theological and philosophical influences on its shape are concentrated. Chapters two and three establish the intertrinitarian character of Jesus’ divine sonship in relation to God’s Lordship. Jesus, by his subordination to the Father and his Lordship on the cross, anticipates the future realisation of the deity and Lordship of God, and thus is the Son. Chapter two examines the historical method, the concept of Jesus’ personal unity with God, and Jesus’ self-differentiation from the Father as the inner basis of his divine sonship. Chapter three analyses the eternal and universal sonship of Jesus, and the historical confirmation of Jesus’ divine sonship by his earthly claim to authority and his resurrection. Chapter four defines the concept of reconciliation as the action of the triune God to achieve his Lordship in universal history. After a clarification of the doctrine of reconciliation in its relationship to soteriology and christology, the intertrinitarian character of reconciliation is examined in terms of the intertrinitarian activity bringing about God’s Lordship in Universalgeschichte. Chapter five focuses on the Son’s reconciling office. The cross is argued as the active performing by the Son of his reconciling office.