[pt] Esta dissertação expõe as principais teses cristológicas de Joseph Ratzinger, considerando-as em sua unidade e totalidade internas conferidas pelo conceito de cristologia espiritual. Para tanto, efetua-se um caminho analítico que oferece uma visão unificada dos diversos âmbitos da cristologia ratzingeriana. A dimensão analítica consiste na abordagem de cada momento da fórmula cristológica Jesus-Cristo-Logos . O primeiro momento diz respeito ao caráter histórico da cristologia, o qual é abordado diacronicamente pelo levantamento do status quaestionis da pesquisa crítica em busca do Jesus histórico , e sincronicamente mediante a teologia da encarnação que, em J. Ratzinger, não se desvincula da teologia da cruz. O segundo momento da fórmula concerne à profissão de fé bíblica no homem Jesus a partir da categoria Cristo , cujo contexto mais amplo é analisado mediante os seguintes títulos: profeta, Filho de Deus e Senhor. Por fim, o terceiro momento considera a cristologia do Logos no amplo arcabouço fornecido pela cristologia dogmática, tal como se desenvolveu até o século VII no terceiro Concílio de Constantinopla. A análise da cristologia dogmática tem como preâmbulo a discussão a respeito da legitimidade da linguagem do dogma, justificando a abordagem formal dos primeiros concílios que delinearam o dogma cristológico. A exposição analítica da cristologia de J. Ratzinger conduz à junção das teses – synthesis –, fazendo emergir a dimensão sintética como o corolário desta pesquisa. A hipótese levantada como ensejo conclusivo consiste no entendimento de que a unidade da cristologia espiritual ratzingeriana, conquanto seja fruto de um preciso enfoque metodológico, pode ser reduzida ao mínimo denominador comum pertencente aos três momentos da fórmula cristológica: a relacionalidade. A total relatividade, manifestada historicamente pelo fato da oração, pertence ao homem Jesus, ao Cristo professado e ao Logos da dogmática. / [en] This essay exposes the main Christological theses of Joseph Ratzinger, considering them in their internal unity and totality conferred by the concept of spiritual Christology . To this end, an analytical path is taken offering a unified view of the various areas of Ratzingerian Christology. The analytical dimension consists of approaching each moment of the Christological formula Jesus-Christ-Logos . The first moment concerns the historical character of Christology, which is dealt with diachronicly by raising the status quaestionis of critical research in search of the historical Jesus , and synchronously through the theology of the incarnation, which, in J. Ratzinger, does not separate from the theology of the cross. The second part of the formula concerns the profession of biblical faith in the man Jesus from the category Christ , whose broader context is analyzed through the following titles: prophet, Son of God and Lord. Finally, the third moment considers the Christology of the Logos in the broad framework provided by dogmatic Christology, as it developed until the 7th century in the third Council of Constantinople. The analysis of dogmatic Christology has as its preamble the discussion about the legitimacy of dogma s language, justifying the formal approach of the first councils that outlined Christological dogma. The analytical exposition of J. Ratzinger s Christology leads to the junction of theses - synthesis -, making the synthetic dimension emerge as the corollary of this research. The hypothesis raised as a conclusive opportunity consists in the understanding that the unity of the Ratzingerian spiritual Christology , although it is the result of a precise methodological approach, can be reduced to the minimum common denominator belonging to the three moments of the Christological formula: the relationality. Total relativity, historically manifested by the fact of prayer, belongs to the man Jesus, the professed Christ and the Logos of dogmatics.

Over the last fourteen-hundred years, Muhammad ibn ʿAbd Allah (d. 632) has been depicted and portrayed in a variety of ways by numerous scholars, theologians, and polemicists. My dissertation offers a unique approach to the “historical Muhammad” as it develops a new method to examine extant primary sources related to his life. I include available sources that provide pertinent information on Muhammad’s life, including the Qur’an, hadith literature, sira-maghazi (biographies and expeditions), and non-Muslim accounts. My research is original because it adopts current historical Jesus scholarship, particularly modern cognitive studies of memory, and uses it on extant sources related to Muhammad’s life. More specifically, I explore how memory, oral tradition, and oral transmission play vital roles in understanding how Muslims remembered their Prophet and how the circumstances of later generations shaped and influenced their commemoration of his life. By adopting this scholarship, which will be contextualized to examine early Muslim literature, I offer a new perspective on surviving sources, the context of seventh-century Arabia, and the function of memory for the nascent Muslim community. I also apply my method on eight significant, polemical, or neglected events that are traditionally believed to have taken place during Muhammad’s life in Mecca and Medina. In sum, my dissertation offers a dynamic cross-disciplinary venture, encompassing the intersection of innovative, modern critical inquiry and early Islamic literature. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This dissertation examines the field of the “historical Muhammad” and applies a new method on extant primary sources related to Muhammad’s life. I conduct a literature review of scholars’ reconstructions of his life, beginning as early as the seventh century. I also explore numerous primary sources on Muhammad, pointing out their benefits and disadvantages. Next, I overview the quests for the historical Jesus and analyze methods that were established over the last hundred years. In my dissertation, I adopt historical Jesus scholarship, namely memory studies, to develop an original method that provides a unique understanding and fresh perspective of the historical Muhammad. Over the last two chapters, I conduct eight case studies employing my method on events from Muhammad’s life in Mecca and Medina. This dissertation demonstrates that we could reconstruct a reasonably coherent picture of events surrounding Muhammad’s life.

[pt] O tema da presente pesquisa é A Igreja, povo reunido por Deus para o seu Reino: um estudo comparativo entre Gerhard Lohfink e Joseph Ratzinger. Está inserida nas atividades de pesquisa do Programa de Pós-graduação em Teologia da PUC-Rio, área de concentração Teologia Sistemático-Pastoral, linha de pesquisa Fé e Cultura, projeto de pesquisa A Teologia de Joseph Ratzinger e o Magistério de Bento XVI. Efetivamente, o problema aqui explorado se situa entre os grandes temas do quadro eclesiológico e, com essa formulação temática, fundamentalmente pretendemos o seguinte: explorar tanto a compreensão sobre o significado da proclamação de Jesus do Reino de Deus, que emerge do pensamento de Gerhard Lohfink e Joseph Ratzinger, no contexto da pesquisa recente sobre Jesus, como também a hermenêutica – fundamentos e princípios, desenvolvimento das reflexões e implicações teológicas – elaborada por esses autores, no que se refere ao conteúdo da mensagem de Jesus, prestando especial atenção ao modo como interpretam a relação entre o Reino de Deus e a Igreja; destacar, por meio da comparação dos resultados obtidos durante a pesquisa, alguns aspectos comuns ao pensamento de Gerhard Lohfink – no contexto da pesquisa sobre o Jesus histórico e, mais especificamente, sobre sua proclamação do Reino de Deus na sua relação com a Igreja – com a compreensão que Joseph Ratzinger possui, sobre o tema; identificar consequências e implicações do tema para diferentes áreas da teologia; e aprofundar questões relativas ao tema, especialmente, em relação à cristologia, à eclesiologia e à pastoral, por exemplo, com alguma ênfase, quanto às relações do tema com a sinodalidade eclesial, o ecumenismo e o diálogo interreligioso. / [en] This research has as its theme The Church, a people gathered by God for his Kingdom: a comparative study between Gerhard Lohfink and Joseph Ratzinger. It is part of the research activities of the Postgraduate Program in Theology at PUC-Rio, in the area of concentration Systematic-Pastoral Theology, research line Faith and Culture, research project The Theology of Joseph Ratzinger and the Magisterium of Benedict XVI. In fact, the problem explored here is situated among the great themes of the ecclesiological framework and, with this thematic formulation, we fundamentally intend the following: explore both the understanding of the meaning of Jesus proclamation of the Kingdom of God, which emerges from the thought of Gerhard Lohfink and Joseph Ratzinger, in the context of recent research on Jesus, as well as the hermeneutics - foundations and principles, development of reflections and theological implications - elaborated by these authors, with regard to the content of Jesus message, paying particular attention to the way they interpret the relationship between the Kingdom of God and the Church; to highlight, by comparing the results obtained during the research, some common aspects of Gerhard Lohfink s thinking - in the context of research on the historical Jesus and, more specifically, on his proclamation of the Kingdom of God in its relationship with the Church - with Joseph Ratzinger s understanding of the theme; to identify consequences and implications of the theme for different areas of theology; and to delve into questions of theology; and deepen issues related to the topic, especially in relation to Christology, ecclesiology and pastoral care, for example, with some emphasis on the relationship of the topic with ecclesial synodality, ecumenism and interreligious dialogue.

The Gospel of Thomas is a collection of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus and is primarily composed of rhetorical statements that were used to preserve the teachings of itinerant Greek philosophers. These collections were used to persuade individuals to join the philosophical schools represented, much like the early followers of the Jesus movement would use his teachings to convince others to join them as well. However, the theological background for the text is still debated because it contains esoteric and enigmatic references not fully understood by most scholars. This work argues that the theological and philosophical background for the Gospel of Thomas is the Alexandrian School of Middle Platonism. This background contains an understanding of the divine, the secret nature of the teachings in the text, and the presence of daemons in the cosmos. In short, this is my attempt at supplying the hermeneutical key to the text or at least supplying a valid ideological background on which the Jesus tradition is cast in the Gospel of Thomas.

Notre thèse a pour objectif d’éclaircir les formes et l’esprit de la vie économique des communautés chrétiennes aux trois premiers siècles. Du ministère de Jésus à la fin du IIIe siècle, les chrétiens, dans leur diversité, ont développé des modes de vie particuliers dans lesquels les pratiques économiques, fortement influencées par leur morale, ont joué un rôle majeur. Nous chercherons à éclaircir les modalités de financement de la mission et de la vie communautaire des chrétiens, mais aussi les formes institutionnelles de la gestion de ces aspects économiques ainsi que les formes de solidarité matérielle qui ont été développées par les premiers chrétiens. Dès le ministère de Jésus, une réflexion pratique sur le maniement des richesses a été menée et a produit une organisation économique particulière fortement marquée par un modèle communautaire. La portée d’un tel modèle dans les trois premiers siècles chrétiens doit être évaluée. Nous nous attachons avant tout aux aspects concrets de cette vie économique, pour en comprendre le fonctionnement. Notre étude se fonde essentiellement sur des sources littéraires chrétiennes, néotestamentaires et patristiques, mais aussi sur des sources archéologiques, épigraphiques ou papyrologiques lorsqu’elles sont disponibles. / Our dissertation aims to enlighten different aspects of the economic life of the Christian communities during the first three centuries. From Jesus to the end of the third century, Christians, in different ways, developed specific ways of life in which the economic practices played a key role. We will try to explain how the mission and the communal life of Christians were funded, but also what role played the ecclesiastical institutions in the use of the common fund. A very important part of our work will also consist in explaining the concrete practices of the Christians concerning the care for the poor in the community. The first Christian communities developed a thought about the economic life of a religious community as early as the preaching of Jesus and we have to try to understand better the meaning and the concrete consequences of these thoughts on their communal life, and the posterity of these practices. To investigate about the economic life of the first Christian communities, we will use most of all the New Testament and patristic texts, even if at some points archaeological, epigraphical and papyrological sources can be used to strengthen our analysis.

The topic of social memory has been discussed for almost 20 years in the international field, but it hasn't been reflected in the Czech environment yet. This master thesis tries to introduce the topic of social memory theory to the Czech theological audience. It concentrates on the critique of the "criteria approach" in the historical Jesus research from the social memory theorist, esp. Chris Keith. It also tries to find roots of this way of thinking either among theorist of social memory like its "father" late Maurice Halbwachs and our contemporary Jan Assmann, or among New Testament scholars like Birger Gerhardsson and Werner Kelber who challenged the development model of the gospel tradition presented by Rudolf Bultmann. The critique of Bultmann is the basis of Keith's critique of the "criteria approach". This thesis presents Keith's concepts of "Jesus-memory approach" and "New historiography" and presents critiques of it both from the international scholars and its own. This thesis is a contribution to the field of hermeneutics and the development of methodology.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:18:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Capa.pdf: 17992 bytes, checksum: 3c71ef92a3a9b10e9f9ed1102745b9ee (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-03-16 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The proposal of the dissertation is an interchange between the New Cultural History and the Search for the Historical Jesus. The problems presented to the contemporary historiography by the Postmodernity, the question of subjectivity in the epistemological processes of historic construction and the recognition of the complexity of social actions, ask for a methodology that would find a way out of the dualism rationalism- irrationalism, the opposition between positivists approaches and the refusal to interpret historic objects. The project presents the Italian Microhistory as a solution to these Chimeras. Thus, the question for Jesus of Nazareth wont be initiated by theoretical schemes such as the permanent structures of the Mediterranean, the so called common Judaism , or the ethos of Lower Galilee but by the intensive, detailed observation of a significant microphenomenon of Jesus life, his symbolic demonstration at the Temple (Mk 11:15-19 and parallels). The microanalysis will skillfully multiply the symbolic action s causal relations and from them infer Jesus religious outlines and his relationship towards the Great Spiritual Center, Herod s Sanctuary. The variation between the macroscopic and microscopic observation scales will also be fundamental to the construction of plausible images of Jesus. Inferences on the cultural and religious context of Galilee will be experimented from Jesus micro-action the understanding that individuals are, in one way or another, representatives of whole historical periods and cultural layers won t be taken for granted. This project hypothesizes that Jesus demonstration at the Temple, far from being an attempt of purification, was the actualization of a mythic structure centered on Jeremiah 7 (a mitopraxis) guided by an archaic imaginary that pictures heaven as a temple. This imaginary was abundant in the literary images of apocalypticism and in the incipient mysticism that will lead to Hekhalot literature. As a final experiment, it will be proposed a connection between Jesus heaven-temple imaginary and his alleged visionary experiences of heavenly ascent. / A dissertação tem como proposta um intercâmbio entre a Nova História Cultural e a Pesquisa pelo Jesus Histórico. Os problemas colocados à historiografia atual pela pósmodernidade, a questão da subjetividade nos processos epistemológicos de construção histórica e a necessidade de reconhecimento da complexidade das ações sociais, pedem por uma metodologia que encontre uma saída à contraposição entre racionalismo e irracionalismo, entre o positivismo e a recusa em interpretar os objetos históricos. O projeto propõe a Micro- história italiana como tentativa de superar estas quimeras. A busca pelo Jesus de Nazaré funcionará assim não a partir de esquemas teóricos ge rais as estruturas permanentes do Mediterrâneo, o common judaism , ou o ethos da Baixa Galiléia mas pelo estudo fino, detalhado de um microfenômeno bastante representativo de Jesus, a sua demonstração simbólica no Templo narrada em Mc 11:15-19 e paralelos. A microanálise tratará de controlar a multiplicação da grande teia de relações causais da ação simbólica em Jerusalém e inferirá a partir delas que tipo de religioso foi Jesus e como se relacionou ao grande centro religioso do Santuário de Herodes. A variação entre as escalas microscópicas e macroscópicas de observação será também fundamental na construção das imagens plausíveis de Jesus. Inferências sobre o contexto cultural e religioso da Galiléia também serão experimentadas a partir da microação analisada o corolário de que os indivíduos são, de uma forma ou de outra, representativos de períodos históricos e de estratos culturais será levado bastante a sério. A hipótese do presente trabalho é a de que a demonstração de Jesus no Templo, longe de uma tentativa de purificação, fora a atualização de um estrutura mítica centrada em Jeremias 7 (uma mitopráxis) orientada pelo imaginário plurissecular do céu-templo, abundante nas imagens literárias da apocalíptica e no misticismo incipiente que culminará na literatura Hekhalot. Como experimento final, propor-se-á uma conexão entre supostas experiências visionárias de ascensão aos céus de Jesus de Nazaré e o seu imaginário do céu-templo.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:19:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Filipe de Oliveira2.pdf: 2235436 bytes, checksum: 54d99448b518032678d03665d849c1d2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-17 / Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo / Until the fourth century AD, was common among Christians, to read the book of I Enoch. The embryo of rejection began in the second century, with Julius Africanus, and reached its peak in the fourth century with Augustine of Hippo. However, the official position, in Western Christianity, which rejected the writing of I Enoch as a useful literature to faith, happened at the Council of Laodicea (century IV) who said that the only names of angels authorized by the Scriptures would be the Miguel, Gabriel and Raphael. this position deleted the book of Enoch (book that makes reference to several names of angels) from the books useful for theological research, until recent times in the West. The great character of Christianity was a man recognized in Palestinian as Rabbi. This title presupposes knowledge of the main literature enjoyed by the Jews. The consensus among most of the Second Temple scholars, is that the writing of I Enoch occupied a distinct place in the literary scene of that time. This thesis was born from a plausible suspicion, which is embedded within the cultural context of the I century AD, that Jesus knew the Book of I Enoch. But not only that, distrust develops in the possibility that he has studied the writing and he built teachings based on that text. The research had as general objective: Find the relationship between Jesus of Nazareth and the Written I Enoch. With regard to its technical procedures, research is bibliographic, exploratory and documentary. For this research to gain form, we used the historiographical proposal of the Historical Jesus, and have developed a methodology called Analysis of the Sayings of Jesus (ASJ), for use in the investigation of sayings attributed to Jesus contained in the Gospels. The first chapter, besides being a book review of I Enoch addressing the book on various perspectives, was built aiming to bring the Brazilian Academy the latest information on research related to I Enoch, in dialogue with the principal investigators of this literature. The second chapter was developed in order to examine by historiography, the potential of some words recorded in the Gospels in being originates from the person of Jesus. The third and last chapter presents an approach among words that were examined and the Book of I Enoch. The end result indicates that the literature of Enoch may have occupied a prominent place among the estimated written by Jesus Christ. / Até o século IV d.C. era comum, entre os cristãos, a leitura do livro pseudepígrafo de I Enoque. O embrião da rejeição começou no século II, com Júlio Africano, e atingiu o seu auge no século IV com Agostinho de Hipona. Porém, o posicionamento oficial, no cristianismo ocidental, que descredenciou o escrito de I Enoque como uma literatura útil à fé, deu-se no Concílio de Laodiceia (Séc. IV) que afirmou que os únicos nomes de anjos autorizados pelas Escrituras seriam o de Miguel, Gabriel e Rafael, afastando I Enoque (que cita vários nomes de anjos) do cenário teológico, até épocas recentes no Ocidente. O grande personagem do cristianismo foi um homem reconhecido na Palestina como Rabi, título que pressupunha o conhecimento das principais literaturas apreciadas pelos judeus. É consenso entre a maioria dos estudiosos do Segundo Templo que o escrito de I Enoque ocupava um lugar distinto no cenário literário daquela época. A presente tese nasceu de uma desconfiança plausível, inserida dentro do contexto cultural do I século da era cristã, de que Jesus Cristo conhecia o livro de I Enoque. Mas, não somente isso, a desconfiança evoluiu para a possibilidade de que ele tenha feito uso do escrito construindo ensinos embasados no mesmo. A pesquisa teve como objetivo geral: Pesquisar a relação entre Jesus de Nazaré e o Escrito de I Enoque. No que se refere aos seus procedimentos técnicos, a pesquisa é de natureza bibliográfica, exploratória e documental. Para que esta pesquisa ganhasse forma, fizemos uso da proposta historiográfica do Jesus Histórico, bem como desenvolvemos uma metodologia chamada Análise dos Ditos de Jesus (ADJ), para ser utilizada na investigação de ditos atribuídos a Jesus contidos nos evangelhos. O primeiro capítulo, além de ser uma análise do livro de I Enoque abordando o escrito sobre várias perspectivas, foi construído objetivando trazer à academia brasileira as informações mais recentes sobre as pesquisas relacionadas a I Enoque, em diálogo com os principais pesquisadores da obra. O segundo capítulo foi desenvolvido com vistas a examinarmos, pela historiografia, o potencial de alguns ditos, de serem originários da pessoa de Jesus. O terceiro e último capítulo apresenta uma aproximação entre os ditos trabalhados e o livro de I Enoque. O resultado final indica que a literatura enoqueana pode ter ocupado um lugar de destaque entre os escritos estimados por Jesus Cristo.

AFRIKAANS: Hierdie studie het ten doel gehad om die ampsbegrip van die Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika (NHKA) te meet aan die “amp” of te wel bedieninge in die Nuwe Testament, en meer spesifiek Jesus se oproep tot dissipelskap in Markus 8:34. Daar is aangetoon dat die historiese Jesus steeds relevant is vir kerklike teologie in die opsig dat daar ʼn saaklike kontinuïteit bestaan tussen die historiese Jesus en die kerk van vandag. Die slotsom waartoe gekom is, is dat daar in Jesus se oproep tot dissipelskap in Markus 8:34 ʼn implisiete ampsbegrip teenwoordig is, waarvan diensbaarheid op grond van selfverloëning, kruis opneem en navolging, die essensie vorm. Omdat die kerk bestaan uit ʼn groep gelowiges en daar in die kerk ook leiding gegee moet word, is ook aandag gegee aan leierskap en die vorming van kleingroepe soos gesien vanuit die sosiale wetenskappe. As verdere rede hiervoor kan aangevoer word dat groepvorming een van die belangrikste eienskappe is van institusionalisering. Die resultate van hierdie gedeelte is toegepas op die beweging rondom Jesus ten einde te sien hoe charisma en institusionalisering daarvan in die beweging rondom Jesus gefunksioneer het. Verder is ook gekyk na groepsdinamiek in die beweging rondom Jesus op grond van die funksionering van charisma in hierdie groep. Vervolgens is daar gewys op die rol wat institusionalisering van charisma gespeel het in die Pauliniese-, deutero-Pauliniese- en Pastorale Briewe. Kontinuïteit tussen die vroeë kerk en die Jesussaak is ook onder die soeklig geplaas. Omdat die ampsbegrip van die NHKA onder andere baie sterk steun op die denke van die reformatore soos Calvyn, is Calvyn se ampsbegrip asook die invloed van ander Reformatore se denke op dié van Calvyn, aan die orde gestel. Opsommend is ʼn paar slotopmerkings gemaak oor die ampsbegrip van die NHKA soos verwoord in sy Kerkorde en bevestigingsformuliere. Die gedagte is dat hierdie opmerkings vir die NHKA as riglyn kan dien vir die vorming van ʼn eietydse ampsbegrip. Die opsommende opmerkings word gemaak op grond van die resultate van die studie van Jesus se oproep tot dissipelskap ten einde te verseker dat die NHKA sy dienswerk doen in ooreenstemming met die Woord van God. Hierdie dienswerk word verrig in ʼn wêreld wat ver verwyderd is van dié waarin Jesus geleef en gedien het. ENGLISH: This study aims to examine the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa’s (NHKA) understanding of church office and measure it by “office” or ministries in the New Testament, and specifically by Jesus’ calling to discipleship in Mark 8:34. The relevance of the historical Jesus for contemporary church theology is indicated by the “essential” (Sache) continuity that exists between the historical Jesus and the church today. The study concludes that there is an implicit understanding of office present in Jesus’ calling to discipleship in Mark 8:34. The essence of this calling is servitude based on self denial, the taking up one’s cross and the following of Jesus. Because the church consists of a group of believers, who needs guidance, a part of the study focuses on leadership and the forming of small groups as described by social sciences. Another reason why this focus is important is that group forming is an essential characteristic of institutionalization. The results of this part of the study are applied to the movement around Jesus, the purpose of which is to study the functioning of charisma and institutionalization in this movement. Attention is also given to the group dynamic in the movement based on the functioning of charisma. Subsequently the role of institutionalization in the Pauline-, deutero-Pauline- and Pastoral Epistles are shown. The continuity between the early church and the Jesus cause is examined as well. The NHKA bases it’s understanding of church office to a large extent on the thoughts of reformers like Calvin. Therefore Calvin’s understanding of church office, as well as the influence that other reformers’ thoughts had on Calvin, is examined. Consequently a few remarks are made on the NHKA’s understanding of church office, as described in the NHKA church ordinance and the formulary for the confirmation of office-bearers. The aim is for these remarks to serve as a guideline for the NHKA to form a contemporary understanding of church office. The concluding remarks are derived from the results of the study on Jesus’ calling to discipleship, with the aim of assuring that the NHKA serves and works in correspondence to the Word of God. This serving is done in a world very different from the one in which Jesus lived and served. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / New Testament Studies / unrestricted

The most popular paradigm for Jesus is 'Jesus as the Divine Saviour'. This image is inadequate for understanding the historical Jesus, because it is also inaccurate as an image for the Christian life. Marcus J Borg claims that the Christian life is about a relationship with God that involves us in a journey of transformation. In advocating the 'Third Quest', Borg develops an alternative image of 'Jesus as Jewish mystic ', contrary to the idea of 'Jesus as Jewish/Christian Messiah '. The image of Borg involves five universal religious personality types. The paradigm shift from 'Jesus as the Divine Saviour' to that of 'Jesus as Jewish mystic' is investigated as well as the relevance and consequences of this, for everyday religion and the conventional church. A plea for a positive assessment of the issue of the historical Jesus is presented. This could have existential implications for South African society as a whole. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / M.Th. (New Testament)