Thesis (Th. M.)--Regent College, 2007. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-155).

Main aim of this thesis is to find out and refer to the importance of service as it is proclaimed in the Old and New Testament and how was the concept of service changing in time. First part deals with definitions of service and its meaning in four texts of the Book of Isaiah. Second part studies the importance of service in the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles and Epistles. The thesis describes Christ, who was dedicated to service, and his Mother Mary, the Servant of God. Some of the parables in New Testament also deals with service. It introduces three saint women of last millenium and their attitude, by which they followed Christ. The last part of the thesis focuses on importance of service in helping professions from the theological perspective.

Main aim of this thesis is to find out and refer to the importance of service as it is proclaimed in the Old and New Testament and how was the concept of service changing in time. First part deals with definitions of service and its meaning in four texts of the Book of Isaiah. Second part studies the importance of service in the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles and Epistles. The thesis describes Christ, who was dedicated to service, and his Mother Mary, the Servant of God. Some of the parables in New Testament also deals with service. It introduces three saint women of last millenium and their attitude, by which they followed Christ. The last part of the thesis focuses on importance of service in helping professions from the theological perspective.

The final chapter of Spinoza’s Ethics has elicited numerous interpretations, and in this work, I discuss Jonathan Bennett’s and Harry Wolfson’s. Bennett claims that the doctrine of blessedness is unintelligible, while Wolfson claims that Spinoza’s account of blessedness actually defends traditional, medieval views of the immortality of the soul. I find neither of these acceptable accounts for the reasons presented below, and I have a simple alternative explanation for this doctrine. Essentially, I argue that by ‘blessedness’ Spinoza means being happy with being virtuous. In my reading of the Ethics, Spinoza first offers the account that we should help others in order to help ourselves, and then he explains that we should enjoy doing so, and he writes that being happy with this is called ‘blessedness.’

The final chapter of Spinoza’s Ethics has elicited numerous interpretations, and in this work, I discuss Jonathan Bennett’s and Harry Wolfson’s. Bennett claims that the doctrine of blessedness is unintelligible, while Wolfson claims that Spinoza’s account of blessedness actually defends traditional, medieval views of the immortality of the soul. I find neither of these acceptable accounts for the reasons presented below, and I have a simple alternative explanation for this doctrine. Essentially, I argue that by ‘blessedness’ Spinoza means being happy with being virtuous. In my reading of the Ethics, Spinoza first offers the account that we should help others in order to help ourselves, and then he explains that we should enjoy doing so, and he writes that being happy with this is called ‘blessedness.’

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This work is concerned with The Spiritual Teachings of St. Dorotheos of Gaza and also with Palestine monasticism of the 6th century, about the life of St. Dorotheos and his teachers and it explains his teachings and its influence in the following centuries. This work deals with the Orthodox Christian Spirituality and it presents its results using historical and hermeneutical method. St. Dorotheos belongs to the Fathers of the Desert. He lived in the sixth century and with his spiritual instructions proved himself to be a personality of exceptional greatness for all ages. He used in his works the Septuagint, Apophthegmata Patrum and The Fathers of the Church and Greek philosophers, and so on. The Spiritual Teachings of Abba Dorotheos are to be foud in monastic libraries of whole Christianity and are constantly published. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

This work deals with the symbolism of trees in the Old Testament considering the mythology of the ancient Near East, using relevant literature, concordant exploration, and synchronic and diachronic analyses of biblical texts. It aims to present an intersection of the most important aspects of the appearance of trees in the Scripture, both in a literal and figurative sense. Drawing on work with biblical and mythological texts from the ancient Near East, it presents the tree as a comprehensible symbol with strong explanatory power, which constitutes its potential to contain even the most complex messages of the Scripture and of the human condition as such.

My Thesis occupy the beauty and faulty of the human/s soul according to st. John from Cross and st. Terezie from the Jesus. They write, that for man is important, to his soul united with God and created matrimony. Futher is important, to the man can to pray, can to intimate speak with God. Because God is Lowe and True. Thesis describe, that all humans powers and abilities have to turn to God. And than art of intimate conversation and relation with God isn/t easy, first of all because of largely plenty obstacles of ours world. Futher thesis deal with submission. Each man have to have the submission and then will be id good relation with God. In the next part they write about this, that we have to look (in all things) on the others and help him. I would like to summarize all my work into the one sentence : the man, who live in lowe of God and others and in respekt for God overcome all temptations and obstacles

La thèse s’attache à mettre au jour la manière dont Descartes envisage le rapport de sa philosophie avec le christianisme, en montrant que l’articulation cartésienne de la raison et de la foi trouve son sens dans une séparation non contradictoire qui aboutit à un accord. Descartes apparaît soucieux d’instaurer des principes philosophiques novateurs qui, tout en prenant le contre-pied de ceux d’Aristote promulgués par la scolastique, s’accordent avec le christianisme.La thèse retient deux champs d’investigation pour étudier le sens d’un tel accord et le rapport au christianisme qu’il implique. D’une part, la théorie eucharistique cartésienne : Descartes élabore, à l’aune de ses propres principes physiques, deux explications du sacrement central de la foi chrétienne. Supplantant le modèle scolastique basé sur les principes aristotélico-thomistes, les explications sont destinées à se conformer aux décrets du Magistère (le concile de Trente), tout en protégeant le dogme catholique des attaques protestantes, en lui apportant un gain de rationalité. D’autre part, la morale cartésienne, tenue généralement pour absente du corpus cartésien : la thèse s’emploie à la reconstruire, par le prisme de la Correspondance et des Passions de l’âme. Nommée une « morale du contentement », de par la recherche philosophique de la vie heureuse ici-bas, la morale cartésienne se partage en deux axes : le souverain bien, résidant dans le bon usage du libre arbitre par lequel l’homme porte l’image et la ressemblance de Dieu, et la maîtrise des passions, dont la clef de voûte réside dans la passion-vertu de la générosité. Or, la morale manifeste, à un autre niveau que l’eucharistie, un effort d’articulation avec le christianisme qui se cristallise notamment dans plusieurs points forts, analysés par la thèse : la conception cartésienne de la providence, dans sa dimension générale et particulière, qui engage la soumission libre et joyeuse du sujet, illustrant une expérience proprement religieuse ; l’étendue de l’univers qui révoque l’anthropocentrisme tout en célébrant la gloire de Dieu ; l’immortalité de l’âme, ouvrant vers une autre vie, tout en étant dirigée vers la valorisation de la vie ici-bas ; l’image de Dieu qui rayonne dans le bon usage du libre arbitre, seule source d’une juste estime de soi ; la passion vertu de la générosité qui, incitant à préférer les autres à soi dans un amour d’amitié, peut tenir lieu de transposition philosophique de la charité chrétienne.Ainsi eucharistie et morale traduisent-elles deux grandes significations de l’accord, reflétant deux modalités d’articulation entre la philosophie cartésienne et le christianisme : d’un côté, la recherche d’une conformité au dogme ; de l’autre, la philosophie, se faisant plus ambitieuse, donne une compréhension du christianisme à partir de la manière dont elle interprète, selon ses propres présupposés, certains éléments partagés par la raison et la foi (Dieu et ses attributs, immortalité de l’âme, rapport à l’autre). A ce titre, la thèse entend renouveler les études sur la « pensée religieuse » de Descartes : le grand mérite de la pensée cartésienne est de mettre en oeuvre, sur la base d’une séparation préalable entre raison et foi, un accord qui ne se joue pas dans le même sens, tout en veillant à ne jamais outrepasser son domaine, en n’envisageant ni le salut ni la grâce, laissés à la théologie. / The thesis brings into light the manner in which Descartes considers the relationship between his philosophy and Christianity through showing that the Cartesian articulation of reason and faith finds its meaning in a non-contradictory separation which leads to an agreement. When analysing his work, Descartes appears as a philosopher who looks after to establish new concepts which conciliate with Christianity.The thesis focuses two fields of investigation to study the meaning of such an agreement and the relationship to Christianity that it involves. On one hand, there is the Cartesian Eucharistic theory: Descartes elaborates, in the light of his own physical principles, two explanations of the central sacrament of the Christian faith. The thesis points out the original purpose of the explanations. In brief, they are not only intended to supplant the scholastic model based on the Aristotelian principles but also to conform to the decrees of the Magisterium (the Council of Trent), amid protecting the Catholic dogma from Protestant attacks, bringing it a gain of rationality. On the other hand, there is the Cartesian morality, which is considered traditionally as absent of the Cartesian corpus. The thesis reconstructs the Cartesian moral theory using the Correspondence and Passions of the soul. Described as a "moral of contentment", due to the Philosophical research of “the happy life” here below, the Cartesian moral theory is divided into two axes. The first being the Sovereign Good, which consists in the right use of free will, and the second being the mastery of passions, where the keystone is the passion-virtue of generosity. The Cartesian moral theory manifests an effort to articulate with Christianity, which is illustrated in particular in several strong points which are analysed by the thesis: the Cartesian conception of providence in its general and particular dimension, and how it implies the free and joyful submission of the subject; the extent of the universe, which revokes anthropocentrism while celebrating the glory of God; the topic of the immortality of the soul, which opens up another life while valorising the current life; the image of God, which shines in the right use of free will, only source of the self-esteem; the passion of generosity, which incites one to prefer other people rather than the self in a love of friendship and can be a philosophical transposition of Christian charity.Thus Eucharist and moral translate two great meanings of the agreement, reflecting two modalitiesof articulation between Cartesian philosophy and Christianity. From one side, the search for conformity with dogma. From the other, philosophy, becoming more ambitious over time, gives an understanding of Christianity based on its own interpretation of some elements shared by reason and faith (God and his attributes, immortality of soul, relationship to other). For this reason, the thesis intends to renew the studies on the Descartes' religious thought: the great merit of Cartesian thought is to institute, on the basis of a prior separation between reason and faith, an agreement which has a variable meaning, while taking care not to go beyond his domain, Descartes giving up the salvation and the grace to theology.