Thesis (Th. M.)--Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, 1995. / Map not included on fiche. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-109). "The books and booklets issued by Father Matta el-Meskeen": leaves 102-107.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, 1992. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-99).

Inaug.-Diss.--Heidelberg. / Vita. Bibliography: p. 146-157.

Thesis (M. Div.)--Grace Theological Seminary, 1986. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-62).

Shikantaza - erfarenheter av flow och rent medvetande i en zenbuddhistisk kontext (Shikantaza - experiences of flow and pure consciousness in a zen buddhist context) The zen buddhist meditation practice of Shikantaza (just sitting) is the core practice of the japanese soto-zen tradition. It is described as one of the simplest yet most subitle forms of meditation but also one of the most easily misunderstood. In this study the experience of Shikantaza meditation is investigated from a psychological point of view. Six in depth interviews are analysed with support from the theoretical framework provided by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Robert Forman. The result of the study suggests that the core experience of Shikantaza zazen can be identified as a pure consciousness event and that this experience, with continuous practice, can become permanent and brought in to the daily life of the practitioner. The study also shows that this experience, when it has become a part of the ordinary life, helps the practitioner to cultivate autotelic personality traits and as a result of this he or she can appreciate and enjoy the simple and small things in life.

A dissertaÃÃo analisa a obra CÃnticos, de Cecilia Meireles, destacando o contexto histÃrico-cultural, ideolÃgico e artÃstico do sÃculo XX, a partir do estreito relacionamento da literatura produzida pelo poeta com o misticismo das filosofias do Oriente, em especÃfico, o Budismo, com a poesia mÃstica do poeta indiano Rabindranath Tagore e os discursos pacifistas de Mahatma Gandhi e Vinoba Bhave. O trabalho parte do corpus poÃtico, utiliza ainda como apoio a Poesia Completa da escritora, o estudo crÃtico realizado por Eliane Zagury, em "CecÃlia Meireles: notÃcia biogrÃfica, estudo crÃtico, antologia, bibliografia, discografia, partitura", e os depoimentos constantes de cartas, entrevistas, livros prefaciados e crÃnicas como amparo princiapal. Utilizando os mÃtodos descritivo, analÃtico, interpretativo-comparativo, a pesquisa divide-se em cinco momentos, sendo: "ConsideraÃÃes iniciais", "O sÃculo XX", "CÃnticos - A Liberdade nomeada", " A Bilbioteca via" e, finalmente, como conclusÃo, "A singularidade do canto mÃstico". / The dissertation examines the work Songs, Cecilia Meireles, highlighting the historical context-cultural, ideological and artistic of the twentieth century, from the close relationship of literature produced by the poet with the mysticism of the philosophies of the East, in particular, Buddhism, with the mystical poetry of the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore and the speeches of peace Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave. The work of the poetic corpus, still uses to support the writer Complete Poetry, the critical study conducted by Amy Zagury, "CecÃlia Meireles: news biographical, critical study, anthology, literature, discography, the score," and in the testimony of letters, interviews, books and chronic prefaciados as princiapal refuge. Using the methods descriptive, analytical, interpretive-comparison, the search is divided into five stages, where: "Initial considerations", "The twentieth century", "Songs - named Freedom," "The Bilbioteca way" and, finally, as a conclusion, "The uniqueness of mystical corner."

The purpose of this study was to describe and classify the stages of contemplative mystical development in the major world religions. To accomplish this task, a sample of five major world religions was chosen from the total population. From each religion, a contemplative author who was regarded as an authority by the members of that religion was chosen. The major work of each author was described in order to make explicit his/her conceptualization of the stages of contemplative development. These conceptualizations were then compared together, resulting in two models of contemplative development. The first model was composed of those stages where there was agreement between four of the five authors. This model described the necessary and sufficient conditions of contemplative development and had five stages. The second model was composed of those stages where there was agreement between three of the five authors, and was postulated to address the information loss of the first model. This expanded model had thirteen stages. The implications of this taxonomy for the scientific study of religion were then explored.

This study seeks to define “mysticism” historically by looking back to the concept mystical theology (μυστική θεολογία / mystica theologia) and the association of books under this category. The first Latin canon of mystical theology developed from the ninth to the middle of the thirteenth century around translation and commentary on the writings of Dionysius by John Eriugena, Thomas Gallus, Robert Grosseteste, and Albert the Great. The second Latin canon of mystical theology developed from the thirteenth to the end of the fifteenth century and centered upon the more practical task of teaching an advanced form of unitive and apophatic prayer (largely by Bonaventure, Hugh of Balma, and Jean Gerson). Nonetheless, the writings of Dionysius and the method of apophaticism—whether understood as negative predication (apophatic theology) or imageless (apophatic) prayer—remained fundamental. The criterion of immediacy also played a central role in the development of the concept, especially after the thirteenth century. Martin Luther inherited this concept of mystical theology. Reading Dionysius through the comments of Gerson and Johann Eck, Luther understood mystical theology as an advanced form of imageless prayer that sought an unmediated, experiential knowledge of God in majesty (“the naked God”) through union. Luther’s mature writings rejected any attempt to know God in this direct way. However, drawing on Augustine and Johann Tauler, Luther redirected the elements of experiential knowledge and the method of negation that he learned in mystical literature. Rather than addressing the disproportion between the finite and the infinite, Luther’s version of negative theology addressed the disproportion between the word of the Law and the word of the Gospel. In turn, Luther redirected Dionysius’s original emphasis on the mediated nature of all theology towards the pastoral task of assurance. For Dionysius direct knowledge of God was metaphysically impossible. For Luther direct knowledge of God was not impossible, but disastrous. Only in the negation of the Law and “darkness of faith” in the spoken, external words of the Gospel could assurance be found.

During the 1920s, the Midwestern American architect Bruce Goff advanced a unique design approach that would govern his career: "Good architecture for everyone." Following the First World War, this period is considered the end of the Victorian and Edwardian era and "American innocence," and the beginning of the modern era—the 20th century. Goff challenged the predominant views of progressive modernism, the belief that science and technology were to be the "grand solution" to society's weaknesses. In contrast to his contemporaries who employed design methods of standardized building forms, mass production, and technology, which would later lead to societal alienation, Goff viewed his clients as individuals possessing a mind, a body, and a spirit living in a world together with other human beings. He believed that each person is endowed with five or more senses that "always" respond to Nature and its beauty. This dissertation will show that such an experiential and existential attitude is found in Goff's drawings, writings, lectures, and interviews and expressed in a clear commitment to the Bavingers (as clients), to their chosen site, and the architectural experiences designed for the Bavinger House. Informed by Gaston Bachelard's, poetic imagination, three journeys to and through the Bavinger House, reconstructed by generating drawings and bringing together a manifold of experiential methodologies to argue the claim that the Bavinger House is the preeminent paradigmatic example of Goff's work. The goal is to establish that Goff was indeed, a poetic architect who employed an imaginative organicism in his work. / Doctor of Philosophy / During the 1920s, the Midwestern American architect Bruce Goff advanced a unique design approach that would govern his career: "Good architecture for everyone." Following the First World War, this period is considered the end of the Victorian and Edwardian era and "American innocence," and the beginning of the modern era—the 20th century. Goff challenged the predominant views of progressive modernism, the belief that science and technology were to be the "grand solution" to society's weaknesses. In contrast to his contemporaries who employed design methods of standardized building forms, mass production, and technology, which would later lead to societal alienation, Goff viewed his clients as individuals possessing a mind, a body, and a spirit living in a world together with other human beings. He believed that each person is endowed with five or more senses that "always" respond to Nature and its beauty. This dissertation will show that such an experiential and existential attitude is found in Goff's drawings, writings, lectures, and interviews and expressed in a clear commitment to the Bavingers (as clients), to their chosen site, and the architectural experiences designed for the Bavinger House. Informed by Gaston Bachelard's, poetic imagination, three journeys to and through the Bavinger House, reconstructed by generating drawings and bringing together a manifold of experiential methodologies to argue the claim that the Bavinger House is the preeminent paradigmatic example of Goff's work. The goal is to establish that Goff was indeed, a poetic architect who employed an imaginative organicism in his work.

Thesis advisor: Boyd Taylor Coolman / This dissertation investigates Thomas Aquinas’s understanding of the charisms (gratiae gratis datae) as distinctly social or ecclesial graces in light of his critical engagement with the Franciscan Summa Halensis. It first looks at the Summa Halensis’s christology and theology of the charisms to show the theological inseparability of charismatic grace from the threefold grace of Christ (the grace of union, capital grace, and the grace of the singular man). I then trace the development of Aquinas’s understanding of Christ’s humanity (in terms of the grace of Christ’s humanity) as a conjoined instrument of the Word and show how at every step Aquinas critically engaged the christology of the Summa Halensis. I bring that historical development in christology and its application to the sacraments to bear on Aquinas’s understanding of the charisms as social or ecclesial graces, graces given to one person for the sake of another’s salvation. Instrumental causality provided Aquinas a new conceptual framework with which to understand what it might mean for the charisms to be social graces, placing the charisms within a wider array of created causal agents in the economy of grace. I place this development within the context of the rise of Joachite prophecy as well as the secular/mendicant conflict at Paris, factors that motivated Aquinas to conceive these graces as distinctly mendicant charisms. Just as the development of instrumental causality in Christology propelled Aquinas’s understanding of charisms as social graces, so this application of instrumental causality reciprocally informed Aquinas’s account of the charismatic Christ in the Tertia Pars of the Summa Theologiae. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.