A presente pesquisa faz um levantamento das principais concep-ções sobre a Santa Ceia na "teologia oficial" e na "teologia popular" no âmbito da Igreja Evangélica Luterana do Brasil (IELB) e depois de comparar e interpretar os dados levantados tira as conseqüências para a prática litúrgica à luz das origens do culto cristão. No capítulo um faz-se uma explanação sobre a Santa Ceia na "teologia oficial" da IELB, definindo-a como um sacramento, identificando seus benefícios, enumerando suas conseqüências, falando do preparo para a participação e de quem participa dela. No capítulo dois faz-se a explanação do resultado de uma pesquisa social para identificar os principais elementos da "teologia popular" concernente à Santa Ceia no âmbito da IELB. Neste capítulo destacam-se os principais enunciados da "teologia popular": os participantes da Ceia são os que se preparam para participar, os que andam no caminho certo, os que são batizados e confirmados, que são da igreja ou crêem no que a igreja ensina. Faz-se referência a um grupo de entrevistados que não impõe qualquer condição, mas que diz que todos podem participar. Entre os benefícios da participação da Santa Ceia, na "teologia popular" destacam-se: traz perdão dos pecados, recebe-se o corpo e o sangue de Cristo, traz salvação, traz alívio e paz ao coração, fortalece e renova a fé. As conseqüências da participação da Santa Ceia, segundo a "teologia popular", são as que seguem: ajuda na mudança de atitudes, oportuniza a comunhão com Deus e com os irmãos, torna o local da celebração um lugar de bem-estar . Outros aspectos relevantes da pesquisa foram destacados na "teologia popular": é importante consagrar os elementos, lembra-se dos hinos e da liturgia, lembra-se da instrução e da primeira comunhão, lembra-se de pessoas queridas. No capítulo três se faz uma justaposição, comparação e interpretação dos enunciados da "teologia oficial" e da "teologia popular". Neste capítulo colocam-se lado a lado os enunciados da "teologia oficial" e da "teologia popular", buscando identificar semelhanças e diferenças entre ambas e procurando identificar possíveis causas para essas semelhanças e diferenças. No último capítulo, fazendo-se um retorno ao passado, apresentam-se as conseqüências das descobertas da pesquisa para a prática da Santa Ceia à luz das origens do culto cristão. Neste capítulo, ao se tratar da Eucaristia nas origens do culto cristão, fala-se das influências judaicas, apreciam-se aspectos relevantes da última Ceia de Cristo, discorre-se a respeito do "partir do pão" na era apostólica e, por fim, do testemunho da Igreja Antiga acerca da Eucaristia. A partir desses referenciais das origens do culto cristão, procura-se listar possíveis conseqüências para a prática da Santa Ceia no âmbito da IELB. / This research makes a survey about the main conceptions relating to the Holy Supper from the point of view of the "official theology" and from the perspective of "popular theology" in the context of The Igreja Evangélica Luterana do Brasil (IELB). After comparing and interpreting the results, conclusions are made for the liturgical practice in the light of the origins of the Christian worship. In the first chapter there is an explanation about the Holy Supper in the "official theology" of IELB defining it as a sacrament, identifying its benefits, establishing its consequences, discussing the preparation for participation of those involved in it. In chapter two, there is the explanation of the results of a social survey in order to identify the main elements of the "popular theology" concerning Holy Supper in the congregations of IELB. In this chapter the focus is on the main enunciations of the "popular theology": the participants of the Holy Supper are those who prepare themselves for Communion, those who walk in the right path, those who are baptized and confirmed, and those who belong to the church or believe in the churchs teaching. There is reference to a group that was interviewed that does not put any condition and says that any person can participate. Among the benefits of those who participate in the Holy Supper, in the "popular theology", the following can be emphasized: it brings forgiveness of sins, the body and blood of Christ are received, it brings salvation, it brings relieve and peace to the heart, it strengthens and renews the faith. The consequences of the participation in the Holy Supper, according to the "popular theology", are the following: help in the change of behavior, it bestows communion with God and with fellow brothers and sisters, it turns the place of celebration into a pleasant place. Other aspects: it is important to consecrate the elements, the person remembers the hymns and liturgy, the Confirmation instruction and the first Communion, and remembers beloved people. In chapter three, there is a juxtaposition, comparison, and interpretation of the data taken from the "official theology" and of the "popular theology". In this chapter this research parallels the enunciations of the "official theology" and of the "popular theology" where it identifies the similarities and the differences between them trying to identify possible causes for these similarities and differences. In the last chapter, there is a return to the past. This chapter presents the results of the research for the practice of the Holy Supper in the light of the origins of Christian worship. This chapter, when analysing the Eucharist in the origins of the Christian worship, deals with the Jewish influences, important aspects of Christs Last Supper are valued; it discusses the "breaking of the bread" in the Apostolic era and, finally, the chapter discusses the witness of the Ancient Church about the Eucharist. Beginning with these references of the origins of the Christian worship, this research lists possible consequences for the practice of the Holy Supper at IELBs sphere of action.

The presented work deals with the conception of the Eucharist in the Gospel of John. The first chapter is dedicated to terms of the Eucharist, the Last Supper and the Lord{\crq}s Supper and also to the existing division of possible approaches to the sacramentality in the Gospel of John. In the subsequent chapters it deals in detail with five places of the Gospel of John, that are mostly mentioned in connection with the Eucharist. It is the wedding at Cana (2,1-11), the eucharistic section (6,51-58), washing of the feet of disciples (13,1-20), the Vine and the Branches (15,1-17), opening of the side of Jesus (19,34). The work tries to solve the topic (question) in the context as wide as possible including the question of the johannine sources of inspiration. In this way it can be seen the mutual correspondence of these varios places and the deep theological conception of the hole Gospel. The replacement of the institution of the Eucharist in the thirteenth chapter with the washing of the feet and it{\crq}s displacement to {\clqq}the bread of life discourse`` in the sixth chapter is due to the proper evangelist{\crq}s intention. There was an impending danger, that the Eucharist became a magical medicine without any relation to the incarnation and the sacrifitial death of Jesus. These facts have theirs own consequences for the life of the christian community. So the subject of the sacraments has been subordinated to the christological accent.

Au sein de l’Église catholique, les critères d’appartenance à une Église sui iuris ont évolué dans l’histoire du droit canonique notamment à l’occasion de la promulgation encore récente du code latin de 1983 et du code des canons des Églises orientales de 1990. Le droit positif témoigne du souci du législateur de privilégier désormais l’objectivité du critère, sans empêcher qu’interviennent des éléments d’appréciation liés à la volonté des personnes qui souhaitent changer de rite par exemple à l’occasion de leur mariage. La loi et la praxis du Saint Siège manifestent cette recherche difficile d’un équilibre entre un déterminisme objectif de l’appartenance rituelle et une liberté subjective de choisir son rite ou d’en changer. Mais, les mutations sociales et structurelles ecclésiales récentes, caractérisées par la multiplication de structures ecclésiastiques à caractère personnel dans le monde latin, qui font droit à la volonté subjective des fidèles et l’augmentation importante du nombre des catholiques orientaux en diaspora, conduisent à s’interroger sur la pertinence de privilégier le critère territorial par rapport au critère personnel des structures ecclésiales orientales. Sauf à les condamner à la marginalité, voire à la disparition, il convient désormais de réfléchir sur le lien institutionnel qui unit les Églises de droit propre à leurs fidèles. Le poids de l’histoire, celui des relations avec les autres Églises orientales orthodoxes et enfin celui de la tradition canonique doivent être à la fois intégrés et dépassés pour ne pas enfermer les Églises orientales catholiques dans une logique mortifère. / Within the Catholic Church, the criteria for belonging to a sui iuris Church have evolved throughout the history of Canon Law, particularly after the fairly recent promulgation of the Latin Code in 1983 and of the Code of the Canons of the Eastern Churches in 1990. Positive Law is proof of the care the legislator now takes to give priority to the objectivity of the criteria, whilst not preventing other elements to be taken into account, such as the desire of people who wish to change the rite, for example in the case of their marriage. Holy See law and Praxis are a witness to this difficult search for a balance between an objective determinism concerning adherence to the ritual and a subjective freedom to choose one’s rite or to modify it. However, society and Church structures have changed in recent years, changes which are characterized by the multiplication of ecclesiastical structures with a personal character in the Latin world, giving the Faithful the right to have their own personal wishes; and a growing number of Eastern Church members in Diaspora. This has led us to reconsider whether it is now at all pertinent to favour territorial criteria as opposed to personal ones in Eastern Church structures. Unless we wish to condemn them to a marginal position or even to disappear altogether, we must now reflect carefully on the institutional link between the Sui Iuris Churches and their Faithful. The weight of History, of the link with the other Eastern Orthodox Churches, and of the tradition of Canon Law must be simultaneously integrated and transcended if Eastern Catholic Churches are not to be trapped within a death-inducing logic.

This master's thesis named Seven Sacraments Reflection in Tobias Zavorka Lipensky's Liturgical Work, deals with the transcription and analysis of liturgical acts which reflect seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. The appropriate texts were taken from Zavorka's agenda The Rule of Church Service, the hymn-book The Songs of Divine Praise and the song-book Funeral Chanting. The master thesis begins with brief Zavorka's curriculum vitae of Zavorka, who was the neo-utraquistic priest and Dean of the region of Doubravnik, and a description of his works. The main focus of the thesis is to describe the specifics of the special or sacramental liturgical acts that demonstrate the character of Zavorka's theological and liturgical work.

The most important part of the research or the central part of this work is the inculturation which may be understood as the emergence of a local church in a place (Bate 1994, 100). By a local church I mean the manifestation of the one church of Christ as the community of faith in a particular context. Essential for this emergence are two apparently opposed forces whose dialectical resolution motivates the inculturation process. The first of these forces is the unifying, creative and redemptive power of God seeking the oneness of creation and salvation, so that God may be all in all. The second is the incarnational locus of all creation and salvation which moves the Word to take on flesh in a time, place and culture and the Spirit to take the church to the ends of the earth. The resolution of this dialectic may be expressed as the emergence of unity in diversity or as a communion of communities. The papal document emerging from the African Synod, Ecclesia in Africa, describes the resolution of this dialectic as showing respect for two criteria in the inculturation process, namely ‘compatibility with the Christian message and communion with the Universal Church’ (EA62; cf RM 54). These two criteria highlight the importance of unity in the inculturation process. They affirm the relatedness of all Christian consciousness, ethos and mission which is expressed so well by Paul: ‘There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God and the father of all, over all, through all and with all’ (Eph 4: 6). / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

The first chapter of this degree work presents some personalities of Henry´s age. These personalities influenced him. Apprises there with Machiavelli´s The Prince, More´s Utopia a some Luther´s works. At the second chapter we learn something of lifes of Henry and Luther and of their important works, Luther´s On the babylonish captivity of the church and Henry´s Defence of the Seven Sacraments. This work finishes with summary of reformation in England.

Before the reformation and the schism of the Catholic Church, it had always been the duty of the Church and not of the state, to undertake the seven corporal works of mercy; feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick, visit the prisoner, and bury the dead.¹ By dissolving these institutions, Henry had unwittingly created what would become a social disaster of biblical proportions. In essence, this act was rendering thousands of the poor and elderly without a home or shelter, it denied the country of much of the medical aid that has been offered by the church, it denied future generations of thousands of volumes of books and scriptures from the monastic libraries, as well as denied many an education who would have otherwise never received one without the help of the Church. The ultimate goal of my thesis is to prove my hypothesis that the dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII was not merely a contributory factor in the need for the creation of poor laws, but the deciding factor (in a myriad of societal issues) for their creation. Footnote 1: Matthew 25 vv. 32-46.

The renewal of interest in religious healing methods in the past few decades, in response to various perspectives of illnesses, is ‘blowing’ through the PCC-one of the reformed churches in Africa. There are two underlying assumptions in this project: the first is that sickness constitutes a major threat to good health and the second is that the ministry of healing in the PCC is not contextual in view of respecting and incorporating the cultural, social, religious beliefs and values of its people in the formation of meaningful healing ministry. The healing ministry of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon is lacking in efficacy and essence because it does not make much meaning in the lives of the sick and their relatives. This project gives an overview of some of the causes of tensions that exist in the PCC concerning its ministry of healing. It critically analysis, interprets and discusses the empirical results of 26 (20 laity and six clergy) members of the Musang congregation alongside some theological reflections. The project explored and highlighted the importance of the traditional worldview regarding health, illness, healing and defines healing as the work of God and that it is imperative for the Church to focus on a more meaningful healing ministry that includes physical, spiritual, social and psychological aspects, thus healing needs to be holistic. Putting together the results of the literature review, the empirical research and the critical and theological reflections, the project suggests and affirms that there are theological, practical and socio-cultural reasons for the PCC to rethink, reformulate and reshape its healing ministry in the light of Jesus’ healing ministry. The project points out the theological, practical and cultural basis for a more meaningful ministry of healing within the PCC. These results reveal that the PCC has no choice but to embrace this emerging biblical healing ministry if it truly wants to remain faithful and in obedience to Jesus’ three but inseparable ministries of preaching, teaching and healing. Finally, the project proposes an integrated healing service as one of the ways towards a more practical and meaningful ministry of healing in the PCC at home and in the diaspora. Some objective comments and recommendations are also made. / Practical Theology / D. Th. (Practical Theology)

My dissertation explores Shakespeare’s negotiation of Reformation controversy about theories of salvation. While twentieth century literary criticism tended to regard Shakespeare as a harbinger of secularism, the so-called “turn to religion” in early modern studies has given renewed attention to the religious elements in Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Yet in spite of the current popularity of early modern religion studies, there remains an aura of uncertainty regarding some of the doctrinal or liturgical specificities of the period. This historical gap is especially felt with respect to theories of salvation, or soteriology. Such ambiguity, however, calls for further inquiry into historical theology. As one of the “hot-button” issues of the Reformation, salvation was fiercely contested in Shakespeare’s day, making it essential for scholarship to differentiate between conformist (Church of England), godly (puritan), and recusant (Catholic) strains of soteriology in Shakespearean plays. I explore how the language and concepts of faith, grace, charity, the sacraments, election, free will, justification, sanctification, and atonement find expression in Shakespeare’s plays. In doing so, I contribute to the recovery of a greater understanding of the relationship between early modern religion and Shakespearean drama. While I share Kastan’s reluctance to attribute particular religious convictions to Shakespeare (A Will to Believe 143), in some cases such critical guardedness has diverted attention from the religious topography of Shakespeare’s plays. My first chapter explores the tension in The Merchant of Venice between Protestant notions of justification by faith and a Catholic insistence upon works of mercy. The infamous trial scene, in particular, deconstructs cherished Protestant ideology by refuting the efficacy of faith when it is divorced from ethical behaviour. The second chapter situates Hamlet in the stream of Lancelot Andrewes’s “avant-garde conformity” (to use Peter Lake’s coinage), thereby explaining why Claudius’s prayer in the definitive text of the second quarto has intimations of soteriological agency that are lacking in the first quarto. The third chapter argues that Hamlet undermines the ghost’s association of violence and religion, thus implicitly critiquing the proliferation of religious violence on both sides of the Reformation divide. The fourth chapter argues that Calvin’s theory of the vicarious atonement of Christ, expounded so eloquently by Isabella in Measure for Measure, meets substantial resistance, especially when the Duke and others attempt to apply the soteriological principle of substitution to the domains of sexuality and law. The ethical failures that result from an over-realized soteriology indicate that the play corroborates Luther’s idea that a distinction must be maintained between the sacred and secular realms. The fifth chapter examines controversies in the English church about the (il)legitimacy of exorcising demons, a practice favoured by Jesuits but generally frowned upon by Calvinists. Shakespeare cleverly negotiates satirical source material by metaphorizing exorcisms in King Lear in a way that seems to acknowledge Calvinist scepticism, yet honour Jesuit compassion. Throughout this study, my hermeneutic is to read Shakespeare through the lens of contemporary theological controversy and to read contemporary theology through the lens of Shakespeare. / Graduate / 2023-11-20

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