Endeavoring to invigorate a Pascalian approach to Christian persuasion, this dissertation asks: How might the doctrine of the imago Dei strengthen Pascal’s anthropological argument? The central claim is that the doctrine of the imago Dei strengthens Pascal's anthropological argument by supplying greater detail to the explanation stage and accounts for more instances of humans’ paradoxical condition. Chapter 1 demonstrates the need for this study. Even though Pascal’s method appears to be a formidable tool for Christian apologists in a postmodern culture, it has received surprisingly little attention and clarity in apologetic literature. Moreover, no efforts have been made to strengthen his anthropological argument by correlating it with insights from the doctrine of the imago Dei. Chapter 2 reveals that the anthropological theme within Pascal’s Pensées may be properly understood as a three-stage abductive argument consisting of data (instances of humans’ paradoxical behavior), explanation (Christian anthropology), and elimination (other religions or worldviews fail to explain the human condition). Chapter 3 surveys the history of interpretation of the doctrine of the imago Dei. Despite their many differences, interpreters generally agree that (1) imagedness means that humans are ontologically constituted for a relationship with God, but that (2) human sin conflicts with their God-oriented constitution. Chapter 4 presents six propositions about imagedness. These propositions support the observation that imagedness and sinfulness conspire to render the human condition paradoxical: humans are self-opposing. Chapter 5 applies this understanding of the imago Dei to the explanatory stage of Pascal’s anthropological argument, showing that the doctrine of the imago Dei provides a finer level of detail and explains more instances of humans’ paradoxical condition. Chapter 6 shows that the Christiformic journeys of Augustine, C. S. Lewis, and Jonathan Edwards represent flesh-and-blood instances of Scripture’s portrait of Christiformic image-bearers. These instances supply evidence that the doctrine of the imago Dei plausibly explains the human condition. Thus, they also strengthen Pascal’s anthropological argument. Chapter 7 explains two larger aims of this dissertation: to contribute toward a broader vision of Christian persuasion and to exemplify how the disciplines of apologetics and biblical theology can be powerful allies.

<p>This study presents an investigation into and reassessment of the theological frameworks within which traditions of anthropogony, or the origin of humankind, are best comprehended in the Qumran Hodayot and the letters of Paul. The dominant framework in which such traditions are usually comprehended is that of the creation, fall, and restoration of humankind. The argument put forward is that this framework does not adequately account for the manner that both the Hodayot and the apostle Paul severely problematize created human nature and anticipate a transformation of human ontology as determined by its initial creation by God.</p> <p>The study of anthropogonic traditions in the Hodayot demonstrates that the creation of Adam from dust presents an obstacle to the fulfillment of “all the glory of Adam/<em>adam.</em>” Through a deconstruction of the <em>adam</em>-of-dust motif that is inspired by the book of Job and assisted by the equation of creation from the earth and gestation in the womb, the Hodayot severely problematize the moral integrity and innate impurity of the human condition as represented by the creation of Adam. In this way, the creation of humankind from Gen 2:6-7 is put into tension with the accounts of creation in Gen 1:26-29 and Psalm 8, which stand behind exalted depictions of humankind in the Hodayot. This is shown to be an adaptation of the theodicy contained in the Treatise on the Two Spirits.</p> <p>The study of anthropogonic traditions in the apostle Paul is undertaken in two parts. In the first, which deals with letters outside Romans, Paul is found to be preoccupied largely with the category of the “image of God.” It is argued that Paul assumes the continuing operation of Adam’s creation in the “image of God” in his descendants and that conformation to the heavenly image of Christ is, therefore, modeled not on fall-restoration but the duality of heaven and earth, reflected in the creation of humankind after a heavenly prototype.</p> <p>In the second part, which deals with Romans, Paul is found to be preoccupied with Adam’s relationship to creation and his proven inability to carry forward God’s ordering work of creation, a perspective Paul introduced in 1 Cor 15:20-28. Here it is argued that the framework that comprehends Adam’s initial state is not that of a supernatural condition of grace or glory, but of initial innocence and immaturity and yet also innate corruptibility, not only materially but morally. Consequently, it is only in assimilation to the heavenly image of Christ that “Adam” can exercise dominion over creation.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Hur förändras gudsbilden vid svåra livshändelser? Vad innebär förändringen (för tron/för den troende)? Syftet med denna uppsats är att bidra till att undersöka frågeställningen genom en enkätundersökning, samt reflektera över frågan och resultatet i relation till systematiskt teologiska röster.Tolv präster och pastorer har generöst delat med sig av sina erfarenheter och tankar i en enkätundersökning. Resultatet av denna empiriska undersökning visar gemensamma drag för de svarande vad gäller förändringens riktning, även om det mellan svaren finns olikheter. Undersökningen stannar inte vid upplevelsen av Guds frånvaro som många upplever mitt i svåra livshändelser, utan tar upp gudsbildens förändring som den beskrivs över tid i relation till svåra livshändelser.Med utgångspunkt i Paul Tillich teologi om tro kan den empiriska undersökningens resultat beskrivas som trosutveckling. I resultatet finns riktningen från förklaring till upplevelse, teologerna Mäster Eckehart och Simone Weil har använts för att reflektera kring detta. En jämförande tolkning med Sofia Camnerin och C. S. Lewis självbiografiska berättelser visar att det finns paralleller till enkätundersökningens resultat. Den bild som framträder utifrån resultatet av 12 enkätsvar och systematisk teologisk analys är att det finns en väg mot tillit när en människa möter svåra livshändelser.

This thesis deals with the topic of human liberty as it was developed in The Great Catechism by St. Gregory of Nyssa. It is concerned with the importance and role of liberty in the particular periods of the history of salvation (creation, fall and redemption) and with the relation between liberty and other important themes of Gregory's work: man as the image of God and as a creature composed of soul and body; the human's fall and the turn from the real good (which is God) towards evil; new life acquired from Christ's resurrection and the adoption of this new life through baptism and the Eucharist. The man was created for life in freedom; life oriented towards the real good: the God. The man cannot be really free without this orientation towards God, but on the other hand this orientation cannot exist without freedom either. God gave man the life and after the fall he returns it to him, but the acceptance and the shape of this life is at all times dependent on the man's decision. The man, as a created being, is someone who changes all the time. And it is just because he can again and again decide about these never-ending changes of himself, that he can have in his power not only his deeds, but also himself: he is his own master, as God is.

La présente thèse, intitulée «L’incarnation du Verbe de Dieu comme œuvre du salut chez Athanase d’Alexandrie» met en évidence un sujet qui a une connotation très forte pour l’histoire du christianisme et des pensées religieuses en général, à savoir l’action salvatrice du Fils de Dieu en faveur de l’homme, avec toutes les conséquences qui en résultent. Athanase a une conception assez originale sur la nature de l’homme, qu’il conçoit comme un être corruptible, issu du néant, mais destiné pourtant à une vie éternelle par la participation de Dieu, celui qui possède la vraie vie et qui lui communique cette vie si celui-ci reste en communion avec Dieu. Pour qu’il puisse réaliser cette relation très personnelle, Dieu l’a créé selon son image, le Logos-même et l’a doté de l’esprit, l’esprit qui lui permettait d’élever toujours sa pensée vers le monde intelligible et de voir Dieu selon l’image duquel il a été fait. A cause de son insouciance et de la tromperie du démon l’homme n’a pas réussi à garder la pureté de son esprit, pureté qui lui garantissait la contemplation de l’Image, s’est retourné par le péché vers les choses sensibles et a commencé à se contempler lui-même. Ainsi la séparation de Dieu, sa source de vie, renvoie l’homme à sa condition initiale de créature sortie du néant. Mais Dieu, dans son amour infini, n’a pas voulu laisser l’homme dans cet état déplorable et a envoyé dans le monde son propre Verbe pour qu’en sa qualité d’Image de Dieu, il renouvelle l’homme fait selon l’image et qu’en assumant une humanité réelle, il le libère du péché et de la mort par sa mort et sa résurrection. Pourtant l’œuvre salvatrice accomplie par l’incarnation du Verbe ne se limite pas seulement à une restauration de l’homme dans son état initial, mais suppose quelque chose de plus, à savoir une union si étroite de l’humanité et de la divinité dans la personne du Christ, de telle sorte que la nature humaine-même est rendue perméable à la divinité. Cette œuvre réalisée dans la personne du Christ se prolonge dans tous les hommes, grâce à leur parenté et incorporation en Christ. C’est ainsi que l’auteur conclut par sa célèbre phrase: «Dieu s’est fait homme pour que l’homme soit fait dieu», un dieu non par nature, mais par grâce. / This thesis, entitled “The incarnation of the Word of God as work of salvation in Athanasius of Alexandria” emphasizes a topic that has very strong connotations in the history of Christianity and religious thoughts in general, namely the liberating action of the Son of God for man, with all the consequences that will result. Athanasius’ thinking of human nature is, in some degree, original. For him, the human being is a corruptible one, as originated in nothingness, but destined to an eternal life through the participation of God, who possesses the true life and who communicates it to him, if he remains in communion with God. To achieve this personal relationship, God created him after his image, the Logos himself, and endowed him with spirit, which enabled him to raise always his thought to the intelligible world and to see God in whose image he was made. Because of his recklessness and deceit of the devil, man failed to keep the purity of his spirit, purity that ensured his contemplation of the Image, he turned through sin to sensible things and began to contemplate himself. Thus, the separation from God, the source of his life, makes the man returning to his original condition as creature out of nothing. But God in his infinite love would not leave man in this deplorable state and sent into the world his own Word to renew, as Image of God, the man made after this Image and, by assuming a true humanity, deliver him from sin and death by his death and his resurrection. Yet the saving work accomplished by the incarnation of the Word is not limited only to a restoration of man to his original condition, but requires something more, namely a union so close of humanity and divinity in the person of Christ, so that the human nature itself is made permeable to the deity. This work accomplished in the Christ’ person extends to all men, through their similarity and their incorporation into Christ. Thus the author concludes by his famous phrase: “God became man so that man is made god”, a god, not by nature but by grace.

This study uses a postcolonial feminist analysis to show how a biblical text (1 Cor 11:1-16), because of its patriarchal and imperial background, excludes women from the image of God. It demonstrates how this text has been taken up, developed and appropriated to support the subordination of women throughout the Christian tradition from the Church Fathers to the reformers and right up to the present day postcolonial Kenyan Church context. While this text has been used for a long time to oppress women, this study argues that a critical reading of the text from a postcolonial feminist perspective shows that gender disparity exists in this and in other gender-biased Pauline and post-Pauline texts because they were based on the existing patriarchal and imperial structures, which subordinated women to men. Further the study demonstrates that the texts have continued to subordinate women to men throughout the history of Christian tradition. Most churches, such as the Anglican Church, express belief in the Scriptures. Yet such churches like the Anglican Church of Kenya, which seemingly supports gender equality through its gender inclusive article in its Constitution, does not offer guidance about how such texts are to be read and appropriated by Christians. The study offers a method to fill this gap. It is hoped that the academy and the church will avail themselves of this method in their reading practices of the Bible. It takes into account the history of gender and imperial biases in the construction of texts such as 1 Cor 11:1-16 that exclude women from the image of God. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

Thesis (M.A.P.S.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-74).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Covenant Theological Seminary, 2003. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-142).

Este trabalho nasceu da minha experiência clínica e da necessidade de melhor entendimento do que acontece no ambiente terapêutico e que afeta tanto o terapeuta quanto o paciente. A utilização do método psicanalítico justifica-se por firmar-se na investigação de processos psíquicos, o que auxilia no entendimento das relações transferenciais ocorridas entre o terapeuta e o paciente. Passaremos pela compreensão dos fenômenos transferência-contratransferência e sua trajetória histórica. Também se faz presente a discussão sobre a relacionalidade que existe entre terapeuta e paciente. O vínculo, tão importante para a percepção dos sinais apresentados pelo paciente, deve ser estabelecido nessa relação. O tripé psicanalítico, base de sustentação para o terapeuta, também é discutido e reafirmada a sua importância para a manutenção da saúde mental do terapeuta. Consideramos, também, a relacionalidade no âmbito teológico. O ser humano como ser criado por Deus para relacionar-se. A perda dessa relacionalidade natural e suas consequências nas relações humanas. Trataremos a maneira pela qual o ser humano pode restaurar essa relacionalidade perdida. Ao final será discutido a correspondência existente entre psicanálise e teologia. O terapeuta como ser criado possui a responsabilidade pelo cuidado do outro e também precisa de cuidados. A psicanálise e a teologia dialogam para auxiliá-lo nesse processo. / This paper was born from my clinical experience and from the need of a better comprehension of what happens in the therapeutic environment which affects the therapist as well as the patient. The use of the psychoanalytic methodology is justified because it is based on the investigation of psychic processes, which helps understand the transferencial relations which take place between the therapist and the patient. We will cover the comprehension of the transference-countertransference phenomena and their historical trajectory. Also present is the discussion about the relational nature which exists between the therapist and the patient. The connection, so important for the perception of the signs presented by the patient, must be established in this relation. The psychoanalytical tripod, the sustaining base for the therapist, is also discussed and its importance is reaffirmed for the maintenance of the mental health of the therapist. We also consider the relational nature in the theological ambience: the human being as a being created by God in order to relate; the loss of this natural relational nature and its consequences in human relations. We will deal with the way the human being can restore this lost relational nature. At the end, the correspondence which exists between psychoanalysis and theology will be discussed. The therapist as a created being has the responsibility for caring for the other and also needs to be cared for. Psychoanalysis and theology dialog to help this person in this process.

Nobody has a safeguard against loss. All people experience loss and the accompanying grief process during their lifetime. Grieving is a complex process. There are many different forms of grief. The grief process is understood in this study as identifiable moments rather than successive stages. The moments of grief are experienced on an unconscious level and vary in intensity. The role of the counsellor is to facilitate the process of bringing the experiences of grief into the conscious. This provides the counselee with the opportunity to work through his or her experience of loss. The contention of this study is that an existential experience of God’s presence can counteract the despair often associated with loss and the grief process. A method of story telling is used to bring hopeless stories into the empathic presence of God. Hope then becomes possible. A person’s experience of God is articulated by means of metaphors. Some of these are shared with the faith community as a whole, whereas other metaphors express the person’s individual experience of God. The different God images function in relation to one another. This study investigates how images of God can be harmful or helpful to the counselee in the grief process. The use of imagery assists in bringing the person’s perceptions of God to conscious awareness. By means of questions asked from a not-knowing position the counsellor helps to facilitate the telling of their story of grief, the story of God’s presence, and eventually their new story of hope for the future. The counselee experiences consolation, healing, liberation and a victory which becomes an existential reality in God’s presence. This pneumatic event is understood as God’s deliverance through Jesus Christ from a situation of hopelessness. This liberation takes place here-and-now. At the same time it is open toward the future. / Thesis (PhD (Practical Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Practical Theology / unrestricted