The diploma thesis deals with the phenomena of Europeanisation of the third states and its limits. The thesis is a one-case study focusing on Turkey and Europeanization of its foreign policy. Foreign Policy Analysis was chosen as the method of the paper. It focuses here on the internal changes in Turkey that came up with the AKP party government and led to the change in foreign policy in which the relations with the EU were given less room. Economy and religion are analysed as two major limits of Europeanization. Economy was one of the motives on which the change of orientation of foreign policy was based when Turkey started establishing tighter relations with states in the regions of Middle East and Africa. Turkey was building its image as the hegemon and mediator in the region to protect its foreign investments. The AKP was a pro-Islamic political party and religion plays also a role in Turkish foreign policy. Since the AKP started ruling the country it has been reducing the secularization despite it was one of the pillars of the republic since it had been established. Islam became the unofficial but important factor in orientation of Turkish foreign policy. These factors had influence on Europeanization of the country because EU was becoming less priority region and this fact divided the...

This diploma thesis deals with the Europeanisation of the third states and its limits. The thesis is a one-case study focusing on Turkey and Europeanisation of its foreign policy. Foreign Policy Analysis has been chosen as the research method. The method focuses on economic relations between Turkey and the EU and other subjects and searches for potential correlation with foreign policy making process. At first, the thesis researches the historical context of the relations of the EU and Turkey, describes the governing party AKP and analyses the changes in foreign policy. Economic relations are presented by Turkish exports and imports and inward and outward foreign direct investments. At the beginning of its government, the AKP party put a lot of effort to Europeanisation of the country in matter of reforms which brought better legislation and increase of FDI, but also mutual trade with the EU. During the years, fluctuations in mutual relations appeared but these did not have any significant influence on the political relations. As well as deterioration in political relations did not influence mutual trade. The EU is still the most important trade partner of Turkey despite the fluctuations. If a turn away the EU should have come, the motives would come most probably from internal politics...

Thesis (MTh (Old and New Testament))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis interacts with the generally held view that Ephesians is a general epistle with no concrete historical context and contingency, by arguing that this letter addresses particular religious concerns and beliefs of the believers of Ephesus and surrounds. A focussed literary survey of the religious-historical material of the western Mediterranean region in the first century AD is conducted, with particular attention paid to the cult of the Ephesian Artemis and the prevalence of magic. Special focus is placed upon Ephesians 1:15-23, which is exegeted using both grammatical-historical and socio-rhetorical methods of interpretation to gain insights into how the author employed and reformulated contemporary terms and concepts to demonstrate the lordship of Jesus Christ. Serious consideration of the religious and magical context of the first century Greco-Roman world when interpreting this letter to the Ephesians may open many possible avenues for future study, particularly in the area of understanding the letter in an African context. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie tree in dialoog met die algemene opvatting dat die Efesiërs-brief ’n algemene brief of omsendskrywe was, wat geen besondere historiese konteks of dringende saak aangespreek het nie. Die studie oordeel dat die brief spesifieke religieuse sake en oortuigings van die gelowiges in Efese en omgewing aangespreek het. Deur ’n literêre oorsig is daar gefokus op die religieushistoriese materiaal van die westelike Mediterreense area in die eerste eeu nC, met besondere nadruk op die Artemis-kultus en wydverspreide magie. Spesiale klem is geplaas op Efesiërs 1:15-23, wat met behulp van beide grammatikaalhistoriese en sosio-retoriese metodes geëksegetiseer is ten einde te bepaal hoe die outeur kontemporêre terme en konsepte wat die heerskap van Jesus Christus demonstreer, gebruik en herformuleer het. Noukeurige oorweging van die religieuse en magiese konteks van die eerste-eeuse Grieks-Romeinse wêreld ten tyde van die interpretasie van Efesiërs mag deure open vir moontlike verdere areas van studie, veral met die oog op die verstaan van die brief in ’n Afrika konteks.

German text / Die vorliegende Studie untersucht die Wahrnehmung von Christen durch die wichtigsten so-ziopolitischen Milieus in der heutigen Türkei mittels einer qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse von fünf türkischen Tageszeitungen. Zunächst schildert ein Rückblick die bedeutendsten ge-schichtlichen Faktoren für die Haltung gegenüber Christen in der Türkei: den frühen Islam, die gesellschaftliche Stellung der christlichen Minderheiten im Osmanischen Reich und in der Türkischen Republik sowie die Einflussnahme „christlicher“ Mächte in den Kreuzzügen und dann im Zeitalter des Kolonialismus. Die Analyse der Zeitungen Yeniçağ, Millî Gazete, Yeni Şafak, Milliyet sowie Cumhuriyet, die als Repräsentanten verschiedener Milieus ausgewählt wurden, erweist sich als aussage-kräftig in Bezug auf einen hinreichend differenzierten Befund der Wahrnehmung von Chris-ten. Es wird deutlich, dass laizistischer Kemalismus, türkisch-islamischer Nationalismus, Is-lamismus in seinen verschiedenen Spielarten sowie demokratischer Liberalismus die Christen durchaus sehr unterschiedlich wahrnehmen. Insbesondere in dem Misstrauen gegenüber christlicher Missionstätigkeit in der Türkei, die vorwiegend von Protestanten getragen wird, sind jedoch auch beachtliche Gemeinsamkeiten in der Sichtweise der untersuchten Milieus festzustellen. Im systematisierenden Teil der Arbeit werden für die vorwiegend negative Einstellung gegenüber Christen in der Türkei ideologische, historisch-politische und psychologisch-soziologische Gründe nachgewiesen. Zusätzlich wird die Notwendigkeit einer christlich-theologischen Interpretation der gegen Christen erhobenen Anschuldigungen dargelegt. Ge-eignete christliche Reaktionen werden unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Ersten Petrus-briefes aufgezeigt. Dabei legt die theologisch begründete Einordnung verbaler Angriffe in den Gesamtrahmen von Verfolgung das Fundament für ein Spektrum solcher Reaktionen. Dazu gehören die Auseinandersetzung mit Vorwürfen gegen Mission und die Vergewisserung der eigenen christlichen Identität. Der Erste Petrusbrief legt aktive Strategien zur Korrektur ge-sellschaftlicher Vorurteile nahe, gebietet aber ebenso geduldiges Ertragen von Anklagen nach dem Vorbild Christi und um seinetwillen. / This study examines the perceptions of Christians within the most important socio-political milieus in today’s Turkey. Methodically it undertakes a qualitative content analysis of five Turkish daily newspapers. First a retrospect depicts the most prominent historical factors for the attitude towards Christians in Turkey: early Islam, the societal status of Christian minori-ties in the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic, the interference of “Christian” powers during the crusades and later in the age of colonialism. The analysis of the newspapers Yeniçağ, Millî Gazete, Yeni Şafak, Milliyet and Cumhuri-yet, which are selected for representing the different milieus, proves to provide meaningful and adequately differentiated results concerning the perceptions of Christians. It becomes obvious that secular Kemalism, Turkish-Islamic nationalism, Islamism in its different flavors, and democratic liberalism manifest thoroughly different perceptions of Christians. Simultane-ously, significant common ground of the perspectives under examination can be demonstrat-ed, especially in terms of a deep mistrust against Christian missionary activities in Turkey. In the systematizing part of the study, ideological, historic-political, and psychological-sociological reasons are established for the mostly negative attitude towards Christians in Turkey. In addition the necessity of a Christian theological interpretation of the accusations against Christians is substantiated. Appropriate Christian responses are identified, with special attention to the First Letter of Peter. A theologically justified integration of verbal abuse into the broader framework of persecution creates the interpretational foundation for determining a variety of possible responses. Prominent among these responses are a debate about the accu-sations against Christian mission and the self-assurance of one’s Christian identity. The First Letter of Peter suggests active strategies to mitigate societal prejudice, but at the same time calls for Christians to patiently bear accusations according to the example of Christ and for his sake. / Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

German text / Die vorliegende Studie untersucht die Wahrnehmung von Christen durch die wichtigsten so-ziopolitischen Milieus in der heutigen Türkei mittels einer qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse von fünf türkischen Tageszeitungen. Zunächst schildert ein Rückblick die bedeutendsten ge-schichtlichen Faktoren für die Haltung gegenüber Christen in der Türkei: den frühen Islam, die gesellschaftliche Stellung der christlichen Minderheiten im Osmanischen Reich und in der Türkischen Republik sowie die Einflussnahme „christlicher“ Mächte in den Kreuzzügen und dann im Zeitalter des Kolonialismus. Die Analyse der Zeitungen Yeniçağ, Millî Gazete, Yeni Şafak, Milliyet sowie Cumhuriyet, die als Repräsentanten verschiedener Milieus ausgewählt wurden, erweist sich als aussage-kräftig in Bezug auf einen hinreichend differenzierten Befund der Wahrnehmung von Chris-ten. Es wird deutlich, dass laizistischer Kemalismus, türkisch-islamischer Nationalismus, Is-lamismus in seinen verschiedenen Spielarten sowie demokratischer Liberalismus die Christen durchaus sehr unterschiedlich wahrnehmen. Insbesondere in dem Misstrauen gegenüber christlicher Missionstätigkeit in der Türkei, die vorwiegend von Protestanten getragen wird, sind jedoch auch beachtliche Gemeinsamkeiten in der Sichtweise der untersuchten Milieus festzustellen. Im systematisierenden Teil der Arbeit werden für die vorwiegend negative Einstellung gegenüber Christen in der Türkei ideologische, historisch-politische und psychologisch-soziologische Gründe nachgewiesen. Zusätzlich wird die Notwendigkeit einer christlich-theologischen Interpretation der gegen Christen erhobenen Anschuldigungen dargelegt. Ge-eignete christliche Reaktionen werden unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Ersten Petrus-briefes aufgezeigt. Dabei legt die theologisch begründete Einordnung verbaler Angriffe in den Gesamtrahmen von Verfolgung das Fundament für ein Spektrum solcher Reaktionen. Dazu gehören die Auseinandersetzung mit Vorwürfen gegen Mission und die Vergewisserung der eigenen christlichen Identität. Der Erste Petrusbrief legt aktive Strategien zur Korrektur ge-sellschaftlicher Vorurteile nahe, gebietet aber ebenso geduldiges Ertragen von Anklagen nach dem Vorbild Christi und um seinetwillen. / This study examines the perceptions of Christians within the most important socio-political milieus in today’s Turkey. Methodically it undertakes a qualitative content analysis of five Turkish daily newspapers. First a retrospect depicts the most prominent historical factors for the attitude towards Christians in Turkey: early Islam, the societal status of Christian minori-ties in the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic, the interference of “Christian” powers during the crusades and later in the age of colonialism. The analysis of the newspapers Yeniçağ, Millî Gazete, Yeni Şafak, Milliyet and Cumhuri-yet, which are selected for representing the different milieus, proves to provide meaningful and adequately differentiated results concerning the perceptions of Christians. It becomes obvious that secular Kemalism, Turkish-Islamic nationalism, Islamism in its different flavors, and democratic liberalism manifest thoroughly different perceptions of Christians. Simultane-ously, significant common ground of the perspectives under examination can be demonstrat-ed, especially in terms of a deep mistrust against Christian missionary activities in Turkey. In the systematizing part of the study, ideological, historic-political, and psychological-sociological reasons are established for the mostly negative attitude towards Christians in Turkey. In addition the necessity of a Christian theological interpretation of the accusations against Christians is substantiated. Appropriate Christian responses are identified, with special attention to the First Letter of Peter. A theologically justified integration of verbal abuse into the broader framework of persecution creates the interpretational foundation for determining a variety of possible responses. Prominent among these responses are a debate about the accu-sations against Christian mission and the self-assurance of one’s Christian identity. The First Letter of Peter suggests active strategies to mitigate societal prejudice, but at the same time calls for Christians to patiently bear accusations according to the example of Christ and for his sake. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

In this dissertation, I investigate the impact of the extended religious and political elements in the ancient Near East of the Late Bronze period that influenced the reigns of Hattušili III, his consort, Queen Puduhepa, circa 1267 to 1237 BCE and their son Tudhaliya IV circa 1237 to 1228 BCE. As rulers of the Hittites, they were not the greatest and most influential royals, like the great Suppiluliuma I circa 1322 to 1344 BCE, but their ability to adopt an eclectic approach similar to that of their great predecessors regarding religion, politics, international diplomacy and signing treaties made this royal triad a force to be reckoned with in the ancient Near East. Therefore, central to this investigation will be the impact of Hattušili III’s usurpation of the throne and Puduhepa’s role in the Hurrianisation of the state cult and pantheon. Also included is a brief investigation into the continuation of the reorganisation and restructuring of the Hittite state cult and local cult inventories by Tudhaliya IV and his mother Puduhepa after the death of Hattušilli III. By researching this royal triad, their deities, their Hurro-Hittite culture and the textual evidence of their rule, it becomes possible to assemble some of the elements that impacted on their rule. I have used available transliterated translated texts and pictures to support and illustrate the investigation of this complex final period in the history of the Hittite Empire. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / MA (Ancient Near Eastern Studies)