Thesis advisor: Margaret E. Guider / Thesis advisor: Michael Simone / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of History. / Bibliography: leaves 189-203.

The first chapter of this project outlines the background of studies about the Bible, gender, and social theory. The second chapter of this project surveys the landscape of contemporary feminist theory and gender studies, with particular focus on approaches that theorize feminine identity as a relatively stable and intact cultural category. The purpose of this first chapter is to highlight possible points of contact between theological priorities concerning gender in Christian doctrine and humanistic approaches to theorizing gender. The third chapter of this project focuses on attempts to theorize the significance of secondary gender differences between men and between women. It begins with a survey of theories about how categories function as markers of identity, and then explores accounts of secondary gender difference within feminist theory and gender studies. It concludes with an examination of social identity theory, and suggests that incorporating this approach from social psychology can be a helpful heuristic device in a Christian understanding of secondary gender identity. The fourth chapter examines the manner in which a specific identity label—virgin (παρθένος)— circumscribes a gendered social identity with respect to unmarried female sexuality. It does this through the presentation of an exhaustive survey of the lexical, semantic, and syntactic function of the label across 529 uses in the Jewish and Greco-Roman background literature of the New Testament, as well as the contextual associations surrounding its use in these texts. The fifth chapter examines 1 Corinthians 7 in light of the previous chapter’s findings, highlighting any additional significance they might add to Paul’s statements about virgins in his paraenesis. It proposes a newer, alternative approach that is not beset with the weaknesses of prior approaches, and suggests that the perspective on the identity of virgins gained from the previous chapter resolves some well-known tensions in interpretations of 1 Corinthians 7. The sixth and final chapter explores potential lines of scholastic inquiry that might surface as a result of this study, as well as the various conversations in our culture about gender-related issues that might be implicated by the conclusions drawn about the nature of gender identity.

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The decoration of the Amesbury Psalter, c.1250, is of immediate appeal because of its skilled execution and the richness of its decoration. It is, moreover, interesting iconographically; the Madonna and Child page, which presents Mary as the Virgo lactans, appears to be the earliest representation of this type of Madonna which is of English provenance. Although the Virgo lactans is the oldest image of Mary known to us, it has never been the popular image of the Virgin as has been, for example, the representation of the seated Hodegetria. This essay traces the history of the Virgo lactans to the cult of Isis in Egypt, explores the image of Mary expressed in theological writings through the centuries, and examines popular concepts of the Virgin portrayed in vernacular literature, and the various ways in which the Madonna and Child theme has been visually presented. While attempts to link the theological and/ or popular concepts of Mary, which obtained at a particular time and place, with specific images of the Virgin, are sometimes erroneous, there are a few examples of the Virgo lactans of late Romanesque and early Gothic Europe which suggest that they were taken over from the Byzantine world because of a new religious atmosphere. Evidence suggests that the appearance of the Madonna as the Virgo lactans in mid-thirteenth century England might have come about through the personality of Henry III whose piety seemed to be expressed frequently in the form of artistic representation. Furthermore, his interest in the Priory of Amesbury, which has been well documented, might suggest that the so-called Sarum Master, who created the Amesbury Psalter, was one of the many artists employed by Henry, whose royal patronage of art has not been equalled in the annals of English history. / Arts, Faculty of / Art History, Visual Art and Theory, Department of / Graduate

The relationships between movement, emotion, and ritual communion in Byzantium have drawn the attention of art historians in recent years. While Henry Maguire has considered many facets of this subject, a monumental Late Byzantine icon, the Two-Sided Icon with the Virgin Pausolype, Feast Scenes, the Crucifixion and Prophets, suggests others. While the catalog entry by Annemarie Weyl Carr in Byzantium: Faith and Power remains the only published discussion of this particular icon, or even specifically of the Pausolype ("cease sorrow!") iconographic type, I believe that this image contributes significantly to our understanding of Late Byzantine culture and liturgical practice. Careful study of this particular icon encourages a consideration of the problematic subject of emotion, and its interactions with movement, ritual and art. The paucity of evidence makes it difficult to address specific devotional practices associated with this particular object, although some observations can be made. I am able, however, to align it with its iconographic antecedents and establish contemporary relationships, illuminating aspects of its original function. / Art History

Because cisterns are exposed to the environment via their direct attachment to catchment surfaces, cistern water quality is often poor. In the U.S. Virgin Islands cisterns are involved in supplying the water needs for private homes, hotels, businesses and public housing, making them subject to the mandates of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act. This study compares the results of the occurrence of various water quality indicators in Private Residential, Public Housing, and Hotels and Guest House cisterns in the U.S. Virgin Islands in a side-by-side analysis. Forty-seven separate independent variables were created and tested for correlation, of which only the rate at which chlorination was applied was significant. A high degree of correlation was found to exist between total and fecal coliforms. A moderate, but still significant correlation between the coliform and the heterotrophic levels in the cistern was also noted. There was no correlation between any of the bacterial indicators studied and the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The results show, depending upon on the type and amount of chlorination received, different bacterial indicators will predominate and that there is a logical succession from one to the next with chlorination. On the unchlorinated end of the scale, normally associated with privateresidential homes, there is a correlation between the heterotrophic bacteria and total coliform. On the other end where chlorination is constant, normally associated with public water supply systems, correlation is between total coliform and fecal coliform. The proportion at which these indicators occur is a function of the diligence at which chlorination takes place. Regression analysis showed that the heterotrophs and total coliforms were the most sensitive to chlorination while the streptococci and fecal coliform were the most resistant. Thus, what is seen is fecal coliform unmasking based upon chlorination pattern. Depending upon whether the cistern is a private or public water supply which is mandated to be treated, an appropriate indicator system based upon the likelihood of treatment can be suggested. For unchlorinated private residential home cisterns the prime indicator should be the heterotrophic plate count and for chlorinated systems the take-action organism should be the fecal coliform. P. aeruginosa should be tested for in both domestic cistern water supplies and public cistern water supply systems.

This thesis entails a three-part approach to understanding the iconographic program at Santa Maria Tonantzintla. First, an historical and stylistic background of Santa Maria Tonantzintla will be presented. Included in this section is a description of the church and its many saints. The second part is a description of the various images of the Virgin and associated Marian Emblemata within the church design. The third part focuses on the European- based iconography of the Virgin and the iconography of the pre-Hispanic earth mother Tonantzin. It will illustrate how the image of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception at Santa Maria is the physical manifestation of a sacred discourse between Catholic and ancient Mexican iconography.

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Thesis (S.T.M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [55]-63).