The majority of academic study on the epistle to the Colossians focuses
primarily on issues related to Christology, the identification of the heresy that threatened
the church, or the ongoing debate surrounding authorship of the epistle. Current research
leaves several lacunae in the broader understanding of the writer’s intent with the Colossian
epistle. There is very little attention given to the existence of a process by which the
Colossian believers can mature in Christ and face any theologically aberrant teachings with
a growing faith and solid doctrine. There is also a gap in the research within the field of
Christian spirituality regarding the application of specific principles of spirituality to sacred
canonical texts and early Christian writings.
This thesis seeks to fill these research gaps through the use of socio-rhetorical
strategies and principles of Christian spirituality. The primary text for this research is the
pericope of Colossians 3.1-17. The research on the epistle examines the pericope for an
embedded process of character transformation by which the Colossian believers grow
towards Christlikeness. As the Colossians grow in maturity, their lived experience of God
changes. There are spiritualities embedded within the text that begin to impact the growth
of the believers through the embodiment of the text. The identification of these spiritualities
as well as the process of character transformation allows for the filling of research gaps
and a richer understanding of the epistle writer’s intent. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Phil. (Theology)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/26012 |
| Date | 09 1900 |
| Creators | Carlton, David Wayne |
| Contributors | Van der Merwe, Dirk, 1952- |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (303 leaves) : illustrations, application/pdf |
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