VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The Catholic spirit in Schleiermacher's ecclesiology, the 1830 Augsburg confession sermons

In his 1830 sermons commemorating the 300th anniversary of the handing over of the Augsburg Confession, Friedrich Schleiermacher advocates an ecclesiology that is Catholic in spirit within the context of the predominant Protestant spirit that imbues his theological vision. The thesis charts a path beginning with ecclesiological elements from the original Augsburg Confession document of 1530 in order to show Schleiermacher's affinity with one of the founding symbolic books of Reformation history. The argument then continues to delineate the consistency with which Schleiermacher pursues an essentially Catholic view of the Church, from the burgeoning ecclesiology of the Speeches to the mature theology of The Christian Faith. The thesis concludes with the suggestion that in his Augsburg Confession sermons of 1830, Schleiermacher constructs a converging "fugal" ecclesiology--Protestant at its core but Catholic in its sacramental, ministerial, eschatological and ecumenical attributes. Essentially, Schleiermacher's theology of the Church is an ecumenical one seeking to constantly expand "the circle of Christian love".
The origin of evil, Didymus the Blind's Contra Manichaeos and its debt to origen's theology and exegesis

Evil desires and actions are at once repulsive and strangely appealing, creating an important tension within the human agent. Insofar as a religion or philosophy claims to offer a comprehensive account of the human condition, it must be able to shed light upon this tension--explaining how human evil originated, why it is appealing and what the limits of its power are. The need to wrestle with these questions was particularly acute in the Christian communities of fourth-century Egypt. The rise of the ascetic movement had focussed attention upon the struggle against fleshly lusts and demonic powers. At the same time, Manichaean missionaries were active in Egypt, disseminating their own account of the nature and origin of human evil. The dissertation analyzes a treatise which is arguably the most important fourth-century Egyptian Christian response to these challenges--Didymus the Blind's Contra Manichaeos--and demonstrates its indebtedness to Origen's theological and exegetical writings. Chapter 1 provides a brief account of Didymus' life and exegetical works. Chapter 2 describes the position defended by Didymus' opponents, providing a synopsis of Manichaean mythology (as found in the published Coptic Manichaean texts from Medinet Madi and Kellis) and analyzing references to Manichaeism in Didymus' Contra Manichaeos and exegetical works. Didymus' exposure to and understanding of Manichaeism are seen to have been limited; a tendency to confuse the views of the Manichaeans with those of earlier individuals and groups opposed by Origen is also noted. Chapter 3 examines the arguments advanced by Didymus in the Contra Manichaeos and demonstrates their indebtedness to Origen's theology and exegesis. Didymus' adherence to certain controversial aspects of Origen's theological anthropology (including the descent of preexistent souls into bodies soiled by sin and death) is noted and discussed. Chapter 4 analyzes the concept of prohairesis (purposive choice) which is central to Didymus' anthropology and grounds his anti-Manichaean arguments. By comparing Didymus' conception of prohairesis with that of Aristotle, Epictetus and Origen, it can be seen that Didymus was primarily indebted to Origen. The appendix provides a critical edition and English translation of the Contra Manichaeos.
Conciliarity in an ecclesiology of communion, the contributions of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission's Final report

“The question of authority in the Church has long been recognized as crucial to the growth in unity of the Roman Catholic Church and the churches of the Anglican Communion,” wrote the ARCIC-I Co-Chairs. This dissertation is situated within the ongoing Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue about authority and studies ARCIC-I's understanding of conciliarity in an ecclesiology of communion. The thesis is divided into three parts. Part I provides the historical and theological background to the dissertation. It examines the following theological concepts which are at the heart of the thesis: koinonia, episcope and the complementary elements of episcope which are conciliarity and primacy. Part II studies the ways in which the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church used the synodical structures at their disposal to respond to The Final Report of ARCIC-I. This study revealed that conciliarity functions in each communion, but neither has yet achieved the ideal balance between conciliarity and primacy proposd by ARCIC-I Both communions prepared official responses to The Final Report . The 1988 Lambeth Conference gave a positive response to ARCIC-I's statements on Eucharistic Doctrine and Ministry and Ordination and argued that the statements on authority “set out helpfully the direction and agenda of the way forward.” The Roman Catholic Church, however, was not as positive in its 1991 Official Response. In addition to the official responses a number of theologians and professional ecumenists participated in the public dialogue about The Final Report . The overall quality and variety of these responses demonstrate the importance of widespread consultation in conciliar decision making. Part III concludes the dissertation and argues that ARCIC-I has recovered conciliarity from the common tradition of both communions and identified a longstanding need in the church to hold synods. ARCIC-I's commitment to koinonia influenced the way in which it developed its understanding of conciliar and primatial authority as complementary elements of episcope serving the diversity and unity of the koinonia of the churches. Finally, this study on conciliarity in an ecclesiology of communion is situated within the trajectory of prayer, reflection and study begun by The Final Report and is offered as a contribution towards the goal of organic union envisioned by ARCIC-I
Paul's attitude toward the body in Romans 6-8, compared with Philo of Alexandria

The inceptive stimulus for this examination of the body was the question whether Paul held a disparaging view of the body. Our investigation concludes that he did deprecate the body. For the unbaptized, this attitude came to expression in his assertion that, even though the cosmic power of sin acts upon the entire person, yet there is a peculiar relationship between that power and the body, whereby sin seizes the body, and then from its seat in the body wages war against the mind and its desire to do good. The result of this is the captivity and enslavement of the mind in the body under the power of sin. Further devaluation of the body came into view with respect to Paul's attitude toward the body of the baptized. For while the ‘mind’ of the baptized experiences life, the body does not. Presently, the body of the believer is mortal and corrupt—like Philo, Paul devalues the body because it is mortal—and as such it is the dwelling place of sinful passions. To the extent that Paul devalued the body in ways that he did not devalue the mind, we can say he shared with the dominant Greek culture a deprecating view of the body. Yet when his attitude is brought into relation with Philo's, we are led to the conclusion that Paul's devaluation of the body was much less extreme than Philo's. For contrary to Philo, Paul identified with the biblical notion that the body is a territory for purity and dedication to God, and he held out a future for the resurrection of the body. Also, our inquiry calls into question whether Paul's attitude toward the body should be elucidated in terms of the conventional paradigm that sets the Jewish cultural world off against the Hellenistic, and then sequesters Paul's anthropology within one or the other of these cultural matrices. Rather, Paul's attitude toward the body is better enunciated in terms of a cultural matrix—‘Hellenistic Judaism’—that was a thoroughgoing fusion of two cultural heritages.
Identities in dialogue: An engagement of Paul Knitter's soteriocentric pluralism

This thesis analyzes Paul Knitter's theology with regard to interreligious dialogue. Examining Knitter's original exposition in No Other Name? (1985) through to Jesus and the Other Names (1996), the author traces the development of Knitter's pluralist theology through to its present soteriocentric form as expressed in his 'correlational and globally responsible model for dialogue.' An extensive analysis of Knitter's model identifies 'cosmological faith' as its foundation. By engaging postliberal theologian Stanley Hauerwas, secular philosopher Jurgen Habermas, and pluralist theologian Mark Heim, the author demonstrates that Knitter's model is problematic with respect to its necessity, appropriateness and coherence. Any attempt to answer one critic will correspondingly open Knitter's model to more devastating criticism from other sides. The author identifies two significant tensions in Knitter's 'cosmological faith' which make this quandary unavoidable, and concludes with the suggestion that Paul Ricoeur's hermeneutical approach to religious truth may provide a way forward.
Karl Rahner's understanding of the dynamic of continuity and change

Karl Rahner's theology proposes that while human existence is characterized by plural and multivalent expressions of revealed truth, it remains primarily and ultimately oriented towards the one, single mystery who is God. Rahner explores this proposition by appreciating God as Holy Mystery and human beings as persons who know God as infinite and intimate. This approach can provide contemporary persons an intellectually-honest account of both revealed truth and the historicity of our experience and expression of that truth. Such expressions are never exhaustive because God as Holy Mystery cannot be exhausted in human concepts. reflections or expressions. Further, humans can really express revealed truth, even though their apprehension and expression of that truth is historically conditioned. For Rahner, this is assured because human beings are made by, guided by, and directed towards the incomprehensible mystery as the very fulfillment of their humanity, i.e., as the source of salvation.
The development of Lonergan's notion of the dialectic of history, a study of Lonergan's writings, 1938-53

In my dissertation, I test a hypothesis: "In the years 1938-53, Lonergan continued to hold the dialectic of history as a concern of central importance." I use the term "continued," because it is evident from recently discovered documents that Lonergan was much exercised by such a concern in the years 1933-38. The result I obtain from this test is a qualified verification of my hypothesis. I suggest that Lonergan did, indeed, continue to hold the dialectic of history as one of his central concerns in the period 1938-53. However, I also assert that Lonergan's attention was more directly taken up with questions that were subordinate to the more encompassing question of a theory of history. I conclude that, while his interest in the dialectic of history remained one of central importance, it must be understood as being something of an "underlying" concern during this period.
The Anabaptists and the Jews, the example of Haetzer, Denck and the Worms Prophets

In 1527 in the city of Worms, Ludwig Hätzer, with the sterling assistance of Hans Denck, published the first German translation of the Prophets from the Hebrew text, popularly titled the “Worms Prophets.” Martin Luther's criticism of the translation was that it was influenced too much by the Jews. Until now no effort has been made to ascertain whether there was a Jewish influence on the “Worms Prophets.” The purpose of this investigation is to discern the nature and degree of Jewish influence on the translation. Such an investigation provides an opportunity to begin to fill the gap in the larger question of the Anabaptists' contacts with and attitudes toward the Jews, a study which has been long overdue. My study of external and internal evidence shows that Hätzer and Denck were in contact with certain Jews of the city of Worms and that they made use of Jewish expertise and the long tradition of Rabbinic biblical scholarship to aid them in their translation. Based on the nature of the translation it is safe to say that this contact reinforced the incipient inclinations of Hätzer and Denck away from Christian orthodoxy and toward anti-Trinitarianism. The heart of the thesis is a detailed investigation of the annotations to the “Worms Prophets” with the purpose of identifying the dominant interpretive tradition which informed the efforts of the translators. The evidence reveals that Hätzer and Denck depended primarily on the Jewish interpretive tradition and that the source of that tradition was one or more of the Rabbis of Worms.
Retelling the Tetrateuch, the deuteronomistic historian's use of tetrateuchal narratives

The Deuteronomistic Historian (Dtr) patterned many narratives in the Former Prophets after Tetrateuchal narratives primarily in order to complement the concern of the narratives in which the parallels in the Former Prophets occur. Various features in the Deuteronomistic History such as the recurring cycle of sin-punishment-cry-deliverance-peace in Judges, as well as the paradigmatic sin of Jeroboam, suggest that for Dtr history unfolded along various paradigms. Although all the narratives that Dtr based on given Tetrateuchal narratives are the product of such a paradigmatic historiography, a distinction is to be made between those parallels that Dtr drew for effect and those few that are only the product of a familiarity with the given Tetrateuchal accounts. That Dtr rather than the compiler(s) of the Tetrateuch was responsible for the given parallel narratives is evident from various criteria, including cross-references from the Former Prophets to the Tetrateuch, the fact that single narratives in the Former Prophets share parallels with each layer of redactionally composite Tetrateuchal accounts, and the fact that the given parallels complement the concerns of the narratives in which they occur. That Dtr rather than Dtr's sources was responsible for such parallel narratives is evident from the following. The use of Tetrateuchal narratives within the Former Prophets is strikingly similar from narrative to narrative. Similarly, the use of Tetrateuchal narratives in Deuteronomy 1-3 (chapters that are attributed to Dtr) is strikingly similar to the use of Tetrateuchal narratives in the Former Prophets. Two conclusions that may be derived from Dtr's use of Tetrateuchal narratives include the following. First, contrary to the traditional view Dtr reworked his sources. Second, by Dtr's time some form of a Tetrateuch (including the P layer) existed.
The cosmos as primary sacrament, the horizon for an ecological sacramental theology

This dissertation argues that the cosmos as primary sacrament is the appropriate horizon for the development of an ecological sacramental theology. The interpretation of the cosmos in this understanding implies a shift away from anthropocentrism, as set forth in the work of Barry and others, and it includes the ethical commitments of an ecofeminist cosmology. The socio-ecological context challenges sacramental theology in its relevancy and in its praxis to become more attuned with an ecological ethic and a cosmology that holds the capacity for a new religious awakening among Catholic Christians. Sacramental theology, especially in its relation to liturgy, has the potential to transform the consciousness of the world's practicing Catholics and thus influence their commitments and their behavior. The underlying premise of this dissertation is that sacramental theology ought to be more explicit in its commitment to reverencing the whole of creation by making the ecological crisis a central concern for its theological reflection. It proposes two allies in this task, the new cosmology and ecofeminism. Respondents to the eco-crisis advocating a cosmological perspective, such as Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme, offer a critique of anthropocentrism specifically in its relationship to the ecological crisis and they address the need to celebrate the numinous dimensions of the universe. To answer Swimme and Berry, a revitalized ecological sacramental theology has the potential to address both of their concerns; correct its anthropocentric bias to include the whole of creation and transform the celebrations of Christian life so as to convey an awesome sense of the numinous wonders of the universe. Ecofeminism as a major global movement arose in response to the ecological crisis. It is both a form of liberative praxis and a philosophical, analytical enterprise. In its activism, it is a liberating force in working against oppression and in naming the agencies of oppression. Ecofeminist analysis extends the explicit themes in feminism, the critique of patriarchy, the liberation of women, and the historical and existent relationships between sexism, racism and classism, to include a concern for the natural world. This dissertation is situated within a joint conversation between the new cosmology and ecofeminism and proposes a critical ecofeminist cosmology as a potential ally for an ecological sacramental theology. The theoretical link between justice and liturgy has a scriptural foundation that provides a natural resonance between sacramental theology and a critical ecofeminist cosmology.
A liturgical people, the role of common worship in the ecclesiology of Michael Ramsey as seen in The gospel and the Catholic Church

The Gospel and the Catholic Church is Michael Ramsey's attempt to show that the Church is, before all else, the participation of people in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Ramsey asserts that without the traditional order of the Church, the truth of the Gospel is liable to dilution and corruption. In this thesis I intend to demonstrate that for Michael Ramsey common worship is definitive of the nature and activity of the Church. Although Ramsey insists in The Gospel and the Catholic Church that the paschal Gospel is revealed and upheld by the ancient order of the Church, its creeds, episcopacy, and liturgy, it nonetheless becomes clear in the study of this work that for Ramsey it is above all common worship, exemplified in the Eucharist, that defines and reveals Christian faith and living. For it is in the eucharistic assembly that Christians participate in the passion and new life of Christ, and it is by joining with Christ in his death and resurrection that we recover our destiny as worshippers of God. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
A way of being with children: Exploring the catechesis of the Good Shepherd from a pastoral perspective

The research concern, upon which this thesis is based, is to explore in what way the Good Shepherd Catechesis serves as a means of empowering adults to accompany children on their spiritual journey in a mutually formative manner, so that the adult is prepared to nurture, and be nurtured by, the spiritual lives of children. The applied research study (pastoral experience), designed to investigate this concern, has an especially practical orientation. Its participants, settings, and content all relate to the adult formation programme of which I am the formation director (Good Shepherd Catechesis Certificate Programme, under the aegis of the Toronto Roman Catholic archdiocese, and the Continuing Education Division of the University of St. Michael's College). Since this catechesis is little known here, the written account of the research project opens with a contextualization of the catechesis, followed by an introduction of the seven participants in their present ministerial setting. After setting the scene, there is a presentation of the theoretical bases supporting the study, including some theological, pastoral and catechetical aspects. Returning to a focus on praxis, the three-phase pastoral project is explored, especially in terms of the thematics emerging from the data: sources of nourishment in, and means of empowerment for ministry. The thesis continues with a reflection on other major thematics relating to communion, community and ministry. This is followed by an evaluative treatment relating to the participants' formation and ministry experiences, and a discussion as to their practical implications in terms of shaping future courses (Certificate Programme). Finally, this work concludes with a retrospective look at some additional contributions of the study as a whole.
A theological-ethical analysis of selective termination of pregnancy and the fetus with anencephaly in light of Christian agape

Anencephaly is an anomaly which occurs early in pregnancy leaving the fetus severely impaired neurologically and facing death either in the womb or shortly after birth. The anomaly can be detected prenatally and usual medical practice is to terminate this “futile” pregnancy. It is a practice not without ethical considerations. In Catholic health care facilities, the question is whether the pregnancy can be terminated prior to viability, while, in non-Catholic health care settings, practitioners are concerned about the moral permissibility of late pregnancy terminations when fetuses are normally regarded as having interests. However, many clinicians and ethicists believe that in anencephaly the neurological anomaly is so severe as to render the fetus incapable of experiencing anything. In their opinion, the fetus can neither be benefitted by continuation nor harmed by termination of the pregnancy. In view of the overwhelming tendency to terminate these pregnancies either through abortion or early induction of labour, this thesis nevertheless asks: is pregnancy termination in this case necessarily “good medicine”? Can a woman who wishes to continue such a pregnancy be seen as arguing from anything but emotion and intuition? Can an empirically grounded and theologically sound argument be made for the continuation of a pregnancy where the fetus is found to be anencephalic? By reviewing and recasting conventional perceptions of the meaning of pregnancy and of the fetus who is anencephalic, and working within a moral framework informed by a particular understanding of Christian agape, this thesis attempts to put forward such an argument. Drawing on research in the life sciences as well as in theology, the thesis will make the case that continuation of such a pregnancy can be understood to be far from futile. Without attempting to put closure on the debate this thesis will, it is hoped, provide material for further reflection and dialogue.