Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Immanence of God. Transcendence of God'

This thesis will argue that by applying a hermeneutic of performance to biblical narratives, religious dramatic texts and Anglican liturgies we are able to encounter the divine as an immanent and transcendent presence in theatrical performance. Performance, and theatricality, create realities beyond our quotidian experience and provide a context for such encounters. To explore these encounters I consider biblical texts, where God is present and active in a narrative, dramatic texts where God is a character on stage and Christian liturgies where God is active as first person of the trinity, passive as object of worship, or supremely in the Eucharist, present as Jesus. All will be examined through the twin lenses of performance as an end and theatricality as the means to such an end. Theatrical performance is conditional upon multiple dynamics of action and reaction, feedback and response between both actors and audience which constantly modulate its process. Although capable of repetition, a performance remains unique and possessed of its own truth – however interpreted, Hamlet remains Hamlet. In performance actors become characters, each working with audiences to create and participate in different realities. This is the single most important application of theatricality. In performance, all characters and audience are of equal value and within the framework of a performance can shape and change what happens. ‘Upstaging’ of any character, by any character is always possible. This means that outcomes may be expected but can never be guaranteed. God viewed as a character must be subject to the same constraints as other characters. This raises theological problems. In the biblical narrative of Moses, God is upstaged by Aaron casting the Golden Calf, and by Moses’ post hoc rejection of divine forgiveness. Once God appears on stage his divinity is at risk by being, or perceived as being a human playing at being God, so finite and idolatrous. In liturgical texts God is the object of worship, but when worship includes elements of performance and theatricality, God, Jesus and congregations are all potential performers raising the theological spectre of authentic ‘liturgical celebration’ becoming theatrical ‘imaginative representation’. However, the different realities afforded by performance and theatricality allow mutual liminalities as God and humanity cross thresholds into each others’ presence sharing and shaping events. In all the texts examined there are events where transgression and conflict render them susceptible to becoming tragedies. As a character in their performance God’s impassibility is threatened and he must bear responsibility for their outcomes with their apparent loss of redemptive hope. As God becomes a character in human stories (Moses, cycle plays) his immanence affects their outcomes, but as humans become characters in divine stories (the Eucharist) they enter moments of transcendence. In their mutuality, realities created by performance and theatricality offer transformative experiences of truth and redemptive hope unique in themselves but unitive in their repetition.

La première conception de la religion que nous livre Bergson dans Les deux sources de la morale et de la religion semble se réduire à un fait anthropologique. Cette religion, qu'il décrit comme une réalité statique, brouille toute idée de révélation qui se veut pourtant transcendante à l'Histoire. La deuxième conception, par contre, sans être une réflexion systématique sur l'idée d'un Dieu révélé, s'en rapproche par le biais des mystiques. Mais, là encore, se présente une difficulté : pour rejoindre la mystique, Bergson la situe dans le processus évolutif d'une réalité naturelle, l'élan vital dont il suit le cours jusqu'à son achèvement. Ainsi se pose la question de la nature transcendante ou non du fait mystique dans le bergsonisme. La réponse à cette question nécessite, non pas seulement une intelligibilité de l'image la plus controversée du vocabulaire bergsonien, l'élan vital, mais surtout une sympathie avec elle, qui seule permet d'aller au-delà de la rigidité des mots pour découvrir la vie qui les innerve. Par l'intuition, démarche de l'esprit, que le philosophe français recommande comme méthode à la philosophie, l'élan vital se solidarise avec la durée créatrice et devient le langage par lequel l'univers créé se comprend : le langage de l'amour divin. Il peut alors s'allier avec la mystique sans lui faire perdre sa double essence de réalité humaine et transcendante
The first conception of religion that Bergson offers us in Two Sources of Morality and Religion seems reducible to an anthropological fact. This religion, which he describes as a static reality, obscures any idea of revelation claiming to be transcendent to History. The second conception, however, without being a systematic reflection on the idea of a revealed God, approaches that through the mystics. But, there again, a difficulty arises: to link up with the mystical, Bergson situates it within the evolving process of a natural reality, the élan vital, whose course he follows up to its completion. Thus, the question as to whether or not the mystical is transcendent in nature arises in Bergsonian thought. The answer to this question requires not only the intelligibility of the most debated image in the Bergsonian vocabulary, the élan vital, but rather sympathy with it, which alone enables one to move beyond the rigidity of words in order to discover the life invigorating it. Through this mental exercise, the intuition that the French philosopher recommends as method to philosophy, the élan vital is in solidarity with creative duration and becomes the language by means of which the created universe understands itself: the language of divine love. It can then ally itself with the mystical without causing it to lose its dual essence of human and transcendent reality

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This research investigates lhe masks of God in lhe work of Fernando Pessoa, andespecially its various manifestations in lhe ambit heteronomy and polyphonicof lhe poetic Pessoa. The corpus used is lhe Book of Unquietness, written overlhe life of Pessoa, signed by lhe semi-heteronyms Bernardo Soares, and dialoguewith lhe personalities of his main heteronymous: Alberto Caeiro, lhe objectivistpoet, Alvaro de Campos, lhe poet subjectivist, and Ricardo Reis, lhe classical poet. Further dialogue with lhe Book, not just lhe characters of lhe heteronymous, but also lhe major poems by Alberto Caeiro, among which stands out lhe poem VIII of The Keeper of Flack af Sheep. The Triumphal Lyrical of Alvaro de Campos and lhe classic Iyrical of Ricardo Reis also supports lhe dialogue with lhe Book of Unquietness. Alberto Caeiro, Alvaro de Campos and RicardoReis have an immanent conception of divinity, while lhe look of Bernardo Soares and lhe own Fernando Pessoa is predominantly mystic and transcendentalist. In this theatrical static, lhe heteronomous characters, diverted, lhe dream narrative fragmented, as well' as lhe process of literary production of FernandoPessoa, feed a sei of multiple masks that point to lhe polyphony and lhe different faces of lhe divinity in Pessoa's work
Esta pesquisa investiga as máscaras de Deus na obra de Fernando Pessoa e, especialmente, suas diferentes manifestações no âmbito heteronímico e politônico da poética pessoana. O corpus adotado é o Livro do Desassossego, escrito ao longo da vida de Pessoa, assinado pelo semi-heterônimo Bernardo Soares, e que dialoga com as personalidades de seus principais heterônimos: Alberto Caeiro, o poeta objetivista; Álvaro de Campos, o poeta subjetivista; e Ricardo Reis, o poeta clássico. Dialogam ainda com o Livro, não apenas os caracteres dos heterônimos, mas também os principais poemas de Alberto Caeiro, dentre os quais se destaca o poema VIII, de O Guardador de Rebanhos. A Ode Triunfal de Álvaro de Campos e as odes clássicas de Ricardo Reis também sustentam o diálogo com o Livrodo Desassossego. Alberto Caeiro, Álvaro de Campos e Ricardo Reis têm uma concepção imanente da divihdade; ao passo que o olhar de Bernardo Soares e o do próprio Fernando Pessoa é, predominantemente, místico e transce~dentalista. Nesse teatro estático, as personagens heteronímicas, desfuncionalizadas, a narrativa onírica fragmentada, bem como o processo de produção literária de Fernando Pessoa, alimentam um jogo de máscaras múltiplas que apontam para a polifonia e as diferentes faces da divindade na obra pessoana

La présente thèse se propose d’aborder l’intelligence singulière de Marguerite Duras et pour ce faire, elle retient l’ensemble des écrits : romans, textes de théâtre, écrits journalistiques, scénarios, textes divers. Elle prend en compte le difficile héritage de la Shoah et du stalinisme, et à partir de l'extrême déshumanisation qui a marqué le XXe siècle, elle s’interroge sur le nihilisme propre à la modernité, plus particulièrement sur la manière dont le nihilisme est susceptible de gagner la littérature puisqu’il appert qu’il entre fortement en résonance avec l’univers durassien. La réflexion ne saurait s’en tenir à la sphère historique et elle investit nécessairement le champ philosophique. Le plus important néanmoins n’est peut-être pas tant de révéler le phénomène que de chercher à saisir comment l’œuvre se débat face au néant qui la guette et par conséquent résiste. Dès lors se fait jour un anti-nihilisme au sein de la littérature et la notion de sensible devient par là-même centrale. C’est en effet à une déperdition du sensible que l’on assiste quand le nihilisme se manifeste ; mais le sensible ne se borne pas à jouer le rôle d’un indicateur ; il est bien plus le principe permettant de combattre le néant. Par lui, le cogito brusquement se tait et l’empiétement, figure que notre analyse emprunte à Merleau-Ponty, advient ; par lui, l’intelligence se dérobe à l’intelligible, admet la contradiction et prend le large ; par lui, le désir, expression d’« un plus fort que », se trouve établi au fondement de l’homme, garant de son humanité ; par lui enfin la transcendance est ramenée vers l’immanence de façon qu’il devient possible d’envisager la métaphysique à partir de la chair
The present thesis aims to examine the unique intelligence emerging in Marguerite Duras's works, and to showcase this, it encompasses a range of her writings including novels, plays, newspaper articles, scenarios and other essays. It takes into account the difficult heritage of the Shoah and Stalinism, and from the extreme dehumanisation that marked the 20th century, it questions itself on nihilism in relation to modernity, specifically the manner in which nihilism is likely to influence literature as it would appear that it is very much present in the Duras universe. The reflection doesn't just cover the historical aspect, it expands fundamentally into a philosophical dimension. The most important thing, however, is probably not so much to reveal the phenomenon but to try and understand how the works struggle to face the coming emptiness and therefore resists. From then on, anti-nihilism rises within literature and as a result, sensitivity becomes central. Indeed, a loss of sensitivity is observed when nihilism manifests itself, however, sensitivity is not just an indicator; it is rather the enabling principle to combat emptiness. With it, the cogito disappears suddenly and the encroachment, thought borrowed from Merleau-Ponty, appears. With it, intelligence shies away from the intelligible, admits contradiction and takes off. With it, desire, the expression of something beyond our control, establishes itself as the foundation of the human being, guaranteeing his humanity. With it finally, transcendence returns to immanence so that it becomes possible to consider metaphysics from the flesh

In view of the complexity characterizing the contemporary discipline of academic theology, there is a need for functional models. Against the background of significant developments in twentieth-century theology, this thesis attempts to develop an analytical model which can make sense of some of the complexity characterizing this field. More specifically, the aim is to produce a model which can be used to distinguish between and relate different theological positions to each other at a meta-level. This is achieved through the elaboration of a two-dimensional typology composed of four quadrants representing distinct theological orientations. The proposed model and its analytical categories form the basis for a discussion of some key figures and themes in modern theology, with a particular emphasis on eschatologically oriented theologies. Finally, on the basis of preceding discussions, a case is made for theology’s ability to fulfill a vital cultural-critical role in a secular context.

This thesis investigates the significance of the Church's experience of transcendence in the theologies of Robert W. Jenson (b. 1930) and Alexander Schmemann (1921-1983). Both theologians emphasize the indispensable role of eschatology for Christian theology, but they offer strikingly different accounts of what that means. Following an introductory chapter, the first half of the thesis (chapters 2-4) clarifies the loss of transcendence by following Jenson's and Schmemann's respective theological diagnoses of the chief problems facing the Church in the late-modern West. Jenson argues that a long hidden error in the ontology of the doctrine of God is the underlying cause of the nihilism pervading Western culture. Schmemann perceives secularism as the pervasive cultural backdrop to Christian faith in the West, identifying the betrayal of the Orthodox Church's liturgical experience of the Kingdom of God as the chief culprit. By placing their critiques in dialog with one another I further trace the mutually diagnosed problem of the Church's debilitated eschatology to underlying problems in received ontologies of transcendence. The second half of the thesis (chapters 5-7) explores Jenson's and Schmemann's theological proposals for rehabilitating eschatology. Jenson revises the ontology of God to more adequately fit the God identified by the gospel. His narratival ontology enables him to conceptualize God's transcendence in terms of triune faithfulness through time rather than in metaphysical immunity to time. Schmemann retrieves a symbolic ontology in order to affirm the sacramentality of the world by which God's transcendence can be mystically experienced in the Church's liturgical worship. I argue that Jenson's theological rejection of timelessness rests upon historicist assumptions which Schmemann's eschatological theory has resources to withstand and that, furthermore, theology should preserve apophatic humility rooted in the aseity of God rather than historicize the doctrine of God as Jenson proposes.

Kenneth Burke has been described as arguably the most important rhetorician and critical theorist of the twentieth century, and yet an important part of his scholarship has been generally overlooked by the academic community. The pentad has become the most prominent "Burkean" framework for analyzing texts, yet Kenneth Burke himself preferred "a more direct" way of approaching texts which he named "indexing." This thesis recreates this method from the pieces found in his scholarly writing, personal correspondence, and the papers his students produced for the class he taught at Bennington College. Kenneth Burke believed indexing could uncover the "pattern of experience" or "motivational structures" a text embodies, and thereby help people become aware of the persuasive power different texts have. The method of indexing has two parts: 1. Finding the implicit equations in a text, and 2. Tracking the hierarchies of terms and God-terms in those equations. Identifying equations in a text starts with finding "key terms" in a text, meaning terms which carry special significance as indicated by their intensity and frequency of usage. One then tracks the context of these terms throughout a text to find which other words frequently occur together with these words. The second step, tracking hierarchies of terms, is done by finding how the terms in the equations relate to each other in a hierarchy. We start with specific and move upward to more general terms. On the top of the pyramid we find the God-term, which is the driving motivation and ground of all possibility in the text. Kenneth Burke hoped his method of indexing could help us understand the power language and motivational structures have to drive human action, and that we could question our own motivational structure as well as that of others and of the communities we operate in.

This work is a comparative study of the theological and historical development of the early Christian (pre-Nicene) and Mormon doctrines of God. For the Christian tradition, I follow a detailed study of the apostolic period, followed by the apologetical period, and then conclude with the pre-Nicene up to around 250 C.E. For the Mormon tradition, I cover the period beginning with the establishment of the Mormon Church in 1830 and conclude with its official doctrinal formulation in 1916. I begin this work with a chronological examination of the development of the Mormon doctrine of God, commencing with Joseph Smith's translation of the Book of Mormon and concluding with his revelations and additional translations of those books that make up the Pearl of Great Price. I then examine Brigham Young's single theological contribution, followed with the speculative contributions of Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, John A. Widtsoe, B.H. Roberts, and concluding with James E. Talmage. This section covers chapters two through four. In chapters five through seven, I examine the theological contributions of Ignatius of Antioch, then Theophilus of Antioch, and conclude my study with the theological contributions of Origen of Alexandria. For the Christian tradition, I trace the development of the pre-Nicene theologians' struggle to explicate the theological and philosophical implications regarding the divinization of Christ within the context of monotheism.. At the end of chapters five through seven I include a succinct, comparative study of each father's doctrine with Mormon doctrine. This work will also address the major theological and historical factors that influenced both the Mormon and traditional Christian doctrines of God. Further, I contrast both theological systems and discuss their basic differences and similarities. My conclusion is that the fundamental difference between these two theological systems rests upon their foundational conceptions of reality as absolutist or finitist. The Mormon theological system rests upon a materialistic and monistic conception of reality, whereas traditional Christianity's system rests upon a dualistic conception of reality. In Mormon materialism, the Trinity is divided as individuated Gods; in Christian transcendence, the unity of God may only be maintained, while acknowledging the separate existences of the Persons of the Godhead, if the nature of God is understood as an incorporeal substance.

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Este trabalho apresenta a gênese do conceito de Deus no homem, segundo a interpretação que fazemos da filosofia de Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche. Através do título “O nascimento de Deus segundo Nietzsche”, procuramos mostrar como pôde surgir, conforme o filósofo, a crença no conceito de Deus, interpretando-a como resultado de uma determinada hierarquia de forças e de vontade de poder, as quais caracterizam a espécie humana. Ao abordar o tema da gênese da ideia moral de Deus, podemos perceber que Nietzsche não conta a história do surgimento de uma entidade metafísica. O que ele investiga em obras como a “Genealogia da moral” é, sobretudo, como o conceito e o sentimento de Deus no homem nasceu e se desenvolveu no curso do tempo, levando sempre em consideração o tipo de forças e de vontade de poder que estão por trás desse desenvolvimento. Para empreender essa proposta, utilizamos textos do próprio Nietzsche, com ênfase nas obras e escritos das chamadas segunda e terceira fases de seu pensamento, mais precisamente, das obras e escritos a partir de “Humano, demasiado humano”, de 1878. Incluem-se, portanto, os textos e escritos que vão de 1878 até 1889, tanto os que constam nas obras publicadas durante a vida de Nietzsche, quanto nas publicadas após a sua morte, entre elas, a edição da obra “A vontade de poder”, de 1906, publicada por Kröner, com 1067 aforismos. Também fizemos uso de alguns comentadores quando suas posições se mostraram relevantes para a compreensão desses escritos.
This paper presents the genesis of the concept of God in man, according to the interpretation we make of the philosophy of Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche. Through the title "The birth of God according to Nietzsche”, we show how it might arise, according to the philosopher, the belief in the concept of God, interpreting it as a result of a certain hierarchy of forces and will to power to characterize the human species. Addressing the issue of the genesis of the moral idea of God, we realize that Nietzsche does not tell the story of the emergence of a metaphysical entity. What he investigates in works such as "Genealogy of Morals" is, above all, as the concept and feeling of God in man was born and developed in the course of time, always taking into consideration the type of forces and will to power behind this development. To undertake this proposal, we use Nietzsche's own texts, with emphasis on the works and writings of so-called second and third phases of his thought, more accurately, works and writings from "Human, All Too Human," 1878. Included are therefore texts and writings ranging from 1878 to 1889, both appearing in works published during the life of Nietzsche, as in published after his death, among them the issue of "The will to power, "1906, published by Kröner, 1067 with aphorisms. We also made use of some commentators when their positions were relevant to the understanding of these writings.

Este é um estudo sobre a busca de Deus e a procura de sentido para a existência, com ênfase nos buscadores que se dirigiram a Jesus, estimulados por um imperativo de seu âmago, tal como é narrado no Evangelho de Lucas. O objetivo é identificar motivações, resultados e exigências para a conversão pessoal, o seguimento e o discipulado de Jesus, que possam orientar as pastorais de grupos ligados às classes médias tradicionais. O primeiro capítulo trata da inquietude da alma e a procura humana - as motivações da procura, das necessidades básicas à busca de sentido, considerando correntes filosóficas e a autotranscendência. O segundo capítulo dedica-se à busca de Deus, o encontro como dádiva, e a perspectiva de Deus como Incondicionado (Tillich); apresenta Deus como buscador do ser humano (Heschel), e termina analisando a busca de Deus em outras vertentes espirituais. O terceiro capítulo estuda Jesus de Nazaré como buscador de Deus, partindo do contexto palestino e das opções tomadas por Jesus em seu ministério. No quarto capítulo os buscadores e Jesus são mostrados os critérios para escolha do Evangelho (Lucas) e seleção das perícopes: a pecadora de Betânia (Lc 7.36-49); o homem rico (Lc 18.18-29); Zaqueu (Lc 19.1-10), e Arimateia (Lc 24.50-55). Complementou-se a análise estudando os magos (Mt 2.1-12) e o endemoninhado de Gerasa (Lc 8.26-39). O quinto capítulo articula autotranscendência e seguimento de Jesus. Entre as conclusões, destaca-se que a conversão e a metanoia vêm acompanhadas da repartição das riquezas e o despojamento em favor dos pobres. Notou-se também que a busca de Deus está sempre relacionada à busca de sentido. O ponto de articulação é a misericórdia para com os pobres e a descoberta de Deus como Incondicionado. Conclui-se ainda que o seguimento, o discipulado, a conversão e a autotranscendência estão relacionados, e que o seguimento e o discipulado se manifestam através de níveis e de momentos sucessivos. Outra conclusão é que Jesus também viveu sua autotranscendência como buscador de Deus; e o diálogo entre as religiões e o ecumenismo pode ser facilitado pela especial relevância da misericórdia para com os pobres como imperativo da metanoia.
This is a study about the search for God and finding meaning in existence, with emphasis on seekers who went to Jesus, stimulated by an imperative of its core, as narrated in the Gospel of Luke. The goal is to identify motivations, results and demands for personal conversion, tracking and following of Jesus, that can guide the pastoral groups linked to the traditional middle classes. The first chapter treats with the restlessness of the human soul - the reasons for the demand of basic needs to the search for meaning, considering philosophical thoughts and self- transcendence. The second chapter is devoted to the Search for God: the encounter as a gift, and the perspective of God as the Unconditioned (Tillich), presents God as a seeker by human being (Heschel) and ends by analyzing the search for God in other spiritual dimensions. The third chapter considers Jesus of Nazareth as a seeker of God, starting from the Palestinian context and the choices made by Jesus in his ministry. In the fourth chapter - seekers and Jesus - are shown the criteria for choosing the Gospel (Luke) and selection of pericopes: the Bethany sinner (Luke 7, 36-49), the rich man (Lk. 18.18-29); Zacchaeus (Luke 19.1-10), and Joseph of Arimathea (Luke 24.50-55). the analysis was finished with one study the Magi (Matthew 2.1- 12) and owned from Gerasa (Luke 8.26-39). The fifth chapter articulates self-transcendence and follow Jesus. Among the findings highlight that the conversion and metanoia comes accompanied by the distribution of wealth and stripping in favor of the poor. It was also noted that the search for God is always related to the search for meaning. The pivot point is the mercy for the poor and the discovery of God as "Unconditioned." It also concludes that the follow-up, discipleship, conversion and self-transcendence are related, and that follow-up and discipleship are manifested through successive levels and times. Another conclusion is that Jesus also lived his self-transcendence, as a seeker of God, and interfaith dialogue and ecumenism can be facilitated by the special relevance of mercy to the poor as the imperative of metanoia.

This thesis is an investigation of how spiritual ideas have contributed to West Australian academic and artist Tom Gibbons’s approach to Modernism. Against the backdrop of the local context I show how Gibbons’s 1950s undergraduate and 1960s post-graduate studies in the area of the occult and esoteric influences on Early Modernism provided him with an atypical perspective on Modernism itself but that this perspective resulted in his development of a Modernist sensibility particularly suitable for the type of questions asked about art in the later part of last century. My thesis traces Gibbons’s development of an integrated aesthetic “theory” that bridged for him the gap between a host of contrary sources. For Gibbons the bridge between divergent views on art, from the Modern period to the Renaissance period, is an ahistorical perspective based on Christian Immanence. He thus adopted a perspective that redefined the metaphysical aspects of Modernist abstraction through a particular approach to realism which celebrates the everyday world because of the Christian structures that for him condition it. I argue that his sensibility, which combines the stylistic features of a Modernist literature witty juxtaposition, irony and paradox with the concept of Christian Immanence, resulted in an oeuvre which can be read as a particular example of what Ken Wilber in the late 1990s termed Integral Studies. I argue that underlying Gibbons’s use of Christian Immanence is the Integralist’s understanding that the world’s great philosophical and spiritual traditions approach consciousness and experience through similar ideas. The argument presented, in agreement with writers such as Wilber, is that Gibbons’s capacity to develop a sense of life’s irony and metaphor, and to then use this as a capacity to embrace the beauty and outrageousness of the whole, is a mature spirituality that provides an integrated perspective filled with joy for the ordinary. I conclude that his art provides a particular example of how the loss of meaning felt by Modernists may be addressed.

La thèse présente une relecture chronologique et systématique de la question de Dieu dans la philosophie d’Emmanuel Levinas : elle se propose d’examiner le mouvement plurivoque et ambiguë de la « trace » par lequel se dessine le sens du mot ‘Dieu’ dans cette philosophie. En identifiant l’enchevêtrement de trois champs de recherche qui se déploient à travers l’oeuvre – les foyers thématiques de la sortie, de la socialité et de la signifiance –, nous tentons de montrer qu’à travers eux se découvrent trois modalités de la notion de la « trace » qui pénètre la pensée de Levinas sur Dieu et sur l’homme inséparablement. Nous avons d’abord suivi l’émergence de la question de Dieu depuis les premières insinuations jusqu’aux textes parus entre Totalité et Infini et Autrement qu’être (1e partie) ; ensuite, nous avons exploré le déploiement autrement accentué d’une pensée de Dieu jumelée à une reformulation du sujet, au centre de la deuxième oeuvre maîtresse (2e partie) ; enfin, nous avons relevés les points culminants de la recherche de la signifiance du mot Dieu tels qu’ils ont été approfondis et affirmés dans les oeuvres de la maturité (3e partie). La complexité du travail de Levinas sur la question de Dieu en philosophie se lit dans la densité de la notion de la trace : inscrite (1) dans le visage d’autrui, (2) dans la passivité du sujet et (3) dans le dire prophétique, elle permet de penser Dieu comme l’absence-présence d’unetranscendance radicale, transcendance qui dans toute sa séparation absolue néanmoins affecte l’immanence ets’incarne comme intelligibilité première
The theses presents a chronological and systematic re-reading of the question of God in the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, and examines the ambiguous and equivocal movement of the “trace” through which is delineated the meaning of the word ‘God’ in this philosophy. By identifying three areas of research interweaving throughout his work – the three thematic clusters of ‘exit’, of ‘sociality’ and of ‘significance’ –, it is shown how three modalities of the notion of the “trace” are exposed through these areas: the “trace” in its equivocal formulation penetrates the thinking of Levinas on God and man inseparably. First we follow the emergence of the question of God from the first early suggestions through the texts appearing between Totality and Infinity and Otherwise than being (part 1); then we explore the more accentuate thinking on God in association with a reformulation of the subject, at the heart of Levinas’ second major work (part 2); finally we drawn attention to the culminating points of the research on the meaning of the word ‘God’ as deepened and corroborated in Levinas’ later works (part 3). The complexity of the work of Levinas on the question of God in philosophy may be read through the density of the notion of the trace: Inscribed in (1) the face of the other, (2) the passivity of the subject (3) the prophetic saying, it makes it possible to think God as the absence-presence of a radical transcendence, a transcendence that in all its absolute separation still affects immanence and incarnates itself as original intelligibility

Victimes et bourreaux témoignent de la double dégradation, anthropologique et morale, subie par la figure de l’homme à Auschwitz. Hannah Arendt et Emmanuel Lévinas, tous deux Juifs et nés en 1906, ont tenté de retrouver le sens de la dignité humaine après la Shoah. Partageant la même admiration embarrassée pour la pensée de Martin Heidegger, dont ils ont suivi l’enseignement, ils s’engagent dans des voies philosophiques très différentes. Alors qu’Arendt met en avant l’espace politique comme lieu d’expression de la pluralité et de reconnaissance publique des différences individuelles, Lévinas fait de l’éthique la « philosophie première » et situe le proprement humain dans la responsabilité infinie pour autrui. Là où Arendt insiste sur l’importance de la pensée et du jugement dans la recherche des normes morales, Lévinas soutient que la lutte contre le mal est indissociable de la réponse à l’appel du Bien.Deux axes problématiques guident, dans ce travail, la confrontation entre les deux philosophes : l’articulation entre universalité et diversité d’une part ; le lien entre éthique et politique d’autre part. L’enjeu étant l’organisation d’un monde commun pour l’expression et la préservation de la dignité humaine
The victims and the torturers attest to both the human and moral degradation suffered by the figure of man at Auschwitz.Hannah Arendt and Emmanuel Lévinas, both Jews and born in 1906, attempted to recover the meaning of human dignity after the Holocaust. Despite sharing the same embarrassed admiration for the thought of Martin Heidegger, whose courses they followed, they choose very different philosophical paths.While Arendt emphasizes the political space as the place where plurality is expressed and individual differences are publicly acknowledged, Lévinas makes ethics « first philosophy » and situates what is essentially human within infinite responsibility for the Other. Where Arendt insists on the importance of thought and judgment in the search for moral standards, Lévinas holds that the struggle against evil is inseparable from responding to the call of the Good.In this thesis, two critical themes guide the comparison between each philosopher: the connection between universality and diversity on one hand; and, the link between ethics and politics on the other. The issue at stake is the organization of a shared world for the expression and the preservation of human dignity

Sob o signo do aprofundamento e da intensificação da consciência de si, o ato filosófico de Pierre Thévenaz se define como uma filosofia radicalizante. E porque não abre mão e nem elide o lócus de resposta do qual seu ato filosófico toma sua consistência própria que é o da tradição protestante pode receber o complemento (protestante). Assim, uma filosofia radicalizante (protestante). Isso porque a secularização da filosofia, a que seu método de radicalização leva de modo conseqüente, já pressupõe a assunção da própria contingência que é consciência de condição. Consciência de que se fala de algum lugar; consciência de que o pensamento se encontra previamente engajado em um específico hic et nunc que, por conta da condição, recebe sua densidade própria e não pode mais ser cotado no trato das formas abstratas do tempo e do espaço. O que já é um dos índices da superação thévenaziana da redução da filosofia à epistemologia, tal como se tem estabelecido após Kant. Nesse sentido, a abertura plena à contingência pela radicalização forçará a mudança do problema do sentido, ligado pela fenomenologia à consciência intencional, para o problema da hermenêutica histórica. Quer dizer, para o da compreensão dos eventos significativos que têm poder de reorganizar em torno de si o movimento da história. Com a epoché do sentido, lançada sobre o núcleo mesmo do que a fenomenologia husserliana descobrira como a atividade própria da consciência intencional, assim, um passo decisivo no movimento de radicalização thévenaziana, só restará à razão filosófica (ao ser humano) tomar o sentido como tarefa por se fazer, inacabada e não garantida. Esse passo negativo, todavia, não recebe, em Pierre Thévenaz, o tom de palavra final, de última palavra. Pois se assim fosse, serviria ainda como álibi para a instauração de uma nova instalação. Desta vez tão segura no negativo quanto o era na ingenuidade otimística do sentido garantido. O qual permanecia na consciência intencional como ainda um último bastião de força e de atração, exercido sobre a consciência ingênua da atitude natural, sem ser superado. Isso porque agora a razão, já tendo alcançado um nível profundo de consciência de sua condição humana, de sua contingência, de sua fraqueza e equívoco sempre possíveis, para continuar sua atividade crítica costumeira, sua vocação mesma, deverá aprender a tirar força de sua fraqueza. A razão terá de se desdivinizar; de parar de tentar falar por Deus, ou pelos olhos de Deus; de parar de postular reduplicações de si como razão juiz ou razão instância não tocada pela crítica. Ela deverá assumir-se como estando em crise: assumir-se como humana, e humana só. Ora, esta possibilidade inusitada que se abre à própria razão pela radicalização, como vemos, não surge do nada. Ela representa, no inverso mesmo, outra possibilidade que à que Hegel estabeleceu na linha do horizonte e cuja atração exercida no interior do pensamento contemporâneo é bem mais sutil e presente do que parece. Por isso, será preciso desvencilhar a metafísica de certos comprometimentos históricos que a têm desacreditado, para se chegar ao seu mais autêntico núcleo afim à radicalização. Pelo que o signo da defesa da especificidade e da singularidade contra as categorias gerais continentes; o signo da defesa das irredutibilidades aos reducionismos, espiritualistas ou materialistas, será o que caracteriza, para Thévenaz, o movimento mais interno à metafísica ocidental. Este signo é o do espaço ontológico que a metafísica, descoberta por Platão, esclarece a necessidade de que seja mantido entre as grandezas em relação. Todavia, para ativar o que esta descoberta, neutralizada sob a lógica auto contida de uma razão autista, poderia auferir em termos de aprofundamento da consciência de condição, será necessário um apoio externo à razão. E este ela o recebe da experiência choque de imputação de loucura sobre ela que a fé cristã primitiva lançou. E não sendo possível à razão avaliar a justeza de tal imputação, pois não se trata de mais um argumento lógico com o qual ela jogar o seu jogo, a razão é levada a verificar por si mesma a pertinência de tal possibilidade. E assim, nessa nova disposição, um campo insuspeito e infinito, sobre o qual ela pode retomar sua atividade crítica, inesperadamente se abre. Só que agora esta atividade já não poderá mais ser exercida sob o selo de sua inconsciência e do seu autismo tradicional, mas sob o novo índice de uma consciência de condição aprofundada que muda o registro do cumprimento de sua vocação para o de uma atividade intelectual responsável no aqui em baixo, neste mundo
The philosophical act ofPierre Thévenaz, that takes the sign of thedeepening and intensification of self-consciousness, it is here defined as a radicalizing philosophy. Because he doesnt abandon and doesnt hides the locus of his answer,of which philosophical act takes its consistence whereas it is the protestant tradition his philosophical act can to receive the following complement: protestant. So, a (protestant) radicalizing philosophy. It is because a secularization of philosophy, for which his method of radicalization leads consequently, alreadypresupposes the accepting of selfcontingence that is consciousness of condition. Consciousness of speakingfrom somewhere; consciousness of the thought has finding prior engaged in a specific hic etnunc. Because of condition receives its characteristic density and so it cant be quoted in the rank of abstract forms of time and space. It is one of the evidences of thévenazian overcoming of reduction of philosophy to the epistemology, as it has been fixed after Kant. This way, the full overture to the contingence by radicalization will compel the change of the problem of sense, connected by phenomenology to the intentional consciousness, to the problem of historical hermeneutic. I mean, to the understanding of meaningful events that have capacity to reorganize around themselfs the movement of the history. Theepoché of sense putson kernel of husserlian phenomenology, it founded as the specific activity of intentional consciousness, so a conclusive step in the motion of thévenazian radicalization, only rest to philosophical raison (namely, the human being) to take a sense as a task to be make unconcluded and no guaranteed. This negative step, however, no receive in Pierre Thévenaz the hue of last word. So this way serve or it would be serve still as an alibi for the setting of a new ideological fixed. This time, such certain on the negative as it were on optimistic naivety of secure sense. This remained in the intentional consciousness as still the last bastion of power and attraction, exerted on the naïve consciousness of natural attitude, that is, without overcoming.This is because now the raison had already reached the deep level of consciousness of its human condition, (its contingence), of its weakness and misunderstanding always possible. Then, for it to continue its usual criticism activity, its calling, it must to learn to take advantage from its weakness. The reason must be undivinize by itself; to stop to try speaks instead eye God; or by Gods eyes. It must be to stop to claim self-reduplications as judge or instance raison never touched by criticism. It must looks like being in the crisis condition; to admit yourself as human, only human. However, this unused possibility that appers the own reason, through radicalization, as we can see, it doesnt emerge from nothing. This typify, in the exact converse, another possibility that Hegel sets up on horizon line whose appeal, inner of the contemporary thought, is more subtle and present than it seems. So, it would be necessary to separate the metaphysic from certain historical commitments that made its discredit, to reach to its more authentic pith related with the radicalization. So, the sign of defense of specificity and singularity against the continent general categories; the sign of defense of no-reductive quality to the reduction, spiritualistic reductions or materialistic reductions, will be the main character, for Pierre Thévenaz, the more internal movement of occidental metaphysic. This sign is from ontological space, that the metaphysic founded by Plato clarifies the need to keep on among the magnitudes in relation. However, to start activing this discovery, which has been neutralized about the self-contained of an autistic reason, it might obtain in terms of deepening of consciousness of condition, will be necessary an external support to the reason. And the reason receives it from shock-experience of imputation of madness on the reason that ancient Christian faith launched. But, it not been possible for the reason to evaluate the right of that imputation, because it wasnt the most logical argument for the reason to play its game. So, the reason is conducted to checking itself the relevance of such possibility. And so, in this new arrangement, an unsuspected field open to the reason, on which the reason can to retake its criticism activity, suddenly open. But, now, people can`t practice this activity anymore about its traditional unconsciousness and its autism. But about the new evidence of a consciousness of conditiondeepening that changes the key of the perform of its calling, now as responsible intellectual practice on the hereunder, in this world

ABSTRACT FAR AND NEAR: CHRISTIAN WORSHIP OF THE TRANSCENDENT AND IMMANENT GOD OF WONDERS Charles Thomas Lewis, Jr., Ph.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2015 Chair: Dr. Bruce A. Ware "Far and Near: Christian Worship of the Transcendent and Immanent God of Wonders" examines the rhythm of transcendence then immanence represented in divine worship encounters and significant prayers recorded in Scripture. With the objective of determining how transcendence and immanence shapes modern worship services in Southern Baptist churches, this dissertation also documents the goals, values, and objectives that may influence how worship pastors in Southern Baptist churches select and sequence elements to be included in their corporate worship services. Chapter 1 establishes the propensity of the modern church to bypass the transcendence of God while rushing to embrace God's immanence. Chapter 2 discusses the age of immanence and individualism--two modern mindsets permeating religious thinking and corporate worship of many Christians in modern times. This chapter also discusses the residual effects of the loss of focus on God's transcendence--the centralization of man coupled with the displacement of God from his rightful place of centrality in worship. Using the findings of the Worship Design Project 2014, chapter 3 is an empirical documentation of worship praxis and design by worship pastors in the most attended Southern Baptist churches in the United States. Chapter 4 discusses the biblical historical grounding of transcendence including God's transcendent holiness, aseity, sovereignty, constancy, omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, and timeless eternality. Chapter 5 considers how God's immanent attributes are rooted in and flow from his transcendent characteristics. Chapter 6 is a Christological reflection on how Jesus Christ--God immanently with us--remains transcendent in relationship to his creation and his church. Chapter 7, the central focus of this dissertation, uses biblical data to demonstrate the rhythm of transcendence then immanence represented in divine worship encounters and prayer. Chapter 8 addresses the implications of properly balanced and ordered transcendence and immanence for modern worship service planning and design in the free church tradition. The thesis advanced in this dissertation is that, in divine-human encounters, the Bible demonstrates a repeated pattern of conceptualizing and understanding God in his transcendent otherness both prior to his immanence and as the framework within which his immanence can only be rightly understood and experienced.

Text in Afrikaans
Die bydrae van die lsraelitiese wysheidsliteratuur word in die teologiese nadenke oor die wese sowel as die regverdigheid van God in 'n groot mate onderbenut gelaat. Dit hoef egter nie so te wees nie. lndien die wysheid van Israel teen die agtergrond of breer konteks van die ontwikkeling in die konvensionele oud-Oosterse wysheid en vanuit 'n toepaslike orienteringspunt benader word, kan die betekenis daarvan histories en eksegeties op so 'n wyse ontsluit word dat die relevansie met betrekking tot die teologiese gesprek oor God en die teodisee aangetoon kan word. In die lig hiervan word die kritiese wysheid van Israel aan die hand van 'n elliptiese ordeningsbeginsel, wat enersyds die heerskappy van God en andersyds die moontlikheid van gemeenskap tussen God en mens as wentelpunte het, histories en eksegeties ondersoek. Verskillende reaksies op 'n gemeenskaplike ervaring van God se transendensie word in die lsraelitiese wysheid gehandhaaf en ontwikkel. Al word die terme 'transendensie', 'immanensie' en 'teodisee' nerens in die wysheidstekste van Israel gebruik nie, kom die motiewe nogtans voor. Die alternatiewe wat gehandhaaf en uitgewerk word, beklemtoon die verband tussen godsbeskouing en die ervaring van God as of verwyderd of immanent. Op soek na die balans tussen die transendensie en immanensie van God, bied die kritiese wysheid van Israel wel 'n perspektief waarin so 'n omvangryke ervaring van die wese van God moontlik is dat die beperkinge van rasionaliteit, en daarom ook vrae wat uit die teodisee-vraagstuk voortvloei, oorkom kan word.
The contribution of the sapiential literature of ancient Israel to theological reflection on both the essence and the justice of God is to a large extent neglected. This need not be the case. If Israelite wisdom is approached from a suitable vantage point and against the background or in the wider context of the sapiential movement in the ancient Near East, it becomes possible to historically and exegetically unravel the meaning and relevance of Old Testament wisdom in theological discussion of God and theodicy. In this light a historical and exegetical exploration of Israel's critical wisdom is undertaken with the aid of an elliptical guiding principle in which the supreme lordship of God is the one focal point, and the possibility of intimate communion between God and humans the other. Different reactions to a common experience of the transcendence of God are maintained and developed in the wisdom of ancient Israel. Although the terms 'transcendence', 'immanence' and 'theodicy' are never used in their wisdom texts, the motifs themselves did occur. The connection between the God concept and the experience of God as either remote or immanent, is emphasized by the alternatives which are developed in both the conventional and critical wisdom. In search of balance between the transcendence and immanence of God, the critical wisdom of Israel does offer a perspective within which comprehensive experience of the essence of God is possible to such an extent that the limitations of rationality, and therefore also the questions emanating from the riddle of theodicy, can be exceeded.
Biblical and Ancient Studies
Th. D. (Ou Testament)

Selected aspects of Nicholas of Cusa's cosmology and anthropology This thesis targets selected topics of theology of creation and of man, that is, theological cosmology and anthropology in the work of a Renaissance philosopher, theologian, mathematician and scientist Nicholas of Cusa. I shall first introduce Cusanus' curriculum vitae, it's historical context and basic characteristics of theological anthropology in the work of Cusanus. After this, I shall present in greater detail selected topics of his mathematical theology, including historical context of this specific discourse on God, world and man using language of mathematics. This includes mathematical description of both created world and of theological reality, e.g. God's transcendence and immanence, the place of man in the universe, or the role of universe which has a mediating role between God and man in the works of Cusanus. Mathematical language used by Cusanus is part of a wide stream of Neoplatonist philosophical and theological tradition. Cusanus is inspired not only by pre-Christian philosophical traditions (Pythagorean school, Plotinus' concept of One), but also by Greek patristic writers like Gregory of Nyssa, Maximus the Confessor, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. In his concept of "great conjecture" Cusanus presents a model of...

One of the central issues of early Christianity was the identity of Jesus Christ. Paul and other early Christians discussed this question within the framework of traditional Jewish monotheism and used the language of deity to describe Christ. This thesis explores how and why they integrated the two concepts of monotheism and the deity of Jesus. As a window into this process, it particularly examines Paul’s discourse in 2 Cor 3:16–4:6, employing grammatical-historical exegesis with insights from rhetorical criticism and Oneness Pentecostal Christology. We consider three fundamental questions: (1) What does the exalted language concerning Christ in this text represent? (2) How did Paul reconcile the deification of Jesus with his monotheistic heritage? (3) Why did Paul deify Jesus? What interests were served, and what were the practical consequences? The conclusion is that early Christians, prior to and including Paul, worshiped Jesus within a Jewish monotheistic context and not as a result of Hellenization. They viewed Jesus as the revelation of the one God, not as a second deity or a different personage. Although they reinterpreted their core beliefs in light of Jesus, they did not see their worship of Jesus as violating their core beliefs. The evidence from Paul’s Corinthian correspondence does not require an explicit binitarian or trinitarian model, but it reveals that many early Christians viewed God as both transcendent and immanent and worshiped Jesus as the God of Israel manifested in human identity. We identify four significant socio-rhetorical factors in the monotheistic deification of Jesus: (1) In a context of rapid social change it enabled Christians to combine Hebrew monotheism with Greek longing for universals, thereby claiming both traditional heritage and Christocentric distinctiveness. (2) It gave them a unique social identity and cohesiveness. (3) It affirmed their soteriological experiences, beliefs, and outreach. (4) It positioned the movement to attract all people, moving the new faith beyond Jewish ethnicity and traditional boundary markers so that it became a universal monotheism with a missiological focus. The socio-rhetorically constructed identity of Jesus Christ defined the identity of the early Christians. The result was a distinctively Christian faith.
New Testament
D. Th. (New Testament)

Text in German, summaries in German and English
Diese Masterarbeit handelt von Transzendenzmomenten angesichts des Anderen und nimmt damit Bezug auf einen der einflussreichsten Philosophen der Gegenwart, Emmanuel Levinas. Philosophiegeschichtlich bildet der linguistic turn den Kontext dieses Diskurses. So wird der Wandel im Denken, der mit dem linguistic turn einhergeht, anhand verschiedener philosophischer und theologischer Essays reflektiert und auf das Problem der Gewalt im Prozess des Erkennens hin zugespitzt. In Diskussion mit den Schriften Dietrich Bonhoeffers leistet diese Arbeit hinfort einen Beitrag zum systematisch-theologischen Diskurs über Gottesoffenbarung in zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen und über Ethik. In Auseinandersetzung mit Levinas und Bonhoeffer baut diese Arbeit eine Brücke zwischen postmodernem, dekonstruktivistischem Denken und der fortwährenden theologischen Aufgabe, Gottes Sein mittels menschlicher Sprache Ausdruck zu verleihen.
This master thesis is about moments of transcendence in face of the other by means of one of the most important philosophers in our days, Emmanuel Levinas. The philosophically based historical context is represented by the term linguistic turn which marks a change of thinking within the 20th century. To outline this change the thesis brings several philosophical and theological essays up for discussion which leads to the problem of power in the process of recognition. Bringing up Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s writings, this research will make a contribution to the systematic-theological discourse about God revealing himself within relationships and about ethics. Furthermore it builds a bridge between postmodern anti-constructivist thinking and the continual theological task of using human language to explore God’s being.
Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology
M. Th. (Systematic Theology)

Significant differences as well as similarities between Islam and Christianity in the areas of the transcendence of God is the main discussion of the thesis. The investigation of the transcendence of God in the Bible and the Qur’an is within the limits of corresponding relationship accounts of God with Adam, Abraham, and Moses. Selected passages are used as examples to fulfil the aim of the study. Through this study an attempt is also made to determine what constitutes different aspects of theologies and practices of Christianity and Islam. The preliminary preparation of the study and the orientation of the readers into the transcendence of God are dealt with in the first three chapters: Chapter 1 presents an overview of the research as well as the various aspects of research methodology, chapter 2 describes the similarities and differences of the Qur’an and the Bible in order to present an appropriate approach to the exegesis of the selected passages, and chapter 3 establishes the theological issues of the transcendence of God from the views of both Christian and Muslim scholars. The main discussion of the transcendence of God unfolds in chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 4 investigates how God reveals his will in respect to the Qur’an and the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, and describes and analyses the transcendence of God revealed in the Old Testament and the Qur’an within the limits of the parallel passages dealing with Adam, Abraham, and Moses. Chapter 5 carries over the results of chapter 4 to find the cause of the differences between the corresponding episodes of the Old Testament and the Qur’an with regard to the transcendence of God, and analyses the implications of the transcendence of God with regard to the differences in Christianity and Islam theology. Finally, chapter 6 concludes the study as well as presents implications and solutions for the Christian-Muslim conflicts and the necessity for further studies. In conclusion, the exegesis of identical passages concerning God’s relationship with man found in both the Qur’an and the Bible establishes that the Qur’an presupposes that God, maintaining absolute transcendence from creation, will not allow his immanent state with man. Thus, Muslims can only have a transcendent relationship with God, which diminishes their ability to know God, and closes the door to personal relationships between God and man. The lack of God’s personal relationship with man has been a key factor in shaping the theology of Islam. In the Bible, on the other hand, God’s relationship with man is expressed in both his transcendence and immanence. God first wanted his immanent state with man, but due to man’s sinful state the ontological transcendent relationship has been established. God, in turn, uses his transcendence as a method of immanence with man. This transcendence-immanence of God is evident through Christian theology which can be expressed as God’s horizontal-vertical relationship compared to the vertical relationship of God in Islam.
Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009.
Biblical and Religious Studies
unrestricted

The intention of this research is to develop a homiletical approach that will better equip the preacher in proclaiming the Glory of God. The study comes in a context where there has been a legitimate shift in emphasis in the direction of the listener, but it is the contention of this study that the pendulum has swung away from the pre-eminence of God that should permeate sermons being preached. Having established the need for a renewed apprehension of God in preaching the writer examines the general preaching landscape leading up to and including the 21st century. This part of the study includes some of the influences on the present day understanding on the role of knowledge and the questioning of God’s ability to communicate truth to man. The study also shows how these influences have led to a focus in preaching on human feeling and experience. The weight of Gods glory is then examined with the consequent implication of God’s passion for His own glory and the need for all preaching therefore to be Theo-centric. This is reinforced by an examination of the transcendence of God, unfolding the dangers of domesticating God by eliminating a sense of mystery as to the infinite nature of God. An overview of more recent developments in homiletical theory is examined demonstrating the conspicuous absence of the pre-eminence of God in preaching. A summary of the following three preaching models is presented; expository, narrative and topical, to provide a basis for later comparison. Key theological convictions and practices necessary to proclaim the Glory of God are then identified from the literature study. These are then used in a questionnaire compiled to be used in churches where the listeners are exposed to the three identified preaching models. The results from the empirical study is then analysed in the light of the theory presented in the literature studies. On the basis of these outcomes the following guidelines were recommended: -- Guidelines on determining the content of the sermon. -- Guidelines on the focus of the sermon. -- Guidelines on the content of the sermon. -- Guidelines on believing that God is primarily concerned about Himself leading to greater confidence in God’s grace to sinful people. And then finally, concluding that if the desired goal of proclaiming the Glory of God is to be consistently accomplished, then the expository model of preaching is best suited to the task.
Thesis (PhD (Practical Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2007.
Practical Theology
unrestricted

The topic of this thesis is a relation between two constitutive aspects of out existence: death and intersubjectivity. The way how to research these issues is an interpretation of main concepts and notions contained in these texts. On the basis of the comparison of these concepts, notions and whole philosophical stands offers this thesis a perspective of comprehension to the topic of death and intersubjectivity.

This study analysis the concept of human needs form a systematic theological perspective. The definition of human needsis formulated to include the element of deficiency as well as the element of potential The study is divided in three parts according to the author’s definition of the task of systematic theology as coherent articulation of the Christian faith, the apologetic defense of the Christian faith against competing truth claims and the establishment of guidelines for the practical work of the church. According to this definition of the task of systematic theology, the study is divided into three parts. Part one analyses some of the classical loci of dogmatics for their implications for a Christian perspective on human needs. The doctrines of God, creation, Christ and salvation, the Spirit and the church as well as the doctrine of sin are analysed here. Special attention is paid to theological anthropology by analyzing the contributions of Karl Barth and Wolfhart Pannenberg in this regard. Part two analyses the origins and factual basis for the popular claims that a hierarchy of needs exist and that people have infinite needs. Serious deficiencies are found in Maslow’s theory of the pre-potency of needs. The contribution of Max-Neref, especially his distinction between needs and satisfies, facilitates a more nuanced understanding of the subject. As a conclusion to this part the results of part one and two are used to give a short outline of a Christian perspective on human needs. Humans need God as the basic ground and purpose of their existence. The presence of God is both mediated and presupposed by the fundamental need for other people. All human needs have a material basis. Human needs should be thought of as a network and not as a hierarchy. Here the symbolic needs facilitates the integration of the person while the material needs maintain the basis on which integration takes place People do not have infinite needs but needs the Infinite One. The third part provides clarity of what the concepts holistic and relevant mean for Christian ministry.
Thesis (DD (Dogmatics and Christian Ethics))--University of Pretoria, 2007.
Dogmatics and Christian Ethics
unrestricted

It was certainly a primary concern of the Second Vatican Council, facing the Third World in a post-colonial era, to show a maximum respect for humanity's invincible cultural pluralism (GS, 44, 58). Hence the emphasis on the primordial and unique missionary principle of incarnation, is derived directly from the scandalous belief that God became one of us in everything except sin (cf Heb. 2:14-18; 4:15). The Christian understanding of the relationship between God and humankind is dominated by this incarnationcd theme, which takes seriously the meaning of finitude, flesh and history. The incarnational self-donation, through which humanity is embraced from within, involved an incomprehensible self-emptying (cf. Phil 2:6-8). In giving himself to us in this intrinsic manner the divine Logos discounts his divinity and humbles himself that he might become truly one of us. Jesus of Nazareth is not a disguise used by God, not a human outer garment covering the divinity, not something foreign to what we are.
Systematic Theology
M.Th. (Systematic Theology)

This thesis provides details about historical background of American Transcendentalism, a theological, philosophical and literary tradition of the first half of the nineteenth century in United States and of New Age religion originating roughly at the turn of the same century and maturing in the 1970's in a form of the New Age movement. The work focuses on the influence of American Transcendentalism as one of the shaping factors, which contributed to the emergence of New Age. The attention is placed primarily on the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Through a detailed analysis of selected Emerson's essays parallels are drawn between the beliefs held by the Transcendentalists, mainly Emerson, and general beliefs shared with the New Age community. Following the historical development of both traditions, we discover the point of convergence, namely the New Thought movement originating in the second half of the nineteenth century.