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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Religious aspects of Javanese literature'

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Published: 4 June 2021
Last updated: 16 February 2022

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1

Armstrong, Darren Philip. "The religious aspects of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien." Thesis, Durham University, 1994. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1044/.

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This thesis maintains that no comprehensive assessment of the work of J. R. R. Tolkien can be made without giving due weight to him as a religious writer, in the senses that : (a) he maintained an esthetic that is intrinsically Christian, believing that certain kinds of fantasy can bring new insights of the fallen world; (b) that writing, or sub-creating, was for him an essentially religious activity, participating in the myth of Creation; (c) his major fantasy texts contain subtle, often subliminal allusions to the Judaeo-Christian scriptures, although stripped of any dogmatic content; and (d) his major texts assume a cultural authority, through an allusive use of imagery and imitation of scriptural syntax to operate as a quasiscripture. I also consider Tolkien's treatment of major theological issues and assess how well suited the format of fantasy fiction is for the exploration of such themes.
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Macy, Alexandra G. "The Socio-economic and Religious Aspects in Robinson Crusoe." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2011. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/199.

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In the novel, Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe examines a wide range of complex issues. Defoe takes the typical adventure theme and transforms it into a thought-provoking reflection of many issues involving society. A blending of economic and religious issues is created by first focusing on economy, then bringing the issue of religion in, and finally allowing for the portrayal of the interpenetration between each. Defoe proves that it is possible to live by economic practices and monetary values while still maintaining a good, moral character. The emphasis on economic issues is extremely apparent, as Defoe calls into question the concept of money and its value, as well as its place in society. Crusoe is first portrayed as a man defined by money and ruled by economic principles. Even when removed from society, he is impelled to practice many economic conventions, such as investment, moderation and the idea of profit. Defoe creates Crusoe to be so greatly influenced by money and the economy in the beginning so as to better emphasize the intertwining of his economic side with his religious side. The Christian values and morals of Crusoe dominate the latter part of the novel. He rediscovers the Bible and its teachings and learns the importance of repentance and giving thanks. The provocative progression in unveiling the many layers of Crusoe allows for the reader to see that the man they thought to be defined by money is rather a man trying to live by the Word of God.
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3

Shields, James Mark. "The lure of disillusion : toward a reappraisal of realism in religious understanding." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/MQ29514.pdf.

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4

Engelbrecht, Gertruida Cornelia. "Bybelse intertekste in resente Afrikaanse gedigte en lirieke, met spesifieke verwysing na identiteitsformasies in die (post)-postmoderniteit." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/71667.

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Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The 11 September 2001 terror attacks on America are regarded by many as the end of the postmodern era and as a landmark event that irrevocably changed the world. Similarly, the 1994 South African political revolution and transition to democracy was a milestone that had far-reaching effects on all population groups in the country. This study examines evolving identity formation among Afrikaans-speaking South Africans in a new political dispensation and (post-) postmodern era – and specifically the ways in which religion still finds expression in Afrikaans-speakers‟ identity. With theoretical grounding from, among others, Stuart Hall and Zygmunt Bauman, a variety of recent poems and lyrics – representative of various generations and backgrounds – are studied. The conclusion drawn is that religion still forms part of Afrikaans-speakers‟ identity in various ways, but this does not necessarily equate to affiliation with any church. In some instances church and religion are seen as part of the rejected apartheid establishment, but in many cases Afrikaans-speakers‟ religious affiliations are in line with Jacques Derrida‟s “religion without Religion” school of thought, and panentheism is increasingly gaining ground.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die terreuraanval op Amerika op 11 September 2001 word uit verskeie oorde bestempel as die einde van die postmodernisme en as ‟n mylpaalgebeurtenis wat die wêreld onherroeplik verander het. In Suid-Afrika was die politieke om-wenteling met die oorgang na ‟n demokrasie in 1994 eweneens ‟n mylpaal wat alle bevolkingsgroepe in die land ingrypend geraak het. In hierdie studie word ondersoek ingestel na Afrikaanssprekendes se identiteitsformasies in ‟n nuwe politieke bestel en in die (post)-postmoderniteit, en spesifiek na die wyse waarop die religie steeds beslag kry in die Afrikaanssprekende se identi-teit. Met bydraes deur onder andere Stuart Hall en Zygmunt Bauman as teo-retiese begronding, word ‟n verskeidenheid resente gedigte en lirieke van 1994-2012, wat verteenwoordigend is van verskeie generasies en agter-gronde, ondersoek. Die gevolgtrekking is dat religie steeds op verskillende wyses deel van Afrikaanssprekendes se identiteitsformasies is, maar dat dit nie noodwendig met kerkverbondenheid gepaard gaan nie. In sommige gevalle word die kerk en die religie beskou as deel van die establishment wat ná apartheid verwerp word, maar in baie gevalle hou Afrikaanssprekendes se religieuse betrokkenheid nou verband met Jacques Derrida se sogenaamde religie sonder Religie, en wen die panenteïsme toenemend veld.
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5

Solomons, T. J. "Exploring the role of the church in economic development : a literature review." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/19905.

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Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The dissertation sets out to explore the existing scholarly literature on the role of the church in economic development. The research report method will be in the form of a literature review and therefore will be exploratory in nature in the hope to inform the researcher of the views of scholars on the role of the church in economic development as well as possibly preparing the way for further research into investigating this role. Chapter 1 presents the research methodology that will be employed as well as the objectives that the research hopes to achieve, include: - To investigate what Biblical scholars understand about the role of the church with regard to economic development by reviewing the existing body of knowledge on the role of the church and economic development; - To discover what the most authoritative views and accepted definitions are on the concepts under study; - To make possible recommendations to the church based on the findings of current and previous literature. In Chapter 2 a literature study explores the views of scholars on the meaning of 'the church' in order to investigate or establish what is understood by the concept'the church'. This chapter will further explore what is meant by the mandate of the church, the missional and diaconal role of the church, the church as visible sign of God's saving work and the church and liberation role of the church. This study sets itself the task to investigate literature on the history and the context of the church as a constituent body in the world and then attempt to find a form of consensus on the role of the church. Chapter 3 will have a particular focus on exploring the views of scholars on the meaning of development and economic development. This literature review will take a multi disciplinary approach therefore this chapter will have a particular focus on the view of scholars in economic development studies. Chapter 4 examines the views of scholars on the role of the church in economic development. This chapter seeks to investigate if the church has a role to play in economic development as one of the role players in the fight against poverty, unemployment and the establishment of effective development programs. Finally, the overall summary, conclusion and recommendations are presented in Chapter 5.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie het ten doel om verkennend na literatuur te kyk wat handel oor die rol van die Kerk in Ekonomiese Ontwikkeling deur na te speur oor wat deur kenners geskryf is oor die rol van die Kerk in Ekonomiese Ontwikkeling. Die navorsingsmetode wat vir Hierdie studie gebruik sal word neem die vorm aan van `n literatuuroorsig en sal dus daarom verkennend van aard wees in die hoop dat dit die navorser sal inlig oor wat kenners skryf oor die rol van die Kerk in Ekonomiese Ontwikkeling sowel as om die weg te baan vir die moontlikheid om verder navorsing te doen oor die rol van die Kerk in Ekonomiese Ontwikkeling. Hoofstuk een spel aan ons uit die navorsingsmetode wat vir hierdie navorsingstudie gebruik sal word sowel as wat die beoogde doelwitte is wat die navorser hoop om te bereik na aanleiding van die kwessies soos: - Om na te vors wat Bybelkenners verstaan van die Kerk met betrekking tot ekonomiese ontwikkeling, deur na die beskikbare bronne te kyk wat handel oor die rol van die kerk in ekonomiese ontwikkeling; - Om vas te stel wat die mees gesaghebbendste sienings en aanvaarde definisies is oor die konsepte onder bespreking in die studie; - Om moontlike aanbevelings vir die kerk te maak gebasseer op die bevindinge voortspruitend uit die navorsing van die huidige en vorige literatuur. In Hoofstuk 2 word n literatuur studie gedoen wat verkennend kyk na standpunte van kundiges rondom die betekenis van 'kerk' ten einde te ondersoek en of vas te stel wat word verstaan deur die kosep kerk, die mandaat van die kerk, die missionale en diakonale taak van die kerk, die kerk as sigbare teken van God se reddened werk en die kerk en bevryding ten einde in staat te wees om `n moontlike verstaan daar te stel oor die rol van die kerk. Hierdie literatuuroorsigstudie volg `n multi disiplinêre benadering ten einde die navorser in te lig oor ekonomiese ontwikkeling. Hoofstuk 3 het `n spesifieke fokus om verkennend te kyk na wat kundiges verstaan ontwikkeling en ekonomiese ontwikkeling te wees. Hoofstuk 4 ondersoek die standpunte en sienings van kenners oor die rol van die kerk in ekonomise ontwikkeling. Hierdie hoofstuk wys onder meer uit dat die kerk tog op `n manier betrokke is in ekonomiese ontwikkeling as rolspeler in die stryd teen armoede, werkloosheid en die daarstel van effektiewe ontwikkelingsprogramme. Die algehele opsomming, slot en aanbevelings word in Hoostuk 5 bespreek.
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6

Lundqvist, Lisa. "Aldous Huxley’s Dichotomized Beginning towards Spirituality : An Analysis of Religious Aspects in Crome Yellow." Thesis, Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för humaniora, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-29168.

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This essay is an analysis of the religious aspects of Crome Yellow. The main focus is to discover what Aldous Huxley’s views on religion were at the time he wrote Crome Yellow and to explore how Huxley’s contemporary surroundings influenced his views on religion. Huxley was born into a family and a society where there was a conflict between science and religion and this conflict together with the crises of his early life, came to affect him greatly. This essay conducts an analysis of Crome Yellow by utilizing Peter Berger’s theory of social construction, which includes information about Huxley’s contemporary surroundings. Huxley seems to have been ambiguous towards religion. He was concerned about the future of society and opposed to organized religion. He was longing for answers and meaning, and he had begun to form a spiritual belief where colour and light are central. These spiritual aspects can be seen as the beginning of Huxley’s spiritual enlightenment.
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7

Hatta, Mohammad Firdaus Mohammad. "The compliancy and effectiveness of Islamic debt financing in the Malaysian economy from the perspective of ancient and contemporary literature." Thesis, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, 2012. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.683029.

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8

Scharper, Stephen B. "The Role of the Human in Christian Ecological Literature." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp02/NQ37021.pdf.

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9

Sherwood, Jane. "Perceptions of gender and the divine in Greek texts of the second and third centuries A.D." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1996. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:e8ab1177-499c-4572-9395-dc22c53fe886.

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This thesis investigates the construction and reflection of gender identities in the religious sphere, namely the gods, their worshippers, and the rituals which link them. Religiously-interested Greek texts written by Artemidoros, Pausanias, Plutarch and Heliodoros in the second and third centuries A.D. form the basis of four chapter- studies. The introduction explores how deploying gender as a tool for investigating the texts reveals the author's own perceptions of how male and female operate within his discourse, and considers how these perceptions relate to the world beyond the text. Chapter two examines Artemidoros' Interpretation of Dreams: his analytical system of dream interpretation reveals contemporary thought patterns. Artemidoros places striking reliance on gender in his structuring of divine and human power, and employs two differing divine models of gender, which have significant implications for the social construction of human gender. Chapter three emphasizes Pausanias' fascination with the marvellous in his Guide to Greece, and focuses on why he considers female priests more noteworthy than male. The problematic sexuality of female priests is frequently his focus in descriptions of myth and rite. The fourth chapter considers Plutarch's Pythian dialogues and Isis and Osiris. It is the marriage-like nature of their relationship with their gods that makes both human and divine females perfect mediators between worshippers and their male god, the Pythia with Apollo, and Isis with Osiris. Chapter five finds a middle way between opposing views that Heliodoros' An Ethiopian Story is either a religious mystery text or entertainment without religious meaning. It focuses on how the relationship between the two lovers, Theagenes and Charikleia, is patterned by their relationship to their gods, Apollo and Artemis. The concluding chapter draws out the significance of gendered hierarchy amongst the gods, and the importance of gender in the role and function of priests and prophets. It also considers the implications of the thesis' findings and approach for Jewish and Christian texts of the same period.
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10

Martin, Kimberly Bartels. "A descriptive view of the portrayal of Jewish and Christian lifestyles in award-winning children's books from 1960 to 1990 using content analysis." Virtual Press, 1990. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/722242.

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The extent to which Jewish and Christian lifestyle actions were portrayed in 62 children's books of accepted literary worth was studied. The researcher read the Newbery award book and one Newbery honor book for each year in search of actions that Jewish and Christians active in their faiths deemed important. The sample consisted of the Newbery award book and one Newbery honor book for each year from 1960 to 1990. A content analysis of 13 action categories found that the five most common actions were (1) compassionate/ charitable deeds, (2) telling others about God, (3) prayer, (4) worship attendance and (5) reading the Bible. No significant change in the frequency of the 13 actions was found over time. However, the researcher found that Jewish and Christian lifestyles were portrayed only nominally in the Newbery books. The sample distribution shows that 65 percent of the sampled books contained fewer than the mean of 4.9 actions per 100 pages. Only six books contained strong Jewish or Christian characters - that is, main characters whose faith in God was portrayed as playing an important role in everyday life. Jewish characters of any kind (prominent or obscure) were found in only three books. Of the eight books that contained more than 10 actions per 100 pages, only one was about people in a contemporary setting: The Great Gillv Hopkins (1979). Actions were recorded regardless of which character committed them. In four books, characters' actions seemed inconsistent with the rest of the character's portrayed lifestyle. Some books contained a large number of actions contrary to Judeo-Christian lifestyles, with portrayals of hate and cruelty far outweighing portrayals of Jewish or Christian lifestyle actions. The most extreme of these wereThe Tombs of Atuan (1972) and The Witches of Worm (1973). Other studies have asserted that multicultural literature should be preferred because children need positive exposure to all cultures. This study concludes that portrayal of the cultures of committed Jews and Christians has not been common of the Newbery books since at least 1960.
Department of Journalism
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11

Tribe, Anthony Henry Fead. "The names of wisdom : a critical edition and annotated translation of chapters 1-5 of Vilasavajra's commentary on the Namasamgiti, with introduction and textual notes." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1994. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:29da9a3b-ab9a-4cb4-afea-dd3160be3d3f.

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The Nāmamantrārthāvalokinī ('An Explanation of the Meaning of the Namemantras') is an early, and major, commentary on the Nāmasaṃgīti ('The Chanting of Names'). Written by the eighth century Indian ācārya Vilāsavajra, it survives in the original Sanskrit and in Tibetan translation. The Nāmasamgīti enumerates the 'Names' of Mañjuśrī, the Mahayana figure embodying wisdom, and it exerted a strong influence on liturgy, ritual and meditation in the later phase of Buddhism in India (750-1200 CE). Vilāsavajra's commentary is written from a Yogācāra perspective and interprets the 'Names' within an elaborate ritual framework which consists in a maṇḍala that has Mañjuśrī as its central deity. The central part of the thesis comprises a critical edition and annotated translation of the Sanskrit text of the first five chapters of Vilāsavajra's commentary, approximately a quarter of the whole. The critical edition is based on eight Nepalese manuscripts for which a stemma codicum is established. Two blockprint editions of the Tibetan translation are consulted at cruces in the Sanskrit. Their readings, treated as those of any other witness, are incorporated into the apparatus as appropriate. The edition is followed by textual notes. Introductory material is divided into two parts. Matters relating to the Sanskrit and Tibetan materials are discussed in a section placed before the edition. These include a description of the manuscripts, discussion of the method of editing, establishment of the stemma codicum and an assessment of the Tibetan translation. An introduction to the contents precedes the translation and is primarily concerned with an outline of the ritual structure of the commentary, giving particular attention to chapters 1-5. Evidence concerning the life and date of Vilāsavajra is considered, suggesting he should be placed in the latter part of the eighth century. Assessing the work's significance for the study of Buddhism, 1 suggest that it is of historical importance in that it throws light on the process by which Tantric methods were being related to soteriology in this period; and that it contains material, especially in the sādhana of chapter 4, that contributes to an understanding of the development of Tantric forms of Buddhist meditation. The work is also the only known instance of a commentary of a Yogatantra type that survives in Sanskrit.
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Latham, Jonathan Cyril. "Between freedom and givenness: (a study of the hermeneutical consequences of the concept of canon for the authority of scripture)." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001546.

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The aim of this thesis is to arrive at an understanding of the authority of scripture that is able to accommodate both a faith perspective and the fruits of the historical-critical approach to the New Testament. Put differently, the aim of this thesis is the pursuit of a specifically christian, faith-promoting, reading of the New Testament whilst still enjoying the benefit, in an as uncompromised a form as possible, of the historical- critical approach. In a sense it may be said that this task, given that the roots of both the historical-critical approach and modern Western culture are deeply imbedded in Rationalism, is equivalent to the basic hermeneutical question of whether it is possible to interpret scripture relevantly from within a cultural web of meaning that does not readily accommodate that embodied in the New Testament. In section one of this dissertation we present a characteristic depiction, based on the historical-critical theory of literature, of the authority of the New Testament. This is followed by a brief assessment that makes explicit why the historical- critical approach is not conducive to the adoption of a faith perspective on these writings. In section two, still and inevitably based on critical foundations, we adopt a perspective that is more sympathetic to faith and that seeks to discover in the concerns evidenced in the canonical process, when traditions about Jesus gradually took on more complex and stable forms, culminating in the canon of the New Testament, guidelines in helping us to deal with the problem with which this study is concerned . In the specific example of the rather ordinary concerns underlying the unusual history of the pericope de adultera (John 7:53-8:11), examined against the background of the interests underlying the canonical process, it becomes clear that christians from the very beginning faced a dilemma not unlike that with which the historical-critical approach confronts us. They had to interpret afresh, and faithfully, the traditions in order to meet the demands of situations that had never been foreseen by earlier tradents. In this respect, therefore, the history of the pericope de adultera presents us with an ongoing struggle to hold in tension the demands of new contexts with the imperative of strict continuity with Jesus. In section three, on the basis of the foundation of the authority of scripture in strict continuity with Jesus combined with the contextual reinterpretation of the tradition, the social sciences are employed. Using the social sciences, it is discovered that the two contradictory approaches that we wish to reconcile form part of two different models for interpreting reality. It is on this basis, and made possible by the common culture underlying these opposing models and by the common contact with an unspecified common core of concrete reality, that a solution is proposed in terms of a complex 'fusion of horizons', promoted by a 'precipitative environment'. In the conclusion our solution is decisively aligned with the concerns evidenced in the canonical process
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Moses, David. "Writing animals, speaking animals : the displacement and placement of the animal in medieval literature." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/8364.

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This thesis examines the way the absence of moral consideration of the animal in Christian doctrine is evident in Middle English literature. A fundamental difference between the theology and literature of the medieval period is literature's capacity to present and theorise positions that cannot, for various reasons, be theorised in the official discourses provided by commentators and theologians. Patterns of excluding the animal from moral consideration by Christianity are instigated with the rejection of the ethics of late Neoplatonism. Highlighted by Neoplatonists, and evident in the stylistic differences in reading scripture and philosophy, is an early Christian ideological predisposition toward purely humanocentric concerns. The disparity between a definite Hellenic ethic of the animal and its absence in Christian thought is most evident in the contrast between an outward looking Neoplatonic understanding of creation, and the closed matrix of scholastic interpretative thought. Influential textual representations of the universe require that creation is interpreted through a fideistically enclosed system of signs. The individual must have faith before approaching knowledge. The animal is placed into a system dominated by the primacy of faith in God, which paradoxically produces the predetermined answers supplied by Christian doctrine and selective scriptural and doctrinal suppositions. In literary texts, the animal provides an obvious method of Christian debate. Contemporary theological values, such as the doctrinal commonplace of comparing man with animal in the corporeal context highlights the uncomfortable similarity to, yet prescribes that man aspire to distance himself from, the animal. The primacy of man and the importance of his salvation, is a doctrine which countermands the theocentric basis of Christian theology, in which God is understood as a presence in all his creation. Such conflicting perspectives result in animals in medieval literature being used to test theological and philosophical parameters, illustrating the inadequacy of sharp theological boundaries, and demonstrating the ability of literary expression to escape that which has already been enclosed.
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Ballard, Gail D. "Nature Among the Mormons: An Ecocritical Approach to Mormon Literature." Diss., CLICK HERE for online access, 1996. http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/u?/MormonThesesB,10586.

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15

Edwards, Ross Stephen. "Glimpsing the balance between earth and sky: a meeting ground for postmodernism and Christianity in four selected novels by Jeanette Winterson and John Irving." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002228.

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The phrase “glimpsing the balance between earth and sky” in the thesis title is taken from Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. In this novel, the central character Jeanette believes she has glimpsed the possibility that human relationships can find their mirror in the relationship with God, as she understands the divine Other. This glimpse has set her wandering, trying to find such a balance. This examination of four selected novels by Jeanette Winterson and John Irving shows that for Irving, “glimpsing the balance” means in part, giving voice to a strongly “Christian” view of humankind and human nature but in an age where the prevailing intellectual worldview is strongly sceptical of any Grand Narrative. The “voice” expressed in Irving’s work has to be situated, like Winterson’s, as one among many possibilities. Irving’s voice is itself masked as different, other/Other, freakish, in the narrative worlds he creates. Through his use of grotesque comedy as a vehicle for deeper philosophical concerns, Irving asks us: What after all in the postmodern world is the main show? This thesis argues that if Winterson and Irving are testing or re-presenting a Christian worldview in a postmodern context, than they are asking whether Christianity is capable of assimilating and rising above the worst circumstances the world, writer, and life can throw at it. In Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Winterson tells a story of “forbidden love”, posed as a direct challenge to the prevailing way of knowing in her character’s community. In Gut Symmetries, she expands this challenge by employing the insights of quantum physics to make sense of the complexities raised by a triangular love relationship. Irving offers the story of Owen in A Prayer for Owen Meany as the kind of story which might possibly make a believer out of him; in short, that he would have to be a witness to some kind of miracle, something utterly inexplicable. In A Son of the Circus Irving narrates the quest for identity undertaken by an Indian doctor who is in every way a Displaced Person – the condition, he implies, of anyone who purports to find their piece of the truth. The theoretical concerns of the postmodern project are examined through Lawrence Cahoone’s argument that postmodern writing offers criticism of: presence, origin, unity and transcendence through an analytical strategy of constitutive otherness. In each of their texts, Irving and Winterson are seen to use these four critical elements and to offer a postmodern strategy of re-presenting meaning through “constitutive otherness”. Both writers also employ a strategy of historiographic metafiction (as defined by Linda Hutcheon) as a means of constructing and re-presenting their narrated stories. Postmodern paradox is compatible with what could be called a Christian plan for living, if the latter is in turn given an appropriate 1990s interpretation. The selected novels by Winterson and Irving are offered as contemporary evidence for this view. This thesis argues that the connection between postmodernism and other worldviews, particularly Christianity, is found in both projects’ process of making meanings through encounters with an other/Other.
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Villasenor-Oldham, Victoria Anne. "Multiplicity and gendering the Holy Grail in The Da Vinci Code and the Mists of Avalon." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2007. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/3237.

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This thesis explores how both texts - The Da Vinci Code and The Mists of Avalon - write femininity onto the Holy Grail in seemingly problematic ways, and the way in which women's voices, through the feminization of the Grail, are often silenced.
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Soneji, Davesh. "Performing Satyabhāmā : text, context, memory and mimesis in Telugu-speaking South India." Thesis, McGill University, 2004. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=85029.

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Hindu religious culture has a rich and long-standing performance tradition containing many genres and regional types that contribute significantly to an understanding of the living vitality of the religion. Because the field of religious studies has focused on texts, the assumption exists that these are primary, and performances based on them are mere enactments and therefore derivative. This thesis will challenge this common assumption by arguing that performances themselves can be constitutive events in which religious worldviews, social histories, and group and personal identities are created or re-negotiated. In this work, I examine the history of performance cultures (understood both as genres and the groups that develop and perform them) in the Telugu-speaking regions of South India from the sixteenth century to the present in order to elucidate the cross-fertilization among various performance spheres over time.
My specific focus is on the figure of Satyabhama (lit. True Woman or Woman of Truth), the favourite wife of the god Kṛṣṇa. Satyabhama represents a range of emotions, which makes her character popular with dramatists and other artists in the Telugu-speaking regions of South India where poets composed hundreds of performance-texts about her, and several caste groups have enacted her character through narrative drama.
The dissertation is composed of four substantive parts - text, context, memory, and mimesis. The first part explores the figure of Satyabhama in the Mahabharata and in three Sanskrit Puraṇic texts. The second examines the courtly traditions of poetry and village performances in the Telugu language, where Satyabhama is innovatively portrayed through aesthetic categories. The third is based on ethnographic work with women of the contemporary kalavantula (devadasi) community and looks at the ways in which they identify with Satyabhama and other female aesthetic archetypes (nayikas). The final section is based on fieldwork with the smarta Brahmin male community in Kuchipudi village, where men continue to perform mimetic representations of Satyabhama through a performative modality known as stri-veṣam ("guise of a woman").
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Baird, David. "Zeitgeist incarnate : a theological interpretation of postapocalyptic zombie fiction." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/16978.

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This thesis attempts to take seriously the claims made by many postapocalyptic zombie narratives to represent the world as it truly is, analyzing and then assessing the theological value of their depictions of the human predicament. The approach is both formal and what Gary Wolfe calls transmedial, examining the recurring narrative structures and themes of texts across several media and eras as part of 'a popular aesthetic movement and not just a body of works of fiction on similar themes', with special attention given to the films and television of the new millennium. The aim is twofold: to extend the relevance of postapocalyptic zombie fictions beyond the relatively narrow vogue of a cultural moment, and to prompt a richer appreciation of the significance of the Christian faith within contemporary society. To this end, Chapter One contextualizes the complexity of these texts' relationship to Christianity by examining first the most prominent obstacles and then the implicit promise of these texts for theological reflection. It places special emphasis on the interior tension in many of these fictions between, on the one hand, aggressively emphasizing the apparent absence of the supernatural, while on the other, frequently claiming to disclose a dimension of human experience in excess of what can be ordinarily perceived by the senses. Chapters Two and Three extend this analysis to the complex content of what these stories depict. Chapter Two considers the multilayered symbolism of decline in their conspicuous spectacles of disaster, disintegration, and death. Chapter Three examines the countervailing symbolic motifs of residual integrity and regeneration that are exhibited most prominently by characters who attempt to live genuinely human lives in spite of these circumstances. The first half of the thesis concludes by proposing a composite postapocalyptic view of the human predicament, which represents the world as ambiguous, dramatic and quite possibly, although not certainly, absurd. Chapter Four begins the theological reflection upon this kind of postapocalyptic perspective, proposing how such depictions might be illuminated by Christian theological descriptions, particularly the absurd existential circumstances brought about by the original sin. Chapter Five, reciprocally, suggests some of the ways the dramatic images of these texts might enrich theological reflection by eliciting fresh insights into the significance of the central mysteries of Christianity, especially the paradoxical already-and-not-yet of eschatological expectation. The thesis concludes by offering a final evaluation of whether, all told, the world can be truly considered postapocalyptic from a Christian perspective, arguing that although there are significant differences, postapocalyptic fictions and Christianity put forward strikingly similar pictures of the deeply self-conflicted circumstances of the common human predicament.
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19

Vehapi, Flamur. "Conflict Resolution in Islam: Document Review of the Early Sources." PDXScholar, 2013. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/1446.

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Islam is the world's fastest growing religion. It is known to have an abundant and very rich amount of knowledge found in the Qur'an and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, and as such, this religion has tremendously contributed not only to Muslim societies but also to the West. One aspect of this contribution explicated in this thesis is its contribution to the field of Conflict Resolution. The primary purpose of this study is to unearth the tradition of peace and conflict resolution that comes out of the religion of Islam, which is unknown to many Muslims today. In this study, existing literature in the field is examined, and a qualitative exploration is carried out, in order to formulate a better understanding of the dynamics of the Qur'an, hadith and other documents of Islam, as they relate to peace and conflict resolution. Utilizing a mixed methods approach, data collected for this study came from two sources: the existing literature regarding Islam and conflict resolution and the participants (Imams and religious scholars of Islam) interviewed through a questionnaire. To begin with, the thesis introduces the fundamentals of Islam and major concepts of the faith. It proceeds with Qur'anic and hadith injunctions on peace and conflict, and how those divine revelations as believed by Muslims, were applied by Prophet Muhammad and his early followers. This work is concluded with the opinions and interpretations of the scholars regarding the original question of this study and the matters discussed in the literature review. The thesis deals with the teachings of the Qur'an and only investigates and analyzes historical events from the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad and the early caliphate of Islam. In the process, to further explore the concept of conflict resolution in Islam, interpretations of Muslim scholars and imams are included in this document review of the sacred texts of Islam. Some questions addressed in this research are, how might this knowledge be valuable to Muslims today in these times of great turmoil involving the Muslim world after September 11? Where do the primary sources of Islam, the Quran and the hadith, stand as far as peace and conflict are concerned? And most importantly, what does Islam have to teach about conflict resolution?
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20

Momberg, Marthie. "Different ways of belonging to totality : traditional African and Western-Christian cosmologies in three films : an exploratory literature study." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/5452.

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Thesis (MPhil (Religion and Culture) Practical Theology and Missiology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study distinguishes between religion as a sense of belonging to the ultimately-real and specific religious traditions. Religion, as used here, concerns a cosmological understanding of the universe and with that which is experienced as meaningful and real on an existential level. Although differences between religious traditions are generaly known, most people‟s emotional conceptual frameworks of the universe are so deep seated that they do not even realise that far-reaching differences between people on this level too are possible. It often happens, for example, that concepts such as transcendence and redemption are incorrectly accepted as universal to all of humanity. Yet in fact, cosmological concepts (the nature and experience of the immediate world out there, the conceptual understanding of time, the role of chance versus determinism, the source of religious knowledge and so forth) can be experienced differently on a symbolic level. In the context of Religion and Media which is the field of study relevant here, as well as in a number of other contexts, it is problematic when scholars project their own views of reality and meaning experiences onto those of others – especially when they expressly articulate their intention as the opposite. John Cumpsty (1991) distinguished three ways in which a person can derive meaning from the cosmic totality and I shall discuss two of these with reference to the Western-Christian and the traditional African reality views. From this, it becomes clear that radical different patterns of cosmological understanding are possible, each with its own systemically related set of symbols. Along with Cumpsty‟s theory, I also use the theory of Castells (2005) on the construction of social identities, as well as the theory of Sen (2006) on the use of cognitive versus affective dimensions in identity formation, to indicate how cosmological symbols can be positioned differently. With these three theories in mind, I subsequently interpret the identities of the main characters in three films hermeneutically. I specifically selected this medium as a segment of life to be studied because of the increasing popularity of the medium in reflection, construction and projection of existential meaning. Another reason for my choice is the many examples where interpretors of film project their own cosmological understanding onto those of others whilst they actually intend to be pluralistic. The findings of this study surprised me. Firstly and as expected, it clarifies the nature of differences between the Western-Christian and the traditional African cosmologies, as well as how these are implemented in praxis and by symbolic interpretations. However, the integration of the three theories also afforded me the opportunity to develop a method for a religious-cosmological analyses of identities. According to this method, an interpretor of films can distinguish between his or her own paradigm and a possible other paradigm. It allows the analyst to acknowledge the own paradigm and simultaneously respect another paradigm – without projecting the own onto the other. Therefore this method diminishes the chances of using dubble-text interpretation which maintains or promotes the exclusion of others. With this method, as well as the findings of this study, one can go much wider than the field of Religion and Media, as it involves the understanding of identity and different ways of belonging to the cosmic totality.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie onderskei tussen religie as ’n manier van behoort aan die ultiem-werklike en spesifieke religieuse tradisies. Religie soos hier gebruik, het te make met ‟n kosmologiese verstaan van die heelal en met wat eksistensieel as werklik en sinvol ervaar word. Hoewel verskille tussen religieuse tradisies algemeen bekend is, is mense se emosionele verstaansraamwerke van die heelal so diep gesetel, dat die meeste nie eens besef dat daar ook op hierdie vlak ingrypende verskille is nie. So gebeur dit dikwels dat konsepte soos “transendensie” en “verlossing”verkeerdelik as universeel aan alle mense en religeuse tradisies beskou word. In der waarheid kan kosmologiese komponente (die aard en ervaring van die onmiddellike realiteit; tydsverstaan; die rol van kans teenoor determinisme; die bron van religieuse kennis; ensovoorts) egter op ’n simboliese vlak verskillend ervaar word. In die konteks van Religie en Media waarbinne hierdie studie val, asook binne vele ander kontekste, is dit problematies wanneer akademici hul eie realiteitsiening en sinservaring op dié van ander projekteer – veral wanneer hulle hulself uitdruklik voorgeneem het om die teendeel te doen. John Cumpsty (1991) het drie maniere waarop mense sin maak van die kosmiese totaliteit onderskei en ek bespreek twee daarvan met verwysing na die Westers-Christelike en die tradisionele Afrika realiteitsienings. Hieruit word dit dan duidelik dat algeheel verskillende patrone in ‟n kosmiese verstaan moontlik is, elk met ‟n eie stel simbole wat sistemies bymekaar aansluit. Saam met Cumpsty se teorie, gebruik ek ook dié van Castells (2005) oor sosiale identiteitsvorming, en dié van Sen (2006) oor die gebruik van die kognitiewe versus die affektiewe in identiteitsvorming om aan te toon hoe kosmologiese simbole verskillend geposisioneer kan word. Met hierdie drie teorieë in gedagte, ontsluit ek vervolgens die identiteite van die hoofkarakers in drie rolprente hermeneuties. Ek het spesifiek dié medium as ‟n bestudeerbare greep van die lewe gekies weens die toenemende gewildheid daarvan in die refleksie, konstruksie en projeksie van eksistensiële sin. Nog ‟n rede is die talle voorbeelde waarin interpreteerders van rolprente hul eie kosmiese verstaan op dié van andere projekteer terwyl hulle eintlik pluralisties wil wees. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie was vir my verrassend. Dit bring eerstens, soos verwag, wel helderheid oor die aard van verskille tussen die Westers-Christelike en die tradisionele Afrika kosmologieë, asook hoe dit in die praktyk kan uitspeel aan die hand van simboliese interpretasies. Die integrasie van die drie teorieë het my egter ook die kans gebied om ‟n metode vir ’n religieus-kosmologiese analise van identiteit te ontwikkel. Hiervolgens kan ‟n ontleder van rolprente op ‟n redelike, sistematiese en sistemiese manier tussen sy of haar eie, sowel as ‟n moontlike ander, paradigma onderskei. Dit laat die ontleder toe om die eie paradigma te erken, sowel as respek te betoon teenoor ’n ander paradigma – sonder om die eie op die ander te projekteer. Daarom verminder hierdie metode veral ook die kans op die gebruik van ‟n dubbele-teks interpretasie wat uitsluiting van die ander handhaaf of bevorder. Hierdie metode, sowel as die bevindinge van die studie, kan veel wyer as die veld van Religie en Media toegepas word, omdat dit te make het met die verstaan van identiteit en verskillende maniere van behoort aan die kosmiese totaliteit.
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Ncube, Gibson. "Constructions et representations litteraires de la sexualite « marginale » sur les deux rives de la Mediterranee : Rachid O., Eyet-Chekib Djaziri, Abdellah Taia et Ilmann Bel." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/95962.

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Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: “Marginal” sexualities continue to be veiled by a cloud of silence and taboo in the Arab-Muslim societies. This study puts into conversation literary narratives by four writers of Maghrebian descent who have dared to break the intolerably irksome silence surrounding homosexuality. The novels of Rachid O., Abdellah Taïa, Eyet-Chékib Djaziri and Ilmann Bel are synchronous with the growing interest in the potential common points between literary production and queer sexualities in the Maghreb (and indeed other Arab/Muslim regions). Drawing on hermeneutic perspectives as well as diverse readings in gender and queer studies, this literary analysis deconstructs the problematic figure of the homosexual which is at once contentious as well as the locus of manifold discourses that are concerned with questioning the status quo whilst unveiling the unutterable. The literary construction and representation of “marginal” sexuality certainly plays a pivotal role in destabilising and challenging the simplistic conceptions of identity and value systems that underlie the designations of “correct and incorrect” sexual orientations and identities. Elaborating a comprehensive interpretative paradigm, this study attempts to fill the yawning gap in scholarship on the relationship between francophone literary production from the Maghreb and homosexuality. Adopting a tri-sequential approach, the study begins with an explanatory phase which contextualises queer sexuality as well as queer literary studies in the Maghreb and in France. An encounter phase follows offering a hermeneutic reading of the selected novels of the four writers, concentrating particularly on the definition, characterisation and general tonality of the literary works. The ultimate stage, the interpretive/theorisation phase, encompasses a re-reading of primary and secondary texts alongside each other so as to construct an original appraisal of the novels as well as develop a theoretically sound consideration of the construction of “marginal” sexualities in the selected novels. In addition to the above-enumerated tri-sequential approach, the argumentative flow of the study equally follows a three-pronged progression: production-text-reception. The first phase scrutinises the sociocultural, political and historical context in which the literary texts under consideration are created. The “text” phase analyses the novels in question in order to elaborate a theorisation of the construction and representation of “marginal” sexuality in the autofictional works of the aforementioned writers. The “reception” phase goes beyond the purely textual and delves into the possible impact of these literary texts on the everyday world of Arab-Muslim societies, in France as in the Maghreb.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: “Marginale” seksualiteite word steeds gehul in ʼn wolk van stilte en taboe in die Arabiese Moslemgemeenskappe. Hierdie studie ondersoek literêre narratiewe van vier skrywers van hierde streek wat dit gewaag het om die swaar en onuitstaanbaar hinderlike stilte rondom homoseksualiteit te verbreek. Die romans van Rachid O., Abdellah Taïa, Eyet-Chékib Djaziri en Ilmann Bel verskyn wanneer daar toenemende belangstelling ontstaan in uiteenlopende aspekte van en potensieel gemeenskaplike eienskappe tussen literêre produksie en sogenaamde “queer” seksualiteite in die Magreb (en ook ander Arabiese/Moslemstreke). Hierdie literêre analise, wat gebruik maak van hermeneutiese perspektiewe asook diverse gender- en queerstudies, dekonstrueer die problematiese figuur van die homoseksueel wat terselfdertyd omstrede én die lokus is van menigvuldige diskoerse wat gaan oor die bevraagtekening van die status quo terwyl die onuitspreeklike openbaar gemaak word. Die literêre konstruksie en uitbeelding van “marginale” seksualiteit speel beslis ʼn belangrike rol in die destabilisering en uitdaging van die simplistiese voorstellings van identiteit en waardesisteme wat onder die benaming van regte en verkeerde seksuele oriëntasies en identiteite lê. Deur ʼn omvattende interpretatiewe paradigma te ontwikkel, probeer hierdie studie om die gaping te vul wat in die wetenskap bestaan ten opsigte van die verhouding tussen Frankofoon literêre produksie uit die Magreb en homoseksualiteit. Die benadering bestaan uit drie opeenvolgende dele. Die studie begin met ʼn verklarende fase wat queer seksualiteit, asook queer literêre studies in die Magreb en Frankryk kontekstualiseer. ʼn Ontmoetingsfase volg waarin ʼn hermeneutiese lees van die gekose romans van die vier skrywers aangebied word, wat spesifiek op die definisie, karakterisering en algemene tonaliteit van die literêre werke fokus. Die finale fase, die interpretatiewe/teoretiseringsfase, sluit ʼn parallelle herlees van primêre en sekondêre tekste in om sodoende ʼn oorspronklike waardering van die romans te konstrueer en om ook ʼn teoreties onaanvegbare oorweging van die konstruksie van “marginale” seksualiteite in die gekose romans te ontwikkel. Verder volg die argument van die studie ook ʼn drieledige progressie: produksie-teks-ontvangs. Die eerste fase ondersoek die sosiokulturele, politiese en historiese konteks waarbinne die gekose tekste geskep is. Die “teksfase” analiseer die gekose romans om ʼn teoretisering van die konstruksie en representasie van “marginale” seksualiteit in die outofiksionele werke van die vier skrywers te ontwikkel. Die laaste fase gaan verder as die teks self en ondersoek die moontlike impak van hierdie literêre werke op die alledaagse wêreld van Arabiese Moslemgemeenskappe, in Frankryk sowel as die Magreb.
SOMMAIRE: La sexualité « marginale » demeure un sujet indicible et tabou dans les sociétés arabo-musulmanes, au Maghreb comme en France. La présente thèse essaie de mettre en conversation les récits de quatre romanciers d’origine maghrébine qui ont osé rompre l’intolérable silence { propos de l’homosexualité. Les romans de Rachid O., d’Abdellah Taïa, d’Eyet-Chékib Djaziri et d’Ilmann Bel sont synchrones avec l’intérêt croissant pour de divers aspects des sexualités « marginales » au Maghreb (et certes dans d’autres régions arabo-musulmanes). Nous servant des perspectives herméneutiques ainsi que de diverses théories des études de genre et des études queer, nous proposons dans cette étude une déconstruction du personnage de l’homosexuel qui est { la fois contentieux et également le locus de nombreux discours concernant la remise en cause du statu quo et le dévoilement de l’indicible. La construction et la représentation littéraire de la sexualité « marginale » joue certes un rôle central dans la déstabilisation des conceptions simplistes de la politique identitaire tout en mettant en cause les systèmes de valeurs qui sont à la base des désignations des identités et des orientations sexuelles. Élaborant un paradigme interprétatif compréhensif, cette étude s’efforcera de combler la lacune qui existe par rapport { l’analyse de l’intersection entre la production littéraire au Maghreb francophone et la sexualité « marginale ». Nous adoptons dans cette étude une approche tri-séquentielle et l’étape initiale, nommée la phase explicative, met en contexte la sexualité queer ainsi que les études littéraires traitant de ce sujet sur les deux rives de la Méditerranée. Cette phase préliminaire est suivie d’une phase de rencontre qui proposera une lecture herméneutique des romans, portant sur la définition, la caractérisation et la tonalité de ces oeuvres littéraires. Il s’agit dans l’étape ultime, la phase interprétative/de théorisation, d’une lecture parallèle des oeuvres primaires et secondaires afin d’établir une appréciation des romans de nos auteurs ainsi que de développer une considération valable sur le plan de la théorie de la construction et représentation de la sexualité « marginale » dans les romans choisis. En plus de l’approche ci-dessus expliquée, l’écoulement argumentatif de cette étude suit également une triple séquence : production-texte-réception. La phase de « production » examine le contexte socioculturel, politique et historique où se créent les textes littéraires sous considération. La phase de « texte » concentre sur l’analyse des oeuvres romanesques afin d’élaborer une problématisation de la sexualité « marginale ». La phase de « réception » dépasse les textes et analyse l’effet de ces textes sur le monde du quotidien des milieux arabo-musulmans, en France comme au Maghreb.
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Rine, Abigail. "Words incarnate : contemporary women’s fiction as religious revision." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/1961.

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This thesis investigates the prevalence of religious themes in the work of several prominent contemporary women writers—Margaret Atwood, Michèle Roberts, Alice Walker and A.L. Kennedy. Relying on Luce Irigaray’s recent theorisations of the religious and its relationship to feminine subjectivity, this research considers the subversive potential of engaging with religious discourse through literature, and contributes to burgeoning criticism of feminist revisionary writing. The novels analysed in this thesis show, often in violent detail, that the way the religious dimension has been conceptualised and articulated enforces negative views of female sexuality, justifies violence against the body, alienates women from autonomous creative expression and paralyses the development of a subjectivity in the feminine. Rather than looking at women’s religious revision primarily as a means of asserting female authority, as previous studies have done, I argue that these writers, in addition to critiquing patriarchal religion, articulate ways of being and knowing that subvert the binary logic that dominates Western religious discourse. Chapter I contextualises this research in Luce Irigaray’s theories and outlines existing work on feminist revisionist literature. The remaining chapters offer close readings of key novels in light of these theories: Chapter II examines Atwood’s interrogation of oppositional logic in religious discourse through her novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Chapter III explores two novels by Roberts that expose the violence inherent in religious discourse and deconstruct the subjection of the (female) body to the (masculine) Word. Chapters IV and V analyse the fiction of Kennedy and Walker respectively, revealing how their novels confront the religious denigration of feminine sexuality and refigure the connection between eroticism and divinity. Evident in each of these fictional accounts is a forceful critique of religious discourse, as well as an attempt to more closely reconcile foundational religious oppositions between divinity and humanity, flesh and spirit, and body and Word.
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Murray, Frances. "The representation of weeping rulers in the early Middle Ages." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/15646.

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This thesis examines the representation of weeping rulers in early medieval sources, focusing on the Carolingian empire between 790 and 888. The meanings applied to tears are culturally specific: thus, exploring how, why, when and where rulers cried can illuminate the dynamics of power and ideals of kingship in this period. This thesis provides a survey of a poorly understood phenomenon. It also challenges several assumptions about the nature of early medieval power. Rulers wept not only over their own sins (a well-recognised phenomenon), but also over the sins of others and out of a desire for heavenly glory. Thus, they wept in a ‘monastic' or ‘priestly' way. This was something associated more with certain rulers than others. As such, tears can be used as a lens through which developments in ideas about the relationship between secular rulers and the ecclesiastical hierarchy can be traced. The thesis is divided into six sections. The historiographical importance of this topic is discussed in the introduction. Chapter one assesses the understanding of tears in biblical, Roman and Merovingian sources. Chapter two focuses on the representation of tears in texts associated with the court of Charlemagne (d. 814). Chapter three explores how authors loyal to Louis the Pious (d. 840) used tears to respond to criticisms of him and his wife, the Empress Judith (d. 843). Chapter four turns to exegetical material written between 820 and 860 and examines how biblical rulers were represented weeping. In particular, the reception of these previously unrecognised images in royal courts and their influence on narrative sources will be considered. Chapter five explores sources from the later ninth century, focusing particularly on the writings of Hincmar of Reims (d. 882) and Notker of St Gall (d. 912). Chapter six considers tears in three case studies drawn from post=Carolingian sources. Finally the concluding section outlines the significance of this thesis for our understanding of Carolingian and post Carolingian political culture and the history of weeping in the middle ages.
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Saidi, Mustapha. "Ibn Arabi's Sufi and poetic experiences (through his collection of mystical poems Tarjuman al-Ashwaq)." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2005. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_2270_1183723387.

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This study is a theoretical research concerning Ibn Arabi's Sufi experience and his philosophy of the "
unity of being"
(also his poetical talent). I therefore adopted the historical and analytical methodologies to analyse and reply on the questions and suggestions I have raised in this paper. Both of the methodologies reveal the actual status of the Sufism of Ibn Arabi who came with a challenging sufi doctrine. Also, in the theoretical methodology I attempt to define Sufism by giving a panoramic history of it. I have also researched Ibn Arabi's status amongst his contemporaries for example, Al-Hallaj and Ibn Al Farid, and how they influenced him as a Sufi thinker during this time.


In the analytical study I explore the poems "
Tarjuman al Ashwaq"
of Ibn Arabi, of which I have selected some poems to study analytically. Through this I discovered Ibn Arabi's Sufi inclinations and the criticisms of various literary scholars, theologians, philosophers and also sufi thinkers, both from the East and the West. In this analysis I have also focused on the artistic value of the poetry which he utilized to promote his own doctrine "
the unity of being."

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Livermore, Christian. "Revenants from the Church to literature." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/7914.

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Factual accounts of revenants – the risen dead – seized the medieval imagination in the early eleventh century, and were recorded by serious historians and ecclesiastics as true. They then began to appear in secular imaginative literature and art, growing progressively more elaborate and frightening throughout the Middle Ages whilst retaining many of the religious overtones expressed overtly in the ecclesiastic tales. By the early modern and modern period, the tales were removed from any overt religious context and were told as purely imaginative literature. The academic half of this thesis explores the influence on the tales of the Christian doctrine of resurrection and the cult of the body of Christ and of the saints, then traces the migration of those tales into imaginative literature from the Middle Ages to the present. It identifies key motifs from the medieval chronicles and imaginative literature that continue to appear in modern stories, and explores the extent to which Christian eschatology altered perceptions of the dead and why, in an increasingly secular context, fascination with such tales continued into modern literature, what part fear of death played throughout this period, and how that fear was expressed, first in an ecclesiastical context, then in imaginative literature through horror stories. The creative half of my thesis is a literary fiction novel updating a medieval revenant tale, the Legend of the Three Living and the Three Dead, to twenty-first century New England.
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Letsinger, Robert B. "Tradition, Erudition and the Book: Aspects of the Bollandist-Carmelite Controversy, with a Critical Edition of the Pamphlet Novus Ismael (1682 & 1683), Including Translation and Commentary." Thesis, Connect to resource online, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1805/1896.

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Thesis (M.A.)--Indiana University, 2009.
Title from screen (viewed on August 28, 2009). Department of History, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Eric L. Saak. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 540-548).
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Macaskill, Grant. "Wisdom and apocalyptic in the Gospel of Matthew : a comparative study with 1 Enoch and 4QInstruction." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/7356.

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Recent scholarship has demonstrated that Matthew's gospel has significantly developed both sapiential and apocalyptic elements within its narrative. Little attention has been paid, however, to the question of how these two features of Matthew's gospel might relate to one another. It is this gap in scholarly literature that the present study is intended to fill, by means of a comparative study with two other texts of mixed genre: 1 Enoch and 4QInstruction. An examination of these texts demonstrates that each is marked by an inaugurated eschatology, within which the revealing of wisdom to an elect group, defined in distinction to the Jewish parent group, serves as the pivotal moment of inauguration. In addition, within 4QInstruction the idea is developed that possession of this revealed wisdom allows the remnant to live in fidelity to the will of the Creator and to the patterns built-in to the original creation. Thus, possession of revealed wisdom facilitates a recovery of creation. These findings provide lines of enquiry that may be brought to Matthew. Three sections of the gospel are examined (chapters 5-7; 11-12; 24-25). It is argued that Jesus is presented as an eschatological figure who reveals wisdom to an elect group. This wisdom cannot be reduced to great moral insight or interpretation of Torah, but is presented as prophetic revelation, happening in eschatological time. It remains the case, however, that Matthew presents it as wisdom and presents Jesus as a sage. More tentatively, it is suggested that creation provides the patterns for the ethical requirements of Jesus' wisdom, thus indicating that the idea of restored creation is also at work in Matthew. The fall of the temple may also be connected in Matthew's narrative to such a restoration, but again, the evidence for this is not clear.
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Seton, Gregory Max. "Defining wisdom : Ratnākaraśānti's Sāratamā." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2015. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:9c168639-e2f8-4550-b515-e93a41c95045.

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This thesis examines Ratnakarasanti's (ca. 970-1045 C.E.) explication of Prajnaparamita in his doxographical works and his Saratama. Based on extant Sanskrit and Tibetan primary sources, it argues that Ratnakarasanti's main teacher was Dharmakirtisri (late 10th C.E.) and that Ratnakarasanti's Saratama sought to replace his teacher's Yogacara-Madhyamika framework with a causal explanation of Prajnaparamita through redefining the term Prajnaparamita as the path to awakening, rather than its goal. By unpacking that causal explanation in light of his broader system, the thesis demonstrates the way that Ratnakarasanti's own version of Nirakaravadin-Yogacara-Madhyamika refutes cognitive images (akara) as unreal ultimately, but claims they are still perceived by buddhas out of compassion. This conclusion debunks the long-standing theory that Ratnakarasanti was an Indian proponent of the controversial Tibetan gZhan-stong despite later gZhan-stong propon-ents' attempts to claim him as their own. There are two parts to the study. The first part introduces Ratnakarasanti's life, philosophy and doxography based upon evidence from a Tibetan colophon to his Madhyamika commentary and the Tibetan hagiography of his student Adhisa (a.k.a. Atisa) and upon a comparative analysis of his doxographical works that are prerequisites for reading his Saratama. The second part consists of an annotated translation of the Saratama's introductory section, contrasted with the prior standard interpretation by Haribhadra's (9th century C.E.). In the two appendices are included a Tibetan critical edition and a separate hybrid Sanskrit and Tibetan critical edition of the Saratama's first parivarta based on the extant 11th and 13th century incomplete MSS and on the Tibetan translations in the sDe dge, Peking and sNarthang editions. The hybrid edition also includes my provisional critical edition of the root text - i.e. the first parivarta of the Aryasta - sahasrikaprajnaparamitasutra - and my own translation of two small sample sections of the Saratama, which are extant only in Tibetan, back into Sanskrit.
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Baldwin, Ruth Margaret Anne. "Redeeming flesh : portrayals of women and sexuality in the work of four contemporary Catholic novelists." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape9/PQDD_0019/NQ46315.pdf.

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30

Louw-Kritzinger, Ellie Maria. "Eskatologiese/apokaliptiese oorlog tussen goed en kwaad in die Zoroastrisme, die Judaismse (Qumran) en 'n vroeg-Christelike geskrif (Die apokalips)." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/1474.

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Thesis (DPhil (Ancient Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008.
Since time immemorial and throughout the centuries up to the present, the struggle between Good and Evil has played a cardinal role in the “cultural web” of mankind. In the various religions, this dimension of life is linked to the theological issue of human suffering and need in the light of Divine Omnipotence and Grace. Some of the earliest prophets/compilers/authors expressed their own perspectives on this ongoing conflict and burning question. This comparative research stems from a statement by the well-known Iranologist, Mary Boyce. She described the origin of the Christian faith as a new religion that developed out of Judaism, enriched by contact with the old Persian religion, Zoroastrianism. Other researchers also described various aspects of the dualism, eschatology, angelology and demonology, as well as the cosmogony and purity laws, as “obvious” similarities. However, researchers have not yet reached consensus on the possible influence exercised by Zoroastrianism on Judaism and the early Christian writings. The aim of the study is to make a contribution to the ongoing debate from another perspective. Writings from the religions are juxtaposed in full, and analysed and compared according to the war theme and components arising from the writings themselves. A holistic approach offers a more structured starting -point for further research rather to opposing aspects randomly from a large variety of texts. The holistic approach draws attention to similarities as well as differences. Keywords out of each analysis of a component have been placed in a framework to present the summarising comparison more compactly. Historical and literary contexts play an important role in a comparative study. The writings of the three religions originated in four major eras: the Bronze Age/the Sasanian Period, the Hellenistic Era and the Roman Era. The characteristic dualism of Zoroastrianism is limited to the eschatological/apocalyptic war as it is found in the Gathas of Zarathustra. References are also made to the “later” apocalyptic writing, the Bahman Yasht. The most relevant writing in the Judaism (Qumran) is the War Scroll. Richard Bauckham has described Revelations as the “Christian War Scroll”. The analysis of the various aspects shows that core principles in the religions underlie the war themes. Some of the proper names contain defining elements in the determination of dualism and monotheism. Planning and weapons are main components in the strategy of the war - the “revelation” of the modus operandi. The eschatology is caught up in the ultimate end of the war. In the final chapter, the main corresponding elements are placed on a “scale” and “weighed”. Although no further “lexical links” – the weight-bearing criteria of García Martínez – have been found in this study, the amount of corresponding aspects in merely one text per religion is significant. Differences and unique imagery/symbolism put each writing in its own time-slot and framework.
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Meyer, Verena. "Memory and Difference: Coherence and Paradox in Javanese Muslims’ Stories of the Past." Thesis, 2021. https://doi.org/10.7916/d8-ga60-yp11.

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This dissertation project employs both ethnographic and textual research to study the role of rational coherence and paradox in Javanese Muslims’ theological understandings and political positionings. My research site is the Javanese city of Yogyakarta known for its mixture of traditionalist or Sufi and modernist Muslim reform organizations. The project intervenes in two distinct scholarly debates concerning the everyday practice of Islam and the social ties it engenders and brings them into a new synthesis: 1) debates around the paradigm of Islam as a coherent discursive tradition and the meaning of coherence, given the complexity, ambivalence, and fragmentation of Muslims’ everyday lives; and 2) studies of the relation and meaning of traditionalism and modernism as distinct orientations, embedded in larger movements of global Islamic reform, and responding to political pressures on Muslims to position themselves as moderate. It focuses on discourses and practices around memory as a node where questions of coherence and ideological belonging intersect. Both traditionalists and modernists remember their history, claiming stewardship over their past, or preserving and commemorating it to bring about a desired present and future; but the politics of commemoration diverge widely as traditionalists and modernists, in their memory practices, navigate multiple, conflicting demands and diverging epistemologies and ideologies. The study seeks to highlight how memory is mobilized to make claims of legitimate knowledge and power; how different kinds of discursive or ritual traditions around memory are legible as identity markers of particular religious and ideological orientations, especially traditionalism and modernism; and how the juxtaposition of conflicting epistemologies and ontologies is negotiated and understood within and between these different orientations.
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Galvez-Pena, Carlos Martin. "Writing History to Reform the Empire: Religious Chroniclers in Seventeenth-Century Peru." Thesis, 2011. https://doi.org/10.7916/D80C57CJ.

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This dissertation analyzes the political and epistemological significance of the religious historical discourse produced in the viceroyalty of Peru between 1600 and 1682. The goal of this discourse was to respond to the secularizing pressure of the Spanish Crown on the religious Orders. Accused of being a burden to the Royal Treasury and slowing the development of colonial economy, colonial religious scholars belonging to the four main religious Orders (Augustinians, Franciscans, Jesuits and Dominicans) and based in the city of Los Reyes (Lima), created a historiographical discourse aimed at defending the missionary and political achievements of their corporations. Seventeenth-century religious historiography fused the medieval religious chronicle, the Counter-reformation sermon, the ars historica and the early modern period political literature (the memorial or arbitrio) to create the chronicle-memorial, a unique creole version of history and colonial Catholic statecraft. While pushing for the institutional claims of the colonial corporate Church, religious chroniclers, through the revision of colonial history, advanced the politic and economic agenda of Peruvian benemérito elites as well. Thus, this work goes from the text to the social and political context that produced it. It also tracks the efforts of the first class of Peruvian historians and political thinkers from Lima to Madrid and Rome in order to build their careers, connect with an imperial Republic of Letters and push for reforms in the body politic of the Spanish Empire.
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Dalton, Krista. "Rabbis and Donors: The Logics of Giving in the Ancient Mediterranean." Thesis, 2019. https://doi.org/10.7916/d8-7cqh-5h15.

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This dissertation analyzes the performance of rabbinic expertise in the cultivation of donor and social networks in late antiquity. Through analysis of narrative depictions of rabbis and donors in Palestinian Rabbinic literature, I illustrate the social relationships created and maintained through gift-giving. I argue the rabbis used social networks to cultivate the legitimacy of the rabbinic project, facilitated by the authorizing power of donations. I demonstrate how donations to rabbis served as a means of legitimizing the rabbinic office as they formed into a self-conscious guild whose authority rested on the performance of expertise. These donations were not so simply received, however, as the rabbis disdained reciprocal forms of patronage associated with the broader Roman empire. Therefore, I demonstrate how the rabbis drew from systems of donation in the biblical text in order to assuage the association of their donors with formal patronage. In drawing from the biblical system and applying to their own historical times, the rabbis blended the gift types of tithes, charity, benefaction, and patronage. In this way, narrative accounts of tithes, charity, and informal gifts to rabbis can be read for the dynamics of reciprocal expectations sometimes encoded in the narrative account. With careful attention to rabbinic exegetical strategies, I trace the reception of biblical ideas about giving to their manifestation within the particular context of Roman Syria Palaestina.
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Neufeld, Jennifer. "A 'Sex'tet on Love: New Visions for Female Subjectivity and Mutuality." Thesis, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10756/288508.

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A love ethic is the ground of agency and subjectivity for both men and women, and mutuality is the heart of love. Many feminist scholars are working to articulate and understand love by examining women's identity and language. In this thesis, I explore a language used for love and desire through theoretical examination and poetic expression. Using a dialectical relationship between the text and the reader, this project demonstrates that mutual love depends on access to language that can express love and sexuality. Three central texts are used: 'All About Love: New Visions' by bell hooks, 'I Love to You: Sketch of a Possible Felicity in History' by Luce Irigaray and 'Love Lyrics from the Bible: The Song of Songs, a New Translation' by Marcia Falk. In six sections of theoretic analysis and poetry, I show that female subjectivity and agency are conditions for mutuality in both love and sexuality.
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Walton, Regina Laba. "Pious designs: theological aesthetics in the writings of George Herbert and the Ferrars of Little Gidding." Thesis, 2013. https://hdl.handle.net/2144/15164.

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This study examines both the theological aesthetics of George Herbert (1593-1633), English priest and poet, and those of his friends, the Ferrar family of Little Gidding, who founded a quasi-monastic religious community near Cambridge from 1624-1646. In their writings, Herbert and the Ferrars negotiated two traditional but usually competing aesthetic stances: the "beauty of holiness"; on the one hand, and austere plainness, on the other. They skillfully navigated between conflicting theological positions during the years leading up to the English Civil War. Chapter 1 reviews the historical connection between Herbert and Nicholas Ferrar (1592/3-1637) in light of recent revisionist biographies. It describes and contextualizes the anomalous and controversial devotional life at Little Gidding within the complex religio-political landscape of the 1620s and 1630s; it also argues for a shared theological aesthetic between Herbert and the Ferrars as evident in their collaboration on various projects. (Herbert also designated the Ferrars his literary executors.) Chapter 2 revisits the question of Herbert's paradoxical "plain style," a topic that has engaged scholars for decades, by exploring his poetic use of clothing images in conjunction with the Renaissance commonplace of the "garment of style." Chapter 3 examines in detail liturgical practice at Little Gidding, both the family's public and private worship life, as well as their extensive renovation of two churches. Here I argue that the community did not fit easily within any single category in the "worship wars" of the early seventeenth century, but instead drew upon influences across the liturgical spectrum, from Laudianism to puritanism. Chapters 4 and 5 explore how Herbert (in his poetry) and the Ferrars (in their religious dialogues called the Story Books) use narrative of various kinds, but especially parable and exempla, for catechetical ends, and emphasize the centrality of "true stories" to Christian belief. The conclusion argues that these texts present a theological aesthetic that is deeply connected to a lived, practiced ethics. This project fills in a major gap in Herbert studies while recovering important primary sources for the understanding of religion, literature and culture in early modern England.
2018-04-30T00:00:00Z
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De, Bruin Gerhardus Stefanus. "Die antieke ruimtevaarder-teorie : 'n godsdienswetenskaplike studie (Afrikaans)." Thesis, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/23339.

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AFRIKAANS: Die Antieke ruimtevaarder-teorie stel voor dat wesens uit die ruimte die Aarde in die antieke verlede besoek het. Hierdie wesens was betrokke by die vroeë geskiedenis van die planet. Hulle het bewoonbare toestande geskep asook menslike intelligensie deur 'n proses van genetiese ingenieurswese. Hul besoeke is opgeteken en deur mense oorgelewer in godsdienste, mitologieë en antieke legendes. Hul teenwoordigheid is ook nog waarneembaar in antieke fisiese oorblyfsels. Voorstanders van die Ruimtevaarderteorie bied dit aan as 'n wetenskaplike hipotese en as die "mees perfekte algemene noemer van alle tye" wat 'n moderne verklaring vir die oer-godsdiens bied. Afdeling A van die studie bied 'n oorsig oor die teorie en die bewyse wat daarvoor aangebied word. Daar word aangetoon dat, hoewel die meeste van die postulate nie deur die moderne wetenskap as "onsinnig" beskou word nie, dit nie oortuig as 'n werkbare wetenskaplike teorie nie. Omdat daar weinig verskille tussen die basiese onderneming van die wtenskap en die godsdiens bestaan (beide vertrek vanaf onbewysbare aannames om waargenome data te verklaar) word daar vermoed dat die Antieke ruimtevaarder-teorie eerder funksioneer op die vlak van religieusiteit. Hierdie tese word ondersoek in Afdeling B van die studie: Daar word voorgestel dat die Fenomenologiese metode van godsdienswetenskaplike ondersoek, wat poog om 'n fenomeen te verstaan nie soos dit manifesteer nie, maar op die dieper vlak van die funksie en betekenins daarvan, die mees paslike metode vir die ondersoek is. (p> Met gebruikmaking van die insigte van 'n Fenomenologiese benadering, word aangedui dat die Antieke ruimtevaarder-teorie funksioneer as 'n godsdienstige beweging met eienskappe van 'n kulte en 'n nieu-mitologie. Die aanvaarbaarheid van die teorie vir die vele volgelinge daarvan, en die gepaardgaande groei van die bcweging wat dit propageer, word verklaar uit 'n kombinasie van sosiologiese en psigologiese faktore wat aan die werk is in die moderne Westerse beskawing. Vanuit 'n fenomenologiese gesigspunt word gekonkludeer dat die Ruimtevaardcrteorie baie suksesvol op religieuse vlak is. Dit slaag daarin om die Bybel weer "geloofwaardig" te maak en skep weer 'n "kosmiese raamwerk" vir die betekenis van die menslike bestaan. Die teorie kan ook beskou word as 'n prysenswaardige poging tot die sintetisering van godsdiens en die modeme wetenskap vir die aanhangers daarvan, en om die geestelike behoeftes van mense in 'n verwarrende en verwarde wêreld aan te spreek. In 'n slotafdeling word die bevindinge van die studie teologies oorweeg en word die waarde daarvan vir die Chrislelike godsdiens aangetoon. ENGLISH: The Ancient astronaut theory proposes that beings from outer space came to Earth in the distant past. These beings were involved in the early history of the planet: They created habitable conditions and human intelligence by genetic engineering. Their visits were recorded and handed down by humans in their religions, mythologies and ancient legends. Their presence is also visible in ancient physical remains. Proponents present the Astronaut theory as a scientific hypothesis and as "the most perfect common denominator of all time", allowing a modem explanation for old-time religion: Section A of the study provides an overview of the theory and the evidence presented in support of it. It is shown that, although many of the postulates are being accepted by modem science as "not unreasonable", it is not convincing as a workable scientific theory. Since there is little difference between the basic enterprises of science and religion (both departing from unproven suppositions to explain perceived data) it is suspected that the Astronaut theory rather functions on a level of religiosity. This thesis is investigated in Section 8 of the study: It is proposed that the Phenomenological method of studying religion, which attempts to understand a phenomenon not in the way it manifests itself, but on the deeper level of its function and meaning, is the most appropriate for this investigation. Using the insights of a Phenomeno!ogical approach, it is shown that the Ancient astronaut theory functions as a religious movement with attributes of a cult and a new-mythology. The acceptability of the theory for its many followers and the resulting growth of the movement that proposes it, is explained from a combination of social and psychological factors at work in Western society. From a phenomenological point of view it is concluded that the Astronaut theory may be considered very successful on a religious level: It succeeds in making the Bible "respectable" again and it recreates a "cosmic framework" for the meaning of human existence. The theory may also be considered a praiseworthy attempt to synthesise religion and modem science for its supporters and to address the spiritual needs of man in a confusing and confused world. In a final section of the study, the results are being considered theologically and their value. being shown for Christianity.
Thesis (PhD (Science of Religion))--University of Pretoria, 2007.
Science of Religion and Missiology
unrestricted
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37

"论当代电影对理解希伯来圣经天启思想的作用: 以《但以理书》第七章和《第二次文藝復興》为例." Thesis, 2010. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b6075290.

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Apocalypse is one of the major motifs of Jewish-Christian civilization. The Book of Daniel represents a vital status in understanding the Jewish apocalypse. After summarizing the scholarship on The Book of Daniel and Jewish Apocalypse, I adopt a "intertextual hypothesis" approach to connect the Book of Daniel, Jewish Apocalypse and modern films in order to expand the horizons of discussion and interpretation.
In the thesis I will introduce the current biblical scholarship on Bible and Film, and by using "intertextual hypothesis", I will interpret from different aspects the apocalyptic thoughts in the film entitled <the Second Renaissance>. I will arrive at several points of new understanding of both the theme of "dualism" in Dan.7 and the much discussed area of the origin of Jewish Apocalypse.
This thesis aims at discussing the effect modern films has on our understanding of Daniel 7 and Jewish apocalypse. The main argument of this thesis is that the ancient Jewish apocalyptic thoughts (especially those in Dan. 7) can obtain a richer interpretation by the participation of modern film arts.
叶洛夫.
Adviser: Archie C. C. Lee.
Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-03, Section: A, page: .
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 91-112).
Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web.
Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web.
Abstracts in Chinese and English.
Ye Luofu.
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38

Gratz, Kimberly A. "The power of conceptual metaphor in Diana Abu-Jaber's The Language of Baklava and Birds of Paradise." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/29311.

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This thesis examines the use of religious metaphor as it applies to food in two literary works by Diana Abu-Jaber. First, The Language of Baklava, a culinary memoir published in 2005, reveals aspects of cultural identity and memory through food and metaphor. Second, Abu-Jabers most recent novel, Birds of Paradise, explores complex family relationships enacted through metaphor. The analyses of textual representations of food rely on a theoretical framework that includes a cultural anthropological perspective, as well as a rhetorical perspective, and uses textual analysis to examine metaphor and food narratives in literature.
Graduation date: 2012
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39

Thiel, Gudrun Else Kaethe. "Die Todesfigur : eine studie ihrer funktion in der deutschen literatur vom vierzehnten bis zum sechzehnten jahrhundert : unter besonderer beruecksichtigung des sozial - und gesellschaftskritischen aspekts." Thesis, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/8673.

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This research report deals with the function of the figure of Death in German literature from the 14th to the 16th century and its early Latin predecessors. This thesis aims to give an overview of such texts, written predominantly in Latin until the first half of the 15th century and also in German from the second half of the 15th century. From the overview of the texts, it is evident that the figure of Death was employed mainly by reform-oriented groups within the Church in texts whose contents had a socio-religious bias. This, together with an analysis of the possible recipients of the texts, provides support for the thesis that these groups must have used the figure of Death within the social context of the period (from the 12th to the 16th century) in an attempt to protect the interest of the Church as an institution as well as its strong influence on society. The time span from the 14th to the 16th century is then subdivided into two epochs. The first epoch encompasses the period from the 14th century to the beginning of the Reformation; the second epoch encompasses texts dating from the beginning of the Reformation. Several texts from each epoch are analysed in detail in order to prove the thesis. The choice of texts takes into account the dominant church reform groups as well as the most relevant genres of the time. This investigation shows that the church established its hold on society, on the one hand, by keeping the higher clergy and the nobility in the place assigned to them by the concept of "ordo", and on the other hand, by directing social criticism at the people of high standing, and so appeasing the lower classes who were looking to heretical groups for the realization of their spiritual needs and social ambitions. Reform was thus seen by the reform-oriented people within the Church as upholding the "God-given" social order, related to the Great Chain of Being, by all estates. The more this order crumbled because the real political power-brokers had changed, the more universal the criticism of the figure of Death became. After the Reformation, however, the universality of social criticism was increasingly restricted to the local level, being mainly aimed at rich individuals within the city population.
Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1989.
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40

Van, der Zwan Pieter. "The religiosity of the book of Song of Songs in context." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/8637.

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Despite its chequered interpretational history, the book of Shîr ha-Shîrîm (Song of Songs) in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament has still not come to its fullest religious potential. The reason is that it has mainly served relatively closed religious traditions defined by the exclusion of those that have reacted against it. As the text of Song of Songs itself does not explicitly testify to any religiosity, these communities have understood it religiously by projecting their own predetermined needs and beliefs onto it. The text does, however, suggest several layers in the history of its formation, representing different levels of consciousness and stages of religiosity. In the postmodern globalising context where the importance of interfaith understanding is increasingly realised and the nature of human religiosity is constantly redefined in terms of ever-broadening horizons, the religiosity of the book has been stretched as wide as possible by also taking into consideration the ancient contextual influences which could have left their traces on the unconscious mind of its author(s) and redactor(s). To this end, the transpersonal psychological theory of Kenneth Wilber as interpreted by Michael Washburn has been used. Wilber’s inclusive view of religiosity respects all its forms as developmentally appropriate expressions of experiences of the divine which should all be taken seriously. The explicit “absence” of the divine in Song of Songs has been so conspicuous that it has ironically made it more present and led to a greater search for the Ineffable whose whispering and footprints are discernible in relation to the level of consciousness. Exploring the religiosity of Song of Songs in this way then becomes an exercise in being more sensitive to the presence of the divine in all other areas of life as well. Traditional polarities such as sexuality and religiosity are dissolved at the same time and proven to coincide as two aspects of the same experience. Not only does erotic love open one’s eyes to the divine in nature as the body of God, but one also encounters the divine in the body.
Old Testament & Ancient Near Eastern Studies
D. Th. (Old Testament)
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41

Ismail, Nadia. "Women and political participation : a partial translation of ‘Abd al-Ḥalīm Muhammad Abū Shaqqah’s Taḥrīr al-Mar’ah fī ‘Aṣr al-Risālah (The liberation of women in the prophetic period), with a contextual introduction to the author and his work." Diss., 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/22256.

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This thesis is a translation of a chapter that examines the role of Muslim women in politics during the early Islamic period and their engagement with religious and political discourses. This subject raises a combination of provocative challenges for Islamic discourse as Muslim women have had a complex relationship with their religious tradition dating back to the very inception of Islam. Despite Qur’ānic injunctions and Prophetic affirmations of the egalitarian status of Muslim women, social inequality and injustice directed at women remains a persistent problem in Muslim society. In the translated text Abū Shaqqah goes about re-invoking the normative tradition in order to affirm the role of Muslim women in politics. Furthermore the translation is prefaced by a critical introduction outlining the contours of the 20th century landscape, which attempts to describe the struggle of Muslim women in Abū Shaqqah’s time.
Religious Studies and Arabic
M.A. (Arabic)
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42

Wielenga, Corianne. "The dialogue between Christianity and postmodernism in selected postmodern novels." Thesis, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/2594.

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This paper seeks to explore the dialogue between postmodern thought and Christian theology. The dialogue will be grounded in four postmodern novels: Toni Morrison's Beloved, Ian McEwan's Atonement, Jill Paton Walsh's Knowledge of Angels, and Jeanette Winterson's Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. In many Church circles, it has often been said that postmodernism, as it manifests itself in popular culture, is a threat to the Christian faith. However, I will be arguing that the opposite is the case, and that postmodernism has allowed for new ways of thinking about the self that has great resonance with certain theological conceptions of the self. It will be argued that the postmodern subject is one that seeks to make sense of 'the other' without risking the exploitation of the other, and that this lies very close to the theological concept of relationship, based on the idea of covenant. The self as responsible to an other and as a participant in community will be explored, from both the postmodern and theological perspectives. Before exploring issues of the self, this thesis will contextualize the dialogue by exploring postmodern conceptions of space and time. It will examine how ideas around space and time have been imagined throughout human history, thereby contextualizing the emergence of postmodern thinking. It will then show how this emergence of a postmodern space and time in fact creates new possibilities for the Christian faith to reexpress itself in ways that are more relevant to the 21st century. The concluding chapter of this thesis brings to light the longing within our postmodern reality for a place we can call home, a place where we can belong, and find healing. Such a place, such a homecoming, is offered to us in the spaces opened up to us by the dialogue between the Christian faith and postmodernity, and is found within a community of people who are learning that, as, postmodern philosopher Emmanuel Levinas states, "there is something more important than my life, and that is the life of the other" (in Beavers, 1996,16).
Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.
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Karimov, Asadullo. "Islamic education and its role modelling generation [sic] of learners inspired by the poetry of Saʻdi Sherazi." Diss., 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/12068.

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One of the most important objectives of the Islamic Code is the reformation of character so that Divine justice may be achieved in human society. Two things are of paramount importance: -Teaching upcoming generations for being receptive to Islamic teachings so as to live a healthy future; and -Developing a healthy society that provides scope for successful survival of its members. Among numerous scholars that have undertaken this noble task is Shaikh Sa'di, the Persian mystical poet. A reading of his Gulistan confirms the didactic nature of his poetry. The history of human culture attests to the eminent position he occupies in refining morality of people regardless of their race or creed, and regardless of the era in which they live. The primary objective of this dissertation is to probe this literature which offers avenues for acquiring a firm sense of justice and felicity.
Religious Studies & Arabic
M.A. (Arabic)
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Nortje, Johannes Andries. "Holographic memoirs of a dream : the invention of tram hopping." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/7042.

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The medium is the message in the first place: the medium as presence, as the author. His contribution to the academic world is his academic Holographic Memoirs. His story, the author's memoirs, is a fictive-narrative discourse with an organic ubuntu open-endedness. The Hologram is both an autobiography, but also all the information at all places simultaneously – nonlocal in quantum physical terms - within an intense hallucinating dream: no illusion, but rather a HyperReality with all its Virtual Identities. The invention of tram hopping is the plot of the story. The plot is like an hourglass where the first part of the story is the emptying of the sand, the deconstruction of modernism, but while the top chamber runs empty and the bottom chamber fills up, so the deconstruction is simultaneously a dependent arising/(social) construction/ubuntuing to revival – the synagogal Shekinah presence of YAHWEH. The top chamber is the unreasonable Newtonian physics and the bottom chamber reasonable quantum physics. The metaphysics (before the physics) of the top chamber is poststructuralism and deconstruction, while the bottom chamber is the virtual Hebraic worldview that delutively merges ubuntu and Buddhism. The long narrow neck in the middle is the moonily narrative that lives us with psychology (Psycho-logic) lost in sociology (Social-physics). Hermeneutics is set forth in the same contrasting hourglass of the top chamber, the inherited tradition, emptying to what it should accomplish – (virtual) presence.
Philosophy and Systematic Theology
D. Th. (Systematic Theology)
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45

Nortjé, Johannes Andries. "Holographic memoirs of a dream : the invention of tram hopping." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/7042.

Full text
Abstract:
The medium is the message in the first place: the medium as presence, as the author. His contribution to the academic world is his academic Holographic Memoirs. His story, the author's memoirs, is a fictive-narrative discourse with an organic ubuntu open-endedness. The Hologram is both an autobiography, but also all the information at all places simultaneously – nonlocal in quantum physical terms - within an intense hallucinating dream: no illusion, but rather a HyperReality with all its Virtual Identities. The invention of tram hopping is the plot of the story. The plot is like an hourglass where the first part of the story is the emptying of the sand, the deconstruction of modernism, but while the top chamber runs empty and the bottom chamber fills up, so the deconstruction is simultaneously a dependent arising/(social) construction/ubuntuing to revival – the synagogal Shekinah presence of YAHWEH. The top chamber is the unreasonable Newtonian physics and the bottom chamber reasonable quantum physics. The metaphysics (before the physics) of the top chamber is poststructuralism and deconstruction, while the bottom chamber is the virtual Hebraic worldview that delutively merges ubuntu and Buddhism. The long narrow neck in the middle is the moonily narrative that lives us with psychology (Psycho-logic) lost in sociology (Social-physics). Hermeneutics is set forth in the same contrasting hourglass of the top chamber, the inherited tradition, emptying to what it should accomplish – (virtual) presence.
Philosophy & Systematic Theology
D. Th. (Systematic Theology)
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46

Limage-Montesinos, Lupita J. "Conquista y mestizaje en el Tahuantinsuyu : elementos religiosos y literarios en dos crónicas andinas." 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/7652.

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47

Ntsihlele, Flora Mpho. "Games,gestures and learning in Basotho children's play songs." Thesis, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/1768.

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Abstract:
Colonialism in Africa had an impact on the indigenous peoples of Africa and this is shown in some of their games. The purpose of this study is to gain deeper insight into Basotho children's games and to demonstrate that the Western ideas of music and games are not necessarily the same as Basotho folk children's conceptions. The literature on Basotho children's games is reviewed though not much has been contributed by early and present Basotho writers who have generally approached it from the angle of literature without transcribing the songs. The Sesotho word for games (lipapali) embraces entertainment but a further investigation of it shows that aspects of learning of which the children were aware in some cases and in others they were not aware, are present. These are supported by musical examples and texts. The definition of play versus games is treated (with regard to infants and children) and these two concepts are still receiving constant attention and investigation by scholars and researchers as the words are synonymous and can be misleading. Infants' play is unorganised and spontaneous while games are organised structures. Furthermore, play and games are important in child development education. In this study, they are given attention in order to lay the foundation for the understanding and interpretation of games used in both cultures. It is a misconception that African children's games are accompanied with music in the Western sense. Hence, the word `music' in Sesotho children's games takes on a different connotation from those in the West. Music' in Sesotho children's games embraces not only tunes that are sung, but game verses chanted in a rhythmic manner as opposed to spoken verse. Yet, mino (music) exists in Sesotho and is equivalent to the Western idea. These chanted rhythms and games are analysed against the backdrop of specific cultural dimensions for children depending on the function of the game played. The results of this study indicated that though the idea of music in children's games is not the same, games are an educational in character building and learning. Recommendations are made for educationists and music educators.
ART HIST, VIS ARTS & MUSIC
DLITT ET PHIL (MUSICOLOGY)
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48

VanderVennen, Robert E., J. Richard Middleton, George Pierson, Bernard Zylstra, Hendrik Hart, and Henriette Thompson. "Perspective vol. 15 no. 4 (Aug 1981)." 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10756/251297.

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49

Conradie, A. F. "Bybel as problematiese teks: ’n kritiese ontleding aan die hand van polemieke in die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk: van Johannes du Plessis tot Ferdinand Deist en Willem Vorster (1920–2000)." Thesis, 2019. http://uir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/25638.

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Abstract:
Text in Afrikaans, with summaries in Afrikaans and English
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 383-403)
Die woordestryd oor goddelike inspirasie van alles wat in die Bybel staan, as gevolg van die uitgesproke stellings van Johannes Du Plessis, het tot ‘n krisis gelei wat as baken in die annale van die Ned. Geref. Kerk beskou word. Die meeste van sy standpunte word vandag as waarheid aanvaar en hy het bygedra tot die intellektuele debat oor die Bybel as Woord van God wat vandag nog aangaan. Du Plessis se herkoms, opleiding en verdienste as predikant en saakgelastigde van die Kerk word kortliks bespreek. Hy was die talentvolle seun en enigste kind van 'n Afrikaanse predikant en 'n Engelse vrou, die dogter van 'n sendeling van die LMS. Hy word professor aan die Kweekskool en met kennis opgedoen tydens verdere studie oorsee, het hy gewys op dele van die Bybel wat nie aan goddelike inspirasie toegeskryf kan word nie. Hy het dit ook duidelik gestel dat hy as teoloog en leermeester nie kon glo sonder om te probeer verstaan nie. Hy het sy bevindinge bekend gemaak in Het Zoeklicht, 'n maandblad wat bedoel was om as soeklig te dien om verskillende vorms van “duisternis” in beide godsdiens en die politiek, betref, aan die lig te bring. Oortuig van die waarde van die Hoër Kritiek, het hy dit as sy plig geag om wat hy deur wye leeswerk en kritiese ondersoek rakende die oorsprong, vorm en inhoud van die Ou Testamentiese boeke bekom het, bekend te maak. Artikels van dié aard, eers in De Kerkbode en daarna in Het Zoeklicht, het gelei tot beroering onder behoudende lesers wat gekant was teen enige veranderinge in die prediking. Hulle was veral ontstoke oor sy siening dat die belydenisskrifte wat spruit uit die dae van die Hervorming 500 jaar tevore, oop was vir herformulering. Klagtes dat Du Plessis op 'n gevaarlike pad was, was die begin van wat gelei het tot 'n krisis in die Kerk, en uiteindelik tot 'n buitengewone sinode in 1930 toe hy van sy pos onthef is. Die behoudende reaksie van die meerderheid was dat die Bybel die onfeilbare Woord van God is. Die gevolg was dat 'n groot aantal van die leiers van die Kerk, aanhangers van die Nasionale Party wat in 1948 aan bewind gekom het, tekste uit die Bybel gebruik het om die beleid van Apartheid Skriftuurlik te begrond. Ná byna veertig jaar van 'n onkritiese benadering tot die Bybel, is die geloof in 'n foutlose Bybel weer bevraagteken. Tussen die eerlike teoloë wat dit gewaag het om te wys op foute en inkonsekwenthede, was Ferdinand Deist en Willem Vorster. Albei het hulle opleiding as predikante voltooi maar het hulle nie beroepbaar gestel nie omdat hulle met verdere studie voortgegaan het en hulle openlik uitgespreek het teen die misbruik van Bybelse gegewens om apartheid te regverdig. Geskool aan die Kweekskool in Stellenbosch, het Deist hom onderskei as geleerde wat sy drang na dieper ondersoek gepaar het met 'n piëtisme waarop hy uiting gegee het in 'n stortvloed van akademiese en populêre geskrifte ― wat nie altyd gestrook het met sy stelling dat die Woord van God nie met 'n gelyk-aan-teken aan mekaar verbind kan word nie. Vorster, wat sy opleiding aan die Universiteit van Pretoria ontvang het, het ewe bekend geraak en het internasionale erkenning geniet vir sy toepassing van die semantiek op studies van die Nuwe Testament. Daarby het hy sy kennis van die Nabye Oosterse tale toepaslik gevind in sy bydrae tot The New Quest om meer te wete te kom oor die historiese Jesus, 'n Jood en Galileër wat vir 'n kort periode opgetree het as leermeester en eskatologiese profeet. In die studie van bydraes van die drie geleerdes tot ons verstaan van die Bybel, is ook aandag geskenk aan 'n ander aspek van die Bybel as problematiese teks: Die nadruk wat skrywers en redaktors van die Bybelse gebeure, geplaas het op mans as vaders en seuns ten koste van vroue, moeders en dogters. Die gevolg was dat meeste van die sogenaamde Kerkvaders genoeg in die Bybel kon vind om hulle te identifiseer met die neerhalende beeld wat in Die Openbaring (14:3-4) geskep word van vroue, opvallend in stryd met die inhoud van Genesis 1:26-31.
The controversy started by Johannes Du Plessis over the question whether everything in the Bible was inspired by God, caused a crisis in the Dutch Reformed Church, which is listed as a beacon in its history. Most of the points he raised are accepted as truth today, and started an intellectual debate that is still going on. Information relating to Du Plessis’ origins, training, and achievements as a minister and church official is briefly noted. He was the talented son, and only child of an Afrikaner father and minister of religion, and an English mother, the daughter of an LMS missionary. He became a professor at the Seminary in Stellenbosch, after his studies overseas had caused him to question parts of the Old Testament text that could not be regarded as divinely inspired. He also made it quite clear that believing without trying to understand was not possible for him as a theologian and teacher. He proclaimed his findings in Het Zoeklicht, a monthly magazine intended to serve as a searchlight and an organ to reveal the “darkness” that was still prevalent in both religion and politics. Aware of the value of Higher Criticism of the Old Testament, he regarded it his duty to make known what he had found in reading widely and in critical research on the origins, form and content of the books of the Bible. Articles to this effect published first in De Kerkbode and then in Het Zoeklicht, caused an outcry from conservative readers who were opposed to any changes in the teaching of the church. They were especially enraged by his view that the confessions drawn up by Reformers 500 years earlier, were open for review. Complaints that Du Plessis was on a dangerous path, marked the beginning of what was regarded as a crisis in the Church, and in the end led to Du Plessis being relieved of his post by a special Synod convened in 1930. The views of the conservative majority, however, prevailed. As a result, a large number of leading ministers and theologians, who openly supported the Nationalist government that came into power in 1948, provided assurance that the concept of separation of racial groups was in accordance with Scripture. After nearly forty years of an uncritical approach to the Bible, the belief in in-errancy was again questioned. Among the few theologians who dared to point out errors and inconsistencies in various texts, were Ferdinand Deist and Willem Vorster. Both trained as ministers, they chose to continue their studies and openly expressed themselves against the abuse of Biblical texts to support the ideology of apartheid. Trained at the Seminary in Stellenbosch, Deist turned out to be a noted scholar who combined his urge for honest critical study with a pietism expressed in a flood of academic and popular publications ― which were not always consistent with his own statement that The Word of God could not be connected to Scripture with an is-equal-to symbol. Vorster, who received his education at the University of Pretoria, became equally well known as a scholar and gained international recognition for his application of semantics in the study of the Gospels. He also applied his knowledge of languages in what came to be known as The New Quest for the historical Jesus who, as a Jew and a Galilean, distinguished himself during a brief period as a teacher and eschatological prophet. In the study of the contributions of these three outstanding men to our understanding of the Bible, another major aspect of the Bible as problematic text is addressed: The emphasis the authors and redactors of the Scriptures placed on the roles of men, fathers and sons, patently to the exclusion of women, mothers and daughters. As a result many of the so-called Church Fathers found in the Bible sufficient material to look down upon women ― the verdict expressed in Revelations 14:3-4 being one of numerous texts pointing to women as objects of derision in glaring contradiction to the contents of Genesis 1:26-31.
Biblical and Ancient Studies
D. Phil. (Biblical Studies)
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