Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'The Divine'
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1
Cook, Robin. "Divine impassibility, divine love." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2006. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/55419/.
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Since the idea that God is loving is a non-negotiable part of Christian theism, it is important that the impassibilist try to show that the idea of a loving but impassible God is intelligible. Particular problems in this respect include conceptually reconciling the undisturbed blessedness of God's life with His care and concern for the world; trying to explain how a God who cannot have subjective experiences of suffering and emotion can fully understand the human condition; finding a suitable analogy for divine love from human experiences of love; and showing that the idea of love does not essentially involve emotions.
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Ragbourn, Brian Forbes. "Divine sovereignty." Thesis, Southampton Solent University, 2004. http://ssudl.solent.ac.uk/599/.
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Various traditional cultures around the world used to subscribe to a reality of Divine Sovereignty, ie. that the Earth ultimately belongs to the Creator. Modern politics and disciplines within Western science have become detatched from this humble spiritual perspective. Yet when reexamined at source, mainstream religious, scientific and legal theories which appear to discredit Divine Sovereignty are found to be tainted by contemporabeous vested interests. Spirtual luminaries, who have interpreted Divine Sovereignty within the political context of distributive justice and economic democracy, have been mercilessly persecuted. Evidence indicates that Jesus was a classic example, and that his original universal teachings have been adulterated. By exploring the work, and substantiating the spiritual philosophy of the 20th century polymath Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar, the thesis assembles past and present knowledge into a new coherent paradigm, which encompasses Divine Creation, the divine nature of matter, plus a spiritual explanation of human and social evolution. The research elucidates the relevance of the latter to the current conflict in the Middle East and concludes by outlining Sarkar's principles for establishing a just sustainable post-sexist society which operates in accordance with Divine sovereignty.
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Meillassoux, Quentin. "L'inexistence divine." Paris 1, 1997. http://www.theses.fr/1997PA010510.
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On procède à une redéfinition des notions de contingence et de nécessité en demontrant que seule la contingence de ce qui est ne peut elle-même etre contingente. Il en résulte des conséquences non-quelconques pour l'étant, qu'il s'agit d'analyser d'un point de "vue tant théorique que pratiqueWe give a new definition of the notions of contingency and necessity through the demonstration that only the contingency of being cannot be contingent itself. From this we draw specific consequences for being itself and those we analyse from both a theoretical and a practical point of view
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Chester, Andrew. "Divine revelation and divine titles in the Pentateuchal targumin /." Tübingen : RFA : J.C.B. Mohr, 1986. http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb34865420g.
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Wagenveld, Michael. "God's Divine Hiddenness." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2019. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/2098.
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Whether the weakness of the evidence for God’s existence is not a sign that God is hidden, but rather a revelation that God does not exist is the question I will explore in this paper. I will investigate whether the absence of sufficient evidence for God constitutes evidence of his absence. Since it is not clear a-priori that God would be more clearly revealed to humans, reasons must be provided to show the degree of clarity and level of accessibility one would expect to find if God exists and remains hidden.
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Evans, Jeremy Alan. "An essay on divine command ethics." Thesis, [College Station, Tex. : Texas A&M University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-1594.
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Hackworth, Corey Michael. "Herodotus and divine providence." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 2005. http://www.tren.com/search.cfm?p068-0577.
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Wilson, Ian. "Divine presence in Deuteronomy." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1992. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.240152.
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Harrison, Thomas E. H. "Herodotus and the divine." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.296013.
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Groves, Peter. "Ineffability and divine impassibility." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.319054.
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Mulvey, Clare Amelia. "Art and the Divine." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2012. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/9498.
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My research is an enquiry into the nature of divine grace in the making and contemplation of art. It is, therefore, practice led and operates through phenomenological processes that explore three encounters: firstly, experiential - my art practice, secondly, historical - the theoretical context of my reflection and sources and thirdly, lyrical - the mode of my writing and the assimilation of my research. The study of Sandro Botticelli's painting, Mystic Nativity, 1500, juxtaposed with aspects of Arte Povera and my own contemporary practice, steers my theoretical study. This strategy has revealed various fields of thought; philosophical, esoteric and psychoanalytically informed feminist scholarship. The shift in perception that juxtaposition affords contributes to my understanding of an unseen dynamic integral to metaphysical thought. With this in mind I focus upon the way in which Botticelli has depicted the hay that circulates around the form of the Christ child in this Nativity painting. My investigation into the nature of this overlooked dimension detected in Mystic Nativity has enabled me to find a way to articulate the divine in art. The research operates through a number of practices art, writing, conversing and contemplation. My artwork explores spatial and haptic elements in the form of installation. Here an experiential encounter extends the reflection of my sources in further unforeseen sites of contemplation and practice. In my writing I seek to articulate a lyrical encounter of my own artwork and the art that I contemplate. This research responds to the themes: hay as membrane; hay as calligraphy; and the palimpsest. In my first chapter, Painting the Picture , I consider the intellectual and historiographic context in which Mystic Nativity was painted. The Florentine scholar, Marsilio Ficino was Botticelli s mentor. Ficino was the founder of the Platonic Academy influential in the intellectual life of Renaissance Florence. The theme of the palimpsest is evident as I investigate the diffusion of knowledge through the humanist scholarship and their translation of ancient texts. In my second chapter, Hay as Membrane , I explore contemporary thought that considers the Other: variously described in the theory of Emmanuel Levinas - as feminine; by Simone Weil as divine; by Bracha Lichtenberg-Ettinger as a matrixial dimension; and by Julia Kristeva as lyrical. These theorists contribute to my interpretation of a pre-articulated and circulatory, transient and overlooked, dimension. I have come to understand this as a feminine dynamic that contributes to our subjective development and operates beside the formation of meaning. My last chapter, Hay as Calligraphy , looks at the language of the Other and the ever-evolving language of art. I review my installation, Hay in Salem Chapel, in these terms. Walter Benjamin presents a phenomenological approach to language through his concept of the archaic and these thoughts return me to the theme of the palimpsest. The semiotic thought of Julia Kristeva and Mieke Bal helps to reveal new discursive approaches with which to engage with Mystic Nativity. Their research supports my exploration of the quality of interchange that may take place. In my conclusion I refer to the significance of the practice of art as the site where the immanence of a feminine dynamic interacts with the metaphysical. Luce Irigaray s thought concerning the innate quality of the divine within our subjective makeup informs me as I reflect upon the current practice of Marie Cool and Fabio Balducci in their artwork called Prayers. This research aims to open up new sites for thought and ways of appreciating the divine. I have placed the experience of that encounter in the frame of making and contemplating art, initiated from my personal experience.
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Barry, Marie Porterfield. "Lesson 06: Divine Architecture." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2020. https://dc.etsu.edu/art-appreciation-oer/7.
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Johnstone, Vanessa. ""Divine warnings" : Katherine Mansfield." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8944.
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Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-87).On her death in January 1923, Katherine Mansfield bequeathed a body of work - both fictional and critical-sufficient to fill several volumes. Although she was not of English origin, she nevertheless counted many celebrated figures of the era as her consorts. Why then, does she remain peripheral to the canon? This dissertation probes the problem of Mansfield's reputation, examining the reasons that she remained (and remains) insufficiently recognised for her contribution to modernist literature. It further proposes that Mansfield's writing displays many of the hallmarks of modernism for which her peers - whose writing succeeded hers by several years - would later become famous.
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Ying, Daniel B. "Divine preservation in salvation." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1999. http://www.tren.com.
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Won, Young-Sam. "Divine surprise in Jeremiah." Online full text .pdf document, available to Fuller patrons only, 2001. http://www.tren.com.
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Atwood, Blaine Lee. "Accumulation of Divine Service." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2014. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5288.
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Accumulation of Divine Service is a ceramic installation referencing the sublime attribute of service, and how it relates to our temporal existence. Many aspects of the sublime are implemented into the contemporary art world today. The sublime can refer to ideas from terror to joy, and all across the spectrum of human emotions. The unifying element that seems to tie them together is a quality of awe-inspiring greatness, or the metaphysically divine. These attributescan inspire the mind and often lead one to dwell on the existence of a Supreme Being or Deity,what His purposes are, and how we as mortals work with or for that purpose.This installation encompasses some of my thoughts on the divinity that I believe dwells within all mankind. I do this by incorporating into the installation two repeated elements, the finial and the mug. The finial is an architectural element that is implemented at the apex of most religious meetinghouses. It is used for this purpose because it points toward the heavens and lifts the mind upward toward God. The mug, on the other hand, is one of the most humble and universal ceramic service vessels. It is used around the world as a drinking container whose sole purpose is service, or to give life-sustaining nourishment to mankind. The combination of these two visual elements seeks to encompass my personal art practice, my research, and the element of the sublime that we all possess.
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Man, Kin Foon. "Divine anger, divine holiness and the exclusion of Moses in Numbers and Deuteronomy." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/31119.
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This dissertation investigates the exclusion of Moses from the Promised Land in Numbers and Deuteronomy. Why are there different reasons given for his exclusion in the two books? Can they be explained by the complex redactions of Deuteronomy? There are four different answers to the question of Moses’ exclusion. According to Deut 1-3, divine anger is directed at Moses because he is the leader of the first exodus generation on whom the wrath of God is visited. Moses is excluded because he should bear the same punishment as the first generation of Israelites who left Egypt. Another reason is given in Deut 4, a mixture of late layers in the Deuteronomistic History. Accordingly, Moses’ exclusion is compared to the destruction and scattering of the future generations of the Israelites who provoked God to anger. The “anger-punishment pattern” of Moses’ exclusion, which is a theme of divine anger in the Deuteronomistic History, is used to confess the sin of the Israelites. Thirdly, in the post-Priestly passages in Numbers and Deuteronomy, Moses is ordered to die because of the sin of failing to sanctify YHWH. The exclusion of Moses is a natural consequence of his death outside the Promised Land. Finally, Deut 31 and 34 imply that Moses has reached the limit of life span which was set by YHWH.
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Gehring, Allen Stanley Jr. "Divine simplicity as actus purus." Texas A&M University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/2618.
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This thesis presents a case for the traditional doctrine of divine simplicity by
construing it along the lines that God exists as actus purus. My formulation of divine
simplicity draws upon the medieval insight that God is what He is in virtue of what He
does in one, eternal act of will with which He is identical.
In chapter I, I survey the contemporary literature on divine simplicity. In chapter
II, I critique Alvin Plantinga??s Platonic theory of the divine attributes as formulated in
Does God Have a Nature? I contend it brings with it the cost of abandoning the doctrine
of God??s aseity, as well as a problematic understanding of the very notion of what it
means to claim that God has a particular property. In chapter III, I provide rejoinders to
all of Plantinga??s defeaters against divine simplicity. I argue that by understanding the
origin of God??s attributes to be the result of what He does, Plantinga??s two major
criticisms against divine simplicity fail.
In chapter IV, I develop a viable theory of divine simplicity, given an actus purus
conception of God, and I formulate a number of arguments supporting it. By drawing
upon the resources of action theory, I clarify, in detail, what exactly it means to claim
that God is identical with His act of will. And I demonstrate the fruitfulness of an actus
purus construal of divine simplicity by showing how it solves a large number of
problems that theists face.In the last chapter, I note some of the difficulties with my position due to its
commitment to an eternal God, and I suggest some of the ways that these problems can
be overcome. However, in addition to showing the difficulties that face my position, I
also demonstrate the rich number of implications that follow from it. As such, I seek to
demonstrate that the traditional understanding of the divine essence is something that is
worthy for theists to embrace and to explore, because it is full of truth and wisdom that
deserves to be preserved for later generations to celebrate and enjoy.
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Werner, Aaron John. "Defender of divine revelation Timothy Dwight's arguments for the Bible's authenticity and divine inspiration /." Louisville, KY : Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.2986/tren.115-0001.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2007.Includes vita. This dissertation examines Timothy Dwight's (1752-1817) arguments for the Bible's authenticity with the purpose of determining if his arguments are theologically orthodox, logically sound, and factually accurate. Chapter 1 introduces this dissertation's thesis, research problem, methodology, and its limitations. Attention is given to Timothy Dwight's theological milieu and the reasons he felt compelled to defend the Bible's authenticity in a Christian nation. Chapter 2 examines Dwight's arguments for the necessity of special revelation. He thought that readers would not find his arguments for the Bible's authenticity compelling unless they first were convinced that a revelation is necessary. Hence, according to Dwight, his entire case depends on the validity of this particular argument. After outlining Dwight's defense, this chapter attempts determine if it is theologically orthodox, logically sound, and factually accurate. Chapter 3 presents Dwight's arguments for the authenticity of the Old Testament. After outlining his contention, this chapter scrutinizes its content to determine if it is theologically orthodox, logically sound, and factually accurate. Chapter 4 presents Dwight's argument for the authenticity of the New Testament. After outlining his line of reasoning, this chapter analyzes its content to determine if it is theologically orthodox, logically sound, and factually accurate. Chapter 5 summarizes this dissertation, which concludes that Dwight's arguments for the Bible's authenticity are theologically orthodox, factually accurate, and--with a few exceptions--logically sound. This chapter also suggests areas for future research. Description based on Print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 288-298).
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Stahlberg, Benjamin B. "Spinoza's philosophy of divine order." Related electronic resource: Current Research at SU : database of SU dissertations, recent titles available full text, 2009. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/syr/main.
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Williams, Eleanor. "The Divine and Miss Johanna." Ohio : Ohio University, 2006. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?ohiou1145555978.
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Adams, Danielle Helen. "The metaphysics of divine causation." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2016. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/15561/.
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It is something of an orthodoxy that the nature of causation can be characterised by the following metaphysical theses: that causes do not necessitate their effects, that causes must temporally precede their effects, that causation is governed by laws of nature, that causation entails counterfactual dependence, and that causation is not systematically overdetermined. Two further commonly accepted metaphysical claims are that causal notions give us the correct tools to properly understand agency, and that the causes of actions are mental events. Classical theism, however, is comprised by certain commitments which seem to be in direct tension with each of these metaphysical theses. God is understood to be causally efficacious – a divine being who creates, sustains, and intervenes in worldly affairs – and so who is, indeed the, paradigmatic causal agent. Further, God is said to be atemporal, non-physical, and such that he exists independently of all else. The God of classical theism is also characterised as being omnipotent, at least in the sense that whatever he wills to be the case cannot fail to be the case. The apparent tension between these metaphysical theses which concern causation and those which concern God thus threaten the very coherence of the notion of divine causality. The goal of this thesis is therefore to examine these prima facie theistically problematic theses concerning causation, and to consider ways of making room for a coherent notion of divine causality. In some cases, it will argue that certain causal theses ought to be rejected, in others, it will find ways of resolving the tension.
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Orr, James Tristan Ward. "Divine lawmaking : a conceptualist account." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2015. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.708849.
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Duby, Steven J. "Divine simplicity : a dogmatic account." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/5935.
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This thesis offers a constructive account of the doctrine of divine simplicity in Christian theology. In its methodology, the thesis aims to present this divine perfection as an implicate of the scriptural portrayal of God, to draw upon the insights and conceptual resources of Thomas Aquinas and various Reformed orthodox theologians, and to respond to some objections to divine simplicity. The focus on exegetical elaboration of biblical teaching and the use of Thomas and the Reformed orthodox distinguish this work from a number of recent accounts of God in both systematic theology and analytic philosophy. The case for God's simplicity is made by examining God's singularity, aseity, immutability, infinity, and act of creation in Holy Scripture and then tracing the ways in which these descriptions of God imply that he is (negatively) not composed of parts. Rather, he is (positively) actus purus and really identical with his own essence, existence, and attributes, each of which is identical with the whole being of the triune God considered under some aspect. In light of the constructive work, this study then addresses the three most pressing objections to divine simplicity: (1) that it denigrates God's revelation of his many attributes in the economy; (2) that it eliminates God's freedom in creating the world and acting in history; and (3) that it does not cohere with the doctrine of the Trinity.
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Gannon, Suzanne. "Divine dislocation and analysing Sita." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2014. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.732706.
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The creative text and its accompanying critical thesis explore how - through the writing of memoirs - ex-members of total institutions justified their acceptance of institutional controls. The critical thesis uses narratives within the sub-genre of apostate memoirs to support a sociological understanding of social dynamics within religious and political total institutions. It draws on theories concerning women’s experiences in new religious movements (NRMs), as well as studies of disaffiliation from NRMS. The creative text is a personal memoir, exploring the author’s experience of living within the Hare Krishna movement. The creative component of this thesis and the exegetical component are a bi-partite entity. Sociological and stylistic theories are informed by the nexus of the memoir writing and analysis of existing memoirs; the creative component is informed by the sociological theories of religion explored in the critical component. Both components address the same research question: Why do members of total institutions accept the controls placed on them? As a subset, additional questions are addressed. These include how a memoirist reveals the stage of disaffiliation they were in at the time of writing the memoir, and whether they can be positioned as apostate or defector. There is a focus on how dyadic relationships are controlled by institutional practices. A feminist perspective is used to understand the ways women in total institutions adopt cognitive justification strategies as coping mechanisms within these patriarchal environments.
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Edelson, Kate Elizabeth. "Costume Designs for Divine Words." Master's thesis, Temple University Libraries, 2010. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/84203.
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TheaterM.F.A.
Divine Words is an adaptation of the play Divinas Palabras by Ramon del Valle- Inclan. In this paper, I hope to outline my design process as well as give insight into the development of a new theatrical work. I want to outline my journey from the beginning with the development of the script, the process of designing the show, and then implementing that design. Designing the costumes for this production required creating characters that both aided in telling the story as well as reflected individual character. I designed twenty-eight looks for fourteen actors that took into consideration time period, socio-economic status, plot, and characterization. This production was set in the depression era dust bowl of the American Midwest. To reflect this in my designs I performed thorough research from books and Internet sources on the historical period as well as the clothing of time. I utilized photographers such as Dorothea Lang and Arthur Rothstein to further inform my understanding of the people that inhabited this time and place. I then utilized this research to give depth and distinction to the characters in the play. This culminated in a unique design that added to this artistic experience about desperation and hope that is Divine Words.
Temple University--Theses
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Witmer, Stephen E. "Divine instruction in early Christianity." Thesis, Tübingen Mohr Siebeck, 2007. http://d-nb.info/988962802/04.
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Deal, Brooke Lemmons. "Divine queenship and Psalm 45." Fort Worth, TX : [Texas Christian University], 2009. http://etd.tcu.edu/etdfiles/available/etd-04232009-145435/unrestricted/deal.pdf.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University, 2009.Title from dissertation title page (viewed June 15, 2009). Includes abstract. "Dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Brite Divinity School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biblical Interpretation." Includes bibliographical references.
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Lehnhardt, Michael. "Divine testing and God's omniscience." Online full text .pdf document, available to Fuller patrons only, 2002. http://www.tren.com.
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Dame, de Lorraine Une Caussade Jean-Pierre de Gagey Jacques. "L'abandon à la Providence divine /." Grenoble : J. Millon, 2001. http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb377038652.
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Texte remanié de: Th.--Théol.--Rome--Université grégorienne.Le ms. de ce texte est intitulé : "Traité où l'on découvre la vraie science de la perfection du salut" Toutes les éd. précédentes ont paru sous le nom de Jean-Pierre Caussade.
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Taylor, Luke. "An argument for divine expressivism." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2016. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.716370.
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I defend two positions in this thesis. Firstly, I defend the claim that the existence of God makes morai realism more likely to be true than it would otherwise be. I argue that non-theistic versions of moral realism are susceptible to one or the other of two objections - namely, a version of the Open Question Argument, or a version of the argument from Queerness. My thesis is that a theistic version of moral realism can avoid both these two objections. Secondly, I develop and defend a particular account of theistic moral realism, according to which morality derives from God’s attitudes of approval and disapproval, rather than his commands. More specifically, I claim that the property of wrongness is identical to the property of being disapproved of by God, and that the property of goodness is identical to the property of being approved of by God. Other moral properties derive from these two. I then show how this account can accommodate three important desiderata of metaethics = namely, the ciaim that the wrongness of an action entails a normative reason to avoid that action; the claim that moral judgments are usually accompanied by motivation; and the claim that the moral supervenes on the natural. I call my account Divine Expressivism, because I draw on an analogy between my account and expressivism. Both types of theory make an important link between morality and attitudes, and in developing the analogy, I am able to solve some of the problems faced by moral realism, such as the problem as to how to explain moral supervenience. Whilst there may be nothing ground-breaking in linking morality to God’s attitudes rather than his commands, in developing the analogy between theistic ethics and expressivism I am developing a new contribution in the area of metaethics.
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Lurowist, Natalie Dickens. "Divine dissatisfaction: an actor's process." Thesis, University of Iowa, 2018. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/6187.
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Written to fulfill a partial requirement for a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Acting, this thesis explores Natalie Lurowist’s continued evolution as an actor during her time at the University of Iowa. In the spirit of “the verb,” she attempts first to philosophize about acting by questioning, categorizing, defining truths, and briefly discussing its personal meaning and implications. She then ventures back in time (with a nod to her undergraduate training) to process her process as it has evolved over the course of three years of graduate school. Similar to the students’ M.F.A. plan of study, the elements of process are broken down into the foundational subjects of movement, acting, and voice. In the final section, university productions are examined for their opportunities, challenges, and the corresponding exploration, struggles, and successes in regards to Lurowist’s evolution. Inevitably, the past leads up to the present moment and future outlook in her persistent endeavor to grow.
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Cross, Simon. "Perspectives on divine action : reflections on the theological legitimacy of approaches to divine action in the V.O./C.T.N.S. series 'Scientific Perspectives on Divine Action'." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2017. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:8adb4fbd-6e23-45fc-9a91-b7e8fa7a8e37.
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This thesis critically appraises the theological legitimacy of theories of divine action (TDAs) posited by four principal contributors to the VO/CTNS series "Scientific Perspectives on Divine Action." Wesley Wildman is chosen for his staunch apophaticism; Robert Russell because of his appeal to objective and noninterventionist divine action and his ontology of quantum indeterminism; John Polkinghorne because of his reliance on kenotic theology to underpin free-process theodicy and his ontology of chaotic systems; and William Stoeger for his interpretation of primary/secondary cause. This engagement broadly matches what Philip Clayton, in the series' final volume, labels an "evangelical-theist or orthodoxtheist" (e-t/o-t) theological perspective. This is a perspective Clayton argues the project otherwise lacks. The thesis proposes that, from this (e-t/o-t) perspective, each of these individuals' contributions to the series proves theologically difficult in some degree. It argues that Wildman's apophatic rejection of Revelation and personal analogy and his reliance on the anthropology of the Modern Secular Interpretation of Humanity (MSIH) is too stark and, ultimately, too anthropocentric. Russell's theory of noninterventionist objective special divine action (NIODA) is theologically difficult in the context of creatio ex nihilo, because it rests on the problematic distinction between 'general' and 'special' divine action (GDA/SDA), and a problematic ontology of quantum indeterminism. John Polkinghorne might be expected to provide the kind of theological perspective Clayton says is absent, but aspects of his approach rest on a theologically problematic interpretation of kenosis and a 'free-process' analogy that entails a developmentalist and process-theological metaphysical interpretation of evil. This thesis determines that conflicts at the heart of the VO/CTNS series' debate revolve around two primary tensions. The first tension concerns the scope of 'methodological-naturalism'. The second tension concerns the philosophical nature of 'cause'. Mapping the linguistic, historical, philosophical, and sociological background influences that impact all theological perspectives in the VO/CTNS series at an intentionally broad scale provides the deep context needed to establish not only 'how?' but also 'why?' these tensions culminated in the series' marginalisation of the traditional (e-t/o-t) perspective on divine action. The thesis therefore concludes that Clayton is correct to assert that the (e-t/o-t) theological perspective is missing from the VO/CTNS series. The thesis also concludes, however, that when these tensions are adequately contextualised, that marginalisation proves philosophically unnecessary as well as theologically undesirable and that Clayton's own demand for theological 'traction' through scientific constraint is too metaphysically restrictive. Methodological-naturalism prohibits, at least in practice, a 'theology of nature', permitting only a 'natural theology' in some key respects. This much broader background context also allows us to recognise the influences of what Charles Taylor calls "cross pressures" that have driven secularisation. These tensions clash conspicuously in the "problem of evil" which cannot be bracketed off from the task of theological reflection on the series. Contextualising these tensions in relation to both 'evil' and the VO/CTNS series' methodological ambitions, highlights the significance of sociological as well as rational influences on individual choices of theological perspective. The meaning of 'cause' and the scope of methodological-naturalism together form a philosophical and theological locus for the series. Closer investigation of this locus reveals that Russell's and Polkinghorne's contributions to the VO/CTNS series suggest a univocal interpretation of 'cause' and 'freedom' that departs from both the "two languages" perspective of Stoeger's Catholicism and Protestant neo-Orthodoxy. This, raises the important question whether some perspectives in the series represent what, by Nancey Murphy's criteria, represents an ipso facto change of theological tradition. A change that marks an important distinction between Russell's and Polkinghorne's perspective on divine action and the (e-t/o-t) theological perspective that Polkinghorne, especially, might be thought by some to have represented. Having demonstrated that Clayton is, in fact, correct to argue that the (e-t/o-t) theological perspective is indeed missing in the VO/CTNS series, the thesis seeks a more overtly theological perspective on divine action by engaging positively with Vernon White. In view of the various demands for any theologically adequate (e-t/o-t) TDA; now more fully clarified in the broad perspective provided by earlier chapters; it finds White's TDA of universal special divine action (USDA) theologically credible and convincing. That is because White's perspective embodies the three elements that this thesis concludes are vital for any adequate theological perspective on divine action: the need to mind three kinds of gap; the ontological gap between immanent creation and the transcendent Creator; the immanent gap between methodologicalnatural 'data' and the full gamut of human experience; and, finally, the gaps that exist, as Rowan Williams so evocatively phrases things, at "the edge of words". Discussion of divine action demands a careful accounting of the way we use language. Neither univocal nor equivocal speech can disclose divine action "well". What is required instead, is careful and painstaking attention to the work we are asking words to perform in representing divine action truthfully. Attention to the meaning of words like 'model', 'cause', 'methodological-natural', and 'freedom'. The thesis concludes that, with these three elements in place and correctly aligned, the strengths and weaknesses of the VO/CTNS series come more clearly into view and that, far from signalling a "crisis" for contemporary theology, this broader context shows the route to a credible TDA from the (e-t/o-t) perspective, if navigated with proper methodological care, remains navigable for anyone wishing, still, to travel that way. Chapter Outline Since we cannot map what cannot be recognised or represented, chapter 1 queries the role of language per se for representing, truthfully, Divinity and transcendence. Tensions prove to be inherent to the way we use words, and their capacity to intimate transcendence is illustrated by juxtaposing Rowan Williams' exploration of "the edge of words" with Nicholas Saunders bleak assessment that the VO/CTNS signifies a "crisis" for contemporary theology. This chapter suggests why Saunders may have been driven to such a bold, if negative, viewpoint, concluding that, however unavoidably provisional and partial language remains, it is metaphysically possible to ground the claim that speech about God can be truthful. It then tentatively explores how best to frame that speech, investigating the role of certain tropes and a tension that resides in the semantic fluidity of "critical-realism". This flexibility means that the apparently univocal use of the word 'model' may mask differing epistemologies of the word for the scientist and the theologian. The ambiguity in the relationship between model and metaphor is then employed to evaluate the role that "causal joint" plays in framing the science-theology debate over divine action.
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Hughes, M. E. "The Countenance divine & 'nothing more important than trifles' : Critical reflections on The Countenance Divine." Thesis, London Metropolitan University, 2013. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.591066.
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In 1666, poet and revolutionary John Milton completes his epic Paradise Lost amid a/ever of prophetic speculation: is this the year God will finally deliver a terrible judgement on London? in 1777 an apprentice engraver called William Bloke has a defining spiritual experience; thirteen years later this vision returns, and leads him towards a daring act of creation. In J888, five women are brutally murdered and mutilated in the East End by a troubled young man in thrall to a mysterious master. And in 1999, as the walls between past, present and future collapse, and the end of time itself approaches, a computer programmer working on the Millennium Bug discovers he might hold the key to the coming apocalypse. This Creative Writing PhD comprises a complete novel (86,495 words) and a critical commentary (32,269 words), plus appendices (c. 10,000 words). The Countenance Divine is an original work of prose fiction composed of four parallel narratives, each grounded in extensive historical and literary research. The accompanying commentary takes the form of a series of critical reflections which investigate and contextualise the process of composition. In particular, they provide new perspectives on the ethics of using and abusing historical facts in imaginative writing, and on the place of the fantastical in contemporary British literary fiction. They also consider the specific formal and stylistic challenges of this project, and offer a uniquely frank and detailed account of the creation of a novel from first inspiration to final draft. The appendices include extracts from early drafts, as well as the first modern transcript of one of the novel's key historical sources: a rare pamphlet which describes the disinterment of John Milton's remains in 1790.
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Gruning, Herb. "Divine-cosmic interaction, some contemporary alternatives." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape10/PQDD_0024/NQ50179.pdf.
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Gruning, Herb. "Divine-cosmic interaction : some contemporary alternatives." Thesis, McGill University, 1998. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=35892.
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This analysis examines the theme of divine activity as found in the literature of religion and science over the past quarter century. After a brief historical chapter, reflections on divine action from authors in the philosophy of religion are considered. In chapters 2 and 3, concepts such as intervention, deism, master act and subacts, primary and secondary causation, double agency and the causal joint are outlined. Following this, chapters 4 and 5 concentrate on the work of Whitehead. The amount of space devoted to the treatment of process thought in this investigation reflects the attention it has given to the topic of divine activity.The focus then turns to scientific subjects and how they may inform the question of divine action. Some of the themes highlighted in the case of the large-scale world (chapter 6) include natural laws, evolution, the anthropic principle and the implicate order. Those concepts more appropriate for the small-scale world (chapter 7) involve quantum mechanics, thermodynamics and chaos theory. The positioning of process thought between the two fields of science and the philosophy of religion is strategic in the sense that process thinking claims to have built a bridge between science and religion, physics and metaphysics.
In the concluding chapter, the various positions are plotted on three graphs. This approach illumines their relation to the others as well as the facet each can be expected to bring to the overall discussion of divine activity. A resolution to the issue, if any, will likely exhibit Whiteheadian and/or Bohmian contours.
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Thasiah, Victor. "Divine practice : Barth's basis for ethics." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.442905.
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Smith, Simon. "Agency metaphysics and the 'divine other'." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.436412.
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Carroll, Joshua O. "Philo and Paul : experiencing divine wisdom." Thesis, University of Aberdeen, 2016. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=232436.
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Takeuchi, Kumiko. "Death and divine judgement in Ecclesiastes." Thesis, Durham University, 2016. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/11382/.
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The current scholarly consensus places Ecclesiastes’ composition in the postexilic era, sometime between the late Persian and early Hellenistic periods, leaning towards the late fourth or early third centuries BCE. Premised on this consensus, this thesis proposes that the book of Ecclesiastes is making a case for posthumous divine judgement in order to rectify pre-mortem injustices. Specifically, this thesis contends that issues relating to death and injustice raised by Qohelet in the book of Ecclesiastes point to the necessity of post-mortem divine judgement. Judging from its implied social and historical context, the book of Ecclesiastes also may have served as perhaps a provocative voice for, or as a catalyst to, the emergence of apocalyptic eschatology and later sectarian conflicts within Judaism during the mid-Second Temple period. Some people in postexilic Israelite society began to raise questions about traditional views of death, Sheol, and divine judgement at a time when retributive justice appears not to be assured or to be absent. One may well ask: what is the book of Ecclesiastes doing, if it appeared on the cusp of the Persian-Hellenistic transition period when the traditional idea of theodicy was perhaps becoming a serious issue in Israelite society, before full-blown apocalyptic eschatology surfaced? The answer seems to be inseparable from questions of how best Ecclesiastes as a book is to be read. Contemporary approaches to reading the book as a unified whole are examined, and a “frame-narrative” reading is argued to be the best approach. The key to unravelling the book’s puzzle lies in realizing that the author probably intended the frame-narrator to have the last say. The role of this “third person” is pivotal for explaining the paradoxes within Qohelet’s monologue and its relationship to the epilogue and uncovering the book’s overall purpose.
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Peters, Clinton Crockett. "The Divine Coming of the Light." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2018. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1157628/.
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The Divine Coming of the Light is a memoir-in-essays that covers an experience, from 2007 to 2010, when I lived in Kosuge Village (population 900), nestled in the mountains of central Japan. I was the only foreigner there. My memoir uses these three years as a frame to investigate how landscape affects identity. The book profiles who I was before Japan (an evangelical and then wilderness guide), why I became obsessed with mountains, and the fall-out from mountain obsession to a humanistic outlook. The path my narrator takes is one of a mountain hike. I was born in tabletop-flat West Texas to conservative, Christian parents in the second most Republican county by votes in America. At 19, I made my first backpacking trip to the San Juan Mountains of western Colorado and was awed by their outer-planetary-like massiveness. However, two friends and I became lost in the wilderness for three days without cell phones. During this time, an obsession possessed me as we found our way back through the peaks to safety, a realization that I could die out there, yes, but amid previously unknown splendor. I developed an addiction to mountains that weakened my religious faith. Like the Romantic poets before me, God transferred from the sky to the immense landscape. I jettisoned my beliefs and became an outdoor wilderness instructor. On every peak I traveled up, I hoped to recreate that first conversion experience when I was lost in the woods. After college, while teaching English in Kosuge Village, I learned about the mountain-worshipping religion Shugendo: a mixture of Buddhism, Shintoism, and Shamanism. I climbed dozens of peaks, spending several days backpacking. However, while in Japan, I was nearly fatally injured on a solo, month-long hike. I saw the accident as a warning and turned my attention to studying writing and literature. When I came to Japan, I went up mountains, but as I left, I came down. The book profiles my experiences with mountains and my double disillusionment, leveling off with a humanistic outlook, leaving the narrator less a wanderer but more willing to empathize with other people.
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Bellantuono, Antonella. "Divine epithets in Jewish-Hellenistic literature." Thesis, Strasbourg, 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019STRAK006.
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Cette thèse se propose d’examiner en profondeur un thème négligé jusqu'ici dans le domaine de l’histoire des religions et de l’exégèse biblique: la manière dont les juifs hellénisés ont utilisé des concepts grecs pour parler de Dieu. Les textes de la littérature de la diaspora juive de langue grecque présentent la figure de YHWH enrichie par des concepts grecs qui étaient étrangers aux écrits bibliques rédigés en langue hébraïque. Il s’agit surtout des vertus suivantes: φιλανθρωπία “humanité́”, εὐεργεσία “faire du bien”, ἐπιείκεια “clémence” et χρηστότης “bonté”. Ces attributs sont nouveaux et s’ajoutent à ceux qui sont propres à la Bible hébraïque. Plutôt que de maintenir les anciennes dénominations ou caractérisations, les traducteurs et les écrivains juifs de langue grecque ont préféré emprunter à la culture grecque contemporaine des termes utilisés avant tout dans les domaines philosophiques, littéraires ou historiquesThis thesis aims to examine in depth a theme that has hitherto been neglected in the field of history of religions and biblical exegesis: the way in which Hellenized Jews used Greek concepts to speak of God. The texts of the Greek-speaking Jewish diaspora literature present the figure of YHWH enriched by Greek concepts that were foreign to the biblical writings written in Hebrew. These are mainly the following virtues: φιλανθρωπία “humanity”, εὐεργεσία “benevolence”, ἐπιείκεια “clemence” and χρηστότης “kindness”. These attributes are new and are in addition to those specific to the Hebrew Bible. Rather than maintaining old denominations or characterizations, Greek-speaking Jewish translators and writers have preferred to borrow from contemporary Greek culture terms used primarily in the philosophical, literary or historical fields
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Duncan, Christopher M. Carey Anthony Gene. "Benjamin Morgan Palmer Southern Presbyterian divine /." Auburn, Ala, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10415/1467.
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Frick, Peter. "Divine providence in Philo of Alexandria /." Tübingen : Mohr Siebeck, 1999. http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb38885689z.
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Kochetkova, Tatjana Jurievna. "Vladimir Solov'jov's theory of divine humanity /." Kiev : Blago, 2001. http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb391335653.
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Dee, Matthew. "William of Ockham's Divine Command Theory." Scholar Commons, 2019. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7776.
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There was a long-standing consensus that Ockham was a Divine Command Theorist - one who holds that all of morality is ultimately grounded in God's commands. But contrary to this long-standing consensus, three arguments have recently surfaced that Ockham is not a divine command theorist. The thesis of this dissertation is that, contrary to these three arguments, Ockham is a divine command theorist. The first half of the dissertation is an analysis of the three necessary and jointly sufficient conditions for virtuous action, whereas the second half is a response to the three contemporary arguments that Ockham isn't a divine command theorist. In a way, the first half of the dissertation gives a prima facie case that Ockham is a divine command theorist; the second half concludes so ultima facie.
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Friend, Alexander. "Soteriology: Divine strategy and human response." Thesis, Friend, Alexander (1998) Soteriology: Divine strategy and human response. Masters by Research thesis, Murdoch University, 1998. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/50502/.
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The central message of the New Testament is the message of salvation. The present work deals with three elements of salvation as presented in the New Testament: (1) the role of the Holy Spirit, (2) the nature of faith, and (3) the role of the proclamation of the Gospel. Regarding the first two elements, not only at the popular level but also at scholarly levels several basic assumptions are widely held, namely, (1) that the Holy Spirit is involved in preparing a person for conversion by bringing about personal conviction of sin, and (2) that saving faith is a gift of God. In the first two parts of this thesis these assumptions are critically examined. In the third part the third element, the role of the Word of God, is examined in a series of key scripture passages. They are treated in what is widely held to be their order of composition.
The three-fold organization of Word, faith, and Spirit reflects three of the main factors in the conversion experience. It will be shown from the select Scripture passages how each one interacts with the others in the salvation of an individual, following the plan set out in the divine strategy, including the intended human response.
It will be seen that the human involvement with the Word entails both preaching and hearing; faith, likewise, in this context, is essentially a matter of a person’s trust in Christ or God. The Word is the seed that is planted within the heart, producing faith (Rom 10:17) to which the Holy Spirit responds by the making of a new life ‘from above.’
The biblical evidence surveyed indicates that in the understanding of apostolic Christianity the normal way God intended the individual to come to faith and consequently be saved was through the hearing of the Word as proclaimed by witnesses and preachers anointed by the Holy Spirit.
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Graah-Hagelbäck, Katarina. "With or Without the "Divine Spark": Animalised Humans and the Human-Animal Divide in Charles Dickens's Novels." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för språk (SPR), 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-31638.
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Animals appear in many guises in Charles Dickens’s novels, as wild animals, domestic animals, animals used in the service of humans, and, not least, as images and symbols. Based on a close reading of all of Dickens’s major novels, this thesis centres on the symbolic use of (both metaphorical and actual) animals in the depiction of human characters, the chief aim being to explore a phenomenon that Dickens frequently resorts to, namely, the animalisation of human characters. Certain Dickensian characters are in fact more or less consistently compared to animals – to animals in general, or to specific animals. On occasion, not only individual characters but also groups of characters are animalised, and sometimes to the point of dehumanisation. By and large, being animalised equals being portrayed in a negative light, as if what Dickens himself at one point termed “the divine spark” – the special light accorded to the human brain as opposed to the animal brain – has been extinguished or has at least become almost imperceptible. Furthermore, in conjunction with the investigation of Dickens’s animalisation of human characters, the thesis discusses his implicit attitude to the human-animal divide and argues that, though largely anthropocentric and hierarchical, it also points to a view of human and nonhuman animals as part of a continuum, with no fixed boundaries. A number of different approaches inform the discussion, but theoretical frameworks such as ecocriticism and, above all, contemporary theory on the significance of Darwin’s ideas in the Victorian era, are foregrounded.
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McGlynn, Mary E. C. ""The teeth of poisonous dragons" : the dialogue between divine judgement and divine benevolence in the Book of Wisdom." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 1999. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/7010/.
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The purpose of this thesis is to examine the dialogue that exists between the themes of divine judgement and divine benevolence as they are presented in the Book of Wisdom. I hope to demonstrate that these themes provide continuity, coherence, and an integrated reading of the text. The methodology by which I explore these themes is an examination of the literary genres employed by the author, as well as the techniques, structures, vocabulary, and verbal repetitions. I also make comparisons with other contemporary literature where this is significant. The background to this examination is set out in the Introduction in which I have discussed the issues of the unity of the text, its genre, and possible provenance and dating. I have, further, attempted to present the literary and philosophical world from which the text emerged. The Book of Wisdom falls naturally into four sub-divisions, with a fifth section providing the theodicy which underpins the action and reflection of the other four. In fact, because of the complexity of the structure of the book, three of these units form part of one larger unit. For purposes of clarity, I have retained five-fold division for the analysis, each of the five divisions forming a chapter of the thesis. In the first chapter, I have highlighted the section in which the judgement/benevolence themes are focused in a series of questions and answers. In this section, the Mercy Dialogue of 11.15-12.27, I look at the origin of justice and mercy in the creative power of God, and the ways in which retribution is tempered and the merciful principle established. It is also in this section that we encounter God's elected people, and their exclusive status but equally exclusive responsibility. This theodicy, I have used to underpin the other sections of the text.
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Morley, Brian. "How divine predicates can convey cognitive meaning." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1986. http://www.tren.com.
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