Rozprawy doktorskie na temat „Biblical metaphors”

Thesis (DLitt)--Stellenbosch University, 2005
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A survey of the research on the Biblical Hebrew psalms of lamentation reveals a lack of attention paid to the divine images found in these poems. Previous studies, for the most part, focused on literary and stylistic aspects pertaining to the Psalms in general and the psalms of lamentation in particular. The competent reader will, however, notice that divine metaphors abound in these psalms. This study investigates the divine metaphors (nominal and verbal) in the Biblical Hebrew psalms of lamentation from a cognitive anthropological perspective. It is argued that the literary information in these poems is a cognitive representation of the psalmist's world. The various divine portrayals arise from the poet's cognitive organisation and utilisation of cultural information. The analysis of the metaphorical expressions affords the exegete insight into the cognitive world of the supplicant and the strategies employed by the one who offers praise and does not eschew lament. Some of the theoretical assumptions of cognitive anthropology are applied to a selection of psalms of lamentation (Pss. 7, 17, 31, 35, 44, 59, 74 and 80) as a means of illustrating how this approach can shed new light on the way the deity is depicted in the laments. To achieve this, each psalm is analysed both from a cognitive and literary perspective. The examination of the divine metaphors reveals the various cognitive strategies employed to portray Yahweh. It is shown that these recurring images result from the application of cultural models, conceptual metaphors and image-schemas. Given the soundness of the proposed hypothesis, this investigation arrives at the conclusion that a cognitive perspective on the divine representations in the Biblical Hebrew psalms of lamentation is indeed a worthy endeavour.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: "n Oorsig van die navorsing oor die klaagpsalms wys uit dat daar tot dusver nie baie aandag geskenk is aan die beelde wat in dié psalms gebruik word om na God te verwys nie. Vorige studies fokus meestalop die literêre en stilistiese aspekte van die psalms, in die algemeen, en die klaagpsalms in die besonder. 'n Kompetente leser sal egter gou die oorvloed van metafore vir God raaksien. Hierdie studie ondersoek die metafore vir God (nominaal en verbaal) in die klaagpsalms vanuit 'n kognitief antropologiese perspektief. Daar word geargumenteer dat die literêre informasie in hierdie gedigte 'n kognitiewe voorstelling van die psalmis se lewenswêreld daarstel. Die verskeie Godsvoorstellings spruit uit die digter se kognitiewe aanwending en organisasie van kulturele informasie. 'n Analise van die metaforiese uitdrukkings verskaf aan die eksegeet insig in die kognitiewe wêreld van die bidder en die strategieë wat die een gebruik wat God se lof besing, sonder om klag uit te sluit. Van die insigte van die kognitiewe antropologie word toegepas op 'n seleksie van klaagpsalms (Ps. 7,17,31,35,44,59,74,80) en daar word voorgehou hoe hierdie benadering nuwe perspektiewe bied op die wyse waarop die godheid voorgestel word in die klaagpsalms. Vir die doel word elke Psalm literêr en kognitief ontleed. Die ondersoek na die metafore met betrekking tot God lê die verskeie kognitiewe strategieë bloot wat gebruik word om Jahwe voor te stel. Daar word aangetoon dat hierdie terugkerende beelde die gevolg is van die toepassing van kulturele modelle, konsepsuele metafore en beeldskemas. Gegewe die oortuigingskrag van die voorgestelde hipotese, konkludeer die ondersoek dat 'n kognitief-antropologiese perspektief op die Godsvoorstellings in die klaagpsalms inderdaad 'n belangrike onderwerp van navorsing is.

To Know Worship and Love is the religious instruction curriculum produced and mandated for use by the Archdiocese of Melbourne. The primary series comprises a Teaching Companion and Student Text for every level of education, Preparatory to Year 6. This study undertakes examination of the series to determine if biblical metaphors for God which contain a physical vehicle are used and presented within it in accord with the accepted exegetical practices of the Church. The study begins by examining Church documents that pertain to both religious instruction and Scripture to determine a set of principles which should guide the use of Scripture. Notable among the six principles elucidated is the expectation that the use of Scripture should reflect accepted exegetical practices of the Church. These are defined as those which enable a clear understanding of the literal sense of Scripture, as ascertained through use of the Historical-Critical method. In order to come to a sound understanding of the literal sense of metaphors, the study reviews how they work and what results from their use. Such a review is important for two reasons. First, in the finding that metaphors for God prompt the formation of a concept of God, the need for their valid interpretation in religious instruction is stressed. Second, it enables the articulation of eight specific requirements for the interpretation of biblical metaphors for God. Subsequent examination of the series against what is required reveals that of the eight requirements, only one is provided within the series. No unit or activity identifies the sixty-three biblical metaphors cited in the series and no unit teaches students how they work to communicate meaning. No unit provides information of the vehicles used within their historical setting and no unit explains the historical circumstances which gave rise to the dominance of certain metaphors. In order to explain why biblical metaphors for God are presented so poorly in To Know Worship and Love, the use of Scripture generally in the series is examined against the six principles drawn from Church documents. The finding that the series does not observe the principles which should guide the use of Scripture, in particular, the finding that the series does not use accepted exegetical practices of the Church, provides significant insight into the inadequate presentation of metaphors. The study concludes by making three recommendations. First, it recommends that a process of rewriting To Know Worship and Love must be undertaken immediately. Second, it recommends that the use and placement of Scripture in religious instruction programmes in the future adhere to the six principles of the Church outlined in this study. Third, it recommends that the clear and accurate teaching of what metaphors and how they work be made a priority in religious instruction programmes.

Thesis advisor: David S. Vanderhooft
In this dissertation, I explore the metaphorical value of law in the Hebrew Bible and Hellenistic Jewish literature. While the study of biblical law and Hellenistic Jewish halakah is well established, less attention has been paid to the intentional use of legal diction to create legal metaphors—metaphors that draw upon legal language for the sake of generating new ethical and theological insights. My argument is based upon Roger White’s theory of metaphor which states that a metaphor juxtaposes two otherwise unrelated vocabularies in order to produce new meaning. Thus, I draw upon comparative study of ancient Near Eastern law as a means of understanding the register of biblical Hebrew legal diction concerning land tenure and inheritance. With the legal background established, I investigate three sets of metaphors, one drawn from the prohibition against violating established property boundaries and two drawn from the legal domain of inheritance: the inheritance of wisdom and the inheritance of glory. These legal metaphors demonstrate the profitability of attending to legal diction. The boundary metaphor demonstrates that when attempting to describe the good or virtuous life, law served not only to provide a description of obligations, it also shaped the way in which early Jewish communities understood reality itself. The inheritance of wisdom metaphors demonstrate that sophisticated comparisons could be drawn between legal concepts and scribal learning, particularly when wisdom was thought of as a document. The inheritance of glory metaphors demonstrate the way in which semantic shifting impacts the meaning of a metaphor
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2020
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Theology

The dissertation recounts the variegated journey of the sea in the Hebrew Bible through the lens of myth, metaphor, and muthos. The journey begins outside the Bible in ancient Near Eastern sea myths exemplified by the Ugaritic Baal Cycle and the Mesopotamian Enuma Elish, which tell the story of a sea deity whose defeat in cosmic battle against a protagonist god precedes three goodly consequences: creation, kingship, and temple. The story continues with the analysis of the biblical presentation of creation, kingship, and temple with emphasis on the constellation of themes and characters of the sea myth. The dissertation next analyzes the use of the sea myth as a metaphor for three events on the plane of history: the exodus (Exodus 14-15), the Babylonian exile (Isaiah 40-55), and the eschaton (Isaiah 24-27 and Daniel 7). Finally, the discussion moves from the analysis of the ways in which the sea muthos functions as a metaphor for the biblical presentation of individual events to the examination of the role of the sea muthos as a metaphor for a biblical view of historical reality in toto. In sum, the dissertation extends the study of sea imagery in the Hebrew Bible from mythology to metaphorology and narratology to argue for the deep, enduring, and transformative place of the sea myth within biblical tradition.
Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations

Thesis (MA.)--Stellenbosch University, 2000.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the image of Yahweh as warrior in a selection of Biblical-Hebrew psalms against the background of similar images in the broader Ancient Near East. In the psalms this image is closely linked with the emotions and experience of the psalmist. In the situation of conflict he calls on Yahweh to intervene and to destroy the enemy. It is in such circumstances that this image of Yahweh gives the necessary comfort. In order to investigate the image of Yahweh as warrior in the psalms, this study uses the Comparative Method. This method is based on the assumption that cultures and societies share certain ideas and characteristics. The specific approach within the Comparative Method is called the typological comparative approach. This approach focuses on the comparison of phenomena in cultures that are historically and geographically far removed from each other. This comparison is based on the assumption that certain cultural characteristics are universally shared. In this investigation the following psalms are analysed: 3, 21, 46, 68, 76, 83, 140, 144. The selection was made on the basis of the different literary genres within the psalms. As a background to this investigation a summary of warrior terminology and ideas in the rest of the Ancient Near East is presented. Afterwards the warrior image in the selected psalms is investigated. The investigation proceeded as follows: Chapter 1 is devoted to the research history with regard to the image of Yahweh as warrior in the Hebrew Bible; in Chapter 2 the metaphor as literary device is discussed; and in Chapter 3 the focus is on the institution of war in the Ancient Near East and the role of warriors in this regard. From Chapters 4 to 11 the warrior metaphors in the selected psalms are analysed. With each of the analysed psalms the following method is used: (1) a translation and text-critical notes; (2) a discussion of the literary genre; (3) an analysis of the poetic elements; and (4) an analysis of the warrior images. The psalmist's enemies are also Yahweh's enemies. In the psalms where he is portrayed as warrior, three characters always come to the fore, namely Yahweh, the psalmist and the enemy. While the enemy is portrayed in terms of typical hostile images, the relationship between Yahweh and the psalmist is defensive, and offensive between Yahweh and the enemy. In this study it is , also shown that when Yahweh intervenes, he saves and restores the honour of the psalmist. Yahweh is also praised for his acts of salvation in the past. This forms the basis for the psalmist call to Yahweh to intervene in his situation. He defeats the enemy by making use of different weapons. The psalmist's enemies are also Yahweh's enemies.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die voorstelling van Jahwe as kryger in 'n seleksie Bybels-Hebreeuse psalms teen die agtergrond van soortgelyke voorstellings in die breër Ou Nabye Oosterse konteks. In die psalms hang hierdie voorstelling ten nouste saam met die emosies en ervarings van die digter. Die vyand stig gedurig stryd aan en soek die digter se ondergang. In sy situasie van stryd en aanvegting roep hy tot Jahwe om in te gryp en die vyand te verslaan. Dit is dan juis hierdie voorstelling van Jahwe wat in dié omstandighede 'n groot gerusstelling is. In hierdie studie word daar van die Vergelykende Metode gebruik gemaak. Hierdie metode is gebaseer op die aanname dat kulture en gemeenskappe sekere opvattings en idees met mekaar deel. Die spesifieke benadering wat binne die Vergelykende Metode gebruik word, word die Tipologies-Vergelykende benadering genoem. In hierdie benadering handel dit oor die vergelyking van verskynsels in kulture wat histories en geografies van mekaar verwyderd is. Hierdie benadering opereer met die aanname dat sekere kulturele opvattings universeel gedeel word. Die volgende psalms word in die ondersoek ontleed: 3, 21,46,68, 76, 83, 140, 144. Die seleksie is gedoen op grond van die belangrikste literêre genres in die psalms. As agtergrond tot die ondersoek, word 'n kort oorsig gebied van krygerterminologie en opvattings in die res van die Ou Nabye Ooste. Daarna is die krygerbeeld in die geselekteerde psalms ondersoek. Die ondersoek het soos volg verloop: in Hoofstuk 1 is daar aandag gegee aan die navorsingsgeskiedenis met betrekking tot die voorstelling van Jahwe as kryger in die Hebreeuse Bybel, in Hoofstuk 2 is die literêre verskynsel van die metafoor behandel en in Hoofstuk 3 is daar gefokus op die Ou Nabye Oosterse instelling van oorlog en die plek van krygers in die verband. Vanaf Hoofstuk 4-11 is die krygermetafore in die geselekteerde psalms geanaliseer. By elk van die geanaliseerde psalms word die volgende metode gevolg: (1) 'n vertaling en tekskritiese aantekeninge; (2) 'n bespreking van die literêre genre; (3) 'n analise van die styl-elemente; en (4) 'n analise van die krygermetafore. In die psalms waar Jahwe as kryger voorgestel word, tree daar altyd drie hoofkarakters na vore, naamlik die digter, die vyand en Jahwe. Die vyand word geteken in terme van tipiese "vyandsbeelde", terwyl Jahwe defensief teenoor die bidder optree en offensief teenoor die teëstanders. In hierdie studie word ook aangedui dat wanneer Jahwe ingryp, bewerk Hy redding en herstel Hy ook die digter se eer. Jahwe word geloof vir sy reddingsdade in die verlede. Dit vorm die basis vir die digter se hulpgeroep tot Jahwe om in te gryp in sy situasie. Hy verslaan die vyand deur van verskillende wapens gebruik te maak. Die digter se vyande word ook as Jahwe se vyand gesien.

The claim that a principle known as Irreducible Complexity (IC) is empirically discoverable is investigated successively from the perspective of engineering, then molecular biology and finally theology, with the aim of evaluating the utility of IC for an interdisciplinary dialogue between all three. In the process, IC is subjected to the principle objections presented against it in the literature, leading to the conclusion that IC is sufficiently resistant to scientific criticism to be accepted as a true property of certain living systems. The ubiquity of machine descriptors in the professional literature of molecular biology is scrutinised in the context of the role of metaphor in science, as well as in the context of entailment models. A Biblical Theological approach to the Bible is harnessed to establish a framework for estimating the extent to which the story of Christ warrants expectation of first order design formalisms in nature, and whether that story within itself provides any homomorphic exemplification of IC. Additionally, key theological criticisms of IC are evaluated as well as criticisms of the Neo Darwinian revisioning of the Biblical account. The overall conclusion is that a true interdisciplinary dialogue where IC is the nexus holds theoretical as well as experimental promise.
Thesis (M.A. (Dogmatics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

There is no greater work of literature, perhaps, than the Bible. The Bible has shaped and influenced more literature, art, and culture than any other work in our time. The effects of the Bible’s words are still woven into modern literature today, illustrating that the Bible’s themes, allegories, parables, fables, metaphors, and characters are things that we humans are unable to depart far from even many decades later. One of the very first stories in the Bible, found at the beginning in Genesis, tells of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve’s depiction as the first kind of our species and the story of their creation to their Fall is one transformative story that humans seem destined to repeat. This cycle of falling is rampant in American literature, from the nineteenth century to the twenty-first century, appearing in works by prominent authors such as R. W. B. Lewis, Leo Marx, and John Steinbeck. Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden wrestles heavily with both biblical themes and metaphors and acts as a biblical framework for the Fall narrative and the book of Genesis. This thesis seeks to examine the Fall as a conceptual metaphor for American literature and thinking through John Steinbeck’s East of Eden and attempts to explain why literature, and humans, keep endlessly returning to the Fall.

El presente trabajo estudia la recepción de la Biblia por parte de Jorge Luis Borges a partir del análisis de su obra completa. Se compone de tres partes. En la primera, contextual, después de perfilar la fortuna literaria del imaginario bíblico, cuestión bien estudiada en el ámbito anglosajón desde la década de 1980, se atiende brevemente al modo en que tres autores importantes para Borges Dante, Milton y Blake usaron la Escritura en su obra. En la segunda, a partir de ciertos datos biográficos, declaraciones y escritos de Borges, se trata de precisar la importancia que tuvo para él la literatura bíblica y de qué modo ésta influyó en su propia poética. En la tercera se analiza el uso literario de ciertos personajes de la Escritura por parte de Borges; el análisis revela que esos personajes encarnan de un modo paradigmático algunos de los temas centrales de su obra, como el conocimiento, la muerte, el tiempo o la identidad.
The present work studies the reception of the Bible by Jorge Luis Borges by means of the analysis of his complete work. It consists of three parts. The first one, merely contextual, outlines the literary fortune of the biblical imagery, a question that has occupied to the Anglo-Saxon criticism from the decade of 1980, and concisely attends to the way in which three important authors for Borges Dante, Milton and Blake used the Scriptures in their work. The second one attempts to specify, from the basis of certain biographical information, declarations and writings of Borges, the importance that the Biblical literature had for him and the way it influenced his own poetics. The third one analyzes the literary use of certain characters of the Scriptures by Borges; the analysis reveals that these characters personify in a paradigmatic way some of the central topics of his work, as knowledge, death, time or identity.

O trabalho analisa, na obra Grande Sertão: Veredas de João Guimarães Rosa (1956), elementos discursivos indicadores de um modo de narrar que ficcionaliza, tanto na forma quanto no teor de sua mensagem, manifestações do sagrado originárias da Antiguidade grega e da tradição judaico-cristã. A partir da analogia entre a obra de Guimarães Rosa e a Odisseia de Homero, tornam-se evidentes vestígios do épico e de modelos clássicos de narrativa que, revestidos do peculiar trabalho da linguagem rosiana, adensam a complexidade do romance. O paralelismo com as Sagradas Escrituras, mais difuso, projeta as ações num patamar dramático, em que se decidem o destino das personagens e a solenidade do discurso memorável. A fundamentação teórica articula o pensamento de Erich Auerbach, André Jolles, Rudolf Otto e também de estudiosos que se dedicaram à obra do autor mineiro, como Kathrin Rosenfield. Esse recorte mostrou a presença do sagrado em microcélulas entretecidas ao emaranhado de histórias e causos que costuram a obra prima de Rosa. A cicatriz da Tatarana alude à cicatriz de Ulisses, sinal revelador da identidade do herói grego e que, no caso do jagunço Riobaldo, desoculta um amor negado por meio da purgação do passado, elaborada numa conversa "unilateral com um suposto interlocutor. Em linguagem mítica e mágica, a figura nebulosa de Diadorim funciona como índice de ambiguidade e, ao mesmo tempo, da revelação alcançada através da morte. A pesquisa, por seu turno, segue as veredas abertas pelo estudo de Tereza Virgínia Ribeiro Barbosa a respeito das mulheres vestidas de sol, metáfora relacionada a Medeia, mas que se projeta na Virgem Maria e numa linhagem de figuras femininas da América Latina ligadas ao sagrado. Verificamos, na perspectiva das transferências culturais do tipo passado místico-mistérico/posteridade fabular, que o discurso de Riobaldo é atravessado por micronarrativas de longa tradição que sincretizam diferentes símbolos exotéricos. O trabalho encerra sua investigação desvendando a dualidade do sertão rosiano, onde impera o embate entre fé e ceticismo, a dúvida e a razão, o amor e o ódio, o masculino e o feminino, que resulta no inacabado, na travessia, a vida como metáfora, no campo das infinitas possibilidades do homem humano
The Dissertation analyzes, in the work Grande Sertão: Veredas by João Guimarães Rosa (1956), speech elements appointing to a narrative format which fictionalizes, both in the form and in the content of its message, expressions of the sacred dated as of the Ancient Greek and the Judeo-Christian tradition. From the analogy between Guimarães Rosas work and Homers Odyssey, it is clear the traces of the epic and of narrative classic models which, vested by Rosas particular language work, thicken the complexity of the novel. The parallelism with the Holy Scriptures, which is more diffuse, casts the actions to a dramatic ground, in which it is decided the fate of the characters and the solemnity of the memorable speech. The theoretical grounding articulates the thoughts of Erich Auerbach, André Jolles, Rudolf Otto and also of great academics who devoted their efforts to study the work of the author from Minas Gerais state, such as Kathrin Rosenfield. This excerpt showed the presence of the sacred in microcells interwoven to the entanglement of stories and tales which joins Rosas masterpiece together. Tataranas scar is a reference to Ulysses scar, a revealing mark of the Greek heros identity and which, in the case of the gunman Riobaldo, exposes a denied love by means of purging of the past, constructed in a "one-sided conversation with a supposed interlocutor. In a mythical and magic language, Diadorims misty figure functions as an indication of ambiguity and, at the same time, the disclosure reached through death. The research, in turn, follows the paths opened by Professor Ribeiro Barbosas studies regarding the women clothed with the sun, a metaphor related to Medea, but which is projected in the Virgin Mary and in a lineage of Latin Americas female figures who are related to the sacred. It can be observed, under the perspective of cultural transfers of the fable mystical-mysterious/posterity past type, that Riobaldos speech is crossed with micro-narratives having a long tradition which combine different exoteric symbols. The Dissertation ends its investigation by disclosing the duality of Rosas backlands, where the fight between faith and skepticism, doubt and reason, love and hate, male and female prevails, resulting in the unfinished, in the crossing, life as a metaphor, of the field with countless possibilities for the human man

博士
國立中山大學
中國文學系研究所
100
Paul Ricoeur believes that metaphors not only provide information, but also convey truths. When people express non-image concepts with image-based language, they use metaphor. Reading Biblical metaphor is to look for God through reading. Metaphors are used throughout the Bible as a means of pointing to truths and as a tool to allow readers to recognize God. How has the Bible enabled millions of believers for centuries to serve God despite the limitations of human language? The answer is that God reveals Himself through metaphor, allowing people to know His value. The use of metaphor is not only a literary device designed for aesthetic purposes; the main purpose of metaphor is to express concepts that are difficult to describe directly. This article uses conceptual metaphor theory (CMT) from Metaphors We Live By (Lakeoff & Johnson, 1980, 2003) and blending theory (BT) by Fauconnier and Turner (1995) as analysis strategies for Biblical texts, they are also one kind of tool of organizing information at the same time. Metaphor is a type of inspirational linguistic phenomenon; a linguistic device that enables people’s minds to ascend to a higher place. Biblical metaphors are extremely rich, and this article offers only an initial analytical interpretation of the four main themes of Biblical metaphors: The exploration of God’s nature and attributes; to see the default table of the Old Testament and the intertextuality of the New Testament; the characteristics of believers; and the interactive relationship between God and man, including God’s will for humanity. Using these four basic and essential themes, this study explores how the Bible uses metaphor to convey abstract concepts and relate communications between God and man, as well as exploring how moral lessons are conveyed through metaphors, enabling the average person to understand them. In addition, in a position of Biblical readers to explore how readers use their own experience and cognitive abilities regarding metaphors to ascertain the true meaning of faith, including metaphorical thinking of the solutions, the experience of faith is the extension of the metaphor. ”Christ” is the necessary key for Biblical interpretation, as well as the metaphor is possible as an edge tool of cognition & expression, that is, Biblical readers can transfer the implication of belief through the modes of metaphor understanding per the information provided by Bible. Using the same principle, the reading technique of metaphorical cognition can be applied to other texts as a method of interpreting meaning—especially abstract meaning.

Thesis (PhD) -- Australian Catholic University, 2006.
Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Bibliography: p. 256-265. Also available in an electronic version via the internet.

In this dissertation, I examine metaphorical expressions of biblical and sacral origin (bibleisms) that occur in Russian narrative literary texts. The interpretation of bibleisms is carried out within the framework of interaction theories of metaphor, making it possible to account for the use of bibleisms in Modern Russian, and for the role of their original meanings in the development of their new metaphorical associations. This is viewed as a set of intertextual relationships between the biblical and sacral texts, the Modern Russian language and the literary texts in which the expressions occur. Different types of metaphor are distinguished in terms of interaction theory. This has implications for the translation of bibleisms. It is demonstrated that in different interactive situations, the same bibleism can be referred to different types of metaphor, and hence the translation procedure may only be determined by taking into account the metaphorical language in each individual case.
Afrikaans & Theory of Literature
M.A. (Theory of Literature)

Faith inspired by living creation according to Psalm 104, Bless the LORD, O my soul! This work is concerned with the structure of Psalm 104, in various ways partition of Psalm's motives by various authors. It is aimed at analyzing of translations of selected parts, which are concerned with living creation. is concerned with variants of translation of some Hebrew (Greek and Latin) terms of animals (ibex, daman) in Czech. It compares the Psalm 104 with Egyptian Hymn to the Sun and other similar creation texts in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament is among the texts at first creation's report in Gn 1, others creations Psalms (Ps 8, Ps 19 and Ps 146) and 38-41 chapter of Job. Through many thematic similarities and disimilarities in ideas, it looks like very significant differences in the form of the texts presentations. While Psalm 104 is a praise of God in personal relationship to the God, the report of creation in Gn 1 is unpersonal story abote the God and in case of Jb 38-41 is a preaching speech of God to man. At more deeply meditation over the Psalm 104 and other similar texts, which arn't ment in more detail, is noticeable similarity of Psalm 104 with the report of the Flood in Gn 7-9 and analogical ancient myths in Mesopotamia. Also, this work is interested in a question of mythical,...

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 292-313) : illustrations
This thesis examines the Experience of God in the Fourth Gospel (in this research, it is also called the Johannine Experience of God) by perceiving it from the perspective of the metaphoric Familia Dei, found in this Gospel. This examination is done in a three-step process: The first step consists of a literary review and a presentation of the methodology and approach employed in this research. It intends to set the thesis within the Johannine studies. The second step involves the articulation of essential considerations on Religious Experience, the Johannine Community, and the Fourth Gospel. This articulation has two aims: First, to acquire a deeper understanding of the background of the Johannine Experience of God, and second, to point out the functionality of this Gospel’s narrative in constituting this experience. The third step comprises the following suggestion and the elaboration on its constituents: - The Johannine Experience of God consists of two components: the first one is the initiative of God the Father conveyed by Jesus Christ, perpetuated by the Holy Spirit, and as it is recorded in the Fourth Gospel. And the second one is the response of the believers (John’s readers) to this initiative by accepting the Son and journeying spiritually under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. - The Johannine Experience of God can be perceived from the perspective of the Familia Dei metaphoric found in the Fourth Gospel. - The narrative of the Fourth Gospel has the ability to constitute an experience of God and accordingly creates spirituality, once it is read or heard. This thesis aims to generate a deeper understanding of the spirituality of the Fourth Gospel at one level, and to offer an acceptable general insight about the Johannine Spirituality at another, hoping that its findings become an inspiration for future studies.
Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology
D. Th. (Christian spirituality)

This work deals with the symbolism of trees in the Old Testament considering the mythology of the ancient Near East, using relevant literature, concordant exploration, and synchronic and diachronic analyses of biblical texts. It aims to present an intersection of the most important aspects of the appearance of trees in the Scripture, both in a literal and figurative sense. Drawing on work with biblical and mythological texts from the ancient Near East, it presents the tree as a comprehensible symbol with strong explanatory power, which constitutes its potential to contain even the most complex messages of the Scripture and of the human condition as such.

This dissertation suggests the Song of Songs as a biblical paradigm for Christian spiritual direction based on the poem’s human dynamics, theological poetics and mystical aesthetic. The Song of Songs is paradigmatic as a journey from a state of self-neglect (depletion), through dynamic encounters of love (transformation), to living who I am in union with the divine I AM (deification). Identifying the human beloved as archetypal seeker and positing transformation in love as the raison-d’être for spiritual direction, the research delineates important implications for spiritual praxis, namely: the human subject (locus); human yearning (focus); the human search (journey); dynamics of human transformation and spiritual maturation (process); aspects of life-integration and union with God (purpose); and becoming a living sacrament in the world (epiphany). With its experiential-existential approach, The Canticle of Spiritual Direction serves as an interdisciplinary and intercultural resource on the Song of Songs, Christian spiritual direction, and Christian mysticism.
Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology
M. Th. (Christian Spirituality)

The covenant relationship describes the unique relationship entered into between the church and ministers within the Methodist tradition. The study examines the polity, ecclesiology and doctrine of ministry, influences within the Methodist movement and the factors within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) which influenced the adoption of the covenantal relationship, as it is termed, in the MCSA. The experiences of ministers are researched to understand the impact of the covenantal relationship on their ministry and their wellbeing. Ezekiel, chapter 34, is analysed to discern a model of the expected roles of a shepherd to lead, feed and protect his covenant flock, roles which would be expected of the MCSA in the shepherding of their covenant ministers. By applying the Wesleyan Quadrilateral to the covenantal relationship using Scripture, tradition, reason and experience, the study concludes that the MCSA should move from a covenantal to a covenant relationship.
Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology
M. Th. (Systematic Theology)

Text in German, summaries in German and English
Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist, einen Beitrag aus der alttestamentlichen Wissenschaft zur gegenwärtigen Situation der westlichen Kirche zu leisten. Dabei soll der Text von Exodus 1-15 als Grundlage dienen, um das alternatives Bewusstsein herauszustellen, das dem Volk Gottes zu allen Zeiten helfen kann, sich in herrschenden Machtstrukturen zu verstehen und sich seiner Identität und Aufgabe bewusst zu bleiben. Die Untersuchung folgt einem literaturwissenschaftlichen Interesse, das die „Endgestalt“ zum Ausgangspunkt hat. Die Erzählung weist bewusst verwendete Strukturen und Stilmittel auf, die für die Interpretation von Bedeutung sind. Die Untersuchung soll jene Stilmittel herausstellen, welche für das Thema der Arbeit signifikant sind. Die Arbeit zeigt, dass die Exoduserzählung zum Aufbau eines alternativen Bewusstseins dient, auf dessen Basis Lebenspraxis und Zukunft von Gottes Volk geformt wird. So verstanden helfen die Texte auch der westlichen Kirche, sich in unterschiedlichen dominanten Kontexten als »Kontrastgesellschaft« zu verstehen.
The goal of this dissertation is to make a particular contribution from Old Testament research to the present situation of the Church in the Western world. Exodus 1-15 serves as a foundational text for establishing an alternative consciousness which helps the People of God, throughout all times, to maintain an understanding of themselves in the midst of other prevailing power structures and to remain aware of their identity and mission. The research uses the methodology of literary criticism, where the “final stage” of the text serves as the starting point. The exodus narrative reveals intentional structuring and stylistic devices which are important for interpretation. Each of the literary devices significant to this dissertation topic will be identified. The dissertation shows that the exodus narrative creates an alternative consciousness which in turn influences the life praxis and future of the People of God. Likewise these texts can also help the Church in the Western world to understand itself as a “counterculture” amongst its own dominant environments.
Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
M. Th. (Old Testament)

Text in German
Die vorliegende Forschungsarbeit geht der Frage nach, ob und wie im JohEv ein ekklesiologisches Konzept präsentiert wird. Dazu gehört auch die Wahrnehmung der Strategie, mit der das JohEv sein Konzept von Gemeinde darzustellen bzw. seinen Adressaten zu vermitteln beabsichtigt. Der Aufbau dieser Untersuchung ist der narrativen Struktur und Charakteristik des JohEv angelehnt. Mithilfe der Zusammenstellung und Anwendung eines narrativen Analyseverfahrens wird das JohEv als literarisches Werk wahrgenommen. Dies führt zunächst zur Bestimmung des Leitthemas des JohEv: Gottes Offenbarung in dem von ihm gesandten Sohn, Jesus. Darauf aufbauend wird herausgearbeitet, wie die Reaktionen auf dieses Offenbarungsgeschehen gemäß des JohEv ausfallen. Anhand dieser Ergebnisse lässt sich feststellen, was Gemeinde und Welt wesensmässg kennzeichnet und was ihr Verhältnis zu einander ausmacht. Ferner zielt die Forschungsarbeit darauf ab, die gewonnenen Untersuchungsergebnisse – über ihre wissenschaftlich-theoretische Dimension hinaus – auf ihren möglichen Nutzen für die gegenwärtige Gemeindearbeit hin zu beleuchten.
New Testament
M. Th. (New Testament)