Rozprawy doktorskie na temat „Relation to Pastoral Epistles”

This study aims to evaluate the possiblity of Paul being the author of the Epistle to Titus. The study uses a structural exegesis as by Daniel Patte to examine the convictions expressed through the text and how these correlate with the ones found by Patte in his analysis of the so called genuine Pauline Epistles. The study concludes that the Epistle to Titus correlates on several aspects with the Pauline Epistles on convictions expressed by the authors of the letters. Both authors seems to share a conviction: (1) That the christian should “remain as is”. (2) That the christian has a responsiblity to honour God with its life. (3) That the receivers of the letter had experienced the same touch of God in their lives as the author himself. Further, both authors seem to equate opponents of different religious groups as the same type of “opponents” – maybe as preachers of what Daniel Patte would call a “non-evangelium”.

This thesis seeks to further the scholarly discussion of the coherence of the Pastoral Epistles by providing the most thorough analysis to date of the cohesion of each letter. The need for such a study arises from two sources. First, the previous works on coherence of the Pastorals, which have turned the tide of scholarship, focused on thematic coherence of the corpus. While this has been extremely helpful, there is still a need to examine each letter individually and to examine thoroughly the use of language to bind together each discourse unit and the various ways in which the discourse units connect to each other. Second, a renewed and even more extreme argument for incoherence has recently been published (James D. Miller, The Pastoral Letters as Composite Documents) which begs response along the lines just suggested since it analyzes connections and lack thereof within and between the discourse units. In the thesis two chapters are devoted to each letter. In the first chapter on each letter, the letter is examined to determine the boundaries of each discourse unit using cohesion shift analysis (drawing from the work of G. H. Guthrie). Then the cohesion of each unit is analyzed noting common devices from the ancient epistolary genre, rhetorical devices, lexical and semantic repetition and symmetrical patterns. The second chapter on each letter focuses on connections between the units in the letter- connections between contiguous units, semantic chains (drawing from the work of J. T. Reed), and the grouping of units into larger sections. Thus the variety of connections across and throughout the letter are highlighted. A structure is argued for each letter which reflects, as much as possible, these connections and the development of thought in the letter. The thesis concludes that there is a high degree of cohesion in each of the Pastoral Epistles at both the micro and macro levels.

The first half of this thesis presents an overall picture of Scripture in the Pastoral epistles, discussing the subject under the headings of use, extent and doctrine. The authors' use of the Old Testament has been strongly influenced by Christian tradition, although at times there is originality. Whether through a formal usage or some informal connection or influence, the Old Testament plays a significant part in the theology and ethics of the Pastoral Epistles. But the Old Testament is not alone in this role. Christian tradition is coming to be accepted as Scripture by the author. The quotation of Luke 10:7 as Scripture (I Tim. 5:18) is the most explicit instance of this, but the author betrays a distinct canon-conscious attitude toward apostolic tradition. The author's doctrine of Scripture places an emphasis on its origin in divine activity and speech. Yet, it cannot be said that he regards the human authors as mere passive instruments. The second half of the thesis is concerned with comparing the author's doctrine of Scripture with Paul, II Peter and Philo. It has been often and emphatically asserted that the Pastoral's doctrine of Scripture has more in common with Philo and II Peter, than with Paul. The comparisons serve to test this assertion. It is concluded that Philo's view of Scripture is often misinterpreted. Furthermore, the comparisons demonstrate that there is nothing in the Pastoral's doctrine of Scripture to justify placing them outside the Pauline tradition at this point. The evidence concerning this issue cannot prove Pauline authorship because the Pastorals and Paul stand within a broader New Testament tradition with regard to the nature of Scripture, but they are certainly not in disagreement.

The primary objective of this thesis is to demonstrate that while the author of the Pastoral Epistles is faithful and committed to the apostolic gospel as well as strict in enforcing continuity with the primitive kerygmatic tradition, he is not, however, a mere mechanical transmitter or a lifeless purveyor of disparate christological traditions. Rather, he is a creative interpreter-theologian who has the ability to apply and to contemporize the existing traditional material by re-casting it within the distinctive framework of a coherent christology, that is, an 'Epiphany Christology'. Although this christology is couched in contemporary Hellenistic epiphany language, its predominant background is best seen in connection with the OT (Jewish-Hellenistic/LXX) idea of theophany, and its nature corresponds to the Pauline pre-existent and incarnational (Son of God) christology. With this epiphany christology the author intends to present a consistent understanding of the person and work of Christ in order to eludicate its christological significance and its present relevance to the particular historical context of his readers, that is the impending threat of heresy and apostasy in the church. He therefore shows a definite correlation between christology, ethics, and Christian existence.

This thesis attempts to fill a void in the study of the Pastoral Epistles. Its aim is to demonstrate a distinct missionary outlook undergirding the writing of the Pastoral Epistles, one which has been overlooked or underplay~d ~y commentators. Its main contention is that in spite of the other contingent concerns within the letters, especially pertaining to the problem with the false teachings, there is an underlying missionary concern for unbelievers to come to the saving truth of the gospel. This challenges the influential view of Baur and Dibelius that the communities within the Pastorals were settling down into a placid existence, that bourgeois Christian morality had begun to take hold, and that evangelistic fervour had waned. The study begins with an examination of the concept of 'household', the life-setting of the communi ties behind these letters. It is found that in spite of the common notion of the household being a private sphere, one common dimension of the first-century Mediterranean household, both Roman and Jewish, was that it possessed a public 'face', viz., it invariably intersected with the wider society. Moreover, early Christian households were shown to function as an important venue for missionary activities. A study of the main protagonists - Paul, Timothy and Titus - also found that they were predominantly presented as itinerant missionaries. Next, an analysis of the traditional pieces concluded that the accent of the teaching is weighted heavily on the side of soteriology in comparison with the christologYi besides, the letters are full of gospel terminology and metaphors expressed in fresh language and constantly challenging the readers to authentic Christian existence. The ecclesiology is also strongly suggestive of mission: the imagery of the church as the 'household of God'; the criterion of irreproachable character in its leaders; the community's perception of itself and of outsiders. Finally, the study of the ethical instructions concluded that they were not merely conservative and defensive as commonly thought, but were occasionally radical and missionary in tenor.

Although the prevalence of salvation language in the Pastoral Epistles is acknowledged, there have been few studies of their soteriology, and differing critical assumptions concerning the PE are reflected in widely divergent descriptions of their soteriological perspective.  This thesis investigates the concepts and presentation of salvation in these letters.  To lessen the effect of prior assumptions, the study does not start from an historical reconstruction of their situation.  Rather, it utilizes the growing scholarly recognition of the literary coherence of the PE to seek to uncover the soteriological outlook that enables the salvation material to function within the paraenetic strategies of these epistolary documents.  The assumption that the three letters are one corpus is set aside and each is studied independently to allow any distinctive profile to emerge. From a detailed analysis of the use of salvation language (1 Tim 1:1;  1:12-17;  2:1-7;  2:15;  4:10;  4:16;2 Tim 1:9-14;  2:8-13;  3:14-17;  4:16-18;  Titus 1:1-4;  2:11-14;  3:1-8) the soteriological perspectives and emphases of each letter are described and the results compared.  The three are found to share a kairological framework, locating the initiative for salvation in God’s pretemporal will that is intimated in the Old Testament, decisively inaugurated in the historic Christ event, continues to be implemented in the present age through the proclamation of the Gospel with the response of faith, and awaits final realization in the eschatological kingdom of Christ.  Each letter, however, shapes its presentation of salvation to serve its distinctive paraenetic goals. The study confirms the coherence of argumentation of these letters, challenges certain current readings of their soteriology, and finds that the soteriological elements are not in conflict with the understanding of salvation in Paul and sit comfortably within the range of presentations of salvation in the NT.

This dissertation reads the Pastoral Epistles alongside imperial propaganda, monumental inscriptions, and philosophical writings of the Roman period to determine how claims to piety (Greek: εὐσέβεια, Latin: pietas) advanced socio-political aims and reinforced cultural values and ideological assumptions among its audiences. Coins celebrating the pietas of the imperial households of Trajan and Hadrian, the honorary inscription of Salutaris in Ephesus, and the writings of Philo and Plutarch evidence that appeals to piety functioned rhetorically to naturalize hierarchies of power and social orders, recognize the honorable status of citizens, signal expertise in knowledge about the divine, and delineate insiders from outsiders. Moreover, the prevalence of appeals to piety indicates the virtue’s broad cultural currency and prestige, which was traded upon for legitimating authority. This dissertation argues that the author of the Pastorals strategically deploys piety in his attempt to negotiate an imperial situation marked by prejudicial perceptions of Christians as a foreign and seditious superstitio, to reinforce (gendered) social values, to intervene in Christian debates over the status and authority of benefactors in the ekklēsia, to build confidence in and solidarity around the legitimacy of his vision of the ideal ekklēsia, and to denigrate the beliefs and practices of rival teachers.

1. The aim and objectives of the study - For the renewal of the mainline churches today and the recovery of their vitality, the main aim of this study was to research the Scriptural foundation of the preacher and his spirituality diaconiologically in the light of the Pastoral Epistles, and to suggest some Scriptural praxis for the preacher's spirituality in order to equip the preacher spiritually. For purposes of achieving this aim, the following objectives have been pursued: * to study and define more closely 'preaching' in regard to the Pastoral Epistles. * to investigate and define more closely 'the preacher' by way of the Pastoral Epistles. * to investigate and define more closely 'spirituality' in the light of the Pastoral Epistles, especially spirituality in relation to the preacher. * to study and define the 'preacher and his spirituality' in the light of practice theoretical perspectives. * to suggest 'some guidelines for the praxis of exercising the preacher's spirituality' in the light of practice-theoretical perspectives. 2. Basis-theoretical perspectives from the Pastoral Epistles on preaching - Basis-theoretical perspectives from the Pastoral Epistles on preaching can be summarised as follows: * Preaching is deeply rooted in God, in Jesus Christ as Sender of the preacher, and in the truth of the Word and the doctrine based on the Word. Preaching, therefore, is more than just recounting the story about the Word of God spoken by Jesus. In preaching this Word itself comes to the listeners. To sum it all up, preaching is the Word of God coming to man. * The goal of preaching is to help hearers in the world to get salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, to help new converts to grow in their faith soundly, and to help believers devote their strength as the workers of God to the gospel. * Preaching as the delivery of the gospel from century to century has primacy in the church because survival of the church belongs to the Word of God. * Preaching has the power to change and save people in the world even though they are very stubborn and evil sinners. Preaching also has the power which can thoroughly equip believers to be a good worker of God by teaching, rebuking, correcting and training. 3. Basis-theoretical perspectives from the Pastoral Epistles on the 'preacher' - Basis-theoretical perspectives from the Pastoral Epistles on the preacher can be summarised as follows: * The preacher can be defined as follows: the person who has been called by God, who has received the message from God, who has been sent by and for God. The preacher, therefore, must deliver the message given to him by God. In his preaching, he must not express his personal opinions, his own view of things or his own philosophy. He must, without doubt, preach the truth which God gave him. * The preacher should recognize that he is a sinner who must be saved through Jesus Christ before doing his ministry in the local church. He is at first a child of God who must fight the good fight for everlasting life, and then a preacher. * The basic task of the preacher is to preach the Word of God correctly, and to help various believers grow and mature in their faith, and to live for the glory of God in the broken world.   * The authority of the preacher is basically rooted in God, in Jesus Christ, the Lord as the Sender of the preacher, and is deeply connected to the ministering of the Word of God. 4. Perspectives from the Pastoral Epistles on the preacher's spirituality - The perspectives from the Pastoral Epistles on the preacher's spirituality can be summarised as follows: * Spirituality, as EVOEBEIA in the pastoral Epistles, can be defined as operational faith, that 'truth' and 'conduct' (life) of the gospel are very closely in harmony. * The preacher's spirituality relating to the truth of the gospel concretely contains the following factors: - Proclamation for the glory of God - Christ-centred gospel - Burning heart for the gospel - Bold proclamation - Faithfulness to the Word of truth * The preacher's spirituality relating to the life of the gospel concretely contains the following factors: - True love - Self-sacrifice - Humility - Holy life 5. Practice-theoretical perspectives on the preacher and his spirituality - Practice-theoretical perspectives on the preacher and his spirituality can be summarised as follows: * The preacher as a pastor plays various roles publicly in the church: as a preacher, teacher, counsellor, visitor and administrator. It means that he always has a lot of work to do. * The preacher as a pastor is in multiple relationships: with family, colleagues, congregation, and society. The result of the preacher's ministry will probably depend most on the quality of his personal and pastoral relationships with the people he serves. * The preacher as a pastor is also a person, who has physical, mental, emotional and social dimensions. Therefore, the preacher is often distressed physically, mentally and emotionally: tiredness, burnout, pressure, stress, conflict, depression, tension, anxiety and loneliness. * The preacher as a pastor confronts various hazards while he ministers in the local church because he is also human. The hazards are self-conceit, laziness, professionalism and sexual misconduct. 6. The preacher and his Spirituality: Basis-theoretical and practice theoretical guidelines for praxis - The following conclusions on the preacher and his spirituality - basis-theoretical and practice-theoretical guidelines for the praxis can be summarised: * The term 'practice of spirituality' does not mean just man's positive spiritual activities, but spiritual activities based on the grace of God. Its basic and primary concern is not an external and technical training for doing well in a certain ministry, but it is rather an internal training for helping the formation of character. * The biblical basis for the practice of spirituality is I Tim. 4:7. The preacher's spirituality does not become mature automatically, even though he is a minister. Accordingly, the preacher must, like an athlete, train himself spiritually. * Guidelines for the preacher's practice in spirituality are suggested as follows: - The preacher must take in the Word of God regularly - The preacher must pray ceaselessly to God - The preacher must rely fully upon the Holy Spirit 7. Final conclusions - * This is the last word of this study. Truly, the preacher must be a deep and mature man spiritually because his mature spirituality can definitely make himself renewable and vital spiritually. If the preacher is renewable and vital spiritually, his preaching will be renewable and vital indeed (the preacher's preaching can never be renewable and vital without the renewal of himself). If the preacher's preaching is renewable, vital and powerful, surely his congregation will be renewable and vital spiritually, and then the church of God will be renewable, vital and revival again. That means that the congregation which is sleeping, will wake up; formalism and superficialism in the church will disappear; those who had left the church, will return; there will be a striking increase of conversion in this broken world.
Thesis (ThM)--PU for CHE, 1998

Within Biblical studies, the term ‘echoes of Scripture’ is often used to describe a detailed study of verbal parallels (or potential references) between the New Testament and the Jewish Scriptures (i.e. Christian Old Testament). This present study expands upon this tradition by seeking to identify verbal parallels between the Pastoral Epistles and two different sets of source texts: the Septuagint and the Greek manuscripts of the Jewish Pseudepigrapha. The parallels are detected using a method that is analogous to the syntax analysis phase of a compiler or a natural language processor. As such, the study defines a set of syntax rules for textual references in Ancient Greek literature and then scans these rules to find instances when they are true (or satisfied). Based on the literary theory of allusions, the method relies upon the rarity of the matching words in order to highlight the most likely parallels for further evaluation as potential references. During this search process, the method also generates metadata that can be used to evaluate the relative influence of each set of source texts.

Shakespeare, dans ses dernières œuvres, traite sur le plan dramatique le thème des retrouvailles, de la réconciliation et du pardon. Shakespeare, par une nouvelle approche dramatique, montre aussi comment un homme retrouve sa précédente situation dans la vie en parfaite harmonie. Ce phénomène qui était présent au début de toutes ses dernières pièces, s'est perdu à cause d'un mal quelconque ou d'un méfait. Shakespeare démontre comment cette harmonie perdue a été retrouvée dans chaque pièce d'une façon cyclique. Dans toutes ses dernières œuvres, le dramaturge présente deux groupes différents de personnages évoluant dans deux mondes différents : les méchants, dans un monde naturel et les innocents dans un monde pastoral. Dans le monde naturel, au commencement, il y a les parents et les enfants, mais à cause des mauvaises actions des parents, les enfants ont été séparés. Le premier groupe reste dans le monde sophistique ou naturel pour souffrir et se repentir et le deuxième, les innocents, qui sont les victimes des premiers, ont été élevés en même temps dans un monde pastoral. A la fin, les parents, dans leur état de rédemption, retrouvent leurs enfants pour vivre en harmonie avec eux. Shakespeare présente le même processus dans toutes ses dernières pièces : "le conte d'hiver", "la Tempête" et "Cymbeline ", à travers l'exemple d'une famille bien organisée. Dans chaque pièce, l'histoire commence dans une famille royale harmonieuse avec tous les membres de la famille. Querelles, conflits à cause de la passion, de l'orgueil et des convoitises etc. . . Brisent l'atmosphère d'harmonie et cause la séparation éventuelle des enfants de la famille. Les membres sépares de cette famille royale se trouvent dans différents milieux sociaux. Les parents sont dans leur résidence royale, à l'exception de "la Tempête", et les enfants sont dans un milieu primitif ou pastoral
Shakespeare, in his final plays, dramatically deals with the theme of reunion, reconciliation and forgiveness. Shakespeare, through a new dramatic approach, also shows how a man regains his former state of affairs in life in perfect harmony. This phenomenon, which was present at the initial stage in all his final plays, has been lost, because of some evil or misdeeds. Here Shakespeare demonstrates how this lost harmony has been regained in each play through a circular pattern of movement. In all his final works, the playwright presents two different groups of people in two different worlds: evil-doers, in a sophisticated or naturel world and innocent people in a pastoral world. In the natural world, at the beginning, there are parents and children. Because of the parents’ evil deeds, the children have been separated. The former remains in the natural world to suffer and repent and the latter, the innocent, who are the victims of the former, have been brought up, at the same time, in the pastoral world. At the end, the parents, in their redeemed state, meet their children to be in harmony with them. Shakespeare presents the same process in all his final plays: "the winter's tale, "the tempest" and "Cymbeline", through h a well-organized family. In each play, the story begins in a harmonious royal family with all its family members. Disputes and conflicts, because of the passion, pride, lusts etc. . . Break this harmonious atmosphere, causing the eventual separation of the children from the family. The separated members of this royal family find themselves in different social surroundings. The parents are in their courtly residence, with the exception of "the tempest", and the children are in a primitive milieu or in a pastoral environment

Many studies of religion deem this a 'secular' age and demonstrate an overall decline in regular church attendance; others point to the existence of subgroupings within society which retain religious belief without participation in formal Church structures. Few studies, if any, have examined why baptism retains its importance in the lives of many young families in this country; those that have tend to dismiss the desire as a manifestation of 'Folk Religion' or an excuse for a celebration. Some clergy interviewed for this study believe that pressure from previous generations is largely responsible. Through questionnaires, interviews and library-based research the research challenges this view, analysing the beliefs of parents and their reasons for requesting baptism. These are compared to other studies looking at religious belief in the locality and country-wide, concluding that those requesting baptism come into a previously unidentified category of church affiliation. Within the Church of England there is diversity of opinion amongst clergy regarding the nature and meaning of baptism and its application within the local community. A survey of clergy in the author's Diocese is utilised to compare and contrast differing perspectives of the rite of baptism. In-depth interviews conclude that some clergy attitudes towards young parents are based upon false premises which subsequently influence the quality of pastoral care. Most parents surveyed have some kind of Christian belief and fall into the category of 'occasional attender,' possessing deep emotional attachment to the Church as Institution and as Place, the focus of major family events such as weddings and funerals. In an age of SUbjective values, some parents view the Church as the last bastion of moral and ethical absolutes and desire its guidance for their children. Many parents believe it better to be 'spiritual' rather than 'religious' equating the latter with rigidity and formality and this further erodes the practice of regular church attendance. Women emerge as vital for the transmission of religious belief to the next generation, and using the insights of feminist theologians, the study investigates misogynistic attitudes towards women in the Church and whether a 'spiritual hysterectomy' has taken place historically and liturgically, which effectively removes women from the symbolism of new birth at the heart of baptism. The Church has also distanced worship from the household, a traditionally feminine sphere of activity, forcing parents to express religious observance only in church buildings which can be viewed as androcentric foci of power and control. The study concludes that, not only are women vital to the future of the Church, but with baptism still providing symbolic representation of community in particular areas, their contribution to social cohesion has been grossly underestima ted. Finally the Thesis postulates how symbolic representation at the heart of baptism might be re-evaluated thereby connecting the experience of young parents with the Christian faith. The study raises questions regarding pastoral practice, demonstrating that the pool of parents presenting children for baptism represents the future of the Church of England; how they are treated has far reaching implications for its on-going existence.

The subject of this study is the preacher and his preaching attitude according to the Pastoral Epistles. The following aspects are addressed: • Basistheoretical perspectives on preacher and preaching attitude • Meta-theoretical perspectives on preacher and preaching attitude. • Practice-theoretical perspectives on preacher and preaching atitude. It is attempted to achieve the intended goal by investigating Word preaching concepts from the Pastoral Letters to which six attitudes are attached. The attitudes are divided in three groups: • Attitudes concerning the earnestness and zeal of preaching. • Attitudes concerning the content of preaching. • Attitudes concerning the manner and method of preaching. The attitudes named above are: Preaching in a non-overwhelming attitude, preaching in a attitude of honesty and virtuousness, preaching in an attitude of patience, preaching in sound doctrine, preaching with full authority and preaching in the attitude of faith and truth. Four concepts that are connected directly to the preacher are indicated: preacher, apostle, teacher and evangelist. Four metaphors are indicated: manager, soldier, athlete and farmer which in tum emphasize three attitudes: irreproachability, self-denial as well as an attitude of willingness. Per definition preaching attitude deals with a given way of thinking, feeling and a way of behaviour and proceeding in the action of preaching. The attitude of the preacher is emphasized by certain indicated qualities affecting the preacher's person, character and performance. The correct preaching attitude is cultivated and developed in a continuous relationship with God. Spirituality as religious orientation of the preacher gives direction to the practice of attitude. Meta-theoreretical perspectives from the science of behaviourism are exploited. From the Social Psychology as well as Communication Science the forming of attitudes, the influence of attitudes upon behaviour, as well as the changing of attitudes are discussed. It is indicated that people influence each other. It is therefore essential that preachers ascertain their own preaching attitude by means of continuous self- examination. Practice-theoretical perspectives as the outcome of the hermeneutical interaction between the exploited basictheoretical and metatheoretical perspectives are presented. Along with this, concretizing perspectives are aimed at the preacher's attitude, the preparation of sermons (prayer, exegesis and hermeneusis ), the presentation of sermons, the discussion of the sermon as well as critisism on sermons and their presentation are indicated. The aim of the study is to identify preacher and preaching attitude in the light of the Pastoral Letters in order to establish perspectives aimed at the praxis.
Thesis (ThM)--PU for CHE, 1999

M.A.
In this study the question on the eschatology of the New Testament is handled. Most New Testament scholars never try to compare the eschatology of Paul with the eschatology of the book of Revelation. Can this two works be compared or are they so different that they cannot be compared? There was a remarkable development in the eschatology of the period between the two testaments and even during the duration of the New Testament. These influences are considered to make a comparison between the writings of the early church and the Jewish people.The writings of Paul were by no means written to give a full eschatology but the letters is full of eschatological thoughts. The Apocalypse of John on the other hand is so full of eschatological meaning that almost the whole book has to do with eschatology. To compare these two is therefore very significant. It is considered that the two writing had one common source of apocalyptic thought. The development within the Jewish thought also shed some light on the meaning of some of Paul's doctrine. The two different settings in which the two authors lived also played an important role. Although both authors experienced persecution in some sense, the question that arises is if they perceived it different from each other's experience. The method used in the study is the literal comparison method. The two works is compared on the grounds of literal differences as well as the exegetical differences. The apocalyptic traditions of the Jews and the early Christians also are brought into view. The backgrounds of the writers are considered although not much is known about John who wrote Revelation. The influences of the Greek and Roman cultures play an important role to understand the development of the eschatological thought.It seems that there is much more conformity between the letters of Paul and the book of Revelation than what most people think. The purpose of the two works is different and many times the eschatology of Revelation is not included in the eschatology of the rest of the New Testament because of its symbols and images. Paul's strong Jewish background played an important role in his eschatology. The Pauline readers had an expectation for the coming of Christ but the crisis that is experienced in Revelation gave the readers an ever-greater expectation for the coming of the Son of Man. The cosmic occurrences and al the symbolism adds up to a great end in the Final Age. Those who persevere the enemies of God and serve the only one true God will be rewarded justly. The study can to the conclusion that behind the two eschatological works lies a common tradition, which developed from the apocalyptic thought of the early Christian age.

M.Litt. et Phil.
The importance of the Trinity cannot be overemphasised in the matter of salvation. We cannot talk about a salvation if we cannot talk about a Trinity. Paul thinks of salvation only in trinitarian categories. For the purpose of this treatise, we call it a Soteriological Trinity. Paul takes the soteriological trinity as a matter of fact because he ascribes deity to both Christ and the Holy Spirit without denying his monotheistic background or beliefs. For Paul, God's dealing with people in the world is to call a people for his own name. These are called the People of God, and is identified with the Body of Christ and the Temple of the Holy Spirit, the Church. The Holy Spirit is instrumental in constituting this People, or Body, or Temple. Because of the death and resurrection of Christ, and the gift of the promised Holy Spirit, this People is defined as an eschatological community, and salvation is an eschatological event. Through these events, the future and the kingdom is present in the here and now ("already"), while there is still a "not yet" aspect to that future. This society, the Church, is therefore a reflection of the Divine Trinity. They reflect God's unity, love, grace, kingdom and more in this world. Because the community of believers is a Spirit-instituted, Spirit-sealed, Spirit-quickened, Spirit-initiated, Spirit-controlled and Spirit-endowed community, they characterise the New Age, which is the age of the New Covenant and the age of the Spirit. That means that our obedience to God is internally motivated rather than by external codes or requirements of law. The Church is, really then, the beneficiaries of God's grace, thus making them a charismatic community. Salvation is by God's grace. Sanctification is by God's grace. Security is ours by God's grace. In fact for Paul, the whole of the Christian life is a matter of God's grace. He calls it "the riches of the glory of God's grace" (Eph. 1:7). Grace is the antithesis of the Law. Paul's own experience of Christ and the Spirit, changed his whole understanding of God, the People of God, and the Law. God was now understood as a trinity; the People of God now consisted of both Jews and Gentiles; and the Law, though holy and good, was weak through the flesh, and unable to bring salvation. In fact, the Law brought death and bondage, rather than life and liberty. The Spirit of life and liberty set us free from the law of sin and death. The Spirit, life and liberty are then gifts of grace. We now have to live as free, not using our freedom as a 'cloak of maliciousness', but to bring honour to God. Freedom was for Paul the mark of sonship, and bondage of slavery. We are sons and not slaves. Through the Spirit we were made sons of God, and are being fashioned after the image of the true Son of God. All of the Spirit's operations in the Church, are to this end. Whether to give us life, or to place us in Christ's Body, or to unite believers to Christ and to each other, or to give gifts for the building up of the saints and for the work of the ministry, or to lead and control us, or to have us bear spiritual fruit, a to reveal to us the mysteries of God, it is so that the Body and the individual believer be conformed to Christ's likeness. All these operations are done in conjunction with the Father and the Son. The Kingdom of God is for Paul the final goal of the relationship between the Spirit, Christ and the People of God. So that God's righteousness and rule be the culmination of it all. The Kingdom of God is nevertheless a present reality, in that righteousness, peace and joy are already the experience of the Church. Yet, the future of the believers' participation in the Kingdom, is guaranteed by their participation with the Holy Spirit in the present. Through this present participation with the Spirit, are we guaranteed of the future bodily resurrection, inheritance and eternal life. Our participation in the "firstfruits" guarantees our participation in the "harvest". When the Holy Spirit is involved in the world, he is involved with the task of the Kingdom; the calling of those who will be the People for God's Name. The Holy Spirit makes the Word understandable and appropriate for salvation through the Gospel. He gives life which opens them up for his work in them to bring about their identification with Christ, the Lord and King. The Holy Spirit is the key to true spirituality and Christ-likeness. The Holy Spirit is the key to the future.

Met die oog daarop om 'n basisteorie vir familiepastoraat te ontwerp, word verskeie basisteoretiese konsepte geidentifiseer en bespreek. Dit is veral die relasionele definiering van families - eerder as die tradisionele biologiese definiering - wat van fundamentele belang vir basisteoretiese besinning is. Hierdie 'ekologiese' verstaan van families, sluit familiesisteme van alle vorms in en hou rekening met huidige sosiologiese realiteite sowel as bepaalde teologiese perspektiewe. In aansluiting by die relasionele definiering van families, het familiepastoraat 'n verhoudingsfokus en werk dit met 'n multidimensionele perspektief wat op al die dinamiese verhoudingsprosesse en -fases binne familiesisteme gerig is. In verbondenheid met die gemeente, benader familiepastoraat families as ekologiese geloofsisteme en funksioneer dit in die lig van die evangelie asook doelbewus binne koninkrykskonteks. In die slothoofstuk word al die sentrale basisteoretiese konsepte geintegreer tot 'n teoretiese geheel. Die basisteorie vir familiepastoraat, wat hier ontwerp word, kan kemagtig soos volg geformuleer word: Familiepastoraat is gesprekmatige verhoudingsorg van die ekologiese familie en dit geskied binne koninkrykskonteks.
For the purpose of developing a basic theory for family pastoral work, several basic theoretical concepts are identified and discussed. The defining of families in terms of relations - rather than the traditional biological defining - is of fundamental importance for basic theoretical reflection. This 'ecological' understanding of families includes families of all shapes and forms, whilst it also reflects sociological realities and it takes into account certain theological perspectives. The aim of family pastoral work is synchronised with the relational defining of families and focus, therefore, on the multiple dynamic relational processes and phases within family systems. For this manifold relational focus, family pastoral work operates with a multidimensional perspective. The basic theory developed for family pastoral work, can be formulated as follows: Family pastoral work is dialogical care of the relationships of ecological families and it operates within context of the Kingdom.
Practical Theology
M.Th. (Practical theology)

The dissertation underlines an approach towards mission, where the epistemology, hermeneutical key and methodology centre around relationship. This, by tracing trends in the pastoral context, verified through research and an analysis of congregational surveys. The results were then analysed in terms of biblical revelation (the creation narratives, God's covenental relationship with Israel, Christ as the New Israel, Christ's missiological methodology and an understanding of the Holy Trinity). The resulis were then also brought into conversation with recent developments in science, recognising the interdependence of all things, and also exploring recent definitions of mission. The study then grapples with a new way of engaging in theology. This new model simultaneously promotes the symbiotic nature of theologies, while placing them within the framework of relational objectives; using dialogue as medium, Holland and Henriot's Social Analysis and quantifiable relationship goals to engender a theological process accessible to people from all contexts and backgrounds.
Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology
M. Th. (Missiology)

M.A.
Christianity was not born in a vacuum, but it completely owes its historical genesis on or from Jewish religion. The Apostolic, Primitive church was initially composed of Jewish believers who had seen in and understood Jesus of Nazareth as the anticipated Messiah predicted by the Old Testament prophets and writers. The current and lamentable truth is, Jewish Religion and Christianity are now two different and separate religions. Jesus Christ, His disciples, and Paul remained Jews as far as the Jewish culture is concerned. It is difficult to separate the sacred and secular in the Jewish economy because Jewish culture and religion are intertwined. In this culture, ploughing is as sacred as worshipping. The only apparent shift in his (Paul) paradigm was in interpreting and explaining the Old Testament prophecies and ceremonial system in the light of the Jesus Christ event at the Cross. His evaluation of that "event" and the Person of Jesus of Nazareth became the point of conflict with Judaisers and Judaism that would set a stage for separation between Christianity and Jewish Religion. The Christian Church exists in the post-Cross era. This Church is faced with, among other issues and tasks, challenges of sifting and demarcating between God's injunctions and Jewish Customs.

Starting point of the search for the purpose of 1 Timothy is the assumption of basic similarities between this letter and letter writing in Greco-Roman antiquity. This means that 1 Timothy is designed for an oral performance in front of an audience. The analysis concentrates on the so far neglected classical duties of the speaker: memoria and pronuntiatio. This means the memorized performance in front of an audience. 1 Timothy shows many mnemotechnical devices and puts certain terms in focus. This shows what expressions the audience has to memorize and what aspects show prominence. The result of this can be formulated as the purpose of 1 Timothy: Paul wants to confirm Timothy in his mandate to guard the gospel from being changed through a resolute dismissal of wrong teachings and an ethic that honours God and men.
Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology
M. Th. (New Testament)

Text in German with German and English summaries
Starting point of the search for the purpose of 1 Timothy is the assumption of basic similarities between this letter and letter writing in Greco-Roman antiquity. This means that 1 Timothy is designed for an oral performance in front of an audience. The analysis concentrates on the so far neglected classical duties of the speaker: memoria and pronuntiatio. This means the memorized performance in front of an audience. 1 Timothy shows many mnemotechnical devices and puts certain terms in focus. This shows what expressions the audience has to memorize and what aspects show prominence. The result of this can be formulated as the purpose of 1 Timothy: Paul wants to confirm Timothy in his mandate to guard the gospel from being changed through a resolute dismissal of wrong teachings and an ethic that honours God and men.
Ausgangspunkt der Frage nach der Absicht des 1. Timotheus ist die Annahme, dass dieser Brief grundsätzliche Gemeinsamkeiten mit der kaiserzeitlichen Epistolographie aufweist. Demnach ist der 1. Timotheus für den mündlichen Vortrag (Performanz) vor einem Publikum konzipiert. Die Analyse konzentriert sich auf die bisher in der rhetorischen Forschung vernachlässigten klassischen Aufgaben des Redners: memoria (das Auswendiglernen) und pronuntiatio (der freie Vortrag). Dabei zeigt sich, dass im 1. Timotheus eine Vielzahl mnemotechnischer Mittel eingesetzt wird. Auch die für einen effektiven mündlichen Vortrag notwendige Hervorhebung einzelner Begriffe wird methodisch begründet und aufgezeigt. Dadurch wird deutlich, welche Punkte sich den Zuhörern einprägen sollen und welche Aspekte besonders hervorgehoben werden. Die Zusammenfassung dieser Ergebnisse wird als Absicht des 1. Timotheus formuliert: Paulus will Timotheus in seinem Auftrag bestätigen, nämlich das Evangelium vor Verfälschung zu bewahren durch ein entschiedenes Eintreten gegen falsche Lehren und eine Ethik, die Gott und den Menschen mit Ehre und Respekt begegnet.
Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology
M. Th. (New Testament)

The goal of the research was to explore the ongoing problem of Baptist Pastors leaving the ministry and to attempt to discover the impact of this problem upon Baptist Churches by means of "focus group" interviews. The dissertation links the problem with a Baptist ecclesiology and seeks to understand the Baptist belief in the autonomy of the Local Church and the praxis of accreditation for pastoral ministry, plus the existence of so-called "subterranean Pastors" which has contributed toward pastoral termination.
Practical theology
M.Th. (Practical Theology)