57,838 research outputs found
The Bible in imperial Japan, 1850-1950
No full textThis thesis undertakes to apply some of the insights from postcolonial criticism to understand the history of Christianity in Japan, focusing on key Christian thinkers in the period since Japan’s national isolation ended in the mid 19th century.
It studies these theologians' interaction with the the Bible as a “canonical” text in the Western civilisation, arguing for a two-way connection between Japan’s reception of Christianity and reaction to the West. In particular, it considers the process through which Christianity was employed to support or criticise Japan’s colonial discourse against neighbouring Asian countries. In this process, I argue that interpretation of the Bible was a political act, informed not simply by the text itself, but also by the interpreter’s positionality in the society.
The thesis starts by reviewing the history of Christianity in Japan. The core of the thesis consists of three chapters, each of which considers the thought of two contemporaries. Ebina Danjo (1866-1937) and Uchimura Kanzo (1861-1930) were two first-generation Christians who converted to Christianity through missionaries from the United States, and responded to Japan’s westernisation and military expansion from opposite perspectives. Kagawa Toyohiko (1888-1960) and Yanaihara Tadao (1893-1961) spoke about the country’s situation in the years preceding the Asia-Pacific War (1941-1945), and again reached two different conclusions. Nagai Takashi (1908-1951) and Kitamori Kazo (1916-1998) were Christian voices immediately after the war, and both dealt with the issue of suffering. Each chapter explores how the formation of their thoughts was driven by their particular historical, economic, and social backgrounds. The concluding chapter outlines Christian thought in Japan today and deals with the major issue facing Japanese theology: cultural essentialism
Social Network Analysis of Iroquoian Sites in the St. Lawrence River Valley: AD 1400-1600
No full textResearch article - Publication scientifique -
Hart, John P., Jennifer Birch, Christian Gates St-Pierre, 2023: «Social Network Analysis of Iroquoian Sites in the St. Lawrence River Valley: AD 1400-1600». Journal of Historical Network Research 8(1): 98-144.
https://DOI:10.25517/jhnr.v8i1.7
Zechariah 9-14 as the substructure of 1 Peter’s eschatological program
No full textThe principal aim of this study is to discern what has shaped the author of 1 Peter to regard Christian suffering as a necessary (1.6) and to-be-expected (4.12) component of faithful allegiance to Jesus Christ. Most research regarding suffering in 1 Peter has limited the scope of inquiry to two particular aspects—its cause and nature, and the strategies that the author of 1 Peter employs in order to enable his addressees to respond in faithfulness. There remains, however, the need for a comprehensive explanation for the source that has generated 1 Peter’s theology of Christian suffering. If Jesus truly is the Christ, God’s chosen redemptive agent who has come to restore God’s people, then how can it be that Christian suffering is a necessary part of discipleship after his coming, death and resurrection? What led the author of 1 Peter to such a startling conclusion, which seems to runs against the grain of the eschatological hopes and expectations of Jewish restoration ideology?
This thesis analyzes the appropriation of shepherd and fiery trials imagery,
and argues that the author of 1 Peter is dependent upon Zechariah 9-14 for his
theology of Christian suffering. Said in another way, the eschatological program of
Zechariah 9-14, read through the lens of the Gospel, functions as the substructure
for 1 Peter’s eschatology and thus its theology of Christian suffering.
In support of this hypothesis, this study highlights the fact that Zechariah 9-
14 was available and appropriated in early Christianity, in particular in the Passion
Narrative tradition; that the shepherd imagery of 1 Pet 2.25 is best understood
within the milieu of the Passion Narrative tradition, and that it alludes to the
eschatological program of Zechariah 9-14; that the fiery trials imagery found in 1
Peter 1.6-7 and 1 Pet 4.12 is distinct from that which we find in Greco-Roman and OT
wisdom sources, and that it shares exclusive parallels with some unique features of
the eschatological program of Zechariah 9-14; that Zechariah 9-14 offers a more
satisfying explanation for the modification of Isa 11.2 in 1 Pet 4.14, the transition
from 4.12-19 to 5.1-4, why Peter has oriented his letter with the term διασπορά,
and why he has described his addresses as οἶκος τοῦ θεοῦ; and finally that 1 Peter
contains an implicit foundational narrative that shares distinct parallels with the
eschatological program of Zechariah 9-14.
We can conclude that 1 Peter offers a unique vista into the way in which at
least one early Christian witness came to understand and to communicate the fact
that Christian suffering was a necessary feature of faithful allegiance to Jesus Christ
Restitutio ad integrum : an 'Augustinian' reading of Jeremiah 31:31-34 in dialogue with the Christian tradition
No full textThe struggle to read Jer 31:31-34 as Christian Scripture has a long and divided history. Yet remarkably little has been done to grapple with the depth of this struggle in the Christian tradition from the post-Nicene period to the modern era. This thesis attempts to show the value of the tradition as an interlocutor for contemporary exegetical concerns in Christian readings and use of Jer 31:31-34. The study begins with Augustineâ s interpretation of the text as an absolute contrast between unbelief and faith, rather than the standard reading (found in Jerome) of a contrast between two successive religio-historical eras - one that governed Israel (the â old covenantâ ) and a new era and its covenant inaugurated in the coming of Christ. Augustineâ s absolute contrast loosened the strict temporal concern, so that the faithful of any era were members of the â new covenantâ . The study traces this reading of an absolute contrast in a few key moments of Christian interpretation: Thomas Aquinas and high medieval theology, then the 16th and 17th century Reformed tradition.
The thesis aims at a constructive reading of Jer 31:31-34, and so the struggle identified in these moments in the Christian tradition is brought into dialogue with modern critical discussions from Bernhard Duhm to the present. Finally I turn to an exegetical argument for an â Augustinianâ reading of the contrast of the covenants. The study finds that Jer 31:31-34, read in its role in Jeremiah, contrasts Israelâ s infidelity with a future idyllic faithfulness to Yhwh: in the new covenant all will be as it always ought to have been. The contrast is thus between two mutually exclusive standings before Yhwh. Thus the study aims to contribute to modern exegetical, theological and ecclesial discussions of â oldâ and â newâ covenants by examining one of the central texts of the discussion in dialogue with parts of the history of interpretation
At the boundary of place : rethinking the provenance of early Christian architecture
No full textArchaeologists and historians have sought to understand the architecture of the early church using methods common to their respective fields of inquiry. This has included an approach to architecture which classifies buildings according to type and style. Limitations of both method and evidence has led some scholars to conclude that there was no Christian architecture before A.D. 200. This present study intends to broaden the understanding of architecture beyond mere tectonics and realise its significance as a boundary of place with a view toward examining the foundations of early Christian architecture. Boundary and place are primary components of the cosmos within Judaism. The Hebrews came to understand the world according to a concept of holiness manifested as a scheme of circular boundaries ascending into the presence of God, located within the Temple. As an outgrowth of Judaism, the early Church held similar views of place and boundary which gave them an affinity for the Temple. By understanding architecture as a boundary of place we can connect the sacred places and boundaries of the Jews from Creation to the Land and Temple. The Church proclaimed Jesus as God incarnate and Himself the Temple transformed. The traditional view has been that the synagogue was the connecting link between the Church and the Temple, but the origins and role of the synagogue are now doubted. The predominance of the house in the life and ministry of Jesus combined with its prevalence in the NT and the early Christian writers indicates that the Christians understood sacred place in terms of their domestic reality. The house provided not only a strong ligature connecting Church and Temple, it was also an archetype for the Church’s sacred place and developing architectural boundaries
The principles and practice of Christian education in the churches of England and Scotland, 1900-1965
No full textThis study deals with the principles and practice of Christian
Education in the Churches of England and Scotland from the viewpoints of
theological understanding, educational theory, and practical experimentation.
Because of the immense changes in educational theory in the
period, as a result of dynamics affecting the whole European situation, the
study begins with a broad overview of the theoretical revolution affecting
the whole movement within the Churches.
The study quickly gave convincing evidence that, although some of
the major developments emerged within individual denominational frameworks,
the impact of developing theory and practice was felt ecumenically, from
the very beginning of the period. The major records and publications of
the separate denominations were examined, and, deliberately, a general
survey was decided on, because of the commonality of the developments,
although special consideration was given in the second chapter to the
National Churches, because of their special significance in the religious
life of the country.
The study preceded to isolate and consider in depth the most significant developments of the period, firstly, in order of their appearance,
in the principles of grading and the practice of organisation, in chapters
three and four.
It was then necessary to deal very specifically with the most
radical development of the period, educationally, by considering the
centrality given to the child, as a result of continuing child study, and
the attempt to recognise the child's development as central in the educational ministry of the Church, through Christian education suitably devised
and designed. Chapter five deals with this development.
Alongside the fresh understanding of the child was the conflict
over the role of the Bible. From the perspective of contemporary theological insight, the Bible was considered, its educational value examined
by reference to the main contributors to the development of Christian
education, with special attention being paid to the relationship of the
Bible to curricular developments. This completed the examination of the
central issues affecting Christian education in the Churches, in chapter
six.
The following chapter had to consider the effects of all this
development on the approach to teaching, and a careful study was made of
the major methodologies in vogue during the period.
The persistent decline in the numbers involved in Church-based
Christian education, which was evident from the beginning, was tackled
seriously in the development of Family Church, a concept the study took
very seriously, and evaluated carefully.
Another dynamic became increasingly important in the attempt to
understand the total picture, namely, the place, and often the non-place,
of adult education. This was examined, and is evaluated in chapter nine.
A final factor of great importance to the period was the matter
of the selection, training and use of the Christian teacher, and chapter
ten evaluates some of the basic attitudes and approaches to these issues.
The conclusion summarises the main factors at work in the period,
and the effect of the entire study is to make a fresh contribution to the
understanding of Christian education as it was understood and practised in
the Churches of England and Scotland
Hospitality to the stranger : the experience of Christian Churches in the resettlement of African refugees to the United States
No full textThis thesis explores the role of constituent congregations of Church World
Service (CWS) in the process of resettling refugees in the U.S. It is based upon case
studies built around a series of interviews conducted with members of three
congregations who sponsored African families for resettlement in Minnesota.
Reflecting upon the experiences of those interviewed, the discourse considers the
efficacy of refugee resettlement as a means for Christian congregations to extend
hospitality to strangers.
The thesis explores the broader theme of Christian hospitality as a particular
activity of the church. Hospitality is approached using the scriptural theme of
welcoming the stranger as it is taken up by contemporary theologians. Christine Pohl,
author of Making Room, is regarded as a leading authority on hospitality. Much of
her research is based on the work of Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche
communities. This thesis suggests that Pohl’s treatment lacks both a usable
definition of hospitality and a sufficient theological framework in which to locate it.
In redressing these omissions, Pohl’s work is examined in light of Vanier in order to
establish an understanding of what comprises a particularly Christian approach to
hospitality.
Finally, the thesis proposes that as hospitality is understood as an act instituted
by the person of Christ and imbued by the Holy Spirit, it is to be considered an act
constitutive of the Church itself. Therefore it is an act necessary to the life of the
Church as the Body of Christ. While contemporary research engages with hospitality
as such an act, little work has been undertaken how it can be applied at the
congregational level. CWS’s model of refugee sponsorship provides congregations
with the tangible means by which they may offer hospitality to strangers
'The Cloud of Unknowing': its inheritance and its inheritors
No full textThe thesis attempts a portrait of The Cloud in the context of its
position in the history of Christian mysticism. That the
anonymous work owed much to spiritual writers of the preceding
twelve hundred years is not debatable; what it owed maybe
slightly less obvious. The Cloud is essentially a work of
Dionysian mysticism, and various writers within that tradition
who may have influenced or affected the teaching of The Cloud are
examined. At the same time, however, the anonymous writer owes
much to the western tradition of Augustinian theology, and the
role of this, complementary to the Dionysian mysticism, is also
considered. In Chapter II we look at the theological doctrine
underlying the mystical doctrine of the Cloud corpus. Chapter
III has two major parts, both concerned with the influence of
The Cloud on the subsequent development of spiritual writing in
England. The first considers the relationship with Walter
Hilton. The second examines aspects of Puritan thought which may
indicate that the influence of The Cloud, after the Reformation,
was not restricted to Catholic thought
The Christian ministry : case studies of preachers of the Churches of Christ in Bicol, Philippines
No full textThis thesis examines the challenges faced by the ministers of religion in Churches of Christ (Restoration Movement) in Bicol, Philippines. The goal is to do theology from below, not from above, as pastoral ministry must come from the experience of those who practice it, not from textbooks. The pastoral perspectives of the dilemmas that the ministers raise are heard, observed, documented, and then reflected upon. To do this, case studies of four preachers are used and the mga problema that they present are explored with them.
As a result, first, I introduce some of those challenges which are perplexing on the ground level and which appear to be under-researched in serious theological circles, especially in an Asian context. Second, I hope that these case studies can be used to stimulate reflection in ministerial and spiritual formation. Third, I document some of the theology and methodology of the Churches of Christ, particularly as practiced in the Philippines.
Chapter 1 explores the dichotomy between the perceived satisfaction in the pastoral ministry with the crisis of role and identity. In particular, issues such as forced exits and stress are presented while baptism and preaching are scrutinized. Chapter 2 centres on the conundrums experienced in planting a new church and being the lone planter. Chapter 3 examines three challenges–the task of ministering in a home congregation, the issue of accreditation in ministerial training, and how the minister can be a success and grow the church. Never far from the thoughts and actions of any of the Bicolano ministers is the problema of poverty, so Chapter 4 considers some of the Filipino, personal, and spiritual complexities of poverty, delineates a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration in any effort to overcome this malady and concludes with a particular reference to ministry
Effects of population dispersal on regional signaling networks: An example from northern Iroquoia
No full textResearch article - Publication scientifique -
John P. Hart, Jennifer Birch et Christian Gates St-Pierre, 2017: «Effects of Population Dispersal on Regional Signaling Networks: An Example from Northern Iroquoia». Science Advances 3(8): e1700497.
https://DOI:10.1126/sciadv.170049
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