Role Of Christianity Research Articles

Between Curse and Cross.

Abstract By expanding the source base to include the so-called curse tablets, this study attempts to illuminate some aspects from a difficult Pauline paragraph. In Gal 3:10–14, Paul makes a very close connection between law and curse using Old Testament quotations. Some explanations on the employment of curses in legal contexts are used here to clarify on the background of popular magical practice certain features of the Pauline understanding of the law as well as the role of Christ as a counter-curse. An important prerequisite for this methodological approach is the common cultural repertory shared by the author and his readers.

Holiness and Pentecostal Movements: Intertwined Pasts, Presents, and Futures

This volume is the first in a new Penn State University Press book series Studies in the Holiness and Pentecostal Movements, which has its origins in an ongoing joint session of the Manchester Wesley Research Centre and the Pentecostal Theological Seminary that began at the American Academy of Religion in 2018 with a focus on exploring the intersections between the Holiness and Pentecostal Movements. The introduction to the book gives some of the background to that exploration and presents a potted history, highlighting the pioneering work of those looking to build closer academic relationships between Pentecostal and Wesleyan scholars, which does not always make comfortable reading for those of us in the latter camp. Here some more detail would have been helpful at times to better understand acts of seeming intransigence: why, for example did the Executive Committee of the Wesleyan Theological Society discontinue joint meetings with the Society for Pentecostal Studies in 2020 without even allowing a discussion? (11)The rest of the book is divided into three sections, the first offering perspectives on the beginnings of the emergence of Pentecostalism from the Holiness Movement toward the end of the nineteenth century, beginning with the role of God’s Bible School in the education of early Holiness and Pentecostal leaders explored by David Bundy. Of particular interest to British readers is Kimberly Ervin Alexander’s assessment of the Wesleyan roots of British Pentecostalism in the ministry of Alexander A. Boddy, the Anglican vicar who founded the Pentecostal Missionary Union. The chapter highlights Boddy’s intriguing descendance from Mary Vazeille, a fact Boddy spoke proudly of at a bicentenary celebration of his great-great-great-step-grandfather, where he expressed a feeling of ‘much sympathy with the Methodists’ (77). Alexander rightly highlights the importance of Boddy’s geographical location in Sunderland, where from 1908 until 1914 he hosted an annual convention. She does, however, misjudge the source of Wesleyan and Holiness influences on the area: Lorenzo Dow visited neither here nor Manchester, where Boddy grew up (77) but the influence of James Caughey’s visit to Sunderland in the 1840s and especially Phoebe Palmer’s hugely successful campaign in the town in November 1859 are much more likely to have had lasting impacts. Alexander, though, does offer a much needed and perceptive study of Boddy, a vital British link between the Wesleyan Holiness Movement and Pentecostalism. Here lies one of the strengths of the book, in revaluating the contribution of neglected figures in the development of Holiness and Pentecostal theology and praxis.The second section of the book looks at the unity and diversity of the Holiness and Pentecostal movements as they developed. Daniel Woods gives a captivating account of the role of the railroad between 1880 and 1920, both as a theological metaphor for salvation typified in gospel songs such as This Train Is Bound for Glory and as a practical method of transport for preaching the gospel and establishing new ecclesial communities. As well as rescuing key figures from relative obscurity, the strongest essays in the collection also offer new interpretive tools with which to view them, as when Cheryl Sanders makes imaginative and perceptive use of the lenses of the Womanist perspective offered by Alice Walker and the insights of H. Richard Niebuhr’s Christ and Culture to evaluate the contribution of Black Radical Holiness women like Amanda Berry Smith, Mother Lizzy Robertson, and Mother Lilian Brookes Coffey.The concluding section of the volume offers some theological perspectives and begins with Frank Macchia’s reflection on the role of Christ as Spirit baptizer in Luke 3:16–17 and its relevance for Holiness and Pentecostal views of the atonement. The collection concludes where it began: in the academy, with an exploration of the importance of the work of the Cleveland School of Pentecostal scholars, which emerged from the Church of God Theological Seminary in Tennessee.This is a rich and fascinating collection of essays that offers a variety of historical and theological insights, the fruit of closer academic cooperation between two traditions with deep Wesleyan roots to the benefit of both. Along with the other planned volumes in the Penn State series, it is a hopeful sign that the sometime tendency toward isolationism described in the book’s introduction may become a thing of the past.

Keunikan Yesus Kristus Sebagai Imam dan Implementasinya bagi Penginjilan Dunia

Abstract: The phrase "Christ as Prophet, priest and King" is familiar to our ears, perhaps even deep in the minds of every believer. Of course, our belief in the three roles of Christ is a divine function that allows God's word to be conveyed to the world, the substitution and redemption of human sin, and God's absolute rule. That means that the office of Christ as a Prophet, Priest, and King does not stop at Jesus alone, but has implications for ourselves as His people. In this paper, the topic discussed is about Jesus Christ as a true Priest. Why? not to neglect or separate the other two offices of Christ. but as an effort to explore the meaning of the office of Christ as a priest. Because there are still "Christians" who do not clearly understand the meaning of the three offices of Christ for the practice of world evangelism. Then how does this doctrine of Christology, which seems so transcendent, relate to the practical life of humans every day? How should this concept shape the practice of world evangelism? So it would be nice to discuss three office that are focused on each position. As in the Old Testament the role of Mediation of prophets, priests, and kings is filled with separate individuals, the three offices are now united in one person Jesus Christ. This truth must be clarified to believers so that they understand the implementation of world evangelism.

BERBAUR TANPA KEHILANGAN IDENTITAS: PENDIDIKAN MORAL ETIS MENUJU KEDEWASAAN

Based on success of a person, characteristic becomes a determinant in actualizing it in everyday life. Even someone who has a high level of intelligence can be said to be successful if he has a strong character in himself. Character has a strong influence in life, a person sometimes has a character crisis caused by a lack of awareness or ignorance about himself including his own character, and denial of self-identity. This crisis can happen to anyone, from children to adults. In early adulthood a person will think more logically and logically everything including the logic of the Creator. It is in this early adult that a person must complete the Christian identity that is held to be applied in his life. What becomes a Christian identity is creating a peaceful and harmonious life in society, loving one another, being sincere towards others, and being sincere in dealing with things, these things are the fundamentals of Christian identity. Jesus Christ who is the Christian's role model and the Bible that is the role model must be the basis of Christian identity, Jesus is the teacher and the Bible is the source of learning. This Christian identity will become stronger as a person experiences growth in faith, especially someone who is in a phase towards maturity or commonly called early adulthood.

An Atoning Priority in the Hymns of Calvary and Gethsemane

An Atoning Priority in the Hymns of Calvary and Gethsemane

1 Corinthians 10:1–4: The Rhetorical-Poetic Effect of Vividness and Emotions in Paul's Exhortation to Monotheism in the Context of 10:1–22

In 1 Cor. 10:1–22, Paul deals with the role of Christ and his relationship to God. This is an important ethical topic that Paul deems necessary to discuss with the Corinthian believers. In order to make an effective, thus persuasive, argument, he follows the ancient Greco-Roman tradition of rhetoric and poetics. I argue that vv. 1–4 is Paul's introduction to his vivid representation of monotheism (vv. 5–22). As he presents his narrative of the wilderness events, he employs various rhetorical-poetic techniques to evoke in his hearers imaginative and emotional experiences that will transport them into a higher level of ethical consciousness, a new monotheistic reality in Christ.

예수의 메시아 정체성에 관한 고찰

This paper is a Study of Jesus’ identity as Messiah. It was explored starting from three premises. First, the crisis of the Korean church today is based on the wrong understanding of Jesus Christ. In particular, the Korean church distorted Jesus’ identity as Messiah through prosperity theology. Second, the question, ‘who is Jesus,’ will be discussed not in the quest for the historical Jesus, but through the question of Jesus’ identity as Messiah, which Christianity has already accepted as orthodox doctrine. This means that the knowledge of Christ is related to ‘the role of Christ’ in salvation, not ‘the substance of Christ’. Third, the question of Jesus’ identity as Messiah provides preaching material through the interpretation of the Bible text rather than theological discussion.BR With these three premises, this paper reveals Jesus’ identity as Messiah and presents the mission of the church and the life of the disciples as based on that identity. Jesus was the Suffering Messiah, who obeyed God’s will until he died on the cross (Philip., 2:6-8). Therefore, the life of Jesus’ suffering, and his death on the cross, is the standard for judging the church, and it is this norm of life that the disciples should follow.

Schopenhauer on Christ, Suffering and the Negation of the Will

ABSTRACT This paper seeks to illuminate Schopenhauer’s notion of the negation or denial of the will by investigating the figure of the saint within his philosophy. We argue that various discussions in Schopenhauer’s works of the possible role of Christ as exemplar reveals an underlying Christological understanding of self-denial as a model for the saint. The connection between Schopenhauer’s approach to Christ and Kant’s Christology in Religion within the Bounds of Mere Reason is also explored. We note how Schopenhauer builds on the Kantian demythologization of the Incarnated Christ in order to uncover the moral and existential spirit that underlies Christianity. In addition, we outline how a recognition of the symbolic importance of Christ for Schopenhauer suggests features of the denial of the will that have been overlooked in the literature, involving the intellectual transcendence of suffering through the cultivation of a state of emotional unresponsiveness. It is argued that this reflects a deeper connection between Schopenhauer’s philosophy and Christian thought than is often recognised.

Apokatastasis as “Twin Mission”: Understanding the Concurrence of the Universality and Particularity of Logos and Ruach in the Economy of Salvation

Abstract Universal salvation (apokatastasis), once considered as an anathema, has recently gained a lot of currency in theological reflections. This paper will attempt to explore the possibilities for such a universal restitution of all creation using Irenaeus’ conception of the double mission of the Son and the Spirit in relation to creation as “the two hands with which God creates and perfects.” Toward this purpose, it will try to address the inherent limitations within the traditional notion of conceiving Christ as the Redeemer and the Spirit as the Sanctifier that has often resulted in a binary understanding of the role of Christ as “objective” and that of the Spirit as “subjective.” It will argue for a complementary understanding of the “twin mission” through a dialectical-chiastic pattern that will balance the subjective-objective and particular-universal aspects of the Logos and the Ruach.

God’s Gift in Ephesians: Dwelling in the Space of Divine Transcendence in the Face of Hopelessness and Dislocation

Abstract With a focus on Eph 4:7-16, the article highlights the significance of the concept of “gift” in Ephesians. John Barclay’s work helps to situate the Paul of Ephesians among Jewish theologians of grace, especially the perspective of the Qumran Hodayot with respect to the incongruity of divine mercy. Moreover, the results of recent analyses of Ephesians within the Roman Imperial context, including civic and familial concepts, are pushed to a new level of understanding. The study includes an examination of the link between ancient ideologies and practices related to gift giving and the delineation of social bonds and communal obligations where the depiction of the role of Christ as the giver of ministerial gifts plays a crucial role. Ultimately, the essay goes some way to close the perceived gap between the undisputed letters and Ephesians in term of a theology of grace.

In persona Christi

Within the Catholic Church from around the tenth century onwards, liturgical gloves could be worn on specific occasions by those of the rank of bishop and above. Using a pair of seventeenth-century gloves in the Whitworth as a basis for further exploration, this article explores the meanings ascribed to liturgical gloves and the techniques used to make them. It argues that, within the ceremony of the mass, gloves had a specific role to play in allowing bishops to function performatively in the role of Christ.

Feminist Christology: A New Iconoclasm?

Feminist Christology: A New Iconoclasm? Sara Butler, M.S.B.T. IN ITS SOME OF ITS best-known expressions, feminist Christology1 is a contemporary version of iconoclasm.2 Several leading Catholic feminist theologians, in fact, explicitly claim their identity as “iconoclasts” (“image-breakers”) in their critique of Christian doctrine. They embark on a program of deconstruction and revision of Christian symbols because they believe that exclusively male representations of God and of Christ function as “idols” that legitimate male superiority over women.3 They object to the iconic argument for reserving priestly [End Page 493] ordination to men—namely, that it is fitting that a priest be male in order to represent Christ vis-a-vis the Church—by questioning the theological significance of Christ’s own maleness. Some conclude that granting this not only amounts to idolatry but also suggests that women are excluded from salvation.4 The idea that granting theological significance to Christ’s maleness constitutes idolatry is not entirely without precedent. There was a dispute over how to reconcile belief in Christ’s universal human nature with the significance of his concrete humanity, with its male character, during the iconoclastic controversy in the eighth and ninth centuries (726–843) in the Christian East.5 The iconoclastic controversy had to do with inanimate icons of Christ, images on wooden panels, and the legitimacy not only of venerating them but even of “writing” them at all. For iconoclasts, an icon of Christ either excludes his divine nature or attempts to circumscribe it. They deny that Christ is circumscribed by the flesh and object that since he assumed “man in general,” or flesh without distinguishing features, he cannot be portrayed.6 The feminist Christologies I have in mind are concerned [End Page 494] with which persons may be regarded as “icons” of Christ—males only, or both males and females.7 For feminists as well as iconoclasts, Christ’s humanity must be inclusive, so the claim that only males can function as his “icons” in the priesthood excludes females—not only from his humanity but also from salvation. Both, then, deal with purported deficiencies in visible representations of Christ. These feminist and iconoclastic theologians both, in fact, raise questions about the reality, permanence, and character of the Incarnation.8 While iconoclasts were initially concerned only with the veneration of icons, the debate they initiated was eventually recognized as a Christological controversy.9 While feminist theologians were initially concerned chiefly with women’s access to the ministerial priesthood, their critique has also given rise to questionable Christological claims.10 Saint Theodore the Studite (756–829), the leading champion of icons during the second phase of the iconoclastic controversy, is one of the few Fathers of the Church who took up the question of Christ’s maleness.11 I hope to show that St. Theodore’s response to the iconoclasts of his day also meets the objections [End Page 495] posed by feminist Christology. His appeal to Christ’s birth from the Virgin Mary Theotókos, moreover, calls attention to the traditional way of claiming a role for women in the economy of salvation. I. Feminist Christology12 I will take Rosemary Radford Ruether, Anne E. Carr, and Elizabeth A. Johnson as representatives of the feminist Christology that took shape in response to the iconic argument proposed to elucidate why priestly ordination is reserved to men.13 As expressed in the 1976 Declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Inter insigniores,14 the iconic argument appeals to St. Thomas Aquinas’s teaching that sacramental signs “represent what they signify by natural resemblance.”15 The declaration (art. 5) explains: The same natural resemblance is required for persons as for things: when Christ’s role in the Eucharist is to be expressed sacramentally, there would not be this “natural resemblance” which must exist between Christ and his minister if the role of Christ were not taken by a man: in such a case it would be difficult to see in the minister the image of Christ. For Christ himself was and remains a man.16 [End Page 496] Advocates of women’s ordination charge that this...

The Reign of Christ in Colossians: A Reassessment

This article undertakes a critical examination of the supposedly abundant expressions in Colossians denoting Christ's sovereign ruling lordship, and challenges the widely held notion that such lordship is in fact the letter's leading christological ingredient. We concentrate on the author's lexical preferences in christological segments, motivated by the question of which vocabulary is eligible for enrollment among the terms for expressing Christ's supremacy. The argument is carried forward on three fronts. After noting the widespread propensity in secondary literature to speak of Christ's rule in Colossians, we note, first, that rule terminology, strictly defined, is actually quite skimpy in the letter. Second, we observe that terms employed by Paul elsewhere to describe Christ's supremacy are conspicuously absent here. And, third, we find that other christological motifs, not Christ's rule, predominate in Colossians. We conclude by advocating an exercise of prudence when issuing assertions about Christ's rule in Colossians. The point is that dominion christology is not an adequate description of what this letter is saying about the role of Christ in relation to Christians and creation. Other christological themes, often overlooked, emerge when the text is read with closer attention to the author's diction.

From Glory to Glory

This article argues that, in De Trinitate, Augustine’s ascent to God via a search for the Trinity is successful precisely because of the emphasis he places on the role of Christ in such an ascent. Unlike scholarship which reads this ascent as an exercise in Neoplatonism—whether as a success or as an intentional failure—this article asserts that Augustine successfully discovers an imago trinitatis in human beings by identifying the essential mediation of the temporal and eternal in the person of the Incarnate Word. Of the work’s fifteen books, Books 4 and 13 focus extensively on the soteriological and epistemological role of Christ, who, in his humility, conquered the pride of the devil and reopened humanity’s way to eternity. The Christology in these books plays an important role in Augustine’s argument by allowing his ascent to move from self-knowledge to contemplation of God. Indeed, it is his understanding of the Christological perfection of the imago dei which allows Augustine to discover a genuine imago trinitatis in human beings. For Augustine, the imago is observable in humanity to the extent that an individual is conformed to Christ, the perfect image of the invisible God. Thus, it is only through Christ that a human being can successfully contemplate the Trinity in this imago.

Thomas Aquinas, the Beatific Vision and the Role of Christ: A Reply to Hans Boersma

This article continues a conversation with Hans Boersma on the role of Jesus Christ in the beatific vision enjoyed by the saints. In his book Seeing God, Boersma maintained that there is a Christological deficit in Thomas Aquinas’s account of the beatific vision. In response I suggested that Aquinas held that Christ’s beatific vision is forever the cause of that of the saints. In his reply to me, Boersma more or less accepted my conclusion, but claimed there was still a Christological deficit because Aquinas mentions the thesis only rarely. He then drew attention to a second, more important factor in the alleged deficit, namely, Aquinas’s identification of the divine essence rather than Christ as the vision’s object. The present article responds to both elements of the alleged deficit, arguing against Boersma on the basis of the Summa Theologiae’s structure that there is no such deficit in Aquinas. While Boersma, after finding against Aquinas, moves in conclusion “towards a theophanic view of the beatific vision,” in my own conclusion I sketch out an alternative, Thomist account of the relationship between the beatific vision and heavenly theophany.

Shylock, the Devil and the Meaning of Deception in The Merchant of Venice

The article explores Shakespeare’s secularized retelling of the Christian theological narrative of deceiving the Devil, with Antonio playing the role of Christ and Shylock as the Devil. The article argues that recasting the contest between Christ and the Devil in the world of Venice sets the stage for Shakespeare’s larger exploration of the pervasive nature of deceit in human affairs. Although it seems that Shakespeare’s characters are resigned to live in a fallen world where truth is obscured, Portia’s invocation of mercy may be Shakespeare’s attempt to offer some hope of an earthly salvation. The article argues that this portrait of a world filled with deception resonated with Shakespeare’s audience. Men and women in early modern England lived in a world where they often had to hide their religious identities and loyalties. This interpretation challenges more recent attempts to see the play as primarily concerned with race and tolerance.

PLATO'S PILOT IN THE POLITICAL STRATEGY OF JULIAN AND LIBANIUS

The rhetorical career of Libanius of Antioch (a.d.314–c.393) spanned the reigns of a number of fourth-century emperors. Like many orators, he used the trope of the emperor as a pilot, steering the ship of state. He did this for his imperial exemplar Julian and in fact for his predecessor Constantius II as well. Julian sought to craft an identity for himself as a theocratic king. He and his supporters cast him as an earthly parallel to the Christ-like versions of Heracles and Asclepius he constructed, which was arguably a co-opting of Christian and particularly Constantinian themes. In a public oration, Julian even placed himself in the role of Christ in the Temptation in the Wilderness. This kind of overtly Christian metaphor was not Libanius’ preferred idiom, however, and he wrote of Julian as another kind of chosen and divine saviour-figure, one with its roots in the golden age of Greek philosophy. The figure of the κυβερνήτης, the ‘pilot’ or ‘helmsman’, is a philosophical concept with roots in the thought of the pre-Socratics but most familiar from Plato. The uses of this metaphor by Julian and Libanius highlight the rhetorical strategy and self-presentation the emperor employed during his reign.

«Мера за меру» У. Шекспира и мистерии: сюжет о воскрешении Лазаря

<p>В настоящей статье предпринимается попытка проанализировать традицию средневековой мистерии в «проблемной» пьесе «Мера за меру». Несмотря на использование Шекспиром итальянского источника, новеллы Джиральди Чинтио «История Эпитии» из сборника «Гекатомити», пьеса не превращается в полной мере в неоклассическую комедию в итальянском духе. Важность таких противопоставленных тем, как неправедный мирской суд и высшая справедливость Божьего суда, закон и милосердие, связывают шекспировский текст с проблематикой средневекового религиозного театра, а через нее — с евангельской традицией.</p><p>Пьесы, посвященные воскрешению Лазаря, имеются в сохранившихся текстах Йоркского, Честерского и Таунлийского циклов, а также в цикле пьес «города N». Хотя их композиционное расположение различно в разных циклах, значимость драмы о величайшем чуде Христа для жанра мистерии неоспорима.</p><p>Монолог Клаудио о смерти восходит к средневековой апокрифической традиции Visio Lazari, повлиявшей также на тексты мистерий, — рассказа воскресшего Лазаря о загробных муках. В то же время загадочное молчание закутанного в плащ Клаудио в финале пьесы может быть связано уже напрямую с текстом Евангелия от Иоанна, где воскресший Лазарь предстает перед скорбящими родными с лицом, обвязанным платком, и воспринято как воплощение тайны смерти.</p><p>Поведение Изабеллы и Марианы в заключительном акте даже внешне напоминает о Марии и Марфе, преклонивших колени перед Христом. Однако на этот раз они молят пощадить Анджело, и дарованное ему помилование позволяет говорить о хотя бы потенциальной возможности его раскаяния и духовного воскрешения. Наиболее сложной для интерпретации оказывается фигура Герцога: хотя его роль в сюжете может быть сопоставлена с ролью Христа в мистерии, он становится лишь отчасти богоподобной фигурой, но не Богом, а его слишком человеческие слабости и промахи позволяют пьесе сохранять баланс между аллегоричностью и психологизмом.</p>

Vstrechi s V. Rozanovym. Sushchnost' hristianstva

The article recounts the author’s debate with Rozanov on the essence of Christianity. The author notes the differences between the ideas of Christ and those of the Christian church, to the point of being complete opposites. One of the major differences between the teachings of Christ and of the Christian church is the cult of martyrs in Christianity, while Christ taught to rejoice even in the most difficult of life’s circumstances. Rozanov also ponders on the problem of the martyr cult in the Christian church, but justifies it with the figure of Christ himself and his prophecies on sorrow. The author disagrees with this, although recognizes as important Rozanov’s ideas on the power of the word of prophecy, on the programming of a man’s life by words, on the role of Christ’s prophecies in history, and on the transcendental nature of the causes of suffering. The article differentiates between the concepts of a social institution as represented by the church and a spiritual teacher as represented by Christ, and notes that Rozanov’s accusations against the Christian church of preaching obedience, asceticism, of persecution of dissenters are not justified because the church, as a social institution, cannot act differently. The author stresses the fact that Christ was not an ascetic, never fasted, joined in wedding festivities, and blessed joy and matrimony. Moreover, there is a hypothesis, which the author substantiates, that Christ was married to Mary Magdalene, testified to by apocryphal testaments and Coptic writings. It thus leads to the conclusions that the mission of Christ as a spiritual teacher was to teach men to love and rejoice, and not to suffer and become a sacrifice to atone for the sins of men.

To Heaven or Hell: An Introduction to the Soteriology of Bartolomé de Las Casas

For more than half a century, Lascasian scholars have periodically noted that little if any study has been done on the theology of Bartolomé de Las Casas and, in particular, on his soteriology. This study addresses this lacuna by initiating a discussion concerning the various pathways to salvation that this religious figure espoused in his copious writings in defence of the indigenous peoples and out of his passionate concern for their salvation. This investigation demonstrates that, in the Brevísima relación, he predominantly employed the tradition based on ecclesial and divine law that baptism was necessary for salvation. Yet, in this and other writings, he also proposed alternative salvific avenues based on the eternal law of God's Providence and the role of Christ in salvation history as head in actu of all unbelievers, as well as elucidated pathways to salvation generated by natural law, which upheld the religious beliefs and practices of the indigenous peoples, including human sacrifice. His consequent ground-breaking defence of religious freedom and religious pluralism predated similar proclamations from Vatican II.