PhD Theses

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    Philemon: A Transformation Of Social Orders
    (South African Theological Seminary Johannesburg, South Africa) Manyika, Batanayi Itayi; Lioy, Dan T.
    Rarely does one construct an entire ideological edifice based on a short portion of Scripture. Yet, evident in Philemon is a high concentration of multiple Pauline themes, intermingling in the dynamic life of a house church, prompted by relational friction between a paterfamilias and his slave. Launching from the central claim that the Gospel has the capacity to transform the relationships between powerbrokers and the disenfranchised, this dissertation identifies power disparities in the relationships between masters and slaves in the first-century CE Graeco-Roman world and across the ages. It engages Philemon’s history of interpretation from the Early Church to the present day, underlining how a society’s understanding of slavery is inextricably linked to the ever-shifting events in front of the text. A (re)construction and description of historical and societal matters, linked to Philemon’s context, is drawn up giving higher definition to the silent contextual matters at work in the letter’s occasion. Distinctive literary features, deliberative rhetoric, and a description of Social Identity Theory and Social-Scientific Criticism are harnessed to execute a hybridized exegetical and theological inquiry of the text linked to the project’s central theoretical claim. After critically correlating the Graeco-Roman milieu with the Southern African context, via the auspices of a derived etic, the exegetical and theological findings are appropriated in the relationships between Christian employers and Christian domestic workers, heralding a transformation of social orders. This project identifies the anti enthusiastic attitude as the preferred stance on slavery from the Early Church to the Reformation, diminishing with the rise of abolitionist activity. With Paul using slavery as a metaphor for Christ followership, it navigates the complexities and nuances latent in Philemon’s portrayal of the phenomenon. Furthermore, in discussing ancient and contemporary power disparities this research is translated into different contexts. Accompanying such possibility, this dissertation adds a voice from the Majority world to Pauline scholarship, an area dominated by Occidental figures and perspectives. From this treatise it is hoped that the elevation of the slave into a beloved brother(Phlm 16),would serve as a prompt leading to the transformation of the guild, as the church and academy strive to realise Paul’s therapeutic vision, the Gospel, in context.
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    A Dialectic Inquiry Concerning Meredith Kline’s Covenant Theology as Architectonic Substructure of the Reformed Two-Kingdom Project
    (South African Theological Seminary, 2021) Beck, Michael David Lockhart 1979; Falconer, Robert D.; Lioy, Dan T.
    The emergence of the Reformed Two-Kingdom project has generated a great deal of discussion. However, in this discussion, it is often assumed that Kline was the founder and architect of the project. The problem is that there has been very little examination of this point. In response, the following study investigates Kline’s covenant theology as it stands in relation to the current proposals of the Reformed Two-Kingdom doctrine. Due to the nature of Kline’s contribution, this research falls within an overlap of systematic theology and biblical theology. The data to be evaluated is obtained through the means of a dialectic inquiry—a research methodology that allows for the legitimate exploration of Kline’s thought in the light of competing perspectives within the Reformed tradition. After presenting the preliminaries of the study, as well as a robust literary survey, Kline’s covenant theology is itself described. His system is then put into discourse with three differing covenantal models. The primary dialogists in view at this point are (1) Greg Bahnsen, (2) John Frame, and (3) Herman Dooyeweerd. These represent the Theonomist, Perspectivalist, and Dooyeweerdian schools, respectively. The responses to Kline from these differing schools are analysed according to their central concerns. As a right understanding of the cultural mandate is a central concern for all the above perspectives, this issue is examined separately through the means of a biblical-theological study. The collected data of the preceding chapters is used as the means of a final evaluation. The findings of this study show both that Kline is able to withstand the critique of his interlocutors and also that his covenant theology has a clear bearing upon current discussions between Two-Kingdom and transformationalist groups. His model not only challenges monocovenantal conceptions of Reformed thought, but in so doing, shows important connections between soteriology, missiology and culture engagement. Further, it is seen that Kline’s protological eschatology, along with his insistence upon a basic level of post-fall structural duality, prevents a conception of the cultural task that falls prey to triumphalism and over-realized eschatology. In regard to the above, while the key differences between Kline and his interlocutors are clarified, the often-overlooked points of nuance in these differences are also highlighted. As these nuances prove important in their potential to lessen frustration and impasse in the ongoing dialogue, it is here that the value of the study is most clearly observed. The study shows that while Kline’s work can be seen to support contemporary expressions of the Reformed Two-Kingdom doctrine, it is anachronistic to understand this as though he himself advocated all the details of these proposals. Further, although Kline is typically spoken of as the father of the Reformed Two-Kingdom project, it is not as readily acknowledged that Kline himself stood in tentative alignment with some important features of Kuyperian and Dooyeweerdian thought. By providing clarity on this point, this study assists in reducing facile and overstated argumentation. More positively, it takes focus off of simplistic labels and instead directs future inquirers to the more central substructural issues that are at play. Further, it suggests that intra-Reformed polemics will lack productivity if the undergirding covenantal elements of the discussion are not given greater attention.
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    A Theological and Biblical Examination on the Synthesis of Penal Substitution and Christus Victor Motifs: Implications for African Metaphysics
    (South African Theological Seminary, 2013) Falconer, Robert D.; Jabini, Franklin; Kunhiyop, Samuel W.
    The present disposition of atonement theology has been turbulent in light of recent disputes and criticisms. This dissertation seeks to acknowledge two seemingly distinct atonement theories, the penal substitution and Christus Victormotifs, and then explore how they harmoniously complement one another as a synthesis. This atonement synthesis is then applied to African metaphysics to demonstrate its efficacy in a verydifferent cultural context fromthat of the West.The research begins with a study of the interplay between atonement theology and socio-historical contexts and the influences that helped develop the theological concepts of atonement. Here the notable presence of atonement synthesis is highlighted throughout Church history. Atonement synthesis in biblical narrative is then examined. It is argued that a theology of penal substitution without Christus Victor, or vice versa,is inadequate, as both the Church‘s theology and biblical narrative present them as harmonious and complementary. The implications of atonement synthesis are then explored in light of African metaphysics, in which the atonement best finds its expression among Africans. An overview of African philosophy and spirituality and a study of African atonement prepare the way for exploring the implications of atonement synthesis in African socio-cosmology, socio-disharmony, socio-ontology as well associo-renewal and cosmic harmony. These implications demonstrate that Christ‘s atonement is more than capable in dealing with African metaphysic realities. This dissertation suggests that atonement synthesis ultimately offersthe African liberty and hope. It fulfils a profound need in African philosophy and spirituality which,without Christ‘s penal substitution and Christ as Victor,there would beno hope of redemption. viii| P a g e“It means”, said Aslan, “that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards”.C.S. Lewis
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    A Critical Theological Examination of Little’s Creation-Order Theodicy’s Soteriology in Light of the Coexistence of Gratuitous Evil with the Benevolence and Sovereignty of God
    (South African Theological Seminary) Johnson, Connie
    The task of theodicy is the ongoing effort to rationalize the coexistence of God, with all his attributes, and evil. This research examines Little’s Creation-Order Theodicy, identifying inherent weaknesses in the theodicy, and proposing revisions to eliminate the weaknesses. The resultant revised Creation-Order Theodicy provides for the salvation of all who would be saved and upholds the benevolence and sovereignty of God, while affirming the coexistence of gratuitous evil. This research employs an integrative theology methodology, drawing from multiple fields to construct a holistic resolution. Beginning with an examination of Little’s Creation-Order Theodicy and then to both historical and contemporary theodical theories, comparisons and contrasts are made to extract, or formulate, biblically and theologically sound doctrine. The contributory elements of both historical and contemporary theodical doctrine, in both original and revised formulations, are introduced back into the dialectic circle, effecting the revision of Little’s original Creation-Order Theodicy. Having theologically and systematically formulated revisions to the Creation Order Theodicy, the revisions are evaluated against theories of significant monotheistic theodicists and Little’s original Creation-Order Theodicy to determine if the revised theodicy better addresses soteriology in light of the coexistence of gratuitous evil with the benevolence and sovereignty of God. The resultant revised Creation-Order Theodicy provides sound biblical, theological and logical solutions to the weaknesses found in Little’s original Creation-Order Theodicy. Lastly, the contribution of the revised Creation-Order Theodicy to theology is examined and suggestions for further research are recommended.
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