THE LOGOS CHRISTOLOGY of JOHN Introduction 1. The
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AUTHOR – HENRY NAWL THANG BIK A STUDY OF LOGOS CHRISTOLOGY OF JOHN AND ITS RELEVANCE TO CHIN COMMUNITY IN MYANMAR TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication Acknowledgements Table of Contents INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE: THE LOGOS CHRISTOLOGY OF JOHN Introduction 1. The Background of the Gospel of John 1.1.Structure of the gospel of John 1.1.1.Prologue 1.1.2.The Book of Signs 1.1.3.The Book of Glory 1.1.4.Epilogue 1.2.The Literary Style of the Gospel of John 1.2.1.Linguistic Style 1.2.2.Narrative Style 1.2.3.Irony 1.2.4.Symbolism 1.2.5.Signs AUTHOR – HENRY NAWL THANG BIK 1.2.6.Misunderstanding 1.3.The Authorship of the Gospel of John 1.3.1.John Mark 1.3.2.Lazarus 1.3.3.Bartholomew 1.3.4.John the Apostle 1.3.4.1. External Evidence 1.3.4.2. Internal Evidence 1.3.5.John the Elder 1.4.Place and Date of Writing of the Gospel of John 2. The Occasion of Purpose of the Gospel of John 2.1.The Religious and Historical Context 2.2.The Purpose of the Gospel of John 2.2.1.The Supplement of Hypothesis 2.2.2.The Replacement of Hypothesis 2.2.3.The Polemical Purpose of Hypothesis 2.2.4.The Didactic Purpose Hypothesis 2.2.5.The Proclamatory Purpose Hypothesis 2.3.The Jew Background 2.3.1.The Use of Old Testament in John 2.3.2.The Background of Qumran Judaism 2.3.3.The Background of Rabbinic Judaism 2.3.4.The Hellenistic Background AUTHOR – HENRY NAWL THANG BIK 2.3.5.The Hellenistic-Jewish Background 2.3.6.The Christian Background of John’s Gospel 2.3.7.The Proposed Gnostic Background 3. The Background of Johannie Use of Logos Concept and Its Meanings 3.1.Introduction 3.2.Etymology 3.3.Understanding the Concept of Logos in Greek Philosophy 3.3.1.Logos and Heraclitus 3.3.2.Logos and Plato 3.3.3.Logos and Aristotle 3.3.4.Logos and Stoic Philosophy 3.3.5.Logos and Philo of Alexandria 3.4.Understanding the Concept of Logos in Judaism 3.4.1.The Logos in the Old Testament 3.4.2.Logos in the Septuagint (LXX) 3.4.3. Logos in Targum 3.4.4. 3.5.The Use of Logos Concept in John’s Writings 3.5.1.The Logos in his Pre-existent States 3.5.2.The Logos as Light of the World 3.5.3.The Logos in Flesh as Mediator Summary CHAPTER TWO: HISTORICAL, SOCIO-CULTURAL BACKGOUND, POLITICAL SYSTEM, AND RELIGIOUS PRACTICES OF CHIN COMMUNITY IN MYANMAR Introduction 1. A Brief Historical Background of the Chin Community in Myanmar AUTHOR – HENRY NAWL THANG BIK 1.1.The Geographical Background of the Land 1.1.1. The Present Land 1.1.2. Climate 1.1.3. Tribe or Clan 1.1.4. The Minung (people) 1.2.Origins and Early History of the Chin 1.2.1. The Chin Concept of the ‘Sernak’ (Creation) 1.2.2. The Origins of Chins (Thawhkehnak of the Chin) 1.3.Migration (Pemnak) 1.3.1. Sojourn in the plains of Burma 1.3.2. Sojourn in the ‘Lai Tlang’ (Chin Hills) 1. The Socio-Cultural Significance/Life 1.1.The Village (Khua) 1.2.The Zawlbawk 1.3.The Head-hunting 1.4.Marriage 1.5.Divorce 1.6.Thlawmngeihna(k) 1.7.Legendary Stories 2. Political System 2.1.The Ram-Uk-Bawi/Lal (Chief) 2.2.The Upas (The Council of Elders) 2.3.Other Village Officials 3. Religious Life and Practices 3.1.The ‘Bia” (Logos) Christology from Chin 3.1.1. Etymology of the Bia. 3.1.2. Thiang Lo (The Taboos) 3.1.3. Khua-Zing (the Supreme God and Creator) 3.1.4. The Khua-zing Nu (God as a Mother) 3.1.5. The Nature of Khua-zing 3.1.6. Khua-hrum (The guardian god) 3.1.7. Khua-vang (the Shaman) AUTHOR – HENRY NAWL THANG BIK 3.1.8. Khua-chia (the Concept of evil spirits) 3.2.System of Sacrifice (Raithawinak or Sakhuabiaknak) 3.2.1. The Tlangbawi (Priest)/ Bawltu and Sathattu (the Priest and Who kills the offered animals) 3.2.2. The Raithawining Cang (The Sacrificial System) 3.2.3. Raithawinak (the Sacrifice) 3.2.4. Worship 4. Life After Death in Mithi-khua 4.1.Funeral Rite (Ruak Hngah) 4.2.The Concept of Thihnak le Nunnak (Life and Death) 4.3.The Chin Concept of Mi-thi-khua (Village of the Soul) 4.4.The Chin Concept of Thih-Hnu Nunnak (Life after Death) Summary CHAPTER THREE: A THOLOGICAL RELEVANCE BETWEEN THE LOGOS CHRISTOLOGY OF JOHN AND TRADITIONAL CHIN RELIGION IN MYANMAR Introduction 1. The Logos in Chin Traditional Religion 1.1. The Logos in Ceremonies and Sacrifices 1.2. The Eschatological Logos 1.3. The Logos as the Traditional God 2. The Logos in Chin Tribal Culture 2.1. The Logos in the Festivals 2.2. The Logos in the Myths 2.3. Christ and Culture: -The Logos Christology AUTHOR – HENRY NAWL THANG BIK 3. The Logos and the Chin Tribal Ethics 3.1. Logos as the Mover of Morality 3.2. Cosmic logos: The Ethical Principle of Organism Relationship 3.3. The Dormitory: A Praxis of Ethics 4. From Pre-Temporal to Active Everpresence 4.1. From Traditional to Modernity 4.2. From the History to the End-Time 4.3. The Final Hope Summary Conclusion Appendix I Appendix II Bibliography Bibliography Books Materials Aristotle, “Rhetoric,” Readings from Classical Rhetoric. New York: SIU Press, 1990. Aye, Inato. “The Logos Christology From Sema Perspective,” Tribal Theology: A Reader (ed.,) Shimreingam Shimray. Jorhat: Tribal Study Centre, 2003. Barclay, William, Jesus as They Saw Him. London: SCM Press, 1962. Barrett, C.K. The Gospel According to St. John. Philadelphia: The Westminister Press, 2nd, 1978. Bayer, Hans F. “Christ-Centred Eschatology in Acts 3: 17-26,” Jesus of Nazareth, Lord and Christ: Essays on the Historical Jesus and New Testament Christology (ed.,) Joel B. Green & Max AUTHOR – HENRY NAWL THANG BIK Turner. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994. Behera, Anugraha. An Introduction to the Gospel of John. Serampore: Serampore College, 2004. Bonsall, H. Brash. The Person of Christ, Vol. II. London: Christian Literature Crusade, 1972. Boyd, R.H.S. Kristadvaita: A Theology for India. Madras: Christian Literature Society, 1977. Boyd, Robin. An Introduction to Christ’s Theology. Delhi: ISPCK, 1969. Brown, R. Statistical Account of Manipur. Delhi: Sanskaran Prakashak, 1973. Brown, R.E. Gospel According to John. New York: Double Day and Company, 1966. The Gospel According to John I-XII. New York: Doubleday, 1966. The Gospel According to John XIII-XXI. New York: Doubleday, 1970. Bruce, F.F. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992. Bultman, Rudolf. Kerygma and Myth: A Theological Debate (trans.) Reginald H. Fuller, (ed.,) Hans Werner Bartsch. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1961. Jesus and the Word (trans.) by Lois Pettison Smith. New York: Charles Scribners & Sons, 1958. Carey, B. S. and H.N. Tuck, The Chin Hills: A History of People, Our Dealing with them, their Custom and Manners, and Gazetteer of their Country, Vol. 1 & 2. Aizawl: Tribal Institute, reprint, 1976. Carson, D.A. “Understanding Misunderstandings in the Fourth Gospel,” The Fourth Gospel. Bangalore: Theological Book Trust, 1998. Chatterji, N. Zawlbuk as a Social Institution in the Mizo Society. Aizawl: Tribal Research Institute, 1975. Cook, W.Robert, The Theology of John. Chicago: Moody Press, 1979. Culpepper, R. A. The Johannine School. Missoula, MO: Scholars Press, 1975. Culpepper, R.A. Anatomy of the Fourth Gospel. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1983. Dodd, C.H. “Logos,” The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel. Cambridge: University Press, reprint, 1958. Duke, P.D. Irony in the Fourth Gospel. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1983. Dunn, Christology in the Making: An Inquiry into the Origins of the Doctrine of the Incarnation.London: SCM Press, 2 edn., 1989. AUTHOR – HENRY NAWL THANG BIK Elwell, Walter A. Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol. I. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988. Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1985. Fairbairn, A.M. The Palce of Christ in Modern Theology. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1896. Fox, Mathew. The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global renaissance. San Francisco: Harper and Row Publishers, 1940. Gangte, T. S. Kuki of Manipur. Delhi: Gyan Publishing House, 1993. George, N.V. “Historical Survey of the Doctrine of Incarnation in Christianity and Vaishnavism,” The Doctine of Incarnation in Vaishnavism and Christianity: A Critical and Comparative Study. Kashmere Gate: ISPCK, 1997. Gilchrist McCall, Anthony. Lushai Chrysalis. London: Luzac & Co., 1949. Gnanakan, Ken. “Christ, Culture and Christianity in India,” Doing Theological Education (ed.,) by James Massey. Delhi: ISPCK, 1993. Grierson, G.A. Linguistic Survey of India, Vol. III, 3: Specimens of the Kuki-Chin and Burma Groups, Part III. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1904 reprint in 1967. Grudem, Wayne. “The Doctrine of Christ and the Holy Spirit: The Person of Christ,” Systematic Theology. Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh: OM Books, 1973. Guthrie, Donald. “Darkness and Light,” Exploring God’s Word: A Guide to John’s Gospel. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1986. Guthrie, W.K. C. A History of Greek Philosophy, Vol. I. Michigan: Cambridge University Press, 1962. Gutierrez, Gustavo. A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics and Salvation.