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An Examination of Character Transformation in Colossians 3.1-17 and the Spiritualities Created in the Process

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An Examination of Character Transformation in Colossians 3.1-17 and the Spiritualities Created in the Process Putting off and putting on: An examination of character transformation in Colossians 3.1-17 and the spiritualities created in the process by DAVID WAYNE CARLTON submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in the subject THEOLOGY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: PROF D G VAN DER MERWE SEPTEMBER 2018 Student No: 48360198 29 August 2018 I declare that “Putting Off and Putting On: An Examination of Character Transformation in Colossians 3.1-17 and the Spiritualities Created in the Process” is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. I further declare that I submitted the thesis to originality checking software and that it falls within the accepted requirements for originality. I further declare that I have not previously submitted this work, or part of it, for examination at Unisa for another qualification or at any other higher education institution. Signed: _____________________ David W. Carlton Προς Παµέλα. ‘Η ἀγαπη ἡ ὑποµενη, και ἡ ἐνθαρρυνση µε φερουν αὐτο το µερος Τῳ θεῳ εὐχαριστεω ὁτι συνκοινωνιες της ζωης µεταµορφωσης. ABSTRACT PUTTING OFF AND PUTTING ON: AN EXAMINATION OF CHARACTER TRANSFORMATION IN COLOSSIANS 3.1-17 AND THE SPIRITUALITIES CREATED IN THE PROCESS David Wayne Carlton, Ph.D. The University of South Africa, 2019 Supervisor: Prof. Dirk van der Merwe The majority of academic study on the epistle to the Colossians focuses primarily on issues related to Christology, the identification of the heresy that threatened the church, or the ongoing debate surrounding authorship of the epistle. Current research leaves several lacunae in the broader understanding of the writer’s intent with the Colossian epistle. There is very little attention given to the existence of a process by which the Colossian believers can mature in Christ and face any theologically aberrant teachings with a growing faith and solid doctrine. There is also a gap in the research within the field of Christian spirituality regarding the application of specific principles of spirituality to sacred canonical texts and early Christian writings. This thesis seeks to fill these research gaps through the use of socio-rhetorical strategies and principles of Christian spirituality. The primary text for this research is the pericope of Colossians 3.1-17. The research on the epistle examines the pericope for an embedded process of character transformation by which the Colossian believers grow towards Christlikeness. As the Colossians grow in maturity, their lived experience of God changes. There are spiritualities embedded within the text that begin to impact the growth of the believers through the embodiment of the text. The identification of these spiritualities as well as the process of character transformation allows for the filling of research gaps and a richer understanding of the epistle writer’s intent. Key words: Colossians, spirituality, embodiment, character, transformation, Paul, formation, teleological virtue ethics, virtue, biblical ethics TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PREFACE ...................................................................................................................... VIII INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................1 1.1 Background for an Understanding of Character ...........................................4 1.2 Background for the Research in Transformation of Character ...................10 1.2.1 Worldview Impact on Character ..................................................... 11 1.2.2 Sociological and Educational Interest in Character ........................ 13 1.2.3 Philosophical Interest in Character ................................................. 15 1.2.4 Psychological Interest in Character ................................................ 20 1.2.5 Theological and Spirituality Interests ............................................. 24 A REVIEW OF THE RELEVANT LITERATURE .................................................28 2.1 An Examination of Relevant Commentaries and Related Monographs ................................................................................................................. 28 2.1.3 Is there a theological link between the commands in 3.12-16 and the broader Christian community’s role in character transformation? .......... 47 2.2 Research Problems ............................................................................. 49 2.3 Title, Objective and Purpose of Thesis .............................................. 50 2.4. Academic Contribution to Pauline Scholarship ................................ 51 THE METHODOLOGY FOR AN EXAMINATION OF THE TRANSFORMATION OF CHARACTER AND CREATED SPIRITUALITIES IN COLOSSIANS 3.1-17 .....................................................................................53 3.1 Inductive and Library Research ..................................................................54 3.2 Historical Reading .......................................................................................54 3.3 Textual Reading ..........................................................................................56 3.3.1 The Inner Textual Reading ............................................................. 56 3.3.2 The Intertextual Reading ................................................................ 56 3.4 Theological Reading ...................................................................................57 3.4.1 Deity ............................................................................................... 58 3.4.2 Holy Person .................................................................................... 58 3.4.3 Human Commitment ...................................................................... 59 3.4.4 Religious Community ..................................................................... 59 3.4.5 Ethics .............................................................................................. 60 3.5 Spirituality and Embodiment ......................................................................61 3.6 Thesis Structure ...........................................................................................62 3.7 Delimitations and Final Matters ..................................................................64 3.7.1 Delimitations ................................................................................... 64 A SOCIO-HISTORICAL EXAMINATION OF COLOSSIANS 3.1-17 AND RELEVANT ENVIRONS ....................................................................................65 4.1 Colossae: An Introduction to the Cultural and Religious Milieu ................65 4.2 Geographical and historical environment of Colossae ................................66 4.3 Cultural and religious environment of Colossae .........................................70 4.3.1 Mediterranean worldview ............................................................... 71 4.3.2 Hellenistic worldview and religious system ................................... 79 4.3.3 Judaism and the Phrygian Jews in the Lycus Valley .................... 103 4.4 The Apostle Paul: the impact of his cultural and religious background ...112 4.4.1 The cultural and religious impact of Judaism upon Paul .............. 113 4.4.2 The cultural and religious impact of Hellenism upon Paul .......... 117 4.4.3 The conversion of Paul and his interaction with the church at Colossae ................................................................................................. 133 4.5 Conclusion ................................................................................................137 INNER AND INTERTEXTURE AND EXEGETICAL ANALYSIS OF COLOSSIANS 3.1-17 ........................................................................................140 5.1 The Inner and Intertextual Analysis of Colossians 3.1-17 ........................142 5.1.1 The Discourse Analysis ................................................................ 143 5.1.2 Network definitions ...................................................................... 144 5.1.3 The justification of sectional divisions and the introduction of a proposed structure .................................................................................. 145 5.2 The rhetorical strategies and the spiritualities fostered within the pericope ...........................................................................................................147 5.2.1 The first effect: The dynamic interaction between the text and the reader ..................................................................................................... 150 5.3 Informal Strategies ....................................................................................152 5.3.1 Semantic Networks ....................................................................... 153 5.3.2 The First Effect and Linguistic Features ...................................... 191 ............................................................................................................... 207 5.3.3 The Second Effect: Composition of Images ................................. 207 5.3.4 The Third Effect: The Dialectic of Retention and Protension Through Repetition ................................................................................ 209 5.4 Conclusion to the Inner and Intertexture of Colossians 3.1-17 .................210 THEOLOGICAL AND EMBODIMENT TEXTURES OF COLOSSIANS 3.1-17 AND THE SPIRITUALITIES
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