Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.), University of Dayton, 2017, International Marian Research Institute

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Committee: Bertrand Buby S.M. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Biblical Studies; Religion; Theology

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2022, Theology

This dissertation is about the problem of history in modern theology. It describes early Christian conceptions of history and truth and sketches a genealogy of the impact of modern historical consciousness on Christianity. By focusing on Third Republic France, and then the work of the bible scholar Alfred Loisy, this dissertation seeks to situate the Modernist Crisis, where the conflict between history and theology erupted most violently. In so doing, the way in which conceptions of doctrine are embedded within histories, contexts, and politics is revealed. To flesh out this same point, in its later chapters, this dissertation shifts its attention to Catholic engagement with the right-wing and fascist movements of the twentieth- century. To this end, the career of Jacques Maritain (d. 1973) proves particularly important. His move from reactionary politics in his youth toward the articulation of a “New Christendom” reveals the extent to which theology and politics co-constitute each other. More than that, this dissertation looks at Maritain's role in the religious freedom debates of the Second Vatican Council. The final thesis of the dissertation is that the thinking Maritain utilizes in articulating his New Christendom - what he calls “prise de conscience” or “awareness” - offers a contribution to the ongoing conversations about continuity and discontinuity that mark Catholic reflection on the problems of history and doctrine.

Committee: William Portier (Advisor); Jana Bennett (Committee Member); Thomas Guarino (Committee Member); Vincent Miller (Committee Member); Dennis Doyle (Committee Member) Subjects: History; Philosophy; Political Science; Religion; Religious History; Theology

Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.), University of Dayton, 2005, International Marian Research Institute

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Committee: Bertrand Buby S.M. (Advisor) Subjects: Biblical Studies; Theology

Master of Humanities (MHum), Wright State University, 2013, Humanities

This analysis responds to an ongoing debate between feminist and traditional readings of sexually violent (SV) metaphors in the prophetic texts of Hosea, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and the New Testament book of Revelation. Whereas feminist scholars have often argued that such metaphors are built upon the exploitation of women's sexuality, traditionalist scholars have insisted that the metaphors are merely literary devices that should only be read within their historical and literary contexts. Taking a moderate position, this analysis uses the cognitive metaphor theory to explain that the SV metaphors depend on cognitive associations of dangerous feminine sexuality to relate to historically-specific concerns of the original authors and audiences. This analysis then examines said historically-specific concerns to reveal the literary function of the metaphors in their original contexts. Finally, this analysis closes by considering current sociopsychological concerns that cause contemporary society to continue relying on the same cognitive associations of dangerous feminine sexuality as seen the SV metaphors.

Committee: David Barr Ph.D (Committee Chair); Mark Verman Ph.D (Committee Member); Andrea Harris M.A. (Committee Member); Ava Chamberlain Ph.D (Advisor) Subjects: Biblical Studies; Religion; Womens Studies