b'Rewriting Jesus as the Son and Chosen of God:a textual criticism of John 1:34Kimberly C. FromkinSponsor: Dr. Fred Downing, Department of Religious StudiesThe problem of the literary relationship of the gospel traditions continues to be a debated issue in the scholarship of the New Testament. The relationship of John 1 and the so-called Synoptics is a microcosm of this debate. In translating texts concerning the baptism of Jesus, the Synoptics specify Jesus as the son of God by using the Greek term,while the gospel of John identifies Jesus as the chosen of God with the use of the Greek term . Throughout all of Johns gospel, Jesus is identified as the Son of God as seen in the Synoptic accounts except in the baptismal story in John 1:34. This paper will analyze works from various scholars in order to explore two common themes of Jewish tradition surrounding the ideologies of sonship and chosen in connection with the sacrament of baptism as a way of understanding the textual variations in John 1:34. The thesis of this paper is that the discussion of the two themes sonship and chosen provides a heuristic introduction to the Synoptic problem and an opportunity to consider the growth of two ideas concerning Jesus which shaped the early church in the first and second centuries.Sophia-Jesus and Womens RolesNicholas H. FlattSponsor: Dr. Lavonna Lovern, Department of Religious StudiesThe history of Christianity has been dominated by androcentric theologies that are centered around a hierarchal view of gender roles that promote male headship and female submission. This paper will use both canonical and non-canonical texts from the first through the fifth century to reinterpret the role of women, the Divine Feminine, and the characteristics of Jesus. Focusing on Jewish and Christian feminist theologians, this paper will argue that some feminist scholastic readings of these ancient texts challenges the Church Fathers androcentric interpretation. Scholars such as Sandra Marie Schneider, Elizabeth Johnson, and April D. De Conick, provide evidence that traditional gender hierarchy, as claimed by the Church Fathers, is an inaccurate interpretation of the material. Finally, this paper will argue that, for many of the early Christians, women served an equal role in imagery, ritual, and organization.79'