Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Candidates undertake independent research towards a 70,000–100,000 word thesis on a topic approved by the College.  The research is conducted under the supervision of a member of faculty of Moore College.

The thesis must:

• make a distinct contribution to theological learning
• evidence original research and the exercise of independent critical analysis
• evidence the author, being trained in the techniques relevant to the field of research and of being capable, without supervision, of applying these techniques to other research projects
• evidence sufficient familiarity with the area of discipline in which the author had worked to critically assess the present state of knowledge in the subject and to conceive further investigation with an increasing independence.

Candidates will be required to show evidence of competence in ancient and/or modern languages in order to access primary sources and significant secondary works relevant to their research area.  Language requirements will be determined at the time of application in consultation with the proposed supervisor.

The College conducts Research Forums. The forums provide an opportunity for students to present their research to the College’s research community, comprising of other research students and members of faculty. The focus of the presentations is methodology and thesis content. The forum enables students to:

• develop their research and presentation skills.
• give and receive critical feedback.
• reflect on issues of method, evaluation, and thesis writing.
• learn from more experienced researchers.

There are normally four Research Forums per year. Participation in the forum is a requirement for all enrolled MTh and PhD candidates of the College.

To satisfy the vocational requirements of the course, an applicant must be a mature Christian believer who is committed to ministry. To this end, the applicant must supply references and be interviewed.

The academic requirements for entry to the course may be satisfied by any one of the following:

• the Moore College Bachelor of Divinity (BD) with honours 1 or 2A
• the Moore College Master of Theology (MTh)
• enrolment in the Moore College MTh for not less than one year as a full-time candidate or two years as a part-time candidate where the Research Committee (RC) has certified that the applicants work as a Masters candidate is of such a standard as to justify candidature for the PhD degree
• graduates of an approved Australian or overseas institution with a qualification, which, in the opinion of the RC is equivalent to any of the above.  Such applicants will need to demonstrate competence to Level III in a biblical language relevant to their planned area of research and submit a piece of written work that demonstrates their capacity to research.
• Full-time candidates who have not completed the Moore College BD may be required to audit certain Year 4 BD units.
• A candidate may not be admitted unless the RC determines that adequate supervision is available.

Those whose first language is not English, or who have not completed a degree in English, are required to present a certified copy of an IELTS score of at least 7.5 in all categories of the academic test. TOEFL scores are also accepted.

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Scholarships information

Moore College provides a number of scholarships to eligible students enrolled in or intending to enrol in a Moore Theological College course of three major types:

• undergraduate courses
• postgraduate courses
• online Diploma in Biblical Theology course (overseas students only)

There are endowed scholarships in a range of areas subject to specific conditions and requirements of each award.

You can browse some examples of the scholarship awards on the Scholarship Awards page.

Scholarships are only awarded to persons who fulfil the requirements for admission to a program of study at the College. Students and prospective students are encouraged to apply for scholarships at any time, even before there’s been an outcome on their enrolment application. However, the Scholarships Committee cannot make a decision until enrolment has been offered and accepted. We encourage prospective students to apply for scholarships as part of the enrolment process to enable faster outcomes and to ensure students can have confidence in being able to afford study with us. Scholarships are generally meant to cover part of the costs of completing a qualification.

Scholarships are awarded based on the advice of the Scholarships Committee of the Moore College Foundation. This committee oversees all aspects of scholarships including applications, notifications, and the responsibility to ensure the wishes of donors are met. Unless specifically indicated otherwise in the terms, scholarships are awarded on the basis of financial need, merit and/or the applicant’s mission/ministry potential.

Applications for undergraduate and postgraduate scholarship support are assessed a minimum of four times per year. Out of phase applications may be considered on a case by case basis. In 2021, scholarships will be considered at committee meetings in January, April, July, October and December. The deadlines for submission of applications ahead of these meetings will be: Mon 18 January, Mon 19 April, Mon 12 July, Mon 27 September and Mon 22 November.

Please submit your application and it will be forwarded to the Scholarships Committee of the Moore College Foundation. For any scholarship related enquiries, please contact the Foundation on +61 (0)2 9577 9900 or Foundation@moore.edu.au.

If successful in obtaining a scholarship, conditions include:

• willingness to participate in promotional activities for the College and the fund
• submission of reports to the Scholarships Committee to demonstrate satisfactory progress
• the expectation that you will contact us if your circumstances change

For guidance on completing the section on annual income and expenses, please see Cost of College information.

Generally, scholarships are paid after the census date when the enrolled student commences study in the manner indicated in their scholarship application. Generally, when the scholarship recipient is an international student in arrears, the scholarship will be paid to the College towards fees when the fees become payable. Scholarships are not normally paid ahead of the year for which it has been awarded.

Unless otherwise stated, most scholarships are awarded for one year only, and scholarship recipients are required to submit another application if they wish to apply for a scholarship the following year.

• Fees are charged by unit or period of supervision.
• Fees can be paid upfront or via FEE-HELP (for eligible students).
• Current Master of Arts (Theology) fees and census dates.
• Current Master of Theology fees and census dates.
• Current Doctor of Philosophy fees and census dates.
• Cross institutional students enrolling in Moore College MA (Theology) units for credit towards an Australian College of Theology (ACTh) MA pay normal Moore College fees. No other fees are payable to the ACTh for such units.

Moore College recognises indigenous Australians as traditional custodians of this land under God’s good hand and is committed to seeing the work of the gospel thrive among indigenous communities.

Moore College welcomes international students into its full-time courses.  The College does not use recruitment agents.

• The academic year commences at the beginning of February and concludes at the end of November.
• There are no mid-year intakes for overseas students studying undergraduate courses.
• Postgraduate students may commence their course at other times.

Details regarding academic admission requirements for international students, see International Students.

Joel Atwood

Title of Thesis

‘That’s the S/spirit/s!’: Soundings in the Human Spirit via Jewish Wisdom Literature and the New Testament.

Summary

A Christian understanding of what a human is has become a pressing need in light of the philosophical and ethical shifts in global culture. Yet many theological attempts to provide this pay cursory attention to the diversity and nuance of the biblical categories and texts that must underpin such an understanding. Nowhere is this more evident than in the notion of the human ‘spirit’. Sharing terminology with the realm of meteorology, demonology, and even Trinitarian theology, the idea of a human ‘spirit’ needs careful clarification if it is to support the kind of dogmatic weight often expected of it. Beginning with Old Testament wisdom texts, moving through later Jewish sapiential writings, and then to John’s Gospel and Paul’s Corinthian and Roman correspondence, Joel is applying tools from Cognitive Linguistics to complement close exegesis of references to a human ‘spirit’ to elucidate the concept and provide a robust linguistic and biblical foundation for future theological reflection.

Funding Information

Joel is supported by the Marcia Abel scholarship.

Email Address

joel@theatwoods.net

Nathan Barnes

Title of Thesis

The Humanity of Christ in Hebrews 2:5-18.

Summary

Hebrews is unique among the writings of the New Testament in the focused reflection it gives to the importance of the humanity of Christ. While many works have touched on this theme in passing, there has been very little scholarly work devoted to exploring how Christ’s humanity itself functions within the message of the letter. This thesis will seek to begin to address this gap. In order to allow depth of analysis, the thesis will be unable to examine the whole letter, but will instead focus on one of the foundational passages for understanding Christ’s humanity, Hebrews 2:5-18. The thesis will be an exegetical study of how this passage explains and employs the humanity of Christ.

Funding Information

I had a Moore College scholarship when I was full-time (2016-2017).

Email Address

nathan.barnes@newtownbaptist.org.au

Thom Bull

Title of Thesis

The Ecclesiology of Jerome Zanchi (1516-1590)

Summary

The past several decades of Reformation scholarship have raised our awareness of the historical and theological significance of numerous figures who, while overlooked in much of the Reformation historiography of the 19^th and 20^th centuries, are of vital importance to a proper grasp of the period. One such character in the Reformation story is the Italian scholar and churchman, Jerome Zanchi (1516-1590). While highly respected and notably influential in his own lifetime and immediately afterwards through both personal and educational contact as well as his vast body of published material, Zanchi has since faded into the background, with only a small number of monographs and articles devoted to the study of his life and work. This thesis aims to contribute to the growing recognition of Zanchi’s importance through an exploration of the doctrine of the Church that is evident throughout his (still largely untranslated) writings. It is anticipated that such a study will prove helpful in not only describing Zanchi’s ecclesiology and locating it within the unity and diversity of reformation understandings of the Church, but also in illuminating the relationships between exegesis, biblical theology, metaphysical dogmatics, and pastoral concern that animate a theologian who stands at the head of reformed scholasticism.

Email Address

thom.bull@ttc.wa.edu.au

Vivian Cheung

Title of Thesis

The Pauline Soteriological Concept of Calling – an intertextual exegetical and theological study with the use of Speech Act Theory

Summary

The soteriological concept of calling in Paul’s writings is commonly held as both unique and theologically significant. What it denotes exactly, however, is not so universally agreed upon. Its traditional representation as God’s effectual summons of individuals to faith is facing increasing challenge. Without the supply of a clear-cut definition by Paul himself, adjudication between the various conclusions based upon differing exegesis seems almost arbitrary, inescapably determined by one’s theological predisposition.

In order to disambiguate Paul’s meaning and build a thick description of this concept theologically, a fresh investigation utilising Speech Act Theory as an adjunct tool to complement detailed exegesis of references containing calling language in Paul’s writings will be conducted. Analysis will be done within a biblical-theological framework, paying specific attention to intertextual Scriptural references.

Funding Information

Moore College PhD Scholarship

Email Address

vivcheung@mac.edu.au

Andrew Court

Title of Thesis

“Blessed Be Ye Poor”: Wealth and Apocalyptic Eschatology in Luke’s Gospel and Second Temple Judaism

Summary

Luke’s Gospel has a distinct focus on the theme of wealth. The current state of scholarship is uniquely situated for the implementation of an underutilised approach to wealth in Luke, namely, a comparative study of Luke’s theology of wealth in light of Second Temple Jewish texts. This avenue suggests promising insights for several reasons:

Firstly, while Second Temple text traditions have been readily employed to shed light on Matthew’s Gospel, they have been used far less in Lukan studies (mainly due to the characterisation of Matthew as Jewish and Luke as Hellenistic).

Secondly, comparative methodologies in New Testament Studies have been applied and scrutinized with rigour, and the technique has been refined such that proper restraint and strategy is now better understood than before.

Thirdly, recent studies of apocalyptic and wisdom traditions have challenged the view that apocalyptic and wisdom motifs in the Gospels are indications of different redactional strata. Blending of these motifs in Second Temple texts shows the two are not so mutually exclusive/corrosive. This in turn has provided a better understanding of the eschatology of the Synoptic Gospels, but these formulations are yet to have been properly integrated into the understanding of Luke’s wealth ethic.

Funding Information

Moore College PhD Scholarship

Email Address

andrew.court@moore.edu.au

Lachlan Grice

Title of Thesis

God the Father, Son, and Holy _______ ? The meaning of rûaḥ in the Torah

Summary

Pneumatology studies in the Hebrew Bible have generally proceeded by excluding texts where rûaḥ denotes “wind”, or “breath”, to compile a list of remaining references where rûaḥ refers to the “Spirit” of God. However, the boundaries between meteorological, anthropological, and theological usage of rûaḥ are not so clear as to warrant this methodological trend. It is hoped that a shift in methodology, applied to the Torah as a foundational text in establishing the nature of God and humanity, will help clarify for the modern reader what God’s “S/spirit” is, and how it/He relates to our human “spirit”.

Taking the Torah as a complex unity, all 38 instances of rûaḥ in the Torah will be examined, in their various contextual settings, with an eye to lexical relations and verbal associations. Particular attention will be paid to passages that have previously been overlooked in pneumatology, including Exodus 14–15 and Numbers 14:24.

Funding Information

Moore College PhD Scholarship; Partnership with Auckland Evangelical Church

Email Address

lachlan.grice@student.moore.edu.au

Martin Robinson

Title of Thesis

An exploration into the exegetical validity of a strict realist reading of Rahner’s Rule

Summary

Theology is all about “knowing God”. But can we say that we actually “know God” as he is in himself? When the triune God appears in time and space (the economic Trinity), is this God as he exists eternally (the immanent Trinity), or do we merely see an actor wearing a mask? Seeking to answer this question in 1967, Roman Catholic theologian Karl Rahner stated that the economic Trinity is the immanent Trinity and vice versa. Since then, countless articles and monographs have dissected the rule since, but almost entirely from a doctrinal and epistemological standpoint. This research approaches Rahner’s rule from an evangelical perspective. It explores the extent to which a correct understanding of the rule (a subject of much debate in itself) can be developed from the Scriptures. In other words, what does the bible say about intra-trinitarian relations in time and space and the extent to which they reflect triune relations in eternity? Can we really know God?

Funding Information

Moore College PhD Scholarship

Email Address

martin.robinson@student.moore.edu.au

James Rutherford

Title of Thesis

Biblical Metaphysics and the Son of God: A Christological, Philosophical Investigation

Summary

At the heart of the Christian faith is the doctrine of the incarnation, a doctrine that has been articulated for 1600 years within a framework of metaphysical assumptions concerning the nature of things (what it means for something to be what it is, for Jesus to be “God” and “man”) and the capacities of the human mind for knowing the external world. As the doctrine of the incarnation has been debated throughout the centuries, these assumptions have remained constant. If we are committed to having a truly Biblical theology of the incarnation, we must analyze these assumptions to see if they are Biblically compatible. Reformed Presuppositionalism provides the lens for this study. The result of this investigation may lead to a further clarification of the doctrine of the incarnation and an articulation of a particularly Christian approach to metaphysics, which may have far reaching implications across many fields of study.

Funding Information

Marcia Abel Scholarship

Email Address

jalexanderrutherford@teleioteti.ca

Peter Ryan

Title of Thesis

Promoting Proclamation: The rhetorical function of the motif of proclamation in the Gospel of Mark.

Summary

The motif of proclamation is an important motif in the Gospel of Mark that has received only minimal attention in Markan studies to date.  This thesis seeks to address this neglect by exploring the rhetorical function of the motif of proclamation in the Gospel of Mark.

Passages in Mark that contribute to the motif of proclamation will be examined using the tools of historical-grammatical exegesis and reader sensitive narrative criticism.  This examination will focus on how these passages contribute to the motif and their intended rhetorical impact on the authorial reader.

In addition to elucidating a significant motif in Mark’s Gospel, this thesis will also contribute to the discussion of Mark’s message and purpose more broadly, and to the methodology of motif analysis in the Synoptic Gospels.

Funding Information

Moore College PhD Scholarship

Email Address

Peter.Ryan@student.moore.edu.au

Paul White

Title of Thesis

Rhetorical Criticism and Homiletics: A Study in Method

Summary

The important interrelationship between rhetorical criticism and homiletics remains substantially unexplored. It is proposed that the discipline of rhetorical criticism offers the exegete and preacher a means of both unlocking authorial intent behind the ancient text (using classical approaches to rhetorical criticism) and translating its impact into a contemporary context (using modern rhetorical theory).

Two problems arise. Firstly, while sophisticated approaches to classical rhetorical criticism have been developed, there is currently no model for the broad-based application of modern rhetorical criticism to the NT.  Secondly, very little of substance has been written that systematically relates modern rhetorical criticism to homiletics. Thus, the vast advances in modern rhetorical theory are yet to be meaningfully applied to NT criticism, and find little to no representation in homiletic literature.

My research seeks to redress this imbalance by developing: a rubric for the systematic application of modern rhetorical criticism to Scripture; a new method of ‘rhetorical exegesis’; and a heuristic for exegesis and sermon preparation for the non-specialist preacher.

Email address

paulalexanderwhite@gmail.com

Jonathan Wu

Title of Thesis

‘When You See All These Things … He Is Near’
The Significance of the Olivet Discourse for Matthew’s Gospel

Summary

Despite the sheer volume of secondary literature, the exegetical and theological challenges posed by the Olivet Discourse in the Synoptic Gospel accounts, as well as the absence of a consensus among interpreters, suggest scope for further research. As such, my thesis seeks to engage with the question, ‘What is the significance of the Olivet Discourse in Matthew’s Gospel?’ In addressing this question, my thesis first examines what the Oliver Discourse in Matthew 24 means: does it refer to the second coming of Jesus, and/or the destruction of the temple? Is the interpretation of Matthew 24 proposed by the thesis consistent with the other Synoptic reproductions of the Olivet Discourse in Mark 13 and Luke 21? In establishing the meaning of Matthew 24, my thesis ultimately attempts to establish a clear link between the Olivet Discourse and the wider purpose and theology of Matthew’s narrative.

Funding Information

Moore College PhD Scholarship

Email Address

Jonathan.Wu@student.moore.edu.au 

Kamina Wüst

Title of Thesis

‘Love is as Strong as Death’: The Song of Songs as a Warning in Light of the Biblical Account of Solomon.

Summary

While there exists a broad consensus that the Song of Solomon presents an ideal picture of romantic love, interpreters have historically struggled to reconcile this with Solomon’s infamy for worshipping a multitude of women (and their gods) as depicted in 1 Kings 1-11. Instead of attempting to resolve the tension or sever the link between Solomon’s biography and Solomon’s Song, this research will propose that the canonical relationship between Solomon and the Song is the key to interpretation: What are the implications of reading the Song as a work of polygamous, idolatrous Solomon? When read alongside the history of Israel as part of one body with intertextual links, the Song enriches the historical narrative and reveals a warning about the overwhelming power of love, culminating in Song 8:6-7. It is a warning which can be applied both in the context of Israel’s history, and to contemporary Christian readers handling questions of sexual ethics and spiritual fidelity.

Funding Information

Moore College PhD Scholarship, Parker Bequest Scholarship.

Email Address

Kamina.Wust@student.moore.edu.au