The Loyola School of Theology (L.S.T.) invites you to the oral defense of the S.T.D. Dissertation entitled “A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PAULINE AND JOHANNINE SOTERIOLOGY OF CREATION IN ROMANS 8 AND JOHN 1:1-18” by Fr. CRISTINO R. PINE, O.F.M. on 11 April 2025, Friday, 10:00 a.m., at the Tipanan ni San Ignacio, DLC 201, 2/F Dela Costa Bldg., L.S.T. The Board of Examiners is composed of Fr. Felipe Fruto Ramirez, S.J., S.T.D. (Adviser), Sr. Ma. Anicia Co, R.V.M., S.T.D., Ph.D. (Second Reader/Principal Examiner), Fr. Herbert Schneider, S.J., S.T.D., and Sr. Bernardita Dianzon, F.S.P., S.T.D., Ph.D. The defense is being held in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctorate in Sacred Theology specializing in the field of Biblical Theology.
Abstract: The ongoing ecological crisis has already inflicted great suffering on countless people and wrought destruction upon the natural world. As both human and nonhuman creatures face an unprecedented threat due to the worsening ecological crisis, God’s will to save remains steadfast. Consequently, there is a need for a soteriology which highlights the salvation both of human beings and of the natural world, and which also emphasizes human responsibility toward creation. Hence, it is crucial to discern within Sacred Scriptures a more holistic and integral soteriology – a soteriology of creation.
This dissertation is a comparative study of the Pauline and Johannine soteriology of creation, focusing on Romans 8 and John 1:1-18, two key New Testament texts that provide a good basis for a soteriology that encompasses the whole of creation and which poses a serious challenge to Christian believers to care for the environment.
Does God intend to save both humanity and the natural world according to these Pauline and Johannine texts? What are the salient points of the creation soteriology in Romans 8 and John 1:1-18? What do these texts have in common and where do they differ? Is there a development of creation soteriology from Romans 8 to John 1:1-18? What are the implications of such Pauline and Johannine soteriology of creation on our contemporary issues concerning ecology and social justice?
