Academic literature on the topic 'Bible nt relation to the old testament'

In the nineteenth century the unrestricted application of the historical-critical method posed an unprecedented challenge to inherited Christian notions about the Bible. While this challenge was eventually to be felt most acutely in the study of the New Testament (nt) once the distinction between the “Jesus of history” and the “Christ of faith” had firmly established itself, traditional viewpoints on the Old Testament (ot) were actually the first to be called into question. As a consequence of historical investigation, it became increasingly difficult for theologians to claim that the gospel is already taught in the ot. Regarding this matter, Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768–1834) made a bold proposal. He argued against the canonical standing of the ot on the grounds that it expresses Jewish, not Christian, religion. For him this conclusion was the unavoidable result of the advancing critical scholarship that was undermining the christological exegesis used to defend the church's claim to the ot against the synagogue's counter-claim to its sole rightful possession. Opposing such “christianizing” readings, Schleiermacher broke ranks from Christian theologians and championed the side of the Jews in this historic debate. His only predecessors in this regard were Marcion and the Socinians, although his proposal for relegating the ot to noncanonical status was later endorsed by Adolf von Harnack.

The article first examines general linguistic issues involved in speaking about personhood in the NT, and argues that it is not anachronistic to ask how the NT (or any other ancient document) relates to a modern linguistic stereotype of ‘personhood. In a second part, the article examines further the objects and method of such an inquiry. In part 3, we examine the more general NT contribution, and its Christological focus of the issues. Part 4 provides a relatively detailed analysis of personhood (alienated and reconciled) in Ephesians: the single NT writing that provides richest analysis of our theme. Part 5 briefly considers some implications of the dynamic/relational model of personhood elicited there to more modern questions about personhood in relation to foetal life and in the diminishments of old age.

The article considers the relationship between the metaphorical language for God used in the poetry of the Old Testament, especially female metaphors, and the Old Testament’s portrayal of the nature of God. It considers two opposing views: first, that female imagery, such as birth imagery, suggests that Yahweh has a ‘female aspect’, and, second, that such language notwithstanding, Yahweh is indefeasibly male. The argument employs cognitive linguistic theory and suggests that male and female metaphors for Yahweh do not bespeak either maleness or femaleness in the deity, but rather Yahweh’s identification with human experience broadly. While the Old Testament emerged in a world dominated by masculine perspectives, it also transforms received concepts, especially in relation to God. This transformative character of the Old Testament can become a model for contemporary readings of the Bible in relation to the contentious area of gender and language for God.

Recent studies are challenging the hypothesis that NT writers mis-interpreted earlier Biblical writings, taking them out of context, and using interpretational techniques which are today considered “eisegesis”. However, biblical research is now confirming that the NT writers used the OT contextually, in continuity with the meaning found in the OT passages. It is the thesis of this article that the later Bible writers were exegetes in their biblical hermeneutics, remaining true to the Messianic meaning of those earlier biblical passages seen in their original context. I organize my discussion of “Christ in all Scripture” following Hasel’s synthesis of approaches, and under each of them I provide examples of how this approach has been utilized by Jesus and NT writers to see Christ in all OT Scripture. In light of the indicators of Christ in the Old Testament, Jesus’ sweeping claim in Luke 24 needs to be taken seriously.

It is well known that the seeds from which the modern discipline of OT theology grew are already found in 17th and 18th century discussion of the relationship between Bible and Church, which tended to drive a wedge between the two, regarding canon in historical rather than theological terms; stressing the difference between what is transient and particular in the Bible and what is universal and of abiding significance; and placing the task of deciding which is which upon the shoulders of the individual reader rather than upon the church. Free investigation of the Bible, unfettered by church tradition and theology, was to be the way ahead. OT theology finds its roots more particularly in the 18th century discussion of the nature of and the relationship between Biblical Theology and Dogmatic Theology, and in particular in Gabler's classic theoreticalstatementof their nature and relationship. The first book which may strictly be called an OT theology appeared in 1796: an historical discussion of the ideas to be found in the OT, with an emphasis on their probable origin and the stages through which Hebrew religious thought had passed, compared and contrasted with the beliefs of other ancient peoples, and evaluated from the point of view of rationalistic religion. Here we find the unreserved acceptance of Gabler's principle that OT theology must in the first instance be a descriptive and historical discipline, freed from dogmatic constraints and resistant to the premature merging of OT and NT — a principle which in the succeeding century was accepted by writers across the whole theological spectrum, including those of orthodox and conservative inclination.

A summary and critical evaluation of B. S. Childs' canonical approach Childs is disappointed with the results of the historical critical method. He made an appeal for a totally new approach in which the relation between historical critical study of the Bible and its theological use as religious literature within the community of faith will be completely rethought. He proposes a canonical approach in which the final form of the text, not the pre- or past-canonical developments, will be normative for the community of faith. Because of Childs' enormous influence as Old Testament interpreter and the high standard of his work in the past, expectations ran high for the publication of his Old Testament Theology. In the light of his bold influence and the enormous promise of his work, Old Testament Theology in a canonical context is unfortunately a disappointment. One can only hope that he still intends writing a book that will illustrate how a theology is written in canonical context.

Abstract Against continuing attempts to define “Old Testament theology” or “biblical theology” in exclusively Christian terms, and in light of ongoing methodological diversity and confusion between proponents of Jewish biblical theology, this article suggests three models for the latter. The first one investigates the theologies of the different parts of the Hebrew Bible on their own, diachronically, without interference from later theology or practice. The second one focuses synchronically on the form of the Hebrew Bible as canonized, and is as objective as this basic biblical text allows. The third one is explicitly subjective and confessional, reading the Hebrew Bible in relation to the larger canon of Judaism, that is, the Oral Torah (= talmudic and midrashic literature). All three models have a legitimate place in the construction of a genuinely Jewish biblical theology, but they must not be confused. They all begin with different presuppositions and pursue different goals, but when properly distinguished, they can also complement one another, each exploring different aspects of the theology of the Jewish Bible.

In a diachronic perspective from the 16th century to the present, this article inves­ tigates translated interlinguistic agreement and difference in the use of the temporally marked Slovenian prepositional phrases that appeared in the semantic group of verba dicendi in the first two books of the Old Testament and the New Testament of the old­ est Slovenian translation of the Bible, from 1584, and that were replaced in the mod­ em literary language in the 19th century by the introduction of prepositionless or other prepositional patterns. A comparison is made on the basis of Internet publications of parallel sections of six foreign language translations (Latin, German, two English [17th century and modem], French and Russian), and the extent to which these preposition­ al phrases are covered by older or modem literary Slovenian syntactic patterns is deter­ mined .

В статье исследуется гипотетическое отношение авторов псевдоэпиграфов, как носителей религиозного сознания, к их собственному творчеству. Для этого выявляется специфика псевдоэпиграфа как особого типа текста, а также рассматриваются различные виды литературного творчества и его мотивации, с тем чтобы выявить наиболее релевантные мотивы. Также предпринимается обзор и критика существующих гипотез природы псевдонимии в парабиблейской литературе, включая концепции, касающиеся предпосылок и условий создания «переписанной Библии». Выясняются причины, по которым, отличаясь и от канонического текста, и от литературной фикции, но представляя собой то, что сами его создатели считают записью откровения, псевдоэпиграф не мог не быть псевдонимичным по условиям литературного процесса эпохи, его породившей. В конце статьи сделаны выводы о природе отношения псевдоэпиграфического корпуса текстов к каноническому. There is explored in the article a hypothetical attitude of the authors of pseudepigrapha, given that they had a religious consciousness, to their literary work. For such a purpose there is revealed a specifity of pseudepigraph as a special type of text, and different types of literary creativity and its motivation are examined in order to identify the most relevant motives. There is also undertaken the review and criticism of existing hypotheses of the nature of the pseudonymity in parabiblical literature, including concepts relating to the background and conditions for the creation of a «rewritten Bible». There are clarified the reasons for which pseudepigraph, differing from both the canonical text and the literary fiction, but representing what its creators themselves consider to be a record of revelation, could not but be pseudonymous in conditions of the literary process of the era that gave rise to it. At the end of the article, conclusions are drawn about the nature of relation between the pseudepigraphic corpus of texts and the canonical one.

В статье исследуется гипотетическое отношение авторов псевдоэпиграфов, как носителей религиозного сознания, к их собственному творчеству. Для этого выявляется специфика псевдоэпиграфа как особого типа текста, а также рассматриваются различные виды литературного творчества и его мотивации, с тем чтобы выявить наиболее релевантные мотивы. Также предпринимается обзор и критика существующих гипотез природы псевдонимии в парабиблейской литературе, включая концепции, касающиеся предпосылок и условий создания «переписанной Библии». Выясняются причины, по которым, отличаясь и от канонического текста, и от литературной фикции, но представляя собой то, что сами его создатели считают записью откровения, псевдоэпиграф не мог не быть псевдонимичным по условиям литературного процесса эпохи, его породившей. В конце статьи сделаны выводы о природе отношения псевдоэпиграфического корпуса текстов к каноническому. There is explored in the article a hypothetical attitude of the authors of pseudepigrapha, given that they had a religious consciousness, to their literary work. For such a purpose there is revealed a specifity of pseudepigraph as a special type of text, and different types of literary creativity and its motivation are examined in order to identify the most relevant motives. There is also undertaken the review and criticism of existing hypotheses of the nature of the pseudonymity in parabiblical literature, including concepts relating to the background and conditions for the creation of a «rewritten Bible». There are clarified the reasons for which pseudepigraph, differing from both the canonical text and the literary fiction, but representing what its creators themselves consider to be a record of revelation, could not but be pseudonymous in conditions of the literary process of the era that gave rise to it. At the end of the article, conclusions are drawn about the nature of relation between the pseudepigraphic corpus of texts and the canonical one.

There is no consensus regarding the interpretation of the "Spirit like a dove" comparison in Jesus' baptism (Mk 1:10). Although scholars have proposed at least fifty different interpretations of the dove comparison, no study appears to have considered Isaiah's three dove texts as the background for the Markan dove (cf. Is 38:14; 59:11; 60:8). This neglect is surprising considering the abundance of Isaianic allusions in Mark's Prologue (Mk 1:1-15), and the growing awareness that Isaiah is the hermeneutical key for both the Markan Prologue and Jesus' baptism within it. Indeed, Mark connects the dove image inseparably to the Spirit's "descent" from heaven, which alludes to Yahweh's descent in a New Exodus deliverance in Isaiah 63:19 [MT]. Furthermore, each Isaianic dove text uses the same simile, "like a dove" or "like doves," which appears in Mark 1:10, and shares the theme of lament and restoration which fits the context of Mark's baptism account. This study therefore argues that the dove image in Mark 1:10 is a symbol which evokes metonymically Isaiah's three dove texts. So the Spirit is "like a dove" not because any quality of the Spirit resembles that of a dove, but because the dove recalls the Isaianic theme of lament and restoration associated with doves in this Scriptural tradition. After discussing the Markan dove in terms of simile, symbol, and metonymy, the study examines the Isaianic dove texts in the MT and LXX and argues that they form a single motif. Next, later Jewish references to the Isaianic dove texts are considered, while an Appendix examines further dove references in Jewish and Greco-Roman literature. Finally, the study argues that the Markan dove coheres in function with the Isaianic dove motif and symbolizes the Spirit's effect upon and through Jesus by evoking metonymically the Isaianic dove texts.

The purpose of this thesis is to make a thematic study of the Books of Haggai and Zechariah 1-6 in order firstly to identify the ways in which classical prophetic methods and traditions are continued and developed in these works and secondly to consider the reasons for any divergence in thought and style. The study is based on the hypothesis that the community of Israel underwent radical change as a result of the fall of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile and that during the restoration period, under Persian rule, fundamental distinctions in theological understanding and the phenomenon of prophecy arose. The thesis contains six major chapters. The first is introductory and considers the composite nature of the books and the possibility of distinguishing and dating the different strata. The second compares the status, authority and roie within the community of Haggai and Zechariah with those of their prophetic predecessors. Chapter three studies the ways in which the prophetic messages were received and transmitted and includes a discussion on the development of angeloiogy. Specific themes which are important in Haggai and Zechariah 1-8 are dealt with in the next three chapters; issues relating to Israel's leadership and ideas of messianism; ideas about divine judgement and punishment upon the nation; and thoughts on the relationships between other nations, Israel and her God. Each of these compares the treatment of the themes with that found in the classical prophetic books and also considers the respective use that is made of other Old Testament material. Conclusions were drawn in each chapter and these have been collated in the short final chapter. The study concluded that Haggai stood firmly in the classical prophetic tradition while Zechariah was more innovative in respect of prophetic method and at times radical in the theological ideas he proclaimed.

The focus of this thesis is on the way in which the theology of the author of the Epistle to the Ephesians is both shaped by and shapes the appropriation of OT texts and themes, especially in Eph 2:11-22. This reveals an overarching theme, not only in 2:11-22, but in the whole letter, of the Davidic scion who builds his new temple consisting of Jews and Gentiles together. The creation and growth of this new humanity is expressed using temple imagery and by appropriating OT texts that are concerned with the eschatological pilgrimage of the Gentiles to Zion. Ephesians is concerned with the transformed walking that is inherent to membership of the Messiah’s people. It is further concerned that this corporate entity should function as God’s dwelling place on earth; unity and loving relationships therefore being the burden of Ephesians’ paraenesis. This entire process is summed up at the gateway to the letter’s paraenesis in the phrase “learn the Messiah.” The discipleship thus conceived is about much more than (but not less than) individual transformation. The temple/dwelling place theme imparts a corporate dimension to growth that is crucial if the Messiah’s people are to function as they ought. This functioning is given further definition, however, by the expansionist element introduced by the temple theme and texts, as well as the framing of membership of the Messiah’s people in explicitly covenantal terms. Ephesians may thus be seen as a letter whose purpose is to induct believers into the privileges and responsibilities of the Messiah’s new humanity, to give them the self understanding that they constitute corporately the new temple and to convince them that the manner of their “walking” is the means by which the unity and integrity of God’s dwelling place is both expressed and maintained.

Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2002
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate by critical interaction with four key areas of Matthean research that 'restoration from exile' provides a valid and valuable hermeneutical prism for the interpretation of Matthew's gospel. The investigation is undertaken from a Reformed and Evangelical perspective and an inclusive approach is adopted with regard to hermeneutics, viz that interpretation should take note of the historical and literary and theological aspects of Matthew's gospel. The four key areas of investigation were chosen because they involve both particular texts and the gospel as a whole and are, respectively, Matthew's genealogy, Matthew's concept of Salvation History, the Plot of Matthew's gospel and Matthew's Use of the Old Testament. Each of these areas has already received extensive attention in Matthean scholarship, though in each case the question of'restoration from exile' has been almost entirely neglected. In each area, a brief critical survey of current scholarship is provided, both in terms of content and methodology. This survey is then followed by a discussion ofthe relevant texts and topics, demonstrating both the presence and the hermeneutical importance of the 'restoration from exile' theme. In this way, the thesis thus shows that 'restoration from exile' does indeed provide a valid though not exclusive, hermeneutical prism for the interpretation of Matthew's gospel and that such an interpretation casts fresh light on both familiar and more troublesome texts and topics of investigation. The final section of the thesis comprises a brief survey of the theme of 'restoration from exile' within the Hebrew Scriptures and a representative selection of early Jewish texts. On the basis of this survey, the conclusion is reached that despite the very real diversity within early Judaism, it is possible to conclude that perhaps the majority of Jews of the Second Temple Period saw themselves as still 'in exile', at least in theological and spiritual terms. This in turn suggests that Matthew's presentation of Jesus as the one, who by his death and resurrection brings the exile to an end, both for Israel and for the human race at large, is designed to meet a very real spiritual and theological need. Furthermore, the pervasive interest in 'restoration from exile' within representative texts from Second Temple Judaism, and Matthew's clear interest in this same theme, further support claims for the Jewish-Christian setting of Matthew 's gospel and its dual function of legitimization for the Matthean communities and evangelistic appeal to outsiders.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die proefskrif beoog om deur middel van kritiese wisselwerking met vier sleutelgebiede van navorsing met betrekking tot die Matteusevangelie aan te toon dat 'terugkeer uit ballingskap' 'n geldige en waardevolle hermeneutiese prisma bied vir die verklaring van die Matteusevangelie. Die ondersoek word vanuit 'n Gereformeerde en Evangeliese standpunt onderneem. Daar word 'n inklusiewe hermeneutiese benadering gevolg, d. w.s. die historiese, literere en teologiese aspekte van die Matteusevangelie word in ag geneem. Die vier sleutelgebiede van ondersoek is gekies vanwee hulle verb and met spesifieke teksverse en die Matteusevangelie as geheel. Die sleutelgebiede is, onderskeidelik, die geslagsregister in Matteus I: 1-17, Matteus se konsep van heilsgeskiedenis, die plot van die Matteusevangelie en Matteus se gebruik van die Ou Testament. Elkeen van hierdie gebiede is in die verlede al breedvoerig deur geleerdes ondersoek, maar die tema van 'terugkeer uit ballingskap' is in elkeen van hierdie areas feitlik totaal verontagsaam. 'n Verkorte opsomming en bespreking van die hooftrekke van die bydraes van geleerdes word vir elk van die vier gebiede gegee, beide met betrekking tot inhoud en metodiek. Dit word gevolg deur 'n uitleg van sleutelverse en relevante temas om beide die teenwoordigheid en die belang van die 'terugkeer uit ballingskap' tema aan te toon. Op die wyse word daar in die proefskrifbewys dat 'terugkeer uit ballingskap' wei 'n geldige en waardevolle, dog nie die enigste nie, hermeneutiese prisma vir die uitleg van die Matteusevangelie verskaf. Dit is ook duidelik dat so 'n uitleg van Matteus wei nuwe lig op sowel bekende as minder bekende en moeiliker teksverse en temas gooi. Laastens word daar ondersoek gedoen na die belangstelling al dan nie in die tema 'terugkeer uit ballingskap' in die Ou Testament en 'n verteenwoordigende seleksie vroee Joodse geskrifte. Daar word aangetoon dat ondanks die verskeidenheid van wereldsienings onder die verskillende Joodse groepe, daar tog 'n algemene beskouing onder die meeste Jode van daardie periode was dat hulle steeds, ten minste in 'n geestelike en teologiese sin, 'in ballingskap' verkeer. Teen hierdie agtergrond is Matteus se voorstelling van Jesus as die Een wat die ballingskap vir Israel en die mensdom tot 'n einde bring van uiterste belang. So 'n belangstelling in 'terugkeer uit ballingskap' versterk ook verder die siening dat Matteus sy evangelie vir Joodse Christene geskryf het en dat Matteus se geskrif beide 'n legitimerings- en evangeliseringsfunksie vervul.

The text of the book of Revelation preserves examples of scriptural reuse that cohere with similar patterns of borrowing in other ancient Jewish works. This thesis describes the processes of reuse employed by Revelation's notional author (John), and places them into conversation with modes of reuse employed in other ancient Jewish texts, using Zechariah 1-8 as a test case. The design of the study has been crafted to explore these examples in a manner consistent with ancient textual composition. In the first chapter, I examine a dominant aspect of Jewish and early Christian textual culture: pluriformity. I argue that a pluriform scriptural tradition (in both Hebrew and Greek) was a controlling force that shaped the processes of scriptural reuse and, in turn, composition in this period. This analysis also delimits the possible forms of Zechariah available to ancient readers. With textual pluriformity in mind, the next chapter examines the text of Zech 1-8 preserved in John's scriptural references (Rev 5.6; 6.1-8, 9-11; 7.1; 11.4; 19.11-16). While this analysis is complicated by the author's presentation of reused material in Revelation, the evidence strongly suggests that John was familiar with a Hebrew form of Zechariah. Once John's preferred form of Zechariah is identified, the third chapter describes his techniques of reuse. This portion of the thesis consists of a catalogue and discussion of the differences in graphic representation between segments of Zech 1-8 and their instantiation in Revelation. This examination builds a set of textual data that accesses John's processes and strategies of reading. The fourth section of the thesis explores John's habits of reading as witnessed in his techniques of reuse. This section identifies features of Zech 1-8 that motivated John to engage with and alter the wording of antecedent material. Not every textual difference can be accounted for in this way, but it is evident that John is cognisant of the features of a particular form of Zech 1-8. Many of the differences between source and reuse can be explained as John's attempt to comprehend ambiguities in Zechariah. The final section of the thesis is a comparative analysis. The results of the preceding examinations of Revelation are compared to instances of the reuse of Zechariah in early Jewish literature, including works in the Hebrew Bible, the ancient versions of Zechariah, Dead Sea Scrolls, and works commonly classified as “deutero-canonical.” This analysis grounds previous observations about John's reuse in their native textual culture and acts as an historical control. The evidence suggests that John's modes of reading, reformulation, and reuse are similar to those found in other early Jewish works. The thesis concludes that scriptural reuse in the book of Revelation cannot be understood apart from the realities of textual pluriformity and the practices of scriptural reuse in Jewish antiquity. This approach suggests that John is a “scribal” expert—a careful reader of his scriptural tradition—and that his modes of reuse are conditioned by the textual culture of this period.

In the world in which we are living today many people, especially Christians, wonder why people should talk about homosexuality. For many past years, the Christian Church, especially in East Africa, considered herself more or less immune from many of the challenges, experienced by the rest of the world, particularly the Western world. However, as the church now continues to grow in numbers and expand its territories, these problems start to appear in the church also all over East Africa. Increasingly the consciousness of the society is being raised concerning social-ethical issues such as women's rights, battered children, single parent families, teenage pregnancy, wife beating and of course homosexuality. As a result such issues are widely discussed within the church and outside, sometimes causing a rift within the church. Such has been the case with homosexuality. Recently at a Seventh-day Adventist Church camp meeting in East Africa, a debate in a Bible study on the ethics of homosexuality as perceived by the Seventh-day Adventist Church paved the way for divisions in the church, which has left church members in four categories (groups) namely: culturalist, rejectionist, reinterpretationist and the reaffirmationist. Unfortunately the debate closed without a definite conclusion as to what should be the normative basis for the theological ethical evaluation of homosexuality by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in East Africa. The issue was whether the Bible, culture or both the Bible and culture should be the normative basis and also as to what theological ethical guidance does the Bible provide for the ethical evaluation of homosexuality in the present-day context. The dissertation surveys definitions and causes of sexuality, and traces some of the background from the pre-modem to the postmodern era reflecting on the definitions and causes of homosexuality, and it also traces some of the historical background regarding homosexual practices and views on homosexuality. It also discusses and assesses the Cultural beliefs on homosexuality in East Africa. The study also looks at the Biblical texts that refer to or are thought to refer to homosexuality and "examines" the claims made in much of the "gays" literature with reference to these texts. Other texts used by over-zealous Christians bent on finding condemnation of homosexuality through Scripture. During the East African pre modem era, sexuality, including homosexuality was not publicly discussed. The whole subject was encircled by a halo of secrecy and hedged around by innumerable East African taboos. When this silence is combined with the absence of written documentation on the cultures and histories of many parts of East Africa, the difficulties of accessing traditional understanding of homosexuality and sexuality become immense. One can conclude that it will be a serious mistake for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in East Africa to make East African culture normative in the ethical evaluation of homosexuality since: (i) Oral East African tradition does not really provide any moral view on homosexuality. To read into the silence on homosexuality the moral condemnation of homosexuality is not acceptable. (ii) Homosexual practices, in a ritualized form, are not foreign to East African culture. (iii) The strong condemnation of homosexuality in East Africa is often politically and ideologically inspired. This dissertation advocates the need for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in East Africa to use the Bible alone, Old and New Testament, being the written word of God, given by divine inspiration through holy men of God who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, as the infallible revelation of God's will. The Bible is the standard of character, the test of experience, the authoritative revealer of doctrines, and trustworthy record of God's acts in history and therefore is central in any formulation concerning homosexuality, whether theological or ethical evaluation and therefore should be used as the only normative basis for the ethical evaluation of homosexuality.
Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011.
Dogmatics and Christian Ethics
unrestricted

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study focuses on covenant in relation to justice and righteousness in Isaiah 42:1-9. The main purpose of the study is to grapple with the idea of whether the Old Testament scholarly research on covenant is relevant for the theological-ethical understanding of covenant amongst African believing communities in general and in particular the Kamba community of Kenya. The research employs the socio-rhetorical approach, a method used to explore textures in a multi-dimensional way. In applying Robbins‘ (1996a, 1996b) textual analysis to the text of Isaiah 42:1-9, both the intra and intertextures are examined in order to gain the narrator‘s rhetorical strategy. It is possible to demonstrate that the mission of the Servant of the Lord was to establish justice and righteousness on earth. We show these terms are relational and ethical in nature. Justice restores damaged relationships in order for a community to have peace with itself. Righteousness on the other hand governs moral relationships and demands each member of the community acts right. These demands are required in order to regulate a cohesive social and cultural community that takes each other‘s social needs into account. Moreover, we show through intertexture in chapter three that texts reconfigure themselves either explicitly or implicitly. It is shown that three concepts, justice, righteousness and covenant exhibit moral characteristics when used together. Within covenant framework they have to do with taking care of the needs of the oppressed. Furthermore, in chapter four through social and cultural texture we show how the Israelites and Judah later are unable to fulfill their obligations to the poor because of the moral decay, which affected all spheres of their life. The Servant of YHWH is promised to usher in a new era of social justice. Additionally, in chapter five it is shown that the ideological texture highlights God‘s theological viewpoint characterized by the tension between the two covenants. We have attempted to show from Isaiah 42:1-9 that the theological-ethical understanding of covenant accommodates the Akamba covenant.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie proefskrif fokus op die verbond in samehang met reg en geregtigheid in Jesaja 42:1-9. Die primêre doel van die studie is om te vra of Ou-Testamentiese navorsing enige relevansie het vir die teologies-etiese verstaan van die verbond in geloofsge-meenskappe in Afrika oor die algemeen, maar ook in die Kambagemeenskap (Kenia) in die besonder. In die ondersoek word sosio-retoriek benut om tekstuele verbande op 'n multi-dimensionele manier te ondersoek. In die toepassing van Robbins (1996a, 1996b) se tekstuele analise op Jesaja 42:1-9, word beide die intra- sowel as die intertekstuele verbande ondersoek ten einde te bepaal watter retoriese strategie ter sprake is. Dit is moontlik om aan te toon hoe die Dienaar van die Here daarop gemik was om reg en geregtigheid op aarde te vestig as relasionele en etiese begrippe. "Reg" herstel beskadigde verhoudings ten einde 'n samelewing in staat te stel om vrede onderling te ervaar. "Geregtigheid" bepaal die morele verhoudings en vereis dat elke lid van die gemeenskap eties korrek optree. Hierdie vereistes is noodsaaklik ten einde 'n samehangende sosiale en kulturele samelewing daar te stel waarbinne die lede mekaar se behoeftes in ag neem. Daar word in hoofstuk drie aangetoon hoe verbond in Jesaja 40 – 55 implisiet en eksplisiet gerekonfigureer word. Hierdie rekonfigurasie vind plaas wanneer die drie begrippe reg, geregtigheid en verbond morele kenmerke ontwikkel wanneer dit saam gebruik word. Sodoende ontwikkel die verpligting om binne 'n verbondsraamwerk sorgsaamheid vir die behoeftes van die onderdrukte te ontwikkel. Vervolgens word in hoofstuk vier aangetoon hoe aandag vir die sosiale en kulturele verbande van Jesaja 42:1-9 uitwys hoe die Israeliete en Judeërs nie instaat was om hulle verpligtinge teenoor die armes na te kom na aanleiding van die morele verval wat alle tereine van hulle lewe beïnvloed het. Die Dienaar van JHWH word belowe ten einde 'n nuwe era van sosiale geregtigheid te vestig. Ten slotte word daar in hoofstuk vyf uitgewys dat die ideologiese verband beklemtoon hoe God se teologiese alternatief gekenmerk word deur die spanning tus-sen twee sieninge van die verbond (onvoorwaardelik sowel as voorwaardelik). Teen die agtergrond is geargumenteer dat Jesaja 42: 1-9 se teologies-etiese herdefiniëring van die verbond 'n Akamba begrip daarvoor akkommodeer.

….be very careful to do exactly as the priests, who are Levites, instruct you. You must follow carefully what I have commanded them. Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam along the way after you came out of Egypt and what he did to Michal and Jezebel. Remember what the priests did to Athaliah in Judah (c.f Deuteronomy. 24:8b-9). These female politicians were cornered, arrested, charged, beheaded and fragmented! Only their heads (names) that were hanged in this public place, the Bible, remained. Nobody would tell that this is Miriam, Michal, Jezebel or Athaliah. Lists of their crimes stand appended to their heads and names in public. When they were all silenced and the kings had sat in their rightful places, all the people of the land rejoiced and there was peace in the cities because these women had been slain (c.f 2 Kings 11:20). So be very careful to follow instruction and rules such that you do not end up like any of them. (Embellished by the author) Indeed, Miriam, Michal, Jezebel and Athaliah are politically killed off in the Hebrew Bible. Certainly, no one would tell from the Hebrew Bible that these women were people of significant political and leadership profiles; but merely as wicked in the history of humanity. All their political significance and contributions were literary and ideologically mutilated and separated from their names and left in the wild to be eaten by stray dogs. Their decapitated and fragmented images minus their political profiles have been ingested into an ideological system that regulates gender world order and influences social, intellectual and linguistic discourses and pictorial misogynistic polemics in the modern world. Figuratively, the remains of these women have been preserved in the way politicians of the ancient times and recent past would keep remains of their opponents. Ancient rulers would preserve a head (skull) of a particular enemy. David in the Bible cuts off Goliath’s head (1 Samuel 17:51); and the Philistines cut off Saul’s head (1 Samuel 31:9). In the Roman Republic of early 1st Century BC, political enemies like Marius and Sulla were decapitated and their heads displayed in the Forum Romanum. In 1355 Marino Faliero, Doge of Venice in medieval Italy was beheaded and his head hanged in a public place for staging a coup that was aborted. English traitors especially during the Elizabethan era were mutilated and their heads customarily spiked on London Bridge and other public places. In all these mutilations, other parts of the body were never accounted for. Stray dogs and other scavengers ate them as the case was with Jezebel in 2 Kings 8. Both head and name are proper national and political identifiers of every individual. So also the name! A head and a name are good identifiers of a person’s identity and activities. In modern times, identity documents and political campaign posters bear personal names and portraits. Preserving mutilated remains of an enemy served an ideological purpose of scarring and deterring future oppositions. It also symbolised total subjugation and control of the enemy. In movies about the political history of Uganda, Idi Amin is shown speaking ridiculously to the mutilated heads of his opponents. Preserving names of female politicians in the way they are preserved in the Hebrew Bible narratives merely serves an ideological purpose. I have argued in this paper that Miriam, Michal, Jezebel and Athaliah are political women. To African postcolonial Bible readers, they are political characters that stand for unconformity, radical activism, dissension, equality and self-reification to lead their people as their male counterparts. Although theirs is leadership based on royalty (and social prestige particularly in the case of Miriam), in their literary form they experience similar chronic maladies of patriarchal stereotype as the modern women whose political participation is based on liberal democracies. They are presented as foreign and aberrant gender in the politics of their time according to the ideological standards of the Hebrew Bible narrator. Their remains in the Hebrew Bible are positioned to ideologically kill off their political significance and portray them as evil women who destabilise the natural order. The study is contextualised on women and politics in sub-Saharan Africa with Uganda and Kenya as case studies. Both Uganda and Kenya are East African countries, with similar colonial experiences. They are predominantly Christian countries and the Bible is a very significant literature in the lives of people. It is literally the Word of God that does not only prescribe a faith, but a culture, philosophy and ideologies that are perceived as holy and pristine in socio-political intercourse of the people. Though the recent histories are different between Kenya and Uganda, in both cases the rise in female influence in politics has been paralleled by a rise in linguistic and sometimes physical abuse of female politicians. The similarities between the androcentric cultural worldview of the Bible and the African cultures have fostered a negative attitude against women’s influence in national politics. The biblical image of Jezebel is often used as a summary figure of this misogyny. Jezebel, the foreign Canaanite queen turned ‘harlot’ by the Dtr redactor is used to name a political threat—a foreign gender group infiltrating the political arena in East Africa.

Die Untersuchung geht von dem im christlich-jüdischen Dialog erreichten hermeneutischen Konsens aus. In einer theologischen Grundlagenreflexion werden ausgehend von der Erkenntnis, dass die Bibel Israel das gemeinschaftlich geteilte Erbe ist, das Judentum und Christentum verbindet und zugleich der Ausgangspunkt zweier religiöser Überlieferungen ist, die das Erbe auf verschiedene Weise rezipiert haben, vertiefende hermeneutische Kriterien entwickelt. Im Mittelpunkt stehen die Konzeptionen von Brevard S. Childs, Rolf Rendtorff und Erich Zenger, die mit der Fokussierung auf den Kanon und die Christologie, auf die gemeinsame christlich-jüdische Lektüre und die lesetheoretisch begründete Hermeneutik der „kanonischen Dialogizität“ exemplarische Positionen abdecken. Die Untersuchung kommt zu folgenden Ergebnissen: In Anknüpfung an rezeptionstheoretische Überlegungen ist die Hermeneutik des Alten Testaments im christlich-jüdischen Dialog erstens als spezifisch christliche Leseweise zu definieren, die zugleich auf das Gespräch mit der gleichrangigen jüdischen Lesart angewiesen bleibt. Sie ist zweitens als theologische Auslegung zu entwerfen, die auf den Kanon aus Altem und Neuem Testament bezogen ist. Dabei trägt sie der Vielfalt der biblischen Stoffe Rechnung, indem sie von Zengers Konzept der kanonischen Dialogizität ausgeht. Als Beitrag zu einer „Theologie nach Auschwitz“ wird sie drittens keinen neutralen Standort einnehmen können. Viertens wird sie an die christologische Interpretation anschließen und sich dabei von Childs’ Verständnis des christologischen Bezugs als pneumatologisch qualifizierter Ausdehnung leiten lassen. Indem sie schließlich fünftens an das Textdenken Jacques Derridas und dessen Verständnis des Ereignisses anknüpft, das von ihm als messianischer Einbruch verstanden wird, kann sie aus theologischer Perspektive das Verstehen nur als pneumatologisch qualifiziertes Ereignis der Offenbarung Gottes begreifen, das methodisch nicht sicherzustellen ist.
The starting point chosen in this work is the hermeneutic consensus achieved in the Jewish-Christian dialogue. Reflecting upon some of the fundamental aspects of theology, the study develops more in-depth hermeneutic criteria based on the insight that the Bible of Israel is the shared common heritage that both establishes a link between Jews and Christians and is the point of origin of two religious traditions that have interpreted the heritage in different ways. It primarily deals with the conceptions held by Brevard S. Childs, Rolf Rendtorff and Erich Zenger who cover paradigmatic positions, ranging from a focus on the canon and on christology to a common Jewish-Christian reading and to a hermeneutic approach of “canonical dialogism”. The study yields the following results: Firstly, building on considerations embraced by the theory of reception, Old Testament hermeneutics within the Jewish-Christian dialogue have to be defined as a specifically Christian reading that, at the same time, continues to depend on the dialogue with the equal-ranking Jewish reading. Secondly, this hermeneutic approach has to be designed as a theological interpretation that relates to the canon of the Old and New Testament. This involves taking into account the diversity of the biblical material by using Zenger’s concept of canonical dialogism as a starting point. Thirdly, as is makes a contribution to “post-Auschwitz theology”, this reading will not be able to adopt a neutral standpoint. Fourthly, it will expand upon the christological interpretation and, in doing so, it will go by Childs’ concept of the christological relation being an extension conceived in pneumatological terms. Fifthly, by adopting Derrida’s deconstruction and his notion of the “event” as a messianic irruption, this hermeneutic approach can only conceive the act of understanding as an event where God is revealed, an event to be described in pneumatological terms that can not be warranted by any methodological effort.

Afrikaans: Die Bybel bestaan vir alle Christene uit twee dele: Die Ou Testament en die Nuwe Testament, maar die verhouding tussen die twee dele skep 'n probleem vir die kommunikatiewe praxis van die Christelike geloof. Sommige sien die Nuwe Testament as 'n dokument aangaande en 'n getuienis oor Jesus Christus - die Hoeksteen van die Christelike kerk, terwyl die Ou Testament pre-Christelik, Judees-Israelities van aard is en slegs die dade van God in die geskiedenis weergee. Diesulkes sien in die Ou Testament slegs 'n voorafskaduwing van die ware Bybelse boodskap wat deur Jesus Christus, die gekruisigde en opgestane Heer, geleef en geproklameer is. Aan die ander kant van die spektrum is daar diegene wat die Nuwe Testament weer slegs as 'n appendiks tot die werklike Bybel beskou. Wil ons werklik weet wie die God van die Bybel is, hoe Hy in die geskiedenis betrokke is en hoe ons as Christene behoort te lewe, dan moet die Ou Testament gelees word. Bo en behalwe hierdie twee ekstremistiese interpretasiemodelle van die verhouding Ou Testament/Nuwe Testament, bestaan daar nog vele andere ook soos die kategoriee van tipologie, belofte-en-vervulling en allegorie. Nog andere kies weer 'n bepaalde Mitte of tema soos die verbond, heils-geskiedenis of die ontwykende teenwoordigheid van God en poog daardeur om die Bybel as 'n geheel te sien. Sulke temas kan wel daartoe bydra dat Christene iets van die totale boodskap van die twee Testamente verstaan, maar geen enkele tema kan reg laat geskied aan die diversiteit van getuienis aangaande die ware en enigste God wat voortdurend nuut tot sy skepping spreek nie. 'n Ander aspek wat melding verdien, is die werklikheid dat niemand hierdie twee Testamente waarlik objektief benader nie. Onbewustelik lees elkeen dit met sy/haar eie voorveronderstellinge - die apriori van hul eie geloofstradisie. Daarom moet daar 'n hermeneuties-kommunikatiewe benadering vir Christene (wat maar geneig is om Christus in die teks van die Ou Testament op te spoor) ontwikkel word wat as 'n paradigma kan funksioneer waarbinne die boodskap en betekenis van die Ou Testament (sonder Christus onderliggend aan die teks) gestalte kan vind in praktykmodelle vir die kommunikatiewe praxis van die Christelike geloof. Wat hierdie ondersoek betref is daar maar slegs een benadering wat daartoe in staat is om beide Testamente as gelykwaardige gesaghebbende Woord van God te verstaan en dit is 'n teosentriese benadering op beide Testamente. Die benadering sal die kommunikatiewe praxis daartoe in staat stel om die Ou Testament toe te laat om sy eie boodskap te kommunikeer sonder om Christus op 'n gedwonge wyse in die teks in te lees in 'n poging om dit meer Christelik te maak. Ten einde só 'n teosentriese benadering ('n hermeneuties-teologiese teorie) tot beide Testamente te ontwikkel, het hierdie ondersoek die metodologie van 'n prakties-teologiese handelingsteorie (Heitink 1993) wat op drie basiese perspektiewe gebaseer is, verkies (hoofstuk 1): a) 'n Hermeneutiese perspektief (hoofstukke 2 en 3): Die ontwikkeling van 'n hermeneuties-teologiese teorie as 'n basisteorie vir die kommunikatiewe praxis ten einde die boodskap van die Ou Testament in die drie onderskeie handelingsvelde van die Praktiese Teologie, naamlik mens en religie, kerk en geloof en godsdiens en samelewing te kommunikeer (Heitink 1993:234). b) 'n Strategiese perspektief (hoofstuk 4): Die daarstelling van 'n verstelde praktykteorie met die oog op verandering in die hermeneutiese raamwerk vir die kommunikatiewe praxis van die bemiddeling van die boodskap van die Ou Testament gemodelleer op 'n teosentriese benadering vir die interpretasie van die verhouding Ou TestamentlNuwe Testament. c) 'n Empiriese perspektief (hoofstuk 5): Die skep van praktykmodelle met die Ou Testament as teks na aanleiding van hermeneuties-teologiese perspektiewe soos dit ontwikkel is in die hermeneutiese en strategiese teoriee van die studies. Die praktykmodelle wat op hierdie wyse geskep is, is daarop gerig om die boodskap van die Ou Testament in die drie onderskeie handelingsvelde van die Praktiese Teologie, mens en religie, kerk en geloof, godsdiens en samelewing te kommunikeer (Heitink 1993:234). Die studie se hipoteses wat ten slotte as bewese stellinge aanvaar is, lees só (hoofstuk 6): i) 'n Teosentriese benadering tot die verhouding Ou Testament/Nuwe Testament as "n prakties-teologiese model plaas die twee Testamente op gelyke vlak as die gesaghebbende Woord van God. ii) 'n Teosentriese benadering tot die. verhouding Ou Testament/Nuwe Testament as 'n prakties-teologiese model verhoed die praktyk van 'twee-preke-in-een-preek' in "n poging om die boodskap van die Ou Testament in die kommunikatiewe praxis van die drie onderskeie handelingsvelde van die Praktiese Teologie toepaslik te maak. iii) 'n Teosentriese benadering tot die verhouding Ou Testament/Nuwe Testament as 'n prakties-teologiese model is by uitstek daartoe in staat om die boodskap van die Ou Testament in die praxis van die geloofsgemeenskap en die moderne samelewing te kommunikeer sonder om Christus op "n gedwonge wyse in die Ou Testament in te lees. English: For all Christians the Bible consists of two parts: The Old and New Testament. The relationship, however, between these two parts is a hermeneutic¬ theological problem which confronts the communicative praxis of the Christian faith. Some regard the New Testament as testimony to Jesus Christ whilst the Old Testament is pre-Christian, Jewish-Israelite Scripture and only foreshadowing the real biblical message proclaimed and lived by Jesus Christ. Other see the New Testament only as an appendix to the real Bible - the Old Testament. Between these two extreme ways of interpreting the relationship, there are many other ways of doing it like the categories of typological, promise and fulfilment, allegorical and thematic interpretation. All such ways of interpretation can assist the Christian to understand something of the total message of the two Testaments, but no one can ensure that justices to be done to the diversity of testimonies regarding the one and only God. Another aspect which needs to be mentioned is the fact that nobody truly approaches the Testaments completely objectively. Unwittingly everyone reads it with his/her own presuppositions - the apriori of their own tradition of faith. Therefore it is necessary to develop a hermeneutic-theological theory for Christians which can serve as a paradigm within which the texts of the Old as well as that of the New Testament may regard as equal authoritative Word of God. As far as this study is concerned, there is but one approach only which can achieve this and that is a theocentric approach to both Testaments. In order to develop such a theocentric approach (a hermeneutic-theological theory) for both Testaments, this study prefers the methodology of a practical¬theological theory of praxis (Heitink 1993) which is based upon three basic perspectives (chapter 1): a) A hermeneutic perspective (chapters 2 and 3): The development of a hermeneutic-theological theory as meta theory for the communicative praxis in order to present the Old Testament in the three distinctive praxis of Practical Theology, namely human and religion, church and faith and evangelism and society (Heitink 1993:234). b) A strategical perspective (chapter 4): The presenting of a changed practical theory modelled on a theocentric approach for interpreting the relationship Old Testament/New Testament with a view to change the hermeneutic framework of the communicative praxis. c) An empirical perspective (chapter 5): The development of empirical models with the Old Testament as text according to the hermeneutic-theological perspectives as developed in the hermeneutic and strategical theories of this study. The empirical models are intended to communicate the message of the Old Testament in the three distinctive praxis of Practical Theology, namely human and religion, church and faith and evangelism and society (Heitink1993:234). The hypotheses of the study which were in the end considered as proved propositions read as follows (chapter 6): i) A theocentric approach to the relationship Old Testament/NewTestament as a practical-theological model is capable of treating both Testaments as equal authoritative Word of God. ii) A theocentric approach to the relationship Old Testament/NewTestament as a practical-theological model prevents the practice of "two-sermons-in-one -sermon" in an attempt to make the message of the Old Testament appropriate in the communicative praxis of the three distinctive praxis of Practical Theology. iii) A theocentric approach to the relationship Old Testament/New Testament as a practical-theological model is especially capable of communicating the message of the Old Testament in the communicative praxis of the Christian community and the modern society without reading by force Christ into the Old Testament.
Thesis (DD (Practical Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2007.
Practical Theology
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