Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Hexateuch Relation to the Old Testament'

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.

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.

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 thesis is an examination of the wisdom literature preserved in the book of Proverbs, and of evidence pertinent to the nature and historical setting of this material. The first section examines the arrangement of sayings in the sentence literature, reviews the comparative Near Eastern material and its significance for the exegesis of Proverbs, and discusses the claims that early wisdom was secular, rejecting them. The second section concentrates upon the setting of the literature, with studies of 'wisdom' and 'wise men' in the Old Testament, the internal evidence for associating Proverbs with the royal court, the nature of the Joseph Narrative, Solomon's wisdom and the influence of Egypt on his administration, and, finally, the biblical and epigraphic evidence for formal education in Israel. On the basis of these studies, it is concluded that conventional views of the wisdom literature as scribal and pedagogical are ill-founded and in need of revision. It is suggested that indications within Proverbs itself are a better guide to the nature of the material, and that early wisdom literature should be viewed as an integral part of the literary culture within Israel, not as the product of an international movement or specific professional group.

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.

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.

The specific thesis that is tested in this study is that there is continual interaction between the sanctuary cult and personal religious experience in the Book of Psalms. The main theoretical argument is that the sanctuary cult had a formative role in creating the piety of the psalmists. The study attempts to explore the specific nature of that relationship and to benefit from the contributions of three major approaches to the Psalms, i.e., the form critical approach (Hermann Gunkel), the cultic approach (Sigmund Mowinckel) and the Psalter-shaping approach (Gerald H. Wilson, James L. Mays, Jerome F. D. Creach, Mark D. Futato, J. Clinton McCann and Walter Brueggemann). The study suggests that the ongoing interaction between the sanctuary cult and personal piety in the Psalms is the result of the creative power of cult. It offers evidence of the possible shaping of the Psalter around the sanctuary motif. It also offers a unique perspective on the piety of the psalmists, suggesting that the psalmists, and particularly the editor(s) of the present shape of the Psalter, promoted the eschatological hope of Israel in the new temple and the heavenly aspect of Israel’s sanctuary.
Thesis (PhD (Old Testament))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus in association with Greenwich School of Theology, U.K., 2013.

….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.

PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO
As leis existentes em Lv 18 e Lv 20 tratam de relações sexuais consideradas ilícitas, com destaque especial para relações de natureza incestuosa. Tema que está presente, de forma semelhante, nos parágrafos 154 a 158 do Código de Hammurabi. À diferença do segundo, os primeiros textos não proíbem explicitamente a relação incestuosa entre pai e filha(s). A presente Tese propõe analisar cada um dos dois corpora legislativos em seus contextos sócioliterários e compará-los na tentativa de explicar o silêncio existente no Levítico a respeito do incesto. Além disso, a Tese discute o alcance normativo das leis bíblicas à semelhança da discussão teórica existente sobre o tema no que tange ao Direito cuneiforme.
The existing laws in Lv 18 and Lv 20 are about illicit sexual intercourse, with special focus on relationships of incestuous nature. The issue is also present in paragraphs 154 to 158 of the Hammurabi Code. Apart from the second, the first texts do not explicitly forbid incestuous intercourse between father and daughter(s). The present thesis proposes both the analysis of each legislative corpus in their social and literary contexts and their comparison as a way to explain the existing silence on incest in the Leviticus. Besides, this paper discusses the normative reach of biblical laws considering the theoretical discussion about the issue taking the cuneiform Law into consideration.

This thesis examines the use and function of a specific group of Psalms, the so-called “Royal Psalms,” among the texts of the Qumran library. From the time of their integration into the worship practices of the Israelite people in the obscure past to the Second Temple period and beyond, these Psalms continued to be a source of inspiration to the Jewish people. Though there have been many studies that have analyzed their Sitz im Leben, use, interpretation, and application for many different periods, no study has attempted a thorough analysis of their use among the Qumran documents. Analyses of the use in the Qumran texts of certain individual Royal Psalms exist, but these do not attempt to cover the Royal Psalms as a corpus. The present thesis will analyze the appearance in the Qumran library of the eleven generally-accepted Royal Psalms: Pss 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 110, 132, and 144. This study explores whether or not these Psalms are to be found in the known Qumran Psalms scrolls, variations or differences as compared to the Masoretic Text, how they are were interpreted in exegetical and other texts, quotations of and allusions to them, and how themes from the Royal Psalms contribute to the structure and theology of non-canonical royal psalms found at Qumran. An understanding of the use of the biblical Royal Psalms in these texts is of value for our comprehension of what happened to the pre-exilic royal traditions as these hymns continued to be used in a post-monarchic society. This dissertation makes an original contribution toward these goals, establishing that there was an interest on the part of the authors of many of the Qumran texts in royal themes although they lived long after the monarchy had ended.

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.

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
unrestricted

This dissertation seeks to find Christ in the Old Testament by examining the targumic passages in which Memra, Shekinah, or Yeqara occur as God's agent or manifestation. Chapter 1 demonstrates that scholars view the Memra, Shekinah, and Yeqara as agents for God or manifestations of God even though many scholars reject the notion of Christological implications found in the New Testament appropriation of these terms and concepts. Chapter 2 discusses the close connection between the targumic Memra, Shekinah, and Yeqara and the New Testament by citing clear instances where the New Testament authors appropriated targumic terms and concepts to speak of Jesus. By using targumic terms and concepts, the New Testament authors provided an exegetical method for finding Christ in the Old Testament through Targum. Chapter 3 examines the occurrences of Memra, presenting examples of passages that certainly refer to Christ, do not refer to Christ, and probably refer to Christ. In this chapter, the Memra refers to Christ or probably refers to Christ when the Memra functions as God's agent, carrying out God's work in the world. Chapter 4 investigates the occurrences of Shekinah and Yeqara, but under the influence of the New Testament, nearly all of the occurrences of Shekinah, and most occurrences of Yeqara refer to Jesus. Shekinah and Yeqara are delineated into categories of occurrences that refer to God's manifestation and God's manifestation with agency. Even though most occurrences of Shekinah and Yeqara refer to Christ, some occurrences of Yeqara are a literal translation of the Hebrew and do not refer to Jesus. Chapter 5 concludes the dissertation by tying several themes together to show the consistency and validity of finding Christ in the Old Testament through Aramaic terms and concepts. This dissertation argues that when the Memra, Shekinah, or Yeqara appear as God's agent(s) or as manifestations of God, one may find Christ in those Old Testament passages. One may find Christ in these passages because the New Testament authors present Jesus as the premier agent and manifestation of God using targumic terms and concepts.

This thesis employs a historical approach to practical theology in an effort to discover resources from past practices for critical reflection upon a current methodology with the intent of producing a revised practice. The following research question is pursued: How can the practices of patristic preachers enhance the current efforts of redemptive-historical preachers to preach faithfully the New Testament quotations of the Old Testament? Chapter One reviews literature from five major redemptive-historical theologians: Geerhardus Vos, Edmund Clowney, Sidney Greidanus, Bryan Chapell, and Graeme Goldsworthy. Five of the major shared characteristics of these authors are considered in light of their various contributions. Chapters Two, Three, and Four examine various patristic homilies, outlining practical considerations for a contemporary model of preaching. Chapter Two examines two early homilies, 2 Clement and Quis Dives Salvetur, noting the influence of the synagogue. Chapters Three and Four respectively examine the preaching of Origen and Chrysostom. Chapter Five outlines some major characteristics of patristic preaching discovered through a comparison of the findings of chapters Two through Four. Chapter Six provides a model for preaching New Testament quotations of the Old Testament that is consistent with the theological convictions of redemptive-historical homileticians and informed by the insights gained from reflection upon the practices of patristic preachers. This model makes an original contribution to knowledge by advancing the discussion of redemptive-historical preaching both through the application of the redemptive-historical approach to the New Testament quotations of the Old Testament and through the consideration of the relationship between redemptive-historical practices and patristic practices.
Practical Theology
D. Th. (Practical Theology)

This dissertation examines the Christological witness function of the Old Testament characters in the Gospel of John. Chapter 1 discusses the problem concomitant to the bi-partite nature of the Christian Bible and the scholarly solutions suggested to remedy this issue. The importance of Christology for John and the Gospel's indebtedness to the Jewish heritage is also noted. Combining these two aspects, some scholarly attempts to account for Johannine Christology in terms of Jewish hero redivivus theories are reviewed. An important consensus has emerged from German scholarship that sees the role of the Old Testament as Christological witness. This perspective gave impetus to the present research concerning the same witness function of the Old Testament characters. The rest of chapter 1 discusses the preliminary questions, such as, the justification, contributions, methodology, terms, and limits of the present study. Chapter 2 investigates the contribution of Jacob and Abraham to Johannine Christological understanding in view of relevant intertestamental Jewish literature. In contrast to some scholarly arguments, the main function of these patriarchs is to undergird the messianic identity of Jesus. Chapter 3 concerns Elijah in early Judaism and John. The eschatological expectation of Elijah in the former period is marked by his militant subjugation of the gentiles along with the reconciliation ministry. The contextual reading of the passages related to Elijah in John reveals that he is a type of John the Baptist rather than Jesus. Chapter 4 examines David, probably the most influential messianic prefiguration of the intertestamental period. He is characterized by his competence as a ruler, his loyalty to Judaism, and his status as an eschatological figure. While the first half of John's Gospel does not portray Jesus as a Davidic figure, the latter half is replete with the references to the Davidic trials. Although one can argue for a correspondence between David and Jesus in the Johannine passion accounts, the analogy is more evident between Yahweh and Jesus, let alone the suffering aspect of David, which did not constitute the messianic expectations of early Judaism. Chapter 5 engages in a study of Moses as depicted in early Judaism and John. In contrast to the perspectives of the Hebrew scriptural traditions, in which Moses is understood as the prophet par excellence, the fourth evangelist presents him merely as a Christological witness, not as a messianic prefiguration. Chapter 6 summarizes the foregoing observations and offers hermeneutical implications for the study of the Gospel of John, especially with reference to the redactional capability of the fourth evangelist and the value of the intertestamental Jewish literature.
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Without rejecting the general consensus among scholars that Luke emphasizes the humanity of Jesus, this dissertation attempts to contribute to the field of Lukan Christology by contending that there is more to the Lukan portrait of Jesus than what is generally acknowledged. Through his particular presentation of Jesus as the Spirit-Giver, Luke unveils the divine identity of the Messiah. Chapter 1 provides a history of research of Lukan Christology and highlights the various controlling categories scholars have proposed for analyzing Lukan Christology. It concludes that there is a need for a study on Luke's Spirit-giver motif and its contribution to Lukan Christology. Because the OT provides the conceptual world from which Luke develops his Spirit-Giver motif, chapter 2 examines the eschatological passages in Ezekiel, Isaiah, Joel, and Zechariah to see how that act of giving the Spirit is linked with the unique identity of Yahweh. The primary claim in this chapter is that the OT consistently presents the act of giving the eschatological Spirit as an act unique to the divine identity of Yahweh. This claim is supported in three ways: first, the primary metaphors employed to describe the giving of the Spirit are new creation and new exodus; second, the prophets explicitly link the act of giving the Spirit with Yahweh's identity as Israel's God; third, the act of giving the Spirit is reserved for Yahweh alone. Chapter 3 explores how the act of giving the eschatological Spirit was understood in Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism. This chapter highlights the continuity between the OT and Jewish literature: the act of giving the Spirit is linked with God's identity as the creator and redeemer. Despite its diversity, early Judaism associated the act of giving the Spirit with the unique identity of God and no other figure is ever presented as sharing this role. Chapters 4 and 5 examine Luke's Gospel and Acts respectively in the attempt to understand how Luke himself has uniquely developed the Spirit-Giver motif. In drawing upon the OT promise of the outpouring of the Spirit, Luke presents Jesus as participating in a role that was reserved exclusively for Yahweh and unique to his identity as Israel's creator and covenant God. As the Spirit-Giver theme unfolds, the identity of Jesus and the Father overlap in their shared role as the Spirit-Giver. This theme is thus evidence of Lukan divine identity Christology. Chapter 6 concludes the argument and explores implications for Lukan Christology.

advancements in Old Testament and New Testament Studies. For example, new knowledge is available on the variant versions of the Septuagint and application of the literary concept of intertextuality has yielded significant results in recent biblical scholarship. However, considering that 1 Peter arguably uses the Old Testament in the most condensed manner of all the New Testament writings, it is surprising that relatively few recent studies have been carried out on the use of the Old Testament in 1 Peter. As a partial corrective to this situation, this in-depth study is focused on the use of the Psalms in 1 Peter, utilizing an integrated hermeneutical procedure that combines traditional grammatical-historical analysis with the state of the art on New Testament use of the Old Testament. The aim is to clarify the hermeneutical implications of the use of the Psalms in 1 Peter for Old Testament and New Testament exegesis within the Reformed tradition today. Thus, a comprehensive exegetical approach is systematically applied to each pericope of 1 Peter and to every relevant Psalm passage in order to establish a valid foundation for understanding how the author interprets the Psalms and how the Psalm references function within the argument of 1 Peter. In addition, intertextual resonance is considered as an effective means to enhance understanding of the function and effect of Psalm references as intended by the author, and to determine the possible unintended effect of Psalm references upon the addressees and later readers. Furthermore, consideration of reader response sometimes makes it possible to identify echoes of Psalm passages not likely intended by the author, but nevertheless, very likely to have come to the minds of the recipients with significant effect. One conclusion of this study is that there is no compelling evidence that the author’s interpretation of the Psalms ignored the intended meaning of the Psalm in its own context, or merely reflected contemporary Second Temple interpretations. Furthermore, it has been possible to refine the criteria for identifying and classifying Psalm allusions rather than merely following broad, predetermined criteria. Thus, a distinction is made between specific allusion, in which case the author’s argument depends upon recognition of specific Psalm passages, and general allusion, in which case the author’s argument depends upon a concept recognizably derived from the Psalms but not limited by the wording of specific references. This study also demonstrates that the use of the Psalms in 1 Peter is based upon a strong sense of solidarity with believers of the past, especially as they expressed their responses to God in the context of suffering. In particular, compared with other New Testament writings, 1 Peter stands out for the fact that the majority of its Psalm allusions are used for the purpose of developing and reapplying significant themes. Thus, 1 Peter provides compelling reason for present-day interpreters to view theme development as a valid and effective way to apply the Psalms to the circumstances of Christian believers as they face the challenge of living faithfully in new contexts of suffering and persecution.
PhD (New Testament), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Text in German
An drei Stellen im Römerbrief verweist Paulus auf die Vergangenheit Israels: auf Abraham in Röm 4,1–25, auf Abrahams Nachkommen, Mose und Pharao in Röm 9,6–18 und auf Elija in Röm 11,1–10. Gegenstand der Untersuchung ist die Bedeutung dieser Verweise auf die Vergangenheit Israels für die Argumentation des Römerbriefs. Nach der Analyse der rhetorischen Situation und der Einordnung der relevanten Stellen in die rhetorische Makrostruktur des Briefs werden alttestamentlicher Kontext und frühjüdische Rezeption der rezipierten Ereignisse untersucht. Auf diesem Hintergrund werden die drei Passagen detailliert betrachtet, indem der Argumentationsgang untersucht und die mögliche rhetorische Wirkung auf die Adressaten aus sechs unterschiedlichen Perspektiven analysiert wird: mit hoher Schriftkenntnis, mit geringer Schriftkenntnis, aus jüdischer, nichtjüdischer, christlicher und stadtrömischer Perspektive. Auf diese Weise können unterschiedliche Aspekte der leserseitigen Rezeption differenziert wahrgenommen werden, bevor sie zu einem Gesamtbild zusammengeführt werden.
New Testament

By quoting Deuteronomy 30:12–14 as the content of the message of the righteousness of faith over against Leviticus 18:5 and the righteousness of the law in Romans 10:5–8, Paul proclaims a promise fulfilled in accord with the original meaning of the text written by Moses in Deuteronomy. More precisely, Paul reads Deuteronomy 30:11–14 as an extension of the reality foretold in Deuteronomy 30:1–10, which points forward to the new covenant experience of faith-empowered obedience, or heart circumcision, which includes the internalization of the word of God—the eschatological torah—by the Spirit of God. What Paul has found in Deuteronomy 30:11–14 is a prophetic promise of righteousness which he declares fulfilled in the gospel of the Lord Jesus, the message of the righteousness of faith.

In the presentation of his Gospel in his letter to the Romans Paul often quotes from the Old Testament. This indicates the functional significance of the OT as the foundation of Paul´s argumentation. However, is Paul´s use of Scripture legitimate? Does Paul change and misinterpret Scripture to fit his own ends? If Paul´s argumentation with Scripture follows contemporary, legitimate early Jewish methods of interpretation, then he could be cleared of the charge of manipulatively changing and interpreting Scripture. This thesis examines the textual basis of these quotations, the interpretive methods employed and the function of such quotations for Paul´s argumentation. The results suggest that Paul has not manipulated the textual basis. He employs the interpretive techniques of early Judaism and refers to Scripture mainly to affirm his presentation of the Gospel. A final section raises the issue what contemporary Biblical studies might learn from Paul´s use of Scripture.
Biblical & Ancient Studies
M.Th.(New Testament)

AFRIKAANS: In die laat tagtigs en vroeë negentigs van hierdie eeu is die res van die Oumran-geskrifte wat ontdek is, openbaar gemaak. Met die gebeurtenis het talle moontlikhede vir die wetenskaplike bestudering van 'n groot aantal dokumente ontstaan. 4Qlnstruction is een van die dokumente wat beskikbaar geraak het, en is geklassifiseer as 'n wysheidsteks wat 'n legio moontlikhede vir wetenskaplike bestudering moontlik gemaak het. As gevolg van die fragmentariese aard van die teks bestaan daar nog geen vasgestelde teks vir die geskrif nie en is daar nog nie 'n volledige vertaling nie. Hierdie twee faktore asook die feit dat die fragmente tematiese ooreenstemming (maar ook verskille) toon met ander wysheidsgeskrifte, het as motivering vir hierdie studie gedien. In hierdie studie gee ek 'n eie komposisie van die teks asook 'n vertaling van die geselekteerde fragmente (4Q417 2i-ii en 4Q416 2ii-iv ) van 4Qlnstruction weer. Deur middel van intertekstualiteit word die fragmente vergelyk met ander wysheidsgeskrifte (Ben Sira, ander Qumran-geskrifte en Spreuke) uit die Israelitiese geledere, Bepaalde wysheidstemas is in die fragmente geïdentifiseer, waarna dit met ooreenstemmende temas in die ander geselekteerde geskrifte vergelyk is, Die intertekstuele studie behels 'n bestudering van die geskrewe teks sowel as die gebeurde teks, Die onderskeie geskrifte se tekste sowel as kontekste is met ander woorde met mekaar vergelyk, in 'n poging om die rede(s) vir die ooreenstemmende asook verskillende opvattings oor soortgelyke temas binne die Israelitiese 'biblioteek' te verklaar. Na aanleiding van die intertekstuele studie wi! dit voorkom asof die ooreenstemminge voor die deur van die 'bronteks' (oorspronklike teks) gelê kan word, terwyl die verskille meer verstaanbaar is in die Iig van die onderskeie geskrifte se omstandighede (konteks/ sosiaie teks). ENGLISH: In the late eighties and the early nineties of this century most of the Oumran texts which were discovered were made public. Along with this, many opportunities arose for scholars to study the many documents contained therein. 4Qlnstruction is one of the documents which became available and as a result thereof, a wide range of opportunities opened up to scholars. Due to the fragmentary nature of the text, there is as yet no formal text of the document available. The motivation for this study arises from the above mentioned factors along with the fact that the fragments have both similarities and differences within certain themes. In this study I am presenting my own reconstruction and translation of selected 4Qlnstruction fragments (4Q417 2i-ii and 4Q416 2ii-iv). By using intertextual study, the fragments are compared with other wisdom texts (Ben Sira, other Qumran texts and Proverbs) from the Israelite 'library'. Certain wisdom themes are identified in the fragments and compared with similar themes in the other selected texts. The Intertextual study involves a study of the written text(s) as well as of the actual events (social text). Hence, the text(s) and context(s) of the selected works are compared with each other in an attempt to explain the reasons for the similarities as well as the varying opinions within the similar wisdom themes contained in the Israelite 'library'. In the Intertextual approach, it appears as if the similarities can be attributed to the original Israelite theology or ideology, while the differences are due to the varying situations (context/ social text).
Dissertation (MA (Semitic Languages))--University of Pretoria, 2007.
Ancient Languages
unrestricted

German text
Nach grundsätzlichen Überlegungen zur Allgemeingültigkeit, Kultur- und Zeitbezo-genheit neutestamentlicher Aussagen untersucht die vorliegende Studie das Lehrver-bot der Frauen im gesamtbiblischen Kontext. Dadurch resultiert 1. Timotheus 2:12-14 als Schlüsseltext in der Frage, ob Frauen für den leitenden und lehrenden Dienst in der Gemeinde zugelassen sind. Hinweise für das richtige Verständnis von 1. Ti-motheus 2:12-14 sind Vergleiche mit anderen paulinischen Verweisen auf erzählte Ereignisse des Alten Testaments und ihre Funktion im jeweiligen Diskurs, die Wir-kungsgeschichte der Schöpfungsreihenfolge und von Evas Fall im Frühjudentum sowie die Funktion dieser Verweise in der Argumentation im 1. Timotheusbrief. Ab-schliessend wird 1. Timotheus 2:12-14 im Bezug auf den unmittelbaren Kontext un-tersucht. Die vorliegende Arbeit schließt, dass 1. Timotheus 2:12-14 trotz der Ver-weise auf die Schöpfungsreihenfolge und den Fall Evas nicht als allgemeingültig zu verstehen ist.
After general reflections on universal validity, and on the cultural and temporal set-ting of New Testament propositions, this study examines the prohibition on women teaching in Christian congregations in the context of the whole Biblical canon. From this perspective, 1 Timothy 2:12-14 offers a key role for the validity of women as leaders and teachers. Clues towards a correct understanding of 1 Timothy 2:12-14 are to be found in comparisons with references to Old Testament events and their par-ticular function in Pauline discourse, in reception of the order of creation and fall of Eve in early Judaism, and in the function of these references in the argument of 1 Timothy. Finally, 1 Timothy 2:12-14 is examined in view of its immediate context. The thesis concludes that, despite its reference to the order of creation and the fall of Eve, 1 Timothy 2:12-14 should not be understood as an absolute prohibition.
New Testament
M. Th. (New Testament)

Chapter 1 first establishes the study's methodology, then explores Hebrews' interest(s) in Leviticus as a pathway into Leviticus itself, sketching Hebrews' appropriation of the Day of Atonement, the high priest as sacrificial officiant, daily sacrifices, the inauguration of covenant and cult, and the twofold conception of purifying God's people and place. Chapter 2 offers a portrait of Levitical sacrifice, first examining its creational foundations, canonical precursors, and covenantal context, then surveying the various types of sacrifices. Following this, two topics which receive more detailed attention are the Day of Atonement and the forensic logic running through the cult, the latter seen in (1) the links between priesthood, sacrifice, and wrath, (2) the blood canon of Leviticus 17:11, (3) the concept of sin-bearing, and (4) the "biological" and "legal" nature of impurity. Chapter 3 briefly outlines some of the answers this survey of Leviticus brings to the text of Hebrews then details a number of questions it raises which subsequent study of Hebrews should engage.

M.A.
Christianity was not born in a vacuum, but it completely owes its historical genesis on or from Jewish religion. The Apostolic, Primitive church was initially composed of Jewish believers who had seen in and understood Jesus of Nazareth as the anticipated Messiah predicted by the Old Testament prophets and writers. The current and lamentable truth is, Jewish Religion and Christianity are now two different and separate religions. Jesus Christ, His disciples, and Paul remained Jews as far as the Jewish culture is concerned. It is difficult to separate the sacred and secular in the Jewish economy because Jewish culture and religion are intertwined. In this culture, ploughing is as sacred as worshipping. The only apparent shift in his (Paul) paradigm was in interpreting and explaining the Old Testament prophecies and ceremonial system in the light of the Jesus Christ event at the Cross. His evaluation of that "event" and the Person of Jesus of Nazareth became the point of conflict with Judaisers and Judaism that would set a stage for separation between Christianity and Jewish Religion. The Christian Church exists in the post-Cross era. This Church is faced with, among other issues and tasks, challenges of sifting and demarcating between God's injunctions and Jewish Customs.