Scanned copy of Offutt's dissertation which is now in the public domain. Scanned as part of our digitization on demand service.

The title of this thesis is:- "Biblical hermeneutics and exegesis as criteria for assessing diagnostic variables in diagnostic theology". This thesis is concerned with the role, place and influence of the Bible in the context of diagnostic theology. Diagnostic theology is the scientific-theological investigation into a parishioner's problems in order to arrive at a spiritual diagnosis and direct the individual to the appropriate form of spiritual, clinical or psychological help. The major emphasis has been placed on the use of the Bible in the counselling situation. This has direct bearing on the three scholars whose work is examined, namely Anton Boisen, Paul Pruyser, and Seward Hiltner. The greater emphasis of this work has been placed on the writings of Seward Hiltner. He devised and used a set of diagnostic variables which brought into sharp focus the possibility of assessing the parishioner as a personality in a situation, also taking into account the individual's spiritual resources or coping mechanisms. Furthermore, this thesis investigates the use of these three variables under the categories of biblical theology, doctrinal theology and didactic theology. Moreover this investigation has drawn conclusions in the form of a derivative exegesis which has issued forth in an answering theology or hermeneutic. Finally, this work deals with critical inquiry in the context of the Christian faith which makes it relevant to the situation in the modern Western world. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1989.

For more than two thousand years the question of tbe identity of the Servant of Yahweh in Is. 40 - 55, and especially in the so-called "Servant Songs", has exercised the minds of students of the Old Testament. The first answer which we may trace with any certainty is that of the translator of this particular section in the Septuagint, who adds the words "Jacob" and "Israel" to the text. This is closely followed in the New Testament by the answer which Philip gave to the Ethiopian eunuch's query, "Of whom speaketh the prophet this ? of himself, or of some other ?" ( Acts 8:34f,). These two answers are typical of the two possible extremes in solving the problem. The first sees the Servant as a collective entity, the people Israel, while the second sees him as an individual figure, namely, Jesus Christ. The second answer explains why the interpretation of the Servant figure has been such a live issue throughout the entire history of Christendom. In it Christians have seen a prophecy of Jesus Christ - and more particularly in the suffering of the Servant, a prophecy of the facts which form the basis of the Christian Salvation, the death and resurrection of Jesus. Until the close of the eighteenth century, the generally accepted interpretation of the figure of the Suffering Servant among Christians was to identify him completely with Christ. With the development of the scientific study of the Old Testament during the last two centuries, every generation has raised the question afresh and sought to answer it. There is hardly an Old Testament scholar who has not laboured over it, and many have published their attempts at a solution. Hence the literature on the subject is enormous. In the present study no attempt has been made to give an exhaustive survey of all the interpretations of the Servant figure, but the text of the Servant Songs has been examined before an interpretation of the Servant figure was attempted. It is to be hoped that the final interpretation here given will reflect the thought of the prophet rather than that of the interpreter.

Text in Afrikaans / The hypothesis debated here is that a critical reading process leads to a responsible use of the Bible. The metaphor of birth and growth is used autobiographically in order to illustrate the mastering of a critical reading process. Fundamentalism as condition before the birth indicates a pre-critical reading and understanding of the Bible. The transition to a critical reading and understanding contains certain psychological effects for the reader. In some instances it may even be called a painful birth process. The growing process progresses slowly. Concepts like inspiration, canon, Scriptural authority, the Bible as Word of God are once more scrutinised in the light of a critical reading process. Aspects that need to be settled with any critical reading are surveyed and may be seen as proposed directives for the mastering of the process: the strangeness of the world of the Bible, the evolution of the Bible, the Bible as literature and the critical Bible reader and objectivity. A critical reading process has certain implications for the traditional understanding of certain Bible themes. This, for example, is illustrated in view of the relation between the two testaments, prophecy, human thinking about God in the Bible and the liberating energy of justification through faith. New insights also establish the necessity for contact with believers within and outside the Christian tradition. With regard to the New Testament and the Jesus movement, a critical reading also leads to new insights. Historical Jesus research is handled and settled in earnest in an attempt to reflect new insights in the Christian tradition. In conclusion, the role of the church is surveyed through a critical reading process. A few personal contentions and conceptions of faith are presented as a survey of the growing process up till the present time. The Divine image of a critical reader is argued in the light of the knowledge of science and the provisional nature of human knowledge about God. That the baby is not thrown out with the bath-water, implies that a critical reader's faith in God need not be sacrificed. On the contrary, it can lead to an enriching spiritual experience. / Religious Studies & Arabic / D. Litt. et Phil. (Bybelkunde)

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Text in Afrikaans / The hypothesis debated here is that a critical reading process leads to a responsible use of the Bible. The metaphor of birth and growth is used autobiographically in order to illustrate the mastering of a critical reading process. Fundamentalism as condition before the birth indicates a pre-critical reading and understanding of the Bible. The transition to a critical reading and understanding contains certain psychological effects for the reader. In some instances it may even be called a painful birth process. The growing process progresses slowly. Concepts like inspiration, canon, Scriptural authority, the Bible as Word of God are once more scrutinised in the light of a critical reading process. Aspects that need to be settled with any critical reading are surveyed and may be seen as proposed directives for the mastering of the process: the strangeness of the world of the Bible, the evolution of the Bible, the Bible as literature and the critical Bible reader and objectivity. A critical reading process has certain implications for the traditional understanding of certain Bible themes. This, for example, is illustrated in view of the relation between the two testaments, prophecy, human thinking about God in the Bible and the liberating energy of justification through faith. New insights also establish the necessity for contact with believers within and outside the Christian tradition. With regard to the New Testament and the Jesus movement, a critical reading also leads to new insights. Historical Jesus research is handled and settled in earnest in an attempt to reflect new insights in the Christian tradition. In conclusion, the role of the church is surveyed through a critical reading process. A few personal contentions and conceptions of faith are presented as a survey of the growing process up till the present time. The Divine image of a critical reader is argued in the light of the knowledge of science and the provisional nature of human knowledge about God. That the baby is not thrown out with the bath-water, implies that a critical reader's faith in God need not be sacrificed. On the contrary, it can lead to an enriching spiritual experience. / Religious Studies and Arabic / D. Litt. et Phil. (Bybelkunde)

Although the Bible was brought to Africa by missionaries as part of the Western European colonial package deat Africans have claimed the book as their ownand have appropriated it from the perspective of their culture, world-view and life experience. It is as though Africans are asking, with the attendants in Jerusalem on Pentecost, "How is it that each of us hears [the wonders of God] in his own native language?" (Acts 2:8ff). In the midst of the stresses caused by poor working conditions, low wages and high cost of living, the African commuter-train worshipper has found the Bible to be an indispensable source of hope, and a source of life itself. In the morning, on the way to work, and in the evening on the way back home, the African commuter can still afford a smile as the Bible promises him/her solutions to all problems. When the problems seem insurmountable, the commuter finds solace in the Biblical beatitude "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God" (Luke 6:20b). The commuter hears blessings pronounced on the hungry and the weeping in the Bible, and he is convinced that these blessings are pronounced on him too. The Bible is an indispensable tool in the hands of the African commuter-train worshipper, who interprets it and appropriates its message in a liberating manner, which the western mind sometimes cannot make sense of. The Bible remains the one book that gives dignity to all the commuter-train worshippers who live in squatter camps and sprawling townships, as it banishes all social inequalities. This study is about the way in which the African commuter-train worshippers read and interpret the Bible. The commuter's use of the Bible is placed within the context of the conventional African Biblical hermeneutical field. The commuter is recognized as an ordinary (untrained) reader whose contribution is highly valued by this author. This piece of work is a modest attempt at bringing to light the emerging phenomenon of commuter reading of the Bible, with the hope that Biblical scholars will take note of this rising phenomenon and give it the attention it deserves. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

In this dissertation, I explore the history of research of John 10: 1-18, I attempt to make a contribution to the understanding of this very important chapter in John by using Literary Theory for exegetical purposes, draw some conclusions with regard to the Christology of John and open some avenues of the understanding of the significance of the shepherd metaphor for our own context. In John's own time, this chapter definitely had social, religious as well as political significance. I attempt to determine how these facts interact with Jeremiah 23: 1-8 and Ezekiel 34: 1-6. I also draw some conclusions which may serve as guidelines in our own context and especially our own pastoral needs in the situation of conflict in our society, leaders who lead the flock of God astray and the need of unity among Christians. / Thesis (M.Theol.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1994.

This dissertation examines ethnohermeneutics theories and proposes an alternative view to cross-cultural interpretation. Chapter 1 introduces the study by examining the topic of ethnohermeneutics and its development out of the indigenous movement. For the sake of clarity, key terms are defined. The project background, methodology, and the limitations and delimitations are also stated in this chapter. Chapter 2 gives a history of the ethnohermeneutics theories of interpretation. This chapter examines the modern hermeneutics theories and the contemporary missiological discussions related to indigenization and contextualization that laid the groundwork for the development of theories related to ethnohermeneutics. Chapter 3 is an evaluation of ethnohermeneutics theories of interpretation. It provides an overview of these theories by examining the writings of the major proponents and stating the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches. Chapter 4 provides an alternative model for cross-cultural hermeneutics. This chapter explains the importance of authorial intent to biblical interpretation. It examines the steps involved in determining and applying the author's meaning and an interpreter undertakes those steps in places where there is a lack of resources or the people are primary oral learners. Chapter 5 applies the alternative model to the East Asian context. It examines the East Asian context and the difficulties that arise when conducting biblical interpretation in this region of the world, and then the model for cross-cultural interpretation will be implemented by examining three texts of Scripture and the ways they apply in this context. Chapter 6 serves as the conclusion and summarizes the study. It discusses why training in hermeneutics is important to discipleship in missiological contexts and explains the implications of this study to other areas of hermeneutics. / This dissertation is under embargo until 2013-12-13.

This thesis investigates the subversion of Biblical discourse in Jeanette Winterson’s first two novels, Oranges are Not the Only Fruit and Boating for Beginners. By rewriting Biblical stories Winterson challenges traditional Western religious discourses and their rules for heteronormative social and sexual behaviours and desires. Winterson’s texts respond to the patriarchal nature of socially pervasive texts, such as the Bible, by encouraging her readers to regard these texts with suspicion, thus highlighting what can be seen as a ‘postmodern concern’ with the notion of ‘truth’. Chapter One of this thesis comprises a discussion of Biblical boundaries. These boundaries, I argue, are a process of historical oppression which serves to subjugate and control women, a practice inherent in the Bible and modern society. The Biblical boundaries within which women are expected to live, are carefully portrayed in Oranges and then comically and blasphemously mocked in Boating. Chapter One also argues that Winterson’s sexuality plays an important role in the understanding of her texts, despite her desire for her sexuality to remain ‘outside’ her writing. Chapter Two of this thesis, examines the mix of fact and fiction in Oranges, in order to create a new genre: fictional memoir. The chapter introduces the concept of the ‘autobiographical pact’ and the textual agreement which Winterson creates with her readers. In this chapter, I examine Winterson’s powerful subversion of Biblical discourse, through her narration of Jeanette’s ‘coming out’ within a Biblical framework. Chapter Three of this thesis examines Winterson’s second book, Boating, and the serious elements of this comic book. This chapter studies the various postmodern narrative techniques used in Boating in order to subvert Biblical and historical discourse. Chapter Three highlights Winterson’s postmodern concern with the construction of history as ‘truth’. Finally, Chapter Four compares Oranges and Boating, showing the texts as differing, yet equally relevant textual counterparts. This chapter examines the anti-feminine characters in both texts and Winterson’s ability to align her reader with a feminist or lesbian viewpoint. This thesis argues that Winterson’s first two texts deliberately challenge Biblical discourse in favour of a postmodern feminist viewpoint.