Ce mémoire de maîtrise a comme sujet la constitution du credo présent en 1 Corinthiens 15:1-11, son origine, son contexte littéraire et historique en 1 Corinthiens, ainsi que la théologie et l’historicité des éléments le constituant. Il se penche premièrement sur la question de la délimitation du credo présent dans cette péricope. Suite à une analyse basée sur la critique des formes, une version longue du credo incluant les v. 3b-7 (excepté le v. 6b) est défendue. Deuxièmement, la question de la réception de la tradition par Paul est abordée ainsi que son utilisation contextuelle en 1 Co 15. D’un côté, il est soutenu que Paul a probablement reçu le credo de l’apôtre Pierre et Jacques, le frère de Jésus, à Jérusalem vers l’an 36 et que la formation du credo est antérieure à cela. De l’autre côté, Paul s’en sert en 1 Co 15 pour contrer une perspective grecque de la vie après la mort qui considérait la résurrection corporelle comme absurde puisque cette notion était perçue comme un retour dans des corps identiques aux corps présents, c’est-à-dire mortel (corruptible) et caractérisé par le vice (péché). Troisièmement, le credo est systématiquement analysé sur le plan théologique et historique. Sur le plan théologique, il est démontré que l’union mystique des chrétiens avec le Christ est présupposée et que cette idée remonte probablement à la tradition présente en 1 Co 11:23-25. De plus, És 53, Os 6:2 et Gn 22:4 sont présentés comme les principaux textes ayant servi à l’élaboration de cette tradition ancienne. Enfin, il est argumenté que les trois événements fondateurs, à savoir la mort, l’ensevelissement et les apparitions du Christ, sont d’ordre historique. L’auteur ne se prononce pas sur l’historicité de la résurrection, considérant qu’il s’agit d’un « fait-explication » ce qui diffère d’un « fait- observation » ce qui nécessiterait une autre méthodologie qui dépasse le cadre de ce mémoire. / This Master’s thesis deals with the creed found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11: its origin, literary and historical contexts in I Corinthians as well as the theology and historical significance of its parts. It is focused primarily on identifying the boundaries of the creed in the pericope. A form criticism analysis leads to an argument for a long version of the creed which includes verses 3b-7 (but excluding v. 6b). Secondly, the question of Paul’s use of tradition is addressed as well as its contextualization in I Corinthians 15. On the one hand, it is argued that Paul received the creed from the Apostle Peter and James, the brother of Jesus, in Jerusalem around the year AD 36, and that the creed had been formed before that time. On the other hand, Paul uses it in 1 Corinthians 15 to oppose a Greek perspective on life after death, which viewed physical resurrection as absurd. In this perspective, resurrection meant a return to a body identical to the present body, which is mortal/corruptible and characterized by vice/sin. Thirdly, the creed is systematically analyzed on both the theological and historical levels. On the theological level, it will be demonstrated that the mystical union of Christians with Christ is presupposed and that the notion probably goes back to the tradition present in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25. Furthermore, Isaiah 53, Hosea 6:2 and Genesis 22:4 are presented as the primary texts used to develop this ancient tradition. Finally, it is argued that three founding events, namely, the death, the burial and the appearances of Christ, are to be considered historical. The author does not take a position on the historicity of the resurrection, considering that it is an explanatory fact and not an observed fact. This question would require another methodology which goes beyond the scope of this thesis.

La théologie catholique affirme que Jésus, médiateur par excellence, est la Révélation plénière de Dieu à son peuple. Cependant, il y a eu au fil des siècles des révélations dites «privées», dont certaines ont été reconnues par l’autorité de l’Église. Le cas des révélations privées non reconnues a toujours été générateur de malentendus et de conflits froids et parfois ouverts entre l’autorité de l’Église et certains fidèles. En contexte africain, où le christianisme se greffe sur la culture traditionnelle, cette question de révélations privées est importante car elle imprègne la religion ancestrale. Dans notre contexte où le Christianisme semble avoir le vent en poupe, on se demande quelque rapport y a-t-il entre foi et expérience individuelle de révélation privée; la révélation privée est-elle un couronnement d’une vie de foi bien menée sous le regard du Seigneur et des hommes? Comment Dieu se manifeste-t-il aux hommes et comment en rendre compte sans faire face à l’adversité? Avec l’étude de l’expérience de Paul en 2Co 12, 1-10, il y a lieu de revenir sur la théologie catholique au sujet de la Révélation en rapport avec les révélations pour voir comment elle s’est articulée, à partir de la Bible, au fil des temps, en fonction des cultures et des réalités sans cesse nouvelles. À la base de cette théologie, on peut trouver en bonne position l’influence herméneutique de l’expérience mystique de Paul. Une révélation privée comme celle qu’il vit, fait toujours face à des doutes ou des attitudes sceptiques parfois tenaces pour se préciser après coup et fonder en raison son apport par rapport au Christ et à la vie ecclésiale. Si le jugement de l’Église est important pour son insertion dans la vie des communautés, toutefois, il faut dire qu’il n’est pas déterminant. Tout se joue entre Dieu et la personne certes, mais la qualité des fruits de ce jeu spirituel étant garante de la crédibilité de la révélation. Dieu, qui sait toujours communiquer avec son peuple sous des formes variées, en est capable en tout temps et selon le mode qu’il se donne. Pour mieux parler de l’expérience de Paul en 2Co 12,1-10, les démarches historico-critique et narrative ont été d’une utilité complémentaire en vue d’authentifier dans la péricope ce qu’il convient d’appeler : la mystique de Paul. Le témoignage spirituel de Paul peut servir de paradigme pour les personnes et d’éclairage pour l’Église dans le discernement des phénomènes de révélation privée aujourd’hui. Paul vit une relation forte avec le Dieu de Jésus Christ, il la fait vivre à ses communautés; quoiqu’il advienne, il n’hésite pas à en rendre compte et à la communauté, et à Pierre et aux autres. Sa vie intensément mystique, ne le soustrait pas de la démarche ecclésiale pour défendre ses révélations. / The catholic theology professes Jesus Christ as Mediator per excellence between God and his people. He is the Revelation of revelations that could never be surpassed, but along the centuries, there were many private revelations a few of which were confirmed by the Church and others not. The cases of mystical or private experience of God that are never taken into consideration by the authorities bring many troubles and divisions in the community of the catholic faithful. This situation is also common in some of the communities in Cameroon. This work is a biblical survey on Paul’s experience of God (in 2Cor 12,1-10) for the purpose of enlightening the phenomenon of private revelation. Although Paul is boasting for the excellence of his revelations and defends himself as one of the most important apostles of Christ, he doesn’t forget the need of the confirmation by those who have been chosen before him (Ga 1-2). The testimony of Paul could be a framework to look over and enable us to testify all the cases of visions or revelations that someone claims to have received directly from God. The whole Church could also update her judgement on some cases of mystical life that appear among Christians. To preserve and keep on fulfilling the will of her Founder, the Church has not only to be careful, but to be opened at such phenomenon as Peter and the others apostles did towards Paul. The beneficiaries of private revelations or visions have to humble themselves and face all the adversities in the spirit of Paul, who takes these as signs of God’s power revealed in his weaknesses.

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No description available.

La théologie catholique affirme que Jésus, médiateur par excellence, est la Révélation plénière de Dieu à son peuple. Cependant, il y a eu au fil des siècles des révélations dites «privées», dont certaines ont été reconnues par l’autorité de l’Église. Le cas des révélations privées non reconnues a toujours été générateur de malentendus et de conflits froids et parfois ouverts entre l’autorité de l’Église et certains fidèles. En contexte africain, où le christianisme se greffe sur la culture traditionnelle, cette question de révélations privées est importante car elle imprègne la religion ancestrale. Dans notre contexte où le Christianisme semble avoir le vent en poupe, on se demande quelque rapport y a-t-il entre foi et expérience individuelle de révélation privée; la révélation privée est-elle un couronnement d’une vie de foi bien menée sous le regard du Seigneur et des hommes? Comment Dieu se manifeste-t-il aux hommes et comment en rendre compte sans faire face à l’adversité? Avec l’étude de l’expérience de Paul en 2Co 12, 1-10, il y a lieu de revenir sur la théologie catholique au sujet de la Révélation en rapport avec les révélations pour voir comment elle s’est articulée, à partir de la Bible, au fil des temps, en fonction des cultures et des réalités sans cesse nouvelles. À la base de cette théologie, on peut trouver en bonne position l’influence herméneutique de l’expérience mystique de Paul. Une révélation privée comme celle qu’il vit, fait toujours face à des doutes ou des attitudes sceptiques parfois tenaces pour se préciser après coup et fonder en raison son apport par rapport au Christ et à la vie ecclésiale. Si le jugement de l’Église est important pour son insertion dans la vie des communautés, toutefois, il faut dire qu’il n’est pas déterminant. Tout se joue entre Dieu et la personne certes, mais la qualité des fruits de ce jeu spirituel étant garante de la crédibilité de la révélation. Dieu, qui sait toujours communiquer avec son peuple sous des formes variées, en est capable en tout temps et selon le mode qu’il se donne. Pour mieux parler de l’expérience de Paul en 2Co 12,1-10, les démarches historico-critique et narrative ont été d’une utilité complémentaire en vue d’authentifier dans la péricope ce qu’il convient d’appeler : la mystique de Paul. Le témoignage spirituel de Paul peut servir de paradigme pour les personnes et d’éclairage pour l’Église dans le discernement des phénomènes de révélation privée aujourd’hui. Paul vit une relation forte avec le Dieu de Jésus Christ, il la fait vivre à ses communautés; quoiqu’il advienne, il n’hésite pas à en rendre compte et à la communauté, et à Pierre et aux autres. Sa vie intensément mystique, ne le soustrait pas de la démarche ecclésiale pour défendre ses révélations. / The catholic theology professes Jesus Christ as Mediator per excellence between God and his people. He is the Revelation of revelations that could never be surpassed, but along the centuries, there were many private revelations a few of which were confirmed by the Church and others not. The cases of mystical or private experience of God that are never taken into consideration by the authorities bring many troubles and divisions in the community of the catholic faithful. This situation is also common in some of the communities in Cameroon. This work is a biblical survey on Paul’s experience of God (in 2Cor 12,1-10) for the purpose of enlightening the phenomenon of private revelation. Although Paul is boasting for the excellence of his revelations and defends himself as one of the most important apostles of Christ, he doesn’t forget the need of the confirmation by those who have been chosen before him (Ga 1-2). The testimony of Paul could be a framework to look over and enable us to testify all the cases of visions or revelations that someone claims to have received directly from God. The whole Church could also update her judgement on some cases of mystical life that appear among Christians. To preserve and keep on fulfilling the will of her Founder, the Church has not only to be careful, but to be opened at such phenomenon as Peter and the others apostles did towards Paul. The beneficiaries of private revelations or visions have to humble themselves and face all the adversities in the spirit of Paul, who takes these as signs of God’s power revealed in his weaknesses.

Pentecostalism has, in recent times, undeniably contributed towards the growth of the church as a whole. Public worship services inherently submit and contribute towards the meeting between man and God as well as fellowship between the people who form part of said service. Public services in honor of God speak to the purposes of God and man’s fundamental desire to meet with our Creator. Consequently, research into this phenomenon proves vital in determining and even extending the role of the Pentecostal ideology in correlation to the longevity of honorary public services. Chapters 2 through 4 shed light on some of the key concepts that clarifies the dynamic nature of these events, throughout the service wherein the radiant power of God touches the human heart in some astounding ways. Exegetic studies have been undertaken into 2 Chronicles 5-7 which examines these instances of divine meeting in the Old Testament while the second chapter of Acts deals with the event from a New Testament perspective. In addition to this, 1 Corinthians 11-14 was utilized to highlight the role of the Holy Ghost as the instigator for divine meeting. Specific issues addressed by the research include service preparation and the role of music and its contribution to ambience preceding a meeting between man and God. Moreover, a keen focus on the sermon and the delivery thereof as well as its progression leading up to the conclusion and summary in closing and prayer, are all dealt with as part of this study. This dynamic, in essence, becomes visible through the statement issued by the life of each disciple as a living testament to this consuming and changing event. Honorary public services fit the bill as an event to promote divine meeting. Chapter 5 delves into some of the auxiliary sciences i.e. sociology, communication science, psychology and the field of antropology. The principles in chapters 2 through 4 are affirmed by these aspects of science and provide perspective on the practical applications thereof. All these factors in relation to practice have also been scrutinized through empirical research. This research clearly places divine meeting as a central to and inseparable from perceiver experience. Chapter 7 provides practical guidelines to alternative approaches in practicum. The study proposes a model whereby certain aspects can be examined from a Pentecostal point of view in order to tailor services as a dais for divine meeting. Most importantly it should be evident in the life of the participant that they have truly encounter God. This meeting is the prime objective and at the heart of public service. It serves and should always serve as a doorway to Christian life. / PhD (Liturgics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

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Throughout the ages historical text criticism has been used to study texts of ancient authors of Christian ethical values. Two such persons were Paul the apostle and John Chrysostom. This study shows that text historical criticism is not without problems. The problem lays not so much in the idea of historical text criticism, but how it was and is still being applied today, it is never without bias. This use of the texts of Paul and Chrysostom who were both very outspoken on the subject of sexuality has caused great amounts of emotional and in cases also physical pain to people who misapplied historical text criticism and as Martin and others have effectively shown, any such interpretation of text that has a intention to hurt people cannot be the right method. Ancient sexuality worked and was constructed completely different from the sexuality of modernity. The way gender was appropriated in ancient times, the way sexuality was construed and applied were set against a wholly different context and set of rules than that of the current day. This becomes clear in Roman and Hellenistic sexuality that is discussed in detail in this study. Unlike modern times, the ancients did not have a simplistic two-sex model that was based on biological sex, in their world, one’s actions determined one’s sex. Both Paul and Chrysostom were very well educated people, they were aware of philosophic thought in their day and took these thoughts into account whilst saying and writing what they did. Paul was at heart a dedicated Pharisee who only later turned toward Christianity. He was well acquainted with Jewish sexual ethics; he had an absolute repulsion towards any form of desire, which he believed led to many other sins. His writings available to us should not be seen as biographies but as letters intended to be arguments with very good rhetoric and diatribe, written with the goal of achieving to convince the receiver or listener. He was extremely conservative in his viewpoint on sex, if he could have had his way, no sexual contact between any person would have existed, but he realised that not everybody had the same gifts he had. This point of view was mostly because of his eschatological worldview, for Paul when you became a Christian you became a slave of God and you were no longer a slave of any passions, so much the more, the passions of the flesh. Chrysostom, who lived almost four hundred years later, had a great veneration for Paul. He basically shared all Paul’s views on sexuality, although not always for the same reasons. Chrysostom was however, in his way also eschatological. His life, like that of Paul was caught up in many confrontations, which had an influence on the way he thought and the things he had opinions on. Chrysostom, like Paul preferred the ascetic lifestyle not only for himself but for everyone, he believed that marriage accompanied death–both spiritual and physical in the end. He so much clang to the ideas of Paul, that a sort of “Paulism” developed. Chrysostom, however noble his sayings might come across did not always have the purest of motive, some of the things he did or say was to achieve a certain political goal, even if it was just to gain more power for the church. This is one aspect that should be kept in mind when studying his texts. Unfortunately, for many people, many misinterpretations, be it willingly/intentionally, many mistranslations of key words on the Bible (like the word malakos) have been made. What so ever the intention–be it to propagate popular social sexual propaganda, or whatever–this is and was not right. Like mentioned many people has experience hurt because of this. Rhetorical text analysis is being set forward as an alternative to historical text criticism in a slight but hopeful effort to overcome this problem and enable the churches of today to welcome many more Christians into their families. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / M. Bib. (New Testament)

Text in German / Essen und Trinken haben im Neuen Testament einen hohen Stellenwert. Die ersten Christen haben sich regelmäßig beim Mahl getroffen. Die ausführlichste Beschreibung einer solchen Mahlzeit findet sich in 1Kor 11,17-34, in den paulinischen Ausführungen zum Abendmahl der Korinther. Im Verlauf der weiteren Kirchengeschichte hat das christliche Abendmahl einiges an Veränderung erfahren. Diese Arbeit soll zeigen, dass urchristliche Mahlfeiern wenig mit unseren heutigen Mahlfeiern gemeinsam hatten. Ein besonderer Fokus soll darauf liegen, in wie weit die Urgemeinde ihre Mahlfeiern gerade auch zu missionarischen Zwecken verwendet haben, ein Zusammenhang, dem seit frühster Kirchengeschichte keine wirkliche Beachtung mehr geschenkt worden ist. Schlüsselbegriffe Herrenmahl, Mahlgemeinschaft, Eucharistie, Antikes Gastmahl, Mission, Ungläubige / Eating and drinking have an important position in the New Testament. That is due to the fact, that Early Christian’s meat regularly at communal meals. The most detailed description of such a meal could be found in 1Cor 11, 17-34, the Pauline depiction of the Lords Supper. But during the progress of church history Christian communion changed significantly. This paper wants to show, that the Early Christian’s communion had little in common with our communion today. A special focus should be lie on the fact, that the early church used their communion for missionary purpose, a connection that got lost quickly in the first centuries of church history. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

This paper will look at the interpretation and translation of ἀρσενοκοῖται (1 Cor 6:9) in the list of people who will not inherit the kingdom of God. The word is mentioned in 1 Cor 6:9-10, and it has been translated in ways going from “homosexual”, “men who lay with men” and “sodomite” to “a man who lets others use himself or who uses others for debauchery” and “pedophile”. By looking at the views on sexuality, and male same-sex sexuality in particular, pertaining the Greco-Roman society and the Jewish culture contemporary to Paul, and also paying attention to the textual context as well as the context of the congregation in Corinth, the study has its aim set on finding what the word might have denoted to the first readers in the congregation in Corinth, and to Paul. The goal, then, is not to find a translation of the word ἀρσενοκοῖται that is literal, but to find one that is as close to a dynamic equivalent as is possible. This goal will, hopefully, be attained by giving the translation to the modern reader that is the one most likely to connote the same ideas and emotional connotations as the Greek word did in its original context. As the meaning of words change with time and context, there is a need for a translation that can bridge the gap created by that shift of meaning. Building that bridge in the case of ἀρσενοκοῖται is the goal of this paper. When the meaning, or meanings, that is found most likely to have been attained by the ancient readers is found, there will be a critical evaluation of some of the modern translations (and some a bit older) of the word in 1 Cor 6:9 to see if there already exists a translation that can be said to reach the goal of dynamic equivalence, given the meaning that is found most plausible in this paper. The study will argue that that is not the case, and therefore also propose a new translation, one that is argued to be closer to dynamic equivalence than those that has been evaluated. This translation is ”Men who sexually exploit men to gain social powers”. / Denna uppsats undersöker översättningen och tolkningen av ordet ἀρσενοκοῖται, det ord som avslutar 1 Kor 6:9 och är del av en lista över dem som inte kan ärva Guds rike (6:9-10). Ordet har översatts på olika sätt genom tiderna, med förslag som sträcker sig från “homosexuella”, “sodomiter”, “män som ligger med män” till “en man som låter utnyttja sig eller utnyttjar andra till osedlighet” och “pedofiler”. Genom att titta på hur sexualitet, och främst då manlig homosexualitet, sågs i den grekisk-romerska och judiska kontexten på Paulus tid, samt studera ordets litterära kontext och församlingens kontext i Korint, är målet att utröna vad ἀρσενοκοῖται bar med sig för betydelser och konnotationer för Paulus och de första mottagarna i Korint. Vad ett ord betyder är inte alltid statiskt över tid och rum utan förändras ofta, om än gradvis. Det riskerar därför att uppstå en klyfta mellan det som ordet från början innebar samt uppfattades som att det innebar, och hur det uppfattas idag. Den här uppsatsens mål är att överbrygga den klyftan för ἀρσενοκοῖται genom att ta reda på vad det grekiska ordet innebar i sin ursprungliga kontext och sedan ge en översättning som på bästa möjliga sätt ger en modern läsare konnotationer som i högsta möjliga grad stämmer överens med de konnotationer som de antika läsarna fick när de mötte ordet. Detta innebär alltså att målet inte är att ge en bokstavlig översättning av ἀρσενοκοῖται, utan en dynamisk ekvivalent översättning, där läsaren så långt det är möjligt får möjligheten att uppfatta det de första läsarna uppfattade. När den, eller de, meningar det är mest troligt att ordet bar med sig i sin ursprungliga kontext är konstaterade, kommer en kritisk utvärdering utifrån den slutsatsen göras av ett antal moderna översättningar (och några lite äldre), för att se om det finns en existerande översättning som uppnår dynamisk ekvivalens. Det kommer visa sig att så inte är fallet, och en ny översättning kommer därför att föreslås: ”Män som sexuellt utnyttjar män för att vinna social makt”.