D.Litt. et Phil. / This thesis has looked at the mission of the Church in South Africa against the historical background of both the South African peoples and the Johannine community in the light of the function and meaning of the Paraclete in John 13:31-16:33 In Chapter 1 the problem, purpose, importance, relevance, methodology, organisation, delimitations and the definitions of mission, church and the Paraclete were discussed. Chapter 2 looked at the history of the situation of the Church in South Africa between 15th and the 18th centuries and the role the Church played in the struggle against apartheid. Chapter 3 dealt with the history of the situation of the Johannine church in the early and later part of the first century. Chapter 4 gave a framework of the theological background of the synoptics. In Matthew themes such as christology, law, eschatology, kingdom, miracles and disciples were considered. In Mark, christology and faith and in Luke, christology, soteriology, eschatology and prayer were discussed. Chapter 5 looked at a selection of the theological themes in the Gospel of John: christology, signs and works, disciples, eschatology, eternal life, soteriology, belief, unbelief and hate. In 1 John themes such as christiology, eternal life, morality and brotherly love were dealt with. Chapter 6 looked at the background in the synoptics concerning the Spirit. In Matthew the Holy Spirit was mentioned with reference to the Spirit and Jesus, the Spirit and disciples, the Spirit as vital force and the relationship between the Spirit in Matthew and the Paraclete in John. In Mark the Spirit was discussed under the following headings: Jesus and Spirit, pneuma as the power of God, and the relationship between the Spirit in Mark and the Paraclete in John. In Luke the Spirit was discussed in connection with Jesus in his conception, baptism and temptation. Chapter 7 looked at the pneumatology in the Gospel of John and in the First Epistle of John. In John the "Book of Signs" and the "Book of Glory" were examined. A special reference to the functions of the Paraclete as teaching, reminding, witnessing, guiding and glorifying Christ and their relationship to the mission of the Church in South Africa was discussed. In chapter 8 the concept of the Church in Matthew, Mark and in Luke-Acts was explored along the mission of the Church in those sections of scripture. Chapter 9 looked at the ecclesiastical terminology in John's gospel and in the Epistles. In John terminologies such as disciples, sheep and shepherd, and vine imagery were explored. In 1 John ecclesiastical expressions such as the "children of God" and those "born of God" were looked at. Chapter 10 explored the missionary perspectives of Matthew, Mark and Luke- Acts and related the mission of the Church in South Africa to that of Matthew, Mark and Luke-Acts. Chapter 11 discussed the concept of mission in the Gospel of John. The mission of the "sent one", the disciples' mission, the mission of the believers and the mission of the Paraclete were explored. This chapter concluded by viii relating the mission of the Church in South Africa to that of the Gospel of John. Chapter 12 focused on the mission of the Church in South Africa today in relation to the function and the meaning of the Paraclete with reference to the Paraclete passages in John 13:31-16:33. This chapter identified issues the Church in South Africa needs to address as part of her mission. In conclusion this thesis suggested that just as the Paraclete influenced the situation in the Johannine community, the Church as the instrument of the Spirit should guide and influence the situation in South Africa today. The appendices in this thesis are intended to clarify and enrich the contents of the script. They can also be used as a resource by other researchers and it is that they will benefit many students who are researching on this field. An extensive bibliography of about seventy pages has been compiled. Not all sources have been quoted in the study; such sources are meant to be used as a resource by researchers on the subjects of Paraclete, mission and church.

Chronological Bible storying generally assumes a universality of the story teller's theological perspective in selecting and shaping Bible stories interculturally. This paper argues against this approach and proposes a method of crafting contextualized Bible stories which resonate with the worldview of a receptor culture. The influence of the theological and cultural presuppositions of the story teller is reduced through the utilization of the receptor culture's worldview assumptions - those values and beliefs through which the impact of scripture is experienced. The empirical research consisted of observing the responses of Sindhi Muslim men to a reading of John 13:1-10 and then interviewing them to generate cultural expressions which revealed a relationship between their culture and the scripture passage. Analysis of the data disclosed themes which have scriptural referents and can be used as the basis for selecting and crafting Bible stories that resonate with worldview assumptions. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

Chronological Bible storying generally assumes a universality of the story teller's theological perspective in selecting and shaping Bible stories interculturally. This paper argues against this approach and proposes a method of crafting contextualized Bible stories which resonate with the worldview of a receptor culture. The influence of the theological and cultural presuppositions of the story teller is reduced through the utilization of the receptor culture's worldview assumptions - those values and beliefs through which the impact of scripture is experienced. The empirical research consisted of observing the responses of Sindhi Muslim men to a reading of John 13:1-10 and then interviewing them to generate cultural expressions which revealed a relationship between their culture and the scripture passage. Analysis of the data disclosed themes which have scriptural referents and can be used as the basis for selecting and crafting Bible stories that resonate with worldview assumptions. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

The author of the Fourth Gospel delivers the true divine identity and significance of Jesus throughout the entire narrative. He aims at guiding his readers through the narrative of the Gospel with the purpose that they will “see” (meet) Jesus, confess him as Christ, and receive eternal life. John actually planned that the text of the Gospel should actively change people. Furthermore, the Gospel of John has wide spectrum of the reader. This means that John opens his message to the all the generations who are no longer in a position to see Jesus physically. Nobody reading this text should or could stay the same, since he or she will be confronted with the protagonist of the text, namely Jesus. By accepting this message, that person will receive life; by rejecting the message, a person will perish. This truth is rehearsed over and again in the narrative for every reader to see. The text of the Gospel thus becomes the “presence of Jesus” among the readers. This functional purpose of the Gospel accounts for the first farewell discourse in John 13:31-14:31. In response to previous scholarship that understands the Johannine farewell discourses solely as a testament, the present study convinces that the discourses interface with classical literature, specifically the following literary styles: Greek tragedy, consolation literature, and the literary symposium tradition. The multiplicity of the generic associations of the discourses sheds new light on the nature of Jesus’ departure as well as his continuing presence in spite of that departure. No longer designed to evoke only the themes of departure and absence, the testament of Jesus in John emphasises instead Jesus’ abiding presence. While the material from Greek tragedy will only further emphasise the theme of departure, the material from classical consolation literature and the literary symposium tradition will accentuate the theme of continuing presence. John has thereby transcended the usual expectations of the testament. Thus the physically absent Jesus becomes present through his first farewell discourse: the reader is confronted with a dynamic portrait of Jesus and this confrontation results in an acceptance of Jesus as Christ, as well as the receiving of eternal life. According to the first farewell discourse, eschatological promise, knowing and seeing the Father, glory, love, pastoral ministry, deeds, prayer, Paraclete, remembering, faith, peace and joy, and the words of Jesus all serve as the replacement of the physical Jesus. Therefore, the first farewell discourse does not indicate the separation of Jesus from his disciples but rather the permanent presence of the risen Jesus in and among them. This is their basis for perseverance, in other words, the foundation of their spreading the gospel messages to non-believers, even though they were in a difficult place. the gospel of John, John 13:31-14-31, the purpose of John’s gospel, the presence of Jesus, the recipient of the Fourth Gospel, the farewell discourse(s), Biblical hermeneutics, glory, eschatological promise, the Paraclete, mutual love, peace and joy / Thesis (PhD (New Testament Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / New Testament Studies / unrestricted

The present thesis explores the Spirituality of following Jesus according to the Fourth Gospel by investigating the whole profile of the term akoloutheo. In particular, this thesis probes what theological implications are communicated by the association of akoloutheo with correlated motifs in the pericopes where it is employed in spiritual connotation. The texts investigated are: John 1:35-51; 8:12; 10:1-42; 12:26; 13:36-14:3; 21:1-19. Each text communicates the particular and manifold aspects of the Spirituality of following Jesus. Yet, the most distinctive aspects of the Johannine Spirituality of following Jesus imparted throughout almost all the research texts can be summarized by “directional” and “relational.” The life of following Jesus is a journey toward a destination to which Jesus leads his followers, that is, into a relationship with the Father by being with Jesus where he is, and by being with him where he goes and will be in glory. It is ultimately participating in the Son’s communion with the Father. Jesus, who was with the Father and in the bosom of the Father, came down (descended) to bring his followers to the Father, and ascends to the Father taking them with him, so they may be with him where he is with the Father in love and glory. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th. (Christian Spirituality)