The motivation of my research is the massive problem of physical and sexual abuse of women and children we experience in South Africa. This is unacceptable for a society like ours where the rights of every citizen are entrenched in the constitution. Therefore, I have focused on the metaphor of the family in the Fourth Gospel, and how they are employed at micro-, meso- or macro-level. J.G. van der Watt’s book, Family of the King. Dynamics of Metaphor in the Gospel of John (2000) forms the basis of my study. He has pointed out that the metaphor of the family is the constitutive and most essential imagery in the Gospel. The story of the Samaritan woman in John 4 fits somehow into the family history of the father and the son. The questions I am concerned with are: 'How does Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman in John 4 fit into the network of imagery of the family in John's Gospel? What other imageries related to the imagery of the family, are also functioning in the story of the Samaritan woman and what significance does this encounter have in relation with the rest of the Gospel? In chapter 1 the research premise is worked out. Elements featuring in this chapter are: the problem statement, general and specific objectives, aim of the study, motivation and methodology. Literary criticism, social-scientific criticism, rhetorical criticism and theological criticism together are used into an integrated and approach to interpret this pericope. When they are used interactively, a rich and responsible approach is available for dealing with belief, action and life in the world today. In Chapter 2 the social-historical background of the Jewish and Roman family is discussed. Aspects like the meaning of family, family functions in the Jewish household and family and community solidarity were taking into consideration. The important role of cleanness and uncleanness in the Jewish family and the way they considered Samaritans as ‘menstuants from the cradle’ are underlined. Because John 4 is about the encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan woman, the origin of the Samaritans; their beliefs and traditions; and divorce in their community are important. The Samaritan education system; cleanness and uncleanness in their community and the place of a woman in the Samaritan family were also included in the discussion. At the end of this particular section the similarities and differences of the Jewish and Roman families were compared to be able to reconstruct and to obtain as much information as possible of the context of the Samaritan family. Chapter 3 contains the discussion of the meaning and function of metaphors in general and specific in the Gospel of John. In this study I have looked at the definition of a metaphor, types of metaphors and imagery in the Fourth Gospel. John emphasizes in his gospel the divinity of Jesus and his relationship with God. The author is using human relational images to portray this relationship as well as Jesus, the divine’s relationship to the world and to other people. In the words of Van den Heever: ‘The metaphors in John are all embedded in contexts made up by other metaphorical expressions: descent/ascent, living in you/you in me, partaking of Me as food, walking in the light, etcetera. It means that the connoted micro-level metaphors must be understood macro-metaphorically.’ (1992:94). This forms the basis of the discussion of the metaphor of the family in John 4. Chapter 4 is the focal point of the research and contains a detailed exegesis of John 4:1-42 in order to explain the functioning of the metaphor of the family on micro-level. The other metaphors that are linked with the metaphor of the family are also discussed, e.g. the metaphor of water and the significance of water in the Fourth Gospel as well as the metaphors of light and life. Because a family is about relationships, the family metaphors in John’s Gospel are about various relationships. It is in the first place about Jesus’ relationship with his Father, with the disciples and with the believers. In John 4 two other family relationships are portrayed: the Samaritan family and the Jewish family and they are in conflict with each other. Therefore, Jesus invites the Samaritan woman into a new family, namely the family of the Father. In this family she will have a special place and function. Other aspects of the Samaritan woman's relationships are also explored, e.g. her relationship with men, with the disciples and with men in the village. Jesus as a human being was also part of a family. The Gospel writers hesitated to say too much about it, but eventually we do know something about his family relationships. In the last chapter of my research families in South Africa are discussed. How the Fourth Gospel and particularly the story of the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman can help to build families in South Africa that respects women; a society that gives women their rightful places in that society. / Dr. S.J. Nortje-Meyer

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Este trabalho pretende ser um estudo sobre a mulher na comunidade do discípulo amado e sua dinâmica evangelizadora, a partir de João 4,1-43, tendo em conta os aspectos sociais, políticas económicas e religiosas. O primeiro capítulo procura trazer à tona a situação da mulher dentro do contexto do Mediterrâneo entre os anos 63 a. C. e 135 d. C. É o período de muitas transformações em todos os aspectos da vida humana. A importância desse período é que a mulher que o trabalho prende reflectir situa-se nesse período histórico e nesse contexto geográfico. No segundo capítulo, trato do quarto evangelho como produto da comunidade do discípulo amado. Nesse capítulo, procuro resgatar a história e a trajetória da comunidade, seus conflitos, suas lutas e suas conquistas. Nessa história, tento sublinhar a participação da mulher no movimento de Jesus e no movimento cristão missionário. O terceiro capítulo faz uma reflexão sobre o que se diz a respeito das mulheres que aparecem no quarto evangelho. Constata-se que o evangelho dá relevância a acção das mulheres. No quarto capítulo, faz-se um estudo hermenêutico teológico do texto de Jo 4,1-43 e não um estudo exegético. Dá-se ênfase ao encontro entre Jesus e a samaritana e as consequências do mesmo. / The following work is a study of The Woman in the Community of the Beloved Disciple and her Dynamic Evangelizing Role from John 4, 1-43, taking into account the relevant cultural, socio-political, and religious issues of the times. The first chapter attempts to highlight the conditions of women in the context of the Mediterranean between 63 B.C. and 135 A.D. This was a period of great changes in every respect of human life. The relevance of this period is the fact that the woman on which this work focuses is situated in that historical period and that geographic area. In the second chapter, I deal with the fourth Gospel as a product of the community of the beloved disciple. Here, I attempt to uncover the history and the community trajectory, its conflicts, its struggles, and its victories. Within this context, I try to highlight the woman's participation in the Jesus' movement as well as the Christian missionary movement. The third chapter is a reflection of what is said about the women who appear in the fourth Gospel. It is obvious that the Gospel gives relevance to the role of women. The fourth chapter focuses on the hermeneutic theological study of John 4, 1-43 but it is not an exegetic study. Here, the emphasis is on the encounter between Jesus and the samaritan and its consequences. This text contains female hermeneutic liberation and poses questions about women and their socio-political, economic, and religious role in our times.

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