Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Beyers Naudé has long been revered as one of South Africa‘s most influential church and civil leaders. He has been acclaimed both nationally and internationally as a symbol of hope. Recent developments at Stellenbosch University, with regards to the HOPE Project and the Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology, have given rise to renewed academic interest into the life and witness of Beyers Naudé, and specifically the concept of hope. The focus of this study is the contribution of Beyers Naudé to Christians‘ advocacy of hope in public life. A theological historical reading of his public speeches from 1960 to 1990 is conducted in an analysis of his advocacy of hope. A heuristic framework is used in order to investigate the nature and method in which Beyers Naudé employed the concept of hope in his public addresses. This framework is constucted by drawing on the concepts of hope, public theology and historiography, resulting in what I have termed a 'historically hopeful citizenship‘. A chapter is dedicated to a biographical overview of Naudé‘s life and witness in order to understand the influences in his life and to work with hermeneutical sensibility in analysing his addresses. Furthermore, this study is concerned with exploring the possible contours of hope in Naudé‘s addresses and finally asking whether an understanding of the nature and use of these notions of hope could contribute historical and conceptual knowledge about the church‘s public witness and whether this can have implications for the field of public theology. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Beyers Naudé word al vir baie jare as een van Suid-Afrika se mees invloedryke kerk- en samelewingsleiers geag. Hy is al op nasionale, sowel as internasionale vlak beskou as 'n simbool van hoop. Onlangse ontwikkelinge aan die Universiteit Stellenbosch, met betrekking tot die HOOP Projek sowel as die Beyers Naudé Sentrum vir Publieke Teologie, dra by tot hernude akademiese belangstelling in die lewe en werk van Naudé, sowel as in die konsep van hoop. Sy bydraes was veral beduidend in die publieke lewe gewees. Die fokus van hierdie studie is dus Beyers Naudé se bydrae tot Christene se voorspraak van hoop in die publieke lewe. 'n Historiese, teologiese ondersoek word ingestel op die publieke toesprake van Naudé van 1960 tot 1990. Hiervoor word 'n heuristiese raamwerk gebruik om die metode en aard van Naudé se voorspraak van die konsep van hoop in sy publieke toesprake te bestudeer. Dié raamwerk maak gebruik van die konsepte van hoop, publieke teologie, en historiografie en loop uit op 'n burgerskap ingebed in historiese hoop. ‘n Biografiese oorsig word gegee van Naudé se lewe en werk om die verskillende invloede in sy lewe uit te lig en sodat hermeneutiese verantwoordelikheid en verantwoordbaarheid verseker word. Hierdie studie werp verder lig op die kontoere van hoop in die toesprake en ondersoek die moontlikheid dat ‘n verstaan van die aard en gebruik van dié opvattings van hoop sal kan bydra tot historiese en konseptuele kennis van die kerk se publieke getuienis en of dit implikasies inhou vir die studieveld van publieke teologie.

This dissertation is a biography of Beyers Naude, from his birth in 1915 . until 1977, focusing attention on the period 1963 to 1977, when he was director of the Christian Institute. The study examines how Naude, whose father championed Afrikaans, became a leading minister in the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC). It examines the challenges which confronted Naude over the DRC's support fqr apartheid. The dissertation documents the factors that led Naude to reject apartheid and clash with the DRC, the Broederbond and the National Party government, culminating in his banning in 1977. It assesses the contribution he made to debates on apartheid in church and political circles and explains how he increasingly supported black initiatives to end white rule. The dissertation shows that Naude's background and leadership qualities enabled him to have an impact on the church and political scene as apartheid became a burning issue at home and abroad. / History / M.A. (History)

This dissertation is a biography of Beyers Naude, from his birth in 1915 . until 1977, focusing attention on the period 1963 to 1977, when he was director of the Christian Institute. The study examines how Naude, whose father championed Afrikaans, became a leading minister in the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC). It examines the challenges which confronted Naude over the DRC's support fqr apartheid. The dissertation documents the factors that led Naude to reject apartheid and clash with the DRC, the Broederbond and the National Party government, culminating in his banning in 1977. It assesses the contribution he made to debates on apartheid in church and political circles and explains how he increasingly supported black initiatives to end white rule. The dissertation shows that Naude's background and leadership qualities enabled him to have an impact on the church and political scene as apartheid became a burning issue at home and abroad. / History / M.A. (History)