Thesis (DLitt (Ancient Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 1998. / This is an iconographic study of the motifs of the sea, lion, wings, horns and the enthroned in the iconography of Palestine/Israel with reference to the vision of Dan 7:2-14

The problem investigated in this study is the following: “What is the nature and function of the theme of God’s speech in the book of Hebrews and within the whole of the revelation in Scripture?”. This problem can only be solved if the unfolding nature of God’s speech from the Old to the New Testament is taken into account (cf. Heb 1:1-2), the theme is researched grammatical-historically, and then placed revelational-historically within the whole of Scripture. The introductory questions of the book of Hebrews are investigated for the potential light that answers to these questions can shed on the appearance, function and interpretation of references to God’s speech in the book. Subsequently, the structure of Hebrews is investigated and analysed to determine the position which the theme of God’s speech assumes within the sermon. This goal is achieved through a literature study on suggestions for Hebrews’ structure, followed up by an independent thought structure analysis of Hebrews according to the method of Coetzee (1988a:19-37). From the position of the theme of God’s speech within the structure of the sermon the nature and content of the author of Hebrews’ references to the theme of God’s speech as introductory formulae, and as part of Old Testament quotations themselves, are determined. This is done by examining the 38 introductory formulae in Hebrews in detail on the basis of a literature and independent study. Subsequently, eleven pericopes in Hebrews where keywords of the theme of God’s speech come together as part of the argumentation of the sermon are researched grammatical-historically using a combined method of Coetzee (1997), Tolar (2002), Jordaan (2004a) and Fee (2009). Ultimately it is determined how the theme of God’s speech unfolds in the book of Hebrews regarding manner, nature and content by giving an overview of the collected material by means of analysis, interpretation and synthesis. From this overview it is determined how the author of Hebrews’ theme of God’s speech fits into the whole of God’s revelation in Scripture. This is achieved by doing a cursory revelational-historical study using a combined method of Coetzee (1995) and Jordaan (2003) on six topics that form the overview of the theme of God’s speech in Hebrews. Finally, a general conclusion is reached by answering the problem of this study by way of enumeration: The revelational-historical importance of the theme of God’s speech in Hebrews is that the author shares the presupposition of other biblical authors that the Old Testament is divinely inspired and therefore absolutely authoritative, but then with the explicit emphasis that God is presently still speaking directly and urgently with man through it. The unfolding of God’s revelation also has a specific accentuation in Hebrews by means of the author’s emphasis that God revealed Himself superior and finally in his Son. The author of Hebrews’ emphasis on the greater responsibility of the hearers to listen faithfully and obediently because of God’s superior revelation in his Son, is also unique. For these reasons alone Hebrews has an indispensable role within the Canon. / PhD (New Testament), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The Old Greek version of the Book of Isaiah (hereafter LXX-Is) should be studied not only as a translation but also as an interpretation reflecting the theology of the translator or translator’s community in Egypt. ‘Free’ translation in LXX-Is usually appears not to originate from any misunderstanding of the probable Hebrew Vorlage or from a different Vorlage, but deliberately and consciously. Also it is important that these Greek renderings should be dealt with in a broader context, not merely verse by verse; because the Septuagint seems to have been regarded as a religious text in itself, circulating among Jews in Egypt. The most conspicuous theme in Septuagint Isaiah is a bold declaration concerning their identity. According to this, the Jewish diaspora in Egypt is the true remnant, and their residence in Egypt should be regarded as due to God’s initiative, thus “Eisodos” instead of “Exodus” is emphasized. Such ideas may be understood as displaying an apologetic concern of the Jewish diaspora to defend their continued residence in Egypt, whereas the Bible states firmly that Jews are not to go down there. Judgments against Egypt appear more strongly than MT, and this is another expression of their identity. LXX-Is supplies a bold translation in 19:18: a temple in Egypt, called the ‘city of righteousness’. The writings of Josephus testify to the existence of the Temple of Onias in Heliopolis under the reign of Ptolemy Philometor who apparently showed great favour towards the Jews. The temple’s significance should be considered as more than a temporary shrine for local Jewish mercenaries. Rather, it aimed to be a new Jerusalem under a lawful Zadokite priest. In addition to this, LXX-Is shares some interesting and distinctive ideas with Hellenistic Jewish literature, including views on priests and sacrifice, and an attitude towards foreign kings shared by Hellenistic Jewish literature of the period. To conclude, through comparing with MT and investigating LXX-Is as it stands, this work shows that LXX-Is is not just a translation but a Hellenistic Jewish document reflecting a particular theology of at least some Jews in Egypt. LXX-Is is shown to have its place within Jewish Hellenistic literature.

Value conflicts due to cultural differences are an increasingly pressing issue in many societies. Because Old Testament texts hail from a very different milieu to our own they may provide new perspectives upon contemporary conflicts and, in this context, the present dissertation investigates one particular value clash in 1 Samuel. Studies of Old Testament ethics have attended to narrative only relatively recently. Although social-scientific interpretation has a longer pedigree, there are important debates about how to employ the fruits of anthropology in biblical studies. The first part of this thesis, therefore, attends to methodological issues, advancing four main propositions. First, attention should be paid to the moral goods that feature in the text. Second, the family, a central feature of Old Testament morality, should be understood as a set of practices rather than an institution. Third, 'models' of social action that purport to comprehend the social world of the Bible should be used only cautiously. Finally, a modified version of Bakhtin's theory of heteroglossic voices can help readers appreciate how authors present a moral vision by approving some characters' actions whilst undermining others. The second part of the thesis employs this methodology to examine 1 Samuel 19.10-18a. The discussion of the moral dilemma facing Michal adduces anthropological theories and ethnographic data concerning violence, lying, and the relationship between fathers and daughters. Given that the conflicts of moral goods are 'resolved' by characters choosing to act in a certain way, the dissertation enquires after the author's assessment of each character's moral choices, and hence their theological import. The dissertation argues that Michal's loyalty to David and deception of Saul was counter-cultural, and by approving of her choice the author affirms the importance of loyalty to the Davidic dynasty.

This dissertation concerns the interpretation of theophanic imagery in the Prophets. In essence, my argument is that the imagery which attends and describes theophany in the poetic books of the Hebrew Bible is mythic and not metaphorical-that it should be interpreted in relation to the Chaoskampf myth, as Yahweh defeats chaos and restores order, rather than being understood as a metaphorical comparison with natural phenomena. In arguing this way, however, I am taking a new approach to theophanic imagery, for such imagery has almost uniformly been understood in Old Testament scholarship as metaphor. Before examining in detail this traditional and more widespread approach to theophanic imagery and the alternative to it which I wish to suggest, however, it will be helpful to state at the outset two foundations upon which my argument rests and the specific texts which will be enlisted to support it.

The concept of [hebrew characters] (tsedeqah) is a cardinal feature of the prophetic teaching. A study of the prophetic literature in the Old Testament reveals that the Hebrew word [hebrew characters- tsedeqah] and cognates appear about one hundred and sixty times. This frequent usage emphasizes the significant place the concept of [hebrew characters- tsedeqah] had in the thinking and preaching of the prophets. The impact of the prophets delcarations is greatly dimished for many readers, however, by the wide range of diversity in the Greek and English translations of [hebrew characters- tsedeqah] and its cognate words.

An analysis of expression- and content-oriented passages of the Torah: Texts of the Torah in the semiotic perspective of Charles S. Peirce, Yuri Lotman and Umberto Eco The aim of the presented thesis is to introduce the basic semiotic concepts of Charles Sanders Peirce, Yuri M. Lotman and Umberto Eco. These ideas should be beneficial for the interpretation of the Bible in the Czech republic and Slovakia: particularly in the Old Testament area. The thesis also proposes a new classification of the Torah's texts, and so identify, which functions could be subserved by the particular text. Finally, we intend to draft a new, slightly different model of exegesis, which could help us find new interesting interpretations of the Old Testament texts. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

ABSTRACT RECONSIDERDING ETERNAL LIFE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT: THE IDEA OF RESURRECTION ROOTED IN THE TORAH Eun-Jung Kim, Ph.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2015 Chair: Dr. Russell T. Fuller This dissertation reconsiders the historical, scriptural and theological grounds for the early presence of the hope of resurrection and eternal life in the OT. Chapter 1 reviews the critical view of late development of the resurrection hope in the OT which has significant exgetical and theological defects. Chapter 2 surveys the history of exegetical tradition regarding the idea of resurrection of the dead in the OT. The survey includes the ancient translations of the Hebrew Bible, intertestamental apocrypha and pseudepigrapha, the rabbinic literature, and Christian writers from early church Fathers. Jewish and Christian interpretative traditions consistently support the presence of the idea of resurrection in the OT. Chapter 3 examines scriptures in the Torah where the idea of resurrection of the dead and eternal life is found. Although the Torah does not employ the wordings “resurrection” and “eternal life,” these concepts are found in the promises of life and the land. Contrary to the major scholarly view, these promises do not merely reflect the corporate nature. Rather, they foreground individuality of the hope of eternal life and bodily resurrection. Chapter 4 examines Scriptures in the Prophets and the Writings where the idea of resurrection of the dead and eternal life is found. This examination shows that the hope of resurrection and eternal life had been already firmly rooted and fully bloomed into maturity in the Prophets and the Writings. Chapter 5 presents the life-death-life structure embeded in the Torah and the rest of the OT by applying the ANE philological scope of the meaning of life to the meaning of life in the OT. The entire OT leads people to hope for the victory over death and the restoration of life eternal. The paper concludes with the importance of the argument for the early presence of the concept of resurrection and eternal life in the OT. The argument is evaluated by its scriptural, theological, and ethical consequences.

Orientador: Ivan Esperança Rocha / Banca: Milton Schwantes / Banca: Andrea Lucia Dorini de Oliveira Carvalho Rossi / Resumo: Esta dissertação objetiva estudar os conflitos proféticos no Antigo Testamento, especialmente os caracterizados em Mq 2,6-11; 3,5-8 e Is 28,7-13. Ao fundamentar-se teoricamente nas noções de campo e habitus de Pierre Bourdieu, a análise coloca o problema de forma distinta da historiografia bíblica. Ao invés de tratar do "falso profetismo" e suas implicações teológicas, a pesquisa opta por buscar as bases sociais da polêmica profética: Isaías e Miquéias produzem seus discursos de um lugar específico no campo religioso na Judá do século VIII a.C. e é este ponto de vista diferente - entre profetas canônicos e nebî'îm - que produz a disputa pela palavra profética. Diferentemente da História Deuteronomista (Js-Re) e de Jeremias, nos textos proféticos do século VIII o leitmotiv dos conflitos não é a mentira (sheqer), mas a crítica às autoridades que exercem a liderança de forma irresponsável no nível sócio-político. Para Miquéias e Isaías, os nebî'îm estão sob a influência de bebida alcoólica e só pensam no seu próprio bem-estar. O lugar de descanso para os pobres (hammenûhah) não é a prioridade dos nebî'îm, afinal estes falam em favor dos poderosos de Judá. Eis a base da polêmica em Miquéias e Isaías: o habitus que origina suas visões de mundo é diverso daquele que sustenta as pregações dos nebî'îm. Isso resulta em grupos de suporte diferentes e, por fim, em projetos sociais divergentes. / Abstract: This dissertation aims to study the prophetic conflicts in the Old Testament, especially as they are characterized in Mic 2,6-11; 3,5-8 and Isa 28,7-13. Theoretically, we are basing in Pierre Bourdieu notions of field and habitus, therefore, the analyses puts the problem in a distinct way of the biblical historiography. Instead of treating of the false prophetism and its theological implication, the research opts to look for the social bases of the prophetic controversy: Isaiah and Micah produce their speeches from a specific place in the religious field in Judah of the VIII century and it is this different point of view - between canonical prophets and nebî'îm - that produce the dispute for the prophetic word. Differently of Deuteronomistc History (Joshua-Kings) and Jeremiah, in the VIII century prophetic texts, the leitmotiv of the conflicts is not the lie (sheqer), but the critic of the authorities that exercise the leadership in an irresponsible way in the socio-political level. For Micah and Isaiah, the nebî'îm are under the influence of alcoholic drink and only think about their own well-being. The rest place for the poor (hammenûhah) is not the priority of the nebî'îm, after all, they speak in favor of powerful people of Judah. Here is the base of the controversy in Micah and Isaiah: the habitus that originates their world visions is quite different of that sustaining the nebî'îm preaching. This results in different support groups and, finally, in rival social projects. / Mestre

Thesis (M.Theology) -- University of Limpopo, 1991 / Refer to document