O trabalho analisa, na obra Grande Sertão: Veredas de João Guimarães Rosa (1956), elementos discursivos indicadores de um modo de narrar que ficcionaliza, tanto na forma quanto no teor de sua mensagem, manifestações do sagrado originárias da Antiguidade grega e da tradição judaico-cristã. A partir da analogia entre a obra de Guimarães Rosa e a Odisseia de Homero, tornam-se evidentes vestígios do épico e de modelos clássicos de narrativa que, revestidos do peculiar trabalho da linguagem rosiana, adensam a complexidade do romance. O paralelismo com as Sagradas Escrituras, mais difuso, projeta as ações num patamar dramático, em que se decidem o destino das personagens e a solenidade do discurso memorável. A fundamentação teórica articula o pensamento de Erich Auerbach, André Jolles, Rudolf Otto e também de estudiosos que se dedicaram à obra do autor mineiro, como Kathrin Rosenfield. Esse recorte mostrou a presença do sagrado em microcélulas entretecidas ao emaranhado de histórias e causos que costuram a obra prima de Rosa. A cicatriz da Tatarana alude à cicatriz de Ulisses, sinal revelador da identidade do herói grego e que, no caso do jagunço Riobaldo, desoculta um amor negado por meio da purgação do passado, elaborada numa conversa "unilateral com um suposto interlocutor. Em linguagem mítica e mágica, a figura nebulosa de Diadorim funciona como índice de ambiguidade e, ao mesmo tempo, da revelação alcançada através da morte. A pesquisa, por seu turno, segue as veredas abertas pelo estudo de Tereza Virgínia Ribeiro Barbosa a respeito das mulheres vestidas de sol, metáfora relacionada a Medeia, mas que se projeta na Virgem Maria e numa linhagem de figuras femininas da América Latina ligadas ao sagrado. Verificamos, na perspectiva das transferências culturais do tipo passado místico-mistérico/posteridade fabular, que o discurso de Riobaldo é atravessado por micronarrativas de longa tradição que sincretizam diferentes símbolos exotéricos. O trabalho encerra sua investigação desvendando a dualidade do sertão rosiano, onde impera o embate entre fé e ceticismo, a dúvida e a razão, o amor e o ódio, o masculino e o feminino, que resulta no inacabado, na travessia, a vida como metáfora, no campo das infinitas possibilidades do homem humano / The Dissertation analyzes, in the work Grande Sertão: Veredas by João Guimarães Rosa (1956), speech elements appointing to a narrative format which fictionalizes, both in the form and in the content of its message, expressions of the sacred dated as of the Ancient Greek and the Judeo-Christian tradition. From the analogy between Guimarães Rosas work and Homers Odyssey, it is clear the traces of the epic and of narrative classic models which, vested by Rosas particular language work, thicken the complexity of the novel. The parallelism with the Holy Scriptures, which is more diffuse, casts the actions to a dramatic ground, in which it is decided the fate of the characters and the solemnity of the memorable speech. The theoretical grounding articulates the thoughts of Erich Auerbach, André Jolles, Rudolf Otto and also of great academics who devoted their efforts to study the work of the author from Minas Gerais state, such as Kathrin Rosenfield. This excerpt showed the presence of the sacred in microcells interwoven to the entanglement of stories and tales which joins Rosas masterpiece together. Tataranas scar is a reference to Ulysses scar, a revealing mark of the Greek heros identity and which, in the case of the gunman Riobaldo, exposes a denied love by means of purging of the past, constructed in a "one-sided conversation with a supposed interlocutor. In a mythical and magic language, Diadorims misty figure functions as an indication of ambiguity and, at the same time, the disclosure reached through death. The research, in turn, follows the paths opened by Professor Ribeiro Barbosas studies regarding the women clothed with the sun, a metaphor related to Medea, but which is projected in the Virgin Mary and in a lineage of Latin Americas female figures who are related to the sacred. It can be observed, under the perspective of cultural transfers of the fable mystical-mysterious/posterity past type, that Riobaldos speech is crossed with micro-narratives having a long tradition which combine different exoteric symbols. The Dissertation ends its investigation by disclosing the duality of Rosas backlands, where the fight between faith and skepticism, doubt and reason, love and hate, male and female prevails, resulting in the unfinished, in the crossing, life as a metaphor, of the field with countless possibilities for the human man

O sistema verbal do hebraico bíblico tem sido objeto de debate desde o início dos estudos gramaticais até os dias atuais. As conjugações de sufixo e prefixo, com ou sem a presença do waw prefixado (respectivamente, as formas verbais: qatal, yiqtol, weqatal e wayyiqtol) tomam uma parte central nesse debate devido à grande amplitude de significados que possuem na Bíblia Hebraica. A presente pesquisa propõe-se a apresentar as várias correntes teóricas acerca da interpretação do significado e relação dessas quatro formas verbais e também o uso das mesmas nos textos narrativos e poéticos da Bíblia Hebraica. / The verbal system of Biblical Hebrew has been the subject of debate since the beginning of grammatical studies until today. The suffix and prefix conjugations, with or without the presence of prefixed waw (respectively, the verbal forms: qatal, yiqtol, weqatal e wayyiqtol) take a central part in this debate because of the wide range of meaning that they have in the Hebrew Bible. This research aims to present the various theoretical perspectives about the interpretation of the meaning and relationship of these four verbal forms and also the use of each of them in narrative and poetic texts of the Hebrew Bible.

M.A. (Religious Studies) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. / Christianity was not born in a vacuum, but it completely owes its historical genesis on or from Jewish religion. The Apostolic, Primitive church was initially composed of Jewish believers who had seen in and understood Jesus of Nazareth as the anticipated Messiah predicted by the Old Testament prophets and writers. The current and lamentable truth is, Jewish Religion and Christianity are now two different and separate religions. Jesus Christ, His disciples, and Paul remained Jews as far as the Jewish culture is concerned. It is difficult to separate the sacred and secular in the Jewish economy because Jewish culture and religion are intertwined. In this culture, ploughing is as sacred as worshipping. The only apparent shift in his (Paul) paradigm was in interpreting and explaining the Old Testament prophecies and ceremonial system in the light of the Jesus Christ event at the Cross. His evaluation of that "event" and the Person of Jesus of Nazareth became the point of conflict with Judaisers and Judaism that would set a stage for separation between Christianity and Jewish Religion. The Christian Church exists in the post-Cross era. This Church is faced with, among other issues and tasks, challenges of sifting and demarcating between God's injunctions and Jewish Customs.

Au début de l’Exil babylonien, les prophètes expliquent la correction infligée par Nabuchodonosor au peuple de Juda comme un châtiment voulu par YHWH. Leur vocabulaire se fait alors riche en termes techniques de la rupture d’alliance. La 1° partie de ce travail présente une brève synthèse de l’histoire de la recherche sur la théologie de l’alliance et son lien avec des traités de vassalité du Proche-Orient ancien. La 2° partie étudie le voc. de la rupture de l’alliance en Jr, Éz mais aussi dans le Dt- És afin de spécifier son usage à la fin de l’Exil. La 3° partie s’arrête sur la section d’És 52,13 - 53,12 et son paradoxe : 2 verbes hébreux de la rupture d’alliance au service d’un message d’espérance. L’étude linguistique et sémantique de ce passage révèle une notion de fin explicite de rupture d’alliance. Dans la conclusion, la sortie d’impasse théologique est suivie jusqu’à la découverte d’un lien théologique entre les trois derniers chap. du Dt-És : le concept d’alliance éternelle. / The prophets see the Babylonian Exile as a punishment of God. Therefore, they use a rich variety of technical terms to describe the Covenant breaking. The 1st part of this work summarizes the history of research on the Alliance Theology in relation to the ancient Near Eastern vassal treaties. The 2nd part analyzes the words used to express the Covenant breaking in Jer and Ez. It carries on with this study in Dt-Isa as well, in order to tackle the problems posed by the use of the same words for a different purpose at the end of the Exile. Then, the 3rd part focuses on Isa 52:13 –53:12 and its inside paradox : whereas it shows 2 Hebrew verbs typical for the Covenant breaking, its core message speaks of a hopeful future. Through close linguistic and semantic scrutiny, this bright expectation reveals itself as the explicit end of the breaking of the Covenant. The conclusion of the work expounds the new theological idea which provides a way out of this theological dead-end (eternal Alliance).

[pt] O objetivo deste trabalho é compreender a crescente importância da pesquisa filológica na história da literatura ocidental escrita pelo romanista judeu-alemão Erich Auerbach (1892-1957). Sua história literária foi escrita durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial (Mimesis - A Representação da Realidade na Literatura Ocidental - 1946) e o imediato pós-guerra (Linguagem Literária e seu Público na Antigüidade Tardia e na Idade Média - 1956). Desenvolvemos a hipótese de que sua condição judaica e sua formação acadêmica na romanística alemã (Romanistik) contribuíram para a construção de uma visão sui-generis sobre as origens e os rumos da literatura ocidental. Esta dupla condição, de judeu-alemão, determinou igualmente os focos de suas investigações filológicas, centrados em textos da Antigüidade pagã e cristã, principalmente da patrística. Os ensaios filológicos configuram, juntamente com a história literária, um complexo e articulado corpus, que constitui o todo da obra auerbachiana. Buscamos, neste trabalho, escavar as raízes germânicas e judaicas desta obra. / [en] The aim of this work is to understand the growing role of the philological research in the western literary history written by the Jewish-German romance philologist Erich Auerbach (1892-1957). His literary history was written during the Second World War (Mimesis - The Representation of Reality in Western Literature - 1946) and in the post- war period (Literary Language and its Public in late Latin Antiquity and in the Middle Ages - 1956). We develop the assumption that his Jewish condition and his formation in the German discipline of Romance Philology (Romanistik) have contributed to a sui-generis vision of the origins and the path of western literature. This double condition, Jewish-German, also determined the core of his philological research, focused on texts of the pagan and Christian Antiquity, specially the patristical. The philological essays form, together with the literary history, a complex and articulated corpus, which constitutes the whole work of Auerbach. In this work, we seek to dig it`s Jewish and German roots.

M.Litt. et Phil. / Die boek Openbaring word nie net deur helder en dramatiese beelde gekenmerk nie, maar ook deur die verskeidenheid name wat aan Jesus gegee word. Elke naam hou verband met een of meer eienskappe van Jesus en dui op 'n aspek van sy funksie binne God se verlossingsplan. In die simboliek van Openbaring staan die plek en rol van die Lam sentraal in die afloop van die eskatologiese gebeure. Hy wat as Leeu van Juda histories van Dawid afstam, maar as lam "geslag, (tot versoening aan God geoffer) is het die bevoegdheid ontvang om die boekrol met sewe seels in die hand van God oop te maak (hfst.5). Volgens Botha, De Villiers en Engelbrecht (1988:12) bevat Openbaring 'n potpourri van motiewe en idees wat verband hou met ander godsdienste of Bybelse tye byvoorbeeld Persiese, Babiloniese en Gnostiese motiewe. Die invloed van die ou Oosterse mitologie kan duidelik bespeur word in byvoorbeeld die Babiloniese weergawe van die stryd tussen die Skepper en 'n grout seemonster'. Ook die "hemelse tablette" wat tydens die Nuwejaarsfees 'n uiters belangrike rol gespeel het wanneer die god, Marduk, die draak, Tiamat oorwin en die tablette in sy hand geplaas word om sy mag en oorwinning aan te dui. In Openbaring het die Lam alleen die mag om die boek uit die hand van God te neem en die seals daarvan te breek. Die boekrol wat Johannes sien, bevat al die inligting van God se planne met die geskiedenis. Die feit dat die boekrol met sewe seels verseel is, is 'n aanduiding daarvan dat dit volkome geslote en ontoeganklik is. Niemand in die hemel, op die aarde of onder die aarde kon gevind word om God se plan vir die wereldgeskiedenis te laat oopvou nie. Totdat een van die ouderlinge die aandag vestig dat Jesus Christus, die Lam, waardig is om die seels te breek.

Isaac, the least of the patriarchs in the texts of the Old Testament and in the eyes of its readers, offers a surprising number of possibilities for new avenues of interpretation of the Pentateuch and related texts. These are arrived at in this study by first tracing a number of historical-developmental trajectories relevant to the author, namely from philosophy of science, through the main points from the history of Pentateuch studies in South Africa, via an argued choice for historical exegesis over against a-historical methods, and by means of a brief overview of the major insights that had shaped the scholarly study of the Old Testament patriarchs. The central part of the study is exegetical, with the main focus on Genesis 22, which has proven to be a key text. An overview of the historical issues related to this text is offered. Illustrating the limitations of a-historical exegesis, a narrative reading of Genesis 22 is undertaken, followed by a new historical interpretation of the same text, which draws on all of the foregoing. In the light of this new Genesis 22 interpretation, the other Isaac texts in the Old Testament are reviewed, as they would have been understood in post-exilic inner-Judean identity politics, namely between the tradents of the patriarchal traditions. Drawing throughout on an anecdotal view of Old Testament historiography, a theory proposed on the multiplex or composite nature of the personages of the patriarchs, though of Isaac in particular, and on the idea of the post-exilic inner-Judean identity politics, a creative, critical, historical retelling in almost narrative mode is offered of the history of Isaac in the Old Testament as a conclusion to the study. / Thesis (DD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Old Testament Studies / unrestricted

In the world in which we are living today many people, especially Christians, wonder why people should talk about homosexuality. For many past years, the Christian Church, especially in East Africa, considered herself more or less immune from many of the challenges, experienced by the rest of the world, particularly the Western world. However, as the church now continues to grow in numbers and expand its territories, these problems start to appear in the church also all over East Africa. Increasingly the consciousness of the society is being raised concerning social-ethical issues such as women's rights, battered children, single parent families, teenage pregnancy, wife beating and of course homosexuality. As a result such issues are widely discussed within the church and outside, sometimes causing a rift within the church. Such has been the case with homosexuality. Recently at a Seventh-day Adventist Church camp meeting in East Africa, a debate in a Bible study on the ethics of homosexuality as perceived by the Seventh-day Adventist Church paved the way for divisions in the church, which has left church members in four categories (groups) namely: culturalist, rejectionist, reinterpretationist and the reaffirmationist. Unfortunately the debate closed without a definite conclusion as to what should be the normative basis for the theological ethical evaluation of homosexuality by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in East Africa. The issue was whether the Bible, culture or both the Bible and culture should be the normative basis and also as to what theological ethical guidance does the Bible provide for the ethical evaluation of homosexuality in the present-day context. The dissertation surveys definitions and causes of sexuality, and traces some of the background from the pre-modem to the postmodern era reflecting on the definitions and causes of homosexuality, and it also traces some of the historical background regarding homosexual practices and views on homosexuality. It also discusses and assesses the Cultural beliefs on homosexuality in East Africa. The study also looks at the Biblical texts that refer to or are thought to refer to homosexuality and "examines" the claims made in much of the "gays" literature with reference to these texts. Other texts used by over-zealous Christians bent on finding condemnation of homosexuality through Scripture. During the East African pre modem era, sexuality, including homosexuality was not publicly discussed. The whole subject was encircled by a halo of secrecy and hedged around by innumerable East African taboos. When this silence is combined with the absence of written documentation on the cultures and histories of many parts of East Africa, the difficulties of accessing traditional understanding of homosexuality and sexuality become immense. One can conclude that it will be a serious mistake for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in East Africa to make East African culture normative in the ethical evaluation of homosexuality since: (i) Oral East African tradition does not really provide any moral view on homosexuality. To read into the silence on homosexuality the moral condemnation of homosexuality is not acceptable. (ii) Homosexual practices, in a ritualized form, are not foreign to East African culture. (iii) The strong condemnation of homosexuality in East Africa is often politically and ideologically inspired. This dissertation advocates the need for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in East Africa to use the Bible alone, Old and New Testament, being the written word of God, given by divine inspiration through holy men of God who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, as the infallible revelation of God's will. The Bible is the standard of character, the test of experience, the authoritative revealer of doctrines, and trustworthy record of God's acts in history and therefore is central in any formulation concerning homosexuality, whether theological or ethical evaluation and therefore should be used as the only normative basis for the ethical evaluation of homosexuality. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Dogmatics and Christian Ethics / unrestricted

This study investigated the state of leadership mentoring and succession planning in the Charismatic Churches in Bushbuckridge. In order to gain a full understanding of the Charismatic Movement which emerged in Bushbuckridge only four decades ago, it was necessary to trace its origin from the Azusa Street Revival which gave birth to Pentecostalism almost a century ago. The Charismatic Movement emerged as a distinct movement only five decades later following the birth of the Pentecostal Movement. The reviewed literature revealed that the Charismatic Movement is a child of the marriage between the Pentecostal Movement and traditional denominations. The main watermark distinction between the theologies of the two movements is based on the fact that the Pentecostal Movement emphasises speaking in tongues while the Charismatic Movement places emphasis on the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. By virtue of their one-man-founder, Charismatic Churches are likely to experience the same leadership mentoring and succession problems that are common to family businesses. An assessment of leadership mentoring and succession practices in the business world proved that the concept has been researched, practiced, and perfected more in the secular world than in the world of religious and biblical studies. Although this study uncovered some exceptionally successful mentoring relationships in both the New and the Old Testaments, they do not provide details of what those who were involved in the mentoring relationships did for them to be successful. It is in the secular world that mentoring relationships, stages and models have been researched and practiced. It is when mentors and protégés are pared correctly and their relationships managed properly throughout all the mentoring stages that organisations can be assured of smooth leadership transitions. A triangulation of the qualitative and the quantitative methods was used to collect data in this study. On the qualitative side of the research, data was collected by means of interviews and focus group studies. Interviews with the apostolic fathers of the Charismatic Movement in South Africa raised a concern over the lack of leadership mentoring and succession programmes, especially amongst the younger generation of churches. The concern was confirmed in all the focus group studies which were conducted in Bushbuckridge. The data which was collected from the qualitative side of the study provided a basis for the content of the questionnaire the researcher drew up for the quantitative side of the study. This side of the study contradicted the views of the participants in interviews and focus groups in that it reported that many Charismatic Churches in Bushbuckridge do in fact have leadership mentoring and succession programmes (85% and 72% respectively). The quantitative side of the study further revealed that education levels and gender have a statistically significant effect in leadership mentoring, while location does not. The researcher suggests that the contradiction in the outcomes of the two research methods deserve a follow-up study. This study presents to Charismatic Church leaders in Bushbuckridge lessons drawn from the leadership mentoring and succession practices of both the biblical and secular worlds. This study would be incomplete without the bringing to the fore of an illustrative text in the 2 Timothy 2:1-3. Generally speaking, adherents in the Charismatic Churches read and interpret the bible as authoritative for faith and life. The participants‘ call for the introduction or/and enhancement of leadership mentoring and succession is therefore harnessed by the biblical message in 2 Timothy 2:1-3. Such model of leadership could serve as an important and significant form of discourse in Africa in the context of leadership. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / New Testament Studies / unrestricted