Following the canonization of the Hebrew Bible, a new process of interpreting this text was initiated. Despite the vast amount of biblical research generated in the two thousand years since the canonization, relatively little has been written on the subject of "Womanhood" in the Bible. With the change in the status of women in modern times, a growing interest has emerged in their counterpart, namely, the women in Ancient Israel. The concept of "Motherhood", which was seen as the imperative of woman's existence has, like other aspects of the woman's life, been researched from legal, medical, social and other points of view. The ensuing work investigates the influence that motherliness and the concept of Motherhood as a whole has had on the culture recorded in the Hebrew Bible. Three main areas are explored in this study, namely: 1. Literary Conventions 2. Rhetorical Strategies, and 3. Linguistic Developments. Each of these respectively constitutes a sub-section of the study. The first section is composed of two chapters. Chapter one traces those biblical stories which follow the theme of the barren woman who gives birth to a hero. Chapter two in turn deals with the theme of women who bear children easily, and the consequent fate that awaits them. The second section investigates the rhetorical strategies employed in two respective Biblical themes, which were used to foretell, in a pseudo-prophetic manner, and thereby to excuse and justify certain events which were to follow in the course of history. The first chapter deals with the narrative which depicts a woman who takes an unusual initiative in her attempts to fulfil her desire to become a mother. The second chapter examines the initial reactions of mothers to their new born offspring and how this in turn influences their later status in the family. Analysis of the rhetorical strategies employed in both cases, sheds light on the views on "Motherhood" held by the biblical author, and his approval or disapproval of national leaders, at the time of their birth. The third section is comprised of two chapters. In the first chapter a correlation is drawn between language and cultural development. In the second chapter all words, new roots and idioms which have evolved out of the various aspects of "Motherhood" are categorised. The author concludes that a vast impact of the concept of Motherhood is evident in the biblical language, the rhetorical techniques and the literary conventions which form the context within which religious beliefs are formed and historical events are recorded. It is the author's contention that an understanding of this influence will lead to a greater comprehension of the Hebrew Bible and the message carried within it, and will facilitate a theological study of the influence of "Motherhood", on the development and understanding of the abstract concept of monotheism. The Language employed in the investigation is Hebrew

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN BIBLICAL STUDIES in the Faculty of Theology in the Department of Bibliological Studies at the University of Zululand, 2001 / The title of this dissertation reads Naomi on the Crossroads of Umlazi: A critical historical study of the cultural situation of the childless widow in Ancient Israel visa- vis that of the childless widow in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal in the late 1990s.

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Thesis advisor: Richard Clifford / Thesis advisor: Angela Kim Harkins / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

Thesis advisor: Pheme Perkins / Thesis advisor: Matthew Monnig / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

Une analyse des écrits de Voltaire se rapportant aux Juifs de son époque et aux Juifs de la Bible afin de tenter de determiner son attitude envers ces deux groupes. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

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Concerning John's use of the OT in Revelation, recent scholarship has observed that in terms of closeness, the book of Ezekiel, among many other OT books, enjoys a particular status. For, not only have its many materials been adopted in Revelation, but the order of these materials appearing in the two books is, by and large, the same. These features, then, suggest that Revelation is literarily dependent on Ezekiel. Against this background, this thesis, however, intends to show that besides this literary influence, the book of Ezekiel had also a hermeneutical effect on the book of Revelation. For this reason, in each of the four cases examined in the thesis, an exploration of how a certain OT tradition is used in a given Ezekielian passage is first offered, followed by an exploration of how this reinterpreted OT tradition is used and reinterpreted again in Revelation. When these tasks are done, a comparison of these two usages is then made so as to see how these two usages parallel each other. Each of the four cases is then concluded by stating the implication of the finding for the understanding of the book of Revelation. Specifically, the four cases examined in the thesis are, (1) The comparison of Ezekiel's use of Eden tradition (Gen 1-3) in Ezekiel 28:11-19 with John's use of Ezekiel's oracle against the nation Tyre (Ezek 26-28) in Revelation 18; (2) The comparison of Ezekiel's use of the foe-from-the-north tradition in Ezekiel 38-39 with John's use of Gog oracle (Ezek 38-39) in Revelation 19-20; (3) The comparison of Ezekiel's use of the model of battle camp (Num 2-3) in Ezekiel 48:30-35 with John's use of the prophet's restoration program (Ezek 40-48) in Revelation 21; and (4) The comparison of Ezekiel's use of Eden tradition (Gen 2-3) in Ezekiel47:1-12 with John's use of this river-of-life tradition (Ezek 47:1-12) in Revelation 22. These four case studies show that though various interpretative principles have been involved in Ezekiel's use of his sources, these principles have been followed by John in his use of Ezekielian materials. This observation then leads us to the following conclusion: John, as the follower and witness of Jesus Christ (Rev 1:2, 9), is, in terms of hermeneutics, a true heir of the prophet Ezekiel. As to the implications of the findings for the understanding of Revelation, the four case studies, in turn, argue for (1) the identification of the great harlot Babylon (Rev 18) as Rome, (2) the Amillennial view for Revelation 20:1-10, (3) the identification of the new Jerusalem (Rev 21) as the New Testament church, and (4) the view taking the river of life (Rev 22) as the symbol for salvation.