Having been a male dominated pursuit, Bible interpretation has long reflected a male bias and encouraged sexual stereotyping in the study of biblical characters. The history of Jewish Bible interpretation and the traditional Jewish emphasis on works of specific exegetes have, in turn, colored the educational materials used in Jewish school curricula and stereotypes have been perpetuated as elementary school children study the Bible. This thesis focuses on eight women in Scripture. After examining the Bible, selected rabbinic exegetical works are studied to see how this literature reflects or changes the Bible's image. A review of textbooks and teaching tools used for Bible study follows to see how these educational materials present the biblical women, whether or not they mirror classical Jewish perspectives on biblical women, and if they offer a varied portrait of the figures.

Home Group Bible Studies, Fellowship Groups, or Home Cells, to name a few, provide an opportunity for worshipping Christians to meet on a frequent basis for varied reasons but most often to study and learn from the Bible. The existing adult education literature on this international and local practice is scant. This dissertation explores a case of nonformal learning by adults in a Johannesburg-based Methodist home group bible study. The theoretical lenses used to explore the learning of six adults are Lave and Wenger’s (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998) Community of Practice theory, and Dirkx (Dirkx, 2000, 2001; Dirkx, Mezirow, & Cranton, 2006), English (English, 2000; English & Gillen, 2000) and Tisdell’s (Tisdell, 1999, 2008) Holistic Learning theories. Dirkx’s (2001) theory of holistic learning is situated as a critique of Mezirow’s Transformative Learning theory. The research is conducted in the interpretive paradigm. Case study methodology is used to richly describe the learning and change in three couples within a home group bible study in the context of the home church and Methodism more generally. Data collection methods include observations of home group bible study sessions, semi-structured interviews, programme notes from the bible study programme followed, and journals written by five of the six participants. The analysis of the data takes as its point of departure the voices of the participants, and the description and history of the home group. This study provides opportunity to theorise the learning and changes experienced by the members of this nonformal adult education enterprise, and to contribute to existing literature. Whilst the bible study home group as a whole and the case study participants in particular foreground their learning as rational, cognitive and academic, this study reveals the multidimensionality of their learning. The most significant learning in action is situated within the affective learning domain. Extrarational ways of knowing, intuition and feelings exist in their own right and lead to holistic learning. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

The examination of the final chapters of the books of Samuel offered here proceeds initially from an unease about the frequent pejorative appraisal of them as an unsuitable, late addition that is out of place in its context. Taking a cue from the recent interest in initial and concluding texts in the context of literary and "Canonical" methods, the work attempts to describe this text complex, with its six chiastically arranged units, in terms of its literary function as a concluding text in relation to the rest of the preceding book. Following remarks of W. Brueggemann and J. Flanagan, the ring structure is further compared with other groups of texts in the Samuel corpus. The specific, overarching macrostructure which is thus perceived is structured not according to linear-chronological principles but according to patterns of parallelism and chiasmus. This observation of a concept of order that is distinct from modem western convention is understood, following Emma Brunner-Traut, as deriving from an "aspectival" perception of reality. By means of this kind of reading, many inner relationships open up, binding the closing chapters to the other parts of the book in such a way that it is shown to be a unified literary work. The two poetic texts are shown to stand in a complex relationship with the four other songs of the books of Samuel. The allusion to the prophet Gad belongs in a series of six encounters between David and prophets, arranged as a set of three pairs. The two lists of soldiers are interpreted by analogy with the double lists of the sons and ministers of David. The final contrast, in the closing chapter, between the two kings, Saul and David, and the polarity - expressed in the tension between centre and periphery - between rule of Yahweh and sin of the kings, both mirror and finally draw together the main themes of the book. These relationships suggest that the appraisal of the closing chapters as a late addition is in need of revision. It will be argued that they should be interpreted in close connection with the rest of the book.

Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) is as relevant to us today, as it was in the time of the early church. We, too, are sent by Jesus Christ to make disciples of every nation, and to teach them to obey everything the Lord has commanded us. ENM has taken this command very seriously, and in the past decades numerous missionaries were dispatched to nations across the globe. Twenty years ago ENM workers reached Africa, and have been working in many communities on the continent – also in South Africa. The time has come to study and evaluate the work that has been accomplished by the ENM missionaries in Africa. There is a second reason for undertaking the above mentioned research. It is a well-established fact that the Korean churches, in the latter half of the 20th century, have played a major role in evangelizing to the world. Korea has been hailed as the second largest mission sending country in the world. But, sadly, in recent times the missionary enthusiasm, in many churches, has waned (Park 2012: 62). Churches and para-church organizations - including ENM - are all battling with the problem in Korea. However, in Africa the need to hear the Gospel of Jesus and to make disciples of Him, for the establishing and equipping of young churches, is as urgent as ever. Korean missionaries have a great obligation to the continent, an obligation that ENM takes seriously. But in order to function at its best, ENM has to evaluate the work that has been accomplished to date. In order to learn from both the opportunities, and mistakes in a number of African settings over the past twenty years, African Christians and their Korean colleagues need to join hands, in order to face the challenges of the future. This will not only benefit the African churches, but the Korean churches as well. Ideally, African and Korean Christians needed to learn from one another. / Dissertation (MA Theol)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Science of Religion and Missiology / Unrestricted

MAAS / Centre for African Studies / The letter to the Romans congregation played an important role in defining theologies and doctrines in the early Church history period. The Church fathers and early reformers read this letter and other epistles meticulously to understand Paul’s theology and mission. Martin Luther’s reading of this letter, in particular verses 4 and 8, has always been referred to as the culmination of Luther’s theology. Luther’s theological statements on the Law and Gospel discourse became central in this case. Faith debates and discussions are critical in most communities. This research aims to look at how local congregations read Romans 1:17 especially focusing on the Tumelo and Tshiamiso biblical expressions. The key questions are: Are local community readings the same as those of Luther and other biblical scholars? Are context-dynamics of local community biblical readers essential in determining their reading of Romans 1:17? These two questions form the basis for this research study. The Marapyane local Lutheran community will be used as the research site. The research study will take into consideration current theories and approaches of biblical interpretation especially the works of the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal School of Theology Ujamaa Biblical Studies Project. Some of the theoretical views will include the works of Gerald West, Itumeleng Mosala and Justin Ukpong. Contextual Bible study methodologies and instruments will be used in understanding how local communities read issues of Tumelo and Tshiamiso in this case. / NRF

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The study explored how contextual Bible study (CBS) contributes to the understanding of survival sex in the context of food insecurity. Even though South Africa is a food secure nation, a large percentage of the population is food insecure. While researchers focus significantly on transactional sex and other forms of sexual exchange, survival sex, particularly in the context of food insecurity has not been extensively or adequately researched from the South Africa perspective. CBS as a communal, participatory, collaborative and empowering process is designed as a literary platform upon which community concerns and social justice issues are addressed. Through CBS, conducted with a group of purposefully selected Christian women, the factors that drive survival sex in the context of food insecurity in the Msunduzi Municipality was explored.

No description available.

The integration of faith and learning has been the object of study of men and women in the Canadian Calvinistic school movement ever since Dr. Abraham Kuyper pointed out that there could be no dichotomy between the sacred and the secular in the life of a Christian. Acting on the traditions, influences and beliefs these `Reformed' Christians had imbibed in their homeland, the Dutch Calvinistic immigrants who came to British Columbia after WW II built Christian schools as soon as they arrived. As they became more established, they formed curriculum committees of teachers who wrote curriculum for each subject area from a Christian perspective, intentionally planning to integrate their faith and learning in all subject areas. By looking at the history and Bible textbooks of not only the Calvinistic (Reformed) Christian day schools in British Columbia and then branching out to the history and Bible textbooks of three other denominational schools, the Mennonite, the Pentecostal and the Lutheran, I have tried to discover how the faith beliefs of each of these groups are brought to bear on the teaching of Bible. In soliciting the strengths of each of these groups from their history, current practise and teacher comments, I have pitched my own proposal as to how the integration of faith and learning can be enhanced in the teaching of Bible. By blending goals, curricula and best practice, as well combining certain faith belief frameworks in interpreting God's Word, by learning in community, and by listening to the Holy Spirit in the text, I believe the teaching of Bible can become `Spirited teaching'. / Religious Studies and Arabic / D.Th.

The integration of faith and learning has been the object of study of men and women in the Canadian Calvinistic school movement ever since Dr. Abraham Kuyper pointed out that there could be no dichotomy between the sacred and the secular in the life of a Christian. Acting on the traditions, influences and beliefs these `Reformed' Christians had imbibed in their homeland, the Dutch Calvinistic immigrants who came to British Columbia after WW II built Christian schools as soon as they arrived. As they became more established, they formed curriculum committees of teachers who wrote curriculum for each subject area from a Christian perspective, intentionally planning to integrate their faith and learning in all subject areas. By looking at the history and Bible textbooks of not only the Calvinistic (Reformed) Christian day schools in British Columbia and then branching out to the history and Bible textbooks of three other denominational schools, the Mennonite, the Pentecostal and the Lutheran, I have tried to discover how the faith beliefs of each of these groups are brought to bear on the teaching of Bible. In soliciting the strengths of each of these groups from their history, current practise and teacher comments, I have pitched my own proposal as to how the integration of faith and learning can be enhanced in the teaching of Bible. By blending goals, curricula and best practice, as well combining certain faith belief frameworks in interpreting God's Word, by learning in community, and by listening to the Holy Spirit in the text, I believe the teaching of Bible can become `Spirited teaching'. / Religious Studies and Arabic / D.Th.