The "self-disclosures" in Jeremiah, including not only the so-called "confessions" but also other first person material which seems to express the prophet's inner feelings, are examined in a detailed, exegetical fashion with careful attention to-both the ancient versions and the subsequent history of exegesis. Special attention is given to the works of Rashi and Kimchi. Three basic questions are asked: 1) What do the "self-disclosures" represent? 2) To what degree can the "self-disclosures" be said to portray the historical Jeremiah? 3) Why are the "self-disclosures" included in the corpus of Jeremianic literature? These questions are approached by examining the relevant passages against the backdrop of the prophetic orthodoxy of the late 7th century B. C., which is seen to consist of commonly held notions of the role, message, and perhaps even temperament of the prophet within the current socio-religious framework. This orthodoxy is viewed as having initially defined Jeremiah's understanding of the prophetic office. But in the "self-disclosures" Jeremiah wrestles with the other side of his experience as a prophet, the painful and mysterious side, and attempts to forge a new understanding of the prophetic vocation. In the end, the fundamental element of the prophetic vocation for Jeremiah is seen as the "Word of the Lord." The prophet's conviction that he had been entrusted with the powerful, efficacious "Word" became the touchstone of both his vocational self-understanding and his authentication against the false prophets who represented prophetic orthodoxy. And the "Word" was ultimately the source of his suffering. All of these elements may be seen in the call-narrative which is examined in detail as the introduction to the entire book. The closing chapter of the thesis takes a closer look at the theological kerygma of the "self-disclosures," particularly in relation to the problem of suffering.

Chapters 46-51 of the book of Jeremiah contain a series of prophecies against foreign nations, and these 'foreign nation oracles’ form the focus of this thesis. The opening chapter contains a discussion of several outstanding problems connected with these oracles, the chief of these being the problem of authenticity. After examination of the major arguments, the conclusion is reached that the contents of chapters 46-51 are not to be attributed to Jeremiah, but to one or more imitators who employed 'Jeremianic' language. Also discussed are the problems of the differing position and order in which the oracles occur in the Septuagint. The major part of the thesis contains a study of the Septuagint and Targum versions of chs. 46-51, and a consideration of the mediaeval Jewish commentators Rashi, Kimchi and Abravanel. The ancient versions are consulted not as aids to the recovery of a better Hebrew text than the Massoretic text, but rather to gain an insight into the techniques employed by the translators, and to pick out and account for those elements of interpretation which each version contains. The contribution of Rashi and Kimchi to the interpretation of the Hebrew text is also considered, and a separate chapter is devoted to the commentary of Isaac Abravanel. His interest in eschatological speculation significantly affects his interpretation of certain foreign nation oracles. The thesis is primarily concerned with the variety of answers to the problems of exegesis which are provided by the various versions and commentators, and through such answers seeks to understand their presuppositions and interpretative approach.

The struggle to read Jer 31:31-34 as Christian Scripture has a long and divided history. Yet remarkably little has been done to grapple with the depth of this struggle in the Christian tradition from the post-Nicene period to the modern era. This thesis attempts to show the value of the tradition as an interlocutor for contemporary exegetical concerns in Christian readings and use of Jer 31:31-34. The study begins with Augustine’s interpretation of the text as an absolute contrast between unbelief and faith, rather than the standard reading (found in Jerome) of a contrast between two successive religio-historical eras - one that governed Israel (the ‘old covenant’) and a new era and its covenant inaugurated in the coming of Christ. Augustine’s absolute contrast loosened the strict temporal concern, so that the faithful of any era were members of the ‘new covenant’. The study traces this reading of an absolute contrast in a few key moments of Christian interpretation: Thomas Aquinas and high medieval theology, then the 16th and 17th century Reformed tradition. The thesis aims at a constructive reading of Jer 31:31-34, and so the struggle identified in these moments in the Christian tradition is brought into dialogue with modern critical discussions from Bernhard Duhm to the present. Finally I turn to an exegetical argument for an ‘Augustinian’ reading of the contrast of the covenants. The study finds that Jer 31:31-34, read in its role in Jeremiah, contrasts Israel’s infidelity with a future idyllic faithfulness to Yhwh: in the new covenant all will be as it always ought to have been. The contrast is thus between two mutually exclusive standings before Yhwh. Thus the study aims to contribute to modern exegetical, theological and ecclesial discussions of ‘old’ and ‘new’ covenants by examining one of the central texts of the discussion in dialogue with parts of the history of interpretatio

The times of Jeremiah were characterized by the spirit of imperial expansionism. Assyria had just collapsed and Babylon was quickly filling the vacuum. On the other hand Jeremiah was proclaiming doom on the nation because breaking the covenant. Which covenant? The covenant made during the reforms of Josiah. Was it the Davidic covenant or the Sinai Covenant? This research answers these questions and concludes that it was the Sinai covenant that was broken in Jeremiah 11 and led to the deportation into exile. * Chapter 1 outlines the challenge. The problem statement, the hypothesis and the purpose are outlined. * Chapter 2 delves into the challenges and problems pertaining to the study of Jeremiah. These are the historicity of Jeremiah, the ideological Jeremiah and the authorship of the book of Jeremiah. The deuteronomistic influence and the theme of Jeremiah are also examined. * Chapter 3 is a study of the origin and history of the covenant. Here the pentateuchal roots of the covenant are traced form the election of Abraham to the Sinai covenant. * Chapter 5 is a survey of the political and religious context of Jeremiah to determine whether Jeremiah experienced the times prior to the deportation. In this chapter attention is paid to the deuteronomic reform, the covenant with David and the Davidic ideology. The challenge in this chapter is the date of when Jeremiah commenced his ministry. This is due to the fact that Jeremiah is not consulted when the book is discovered in the temple. The prophetess Huldah is consulted by Josiah the king. * Chapter 6 is a focus on Jeremiah 11. The process of identifying which covenant was broken in Jeremiah 11 begins with the examination of the literary genre of the chapter. The Deuteronomistic influence is also taken into account. The three key Sinai phrases which point to the Sinai covenant are outlined in detail leading to the conclusion that Jeremiah pointed Israel to the fact that the impending disaster was a result of their violation of the Sinai covenant. / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / M. Div. (Old Testament)

The present study is a history of interpretation. In that sense it does not fit neatly into the category of Wirkungsgeschichte. Moving through successive periods of the Christian church’s history, we will select representative interpretations of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and theological works dealing explicitly with the question of true and false prophecy in an effort to present a sampling of material from the span of the church’s existence. This study seeks to function as a hermeneutical guide for the present interpretive problem of interpreting true and false prophecy in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible by displaying ways various interpreters have broached the subject in the past. In this way it may prove useful to the current impasse concerning the notion of false prophecy in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. Seeing continuity, or a family resemblance, in the Christian church’s interpretation of true and false prophecy in relation to the law’s role amongst exilic and post-exilic prophets, we will observe those ways in which a historically informed reading might offer an interpretive guide for subsequent interpretations of true and false prophecy.

This thesis consists of a detailed exegetical and contextual study of passages that contain the term "to know YHWH" in the book of Jeremiah. The goal of the thesis was to define the meaning of the term "to know YHWH" as Jeremiah understood it and to find out its relevance for the Church in DR Congo. The study demonstrates that the life of Judah as a nation was conditioned by the knowledge of YHWH. According to Jeremiah, to know YHWH is to recognize covenantal traditions as normative and to accept to follow them for a harmonious relationship with YHWH and with one another in the society. These covenantal traditions were rooted in YHWH's mighty acts of liberation of Israel in history, in YHWH's prerogative as the sole God of Israel, and in the necessity for Israel to establish a just society as witness of YHWH's justice, righteousness and steadfast love. Jeremiah demonstrates that it is the abandonment of this knowledge that caused the disintegration of Judah as a nation. This abandonment of the knowledge of YHWH is manifested in two areas. The first is the area of social justice (4:19-22; 5:1-6; 9:1-8; 9:22-23; 22:13-19). Several passages in Jeremiah link the lack of the knowledge of YHWH with the perversion of justice in terms of not encouraging the oppressed, not defending the cause of the fatherless, not pleading the cause of the widow, and not maintaining justice in the court. This lack of social justice is also manifested in terms of falsehood, adultery, abuse of human speech and the abuse of power by those who possess it. The second is the area of idolatry (2:4-13). The prophet Jeremiah accuses the people of Judah (Israel) of not having called upon YHWH during their time of need. Instead, they chose to go after foreign nations and their idols. In this way, they broke the covenant with YHWH and brought judgment upon the nation. For Jeremiah, the blame of the failure to know YHWH is to be placed upon the entire nation, but particularly upon two groups of people: religious and political leaders. These two groups worked for their own interest and failed to maintain a society according to the requirements set in the covenant. YHWH responded to this failure in two different ways (24:4-7; 31:31-34): he punished his people by sending them into exile, and promised to restore them. This restoration will consist of bringing Israelites back to their land, of making a new covenant with them, and of giving them a new heart that will enable them to fully know him. I used my Congolese context to understand the meaning of some passages in Jeremiah where I could not agree (or where I was not sure) with other scholars' interpretation. At the same time, the book of Jeremiah helped me to realize that it is because our Congolese Christianity (or our knowledge of YHWH) is still superficial that it has not yet been able to help us build a coherent and unified nation. This is why the DR Congo has collapsed in spite of its claim to have the largest Roman Catholic community in the continent, the world's most influential francophone Protestant movement and the continent's biggest independent Churches. This researcher argues that the crisis in DR Congo may find a solution if the Church reorganizes her ministries and views her mission as the implementation of Jesus' mission for the world: the announcement 1f the coming of the Kingdom of God with its vision of the new heaven and new earth. This vision of new earth and new heaven would lead the Church to a new understanding of our salvation in Christ as a constant restoration of our relationship with God, with one another and 'a new understandiJOl9 of our life and ministry as responsible citizens, striving to reconcile every aspect of our life as individuals and community with Christ. In this way, the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of each Christian would not be understood only in terms of leading us to heaven but also as the power that enables us to transform our society now and here. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

The times of Jeremiah were characterized by the spirit of imperial expansionism. Assyria had just collapsed and Babylon was quickly filling the vacuum. On the other hand Jeremiah was proclaiming doom on the nation because breaking the covenant. Which covenant? The covenant made during the reforms of Josiah. Was it the Davidic covenant or the Sinai Covenant? This research answers these questions and concludes that it was the Sinai covenant that was broken in Jeremiah 11 and led to the deportation into exile. * Chapter 1 outlines the challenge. The problem statement, the hypothesis and the purpose are outlined. * Chapter 2 delves into the challenges and problems pertaining to the study of Jeremiah. These are the historicity of Jeremiah, the ideological Jeremiah and the authorship of the book of Jeremiah. The deuteronomistic influence and the theme of Jeremiah are also examined. * Chapter 3 is a study of the origin and history of the covenant. Here the pentateuchal roots of the covenant are traced form the election of Abraham to the Sinai covenant. * Chapter 5 is a survey of the political and religious context of Jeremiah to determine whether Jeremiah experienced the times prior to the deportation. In this chapter attention is paid to the deuteronomic reform, the covenant with David and the Davidic ideology. The challenge in this chapter is the date of when Jeremiah commenced his ministry. This is due to the fact that Jeremiah is not consulted when the book is discovered in the temple. The prophetess Huldah is consulted by Josiah the king. * Chapter 6 is a focus on Jeremiah 11. The process of identifying which covenant was broken in Jeremiah 11 begins with the examination of the literary genre of the chapter. The Deuteronomistic influence is also taken into account. The three key Sinai phrases which point to the Sinai covenant are outlined in detail leading to the conclusion that Jeremiah pointed Israel to the fact that the impending disaster was a result of their violation of the Sinai covenant. / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / M. Div. (Old Testament)

This thesis is a moral and theological interpretation of the book of Jeremiah (primarily chapters twenty-one through twenty-nine). The prime focus is on the Hebrew term  and associated vocabulary and terminology which enable an understanding of how the book of Jeremiah sets up knowledge of Yahweh as a primary concern. Such a concern reinforces the rhetorical and ethical nature of the textual witness and elevates the significant and profound challenge that is put forth. For instance, Jeremiah 22:16 is a prime example within the book where an understanding of  of Yahweh should be given adequate attention, although it has not in Old Testament scholarship, to arrive at the kind of moral and theological interpretation that is voiced in this ancient Israelite prophet. Knowledge of Yahweh in the text of Jeremiah is to be distinguished from a purely cognitive knowing that removes from the equation, in any way, living a certain kind of life with Yahweh - a life which is measured only by the highest of moral and religious standards. Indeed, there is a direct relationship between a certain kind of action/way of living and a genuine knowledge of Yahweh. Key texts explored in this thesis then, are those which bring the challenge of a true knowledge of Yahweh to the Judean king, priest, prophet, and people. An overall coherent vision of what it means to know Yahweh, the God of Israel, in the text of Jeremiah, is the aim of this thesis. / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / D.Th. (Old Testament)

This thesis is a moral and theological interpretation of the book of Jeremiah (primarily chapters twenty-one through twenty-nine). The prime focus is on the Hebrew term  and associated vocabulary and terminology which enable an understanding of how the book of Jeremiah sets up knowledge of Yahweh as a primary concern. Such a concern reinforces the rhetorical and ethical nature of the textual witness and elevates the significant and profound challenge that is put forth. For instance, Jeremiah 22:16 is a prime example within the book where an understanding of  of Yahweh should be given adequate attention, although it has not in Old Testament scholarship, to arrive at the kind of moral and theological interpretation that is voiced in this ancient Israelite prophet. Knowledge of Yahweh in the text of Jeremiah is to be distinguished from a purely cognitive knowing that removes from the equation, in any way, living a certain kind of life with Yahweh - a life which is measured only by the highest of moral and religious standards. Indeed, there is a direct relationship between a certain kind of action/way of living and a genuine knowledge of Yahweh. Key texts explored in this thesis then, are those which bring the challenge of a true knowledge of Yahweh to the Judean king, priest, prophet, and people. An overall coherent vision of what it means to know Yahweh, the God of Israel, in the text of Jeremiah, is the aim of this thesis. / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / D.Th. (Old Testament)

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 1975. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: no abstract available / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: geen opsomming