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Postmodern theorising has presented the reader as an active agent in the process of the interpretation of texts. Sociology of knowledge approaches have identified both the author and the reader of texts as socially embodied within a context. This study presents a unique collection of readings in the Gospel of Luke by ordinary real-readers from a disadvantaged and/or marginalised social and ecclesial location, within an affluent first world context. These readings, transcribed in Volume Two, present empirical reader research for analysis, through dialogue and conversation with professional readings in the Gospel of Luke, in order to assess what contribution the former might make to contemporary hermeneutics. Identifying contemporary human experience of ordinary real-readers as the starting point in their reading of the Lukan text, the study illustrates how these readings act as a useful tool of suspicion in conversation with readings that claim to be objective and value-neutral, and how they facilitate critical reflection on the ideological and theological commitments of the dominant classes in society and church. The value and legitimacy of the readings of ordinary real-readers is discussed, and how their social and ecclesial marginalisation and disadvantage provides a nontotalising presence in biblical interpretation, a presence that guards against the claims of permanence made by those in the academic and ecclesial world. Identification of contemporary human experience as inevitably influencing the process of interpretation leads to a consideration of the place of the historical critical paradigm in biblical studies. The value and legitimacy of ordinary real readers as active agents in the process of interpretation, and the contribution they make to contemporary hermeneutics, requires a consideration of safeguards against reading anarchy. The process of self and social analysis, and an openness to dialogue and conversation with those outside our own contexts, including our ancestors in the faith, is considered as a way forward, utilising ordinary and professional real-readers in the ongoing process of biblical interpretation.

Proverbs 1-9 has long been called a "prologue" and "introduction" to the book of Proverbs, a label that I attempt to clarify by answering the following question: how does Proverbs 1-9 function with respect to the interpretation of Proverbs 10-31? I argue that, in the detail and holistic context of Proverbs, Proverbs 1-9 functions didactically by supplying interpretive frameworks in literary, rhetorical and theological contexts for representative portions of Proverbs 10-31. Proverbs 1-9 functions didactically by intending to teach interpretive skills, and it functions for the interpretation of Proverbs 10-31 by instilling the competence required to explicate this material. In this way, Proverbs 1-9 provides a didactic introduction for the remainder of the book. The exegetical starting point for this study is Prov 10:1-22:16, a collection of proverbs with hermeneutical challenges that require certain information and skills for interpretation. After exposing the assumptions that underlie these interpretive challenges, I demonstrate how Proverbs 1-9 informs them and hence how it functions didactically, whilst organising the material based on three features of the entire book of Proverbs: character types, educational goals, and the book's theology. Character types involve the identity and function of certain characters in Proverbs, such as the wise, wicked or diligent man. Educational goals account for the overall aims and values towards which Proverbs guides the reader, as well as highlighting the importance of discerning moral ambiguity. The theological context considers passages representative of those that mention the Lord: human postures towards the Lord, the Lord's affection and assessment, and his superior wisdom and sovereignty. With established conclusions regarding the relationship of Proverbs 1-9 and 10:1-22:16, the didactic function of Proverbs 1-9 for 22:17-31:31 is also explored, showing the book-wide function of this "introduction." This study demonstrates the function of Proverbs 1-9 for Proverbs 10-31 in some of the most prominent interpretive contexts of the book and, in the process, advances current key interpretive debates within Proverbs scholarship.

This thesis is a worked-out example of the interplay of I culture- gender-context' and biblical interpretation. It is an interdisciplinary, empirical, and heuristic study. By pursuing a two-centred approach (text-centred and reader- oriented), I seek to look into an important aspect in the inner life of the Isaian persona -- his emotion through a synchronic- literary study of the selected III-Passages (places where the character speaks in the first-person singular voice). Three 'entry points' are established as the foci of textual reading. They are: (1) monologue and self; (2) language of emotion and self; and (3) language of religious faith and emotion. A socio-psychological study of emotion provides the background for the three components of my reader-perspective: Chinese culture, woman Is viewpoint, and Canadian situatedness. In accordance with the empirical emphasis of this thesis, a small scale reader-response survey and interview study were conducted, with the participation of 47 flesh-and-blood readers and two interviewees. overall, this study is a heuristic attempt (in the sense that my methodology is tailor-made to serve my goals) toward a version of culture- gender-context 'specific' interpretation. It provides preliminary suggestions in hammering out the methodological tools applicable to any 'given' culture-gender-context specific' reading.

The meaning of cosmic catastrophe language (CCL) in Mark 13:24-25 is widely contested: both in regards to what type of language is used and to what event it refers, namely the fall of temple at Jerusalem in 70CE or the Parousia of Christ. Recent contributions from Marcus, Shively and Angel have identified the mythological background behind the language, but still interpret this mythology in different ways. In this thesis I elucidate the tradition behind CCL, specifically that of the Jewish Divine Warrior Tradition (DWT), to assess further its development in the Second Temple period and inform interpretations of Mark 13:24-25. Using a historical-critical, criterion-based approach, I demonstrate that the DWT is used in thirteen texts in the Sibylline Oracles and that this use expresses divine opinion and judgement upon political entities and spiritual powers that oppose God and his heavenly host. I also show that the DWT in Sib. Or. 3-5 incorporates elements from Stoic cosmological imagery, which was separated from the Stoic doctrine of ἐκπύρωσις with the advent and rise of Roman Stoicism. The result of this has various implications for navigating the interpretations of Mark 13:24-27 and I conclude that the cosmic catastrophe of vv.24-25 is best understood as describing the cosmic upheaval and demise of spiritual powers that relate to the temple and its leaders at the coming of the Divine Warrior.

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The Song of Songs was the most commented upon biblical text in medieval Europe and became the cornerstone of the Western mystical tradition, but our knowledge of its use in Latin Christian communities before the time of Ambrose and Jerome is largely fragmentary. The thesis is a study of the use and interpretation of the Song in the Latin West during the period 250 – 380 CE, with a focus on the Tractatus de Epithalamio of Gregory of Elvira (c. 320-392), which is the earliest extant Song commentary composed in Latin. The research demonstrates that there was a robust tradition of Song exegesis in early Latin Christianity, although the mystical-affective interpretation that marks the later tradition is entirely absent. The poem is, rather, interpreted in an ecclesiological mode and is put in the service of communal selfdefinition. Gregory’s Tractatus, which I argue should be dated to 350-55, is a key source in recovering this largely lost tradition. The first part of the thesis traces in detail all of the citations of the Song in Latin Christian literature during the period in question, focusing on the writings of Cyprian of Carthage, Optatus of Milevis, Tyconius, Pacian of Barcelona, and Augustine. There emerge a cluster of passages from the Song that become key proof texts in ecclesiological controversies in North Africa and Spain. The second part engages problems in Gregorian scholarship, particularly issues pertaining to Gregory’s supposed direct knowledge and use of Origen’s writings. Scholars assert that his exegetical writings reflect the Origenist turn of the late fourth century. Using the tools of source criticism and theological analysis, I contest this hypothesis, demonstrating that the evidence of Origen’s influence has been greatly exaggerated and that the points of contact which do exist must be explained with reference to intermediary Latin sources. The third part sets the Tractatus de Epithalamio within its precise historical context and offers a close reading of the text, giving an account of its Christology, ecclesiology, and use of sources. The Tractatus, I argue, represents a ‘fusion’ of a distinctly Latin tradition of ecclesiological exegesis with a particularly Spanish mode of Christological reflection, which treats the enfleshment of the Word in the Incarnation and the embodiment of the risen Christ in the church as conceptually inseparable. Related historical problems, such as the chronology of Gregory’s career, are treated in appendices.

This dissertation came as a response of the outcome of the author's Master's thesis in which female Pastors in the North West Province, in the Republic of South Africa lamented that their male subordinates destruct them from doing their ministerial work properly. The relevant methodology to address this problem was found to be; fusion of Feminist Liberation Theology, Shepherding and Quantitative methods in the light of Practical Theology. The research has been conducted in the three Provinces of the Republic of South Africa, namely; Gauteng, Free State and Limpopo, with four female Pastors from each Province. These interviewees from twelve different denominations answered a questionnaire marked appendix A, which comprises of biblical and general questions. The outcome of these three Provinces was that generally female leaders are dehumanised by being marginalised, undermined, silenced and crushed by their male subordinates and counterparts, to a point that these female leaders use respect as a bait to harmonise the situation. The outcome of the North West Province which necessitated this research was then confirmed that female Pastors are generally denigrated by their male subordinates and as result they become destructed from doing their duties well. And because of that they are labelled incompetent. Regardless the negation of female leadership as based on the above indicated factors, the research has managed to prove that females had been part of leadership from time immemorial to date. Liberation Now, as Russell has mentioned, is the heartbeat of this study, therefore recommendations are that the biblical interpretation, masculine language (gender sensitive) and the negative Setswana idioms and proverbs that are oppressive to females especially those in leadership be replaced by the positive or constructive ones. Interpretation should be rapidly emancipative, just like Jesus did by overriding the Law of Purity, Defilement and Sabbath by that of Liberation and Justice. As God he understood that justice delayed is justice denied, see Mark 5: 23- 42 and Luke 13: 10- 16. Scripture must be allowed to interpret itself, especially on issues of serious controversy such as the topic in question. A line should also be drawn between the Word of God and the words of people that are found in the Bible, e.g. thus says the LORD and I, Paul, say. This does not discredit God’s inspiration upon His Word, but acknowledges the honesty in recording people’s thoughts that are both good and evil. Egalitarian male senior Pastors (Bishops) with their authority of ordaining Pastors should spearhead the liberation and affirmation of female leadership, through counselling and intense teaching to all stake holders, as to avert this warp concept of denigrating females in the name of God. The reason for recommending them is because females could not counsel themselves, nor by their subjugators, however egalitarian male senior Pastors would have to create a rapport that is deemed as a key to this endeavour, since females may perceive them as subjugators and male subordinates as sell-outs. Concomitantly theological training should be a prerequisite to church ministry. The monitoring tool had been developed in accordance with concerns and recommendations of the outcome of the research, in order for the church top leadership to track the situation at local churches, and respond timeously to the matters that may affect the church negatively. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

This dissertation offers an interdisciplinary analysis of some features of the Speech- Act Theory in biblical hermeneutics. It highlights some of the probable aspects of the studied analysis regarding hermeneutic issues within biblical and theological analysis. The paper shall describe the philosophical interpretation of the examination of the Speech-Act Theory. It will focus on the principles and standards of demarcating the Speech-Acts and allocating the written texts theory. The paper shall also describe the difference between ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ speech acts. The dissertation shall commence by analysing the main concerns about the speech act theory. It will concentrate on the works of Thiselton and Vanhoozer’s works and modifies their works with the aim of highlighting some of the key elements of their hermeneutics. Therefore, the dissertation shall offer the views of Thiselton and Vanhoozer and differentiate their two different views of the Speech-Act Theory in the field of the hermeneutics in search for a third option. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Dogmatics and Christian Ethics / MA / Unrestricted