Please read the abstract in the section 06back of this document / Thesis (PhD (New Testament))--University of Pretoria, 2001. / New Testament Studies / unrestricted

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Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africans are confronted on a daily basis with the social inequality among individuals which greatly inspires violence, victimisation, discrimination and life-denying ethos. These acts of injustice are not simply inspired by formal laws and policies, but spurred on by various ideological and symbolic categories and power structures. In a way, social behaviour can be said to be ‘scripted’ by the ideologies, perceptions and language internalised, normalised and passed on within society at large. One does not have to look very far to see the way in which this ‘script’ functions in South Africa and what impact the pre-determined and ‘scripted’ identity markers of gender and health have on individuals and groups, as categories like man, woman, HIV positive, and disabled already trigger a set of preconceived ideas and expectations regarding these individuals. The normalisation of this ‘script’ and its social hierarchies is extremely counter-productive as it often pre-determines the value, abilities, potential, limitations and ‘appropriate’ ethos of individuals and groups on the basis of the categories they fall into. The scripted nature of society is however not a twenty-first century phenomenon, but something deeply integral also to life in first century Palestine. This script interpreted, determined and reinforced the prescribed status, agency and ethos of different individuals and identity markers of health and gender were paramount in this process of scripting. Part of this ‘scripted’ world was Jesus of Nazareth. However, upon reading the narratives of John 4:1-42 and 9:1-41, it would appear that the relationship between the societal script and the actual ethos of Jesus was anything but simplistic. Upon reading these two episodes against the grain of the first century societal script, Jesus’ ethos as a Jewish man in relation to a somewhat questionable Samaritan female and blind and impure beggar brings forth some inconsistencies toward the script. It would seem as if Jesus was reluctant to read his context one dimensionally and simply comply with popular custom and ideology. The aim of this study would therefore be to explore whether these inconsistencies between the societal script and the ethos of Jesus could be of any significance in an analogously scripted twenty-first century South Africa, a society pleading for critical reflection upon the societal script. When the possible ‘counter-ethos’ of Jesus is considered, faith communities might be challenged to embrace the fragility of social categories and hierarchies and perhaps embody a similar critical attitude and ethos toward the life-denying societal script and its taken-for-granted assumptions. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrikaners word daagliks gekonfronteer met die sosiaal ongelyke stand van ons samelewing. Hierdie ongelykhede is grootliks verantwoordelik vir geweld, viktimisasie, diskriminasie en nie-lewensgewende etos. Die bogenoemde word egter nie bloot deur formele wette geïnspireer nie, maar aangevuur deur verskeie ideologiese en simboliese kategorieë en magstrukture. Sosiale gedrag kan as’t ware gesien word as ʼn voorafbepaalde teks, ondersteun deur die ideologieë, persepsies en taal wat ons internaliseer, normaliseer en aan ander oordra. Hierdie voorafbepaalde ‘samelewingsteks’ is uiters prominent in Suid-Afrika, waar ʼn bepaalde status, etos en grense dikwels aan individue gegee word op die basis van identiteits-merkers van onder andere gender en gesondheid. Die identifisering van iemand as man, vrou, MIV positief, gestremd, ensovoorts spreek ideologiese boekdele van hul plek, doel en perke in die samelewing. In hierdie sin dien die vooropgestelde ‘samelewingsteks’ ʼn uiters teenproduktiewe rol, aangesien dit die waarde, vermoëns, potensiaal, en ‘korrekte’ etos van individue vooraf bepaal op grond van die simboliese kategorieë waarin hul val. Die voorafbepaalde ‘samelewingsteks’ herbevestig dikwels sosiale hiërargieë, wat ongeregtigheid normaliseer en bevorder. Hierdie is egter nie net ʼn een-en-twintigste eeu se verskynsel nie, maar iets wat al reeds prominent voorgekom het in eerste eeu se Palestina. Hierdie ‘samelewingsteks’ het die gepaste status en etos van verskillende individue bepaal op die grond van identiteits-merkers, soos die van gender en gesondheid. Dit is ook die samelewing waarin Jesus van Nasaret homself bevind het. Wanneer die narratiewe van Johannes 4:1-42 en 9:1-41 gelees word, kom dit egter voor asof die verhouding tussen hierdie ‘samelewingsteks’ en die etos beliggaam deur Jesus kompleks was. Wanneer die twee episodes in lig van die voorafbepaalde ‘samelewingsteks’ gelees word, blyk Jesus, ʼn Joodse man, se etos teenoor ʼn redelike verdagte Samaritaanse vrou en blinde en onreine bedelaar in spanning te wees met die etos aan hom voorgeskryf. Dit sou voorkom asof Jesus gewaak het teen die eenvoudige beliggaming van wat deur die ‘samelewingsteks’ as gehoord voorgeskryf en verwag is. Die doel van hierdie studie sou daarom wees om te ondersoek of die spanning tussen die eerste eeu se ‘samelewingsteks’ en die ware beliggaamde etos van Jesus enigsins betekenisvol kan wees in lyn van die een-en-twintigste eeu se voorafbepaalde ‘samelewingsteks’ in ʼn land wat ryp is vir kritiese refleksie op dit wat as ‘normaal’ en ‘korrek’ beskou word. Die moontlike ‘kontra-etos' van Jesus kan geloofsgemeenskappe uitdaag om die broosheid van sosiale en simboliese kategorieë en hiërargieë aan te gryp en ʼn soortgelyke kritiese houding en etos teenoor die nie-lewegewende ‘samelewingsteks’ en sy voorveronderstellings te beliggaam.

By focussing on literary translation dynamics, and on how the current vernacular Bibles (specifically John 1:1-18 in Southern and Northern Sotho) encourage certain and not other understandings of the Bible (popular theology), this project attempts to achieve three related goals: (a) to reintegrate me as a Mosotho Biblical Studies student into the world and discourse of my people, (b) to bridge the gulf between the world of the Basotho believers and the academic world which has produced copious resources for the study of the Bible, and (c) to explore the implications of, or to assess the value of, the availability of the Bible in the vernacular for the Church and the academy in South Africa. The first goal is rather subjective and difficult to quantify. The second is critical in a complex plural society like South Africa. The third cannot be dealt with conclusively, perhaps the use of this project lies in pointing out various possibilities in this arena. The overarching bias (hypothesis) is that conscious critical work with the Bible in the vernacular is enriching in more ways than one. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2000.

Why the Buddhist Pali Canon? Why the Brahmajala Sutta? Will this dissertation contribute anything new and valuable towards Orality-Literacy Studies? It was with much anxiety and apprehension as well as intimidation in remembering the words of Jousse (1990): "A man who writes a book deriving solely from other books contributes nothing new." ...... that the choice of this topic became finalised. The Brahmajala Sutta commences with the words: "Evam me sutam" (Thus I have heard) It is the written representation of an oral form that came into existence as the culmination of an established authentic oral tradition that had its origins in the 5th Century B.C. It became preserved in written form in the 1st Century B.C. with the purpose of canonizing the Discourses of Gotama Buddha. These were and still are oral elements transmitted orally and the written text abounds with such as mnemotechniques, repetitions, refrains, sound and rhythmic patterns, silences and pauses that are germane to the content and comprehension of the sutta (discourse). This text which has survived many centuries holds much fascination as it attaches a meditative dimensions to the Orality-Literacy continuum since the meditative repetition of its verses aims at the spiritual transformation and enhancement of the individual. Le Roux (1991: 48) asks, "Is it possible to rekindle a live relationship with this ancient text, which is now only available in printed form?" In answering her question she states, "It is possible when the present day reader realises that this sutta has a dynamic vitality of its own, that it is able to challenge, communicate and demand a response from the interpreter. Inevitably, the reader is drawn into an involvement with the message of the sutta which Ricoeur (1967:354) calls, "a passionate, though critical relation with the truth value of each symbol." When the two horizons meet, that of the present day reader and the ancient text itself, understanding becomes a reality. That is possible notwithstanding immense differences in time, language and religio-philosophical beliefs." This dissertation is not intended to be an exegetical analysis of the Brahmajala Sutta, for which, in any case, it affords neither scope nor range. What it seeks to do is to explore how the text came to be fixed in its present form, as well as to appreciate the processes that lie behind its formulation, and most important of all, to attempt to understand what intrinsic qualities it possesses that give it its "dynamic vitality." In the first three chapters, the text is placed against the historical, sociological and cultural contexts of the Buddhist Pali Canon. This information is essential as it provides the background necessary for the comprehension of important aspects of the sutta. Chapter Four locates the position of the Brahmajala Sutta within the giant corpus of material embraced by the Buddhist Pali Canon and Chapter Five presents the structural formulation of the text. In Chapters Six and Seven, the oral compositional process with its use of formulaic devices comes into focus within a semantic, morphological and phonological analysis. I emphasise that since I consider my knowledge of the Pali Canon to be relatively limited, I have had to rely on the works of the many eminent researchers whose names appear in the Bibliography, for the information contained in the first three chapters. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1992.

The premise upon which this thesis is founded is that the book of Qohelet is fundamentally ambiguous. Ambiguity is attached to all its major themes, and can be discerned in its language, syntax and structure. This has not been given due attention in previous works on Qohelet. The introduction considers the concepts of 'ambiguity' and 'meaning': it is crucial for the reader to understand what is meant in this thesis by these terms. 'Ambiguity' is understood as those aspects of the text whose indeterminacy requires the reader to fill in 'meaning' in order for a coherent reading to be produced: thus the reader's role is crucial, but is nonetheless restricted by the determinate schemata in the text. Part 1 explores the determinate schemata in Qohelet in an attempt to provide objective criteria against which the ambiguities may be set. Detailed attention is paid to the text in order to discern trends and patterns in the book. These are employed in an attempt to discover how the book as a whole and the sections within it are structured. Part 1 ends by asserting that it is ultimately futile to seek an overall structure or pattern to the book: this is an aspect of its ambiguity. Part 2 systematically examines linguistic and syntactical ambiguities in Qohelet, exploring the possibilities for interpretation according to the ways in which the reader fills in the gaps left by these ambiguities. The conclusion argues that the ambiguity of Qohelet is the primary reason for the hugely diverse interpretations of the book throughout its history, and for the many varied proposals for its structure. In this way it is a realistic reflection of an ambiguous world and the relationship between the people of this world and the God who made the world with all its ambiguities.

D.Litt. et Phil. / Throughout the history of the Church, there has been an aversion to mysticism. Much of it is because of a basic misunderstanding of the concept, and because of the contradiction that mysticism has historicaly proved to be for the Church. As someone has said: "It has been the well spring of both saints and schismatics, the hallmark of luminaries and lunatics alike. It has been a force for the active upbuilding of the Body of Christ and an impetus to the counter-currents of sectarianism, anti-nomianism and quietism. It has issued in theologies of impeccable trinitarian montheism and in the heterodoxy of pantheism". We have looked at the word "mysticism" and derived the basic definition: Being in communion with the divine reality (see chp.1, pg.41). For most, it involves a process; one cannot encounter the divinity, but by going through a specified process. We have discovered that "mysticism" is practiced by non-christian religions too. These include Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and other eastern religions. The process often includes ascetic tendencies, meditation, contemplative methods and transcendental communications. The general quest is for inner peace, tranquility, knowledge and light, and ultimately, to bring some self-realization, which is really a loss of self in the Absolute. In our understanding, christian-mysticism is different. It is having a personal relationship with God through his Son, Jesus Christ, and to be in fellowship with him through his indwelling Spirit. We speak of communion with a trinitarian God; not by processes of asceticism, meditation, contemplation and transcendental communications ascending to God, but by faith in a God who descended to meet us in the God-man, Jesus Christ. We believe therefore that every believer and only believers in Jesus Christ, are true "mystics". The word "mysticism" is unfortunate, because of all the negative understanding, and because it is applied to experience outside Christ as well. It might be better to change it to another name; but what?; we don't know. Participation, fellowship, communion, etc., are inadequate because they do not necessarily mean that it is with God, whereas "mysticism" includes all these ideas uniquely in relation to God. Having stated its inadequaces, we have nevertheless employed the word "participation" alongside " myticism " .

The phenomenon of inner-biblical interpretation and inter-textual replication of scriptural material within the Old Testament is receiving significant attention in current scholarship. Two narratives which are repeated three times in the Hebrew Bible provide a particularly fruitful case study for this type of research: the Hezekiah narrative (2 Kgs 18-20; Isa 36-39; 2 Chr 29-32) and the account of the fall of Judah (2 Kgs 24-25; Jer 52; 2 Chr 36). This study extends the contributions of redaction-critical, literary-critical, and text-critical studies examining the narratives of 2 Kings 18-20//Isaiah 36-39 and 2 Kings 24:18-25:30//Jeremiah 52 and emphasizes their subsequent reception in Chronicles. In addition, this investigation advances the discussion of the Chronicler's reliance upon and method of incorporating material from the Latter Prophets. It is the conclusion of this thesis that the Chronicler was familiar with the versions of the Hezekiah narrative and the account of the fall of Judah in both 2 Kings and the Latter Prophets. His method of handling these alternative accounts reflects both direct quotation (particularly in the case of 2 Kings) and indirect allusion to themes and idioms (with regard to the Latter Prophets). The result is a re-telling of Judah's history which is infused with hope for restoration as articulated by the Latter Prophets. By portraying an idealized account of Israel's past history which corresponds to prophetic descriptions of the nation's restoration, Chronicles illustrates the accessible, utopic potential held out to every generation of faithful Israel.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: See full text for the abstract / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sien volteks vir die opsomming

This dissertation develops a God-centered understanding of forgiveness based on the context of God's redemptive history and derived from His two great commandments. Chapter 1 surveys the forgiveness literature, points out the divergent views of twelve aspects of forgiveness, and builds a case for the need of an explicitly theocentric model of forgiveness. Chapter 2 begins with an overview of redemptive history and its implications for understanding forgiveness, and then provides a biblical and theological understanding of divine love. The intimate connection between love and forgiveness is demonstrated from Scripture and explained as a precursor to developing a theocentric definition of forgiveness. Chapter 3 starts with an overview of the major theological omissions of the prevailing clinical models of forgiveness---the centrality of God, doctrine of sin, and primacy of Jesus Christ. Then, the theocentric definition of forgiveness is used to address and develop the twelve aspects of forgiveness, looking also at the communal aspects of each issue. Chapter 4 develops a Christian psychology of unforgiveness and forgiveness by examining the dynamics within the soul. A model for moving from unforgiveness to forgiveness is offered, which focuses on developing a heart of love, and entails a growing intimacy with, identity in, and imitation of Christ. Chapter 5 offers concluding thoughts and reflections and recaps the theme that runs through the dissertation---the process of moving from unforgiveness to forgiveness is a primary process of sanctification. Implications of a theocentric understanding are briefly discussed for the areas of clinical research, Christian counseling, the body of Christ, and the life of the believer. Finally, significant areas for further research are highlighted. / This item is only available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. If you are not associated with SBTS, this dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.