Starting point of the search for the purpose of 1 Timothy is the assumption of basic similarities between this letter and letter writing in Greco-Roman antiquity. This means that 1 Timothy is designed for an oral performance in front of an audience. The analysis concentrates on the so far neglected classical duties of the speaker: memoria and pronuntiatio. This means the memorized performance in front of an audience. 1 Timothy shows many mnemotechnical devices and puts certain terms in focus. This shows what expressions the audience has to memorize and what aspects show prominence. The result of this can be formulated as the purpose of 1 Timothy: Paul wants to confirm Timothy in his mandate to guard the gospel from being changed through a resolute dismissal of wrong teachings and an ethic that honours God and men. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (New Testament)

Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study postulates a unifying rhetorical function for the book of Lamentations during the Persian period. After the destruction of the temple in 587 BCE, the people of Judah were geographically scattered and religiously and culturally fragmented. Lamentations, with its ahistorical, timeless character, its acrostic form, its posture of protest, and its totalizing references to all the different classes and groups of Judahites, became a rallying point for Jews seeking restoration after the exile, as well as a perpetual reflection on YHWH’s role in human suffering for oppressed Jews in many places and at many times through history. The historical component of this study seeks to establish the fragmentation of Judah and the goals of the various Judahite groups during the Persian period. The literary component attempts to demonstrate Lamentations’ suitability as a portable, timeless expression of suffering before YHWH, and as a source of imagery and motivation for Jewish restoration hopes. This study contributes to the understanding of the formation of Jewish identity, which since the destruction of the first temple has been shaped by minority status in nearly every cultural context, and by the evolution of a portable, textual religion. This study concludes that the preservation of the book of Lamentations was both a reflection of and a contribution to these two aspects of Jewish identity. This study also contributes to the interpretation of Lamentations—and the genre of communal lament—as literature and liturgy. It also explores the possibility of literary connections between Lamentations, Isaiah 40-55, and the genre of penitential prayers. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie postuleer ‘n verenigende retoriese funksie vir die boek Klaagliedere gedurende die Persiese periode. Na die vernietiging van die tempel in 587 vC was die inwoners van Juda geografies versprei en godsdienstig en kultureel gefragmenteer. Klaagliedere se ahistoriese en tydlose karakter, die akrostiese vorm, die geneentheid tot protes, en die totaliserende verwysings na al die verskillende klasse en groepe van Judeërs, het ‘n aanhakpunt geword vir Jode wat heropbou na die ballingskap nagestreef het, asook vir die voortgaande nadenke by onderdrukte Jode in baie plekke en tye deur die geskiedenis, oor Jahwe se rol in menslike lyding. Die historiese komponent van hierdie studie probeer die fragmentering van Juda gedurende die Persiese periode vasstel, asook die doelwitte van die verskillende groepe in Juda. Die literêre komponent poog om te illustreer dat Klaagliedere uitermate geskik was as oordraagbare, tydlose uitdrukking van lyding voor Jahwe, en dat dit ‘n bron van verbeelding en motivering vir die Joodse heropbou-hoop was. Die studie dra by tot die verstaan van die vorming van Joodse identiteit wat sedert die vernietiging van die eerste tempel sterk beïnvloed is deur hul minderheidstatus in byna elke kulturele konteks, maar ook deur die ontwikkeling van ‘n oordraagbare, tekstuele godsdiens. Hierdie studie kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat die bewaring van die boek Klaagliedere beide ‘n nadenke oor en ‘n bydrae tot hierdie twee aspekte van Joodse identiteit was. Die studie maak ook ‘n bydrae tot die interpretasie van Klaagliedere—asook die genre van gemeenskaplike klag—as literatuur en liturgie. Dit ondersoek ook die moontlike literêre verhoudings tussen Klaagliedere, Jesaja 40-55 en die genre van boetepsalms.

In studying the background and origin of meaning for this word [ecclesia], this paper will seek to investigate the pagan, the Jewish, and the Christian literature in this order. Of couse, as the preliminary discussion has so far indicated, the primary weight and burden of study will be upond the Septugintal influence. The three stages to be developed are reminiscent of the comment of R.C. Trench in his opening comments concerning ecclesia. He named them as heathen, Jewish, and Christian. The development of these stages will be united and brought together to make some pertinent conclusions in the final chapter of this thesis. At all points, this study will seek to limit itself to this one Greek word, [ecclesia], and words which have a direct relationship with it, rather than dealing with the many images used by the New Testament and theology to understand and to explain the church.

This project explores John’s portrait of Jesus in the Gospel of John and argues that John presents Jesus as the Servant of the Lord from Isaiah primarily through his allusions to the Servant passages. The Servant is not the predominant Christological title in John, but it is an important aspect of Johannine Christology. Chapter 1 surveys various works on John’s use of the Old Testament in general, and John’s use of Isaiah specifically. While Isaiah is a major emphasis in John, there have only been two other monographs on John’s use of Isaiah. Furthermore, other works have noted a few allusions to the Isaianic Servant, but no other works have systematically studied the Isaianic Servant in the Gospel of John. Chapter 2 proposes several criteria necessary to identitying allusions to the Isaianic Servant, with allusions classified as clear, probable, and possible. Chapter 3 contains an exegetical discussion of the relevant Servant passages in Isaiah, along with a discussion of the literary context of each Servant song. There is an excursus on the Second Temple Literature, which indicates there is no evidence of a Suffering Messiah in that period. Chapter 4 analyzes two quotations to Isaiah and other clear allusions to the Servant songs in Isaiah. This chapter, along with subsequent chapters, explores the meaning and significance of each allusion for the literary context of John. Chapter 5 identifies probable allusions to the Servant, including the Greeks coming to see Jesus, light and darkness, and Jesus obeying the will of God. Chapter 6 analyzes possible allusions, which have some overlap with the Servant songs, but lack the criterion of uniqueness that would assist an interpreter in connecting John to Isaiah. Chapter 7 discusses the theme of the Isaianic New Exodus and the Servant’s role in initiating this new exodus. John’s description of Jesus utilizes the same characteristics of the Servant to portray Jesus as the Servant in Isaiah. Chapter 8 summarizes the previous chapters and analyzes the implications of the study along with areas for further research.

Cette présente recherche vise à défendre le point de vue selon lequel le don de l’Esprit dans le récit de la Pentecôte (Ac 2, 1-13) s’interprète principalement comme l’investissement d’une puissance habilitant au témoignage. À cette fin, nous posons l’hypothèse que le contenu d’Ac 2, 17-21 est un axe fondamental de la théologie pneumatique de l’œuvre lucanienne, lequel interprète la manifestation pentecostale dans une perspective prophétique. La démonstration se fait par le biais d’une analyse rédactionnelle d’Ac 2, 17-21, une citation de Jl 3,1-5 insérée dans un discours explicatif de Pierre du phénomène pentecostal. Nous examinons d’abord le lieu d’inscription de ce passage dans l’œuvre lucanienne afin d’évaluer la valeur stratégique de son emplacement (chapitre 1). Nous étudions ensuite l’interprétation que fait Luc de cette prophétie pour en venir à la conclusion qu’il envisage l’intervention de l’Esprit essentiellement dans une perspective d’habilitation à la prophétie (chapitre 2). Nous vérifions cette première conclusion dans l’Évangile de Luc (chapitre 3); puis ensuite dans les Actes des Apôtres (chapitre 4). Nous en arrivons ainsi à établir un parallélisme entre les étapes initiatiques du ministère de Jésus dans le troisième évangile et celui des disciples dans les Actes, pour y découvrir que, dans les deux cas, l’effusion de l’Esprit habilite à l’activité prophétique. Le ministère des disciples s’inscrit de la sorte dans le prolongement de celui du Maître. Nous soutenons, en fait, que tout le discours pneumatique de l’Évangile de Luc converge vers l’effusion initiale de l’Esprit sur les disciples dans le récit pentecostal, d’une part, et que cette effusion jette un éclairage sur l’ensemble de l’œuvre missionnaire des Actes, d’autre part. Bref, le passage explicatif du phénomène pentecostal, en l’occurrence Ac 2, 17-21, met en lumière un axe central des perspectives de Luc sur l’Esprit : Il s’agit de l’Esprit de prophétie. Dans cette optique, l’effusion de l’Esprit à la Pentecôte s’interpréterait essentiellement comme l’investissement du croyant d’une puissance en vue du témoignage. / This present research argues that the gift of the Spirit in the Pentecost account (Ac 2.1-13) is to be understood as a source of empowerment for the task of witnessing. The thesis that I defend is that the passage of Ac 2.17-21 is in fact a fundamental axis of the pneumatic theology of Luke’s work, which in turn interprets the pentecostal gift as a prophetic endowment. I will demonstrate this affirmation by performing a redactional analysis of Ac 2.17-21, which is, in fact, a citation from Jl 3.1-5 quoted in Peter’s pentecostal speech whose purpose is to interpret the pneumatic phenomenon of Ac 2.1-13. I start by examining the specific position of Ac 2.17-21 in order to assess the strategic value of its location (chapter 1). I will then carefully look at how Luke interprets this prophecy, only to conclude that he understands the work of the Spirit mainly as a source of empowerment for a prophetic task (chapter 2). I will verify this conclusion throughout the Gospel of Luke (chapter 3), and then in the Acts of the Apostles (chapter 4). This exercise will bring to light an important parallel between the circumstances surrounding the inauguration of Jesus’ ministry in the Gospel of Luke and that of the disciples in Acts, which shows that, in both cases, the Spirit is given as a source of power for a prophetic ministry. The disciples’ ministry is therefore to be understood to lie in the continuity of the one of the Master. Consequently, we will see that all of the pneumatic discourse of Luke’s Gospel converges towards the initial outpouring of the Spirit on the disciples in the Pentecost account, and that this same passage subsequently sheds light on the missionary work in Acts. In short, the interpretative passage of the pentecostal phenomenon, Ac 2.17-21, brings to light a fundamental axis of Luke’s perspectives on the Sprit; It is the prophetic Spirit. The gift of Spirit at Pentecost is then in turn to be understood primarily as a prophetic endowment enabling the disciples to witness.

Si la théologie lucanienne de la résurrection a largement été étudiée dans le livre des Actes des Apôtres, Jésus n’a jamais été considéré comme personnage principal, à l’inverse des apôtres, de l’Esprit saint ou même de Dieu. Pourtant, le premier verset des Actes laisse entendre que Jésus va continuer de faire et d’enseigner ce qu’il avait commencé dans l’évangile, même si, peu de temps après l’ouverture du récit, il quitte la scène. Pour chercher à comprendre ce paradoxe, une analyse approfondie de la mise en récit du personnage Jésus dans les Actes était nécessaire. Le premier chapitre de cette thèse introduit le sujet, l’état de la question et deux approches méthodologiques empruntées aux experts de la caractérisation narrative. Au chapitre deux, après avoir introduit la difficulté d’identification du personnage qui se trouve derrière le titre Seigneur des Actes, le cadre épistémologique d’Elizabeth Struthers Malbon permet d’observer le comment en classant toutes les péricopes qui participent à la rhétorique de la caractérisation christologique en cinq catégories : (1) la christologie représentée qui montre ce que Jésus fait, (2) la christologie détournée qui permet d’entendre ce que Jésus dit en réponse aux autres personnages, (3) la christologie projetée qui laisse entendre ce que les autres personnages ou le narrateur disent à Jésus et à son sujet, (4) la christologie réfléchie qui montre ce que les autres personnages font en reflétant ce que Jésus a dit et (5) la christologie reflétée qui montre ce que les autres personnages font en reflétant ce que Jésus a fait. Ensuite, avec le chapitre trois, l’approche de John Darr donne à comprendre le pourquoi de la caractérisation par l’observation de quatre activités cognitives du lecteur : (1) l’anticipation et la rétrospection, (2) la recherche de cohérence, (3) l’identification et/ou l’implication et (4) la défamiliarisation. Enfin, au chapitre quatre, les résultats des deux méthodes sont comparés pour proposer une solution au cas de l’ouverture paradoxale des Actes. D’abord les différentes observations de la thèse montrent que le personnage Jésus n’est pas si absent du récit; puis la rhétorique narrative de la caractérisation conduit le lecteur à comprendre que c’est essentiellement au travers des personnages du récit que Jésus est présent en actes et en paroles. / Though Luke’s theology of resurrection is widely studied in the Book of Acts, Jesus is never seen as its main character, unlike the apostles, the Holy Spirit or God. However, the first verse of Acts suggests that the Jesus character will continue to do and teach what he began in the Gospel, even if soon after the opening, he leaves the scene. To resolve this paradox, a thorough analysis of Jesus characterization in Acts is needed. The first chapter of this dissertation introduces the subject, what has already been said, and two narrative scholars’ methodologies selected for this study. In chapter two, the difficult identification of the Lord of Acts is discussed. Then, the epistemological framework of Elizabeth Struthers Malbon is considered. It shows how characterization works, by ranking all episodes involving Jesus in five groups : (1) enacted Christology : what Jesus does; (2) deflected Christology : what Jesus says in response to other characters; (3) projected Christology : what other characters and the narrator say to and about Jesus; (4) mirroring Christology : what other characters do that mirrors what Jesus says and (5) reflected Christology : what other characters do that mirrors what Jesus does. Chapter three discusses the method of John Darr which helps us to understand the why by observing four cognitive activities of the reader: (1) anticipation and retrospection; (2) consistency-building; (3) identification and (4) defamiliarization. In the conclusion in chapter four, the results of the two systems are compared to resolve the case of the paradoxical opening of Acts. The main conclusion of the different observations of this thesis shows that Jesus is not so absent from the story. Thus the narrative rhetoric of characterization leads the reader to understand that Jesus is mainly present through the characters of the story in acts and words.

Diploma thesis "Social-Ethical Aspects of the Jesus' Sermon on the Mount" reflects on chapters 5 - 7 of Mathew 's Gospel. It is based on the Greek translation of the Gospel and aims to express the supertemporal prehension of Jesus' ethical requirements by a man of any century, meaning by a man of our current days too. The paper verges on biblical studies and practical and spiritual theology. Diploma thesis focuses on relation between Jesus' requirements and ancient Hebrew ethical and social norms described in Torah and updated in Old Testament Prophets' scriptures. This paper shows their cohesion but emphasizes the Jesus original approach which reveals a deeper meaning of all Torah ethical norms and rules. Following the chapters of Sermon on the Mount , it is described how St. Matthew uses this intention . Social and ethical aspects of this text are highlighted and covered by many Old Testament citations which are related to the background of Jesus' Teachings. This paper also describes basic approaches to the Sermon on the Mount interpretation and shows the reader the direction. But no final conclusion of this topic can be made as we have been dealing with the secret.

Plusieurs textes du Nouveau Testament permettent d’envisager une forme de généralisation de la prophétie au sein du christianisme naissant. Cela tranche avec l’absence relative d’une attente similaire au sein du judaïsme intertestamentaire, mise en évidence par une enquête au sein des littératures juives antiques. Une analyse des sources chrétiennes permet de constater la pratique d’un prophétisme communautaire au sein du christianisme primitif. Ces éléments d’arrière-plan pris en compte, il est démontré comment trois textes néotestamentaires envisagent, chacun à leur manière, le déploiement de la généralisation de la prophétie. Pour l’auteur des Actes, les croyants en Jésus-Christ forment un peuple prophétique qui est au bénéfice du déversement eschatologique de l’Esprit de prophétie annoncé par Joël 3. En 1 Corinthiens 12 à 14, Paul propose un ensemble de régulations concernant la mise en œuvre communautaire de la généralisation de la prophétie. L’Apocalypse invite à considérer le peuple de l’Agneau comme étant porteur d’un témoignage prophétique dans ce monde. L’analyse de ces textes prête une attention particulière aux enjeux sociologiques liés à la généralisation de la prophétie. / Several New Testament texts reflects a certain form of generalization of prophecy within early Christianity. This belief contrasts with the relative absence of a similar expectation within intertestamental Judaism, brought to light through an investigation of ancient Jewish literature. An examination of Christian sources reveals the practice of congregational prophecy within early Christianity.In light of these background elements, it is shown how three New Testament texts view, each in its own way, the deployment of the generalization of prophecy. For the author of Acts, believers in Jesus-Christ constitute a prophetic nation who is experiencing the eschatological outpouring of the Spirit of prophecy announced in Joel 3. In 1 Corinthians 12-14, Paul offers a set of regulations regarding the implementation of the generalization of prophecy in the Christian community. The book of Revelation invites to consider the people of the Lamb as bearers of a prophetic testimony in this world. The analysis of these texts pays attention to sociological issues related to the generalization of prophecy.

Cette thèse analyse 1 Co comme une œuvre de la littérature grecque du 1er siècle. L’hypothèse heuristique est la suivante : il y a un style épistoral mis en œuvre par Paul pour porter au mieux son message. Destinée à être lue, l’épître est aussi discours, et la lettre joue avec les modalités de l’écrit et de l’oral, ce qui lui confère un style original. Cette recherche se focalise donc sur l’elocutio, élément qui définit en rhétorique le style, et regroupe tous les procédés, qu’ils soient lexicaux, syntaxiques ou poétiques, propres à caractériser le mode d’expression. Notre étude propose une lecture minutieuse, in extenso, de 1 Co, en laissant le texte révéler sa dimension sonore. La méthodologie comprend une phase de repérage des procédés les plus fréquents qui soutiennent l’oralité de l’écriture de Paul. À partir de cet inventaire, les grands traits stylistiques sont identifiés. Le processus poétique éclaire le développement thématique de la missive, riche d’une dynamique propre au dialogue et d’une cartographie sonore destinée à la mise en voix de la lettre. La conclusion à laquelle aboutit une telle lecture est que l’oralité constitue une composante essentielle de la stratégie de Paul en 1 Co. Il y a un lien entre le style déployé par l’auteur et les enjeux de la lettre. On peut dès lors parler d’une herméneutique de l’oralité. À partir des critères du style oral proposés par Walter Ong, cette thèse propose pour finir une définition de l’elocutio de 1 Co qui montre à quel point Paul met en œuvre une poétique au service de sa politique. Celle-ci est double : rectifier et édifier. Entre un style combattif et un style réconciliant, la lettre déploie un discours tout orienté vers la figure du Christ ressuscité. L’inouï du kérygme paulinien donne lieu à une créativitéstylistique qui convertit la rhétorique, au sens large du terme, en une rhétorique de la conversion. / This dissertation analyzes 1Co as a work of Greek literature from the 1stcentury. The heuristic hypothesis is as follows: there is an epistoral style which Paul used to convey his message the best he could. As the letter was meant to be read, and is also a discourse, it played with the modalities of both writing style and orature, which is what makes its style distinctive. This research focuses on elocutio, an element that defines style in rhetorics, and which covers all processes, whether lexical, syntactic or poetic, that characterize the mode of expression. Our study proposes a thorough, in-depth reading of 1Co, allowing the text to reveal its aural dimension. The methodology includes a phase of identification of the most frequent processes that support the orality of Paul's writing. With this inventory, the main stylistic traits are identified. The poetic process illuminates the thematic development of the missive, whose dynamics is proper to dialogue and whose sound cartography suggests that the letter has to be voiced aloud. The conclusion reached by such a reading is that orality is an essential component of Paul's strategy in 1Co. There is a link between the style used by the author and the purpose of the letter. We can then speak of a hermeneutics of orality. Based on the criteria which Walter Ong suggested to distinguish orature, this thesis proposes a definition of the elocutio of 1Co, which shows to what extent Paul’s poetics was meant to serve his policy. This one is twofold: to rectify and to edify. Between a fighting style and a style of reconciliation, the letter deploys a discourse fully oriented towards the figure of the resurrected Christ. What had been so far unheard of in Paul’s kerygma gives rise to a stylistic creativity which subverts rhetorics in the broader sense of the term to change it into a rhetorics of conversion.

The purpose of this thesis is to assess the extent to which the singular readings of a manuscript reveal the tendencies of the scribe who wrote its text by examining three related Greek manuscripts from the sixth century. The three manuscripts are all luxury copies of the Gospels' purple codices, so named because they are written in silver and gold ink on parchment that has been dyed purple. The manuscripts, Codex Purpureus Petropolitanus (N 022), Codex Sinopensis (O 023) and Codex Rossanensis (Σ 042), were all copied in the sixth century from a common exemplar. Chapter One introduces the three manuscripts. Chapter Two provides a history of research on scribal habits and singular readings, and it describes the method used in this thesis to determine both the validity of the singular readings method and the actual scribal habits of 022, 023 and 042. Chapter Three provides a preliminary assessment of each scribe by comparing scribal features in the passages extant in all three manuscripts. Chapters Four, Five and Six assess the scribal habits of 022, 023 and 042, respectively. In these chapters, perceived scribal habits are measured by a modified singular readings method to replicate the situation for each manuscript if it had no extant close relatives' the situation for most early manuscripts. Actual scribal habits are then determined by the places the scribe changed the text of the exemplar. Chapter Seven offers some concluding thoughts about the scribes, their exemplar and the use of singular readings to determine scribal habits. Appendix One presents for the first time an edition of the reconstructed text of the exemplar of 022, 023 and 042, where at least two of the three manuscripts are extant. Appendices Two, Three and Four are full transcriptions of the Gospel of Matthew in 022, 023 and 042, respectively. Appendix Five provides information on singular readings and corrections in 042 where it alone is extant of the three manuscripts. Appendix Six describes the codicological structures of the three manuscripts. Appendix Seven is a transcription and brief discussion of 080, a fragmentary of a purple codex dating to the sixth century. Finally, both 022 and 042 contain a series of secondary corrections made against a second exemplar, and Appendix Eight argues that the scribe of 042 was responsible for these corrections in both manuscripts.