In John 5:39-40 we see a dividing line being drawn over the proper interpretation of “the Scriptures” between the Jewish leaders of the first century and the early Christians of the Johannine community. Both parties agreed that “searching the Scriptures” was essential; however, the two groups disagreed about the nature with which one was to “search the Scriptures” and how one was to possess or lay hold of this eternal life. “The Jews” viewed eternal life as a birthright that was maintained by rigorous study of the law and strict observance of its principles. The study of the law became an end in itself. The Christians of the Johannine community, on the other hand, believed that eternal life was only granted as gift when a person comes to the one of whom the Scriptures testified, Jesus Christ. Eternal life was neither a birthright nor something that could be merited, but rather a gift given to those who truly “search the Scriptures” and truly see the one who they are written of. This disagreement between the Johannine community and the first century Jewish leadership is a reflection of the division between Jesus and the Jewish leaders during his day as well as a reflection of the division between Christians and Jews in our day. But perhaps more importantly, it is a reflection of the complacent attitude that pervades much of the church today. The words of this passage are a warning or wake-up call to us all. We must be careful not to presume that eternal life is ours because of any merit or association. We must be careful to search “the Scriptures” with our eyes wide open and without presuppositions that will hinder of from discerning its true meaning. But most importantly, we must look to the one of whom these “Scriptures” testify, Jesus Christ. If we truly want to live, as we assume all men do, then we must do what is necessary to inherit eternal life. We must heed the words of “the Scriptures” and we must heed Jesus’ words: we must come to Jesus who alone is the source of eternal life. This begins and ends with proper interpretation of the Word of God. / Dissertation (MA (New Testament Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / New Testament Studies / MA / unrestricted

Les hommes, dès leur naissance, et de fait après leur entrée dans le monde, ont des devoirs et des droits, un fait inhérent à ce monde. L’existence du droit de vivre et des devoirs humains d’un côté, et la puissance de posséder et de transmettre les possessions de l’autre côté, démontre le besoin de fondation d’un système juridique. La mort au sens juridique, c’est la fin de l’existence des personnes, le phénomène qui cause la rupture entre la personne et ses biens. Certes, ce phénomène arrive indubitablement, et alors se pose la question des biens notamment sans possesseur.On entend littéralement par « héritage », tous les biens et les choses personnels qu'une personne décédée laisse derrière elle ou tout ce qui est soumis à l'héritage dans les biens d'une personne décédée. Dans les termes du droit, l'héritage est défini comme le transfert inéluctable des biens d'une personne décédée à ses parents et à ses proches, selon des conditions particulières (de la société). Le transfert des biens d'une personne dès son décès est une chose ancienne qui s'enracine dans les premières civilisations humaines. Depuis le moment où la famille au sens premier du terme fut fondée, jusqu'à la forme qu'elle a aujourd'hui, le transfert des biens d'une personne décédée à ses proches a un aspect légal qu'on peut rencontrer au sein de différentes sociétés. L'héritage est un terme provenant de la nature intrinsèque de l'homme, mais il ne faut pas pour autant ignorer que pour différentes sociétés, il se définit conformément aux us et coutumes et aux croyances relatives à l'héritage défini par les règles instituées sur les biens privés.L'héritage est un droit naturel. Il est possible que plusieurs personnes pensent qu'il serait meilleur, au moment du décès, que leurs biens fassent partie des biens publics et qu'ils soient à la disposition du trésor public. Néanmoins, si on y réfléchit attentivement, il devient clair que cette position nous éloigne de la justice, car le sujet de l'héritage est un fait tout à fait naturel et logique, de la même manière que le père et la mère transmettent une partie de leurs traits physiques et moraux suivant les lois de l'héritage naturel.Mots-clés : posséder, transmettre, possession, système juridique, bien, décédé, héritage, la famille, droit naturel, trésor public / It is a truth common to all that from their birth onward, on entering this world, men have rights and obligations. The existence of the right to live and the human obligations on one side and the power to possess and transmit one’s possessions on the other side prove the need to establish a legal system. On a judicial level, death is the end of someone’s existence, the cause for the separation between someone and his goods.Since death occurs to all of us, what happens to possessions whose owner is unknown? The notion of heritage encompasses all the goods and personal objects which a deceased one leaves behind or all the goods of a deceased one which are to be inherited. In terms of law, heritage is understood as the definitive transfer of the goods of a deceased to his parents or his kids under the specific conditions of his society. The transfer of goods of someone who has just died is ancient and stretches back to the first human civilizations. From the time of the primitive form of the family to its current shape, and among the different kinds of societies, there has been a legal aspect to the transfer of a deceased one to his kids. The notion of heritage is inherent to man’s nature. But one must not forget that habits and customs vary from society to society. Thus the creeds related to heritage define the rules related to private goods.Inheriting is a natural right. Some may believe that it would be better that the goods of a deceased be integrated into the common property and be kept at the disposal of the Treasury.Nevertheless, after more thorough thinking, this point of view appears to be far from being just, since heritage is completely natural and logical, like the transmitting of some of one’s parents’ physical and moral traits is, according to the natural heritage.

abstract: After being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2009, Herta Müller attained great prominence around the world. Commentators, especially in English-speaking countries, seemed shocked by the decision. One of the primary concerns was that Müller was relatively unknown. This thesis seeks to address this and other concerns by looking at reviews of her works in German- and English-language publications both before and after the Nobel Prize was awarded. This thesis analyses chronologically the reception of her books beginning with Niederungen in 1982 and ending with the reception of her novel Atemschaukel in 2009. It compares the reception of the original German text to that of the English translation; therefore only works which have been translated and published in English are discussed. The study also shows that while Müller's work did not top the bestseller charts, at least before the Nobel Prize, she was hardly the completely unknown author that some in the English-language media believed. This thesis seeks to present trends in the reception as well as provide a basis for further study of the reception of Herta Müller. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. German 2011