Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Politics, in modern society, has become intimately associated with poor governance, fraud and corruption, social decay, abuse of power, indifference to the plight of the poor, squandering of critical resources and self-enrichment. This situation has been further aggravated by the debate that religion and politics should be kept separate at all costs. The demand for social justice in marginalised communities has increased dramatically over the last few decades. The escalation of human conflict, poverty, social inequality and corrupt practices across the globe over recent years, demands a radical reassessment of how the human race engages politically, socially and economically with each other. Hebrew classical prophets such as Hosea, Amos, Isaiah and Micah have through their messages of condemnation, indictment, punishment and hope confronted the serious political and social challenges that prevailed during and subsequent to their time. They demonstrated immense bravery against the established order of the day as they proclaimed Yahweh’s gross displeasure and divine judgement for the manner in which those in power had treated the poor. Amos, in particular, has captivated scholars over many decades as they dissected every emotion, historical context, social structure, biblical tradition and literary convention in order to understand his message. This study is an attempt to re-evaluate the critical balance between politics and religion as demonstrated in the divine mandate provided to kings, centuries ago in the ancient Near East, to rule in a just and righteous manner. An examination of the role and function of the prophets, their relationship with the political and religious structures of the day as well as an exegetical study of selected Amos texts has been undertaken to determine how this social imbalance was addressed by the prophets. A general hypothesis is advanced to restore this intricate balance between modern politics and religion. The study further enables a theological re-evaluation of how this balance could possibly be pursued as a potential catalyst for its overall social restoration. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die politiek, in die hedendaagse samelewing, word nou geassosieer met swak regering, bedrog en korrupsie, sosiale verrotting, misbruik van mag, onverskilligheid teenoor die ellende van die armes, verkwisting van kritiese hulpbronne en selfverryking. Hierdie situasie word verder vererger as gevolg van ‘n debat wat daarop aandring dat die politiek en die godsdiens ten alle koste apart gehou moet word. Die aandrang vir sosiale geregtigheid in verarmde gemeenskappe het dramaties toegeneem oor die laaste dekades. Die progressiewe toename in menslike konflik, armoede, sosiale ongelykheid en omkopery wêreldwyd, die onlangse jare, vereis ‘n radikale herevaluering oor hoe die mensdom met mekaar oor die weg kom polities, sosiaal en ekonomies. Die Bybels-Hebreeuse profete soos Hosea, Amos, Jesaja en Miga het met hulle boodskappe van aanklag, straf en hoop die ernstige politieke en sosiale uitdagings wat gedurende hulle tyd geheers het gekonfronteer. Hulle het ongekende dapperheid gedemonstreer teen die destydse owerhede en so Jahwe se intense ontevredenheid en goddelike oordeel verwoord teenoor die swak behandeling van die armes. Amos, in die besonder, het geleerdes oor die dekades bekoor en elke emosie, historiese agtergrond, sosiale struktuur, tradisie en literêre konvensie is benut in ‘n poging om sy boodskap te verstaan. Hierdie studie is ‘n poging om die sensitiewe balans tussen die politiek en die godsdiens te her-evalueer in die lig van die beginsel van regverdige regering as goddelike mandaat wat reeds eeue gelede aan konings van die ou Nabye Ooste opgedra is. ‘n Ondersoek na die rol en funksie van die profete, hul verhouding met die politieke en godsdienstige strukture van hulle tyd, sowel as ‘n eksegetiese studie van geselekteerde Amos tekste word onderneem om te bepaal hoe hierdie sosiale onewewigtigheid hanteer is. ‘n Algemene hipotese word aan die hand gedoen om die ingewikkelde balans tussen die moderne politiek en godsdiens te herstel. Die studie kan verder van waarde wees deurdat dit ‘n teologiese herbesinning bied wat kan dien as ‘n moontlike katalisator vir algehele sosiale restorasie.

This study explores the hermeneutical issues raised by critical approaches to the Book of the Twelve and their implications for the concepts of authorial intent, history, and canon. By means of a critical engagement with the Twelve’s modern reception history it seeks to demonstrate that with few exceptions, recent attempts to come to terms with the peculiar character of the prophetic intentionality at work in the Twelve reflect the continuing impact of historicism and its hermeneutical legacy upon the study of Old Testament prophecy. As a result the key roles played by theological pressures and the hermeneutical significance of canon in the Twelve’s formation history continue to be marginalized, particularly with respect to the eschatological and typological moves involved in the redactional expansion of prophecy. The study seeks to constructively address these problems by offering a theological exegesis of Hosea 1:5 and 2:23-25, arguing that the study of these ‘Day of the Lord’ texts and the larger theological significance of Hosea’s prologue for the Twelve has been virtually eclipsed by the central hermeneutical role assigned to Joel by the Twelve’s modern interpreters. The larger contribution to the hermeneutical logic of prophecy rendered by Hosea’s ‘wisdom coda’ (Hosea 14:10) has also not been given its proper due, exegetically speaking. With these concerns in mind, the study then proceeds to argue that Hosea’s prologue establishes a theological context for the logic of prophecy, eschatology, and typology in the Twelve which finds its hermeneutical ground in Exodus 32-34 and the continuing theological significance of Yahweh’s name for his providential dealings with Israel. In this way Hosea’s prologue constrains the interpretation of prophecy and the DOL in the Twelve by linking their theological function to the significance of Yahweh’s name for Israel. The wisdom coda both embraces and extends this agenda for readers of Joel through Malachi by instructing them in the proper stance toward prophecy and “the ways of Yahweh” toward Israel and the nations vis-a-vis his revealed character in Exodus 34:5-7. The book of Hosea thus ends by establishing hermeneutical guidelines for the “wise” interpretation of prophecy, a stance which is then further facilitated by the summons to wisdom in Joel’s prologue (1:1-4) and Joel’s own deployment of the DOL in Joel 1-2.

Dans la seconde moitié du XVIIe siècle, selon sa logique centralisatrice, la politique louis-quatorzienne à légard des protestants vise à les réunir au catholicisme, en usant de mesures discriminatoires et de violence dès le début des années 1680. LÉdit de Nantes est révoqué en 1685 et tout exercice de la religion protestante est interdit dans le Royaume. La plupart des huguenots abjurent tandis quune partie dentre eux se lance sur les chemins de lexil, malgré linterdiction qui en est faite. Cette diaspora crée ce que les historiens ont appelé le Refuge. Le contexte religieux troublé de la fin du XVIIe siècle et lexpérience de lexil comptent pour une grande part dans lexploitation dun imaginaire comme refuge. Il ne sagit pas ici du Refuge dans sa dimension concrète, mais dun refuge intellectuel, dun refuge virtuel, véritable échappatoire à une réalité difficile. La thèse soutient en effet que les utopies et les prophéties écrites par des réfugiés huguenots offrent évasion et compensations aux auteurs en construisant un monde imaginaire posé comme irréalisable dans le monde réel. Pour établir la pertinence et la justesse de cette thèse, létude se propose de démontrer les trois points suivants. Il sagit dabord de prouver lintérêt de réunir au sein dune seule et même recherche deux types de sources qui peuvent apparaître, au premier abord, très éloignés lun de lautre. Il faut ensuite justifier la pertinence de la réinsertion de ces écrits dans un contexte protestant français. Le travail vise enfin à convaincre de lintérêt de la démarche historique pour traiter de textes mettant en place un univers fictionnel. Si lassociation dutopies et de prophéties peut être justifiée dun point de vue théorique, cest surtout linsertion de ces deux types de sources dans le cadre méthodologique dune étude sur limaginaire qui donne toute sa cohérence au corpus. De part et dautre, il y a en effet mise en place dun imaginaire qui se construit comme refuge en réaction, notamment, à un contexte de référence commun et à une expérience de vie marquée par lexil et par la marginalité. La réunion de ces deux genres littéraires, qui constitue lune des originalités de létude, savère très enrichissante. Elle permet dune part de faire émerger des représentations semblables, parfois de mieux les comprendre et de leur donner un sens nouveau. Lintérêt de la comparaison consiste dautre part dans la mise en évidence des spécificités de chaque genre. Létude de la réception des textes et de lhistoriographie qui leur a été consacrée, principalement dans les cinquante dernières années, révèle le peu dintérêt accordé à une réinsertion de ces utopies et prophéties dans lhistoire du protestantisme français et plus particulièrement du Refuge. Or une lecture attentive des sources montre quelles portent lempreinte du calvinisme et prouve quelles sont profondément ancrées dans un contexte religieux troublé, marqué par la Révocation et ses conséquences. La démarche, consistant à donner sens aux imaginaires utopique et prophétique en tenant compte de cette situation historique et cherchant à y voir une réponse originale des auteurs est donc tout à fait pertinente. Limaginaire présente, pour lhistorien, un intérêt dans son rapport au réel. Il sen inspire, le reflète assez fidèlement sur certains points, sen détache fortement sur dautres. Cette relation au réel permet de déterminer le regard porté par les auteurs sur le monde qui les entoure et la façon dont ils sy perçoivent. Elle démontre aussi que les imaginaires utopique et prophétique ne sont pas transposables dans la réalité. Une frontière infranchissable, marquée par un décalage spatial et chronologique, les sépare en effet du monde réel. Par contre, face au contexte troublé et difficile, limaginaire représente clairement une voie dévasion, tout en constituant souvent un moyen de redéfinir son rôle dans la société et dy trouver une raison dexister.

Esta pesquisa busca identificar se a doutrina dos apóstolos mencionada em At 2.47 reflete os ensinamentos obtidos pelos apóstolos a partir do Movimento de Jesus, à luz do contexto canônico e extracanônico dos períodos do Antigo Testamento, Intertestamentário e do Novo Testamento, e se esses ensinos refletiram o processo formativo dos ensinos legados por Jesus no decorrer do período de três anos e meio de vida terrena do Mestre, resultando no Cristianismo. A primeira parte revela como Deus se comunica com seu povo. Para isso, entra em cena a figura do profeta, que vai discursar em favor de uma reaproximação do povo com o Deus da aliança. A promessa dada é no sentido de restaurar a comunhão desde que sejam abandonadas as práticas cultuais das nações vizinhas a Israel. A trilogia castigo-arrependimento-perdão é anunciada como condição de restauração da nação assolada por invasores. A segunda parte mostra como, ao serem removidos da terra, os israelitas passaram a ansiar pela restauração do reino de Israel e como o retorno do exílio é marcado pela esperança de um recomeço, no qual as promessas anunciadas pelos profetas se cumpririam e como o Senhor dos Exércitos novamente pelejaria por seu povo, tendo à frente um Libertador nos moldes de Moisés. Mostra como o Messias é aguardado com ansiedade e como o jugo romano acirra os ânimos nacionalistas. É o contexto em que surge na Palestina a figura de Jesus, em meio a um caldo cultural e a diversos segmentos religiosos que tinham uma interpretação própria das Escrituras judaicas. O Movimento de Jesus nasce na Galileia e, após a morte de seu líder, seus seguidores recebem a incumbência de prosseguir a mobilização em prol da implantação do Reino de Deus, e não se dirige mais apenas aos nacionais de Israel, mas a todos os povos e a todas as nações. A terceira e última parte revela como os seguidores de Jesus levaram adiante suas propostas: como se estabeleceram, como se organizaram e como disseminaram o legado de Jesus. Revela também os personagens que se destacaram após a ascensão de Jesus, e o papel de cada um na propagação do evangelho e na consolidação do Cristianismo, estrutura que se seguiu ao Movimento de Jesus. / This research seeks to identify if the doctrine of the apostles mentioned in Acts 2:47 reflects the teachings received by the apostles from the Jesus Movement, in the light of the canonical and extra canonical context of the Old Testament, Intertestamental and New Testament periods, and if these teachings reflected the formative process of the teachings left by Jesus during the three and a half year period of terrestrial life of the Master, resulting in Christianity. The first part reveals how God communicates with his people. For this, the figure of the prophet comes into play, which will discourse in favor of a re-approximation of the people with the God of the covenant. The promise given is in the sense of restoring the communion if the worship practices of Israels neighboring nations are abandoned. The trilogy punishment-repentance-forgiveness is announced as a condition for the restauration of the nation assailed by invaders. The second part shows how, upon their being uprooted from the land, the Israelites come to yearn for the restauration of the kingdom of Israel and how the return from the exile is marked by the hope for a new beginning, in which the promises announced by the prophets would be fulfilled and how the Lord of Hosts would once again fight for his people, having at the fore a Liberator in the patterns of Moses. It shows how the Messiah is anxiously awaited and how the Roman yoke exacerbates the nationalist tempers. It is in this context that the figure of Jesus emerges in Palestine in the midst of a cultural mix and various religious segments which had their own interpretation of the Jewish Scriptures. The Jesus Movement is birthed in Galilee and after the death of its leader, its followers receive the task of continuing the mobilization in favor of the implantation of the Kingdom of God, and it is no longer directed only toward the nationals of Israel but to all peoples and all nations. The third and last part reveals how the followers of Jesus carried on his proposals: how they established themselves, how they organized themselves and how they propagated the legacy of Jesus. It also reveals the characters which stood out after the ascension of Jesus and the role of each one in the propagation of the Gospel and in the consolidation of Christianity, the structure that followed the Jesus Movement.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:55:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 NeusieneMS_DISSERT.pdf: 4145047 bytes, checksum: a8d5d969818e324e8108c851d6b9a74b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-03-04 / The knowledge known as "winter experiences" has been developed for centuries among country people in the Brazilian Northeast hinterlands. It consists in the systematic observation of the nature to forecast and protect people against the effects of droughts. This knowledge is transmitted orally through generations. These experiences are guided by the observation of the behavior of fauna, flora, stars, the weather in the holy days and other very specific aspects of the lives of country people. Almost all country people living in the rural area know at least one experience, but the Prophets of Rain are known as the communicators of winter prophecies formulated from the observation of the experiences. The country person is identified as a Prophet of Rain because of his close relationship with nature and his ability to forecast. No matter if the prophecies are always right, he possesses a vital social role, as his practices contribute to prevent, ease and encourage other people. The main aim of this work is to analyze the role of the winter experiences for the country people in the Serid? Potiguar. In this sense, we sought to understand to what extent this knowledge still orients the productive practices of farmers living in this region and identify which factors instigate the observation of winter experiences nowadays. 241 questionnaires were applied to farmers in the rural cities of Acari, Caic?, Parelhas and Lagoa Nova and interviews were conducted with 15 Prophets in the Serid?. The methodological framework of this work is the analysis of content proposed by Bardin (2010). In this study area, the experiences exert influence and relevance to the country people in the Serid?, because they consider them as a way to ease their anguishes face the possible drought in the region. The major role of the Prophet is to feed the hope of country people for better days, rather than contribute for the organization of the productive activities. Among the interviewed people, the forecast from the observation of winter experiences have greater credibility than the meteorological and disseminated by media. The Prophets of Rain base their prophecies on the set of natural elements present in the environment. Many factors stimulate the winter experiences by the Prophets nowadays, as cultural transmission, age, relationship with nature, level of education, faith, among others, but specially the productive activities (agriculture and cattle raising) and the droughts. The winter means abundance and happiness in this region and the experience is one of the ways that people find to minimize the anxiety and, according to their possibilities, to prepare for a year of droughts or for winter / No sert?o do Nordeste brasileiro, desenvolveu-se ao longo dos s?culos, entre os sertanejos, uma pr?tica denominada de experi?ncias de inverno , que consiste na observa??o sistem?tica da natureza para prever o tempo e preveni-lo contra os efeitos da seca. Essa forma de conhecimento ? repassada entre gera??es, de forma oral. As experi?ncias est?o pautadas na observa??o do comportamento da fauna, da flora, dos astros, do tempo meteorol?gico nos dias santos e outros ainda de aspectos bem espec?ficos da vida do sertanejo. Quase todo sertanejo que vive na zona rural conhece pelo menos uma experi?ncia, mas s?o os Profetas da Chuva os respons?veis por divulgar as profecias de inverno, formuladas a partir da observa??o das experi?ncias. E o sertanejo, que por sua estreita rela??o com a natureza e reconhecida habilidade nas previs?es, ? identificado pela comunidade como o Profeta da Chuva. Embora suas profecias nem sempre se cumpram, ele desempenha uma fun??o social importante, ? medida que suas pr?ticas contribuem para prevenir, tranquilizar e animar o sertanejo. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo geral analisar o papel das experi?ncias de inverno para o sertanejo do Serid? Potiguar. Nesse sentido, buscou-se compreender at? que ponto esta forma de conhecimento ainda orienta as pr?ticas produtivas dos agricultores que habitam a regi?o e identificar quais os fatores que instigam a observa??o das experi?ncias de inverno nos dias atuais. Foram aplicados 241 question?rios aos agricultores em comunidades rurais dos munic?pios de Acari, Caic?, Parelhas e Lagoa Nova e 15 entrevistas com os Profetas da Chuva identificados no Serid?. Na an?lise dos dados foi empregada a t?cnica An?lise de Conte?do, proposta por Bardin (2010). Na ?rea de estudo, as experi?ncias mostraram exercer grande influ?ncia e import?ncia para o sertanejo seridoense que as percebem como uma forma de amenizar suas ang?stias, diante da possibilidade de seca na regi?o. Seu papel fundamental estaria em alimentar a esperan?a desse seridoense por dias melhores do que contribuir na organiza??o das atividades produtivas dos mesmos. As previs?es de chuva realizadas a partir da observa??o das experi?ncias de inverno encontram maior credibilidade entre os entrevistados, do que as previs?es meteorol?gicas cient?ficas divulgadas pelos meios de comunica??o de massa. Os Profetas da Chuva t?m na paisagem seridoense um rico conjunto de elementos da natureza utilizados na elabora??o de suas profecias. Diversos fatores como a transmiss?o cultural, a idade, a rela??o do profeta com a natureza, o n?vel de escolaridade, a f?, entre outros, mais principalmente as atividades produtivas (agropecu?ria) e a seca, estimulam a observa??o das experi?ncias de inverno pelos profetas do Serid? nos dias atuais. O inverno ? sin?nimo de felicidade e abund?ncia para o seridoense, que vive na zona rural e a experi?ncia ? uma das formas que o mesmo encontrou para minimizar a ansiedade e, de acordo com as suas possibilidades, se preparar para um ano de seca ou de inverno

This thesis focuses on intricate and complex phenomenon of guilt. It does it by comparing two different approaches: approach of prophetic literature and social crisis literature. Both approaches are taught on Protestant Theological Faculty in Charles University of Prague but each of them is based on different presupposition. The first is theological, based on ancient thought of Israeli spiritual authorities, the second is modern, based on social work and it cooperates with psychology, sociology, anthropology but also theology and philosophy. Aim of this thesis is to enter the problematics and professional discussion about guilt through these two different approaches on the one hand and to compare and evaluate them on the other hand.

Throughout the late eighteenth century, many Brazilians became inspired by the political revolutions of the French and American colonies and sought for a similar type of revolution, hoping to gain independence from the Portuguese. One nationalistic group, the "Inconfidência Mineira," probably influenced the art of the sculptor Aleijadinho (1738-1814). Aleijadinho's work has been examined as a political message previously, but never as propaganda through the representation of capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art. Capoeira probably formed as a means for Afro-Brazilian slaves to fight their way out of captivity. While training to fight, slaves would disguise capoeira to look like a dance, so that slave owners would not suspect rebellion. Through the visual representation of capoeira, Aleijadinho's statues of twelve Old Testament prophets at the sanctuary Bom Jesus dos Matozinhos express a call for liberation, not only liberation for African slaves, but also for Brazilian colonists under Portuguese rule. This study examines the circumstances that may have contributed to the influence of capoeira in the Prophets. Being a mulatto, Aleijadinho's ancestral connections to the Afro-Brazilian community likely contributed to the sculptor's exposure to capoeira. In addition, the rise and fall of the rebel group, "The Inconfidência Mineira" took place in Aleijadinho's home town at this time. This study examines how Aleijadinho may have been associated with rebel sympathizers and how the execution of the rebel leader, Tiradentes, could have affected Aleijadinho's art. The argument for capoeira also includes a discussion of the martial art's origins and the history of slavery in Minas Gerais, Aleijadinho's home state. The comparative method is used to support the argument for capoeira in the Prophets' composition and gestures. By interpreting these gestures as belonging to capoeira, this argument refutes previous interpretations that the Prophets were influenced by ballet and other forms of dance. This study concludes with an exploration of how the Prophets can be interpreted as political propaganda through the signifiers and signs of capoeira. It is through these signs that the Prophets can be understood as a call for liberation, taking part in the political propaganda which permeated Minas Gerais during Aleijadinho's lifetime.

This thesis attempts to treat four problems: What is the gospel, as defined in Latter-day Saint literature? Do ancient and modern sources agree? Has there been an historical development of the definitions? Can any disagreements be rationalized? The results of this research reveal that the gospel is complex in that it is capable of handling all the problems of eternity, yet it is simple in that it is a plan of specific principles which lead man step by step to perfection. The author determined that ancient and modern sources do agree in placing six "first principles" at the beginning of man's gospel knowledge, but they then add many advanced principles of the gospel to aid man in his climb to eternal life. In the broad sense of the term, the gospel does include all truth, but all truth in a systematic structure. There has been an historical development of the definitions, for they gradually became more explicit in including all truths and principles. The differences in definitions are apparently due to the progressive revelation of principles, and to the authors' efforts to teach the principles needed by their audiences.

As one peers across the vistas of the past two types of holy men stand out with striking prominence and significance. The advance of religious thought and life has largely been due to the activities and contributions of these two, the priest and the prophet. It has been the purpose of this research to seek to discover the particular functions of each of these, to show their correlation in producing religious advance, and to make certain suggestions as to how the values each has to contribute to the program of the modern Christian church may be more adequately realized.

No description available.