In Chapter 1 different phases of the application of exegetical methods with regard to texts in the New Testament were identified. Each phase provided a different perspective in response to questions about the contextuality of the New Testament. From the overview it became clear that the investigation of the historical background had received some attention, but it had not been as effectively utilized in the hermeneutical process as it could be, and had not been taken seriously enough. In Chapter 2, the place and function of the historical context or background of the New Testament in historical criticism, literary criticism and social scientific methods of exegesis were evaluated. Historical criticism often focuses on the different parts (forms) of the text, but does not consider the text as a whole to the degree required. Literary criticism focuses on the text as a whole. The Gospels are regarded as narrative texts. Narratology foregrounds the spatial aspects or topology of the Gospels. Socio-historical research on the world of the text, contributes to the study of the background of the New Testament. To enhance the progress already made, historical criticism and literary criticism can be supplemented by applying selected social scientific models. The use of such models makes it possible for socio-historical data to be systematized in a holistic interpretive framework. The use of social scientific models can bridge the historical distance between the text and its readers to avoid fallacies based on anachronism and ethnocentrism. A social scientific approach provides a holistic frame of reference for the interpretation of Biblical texts. However the approach may not pay enough attention to the topological or spacial aspects of the Gospel of Matthew. The model of advanced agrarian society and the pre-industrial city have not yet been applied effectively to the Gospel of Matthew. The current study fills this gap. In the study the model in terms of which an advanced agrarian society can be descibed, is used as a broad frame of reference within which the place and function of the Biblical jubilee can be studied. This diachronic overview of the research on the Biblical jubilee (Chapter 3) shows that no such study has as yet been undertaken with regard to the Biblical jubilee. Ancient economy developed from a simplistic agrarian society to an advanced agrarian society. The Roman Empire was the result of a long evolutionary process. Land was the primary economic resource in a self-sufficient society. The aim of the current research was to show that the socio-economic background of the first century forms the context within which the land and jubilee can be understood. The socio-economic background can be interpreted within a holistic perspective of first-century Mediterranean society. The social scientific model of advanced agrarian society includes four factors (family institutions, pre-industrial city, land tenancy and social stratification) that all influenced the land and economy of the first-century Mediterranean world. In Chapter 6, homomorphic models were used to simplify important and representative aspects of complex social structures, behaviour and relations. These models were used for the study of the political, economic and social systems of an empire or government. The current study used the social scientific model of advanced agrarian society as frame of reference for the interpretation of the place and function of the Biblical jubilee in the Gospel of Matthew. / Dissertation (DD(New Testament Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2001. / New Testament Studies / unrestricted

Abstracts in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / This qualitative, single high school case-study conveniently sampled eight natural sciences teachers and, after conducting lesson observations and document analysis, interviewed all participants to obtain their perceptions about the effectiveness of inquirybased teaching in motivating learners to specialise in sciences. The major finding was that most participants were sceptical about inquiry-based teaching. Participants from a behaviourist epistemology did not believe that learner motivation resulted from inquirybased teaching while those from an eclectic epistemology preferred a complementary use of both approaches. The few participants oriented towards inquiry acknowledged the link between learner motivation and inquiry-based teaching but faced the challenge of limited time to prepare all the apparatus and procedures required for inquiry-based teaching. This researcher recommends employing laboratory assistants to assist teachers with setting up apparatus for inquiry-based lessons, trimming some content to reduce overload in the Annual Teaching Plans (ATP), and in-service training on inquirybased teaching to develop learner interest in sciences. / Hierdie kwalitatiewe gevallestudie het agt natuurwetenskap onderwysers betrek en na leswaarnemings en dokumentanalise, is onderhoude met die deelnemers gevoer om hul sienings te bekom oor die bydrae van die ondersoek-gebaseerde konstruktivistiese benadering as ’n strategie om leerders te motiveer om in wetenskap-verwante vakke te spesialiseer. Die belangrikste bevindings was dat die deelnemers logiese positivistiese en eklektiese benaderings verkies; dat hulle skepties is oor ondersoek-gebaseerde onderrig en dat hulle nie leerder motivering aan onderwysbenaderings koppel nie. Daar was egter enkele deelnemers wat wel ondersoekend onderrig het en wat leerder belangstelling in wetenskap aan ondersoek-gebaseerde onderrig gekoppel het. Op grond van die data wat verkry is, beveel hierdie navorser aan dat laboratoriumassistente aangestel moet word om onderwysers by te staan met die opstel van apparaat vir ondersoek-gebaseerde lesse; dat spesifieke modelle van ondersoek in die “CAPS”- dokument ingesluit word; dat inhoud afgeskaal moet word om oorlading in die jaarlikse onderrigplanne (ATP) te verminder, en dat voor- en indiensopleiding aan onderwysers oor ondersoek-gebaseerde onderrig verskaf word as ‘n manier om die belangstelling van die leerders in die wetenskappe te prikkel. / Lesisifundo socwaningo esenziwe esikoleni esisodwa samabanga aphakeme lwakhetha othisha beSayensi Yemvelo (NS) abayisishiyagalombili ukuze kwazakale ukuthi bayibona kanjani indlela yokufundisa iSayensi ngophenyo (inquiry-based teaching) ehlose ukukhuphula intshisekelo yabafundi kwiSayensi. Ngemuva kokubona othisha beSayensi befundisa, lomcwaningi wahlaziya incwadi eziphathelene nokufundiswa kohlelo lwe CAPS, waphinde wenza izingxoxo nabothisha. Okumqoka okutholakale kuloluphenyo kube ukuthi iningi lababambe iqhaza, abakhuthalela ukufundisa ngendlela egxile kuthisha (logical positivism) bangabaza ukuthi abafundi bafunde bephenya njalo abakubonanga ukuxhumana kwenzindlela zokufundisa nokunyuka kwentshiseko yabafundi ezifundweni ze Sayensi. Ababambiqhaza abahlanganisa indlela yokufundisa egxile kuthisha ne ndlela yokufundisa ngophenyo (eclectic) bakholelwa ukuthi indlela yokufundisa egxile kuthisa nendlela yokuthi abafundi bafunde bephenya, kuyomela zisetshenziswe zombili. Kwatholakala ingcosana yabothisha eyenelisa ukufundisa isayensi ngendlela yophenyo eyayisezingeni eliphansi njalo yaqinisekisa ukuthi bukhona ubudlelwano phakathi kwendlela zokufundisa nokunyusa intshiseko yabafundi kwi Sayensi. Ngokolwazi olutholakele, lolucwaningo luncome ukusebenzisa abasizi basemagunjini okusebenzela ososayensi ukusiza ukuhlela amalungiselelo okwenza uphenyo lwezifundo, nokuhlinzekwa kwezindlela eziqondile zokuphenya izincwadi zikaCAPS, kanye nokunciphisa okunye okuqukethwe, kwehliswe umthwalo kuhlelo lokufundisa lonyaka (i-ATP), ukuqeqeshwa kothisha kwi ndlela yokufundisa iSayensi ngokuphenya ukuze kuthuthukiswe intshiseko yabafundi. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Text in Afrikaans with abstracts in Afrikaans, English and Zulu. Translated title in English supplied / Die hoofdoel van die verhandeling is om die fundamentele aanspraak van die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk aan te spreek dat sy belydenisskrifte, met spesifieke verwysing na daardie leerstellings wat met die vraag oor die ontstaan van die mensdom en die oorsprong van sonde handel en wat in 1619 deur die Sinode van Dordrecht aanvaar is, waar is. Hierdie leerstellings word (teologies) as waarhede voorgehou dat dit op die Bybel as die Woord van God gegrond is. Die vertrekpunt van die verhandeling is dat die betrokke leerstellings vanuit ’n toepaslike historiese konteks benader moet word wanneer die vraag van hulle geldigheid aangespreek word. Nog meer, betoog die verhandeling dat dit vandag epistemologies geregverdig is om te glo dat die betrokke leerstellings deur hedendaagse wetenskaplike bevindings en ander tersaaklike bewyse onwaar gemaak is. Die kwessie van waarheid moet daarom (her-)aangespreek word vanuit ’n perspektief wat moderne wetenskaplike bevindings insluit. Die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk het egter in 2010 suggereer dat sy fundamentele leerstellings met daardie (wetenskaplike) bewyse wat dit onwaar maak, kan medebestaan. Die verhandeling demonstreer dat dit nie moontlik is nie. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.A. (Philosophy)