Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2002 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: During the history of Israel the concept of "purity"
had developed as a way in which God's people could honour
his holiness and draw nearer to him, as a sanctified
nation. By the time of Jesus, in Second Temple Judaism,
the purity system had become restrictive. This had been
influenced by political and social developments, including
an increased desire to withdraw from Hellenistic and other
factors which were seen as contaminating the integrity of
Judaism.
There were diverse perceptions regarding the
achievement of the purity of Israel, including
militaristic confrontation and expulsion of alien
occupation forces, stricter adherence to the Law and, in
some cases, total withdrawal from general society (such as
at Qumran). It was, however, particularly the Pharisaic
imposition of the supplementary oral tradition, supposed
to clarify the written Law, which imposed hardship on
those who, through illiteracy or inferior social status,
were unable to meet all the minute provisions which would
ensure ritual purity. The expansion of the Law of Moses
by the commentary of the rabbis, which over time became
the entrenched oral "tradition of the fathers", was
originally intended to promote access to God by clarifying
obscure points of the Law, in the pursuit of purity.
However, this oral tradition had, in fact, become an
instrument of alienation and separation of the ordinary people not only from the Pharisees, who considered
themselves as the religious elite, but also from God.
The common people, that is, a large section of the
population, felt rejected and on the outside of both
religious and social acceptance. On the material level
they also suffered under a heavy tax burden, from both
Temple and State, which aggravated their poverty.
It was this situation which Jesus confronted in his
mission to change the ideological climate and to reveal
the Kingdom of God as being accessible to all who accepted
the true Fatherhood of God, in penitence and humility.
He denounced the hypocrisy which professed piety but which
ignored the plight of those who were suffering.
Hark 7 : 1-23 symbolizes the difference between the
teaching and practice of Jesus and that of the Pharisees,
and provides metaphorically a pattern of Christian
engagement which is relevant in the South African
situation today.
The Christian challenge is to remove those barriers,
both ideological and economic, which impede spiritual and
material well-being within society. By active engagement,
rather than by retreating to the purely ritualistic and
individualistic practice of religion, the realization of
the Kingdom of Heaven, as inaugurated by Jesus, will be
advanced. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Gedurende die geskiedenis van Israel het die konsep van reinheid ontwikkel as 'n
wyse waarin die die volk van God Sy heiligheid kan eer en tot Hom kan nader, as 'n
geheiligde volk. Teen die tyd van Jesus, tydens Tweede Tempel Judaïsme, het die
reinheid sisteem beperkend geword. Dit is beïnvloed deur politieke en sosiale
ontwikkelinge, insluitende 'n toenemende drang om te onttrek van Hellenistiese en
ander faktore, wat beskou is as 'n besoedeling van die integriteit van Judaïsme.
Daar was diverse persepsies aangaande die uitvoering van die reinheid van Israel,
insluitende militaristiese konfrontasie en die uitwerping van vreemde
besettingsmagte, strenger onderhouding van die Wet en in sekere gevalle, totale
onttreking van die algemene samelewing (soos by Qumran). Tog was dit in besonder
die Fariseërs se oplegging van bykomende mondelinge tradisie, veronderstelom die
geskrewe Wet te verhelder, wat ontbering veroorsaak het vir die wat as gevolg van
ongeletterdheid of minderwaardige sosiale status nie in staat was om aan elke haarfyn
bepaling, wat rituele reinheid sou verseker, te voldoen nie. Die uitbreiding van die wet
van Moses deur die kommentaar van die rabbies, wat met verloop van tyd die
ingegrawe mondelinge "tradisie van die vaders" geword het, was oorsproklik bedoel
om toegang tot God te verseker, deur die verheldering van onduidelike aspekte van
die wet, in die nastreef van reinheid.
Hierdie mondelinge tradisie het egter 'n instrument van vervreemding geword en
skeiding gebring tussen gewone mense en die Fariseers, sowel as die wat hulleself
beskou het as die religieuse elite. Dit het egter ook skeiding gebring tussen mense en
God.
Die gewone mense, dit is die meerderheid van die bevolking, het verwerp gevoel en
aan die buitekring van beide religieuse en sosiale aanvaarding. Op materiële vlak het
hulle ook gelyonder die juk van swaar belasting, van beide die Tempel en die Staat,
wat hulle toestand van armoede vererger het.
Dit was hierdie situasie wat Jesus gekonfronteer het in sy strewe om die ideologiese
klimaat te verander en om die Koninkryk van God te openbaar as toeganklik vir almal wat die ware Vaderskap van God aanvaar, in berou en in nederigheid. Hy het die
skynheiligheid verwerp wat aanspraak maak op vroomheid, maar die toestand van die
lydendes ignoreer.
Markus 7:1-23 simboliseer die verskil tussen die onderrig en die praktyk van Jesus en
dié van die Fariseërs en voorsien metafories 'n patroon van Christelike verbintenis,
wat relevant is binne die eietydse Suid-Afrikaanse konteks.
Die uitdaging aan die Christendom is om die skeidslyne te verwyder, beide ideologies
en ekonomies, wat geestelike en materieële welsyn binne die gemeenskap belemmer.
Deur aktiewe betrokkenheid, eerder as om bloot te onttrek tot die suiwer ritualistiese
en individualistiese beoefening van religie, sal die realisering van die Koninkryk van
die Hemel soos ingehuldig deur Jesus, bevorder word.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/53024 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Depoix, D. J. |
| Contributors | Mouton, Elna, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old & New Testament. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 72 pages |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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