Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: My provisional identification of chiasm in Mark 7:24-31 initiated this multidisciplinary
study of the literary shape of this interesting text.
New Testament scholars tend to agree that the genre (form, content and function) of
the Gospel of Mark exhibits the literary characteristics typical of ancient, first century
AD, Greco-Roman biography thereby evidencing, in a broad sense, Greco-Roman
form and function, and Jewish content. As a result, the New Testament Gospels have
been described as a "tertium quid'. However, until fairly recently, few scholars
appear to have taken the possibility of finding Jewish rhetorical form, in the shape of
chiasm, into account in their examination of New Testament texts and have almost
exclusively tended to focus on classical Greek rhetorical forms.
As a result, this study opens itself to the possibility of finding both Jewish and Greco-
Roman literary forms in the text, thereby attempting to obtain a greater presence of
understanding of what the implied author was doing with the text. This study
therefore endeavours to understand, not only what the implied author intended to
communicate through the literary form of the text to the implied reader but also, at the
level of discourse, the "how" of that communication within the literary context of the
Gospel as a whole.
In the light of the aforegoing, the research questions appear as follows.
(1) What, on a balance of probability, is the literary form or structure of Mark 7:24- 3 1
within its literary context? If the form of the text is found, on a balance of probability,
to exhibit the characteristics of chiasm: (2) What implied effect would this have on an
implied reader when understood and interpreted within the context of Greco-Roman
biography? And, (3) what effect would the answers to (1) and (2) above have on a
modern (present) reader of the Gospel of Mark?
After a brief overview of the socio-historical and cultural setting to the Gospel of
Mark that serves as essential background material necessary for an understanding of
the text, this study proceeds to consider the ancient roots of chiasm with regard to the
literature of the Ancient Near East and briefly traces its prevalence from the ancient
past through to the period of the New Testament. Because chiasm is a particular form
of parallelism, the importance of understanding Biblical parallelisms in the Hebrew
literature in general and its significance with regard to the New Testament and Mark's
Gospel in particular is considered. A discussion of various definitions of chiasm
follows. After considering the Gospel of Mark and the literary context of the subject
text, its literary form is examined in the light of known ancient literary conventions,
including Biblical narrative and the various forms evidenced in the exchange of
dialogue are considered and the text examined for further correspondences. Thereafter
the text is reviewed within its literary context and, what follows, is an explanation of
how the form of the text may function within its literary location. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: My voorlopige identifiesering van chiasme in Markus 7:24-31 inisieer 'n multidimensionele
studie van die literêre vorm van dié interessante teks.
Nuwe-Testamentici neig om saam te stem dat die genre (vorm, inhoud en funksie) van
die evangelie volgens Markus die literêre kenmerke toon, tipies van antieke, eerste
eeuse (AD) Grieks-Romeinse biografie en stel so, in 'n breë sin, Grieks-Romeinse
vorm en funksie sowel as Joodse inhoud ten toon. As 'n resultaat is die Nuwe
Testamentiese Evangelies beskryf as 'n "tertium quid." Tog, tot redelik onlangs het
weinig Nuwe-Testamentici die moontlikheid in ag geneem om Joodse retoriese vorm,
in die vorm van giasme, te vind in hulle ondersoek van Nuwe Testamentiese tekste en
het geneig om bykans uitsluitlik te fokus op klassieke Griekse retoriese vorme.
As 'n gevolg open hierdie studie ditself tot die moontlikheid om Joodse, sowel as
Grieks-Romeinse literêre vorme binne die teks te vind en sodoende 'n groter begrip
mee te bring van wat die geïmpliseerde outeur met die teks gemaak het. Die studie
onderneem dus om nie net aan te dui wat die geïmpliseerde outeur beoog het om te
kommunikeer d.m.v. die literêre vorm van die teks aan die geïmpliseerde gehoor nie,
maar ook op die vlak van diskoers, die "hoe" van die kommunikasie binne die literêre
konteks van die evangelie as geheel.
In die lig van die voorafgaande kan die ondersoekvrae as volg geformuleer word.
(1) Wat is die literêre vorm of struktuur van Markus 7:24-31 binne die bepaalde
literêre konteks? lndien die vorm van die teks die kenmerke van chiasme vertoon: (2)
Watter geïmpliseerde effek sal dit hê op 'n geïmpliseerde gehoor indien die teks
verstaan en geïnterpreteer word binne die konteks van Grieks-Romeinse biografie? En
(3) watter effek sal die antwoorde tot vrae (1) en (2) hê op die moderne (eietydse)
leser van die Evangelie volgens Markus?
Na 'n kort oorsig oor die sosio-historiese en kulturele plasing van die Evangelie
volgens Markus wat dien as noodsaaklike agtergrond materiaal, noodsaaklik vir 'n
verstaan van die teks, gaan die studie voort om die antieke wortels van chiasme te
oorweeg, met inagneming die literatuur van die ou Nabye Ooste en gaan kortliks die
belang hiervan na, vanaf die antieke tye tot en met die Nuwe Testamentiese tydperk.
Aangesien chiasme 'n spesifieke vorm van parallelisme is, word die belang van die
verstaan van Bybelse parallelisme binne die Hebreeuse literatuur in die algemeen en
die belang daarvan rakende die Nuwe Testament en die Evangelie volgens Markus in
besonder, oorweeg. 'n Bespreking van verskeie definisies van chiasme volg. Na 'n
bespreking van die Evangelie volgens Markus, sowel as die literêre konteks van die
bepaalde perikoop, word die literêre vorm ondersoek in die lig van bekende antieke
literêre konvensies, insluitende Bybelse narratief en verskeie vorme wat,
waarneembaar binne die uitruil van dialoog ondesoek, en word die teks ondersoek vir
verdere ooreenstemminge. Om hiedie rede word die teks oorweeg binne die literêre
konteks en wat daarop volg is 'n verduideliking van hoe die vorm van die teks kan
funksioneer binne die literêre plasing daarvan.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52731 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Rothon, Philip Maxwell |
| Contributors | Mouton, Elna, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 103 leaves : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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