In the Canon of Scriptures, the phenomenon of miracles/wonders falls into three great
Epochs. In the Old Testament there are two Epochs where decisive turning-points
marked its course with an intensification of miracles/wonders. First, there are the
wonders in the so-called plague narratives and during the âwildernessâ in the Exodus
tradition. Then, in the ministry of Elijah and Elisha (1 and 2 Kings), came the second
Epoch. Both of them (Elijah and Elisha) did miraculous deeds. The third Epoch heralds
the ministry of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. This study shows that there are
similarities between wonders in the first and the third Epoch, and there are similarities
between wonders in the second and the third Epoch, and even in all three. The
researcher uses a narrative model which is a combination of existing narrative models,
to point out the significance of the similarities between wonders in the three Epochs.
Selected aspects used in the model, such as structures, settings, themes and motifs,
highlight the fact that there must be a coherent Theological relationship between the
three Epochs. Miracles in all three Epochs point to events (forwards and backwards) in
the future and in the past, helping the reader to understand that the same God is at
work, present, future and past. In all three Epochs the miracle stories give hope to
people finding themselves in some kind of oppression. Their hope ultimately lies in
Godâs presence, shown in his miraculous acts through his agents, Moses and Elijah and
his Son, Jesus. The thesis addresses the lack of a detailed examination on the theme
of corresponding miracles in the miracle narratives surrounding the figures of Moses,
Elijah and Jesus. In order to achieve the goal of a comprehensive narratological study,
the model used by the researcher consists of two divisions: A. Preliminary reading and
B. Closer investigation. The preliminary reading helps the researcher to get a grip on
the narrative as a whole, but also to identify certain aesthetical elements such as
structure, settings, themes and motifs, which the authors of the three different Epochs
used to craft their miracle stories. The aesthetical âtoolsâ of structure, settings, themes
and motifs form the backbone of the study. They point right to the fact that there are
similar aspects in miracle stories in the three Epochs. Hence, they show that, in the
field of Biblical studies, a thematic approach opens up new possibilities to discuss the
coherence between Old Testament and New Testament studies: The theme of âwondersâ is one possibility. Hopefully, this dissertation will contribute to a debate
(once more) which J.P. Gabler started way back in 1787 and which has been almost
forgotten.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ufs/oai:etd.uovs.ac.za:etd-08042014-162400 |
| Date | 04 August 2014 |
| Creators | van der Walt, John Stevens |
| Contributors | Prof HC van Zyl, Prof SD Snyman |
| Publisher | University of the Free State |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en-uk |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.uovs.ac.za//theses/available/etd-08042014-162400/restricted/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University Free State or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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