Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study has focused on interpreting the Passover in the Exodus tradition as a narrative of
origin and migration among the Tiv of Nigeria. The main aim of the study is to go beyond a
theology of liberation from slavery and colonialism which has been the crux of the interpretation
of Exodus to a theology of identity that commemorates the beginning of the migration from
Egypt through the ritual festival of the Passover. The study has argued that one’s identity could
be used as an indigenous interpretive resource to interpret the Passover in the Exodus tradition
among the Tiv of Nigeria who are mostly from an oral context. By employing a literary and socio-rhetorical approach (cf. Robbins 1996a:1), the research has
analyzed the inner-texture, inter-texture, socio-cultural and ideological/theological intertexture of
the Passover text of Exodus 12:1-28. It is argued that the Passover tradition had to survive the
onslaught of royal and priestly ideology evident in its changing character from being a family
oriented feast (Ex. 12:1-28) to a centralized feast held in the temple in Jerusalem. Despite the
onslaught, the Passover prevailed as a family feast in the end and theology triumphed over
ideology – in a manner of speaking. The different stages of development and celebration of the
Passover in biblical times from family/non-priestly to priestly and centralized feast in the temple
is also regarded as a clue to its survival of the onslaught of royal and priestly ideology.
The socio-rhetorical approach is deemed appropriate for the interpretation of the Passover in the
Exodus tradition to an orality-based audience such as the Tiv of Nigeria especially in terms of
the oral-scribal intertexture. The approach is relevant to the oral community because it integrates
the text with history and the readers to enable readers of any given text to interact with it using
their context full of different life experiences to come up with new and informed interpretations
that are meaningful and appropriate to them.
Thus, the study has argued that oral discourse should work hand-in-hand with the written as far
as the interpretation of the Exodus and Passover (Ex. 12:1-28) among oral cultures such as the
Tiv are concerned. Readers and interpreters of the Passover tradition are enjoined to keep their
eyes open to detect oral elements in the literary text and carry out interpretations of portions of
the written text that cannot be explained through literary devices by taking into account orality. The study has also registered the need to pay more attention to a theological approach that
appreciates readers from an oral culture and their interpretation of and interaction with the
written text when placed side by side with the reader’s oral text that is full of stories of origin
and migration, identity, life experiences.
Furthermore, the multidimensional approach by Robbins (1996a & 1996b) has been employed to
analyze the texture of Exodus 12:1-28 and its parallel texts in the Pentateuch, Prophets (Former
and Latter) and the Writings. Eleven pericopes on the Passover were identified that stretch from
the Pentateuch to the Latter Prophets and they cut across the three biblical legal codes namely the
Covenant Code (Ex. 23:14-19), the Holiness Code (Lev. 23:5-8) and the Deuteronomic Code
(Deut. 16:1-8). The pericopes also span non-priestly texts (Ex. 12:1-28) and priestly texts (Ex.
34:18-26; Num. 9:1-14; 28:16-25). In another sense, the Passover texts could be said to cover the
Deuteronomistic text (Jos. 5:10-12; 2 Kg. 23:21-23), Chronist text (2 Chron. 35:1-18) and the Latter Prophets (Ezek. 45:21-24).
By analyzing the Passover text of Exodus 12:1-28 against the backdrop of parallel texts in the
Old Testament, the study has also identified eight variables in the texts on the Passover namely
different terminologies, place, date, sacrifice, preparation, officials and different links between
the Passover and unleavened bread as well as different links between the Passover and the
Exodus tradition. The eight variables demonstrate that the Passover has a dynamic and ongoing
character; as such, it should be interpreted as a ritual festival that commemorates the beginning
of the migration of a chosen people out of slavery in Egypt. However, it should also be seen as a
festival commemorating the identity of celebrants with different ideologies, cultures, religious
ideas, and life circumstances over time and in different contexts. The different modes of celebrating or interpreting the Passover in different periods and contexts
to different audiences with different needs have shown that the narratives of origin and migration
of the Tiv could be used as an indigenous interpretive resource for the interpretation of the
Passover in the Exodus tradition among people from an oral culture. In addition, the Passover
should be interpreted as an ongoing ritual commemoration of the beginning of the migration from Egypt to mark the identity of celebrants in different contexts and cultures. In this way, as
the Tiv people celebrate their New Yam festival at the family level or the annual Tiv Day at a
centralized place to commemorate their origin as a people that migrated from Congo via Swem
in the Cameroon plains to their present home in Benue-Nigeria, fresh memories would be evoked
of the Passover festival commemorating the liberation from Egypt to create hope of future
survival in present celebrants. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie proefskrif fokus op die interpretasie van die Paasfees binne die Eksodustradisie as ‘n
verhaal aangaande oorsprong en migrasie onder die Tiv van Nigerië. Die hoofdoel van die studie
is om verder te gaan as die gebruiklike kontekstualisering van Eksodus as bevrydingsteologie
van slawerny en kolonialisme en om ‘n teologiese interpretasie te ontwikkel wat identiteit in ag
neem met die herdenking van die begin van die migrasie vanuit Egipte tydens die rituele viering
van die Paasfees. In die proefskrif word geargumenteer dat identiteit gebruik kan word as ‘n
inheemse bron vir die interpretasie van die Paasfees onder die Tiv wat ‘n sterk mondelinge
kultuur het.
Daar is gebruik gemaak van Vernon Robbins (1996a) se sosio-retoriese metodologie en
sodoende is aandag verleen aan die “inner” en “inter-texture”, sowel as die sosio-kulturele en
ideologies-teologiese intertekste van die Paasfees in Eksodus 12: 1-28. Dit word aangetoon hoe
die Paasfeestradisie die ideologiese aanslae van koninklike en priesterlike ideologieë moes
weerstaan toe koning Josia dit van ‘n familiefees verander het na ‘n gesentraliseerde fees by die
tempel in Jerusalem. Ten spyte van hierdie aanslag het die Paasfees tog as familiefees oorleef en
kan dit as ‘n voorbeeld gebruik word van hoe teologie ideologie te bowe kan kom. In die Ou
Testament kan verskillende fases van ontwikkeling en viering van die Paasfees vanaf ‘n
familiefees na ‘n priesterlik gedomineerde sentrale fees by die tempel in Jerusalem onderskei
word en dit verleen ‘n aanduiding van hoe die priestelike en koninklike ideologiese aanslag
oorwin is.
Binne die sosio-retoriese benadering is die sogenaamde “oral-scribal intertexture” van
besondere toepassing vir die interpretasie van die Paasfees in die Eksodustradisie binne ‘n
mondelinge kultuur soos die van die Tiv in Nigerië. Die eksegetiese benadering is juis van
toepassing binne ‘n mondelinge kultuur omdat die teks teen die agtergrond van mondelinge
oorlewering verstaan word en die Tiv-lesers in staat stel om dit binne hulle eie konteks met hulle
eie lewenservaring in verband te bring. Robbins (1996a & 1996b) se multidimensionele benadering is benut om die teks van Eksodus
12: 1 – 28 te analiseer, sowel as die parallele tekste in die Pentateug, Profete (Vroeëre en Latere)
en die Geskrifte. Sodoende is elf intertekste geïdentifiseer wat met die Paasfees verband hou:
voorbeelde is gevind in al drie belangrikste regsversamelings in die Ou Testament, naamlik die
Verbondsboek (Eks 23:14-19), die Heiligheidswette (Lev 23:5-8) en die Deuteronomiese kodeks
(Deut 16: 1-8). Daarmee saam is beide nie-priesterlike tekste (Eks 12: 1-28) sowel as priesterlike
tektste (Eks 34:18-26; Num 9:1-14; 28:16-25) in ag geneem, asook Deuteronomistiese gedeeltes
(Jos 5:10-12; 2 Kon 23: 21-23), ‘n Kronistiese teks (2 Kron 35: 1-18) en die latere profete (Eseg
45:21 24).
Die ondersoek na die bestaande navorsing oor die Paasfees het agt veranderlikes geïdentifiseer
wat ook binne die eie teksinterpretasie benut is: uiteenlopende terminologie, plek, datum,
offerhande, voorbereiding, amptenare, verskillende bande tussen die Paasfees en die Fees van die
Ongesuurde Brode en verskillende verbande tussen die Paasfees en die Eksodustradisie. Hierdie
agt veranderlikes demonstreer hoe die Paasfees dinamies voortbestaan het en ook hoe dit verstaan kan word as ‘n feesritueel wat die aanvang van die migrasie uit die Egiptiese slawerny
herdenk.
Die navorsing het aangetoon hoe die verskillende maniere van paasviering verband hou met
verskillende intepretasies van die Paasfees binne opeenvolgende periodes, kontekste, gehore en
behoeftes. Daarom word die gevolgtrekking gemaak dat die verhale van oorsprong en migrasie
van die Tiv benut kan word as ‘n inheemse bron vir die intepretasie van die Paasfees in die
Eksodustradisie. Die proefskrif bevind ook dat dit belangrik is om daarop te let dat die klem val
op die voortgaande rituele herdenking van die begin van die verhaal oor migrasie uit Egipte wat
van besondere belang vir die identiteit van die feesgangers is – te midde van verskillende
kontekste, kulture en ideologieë. Op ‘n soortgelyke manier vier die Tiv hulle “New Yam
Festival” as ‘n familiefees en hulle nasionale Tiv Dag by ‘n gesentraliseerde plek as herdenking
van hulle oorsprong as ‘n groep wat migreer het vanaf die Kongo via die Swemberg in die Kameroen na hulle huidige blyplek in Benue, Nigerië. Hiermee word die Paasfees ruimer as
bevrydingsteologie herinterpreteer en skep dit nuwe hoop op die toekoms vir die deelnemers aan
die feesviering.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/71739 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Weor, Jonathan Tyosar |
| Contributors | Bosman, Hendrik L., 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 | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xxv, 505 leaves : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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