The narratives about the postexilic Judean community are an ancient biblical account of the
socio-economic and political experiences of the Judeans when they were finally restored back to
Judah from Babylonian captivity. Although the Judean restoration was celebrated when they
were restored by King Cyrus’ decree, real freedom did not prevail in the Persian province of
Yehud; corruption, usury, greed, oppression, enslavement and loss of property impacted
negatively on the poor. The leadership expropriated from poor citizens land, vineyards, and
houses in exchange for food. In addition, the governors also charged heavy interest on money
borrowed by poor members of society. Parents and their children were subjected to enslavement.
In response to these corrupt practices, Nehemiah challenged the leadership to stop oppressing the
poor. Nehemiah went further to provide food to the starving Judeans and other people from
surrounding nations which served as a stimulus to strive towards alleviating poverty and starvation among communities.
By employing an approach known as hermeneutics of appropriation, this thesis
appropriates the experience of the postexilic Judean community to the post-independence
Zimbabwean context. Between the years 1999 and 2008 many people lost their lives due to
unemployment and lack of income, shelter, nutrition, and access to health-care facilities because
of the economic meltdown following the controversial fast-track land reform programme in
Zimbabwe. The majority of people are still experiencing the negative impact of the land reform
as people strive to make a living in the absence of jobs and income scarcity. Corruption by the
leadership has continued to further exacerbate starvation among the poor until today.This study attempts to employ the biblical Nehemiah’s social justice reforms (Neh 5) to
challenge the Zimbabwean leadership to focus on rebuilding the country which was ravaged by a
decade of both political and socio-economic crises. Lessons drawn from Nehemiah would be
used to stimulate the leadership in the Zimbabwean government and members of society at large,
to strive towards helping the poor and alleviating poverty. / Old Testament & Ancient Near Eastern Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Biblical Studies)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:umkn-dsp01.int.unisa.ac.za:10500/10549 |
| Date | 06 1900 |
| Creators | Rugwiji, Temba |
| Contributors | Scheffler, Eben |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (xiv, 309 leaves) |
| Rights | University of South Africa |
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