Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation seeks to develop further the theological interpretation of the books of
Samuel, by examining I Samuel I: 1-2:10 in the context of fertility and barrenness as blessing
and curse. This reading was related to the Karanga understanding of fertility and barrenness.
The contribution shows how the Biblical narrative can become a resource for ethical
reflection in African communities such as the Karanga women.
The hypotheses that guided this study, were that:
a-Fertility and barrenness in the Old Testament should be understood in close conjunction
with blessing and cursing as theological concepts in ancient Israel.
b-Fertility and barrenness could also be examined in a relevant and contextual manner by relating it to the culture and understanding of the Karanga people.
In order to achieve this, two major tasks were attempted. One: An exegesis of I Samuel I: 12:
10 in which Vernon Robbins' method of Socio- Rhetorical criticism was used. The method
helped to identify that the text is a narrative, and that the author might have been the
Deuteronomistic historian, who wrote in the period of the decline of the Judean monarchy
and when the Jews were in exile. The narrative is used to tell about the despair of the Jews,
and to inform the Jews that there was hope for restoration if they obeyed God. This ideology
is woven in the story of a barren woman Hannah who suffered the despair of barrenness and
was later blessed with a child because of her prayer and obedience to God. In the narrative
God is described as one who cares for the marginalised, and one who changes the lives of his
people, from curse to blessing. The method also helped to realise tbe culture and context of
Hannah, and made it possible to relate this culture and context to other cultures that are
similar.
Secondly an empirical survey was conducted amongst one hundred Karanga women. The
findings were that Karanga consider fertility as blessing and barrenness as curse.
The curse is experienced in the suffering of the barren women. Barrenness is used to inflict
pain, to marginalise women, and has become a major cause of divorce and death through the
spread of HIV and Aids. A reading of the story of Hannah helped the Karanga women to identify their barren problems with Hannah, and to find a new way of understanding their
own problem in terms of hope.
This study was able to prove its hypothesis both through the exegesis and the discussions of
the research findings. It was found that the narrative form of the text appealed effectively to
the understanding of Karanga women. This was possible because narrative is one of the
methods of communication that is used effectively by the Karanga in their language. Through
using Hannah as a paradigm of curse and blessing in relation to barrenness and fertility,
Karanga women were challenged to view their barren situations in a different way that is
open to accept change from curse to blessing. The study has also contributed to see how an
old text of the time of Hannah could in the present day contextually influence Karanga
women's barren experiences through holding the same culture and also by having similar
experiences barren of women. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie dissertasie poog om die teologiese interpretasie van die boeke van Samuel verder te
ontwikkel by wyse van 'n ondersoek van I Samuel 1:1-2:10 in die konteks van vrugbaarheid
en onvrugbaarheid as 'n seën en as 'n vervloeking. Hierdie ondersoek verwys na die Karangabevolking
se begrip van vrugbaarheid en onvrugbaarheid. Die bydrae toon aan hoe die
Bybelse verhaal 'n bron vir etiese nadenke onder Afrika-gemeenskappe, soos die Karangavroue,
kan word.
Die hipoteses wat hierdie studie gerig het, was dat:
a-Vrugbaarheid en onvrugbaarheid in die Ou Testament behoort begryp te word in 'n noue
verbintenis met seën en vervloeking as teologiese begrippe in antieke Israel.
b-Vrugbaarheid en onvrugbaarheid kan ook ondersoek word in 'n relevante en kontekstuele
wyse deur dit te verbind met die kultuur en begrip van die Karanga-mense.
Om dit te vermag, is twee hooftake onderneem. Die eerste was 'n eksegese van I Samuel 1: 12:
10 waarin Vernon Robbins se metode van sosioretoriese kritiek aangewend is. Hierdie
metode het gehelp om die teks as 'n narratief te identifiseer en dat die skrywer die
Deuteronomiese historikus kon gewees het, wat in die periode van die monargie van Juda
geskryf het en ook tydens die Jode se ballingskap. Die narratief word gebruik om aan te toon
hoe wanhopig die Jode was en om hulle in te lig dat daar hoop op hul herstel was indien hulle
God gehoorsaam. Hierdie ideologie is verweef in die verhaal van die onvrugbare vrou,
Hanna, wat aan die wanhoop van onvrugbaarheid gely het en later met 'n kind geseën is op
grond van haar gebede en gehoorsaamheid aan God. In die narratief word God as die een
beskryf wat na die gemarginaliseerdes omsien en wat die lewens van sy mense vanaf
vervloeking tot seën omvorm. Die metode het ook meegehelp om die kultuur en konteks van
Hanna te begryp en dit moontlik gemaak om hierdie kultuur en konteks te verklaar ingevolge
die van ander soortgelyke kulture.
Tweedens is 'n empiriese studie onder 'n honderd Karanga-vroue onderneem. Die bevindinge
was dat Karanga-vroue vrugbaarheid as 'n seën en onvrugbaarheid as 'n vervloeking beskou.
Die vervloeking word in die lyding van die onvrugbare vroue ervaar. Onvrugbaarheid word
aangewend om pyn en lyding te veroorsaak, om vroue te marginaliseer en het 'n belangrike bron van egskeiding en dood deur die verspreiding van HIV en Vigs geword. Deur die
verhaal van Hanna te lees, het die Karanga-vroue gehelp om hul eie
onvrugbaarheidsprobleme met die van Hanna te identifiseer en om nuwe wyses te vind om
hul eie probleme te verstaan in terme van hoop.
Hierdie studie was in staat om sy hipoteses te bewys sowel by wyse van die eksegese en ook
deur die bespreking van die navorsingsbevindings. Dit is bevind dat die narratiewe vorm van
die teks duidelik tot die begrip van die Karanga-vroue gespreek het. Dit was moontlik
aangesien 'n verhalende trant een van die kommunikasiewyses is wat doeltreffend deur
Karanga-vroue aangewend word in hul taal. Deur Hanna as 'n paradigma van vervloeking en
as seën te gebruik met verwysing tot onvrugbaarheid en vrugbaarheid, is Karanga-vroue
uitgedaag om hul beskouing van hul onvrugbare toestand op verskillende wyses te betrag wat
oop is om 'n verandering te aanvaar vanaf vervloeking tot seën. Die studie het ook daartoe
bygedra om te sien hoe 'n ou teks uit die tyd van Hanna tans kontekstueel die Karanga-vroue
se onvrugbaarheidservarings kan beinvloed waar hulle uit 'n soortgelyke kultuur kom en ook
soortgelyke ervarings as Hanna het as onvrugbare vroue.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/8554 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Moyo, Chiropafadzo |
| Contributors | Bosman, H. 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 | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 219 leaves |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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