Doctoral Degrees (Old and New Testament)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Old and New Testament) by browse.metadata.advisor "Mouton, Elna"

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    Church and culture? : exploring the reception of women’s ministries in the Reformed Church in Zambia in view of 1 Corinthians 14:26-40
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-03) Phiri, Jackson; Mouton, Elna; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. Old and New Testament.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Reformed Church in Zambia (RCZ) was established in 1899 through the missionary work of the Dutch Reformed Church of the Orange Free State in South Africa. After its establishment, the church maintained its ministries through the leadership of male deacons, elders and ministers/reverends who served in all the (official) ministries of the church. This was mainly because of how the Bible was understood and interpreted (literally). In the process, the socio-cultural context of the Bible was mostly disregarded. One example of such a one-sided history of interpretation in the RCZ is that of 1 Corinthians 14:26-40, according to which women were not allowed to take up leadership roles in the church. However, things changed when the Synod of the RCZ took a decision (during its 1989, 1998 and 2000 synod meetings) to allow women into all the ministries of the church – as deaconesses, elders and reverends. This went along with serious challenges to understanding the Bible in new ways. A major implication was that biblical texts were now to be read from different perspectives, which included taking into account the socio-cultural world behind these texts. This inevitably led to questions regarding the authority of the Bible. This research explores the RCZ general membership‘s reception of the Synod‘s decision, in view of the members‘ understanding of 1 Corinthians 14:26-40. Through a multidimensional analysis of the text, the study argues that the ban on women speaking in church in 14:34 has to be understood primarily within the Greco-Roman socio-cultural and political contexts as well as the value systems of the first-century Mediterranean world. It concludes by saying that Paul was addressing a context-specific issue in the Corinthian faith community which prevailed at the time, and that it was not meant to serve as a general ban on all subsequent generations of women in every time and place. The challenge of interpreting the Bible (specifically with regard to women‘s leadership in the RCZ) is, however, not only about reading the Bible in context, but also about accounting for the contexts within which the Bible has been and is still being received. In the case of the RCZ, the challenge concerns how (patriarchal) indigenous cultural traditions and values have been upheld for a long time, thereby oppressing and marginalising women as baptised members of the church, created equally and affirmed by God. While the RCZ is challenged to appreciate these traditions and values, it is called to bring its entire life, including its culture, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In this way, cultural traditions and values are profoundly challenged to be liberated, healed and transformed by Christ, and should not be allowed to dictate or dominate the ethos of a Christian community. In the end, the study challenges the RCZ to account for, and take responsibility for, their interpretation of this text when appropriating it in today‘s context. In the final analysis, it seems that 1 Corinthians 14:26-40 may be seen as a text of terror unless one applies a multidimensional exegetical reading to it and identifies the aspects that are socio-culturally defined. Once these aspects have been identified, this text can be read as a text that radically calls Christian believers, men and women, to the unity of the body of Christ while recognising that they are equally gifted and empowered to carry out all the ministries of the church – for the purpose of its edification, strengthening and growth as the ekklēsia of God in the world.
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    Embracing vulnerability : a drama analysis of the Johannine prologue and crucifixion scenes
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-11) Van Deventer, Cornelia; Mouton, Elna; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The author of the Fourth Gospel introduces Jesus’ life as a display of glory (δόξα), communally witnessed (θεάομαι) by its audience (1:14). Moreover, the same author testifies of an experience of the divine (which was heard, seen with the eyes, looked upon, and touched with the hands – 1 Jn. 1:1), and which asks for a response from its audience (Jn. 20:30-31). Various scholars have speculated about the possible link between the Fourth Gospel and drama, arguing that its structure, characterisation, dialogue, plotline, and many other elements mimic the ancient Greek drama to strengthen its rhetorical impact on the audience. If such a connection is valid, there ought to be a methodological lens with which one could read the Fourth Gospel to explore and enhance its dramatic elements and their rhetorical impact. While the exegetic field of biblical performance criticism has done much to bring the performative and oral elements of biblical texts into the conversation, an attempt to formulate a methodology for a drama analysis of the text still needs to be made. Moreover, while the Johannine prologue identifies the protagonist as the one who will reveal God through the drama (1:18) and display his glory (1:14b), the narrator also describes his entrance into the earthly realm with the word σάρξ (flesh – 1:14a): a term denoting frailty and vulnerability. This peculiar marrying of σάρξ and δόξα seems to play itself out through the life of Jesus and climaxes at his death on a Roman cross. The Fourth Gospel was probably composed in a milieu where a glorious and divine display would have been marked by honour, power, strength, masculinity, health, resilience, control, and prosperity. Considering this, the use of σάρξ, how it plays into the plot and divine performance of the protagonist, and the effect thereof on a first-time hypothetical audience’s satisfaction and understanding of the drama, could make for a rhetorically powerful analysis. This study, therefore, sets out to read the Fourth Gospel’s prologue (as beginning) and crucifixion (as climax) through a drama lens in order to explore its point of view on vulnerability and the rhetorical effect thereof on a first-time hypothetical audience immersed in the first-century Mediterranean culture of honour, power, and dominance. The appropriation of biblical drama criticism holds the potential to illuminate the audience’s own journey of vulnerability with the performance, and to instil hope in various vulnerable audiences, including the Johannine community and contemporary communities, as it affirms that vulnerability is included in the good and abundant life (Jn. 10:10; 20:30-31) and that the glory of God is revealed in vulnerable vessels.
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    Jesus and suffering in John 9 : a narratological reading from within Karanga faith communities
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2009-12) Chomutiri, E. M.; Mouton, Elna; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The thesis is mainly concerned with Jesus’ perspective on suffering according to John 9. The dramatic events in John 9 were triggered by a question by Jesus’ disciples about the cause of an unnamed blind beggar’s blindness. The disciples wanted to know whether the blindness was caused by the beggar’s sins or by the sins of his parents (τίς ἥμαρτεν; – 9:2). Jesus, however, instead of addressing the cause of the man’s blindness, surprisingly and ironically shifted the focus to its purpose: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him” (ἵνα φανερωθῃ ̂τὰ ἔργα του ̂θεου ̂ἐν αὐτῳ ̂– 9:3). Ultimately, it is not the man’s blindness that is the issue in John 9, but how people understand Jesus as the revelation of God. This radical shift in perspective, and its implications for first and later audiences/readers of John’s Gospel, is the main question to be addressed by the thesis. Because of Jesus’ response to the disciples’ question, the researcher chose John 9 as a key section for understanding Jesus’ perspective on suffering. The purpose of the study is to explore the nature and implications of Jesus’ response to the blind beggar’s condition – particularly in opening up new possibilities of experiencing God’s presence in Jesus the Messiah, the giver of light and life. Chapter 1 of the thesis is the introduction of the investigation covering the research problem, hypothesis, motivation for the study, its proposed contribution, preliminary studies undertaken and the methodology to be followed. The research was done through a narratological reading of John 9. Chapter 2 contributes to the research question by explaining different elements of narrative theory such as implied author, implied audience or readers, narrator, characters, point of view, settings and plot development. Since these are major elements of a narrative theory, the same elements will be used in the following chapters of the thesis. Chapter 3 analyses the narrative of John 9:1-41 according to the categories discussed in chapter 2 of the thesis. The main question to be addressed is Jesus’ response to his disciples’ question regarding the cause of the beggar’s blindness. For Jesus it is not the cause of the man’s physical blindness that is the issue, but the cause of the spiritual blindness of the Jews who do not recognise him as God’s Messiah (cf 9:2, 41). The structure of John 9 takes the form of a drama in seven scenes. The purpose of this chapter of the thesis is to explore who Jesus is – inter alia through the (speech) acts of different characters in the seven scenes, through different settings, and the plot development in John 9. Chapter 4 elaborates on the research question with respect to John 9 by focusing on Jesus and suffering in the post-synagogal movement. The investigation into the relationship between Jesus and suffering in John 9 is extended to John 10-12 where the narration continues of Jesus giving light and new life to people. The anti-language in John’s Gospel reflects a new social group that upheld an alternative reality that ran counter to the social realities of society at large. In the final analysis John had a clear and explicit purpose in mind: “These miraculous signs are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:31). Chapter 5 of the thesis focuses on the Karanga people’s interaction with the implied narratological purpose of John 9. The traditional belief of the Karanga is that any kind of illness, misfortune or death is a consequence of sin committed by a member of the community or family, which seems to be analogous to Jewish beliefs according to the disciples’ question in John 9:2. This belief is challenged fundamentally by Jesus’ practical yet ironical response. Chapter 5 of the thesis discusses the anticipated response to John 9 of present-day Karanga faith communities. It concludes by suggesting new faith responses to the Karanga people’s experience of illness and death, according to Jesus’ perspective on suffering in John 9.
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    Rereading Hebrews for liberating interdependence from within a Zimbabwean Mbire context
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2005-12) Chimeri, Dudzirai; Mouton, Elna; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: As modern society becomes more complex and diverse, a colonial reading paradigm is increasingly becoming less plausible and has reached a point at which it is no longer possible to play tricks with colonized peoples. It belongs to a period and expresses an outlook with which we can no longer identify. A new epoch in the field of reading has opened. What we see in a postcolonial paradigm is a radical shuffling of the cards into a new pattern. This study argues that a postcolonial assumption of a plurality of contexts of salvation is a liberating paradigm that proceeds along a path that includes the acceptance of the independence and separate character of the various religions and the avoidance of superordination-subordination relationships. It acknowledges and seeks to detect religious intolerance and to encourage an approach that celebrates human cultural diversity—a rainbow religion or religious landscape. In this study a colonial reading paradigm of the bible in general and the letter to the Hebrews in particular, is turned on its head and colonial conception of supersessionism – an absolute claim to superiority – rendered largely obsolete. It is no longer a case of business as usual. As the Christian assumption of absolute claims to superiority over non-Christian religions is increasingly becoming less plausible – in fact, obsolete – and no longer make sense to many people, collective and collaborative efforts are an ideal alternative. There is a need to create space for other religions to work in partnership with the Christian religion in our unprecedented communicational, democratic and pluralistic cultural contexts where we rub shoulders with devotees of non-Christian religions. A pluralistic form of religious environment, where there is no one religion with preferential privileges, is an ideal thing in our contexts. We need a different conceptualization of the role of religion, where non-Christian religions are viewed not as demonic, false or inferior, but as worthy colleagues in the religious quest. They are alternative and valid version of religious faith as well. The idea that the ultimate reality, the cosmic power, has dealt with only one segment of humankind, the Christian people, and that ideally there should be one, and only one, universal religion should be rejected. Moreover, for Christian people to be receptive to non-Christian religions does not entail abandoning or betraying the Christian religion. It simply entails appropriating insights previously unavailable to them. The idea that the Euro-American Christian theoretical line carries automatic evaluative judgements should now be regarded as decidedly outdated.
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    Suffering, submission, silence? rereading 1 Peter through a lens of trauma
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12) De Kock-Malan, Annemarie Susan; Mouton, Elna ; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: For many years, First Peter has had the reputation of being an “exegetical stepchild” in New Testament studies. It is typically associated with the terms “suffering”, “submission” and “silence”, as suggested in the main title of the dissertation. The argument of the study is that there is another prevalent dimension regarding 1 Peter, namely the presence of trauma. This dissertation examines the deeper embeddedness of these three associations with the letter by means of multidimensional exegesis as methodology and trauma theory, as developed by Shelly Rambo, as theoretical (hermeneutical) framework. Rambo’s point of departure is that trauma distorts memory and concept of time, it causes a loss for words and communication about trauma and that trauma distorts the relationship of an individual to their physical body, as well as social networks. The methodology and theoretical framework serve as conversation partners in the dissertation in an attempt to answer the main research question: How can 1 Peter be read from a 21st century perspective, to respect its nature and purpose as an ancient canonised text? The methodology and theoretical framework are appropriated in the first place to examine whether 1 Peter can be read as a text that reflects a situation of trauma. This is done by means of studying literary, socio-historical and rhetorical aspects of the text to see if and how trauma shattered the lives of 1st century CE Jesus followers. The core of this leans towards the rhetorical situation that the author sees or anticipates – an exigence that probably motivated him to write this letter. Secondly, with the help of multidimensional exegesis and trauma theory, this study examines alternative perspectives or coping strategies that the author probably suggests to the audience for them to cope with their trauma and to live life beyond it. Here, the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, God’s story with Israel as found in the Hebrew Scriptures and the emphasis on identity and ethos (especially in terms of temple metaphors, family and household language), stand central. This leads to possible coping strategies for present-day South African believers to cope with their trauma (with the focus on community), namely the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. This study does not suggest that 1 Peter gives easy answers to the realities of trauma. Journeying with trauma is complex in nature and the possibility to be traumatised over and over again is a reality. However, the study wishes to communicate that there is more to 1 Peter than has typically been assigned to the letter and that the author seems to focus on encouraging the audience (1st century CE and present-day) to perceive their trauma differently, and even offers the possibility of life after trauma.