Masters Degrees (Old and New Testament)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Old and New Testament) by browse.metadata.advisor "Nagel, Peter"

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    An intertextual perspective on the semantics of hypotassō in the deutero-Pauline and Catholic letters
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-03-01) Brown, Joel Stephen; Nagel, Peter; Stellebosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Koiné Greek verb hypotassō (ὑποτάσσω) is a rare term in ancient literature. Traditionally the term is rendered as “submit” or “subject” and features prominently in the “household codes” and parenetic of the deutero-Pauline and Catholic epistles. These so-called “submission” texts are used to justify and legitimize abusive behaviour—and even though literary and inscriptional evidence suggest this rendering is inaccurate, there seems to be resistance to responsibly adopting new terminology. This study asks two pertinent questions: (a) what did hypotassō signify for a first-century recipient of these epistles, and (b) is “submission” or “subject” the most faithful translations of the term. This study is a search for both designative (denotation) and associative (connotation) meaning, and includes a close, literary analysis of each usage of hypotassō found within the deutero-Pauline and Catholic epistles. This is followed by a comparative, semantic analysis of documents that attest to intertextual connections based on a shared conceptual thought-world. In the deutero-Pauline epistles, hypotassō is closely associated with “unity”, “brotherly love” and “partnership”. In the Catholic epistles the term is associated with “honour”, “humility”, and the “sovereignty of God”. Plutarch uses hypotassō to describe mutuality and cooperation in marriage, and Xenophon of cooperation in leadership. Wisdom literature reveals the term’s associations with shepherds, humility, and divinely authorized rule. In the Aesop Romance (Vita G), the term is used of kings creating hegemony, and how their subjects subvert it. In the end, the modern denotations and connotations of “submission” are shown to lack the complexity, nuance, and implicative flexibility of hypotassō—while “submission” is acquiescence to authority, hypotassō creates identity in navigating it. As a term of household and nation, hypotassō needs to be understood through the interpretative lens of the collectivistic, honour-shame cultures of the 1st century. In the nexus of community, honour, and the sovereignty of the divine, hypotassō finds its truest expressions in mutual obligation, not subjugation; respect, not compliance; and unity, contra chaos. Ultimately, hypotassō was not used to “put people in their place”, but to “create identity and connection” in a cultural quagmire. It is my hope that this research helps scholars reimagine and reinterpret the “submission” texts, so these texts can be translated with more fidelity and taught with more humility.
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    The tragic mask of death : a comparative study of murder in classical tragedies and the New Testament
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-11-24) Potgieter, Nanine; Nagel, Peter; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study into the murders of the New Testament has not taken into consideration the ancient methods of civic punishment. This study aims to reach a better understanding of the methods and motives behind these murders in both the New Testament and the ancient Greek and Latin tragedies. The murders in question are the beheading of John the Baptist, the crucifixion of Jesus, the stoning of Stephen, the killing of Agamemnon, and the poisoning of Creon’s daughter. The murders in the ancient tragedies were intended to be for entertainment, whereas the murders in the New Testament were seen as religious punishments. It was thought that there must be a deeper understanding of the murders and that there must be a driving force behind them. Therefore, each murder was separately analysed to distinguish the motive and ulterior motive behind each murder. It was discovered that there were various motives behind every murder, but the ulterior motive was superior to the motives. This means that each murder in both the New Testament and the classical tragedies was committed due to petty reasons and therefore, can be seen as petty murders.