Browsing by Author "Gusha, Tapiwa Huggins"

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    The implications of honour and shame in Matthew 5:38-42 and in Unhu philosophy as a response to the political violence in Zimbabwe
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-11) Gusha, Tapiwa Huggins; Nel, Marius Johannes; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research sought to understand how honour and shame are defined in both Matt. 5:38-42 and Unhu Philosophy, and how they can be analysed alongside each other as a possible way of curbing political violence in Zimbabwe. To explore the possibility of how the Matthean Jesus’ context illuminate the Zimbabwean context the researcher used Social Scientific Exegesis to answer three critical questions; how are the values of honour and shame defined in Matthew 5:38-42?, what is Unhu philosophy and how do the concepts of honour and shame feature within it?, what are the differences and similarities between understandings of honour and shame in Jesus’ ethics as reflected in Matt. 5:38-42 and the way honour and shame feature in Unhu Philosophy? This research contains six chapters. Chapter one is the introduction providing the aim and focus of the study, research questions, the importance of the study and the methodology. Chapter two focused on honour and shame in Matthew as well as the understanding of honour and shame in the Jewish and Greco-Roman world behind the text. Chapter three gives an overview of the Sermon on the Mount and undertakes the Social-Scientific exegesis of Matt. 5:38-42. Chapter four provided a general overview of the African context and investigated how the Bible should be interpreted from a Postcolonial perspective. Chapter five focused on honour and shame in Unhu Philosophy and chapter six concluded the research by indicating similarities and divergences between the Matthean Jesus’ context and the Unhu Philosophy oriented Zimbabwean context. The research identified some similarities in the role played by the values of honour and shame in the Matthean Jesus’ community and the Zimbabwean community in as far as violence was/is concerned. This research established that the Matthean Jesus’ approach to violence as captured in Matt. 5:38-42 was different from his contemporaries. While the Matthean Jesus participated in the game of honour and shame he also changed the game’s rules. This research concluded that if the custodians of Jesus’ ethics i.e., the Church adopt the Matthean Jesus’ approach she might contribute effectively to the stopping the vicious circle of political violence in Zimbabwe and contribute positively to the dialogue of national healing and reconciliation.