Doctoral Degrees (Old and New Testament)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Old and New Testament) by Subject "Audiences"

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    Prophetic rhetoric : a multidimensional interpretation of Amos 9
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2003-04) Rinquest, Linzay; Bosman, Hendrik; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The issue of the identification of the audience/s of the final chapter (chapter 9) in the book of Amos is currently moot. That is, there currently are as many opinions as there are scholars who have in some form or the other made some inference as to the identification of the audience. The same is true for the preceding chapters in the book. The reasons for the divergence in opinions as to the identification of the audience varies from the methods chosen for engaging the text to reasons that are not always easy to identify. Yet the opinions are often freel y shared in the monographs, commentaries, dissertations and scholarly journal articles. This dissertation aims to follow an approach that is more interpretatively accountable and responsible in dealing with the identification of the audience/s of Amos and in particular chapter 9. This goal is best achieved by interacting with the scholars as they have recorded their findings in the various scholarly publications while engaging the text with a suitable method. The method chosen by this study for achieving the intended purpose is the multidimensional approach of Vernon Robbins, termed socio-rhetorical criticism. This approach aids in the study of the text by uncovering the various "textures" of the text. These textures are identified by Robbins as innertexture, intertexture, social and cultural texture, ideological texture and sacred texture. As socio-rhetorical criticism does not overtly take into account the influence of the reader in the production of the meaning of the text and how this influences interpretative results, it would be necessary to investigate how to incorporate the influence of reader-response methodology to make the results more responsible and accountable. The majority of scholarly opinion sees at least three possible audiences identifiable within the book of Amos. These audiences are identified as eighth, seventh and sixth century in setting. Yet the reasons for such identification is often not clear and greatly debated. Differences in opinion have often resulted in religious questions being raised regarding the authority and intention of the text should these various audience identifications be accurate. This study seeks to understand and identify the main influences that determines the conclusions on various audience identification and present an approach that would be more suitable to answer the question more clearly. The particular influence that this study demonstrates is the reinvention of texts by identifying the layers of reinterpretation contained in the text by identifying its implied audience/so It is this identification that allows the text to be applied to current readers as they identify with the process of reinvention and ethically accountable interpretation.