JJP Valeton jr as godsdienshistorikus

JJP Valeton Jnr was one of the main founders of the theological current in nineteenth century Holland called 'the ethical theology'. Some of the most prominent members of this current were, like Valeton, Old Testament specialists. One of the main characteristics of the ethicals was their distinction between scientific knowledge and the knowledge of faith. This enabled them to adopt a critical approach to the Bible while at the same time remaining active in the service of the church. In this article it is shown how Valeton applied this principle in his work on the history of Israelite religion. An attempt is made to demonstrate how his insight was more penetrating than that of even the great Abraham Kuenen

The prophets and Sodom: The prophetic use of the Sodom and Gomorrah theme

The use made of the Sodom and Gomorrah theme by the pre-exilic prophets is investigated first in the book of Osiah, where most of the ‘Sodom passages’ occur, after which other eighth-century prophets as well (as later pre-exilic prophets) are in corporated into the investigation. Finally, the complex of prophetic motifs is related to the Sodom story in Genesis 18-19. It is argued that the narrative is a unit, dating from the seventh century BCE, about a crisis in social values and about punishment which does not jeopardise God ’s righteousness towards individuals. Far from being at variance with the prophetic perspective, its tru st is thoroughly compatible with the way in which th e prophets used the Sodom theme during the eighth and in subsequent centuries

Boekbespreking

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Die kerk in ekumeniese perspektief

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Ortodokse fundamentalisme en die gebruik van die Ou Testament in Suid Afrika

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Ou-Testamentiese perspektiewe ten dienste van die besinning oor die vrou in die kerklike amp

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Die hantering van motiewe in die ou testament

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Gedagtes oor gekontroleerde eksegese

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Ou-Testamentiese perspektiewe oor politieke en sosio-ekonomiese mag

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The pleasing and the awesome : on the beauty of humans in the Old Testament

Profiting from the OT research programme held at the University of South Africa during August 2010, this paper further investigates different aspects of the concept of beauty in the Old Testament (OT). The use of the concept of human beauty and the beauty of human achievement is investigated in a broad variety of text types. Representative texts are examined where the concept occurs as a literary motif. It is found that human beauty, both erotic and non-erotic, as well as the metaphorical use of the concept are intertwined with descriptions of awe not only in the terminology, but also in the actual use to which it is put in texts from practically all genres. It is concluded that a coherent aesthetic is found in OT texts from different periods, which remains stable despite diverging historical and theological contexts. The contours emerging from the texts seem to square with the Kantian concept of the beautiful and Goethe’s view of the awesome.http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_oldtest.htmlnf201