Metaphorical and literal readings of aphorisms in the Book of Proverbs

Starting with a recently proposed thesis that the key to recognizing the coherence of Proverbs’ discourse of wealth and poverty should be seen in an appreciation of the text’s figurative interpretive possibilities, it is here argued that criticism of an “overly literal” interpretation of the Book of Proverbs is not well served by an “overly figurative” reading. A detailed analysis of the book’s proemium is offered to substantiate the argument that even as hermeneutical key to the anthology as a whole, it does not warrant a tendency to the figurative reading of aphorisms. It is further contended by means of illustrations from aphorisms within the poems and independent sayings that difficulties arise when such a reading is attempted on any appreciable scale. As a corollary, illustrations of the many instances where literal readings are necessary, so that such an overriding hermeneutical perspective cannot be convincing. Interpreting a metaphor is one thing, reading metaphorically is another, notably a creative act independent of whether its “correctness” can be demonstrated by arguments from the redactional frame or the possible relationship of the collected aphorisms to folk sayings

Calvin and Canticles

Peer reviewedOn the one hand, the often held thesis is challenged that Calvin, contrary to his rejection of allegorical exegesis, himself supported an allegorical understanding of the Song of Songs. On the other hand, a proposal is put forward as to how his clear elimination of the “natural” or erotic sense and his distinctive use of the “spiritual” sense can be understood. Reference is made to the two rival traditions in Christian exegesis, and parallels to the concept of intertextuality in present-day literary studies are revealed. It is proposed to interpret Calvin's position as participation in a network of intended intertextuality that fits into the context of the historical orientation of the Antiochene tradition. In this way a spiritual meaning becomes compatible with the intention of the historical author, which however is no less negative towards human sexuality than towards allegorical expositions of the Song of Songs.Research Institute for Theology and Religio

Making things from the heart : on works of beauty in the Old Testament

Following on a study of the perception of human beauty in the Old Testament, this article proposes to extend the topic by enquiring into the perception of what is beautiful in that which humans do. Apart from pictorial art, five spheres of human achievement perceived to be beautiful are considered, namely crafts, music, words, wisdom and food. Within these, the work of artisans, accomplishments of the mining industry, so-called sacred and profane forms of music, the self-conscious creation of poetic beauty, aesthetic judgements on wisdom and culinary enjoyment are surveyed. It is concluded that the main characteristics of the beauty concept related to things tally with those related to humans. The results warrant a further extension of the investigation to include at least the beauty of God and the relevance of the concept in the cult.http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_oldtest.htmlam201

The beautiful infant and Israel’s salvation

The motif from the Exodus story of Moses as a beautiful infant is considered on several levels. Firstly, the immediate context of Exodus 2 in the Hebrew Bible and in the Septuagint is investigated. Exodus 2 is then related to the reception of the tradition in the New Testament and Jewish sources as well as in a patristic reading and one from the Reformation. The article concludes that the motif of Moses’ beauty is part of a relatively infrequent but nevertheless well-established constellation. It is submitted that this finding contributes to a reappraisal of the idea that the motif of beauty has no place in Israel’s texts of deliverance and an investigation of the contrary hypothesis is called for.http://www.hts.org.z

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

Confusing redaction and corruption : a house going to hell

There are two dimensions to the argument offered in this article, both of them pertaining to methodological issues. The first is that of distinguishing textual criticism from redactional criticism, especially with recourse to the critical apparatus of the Stuttgart Hebrew Bibles. Secondly, the danger of over-emphasising the sound distinction between so-called ‘literary’ and ‘historical’ exegetical modes into an unsound separation between them. Proposals for the emendation of the text in Proverbs 2:18 are used as an example of both issues at once. It is advanced that a historical enquiry into the origin of the text can shed light on an analysis of the text ‘as it stands’, which undermines the reading of the ‘final text’ as an exercise that can, and may, have nothing to do with enquiry into the growth of that text. This article endeavours to advance its argument by means of a practical contribution to solving the perceived textual problems of the crux interpretum, rather than indulging in the kind of theoretical skirmishes that characterised South African debates at the end of the previous century.http://www.ve.org.zaam2013mn201

Understanding of failure and failure of understanding : aspects of failure in the Old Testament

The first A.S. Geyser Commemoration Lecture of the Department of New Testament Studies, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa, presented at 17 February 2014. Prof. Dr James Alfred Loader is an Honorary Professor of the Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.This article was republished with the corrected second affiliation of the author and a correction to the note under the affiliations.Taking its cue from Rudolf Bultmann’s famous verdict that the Old Testament is a ‘failure’ (‘Scheitern’), the article reviews three influential negative readings of Israel’s history as told in the Former Prophets. It is then argued that awareness of the theological problem posed by Israel’s history enabled the redactors of both the former and the latter prophetic collections to deal with the element of human failure in a way that facilitated Israel’s retaining of her faith. Next, the sapiential insight in failing human discernment is drawn into the equation. Failure of human action is here interrelated with failure to comprehend God’s order. By virtue of its incorporation into the totality of the Tanak, this insight became a constructive part of Israel’s faith. Therefore the concept of failure comprises more than coming to terms with Israel’s catastrophic history. Since it is encoded in Israel’s Holy Scripture, ‘failure’ is a major concept within the Old Testament internally and is therefore not suitable as a verdict over the Old Testament by an external value judgement. ‘Failure’ thus becomes a key hermeneutical category, not merely so that the Old Testament could become a ‘promise’ for the New Testament to fulfil, but as a manifestation of limits in human religion and thought. Far from undermining self-esteem, constructive use of the concept of her own failure sustained Israel in her catastrophe and should be adopted by Christianity – not least in South Africa, where the biblical message was often misappropriated to bolster apartheid.http://www.hts.org.zaam201

The bipolarity of sapiential theology

It is shown that the wisdom of the sages represented in the Book of Proverbs pushes at the limits of wisdom’s rational basis in such a way as to question its own possibilities. The assumption that the Book of Proverbs represents the affirming side of wisdom whereas the Books of Ecclesiastes and Job represent its critical counter-pole is queried. It is argued that the theological stance of the anthology of Proverbs is based on a default affirmative system with a critical counter-position grafted onto it. Conversely, in Ecclesiastes and Job the critical perspective is the main stance, while they nevertheless proceed from the same affirmative basis they find problematical. This basic tenet of biblical wisdom is brought to bear on Walter Brueggemann’s thesis that a biblically informed theology must be “bipolar.”http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_oldtest.htmlam201

Prosthetic memory in the Old Testament

In the OT “remembering” often denotes the experience of reliving special events of the past and thereby making them virtually present. Several texts are advanced in an argument that, where remembering is aided by an external sign or symbol, its function is not necessarily limited to the prevention of forgetting but also to stimulate constructive mental action. It is proposed to interpret this with the help of the thesis of “prosthetic memory” put forward by Alison Landsberg for the visual arts. The visual aid does not only prevent knowledge of the past to fade away, but positively stimulates new interpretive action. It is shown that this nuance is combined with the idea of education where prosthetic memory occurs in the OT. It is proposed that the purpose of these prostheses to memory is the pertinent interpretation of Torah and educational instructions as well as their translation into acts appropriate to new contexts.http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_oldtest.htmlam201