Ancient art, rhetoric and the Lamb of God metaphor in John 1:29 and 36

Biblical scholars have given diverse explanations for the Lamb of God metaphor in John 6 1:29 and 36. Most scholars are of the opinion that ‘amnos’ refers to the Passover lamb. 7 This explanation is not obvious from the context of the Fourth Gospel. To understand the 8 metaphor lamb or ‘amnos’ of God, one should understand the transferable meaning of the 9 figure or image. In this comparison only the vehicle, namely lamb, is given. What and 10 who the lamb is stay open. It can be anything within the limits of the other story elements 11 that have the same qualities of a lamb. To uncover the communicative dynamics of the 12 metaphor, the exegete must have insight into the meaning and function of the original 13 metaphor. Rhetoric provides a clue for the interpretation of the metaphor, namely that it 14 is a Lamb of God. Within the perikope other rhetorical clues like antithesis and varietas 15 are also provided. These clues are important but do not explain the image of the lamb. In 16 this study these problems will be considered via another medium, namely Hellenistic art 17 and images and their penetration into Judaism and Christianity during the first centuries 18 CE. Hellenistic and biblical images will be used to give an alternative interpretation of 19 the metaphor of the Lamb of God

Ancient art, rhetoric and the Lamb of God metaphor in John 1:29 and 1:36

Biblical scholars have given diverse explanations for the Lamb of God metaphor in John 1:29 and 1:36. Most scholars are of the opinion that ‘amnos’ refers to the Passover lamb. This explanation is not obvious from the context of the Fourth Gospel. To understand the metaphor ‘lamb’ or ‘amnos’ of God, one should understand the transferable meaning of the figure or image. In this comparison, only the vehicle, namely the lamb, is given. What and who the lamb is stays open. It can be anything within the limits of the other story elements that have the same qualities as a lamb. To uncover the communicative dynamics of the metaphor, the exegete must have insight into the meaning and function of the original metaphor. Rhetoric provides a clue for the interpretation of the metaphor, namely that it is a Lamb of God. Within the pericope other rhetorical clues like antithesis and varietas are also provided. These clues are important but do not explain the image of the lamb. In this study, these problems will be considered via another medium, namely Hellenistic art and images and their penetration into Judaism and Christianity during the 1st century CE. Hellenistic and biblical images will be used to give an alternative interpretation of the metaphor of the Lamb of God

Feminist new testament scholarship in South Africa

Feminist biblical scholarship in South Africa that focuses on the New Testament cannot be separated from the larger context of feminist scholarship in South Africa or even Africa. Its emergence and development was tied to the emerging consciousness of women and men who began to question the roles of women in family, society, politics and religion, especially Christianity. This happened during the 1980s, thus lagging behind the North-American and European feminist movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Rather later than never! New Testament scholarship in South Africa has contributed to feminist knowledge production. The objective of this article is to provide an understanding of the contributions by feminist and female scholarship in the New Testament Society of Southern Africa by focusing on completed doctoral theses at South African universities and theological seminaries, and feminist research produced by females and males published in Neotestamentica, the official journal of the New Testament Society of Southern Africa. The purpose is to determine the New Testament feminist themes and knowledge that have been produced; to identify obstacles that might have influenced or might influence feminist New Testament scholarship; to determine possible research areas; and to discuss the future of feminist scholarship in the New Testament Society of Southern Africa

The metaphor of ‘walking in love’ as matrix for the familial relationships in Ephesians 5:22-6:9

Abstract: In this study the Social Identity Theory serves as a tool to provide a theoretical framework for exploring group processes in the Letter to the Ephesians and is fundamental for the discursive processes to determine group identity. According to the SIT the focus of attention is the ‘ingroup model and the ultimate other’ which both feature in the positioning of the discourse of the cultural boundaries.It is also a requirement that groups would provide their members with a positive in-group identity that derives from comparative observations between social groups. This article employs the metaphor of ‘walking in love’ (Eph 5:2) and its contextual meanings to explain the social dynamics of the relations between members of the Christian household, resulting in an alternative construction of household identity. Walking or living in love and living wisely) suggest mutuality rather than hierarchy in the Christian community. The concept of ‘walking in or with’ will be used to challenge the hierarchical structure of household identity. The concept is further used to show the type of social interaction expected between members of the Christian community. It is the church’s responsibility, as they walk in love, to ensure that Christians demonstrate the same kind of love freely to all people

A movement seeking to embody support of patriarchal structures and patterns in church and society : Gretha Wiid's Worthy Women movement

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Patriarchal usurpation of the Modjadji dynasty : a gender-critical reading of the history and reign of the Modjadji Rain Queens

Abstract: The setting of the Modjadji dynasty is on the one hand in a South African democratic space with an appraisal of women’s rights, and on the other hand in a rural traditionalist setting where women have a designated place under patriarchy. How the queens navigate their rule, in circumstances where the modern and traditional seek to occupy the same space, requires a gender-critical reading. Questions about their ability to autonomously dispense their duties as queens and exercise freedom over their livelihoods in a culture that emanates from a patriarchal rule, inform the core objectives in this article. Diverging from the western form of feminism, which has been suspected of universalising challenges faced by women like Vashti and Esther, to African feminism that is more context-based, helps in unearthing patriarchal traits directly affecting African women. The intention is not to discredit one form of feminism or the other, but to explore how such a fusion can help in the emancipation of women, as this is the goal of African feminism