The tenants in the vineyard (GThom 65/Mark 12:1-12): A realistic and socialscientific reading

Kloppenborg’s reading of the parable of the tenants (Mk 12:1-12/GThom 65) can be  regarded as the first thoroughgoing realistic interpretation of the Tenants. By using  extensive literary evidence on viticulture from 300 BCE to 300 CE, Kloppenborg argues that GThom 65 most probably comes closest to the original form of the parable, calling into question important values of first-century Mediterranean culture. Following a summary of Kloppenborg’s reading of the parable of the tenants, the second part of the article focuses on a social-scientific reading of GThom 65 through the lens of patronage and clientism and that of honor and shame. Finally, the conclusions reached by the social-scientific reading are compared with Kloppenborg’s realistic reading thereof

Die huwelik in die eerste-eeuse Mediterreense wêreld (I): Vroue in ’n man se wêreld

Marriage in the first-century Mediterranean world (1): Females in a male worldThis article is the first of a three-part series that aims to stimulate the hermeneutical debate in the church about marriage. Attention is given to four aspects of the cultural world of the Bible that are relevant for an understanding of the institution of marriage as presented in Biblical texts: marriage as embedded in the social institution of the family (kinship), the role of honor and shame, dyadic personality and the different marriage strategies that can be discerned throughout Biblical times. The article concludes with a few remarks on the effects the above “cultural scripts” had on the understanding of marriage as an institution and the position of women in marriage

Die huwelik in die eerste-eeuse Mediterreense wêreld (II): Huwelik, egbreuk, egskeiding en hertrou

Marriage in the first-century Mediterranean world (II): Marriage, adultery, divorce and remarriageThis article is the second in a three-part series that aims to stimulate the hermeneutical debate in the church about marriage as Biblical institution. The first-century Mediterranean world had a very specific understanding of what marriage, betrothal, adultery, divorce and remarriage entailed. A description thereof is given. The question whether this understanding of these concepts can still be applicable in our understanding of marriage as a postmodern institution, is posed. Although the question is answered in the negative, it does not, however, mean that the Bible does not have anything to offer as far as marriage in a postmodern society is concerned

Memory and historical Jesus studies: Formgeschichte in a new dress?

In the quest for the historical Jesus, memory studies are seen as an important breakthrough in the study of the historical Jesus and the way forward in establishing the historicity of the Gospel traditions. This article evaluates the claim made by memory studies by evaluating memory studies’ critique on the methodology of the criteria approach. In this evaluation attention is given to the methodological points of departure of memory studies, including an assessment of the few examples memory studies thus far have produced in their investigation of the historicity of the Gospels and the historical Jesus. The conclusion reached is that memory studies are guilty of what they accuse the criteria approach, and thus far have not yet offered a viable methodological alternative to the current criteria approach used in historical Jesus research

Die huwelik in die eerste-eeuse Mediterreense wêreld (III): Jesus en die huwelik

Marriage in the first-century Mediterranean world (III): Jesus and marriageThis article is the third in a three-part series that aims to stimulate the hermeneutical debate in the church regarding marriage as Biblical institution. In the first article attention was given to the relevant cultural scripts that are necessary to understand the institution of marriage in the time of Jesus. In the second article a description of what marriage, betrothal, adultery, divorce and remarriage in the first-century Mediterranean world entailed was given. In this article Jesus’ point of view on marriage is investigated. The conclusion reached is that Jesus’ stance towards marriage was negative. This, however, does not mean that Jesus had nothing to say as far as marriage as institution in a postmodern society is concerned

Καὶ ἄϕες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν … the Lord’s Prayer (Mt 6:12, Lk 11:4) and dispute resolution in the African church: The Ewe-Ghanaian context and perspective

This article examines the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew in the light of Ewe-Ghanaian conflict management model. Theoretically, the article employs a combination of the historical-critical and indigenous mother tongue biblical hermeneutical approaches to explore the implication of the petition for Ewe-Ghanaian Christian spirituality. The main theme of the petition in both Matthew and Luke’s renditions of the petition is forgiveness, which employs a divine-human and human–human formula, with the human–human serving as a form of collateral for the divine-human. Whereas Matthew’s petition carries an eschatological motif that of Luke is viewed in a non-eschatological sense. The article discusses the various theological and hermeneutical positions of the text and dialogically engages the world of the text with the Ewe-Ghanaian conflict resolution model with the view of finding points of continuity and discontinuity, if any. The article argues that divine-human and human–human forgiveness model, and the eschatological and non-eschatological interpretations suggested in both Matthew and Luke, respectively, does not resonate with Ewe-Ghanaian worldview, which perceives conflict from a demonological point of view. Any conflict resolution model that does not take the demonological dimension into consideration cannot be trusted to deliver justice in conflict situations. Thus, the task of the 21st century Ewe-Ghanaian church is to design an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that resonates with the Ewe-Ghanaian life and thought pattern and is able to deliver justice. Contribution: Matthew’s rendition of the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer from the perspective of Ewe-Ghanaian conflict resolution model is the focus of this article. The article forms part of the researcher’s contribution to the academic knowledge on the Lord’s Prayer and inspires the use of Mother Tongue Biblical hermeneutics in the development of theological materials for the Ewe-Ghanaian Christian communities in Ghana and Togo

Gospel of Thomas : introductory remarks

The aim of this article is to present to South-African theologians, ministers and believers, in fairly popular fashion, the current debate in regard to some aspects of the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas. Attention is given to the discovery, text and publication of the Gospel of Thomas, the question of its dependence on or independence from the Synoptic gospels, the possible date of the Gospel, as well as to its theology (being either gnostic or non-gnostic). Finally, a few remarks in regard to the value of the studying of the Gospel of Thomas, in terms of theological debates in the church, are made.Spine cut of Journal binding and pages scanned on flatbed EPSON Expression 10000 XL; 400dpi; text/lineart - black and white - stored to Tiff Derivation: Abbyy Fine Reader v.9 work with PNG-format (black and white); Photoshop CS3; Adobe Acrobat v.9 Web display format PDFhttp://explore.up.ac.za/record=b1001341wm201

Honour and debt release in the parable of the unmerciful servant (Mt 18:23–33) : a social-scientific and realistic reading

This article presents a social-scientific and realistic reading of the parable of the Unmerciful Servant. The parables of Jesus are realistic stories about everyday events in 1st-century Palestine that evoke specific social realia and practices known to its first hearers. As recent studies on the parables have shown, papyri from early Roman Egypt provide detailed information on the implied social realities and practices assumed in the parables. In reading the parable through the lens of patronage and clientism and against the background of the relationship between royal ideology and debt release attested in documented papyri, it is argued that the parable suggests that in the basileia of God debt should be released in terms of general reciprocity, emulating the way in which patrons release debt for the sake of honour.http://www.hts.org.zaam201

J H J A Greyvenstein en A S Geyser se teologiese denke oor die volkskerkgedagte

The theological thoughts of J H J A Greyvenstein and A S Geyser on the concept 'people's church'. This paper - in two parts - aims to participate in the current debate regarding the writing of a new church order for the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika, concentrating on Article III of the current church order. As a debate within the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk, the first article tra"ces the thoughts of two previous professors in New Testament Studies, J H J A Greyvenstein and A S Geyser, on the concept 'people's church' ('volkskerk'). In the following article Greyvenstein and Geyser's understanding of the Hervormde Kerk as 'peoples church' ('volkskerk') will critically be evaluated by means of a social-scientific analysis of meals as ceremonies in Mark's gospel. Sonder om die tradisie van die vadere uitgesproke met goddelike gesag te beklee, redeneer die ideoloog graag dat die vaders tog nie verkeerd kon wees in hulle verstaan van die Woord nie en origens gee hy in die praktyk, so nie in beginsel nie, aan die tradisie in elk geval dieseifde geldigheid as aan die Woord. (Geyser 1960/1961b:304) Eintlik het die Kerk geen ander bestaansrede nie as om te getuig dat Jesus die Christus die openbaring van Gods liefde is nie....Want die Kerk het tot enige ell enigste taak om die Evangelie te verkondig tydig en ontydig, op aile plekke aan aile mense en instansies onder aile omstandigheide. As hy daaraan nie voldoen nie of nie kan voldoen nie, kom die Kerk as Kerk in gedrang.(Geyser 1951:9; 1960:18