Jeremia en die woord in ’n tyd van krisis

Jeremiah and his work and book have a message for everyone who has to preach the Word of God. He was called to proclaim a message of doom in a time of national crisis. Often he had to oppose the leaders of his people and the people themselves. This paper gives attention to some problems regarding the prophet and his relation to the book of Jeremiah, the times of Jeremiah, the Word in a time of theological and political crisis, the crisis in the life and work of the prophet and the Book of Jeremiah in the context of the crisis of the exile and thereafter. The importance is demonstrated of taking at least a dual address into consideration when studying the Book of Jeremiah, namely the people of the time of Jeremiah and the people of the Babylonian exile

Die sogenaamde Bybelse kultuurmandaat (Gen. 1:28 en 2:15) en ontwikkeling ’n Ou-Testamentiese perspektief

The so-called Biblical cultural mandate (Gen. 1:28 and 2:15) and development - a perspective from the Old TestamentIn the Reformed tradition Genesis 1:28 and 2:15 are combined and regarded as the so-called "cultural mandate", This so-called mandate is seen in traditional Reformed circles as the basis of man's responsibility to cultivate nature thus transforming nature into culture. This traditional view of the "cultural mandate ”is questioned in some circles, while other scholars link the present ecological crisis to this traditional view of the "cultural mandate". After a discussion of different evaluations of the "cultural mandate" the hermeneutical problem relating to the interpretation of the relevant material from Genesis 1 and 2 is discussed. This is followed by a discussion of different readings of the texts, viz., traditional Reformed readings, historical critical readings, an anti-cultural reading and an ecological reading. The texts are then interpreted from the perspective of a contemporary South Africa. In conclusion some implications of the discussion which could be developed within the South Africa n context are indicated. Human development and job creation receive the main emphasis

The headings of the psalms in the East Syriac tradition reconsidered

In the first half of the previous century the headings of the Psalms in the East Syriac tradition received a lot of attention, with important contributions by scholars such as Devreesse and Vosté. In 1960 Bloemendaal published an edition of these headings. Since 1960 a number of important new manuscripts became available, as well as a translation of the commentary of Theodore and a translation of the commentary of Diodore on the first fifty Psalms. This paper deals with the light shed on the history of the East Syrian headings particularly by two manuscripts not available to Bloemendaal. The examples discussed lead one to the conclusion that 6t1, used by Bloemendaal, must not be regarded as the paradigmatic witness in all instances

Vryheid en verbond: ’n Ou-Testamentiese perspektief

A century after the end of the Anglo-Boer War freedom remains an important issue and some people nowadays constantly ask whether they have lost their freedom in the New South Africa. This article offers an Old Testament perspective on freedom and first of all discusses the importance of blessings and curses within the framework of the covenant. This is followed by a discussion of two passages from the Old Testament – Deuteronomy 28 and Jeremiah 34 – viewing the loss of freedom as a result of disobedience to God’s commandments. The discussion highlights the fact that political freedom could not be regarded as a basic right of a people in the time of the Old Testament. Freedom in their own land was regarded as a gift of God to Israel. To retain this freedom the people had to obey God’s commandments; otherwise this freedom could be lost. Deuteronomy 28 indicates that obedience will result in blessings, while disobedience will result in punishment. Freedom in their own land is mentioned together with the blessings and the curses. Jeremiah 34 proceeds from the same premise, but relates the loss of freedom to the people’s failure to release their slaves.http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ids.v34i1.584http://www.inluceverbi.org.za/index.php/skriflig/article/viewFile/584/46

The Peshitta of Ezekiel and the Septuagint : a study of the two traditions in Ezekiel 1

The version of the book of Ezekiel in the Septuagint has received a lot of attention in recent years, especially due to the importance of papyrus 967. The same is not true of the text of Ezekiel in the Peshitta. It is difficult to divide the manuscripts of the Peshitta into families, except for the family of 9a1. There are, however, groups of manuscripts with textual agreement. Their actual relationship is difficult to determine. This paper will discuss the version of Ezekiel 1 in the Peshitta, in comparison with the Septuagint and Masoretic Text, looking especially at instances where the Peshitta agrees with (such as in verses 1, 12 and 21) and differs from the original Greek (such as in verses 9, 24 and 26). That the Septuagint represents an own tradition can be taken as given. Although the Peshitta stands close to the Masoretic tradition, some influence from the side of the Septuagint may be indicated. The importance of the variants in the manuscripts of the Peshitta will be indicated. The first section will deal with the variants in the manuscripts of the Peshitta, the second with the Peshitta and the Masoretic Text and the third with the Peshitta and the Septuagint. The Peshitta is a representative of the same tradition as the Masoretic Text. Instances where the Peshitta and the Septuagint agree, may be an indication of the original Hebrew behind the Masoretic Text, especially in instances where the Masoretic Text is corrupt.http://reference.sabinet.co.za/webx/access/electronic_journals/oldtest/oldtest_v18_n2_a16.pd

Die bydrae en relevansie van die Ou-Testamentiese wetenskapsbeoefening in die Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika (1869-1994)

Since the inception of the Theological Seminary at Burgersdorp in 1869 the study of the Old Testament was part of the teaching programme in the Seminary. It was also one of the areas in which professors at the seminary, ministers and other members of these churches did postgraduate work and published books and scholarly articles. One of the first ministers of these churches who received a doctorate at the Free University of Amsterdam, was dr. P.C. Snyman, an Old Testament scholar who wrote a thesis on the prophecies of Zephaniah. This article focuses on the teaching of the Old Testament at the Seminary, theses on the Old Testament and related disciplines, and research as reflected in books and articles written by lecturers and students at the Seminar}’. The teaching programme at the Seminary of the Reformed Churches in South Africa (GKSA) was initially greatly influenced by developments in this regard in the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands. The theses and research of Old Testament scholarship in the GKSA reflect a conservative, reformed tradition in general.http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ids.v29i1/2.1532http://www.inluceverbi.org.za/index.php/skriflig/article/viewFile/1532/183

Psalm 151 in three Syriac psalm commentaries

In his critical text of the five Syriac Apocryphal Psalms Baars pub- lished two versions of Ps 151, each with its own set of text-critical notes.2 The one version is the one contained in the important Syriac manuscript 12t4, while the other is the version contained in a Syriac translation of the Psalms Commentary of Athanasius as found in the manuscript 6h22. This latter version is very important as it is the oldest known copy of Ps 151 in Syriac. Baars’ apparatus contains, with regard te the version of Ps 151 in 12t4, the variants from the other manuscripts containing the five Syriac Apocryphal Psalms. His apparatus te the version in 6h22 contains vari- ants from ten manuscripts of the Peshitta Psalter and from five manu- scripts of the Psalter according te the Syro-Hexapla. According te the List of Syriac manuscripts published by the Peshitta Institute in Leiden, quite a large number of manuscripts — some of which are available at the Institute — not used by Baars also contain Ps 151.3 The List does not, however, mention two other Syriac Psalm Commentaries which also contain Ps 151, the first being the Scholia on the Psalms by Bar-He- braeus, published in Hebrew characters by De Lagarde in 1879,4 while the second one is in a manuscript presently in London: British Museum, Oriental 9354, fl6v.5 This paper will present the text of Ps 151 in these three commentaries, with a discussion of the important features of these three copies of Ps 151.http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/zatw.2000.112.4.61

Prediking oor die profetiese stof van die Ou Testament

Preaching the poetry of the Old Testament: The Psalms When preaching from the book of Psalms, it should be kept in mind that the book of Psalms as part of the poetry of the Old Testament contains the human answer of the believer to the revelation of God, as against other books of the Old Testament where the revelation is given directly, either by word or through the history of God’s people. Other typical facets of the Israelite belief as mirrored in the Psalms must also be kept in mind when explaining the individual psalms, e.g. the contrast between the righteous and the ungodly, the idea of retribution, the call for vengeance in quite a few of the psalms, and the pointing to the Messiah in some psalms. To gain a better understanding of the psalms a knowledge of the structure of Hebrew poetry is of the utmost importance. When a sermon is prepared on a theme from the Psalms, the specific Psalm should be analysed adequately, so that one can understand the main elements and the basic and specific content of the psalm. An analysis of Psalm 94 is used as an example to show how different kinds of analyses can lead to a better understanding of the psalm. This should, however, only be the first step to use the psalm as a theme for a sermon, although it remains an important step.http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ids.v23i89.819http://www.inluceverbi.org.za/index.php/skriflig/article/viewFile/819/105