The People of God In the Old Testament: The View of Eichrodt and Gutierrez as Evaluated by Confessional Lutheran Hermeneutics

This dissertation is about the concept of People of God in the Old Testament in late Academic Theology and in Liberation Theology as evaluated by Lutheran Hermeneutics

Memories of enslavement as identity formation in the legal collections of the Pentateuch

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation is a study of memories of enslavement as identity formation embedded in the slave instructions of the legal collections of the Pentateuch. The personal experiences of the writer in his native country of Nigeria and the last twenty years in the USA, became the impetus for the scrutiny of these slave instructions. The constant tribal and religious conflicts in Northern Nigeria are usually accompanied by the mention of past experiences of slavery and colonialism. Similarly, the black community in the USA seems weighed down by the memories of slavery and segregation as it wrestles with the matters of dignity, poverty and lack of education that affect it disproportionately. These concerns caused the author to reflect on the biblical material in the Pentateuch that relates to memories of slavery as the communities seek an identity of their own. Hence, this dissertation, with the title “Memories of Enslavement as Identity Formation in the Legal Collection of the Pentateuch”, seeks to investigate how those passages addressed ancient Israel regarding the ethical treatment of the poor and downtrodden. The author approached the passages from the point of view of a historical-grammatical study, where attention is paid to the grammar and syntax of the text, and similarities and dissimilarities in the synoptic texts where they address the subject of slave instructions in the Covenant Code (CC) in Exodus 21:1-11; the Holiness Code (HC) in Leviticus 25:39-55; and the Deuteronomic Code (DC) in Deuteronomy 15:12-18. An observation of the contexts surrounding these instructions shed light on their individual contexts and the guiding interests of the authors. The references to Egypt as a house of slavery in these instructions is considered a literary device to jolt the memory and direct behaviour in the right direction for the treatment of workers, especially fellow Israelites. It appears that, in each instruction, the setting of the pre-exilic and post-exilic world events of the ANE had influenced the behaviour of the audience so that the appeal to consider kinship relationships was prominent in the Deuteronomic and Holiness codes, where the term “brother” is employed as the true identity of the Hebrew slave. First, the CC and DC limit the service of Hebrew slaves to six years. The HC, which appears to be the latest instruction, removes the term “slave” entirely and draws attention to the claims of Yahweh, that Israel was redeemed to be “servants” of God and not anyone else’s. Second, in the effort to guarantee the freedom of Israelite slaves at the Jubilee, the HC further removes “female slaves” as a possibility for Israelites. In the narrative sections of the Pentateuch, descriptive narrations of slavery require the attention of further research, because this dissertation focused narrowly on the slave instructions. Any further research into those narratives will yield helpful information on how oral cultures tell and retell stories as a collective, identity-forming mechanism. The dissertation seeks to bring to light analogies from the above Pentateuchal passages to the Nigerian experiences of tribal and religious relationships, as discussed in Chapter 2. The topic, “Memories of Enslavement as Identity Formation in the Legal Collections of the Pentateuch”, indicates the initial intention of the study. However, the historical-grammatical study revealed that memories are tied to kinship in ancient Israel – illustrated by the metaphors related to family. The exilic community found a strong tie in kinship through the recollection of a common past. The common identity, in turn, was at the heart of the theological and ethical call to acknowledge the authority of Yahweh as the true Lord of all Israel. The slave instructions provide a sense of theological and ethical direction for the audience of each instruction. Likewise, the instructions appear relevant for theological and ethical direction for the modern world. The theological-ethical motivations of the slave instructions are relevant for Nigeria and other countries struggling to devise an identity from the memories of slavery and colonialism.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie proefskrif stel ondersoek in na die herinneringe aan slawerny as identiteitsvorming ingebed in die slawebepalings van die regsversamelings van die Pentateug. Die persoonlike ervarings van die skrywer in sy land van herkoms, Nigerië, en die afgelope twintig jaar se verblyf in die VSA het aanleiding tot die ondersoek van die slawebepalings gegee. Die voortdurende stam- en godsdienstige konflik in Noord-Nigerië gaan dikwels gepaard met verwysings na vorige ervarings van slawerny en kolonialisme. Ooreenstemmend het die swart gemeenskap in die VSA druk ervaar van die herinneringe aan slawerny en segregasie tydens die stryd om waardigheid, armoede en gebrek aan opvoedingsgeleenthede aan te spreek. Hierdie besorgdhede het aanleiding gegee tot die bestudering van die regsversamelings van die Pentateug om vas te stel hoe dit verband hou met die herinneringe aan slawerny as deel van die proses waartydens ’n eie identiteit ontwikkel word. Vandaar die titel, “Herinneringe aan slawerny as identiteitsvorming in die regsversamelings van die Pentateug”, wat ondersoek instel na hoe hierdie gedeelte antieke Israel aangespreek het ten opsigte etiese optrede teenoor slawe, werkers en die verdruktes. Die skrywer benader die teksgedeeltes vanuit die hoek van histories-grammatiese eksegese, waarbinne aandag geskenk word aan die grammatika en sintaksis van die teks, asook ooreenkomste en verskille in die sinoptiese tekste wat die onderwerp van slawebepalings in die Verbondsboek (Ex 21:1-11), Heiligheidswetgewing (Lev 25:39-55) en die Deuteronomistiese wette (Deut 15:12-18) aanspreek. Aandag vir die literêre kontekste van hierdie bepalings werp lig op die individuele kontekste en die rigtinggewende belange van die skrywers. Die verwysings na Egipte as ’n slawehuis in hierdie bepalings word as ’n literêre middel beskou om herinnering aan te wakker en om gedrag te rig ten opsigte van die behandeling van werkers, veral mede-Israeliete. Dit blyk dat, in elke bepaling, die konteks van die voor-eksiliese, eksiliese en na-eksiliese wêreld van die Ou Nabye Ooste ’n invloed uitgeoefen het op die gedrag van die gehoor sodat die aanspraak op die inagneming van die verwantskapsverhoudings voorrang geniet het binne die Deuteronomiese en Heiligheidswette, waar die begrip “broer” gebruik word om uitdrukking aan die ware identiteit van die Hebreeuse slaaf te gee. Ten eerste beperk die Verbondsboek en die Deuteronomistiese wette die dienstydperk van Hebreeuse slawe tot ses jaar. Die Heiligheidswette, as die jongste bepalings, verwyder die begrip “slaaf” as geheel en fokus die aandag op die aansprake van Jahwe, dat Israel uit slawerny gered is om as “dienaars” van God en niemand anders op te tree. Tweedens, as deel van die poging om die vryheid van Israelitiese slawe tydens die Jubeljaar te waarborg, verwyder die Heiligheidswette “vroulike slawerny” as ’n moontlikheid vir Israeliete. In die verhalende dele van die Pentateug verlang die vertellende verwysings na slawerny verdere navorsing omdat hierdie proefskrif spesifiek op die slawebepalings gefokus het. Verdere navorsing oor hierdie vertellings behoort nuttige inligting te bied oor hoe mondelinge kulture stories vertel en hervertel het as deel van ’n identiteitsvormingsproses. Die proefskrif probeer om analogieë tussen bogenoemde gedeeltes van die Pentateug en die Nigeriese ervarings van stam- en godsdienstige verhoudings aan die lig te bring soos in hoofstuk twee bespreek. Die onderwerp, “Herinneringe aan Slawerny as Identiteitsvorming binne die Regsversamelings van die Pentateug” verwoord die aanvanklike bedoeling van die proefskrif. Die histories-grammatiese ondersoek toon hoe die herinneringe verband hou met verwantskap in antieke Israel – soos uitgebeeld deur die familiemetafore. Die ballingskapsgemeenskap het deur herinneringe aan ’n gemeenskaplike verlede sterk verwantskapsbande gebou. Die gemeenskaplike identiteit was op sy beurt die middelpunt van die teologiese en etiese oproep om Jahwe as die ware Here van Israel as geheel te erken. Die slawebepalings verskaf teologiese en etiese rigtinggewing vir elke bepaling se gehoor. Op ’n soortgelyke wyse blyk die slawebepalings van toepassing te wees vir teologiese en etiese koersgewing in die moderne wêreld. Die teologies-etiese motiverings vir die slawebepalings is ter sake vir Nigerië en ander lande wat worstel met identiteitsvorming te midde van herinneringe aan slawerny en kolonialisme.Doctora

Searching the Scriptures: Andrews University Seminary Emerging Scholars Pay Tribute to Their Professors

The purpose of this project is simple. In writing these essays each author wishes to offer a tangible expression of appreciation and gratitude to those professors who have invested their time in teaching them the value of studying Scripture. Each one of the professors represented has greatly influenced the authors’ understanding of the Biblical text, and for this they are forever indebted to them. This festschrift recognizes the scholarship of the following professors: Drs. Richard M. Davidson, Jiří Moskala, Roy Gane, Ranko Stefanović, Paul Gregor, and Thomas Shepherd.https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/books/1037/thumbnail.jp

The Peoples and Languages of Chile

This article initiates a series in which the writer will attempt to summarize the scattered and commonly contradictory material on the present ethnic and linguistic constituency of a number of Latin American countries. It represents some personal investigations in the field and an examination of much of the pertinent literature

A dappled people: Jewish, Roma, and Romanian evangelicals challenging nationalism in interwar Romania

Following World War I, Baptists, Brethren, Pentecostals, and Seventh-day Adventists, were among the largest evangelical groups living in the territories of Transylvania, Bessarabia, and Bukovina, annexed to the Kingdom of Romania through the peace treaties. These religious minorities grew exponentially, first among ethnic minorities, and then among ethnic Romanians. Jewish and Roma minorities in Romania, already experiencing discrimination due to the expansion of racist and eugenic policies across Europe, forged ties with these denominations, which also suffered discrimination in the new Romania. Their diverse ethnic, class, and gender composition made them counter-cultural. Soon, these diverse evangelicals, who put faith above the nation, managed to establish themselves as influential religious minorities within Romania, enjoying strong ties with co-religionists abroad and ethnic minority co-religionists within the country. Romanian leaders perceived this evangelical minority as endangering the construction of a strong post-war national identity. The international and inter-ethnic connections of evangelicals threatened Romania’s territorial borders, state sovereignty, and the influence of the Romanian Orthodox Church, which was seen as a unifying institution central to Romanian national identity. By 1940, state authorities outlawed the non-conformist evangelical groups and deported some adherents to the ghettos in Transnistria along with exiled Jews and Roma. Through the study of country-wide demographics, specific Jewish and Roma churches, their struggle through music for legitimacy and space, and their endurance during the Holocaust/Pojarmos, the lived religion of interwar Romanian evangelicals entangles assumptions of national identities and religion. These diverse groups enrich the current discourse on minorities in twentieth century Europe, through the way they challenged established religion and constructed new identities that crossed boundaries of language, gender, social class, and ethnicity

Tower Magazine, Winter 2012

https://digitalcommons.udallas.edu/tower/1019/thumbnail.jp

The coherent pattern of leadership reflected in the unique attributes of the shepherd / flock motif within the Miletus Speech (Acts 20:17–38), 1 Peter 5:1–11, and John 21:15–19

The principle aim of this study is to discern how the Miletus Speech (Acts 20:17–38), Peter’s exhortation to the elders (1 Peter 5:1–11) and Jesus’ post-resurrection discourse with Peter (John 21:15–19) utilized the shepherd / flock motif to arrive at their common portrait of early church leadership. A secondary aim is to describe the characteristic elements of this common portrait. Research on the shepherd / flock motif in the above passages has focused on three main lines of inquiry: 1) the OT antecedents for this leadership metaphor; 2) the literary use of the shepherd image in one or more of the gospels; 3) the literary use of the shepherd / flock motif within each work. There remains a need for an in-depth comparison of these three works. Specifically, can we identify a coherent pattern of leadership using the shepherd / flock motif that transcends each work? What does this pattern reveal about the way the early church understood various aspects of leadership? How do often neglected topics like the relationship between the shepherd / elder / bishop terminology (in two of our passages) and the importance of “the flock” fit into the early church’s larger leadership conception? This thesis analyzes the appropriation of the shepherd / flock motif in the Miletus Speech (Acts 20:17–38), 1 Peter 5:1–11 and John 21:15–19 and argues that they are the culminating statements in a coherent pattern of sustained biblical reflection on early Christian leadership. Furthermore, this coherent pattern was consciously transmitted to the nascent Christian communities via the shepherd / flock motif and is rooted in five unique attributes of this motif: 1) a connection to important events in biblical salvation history where shepherd leaders are prominent; 2) the connection to Jesus’ ministry as both suffering shepherd and sacrificial lamb, which becomes the ultimate example of Christian leadership; 3) the importance of the people of God, “the flock”, to the conception of early church leadership; 4) the predatory language of the metaphor which speaks to the vulnerability of God’s people and the need to protect them from spiritual attacks; 5) specific responsibilities for church leaders that are inherent to the shepherd / flock motif

Meeting with God on the Mountains: Essays in Honor of Richard M. Davidson

This Festschrift in honor of Dr. Davidson is divided into four parts that reflect upon his main areas of study, lectures, and publications: (1) Old Testament Exegesis; (2) Intertextuality, Typology, and Ancient Near Eastern Background; (3) New Testament Studies; and (4) Theology and Church History.https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/books/1023/thumbnail.jp

A Paradigm for Cell Church Ministry in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South Korea

Problem Small group ministry, known as the cell church, was thought to be the best response to the slow growth of membership in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in South Korea. However, the attempt to develop effective cell church ministries has failed to attract new, or even current, members. Yet, there are three non-SDA churches that have had success in setting up model cell churches. The purpose of this study is to explore possible reasons for the failure, examine the successful programs, and identify those steps the Korean Adventist church could adopt in order to establish a positive paradigm for cell church ministry. Method This is a comparative-descriptive study. The main task is to determine the qualities that characterize the SDA Church in South Korea as compared to three non-SDA churches with model cell church systems. One part is to understand the general ideas of the cell church system and its biblical background. The writings of Ellen G. White are also explored. Field research is utilized to examine a practical profile of cell group ministry as it is practiced by the three model cell churches. An attempt is also made to research the basic system of the Korean Seventh-day Adventist (KSDA) churches. Based on the results, the two systems (SDA and non-SDA with cell systems) are compared to find distinctive characteristics that the SDA church system could emulate. Through the comparison and biblical study, a paradigm of cell church ministry is suggested. Conclusion Cell church ministry must be a very effective tool for evangelism in the modern society of Korea. However, there are many barriers and hindrances to SDA success with cell church ministry, even though non-SDA churches had success with the system. To have success in cell church strategy, KSDA churches must innovate to build a new strategy of a cell church to fit SDA churches. The findings of this study should be applied into a new paradigm shift for SDA churches in Korea. Further studies must be continued to develop a practical plan and strategy of cell church ministry for the SDA church environment in the future