scholarly journals Iho Ayo/ Mekgolokwane/Ululations/Festschrift: Dedicated to Prof David Tuesday Adamo, the Decoloniser of Old Testament Studies in Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Madipoane Masenya
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
African Continent ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Biblical Hermeneutics ◽  
Biblical Scholarship ◽  
Research Publications ◽  
Curriculum Vitae ◽  
The Voice

A powerful voice from the Western part of the continent of Africa! A voice that could be heard not only through the presence of its owner at our annual Old Testament Society of South Africa (OTSSA) meetings but also more importantly, for the purpose of this introduction, in several issues of Old Testament Essays (OTE), one of our prestigious journals locally and continentally. It is the journal that now contains the ululations (read: Festschrift) to honour this voice. This is the voice of none other than one of our very own Nigerian African Old Testament scholar, Professor David Tuesday Adamo. He is one of the key scholars who have made important contributions to the field of African Biblical Hermeneutics. Adamo's refreshing voice, given the American and Eurocentric training and orientation which have shaped and continue to shape biblical scholarship on the African continent, has been loud and clear. Adamo's persuasion that there is African presence in the Christian Scriptures, that is, both in the Hebrew Bible and in the Second Testament, has been felt, as will also become evident from the essays contained in this special issue and his curriculum vitae as well as in his numerous research publications including his books and journal articles.

scholarly journals Ruminating on Justin S. Ukpong’s inculturation hermeneutics and its implications for the study of African Biblical Hermeneutics today

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Madipoane Masenya
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Biblical Text ◽  
African Continent ◽  
Biblical Hermeneutics ◽  
Late Professor ◽  
The Past ◽  
Biblical Scholarship

In African biblical scholarship, the concept of inculturation hermeneutics has come to be almost, if not always, linked to the late Professor Justin S. Ukpong, the Nigerian New Testament scholar. In inculturation hermeneutics, argued Ukpong, the past of the biblical text is not supposed to be studied as an end in itself, but as a means to an end. Ukpong (2002) could thus argue: ‘Thus in inculturation hermeneutics, the past collapses into the present, and exegesis fuses with hermeneutics’ (p. 18). What does Ukpong’s concept of inculturation hermeneutics actually entail? Which implications does his notion of the fusion of exegesis and hermeneutics have for the theory and praxis of African Biblical Hermeneutics particularly on the African continent today? The preceding questions will be engaged with in this article.

scholarly journals James Alfred Loader: ’n Huldeblyk aan ’n krities-solidêre profeet in die eties-teologiese tradisie/James Alfred Loader: A tribute to a critical-solidary prophet in the ethical theological tradition

2013 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andries G. Van Aarde ◽  
Yolanda Dreyer
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Personal Data ◽  
Honorary Doctorate ◽  
University Of Pretoria ◽  
Curriculum Vitae ◽  
Comprehensive Curriculum ◽  
The University ◽  
Theologische Fakultät

This article is the introduction to the James Alfred Loader Dedication. It consists of a tribute to Professor Loader’s academic contribution to Old Testament, Middle-Eastern religio-literary studies and the Rabbinical background of the Old- and New Testament. The article is modelled after the tribute published in German in the annual publication of the Evangelisch-Theologische Fakultät Wien (Vienna, Austria) due to the honorary doctorate conferred on Professor Loader by the University of Pretoria (South Africa) in 2009. The tribute is combined with a comprehensive curriculum vitae, in part written in German, Afrikaans and English, and consisting of referencing Professor Loader’s personal data, his role as minister of religion, his academic awards, participation in scholarly societies, professional academic positions, academic reviewing, editorial activity, presentation of academic papers and a list of publications.

scholarly journals Understanding the Role of the Exodus in the Institutionalization and Dismantling of Apartheid: Considering the Paradox of Justice and Injustice in the Exodus

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 605
Author(s):  
Masiiwa Ragies Gunda
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
African Continent ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Common Assumption ◽  
Photographic Record ◽  
Guiding Principle ◽  
The World ◽  
The Common

The Exodus played an explicit and implicit role in sustaining the policy and practice of apartheid in South Africa and in various other places that went through the pains of colonization. Interestingly, the same Exodus also played a central part in the resistance to and the subsequent dismantling of the apartheid policy and practice in South Africa. That readers on both sides of the divide found solace in the Exodus was put down to the common assumption that guided both parties. The assumption of historicity caused the Exodus to be read as if it were a photographic record of what happened and the experience of oppression and discrimination by the readers assigned the Exodus a historical status for speaking to a historical situation. The assumption of historicity was central in the destructive uses of the Exodus thereby creating a cycle of oppressed–oppressors across the African continent, as groups took turns to seek out their own advantage. An assumption of justice was proposed as an alternative guiding principle through which justice for all, in line with pivotal events of the Old Testament, can be realized in the world.

scholarly journals Deus ex Machina? Religious texts, spiritual capital and inequalities: In continuation of a current debate (a response to colleague Farisani)

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christo Lombaard
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Annual Conference ◽  
Biblical Hermeneutics ◽  
Spiritual Capital ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Conference Theme

Often, theological debates stand in the tension between idealist and realist perspectives. This is true too of a discussion in which I have participated on the Africanisation or contextualisation or relevance of the Bible in (South) Africa. In this debate I have at times been cast as being opposed to such Africanisation or contextualisation or relevance. Such criticism is mistaken. I am, however, critical of too idealistic views on the ways in which Old Testament research can impact African problems. In an interdisciplinary manner, the sociological concept of spiritual capital proves useful in illustrating my view. With this, I hope to be understood correctly and, more importantly, to contribute to greater realism concerning the relationship between research and societal problems. In that way, the Africanisation or contextualisation or relevance of the Bible in (South) Africa can become a greater reality. This is of increased importance in the post-secular time frame in which we currently find ourselves, in which the role of religion in the public sphere is again finding greater acceptance rather than being side-lined. On all counts, thus, the plight of the marginalised may be better served. Such broader acceptance of religion also demands that Bible scholarship takes full cognisance of the societal processes through which such upliftment can occur in reality. Therefore, en route to publication, this contribution is presented for critical consideration in three intellectual fora:��The Religious and Spiritual Capital session, XVIIIth International Sociological Association World Congress of Sociology (conference theme: �Facing an unequal world�), Yokohama, Japan, 13�19 July 2014.� The Old Testament Society of South Africa Annual Conference (conference theme: �Studying the Old Testament in South Africa, from 1994 to 2014 and beyond�), University of Johannesburg, 03�05 September 2014.� The Research Day of the Department of Biblical and Ancient Studies, University of South Africa, 25 September 2014, at which colleague E. Farisani�s University of South Africa inaugural lecture of 03 September 2013, �Dispelling myths about African biblical hermeneutics: The role of current trends in African biblical hermeneutics in the post-apartheid South Africa� was re-presented as �Current trends and patterns in African Biblical Hermeneutics in postapartheid South Africa: Myth or Fact?� for the purpose of critical discussion.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The intersection of Theology and Sociology adds concrete avenues for furthering the cause of the Africanisation of Biblical Studies.

scholarly journals Professor David Tuesday Adamo's Biblical Scholarship on Women: Reflections from an African-South African Mosadi

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Madipoane Masenya
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Biblical Studies ◽  
Woman Question ◽  
Concerted Effort ◽  
Biblical Hermeneutics ◽  
Biblical Scholarship ◽  
The Subject

One of the prolific writers in the discipline of African Biblical Hermeneutics is the Nigerian Old Testament (OT) scholar, Professor Tuesday David Adamo. In his tireless efforts to unlock the OT reality for African contexts, persuaded by his commitment to decolonise the subject of Biblical Studies, Adamo has made successful efforts to reflect on the African presence in the Old Testament. The present study seeks to engage Adamo's concept of African Biblical hermeneutics in order to investigate whether the author sufficiently discussed the theme of gender in his discourses. This research attempts to respond to the following two main questions in view of Adamo's discourses: (1) In Adamo's concerted effort of confirming the presence of Africa and Africans in the Hebrew Bible, does the woman question feature? (2) If so, how does Adamo navigate the question?

scholarly journals Narratology and Orality in African Biblical Hermeneutics: Reading the story of Naboth's vineyard and Jehu's revolution in light of Intsomi yamaXhosa

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ndikho Mtshiselwa
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Black People ◽  
Biblical Interpretation ◽  
Oral Literature ◽  
Biblical Hermeneutics ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Biblical Scholarship ◽  
Indigenous Knowledge System ◽  
Economic Function

On the issue of methodology, oral literature has been decisive in the interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in Africa. For instance, Madipoane Masenya (ngwan�a Mphahlele) convincingly employed the folktale of the �Rabbit and the Lion� in her interpretation of the Bible. That Narratology and Orality in African Biblical Hermeneutics is a rarely researched area within biblical scholarship provides room for further studies in this area. This article argues that the reading of the Deuteronomistic story of Naboth�s vineyard and Jehu�s revolution in the light of Intsomi yamaXhosa [the folktale of the Xhosa people] illustrates how biblical interpretation in Africa could be informed by Orality and Narratology. This article examines the light that the socio-economic function of the story of Naboth�s vineyard and Jehu�s revolution would throw on the function of the folktale of Intsimi yeenyamakazana, and vice versa. Furthermore, the present article probes the socio-economic implications that can be drawn from biblical and Xhosa Orality and Narratology for post-apartheid South Africa.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article draws on the indigenous knowledge system, namely Xhosa Narratology and Orality, to interpret Old Testament texts with a view to offering liberating socio-economic possibilities for poor black people in South Africa.

scholarly journals Professor David Tuesday Adamo's Biblical Scholarship on Women: Reflections from an African-South African Mosadi

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Madipoane Masenya
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Biblical Studies ◽  
African Woman ◽  
Woman Question ◽  
Concerted Effort ◽  
Biblical Hermeneutics ◽  
Biblical Scholarship ◽  
The Subject

ABSTRACT One of the prolific writers in the discipline of African Biblical Hermeneutics is the Nigerian Old Testament (OT) scholar, Professor Tuesday David Adamo. In his tireless efforts to unlock the OT reality for African contexts, persuaded by his commitment to decolonise the subject of Biblical Studies, Adamo has made successful efforts to reflect on the African presence in the Old Testament. The present study seeks to engage Adamo's concept of African Biblical hermeneutics in order to investigate whether the author sufficiently discussed the theme of gender in his discourses. This research attempts to respond to the following two main questions in view of Adamo's discourses: (1) In Adamo's concerted effort of confirming the presence of Africa and Africans in the Hebrew Bible, does the woman question feature? (2) If so, how does Adamo navigate the question? Keywords: Adamo; African Biblical Hermeneutics; African Woman; Bosadi; Hebrew Bible/Old Testament; Wife.

Spinoza and Biblical Philology in the Dutch Republic, 1660-1710

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jetze Touber
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
Dutch Republic ◽  
Biblical Criticism ◽  
Ecclesiastical History ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Biblical Scholarship ◽  
Dutch Golden Age

This book investigates the biblical criticism of Spinoza from the perspective of the Dutch Reformed society in which the philosopher lived and worked. It focusses on philological investigation of the Bible: its words, its language, and the historical context in which it originated. The book charts contested issues of biblical philology in mainstream Dutch Calvinism, to determine whether Spinoza’s work on the Bible had any bearing on the Reformed understanding of the way society should engage with Scripture. Spinoza has received massive attention, both inside and outside academia. His unconventional interpretation of the Old Testament passages has been examined repeatedly over the decades. So has that of fellow ‘radicals’ (rationalists, radicals, deists, libertines, enthusiasts), against the backdrop of a society that is assumed to have been hostile, overwhelmed, static, and uniform. This book inverts this perspective and looks at how the Dutch Republic digested biblical philology and biblical criticism, including that of Spinoza. It takes into account the highly neglected area of the Reformed ministry and theology of the Dutch Golden Age. The result is that Dutch ecclesiastical history, up until now the preserve of the partisan scholarship of confessionalized church historians, is brought into dialogue with Early Modern intellectual currents. This book concludes that Spinoza, rather than simply pushing biblical scholarship in the direction of modernity, acted in an indirect way upon ongoing debates in Dutch society, shifting trends in those debates, but not always in the same direction, and not always equally profoundly, at all times, on all levels.

Hearing the ‘Voice’ of the Niphal: A Response to Ellen van Wolde

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-308
Author(s):  
Ethan C. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
External Argument ◽  
Middle Voice ◽  
External Agent ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Previous Volume

This article responds to the innovative and stimulating research by Ellen van Wolde in a previous volume of Journal for the Study of the Old Testament. She claims that the Niphal is middle voice and can be passive, ‘if (and only if) an external argument, coded as an external Agent, is present’. My research however, demonstrates that such a description of the passive is both inadequate in view of the world’s languages and incongruent with Niphal. In addition, my response lays bare how such a prescription of the middle voice to the Niphal in the Hebrew Bible is circulus probando and unconvincing.

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