Faculty of Theology
Department of New Testament Studies
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
Theological contemplation in Africa today, after the colonial period, has entered into a creative phase of seeking an identity. The current trend in theological thinking is to reflect contextually from grassroots level. A centrally important question is how and where the Bible - as an authorative source of revelation - should function within this contextualising reality. With a 'hermeneutic of relevance' an effort is made to find a meaningful and motivated position for the Bible in the midst of a contextualising theological framework, which 'thinks from the bottom up'. A monograph, entitled How to read the Bible in Africa, makes concrete suggestions on how to deal with the Scriptures within Africa's burgeoning theological thinking.
Teologiese nadenke in Afrika, na die periode van kolonialisme, is tans in 'n kreatiewe en identiteitsoekende fase. Die basiese tendens is nou om kontekstualiserend van grondvlak af teologies te reflekteer. 'n Sentraal belangrike vraag is hoe en waar die Bybel - as outoritatiewe openbaringsbron - binne hierdie kontekstualiserende werklikheid moet funksioneer. Met 'n 'hermeneutiek van relevansie' word daar gepoog om 'n betekenisvolle en gemotiveerde plek vir die Bybel te vind te midde van 'n kontekstualiserende teologiese raamwerk wat 'van onder af' dink. 'n Monografie getitel How to read the Bible in Africa maak konkrete voorstelle vir die hantering van die Skrif in die ontluikende teologiese nadenke in Afrika.
Contact person: Prof JG van der Watt.
Research on the theories of Biblical interpretation in present-day terms explore strategies of interpreting the Bible from the situation of previous colonised peolple. Although now accommodated in a liberated context, they find themselves in a situation where new imperial powers such as the USA as well as previous colonial powers still exercise control over their past political victims by means of global ecnonomy, military and cultural superiority. Biblical texts are historically considered to be both the products of people who were subjected to the exploitation of Middle-Eastern and Graeco-Roman super powers.
Research on ancient myths focused on the myth's function as model for social behaviour. The research was applied to the heroic myth of the child-god Jesus in an apocryphal gospel, the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. This ancient document portrays Jesus as a wonderworker who performed miracles as a child. The research illustrates a connection between the myth of the child-god and societal expectations of children in Graeco-Roman literature.
Contact person: Prof AG van Aarde.
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