The depiction of Cain and his descendants in the Genesis 4 narrative aligns with the key
characte... more The depiction of Cain and his descendants in the Genesis 4 narrative aligns with the key characteristics of psychopathy and its hereditary nature. The purpose of this study is to examine whether this narrative reflects our current understanding of psychopathy. Cleckley’s description of the best-known traits of psychopathy includes a lack of conscience, empathy and social controls, which ultimately lead to deviant antisocial and criminal behaviour. These traits can be seen in Cain’s murder of Abel, as well as in his reaction when confronted. They may have also been present in his descendants, such as Lamech and those involved in the implied prostitution of Naäma. In this study, the narrative characters are assessed using Robert Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist: Shortened Version, which is examined within the context of Cleckley’s observations and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th Edition (DSM-V). The mark of Cain and the Kenites, as well as their nomadic existence at the fringe of the desert, are also explained, as well as how society safeguarded itself by setting strong boundaries.
Paul’s calling presents a conundrum to which many have proposed varied solutions. Not
trying to s... more Paul’s calling presents a conundrum to which many have proposed varied solutions. Not trying to solve the conundrum in toto, this study investigates the existential dynamics of Paul’s calling as narrated to the Galatians within the context of their apostasy. The model used is Heidegger’s understanding of conscience as a call towards authenticity and away from inauthenticity. Rhetorical analysis assists in identifying Paul’s new understanding of authenticity, by analysing the propositio, especially its expositio, which contains soteriological peculiar existential first-person singular expressions. Paul’s preaching of his gospel and his letter to the Galatians are in turn also to them, a call to authenticity and away from inauthenticity. His preaching thus resembles the phenomenological idea of conscience. Thus, Paul’s gospel cannot be separated from his calling. Both are about the same understanding of authenticity. It is at the same time a new self-understanding: to have been crucified with Christ and therefore Christ living in him and the faithful (Gl 2:19–20). This is a concise formula of soteriology as symbolised in baptism. Such calling is never completed: it remains a dynamic process, a tension and movement between authenticity and inauthenticity. This is reflected in the Galatian apostasy and Paul’s letter calling them back to authenticity. The study underlines the crucial importance of soteriology for kerygma and baptism, but especially for understanding a person’s call to faith or ministry.
The central themes of Jesus’ preaching, the kingdom and household of God, are root metaphors expr... more The central themes of Jesus’ preaching, the kingdom and household of God, are root metaphors expressing the symbolic universe of God’s patronage subverting patronage and patriarchy structuring contemporary Mediterranean society, thus legitimising an anti-hierarchical community of faith. This dominant focus of Jesus’ message was discarded, as society’s prevalent patronage and patriarchy became the societal structure of the later faith communities. Today, patronage and patriarchy still forms the social structure for a large sector of Christian communities and many cultures, resulting in inequality, injustice, exploitation and suffering. This article proposes that the only remedy for the faithful is a return to Jesus’ essential message, by investigating the social dynamics suggested by these root metaphors using metaphor theory and social scientific methods. Patronage is studied within contemporary Roman and Mediterranean aristocratic patriarchal society, forming an a-typical broad-bas...
The ‘Hervormde’ blend of Barthian view of Scripture leads to a specifically nuanced concept of bi... more The ‘Hervormde’ blend of Barthian view of Scripture leads to a specifically nuanced concept of biblical truth. Biblical truth is neither knowledge, dogma or faith propositions, nor historical, scientific or geographical truth. Biblical truth is a Person, sharing in dialogue with humanity regarding a relationship of God for humanity. Biblical truth is relational and metaphorical. Its imperatives are demythologisation, and ideological and cultural critique. This concept of truth is in contrast to the truth concept of most church members, because of their literal and often fundamentalist views of Scripture. In order to convey understanding of the truth concept, the ‘Hervormde’ view of Scripture should be discussed with them. A confession should be formulated for post-modern believers.
This article constitutes a summary of the development of a unique Barthian blend of Reformed Scri... more This article constitutes a summary of the development of a unique Barthian blend of Reformed Scripture view by theologians of the faculty of the Netherdutch (Hervormde) Church of Africa. The influence of Barth’s Scripture view is discussed according to central themes which were further developed, namely Word of God, revelation, faith, inspiration, authority of Scripture and the relation of the Old to the New Testament, and how these developed. The article concludes that the ‘Hervormde’ blend of Barthian view of Scripture is a gem to be treasured and guarded against un-Reformed authoritarian fundamentalism and foundationalism.
The development in Ricoeur’s concept of time did not receive as much attention as his move from e... more The development in Ricoeur’s concept of time did not receive as much attention as his move from eidetic to hermeneutic phenomenology and his Time and Narrative, with which it coincided. This paper attends to the lacuna, specifically departing from Ricoeur’s Husserlian eidetics and moving towards the influence of Augustine’s discussion of the main aporias of time. Initially, Paul Ricoeur’s philosophic approach can be described as a Husserlian eidetic phenomenology, which influenced the way in which he understood time. This changed somewhat when Ricoeur moved from eidetic to hermeneutic phenomenology. Ricoeur has developed his understanding of the concept of time since his initial writings up to the end of his academic career of 70 years. This article focusses on Ricoeur’s initial eidetic approach in Freedom and Nature and, in more existential terms, in Fallible man, but also focusses on the initial phase of his turn to hermeneutics in Volume 1 of Time and Narrative with his expositi...
Since Jean Paul Gustav Ricoeur’s passing away in 2005, there has been a significant international... more Since Jean Paul Gustav Ricoeur’s passing away in 2005, there has been a significant international resurgence of interest in his work. Coming to grips with the sheer extent of Ricoeur’s publications on a variety of subjects can leave one thoroughly perplexed. This is also true when investigating his views on myth and demythologisation. Numerous of his publications expound from various perspectives his insights on myth and its interpretation. This investigation proposes to bring together Ricoeur’s extensive contributions on myth, its interpretation and demythologisation in order to present them in condensed form. This will pave the way for a future follow-up study to compare Ricoeur’s perspectives to Bultmann’s demythologisation program and consider combining their contributions for theological hermeneutics.Keywords: myth; demythologising; Ricoeur; Bultmann; hermeneutics
A previous article investigated Ricoeur’s stance on myth and demythologising. The intersection of... more A previous article investigated Ricoeur’s stance on myth and demythologising. The intersection of Ricoeur and Bultmann’s work in this field was noted and a future comparison was envisaged with a view to a possible merger. This study is a follow-up and proposes a way in which Ricoeur and Bultmann’s views on myth and demythologisation can be merged in order to gain a broader approach to the understanding of myth and the concept of demythologising. As Ricoeur’s understanding of myth was influenced by literary criticism, Bultmann’s definition of myth is viewed through the lens of literary criticism, before turning to a comparison with Ricoeur’s views. A comparison of their ideas on demythologisation follows. Sociology of knowledge forms the last lens through which a possible merger of their approaches is contemplated.Keywords: myth; demythologisation; Ricoeur; Bultmann; simbolic universe
Modern Christianity has failed to update its myths and has even eliminated them, thus, excluding ... more Modern Christianity has failed to update its myths and has even eliminated them, thus, excluding the metaphysical experience indispensable to religion (Jung). Myths should be interpreted, not eliminated. Answering the question about how to interpret myths without eliminating them or their intended effect is the object of this paper. The study investigates the possibility of interpreting myths as metaphors, thus, in a non-literal way. Various definitions of metaphor and myth, and theories for their interpretation are discussed, with focus on their relationship to symbolic universes. Finally, a non-mythical symbolic universe structured by root-metaphors is suggested as a framework for the existential interpretation of mythical concepts in the New Testament.Keywords: myth; metaphor; conceptual metaphor; root metaphor; hermeneutics; existential interpretation; demythologising
New Testament scholars have for centuries posited different solutions to the Synoptic Problem. Re... more New Testament scholars have for centuries posited different solutions to the Synoptic Problem. Recently a new solution was proposed. Mogens Müller applies Geza Vermes’s term rewritten Bible to the canonical gospels. Accepting Markan priority, he views Matthew as rewritten Mark, Luke as rewritten Matthew, and John as additional source. This article examines Müller’s hypothesis by first investigating the history of the controversial term rewritten Bible/Scripture and its recent application to the New Testament Gospels. Müller’s hypothesis is then compared to other solutions to the Synoptic Problem, such as the Augustine, Griesbach, and Farrer-Goulder Hypotheses. The Two Document Hypothesis is discussed and Müller’s 2nd century Luke theory is compared to Burton Mack’s almost similar stance and tested with the argument of synoptic intertextuality in view of the possible but improbable early second century date for Matthew. Lastly, the relationship between the synoptic Gospels is viewed ...
Reality confronts theologians with the fact that they themselves and believers across the world r... more Reality confronts theologians with the fact that they themselves and believers across the world read and interpret the Bible in diverse ways. Understanding the reason for this is part of the solution. The essence of the problem is that the quest for meaning is an unending journey with frequent ravines to cross. Invariably, a linguistic, historical, cultural and social chasm opens up between current readers of Biblical texts and the cultural, as well as historically layered, settings in which the documents originated. This review article is a discussion of the ways in which several authors approach the Bible from their different theological vantage points and from different fields of application. It assesses the way in which they understand this problem and how they see a solution. An assessment is made from the historical-literary and social-scientific approach to biblical texts, as practiced in the Netherdutch Reformed Church in Africa. Solutions suggested and applied in this situa...
The depiction of Cain and his descendants in the Genesis 4 narrative aligns with the key
characte... more The depiction of Cain and his descendants in the Genesis 4 narrative aligns with the key characteristics of psychopathy and its hereditary nature. The purpose of this study is to examine whether this narrative reflects our current understanding of psychopathy. Cleckley’s description of the best-known traits of psychopathy includes a lack of conscience, empathy and social controls, which ultimately lead to deviant antisocial and criminal behaviour. These traits can be seen in Cain’s murder of Abel, as well as in his reaction when confronted. They may have also been present in his descendants, such as Lamech and those involved in the implied prostitution of Naäma. In this study, the narrative characters are assessed using Robert Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist: Shortened Version, which is examined within the context of Cleckley’s observations and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th Edition (DSM-V). The mark of Cain and the Kenites, as well as their nomadic existence at the fringe of the desert, are also explained, as well as how society safeguarded itself by setting strong boundaries.
Paul’s calling presents a conundrum to which many have proposed varied solutions. Not
trying to s... more Paul’s calling presents a conundrum to which many have proposed varied solutions. Not trying to solve the conundrum in toto, this study investigates the existential dynamics of Paul’s calling as narrated to the Galatians within the context of their apostasy. The model used is Heidegger’s understanding of conscience as a call towards authenticity and away from inauthenticity. Rhetorical analysis assists in identifying Paul’s new understanding of authenticity, by analysing the propositio, especially its expositio, which contains soteriological peculiar existential first-person singular expressions. Paul’s preaching of his gospel and his letter to the Galatians are in turn also to them, a call to authenticity and away from inauthenticity. His preaching thus resembles the phenomenological idea of conscience. Thus, Paul’s gospel cannot be separated from his calling. Both are about the same understanding of authenticity. It is at the same time a new self-understanding: to have been crucified with Christ and therefore Christ living in him and the faithful (Gl 2:19–20). This is a concise formula of soteriology as symbolised in baptism. Such calling is never completed: it remains a dynamic process, a tension and movement between authenticity and inauthenticity. This is reflected in the Galatian apostasy and Paul’s letter calling them back to authenticity. The study underlines the crucial importance of soteriology for kerygma and baptism, but especially for understanding a person’s call to faith or ministry.
The central themes of Jesus’ preaching, the kingdom and household of God, are root metaphors expr... more The central themes of Jesus’ preaching, the kingdom and household of God, are root metaphors expressing the symbolic universe of God’s patronage subverting patronage and patriarchy structuring contemporary Mediterranean society, thus legitimising an anti-hierarchical community of faith. This dominant focus of Jesus’ message was discarded, as society’s prevalent patronage and patriarchy became the societal structure of the later faith communities. Today, patronage and patriarchy still forms the social structure for a large sector of Christian communities and many cultures, resulting in inequality, injustice, exploitation and suffering. This article proposes that the only remedy for the faithful is a return to Jesus’ essential message, by investigating the social dynamics suggested by these root metaphors using metaphor theory and social scientific methods. Patronage is studied within contemporary Roman and Mediterranean aristocratic patriarchal society, forming an a-typical broad-bas...
The ‘Hervormde’ blend of Barthian view of Scripture leads to a specifically nuanced concept of bi... more The ‘Hervormde’ blend of Barthian view of Scripture leads to a specifically nuanced concept of biblical truth. Biblical truth is neither knowledge, dogma or faith propositions, nor historical, scientific or geographical truth. Biblical truth is a Person, sharing in dialogue with humanity regarding a relationship of God for humanity. Biblical truth is relational and metaphorical. Its imperatives are demythologisation, and ideological and cultural critique. This concept of truth is in contrast to the truth concept of most church members, because of their literal and often fundamentalist views of Scripture. In order to convey understanding of the truth concept, the ‘Hervormde’ view of Scripture should be discussed with them. A confession should be formulated for post-modern believers.
This article constitutes a summary of the development of a unique Barthian blend of Reformed Scri... more This article constitutes a summary of the development of a unique Barthian blend of Reformed Scripture view by theologians of the faculty of the Netherdutch (Hervormde) Church of Africa. The influence of Barth’s Scripture view is discussed according to central themes which were further developed, namely Word of God, revelation, faith, inspiration, authority of Scripture and the relation of the Old to the New Testament, and how these developed. The article concludes that the ‘Hervormde’ blend of Barthian view of Scripture is a gem to be treasured and guarded against un-Reformed authoritarian fundamentalism and foundationalism.
The development in Ricoeur’s concept of time did not receive as much attention as his move from e... more The development in Ricoeur’s concept of time did not receive as much attention as his move from eidetic to hermeneutic phenomenology and his Time and Narrative, with which it coincided. This paper attends to the lacuna, specifically departing from Ricoeur’s Husserlian eidetics and moving towards the influence of Augustine’s discussion of the main aporias of time. Initially, Paul Ricoeur’s philosophic approach can be described as a Husserlian eidetic phenomenology, which influenced the way in which he understood time. This changed somewhat when Ricoeur moved from eidetic to hermeneutic phenomenology. Ricoeur has developed his understanding of the concept of time since his initial writings up to the end of his academic career of 70 years. This article focusses on Ricoeur’s initial eidetic approach in Freedom and Nature and, in more existential terms, in Fallible man, but also focusses on the initial phase of his turn to hermeneutics in Volume 1 of Time and Narrative with his expositi...
Since Jean Paul Gustav Ricoeur’s passing away in 2005, there has been a significant international... more Since Jean Paul Gustav Ricoeur’s passing away in 2005, there has been a significant international resurgence of interest in his work. Coming to grips with the sheer extent of Ricoeur’s publications on a variety of subjects can leave one thoroughly perplexed. This is also true when investigating his views on myth and demythologisation. Numerous of his publications expound from various perspectives his insights on myth and its interpretation. This investigation proposes to bring together Ricoeur’s extensive contributions on myth, its interpretation and demythologisation in order to present them in condensed form. This will pave the way for a future follow-up study to compare Ricoeur’s perspectives to Bultmann’s demythologisation program and consider combining their contributions for theological hermeneutics.Keywords: myth; demythologising; Ricoeur; Bultmann; hermeneutics
A previous article investigated Ricoeur’s stance on myth and demythologising. The intersection of... more A previous article investigated Ricoeur’s stance on myth and demythologising. The intersection of Ricoeur and Bultmann’s work in this field was noted and a future comparison was envisaged with a view to a possible merger. This study is a follow-up and proposes a way in which Ricoeur and Bultmann’s views on myth and demythologisation can be merged in order to gain a broader approach to the understanding of myth and the concept of demythologising. As Ricoeur’s understanding of myth was influenced by literary criticism, Bultmann’s definition of myth is viewed through the lens of literary criticism, before turning to a comparison with Ricoeur’s views. A comparison of their ideas on demythologisation follows. Sociology of knowledge forms the last lens through which a possible merger of their approaches is contemplated.Keywords: myth; demythologisation; Ricoeur; Bultmann; simbolic universe
Modern Christianity has failed to update its myths and has even eliminated them, thus, excluding ... more Modern Christianity has failed to update its myths and has even eliminated them, thus, excluding the metaphysical experience indispensable to religion (Jung). Myths should be interpreted, not eliminated. Answering the question about how to interpret myths without eliminating them or their intended effect is the object of this paper. The study investigates the possibility of interpreting myths as metaphors, thus, in a non-literal way. Various definitions of metaphor and myth, and theories for their interpretation are discussed, with focus on their relationship to symbolic universes. Finally, a non-mythical symbolic universe structured by root-metaphors is suggested as a framework for the existential interpretation of mythical concepts in the New Testament.Keywords: myth; metaphor; conceptual metaphor; root metaphor; hermeneutics; existential interpretation; demythologising
New Testament scholars have for centuries posited different solutions to the Synoptic Problem. Re... more New Testament scholars have for centuries posited different solutions to the Synoptic Problem. Recently a new solution was proposed. Mogens Müller applies Geza Vermes’s term rewritten Bible to the canonical gospels. Accepting Markan priority, he views Matthew as rewritten Mark, Luke as rewritten Matthew, and John as additional source. This article examines Müller’s hypothesis by first investigating the history of the controversial term rewritten Bible/Scripture and its recent application to the New Testament Gospels. Müller’s hypothesis is then compared to other solutions to the Synoptic Problem, such as the Augustine, Griesbach, and Farrer-Goulder Hypotheses. The Two Document Hypothesis is discussed and Müller’s 2nd century Luke theory is compared to Burton Mack’s almost similar stance and tested with the argument of synoptic intertextuality in view of the possible but improbable early second century date for Matthew. Lastly, the relationship between the synoptic Gospels is viewed ...
Reality confronts theologians with the fact that they themselves and believers across the world r... more Reality confronts theologians with the fact that they themselves and believers across the world read and interpret the Bible in diverse ways. Understanding the reason for this is part of the solution. The essence of the problem is that the quest for meaning is an unending journey with frequent ravines to cross. Invariably, a linguistic, historical, cultural and social chasm opens up between current readers of Biblical texts and the cultural, as well as historically layered, settings in which the documents originated. This review article is a discussion of the ways in which several authors approach the Bible from their different theological vantage points and from different fields of application. It assesses the way in which they understand this problem and how they see a solution. An assessment is made from the historical-literary and social-scientific approach to biblical texts, as practiced in the Netherdutch Reformed Church in Africa. Solutions suggested and applied in this situa...
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Papers by Gert Malan
characteristics of psychopathy and its hereditary nature. The purpose of this study is to
examine whether this narrative reflects our current understanding of psychopathy. Cleckley’s
description of the best-known traits of psychopathy includes a lack of conscience, empathy
and social controls, which ultimately lead to deviant antisocial and criminal behaviour. These
traits can be seen in Cain’s murder of Abel, as well as in his reaction when confronted. They
may have also been present in his descendants, such as Lamech and those involved in the
implied prostitution of Naäma. In this study, the narrative characters are assessed using Robert
Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist: Shortened Version, which is examined within the context of
Cleckley’s observations and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th Edition (DSM-V). The
mark of Cain and the Kenites, as well as their nomadic existence at the fringe of the desert, are
also explained, as well as how society safeguarded itself by setting strong boundaries.
trying to solve the conundrum in toto, this study investigates the existential dynamics of
Paul’s calling as narrated to the Galatians within the context of their apostasy. The model
used is Heidegger’s understanding of conscience as a call towards authenticity and away
from inauthenticity. Rhetorical analysis assists in identifying Paul’s new understanding of
authenticity, by analysing the propositio, especially its expositio, which contains soteriological
peculiar existential first-person singular expressions. Paul’s preaching of his gospel and
his letter to the Galatians are in turn also to them, a call to authenticity and away from
inauthenticity. His preaching thus resembles the phenomenological idea of conscience.
Thus, Paul’s gospel cannot be separated from his calling. Both are about the same
understanding of authenticity. It is at the same time a new self-understanding: to have
been crucified with Christ and therefore Christ living in him and the faithful (Gl 2:19–20).
This is a concise formula of soteriology as symbolised in baptism. Such calling is never
completed: it remains a dynamic process, a tension and movement between authenticity
and inauthenticity. This is reflected in the Galatian apostasy and Paul’s letter calling them
back to authenticity. The study underlines the crucial importance of soteriology for
kerygma and baptism, but especially for understanding a person’s call to faith or ministry.
characteristics of psychopathy and its hereditary nature. The purpose of this study is to
examine whether this narrative reflects our current understanding of psychopathy. Cleckley’s
description of the best-known traits of psychopathy includes a lack of conscience, empathy
and social controls, which ultimately lead to deviant antisocial and criminal behaviour. These
traits can be seen in Cain’s murder of Abel, as well as in his reaction when confronted. They
may have also been present in his descendants, such as Lamech and those involved in the
implied prostitution of Naäma. In this study, the narrative characters are assessed using Robert
Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist: Shortened Version, which is examined within the context of
Cleckley’s observations and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th Edition (DSM-V). The
mark of Cain and the Kenites, as well as their nomadic existence at the fringe of the desert, are
also explained, as well as how society safeguarded itself by setting strong boundaries.
trying to solve the conundrum in toto, this study investigates the existential dynamics of
Paul’s calling as narrated to the Galatians within the context of their apostasy. The model
used is Heidegger’s understanding of conscience as a call towards authenticity and away
from inauthenticity. Rhetorical analysis assists in identifying Paul’s new understanding of
authenticity, by analysing the propositio, especially its expositio, which contains soteriological
peculiar existential first-person singular expressions. Paul’s preaching of his gospel and
his letter to the Galatians are in turn also to them, a call to authenticity and away from
inauthenticity. His preaching thus resembles the phenomenological idea of conscience.
Thus, Paul’s gospel cannot be separated from his calling. Both are about the same
understanding of authenticity. It is at the same time a new self-understanding: to have
been crucified with Christ and therefore Christ living in him and the faithful (Gl 2:19–20).
This is a concise formula of soteriology as symbolised in baptism. Such calling is never
completed: it remains a dynamic process, a tension and movement between authenticity
and inauthenticity. This is reflected in the Galatian apostasy and Paul’s letter calling them
back to authenticity. The study underlines the crucial importance of soteriology for
kerygma and baptism, but especially for understanding a person’s call to faith or ministry.