- 100 Deo Exulto
10 Celery Street
Annlin
0082
Pretoria
South Africa - +27720247134
- North-West University, Humanities (Vaal Triangle Campus), Faculty Memberadd
- Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Philosophy Of Religion, ancient Israelite religion, Philosophical Theology, Book of Ecclesiastes, Old Testament Theology, and 87 moreSecular Biblical Criticism, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Continental Philosophy of Religion (Philosophy), Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Comparative Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom Literature, Biblical Studies, Religion, Religious Studies, Atheism, Philosophy, History of Religion, Hebrew Bible, Comparative Religion, Biblical Theology, Conceptual analysis, Ancient myth and religion, Metaphilosophy, History of Biblical Interpretation, Wisdom Literature, Israelite Religion, Reception of the Bible, OT Theology, Old Testament, History of Philosophy, Theology, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Ancient Israel, History of Religions, Qoheleth, Humanities, Ancient Near East, Bible, Historical Theology, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Ancient Religion, Old Testament Exegesis, History of Ideas, Analytic Philosophy, Continental Philosophy, Continental Philosophy of Religion (Theology), Research Methodology, Literature, Hermeneutics, Metaphysics, Fantasy Literature, Jewish Studies, Jewish Thought, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Second Temple Judaism, Ancient Judaism, Near Eastern Studies, Semitic languages, Comparative Religions, African Philosophy, Decolonization, Postmodernism, Literary Theory, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy Of Language, Wisdom, Biblical Wisdom literature, Ancient Greek Philosophy, Metaphysics of properties, Doctrine of God, Divinity, Critical Thinking, Second-Order Cybernetics, Metacognition, Concepts, History of concepts, Conceptual History, Reading, Research Methods and Methodology, Presuppositions, Logic, History of Metaphysics, Hebrew Language, Moral Philosophy, Ethics, Metaethics, Friedrich Nietzsche, Analytic Theology, and Don Cupittedit
- I am an associate research professor in Ancient Culture at North-West University, South Africa where I have been sinc... moreI am an associate research professor in Ancient Culture at North-West University, South Africa where I have been since 2008. Before that I did post-doctoral work in Germany (Duisburg-Essen) and at the University of Pretoria. I also graduated from the latter institution with a D Litt in Semitic Languages (2002) and a PhD in Old Testament (2004). I did not start my theological studies in 1994 with any of this in mind. But as I planned my days the days had other plans and on reaching the top of the ladder it turned out to be leaning against the wrong wall.
My current research interests can be divided into three categories:
1) Theoretical work involving developing and experimenting with new philosophical approaches to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, now limited to descriptive and comparative work showing how the world of the text does and does not relate to problems and perspectives in analytic and continental philosophy of religion
2) With reference to the history of interpretation, seeking to discover neglected and overlooked ways in which concepts, concerns and categories in philosophy of religion and philosophical theology have influenced and continue to influence the interpretation of the HB/OT, irrespective of whether one thinks of this positively or negatively
3. Reception-historical work looking at the ways philosophers of religion and philosophical theologians read and use HB/OT texts in relation to the various issues of interest in past and present forefront research
There are also two themes of interest my work has mostly been focussed on:
a) The concept of generic godhood in the HB, i.e. not the OT theological question of how YHWH is depicted only but what, given such depictions, what a god was assumed to be (and warranted by the use of the Hebrew common nouns in the text)
b) Wisdom literature, specifically the book of Qohelet (Ecclesiastes)
Though the themes of a) and b) are those I am most familiar with, in both cases the foci are correlated to the interests in 1) -3) above and the latter can and have been applied to other topics, texts and traditions in HB/OT interpretation (and in philosophy in general, e.g. in the writings of Nietzsche for example).
Though my approach is secular (a long and painful story), and while in the past I have done a lot of critical work, I enjoy interacting and corresponding with scholars of all interests and persuasions.
Most of my research is available in pdf form below except the three monographs.
I teach very little, partly due to my job profile requirements and institutional division of labour but have presented courses related to Greek thought and the West, the history of monotheism, OT hermeneutics, OT theology, Hebrew/Aramaic, Narratology, research ethics, on the concept of generic godhood in the HB and ancient Near East.
My initial research was geared since 2004 to contribute to a religious-philosophical turn in HB/OT studies as evident in my 2012, 2017 and 2020 monographs. These feature a trilogy: the first on the HB and philosophy of religion (SBL), the second on philosophical assumptions influencing ways of interpreting the question of what a god was assumed to be (in HB scholarship) (T & T Clark) and the first on how writing a philosophical theology of the OT has always been and is still possible (although perhaps not in the ways popularly conceived) (Routledge). Though I have also contributed to discussions on atheism and biblical scholarship, this has become a side interest only pursued on request (cf. the 2021 Cambridge Companion to the History of Atheism). I do, however, still contribute to related research in philosophy of religion proper.
An emergent concern of mine is the future of the field after the turn to religion in Continental philosophy, the birth of AI, the fourth Industrial revolution, the post-modern condition and the challenges of nihilism and poverty as occupational hazards. All this is, especially as I do it is somewhat of an anomaly and I do struggle with finding passion outside faith-based scholarship, the relevance of our field for very real socio-economic problems in the South African context, the lack of interest in our work in secular communities and the disdain for critical scholarship in conservative churches (without being able to blame anyone for feeling so).
The scholars who have influenced me most are probably James Barr, James Crenshaw, David Clines (in terms of writings) and many local and international colleagues in more ways than I could ever thank them for. I try to balance doing new things with high output but between that, a mild case of Tourette Syndrome (with comorbidities), the loss of faith, an INFP personality type (at least from the MB perspective) and other life events have all contributed to make me the OT scholar I am today. Not always sure where one fits in, but just want to do good wherever possible, however that may be understood (and within the limits of my life and language).edit
The aim of the conference is to critically investigate the paradigm of axial age and other theories that maintain that Second Order Thinking in the Mediterranean world only arose with classical Greek culture. We wish to discuss whether or... more
The aim of the conference is to critically investigate the paradigm of axial age and other theories that maintain that Second Order Thinking in the Mediterranean world only arose with classical Greek culture. We wish to discuss whether or not a kind of philosophical thinking was present before and concurrently with the Greeks in the cultures of ancient Egypt, Israel, and Mesopotamia, and if so, to determine the underlying systems that governed it. The conference schedule will include four main sections: (I) Philosophy and the Axial Age, (II) the discipline of Philosophy and the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East, (III) Epistemology, (IV) Ethics and Metaphysics.
Research Interests: Religion, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Comparative Religion, History, Ancient History, and 72 morePsychology, Egyptology, Comparative Literature, Hebrew Literature, Mythology, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy Of Language, Ethics, Epistemology, Philosophy of Science, Metaphilosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Humanities, Jewish Studies, Comparative Philosophy, History of Ideas, Languages and Linguistics, Near Eastern Studies, Theology, Semitic languages, Assyriology, History of Religion, Hebrew Language, Research Methodology, Historical Theology, Literature, Philosophical Theology, History of Science, Hebrew Bible, Critical Thinking, Psychology of Religion, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, History of concepts, Literary Theory, Metacognition, Pre-Socratic (Pre-Platonic) Philosophy, Ancient Religion, Eastern Philosophy, Biblical Theology, Doctrine of God, Jewish Thought, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Near East, Jewish Philosophy, Interpretation, Translation and Interpretation, Biblical Interpretation, Ancient Greek Philosophy, Bible, Ancient Mesopotamian Religions, Israelite Religion, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Sumerian & Akkadian literature, Wisdom Literature, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), History of Western Philosophy, Biblical Exegesis, Philosophical Methodology, Decolonial Thought, Religious Studies, Philosophy and Religion, Philosophie, Cogntive Science, Decolonization, Ancient Israel, Old Testament Studies, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and History of Philosophy
Dear Fellow SBL/AAR Scholars, I wanted to make you aware of the "Hebrew Bible and Philosophy" program unit which focuses on philosophical content in the biblical literature. You can find out more about this program unit and research in... more
Dear Fellow SBL/AAR Scholars,
I wanted to make you aware of the "Hebrew Bible and Philosophy" program unit which focuses on philosophical content in the biblical literature. You can find out more about this program unit and research in this field at our blog. In San Antonio, both sessions are on Monday, back-to-back. Please consider joining us and/or passing along this information to yours colleagues who might be interested.
I wanted to make you aware of the "Hebrew Bible and Philosophy" program unit which focuses on philosophical content in the biblical literature. You can find out more about this program unit and research in this field at our blog. In San Antonio, both sessions are on Monday, back-to-back. Please consider joining us and/or passing along this information to yours colleagues who might be interested.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Philosophy Of Religion, Philosophical Theology, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Biblical Theology, and 11 moreBiblical Interpretation, Literary Approaches to Biblical Studies, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Religious Studies, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Old Testament Studies, Old Testament Exegesis, Biblical Hermeneutics, Philsophical History and Constructive Theology, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and Old Testament Ethics
11/23/2015 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM Room: Inman (Atlanta Conference Level) – HyattTheme: Philosophical Criticism as a Form of Biblical Criticism Jaco Gericke, North-West University (South Africa) Analytic vs. Continental Varieties of... more
11/23/2015
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: Inman (Atlanta Conference Level) – HyattTheme: Philosophical Criticism as a Form of Biblical Criticism
Jaco Gericke, North-West University (South Africa)
Analytic vs. Continental Varieties of Philosophical Criticism (30 min)
Mark Sneed, Lubbock Christian University
A Response to Jaco Gericke’s Thesis in The Hebrew Bible and Philosophy of Religion (30 min)
Oliver Crisp, Fuller Theological Seminary
An Analytic Theologian’s Response to Jaco Gericke’s Thesis (30 min)
Craig Bartholomew, Redeemer University College
A Biblical Theologian’s Response to Philosophical Criticism (30 min)
Discussion (30 min)
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: Inman (Atlanta Conference Level) – HyattTheme: Philosophical Criticism as a Form of Biblical Criticism
Jaco Gericke, North-West University (South Africa)
Analytic vs. Continental Varieties of Philosophical Criticism (30 min)
Mark Sneed, Lubbock Christian University
A Response to Jaco Gericke’s Thesis in The Hebrew Bible and Philosophy of Religion (30 min)
Oliver Crisp, Fuller Theological Seminary
An Analytic Theologian’s Response to Jaco Gericke’s Thesis (30 min)
Craig Bartholomew, Redeemer University College
A Biblical Theologian’s Response to Philosophical Criticism (30 min)
Discussion (30 min)
Research Interests:
HEBREW BIBLE AND PHILOSOPHY Jaco Gericke Andrew Johnson Description: This unit is concerned with the problems, potential, possibilities and prospects of philosophical perspectives on the Hebrew Bible. The aim is to discuss the... more
HEBREW BIBLE AND PHILOSOPHY
Jaco Gericke
Andrew Johnson
Description: This unit is concerned with the problems, potential, possibilities and prospects of philosophical perspectives on the Hebrew Bible. The aim is to discuss the relationship between the Hebrew Bible and Philosophy as well as textual contents related to various topics in previously largely neglected philosophical sub-fields, e.g. metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of religion, etc.
Call for papers: This unit is of the consultation type which will only have a regular call for papers before the general deadline in 2015-16. In 2014 the chairs and steering committee members will take initiative in organizing sessions with papers on a number of topics related to the Hebrew Bible and Philosophy as outlined in the description above.
Jaco Gericke
Andrew Johnson
Description: This unit is concerned with the problems, potential, possibilities and prospects of philosophical perspectives on the Hebrew Bible. The aim is to discuss the relationship between the Hebrew Bible and Philosophy as well as textual contents related to various topics in previously largely neglected philosophical sub-fields, e.g. metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of religion, etc.
Call for papers: This unit is of the consultation type which will only have a regular call for papers before the general deadline in 2015-16. In 2014 the chairs and steering committee members will take initiative in organizing sessions with papers on a number of topics related to the Hebrew Bible and Philosophy as outlined in the description above.
Research Interests:
Routledge interdisciplinary perspectives in biblical criticism https://www.routledge.com/A-Philosophical-Theology-of-the-Old-Testament-A-historical-experimental/Gericke/p/book/9780815352587
Research Interests: Comparative Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Historical Theology, Philosophical Theology, and 15 moreHebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Old Testament, Bible Translations, Biblical Theology, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Ancient Near East, Biblical Interpretation, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, Old Testament Exegesis, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Biblical and systematic theology, and History of Reception of Biblical Texts
This book will have two faces. On the one hand, following in the tradition of theologies of the Old Testament it hopes to offer a larger perspective on themes related to Yahweh as represented in the biblical texts. On the other hand, it... more
This book will have two faces. On the one hand, following in the tradition of theologies of the Old Testament it hopes to offer a larger perspective on themes related to Yahweh as represented in the biblical texts. On the other hand, it will be the first philosophical theology of the Old Testament in that it will deal with specific issues found in that discipline, to the extent that these were also presupposed to be problems in different forms in different Old Testament texts, e.g. the nature of Yhwh as well as issues related to divine power, knowledge, presence, goodness, eternity, creation, etc. Though the topics are borrowed from Christian philosophical theology, they will be discussed descriptively and philosophically with reference to what the related concepts in the Old Testament themselves involve. The aim is not to justify or criticize the associated biblical contents but to reconstruct the philosophical-type reflection that selected texts featuring these concepts can be shown to presuppose for them in order to have taken the form they did. This despite the fact that in their current rhetorical location the format is not as such philosophical anymore. So just as the Old Testament is not a textbook of theology and contain more than one theological perspective on related things, so it is not one of philosophical theology, even though the issues discussed in the latter discipline can be redescribed with reference to what, if anything, Old Testament texts themselves can be said to presuppose as similarly problematic. This not because such a publication is very urgent or considered important for any higher purpose but simply because it would have been considered impossible just a little while ago and also out of interest as to what might turn up if one tries to do it, with a discussion of the obstacle involved included. It should therefore be of interest, no matter the reader's own personal beliefs, although given how the latter influences one's view of what is (supposed to be in the Bible), they might differ as regards particular interpretations. Which is fine.
Research Interests: Religion, Comparative Religion, Hebrew Literature, Mythology, Philosophy, and 43 morePhilosophy Of Religion, Jewish Studies, Theology, History of Religion, Hebrew Language, Historical Theology, Systematic Theology, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Theological Hermeneutics, Continental Philosophy of Religion (Philosophy), Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Second Temple Judaism, Ancient Religion, Biblical Theology, Doctrine of God, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Theological exegesis, Ancient Hebrew, Ancient Near East, Interpretation, Concepts, Translation and Interpretation, Biblical Interpretation, Bible, Judaism, Israelite Religion, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Analytic Theology, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, Biblical Hebrew, Exegesis, Old Testament Studies, Old Testament Exegesis, History of theology, Divinity, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Exegese Biblical, and Philosophy of Religion
In this book Jaco Gericke is concerned with different ways of approaching the question of what, according to the Hebrew Bible, a god was assumed to be. As a supplement to the tradition of predominantly linguistic, historical, literary,... more
In this book Jaco Gericke is concerned with different ways of approaching the question of what, according to the Hebrew Bible, a god was assumed to be. As a supplement to the tradition of predominantly linguistic, historical, literary, comparative, social-scientific and related ways of looking at the research problem, Gericke offers a variety of experimental philosophical perspectives that aim to take a step back from the scholarly discussion as it has unfolded hirtheto in order to provide a new type of worry when looking at the riddle of what the biblical texts assumed made a god divine. Consisting of a brief history of philosophical interpretations of the concepts of whatness and essence from Socrates to Derrida, the relevant ideas of each thinker are adapted and reapplied to look at some interesting metaphysical oddities arising from generic uses of elohim/el/ eloah as common noun in the Hebrew Bible. As such the study seeks to be a prolegomenon to all future research in that, instead of answering the question regarding a supposed nature of divinity, it aims to complicate it beyond expectation. In this way a case is made for a more nuanced and indeterminate manner of constructing the problem of what it meant to call something a god.
Research Interests: Religion, Comparative Religion, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy Of Religion, and 47 moreMetaphysics of properties, Jewish Studies, History of Ideas, Theology, History of Religion, Hebrew Language, Systematic Theology, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Continental Philosophy, Continental Philosophy of Religion (Philosophy), Continental Philosophy of Religion (Theology), Religious Pluralism, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Bible Translation, Jewish History, History of concepts, Essentialism, Second Temple Judaism, Ancient Religion, Biblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, Doctrine of God, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Jewish Thought, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Near East, Jewish Philosophy, Concepts, Biblical Interpretation, Bible, Judaism, Israelite Religion, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Philosophy of God, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, Biblical Hebrew, Biblical Hermeneutics, Definition, Essence, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, History of Philosophy, and History of Judaism In Antiquity
This book will feature a collection of published and reworked essays on Qohelet in religion to metaphysics, axiology, epistemology, meta-ethics, comparative philosophy of religion, the history of philosophical exegesis of the book, the... more
This book will feature a collection of published and reworked essays on Qohelet in religion to metaphysics, axiology, epistemology, meta-ethics, comparative philosophy of religion, the history of philosophical exegesis of the book, the deconstruction of solar mythology in the text, etc.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This study pioneers the use of philosophy of religion in the study of the Hebrew Bible. After identifying the need for a legitimate philosophical approach to Israelite religion, the volume traces the history of interdisciplinary relations... more
This study pioneers the use of philosophy of religion in the study of the Hebrew Bible. After identifying the need for a legitimate philosophical approach to Israelite religion, the volume traces the history of interdisciplinary relations and shows how descriptive varieties of philosophy of religion can aid the clarification of the Hebrew Bible’s own metaphysical, epistemological, and moral assumptions. Two new interpretative methodologies are developed and subsequently applied through an introduction to what the biblical texts took for granted about the nature of religious language, the concept of deity, the properties of Yhwh, the existence of gods, religious epistemology, and the relation between religion and morality.
Research Interests: Religion, Comparative Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Humanities, and 40 moreComparative Philosophy, Theology, Semitic languages, History of Religion, Historical Theology, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Early Christianity, Continental Philosophy of Religion (Philosophy), Religious Ethics, Religious Pluralism, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Second Temple Judaism, History of Religions, Ancient Religion, Biblical Theology, Religious Language, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Near East, Rabbinic Literature, Religious Epistemology, Ancient myth and religion, Jewish Philosophy, Bible, Israelite Religion, Religion and Popular Culture, Phenomenology of Religion, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, Philosophy and Religion, Qumran, Greco-Roman World, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, History of Philosophy, and History of Judaism In Antiquity
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy Of Religion, Metaphysics of properties, and 36 moreJewish Studies, Theology, Historical Theology, Systematic Theology, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Continental Philosophy, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Essentialism, Second Temple Judaism, Ancient Religion, Biblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, Doctrine of God, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Ancient Philosophy, Jewish Philosophy, Biblical Interpretation, Bible, Israelite Religion, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Philosophy of God, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, ancient Israelite religion, Conceptual analysis, Ancient Israel, Old Testament Studies, Biblia, Old Testament Exegesis, Definition, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and History of Philosophy
In the book of Job, there are nine texts where the character of Job is depicted as using the words »I know« (Heb. ידעתי ). Job is moreover the only character constructed as making first-person knowledge claims of a very specific kind. The... more
In the book of Job, there are nine texts where the character of Job is depicted as using the words »I know« (Heb. ידעתי ). Job is moreover the only character constructed as making first-person knowledge claims of a very specific kind. The texts in question, however, are somewhat randomly distributed throughout the dialogues, appearing in contexts with variable contents and occur alongside numerous other configurations of the same verb in the words of both Job and other characters. This state of affairs partly explains why the associated religious language has up to now not been isolated and analysed from a comparative religious-epistemological perspective. Consequently, the original contribution of this article involves adopting the idiom of analytic epistemology of religion with the aim of clarifying some of the concepts that Job's claims to know have in common with current research on the epistemology of religious disagreement.
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy Of Religion, Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, and 14 moreReligious Pluralism, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, Ancient Hebrew, Religious Epistemology, Book of Job, Epistemology of Disagreement, Wisdom Literature, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Religious Studies, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Old Testament Studies, Biblical Wisdom literature, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
The concept of knowledge plays an important role in Qoheleth. Both linguistic and philosophical perspectives remain popular trends in current related research. Developments in the two auxiliary disciplines that remain largely ignored... more
The concept of knowledge plays an important role in Qoheleth. Both linguistic and philosophical perspectives remain popular trends in current related research. Developments in the two auxiliary disciplines that remain largely ignored include those associated with “Epistemic Contextualism.” The theory has been used as both a substantive-epistemological and a descriptive-semantic thesis, both of which concern the way variable epistemic standards are seen to supervene in different contexts of knowledge attributions. Initially offered as a solution to the challenges of radical scepticism, it has recently sought to show how an utterance affirming and denying a subject “knows” that something is the case could both be meaningful in virtue of changing propositional contents expressed in response to variable contextual stakes, interests, and needs. The original contribution of this study lies in constructing the relevant data set in Qoheleth and illustrating the possibilities and problems of applying the semantic format of the theory to discrepant propositional attitude reports in the world of the text.
Research Interests: Religion, Epistemology, Philosophy Of Religion, Jewish Studies, Semitic languages, and 15 moreHebrew Bible, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Qoheleth, Ancient Hebrew, Religious Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy, Biblical Interpretation, Book of Ecclesiastes, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Hellenistic Judaism, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, Biblical Wisdom literature, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
The complex relations between Hebrew Bible interpretation and the discipline of the Philosophy of Religion were last discussed in detail a decade ago (Gericke 2012). In the years that followed, the associated literature was seen as... more
The complex relations between Hebrew Bible interpretation and the discipline of the Philosophy of Religion were last discussed in detail a decade ago (Gericke 2012). In the years that followed, the associated literature was seen as samples of a recent return to philosophy of religion as auxiliary discourse, albeit one that had yet to obtain a clear research profile (Schmid 2019). Shortly thereafter, evidence of a variety of philosophical approaches to the HB/OT as a distinct emergent current was provided (Keefer 2022). The original contribution of this article and its objective is to supplement and complement the related research by way of an update on the relations between the Bible and Philosophy with special attention to Philosophy of Religion.
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Theology, Philosophical Theology, and 14 moreHebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, Jewish Philosophy, Biblical Interpretation, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, Biblical Hermeneutics, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and History of Reception of Biblical Texts
Research Interests: Comparative Religion, Jewish Studies, Comparative Philosophy, Atheism, Historical Theology, and 15 moreHebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, Doctrine of God, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Jewish Philosophy, Biblical Interpretation, Israelite Religion, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Biblical Exegesis, Divinity, Divine Hiddenness, and Comparative Philosophy and Religion
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Reference, Hebrew Bible, and 15 moreOld Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Philosophy, Jewish Philosophy, Biblical Interpretation, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Religious Studies, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, History of Philosophy, and Philosophy of Religion
In this article, a supplementary yet original contribution is made to the ongoing attempts at refining ways of comparative-philosophical conceptual clarification of Qohelet’s claim that הבל הכל in 1:2 (and 12:8). Adopting and adapting the... more
In this article, a supplementary yet original contribution is made to the ongoing attempts at refining ways of comparative-philosophical conceptual clarification of Qohelet’s claim that הבל הכל in 1:2 (and 12:8). Adopting and adapting the latest analytic metaphysical concerns and
categories for descriptive purposes only, a distinction is made between הבל as property of הכל and the properties of הבל in relation to הכל . Involving both correlation and contrast, the second-order language framework is hereby extended to a level of advanced nuance and specificity for restating the meaning of the book’s first-order language on its own terms, even if not in them.
categories for descriptive purposes only, a distinction is made between הבל as property of הכל and the properties of הבל in relation to הכל . Involving both correlation and contrast, the second-order language framework is hereby extended to a level of advanced nuance and specificity for restating the meaning of the book’s first-order language on its own terms, even if not in them.
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy Of Religion, Metaphysics of properties, Comparative Philosophy, Theology, and 15 moreHebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Bible Translation, Biblical Theology, Qoheleth, Jewish Philosophy, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Wisdom Literature, Book of Ecclesiastes, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Old Testament Exegesis, Theology and Religious Studies, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
This study takes as its starting point the consensus in research on the relationship between divine attributes and suffering in Psalm 89 which holds that some of the beliefs expressed in verses 39-52 contradict those in 1-38(53). In an... more
This study takes as its starting point the consensus in research on the relationship between divine attributes and suffering in Psalm 89 which holds that some of the beliefs expressed in verses 39-52 contradict those in 1-38(53). In an attempt to address a related gap in the research in a new and supplementary way, a comparativephilosophical perspective is offered regarding the reasoning operative within the Psalm's associated religious language. As counterpart, the so-called "Logical Problem of Evil" (LPE) in analytic philosophy of religion was identified. Conceptual and correlation-relations in Psalm 89 are clarified through correlation and contrast. The study argues that the logical status of the beliefs involved, as contradiction, makes more sense if interpreted as part of the protocol when prayer and poetry have to satisfy the conditions of a possible atheodicy. Thus, restating the Psalm's associated content on its own terms, even if not in them, contributes to our understanding of why certain states of *
Research Interests: Religion, Comparative Religion, Philosophy Of Religion, Comparative Philosophy, History of Ideas, and 15 moreTheology, History of Religion, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Theodicy, Biblical Theology, Religious Language, Book of Psalms, Problem of Evil, Psalms studies, Religious Studies, Psalms, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and Comparative Philosophy and Religion
According to popular consensus, the ancient Israelites shunned natural theology and belief in Yahweh was based on revelation and not reason. In relatively recent times, this view has come under increasing pressure as the presence of... more
According to popular consensus, the ancient Israelites shunned natural theology and belief in Yahweh was based on revelation and not reason. In relatively recent times, this view has come under increasing pressure as the presence of natural theology in the Hebrew Bible has turned into a topic of sporadic interest. In this article, a contribution to this discussion is made by way of placing the topic in its proper framework within the philosophy of religion. In doing so, it provides a descriptive introduction to what will for the foreseen future remain a controversial issue.
Research Interests:
Nietzsche’s writings on the Old Testament have been the subject of in-depth research in various academic disciplines. This article’s original contribution to the ongoing discussion lies in its exclusive focus on Nietzsche’s philosophical... more
Nietzsche’s writings on the Old Testament have been the subject of in-depth research in various academic disciplines. This article’s original contribution to the ongoing discussion lies in its exclusive focus on Nietzsche’s philosophical reception of Genesis 2:4b–3:24 in particular. The objective is to provide an extensive overview of the related data by way of thematically correlated representative samples in the philosopher’s German writings. As background, the relevant aspects of Schopenhauer’s reception of Genesis 2:4b–3:24 are noted before identifying two types of philosophical criticism discernible in Nietzsche’s consistent and frequent recourse to the text’s memorable mythological motifs. Based on the sheer quantity and quality of associated content involved, the study concludes that Nietzsche’s critical and creative interactions with Genesis 2:4b–3:24 represent
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Jewish Studies, Philosophical Theology, and 15 moreHebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Friedrich Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Book of Genesis, Biblical Interpretation, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Religious Studies, Old Testament Studies, Old Testament Exegesis, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, and History of Philosophy
Recourse to auxiliary disciplines has greatly contributed to the ways in which biblical scholars seek to elucidate various dimensions of meaning in textual constructions of dreams and dreaming in the Old Testament. The original... more
Recourse to auxiliary disciplines has greatly contributed to the ways in which biblical scholars seek to elucidate various dimensions of meaning in textual constructions of dreams and dreaming in the Old Testament. The original contribution this article hopes to make to the ongoing research on associated oneirocritic topoi is to propose the so-called philosophy of dreaming as a potential dialogue partner to supplement already available perspectives within the multidisciplinary discussion. At present, there is no descriptive philosophical approach exclusively devoted to the identification and clarification of the folk-philosophical assumptions implicit in oneirocritic materials as conditions of their possibility. By way of comparative-philosophical commentary, the article features a brief introduction to the related research within Old Testament studies, an overview of the history and problems of the auxiliary subject,
and an illustration of how the new approach might look when applied to texts involving ‘oneirophany’ (Gn 15:1–21, 20:3–6, 28:11–17 and 1 Ki 3:5–15). The study concludes with a few remarks on the limits of the proposal and suggestions for more extensive and in-depth future research in related and alternative areas.
and an illustration of how the new approach might look when applied to texts involving ‘oneirophany’ (Gn 15:1–21, 20:3–6, 28:11–17 and 1 Ki 3:5–15). The study concludes with a few remarks on the limits of the proposal and suggestions for more extensive and in-depth future research in related and alternative areas.
Research Interests: Philosophy Of Religion, Comparative Philosophy, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, and 15 moreBiblical Studies, Biblical Theology, Ancient Philosophy, Religious Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy, Dreams (Psychology), Biblical Interpretation, Dreams, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Magic and Divination in the Ancient World, Anthropology of Dreams and Dreaming, Old Testament Exegesis, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Old Testament Ethics, and History of Philosophy
Research Interests: Religion, Comparative Religion, Philosophy Of Religion, Comparative Philosophy, History of Ideas, and 15 moreTheology, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, History of concepts, Essentialism, History Of The Bible/Biblical Canon, Biblical Theology, Biblical Interpretation, Religious Studies, Biblical Hermeneutics, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and History of Reception of Biblical Texts
This article seeks to clarify the concept of " philosophy " as it appeared within popular overviews of South African Old Testament scholarship published in the post-apartheid era. After providing a typology of related research, the... more
This article seeks to clarify the concept of " philosophy " as it appeared within popular overviews of South African Old Testament scholarship published in the post-apartheid era. After providing a typology of related research, the discussion proceeds with the identification of the words " philosophy " / " philosophical " in the associated colonialist scholarly discourses. The latter part involves a brief classification, commentary and critique of the meta-philosophical assumptions supervening on the associated intra-and cross-disciplinary contexts. " The secret of theory is that truth does not exist. " 1
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Theology, Systematic Theology, and 15 morePhilosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, South African Literature, Biblical Interpretation, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, Biblical Hermeneutics, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and History of Reception of Biblical Texts
Following 19th-century distinctions between Hellenism and Hebraism, many popular 20th-century histories of Western philosophy assigned the intellectual world of the Hebrew Bible to a twilight zone between late mythological and early... more
Following 19th-century distinctions between Hellenism and Hebraism, many popular 20th-century histories of Western philosophy assigned the intellectual world of the Hebrew Bible to a twilight zone between late mythological and early philosophical ways of thinking. Partly in response to this, research in Semitic languages during that time began to include comparative-linguistic arguments hoping to demonstrate radical structural incommensurability between Hebrew and Greek ways of thinking. In the latest trend in the associated research, a multidisciplinary dialogue has been initiated on the subject of " second-order thinking " within the ancient Near East " before " or " outside " Greek philosophy. In this article, the author aims to contribute to the ongoing discussion by suggesting that Biblical Hebrew as religious language already presupposes an intricate variety of transposed second-order thinking.
Research Interests: Religion, Mythology, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Comparative Philosophy, and 15 moreHistory of Ideas, Theology, History of Religion, Literature, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Critical Thinking, Old Testament Theology, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, Doctrine of God, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and History of Philosophy
This article seeks to clarify the concept of " philosophy " as it appeared within popular overviews of South African Old Testament scholarship published in the post-apartheid era. After providing a typology of related research, the... more
This article seeks to clarify the concept of " philosophy " as it appeared within popular overviews of South African Old Testament scholarship published in the post-apartheid era. After providing a typology of related research, the discussion proceeds with the identification of the words " philosophy " / " philosophical " in the associated dominant scholarly discourses. The latter part involves a brief meta-philosophical classification, commentary and critique of assumptions supervening on associated intra-and cross-disciplinary contexts. " The secret of theory is that truth does not exist. " 1
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy Of Religion, Theology, and 15 morePhilosophical Theology, Critical Realism, Biblical Studies, Colonialism, Science and Religion, History of Biblical Interpretation, Biblical Interpretation, History of Science and Religion, Biblical Exegesis, Decolonial Thought, Religious Studies, South Africa, Old Testament Studies, Old Testament Exegesis, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
In Hebrew Bible/Old Testament scholarship, one encounters a variety of reductive perspectives on what exactly Yahweh as religious object is assumed to be. In this article, a clarification of the research problem is followed by an... more
In Hebrew Bible/Old Testament scholarship, one encounters a variety of reductive perspectives on what exactly Yahweh as religious object is assumed to be. In this article, a clarification of the research problem is followed by an introductory overview of what is currently available on this topic as is attested in the context of various interpretative methodologies and their associated metalanguages. It is argued that any attempt to describe the actual metaphysical nature and ontological status of the religious object in the jargon of a particular interpretative approach is forever prone to committing the fallacy of reductionism. Even so, given the irreducible methodological perspectivism supervening on heuristic specificity, reductive accounts as such are unavoidable. If this is correct, then it follows a fortiori that a unified theory (of everything Yahweh can be said to be) and an ideal metalanguage (with which to perfectly reconstruct the religious object within second-order discourse) are a priori impossible.
Research Interests: Critical Theory, Religion, Comparative Religion, Comparative Literature, Hebrew Literature, and 73 moreMythology, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy Of Language, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy Of Religion, Jewish Studies, Languages and Linguistics, Theology, History of Religion, Hebrew Language, Research Methodology, Historical Theology, Literature, Systematic Theology, Philosophical Theology, Interdisciplinarity, Hermeneutics (Research Methodology), Hebrew Bible, Psychology of Religion, Old Testament Theology, Hermeneutics, Philosophy of Literature, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Bible Translation, Literary Theory, Second Temple Judaism, History Of The Bible/Biblical Canon, Ancient Religion, Biblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, Doctrine of God, Language and Identity, Ancient Texts, Hermeneutics and Narrative, Explanation, Personal Identity, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Near East, Jewish Philosophy, Research, Biblical Interpretation, Literary Approaches to Biblical Studies, Bible, Judaism, God, Gods, Goddesses, Israelite Religion, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Interdisciplinary research (Social Sciences), Reductionism, History of Biblical Interpretation (Theology), Biblical Exegesis, Identity, Religious Studies, Religious Theory, Philosophy, and Literary Studies, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Biblical criticism, Ancient Israel, Old Testament Studies, Old Testament Exegesis, Scientific explanation, Biblical Hermeneutics, Divinity, Research Paradigms, Scientific Research, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Biblical and systematic theology, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, Religous Studies, Biblical Studies literary criticism, and Ontological Status
Against the backdrop of the problem of the meaning of life as constructed in contemporary analytic philosophy of religion, this article asks the question of what the supposed meaning(s) of the biblical character of Moses' life were... more
Against the backdrop of the problem of the meaning of life as constructed in contemporary analytic philosophy of religion, this article asks the question of what the supposed meaning(s) of the biblical character of Moses' life were assumed to be. By comparing a variety of contemporary philosophical perspectives on life's meaning with what appears to be related nascent metaphysical presuppositions in the world(s) of the biblical text, the pros and cons of reading with an anachronistic philosophical-theological metalanguage are clearly demonstrated. It is concluded that what Moses' life might have meant cannot be reduced either to a singular purpose or a unified teleology. Given the complex construction of his character's personal identity over time, the point of it all remains fragmented, plural and elusive.
Research Interests: Fiction Writing, Religion, Comparative Religion, Ancient History, Comparative Literature, and 75 moreHebrew Literature, Mythology, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Analytic Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Humanities, Jewish Studies, Comparative Philosophy, Near Eastern Studies, Theology, Philosophical Anthropology, History of Religion, Hebrew Language, Historical Theology, Literature, Systematic Theology, Philosophical Theology, Narrative, Axiology, Theological Ethics, Literary Criticism, Hebrew Bible, Meaning of Life, Psychology of Religion, Old Testament Theology, Hermeneutics, Narratology, Ideology, Continental Philosophy, Continental Philosophy of Religion (Philosophy), Continental Philosophy of Religion (Theology), Storytelling, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Jewish History, Literary Theory, Biography, Theological Anthropology, Folk legends, Ancient Religion, Theological Aesthetics, Biblical Theology, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Jewish Thought, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Near East, Ancient myth and religion, Jewish Philosophy, Narrative Theory, Interpretation, Literary study of the Bible, Biblical Interpretation, Bible, Judaism, Israelite Religion, Comparative mythology, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Torah/Pentateuch, Analytic Theology, Biblical Exegesis, Fiction, Religious Studies, Old Testament Studies, Tanach, Old Testament Exegesis, Moses, Torah, Characterization, Biblical Hermeneutics, Book of Exodus, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, and Philosophy of Religion
What has been called " the pneumatology " of the Hebrew Bible is generally held to be an unsolved problem. To this day, available research operates on the assumption of a " missing link " between theological, cosmological, and... more
What has been called " the pneumatology " of the Hebrew Bible is generally held to be an unsolved problem. To this day, available research operates on the assumption of a " missing link " between theological, cosmological, and anthropological domains distinguished within the metalanguage. This is indeed evident from a comparative-philosophical perspective in that the conceptual background for -רוחtype entities as encountered in scholarly discourse comes across as ontologically disjointed and metaphysically fragmented. In the present article, the author argues that the riddle of " The One and the Many " is a pseudo-problem generated by anachronistic Platonic dualism supervening on inquiries into the assumed nature of רוח as " Ursubstanz " and the mereology of -רוחtype entities in the world of the text. In addition, a unified theory is put forward with reference to the problem of part-whole relations as can be reconstructed from the perspective of more monistic conceptions of spirit in the associated history and philosophy of religion.
Research Interests: Religion, Comparative Religion, History, Ancient History, Hebrew Literature, and 56 moreMythology, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy Of Religion, Comparative Philosophy, History of Ideas, Theology, Philosophical Anthropology, History of Religion, Hebrew Language, Historical Theology, Systematic Theology, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Psychology of Religion, Old Testament Theology, Hermeneutics, Continental Philosophy of Religion (Philosophy), Biblical Studies, Old Testament, History of Religions, Ancient Religion, Pneumatology, Biblical Theology, Mereology, History of Biblical Interpretation, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Near East, Ancient Greek Religion, Ancient myth and religion, Jewish Philosophy, Spirit Possession (Anthropology), Biblical Interpretation, Ancient Greek Philosophy, Bible, Animism, Israelite Religion, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Biblical Exegesis, Worldview., Comparative Religions, Religious Studies, Holy Spirit, Biblical Hebrew, Begriffsgeschichte, Decolonization, Ancient Near Eastern Religions, Ancient Israel, Old Testament Exegesis, Biblical Hermeneutics, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, and History of Philosophy
Within a literary ontology, YHWH in the Hebrew Bible is technically also a fictional entity or object. In Hebrew Bible scholarship, a variety of philosophical issues surrounding fiction have received sustained and in-depth attention.... more
Within a literary ontology, YHWH in the Hebrew Bible is technically also a fictional entity or object. In Hebrew Bible scholarship, a variety of philosophical issues surrounding fiction have received sustained and in-depth attention. However, the mainstream research on these matters tends to focus on the philosophical foundations of or backgrounds to a particular literary theory, rather than on metaphysical puzzles as encountered in the philosophy of fiction proper. To fill this gap, the present article seeks to provide a meta-theoretical overview of the main contemporary philosophical perspectives on the metaphysics of fictional objects. Three views (and their sub-currents) are discussed, namely possibilism, (neo-)Meinongianism and (literary) creationism. Each view’s theory is introduced and critically appropriated with reference to what is implied to be an answer to the question of what exactly the biblical character YHWH can meaningfully be said to be in the context of the metaphysics of fictional objects. In this way, the present study also goes beyond the traditional concern with the nature of God in Old Testament theology.
Research Interests: Fiction Writing, Critical Theory, Religion, Hebrew Literature, Mythology, and 71 morePhilosophy, Metaphysics, Ontology, Philosophy Of Language, Analytic Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Humanities, Jewish Studies, Languages and Linguistics, Theology, Hebrew Language, Literature, Systematic Theology, Philosophical Theology, Narrative, Literary Criticism, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Hermeneutics, Philosophy of Literature, Theological Hermeneutics, Narrative Theology, Storytelling, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Fictionality, Literary Theory, Ancient Religion, Theological Aesthetics, Fantasy Literature, Biblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, Doctrine of God, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Fiction, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Hebrew, Ancient Near East, Ancient myth and religion, Jewish Philosophy, Narrative Theory, Ancient Near Eastern Languages, Interpretation, Literary study of the Bible, Biblical Interpretation, Literary Approaches to Biblical Studies, Bible, Judaism, Israelite Religion, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Philosophy of God, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Biblical Exegesis, Fiction, Religious Studies, Literary studies, Biblical Hebrew, Realism, Ancient Near Eastern Religions, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Old Testament Studies, Old Testament Exegesis, Possible Worlds theory and Fictional worlds, Textual analysis, Characterization, Biblical Hermeneutics, Divinity, Characters, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Ancient Literature, and History of Reception of Biblical Texts
In the apocryphal text of the Letter (Epistle) of Jeremiah (Ep Jer), a long list of reasons is given by the implied author as to why certain entities alleged to be gods are not in fact such. Brief summaries of the author's various points... more
In the apocryphal text of the Letter (Epistle) of Jeremiah (Ep Jer), a long list of reasons is given by the implied author as to why certain entities alleged to be gods are not in fact such. Brief summaries of the author's various points characterise scholarly perspectives thereon. What has been overlooked in the research, however, and the topic of this article, concerns the converse fact that, in the construction of a negative identity for divinity, the text also assumes a lot about what a god must actually be like. Moreover, what is implicit in these " meta-theistic " presuppositions has never before been identified; hence the need for an attempted inferential reconstruction of what, according to the polemics of Ep Jer, makes a god divine.
Research Interests: Religion, Comparative Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Language, Epistemology, and 56 morePhilosophy Of Religion, Jewish Studies, Atheism, Theology, History of Religion, Hebrew Language, Historical Theology, Systematic Theology, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Continental Philosophy of Religion (Philosophy), Religious Pluralism, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Jewish History, Second Temple Judaism, Ancient Religion, Septuagint, Biblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, Religious Language, Doctrine of God, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Jewish Thought, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Near East, Religious Epistemology, Proof of God, Ancient myth and religion, Jewish Philosophy, Interpretation, Dogmatic theology, Apocrypha/Pseudepigrapha, Religious Experience, Biblical Interpretation, Religious History, Bible, Judaism, Israelite Religion, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Inter-religious Dialogue, Biblical Exegesis, Presuppositions, Knowledge, Religious Studies, Superstitions and Superstitious Belief, New Atheism, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Divine Action, Old Testament Studies, Old Testament Exegesis, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, Ideology in the Bible, and Polemics and Apologetics
In Old Testament scholarship, a number of studies have attempted to answer in their own way the question of what an אלהים (a god in the generic sense) was assumed to be. This discussion is indirectly related to an older theme in OT... more
In Old Testament scholarship, a number of studies have attempted to answer in their own way the question of what an אלהים (a god in the generic sense) was assumed to be. This discussion is indirectly related to an older theme in OT theology, namely the " essence " of Yhwh's divinity in particular contexts. Whereas the relevant research has thus far only involved linguistic, literary, historical, comparative and theological approaches aimed at providing answers, none has paid closer attention to what exactly is meant by a question of the form " What is X? " itself. The originality and contribution of this study lies with its exclusive descriptive and meta-theoretical philosophical concern with the multiplicity of ways in which concepts of whatness and essence can be interpreted in relation to the concept of generic אלהים as common noun in the Old Testament. The aim is to provide a prolegomenon for future theory in service of a more nuanced manner of speaking. Abstrak In Ou Testamentiese navorsing het bestaan daar studies wat elke op eie wyse poog om die vraag oor wat n אל הים (n " god " in die generiese sin) is te beantwoord. Die betrokke akademiese gesprek hou indirek verband met n ouer tema in Ou Testamentiese teologie, naamlik rondom die essensie van Jhwh se goddelikheid in spesifieke kontekste. Waar die relevante navorsing tans beperk is tot linguistiese, historiese, komparatiewe en teologiese perspektiewe (wat almal poog om dit te antwoord), blyk daar skynbaar min belangstelling te wees in wat hoegenaamd bedoel word met n vraag van die vorm " Wat is X? " Die oorspronklikheid van die huidige bydrae bestaan in die eksklusief deskriptiewe en meta-teoretiese filosofiese fokus op die veelvoud van wyses waarop die konsepte van wat-heid en essensie geinterpreteer kan word in relasie tot die konsep van generiese godheid in die Ou Testament. Die doel is daarvan is om n prolegomenon vir toekomstige teorie daar te stel ter wille van n meer genuanseerde meta-taal.
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy Of Religion, Jewish Studies, and 29 moreTheology, Hebrew Language, Systematic Theology, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Essentialism, Biblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, Doctrine of God, Jewish Philosophy, Translation and Interpretation, Biblical Interpretation, Judaism, Israelite Religion, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Biblical Exegesis, Philosophical Methodology, Questions and Answers, Religious Studies, Old Testament Studies, Biblical Hermeneutics, Divinity, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, History of Philosophy, and Philosophy of Religion
What, according to the Hebrew Bible, was a god assumed to be? In this article the author looks at data potentially relevant to any attempt at answering this question within a sub-type of אל theophory in the Hebrew Bible. These involve... more
What, according to the Hebrew Bible, was a god assumed to be? In this article the author looks at data potentially relevant to any attempt at answering this question within a sub-type of אל theophory in the Hebrew Bible. These involve personal names that can be rendered into English as " My god is x " , where x denotes a phenomenon the deity is prima facie wholly identified with. The approach adopted by the study is philosophical in general and descriptively metaphysical in particular. The objective is to provide an experimental clarification of this particular sub-type of proper names in Biblical Hebrew with the aid of technical conceptual distinctions found within mainstream interpretations of Aristotle's theory of predication.
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy Of Religion, Aristotle, and 21 moreHistory of Religion, Hebrew Language, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, Doctrine of God, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Hebrew, Ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Hebrew, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, ancient Israelite religion, Ancient Israel, Old Testament Studies, Old Testament Exegesis, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Research Interests: Religion, Comparative Religion, Mythology And Folklore, Mythology, Philosophy, and 27 morePhilosophy Of Religion, Jewish Studies, Theology, History of Religion, Hebrew Language, Historical Theology, Systematic Theology, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, Mereology, Doctrine of God, Ancient Near East, Jewish Philosophy, Translation and Interpretation, Bible, Israelite Religion, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Philosophy of God, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Nature, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
This article takes a closer look at how the so-called Analytic-Continental divide within meta-philosophy has manifested itself within various forms of " philosophical criticism " of the HB. It is argued that, based on data collected from... more
This article takes a closer look at how the so-called Analytic-Continental divide within meta-philosophy has manifested itself within various forms of " philosophical criticism " of the HB. It is argued that, based on data collected from recent related conferences, there is evidence of influence from both sides of the divide within both broad/narrow and expli-cit/implicit types of philosophical criticism. However, in contrast to tense relations elsewhere in generic philosophy, the interdisciplinary intersection of biblical scholarship, philosophy of religion and Jewish philosophy appears to display a general acceptance of methodological diversity.
Research Interests: Religion, Hebrew Literature, Philosophy, Analytic Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, and 25 moreJewish Studies, Theology, History of Religion, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Hermeneutics, Continental Philosophy, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Literary Theory, Biblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Near East, Jewish Philosophy, Biblical Interpretation, Bible, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Analytic Theology, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, Old Testament Exegesis, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
The book of Ecclesiastes (here 'Qohelet'), like many other books of the Hebrew Bible, is often discussed with reference to its supposed 'ethics'. Within biblical scholarship, such research is often characterized by a metalanguage filled... more
The book of Ecclesiastes (here 'Qohelet'), like many other books of the Hebrew Bible, is often discussed with reference to its supposed 'ethics'. Within biblical scholarship, such research is often characterized by a metalanguage filled with philosophically vague and fuzzy descriptive jargon, largely bereft of technical distinctions and nuance. One possible reason for this state of affairs may be the fact that Qohelet's assumptions about the nature of morality have never been studied against the backdrop of issues and theories in contemporary analytic meta-ethics. In response to this gap in the research, and with proposals for conceptual refinement in mind, this article offers the first ever meta-theoretical introduction to some of the semantic, ontological, epistemological and other related meta-ethical concerns and categories which may be of use in future analyses of the foundations of Qohelet's 'ethics'.
Research Interests: Religion, Hebrew Literature, Philosophy Of Religion, Meta-Ethics, Jewish Studies, and 27 moreComparative Philosophy, Hebrew Bible, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Second Temple Judaism, Biblical Ethics, Biblical Theology, Qoheleth, Metaethics, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Near East, Moral Philosophy, Jewish Philosophy, Biblical Interpretation, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Wisdom Literature, Book of Ecclesiastes, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, ancient Israelite religion, Morality, Ancient Israel, Old Testament Exegesis, Biblical Wisdom literature, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Book of Qoheleth, and Old Testament Ethics
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy Of Religion, Jewish Studies, and 24 moreComparative Philosophy, History of Ideas, Theology, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, Qoheleth, Ancient Philosophy, Wisdom Traditions, Jewish Philosophy, Biblical Interpretation, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Wisdom Literature, Book of Ecclesiastes, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Hellenistic Judaism, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Book of Qoheleth, and The Hebrew Bible and Philosophy of Religion
Research Interests: Religion, Comparative Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Jewish Studies, and 23 moreComparative Philosophy, Atheism, Theology, Historical Theology, Systematic Theology, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, Doctrine of God, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Jewish Philosophy, Biblical Interpretation, Israelite Religion, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, Divinity, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Divine Hiddenness, and Comparative Philosophy and Religion
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Jewish Studies, Comparative Philosophy, and 23 moreTheology, Hebrew Language, Historical Theology, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Continental Philosophy of Religion (Philosophy), Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, Doctrine of God, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Ancient Philosophy, Jewish Philosophy, Bible, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Analytic Theology, Questions and Answers, Religious Studies, Biblical Hebrew, Theology and Religious Studies, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Epistemology, Philosophy Of Religion, Jewish Studies, and 26 moreHistory of Religion, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Wisdom, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Qoheleth, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Near East, Religious Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy, Bible, Israelite Religion, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Wisdom Literature, Book of Ecclesiastes, Hellenistic Judaism, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, Ancient Israel, Old Testament Exegesis, Ecclesiastes, Biblical Wisdom literature, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and History of Philosophy
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy Of Religion, Theology, and 17 moreSystematic Theology, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Science and Religion, Biblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, Doctrine of God, Ancient Philosophy, Jewish Philosophy, Biblical Interpretation, Israelite Religion, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Religious Studies, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and History of Reception of Biblical Texts
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Comparative Philosophy, Theology, and 17 moreBiblical Studies, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, Qoheleth, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Near East, Bible, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Wisdom Literature, Book of Ecclesiastes, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, Biblical Wisdom literature, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Book of Qoheleth, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, and History of Translation and Interpretation
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Jewish Studies, Comparative Philosophy, and 14 moreTheology, Philosophical Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Near East, Jewish Philosophy, Biblical Interpretation, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Biblical Exegesis, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and History of Philosophy
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Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Hebrew Bible, Biblical Studies, and 12 moreOld Testament, Biblical Theology, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Jewish Philosophy, Concepts, Biblical Interpretation, Biblical Hebrew (Languages And Linguistics), Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, Conceptual analysis, Divinity, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, and 14 moreContinental Philosophy of Religion (Philosophy), Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Philosophy, Jewish Philosophy, Biblical Interpretation, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Religious Studies, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and History of Philosophy
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Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy Of Religion, Comparative Philosophy, Theology, History of Religion, and 12 morePhilosophical Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, Doctrine of God, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Qoheleth, Ancient Philosophy, Wisdom Literature, Book of Ecclesiastes, Religious Studies, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Much has been written on the concept of “the fear of Yhwh” in biblical wisdom literature. The scope thereof is said to include anything from sheer terror before the deity to pious respect for benevolence. In this article, a different... more
Much has been written on the concept of “the fear of Yhwh” in biblical wisdom literature. The scope thereof is said to include anything from sheer terror before the deity to pious respect for benevolence. In this article, a different necessary property of the basic disposition is identified. It is argued that if as many texts in the Hebrew Bible state a) wisdom involves the fear of Yhwh, and that b) possessing knowledge of some sort is a necessary condition for having wisdom, and that c) all knowledge is essentially paranoiac as Lacanian psycho-epistemology suggests, then it follows that d) the quest for wisdom itself is partly driven by paranoia.
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy Of Religion, Atheism, Theology, Hebrew Bible, and 31 morePsychology of Religion, Old Testament Theology, Jurgen Habermas, Continental Philosophy, Continental Philosophy of Religion (Philosophy), Religious Ethics, Biblical Studies, Bible Translation, Wisdom, Gilles Deleuze, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jacques Lacan, Émmanuel Lévinas, Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, Lacanian theory, Biblical Theology, Jacques Derrida, Psychoanalysis and religion, Religious Epistemology, Religious Experience, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Wisdom Literature, Hebrew Wisdom Literature; The Book of Proverbs, Secular Biblical Criticism, Religious Studies, Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient Israelite religion, Gnostic Gospels, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and Psychological Study of the Hebrew Bible
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy Of Religion, Atheism, Theology, Hebrew Bible, and 11 morePsychology of Religion, Old Testament Theology, Hermeneutics, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, Ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Secular Biblical Criticism, Religious Studies, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Research Interests: Religion, Sociology of Religion, Philosophy Of Religion, Theology, History of Religion, and 13 morePhilosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Evolution of Religion, Religious Pluralism, Ancient Religion, Biblical Theology, Doctrine of God, Jewish Philosophy, Israelite Religion, Emergence, Religious Studies, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and History of Religous Thought
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Comparative Philosophy, Hebrew Bible, and 15 moreBiblical Studies, Old Testament, Wisdom, Analytic Philosophy of Religion, Ancient Philosophy, Jewish Philosophy, Ancient Greek Philosophy, Wisdom Literature, Hebrew Wisdom Literature; The Book of Proverbs, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, ancient Israelite religion, Biblical Wisdom literature, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and History of Philosophy
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What can be said about Israel and the Near East in the history of atheism? One way to approach this question is to take a step back and look at some of the presuppositions, problems, and perspectives involved in the genealogy of the... more
What can be said about Israel and the Near East in the history of atheism? One way to approach this question is to take a step back and look at some of the presuppositions, problems, and perspectives involved in the genealogy of the specific scholarly concepts, concerns, and categories in the associated research. In other words, the history of atheism in relation to Israel and the Near East is also itself an idea with a history, a more concise reconstruction of which is long overdue. This chapter offers a brief summary of a selection of assorted nuances characterizing the literature on the subject, with special attention to typologies of atheism in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible scholarship.
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Atheism, History of Religion, and 15 moreHebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Biblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, History of Atheism, Religious Epistemology, Biblical Interpretation, Bible, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Religious Studies, Philosophy and Religious Studies, ancient Israelite religion, Ancient Israel, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
A new interpretation of the text that shows the problems with and alternatives to the dominant hypothesis according to which the author was alluding to Euhemerism.
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy Of Religion, History of Ideas, Hellenistic Philosophy, History of Religion, and 14 moreBiblical Studies, Septuagint, Biblical Theology, Jewish Philosophy, Apocrypha/Pseudepigrapha, Literature and Trauma, Bible, Hellenistic Judaism, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, Ancient Judaism, Wisdom of Solomon, Biblical Wisdom literature, and Deuterocanonical Literature
Emergence and new concepts of God: examples from the Old Testament Gericke, Jaco URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10500/11944 Date: 2013-11 Type: Book chapter Abstract: In this article, the author looks at “emergence” in the context of new... more
Emergence and new concepts of God: examples from the Old Testament
Gericke, Jaco
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10500/11944
Date: 2013-11
Type: Book chapter
Abstract:
In this article, the author looks at “emergence” in the context of new concepts of God in the Old Testament. Within
biblical scholarship, various types of emergence are alluded to in various methodological reductions, i.e. via
theological, historical-comparative, sociological and literary-critical approaches to the text. From a philosophical
perspective on the Old Testament as a complex system, however, emergent properties of Yhwh are instantiated in
the paraconsistent logic operative in fictional discourse.
Gericke, Jaco
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10500/11944
Date: 2013-11
Type: Book chapter
Abstract:
In this article, the author looks at “emergence” in the context of new concepts of God in the Old Testament. Within
biblical scholarship, various types of emergence are alluded to in various methodological reductions, i.e. via
theological, historical-comparative, sociological and literary-critical approaches to the text. From a philosophical
perspective on the Old Testament as a complex system, however, emergent properties of Yhwh are instantiated in
the paraconsistent logic operative in fictional discourse.
Research Interests: Religion, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, History of Ideas, Theology, and 15 moreHistory of Religion, Historical Theology, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Religious Pluralism, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Science and Religion, Biblical Theology, Biblical Interpretation, Biblical Exegesis, Religious Studies, Old Testament Studies, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Research Interests: Religion, Comparative Religion, Metaphysics, Philosophy Of Religion, Comparative Philosophy, and 13 moreTheology, History of Religion, Systematic Theology, Philosophical Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Biblical Theology, Ancient Philosophy, Religious Studies, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and Comparative Philosophy and Religion
Research Interests:
Much has already been written on Girard and the HB/OT in general and in relation to the Book of Job in particular, especially in reception histories from the 1990's onwards. In this contribution, the author attempts to offer a new... more
Much has already been written on Girard and the HB/OT in general and in relation to the Book of Job in particular, especially in reception histories from the 1990's onwards. In this contribution, the author attempts to offer a new perspective on Girard's reading of Job by showing its location at the intersection where his own anthropological literary criticism and the methods of HB/OT (Joban) scholarship on the one hand meet the turn to theology in Continental philosophy and the issues of interest in analytic philosophy of religion on the other. The complex and multi-dimensional meta-commentary is followed by a comparative-philosophical-critical clarification of what appears to be the paradoxical effect of attempting to restate Girard's reception of Job on his own terms in order to understand why he wrote about the Book of Job in the way he did, or why he wrote about it at all.
