AbstractAmos 9:7

AbstractMasterthesis Intercultural Reformed Theology

AbstractThe Lament Psalms are among the Old Testament texts that do not have much influence and impact for the Christians of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. This is due to the inherited Western Christian traditions which regarded complaints to be incompatible with the Christian faith. As a result, the Tanzanian Church has overlooked and failed to integrate two of her religious heritages in prayer and worship. I contend that the devaluation and absence of the Lament Psalms stem basically from the lack of proper interpretations of these texts. The flaws and distortions in interpretation have censured these psalms from the practical life of the Church. This study seeks to bridge the gap and to bring harmony between the Lament Psalms and the Church practices. The gap Gan be bridged through effective interpretation of the Lament Psalms. The effective reading in this thesis is doing a close reading of the Lament Psalms, that is, reading the biblical laments in conjunction with African lament traditions. In this research, five Psalms of Lament have been critically examined in conjunction with African lament songs. This critical analysis comes immediately after the introductory chapter. The emphasis has been on translations, close readings, literary contexts, and central theological themes for each Psalm. Chapter three concentrates on the broader theological motifs of the Lament Psalms, and examining how these motifs relate to the rest of the Lament Psalms. Chapter four introduces the reading of the Lament Psalms in the Tanzanian context. This includes the study of the traditional lament prayers, an investigation of the worship material in the ELCT, and the use of the biblical Psalms in the life of the Church. Hermeneutical implications of this study are deliberated in chapter five, where the problems and prospects of such interpretation are emphasized. Tanzanian lament songs and traditions pose several significant elements that can enhance and illuminate our reading of the Psalms of Lament. Among these, aspects such as community, rituals, and language need to be considered in order to read effectively the Lament Psalms in a given cultural context. Finally, the thesis concludes by arguing that any anthropologically and culturally sound theology has to take into account the people's experience, in a way that they can grasp and integrate culture and their new faith.

AbstractBible translation needs to communicate the original message in a form that is accessible and acceptable to the local community. This requires utilizing the communication media and forms the people use in everyday life. In the case of translating psalms into isiZulu, this involves using oral media and forms of Zulu poetry and music, to produce a translation that communicates effectively.

AbstractScope of the study African concepts of God, humanity and nature The Bible and environment conservation Christian attitudes toward environment conservation Kikuyu and Maasai conceptions compared with biblical teaching An African Christian theological basis for environment conservation

AbstractThe thesis argues that certain aspects of death in the individual lament psalms when viewed in the light of socio-economic perspectives provide new insights into the Old Testament definition of death. These aspects are clarified in an exegetical study of selected psalms (Pss. 88; 7; 64; 13; 6; 30; 49) and elaborated through the examination of expressions such as 'wyb, sr, 'nsy dmym, mwt, dwmh, rs', p'ly 'wn. There is a good use of socio-anthropology dealing with personal causality, its relationship to the healing process, and Yahweh's link to the kinship and social order as a necessary ingredient for change in the social order as previously known. The research is located within the history of psalm interpretation, with emphasis on the works of Christoph Barth, Mitchell Dahood and Nicholas Tromp. The evidence that death may be conceived as a form of socio-economic oppression, and as a pattern of ideology is located within the milieu of sorcery, magic, witchcraft, and within the political context of the Israelite monarchy in the 8th and 7th centuries B.C.E. The dissertation begins by defining the problem, its parameters, and the methodological principles for the study. This is followed by a detailed critical exegetical analysis, and a discussion of the various aspects of death. The conclusion is reached that death was perceived in the psalms as a diminution of life and as a matter of degree; that death motifs are pervasive in the psalms; that interpreting the psalter with socio-anthropological data while using the biblical material as the controlling factor is tenable. The dissertation's implications are theological and missiological. Theologically, it opens up the way for a cross-cultural dialogue between the Hebrew scriptures and African theologians, and the possibilities for liberation hermeneutics. Missiologically, it provides the key for understanding the African's need to be Christian and African without losing essential parts of her cultural heritage.

AbstractPreviously issued as author's dissertation, 1998, Université de Fribourg, Suisse

Abstract„In der glühenden Sonne, vor dem Paßamt, stehe ich mit meinen Leidensgenossen den ganzen Tag..." Wie er den 22. Psalm aus der Situation des Südlichen Afrika nachsprach, machte Zephanja Kameeta rasch in Deutschland bekannt. 1973 erstmals erschienen in den Texten zum Schwarzen Bewußtsein (Black Consciousness), die Theo Sundermeier in dem Band „Christus - der schwarze Befreier" herausgab, wurde das Gebet als Piakat und Handzettel mit dem Luthertext des 22. Psalms und der entsprechenden Dichtung von Ernesto Cardenal weit verbreitet. „Mit deinen eigenen Worten rufe ich dich an": Afrikaner verbinden viel direkter, als wir es wagen, ihre Situation mit den Gebeten der Bibel. „Christus in schwarzen Gettos" bringt 15 Psalmgebete und neun weitere Texte des namibischen Christen, für den geistliche und politische Erfahrungen sich miteinander verbinden. Zephanja Kameeta, 1948 in Otjimbingwe geboren, sah sich von Geburt an immer wieder als Außenseiter: durch seine Farbe, dank seiner Ausbildung, infolge seiner Eheschließung mit einer Frau aus einem anderen Stamm, wegen seiner Weigerung, sich einer selbständigen Protest-Kirche anzuschließen. 1982 wurde er zum Vizepräses der Evangelischen Lutherischen Kirche in Namibia berufen. Professor Dr. Theo Sundermeier war als Dozent in Umpumulo tätig, dann Professor in Bochum und ist seit 1983 Professor für Religionsgeschichte und Missionswissenschaft in Heidelberg. Seine Publikationen „Christus, der schwarze Befreier", „Wir aber suchten Gemeinschaft", „Zwischen Kultur und Politik" und „Südafrikanische Passion" versuchen, die Stimme der Unterdrückten aus dem Südlichen Afrika bei uns erfahrbar zu machen. Für viele von ihnen spricht Zephanja Kameeta, wenn er betet: „Jesus, wir hoffen auf dich, du unser Befreier."

AbstractScholars have described Psalm 119 as the «crux criticorum» of the Fifth Book of the Psalter (Pss 107-150). While the length of the psalm and its insistence on the question of YHWH’s Torah are basic indices pointing to its importance in the Book, the question of its message, that is, the logical development of its theme has remained an exegetical problem. The author proposes a solution, namely, that Psalm 119 is structurally arranged to show the Psalmist’s own experience of straying and returning to YHWH’s Torah. The resolution of the problem has implications for understanding the organisation of the Fifth Book and for the place of psalms such as 111 and 147, which also reflect on the theme of Torah in the final Book of the Psalter.

AbstractAbstract available in pdf file.

AbstractAbstract available in pdf file.

AbstractPsalm 104 paints a picture of Yahweh dressed in the royal robes of both Aten and Baal. The variety of references to Ancient Near Eastern gods points to a rich and complicated history of the origins of Psalm 104, Israel and Israelite theology. The origins of Psalm 104 in all likelyhood include oral traditions, cultic contexts and years of redactional rearrangement and rewriting. Akhenaten used a centralised cult and monolatrism to achieve political stability in Egypt. Years later Hammurabi used Marduk as chief deity in Babylonia to centralise power and create political and religious stability in his kingdom. It is within this Ancient Near Eastern tradition of using religion and one specific deity to achieve political stability that Psalm 104 finds its origins and cultic context. The early Israelite monarchy finds itself amidst uncertain political circumstances. The early kings used a centralised monarchy and monolatrism to achieve economic and political stability. The early Israelite government also used other Egyptian influences including governing methods, policies and the use of Egyptian scribes. The monarchy used cultic personal to communicate politically sanctioned theology and contact between cultic personal and Egyptian scribes intertwined with a Canaanite heritage has a cosmopolitan and culturally diverse Psalm 104 at its end. The psalm is used as a war liturgy, with Chaoskampf-motifs to legitimise the Israelite king s military action and kingship. This is done by ritual re-enactment on cultic level connecting Yahweh s mythic action to that of the king s present conflict.

AbstractThis thesis is an attempt to read the imprecatory psalms in the Old Testament more effectively. In the introduction, the current research of the imprecatory psalms is surveyed and three problems are identified. First of all, there seems to be no consensus among scholars with regards to the exact number of imprecatory psalms. The reason for this is that there are no defined criteria for identifying these psalms. Little work has been done to rectify the situation, possibly because the search for such criteria has been arbitrary and subjective. It is probably unnecessary for scholars to sing in unison with regards to the exact number of imprecatory psalms. Therefore, rather than searching for some illusive criteria, this study focuses on the content of these psalms in order to enrich our understanding of imprecation in the Psalms. Secondly, there is a wide range of views regarding the basis of imprecatory psalms. There is no consensus among scholars and many of the proposed solutions are unsatisfactory. Therefore, this study focuses on each imprecatory psalm to establish the basis of imprecation from the text itself and then seeks to clarify the “ethical problem” in the light of the New Testament. Thirdly, some scholars seem to have ignored the historical context of the imprecatory psalms. Therefore, this study is an attempt to read the imprecatory psalms in their total context (i.e historical, life-setting and canonical) before application is made to the modern context. Thus, the above research problems have provided motivation for this thoroughly text-based and text oriented exegetical study of a representative selection of the imprecatory psalms in order to grasp more accurately the content, context and message of these psalms. In order to ensure the thoroughness of this study, the reading strategy utilized involves a three-dimensional approach, namely an intra-textual reading, an extra-textual reading and an inter-textual reading of each of the representative imprecatory psalms. From the perspective of intra-textual reading, the literary structure, morphological, poetical, semantic and rhetorical features of each of the representative imprecatory psalms are investigated. Following this, the extra-textual dimensions of each of the representative imprecatory psalms are discussed in order to scrutinize the socio-historical context of imprecatory psalms. The aspect of the inter-textual relationships of each of the representative imprecatory psalms is also examined in order to understand imprecatory psalms in their broader canonical context. For the purpose of this study, five imprecatory psalms, namely Psalms 35, 69, 83, 109 and 137, have been selected, based on the fact that they are commonly classified by scholars as imprecatory psalms. Psalms 35, 69, 83, 109 and 137 are multi-dimensionally read in the main body of the thesis (chapters 2-6, one chapter for each imprecatory psalm), based on the suggested three-dimensional reading, namely the intra-textual reading, the extra-textual reading and the inter-textual reading. The thesis concludes by comparing the content, context and theological emphasis of the selected imprecatory psalms. It synthesizes all the study outcomes, the overall messages and theological implications of the selected imprecatory psalms and gives clarity on the “ethical problem.” Finally, some suggestions for future research on imprecatory psalms are offered.

AbstractThis book shows the presence and the participation of Africans in the biblical text, helping demonstrate that Christianity is not a "white man's religion," and that Christianity has deep roots in African soil. It looks at all those in the Bible who can legitimately be considered as African, supporting its findings with both ancient and modern scholarship. Extensive appendices indicate precisely the African people and places mentioned either directly or indirectly in the Christian Scriptures, supporting the premise that Africans are not simply recipients of the Gospel message, but they are an integral part of it. It is time for the Church in Africa to recognize its very rich biblical heritage. --From publisher's description

AbstractThe purpose of this textbook is to introduce Bible students and translators to the basic compositional structure and literary style of Hebrew poetry, especially the lyric-liturgical poetry found in the Book of Psalms. Wendland follows a “discourse analysis” approach--examining different aspects of the poetic texts as an integrated whole. His primary focus is upon the formal features of the psalms, but elements of content (key terms) and function (psalm types or genres) also receive due consideration. Dr. Wendland teaches at the Lutheran Bible Institute and Seminary in Lusaka, Zambia, and is a United Bible Societies Translation Consultant. He is the author of numerous studies on the Bantu languages of South Central Africa, biblical exegesis, and translation theory.

AbstractThis study illustrates a comprehensive method of analyzing the discourse structure and style of a Hebrew lyric text with special reference to its interacting thematic organization and rhetorical dynamics. An illustrated survey of 10 of the principal stylistic features leads to a discussion of similar rhetorical techniques manifested by modern lyric (written) poetry in Chichewa. The study also seeks to makes a contribution to the theory and practice of meaning-oriented Bible translation.

AbstractWhat does the Bible say about Africa? More then 80 photos, maps, and charts are included in this insightful exploration of the African presence in Scripture.