Louis Jonker

Fishing for Jonah (anew) : various approaches to biblical interpretation

CITATION: Jonker, L. & Lawrie, D. (eds). 2005. Fishing for Jonah (anew) : various approaches to biblical interpretation. Stellenbosch: SUN PRESS. doi:10.18820/9781919980751.

Mapping the various factors playing a role in Biblical interpretation.

1. Introduction Biblical interpretation (as is the case with any interpretation I) is a multidimensionae and dynamic process. This means that various factors interact in the interpretation process. Interpreters are normally aware that some of these factors playa role, but there are often many factors of which interpreters are not aware of during the process of interpretation. These factors influence the process unconsciously.

The Chronicler and the Prophets. Who were his Authoritative Sources

The Chronicler was fond of mentioning and quoting prophetic voices. However, apart from Isaiah and Jeremiah, no other prophets of whom we have literary works in the Hebrew Bible feature in the Chroniclers version of history. Numerous other prophets, however, not known from the Hebrew Bible are mentioned and quoted. And this happens in a time when, according to some scholars, classical prophecy as an active phenomenon had ceased. Within this broader context, the present paper will focus on Jeremiah as authoritative prophet in the Books of Chronicles. Why is Jeremiah quoted as an authoritative source in the closing sections of the books? And how does this relate to the intricate history of the formation of the canonical book of Jeremiah? Prof. Hermann-Josef Stipp (LMU, Munich) provided valuable comments on a draft version of this article, particularly on the Jeremiah scholarship included here. I hereby acknowledge his input with gratitude, but also confirm that all misappropriations are the responsibility of the author.

The Book of Judges / Barry G Webb G; and Judges / Serge Frolov

These two commentaries on the Old Testament book of Judges appeared in a matter of months from each another at Eerdmans Publishers. Both were published in well-known commentary series, each with its own focus and perspective. Both offer an extensive and valuable introduction in which discussions on exegetical method occupy prominent positions. Both offer in-depth and meticulous commentary on the different sections in the text of Judges.

Was the Chronicler more Deuteronomic than the Deuteronomist? Explorations into the Chronicler’s Relationship with Deuteronomic Legal Traditions

ABSTRACT Although there is general agreement among biblical scholars that Chronicles developed an own historiography in contradistinction to the Deuteronomistic History, some scholars have started emphasizing the commonalities between these histories. The present contribution is an attempt to contribute to this investigation in Chronicles studies. The investigation particularly focuses on a disputed example from Chronicles, namely the legal reforms of King Jehoshaphat, in order to establish what the relationship is between Chronicles and the Deuteronomic legal traditions.

“Lewend en kragtig”? Die hermeneutiese dinamika en implikasies van (her)interpretasie in die Ou Testament

Biblical interpretation remains a contentious matter. Not only are there regularly fierce debates in church circles on how the Bible should be interpreted on issues of dogma and ethics, but even the letter columns of newspapers and chatrooms on the internet are often full of discussions on all aspects of biblical interpretation. These debates cover the whole spectrum of opinions ranging from those who insist on the factual accuracy and credibility of the Bible and who cling to this belief with a passionate conviction as a guide to doctrine and to life, to those who think that the Bible no longer has any value in a scientific age and that it should therefore be rejected as a source which has any authority. In these debates there is not much room for nuance. The conviction is expressed in this article that a study of how interpretation is undertaken in the Bible could open up important perspectives on the difficult questions of the interpretation of the Bible in our own time. In addressing the issue of interpretation in the Bible this article concentrates on the Old Testament, the field of specialisation in biblical scholarship of the author. The study starts with an overview of the research done in the discipline of Old Testament studies on the phenomenon of inner-biblical interpretation. In a subsequent section the phenomenon of inner-biblical interpretation is illustrated with reference to research on the books of Chronicles. This survey and the illustrations are followed by a section in which the hermeneutic implications of the dynamics of (re)interpretation in the Bible are spelled out for theology and the church. In the conclusion the article returns to the questions posed in the introduction.

DETERMINING RELATIVE ADEQUACY IN BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION

1. Introduction Plurality is an inevitable and necessary result of Biblical interpretation. There can be no single fully adequate interpretation of any Biblical text. This is partly due to the polisemy inherent in the text itself, but also to the different historical, geographical, and ecclesial contexts within which the meaning of a text is continuously being appropriated. Interpretation is necessarily an ongoing task if this implies the need to embody the significance of the text in and for ever changing circumstances.

My Wife Must Not Live in King David's Palace (2 Chr 8:11): A Contribution to the Diachronic Study of Intermarriage Traditions in the Hebrew Bible

The majority of Hebrew Bible studies that deal with the portrayal of intermarriage focus on pentateuchal texts and/or Ezra-Nehemiah. This contribution looks at the royal narratives of Chronicles in order to see whether another view of the phenomenon of intermarriage (compared to Ezra-Nehemiah) emerges there. Special attention is given to the indication in the Solomon narrative that the king did not let his Egyptian wife live in David’s palace.

Om as familie in Suid-Afrika te leef: Interkulturele Bybelstudie as transformatiewe krag in die samelewing

Living as a family in South Africa: Intercultural Bible study as a transformational power in society This contribution describes a research project in empirical hermeneutics which departed from the hypothesis that a development of hermeneutical skills among Christian communities for reading the Bible together with “the Other” could contribute significantly towards the fostering of interculturality in the broader South African society. Additionally, it was hypothesized that the studying of the dynamics of intercultural Bible reading could provide us with better insight into the dynamics of a shift from multiculturality to interculturality. The present article reports on the results achieved in the investigation. It has been established that fear for and a lack of knowledge of “the Other” are important reasons for the lack of interculturality in society. It has also been confirmed that the Bible – as liminal “meeting place” for people from different cultures – can foster a sense of family and hospitality in the South African nation.

BIBLE STUDY WITIDN ESTABLISHEDBIBLE STUDY GROUPS:RESULTS OF AN EMPIRICAL RESEARCH PROJECT

1. Introduction The purpose of this contribution is to discuss the results of the empirical research project on Biblical interpretation within the context of established Bible study groups that was launched in 1999.1 The scope of this project remained limited. The purpose of the project was to investigate the validity of a number of hypotheses on various factors that playa role in Biblical interpretation in a group context.