Greek, Latin and Classical Studies

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Browsing Greek, Latin and Classical Studies by Author "Nel, P. J."

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    Dimensions of oracle-speech in the Near Eastern, Mediterranean, and African contexts: a contribution towards African orality
    (University of the Free State, 2001-07) Masoga, Mogomme Alpheus; Nel, P. J.; Moleleki, M. A.
    English: Divination is receiving ever more attention in the media. Communities, groups of people and individuals are asking questions, voice opinions, and make judgements on the function of this important branch of African life and philosophy. The thesis attempts to address this issue. Relating African divination to the rich and universal tradition of divination and oracle, it argues that this important part of African life be brought to the forefront for purposes of research and scholarship. This generally marginalised part of African life and culture, should be accorded its rightful place in academia. To this end, the researcher gives an account of his own life history as it was informed by divination and divination oracles. He further provides data on African divination oracles drawn from sample interviews with diviners. In this context, 'the data is comparatively interpreted in terms of existing oral theories and scholarship on Ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean divination and oracle. The thrust of the thesis is that it aims to both provide some insight into divination as practiced by African people and to bring this previously marginalized discourse and its practices into the centre of debate and scholarship.
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    Theophany and the divine discourses of Job
    (University of the Free State, 2002-05) Schmidt, Nicolaas Fryer; Nel, P. J.
    English: The divine discourses of Job 38-42 are usually interpreted from one of two points of view. The traditional reader understands the effect of it as a moment of repentance in the life of the main character, which can be proved from his final reaction in 42:6. In contrast to this, the sceptical reader uses the same evidence but from a different perspective to show how the way in which God handles Job had the opposite effect when Job rejects the Lord. A literary study on the divine discourses proposes that it should be explained as an Old Testament theophany in two senses: As religious phenomenon the true nature and character of the theophany is studied, by distinguishing it from other phenomena of divine manifestations, like the epiphany and the prophetic oracle which usually is reported in the form of dreams and visions. The theophany is also analysed as a literary report which can be identified in some texts of the Old Testament. This literary report of the theophany type-scene consists offive elements: (i) The background to the manifestation, (ii) the manifestation of the divine and the way the human recipient reacts to it, (iii) the dialogue and contents of the theophany report as the aim of the divine manifestation, (vi) the element of intrigue which is present in every theophany in some mysterious aspect of the divine, as well as (v) the conclusion to the theophany type-scene. The literary type-scene of the theophany is used as a framework to be applied to the divine discourses of Job. When the divine discourses is explained as a theophany in both senses as a religious phenomenon and literary report of the type-scene of the theophany, the findings show both the traditional and sceptical interpretations of the divine discourses to be of a one-sided nature. After the Lord had revealed his order and justice in creation to Job by means of the theophany and it the specific way of the theophany type-scene, Job reacts to the divine neither in terms of repentance nor in rejection. The existing faith of Job is instead strengthened by the Lord, because of the character of the divine discourses as theophanic phenomena and the dramatic report thereof that provides Job of a new and revolutionary form of insight about the greatness of the Creator as well as the contingency and insignificance of man in the creation of the Lord.