This article explores the responsibility of Bible critics with regard to the role that the Bible ... more This article explores the responsibility of Bible critics with regard to the role that the Bible should play in our violent society. The crucial question that needs to be addressed is whether the Bible, and especially the Old Testament, is part of the problem or part of the solution. The Old Testament is clearly a violent book. How do we deal with this? Does the Old Testament really have a positive contribution to make in a society riddled with violence? Some Bible critics tend to shy away from these questions, but there are exceptions. For some, violence is so endemic to the Bible that there is little to save. For others, the Bible has a very constructive role to play in a society plagued by violence.
This article engages with the work of scholars such as Jacob Milgrom and Avi Hurvitz on dating th... more This article engages with the work of scholars such as Jacob Milgrom and Avi Hurvitz on dating the Priestly text (P) in the pre-exilic period. In response to Wellhausen�s argument that P is guilty of archaising, Milgrom and Hurvitz have always maintained that there would be some �anachronistic slips�. In this article the author points out a few examples from Leviticus which could be understood as �anachronistic slips�. The author also shows the difficulties one encounters when attempting to interpret a text such as Leviticus 26 in the pre-exilic period.
This article offers the results of research in which two theological fields cooperated in order t... more This article offers the results of research in which two theological fields cooperated in order to investigate one specific repertoire of liturgical rituals. From the perspective of both Liturgical Studies, and its focus on the functioning of ritual within its cultural context, and Old Testament Studies, and a focus on how biblical critics understand certain rituals described in the Priestly texts in the Pentateuch, ritual burning and slaughtering in an AIC was studied. Ritual Studies is beginning to play a much more prominent role in the engagement with books such as Leviticus and Numbers and also in Liturgical Studies, and this article is an example of how these two disciplines can fruitfully cooperate in the study of liturgical rituals in an AIC in South Africa.
The article focused on the Hebrew root לדב [divide] [bdl] in Priestly and post-Priestly material ... more The article focused on the Hebrew root לדב [divide] [bdl] in Priestly and post-Priestly material of the Pentateuch. In Genesis 1 God is the subject of the verb and often enough in the Holiness Code, but in many instances in Leviticus (e.g. 10:10 and 11:47) it is expected of priests to perform the same act. It was argued that in this regard priests were to imitate God. The article further argued that these texts helped us to describe Jewish identity in the Persian period as an identity of non-conformity, and they also helped us to describe the priests’ own understanding of their role in maintaining this identity.
The story of the death of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10 has always been a difficult text to und... more The story of the death of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10 has always been a difficult text to understand. Recently it has been used in debates about possible power struggles between Aaronides and Zadokites in post-exilic Yehud. The article critically explores the work of three European scholars, namely Achenbach, Nihan and Otto on this issue. Initially most of the traditional questions asked by scholars are addressed such as what the ‘strange fire’ was, and what exactly Nadab and Abihu did wrong. The focus of the article then moves to whether Leviticus 10 reflects badly on certain priestly groups.
The article contrasts two views of “land” in two texts which both originated in priestly circles.... more The article contrasts two views of “land” in two texts which both originated in priestly circles. The first text is the Priestly creation narrative, and here the article leans heavily on the work of Norman Habel and the Earth Bible Project. For Habel, Genesis 1 is the story of the loss of partnership between God and Earth. The article then describes the portrayal of the “land of Canaan” or “Erets Canaan” in the Holiness Legislation and shows how the old partnership is remembered and rekindled. In the second part of the article the earlier work of Esias Meyer is used. The objective of this article is to contrast these two views of relationship to land and to make clear that the Holiness Legislation is much less anthropocentric than its Priestly predecessor in Genesis 1.
How to cite this article: Meyer, E.E., 2013, ‘From cult to community: The two halves of Leviticus... more How to cite this article: Meyer, E.E., 2013, ‘From cult to community: The two halves of Leviticus’, Verbum et Ecclesia 34(2), Art. #774,
The relationship between Old Testament narrative and Christian ethics is challenging. When it com... more The relationship between Old Testament narrative and Christian ethics is challenging. When it comes to finding ethical guideline Old Testament narratives are unresponsive. This is particularly the case with a narrative such as Genesis 38. Biblical scholars have written extensively on how the text can be interpreted. In this article we look at the various ways scholars in Biblical criticism have tried to make sense of the text. We show that narratives can function as a platform for dialogue to mirror the intricacies of life. We do not attempt to resolve the tension between the story and ethics, but rather aim to consider biblical criticism as a tool which stimulates ethical debate.
In a short historical overview of the academic and social contributions of the Department of OTS ... more In a short historical overview of the academic and social contributions of the Department of OTS at the UP over the past century (1917–2017), this chapter provides a limited picture of how the department has contributed to academia, church and society. In this year of the Faculty of Theology’s centenary celebrations, this chapter contemplates selected highlights of the past and intends to discover the avenues of future vistas through current academic strengths, research foci of personnel and the actualisation of the OT in the African context(s).From the inception of the UP in 1908, the Faculty of Humanities has been involved in OT related studies, namely the study of the Hebrew language. OTS has become known over many years through individual scholars’ expertise regarding Bible translation and the foci on specific parts of the OT, namely the Pentateuch, Psalms, Prophets or Second Temple literature. World renowned projects started since 1990 to involve several international scholars....
Die doel van hierdie artikel is om die figuur van die vreemdeling in die boek Levitikus as deel v... more Die doel van hierdie artikel is om die figuur van die vreemdeling in die boek Levitikus as deel van die Pentateug te ondersoek. Die artikel verduidelik eers die diakroniese uitgangspunte van hierdie ondersoek. Hierdie uitgangspunte vorm die fondament waarop die res van die argument gebou word. Die Heiligheidwetgewing word deur die meeste geleerdes as 'n post-Priesterlike teks van die Persiese tydvak gesien. Die artikel bied 'n oorsig oor die voorkoms van die term גר in Levitikus 16-26. Dan volg 'n oorsig oor die debat oor die vreemdelingtema tot op hede en word daar veral gefokus op die belangrike bydraes van Jacob Milgrom en Christophe Nihan. Milgrom het duidelik aangetoon dat daar nie sprake is van proseliete in hierdie tekste nie en Nihan het gewys dat die verandering van die status van die גר met ekonomiese vooruitgang gepaardgegaan het. In die tweede helfte van die artikel word daar aangetoon dat hierdie verduidelikings nie genoegsaam is om die oproep om die גר lief...
The motto of the publishers of this book is "Evangelically Rooted. Critically Engaged,"... more The motto of the publishers of this book is "Evangelically Rooted. Critically Engaged," which seems to imply that this book is written for an Evangelical audience with the purpose of exposing them to critical thinking. In that case, the motto is not a bad description of the book as a whole. The book starts off well by arguing that the Bible was not written for its modern-day readers and that the two primary stumbling blocks that modern-day readers have to overcome are language and culture. The book attempts to make a contribution towards understanding the latter in particular, given the fact that Israel was an Ancient Near Eastern culture. Walton explains to his readers that Israel was not only influenced by the ancient world, but that "they were part of that world" (p. 14).
This article explores the responsibility of Bible critics with regard to the role that the Bible ... more This article explores the responsibility of Bible critics with regard to the role that the Bible should play in our violent society. The crucial question that needs to be addressed is whether the Bible, and especially the Old Testament, is part of the problem or part of the solution. The Old Testament is clearly a violent book. How do we deal with this? Does the Old Testament really have a positive contribution to make in a society riddled with violence? Some Bible critics tend to shy away from these questions, but there are exceptions. For some, violence is so endemic to the Bible that there is little to save. For others, the Bible has a very constructive role to play in a society plagued by violence.
This article engages with the work of scholars such as Jacob Milgrom and Avi Hurvitz on dating th... more This article engages with the work of scholars such as Jacob Milgrom and Avi Hurvitz on dating the Priestly text (P) in the pre-exilic period. In response to Wellhausen�s argument that P is guilty of archaising, Milgrom and Hurvitz have always maintained that there would be some �anachronistic slips�. In this article the author points out a few examples from Leviticus which could be understood as �anachronistic slips�. The author also shows the difficulties one encounters when attempting to interpret a text such as Leviticus 26 in the pre-exilic period.
This article offers the results of research in which two theological fields cooperated in order t... more This article offers the results of research in which two theological fields cooperated in order to investigate one specific repertoire of liturgical rituals. From the perspective of both Liturgical Studies, and its focus on the functioning of ritual within its cultural context, and Old Testament Studies, and a focus on how biblical critics understand certain rituals described in the Priestly texts in the Pentateuch, ritual burning and slaughtering in an AIC was studied. Ritual Studies is beginning to play a much more prominent role in the engagement with books such as Leviticus and Numbers and also in Liturgical Studies, and this article is an example of how these two disciplines can fruitfully cooperate in the study of liturgical rituals in an AIC in South Africa.
The article focused on the Hebrew root לדב [divide] [bdl] in Priestly and post-Priestly material ... more The article focused on the Hebrew root לדב [divide] [bdl] in Priestly and post-Priestly material of the Pentateuch. In Genesis 1 God is the subject of the verb and often enough in the Holiness Code, but in many instances in Leviticus (e.g. 10:10 and 11:47) it is expected of priests to perform the same act. It was argued that in this regard priests were to imitate God. The article further argued that these texts helped us to describe Jewish identity in the Persian period as an identity of non-conformity, and they also helped us to describe the priests’ own understanding of their role in maintaining this identity.
The story of the death of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10 has always been a difficult text to und... more The story of the death of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10 has always been a difficult text to understand. Recently it has been used in debates about possible power struggles between Aaronides and Zadokites in post-exilic Yehud. The article critically explores the work of three European scholars, namely Achenbach, Nihan and Otto on this issue. Initially most of the traditional questions asked by scholars are addressed such as what the ‘strange fire’ was, and what exactly Nadab and Abihu did wrong. The focus of the article then moves to whether Leviticus 10 reflects badly on certain priestly groups.
The article contrasts two views of “land” in two texts which both originated in priestly circles.... more The article contrasts two views of “land” in two texts which both originated in priestly circles. The first text is the Priestly creation narrative, and here the article leans heavily on the work of Norman Habel and the Earth Bible Project. For Habel, Genesis 1 is the story of the loss of partnership between God and Earth. The article then describes the portrayal of the “land of Canaan” or “Erets Canaan” in the Holiness Legislation and shows how the old partnership is remembered and rekindled. In the second part of the article the earlier work of Esias Meyer is used. The objective of this article is to contrast these two views of relationship to land and to make clear that the Holiness Legislation is much less anthropocentric than its Priestly predecessor in Genesis 1.
How to cite this article: Meyer, E.E., 2013, ‘From cult to community: The two halves of Leviticus... more How to cite this article: Meyer, E.E., 2013, ‘From cult to community: The two halves of Leviticus’, Verbum et Ecclesia 34(2), Art. #774,
The relationship between Old Testament narrative and Christian ethics is challenging. When it com... more The relationship between Old Testament narrative and Christian ethics is challenging. When it comes to finding ethical guideline Old Testament narratives are unresponsive. This is particularly the case with a narrative such as Genesis 38. Biblical scholars have written extensively on how the text can be interpreted. In this article we look at the various ways scholars in Biblical criticism have tried to make sense of the text. We show that narratives can function as a platform for dialogue to mirror the intricacies of life. We do not attempt to resolve the tension between the story and ethics, but rather aim to consider biblical criticism as a tool which stimulates ethical debate.
In a short historical overview of the academic and social contributions of the Department of OTS ... more In a short historical overview of the academic and social contributions of the Department of OTS at the UP over the past century (1917–2017), this chapter provides a limited picture of how the department has contributed to academia, church and society. In this year of the Faculty of Theology’s centenary celebrations, this chapter contemplates selected highlights of the past and intends to discover the avenues of future vistas through current academic strengths, research foci of personnel and the actualisation of the OT in the African context(s).From the inception of the UP in 1908, the Faculty of Humanities has been involved in OT related studies, namely the study of the Hebrew language. OTS has become known over many years through individual scholars’ expertise regarding Bible translation and the foci on specific parts of the OT, namely the Pentateuch, Psalms, Prophets or Second Temple literature. World renowned projects started since 1990 to involve several international scholars....
Die doel van hierdie artikel is om die figuur van die vreemdeling in die boek Levitikus as deel v... more Die doel van hierdie artikel is om die figuur van die vreemdeling in die boek Levitikus as deel van die Pentateug te ondersoek. Die artikel verduidelik eers die diakroniese uitgangspunte van hierdie ondersoek. Hierdie uitgangspunte vorm die fondament waarop die res van die argument gebou word. Die Heiligheidwetgewing word deur die meeste geleerdes as 'n post-Priesterlike teks van die Persiese tydvak gesien. Die artikel bied 'n oorsig oor die voorkoms van die term גר in Levitikus 16-26. Dan volg 'n oorsig oor die debat oor die vreemdelingtema tot op hede en word daar veral gefokus op die belangrike bydraes van Jacob Milgrom en Christophe Nihan. Milgrom het duidelik aangetoon dat daar nie sprake is van proseliete in hierdie tekste nie en Nihan het gewys dat die verandering van die status van die גר met ekonomiese vooruitgang gepaardgegaan het. In die tweede helfte van die artikel word daar aangetoon dat hierdie verduidelikings nie genoegsaam is om die oproep om die גר lief...
The motto of the publishers of this book is "Evangelically Rooted. Critically Engaged,"... more The motto of the publishers of this book is "Evangelically Rooted. Critically Engaged," which seems to imply that this book is written for an Evangelical audience with the purpose of exposing them to critical thinking. In that case, the motto is not a bad description of the book as a whole. The book starts off well by arguing that the Bible was not written for its modern-day readers and that the two primary stumbling blocks that modern-day readers have to overcome are language and culture. The book attempts to make a contribution towards understanding the latter in particular, given the fact that Israel was an Ancient Near Eastern culture. Walton explains to his readers that Israel was not only influenced by the ancient world, but that "they were part of that world" (p. 14).
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