Papers by Pieter M Venter
Verbum et Ecclesia, 1987
Proverbs 7:6-23 � A poetic narrative A narrative in poetic form is a contradictio in terminus fro... more Proverbs 7:6-23 � A poetic narrative A narrative in poetic form is a contradictio in terminus from the viewpoint of modern literary criticism. In this article the poetic narrative in Proverbs 7:6-23 is read from both the narrative and poetic angles, investigating the effect on the reader of this unexpected combination of two different literary genres in one literary unit.
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 1989
Isaiah and the formation of the canon since the eighth century before Christ The canonisation of ... more Isaiah and the formation of the canon since the eighth century before Christ The canonisation of Isaiah’s words was a complicated process in which different phenomena played a role. Due to politico-historical reasons Jerusalem received symbolic meaning in the Isaiah tradition. Isaiah himself started a prophetic tradition in which Jerusalem was linked to a growing Zion tradition and a monotheising theology of the universal power of God. This tradition became canonical and served as paradigm for understanding the fate of Jerusalem as expression of the sovereign power of God to chastise as well as redeem.
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 1997
A reconnaissance into post-modernism and an excurs on Daniel 7-12. This orientation to the conten... more A reconnaissance into post-modernism and an excurs on Daniel 7-12. This orientation to the contents and meaning of postmodemism, investigating its relation to poststructuralism and its literary implications for exegesis, proposes that Daniel 7-12 can be read as subor minor narratives.
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 1992
The involvement of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika in Biblical Studies at the Universi... more The involvement of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika in Biblical Studies at the University of Pretoria The two sections of the Faculty of Theology (Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk and Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk) have equal responsibilities regarding Biblical Studies at the University of Pretoria. In this historical survey, however, attention is focused on the part of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk. The Department of Biblical Studies has a proud record, and interesting possibilities for the future are mentioned. The Department functions (unofficially) as a third and ‘ecumenical’ section of the Faculty of Theology, its students coming from a variety of churches and beliefs, and its lecturers belonging to different churches.
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 1993
Two poetic sections are identified and investigated in Daniel 2. Attention is paid to the functio... more Two poetic sections are identified and investigated in Daniel 2. Attention is paid to the function of these poems within the narrative in Daniel 2 and its particular structure. The conclusion is drawn that poetic speech is used here as a focusing technique to point out the main themes of the narrative.
Canon: Unity and diversityAn analysis of the present post modern situation indicates resistance t... more Canon: Unity and diversityAn analysis of the present post modern situation indicates resistance to the idea of “canon” understood in terms of a normative final collection of literature. The disciplines of textual criticism and canon history show that canons function in a larger social context and cannot be understood only in terms of its literary aspect. At present two parallel viewpoints on canon are found in the Christian church. The “objective” viewpoint stresses the final literary form of the Biblical canon. It cannot, however successfully indicate the unity of the canon without acknowledging the social context of the users of the canon. The ”subjective” viewpoint clearly indicates the contingent aspect of the canon, but has problems with the way its authority operates. The probable way to go about the postmodern society is to acknowledge the paradigmatic character of the canon’s contents and the dynamical process of canonization and decanonization in which a canon is involved
Wisdom Poured Out Like Water, 2018
Old Testament essays, 2006
In Daniel 1 the Babylonian court presented a challenge to Daniel and his compatriots to continue ... more In Daniel 1 the Babylonian court presented a challenge to Daniel and his compatriots to continue serving the Lord as they did in Jerusalem. In the liminal phase of preparation for service in the court they created a strategy to sustain their Judean identity. This article indicates how their scheme of eating their own food was not only created from the ideological space of what Soja calls ‘Thirdspace’, but was also conceptualised in bodily terms as a theology of containment. A INTRODUCTION Space depicted in narratives, is never without ideological meaning. It is always part of the strategy followed by the narrator. Space contributes to the narrator/author’s communication of his/her/their ideology. Space not only indicates physical areas, but also has ideological meaning for those who live in it. People extend their beliefs into everyday spatial reality. This study explores the use of space in the narrative of Daniel 1. B A FOREIGN SCENE The events in Daniel 1 mainly take place at the...
An analysis of the three journeys of Enoch (1 En. 12-36) shows that preference is given to the sp... more An analysis of the three journeys of Enoch (1 En. 12-36) shows that preference is given to the spatial aspect in these revelation narratives. Both the heavenly journey (1 En. 12-16) and the two earthly journeys to the ends of the earth (1 En. 17-36) implicate space. An actantial model as well as critical spatiality is used to analyze these stories. Allocated place and cursed space influenced by mantic wisdom using cosmological schemes are used here to depict the exclusive ideas of the author(s).
Ecodomy studies need heuristic models to inform Christians how to cope with their world. The Bibl... more Ecodomy studies need heuristic models to inform Christians how to cope with their world. The Bible presents different appropriate models. These models are to be read in conjunction with each other. The models presented by the sapiential literature in Proverbs and the apocalyptic literature in Daniel are studied in this chapter. The Books of Proverbs and Daniel seem to present opposite viewpoints on what life should be. Proverbs propagates a life of faith, wisdom and participation in the orderly world God created. Daniel’s advice is to wait upon God in this chaotic world. It is proposed that these seemingly opposing viewpoints are to be read in dialogue with each other. Their juxtaposition presents a lifestyle that is optimistic as well as realistic, trusting God’s superior reign.
Three closely related penitential prayers are found in Baruch 1:15-2:10, Baruch 2:11-3:8 and Dani... more Three closely related penitential prayers are found in Baruch 1:15-2:10, Baruch 2:11-3:8 and Daniel 9:4-19. This paper presents a form-critical analysis and literary contextual comparison of these three prayers. The conclusion is drawn that the Baruch prayers come from a wisdom tradition and the Daniel prayer from an apocalyptic tradition, two parallel second century BCE Tragerkreisen in dialogue with each other and with other contemporaneous traditions. The Baruch tradents were concerned with foreign policies, re-occupation of the land and the survival of a 'rest' of Israel. The Daniel group was concerned with the rededication of the temple and living a life of fast and penitence.
Hts Teologiese Studies-theological Studies, 2011
The aim of the Compendia Rerum Judaicarum ad Novum Testamentum is to present a detailed picture o... more The aim of the Compendia Rerum Judaicarum ad Novum Testamentum is to present a detailed picture of rabbinic literature, thereby introducing the reader to the cultural and ideological background of the New Testament world. The Compendia comprise two sections. The two volumes belonging to Section One, published in 1974 and 1976 respectively, explore the history and social culture of Judaism in the period of the formation of the New Testament. Section Two is titled, The Literature of the Jewish People in the Period of the Second Temple and the Talmud. This section consists of four volumes.
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 1984
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 1983
Die sola scriptura-beginsel by Luther is ook 'n opdrag aan die Bybelw etenskap van hierdie eeu.
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 1982
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 2016
Loader’s commentary on Proverbs 1–9 belongs to the category of technical commentaries. It is eval... more Loader’s commentary on Proverbs 1–9 belongs to the category of technical commentaries. It is evaluated in terms of similar commentaries written by scholars who focus on interpreting the original Hebrew text. The design of the commentary, the four essays included in the commentary, and the approach to the text is discussed. A final section deals with Loader’s exposition of Proverbs 8. This section focuses on the problematic Hebrew terms qnh in 8:22 and ‘amon in 8:30 and compares his interpretation with the opinions raised by other scholars in this regard.
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 2016
The Hebrew Bible is quoted and alluded to in 4QInstruction. There is an obvious similarity betwee... more The Hebrew Bible is quoted and alluded to in 4QInstruction. There is an obvious similarity between the way the raz nihyeh of 4QInstruction and Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 8 function. This intertextual study investigates this phenomenon by comparing 4Q416 2 III 8–21 and 4Q417 1 I with Proverbs 8:12–21 and 8:22–31. It is concluded that apocalyptic influence changed the character of Lady Wisdom but not her essential function.
In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi, 2015
A confluence of sapiential and apocalyptic thought is found in 4QInstruction. This article invest... more A confluence of sapiential and apocalyptic thought is found in 4QInstruction. This article investigates this phenomenon in 4QInstruction by studying the two main genres used in the book, indicating the central role of the term raz nihyeh [the existing secret] in the book and presenting a cognitive analysis of this term in 4Q416 2 III. The thesis is proposed that anextended embodied, chronistic and spatial view of the world is found in this passage.Die samevloeiing van ‘wysheid’ en ‘apokaliptiese denke’ in 4Qinstruction. ’n Samevloeiing van wysheids- en apokaliptiese denke kom in 4QInstruction voor. Hierdie artikel ondersoek bogenoemde verskynsel in 4QInstruction deur die betudering van die twee hoofgenres wat in die boek voorkom. Dit dui die sentrale rol van die term raz niyeh [die geheim wat bestaan]in die boek aan en bied ’n kognitiewe analise van hierdie term in 4Q416 2 III. Dit word gestel dat ’n uitgebreide beliggaamde, kronistiese en ruimtelike beskouing van die wêreld in hier...
The Son of Man in the Parables of Enoch and in Matthew
The author refers to "a renaissance in the last couple of decades" (p. 251) in Enochic ... more The author refers to "a renaissance in the last couple of decades" (p. 251) in Enochic studies. Recent publications on the subject of the term "Son of Man" include James A Waddell's The Messiah; a comparative study of the Enochic Son of man and the Pauline Kyrios (Jewish & Christian Text) (2011) and Larry W Hurtado's (ed) "Who is this son of man"? The latest scholarship on a Puzzling Expression of the historical Jesus. The author is a member of the Enoch Seminar and presented a paper on The name of the son of man in the Parables of Enoch during the biennial seminar at Camaldoli, June 7-9, 2005.
Verbum et Ecclesia, 2005
In the book of Leviticus the notion of reconciliation is used in a cultic context. Sacrifice and ... more In the book of Leviticus the notion of reconciliation is used in a cultic context. Sacrifice and blood are the main means in the cult for reconciling man with God. This study investigates reconciliation in Leviticus in terms of concepts like sacrifice, purity, atonement, apropiation, expiation and substitution. This is done against the background of the book�s contents, the ideas of its probable priestly authors and the ideology in these circles of the cult in Israel.
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Papers by Pieter M Venter