Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Memories of enslavement as identity formation in the legal collections of the Pentateuch
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2022
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613910647963648 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Cobongs, Bitrus Bulus |
| author2 | Bosman, Hendrik |
| author_browse | Bosman, Hendrik Cobongs, Bitrus Bulus |
| author_facet | Bosman, Hendrik Cobongs, Bitrus Bulus |
| author_sort | Cobongs, Bitrus Bulus |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/124668 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:39.397Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/124668 Memories of enslavement as identity formation in the legal collections of the Pentateuch Cobongs, Bitrus Bulus Bosman, Hendrik Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament. Memories Slavery Identity (Philosophical concept) Jewish law Bible. Pentateuch -- Criticism, interpretation, etc. UCTD Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation is a study of memories of enslavement as identity formation embedded in the slave instructions of the legal collections of the Pentateuch. The personal experiences of the writer in his native country of Nigeria and the last twenty years in the USA, became the impetus for the scrutiny of these slave instructions. The constant tribal and religious conflicts in Northern Nigeria are usually accompanied by the mention of past experiences of slavery and colonialism. Similarly, the black community in the USA seems weighed down by the memories of slavery and segregation as it wrestles with the matters of dignity, poverty and lack of education that affect it disproportionately. These concerns caused the author to reflect on the biblical material in the Pentateuch that relates to memories of slavery as the communities seek an identity of their own. Hence, this dissertation, with the title “Memories of Enslavement as Identity Formation in the Legal Collection of the Pentateuch”, seeks to investigate how those passages addressed ancient Israel regarding the ethical treatment of the poor and downtrodden. The author approached the passages from the point of view of a historical-grammatical study, where attention is paid to the grammar and syntax of the text, and similarities and dissimilarities in the synoptic texts where they address the subject of slave instructions in the Covenant Code (CC) in Exodus 21:1-11; the Holiness Code (HC) in Leviticus 25:39-55; and the Deuteronomic Code (DC) in Deuteronomy 15:12-18. An observation of the contexts surrounding these instructions shed light on their individual contexts and the guiding interests of the authors. The references to Egypt as a house of slavery in these instructions is considered a literary device to jolt the memory and direct behaviour in the right direction for the treatment of workers, especially fellow Israelites. It appears that, in each instruction, the setting of the pre-exilic and post-exilic world events of the ANE had influenced the behaviour of the audience so that the appeal to consider kinship relationships was prominent in the Deuteronomic and Holiness codes, where the term “brother” is employed as the true identity of the Hebrew slave. First, the CC and DC limit the service of Hebrew slaves to six years. The HC, which appears to be the latest instruction, removes the term “slave” entirely and draws attention to the claims of Yahweh, that Israel was redeemed to be “servants” of God and not anyone else’s. Second, in the effort to guarantee the freedom of Israelite slaves at the Jubilee, the HC further removes “female slaves” as a possibility for Israelites. In the narrative sections of the Pentateuch, descriptive narrations of slavery require the attention of further research, because this dissertation focused narrowly on the slave instructions. Any further research into those narratives will yield helpful information on how oral cultures tell and retell stories as a collective, identity-forming mechanism. The dissertation seeks to bring to light analogies from the above Pentateuchal passages to the Nigerian experiences of tribal and religious relationships, as discussed in Chapter 2. The topic, “Memories of Enslavement as Identity Formation in the Legal Collections of the Pentateuch”, indicates the initial intention of the study. However, the historical-grammatical study revealed that memories are tied to kinship in ancient Israel – illustrated by the metaphors related to family. The exilic community found a strong tie in kinship through the recollection of a common past. The common identity, in turn, was at the heart of the theological and ethical call to acknowledge the authority of Yahweh as the true Lord of all Israel. The slave instructions provide a sense of theological and ethical direction for the audience of each instruction. Likewise, the instructions appear relevant for theological and ethical direction for the modern world. The theological-ethical motivations of the slave instructions are relevant for Nigeria and other countries struggling to devise an identity from the memories of slavery and colonialism. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie proefskrif stel ondersoek in na die herinneringe aan slawerny as identiteitsvorming ingebed in die slawebepalings van die regsversamelings van die Pentateug. Die persoonlike ervarings van die skrywer in sy land van herkoms, Nigerië, en die afgelope twintig jaar se verblyf in die VSA het aanleiding tot die ondersoek van die slawebepalings gegee. Die voortdurende stam- en godsdienstige konflik in Noord-Nigerië gaan dikwels gepaard met verwysings na vorige ervarings van slawerny en kolonialisme. Ooreenstemmend het die swart gemeenskap in die VSA druk ervaar van die herinneringe aan slawerny en segregasie tydens die stryd om waardigheid, armoede en gebrek aan opvoedingsgeleenthede aan te spreek. Hierdie besorgdhede het aanleiding gegee tot die bestudering van die regsversamelings van die Pentateug om vas te stel hoe dit verband hou met die herinneringe aan slawerny as deel van die proses waartydens ’n eie identiteit ontwikkel word. Vandaar die titel, “Herinneringe aan slawerny as identiteitsvorming in die regsversamelings van die Pentateug”, wat ondersoek instel na hoe hierdie gedeelte antieke Israel aangespreek het ten opsigte etiese optrede teenoor slawe, werkers en die verdruktes. Die skrywer benader die teksgedeeltes vanuit die hoek van histories-grammatiese eksegese, waarbinne aandag geskenk word aan die grammatika en sintaksis van die teks, asook ooreenkomste en verskille in die sinoptiese tekste wat die onderwerp van slawebepalings in die Verbondsboek (Ex 21:1-11), Heiligheidswetgewing (Lev 25:39-55) en die Deuteronomistiese wette (Deut 15:12-18) aanspreek. Aandag vir die literêre kontekste van hierdie bepalings werp lig op die individuele kontekste en die rigtinggewende belange van die skrywers. Die verwysings na Egipte as ’n slawehuis in hierdie bepalings word as ’n literêre middel beskou om herinnering aan te wakker en om gedrag te rig ten opsigte van die behandeling van werkers, veral mede-Israeliete. Dit blyk dat, in elke bepaling, die konteks van die voor-eksiliese, eksiliese en na-eksiliese wêreld van die Ou Nabye Ooste ’n invloed uitgeoefen het op die gedrag van die gehoor sodat die aanspraak op die inagneming van die verwantskapsverhoudings voorrang geniet het binne die Deuteronomiese en Heiligheidswette, waar die begrip “broer” gebruik word om uitdrukking aan die ware identiteit van die Hebreeuse slaaf te gee. Ten eerste beperk die Verbondsboek en die Deuteronomistiese wette die dienstydperk van Hebreeuse slawe tot ses jaar. Die Heiligheidswette, as die jongste bepalings, verwyder die begrip “slaaf” as geheel en fokus die aandag op die aansprake van Jahwe, dat Israel uit slawerny gered is om as “dienaars” van God en niemand anders op te tree. Tweedens, as deel van die poging om die vryheid van Israelitiese slawe tydens die Jubeljaar te waarborg, verwyder die Heiligheidswette “vroulike slawerny” as ’n moontlikheid vir Israeliete. In die verhalende dele van die Pentateug verlang die vertellende verwysings na slawerny verdere navorsing omdat hierdie proefskrif spesifiek op die slawebepalings gefokus het. Verdere navorsing oor hierdie vertellings behoort nuttige inligting te bied oor hoe mondelinge kulture stories vertel en hervertel het as deel van ’n identiteitsvormingsproses. Die proefskrif probeer om analogieë tussen bogenoemde gedeeltes van die Pentateug en die Nigeriese ervarings van stam- en godsdienstige verhoudings aan die lig te bring soos in hoofstuk twee bespreek. Die onderwerp, “Herinneringe aan Slawerny as Identiteitsvorming binne die Regsversamelings van die Pentateug” verwoord die aanvanklike bedoeling van die proefskrif. Die histories-grammatiese ondersoek toon hoe die herinneringe verband hou met verwantskap in antieke Israel – soos uitgebeeld deur die familiemetafore. Die ballingskapsgemeenskap het deur herinneringe aan ’n gemeenskaplike verlede sterk verwantskapsbande gebou. Die gemeenskaplike identiteit was op sy beurt die middelpunt van die teologiese en etiese oproep om Jahwe as die ware Here van Israel as geheel te erken. Die slawebepalings verskaf teologiese en etiese rigtinggewing vir elke bepaling se gehoor. Op ’n soortgelyke wyse blyk die slawebepalings van toepassing te wees vir teologiese en etiese koersgewing in die moderne wêreld. Die teologies-etiese motiverings vir die slawebepalings is ter sake vir Nigerië en ander lande wat worstel met identiteitsvorming te midde van herinneringe aan slawerny en kolonialisme. Doctoral 2022-03-01T10:33:34Z 2022-04-29T09:25:26Z 2022-03-01T10:33:34Z 2022-04-29T09:25:26Z 2022-03-01 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124668 en Stellenbosch University xi, 273 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Memories Slavery Identity (Philosophical concept) Jewish law Bible. Pentateuch -- Criticism, interpretation, etc. UCTD Cobongs, Bitrus Bulus Memories of enslavement as identity formation in the legal collections of the Pentateuch |
| title | Memories of enslavement as identity formation in the legal collections of the Pentateuch |
| title_full | Memories of enslavement as identity formation in the legal collections of the Pentateuch |
| title_fullStr | Memories of enslavement as identity formation in the legal collections of the Pentateuch |
| title_full_unstemmed | Memories of enslavement as identity formation in the legal collections of the Pentateuch |
| title_short | Memories of enslavement as identity formation in the legal collections of the Pentateuch |
| title_sort | memories of enslavement as identity formation in the legal collections of the pentateuch |
| topic | Memories Slavery Identity (Philosophical concept) Jewish law Bible. Pentateuch -- Criticism, interpretation, etc. UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124668 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT cobongsbitrusbulus memoriesofenslavementasidentityformationinthelegalcollectionsofthepentateuch |