15 research outputs found
An overview of the study of imprecatory Psalms: reformed and evangelical approaches to the interpretation of imprecatory Psalms
No full textThis article looks at some interpretive issues regarding the so-called imprecatory psalms, focusing on the debate within reformed and evangelical circles. Introductory issues regarding these psalms abound, such as their definition and scope and the question whether they constitute a specific genre or subgenre within the Psalter. More important are hermeneutical issues regarding the rationale or motivation behind these psalms, namely the reasons why they were written in the first place. These issues also inform the relevance for the present day reader, specifically the New Testament reader, or vice versa: the perceived relevance informs the interpreter's stance on the rationale of these psalms. The article argues that reformed and evangelical scholars' interpretations of imprecation Psalms are largely led by their presuppositions about the relation between the Old and New Testament. The article concludes by suggesting that the deadlock in approaches could be resolved by an in-depth exegesis of the specific psalms taking into account the divergent presuppositions of contemporary interpreters
There is a Great Need for Contextualisation in Southern Africa
No full textThe purpose of this article is to show the need for contextualisation in southern Africa. The author discusses the early missionary activities in Africa and the current problems that the African church faces and how these problems are linked with a lack of contextualisation of the Gospel
THE IMAGO DEI (GEN 1:26-27): A HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION FROM PHILO TO THE PRESENT
No full textThe purpose of this article is to present a history of interpretation of the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-27) from Philo to the present. The article presents the various interpretations given, the reasons for their interpretations and changes in the major interpretation over time
An Overview of the Study of Imprecatory Psalms: Reformed and Evangelical Approaches to the Interpretation of Imprecatory Psalms
No full textThe image of God (Gen. 1:26-27) in the Pentateuch : a biblical-theological approach
No full textThesis (M.A. (Old Testament))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.This dissertation focuses on how the theme of the image of God (Gen 1 :26-27) is seen and
developed in the Pentateuch. The image of God in man (Gen 1 :26-27) has been interpreted
in various ways. Predominant opinions have changed over time from the Early Jewish
interpretation to the present period. Today there is a wider range of opinion regarding the
image of God than ever.
This dissertation follows a biblical-theological approach from a Reformed tradition of
Genesis 1 :26-27, thus starting with an examination of 1 :26-27 in the context of Genesis 1
where the key words, pronouns and the Ancient Near Eastern concept of the image of God
are examined. Genesis 1 :26-27 is examined in the context of Genesis 2-11 and we discover
that the image of God in Genesis 1:26-27 is both moral and relational in perspective: it
involves moral likeness to God and a relationship between God and man like that between
parent and child.
The theme of the image of God is traced in both narrative and legal material of the law;
certain features of the law suggest that defining God-likeness is at least one goal of the law.
Some laws are based on moral God-likeness and others are not based on inherent morality.
but on the relational aspect of sonship.
The theme image of God is also seen in the New Testament, where Christ is the
perfect expression of the image of God. He is the Son of God and morally, he is like the
Father. Through his death on the cross, believers are individually adopted in God's family
and they become his children. They are to be morally like him. Through sanctification, the
Church is being renewed into the image of God. Believers are called to be like Christ. They
are to imitate Christ's moral-likeness and submission to the Father.Master
An exegetical study of imprecatory Psalms in the Old Testament
No full textThesis (Ph.D. (Old Testament))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011This thesis is an attempt to read the imprecatory psalms in the Old Testament more effectively. In the introduction, the current research of the imprecatory psalms is surveyed and three problems are identified. First of all, there seems to be no consensus among scholars with regards to the exact number of imprecatory psalms. The reason for this is that there are no defined criteria for identifying these psalms. Little work has been done to rectify the situation, possibly because the search for such criteria has been arbitrary and subjective. It is probably unnecessary for scholars to sing in unison with regards to the exact number of imprecatory psalms. Therefore, rather than searching for some illusive criteria, this study focuses on the content of these psalms in order to enrich our understanding of imprecation in the Psalms. Secondly, there is a wide range of views regarding the basis of imprecatory psalms. There is no consensus among scholars and many of the proposed solutions are unsatisfactory. Therefore, this study focuses on each imprecatory psalm to establish the basis of imprecation from the text itself and then seeks to clarify the “ethical problem” in the light of the New Testament. Thirdly, some scholars seem to have ignored the historical context of the imprecatory psalms. Therefore, this study is an attempt to read the imprecatory psalms in their total context (i.e historical, life-setting and canonical) before application is made to the modern context. Thus, the above research problems have provided motivation for this thoroughly text-based and text oriented exegetical study of a representative selection of the imprecatory psalms in order to grasp more accurately the content, context and message of these psalms. In order to ensure the thoroughness of this study, the reading strategy utilized involves a three-dimensional approach, namely an intra-textual reading, an extra-textual reading and an inter-textual reading of each of the representative imprecatory psalms. From the perspective of intra-textual reading, the literary structure, morphological, poetical, semantic and rhetorical features of each of the representative imprecatory psalms are investigated. Following this, the extra-textual dimensions of each of the representative imprecatory psalms are discussed in order to scrutinize the socio-historical context of imprecatory psalms. The aspect of the inter-textual relationships of each of the representative imprecatory psalms is also examined in order to understand imprecatory psalms in their broader canonical context. For the purpose of this study, five imprecatory psalms, namely Psalms 35, 69, 83, 109 and 137, have been selected, based on the fact that they are commonly classified by scholars as imprecatory psalms. Psalms 35, 69, 83, 109 and 137 are multi-dimensionally read in the main body of the thesis (chapters 2-6, one chapter for each imprecatory psalm), based on the suggested three-dimensional reading, namely the intra-textual reading, the extra-textual reading and the inter-textual reading. The thesis concludes by comparing the content, context and theological emphasis of the selected imprecatory psalms. It synthesizes all the study outcomes, the overall messages and theological implications of the selected imprecatory psalms and gives clarity on the “ethical problem.” Finally, some suggestions for future research on imprecatory psalms are offered.Doctora
Posse de terra fomenta desenvolvimento
No full textO trabalho de sensibilização e comunicação nas comunidades, incluindo a divulgação da lei de terra e seu regulamento sobre os direitos e impactos de assegurar a posse de terra, constituiu a chave para o sucesso de todo processo relativo à segurança de posse de terra
The Sabbath commandment in Exodus 20:8-11 in the light of the first creation account
No full textMTh (Old Testament), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015This study is an attempt to define more clearly the Sabbath institution as it is presented in Exodus 20:8-11. It begins by describing the big-picture contours of the Sabbath institution as it
has been depicted by various scholars during the last century. Many of these studies focus on delineating what proper Sabbath observance entails or describing how Sabbath rest mirrors God’s rest on the seventh day of creation. However, little investigation has been conducted into the relationship between the fourth commandment in Exodus 20 and the shape of humanity’s task and relationship with God on the seventh day. The study then examines the nature of God’s rest in the first creation account, describing what “rest” entailed for God, and the work from which he rested. It suggests that this “rest” is from the creational activity of the first six days and that it continues on into the present. It also discusses the relationship between the concept of rest offered by the first creation account and the concept of rest in the understanding of the Ancient Near East and Israel. Humanity’s role in the created order is also examined. While humans share some qualities with other creatures, such as an embodied existence, they are also distinct from the rest of creation. Only humans are created in the image of God. As such, they are given tasks unique to their status: subduing the earth, exercising dominion over the creatures of the earth, and expanding the
borders of the garden as they multiply and fill the earth. These form the heart of their God-given task that they will carry out as God enjoys his seventh-day rest. Next, the study investigates the particulars of Exodus 20:8-11 and suggests a reading of these particulars against the backdrop of the seventh day as it is described in chapters 3-4. While the rationale for the Sabbath commandment is grounded in the events of the first creation account, the commandment itself also needs to be understood in the context of the Decalogue and, in turn, in the context of the law’s reception at Sinai. The law, and hence the fourth commandment, are central to the calling and purpose of Israel. As Israel fulfils its mandate to be a light to the nations, it will reflect the ideals of the seventh day as they are encapsulated in the law. Far from simply mirroring God’s rest, the fourth commandment reflects the relationship between God and
humanity and humanity’s role on the seventh day of creation. The study concludes by drawing together various pieces of the argument and makes suggestions for further research.Master
Replication Data for: Classification of sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity using commercial wearable devices
No full textThis dataset is the replication data for the paper "Classification of sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity using commercial wearable devices". It includes the data collected at 1Hz heart rate, steps, distance, and calories from Apple Watch and Fitbit. We also collected participants age, self-report height and weight. We created physical activity and sleep labels using the data collected by GENEActiv device. Each dataset includes 57097 and 21489 minutes of data for Apple Watch and Fitbit, respectively. The heart rate attribute for both datasets is interpolated using linear interpolation.
Attribute Information: 1- Heartrate (bpm), 2- Calories (kcal), 3- Steps (count), 4- Distance (km), 5- Age (numerical), 6- Gender (M/F), 7- Weight (lb), 8- Height (ft), 9- Activity (Sleep/Sedentary/Light/Moderate/Vigorous)
Implementation: Is available at BEAP Lab GitHub page here</p
Predicting lying, sitting, walking and running using Apple Watch and Fitbit data
No full textObjectives This study’s objective was to examine whether commercial wearable devices could accurately predict lying, sitting and varying intensities of walking and running.Methods We recruited a convenience sample of 49 participants (23 men and 26 women) to wear three devices, an Apple Watch Series 2, a Fitbit Charge HR2 and iPhone 6S. Participants completed a 65 min protocol consisting of 40 min of total treadmill time and 25 min of sitting or lying time. The study’s outcome variables were six movement types: lying, sitting, walking self-paced and walking/running at 3 metabolic equivalents of task (METs), 5 METs and 7 METs. All analyses were conducted at the minute level with heart rate, steps, distance and calories from Apple Watch and Fitbit. These included three different machine learning models: support vector machines, Random Forest and Rotation forest.Results Our dataset included 3656 and 2608 min of Apple Watch and Fitbit data, respectively. Rotation Forest models had the highest classification accuracies for Apple Watch at 82.6%, and Random Forest models had the highest accuracy for Fitbit at 90.8%. Classification accuracies for Apple Watch data ranged from 72.6% for sitting to 89.0% for 7 METs. For Fitbit, accuracies varied between 86.2% for sitting to 92.6% for 7 METs.Conclusion This preliminary study demonstrated that data from commercial wearable devices could predict movement types with reasonable accuracy. More research is needed, but these methods are a proof of concept for movement type classification at the population level using commercial wearable device data
