1,720,960 research outputs found
Israel's only son? the complexity of Benjaminite identity between Judah and Joseph
Get PDFCITATION: Giffone, B. D. 2019. Israel's only son? the complexity of Benjaminite identity between Judah and Joseph. Old Testament Essays, 32(3):956-972, doi:10.17159/2312-3621/2019/v32n3a10.The original publication is available at http://www.scielo.org.zaSeveral studies in recent years have sought to articulate the significance of the tribe of Benjamin for historical and literary studies of the Hebrew Bible. This paper suggests that the received text of Genesis 35-50 both reflects and illumines the complexities of Israelite identity in the pre-exilic, Babylonian, and Persian periods. The fact that Benjamin is the only son born to "Israel" (other sons are born to "Jacob") points to Israel's origins in the land that came to be called "Benjaminite." Between Josephites to the north and Judahites to the south, Benjaminites preserved a unique identity within the polities of Israel, Judah, Babylonian Yehud, and Persian Yehud. In Genesis 35 and 42-45 in particular, the silent character Benjamin finds himself in the middle of a tug-of-war between his brothers, particularly his full-brother Joseph and his half-brother Judah. The conciliatory message of the narrative of Genesis 35-50 for later communities comes into sharper focus when we see the compromise between tribal identities embedded in the text.http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1010-99192019000300009&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=enPublisher's versio
The (ir)relevance of biblical scholarship? : a challenge, and an opportunity
Get PDFCITATION: Giffone, B. D. 2021. The (ir)relevance of biblical scholarship? : a challenge, and an opportunity. Scriptura, 120(1):1-15, doi:10.7833/120-1-2001.The original publication is available at https://scriptura.journals.ac.zaHas biblical scholarship become irrelevant to modern secular societies? Are the threats to the viability of biblical scholarship of the same nature as the threats to other areas of the humanities (history, philosophy, literature), or is there a qualitative difference? What about the role of technology in biblical research and biblical education? What is the future of the institutions of biblical scholarship such as universities, seminaries, journals, and academic presses? What is the role of biblical scholars in secular and post-secular societies, as contrasted with scholars in/from emerging communities? This essay argues that the problem of “validation” lies at the heart of biblical scholarship’s irrelevancy within the broader secularity of modern world and that this problem is even more evident in the scholarly discourse coming from regions like Eastern Europe and South Africa. However, the loss of authority of biblical scholarship more generally represents an opportunity for these communities. Rather than becoming enamoured of validation from the North Atlantic world, Bible-reading communities must cultivate their own forms of validation based in their unique histories with the Bible, and the affinities between their own histories/cultures and the cultures that produced the Old and New Testament texts.https://scriptura.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/2001Publisher's versio
From time-bound to timeless : the rhetoric of lamentations and its appropriation
Get PDFThesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study postulates a unifying rhetorical function for the book of Lamentations during the
Persian period. After the destruction of the temple in 587 BCE, the people of Judah were
geographically scattered and religiously and culturally fragmented. Lamentations, with its
ahistorical, timeless character, its acrostic form, its posture of protest, and its totalizing
references to all the different classes and groups of Judahites, became a rallying point for
Jews seeking restoration after the exile, as well as a perpetual reflection on YHWH’s role in
human suffering for oppressed Jews in many places and at many times through history.
The historical component of this study seeks to establish the fragmentation of Judah
and the goals of the various Judahite groups during the Persian period. The literary
component attempts to demonstrate Lamentations’ suitability as a portable, timeless
expression of suffering before YHWH, and as a source of imagery and motivation for Jewish
restoration hopes.
This study contributes to the understanding of the formation of Jewish identity, which
since the destruction of the first temple has been shaped by minority status in nearly every
cultural context, and by the evolution of a portable, textual religion. This study concludes that
the preservation of the book of Lamentations was both a reflection of and a contribution to
these two aspects of Jewish identity.
This study also contributes to the interpretation of Lamentations—and the genre of
communal lament—as literature and liturgy. It also explores the possibility of literary
connections between Lamentations, Isaiah 40-55, and the genre of penitential prayers.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie postuleer ‘n verenigende retoriese funksie vir die boek Klaagliedere gedurende
die Persiese periode. Na die vernietiging van die tempel in 587 vC was die inwoners van Juda
geografies versprei en godsdienstig en kultureel gefragmenteer. Klaagliedere se ahistoriese en
tydlose karakter, die akrostiese vorm, die geneentheid tot protes, en die totaliserende
verwysings na al die verskillende klasse en groepe van Judeërs, het ‘n aanhakpunt geword vir
Jode wat heropbou na die ballingskap nagestreef het, asook vir die voortgaande nadenke by
onderdrukte Jode in baie plekke en tye deur die geskiedenis, oor Jahwe se rol in menslike
lyding.
Die historiese komponent van hierdie studie probeer die fragmentering van Juda
gedurende die Persiese periode vasstel, asook die doelwitte van die verskillende groepe in
Juda. Die literêre komponent poog om te illustreer dat Klaagliedere uitermate geskik was as
oordraagbare, tydlose uitdrukking van lyding voor Jahwe, en dat dit ‘n bron van verbeelding
en motivering vir die Joodse heropbou-hoop was.
Die studie dra by tot die verstaan van die vorming van Joodse identiteit wat sedert die
vernietiging van die eerste tempel sterk beïnvloed is deur hul minderheidstatus in byna elke
kulturele konteks, maar ook deur die ontwikkeling van ‘n oordraagbare, tekstuele godsdiens.
Hierdie studie kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat die bewaring van die boek Klaagliedere beide
‘n nadenke oor en ‘n bydrae tot hierdie twee aspekte van Joodse identiteit was.
Die studie maak ook ‘n bydrae tot die interpretasie van Klaagliedere—asook die genre van
gemeenskaplike klag—as literatuur en liturgie. Dit ondersoek ook die moontlike literêre
verhoudings tussen Klaagliedere, Jesaja 40-55 en die genre van boetepsalms
Review of Auld, A. G., Life in Kings: Reshaping the Royal Story in the Hebrew Bible (AIL, 30; Atlanta: SBL Press, 2017).
No full textGoing Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Sit at my right hand : the Chronicler’s portrait of the tribe of Benjamin in the social context of Yehud
Get PDFThesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The book of Chronicles is a form of consensus-building literature. The Chronicler’s
portrayal of Benjamin in relation to Judah reflects an inclusive vision of “all Israel” that walks a
fine line: simultaneously valuing Benjamin as an equal partner with Judah (as his “right hand”), yet
still protecting the primacy of David as YHWH’s chosen ruler, the Levites as the priestly tribe, and
Jerusalem as the proper cultic center.
Chronicles’ portrait of Benjamin differs from that of the Deuteronomistic History, which
portrays Benjamin’s relation to Judah as varied and complex. The Chronicler attempts to smooth
over these difficulties by highlighting the historically close relationship between the two tribes. In
this regard his goals and strategy differ from that of the Deuteronomist, who presents both the high
and low points of Judah-Benjamin relations.
The Chronicler’s reconstrual of the Judah-Benjamin relationship reflects the socio-political
situation of late Persian Yehud, in which the relatively poor Jerusalem cult struggled to gain
material support from landed nobility in the region. Material evidence indicates that the historically
Benjaminite regions prospered during the Neo-Babylonian and early Persian periods. The Jerusalem
cult competed with historically Benjaminite and Josephite cultic locations for the support of
wealthier Benjaminite landowners. The Chronicler rewrote Israel’s narrative partly in order to
garner Benjaminite support for the Jerusalem cult. This study attempts to synthesize both literary and historical observations: demonstrating a
literary phenomenon—the divergent portraits of Benjamin in the Deuteronomistic History and
Chronicles—and situating that phenomenon within the historical context of Persian Yehud. The
study contributes to the understanding of Yehud during this period, elaborates an important motif in
these two sections of the Hebrew Bible, and furthers the investigation of the so-called “Benjaminite substratum” in the Hebrew Bible.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die boek Kronieke is ‘n vorm van konsensus-vormende literatuur. Kronieke se voorstelling
van Benjamin in verhouding tot Juda weerspieël ‘n inklusiewe visie van “die hele Israel” wat ‘n fyn
lyn bewandel: Benjamin word tegelyk as ‘n gelyke vennoot van Juda (as sy “regterhand”)
gewaardeer, terwyl die prioriteit van Dawid as JHWH se uitverkore heerser, van die Leviete as
priesterlike stam, en van Jerusalem as eintlike kultiese sentrum beskerm word.
Kronieke se beeld van Benjamin verskil van dié van die Deuteronomistiese Geskiedenis,
wat Benjamin se verhouding tot Juda as geskakeerd en kompleks uitbeeld. Die Kronis probeer
hierdie oneffenhede gelykstryk deur die histories eng verhouding tussen die twee stamme te
beklemtoon. Hierin verskil sy doel en strategie van dié van die Deuteronomis, wat beide die
hoogtepunte en laagtepunte van die Juda-Benjamin verhouding aanbied.
Die Kronis se her-uitbeelding van die Juda-Benjamin verhouding weerspieël die sosiopolitieke
situasie van die laat Persiese Jehud, waarin die relatiewe karige Jerusalem kultus gesukkel
het om materiële steun te kry van die landbesitters in die streek. Materiële bewyse dui daarop dat
die streke wat histories met Benjamin geassosieer is, ekonomies opgebloei het gedurende die Neo-
Babiloniese en vroeë Persiese periodes. Die Jerusalem kultus het meegeding met die kultiese plekke
wat histories met Benjamin en Josef geassosieer is om die steun van die ryker Benjaminitiese
landbesitters te verkry. Die Kronis het Israel se verhaal herskryf, onder andere om Benjaminitiese
steun vir die Jerusalem kultus te kry. Hierdie studie probeer om beide literêre en historiese waarnemings te integreer: die literêre
fenomeen word verduidelik—naamlik die uiteenlopende uitbeeldings van Benjamin in die
Deuteronomistiese Geskiedenis en Kronieke—terwyl die fenomeen in die historiese konteks van
Persiese periode Jehud geplaas word. Die studie dra by tot ‘n beter verstaan van Jehud gedurende
hierdie periode, brei uit oor ‘n belangrike motief in hierdie twee dele van die Hebreeuse Bybel, en
dra by tot navorsing oor die sogenaamde “Benjamin substratum” in die Hebreeuse Bybel.Doctora
The timeless, unifying rhetoric of Lamentations
Get PDFCITATION: Giffone, B. D. 2012. The timeless, unifying rhetoric of Lamentations. Old Testament Essays, 25(3).Certain poetic features of Lamentations contribute to an ongoing preservative / cohesive function in faith communities. In form and content the reader / audience is confronted with completeness - a nation's complete destruction, the complete range of human emotion - and with incompleteness - a fragmented people, broken institutions, unanswered theological questions.Publisher's versio
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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