This article aims to underscore the progression of Old Testament hospitality as reciprocity for moral guidance and, specifically, business ethics in contemporary society. The study follows a comparative analysis of Old Testament hospitality and reciprocity in the work of Adam Smith that emphasises the role of mutual relations and voluntary exchange. It will be argued that reciprocity associated with hospitality in the Old Testament is an important principle that further developed in classic economics and provides ethical principles (...) for contemporary large-scale, multi-cultural and multi-faith societies, although different from the small-scale societies of the Old Testament world. The interface of mutual relations and voluntary exchange in Old Testament hospitality and reciprocity in Smith unveils important ethical principles for contemporary business ethics regarding responsibility and accountability. Contribution: The comparative analysis of Old Testament hospitality and reciprocity in Adam Smith’s work provides ethical principles based on mutual relations and voluntary exchange for contemporary, multi-cultural and multi-faith society, specifically in business ethics. (shrink)

This article explores and compares two similar debates in Germany and Sweden during the 1980s, in which feminists blamed the Hebrew Bible, or ‘Old Testament’, for being the origin of the patriarchy. In Germany, the psychologist and pedagogue Gerda Weiler articulated the discourse in several writings, which led to a scholarly debate on anti-Jewish tendencies within Christian femi­nist theology. In Sweden, the debate mainly became a media event, initiated by the author Birgitta Onsell. Instead of criticising the discourse, as (...) in the German debate, other actors reinforced it, for example by highlighting Jesus as a feminist and a contrast to the Old Testament religion. The article further examines ideological consequences of the discourse, including the interdiscursive link to the notion of Judaism as responsible for the patriarchal moral that enabled the Holocaust, also expressed in the public sphere in Germany and Sweden. (shrink)

Recourse to auxiliary disciplines has greatly contributed to the ways in which biblical scholars seek to elucidate various dimensions of meaning in textual constructions of dreams and dreaming in the Old Testament. The original contribution this article hopes to make to the ongoing research on associated oneirocritic topoi is to propose the so-called philosophy of dreaming as a potential dialogue partner to supplement already available perspectives within the multidisciplinary discussion. At present, there is no descriptive philosophical approach exclusively devoted (...) to the identification and clarification of the folk-philosophical assumptions implicit in oneirocritic materials as conditions of their possibility. By way of comparative-philosophical commentary, the article features a brief introduction to the related research within Old Testament studies, an overview of the history and problems of the auxiliary subject, and an illustration of how the new approach might look when applied to texts involving ‘oneirophany’ (Gn 15:1–21, 20:3–6, 28:11–17 and 1 Ki 3:5–15). The study concludes with a few remarks on the limits of the proposal and suggestions for more extensive and in-depth future research in related and alternative areas. (shrink)

This article addresses not only the matter of loss and grief but also hope and recovery. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has hugely affected not only South Africans but also people globally. One of the key features of this pandemic is loss and the associated grief. To explore these topics, the author has engaged prophetic literature, more specifically the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah, which present compelling cases of loss and grief. An attempt was made to identify similarities between the (...) experiences of the people of Judah and our current experiences of loss and grief because of the pandemic. Whilst the reality of loss and grief is validated, the positive role of prophetic words of comfort and hope is also valued. Contribution: This article offers original research in the field of biblical studies, more specifically, in the field of the Old Testament. This is in line with the scope of the article aims at relating texts from the prophetic literature to a current challenging situation of grief and loss because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (shrink)

The authority of the Old Testament is being eroded today, not so much by opposition as disinterest—a neglect fostered by the general distrust of authority. The situation is a summons for a new look at the Old Testament to uncover what really commends it to church and world.

Only six men have written a major work on Old Testament ethics in the last hundred years, and only two of these works, both written before 1900, are in English.

This collection of Leo Abse's last essays are writings that he was working on from 2006 up to and during his final illness.

The present study aims to analyze from a different point of view the already established message, the theological message behind the episode “Naboth’s Vineyard”. For this, we propose to look strictly from the perspective of Old Testament culture, the relationship between the prophet of God and the representative of civil authority, insisting on the particularity of human rights (as they were left by God in the Torah). We pay close attention to whether they are widely respected, and if not, (...) we try to identify the moment when their violation occurs and the synchronic reasons behind the delegitimization actions of the concept. The case of Naboth’s vineyard is taken as a case study, in which we highlight the corrupt games of the corrupt king Ahab, which facilitated the dispossession of the parental legacy and finally the murder of the grape grower Nabot. At the same time, we strengthen the indisputable need of the prophet, who is stepping forward, ready to face the cost of life, corruption and monarchical immorality, in order to rebalance the social balance of Israel. (shrink)

By comparing modern translations of an Old Testament text, an interpreter can identify points at which the Hebrew text is difficult to render into English and will also discover clues to the way the text should be understood.

The article focuses on a debate initiated by Masenya and Ramantswana in 2012 about the lack of engagement with contemporary issues by South African Old Testament scholars. The article shows with reference to the book of Leviticus that ancient texts grew over time in order to become relevant for later generations. It then asks, if it is possible for Old Testament scholars to construct ancient examples of writers engaging with contemporary issues, why these same scholars are reluctant to (...) make these texts relevant for today? The article then engages with the work of Farisani and describes strong points and weaknesses in the way in which he uses biblical texts to engage with contemporary debates before returning to the central question. (shrink)

“…we must move into theological anthropology if we are to do justice to the wisdom literature. In the Old Testament man can be defined in terms of his relationship to the Lord as his saviour, creator, sustainer. The working out of these ideas is not possible apart from the concern of Old Testament wisdom…”.

Prophetic eschatology is transformed into apocalyptic at the point where the task of translating the cosmic vision into the categories of mundane reality is abdicated.