Doctoral Degrees (Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology) by browse.metadata.advisor "Brown, E."

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    Die bediening van Johannes du Plessis, 1868-1935 in die Ned. Geref. Kerk met besondere verwysing na sy teologiese denke : 'n kerkhistoriese studie
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1986-12) Erasmus, Abraham Stefanus; Brown, E.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: No abstract available.
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    Bewuswording en motief : 'n ekklesiologiese ondersoek en tipering van die kerkgeskiedskrywing oor die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Sendingkerk in Suid-Afrika
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1991-03) Breytenbach, Johannes Andries; Brown, E.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The subject studied concerns the historiography of the Dutch Reformed Mission Church in South Africa (DRMC). The study covers the first hundred years of the DRMC which was commemorated in 1981. The research concentrated on what has been written about the church's history, and how it was done. Stock was taken of the relevant literature in order to investigate and determine what has been written. To access how the history was written, considerations and motivations that influenced the text, was analysed and evaluated. In this way the historiographical development could be characterised.
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    An evaluation of the historiography of Nkhoma Synod, Church of Central Africa Presbyterian
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1990-12) Kamnkhwani, Helleman Adson; Brown, E.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Nkhoma Synod of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) represents a church initiated by missionaries of the Dutch Reformed Church of the Cape in 1889. The church was started at Mvera on the advice and with the guidance of the missionaries of thee Free Church of Scotland who started mission work in Malawi in 1875. The church spread rapidly, not least because of the assistance of indigenous members, teacher-evangelists, who spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ among their own people. The missionaries documented their ministry in the written form as well as writing reports and narratives about their work. The reports and even official documents were sent to their home boards to inform them about the progress of the work and also to encourage members to support them with prayers and funds. Thus, a written tradition initiated in a country where people had an oral tradition. This was the beginning of written sources on the mission of a "foreign" church and the beginning of an indigenous church. This led to technical problems, however. The missionary reports and books were written in one or even two of three languages: Dutch/Afrikaans, the language of the missionaries: English, the language of colonial rulers and other related missionaries and Chichewa, the language of the indigenous people among whom the missionaries worked. Valuable documents in Afrikaans cannot be read by the indigenous people. To compound the problem, these documents are housed in various places: South Africa, the country from where the missionaries camel Scotland, the mother country of the missionaries of the Free Church of Scotland with whom the missionaries of the DRG worked and Malawi, the country of the Achewa people who were Christianized. The language used and the fact that the documents are far removed from their origins means that they are not always accessible for research on the history of the CCAP (Nkhoma). Another problem is the methodology of African church history. The Europeans missionaries' reporting and documentation is one-sided and subjective. They wrote about their own activities and were not without ulterior motives and bias. Indigenous African participants were simply ignored in mission historiography, probably due to misconceptions or an unconscious feeling of superiority on the part of the missionaries or even other reasons such as that of colonialism.
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    'n Kerkhistoriese bibliografiese studie van die boek as draer van die Nederduitse Gereformeerde belydenis in Suid-Afrika, 1652-c.1814
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1991-08) Van Zijl, Willem Jacobus; Brown, E.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.
    In the history of books bearing the Dutch Reformed confessions in South Africa, four broad phases can be distinguished, i.e.: - An initial phase of importing and distributing according to regulation and demand (1652-1814). - A second phase when books were made available by book societies and enterprises (1814-1903). - A third phase of synodal-ecclesiastical ministering through books (1903-1974). - The current phase of utility companies without gain to publish books. This pioneer exploration focuses on the initial phase and aims at researching and recording the history of Dutch Reformed books in South Africa up to 1814. The relevant sources, several of which were discovered for the first time in this investigation, were systematised into bibliographies. As study objects were selected those books, published during the review period, which primarily aimed at the average church member and which were frequently found in several sources. These books were classified into categories, with the aid of which bibliographical-chronological dissections were made for the entire period under review. A coherent hypothesis was corroborated by the research findings. The following became evident. The history of Dutch Reformed books in South Africa began in 1652 when the founders brought with them at least those Reformed books essential to the practice of the Reformed religion. Circumstantial evidence suggests that these were the Statenbybel as well as a few religious books from each of the different categories. The survey findings reveal that, as the settlement at the Cape became established and expanded, a greater number and variety of Dutch Reformed books came into ever wider circulation. It was further evident that more than any other book the Statenbybel as the Dutch Reformed book par excellence, remained in constant demand during the period under review and was circulated amongst church members even in the remotest of areas. It also became apparent that, unlike the Statenbybel, the relevant books in the other categories were bearers of theological accents unique to the 17th and 18th century ecclesiastical movements and schools of thought, the emphasis of which deviated from the Reformed confession. While some books do touch on the rationalism and humanism of the day, nearly every category is dominated by the pietistic-orientated accents of exponents of the Nearer Reformation. It varied from a narrow demonstration of piety - with apparent appeal principally in Cape Town and environs - to an archconservatism found particularly among church members in the far-off interior. Both these life-styles deviated from the Reformed conviction as framed in the Dutch Reformed confessions. Irrelevant and barren intellectual preaching did not reach the hearts of church members. Under the pioneering conditions regular pastoral counselling was also impossible. It was therefore essentially the printed word, as expressed in the Statenbybel and concomitantly in other Dutch Reformed books - especially those of the popular "oude schrijvers" – which framed and gave meaning to the reformed creeds in the daily walk of church members during the period under survey.
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    Prof. B.B. Keet, 1885 tot 1974, leraar en hoogleraar in die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1992) De Beer, J. C.; Brown, E.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematical Theology and Ecclesiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This scientific biography deals with the life of Prof. Barend Bartholomeus Keet. An attempt is made to penetrate to the fundamental characteristics of his life, and to establish why Prof. Keet found it necessary on occasion to take a stand which brought him into conflict with the church and society. His influence on others in this regard .is not ignored either. The course of his life is described in its historical context. Events and discussions in which he took part are identified and discussed with a view to reaching a synthesis. The conclusion arrived at is that Prof. Keet's life was governed by his interpretation of his calling, namely to verbalise the will of the Lord for society according to the Scriptures. Three of his personality traits, namely his formidable reasoning abilities, his sense of justice and his aversion to dissension, played a decisive role in this respect.It was therefore vitally important to him, as a theologian, always to be accountable to the Scriptures and the reformed tradition. Prof. Keet's influence was especially evident in his introduction into the Dutch Reformed Church of the theological principles set by the Free University of Amsterdam. He was very particular, however that advocacy of these principles should not lead to a pedantic approach. For forty years he instructed future ministers in these principles. When he retired, he could take pleasure in the fact that all the lecturers at the Theological institutions at Stellenbosch and Pretoria were past students of his! As an ethicist he exerted his influence to great effect to convince the Dutch Reformed Church that the State's policy of apartheid could not be substantiated by the Scriptures. In conclusion it can be said that his own words "The church must not allow itself to be led by others; it should rather show others the way", serve to describe the fundamental principle of his life. That is why the text used at his funeral was so appropriate: "It is the duty of priests to teach the true knowledge of God. People should go to 'them to learn my will, because they are the messengers of the Lord Almighty."(Mal.2:7)