Browsing by Author "Holter, Knut"

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    The Maasai and the ancient Israelites : an early 20th century interpretation of the Maasai in German East Africa
    (Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Theology, 2017) Holter, Knut
    The idea that a certain ethnic or social group is historically related to the ancient Israelites is a widespread phenomenon in Africa. In some cases the identification is made from a ‘we’-perspective about ‘our’ group, such as the Lembas in Zimbabwe and South Africa. In other cases it is made from a ‘they’-perspective about ‘their’ group, such as Moritz Merker’s claim about the Maasai of East Africa. Merker served as a colonial officer in German East Africa, and his Die Masai: Ethno-graphische Monographie eines ostafrikanischen Semitenvolkes (1904, 19102) is generally seen as the first ethnographic study of the Maasai, and as such it continues to receive attention. However, the ethnographic focus of the book is framed by a discussion about the past of the Maasai, arguing – with reference to contemporary German Assyriology and Biblical Studies – that they are a Semitic people originating in Arabia and sharing roots with the ancient Israelites. The article discusses Merker’s claim and argues that its central idea of a non-African background of the Maasai reflects Merker’s colonial, interpretive context.
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    The second commandment and the question of human dignity in Africa : a creation-theological perspective
    (Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Theology, 2011) Holter, Knut
    In a context focusing on the Decalogue in relation to the question of human dignity in Africa, two sets of texts interacting with the Second commandment from a creationtheological perspective are analyzed. One is the core of Deuteronomy 4, the other is four passages in Isaiah 40-55, and it is argued that both see the act of making ‘a graven image' as a perversion of the concept of the human being as created in the image of God. This interpretation of the Second commandment, relating it to a broader creation-theological discourse, may provide an interpretative model for contemporary readers of the Decalogue, in casu in relation to the question of human dignity in Africa
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    Thou shalt not smoke : content and context in the Lord’s Resistance Army’s concept of the Ten Commandments
    (AOSIS, 2019) Holter, Knut
    With the Ten Commandments as a case, the overall focus of this article is how a reader’s a priori concept of a text influences how he or she allows textual content and interpretive context to interact. The frame of the article is the claim by the so-called Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda that they will establish a society built on the Ten Commandments, a claim that raises questions about what they mean with this reference to ‘Ten Commandments’. The article falls into two parts. The first part surveys some examples from the history of interpretation of the Ten Commandments, demonstrating contextual and terminological fluidity both in their biblical versions and in their postbiblical history of interpretation. With this insight, the second part discusses how LRA refers to the Ten Commandments in ways that demonstrate that the very concept ‘Ten Commandments’ is stronger than the details of their content. This enables the LRA to form ‘new commandments’ fitting with their ideology and struggle.
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    To the question of an ethics of bible translation : some reflections in relation to Septuagint Isaiah 6:1 and 19:25
    (Old Testament Society of South Africa, 2018) Holter, Knut
    The essay discusses two texts from Septuagint Isaiah-6:1 and 19:25- in dialogue with some concerns of recent discourses of Bible translation ethics. The main focus of the essay is the question of a translation's "loyalty" vis-à-vis source text, target language and culture, and other actors involved in the translation process. It is argued that the two case texts from Septuagint Isaiah offer different solutions; whereas 6:1 accentuates a concept already present in the Hebrew text, 19:25 thus offering a competing plot to that of the Hebrew text.
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    What shall we do with the Canaanites? : an ethical perspective on Genesis
    (Old Testament Society of South Africa, 2017) Holter, Knut
    Colonial biblical interpretation-such as for example Moritz Merker's study of the Maasai (1904/1910), where he claims that they are historically related to the ancient Israelites-tend to see both "Israelites" and their counterparts, the "Canaanites," in the colonial, interpretive contexts. On this background, the present essay discusses a textual case, the reference to the Canaanites in Gen 12:6. It is suggested that the reference is part of a multi-voiced discourse on the role of the Canaanites, and it is concluded that the guild of biblical studies can use this discourse in relation to contemporary ethical and interpretive challenges.