Browsing by Author "Müller van Velden, Nina Elisabeth"

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    When the lines are blurred : a gender-critical reading of the narratives of John 12:1-8 and John 13:1-17
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Müller van Velden, Nina Elisabeth; Punt, Jeremy; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The presentation, interpretation, and appropriation of biblical narratives continue to fulfil a central role in theological discourses on gender and sexuality - both past and present. Christian faith communities and the individuals who make up such communities represent varied settings, and as such, also a wide range of theological positions on contemporary issues related to gender and sexuality. Often these positions are validated by “proving” said positions by means of particular interpretations of a single, or multiple, biblical narratives. Irrespective of whether these positions can be categorized as being theologically “more conservative” or “more progressive,” the majority of such positions are based on interpretations that present biblical narratives as timeless, objective entities, with universal relevance for all persons throughout the ages. Often times little or no attention is paid to the socio-cultural contexts of the biblical narratives, and more specifically, to the manner in which gender and sexuality was perceived and expressed within ancient settings. Moreover, little or no attention is paid to the contemporary settings from which these biblical narratives are interpreted and the role of the interpreter in the interpretation process; and even less attention is paid to the manner in which understandings of gender and sexuality dynamically continue to move and be reshaped. Rather, the impression is created that gender and sexuality has always been understood in the same way as does contemporary interpreters; thereby, biblical narratives merely become the vehicle for validating that which is already believed to hold “true” for the interpreter. These positions seldom allow for complexity or ambiguity; rather, the impression is created that either one interpretation or another has to be correct (and by proxy the other interpretation is then incorrect). This research project seeks to move beyond hermeneutical frameworks that attempt to appropriate biblical narratives in such an either/or manner, particularly with regard to theological discourses on gender and sexuality. By reading the “feet and meal” narratives of John 12:1-8 and 13:1-17 through a gender-critical lens and against their ancient Mediterranean socio-cultural background, within the broader framework of cultural studies and its emphasis on the influence of social location on biblical interpretation, I suggest that the interpretation of biblical narratives are perhaps rather suited to engage and encourage theological frameworks that can hold complexity - both/and positions - for theological discourses on gender and sexuality. The expectation of clear-cut “answers” for complex questions is thereby challenged, and an alternative of (gendered) ambiguity - as seems to be presented in the characterization of these narratives - is suggested.