Browsing by Author "Thom, Johan C."

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    Abraham Malherbe se bydrae tot Hellenistiese filosofie en die vroeë Christendom
    (AOSIS Publishing, 2015) Thom, Johan C.
    Abraham Malherbe’s contribution to Hellenistic philosophy and early Christianity. Abraham J. Malherbe was one of the most influential New Testament scholars of the past half century. He is especially known for his use of Hellenistic moral philosophy in the interpretation of New Testament texts, especially Pauline literature. Whilst the comparative study of New Testament and Greco-Roman material remains a contentious approach in scholarship, Malherbe’s work provides important pointers in how to make such comparisons in a meaningful and reasoned manner, by paying due respect to the integrity of the texts being compared and to the function textual elements have within their own contexts. I discussed the salient features of Malherbe’s approach, focusing in particular on his study of topoi. One of the most significant findings was Malherbe’s emphasis on the dialectical combination of common and individual elements in such topoi, which enabled ancient authors to embed their own texts within the cultural discourse of their time. His approach opens the way to further research of the New Testament within its philosophical context without requiring proof of a genealogical relationship between the texts or authors concerned.
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    Cleanthes, Chrysippus and the Pythagorean Golden Verses
    (Classical Association of South Africa, 2001) Thom, Johan C.
    This article re-examines the literary relationship between the Stoics Cleanthes and Chrysippus and the Pythagorean Golden Verses. Contrary to scholarly consensus, I shall argue that the two Stoics show literary dependence on the Pythagorean poem, and not vice versa. Previous scholars have dated the Golden Verses sometime in the Imperial period and they consequently either argue for direct dependence of the Golden Verses on the Stoic authors, or for a shared dependence on a hypothetical third text. If one examines the literary relationships between the various texts critically, while bracketing the chronological problem, it becomes evident that the far more traditional Pythagorean poem must have been used by the more sophisticated Stoic authors, instead of the author of the former having simplified his Stoic sources. This conclusion has important implications for the value of the Golden Verses within the Pythagorean tradition.
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    Doing justice to Zeus : on texts and commentaries
    (SA ePublications, 2005) Thom, Johan C.
    The Hymn to Zeus by the Stoic philosopher Cleanthes is one of the most intriguing texts to survive from tl1e Hellenist:ic period, and of great significance for the history of Hellenistic philosophy, the history of Hellenistic and Greco-Roman religions as well as the history of Greek literatu re. A detailed study of all three these facets - philosophical, religious and literary - is essential for understanding the poem. The Hymn itself is remarkable precisely because it combines different philosophical, religious and literary traditions and sources into a new expression of philosophical religion. Scholars, however, often focus on one aspect of the text without giving due recognition to the integration accomplished in it. To do justice to this text means to understand the way the text itself interprets the traditions it draws upon; it also means to take the Hymn seriously as a text that still has something to say to us.
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    Die godsdienshistoriese agtergrond van die Nuwe Testament : kommentaar op 'n onlangse publikasie
    (2001) Thom, Johan C.
    The religio-historic background of the New Testament: Commentary on a recent publication. The religiohistoric background of the NT is of cardinal importance for its interpretation; however, it is far from easy for New Testament scholars to attain a thorough knowledge of this background. What is needed is not only a broad, general orientation, but also first-hand interaction with texts in which Graeco-Roman religious traditions themselves appear and are expressed. But available introductions are either too general or do not offer a satisfactory theoretical framework for understanding textual materials within context. Hans-Josef Klauck's recent introduction to the religio-historical context of the NT, by presenting not only an "external", theoretical but also an "intemal" perspective emanating from close interaction with the ancient texts themselves, satisfies to an exceptional degree the requirements mentioned above.
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    Kosmiese mag in Pseudo-Aristoteles, De mundo, en die Nuwe Testament
    (AOSIS Publishing, 2012-02) Thom, Johan C.
    Cosmic power in Pseudo-Aristotle, De mundo, and the New Testament. In order to locate the cosmological views underlying the writings of Paul and other New Testament (NT) authors within their historical contexts it is necessary to compare them with other contemporary worldviews, such as those expressed in philosophical writings of the period. New Testament research has thus far concentrated on the most popular and influential philosophical traditions of NT times, that is, Stoicism and Middle Platonism. Other philosophical traditions may however also offer valuable insights. In this article I suggested that the De mundo attributed to Aristotle but probably dating from the 1st century BCE or CE provides early evidence for a splitting up of the demiurgic function of God in order to preserve God’s transcendence. I furthermore argued that a similar division of divine functions is also evident in some NT texts, for example, John 1, Colossians 1, and Hebrews 1. This notion is explored using Colossians 1 as example.