Masters Degrees (Old and New Testament)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Old and New Testament) by Subject "Bible -- Canon"

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    Θεόπνευστος and its implications for the concept of scripture in 2 Timothy 3:14-17
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12) Adebayo, Oluwarotimi Paul; Punt, Jeremy; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The idea of scripture is a complex and often an elusive concept to define in its origin, nature and authority especially since the idea is embedded in layers of ideological conception over the centuries of its existence. However, these intricacies in understanding the concept of scripture is not limited to the Christian Scripture alone but evident in probably all the scriptural religions of the world. This study, therefore, investigates the concept of Christian Scripture in 2 Timothy 3:14-17 as it seeks to understand the relationship between the usage of the Greek terms ἱερὰ γράμματα, γραφή, and θεόπνευστος and their implications on the concept of scripture judging from the selected pericope. This study further seeks to observe how these words and the text in question have contributed to an understanding of scripture especially as it relates to the debates on its inspiration and authority. A double methodological approach was deployed to examine the chosen pericope of this research. The historical-grammatical exegetical method was used to comprehend the historical and literary contexts of the text. Then also the ideological texture, a component within the socio-rhetorical critical approach was used to sample the ideology of the text, its readers and its generation of interpreters. The body of this study, therefore, includes a general introduction, a survey of definitions of the concept of scriptures, various conceptions of scripture in different religious traditions, and an evaluation of the concept of the Christian Scripture in the various periods in the history of the Christian Church. A basic understanding of scripture was arrived at using both the historical-grammatical method and the ideological texture of the socio-rhetorical approach. The findings of this research are therefore as follows; ἱερὰ γράμματα used in the pericope is a representation of the Jewish Scripture, while the author of the Pastoral Epistles (early 2nd century CE), used γραφή for the combination of the Jewish Scripture and the emerging scripture of the Second Testament at the time. Thus, the use of γραφή is most likely a reference to the Septuagint in addition to the emerging Second Testament writings and not the autographs as some have suggested. This however unveils that the scripture the term θεόπνευστος was used to qualify in the pericope is not identical to the present scripture in the form of the Roman Catholic Bible nor the Protestant Bible. Findings on the hapax legomenon, θεόπνευστος, however at best remains inconclusive. Thus, this study in view of the grammatical construction of the given context, suggests θεόπνευστος not to be seen as the crux of the passage regarding inspiration as such interpretation was made rather popular and convincing as a result of the ideological ploys of generation of interpreters. Therefore, the term θεόπνευστος is rather taken to describe the practical, useful and functional nature which biblical texts had on ancient, biblical community which led to scripturalization of such texts. Finally, this study upheld the relational definition of the concept of scripture as communities which produced these texts were also responsible for their scriptural status and authority. The Christian Scripture is therefore seen as the Church’s book and as the testimony of these communities about God.