Papers by Andries Van Aarde
The miraculous multiplication of loaves (Mt 14:13-21 and par)
The W irkungsgeschichte of Matthew 28:16-20 in voJkschrisliin isieren detn issiology This article... more The W irkungsgeschichte of Matthew 28:16-20 in voJkschrisliin isieren detn issiology This article enters into the matter of the paradox particularism -universalism as a M atthaean issue in a theology of mission which aims at the christianiazation of the own people internally, but is also directed exter nally towards the nations. The emphasis is laid on the history of interpre tation of Matthew 28: 1 6 -2 0 in the missiology of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Church, one of the three Afrikaans Churches in South Africa, and the missiology of the German pioneer, Gustav Warneck. Modern view points of M atthaean scholars have also been considered. Matthew 28: 16-20 does not have a gentile mission as such in mind and a volkskirchliche missiology can conditionally be validated. However, a national ex clusive mem bership of a peoples' church is not the offset of these two suppositions.
Narrative point of view and the 'temporal' function of the Old Testament in Matthew's gospel. Mat... more Narrative point of view and the 'temporal' function of the Old Testament in Matthew's gospel. Matthew's gospel has to be read as a narration with an ongoing plot and an open-end. The plot commences with a reference to the Old Testament and ends with an allusion to the consummation of time at the parousia. And yet, the Old Testament isn't present in Matthew as a separate timesequence. The plot consists of two explicit time-sequences, namely the 'time' of the pre-Easter Jesus-commisiion and the 'time' of the post-Easter disciples-commission. To convey his point of view to his readers, the narrator creates a correlative analogy between these two sequences. The thesis of the article is that the Old Testament functions as the point of analogy and continuity between the two commissions. This thesis is debated against the purport of the various opinions of Matthaean scho lars concerning the 'temporal' function of the Old Testament.
In order to be born fully human (Latin: vere homo) X and Y chromosomes are needed. Without the in... more In order to be born fully human (Latin: vere homo) X and Y chromosomes are needed. Without the involvement of chromosomes, Jesus of Nazareth would have had no ties to humanity. Aristotelian ("On the generation of animals" / "Peri zōōn geneseōs") and ancient Hellenistic (Galen on the Hippocratic Corpus) views on how the vere homo came into being differ much from today's knowledge of biology. In the Hebrew Scriptures, rabbinic traditions and Graeco-Roman literature, vere homo was the result not only of a male and female contribution; the third component was divine involvement. This article revisits the textual evidence of the conception of Jesus in the New Testament. The results are compared to propositions in the Athanasian Creed (Quicunque Vult) and the exegetical and/or dogmatic/socio-cultural views of Friedrich Schleiermacher, Karl Barth and Rudolf Bultmann. The article explores the ethical and cultural relevance of the Christian belief that Jesus was both vere homo and vere Deus, and enters into critical discussion with British New Testament scholar Andrew Lincoln and his idea of "DNA in antiquity."
This article is a critical appraisal of Donald Capps's interpretation of the significance of Jesu... more This article is a critical appraisal of Donald Capps's interpretation of the significance of Jesus' healings for today. It focuses on Capps's recently published book, Jesus the village psychiatrist. Capps sees Jesus as the 'forerunner' of the modern psychological profession. In his book he demonstrates that mental illnesses were known in antiquity. Referring to Sigmund Freud's insights into the psychological phenomenon, hysteria, Capps interprets mental illness as 'somatoform disorders'. According to Capps, Jesus' deeds of healing should not be considered 'miracles' because this implies that they contradict natural laws. Building on the insights of historical Jesus research, Capps shows that these deeds of Jesus were performed 'at the tension points between village and city, family and parents and children and between siblings'. Capps believes Jesus was a 'psychiatrist' because he 'studied', 'treated' and 'prevented' disorders of the mind. This article investigates the possibility whether Capps falls into the trap of 'psychological fallacy'. The finding is that he does not; he deliberately avoids individualistic and ethnocentric anachronism. Nevertheless, the article criticises Capps's indifference with regard to the socialscientific distinction between illness and disease, and curing and healing, respectively. Capps's interpretation could be augmented by medical and anthropological insights and current studies on alternated states of consciousness.
Two compatible constructs in curtent historical Jesus research, Part I: John Dominic Crossan Curr... more Two compatible constructs in curtent historical Jesus research, Part I: John Dominic Crossan Current historical Jesus research produces a variety of profiles of Jesus. In a series of articles two compatible constracts of Jesus (those of John Dominic Crossan and Andries van Aarde) will first be discussed and, second, two ireconcilible constructs (those of Robert F Funk and Waiter Schmithals). The profiles of Jesus are depicted from the perspective of the researcher's view on the continuity and discontinuity between Jesus and early Christianity and the relevance of historical Jesus research for church and theology. This article focuses on John Dominic Crossan's view on Jesus the peasant.
Andries van Aarde 1 DJ C van Wyk (jr) & Andries van Aarde Departement Nuwe-Testamentiese Wetenska... more Andries van Aarde 1 DJ C van Wyk (jr) & Andries van Aarde Departement Nuwe-Testamentiese Wetenskap Universiteit van Pretoria Two compatible constructs in current historical Jesus research, Part 11: Andries van Aarde In Part I, John Dominic Crossan's profile of the historical Jesus was discussed. This article focuses on Andries van Aarde's view. According to Van Aarde, Joseph the father of Jesus should historically be seen as a legendary figure and that Jesus grew up fatherless. The stories of Jesus' virginal conception are myths. However, they reflected an historical context of the separation between the post-Easter synogogical movement and the Jesus movement. The article also discusses Van Aarde's view on the resurrection narratives, the contininuity and discontininuity between Jesus, and earliest Christianity and his view on canon and dogma. It concludes with a comparison between Corssan's and Van Aarde's perspectives.
Theology as understanding reality -thinking differently, acting differently: Notes about the theo... more Theology as understanding reality -thinking differently, acting differently: Notes about the theology of Johan Buitendag. The article investigates the theological contours delineated from the publications of the systematic theologian Johan Buitendag. His theology represents a relational integrity of ontology, epistemology and ethics. It can be characterised as an existential ecotheology. In the introduction this rhizome (epistemological metaphor borrowed from Giles Deleuze and Félix Guattari) existence in Buitendag's theology is discussed. The article consists of nine sections: the hermeneutical circle as introduction; the polemic attitude of Karl Barth with regard to a theologia naturalis; understanding the notion paradigm; being church as a relational event; engaged epistemology; existential theo-anthropology and ecotheology; existential ecclesiology; existential engagement; and an autobiographical reflection.
This article explained the valuation of Christian believers with regard to the Christian Bible a ... more This article explained the valuation of Christian believers with regard to the Christian Bible a 'Holy Scripture'. In the article the notion 'Scriptural authority' was connected with an understanding of both the origen and use of the Christian canon. The article described the origen of the Bible in light of the supposition that the Bible functions as (1) book of theology, as well as book of believers and as book of the church. The article consisted of references to the role of the Old Testament and the New Testament canonical collections and the role of ecclesial synodal decisions. It also obtained a graphical overview of the history and dates of the New Testament writings as a canonical list. The article concluded with a reflection on the relevance for the use and authority of the Bible, seen from the perspective of the use and origen of the Bible as Christianity's canon.
The RDP of the Soul", violence, revenge, tolerance and Paul's appeal for endurance University of ... more The RDP of the Soul", violence, revenge, tolerance and Paul's appeal for endurance University of London), Imitating Jesus, in which he shows how biblical ethics has shaped South Africans' lives since colonialism, apartheid and post-and neo-colonialism. The article argues that moral leadership by the Christian faith community in South Africa which combats violence by rising up in compassion against injustice can counter-balance the spiralling out of retaliation through revenge. The article describes tolerance in terms of the Pauline concept of endurance and the internalisation of hope for the future. Perseverance despite suffering is seen as the contents of tolerance in the midst of aggressive opposition against the essence of life experienced in terms of an individual's thinking, willing and feeling.
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Papers by Andries Van Aarde