INTERPRETING THE GOOD SHEPHERD DISCOURSE IN JOHN 10:1-18 WITH A FOCUS ON LEADERSHIP IN CONTEMPORARY NIGERIA BY COSMAS JOOLI BSU/REL/PhD/12/1762 A THESIS SUBMITTED TO POSTGRAUDUATE SCHOOL, BENUE STATE UNIVERSITY, MAKURDI, IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD) IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (NEW TESTAMENT). OCTOBER, 2019 Provided by Benue State University Institutional Repository CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk CERTIFICATION We certify that this Thesis titled: INTERPRETING THE GOOD SHEPHERD DISCOURSE IN JOHN 10:1-18 WITH A FOCUS ON LEADERSHIP IN CONTEMPORARY NIGERIA has been duly presented by COSMAS JOOLI (BSU/REL/PhD/12/1762) of the Department of Religion and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Arts, Benue State University, Makurdi and has been approved by the Examiners. 1st Supervisor: 2nd Supervisor Signature: ………………………… Signature:……………………… Name: Professor Godwin N. Toryough Name: Victor Igbum, PhD Date: ……………………………. Date: …………………………… Head of Department Signature: ………………………… Name: Professor Emmanuel Ordue Usue Date: …………………………… Having met the stipulated requirements, the Thesis has been accepted by the Postgraduate School. ………… …………………… Professor Toryina Ayati Varvar Dean, Postgraduate School Date:………………………. DECLARATION I, COSMAS JOOLI (BSU/REL/PhD/12/1762) do hereby declare: a. That this Thesis has been written by me and it is an account of my research. b. That no part of this Thesis to the best of my knowledge has been presented or published at any time anywhere for the award of any degree. c. And also that all the quotations and references herein been acknowledged. COSMAS JOOLI (BSU/REL/PhD/12/1762) Sign: ……………………………… Date: ……………………………… DEDICATION This Thesis is dedicated to my Mother mama Rebecca Umôngur Jooli and to all who aspire for leadership positions. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am particularly indebted in thanks and appreciation to the many people without whom this research could not have been carried out. I am very grateful to God who gave me life through my parents late Pa Lawrence Ibo Jooli and Mama Rebecca Umôngur Jooli. I take off my cap in appreciation for the gift of my faith and for the gift of the priesthood. I am profoundly indebted to my 1st Supervisor, Professor Godwin N. Toryough and my 2nd Supervisor, Victor Igbum, Ph.D who took quality time to go through this work meticulously as many times as was given to them and made useful suggestions and corrections of crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s. If any errors do remain, it is not for lack of effort on their part to correct them and I wholly bear responsibility. Without their judgment, this research would have been five times as big and half as good. I am grateful to my Head of Department, Professor Emmanuel O. Usue, and other staff and Professors in the Department for their encouragement and understanding. I warmly appreciate the staff attached to the Office of the Head of Department for their kindness especially moments that they needed to help keep or pass information. I also appreciate my other Postgraduate lecturers who took me in the semester Courses and who provided guide in my research especially during the Seminar presentations. In this category I appreciate Fr Ajiki T. T. Pius PhD, Fr Kenneth A. Agede PhD, Iorjaa Igbakua PhD, Robert Kachina PhD and A.Z. Apenda PhD. You provided direction at each turn of the way. I am grateful. My thanks and appreciation go to the Dean of Post Graduate School, Professor T. T. Varvar and all the Post Graduate representatives who were sent to examine me in the course of Seminar paper presentations. I appreciate the former Dean, Faculty of Arts, Professor Daniel S. Shishima, the current Dean, Professor Ama Doki, the former Head of Department, Professor Joseph Sarwuan Gbenda (late). May God grant you eternal reward. I thank and appreciate my late Bishop, Most Revd Athanasius A. Usuh for the fatherly care he provided for me. Special thanks to my present Bishop, Most Revd Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe Cmf for his support and favourable disposition for me to continue with this research. His openness and desire for his priests to be sufficiently trained deserves commendation. Thank you, My Lord Bishop. I also want to appreciate the contributions of my priest- friends. They have always given me the desired support. In this category, acknowledge the contributions of Fr. Gabriel T. Gberikon, Fr. Daniel Ude Asue PhD, Fr. Clement Iorliam PhD, Fr. Simon Ikpum, Fr. Emmanuel Abela PhD, Fr. Benjamin Vesuwe and Fr. Godwin Bagu PhD. Those contemporaneous conversations really helped me to form a better judgment and encouraged me to take up studies in the New Testament. I also appreciate my Course Mates, John Abawua, Anthony Akaatenger, James Ukpe that we shared the anxious moments together. I thank you for your support and encouragement. I am thankful to the Parishes and my parishioners that I worked and encountered. Special thanks to St. Francis Parish, Agagbe, St. Robert’s Rectory, Adamgbe, St. Peter’s Quasi Parish, Agboughul, Holy Family Parish, Kanshio and St. Theresa’s Parish, High Level Makurdi. May Almighty God grant your hearts’ desires. I also appreciate the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary for their support and kindness, Srs. Adeline, Grace Onah, Injide, Ebere, and Julieta Muruthi. Your house was always open for me. I am grateful to Srs. Justina Jor PhD, Jovita Kaior, Philomena Atela, Fidelia Moji, Grace Shiedu, Priscilla Ahula, Margaret Daudu SSL, and Grace E. Okon SSND. I give thanks to my brother, Mr. Alexis Jooli and his wife Mrs. Sylvia Jooli, my late brother’s wife, Mrs. Ahungur Maureen Jooli, Mr.Edward Jooli (KSM), Mr. Abraham Jooli (KSJI), Benjamin Nyam and his wife Mrs. Felicia Nyam (KSM), Temanenge Akinde and all my relations. I appreciate your love, care and support. I finally appreciate all those authors whose books and ideas I have used in different ways in the course of this research. They are too many to mention. I am very grateful. TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE i CERTIFICATION ii DECLARATION iii DEDICATION. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v TABLE OF CONTENTS viii ABSTRACT xii CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 1 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 5 1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 6 1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 7 1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 7 1.6 METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY 8 1.7 ORGANIZATION OF CHAPTERS 10 1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS AND CONCEPTS 10 1.8.1 Good Shepherd 10 1.8.2 Leadership 12 1.8.3 Contemporary 13 CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 2.1 AUTHORSHIP OF JOHN’S GOSPEL 15 2.2 THE GOOD SHEPHERD DISCOURSE IN JOHN 10:1-18 21 2.3 LEADERSHIP IN GENERAL 27 2.4 LEADERSHIP IN NIGERIA 32 2.5 THE NOBLE DEATH IN GREEK TRADITION 41 2.5.1 Funeral Orations and Noble Death 43 2.5.2 Noble Death in the Light of Literature of Israel 48 2.5.3 The Death of the ‘Good’ Noble Shepherd. 50 2.5.4 Shepherds in Ancient Near East (ANE.) 57 2.5.5 Shepherds in the Old Testament 60 2.5.6 Shepherds in the New Testament 64 2.6 THE SACRIFICIAL DEATH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD 67 2.6.1 Jesus’ Death as Substitution 68 2.6.2 Substitution for Israel 70 2.6.3 Substitution for Humanity 70 2.6.4 Concept of Inclusive Substitution 71 CHAPTER THREE EXEGESIS OF JOHN 10:1-18 3.1 AN OVERVIEW OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 73 3.2 THE CONTEXT AND STRUCTURE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD DISCOURSE 75 3.3 THE EXEGESIS OF JOHN 10:1-18 78 3.3.1 On Entering the Sheepfold 10:1-6 80 3.3.2 Jesus: The Door/Gate Keeper 10:7-11 83 3.3.3 The Good Shepherd Versus the Hirelings 10:11-13 86 3.3.4 Jesus the Messianic Good Shepherd 10:14-18 88 3.4 THE THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF JOHN 10:1-18 94 CHAPTER FOUR HERMENEUTICAL INTERPOLATION OF JOHN 10:1-18 AND THE CHALLENGES OF LEADERSHIP IN NIGERIA 4.1 THE GOOD SHEPHERD DISCOURSE AND THE LEADERSHHIP EXPERIENCE OF THE JOHANNINE COMMUNITY 97 4.2 HERMENEUTICAL INTERPOLATION AND THE SEMANTICS OF JOHN 10:1-18. 100 4.2.1 Textual Analysis 101 4.2.2 Analytical Commentary of John 10:1-5 102 4.2.3 Semantic Relations in John 10:6-18 107 4.2.4 Analytical Commentary John 10:6-18 108 4.3 THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE GOOD SHEHPHERD 119 4.4 THE GOOD SHEPHERD LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS SHEEP 122 4.5 THE OTHER SHEEP NOT OF THIS FOLD 127 4.6 THE EXTERNAL CHALLENGES OF LEADERSHIP IN NIGERIA 129 4.6.1 The Military Leadership in Nigeria 129 4.6.2 Political-Corruption Factor 133 4.6.3 Economic-Corruption Factor 135 4.6.4 Poor Leadership Recruitment Process 137 4.6.5The Challenge of Ethnicity 142 CHAPTER FIVE THE GOOD SHEPHERD MODEL AND CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP IN NIGERIA FROM 1999-2015 5.1 DENUNCIATION OF THE SHEPHERDS OF ISRAEL 145 5.2 THE PHARISEES AS ‘THIEVES AND ROBBERS’ 148 5.3 THE GOOD SHEPHERD AS A MODEL OF LEADERSHIP 154 5.4 THE YEARS OF OLUSEGUN OBASANJO 1999-2007 162 5.5 FROM UMARU MUSA YAR’ADUA TO GOODLUCK JONATHAN 2007- 2015 174 5.6 THE YEARS OF GOODLUCK JONATHAN 2010-2015 177 CHAPTER SIX SUMMARY, CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION 6.1 SUMMARY 185 6.2 CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE 187 6.3 RECOMMENDATIONS 188 6.4 CONCLUSION 190 WORKS CITED 192 ABSTRACT The biblical concept of ‘shepherd’ connotes the imagery for leadership.