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The Imago Dei Weltanschauung As a Narrative Motif in New Testament Ethics

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The Imago Dei Weltanschauung As a Narrative Motif in New Testament Ethics THE IMAGO DEI WELTANSCHAUUNG AS A NARRATIVE MOTIF IN NEW TESTAMENT ETHICS: A FOCUS ON PAULINE THEOLOGY. By Phumzile Walter Maqoma Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree PHILOSOPHIAE DOCTOR – Ph.D. In NEW TESTAMENT STUDIES In FACULTY OF THEOLOGY Of the University of Pretoria Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Jacobus (Kobus) Kok April 2015 i DECLARATION I declare that “The imago Dei weltanschauung as a narrative motif in New Testament ethics: a focus on Pauline theology” dissertation is my own work and that all sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. _______________ _______________ Signature: Walter P. Maqoma Date Approved by: Prof. Dr. Jacobus (Kobus) Kok _______________ Signature ii DEDICATION To “My Beautiful Angel”, “My Cheerleader”, my gorgeous wife, Lerato Motloung- Maqoma, who always motivates me to live godly and to pursue an ethical approach in all my dealings. May the Lord grant us the grace that we, with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, be transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My deepest gratitude goes to my promoter, Professor Jacobus (Kobus) Kok, who has shown a great dedication in assisting me to complete this thesis successfully; thank you Dr. Kok for introducing me to great literature which has shaped many of the ideas developed in my thesis. Many thanks to Professor Ernest van Eck, Prof. Danie Veldsman, and Prof. D. G. Van Der Merwe for insightful contributions to this thesis; your contributions have improved my thesis immensely. Many thanks also go to Professor Cornè Bekker for wise counsel and for important contributions to my thesis; thank you Dr. Cornè for also igniting a passion of the call to the likeness of Christ in my heart and mind. I am also grateful for the few mentors who have guided my theological development. Professor Martin Pohlmann has continued to be a great model of a true theologian; thank you Prof. for your continued support and encouragement in my theological pursuits. Thank you also goes to Dr. Piff Pereira for being a source of inspiration in my quest for theological education; your love for the Bible has made an indelible mark in my life. Great thanks also to Dr. Sam Ndoga for all the theological discussions we had, which continue to help me keep focused on the African context, as I reflect theologically. Thanks to Professor Gerhard Walmsley for special philosophy lessons; your guidance in my philosophy studies has shaped my intellectual development. Moreover, great thanks also go to Bishop Isaac Mthimkulu for being a great teacher of the Word of God; you have continued to be a great father, and your love for Jesus Christ and his work continues to inspire me to serve God wholeheartedly. Many thanks also to my great friend, Mr. Christian Mokoena, who has continued to pray for me from the beginning of my theological pursuits to the present day; thanks for being a great example of Christ-likeness – you “wear” Jesus well. I am “eternally” grateful to Jesus for bringing these men of God across my path; may God bless them and their families. Great thanks also go my Mother, Mrs. Dorcas Maqoma, and my brother, Mr. Fezile Maqoma; one’s family continues to play a significant role in one’s development, hence, my immediate family has consistently been supportive throughout my studies. iv I am eternally grateful for my extended family, Mr. William and Mrs. Mary Motloung, Mrs. Lerato Maqoma, and Mr. Katleho Motloung, for their unceasing commitment to my well-being. Friends are a great blessing from God, thus, Ms. Sue Snaddon, Mr. Richard and Mrs. Pippa McKechnie, Mr. Roger and Mrs. Bridget Wimpey, and Father John and Mama Jenny Anderson, have been truly amazing; your kindness and generosity is highly appreciated. Last but not least, I express my heartfelt thanks to the staff of Metanoia Bible Institute: Ms. Zodwa Tshabalala, Ms. Tumi Hatla, Mr. Nico Matekane, Ms. Mosa Motlatla, Ms. Tumi Mokoena, Mr. Tsepo Gumbi, Mr. Vusi Khoza, and Ms. Keitumetsi Tsematse; this dissertation is the fruit of your sacrifices, as you have all done a sterling work to see this project successful. Many Thanks to the Faith communities of Koinonia Bible Church, Brackendowns Baptist Church, and Hillside Vineyard Fellowship, which have continued to give me a platform to reflect on the ideas discussed in my thesis. Grace to you all! v ABSTRACT God created humankind in his image and likeness, and this means that all human beings have an inherent capacity to know the difference between good and bad or right and wrong; thus, all human beings have an innate ability to be ethical, as the God who created them is good, and so becomes the source of their ethics. The writers of Scripture have drawn us to this insight of the ethical God in many different ways, as they encouraged their hearers to make reference to God in their attempt to be ethical. This research draws from the writings of Apostle Paul, particularly from his Corinthian Correspondence and the book of Philippians, as he instructed his hearers on how they ought to relate and what would be their roles within the broader scope of God’s original intention for humanity. In this attempt, he made reference to the anthropological identity of the imago Dei, and he shows that the perfect expression of the imago Dei is Christ Jesus; thus, this is the image they ought to emulate. Therefore, the title of this research is: “The imago Dei weltanschauung as a narrative motif in New Testament ethics: a focus on Pauline theology.” This notion of the imago Dei is presented in the New Testament as the framework of understanding how to form ethics, as it appears within the formation of an anthropological horizon; ethics is, in some way, an extension of who we are. Thus, the notion of the imago Dei is an adequate account of explaining the source of human dignity. In relation to accepting the message of the New Testament, this research shows how the imago Dei worldview underpins Pauline ethics and can serve as a framework of understanding the source of sustaining an ethical paradigm.This hypothesis attempts to prove that one’s identity – which is underpinned by a worldview – affects one’s ethics and conduct. The identity of New Testament believers must be understood in light of the framework of the imago Dei. Therefore, this theological view, to some extent, seems to be providing an anthropological horizon that opposes most ethical theories that begin their investigation with human nature. So this research proposes that an ethical theory or worldview which has a universal character is a theistic worldview referred to as imago Dei, which draws its formulations and perspectives from a theological perspective, and Christ himself is the perfect representation of the imago Dei, and appears as the content and constant theme of Pauline ethics. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Title Page i Declaration ii Dedication iii Acknowledgements iv Abstract vi Summary xii Key Words xv 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Research Design 2 1.2 Research Methodology 6 1.3 Research Survey 9 1.3.1 The imago Dei Inquiry 10 1.3.2 The Worldview Analysis 14 1.3.2.1 The framework of a biblical worldview 14 1.3.2.2 The formation of a biblical worldview 19 1.3.3 The New Testament Examination 22 1.3.3.1 New Testament Ethics 22 1.3.3.2 New Testament Theology 24 1.3.3.3 Pauline Studies 26 1.3.3.3.1 Paul’s theology 26 1.3.3.3.2 Paul’s ethics 28 1.3.4 Commentaries 31 1.3.5 Articles 36 vii 2. RESEARCH RATIONALE 42 2.1 The initial thesis 42 2.1.1 The imago Dei inquiry 42 2.1.2 The worldview analysis 45 2.1.3 The New Testament Examination 49 2.2 The apparent synthesis 59 2.2.1 Historical description of the ethical teaching of the New Testament writings 60 2.2.2 Ethnographic description of the social world of the early Christians 61 2.2.3 Extraction of ideals or principles 62 2.2.4 Cultural critique of ideologies in the New Testament 63 2.2.5 Character-formation and ‘the ethics of reading’ 64 2.2.6 Metaphorical embodiment of narrative paradigms 65 2.3 The emerging hypothesis 66 2.3.1 The quest for an anthropological horizon 71 2.3.2 The question of religious ethics 74 2.3.3 The qualifying ethical horizon 77 3. WHY WORLDVIEW? 80 3.1 The content of a worldview 83 3.1.1 Philological History 85 3.1.2 Philosophical History 87 3.1.3 Disciplinary History 92 3.2 The competing worldviews 95 3.2.1 Christian Theism 96 viii 3.2.2 Deism 97 3.2.3 Naturalism 98 3.2.4 Nihilism 99 3.2.5 Existentialism 100 3.2.6 Eastern Pantheistic Monism 101 3.2.7 The New Age 102 3.2.8 Postmodernism 103 3.3 The characteristics of a worldview 106 3.3.1 The Cognitive theme 107 3.3.2 The Affective theme 108 3.3.3 The Evaluative theme 110 4. THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL STRUGGLE 114 4.1 In search of an identity 115 4.1.1 Confucianism image of humanity 118 4.1.2 Hinduism image of humanity 118 4.1.3 Buddhism image of humanity 119 4.1.4 Plato’s image of humanity 121 4.1.5 Aristotle’s image of humanity 123 4.1.6 Kant’s image of humanity 124 4.1.7 Marx’s image of humanity 126 4.1.8 Freud’s image of humanity 127 4.1.9 Sartre’s image of humanity 127 4.1.10 Darwin’s image of humanity 128 ix 5.
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