Philippians 2:5-11: An Afrocentric hermeneutical study of New Testament morality from a Shona cultural perspective Lovejoy Chabata orcid.org/0000-0001-8596-969 Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in New Testament at the North- West University Promoter: Dr A Genade Examination: October 2019 Student number: 28214854 DECLARATION I, LOVEJOY CHABATA, hereby declare that this study: “Philippians 2:5-11: An Afrocentric hermeneutical study of New Testament morality from Shona cultural perspective” is my own original work and that all sources used or quoted have been accurately reported and acknowledged by complete references, and that this thesis has not been previously in its entirety or partially submitted by me or any other person for degree purposes at this, or at any other University. Lovejoy Chabata Date: September 2019 Signature i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wrote this thesis under very strenuous conditions. I was caught up in the crest of an unprecedented and nerve wrecking storm that resulted in the split of the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) in Zimbabwe. As the presiding Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Living Waters Theological Seminary, the training institution responsible for indoctrination, spiritual formation and churning out pastoral candidates, I had to grapple with a plethora of intricacies ensuing from the cyclonic split of the Church. Lecturers, staff and students including myself, were forced to declare sides in a process that was shrouded in mistrust, estrangements, gerrymandering, blackmail, scandals and smear campaigns. As a result of this tumultuous situation in the AFM church and the vitriolic attacks that were targeted at me, I was hospitalised for a week in December 2018 due to a stress related ailment. These unfortunate developments unfolded during the time when I was supposed to be polishing up my PhD thesis for submission. In this delirious moment, my beloved wife, Veronica “Verynice” Chabata stood with me as ‘a real help suitable for me’ (Genesis 2:18). I also want to thank my children for bearing with and enduring my frequent travels to North-West University where I often stayed for long periods, depriving them of filial love. Many thanks go to my Research Promoter, Dr Aldred Genade, for the brotherly love (αδελφικης ἀγάπης) and patience (μακρωθυμία) with which he supervised this thesis. At times he combined supervising the thesis and counselling an emotionally battered student. My gratitude also goes to Professor Hans van Deventer who often paired up with Dr Genade to guide me in this research. I also acknowledge the encouragement and assistance with transport received from my friend and brother, Pastor Misheck Muzanenhamo. Mention is also deserved by my hardworking Personal Assistant, Mrs Bridget Tapa Chimuto who assisted with the final editing of the bibliography of this work. My sincere gratitude goes to Mrs Petra Gainsford of the IT department for formatting this work in terms of NWU expectations. I also wish to thank the language editor of this thesis, Ms Elizabeth Sibanda for an excellent job. Finally, inexplicable gratitude goes to the Lord Jesus Christ who allowed me to write on an ancient hymn (Philippians 2:5-11) written in His honour by Apostle Paul. ii DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis firstly to my family; my loving wife Veronica, Praiseworthy Rumbidzoyashe, Peace Rugare, Pelatiah Tarwirwanashe, Parousia Ishevanouya, Philokalia Runako, Philothea Tinodaishe, grandchild Royal Tadiwanashe and my mother Mbuya Dainah Makoni Chabata. Secondly, I also dedicate the thesis to all mankind who pursue the mind which was in Christ Jesus, the mind of serving others, the mind of love and selflessness, the mind of kenotic leadership and the mind of Ubuntu (hunhu). iii ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ABC African Bible Commentary ABH African Biblical Hermeneutics AFM Apostolic Faith Mission AHS Afrocentric Hermeneutical Standpoint BDAG Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature, now known as Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich or Bauer-Danker Lexicon EAHS Euro-American Hermeneutical Standpoint Fr Father NICNT New International Commentary on the New Testament TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament WBC Word Biblical Commentary ZANLA Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army ZANU Zimbabwe African National Union iv ABSTRACT Philippians 2:5-11 have been investigated extensively by means of methodologies and epistemologies that are Western or Euro-American dominant. Since the pioneering work of Lohmeyer (1928) until the most recent work by Weymouth (2015), the interpretations of this pericope have not benefitted from the application of African epistemologies. The result has been that topics like the mind which was in Christ, humility, the humanity and servanthood of Christ, self-emptying, obedience unto death, resurrection and post-death exaltation are all interpreted and explained primarily from contexts alien to Africa. The dominant interpretations tend not to be exhaustive of the latent possibilities of meaning embedded within the text. The encounter with the text is a concept apparently alien to most Euro-American scholarship. A critical examination of these themes from an African perspective generally, and a Shona context specifically, may advance richer trajectories of meaning. Chimhanda (2014:306) states that the Shona consist of five major ethnic groups namely the Karanga, Zezuru, Manyika, Korekore and Rozvi. Due to the heterogeneous character of the Shona ethnic groups, this thesis shall be based on the Zezuru group of the Shona. Hence, wherever the term Shona appears throughout the thesis, it is referring to the Zezuru ethnic group. In this thesis, Philippians 2:5-11 is studied within the context of death and morality metaphors from a Shona cosmological perspective. Such an approach could yield insights from the vantage point of a hitherto marginalised African hermeneutic that will advance scholarship of the letter to the Philippians. Key Words: Philippians 2:5-11, New Testament morality, Shona cultural epistemology, Afrocentric biblical hermeneutics, kenosis, ethical interpretation, kerygmatic interpretation, cultural perspective. v TABLE OF CONTENT DECLARATION ...............................................................................................................................I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..............................................................................................................II DEDICATION .................................................................................................................................III ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ......................................................................................... IV ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... V CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM STATEMENT ...............................................1 1.1 Background ...........................................................................................................1 1.2 Problem statement ................................................................................................2 1.3 Aim and objectives ...............................................................................................3 1.3.1 Aim...........................................................................................................................3 1.3.2 Objectives................................................................................................................3 1.4 Central theoretical argument ...............................................................................4 1.5 Methodology ..........................................................................................................4 1.6 Concept clarification.............................................................................................6 1.6.1 New Testament Morality ......................................................................................... 6 1.7 Outline ....................................................................................................................7 1.8 Ethical considerations..........................................................................................8 CHAPTER 2: AFROCENTRIC HERMENEUTICS: BACKGROUND, SALIENT FEATURES, JUSTIFICATION AND CRITIQUE............................................................................9 2.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................9 2.2 Background ...........................................................................................................9 2.3 Salient features....................................................................................................10 vi 2.4 Critique of Afrocentric biblical hermeneutics .................................................14 2.5 Justification for the Afrocentric approach in the study of Philippians 2:5-11 ....................................................................................................................19 2.6 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................22 CHAPTER 3: CURRENT STATE OF RESEARCH ON PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11 .......................23 3.1 Introduction .........................................................................................................23 3.2 An exegetical