Chapter Eighteen. Biblical Hermeneutics, Actualisation And Marginality In The New South Africa

Abstract

This chapter wants to focus on two recent instances of biblical hermeneutics, one in each of the ecclesial and social domains, in order to illustrate both the vibrancy and the difficulty, both the vitality and the lethargy, which is found in the use of the bible and especially its actualisation in South Africa. The two recent - if different in nature and scope - instances of the actualisation of biblical exegesis are the use of the bible by a governing body of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) for legislating church polity regarding lesbigays and its use in provincial politics by the office of the Premier of the Western Cape. Set amidst the enduring but somewhat unexpected presence of the bible, and looking beyond African biblical scholarship, the chapter does some preliminary probing into the relationship between the bible, hermeneutics and power and resulting issues of marginality.Keywords: actualisation; African biblical scholarship; biblical exegesis; biblical hermeneutics; Dutch Reformed Church (DRC); marginality