Abstract
Professor I.J.J. Spangenberg has invested much of his teaching time at universities in the subject of Biblical Studies among others. He is thus aware of the “glorious” days of the subject as well as of the events which led to its downfall. It is thus fitting that in an article that seeks to honour his scholarship, also aware of his commitment to offerings that would impact on the daily lives of the people, an article that examines a possible new way of offering Biblical Studies in our African contexts, be dedicated to him. When considering the place of Biblical Studies as a school subject in South African history, one cannot but be reminded of the (predictable) fate of the proverbial eagle. Says one African proverb: o se bone go akalala ga bonong, go wa fase ke ga yona: do not puzzled by the (pride) of an eagle which soars so high, its fall is certain. Considering the present (slippery) place of (traditional) Biblical Studies as offered in South African institutions of higher learning, the subject’s future appears to be gloomy. In the era of the MIT’s (Multi, Inter, Transdisciplinarities), (biblical) scholars should be persuaded to move away from their discipline-specific silos to engage with other disciplines in order for the subject to enrich other disciplines and vice versa. If disciplines such (African) History and Folklore Studies are made to interact with the subject of Biblical Studies, which contribution may such a “merger” bring to the study of African Biblical Hermeneutics in (South) Africa today?
Highlights
When considering the place of Biblical Studies as a school subject in South African history, one cannot but be reminded of the fate of the proverbial eagle
If disciplines such (African) History and Folklore Studies are made to interact with the subject of Biblical Studies, which contribution may such a “merger” bring to biblical scholarship in (South) Africa today? As an attempt to answer the preceding question, this article will use the stories of two waiting women, that is Dora Motshabi and Bathsheba as enablers for the construction of an Multi-Inter-and Transdisciplinary (MIT)-conscious Biblical Studies
“How is he going to navigate the wrath of the church authorities?” In retrospect, I realise that Ramafuthula’s fear was a confirmation of how the apartheid regime had unsettled the identities of South African black folks
Summary
It was in the early nineties, when the honouree, Professor Sakkie Spangenberg ( Dr Spangenberg) presented a paper at one of the conferences of the . The Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of South Africa argued as follows: “Unisa’s broad agenda is echoed in the Institution’s mission statement, namely to promote critical scholarship from an African perspective and to fulfil the mandate of a comprehensive university by providing academic offerings which range from general to vocationally oriented programmes. As part of this process Unisa established the Centre for African Renaissance Studies (CARS) in 2003, with the aim of promoting a Multi-Inter-and Transdisciplinary (MIT) approach to the knowledge by focussing on African Renaissance studies and pursuing cutting edge research through an interdisciplinary paradigm.”. Motshabi’s story will hopefully enable one to unpack the main theme around which the construction of an MIT-conscious Biblical Studies offering proposed here rotates, that is, the trope of “(male) departures, (female) waiting and (male) returns.” The narrative of Motshabi will be followed by my engagement with the following important question: if the preceding theme is applied to a HB female biblical character such as Bathsheba, which insights might emerge? Might such insights be helpful towards the construction of an MITconscious Biblical Studies in South Africa?
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