God's wrathful children : toward an ethic of vengeance, retribution, and renewal for a post-apartheid nation

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dc.contributor.advisorVilla-Vicencio, Charlesen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorBoesak, Willem Andreasen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2016-02-29T12:04:40Z
dc.date.available2016-02-29T12:04:40Z
dc.date.issued1993en_ZA
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographies.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractGod's wrath results in divine acts of vengeance in favour of the powerless and the oppressed. This manifestation of anger is devoid of hatred and malice, for in the first epistle of John, love is equated with God in such a way that it is the personification of the divine Being (1 John 4:7-12). God's grace, forming the nexus between compassion and wrath, renders any suggestion of a contradiction in the divine nature untenable. Human vengeance is, however, an ambiguous concept. It emanates from human anger, which often includes hatred and malice. Nevertheless, this cannot simply be dismissed as a destructive force, as it can be a valid form of resistance. The crucial theological-ethical question arises: Can the wrath of God's children (human vengeance) legitimately reflect divine anger? The first part of the thesis deals with the historical content of God's wrathful children, focusing on the history of struggle in South Africa. The age-old history of injustices perpetrated against black people has generated a deep-seated anger, a dangerous socio-political rage that cannot be ignored. The central question is: How should black people handle their anger theologically? Given the multi-religious and -cultural South African context this issue needs addressing at an ecumenical level, while taking interfaith perspective into account. The Zealots of first-century Palestine, the late-medieval reformer Thomas Muntzer, and the African-American activist Malcolm X, wrestled with the interplay between faith and vengeance. Case studies of these revolutionaries are dealt with in the second part of the thesis, and assistance is sought from their experiences in clarifying our own theological formulation. The final part of the thesis argues that post-apartheid South Africa requires a comprehensive, inter-faith 'ethic of vengeance' to curb destructive black political rage.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationBoesak, W. A. (1993). <i>God's wrathful children : toward an ethic of vengeance, retribution, and renewal for a post-apartheid nation</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Religious Studies. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17354en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationBoesak, Willem Andreas. <i>"God's wrathful children : toward an ethic of vengeance, retribution, and renewal for a post-apartheid nation."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Religious Studies, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17354en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationBoesak, W. 1993. God's wrathful children : toward an ethic of vengeance, retribution, and renewal for a post-apartheid nation. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Boesak, Willem Andreas AB - God's wrath results in divine acts of vengeance in favour of the powerless and the oppressed. This manifestation of anger is devoid of hatred and malice, for in the first epistle of John, love is equated with God in such a way that it is the personification of the divine Being (1 John 4:7-12). God's grace, forming the nexus between compassion and wrath, renders any suggestion of a contradiction in the divine nature untenable. Human vengeance is, however, an ambiguous concept. It emanates from human anger, which often includes hatred and malice. Nevertheless, this cannot simply be dismissed as a destructive force, as it can be a valid form of resistance. The crucial theological-ethical question arises: Can the wrath of God's children (human vengeance) legitimately reflect divine anger? The first part of the thesis deals with the historical content of God's wrathful children, focusing on the history of struggle in South Africa. The age-old history of injustices perpetrated against black people has generated a deep-seated anger, a dangerous socio-political rage that cannot be ignored. The central question is: How should black people handle their anger theologically? Given the multi-religious and -cultural South African context this issue needs addressing at an ecumenical level, while taking interfaith perspective into account. The Zealots of first-century Palestine, the late-medieval reformer Thomas Muntzer, and the African-American activist Malcolm X, wrestled with the interplay between faith and vengeance. Case studies of these revolutionaries are dealt with in the second part of the thesis, and assistance is sought from their experiences in clarifying our own theological formulation. The final part of the thesis argues that post-apartheid South Africa requires a comprehensive, inter-faith 'ethic of vengeance' to curb destructive black political rage. DA - 1993 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 1993 T1 - God's wrathful children : toward an ethic of vengeance, retribution, and renewal for a post-apartheid nation TI - God's wrathful children : toward an ethic of vengeance, retribution, and renewal for a post-apartheid nation UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17354 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/17354
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationBoesak WA. God's wrathful children : toward an ethic of vengeance, retribution, and renewal for a post-apartheid nation. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Religious Studies, 1993 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17354en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Religious Studiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherReligious Studiesen_ZA
dc.subject.otherRevengeen_ZA
dc.subject.otherForgiveness - Religious aspectsen_ZA
dc.titleGod's wrathful children : toward an ethic of vengeance, retribution, and renewal for a post-apartheid nationen_ZA
dc.typeDoctoral Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoral
dc.type.qualificationnamePhDen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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