The legitimacy of Jesus : an Afrocentric reading of the birth of Jesus

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dc.contributor.advisorMazamisa, W Len_ZA
dc.contributor.authorReve, Nomvuzoen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2015-10-25T17:09:50Z
dc.date.available2015-10-25T17:09:50Z
dc.date.issued1995en_ZA
dc.descriptionBibliography: leaves 77-82.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractThe primary intention of this study is to contribute to scholarly interpretation of the New Testament Infancy Narratives. It owes much to Schaberg (1990) who, undoubtedly, has done an extensive study of the infancy narratives. In contrast, it is a challenge to her claim that, studied from a feminist theological approach, the texts dealing with the origin of Jesus, Matthew 1:1-25 and Luke 1:20-56 and 3:23-38 originally were about an illegitimate conception and not about a miraculous virginal conception. It challenges her claim that the intention of the evangelists was to transmit the tradition that Jesus, the Messiah, was illegitimately conceived during the time when Mary, his mother, was still betrothed to Joseph. My argument is that, looked at from a womanist Afrocentric perspective, these infancy narratives were about the legitimate conception of Jesus and nothing else. They were, rather, aimed at passing down the tradition that Jesus, charged with illegitimacy, was, in fact, conceived legitimately. The charge only served to defame Jesus. In other words, that charge had a social and not a biological value. An investigation of the understanding of Jesus's birth in the Mediterranean world in chapter 4 shows that that charge came solely from Jesus's opponents whether they were Jewish or non-Jewish. An examination of pre-marital sexual relations and marriage customs among African societies in chapter 4 shows that Joseph could be the biological father of Jesus. He probably made Mary pregnant before or during the betrothal period. Given that, Joseph could not only be the legal father of Jesus but his biological father too. Chapter 5 and 6 of this study look at Matthew's and Luke's reading of the virgin birth. There is really nothing suggesting that the evangelists intended to write about the illegitimacy of Jesus. They were clearly writing about the legitimate conception of Jesus.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationReve, N. (1995). <i>The legitimacy of Jesus : an Afrocentric reading of the birth of Jesus</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Religious Studies. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14346en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationReve, Nomvuzo. <i>"The legitimacy of Jesus : an Afrocentric reading of the birth of Jesus."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Religious Studies, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14346en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationReve, N. 1995. The legitimacy of Jesus : an Afrocentric reading of the birth of Jesus. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Reve, Nomvuzo AB - The primary intention of this study is to contribute to scholarly interpretation of the New Testament Infancy Narratives. It owes much to Schaberg (1990) who, undoubtedly, has done an extensive study of the infancy narratives. In contrast, it is a challenge to her claim that, studied from a feminist theological approach, the texts dealing with the origin of Jesus, Matthew 1:1-25 and Luke 1:20-56 and 3:23-38 originally were about an illegitimate conception and not about a miraculous virginal conception. It challenges her claim that the intention of the evangelists was to transmit the tradition that Jesus, the Messiah, was illegitimately conceived during the time when Mary, his mother, was still betrothed to Joseph. My argument is that, looked at from a womanist Afrocentric perspective, these infancy narratives were about the legitimate conception of Jesus and nothing else. They were, rather, aimed at passing down the tradition that Jesus, charged with illegitimacy, was, in fact, conceived legitimately. The charge only served to defame Jesus. In other words, that charge had a social and not a biological value. An investigation of the understanding of Jesus's birth in the Mediterranean world in chapter 4 shows that that charge came solely from Jesus's opponents whether they were Jewish or non-Jewish. An examination of pre-marital sexual relations and marriage customs among African societies in chapter 4 shows that Joseph could be the biological father of Jesus. He probably made Mary pregnant before or during the betrothal period. Given that, Joseph could not only be the legal father of Jesus but his biological father too. Chapter 5 and 6 of this study look at Matthew's and Luke's reading of the virgin birth. There is really nothing suggesting that the evangelists intended to write about the illegitimacy of Jesus. They were clearly writing about the legitimate conception of Jesus. DA - 1995 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 1995 T1 - The legitimacy of Jesus : an Afrocentric reading of the birth of Jesus TI - The legitimacy of Jesus : an Afrocentric reading of the birth of Jesus UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14346 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/14346
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationReve N. The legitimacy of Jesus : an Afrocentric reading of the birth of Jesus. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Religious Studies, 1995 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14346en_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.titleThe legitimacy of Jesus : an Afrocentric reading of the birth of Jesusen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMAen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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