Abstract

DE VILLIERS, Pieter G R. Hermeneutical perspectives on violence in the New Testament. Herv. teol. stud. [online]. 2008, vol.64, n.4, pp.1923-1951. ISSN 2072-8050.

This article discusses hermeneutical perspectives on violence in the New Testament as they appear in articles in this publication and in New Testament Studies in general. It contrasts the traditional perspective on the New Testament as book of peace with the growing insight in its violent nature. It is followed by a discussion of the multi-faceted nature of both notions of peace and violence and the various forms in which they are expressed. After an analysis of the relationship between violence and its alternatives, the various forms of violence are outlined in terms of their relationship to their experiential realities. This is followed by remarks about an adequate methodology for the study of violence, the way in which violence is countered in the New Testament texts and, finally, three possible explanations for the nature of violence.

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