Reading the book of Hosea in service of life : a paradigm for the prophetic church fifteen years after a democratic South Africa.

Abstract

When the liberative paradigm of the Bible is given a privileged position in the South African context, then it can function as a tool from which the prophetic church can glean resources. The heart of this thesis, therefore, endeavours to provide a biblical resource for the church in South Africa whose prophetic vision has become dormant in a context where socioeconomic dilemmas are structurally based. This resource is created from the prophetic book of Hosea which has traditionally been treated in isolation from any socioeconomic issues. However, this dominant interpretation of the book of Hosea has been challenged in recent scholarship with favourable results, especially in combination with interdisciplinary approaches. The theoretical framework of Vital Theology has therefore been employed with its interdisciplinary approach, and integrated with a biblical methodology. Focusing on the marriage-harlotry metaphor of Hosea, this thesis demonstrate that a socio-historical and literary reading of the metaphor can provide the church with a prophetic vision to address socioeconomic dilemmas in South Africa, fifteen years after democracy.