The Semah Sedaqah of Jeremiah 33:15 and its significance for the Congolese leadership.

Abstract

This dissertation consists of a contextual reading of the texts of Jeremiah on semah (23:5-6; 33:14-16), together with the related texts in Isaiah (4:2; 11:1-2) and Zechariah (3:8; 6:12). The context I am reading from is the present political situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) and the leadership crisis since independence. I first approach the Masoretic Text (MT) in a synchronic way and I do not focus on a rigorous study of the texts in discussing their form, source and redaction criticism. To analyse the texts on "branch" in Jeremiah, Isaiah and Zechariah, I pay particular attention to the literary context of texts. My synchronic approach seems to de-contextualise the texts under study from their socio-historical context. However, in chapters Three and Five I place these texts in the broad historical context of the Davidic kings from about the time of Jeremiah until Judah‟s return from Exile. The analysis of the current Congolese leadership situation is confined particularly to the governance of President Mobutu Sésé Seko. In particular, the focus is on the second period of his presidency, from 1975 to his dismissal on May 17, 1997. The social situation, during this period, had worsened immeasurably in the country.