School of Humanities: Recent submissions

  • Ngoma Lungundu: An African Ark of the Covenant. 
    Le Roux, Magdel (The Old Testament Society of Southern Africa (OTSSA), 2009)
    The Lemba in Southern Africa are a specific group with unique traditions regarding Israelite origins. Their oral traditions also contain significant information on the leading role their priestly family played on their ...
  • The Phoenicians and the dangers inherent to sailing on the Mediterranean Sea in antiquity 
    Le Roux, Magdel (Institute for Afro-Hellenic studies, 2013)
    The expression 'Pillars of Hercules', as well as 'Scylla and Charybdis' were used by some authors to indicate unworldly, mythological places. Did those waterways really exist or were they just part of the imagination of ...
  • The survival of the Greek gods in early Christianity 
    Le Roux, Magdel (SASNES (Southern African Society for Near Eastern Studies), 2007)
    From what we know of the historical sources, the Hellenistic period in the ancient Near East (more specifically ancient Israel), can be divided into four uneven phases. The first was the conquest of Palestine by Alexander ...
  • 'Global warming'and the movement of the settlers to the highlands of Palestine (circa 1200-1000 BCE) 
    Le Roux, Magdel (Old Testament Society of South Africa (OTSSA), 2010)
    Scholars are divided as to the origins of the settlers in the highlands of Palestine, during Iron Age I. Some (e.g. Rainey) are convinced that they came from the east, while others (e.g. Dever) are of the opinion that they ...
  • Celebrating the feasts of the Old Testament in Christian contexts 
    Le Roux, Magdel (AOSIS, 2006)
    Many early Christian churches incorporated a number of non-biblical, even "pagan" symbols and rituals into their liturgy (e. g. the origin of Christmas). They were contextualized into the church by a brand new Christian ...
  • The Bhuba : a paternally inherited Jewish priesthood in Southern Africa? 
    Le Roux, Magdel (Institute for Afro-Hellenic studies, 2010)
    The recently much publicised genetic results of the Lemba placed the Lemba of Southern Africa in the spotlight (Thomas et al 1998; 2000; Soodyall 2010). From DNA samples, taken specifically from the Bhuba, the priestly ...
  • African "Jews" for Jesus: A preliminary investigation into the Semitic origins and missionary initiatives of some Lemba communities in southern Africa 
    Le Roux, Magdel (1997)
    The Lemba live among other ethnic groups in southern Africa, but consider themselves to be Israelites who, after the Babylonian exile, migrated to Africa, The possibility that the Lemba might have a' Semitic ancestry ...
  • Power, sexual status, and religion in the 'Promised Land' 
    Le Roux, Magdel (Old Testament Society of South Africa (OTSSA), 2007)
    According to the biblical narratives, the Israelites had wonderful expectations of the Promised Land which was to be theirs. The land was visualised as a land of plenty, God's gift to Israel, who would enjoy its fruits and ...
  • Using the Old Testament to interpret Africa: the Malagasy religious context 
    Le Roux, Magdel (Old Testament Society of South Africa (OTSSA), 2006)
    The article discusses some of the methodological problems raised by Georges Razafindrakoto's thesis 'Old Testament texts in Malagasy contexts'. Razafindrakoto's use of qualitative research methods as part of an Old Testament ...
  • King Saul's mysterious malady 
    Le Roux, Magdel (AOSIS OpenJournals, 2012)
    This article investigates the 'illness' of King Saul (as narrated in the Old Testament). The 'anti-Saul narrative' states that 'God's spirit had left Saul' and 'an evil one had taken its place' (1 Sm 16:14; also cf. e.g. ...
  • Postgraduate supervision as teamwork:'The Africanisation of Biblical Studies' Project-a case study 
    Le Roux, Magdel (University of Stellenbosch, 2009)
    The purpose of this article is to explore possible benefits, but also challenges and risks, of group supervision, as experienced by participants in a particular project, namely the'Africanisation of Biblical Studies' ...
  • Pre-Islamic Arabic trade and religion on the east coast of Africa 
    Le Roux, Magdel (2010)
    Sabaean (pre-Islamic Arabic) colonies were established in Ethiopia very early (at the beginning of the seventh century BC) as is proved by the characteristics of the Ethiopian language, religion and writing as well as ...
  • The wife of Manoah, the mother of Samson 
    Le Roux, Magdel (2016)
    The last account of the judges is that of Samson (Judges 13–16). This account has all the elements of a blockbuster. All the indications are that Samson would be an extraordinary person. And yet, even though Samson may be ...
  • Kohenim travelling south. The Queen of Sheba in Ethiopian and Lemba tradition 
    Le Roux, Magdel (SASNES (Southern African Society for Near Eastern Studies), 2004)
    Similar to oral traditions, written histories may exist in more than one version. The biblical story of the Queen of Sheba's visit to King Solomon has undergone an extensive elaboration in different literary traditions. ...
  • African light on the New Moon ceremony 
    Le Roux, Magdel (Old Testament Society of South Africa (OTSSA), 2005)
    The endeavour to juxtapose the manners and customs of these two communities (African and early Israel), illuminates the understanding of the practices and rituals of both sides, and it stimulates new questions to be asked ...
  • Ancient Near Eastern influence in sub-Saharan Africa 
    Le Roux, Magdel (Institute for Afro-Hellenic studies, 2008)
    Recent research shows that the cultural remnants of a more distant past were more faithfully preserved in sub-Saharan Africa than in the societies further north. Striking parallels between extant African cultures and written ...
  • Agsa, vrou van Otniël 
    Le Roux, Magdel (SASNES (Southern African Society for Near Eastern Studies), 2015)
    Die literêre uitbeelding van die verhale in die boek Rigters weerspieël 'n korporatiewe eenheid van stamme of sibbes waarin individue ook 'n prominente rol speel. Binne die stammeorganisasie kan verwag word dat dié individue ...
  • Y Chromosomes Traveling South: The Cohen Modal Haplotype and the Origins of the Lemba—the “Black Jews of Southern Africa” 
    Le Roux, Magdel; Mark, Thomas; Parfitt, T.; Skorecki, K.; Bradman, N.; Goldstein, D.B. (Elsevier, 2000)
    The Lemba are a traditionally endogamous group speaking a variety of Bantu languages who live in a number of locations in southern Africa. They claim descent from Jews who came to Africa from “Sena.” “Sena” is variously ...
  • On The Death of the Charismatic Founder Re-Viewing Some Buddhist Sources 
    Clasquin-Johnson, Michel (Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, 2013-03)
    Routinization is a term invented by Max Weber to describe events after the death of a charismatic religious leader. It has become widely used in the humanities in a variety of contexts. The death of the historical Buddha ...
  • Minister for a day - online ordination and the place of religion in the 21st century 
    Clasquin-Johnson, Michel (Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, 2016)
    The late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries have seen the rise of a new phenomenon - online ordination. It can be accepted that much of this burgeoning industry is a financial scam, but is that the whole story? The ...

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