Hearing Jeremiah's Confessions in Light of the Metaphor of the 'Silent' Sheep: Reflections through the African Lore

In varying African cultures, and dare one say, even in global cultures, normative masculinity is defined among others, by men's capacity not to cry. Expressing feelings such as helplessness, weakness, being overwhelmed, pain and trauma overtly, is not supposed to typify normative manhood. Yet t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Masenya, Madipoane 1958- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: [2018]
In: Old Testament essays
Year: 2018, Volume: 31, Issue: 3, Pages: 705-718
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Jeremiah Prophet ca. 600 BC / Confession / Tears / Man / Crying / Sotho / North Africa / Bible. Jeremia 20,7-18
IxTheo Classification:HB Old Testament
HD Early Judaism
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
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Summary:In varying African cultures, and dare one say, even in global cultures, normative masculinity is defined among others, by men's capacity not to cry. Expressing feelings such as helplessness, weakness, being overwhelmed, pain and trauma overtly, is not supposed to typify normative manhood. Yet the book of Jeremiah (cf. his confessions in particular), canonised as it is in the Christian Bible, reveals that overt male expression of feelings can actually be a conduit through which the prophetic word is conveyed to the prophet and through the prophet to his audiences. Complaints/laments seem to have unashamedly formed an integral part of the life and ministry of the prophet Jeremiah, the man (cf. 14:17; 15:18). The main question engaged with in this article is: Which reading may emerge if selected Sotho proverbs on specific masculinities are used as hermeneutical lenses through which to engage the confessions of Jeremiah?
ISSN:2312-3621
Contains:Enthalten in: Old Testament essays
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.17159/2312-3621/2018/v31n3a17
HDL: 10520/EJC-13f744b872