The witch in Psalm 59 : an Afro-centric interpretation

In the traditional western interpretation it has been argued that the enemy in the individual lament of Psalm 59 is no more than an unbeliever and a traitor. However, an afro-centric interpretation of the Psalm reveals that this adversary shares various traits with the contemporary African witch. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kotze, Z. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2008
In: Old Testament essays
Year: 2008, Volume: 21, Issue: 2, Pages: 383-390
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:In the traditional western interpretation it has been argued that the enemy in the individual lament of Psalm 59 is no more than an unbeliever and a traitor. However, an afro-centric interpretation of the Psalm reveals that this adversary shares various traits with the contemporary African witch. The Psalm contains magical formulas and a counter-curse that is comparable to traditional African ways of dealing with the problem of witchcraft. It is argued that this content makes the Psalm an ideal protective text that can be added to the list of Psalms already used by African churches for protection against magical assaults.
ISSN:2312-3621
Contains:Enthalten in: Old Testament essays
Persistent identifiers:HDL: 10520/EJC85946