Isak - the son of the rainmaker - and the Bible: An example of resistance hermeneutics in Zululand around 1870
With illustrative cases from Norwegian mission work in Zululand around 1870, the essay discusses how the scripturalizing focus of missionary Christianity enabled converts to counter aspects of missionary teaching. Two cases are discussed, both being related to Isak, one of the first converts. One is Isak’s suggestion to organize the converts under an induna, a Zulu chief, rather than under the missionary, hence integrating the Christian communities more explicitly into the Zulu society. The other is Isak’s taking of wives number two and three, referring to Abraham and other biblical polygamists. In both cases the interpretive power vis-à-vis the Bible is at stake. The cases are interpreted as examples of a kind of resistance hermeneutics that with the tools of missionary scripturalization tries to develop a contextualized form of Christianity.
Publisert i Journal of Theology for Southern Africa, 2020
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