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‘Today’ is a key word in the book of Deuteronomy. It appears no less than 74 times – far more than any other book in the Bible. It is – as one would expect – also quite frequent in the Deuteronomistic history and Jeremiah.

The text of Deuteronomy generally locates ‘today’ in the time the Israelites were gathered to the east of the River Jordan, preparing to cross over and take the land. However, scholars were quick to find traces of later ‘todays’ as the book began to take the shape it currently has. The implication is that there were other ‘todays’ from where people reflected on the final sermons of Moses to the Israelites in the plains of Moab.

While discussions regarding ‘today’ illuminate various dimensions of the text and the possible world behind it, they bring to the fore the diverse readership of Deuteronomy. Throughout the ages, many have attempted to interpret the content and message of Deuteronomy from and for their own ‘today’.

SATS is inviting biblical scholars to join us from the 2nd – the 3rd of April 2020 as we continue this process.

Programme

2 April (all times given in CAT)

  • 09:10 – Dr Miracle Ajah (National Open University of Nigeria)
    The Concept of Cult Centralization in Deuteronomy and its Socio-Political Implications for Africa Today
  • 10:10 – Dr Shaun Joynt (UP, UFS, SATS)
    ‘Who owns the land?’ – A practical theological exploration of Deuteronomy for a South African context
  • 11:00 – Mr Nathan Odede (Christ Seminary)
    The concept of heart transformation in Deuteronomy
  • 11:40 – Prof Ernst Wendland (SATS, SU, Lusaka Lutheran Seminary)
    Moses’ Two Memorial Songs in Deuteronomy—Their Structure, Content, Function, Transmission, and Significance for “Today”
  • 12:40 – Mr Izaak Connoway (SATS)
    The proximity of Yahweh in Deuteronomy: A study of key phrases and contexts
  • 13:50 – Mr Menard Musendekwa (Reformed Church University)
    The metaphors of God as Father-Mother in Dt 32:18: Distinguishing the Fundamentalist view and Feminist Approach to the Gender of God
  • 14:30 – Prof Dan Lioy (SATS)
    Who is to blame for God’s prohibition against Moses entering the promised land?
  • 15:20 – Dr Dean Ulrich (Belhaven University)
    Tension in Deuteronomy

3 April

  • 08:30 – Dr Hassan Musa (Evangelical Church Winning All Seminary)
    Reading and contextualizing key texts on memory and transmission from Deuteronomy and its significance to African biblical scholarship: A conversation with Gerhard von Rad
  • 09:20 – Dr Ntozakhe Cezula (SU)
    Deuteronomy as Reinterpretation and Appropriation: The Concept of “One God” Explored
  • 10:20 – Dr Johannes Malherbe (SATS)
    Three todays in the interpretation history of the book of Deuteronomy
  • 11:10 – Dr Albert Coetsee (NWU)
    YHWH’s “greatness”, “mighty hand”, “works” and “mighty acts”: The uniqueness of YHWH in Deuteronomy 3:24
  • 12:00 – Dr Bill Domeris (SATS)
    God, our Rock: Re-imaging and Reimagining an ancient metaphor (Deuteronomy 32)

Registrations close on 30 March 2020

Registration is now closed.

Speakers

Featuring papers by 13 scholars