A KALEIDOSCOPE OF APPROACHES: PARADIGMS, PARADIGM-CHANGES AND THE UMWELT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Published in: Neotestamentica Vol. 28; no. 1; pp. 23 - 40
• Main Author: JOUBERT, S J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pretoria The New Testament Society of South Africa / Die Nuwe-Testamentiese Werkgemeenskap van Suid-Afrika 01-01-1994; New Testament Society of Southern Africa; New Testament Society of South Africa
• Subjects: Bible; Bible criticism; Bible interpretation; Christian history; Christianity; Communities; Conceptual frameworks; Exegesis and biblical criticism; General subjects; History and sciences of religions; Kaleidoscopes; Kuhn, T.S; Modeling; New Testament; Paradigms; Social sciences; Social theories; Socio-scientific approach to the new testament; Theology; Umwelt of the New Testament; Methodology; Exegesis; Historical criticism; Social sciences; New Testament
• ISSN: 0254-8356; 0254-8356

The question which requires our attention in this article is whether the renaissance of the social scientific approach to the New Testament does in fact represent a paradigm change from the historico-critical angle of incidence to the study of the lifeworlds of these texts. In this regard Thomas Kuhn's well-known thesis concerning the development of science in terms of scientific revolutions is used to evaluate the present state of affairs in studies on the Umwelt of the New Testament. His theory provides a powerful speculative instrument with which to determine whether Biblical scholars who make use of social scientific models do in fact open up new systems of knowledge, and in the process contribute to an adjustment in our understanding of these ancient texts.