Pieter F Craffert
Dados Biográficos
| ID | 216338 |
|---|---|
| NOME | Pieter F Craffert |
| PRENOMES | Pieter F |
| SOBRENOME | Craffert |
| ASSINATURA | CRAFFERT P F |
| AFILIAÇÕES | University of South Africa |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5673-4770 |
| VERIFICADO | Sim |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 18 |
| TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES | 2 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 18 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 1995 |
| ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 1 |
Reframing the Debate on the Post-mortem Experiences
The debate between evangelical and skeptical scholars about Jesus’s post-mortem appearances has long been framed as a binary choice: either his followers literally saw a bodily resurrected Jesus (the Resurrection Hypothesis) or they experienced hallucinations and collective delusions (the Hallucination Hypothesis). This article argues that despite their radical disagreement, both positions share the same interpretive framework – scientific realis…
Towards a Post-colonial Reflection on Shaman and Shamanism as Conceptual Tools in Biblical Studies
The almost complete absence of any reference to the terms shaman and shamanism in Biblical Studies has its roots in the historical prejudice in Western scholarship against them, and originated from colonial ethnocentrism and Christian notions of superiority. However, the shaman, defined as a practitioner who based on the alteration of ordinary consciousness serves a community with particular functions, represents a recognisable pattern in numerou…
Making Sense of Near-Death Experience Research
The growing body of research on near-death experiences (NDEs) is an indication of the large number of people claiming such experiences. A surprising feature of the research is that conceptually there is no agreement on what anNDEis and consequently a large number of definitions characterize this field of research. In order to address the definitional quagmire, a first step consists of making sense ofNDEdefinitions. An analysis of existing definit…
Spirit Possession in Jesus Research
Except for demon possession, possession is a neglected and under-researched topic in New Testament studies in general and Jesus research in particular. That is unlike scholars from other disciplines who realise that spirit possession is a central feature in the emergence and growth of most religious traditions. This article first explains possession as a complex neurocultural phenomenon that is widely distributed in human societies where they ful…
When is an Out-of-Body Experience (Not) an Out-of-Body Experience? Reflections about Out-of-Body Phenomena in Neuroscientific Research
In recent years there has been an increased interest in the study of out-of-body experiences ( obe s) by cognitive and neuro-scientists. Nowadays, far-reaching claims regarding the uncovering of the neural mechanisms and pathways, as well as the mystery of obe s in the anthropological and historical record are on offer. In this article the implicit assumption that obe s are much better understood and that real progress has been made are questione…
Do out-of-body and near-death experiences point towards the reality of nonlocal consciousness? A critical evaluation
In recent years there was a steady flow of academic studies claiming that the mind or consciousness can function independently from a working brain. Such research is presented with great confidence as a scientific breakthrough and one that will alter received views on both humanity and the meaning of life as well as medical science in general and neuroscience in particular. In this article the three major streams of evidence for the existence of …
Performing ‘The Duty of Discontent’ in Dialogue with Christian Strecker
This article is a response to the critical evaluation by Christian Strecker of my book, The Life of a Galilean Shaman: Jesus of Nazareth in Anthropological- Historical Perspective (Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2008; hereafter LGS ). Anthropological historiography is set as an alternative framework to historical criticism for the discussion about Jesus as an historical figure. The dialogue with Strecker follows the three main categories of his evaluation;…
Jesus' Resurrection in a Social-Scientific Perspective
Recent overviews confirm that for decades the scholarly debate about Jesus' resurrection have centred on the question whether or not it refers to an actual event in history. Despite an endless stream of publications no real new answers have been found by those affirming and those denying a literal, bodily resurrection. A social-scientific perspective is described as that approach informed by historical consciousness and the affirmation of multipl…
Did Jesus Rise Bodily From the Dead? Yes and no
Did Jesus rise bodily from the dead? Even those who give an affirmative answer to this question do not all agree on the reasons why. According to the Gospels, Jesus's close circle of followers believed in his resurrection because he has appeared to them. For almost twenty centuries, Christian believers affirmed a bodily resurrection based on their belief in one of the central elements of the Christian belief system. In response to the rationalist…
New Testament Studies – Preventing or Promoting a Humane Society
In a brief overview of the power of religious ideas in church and society, it is shown that the New Testament not only constitutes Christian identity but as a master narrative also contributes to the moral formation of society. Faith, based on particular interpretations of these texts, moves minds and money and shapes society. Th e nature of New Testament Studies is investigated in that light. It is argued that critical New Testament Studies, whi…
Mapping Current South African Jesus Research
Wright'.s well-known distinction between the Schweitzerstrasse (the third questers) and the Wredebahn (the Jesus Seminar) in historical Jesus research is supplemented by a third approach, referred to as cultural bundubashing, which describes an interpretive, interdisciplinary and cross-cultural approach to historiography. An analytical distinction is made between these three trends which, like the roads in South Africa: toll roads (the Wredebahn)…
'Seeing' a Body Into Being
This study is concerned with the rhetoric of inquiry into the nature and reality of Jesus' resurrected body. The current rationalistic debate is analysed in terms of three components: views on the nature of Jesus' resurrected body, what is meant by 'seeing' and the understanding of reality involved in different proposals. These are contrasted with a cultural sensitive reading which allows the existence of multiple realities, the existence of visi…
Appropriating Historical Jesus Research in Africa
This study starts with a brief overview of the variety of images of Jesus found in African Christianity. African Christianity (like Christianity all over the world) has many ingenious and creative ways of going about the figure of Jesus, of which the quest for what Jesus can do for Africans and the inculturation of Jesus in African images represent the main trends. Although historical Jesus research receives almost no attention in African scholar…
Vernuwing in Historiese Jesus-Navorsing
The approaches of the Jesus Seminar and the Third Quest to the study of the historical Jesus are compared. Three different aspects are considered: Why is it done?; What is it about? and How is it done? Despite differences, it is shown that on a philosophical and world-view level, they share a similar positivistic historiography and modernist worldview. The main distinction is that theTthird Questers supplement the latter with a supernatural eleme…
Biblical Archaeology as an Academic Discipline in Search of Its Academic Identity
While the history of the term 'biblical archaeology' shows that it has no single meaning, debates on the disciplinary status of biblical archaeology point towards its long-standing struggle to define itself as a scholarly discipline. A critical discussion of these two aspects results in a rejection of the recent trend to define biblical archaeology as a subsidiary of biblical studies. Instead, it is suggested that biblical archaeology should be d…
Ethnicity and the Bible
Contemporary social theory has been much concerned with the re-assertion of ethnic identities in both Western and non-Western politics. This international collection of twenty-one essays contributes to the wider conversation by examining the construction and contestation of ethnic identities both within the Bible itself and in biblical interpretation. An introductory essay brings into focus the main themes of the book - ethnocentrism, indigenity,…
Wie sê jy is Jesus? Die dialektiek tussen Christus vandag en Jesus van ouds
The publication of John Dominic Crossan's Jesus research prompted discussions not only amongst New Testament scholars, but also amongst theologians and believers. One such example is the volume of essays by Carlson and Ludwig on Jesus and faith. At least two aspects from that debate are taken seriously for further discussion. Firstly, who is Crossan's Jesus and what are some of the difficulties in his construction ofJesus? Secondly, what are the …
Is the emic-etic distinction a useful tool for cross-cultural interpretation of the New Testament
Nowadays the emic-etic distinction is becoming highly popular in New Testament studies. Whether it is a useful tool for interpreting the New Testament cross-culturally, however, is a question to be answered only after a thorough analysis of emics and etics in the social sciences. A broad overview of the history and significance of the emic-etic distinction in the social sciences is followed by brief remarks on the interpretive turn in the theory …
Making Sense of Near-Death Experience Research
The growing body of research on near-death experiences (NDEs) is an indication of the large number of people claiming such experiences. A surprising feature of the research is that conceptually there is no agreement on what anNDEis and consequently a large number of definitions characterize this field of research. In order to address the definitional quagmire, a first step consists of making sense ofNDEdefinitions. An analysis of existing definit…
When is an Out-of-Body Experience (Not) an Out-of-Body Experience? Reflections about Out-of-Body Phenomena in Neuroscientific Research
In recent years there has been an increased interest in the study of out-of-body experiences ( obe s) by cognitive and neuro-scientists. Nowadays, far-reaching claims regarding the uncovering of the neural mechanisms and pathways, as well as the mystery of obe s in the anthropological and historical record are on offer. In this article the implicit assumption that obe s are much better understood and that real progress has been made are questione…
Wie sê jy is Jesus? Die dialektiek tussen Christus vandag en Jesus van ouds
The publication of John Dominic Crossan's Jesus research prompted discussions not only amongst New Testament scholars, but also amongst theologians and believers. One such example is the volume of essays by Carlson and Ludwig on Jesus and faith. At least two aspects from that debate are taken seriously for further discussion. Firstly, who is Crossan's Jesus and what are some of the difficulties in his construction ofJesus? Secondly, what are the …
Is the emic-etic distinction a useful tool for cross-cultural interpretation of the New Testament
Nowadays the emic-etic distinction is becoming highly popular in New Testament studies. Whether it is a useful tool for interpreting the New Testament cross-culturally, however, is a question to be answered only after a thorough analysis of emics and etics in the social sciences. A broad overview of the history and significance of the emic-etic distinction in the social sciences is followed by brief remarks on the interpretive turn in the theory …
Ethnicity and the Bible
Contemporary social theory has been much concerned with the re-assertion of ethnic identities in both Western and non-Western politics. This international collection of twenty-one essays contributes to the wider conversation by examining the construction and contestation of ethnic identities both within the Bible itself and in biblical interpretation. An introductory essay brings into focus the main themes of the book - ethnocentrism, indigenity,…
Biblical Archaeology as an Academic Discipline in Search of Its Academic Identity
While the history of the term 'biblical archaeology' shows that it has no single meaning, debates on the disciplinary status of biblical archaeology point towards its long-standing struggle to define itself as a scholarly discipline. A critical discussion of these two aspects results in a rejection of the recent trend to define biblical archaeology as a subsidiary of biblical studies. Instead, it is suggested that biblical archaeology should be d…
Vernuwing in Historiese Jesus-Navorsing
The approaches of the Jesus Seminar and the Third Quest to the study of the historical Jesus are compared. Three different aspects are considered: Why is it done?; What is it about? and How is it done? Despite differences, it is shown that on a philosophical and world-view level, they share a similar positivistic historiography and modernist worldview. The main distinction is that theTthird Questers supplement the latter with a supernatural eleme…
'Seeing' a Body Into Being
This study is concerned with the rhetoric of inquiry into the nature and reality of Jesus' resurrected body. The current rationalistic debate is analysed in terms of three components: views on the nature of Jesus' resurrected body, what is meant by 'seeing' and the understanding of reality involved in different proposals. These are contrasted with a cultural sensitive reading which allows the existence of multiple realities, the existence of visi…
Appropriating Historical Jesus Research in Africa
This study starts with a brief overview of the variety of images of Jesus found in African Christianity. African Christianity (like Christianity all over the world) has many ingenious and creative ways of going about the figure of Jesus, of which the quest for what Jesus can do for Africans and the inculturation of Jesus in African images represent the main trends. Although historical Jesus research receives almost no attention in African scholar…
Mapping Current South African Jesus Research
Wright'.s well-known distinction between the Schweitzerstrasse (the third questers) and the Wredebahn (the Jesus Seminar) in historical Jesus research is supplemented by a third approach, referred to as cultural bundubashing, which describes an interpretive, interdisciplinary and cross-cultural approach to historiography. An analytical distinction is made between these three trends which, like the roads in South Africa: toll roads (the Wredebahn)…
New Testament Studies – Preventing or Promoting a Humane Society
In a brief overview of the power of religious ideas in church and society, it is shown that the New Testament not only constitutes Christian identity but as a master narrative also contributes to the moral formation of society. Faith, based on particular interpretations of these texts, moves minds and money and shapes society. Th e nature of New Testament Studies is investigated in that light. It is argued that critical New Testament Studies, whi…
Did Jesus Rise Bodily From the Dead? Yes and no
Did Jesus rise bodily from the dead? Even those who give an affirmative answer to this question do not all agree on the reasons why. According to the Gospels, Jesus's close circle of followers believed in his resurrection because he has appeared to them. For almost twenty centuries, Christian believers affirmed a bodily resurrection based on their belief in one of the central elements of the Christian belief system. In response to the rationalist…
Jesus' Resurrection in a Social-Scientific Perspective
Recent overviews confirm that for decades the scholarly debate about Jesus' resurrection have centred on the question whether or not it refers to an actual event in history. Despite an endless stream of publications no real new answers have been found by those affirming and those denying a literal, bodily resurrection. A social-scientific perspective is described as that approach informed by historical consciousness and the affirmation of multipl…
Performing ‘The Duty of Discontent’ in Dialogue with Christian Strecker
This article is a response to the critical evaluation by Christian Strecker of my book, The Life of a Galilean Shaman: Jesus of Nazareth in Anthropological- Historical Perspective (Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2008; hereafter LGS ). Anthropological historiography is set as an alternative framework to historical criticism for the discussion about Jesus as an historical figure. The dialogue with Strecker follows the three main categories of his evaluation;…
When is an Out-of-Body Experience (Not) an Out-of-Body Experience? Reflections about Out-of-Body Phenomena in Neuroscientific Research
In recent years there has been an increased interest in the study of out-of-body experiences ( obe s) by cognitive and neuro-scientists. Nowadays, far-reaching claims regarding the uncovering of the neural mechanisms and pathways, as well as the mystery of obe s in the anthropological and historical record are on offer. In this article the implicit assumption that obe s are much better understood and that real progress has been made are questione…
Do out-of-body and near-death experiences point towards the reality of nonlocal consciousness? A critical evaluation
In recent years there was a steady flow of academic studies claiming that the mind or consciousness can function independently from a working brain. Such research is presented with great confidence as a scientific breakthrough and one that will alter received views on both humanity and the meaning of life as well as medical science in general and neuroscience in particular. In this article the three major streams of evidence for the existence of …
Spirit Possession in Jesus Research
Except for demon possession, possession is a neglected and under-researched topic in New Testament studies in general and Jesus research in particular. That is unlike scholars from other disciplines who realise that spirit possession is a central feature in the emergence and growth of most religious traditions. This article first explains possession as a complex neurocultural phenomenon that is widely distributed in human societies where they ful…
Towards a Post-colonial Reflection on Shaman and Shamanism as Conceptual Tools in Biblical Studies
The almost complete absence of any reference to the terms shaman and shamanism in Biblical Studies has its roots in the historical prejudice in Western scholarship against them, and originated from colonial ethnocentrism and Christian notions of superiority. However, the shaman, defined as a practitioner who based on the alteration of ordinary consciousness serves a community with particular functions, represents a recognisable pattern in numerou…
Making Sense of Near-Death Experience Research
The growing body of research on near-death experiences (NDEs) is an indication of the large number of people claiming such experiences. A surprising feature of the research is that conceptually there is no agreement on what anNDEis and consequently a large number of definitions characterize this field of research. In order to address the definitional quagmire, a first step consists of making sense ofNDEdefinitions. An analysis of existing definit…
Reframing the Debate on the Post-mortem Experiences
The debate between evangelical and skeptical scholars about Jesus’s post-mortem appearances has long been framed as a binary choice: either his followers literally saw a bodily resurrected Jesus (the Resurrection Hypothesis) or they experienced hallucinations and collective delusions (the Hallucination Hypothesis). This article argues that despite their radical disagreement, both positions share the same interpretive framework – scientific realis…
Philosophy (17 obras) · Biblical Studies and Interpretation (14 obras) · Sociology (13 obras) · Epistemology (11 obras) · Law (9 obras) · History (8 obras) · Political science (7 obras) · Theology (7 obras) · Art (6 obras) · Historical Jesus (6 obras)