Yolande Steenkamp | University of Pretoria (original) (raw)

Monographs by Yolande Steenkamp

A recognised dialogue partner in the renewed philosophical quest for God, Richard Kearney subscri... more A recognised dialogue partner in the renewed philosophical quest for God, Richard Kearney subscribes to the move in contemporary philosophy of religion that places the God-after-God in a dialectical relationship with the metaphysical God of pure act and strives to overcome it. In The God who may be, Richard Kearney takes up the challenge of re-imagining God and traditional concepts of transcendence in a postmodern context, and in a way that takes issue with both idolatry and injustice. Between the two rival ways of interpreting the divine – the eschatological and the onto-theological – Kearney proposes the God-who-may-be as a third, “onto-eschatological” way that negotiates between these polar opposites.
The study examines Kearney’s post-metaphysical reflection on God. More specifically, it probes into his utilisation of both eschatology and the imagination as a way of negotiating a third way, according to a “poetics of the possible,” between the polar opposite understandings of God as either Being or Non-Being. It aims to understand The God who may be within the larger context of his trilogy and his other publications on the subjects of the imagination, ethics, hermeneutics, and “thinking God” post-metaphysically. It considers Kearney’s God of posse from a theological perspective, with the guiding question of what may be gained and what will be lost along the way of the post-metaphysical wager. The hypothesis is that Kearney’s notion of the God of posse promises new possibilities for leading theology and its discourse about God beyond metaphysical categories to allow for an eschatological understanding of the existence of God. The study finds that Kearney’s God of posse does present some interpretational difficulties, but ultimately concludes that, if approached within the confines that Kearney lays out for himself – namely that of a poetic, phenomenologico-hermeneutical exploration of certain symbols of the Judeo-Christian tradition – that Kearney at least prepares the field for thorough and creative theological engagement with his proposals.

Edited / co-edited volumes by Yolande Steenkamp

Articles in Accredited Journals by Yolande Steenkamp

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 2021

The Global Risks 2035 Update by the Atlantic Council, despite its clinical focus on economic, env... more The Global Risks 2035 Update by the Atlantic Council, despite its clinical focus on economic, environmental and security challenges, nevertheless suggests that shared global meaning might have a role to play in enabling humanity to set off on a more beneficial trend for its foreseeable global future. The realisation that the complex challenges facing humanity is existential as much as it is pragmatic necessitates trans-disciplinary engagement and collaborative research ventures. This article contributed a trans-disciplinary reflection by bringing philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and psychologist-philosopher Carl Jung in dialogue with critical leadership studies within the broader framework of the science–religion dialogue of this special volume. Pointing to the awareness in leadership studies of how meaning, narrative and shared vision enable greater effectiveness and collaboration, we explore nihilism as cultural problem to be addressed in order to create meaning that fosters global collaborative action. From the viewpoint of the Global Risk 2035 Update and its gloomy strategic foresight of a newly bipolarised world or further descent into chaos, the article brought Nietzsche’s idea of the Last Man into dialogue with Carl Jung’s emphasis on the need for a collective myth to reverse the decline of civilisation and enable humanity to chart a course towards unprecedented global collaboration.
Contribution: The article contributes from a transdisciplinary perspective to the question of meaning in leadership. Drawing from the contributions of Nietzsche and Jung, it argues that shared myth and shared meaning is vital to address the complex global challenges that leadership is called to address. This philosophical reflection on the crisis of nihilism contributes to the growing awareness in critical leadership studies that meaning-making is critical to effective leadership.
Keywords: leadership; meaning; myth; meta-narrative; Nietzsche; Jung; Death of God; nihilism; Vocatus atque non vocatus; deus aderit

HTS Theological Studies / Teologiese Studies 76(2), 2020

From the viral social media feeds showing Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng in fervent prayer for the... more From the viral social media feeds showing Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng in fervent prayer for the nation, to professed Christian Thuli Madonsela’s careful expression of the separation between religion and state, faith identity in the public sphere emerges as anything but a straightforward matter. By placing ‘Christian’ in parenthesis, the 2019 theme of the Theological Society of South Africa conference acknowledged that leaders operate in negotiated spaces and confirmed the complexity of the context in which we attempt to conceptualise leadership from a theological perspective. This raises the question of the role that personal faith convictions play and may be allowed to play in public life. While conceptualising leadership from a faith perspective in a context that is at once secular(ising) and post-secular(ising) may be complex, evidence emerging from leadership studies of the importance of spirituality in leadership necessitates such a reflection. This article considers the problem from a theological point of view, drawing on Schleiermacher and Bonhoeffer’s later letters from prison to provide a theological foundation for a public spirituality of leadership.

HTS Theological Studies / Teologiese Studies Special collection: SASRF The resurgence of metaphysics in science, philosophy and theology, 2017

This article provides an overview of Richard Kearney’s attempt at re-imagining God post-metaphysi... more This article provides an overview of Richard Kearney’s attempt at re-imagining God post-metaphysically. In the context of a continental dialogue on the topic, Kearney has responded to onto-theology with a hermeneutic and phenomenologically informed attempt to rethink God post-metaphysically. This eschatological understanding of God is expounded in the article and is placed in relation to Kearney’s more recent concept of Anatheism. The article closes with a few remarks on what may be gained by Kearney’s work, as well as outlining a few critical questions.

Verbum et Ecclesia, 2017

In pursuit of counter-traditions that have read the Eden narrative without subscribing to the Chr... more In pursuit of counter-traditions that have read the Eden narrative without subscribing to the Christian fall–redemption paradigm, this article engages Richard Kearney’s hermeneutical– phenomenological reading of the imagination to explore new avenues for imagining sin and salvation along post-metaphysical lines. The first section provides insights proceeding from an intratextual reading of the Eden narrative. The second section proceeds to incorporate the biblical and rabbinical concept of the yetser to elaborate the reading described above. The section follows Kearney’s reading of the Eden narrative to elicit the imagination along ethical lines as humanity’s passion for the possible. The third section reads the annunciation narrative along these same lines, illustrating how a divine kingdom of justice and love is possibilised by an imagination captured by divine promise and hospitality. By reading these two narratives together through the lense of the imagination, novel ways of rethinking sin and salvation along post-metaphysical lines emerge that portray salvation as human participation in God’s ongoing creation of justice and love, thus enabling the God Who May Be.

Journal of Early Christian History, 2011

This study contributes to the discussion of the hermeneutics of Hebrews by attempt to show how th... more This study contributes to the discussion of the hermeneutics of Hebrews by attempt to show how the worldview(s) and references to the Israelite cult form the décor against which the book's Christology acts out a new, supreme story of atonement. Crucial to the Christology of Hebrews is the role of Christ as High Priest, found in Hebrews in the context of the Jewish festival, the Day of Atonement. It is precisely this relationship between the Christology of Hebrews and the Day of Atonement that forms the focus of the study. Focusing on both the background and central theme of the book (its Christology), this study proposes that the priesthood

Old Testament Essays, Jan 1, 2005

As a sequel to a previous essay which argued from an intra-textual perspective that the kerygma o... more As a sequel to a previous essay which argued from an intra-textual perspective that the kerygma of the Deuteronomistic Historian is emphasised when these two narratives are read in comparison with each other, this paper proceeds to investigate the contribution that social-scientific analysis makes to the interpretation of these narratives when read comparatively and within their current literary context. This illustrates that the dynamics of the texts are determined to such an extent by the social values of the ancient Mediterranean World, that the role played by the narratives within their larger Deuteronomistic context may easily be underestimated if these social values are overlooked. The essay focuses on aspects of sickness, healing and death, social status, and the challenge to Yahweh and his prophet. It forms part of a larger study which will finally explain and elucidate the implication of the research for the theology of the Deuteronomistic Historian.

In die Skriflig, 2005

This article investigates whether the Gattung of Torah psalm can be added to the current accepted... more This article investigates whether the Gattung of Torah psalm can be added to the current accepted Gattungen of Psalm 40. The characteristics and criteria for Torah-related and wisdom related concepts and their close interrelationship are discussed. The so-called characteristics of the Wisdom triangle and the Torah triangle are also explained. Psalm 119 as example of a Torah psalm is briefly discussed, indicating the interaction between wisdom-related and Torah-related concepts and identifying the criteria for a Torah psalm. The different words related to the Torah are identified in Psalm 119 and applied to identify other psalms possibly fitting the criteria for a Torah psalm. These psalms are then briefly evaluated - Psalm 40 as possible Torah-psalm in particular. It is concluded that the Gattung of Torah psalm can possibly be added to the current list of Gattungen associated with Psalm 40. The reference to the Torah in Psalm 40 possibly fits Torah-related concepts to a greater extent than wisdom-related concepts. In final instance the conclusion arrived at is that the connotation associated with or the relationship between Torah-related and wisdom-related concepts in post-exilic Israel and its role in the final redaction of the Psalter merits further investigation.

Old Testament Essays: Festschrift Wouter Cornelis …, Jan 1, 2004

In this paper, the two narratives about the widow of Zarephath and her son and the reign of Ahazi... more In this paper, the two narratives about the widow of Zarephath and her son and the reign of Ahaziah are studied and compared to one another. The hypothesis is that these two narratives, and the irony which is achieved through the contrasts between them, support and develop the theology of the Deuteronomistic Historian, functioning as polemic material against Baal worship, and that their current positions in the Elijah cycle further contribute to this end.

Verbum et Ecclesia, 2004

Psalm 137 has become notorious for the brutality and bloodthirstiness that characterise its last ... more Psalm 137 has become notorious for the brutality and bloodthirstiness that characterise its last verses. In the face of many past criticisms which rejected the Old Testament as a book of violence, both Christians and Jews need to take texts such as Psalm 137 seriously and interpret them against the social and cultural customs of their time. Before Psalm 137 can be judged against the ethical norms of modern societies, the text must first be understood in its ancient context. The aim of this paper is to show that a better understanding of the socio-cultural background of the Psalm may enhance our understanding of vv. 7-9, as well as of the Psalm as a whole. The hypothesis is that the social values of honour and shame feature so prominently in the Psalm that it forms a key to the interpretation of the poem.

Old Testament Essays, 2003

In contrast to the many past suggestions that the prayer of Jonah be excised from the book of Jon... more In contrast to the many past suggestions that the prayer of Jonah be excised from the book of Jonah as a later interpolation, this paper investigates the contribution that the prayer, and chapter 2 as a whole, makes to the book of Jonah. By considering both structural and thematic levels, and by referring to some inter- and extratextual relations of the book, it is argued that a thorough understanding of Jonah 2 contributes to the message of the book as a whole.

Articles in Edited Volumes by Yolande Steenkamp

Conference volume: Library of living philosophers conference: Richard Kearney. Edited by Daniël P. Veldsman and Yolande Steenkamp. SUN Media, forthcoming, 2018

The article explores the space in-between polar opposites – or rather, “third-space,” – as it has... more The article explores the space in-between polar opposites – or rather, “third-space,” – as it has taken form in virtually every aspect of Richard Kearney’s philosophy. Dialogue between opposing ends, views, or persons, is a fundamental point of departure that have informed everything from his phenomenology and hermeneutics to his philosophy of religion. I hope to show that this third-space, as envisioned and carved out by Kearney, is not a point located at equal distances between opposing viewpoints. It is in fact not a static point at all, but may be better understood as a way, for it traverses and creates the possibility of alternative living spaces. It continually visits opposing viewpoints, remains informed by them, and seeks to narrate new worlds where the otherly strange may become strangely at home.

Jong teoloë praat saam. Edited by Cas Wepener and Annette Potgieter. Wellington: Bybel-Media, 2015, 2015

This article explores Richard Kearney’s proposal of a God-who-may-be as an example of his charact... more This article explores Richard Kearney’s proposal of a God-who-may-be as an example of his characteristic hermeneutic exploration of the possible as a means of steering a middle way through philosophical extremes. Kearney’s post metaphysical proposal entails re-imagining God eschatologically, that is to say as neither Being nor non-Being, but as the possibility-to-be. The hypothesis is that Kearney’s notion of possibility engenders new prospects for discourse about God that moves us beyond metaphysical categories to allow for an eschatological understanding of God in terms of post metaphysical thought. Specifically, Kearney’s eschatological approach mediates between the polar opposition of thinking God as either Being or Non-Being, thereby providing post metaphysical avenues for re-imagining God as the God-who-may-be. Our point of access to this proposal of Kearney’s is his 2007 article “Re-imagining God,” which is discussed in this essay. The study concludes by considering the possibilities disclosed by Kearney’s approach as an invitation to Systematic Theology to engage with philosophy in exploring post metaphysical ways of speaking about God.

Book Reviews by Yolande Steenkamp

Old Testament Essays, 2017

Old Testament Essays, Jan 1, 2006

Dissertations / Theses by Yolande Steenkamp

PhD thesis, unpublished, 2016

A recent proposal for a post-metaphysical re-imagination of God has come from Irish philosopher R... more A recent proposal for a post-metaphysical re-imagination of God has come from Irish philosopher Richard Kearney in his widely acclaimed monograph, The God who may be: A hermeneutics of religion (2001). Writing as a philosopher, and approaching his subject matter mainly by means of phenomenology and hermeneutic returns to biblical texts, Kearney invites theologians to contribute to the discussion from a specifically theological point of view. It is the intention of this thesis to accept Kearney’s invitation and address both the challenges and opportunities posed to Christian theology by such a post-metaphysical re-reading of God.
Specifically, the thesis investigates the implications of post-metaphysical reimaginings of God for the theological categories of hamartiology and soteriology. When metaphysical assumptions no longer convince, how may we begin to reimagine the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, as well as salvation offered to a “fallen” humanity? The thesis proposes that a hermeneutical re-reading of certain counter-traditions in Scripture may assist the Church explore new ways forward. Specifically, such traditions may enable believers to traverse the polar opposites of atheism (the necessary death of the metaphysical God) on the one hand, and philosophically ignorant repetitions of theological formulations that no longer hold water, on the other, since both of these polarised options are undesirable on their extremities.
The methodology that the thesis applies is based on hermeneutical re-readings of biblical narratives and traditions. It re-engages those voices in the history of interpretation of biblical texts that offered alternative possibilities to the metaphysical way in which God (or sin and salvation) has traditionally been imagined. As such, we attempt an archaeology of the yetser, an Old Testament concept of imagination, and pay special attention to its Talmudic reinterpretation. The Gospel narratives of the Annunciation and Transfiguration, as well as the window that Song of Songs opens on the metaphor of the desire of God also receives special mention.
What results from this approach is, first, yet another deconstruction of the Augustinian formulation of original sin, as well as an eschatological reinterpretation of the Christ event in terms of the messianic Kingdom of God. Christ, who submits his yetser to the will of the Father in an act of worshipful surrender, becomes the perfect embodiment of the Word of God to a humanity whose yetser is perpetually put in service of itself in an act of idolatry. The enabling of the Kingdom of God in Jesus, who embodies the human telos, captures the human imagination and transfigures humanity through the existential experience of transcendence which breaks into its concrete reality through the Christ-event and its retelling. In this way, realising eschatology is possibilised through the imagination. Christ as prototype of the divinely intended telos of humanity becomes an existential possibility via the transfiguration, enacted by the imagination. This enables humanity to become co-creators with God of his new creation, or Kingdom of God.
Such an interpretation proposes an eschatological approach to God (a God of posse) as an alternative to the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnicausal God of metaphysics (the God of esse). Whereas the God of esse faces the discrediting of philosophy, is ever haunted by the conundrum of theodicy, and is a God torn between his love for and his judgment of a humankind caught in a perpetually sinful state, the God of posse captures the free yetser of humankind and ever calls creation forward to its fulfilment in God’s Messianic Kingdom of love and justice.

MTh dissertation

Keywords: Richard Kearney; postmodern theology; post-metaphysical theology; Exodus 3:14; possibility/impossibility; philosophy-theology debate; “Religious turn” in Continental Philosophy; imagination and theology; God-who-may-be.

MDiv dissertation (unpublished), 2011

The study explores Richard Kearney’s 2007 essay, “Re-imagining God,” as an example of his charact... more The study explores Richard Kearney’s 2007 essay, “Re-imagining God,” as an example of his characteristic hermeneutic exploration of the possible as a means of steering a middle way through philosophical extremes. Specifically, the essay is approached as a portal into Kearney’s post-metaphysical proposal of re-imagining God eschatologically, that is to say as neither Being nor non-Being, but as the possibility-to-be. The hypothesis is that Kearney’s notion of possibility engenders new prospects for discourse about God that moves us beyond metaphysical categories to allow for an eschatological understanding of God in terms of post-metaphysical thought.
After an overview of Kearney’s recent work and a discussion of “Re-imagining God,” the body of the dissertation identifies seven main aspects of Kearney’s proposal (post-metaphysical discourse about God; the idea of enabling God; Kearney’s eschatology and ethics; poetics; his hermeneutics; and imagination), and reflects on these largely by means of a literary study of Kearney’s own writings on the topics in his other publications. Finally, the study considers the possibilities disclosed by Kearney’s approach as an invitation to Systematic Theology to engage with philosophy in exploring post-metaphysical ways of speaking about God.
Apart from providing an explication on the most significant of Kearney’s philosophical motifs in light of his invitation to re-imagine God as posse, the study outlines certain possibilities for the theological application of Kearney’s proposal. Kearney’s ultimate contention – that an eschatological revision of God may enable us to “retrieve certain neglected texts of our intellectual heritage and offer an account more consonant with the Messianic promise of theism,” receives attention in the light of his invitation to theologians to enter into dialogue with philosophy and make their contribution to the “religious turn” in Continental Philosophy (Kearney 2001:80).
Keywords: Richard Kearney; postmodern theology; post-metaphysical theology; Exodus 4:13; possibility/impossibility; philosophy-theology debate; “Religious turn” in Continental Philosophy; imagination and theology; God-who-may-be.

Unpublished dissertation, MA History of Ancient Cultures, 2004

The thesis argues that a comparative reading of the two narratives found in 1 Kings 17 and 2 King... more The thesis argues that a comparative reading of the two narratives found in 1 Kings 17 and 2 Kings 1 can be based on the literary features and contents of the narratives. Such a comparative reading reveals clear and direct contrasts between the two narratives, which in turn create irony that advances and develops deuteronomistic ideology. Reading the two narratives in comparison to one another while keeping in mind both the literary aspects of the texts and the social background against which it should be interpreted, the irony that is constantly being employed by the editor becomes clear. These ironies are formed by many contrasts, and serve in turn to illustrate the great contrast between Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, and Baal, his rival deity. It is this great theme that brings the narratives together and place them squarely within their immediate and wider literary context, the book of Kings and the Deuteronomistic History. The study is expected to illustrate how the Elijah Cycle serves the interests of the Deuteronomistic History, in that it develops the theme that Yahweh is the only God that Israel should worship.