Abstract:
The central themes of Jesus’ preaching, the kingdom and household of God, are root metaphors
expressing the symbolic universe of God’s patronage subverting patronage and patriarchy
structuring contemporary Mediterranean society, thus legitimising an anti-hierarchical
community of faith. This dominant focus of Jesus’ message was discarded, as society’s
prevalent patronage and patriarchy became the societal structure of the later faith communities.
Today, patronage and patriarchy still forms the social structure for a large sector of Christian
communities and many cultures, resulting in inequality, injustice, exploitation and suffering.
This article proposes that the only remedy for the faithful is a return to Jesus’ essential message,
by investigating the social dynamics suggested by these root metaphors using metaphor
theory and social scientific methods. Patronage is studied within contemporary Roman and
Mediterranean aristocratic patriarchal society, forming an a-typical broad-based needle-like
power pyramid with multiple similarly structured power pyramids within, based on a
morality of indebtedness, honour and power. Jesus accepted God as his father and declared
the advent of God’s patronage as king (kingdom of God) and father of the faithful (children of
God). Within the kingdom and household of God, there was no hierarchy, except for the
primate of the first born son, whom Jesus symbolises as broker for God’s patronage to all his
followers. Within the faith communities there should be no hierarchy or any form of clientage
other than God’s patronage. Rather, the faithful are equal and should serve each other and
their communities with compassion, responsibility and justice.
CONTRIBUTION : The contribution of this research is its focus on similarity and dissimilarity of
these patronage metaphors and their application to subvert the power dynamics of patronage
and patriarchy within the community of the faithful, in order to proffer God’s patronage of a
society of caring, selfless equals today. This research falls within the scope of HTS Theological studies, as it is a multi-disciplinary study of key biblical metaphors investigated with accepted
methodology resulting in valid conclusions which are ethically sound.
Description:
Dr Malan is participating in
the research project
‘Socio-cultural Readings’,
directed by Prof. Dr Ernest van
Eck, Department of New
Testament Studies, Faculty of
Theology and Religion,
University of Pretoria.
