Reading Vhuhosi and Vhurangaphanda in Romans: 13: 1-7: Towards an African Biblical Hermeneutics

Abstract

According to St Paul in his letter to the Romans (13:1-7), the governing authorities (vharangaphanda) in the society should be respected, submitted to and honoured. A key word in the text is pason psuche meaning that every living soul should be subjected to rulers on earth. This philosophy has been interpreted a number of times and there are a number of commentaries about it. Interestingly, the very same philosophy was subjected to fierce debates and discussions during the South African apartheid time when whites expected blacks to submit to them although they never cared about them. The debates centred on the moral basis of subjecting oneself to a morally questionable and corrupt authority. The aim of this study is to reflect on the text with Lwamondo Tshivenda speaking congregants or readers using the local Tshivenda language and idiomatic expressions when reading this text. The methodology for this research will be based on qualitative research design using the Contextual Bible Study and Ethnography instruments for data collection. The main objective is to find out whether the state should be guided by the church or the church by the state in matters of vhurangaphanda and protocol.