Department of Biblical and Ancient Studies

Prof CL De Wet

College of Human Sciences
School of Humanities
Department: Biblical and Ancient Studies
Associate Professor
Tel: 012 429 4692
E-mail: dwetcl@unisa.ac.za

Qualifications

  • Dlitt Ancient Greek (UP, 2013)
  • MA Ancient Language and Culture Studies (UP, 2007)
  • BA Hons Greek (RAU, 2004)
  • BA Hons Theology (RAU, 2004)
  • BA Theology (RAU, 2003)

NRF Rating

Y1

Currently teaching

  • ECH1501 - Introduction to Early Christian Literature, Theology, History and Archaeology
  • HPECH81 - Research in New Testament and Early Christian Studies

Fields of academic interests

  • Early Christian attitudes about slavery
  • Medicine, health, disability and religion in late antiquity
  • Masculinity in late antiquity
  • Religious conflict in antiquity
  • Biblical interpretation in the early church
  • Old age in ancient times

Field of Specialisation

  • Early Christian Studies
  • John Chrysostom
  • Slavery
  • Gender in Ancient Times
  • New Testament
  • Late Antiquity
  • Patristics
  • Medicine, Health and Healthcare in Late Antiquity

Books

  • De Wet, CL. 2015. Preaching Bondage: John Chrysostom and the Discourse of Slavery in Early Christianity. Oakland, CA: University of California Press. ISBN: 9780520286214.
  • De Wet, CL. 2018. The Unbound God: Slavery and the Formation of Early Christian Thought. Routledge Studies in the Early Christian World. London: Routledge. ISBN: 9781138201163.
  • Mayer, W and CL de Wet, eds. 2018. Reconceiving Religious Conflict: New Views from the Formative Centuries of Christianity. Routledge Studies in the Early Christian World. London: Routledge. ISBN: 9781138229914.

Book chapters:

  • "Religious Conflict, Radicalism, and Sexual Exceptionalism in the Rhetoric of John Chrysostom" in Mayer, W. and De Wet, CL (eds). Reconceiving Religious Conflict: New Views from the Formative Centuries of Christianity. London: Routledge, 2018. 70–85. ISBN: 9781138229914.
  • “Entrepreneurial Leadership Training and Theological Education” in Naidoo, M. (ed.). Contested Issues in Training Ministers in South Africa. Stellenbosch: Sun Media, 2015. 127–140. ISBN: 9780992236007.
  • “‘Missionality, Religious Identity and Power in 1 Clement” in Kok, J., Nicklas, T., Roth, D., and Hays, C. (eds). Sensitivity to Outsiders: Exploring the Dynamic Relationship between Mission and Ethics in the New Testament. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament II 364. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014. 421–446. ISBN: 9783161521768.
  • “‘No Small Counsel about Self-Control’: Enkrateia and the Virtuous Body as Missional Strategy in 2 Clement” in Kok, J., Nicklas, T., Roth, D., and Hays, C. (eds). Sensitivity to Outsiders: Exploring the Dynamic Relationship between Mission and Ethics in the New Testament. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament II 364. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014. 447–469. ISBN: 9783161521768.
  • “John Chrysostom and the Mission to the Goths: Rhetorical and Ethical Perspectives” in Kok, J., Nicklas, T., Roth, D. & Hays, C. (eds). Sensitivity to Outsiders: Exploring the Dynamic Relationship between Mission and Ethics in the New Testament. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament II 364. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014. 543–565. ISBN: 9783161521768.
  • “The Messianic Interpretation of Psalm 8:4-6 in Hebrews 2:6-9 (Part II)” in Human, D.J. & Steyn , G.J. (eds). 2010. Psalms and Hebrews: Studies in Reception. Library of Hebrew Studies/Old Testament 527 (JSOT Supplement Series). London: T&T Clark. 113–125. ISBN: 9780567198846.
  • “Honour Discourse in John Chrysostom’s Exegesis of the Letter to Philemon” in Tolmie, D.F. (ed.). 2010. Philemon in Perspective: Interpreting a Pauline Letter. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der Älteren Kirche 169. Berlin/New York: De Gruyter. 317–332. ISBN: 9783110221732.
  • “The Reception of the Susanna-Narrative (Dan. XIII) in the Early Church” in Cook, J. (ed.). 2009. Septuagint and Reception: Essays prepared for the Association for the Study of the Septuagint in South Africa. Vetus Testamentum Supplementum 127. Leiden: Brill. 229–244. ISBN: 9789004177253.

Journal articles

  • “Slavery and Asceticism in John of Ephesus’ Lives of the Eastern Saints” in Scrinium: Journal for Patrology and Critical Hagiography 13 (2017): 84–117.
  • “Die Juk van Askese: Slawe in Kloosters en Kloosterlike Huishoudings in die Sendeling Johannes van Efese se Commentarii de beatis orientalibus” forthcoming in LitNet Akademies (Godsdienswetenskappe) 14 (2017). Online. (Written in Afrikaans; translated title: “The Yoke of Asceticism: Slaves in Monasteries and Monastic Households in the Missionary John of Ephesus’ Commentarii de beatis orientalibus”).
  • “Revisiting the Subintroductae: Slavery, Asceticism, and “Syneisaktism” in the Exegesis of John Chrysostom” in Biblical Interpretation 25.1 (2017): 58–80.
  • “Human Birth and Spiritual Rebirth in the Theological Thought of John Chrysostom” in In die Skriflig / In Luce Verbi 51.3 (2017): a2149. https:// doi.org/10.4102/ids. v51i3.2149 [online open access].
  • “Revisiting the Subintroductae: Slavery, Asceticism, and ‘Syneisaktism’ in the Exegesis of John Chrysostom” in Biblical Interpretation 25.1 (2017): 58–80.
  • “Grumpy Old Men: Gender, Gerontology, and the Geriatrics of Soul in John Chrysostom” in Journal of Early Christian Studies 24.4 (2016): 491–521.
  • “Die Praktyk van Vernedering: Slawerny en Christelike Asketisme in Laat-Antieke Sirië” in LitNet Akademies (Godsdienswetenskappe) 13.3 (2016). Online: http://www.litnet.co.za/die-praktyk-van-vernedering-slawerny-en-christelike-asketisme-laat-antieke-sirie. (Written in Afrikaans; translated title: “The Practice of Humiliation: Slavery and Christian Asceticism in Late Ancient Syria”).
  • “Of Monsters and Men: Religious Conflict, Radicalism, and Sexual Exceptionalism in the Thought of John Chrysostom” in Journal of Early Christian History 6.2 (2016): 1–17.
  • “’n ‘Oorspronklike’ Aramese Nuwe Testament? ’n Kritiese Evaluasie van die Pesjitta- Voorrangsteorie, Die Pad van Waarheid tot die Lewe-Vertaling (Afrikaanse Lamsa-Bybel), en die Kulturele Aanloklikheid van Oriëntalisme” in LitNet Akademies (Godsdienswetenskappe) 13.2 (2016). Online: http://www.litnet.co.za/n-oorspronklike-aramese-nuwe-testament-n-kritiese-evaluasie-van- die-pesjitta-voorrangsteorie-die-die-pad-van-waarheid-tot-die-lewe-vertaling. (Written in Afrikaans; translated title: “An ‘Original’ Aramaic New Testament? A Critical Evaluation of the Peshitta Primacy Theory, Die Pad van Waarheid tot die Lewe-Translation (Afrikaans Lamsa Bible), and the Cultural Lure of Orientalism).
  • “The Punishment of Slaves in Early Christianity: The Views of Some Selected Church Fathers” in Acta Theologica Supplementum 23 (2016): 263–282.
  • “Susanna’s Body” in Biblische Notizen 168 (2016): 129–145.
  • “’n Kritiese Vergelyking Tussen Basilius van Sesarea, Johannes Chrysostomus en Ambrosiaster se Sienswyses Aangaande die Behandeling van Slawe” in Litnet Akademies (Godsdienswetenskappe) 12.3 (2015): 566–584.
  • “The Practice of Everyday Death: Thanatology and Self-Fashioning in John Chrysostom’s Thirteenth Homily on Romans” in HTS Theological Studies 71.1 (2015): online.
  • “On Comparability: A Critical Evaluation of Comparative ‘Background’ Studies Between Biblical and Contemporary Southern African Contexts” in Religion & Theology 22.1-2 (2015): 1–23.
  • “Antieke Slawerny en die Vroeë Christendom: Teoreties-Hermeneutiese Perspektiewe, Probleme, en die Opkoms van Doulologie” in Litnet Akademies: Godsdienswetenskappe 11.3 (2014): Online: http://www.litnet.co.za/antieke-slawerny-en-die-vroe-christendom-teoreties-hermeneutiese-perspektiewe. (Written in Afrikaans; translated title: “Ancient Slavery and Early Christianity: Theoretical-Hermeneutical Perspectives, Problems, and the Rise of Doulology”).
  • “John Chrysostom on Homoeroticism” in Neotestamentica 48.1 (2014): 187–218.
  • “‘If a Story Can So Master the Children’s Soul’: Christian Scriptural Pedagogy, Orality and Power in the Writings of John Chrysostom” in Oral History Journal of South Africa 2.1 (2014): 121–142.
  • “Identity-Formation and Alterity in John Chrysostom’s In epistulam ad Galatas commentarius” in Acta Theologica Supplementum 19 (2014): 18–41.
  • “John Chrysostom on Paul as Founder of Churches” in Religion & Theology 20.3-4 (2013): 1–13.
  • “Between the Domestic and the Agoric Somatoscape: John Chrysostom on the Appearance of Female Roman Aristocrats in the Marketplace” in Religion & Theology 20.3-4 (2013): 202–217.
  • “‘No Small Counsel about Self-Control’: Enkrateia and the Virtuous Body as Missional Performance in 2 Clement” in HTS Theological Studies 69.1 (2013): Online: Art. #1340, 10 pages. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.4102/hts.v69i1.1340.
  • “The Cappadocian Fathers on Slave-Management” in Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae 39.1 (2013): 1–12.
  • “The Discourse of the Suffering Slave in 1 Peter” in Ekklesiastikos Pharos 94 (2013): 15–24.
  • “Paul and Christian Identity-Formation in John Chrysostom’s Homilies De laudibus sancti Pauli apostoli” in Journal of Early Christian History 3.2 (2013): 34–46.
  • “John Chrysostom’s Advice to Slaveholders” in Studia Patristica 67 (2013): 359–365.
  • “Power and the Politics of the Pneuma: Paul’s Rhetorical Framework in 1 Corinthians 12-14” in Ekklesiastikos Pharos 94 (2012): 137–157.
  • “The Deutero-Pauline and Petrine Haustafeln: Early Christian Oikonomia, Pastoral Governmentality and Slave-Management” in Ekklesiastikos Pharos 94 (2012): 397–415.
  • “John Chrysostom and the Mission to the Goths: Rhetorical and Ethical Perspectives” in HTS Theological Studies 68.1 (2012): Online: #Art. 1220, 10 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/hts. v68i1.1220.
  • “Claiming Corporeal Capital: John Chrysostom’s Homilies on the Maccabean Martyrs” in Journal of Early Christian History 2.1 (2012): 3–21.
  • “Domesticating Suffering in North Africa: Augustine and the Preaching of the Psalms on the Feast Days of the Martyrs” in Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae 38.1 (2012): 197–215.
  • “The Priestly Body: Power-Discourse and Identity in John Chrysostom’s De Sacerdotio” in Religion & Theology 18.3-4 (2011): 1–29.
  • “The Sex Life of a Psalm: Augustine and Textual Sexuality in Enarrationes in Psalmos 127 [129]” in Old Testament Essays 24.3 (2011): 574–589.
  • “John Chrysostom’s Exegesis of the Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor. 12:27-13:3): A Commentary of Homilia in Primum Epistulam ad Corinthios 32” in Ekklesiastikos Pharos 93 (2011): 104–117.
  • “Paul and the Making of a Christian Empire” in Journal of Early Christian History 1.2 (2011): 174–188.
  • “John Chrysostom’s Exegesis on the Resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15” in Neotestamentica 45.1 (2011): 92–114.
  • “Husbands, Wives and the Haustafeln in John Chrysostom’s Homilia in Epistulam ad Efesios 20” in Acta Patristica et Byzantina 21.2 (2010): 51–62.
  • “John Chrysostom’s Use of the Book of Sirach in His Homilies on the New Testament” in Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae 36.2 (2010):1–10.
  • “John Chrysostom and Hermeneutics of Resuscitation: A Critical Glimpse into the Reading and Preaching of Pauline Texts in the 4th century A.D. and its Implications for Biblical Studies Today” in Ekklesiastikos Pharos 92 (2010): 393–407.
  • “Sin as Slavery and/or Slavery as Sin? On the Relationship between Slavery and Christian Hamartiology in Late Ancient Christianity” in Religion & Theology 17.1-2 (2010): 26–39.
  • “John Chrysostom on Envy” in Studia Patristica 47 (44–49) (2010): 255–260.
  • “The Vilification of the Rich in John Chrysostom’s Homily 40 On First Corinthians” in Acta Patristica et Byzantina 21.1 (2010): 1–17.
  • “The Body as Property: Towards a Theory of Exclusion of Slaves in the Christian Household Hierarchies in the New Testament” in Ekklesiastikos Pharos 91 (2009): 320–330.
  • “Some Semantic and Rhetorical Considerations on Psalm 22:23 (21:23 LXX) in Hebrews 2:12: A Case-Study on the Septuagint as Praeparatio Evangelica” in Journal for Semitics 18.2 (2009): 551–568.
  • “Between Power and Priestcraft: The Politics of Prayer in 2 Maccabees” in Religion & Theology 16.3-4 (2009): 150–161.
  • “John Chrysostom on Slavery” in Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae 34.2 (2008): 1–13.
  • “O Woman, Who Alone Gave Birth to Such Complete Devotion!” Some Remarks on the Materfamilias and Other Women of 1–4 Maccabees” in Journal for Semitics 17.1 (2008): 33–56.
  • “Mystical Expression and the Logos in the Writings of St. John of the Cross” in Neotestamentica 42.1 (2008): 35–50.
  • “John Chrysostom’s Exegesis of the Anointing at Bethany (John 12:1-8)” (co-authored with Prof. H.F. Stander) in Ekklesiastikos Pharos 87 (2007): 134–147
  • “The Pre-Existent Word in ‘A Spiritual Canticle of the Soul and the Bridegroom Christ’ by St. John of the Cross” in Ekklesiastikos Pharos 88 (2006): 222–240.
  • “A Socio-Rhetorical Analysis of Paul’s Refutatio in 1 Corinthians 15” in Ekklesiastikos Pharos 92.1 (2005): 42–53.

Paper presentations

Select keynote addresses and invited lectures:

  • "Asceticism, Religious Violence, and Monastic Curses in Theodoret's Historia Religiosa." Invited presentation at the conference "Religious Violence in Antiquity: A Religious Studies Approach Across the longue durée (conference funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; Université de Montréal & University of Ottawa, Canada). 28–30 September 2017.
  • “The Captive Monk: Late Antique Slavery and Syrian Ascetical Theology and Practice.” Keynote paper for the XXIV Finnish Symposium on Late Antiquity: Slavery in Late Antiquity, Tvärminne, Finland (invited and funded by Centre of Excellence: “Reason and Religious Recognition”, Faculty of Theology; Jaakko Frösen Fund; and Department of World Cultures, Faculty of Humanities, University of Helsinki). 11–12 November 2016.
  • “Savior and Slave? Philippians 2:6–11 and the Problem of Slavery in Origen’s Christology.” Invited lecture given at a seminar hosted by The Center for Early Christian Studies, Australian Catholic University (Proff. Pauline Allen, Bronwen Neil, and Wendy Mayer), Brisbane, Australia. 13 October 2016.
  • “How to Make a Martyr: The Image of John Chrysostom in The Funerary Speech for John Chrysostom.” Invited lecture given at a Borderlands seminar hosted by Prof. Elizabeth Digeser, at the Department of History, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA. 1 December 2014.

Professional positions, fellowships & awards

  • Editor-in-Chief: Journal of Early Christian History (Routledge / UNISA Press)
  • President (2016–2018): New Testament Society of Southern Africa (NTSSA)
  • National representative for South Africa: Association Internationale d’Études Patristiques (AIEP/IAPS)
  • Steering committee member: Society of Biblical Literature: Slavery, Resistance, and Freedom Consultation
  • Co-chair: Society of Biblical Literature: Social History of Formative Judaism and Christianity Program Unit
  • Co-chair: Society of Biblical Literature: Healthcare and Disability in the Ancient World Program Unit
  • Member of the North American Patristics Society (NAPS)
  • Member of the Asia-Pacific Early Christian Studies Society (APECSS)
  • Member on the Board of the Research Group for Religion, Medicine, Disability, and Healthcare in Late Antiquity (ReMeDHe)

Projects

  • Memories of Utopia: Destroying the Past to Create the Future, 300–650 CE (2017–2020): Discovery Project funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC)
  • Man Made: John Chrysostom and the Formation of Masculinity in Early Christianity (2016–2018)
  • Slavery in the Late Antique East (ongoing project)
  • Old Age as Religious Discourse in Early Christianity (2016–2020)