Abstract

Abstract:

Man up and take the punch for what is right! Such phrases illustrate the fundamental impact that the construction of Christ, as the central figure of the Christian religion, has had in the violent history of humanity. The manly Christ has been depicted as the ultimate model for every human being, and even more specifically, every man. The image of Christ is often seen as the so-called model of an ideal masculine image. Such essentialist and normative interpretations of Christ's image have had severe consequences for the lived realities of men. Although the emphasis is shifting from having the ultimate answer to posing frequent questions about Christ the Man, Christ is still used as a life-threatening weapon on grass-roots level in the context of gender-based violence in South Africa. This contribution acknowledges that the gendered construction of Christ matters in a violent South African society. Investigating the Christ-image as it is presented in 1 Peter 2:19–25 might shed some light on the problematic notion of men following the example of the noble, suffering Christ (2:19, 21, 23), the Shepherd and Guardian (2:25), while they are being beaten for it (2:20), especially amidst the very real actuality of gender-based violence in South Africa today.

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