Prof Hans van Oort’s A-rating from the NRF was recently renewed for the next five years, while Prof Etienne de Villiers received a C2-rating from the NRF. This brings the Faculty of Theology's rated scholars to 16 – one A, one B, 13 Cs and one Y.

Prof Hans van Oort received his theological training at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Later, as a fellow of the Dutch Royal Academy, he could deepen his knowledge oversees, in France, Great Britain and Germany.

His research focuses on the North African church father Augustine, an important figure both for Protestant and Roman Catholic thinking and, presently, a most inspiring African for many leading theologians and politicians throughout the African continent. Prof Van Oort explains that Augustine was the central figure to pass on Paul’s theology for posterity, but was also, in his younger years, an adherent of the Gnostic-Christian world religion of Mani.

“Presently my main focus is on the question how Gnostic Manichaeism influenced his mind set and, thus, ours as well!”

Prof Van Oort received a Professorship from the British Academy, which anabled him to work together with colleages in Oxford, London and Warwick. He has published some 25 books as author or editor, as well as some 150 scholarly and 400 professional and popular articles.

Prof De Villiers commenced his academic studies in 1964 at the University of Stellenbosch where he was awarded the degrees BA, BA Honours (Philosophy), MA (Philosophy), BTh and a Licenciat in Theology, all cum laude. He did his doctoral studies at the Free University, Amsterdam, where a ThD was awarded to him in 1978.

During the last decade Prof De Villiers has increasingly become interested in the so-called 'ethic of responsibility'. He wrote a number of critical academic articles on Christian ethicists who attempted to develop a Christian ethic of responsibility. He also wrote a number of articles on the implications of the ethic of responsibility for particular issues in Christian ethics.

Prof De Villiers has been in the process of writing a monograph with the title Max Weber's ethic of responsibility: Interpretation and appropriation during the last three years. He has published 42 articles in accredited academic journals, two books, and numerous chapters in books.