Scholars from different South African universities, as well as international scholars, delivered papers at the conference. Themes under discussion ranged from the nature of social justice and imperial justice, to black resistance against injustices in SA and justice versus mercy. 

In August 2000 Pro Pent (Project for the Study of the Pentateuch / Projek vir Pentateugstudie) was founded as a joint project between the University of Pretoria and the Ludwig Maximilan’s University of Munich (Germany). Pro Pent is an activity of the Department of Old Testament and the Faculty of Theology (of the University of Pretoria) and it aims at promoting Pentateuch research. Prof Eckart Otto (Munich) and prof Jurie le Roux (UP) initiated this project and are responsible for organizing Pro Pent, which assembles each year in Pretoria or Munich. Although Eckart Otto and Jurie le Roux have already retired they still continue the work. In 2017 Pro Pent already existed seventeen years and has emerged as an international study group on the Pentateuch.

In 2004 and 2007 Pro Pent meetings were held at the Faculty of Theology of Munich; in 2007 Pro Pent was allotted a morning session at the International Society of Biblical Literature’s meeting at Vienna; in 2013 Pro Pent had afternoon sessions at IOSOT (the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament) in Munich and in 2016 Pro Pent had a morning and an afternoon session at IOSOT 2016.

Pro Pent has indeed become an important international congress where excellent Old Testament scholars meet and discuss matters relating to the Pentateuch in particular and the Old Testament in general. It also heralded the beginnings of a fresh start in South African Pentateuchal studies. The term ‘fresh’ is used deliberately because the critical investigation of the Pentateuch never actually came to full fruition in South Africa and Pro Pent wishes to fill this gap.

Some of the international scholars who attended and contributed to Pro Pent in Munich: Reinhard Achenbach (Münster), Friedrich Reiterer (Salzburg), Georg Fischer (Innsbruck, Austria), Christian Frevel (Bochum), Hans Ulrich Steymans (Freiburg, Switzerland), Martin Arneth (Munich), Jorg Jeremias (Munich) and of course Eckart Otto (Munich).  Over the years some of these scholars (like Hans Ulrich Steymans and Christian Frevel) also attended the Pretoria meetings while others like John van Seters (Canada), Georg Braulik (Vienna, Austria) and Theodor Seidl (Würzburg) also came. At the Pretoria meetings there were always people from the continent of Africa: Hillary Nyika (Zimbabwe), Nupanga Weanzana (Central Africa), Emmanuelle Usue (Nigeria) and Liswanisu Kamuwanga (Zambia).

In 2011 the following overseas scholars attended Pro Pent 2011: Hans Ausloos (Chercheur qualifié F.R.S.-FNRS, Université catholique de Louvain, Faculté de Théologie, Louvain-la-Neuve), Jan Dietrich (Theologische Fakultät, Institut für Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, Leipzig, Germany), Sue Gillingham (Worcester College, Theology Faculty Centre, Oxford, UK), Raik Heckl (Institut für Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany), Dominik Markl (Heythrop College, University of London, London), Simone Paganini (Institut für Bibelwissenschaften und Historische Theologie, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck), Thomas Römer (Institut Romand des Sciences Bibliques, UNIL-centre, Bâtiment Unithèque, Lausanne, Switzerland AND Collège de France, Paris, France).

Pro Pent 2017 was attended by the following international scholars: Eckart Otto (LMU, Munich), Thomas Römer (Institut Romand des Sciences Bibliques, UNIL-centre, Bâtiment Unithèque, Lausanne, Switzerland AND Collège de France, Paris, France), Christian Frevel (Lehrstuhl für Altes Testament, Katholisch-Theologische Fakultät, Bochum, Germany), Peter Jenei (Debrecen, Hungary/ Univ of Pretoria), Jeon Jaeyoung (Hebrew Bible / IRSB, Anthropole 5092,Université de Lausanne), Blessing Boloje (Eku-Nigeria, Nigeria), Johanna Erzberger (Germany/Univ Pretoria) and Hans Ausloos (Chercheur qualifié F.R.S.-FNRS, Université catholique de Louvain, Faculté de Théologie, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium).

More information can be found at the following websites:

http://www.hts.org.za/index.php/HTS/article/view/1277

https://up-za.academia.edu/JurieLeRoux

A free copy of Old Testament scholarship in South Africa between 1957 and 1987 can be downloaded here: http://hdl.handle.net/2263/60030