The Shepherd Metaphor in the Old Testament, and Its Use in Pastoral and Leadership Models

This book sets out to review the shepherd metaphor and raise the question whether the metaphor should be the basis of the pastoral and leadership models that are derived from the image of the shepherd, and whether such models can be enriched by the analysis of the said metaphor as applied to the implementation of the shepherding responsibility described in the Old Testament. It utilizes rhetorical criticism in consultation with metaphorical theory to examine the given metaphor used in the models of pastoral and leadership roles and their relationship with the shepherd metaphor in the New Testament with the objective to both explore the use of the shepherd metaphor in the Old Testament and examine the use of the shepherd metaphor in pastoral and leadership models. This includes pointing out that some of these models rely heavily on their understanding of New Testament uses of this metaphor, and this in turn leads to comparing the Old Testament and pastoral/leadership models’ uses of the shepherd metaphor and draws conclusions based on this comparison.