Faculty of Humanities
School of Languages
Department of Ancient Languages
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
In a number of articles on various psalms from the biblical Psalter (Psalms 36, 67, 79, and 101) and an article on one of the hymns of Ephrem — the Syrian church father from the fourth century CE — Prof Botha endeavoured to define the textual strategy of these documents. His research has consistently shown that it is important to identify the social values, such as honour and shame, prevalent in the communities where these documents originated, since their values form a code with the help of which greater insight into the meaning of the documents can be obtained.
Contact person: Prof PJ Botha.
In an article on the interpretation of Luke 15:32 - the conclusion to the parable of the prodigal son - prof Swart shows that translations generally miss the thrust of the father's words to the elder son. These findings tie in with earlier research that emphasizes the importance of taking into account textual markers, literary devices, and the rhetorical structure of texts - in short, all linguistic and literary relations among textual elements – as guides to the interpretation of ancient texts.
Contact person: Prof GJ Swart.
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