Research Articles (Ancient Studies)

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Abraham Malherbe se bydrae tot Hellenistiese filosofie en die vroeë Christendom
(AOSIS Publishing, 2015) Thom, Johan C.
Abraham Malherbe’s contribution to Hellenistic philosophy and early Christianity. Abraham J. Malherbe was one of the most influential New Testament scholars of the past half century. He is especially known for his use of Hellenistic moral philosophy in the interpretation of New Testament texts, especially Pauline literature. Whilst the comparative study of New Testament and Greco-Roman material remains a contentious approach in scholarship, Malherbe’s work provides important pointers in how to make such comparisons in a meaningful and reasoned manner, by paying due respect to the integrity of the texts being compared and to the function textual elements have within their own contexts. I discussed the salient features of Malherbe’s approach, focusing in particular on his study of topoi. One of the most significant findings was Malherbe’s emphasis on the dialectical combination of common and individual elements in such topoi, which enabled ancient authors to embed their own texts within the cultural discourse of their time. His approach opens the way to further research of the New Testament within its philosophical context without requiring proof of a genealogical relationship between the texts or authors concerned.
Akademiese beoordeling van ’n vertaling van die Bybel in Afrikaans
(Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust, 2011) Coetsee, Y.; Van der Merwe, Christo H. J.
In the past the authority of Bible translations was often evaluated in terms of their equivalence to source texts. Development in translation theory has revealed, however, that the functionalist approach provides a more justified way of evaluating translations. According to this approach the extent to which a translation fulfils its purpose in a target culture should be the primary criterion for evaluation. To ensure that documentary translations do not jeopardize their authority by moving too far from the source texts Nord postulated the term “loyalty” – the loyalty that translators owe source-text authors as well as commissioning bodies. The aim of this study is to provide part of the theoretical framework in terms of which Bible translations can be evaluated by non-specialists. As practical illustration of this procedure we examined the translation of the Hebrew particle wehinneh in parts of the Nuwe Lewende Vertaling (2006) in order to ascertain whether its claims were adhered to.
Ancient Egypt and the other
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Theology, 2010) Cornelius, I.
Texts and images are used to look at the way the ancient Egyptians perceived and treated ‘the other’ (their neighbours and foreigners such as the Asians, Kushites and Libyans). Were they treated with dignity? According to the Egyptian world view, Egypt was the centre of the world and the foreign countries were seen as the periphery. Egypt stood for order and the vile foreigners for chaos. The foreigners had to be controlled by the pharaoh who conquered the foreign lands, which also had to pay tribute. This article devotes more attention to the Kushites, who were described as wretched and were physically mistreated. On the other hand, there are also examples of Egyptians interacting with foreigners in a more positive fashion. But in the end not much dignity was accorded to ‘the other’.
An ancient example of literary blackmail
(Stellenbosch University, Department of Ancient Studies, 2018) Coetzee, C.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Towards the end of his life and especially after his exile in 58-57 BC, Cicero’s publication program accelerated. While he aimed to promote his own glory, he had to do so in an environment where writing about oneself attracted censure. This article explores some of the ways in which Cicero tries to overcome this limitation. These include writing about himself indirectly, defending artists in court, soliciting historians to include his role as consul in their works and even attempts at public literary blackmail, specifically towards his prolific contemporary, Marcus Terentius Varro.
Another look at the biblical Hebrew focus particle כּﬦ
(Oxford University Press, 2009) Van der Merwe, Christo H. J.
Despite the attention devoted to כּﬦ from various angles in recent years, there has been no exhaustive treatment in terms of all its occurrences in the Hebrew Bible. In this revision of the author's own detailed description of the focus particle in Genesis to 2 Kings, many of his earlier views are confirmed. However, it was also found that his earlier model needs some refinement....... See article for full abstract.
The archaeology of cult in the Ancient Near East : methodology and practice
(Old Testament Society of South Africa, Department of Ancient Languages, University of Pretoria, 2000) Gilmour, Garth
A review of the research on the archaeology of cult in early Iron Age Palestine has shown the need for a critical theoretical framework for dealing with the study of cult in archaeological contexts. The task is to approach the archaeology of religion in this region in a way that is both scientific, and therefore testable, and interpretive, and therefore allows for an understanding of cultic remains as representations both of symbolic attitudes and actions which took place largely in the minds of the people that created them, and of the wider social context. Such an approach allows for both the application of a strict methodology to the excavated features and artifacts, and the incorporation of data crucial to the interpretation of cultic remains such as comparative texts, archaeological context, space/time correlates and anthropological research. This requires both a nomothetic approach that uses a defined set of rules in initial interpretation, and a cognitive-processual approach that uses as wide a selection of comparative material as possible to interpret the individual and societal attitudes, beliefs and pressures that created the data under review. An example of such a methodology is presented for evaluation, and its application to excavated material from the Iron Age I period is briefly discussed.
Aristotle's poetics in Margaret Doody's Aristotle and poetic justice
(SUN MeDIA Bloemfontein, 2010) Pauw, Francois
Canadian-born academic Margaret Doody has written several detective novels in which the philosopher Aristotle makes use of his investigative powers to solve murder mysteries. In Aristotle and poetic justice, Stephanos, a friend of Aristotle, narrates how Aristotle solved a double murder which had taken place on the road to Delphi. Doody's novel provides a convenient framework for a view on the Greek world of 330 BC and, incidentally, a new look at Aristotle's perception of Greek genres. This article focuses on both these topics, the latter through the lens of Aristotle's Poetics. In the body of the article, allusions to the Poetics introduced by Doody are examined and evaluated, using a modified version of Genette's scheme as criterion.
Auto-memorialisation : Augustus’ Res Gestae as slanted narrative
(AOSIS, 2019-06-20) Claassen, Johanna Maria
That Augustus wanted to utilise the to-be-publicly-published record of his career, the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, as subtle propaganda, is a well-established critical assumption. While never blatantly inventing ‘facts’ about his many achievements, the emperor manipulated his brief narrations of individual achievements to fit in with his programme of propaganda. This article not so much explores the ‘facts’ behind Augustus’ categorical assertions of achievements in many spheres, but analyses stylistically his presentation of these facts and his narrative strategies. The exiled poet, Ovid, is shown as one of the first critical readers of the document, his apparent allusions to it seemingly exposing Augustus’ often tendentious manipulation of the contrast between ‘what happened’ and ‘how it is told’. The article ends with reference to another critical reader of Augustus’ slanted auto-memorialisation.
B.X. de Wet Essay. Die Herder en die Wolf : 'n vergelyking tussen die karakters van Aeneas en Turnus
(Stellenbosch University, Department of Ancient Studies, 2002) De Kock, A.
Die studente-essay wat as die beste beoordeel word uit dié wat voor 30 Junie in die voorafgaande jaar vir beoordeling voorgelê word, word jaarliks in Akroterion gepubliseer. Die kompetisie word geborg deur die Klassieke Vereniging van Suid-Afrika en alle voorgraadse studente mag deelneem. Honneursstudente mag in gelykgenommerde jare inskryf. Daar is ‘n prys van R250 verbonde aan hierdie essay wat vernoem is na die Suid-Afrikaanse klassikus B X De Wet.
Bakens op die weg : die bekeringsverhale van Augustinus en C S Lewis
(Stellenbosch University, Department of Ancient Studies, 2006) Smit, C.
In hierdie artikel word twee literêre bekeringsverhale waarin die historiese werklikheid deur die skrywers weergegee word, met mekaar vergelyk: die Confessiones van die vierde eeuse kerkvader Augustinus, en Surprised by Joy van die twintigste eeuse skrywer en geleerde C.S. Lewis. Die navorsing word gestruktureer aan die hand van bakens wat Augustinus op sy bekeringsweg uitgelig het: persone wat ’n beduidende rol gespeel het, besondere gebeure wat hom beïnvloed het en innerlike konflik wat hom voortgedryf het. Die artikel toon deur ’n analise op grond van inhoud en tematiek aan dat daar duidelike ooreenkomste is tussen die bakens op Augustinus se bekeringsweg en dié op Lewis se bekeringsweg.
The Bible in Afrikaans : a direct translation – a new type of church Bible
(AOSIS Publishing, 2012-07) Van der Merwe, Christo H. J.
Translating the Bible so that target audiences can easily understand the meaning of the text has dominated the theory and practice of Bible translation since the 1960s. Source oriented translations that are typically associated with word-for-word translations received little theoretical reflection. However, developments in Translation Studies have made it clear that the latter type of translations do not provide the type of equivalence more conservative churches really call for. The story of the Bible in Afrikaans relates to how the Bible Society of South Africa (BSSA) has taken seriously the needs of churches in South Africa for a sourceoriented translation and teamed up with scholars to develop an academically justifiable model for a new type of church Bible. The functionalist model of Christiane Nord (1997) was used as point of departure and complimented by that of Ernst-August Gutt (2000). Pointing out the accomplishments and challenges of this pioneering project, this article paves the way for a scholarly discourse on source-oriented translations of the Bible.
Bible translation - A lighthouse and a library for the promotion and preservation of language and 'Literature' in Africa: the example of Chinyanja
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Theology, 2004) Wendland, Ernst R.
In this article I explore several implications of the thematic metaphorical terms “lighthouse” and “library” with reference to three translations of the complete Scriptures that have been made in the Chinyanja language of Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique. How did these translations, one begun over a century ago, serve both to promote (enlighten, show the way, reveal the rocks) and also to preserve (act as a reservoir and repository for) the language and culture of the Chinyanja-speaking peoples of this south-central African region? My survey describes some of the major challenges, difficulties, and setbacks encountered along the way in contrast to certain outstanding successes that were achieved and new initiatives undertaken during this long history, which continues to be written in the new millennium. Several linguistic aspects of this progressive development are briefly examined in a comparative manner with reference to a number of Scripture passages as they appear in the most literal and most idiomatic Chinyanja versions. I conclude by summarizing the potential of mother-tongue Bible translation for enlarging, by way of preservation and promotion, the overall communication resources of any given language-culture, especially one that does not have a great corpus of published literature.
Bible translation as 'ideological text production' - with special reference to the cultural factor and Psalm 137 in Chichewa
(Old Testament Society of South Africa, 2004) Wendland, E. R.
My investigation relates the topic of 'ideological text production' more specifically to the practice of Bible translation within a particular social and cultural setting, namely, that of south-central Africa. This case study is necessarily quite selective in nature and focused upon the text of Psalm 137 both in the original Hebrew and also, via translation, in the Chichewa language. The ideology of any human language is shaped by the total culture of the people who speak it, while that of a given text is also influenced by the communicative goals of its author in relation to an envisaged readership within a given context of reception and use. Similarly, the ideology of a certain translation is motivated by the explicit or unstated objectives of those who commission and oversee it. This includes the particular translational method that they have adopted to accomplish their aims in relation to their primary target audience and socio-cultural milieu. The purpose of this paper is to call attention to some of these significant ideological factors and to suggest how important a coordinated communal approach is to the achievement of a translation committee's chosen set of goals. Various aspects of this subject and the salient issues involved are illustrated with reference to the communication of Psalm 137 in Chichewa.
Biblical Hebrew lexicology : a cognitive linguistic perspective
(Waltrop, 2006) Van der Merwe, Christo H. J.
Hebrew (=BH) and other Semitic languages, one seldom comes across explicit definitions of the term “lexicography”. An exception is O’Connor (2002). According to him, lexicography seeks to guide and describe the production of books that people actually use. ... Three tasks are basic to lexicography... These are (a) delimitation of the material studies (What is this a? lexicon of?), (b) the structural segmentation of the material studies (What are the working units of the lexicon?), and (c) the delimitation and arrangement of relevant information (What is the lexicon going to provide the user with concerning each of the working units?). What I do find lacking, even in O’Connor’s thorough overview of Biblical Hebrew lexicons, as well as the earlier influential works of James Barr (1973, 1992, 1993, 1994), the “Introduction” to the new lexicon by Clines et al. (1993:14-29), Lübbe’s range of publications on Biblical Hebrew lexicography (1990, 1993, 1994, 2002, 2003), Muraoka (1995 and 1998), Emerton (1997) and De Blois (2000, 2002a and 2002b), is any reference or even the recognition of significant advances in the field of theoretical lexicography. Names of the pioneers in this field of study – like Zgusta and Wiegand – are nowhere to be found. It is beyond the perspectives from theoretical lexicography for Biblical Hebrew lexicography. But even a cursory consideration of the insights gained in this field of study suggests that it can assist BH scholars in the use of principled criteria for the delimitation and structuring of information in BH dictionaries in terms of the purpose a particular lexicon is supposed to fulfil (Imbayarwo 2003).
Biblical Hebrew word order : the interface of information structure and formal features
(W. Kohlhammer, 2003) Van der Merwe, Christo H. J.; Talstra, Eep; Bartelmus, Rudiger (ed); Jenni, Ernst (ed); Kedar-Kopfstein, Benjamin (ed); Lichtenberger, Hermann (ed); Lipinski, Edward (ed); Muller, Hans-Peter (ed); Renz, Johannes (ed); Segert, Stanislav (ed); Stuckenbruck, Loren T. (ed)
In recent years different theoretical frames of reference were used in attempts to better understand the language(s) of the Hebrew Bible. While the 19th and first half of the 20th century were dominated by historical-comparative approaches, structuralist and functional approaches started to get the upperhand in many circles during the latter quarter of the previous century.2 One of the main features of the latter two modem linguistic approaches is the use of distributional criteria. Linguistic categories at various levels of linguistic description are identified on account of the fact that the members of each category enjoy the same paradigmatic and syntagmatic distribution. The formal character and intersubjective verifiability of categories identified on account of distributional criteria are of the major reasons why the use of these criteria has been established as one of the cornerstones of most current linguistic research. However, the question whether distributional criteria can render significant insight to linguistic phenomena beyond the level of the clause is still being debated. Furthermore, the empirical status of functional labels that are attached to categories involved at these higher levels of description also gave rise to a number of questions and uncertainties.
The canines of Horace's Epodes
(Stellenbosch University, Department of Ancient Studies, 2014) Meyer, John C.
A wide variety of animal imagery occurs in the Epodes (i.e. canines, reptiles and amphibians, birds, farm animals, marine animals, wild animals and mythical animals); however for the purposes of this article I will focus on the most common imagery, namely canine imagery. The article attempts to identify different functions associated with canine imagery which in turn clarifies Horace’s intended purpose with the Epodes — a notoriously difficult proposition.
The Cape in Latin and Latin in the Cape in the 17th and 18th centuries
(Stellenbosch University, Department of Ancient Studies, 2003) Van Stekelenburg, A. V.; Claassen, J. M.
Different authors work in different ways. Bert van Stekelenburg would usually choose a new topic that interested him, do initial, sometimes fairly cursory, research on the subject, give one or more public lectures and/or read a fairly brief scholarly paper and then spend some years refining the topic by means of extensive research in both local and overseas libraries, carefully building up a scholarly argument in the manner of a sculptor in clay, whose work in the end would be cast in bronze — the scholarly publication that followed. This paper started as a public lecture to the Western Cape branch of the Classical Association of South Africa in March 2002. It had flowed from previous research done on an interesting Latinist who lived at the Cape, Jan Willem (“Johannes Guilielmus”) Van Grevenbroek, on whose life Bert had been working since 1997. After a lecture series was initiated by a paper read at Avila in Spain in 1997, several more popular lectures followed. This research culminated in a scholarly publication, “Een intellectueel in de vroege Kaapkolonie. De nalatenschap van Jan Willem van Grevenbroek (1644-1726)” Tydskrif vir Nederlands en Afrikaans 8, 2001, 3-34. Bert was working on this present article just before he left for his last, fateful ornithological expedition, using the computers of various friends, including that of his present editor, but after his death we have been unable to find the diskette on which he had kept this article, which had seemed to be almost completed. Also, no printouts have been found. This version is the editor’s attempt to make sense of the body of Bert’s talk (of which several versions in his handwriting exist) as well as the copious scholarly notes in English, Afrikaans and Dutch (which he had been in the process of incorporating) and the texts of various poems and other citations that he had used at the March 2002 lecture. Every attempt has been made to keep to the author’s style and contents as he envisaged them and not to allow the editor’s personal opinion to intrude into the paper (Editor).
The case system of the Vilamovicean adjective : from description to explanation
(Stellenbosch University, Department of General Linguistics, 2013) Andrason, Alexander
The present paper offers a detailed description and analysis of the adjectival declensional patterns in the Modern Vilamovicean language. The idiom possesses six declensional patterns – restricted to distinct environments – that, from a morphological perspective, form a continuum ranging from a strong declension (classes 1, 2 and 3) to a weak one (class 6), through intermediate mixed paradigms (classes 4 and 5). Nowadays, only the mixed and weak classes are productive and common. If compared with Classical Vilamovicean, the adjectival declension has suffered a process of syncretism and decay, evolving towards a two-case marking: nominative versus accusative-dative in the masculine singular and nominative-accusative versus dative elsewhere. Thus, the adjectival morphological case marking is more effective than in the nominal system (where no case distinction is usually made) but less successful than in the pronominal system (where a three-case distinction predominates). Within a typological-grammaticalization framework, the inflectional organization of Vilamovicean adjectives can be defined as an advanced case system.
Catullus 22 : Hoi Neoteroi : everyman's verse or supercillious snobbery?
(Stellenbosch University. Dept. of Ancient Studies., 2010) Van der Westhuizen, Natasje
CASA Essay. The paper judged to be the best student essay submitted to Akroterion by December 8, preceding publication of the volume for that specific year, is published annually as the CASA / KVSA Essay. The competition, which is sponsored by the Classical Association of South Africa, is open to undergraduate students every year and to Honours students in even- numbered years. The winner receives a cash prize of R800.
Catullus en Krog : gebruik van 'n persona as metafoor vir die kreatiewe proses van skryf
(Stellenbosch University, Department of Ancient Studies, 2002) Blanckenberg, M.
Hierdie bespreking ondersoek die moontlikheid dat beide Gaius Valerius Catullus en Antjie Krog in hulle digkuns gebruik maak van 'n persona as metafoor vir die kreatiewe proses van skryf. Gedig c. 50 van Catullus word as voorbeeld gebruik waar die moontlikheid bestudeer word dat die Calvus in gedig c. 50 gebruik word as 'n metafoor vir die kreatiewe proses van skryf. Deur die bestudering van die betrokke gedig word die effek wat Calvus op Catullus uitoefen metafories vergelyk met die effek wat die kreatiewe proses op Catullus uitoefen. Volgens hierdie lesing van c. 50 konsentreer die digter-persona op sy ervaring van die kreatiewe proses as soortgelyk aan die ervaring van 'n liefdesverhouding. Die studie verken Catullus se gebruik van die Calvus persona in c. 50 as 'n poging van die digter om beide die emosionele en erotiese ervaring van digkuns te verwoord. In 'n soortgelyke ondersoek word Antjie Krog se gedig “die skryfproses, as sonnet” as 'n voorbeeld van moderne digkuns bespreek, waar (a) die man as metafoor gebruik word vir die proses van kreatiwiteit, en (b) voorbeelde van erotika gebruik word om die ervaring van die kreatiewe proses te verwoord. Hierdie bespreking van die gedigte van beide 'n antieke en moderne digter plaas die kompleksiteit van Catullus se ervaring van die kreatiewe proses in perspektief ten opsigte van moderne digkuns.

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