https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/429 Tue, 05 May 2026 16:06:54 GMT 2026-05-05T16:06:54Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/31463 Göbekli Tepe – Neolithic Temple or Monolithic slaughterhouse? Boshoff, Carel Willem Hendrik Göbekli Tepe is an ancient site in upper Mesopotamia recognised as an artificial mound by K Schmidt in 1994. Circles comprising large monolithic stones, described as T-pillars, were interpreted by Schmidt as ‘monumental’ and he identified the site as a sanctuary. This theory was expanded upon by numerous academics and others and soon Göbekli Tepe became known as a ritualistic centre or even a religious site or temple. The prevailing interpretation may be challenged on the premise that the construction of Göbekli Tepe had a different purpose altogether, a premise supported by environmental, geographical, archaeological and anthropological evidence, hence the topic of this proposal: was Göbekli Tepe indeed a Neolithic temple or simply a utilitarian construction used for something as mundane as a monolithic slaughterhouse, a circular building constructed of large pillars and used for the slaughter of animals and concomitant activities? Fri, 01 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/31463 2023-12-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/31159 Decolonising Tshivenda Bible translations (1936 and 1998): a tragic tale of Vhavenda, a people whose concept of God was and continues to be ploughed under by the translated Bibles Ramantswana, Hulisani Fri, 22 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/31159 2023-09-22T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/31104 Plague as discourse in John of Ephesus` account of the Justinianic plague (ca. 542-544 CE) De Wet, Chris L Thu, 18 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/31104 2022-08-18T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/30831 Hope in the midst of crisis : reading Daniel 9 in the 21st century Zimbabwean context Musendekwa, Menard Zimbabwe has witnessed a socio-economic and political crisis since the dawn of the 21st century. The Zimbabwean nation that was for several decades under British colonial subordination is once again subjected to a native aristocracy. During the first decade of the 21st century, Zimbabwe was classified as a failed state. Western nations criticized the fast-tracked land reform initiative that evicted white commercial farmers. Additionally, they penalised political leaders, sending the nation into a deeper economic crisis that severely hurt the agricultural sector. Over three million people left the country to seek refuge and employment abroad. Citizens from mainstream opposition parties additionally experienced the crises of suffering, poverty, unemployment, victimisation, kidnapping, corruption and poor governance, among others. This study argues that apocalyptic literature, including the book of Daniel in the Old Testament, has the potential to inspire hope in the hearts of its readers and/or listeners to its interpretations. Hence the critical question asked in this thesis is, “Why would the findings of a historical critical reading of Daniel 9 be considered appropriate in bringing hope to a hopeless Zimbabwean 21st century context if read through a contextual lens?” Amidst the current Zimbabwean crisis, the researcher is of the view that a historical critical reading of Daniel 9 reveals that the text was written to people who were experiencing hopelessness. Therefore, the appropriation of the findings of a historical critical reading of Daniel 9 to the hopeless members of the opposition parties of the 21st century Zimbabwean context of crisis may be ideal for generating hope. Despite their differences on history, geography and background among others, this research was able to identify apparent common traits between the context of the production of the book of Daniel, that is, the Second Temple period and the 21st century Zimbabwean context. Thu, 01 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/30831 2023-06-01T00:00:00Z