Verbum Tip 5y: Bible Search – Context Menu Resources, Headword Search, Bible Search Quirks, Featured

MJ. Smith

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Bible Search: Context Menu resource types

In the Look up sections for the various datatypes found in Bibles, the following resource types appeared frequently:

• Lexicons
• Encyclopedia (Bible dictionaries)
• Manuals & Glossaries (Faithlife documentation)
• We will look briefly at the Search fields and datatypes these resources use for a Basic Search

Lexicon

Search fields

Search Fields associated with Lexicons
Field	Abbreviation	Definition	Example Lexicon
Author	author	The Author of an article or other section in a book or journal	A Compendious Syriac Dictionary
Description	description	The description of an object, usually an image of media element.	Jastrow
Etymology	etymology	Descriptions of the linguistic history and development of a particular word or phrase.	Enhanced Strong’s
Extended definition	extdef	Extended definition of a given lemma.	BDAG
Footnote text	footnote	Text that appears in a footnote	BDAG
Formal equivalent	formeq	A formal equivalent or gloss of a given lemma.	BDAG
Gloss text	gloss	In a dictionary or lexicon, a brief explanation or definition of a word or phrase.	DBL
Heading text	heading	The text of book, chapter and pericope headings.	BDAG
Inflected form	inflected	Inflected form	SEDRA3LEX
Large text	largetext	Large text.	BDAG
Lemma text	lemma	Text that appears in its dictionary form.	BDAG
Manuscript form	form	Manuscript form of an interlinear word.	LXARCLEX
Part of speech	part-of-speech	Grammatical part of speech designation for a dictionary or lexicon headword.	DBL
Primary morph	pmt	The primary morphological tag for a given word.	VULGANLEX
Pronunciation	pronunciation	Text which details the exact phonetic pronunciation of a particular word or phrase.	Enhanced Strong’s
Prosody	prosody	Prosodial remarks.	LSJ
Root form	root	The root form.	SEDRA3LEX
Surface text	surface	Text that is visible using default view settings; in interlinears, the top line using default view settings.	BDAG
Tag	tag	Tags for an image or media element.	Jastrow
Title	title	The title of an object, usually an image or media element.	Jastrow
Translation	translation	Listings of how an ancient language word is translated in other documents.	Enhanced Strong’s
Translation equivalent	transeq	Suggested translation equivalent of a Greek quotation.	BDAG

 

Only the lexicons have datatypes and search extensions of sufficient use to require documentation. The Headword entry applies to many encyclopedias, glossaries, and similar works.  It’s use is demonstrated below.

Lexicon Datatypes and their Extensions
Title	Values	Example	Extensions
Headword			{Headword Holy Spirit} {Headword greek:γλῶσσα}
Greek GK (Goodrick-Kohlenberger)	-	<GreekGK = GGK11>	{Milestone <GreekGK = GGK11>}
Hebrew GK (Goodrick-Kohlenberger)	-	<HebrewGK = HGK10010>	{Milestone <HebrewGK = HGK10010>}
DBL Aramaic	Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Aramaic	<DBLAramaic = DBLA 10010>	{Milestone <DBLAramaic = DBLA 10010>}
DBL Greek	Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek	<DBLGreek = DBLG 210>	{Milestone <DBLGreek = DBLG 210>}
DBL Hebrew	Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew	<DBLHebrew = DBLH 245>	{Milestone < DBLHebrew = DBLH 245>}
Strong’s Greek	Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon	<GreekStrongs = G12>	{Milestone <GreekStrongs = G12>}
Strong’s Hebrew	Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon	<HebrewStrongs = H104>	{Milestone <HebrewStrongs = H104>}
Gesenius	Gesenius’ Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scripture	<GeseniusLexicon = Gesenius Pg. 23, Col. B>	{Milestone <GeseniusLexicon = Gesenius Pg. 23, Col. B>}
Louw-Nida	Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains	<LouwNida = LN 12.12>	{Milestone <LouwNida = LN 12.12>}
Trench	Synonyms of the New Testament	<Trench = Trench, Syn. §li>	{Milestone <Trench = Trench, Syn. §li>}
Brown-Driver-Briggs	The Abridged Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew-English Lexicon of the Old Testament	<BrownDriverBriggs = BDB 4.2>	{Milestone <BrownDriverBriggs = BDB 4.2> }
Kittel	Theological Dictionary of the New Testament	<TDNT = TDNT Vol. 1, Pg. 9>	{Milestone <TDNT = TDNT Vol. 1, Pg. 9>}
	Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament	<TDOT = TDOT Vol. 1, Pg. 147>	{Milestone <TDOT = TDOT Vol. 1, Pg. 147>}
	Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament	<TWOT = TWOT No. 2560>	{Milestone <TWOT = TWOT No. 2560>}

 

Encyclopedia

Search fields

Search Fields for type:encyclopedia Resources
Field	Abbreviation	Definition	Example Encyclopedia
Author	author	The author of an article or other section in a book or journal.	20th Century Jewish Religious Thought
Copyright	copyright	Copyright information for an image or media element.	AYND
Credit	credit	Credit information for an image or media element.	AYBD
Description	description	The description of an object, usually an image or media element.	DBI
Footnote text	footnote	Text that appears in a footnote.	CBD
Heading text	heading	The text of book, chapter, and pericope headings	CBD
Large text	largetext	Large text.	CBD
Surface text	surface	Text that is visible using default view settings; in interlinears, the top line using default view settings	CBD
Tag	tag	Tags for an image or media element.	CPDC
Title	title	The title of an object, usually an image or media element.	CPDC

 

Manuals & Glossaries

Search fields

Search fields for Manuals and Glossaries
Field	Abbreviation	Definition	Example Manual or Glossary
Description	description	The description of an object, usually an image or media element.	Verbum Help
Footnote text	footnote	Text that appears in a footnote.	Biblia Hebraica Transcripta Glossary
Gloss text	gloss	In a dictionary or lexicon, a brief explanation or definition of a word or phrase.	Glossary to the Aramaic Inscriptions
Heading text	heading	The text of book, chapter, and pericope headings	The Lexham Cultural Ontology Glossary
Large text	largetext	Large text.	Biblia Hebraica Transcripta Glossary
Lemma text	Lemma text	lemma	Glossary to the Aramaic Inscriptions
Surface text	surface	Text that is visible using default view settings; in interlinears, the top line using default view settings	Biblia Hebraica Transcripta Glossary

 

Bible Search: Headword search

The Headword search is often a better choice than Large Text and Heading Text when one wishes to search for articles on a topic. Lexicons, encyclopedias, and most reference works have a Headword index. As an example of its use, I will play with the concept of incarnation as fundamental to Christmas … think of St. Athanasius’ On the Incarnation.

1. Set up a search panel for a Basic search on all resources.
2. Search for each of the common terms for the birth of Jesus:
   1. Birth of Jesus
   2. Christmas
   3. Nativity

1. I now have a list of 73 resources that have an article on Christmas, Birth of Jesus, or Nativity as determined by their headwords i.e. entry heading.
2. To see how many of them speak of the nativity in terms of Incarnation, use the intersect function and a text search term i.e., don’t depend on Verbum coding.

1. So, 18 of 73 resources used the term “incarnation”. What if I change the term to atonement?

1. Only 2 of 73 resources use the atonement terminology – both in reference to the Day of Atonement. So consider Redemption.

 

Switching examples, how many of the articles on baptism reference Mark 1:11?

Bible search: quirks – reference results

In general, the Bible search deals with the contents of the Bible rather than Bible references. However, citing inexperienced user expectations, Verbum violates this principle in two cases.

• The Preferred Bible section returning results when searched for Bible references.(1)
• Footnotes, which are not Bible text, being searched for Bible references. (2)

Relationship of Bible Context Menu datatypes to Important Passages Guide

This Guide is found under: Tools à Bible Reference Guides à Important Passages

The criteria for inclusion in this section is given in the documentation as Brannan, Rick. Important Passages: Dataset Documentation. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2018.:[quote]

Reasons

•  Commentaries: The reference occurs frequently in commentary discussion of the study passage.

•  Lexicons: Both references are frequently cited in lexicon articles discussing vocabulary common to both verses.

•  Shared Cultural Concepts: Both references analyzed sharing concepts in the Lexham Cultural Outlines, or Cultural Concepts.

•  Shared Topics: Both references share common biblical concepts analyzed by Logos Controlled Vocabulary (LCV), which is the organizing principle of the Factbook.

•  Bible Sense: Both references are analyzed sharing Bible Sense Lexicon analysis senses.

•  Shared People/PLaces/Things: Both references share common components (people, places, and things) analyzed by the BibleKnowledgebase.

•  New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Both references occur in a common entry in the New Testament Use of the Old Testament dataset.

•  Similar Commands: Both references are analyzed as containing similar types of commands.

•  Shared Miracles: Both references have some aspect of a Miracle in common.

•  Speaking To God: Both references share some common aspect in address to Deity.

•  Theophanies: Both references involve some aspect of a theophany.

•  Similar Questions: Both references are analyzed as containing similar types of questions.

•  Similar Sacrifices: Both references share some commonality regarding sacrifice.

•  Proverbs: Both references are analyzed as similar types of proverbs.

•  Parallel Passages: Both references occur in a common parallel text. This could involve synoptic gospels, or other sets of parallels (OT History, Jude-2 Peter, Pauline Parallels).

•  Shared Figurative Language: Both references involve common use of a particular type of figurative language.

•  Parables: Both references have some aspect of a Parable in common.

•  Shared Preaching Themes: Both references share a common preaching theme.^[1]

In chart form this yields:

Reason	Datatype	Label (also in Concordance)	Other
Non-Biblical sources
Commentaries			type:Bible commentary
Lexicons			type:lexicon
Parallel Passages			type:Bible harmony
Bible sources
New Testament Use of the Old Testament		{Label Intertext}
Proverbs		{Label Proverb}
Shared Biblical entity: People	<Person>
Shared Biblical entity: Places	<Place>
Shared Biblical entity: Things	<Thing>
Shared Cultural Concepts	<Culture>
Shared Figurative Language	<FigurativeLanguageCategory> <FigurativeLanguageType> <FigurativeLanguageTerm>	{Label Figurative Language}
Shared Miracles		{Label Miracle}
Shared Parables		{Label Parable}
Shared Preaching Themes	<PreachingTheme>
Shared Senses	<Sense>
Shared Topics	<Topic>
Similar Commands		{Label Command}
Similar Questions		{Label Question}
Similar Sacrifices		{Label Sacrifice}
Speaking to God		{Label Speech}
Theophanies		{Label Theophany}

 

“Locusts” in Mark 1:6 has been the example. Using the full verse as the example, the commentary passages selected according to the standard: “Commentaries: The reference occurs frequently in commentary discussion of the study passage.”

The figurative language passages selected according to the standard: “Both references involve common use of a particular type of figurative language.”

Aside: Featured resource: A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs

Bercot, David W., ed. A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998.

As Catholics, when thinking about anthologies of early church fathers, we tend to go automatically to Jurgens. There are other options. The editor of this work, David Bercot, was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, ordained as an Anglican, and now fellowships with the Anabaptists. This background provides a perspective quite different from Jurgen in excerpts that catch his attention. His organization is strictly alphabetical on terms that are easily recognized across denominational boundaries. Linkage to the original texts is supported.

Compare Bercot to the essential Jurgens: Jurgens, W. A., trans. The Faith of the Early Fathers. Vol. 1–3. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1970–1979. Note that the Jurgens excerpt numbers are not tagged as milestones. The texts are provided by authors organized by date. A doctrinal index is provided in the final volume.

An example of the Jurgens doctrinal index:

Also be aware of the Enchiridion Patristicum by Rouet de Jornel which has not yet been released by Verbum.

Finally, Jimmy Akin offers a volume based on the Schaff series: Akin, Jimmy. The Fathers Know Best: Your Essential Guide to the Teachings of the Early Church. San Diego, CA: Catholic Answers, 2010. This volume is organized by dogma but in more lay-friendly language. This provides a useful introduction to the material if you own none of the resources above. Or, perhaps, to be more precisely “if you use none of the resources above.” – owning gains you nothing it you don’t use the resource.

---

^[1] Rick Brannan, Important Passages: Dataset Documentation (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2018).

NB.Mick

MJ. Smith said:

Finally, Jimmy Akin offers a volume based on the Schaff series: Akin, Jimmy. The Fathers Know Best: Your Essential Guide to the Teachings of the Early Church. San Diego, CA: Catholic Answers, 2010.

Somehow, for this resource no link was given above - here it is: https://ref.ly/logosres/fathknowbest?ref=Page.p+3