Caiaphas and Reckoning

Caiaphas pushes the members of the Sanhedrin to undertake some "reckoning," and the gospel encourages its readers to do the same. I did a word study but cannot determine the underlying meaning. What is the meaning of this counting in the text? With such aspect of the gospel's perspective, many Jews and Greeks would concur. Caiaphas, the high priest to whom Jesus was carried, highlights Rome's dominant position in the power structure. What does this indicate for the New Testament social world?

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Christian Alexander

I searched the following

Caiaphas AND Reckoning

Caiaphas NEAR Gospel

DMB

I didn't bother with this post, since like a lot of Biblical scholars, there's a series of unsupported statements, followed by an implied conclusion.

- 'Reckoning' is an english word; the greek has a broader usage; but more importantly, if you think John wrote John, you'd need to look at aramaic/cultural usage (especially given the Sanhedran).

- Gospels don't encourange; maybe authors do, but you'd have to demonstrate it

- How do you know many jews and greeks would concur?

- Why do you think Caiaphas necessarily highlights Rome's power? Is the high priest position/power any different before Rome?

And BTW, given your greek familiarity, how did you not dig into the greek for reckoning? Did you do a BWS on the greek? I'm confused.

DMB

I did track back, just to see if the greek > syriac and then backwards to aramaic would narrow the possible usage. Below lists the usage; 'Palestinian' is aramaic, various sources

Christian Alexander

Yes I did a Greek word study on reckoning. It was very broad. Despite the fact that the Jewish nobility suffered terribly under Herod, Rome committed the everyday governance of the kingdom to these individuals, with the high priest at their head. It is vital to recognize that the high priestly post had both "religious" and "political" components. Religiously, the high priest was the spokesman for all Jews, the intermediary between God and mankind, and the leader of the Jerusalem temple. This magnificent structure was the holiest location in Israel, the center of national dreams, and a sign of God's election of the Jewish people. Offerings in the temple elicited mercy and forgiveness while also ensuring the continuation of order not only in Israel, but across the world. The high priests were Sadducees. Like other rulers throughout the Greco-Roman world, Caiaphas as high priest would have relied on the advice and support of informal and fluid networks of powerful clergy and aristocratic lay men in his administration of Judea (see Mark 15:1: “the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council.”). Exactly how formal and structured was this consultative council continues to be openly debated. For example, it is not at all clear the level of jurisdiction this council had in capital cases. I hope this helps clarify my position. I read Horsley, R. (1986). High priests and the politics of Roman Palestine. Journal for the Study of Judaism, 17(1), 23-55.

MJ. Smith

Yes I did a Greek word study on reckoning

Did you do a lay Bible study level word study or a master's level linguistic word study? An example of the former: Doing a Word Study - Trinity College (utoronto.ca). My expectations: in addition to what is covered in Perseus_4_Investigating_words_with_the_Word_Study_Tool.pdf (kosmossociety.org) I would expect to see:

decomposition of the word into its constituent parts i.e. morphemes/sememes
etymology including changes to meaning
analysis of definitions
cognates in related languages
word-net/-nyms chart of related words/concepts
distinctives for homoglyphs/multiple senses
use in multi-word lexical units

The Perseus site years ago included a 3-4 page form for word studies that included most of my additions.

Gemini/Bard provides the following list of data items collected by a lexicographer: [quote]

Here are some of the key data points they typically collect:

Written form: This includes the different spellings and inflections of the word, considering factors like plurals, conjugations, and variations across dialects.
Pronunciation: This involves recording the phonetics of the word, including its stress patterns and sounds.
Part of speech: This refers to the grammatical function of the word, such as noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.
Definition: This is a clear and concise explanation of the word's meaning.
Etymology: This explores the origin and history of the word, tracing its development and evolution over time.
Examples: Lexicographers use sentences to illustrate how the word is used in real-world contexts and demonstrate its meaning in different situations.
Synonyms: These are words with similar meanings that can provide additional context and understanding.
Antonyms: Words with opposite meanings can also be helpful for comprehensive understanding and defining the nuances of the new word.
Register: This refers to the level of formality associated with the word, indicating whether it's appropriate for formal contexts, informal settings, slang use, or specialized domains.
Domain: This specifies the field or area where the word is typically used, such as medicine, law, technology, or a particular industry.
Label: This provides descriptive information about the word's status, such as whether it's considered obsolete, archaic, neologism (newly coined word), or has other relevant labels.

there are a few additional elements they might consider depending on the specific word and dictionary:

Frequency of use: This involves analyzing how often the word appears in various sources to gauge its widespread usage and establish its level of acceptance within the language.
Citations: Lexicographers often document the sources where they encounter the word, such as specific books, articles, or websites. This helps to verify the word's usage and provides evidence for its inclusion in the dictionary.
Regional variations: If the word is primarily used in a specific region or dialect, lexicographers might note this information to capture the geographical range of its usage.
Cultural context: In some cases, the meaning or usage of a word might be heavily influenced by cultural context. Lexicographers might consider this aspect to ensure the definition accurately reflects the word's meaning within its specific cultural sphere.

Or ChatGPT's list:

[quote]

This data often includes:

Evidence of usage: Lexicographers gather examples of the word being used in written and spoken language across different contexts, including literature, journalism, academic texts, social media, and everyday conversation.
Frequency of usage: They assess how frequently the word is used in various sources to determine its significance and relevance for inclusion in the dictionary.
Variants and forms: They identify different forms and variants of the word, such as different spellings, inflections, and meanings, to provide comprehensive coverage in the dictionary entry.
Etymology: Lexicographers research the word's origin, history, and development over time, including its roots, borrowings, and semantic shifts.
Definition and meaning: They analyze the word's meaning(s) and its nuances, considering different senses and connotations, to provide clear and accurate definitions in the dictionary entry.
Usage notes: They may include information on the word's register, context, regional variations, and stylistic considerations to guide users on its appropriate use.
Citations: Lexicographers document their findings with citations, providing examples of the word in context to illustrate its usage and support their definitions and explanations.

To look at words as a philologist rather than a lexicographer, Gemini/Bard offers the following. Note that philology has a strong history of use in Biblical studies. This is the view you must have in mind when reading some of the older "technical" commentaries.

[quote]

here's what a philologist typically gathers for a word study:

Historical Data:

Diachronic evidence: This refers to historical records and texts where the word appears across different time periods. This helps trace the word's evolution, usage patterns, and meaning changes over time. Philologists might analyze manuscripts, inscriptions, literary works, and other historical documents.
Etymology: Similar to lexicographers, philologists delve into the origin and history of the word, investigating its roots, ancestral forms, and potential influences from other languages. This might involve comparative linguistics techniques to identify connections with related languages.
Sound changes: Philologists often investigate sound shifts and how pronunciation has evolved over time, connecting the word's current form to its historical pronunciation.

Linguistic Data:

Morphology: This involves analyzing the word's structure, including prefixes, suffixes, and root elements. Philologists study how these elements contribute to the word's meaning and how they may have changed throughout history.
Syntax: The word's usage within sentences and its relationship with other words is also crucial. Philologists analyze sentence structures, grammatical roles, and how the word interacts with other elements to convey meaning.
Semantics: Understanding the meaning of the word in different contexts is important. Philologists might examine how the word's meaning has evolved, considering its various connotations, denotations, and nuances across different historical and cultural contexts.

Comparative Data:

Cognates: Philologists identify words in other languages that share a common ancestor with the word under study. Analyzing these cognates helps reconstruct the word's historical form and shed light on its development.
Related languages: Comparing the word to its counterparts in related languages can provide insights into its historical development and sound changes. This comparative approach helps understand the word's evolution within the broader language family.

For a more generic linguistic word study

[quote]

While lexicographers and philologists have specific focuses, linguists, who study the overall structure, function, and development of language, can encompass a broader range of data for a word study depending on their research question:

Core Data:

Form: This includes the word's written and spoken forms, analyzing its spelling, pronunciation, and potential variations across dialects or registers.
Meaning: Understanding the word's meaning in different contexts is crucial. Linguists might examine its denotation, connotation, and nuances, considering how these vary depending on the situation and context.
Function: They analyze how the word is used in sentences, focusing on its grammatical role and its contribution to conveying meaning within the sentence structure.
Usage: Linguists might collect data on the frequency of the word's use in various contexts, such as spoken language, written text, or specific domains. They might also consider regional variations and the word's association with specific social groups or demographics.

Additional Data (depending on research question):

Cognitive aspects: This could involve investigating how the word is processed in the human brain, including its mental representation, association with other concepts, and its role in language acquisition.
Sociolinguistic aspects: Linguists may study how the use of the word is influenced by social factors like gender, age, ethnicity, or social class. They might analyze how the word reflects or reinforces societal norms and power dynamics.
Diachronic analysis: Similar to philologists, linguists might consider the word's historical development and trace its evolution over time, but their focus might be broader, encompassing not just the individual word but also its connection to broader language changes and historical contexts.
Comparisons: Linguists might compare the word to similar words in the same language or even across different languages to understand its unique characteristics, semantic nuances, and functional differences.

Or if I simply ask for a comprehensive list of attributes of a word

[quote]

here's a breakdown of various attributes that can define a word:

Core properties:

Form:
- Spelling: The specific sequence of letters forming the word (e.g., "book").
- Pronunciation: The way the word is spoken.
- Syllabification: The division of the word into syllables (e.g., "book" has one syllable).
Meaning:
- Denotation: The literal, dictionary definition of the word (e.g., "book" refers to a bound collection of pages with writing or pictures).
- Connotation: The emotional or associative meanings beyond the literal definition (e.g., "book" can also imply knowledge, wisdom, or escapism).
Grammatical properties:
- Part of speech: The category a word belongs to (e.g., noun, verb, adjective, etc.).
- Inflection: Modifications made to the word to indicate tense, plurality, etc. (e.g., "book" vs. "books").
- Syntax: How the word functions within a sentence and interacts with other words.

Additional attributes:

Frequency: How often a word appears in a language.
Register: The level of formality associated with the word (e.g., "formal," "informal," "slang").
Origin and etymology: The history and source of the word.
Collocations: Words that typically appear together with the target word (e.g., "open book").
Style and tone: The emotional impact and feeling conveyed by the word.
Cultural references and associations: Meanings or connections specific to a particular culture or context.

Furthermore, words can be further categorized based on:

Semantic relationships: synonyms, antonyms, hyponyms (more specific words), hypernyms (more general words).
Derivational relationships: words formed from a common root (e.g., "happy," "happiness," "happily").

Remember, this is not an exhaustive list, and the specific attributes relevant to a word will depend on the context and purpose of analysis.

or if you wish to consider languages & computers:

[quote]

In computational linguistics, various attributes of words are commonly used for analysis and processing. Some of the most frequently utilized attributes include:

Morphological Attributes: These pertain to the structure of words, such as prefixes, suffixes, roots, and stems.
Part-of-Speech (POS) Tags: Assigning words to their grammatical categories (e.g., noun, verb, adjective) is essential for many natural language processing tasks.
Word Frequency: The occurrence of words in a corpus or dataset, which is often utilized for tasks like information retrieval, text summarization, and statistical language modeling.
Word Embeddings: Representations of words in vector space, which capture semantic relationships and are used in various NLP tasks such as word similarity, document classification, and machine translation.
Syntactic Attributes: Descriptive features related to the syntax of words, including their role in phrases or sentences, syntactic dependencies, and grammatical relations.
Semantic Attributes: Characteristics related to the meaning of words, including word sense disambiguation, semantic similarity, and semantic role labeling.
Contextual Information: Attributes that capture the context in which a word appears, including co-occurrence statistics, contextual embeddings, and discourse analysis.
Lexical Resources: Databases or collections providing information about words, such as dictionaries, thesauri, and ontologies, which are often utilized for tasks like named entity recognition and sentiment analysis.

These attributes are fundamental in computational linguistics for tasks ranging from basic text processing to more complex natural language understanding and generation.