Scope of Ancient Literature

Lew Worthington

Greetings!

I'm just trying to get a sense of the way the "Ancient Literature" tool works. I pulled up Romans 13:1 in the passage guide ("Let every person be subject to the governing authorities...") and hoped to see some reference from Plato's republic, which seems relevant to the topic. I could conceive a world in which both the verse and the philosopher's work might have been tagged with similar topics.

Well, that was my hope, but I didn't expect it because I suspected Plato (and my gazillion other ancient texts) may not be tagged with the right stuff or that it might not be included in the data set. And I understand that because there are possibly too many ancient texts to prepare all of them for the Ancient Literature tool.

So my general question is how something qualifies for showing up in the tool. More specifically, is there a list of works that might show up in the Ancient Literature tool?

Thanks!

Rick Brannan (Logos)

So my general question is how something qualifies for showing up in the tool. More specifically, is there a list of works that might show up in the Ancient Literature tool?

Hi Lew.

We do not have classical works integrated at this point, the focus is on works that are cognate or contemporary with the Bible. The involved works are, basically:

• Ancient Near-Eastern Literature: So, stuff like Ancient Near Eastern Texts (ANET), Context of Scripture (COS), Amarna Letters, titles in the Ugaritic collection, and some others. References here are primarily topical in nature.
• Apostolic Fathers: The subset of early Christian literature, including 1&2 Clement, Letters of Ignatius, Polycarp to the Philippians, Martyrdom of Polycarp, Epistle of Barnabas, Didache, Epistle to Diognetus, Shepherd of Hermas. (Don't think I forgot anything, but I am human).
• Church Fathers: Wider writings of Church Fathers, specifically material found in Schaff's Ante-Nicene, Nicene, and Post-Nicene Fathers set (aka ECF) as well as material in the Fathers of the Church series (aka FOTC).
• Dead Sea Scrolls Sectarian Material: The sectarian portions of the DSS stuff, not the Biblical portions.
• Judaica: Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds, Mishnah, Pesikta, Mekhilta. Maybe a few more.
• Nag Hammadi Codices: Writings found at Nag Hammadi
• New Testament Apocrypha: James' NT Apocrypha, also Greek Apocryphal Gospels, Fragments, and Agrapha
• Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: Charles' edition as well as Charlesworth's edition
• Works of Josephus
• Works of Philo

That's the list for now.