Verbum Tip 4bl: Label: Additional information, Background, Canon, Content, Form, Meaning, Objects, O

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Label: Additional information, Background, Canon, Content, Form, Meaning, Objects, Origin

Yes, we have introduced these labels under the Bible books facets. But we didn’t explore the details.

Dataset

Not identified

Documentation

• Parks, Jessica, and Sean Boisen. 2015. Bible Book Guide Dataset Documentation. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife. at least for Factbook.^[1]

Data

From dataset documentation:

[quote]Information from the Bible Book Guide Dataset is grouped into different categories which each have their own subcategories.

•  Events - Important events that take place in or are referenced to a writing.

•  A writing like the Gospel of John lists events that occur within the book’s narrative (e.g., Jesus calls the first disciples in John 1:35–40)

•  A writing like the Epistle to the Romans lists events that are referenced by the writing. For example, Paul refers to God’s covenant with Abraham in his letter to the Romans (chapters 4 and 9) so the Bible Book Guide for Romans lists ‘God makes a covenant with Abram’ from Genesis 15:1–21 as a key event.

•  Content

•  Overview - The basic information about a writing.

•  Outline - The essential features a writing’s content.

•  Contents - A summary of a writing’s content.

•  Origin

•  Authorship - The author(s) of a writing.

•  Date - The date a writing was written.

•  Purpose - The reason a writing was written.

•  Background

•  Historical Context - The historical circumstances in which a writing was written or the events in a writing were described.

•  Recipients - The person or group to whom a writing was written.

•  Location - The location from which a writing was written.

•  Objects

•  Key Figures - The significant characteristics of the people who are related to or act in a writing.

•  Geography - The location of the events and actions in a writing.

•  Canon

•  Relationship - Comparisons between a writing and others in the Bible.

•  Placement - The significance of the material in a writing in its relation to material in other writings.

•  Canonicity - How are why a writing is included in the Bible.

•  Historicity - The historical or factual claims made in or by a writing.

•  Authenticity - Issues relating to the authenticity of a writing in terms of authorship and canonicity.

•  Form

•  Composition - The source of the material in a writing.

•  Unity - The quality of literary unity in a writing.

•  Text - The quality of the manuscripts of a writing.

•  Title - Information relating to the title of a writing.

•  Style - The literary elements and techniques that characterize a writing.

•  Structure - The literary divisions of a writing.

•  Meaning

•  Theme - The overarching meaning found in a writing (e.g., holiness, faith, etc.)

•  Emphases - Topics or ideas emphasized in a writing.

•  Interpretation - The ways readers today determine meaning from a writing.

•  Message - The message or implications of a writing.

•  Theology - Theological topics presented or developed in a writing.

•  Significance - The impact of a writing on its audience.

•  Spiritual Content - The devotional application of a writing.^[2]

 

]

From Verbum Help:

[quote]Bible Books Supplemental Dataset

The Bible Books Supplemental Dataset delivers several labels. These labels are applied to books throughout the library, and are used to populate the Bible Book Guides section in the Factbook.

•     Additional Information — Populates the See Also section.

•     Background — Situation, social & historical context of the book.

•     Canon — Canonicity (reception throughout church history), historicity, and authenticity of the book.

•     Content — Is high-level discussions of the material in the book.

•     Form — Is unity, composition, style, and structure of the book.

•     Meaning — Is theme, emphasis, interpretation, theology, and message of the book.

•     Objects — Is geography and key figures.

•     Origin — Is authorship, date, and purpose.

These labels all support two properties:

•     Reference ~ <Bible ...> — Bible data type reference specifying the Bible book under discussion.

•     Subcategory ~ <BookGuideComment ...> — Is the Bible Book category and sub-category that the text belongs to.

For example:

•     {Label Origin WHERE Reference ~ <Bible Deuteronomy>}

•     {Label Meaning WHERE Reference ~ <Bible Php>}^[3]

The easiest way to understand this Factbook-oriented data is to run searches and observe the results.

Additional Information

• {Label Additional Information WHERE Reference ~ <1 Pe> AND Subcategory ~ "Bibliography"}
• {Label BookGuide WHERE Comment ~ <BookGuideComment Book Guide Comment 80 810> AND Reference ~ <1 Pe>}

In Factbook this generates

Background

• {Label Background WHERE Reference ~ <1 Pe> AND Subcategory ~ "Recipients"}
• {Label BookGuide WHERE Comment ~ <BookGuideComment Book Guide Comment 30 320> AND Reference ~ <1 Pe>}

Documented subcategories:

• Historical Context - The historical circumstances in which a writing was written or the events in a writing were described.
• Recipients - The person or group to whom a writing was written.
• Location - The location from which a writing was written.

 

Search limited by subcategories:

Limited to recipients

Limited to historical context

Limited to location

In Factbook this generates

Canon

• {Label Canon WHERE Reference ~ <1 Pe> AND Subcategory ~ "Authenticity"}
• {Label BookGuide WHERE Comment ~ <BookGuideComment Book Guide Comment 50 550> AND Reference ~ <1 Pe>}

Documented subcategories

• Relationship - Comparisons between a writing and others in the Bible.
• Placement - The significance of the material in a writing in its relation to material in other writings.
• Canonicity - How are why a writing is included in the Bible.
• Historicity - The historical or factual claims made in or by a writing.
• Authenticity - Issues relating to the authenticity of a writing in terms of authorship and canonicity.

In Factbook this generates

Content

• {Label Content WHERE Reference ~ <1 Ch> AND Subcategory ~ "Outline"}
• {Label Content WHERE Reference ~ <2 Ch> AND Subcategory ~ "Outline"}
• {Label BookGuide WHERE Comment ~ <BookGuideComment Book Guide Comment 10 120> AND Reference ~ <1 Ch>}

Note the need to add a second label to handle the second book of Chronicles.

Documented subcategories

• Overview - The basic information about a writing.
• Outline - The essential features a writing’s content.
• Contents - A summary of a writing’s content.

 

Note the overlap between the Bible Outline label and the Label Content with an outline subcategory. See Data bug/inconsistency re: outlines - Faithlife Forums (logos.com)

 

In Factbook this generates

Events

The search is empty.

Form

• {Label Form WHERE Reference ~ <1 Ch> AND Subcategory ~ "Style"}
• {Label Form WHERE Reference ~ <2 Ch> AND Subcategory ~ "Style"}
• {Label BookGuide WHERE Comment ~ <BookGuideComment Book Guide Comment 60 650> AND Reference ~ <1 Ch>}

Documented subcategories

• Composition - The source of the material in a writing.
• Unity - The quality of literary unity in a writing.
• Text - The quality of the manuscripts of a writing.
• Title - Information relating to the title of a writing.
• Style - The literary elements and techniques that characterize a writing.
• Structure - The literary divisions of a writing.

 

In Factbook this generates

Meaning

• {Label Meaning WHERE Reference ~ <1 Ch> AND Subcategory ~ "Theology"}
• {Label Meaning WHERE Reference ~ <2 Ch> AND Subcategory ~ "Theology"}
• {Label BookGuide WHERE Comment ~ <BookGuideComment Book Guide Comment 70 750> AND Reference ~ <1 Ch>}

Documented subcategories

• Theme - The overarching meaning found in a writing (e.g., holiness, faith, etc.)
• Emphases - Topics or ideas emphasized in a writing.
• Interpretation - The ways readers today determine meaning from a writing.
• Message - The message or implications of a writing.
• Theology - Theological topics presented or developed in a writing.
• Significance - The impact of a writing on its audience.
• Spiritual Content - The devotional application of a writing.

 

In Factbook this generates

Objects

• {Label Objects WHERE Reference ~ <1 Th> AND Subcategory ~ "Geography"}
• {Label Objects WHERE Reference ~ <2 Th> AND Subcategory ~ "Geography"}
• {Label BookGuide WHERE Comment ~ <BookGuideComment Book Guide Comment 40 410> AND Reference ~ <1 Th>}

Documented subcategories

• Key Figures - The significant characteristics of the people who are related to or act in a writing.
• Geography - The location of the events and actions in a writing.

 

In Factbook this generates

Origin

• {Label Origin WHERE Reference ~ <1 Pe> AND Subcategory ~ "Date"}
• {Label BookGuide WHERE Comment ~ <BookGuideComment Book Guide Comment 20 220> AND Reference ~ <1 Pe>}

Documented subcategories

• Authorship - The author(s) of a writing.
• Date - The date a writing was written.
• Purpose - The reason a writing was written.

 

In Factbook this generates

Information tool and Context Menu

The Information tool and Context Menu display the expected information.

Issues

In each section, consider the effect of the underlying prepositions that are being given priority. If they reflect a theological bias rather than academic consensus, one may wish to promote the ability of the user to assign these labels and have them appear in the Bible Book Guide of Factbook.

There are common elements such as manuscript history that are missing from the Bible Book Guide. One may wish to promote the addition of the material.

One can easily argue that there are books beyond the Bible canon that should receive equivalent treatment e.g. books included in the Hermeneia series such as 1 Enoch, Q, Gospel of Thomas, Fourth Ezra, Jubilees, Shepherd of Hermas . . .

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^[1] MJ Smith, Verbum Tips through Data and Search, n.d.

^[2] Jessica Parks and Sean Boisen, Bible Book Guide Dataset Documentation (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2015).

^[3] Verbum Help (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2018).