In principle, this sounds like a good idea, but it might prove harder to implement in practice. A couple of problems are likely.
1. Individuals are likely to have several different ethnic/cultural identities. Note the concept of the nation-state is a modern one.
For example, St Paul was:
• a Jew
• a Cilician, from Tarsus in the province of Cilicia in the region of Asia Minor (modern Turkey)
• a Roman citizen
• a Greek speaker from a culturally Greek region
• of the tribe of Benjamin
• educated in Jerusalem capital of Judea, part of the exarchy of Herod Archelaus (until it was subject to direct Roman rule)
2. For many individuals, the cultural identity is unknown or contested.
For example, while we know that Simon of Cyrene is from North Africa is he a Jew or Gentile? Is he a Roman citizen or not? These questions have generated different views.
Ethnicity or Nationality Tagging
Peter Agboola
Member Posts: 23 ✭✭
Please kindly add ethnicity or nationality tags to every individual mentioned in the Bible. It could help in doing certain research and could speed up Bible understanding and interpretation somehow.
Tagged:
3
Comments
-
Ths is a good idea. SOmetimes hard to remember who is part of what nation or ethnicity. Great help for those just starting to study the Bible.0
-
I also think this would be handy. I wonder what it would look like in an interactive like the Psalms Explorer. I think that would be awesome!0
-
In principle, this sounds like a good idea, but it might prove harder to implement in practice. A couple of problems are likely.
1. Individuals are likely to have several different ethnic/cultural identities. Note the concept of the nation-state is a modern one.
For example, St Paul was:
• a Jew
• a Cilician, from Tarsus in the province of Cilicia in the region of Asia Minor (modern Turkey)
• a Roman citizen
• a Greek speaker from a culturally Greek region
• of the tribe of Benjamin
• educated in Jerusalem capital of Judea, part of the exarchy of Herod Archelaus (until it was subject to direct Roman rule)
2. For many individuals, the cultural identity is unknown or contested.
For example, while we know that Simon of Cyrene is from North Africa is he a Jew or Gentile? Is he a Roman citizen or not? These questions have generated different views.0 -
@Martin Dunn A few Bible characters like Paul have multiple nationalities but it isn't a common thing in Scripture. Such individuals can properly be given multiple nationality tags. It would still help clarify the passage. However most characters in the Bible have only one ethnicity. Ethnicity goes a long way in providing us with background cultural links to a passage and therefore such information should always be clear before us as we read the Scriptures. It is for pushing this information to the foreground that I recommended the inclusion of this feature in Logos.0