Biblical person character guide
MJ. Smith
MVP Posts: 54,559 
When reading Bible stories, most of us add to the text remembering details from the stories as we heard them not as the story appears in a particular text. This guide is intended to (1) keep the original analysis strictly on the text and then (2) to see where the other elements of our understanding come from.
Yes, this will require a bit of tagging and expansion of the LCV/Factbook but most of the data is available.
1. Timeline - proposed dates for the person with link to relevant timeline
2, Atlas - all locations explicitly related to events involving the person - linked in chronological order
3. Social network - not currently available so a genealogy chart may be the best current data
4. Information provided by explicit description - references to adjectives and adjectival phrases modifying the individual (at clause level)
5. Information provided by the actions of the individual - individual's semantic role and verb (at the clause level) a stimulus/response chart would be apropros but the data is not available
6. Information provided by the actions of others towards the individual - same information available as for 5 but here the emphasis is on what others' actions involving the individual tells us about them
7. Information provided by the speech or writings of the individual - as these can be very long this is a simple list of references
8. Information provided by retelling or referring to the person - again, a simple list of references
9. Information provided by semi- or pseudo- scripture in the following divisions
- references from books included in some current canon but not in the users
- references from books that have at some time been included in a canon but are not now in any canon
- references from books that considered Gnostic material
- references from other apocryphal/pseudepigrapha material
10. Information that reflects the cultural milieu of the individual ... usually recorded much later:
- Jewish legendary references e.g. Ginzberg, Louis, Henrietta Szold, and Paul Radin. Legends of the Jews. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2003.
- references from the Talmud
- references from the Quran
11. Visual art representations of the individual (select media)
12. Literary art representations e.g. links to Jeffrey, David L. A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1992.
Yes, this will require a bit of tagging and expansion of the LCV/Factbook but most of the data is available.
1. Timeline - proposed dates for the person with link to relevant timeline
2, Atlas - all locations explicitly related to events involving the person - linked in chronological order
3. Social network - not currently available so a genealogy chart may be the best current data
4. Information provided by explicit description - references to adjectives and adjectival phrases modifying the individual (at clause level)
5. Information provided by the actions of the individual - individual's semantic role and verb (at the clause level) a stimulus/response chart would be apropros but the data is not available
6. Information provided by the actions of others towards the individual - same information available as for 5 but here the emphasis is on what others' actions involving the individual tells us about them
7. Information provided by the speech or writings of the individual - as these can be very long this is a simple list of references
8. Information provided by retelling or referring to the person - again, a simple list of references
9. Information provided by semi- or pseudo- scripture in the following divisions
- references from books included in some current canon but not in the users
- references from books that have at some time been included in a canon but are not now in any canon
- references from books that considered Gnostic material
- references from other apocryphal/pseudepigrapha material
10. Information that reflects the cultural milieu of the individual ... usually recorded much later:
- Jewish legendary references e.g. Ginzberg, Louis, Henrietta Szold, and Paul Radin. Legends of the Jews. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2003.
- references from the Talmud
- references from the Quran
11. Visual art representations of the individual (select media)
12. Literary art representations e.g. links to Jeffrey, David L. A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1992.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
Tagged:
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Comments
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I see these as suggestions for expanding the Factbook page for individuals. Do you see it differently?0
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@sean-boisen-11 I think of Factbook as a place to get information and the Guides as a place to get data for me to research and turn into information. Or, if you prefer, Factbook is provided to me as a complete publication while the Guides consist of a series of pieces that I string together in a workflow. Yes, it would be helpful to add some of the information to the Factbook but I have trouble seeing how to transform that into input for a step in a workflow.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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@sean-boisen-11 Did my wording perhaps confuse you? For example, in "5. Information provided by the actions of the individual - individual's semantic role and verb (at the clause level) a stimulus/response chart would be apropros but the data is not available" I am expecting the Guide to provide me with the semantic role and verb; I have to convert that into what, if anything, that tells me about the character of the Biblical person. And, no, I don't want the system providing me with its opinion.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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I would love to see the Timeline features expanded with more details on Biblical characters. For example, we could enter "Timothy" and get a more detailed list of events - "Converted under Paul's ministry in Lystra", "Joins Paul's second missionary journey", "Travels to Macedonia", "Stays in Berea to build up the church", "Rejoins Paul in Athens", etc.0
