Verbum Tip 5y: Bible Search – Context Menu Resources, Headword Search, Bible Search Quirks, Featured Resource

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MJ. Smith | Forum Activity | Posted: Tue, Feb 16 2021 12:11 AM

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Bible Search: Context Menu resource types

In the Look up sections for the various datatypes found in Bibles, the following resource types appeared frequently:

• Lexicons
• Encyclopedia (Bible dictionaries)
• Manuals & Glossaries (Faithlife documentation)
• We will look briefly at the Search fields and datatypes these resources use for a Basic Search

Lexicon

Search fields

Only the lexicons have datatypes and search extensions of sufficient use to require documentation. The Headword entry applies to many encyclopedias, glossaries, and similar works.  It’s use is demonstrated below.

Encyclopedia

Search fields

Manuals & Glossaries

Search fields

Bible Search: Headword search

The Headword search is often a better choice than Large Text and Heading Text when one wishes to search for articles on a topic. Lexicons, encyclopedias, and most reference works have a Headword index. As an example of its use, I will play with the concept of incarnation as fundamental to Christmas … think of St. Athanasius’ On the Incarnation.

1. Set up a search panel for a Basic search on all resources.
2. Search for each of the common terms for the birth of Jesus:
   1. Birth of Jesus
   2. Christmas
   3. Nativity

1. I now have a list of 73 resources that have an article on Christmas, Birth of Jesus, or Nativity as determined by their headwords i.e. entry heading.
2. To see how many of them speak of the nativity in terms of Incarnation, use the intersect function and a text search term i.e., don’t depend on Verbum coding.

1. So, 18 of 73 resources used the term “incarnation”. What if I change the term to atonement?

1. Only 2 of 73 resources use the atonement terminology – both in reference to the Day of Atonement. So consider Redemption.

Switching examples, how many of the articles on baptism reference Mark 1:11?

Bible search: quirks – reference results

In general, the Bible search deals with the contents of the Bible rather than Bible references. However, citing inexperienced user expectations, Verbum violates this principle in two cases.

• The Preferred Bible section returning results when searched for Bible references.(1)
• Footnotes, which are not Bible text, being searched for Bible references. (2)

Relationship of Bible Context Menu datatypes to Important Passages Guide

This Guide is found under: Tools à Bible Reference Guides à Important Passages

The criteria for inclusion in this section is given in the documentation as Brannan, Rick. Important Passages: Dataset Documentation. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2018.:

Reasons

•  Commentaries: The reference occurs frequently in commentary discussion of the study passage.

•  Lexicons: Both references are frequently cited in lexicon articles discussing vocabulary common to both verses.

•  Shared Cultural Concepts: Both references analyzed sharing concepts in the Lexham Cultural Outlines, or Cultural Concepts.

•  Shared Topics: Both references share common biblical concepts analyzed by Logos Controlled Vocabulary (LCV), which is the organizing principle of the Factbook.

•  Bible Sense: Both references are analyzed sharing Bible Sense Lexicon analysis senses.

•  Shared People/PLaces/Things: Both references share common components (people, places, and things) analyzed by the BibleKnowledgebase.

•  New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Both references occur in a common entry in the New Testament Use of the Old Testament dataset.

•  Similar Commands: Both references are analyzed as containing similar types of commands.

•  Shared Miracles: Both references have some aspect of a Miracle in common.

•  Speaking To God: Both references share some common aspect in address to Deity.

•  Theophanies: Both references involve some aspect of a theophany.

•  Similar Questions: Both references are analyzed as containing similar types of questions.

•  Similar Sacrifices: Both references share some commonality regarding sacrifice.

•  Proverbs: Both references are analyzed as similar types of proverbs.

•  Parallel Passages: Both references occur in a common parallel text. This could involve synoptic gospels, or other sets of parallels (OT History, Jude-2 Peter, Pauline Parallels).

•  Shared Figurative Language: Both references involve common use of a particular type of figurative language.

•  Parables: Both references have some aspect of a Parable in common.

•  Shared Preaching Themes: Both references share a common preaching theme.^[1]

“Locusts” in Mark 1:6 has been the example. Using the full verse as the example, the commentary passages selected according to the standard: “Commentaries: The reference occurs frequently in commentary discussion of the study passage.”

The figurative language passages selected according to the standard: “Both references involve common use of a particular type of figurative language.”

Aside: Featured resource: A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs

Bercot, David W., ed. A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998.

As Catholics, when thinking about anthologies of early church fathers, we tend to go automatically to Jurgens. There are other options. The editor of this work, David Bercot, was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, ordained as an Anglican, and now fellowships with the Anabaptists. This background provides a perspective quite different from Jurgen in excerpts that catch his attention. His organization is strictly alphabetical on terms that are easily recognized across denominational boundaries. Linkage to the original texts is supported.

Compare Bercot to the essential Jurgens: Jurgens, W. A., trans. The Faith of the Early Fathers. Vol. 1–3. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1970–1979. Note that the Jurgens excerpt numbers are not tagged as milestones. The texts are provided by authors organized by date. A doctrinal index is provided in the final volume.

An example of the Jurgens doctrinal index:

Also be aware of the Enchiridion Patristicum by Rouet de Jornel which has not yet been released by Verbum.

Finally, Jimmy Akin offers a volume based on the Schaff series: Akin, Jimmy. The Fathers Know Best: Your Essential Guide to the Teachings of the Early Church. San Diego, CA: Catholic Answers, 2010. This volume is organized by dogma but in more lay-friendly language. This provides a useful introduction to the material if you own none of the resources above. Or, perhaps, to be more precisely “if you use none of the resources above.” – owning gains you nothing it you don’t use the resource.

^[1] Rick Brannan, Important Passages: Dataset Documentation (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2018).