Ancient Texts

[RobM]

I would like to see more ancient texts made available, especially for OT studies. I do like that Accordance has been adding a lot of English based texts. But I would like to see more in the ancient text department (though I DO NOT want to minimize the large quantity of work that has already been done in this area!). There is such a wealth of texts out there in numerous languages. Here are some I would like to eventually see make it into Accordance:

 

1) Syriac Peshitta (OT; I know Leiden hasn't released their text yet... maybe we should try appealing to them directly as users... does anyone know a good email address to which one could send such a request?)

 

2) Manuscripts that are cited in BHS and BHQ (e.g., non-MT Hebrew manuscripts, Symmachus, Aquila, Theodotian)

 

3) Collections of texts from, for example, CAL. Has there been any effort to partner with them and their vast databases to add more texts to the far superior Accordance search engine? I know there are some texts from them in Accordance already (the Targums), why not get some more? For example, Ephrem's commentaries on Genesis and Exodus, Ephrem on the Diatesseron (for NT studies), Aphrahat's demonstrations, etc. (for those who don't know what/where CAL is: http://cal1.cn.huc.edu/)

 

4) Akkadian texts (in transliteration, unless there is a way to do it in cuneiform [i have no idea how much work that would take!]) like Hammurapi and other law collections.

 

5) Could there be an effort to begin to get the texts from COS into searchable transliteration (for example)?

 

This of course is just a basic list of the top of my head. Other equally relevant texts for OT studies could be added. But I would love to see more of these for Accordance.

 

Are any of these texts already on the agenda?

[jpkang]

I agree and have long thought that all of these would be great to have in Accordance format, especially the vast corpus of Akkadian texts. And think of the possibilities if we could have even a basic tagged Ugaritic corpus! So I would like to see more comparative Semitic material, especially reference grammars and lexical works, for all of these languages (ultimately, it would be great to have the most important branches of the Semitic family tree well-represented). Getting there won't be easy, though, due not in small part to the complexities of publishing (several of whom I've inquired personally about interest in getting their material into an electronic format--old habits are hard to change!).

 

Several things that make me hopeful, though, are the fact that so many biblical scholars who specialize in comparative linguistic and historical philological work already use and trust Accordance (and are in some cases the editors responsible for critical editions of these texts, e.g., the Qumran biblical and sectarian texts and the Samaritan Pentateuch) and the fact that OakTree appears to enjoy generally excellent relationships with publishers (if SBL is any indication). Scholarship that is produced in reliance on Accordance (e.g., my dissertation) will probably increasingly find Accordance a critical venue for further research and refinement (cf. the HCSB).

 

If readers of this blog have special connections to scholars and/or publishers, encouraging them to consider making their material available to the growing and diverse worldwide community of Accordance users would certainly be welcome!

[Harry Hoffner]

I would like to see more ancient texts made available, especially for OT studies. I do like that Accordance has been adding a lot of English based texts. But I would like to see more in the ancient text department (though I DO NOT want to minimize the large quantity of work that has already been done in this area!). There is such a wealth of texts out there in numerous languages. Here are some I would like to eventually see make it into Accordance:

 

1) Syriac Peshitta (OT; I know Leiden hasn't released their text yet... maybe we should try appealing to them directly as users... does anyone know a good email address to which one could send such a request?)

 

2) Manuscripts that are cited in BHS and BHQ (e.g., non-MT Hebrew manuscripts, Symmachus, Aquila, Theodotian)

 

3) Collections of texts from, for example, CAL. Has there been any effort to partner with them and their vast databases to add more texts to the far superior Accordance search engine? I know there are some texts from them in Accordance already (the Targums), why not get some more? For example, Ephrem's commentaries on Genesis and Exodus, Ephrem on the Diatesseron (for NT studies), Aphrahat's demonstrations, etc. (for those who don't know what/where CAL is: http://cal1.cn.huc.edu/)

 

4) Akkadian texts (in transliteration, unless there is a way to do it in cuneiform [i have no idea how much work that would take!]) like Hammurapi and other law collections.

 

5) Could there be an effort to begin to get the texts from COS into searchable transliteration (for example)?

 

 

 

This of course is just a basic list of the top of my head. Other equally relevant texts for OT studies could be added. But I would love to see more of these for Accordance.

 

Are any of these texts already on the agenda?

 

 

Re 4: There is no point to giving them in cuneiform. The point of the cuneiform would only be to examine the traces to verify readings, and that can only be done on a good photo or the original. Transliteration would be all that that one would need. But I wonder about the value of this for Accordance. Other venues in the academic community are already doing this and devising search software adapted for that purpose. They are much better equipped to do it properly. Wthin Accordance I think the translations are what are needed, in order to trace similar concepts relevant to biblical studies.

 

Re 5: As one of the consultants for COS, I am not aware that any contributor submitted his or her transliterations to the project, only the translations. So Accordance would not be negotiating with either the editors or the publisher, but with individual contributors -- a truly complex and probably impossible task.

 

Of course, I would also like to see Accordance offer more relevant texts in the original languages. The Aramic corpus of CAL is quite doable. And tagged Ugaritic would be helpful.

[RobM]

Perhaps another route for getting texts would be to talk with SBL about getting the texts in the "Writings from the Ancient World" series. The transliterations are not authoritative critical editions, but there are a lot of volumes already out that have texts representing the whole "semitic family tree."

 

Also, has there been any thought about talking to Helsinki University Press and getting the SAA series?

 

 

 

While not an ancient text(s), would there be any chance of getting CAD and CHD? I know they are currently available as secured PDF's (the volumes currently finished anyway), but it would be fantastic to be able to search them by entry, english content, rosetta (transliteration), and text. It would definitely be an enormous task to make them Accordance modules, but what a wealth of research it would be at the very finger tips of the user!

 

Dr. Hoffner, do you know if there might be a chance for such a deal?