POSTMODERN BIBLE COMMENTARY PROJECT
The project began towards the end of 1995 with the dream of producing a biblical commentary that took advantage of the multimedia and hypertext possibilities of electronic publication. These advantages include:
Technically there have been several stages. Before the first phase of actually preparing materials, different presentation software was evaluated, however several factors led to a decision to standardize on HTML. The main considerations were:
Phase one: Amos
The first phase of the project has involved testing the concept by preparing material on Amos and presenting it using different approaches to the user interface. Amos was chosen as a fairly short book with which the author was familiar in particular from having published notes on the text for Francophone African students.
Dual window approach
The current design is based on a two window concept, one for the text, the other for the commentary. Since every commentary involves essentially two texts, text and comment, two windows intuitively seem fundamental to commentary design. They allow the primacy of the text over comment to be represented onscreen by positioning (text above or left of comment, for Western users). This approach also allows the text to remain onscreen while the user explores other material. A single window would either replace text by comment, or only allow the text commented upon to be seen at the start of the comment, as a print commentary does.
Two other designs have been explored but rejected. The use of pop-up windows for comment while ideal in some ways still poses some problems for browser compatibility when the needs of less technically literate users are considered. Splitting the commentary window in two, so that Bible Dictionary-type material opened in a further window rather than replacing the original comment was tested. However, with the non-hierarchical design of the underlying hypertext, this approach proved more confusing for some users.
Navigation
In complex hypertexts sense of "place" and clear navigation tools are crucial to design. For the Amos material the user's sense of location is fostered by retaining the biblical text in view at all times. In the latest design of the user interface navigation tools are provided on the left of the screen, these permit movement through the text and through the Bible Dictionary-type material. Access to the commentary is from links in the text. Discussion of Hebrew words and phrases in the text is reached by clicking on a corresponding English word or phrase (soon a Hebrew text will be available as an alternative to the very literal English version currently used).
It would be desirable to put the main navigation tools into a pop-up window as this would free about a third more of the screen for the main text and comment windows. However, doing this is currently posing some problems with Javascript coding.
Phase two: text-to-world
The Bible Dictionary, Glossary and Commentary materials currently provided on the Amos site deal with background to the text. The information provided to users concerns literary and linguistic features or the historical background to the text. However most users are interested in the text as Scripture. According to feedback received from users:
Such users seek not only background to the text but assistance in moving from text-to-world.
Conventional homiletic or devotional commentaries tend to be highly committed to one particular constellation of religious views. Evangelical devotional commentaries are seldom found helpful by Catholics, or Catholic spiritual commentaries by Jewish readers... However, the Amos material is regularly used by people holding a wide variety of religious beliefs (and none). Ideally a second phase producing material suggesting ways to relate the biblical text to the contemporary world should serve a similar range of users.
This will be attempted by gathering several groups of volunteers for each passage. These groups will first examine the passage together, making use of the background commentary provided. Following this, each group will brainstorm ideas for material which "connects" with the text. These items will include:
Such material (provided without heavy comment) is already open-ended, and will be interpreted in widely differing ways by different users according to their context and personality. By providing a variety of material for each text this factor will be enhanced, and in this way different users will find stimulation which suits their spiritual needs.
The wider project: Commentary on the whole Bible
The Amos commentary project is intended as prototype for a series covering the whole Bible. This will be achieved by establishing a minimal infrastructure.
Non-profit trust
A non-profit trust with its board will form the core of the project, and it will exercise governance and seek to support the writing teams (for example through provision of research assistance or assistance with seeking funding). Working with this group an editorial board (initially including all redactors and contributors) will nominate redactors and provide academic oversight of their work.
Purpose:
The purposes of this trust will be:
To stimulate the production of and to publish, at affordable prices, hypertext and other new media resources for biblical scholarship and Bible study, which
Goals
experience
organization
funding
proofing and technical expertise
publication.
Board:
A 5-member board, appointed by appropriate sponsoring institutions and including the editor and administrator (ex-officio), will control the activities of the foundation. The board will normally hold virtual "meetings" (by email).
Such a board is not so large as to stifle action, and institutional representatives should ensure stability. The sort of institutions hoped for are be national Bible Societies, tertiary theological establishments or associations of biblical scholars.
Academic accreditation:
A combination of peer review prior to "publication", and the establishment of standard citable editions (following the model of the Stanford Dictionary of Philosophy) will be used, to try to ensure that authors (both of articles of Bible Dictionary or Glossary material, and of commentaries) gain credit for their publication in the series.
Composition teams:
Will comprise three sorts of people:
Redactors:
The content of each project will be the responsibility of one or more "redactors" who will be established teachers or researchers in the field. They will normally receive no payment until publication of the "final product", at which point they might receive some royalty payments.
Contributors:
The redactor(s) of each project will be assisted in the sourcing and drafting of material by one or more research assistants ("contributors"). The foundation will assist redactors in seeking funding for this and when resources are available (from grants or sales of earlier material) will support this cost.
Research assistant wages should not be too high, thus keeping the upfront costs of each project to a minimum.
Collaborators:
Where appropriate, particularly at the start of a new project, and towards the final version, people with technical, digital and artistic skills ("collaborators") might be employed to assist with the form and look of the product.
Other scholars might also contribute articles, following the model of the Stanford Dictionary of Philosophy to ensure that they receive academic credit.
Conclusion
The report above outlines very briefly the progress achieved so far with the Amos commentary material. Papers delivered at conferences and forthcoming articles based on these provide further details on this, and an irregular newsletter is published.
To comment on this document or make suggestions please email Dr Tim Bulkeley.