| Abstract: This article explores some of the difficulties and opportunities that the Internet affords New Testament researchers. The article also includes a brief listing and review of several of the better websites for research. |
Winston Churchill once said of Russia: ‘It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”. The New Testament scholar who first sets out to do serious research on the Internet might well say the same of the World Wide Web.
The Net is a chaotic, even anarchic, phenomenon where one can plumb the depths to find answers to every question ever posed, or send emails and documents across the globe in seconds. One can even shop in another continent, sample new music, visit museums, meet people with similar interests, chat, play games or ask about the weather in Siberia. But what does the Internet have to offer the serious scholar? Is it a valuable tool for research? To wax rabbinical, the answer to that question is yes and no! For the New Testament researcher, the Internet presents both problems and possibilities.
Problems
Ø The Net is huge – now boasting some six billion websites. This is an especially difficult issue if one is a neophyte in the world of computing.
How can one effectively search through the immense collection of websites available on the Net?
Ø The Net is not a library of peer-reviewed journals or monographs. Much of the material uploaded to webpages represents a diversity of idiosyncratic views.
How can one sort through the anarchy of the Net to delineate the dependable data from the dodgy?
Possibilities
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One possibility is to use a ‘search engine’. Three of the more popular search engines are Google (http://www.google.com), Hotbot (http://www.hotbot.com) and Lycos (http://www.lycos.com). The difficulty with search engines is that one must be circumspect in choosing keywords to enter a search on any of these services. |
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Ø A simple inquiry on a search engine like Google or Hotbot will produce an enormous number of hits.
Example
Suppose a student was asked to research the meaning of discipleship in Mark's Gospel, he or she might search Google.com for websites dealing with Mark. Such a venture would net about 29400 hits. Adding additional keywords to the inquiry might narrow the search a little, but hardly enough. Even if one adds the term ‘discipleship’, one still elicits a list of 2400 sites. Moreover, a quick perusal of the abstracts provided reveals a diversity of materials. Some sites are little more than advertisements for religious videos or bible study guides. Others supply records of sermon notes and devotional materials.
This is not the most effective method of searching research materials on the Web. It is time-consuming and inefficient.
Ø A second, and far more viable, approach is to make use of a ‘filter’. A ‘filter’ is a site that seeks to provide helpful access to other linked sites, which contain informative and reliable data on a particular scholarly discipline. These sites contain a links page, and may also supply a focused search engine, which can be used to search a specific set of online journals, publications and webpages peculiar to one’s area of interest.
Many of the websites providing these services have been initiated, and are maintained, by academic institutions and individual academics within those institutions.
In the field of New Testament studies, there are a number of very good websites that serve as ‘filters’, which enable undergraduate students and seasoned scholars alike to access reliable data on current biblical research.
Web Sites and Filters
Below is a small sampling of the available New Testament websites, which I have found to offer excellent service and a good selection of links to other sites containing equally reliable information. All URLs are also hyperlinks, and the sites can be accessed by clicking on the addresses.
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible
q Developed by Nick Hengeveld, and sponsored by the Gospel Communications Network.
q Allows web surfers to find specific passages based on keyword searches.
q Passages are provided in eleven different translations, (eg. NIV, RSV, KJB).
q Searchable Net Bible, developed by Bible Studies Foundation
q Unlike the Bible Gateway this site is only keyed to one translation (NET – New English translation).
q Provides directions on citing electronic documents (http://www.bible.org/cite.htm).
q Downloadable shareware for Greek and Hebrew fonts (http://www.galaxie.com/html/biblescript.htm).
q Another useful treasury of study tools supplying links to various commentaries, concordances, interlinear Bibles, biblical dictionaries, and Greek and Hebrew fonts shareware.
http://www.hivolda.no/asf/kkf/rel-stud.html
q Developed by Professor Torrey Seland of Volda University, Norway.
q This site is for the more advanced student of the New Testament.
q Well organised and regularly updated with current material.
q Major subsections include: links to electronically published articles; scholarship on the social world of the first-century, Mediterranean; and Philo of Alexandria.
http://religion.rutgers.edu/vri/bible.html
q The Religion Department of Rutgers University is responsible for this site.
q Gives many useful links to other webpages with good solid scholarship.
q Broad interest in related areas, such as the literature and the culture of the ancient Near East, Judaism and Islam, art and archaeology, anthropology and sociology.
q Home of the BSW Journal
q Also provides access to a wide range of other E-journals in the field.
q Links to all the major journals on biblical criticism.
q Multi-library Search (MLS) - a search engine for bibliographic research, including the Biblical Articles Online Database (OBAL)
q Scriptural index of biblical commentaries on the Web.
http://www.csbsju.edu/library/internet/theosson.html
q Maintained by the College of St Benedict at St John’s University, Collegeville, MN.
q Excellent collection of links to a wide variety of biblical research resources.
q New Testament Gateway developed by Dr Mark Goodacre at the University of Birmingham.
q Undoubtedly the most comprehensive and up-to-date website for New Testament research on the Net.
q Featuring links to resources for research on the Synoptics, Paul, Epistles (Hebrews to Jude), Revelation, Historical Jesus, Women and Gender, Textual Criticism, and the Ancient World.
q Under sub-section ‘Tools and Resources’, one can find hyperlinked lists of journals and publishers, academic E-lists, scholars and societies, and bibliographies.
q In addition, the ‘All-In-One’ biblical search engine provides access to a huge cross section of biblical databases.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/
q Webpage developed in conjunction with the American television series Frontline.
q Drawing on the insights of many reputable New Testament scholars, archaeologists and historians this site addresses dozens of key issues, disagreements and critical problems relating to Jesus' life and the evolution of Christianity.
q Throughout the site, maps, charts, ancient texts, pictures of the archaeological discoveries, ancient imagery, and audio excerpts from the television program complement and illuminate the scholars' commentary.
q A good introduction to study of the Historical Jesus, the Gospels and Early Christianity.
A Final Word
There is little doubt that the great value of the Internet is its international character. The sites listed above were developed across the globe, enabling students immediate access to the thoughts of scholars from all corners of the world. All it takes is a computer equipped with a modem connected to a phone line. However, doing research on the Web requires care and discrimination. There is still much that is posted on the Net that is questionable. Still, with the aid of ‘filters’ and sites, like those reviewed above, New Testament researchers - students and scholars alike - can begin to unravel the mysteries of this modern resource.
Ian J. Elmer is completing his Ph.D in New Testament Studies and works as a sessional lecturer in New Testament at Australian Catholic University. Specific areas of research and teaching include: the Synoptic Gospels, Paul and the Early Church.
