Manuscripts
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Where to read the Babylonian Chronicles in English
Editions of an ancient text are assessed here on four things: whether transliteration accompanies the translation; whether damage and restoration are marked; whether the tablet is identified by museum number; and whether the edition can be reached without a research…
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Study Bibles with a real critical apparatus
Assessed on five things and nothing else: textual notes that show where the manuscripts disagree; translation notes that admit uncertainty; introductions that state the question rather than the answer; a declared standpoint on the first page; and an apparatus that…
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Bible translations compared: which one to read for what
Assessed on four things only: where a translation sits on the literal-to-idiomatic axis and whether it says so; whether it marks its own uncertainty; which base text it used and whether it flags departures; and whether the committee declares its…
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The five source layers, and the rule that stops a citation becoming a rumour
Not every citation is worth the same. Five layers, published beside every reference, and a rule the software enforces: no dossier publishes unless two primary or peer-reviewed sources are attached and every identifier resolves.
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What kind of text is this? A short guide to genre
Before asking whether a passage is true, ask what kind of thing it is trying to be. Annal, oracle, apocalypse, wisdom, parable — and why genre decides in advance what would count as evidence.
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What external attestation means
What counts as an independent record, why absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, and what we do when ancient sources disagree.