Biblical criticism software?

[Mr. Peterman]

I was wondering if anyone on this forum knows of any way I could download electronic torah data that I could search through with a computer program for patterns and word frequencies and whatnot, or if any advanced software already exists for doing this stuff. Any help will be appreciated.

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by Mr. Peterman

I was wondering if anyone on this forum knows of any way I could download electronic torah data that I could search through with a computer program for patterns and word frequencies and whatnot, or if any advanced software already exists for doing this stuff. Any help will be appreciated.

did you even search google before posting? do you know such "codes" exist in any written work? do you know it's nonsense & bamboozle?

not the help you expected? beggars can't be choosers.

nonetheless, this site claims their software works on the torah. >> Bible Code Oracle - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com

[Mr. Peterman]

I'm not talking about bible code crap. I'm talking about things such as different words for God's name and repetitive phrases that might suggest they were written by the same author and such. Things like common themes between the teachings of jesus and the book of Jeremiah. These would be more obvious by searching for similar phrases in the bible.

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by Mr. Peterman

I'm not talking about bible code crap. I'm talking about things such as different words for God's name and repetitive phrases that might suggest they were written by the same author and such. Things like common themes between the teachings of jesus and the book of Jeremiah. These would be more obvious by searching for similar phrases in the bible.

perhaps a concordance for the crap then?

we have a thread here on bible authors that has some links you might find helpful. >> Who [Re-] Wrote the Bible?

[Mr. Peterman]

Well I'm specifically looking for something I can write software for. Basically I need a long string file of the entire torah that I can make software to search through it and recognize an area of the torah that uses the same word a lot and stuff like that. If I could find out how, I might be able to use bible code software data. I'm not sure if that is legal or not, and I'm not sure I could find out very easily how the data is saved in there. So if you know of anywhere I can get a big long text file of the bible or something like that, please say so. I have the book Who Wrote the Bible, but it just shows you what they think was written by P J E and the rest, but it doesn't tell you what makes them think that throughout. I'm wanting to know specifically the grammar, words, themes and such that made them decide what they did for just about every portion of the torah.

[modest]

Originally Posted by Mr. Peterman

I was wondering if anyone on this forum knows of any way I could download electronic torah data that I could search through with a computer program for patterns and word frequencies and whatnot, or if any advanced software already exists for doing this stuff. Any help will be appreciated.

I agree with Turtle that you need a concordance. Specifically, one with a lexicon. I have Strong's in book form from some 15 years ago which is a well-respected concordance / lexicon in Hebrew and Greek. They have since put it online in searchable and pdf form:

Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

You can use it to search for phrases. To search for a complete phrase put quotes around the phrase such as "kingdom come". Without quotes it will show all verses which contain both words.

Originally Posted by Mr. Peterman

I'm not talking about bible code crap. I'm talking about things such as different words for God's name and repetitive phrases that might suggest they were written by the same author and such.

That's not a bad idea. I would encourage you to search for the English word "Lord" with the concordance (Hebrew lexicon #3068—yĕhovah) and notice the first place it is used in the book of Genesis. You'll notice it is nowhere in the first chapter but is used 11 times in the second chapter. Then search for the English word "god" (#430—elohiym). You will find it is prevalent throughout the first chapter.

The title given to 'god' changes from the first to the second chapter. This should suggest that the two chapters were written at different times or by different authors. If you then read the text of the first and second chapters you might find corroborating evidence of this. For example, were animals created before humans or after? Depending on which chapter you're looking at you might get a different answer. It looks an awful lot like two stories were combined into one text that we now know as the Judaistic creation myth. Interesting stuff.

~modest

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by Mr. Peterman

Well I'm specifically looking for something I can write software for. Basically I need a long string file of the entire torah that I can make software to search through it and recognize an area of the torah that uses the same word a lot and stuff like that. If I could find out how, I might be able to use bible code software data. I'm not sure if that is legal or not, and I'm not sure I could find out very easily how the data is saved in there. So if you know of anywhere I can get a big long text file of the bible or something like that, please say so.

might be something here for you. >> Torah database - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by p-man

I have the book Who Wrote the Bible, but it just shows you what they think was written by P J E and the rest, but it doesn't tell you what makes them think that throughout. I'm wanting to know specifically the grammar, words, themes and such that made them decide what they did for just about every portion of the torah.

ok. nothing along those lines in that thread i gave? i'll have to review the thread myself to say. i recall reading magazine articles through the years that justify some of the reasoning but nothing i recall since the world wide web hit the stands. if you find something, by all means post it to the "Who [RE-] Wrote the Bible?" thread.

edit: Who (re-wrote) the Old Testament? Well, J, E, & D among others, if recent archaeology is any judge of the matter. I recommend this most excellent program from PBS's NOVA series.


NOVA | The Bible's Buried Secrets | PBS

Originally Posted by PBS

TV Program Description
Original PBS Broadcast Date: November 18, 2008
In this landmark two-hour special, NOVA takes viewers on a fascinating scientific journey that began 3,000 years ago and continues today. The film presents the latest archeological scholarship from the Holy Land to explore the beginnings of modern religion and the origins of the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament.