Hebrew Text Stripper

 Hebrew Text Stripper

This is a pilot web-app created by David M. Carr, Union Theological Seminary using OpenAI ChatGPT. It has been initially tested and debugged against manually-stripped files, but it is to be used at your own risk. Help improve the tool through using the comment box below to report problems or additional wished-for features.

This web-app builds on work regarding text density and scroll carrying capacity in my article “Background and Aims of a Scroll Approach to the Formation of the Bible” Advances in Ancient Biblical and Near Eastern Research 3 (2023):9–79 (open access at https://doi.org/10.35068/aabner.v3i2.1035; ls per cm figures on last column of spreadsheets of pp. 67-70) and (with Asaf Gayer) “Text Density, Scroll Carrying Capacity and Pre-Biblical Sources: How a Hellenistic Period Shift in Text Density is Relevant to Hypotheses about the Formation of the (Hebrew) Bible.” ZAW 136 (2024):1–27 (spreadsheet comparing text density is stored at this link; column E is characters per square cm).

Input a figure for letter spaces per linear centimeter (e.g. 31.2 ls per cm is a figure calculated from the Berlin 13446 Ahiqar Papyrus) and/or input a letter spaces per square cm figure (e.g. 1.34 for Ahiqar).

Then there are two work-flows.
1) Fetch and strip - you specify different verse ranges, line by line in the “Fetch by Bible Reference” field and then click the “Fetch and Strip” button. Note: the Hebrew text here is sourced from the superb Sefaria database that can be located at https://www.sefaria.org/texts/Tanakh. Many thanks to this foundation for provision of this and many other resources to support study.
2) Paste your own Hebrew text - you use Accordance or another Hebrew text source to copy a given text range or ranges (e.g. specify Hos 1:1-14:8; Amos 1:1-9:15 or Gen 1:1-2:3; 5:1-32 and then copy text) and then paste that text into the “Input text” field before clicking the “Strip text” button. Note that there will be a minimal difference between character counts for files generated from a program like Accordance and the ‘fetch and strip’ workflow, mostly reflections of very slight textual differences between the Accordance text and the text drawn from the Sefaria database.

The webapp will strip the text and output it as a stripped text at the bottom of the page that can be copied and pasted elsewhere. The app also will generate a count of characters (including one space between each word) and figures projecting hypothetical scroll length (based on the letter spaces per linear cm figure inputed) and cm2 hypothetical space covered by characters (based on the letter spaces per square cm figure inputed).

 

 

Excavations at Carthage, 1925: A Preliminary Report

Excavations at Carthage, 1925: A Preliminary Report

By Francis W. Kelsey

  

Imprint: University of Michigan Press

Open Access : 9780472910038, December 1969
See expanded detail +

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.12945699

Through lectures, conferences, and publications, Byron Khun de Prorok emphasized the significance of salvaging valuable artifacts from the ancient site of Carthage before it was fully overtaken by new construction. In response, the Franco-American excavation team at Carthage in 1925 published this preliminary report of their key results. While the most vital finds, primarily from the Punic stratum in the precinct of Tanit, would be published later, this preliminary report abstains from correlating these finds with others previously discovered in North Africa, Sardinia or Motya. George R. Swain, the University of Michigan's Near East Research photographer, provided numerous illustrative photographs, while George F. French and W. E. Renner contributed survey drawings and maps, respectively. This detailed report preserves the findings from the Carthage site for readers. 

 

Peloponnesian War: the Thomas Hobbes translation

Peloponnesian War: the Thomas Hobbes translation

By Thucydides
Translated by Thomas Hobbes
Edited by David Grene
Introduction by Bertrand de Jouvenel

  

Imprint: University of Michigan Press

Open Access : 9780472911295, December 1969
See expanded detail +

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.12946814

For 2400 years, Thucydides' account of the great war between Athens and Sparta has been the classic example of how a democracy can defeat itself. An eyewitness, Thucydides recognized in the disastrous outbreak of political frenzy a prolongedd act of suicide. The war shattered the Greek city states and marked the downfall of the glory that was Greece. Hobbes, too, was witness to political catastrophe—civil war threatening England, and on the Continent that breakdown of civil order which posterity would call "the Thirty Years War," as the Peloponnesian War had been called. Hobbes saw, as Thucydides had, the repeated folly that men commit. Against the turbulent background of the early 17th century, in the ageless English of King James's day, he wrote "by long odds the greatest translation of Thucydides in English." 

 

 

Royal Correspondence of the Assyrian Empire Part II. Translation and Transliteration

Royal Correspondence of the Assyrian Empire: Part II. Translation and Transliteration

Translated by Leroy Waterman

  

Imprint: University of Michigan Press

Open Access : 9780472912742, December 1969
See expanded detail +

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.12946959

Royal Correspondence of the Assyrian Empire: Part II is the second volume in a four-part series translated into English, with transliteration of the original texts and a comprehensive commentary by Leroy Waterman from the University of Michigan. Published in 1930, this volume is part of the Humanistic Series (Vol. XVIII), which was initially planned under an invitation extended by the late Professor Francis W. Kelsey. This ambitious project grew to encompass four volumes, with the first two volumes (Vols. XVII and XVIII) containing the translation of fourteen volumes of Assyrian and Babylonian letters from the Kouyunyjik collection of cuneiform tablets housed in the British Museum. The third and fourth volumes (Vols. XIX and XX) will include a commentary, a supplement, and detailed indexes along with facsimiles illustrating the history of cuneiform epistolary literature. The publication acknowledges the contributions of numerous scholars to the study of Assyrian letters, particularly highlighting the groundwork laid by scholars such as Friedrich Delitzsch, Christopher Johnston, Emil Behrens, Ernest Klauber, and S.C. Ylvisaker. The series aims to make these historically significant texts accessible to scholars and researchers by providing a systematic and thorough study of the Assyrian royal correspondence. The author expresses gratitude to the British Museum for facilitating the research and to financial supporters like the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan and the General Education Board for enabling the production of this significant scholarly work. 

 

 

Greek View of Life

Greek View of Life

By G. Lowes Dickinson
Preface by E. M. Forster

  

Imprint: University of Michigan Press

Open Access : 9780472913640, December 1969
See expanded detail +

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.12948049

The Greek View of Life by G. Lowes Dickinson, with a preface by E. M. Forster, published by The University of Michigan Press as part of the Ann Arbor Paperbacks series, explores the essence of Greek civilization and its enduring relevance. Dickinson posits that the ancients remain modern because their lucid expression of problems still resonates today. The book examines Greek attitudes toward religion, the state, the individual, and art, asserting that ancient Greek culture offers valuable insights into contemporary issues. Greek religion, primarily an interpretation of nature and human passions, was inseparable from societal structures, influencing all aspects of life and governance. The state, viewed as a civic entity, was deeply intertwined with religious practices, while the individual was celebrated within a communal context. Greek art, embodying national life and ethical perspectives, was both an aesthetic and social force. The book underscores that, despite the temporal distance, the wisdom encapsulated in Greek literature and philosophy continues to illuminate modern thought, serving as a conduit through which we can understand and navigate current challenges. 

 

 

Introduction to Arithmetic

Introduction to Arithmetic

By Nicomachus of Gerasa
Translated by Martin Luther D'ooge

  

Imprint: University of Michigan Press

Open Access : 9780472912490, December 1969
See expanded detail +

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.12946934

Nicomachus of Gerasa's Introduction to Arithmetic translated into English by Martin Luther D’Ooge with studies in Greek Arithmetic by Frank Egleston Robbins and Louis Charles Karpinski is a translated and expanded edition of Nicomachus's Introduction to Arithmetic, a seminal text in ancient Greek mathematics. Initially left incomplete due to the sudden death of Martin Luther D’Ooge, the translation was finished and supplemented by his colleagues at the University of Michigan. Frank Egleston Robbins and Louis Charles Karpinski contributed to completing the supporting studies and final revisions. This comprehensive volume comprises three parts: studies in Greek mathematics, a direct translation of Nicomachus's work, and supplementary aids for interpretation, including extensions of Nicomachus's theorems, a glossary of Greek terms, and a bibliography. The book delves into the origins, development, and influence of Greek arithmetic, highlighting its philosophical significance beyond mere computational skills. It traces the roots of Greek mathematical knowledge, discussing influences from Egypt and Babylon, and examines the philosophical arithmetic focused on number theory rather than practical computation. The translation captures Nicomachus's work's intricate details, illustrating the interconnectedness of arithmetic, geometry, and music in Greek thought, and offers modern scholars a valuable perspective on ancient mathematical approaches. 

 

Zenon Papyri in the University of Michigan Collection

Zenon Papyri in the University of Michigan Collection

By Campbell Cowan Edgar

  

Imprint: University of Michigan Press

Open Access : 9780472912766, December 1969
See expanded detail +

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.12946961

Zenon Papyri in the University of Michigan Collection describes a comprehensive study of the Zenon papyri housed at the University of Michigan. Compiled by Campbell Cowan Edgar and published in 1931, the collection centers on third-century BC documents preserved by Zenon, a resident of Philadelphia, Egypt. The book includes acknowledgments to notable contributors and outlines its contents, including an introduction to Zenon's historical background, his role under Apollonios the dioiketes, and his eventual duties as a private agent and estate manager. The collection offers detailed insights into the administrative, financial, and personal life of Zenon, emphasizing his responsibilities in managing Apollonios's estates and interactions with government and military settlers. The publication also addresses the intricate dating system of the papyri, providing a method of conversion between various ancient calendars and the Julian calendar. Throughout, Zenon's entrepreneurial activities, personal correspondence, and character are highlighted, offering a vivid portrayal of life in Ptolemaic Egypt. The book lists plates, tables, and an extensive index, enhancing its utility for scholarly research.