The Bible as a Network of Memes: Analyzing a Database of Cross-References
This article puts forward the theory that the Bible is a network of cultural items (memes) that developed through an evolutionary process and has been transmitted for many centuries in a relatively stable form. Biblical cross-references reveal how the verses and passages of the Bible are connected i...
| Subtitles: | Network Science in Biblical Studies |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Ed. Dehoniane
2022
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| In: |
Annali di storia dell'esegesi
Year: 2022, Volume: 39, Issue: 1, Pages: 145-180 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Cultural evolution
/ Knotenpunkt
/ Central location
/ Bible
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| IxTheo Classification: | HA Bible |
| Summary: | This article puts forward the theory that the Bible is a network of cultural items (memes) that developed through an evolutionary process and has been transmitted for many centuries in a relatively stable form. Biblical cross-references reveal how the verses and passages of the Bible are connected into a network that is analogous to genetic networks in biology. The article presents a network model of cross-references, based on the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. The article discusses the history of the database and the origin of the references; network statistics that yield insights into the history of the cross-references; node centrality statistics and the popularity of the respective verses in the history of Western biblical interpretation; and the modular structure of the network. The results are interpreted as tentative evidence for the collective behavior of populations in Western history being co-determined by a network of biblical memes. |
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| ISSN: | 1120-4001 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Annali di storia dell'esegesi
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