6.0212 Networked E-Seminar Announcement (1/255)
Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Wed, 26 Aug 1992 18:13:22 EDT
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 6, No. 0212. Wednesday, 26 Aug 1992.
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 92 21:12:19 CDT
From: robin@utafll.uta.edu (Robin Cover)
Subject: Networked Seminar on IOUDAIOS: Critique of Habakkuk Fascicle
ANNOUNCEMENT: Networked Seminar to Review UBS Fascicle (Habakkuk 1)
1. ABSTRACT
Readers of IOUDAIOS and other networked scholars are invited to
participate in an informal electronic seminar organized for the purpose
of discussing the sample fascicle of Habakkuk 1 recently released by the
United Bible Societies. The network-based seminar is to be hosted on the
IOUDAIOS electronic discussion group between the dates October 4, 1992
and November 14, 1992. Seminar discussion will be guided by a simple
outline and schedule, but otherwise it will be unstructured and
unmoderated. Participation is solicited on behalf of the UBS (as per
requests cited below) and on behalf of the international community of
scholars -- who may become heirs to a new "standard handbook" critical
edition of the Hebrew Scriptures in about the year 2000.
2. THE SAMPLE UBS FASCICLE (HABAKKUK 1)
The Hebrew Habakkuk 1 fascicle was released in May by the seven
co-editors of the UBS Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (HOTTP) as
an experimental prototype for a new version of Biblia Hebraica
(Stuttgartensia), provisionally entitled <title>Biblia Hebraica: Editio
quinta funditus renovata</>. The fascicle itself bears the title
"Habakkuk 1: An Introduction, Sample Text and Commentary offered for
reaction and response"; it is 25 pages in length, spiral bound or
stapled in three parts.
The introduction to the Habakkuk fascicle confirms the invitation for
public comment implicit in its subtitle: "We offer this sample edition
for distribution among colleagues and for use in classes and seminars
in the hope that we may thereby obtain reactions to the edition and its
principles at a stage where its development can be refined in response
to the observations of colleagues." Such invitation was extended in an
"open letter" from Adrian Schenker and posted by Bob Kraft: ". . .The
authors/editors consider it very important to have criticisms and
comments from prospective users of such an edition, in order that the
project may be improved. We would be grateful for every type of
suggestion. The text may also be used in seminar-type situations, and
we would be interested in any observations that arise there." (Written
19-May-1992 for the HOTTP authors and editors, by Prof. Adrian Schenker
op, posted on IOUDAIOS by Robert Kraft, UPenn, August 18, 1992).
3. PARAMETERS OF THE SEMINAR DISCUSSION
Consistent with the invitations cited above, the organizers of the
electronic seminar sense it would be appropriate to call for critical
comment in a public electronic forum. The discussion is likely to be
wide-ranging, addressing not just the form and content of the fascicle,
but the project scope and methodological principles underlying the new
edition (cf. "'and its principles'" above). Respondents may be expected
to evaluate the sample edition as measured against its own stated goals
of providing a work for "specialists in textual criticism and Hebrew
Bible" based upon current "standards of textual criticism." The fourth
principle articulated in the introduction claims that "the edition
should be capable of use by a broad audience including not only
specialists in textual criticism and Hebrew Bible, but also field
translation teams, clergy and students." Furthermore, In Prof.
Schenker's words, the new edition endeavors to conform to and promulgate
new "standards": "There is an evident need to revise and improve the
critical apparatus of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia in accordance with
present day standards of textual criticism." (open letter cited above.)
We envision, therefore, that the seminar discussion will involve both
technical comment pertaining to individual readings as well as evaluation
of the UBS project in programmatic terms.
Participants hitherto unfamiliar with network ethos should understand
that the conversations are conducted without the flourishes of formality
customary in print publications: opinions are candid and debate is
sometimes sharp, but a good time is had by all.
4. SCHEDULE
The seminar schedule proposed by the organizers calls for a brief period
of general comment, a paced discussion of the content covering the 17
verses, and a brief period for concluding comments. In the schedule
printed here, the "TOPIC" identifies the general subject material for
each calendar week. The "TOPIC" also provides the suggested content
for a "Subject: " line used in submissions: participants are encouraged
to use these "TOPIC" lines to help specify the content of a posting.
DATE TOPIC
Oct 4-10 TC-Hab General
Oct 11-17 TC-Hab Vss 1-7
Oct 18-24 TC-Hab Vss 8-10
Oct 25-31 TC-Hab Vss 11-13
Nov 1-7 TC-Hab Vss 14-17
Nov 8-14 TC-Hab Conclusions
Thus, if you wish to contribute to the opening general discussion, you
would use "TC-Hab General" for the subject line in the email message. If
you want to specify some further detail, contributing to a particular
thread in the conversation, use an addition to "TOPIC" in the "Subject: "
line, e.g., "TC-Hab General: Length of Tiberian app crit" (cf. note 4
below).
Note 1: Submissions relevant to a given "TOPIC" may be mailed to the
IOUDAIOS conference in advance of the "DATE" if marked with the
appropriate subject header. This strategy will allow discussion to
begin on the initial day of "DATE" with *responses* to postings as well
as with general postings on the "TOPIC."
Note 2: Discussions begun on a topic but not concluded by week-end may
continue into the following week or as long as needed for closure, so
long as postings are marked with an appropriate email "Subject: " line.
The schedule is meant only to help focus the discussions initially.
Note 3: The schedule follows no literary-critical outline, but is based
upon weekly periods and roughly equivalent text-critical fodder per text
segment.
Note 4: Additions to "TOPIC" are welcome in any email "Subject: " line,
and would be useful to identity particular threads in a discussion.
However, in order to permit the normal range of communication on
IOUDAIOS (topics pertaining to First Century Judaism), we encourage
participants to use the identifying "TOPIC" elements for postings
pertaining to the seminar. Regular IOUDAIOS subscribers uninterested
in the seminar topic will be able to disregard messages containing
the "TOPIC" key words in the message subject line.
5. OBTAINING PRINT COPIES OF THE HABAKKUK FASCICLE (Assistance needed)
The organizers of the seminar wish to ask for volunteers in each major
country to assist in the paper-mail distribution of copies of the 25-
page fascicle. If you are willing to help supply copies to interested
scholars within your own country, *please* notify the sponsors by email,
phone or fax immediately (addresses below). During September, we will
post updated lists of addresses from which the fascicle is available
-- if anyone volunteers to help. Otherwise, please follow these
guidelines in obtaining your copy:
(a) If possible, obtain a copy of the fascicle from colleagues in local
universities and towns, as no official budget is available to the
organizers to subvent massive mailing costs.
(b) If you cannot locate a copy locally or through colleagues in your
host country, you may request a copy from one of the following sources.
We would normally expect to receive such a request via email; if making
a request by postal mail, you should seek confirmation of your request
via voice or FAX rather than assuming receipt of surface mail by the
addressee. For our accounting purposes: please supply your email
address when making request for a fascicle copy via postal mail.
Germany and environs: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
**Email not available; Attn: Habakkuk Fascicle Request
confirm receipt of Postfach 810340
request via phone D-7000 Stuttgart 80
or FAX** GERMANY
Phone: 49 711 71810
FAX: 49 711 7181126
Canada (E) and environs: David J. Reimer
Religion & Culture
Wilfrid Laurier University
Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA N2L 3C5
Phone: (519) 884-1970 x2680
Fax: (519) 886-9351
Email (Internet): dreimer4@mach1.wlu.ca
US (NE) and environs: Robert Kraft
Box 36, College Hall
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6303
Phone: (215) 898-5827
Email (Internet): kraft@penndrls.upenn.edu
US (NE) and environs: Alan Groves
Westminster Theological Seminary
PO Box 27009
Philadelphia, PA 19118
Phone: (215) 887-5511
Email (Internet): groves@penndrls.upenn.edu
US (SW) and environs: Robin Cover
6634 Sarah Drive
Dallas, TX 75236
Phone: (214) 296-1783
FAX: (214) 709-3387
Email (Internet): robin@utafll.uta.edu
Volunteers willing to help with distribution in Israel and the UK (in
particular) are encouraged to contact the organizers.
6. ADMINISTRATIVE AND OTHER MAILINGS; TRANSLITERATIONS
One or more additional postings pertaining to the electronic conference
may be circulated on IOUDAIOS, but these messages will not be essential
for your participation: *this* is the only information file you need.
For example, we will post one or more files containing electronic copy
of the Hebrew text of Habakkuk 1 which assist you in composing
submissions. However, you are not required to follow any particular
transcription scheme for Hebrew and other languages normally written
in non-roman script: just use a romanization scheme that is unambiguous
for your particular purposes. Occasional postings from the organizers
containing the subject line: 'TC-Hab (ADMIN)' will identify any messages
pertaining to general administrative matters. Technical questions
pertaining to the operation of the IOUDAIOS LISTSERVer should be directed
to David Reimer; questions about procedural matters may be addressed to
any (or all) of the four sponsors named in section (8) below.
7. SUBSCRIPTION TO THE IOUDAIOS LIST
Anyone not currently on IOUDAIOS may subscribe to the IOUDAIOS
electronic discussion forum for the duration of the seminar. Simply
send an electronic mail message to listserv@vm1.yorku.ca with the
following content as the first and only line:
sub ioudaios YOUR NAME
substituting your first and last names for "YOUR NAME." BITNET users
may need to use the host name YORKVM1 rather than the Internet
style host name (vm1.yorku.ca), depending upon mailer software on
local machines. As a subscriber, you will receive all mailings from
IOUDAIOS automatically. To terminate a "subscription," issue a
command to the same address (listserv@vm1.yorku.ca or listserv@YORKVM1):
signoff ioudaios
To contribute to the seminar, send email messages to the IOUDAIOS
forum (*NOT* to the LISTSERVer) with an appropriate "Subject: " line as
illustrated in section (4) above. The electronic address for submissions
to the forum is: ioudaios@vm1.yorku.ca (or ioudaios@YORKVM1).
For further information on use of the LISTSERVer which supports
IOUDAIOS, contact David Reimer (address in section 5 above).
8. YOUR GLOBAL SPONSORS
This experimental seminar is brought to you courtesy of representatives
from the following institutions:
CARG: SBL/AAR Computer Assisted Research Group (Program Co-Chair,
Robin Cover)
CCAT: UPenn Center for the Computer Analysis of Texts (Coordinator of
External Services, Bob Kraft; Director, James O'Donnell)
IOUDAIOS: First Century Judaism (Electronic) Discussion Forum
(Coordinator, David Reimer)
WTS/AIBI: Westminster Theological Seminary/Association Internationale
Bible et Informatique (Hebrew Morphology Project, Alan Groves)
These sponsors and their institutional affiliates imply no endorsement of
the content in the UBS documents reviewed, and assume no responsibility
for the content of public discussion generated during the seminar. The
sponsors' addresses are supplied in section (5) above.
(rcc/8/21/92)