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Ancient Scrolls To The Internet November 7, 2002-- Think of Biblical scholars, and images come to mind of rabbis poring over ancient scrolls or monks huddled around illuminated manuscripts. Centuries after the religious texts were written, scholars still debate their meaning. But now they’re doing it over the Internet. Peter Ochs, professor of modern Judaism, has arranged for the University of Virginia to publish five electronic journals relating to religious studies. In collaboration with the University Library’s Electronic Text Center, Ochs has co-founded two journals and moved a third one here. Two more are waiting in the wings. “There has been an explosion of activity in religious studies in the past few years, especially in studies of the three Abrahamic traditions: Jewish, Christian and Muslim,” Ochs said. “Electronic journals are becoming an important means of communication among religious scholars around the world.” Written for scholars, the e-journals don’t require subscriptions, but are available to anyone as a public service of the U.Va. Library. Since 1992, the library’s E-Text Center has built collections of texts and images and made them available to the public over the Internet. The center also supports user communities connected with its collections. The oldest of the five religious electronic publications, the Journal of Textual Reasoning, is a 12-year-old journal of Jewish studies that moved last summer to its new home at U.Va. from Boston University. The journal brings together scholars from all the denominations of Judaism and from the diverse fields of philosophy, history and literary studies to seek text-based answers to contemporary problems, Ochs said. One of the new journals is the Journal of Scriptural Reasoning, which Ochs co-founded in September 2001. The board of editors includes Christian, Jewish and Muslim theologians from all over the world. The journal, which is refereed, exists only virtually. According to Kris Lindbeck, a scholar at Trinity University in Houston, Texas, scriptural reasoning implies two things:
Another new e-periodical is La Pensee Juive de Langue Francaise, a journal of Jewish thought published in French. In addition to Ochs, the U.Va.-based co-editors are Eleanor Kaufman, assistant professor of English, and Rocco Gangle, a graduate student of religious studies. Associate editors in France and Israel eventually will take over editing of the publication, which will continue to be hosted by the library’s E-Text Center, Ochs said. Scholars in Paris and Jerusalem are working actively in the fields of Jewish thought and textual studies, and often take non-traditional, even radical philosophical and literary approaches to the texts, Ochs said. But until now, francophone scholars of recent Jewish philosophy haven’t had a journal to call their own. Pensee Juive de Langue Francaise should rectify that, he said. Looking
ahead, U.Va.’s E-Text Center plans to publish two more journals
in the field. The E-Text Center has acquired the German-language
journal, TR-Deutsch, in which Jewish and Christian scholars from
Germany discuss Jewish text traditions. And it plans to publish
an e-journal in English for the Institute for Quranic Reasoning,
which was founded by Moslem Ochs admits the journals’ debates are pitched to religious scholars. “We publish academic journals using academic language and academic tools to understand the truth of our religions as shown in the way people live their lives,” he said. Still, the journals challenge stereotypes of religious study, especially the idea that religion is best studied by people who are secular, rather than religious, Ochs said. “We represent intense Abrahamic religions and in some ways we have more to share because of our intensity,” he said. “One who most understands religion is a religious person, whether Muslim, Jewish or Christian. Our studies are performed by traditionally disciplined religious practitioners of these faiths.” Over the centuries, civilizations have changed and technology has changed. But many of the problems that people deal with in life have remained the same. “The ancients used their technology, and we use ours,” Ochs said. “But we’re still looking at the same scriptures. All the words are there. All the Abrahamic religions – all our e-journals – share the ancient texts that are still useful and relevant in guiding our modern-day lives. ### For
more information, call Peter Ochs at (434) 924-6718, or contact
him by email at pwo3v@virginia.edu. Visit the journal Web sites:
Media contact: Charlotte Crystal, (434) 924-6858 |
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