I have a few more forthcoming translation projects including an edition of “old testament” pseudepigraphal writings in Greek translated to English (for Lexham Press with three other contributors) and am working on a handbook on the Greek text of the Shepherd of Hermas to be published in Baylor Press’ Handbooks on the Apostolic Fathers series.
I have an understanding of what it takes to translate something, edit that something, and ultimately publish that something.
Eusebius’ Preparation for the Gospel
While I was working on translations for the OT Pseudepigrapha volume, I spent a lot of time working through sections of Eusebius’ The Preparation for the Gospel (Praeperatio Evangelica). And while doing so, I spent a lot of time wishing there was an accessible, modern translation available of the whole work. The most recent English translation I’m aware of is that of Gifford, and it is over 100 years old and a product of its time. Usable, serviceable, but well in need of an update. So I filed that away in my head as a potential future project, to review Gifford’s translation and do a deep edit in consultation with the underlying Greek to create a new and updated translation.
But The Preparation of the Gospel is over 300,000 words of text. That’s larger than two New Testaments. I didn’t know when I would ever have the time available to be able to do that. So while the project was filed away, I had little hope of ever doing anything with it.
Things change
As they say, the world progressed.
In my current role, I do a lot of thinking and prototyping in the area of using existing tools to facilitate translation projects. This actually involves a lot of work in the area of Machine Learning (ML) and Machine Translation (MT) (no, really, check out my profile on HuggingFace). It involves use of MT models like Facebook/Meta’s “No Languages Left Behind” (NLLB) model. And yes, it also involves use of modern Large Language Models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s GPT series and Anthropic’s Claude series.
So I remembered that project I’d mentally filed away, The Preparation for the Gospel. And I began to wonder how use of ML models might make it easier to accomplish. I’d previously had some interaction with a colleague regarding translating Greek and Latin into English using LLMs and began to experiment. I produced an English translation of the Protevangelium of James using the API to OpenAI’s GPT-4o-mini and compared it to my own translation of Prot. Jas. What the LLM produced was actually pretty good. I was surprised.
Please know I say this as a skeptic. I’m not an AI-bro. I don’t think we should blindly trust output from LLMs. I don’t think “AI” should be bolted on to everything. There are hallucination issues at minimum, not to mention potential quality issues based on training data and processes. And the fact that they’re basically (really well-informed) BS generators doesn’t help.
But I’m also a pragmatist. For my day job, I’ve had to essentially interrogate machine-based translations to determine if they were anywhere close to the mark (in non-English languages). There are techniques to do this. They involve things like semantic comparisons of content to determine how well or poorly a translation conveys the meaning of the original, checking translation lengths against originals to determine if anything appears to be added or removed (hallucinated), and using standard scoring metrics like BLEU scores or chrF scores or models like COMET (where languages are supported). None of these by themselves can tell you much, but when combined they can help root out the areas of an MT based translation that need work.
Let’s do this.
Over the Christmas/New Years holiday I had time to explore all of this as regards translation of classic Greek texts into English.
So I visited Open Greek and Latin’s “First 1K Years of Greek” repo, grabbed some CC-BY-SA 4.0 licensed transcriptions of sweet stuff in Greek, including Praeperatio Evangelia. I wrote some code to extract the Greek in a semi-structured manner, some more code to feed it to gpt-4o-mini to translate, some more code to review the translation, and some more code to create editions of the translations.
I also used some named entity recognition (NER) models to identify named people and places in the text. And I used an approach that involves semantic similarity to identify potential allusions and cross-references with biblical text. This data gets incorporated as indexes to the diglot.
Because these are machine translations, it seems important to keep the source of the translation easily accessible. It made sense to produce a diglot editions since both source and translation are available to me. But it also made sense to produce easily transportable versions so I made ePubs (translation only) as well.
Diglot for The Preparation of the Gospel (Praep.Ev. 1.1.1)
As long-time readers here may know, I have published some of my own work through the Appian Way Press (yeah, that site needs work). So it made sense to use Appian Way Press as the publisher for this material too. Diglots and ePubs that I assemble for this project are available under a CC-BY-SA 4.0 license from Appian Way Press github repositories.
Why do this?
That’s a fair question.
These translations and related index data make modern English editions of classic Greek works from early Christian writers accessible. That in itself is a laudable goal, I think.
But because they’re licensed openly, it means that scholars can use portions (or the whole) as a basis to produce a new, formal translation of a work without any encumbrances (outside of attribution and sharing) in full knowledge of the translation source. Or they could write commentaries. Or notes. Or just work a portion that is valuable for their dissertation or monograph. Or they could more easily work through matters of grammar or syntax in a Greek author or text without having to also fight through making their own draft translation or relying on something from 100 years ago. Or whatever. I can’t conceive of all the possible uses of such a corpus, but know that there are many potential ways to use this data.
What is the Future of this Project?
I’m also looking at making reasonably priced paperbacks of this material (translation only) and Kindle editions available from Amazon. Fret not, when this happens everything will be openly described as AI/MT-based translation with all the details provided in the front matter. And the prices will be reasonable.
Where it makes sense I’d like to produce more editions of material like this from early Christian writers, particularly if it is not very accessible or has never really been published in English.
“Where it makes sense” means where I can locate easily usable source data (and that means the First 1K Greek project for now) that doesn’t represent largely fragmentary works. It also means where there aren’t easily accessible modern English translations of material.
I think this is great. How can I support you?
This is an “in my available time” project as I need to balance it between my full-time job as well as contract work I do for other organizations. I’m also set up on Github Sponsors and Buy me a coffee. So you can sponsor the work of Appian Way Press with either one-time or monthly sponsorships, or informally support the work with a one-time or regular donation outside of the github ecosystem. Note that while the work is open licensed, the organization is not registered as a non-profit so sponsorships are not tax deductible.
What do you think?
I know there will be those who think this is a fabulous idea. And I know there will be those who have serious issues with it. I think many will be somewhere in the middle; appreciating having such material available (especially as a diglot to review and check) but may still have hesitations.
Feel free to use the comments here to discuss things. But if it gets ugly, I won’t hesitate to delete comments and block commenters.
The big reveal for Logos (well, unless you’ve been on the Logos forums for the past six months) is that Logos Bible Software is moving to a subscription.
Now, for those who are freaking out about subscriptions, this isn’t what you might think. You’ll still be able to buy stuff for your own library as before. That’s not going away. And you’ll still be able to download a free version of Logos and stay up to date, even without a subscription.
The only real change is that new features (and the datasets that depend on them) are moving over to a subscription model. The primary use case here involves AI-driven features (like the new Smart Search and Summarization features) that have an ongoing cost for server and model access; the subscriptions allow these types of costs to be better covered as the feature is used (instead of once every two years, like has happened for like the past 14 years or so).
Did Rick do anything on this release?
In a word: No. It has been over a year since I worked for Logos, and whatever I worked on then has already been released since it was likely updates for Factbook or reverse-interlinear related.
So for the first time in … forever … I have nothing to report on for this release, and I’m really not sure what work my former team did on this release (though doubtless their fingerprints are all over the underlying data). It’s kinda weird to be watching from the sidelines.
So what has Rick done in the past year? Anything fun?
Funny you should ask. In the role I’ve been in for the past year at BiblioNexus, I’ve recently released the initial version of data that we call ACAI, which is a set of data about people, places, groups, deities, fauna, flora, and realia in the Bible. Releases will continue and it will grow into a knowledgebase about Bible stuff annotated at the word and phrase level of the original languages. It will be localized into several different “languages of wider communication” as support for Bible translators who work in minority languages. It is also openly licensed (CC-BY-SA 4.0) so anyone can use it (heck, even Logos if they wanted to).
Summary
So that’s it. Not much to say as I’m on the outside these days. For those who choose to subscribe, hope y’all enjoy the updates!
I need to stress this now. There is no text known as “The Apocalypse of Tabitha”. It does not exist.
This was an idea I had a long time ago reading about Tabitha (aka Dorcas), the female disciple who died and was raised in Acts 9:36–43, and wondering why there was no known apocryphal literature about her visit to death and return to life, and her subsequent life after the experience. It sure sounds like something early Christians might want to apocrypha-tize.
So, because I’m lazy (and because I wanted to see what would happen) I asked ChatGPT:
Using the story of Tabitha in Acts 9:36-43 as a springboard, prepare an outline for something called “The Apocalypse of Tabitha” in the style of apocalyptic literature describing what happened to Tabitha in death, and how she came back to life.
Outline: “The Apocalypse of Tabitha”
I. Prologue: The Righteous Life of Tabitha (Acts 9:36)
Introduction to Tabitha:
Description of Tabitha as a disciple in Joppa.
Her reputation for good works and acts of charity, especially towards the poor and widows.
Acknowledgment of her faithfulness and devotion as a follower of Christ.
The Death of Tabitha:
The sudden illness and death of Tabitha.
The community’s deep mourning and preparations for her burial.
Setting the scene for the heavenly journey and divine revelation to come.
II. Tabitha’s Journey to the Heavenly Realm
The Crossing Over:
Description of Tabitha’s soul departing from her body.
The appearance of an angelic guide, who comforts her and prepares her for the journey.
The passage through a veil of light, transitioning from the earthly realm to the heavenly sphere.
The Vision of the Heavenly Court:
Tabitha’s arrival in the presence of the heavenly court.
The throne of God surrounded by angels, elders, and living creatures.
A review of Tabitha’s life by celestial beings, highlighting her good deeds and faithfulness.
The Book of Life:
A scene where the Book of Life is opened.
The recording of Tabitha’s name and her righteous deeds.
An angel declares that she has earned her place in the heavenly kingdom.
III. The Revelation of the Hidden Realms
The Vision of the New Jerusalem:
Tabitha is shown the New Jerusalem, the eternal city of God.
The splendor of the city with its golden streets, jeweled foundations, and the river of life.
The promise of resurrection and eternal life for the faithful.
The Abyss and the Fate of the Wicked:
A contrasting vision of the abyss, the place of judgment for the wicked.
The torment of those who rejected God’s mercy.
Tabitha is reassured of her salvation and delivered from this fate.
The Angels’ Song:
A chorus of angels singing praises to God for His justice and mercy.
The theme of resurrection and the defeat of death.
IV. The Return: Tabitha’s Resurrection (Acts 9:40-41)
The Divine Command:
God’s decree that Tabitha’s time on earth is not yet complete.
The angelic guide informs Tabitha of her mission to return to the earthly realm.
A vision of Peter praying over her lifeless body on earth.
The Descent Back to Earth:
Tabitha’s soul is gently guided back through the veil separating heaven and earth.
The feeling of being pulled back into her physical body.
The Awakening:
Tabitha opens her eyes and is restored to life.
The astonishment and joy of those present, as Peter presents her alive to the believers.
Tabitha’s sense of peace and renewed purpose, with the knowledge of what she has seen.
V. Epilogue: Tabitha’s Testimony and the Spread of Faith
The Power of Witness:
Tabitha’s testimony about her heavenly visions and the reality of the resurrection.
The strengthening of faith in the community and the spread of the gospel.
The Continuing Legacy:
The ongoing impact of Tabitha’s life, death, and resurrection on the early Christian community.
Reflection on the hope of resurrection and eternal life for all believers.
Concluding Blessing:
A prayer or blessing for the readers, encouraging them to remain faithful and to trust in the promises of God, as revealed through the story of Tabitha.
So I asked ChatGPT to write it, section by section. Here we go. I had to keep ChatGPT honest by reminding it of the sections it proposed for the outline, and subsections don’t all match, but still — this is sweet.
I. Prologue: The Righteous Life of Tabitha
1. Introduction to Tabitha
In the bustling port city of Joppa, where the salty sea air mingled with the scent of cedar and spices, there lived a woman named Tabitha, also known as Dorcas. Her name, meaning “gazelle,” reflected the grace and agility with which she served others, moving swiftly to meet the needs of those around her. Tabitha was a disciple of the Lord, her heart set on following the teachings of Jesus. She was known far and wide for her acts of kindness and charity, a living testament to the love of Christ.
Tabitha was more than just a kind soul; she was a pillar of her community. The poor, the widows, and the outcasts found in her a source of comfort and hope. With skilled hands, she wove garments for the needy, her work a tangible expression of her faith. She was tireless in her efforts, always ready with a warm meal, a comforting word, or a helping hand. Her life was a beacon of light in a world often shadowed by suffering and need.
2. The Death of Tabitha
But even the righteous are not spared the pain of mortality. One day, Tabitha fell ill—a sickness that came suddenly and struck with severity. The community that she had served so faithfully gathered around her, praying earnestly for her recovery, but the illness persisted. Despite their prayers and care, the sickness proved too strong, and Tabitha passed from this life, her body now still, her hands that had once been so busy with good works now at rest.
The news of her death spread quickly through Joppa, and a great mourning arose. The widows whom she had clothed stood by her bed, weeping and holding the garments she had made, their tears soaking into the fabric. The whole community grieved deeply, for they had lost not only a friend and benefactor but a true servant of the Lord. Her body was washed and prepared for burial, and they laid her in an upper room, a place of waiting and prayer, where they could continue to honor her memory.
3. Setting the Scene for the Heavenly Journey
As Tabitha’s body lay in that quiet upper room, surrounded by the tears and prayers of the faithful, something extraordinary was being prepared in the heavenly realms. Though her physical life had ended, her journey was far from over. The heavens stirred, for the soul of Tabitha, righteous and beloved, was about to be drawn into a divine encounter that would transcend death itself.
Unbeknownst to those who mourned, Tabitha’s spirit was about to embark on a journey through the veil that separates the earthly from the eternal. This was not to be the end of her story, but rather the beginning of a profound revelation, one that would reveal the mysteries of life, death, and resurrection. As the community prayed, God’s plan began to unfold, a plan that would soon bring glory to His name and renew the faith of all who witnessed it.
The stage was set, both in heaven and on earth, for a miraculous event that would echo through the ages—a testimony to the power of God over life and death, and a foreshadowing of the resurrection promised to all who believe.
II. Tabitha’s Journey to the Heavenly Realm
1. The Crossing Over
As Tabitha breathed her last, her soul, no longer bound by the constraints of flesh, began its ascent. She felt a lightness, a gentle release as though she were shedding a heavy cloak. Suddenly, an intense brightness enveloped her, and in that moment, she knew she was not alone. Before her stood a being of radiant light—an angel, clothed in garments of pure white, with wings like silver mist.
“Fear not,” the angel spoke, its voice resonating like a song carried on the wind, “for the Most High has sent me to guide you.” With a reassuring smile, the angel extended a hand, and together they crossed through a veil of shimmering light, leaving the realm of the earth behind.
As they traveled, Tabitha noticed a sense of peace washing over her, unlike anything she had ever felt in life. Yet, there was an awareness of both the present and eternity. The angel guided her through the expanse, and she sensed they were approaching something vast and holy.
2. The Vision of the Heavenly Court
Soon, Tabitha and her guide arrived at a place of awe-inspiring majesty—the heavenly court. The air shimmered with the glory of God, and all around were beings of unimaginable beauty: angels with eyes like fire, elders dressed in white robes with crowns of gold, and four living creatures full of eyes, singing unceasing praises to the Almighty.
At the center of it all stood the Throne of God, gleaming with indescribable light, brighter than the sun yet soft and welcoming to those who came in righteousness. The angelic host surrounded the throne, their voices singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
Tabitha trembled, overwhelmed by the majesty of it all. The angel by her side gently reassured her. “Do not fear, daughter of Joppa, for you have been called here because your deeds on earth have pleased the Lord.”
In that moment, she felt the eyes of the heavenly beings upon her, not in judgment, but in acknowledgment of her faithfulness. She saw her acts of kindness, her service to the widows, and her generosity displayed before the throne as though they were precious jewels laid at the feet of God Himself.
3. The Book of Life
As the vision continued, Tabitha’s attention was drawn to a mighty angel who approached the throne, carrying a large, resplendent book—the Book of Life. Its pages seemed endless, each inscribed with the names of those who had been faithful to the Lamb.
The angel opened the book, and as it turned the pages, Tabitha saw names glowing with light. The angel spoke: “These are they who have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”
At last, the page was turned, and there, inscribed in golden letters, was her name—Tabitha of Joppa. A soft gasp escaped her lips, and she felt a wave of warmth and love radiate from the throne. Her name was written in the Book of Life, sealed for eternity.
One of the angels stepped forward, raising his voice to the assembly: “Tabitha, your works of love have ascended as a sweet fragrance before the throne. Because of your kindness to the poor and your faith in the Lord Jesus, your place in the Kingdom is secure.”
III. The Revelation of the Hidden Realms
1. The Vision of the New Jerusalem
As Tabitha stood in the heavenly court, her eyes were drawn to a brilliant light that began to emerge on the horizon. The angel beside her smiled and gestured toward the source of the light. “Behold,” the angel said, “the New Jerusalem, the city of God, the eternal dwelling place of the righteous.”
In an instant, the heavens parted, and Tabitha saw the New Jerusalem descending from above, radiant like a bride adorned for her husband. The city shimmered with the glory of God, its brilliance far surpassing the sun. Its walls were made of jasper, and the foundations of the city were adorned with every kind of precious stone—sapphire, emerald, topaz, and amethyst, each one glowing with divine light.
Tabitha’s breath caught in her throat as she gazed upon the streets of pure gold, transparent as glass, reflecting the glory of the Most High. The gates of the city, twelve in number, were each a single pearl, and they stood open, welcoming the redeemed to enter in. The angel led her closer, and she saw the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, coursing through the center of the city. Along the banks of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
“This,” the angel said, “is the inheritance of the saints, the place where God will dwell with His people. Here, there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Tabitha’s heart swelled with joy and longing as she beheld the vision of the eternal city. She knew that this was the fulfillment of the promise she had clung to throughout her life—a place where every tear would be wiped away, where the light of the Lamb would banish all darkness, and where the faithful would dwell in the presence of God forever.
2. The Abyss and the Fate of the Wicked
But as the vision of the New Jerusalem faded, the angel’s expression grew solemn. “You must also see,” the angel said, “the fate of those who rejected the grace of God.” With a wave of his hand, the angel turned Tabitha’s gaze downward, and she beheld a great abyss, a chasm of utter darkness, far removed from the glory of the heavenly city.
The abyss was a place of torment and despair, where the cries of the damned echoed endlessly through the void. Tabitha saw souls bound in chains, their faces twisted in agony and regret. The flames of judgment flickered around them, consuming but never ending their torment. These were the souls who had spurned the mercy of God, who had chosen the path of rebellion and sin, and now faced the consequences of their choices.
The angel explained, “This is the destiny of those who refused to turn from their wickedness, who denied the truth and hardened their hearts against the Lord. Here, they are separated from the presence of God, from the light of His countenance, forever.”
Tabitha recoiled at the sight, her heart heavy with sorrow for the lost souls trapped in the abyss. She had known of the judgment, but to witness it with her own eyes brought a deeper understanding of the gravity of sin and the justice of God.
“But fear not,” the angel said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You have been saved from this fate, for you walked in the light and trusted in the Lord. Your name is written in the Book of Life, and your place is with the saints in the New Jerusalem.”
3. The Angels’ Song
As the vision of the abyss faded, Tabitha found herself once again surrounded by the angelic host. Their faces shone with joy, and they began to sing a new song, their voices like the sound of many waters, filling the heavens with a glorious melody.
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,” they sang, “to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing! For You have redeemed us to God by Your blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth!”
The song echoed through the heavens, a hymn of victory and praise, celebrating the triumph of the Lamb over sin, death, and the powers of darkness. Tabitha’s spirit soared as she joined in the worship, her heart filled with awe and gratitude. She knew now, more than ever, that death had no hold over her or any who believed in the Lord. The victory was secure, and the promise of resurrection was sure.
The angels’ song declared that the faithful would rise, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, to dwell forever in the presence of God. It was a song of hope, a proclamation that the final enemy—death—had been defeated, and that life eternal awaited those who trusted in the Lamb.
Tabitha’s vision of the hidden realms revealed to her the full scope of God’s plan: the glory of the New Jerusalem, the justice of the abyss, and the victory of the Lamb. With this revelation, she was ready to return to the earthly realm, her faith renewed and her heart filled with the certainty of the resurrection to come.
IV. The Return: Tabitha’s Resurrection (Acts 9:40-41)
1. The Divine Command
As the angelic song of victory echoed through the heavenly realms, the angel who had guided Tabitha through her journey turned to her with a serene expression. “Tabitha,” the angel said, “your time here is not yet complete. The Lord, in His wisdom and mercy, has decreed that you must return to the earthly realm. There is still work for you to do among the living.”
Tabitha, though filled with the joy of the visions she had seen, felt a pang of longing to stay in the heavenly presence. Yet she knew that the will of God was perfect and just. She bowed her head in humble obedience, ready to fulfill whatever purpose the Lord had for her.
The angel continued, “Your resurrection will be a sign to the people, a testimony to the power of God over life and death. Through you, many will come to believe in the Lord Jesus, and the faith of the community will be strengthened.”
As the angel spoke, Tabitha was given a glimpse of the scene on earth. She saw Peter, the apostle, standing by her lifeless body in the upper room, surrounded by the widows and believers who had loved her so dearly. They wept and prayed, their hearts heavy with grief, yet Peter’s voice rose in fervent prayer, full of faith and authority. She sensed the profound expectation and hope in the air, a hope that only the Lord could fulfill.
2. The Descent Back to Earth
With the divine command given, the angel gently took Tabitha’s hand once more. Together, they began to descend from the heavenly realms, passing through the veil that separated eternity from time. As they descended, the brilliance of heaven gradually dimmed, and the familiar world of earth came into view.
Tabitha felt herself being drawn back toward her physical body, the vessel that had once carried her soul. There was a brief moment of resistance, as if the transition between the two realms required a great effort, but the angel’s presence reassured her. “Do not fear, Tabitha,” the angel said softly. “The Lord is with you, and His power will sustain you.”
The light of heaven began to fade, and Tabitha felt the earthly weight of her body once more. She was being restored, knitted back together by the very breath of God. As her soul reentered her body, she felt a warmth and vitality spreading through her, a renewal that was both physical and spiritual.
3. The Awakening
In the upper room, Peter knelt beside Tabitha’s body, his eyes closed in prayer. The room was silent, save for the soft weeping of the widows who held the garments Tabitha had made for them, a poignant reminder of her love and service.
Then, in a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity, Tabitha’s eyes fluttered open. Her chest rose as she drew in a deep, life-giving breath, and the color returned to her cheeks. The warmth of life flooded her body, and she felt the weight of her physical form, now filled with the same spirit that had walked the halls of heaven.
Peter’s eyes opened, and he looked at her with amazement. “Tabitha, arise,” he said, his voice trembling with awe and gratitude. Tabitha sat up, her eyes meeting Peter’s with a deep sense of peace and understanding. She knew what had been done, and she knew why she had been sent back.
Peter extended his hand to her, and she grasped it, feeling the strength of the apostle and the power of the Holy Spirit flowing through him. He helped her to her feet, and together they turned to face the gathering of believers who had been praying for this very moment.
The widows gasped in astonishment, their tears of sorrow turning to tears of joy. They rushed to embrace Tabitha, their hearts overflowing with gratitude to God for the miracle they had just witnessed. The news of her resurrection spread quickly through Joppa, and many came to believe in the Lord because of this great sign.
4. Tabitha’s Sense of Peace and Renewed Purpose
As Tabitha stood among her friends, now fully restored to life, she felt a profound sense of peace that surpassed all understanding. The visions she had seen in the heavenly realms were still fresh in her mind—the New Jerusalem, the abyss, the song of the angels—and she knew that her life was a testimony to the truth of those visions. She had seen the glory of the life to come, and now she had been given the grace to return and share that hope with others.
Her heart was filled with a renewed sense of purpose. She understood that her life was no longer just about the good works she had done but about bearing witness to the resurrection power of God. She knew that every act of kindness, every word of encouragement, and every moment of service was a way to glorify God and point others to the eternal life that awaited them.
Tabitha’s resurrection was not only a miracle of physical life restored but also a sign of the greater resurrection to come for all who believe in Christ. She would continue to serve her community with the same love and dedication as before, but now with an even deeper conviction, knowing that the power of life and death was in the hands of her Savior.
With her faith strengthened and her mission clear, Tabitha embraced her second chance at life, determined to live it in a way that would honor the God who had shown her the hidden realms and brought her back to testify of His glory.
V. Epilogue: Tabitha’s Testimony and the Spread of Faith
1. The Immediate Impact on Joppa
The news of Tabitha’s resurrection spread through Joppa like wildfire. Word of the miracle passed from house to house, from the marketplace to the synagogue, and soon the entire city was buzzing with the extraordinary account. People who had known Tabitha and mourned her death now rejoiced at her return, eager to hear from her own lips the story of what had happened.
Tabitha’s home became a gathering place for the curious and the faithful alike. Those who had once doubted the power of the Lord now stood in awe, their hearts softened and their minds open to the message of the Gospel. The resurrection of Tabitha was not just a moment of wonder—it became a catalyst for revival. The small community of believers in Joppa, strengthened by this undeniable demonstration of God’s power, began to grow rapidly as many new converts were added to their number.
Peter, who had been instrumental in Tabitha’s resurrection, stayed in Joppa for some time, teaching and baptizing those who came to faith. The miracle had confirmed the truth of his preaching, and people flocked to hear more about Jesus, the one who had conquered death and offered eternal life to all who believed. The entire city seemed to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and a deep sense of reverence for the Lord permeated the air.
2. Tabitha’s Personal Testimony
Though Tabitha had always been a woman of few words, her experience of death and resurrection gave her a new boldness to speak about the Lord. She recounted her journey to the heavenly realms with a clarity and conviction that left no doubt in the minds of her listeners. Her descriptions of the New Jerusalem, the abyss, and the angels’ song stirred the hearts of all who heard, painting a vivid picture of the eternal realities that lay beyond this life.
Tabitha spoke not only of what she had seen but also of what it meant. She emphasized the importance of faith in Jesus Christ, the Lamb who had triumphed over sin and death. She urged her listeners to consider the fate of their souls and to turn to the Lord while there was still time. Her words carried the weight of someone who had seen both the glory of heaven and the terror of separation from God, and her testimony resonated deeply with all who heard it.
Her story became a powerful tool for evangelism. Many who had been skeptical or indifferent to the message of Jesus were moved to repentance and faith. They saw in Tabitha a living example of God’s mercy and power—a woman who had been called back from the brink of eternity to bear witness to the truth. Her testimony spread beyond Joppa, carried by travelers and merchants to other cities, where it continued to inspire faith in the Lord.
3. The Strengthening of the Early Church
The resurrection of Tabitha not only sparked a revival in Joppa but also had a profound impact on the broader Christian community. News of the miracle reached the apostles and believers in other regions, and it became a source of encouragement for the early Church, which was often under persecution and facing many challenges.
The story of Tabitha’s return from the dead was a powerful reminder of God’s presence and power among His people. It reinforced the belief that the same Spirit who had raised Jesus from the dead was at work in the Church, empowering believers to do great things in His name. The early Christians were emboldened by this miracle, gaining confidence to proclaim the Gospel with even greater fervor, knowing that God was with them in their mission.
In the years that followed, Tabitha continued to live out her faith with quiet strength and unwavering commitment. She became a mentor to younger women in the community, teaching them not only the practical skills of service but also the spiritual disciplines of prayer, faith, and love. Her life became a living testimony to the truth of the resurrection, a tangible proof of the hope that all Christians shared.
4. The Legacy of Tabitha
Tabitha’s legacy extended far beyond her lifetime. Her story was told and retold, eventually becoming part of the written accounts that would inspire generations of Christians. She was remembered not just for the miracle of her resurrection but for the life she lived before and after that event—a life marked by love, service, and a deep faith in God.
In the centuries to come, the story of Tabitha would serve as a reminder of the power of resurrection, both physical and spiritual. Her name became synonymous with acts of charity and kindness, and many women took her as a model for their own lives of service. Churches were named in her honor, and her example continued to inspire believers to live out their faith in practical and meaningful ways.
Tabitha’s resurrection also became a symbol of the hope that Christians hold in the promise of eternal life. Her story was a foretaste of the resurrection to come for all who believe in Christ, a powerful testament to the truth that death is not the end but a doorway to eternal life with God.
In the end, Tabitha’s life and resurrection served to glorify God and spread the message of His love and power. Her testimony continued to bear fruit long after she had passed from this world, a shining example of the transformative power of faith in the risen Lord.
My dad escaped this mortal coil on Friday, July 12, 2024.
He was laid to rest on Friday, July 19, 2024.
I was able to say a few words at the service on Friday. I’d like to place a copy here for posterity, and for those who weren’t able to make the service. Obituary and other details are available online at the Wallin-Stucky Funeral Home website.
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Like many people, I have a lot of memories of doing stuff with my Dad as I grew up. But a few rise to the top.
I can remember we had a 1976 Ford Granada (WA license plate ITN 957) that we probably bought in the late 70s or early 80s. And it had a tape deck in it (which Dad may have taken from our previous car, a 1972 Ford LTD, I don’t remember for sure). And Dad had a lot of Willie Nelson tapes, so just about any time we were in the car, it was either on KOMO AM 1000 (Mom driving) or playing Willie Nelson (Dad driving).
And I can remember driving in that grey (silver?) 1976 Ford Granada and listening to Willie Nelson. Specifically, listening to Willie’s “Stardust” album. There was a time in the late 70s/early 80s when I think that tape was on continual play for Dad.
And “Stardust” was a great album. Willie singing some pop standards — basically, his favorite songs at the time. And they were some good ones: Stardust, Georgia (on my mind), Blue Skies, On the Sunny Side of the Street, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore. It’s a pretty incredible album; listen to it sometime today or tomorrow and remember my Dad.
Anyway, Dad would play this thing in the car. And if you knew my Dad, you know he could sing. And he’d sing along with the songs while driving. So if I was riding alone with him, chances are I’d sing too.
And one of my deep and unchanging memories with my Dad is singing “Sunny Side of the Street” with him, in that 1976 Ford Granada (WA license ITN 957), on a clear, blue-skied Saturday late morning or early afternoon, driving to the Navy Exchange. You know, on that stretch of road onto the Seaplane base by the college, overlooking the marina, right before the gate.
Since Dad got sick last year, it’s one of the memories that has persisted. And I remember the lyrics: “Get your coat and grab your hat. Leave your worries at the doorstep. Just direct your feet to the sunny side of the street.”
And that’s one phrase that’s been in my mind for the past few months: Leave your worries at the doorstep.
Another deep memory I have of my Dad is fishing. Y’all know the man loved to go fishing. There was a time when I was in middle school where Dad was into fly fishing. And he had that little 12-foot yellow Duroboat. I know some of you out there remember it.
And I liked to go fishing with my Dad. So in this time (early 80s) I can remember some days after the bus dropped me off I’d walk home down that dirt road to our house off of Fort Nugent, and Dad had come home early, and the boat was hitched to the truck and all loaded up with our gear, and he’d be waiting for me to go to Pass Lake to try and catch some of the big ol’ trout that lived there.
And as you know my Dad, of course we always wanted to catch something, but that wasn’t really the most important thing. The most important thing was just getting out there. Sitting on the lake. Enjoying the quiet. Rowing around. Back then, the limit was three fish (flyfishing only, barbless hooks) over 12 inches (it soon changed to one fish over 18 inches) and sometimes we’d catch something, I think we limited once or twice, but a lot of the time we’d get skunked. But I learned from Dad that going fishing wasn’t (really) about catching fish. Getting skunked was OK. It was more about the going and the simply being.
And that’s another thing that’s in my mind, more as a metaphor than anything: Going fishing isn’t really about the fishing.
Since then, a lot has happened. (Understatement, huh?) I’m a little different in that one place I have spent a lot of time is in reading, editing, and translating early Christian literature. There’s this writing from around 250 AD we call the Epistle to Diognetus that was written contrasting how Christians live against how pagans live. One of the themes I pick up from this is This is not our home. And this writing specifically has been on my mind for the past week or so. Let me read you a passage from it:
1 But to put it simply, what the soul is in the body, this is what the Christians are in the world. 2 The soul is dispersed throughout all the limbs of the body, and Christians throughout the cities of the world. 3 The soul dwells in the body but is not of the body; and Christians dwell in the world but are not of the world. 4 The invisible soul is guarded in the visible body. … 7 The soul has been locked up in the body, but it holds the body together, and Christians are restrained in the world as in prison, but they hold the world together. 8 The soul, though immortal, dwells in a mortal tent, and Christians temporarily dwell in corruptibility, waiting for incorruptibility in heaven. (Ep. Diog. 6.1–4a, 7–8)
Rick Brannan, trans., The Apostolic Fathers in English (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012).
In Dad’s final act, entering into that incorruptibility in heaven (as the author here puts it), he reminds me and teaches me: This is not our home.
We Christians are a bit peculiar and don’t quite fit.
We think things like Fishing isn’t really about the fishing.
We think things like Leave your worries at the doorstep.
We are not eternal citizens here. This is not the eternal kingdom that the sacrifice of Jesus has provided for us. This place is only temporary.
Instead, our eyes are fixed on eternity. Our actions are focused on reflecting the love of Jesus and the hope he brings us.
We don’t really fit in this place we find ourselves, but we’re here for now.
OK, y’all, 2023 was an exceedingly strange year for me. I’ve had four different employers (two full-time, two contract) and it’s been weird. But good. (Very good, in fact).
So I wanted to post a “stuff I did” this year post. It’ll be different, though, because I’ll mention written stuff but I’ll also point you to Github repos with open data (CC-BY or CC-BY-SA) that you can do whatever you’d like to with. I guess I really have been busy.
Publications
Only one publication this year:
“The Memorial of John: A New Translation and Introduction” in New Testament Apocrypha: More Non-Canonical Scriptures, Volume 3. Edited by Tony Burke. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans.
In addition to the conference paper, I had a blog post published at Text and Canon’s web site on Bible versification issues:
I do have a forthcoming publication from Lexham Press, with a group of three other editors, that I’m really hoping is published in 2024. It is a collection of Pseudepigraphal writings translated from the Greek sources, each with short introductions and bibliography. Hoping it happens soon.
Since we’re here, I suppose I should give an update on the Hermas project as well. To date I have a draft of the Visions together (chapters 1–25) that I’m doing an editing pass on (50K words, about halfway through the edit/review); after that I’ll hopefully start on the draft of the Mandates (chapters 26–49).
Conference Papers
As well, only one conference presentation this year, at the Bible Translation conference in Dallas, Texas:
“Ambiguous Pronouns and Names: Tracking Participants in Biblical Passages using Referent Analysis.” Presented to the Exegesis and Biblical Languages group at the Bible Translation Conference in Dallas, TX, October 17, 2023.
Public Open Repos
And here’s where most of my work this year will show up. As mentioned, I’ve had four different employers this year, two full-time and two contract. I worked for Logos/Faithlife full time through the end of September, 2023. Not able to share the work I did at Logos; it was largely in service of in-development stuff. From October 2023 I’ve been employed with the BiblioNexus Studio. In addition to my full-time work, I’ve been under contract for up to 15 hours per week by Clear Bible, who in the middle of August 2023 was acquired by Biblica. I still work up to 15 hours per week for Biblica.
Stuff I did for Clear/Biblica in 2023:
Speaker Quotations: An analysis of various English Bible versions to determine quoted material and the speaker of the material, mapped back to the underlying Greek and Hebrew. As well, a “Clear” form of this data that provides an (automated) consensus view of the quotations in the Hebrew Bible and Greek New Testament and their speakers.
Various updates, enhancements, and corrections to Biblica/Clear’s Macula Hebrew and Macula Greek syntactic analyses, particularly in migrating a bunch of data into the SBLGNT form of Macula Greek to make it publicly available.
NT Conditional Statements: An analysis from Steve Nicolle at CanIL (Canada Institute of Linguistics) of the conditional statements in the Greek New Testament as well as statements that use conditional conjunctions but do not adhere to the formal pattern/rules of conditional statements. I converted this data from some spreadsheets into JSON (and some Markdown) to make it easier to integrate in other solutions (e.g. Bible software platforms and other solutions).
Textual Alignments: I did some work to migrate textual alignments of various Bibles to openly available sources. Notably, there are alignments of the Lexham English Bible and Young’s Literal Translation to the SBLGNT (for NT, specifically the Macula Greek edition of the SBLGNT) and to the Westminster text of Macula Hebrew for the OT.
Sometimes, things you don’t anticipate sneak up on you. That’s what happened with me.
Many readers know that I work for Logos Bible Software, and I have for 30 years (just had my anniversary).
So it might be a little shocking to tell you that I’m leaving Logos. My last day there will be Friday, September 29, 2023. I’ll start a new job, with a different employer, on Monday, October 2.
Working at Logos has been like a dream. I’ve worked with so many incredibly talented and smart people, and we’ve pulled off some amazing things that, at least from my perspective, I had no right to be involved with. Bible translations. Edition of the Greek New Testament. Lexicons. Text-critical stuff. Analyses of all sorts of the Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, and Greek New Testament. Oh, and Apostolic Fathers, and Christian Apocrypha. Not to mention Josephus, Philo, and the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Greek).
It has been incredible. And I am indebted to a large number of people; friends and colleagues (in that order) who will always be dear to me. I’m not going to list them all here, and chances are if they read this they know who they are.
But I do want to mention a few longtime “partners in crime,” starting with Eli Evans. He and I pulled off amazing things that smarter minds wouldn’t even have tried. He’s genuinely an amazing human, and I’m better for having shared over two decades of my life working with him on all sorts of stuff. Thank you, Eli, for the impact your friendship has had on me. (Also, read his novel because it is crazy good.)
Next up is Bob Pritchett. What can I say about Bob? I had the privilege, for nearly 30 years, of working for and with someone who had confidence in me and my abilities (in hindsight, maybe more confidence than I’d give myself). He pushed me, and he sharpened me. And I am grateful.
Another valuable friend is Steve Runge. Steve invests in people, and for some reason he saw fit to invest his friendship in me. And I’ve learned a lot from him, of course about Greek, but mostly about how to be someone’s friend. I’m much better off for our years of friendship.
There are others. Sean Boisen. Isaiah Hoogendyk. Peter Venable. James van Noord. Vincent Setterholm. Mike Heiser. Bill Nienhuis. Colleagues and collaborators who, when we were all together as a group, could each complement the other in various ways such that the whole was always greater than the sum of its parts.
There are so many others, but I can’t even begin to name them. I mean, it’s been 30 years. Thanks to you all.
Now, what will Rick be doing next?
I’ve accepted a job offer from a group called BiblioNexus. I’ll be working with them to create an information infrastructure (a “foundational knowledge framework”) to support minority language Bible translation.
Some great news is that I’ll once again be able to work with longtime friends and colleagues (some former Logos colleagues; some who never worked at Logos) in this effort. In a line I’ve used many times before, and that I stole from Steve Runge, it’s like in the movie “Oceans 11,” when Basher (Don Cheadle) and Rusty (Brad Pitt) are walking away from a failed bank robbery (where Rusty rescued Basher from being arrested to recruit him for another job), and Basher says, “It’ll be nice working with proper villains again.” On that note, I’m thrilled to be “working with proper villains again” and get back into spending the majority of my time writing code to sift original language data to produce information and knowledge that we can use to support the process of Bible translation in minority languages.
One of the employee benefits at Logos (Faithlife) is that every 10 years you’re eligible to take a four-week, fully paid sabbatical. I’ll have 30 years in at Logos (how can that possibly be?!) in August, for a lot of reasons I requested to take my sabbatical early (in the summer) and my request was approved.
So I have pretty much the entire month of July off. I go back to work at Logos on Monday, July 31.
What ever will I do with this time?
One of my sabbatical goals is to average around 4 hours per day working on my priority writing task: The Shepherd of Hermas volumes for the Baylor Handbook on the Apostolic Fathers. I’m 15 chapters in, 99 chapters to go. I’d love to be able to get through the material in the Visions by the end of July. It’ll be a crunch, we’ll see what happens.
What will I do the rest of the time? Oh, so much to do.
First, I’m presenting a paper at the Bible Translation conference (in Dallas, TX Oct 13-17) on participant tracking in Bible passages; I hope to do some work generating data to illustrate how referential analyses of the Biblical text (specifically resolving pronouns and subject references) can assist Bible translators and consultants, particularly in passages with lots of referential back-and-forth. And I also hope to sketch the outline of the paper and get some slides together.
Second, I’ll be taking a vacation with my family. Hey, it’s a Sabbatical, I need some down time!
Third, whatever comes along. My daughter will be in a play that the area high schools, though a summer program, will be putting on (Legally Blonde) so I’ll be seeing that at least twice. My youngest is in swimming lessons and I’ll be able to go to those with him. And whatever else happens.
Also, the backyard is in the summer configuration. Yes, the pool is up! This means time in the pool with the boys (6yo, 10yo) is likely to happen with frequency.
Here it is, the last day of 2022. So I guess it’s time to review the past year’s research / writing, and make plans about what might happen in 2023.
So how’d I do in 2022? Here is my 2022 Research and Writing Schedule post. I hit the big notes and missed pretty much all of the bonus material. Specifically:
Lexham OT Pseudepigrapha: Submitted my portions on 12/30. I have a few loose ends to tie up, but this is in great shape.
Baylor AF Handbook volumes on Hermas: I’m through 12 chapters of a draft; only 102 more to go. Honestly, this project slipped this year; I’d hoped to be further along. Not sure how to pick up the pace in the next year.
Latin: I took one Latin class and learned a lot, but also learned I didn’t have the bandwidth to take a Latin class.
Greek Reader for Protevangelium of James: I did virtually nothing regarding this.
Outline a vol. 2 of Fragments: Absolutely no work done.
What accounted for the slippage? Life. Also, in September I started working part-time on a contract basis for Clear Bible, a group that uses linguistic data to provide tools and services for the accelleration of Bible translation. Most of my spare time has been taken up in doing work for Clear; both because it is interesting and compelling and, honestly, because it pays better than research and writing. I’ll need to adjust that balance a bit in 2023 to allocate more time for work on the Hermas volumes, though.
So, what are my plans for 2023?
The primary writing focus will be the Baylor AF Handbook volumes on Hermas. It has to be; there is a lot left to do, and time is limited.
I’ll need to give some attention to the Lexham Press OT Pseudepigrapha volume. As mentioned, there are loose ends to tie up. And there will also be proofs to review and correct, front matter, and (ugh) indexes.
But that’s it. As much as I’d love to get a reader of the Protevangelium together, I don’t think it is happening.
This will all be balanced with regular contributions to Clear Bible. And, remember, all of this happens on top of my full-time day job with Faithlife / Logos Bible Software.
I’m not too sure what to think about all the doom and gloom over on the Twitter regarding its hastening demise.
But it seems the new owner’s firing of many of the people who keep the lights on combined with many others choosing to leave (here I think of folks there on H1B visas who really don’t have an option; they’re stuck) has sealed the fate of the site.
And this pisses me off.
I mean, I think there will be some form of Twitter that sticks around. Maybe it’ll go dark for awhile. But whatever survives, I’m not sure it will be the same.
I researched and wrote books, tweeting about them the whole time. I got gigs because of Twitter. I laughed. I mean, @BethMoore is there.
Most importantly, I had community on Twitter. I don’t mention it much, but being a parent of special needs kids (autism, ADHD, and other things) during the pandemic SUCKED. Leaving our church sucked. It was isolating. It IS isolating. But Twitter opened the curtains a bit and let a little light shine in.
I’m not signing out of Twitter or deleting my account (@RickBrannan, of course). But I know Twitter will change. And I’m guessing the turbo hardcore workplace that Musk seems bent on trying to initiate will be focused on wringing money from users, which means the atmosphere of the place will be completely different.
One of the things I’m really excited about with Logos 10 is some increased support for learning more about Christian writings related to the New Testament, specifically writings grouped as “Christian Apocrypha” or “New Testament Apocrypha.”
One organization that has been at the forefront of researching and publishing this material is the North American Society for the Study of Christian Apocryphal Literature (NASSCAL, on the Twitter as @NASSCALtw).
NASSCAL, under the editorship of Tony Burke, have created a phenomenal resource they call e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha. It contains summaries, manuscript witnesses, and multilingual bibliographies of scads of writings classified as Christian Apocrypha. It is a hugely valuable resource. And they licensed the material (which is frequently added to, revised, and updated) with an open license.
So after talking with folks at NASSCAL about Logos republishing the e-Clavis material for Logos Bible Software, I worked for a bit to retrieve all of their material and faithfully reproduce it so that Logos users could access it within Logos and even go to the e-Clavis itself if they wanted to. The version in Logos Bible Software is called “The NASSCAL Handbook of Christian Apocryphal Literature” and looks like this (on the right):
On left, NASSCAL e-Clavis material in the Factbook. On right, the material within the Handbook resource.
We hope to update the Logos version perhaps quarterly. In addition to the e-Clavis material, for articles where writings are also available in Logos Bible Software (in one resource or another) we have added a list of Related Articles with links to the writings in the library.
As I said earlier, I’m really excited about this particular resource. It allows careful, accurate, well-researched material on these valuable writings to be accessed within the context of Logos when you run into questions or mentions and need more information.
Thanks to NASSCAL, to Tony Burke, and to the numerous editors and contributors to the e-Clavis for their work.
(Disclaimer: I’m a member of NASSCAL, have contributed to the e-Clavis, and am currently on the board of NASSCAL as the independent scholars representative.)
Rick Brannan 