Hearing the New Testament Afresh
This project offers a complete, documented method for translating, interpreting, and drawing together the entire New Testament from the perspective of a first-century Jewish audience. It uses a carefully designed sequence of prompts – instructions given to an AI language model – to transform the Greek text step by step into a library of interlocking resources:
- Hybrid Interlinear – every Greek word paired directly with an English gloss
- Concept-Language Inventory – a cross-book catalogue of vocabulary and interpretive decisions
- English Translation – fluent, punctuated English that remains faithful to the Greek
- Commentary – pericope-by-pericope exposition with pastoral and technical sections
- Annotated Hybrid – a parallel reader-facing interlinear with explanations
- Cross-Book Analyses – groups of related books compared and synthesised
- Meta-Analysis – a unified portrait of the New Testament's earliest witness
The pipeline at a glance
Open Greek New Testament"] --> B["1. Hybrid Interlinear
Greek:English + Master YAML"] B --> C["2. Concept-Language Inventory
cross-book vocabulary map"] C --> D["3. English Translation
Clean English + Exegetical Dataset"] D --> E["4. Commentary
pericope-by-pericope"] E --> F["5. Cross-Book Analysis
groups of books"] F --> G["6. Meta-Analysis
whole-New-Testament synthesis"] B -.-> H["Annotated Hybrid
parallel reading resource"]
Who is this for?
Biblical scholars and advanced students will find:
- a translation that is mechanically faithful to the Greek
- a transparent decision trail (the Master YAML) where every lexical choice is logged and justified
- contextual commentary with technical notes
- structured cross-book data for comparative study
Lay readers and pastors will find:
- a readable English text
- commentaries that explain the first-century setting and connect each passage to life
- an annotated interlinear for those who wish to engage with the Greek at close range
How to navigate this site
| Page | Content |
|---|---|
| Understanding the Approach | The Handbook, first-century thought-world, capitalisation map, hermeneutical rules, lexical defaults |
| Hybrid Interlinear | The first translation stage: Greek-English pairing, batch processing, whole-book reconciliation |
| Concept-Language Inventory | Cross-book diagnostics, domains covered, conflict detection |
| English Translation | Converting the Hybrid into fluent English, fidelity rules, tie-breaker hierarchy |
| Commentary | The five-part pericope structure, historical-linguistic boundaries, whole-book review |
| Annotated Hybrid & Cross-Book Analysis | The parallel annotated resource and the group-by-group comparison method |
| Meta-Analysis & Summary | The whole-New-Testament synthesis, file inventory, reading paths |
| Quick Reference | Glossary, capitalisation card, prompt inventory, practical setup |
| Preferred Terms | Human-readable glossary of agreed English renderings for key Greek vocabulary |
| Book Profiles | Human-readable historical and cultural context for all 27 New Testament books |
What makes this project different
- One Handbook, applied everywhere. The same historical and methodological constraints govern every stage, from the first interlinear line to the final synthesis.
- A visible capitalisation map. Only the one God of Israel receives capitalised titles and pronouns. Jesus' titles, the spirit, and all other referents remain lowercase. This lets the reader see who is being spoken about without building an interpretation into the font.
- A permanent decision trail. Every significant lexical choice is logged in a structured form, so readings are reproducible and checkable.
- Consistency by construction. The batch-by-batch rhythm (each triggered by the user's "continue") and the whole-book reconciliation pass ("reconcile book") prevent decisions made early in a book from being forgotten later.
- Closed-set analyses. The cross-book and meta-analyses work only from the supplied texts, the Old Testament background, and the shared vocabulary inventory. External theological formulations are not imported as interpretive keys.
A note on neutrality
The Handbook describes the mental and linguistic frame of first-century Jewish hearers; it does not dictate conclusions about later theological questions. The capitalisation map plays a role similar to the distinctive treatment of the divine name in the Hebrew Scriptures: it marks the difference between the one God and every other referent. The process is designed to let the text speak within the categories its first audience possessed – whatever conclusions that may yield.
Suggested reading order, (and >where< you are): begin at the >Home< page, then follow the chapters in order: Understanding the Approach → Hybrid Interlinear → Concept‑Language Inventory → English Translation → Commentary → Annotated Hybrid & Cross‑Book Analysis → Meta‑Analysis & Summary → Quick Reference.