Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Scriptural Networks: Digital Exploration of Quotation Culture in Origen of Alexandria's Exegesis

Project description

Understanding Christian quotation culture in Origen of Alexandria

Knowledge production was based on quoting in ancient times. This culture was prevalent in many ancient civilisations. Early Christians also followed this practice, drawing on biblical texts for their beliefs. By analysing their citation patterns, we can understand their thought processes. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme, the Orige.net project uses digital network analysis (NA) techniques to redefine our understanding of early Christian quotation culture. It analyses Origen of Alexandria’s works to uncover relationships and patterns within his biblical quotations. The project investigates how Origen derived his theological doctrines, particularly his doctrine of religious freedom, from the Bible. It will develop a digital approach for studying quotation culture, creating an open-access and open-source graph database.

Objective

In the ancient world, knowledge production was based on the use of quotations, so much so that scholars commonly refer to it as 'quotation culture.' This culture of quoting extended across various ancient civilizations, including Greek, Near Eastern, Hebrew, and Chinese societies. Early Christian communities were no exception, as their theologies were drawn from the biblical texts. Analysing their citation patterns is essential in unravelling their thought processes.
My project aims to redefine our understanding of early Christian quotation culture by employing digital network analysis (NA) techniques applied to the extensive works of the renown theologian Origen of Alexandria (3rd century). Origen's focus on biblical interpretation and his enduring influence makes him an ideal case-study. I will conduct an analysis of Origen's whole corpus using NA graphs and social network analysis, thus uncovering relationships and patterns within his biblical quotations. By looking at Origen’s use of biblical quotations as sets of interconnected relations, the project seeks to investigate how he derived his theological doctrines – particularly his doctrine of religious freedom – from the Bible. The proposed NA methodologies have never been applied to ancient texts, representing a groundbreaking approach that opens new research directions into the study of quotation culture. This innovative methodology holds promise not only for the study of early Christianity but also for a wide range of text-related disciplines.
In collaboration with AU Department of Theology and the Centre for Humanities Computing (CHC), the project will achieve two objectives. O1: Develop a novel digital approach for studying quotation culture, resulting in the creation of an open-access and open-source custom-built graph database for visualizing clusters of biblical references in Origen’s work. O2: Explore the concept of religious freedom in Origen's work using the newly developed NA methodology.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

AARHUS UNIVERSITET
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 230 774,40
Address
NORDRE RINGGADE 1
8000 Aarhus C
Denmark

See on map

Region
Danmark Midtjylland Østjylland
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data
My booklet 0 0