Yes, there is something utopian at the core of digital humanities:

The open, the unfixed, the contingent, the infinite, the expansive, the no place.

A Digital Humanities Manifesto

Part I. Introduction

The central HumaReC research question is based on an inquiry into a unique test-case, a trilingual New Testament manuscript written in Greek, Latin and Arabic: how is Humanities research reshaped and transformed by the digital rhythm of data production and publication? The project aims to develop a new Humanities research model that will allow for the continuous publication of data and analyses while providing a space for evaluations. This will all be done in dialog with an expert editorial board and a scientific publisher, Brill, as well as with the users of our research platform. The editing and study of the Proto-Pauline letters in the trilingual New Testament manuscript, Marciana Gr. Z. 11 (379), will be used as the test-case for the development of these new practices.

The advent of digital Humanities has transformed the scope and rhythm of research beyond printed materials, a completely new research paradigm has arisen. Publishing formats can now range from short syntheses in blogs and draft versions of papers to social media posts and videos – all of which can occur before the research is even completed and peer-reviewed. Furthermore, many projects are completed online from beginning to end; various academic institutions, universities and libraries, all increasingly support these kinds of digital undertakings. Next to the shortened timeframe between research and publication, new publishing formats offer many other advantages:

The integration of writing, other forms of media (images, sounds, videos) and links to other resources.

The flexibility of digital support allows for a focus on the reactions of users and the ability to adapt research directions and results if required.

Digital research projects allow for easy ‘openness’ compared to traditional writing formats.

By allowing for an online presence, the visibility of items that research previously neglected is greatly improved, as exemplified by the Arabic New Testament in general and the Marciana Gr. Z. 11 (379) in particular. This trilingual manuscript was never studied in depth.¹ The HumaReC project will have a special focus on the Pauline letters as a continuation of previous research.

Although there are several advantages, there are also concerns and challenges such as the question of how to ensure the authority of works published in Open Access, as we will see in the next chapters.

The main HumaReC principles are presented in Part I, starting with the project’s genesis and how it is a continuation of another, initial project on an Arabic manuscript of Paul. Secondly, the proposed HumaReC model is examined: it attempts to respond to issues and challenges induced by the digital turn in Humanities.

Part II of the web book is dedicated to the online HumaReC platform and its various aspects. Part III focuses on an examination of the manuscript at the core of this project: Marciana Gr. Z. 11 (379).

¹ See part III for state of research.

A Trilingual Manuscript of the New Testament in Digital Research [Web Book]

Part I - Introduction

Part I. Introduction