When the Algorithm Read the Gospels

Earlier this week I mentioned a project that performed quantitative analysis on Hamlet and wondered whether it would prove to be a useful approach to literary analysis. Last night I stumbled across an example that shows how, when used creatively, such techniques can expand our knowledge and appreciation of a text. Dr. Peter Williams , Warden of Tyndale House at University of Cambridge, has conducted what I’d call an “algorithm-enhanced close reading” of the canonical gospels and compared them to the apocryphal testimonies about Jesus.

YouTube video

Normally, my attention span for videos on the web is limited to about 2 minutes. But when I started watching this video last last night I got sucked in by Dr. Williams engaging style and watched the entire lecture. As Evangel blogger Tom Gilson says , it’s a “talk on apologetics like you’ve never heard before.”

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