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Centre for Biblical Linguistics, Translation, and Exegesis
The Centre for Biblical Linguistics, Translation, and Exegesis (CBLTE) provides opportunities and resources, for scholars and students, to develop and refine their skills for studying, analyzing, and applying the Bible, through the use of various linguistic methods—especially as these apply to translation and exegesis.
Contact Us Go to BAGL JournalStudying with CBLTE
Programs in Biblical Linguistics and Exegesis
McMaster Divinity College offers a range of degree programs for students interested in studying biblical linguistics and exegesis. Each program provides opportunities for collaboration with CBLTE and its Linguistics Circle, access to a MDC faculty expertise, and the flexibility to tailor studies through directed research and mentorship. These programs include:
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Christian Theology
Emphasis in Biblical Studies (Old Testament, New Testament, Septuagint)
Master of Arts (Christian Studies)
Biblical Studies (Old Testament, New Testament) Concentration
Master of Arts (Theology & Ministry)
Biblical Studies (General, Old Testament, New Testament) Specialization
Master of Divinity
Biblical Studies (General, Old Testament, New Testament) Specialization
Contact the Centre Directors or our Admissions Team to discover which program fits your educational background and vocational goals.
Centre Directors
Stanley E. Porter
President and Dean, Professor of New Testament, Roy A. Hope Chair in Christian Worldview, Editor-in-Chief of MDC Press
Christopher D. Land
Associate Professor of New Testament and Linguistics
Francis G.H. Pang
Assistant Professor of New Testament, Director of Information Technology
Stanley E. Porter
President and Dean, Professor of New Testament, Roy A. Hope Chair in Christian Worldview, Editor-in-Chief of MDC Press
Christopher D. Land
Associate Professor of New Testament and Linguistics
Francis G.H. Pang
Assistant Professor of New Testament, Director of Information Technology
Events
Linguistics Circle
The Linguistics Circle is a monthly gathering of students, faculty, and others who are interested in biblical linguistics. Each gathering, we have a discussion of a biblical linguistic topic, based on a paper presented by someone in our community—either a student, professor, or a volunteer or invited guest. Anyone with an interest in biblical linguistics is welcome to join, regardless of experience or knowledge in the field. To join, email cblte@mcmaster.ca to gain access to the CBLTE (Centre for Biblical Linguistics, Translation, and Exegesis) forum where announcements and papers are posted.
Journal
Biblical and Greek Linguistics
Biblical and Ancient Greek Linguistics (BAGL) is a fully refereed online and print journal specializing in widely disseminating the latest advances in linguistic study of ancient and biblical Greek. BAGL looks to publish significant work that advances knowledge of ancient Greek through the utilization of modern linguistic methods.
Relevant Publications
Discourse Analysis and the Greek New Testament Text-Generating Resources
Stanley E. Porter
Matthew Brook O'Donnell
2024
Biblical & Ancient Greek Linguistics, Volume 11
Stanley E. Porter
Matthew Brook O'Donnell
Christopher D. Land
Francis G.H. Pang
2024
Putting the Pieces Together: Formalizing Units and Structures in the Biblical Languages
Stanley E. Porter
Christopher D. Land
James D. Dvorak
2024
OpenText.org Annotated Greek Corpus
The OpenText.org project is a web-based initiative to develop annotated Greek texts and tools for their analysis. The project aims both to serve and to collaborate with the scholarly community. Texts are annotated with various levels of linguistic information, such as text-critical, lexical, grammatical, semantic and discourse features.
Beginning with the New Testament, the project aims to construct a representative corpus of Hellenistic Greek and to facilitate linguistic and literary research of these important documents. The currently available annotation can be viewed on the OpenText.org website, and search functionality is under development. It is hoped that interested users will collaborate in the correction and enhancement of the project resources.
Key features of the project include:
- Greek texts annotated according to a clearly-defined linguistic model
- A transparent XML encoding scheme
- Free web-based resources for viewing the annotations
- Free web-based resources for searching and analyzing the annotations (under development)
- Open-source data and tools
- A collaborative approach that encourages innovation and involvement
Legacy annotation is now posted on GitHub (free and open source)!
To learn more about the OpenText project, contact Christopher Land.
CBLTE Affiliations
The Centre for Biblical Linguistics, Translation, and Exegesis is affiliated with the following publications.
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Linguistic Biblical Studies (LBS)
The monograph series Linguistic Biblical Studies (LBS) is published by Brill and co-edited by Stanley E. Porter. It is dedicated to the development and promotion of linguistically informed study of the Bible in its original languages. The series welcomes monograph-length studies and collections of essays in the major areas of linguistics, such as
- syntax
- semantics
- pragmatics
- discourse analysis and text linguistics
- corpus linguistics
- cognitive linguistics
- comparative linguistics, etc.
Also, any theoretical linguistic approach will be considered, both formal and functional.
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Filología Neotestamentaria
Filología Neotestamentaria is an international, refereed journal hosted at the University of Córdoba, Spain. Stanley E. Porter serves as one of the journal’s editors. Its scope encompasses every aspect of the following topics and more:
- New Testament Greek philology
- textual criticism
- traditional grammar
- semiotics, etc.
It welcomes submissions that employ linguistic theories or methods.