Tag Archives: textual criticism

White Paper: “Sweet Disposition” and the Anatomy of a “Sweet Disposition” Under Pressure

Posted on December 31, 2025 by nathanalbright

Focus: what The Temper Trap have said about the song’s meaning, and what the lyric’s “songs of desperation” plausibly refer to. Executive summary The Temper Trap’s “Sweet Disposition” became widely received as a romance anthem, but frontman/lyricist Dougy Mandagi has … Continue reading →

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White Paper: From Sincerity to Irony: When, How, and Why Criticism Came to Distrust Emotional Openness—and What This Shift Is Not

Posted on December 28, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Over the past century and a half, Western critical culture has undergone a marked transformation: emotional sincerity and openness, once regarded as indicators of moral seriousness and artistic authenticity, came to be viewed with suspicion, while irony, ambiguity, … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Bride of Christ and the Saints Before the New Covenant: A Biblicist Examination of Covenant Identity, Eschatology, and Scriptural Language

Posted on December 28, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper examines whether Scripture identifies believers called before the inauguration of the New Covenant—that is, the faithful of the Hebrew Scriptures—as part of the Bride of Christ, or whether that identity is reserved for those called … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Chronology of the Tiqqunê Soferim: When Were the Old Testament Scribal Emendations Most Likely Made?

Posted on December 27, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper examines the probable historical period in which the Tiqqunê Soferim—the eighteen acknowledged scribal emendations of the Hebrew Old Testament—were introduced into the consonantal text. Based on manuscript evidence, linguistic uniformity, Second Temple scribal culture, and … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Scribal Emendation and Theological Reverence: A Biblicist Comparison of Old Testament and New Testament Textual Interventions

Posted on December 27, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper examines the phenomenon of scribal emendation in both the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) and the New Testament, comparing their frequency, transparency, motivations, and theological implications. From a biblicist perspective, it argues that the two testaments … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Providence, Permission, and the So-Called “Fall”: A Biblicist Examination of Genesis 2–3

Posted on December 25, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary An enduring theological dispute concerns whether the sin of Adam and Eve should properly be called “the Fall,” or whether it should instead be understood as a deliberately designed and planned act within God’s redemptive purposes. Some argue … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Literacy of Joseph and the Patriarchs: A Biblicist Analysis

Posted on December 23, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper examines the question of literacy among Joseph and the broader patriarchal figures in Genesis (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants). From a biblicist perspective, literacy is understood not as a universal social skill but as … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Training Students and Educators to Use AI for Biblicist Analysis While Preserving Sound Interpretive Guardrails

Posted on December 19, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary As AI systems become increasingly capable of generating theological commentary, exegetical insights, and instructional materials, Christian educators face a growing need to integrate these tools without compromising biblically faithful interpretation. AI can accelerate learning, broaden access to historical … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Male vs. Female Lyrics in Toto’s “Georgy Porgy” and Their Relationship to the Nursery Rhyme

Posted on December 19, 2025 by nathanalbright

1. Overview and Research Question Toto’s 1978 song “Georgy Porgy” is built around a striking contrast: Male lead vocal (Steve Lukather): introspective, guilty, lovesick first-person verses. Female vocal (Cheryl Lynn): a looping, almost accusatory nursery-rhyme hook (“Georgy Porgy, pudding and … Continue reading →

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White Paper: “The Kingdom of God Is at Hand”: A Biblicist Analysis of the Phrase “At Hand” in Scripture and Extra-Biblical Literature

Posted on December 19, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The expression “the kingdom of God is at hand” (e.g., Mark 1:15; Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17) is among the most programmatic declarations in the New Testament. Yet the meaning of “at hand” is frequently misunderstood due to modern … Continue reading →

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