Paul’s Style and the Problem of the Pastoral Letters: Assessing Statistical Models of Description and Inference
In this study, we combine the core competencies of a New Testament scholar and a mathematician to conduct a stylometric analysis of the Pauline and Pastoral Letters based on 18 epistolary modes of discourse, which we argue are at least as stylistically relevant as traditional features such as term f...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
De Gruyter
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Open Theology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2024-0034 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1823860529800675328 |
|---|---|
| author | Pracht Erich Benjamin McCauley Thomas |
| author_facet | Pracht Erich Benjamin McCauley Thomas |
| author_sort | Pracht Erich Benjamin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this study, we combine the core competencies of a New Testament scholar and a mathematician to conduct a stylometric analysis of the Pauline and Pastoral Letters based on 18 epistolary modes of discourse, which we argue are at least as stylistically relevant as traditional features such as term frequencies. By focusing on features of this type, we apply discrete probability models – namely, the binomial, Poisson, and negative binomial distributions – to determine which ones are the best fit for each feature. With our approach, we have found a way to utilize Paul’s authentic letters as a standard of measurement by which the style(s) of the Pastorals can be compared, an essential first step to statistical inference that is generally lacking in Pauline stylometry. With few exceptions, we find that the Pastoral Letters do not contain stylistic differences with the authentic Paulines at a statistically significant level, a finding that disputes many previous studies (especially in the qualitative tradition) that assume stylistic difference, but which is in line with an emerging trend in computational analyses of the Pauline and Pastoral Letters. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cd1b3de5f41043368f0294746e89a79c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2300-6579 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | De Gruyter |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Open Theology |
| spelling | doaj-art-cd1b3de5f41043368f0294746e89a79c2025-02-10T13:25:05ZengDe GruyterOpen Theology2300-65792025-02-0111134043210.1515/opth-2024-0034Paul’s Style and the Problem of the Pastoral Letters: Assessing Statistical Models of Description and InferencePracht Erich Benjamin0McCauley Thomas1Department of Theology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, DenmarkDepartment of Mathematics, Arlington High School, Arlington, MA, United StatesIn this study, we combine the core competencies of a New Testament scholar and a mathematician to conduct a stylometric analysis of the Pauline and Pastoral Letters based on 18 epistolary modes of discourse, which we argue are at least as stylistically relevant as traditional features such as term frequencies. By focusing on features of this type, we apply discrete probability models – namely, the binomial, Poisson, and negative binomial distributions – to determine which ones are the best fit for each feature. With our approach, we have found a way to utilize Paul’s authentic letters as a standard of measurement by which the style(s) of the Pastorals can be compared, an essential first step to statistical inference that is generally lacking in Pauline stylometry. With few exceptions, we find that the Pastoral Letters do not contain stylistic differences with the authentic Paulines at a statistically significant level, a finding that disputes many previous studies (especially in the qualitative tradition) that assume stylistic difference, but which is in line with an emerging trend in computational analyses of the Pauline and Pastoral Letters.https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2024-0034pastoral letterspaulstylestylometryauthorship |
| spellingShingle | Pracht Erich Benjamin McCauley Thomas Paul’s Style and the Problem of the Pastoral Letters: Assessing Statistical Models of Description and Inference Open Theology pastoral letters paul style stylometry authorship |
| title | Paul’s Style and the Problem of the Pastoral Letters: Assessing Statistical Models of Description and Inference |
| title_full | Paul’s Style and the Problem of the Pastoral Letters: Assessing Statistical Models of Description and Inference |
| title_fullStr | Paul’s Style and the Problem of the Pastoral Letters: Assessing Statistical Models of Description and Inference |
| title_full_unstemmed | Paul’s Style and the Problem of the Pastoral Letters: Assessing Statistical Models of Description and Inference |
| title_short | Paul’s Style and the Problem of the Pastoral Letters: Assessing Statistical Models of Description and Inference |
| title_sort | paul s style and the problem of the pastoral letters assessing statistical models of description and inference |
| topic | pastoral letters paul style stylometry authorship |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2024-0034 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT prachterichbenjamin paulsstyleandtheproblemofthepastorallettersassessingstatisticalmodelsofdescriptionandinference AT mccauleythomas paulsstyleandtheproblemofthepastorallettersassessingstatisticalmodelsofdescriptionandinference |