Observations
Small details noticed while reading Scripture, theology, or Church history.
Writing · Notebook
Notebook from the margins
Short observations, questions, and thoughts from ongoing study: lighter than an article, less settled than an evergreen note.
Questions
Open threads to preserve before they become a fuller note or article.
Connections
Links between reading, prayer, study, and ordinary discipleship.
A note to sit with
A random entry from the notebook, shown from its body rather than from a separate summary.
31 Aug 202612 entries
Patristic Translation Pipeline
Over the last few weeks I've been building a pipeline for working with patristic texts. The original reason for building it was much more ambitious than modernising old English: I want to produce a machine-assisted English translation of St Jerome’s Commentary on Ezekiel, starting from the Latin text. There is one fairly significant problem with this plan. I don't know Latin. That means I cannot simply give a Latin text to an LLM, read the English output,...
Latest notebook
Brief entries from the working edge of study, gathered without turning them into a feed.
Notebook
Patristic Translation Pipeline
Over the last few weeks I've been building a pipeline for working with patristic texts. The original reason for building it was much more ambitious than modernising old English: I...
Development
Open entry →Notebook
Knowledge and Friendship with God
I came across this passage in Wisdom of Solomon 7:13-14, and it made me think about knowledge of Scripture and God's wisdom. The passage reads: "I learned without guile and I...
Reflection
Open entry →Earlier notebook entries
What God Requires of Us
Today's Scripture reading focused on what God requires of us - the two passages that stuck with me were Micah 6:8 and Hosea 6:6, "He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what...
Why Bible Verse and Psalm Numbers Differ
While looking at the NET Bible, I really enjoyed that hovering over a passage number would pop that passage onto the page. So I went into the rabbit hole of trying to do that for...
Jesus Walks on the Sea
Today is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) and at Mass the readings and homily were about Jesus walking on the sea (Matthew 14:22-33). The theme today was trusting in Jesus with...
Transfiguration and Moses
Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord and so I am reading the following Scripture passages: - Matthew 17:1-13 - The Transfiguration of the Lord - Exodus 24:12–18 -...
A Remind of the Age of a Book
I’m currently reading Exposition of the Orthodox Faith by St John of Damascus, and this passage suddenly made me realise just how old the book is (written around AD 730): "Further,...
A Reminder on Patience
I’ve been following the Liturgy of the Hours for two days and today one of the morning readings was this, "Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless...
Being Thankful
This passage is a reminder of how we should always be thankful and give thanks to God for all we have. "the Lord declared to the ungrateful: “If you have not been faithful in that...
Confession and Penance
While reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church I came across this passage, "The confessor is not the master of God’s forgiveness, but its servant. […] He must pray and do...
The Mercy of God
While reading John Damascus I came across this passage "God’s goodness is revealed in that He did not disregard the frailty of His handiwork, but was moved with compassion for him...
The Risk of Carrying it All
While sorting my notes on The Shepherd of Hermas, I came across this passage, "Just as elderly people, hopeless of renewing their youth, expect only to sleep, so you, weakened by...