The Orthotomeo project will provide a basis for various types of inquiry into the logical relationship between statements (e.g. biblical data) and interpretations. Since all levels of theological argumentation (translation, exegesis, systematic theology and practical application) will be stored one is not limited to any particular area of inquiry. The big theological picture from start to finish will be available for analysis.
One of the nice features will be its use in theological documentation. With a simple query one will be able to lookup dependencies between biblical data an theological statements, which are derived from them. In addition one will be able to trace the path of reasoning that leads from beginning to end. For example what theological statements are dependent upon John 14:6 I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. Conversely one could pose the question “Which biblical data is necessary to support the doctrine of the divinity of Christ?”
There are often competing interpretations for biblical data. The Orthotomeo project will allow one at a glance to compare the differing interpretations. Instead of searching in various books and documents all the pertinent data will be in one place. This will be a valuable tool in analyzing a particular theology by being able to compare the robustness of the various arguments.
Theological systems are made up of an enormous amount of data and logical decisions. I would suggest that it would be impossible for any one person to know every theological argument relevant to their particular field of interest. However, once the data is stored in the Orthotomeo database the vast structures of theological argumentation are available for querying. One possibility that this offers is to perform tests for consistency. If one has made a decision on an exegetical matter that involves a specific hermeneutic principle, one could check where this principle is used in other areas. One could also check to see if a principle of interpretation is used consistently under similar circumstances. This will help bring to light areas where theologians twist things in order to fit into a preconceived theology rather than honestly applying the principles of interpretation.[1]
- [1] I am not suggesting that all theologians do this. However, such things do occur perhaps inadvertently. ↩
