Research Guides
20 substantial, source-cited introductions to ancient texts, manuscripts, collections, comparisons, and historical settings.
Begin with the evidence
Each guide provides a careful public orientation and a path back to the supporting sources.
Dead Sea Scrolls: Texts, Collections, Dates, and Discovery
A source-cited orientation to the Dead Sea Scrolls, their texts, caves, dates, and research questions.
Open research guide → No. 02 · Collection authorityNag Hammadi Library: Complete Guide to the Codices and Texts
A research guide to the Nag Hammadi codices, their Coptic texts, discovery, and interpretive limits.
Open research guide → No. 03 · Named-text authorityThe Community Rule: Source, Date, Meaning, and Qumran Context
A source-cited guide to the Community Rule, 1QS, its rules, manuscripts, and Qumran context.
Open research guide → No. 04 · Named-text authorityThe Great Isaiah Scroll: Manuscript, Date, and Textual Significance
A source-cited guide to 1QIsaᵃ, its manuscript history, text, and significance for Isaiah research.
Open research guide → No. 05 · Named-text authorityEpic of Gilgamesh: Tablets, Origins, Date, and Surviving Versions
A source-cited orientation to the Epic of Gilgamesh, its tablets, versions, chronology, and transmission.
Open research guide → No. 06 · Named-text authorityGospel of Thomas: Manuscript, Sayings, Date, and Debate
A neutral, source-cited guide to the Gospel of Thomas, its sayings, Coptic manuscript, and dating debates.
Open research guide → No. 07 · Collection authorityAncient Egyptian Funerary Texts: Pyramid Texts to the Book of the Dead
A source-cited guide to Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, the Book of the Dead, and Egyptian funerary evidence.
Open research guide → No. 08 · Cross-text comparisonGenesis and Enuma Elish: Creation Accounts in Historical Context
A source-cited, non-polemical comparison of Genesis and Enuma Elish in their distinct literary contexts.
Open research guide → No. 09 · Collection authorityVedas and Upanishads: A Guide to the Major Texts
A source-cited orientation to the Vedas, Upanishads, oral transmission, and their changing relationships.
Open research guide → No. 10 · Named-text authorityThe Book of Enoch: Watchers, Manuscripts, and Reception
A source-cited guide to 1 Enoch, Watchers traditions, manuscripts, and reception history.
Open research guide → No. 11 · Collection authorityMesopotamian and Sumerian Texts: Myths, Hymns, Epics, and Laws
A source-cited guide to Mesopotamian and Sumerian literary corpora, languages, tablets, and contexts.
Open research guide → No. 12 · Named-text authorityThe Egyptian Book of the Dead: Chapters, Manuscripts, and Afterlife
A source-cited guide to the Egyptian Book of the Dead, its spells, manuscripts, and afterlife contexts.
Open research guide → No. 13 · Cross-tradition dossierFlood Narratives Across Ancient Traditions
A bounded, source-cited comparison of ancient flood narratives and the limits of motif comparison.
Open research guide → No. 14 · Named-text authorityBhagavad Gita: Context, Structure, Teachings, and Manuscript Tradition
A source-cited orientation to the Bhagavad Gita, its Mahabharata setting, structure, and interpretation.
Open research guide → No. 15 · Named-text authorityTao Te Ching: Text, Date, Translation, and Wu Wei
A source-cited guide to the Tao Te Ching, its textual witnesses, dating questions, and wu wei.
Open research guide → No. 16 · Historical contextSecond Temple Judaism: Texts, Movements, and Historical Setting
A source-cited historical orientation to Second Temple Judaism, its texts, institutions, and diversity.
Open research guide → No. 17 · Cross-tradition dossierCreation Accounts Across Ancient Traditions
A bounded, source-cited guide to comparing ancient creation accounts without flattening traditions.
Open research guide → No. 18 · Named-text authorityRig Veda: Structure, Hymns, Date, and Historical Context
A source-cited orientation to the Rig Veda, its hymns, oral transmission, chronology, and context.
Open research guide → No. 19 · Named-text authorityThe Baal Cycle: Ugaritic Tablets, Story, and Historical Context
A source-cited guide to the Baal Cycle, its Ugaritic tablets, reconstruction, and historical context.
Open research guide → No. 20 · Translation methodologyBible Translation Comparison: Methods, Texts, and Responsible Use
A source-cited guide to Bible translation methods, textual bases, differences, and responsible comparison.
Open research guide →