Texts

SCHOLARSLIKETHEWORLDWILLNEVERSEEAGAINIMAGINEWHATITWOULDBELIKE
TOENCOUNTERATEXTWITHNOBREAKSPUNCTUATIONORANYOFTHEUSUALCLUES
WHICHHELPTODICERNHOWTOREADITANDWHATITISTRYINGTOCOMMUNICATECE
RTAINLYMODERNACADEMIAWOULDBEIMPOSSIBLEASTHEVOLUMEOFTEXTSWEM
USTREADWOULDREQUIREYEARSOFSTUDYRATHERTHANMONTHSTHEARTOFSKIM
MINGATEXTISBASEDONTHESECLUESANDWITHOUTSKIMMINGISEVERELYDOUBT
THATUNIVERSITYASWEKNOWITWOULDEXISTPERHAPSFORTHEBETTERBUTTHAT
ISIRRELEVANTRIGHTNOWFORTHESEREASONSIAMINAWETOLEARNTHATSCHOLA
RSINTHEPASTWHOREADTHESESORTSOFBLOCKTEXTSWEREABELTODISCOVERTH
EBREAKSETCANDHENCETHEFORMSWEHAVEJUSTBEENINTRODUCEDTOMRLOWTH
WHODISCOVEREDTHEPROPHETSHADBOTHPOETRYANDNARRATIVEAVERYELEME
NTARYDISCOVERYBUTONEWHICHWOULDBEDIFFICULTIFTEXTSWEREJUSTASOLID
BLOCKSONOWWHENIOPENMYBIBLEORNEAREASTERNSEMITICCREATIONACCOU
NTIWILLBEGINBYJUSTAPPRECIATINGTHEFORMOFTHEWORDSTHEFACTTHATID
ONOTHAVETOSORTTHROUGHANCIENTSEMETICBLOCKCAPITALKSINORDERTO
READTHETEXTFORMYSELFOFCOURSETHEREAREALLSORTSOFOTHERCOMPLICA
TIONSSUCHASTRUSTINGTHATMRLOWTHANDCOMPANYDISCERNEDTHERIGHTBR
EAKSANDDIDNOTINVESTTOOMUCHOFTHEIRMALESTREAMIDEOLOGYINTHOSEB
LOCKSORATLEASTTHATIWILLBEABLETODISERNTHEIRBLOCKCAPITALS

“Scholars like the world will never see again”

Imagine what it would be like to encounter a text with no breaks, punctuation or any of the usual clues which help to discern how to read it and what it is trying to communicate. Certainly modern academia would be impossible as the volume of texts we must read would require years of study rather than months. The art of skimming a text is based on these clues, and without skimming, I severely doubt that that university as we know it would exist. (Perhaps for the better, but that is irrelevant right now). For these reasons I am in awe to learn that scholars in the past who read these sorts of block texts were able to discover the breaks etc. and hence the forms. We have just been introduced to Mr. Lowth who discovered the prophets had both poetry and narrative. A very elementary discovery, but one which would be difficult if texts were just a solid block. So, now when I open my Bible, or Near Eastern Semitic creation account I will begin by just appreciating the form of the words, the fact that I do not have to sort through ancient semitic block capitals in order to read the text for myself. Of course there are all sorts of other complications, such as trusting Mr Lowth and company discerned the right breaks and did not invest too much of their malestream ideology in those breaks, or at least that I will be able to discern their block capitals...