# Source Chronology, Original-Language Priority, and Claim Jurisdiction

**Status:** reference appendix

**Ownership:** `source-governance.md` owns policy and claim jurisdiction;
`ddf-coverage-process.md` owns the coverage workflow. This file only preserves
date ranges, source-layer orientation, and convenient public text anchors.

Use this note with `docs/research/source-governance.md`. The chronology below
orients biblical and doctrinal source work. It is not a global ranking that
places empirical evidence after theology when the claim itself is empirical.

Coverage request process: `docs/research/ddf-coverage-process.md`.

## Analysis Order for Biblical and Doctrinal Claims

Systems Theology book work should analyze sources in this order:

1. Original-language biblical text.
2. Biblical textual witnesses and ancient versions.
3. Apostolic and ante-Nicene patristic witness.
4. Nicene and later patristic support.
5. DDF synthesis and module design.
6. Contemporary research and ministry field data in recursive dialogue with the synthesis, with those findings established and revised under their own domain methods.

DDF is the core Systems Theology architecture and controlling interpretation for derived doctrine. Original-language Scripture is the first source to analyze for a biblical or doctrinal claim, but DDF governs how that analysis becomes Systems Theology prose, book scope, and module design. Do not build doctrine from English word studies, paraphrases, or isolated translation choices.

For an empirical, historical, mathematical, clinical, or technical claim, the field's primary evidence, methods, uncertainty, rival accounts, and correction practices retain direct jurisdiction. Metaphysical or theological hypotheses may guide questions from the beginning, while local findings answer back and revise the synthesis. A mature bridge follows iterative return between them; a true empirical correction does not wait behind the chronology above.

## Operating Policy

Apply the claim classification, original-language controls, patristic limits,
and DDF scope gate in `source-governance.md`. When DDF coverage is absent or
uncertain, follow `ddf-coverage-process.md`. Do not reproduce either workflow in
this reference appendix.

## Biblical Source Layer

| Source layer | Approximate date | Primary use |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hebrew Bible / Old Testament composition and final literary shaping | Broadly second millennium to 2nd century BC, with many final forms in the monarchic, exilic, and post-exilic periods | Governing source for creation, covenant, Torah, wisdom, prophets, worship, household, justice, lament, and hope. |
| Biblical Aramaic portions | Mostly exilic and post-exilic settings; preserved in Genesis 31:47, Jeremiah 10:11, Ezra 4:8-6:18, Ezra 7:12-26, Daniel 2:4b-7:28 | Analyze with Hebrew where the canonical text is Aramaic. |
| Dead Sea Scrolls biblical witnesses | Manuscripts copied roughly mid-3rd century BC to 1st century AD | Earliest substantial Hebrew/Aramaic biblical manuscript witnesses; useful for textual history before the medieval Masoretic codices. |
| Septuagint / Old Greek translation | Torah about mid-3rd century BC; other books mainly 2nd-1st centuries BC | Major Greek Jewish witness and the Bible most often used by early Greek-speaking Christians; use after Hebrew/Aramaic as a textual and reception witness. |
| New Testament composition | Roughly AD 48-100, with some scholarly ranges extending into the early 2nd century for debated writings | Governing Greek source for Christ, gospel, Church, Spirit, sacraments, ethics, mission, and hope. |
| Early Greek New Testament manuscript witnesses | Fragmentary witnesses from the 2nd century onward; major codices in the 4th century | Textual witness to the Greek New Testament; useful for variants and early transmission. |
| Codex Sinaiticus and other 4th-century Greek Bible codices | Mid-4th century AD for Codex Sinaiticus | Major Greek Bible witnesses, especially for broad textual comparison. |
| Masoretic codices | Leningrad Codex AD 1008/1009; Aleppo Codex 10th century, partly preserved | Base witnesses behind many modern Hebrew Bible editions; important, but later than the biblical composition and Dead Sea Scrolls witnesses. |

### Biblical Manuscript Anchor Notes

Checked May 21, 2026:

- Library of Congress describes the Qumran library as Jewish documents dating from the 3rd century BC to AD 68. Use this as a public anchor for the Dead Sea Scrolls range, while recording specific manuscript dates when a conclusion depends on a particular witness.
- Codex Sinaiticus official project material dates the codex generally to the 4th century and often more precisely to the middle of that century. Use it as a major Greek Bible witness, not as an earlier source than the apostolic writings.
- Septuagint dating should distinguish the Torah/Pentateuch layer from the rest of the Greek corpus. The Torah is commonly placed around the middle of the 3rd century BC; other books are largely 2nd-1st centuries BC, with the broader Greek corpus having a longer and more complex history.
- The Leningrad Codex remains a key complete Masoretic witness dated AD 1008/1009. It is crucial for modern Hebrew Bible editions, but it is not earlier than the Dead Sea Scrolls or the ancient versions.

## Patristic Source Layer

Treat apostolic and ante-Nicene sources as the primary patristic layer. Use Nicene and later patristic sources as support.

| Source | Approximate date | Layer | Use |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Rule of faith / early creedal summaries | Explicit summaries especially 2nd-3rd centuries AD | Early reception | Tests continuity with apostolic proclamation, Trinity, Christ, creation, resurrection, and Church. |
| `Didache` | Often dated late 1st to early 2nd century; some place final form in the 2nd century | Apostolic/early | Two Ways, baptism, prayer, fasting, Eucharistic thanksgiving, teachers, prophets, and community order. |
| `1 Clement` | Usually c. AD 95-97 | Apostolic Father | Humility, repentance, order, envy, leadership, and restoration after conflict. |
| Ignatius of Antioch, seven letters | Traditional date c. AD 110-117; some current scholarship argues later 2nd-century ranges | Apostolic Father / debated date | Christ's true flesh, Eucharist, unity, bishop-presbyter-deacon order, schism, and false teaching. |
| Polycarp, `Philippians` | c. AD 110-140 | Apostolic Father | Perseverance, household exhortation, imitation, care for widows, and faithful teaching. |
| `Martyrdom of Polycarp` | Event c. AD 155/156 or 167/168; text likely later 2nd century | Early martyr witness | Martyrdom, endurance, embodied hope, imitation, and worship boundaries. |
| Justin Martyr, `First Apology` | c. AD 155-157 | Ante-Nicene | Public witness, worship, baptism, Eucharist, Scripture, Logos, and apologetic. |
| Justin Martyr, `Dialogue with Trypho` | c. AD 160 | Ante-Nicene | Scripture, Israel, Christ, promise, fulfillment, and Christian-Jewish argument. |
| Irenaeus, `Against Heresies` | c. AD 180 | Ante-Nicene | Rule of faith, recapitulation, creation, embodied salvation, Scripture, and anti-Gnostic protection. |
| Irenaeus, `Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching` | late 2nd century, often c. AD 190-202 | Ante-Nicene | Catechetical summary, canonical arc, rule of faith, creation, covenant, Christ, and resurrection. |
| Clement of Alexandria, `Paedagogus` | late 2nd to early 3rd century, before or around AD 200 | Ante-Nicene | Formation, discipline, desire, embodied habits, household instruction, and Christian conduct. |
| Tertullian, `Prescription Against Heretics` | c. AD 200 | Ante-Nicene | Public rule, apostolic witness, heresy discernment, and limits of speculative novelty. |
| Tertullian, `On Baptism` | c. AD 198-203 | Ante-Nicene | Baptism, water, catechesis, practice, and pastoral caution. |
| Tertullian, `On the Flesh of Christ` | early 3rd century, often c. AD 206-212 | Ante-Nicene | Incarnation, real flesh, anti-docetism, and embodied salvation. |
| Cyprian, `On the Unity of the Church` | AD 251 | Ante-Nicene | Unity, office, schism, discipline, and the need to keep institutional claims under Christ and truth. |
| Athanasius, `On the Incarnation` | Early 4th century; often dated c. AD 318-328, with debate | Nicene support | Incarnation, restoration of the image, corruption, death defeated, and embodied salvation. |
| Cyril of Jerusalem, `Catechetical Lectures` | c. AD 348-350 | Nicene support | Catechesis, creed, baptism, Eucharist, mystagogy, and embodied reception. |
| Basil, `On the Holy Spirit` | AD 375 | Nicene support | Holy Spirit, doxology, worship, received practice, and Trinitarian grammar. |
| Gregory of Nyssa, `The Great Catechism` | late 4th century, often c. AD 383 | Nicene support | Catechesis, Trinity, incarnation, salvation, and formation. |
| Gregory of Nyssa, `Life of Moses` | late 4th century, often c. AD 390s | Nicene support | Desire, ascent, formation, Scripture reading, and growth in God. |
| Augustine, `Confessions` | c. AD 397-400 | Late patristic support | Memory, desire, confession, grace, ordered love, and prayer. |
| Augustine, `On Christian Doctrine` | Begun c. AD 397; completed c. AD 426 | Late patristic support | Scripture interpretation, signs, love, teaching, and rhetoric. |
| Augustine, `City of God` | c. AD 413-426/427 | Late patristic support | City, worship, history, empire, pilgrimage, and final hope. |

### Patristic Date Anchor Notes

Checked May 21, 2026:

- Public early Christian writing anchors give broad ranges, not final critical certainty. Treat them as starting points for research, then consult critical editions and current scholarship where a date matters.
- `Didache` is commonly handled as late 1st to early 2nd century; public date anchors may give a broader AD 50-120 range. Keep the manuscript's final form and earlier tradition layers distinct.
- `1 Clement` is often used around AD 95-97 in the book ledgers, but public anchors may give a broader AD 80-140 range. If a conclusion depends on the exact date, record the narrower argument separately.
- Ignatius is useful but textually and chronologically debated. Public anchors often list AD 105-115 for the seven-letter middle recension, while some scholarship argues later ranges. Mark the date uncertainty where Ignatius carries weight.
- Polycarp's `Philippians` is commonly handled around AD 110-140. Use it as early testimony to received teaching, perseverance, household exhortation, and anti-docetic confession without making it govern Scripture.

## Public Text Anchors

Use these as convenient starting points for source checking. They are not substitutes for critical editions, language competence, or DDF review.

- Hebrew Old Testament: Westminster Leningrad Codex through BibleGateway (`https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/The-Westminster-Leningrad-Codex-WLC/`) or Digital Bible Society (`https://bibles.dbs.org/HEBWLC/pdf/HEBWLC.pdf`).
- Unicode/XML Leningrad Codex technical source: Tanach.us (`https://www.tanach.us/Pages/Technical.html`), which documents TEI-header provenance and the XML files behind the displayed Hebrew text.
- Greek New Testament: SBL Greek New Testament (`https://sblgnt.com/`) and source files (`https://github.com/Faithlife/SBLGNT`).
- SBLGNT download/source formats: `https://sblgnt.com/download/`.
- Apostolic Fathers: CCEL Kirsopp Lake collection (`https://ccel.org/ccel/lake/fathers2`).
- Ante-Nicene Fathers: CCEL ANF series (`https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf-series/anf-series`).
- Searchable patristic index: New Advent Church Fathers (`https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/`).
- Frequently used ante-Nicene direct anchors: Justin's `First Apology` (`https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0126.htm`), Irenaeus's `Against Heresies` (`https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103.htm`), and Cyprian's `Treatise 1 / On the Unity of the Church` (`https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/050701.htm`).

Writers should still record which exact biblical text, original-language term,
DDF section, and early witness supports each conclusion in the book-specific
source ledgers. Those ledgers also own book-specific term priorities; this
reference appendix does not duplicate them.