Bridget's Revelations, William of Ockham's Tractatus, and Doctrine and Covenants: Qualitative Analysis and Epistemological Perspectives on Theological Works

Abstract

SUMMARY Random samples of works were drawn from the catalogs of the Bobst Library, New York University, and the Burke Library, Union Theological Seminary, New York. Results indicated: (1) derivative bibliographic relationships existed for somewhere between one-half and two-thirds of theological works; (2) there was a positive correlation between the age of the progenitor work and the extent of derivation; and (3) forms and genres were useful in a limited way for predicting the incidence of derivative relationships in theological literature. Qualitative analysis reveals the important aspects of the genres “revelation” and “scripture” among theological works.