Biclustering Readings and Manuscripts via Non-negative Matrix Factorization, with Application to the Text of Jude

Authors

Joey McCollum, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityFollow

Manuscript Type

Article

Abstract (For book reviews see instructions below)

The text-critical practice of grouping witnesses into families or texttypes often faces two obstacles: the methodological question of how exactly to isolate the groups, given the chicken-and-egg relationship between “good” group readings and “good” group manuscripts, and contamination in the manuscript tradition. I introduce non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) as a simple, automated, and efficient solution to both problems. Within minutes, NMF can cluster hundreds of manuscripts and readings simultaneously, producing an output that details potential contamination according to an easy-to-interpret mixture model. I apply this method to Wasserman’s extensive collation of the Epistle of Jude, showing that the resulting clusters correspond to human-identified textual families and their characteristic readings ccorrectly divide witnesses into their groups. Due to its demonstrated accuracy, versatility, and speed, NMF could replace prior state-of-the-art classification methods and find fruitful application in a number of text-critical settings.

Recommended Citation

McCollum, Joey. "Biclustering Readings and Manuscripts via Non-negative Matrix Factorization, with Application to the Text of Jude." Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS) 57.1 (2019): 61-89.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/auss/vol57/iss1/6