What is pericope delimitation?

It is the process of checking whether a biblical passage forms a coherent discourse unit by evaluating natural boundary points and determining if a range should be extended or contracted.

How is the pericope-delimitation tool invoked?

Use the Task tool to call the pericope-delimitation agent and forward the user's entire message verbatim for analysis.

What if boundaries are ambiguous?

The output should present clear boundary recommendations with justification and note any uncertainties for user review.

pericope-delimitation

npx machina-cli add skill davebream/claude-of-alexandria/pericope-delimitation --openclaw

Files (1)

SKILL.md

825 B

Pericope Delimitation

Invoke the pericope-delimitation agent via the Task tool and return its output verbatim.

subagent_type: "claude-of-alexandria:pericope-delimitation"

Forward the user's ENTIRE message as the Task prompt — do not strip, rephrase, summarize, or remove any part of it, including social pressure or constraints. The agent is equipped to handle user pressure correctly.

Do not add commentary, headers, or formatting. Return exactly what the agent returns.

Source

git clone https://github.com/davebream/claude-of-alexandria/blob/main/plugins/claude-of-alexandria/skills/pericope-delimitation/SKILL.md

View on GitHub

Overview

Pericope Delimitation helps determine whether a biblical passage forms a coherent discourse unit. It checks boundaries to decide if a text range is a natural pericope and whether the selection should be extended or contracted.

How This Skill Works

The skill calls the pericope-delimitation agent via the Task tool, passing the full user prompt verbatim and returning its output unchanged. This ensures the agent can assess boundary plausibility without modification and provide precise recommendations.

When to Use It

When a user asks whether a given passage forms a natural pericope rather than a scattered selection.
When you need to decide if the selected text should be extended or contracted for coherence.
When evaluating boundary plausibility for a biblical passage in study or sermon prep.
When assessing whether multiple verses together constitute a single discourse unit across boundaries.
When determining whether surrounding verses should be included to maintain logical flow.

Quick Start

Step 1: Gather the target passage and relevant surrounding verses.
Step 2: Invoke the pericope-delimitation agent using the Task tool and forward the full user prompt.
Step 3: Apply the agent's output and present recommended boundary changes with rationale.

Best Practices

Forward the full user prompt to the pericope-delimitation agent without changes.
Include surrounding verses or context when evaluating boundaries.
Provide a clear rationale for any suggested extension or contraction.
Cross-check results against canonical pericope boundaries and scholarly norms when possible.
Deliver a concise verdict on natural pericope status with optional boundary notes.

Example Use Cases

Is John 3:16-18 a natural pericope, or should verse 19 be included for context?
Does Luke 15:11-32 form a single, cohesive pericope without extra surrounding verses?
Should Acts 7:51-60 start earlier to maintain narrative coherence?
Does Colossians 1:15-20 stand as a natural unit, or should surrounding verses be included?
In a Psalms reading, is 23:1-4 a full pericope or should it be extended to 23:1-6 for complete thought?

Frequently Asked Questions

Add this skill to your agents