The Roots of Content Curation: The Bible and Ancient Greco-Roman Philosophy and Rhetoric

While content curation is a relatively new phenomenon in marketing, it actually dates back thousands of years. Biblical texts are a foremost example. To varying degrees, they are a patchwork of intertextual connections with other written texts and oral stories. The “curation” of this previously disseminated content challenges, reconfirms, and reshapes the thoughts and actions of the audience.

Consider the Book of Revelation. Those who read the text are ill-served if they are unfamiliar with Jewish and Christian apocalyptic literature. The “curated” apocalyptic texts and connotations shape its meaning and reception. Without this interpretive (“curated”) guide at their disposal, readers quickly get lost in the strangeness of its metaphorical language.[1] 

The ancient Greco-Roman rhetoricians and philosophers did the same. They drew upon earlier texts and stories to bolster their argument—whether in refutation of opposing views or in support of their position. For example, the Greek satirist Lucian, who lived during the second century CE, employs various “curated” examples on what to do and not to do when writing a historical account in his treatise on How to Write History.

Spin the wheels of history forward to today. Until the arrival of the Digital Age, the scale of content curation was finite. Biblical writers and ancient Greco-Roman rhetoricians and philosophers could tap only a small number of texts when creating content. But the Internet completely changes the dynamics of research and curation. Content curation can be done in virtual real time, and the results are practically exhaustive.

In a recent blog post on the TIRO Communications website, I spell out four reasons why organizations should curate content; they include:

1. Identify Ideas
2. Amplify Outputs and Quality
3. Build Audience
4. Generate Engagement

I also include eight best-practice recommendations in the blog post that content marketers need to consider when curating content; they include:

1. Multiple Objectives
2. It Takes Work
3. The Interpretive Matrix
4. Curated Use Cases
5. Content Calendar
6. Syndication
7. Advocate Engagement
8. Measuring KPIs

For a more in-depth discussion of the topic, check out my Blog Post, "The Why and How of Content Curation."

Patrick Spencer (Ph.D.) is the President and Founder of TIRO Communications, a company that helps organizations drive brand awareness and engagement through outstanding Content Marketing and Engagement/Advocacy Marketing business outcomes.

[1] See, for example, David Aune, “Apocalypse Renewed: An Intertextual Reading of the Apocalypse of John,” in The Reality of Apocalypse: Rhetoric and Politics in the Book of Revelation , ed. David L. Barr (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2006), 43-70.