Home | Punctuation | cross-reference | MASTER LIST- symbols & abbreviations
As was noted above, the punctuation apparatus includes some six hundred passages in which difference of punctuation seems to be particularly significant for interpretation of the text. Each successive problem of punctuation is marked by an italic superscript letter in the text, which is repeated at each point where a related set of punctuation alternatives may be employed.
Several acute
difficulties are involved in comparing punctuation in different Greek editions
and modern-language translations:
(1) different editions of the Greek text employ punctuation symbols with
different values (one editor, for example, may tend to use colons where
another will generally use commas);
(2) the value of a mark of punctuation must be analyzed not only in terms of an
editor's usual practice, but also in relation to other marks of punctuation
within the context;
(3) systems of punctuation employed in editions of the Greek New Testament and
in modern-language translations do not completely correspond; and
(4) translators into modern languages differ even more radically than do
editors of the Greek New Testament in the variety of punctuation marks used and
the diversity of values associated with them. Accordingly, it has not been
possible to set up a system whereby specific punctuation marks can be compared
on a purely formal basis. Rather, it has been necessary to evaluate the symbols
and to determine their function and "weight" in each set of
meaningful variants.
Punctuation
marks have therefore been
analyzed and evaluated in terms of two major functions:
(1) the indication of significant breaks in structure, for example, between
paragraphs, between complete sentences, between principal clauses within
sentences, and between related phrases, and
(2) the identification of the nature of a grammatical construction, e. g. a
statement, a question, or a command.
Since, however, the
primary function of punctuation marks is to indicate breaks or transition, the
different marks of punctuation have been classified as follows: paragraph, major "break",
minor "break" and none. Other types of breaks are identified by dashes, parentheses, or dots showing ellipses. Terminal punctuation marks, normally
indicating some type of major break, serve to indicate differences between question (whether indicated by a question mark or an exclamation mark), statement and command.
Special problems are involved with respect to ὅτι, which may introduce indirect discourse, direct discourse, a causal construction, a question, or may serve some other function in the sentence. In this edition, when on introduces indirect discourse no comma precedes, and neither on nor the word following is capitalized. When ὅτι is used to introduce direct discourse, no mark of punctuation precedes or follows it and the next word begins with a capital letter. When ὅτι introduces a causal construction, a comma may precede; it is always capitalized when it is causal at the beginning of direct discourse.
The major sets of alternatives given in the punctuation apparatus are as follows:
|
paragraph, major |
a paragraph break in contrast with a full sentence break. |
|
major, minor, none
|
a major break (often equivalent to a period or full stop, a colon, or a semicolon) in contrast with a minor break (usually indicated by a comma), and in further contrast with no punctuation. |
|
question,
statement, command |
the contrast between question and non-question is usually clearly indicated in Greek texts, but in certain contexts the additional contrast between statement and command may be made explicit only in translation. |
|
exclamation |
a category, not marked in Greek but often used in translations to render rhetorical questions (which may be marked in Greek as questions) or emphatic statements (which are marked in Greek only by a period or full stop). |
|
dash, parens |
dashes and parenthesis
marks indicate breaks in structure. |
|
ellipsis |
words in an incomplete sentence which need to be supplied, indicated by three dots. |
|
direct (or recitative), indirect,
causal, interrogative |
different uses of ὅτι , though in some instances it is difficult to interpret the function of on since an editor may have preferred to leave it ambiguous (see page xxxvi). |
|
different text |
the underlying text is so different that no correspondence can be indicated. |
As a rule, alternative forms of punctuation are given only when they are represented by some Greek edition or modern translation, but in a few instances additional possibilities have been noted for which no authority is cited.
The following symbols and abbreviations have also been used with the punctuation apparatus:
|
?
|
indicates that citation of a particular edition or translation is doubtful, since the evidence does not clearly support one or another alternative. |
|
( ) |
parenthesis marks show minor differences of detail in punctuation, while indicating that the authority supports in general the punctuation for which it is cited. |
|
ed
|
a different edition of a Greek text or a translation which does not agree with other editions at a given point. |
|
mg
|
a marginal reading in one of the translations. |
|
mg1,
mg2 |
successive alternatives in the margin of a translation. |
The following editions of the Greek New Testament and translations into modern languages have been cited in the punctuation apparatus:
|
TR |
Textus Receptus (Oxford, 1873). In cases of differences of verse division, the editions of Stephanus (1551, 1559) and others, were consulted. |
|
WH
|
Westcott and Uort (1881). |
|
Bov
|
Bover (4th edition, 1959). In some cases where the type had become illegible, the first edition (1943) was consulted. |
|
Nes
|
Nestle-Aland (25th edition, 1963). |
|
BF2
|
British and Foreign Bible Society edition of the Nestle Greek text (2nd edition. 1958). |
|
AV
|
Authorized or King James Version. The New Testament Parallel Edition, AV and RSV (Nelson, 1961?) and the New Testament Octapla, edited by Luther A. Weigle (Nelson, 1962) were used. The Octapla includes the 1873 edition of the AV, edited by F. H. A. Scrivener. |
|
RV
|
Revised or English Revised Version (1881). |
|
ASV
|
American Standard Version (1901). |
|
RSV
|
Revised Standard Version (1946, and subsequent editions). |
|
NEB
|
The New English Bible, New Testament (1961). |
|
TT
|
The New Testament:
A Translation for Translators (1966). |
|
Zür |
Die Heilige Schrift (Zurich. 1942). |
|
Luth |
Das Neue Testament, nach der Übersetzung Martin Luthers, Revidierter Text (1956). |
|
Jer |
Le Nouveau Testament ... de 1'Ecole Biblique de Jérusalem (1958). |
|
Seg |
Le Nouveau Testament, Traduction de Louis Segond (Nouvelle Revision, 1962). |
|
|
The cross-references,
given at the bottom of the page with the principal Greek words involved,
include the following categories:
(1) quotations from Biblical and non-Biblical books;
(2) definite allusions, where it is assumed that the writer had in mind a
specific passage of Scripture; and
(3) literary and other parallels. References to parallel passages are given
immediately below the section headings, rather than in the cross-references.
When verse numbers in English editions differ from the Hebrew Old Testament,
the numbering of the RSV is followed.
The following abbreviations are used in the reference system:
|
Abbreviations
- Old Testament |
|||
|
Gn |
Genesis |
Sol |
Song of Solomon |
|
Ex |
Exodus |
Is |
Isaiah |
|
Lv |
Leviticus |
Jr |
Jeremiah |
|
Nu |
Numbers |
Lm |
Lamentation |
|
Dt |
Deuteronomy |
Eze |
Ezekiel |
|
Jos |
Joshua |
Dn |
Daniel |
|
Jdg |
Judges |
Ho |
Hosea |
|
Ru |
Ruth |
Jl |
Joel |
|
1, 2Sm |
1,
2 Samuel |
Am |
Amos |
|
1,
2Kgs |
1, 2 Kings |
Ob |
Obadiah |
|
1,
2Chr |
1, 2 Chronicles |
Jon |
Jonah |
|
Ezr |
Ezra |
Mic |
Micah |
|
Ne |
Nehemiah |
Na |
Nahum |
|
Est |
Esther |
Hab |
Habakkuk |
|
Job |
Job |
Zph |
Zephaniah |
|
Ps |
Psalms |
Hg |
Haggai |
|
Pr |
Proverbs |
Zch |
Zechariah |
|
Ec |
Ecclesiastes |
Mal |
Malachi |
|
Abbreviations
- New Testament |
|||
|
Mt |
Matthew |
1,
2Th |
1, 2 Thessalonians |
|
Mk |
Mark |
1,
2Tm |
1, 2 Timothy |
|
Lk |
Luke |
Tt |
Titus |
|
Jn |
John |
Phm |
Philemon |
|
Ac |
Acts |
He |
Hebrews |
|
Ro |
Romans |
Jas |
James |
|
1,
2Cor |
1, 2 Corinthians |
1,
2Pe |
1, 2 Peter |
|
Ga |
Galatians |
1,
2, 3Jn |
1, 2, 3 John |
|
Eph |
Ephesians |
Jd |
Jude |
|
Php |
Philippians |
Re |
Revelation |
|
Col |
Colossians |
|
|
|
Abbreviations
– Apocrypha |
|||
|
Bar |
Baruch |
PsSol |
Psalms of Solomon |
|
En |
Enoch |
Sir |
Sirach |
|
1, 2Esd |
1, 2 Esdras |
Sus |
Susanna |
|
Jdth |
Judith |
Tob |
Tobit |
|
1,
2, 3, 4Mace |
1, 2, 3, 4 Maccabees |
Wsd |
Wisdom |
Other writings cited:
|
Aratus |
Ascension of Isaiah |
Assumption of Moses |
|
Epimenides |
Ps-Epimenides |
Menander |
The following abbreviations are also used in the reference system:
|
MT |
the Masoretic Text, where it differs from the Greek. |
|
LXX
|
the Septuagint, where it diners from the Hebrew. |
|
Theodotion
|
Theodotion's text of the Greek Old Testament. |
|
Symbols
& abbreviations |
|
|
{
} |
enclose a letter A, B, C, D which indicates the relative degree of certainty for the reading adopted in the text. |
|
[
] |
enclose words which are regarded as having dubious textual validity. |
|
[[
]] |
enclose passages which are regarded as later additions to the text, but which are of evident antiquity and importance. |
|
(
) |
indicate that a witness or edition supports the reading for which it is cited, but with minor differences. |
|
|
the reading of the original hand of the manuscript. |
|
?
|
indicates that a witness is probably in support of a reading, but that there is some doubt. The question mark is also used when an ancient version, owing to the grammatical structure of the language, is cited as supporting two or more different Greek readings. In the punctuation apparatus it indicates that citation of a particular edition or translation is doubtful, since the evidence does not clearly support one or another alternative. |
|
½,
2/3, 5/7 etc |
the second figure of the fraction indicates the number of times a particular passage is cited by a Church Father, and the first specifies the number of times the passage is cited in the particular form of the variant with which the fraction is placed. |
|
2,
3, 4 |
superscript numerals used to indicate the successive correctors of a manuscript. |
|
a.b.c,
d, e, |
successive correctors of manuscripts א D (Bezae Cantabrigiensis) and D (Claromontaiuis]. |
|
a,
b, c, |
manuscripts of the writings of Theophylact. |
|
a,
bav, c, p |
manuscripts of the commentary of Andrew of Caesarea on Revelation. |
|
a
|
indicates that a manuscript in the Gregory-Aland list contains the Acts of the Apostles, and sometimes the Catholic or General Epistles. With lectionaries, a indicates that the manuscript contains lessons from the Acts and the Epistles. |
|
Acc.
to. |
according to. |
|
ASV
|
American Standard Version (1901). |
|
AV
|
Authorized or King James Version (1611). |
|
BF2 |
Η ΚΑΙΝΗ
ΔΙΑΘΗΚΗ (B.F.B.S., 2nd ed., 1958). |
|
Bov
|
Bover, Novi Testamenti Biblia Graeca et Latina (4th ed., 1959). |
|
Byz
|
the reading of the majority of Byzantine manuscripts. |
|
Byz.pt
|
a part of the Byzantine manuscript tradition. |
|
C
|
indicates that a manuscript contains all or part of the Catholic or General Epistles. |
|
c
|
corrector of a
manuscript. causal indicates the causal function of on in a given passage. |
|
cj |
conjecture. |
|
comm |
the commentary section of a manuscript where the reading differs from the accompanying Greek text. Also used to designate the New Testament text cited in the commentary of a Church Father, when the citation differs from the accompanying New Testament text. |
|
cop.ach
|
Coptic version, Achmimic dialect. |
|
cop.ach2
|
Coptic version, Sub-Achmimic dialect. |
|
cop.bo
|
Coptic version, Bohairic dialect. |
|
cop.fay
|
Coptic version, Fayyumic dialect. |
|
cop.sa
|
Coptic version, Sahidic dialect. |
|
dash
|
indicates a break in the syntax of a sentence. |
|
Diatessaron.a, e, etc |
(see pages xxxiv. xxxv). |
|
different
text |
used in the punctuation apparatus when the text of an edition or version is so different that no correspondence can be indicated with the other editions and versions cited. |
|
direct
|
indicates that ὅτι introduces direct
discourse. |
|
e
|
indicates that a
manuscript in the Gregory-Aland list contains all or part of the Gospels. |
|
ed |
edition (s) of a Church Father. In the punctuation apparatus it indicates that an edition does not agree with other editions. |
|
ellipsis
|
words in an incomplete sentence which need to be supplied, indicated by three dots. |
|
eth.pp
|
the Pell Platt edition of the Ethiopic version (B.F.B.S. 1826). |
|
eth.ro
|
the Rome edition of the Ethiopic version (1548-1549). |
|
exclamation
|
not marked in Greek texts, but often used in translations to render rhetorical questions (which may be marked in Greek as questions) or emphatic statements (which are marked in Greek only by a period or full stop). |
|
f1
|
"Family 1", a group of Greek manuscripts first described by Lake. |
|
f13
|
''Family 13", a group of Greek manuscripts first described by Ferrar. |
|
geo
|
Georgian version. |
|
geo.1,
2 |
manuscripts representing the two major Georgian traditions. |
|
geo.a,
b |
manuscripts which form the basis of geo.2 . |
|
goth
|
Gothic version. |
|
gr
|
the Greek text of a bilingual manuscript (D. E, G) where it differs from the corresponding text in the accompanying language. Also used with Church Fathers to distinguish the Greek text of a Church Father from a version in another language. |
|
indirect
|
indicates that on introduces indirect discourse. |
|
interrogative
|
indicates that ὅτι introduces an interrogative construction. |
|
it
|
with various superscript letters indicates manuscripts of the Itala or Old Latin (see p. xxvi). |
|
Jer |
Le Nouveau Testament ... de 1'Ecole Biblique de Jerusalem (1958). |
|
Lat |
the Latin version of a Greek Church Father. |
|
L
|
a lectionary, identified by the superscript number following it. |
|
Lm
|
a lectionary in its Menologion (see p. xxv). |
|
Ls
|
a lectionary in its Synaxarion (see p. xxv). |
|
Lpt
|
an individual lectionary which contains a passage two or more times with readings differing from each other, hence listed as supporting a reading in "part". |
|
Lect
|
the reading of the majority of lectionaries in the Synaxarion and in the Menologion, when these agree (see p. xxv). |
|
Lect.m
|
the Menologion readings when these differ from the Synaxarion or appear only in the Menologion (see p. xxv). |
|
Luth |
Das Neue Testament, nach der Übersetzung Martin Luthers, Revidierter Text (1956). |
|
LXX
|
The Septuagint or Greek translation of the Old Testament. |
|
m
|
a lectionary in its Menologion (see p. xxv). |
|
major
|
a major break or transition in the punctuation of a given passage. |
|
minor
|
a minor break or transition in the punctuation of a given passage. |
|
mg
|
textual evidence contained in the margin of a manuscript. In the punctuation apparatus, mg indicates a marginal reading of a modern translation. |
|
mg.1,
2 |
successive alternatives in the margin of a translation. |
|
ms,
mss |
manuscript (s) of an ancient version, or of the writings of a Church Father, when different from the edited text. |
|
NEB
|
The New English Bible, New Testament (1961). |
|
Nes
|
Nestle-Aland, Novum Testamentum Graece (25th ed., 1963). |
|
none
|
no break or transition in the punctuation of a given passage. |
|
nub |
Nubian version. |
|
Old
German |
Old High German version. |
|
p
|
indicates that a manuscript in the Gregory-Aland list contains all or part of the Epistles of Paul. |
|
p1,
etc |
a papyrus, identified by the superscript number following it. |
|
paragraph
|
a paragraph break or transition in contrast with a full sentence break. |
|
parens
|
parenthesis marks are used to enclose explanatory or supplementary material in the Greek text. They are used with manuscripts, ancient versions or modern translations, to indicate similarity but not identity of readings. |
|
pers
|
Persian version. |
|
Provençal |
Provencal version. |
|
r |
indicates that a manuscript in the Gregory-Aland list contains all or part of the text of Revelation. |
|
RSV
|
Revised Standard Version of the New Testament (1946). |
|
RV
|
Revised or English Revised Version of the New Testament (1881). |
|
Ls
|
a lectionary in its Synaxarion (see p. xxv). |
|
Seg |
Segond, Le Nouveau Testament (1962). |
|
sic
|
an abnormality exactly reproduced from the original. |
|
slav
|
Slavonic version. |
|
supp
|
a portion of a manuscript supplied by a later hand where the original is missing. |
|
syr.c |
Curetonian Syriac version. |
|
syr.h
|
Harclean Syriac version. |
|
syr.hgr
|
a Greek marginal reading in the Harclean Syriac version. |
|
syr.h.mgr
|
a marginal reading in the Harclean Syriac version. |
|
syr.h
with * |
asterisks in the Harclean Syriac text indicating a different reading. |
|
syr.p |
Peshitta Syriac version. |
|
syr.pal |
Palestinian Syriac version. |
|
syr.s |
Sinaitic Syriac version. |
|
Theodotion
|
Theodotion's text of the Greek Old Testament. |
|
TR
|
Textus Receptus (Oxford, 1873). |
|
TT
|
The New Testament: A Translation for Translators (1966). |
|
Txt
|
the text of a manuscript of the New Testament or of a Church Father when it differs from another reading given in the commentary section which accompanies the text. |
|
vg |
Vulgate version. |
|
vg.cl
|
the Clementine edition of the Vulgate when it differs from the Wordsworth-White edition. |
|
vg.ww
|
Wordsworth-White edition of the Vulgate when it differs from the Clementine edition. |
|
vg.ww
with [ ] |
the Wordsworth-White edition prints the word(s) in square brackets to indicate dubious textual validity. |
|
vid
|
indicates apparent support for a given reading in a manuscript whose state of preservation makes complete verification impossible. |
|
WH
|
Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in the Original Greek (1881). |
|
Zür |
Die Heilige Schrift (Zurich, 1942). |
|
|
|