Some Observations on the Nomina Sacra of the First Three Centuries

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Ben C. Smith
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Re: Some Observations on the Nomina Sacra of the First Three Centuries

Post by Ben C. Smith »

Oh, and Lane, since you are now getting knee deep into this stuff, I wanted to point something out that is bound to confuse you if you do not expect it. There is also a tendency for the scribes to replace a final nu in a word with a horizontal stroke. This is not the same thing as a nomen sacrum; it is more like a kind of shorthand or the like. Here is an example:

P46, Romans 13.12-14.8.png
P46, Romans 13.12-14.8.png (656.97 KiB) Viewed 2417 times

That stroke is actually the nu at the end of ὁ θεὸς γὰρ αὐτόν in Romans 14.3. Apologies if you were already aware of this. I can see it becoming a source of confusion if you were not, though.
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Jax
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Re: Some Observations on the Nomina Sacra of the First Three Centuries

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Ben C. Smith wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 2:13 pm
Jax wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 1:44 pmYou can see that the scribe has extended the overstroke past the NS just like it would be done if the word was at the end of a sentence.
It happens again at the end of a line a few pages later. Also kind of happens in the middle of a line on the same page:


P46, Romans 10.1-11.png
May just have a heavy hand. The kind of trait that one looks for in a bartender. :D

Going to keep my eye out for more examples of this, hopefully encounter it in other manuscripts.
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Jax
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Re: Some Observations on the Nomina Sacra of the First Three Centuries

Post by Jax »

Ben C. Smith wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 2:27 pm Oh, and Lane, since you are now getting knee deep into this stuff, I wanted to point something out that is bound to confuse you if you do not expect it. There is also a tendency for the scribes to replace a final nu in a word with a horizontal stroke. This is not the same thing as a nomen sacrum; it is more like a kind of shorthand or the like. Here is an example:


P46, Romans 13.12-14.8.png


That stroke is actually the nu at the end of ὁ θεὸς γὰρ αὐτόν in Romans 14.3. Apologies if you were already aware of this. I can see it becoming a source of confusion if you were not, though.
Thanks man. That's nu to me. :D

Sorry. Couldn't resist. That actually is something nice to know. Will keep an eye out for it. :thumbup:
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Jax
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Re: Some Observations on the Nomina Sacra of the First Three Centuries

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^ Any idea why that is done?
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Jax
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Re: Some Observations on the Nomina Sacra of the First Three Centuries

Post by Jax »

And yet just a few lines down we find another word that has the very same ending with no overstroke for nu.

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Ben C. Smith
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Re: Some Observations on the Nomina Sacra of the First Three Centuries

Post by Ben C. Smith »

Jax wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:05 pmThanks man. That's nu to me. :D
:facepalm: :lol: :notworthy:
Sorry. Couldn't resist.
How hard did you try?
Jax wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:07 pm ^ Any idea why that is done?
No, not really.
Jax wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:16 pm And yet just a few lines down we find another word that has the very same ending with no overstroke for nu.
Yep! Inconsistency in a manuscript is the rule, not the exception.
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Ben C. Smith
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Re: Some Observations on the Nomina Sacra of the First Three Centuries

Post by Ben C. Smith »

Look at the variation in these supralinears:

P46, 2 Corinthians 1.1-8.png
P46, 2 Corinthians 1.1-8.png (638.31 KiB) Viewed 2410 times

Some undershoot the abbreviation considerably; others overshoot. One of them completely misses the Χ in ΧΡΥ. ETA: Right before that last one, the stroke misses the Ι of ΙΗΥ, too.
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Jax
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Re: Some Observations on the Nomina Sacra of the First Three Centuries

Post by Jax »

Ben C. Smith wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:34 pm Look at the variation in these supralinears:


P46, 2 Corinthians 1.1-8.png


Some undershoot the abbreviation considerably; others overshoot. One of them completely misses the Χ in ΧΡΥ. ETA: Right before that last one, the stroke misses the Ι of ΙΗΥ, too.
I can easily see that I have just found my new favorite obsession. :)
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Ben C. Smith
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Re: Some Observations on the Nomina Sacra of the First Three Centuries

Post by Ben C. Smith »

Jax wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 4:02 pm
Ben C. Smith wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:34 pm Look at the variation in these supralinears:


P46, 2 Corinthians 1.1-8.png


Some undershoot the abbreviation considerably; others overshoot. One of them completely misses the Χ in ΧΡΥ. ETA: Right before that last one, the stroke misses the Ι of ΙΗΥ, too.
I can easily see that I have just found my new favorite obsession. :)
You will soon know more about the nomina sacra than 99.9% of interested persons on earth. Ignorance of how the nomina sacra actually work in the manuscripts abounds.
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Jax
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Re: Some Observations on the Nomina Sacra of the First Three Centuries

Post by Jax »

Ben C. Smith wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 4:27 pm
Jax wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 4:02 pm
Ben C. Smith wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:34 pm Look at the variation in these supralinears:


P46, 2 Corinthians 1.1-8.png


Some undershoot the abbreviation considerably; others overshoot. One of them completely misses the Χ in ΧΡΥ. ETA: Right before that last one, the stroke misses the Ι of ΙΗΥ, too.
I can easily see that I have just found my new favorite obsession. :)
You will soon know more about the nomina sacra than 99.9% of interested persons on earth. Ignorance of how the nomina sacra actually work in the manuscripts abounds.
Challenge accepted! :cheers:
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