Origin of the Horizontal Line in Nomina Sacra

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Secret Alias
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Origin of the Horizontal Line in Nomina Sacra

Post by Secret Alias »

I was going through a Greek website trying to learn about THE SECULAR use of the horizontal line to denote abbreviations and came across this:
However, a very probable source seems to be the Greek numbering system where the letters of the alphabet are used to denote numbers, as well as the use of lines above the letters for some values ​​such as e.g. 1H
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mlinssen
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Re: Origin of the Horizontal Line in Nomina Sacra

Post by mlinssen »

Secret Alias wrote: Fri Dec 11, 2020 6:34 am I was going through a Greek website trying to learn about THE SECULAR use of the horizontal line to denote abbreviations and came across this:
However, a very probable source seems to be the Greek numbering system where the letters of the alphabet are used to denote numbers, as well as the use of lines above the letters for some values ​​such as e.g. 1H
Very convincing really, you have a solid case there
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Ben C. Smith
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Re: Origin of the Horizontal Line in Nomina Sacra

Post by Ben C. Smith »

Secret Alias wrote: Fri Dec 11, 2020 6:34 am I was going through a Greek website trying to learn about THE SECULAR use of the horizontal line to denote abbreviations and came across this:
However, a very probable source seems to be the Greek numbering system where the letters of the alphabet are used to denote numbers, as well as the use of lines above the letters for some values ​​such as e.g. 1H
Some scholar — I forget who — proposed the supralinear marks over Greek numbers as the origin of the Christian nomina sacra.

But Greek inscriptions are full of abbreviations, both of names and of other words, many of which use supralinear strokes. And, of course, Latin inscriptions are famous for their many abbreviated forms. Abbreviation by suspension was particularly common in Greek (which would explain the ΙΗ variant for Ἰησοῦς, for example). My impression is that the secular Greek papyri bear fewer abbreviations of names and more abbreviations of common words. So it seems in some ways that Christian manuscripts resemble Greek inscriptions more closely than Greek manuscripts. Also remember that the Christian use of the codex for literary purposes was way out of proportion with how the Greeks used their rolls and codices. So it seems like Christian scribal culture was kind of its own little thing.

ETA: Obviously what applied to inscriptions applied also to coinage in many cases; perhaps coinage is the link between the inscriptional abbreviations and the Christian manuscript abbreviations.
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Ben C. Smith
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Re: Origin of the Horizontal Line in Nomina Sacra

Post by Ben C. Smith »

The advantage of linking the Christian nomina sacra either to inscriptions or to coins is that usually it would be an important figure's name and titles being abbreviated, especially on coins: emperors, kings, princes, and so on. The earliest Christian usage (God, Lord, Jesus, Christ) could be saying, "Okay, well, our Lord Jesus Christ and God his father are our rulers."
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Ben C. Smith
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Re: Origin of the Horizontal Line in Nomina Sacra

Post by Ben C. Smith »

Christians would obviously not be allowed to express such beliefs by literally putting out their own coinage, but they could do so in their manuscripts.
Secret Alias
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Re: Origin of the Horizontal Line in Nomina Sacra

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Interesting stuff Ben. Thanks.
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Re: Origin of the Horizontal Line in Nomina Sacra

Post by Secret Alias »

I was reading in modern Greek (through Google translate) that there are examples of fully written 'sacred abbreviations' (as they are called in Greek https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%99%CE ... E%B5%CF%82) which are not abbreviated at all. Fully written sacred names with a horizontal line above them. Didn't know that. I assume they are rather late.

Also worth noting the languages which use 'sacred abbreviations'
This practice applies to the Coptic , Paleo-Nubian , and Cyrillic scripts , as well as to Latin , Armenian, and Gothic .
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Ben C. Smith
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Re: Origin of the Horizontal Line in Nomina Sacra

Post by Ben C. Smith »

Secret Alias wrote: Fri Dec 11, 2020 8:42 am I was reading in modern Greek (through Google translate) that there are examples of fully written 'sacred abbreviations' (as they are called in Greek https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%99%CE ... E%B5%CF%82) which are not abbreviated at all. Fully written sacred names with a horizontal line above them. Didn't know that. I assume they are rather late.
I have come across complete words with the overstroke before somewhere, but I am not remembering where right this moment.
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Re: Origin of the Horizontal Line in Nomina Sacra

Post by Secret Alias »

Do you think that this is a corruption of the original intent of the horizontal line to DENOTE an abbreviation or that the horizontal line originally denoted sacredness? I.e. which of the two parts of 'sacred abbreviation' originally applied or was denoted by the horizontal line.
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Ben C. Smith
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Re: Origin of the Horizontal Line in Nomina Sacra

Post by Ben C. Smith »

The overstrokes marking abbreviations in Greek epigraphy are very early, I think, so I suspect that abbreviation was the first meaning. Also, movable Nu is replaced by an overstroke. And of course you already pointed out the numerical abbreviations.

But I am not completely sure.
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