Nomina Sacra

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Stephen Hughes
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Joined: February 26th, 2013, 7:12 am

Nomina Sacra

Post by Stephen Hughes »

Could anyone please help with an explaination of what words were written as nomina sacra and how widespread their use was?
Γελᾷ δ' ὁ μωρός, κἄν τι μὴ γέλοιον ᾖ
(Menander, Γνῶμαι μονόστιχοι 108)
Jonathan Robie
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Re: Nomina Sacra

Post by Jonathan Robie »

There are some good references and discussion in this earlier thread on nomina sacra: http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/forum/vie ... ?f=6&t=226
ἐξίσταντο δὲ πάντες καὶ διηποροῦντο, ἄλλος πρὸς ἄλλον λέγοντες, τί θέλει τοῦτο εἶναι;
http://jonathanrobie.biblicalhumanities.org/
Stephen Hughes
Posts: 3323
Joined: February 26th, 2013, 7:12 am

Re: Nomina Sacra

Post by Stephen Hughes »

Jonathan Robie wrote:There are some good references and discussion in this earlier thread on nomina sacra: http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/forum/vie ... ?f=6&t=226
Was it a scribal tradition outside of the Biblical tradition that was also employed in copying Biblical texts?

That thread is cool, but doesn't really cover wider issues that would indicate whether it was intrinsicly "sacred". I seem to recall seeing some abbreviations that the editors had expanded out in my Loeb copy of the non-literary papyri - they wouldn't be nomina sacra, but nomina sacra are abbreviations of common words. From memory is was for the names and titles of the emperors and other rulers, monetary units, perhaps dates, as well as some other things ... I wish I had that volume with me here.
Γελᾷ δ' ὁ μωρός, κἄν τι μὴ γέλοιον ᾖ
(Menander, Γνῶμαι μονόστιχοι 108)
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