Re: Greek orthography

From: Edgar M. Krentz (emkrentz@mcs.com)
Date: Fri Dec 08 1995 - 13:20:58 EST


Tim, you wrote:

>In a message dated 95-12-05, "Edgar M. Krentz" <emkrentz@mcs.com> writes:
>
>>One mark of scholarship in Greek is the ability to read various Greek fonts
>>and hands
>
> It seems most of the printed fonts are based on the various handwritten
>forms that predate them. A familiarity with the manuscripts helps one in
>reading those printed fonts.
>
> BTW, I've been looking for a book that will help me better decipher
>miniscule cursive. Any suggestions?
>
>Tim Staker
>Timster132@aol.com
==================================
Carlton Winberry wrote the following useful note to you:

Tim,
The volume that I've depended on more than anything for the cursives as
well as the uncials is the old one by E.M. Thompson, Handbook of Greek and
Latin Paleography, Oxford, 1912 (It has been reprinted and possibly
revised). A shorter work and perhaps more available is B. A. van
Groningen, A Manual of Greek Palaeography, Leiden, 1940.

Carlton Winbery
Prof. Religion
==================================

Let me add to Carlton's posting.

The short manual by Groningen is a very useful text. Carlton lists the
first edtion; a 2nd edition, with revisions, was published by A. W.
Sijthoff at Leiden in 1955 (out of print, to my knowledge). It is a good
volume with which to begin. He has a very good collection of plates of MSS
at the end, but does not give you transcriptions to aid in decipherment.
For that the Thompson volume is superior.

I think Carlton may have confused two books, both by Edward Maund Thompson.
His _Handbook of Greek and Latin Paleography_, originally publised in 1893
by D. Appleton and Company in New York, was reprinted by Ares Publishing
House in Chicago [without being updated, $25.00].The reprint may be of a
second ed,ition of 1912, since they list more pages than my copy 0f 1893
has. The reprint is probably more usable than my original printing, its
paper now brown and brittle. His longer _Introduction to Greek and Latin
Paleography_ (Oxford U. Press, 1912; over 600 pages) to my knowledge has
not been reprinted. Both give excellent tables of cursive letter forms.

Another older, still useful book is F. G. Kenyon, _The Paleography of Greek
Papyri_ (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1899). Reprint by Ares Publishers in
Chicago (still in print, $20.00). Kenyon gives a table of literary
alphabet forms and of common abbreviations. (The latter is reprinted in
Oikonomides, below.)

_Geschichte der Textueberlieferung der antiken und mittelalterlichen
Literatur_. By Herbert Hunger, et al. vol. 1 (Zurich: ATlantis Verlag,
1961). Special chapters on LXX and NT.

Robert Devreesse, _Introdution a l'etude des manuscrits grecs_ (Paris:
Librarie C. Klincksieck, 1954). Many plates with transcriptions, useful for
learning alphabets.

Oikonomides, Al. N. _Abbreviations in Greek inscriptions: papyri
manuscripts and early printed books_ (Chicago: Ares Publishers, 1974,
$25.00). Reprints material from M. Avi-Yonah, F. G. Kenyon, T. WE. Allen,
and G. F. Ostermann and A. E. Giegengack. Includes decipherment of
ligatures in early printed books in Greek (i.e., from 15th to 18th
centuries). Anyone who wants to use early printings of the Greek testament,
e.g. the Elzevir Textus Receptus or the Beza testament, will need this
work, since early printed texts modelled their fonts on cursive MSS and
therefore use many ligatures and other abbreviations. [The Complutensian is
an exception; it is printed in a magnficent and clear Greek font.]

Almost any university that teaches Greek and Latin will have most or all of
these volumes in their library. You may be able to find Antiquarian copies
from W. H. Allen, a bookseller in Philadelphia who specializes in classics,
or Carl S. Berkowitz, who puts out an annual catalog ink clasics and
archaeology.

Peace, Ed Krentz

Edgar Krentz, New Testament
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
Tel.: 312-256-0752; (H) 312-947-8105



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