Nomina sacra
In Christian scribal practice, Script error: No such module "Lang". (singular: Script error: No such module "Lang"., Latin for 'sacred name') is the abbreviation of several frequently occurring divine names or titles, especially in Greek manuscripts of the Bible. A Script error: No such module "Lang". consists of two or more letters from the original word spanned by an overline.
Biblical scholar and textual critic Bruce M. Metzger lists 15 such words treated as Script error: No such module "Lang". from Greek papyri: the Greek counterparts of God, Lord, Jesus, Christ, Son, Spirit, David, Cross, Mother, Father, Israel, Savior, Man, Jerusalem, and Heaven.Template:R These Script error: No such module "Lang". are all found in Greek manuscripts of the 3rd century and earlier, except Mother, which appears in the 4th. All 15 occur in Greek manuscripts later than the 4th century.[1]
Script error: No such module "Lang". also occur in some form in Latin, Coptic, Armenian (indicated by the pativ), Gothic, Old Nubian, Old Irish and Cyrillic (indicated by the titlo).
Origin and development
Script error: No such module "Lang". are consistently observed in even the earliest extant Christian writings, along with the codex form rather than the roll, implying that when these were written, in approximately the second century, the practice had already been established for some time. However, it is not known precisely when and how the Script error: No such module "Lang". first arose.
The initial system of Script error: No such module "Lang". apparently consisted of just four or five words, called nomina divina: the Greek words for Jesus, Christ, Lord, God, and possibly Spirit. The practice quickly expanded to a number of other words regarded as sacred.[2]
In the system of Script error: No such module "Lang". that came to prevail, abbreviation is by contraction, meaning that the first and last letter (at least) of each word are used. In a few early cases, an alternate practice is seen of abbreviation by suspension, meaning that the initial two letters (at least) of the word are used; e.g., the opening verses of Revelation in Template:Papyrus link write Script error: No such module "Lang". (Jesus Christ) as ΙΗ ΧΡ. Contraction, however, offered the practical advantage of indicating the case of the abbreviated noun.
It is evident that the use of Script error: No such module "Lang". was an act of reverence rather than a purely practical space-saving device,Template:R as they were employed even where well-established abbreviations of far more frequent words such as and were avoided,Template:R and the nomen sacrum itself was written with generous spacing.Template:R Furthermore, early scribes often distinguished between mundane and sacred occurrences of the same word, e.g. a spirit vs. the Spirit, and applied nomina sacra only to the latter (at times necessarily revealing an exegetical choice), although later scribes would mechanically abbreviate all occurrences.
Scholars have advanced a number of theories on the origin of the Script error: No such module "Lang".. Biblical scholar Larry Hurtado has suggested Greek numerals as the origin of the overline spanning the nomen sacrum, with ΙΗ, the ordinary way of writing "18", being taken as reminiscent of a suspended form of ΙΗΣΟΥΣ (Jesus).Template:R In some Greek Scripture manuscripts the Hebrew tetragrammaton (transliterated as YHWH) is found unabbreviated in the Greek text. The Septuagint manuscript Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 1007 even uses an abbreviated form of the tetragrammaton: two Greek zetas with a horizontal line through the middle, imitating two Paleo-Hebrew yodhs (𐤉𐤉).[3][4]
Greek culture also employed a number of ways of abbreviating even proper names, though none in quite the same form as the Script error: No such module "Lang".. Inspiration for the contracted forms (using the first and last letter) has also been seen in Revelation, where Jesus speaks of himself as "the beginning and the end" and "the first and the last" as well "the Alpha and the Omega".[5]
Linguist George Howard argues that κς (κύριος) and θς (θεός) were the initial Script error: No such module "Lang"., created by non-Jewish Christian scribes who "found no traditional reasons to preserve the tetragrammaton" in copies of the Septuagint. Hurtado, following Colin Roberts, rejects that claim in favour of the theory that the first was ιη (Ἰησοῦς), as suggested in the Epistle of Barnabas, followed by the analogous χρ (Χριστός), and later by κς and θς, at about the time when the contracted forms ις and χς were adopted for the first two.[6]
Cilliers Breytenbach and Christiane Zimmermann report that by the end of the 2nd century Script error: No such module "Lang". occur even in Christian tomb inscriptions in Greek in Lycaonia (modern central Turkey).[7]
List of Greek Script error: No such module "Lang".
Source:[8]
| English meaning | Greek word | Nominative (Subject) | Genitive (Possessive) |
|---|---|---|---|
| God | Θεός, Theos | ΘΣ | ΘΥ |
| Lord | Κύριος, Kyrios | ΚΣ, ΚΣ | ΚΥ, ΚΥ |
| Jesus | Script error: No such module "Lang"., Iēsous | ΙΣ, ΙΗΣ | ΙΥ, ΙΗΥ |
| Christ/Messiah | Script error: No such module "Lang"., Christos | ΧΣ, ΧΡΣ | ΧΥ |
| Son | Script error: No such module "Lang"., Huios | ΥΣ | ΥΥ |
| Spirit | Script error: No such module "Lang"., Pneuma | ΠΝΑ | ΠΣ, ΠΝΣ, ΠΝΟΣ |
| David | Script error: No such module "Lang"., Dauid | ΔΑΔ | |
| Cross | Σταυρός, Stauros | ΣΤΣ | ΣΤΥ |
| Mother | Μήτηρ, Mētēr | ΜΗΡ, ΜΡ | ΜΡΣ |
| Father | Πατήρ, Patēr | ΠΗΡ, ΠΡ | ΠΡΣ |
| Israel | Script error: No such module "Lang"., Israēl | ΙΗΛ | |
| Savior | Script error: No such module "Lang"., Sōtēr | ΣΗΡ | ΣΡΣ |
| Human | Script error: No such module "Lang"., Anthrōpos | ΑΝΟΣ | ΑΝΟΥ |
| Jerusalem | Script error: No such module "Lang"., Ierousalēm | ΙΛΗΜ | |
| Heaven/Heavens | Script error: No such module "Lang"., Ouranos | ΟΥΝΟΣ | ΟΥΝΟΥ |
New Testament Greek manuscripts containing Script error: No such module "Lang". (before 300 CE)
Greek manuscript identification has the main Gregory-Aland siglum first, with the shelf number at the respective papyri locations in brackets.[9]
| Greek manuscript | Manuscript date | Script error: No such module "Lang". used |
|---|---|---|
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 2) | ~250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
Template:Nomen sacrum Template:Nomen sacrum Template:Nomen sacrum Template:Nomen sacrum Template:Nomen sacrum Template:Nomen sacrum |
| Template:Papyrus link (Suppl. Gr. 1120) | 150–225 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΘΣ ΘΥ ΚΥ ΚΣ ΠΝΙ ΠΝΟΣ ΠΝΑ ΧΣ ΙΥ ΙΣ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 208 + 1781) | ~250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΙΗΝ ΙΗΣ ΠΡ ΠΡΑ ΠΡΣ ΘΥ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 402) | ~250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΘΣ ΧΡΣ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Amherst. 3b) | ~285 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΘΣ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 657 + PSI 1292) | 225–250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΘΣ ΘΝ ΘΥ ΘΩ ΙΣ ΙΝ ΙΥ ΚΣ ΚΥ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 1008) | 200–300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΚΩ ΚΥ ΧΥ ΑΝΩΝ ΑΝΩ ΠΝΑ ΘΝ ΚΜΟΥ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 1009) | 250–300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΘΥ ΙΥ ΧΩ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 1078) | ~300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΘΩ ΠΝΣ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 1079) | 250–300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΙΗ ΧΡ ΘΩ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 1171) | 200–250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΠΝΣ ΚΝ ΘΥ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 1228) | 200–250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΠΣ ΠΝΑ ΠΡΣ ΠΡΑ ΙΗΣ ΑΝΟΣ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 1230) | ~300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΠΝΑ ΘΥ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 1395) | 200–250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΘΥ ΚΩ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 1596) | 255–300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΙΣ ΙΝ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 1597) | 200–250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΘΣ ΘΝ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 1598) | 200–250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΚΥ ΚΝ ΘΩ ΙΗΥ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Rylands 5) | 150–200 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΘΥ |
| Template:Papyrus link (PSI 1) | ~300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΚΣ ΚΥ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Mich. Inv. 1570) | ~260 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΚΕ ΙΗΣ ΠΝΑ ΙΗΣΥ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Mich. Inv. 1571) | ~225 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΧΡΝ ΠΝΑ ΚΥ ΙΗΝ ΙΗΥ ΠΝΤΑ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 1780) | 200–300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΠΗΡ ΠΡΑ ΙΗΣ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Heidelberg G. 645) | 200–300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΘΣ ΘΥ ΘΝ ΙΥ ΧΩ ΧΥ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Chester Beatty I) | ~250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΚΕ ΚΣ ΚΝ ΚΥ ΙΗ ΙΥ ΙΗΣ ΠΡ ΠΡΣ ΠΡΑ ΠΡΙ ΘΥ ΘΝ ΘΩ ΘΣ ΠΝΙ ΠΝΣ ΠΝΑ ΥΝ ΥΕ ΥΣ ΥΩ Σ⳨Ν Σ⳨ΝΑΙ ΧΥ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Chester Beatty II + P. Mich. Inv. 6238) |
175–225 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΚΕ ΚΝ ΚΥ ΚΩ ΚΣ ΧΡΩ ΧΡΥ ΧΡΝ ΧΝ ΧΣ ΧΩ ΧΥ ΧΡΣ ΙΗΥ ΙΗΝ ΙΗΣ ΘΩ ΘΥ ΘΝ ΘΣ
ΠΝΑ ΠΝΙ ΠΝΣ ΥΙΥ ΥΙΝ ΥΙΣ ΥΝ ΣΤΡΕΣ ΣΤΡΝ ΣΤΡΩ ΣΤΡΟΣ ΣΤΡΟΥ ΕΣΤΡΟΝ ΕΣΤΡΑΙ ΕΣΤΑΝ ΣΤΟΥ ΑΙΜΑ ΑΝΟΥ ΑΝΟΝ ΑΝΟΣ ΑΝΩΝ ΑΝΟΙΣ ΠΡΙ ΠΗΡ ΠΡΑ ΠΡΣ ΙΥ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Chester Beatty III) | 200–300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΘΥ ΘΣ ΘΝ ΘΩ ΑΘΝ ΚΣ ΚΕ ΚΥ ΕΣΤΡΩ ΠΝΑ ΧΥ ΠΡΣ |
| Template:Papyrus link (PSI 1165) | 200–300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΥΣ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Yale 415 + 531) | 200–300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΚΩ ΘΥ ΘΣ ΙΥ ΠΝ ΧΣ ΧΥ ΧΩ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Yal 1543) | ~300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΙΛΗΜ ΠΝΑ ΑΝΟΣ ΘΣ ΘΥ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Mich. inv. 6652) | ~250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΠΡΣ ΙΗΣ ΠΕΡ ΚΝ |
| Template:Papyrus link (Gr. 17) | ~150 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΙΣ ΚΕ |
| Template:Papyrus link (PSI XIV 1373) | ~250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΧΥ ΘΣ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Bodmer II + Inv. Nr. 4274/4298) |
150–200 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΚΣ ΚΥ ΚΕ ΘΣ ΘΝ ΘΥ ΘΩ ΙΣ ΙΝ ΙΥ ΧΣ ΧΝ ΧΥ ΥΣ ΥΝ ΥΩ ΠΝΑ ΠΝΙ ΠΝΣ
ΠΗΡ ΠΡΑ ΠΡΣ ΠΡΙ ΠΕΡ ΠΡΕΣ ΑΝΟΣ ΑΝΟΝ ΑΝΟΥ ΑΝΩΝ ΑΝΩ ΑΝΟΙΣ ΑΝΟΥΣ Σ⳨Ω Σ⳨ΟΝ Σ⳨ΟΥ Σ⳨ΘΗ Σ⳨ΑΤΕ Σ⳨ΩΣΩ ΕΣ⳨ΑΝ ΕΣ⳨ΘΗ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 2383) | ~200 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΙΗΝ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 2384 + PSI Inv. CNR 419, 420) |
250–300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΥΝ ΙΣ ΠΗΡ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Bodmer VII and VIII) | 200–300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΙΥ ΙΗΥ ΙΗΝ ΧΡΥ ΧΡΝ ΧΡΣ ΧΡΩ ΘΥ ΘΣ ΘΝ ΘΩ ΠΡΣ ΠΑΡ ΠΤΡΑ ΠΡΙ ΠΝΣ
ΠΝΑ ΠΝΑΙ ΠΝΙ ΠΝΤΙ ΚΥ ΚΣ ΚΝ ΚΩ ΑΝΟΙ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Bodmer XIV and XV) | 175–225 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΙΣ ΙΗΣ ΙΥ ΙΗΥ ΙΝ ΙΗΝ ΘΣ ΘΝ ΘΥ ΘΩ ΚΣ ΚΝ ΚΥ ΚΩ ΚΕ ΧΣ ΧΝ ΧΥ
ΠΝΑ ΠΝΣ ΠΝΙ ΠΝΟΣ ΠΝΤΑ ΠΝΑΣΙ ΠΝΑΤΩΝ ΠΡΣ ΠΗΡ ΠΡΑ ΠΡΙ ΠΡΟΣ ΠΡ ΥΣ ΥΝ ΥΥ ΙΗΛ ΙΛΗΜ Σ⳨ΟΝ ΣΤ⳨ΟΝ Σ⳨ΩΘΗΝΑΙ ΑΝΟΣ ΑΝΟΝ ΑΝΟΥ ΑΝΟΙ ΑΝΩΝ ΑΝΩ ΑΝΟΥΣ ΑΝΟΙΣ ΑΝΕ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy 2684) | 250–300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΚΝ ΙΗΝ ΙΗΝ ΧΡΝ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy 3523) | 150–200 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΙΗΣ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Mil. Vogl. Inv. 1224 + P. Macquarie Inv. 360) | ~250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΘΥ ΘΣ ΠΡΣ ΧΡΝ ΙΗΝ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Narmuthis 69.39a + 69.229a) | ~300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΧΡΩ ΚΥ ΘΥ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy 4449) | ~300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΚΥ ΚΣ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy 4401) | 200–300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΥΣ ΠΝΑ ΠΝΙ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy 4445) | 200–250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΠΝΑ ΠΝΙ ΧΡΣ ΙΗΝ ΙΗΣ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy 4447) | 175–225 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΙΗΣ ΙΗΝ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 4494) | ~300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΚΣ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy 4495) | 200–250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΙΗΥ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 4497) | 200–250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΠΝΙ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 4498) | 200–250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΘΣ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 4499) | 225–275 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΙΗΛ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΠΡΣ ΘΩ ΘΥ ΑΝΩΝ ΠΝΑ ΟΥΝΟΥ ΟΥΝΟΝ ΚΥ ΘΝ ΑΝΟΥ ΟΥΝΩ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 4805) | ~250 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΙΣ ΜΗΙ |
| Template:Papyrus link (P. Oxy. 5345) | 100-200 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΠΝΙ |
| 0162 (P. Oxy 847) | ~300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΙΗΣ ΙΣ ΠΡΣ |
| 0171 (PSI 2.124) | ~300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΚΣ ΙΗΣ |
| 0189 (P. Berlin 11765) | ~200 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΑΝΟΣ ΠΝΑ ΚΥ ΚΩ ΙΛΗΜ ΘΩ ΙΣΗΛ |
| 0220 (MS 113) | ~300 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
ΚΝ ΙΥ ΙΝ ΧΥ ΘΥ |
See also
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ All Script error: No such module "Lang". and dates of manuscripts taken from Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts - Philip Comfort and David Barrett (2001).
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Further reading
Template:Sister project Template:Sister project
- Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".