Category Archives: New Testament MSS

Greek punctuation evolved from a sparse, continuous script into a sophisticated system that shaped how Scripture and theology were read, understood, and preserved. Early Christian manuscripts like 𝔓⁴⁵ and 𝔓⁷⁵ offered minimal guidance, relying on readers’ fluency, but by the Byzantine era, scribes had standardized marks like the hypostigme (comma), ano teleia (period or semicolon), and paragraphos to clarify meaning and support liturgical reading. Marginal symbols such as the diple and obelos flagged quotations and disputed texts, while poetic divisions (stichoi) aided chanting and textual measurement. Though Modern Greek punctuation has shifted toward Western norms, ancient marks endure in polytonic editions, reminding scholars that punctuation—like breathings and accents—is not just grammatical but theological, shaping interpretation and preserving the sacred cadence of the Greek biblical tradition.… Learn Koine Greek