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Greek Lessons
- Verbal Aspect in New Testament Greek: Imperfective vs. Perfective
- Chiasmus, Inclusio, and Anaphora in New Testament Greek
- Numbered and Named: Genitive Constructions and Enumerated Tribes in Revelation 7:7
- Semantic Range of Greek Verbs in the New Testament: A Case Study on ἀγαπάω and φιλέω
- Released to Serve Anew: Aorist Passives, Participles, and the Tension of Transformation in Romans 7:6
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Category
Category Archives: Textual Criticism
An Introduction to the Palaeography of Greek New Testament Manuscripts
1. Introduction
Palaeography, the study of ancient handwriting, is a critical discipline for understanding the transmission and preservation of Greek New Testament manuscripts. Far from being a purely technical endeavor, palaeography functions as a vital tool in reconstructing the textual, historical, and theological contours of early Christianity. It enables scholars to analyze and interpret the handwriting, script evolution, page layout, and orthographic tendencies of individual scribes and manuscript-producing communities.
In the case of the Greek New Testament, palaeographical analysis intersects with a unique corpus of sacred literature that spans over a millennium of manuscript tradition—from the earliest fragmentary papyri of the 2nd century AD to elaborate parchment codices of the Byzantine period.… Learn Koine Greek
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Seventy-Five Souls: Syntax and History in Acts 7:14
The Verse in Focus (Acts 7:14)
ἀποστείλας δὲ Ἰωσὴφ μετεκαλέσατο τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ Ἰακὼβ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν συγγένειαν αὐτοῦ ἐν ψυχαῖς ἑβδομήκοντα πέντε
The Aorist Participle: ἀποστείλαςThe participle ἀποστείλας comes from the verb ἀποστέλλω, meaning “to send.” It is an aorist active participle, nominative masculine singular, agreeing with Ἰωσὴφ — “Joseph.” In Greek, the aorist participle often conveys an action prior to the main verb. Thus, “having sent” introduces the cause or means for what follows.
Joseph, having sent a message or delegation, performs the next action: he summons.
Main Verb: μετεκαλέσατομετεκαλέσατο is the aorist middle indicative of μετακαλέομαι, meaning “to summon” or “to call for.”… Learn Koine Greek
Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece 28th Edition
This is the 28th edition of the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece (NA28), a standard edition of the Greek New Testament used by New Testament scholars and Bible translators.
What’s New In Nestle-Aland 28th Edition Critical apparatus revised and easier to use . Papyrii 117-127 included for the first time . In-depth revision of the Catholic Epistles, with more than 30 changes to the upper text. Scripture references systematically reviewed for accuracy.The Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament that comes with this edition was prepared by Barclay M. Newman.
Textual Revisions and MethodologyThe Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, commonly referred to as NA28, introduces 34 textual changes within the Catholic Epistles.… Learn Koine Greek
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Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis
Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis is a 5th century A.D. codex of the New Testament that is written in an uncial hand on vellum. It is designated by siglum D or 05 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), δ 5 (von Soden). The codex contains, in both Greek and Latin, most of the four Gospels and Acts, with a small fragment of the third epistle of John.
The codex that was written one column per page contains 406 extant parchment leaves (from perhaps an original 534) measuring 26 x 21.5 cm, with the Greek text on the left face and the Latin text on the right.… Learn Koine Greek
Codex Vaticanus
The Codex Vaticanus B 03 (Vaticanus Graecus 1209) is the oldest extant manuscript of the Greek Bible. The Codex has been stored in the Vatican Library since the 15th century, hence the name Codex Vaticanus. It is written on 759 leaves of vellum in uncial letters, and has been dated palaeographically to circa 325–350 A.D. Most lines of Vaticanus contain only 15-18 letters of text.
Codex Vaticanus originally contained a virtually complete copy of the Septuagint, lacking only 1-4 Maccabees and the Prayer of Manasseh. The original 20 leaves with the Genesis 1:1–46:28a (31 leaves), and Psalm 105:27–137:6b, have been lost and were transcribed by a later hand in the 15th century.… Learn Koine Greek
