Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The following list gives the sigla, symbols and abbreviations specific to this edition.
Where no abbreviation has been specified otherwise, the edition follows the The SBL
Handbook of Style (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1999) in respect to
abbreviations for the biblical books, extra-biblical sources, and conventional terms used in
biblical studies. Standard English abbreviations not specified in this list, or in The SBL
Handbook of Style, are derived from the lists and rules given in chapter 14 of The Chicago
Manual of Style: Fourteenth Edition, Revised and Expanded (Chicago: University of
Chicago, 1993). Abbreviations will appear without periods when used in the critical
apparatus, regardless of the source.
In addition to the manuscript and witness sigla specific to this edition, which are listed
below, the edition employs other manuscript sigla based on widely accepted standards. For
the Old Greek, these are the sigla of the Gttingen Septuaginta Unternehmen, except in the
case of the Alpha-Text of Esther for which the edition adopts the siglum GAT (see
below). For the materials from Qumran and other sites around the Dead Sea, the sigla
follow the system of abbreviation described in J. A. Fitzmyer, S.J., The Dead Sea Scrolls:
Major Publications and Tools for Study (SBLRBS, 20; rev. ed.; Atlanta: Scholars, 1990),
18. Where such an existing abbreviation is based on a documents name, this is used in
preference to the abbreviation based on the documents number. For the Vulgate, the
manuscript sigla are those of the San Girolamo edition of the Vulgate, i.e., Biblia Sacra
iuxta Latinam Vulgatam Versionem (18 vols.; Rome: Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, 1926
1995). For the Peshitta, the manuscript sigla of the Leiden Peshitta Project are used.
Specific manuscripts of the versions will be indicated by placing the correct manuscript
siglum in superscript to the witness siglum in question (e.g. S7a1).
When placed around the siglum for a Hexaplaric witness (e.g., ), these brackets
indicate that the Greek reading offered for the witness has been established by retroversion.
Note that hyphenated combinations of Hexaplaric readings (e.g., --) are used when a
single reading is attributed by the same witness(es) to two or more of the Hexaplaric
sources together.
Akh Akhmimic
anon anonymous (an otherwise unidentified Greek witness, usually reported by Jerome or
Chrysostomused in superscript with a source identification [e.g., Hieanon])
ast asterisk (B) Since the asterisk is used to witness to the proto-MT against the very source
where the symbol is found, it is treated effectively as a witness in itself. The witness in
which it is reported will be indicated in superscript (e.g., astSyh).
Barb Barberini text of Habakkuk 3 (G mss. V 62 86 147 407)
Bo Bohairic
G Old Greek (as defined by the collation standard identified in the introduction to each
book)
G* the Old Greek reading in the judgment of the BHQ book editor, where this differs
from the text established by the editor of the edition used as the standard of collation and
citation
GMs the reading for a single witness to the Old Greek as given in the apparatus of the
relevant collation standard
GMss the reading for more than one witness to the Old Greek as given in the apparatus of
the relevant collation standard
G where G offers parallel (i.e., literarily divergent) versions of the same text (e.g.,
Ezra, 1Kgs 12:24), this signals the reading of the first version (e.g., Esdras , 1 Kgs
12:24az)
G where G offers parallel (i.e., literarily divergent) versions of the same text (e.g.,
Ezra, 1Kgs 12:24), this signals the reading of the second version (e.g., 1Kgs 11:112:14,
Esdras )
GAT the Alpha-Text of Esther
GL the Lucianic Recension of the Old Greek
GO the Origenian Recension of the Old Greek
GP967 papyrus 967 of the Old Greek (Ezekiel, Daniel, Esther)
Ga Gallican Psalter
Gnz fragments from the Cairo Geniza (always given in superscript with the siglum of the
witness reported in the fragments, e.g., TGnz.)
Hbrs Psalterium iuxta Hebraeos
Hev the Greek Minor Prophets Scroll from Nah al Hever
Hex a Hexaplaric reading referred to without specification
Hie Hieronymus (Jerome) (Note the variations Hiehebr, used to designate an instance when
Jerome reports the Hebrew text, and Hiecomm, where he comments on it.)
HieSF Jeromes letter to Sunnia and Fretela
La Old Latin (as defined by the appropriate collation standard)
LaAmbr quotations in the writings of Ambrosius
LaEp the lemma text in the translation by Epiphanius Scholasticus of Philo of Carpasias
commentary on Canticles
La169 Salzburg, Abbey of St. Peter, Ms. IX 16
M Masoretic Text (defined as the agreement of ML and the other collated Tiberian
MSS)
MA Aleppo Codex
MB British Library, Oriental Ms. 4445
MC Cairo Codex of the Prophets
ML the Leningrad Codex, manuscript EBP. I B 19a in the Russian National Library, St.
Petersburg
ML* a first hand reading in ML (used only when a later hand reading is also recorded)
ket kt i (always superscript with M [i.e., Mket]; for a single ms. of M as follows: ML(ket) ML
alone)
KR the manuscripts described in the editions of Kennicott and de Rossi
lacun lacuna
lat Latin
lem lemma
lex lexical
lib liberty
lit literary
loc locative
m masculine
metath metathesis
Mf Masorah finalis
mg margin
midr midrash
Mm Masorah magna
modern modernization
Mp Masorah parva
ms manuscript
mss manuscripts
narr narrative
neg negative
obj object
om omission
order word order
origin origin (This term is used to designate a preferred reading when that reading explains
the extant readings, but is not itself extant.)
orth orthographic
par parallel text
paraphr paraphrase
part particle
pass passive
pf perfect
Philo, Abr De Abrahamo
Aet De aeternitate mundi
Agr De agricultura
Cher De cherubim
Conf De confusione linguarum
Congr De congressu quaerendae
Dec De decalogo
Det Quod deterius potiori
Ebr De ebrietate
Flacc In Flaccum
Fug De fuga et inventione
Gaium Legatio ad Gaium
Gig De gigantibus
Hyp Hypothetica [Apologia pro Iudaeis]
Jos De Iosepho
Leg Alleg Legum allegoriae
Mig De migratione Abrahami
Mos De vita Mosis
Mut De mutatione nominum
Op De opificio mundi
Plant De plantatione
Post De posteritate Caini
Praem De praemiis et poenis
Prov De providentia
QE Quaestiones et solutiones in Exodum
QG Quaestiones et solutiones in Genesin
Quis Rerum Quis rerum divinarum heres
Quod Deus Quod Deus immutabilis sit
Quod Omn Quod omnis probus liber sit
Sac De sacrificiis Abelis et Caini
Sob De sobrietate
Som De somniis
Spec Leg De specialibus legibus
Virt De virtutibus
Vit Cont De vita contemplativa
phonol phonological
pl plural
prec preceded by (Note also the use of foll and the sign +.)
pref preferred reading (This indicates that this reading, from among those presented in the
apparatus entry for a case, is to be preferred as the earliest attested text.)
prep preposition
pron pronoun
ptc participle
qere qre (always superscript with M [i.e., Mqere]; for a single ms. of M as follows: ML(qere)
ML alone)
redund redundancy
refl reflexive
rest restoration
seman semantic
sfx suffix
sg singular
shift shift of meaning
spont spontaneous
styl stylistic
subj subject
subst substantive
substit substitution
synt syntactic
syr Syriac
syst systematization
theol theologically motivated
tiq soph tiqqun sopherim (i.e., a case included in the traditional list of emendations of the
scribes, whether or not the emendation is judged to be genuine)
transcr transcription
transf transfer
transl translational
translit transliteration
transp transposition
txt text
unattest unattested (This is used to signal that a preferred reading established by retroversion
belongs to a binyan [conjugation] for which no other form is attested in Hebrew [or
Aramaic in Daniel and Ezra] of the biblical period, but for which a corresponding binyan is
attested.)
unconv unconverted (imperfect/perfect)
usu usual expression
v verse
vv verses
vb verb
via identifies the Hebrew root or form judged to have served as the stimulus for a reading
vocal vocalization
vocat vocative
vrs version
vrss versions