Dating Greek Ms Writing - Kappa, Abbreviation For Kai, Very Tiny Writing

[Steven Avery]

Hi,

 

In my intro post, I pointed out that I came here looking for a little assistance in looking at questions invovlving some Greek Bible manuscripts.

 

There seems to be various curiosities and anomalies that are little noted and discussed. The Bible textual scholars who look at the manuscripts do not seem to have real palaeographic background. They can take their textual perspectives and back-apply them to the palaeographic. And it seems to me that the right questions do not get asked.

 

Let me begin with 2 questions (I can upload pictures if helpful, or place them on a blog or web page, or give urls to the manuscript. I am starting with the types of questions that may not need pics.)

 

If it turns out that there are better venues for asking that Fountain Pen Network, feel free to point me here or there.

 

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1) Greek abbreviation

 

K (kappa) is said in some encyclopedias to be used as an abbreviation for various Greek words, kai (and), koinon (common), kolonia (colony). Is it possible to find out when the abbreviation for "kai" turns up in Greek writing? The abbreviation is used in a page title (Acts of Peter and John and the Community) in one part of a manuscript that is sometimes dated to the 4th century. Can the usage of the abbreviation help date the particular writing?

 

e.g. "We only see this abbreviation beginning around x AD." In Bible manuscripts it is well known that certain words, like nomina sacra, were abbreviated in the early centuries. However, I have never seen discussion of abbreviations of common words, so seeing the abbreviation in the title was a bit of a surprise.

 

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2) tiny writing

 

Apparently there were real physical limitations mitigating against small writing in the early centuries, having to do with both the writing utensil used and the nature of the ink. Patrick in Ireland in the 400s is said to have helped institute smaller writing, although how small is unclear.

 

If we see margin and note writing that is 1/5 to 1/10 the size of a "standard" lined uncial writing on a manuscript, can this help us with dating the particular margin and notes writings?

 

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Note:

The manuscript is a very fine vellum (which is a separate codicological question), the writing utensils are only conjectured and the ink has never been chemically analyzed. And the implements and ink can have some variance within the manuscript since many hands have written on the ms.

 

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Thanks for any help you can give me. As I said, I understand that this may be a bit unusual for the forum here, and my goal is simply to be a good guest and friend and researcher in asking these types of questions.

 

If not here, feel free to point me where you think may be best.

If here, fantastico!

 

Steven Avery

Bayside, NY

Edited February 1, 2014 by Steven Avery

[Rose Nibs]

Interesting question for an FPN forum. From my limited Greek I believe that kai was reduced to k' before a vowel in Classical times, as in 'kaloskagathos', and this expression was used by Plato and Xenophon. In this instance it won't help with dating early Christian manuscripts. I'm sure google is able to help you to locate people who know the history of Greek orthography.

[Russ]

Very interesting! I wish I could help. I read the GNT but no manuscripts.

 

Have you consulted the grammars?

Anything by Kurt and Barbara Aland?

The massive Greek / English Lexicon by Liddell & Scott?

The Theological Dictionary of the NT (TDNT)?

 

Please share your findings.

[Steven Avery]

Hi,

What I have found so far.

 

1) yes, the kai abbreviation is early here and there. The b-greek forum gave some good resources.

 

2) Nobody has really gone into the tiny script question.

 

And I noticed some discussion of microscript manuscripts, a 13th-century phenomenon that uses real small script throughout a manuscript. And I remember some questions about microscript, e.g. on coins, sometimes controversial. Overall, so far I have found little about the tiny script within a manuscript, as a means to help date that scribe, noting that the scribe may be connected with the ms. creation. I'll plan on putting forth a web page to make it easier to see the question.

 

Also, other questions arise.

 

There is some writing that is lower case and that effects the dating (this can be the same tiny script writing, or what Tisdchendorf called an "extremely fine hand" in Sinaiticus. This includes the second set of quire signatures and some of the very small writing. Needs more study. Apparently the quire signatures forced the theory of 4th century authenticity to add a corollary theory of a 700 AD rebinding, that has no real physical/historical support. I also learned that while cursive majuscule script was actually rather early (even if you do not see it on the early Greek Bible mss) the minuscule script, lower case, comes late. Often, in Bible text discussions, you get the impression that cursive == minuscule, which is not really accurate.

 

There are some unusual symbols within Sinaiticus that one scholars called hieroglyphics. Something you simply do not see in Greek manuscripts. That study is currently in process.

 

Steven

Edited February 7, 2014 by Steven Avery

[Calamus plasticus]

The best place to ask this kind of questions is here:

 

CLASSICISTS@liverpool.ac.uk

 

We all classicist use this list; there are good scholars around. You have to register first; check here:

 

http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/archives/classicists.html

 

I think a good manual of Greek Paleography can solve your doubts, in any case. Good luck!

[Flounder]

I bemoan the loss of Egypt back in the '600s, and her cheap and plentiful supply of papyrus! You never heard of tiny writing and vellum and (oh the horror) palimpsests in the good old days.

[Steven Avery]

Hi,

 

Thanks for the Classicists info.

Joining.

 

As for books covering the topic, possibly the best is:

 

An introduction to Greek and Latin palaeography (1912)

Edward Thomas Maunde

https://archive.org/details/greeklatin00thomuoft

 

However many of the specific questions (e.g. things like dating very small text, possible hieroglyphics, and more) are probably needing specific individual expertise more than book background. An exception is the kai ligature, which is covered in some books.

 

Steven Avery

Edited February 8, 2014 by Steven Avery