The Use of Various Types in the English
Bible. This Is Appendix 48 From The Companion Bible.
The practice of indicating, by different types,
words and phrases which were not in the Original Text, was, it is
believed, first introduced by Sebastain Münster, of Basle, in a Latin
version of the Old Testament published in 1534.
The English New Testament (published at Geneva, 1557)
and the Geneva Bible (1560) "put in that word which, lacking, made
the sentence obscure, but set it in such letters as may easily be
discerned from the common text." The example was followed and
extended in the Bishops' Bible (1568, 1572), and the roman
and italic
1 types of these Bibles (as distinguished from the black
letter and roman type of previous Bibles) were
introduced into the Authorized Version (1611).
The following seem to have been the principles
guiding the translators of the Authorized Version :-
1. To supply the omissions under the Figure
Ellipsis, or what they considered to be
Ellipsis. 2. To supply the words
necessary to give the sense, when the Figure Zeugma is
employed. 3. Once, at least, to indicate
a word or words of doubtful Manuscript authority, 1John 2:23 (first introduced
in Cranmer's Bible-doubtless from the Vulgate). Perhaps also Judges
16:2 and
20:9.
4. Where the English idiom differs from that
of the Originals, and requires essential words to be added, which are not
necessary in the Hebrew or Greek.
For the use of italic in the Revised Version see Appendix 7.
The use of large capital letters for certain words
and phrases originated with the Authorized Version. None of the previous
or "former translations" have them.
The revisers abandoned this practice, but have not
been consistent in the plan they substituted for it. In most of the cases
they have used small capital letters instead of the large capitals; but in
three cases (Jeremiah 23: 6. Zechariah
3:8; 6:12) they have used
ordinary roman type. The use of the large capitals
by the translators of the Authorized Version is destitute of any
authority, and merely indicates the importance which they attached to such
words and phrases thus indicated.
The following is a complete list :-
Large capitals in Authorized
Version. Small capitals in Revised Version.
Exodus 3: 14. "I am that I am."
Exodus 3:14. "I am." Exodus
6:3. "Jehovah." Exodus
28:36; 39:30. "Holiness (Revised Version
"Holy") to the Lord."
Deuteronomy 28:58. "The Lord thy God."
Psalm 68:4. "Jah." Psalm
83:18. "Jehovah." Isaiah
26:4. "Jehovah." Daniel
5:25-28. "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin," (verse
28,
"Peres".) Zechariah 14:20. "Holiness (Revised Version
"Holy") unto the Lord." Matthew
1:21. "Jesus." Matthew
1:25. "Jesus." Matthew
27:37. The
inscriptions on the Cross. Also Mark 15:26. Luke
23:38. John 9:19.
Luke 1:31; 2:21. "Jesus." Acts
17:23. "To the (Revised Version "an")
unknown God." Revelation 17:5. "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of
(Revised Version "the") Harlots and
(Revised Version "the") Abominations of the Earth."
Revelation 19:16. "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords."
Large capitals in Authorized
Version. Small roman letters in Revised Version.
Jeremiah 23: 6. "The Lord our Righteousness."
Zechariah 3:8. "Branch."
Zechariah 6:12. "Branch."
NOTE 1 The word
italic means relating to Italy, and is used of a kind of
type dedicated to the States of Italy, by Aldus Manutius, about the year
1500.
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