48. THE USE OF VARIOUS
TYPES
IN THE ENGLISH
BIBLE.
The
Appendixes were written by Dr. E.W. Bullinger.
The
practice of indicating, by different types, words and phrases which
were not in the Original Text, was, it is believed, first introduced by
Sebastian 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 A.V. (1611).
The
following seem to have been the principles guiding the translators
of the A.V. :--
- To supply the omissions
under the Figure Ellipsis,
or what they
considered to be Ellipsis.
- To supply the words
necessary to give the sense, when the Figure Zeugma
is employed.
- Once, at least, to indicate
a word or words of doubtful MS. authority,
1John 2:23 (first introduced in Cranmer's Bible -- doubtless from the
Vulgate).
Perhaps also Judg. 16:2 and 20:9.
- 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 type in the R.V. see Ap. 7.
The
use of large capital letters for certain words and phrases originated
with the A.V. 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 (Jer. 23:6. Zech. 3:8; 6:12) they have used ordinary
roman
type.
The
use of large capitals by the translators of the A.V. 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 :--
- Ex. 3:14. "I am
that I am."
- Ex. 3:14. "I am."
- Ex. 6:3. "Jehovah."
- Ex. 28:36; 39:30.
"Holiness (R.V. "Holy") to the Lord."
- Deut. 28:58. "The
Lord thy God."
- Ps. 68:4. "Jah."
- Ps. 83:18.
"Jehovah."
- Isa. 26:4.
"Jehovah."
- Dan. 5:25-28.
"Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin." (v.
28,
"Peres".)
- Zech. 14:20.
"Holiness (R.V. "Holy") unto the Lord."
- Matt. 1:21.
"Jesus."
- Matt. 1:25.
"Jesus."
- Matt. 27:37. The
inscriptions on the Cross. Also Mark 15:26.
Luke 23:38. John 19:19.
- Luke 1:31; 2:21.
"Jesus."
- Acts 17:23. "To
the (R.V. "an") unknown God."
- Rev. 17:5.
"Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of (R.V. "the")
Harlots and (R.V. "the") Abominations of the Earth."
- Rev. 19:16. "King
of Kings, and Lord of Lords."
Large
capitals in A.V. Small roman letters in R.V.
- Jer. 23:6. "The
Lord our Righteousness."
- Zech. 3:8.
"Branch."
- Zech. 6:12.
"Branch."
(*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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