Fri Oct 25 09:10:38 1996

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From: DC PARKER 
Organization: Fac of Arts:The Univ. of Birmingham
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 1996 14:00:19 GMT
Subject: Re: uncials & majuscules et al.
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I was grateful to Dr Young for her account of the use of the word 
'uncial' in Latin palaeography.  It is that which has led me to abandon 
the term completely in the field of Greek MSS.  It should be left to its 
technical use - in _Latin_.   It is not even as though  the Greek NT 
'uncial' MSS were all in one hand.  They are written in a variety of 
scripts which include biblical majuscule, upright pointed majuscule, 
etc.  But at least they are all majuscule, and my aim (as documented 
by Mike Holmes) is simply a greater measure of scientific accuracy.

The quotation from Kummel is not relevant, since he is just summing 
up what he believed to be the facts.

On another matter, I am amazed at the scorn for the value of the 
versions expressed in some quarters.  I would take it as read that the 
versions shed great light always on the history of the text and of its 
interpretation.  Bill Petersen suggests an example, so here is some 
fuel for the fire:

I've just been telling a class about the endings of Mark, and stressing 
the significance of the Sinaitic and Curetonian Syriac MSS, and 
Bobbiensis of the Old Latin MSS as three of the most significant 
witnesses; not to mention the Armenian which, though derived from 
the Greek via a Syriac intermediary, is an important witness to the 
text of Mark.  Remove the versional evidence, and the Greek MSS 
provide a rather misleading picture of the history of the text.

David Parker
DC PARKER
DEPT OF THEOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
TEL. 0121-414 3613
FAX  0121-414 6866
E-MAIL PARKERDC@M4-ARTS.BHAM.AC.UK

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