Subject: tc-list Variation Units

From: Mike Bossingham <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 10:38:45 -0400

Hi,

I have never been too sure what is meant by the term "Variation
Unit". I take it to mean predefined units of variation that are
imposed on a text by computer software. Am I right?

If so why is this? When I look at any Critical Edition (and I have
looked at a lot over then past 5 years) I know of none that has a
predefined structure of variants. In fact variants tend to
overlap, long and short, to reflect the actual text of the witnesses.

The software I have written for collating and displaying critical 
text does not depend on variation units - the variants can be entered
just as they appear on the page of a Greek New Testament - and can
overlap with one another (though not within a single witness, obviously).

The software is still able to generate the text of any witness and rebuild
the apparatus as if that witness were base. If this can be done without
variation units - then why have them?

Regards

Mike Bossingham
Birmingham University.

---

From: "Professor L.W. Hurtado" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 15:58:46 +000

> imposed on a text by computer software. Am I right?

No.  "variation unt" is a term coined back in the late 60s or so to = a small 
portion of text within which variation has occurred.  Thus, more than one 
variant, and more than one kind of variation (e.g., omission/add, substitution, 
word order), can take place in a given variation unit. On this, see esp. E. J. 
Epp, "Toward the Classification of the Term 'Textual Variant'," in Epp & Fee, 
_Studies in the Theory & Method of NT Textual Criticism_.

> When I look at any Critical Edition (and I have

Yes, "variant" = the choice of particular readings/words, one choice of which is 
thought to be "best/original".  "Variation unit" = the place in the text where 
variation has taken place.

> variation units - then why have them?

"Variation units" can serve at least two purposes: (1) to note that there are 
places where variation has taken place (and to see if some places are more 
likely than others to have variation), and (2) to facilitate systematic counting of 
agreements.  What is properly counted is precisely agreement of witnesses at 
*variation units*.  Thus of a total of X number of variation units, in how many do 
mss Y & Z agree.  This yields a percentage agreement of the total number of 
variation units.

L. W. Hurtado
University of Edinburgh,
New College
Mound Place 
Edinburgh, Scotland EH1 2LX
Phone: 0131-650-8920
Fax: 0131-650-6579
E-mail:  [email-masked]