Subject: tc-list Comfort audience definition

From: "clayton stirling bartholomew" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 19:57:41 -0700

M A Robinson wrote:

> "Specialists will notice that we have NOT used underdots to indicate
> fragmentary letters. Publishing constraints required their omission from
> the outset. Those desiring to see a transcription with these notations
> may consult the _editio princeps_ noted in the bibliography for each
> manuscript."
>
{snip}

> Of course their suggestion that the "specialist" go to the _editio
> princeps_ seems in itself to vitiate the entire intent in publishing
> their book -- who else but "specialists" or those being trained to
> perform _accurate_ text-critical collation, transcription, and analysis
> would be the intended market for this volume?

Maurice has uncovered an issue that has been nagging me as I have been
evaluating this book. It seems like the Comfort/Barrett and Baker have a
problem with the definition of their intended audience for this book.

Do they really think that the bulk of pastors and bible students are
going to take an interest is this kind of work? Not a chance! When I saw
the word "specialist" on page 14 of C/B, I said, oh no! here we go
again. This is the same sort of talk you hear from the publishers of
dictionaries who transliterate whole clauses of Greek and Hebrew for the
"non-specialist." The class of people who cannot read the Greek alphabet
but who can read greek fine when it is  transliterated is an empty set.
I think that the intended audience for C/B may also turn out to be an
empty set. Their audience definition seems to be: People who like to
dabble in textual criticism but don't need to know about partial letters
and don't care if the information is reliable. If you really need these
two missing items you "may consult the _editio princeps_.."  What a
statement!! If I could have consulted  _editio princeps_ would I have
purchased this book? Perhaps.

I intend to keep this book. When Baker shreds the remainders of the
first run it may become a collectors item. Meanwhile I will learn a lot
and have a lot of fun looking for errors.

--
Clayton Stirling Bartholomew
Three Tree Point
P.O. Box 255 Seahurst WA 98062