Showing posts with label reading ancient Greek manuscripts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading ancient Greek manuscripts. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Reading the Codex Sinaiticus: the beginning of Acts 2

Here's the beginning of Acts 2.  I've included the last line from Acts 1:26, showing that the manuscript gives no indication of modern conventions of chapter or verse.




 Before moving on to the transcription, note that we have:

1  All capital letters

2  'C' (the lunate sigma) is used instead of 'Σ', and a rounded 'W' instead of 'Ω'

3  No punctuation, and no spaces between words

4  Words may be broken and run from one line to the next, without indication

5  Fading noted particularly on the thin horizontal strokes of 'Π', 'Η', and sometimes 'Θ'

6  Considerable similarity between 'Α' and 'Λ', especially when the cross-stroke of alpha has faded


Here is a transcription using modern type.  Acts 2:1 begins on the second line:


Lets try it again, with spaces between words and in lower case, although without accents:


This should be readable, more or less.  In the next post, I'll discuss the extra markings in the original.  Also: what's that 'κα' before 'αποστολων' from Acts 1:26?