Introduction to the SBL Handbook of Style (Second Edition) 1. Responsibilities of an Author (pp. 2-8) a) Block quotations: Use them for any quote of 5 or more lines. (2.1.3.3) --End them with appropriate punctuation. (4.1.5) --Do not use quotation marks around them. (4.1.2) b) Spacing after punctuation: Only one space needed. (2.1.3.5) c) Lists of references: These should be used! (2.1.3.7) d) Verification of quotations (& facts): This is an author s primary and ultimate responsibility, including exact reproduction of substantive errors. (Note the nuance in 2.1.4.) e) Permissions and fair use : up to ca. 500 words is generally fine. (2.1.5) 2. General style (pp. 12-54) (previously: this = 12 pages only!) a) Punctuation --Commas: --Do use the Oxford comma within a series. (4.1.1.1) -- Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel --Commas must be used with non-essential clauses (4.1.1.2) -- Our Academic Dean, Dr. Chambers, cares about style and format. --Quotation marks: --Use single marks within double marks (4.1.2) -- She said, I can t believe he said, It really doesn t matter! --Question marks and exclamation points can go either inside or outside quotation marks (4.1.2) --Ellipses: --Do not use an ellipsis at the beginning or the end of the quotation --Insert a space before and after their 3 periods, and add the sentence s own period (and other punctuation) where needed. (4.1.3) -- You shall not let your voice be heard. Then you shall shout. --Possessives: All names should use apostrophe s in their possessive forms --Jesus s, Moses s (4.1.6) --Punctuating items in a series of citations: --Use commas for similar or parallel references --Jer 26, 28, 30, and 32 (4.1.8.1) --Use semicolons for mixed or dissimilar references --Exod 31:12-18, 33-35; 34:20-31; Disc. 1.24; 2.1, 2; 3:24, 25 (4.1.8.2) b) Numbers --In general, spell out whole numbers from zero to one hundred, except in tables or charts, or within a technical context. (4.2.1) -- There are fifty-six reasons to spell out long numbers, and seventeen not to. 1
--Use commas within numbers of four or more digits (4.2.3) --795 pages 3,795 pages 10,000 BCE --EXCEPTIONS: four-digit page numbers, and four-digit years --p. 2241 1275 BCE --Use two digits when giving a range of page numbers, except when jumping from one hundred to another, and unless the last digit of the first number or the first digit of the second number would be a zero --94-113, 285-89, 503-8, but 500-508 (4.2.4) --Use all digits in a range of years --502-500 BCE, 1850-1876 (4.2.5) --Dates are preferably presented day-month-year (smaller units to larger), without commas (4.3.7.1) --9 November 2016 --August 52 CE c) Foreign words --Foreign words & phrases used within an English context are usually italicized (imago Dei), except those that have passed into common English usage and those that are abbreviated. (Note also the list of particular examples!) (4.3.2.5) --ad hoc, ca., e.g., i.e., et al., s.v. --Transliterated terms are italicized --chesed, agape --How to transliterate Hebrew and Greek --Hebrew: see 5.1 (note the option of fully reversible academic style or an essentially phonetic general-purpose style ). --Greek: see 5.3. d) Capitalization for biblical and theological terms --Do not capitalize the names of biblical, religious, and theological terms. --creation, crucifixion, kingdom of God, passion, resurrection, tabernacle --Capitalize Gospel when it s part of the title of a work, but not when it refers generically to the genre or to good news. --the Gospel of John, the Fourth Gospel, Paul s gospel, the gospel of peace. (4.3.4.1) --Names and titles for God should be capitalized --Comforter, Creator, King of kings, Lamb, Redeemer, Son of Man, Wisdom, Word --Titles less often used may or may not be capitalized --bread of life or Bread of Life, man of sorrows or Man of Sorrows. (4.3.4.2) --Pronouns referring to God should not be capitalized (4.3.4.3) --him, he, his e) Capitalization & spelling examples, A to Z (4.3.6) (pp.37-52 = 16 pages!) 2
3. Abbreviations (section 8) (pp.117-260 = 144 pp!) a) General, including U.S. states & Canadian provinces. (8.1.1) --Use 2-letter forms b) Technical (8.1.3) --note c., ca., e.g., esp., et al., fig., i.e., ibi., idem, incl., LXX, MS(S), n., N.B., n.d., n.p., no(s)., NT, op. cit., OT, p(p)., ps.-, publ., re, repr., rev., transl., v(v)., viz., vol(s)., vs. c) Bible texts and versions. (8.2) --Books cited without chapter (or chapter & verse) should be fully spelled out --Isaiah, First Corinthians --Books cited with chapter (or chapter and verse) are abbreviated --Isa 42, 1 Cor 14:6 --EXCEPTION: at the start of a sentence -- Isaiah 42 is a key chapter ; First Corinthians 14:6 sets the stage. --It is not necessary to indicate which translation is being used, unless more than one is employed in the paper. (8.2; see also 6.1.3.6) --Note the lists of ancient and modern versions in 8.2.1; deuterocanonical works, 8.3.3; OT pseudepigrapha, 8.3.4; Dead Sea Scrolls, 8.3.5; Josephus, 8.3.7; Apostolic Fathers, 8.3.11; Greek and Latin works, 8.3.14.3. --Use the abbreviations of biblical books given in 8.3.1 (OT) and 8.3.2 (NT). d) Secondary works (8.4, pp. 171-260) --First set of listings: alphabetized by source (8.4.1, pp.171-216) --Second set of listings: alphabetized by abbreviation (8.4.2, pp.216-260) 4. Appendices a) Canons (Appendix A, pp. 261-64) --Full names, incl. Hebrew & Latin titles, for Jewish, R.C., Orthodox, Protestant canons. b) OT Versification (Appendix B, pp. 265-68) --Note the sometimes-significant differences b/w English, Hebrew, Greek versification. 5. Notes & bibliographies (section 6, pp. 68-116) a) Sequence of information (6.1.1) --Note the change from 1 st edition: The only material placed within parentheses is the basic facts of publication (city, publisher, and date). b) Primary sources (6.1.3.6) --Note the very handy discussion of how to cite primary biblical sources in the body of a manuscript. -- In Luke, it is the lawyer who cites the double command; in Matthew and Mark it is Jesus (Matt 22:37-40; Mark 12:29-31). c) Names of presses (6.1.4.1) 3
--Omit terms such as Press, Publishing Company, etc., except in the case of university presses or other very special cases --British Academy; Concordia, Eerdmans, Hendricksen, John Knox, Oxford University Press, SBL Press --Use an ampersand (&) instead of and, and omit the usual ( Oxford ) comma before the last term in a series. --Farrar, Strauss & Giroux. --Note the excellent list of preferred bibliographical forms of publishers names! (pp.77-82) d) Place of publication (6.1.4.2) --Use only the first city listed on the copyright page, if more than one is given (6.1.4.1) --Oxford University Press: Oxford. --If the city or publisher is not well known, specify the state or country as well --University of Alberta Press: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. e) General examples: Books (6.2) --Note especially the patterns for the following: single author (6.2.1) two or three authors (6.2.2) more than three authors (6.2.3) translated volumes (6.2.4) one editor (6.2.6) two or three editors (6.2.7) author and editor (6.2.9) author, editor, and translator (6.2.10) article in edited volume (6.1.12) revised edition (6.2.16) reprint of a recent title (6.2.17) reprint of older title (6.2.18) multivolume work (6.2.20) titled volume in a multivolume work (6.2.21) chapter in a multivolume work (6.2.22) work in a series (6.2.24) f) Electronic books (6.2.25) --If citing a PDF e-book that is identical to the print edition, it s not necessary to cite the format. In all other cases, the format must be indicated. --The electronic format is the last information given. --If possible, use the pagination of the print edition, which is stable. If this is not possible, cite the chapter or section number within the e-version. --For online editions, cite the DOI (digital object identifier) or, if none is given, the URL. --Cite CD-ROM books according to the print edition; it is not necessary to indicate the medium in the citation. (6.4.12) g) A journal article republished in a collected volume (6.3.3) --Cite either the original print information or the reprint information, but not both. h) An article in an encyclopedia or dictionary, or lexicon or theological dictionary (6.3.6; 6.3.7) --Individual articles, including those in lexicons and theological dictionaries, should be cited following the general pattern used for journal articles. --example re. BDAG: see p.222 * i) An article in a magazine (6.3.9) 4
--Use this form when each of the issues within the publication s volume are not paginated consecutively but rather separately --The Canadian Lutheran 30.5 (2015), 8-10, 17 j) An electronic journal article (6.3.10) --In general, see the discussion of electronic books (6.2.25). --Specifically, both the DOI and URL may be given, if you prefer. --URLs must resolve directly to the page on which the article appears! k) Bible commentaries (6.4.9) --In general, cite commentaries in a series just like any other book, except for the addition of the series name (which should be abbreviated, if it is reasonably well-known) --Note: Do not include the name of a series general editor (reason: they usually acquire rather than edit!). l) Texts published online with no print counterpart (6.4.13) --Use a DOI or URL in place of the standard publication information (see examples given). m) Online databases (6.4.14) --Identify the author of the content, or the owner or sponsor of the site, as well as the title of the content and the name of the database, plus the DOI or URL. n) Websites and blogs (6.4.15) --Use a descriptive phrase or title, the author of the content if known, the owner or sponsor of the site, and the URL. Old Testament New Testament Gen Isa Matt Exod Jer Mark Lev Lam Luke Num Ezek John Deut Dan Acts Josh Hos Rom Judg Joel 1-2 Cor Ruth Amos Gal 1-2 Sam Obad Eph 1-2 Kgs Jonah Phil 1-2 Chr Mic Col Ezra Nah 1-2 Thess Neh Hab 1-2 Tim Esth Zeph Titus Job Hag Phm Ps/Pss Zech Heb Prov Mal Jas Eccl 1-2 Peter 5
Song 1-2-3 John Jude Rev 6