You can use this abbreviated name when referencing passages in forms in the bible study tools or if. Most bible dictionaries and encyclopedias put the authors name at. According to the sbl handbook of style, the abbreviations for books of the bible, deuterocanonical books, and the dead sea scrolls are not marked with periods. The journals listed below are only a small portion of those listed in the handbook. Jim is a member of sbl who teaches at the school of divinity at. A list of abbreviations for versions and sections of the bible is also included. In footnotes and bibliographies you should refer to a journal by its abbreviated form e. Sbl now recommends using twoletter postal abbreviations rather than traditional state abbreviations 8. The sbl handbook of style sblhs is a substantial supplement to the chicago manual of style cms for biblical studies.
The definitive source for how to write and publish in the field of biblical studies. Jun 10, 2010 list of sbl abbreviations for biblical books. Citing the bible citation guide libguides at life pacific. First published in 1881, jbl is the flagship journal of the field. With bible gateway plus, you gain instant access to a digital bible study library, including complete notes from the niv cultural backgrounds study bible and the new bible commentary. Additional information about specific abbreviations can be found in the sblhs 8 and throughout this blog. Touch a verse number to open a bundle of resources for that verse. This justly famous and widely influential nineteenthcentury edition of the greek new testament was one of the key texts used in the creation of the original nestle text 1 and was used as the initial basis of comparison in. The following table lists in alphabetical order the names of each of the books of the bible and its corresponding shortest abbreviation. Sbl citation styles libguides at seattle pacific university. In the hebrew bible or tanakh the books are arranged in three groups.
The journal of biblical literature jbl is one of three academic journals published by the society of biblical literature sbl. The longawaited second edition of the essential style manual for writing and publishing in biblical studies and related fields includes key style changes, updated and expanded abbreviation and spellingsample lists, a list of archaeological site names, material on quranic sources, detailed information on. See the list below for their most common abbreviations. Abbreviations books of the bible see our citing the bible handout for a full list of biblical abbreviations. And dont forget the approved sbl state name abbreviation. Now, when you export passages from bibleworks, they will come automatically tagged with the reference using sbl abbreviations. List of sbl abbreviations for biblical books the heidelblog. Use abbreviations for the books of the bible when citing texts or referencing them.
English versions of the bible there are dozens of english translations or versions of the bible available today. A tradition of integrated faith does not appear at 6. Abbreviations for ancient jewish and christian literature. Please also note that some abbreviations appear in italics i. The sbl handbook of style kindle edition by society of biblical literature, society of biblical literature. Student supplement for the sbl handbook of style second. Some websites and religiouspublishers use very short abbreviations, consisting of only 1 or 2 letters,which sometimes causes confusion. Gnb good news bible nasb new american standard bible niv new international version nrsv new revised standard version rsv revised standard version. See appendix 1 for how to abbreviate books of the bible and page 122 of the sbl handbook of style for how to abbreviate versions of the bible. Abbreviate titles of journals and book series both in footnotes and in the.
For a full list of modern bible abbreviations, see the sbl handbook in the reference room, or ask a librarian for help. Guide to bible book abbreviation bible study tools. For an extensive list of abbreviations for secondary sources, see 8. The definitive source for how to write and publish in the field of biblical studies the longawaited second edition of the essential style manual for writing and publishing in biblical studies and related fields includes key style changes, updated and expanded abbreviation and spellingsample lists, a list of archaeological site names, material on quranic sources, detailed information on. Susan niditch, oral culture and written documents paper presented at the annual meeting of the new. However, bible and church document examples may refer to the mla style manual, turabian, or the sbl handbook of style. The intent of this list is to provide abbreviations for all texts considered by any extant jewish or christian sect to be a part of the bible and for all texts included within significant historical works. Paper presented at a professional society meeting sbl handbook 6. The first abbreviation list is alphabetized by the source sblhs. The sbl handbook of style society of biblical literature. The sbl handbook of style kindle edition by society of. Journal title or abbreviation see sbl guide abbreviation list or limited list in appendix of. For more information, see our citing the bible handout. Intext citations when citing chapter or chapter and verse, abbreviate books of the bible unless they appear at the beginning of the sentence.
This link is provided solely for the users convenience. It is informative about particular books within particular. Footnotes sbl uses footnote citations instead of the intext parenthetical citations used in mla and apa. In protestant english bibles, the ot books are arranged mostly by genre. Use our verse reference menu to navigate to a specific verse. Spell out the books name when referring to it as a whole. The above table first, and in bold type, lists the abbreviations preferred bythe society of biblical literature. Small caps are no longer recommended for abbreviations of versions or texts of the bible. Books of the bible cited without chapter or chapter and verse should be. This allows a reader quickly to discern the meaning of a given abbreviation without consulting another source that may.
The sbl handbook of style offers two extensive lists of abbreviations for journals, series, and other standard reference works. Note also that because the example in the sbl handbook of style is a 1st edition, i have had to innovate a bit at that point here. Comprising its biographical geographical, and other proper names. What follows is a list of abbreviations for books of the bible, for use with osis and sword as standard book ids. These are the abbreviations established in the sbl handbook of style peabody, ma. Kjv king james version nasb new american standard version hb hebrew bible lxx septuagint vulg. Literature, founded in 1880, is the oldest and largest learned society devoted to the critical investigation of the bible from a variety of academic disciplines.
Abbreviations for biblical books and nonbiblical literature jump to the definitions for sn,tn,tc click here. Revelation 3 begins with the letter to the church in. Student supplement to the sbl handbook of style at the annual meeting of the society of biblical literature in 2003, professor james nogalski raised the possibility of including a student supplement to the sbl handbook of style in its next edition. Student supplement for the sbl handbook of style second edition. Thus, it isbest generally to use abbreviations of at least three or four letters. The sbl handbook of style 2nd edition, kindle edition. The hebrew bible has different names for ecclesiastes and song of songs. This was the quickest way to find the list, without looking at the sbl handbook. Although not every work needs a list of abbreviations, it is often advisable to include such a list at the beginning of monographs and edited collections, even if one is following the sbl handbook of style. Expanded lists of abbreviations for use in ancient near eastern, biblical, and early christian studies.
Jan 08, 2020 use abbreviations for the books of the bible when citing texts or referencing them. Secondary sources like journals, series, and major reference works usually have a standard abbreviated form. Occasionally a publisher will restart the numbering of a book series or a journal. As useful and informative as may be, it has nothing to do with osis abbreviations or sbl abbreviations.
Brooke foss westcott and fenton john anthony hort, the new testament in the original greek, vol. Revelation 3 begins with the letter to the church in sardis. Student supplement for the sbl handbook of style, second edition. Sbl now uses all caps without periods for bce and ce rather than b. Do not abbreviate the name of the book if it starts a sentence or is a reference to the entire book or the author. When this happens, include the number of the new series, separated from the volume number by a forward slash as illustrated in sblhs 6. The names of the books of the bible can be abbreviated.
Most bibles give preferred abbreviation guides in their tables of contents, or at the front of the book. This allows a reader quickly to discern the meaning of a given abbreviation without consulting another source that may not be readily at hand. If you would like to download an excel and word copy of this table, as well as all of the primary literature abbreviations from the sbl handbook 2nd ed. The intent of this list is to provide abbreviations for all texts considered by any extant jewish or christian sect to be a part of the bible and for all texts included. Sbl style guide bibliography i books book by a single author talbert. Secondary sources sbl style guide library home at university. A full list of abbreviations for versions and biblical texts can be found in 8. Sbl bible book abbreviations by faith we understand. Pentatuach, historical books, wisdom literature, and prophetic books. For general citations, this guide leads you to other guides prepared by ust libraries reference department.
Youve probably noticed that biblical commentaries are usually published as a series of books. Table of contents niv application commentary bible gateway. If you do not know the official sbl abbreviation of a title, do not guess. The list below represents the most widely used modern english versions and their common abbreviations. Singlevolume commentary on the entire bible by multiple authors. Find out what is the full meaning of sbl on abbreviations. Abbreviations may be used when the citation is a reference that follows a block quotation of text.
The basis for most of these works is the sbl handbook of style. By accepting this message, you will be leaving the website of the united states conference of catholic bishops. You could find here extra resources about abbreviation for months meanwhile, if you need extra help with your college assignment, we are here to provide you with a short list of our partners. Separate chapter and verse with a period, not a colon. Abbreviations abbreviate titles of standard works in footnotes, but cite the complete titles in the bibliography. Abbreviations for the books of the bible and for ancient jewish and christian literature. List of abbreviations if abbreviations do not appear below, please spell out the word or words.