The Amsterdam Database of New Testament Conjectural Emendation
is the result of a research project at Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam,
conducted from 2010 to 2016 and funded by NWO (Netherlands Organisation
for Scientific Research). It is currently maintained by Jan Krans at
Vrije Universiteit.
The Amsterdam Database collects all known
conjectures on the Greek New Testament, as well as an important part of
the reception history of these conjectures.
It is updated on a regular basis. Release notes for each instalment are published on a separate page.
Version 1.0
The
database was first put online on 23 September 2016, and released
officially at the SBL annual conference in San Antonio, TX, November
2016.
Version 1.5
In July 2018 the search possibilities
were enhanced to include authors and works. In addition to linking to
conjecture records, it is now possible to link to reception history
records, as well as to authors and works.
Background
With the Nestle editions up to NA27
(1993), scholars had access to only a very small part of New Testament
conjectures, and even this small collection was very limited: the
criteria for inclusion remained unclear, and for each conjecture only an
author’s name—presumably of the earliest author—and the conjectured
reading were given. When in NA28 (2012) it was decided to omit all conjectures from the apparatus, the Amsterdam project was already underway, and so the NA28
Introduction could announce the publication of the conjectures in a
more satisfying digital form. In the end the teams in Münster and
Amsterdam agreed that the best place for publication was to be the
NT.VMR website.
Use
The website itself should be easy to navigate, but some elements may require a brief explanation.
On
first load an entry box is given in which a New Testament reference, a
conjecture ID, a history record ID, or other IDs can be entered (see
further below).
Access by New Testament reference
For
New Testament verses and ranges, standard English book names and
abbreviations will find the corresponding conjecture records, for
instance:
John 3:16
Rom 8
Matt 1:1-18
2John-3John
Rev 1-2
Explanation of the conjectures table
When a reference is entered, the top of the page displays the existing conjecture records for that passage.
The first column contains the unique and stable conjecture ID for any given conjecture (e.g. cj10374).
This ID can be used for linking to the record. An easy way to retrieve
such a link is to click the link icon next to the conjecture ID. There
is also a discussion icon, that allows users of the database to create a
forum post that links to the conjecture.
Next to the conjecture ID and the biblical reference, the words from NA28 are shown on which the conjecture is made, as well as the conjecture itself. Hovering over the NA28
words will show these in context, together with a visual indication of
the place of the conjecture and even partially of its nature. In some
cases the visual clue also prevents ambiguity, such as for cj11091 on Heb 2:13, which concerns the omission of the second instance of καὶ πάλιν in that verse.
Author,
short reference, and year are provided as well. The information icon
next to the “Short Reference” when clicked shows the full title of the
source as well as its bibliography ID (e.g. b1355 for Erasmus’ 1516 Annotationes).
The operation column shows the type of text-critical operation that the conjecture involves when compared to the NA28 text.
Four small columns provide information on the kind of the conjecture records and some more:
E.
(“Editorial Alternative”) is marked when the conjecture record actually
contains a proposal that does not alter the uncial text written without
punctuation, accents and word divisions.
A.
(“Attested”) is marked when the conjecture has been found to be
attested in Greek manuscripts (in the case of editorial alternatives, A
is marked by default).
N. (“Nestle”)
is marked when the conjecture is mentioned in the apparatus of one or
more of the Nestle editions since 1898. In that case the remarks (see
below) provide more information.
M.
(“Misunderstood”) is marked when the author attributed with the
conjecture was actually misunderstood, so that the case is not a
conjecture after all, but has been held to be one at some moment in
history. Here as well the remarks provide more information.
The
final two columns contain remarks by our team and the original citation
found in the source mentioned in the record, accessed by the information
icon in the respective column (‘Rem.” = “Remarks” and “Cit.” =
“Citation”). The remarks are often useful for background information on
the record and for references to other records.
All columns can
be sorted by clicking on their header. There is also a search box at the
top right which makes the table display only those records in which the
search string occurs.
Expanation of the reception history table
All
conjecture records have a reception history table in the database, that
can be accessed by selecting the conjecture. Then a second table on the
bottom of the page is opened, that contains elements of the reception
history of the selected conjecture, including on its Urheber (German for
“first author”).
The reception history table does not show the NA28 text, the conjecture itself or the verse reference, but it specifies the role of each reference.
As
in the conjectures table, the information icon next to the “Short
Reference” when clicked shows the full title of the source. The same
applies to “Remarks” and “Citation.”
The reception history table also includes a search box at the top right.
Access by conjecture ID
As
said, conjecture records have a unique, stable ID, such as cj10374
(Erasmus’ conjecture on Jas 4:1), shown in the first column of the
conjectures table. This ID is to be used for reference as well (see also
below: “How to refer”).
Any conjecture ID can also be entered in the entry box to access that conjecture.
Access by reception history ID
Records
of the reception history also have unique and stable IDs, such as
s23860. These are shown in the first column of the reception history
table, and can be used for reference. As in the case of the conjecture
IDs, a link icon is provided that allows creation of a reusable URL.
Reception history IDs can also be entered in the entry box.
Access by author
Every
record has a unique author. A list of all references to a given author
can be opened in a new tab by clicking on the link icon at the right of
the author’s name in the reception history table. In the new tab,
clicking any conjecture in the conjecture table will highlight the
author’s record (or records) in the corresponding reception history
table. To every author belongs a unique author ID, such as a1016 (for
Erasmus). These IDs can also be entered in the entry box, and can be
used for reference.
The entry box also allows to search for an
author by entering part of their name and then clicking the name in the
drop-down list.
Access by work
Every record also has a
unique work that is referred to. A list of all occurrence of this work
in the Amsterdam Database can be opened in a new tab by clicking the
link icon at the right of the short reference in the reception history
table. As with authors, the reception history records will be
highlighted once a conjecture is selected. Every work has a unique
bibliography ID, such as b1355 (for Erasmus’ 1516 Annotationes). The entry box accepts these IDs as well.
How to refer to the database
The database can be cited as follows:
Jan Krans, Bert Jan Lietaert Peerbolte, et al. (eds.), The Amsterdam Database of New Testament Conjectural Emendation (https://ntvmr.uni-muenster.de/nt-conjectures).
One
can also link to a part of the database, such as 1. a New Testament
passage; 2. a conjecture record; 3. a reception history record; 4. an
author; 5. a work.
1. A New Testament verse or verse range: e.g. the conjecture records in Jas 4:2: https://ntvmr.uni-muenster.de/nt-conjectures/?indexContent=Jas 4:2.
2. Conjecture records: e.g. cj10374 for Erasmus’ conjecture on Jas 4:2: https://ntvmr.uni-muenster.de/nt-conjectures/?conjID=cj10374.
3. Reception history records: e.g. s23860 for Zwingli’s acceptance of Erasmus’ conjecture on Jas 4:2: https://ntvmr.uni-muenster.de/nt-conjectures/?histID=s23860 (for reception history records it may be useful to refer to the conjecture record as well).
4. Authors: e.g. a1016 for Erasmus: https://ntvmr.uni-muenster.de/nt-conjectures?authorID=a1016.
5. Works: e.g. b1355 for Erasmus’ 1516 Annotationes: https://ntvmr.uni-muenster.de/nt-conjectures?biblioID=b1355.
Team
The
team responsible for the project consists of Jan Krans, Bert Jan
Lietaert Peerbolte, Bart Kamphuis, Silvia Castelli, and Karin Neutel,
assisted by Suzan Doodeman, Jolyn Nijsink, Noortje Blokhuis, Riekelt
Woort, Theo van Beek, Albert Wubs, and An-Ting Yi.
Thanks
We
thank the Münster INTF team for its hospitality and collaboration.
Holger Strutwolf and Klaus Wachtel encouraged and helped us in many
ways, and Troy A. Griffitts proved able to turn our data into a
web-accessible form. We also thank our many colleagues who provided
feedback or drew our attention to additional information.
Collaboration
Users are invited to contribute to the Amsterdam Database by means of a feedback function, which will create a Forum post.
Licence
The Amsterdam Database of New Testament Conjectural Emendation is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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