In order to ensure that the citation is obvious, the author can use a citation marker. Osburn fits our definition of a varying citation: “A quotation from a recognizable text, often without an introductory formula, in which much of the lexical and syntactical structure of the text is preserved and woven unobtrusively into the patristic context and/or syntax in less important portions of the text.” Īccording to Osburn, allusions are defined as “A reference to the content of a certain biblical passage in which some verbal or motif correspondence is present, but reflecting intent to give only the gist of the text rather than to cite.” Ī citation fulfills its function when the reader can identify it as a citation. The following definition of an adaptation by Carroll D. Particularly small changes regarding the original biblical text can be identified. Koch, a citation is a “the conscious adoption of external written (or rarely oral) wording, which is reproduced by an author in his own writing and is recognizable as such.” įor our purposes in the ECM, varying citations are generally treated like citations wherever their wording is adjusted to the context of the Church Father's text. Allusions (paraphrases are to be treated like allusions)Īccording to D.A.In our database of citations of Acts there are three main categories under “citations”: Most of the “citations” listed in the Biblia Patristica, for example, do not conform to the actual wording of the biblical text and thus have no text-critical value at all. Therefore, it is crucial to determine whether the Father has quoted the biblical text literally or imprecisely, if he just alludes to it or only paraphrases it.Ĭontrary to an exegete, not every patristic reference is reliable or usable for a textual critic. When examining citations of a Church Father, it is important to observe his specific approach to citation because some of the variants found in patristic literature trace back to the way the author treated his source text. If the text of a certain author is recoverable, conclusions can be drawn regarding the biblical text circulating in his day. An advantage of citations for textual criticism is that we can more or less ascertain the date and location of Church Fathers.

Their witness is highly significant for textual criticism and for the reconstruction of the initial form of the New Testament text. Patristic citations are witnesses to the text of the manuscripts that the Church Fathers used. Aland, The Text of the New Testament, 168. It shows us how the text appeared at particular times and in particular places: this is information we can find nowhere else. Nestle/Aland, Novum Testamentum Graece28, 78*.Įstablishing the New Testament text of the Church Fathers has a strategic importance for textual history and criticism. From the beginning of critical work on the text of the Greek New Testament citations by early Christian writers have played a prominent role in research on textual history.

Textual criticism definition