Understanding BHS

Top Highlights

“The current state of affairs⁵ can be improved by adding to the twin pillars of text-criticism,⁶ ‘textual transmission’⁷ and ‘variant evaluation’ (i.e. text-criticism in the narrow sense),⁸ a third pillar. We have called this pillar ‘Editionskunde’—‘edition information’—and we distinguish three aspects of Editionskunde: 1) the special, dealing with the concrete problems of a certain edition; ii) the comparative, examining the designs of other editions; and iii) the general, treating the general principles of critical editions.” (Pages 1–2)

“Although these countings do not directly effect text-critical decisions, they do give us an idea of the care with which the texts were transmitted and consequently can warn against too quickly and frivolously assuming scribal errors.” (Page 68)

“Words treated in the Masoretic apparatus are indicated in the text by a small circle called ‘circellus’ (°)” (Page 62)

“Vrs — versiones omnes vel plurimae {Gn 7:2; Ez 37:22; Jer 5:24; Jer 23:26} all or most of the versions” (Page 37)

“A single text is selected as the base text¹⁷ and is printed without alteration.¹⁸ Other texts are then used to indicate divergencies from the base text. The connection between the base text and the variants is produced by the reference system.” (Page 7)