In formal academic prose, singular authors often refer to themselves in the plural. In this chapter, we shall argue … As we suggested above … We can conclude … CMS does not have a clear rule about authorial voice; however, the editors note in a brief Q&A: “We” used to be more common in scholarly … Continue reading Authorial Voice: I or We?
Migne’s Patrologia Latina: Update
In a previous post, we discussed incongruencies surrounding the original printing of Jacques-Paul Migne’s Patrologia Latina (1844–1855) and the reprints by Garnier (1865). Upon further research, we discovered that there are also variations between Migne’s original editions and his own later reprintings prior to transferring the rights to Garnier. We would therefore amend our guidelines … Continue reading Migne’s Patrologia Latina: Update
Beginning a Sentence with And or But
Like CMS §5.206, SBL Press acknowledges that it is acceptable to begin a sentence with a conjunction such as and or but. That being said, we recommend that authors use such constructions sparingly. While initial conjunctions can be effective, beginning too many sentences with simple conjunctions can lead to a disjointed composition and weaken the … Continue reading Beginning a Sentence with And or But
Migne’s Patrologia Latina
An alert blog reader recently noticed that a citation of PL found in one online resource did not match the references given in two leading commentaries on Romans (see further here). When the reader asked for our advice on how best to cite PL in these instances, it was time for us to learn more … Continue reading Migne’s Patrologia Latina
Jacoby and FGrHist
Felix Jacoby’s Die Fragmente der griechischen Historiker is a multivolume collection of extracts and quotations of Greek historians whose complete works are known but not extant. Building on the work of Karl Wilhelm Ludwig Müller’s Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum (1841–1870, abbreviated FHG), Jacoby published the first volume in 1923 and continued with additional volumes until his … Continue reading Jacoby and FGrHist
Sifre Numbers: Update
An earlier post on Sifre Numbers (here) stated that no complete English translation of the work exists. In fact, Jacob Neusner did publish a translation of all 161 pisqa’ot of Sifre Numbers in the four-part volume 12 of his The Components of the Rabbinic Documents: From the Whole to the Parts (Neusner 1998). Part 1 … Continue reading Sifre Numbers: Update
Not in a Note
Just because you can (place something in a note) doesn’t mean you should. Elements that should not appear within a footnote (even when one’s word-processing software allows it) include but are not limited to the following. Block quotations. Contra CMS §14.33, SBL Press prefers not to set a long quotation within a note as a … Continue reading Not in a Note
Repeating Information: Text versus Footnote
Traditional bibliographic style uses footnotes to cite sources. At times a writer may also wish to mention the author and/or the title of the source in the main text. In such cases, some writers choose to abbreviate the footnote, excluding information that has already been mentioned in the main text. For example: De Wette’s devastating … Continue reading Repeating Information: Text versus Footnote
Cf., See, and See Also
It is common for authors to refer readers to additional resources in footnotes. Following CMS §14.37, we encourage authors doing so to distinguish between the terms see or see also and the abbreviation cf. (Latin confer). To refer authors to similar resources, use see or see also. 2. For a more recent study of trauma … Continue reading Cf., See, and See Also
Idem
As CMS §14.30 notes, the word idem (“the same”) has sometimes been used to replace an author’s name when it occurs multiple times in a footnote. 8. Stephen D. Moore, The Bible in Theory: Critical and Postcritical Essays, RBS 57 (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2010); idem, Untold Tales from the Book of Revelation: Sex … Continue reading Idem
SBL Handbook of Style 