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Revision as of 19:07, 20 November 2008

A Bible citation is usually referenced with the book name, chapter number and verse number. Sometimes, the name of the Bible translation is also included, usually in abbreviated form (both for the reader's convenience and sometimes as a copyright requirement by the translators). There are several accepted formats for doing so.

Accepted formats

The most common format on Misplaced Pages is Book chapter:verses, as in:

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1, KJV).

Or, stated more formally,

Book chapter for a chapter;
Book chapter1-chapter2 for a range of chapters;
book chapter:verse for a single verse;
book chapter:verse1-verse2 for a range of verses;
book chapter:verse1,verse2 for multiple disjoint verses.

This format is the one accepted by the APA Publication Manual and the Chicago Manual of Style and is also the one used in most English-language writings on Judeo-Christian religion, and is also the format used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to cite the Book of Mormon. The MLA style is similar, but replaces the colon with a period.

Some Catholic sources, including the notes in most editions of the New American Bible, use the formats:

book chapter,verse
book chapter,verse1-verse2
book chapter,verse1.verse2


Roman numerals

Some citations use Roman numerals for chapter numbers. This practice may be more common in older books, in keeping with what is said in Roman numerals#Modern_usage:

Books (particularly older ones) are dated in Roman numerals, and display preliminary pages in Roman numbers. Volume numbers on spines and chapter numbers can also be in Roman numerals.

Also said in the article on Roman numerals:

The Roman number system is generally regarded as obsolete in modern usage, but is still seen occasionally. Classical numbering is often used to suggest importance or timelessness

Some authors may wish to stress the timelessness of Scripture by using Roman numerals for chapter numbers. This practice is contrary to the Chicago Manual of Style:

Except for the preliminary pages of a book, which are set in lower cased roman numerals, arabic numerals should be used when referring to volume, page #, chapter, or other parts of a book or periodical (even when roman numerals were used in the original publication). (17.129)

See also

Notes

  1. http://msupress.msu.edu/journals/rcr/RCR%20Style%20Sheet%2015.pdf

External links

Category: