Reflections on the BDAG

Steven Craig Miller scmiller at plantnet.com
Wed Dec 6 07:58:34 EST 2000


I think they did an excellent job on the type setting of this book. BDAG 
appears to me to be much easier to read than previous editions, I will be 
interested to see if others on this list concur.

BDAG has added a "composite list of abbreviations," so one doesn't have to 
go searching through a number of different lists to find out what a 
particular abbreviation means.

BDAG often attempts to give some sense of the range of meanings for a word 
(entry) for its use in classical Greek texts (which the previous editions 
didn't seem to do as often).

BDAG often ends an entry by giving an "etymological observation" which 
refers one to DELG or Frisk, (neither of which do I have). Although the 
information given is often adequate, occasionally I would have preferred 
something more on the lines of what can be found in the intermediate 
edition of Liddell & Scott.

BDAG has eliminated the use of indicating when all the passages in which 
the word occurs in our literature are given in this entry; and when all the 
passages in which the word occurs in the NT are given in an entry. 
(Remember BAGD's use of the asterisk and double asterisk?) Personally, I 
found knowing when all the passages of the NT were cited helpful.

These are all obviously superficial observations, but I will be interested 
to hear what others have to say on these issues, as well as on more 
substantial issues.

-Steven Craig Miller
Alton, Illinois (USA)
scmiller at plantnet.com





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