[B-Greek] strange looking pi?

Carlton Winbery winberycl at earthlink.net
Tue Sep 26 00:15:57 EDT 2006


>While looking at an old printed edition of the LXX, some friends and I
>came across a strange character that represents the letter pi.
>
>The character basically looks like a lowercase omega with a line across
>the top.
>
>See the jpeg here: http://www.oldinthenew.org/images/pi.jpg (image of
>Cardo font glyph U+03D6).
>
>As far as I can tell, there's no rhyme or reason why this character is
>used rather than the regular pi.
>
>For instance, both the traditional pi, and this other pi are both used
>in this scan (http://www.oldinthenew.org/images/pitxt.jpg). Compare v.
>19 with the regular pi to vv. 26/27, 11 & 12 with the strange pi. The
>strange pi is only used when it begins a word, but the regular pi is
>used to begin a word as well. In 26/27, both characters are used in the
>same word - PROSWPA.
>
>Note also the strangely formed beta in the first line in FOBHQENTHS and
>the second gamma in ANAGGEILWSI.
>
>Curious,
>
>Jim

The PI that looks like a lower case omega hanging from a straight 
line is quite common in the minuscule mss (tenth through the 16th 
centuries). When Greek was set up for the printing presses some of 
the older shapes were used. It is not unusual to find mss that will 
use different fonts for the same letter in the same line of text. 
This is especially true of the sigma, sometimes the uncial sigma, 
like a C and then the minuscule sigma that looks more like the one we 
are used to in the interior of the word.

-- 
Carlton L. Winbery
Retired Professor of Religion
Louisiana College
318-448-6103
winberycl at earthlink.net



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