(revised November 2005)
In general, use Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. (2003) (referred to below as CMS)
For spelling, use 11th ed. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2005)
NB: references below such as 7.69 refer to entry numbers in the CMS, 15th ed.; references such as 55/98 point to an example found in Theological Studies, vol. 55, p. 98.
Abba
Acts of the Apostles, the [no italics] 8.113
AD 68, (but 68 BC or 621 BCE) 9.38, 15.41
ad hoc
ad hominem
Adoptionism, Adoptionists 8.105
Advent (the coming of Christ)
Advocate (the Holy Spirit)
a fortiori
aeon [AVOID, use eon instead]
aesthetic [AVOID, use esthetic instead]
African-American (noun & adj.)
agape
Age of Reason, Age of Enlightenment, etc.
Annunciation, the
Antichrist anti-Semitism, anti-Semitic
apocryphal (of doubtful authority)
Apocrypha (deuterocanonical)
apologetic
Apologists (Justin Martyr, etc.)
apostasy
a posteriori
a priori
Apostle to the Gentiles 8.100
Apostles, the [when referring to the Twelve]
Apostles' Creed
Apostolic Fathers
Apostolic See (=Rome)
apostolic age, community, letter, succession, synod, etc.
appendixes
archeology, archeological [AVOID archaeology]
Aristotelian
ark of the covenant
article, in this [AVOID expression “ in this essay”]
Ascension, the
Assumption, the
Atonement, the [but atonement as doctrine] 8.116
baptism, the sacrament of
the baptism of Jesus
68 BC, 68 BCE (but AD 68), 9.38, 15.41
Baptist, the 8.100; the Precursor
the Beatitudes 8.115
Beloved Apostle 8.100
the Benedictus
bi as prefix (no hyphen, 7.90, p. 307)
Bible, the
biblical
Biblical Commission
bio as prefix (no hyphen, 7.90, p. 307)
bishop, Bishop Jones [see also the pope]
Black(s) (noun and adj., when referring to African American[s])
Body of Christ 8.118
bread of life
bread-of-life discourse
Bultmannian
ca. [ca. 1850, not c.]
canon (the Jewish canon)
canon, a canon from the Code, in canon 526 [see below Code...]
Captivity Epistles; see also Pastoral Epistles
catalogue
cataphatic [AVOID, use kataphatic]
Catholic Church
catholicism, early
centuries 9.36-37 [see also dates, 9.33-9.40]
as adjectives use this form: the late third-century schools, the fifth-century controversy, first- century idea, but the 20th-century book; also, the 1890s, the 1990s, etc.
CHAPTERS
In chapter 1 of his book... 8.190
in notes, may abbreviate as chap. or chaps.; e.g., ...Fortress, 1970) chap. 3. 17.132
charism (not charisma)
cherubim
chosen people
City of God
Christ event
Christian (but unchristian)
Christocentric
Christomonism
Christology, Christologies, christological
church, local church, church and state, church and throne
the universal church, the third church 8.106
but the Roman Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, etc.
church when used as adjective, e.g., church politics, church-state relations,
church fathers, early church fathers 8.106
City of David
Code of Canon Law [the 1983 Code vs. the 1917 Code]
(=Codex Iuris Canonici) = CIC
canon 915, or c. 1012 of the 1917 Code; cc. 1110-1111. Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches [promulgated in 1990]
(= Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium) = CCEO
coequal (no hyphen, 7.90, p. 307)
commandments, the Ten Commandments
common era = CE 9.38, 15.41 Small capitals with or without periods acceptable
Communion (sacramental Eucharist) 8.118
communion of saints
COMPOUND WORDS see 7.90
confirmation (sacrament)
cooperation
coordinate
councils, the council
but, Second Vatican Council
counter (no hyphen, see 7.90, p. 307)
Counter-Reformation, the 8.79
the covenant, new covenant, covenant theology
co-worker 7.90, p. 307
Creation, the 8.116
Creator, the
creedal, intercreedal [AVOID credal] cross
cross, the but, the Cross when = Redemption [this usage is rare]
Crucifixion, the
Curia, the Roman/Vatican Curia
Dark Ages, the 8.79
data (plural)
Day of Atonement
Lord's Day, the (Sunday)
Day of Judgment
de-emphasize, BUT decontrol
Dead Sea Scrolls, the scrolls, the Qumran scrolls
Decalogue
de facto
defense (n.) = American usage [AVOID defence (n.) = British]
Deism
de iure
Demiurge
demotic
demythologize, demythologization
Deutero-Isaiah
Deuteronomic
Deuteropauline
devil
diakonia
Diaspora, the (in Biblical sense only) 8.116
Diatessaron
Didache
Dionysius (Dionysian)
Dionysus (Dionysiac), the Greek god
Divine liturgy
divine presence
divinity (but the Divinity, as a name for God)
docetic, docetism, docetist
Doctor of the Church (but, fathers of the church)
Donatism
early Christian
early catholicism
early Church
East, Eastern (cultural), east, eastern (directional)
East-West dialogue Easter Day
ecumenical
ecumenist
ed. = editor(s), singular and plural [AVOID eds.]
e.g., [comma always follows] 5.202, p. 218
elect, the elect
encyclical (individual titles: Divino afflante Spiritu)
second, third words are lower case unless referring to God, as in Dei Verbum. Enlightenment, the
enquiry [AVOID, use inquiry]
eon
epiclesis
Epiphany, the
episcopal
Epistles of the New Testament
Pauline Epistles
Pastoral Epistles, etc.
Epistle to the Hebrews
Letter to Philemon
Epistles of Paul (see Gospels) eschatology, eschaton
essay, in this [AVOID, say “in this article” instead]
esthetic, AVOID aesthetic
et al. [no comma should precede it when following a single item; when last in a series, comma
precedes it; 6.23] [no italics]
Eucharist (sacrament), eucharistic
Evangelical Lutheran Church
evangelist, an (a preacher of the gospel)
Evangelist, the (one of the four)
the Evangelist Mark
the exile
the Exodus 8.116
ex cathedra
excursus, excursuses
extrabiblical (no hyphen, see 7.90, p. 307)
but extra-Christian
eyewitness
fall (season) 8.94
Fall, the 8.116
fascicle
the Father (= God)
fathers of the church, church fathers, the council fathers 8.106
Alexandrian Fathers
Feast of Tabernacles
feast of the unleavened bread
Festschrift (no italics, but upper case)
ff. (as in 134 ff.) [AVOID; if used, give one space after the number]
final judgment
first-century (used as preceding adj.) [BUT: In the first century, the church ...]
first edition
firstfruits
First Person (of the Trinity)
Flood, the (unless context makes cap unnecessary)
florilegium, florilegia
focused, focuses, focusing
form criticism, form critic, form-critical [when preceding the noun]
formulas (plural)
Fourth Gospel, the
Fundamentalism 8.105
Galilean
Gentile (biblical sense)
Gethsemane
gnostic (adj.), gnostic(s) (noun)
gnosticism
gnosticizing
gnosis
God as creator
God-man
God's people
gospel (the teaching of Jesus and apostles)
Gospel (Mt, Mk, Lk, Jn)
Gospel harmony
grace
Greco-Roman
Hades
haggadah, haggadic
Hagiographa
halakah, halakic, halkot
hand (of God)
hapax legomenon/legomena
health care (n.), health-care institutions (adj.)
heaven
Hebraic
hell
Hellenic, Hellenize, Hellenization
Hellenist
Hellenistic-Jewish (adj.)
high priest
High Priest (= Christ)
high holy days
higher criticism
history, historian
a history, a historian , NOT “ an”
historical-critical (adj.)
history-of-religions (adj.)
Holocaust, the (the Shoah)
Holy Bible
Holy Land
holy of holies
holy orders
Holy Sacrifice (Mass) 8.118
Holy See, the 8.108
Holy Spirit
Holy Scripture
holy souls
Holy Week 8.95
Holy Writ
house church
Humanists (e.g., Erasmus, 16th cent.)
HYPHEN, use of, see 7.82-7.90
hypostatic union
Ibid. for usage see 16.47, 48. However, TS does not use a following comma, e.g.,: See ibid. 3.
inasmuch
incarnate Word Incarnation, the
indexes
infancy narratives
Infancy Gospel of Thomas
inquiry
insofar
institution of the Eucharist intertestamental
Irenaeus's view
Irenaeus of Lyons
Israelite Isaiah Scroll
iure, de
Jesus's name 7.21-22
Jesus event
Jewish Christianity, a Jewish Christian, Jewish-Christian (adj.)
Johannine
1 John, 1 John 5, 1 John 5:3
Josephus's
Jr./Sr. [no comma required, but if used, it must appear both before and after] 6.49
III, as in John A. Doe III [no commas]
Judah
Judaic
Judaism, Judaize, Judaizer, Judaizing
Judeo-Christian
Judea, Judean, Judean Desert
Judgment Day
kataphatic [AVOID cataphatic]
kenosis, kenotic
kingdom of God/Christ
Koran [AVOID, use Qur ’ an instead]
Lamb of God
last day
last judgment
Last Supper
late Judaism, late Jewish
Latinize
the Law (the Torah, Mosaic Law), Law of Christ
Lent 8.95
Letter to the Corinthians [see Epistle] 8.113
lifestyle
l ocus, loci
logion, logia
Logos (= Christ)
the Lord's Prayer
the Lord's Supper 8.118
lordship
love feast
Luke 4:13
Lukan [prefer this to Lucan]
Magi, the
magisterium
Magnificat
Manichean, Manicheism
manna
Markan, prefer this to Marcan
Marian
Mariology, mariological
Mass 8.118
Matthean
medieval ( except the place Pontifical Mediaeval Institute)
Melchizedek
Messiah (= Christ), otherwise a messiah
messiahship, messianic, messianism
messianic secret
mid-20th-century philosophy
Middle Ages
Middle Platonism
midrash, midrashic
midrashim
milieu
millenarianism, millenary
millennium, millennia
minuscule
Mishnah
Modernism, Modernists, the Modernist controversy
modernity
moral law
Mosaic Law, the Law of Moses
Mother of God
ms. and mss.
Muhammad [AVOID other spellings]
multi (no hyphen, see 7.90, p. 307)
Muslims [AVOID Moslems]
mystery religions
mythos
n. [e.g., as cited above in n. 32]
naïve, naïveté
nativity of Christ (cap if referring to Dec 25) natural-law concepts
Near Eastern
neoorthodoxy of Barth
Neoplatonic
neo-Scholasticism, neo-Scholastics, neo-Scholastic
the New Covenant
new hermeneutic
Nicaea, Council of 8.110
Nicene Creed
no. 12 [as in Lumen gentium no. 12] [AVOID n. for this; n. = note (see above)] Noah
non (no hyphen, 7.90, p. 307)
but non-Christians
NOUNS, collective see 5.8
NUMBERS [refs. to pagination, 9.64]
If first number is:
1-99, for the 2nd no., use all digits 3-10, 71-72, 96-117
100 or multiples, for 2nd no., use all digits 100-104, 600-613, 1100-1113
101 through 109 or multiples, for the 2nd no., use only the changed part
101-8, 505-17, 1103-4
110 thru 199 or multiples, for the 2nd no., use two or more digits as needed
321-25, 415-532, 1087-89
numbers (including cardinals) in a sentence are spelled out from 1 through 12 inclusive
numbers greater than 12, use digits 18, 18th, 35, 35th - see 8.3, 8.4, and esp. 8.69
Nunc Dimittis 8.115
only-begotten Son
open-minded
ORDINALS (125th, eighth) 9.8 (but see above under NUMBERS for TS’s departure from CMS
Orient, Oriental
original sin
our Lady 8.99
our Lord
the Our Father
outdated
over (no hyphen, see 7.90, p. 307)
overall, overemphasis, overgenerous, oversimplification
paleo-Christian
paleography, paleographic
papacy, papal
parable of the Good Samaritan (an exception to CMS 8.115)
parable of the Unjust Steward (an exception to CMS 8.115)
Paraclete, the Paraclete
paradise
parenesis
parousia, parousiac return
par., parr. = parallel(s) [to indicate a parallel Gospel verse]
par excellence
Pasch, Christ ’ s Pasch, but paschal
Paschal Lamb
Passion, the 8.116
Passion Week
passion narratives
Passover
the Pastoral Letters, Epistles
patriarch of Constantinople, the
patriarchal, patriarchs
patristic
Pauline, Pauline corpus
pax Romana [NO ITALIC]
penance (sacrament)
Pentateuch, Pentateuchal
Pentecost, pentecostal
Pentecostal (upper case re: modern movement only)
people of God
Person (of the Trinity)
the person of Christ
Petrine, Petrine confession, Petrine ministry
pharaohs
Pietism
Pharisaic, Pharisees
pleroma
the pope, but Pope John XXIII
post (no hyphen, 7.90, p. 307)
postapostolic, postexilic, postmodern, postconciliar
but post-Bultmannian, post-Mosaic, post-Pauline
pre (no hyphen, see 7.90, p. 307)
prediluvian, preeminent, preexilic, preexistence, etc.
précis
Precursor, the; see the Baptist 8.100
presence of God
priesthood of Christ
prima facie
Prologue of John
prophecy (noun), prophesy (verb) prophets
the Prophets (part of OT; the Law, the Prophets, the Writings) Protestant (adj. and n.)
psalm, a
Psalms (OT book), the Psalmist
Psalter
Pseudepigrapha
pseudo (no hyphen, 7.90, p. 307)
pseudograph
Pseudo-Dionysius, or Pseudo-Denis purgatory
Q, the source Q, the Q-hypothesis
quid pro quo
Qumran
Qur ’ an [AVOID Koran]
rabbi, rabbinic
rapprochement
re (no hyphen, 7.90, p. 307)
real presence
redaction criticism, redaction-critical (adj.)
the Redeemer
the Redemption, but redemption when used generically
the Reformation
Reformed tradition
reign of God
the remnant
Renaissance, the; renaissance (adj.),
the Resurrection, but Jesus’s resurrection or when used generically
resurrection of the dead
revelation
the Revised Standard Version 8.112
role
Roman empire
Romantic theology
Sabbath
sabbatical (year, etc.)
sacrament(s)
Sacred Scripture
Sadducees, Sadducean
saints, Saint John
salvation history
Sanhedrin
sapiential books (Proverbs, etc.)
Satan, satanic
Savior (Christ)
sayings source
sceptical [AVOID, use skeptical instead] Scholastic philosophy
see also: neo-Scholastic, neo-Scholasticism Schoolman, Scholasticism, the Scholastics
scribe, the scribes
scriptural, nonscriptural, Scripture(s)
scrolls (in general)
Sea of Galilee
Second Adam, Second Moses, etc. Second Coming
Second Temple
Second Vatican Council (or Vatican II), 8.110
self-consciousness, self-communication
Semitic
Septuagint
seraphim
Sermon on the Mount, Sermon on the Plain, etc. 8.115
Servant literature, Servant Songs, Suffering Servant
Sheol
Shiism, Shia, Shiite
signs source
sin offering
Sitz im Leben
skeptical, skeptic, skepticism [AVOID sceptical]
skillful (preferred spelling)
socioeconomic
sola scriptura
Son of David
Son of Man
Son of Man sayings
Son of God (Jesus)
sons of light, sons of darkness
Sophia
soteriology
speech event
the Spirit 8.99
spring 8.94
starting point
Stoic philosophy
subapostolic (no hyphen, 7.90, p. 307)
Suffering Servant
Synoptic Gospels, the Synoptics, Synoptic Problem (according to SBL and Liturgical)
Talmud, talmudic 7.88, 7.89
Temple, the (see Second Temple)
temptation of Christ
the Ten Commandments
thank offering
that (see, which)
theophany
theologoumenon, -na
Thessalonica (ancient city), Saloniki (modern city)
Third World nations AVOID this expression, not p.c.
Thomas Aquinas, use Aquinas in preference to Thomas
Thomistic
toward [AVOID towards]
tradition, Scripture and tradition
trans. [followed in endnotes by full name: trans. John Jones] [AVOID: tr.]
trans (no hyphen, 7.90, p. 307)
Transfiguration, the
Tridentine
Trinity, trinitarian
the triune God
the Tübingen school
turning point
the Twelve,
but the twelve apostles, the apostles 8.100
Ultramontanes; Ultramontanism
un (no hyphen: unchurched, unfunded)
but: un-Christlike
under (no hyphen, 7.90, p. 307)
universal church, the 8.106
Upper Galilee
U.S., in the; U.S. theology; when United States is used as a noun in running text, it should be
spelled out. 15.34
verse, v., vv.
Vatican II, or Second Vatican Council
verse-by-verse (adj.)
verse by verse (adv.)
vice versa
the virgin birth
vis-à-vis
the Visitation
viz.
Vulgate
well-attested, etc., except in predicate position
Western (cultural); western (directional); Western text
WHICH, THAT 5.202, 6. 31, 36, 38
which: non-restrictive
E.g., The Hudson River, which is blue, is polluted.
that: restrictive
E.g., The Hudson River that Irving described is gloomy.
NB: many “ which s” in manuscripts need to be adjusted to “ that”
White(s) (noun and adj., in the context of reference to Black[s])
Wisdom Literature, wisdom literature (in general), Book of Wisdom,
Book of Job, etc.
Wisdom (only if personified)
Word of God (Logos)
Word of God (Scripture)
worldview
worshiper, worshiping (not two pp’s)
Yahweh
Zion
American vs. British usage, see Webster’s
use American forms
|
American |
British |
USE: |
|
-ward |
-wards |
toward, onward, etc. |
|
-ction |
-xion |
connection |
|
-dg |
-dge |
judgment |
|
e- |
oe- |
ecumenical |
|
-er |
-re |
theater |
|
-ize |
-ise |
organize |
|
-l |
-ll |
leveling |
|
-or |
-our |
humor |
|
s- |
c- |
defense |
but note correct spellings: comprise, surmise, surprise
Mary Smith, “ Freeing Women from the Church,” in Let My People Go, ed. John Daly (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992) 34–76, at 39.
John Jones, Philoxenia: Festschrift für Bernhard Kotting, gewidmet von seinen griechischen Schülern (Münster: Aschendorff, 1980).
L'Orthodoxie hier et demain , ed. Ion Bria et al. (Paris: Buchet-Chastel, 1979).
[no comma before et al.; no italics]
Russian Orthodoxy under the Old Regime , ed. Robert L. Nichols and Theofanis George Stavrou (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1978). [NB: NOT eds.]
John Jones, The World, trans. John Smith (Toronto: Random House, 1994) 94.
Karl Rahner, “ God Is Love,” in Theological Investigations 5, trans. Karl Kruger (Baltimore: Helicon, 1966) 193–214; translation slightly modified.
Mary Smith, Hello Jesus!, 2nd ed. (Chicago: Fowler, 1990).
Tractatus 2, 2nd rev. ed (Malines: Jones, 1930).
Paul Evdokimov, La femme et le salut du monde: Étude d'anthropologie chrétienne sur les charismes de la femme , rev. ed. (Paris: Desclée de Brouwer, 1980)
<OR> (Paris: Desclée de Brouwer, 1980; orig. ed. 1900) 145. ALSO: (Buffalo: Prometheus, 1985; German orig. 1901).
Michel Sesan, "De l'Orthodoxie," Theologia 50 (1979) 122–31.
Giorgio Fedalto, La chiesa latina in Oriente 1, 2nd ed. (Verona: Mazziana, 1981).
Nikodim [Rotov], Johannes XXIII: Ein unbequemer Optimist, ed. Robert Hotz, S.J. (Zurich: Benziger, 1978).
Derrida, "Des Tours de Babel" 98.
"Lehre vom Geist" 110.
See God and Creatures 399–417.
See n. 9 above.
See James Jones, Body Theology (n. 10 above).
Lumen gentium no. 5; Lumen gentium nos. 24-28.
Ibid. 148.
See ibid. 227 n. 2. [no comma before n.]
For proof, see Schubert Ogden, The Point of Life (London: SCM, 1982). [NB: no comma after "see"; AVOID cf.]
John Jones, A History of India, 2 vols. (Philadelphia: House, 1994) 2:334.
The Letters of God , 3 vols., ed. J.C. Smith (Oxford: Easy, 1994).
Handbuch der Theologie , 2 vols., ed. Thomas Jones (Düsseldorf: Patmos, 1992) 1.261-83.
I Believe in the Holy Spirit , 3 vols., trans. Mary Smith (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis; and Leuven: Peeters, 1992).
John Jones, "The Challenge of Theology," in Jews and Christians, ed. Mary Smith, Louvain Theological and Pastoral Monographs 21 (Leuven: Peeters, 1997) 95–132.
L ’ Osservatore Romano [English ed.], June 1997, 27, 1.
New York Times , February 17, 1994, sec. 3. (or 3; or sec. 1A, 3)
On citing newspapers, see 17.188; page nos. are best omitted unless the newspaper has only one edition per day, or the edition is specified.
Scott Jones, "Childhood's End," New Yorker, 18 February 1990, 54–55.
The film Rosemary's Baby treats this theme.
Hans-Georg Beck, Geschichte der orthodoxen Kirche im byzantinischen Reich. Die Kirche in ihrer Geschichte 1/DI (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, 1980) 67–69.
Anastasios Kallis, Orthodoxie: Was ist das? Orthodoxe Perspektiven 1 (Mainz: Matthias-Grünewald, 1979).
Biblical Commission, “Interpretation of Dogmas in the Catholic Doctrine,” Origins 20 (May 17, 1990) 1–14, at 4; hereafter cited as "Interpretation of Dogmas."
Westminster, Md., Gloucester, Mass. [other states: N.Y., N.J., Mass., Pa., Mo. etc.] 15.29
For abbreviations of U.S. states, do not use Postal Service abbreviations; use those given in Webster’s or 15.29.
Series MG 15.144 ff.; SC etc. [No italics for series, except The Ante-Nicene Fathers].
See Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, ser. 1, vol. 3, 234.
Migne,
PG 44.137d-140c
PL 23.931a
GCS 6.156.18-26
Sources chrétiennes (hereafter SC)
Hymns on the Church 36.6 (CSCO 199.88).
Demonstrations 6.17 (SC 349. 405).
Summa theologiae (hereafter cited as ST) 1, q. 104, a. 1.
ST 3, q. 110, a. 2
ST 1, qq. 111–23
ST 2-2, q. 185, a. 1 c
Summa contra gentiles (hereafter cited as SCG) 3.66, or 3.63–77 .
In II. Sent. d. 2, q. 1, a. 3, ad 1.
De potentia q. 4, a. 1c.
Augustine, De Trinitate
Later references: Trin. 13.14.23; 13.19.24.
De doctrina christiana 2.41.62. Confessions 1.26.
Stromateis VII 2.12.5 (Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten drei Jahhunderten [henceforth GCS] 17.10.4).
Later references: Strom. IV 24.154.5 (GCS 15.316.30 ff.).
Athanase Renoux, Le Codex Arménien, Patrologia orientalis 7 (Brussels: Desclée, 1945).
John of Damascene, De fide 3, chaps. 3–9 (PG 94.987b–1017b).
Studia patristica 17, ed. Elizabeth A. Livingstone, 3 vols. (Oxford: Pergamon, 1982) 1.147–59, at 152.
(1), (2), and (3) or (a), (b), and (c).
ACRONYMS for organizations, e.g., UNESCO, WCC, etc. 15.7