Oxygen and Processing Greek Manuscript Data

While collecting data from Codex Alexandrinus, I was discouraged by the lack of Unicode support in Windows applications. In case there are others out there wishing to do the same thing, here are a few tips based on my own experience.

First, you need a good editor. Since I was transcribing the New Testament into XML files, I needed an XML editor that would work well with Unicode Greek. I ended up selecting the Oxygen IDE, which I found very solid; it has everything a manuscript editor would want in an XML editor, it is affordable, and it is easy to use.

Second, I processed those XML files primarily using the Perl programming language. For those without any programming background, I wouldn't recommend Perl (Perl code can look a bit cryptic); otherwise, Perl worked happily with Unicode data.

Third, you may want to consider working in a Linux environment. If you have a PC, that is not a problem. Oracle's VM VirtualBox can sit on top of your Windows operating system and allow you to work in Linux (which I found to be perfectly happy with Unicode files) without having to install a whole new OS. Being able to use shell tools (like grep, for example) makes manipulating and searching Unicode data very simple. There are plenty of on-line helps available for using those tools and VirtualBox is free.

Altogether, these elements combine to provide a powerful work environment for manuscript data processing.

Greek Uncial Fonts

This July I will be presenting a paper on "Unit Delimitation in the Gospels of Codex Alexandrinus" at the SBL International Meeting. Planning the slide presentation has prompted me to think all the more seriously about designing a quality Greek Uncial font that reflects a 4th/5th century bookhand. An older font called SPDoric is available as an SBL download, but: (1) it is not Unicode; (2) it is not attractive; (3) it is not complete (for my dissertation I will need a qoppa and stigma); (4) several of the characters (e.g., Π) are not representative of my text anyway; and (5) the supralinear bar for nomina sacra often does not meet if drawn over more than one character.

I have not designed a font before, and frankly the idea seems like a potential time sink, but someone will eventually need to design a quality, unicode, Greek Uncial font...