Chicago Format: Citing Biblical Sources in Chicago Style

Sample citations are provided for the most frequently used Biblical sources. For full details on Chicago style, see the Chicago Manual of Style

(CMS) at the Reference Desk (Z253 .U69 2003) or online at http://0-www.chicagomanualofstyle.org.clark.up.edu/home.html

Formatting Footnotes:

! In Microsoft Word 2007, go to the References tab, look for the Footnotes group, and choose Insert Footnote. Note: MS Word does not

indent footnotes correctly; you will need to fix this

! Footnotes should be the same font type and size as the rest of your paper. It is important to be consistent

! Footnotes should refer to the specific page you are citing/quoting. Your bibliography will cite the full page-range of the chapter/article

! Journal titles and book titles are italicized; article titles are encased in quotation marks “ “, series titles have no additional formatting

Choosing the best sources:

! Use current sources (for theology it is preferable to use sources published in the past 20-30 years). Follow your professor’s guidelines.

! Avoid using internet sources, except for articles in library databases (ATLA Religion Database).

Bible Dictionaries, Single-Volume Commentaries & Multi-Volume Commentaries (see CMS sections 17.68 - 17.75, 17.238)

Tips for citing Bible dictionaries, single-volume commentaries & multi-volume commentaries:

! Cite the author of the section (e.g. the chapter on Luke); the author’s name is usually given at the beginning or end of the essay.

! If your source lists a chief or head editor, you only need to cite that person. If there is no clear chief, cite all the editors.

! Always cite the city of publication; only include the state/country if the city is not well known or may be confused with another place.

Bibliography example: Footnote example:

Example (1st Author) Last name, First name and (2nd Author)

First name Last name. “Title of Chapter.” In

Title of book, edited by Editor’s name, Page

numbers. City, State: Publisher, Year.

1. (1st Author) First name last name and

(2nd Author) First name Last name, “Title of Chapter,”

in Title of book, ed. Editor’s name. (City, State:

Publisher, Year), Volume number: Page number.

Bible dictionary

(organized

alphabetically)

Sarna, Nahum M. “Exodus, Book of.” In Anchor Bible

Dictionary, edited by Daniel Noel Freedman.

Vol. 2, 689-700. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

1. Anchor Bible Dictionary, s.v. “Exodus,

Book of.”

Single-volume

commentary

Perkins, Pheme. “The Gospel According to John.” In The

New Jerome Biblical Commentary, edited by

Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and

Roland E. Murphy, 942-85. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:

Prentice-Hall, 1990.

1. Pheme Perkins, “The Gospel According to John,”

in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, eds. Raymond E.

Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy

(Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1990), 945.

Multi-volume

commentary

Boring, M. Eugene. “The Gospel of Matthew.” In The New

Interpreter’s Bible, edited by Leander E. Keck, Vol.

8, 89-505. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994.

1. M. Eugene Boring, “The Gospel of Matthew,” in

The New Interpreter’s Bible, ed. Leander E. Keck

(Nashville: Abindgon Press, 1994), 8:94.

Book-length commentaries of a single book of the Bible (see CMS sections 17.90-17.95; 17.274)

Tips for citing Book-length commentaries:

! Include the series title in your citation (e.g. The Anchor Bible); include the series number if it is given.

! The name of the series editor is usually omitted.

Tips for citing Ancient Christian Commentary:

! In your bibliography, you need to cite both Ancient Christian Commentary AND the original source.

! To find the information about the original source, look for a footnote number at the end of the excerpt you are citing. A footnote at the

bottom of the page will provide an acronym and page number (e.g. OCC 267-68). Look up this acronym in the Abbreviations section at the

front of the Ancient Christian Commentary volume, where you will find the full citation information.

Bibliography example: Footnote example:

Book-length

commentary of 1

book of the Bible

Bright, John. Jeremiah. The Anchor Bible. Garden City,

NY: Doubleday, 1965.

1. John Bright, Jeremiah, The Anchor Bible

(Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1965), 60.

Book-length

commentary –

with series

number (see

Tips)

Donahue, John R., and Daniel J. Harrington. The Gospel

of Mark. Sacra Pagina, no. 2. Collegeville, MN:

Liturgical Press, 2002.

1. John R. Donahue and Daniel J. Harrington, The

Gospel of Mark, Sacra Pagina, no. 2 (Collegeville, MN:

Liturgical Press, 2002), 195.

Patristic

Commentary

(see Tips)

Shortened

version

Origen. Contra Celsum. Translated with an Introduction

and Notes by Henry Chadwick. Cambridge

University Press, 1953. Quoted in Joseph T.

Lienhard, ed., Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,

Deuteronomy. Ancient Christian Commentary

(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 102.

Origen. Commentary on Exodus 20:5. In Exodus,

Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, edited by

Daniel Noel Freedman, 102. Ancient Christian

Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity

Press, 2001.

1. Origen, Contra Celsum. Translated with an

Introduction and Notes by Henry Chadwick. Cambridge

University Press, 1953, 267-68, quoted in Joseph T.

Lienhard, ed., Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy,

Ancient Christian Commentary (Downers Grove, IL:

InterVarsity Press, 2001), 102.

2. Origen, Commentary on Exodus 20:5, in Exodus,

Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, ed. Daniel Noel

Freedman, Ancient Christian Commentary (Downers

Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 102.

“Overview”

section in

Ancient Christian

Commentary

Just, Arthur A., ed. "Overview, Luke 3:1-20." In Luke, 57-

58. Ancient Christian Commentary. Downers

Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001.

1. Arthur A. Just, ed., "Overview, Luke 3:1-20," in

Luke, Ancient Christian Commentary (Downers Grove, IL:

InterVarsity Press, 2001), 57.

Other Biblical Reference Sources (see CMS sections 17.26-17.30; 17.68 - 17.75; 17.239)

Tips for citing other Biblical reference sources:

! If your source is written by a single author, cite the entire book, rather than the specific chapter.

! Publication information about well-known dictionaries and encyclopedias may be omitted from the footnotes.

! For online sources, include access dates when citing books or sites that are frequently updated.

Bibliography example: Footnote example:

Biblical

History

source

Thompson, J.A. Handbook of Life in Bible Times. Downers

Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1986.

1. J.A. Thompson, Handbook of Life in Bible Times

(Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1986), 83.

Online Biblical

reference

source

Hayes, John H. “Moses.” In The Oxford Guide to People and

Places of the Bible, edited by Bruce M. Metzger and

Michael D. Coogan. Oxford: Oxford University Press,

2001. http://0-www.oxfordreference.com

.clark.up.edu: 80/views/ENTRY.html?subview=

Main&entry=t97.e214 (accessed April 3, 2007).

1. John H. Hayes, “Moses,” in The Oxford Guide

to People and Places of the Bible, eds. Bruce M. Metzger

and Michael D. Coogan (Oxford: Oxford University Press,

2001), http://0-www.oxfordreference.

com.clark.up.edu:80/views/ENTRY.html?subview=

Main&entry=t97.e214 (accessed April 3, 2007).

Citing a Book (see CMS sections 17.26 – 17.30; 17.41-42)

Tips for citing edited books:

! Edited books usually have chapters written by individual authors. Your citation needs to include the author and title of the chapter you are

quoting as well as the title and editor of the book

! If you are citing more than one chapter from the same edited book, you will need to add a separate citation to your bibliography for each

chapter

Bibliography example: Footnote example:

Book

Kling, David William. The Bible in History: How the Texts

Have Shaped the Times. New York: Oxford

University Press, 2004.

1. David William Kling, The Bible in History: How

the Texts Have Shaped the Times (New York: Oxford

University Press, 2004), 301.

Edited Book

(see Tips)

Brueggemann, Walter. “A Biblical View of Suffering.” In

What are They Saying about the Theology of

Suffering?, edited by Lucien Richard, 11-22. New

York: Paulist Press, 1992.

1. Walter Brueggemann, “A Biblical View of

Suffering,” in What are They Saying about the Theology of

Suffering?, ed. Lucien Richard (New York: Paulist Press,

1992), 20.

Citing the Bible (see CMS sections 17.234 – 17.239; 17.247-17.248)

Tips about citing the Bible:

! See page 7 of this handout “Style Sheet for Biblical Citations”

! For Biblical (THE205) papers, Biblical references should go in the text of the paper rather than the footnote or bibliography

! For online sources, include access dates when citing books or sites that are frequently updated.

Bibliography example: Footnote example:

Biblical passage

[Bible is not cited in bibliography] [see page 7 “Style Sheet for Biblical Citations”]

Footnote in the

Bible

Wansbrough, Henry, ed. The New Jerusalem Bible.

New York: Doubleday, 1990.

1. Henry Wansbrough, ed., Footnote 14a, Exodus

3:2, in The New Jerusalem Bible (New York: Doubleday,

1990), 99.

Introduction to a

chapter in the

Bible

Sumney, Jerry L. “The Book of Tobit.” In Saint Mary’s

Press College Study Bible, 587-88. Winona, MN:

Saint Mary’s Press, 2007.

1. Jerry L. Sumney, “The Book of Tobit,” in Saint

Mary’s Press College Study Bible (Winona, MN: Saint

Mary’s Press, 2007), 588.

Chronological

Table in a Bible

Map in a Bible

Wansbrough, Henry, ed. “Chronological Table.” In The

New Jerusalem Bible, 2055-2074. New York:

Doubleday, 1990.

Wansbrough, Henry, ed. “Map 3: Palestine of the Old

Testament.” In The New Jerusalem Bible,

Supplements. New York: Doubleday, 1990.

1. Henry Wansbrough, ed., “Chronological Table”

in The New Jerusalem Bible (New York: Doubleday,

1990), 2070.

1. Henry Wansbrough, ed., “Map 3: Palestine of

the Old Testament” in The New Jerusalem Bible (New

York: Doubleday, 1990), Supplements.

Complete Parallel

Bible

“Job.” In The Complete Parallel Bible, 1048-1131. New

York: Oxford University Press, 1993.

1. “Job (New American Bible)” in The Complete

Parallel Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993),

1049.

Online Bible

“Job 19:1-29 (New International Version).” In Bible

Gateway. http://www.biblegateway.com/

passage/?search=job%2019&version=31

(accessed December 11, 2006).

1. “Job 19:1-29 (New International Version)” in

Bible Gateway, http://www.biblegateway.com/

passage/?search=job%2019&version=31 (accessed

December 11, 2006).

Journal Articles (see CMS sections 17.148 – 17.203; 17.357 - 17.359)

Tips for citing journal articles:

! You may omit the issue number if the journal numbers pages continuously throughout an entire volume. If every issue of the journal starts

with page 1 then the issue number is included after the volume number.

! If you cite the issue number, you do not need to include the month or season in which the journal was published.

! If the article has up to 10 authors, you must cite every author. For more than 10 authors, only list the first seven, followed by et al.

! For articles from ATLA, cite the “Persistent Link to this record” NOT the address that appears in the address line of your internet browser

! Access dates are not needed for online articles; access dates are only needed for sites that are updated frequently or online books

Bibliography example: Footnote example (see CMS sections 16.19-16.50):

(1st Author) Last name, First name and (2nd Author)

First name Last name. “Title of Article.”

Journal Title Volume number, no. [Issue

number] (Year): Pages. URL.

1. (1st Author) First name Last name and (2nd

uthor) First name Last name, “Title of Article,”

ournal Title Volume number, no. [Issue number]

(Year): Page numbe

, URL.

Article

retrieved from

ATLA Religion

Database

(using persistent

link to this article)

Kilgallen, John J. “The Elder Son.” Expository Times

115, no. 6 (2004): 186-89. http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.clark.up.edu/login.aspx?di

rect=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0001418178&loginp

age=login.asp?custid=s8474154&site=ehost-live.

1. John J. Kilgallen, “The Elder Son,” Expository

Times 115, no. 6 (2004): 187, http://0-search.

ebscohost.com.clark.up.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rfh

&AN=ATLA0001418178&loginpage=login.asp?custid=s847

4154&site=ehost-live.

Article from print

journal

Fewell, Danna Nolan, and David M. Gunn. “Boaz, Pillar

of Society: Measures of Worth in the Book of

Ruth.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

45 (1993): 45-59.

1. Danna Nolan Fewell and David M. Gunn, “Boaz,

Pillar of Society: Measures of Worth in the Book of Ruth,”

Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 45 (1993): 46.

Article

retrieved from

online source

Booij, Thijs. “Psalm 141: A Prayer for Discipline and

Protection.” Biblica 86, no. 1 (2005): 97-106.

http://www.bsw.org/?l=71861&a=Ani02.html.

1. Thijs Booij, “Psalm 141: A Prayer for Discipline

and Protection,” Biblica 86, no. 1 (2005): 100,

http://www.bsw.org/?l=71861&a=Ani02.html.

Notes about Footnotes:

Short Form (see CMS sections 16.41-16.46) – If you have already cited a source in your paper, use the short form for any additional footnotes to

that reference. Short form includes: Last name of the author*, Shortened version of the title** and Page number.

*Last name of the author – if you have more than 3 authors, use the first author’s last name followed by et al. e.g.: Smith et al. (et al. is an

abbreviation for et alii, meaning “and others”).

For short form citations, omit abbreviations such as ed. or trans.

**Shortened version of the title: If a title contains more than four words a shortened version should be used. Include the key word or words from the

title. Omit initial articles such as A, An or The.

First footnote of a source Subsequent footnotes: Short form

Book

1. John Bright, Jeremiah. The Anchor Bible

(Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1965), 60.

1. Bright, Jeremiah, 60.

Journal article or

book chapter

1. Danna Nolan Fewell and David M. Gunn, “Boaz,

Pillar of Society: Measures of Worth in the Book of Ruth,”

Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 45 (1993): 46.

1. Fewell and Gunn, “Boaz, Pillar of Society,” 46.

Edited book

(omit the ed after

the name)

1. Arthur A. Just, ed., "Overview, Luke 3:1-20," in

Luke, Ancient Christian Commentary (Downers Grove, IL:

InterVarsity Press, 2001), 57.

1. Just, "Overview, Luke 3:1-20," 57.

Ibid. (see CMS sections 16.47-16.48):

Use Ibid. when citing a source that you just cited in the previous footnote (Ibid. is an abbreviation of ibidem meaning “from the same place”).

Tips for using Ibid:

! If you cited more than one source in the previous footnote, then you cannot use Ibid.

! If you are citing the same page number, use Ibid. If you are citing a different page number, use Ibid. followed by the new page number.

Original footnote: Footnotes immediately following the original:

Book

1. John Bright, Jeremiah. The Anchor Bible

(Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1965), 60.

1. Ibid.

2. Ibid., 65.

Ibid. can also

follow a short

form footnote

1. Bright, Jeremiah, 60. 1. Ibid.

Style Sheet for Biblical Citations

Theology Department

Students should check with each instructor for specifics appropriate to the assignments!

General Guideline

Once you have determined which translation of the Bible will be your default translation (e.g.

New American Bible translation as used in the College Study Bible), it is customary to use “in

line” references with parentheses, for example (John 4: 5-6). To inform the reader which

translation will be default, the first time you cite the Bible in this way, insert a footnote at that

point indicating, “The New American Bible translation will be used throughout this paper” or the

like. Please note that the direction for citing the Bible in A Writer's Resource (2007) 378, Section

35/c/9 is a general rule that may apply for papers in courses other than Theology but is not to

be used in Theology courses. If at any time you choose to use a translation different from the

default to make a specific point, then you are to indicate that in the narrative of your text or in a

footnote.

Titles of Bible books

If you are referring to a book or a chapter of a book, but not specific verses, you need to write

out the name of the book in full. Abbreviations are customary for citing book and chapter with

specific verses. It is not customary to use periods after abbreviated book names, but do put

spaces between the abbreviations and chapter numbers. Thus: Romans or Romans 9, but: Rom

9:2.

Citation of books, chapters, verses

" Use colons between chapter and verse numbers. [Matt 13:12 means verse 12 of chapter 13

of Matthew’s Gospel. FYI: Europeans use a different format, putting commas here.]

" Use commas between verse numbers of the same chapter [Mark 2:13, 17 means chapter 2,

verses 13 and 17 only] and between chapter numbers, but only if no verses are given [Rev

1, 4 means chapters 1 and 4 of the Book of Revelation].

" Use semicolons between references that give chapter and verse numbers from different

chapters [2:13; 3:6 means the two verses 2:13 and 3:6 only].

" Use a single dash between verses to indicate "from-to" within one chapter [Mark 2:13-17

means chapter 2, from verse 13 to verse 17] or between chapter numbers without verses

[Genesis 1-4 means chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Book of Genesis].

" [For recognition only - not common in the U.S: Sometimes you will see a double dash to

indicate "from--to" between different chapters (with or without spaces, does not matter

much).]

Summary Chart

Matt 13:12 means verse 12 of chapter 13 of Matthew’s

Gospel

Romans 9 means all of chapter 9 of Paul's Letter to the

Romans

Rev 1, 4 means chapters 1 and 4 of the Book of

Revelation

Genesis 1-4 means chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Book of

Genesis

Mark 2:13, 17 means chapter 2, verses 13 and 17 only Mark 2:13-17 means chapter 2, from verse 13 to verse 17

2:13; 3:6 means the two verses 2:13 and 3:6 only 2:13 - 3:6 means the whole section from 2:13 to 3:6

(sometimes seen as 2:13 – 3:6, using the double dash)

Created by: Fr. Rutherford

Love God and Your Neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40)

Sample Paper with Footnotes

According to Matthew 22:36-37, when Jesus is asked “which commandment in the law is the

greatest” he indicates “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your

soul, and with all your mind.”

This verse has connections to several other passages in the

Bible, including Deuteronomy 6:5.

In this Old Testament verse, love refers not to “a feeling but

covenant fidelity, a matter of willing and doing.”

The command to love God is part of the

Shema, which habitually begins with a confession of the oneness of God; it is not clear why this

statement is not reflected in Matthew.

Jesus follows the command to love god with his pronouncement a second commandment,

which is “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:39). However, the translation from

the Hebrew indicates that these two commands are of equal importance: “One cannot first love

God and then, as a second task, love one’s neighbor. To love God is to love one’s neighbor,

and vice versa.”

This love is an ongoing task: “one obeys the great commandment as one

shows love towards those one meets daily.”

Jesus concludes “on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matt 22:40).

Jesus’ unified command to love God and love is described as “the hermeneutical key for

interpreting all the divine revelation – not only the Law, but the Prophets as well.”

According to

the rabbis, the world hangs on Torah, Temple service, and deeds of loving-kindness (or, on

truth, judgment and peace.)

In this statement in Matthew, the law instead depends on deeds of

love.

Jesus’ statement does not discount the law or set the law in opposition of the command

to love; rather it sums up the law.

Thus, it becomes “not only the supreme expression of the

law, but the guiding principle for its interpretation.”

The New Revised Standard Version translation will be used throughout this paper.

Benedict T. Viviano, “The Gospel According to Matthew,” in The New Jerome Biblical

Commentary, eds. Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy (Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990), 666.

Ibid.

M. Eugene Boring, “The Gospel of Matthew,” in The New Interpreter’s Bible, ed. Leander E.

Keck (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994), 8:424.

Ibid., 426.

Anchor Bible Dictionary, s.v. “Love (NT and Early Jewish).”

Boring, “Gospel of Matthew,” 425.

Viviano, “Gospel According to Matthew,” 666.

Ibid.

Donald Senior, Matthew, Abingdon New Testament Commentaries (Nashville: Abingdon

Press, 1998): 253.

Ibid.