When did the modern conventional formatting of Biblical citations become standard?
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Virtually all resources published these days make Biblical citations in the same way: "John 3:16" with the chapter and verse numbers in Arabic numerals, separated by a colon and with no other punctuation. However, when I read books printed a long time ago (maybe from 100 years ago or so), I find many other ways of referencing Biblical passages. As some examples:
> "John iii. 16" - used in this 1885 translation of 1st Clement and throughout that collection of the Ante-Nicene fathers.
>
> "John 3. 16" - used in the 1917 printing of the Scofield Reference Bible .
>
> "John, iii, 16" - used in the 1912 printing of the Catholic Encyclopedia .
However, there is not such diversity of citation styles among more recently published works. When and why did the modern convention become standard?
Asked by Dark Malthorp
(5199 rep)
Jul 9, 2025, 03:40 AM
Last activity: Nov 4, 2025, 08:16 PM
Last activity: Nov 4, 2025, 08:16 PM