What are those numbers in front of some of the paragraphs in Vatican II documents called?

[Loyal_J]

On the Vatican’s website I can read the Vatican II Documents but I’m not sure how to talk about them.

Do I write it like: DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON DIVINE REVELATION number 5. They have numbers in front of some paragraphs and chapters. What are the official words to mention the location of a few sentences in it?

I probably shouldn’t use the word number. What are those numbers in front of some of the paragraphs called?

Here’s the document I’m looking at: vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html

 

[Usige]

Normally each paragraph is numbered, but occasionally it might be two or three. Each numbered section includes all paragraphs up to the next numbered section. Really each number is a separate concept or statement so I refer to them as sections. Normally I would reference them as something like Dei Verbum 7-10. Most people use the short Latin name associated to Vatican documents.

 

[dshix]

On the Vatican’s website I can read the Vatican II Documents but I’m not sure how to talk about them.

Do I write it like: DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON DIVINE REVELATION number 5. They have numbers in front of some paragraphs and chapters. What are the official words to mention the location of a few sentences in it?

I probably shouldn’t use the word number. What are those numbers in front of some of the paragraphs called?

Here’s the document I’m looking at: vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html

They are usually paragraph numbers, so just say “paragraph __”

 

[Windmill]

§ = Section Sign

 

[detoutcoeur]

On the Vatican’s website I can read the Vatican II Documents but I’m not sure how to talk about them.

Do I write it like: DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON DIVINE REVELATION number 5. They have numbers in front of some paragraphs and chapters. What are the official words to mention the location of a few sentences in it?

I probably shouldn’t use the word number. What are those numbers in front of some of the paragraphs called?

Here’s the document I’m looking at: vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html

Hi Loyal J,

Scroll down and have a look at the Notes at the bottom of the page. Here, they’re called “articles”. (For example: “In Chapter 1, article 3, there is a discussion of…” )

Some authors follow this style in writing about the DV:

books.google.com/books?id=_FBqtTIakOwC&pg=PA54&dq=Chapter+3,+article+11,+of+the+dogmatic+constitution+on+divine+revelation&hl=fr&sa=X&ei=rkgMUaKLH-PB0AHCpoGwAw&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

However, other authors use “paragraph” instead of “article.” (For example: In Chapter 3, paragraph 11, the question of…")

books.google.com/books?id=u1Kx8BUlwhcC&pg=PA65&lpg=PA65&dq=chapter+3,+paragraph+11,+of+the+dogmatic+constitution+on+divine+revelation&source=bl&ots=RIU7Paz7q2&sig=2rju2mXxpP8_Aj-nWaVDLNp_6VE&hl=fr&sa=X&ei=xkUMUbuoBYXW0gHYm4DwBg&ved=0CF4Q6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=false

So, you have your choice! I think either one is fine.

---

Preface: (article / paragraph 1)

Chapter 1: Revelation Itself (articles /paragraphs 2 through 6)

Chapter 2: The Transmission of Divine Revelation (articles /paragraphs7-10)

Chapter 3: Sacred Scripture, Its Divine Inspiration and Interpretation (articles /paragraphs11-13)

Chapter 4: The Old Testament (articles /paragraphs14-16)

Chapter 5: The New Testament (articles /paragraphs17-20)

Chapter 6: Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church (articles / paragraphs 21-26)

 

[YoungTradCath]

Typically we reference Church documents by their Latin incipits, the first two words of the document. For Vatican II documents you have Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC), Dei Verbum (DV), Lumen Gentium (LG), Gaudium et Spes (GS), and twelve other, lesser documents.

So we have the Constitutio de Sacra Liturgia, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, which we normally call Sacrosanctum Concilium, which words are the first two of the first paragraph of the document, “Sacrosanctum Concilium, cum sibi proponat vitam christianam inter fideles in dies augere…”

Then we continue by referencing the Chapter, the Chapter and paragraph, or (usually) just the paragraph.