Religious Abbreviations

212 abbreviations in 3 subcategories

Standard abbreviations for books of the Bible, religious titles and orders, calendar eras and terms from Christianity, Judaism, Islam and other traditions. Bible book abbreviations follow conventions such as the SBL Handbook of Style and differ between Bible translations.

• Religious Term
• Bible Book
• Religious Title

Religious Term Abbreviations

Abbreviations for calendar eras such as AD, BC, CE and BCE, Bible translations and ancient manuscripts, Christian denominations, creeds and devotional phrases, and honorifics used in Islamic and Jewish writing. Entries explain each term's origin, how it is placed and punctuated under AP and Chicago style, and how it is used within its own tradition.

All 78 religious term abbreviations →

Bible Book Abbreviations

Standard abbreviations for the 66 books of the Protestant Bible and the deuterocanonical books accepted by Catholic and Orthodox churches, as used in citations such as Gen. 1:1 or Jn 3:16. Three systems are common: the SBL Handbook of Style forms used in biblical scholarship (Gen, Exod, Matt), the Chicago Manual of Style's traditional abbreviations with periods (Gen., Exod., Matt.) and the shorter forms used in Catholic Bibles and Chicago's short list (Gn, Ex, Mt). Entries give each book's place in the canon, traditional author, number of chapters and best-known passages.

All 77 Bible book abbreviations →

Religious Title Abbreviations

Abbreviations for clerical titles, honorific styles, stages of sainthood and the post-nominal initials used by members of Catholic and other religious orders, such as SJ for Jesuits or OP for Dominicans. Forms of address differ between Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, Protestant and Jewish traditions and between American and British style guides, so entries note the correct usage, from "the Rev. Jane Smith" to "Fr. John Smith, OSB".

All 60 religious title abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.