Everyone, please welcome into the world a major new reprint of Nowell's Catechism, fitted for the 21st century. This work has been a long time coming, and we have been hard at the digital presses for at least the last nine months. I would like to especially thank @anawkwardaardvark and @PotterMcKinney for giving us assistance with the first several pages of the work. The full description and announcement is here: https://www.anglican.net/news/alexander-nowells-middle-catechism-published-1572-now-online/ The book itself is here: Alexander Nowell, “Middle Catechism” / “Catechism or the Institution of Christian Religion, to be Learned of all Youth” (1572) We hope you enjoy this important work, and I personally look forward to seeing it referenced in discussions to come. Enjoy!
For example, this question: "Ma. Notwithstanding, we do suffer death of the body, which is a parcel of the punishment due to sin. Sch. Death of the body which without Christ was the gate to Hell, is now by Christ made to all that believe in him the gate and passage into Heaven; even as he himself did by death enter into his Kingdom; so that death, which before was a punishment, is now by Christ become an advantage." Cites to "John c.25. 26." What verse from John is this referring to?
I suspect that reference is John 5.25-26. The citation style is somewhat eccentric though. I used to know what it was but I've forgotten the name of the style.
At the same question and answer the citations are: "Luc. 23.f.42. John c. 25. 26. 1.Cor. 15.c.18. 21.g.54. 55. &c. 1.Thess. 4.c.13. 14. Phil. 1.c.21. 22." Just an utterly bizarre system of citation and quite difficult to navigate.
I recently found out that those letters are referring to a now-long-archaic system that broke chapters into even groupings. "Phil. 1.c.21.22" means Philippians 1:21-22, which is "part c" of the chapter. It's an artefact of the days before verse numbers were codified. Nowadays we can just ignore those letters!