Talk:Alpha and Omega

Image of Alpha and Omega from different alphabets

The image at the top of the article uses "Αω" rather than the more popular "ΑΩ", or the more original "αω" (as the earliest text fragments are in miniscule). As I am planning on making an SVG version of this, I wondering if there was a reason for this. — trlkly 11:46, 16 December 2012 (UTC)

I don't particularly like the present version either, mostly because these letters are taken from modern Roman-style print fonts, and the scaled-up lowercase "ω" just doesn't match the uppercase "Α" stylistically. The person who made it was probably motivated by the thought that early uncial realizations (compare the 4th-century fresco in the image further down) often had ω-like glyphs, but then the A-glyph should also be stylistically different (approximately ). I don't really care much which style we use, as long as it's interally consistent, so as far as I'm concerned feel free to create any new version you prefer. Fut.Perf. ☼ 12:03, 16 December 2012 (UTC)

Sorry I'm so late on getting back to this. Based on what you say, I'd guess that the originals are too obscure to be used as the main identifying image of the article, so I will be using the more popular "ΑΩ" version. People can see the original iconography in the subsequent images. However, before I start, does anyone have any ideas for which font would look the best? — trlkly 22:57, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

On Wikipedia, we have only limited control over the fonts used by the various different browsers on various different systems... AnonMoos (talk) 02:10, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

I think trlkly was speaking of using some font for creating a graphic. Fut.Perf. ☼ 05:17, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Blatantly copied section without attribution and with unclear cross references

The following section was copied verbatim from the Catholic Encyclopedia without attribution. The writing and citations given are out of context and therefore nonsensical. I removed it from the article as being too confusing and not adding to the topic.141.166.137.146 (talk) 22:17, 19 January 2016 (UTC)

This symbol was suggested by the Apocalypse, where many believe that Christ, as well as the Father, is "the First and the Last" (ii, 8); "the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (cf., xxii, 13; i, 8). Clement of Alexandria (2nd century, philosopher and commentator on pagan and Christian information) speaks of the Word as "the Alpha and the Omega of Whom alone the end becomes beginning, and ends again at the original beginning without any break" (Stromata, IV, 25). Tertullian (lawyer, theologian) also alludes to Christ as the Alpha and Omega (De Monogamiâ, v), and from Prudentius (Cathemer., ix, 10) we learn that in the fourth century the interpretation of the apocalyptic letters was still the same: "Alpha et Omega cognominatus, ipse fons et clausula, Omnium quae sunt, fuerunt, quaeque post futura sunt." It was, however, in the monuments of early Christianity that the symbolic Alpha and Omega had their greatest vogue.

References

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

I tried looking for Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (I was struggling with the spelling /tei:a/) and I ended up here first. I think it might be worth adding a See Also to Omega Point (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin). I didn't as this is not my area and I know religious articles are wiki war zones, so I am just suggesting. --Squidonius (talk) 21:47, 10 August 2016 (UTC)

A link is on Omega (disambiguation), which is a more natural place for it. In the writing of southern French languages, "h" after a consonant letter means palatalization -- "nh" is [ɲ], "lh" was originally [ʎ] ([j] when adapted to standard French)... AnonMoos (talk) 02:32, 11 August 2016 (UTC)

include Omegaverse, Dominance hierarchy information

increasingly pervasive terms that originate in this religious terminology, yet not even a see also mention? pauliesnug ^{(message / contribs)} 14:11, 12 November 2024 (UTC)

It more probably originated from knowledge of the Greek alphabet than anything specifically Christian. It's more suitable for Omega (disambiguation) than this article. AnonMoos (talk) 01:48, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

sure, but this is the main article discussing the relationship between those greek letters and hierarchy pauliesnug ^{(message / contribs)} 00:33, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Not really; the concept of "alpha and omega" is about a pair of symbols representing "beginning" and "end"; it's not about a sequence of symbols denoting a hierarchy of stronger vs weaker. Nothing in this article here is related to that hierarchy concept. Fut.Perf. ☼ 07:42, 14 November 2024 (UTC)