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Amanuensis [ipa: ??mænju'?ns?s] is a Latin word adopted in various languages, including English, for certain persons performing a function by hand, either writing down the words of another or performing manual labour. The term is derived from a Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 expression which may be literally translated as "manual
Manual

Manual may mean:* Instructions** Instruction manual ** Online help** Unix manual - known as "man pages"** User guide or owner's manual.* Manual - a keyboard, as for an organ...
 labourer".

word originated in ancient Rome, for a slave at his master's personal service 'within hand reach', performing any command; later it was specifically applied to an intimately trusted servant (often a freedman
Freedman

Freedman is the term used to describe a former Slavery who has been Manumission or Emancipation. The first means the freeing of an individual by the owner, often through deed or will, and sometimes by legislative petition....
) acting as a personal secretary.

A similar semantic evolution occurred at the French royal court, where the secrétaire de la main du roi, originally a lowly clerk specializing in producing (technically forging, but on royal command) the Sovereign's signature on more documents than he cared to put his pen to, developed into the secrétaires d'état, the first permanent portfolio ministers, to which the British Secretaries of State would be the counterpart.

The term is often used interchangeably with secretary
Secretary

A secretary is either an administrative assistant in administration , or a certain type of mid- or high-level governmental position, such as a Secretary of State....
 or scribe
Scribe

A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession. The profession, previously found in all literate cultures in some form, lost most of its importance and status with the advent of printing....
.

s also used in a specific sense in some academic contexts, for instance when an injured
Injury

Injury or bodily injury is damage or harm caused to the structure or Purpose of the body caused by an outside wiktionary:agent or force, which may be physical or chemical....
 or disabled
Disability

Disability is a lack of ability relative to a personal or group standard or norm. In reality there is often simply a spectrum of ability. Disability may involve physical impairment such as sense impairment, cognitive impairment or intellectual impairment, mental disorder , or various types of chronic disease....
 person is helped by an amanuensis at a written examination
Examination

To examine somebody or something is to inspect it closely; hence, an examination is a detailed inspection or analysis of an object or person....
.

In the Netherlands it refers to a (technically schooled) physics laboratory assistant responsible for preparing and assisting with tests and maintaining the instruments.






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Amanuensis [ipa: ??mænju'?ns?s] is a Latin word adopted in various languages, including English, for certain persons performing a function by hand, either writing down the words of another or performing manual labour. The term is derived from a Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 expression which may be literally translated as "manual
Manual

Manual may mean:* Instructions** Instruction manual ** Online help** Unix manual - known as "man pages"** User guide or owner's manual.* Manual - a keyboard, as for an organ...
 labourer".

Origin and secretarial uses

The word originated in ancient Rome, for a slave at his master's personal service 'within hand reach', performing any command; later it was specifically applied to an intimately trusted servant (often a freedman
Freedman

Freedman is the term used to describe a former Slavery who has been Manumission or Emancipation. The first means the freeing of an individual by the owner, often through deed or will, and sometimes by legislative petition....
) acting as a personal secretary.

A similar semantic evolution occurred at the French royal court, where the secrétaire de la main du roi, originally a lowly clerk specializing in producing (technically forging, but on royal command) the Sovereign's signature on more documents than he cared to put his pen to, developed into the secrétaires d'état, the first permanent portfolio ministers, to which the British Secretaries of State would be the counterpart.

The term is often used interchangeably with secretary
Secretary

A secretary is either an administrative assistant in administration , or a certain type of mid- or high-level governmental position, such as a Secretary of State....
 or scribe
Scribe

A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession. The profession, previously found in all literate cultures in some form, lost most of its importance and status with the advent of printing....
.

Academic uses

It is also used in a specific sense in some academic contexts, for instance when an injured
Injury

Injury or bodily injury is damage or harm caused to the structure or Purpose of the body caused by an outside wiktionary:agent or force, which may be physical or chemical....
 or disabled
Disability

Disability is a lack of ability relative to a personal or group standard or norm. In reality there is often simply a spectrum of ability. Disability may involve physical impairment such as sense impairment, cognitive impairment or intellectual impairment, mental disorder , or various types of chronic disease....
 person is helped by an amanuensis at a written examination
Examination

To examine somebody or something is to inspect it closely; hence, an examination is a detailed inspection or analysis of an object or person....
.

In the Netherlands it refers to a (technically schooled) physics laboratory assistant responsible for preparing and assisting with tests and maintaining the instruments. When employed as such in a school environment s/he will have the title of "TOA" Technical Teaching Assistant

In Norway
Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
, amanuensis is an academic rank
Academic rank

The world of academia—that is, scholars and students in a research and learning community associated with higher education typically are defined by a rather rigid set of ranks for professors and other instructors....
 of a lecturer without a doctorate, and this title is going out of use. Førsteamanuensis (Norwegian
Norwegian language

Norwegian is a North Germanic languages language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language. It is also spoken as a second language among Norwegian-Americans in the United States of America, especially in the central northern states....
 for "first amanuensis") is the equivalent of associate professor.

In Sweden
Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
, amanuens is used to denote roughly a teaching assistant.

The term is used to describe one who assists an organist during a performance, by drawing and retiring stops, and by turning pages.

Job Titles

On the other hand, certain employers use the term for (generally unskilled) manual labourers at the bottom of the hierarchy, e.g. as factotum.

Sources and references

  • Bokmålsordboken (official Norwegian language
    Norwegian language

    Norwegian is a North Germanic languages language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language. It is also spoken as a second language among Norwegian-Americans in the United States of America, especially in the central northern states....
     dictionary)
  • Pauly-Wissowa (Encyclopaedia on classical antiquity, in German)
  • Larousse (General Encyclopaedia in French)


ENGLISH SOURCES
  • Aland, Kurt. “The Problem of Anonymity and Pseudonymity in Christian Literature of the First Two Centuries.” Journal of Theological Studies 12 (1961): 39-49.
  • Bahr, Gordon J. “Paul and Letter Writing in the First Century.” Catholic Biblical Quarterly
    Catholic Biblical Quarterly

    The Catholic Biblical Quarterly is a refereed List of theological journals published by the Catholic Biblical Association of America....
     28 (1966): 465-77. idem, “The Subscriptions in the Pauline Letters.” Journal of Biblical Literature
    Journal of Biblical Literature

    Journal of Biblical Literature is one of three List of theological journals published by the Society of Biblical Literature .First published in 1881, JBL is the flagship journal of the field....
     2 (1968): 27-41.
  • Bauckham, Richard J. “Pseudo-Apostolic Letters.” Journal of Biblical Literature
    Journal of Biblical Literature

    Journal of Biblical Literature is one of three List of theological journals published by the Society of Biblical Literature .First published in 1881, JBL is the flagship journal of the field....
     107 (1988): 469-94.
  • Carson, D.A. “Pseudonymity and Pseudepigraphy.” Dictionary of New Testament Background. Eds. Craig A. Evans and Stanley E. Porter. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2000. 857-64.
  • Cousar, Charles B. The Letters of Paul. Interpreting Biblical Texts. Nashville: Abingdon, 1996.
  • Deissmann, G. Adolf
    Gustav Adolf Deissmann

    Gustav Adolf Deissmann was a German Protestant theologian. He is best known for his work on the Greek language used in the New Testament, in a convincing demonstration that from a linguistic point of view it was to be identified with the koine or common tongue of the Hellenistic world....
    . Bible Studies. Trans. Alexander Grieve. 1901. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1988.
  • Doty, William G. Letters in Primitive Christianity. Guides to Biblical Scholarship. New Testament. Ed. Dan O. Via, Jr. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1988.
  • Gamble, Harry Y. “Amanuensis.” Anchor Bible Dictionary. Vol. 1. Ed. David Noel Freedman. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
  • Haines-Eitzen, Kim. “‘Girls Trained in Beautiful Writing’: Female Scribes in Roman Antiquity and Early Christianity.” Journal of Early Christian Studies
    Journal of Early Christian Studies

    The Journal of Early Christian Studies is an academic journal founded in 1993 and the official publication of the . It is devoted to the study of patristics, that is Christianity in the ancient period of roughly C.E....
     6.4 (1998): 629-46.
  • Longenecker, Richard N. “Ancient Amanuenses and the Pauline Epistles.” New Dimensions in New Testament Study. Eds. Richard N. Longenecker and Merrill C. Tenney. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974. 281-97. idem, “On the Form, Function, and Authority of the New Testament Letters.” Scripture and Truth. Eds. D.A. Carson and John D. Woodbridge. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983. 101-14.
  • Murphy-O’Connor, Jerome. Paul the Letter-Writer: His World, His Options, His Skills. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1995.
  • Richards, E. Randolph. The Secretary in the Letters of Paul. Tübingen: Mohr, 1991. idem, “The Codex and the Early Collection of Paul’s Letters.” Bulletin for Biblical Research 8 (1998): 151-66. idem, Paul and First-Century Letter Writing: Secretaries, Composition, and Collection. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2004.
  • Robson, E. Iliff. “Composition and Dictation in New Testament Books.” Journal of Theological Studies 18 (1917): 288-301.
  • Stowers, Stanley K. Letter Writing in Greco-Roman Antiquity. Library of Early Christianity. Vol. 8. Ed. Wayne A. Meeks. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1989.
  • Wall, Robert W. “Introduction to Epistolary Literature.” New Interpreter’s Bible. Vol. 10. Ed. Leander E. Keck. Nashville: Abingdon, 2002. 369-91.