Editing Alpha and Omega (section)

==Origin==
The first written record of the phrase "alpha and omega" is from some old manuscripts of the Christian [[New Testament]].

The phrase "I am the Alpha and the Omega" ([[Koiné Greek]]: {{lang|grc|ἐγώ εἰμί τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ}}), is an appellation of Jesus and of the Father in the [[Book of Revelation]] (verses 1:8, 21:6, and 22:13).{{efn|At this time, the Greek name of the letter was still {{lang|grc|'Ô' (Ὦ)}}, which is found in the earliest Greek manuscripts; the later name "omega" ({{lang|grc|Ὦ μέγα}}) is found in many later Greek manuscripts.<ref>{{cite book |first=W. Sidney |last=Allen |title=Vox Graeca |edition=third |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1987 |orig-date=1968 |page=173 |isbn=978-0-521-33367-2 |location=Cambridge}}</ref>}} The first part of this phrase ("I am the Alpha and the Omega") is first found in chapter 1 verse 8, and is found in every [[manuscript]] of Revelation that has 1:8. Several later manuscripts repeat "I am the Alpha and the Omega" in 1:11 as well, but do not receive support here from most of the oldest manuscripts, including the Alexandrine, [[Sinaitic Palimpsest|Sinaitic]], and [[Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus]]. It is, therefore, omitted in some modern translations. Scholar Robert Young stated, with regard to "I am the Alpha and the Omega" in 1:11, the "oldest [manuscripts] omit" it.<ref>{{cite book|author=Young, Robert|title=Young's Concise Commentary on the Holy Bible|page=180|date= 1977}}</ref>

A similar reference is found in [[Isaiah 44#Verse 6|Isaiah 44]],<ref>{{bibleverse|Isaiah|44:6–8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/InterlinearGreekEnglishSeptuagintOldTestamentPrint | page = [https://archive.org/details/InterlinearGreekEnglishSeptuagintOldTestamentPrint/page/n2431 2432] | title = Interlinear Greek English Septuagint Old Testament (LXX) | language = grc, en }}</ref> where God is said to be the first and the last. Elsewhere in the New Testament, the phrase [[I am (biblical phrase)#New Testament|"I am"]] is used several times by Jesus, particularly in the [[Gospel of John]].