Pericope
This Greek word used by scripture scholars refers to a certain portion of a text. The word literally means “cut around.” A pericope is a section of text that, if removed from the writing, could be recognized as a tradition that could stand on its own. It may have circulated orally before it was included in a gospel or letter. A synopsis of the gospels is divided into numbered pericopes.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.