Monday, April 4, 2011

Papyrus P26 - What is it good for?

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P26:  - P.Oxy. XI 1354;  (3991)

Advanced Papyrological Information System (APIS UM)
Inventory Number - P.Oxy. XI 1354
Section/Side - Recto + Verso
Material - Papyrus
Size - 23.2 10.3 cm
Lines - recto: 23 lines; verso: 20 lines

Conservation Status
A papyrus leaf containing the beginning of Paul's "Epistle to the Romans" is far from good condition. One side is broken away and other damage has been sustained, especially on the verso.
Palaeographic Description
When complete, if the margin at the bottom of the columns was similar to that at the top, the leaf was about 28 cm. high, and its breadth may be estimated at about 18 cm. The upright script, large and very heavy, is in the later Byzantine style. The ink is of the reddish-brown colour common at that period. A high stop is used in l. 29 and a paragraphus occurs below l. 33, the initial letter of the following paragraph being also enlarged. The usual contractions are found, including that of "YIOS", though this word is once written out (l. 6). The title is written at the head of the column.
Date - 6th or 7th century A.D.
Origin - Oxyrhynchos, Oxyrhynchite nome, Egypt
Language - Greek
Genre       - Literary; christian
Author      - Paul
Type of Text/Title of Work - Epistle to the Romans
Content     - Romans 1:1-16. Textually the fragment is of slight interest.



Here is the transcription:


Rom 1:1-10
1 [παυλος] [δουλ]ο̣ς̣ ιυ̅ χυ̅ κ̣λ̣ητος απ̣ο̣[στολος] [αφωρι]σμενος ε̣ις ευαγγελιο̣ν̣ [θυ̅] 2 [ο] [προε]π̣ηγγειλατ̣ο̣ δια̣ τ̣ω̣ν̣ [προφητων] [α]υ̣το̣υ εν γραφαις α[γιαις] 3 [περι] [το]υ̣ υιου αυτου του γ̣ε̣[νομενου] [εκ] [σ]π̣ερματος δα̅δ̣ κατ[α] [σαρκα] 4 [του] [ορ]ισθεντος υυ̅ θ̣υ̣̅ ε̣ν̣ [δυναμει] [κατα] π̣ν̅α αγιωσυν̣ης εξ̣ α̣[ναστασεως] [ν]ε̣κρων ι̣υ̅ χυ̅ τ̣ο̣υ̣ κ̣υ̣̅ [ημων] 5 [δι] [ου] ελαβομεν̣ χ̣[α]ρ̣ι̣ν [και] [αποστολην] [εις] υ̣π̣[ακοην] π̣ι̣σ̣τ̣ε̣[ως] [εν] [πασιν] [τοις] [εθνεσιν] [υπ]ε̣ρ̣ τ̣[ο]υ̣ [ονοματος] [αυτου] 6 [εν] [οι]ς̣ ε̣σ̣τ̣ε̣ κ̣α̣[ι] [υμεις] [κλητοι] [ιυ̅] [χυ̅] 7 [πασιν] [τοι]ς ο̣υ̣σ̣ι̣ν̣ [εν] [ρωμη] [αγαπ]ητοις̣ θυ̅ κ̣λ̣η̣τ̣ο̣ι̣ς̣ [αγιοις] [χαρις] [υ]μιν και ειρηνη̣ α[πο] [θυ̅] [πρ̅ς] [ημω]ν̣ κα̣ι̣ κυ̅ ιυ̅ χυ̅ 8 [9-10] [τ]ω θω̅ μου δι̣[α] ι̣υ̣̅ χυ̅ [περι] [παντων] [υ]μ̣ω̣ν ο̣τ̣ι η πιστις [υμων] [καταγγελλε]τ̣ε εν ολω τω̣ [κοσμω] 9 [μαρτυ]ς̣ γ̣αρ μ̣[ο]υ̣ ε̣[στιν] [ο] –

[ε]υ̣α̣γ̣γελι̣ω̣ τ̣ου̣ υυ̅ α̣[υτου] [ως] [αδια]λι̣π̣τ̣ως μ̣νε̣ιαν υ̣[μων] [ποιουμαι] 10 π̣α̣ν̣τ̣ο[τε] υπε̣ρ των [προσευχων] [μου] δε̣ο̣με̣νος̣ ε̣ι̣ π̣ω̣ς̣ η̣[δη] [ποτε] [ευοδω]θ̣η̣σομαι εν τω θ̣ε̣[ληματι] [του] [θυ̅] [ελθειν] προς ·υμας

Rom 1:11-16
11 επιποθ̣[ω] [γαρ] [ιδειν] [υμας] ι̣να τι μεταδω̣ χ̣αρι[σμα] [υμιν] [πν̅ικον] ει̣ς το στιρηχθ̣ηνα[ι] [υμας] 12 [τουτο] [δε] [εστιν] συνπαρακληθ̣ηνε̣ [εν] [υμιν] [δια] [της] ε̣ν̣ α̣λ̣[λ]η̣λοις̣ πιστ̣[εως] [υμων] [τε] [και] [εμου] 13 ου̣ [θελω] [δε] [υμας] [αγνοειν] [αδελφοι] [ο]τ̣ι̣ [πολλακις] [προεθεμην] [ελθειν] π̣[ρ]ο̣ς̣ υ̣μ̣[ας] [και] [εκωλυθην] [αχρι] [του] [δευ]ρο ι̣ν̣α̣ τ̣ι̣[να] [καρπον] [σχω] [και] [εν] [υμιν] καθ̣ως̣ κα̣ι̣ ε̣ν̣ [τ]ο̣ι̣ς̣ λ̣[οιποις] [εθνεσιν] 14 [ελ]λη̣σιν τε̣ και β̣αρβ̣α̣[ροις] [σοφοις] [τε] [και] [α]ν̣οητ̣ο̣ι̣ς̣ ο̣φ̣ιλετ̣η̣[ς] [ειμι] 15 [ουτως] [το] [κατ] [ε]με̣ π̣ρ̣ο̣[θυμον] [και] [υμιν] [τοις] [εν] [ρωμη] ευ̣α̣γ̣γ̣ε̣[λισασθαι] 16 [ου] [γαρ] [επαισχυνομαι] [το] ε̣υ̣[αγγελι]ο̣ν̣ δυν̣α̣[μις] [γαρ] [θυ̅] [εστιν] [εις] –



"The fragment is of slight interest."  -  So the catalog says.  Actually however, it does have some interest.  For one thing, it gives us the heads-up, that many of the approximately 100 biblical papyri from  Oxyrhynchos are actually quite 'late' in date, if estimates are to be trusted.  This Greek papyrus written in what looks like an early 'uncial' script has been dated about 6th or 7th century, i.e., with a 100 year window (a typical and normal range).    We are told that the main basis for the dating is in fact the script itself, that is it has been dated partly on palaeological grounds.

If then P26 is a good example of 6-7th century script, it can be studied for that reason alone, in reasonable detail.  This will assist us in assessing the claims regarding other papyri of various ages, especially other Oxyrhynchos MSS.


peace
Nazaroo


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