Oxyrhynchus papyri

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The Oxyrhynchus Papyri are manuscripts written on papyrus that were found by archaeologists at the end of the 19th century in an ancient garbage dump near the historic site of Oxyrhynchus in Egypt. This extensive collection of papyri contains thousands of documents, letters and literary works in ancient Greek and Latin . There are also some parchment manuscripts and more recent Arabic-language manuscripts on paper (e.g. the medieval P. Oxy. VI 1006).

history

In 1855 a papyrus with 66 verses by a Partheneion of Alkman was discovered in Egypt , whose origins in the 7th century BC. Chr. Lie. As a result, private and scientific societies were set up in Europe for the purpose of searching for papyrus. The Egypt Exploration Society was founded in London . Two of their collaborators, Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Surridge Hunt , made archaeological excavations in Oxyrhynchus from 1896. Grenfell later describes his first impression as "garbage pits, nothing but garbage pits".

In fact, they discovered the largest single amount of papyri to date in the former garbage dump of the Lower Egyptian Greek administrative city. The remains comprise approximately 400,000 fragments and are now largely kept in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford . They have been processed continuously and systematically since their discovery.

In 1898 the first volume of the series "The Oxyrhynchus Papyri" appeared. By 2011, 76 volumes with 5100 texts had been published, not much more than one percent of the inventory. Volume 82 was published in 2016.

How to quote:

  • The first number (Vol) is the volume (Volume) of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri in which this manuscript is published.
  • The second number (Oxy) is the consecutive number of all publications of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri .
  • The standard abbreviation for quotations from the Oxyrhynchus Papyri is: P. Oxy. <Volume in Roman numerals > <consecutive publication number>.

Theological manuscripts

All of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri manuscripts classified as “theological” are listed below. In some manuscripts, however, it is difficult to assign the content. For example, a quote from Psalm  90, which is written on an amulet, can be assigned as such to the magical texts of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri , although it can also be listed under the testimonies of the Old Testament.

Old testament

P. Oxy. VI 846: Amos 2 (LXX)
  • The context always makes it clear whether it is volume 70 of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri or whether the Septuagint is meant.
  • P. Oxy. VIII 1073 is a version of the Vetus Latina from Genesis, other manuscripts are probably copies of the Septuagint.
  • Data are rounded up to the next 50 years.
Vol Oxy date content institution city country
IV 656 2nd century Genesis 14: 21-23; 15: 5-9; 19: 32-20: 11;
24: 28-47; 27: 32-33, 40-41
Bodleian Library ; MS.Gr.bib.d.5 (P) Oxford UK
VI 845 4th / 5th Century Psalm 68; 70 Egyptian Museum ; JE 41083 Cairo Egypt
VI 846 6th century Amos 2 University of Pennsylvania ; E 3074 Philadelphia United States
VII 1007 4th / 5th Century Genesis 2–3 British Museum ; Inv. 2047 London UK
VIII 1073 4th century Genesis 5-6 Vetus Latina British Museum; Inv. 2052 London UK
VIII 1074 3rd century Exodus 31-32 University of Illinois ; Inv. 1914.21.0021 (GP 1074) Urbana (Illinois) United States
VIII 1075 3rd century Exodus 11: 26–32 British Library ; Inv. 2053 (recto) London UK
IX 1166 3rd century Genesis 16: 8–12 British Library; Inv. 2066 London UK
IX 1167 4th century Genesis 31 Princeton Theological Seminary
Pap. 9
Princeton, New Jersey United States
IX 1168 4th century Joshua 4-5, parchment Princeton Theological Seminary
Pap. 10
Princeton, New Jersey United States
X 1225 4th century Leviticus 16 Princeton Theological Seminary
Pap. 12
Princeton, New Jersey United States
X 1226 3rd / 4th Century Psalm 7-8 Liverpool University
Class. Size Libr. 4241227
Liverpool UK
XI 1351 4th century Leviticus 27, parchment Ambrose Swasey Library; 886.4

Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
(before private sale)

Rochester (New York) United States
XI 1352 1st half of the 4th century Psalm 82-83, parchment Egyptian Museum ; JE 47472 Cairo Egypt
XV 1779 4th century Psalm 1 United Theological Seminary Dayton (Ohio) United States
XVI 1928 5th / 6th Century Psalm 90, amulet Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
XVII 2065 5th / 6th Century Psalm 90 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
XVII 2066 5th / 6th Century Proverbs 6-7 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
XXIV 2386 5th / 6th Century Psalm 83-84 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
L. 3522 1st century Job 42.11-12 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LX 4011 6th century Psalm 75 interlinear Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXV 4442 1st half of the 3rd century Exodus 20: 10-17, 18-22 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXV 4443 1./2. Century Esther 6-7 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK

Old Testament apocrypha

Texts found in the Greek Septuagint and the Latin manuscripts of the Vetus Latina, but not in the Hebrew Bible.

  • PP. Oxy. XIII 1594 and LXV 4444 are made of parchment (marked as “parchment” in the table).
  • Both copies of Tobit are different editions of the well-known text of the Septuagint (note in the table: “not LXX”).
Vol Oxy date content institution city country
III 403 4th / 5th Century Syrian Baruch Apocalypse 12-14 St. Mark's Library
General Theological Seminary
New York City United States
VII 1010 4th century 4 Ezra 16: 57-59 Bodleian Library
MS.Gr.bib.g.3 (P)
Oxford UK
VIII 1076 6th century Tobit 2
not LXX
John Rylands University Library
448
Manchester UK
XIII 1594 2nd half of the 3rd century Tobit 12
parchment, not LXX
Cambridge University Library
Add. MS. 6363
Cambridge UK
XIII 1595 6th century Ecclesiasticus 1
Badè Museum of Biblical Archeology
Pacific School of Religion
Berkeley
California
United States
XVII 2069 4th / 5th Century 1. Hen 85.10-86.2, 87.1-3 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
XVII 2074 5th century Apostrophes to wisdom [?] Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXV 4444 4th century Wisdom 4: 17–5: 1
parchment
Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK

Other related papyri

Vol Oxy date content institution city country
IX 1173 3rd century Philon Bodleian Library Oxford UK
XI 1356 3rd century Philon Bodleian Library Oxford UK
XVIII 2158 3rd century Philon Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
XXXVI 2745 4th / 5th Century Onomasticon Hebrew name Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK

New Testament

Papyrus
1 : Matthew  1

The Oxyrhynchus papyri are the largest subgroup of the oldest copies of the New Testament . These are parts in codex form (book), written in Greek uncials (capital letters) on papyrus. The first was by Bernard Pyne Grenfell and Arthur Surridge Hunt in Oxyrhynchus ( Egypt excavated) in the early 20th century. Of the 124 registered papyri of the New Testament , 50 (40 percent) come from Oxyrhynchus. The oldest of the papyri are dated to the middle of the second century. They were thus written within a century after the autographs were written.

Grenfell and Hunt discovered the first papyrus of the New Testament ( 1 ) on the second day of the excavation in the winter of 1896/97. This discovery, along with other early results, was published in the first volume of The Oxyrhynchus Papyri in 1898 .

  • The third column (GA) refers to today's standard numbering for quotations of the manuscripts of the New Testament after Caspar René Gregory and Kurt Aland , as determined by the Institute for New Testament Text Research in Münster.
  • denotes a papyrus manuscript, a number starting with zero indicates a uncial writing on parchment.
  • The content is given in the next chapter, verses are not listed.
Vol Oxy GA date content institution city country
I. 2 1 250 Matthew 1 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia United States
I. 3 069 500 Mark 10-11 Frederick Haskell Oriental Institute
University of Chicago ; 2057
Chicago United States
II 208 = 1781 5 250 John 1:16, 20 British Library London UK
II 209 10 350 Romans 1 Houghton Library , Harvard Cambridge, Massachusetts United States
III 401 071 500 Matthew 10-11 Harvard Semitic Museum ; 3735 Cambridge, Massachusetts United States
III 402 10 250 1. John 4 Houghton Library , Harvard Cambridge, Massachusetts United States
IV 657 13 250 Hebrews 2-5, 10-12 British Library London UK
VI 847 0162 300 John 2 Metropolitan Museum of Art new York United States
VI 848 0163 450 Revelation 16 Metropolitan Museum of Art new York United States
VII 1008 15th 250 1 Corinthians 7–8 Egyptian Museum Cairo Egypt
VII 1009 16 300 Philippians 3-4 Egyptian Museum Cairo Egypt
VIII 1078 17th 350 Hebrews 9 Cambridge University Library , Cambridge Cambridge UK
VIII 1079 18th 300 Revelation 1 British Library London UK
VIII 1080 0169 350 Revelation 3-4 Robert Elliott Speer Library
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton, New Jersey United States
IX 1169 0170 500 Matthew 6 Robert Elliott Speer Library
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton, New Jersey United States
IX 1170 19th 400 Matthew 10-11 Bodleian Library Oxford UK
IX 1171 20th 250 James 2-3 Harvey S. Firestone Memorial Library , Princeton Princeton, New Jersey United States
X 1227 21st 400 Matthew 12 Muhlenberg College Allentown, Pennsylvania United States
X 1228 22nd 250 John 15-16 Glasgow University Library Glasgow UK
X 1229 23 250 James 1 University of Illinois Urbana (Illinois) United States
X 1230 24 350 Revelation 5-6 Franklin Trask Library
Andover Newton Theological School
Newton (Massachusetts) United States
XI 1353 0206 350 1 Peter 5 United Theological Seminary Dayton (Ohio) United States
XI 1354 26th 600 Romans 1 Joseph S. Bridwell Library
Southern Methodist University
Dallas United States
XI 1355 27 250 Romans 8–9 Cambridge University Library Cambridge UK
XIII 1596 28 250 John 6 Collection Gifford Combs
to 2016 Pacific School of Religion
los Angeles United States
XIII 1597 29 250 Acts 26 Bodleian Library Oxford UK
XIII 1598 30th 250 1. Theses 4-5; 2nd theses 1 Ghent University Library Ghent Belgium
XV 1780 39 250 John 8 Ambrose Swasey Library Rochester (New York) United States
XV 1781 = 208 5 250 John 1:16, 20 British Library London UK
XVIII 2157 51 400 Galatians 1 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
XXIV 2383 69 250 Luke 22 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
XXIV 2384 70 250 Matthew 2–3, 11–12, 24 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
XXIV 2385 71 350 Matthew 19 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
XXXIV / LXIV 2683/4405 77 200 Matthew 23 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
XXXIV 2684 78 300 Judas Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
L. 3523 90 150 John 18-19 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXIV 4401 101 250 Matthew 3–4 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXIV 4402 102 300 Matthew 4 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXIV 4403 103 200 Matthew 13-14 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXIV 4404 104 150 Matthew 21? Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXIV 4406 105 500 Matthew 27-28 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXV 4445 106 250 John 1 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXV 4446 107 250 John 17 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXV 4447 108 250 John 17/18 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXV 4448 109 250 John 21 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXV 4449 100 300 James 3–5 Sackler Library
Papyrology Rooms
Oxford UK
LXVI 4494 110 350 Matthew 10 Sackler Library
Papyrology Rooms
Oxford UK
LXVI 4495 111 250 Luke 17 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXVI 4496 112 450 Acts 26-27 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXVI 4497 113 250 Romans 2 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXVI 4498 114 250 Hebrews 1 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXVI 4499 115 300 Revelation 2-3, 5-6, 8-15 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXVI 4500 0308 350 Revelation 11: 15–18 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXXI 4803 119 250 John 1: 21-28, 38-44 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXXI 4804 120 350 John 1: 25-28, 33-38, 42-44 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXXI 4805 121 250 John 19: 17-18, 25-26 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXXI 4806 122 4th / 5th Century (?) John 21: 11-14, 22-24 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXXI 4844 123 4th century 1 Corinthians 14: 31-34; 15: 3-6 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXXI 4845 124 6th century 2 Corinthians 11: 1-4; 6-9 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK

New Testament apocrypha

The Oxyrhynchus Papyri collection contains around 20 manuscripts of the New Testament Apocrypha . These works were used at times as biblical books in the time of the first Christians , but ultimately not included as such in the canons of the Orthodox Churches . These include the Gospels of Thomas , Mary and Peter , and the Protevangelium of James , the Shepherd of Hermas , and the Didache . In addition to the well-known Gospels, there are also some Apocrypha that have not yet been assigned. The three manuscripts of the Gospel of Thomas are the only version of these texts in Greek; another is the Coptic version discovered in Nag Hammadi . P. Oxy. 4706 is a manuscript by the Shepherd of Hermas, as two of his sections, visions and commandments , which were previously only known separately, were found on one roll.

  • P. Oxy. V 840 and P. Oxy. XV 1782 are written on parchment.
  • 2949 ?, 3525, 3529? 4705, and 4706 are scrolls, the rest are codes.
Vol Oxy date content institution city country
Early writings
LXIX 4705 250 Shepherd of Hermas , Visions 1: 1, 8–9 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LXIX 4706 200 Shepherd of Hermas
Visions 3-4; Commandments 2; 4-9
Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
XV 1783 325 Shepherd of Hermas, Commandments 9
L. 3526 350 Shepherd of Hermas, commandments 5-6
Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
IX 1172 350 Shepherd of Hermas, Parables 2: 4–10

[in a code of 3526]

British Library; Inv. 224 London UK
LXIX 4707 250 Shepherd of Hermas, Parables 6: 3–7: 2 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
XIII 1599 350 Shepherd of Hermas, parables 8
L. 3527 200 Shepherd of Hermas, Parables 8: 4–5 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
L. 3528 200 Shepherd of Hermas, Parables 9: 20–22 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
III 404 300 Shepherd of Hermas
XV 1782 350 Didache 1–3 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
Pseudepigraphies
I. 1 200 Gospel of Thomas Bodleian Library
Ms. Gr. Th. E 7 (P)
Oxford UK
IV 654 200 Gospel of Thomas British Museum ; Inv. 1531 London UK
IV 655 200 Gospel of Thomas Houghton Library, Harvard
SM Inv. 4367
Cambridge, Massachusetts United States
XLI 2949 200 Gospel of Peter (?) Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
L. 3524 550 Protegospel of James 25: 1 Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
L. 3525 250 Gospel of Mary Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
LX 4009 150 Gospel of Peter (?) Ashmolean Museum Oxford UK
I. 6th 450 Acts of Paul and Thekla legend
VI 849 325 Acts of Peter
VI 850 350 Acts of John
VI 851 500 Apocryphal book of Acts
VIII 1081 Gnostic Gospels
II 210 250 Unidentified gospel Cambridge University Library
Add. Ms. 4048
Cambridge UK
V 840 200 Unidentified gospel Bodleian Library
Ms. Gr. Th. G 11
Oxford UK
X 1224 300 Unidentified gospel Bodleian Library
Ms. Gr. Th. E 8 (P)
Oxford UK

Other related texts

  • Four exact dates are marked in bold :
three Libelli are dated, all to the year 250 , two to the month and one to the day;
a warrant to arrest a Christian is dated February 28, 256 .
Vol Oxy date content institution city country
Biblical quotes
VIII 1077 550 Amulet: Magical text
quotes Matthew 4: 23–24
Trexler Library; Pap. Theol. 2
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, Pennsylvania United States
LX 4010 350 “Our Father” ( Matthew 6: 9ff)
with an introductory prayer
Papyrology Room
Ashmolean Museum
Oxford UK
Creeds
XVII 2067 450 Confession of Nicaea (325) Papyrology Room
Ashmolean Museum
Oxford UK
XV 1784 450 Constantinopolitanum (381) Ambrose Swasey Library
Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
Rochester
New York
United States
Church fathers
III 405 250 Irenaeus , Adversus haereses
Against the heretics
Cambridge University Library
Add. Ms. 4413
Cambridge UK
XXXI 2531 550 Theophilus of Alexandria
Peri Katanuxeos [?]
Papyrology Rooms
Sackler Library
Oxford UK
Unknown theological works
XIII 1600 450 Treatises on the Passion Bodleian Library
Ms. Gr. Th. D 4 (P)
Oxford UK
I. 4th 300 Theological fragment Cambridge University Library Cambridge UK
III 406 250 Theological fragment Library; BH 88470.1
McCormick Theological Seminary
Chicago
Illinois
United States
Dialogues (theological discussions)
XVII 2070 275 Anti-Jewish dialogue Papyrology Rooms
Sackler Library
Oxford UK
XVII 2071 550 Fragment of a dialogue Papyrology Rooms
Sackler Library
Oxford UK
Apology arguments in defense of the Christian faith
XVII 2072 250 Fragment of an apology Papyrology Rooms
Sackler Library
Oxford UK
Homilies (short sermons)
XIII 1601 400 Homily on Spiritual Warfare Ambrose Swasey Library
Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
Rochester
New York
United States
XIII 1602 400 Homily for monks (parchment) University
Library Ghent University
Ghent Belgium
XIII 1603 500 Homily on Women John Rylands University Library
Inv R. 55247
Manchester UK
XV 1785 450 Collection of homilies [?] Papyrology Room
Ashmolean Museum
Oxford UK
XVII 2073 375 Fragment of a homily
and other text
Papyrology Rooms
Sackler Library
Oxford UK
Liturgical texts protocols for church services
XVII 2068 350 Liturgical [?] Fragments Papyrology Rooms
Sackler Library
Oxford UK
III 407 300 Christian prayer Department of Manuscripts
British Museum
London UK
XV 1786 275 Christian hymn
with musical instructions
Papyrology Rooms
Sackler Library
Oxford UK
Hagiographies ( stories of saints)
L. 3529 350 The Martyrdom of Dioscorus Papyrology Room
Ashmolean Museum
Oxford UK
Libelli (certificates of pagan sacrifices)
LVIII 3929 250 Libellus from
June 25th to July 24th 250
Papyrology Room
Ashmolean Museum
Oxford UK
IV 658 250 Libellus from 250 Beincke Library
Yale University
New Haven
Connecticut
United States
XII 1464 250 Libellus of June 27th 250 Department of Manuscripts
British Museum
London UK
XLI 2990 250 Third century libellus Papyrology Rooms
Sackler Library
Oxford UK
other documents
XLII 3035 256 Arrest warrant for a Christian
dated February 28, 256
Papyrology Room
Ashmolean Museum
Oxford UK
Other fragments
I. 5 300 Early Christian fragment Bodleian Library
Ms. Gr. Th. F 9 (P)
Oxford UK

Glossary literature

  • Francesca Schironi: From Alexandria to Babylon. Near Eastern Languages ​​and Hellenistic Erudition in the Oxyrhynchus Glossary (P.Oxy. 1802 + 4812) (= Sozomena. Vol. 4). de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2009, ISBN 978-3-11-020693-7 .

See also

Web links

Commons : Papyri by Oxyrhynchos  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Digitized editions of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri

Individual evidence

  1. Ulli Kulke: Oxyrhynchus or the secrets of Sophocles . On: welt online from April 22, 2005; last accessed on July 30, 2016.
  2. Joachim Latacz: The Oxyrhynchus Papyri - We only know one percent . On: faz.net of April 29, 2005; last accessed on July 30, 2016.
  3. ^ Oxyrhynchus Database: Texts published online . last accessed on July 30, 2016.
  4. The Oxyrhynchus Papyri. Volume 82. (= Graeco-Roman Memoirs. Volume 103). The Egypt Exploration Society, 2016. At: ees-shop.com ; last accessed on July 30, 2016.
  5. paleojudaica.blogspot Excerpt from the interview with Dr. Eugene Fisher with Zenit on Jewish-Catholic relations after Vatican II. On: paleojudaica.blogspot.com of June 22, 2003; last accessed on July 30, 2016.
  6. The Apocrypha refers to those books in the Catholic Roman Church and the Orthodox Churches canonical status have, but did not appear in the Hebrew Bible and in the Protestant do not have a canonical status Old Testament.
  7. Eberhard Nestle , Erwin Nestle , Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland (eds): Novum Testamentum Graece . 27th edition, German Bible Society , Stuttgart 2001.
  8. ^ Philip W Comfort, David P Barrett: The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts . Tyndale House Publishers Incorporated, Wheaton IL 2001.
  9. 4494 on csad.ox.ac.uk
  10. Peter Kirby: Gospel of Thomas (2001-2006) on earlychristianwritings.com (accessed June 30, 2007).
  11. Silvia Barbantani: Review: Gonis (N.), Obbink (D.) [et al.] (Edd., Trans.) “The Oxyrhynchus Papyri. Volume LXIX. (Graeco-Roman Memoirs 89) “ In: The Classical Review 57: 1 p.66, Cambridge University Press 2007, doi : 10.1017 / S0009840X06003209
  12. POxy LX 4010 on csad.ox.ac.uk
  13. ^ POxy XVII 2067
  14. POxy XXXI 2531
  15. POxy XVII 2070
  16. ^ POxy XVII 2071
  17. ^ POxy XVII 2072
  18. ^ POxy XVII 2073
  19. ^ POxy XVII 2068
  20. Poxy L 3529