Papyrus 64 (= Papyrus 67 & Papyrus 4), P64 (= P67 & P4)

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First Composed: 5 April 2000

Last Updated: 22nd September 2003


Name

Papyrus 64 (Mag Gr. 18), P64, Papyrus 67 (P.Barc. 1), P67, and Papyrus 4 (#Gr. 1120), P4, believed to be coming from the same codex.

Date

c. 200 CE.

Provenance

P4 : Coptos (modern name Qift), Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile, by Vincent Scheil during his expedition to Upper Egypt in 1880.

P64 : Puchased by Charles B. Huleatt in Luxor in 1901 and given to Magdalen College Library, Oxford University.

P67 : First published by Ramón Roca-Puig.

Size

P4 : 13.5 cm. x 17 cm. There are two columns and 36 lines per page.

P64 : Three fragments of sizes (a) 4.1 cm x 1.2 cm., (b) 1.6 cm. x 1.6 cm., and (c) 4.1 cm. x 1.3 cm. There are two columns and 35-36 lines per page. Image can be seen here.

P67 : 10 [+3] cm. x 15 cm. There are two columns and 36-38 lines per page.

Contents

P4 : Luke 1:58-59; 1:62-2:1, 6-7; 3:8-4:2, 29-32, 34-35; 5:3-8; 5:30-6:16.

P64 : Matthew 26:7-8, 10, 14-15, 22-23, 31-33.

P67 : Matthew 3:9, 15; 5:20-22, 25-28.

Textual Character

P4 : It concurs with B against more often than the reverse. The Alands call this text as "normal" and Metzger, "proto-Alexandrian." Accompanying P4 is one fragment that reads "Gospel according to Matthew" perhaps written by a later scribe at a later date.

P64 : The Alands call this text as "strict." Colin Roberts notes the "Alexandrian" character of the text.

P67 : The Alands call this text as "strict." Ramón Roca-Puig demonstrated this manuscript's close affinity with .

Writing

The hand is strong and firm perhaps written by a professional scribe.

Location

P4 : Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France.

P64 : Magdalen College Library, Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom.

P67 : Fundación San Lucas Evangelista, Barcelona, Spain.


References

P4

[1] Jean Merell, "Nouveaux Fragments Du Papyrus IV", Revue Biblique, 1938, Volume 47, pp. 5-22.

[2] T. C. Skeats, "The Oldest Manuscript Of The Four Gospels?", New Testament Studies, 1997, Volume 43, pp. 1-34.


P64

[1] Colin Roberts, "An Early Papyrus Of The First Gospel", Harvard Theological Review, 1953, Volume 46, pp. 233-237.

[2] Ramón Roca-Puig, "Nueva Publicación Del Papiro Número Uno De Barcelona", Helmantica, 1961, Volume 37, pp. 103-124. See also the note by Colin Roberts explaining how he discovered that P64 and P67 were part of the same manuscript.

[3] Carsten P. Thiede, "Papyrus Magdalen Greek 17 (Gregory-Aland P64): A Reappraisal", Tyndale Bulletin, 1995, Volume 46, pp. 29-42. This is a controversial article for shifting the date of P64 to first century CE. Thiede's work has been refuted by other scholars in various journals. See for example

  1. J. K. Elliott, "Review Of The Jesus Papyrus & Eyewitness To Jesus", Novum Testamentum, 1996, Volume 38, pp. 393-399.

  2. Peter M. Head, "The Date Of The Magdalen Papyrus Of Matthew (P. Magd. Gr. 17 = P64): A Response To C. P. Thiede", Tyndale Bulletin, 1995, Volume 46, pp. 251-285 (Reprinted here with minor alterations).

  3. D. C. Parker, "Was Matthew Written Before 50 CE? The Magdalen Papyrus Of Matthew", Expository Times, 1996, Volume 107, pp. 40-43.


P67

[1] Ramón Roca-Puig, "Nueva Publicación Del Papiro Número Uno De Barcelona", Helmantica, 1961, Volume 37, pp. 103-124. See also the note by Colin Roberts explaining how he discovered that P64 and P67 were part of the same manuscript.

A general review of the above manuscripts can be seen in:

[1] P. W. Comfort & David P. Barrett, The Complete Text Of The Earliest New Testament Manuscripts, 1999, Baker Books: Grand Rapids (Michigan), United States of America, p. 33-44

The New Testament Manuscripts