Papyrus 77, P77

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First Composed: 4 April 2000

Last Updated: 4 April 2000


Name

Papyrus 77 (P.Oxy. 2683, 4405), P77

Date

Late 2nd century / early 3rd century CE.

Provenance

Oxyrhynchus, Egypt.

Size

About 8 cm. x 8.2 cm. Click here for the image.

These fragments come from a papyrus codex. The smaller fragment was added later and the information was updated in POxy. 4405. The larger fragment was published as POxy. 2683.

Contents

Verso, Matthew 23:30-34. Recto, Matthew 23:35-39.

These fragments belongs among the oldest New Testament texts.

Textual Character

"Proto-Alexandrian."

This part of Matthew has not so far been represented on papyrus. The papyrus disagrees on four or five points with each of the fourth and fifth century codices (it comes closest to Codex Sinaiticus).

Writing

The words are written with slight separation. Punctuation is by middle stop and paragraphos. A rough breathing is observed.

As a whole the hand in this manuscript is very much similar to that found in P103 (POxy. 4403). The editors (R. Coles & J. D. Thomas) of P103 feel that it is safe is consider it coming from a different codex.

Location

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, United Kingdom.


References

[1] L. Ingrams, P. Kingston, P. Parsons & J. Rea, The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, XXXIV, 1968, 1 ff. (No. 2683).

[2] E. W. Handley et al., The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, LXIV, 1997, 9 ff. (No. 4405).

[3] Peter M. Head, "Observations on Early Papyri of the Synoptic Gospels, especially on the 'Scribal Habits'", Biblica, 1990, Volume 71, pp. 240-247.

The New Testament Manuscripts