Papyrus 20
Encyclopedia
Papyrus 20 designated by 
20, is an early copy of the New Testament
in Greek
. It is a papyrus
manuscript
of the Epistle of James
, but it only contains Chapter 2:19-3:9. The manuscript has been paleographically assigned to the early 3rd century.
The text is neatly written in upright semi-cursive letters. The main Nomina Sacra
are used, but πατηρ/pater/father and ανθρωπος/anthropos/man are written out in full.
The Greek text of this codex is representative of the Alexandrian text-type
(rather proto-Alexandrian). Aland
placed it in Category I. This manuscript shows the greatest agreement with Codex Sinaiticus
and Vaticanus, but not with codices Ephraemi
, Regius
and other late Alexandrian manuscripts.
Philip Comfort has conjectured that the scribe who wrote
20 was also the same scribe who wrote 
27
, where the Greek letters α, β, δ, ε, λ, ι, μ, ν, ο, π, ρ, σ, ψ, υ, φ, ω are formed identically in both manuscripts.
It is currently housed at the Princeton University Library (AM 4117) in Princeton
.
20, is an early copy of the New TestamentNew Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. It is a papyrus
Papyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
manuscript
Biblical manuscript
A biblical manuscript is any handwritten copy of a portion of the text of the Bible. The word Bible comes from the Greek biblia ; manuscript comes from Latin manu and scriptum...
of the Epistle of James
Epistle of James
The Epistle of James, usually referred to simply as James, is a book in the New Testament. The author identifies himself as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ", with "the earliest extant manuscripts of James usually dated to mid-to-late third century."There are four views...
, but it only contains Chapter 2:19-3:9. The manuscript has been paleographically assigned to the early 3rd century.
Description
The original size of the leaves was 17 by 12 cm.The text is neatly written in upright semi-cursive letters. The main Nomina Sacra
Nomina sacra
Nomina sacra means "sacred names" in Latin, and can be used to refer to traditions of abbreviated writing of several frequently occurring divine names or titles in early Greek language Holy Scripture...
are used, but πατηρ/pater/father and ανθρωπος/anthropos/man are written out in full.
The Greek text of this codex is representative of the Alexandrian text-type
Alexandrian text-type
The Alexandrian text-type , associated with Alexandria, is one of several text-types used in New Testament textual criticism to describe and group the textual character of biblical manuscripts...
(rather proto-Alexandrian). Aland
Kurt Aland
Kurt Aland was a German Theologian and Professor of New Testament Research and Church History. He founded the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung in Münster and served as its first director for many years...
placed it in Category I. This manuscript shows the greatest agreement with Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...
and Vaticanus, but not with codices Ephraemi
Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus
Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus is an early 5th century Greek manuscript of the Bible, the last in the group of the four great uncial manuscripts...
, Regius
Codex Regius (New Testament)
Codex Regius designated by siglum Le or 019 , ε 56 , is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 8th century. The manuscript is lacunose. It has marginalia....
and other late Alexandrian manuscripts.
Philip Comfort has conjectured that the scribe who wrote
20 was also the same scribe who wrote 27Papyrus 27
"Appelle mon numéro" is a 2008 song recorded by French singer Mylène Farmer. Released on 3 November 2008, it was the second single from her seventh studio album, Point de Suture. It received generally positive reviews from critics and was more aired on radio and television than Farmer's previous...
, where the Greek letters α, β, δ, ε, λ, ι, μ, ν, ο, π, ρ, σ, ψ, υ, φ, ω are formed identically in both manuscripts.
It is currently housed at the Princeton University Library (AM 4117) in Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
.
Further reading
- B. P. GrenfellBernard Pyne GrenfellBernard Pyne Grenfell was an English scientist and Egyptologist and a member of The Queen's College, Oxford.With his friend and colleague, Arthur Surridge Hunt, he took part in the archaeological dig of Oxyrhynchus and discovered many ancient manuscripts known as the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, including...
& A. S. Hunt, Oxyrhynchus Papyri IX, (London 1912), pp. 9-11.
External links
- Robert B. Waltz. NT Manuscripts: Papyri,
20 - Images of the
20 at the Princeton University Library Papyrus - P. Oxy. 1171 at the Oxyrhynchus Online